Times of Oman - March 23, 2016

WEDNESDAY

March 23, 2016 14 Jumada Al Thani 1437 AH

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

At the Opening Ceremony of the State Consultative Council at Al Alam Palace in Muscat, 1990

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ The role being played by your Council is acquiring growing significance at the present stage and that makes it necessary for the Council, more than at any time before, to participate in shouldering the burdens and responsibilities of the new stage to achieve the progress and growth we cherish for Oman.

Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 26

| 48 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

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HM sends greetings MUSCAT His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Dr. Hassan Rouhani of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the occasion of the new Iranian year “Nayrouz Day.” >A6

MORNING MINUTE

Warning that oil will stay low for two years MOBIN MATHEW BLESSON

mobinmathew@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A warning that oil prices will stay low for ‘next year or two’ has been issued by the chief economist of a global investment house while in Oman.

With oil prices plummeting globally over the past year,

the Sultanate’s finances have taken a hammering, forcing the government to embrace austerity measures such as freezing some employee benefits in state-run companies and increasing fuel prices.

Fees for government services have increased, and more increases are likely, while Income Tax for com-

panies based in Oman is to be raised, and the Sultanate is moving towards introducing Value Added Tax (VAT) on goods for sale, along with other Gulf countries, in 2018 or 2019.

Earlier this week, Oman’s Minister of Oil and Gas Dr Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhy, said he hoped crude

oil prices could recover by the end of this year if a meeting of Opec and non-Opec members scheduled to take place in Qatari capital Doha next month decides to freeze output.

However, speaking on the sidelines of the Coinvestment Roundtable of Sovereign and Pension

Funds (CROSAPF) Working Committee here in Oman on Tuesday, John Greenwood, chief economist of Invesco, which represents hundreds of clients in 20 countries around the globe, said: “It is very hard to see the oil price picking up in the next year or two; it will take longer than we thought.” >A6

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TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

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Attestation needed for all educational certificates

4.3 Richter scale earthquake off Salalah coast

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Earthquake measuring 4.3 on Richter scale occurred in the Arabian Sea near Salalah coast on Tuesday morning, according to official at Sultan Qaboos University Earthquake Monitoring Centre. >A3

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Reckless driving

High-speed Internet

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There has been rise in reckless driving in Oman, says a new survey. >A4

MORNING MINUTE

High-speed Internet service Awasr officially launched.>A5

FAHAD AL GHADANI

fahadnews@timesofoman.com

30 killed in Brussels attacks; Omanis safe

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MUSCAT: All educational certificates need to be attested by the Ministry of Higher Education before someone joins a job in the private or public sector in Oman, the Ministry of Higher Educa-

tion (MoHE) said on Monday. The rule applies to expatriates working in Oman, as well as Omanis, who have overseas education certificates. Speaking to the Times of Oman, a MoHE official said they were forced to issue a reminder as a large number of companies have tended to flout this rule. >A6

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

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BLASTS IN BRUSSELS

Omani citizens in Belgium safe: Envoy Times News Service Muscat: All members of the Sultanate’s diplomatic mission, their families and all Omani citizens in Belgium are safe, the Sultanate’s Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, Najim bin Sulaiman Al Abri confirmed on Tuesday.

In a phone call to Al Shabiba he also pointed that no Omani citizen was near the area where Tuesday’s attacks took place.

The embassy is in contact with all Omani citizens present in Brussels who are safe and not affected with the blasts, he further said. The Belgian capital of Brussels does not host a big Omani community.

4.3 ON RICHTER SCALE

Minor quake off the coast of Salalah Staff reporter MUSCAT: An earthquake measuring 4.3 on Richter scale occurred in the Arabian Sea near Salalah coast on Tuesday morning, according to an official at Sultan Qaboos University Earthquake Monitoring Centre.

“The epicenter of the earth quake is some 282km off Salalah coast of Oman,” said the official adding that tremors were not felt on the land. It struck at 6:24am, the official added.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016 There is a negative effect that comes with improved road infrastructure and that is increased driving speeds on wide flat roads. Much has been done to regulate speed on our highways, but sadly this is no longer a deterrent for all drivers. A nominal fine is not enough, especially for those who can easily afford them Mark Pudwell, Business development and training manager at Competence HR

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Mood of gloom on economy: Survey A Muscat-based economist said the mood reflects the negative outlook

GCC WEALTH SURVEY INVESTORS’ OPINION ON THE GULF ECONOMIC SITUATION (%) Improving

investors have about economic growth, in light of oil prices

TARIQ ZIAD AL HAREMI

tariqh@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A mood of pessimism seems to have settled upon the majority of high net worth individuals (HNWI) in Oman, as many say the Sultanate’s economic state is worsening.

About 67 per cent of HNWI in Oman said the economic situation is worsening, while only 25 per cent say it is improving, as only 8 per cent of this group said there has not been any change, according to the GCC Wealth Insight Report published by the Emirates Investment Bank.

It also was reported that the majority of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country HNWIs agree that the global economic situation is worsening, as 53 per cent cited

political instability as one of the major reasons,and 45 per cent blaming the economic woes on the decline of oil prices.

Negative outlook A Muscat-based economist said the mood reflects the negative outlook investors have about economic growth, in light of declining oil prices.

“Investment is a trade-off between risks and returns. At present, it would appear natural that the expected returns from the market may not adequately compensate the risks in equity investment. But, it should also be borne in mind that economies go through boom and bust cycles,” the economist said.

The economist also added that, at the moment, commodi-

Staying the same

2014

2015

5

56 39

36

17

36

77%

47

are optimistic about the prospects for the global economy

83%

HOW SUPER RICH VIEW ECONOMIC SITUATION IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY (%) UAE

58

Bahrain

Kuwait

8

Oman

8

42 50

19 23

Qatar

25

42 50

8 67

are optimistic about the economic prospects for the Gulf region

42 50

Saudi Arabia

8 69 23

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ties are in a downward trend triggered by declining prices of most commodities,such as oil, steel, coal and others.

Meanwhile, Anchan CK, an investment advisor, said that HN-

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WIs expect to increase the proportion of their wealth invested into their own businesses and in real estate, with a belief of seeking greater control in managing their investments.

M AT I N É E O N F R I D AY

MUSCAT: Royal Oman Police urged motorists to drive safely as heavy dust winds are blowing across northern parts of Oman, posing a serious threat to them.

“The dust winds are a threat to us on the road. Traffic has slowed.

Everyone has to be more cautious while driving,” Mohammed Faisal, a taxi driver in Ruwi, said.

it was 20 knots and in Sohar it was 19 knots, it could reach 32 knots,” the Met tweeted.

The department has also predicted rain, thundershowers, fresh wind and hail over the governorates of Musandam, Al Buraimi, North Al Batinah and Al Dhahira, which may extend gradually to the governorates of Muscat, South Al Batinah, Al Dakhliya, South and North Al Sharqiya and parts of Al Wusta.

Visibility warning The Oman Meteorology Department (Met), in its latest advisory, has warned of poor horizontal visibility during thundershowers, dust and fog formation on Tuesday. According to the Met, current wind speed in Al Saniana of 26 knots could reach 43 knots.

“In Fahud it was 26 knots, Liwa

Cold front A cold front was predicted to bring the return of rainfall by Tuesday in a few locations in Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to a meteorologist from Accuweather.com. Rain is expected in the range of 25 to 50 millimetre (mm).

While these storms are not ex-

3%

are very pessimistic about the prospects for the Gulf economy

Source: GCC Wealth Insight Report, Emirates Investment Bank

Dust winds lower visibility, advised motorists caution reji@timesofoman.com

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W E AT H E R

REJIMON K

VIEWS ON ECONOMIC PROSPECTS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS

Worsening

pected to pose as much of a flooding threat, compared with previous storms between March 7 and March 10, isolated flash flooding is possible.

The greatest threat for thunderstorms in Muscat will extend from Tuesday night, through Wednesday and into Wednesday night. It will not rain this entire time; this is when rainfall is most likely.

Flash floods While flooding may not be as severe as earlier in the month, any flash floods could be deadly. Water levels in normally dry rivers could quickly rise, even if it is not raining at your location.

As the cold front responsible for producing these thunderstorms moves out of the region later in the week, dry weather is expected to return by Friday.

ROHM to host Palestine Youth Orchestra

“In Oman, most HNWIs prefer keeping their assets closer to home. The investment world is becoming increasingly complex with wider choices, whether geographical or selecting asset classes in or-

der to deliver desired returns,” the investment advisor added. Commenting on the regional economic situation, Khaled Sifri, CEO of Emirates Investment Bank, said, “With the global economy currently going through a period of significant volatility and with depressed oil prices, it comes as no surprise that this year’s report is more sombre than in previous years.”

Confidence in markets “However, confidence in markets, such as the UAE and Qatar, remains very strong and, when taking a longer-term view, HNWI’s say they are optimistic about the Gulf region, as a whole. Consistent with previous years, the majority of GCC HNWI investors prefer to invest in the region over global markets, despite any geopolitical concerns,” Sifri added.

The GCC Wealth Insight Report 2016 is based on a survey of HNWIs from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain. Faceto-face interviews were held in each country between September and November 2015 among nationals, as well as expatriates.

HNWIs are defined as individuals with US$2 million or more in investable assets.

YOUGOV SURVEY

Reckless driving has risen, say drivers in Oman

Times News Service REJIMON K

MUSCAT: Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) will host the concert by the Palestinian Youth Orchestra during a late afternoon matinée at 4:30pm on Friday.

In 2012, the Palestine Youth Orchestra was invited to play under the name of “The Palestinian Strings” at the famous Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. On this occasion, a member of the Orchestra commented, “When we perform at Royal Albert Hall, we are first and foremost musicians, but we’re performing as The Palestine Strings, so there is an aspect of national identity. We all feel it’s something that Palestine should be proud of.”

Suppressed nation The Palestine Youth Orchestra represents self-esteem, unity and the hope for a better future for a nation that has long been suppressed.

The outstanding global success of this special Orchestra amply demonstrates that music can be a force for peace in the world.

Created in 2004 by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, the Palestine Youth Orchestra can rightly claim that today it is at par with outstanding national youth orchestras worldwide.

Over the past decade, the Orchestra has performed to acclaim in Palestine, Germany, Jordan, Syria, Bahrain, Lebanon, Greece and Italy.

The Palestinian musicians are joined by young musicians from youth orchestras in the host country.

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Drivers in Oman have seen infrastructure improvements, but are experiencing an increase in reckless driving, a survey conducted by YouGov for Oman Qatar Insurance Company (OQIC Insured) showed .

According to the survey, 68 per cent of motorists experienced an increase in people speeding on the roads over the last six months and 75 per cent said they saw more distracted drivers than in the last six months (texting or talking on the phone, reading the newspaper etc.)

The survey also revealed that 78 per cent of drivers agreed that road infrastructure has improved in the last six months and on an average, people don’t feel that daily commutes now take longer than six months ago.

“We are proud to introduce this unique long term perception study in Oman.

“The results reflect the genuine apprehensions of Oman’s residents and point towards an urgent need for all stakeholders to work together to improve safety standards on Oman roads,” Ewen McRobbie, chief executive officer, Oman Qatar Insurance Company, said.

“We need to create effective road safety campaigns, which can help influence driving behaviour and convince motorists to adopt safe driving practices on a consistent basis,” he added.

While 59 per cent of respondents noted that they enjoyed driving on Oman’s roads more than six months ago, this compared with 21 per cent, who enjoyed it less, 41 per cent of respondents

reported their commute time had remained unchanged or had become faster; with an unlucky 44 per cent reporting a longer drive to work.

Meanwhile, 33 per cent believed that Oman’s roads have become more challenging in the last six months, while only 53 per cent believed they had become less challenging.

According to Frederik Bisbjerg, executive vice-president, MENA Retail, Qatar Insurance Company, safer roads are a benefit for all, including families, businesses, government and insurers.

Mark Pudwell, business development and training manager at Competence HR, said traffic and road surveys are often valuable in gauging public perception of both driver culture and infrastructure.

“The road infrastructure in Oman has dramatically improved over the years and has given us much better roads and associated elements, such as lighting and traffic monitoring systems.

“However, recent events have highlighted that this improvement has been undertaken mainly in larger settlements and the interior road infrastructure is yet to benefit from governmental planners,” Pudwell said.

Neelesh Sogani, a road safety expert in Muscat, said the increase in reckless and distracted driving, speeding, and texting or talking on the phone while driving could also be due to young drivers and their hunger for wanting to be on social media.

“The improved infrastructure eases driving comfort, allows drivers to accelerate and chase speed limits on roads,” Sogani added.

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AV I AT I O N

Air India Express announces summer flight schedule Times News Service MUSCAT: Air India Express has announced its summer schedule, with night flights being launched in the Kozhikode-MuscatKozhikode sector, a statement from Air India said on Tuesday.

Effective from March 28, Air India Express will introduce a night

flight from Muscat to Kozhikode on daily basis.

Kozhikode-Muscat The flight will leave Kozhikode at 11.50pm and arrive at Muscat 1.45am and will leave from Muscat at 2.45am and arrive in Kozhikode at 7.45am.

Air India Express operates 19

High-speed Internet service launched With the official launch of Awasr services, users can now enjoy high-speed fibreoptic Internet, at competitive prices in the regions of Al Khoud, Al Mawaleh, Al Hail, Maabilah and Shatti Al Qurum in first phase MORE SPEED: Pricing of

businesseditor@timesofoman.com

Awasr is better—it is not expensive and the customer gets more speed for the same price. – Supplied

MUSCAT: Oman’s first specialised high-speed fibre Internet provider, Awasr, officially launched its services in the regions of Al Khoud, Al Mawaleh, Al Hail, Maabilah and Shatti Al Qurum in the first phase, with expansion plans to cover the rest of Muscat and other areas throughout the Sultanate.

The announcement was made on Monday evening at an inaugural ceremony organised by the company at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel in Muscat.

With the official launch of Awasr services, users can now enjoy high-speed fibre-optic Internet in both offices and homes, at competitive prices in the regions of Al Khoud, Al Mawaleh, Al Hail, Maabilah and Shatti Al Qurum during the first phase.

The company announced that it will soon offer a 1 Gigabit (GB) connection for homes and has previously launched three fibreto-the-home (FTTH) packages with 20MB, 50MB and 150MB speeds accordingly.

Also available are three fibreto-the-business (FTTB) packages with 5MB, 10MB and 30MB Internet speeds for small, medium, and large-scale enterprises.

“The broadband fibre optic packages offered by Awasr aim to support the government’s vision of reinforcing the Sultanate’s digital infrastructure and offering high-speed Internet services.

Our new 1 GB speed will drive the market to provide the high speeds needed to allow people and enterprises to become more innovative—hence contributing to the prosperity and sustainable development of the Sultanate,” said His

Highness Sayyid Taimur bin As’ad Al Said, chairman of Awasr.

So far, the company has over 500 customers. “We expect to get a share of 30 to 35 per cent of the fibre broadband market by 2019,” Grame Lowther, strategy advisor at Awasr, told journalists after the inaugural event.

Lowther said Awasr will follow the Oman Broadband Company (OBC) in providing broadband connections to homes in different areas. OBC has built an optical fibre network in cooperation with Haya Water.

“About 70,000 homes in Muscat have already been covered. By the end of the year, OBC will release (connections to) 120,000 homes.

That is a big market,” noted Lowther. OBC is also laying optical fibre cable in other cities, such as Salalah. By the end of the year, 25 to 30 per cent of Muscat will be covered by the fibre optic cable of OBC. “In two years, 90 per cent of Muscat will be covered.”

The services of Awasr are all post-paid. However, the company plans to introduce pre-paid service at a later stage. The company, which has an Omanisation ratio of almost 100 per cent, is aiming to achieve breakeven status by 2020. Lowther said the pricing of Awasr is better—it is not expensive and the customer gets more speed for the same price.

“The business packages in Oman are the most expensive in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region. The cost of communication will come down (eventually). Oman needs innovation like the UAE (United Arab Emirates),” he added.

A. E. JAMES

weekly flights from Muscat to Kerala and Mangalore, daily to Kozhikode. It also operates five flights (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) to Kochi, four flights (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) to Thiruvananthapuram and three flights (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday) to Mangalore.

Apart from this, Air India Express operates one flight from Salalah to Kozhikode (Friday) and one flight to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram (Friday).

Air India Express offers 30 kilograms of free baggage allowance to all passengers travelling from Muscat/Salalah to all destinations and also offers an additional

10 kilograms baggage at the time of booking at a nominal charge of OMR10.

Call centre Passengers travelling to India can now also take advantage of the “24x7 Air India Express call centre facility,” which can be accessed at this phone number:

+91- 44 – 66921500. National Travel and Tourism is the representative agent for Air India Express in Oman.

Passengers can contact the Air India Express office located in the CBD Area opposite the Central Bank of Oman or their travel agents for planning their next visit to India.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016 Government is diversifying its activities to different sectors like tourism, logistics, port operations, etc and government is focusing more on the future Mohammed Al Ardhi, Executive chairman of Investcorp and chairman of the NBO

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Omani boy feted for saluting police rescue team’s efforts Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance has honoured Khalil Al Khalfan, the 10-year-old boy, for his attitude and commitment towards recognising the hard work of the police rescue team

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reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Do you remember the picture of a young boy saluting a police rescue team for their commendable job during the rainy days earlier this month? If yes, then the boy is in the news again today. The Pub-

lic Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) has honoured Khalil Al Khalfan, the 10-year-old boy, for his attitude and commitment towards recognising the hard work of the police rescue team.

Khalfan was honoured by PACDA in the presence of top officials at a ceremony. The PACDA operations centre had received 332 rescue calls during a low depression in Oman during the first week of March. PACDA data recorded 255 water rescue operations, 37 land rescue operations, 29 fire extinguishing operations, eight ambulance related calls, and four search operations.

As for the calls recorded by the various governorates, Al Batinah North registered the highest number, at 95 rescue operations, followed by Al Dhakhiliyah, which recorded 67 rescue operations.

Muscat came in third with 51

I R A N , PA K I S TA N P R E S I D E N T S

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sends A1 HM greetings In his cable, His Majesty expressed his sincere congratulations along with best wishes of good health and happiness to President Rouhani and the friendly Iranian people further progress and prosperity.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said has also sent a cable of congratulations to President Mamnoon Hussain of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty expressed his sincere congratulations along with best wishes of good health and happiness to President Hussain and the friendly Pakistani people further progress and prosperity. — ONA M I N I S T RY O F H I G H E R E D UC AT I O N

WELL DONE: Khalil Al Khalfan, the 10-year-old boy, being felicitated (above), and Khalfan’s picture

saluting the team (below). — Supplied pictures

CRUDE SUPPLIES

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more supply, weak demand’

M I N I S T R Y O F E D U C AT I O N

Teachers Day MUSCAT: Dr. Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al Manthri, Chairman of the State Council will sponsor on Monday a ceremony organised by Ministry of Education to mark the Teacher’s Day in the presence of Dr Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shibaniyah, Minister of Education, and a number of officials. — ONA

Attestation

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certificates

rescue operations, followed by Al Buraimi, which recorded 43 reports. Al Sharqiyah North reported 27 such incidents, Al Batinah South 26, Dhahira and 23 while only one rescue operation was carried out by PACDA in Al Sharqiyah South. Eight lives were lost during the heavy rainfall that hit Oman earlier this month.

“Excess supply and weak demand is the current issue faced by the global market,” he added.

He said that there are four methods to cope with the current issues in the market. “The main thing is to cut the expenditure and it will help us to save a lot; it may include some projects as well,” Greenwood said. The second method is to raise the revenues of the government.

“It is not necessary to raise the taxes but the government can increase the rates of electricity, water and gasoline,” Greenwood said. “Other methods to overcome this crisis are to sell assets and borrowing,” he added.

He said that all the Gulf states were moving to adopt many of these methods over the next two years to overcome this crisis period.

The economist presented a topic on the outline of the major economic drivers and risk factors that the investors should be aware of and the investment opportunities.

CROSAPF members are sovereign wealth and pension funds

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from around the world. It brings together investment professionals of public funds for presentations and in-depth discussions on global trends and recent issues related to investing.

Participants of the two-day conference were welcomed by His Highness Sayyid Kamil bin Fahad Al Said, assistant secretary general of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office for Cabinet.

According to majority of the officials and participants, it is a good platform to get in touch with more than 100 investment specialist from all over the world and to exchange ideas. “It is an opportunity to exchange knowledge and introduce the investment opportunities in their respective countries to co invest,” a participant said.

Many other participants said the conference helps the Sultanate to showcase and invite the global investors to participate in its upcoming development projects.

In the meeting, the sovereign and investment funds discussed a range of issues and the factors

that may play a role in making investment decisions, including global trends and socio-economic variables that affect the investments in short- and long-term strategies.

First day of the conference discussed topics like Next Generation Investor, Co investment collaboration platforms, and Venture Capital: inventing in Innovation.

Mohammed Al Ardhi, the executive chairman of Investcorp and chairman of the National Bank of Oman, said the Sultanate has a lot of opportunities in investment.

“Government is diversifying its activities to different sectors like tourism, logistics, port operations, etc and government is focusing more on the future,” Al Ardhi said.

The CROSAPF Working Committee meeting concluded on Tuesday and the delegates will take part in the Oman Economic Forum, which begins on Wednesday at the Shangri-La Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa in Muscat.

“Some companies do not even refer to the Ministry before employing any person,” he said.

The reminder comes at a time when the MoHE, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has discovered 1,250 fake certificates, including 1,117 certificates issued with fake stamps and 133 with fake qualifications.

This action was taken according to Article 14 of the Attestation Regulations, which state that any certificates issued by Higher Education Institutes outside Oman are not considered unless they are attested by the MoHE. The Ministry has taken the issue of forged certificates very seriously and informed the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Civil Services, to take the required action against those whose certificates were found to be forged.

The Ministry has also filed legal cases with the Public Prosecution against those having fake certificates. Earlier, the Ministry had found several fake educational certificates and these were ostensibly issued by several institutions in the Middle East and Asia.

To prevent students from falling victims to such fake certificates racket, the Ministry has also cautioned Omani students travelling abroad. Effective April 1, Omani students, who are pursuing their studies in India, have been advised to choose only those colleges and universities, which have been approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in India.

The UGC is a statutory body set up by the Indian government under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, and is charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education.

OIL AND GAS EXPO

‘If crude oil prices remain low it will affect business’ Staff Reporter MUSCAT: The Ministry of Oil and Gas decision to take bold steps in the coming months, if oil prices remainlow, will have a significant impact onsome of the country’s businesses,said some exhibitors at the Oil and Gas West Asia (OGWA) Exhibition at the Oman International Exhibition Centre, said.

On Monday, Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, confirmed that the government might take drastic steps in April if oil prices remains low.

According to Dmitry Maximov, Deputy CEO and Commercial Director of TMK Gulf International Pipe Industry LLC, such government decisions will affect their business.

“We are directly involved in the oil and gas industry. If the government plans to delay any projects, that will negatively affect us,” Maximov told Times of Oman.

“I hope the government plans to reduce oil production, which will help to boost prices and everything will return to normal,” he added.

Also, Joseph Antony from Techs International agreed that the government’s decision will

MEGA EVENT: Exhibition will end on Wednesday at the Oman International Exhibition Centre. — Times file picture

strongly impact their market.

“We are the suppliers of oil equipment to companies like PDO. If the government plans to reduce or delay projects,it will affect our business badly,” Antony said.

“So far, we have not had any issues in the market. I hope this will continue,” he added.

According to Katie Struble of GlassPoint, oil producers are looking to reduce their operating costs, as the production of crude using conventional methods becomes more costly, and solar energy becomes a suitable methodof producing oil at lower costs.

GlassPoint Solar is a private company that designs and manufactures solar steam generators that use solar thermal technol-

ogy to generate steam to power enhanced oil recovery (EOR) systems. “For us, the current dip in oil prices is a positive thing, because oil producers are looking to reduce their operating costs, and solar can help,” Struble said.

“More than 60 per cent of a heavy oil field’s operating costs arededicated for its fuel projects.

If you replace this with solar energy, you can reduce a lot of production costs,” she added.

The exhibition will end on Wednesday at the Oman International Exhibition Centre,as will the SPE EOR Conference at the Golden Tulip Hotel Seeb.

Exhibitors also expressed their concerns, as organisers were unable to attract large numbers of visitors to attend the exhibition.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

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million cubic metres is the annual water deficit of Oman

W O R L D WAT E R D AY

SQU student project proposes use of water from oil wells TARIQ ZIAD AL HAREMI

tariqh@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A student project of the Sultan Qaboos University has shown the way of putting water drawn out during oil pumping operations to good use, a professor of the university said.

In view of the high operating cost of desalination plants and the effect they have on the environment, a student has proposed utilisation of water that has been excavated during oil pumping operations, said Dr Mushtaq Ahmed, associate professor at the Department of Soils, Water and Agricultural Engineering at SQU. “This project was carried out in a laboratory, so we proposed it to be done on a larger scale,” said Ahmed on the sidelines of the Middle East Desalination Research Centre’s (MEDRIC) celebration of the annual UN Water: World Water Day awareness cam-

paign. “What we want ultimately is for the water to be utilised in a sustainable, environmental friendly and economic way; because you can create any water, but it doesn’t help if we spend too much money,” he added.

Negative balance Currently, the annual water balance of Oman stands at 1.267 million cubic metres, which is a 378 million cubic metre deficit for the 1.645 million cubic metre demand. About 86 per cent of the total share of water is used in agriculture.

One solution is to raise water prices to encourage water conservation. Recently, the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) increased the tariff to 3.5 baizas per gallon, a 0.5 baiza increase, for government, commercial and industrial consumption.

“This has always been proposed by people, who are economically

oriented, but there is a certain amount of water that should be utilised at a low cost otherwise there will be health problems,” said Ahmed.

“As you see, the petrol prices have increased and when it comes to water, we need to pay market value,” he explained, adding that it is needed in order to balance the relatively high price required to produce water through desalination plants.

Ahmed said there is an annual increase of 10 to 15 per cent in consumption of desalinated water.

“If it goes on for the next 15 years, we’ll have to build more desalination plants and it won’t be a good thing,” said Ahmed.

Introducing saline soil agriculture could help in conserving fresh water for domestic use as some plants are able to thrive in salty water, such as tomatoes, barley, sorghum and pearl millet.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

OMAN Sultanate, China hold trade talks Meeting discussed economic issues of concern to the Sultanate and China in relation to the trade exchange and increasing such exchange in terms of the facilities offered by both countries for investment companies

MUSCAT: Potential of Omani products to enter Chinese markets, as well as the possibility of training the Omani cadres at the Chinese centres and institutes in various administrative field were among the topics discussed at the 8th session of the Omani-Chinese Joint Committee yesterday.

During the session the Omani side was chaired by Eng Ahmed bin Hassan Al Dheeb, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and

Industry whilst it was headed from the Chinese side by Qian Keming, Deputy Minister of Commerce.

The meeting discussed economic topics of concern to the Sultanate and China in relation to the trade exchange and increasing such exchange in terms of the facilities offered by both countries for investment companies, said Eng Al Dheeb. He added that the meeting presented some projects by the Chinese side in fishery,

BOOSTING TIES: Meeting also discussed cooperation in alternative energy and the possibility of

benefiting from the Chinese expertise in this field, as well as cooperation in aviation sector through operating direct flights by Oman Air from the Sultanate to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. – ONA

tourism and medical areas.

He added that the meeting discussed the potential of the Omani products to enter the Chinese markets, as well as the possibility

JOINT AIR EXERCISE

The meeting also touched on the Chinese companies currently present in Oman and developing and exploring other Omani-Chinese partnerships. The Chinese side

DIPLOMACY

‘Saqr Al Jazeera’ joint exercises AL MUSSANAH: Air Vice-Marshall Mattar bin Ali Al Ubaidani, Commander of the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) accompanied by senior RAFO officers yesterday visited Al Mussanah Airbase to

of training the Omani cadres at the Chinese centres and institutes in various administrative fields. He pointed out that the Chinese side expressed preparedness on this.

review the joint air exercise (Saqr Al Jazeera Joint Exercise/Helicopters 2016) carried out by RAFO with participation of the sisterly GCC air forces.

RAFO Commander was briefed

on the exercise, which comes within RAFO annual training plans with the aim of enhancing the efficiency of RAFO professionals and exchange of experiences with sisterly countries. — ONA

DOHA

Oman, Singapore to boost relations SINGAPORE: Oman and Singapore agreed on continuing to encourage and support investment opportunities, exchange expertise and knowledge in response to requirements of the labour market and the scientific and technological progress.

The annual session of political consultations at Singapore was chaired from the Sultanate

by Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry whilst it was chaired from the Singaporean side by Albert Chua, Second Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Reviewed The consultations touched on fields of the bilateral cooperation and means of following and enhancing them, as well as promoting various opportunities of partnership, developing and diversifying interests particularly in the economic and trade areas.

The two sides reviewed outcomes of the Joint Committee’s deliberations between the two

viewed two presentations given by the Special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm (SEZAD) and Omani Integrated Logistic Services on the potentials available at these zones, as well as the major investment opportunities, he said.

The meeting also discussed cooperation in alternative energy and the possibility of benefiting from the Chinese expertise in this field, as well as cooperation in aviation sector through operating direct flights by Oman Air from the Sultanate to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, he said. He affirmed that the Chinese side requested additional quantities of Omani oil.

Omani exports to China in 2014 stood at OMR8.8 billion, a rise of 11.3 % compared to 2013.

Omani imports from China stood at OMR540.6 million, up 34.1% from 2013. The number of Chinese companies in the Sultanate stood at 61 whereas the value of their investments as at the end of 2014 stood at OMR6.5 billion.

countries. The two sides affirmed the importance being accorded by the two countries to developing human resources, skills and infrastructure, as well as diversifying sources of income, education, technical and vocational training.

Free Trade Agreement The two sides also stressed the importance of maximising the benefit from opportunities provided by the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the GCC countries and Singapore, which already has come into force after being approved by all countries.

At the political level, both sides reviewed a range of regional and international issues of common concern. They also exchanged viewpoints on these issues within the framework of the joint keenness to exert all possible efforts in supporting the endeavors targeting to solve issues via dialogue and understanding, as well as utilising all peaceful means to achieve peace and stability, in addition to enhancing cooperation, growth and peace for all. -ONA

ROP takes part in training programme DOHA: Directorate General of Customs at Royal Oman Police (ROP) participated in the training programme on agreements related to weapons of mass destruction, held in the Qatar in the presence of representatives of the GCC customs bodies and a number of Arab countries, experts and stakeholders in the field of arms control.

Familiarisation The training programme, organised by the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons, in cooperation with the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons aimed to familiarise the participants with the terms of the Convention and awareness of the importance of its contents. -ONA

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B A S H I Q A M I L I TA RY B A S E

IS clash with Turkish troops at Iraqi base ANKARA: IS militants attacked the Bashiqa military base in northern Iraq on Tuesday and Turkish troops stationed there retaliated, military sources said.

Turkey deployed soldiers to northern Iraq in December, citing heightened security risks near Bashiqa, where its soldiers have been training an Iraqi militia to fight IS militants. Baghdad objected to the deployment.

The military sources said the Turkish army hit IS targets from north of the camp after the attack.

The clash with IS comes after a suspected member of the radical militant group blew himself up on Istanbul’s most popular shopping street on Saturday, killing four people and wounding dozens more.

The government also blames IS for a suicide boming that killed at least 12 German tourists in Istanbul in January. IS has claimed neither Istanbul attack. Turkey, a NATOmember and part of the US-led coalition against IS, has targeted the militant group’s positions around Bashiqa in the past.

Separately, IS fighters in northern Iraq said it had launched a suicide raid on what it said was an “American military base” in Makhmur, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant activity online. — Reuters

REGION

Yemen peace talks expected in Kuwait on April 17: Official The talks will be on April 17 in Kuwait, accompanied by a temporary ceasefire, said Yemeni official

CAIRO: Talks aimed at ending Yemen’s war are expected in Kuwait next month along with a temporary ceasefire, a senior Yemeni government official said, raising the possibility of an end to violence that has killed thousands.

There have already been several failed attempts to defuse the conflict in Yemen, which has drawn in regional countries and triggered a humanitarian crisis in the country. “The talks will be on April 17 in Kuwait, accompanied by a temporary ceasefire,” the Yemeni official said, declining to be named.

There were two inconclusive rounds of peace talks in Switzerland last year.

A Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign in Yemen

POST KHAMENEI’S CALL

Guards look to play bigger role in Iran’s economy DUBAI: A senior member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards urged the government on Tuesday to follow its supreme leader’s vision for a self-reliant economy and said the Guards wanted to play a bigger role to make that happen.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for a “resistance economy” on Sunday, saying US policies to restrict business with Iran had undermined any economic benefits of international sanctions being lifted in January. “The main audience for (Khamenei’s concept of) the resistance economy is the government,” Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, deputy joint chief of staff of the armed forces was quoted as saying by Fars news agency.

“The armed forces are ready to play a significant role in the resistance economy and implementing the supreme leader’s

A9

suggestions,” he said. Jazayeri added that President Hassan Rouhani should see the Guards’ achievements in creating advanced ballistic missiles as an economic blueprint and evidence that Iran did not need foreign investment to succeed.

In a clear reaction to Jazayeri’s comments, Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri said the government was not the audience for Khamenei’s speech.

“All state bodies were the audience... No person, faction or organisation should interpret ‘resistance economy’ as they want,” he was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. Reiterating his remarks, Rouhani said on Tuesday that he had been seeking a strong economy since his election in 2013 and “constructive engagement with the world” was the main part of that policy. — Reuters

TAKING POSITION: Yemeni tribesmen from the Popular Resistance Committees, supporting forces loyal to Yemen’s President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, hold a position during clashes with Houthi rebels west of the city of Taez, on Monday. – AFP

a year ago with the aim of preventing Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemen’s ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking control of the country. There was no

immediate response from the Houthi militia regarding the prospect of talks.

The United Nations says more than 6,000 people have been

killed since the start of the military intervention whose ultimate aim is to restore President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi following his ousting by Houthi and pro-

Saleh forces. “It has been a terrible year with air strikes, shelling and localized violence. An already very impoverished country has been put at a very sharp end,” Jamie McGoldrick, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, told reporters in Geneva.

One in ten Yemenis is displaced, he said, adding that half of those killed and injured were civilians.

He said UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed had been in the capital Sanaa over the past few days for discussions with parties involved and also was in Riyadh.

“What they are hoping for is to put in place a ceasefire of some kind or a cessation of hostilities for a week or so prior to the talks and build confidence,” he said.

The spokesman for the Saudiled coalition and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir have in recent days said that any peace talks can take place only between Hadi and the Houthis, and through the UN special envoy.

Houthi officials travelled to Saudi Arabia this month for secret talks on the conflict that led to a pause in fighting on the border, a main battlefront of the war, and a prisoner exchange. — Reuters

A10

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016 If she had to surrender herself in this fashion, why were the people of Jammu and Kashmir deprived of an elected government for last three months Junaid Muttoo, National Conference spokesman

INDIA

Government in J&K soon as Modi-Mehbooba hold talks Asked about the Modi-Mehbooba

We are seeing a stalemate for last two to three months over government formation in the state but today I am satisfied. I am very satisfied Mehbooba Mufti

meeting, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said at a BJP briefing it was ‘constructive and good’. A BJP source said the alliance government in the

Peoples Democratic Party chief

state could be in place in the next one week

NEW DELHI: Decks seem to have been cleared for revival of PDP-BJP alliance in Jammu and Kashmir with the regional party chief Mehbooba Mufti meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Tuesday in renewed efforts for formation of a government after a prolonged deadlock.

After the 15-minute meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence, 56-year-old Mehbooba told reporters it was “very positive” and “good” in addressing issues pertaining to the people of the state and that she was “very satisfied”.

The meeting took place a day after Mehbooba arrived here barely three days after she had returned to the Kashmir Valley after her talks with BJP President Amit Shah had hit a road block.

After hardening of her stand following her father Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s demise on January

seven this year, the Peoples Democratic Party chief is understood to climbed down on her demands for assurances like handing over of power projects to the state, enhancing relief to flood victims and vacation of land by the army.

She, however, remained noncommittal on these issues.

Stalemate “We are seeing a stalemate for last two to three months over government formation in the state but today I am satisfied. I am very satisfied,” she said and announced that the party’s future course of action would be announced at the PDP legislature party meeting this Thursday.

To a question whether the stalemate has ended, she said, “When you meet the prime minister of the country, naturally the solution to the problems faced by the people of Jammu and Kashmir is more clear”.

Asked about the Modi-Mehbooba meeting, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said at a BJP

briefing it was “constructive and good”.

A BJP source said the alliance government in the state could be in place in the next one week.

Mehbooba will be flying back to Srinagar ton Wednesday where she will brief her party legislators on Thursday.

“I had been authorised by the party MLAs to take a decision. I have convened a meeting on Thursday and after that we will announce the future course of action.”

On government formation in the state, she said, “As I said I will talk to my MLAs because that is the forum. This is not the place.

There is a particular place to make such announcements. I will go back to Srinagar and take the next step.”

Sources in the PDP said that after the legislative party meeting, the two sides would meet for government formation and giving final touches to the cabinet which will be headed by Mehbooba, the first woman chief minister of the state.

Last Thursday, BJP’s chief interlocutor Ram Madhav had announced that his party would not be accepting any fresh demands from its erstwhile ally PDP and put the ball in their court while stressing that his party would respect the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ document.

Tuesday’s meeting was eyed with suspicion by opposition National Conference and Congress who asked the PDP leadership to come clean on the deal with BJP. National Conference spokesman Junaid Muttoo said the PDP president should come out in a transparent manner and tell the people of the state about her demands and response of the prime minister.

“If she had to surrender herself in this fashion, why were the people of Jammu and Kashmir deprived of an elected government for last three months,” he said.

Another spokesperson of the National Conference Sarah Hayat Shah tweeted “so much drama and suddenly Mehbooba says the meeting with the PM was very

positive. What about the CBMs, AFSPA, the power projects?”

State Congress Chief G. A. Mir termed the demand for more Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) by PDP ahead of government formation as a drama and said Mehbooba owes an explanation to the people of the state as to why she was instrumental in imposition of two-and-a-half month Governor’s rule in the state.

“It was all drama enacted by PDP over the issue of CBM as a condition before BJP to be taken ahead of government formation. It was aimed to test waters in Kashmir Valley where they have lost their ground,” he said.

Mehbooba came to Delhi on Monday after PDP made it clear to BJP that there was some miscommunication and no fresh demands had been raised by the party for stitching an alliance.

This is her second visit to the national capital in five days after her talks with BJP President Amit Shah on Thursday failed to make any headway triggering speculation that the two parties could be making renewed efforts to reach out to each other in a bid to break the prolonged impasse.

The fresh efforts from PDP, which has 27 MLAs in the 87-member state Assembly, come in the backdrop of repeated assertions made by BJP that it was committed to implementation of Agenda of Alliance arrived at by late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.

The talks with BJP, which has 25 MLAs, had hit a roadblock last week when the party’s interlocutor Ram Madhav made it clear that no fresh demands would be entertained from PDP and that they had to decide whether they want to form a government based on the Agenda of Alliance document.

Governor’s rule was imposed in J& K on January 8 after Mehbooba decided against taking over the reins after her father’s death. - PTI

Q U O TA R O W

Judicial inquiry ordered into violence during Jat agitation CHANDIGARH: Haryana government on Tuesday ordered a judicial inquiry to probe the conspiracy behind the incidents which pushed the state into unprecedented “turmoil” during the Jat quota agitation that left 30 people dead and damage to property.

Replying on the adjournment motion in the Assembly after about four-hour long discussion, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, “Opposition leader (Abhay Singh Chautala) has sought (judicial inquiry) and we have ordered judicial inquiry.”

He said judicial enquiry shall be conducted to “completely unearth the entire conspiracy” behind the series of sad and unfortunate incidents which continued for 80 hours in the month of February.

“Some political people who wanted to serve their own interests did not want the meeting between government and Jat leaders successful. Names of some Congress leaders have appeared (behind violence) and Virender (close aide of Hooda) has surrendered and is in police custody.

“We shall try to elicit details from him about conspirators who instigated violence and arsonists.

Because Virender cannot alone instigate on his own. There is a conspiracy which will be unearthed soon,” he said.

Strict action is being taken against criminals who, in the name of agitation, indulged in criminal activities. As on March 21, 2016, a total of 2087 criminal cases have been registered in various police stations of the State in connection with the reservation agitation and a total of 444 criminals have been arrested Unwilling to accept “wilful negligence” on the part of the state government, Khattar described allegations of administration becoming “paralysed” during the peak of violence in several parts of state as “untrue and baseless”, claiming that “mayhem” was controlled in “short duration”. - PTI

ANONYMOUS CALL

Five Jet Airways planes from Delhi receive bomb threats NEW DELHI: Panic gripped passengers at the Indira Gandhi international airport on Tuesday after the Jet Airways call centre received threats about bombs in five of its aircraft from here, hours after blasts ripped through Brussels airport killing 35 people.

While three of the planes had already departed by the time the anonymous call about the bomb threats was received, the fourth aircraft, which was bound for Chennai, was diverted to Nagpur, sources said.

Another plane, also bound for Chennai which was preparing for take off, was grounded and is undergoing checks by the security agencies, a senior police official said.

SECURITY ALERT: Jet Airways has received a security alert for five flights from Delhi. All flights are on ground and are being checked by security agencies at the respective airports, the airline said. - Reuters file

“Jet Airways has received a security alert for five flights from Delhi. All flights are on ground and are being checked by security agencies at the respective air-

ports,” the airline said in a tweet but did not share specific details.

“We regret the inconvenience caused to our guests. The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our main priority,” Jet Airways said.

Sources said the three planes, which received bomb threats, had already flown to their respective destinations — Gorakhpur, Chandigarh and Dehradun.

The Delhi-Chennai flight 9W829, which was diverted, landed under emergency conditions at the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur at 4:40pm with 154 passengers on board. All the passengers and their baggage were off loaded, airport sources said. -PTI

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

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INDIA

Mamata trashes sting, threatens opposition Lambasting the opposition BJP, Congress and the CPI-M for harping on the sting operation during their election campaign, Mamata Banerjee attacked a section of the media for giving detailed coverage to the footage

KOLKATA: Trashing the sting operation in which some of her party leaders are purportedly seen taking bribes, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said it won’t take her “a second” in getting back at her opponents in a like manner.

On a day when the Calcutta High Court heard litigations concerning the sting operation, Mamata, in an interview on a Bengali TV news channel, questioned the motive of the sting by a man who was “arrested for violating the Official Secrets Act”.

Lambasting the opposition BJP, Congress and the CPI-M for harping on the sting operation during their election campaign, she attacked a section of the media for giving detailed coverage to the footage. Warning her political opponents, she said: “I can also do a similar thing by giving money to someone, but why would I do that?” Taking the names of several prominent opposition leaders,

WOOING VOTERS: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee at

an election campaign rally ahead of Assembly polls in Kolkata on Monday.

Mamata warned: “They are talking big...how long will it take me, papers are there... Don’t make me open my mouth. It takes a second to do...,” she said.

Fake videos Mamata termed the videos as “fake”. “If the videos are really authentic, then why is the media running a disclaimer about not having verified its authenticity?

When the media itself does not trust the videos, then why is it serving such fake news to the people?” asked Mamata.

She ridiculed the BJP and the Congress which have filed petitions seeking a CBI probe into the sting operation.

Carried out by Narada News and uploaded on its website, the sting shows several top-notch Tri-

namool leaders including former central ministers, state ministers and MPs accepting bribe in return for favouring a fictitious company.

“Our party has already said it is a fake video and even in the court we have said that. What I have heard from media reports, the court has asked for details of the company. I heard the company was formed this year. Then how come it did the sting in 2014?

“The man behind the sting, he was arrested and was in jail. He was arrested by the CBI for violating the Official Secrets Act and was granted bail later.

“He failed to appear and for violating bail condition he was again arrested and again got bail later,” Mamata said about sting mastermind Mathew Samuel.

“What can be more damning

A1 1

-PTI

than this man violating the Official Secrets Act?” said Mamata, referring to Mathew’s arrest in 2010 after being accused by the CBI of unlawfully procuring official documents from a home ministry secret file and using it for a story.

With Samuel affirming he had been conducting the sting since 2014, Mamata questioned his motive of releasing the videos just before the assembly polls.

“Much like accepting bribe, giving bribe too is a crime. Being a journalist why would you approach somebody like that? The entire video is fake, this has been manufactured. Why now at the time of elections, why are you so much afraid of the Trinamool that you have to resort to such tactics,” she asked. - IANS

WAT E R A I D

76m Indians have no access to safe water, says report KOCHI: India has the highest number of people — 76 million —in the world without access to safe water supply, followed by China and Nigeria, a WaterAid report said on Tuesday.

The people end up incurring high costs for access, which is primarily due to poor management of water resources, says the report ‘Water: At what cost? The State of the World’s Water’— released by the global agency to mark the World Water Day 2016.

The report placed India on the top of 10 countries in the world with the greatest numbers of people living without access to safe water, followed by China and Nigeria.

Pakistan figures at the 10th place.

“Nearly 76 million people in India have no access to a safe water supply. Most of those people are living on around £3 a day. If they have the opportunity to buy water from a tanker it can cost 1 rupee (£ 0.01) per litre, sometimes double if supplies are scarce,” says the report.

WaterAid, an international charity working on improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation, in its report says poor management of water resources was the biggest problem holding India back from reaching all of its population with water supplies.

Aquifers provide 85 per cent of drinking water, but levels are falling in 56 per cent of the country, it warns.

“Hand pumps are exacerbating the crisis in many areas by depleting shallow aquifers. Misappropriation in planning and execution of water supply projects is another key factor. And projects often use inadequate sources or pipelines do not reach habitations. As a result, millions of people get insufficient or poor quality water,” it says.

The report further says communities depend on a single or distant source for drinking water, often leading to disputes and increased discrimination against the main water fetchers: women and girls.

WaterAid’s analysis shows that in the developed world, a standard water bill is as little as 0.1 per cent of the income of someone earning the minimum wage.

However, in a country like India, a person reliant on a water vendor (tanker) for their water supply would spend as much as 17 per cent of their daily income on water to get just the recommended daily minimum supply. The report says for a poor person in the developing world with no access to safe water at home, buying the recommended 50 litres a day can be a huge drain on their meagre salary. - PTI

WORLD WATER DAY: Children take part in a rally on the occasion of

World Water Day in Karad, Maharashtra on Tuesday. - PTI

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READERS’ FORUM Health clinics should abide by ministry guidelines This refers to the report How clean and safe is your health clinic?

(March 21). Good observations have been made, as the article has raised some valid points when it comes to clinical safety. However, the most disappointing fact is that some of the renowned health facilities too often ignore hygiene quality, which worries both the patients and their close relatives. First of all, it is difficult to accept clinics’ failures in complying with health and safety regulations. As far as health safety is concerned, there cannot be any compromise in adhering to the prevailing regulations.

Scan this QR code Complying with all basic health and safety to send letters to the guidelines ideally helps preventing spread Readers’ Forum, of infections, especially when seasonal containing not more than 200 words with diseases breakout. Patients being treated full name, address with expired medicines and injections are and telephone setting wrong precedence and totally go number, may be sent against the principles of medical ethics. by e-mail (akhtar@ timesofoman.com).

Some of the established hospitals do try for health and safety accreditations, by which they are obliged to maintain the minimum standard in keeping the premises, including the internal facilities, neat and tidy at all the times. The hospital leadership and management have their responsible roles to abide by the policies and guidelines set by the Ministry of Health.

— Ramachandran Nair, Ruwi

NEW INDIA ASSURANCE

“Insure with New India and be secure”

Tel: 24838800 | Fax: 24838899 | Email: niamct@omantel.net.om | Website: www.newindiaoman.com The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word.

MATA HARI

JAMES GIBNEY

When the US embargo is lifted, Cuba – which for much of the 19th and 20th centuries was the Caribbean’s predominant economy — is likely to take a growing bite out of Puerto Rico’s fortunes, in tourism and services. And that’s before accounting for Puerto Rico’s existing fiscal straits, which will lead to shrinking government services

D

id rich countries like the US betray the millennial generation — the people born in the 1980s through the early 2000s?

Some make that claim. For example, a report in the Guardian discusses how high unemployment, sluggish income gains and student-loan debt have hit young people in Western countries hard. While these hardships are real, most of them don’t constitute a betrayal. In general, governments don’t try to do things that raise unemployment and lower incomes. Sometimes they inadvertently make mistakes — for example, austerity in some European economies has probably been a big unforced error — but even then, they are simply being misguided, not malevolent. Even the studentloan debacle was probably a result of government attempts to raise incomes by encouraging kids to educate themselves.

As much as we’d like to believe that government can control the economy, its power is limited. Productivity gains, which drive much growth, are often due to improvements in technology. The government can spend money on research, tweak patent policies, craft more efficient financial markets and invest in early-stage companies, but it isn’t clear how much these things will really boost growth. Economists have recognised that productivity growth is slowing all over the world and that the chances of any one country’s policies being able to reverse this trend are probably fairly slim.

But that doesn’t mean the US and other developed nations have done right by Millennials.

In some important ways, they have betrayed the young generation. Any society faces a basic choice between consumption and investment. Producing the things that raise living standards requires physical capital such as buildings, machines and infrastructure. It also needs technological ideas, which are produced through costly and timeconsuming research. If we work hard and create more capital and more ideas today, our children and grandchildren can enjoy a richer life. When the baby boom generation sacrificed time and materials to build the interstate highway system, for example, it ensured that Generation X and the Millennials would have nice roads to drive on.

Unfortunately, the US hasn’t done as much of this sort of investment as it might have. Since the

1980s, private domestic investment net of depreciation has been falling steadily as a percentage of gross domestic product: net private domestic investment Because US companies didn’t invest as much as before, Americans haven’t had to work as hard, and have enjoyed higher consumption than they would have otherwise. Because government also hasn’t invested as much as before, taxes have been lower, and consumers have had more money to spend on health care and other kinds of government-funded consumption. It’s theoretically possible for a country to invest too much, of course — if you build way too much capital, you’ll spend too much time and effort simply repairing it and upgrading it, and will be poorer as a result. But the US is probably well below this threshold.

So it’s a good bet that these choices mean Millennials are poorer now than they otherwise would have been. Our low investment has meant more consumption for Baby Boomers, less for Millennials. There are other ways in which the US sacrificed the consumption of Millennials so their parents could live more comfortable lives. Inflation, for example, has been low and stable in recent decades compared with earlier times: Bursts of unexpected inflation redistribute wealth from lenders to borrowers, because each repaid dollar is worth less than when it was borrowed. But in the last few decades, there haven’t been any bursts of unexpected inflation. That means that Gen X and Millennial borrowers haven’t got the same kind of break on borrowing that Boomers got. Young people go into debt to buy houses, cars and to pay for college, so low and stable inflation probably hurts the young and helps the old. Do these policies constitute a “betrayal” of the Millennials by the Boomer generation? It depends on your perspective. On the one hand, you might argue that each generation is free to choose to consume or invest as much as it wants. Enlightenment philosophers and other moral authorities are silent on the exact percent of GDP that a country should invest or consume.

But it’s certainly true that the US and most other Western countries have invested less in the last 35 years than they did in the previous 35. That means that the Baby Boomers left their kids less, relative to their own consumption, than their own parents did. In a time of slowing productivity, that has been a tough blow to today’s youngsters. - Bloomberg View

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES

PICTOGRAPH NUMBER OF EXPAT WORKERS IN OMAN, BY EDUCATION

MARCH 2001 Seminar reviews obstacles faced by insurance sector MUSCAT: Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, undersecretary for Commerce and Industry, yesterday opened a seminar on obstacles to the insurance sector in the Sultanate and effects of the WTO agreement on insurance at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI).

The seminar that was attended by Sheikh Salim bin Hilal Al Khalili, OCCI president, and a number of government and private sector officials and insurance company officials as well as a police delegation from AGCC taking part in the AGCC Traffic Week activities here.

DOCTORATE December 2015

January 2016

2,844

Total

2,835

2,200

Male

2,199

644

Female

636

TODAY IN HISTORY INVITATION TO WRITERS We invite our readers to write articles on topics related to Oman. The articles should not exceed 800 words.

Send us your article along with your picture to akhtar@timesofoman.com

1857: Elisha Otis installs the first modern passenger elevator in a public building, in New York City.

1903: The Wright brothers obtain an airplane patent.

1920: Great Britain denounces the United States because of its delay in joining the League of Nations.

1942: Japanese occupy the Andaman Islands in Indian Ocean.

0 Source National Centre for Statistics & Information

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

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PAKISTAN

The only disappointment is to get the funding for more rickshaws because the demand is out there and it is just a matter of getting all the funds together Zar Aslam, Pink Rickshaw founder

LIFTING OF SANCTIONS ON IRAN

INTERNATIONAL WORLD WATER DAY

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Pakistani residents use a communal pump to fill water containers in Quetta on Tuesday.

International World Water Day is marked annually on March 22 to focus global attention on the importance of water and advocate for sustainable water resource management. — AFP

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Sharif eyes trade talks as Rouhani to visit this week ISLAMABAD: With Iran President Hassan Rouhani expected in Pakistan later this week, Islamabad and Tehran are likely to review their overall trade relations after the lifting of international sanctions on Iran.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his desire to strengthen relations with Iran on Monday during a meeting with envoy Mehdi Honardoost, who called on him at the Prime Minister’s House.

“The visit will be a great opportunity for us to review the whole range of bilateral relations and further strengthen our brotherly ties,” an official statement quoted Sharif as saying.

Pakistan, he added, greatly values its fraternal ties with Iran and considers Iran a close friend and a neighbour.

Expeditious resumption “We are pleased to note that international economic sanctions on Iran have been lifted, paving the way for expeditious resumption of commercial and economic ties between our countries,” Sharif said. “I am looking forward to wel-

Hassan Rouhani

coming President Rouhani later this week.”

During his visit to Iran in January, Sharif had invited the Iranian president to visit Pakistan. Pakistan has already lifted sanctions on Iran after the United Nations eased curbs on the Islamic Republic. Rouhani is likely to push for the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project. The project was to be commissioned in December 2014 but work was stalled after sanctions were placed on Tehran. Officials say there are hopes the project can be implemented now. — Express Tribune

Pink Rickshaw service struggles Founder of the service, Zar Aslam, hopes to get money for ten rickshaws by September LAHORE: Pakistan’s first womenonly rickshaw service was meant to provide its staff with a new way of gaining financial independence and its passengers with the chance of a ride without being groped and harassed by male drivers. But, after just a year in business, the “Pink Rickshaw” in the Punjabi city of Lahore, is struggling.

Help has been promised by a Scotland-based charity, run by pop star Annie Lennox, and Pink Rickshaw founder, Zar Aslam, said she hopes to get the money for ten rickshaws by September.

Aimed Zar, who herself narrowly escaped kidnapping in a rickshaw when she was a student, told Reuters she had aimed to have 25 of the pinkand-white rickshaws on the road by mid-2016 but the manufacturers have sent only six, and three are too old to use.

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“There are several women waiting to get the rickshaws,” said Zar, who also runs the Environment Protection Fund.

The rickshaws cost about $3,000 each, and more if you add tracking and anti-theft systems. “The first few rickshaws we bought were expensive but now we’re looking at cheaper models,” she said.

That would help women who, like Parveen Bibi, want to zip around town making a living and making life easier in a country where sexual crime is rife and often goes without being reported or punished. “Women passengers are happy that they can now travel with a female tri-auto driver and feel comfortable,” she says. — Reuters

LIFELINE Parveen Bibi cleans her Pink Rickshaw as she prepares to drive around looking for passengers in Lahore, Pakistan on Thursday,

November 12, 2015.

- Reuters

MULLAH RASOOL

Afghan Taliban breakaway group denies its leader held ISLAMABAD: The leader of a breakaway faction of the Taliban is leading his fighters in Afghanistan, his deputy said on Tuesday, contradicting three senior members of the extremist group and denying a newspaper report that he had been detained.

Three senior Taliban told Reuters that Mullah Mohammad Rasool, who leads a faction that has rejected the authority of the ovement’s leader, Mullah Mohammad Mansour, had been detained two weeks ago in Balochistan province on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Express Tribune newspaper said that Rasool was being held by Pakistani authorities. Quoting two unnamed Taliban leaders, the newspaper said Rasool was held in Pakistan after fleeing Afghanistan following heavy fighting in recent months with militants loyal to Mansour.

Rasool’s deputy, Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi, dismissed the report as “propaganda of our enemies” and two Pakistani security officials also denied the report.

“Mullah Rasool is in Afghanistan and leading his fighters,” Niazi said.

But he added that his group’s survival did not depend on one leader.

“Our resistance will not stop with the arrest or killing of Mullah Rasool or any other leader,” Niazi said.

Mullah Mohammad Rasool

The mixed reports add a further twist to the opaque nature of the leadership of the Taliban, who control or threaten more Afghan territory than at any time since their hard-line government was toppled in 2001.

Shoring up support Rasool is the biggest rival to Mansour, who claimed the leadership of the Taliban last year after news emerged of founder Mullah Omar’s death and who has been shoring up support against rival factions.

One senior member of the faction loyal to Mullah Mansour said

Mullah Rasool’s faction has firmly opposed joining peace talks with the Afghan government and accuses Mullah Mansour of covering up Mullah Omar’s death and being under the control of Pakistan

that Rasool had been in hiding in the western Afghan city of Herat but had recently decided to move to Pakistan, where many Taliban leaders are believed to be living.

Two senior Pakistani security officials denied Rasool was in Pakistani custody.

“Our last information is that he fled infighting in Afghanistan,” one of the officials said, requesting anonymity.

Alongside its recent battlefield successes, the movement has been in turmoil since last year when it was forced to admit that Mullah Omar had died two years earlier. — Reuters

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30 killed in Brussels airport, metro train attacks claimed by IS group

THE RESCUERS: Rescue workers treat victims at the airport, in this image taken from television video, after a blast in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday. – Reuters/RTL Belgium via Reuters TV

MAYHEM: People flee from the Brussels airport in this image taken from video, shot by a bystander in the the immediate aftermath of blasts at the airport near Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday. – Reuetrs/Asher Gunsberg/Handout via Reuters TV

The coordinated assault triggered security alerts across Europe and drew global expressions of support, four days THE SUSPECTS: A picture released on Tuesday by the Belgian Federal Police on demand of the Federal

prosecutor shows a screengrab of the airport CCTV camera showing three suspects of this morning’s attacks at Brussels Airport, in Zaventem. – AFP/ Belgian Federal Police

after Brussels police

SECONDS AFTER BLASTS: This image grab made on Tuesday

from a video by RTL TVI shows people lying on the floor after a blast inside Brussels airport in Zaventem. – AFP/RTL TVI

had captured the prime surviving suspect in IS’ attacks on Paris

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last November

BRUSSELS: IS militant group claimed responsibility for attacks on Brussels airport and a rushhour metro train in the Belgian capital on Tuesday which killed at least 30 people, a news agency affiliated to the group said.

The Amaq agency said suicide bombers from the group, strapped into explosive belts, had staged both attacks. Belgian media said police were hunting one attacker who had survived.

The coordinated assault triggered security alerts across Europe and drew global expressions of support, four days after Brussels police had captured the prime surviving suspect in IS’ attacks on Paris last November. A witness said he heard shouts and shots shortly before two blasts struck a packed airport departure lounge at Brussels airport.

Belgian media published a security camera picture of three young men pushing laden luggage trolleys through the airport and reported that police suspected them of being the attackers. They said two were suspected of having blown themselves up while police were hunting the third.

Amaq carried the claim of responsibility several hours after the morning attacks. “IS opened fire inside Zaventem Airport, before several of them detonated their explosive belts, as a martyrdom bomber detonated his explosive belt in the Maalbeek metro station,” it said.

Austrian Horst Pilger, who was awaiting a flight with his family when the attackers struck, said his children had thought fireworks were going off, but he instantly knew an assault was underway.

“My wife and I both thought ‘bomb’. We looked into each other’s eyes,” he told Reuters. “Five or 10 seconds later there was a major, major, major blast in close vicinity.

It was massive.”

Pilger, who works at the European Commission, said the whole ceiling collapsed and smoke flooded the building.

US President Barack Obama led calls of support to Belgian Prime

Minister Charles Michel after Brussels went into a state of virtual lock-down. “We must be together regardless of nationality or race or faith in fighting against the scourge of terrorism,” Obama told a news conference in Cuba. “We can and we will defeat those who threaten the safety and security of people all around the world.”

Michel spoke at a Brussels news conference of a “black moment” for his country. “What we had feared has come to pass.”

The blasts occurred after the arrest in Brussels of a suspected participant the Paris attacks that killed 130 people. Belgian police and combat troops on the streets had been on alert for reprisal but the attacks took place in crowded areas where people and bags are not searched.

All public transport in Brussels was shut down, as it was in London during 2005 militant attacks there that killed 52. Authorities appealed to citizens not to use overloaded telephone networks, extra troops were sent into the city and the Belgian Crisis Centre, clearly wary of a further incident, appealed to the population: “Stay where you are”.

Closed Brussels airport will remain closed on Wednesday, its chief executive Arnaud Feist told reporters. Public broadcaster VRT said police had found a Kalashnikov assault rifle next to the body of an attacker at the airport. Such weapons have become a trademark of IS-inspired attacks in Europe, notably in Belgium and France, including on November 13 in Paris. An unused explosive belt was also found in the area, the public broadcaster said. Police were continuing to scour the airport for any further bombs or attackers. Alphonse Youla, 40, who works at the airport, told Reuters he heard a man shouting out in Arabic before the first explosion.

“Then the glass ceiling of the airport collapsed.”

“I helped carry out five people dead, their legs destroyed,” he said, his hands covered in blood.

A witness said the blasts occurred at a check-in desk. Video

showed devastation in the hall with ceiling tiles and glass scattered across the floor. Some passengers emerged from the terminal with blood spattered over their clothes. Smoke rose from the building through shattered windows and passengers fled down a slipway, some still hauling their bags. Public broadcaster RTBF said police were searching houses in the Brussels area.

A Crisis Centre spokesman issued provisional figures of 20 killed in the metro and 10 at the airport. Public broadcaster VRT had said earlier 20 were killed in the train and 14 at the airport.

Many of the dead and wounded at the airport were badly injured in the legs, one airport worker told Reuters, suggesting at least one bomb in a bag on the floor.

Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands, all wary of spillover from conflict in Syria, were among states announcing extra security measures. Security was tightened at the Dutch border with Belgium. The blast hit the train as it left Maelbeek station, close to European Union institutions, heading to the city centre.

VRT carried a photograph of a metro carriage at a platform with doors and windows completely blown out, its structure deformed and interior mangled and charred.

A local journalist tweeted a photograph of a person lying covered in blood among smoke outside Maelbeek metro station, on the main Rue de la Loi avenue which connects central Brussels with the EU institutions. Ambulances were ferrying the wounded away and sirens rang out across the area. “We are at war and we have been subjected to acts of war in Europe for the last few months,” French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said.

Brussels airport said it had cancelled all flights until at least 6am (0500 GMT) on Wednesday and the complex had been evacuated and trains to the airport had been stopped. Passengers were taken to coaches from the terminal that would remove them to a secure area. All three main long-distance rail stations in Brussels were closed and train services on the crosschannel tunnel from London to Brussels were suspended. Security services have been on a high state of alert across western Europe for fear of militant attacks backed by IS, which claimed responsibility for the Paris attack. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016 US President Barack Obama’s presence in Havana was the culmination of a diplomatic opening that he and Cuban President Raul Castro announced in December 2014, ending decades of estrangement between Washington and Havana that began soon after Cuba’s 1959 revolution.

BRAZIL

Rousseff vows to never resign

WORLD

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Extending a ‘hand

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

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO: Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff said on Tuesday she will not resign under any circumstances and equated a bid to impeach her to a “coup d’etat” against democratic rule because she had committed no crime.

Rousseff called on Brazil’s Supreme Court to remain impartial in the political dispute and said the authorised release of a wiretap of a telephone conversation of hers was a violation of the country’s constitution and national security.

Meanwhile, Justice Rosa Weber upheld a decision barring former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking a ministry post in embattled Dilma’s government.

Last week, Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes blocked Lula from taking office as chief of staff to Rousseff, his successor. — Reuters

of friendship, US President Barack Obama declared that he had come to Cuba to ‘bury the last remnant’ of the Cold War in the Americas HISTORIC VISIT: Cuban President Raul Castro, right, raises US President Barack Obama’s hand during a meeting at the Revolution Palace in Havana on Monday. – AFP

HAVANA: US President Barack Obama delivered an impassioned appeal for political liberties in Cuba, including freedom of expression and religion, as he spoke directly to the Cuban people on Tuesday in a historic speech broadcast throughout the Communist-ruled island.

Speaking at Havana’s Grand Theater with Cuban President

TA K I N G T O T H E S T R E E T S

UP IN ARMS: Indonesian taxi drivers gather to listen to their union leaders delivering speeches as they protest against Uber and other ride-hailing services, outside the parliament building in Jakarta on Tuesday. – AFP

Violence erupts as Jakarta cabbies protest against ride-hailing apps JAKARTA: Indonesian cabbies clashed with motorbike drivers working for online apps on Tuesday, pulling them off their bikes and assaulting them as thousands of drivers took to the streets of Jakarta calling for a ban on ridehailing apps like Grab and Uber.

Police were overwhelmed as convoys of blue and white taxis operated by PT Blue Bird and PT Express Transindo Utama blocked thoroughfares. Police said 83 people were detained after skirmishes that saw drivers smash taxi windshields, attack other drivers and burn tyres in parts of the city.

The proliferation of cheap taxis using ride-hailing apps Gojek, Grab and Uber in gridlocked Jakarta has made the traditional pick-up and drop-off taxi services unprofitable, threatening the business models of the country’s top taxi firms. The online apps currently offer heavily subsidised rates for their rides in an attempt to gain market share.

“Right now there are legal taxis and illegal taxis,” said Mat Ali, 54, an Express taxi driver who marched in front of parliament as others burned tyres.

“We are not allergic to competition with Uber and Grab... but we just want them to meet the government’s requirements.”

Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan said companies like Uber were illegal unless they were registered as public transport providers and subject to the same rules as regular taxi operators. “The point is, it has to be fair,” Jonan told reporters.

Government ministers called for calm and said the tech firms should be subject to the same legal and tax requirements as con-

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ventional public transportation companies. “Give us time to find the best solution, it can’t be done overnight,” chief security minister Luhut Pandjaitan told a news conference.

A Bluebird official said the company would offer free taxi rides for 24 hours to make up for the disruption in services.

“We don’t agree with or support the anarchic demonstration,” Bluebird commissioner Noni Purnomo told reporters.

But some Jakarta residents rejected the offer on social media using the hashtag #NoThanksBluebird.

David Santoso, a director of Express, also said in a statement the company had urged its drivers not to join the protest.

Indonesia’s president has welcomed the competition provided by the new companies, but the status of their operations in the country was unclear.

Companies like Grab and Gojek were running as usual on Tuesday despite the protests.

“We’ve advised our drivers and passengers to be careful in the areas where the demonstrations are happening,” said Ekhel Chandra Wijaya, of Grab Indonesia.

One Go-jek driver said he wasn’t afraid of the protesters.

“We in the online business are looking for money, we’re not looking for trouble,” said Abdul Rohman, who wore the company’s easily recognisable green jacket. — Reuters

Raul Castro in attendance in what White House officials touted as a crowning moment of Obama’s visit, Obama extended a “hand of friendship.”

He declared that he had come to Havana to “bury the last remnant” of the Cold War in the Americas.

But he also pressed for econom-

ic and political reforms, speaking in a one-party state where little dissent is tolerated.

“Voters should be able to chose their governments in free and democratic elections,” he said.

“Not everybody agrees with me on this, not everybody agrees with the American people on this

but I believe those human rights are universal. I believe they’re the rights of the American people, the Cuban people and people around the world,” Obama said.

His address marked the final day of his trip, the first by a US president to Cuba in 88 years. His presence in Havana was the culmination of a diplomatic opening that he and Castro announced in December 2014, ending decades of estrangement between Washington and Havana that began soon after Cuba’s 1959 revolution.

Obama drew strong applause from the audience when he reiterated his call for an end to the longstanding US economic embargo against Cuba, which only the US Congress can lift.

Isolate Cuba Obama, who abandoned a longtime US policy of trying to isolate

Cuba, wants to make his shift irreversible by the time he leaves office in January and secure it as a piece of his foreign policy legacy.

But major obstacles remain to full normalisation of ties, most notably the continuing US embargo and differences over human rights.

The Republican-controlled Congress has so far rejected the Democratic president’s call for a lifting of the embargo, although Obama has used his executive powers to ease some trade and travel restrictions on the island.

The president’s critics at home have called his visit a premature reward to the Castro government.

US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, said on Tuesday the trip legitimises what he called Castro’s “tyrannical dictatorship.”

With his words carried live by Cuba’s state-run media, Obama sought to persuade ordinary Cubans that his new policy, including easing of trade and travel restrictions, was focused primarily on helping them to improve their lives. — Reuters

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YOUR BIGGEST ROAD HAZARD IS IN YOUR HAND A TIMES OF OMAN HANDS-FREE DRIVING INITIATIVE

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

MARKE

OMAN CRUDE RISES

Oman Crude May delivery price rose 62 cents to $38.41 per barrel, said Dubai Mercantile Exchange.

The average price of Oman Crude (April delivery) stabilised at $30.23, a growth of $2.83 per barrel over March delivery 2016. – ONA

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Muscat 5,430.11 + 53.76 + 1.00%

Dubai 3,353.20 - 25.43 - 0.75%

Abu Dhabi 4,388.68 + 33.85 + 0.78%

Kuwait 5,251.80 - 3.74 - 0.07%

Saudi Arabia

6,432.33 - 53.78 - 0.83%

Qatar 10,479.71 + 34.78 + 0.33%

Bahrain 1,159.92 - 3.18 - 0.27%

CRUDE OIL PRICE

CURRENCY RATES*

DRAFT RATES (OMR1)*

GOLD PRICES*

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

Forex rates vs OMR1* US Dollar ................................. 2.58 Euro ............................................ 2.28 Pound ........................................... 1.79 Indian Rs .............................. 172.41 Pakistan Rs .........................267.31 Bangla Taka...................... 200.76

Indian Rs ....................................173.01 Pakistan Rs .............................. 271.75 Sri Lanka Rs .................................. N/A Bangla Taka........................... 203.50 Phil Peso .................................... 119.95

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......15.95

Oman Crude............. (Spot) .........$37.68 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) .........$37.68 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$40.65 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$36.68 N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) .........$41.09 West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........$40.89

* Rates are as of Mar. 22 Source: Bank Muscat

* Rates as of Mar. 22 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......15.30 Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ............ 150.75 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) .............. 141.75 * Rates as of Mar. 22 Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

Oman to issue development bond Investors may apply for these bonds through the competitive bidden process only. Investors may submit bids through commercial licensed banks operating in the Sultanate.

The size of the new issue is fixed at OMR100 million with a maturity period of 7 years and will carry a coupon rate of 5% per annum

MUSCAT: Oman’s central bank has announced the new issue of government development bonds.

The Central Bank of Oman said that the size of the new issue is fixed at OMR100 million with a maturity period of 7 years and will carry a coupon rate of 5 per cent per annum.

The issue will be open for subscription from April 3 to 14, while the auction will be held on April 10,. The issue settlement date will be on April 25.

Interest on the new bonds will be paid semi-annually on October 25 and April 25 every year until maturity date on April 25, 2023.

NEW ISSUE: The Central Bank of Oman said that the interest on the

new bonds will be paid semi-annually on October 25 and April 25 every year until maturity date on April 25, 2023. – Times file picture

OMR1 million and above Investors with applications of OMR1 million and above can, if they so wish submit their bids directly to COO after getting them endorsed from their banks. Prospectus and application forms can be obtained from any commercial licensed bank operating in the Sultanate of Oman.

The bonds are direct and unconditional obligations of the Government of Sultanate. The bonds

can be used as collateral to obtain loans from any local commercial licensed bank. The bonds can also be traded at prevailing market rates through the Muscat Securities Market (MSM).

The details of the bonds allotted will be recorded in the register maintained by Muscat Clearing and Depositary Company (MCD).

Investors must provide the same bank account details registered with MCD. – ONA

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MARKET Oman Economic Forum to open today a hub for attracting international investments by providing the best environment attractive to them.

Forum will discuss Oman’s economic outlook, the country’s role as a bridge between Asia and the GCC and key investment avenues

MUSCAT: Fiffth edition of Oman Economic Forum will start on Wednesday at Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Muscat under the theme ‘Oman: a Bridge between Asia and GCC.’ The opening ceremony of the forum will be held under the patronage of Dr Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, minister of commerce

and industry. The forum is organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in conjunction with Al Iktissad Wal-Aamal Group, the State General Reserve Fund (SGRF), the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) and Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CBO).

The forum’s programme will tackle a range of topics including

Oman’s economic outlook, Oman’s role as a bridge between Asia and the GCC, the key investment opportunities in the Sultanate, the investment prospects in Iran, the main factors attracting investments and the enhancement of entrepreneurship through small and

medium enterprises.

It aims to support the development goals of the government and in particular the objective of promoting the Sultanate position as a station for international trade and the movement of multimodal transport between continents, as well as

Seven working sessions The forum will include seven working sessions as the first session will be on Oman’s Economic Outlook through future vision for Oman’s economy, assessing oil prices trends and adapting to the new reality, major achievements in the economic diversification strategy, Elements and objectives of the ninth five-year plan.

The speakers of the first session are Dr Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, minister of commerce and industry; Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, minister of transport and communications; Sultan bin Salim

AI Habsi, secretary general of the Supreme Council for Planning; and Yahya bin Said Al Jabri, chairman of the Special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm (Sezad).

Keynote speeches will be delivered during this session by Eng. Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Iranian Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade, Qian Keming, Vice Minister of Commerce, China and Miki Yamada, Japanese Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs. – ONA

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CONFERENCE

Digitalisation vital for Oman’s oil and gas sector growth: Siemens Times News Service MUSCAT: Siemens is highlighting technology’s ability to reduce production and operations costs within Oman’s oil and gas sector at the Oil & Gas West Asia Exhibition and Conference in Muscat.

The company is demonstrating how continued efforts within the Sultanate to embrace advanced technologies in the oil and gas industry will be a contributing factor in weathering the current climate of low oil prices.

“Due to the current industry landscape in Oman, companies are increasingly interested in technology that will optimise production capacity at lower costs.

The Siemens portfolio addresses exactly that — using software, sensors, process automation and data analytics to drive efficiency and increase reliability across

the value chain,” said Markus Strohmeier, chief executive officer of Siemens Oman.

Siemens has been a development partner to Oman for more than 40 years.

The company’s full portfolio of products and solutions is present in the Sultanate, from power generation and distribution to

building technology, mobility and healthcare.

Siemens technology has been widely implemented in Oman and the company has contributed to the continued development of the oil and gas industry with highly efficient technology including compressors, power generators and gas and steam turbines.

F O R E X R AT E S

Gulf states not to scrap currency pegs to US dollar, says Moody’s DUBAI: Gulf Cooperation Council states are unlikely to abandon their decades-old currency pegs to the United States dollar even as a slump in oil prices puts a $250 billion squeeze on the region’s finances, according to Moody’s Investors Service.

“The GCC’s large foreigncurrency reserves provide ample room to maintain pegged exchange-rate regimes for several years, even in an adverse oil price scenario,” senior analyst Mathias Angonin said at a press briefing in Dubai. “Changes to the current exchange-rate regimes are unlikely because the costs associated with one-off devaluations would outweigh the benefits.”

Hedge funds such as Zach Schreiber’s Point State Capital and Knighthead Capital Management are among those that have

been using derivatives including forward contracts to bet that countries such as Saudi Arabia will be forced to abandon their currency pegs and devalue the riyal, people with knowledge of the matter said earlier this month.

Moody’s put credit ratings of five of the six GCC nations on review for a cut earlier this month, citing the shock of depressed oil prices on these economies.

Funding sources Gulf states are expected to have a combined fiscal deficit of about $250 billion over the next two years, which is expected to be financed by a draw-down of currency reserves and less than half in borrowing, according to Angonin.

Saudi Arabia is looking for other sources of funding to plug a budget deficit that is expected

to reach 17.8 per cent of economic output this year, according to Riyadh-based Jadwa Investment.

So far, the government has mostly relied on a domestic bond program and drawing down foreign reserves held by the central bank.

It raised 98 billion riyals ($26 billion) from selling bonds to local institutions last year, and will probably sell about 120 billion riyals of debt in 2016, Saudi Fransi Capital said in October.

Saudi Monetary Agency has repeatedly said it will stick with its currency peg. In a bid to curb speculation, the agency in January ordered banks in the kingdom to stop offering options contracts on riyal forwards to their clients, five people with knowledge of the matter said at the time. Currency depegging would raise uncertainty. - Bloomberg News

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

B3

MARKET F I N A N C I A L A N A LY S I S

MSM invites entries for competition Times News Service MUSCAT: Muscat Securities Market (MSM) started receiving applications from students of all colleges and universities in Oman, who wish to participate in the Financial Analysis Challenge (FAC) competition.

This competition is aimed at strengthening financial analysis skills of students and give them an opportunity to compete among themselves in the field of financial securities and gain the first hand experience of creating equity reports and financial analysis of listed companies Only groups of four to five students can participate in the challenge thus it also promotes teamwork and leadership skills among the youth of the Sultanate.

Financial Analysis Challenge competition is divided in two phases: the first phase include a declaration and registration of the participants and in order to give them a specific list of companies listed on the MSM to prepare a report that includes financial analysis of that particular company that has been selected and then presented to a special jury.

The judges will choose the best five teams that will qualify for the second phase which will be at the closing ceremony, where the finalist teams will present their report and the results obtained during the analysis in front of an audience and a panel of judges that will then select the top three teams.

The competition is organised by the Muscat Securities Market in collaboration with the Sultan Qaboos University, represented by the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, also the Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel), Bank Muscat and the Oman Cables Industry announced its support and sponsorship of this competition.

Omantel’s fibre optic cable set to connect East Africa Gulf to Africa undersea cable represents the first phase of Omantel’s expansion eastwards into the African continent, providing cable connectivity to the Middle East, Asia and Europe

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Telecommunicatiosn Company (Omantel), the Sultanate’s leading telecom service provider, has joined in a consortium with several East African telecommunications providers to lay the Gulf to Africa (G2A) undersea fibre-optic cable, which is set to revolutionise connectivity from Oman to East Africa, including Ethiopia and Somalia.

The G2A undersea cable represents the first phase of Omantel’s expansion eastwards into the African continent, providing cable connectivity to the Middle East, Asia and Europe and transforming Oman into a communications hub of the Middle East.

The G2A undersea cable consortium includes Omantel, Ethio Telecom from Ethiopia and Golis Telecom and the Telesom Company from Somalia. The state-ofthe-art cable system, scheduled for completion by the end of 2016,

COMMUNICATION HUB : The state-of-the-art cable system, scheduled for completion by the end of 2016, will comprise 1,500km subsea segment and a 1,500km terrestrial segment. - Supplied picture

will comprise 1,500km Subsea segment and a 1,500km terrestrial segment with a capacity 20Tbits of capacity with the latest 100G technology.

Somalia via Salalah Commenting on the regional and global importance of the G2A project, the vice-president of Omantel Wholesale Sohail Qadir said, “This is the first step in our journey of expansion into Africa. We will connect Oman directly to Somalia via the Salalah cable landing point, and then extend the cable further into Africa to Ethiopia.”

“Somalia and Ethiopia, currently two highly underserved countries, will soon be connected to our international low-latency

network, and in doing so will gain access to all the content hosted in Oman through Omantel and deliver services from Europe and Southeast Asia,” he added.

The G2A undersea cable is central to the Omantel 3.0 transformation strategy, which aims to transform Oman into a regional communications hub. Currently under implementation, and augmenting the 3.0 growth strategy is the BBG cable which is set to be the first undersea cable that will directly connect the Middle East with Singapore.

Similarly, the existing EPEG cable, a terrestrial cable connecting Oman to Germany via Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia and Ukraine will offer services to the region at the lowest

This is the first step in our journey of expansion into Africa.

We will connect Oman directly to Somalia via the Salalah cable landing point, and then extend the cable further into Africa to Ethiopia Sohail Qadir

Vice-president, Omantel (Wholesale)

latency and the highest quality.

“Oman, powered by Omantel, is well on the way to becoming a major communications hub for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Already over half of the 24 international submarine cables

that connect to the Arabian Gulf are connected through Omantel.

In the coming years, further extending our reach internationally is a key focus for Omantel, and a central goal of our 3.0 transformation strategy. We are planning to expand our network reach by placing POPs (Point of Presence) in over 20 countries across the globe and locally host major international content through multiple data centres in the near future.

Throughout history Oman has always been a gateway to the region, facilitating trade and commerce from East to West and West to East. At Omantel, we aim to continue Oman’s proud tradition, this time facilitating the transfer of information, in this new digital age,” Sohail Qadir added.

Submarine cable In the international wholesale arena, Omantel is considered one of the most prominent and competitive wholesale telecommunication providers in the Middle East region. In addition, it is one of the leading companies in the field of submarine cable networks and a key participant in several submarine cables, complemented by direct terrestrial links, which link Asia, Europe and America passing through Oman to meet the international capacity requirements of customers locally and internationally, thereby sustaining the vompany’s leading position among its competitors.

Omantel’s wholesale strategy is to be a carrier of carriers and to be the link between the East and the West for the region and beyond.

HAVE YOUR SAY

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

CLOUD COMPUTING

Google speeds up cloud expansion in race with Amazon CALIFORNIA: Google’s new cloud chief Diane Greene had unsettling news for employees at an internal sales meeting this month in the United States: They weren’t taking corporate customers seriously enough and needed to sell harder, be hungrier and less complacent.

That was an unusual message at Google, which typically venerates technology over sales and marketing. But it was a necessary one.

Google is third in cloud computing, an increasingly popular way for companies to run their IT operations. That’s a $20 billion-a-year business forecast to grow 35 per cent over the next year, according to Gartner.

To climb this ranking, the Alphabet subsidiary will massively expand its network of data centres, a move that fits with Google’s tendency to rely on technological

solutions to challenges.

New strategy But Greene is also adopting strategies beyond Google’s usual playbook. The company is working on tools that can broaden its corporate user base to include less technically savvy customers, and it’s embarked on a hiring spree aimed at selling and explaining these new products.

“There was a pretty darn good vision in place and now I’m just bringing everybody together so that we all know what we’re doing,” said Greene, who’s also on Alphabet’s board. “The cloud is a revolution, I mean it’s rivaling the industrial revolution, and it’s pretty fun being this involved.”

After pretty much inventing the cloud for its own use in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Google left

GCC CONFERENCE

Oman’s central bank chief to attend Saudi meet MUSCAT: Hamoud bin Sangour Al Zedjali, executive president of Central Bank of Oman, will lead the Sultanate’s delegation to the 64th meeting of the Committee of Monetary Institutions and Central Banks Governors, due to be held in Riyadh on Wednesday.

The meeting will discuss several topics related to over-

sighting and auditing the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) banking system, in addition to payment systems and the legal requirements to link the GCC payment systems.

The meeting will also discuss topics related to statistics and research training in relation to the banking fields. - ONA

Amazon.com to turn the idea into a service that other companies could rent. That became Amazon Web Services, a division which made almost $8 billion in sales in 2015, making it top cloud dog ahead of Microsoft and Google, which pulled in $500 million last

year, according to Morgan Stanley.

In November, Google hired Greene to change that. She’s a Silicon Valley legend who cofounded VMware in 1998 to bring a technology called virtualisation into the data centres of most large companies. Virtualisation lets a

single computer server do the job of many, a valuable capability that made Amazon Web Services possible. When she was fired in 2008 after falling out with VMware’s board, the company lost almost a quarter of its value in a day.

In coming months Google will open two new cloud regions — Google-speak for data centers stuffed with computers and software that customers can rent over the Internet — in Oregon and Japan. Another ten are coming over the next 12 to 18 months, either as facilities leased from other providers, or built and operated by Google.

“We know what the recipe is,” said Urs Holzle, Greene’s new technical consigliere who has run Google’s infrastructure for over a decade.

“Let’s go apply it everywhere.”

Google has three regions today.

By quintupling its digital reach,

the company can serve more businesses faster while conforming to local regulations, many of which demand that certain types of data never leave a country. Amazon operates 12 regions today, with a further five planned.

Marketing Google is also spending more on marketing to compete against enterprise-focused rivals like Microsoft. Google’s pioneering, Webbased suite of work apps now trails Microsoft Office365 in revenue, Forrester Research estimates. “We have, like, the best office productivity suite, but people don’t know it,” said Greene, who is hiring a chief marketing officer. Google is splashing out on billboards around San Francisco ahead of a conference this week for cloud customers.

- Bloomberg News

B4

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

MARKET MSM index ends higher

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ....................................... 5,430.27 ...............5,379.86 ....................5,430.11 ................... 5,376.35..................53.76 ................... 1.00 Financial Index .....................................6,732.08 .............. 6,634.08 ....................6,731.44 ................... 6,624.91............... 106.53 ................... 1.61 Industrial Index ....................................6,555.69 ...............6,510.85 ................... 6,523.53 ................... 6,577.00................-53.47 .................. -0.81 Services Index .......................................3,097.03 ...............3,076.55 ................... 3,093.96 ................... 3,076.55...................17.41 ................... 0.57 MSM SHARIAH INDEX....................... 839.81 .................. 837.21 .......................837.48 .......................838.31.................. -0.83 .................. -0.10 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 35,731,696 ..................8,205,972 ..................1,612 ............... 16,410,212,022 ................32 ........................5 .................... 13 .........................50

Bank Muscat, up by.43 per cent, was the top gainer while Al Maha Ceramics was the top

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 22

loser, down 9.50 per cent on Tuesday ISIN ......................................SECURITY NAME ..................................................................VOLUME..... TURNOVER............TRADES ......OPEN PRICE......HIGH ............. LOW ........ CLOSE PR. ...PREV. CLOSE...DIFF (RO).........DIFF % .............LAST PR.....LAST BID .............LAST OFFER ........MARKET CAP.PAR VALUE

MUSCAT: A surge in heavyweight banking stocks drove the MSM 30 index higher by one per cent to close at 5,430.11 points.

The MSM Sharia Index ended at 837.48 points, down 0.10 per cent.

Bank Muscat was the most active in terms of volume and turnover. Up 5.43 per cent, Bank Muscat was the top gainer while Al Maha Ceramics was the top loser, down 9.50 per cent.

As many as1,612 trades were executed on Tuesday, generating turnover of OMR8.2 million with 35.7 million shares changing hands. Out of 50 traded securities, 32 advanced, five declined and 13 remained unchanged.

Omani investors were net buyers for OMR799,000 followed

by GCC and Arab investors for OMR335,000 while foreign investors were net sellers for OMR1.13 million worth of shares.

Financial Index increased sharply by 1.61 per cent to end at 6,731.44 points. Bank Muscat, Gulf Investment Services, Al Batinah Development, Al Sharqia Investments and Al Anwar Holding gained by 5.43 per cent, 4.35 per cent, 4.11 per cent, 4 per cent and 3.35 per cent, respectively.

Takaful Oman, down 1.94 per cent, was the only sector loser.

Industrial Index ended negatively at 6,523.53 points, down 0.81 per cent. Oman Textiles, Al Hassan Engineering, Galfar Engineering, Al Jazeera Steel and Oman Fisheries increased by 4.94 per cent, 3.28 per cent, 3.17 per cent, 2.21 per cent and 1.82 per cent, respectively. Al Maha Ceramics and Oman Cables declined by 9.50 per cent and 4.28 per cent, respectively.

Services Index advanced 0.57 per cent to close at 3093.96 points. Renaissance Services, Al Jazeera Services, OIFC, Port Services and Ooredoo Oman gained by 3.49 per cent, 2.74 per cent, 1.95 per cent, 1.10 per cent and

1.10 per cent, respectively. Oman Oil Marketing and Phoenix Power declined by 2.56 per cent and 1.35 per cent, respectively.

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

OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 4,117,179 .... 1,598,752...................301 ........... 0.368 ...........0.394 ...........0.368........... 0.388 .............0.368 ........... 0.020............. 5.435 ................0.390..............0.388...................0.390 .................933,688,526........0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 1,276,075 ...... 122,140..................... 59 ........... 0.092 ...........0.097 ...........0.092........... 0.096 .............0.092 ........... 0.004.............4.348 ................0.097..............0.097...................0.098....................5,648,949 ..........0.100 OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ...................... 382,595 ............29,199..................... 43 ........... 0.074 ........... 0.077 ...........0.074........... 0.076 .............0.073 ........... 0.003............. 4.110 ................0.076..............0.076...................0.077....................2,280,000..........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 129,843 ............13,564......................16 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.106 ...........0.100........... 0.104 .............0.100 ........... 0.004.............4.000 ................0.106..............0.106...................0.110 ....................9,360,000 ..........0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 952,800 ......... 169,977.....................44 ............0.177 ........... 0.180 ...........0.175 ............0.178 ............. 0.172............ 0.006............. 3.488 ................0.178 .............. 0.174...................0.178 ................... 51,735,882 .........0.100

Emerging markets drop Emerging-market stocks fell and most currencies weakened as bomb blasts in Belgium spurred demand for havens and analysts weighed prospects for higher United States rates.

Shares in Turkey and South Africa led declines, falling from the highest levels in four-and-a-half months while Turkey’s lira and Indonesia’s rupiah led currencies lower. The extra yield investors demand to hold emerging-market bonds widened for the first time in four days. China’s stocks snapped a seven-day rally, the longest winning streak since May. Assets in emerging Europe and Africa slid after reports of explosions at a Brussels airport departure hall and a downtown subway station on Tuesday morning boosted demand for haven assets.

In Asia, the rally showed signs of petering out after two Federal Reserve officials floated the possibility of a rate increase as soon as April.

“If we get more of these kinds of signals from the Fed it will have an impact,but it would be a bit strange to see the Fed signalling a new path so soon” after last week’s meeting, said Anders Svendsen, an emerging-market analyst at Nordea Bank AB in Copenhagen. “There will be a lot of ups and downs in this first half of the year with sentiment trying to find its feet and many uncertainties out there.”

Svendsen said he expects currencies to strengthen this year as they are “significantly” undervalued. MSCI Emerging Markets Index declined 0.2 per cent in London, following a four-day run of gains that saw it rise 4.9 per cent. - United securities/Bloomberg News

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 1,868,023 ...... 346,133...................140 ............0.182 ........... 0.187 ...........0.182............0.185 ............. 0.179............ 0.006............. 3.352 ................0.186 ..............0.186...................0.187................... 27,763,875 .........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 3,934,209 ..... 255,019....................115 ........... 0.064 ...........0.066 ...........0.063........... 0.065 .............0.063 ........... 0.002............. 3.175.................0.066..............0.065...................0.066................... 18,848,741 .........0.100 OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 353,288 ............49,137......................19 ............0.135 ........... 0.145 ...........0.135 ............0.139 ............. 0.135............ 0.004............. 2.963 ................0.145 ..............0.143...................0.147...................27,800,000.........0.100 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 914,415 .......... 225,051..................... 74 ........... 0.244...........0.254 ...........0.241........... 0.246 .............0.239 ........... 0.007.............2.929 ................0.254..............0.252...................0.254 ..................24,600,000 ........0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES .......................................... 228,473 ........... 68,532........................7 ........... 0.299 ...........0.300 ...........0.299........... 0.300 .............0.292 ........... 0.008............. 2.740 ................0.300 .............0.292...................0.300 ..................18,361,282 .........0.100 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................ 338,598 ........... 46,937.....................40 ............0.135 ........... 0.143 ...........0.135 ............0.139 ............. 0.136............ 0.003.............2.206 ................0.138 .............. 0.137...................0.138................... 17,360,816 .........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING............ 20,000 ...............1,860........................1 ........... 0.093 ...........0.093 ...........0.093........... 0.093 ............. 0.091............ 0.002............. 2.198 ................0.093..............0.092...................0.095................... 11,334,375 .........0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 1,150,761 ....... 325,491..................... 52 ........... 0.280...........0.284 ...........0.280 .......... 0.283 .............0.277 ........... 0.006............. 2.166 ................0.284..............0.283...................0.284 .................379,421,001 ........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 1,146,563 ......239,594..................... 35 ........... 0.207 ........... 0.210 ...........0.207........... 0.209 .............0.205 ........... 0.004..............1.951.................0.207..............0.207...................0.210...................41,800,000.........0.100 OM0000003281............TAAGEER FINANCE ................................................. 110,000............ 14,940........................3 ............0.136 ........... 0.136 ...........0.134............0.136 .............0.134............ 0.002............. 1.493 ................0.136 .............. 0.135...................0.136...................34,488,240.........0.100 OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............ 802,600..........256,117..................... 70 ............0.316 ...........0.320 ...........0.316 ........... 0.320 ............. 0.316............ 0.004............. 1.266 ................0.320.............. 0.318...................0.320 ...................6,720,000 ..........0.100 OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ....................... 322,966 ............ 59,131..................... 29 ............0.184 ........... 0.185 ...........0.177 ............0.183 ............. 0.181 ............ 0.002............. 1.105.................0.177 .............. 0.177...................0.180...................17,392,320 .........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 310,708..........228,492......................16 ............0.728 ........... 0.740 ...........0.728........... 0.736 .............0.728............ 0.008............. 1.099 ................0.740..............0.736...................0.740..................479,094,953 .......0.100 OM0000004248 ...........SMN POWER HOLDING ........................................... 43,044 .............31,853........................4 ............0.740 ........... 0.740 ...........0.740........... 0.740 .............0.732............ 0.008............. 1.093 ................0.740..............0.732...................0.740..................147,730,344 ........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER................................................ 2,263,481 ......469,246..................... 23 ........... 0.207 ...........0.208 ...........0.207........... 0.207 .............0.205 ........... 0.002............. 0.976 ................0.207............. 0.000...................0.210.................. 139,701,698 ........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................. 2,475,421 ...... 513,009..................... 28 ........... 0.207 ...........0.208 ...........0.207........... 0.207 .............0.205 ........... 0.002............. 0.976 ................0.207............. 0.000...................0.210.................. 147,882,112 ........0.100 OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ..................................................... 2,550,793 ......380,201..................... 28 ............0.148 ........... 0.151............0.148........... 0.149 .............0.148.............0.001 ............. 0.676 ................0.150 ..............0.149...................0.150...................46,303,976.........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 548,101............ 85,292..................... 23 ............0.155 ........... 0.158 ...........0.155 ............0.156 ............. 0.155.............0.001 ............. 0.645 ................0.158 .............. 0.157...................0.158................. 224,864,640 .......0.100 OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 681,915 .......... 179,260..................... 23 ........... 0.266 ...........0.266 ...........0.262........... 0.263 .............0.262 ............0.001 ............. 0.382 ................0.263..............0.264...................0.266 ................ 406,263,608 .......0.100 OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS .............................................................36,980 .............10,962......................11 ........... 0.296 ...........0.299 ...........0.296........... 0.296 .............0.295 ............0.001 ............. 0.339 ................0.297..............0.297...................0.302 ..................14,800,000.........0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 689,290 ......1,079,437..................... 77 ............1.565 ........... 1.570 ...........1.525 ............1.565 .............1.560............ 0.005............. 0.321 ................1.525 .............. 1.525...................1.560................ 1,173,750,000 ......0.100 OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ...................................................... 130,000 .........122,200........................5 ........... 0.940...........0.940 ...........0.940 .......... 0.940 .............0.940 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.940 ............ 0.940...................1.000................. 188,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 142,204 ............71,102........................9 ........... 0.500 ...........0.500 ...........0.500........... 0.500 .............0.500 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.500..............0.500...................0.502 .................276,430,821........0.100 OM0000001822............UNITED POWER .............................................................2,320 ............... 7,888........................1 ........... 3.400 ...........3.400 ...........3.400........... 3.400 .............3.400 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................3.400..............3.400...................3.500 ...................2,720,000 ..........1.000 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 450,000............27,660......................19 ............0.061 ...........0.062 ...........0.061 ........... 0.061 ............. 0.061............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.062..............0.061...................0.062 ..................12,636,234 .........0.100 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ................................ 50,000 ............ 14,250........................4 ........... 0.285 ...........0.285 ...........0.285........... 0.285 .............0.285 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.285..............0.285...................0.300 ..................84,420,899.........0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK ..................................................................... 30,000 ...............5,250........................1 ............0.175 ........... 0.175............0.175 ............0.175 ............. 0.175............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.175 .............. 0.173...................0.175 ..................249,381,325........0.100 OM0000003000 ...........ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. .......65,000 .......... 110,500........................6 ............1.700 ........... 1.700 ...........1.700 ............1.700 ............. 1.700............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.700 .............. 1.650...................1.700 ..................117,300,000 ........0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ................................................... 222,469 ........... 95,662......................14 ........... 0.430 ...........0.430 ...........0.430........... 0.430 .............0.430 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.430..............0.430...................0.450...................26,015,000 .........0.100 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH.............................................. 561,960 .........140,250......................12 ........... 0.249 ...........0.260 ...........0.249........... 0.250 .............0.250 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.260..............0.254...................0.275................. 238,642,988 .......0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL............................................. 192,684 ............ 13,531......................12 ............0.071 ........... 0.071 ...........0.070........... 0.070 .............0.070 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.071 ..............0.070...................0.071...................12,250,000.........0.100 OM0000002572 ...........OMAN OIL MARKETING ...........................................77,712 ...........147,563......................15 ............1.920 ........... 1.920 ...........1.850 ........... 1.900 .............1.950............-0.050 ........... -2.564 ...............1.850 ..............1.850...................1.900..................116,422,500........0.100 OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY......................................31,000 ............ 45,055........................4 ............1.450 ........... 1.455............1.450 ............1.455 .............1.520............-0.065 ........... -4.276 ...............1.455 .............. 1.455...................1.475 ..................130,513,500 ........0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ................................................. 32,922 ............. 11,941.....................20 ........... 0.360 ...........0.364 ...........0.360........... 0.362 .............0.400 ...........-0.038 ........... -9.500 ...............0.364..............0.364...................0.368...................19,005,000 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 29,636,392.......7,612,178...........1,403 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......39........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000001053 ............OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING .....................................72,799 ............ 24,752..................... 10 ........... 0.340...........0.340 ...........0.340 .......... 0.340 .............0.324 ............0.016 .............4.938 ................0.340..............0.334...................0.348 ...................2,040,000..........1.000 OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................. 480,112............ 30,144..................... 38 ........... 0.062 ...........0.064 ...........0.062........... 0.063 ............. 0.061............ 0.002............. 3.279 ................0.064..............0.063...................0.064 ................... 4,738,104 ..........0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ..................................................... 435,512............ 24,389.....................22 ........... 0.056 ...........0.056 ...........0.056........... 0.056 .............0.055 ............0.001 ..............1.818.................0.056..............0.056...................0.057....................7,000,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 1,101,090 ........ 63,863..................... 30 ........... 0.058 ...........0.058 ...........0.058........... 0.058 .............0.057 ............0.001 ............. 1.754.................0.058..............0.058...................0.059...................58,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 1,812,889 ...... 132,532.....................44 ........... 0.073 ........... 0.074 ...........0.072........... 0.073 .............0.072 ............0.001 ............. 1.389 ................0.072..............0.072...................0.073..................109,500,000 .......0.100 OM0000001301 ............DHOFAR CATTLE FEED .......................................... 200,000...........45,000........................2 ........... 0.225 ...........0.225 ...........0.225........... 0.225 .............0.222 ........... 0.003..............1.351.................0.225..............0.225...................0.230 ..................17,325,000 .........0.100 OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. .................. 100,000 ..............3,300........................4 ........... 0.033 ...........0.033 ...........0.033........... 0.033 .............0.033 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.033..............0.032...................0.034 ...................2,805,000 ..........0.100 OM0000001590............MUSCAT FINANCE.................................................... 446,969 ............58,106.....................24 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.130........... 0.130 .............0.130............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.130 ..............0.129...................0.130................... 32,710,401 .........0.100 OM0000002333 ...........SALALAH PORT SERVICES ....................................... 2,100 ...............1,342........................2 ........... 0.648 ...........0.648 ...........0.636........... 0.648 .............0.648 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.636............. 0.000...................0.636..................116,534,635 ........0.100 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 1,433,833 ......209,356..................... 32 ............0.146 ........... 0.147 ...........0.146........... 0.146 .............0.148............-0.002 ............-1.351 ................0.147 ..............0.146...................0.147..................213,539,813 ........0.100 OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE ..............................10,000 ............... 1,010........................1 ............0.101 ........... 0.101............0.101 ............0.101 .............0.103............-0.002 ........... -1.942 ...............0.101 ..............0.100...................0.102...................10,100,000 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 6,095,304...... 593,794...................209 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ...... 11........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

INDIAN MARKETS

SHARIA-COMPLIANT

Indonesia's $2.5 billion dollar sukuk Sensex climbs for third issue oversubscribed by three times day; rupee depreciates JAKARTA: Indonesia raised $2.5 billion from its sale of dollar Islamic bonds and got orders for 3.1 times the amount offered, according to a person familiar with the issuance.

The Southeast Asian nation sold $750 million of five-year sukuk and $1.75 billion of 10-year notes priced at 3.4 per cent and 4.55 per cent, respectively, said the person, who isn’t authorised to speak publicly and declined to be identified. Bids totaled $7.7 billion. Indonesia sold $2 billion of such debt due in 2025 at its previous offering last year at a coupon rate of 4.325 per cent and received orders for $6.8 billion, or 3.4 times the offer.

The Southeast Asian nation’s bonds have attracted more than $3 billion of inflows this quarter as the United States Federal Reserve said it’s only likely to raise interest rates twice in 2016 instead of the four previously envisaged, helping retain Indonesia’s

biggest three-month gain since September 2012. And with Malaysia said to be planning another global sukuk, the outlook for Islamic note sales worldwide is already looking brighter than last year.

yield advantage over US debt.

The rupiah is also turning into a regional top performer after a more than 10 per cent slump in 2015 that pushed it beyond 14,000 a dollar for the first time since the Asian financial crisis.

“Indonesia timed its sukuk issuance to perfection as it comes after the dovish Fed’s statement,”

said Hasif Murad, an investment manager at Kuala Lumpur-based Aberdeen Islamic Asset Management, whose parent company oversees the equivalent of $2.9 billion.“The fact that Indonesia is the darling of Asia also helps.”

A Bloomberg index of emergingmarket dollar bonds has climbed 5.5 percent this quarter, set for the

Total offerings Issuance to date is $10.2 billion, exceeding last quarter’s $9.9 billion, based on compiled data. Total offerings for all of 2015 dropped 29 per cent to $35.4 billion in the poorest showing since 2010.

The yield on Indonesia’s 2025 Islamic bonds issued last year rose one basis point to 4.41 per cent as of in Jakarta, less than the 4.95 per cent they were paying at the end of last year, data shows. There’s no pricing available yet for either of the two new notes. The rupiah has appreciated 4.7 per cent versus the dollar in 2016, second only to a 6.6 per cent gain in Malaysia’s ringgit among Southeast Asia’s most-traded currencies. – Bloomberg News

MUMBAI: India's benchmark Sensex on Tuesday closed in the positive territory for the third straight day, but the day’s gain was limited to just 45 points after deadly terror attacks in Brussels sent markets globally into a tailspin.

The closing was a fresh 11-week high of 25,330. The modest rise came on the back of investors sticking with their buying activity amid sustained foreign inflows.

In a trade marked by choppiness, the 30-share barometer opened higher, but quickly slipped into the red zone after profit-booking in recent gainers kicked in. A decisively weak trend overseas after the explosions at the Brussels airport and a local metro station dragged the broader index further down.

However, buying towards the fag end wiped off the losses as the gauge settled at 25,330.49 with a moderate gain of 45.12 points, or 0.18 per cent. It had gained 608 points in the previous two sessions on increasing prospects of RBI lowering interest rates and contin-

ued foreign capital inflows.

The NSE Nifty-50 slid further as profit-booking weighed, but managed to close above the 7,700 level at 7,714.90, a gain of 10.65 points, or 0.14 per cent.

Rupee extends losses The rupee on Tuesday fell by another 18 paise to close at 66.71 per dollar on persistent demand for the American currency from banks and importers on the back of higher greenback overseas despite sustained foreign capital inflows in domestic equities.

The rupee resumed lower at 66.58 per dollar as against the Monday’s closing level of 66.53 at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market and dropped further to 66.84 on sustained dollar demand from from banks and importers before ending at 66.71, showing a loss of 18 paise or 0.27 per cent.

The rupee has dropped by 21 paise or 0.32 per cent in the last two sessions. It hovered in a range of 66.52 and 66.84. - PTI

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ROUND-UP

Nissan Pathfinder 3.5L comes with great offer vehicles from the house of Nissan.

Nissan Pathfinder 3.5L comes with assured cash back worth OMR750

MUSCAT: Nissan has a heritage of showcasing some of the most amazing benefits for its customers by introducing unique offers on its prestigious lineup of vehicles.

In an effort to make Nissan vehicles affordable and accessible to all, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles has taken up this unique initiative.

Customers can avail attractive benefits on Nissan Pathfinder 3.5L till April 20, says a press release.

Benefits Auto enthusiasts can now avail exciting benefits on the Nissan

Pathfinder 3.5L that include guaranteed cash back of OMR750, free registration, six years’ unlimited mileage extended warranty, easy financing options, a loan term up to eight years with Bank Muscat attractive interest rates and periodic maintenance service only up to 2 years/20,000km whichever is earlier (offer includes only on the new service intervals of

10,000km). The offer is applicable on private registrations or personal vehicles only.

Customers can also get unlimited access to Nissan’s prestigious vehicle lineup at the comfort of their homes or offices. Simply visit Nissan Oman’s Facebook page i.e http://www.facebook.com/Sbanissanoman or send an SMS to get updated information on any of the

I TA L I A N F I N E D I N I N G

B5

Cross-over for the family The Nissan Pathfinder has transformed into a much more familyfriendly vehicle, with a roomy, modern interior, and handling characteristics and impressive power. The Pathfinder is no longer the choice for those who need to venture off-road only.

With the introduction of the all-new fourth generation, not only does Pathfinder provide capability with spacious seating for seven, and an intuitive 4 Wheel Drive System, but it also resets the standard for the segment with an unprecedented level of premium style, comfort, fuel economy and offer a comfortable experience for families.

Suhail Bahwan Automobiles 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.

HOME MAINTENANCE

Ashgal to take part in Big Show exhibition MUSCAT: Ashgal, a 100 per cent Omani company based in Muscat and a one stop solution for home maintenance will be participating in the Big Show expo taking place from March 28-31 at the Oman International Exhibition Centre, says a press release.

Ashgal specialises in air-conditioning, electrical, plumbing, tank cleaning, repair and installation needs.

Raid Ghassan, CEO of Ashgal, said: “This is the first time we are participating in Big Show and this will give us more exposure and will allow us to meet mass audiences under one roof. Big Show is the biggest building and construction event happening in the region and this will give us the liberty to promote our services to various companies present in the expo as well as individuals who are looking for a professional maintenance services for their properties as well as offices. We have a growing customer base that counts on us to be available whenever they need us.”

Talking in depth about Ashgal,

Raid further commented, “Those who need AC repair and installation, any electrical requirements, plumbing needs, buildings which need tank cleaning services, need not look any further than Ashgal.

We handle our customers’ needs in a professional and quick manner. Those who choose their services will enjoy free estimates, quick responses at affordable rates. Ashgal is reliable, trustworthy, and fully insured. We have a team of professionals who will ensure that every job is completed with the highest quality workmanship possible. They try their best to keep the waiting time as short as possible so they can provide their customers with the fastest service in the business.”

He added: “We also undertake AMC for commercial and residential buildings thereby making the property owners' life easier and hassle free. We understand that our customers need reliable service so they can rely on us when something needs to be fixed.”

Clients can find Ashgal in Stand No. 192.

SECURITY CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

Rossini to offer Spring-themed BankDhofar takes part in Security of Vital Installations symposium special 5-course set menu

MUSCAT: Rossini, the quintessential Italian fine dining restaurant located at The Cave, is offering a Spring theme for all of its patrons. The theme is spread over two days, designed with a special 5-course set menu.

Tuesdays will be ‘Bella Rossini’ which in Italian means beautiful.

Along with live music, a spread of 5-course set dinner will be served with three selected beverages, says

a press release.

The other day of the Spring theme will be Saturdays, where a 5-course set lunch will be served along with unlimited beverages from 12pm to 4:30pm.

There will be live music on Thursdays as well at Rossini.

Lawrence D’sa, general manager of Four Seasons Tourism, commented: “Bella Rossini and Saturday Luncheon have been intro-

duced as part of the Spring theme to let our valued customers experience a tantalising taste of true Italian flavours of our varied and vast menu offerings.”

Come and experience a gastronomical journey along with your family and friends. Rossini comes under the flagship of Four Seasons Tourism which also has O Sole Mio (Radisson Blu), Annab (Shatti Al Qurum) Trattoria and Mamasan

M U S C AT I N T E R N AT I O N A L F I L M F E S T I VA L

MCC to host star-studded gala premiere today MUSCAT: Today the evening at Muscat City Centre (MCC) opens with Le Puits, followed by Omani film Bent Almashta and will conclude with a star studded evening with celebrities invited to watch Egyptian film Cairo Time.

Stars expected to attend include: Pussi; Mirvat Ameen; Samir Sabri; Karim Abdul Aziz; Madeleine Tabr; Asmahan Tawfiq; Haifaa

Hussein; Jamaan Al Rouwai; Jamal Ghailan; Tariq Abdul Aziz; and Solaf Fawakherji. An award ceremony will take place after the movie Cairo Time to celebrate the lead actors, and will feature a special recognition to the late Nour Sharif, says a press release.

Husam Al Mandhari, senior mall manager at City Centre Muscat, said: “We are delighted to be

TRIBUTE TO LEGENDARY LEADERS

ISC Kerala Wing to host annual memorial lecture on March 25 MUSCAT: Indian Social Club (ISC) Kerala Wing is set to organise the annual EMS-AKG memorial lecture on the topics ‘Forgotten slogan of Jai Kisan’ (Triumph of Farmers), and ‘Implications for India” on Friday, March 25, 6pm at Indian Social Club hall at Darsait.

The seminar will be a tribute to the legendary Kerala leaders who had set milestones in the social reforms and social and economic development of Kerala, says a press release.

E. M. Sankaran Namboothiripad (EMS) was the first chief minister of Kerala who was known as one of the brains behind the well acclaimed ‘Kerala Model’ development. A. K. Gopalan (fondly known as AKG) was the first opposition leader of India. His affection towards suffering people, inside and outside the Indian parliament earned him the title the ‘Crusader of the Downtrodden’.

The Kerala Wing has been organising events to commemorate the great leaders for the past so many years through

various seminars in the area of social development, neo-liberalism and education.

Key note address of the programme will be delivered by Dr Vijoo Krishnan who is presently the Joint Secretary of All India Kisan Sabha-AIKS (All India Peasants’ Union).

The organisers said the relevance of the topic at the occasion of commemoration has the special connotation as the life hardship of farmers that has multiplied as a result of Indian government policies and neoliberal nepotism.

Key issues Key issues addressed during the session will be the loosing edge of agrarian growth, crop pricing, environment and sustainable growth of farming sector of India. Organisers invited all public to actively participate in the session and interaction with the speaker thereafter.

The lecture will be delivered in English with Malayalam translation, organisers added.

part of Muscat International Film Festival which brings a diverse mix of cultures together through the medium of film.

“Majid Al Futtaim plays a significant role in supporting the growth and development of the Sultanate and Muscat International Film Festival gives us yet another platform to support the growth of creative industries."

MUSCAT: Reaffirming its commitment to boost security through implementation of the latest technology and security systems, BankDhofar participated in the fourth symposium on Security of Vital Installations that was organised by Royal Oman Police recently at Shangri La’s Barr Al Jissah Spa and Resort.

The three-day symposium was inaugurated under the auspices of Major General Hamad bin Sulaiman Al Hatmi, assistant inspector general of Police and Customs for Operations, and was attended by security management professionals, specialists in the vital installations security, information security experts, as well as security solutions and service providers, says a press release.

An exhibition of state-of-theart technology and security systems also took place during the

symposium and it showcased identification and control systems, safety and security platforms, new devices and electronic management systems.

Talib Mohammed Al Hajri, head of Logistics, Premises & Procurement at BankDhofar stressed the importance of joint efforts between different organisations against security threats.

“This symposium aimed to deliver an informational and perspective emphasis on security and to increase awareness on security challenges and solutions.

We at BankDhofar understand the importance of joining hands with public and private sector organisations in order to enhance security levels, reduce risks and increase safety measures.

"The symposium increased awareness of security of public utilities, threat analysis and cri-

ses management,” he said.

BankDhofar has been continuously investing in systems and procedures to adhere to best security standards. It recently achieved the revised ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Information Security Re-Certification for its information technology division and information security department.

The certification assures BankDhofar customers that the confidentiality, integrity and availability of their information are secure in accordance with an internationally recognised standard available from the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

Additionally, the bank has successfully implemented best-inclass information security management system, which leads to an increased protection of its customer information.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

ROUND-UP Former Korean minister addresses NBO Chairman’s Speaker Series Dr Joong-Kyung Choi, former minister of Knowledge Economy, Korea is well known for his quick policy actions, and has been instrumental in the speedy recovery of Korea during the Asian financial crisis, in addition to strengthening Korean economic ties with other leading economies

MUSCAT: National Bank of Oman (NBO) hosted Dr Joong-Kyung Choi, former minister of Knowledge Economy, Korea, as a speaker at the sixth edition of the NBO Chairman’s Speaker Series held at Grand Hyatt, Muscat, recently, under the auspices of Eng. Mohsin

bin Mohammed bin Ali Al Shaikh, chairman of Muscat Municipality.

Choi is well known for his quick policy actions, and has been instrumental in the speedy recovery of Korea during the Asian financial crisis, in addition to strengthening Korean economic ties with other leading economies.

Choi delivered a keynote address at the sixth edition of the NBO Chairman’s Speaker Series, which was launched in 2014 as a platform for inspirational leaders from diverse disciplines to share their experiences, knowledge and innovative ideas with a cross-section of Omani society, particularly students, youth in the early stages of their careers and aspiring entrepreneurs, says a press release.

At the event, Choi talked about his career, and contributions in supporting Korea and other developing countries with necessary economic policies that are

sustainable in the longer term. Before an audience of policy makers, dignitaries, entrepreneurs, students, NBO Corporate and Sadara customers and employees, he also shared perspectives on Oman’s

diversification-led economic approach and the future growth prospects for the Sultanate.

Commenting on the event, Mohammed Mahfoodh Al Ardhi, chairman of NBO, said: “We were

pleased to host Dr Joong-Kyung Choi at the sixth edition of the National Bank of Oman Chairman’s Speaker Series, and the first event of the year. By inviting esteemed speakers such as Dr Joong-Kyung

S E C U R I T Y O F V I TA L I N S TA L L AT I O N S

Choi, the event has emerged as an important platform for business leaders and policy makers to engage in dialogues and share insights about emerging economic issues. Through these events, we also hope to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs by encouraging them to play an instrumental role in the social and economic development of Sultanate.”

Each quarter, a leading influencer is invited to share their expertise, knowledge and best practice at an exclusive evening event in Oman.

It has previously welcomed guests including Sir Terrence Clarke, former British ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, group chief executive officer and managing director of Mubadala; Dr Anousheh Ansari, space pioneer; Mohamed Alabbar, founder and chairman of Emaar Properties; and Dr Paul Achleitner, chairman of Deutsche Bank.

AU T H E N T I C TA S T E

BPT showcases security products at ROP expo MUSCAT: Bahwan Projects & Telecoms (BPT), one of the flagship companies of Suhail Bahwan Group, showcased security related products at the recently concluded fourth symposium on the Security of Vital Installations in Muscat, inaugurated under the auspices of Maj. General Hamad bin Sulaiman Al Hatmi, assistant inspector-general of Police and Customs for Operations, Royal Oman Police.

An exhibition was held as part of the three-day event in which major suppliers of security related products, services and solutions took part. As the exclusive representative in the Sultanate of Oman, BPT showcased the latest, innovative GPS/navigation technology products from Garmin UK, also survey-solutions products from Leica Geosystems, Switzerland, says a press release.

BPT also showcased latest innovative solutions for integrated surveillance system from Galaxy Control System and ONSSI, USA. System Galaxy is an enterpriseclass access control and security management solution which offers a complete selection of in-

Trattoria, Mamasan introduce unlimited buffet for customers demand features that integrate with any standard or emerging technology. On-Net Surveillance System’s (ONSSI) award-winning IP-based surveillance software, OCULARIS, addresses complex multi-server installations as well as single installations.

A large number of senior security services officers, safety and security experts, researchers and academicians visited the BPT stall.

Yasser Mohammad Kheir, general manager, Bahwan Projects & Telecoms, received the guests and explained the salient features of various products from Leica and Garmin and their uses in securityrelated applications.

The products from Garmin on display included Garmin GPS with Camera Garmin Nuvicam, Garmin Nuvi 65, Garmin GPS MAP64S, Garmin Montana 680 and fitness

PA R T N E R S H I P

segment included Garmin Vivoactive Fitness Smart Watch, Garmin Fenix 3 Fitness Watches.

The instruments on display from Leica Geosystems included Leica Nova MS60 Multi Station, Leica CS35 Captivate, Leica scan Station P40, Leica Viva GNSS Receivers, Leica Zeno 20 GIS Receivers, Leica Flexline TS06plus Total Station.

Leica Geosystems creates complete solutions for professionals.

MUSCAT: Trattoria and Mamasan, located at Al Assalah Towers, Ghubra, have grown to become one of the favourite restaurants in Oman.

Trattoria, the Italian restaurant and cafe while Mamasan, the Chinese restaurant are situated side to side. Both the restaurants have introduced unlimited buffet for all its patrons, says a press release.

The Chinese buffet spread is prepared by their Chinese Chef Jiajun He who hails from Beijing, China. It is served on Fridays.

While the Italian buffet spread is

served on Saturdays, every week.

Both the buffet menus have been crafted with passion. It includes a welcome drink and nine dishes are spread for the buffet with the timings from 11am to 4pm.

“We would like to invite all our valued customers to experience the authentic taste of Chinese cuisine from the buffet on Fridays at Mamasan while the true Italian flavours from the buffet on Saturdays at Trattoria,” said

by Lawrence D’sa, general manager, Four Seasons Tourism.

ISLAMIC BANKING AND FINANCE

KR Infra delivers jetting, vacuum alizz supports IFN Oman seminar equipment trucks to Haya Water MUSCAT: KR Engineering Products and Services Division under KR Infra handed over six vacuum and jetting trucks to Haya Water.

The project joins several others that KR Infra has implemented as part of a long and rewarding partnership with Haya Water, says a press release.

“KR has been a key collaborator in delivering relevant and cuttingedge technology across Oman’s industrial sectors. We have been supporting the national directive for timely, reliable and safe infrastructural technology by teaming up with world-renowned experts such as Rivard,” said Hritik Khimji, director, KR. Elaborating further on the partnership, N. S. Vijaya Kumar, CEO, KR Infra, said: “As a key supplier of mainstream and current technological solutions KR Infra is honoured to have been given the opportunity to work with Haya Water. The jetting and vacuum trucks that were delivered are used to clean and maintain the sewer network line in the Muscat region. These trucks were sourced from Rivard of France that had deputed its senior technical personnel to train the operators and

maintenance team at Haya Water and the service staff of KR Engineering Products and Services.”

Hussain Hassan Ali Abdul Hussain, CEO of Haya Water, awarded certificates to the Haya Water team that had undergone successful

training in the operation and maintenance of these high pressure jetting and vacuum equipment.

The KR EPSD team received commendation and recognition for their professional execution of the complete project.

MUSCAT: alizz Islamic bank announced its recent participation in Oman Islamic Banking and Finance News 2016 seminar (IFN Oman seminar) as part of its efforts in enhancing and promoting its integral role in the Sultanate’s Islamic banking and finance sector.

Held at the Grand Hyatt Muscat Hotel, the groundbreaking event gathered the leading players with an active interest in the local and international Islamic financial markets, says a press release.

IFN Oman seminar focused on the opportunities available today in the Omani market for both capital raising and investment in the Sharia compliant space.

The event witnessed a series of key-note addresses, presentations, panel discussions and casestudies that highlighted the benefits and opportunities currently available in Oman.

Ehab Hashish, deputy general manager and head of Wholesale Banking at alizz Islamic bank, discussed concepts of Islamic finance in Oman, with an overview of how its landscape will look like in the near future. His conversation included the requirements, from both market players and regulators, to achieve sustainable growth in Oman’s Islamic bank-

ing and capital market sectors.

He commented: “This is a very important seminar and tangible results will soon be seen.”

On the other hand, Moosa Al Jadidi, deputy general manager and head of retail banking at alizz Islamic bank, joined some of the most prominent experts, regulators and key players in the Islamic banking sector at the IFN Oman Dialogue. The closed-door roundtable styled session witnessed the discussion of the future and challenges facing the Sharia compliant financing and investment market today. Moreover, the attendees touched upon the ample investment opportunities in Oman and the development

potential, to eventually meet the targeted future progress.

Hamood Sangour, executive president of the Central Bank of Oman provided the keynote address at the IFN Oman 2016 seminar, in the attendance of Abdullah Al Salmi, executive president of the Capital Market Authority of Oman, along with other senior government officials, industry practitioners and international key players. alizz Islamic bank provides a wide range of innovative Sharia compliant financing solutions that meet customer’s requirements and needs, all of which are approved by the Sharia Supervisory Board.

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Toyota Avalon comes with summer surprises Those who purchase a Toyota Avalon till April 30 will be able to get an OMR1,100 cash gift

MUSCAT: The Toyota Avalon is an elegant and classy sedan that is positioned to be ‘at the intersection of style and technology’.

Meticulously reimagined, the Avalon’s exterior exudes a sophisticated confidence others only aspire to. Its sculpted lines and curves create a stunning profile.

While the redesigned bumper and stylish HID headlamps make it more striking than ever.

Now, the buzz is around the ‘Summer Surprises’ benefits that accompany every Avalon, says a press release.

“Those who purchase a Toyota Avalon till April 30 will be able to get an OMR1,100 cash gift,” says the spokesperson. “This is applicable on 2015 YM models of 2015 production and 2016 YM models for all purchases except those made by government organisations and ministries. Please visit nearest Toyota showroom for exact details,” the company spokesperson said.

The offer makes the Avalon even more tempting to own. Indeed, there is a lot to love in the refined masterpiece by Toyota; about whom it is quoted that, “The Avalon is one of Toyota’s best offer-

ings, with truly attractive styling, a high-quality interior, plenty of room and an immensely enjoyable driving experience.”

Avalon’s exterior lighting complements the design lines. The industry-first Quadrabeam headlight cluster utilises a sleek and compact double-eye PES headlight design with two square glass condenser lenses that have been adapted for the low beams and offer outstanding lighting performance. A stronger, more expressive front-fascia design with larger grille opening creates an aggressive appearance.

The Avalon’s interior elaborates on the exterior’s elegant, refined theme to create a premium interior experience that combines high technology and craftsmanship with an artistic level of sculpted surfaces. The driver is engaged by an Optitron-type combination meter, which produces a sharp, high quality display and 3.5-inch Thinfilm Transistor colour multi-information display. Furthermore, the Avalon’s interior surfaces are finished in premium materials such as soft-touch materials for the dash panel, unique smoke chrome trim surrounding the centre panel, and high-quality glossy panel trim around the shifter. All of this attention to detail to touch surfaces and subtle enhancements to texture and visual appeal are aimed at elevating the overall interior experience for driver and passengers.

In Oman, Toyota’s outstanding product quality is supported by the nationwide parts and service network of Saud Bahwan Automotive.

No wonder then that today, Toyota is one of the most trusted and wellknown brands.

RECRUIT QUOTES A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault.

— John Henry Newman Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.

— Author unknown The imperfections of a man, his frailties, his faults, are just as important as his virtues. You can’t separate them. They’re wedded.

— Henry Miller I don’t care how much power, brilliance or energy you have, if you don’t harness it and focus it on a specific target, and hold it there you’re never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants.

— Zig Ziglar The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps — we must step up the stairs.

— Vance Havner

B7

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

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Al Hassan takes part in SQU career fair MUSCAT: As part of its commitment to provide job opportunities for the future workforce of Oman, Al Hassan Group participated in the career fair held at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) recently.

The career fair, which was spread over three days, provided students an opportunity to interact directly with the organisation’s representatives, says a press release.

The event is organised every year to give access to a large number of candidates in a onestop environment. The occasion provided an opportunity for potential job seekers to meet with the officials and understand job requirements at Al Hassan which has become one of the most pre-

ferred employers in the region.

Commenting on Al Hassan’s participation in the career fair, Shahzad Sadan, GM-Organisational Development, Al Hassan Group said: “SQU career fair, of course, is a good platform to reach, connect and engage with tomorrow’s workforce. As in the past, we are able to raise awareness of our organisation in the community and among job seekers of the country. Al Hassan Group is committed to provide job opportunities for the Omani youth, in line with the national objectives. We have received excellent response at the career fair as number of fresh Omani graduates showed keen interest to be part of our team.”

B8

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

ROUND-UP

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Meethaq workshop increases awareness on Islamic finance The workshop on Islamic finance held at Bank Muscat head office was attended by dignitaries and a large turnout of public and private sector representatives, youth and students

MUSCAT: Meethaq, the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman from Bank Muscat, as part of its commitment to raise awareness on Islamic banking and finance, organised a workshop by Ahmed bin Said Al Kashoob, CEO of Global Trust Investments, and partner of Economic Studies and Research Center and Human Resources and Skills Development Centre.

The workshop held at Bank Muscat head office was attended by dignitaries and a large turnout of public and private sector rep-

resentatives, youth and students, says a press release.

Ahmed Al Kashoob highlighted the role of Islamic finance in the economic development of Oman.

“We see a growing interest among retail and corporate clients to take advantage of the new opportunities offered by Islamic finance,” he added.

Sulaiman Al Harthy, deputy chief executive officer – Islamic Banking, said: “Meethaq is proud to facilitate yet another opportunity to raise awareness on important

aspects of Islamic banking and finance. Meethaq has been instrumental in hosting a series of high profile conferences and awareness programmes on Islamic banking, to familiarise people with the core aspects of Islamic finance.

As the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman, Meethaq is committed to offering unique learning opportunities which reaffirm the bank’s focus on Islamic banking development in Oman.”

Meethaq is the leading Islamic financial services provider in the

AGREEMENT

Sultanate with many achievements contributing to the growth and development of the Sultanate’s economy. Meethaq extends support to all key economic sectors in the Sultanate and is focused on developing as a benchmark Islamic financial institution in Oman and the region. Within just three years of operations, Meethaq has attained the leading position in the Islamic banking industry in Oman in terms of financing receivables, branch network, products and services, IT infrastructure and

human resources development.

Meethaq not only provides benchmark Islamic financial solutions to support the country’s development but also plays a key role in raising awareness and educating people on important aspects of Islamic banking and finance.

Meethaq offers a full suite of Islamic banking products and services, including savings and current account, home and auto finance, credit card, mobile and internet banking. The bank has invested in staff, systems and controls to ensure the service is delivered in a fully Sharia compliant manner.

As the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman, Meethaq has adopted the best practices in Islamic banking and finance worldwide to combine a robust model which protects customers and complements the Islamic banking industry. Every Meethaq product goes through the process of Sharia compliance certification by the Sharia Supervisory Board and is created in line with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Oman.

C O M P E T I T I V E LY P R I C E D

Convene Meeting Package at OCEC MUSCAT: The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) is offering organisers of corporate, government and private events and meetings, the chance to impress with the launch of its competitively priced Convene Meeting Package.

This bespoke events solution has been tailored to meet the most sophisticated needs of discerning function planners, catering for gatherings of 25 to 150 people in the iconic venue’s brand new state-of-the-art hospitality suites, with additional options for larger conferences of 200 to 500, says a press release.

“The requirements of meeting organisers, in both the public and private sectors, are many and varied. With this in mind, the OCEC has prioritised choice and flexibility designing the Convene Meeting Package, ensuring that client’s demands will be fully met in an inspiring business environment and via a hassle-free booking process. Our business development team will be conducting a series of personal presentations with potential clients,” explained Trevor McCartney, GM - OCEC.”

R A F F L E D R AW

Oman LNG to supply critical Nabil Biscuits launches instruments to Ibra Hospital Scratch & Win promotion MUSCAT: Oman LNG signed an agreement to supply critical equipment and instruments for the endoscopy unit in Ibra Hospital.

The agreement, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, further enhances the provisions at the hospital to meet all the needs of patients and is very much aligned with Oman LNG’s robust Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to promote health services across the country, says a press release.

The agreement was signed by Darwish bin Saif Al Maharbi, undersecretary at the Ministry of

Health for Administrative and Financial Affairs, and Khalid Al Massan, chief executive officer of Oman LNG Development Foundation.

Building on inaugurated projects for the Ibra Hospital last year, this agreement will facilitate the upgrading o fthe equipment for the Knee Arthroscopy Unit at the Ibra Hospital. The two previously inaugurated projects helped finance the construction of the GI tract Endoscopy Unit and provided provisions for the Knee Arthroscopy Unit.

Oman LNG’s ambitious social investment programmes have be-

come a familiar name associated with a myriad of sustainable initiatives, all of which are intended to enhance services provided for citizens across the Sultanate.

“We are committed to the community and all the projects we support. Our aim is to sustain, through these projects and others like these, strategic partnerships with the Ministry of Health to complement the country’s healthcare services infrastructure with cutting-edge equipment and supplementing it with aid for enhanced training,” said Khalid Al Massan.

MUSCAT: National Biscuit Industries Ltd, the makers of the brand ‘Nabil’ range of biscuits and snacks, launched its grand ‘Scratch & Win’ promotion on its selected biscuits range from March 15 to May 15.

In addition to the ‘Scratch & Win’ promotion a mega raffle draw has also been launched where the consumers of Oman will get an opportunity to win and own a brand new Nissan Altima car, says a press release.

The promotion is on multipacks of Nabil Glucose, Nabil Cookies,

Nabil Crackers & Sweet n Salt Biscuits, Nabil Cream biscuits and the newly launched Nabil Sugarfree Digestive Biscuits. Consumers will find a scratch card in the multipacks of the scheme SKUs with a unique Nabil Code and have to quickly register on www.NabilBiscuits.com, which will qualify them for the final raffle draw.

Only successful and valid entries registered till May 15 will qualify for the raffle draw. Consumers can register more than once with every unique code, and increase their chances of winning

the mega raffle of Nissan Altima.

To further delight its patrons, up to 10 lucky winners can scratch the coupon and win an instant Apple iPhone 6. Winners can claim their gifts till May 31.

Unnit Mankodi, head of Sales and Marketing at National Biscuits said, “Nabil is delighted to give back the love and patronage by giving not just the iPhone 6, but a bumper prize as big as a Nissan Altima car. We urge the consumers to rush to their nearest outlet and buy the multipacks of the listed products.”

L O YA LT Y P R O G R A M M E

LUGGAGE BRAND

Samsonite has new ‘OAB Rewards’ receives overwhelming response business head for Middle East, Africa MUSCAT: Samsonite International S.A., the world’s largest manufacturer and leading luggage brand for more than 100 years, has announced the appointment of Shaheen Jamil as the business head covering the Middle East, Africa, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) countries, with immediate effect.

In his new role, Shaheen will be responsible for Samsonite’s day-to-day operations and managing the company’s business in the countries across various channels, spearheading the retail, merchandising, planning, sales and marketing and distribution functions.

Shaheen Jamil, business head at Middle East, Africa, CIS and Saarc countries, said: “It is a matter of immense pleasure and excitement for me to take on this expanded role at Samsonite, as the company seeks growth opportunities across the globe, amidst an incredibly dynamic time for the sector. Through this enhanced responsibility, I am confident of strengthening Samsonite’s market leadership and

reinforce its aggressive growth plans across geographies through the diverse range of brands that we currently have under the Samsonite umbrella.”

Shaheen takes on this new role with proven credentials of 15 years in Strategy, Distributor Management, Retail, Marketing and Sales of various multinational brands across countries.

An alumnus of the Aligarh Muslim University, he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from St.Xaviers College and has done his Post Graduation from the National Institute of Fashion Technology-New Delhi.

MUSCAT: Following its introduction on Oman’s 45th National Day, Oman Arab Bank’s (OAB) innovative credit card online loyalty programme ‘OAB Rewards’ has received an overwhelming response from customers.

OAB Rewards entitles all OAB credit card holders who are subscribed online to earn points as they spend on their credit cards.

Earned points can be redeemed from a wide range of options through the bank’s dedicated online portal (www.oabrewards. com), says a press release.

OAB Rewards’ designated platform is designed to serve as an online travel reservations engine that allows customers to select and book directly with over 900 airlines, 200,000 hotels and car rentals in over 150 countries across the

globe by simply redeeming their points. Customers can also shop online directly through the portal with partnering retailers or in fact, exchange their points for cashback to the card account.

Fahd Amjad, general manager Retail Banking at Oman Arab Bank said, “Our creatively conceptualised customer loyalty programme has been extremely well received in such a short time.

“We have seen over 15 per cent of our credit card customers subscribe to the loyalty programme

within three months of launch.

“Our monthly credit card sales have also doubled as many of our customers find unmatched benefits with OAB Rewards. OAB Rewards has been designed to enhance the banking experience, strengthen our comprehensive credit card offering and most importantly, to say thank you to our customers for being part of the OAB family.”

Oman Arab Bank credit cards provide an array of benefits to customers including interest free

payment period, flexible monthly minimum payment option, free travel insurance and purchase protection, zero lost card liability and online shopping security via Verified by Visa to name but a few.

The card is also equipped with an advanced chip feature to protect customers’ confidential information. While travelling, OAB credit card holders can enjoy a relaxing lounge experience at over 500 international airports including Muscat and Salalah.

Additionally, card holders enjoy exclusive ‘buy one get one free’ and hotel stay offers locally and in the United Arab Emirates.

Customers can choose from a wide variety of card categories including Visa Infinite, Platinum, and Gold, Internet shopping as well as Classic credit cards.

FUN-FILLED ACTIVITIES

Don’t litter a beautiful country like OMAN.

McDonald’s supports special training day for children

Ensure proper disposal of garbage.

MUSCAT: McDonald’s Oman (Al Daud Restaurants) painted smiles on children’s faces as they held their ‘special training day’ for three consecutive weekends.

Over 100 children comprising kids with special needs, orphans and kids from private schools have recently undergone training sessions on soft skills together with an aim of further developing their communication and interpersonal

skills, says a press release.

The special training for children was organised by the Omani Women’s Association in collaboration with McDonald’s Oman.

“The special training day is aimed to bring the children together so they can learn to interact with one another through various fun-filled activities. On behalf of the Omani Women’s Association (OWA), we are grateful to McDon-

ald’s for its unrelenting support to our activities,” said Wafa Ali Al Amriya, chairman of OWA. McDonald’s Oman prides itself on being a local member of the community and has been committed to being a responsible corporate citizen by providing support to various community activities aimed at enhancing the development of less fortunate members of society.

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WORLD T20 PREVIEW

India look to close in on semis berth BENGALURU: Galvanised by the triumph over arch-rivals Pakistan, a confident India will look for another colossal victory and inch closer to the semifinals when they square off against an embattled Bangladesh in the ICC World Twenty20 here on Wednesday.

Under tremendous pressure after the opening loss to New Zealand, inaugural champions India roared back by beating Pakistan in a high-voltage clash at the Eden Gardens to put their campaign back on track in the tournament. A victory in Wednesday’s Super 10 Group 2 match would take the hosts a step closer to the coveted semifinal berth and the team would look to ensure that it wins big to improve its Net Run Rate, which took a hit owing to the New Zealand loss.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, are on the verge of being knocked out of the event and a win on Wednesday would go a long way in giving them a mathematical chance of making the last-four stage. However, a close look at the current form of the two teams would make India outright favourites for the match even though Bangladesh have built a reputation of upstaging big teams in big events.

India’s formidable batting line-up, led by the peerless Virat Kohli, gives them a clear edge and should be more than a handful for the Bangladeshi bowlers, who would find it an enormous task to either contain or dismiss the hosts.

The only batting worry for India is the form of opener Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, all three of whom have looked distinctly uncomfortable in the two outings so far.

However, playing in home conditions, the trio is expected to strike form sooner than later and make up for its failures against the Kiwis and Pakistan.

But Kohli will be the cynosure of all eyes once again after belting a classy unbeaten 55 against Pakistan. The swashbuckling righthander is currently a cut above the rest as far as ease of scoring is concerned. And captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be hoping that Kohli once again anchors the Indian innings albeit with good support from the rest of the line-up.

The think-tank might consider giving a chance to Ajinkya Rahane, who has been warming the CONFIDENT

India won’t take Bangladesh lightly: Nehra BENGALURU: Ahead of their crucial Group 2 game against Bangladesh in the World Twenty20, veteran Indian pacer Ashish Nehra on Tuesday stressed that his team won’t take their opposition lightly considering the good show from Bangladesh recently against top teams.

“Bangladesh have been playing good cricket for the last 2-3 years. The way they have improved is quite amazing. We will not take Bangladesh lightly. We have to play to our potential if we have to beat them,” Nehra said at a press conference here.

“Our mood is good. The kind of cricket we are playing in the last 2-3 months, we are all happy and satisfied. Hopefully, we would like to take it forward even further; the kind of fire power we have, if put to use, we will definitely win the game.”

Being the senior most member of the team’s bowling lineup, the 36-year-old said that he loves sharing tips and his experience with other seamers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

“My job is very important; to pass my experience which I gathered in the last 16-17 years to Bumrah, Shami and Bhuvneshwar,” he said.

The left-armer also praised Bangladesh’s young bowling sensation Mustafizur Rahman. - IANS

bench in the tournament, especially due to the continued failure of Sharma, Dhawan and Raina.

Yuvraj Singh, who made a crucial 24 and added 61 runs with Kohli in the match against Pakistan, would love to continue the good work in Wednesday’s match. On the bowling front, the attack looks settled but it would be interesting to see if Dhoni decides on bringing in senior offspinner Harbhajan Singh given that the pitches so far have been supportive of slower bowlers.

In contrast, Bangladesh, who have lost both their matches, are looking for answers as to what has gone wrong for them after a fine build-up. The team, which created a flutter by reaching the Asia Cup finals, has been in shambles ever since making the main draw of the World Twenty20.

Their prospects were further dented by the suspension of pacer Taskin Ahmed and left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny, both of whom were found guilty of bowling with illegal actions.

Given the situation, Bangladesh Captain Mashrafe Mortaza will bank on the all-round abilities of Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah, who put up a good show in the last match against Australia.

The think tank would contemplate bringing back Tamim Iqbal, who is in a good nick with scores of 103 not out, 47 and 83 not out in the qualifiers and 25 against Pakistan. The side will also hope that his opening partner Soumya Sarkar strikes form to give the team a good start.

The biggest headache for Bangladesh is to get a suitable replacement for Taskin and Sunny.

Such has been the impact of their suspension that Mortaza broke down during a press conference when quizzed about the duo, insisting that the suspension has been harsh.

Mortaza’s breakdown was perhaps indicative of the low morale in the Bangladeshi dressing room even though the team did put up a creditable show during the loss to Australia.

On the brighter side, pacer Mustafizur Rahman made a fine comeback from injury to bag two wickets last night. He had missed missing the qualifiers and the Super 10 opener against Pakistan due to a side-strain injury incurred in the Asia Cup T20. - PTI

GOOD GOING: New Zealand players celebrate win over Pakistan in the ICC World T20 match in Mohali. – PTI

Black Caps in semis Martin Guptill smashed his 10th 50 in the game’s shortest format to set up a 22-run win against Pakistan in their Super 10 stage match

MOHALI: New Zealand became the first team to book a spot in the World Twenty20 semifinals after opener Martin Guptill smashed his 10th 50 in the game’s shortest format to set up a 22-run win against Pakistan in their Super 10 stage match on Tuesday.

The right-handed Guptill hit 10 fours and three sixes in his 48-ball 80, sharing an opening stand of 62 with captain Kane Williamson, after an unchanged New Zealand won the toss on a green-tinged surface at Mohali to post 180 for five.

Sharjeel Khan (47) gave his team a brisk start in their chase with New Zealand either bowling too short or too full on his pads as Pakistan raced to 61 for no loss in five overs.

However, the rest of Pakistan’s batsmen found it extremely difficult to find the boundaries after paceman Adam Milne dismissed the left-handed opener, who hit nine fours and a six in his 25ball knock.

Kiwi left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, who was taken for 15 runs in the first over of the innings, came back superbly to finish with figures of two for 29 in his four

overs and, along with leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, applied the brakes on Pakistan’s scoring.

Milne also kept the batsmen on a tight leash with figures of two for 26 as Pakistan could only manage 158 for five in their 20 overs.

It was New Zealand’s third straight win in Group Two after victories over hosts India and trans-tasman rivals Australia.

Earlier, Guptill also combined with Corey Anderson (21) for a third-wicket stand of 52 that set the platform for Ross Taylor (36 not out) to finish with a flourish.

Mohammed Amir gave away

16 runs in the final over with Taylor hitting him for six and four to ensure that Pakistan would have to score over nine runs an over in their chase.

Mohammed Sami and captain Shahid Afridi picked up two wickets apiece for Pakistan, who made two changes to the team that lost to arch-rivals India on Saturday.

Mohammed Hafeez failed to recover from a knee injury while paceman Wahab Riaz was hit in the head by a ball during practice and they were replaced by batsman Khalid Latif and spin-bowling allrounder Imad Wasim. - Reuters

MAN OF THE MATCH: Martin

Guptill. – AFP

SCOREBOARD

NEW ZEALAND M. Guptill b Sami 80 K. Williamson c Afridi b Irfan 17 C. Munro c Latif b Afridi 7 C. Anderson c Malik b Afridi 21 R. Taylor not out 36 L. Ronchi c Malik b Sami 11 G. Elliott not out 1 Extras (lb-4, w-3) 7 Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 180 Did not bat: M. Santner, A. Milne, M. McClenaghan, I. Sodhi

Fall of wickets: 1-62, 2-75, 3-127, 4-132, 5-164 Bowling: Mohammed Amir 4-0-41-0; Mohammed Irfan 4-0-46-1; Mohammed Sami 4-0-23-2; Imad Wasim 4-0-26-0; Shahid Afridi 4-0-40-2 PAKISTAN S. Khan c Guptill b Milne 47 A. Shehzad c Guptill b Santner 30 K. Latif c Elliott b Santner 3 U. Akmal c Guptill b Milne 24 S. Afridi c Anderson b Sodhi 19

S. Malik not out 15 S. Ahmed not out 11 Extras (lb-5, w-4) 9 Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 158 Did not bat: Imad Wasim, Mohammed Amir, Mohammed Sami, Mohammed Irfan Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-79, 3-96, 4-123, 5-140 Bowling: M. Santner 4-0-29-2; C. Anderson 2-0-14-0; A. Milne 4-0-26-2; M. McClenaghan 4-0-43-0; G. Elliott 2-0-16-0; I. Sodhi 4-0-25-1 Man of the match: Martin Guptill

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

SPORTS

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England eyeing to fix grey areas Even though they start as favourites against Afghanistan, England would be aware that their bowlers would have to put up an improved performance

NEW DELHI: Their campaign back on track with a stunning win over South Africa, a resurgent England would be looking to plug their bowling loopholes when they take on an ever-improving Afghanistan in a Super 10 Group 1 match of the ICC World Twenty20.

After being bruised and battered

by Chris Gayle in the six-wicket defeat to West Indies in their tournament-opener, England, facing a must-win situation, rode on Joe Root’s class act to register a close two-wicket win against South Africa in a high-scoring encounter to keep their hopes alive. Chasing a mammoth 230-run target, Root single-handedly got England over the line with a thundering 83 off 44 balls. If not for Root’s heroics, England would have been virtually out of the tournament after their

bowling department leaked runs for a second consecutive match.

And even though they start as favourites against Afghanistan, England would be aware that their bowlers would have to put up an improved performance. The 2010 champions’ under-fire bowlers and fielders will be up against a potent if not marauding Afghanistan batting line-up that gave Australia a scare in their last match.

The performance of England’s opening pace duo of David Willey and Reece Topley can be termed horrendous against South Africa the other day as they sprayed the ball on both sides of the wicket to concede huge runs. The likes of Chris Jordan and Ben Stokes too were very expensive.

The spin duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid looked good even

though they too went for runs and the key for England would be how effectively this pair performs.

If England want to alter their pace combination they have Liam Plunkett, a late replacement for the injured Steve Finn, to call upon.England’s batting has been satisfactory so far in the tournament with Root leading from the front. However, they need a collective batting effort from the likes of Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Stokes, Jos Buttler and skipper Eoin Morgan to make themselves a potent force in the tournament.

With a win and a loss under their belt, England are currently lying fourth in the five-team group and a win will definitely propel Morgan’s men up in the standings. Minnows Afghanistan, on the other hand, have lost both their matches against Sri Lanka (by six wickets) and South Africa (by 37 runs).

But despite the defeats, the Afghans, who advanced to the Super 10 stage for the first time, showed great character in those two matches. They might be virtually out of the semi-final race following two defeats, but the Afghans would be aiming to spoil the party for others and show the world their might in the remaining matches of the tournament. — PTI

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C O M M E N TA RY

Twenty20 is not only just about aerial shots

I

ndia and England have picked themselves up quite brilliantly after their losses in their first game and have given themselves the chance to get through to the semifinals.

Of course with two more matches to be played it is not a given that they will qualify and they will need to play at the top of their game once again.

England play Afghanistan and though the Afghanistan team is a competitive one they may not have the ammunition to beat England.

Yes flair can sometimes overcome lack of experience at this level and the Afghans have certainly displayed great flair so far but they have fallen short when it matters. That is more due to the inexperience of playing against the big teams for when it has come to the tipping point they have lost the

grip on the game. England’s batting has been tremendous but its the bowling on Indian pitches where they have had a bit of a problem and have conceded loads of runs in both their matches so far.

Maybe going in with an extra spinner may do the trick for them and if there is one game in which they can try that it is the one against the qualifiers.

India which is usually set in its batting will want their top order to fire more than it has so far.

T20 is not only about aerial shots as Virat Kohli has so ably

CRICKET

CRICKET

Al Hail CT to host T20 tournament MUSCAT: Al Hail Cricket Team, under the auspices of Oman Cricket (OC), will organise a Twenty20 tournament from April 8 at their own green ground in Mabellah, according to a statement received from the organisers.

After the resounding success of the four editions of its T10 Cricket Tournaments and based on the encouraging feedback received from various participating teams, Al Hail CT have decided to conduct their first ever Twenty20 Cricket Tournament to encourage lower division league teams and young talented players.

The tournament will be played on knockout basis and a maximum of 24 entries will be accepted on first-cum-first basis. Interested teams may register their entries on or before March 31.

demonstrated. Those shots come a lot easier after one has had a measure of the pitch.

With the pitches helping the spinners it is never easy to go for the big shots as it is on pitches with true bounce like at the Wankhede Stadium.

India are loath to make a change unless there is an injury to one of its players so even if the game is against the qualifiers there shouldn’t be any surprises in the playing squad.

India are way behind in the net run rate at the moment and so they would want to improve on that but as they know from recent experience Bangladesh are not the pushovers they were earlier and are far more competitive. The priority therefore is to get into a winning position and then think about the run rate. - PMG

This tournament is open for participation to players of all divisions of OC League except Premier, A, B, and C divisions. Any player registered with any team in these divisions will not be allowed to participate.

All other league players can participate in this tournament as the OC has kindly given their permission for this tournament.

The tournament will run for a total duration of nine days starting from April 8 and continuing on April 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 and May 6 and will be conducted according to ICC rules and regulations.

For further details as well as for registration, contact organisers (Ph: 99623536, 9599 8056 & 92828786) or email at alhailcricketteam@yahoo.com

OC to host knockout tourney from April 15 MUSCAT: Oman Cricket will organise the Khimji Ramdassponsored Knockout tourney for A to J divisions from April 15.

According to a press statement issued by Oman Cricket on Tuesday, teams that had participated in the league tournaments during 2015-16 season are eligible to take part in the tournament.

However, in the event of a team deciding not to take part, the players from that team will allowed to play in the same group or in a higher group, but not lower group.

Interetested teams may register their entries before 6.00 p.m. on April 4. The entry fee is OMR. 50. The draw ceremony and the captains/managers meeting will take place on April 6 at 7.00 p.m. at Al Mirani Hall of Al Falaj Hotel.

For further details, contact Iqbal Ariwala or Ajith D’Costa at Oman Cricket office (Ph: 24787085 or 24787087).

WORLD T20

Injured Duminy ruled out of Windies game MUMBAI: South Africa will play Friday’s vital World Twenty20 Group 1 match against West Indies without all-rounder JP Duminy who has been ruled out with a hamstring strain.

Duminy picked up the injury while fielding in Sunday’s 37run victory over Afghanistan and will be a loss for the side with bat and ball.

“The scans which were done yesterday (Monday) confirmed our clinical suspicion of a hamstring strain which means that he will be ruled out of Friday’s game against the West Indies in Nagpur,” team manager Mohammed Moosajee said in a Cricket South Africa statement on Tuesday. “The plan is to try and get him ready for our last round-robin match against Sri Lanka in Delhi on Sunday.”

Duminy has scored 83 runs in the competition without being dismissed and took 1-31 in three overs in the two-wicket defeat

by England in South Africa’s opening game. - Reuters

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

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SPORTS Al Hail’s cricket infrastructure ready for grand official opening and Ministry of Sports Affairs. The facility, which attracted fulsome praise from the inspection team consisting of ICC Global Development Manager Tim Anderson, Chairman ICC Associate & Affiliate Members Neil Speight, ICC Director Imran Khawja, Development officer Mohammed Iqbal Sikander and Chairman of Oman Cricket Kanak Khimji, Oman Cricket General Secretary Madhu Jesrani and other OC board members.

Known for his dedication and commitment for the game of cricket Moula Bakhsh Al Balushi, who formed Al Hail Cricket Team to promote the game among locals, has finally realised his dream of developing

BRAND NEW FACILITY: A view of Al Hail School of Cricket’s lush-green ground with the net facilities in the background.

a good cricket infrastructure

T.K. MOHANDOSS

sportseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Over the past one year Oman’s impressive show on world stage has lured many in the Sultanate to take up cricket, while Oman Cricket too is making attempts to take the game to far flung areas of the nation.

There’s something concrete happening on the developmental front in places like Sohar, Nizwa as well as Salalah, all under the umbrella of the country’s cricket governing body.

However, there is also one individual who is doing his bit for the game and richly deserves all the applause for single handedly developing a state-to-art cricket infrastructure, which is set for a grand official inauguration next month.

Known for his dedication and commitment to cricket, Moula Bakhsh Al Balushi, who formed his Al Hail Cricket Team to promote the game among locals, had the idea of developing a good infrastructure.

A dream then, his commitment with blessings from all quarters saw his vision turning true and now he is proud to have created the infrastructure and practice facilities so that children are attracted

to play cricket all round the year.

“Very soon we will have the pitches done,” said Moula Baksh, adding that even seating arrangements and pavilion will take shape soon.

Currently, Moula Baksh has decided to lay an astro-turf pitch to begin action and the recently organised corporate cricket and Al Hail CT organised T10 tournament proved to be a grand success.

“We have organised some tournaments already, but are looking forward to host bigger events, starting from a T20 tournament in April,” said Moula Baksh while speaking to Times Sport.

Bright future Oman’s excellent performance in the World T20 tournament, which evoked rave reviews from around the globe, has also instilled curious interest among nationals in the Sultanate as well.

“With cricket in Oman flourishing, I am sure many are being lured to the game. The interest shown towards our Al Hail School of Cricket has grown in recent times and I visualise a bright future,” Moula Baksh, who also hailed the achievements of the national cricket team and Oman Cricket, said.

With an initiative to develop cricket at the highest level in the Sultanate, Al Hail CT has come a long way since its inception in 2010.

According to Moula Baksh, Al Hail Cricket Team was started

COMMITTED: A file photo shows ICC Regional Development Officer

Mohammed Iqbal Sikander, right, speaking to Moula Baksh during a visit to Al Hail School of Cricket ground.

with the aim of giving opportunities to local talent who were playing earlier with other teams but with limited exposure.

“Net practice facilities were earlier based only in Darsait and Wadi Kabir which is quite far for the people based in other far flung parts of Muscat. Thus, the club management thought of creating their own ground and practice facilities for players who cannot travel such long distances,” detailed Moula Baksh, the founder of Al Hail School of Cricket.

“Today, the club is well known and respected at every cricketing level in Oman, firmly establishing

its footprint by emerging as champion in different divisions since 2010 in the Oman Cricket League,” he added.

“About a year ago in May 2013, the Ministry of Sports Affairs had held an exhibition on Sports in Oman where the Al Hail Cricket Team had put up a stall and showcased the various activities and developmental programmes that the Al Hail Cricket Club has taken up for the betterment of the Omani players. The stall was visited by the Minister of Sports Affairs himself and he was very generous with his praise for our efforts,” he said.

Moula Baksh explained that his

outfit with its enriching vision of developing cricket in the Sultanate, started with mere 15 members.

“The club has gone from strength to strength and now boasts of nearly 150 members including young as well as experienced Omani players. These players are fully supported by experienced expatriate players who assist in training them in the nets.

With a firm eye on the ongoing development of the team and the young Omani players, the school has roped in some highly talented and experienced, professional expatriate players who have been entrusted a dual role of teaching the young Omani players the practical nuances of the game through live match situations,” he explained.

Al Hail CT launched its cricket academy (School of Cricket) in August 2014, whereby it had invited and continues to invite participation from kids of age 5 and above.

“With state-of-the-art facilities and professional coaches, the academy has also put its own team in Oman junior cricket league in 2015.

The academy has already seen an increase in the number of members with most parents in Al Hail, Seeb, Al Khoud, Mawallah, Mabellah, Fanja, Barka and Bidiya adjacent areas sending their kids to train at the facility,” said Moula Baksh.

“We were able to build our own facilities in Mabellah thanks to the support from the Government

Omani youth “Their visit happened on March 10, 2014, when the ground levelling was in progress and was a barren brown, but since then vast improvements have been made and what you see now is lush green outfield,” he detailed.

“The main ground is equipped with state-of-the-art floodlights for night matches and the main pitch has been laid out with astroturf. The practice nets boast of high quality white neon lights for comfortable night practice,” he said.

“The School has recently acquired a bowling machine to aid in batting practice for all teams that would like to utilise these facilities.”

Moula Baksh also highlighted the need for honing the skills of Omani youth.

“We have entered into tie-ups with some specific organisations that come and conduct programmes for our young members to develop their interpersonal skills thereby helping them become better individuals. With cricket in mind, the school is also tying up with Omani schools where we can develop cricket at the grassroots level, nurturing budding talents and thus creating awareness about cricket and also creating a much larger pool of players for the future,” he said.

Moula Baksh added to say: “The school has plans to develop the facility to meet global standards in the near future. The net facilities are open to all teams and corporates in Oman. Fielding practice sessions are also offered with the net practice facility which many teams desperately require and demand in Oman. Interested teams can also visit us at the venue or mail us on alhailcricketteam@yahoo.com to find out more.”

“The facilities will also be available for tournaments,” he signed off.

C4

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

SPORTS YOUR BIGGEST ROAD HAZARD Muscat Grassroots team finish second IS IN YOUR HAND A TIMES OF OMAN HANDS-FREE DRIVING INITIATIVE

Muscat Grassroots team also returned home from at the Volkswagen Junior Masters with the best player trophy won by Qusai Salim Al Jaradi

MUSCAT: Muscat Grassroots team settled for second place behind Kuwait Club at the Volkswagen Junior Masters regional football tournament organised at the Etisalat Academy Dubai on March 18 and 19.

Champions Kuwait Club won the right to represent the Middle East at the world championships in Paris later this year. Muscat Grassroots also returned home with the best player trophy won

by Qusai Salim Al Jaradi.

Mobarak Aladwani of Kuwait Club was adjudged the best goalkeeper while Go Pro Sports team’s Martin Edwards Prado took home ‘Goal Challenge Winner’.

A toal of 10 qualifying teams from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman,

Kuwait and Qatar competed for the top prize.

The Volkswagen Junior World Masters Tournament will take place in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France from May 13 to 16.

Thomas Milz, Managing Director of Volkswagen Middle East, said: “We launched the Junior Masters programme in the Middle East in 2011. To date over 4,000 aspiring footballers have participated and almost 50 young athletes have reached the international bi-annual final in Europe.

“It is inspiring to see football fans from across the region come together through the Volkswagen Junior World Masters championships. This has been another incredibly successful year for the regional heats, with almost 1,000 under-13s participating from across the Middle East.”

“I would like to congratulate the Muscat Grassroots Team on putting up such a stellar performance in Dubai and especially

Qusai Salim Al Jaradi on being nominated as the best player.

They have truly done the country proud. I would also like to congratulate the regional champions Kuwait Club on their success – we wish them the best of luck at the World Masters final in France!” added Andrew Squires, General Manager, Wattayah Motors.

The Volkswagen Junior Masters competition began in Germany over a decade ago, as part of Volkswagen’s commitment to support youth and sports around the world.

This year, the teams participating from the Middle East included Al Jazira (Abu Dhabi), United Sports Academy (Abu Dhabi), FCBESCOLA (Dubai), Spanish Soccer School (Dubai), Go Pro Sports (Dubai), Kuwait Club (Kuwait), Al Jahraa Club (Kuwait), Muscat Grass Roots (Oman), SEK School (Qatar) and Dutch School (Qatar).

Volkswagen Junior Masters Middle East was sponsored by Adidas and GAAST.

FOOTBALL

FIFA opens proceedings over 2006 German World Cup bid ZURICH: FIFA’s ethics watchdog has started formal proceedings against six individuals, including Franz Beckenbauer, over the awarding of hosting rights to Germany for the 2006 World Cup, world soccer’s governing body said on Tuesday.

The others involved are former German Football Association (DFB) chief Wolfgang Niersbach, who resigned over the affair last year, his predecessor Theo Zwanziger, Helmut Sandrock, Horst Schmidt and Stefan Hans.

“In the cases of Mr Beckenbauer, Dr Zwanziger, Mr Schmidt and Mr Hans, the investigatory chamber will investigate possible undue payments and contracts to gain an advantage in the 2006 FIFA World Cup host selection and the associated funding,” the investigatory chamber of Zurichbased FIFA’s ethics committee said in a statement.

Niersbach resigned from the DFB presidency after failing to provide explanations for a 6.7 million euro ($7.52 million) pay-

ment from organisers of the 2006 World Cup at which he was a Vice-President to FIFA. He still sits on the FIFA Executive Committee.

A DFB-commissioned report revealed this month that while there was no evidence of Germany paying FIFA members in return for their votes, payments were made to at least one former FIFA official through a web of accounts involving several other firms or individuals, including Beckenbauer. - Reuters

C

LIFESTYLE

SECTION

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

Leisure WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

An Ancient Escape Story Mohammed Shafeeqe

Explore an ancient land that predates history and script for a weekend trip back in time

T

here are places on Earth where modern civilisation’s impatient ruthless hand has not touched. This does not mean that people continue to live there in the Stone Age — in the homes they have all amenities, but part of their heritage, they carefully preserve and allow us to look at least one eye in her past.

Such places are there in Oman: Far and high in the Al Hajar Mountains is a historically significant village Misfat Al Abreyeen. The 4,500-year-old beehive tombs of Bat are nearby to the northwest, and standing guard just above the village is a ruined fort from the Old Persian Empire. Misfat Al Abreyeen is quite a mountain village with an old irrigation system on the terraces, with the settled measured way, with donkeys on narrow paths, with the energetic boys diving into the stone basins with cool water from the falaj, however, almost in front of each entrance there are modern Toyotas, BMWs, VWs and many more. The village can be reached without SUV. There’s no town gate. There’s no ticket booth. There are no signs.

You just park your car at the deadend road in front of the village, and walk through one of the ancient rock arches to time-travel back to the 12th Century. This is an ancient land that predates history and script.

It is said that Misfah has only opened up to the outside world in this current generation, and there was absolutely no commercial activity and seemingly no desire to welcome any form of ‘modern tourism’. This adorable village is perched above two large ravines.

The opulence of the palm strikes to the aridity of the mountain. The credit goes to the countless gullies that wind through the orchards, pass under the rock, spanning a small gorge. The ancient houses

have unique designs with arched passageways and the rooms are spread out in two or three levels.

Beyond the village, the road leads to a pool of water created by the overflow of the falaj. Children swim in the three-metre deep pool, diving from the roof of an adjacent house. The falaj goes around the village up to the point where the date palms stand.

You hear the joyous laughter of water from terrace to terrace through the falaj by the walk way.

On the way you see small blockades in the canal with raised flat stone which deviate the flow of water — old style. Lemons, pomegranates, mangoes, papayas, banana plantains, onion, grass ... everything grows effortlessly in this garden. Here one has never experienced drought and falaj has not changed since generations. With its lush gardens, tall grasses and abundant fruit trees it looked almost like a rainforest region, aside from the sturdy mud brick houses and occasional donkey. Go down the walkway and that will lead you to the cliff of a great gorge.

The village is characterised by its alleys, traditional high mud and stone buildings, and agricultural terraces that wrap around the mountain, along with the old buildings. Misfat Al Abreyeen rises a thousand metres above sea level. The homes of its inhabitants are at the top of the mountain and their farms are on the slope. It is said that the first house in Misfat Al Abreyeen village was built two hundred years ago. These geographical features of this hamlet have played a major role in determining their refusal to opt for a different lifestyle and cling more on their rich traditional past. Here life is a classic hand-over legacy practised by many generations.

You can see the mountain village set amidst stunning landscape has hardly changed over the years except for some developmental

The lifestyle of the farming community has hardly changed despite modern development reaching the village which has succeeded in combining modernity and tradition works like roads, electricity and telecommunication networks.

The lifestyle of the farming community has hardly changed despite modern development reaching the village which has succeeded in combining modernity and tradition. The municipality has built a park at the entrance of the village for visitors to relax. Those visiting the area must, however, be care-

ful while exploring the village and must seek permission before taking pictures of the villagers, especially women.

Since the end of 2010 it is possible for you to stay overnight in a traditional, lovingly restored mud brick house, in the middle of the cool garden. The rooms are simple but nice, and decorated with historical everyday objects. Spending a night in the Oman House will give you a unique perspective on the former way of life in the village. Ahmed Al Abri, who runs the old house, has decorated the 11 rooms with utensils and objects which were used in former times. The pleasant, comfortable atmosphere of the ancient house, nestled among the date palms, with the centuries-old canals flowing by is world out of the boring normal star hotel rooms. Meals can be taken on the rooftop terrace, where you have a panoramic view of the palms and oasis. The meals are prepared by an Omani family, your next door neighbours.

-shafeeq@timesofoman.com

Muscat

WHERE TO STAY: Misfat Al Abreyeen Old House +968 9934 8440 bandbmisfah@gmail.com Price starts from OMR30 for single room with dinner and breakfast.

10 km Fanja Bidbid

MISFAT AL ABREYEEN Jebel Shams

191km Bilad Sayt Al Hamra

Bahla

Tanuf Nizwa

Jebel Akhdar

Birkat Al Mouz

Izki

AL SAHWA R/A

Samail Any vehicle Photography: Supplied

HOW TO GET THERE: On the Nizwa-Bahla interior road turn right at the junction after Tanuf. Proceed nearly 20km on the road to reach Al Hamra. Near Al Hamra souq, turn right and the road goes up the mountain for three kilometres and leads to Misfat Al Abreyeen.

Location: 23°08’26.4”N 57°18’36.8”E

C6

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

FIND-IT-ALL

PRAYER TIMINGS

@MGM

@SALALAH

@BURAIMI

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI Kung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (Animation) PG 3:30, 5:30 & 7:15PM The Wave (Action | Drama | Thriller) PG12 Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen 9:45PM The Witch (Horror | Mystery) 15+ Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson 11:45PM Solace (Crime | Drama | Mystery) 12+ 2:45,6:45,11:30PM Eye In The Sky (Drama| Thriller | War) PG12 Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman 5:30PM The Divergent Series: Allegiant (Action| Adcenture| Sci-Fi) PG12 Cast: Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz 7:30PM Triple 9 (Action | Crime | Drama) 15+ Cast: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor 3:15, 9:15 PM London Has Fallen (Action| Crime) PG12 Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman 4:45PM Batman Vs Superman Dawn of Justice (Action | Adventure |Fantasy) PG12 8:45, 11:45PM MUSCAT GRAND MALL Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice – 3D (PG12) Action, Adventure, Fantasy Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams 9:00, 11:50 PM Gold Class – 11:00 PM Kung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (PG) Animation 12:45, 5:15, 7:05 PM Gold Class – 6:15 PM Kapoor and Sons – 2D (PG12) Hindi | Drama 9:00 PM Solace – 2D (12+) Crime | Drama | Mystery 11:45 PM Gold Class – 3:30, 8:15 PM The Dressmaker – 2D (15+) Drama

Frankenstein (Horror / Thriller) (18+) Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel, Tony Todd 4:45PM

4:30 PM Zootropolis – 3D (PG12) Animation | 12:15, 2:15 PM The Divergent Series: Allegiant – 2D (PG12) Action| Adventure| Sci-Fi 3:00 PM Triple 9 – 2D (15+) Action | Crime | Drama 6:45 PM PANORAMA MALL Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice3D (Action, Adventure) (PG12) Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams 9:00, 11:45 PM Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice3D (Action, Adventure) (PG12)-VIP LOUNGE 8:45, 11:15 PM London Has Fallen (2D) (Action) (PG12) 5:00,7:00PM Triple 9 (2D) (Action, Crime)(15+) 9:15, 11:30 PM Triple 9 (2D) (Action, Crime)(15+)-VIP LOUNGE 3:30 PM The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2D) (Action, Adventure)(PG12) 2:45, 7:00PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (A)(MX4D)(PG) 4:30, 6:30, 8:30 PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (Animation)(PG)

Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice– 3D (Action, Adventure, Fantasy) (PG12) Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams 9:00, 11:50 PM Gold Class – 11:00 PM

The Witch (Horror | Mystery) (15+) Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson 11.45PM

5:00, 7:00 PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (Animation, Action) (PG)-VIP LOUNGE 6:15PM Solace (2D) (Crime, Drama)(12+) 3:00, 5:00, 11:45PM Solace (2D) (Crime, Drama)(12+)-VIP LOUNGE Cast : Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Colin Farrell 5:15 PM Kapoor and Sons (2D) (Drama)(PG12) 9:00 PM Eye In The Sky (2D) (Drama, Thriller)(PG12) 2:45PM

2:45PM Jai Gangaajal (2D) (Hindi) (Action) (PG12) 3:30 PM Kapoor and Sons (2D) (Hindi) (PG12) 2:30, 5:05, 7:40, 10:15, 11:30 PM Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2D) (Mal) (Drama | Comedy) (PG12) 6:50, 9:15 PM Pugazh (2D) (Tamil) (Action ) (PG) 6:50, 9:15 PM

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

15:00 15:00 15:00

05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

16:30 18:00 19:30

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 06:30 08:00 13:00 13:00 16.00 16.00

07:00 07:00 13:30 13:00 13:00 13:00 17:00

Sohar Buraimi Buraimi Sohar Buraimi Sohar Buraimi

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

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 17:30

Sinaw

Nizwa Yanqul

20:50

Daily

Nizwa Al Araqi

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

Sur Sur

10:20 12:30

Daily Daily

Fahud Yibal

Daily Daily

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

Daily Daily

Marmul

20:00 20:30 23:30 07:40

Daily Daily Daily Daily

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

15:40 15:40

Nizwa Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

06:00 14:30

Ruwi Ruwi

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

12:30 12:30

Fahud Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

Ruwi Marmul Ruwi Ruwi

19:50 13:15 22:30 07:30

07:00

06:00

Marmul

16:30

Daily

Daily

15:00

Salalah

07:00

Daily

10:50 13:40 16:15 19:10 18:45 21:35

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 08:30 11:30 15:30 18:30 17:35 20:55

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

07:30 07:30 13:00 13:00 15:30 15:30

Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 07:00 07:00

16:00 16.00 16.00

Fujairah Sharjah Dubai

30 23

BURAIMI The Witch (Horror | Mystery) (15+)

Minimum

11.45 13.30 14.00

Film information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855 Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (Action / Adventure / Fantacy) (PG12) Cast: Ben Afleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams 7.15 & 11.45 pm The Wave (Action / Drama / Thriller) Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen 3.45 & 11.55 PM CP No: 371 (PG12) Frankenstein (Horror / Thriller) Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel 2.00,5.45, & 10.00 PM CP No: 372 (18+) The Witch (Horror / Mystery) Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie 1.00 & 10.00 PM. CP No: 373 (15+) Kapoor & Sons (Hindi / Comedy / Drama) Cast: Fawad Khan, Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt 3.00 & 7.30 PM CP No: 374 (PG12)` London Has Fallen (Action / Crime / Thriller) Cast: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart 5.30 PM CP No: 351 (PG12)

STAR CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om Maheshinte Prathikaram (Mal) (Comedy ) 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30 PM Cinema Main Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir, Aparna Pugazh (Tamil) (Com) 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30 PM Cinema-2 Cast : Jai, Surabhi & R . J. Balaji Action Hero Biju (Mal) (Act\ Comedy) Cast: Nivin Pauly & Anu Emmanuel 3:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema -3 Puthiya Niyamam ( Mal) ( Thriller) Cast : Mammotty & Nayantara 6:45 PM Cinema- 3 Kapoor & Sons ( Hindi) (Drama\Rom) 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 PM Cinema -4 Cast: Alia Bhatt, Rishi Kapoor, Fawad Khan Next Change: Rocky Handsome (Hindi); Thozha (Tamil); Oopri (Telugu) Programmes are subject to change

WITH LOVE

ANN MARIYA JOHNY March 23, 2007

0

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

80-35%

S. SHRIVARDHAN March 23, 2006 Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 17 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 lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Daily Daily Daily

Sharjah Fujairah Ruwi

16:30 18.15 23.00

LISTINGS

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 EMBASSIES IN OMAN

Daily Daily Daily Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 06:00 06:00 13:00 13:00 15:00 15:00

Nizwa Ruwi

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

06:00 06:00

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

10:30 11:15

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100) 07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

10:25

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 12:00 18:45

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62) 06:30 06:30

Ruwi

SALALAH Batman Vs Superman (3D) (PG12) (Action, Adventure, Fantasy) Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams 9:00, 11:30PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (PG) (Animation) 12:15, 3:00, 4:55PM The Wave (2D) (PG12) (Action | Thriller) Cast: Kristopher Jonner, Thomas Bo Larsen 2:45PM Frankenstein (2D) (18+) (Horror | Thriller) Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel 4:45PM London Has Fallen (2D) (PG12) (Action) 1:30PM Triple 9 (2D) (15+) (Action | Crime | Drama) 12:45, 5:30PM The Witch (2D) (15+) (Horror | Mystery) Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson 10:05PM Solace (2D) (12+) (Crime | Drama | Mystery) 3:30, 6:45, 11:45PM Eye in the Sky (2D) (TBC) (Drama) 11:55PM Kapoor and Sons (2D) (PG12) (Hindi) 8:45PM Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2D) (PG12) (Mal) (Comedy / Drama) 7:45PM Pugazh (2D) (PG12) (Action| Thriller) 6:30PM

BAHJA CINEMA

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 07:30 14:30

07:00

SOHAR London Has Fallen – 2D (Action) (PG12) Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman 3:30PM Solace – 2D (Crime | Drama | Mystery) (12+) Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Xander Berkeley 2:30, 9:45PM Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice– 3D (Action, Adventure, Fantasy) (PG12) Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams 11:45PM The Wave – 2D (Action | Drama ) (PG12) Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen 5:00, 9:15PM Kung Fu Panda 3 – 2D (Animation) (PG) 4:45PM Kung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (Animation) (PG) 2:45, 6:45PM Emilie– 2D (Thriller) (12+) 5:00, 11:45PM Eye in the Sky -2D (Drama| Thriller ) (PG12) 7:15, 11:30PM Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice– 3D (Action, Adventure, Fantasy) (PG12) Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams 9:00PM Pugazh – 2D (Action| Thriller) (PG) 7:15PM Maheshinte Prathikaaram– 2D (Drama) 8:45PM (PG12)

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54) 08:00 08:00

08:55 Daily 11:40 Daily 20:20 Daily via Ibri 14:55 Daily 17:40 Daily 19:20 Daily 22:15 Daily

Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson 11.45PM The Wave (Action | Drama ( PG-12) 9.30PM Maheshinte Prathikaaram(Mal) ( PG12 ) Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir 7.15PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (Action|) (PG) Voice Overs: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston 5.00, 7.00PM Triple 9 (Action | Crime | Drama) (15+) Cast : Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor 4.45, 11.30PM Kapoor & Sons (Hindi | Drama) (PG 12) Cast : Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Fawad Khan 9.00PM Frankenstein (Horror | Thriller) 18+ 5.00PM Eye in the Sky (Dramar) PG12 7.00PM Batman VS Superman 3D (Action) PG 12 9.00, 11.45PM

0

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54) 14:30 14:30

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

SUR Batman Vs Superman 3D (Action | Adventure | Fantasy) (PG12) Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams 11:45 PM The Wave ( Action | PG12) 8:15 PM Triple 9 ( Action |Crime | Drama ) (15+) 6:15 PM Eye in the Sky ( Drama ) (PG12) Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman 4:15 PM Maheshinte Parthikaaram (Mal) (PG12) Cast: Fahad Faasil, Soubin Shahir 10:35 PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (Animation) (PG) 4:30, 6:15 PM Emeli (Thriller) ( 12+) Cast : Sarah Bolger, Carly Adams, Carl Bailey 10:15 PM Kapoor And Sons ( Drama ) ( PG12) 8:00 PM

WEATHER

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36) Quriyat Sur Jaalan

RUWI Screen 1 Kapoor & Sons (Drama / Family) –PG12 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM Cast : Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt Screen 2 Kung Fu Panda 3 (2D) (Animation) –PG 3.30, 5.30, 7.30 PM Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Action/Adventure) –PG12 9.45 PM Screen 3 Neerja (Action / Biography) –PG12 3.45, 9.45 PM Maheshinte Prathikaaram -(2D) Mal(Comedy / Family) –PG12 6.45 PM

AZAIBA Batman vs Superman:Dawn of Justice (2D) (Action |Adventure | Fantasy) (PG12) Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams 8:45 PM Batman vs Superman:Dawn of Justice (3D) (Action |Adventure | Fantasy) (PG12) 11:30 PM Triple 9 (2D) (Action |Crime) (15+) Cast: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel EjioforTiming: 4:50, 11:45 PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (Animation) (PG) 3:00, 5:00, 7:00 PM The Divergent Series-Allegiant (2D) (Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi) (PG12)

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Destination

12.18pm 3.45pm 6.24pm 7.34pm 4.53am

CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 3 YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CINEMA | BOX-OFFICE COUNTER OPENS 30-MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCREENING OF THE FIRST SHOW

CINEMA SCHEDULE

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

Afghanistan Algeria Bahrain Bangladesh Brazil Brunei China Cyprus Egypt France Germany India Indonesia Iran Iraq Italy Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya South Korea Kuwait

24698 791/4 24605 593 24 605 074/133 24 698 660 24640100 24 603533 24 696782 24 699815 24 600 982/411 24681 800 24835000 24684500 2469 1050 24 696 944/7 24603642 24693727 24 601 028 24692760/1/3 24 692418 24 697664 24 691490 24 699628

Lebanon Libya Malaysia Morocco Nepal Netherlands Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Senegal Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Switzerland Syria Tanzania Thailand Tunisia Turkey UAE United Kingdom United States Yemen

24 693208 24603466 24698329/643 24696152/3 24696177 24603706 24603439 24601312 24605335 24 691 153/2/4 24602894 24601705 24694139 24697977 24647300 24691101 24697841/2 24697875 24603267 24697904 24601 174 24 602684/5 24603486 24697050/1/2 24400000 24609000 24643400 24600815

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi Salalah Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya Muscat, A Seeb Market Muscat, Al Khuwair Muscat, Al Hail South Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

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 Lifeline Hospital Salalah 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 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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

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LIFESTYLE BRIEF

Fun foodie festival rolls into RAK this weekend Brand new concepts for foodies and families are further boosting the appeal of the interactive Al Hamra Market series, run by Ras Al Khaimah-headquartered Al Hamra Real Estate Development.

Taking place from 5-10pm on March 24 and 25 at Al Hamra Marina, at the heart of the popular Al Hamra Village development, the market is transforming its Gourmet Corner into an exclusive destination for gastronomes with top vendors offering newly-created epicurean delights that will be available during the two-day event.

Among those contributing their creative cooking skills are Gataby House of Cookies, which will be launching an Al Hamra Arabic Coffee Cookie with saffron, ginger and cardamom; Voltage Burger, with its spicy and highly-stacked Jebel Jais Burger; RAK Pancake will be doing live baking of their Al Hamra savoury banana and chocolate mini pancake sandwiches; Camy’s Canadian Pizza will unveil a pizza shawarma in the colour of the UAE flag titled “UAE Pizza”; and Nando’s with its traditional Ketaki Shah served in an authentic copper dish. “Since its launch in October 2015, the market has quickly gained a reputation as a burgeoning culinary destination that showcases an exciting array of speciality foods from home and abroad,” Benoy Kurien, GM, Al Hamra Real Estate Development said. For more details call +971 7243 2724.

Location: 23°08’24.6”N 57°43’46.1”E

Walk in the Clouds

Have you been able to capture the beauty of an off-the-beaten-path destination in Oman?

Send your pictures with a caption & geo-locator to: shafeeq@timesofoman.com

IN THE NEWS

Holiday demand falls as concerns rise British holiday company Thomas Cook said customers were delaying booking holidays, uncertain of making plans as they see previously popular destinations such as Turkey as less safe.

Thomas Cook said bookings for the summer period, when it makes all its profit, were five per cent lower than last year as customers organised their trips later, continuing a pattern it highlighted in February.

An attack on tourists in Istanbul in January have caused demand for trips to Turkey to plunge, while last year there were also attacks in Paris, Egypt and Tunisia, making some of the tourists to be wary of previously popular destinations.

More customers were opting to have their holiday in mainland Spain and the Canary and Balearic Islands, as well as the United States and Cuba. Fewer wanted to go to Turkey, the company said.

But the company stuck to its forecast for profit to grow, as long as bookings recover.

-Reuters

C8

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

LIFESTYLE

THE LONGEST 1 Dubai, UAE — Panama City, Panama Emirates, Flight # pending approval Aircraft: Boeing 777 Duration: 17 hours, 35 minutes Distance: 8,580 miles

Emirates Airline made headlines earlier this year when it announced it would operate the longest nonstop flight in the world — a staggering 17-and-a-half hour 7 Newark, NJ — Hong Kong, China

2 Delhi - San Francisco Air India Air India (AI 173) 16 hours 55 minutes Aircraft: Boeing 777-200

United 179 Aircraft: Boeing 777-200 Duration: 15 hours, 38 minutes Distance: 8,062 miles

expedition from Dubai to Panama City. There are some flights that seem so interminable

8

Dubai, UAE — San Francisco, CA Emirates 225 Aircraft: A380-800 Duration: 15 hours, 37 minutes Distance: 8,099 miles

— like, an-entire-dayof-your-life long — that even the most frequent of flyers want to know how many more reruns they’ve gotta endure.

3 3. Johannesburg, South Africa – Atlanta, GA Delta 201 Aircraft: Boeing 777-200 Duration: 16 hours, 35 minutes Distance: 8,449 miles

9 Dubai, UAE — Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX Emirates 221 Aircraft: A380-800 Duration: 15 hours, 17 minutes Distance: 8,036 miles

4 Dubai, UAE — Houston, TX Emirates 211 Aircraft: A380-800 Duration: 16 hours, 19 minutes Distance: 8,164 miles

5

Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX — Sydney, Australia Qantas Flight 8 Aircraft: A380-800 Duration: 16 Hours Distance: 8,589 miles

6 Doha, Qatar — Houston, TX Qatar 713 Aircraft: Boeing 777-200 Duration: 15 hours, 47 minutes Distance: 8,045 miles

We have compiled a list of the 10 most excruciating crosscontinental journeys currently available.

10 Abu Dhabi, UAE — San Francisco, CA Etihad 183 Aircraft: Boeing 777-300 Duration: 15 hours, 13 minutes Distance: 8,154 miles

NONSTOP FLIGHTS IN THE WORLD

D

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M W E D N E S DAY, M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

RENT

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VACANCY

CARGO

D4

D7

QUALITY OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT ͻ ͻ ͻ

DƵƩƌĂŚ ŽƌŶŝĐŚĞ͘ ͕ D ͘ YƵƌƵŵ͕ ů <ŚƵǁĂŝƌ͘

;ĚŝŵĞŶƐŝŽŶ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ ϱϬƐƋ͘ŵƚƌ ƚŽ ϰϬϬ ƐƋ͘ŵƚƌƐ͘Ϳ FŽƌ ĞŶƋƵŝƌĞƐ ƉůĞĂƐĞ ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ ͗ Ϯϰ ϳϬϮ ϲϲϲ͕

FĂdž͗ ϮϰͲϳϬϯϲϲϲ͘ ŵĂŝů͗ ŵĂŶũƵΛĂůŚĂďŝď͘Žŵ

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

WELL FURNISHED OFFICE SPACE & CAMP ACCOMODATION AVAILABLE FOR RENT IN GHALA INDUSTRIAL AREA Ideal for workers, staff members Catering facility option available

& 4WDs/Pick up’s/Heavy Vehicles are available for sale on as is where is basis.

The vehicles can be inspected at our premises at Ghala.

Contact: 94057473/94369381

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W E D N E S DAY, M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

*Tourist visa arranged

OFFICES FOR RENT AT AZAIBA Prime location on service road (previously occupied by A'Saffa Foods) near Al Turky and Mazda showroom.

- 2 BHK flat available directly from the owner, at Azaiba.

Contact: 99229263, 93221054, 95215289

OFFICE SPACES

FOR RENT 230 SQ. Mtr each Ready to move in two offices for rent near Man Truck Showroom, Ghala Contact -

99269841 / 92429917

Store in Misfah. Contact 99792181 Double bed room flat CBD area.

Contact: 97608564 2 Bedrooms, kitchen, toilet, car park R.O 200/- & 1 bedroom, kitchen, toilet R.O 130 in Al Khuwair. Contact: 95154331

Rooms for rent in Al Khuwair near Muscat Holiday Hotel. contact 95724975

Flat in Al Khuwair opp grand mall 4 room 3 toilet + hall kitchen in 3 floor 400. Contact 99420346

3 Rooms, 2 Toilets Flat for Rent. 18 November Street. Near Mars Hypermarket and The Chedi. Ghobrah -Good for Commercial or Residential use.

OMR 295/- month. Call 94477222

4 bedroom new villa Al Mawaleh 2 km to city center mall luxury high end fit outs, split A/C, full kitchen fitting all room with private toilet. Contact: 99349990

Conditioned room with toilets in Al Khuwair. #92620858 /92605500

2 bed rooms flat with Hall, 2bathrooms in Darsait, near Muscat Municipality. Contact: 24700120 / 92584715

2B/R with 3 toilets directly from owner, near Dolphin Complex Bausher. Contact 92158031 We have staff accommodation in Bousher 30 to 40 people can stay.

Contact 93782735 / 99208033 We have 7BHK commercial villa in Al Khuwair 33 for rent. Lift also Available. #93782735 / 99208033 We have 1BHK / 2BHK flats for rent in Mabela7. #93782735 / 99208033 We have 2BHK flats for rent in Ghubra, Ghala, Azaiba. Contact: 93782735 / 99208033 We have 5BHK villa in Qurum near Mars Hypermarket for rent. Contact: 93782735 / 99208033 We have office for rent in Ghubra 150 sqm. prime location main road.

Contact: 93782735 / 99208033 Flats for rent in Ghubra at good location. 93782735 / 99208033 2 BHK flat in Azaiba, near Sultan Centre, 2 rooms, sitting hall, kitchen & 3 bathrooms. Contact: 93782735 / 99208033 2 BHK fully furnished flat at Ruwi MBD area. #93211557 / 24814853

1000 sq mtrs industrial land in Ghala suitable for warehouse workshop etc. Contact :24700120 / 92584715 For rent 1BHK at Al-Hamriya, B-2397, Way-5935 near Muscat Pharmacy. # 9922478 / 99332297 2 studio flat for rent in Al Amerat, opp. ROP police station rent 150/- and 130/- each. Contact: 99350946 2 BR, 2 bath, a kitchen, a yard , with AC, separate enterance, AlKhuwair near ibis hotel. PDC. RO 250 .. Call 97056443 Commercial/ residential flat for rent in a new building. A warehouse also available, location Muttrah. For more details contact – 99364735 / 95729711 Readymade office space for rent (240sm) in Bank Melli Iran Building, MBD area, Ruwi, opposite Center point. Contact: 99011352 Big room with bath attach & hall near ISM. Contact: 99419830 House for rent, 2 bedrooms, 1 toilet & kitchen. Contact: 96968104

Staff & employees accommodation new building 3 floor Al Wadi Al Kabir - Muscat 15 rooms, Kitchen & dining hall AC, Satellite TV. Contact: 97166111 / 97252028 Flat of 3 BHK in Al Ghobra South opposite Royal Hospital. RO 380/-.

Contact – 91776665 Luxury flat of 3 BHK in Al Watayah. RO 500/- Contact – 91776665 Amazing flat of 2 BHK in Remal Building. RO 550/- Contact – 91776665 Clean flat of 2 BHK in Al Khuwair 33. RO 330/- Contact – 91776665 Shops / flats available in Honda Road, Ruwi & Mabellah Industrial area. Contact 24833972/ 24833974/ 99367448 House for rent in Mawallah near City Center, 2 bedroom, (2) toilets, hall & kitchen. Contact : 96968104 Brand new deluxe flats located near Seeb flyover or the right hand side of the main road coming from the Seeb palace roundabout, 2 bedrooms, family hall, kitchen, 3 toilets, balcony with split unit A/cs. #: 97755586 5 floor building for rent in Al Khuwair near Muscat Dunes hotel each floor, 3 flats each flat with 2 BHK. Contact : 93223324 3 BHK, 1BHK flats for rent new building with A/C, behind Muscat Bakery at Wadi Al Kabir. Contact : 92103604 / 99338133 3500 & 2700 sq mtrs industrial land + accommodation & store for sale in Wadi Kabir. #99792181

2 BHK flats /office & shops valuable in a new building at Honda road .Contact: 91165807

New flats for rent at Darsait near to Ministry of Sports, Mumtaz area the flats includes, 1 living room, 2 bedroom, kitchen, 3 toilets, every rooms with split A/C high quality finishing rent per flat is R.O 340/- .

Interested candidates please Contact : 00968 92225523 2 & 3 BHK Flat in Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181 Staff Accommodation for Rent in Al hail. Contact 99792181

1,2,3 BHK flat in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99792181

Water tank for rent Quantity 5000 Gallon with driver. Contact: 96449233

3000 Sqr mtrs Store in Misfah.

Contact 99792181

Open land & labour camp in Ghala & Rusayl. Contact 99792181

1BHK near medical Darsait R.O 180/Muttrah house. Contact : 95076261

Open land + workshop + labour camp in Ghala & Rusayl. #99792181

2,200 sq mtr factory area & 800 sq mtr store with 8 accommodation rooms and 10 office cabins available for rent in Barka industrial area. Contact 91398381 / 80 / 78, email - agsan2005@gmail.com

Commercial land in Ghala 2500sqm for rent #93506187 / 97684266

Flat, 1 bedroom, kitchen, toilet in AL Khuwair family bachelors R.O 150/-. Contact: 95154331

Flats in Al Khuwair, Al Ghobrah, Al Hail & Seeb. Contact: 92125648 / 95250300 / 24182000

Room for rent available in a flat for Executive bachelor at Azaiba, behind Al Meera Hypermarket with attached bath with cot & AC , rent inclusive of Water & Electricity.

Contact 96404166 / 97433992

Villa in Seeb near the beach and Dreams Resort. Contact: 92125648 / 95250300 Flats in Wadi Kabeer, MBD, Darsait, Hamriya & Sidab. Contact: 92125648 / 95250300/ 24182000 Villa in Al Khuwair. Contact: 92125648 / 95250300 Flat for rent in South AlGhubrah 3 rooms, hall and 3 toilets, kitchen rent 450/-. Contact: 99335580 Flats, shops and basement in MBD area and Honda road.

Contact: 92433127/96291778/ 92589235/97293708 1 & 2 BHK Flat in Al.Khuwair.

Contact - 99792181 2 BHK flat in Ghobrah.#99792181 2 BHK flat in Ruwi.

Contact - 99792181 Office Space Available in Al Khuwair & CBD.Contact – 99792181

For rent flats and shops behind Al jmlah in Al Amerat. Contact : 91231380

Villa in Al-Khuwair 33. Quality Finishing. Consist 5 Bedrooms, 1 Living room, 3 Lounges, All with A/C, Kitchen and storage . Contact: 90665135 For rent 4 flats each flat consists of 3 BRS, 1 STR, 2 Toilets, Kitchen, Monthly rent for each flat R.O 250/- location Al Inashel, Muttrah.

Contact: Abdullah 99445880

1 Bed room, sharing K& T, R.O 100, 2 bedrooms , sharing K& T R.O 200/- in AL Khuwair. #95154331 Flat for rent 2 BHK 2 split A/C, 2 toilets, Wadi Kabir near Kuwaiti Masjid. #97007934 / 92609232 Two bedrooms flat in Al Ghobrah near Oman Oil of 18 November Street.

OMR 330 Monthly. #99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955.

2 BR flats with 2Baths Kitchen Al Amerat Aster Hospital .#99366142 2BHK split A/C 200/- Monthly & 1BHK spilt A/C 150/- monthly new building good location Barka Market. Contact: 99342661

Flats and Labor accommodation for rent in South Al Mabela. Contact : 95230355 / 95331177

2 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished @ Al Khuwair 33 1 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished @ Al Khuwair 5 B/R Fully Furnished villa @ Madinat Al Ilam 5 B/R Fully Furnished villa @ Madinat Al Ilam. For Daily, Weekly, monthly or Yearly contract.

Please Contact: Atlas Real Estate & Rent a Car LLC 99249069 / 994617563/92888376 / 24834888E mail: info@alshahiintl.com

2 BHK & 1 BHK Flats for rent Muttrah near Oman house S/ AC. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232

02 BHK residential flat opposite to Al Nahdha hospital.

Contact: 99342733 /99795241

Flats for rent in Al Mabela (7) near Industrial roundabout close to the Al Wafa Mosque area 142 (m2) 2 rooms and a large hall, 1 Kitchen and 3 toilets, for inquires please contact : 94359353

W E D N E S DAY, M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

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DAILY GUIDE

FOR SALE

FOR RENT

FOR RENT Store space in Al Wattayah.

Contact 99382489 / 99263443

Brand new 4 BHK villa in Al Fai compound Al Khoud. RO.475/Contact – 91776665

Almost new beach/ garden lounge chairs /bar stools/ counter. Photos can be sent 95865457

Villa of 3 BHK and sitting area in Al Ghobra North. RO.525/Contact – 91776665

400 sq mtrs Commercial/Residential land in Mabela Phase 5 Block 2.

OMR 165 Thousand. #99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955

Luxury and brand new semi furnished 2 BHK flat in Remalbowsher. RO.550/- #91776665 Spacious 1 BHK flat in Al Wattaya with all split A/C’s and parking.

RO.300/-Contact – 91776665

FOR SALE

A well running pharmacy for sale at prime location. Contact99627621, 93240949 Space for printing press available at wadikabir with or without machinery. Contact 99328430 Shop for sale near Oman House, Muttrah. Contact 99024362.

2 BHK Flat in Wataya. #99792181 Urgent sale of steel scrap only serious buyers kindly contact +968 96725423 for viewing the items.

Four bedroom two floors luxurious and spacious residential villa in Al Hail North, near to the sea and Oman oil. Each room has its own bathroom. It has splits A/C’s and shaded car park. OMR 750 monthly. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955 Warehouse at Wadikabir - total area 3500 sqm - covered warehouse (500sqm), office, accommodation (1000sqm), open area (2000sqm) please contact: 99273774 - 99202278 Flat with two rooms with window A/C, with toilets & car parking way No: 1670 north Al Hail near Dosteen restaurant 1KM Inside. #99238334 2 BHK Apartment for rent near MSQ area. Contact 92888063 3BHK in Qurum P.D.O high 350/Monthly. Contact: 99342661 Commercial flats of 3 & 2 BHK in Al Ghobra North 18 Nov street RO.650/- & 450/- #91776665 2 BHK – modern & spacious flats with split ac for rent in Qurum near PDO gate no. 2. #94057023 2 BHK flats with split Ac available for rent at Al Khuwair 33. #94057023 2 BHK, 3 toilet with split A/c at Darsait near School. Contact 99024039 / 99061408 Offices & flat in CBD, Ruwi. Contact 95345909 / 92820734 2 BHK fully furnished flat for rent in Wadi Kabir.#92233322 Store with cold store in Wadi kabir. Contact: 99374977 Furnished office for rent No. 503 at Business Center – Al Khuwair.

Contact: 24488833 For rent and investment Land industrial shops in Rusayl.

Contact: 99323957 / 95490842 1B/R apartment executive fully furnished at AL Khuwair 33 & 5 B/R villa unfurnished at Madinat Al Ilam & 5 B/R villa furnished at Madinat Al Ilam. Contact: Atlas Real Estate & rent a car LLC -24834888/ 99249069/92888376/94617563 Email: info@alshahiintl.com Luxury villa of 5 BHK in Al Khuwair 33 RO.650/- contact 91776665 600 M2 showroom or office in Bousher in front of Dolphin complex.

RO.3.5 per m2. Contact 91776665

Single colorful Bed and Sofa for Sale at Al Khuwair.CONTACT 92881849 /What`s up No 97290565

Shop for sale at Ruwi center. Contact: 98787853 Approx. 300 SQM Super market available for sale. Complete with furniture & fixtures, security camera and internet connection. With 2 entrances. #for appointment / viewing at – 93518390 / 99082534 Restaurant for sale (Indian, chinese, Arabic food ). Contact : 91181765 / 95411354 Warehouse at Ghala Industrial area for rent with 16 acs & heavy duty shelves/ warehouse is in 2340 sqm land. contact 92400008 600 sq mtrs residential land in Maabela Phase 4 Block 4 OMR 65 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955 600 sq mtrs residential land in Maabela Phase 4 Block 3 OMR 65 Thousand.#99333479 or 95215360 Approx. 300 sqm, supermarket available for sale. complete with furniture & fixtures, security Camera & internet connection with 2 entrances.# for appointment/ viewing at 93518390 / 99082534.

Excavators 3 nos (Hitachi 240/350, 2008/2013 model), Tipper 1 no. (Astra 2011 model).

All are in good condition, sell on the maximum offer.#98999503 / 99782930 / 98981112 2 storey villa, 5 rooms with attached bath,1 hall & kitchen at Madinat Sultan Qaboos under finishing. Contact 99778773 Good conditioned 5 ton forklift for sale. #99885638 / 94052713 Wholesale Iranian best carpets quality TOP per sqm 17.5 RO quality normal per sqm 13.5 RO for Masjid per sqm 13.5RO in Oman and all Gulf country’s delivery in Muscat and Iranian Souvenirs paintings and gifts. #91213269 / 99234905 Zanzibari coffee shop for rent or sale in Barka Souq road, at Prime location. Contact: 99814411 Steel Scrap materials for immediate sale#99273774/ 99202278

HD Scaffoldings, Shuttering Jacks, Wooden Planks, Shuttering wood assorted, Tower hoist (lift), Concrete Mixer, Bending Machine, Steel Fabrication Machinery (Searing/Cutting, lathe & Welding) including tools for immediate sale: Contact 99273774/ 99202278

Scraps / Material for sale 1. Steel / G.I./ Aluminum 2. Copper / P.V.C. 3. Cables / Wire.

Contact Drake & Scull International LCC # 97486716 ACC. AVAILABLE Room available for Executive bachelor at Al Hail. CONTACT 96234708 Furnished apartment for rent, two rooms, hall, kitchen. Near Carrefour. Contact 99336776 Fully furnished room with fully equipped kitchen and sharing bathroom immediately available for Executive bachelor in N.Gubrah opp. Maha Hotel. #95450250 Fully furnished 1BHK at Wadikabir near Al Hassan RO275/ month available for 4 months from 01/04/2016 to 31/07/16. #92577929 1 BHK apartment for rent in Al Khoud Shabiya near Mazoon Mosque for rent. #93913224 Single room near Al Falaj Hotel.

Contact 99643845 Room with attached bathroom for a family in Wadi Kabir. #97167857 Room with kitchen available at Ruwi.# 91214897 / 98049288 Room with toilet for working lady.

Contact: 91450718 Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan village.CONTACT 93687466

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished room attached bath for Indian bachelor, Al-Falaj Ruwi & lady Wadi Kabir near Mars hypermarket. #96202458/96761960 Furnish bedroom with attach bathroom for executive bachelor.

Contact: 97704794 Room with attached bathroom and sharing kitchen available for Executive bachelor or small family at wadikabir Contact 93049849 Room available in Mumtaz area 1 room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1 room, common bathroom. Interested please c#92680041 Mr. Altaf

BUYING Buying cars for cash. CONTACT 90202090

BUYING

LOST

Bobcat available for rent. CONTACT 97623299

Mahinu Zaman has lost Bangladeshi passport No BA 0262753. Finder please handover to ROP.

CHANGE OF NAME

Federico Coletta has lost Italian Passport No. YA 7891689. Finder please handover to ROP

I Chaitanya Pandey holder of Passport No. Z3129792 son of Mr. Yogesh Pandey having permanent residence in Room 264, Hostel 8, IIT Bombay , Powai, Mumbai - 400076 and presently residing in Special Oilfield Service Co. LLC , Building 4095, Way 1753, Madinat Qaboos PO Box 880, PC112, Ruwi, Muscat, Oman intend to change my name from Chaitanya Pandey to Chetan Pandey for all practical purposes. Any objections towards my name change may please be communicated to Embassy of India, Muscat, Diplomatic Quarters, Al Khuwair, PO Box 1727, Postal Code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman.

Abdul Malek Omar Chan has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. AG 7433717.

Finder please handover to ROP Muhammad Bozlu Mea has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. G 1703331.

Finder please handover to ROP Mariam Mohammed Bumma has lost Tanzanian Passport No. AB 683742.

Finder please handover to ROP Mohammad Shah has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. E 451855. Finder please handover to ROP

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DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiďŹ eds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

Wanted A Sales person with valid GCC D/L, experienced in project selling of Ceramic tiles & sanitary ware. Contact with contractors & consultants would be an added advantage.

Email CV to â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sanitarymuscat@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED An Art Gallery located in Qurum Area is looking for an Art Gallery Manager to temporary run the place during the entire month of June of this year.

Requirements for the jobs: - Omani female.

- Respectable, punctual, hard-working and good communications skills.

- Fluent in speaking, reading and writing English.

- To have some experience in the ďŹ eld of Sales - Have basic knowledge in using a computer.

- Having a degree in Fine Arts or History of Arts is an advantage.

- Able to provide own transport

CVs are to be sent to the following e-mail account: roxanesimpao22@yahoo.com For further information, please call 24566130

A School in Oman

is looking to recruit teachers to teach Maths and Science for Grade 1 to Grade 5. Candidates must have a Degree in Maths or Science with a B.Ed and minimum of two yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in teaching.

Interested candidates are requested to email a copy of their CV with relevant teaching experience certiďŹ cates and qualiďŹ cation certiďŹ cates to

teachervacancyoman@gmail.com.

ADMIN Urgently required Omani receptionist for a trading company in Muscat. Kindly send CV to email: infooman@orchidinternational.ae Required urgently a Legal Consultant/ Lawyer for reputed law ďŹ rm in Sohar, Muscat. Candidates should have 5-7 years experience as a Legal Consultant/ Lawyer with good knowledge of Computer & should be ďŹ&#x201A;uent in English both written & spoken.

Email C V to shejaanil66@gmail. com or Contact 99153620 between 8am to 1pm & 2pm to 5.30 pm on Sunday to Thursday

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Wanted Accountant 6 years minimum experience. Send CV to: healthfactor@gmail.com Required Accounts Officer- ensure accurate processing of revenue data into ERP systems and invoicing module. Posting of invoices to customer SAP portal and delivery to customer offices and interface with country manager/ reporting to regional CEO. QualiďŹ cations: BSc accounting.

Relevant experience & knowledge on online accounting systems especially the customer SAP system. Submit CV to: me-job@interwell.com Accountant with gulf experience in construction ďŹ eld preferred with Oman driving license. Interested candidates send CV to: Email: omanhari@yahoo.com Gsm: 95892831/95197615

DOMESTIC HELP Urgently required Kerala house maid. Visa available. Contact: 94146486

ENGINEER/MECHANIC. A well reputed building material & contracting Company in Oman is looking for staff: Project Manager (more than 10 yrs experience), Engineer (more than 5 years of experience), Purchase Manager (more than 10 yrs of experience). Contact: 99808868 Email: amtcbarka@gmail.com A Leading construction company in Muscat urgently requires experienced Civil Engineer to work as Project Manager / Advisor ( Omani Nationals only) for full time or part time. Send C.V to hr.azatllc@gmail. com Whatsapp 98437450 Decoration Company looking for Interior Design Engineer with experience in 3D and Supervision.

Send your CV with the design which you have done and after the implementation. Email: alrih16@ hotmail.com A construction company requires Civil Engineer (degree holder) is having minimum 7 yrs exp who can independently handle the site. Oman experience will be plus point. Apply with bio data to fax no: 24489096 or email: tec_ oman@hotmail.com. #99339661 Civil Engineer with minimum 5/8 years experience with valid Oman driving license. Contact Interested candidates send CV to: Email: omanhari@yahoo.com Gsm: 95892831/95197615

MISCELLANEOUS Required candidates for following posts: Accountant, Storekeeper, Foreman Building Maintenance, Van-salesman (water), Helpers.

Candidates with Omani driving license preferred. Contact 99273774/99202278

MEDICAL Housemaid required for full-time for Indian family, Hindi/English speaking CBD area Ruwi.

Contact: 96183093 Looking for a part-time cookcum-housemaid in Azaiba.

Call 92450197.

Urgently required female Gynecologist for a clinic at Samail.

Send CV: saemomar@gmail.com, 95498105 Wanted Nurse for a dental centre in capital area. Interested may contact â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 93431024 or send CV to â&#x20AC;&#x201C; drasyanaseem@gmail.com

DRIVER Looking for driver with motorbike licenses for resturant delivery , contact 95048797 A woman Driver required from Muttrah to Darsait. Contact : 98090977 Part or full time Driver Required call us 91120552

Wanted Staff Nurse for a dermatology clinic in Muscat .

Must have MOH license and NOC. Attractive salary offered. Email: clinicvacancy2015@gmail.com Required gynecologist GEN: practitioner lady lab Technician and pharmacologist immediately for a clinic in Suwaiq. #95081010 Email: umchealthcare@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS

A reputed multinational Trading & Services Co. in Oman requires

Service Sales ENGINEER

B.Com Graduate with 4 year experience as an Accountant in Oman.

Also have Oman Driving License.

Best ďŹ&#x201A;uency in English, Arabic, Hindi& Malayalam. Looking for Job. Currently in Oman. Cont: +968 93943448, murshid4u@gmail.com

The candidate should be a Mechanical Engineer / Sr. Technician With min. 3 years experience in related fields : Sales of predictive maintenance tools and condition monitoring technologies Hands on experience in: * Vibration Analysis of rotating machineries * Machinery Balancing & Alignment * Thermography * Troubleshooting of machinery malfunctions

Submit CV to : om1@sosgroup.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

A leading regional co. in Muscat & Barka specializing in heavy steel industries, Earthmoving Equipments Spare Parts and material handling solutions for Quarries, Crushers, Cement Plants and Mining industry is looking for: Ä&#x201E;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022; )/(. (.Ĺ&#x2022;- 0 (Ĺ&#x2022;.)Ĺ&#x2022;. (Ĺ&#x2022;3 ,-Ĺ&#x2022;Ä&#x161; ĂžĹ&#x2022; Ä&#x203A;ĂžĹ&#x2022; Ä&#x201E;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022; & -Ĺ&#x2022; (!#( ,Ĺ&#x2022;Ä&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2022; *, - (. .#0 Ĺ&#x2022;Ä&#x161; ĂžĹ&#x2022; Ä&#x203A;Ăž Ä&#x201E;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022;Ĺ&#x2022; & -Ĺ&#x2022; 2 /.#0 Ĺ&#x2022;Ä&#x161; ĂžĹ&#x2022; Ä&#x203A;Ăž QualiďŹ ed candidates, kindly send your CV's to applyinggchr@gmail.com

MEDICAL

TECHNICIAN

Required female Nurse, with MOH license for private dental clinic in Bowshar area, Muscat.#92189807

We, the storm shield in the talented candidates for the below positions (Indian only): Maintenance Technician (male -1) should have knowledge of new mobile devices & 3 years Oman experience Contact: 94441111 Send CV to email: gshield9@gmail.com

GP doctor needed for reputed clinic. Preferably with MOH license or with DataďŹ&#x201A;ow & Paramatics pass Contact: 95388934

MANAGER A well reputed building material & contracting Company in Oman is looking for staff: Project Manager (more than 10 yrs experience), Engineer (more than 5 years of experience), Purchase Manager (more than 10 yrs of experience). Contact: 99808868 Email: amtcbarka@ gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING Urgently required a Marketing Executive with 2 years experience and driving license (GCC) for a reputed building material & electrical showroom in Al Khoud. Please send CV to â&#x20AC;&#x201C; startradingmuscat@ gmail.com. Contact 94320909

SITUATION WANTSIT.WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian male good experienced in Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in India & Oman, presently on visit visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94834687 Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/ ďŹ nance ďŹ eld. On visit visa. Immediately available. CONTACT 92836216 / muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com 28/male/MBA - ďŹ nance/B.Com Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/ India experience looking for a suitable placement. CONTACT 90187483 shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com

Sr. Accountant: 37 Male, Indian, 13yrs Oman Exp. Finalisation/ Audit/Tax compliance/MIS/ Cash Flow/Budget/Payroll/AR â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 99679247 Indian Male 30 yrs (M.Com) having 9 yrs (5 yrs in Oman & 4 Yrs in India) accountant exp looking for suitable placement local release available Contact 96425976 MBA Indian National 26 years old Having (06) years experience in FSM Industry Catering and Restaurant, As An Accountant and ďŹ nalization of all accounts related works, Available to join immediately kindly contact on 98315449.

Male Accountant M.Com Accounts & ďŹ nance, 3 yrs exp in accounts looking for suitable job on visit visa.

Contact: 94648575 Indian female MBA in ďŹ nanc currently on visit visa seeking suitable placement in Accounts / HR/Admin Contact: 92896110. E mail: anoopodiyan@gmail.com Indian male, M. Com with 3 yr Oman Exp in Accounts with valid oman D/L, on visit Visa, seeking suitable placement. GSM:94744575.

Email:sidharth673@gmail.com Indian CA ďŹ nalist, 7 yrs exp having driving license with visa looking for ďŹ nance / accounts position Email: rameesnm@gmail. com, 98097009 B.Com Graduate, Indian male 24 yrs, 3 yrs exp in Oman looking for Accounting, Sales, suitable jobs.

NOC Available. Contact:90615814.

Mail : adhilrahman.a@gmail.com Fresher 24, ACCA Affiliate, Advanced diploma in Accounting and Business seeking suitable placement in Accounts, Finance or Audit with Oman driving license.

Contact - 92430152 Email - raju.rd619@gmail.com

Required urgently for a pastry shop in Muscat Sales lady and Pastry Chef. Filipino National only. Contact : 96962297

Dynamic Indian Male Accountant with 9 Years Experience seeks suitable placement. NOC available.

Contact: 96902860

We are a professional visa consultant in Oman, looking for a STUDENT COUNSELOR AND IMMIGRATION COUNSELOR for our company. Interested candidates can email their CV at consultancyvisa82@gmail.com

An experienced Chartered Accountant with over 25 years in varied industries, presently working with a reputed group in Muscat, looking out for a suitable change. #96491030

ACCA member with 6 yrs of experience in Oman looking for a suitable job in ďŹ nance. Contact 99284193

25 yrs, MBA (ďŹ nance) 1.2 years experience seeking for Accounts job. Contact : 94819575

Indian female MBA in ďŹ nance currently on family visa seeking suitable placement. #96471025

10 yrs of Oman experience capable of handling large accounts, looking for suitable placement in senior sales / business development position. Contact : 98987654

Female seeking suitable placement in reputed Company, 5 yrs experience in Oman. Skills : Tally, EKP9, Sage ACC, PAC, ITIL, MS Office. Contact 95483804, sararowshan344@gmail.com

Looking for a country Sales Executive with valid driving license and good communication skills.

Interested candidates please send in the CVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to salesjobinoman@ gmail.com Required Sales staff 2 NOS Having experience in Cosmetics Sales.

Send your updated CV to james_kunju@yahoo.com GSM 92683688 Urgently Required Steel Fabricated Products Salesman with an experience in steel fabrication, MUST have Oman driving license, and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968â&#x20AC;&#x201C;24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com

SKILLED LABOUR Electrician cum Plumber, Maintenance Supervisor with D/L, Building Material Salesman, C.C.T.V Technician. #9938304. E mail: helplinellc123@yahoo.com

Accountant available with NOC, 7 years experience in Oman. Ready to join immediately. Contact : 98263394 Indian male 24 yrs B. Com, Tally ERP with one year exp seeking for suitable placement. Now on visit visa. Contact: 94469269 Indian male 7 yrs Oman exp, Tally ERP 9, Accounting, inventory controller / asset supervisor & IT support, marketing seeking suitable job. NOC available B.Com ,PGDCA , location Sohar having Oman D/L. Contact 98317698, Email: sukuanilkumar@gmail.com MBA, Finance, 1 yr experience in Accounting now on visit visa, looking for suitable job. #92901121, Email : lijojoy456@ gmail.com

Indian male B.Com Graduate, 6 yrs exp in auditing, accounts and marketing 3 yrs exp in Oman with DL looking for suitable placement.

Contact :96146287, mubarakamk@ gmail.com Indian male, 32 yrs, B.Com having 8 yrs Accounts experience in Oman, looking for suitable placement (local release + Oman D/L available). Contact 97494322 / 98093515 Indian male 28 yrs MBA ďŹ nance/ marketing and graduate in computer experience 3 yrs seeking suitable job, now family visit visa.

Contact: 93195378 Email: faisalme.beg677@gmail.com Indian Male Accountant 10yrs Exp. in OMAN Retail & Furniture Co. (Release Available)#92564955

Physiotherapist on visit visa searching for a job. CONTACT 99767528 / 91317863

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with 13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in manufacturing, trading & contracting Cos, capable of handling all accounting, ďŹ nance, banking, L/C, import, export & ďŹ nalization seeks placement. NOC Available.

Call+968-98932752, mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com Finance-Indian with 7 years experience in Finance & Accounts up to ďŹ nalization. Currently employed in Oman.

Having D/L & NOC. #94122464, Email: cammk13@gmail.com Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA Finance and marketing with IT skills, 7+ yrs of experience, Looking for suitable placement.

Contact : 94879615,Emailsajan_chacko1981@yahoo.com Chief Accountant 25 years experienced looking for part/full time accountant job. Contact: 95598477/ 98803439 Indian male 25 B.Com (graduate) 2 years experience as accountant in country club India with ERP oracle r12, tally knowledge. On visit visa immediately available.

Email: shabi.hyd@gmail.com Contact- 9042-1161 Indian female 25 yrs, MBA HR & Marketing, with one and half years experience as accountant and 6 months experience in teaching, now on a visit visa, seeking suitable position. Contact: 99624044, mail: np.neethu1@gmail.com.

ADMIN Indian male, rich working experience in oman as â&#x20AC;&#x153; Personal Assistant / Office Manager (Executive Office) / senior administrator / business development asst.â&#x20AC;? holding Omani driving license. Local release available â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 99168054 mbk1961@hotmail.com 10 yrs experienced Omani PRO looking for suitable position. Good knowledge in HR Admin ROP, all Ministries related affairs. Contact: 99588154 / 93387833 MBA professional with 5 yrs exp in the ďŹ eld of HR , Administration, Sales (Business Development) and accounts, holding valid UAE driving license on visit visa until end of March. Contact: 91731542/ shanoj120@gmail.com Indian male 26 yrs MCA, 2 yrs experienced in System Admin & data base controller. Contact: 92835125 Female MBA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; HR professional, 5 yrs experience in teaching & administration, have ďŹ&#x201A;air in areas of management, on visit visa. #95905163, Email : manhan17@gmail.com Indian Male â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MBA (HR) & Engineering graduation with total 9 years of experience in HR & Admin ( 3 yrs of Oman Exp.) along with hands on experience in technical bid submission for all Government & PDO tenders ready to join immediately with NOC. Contact @ 91240251/Email; kvaradhan@ hotmail.com Indian female BA, 2 yrs exp looking for suitable position in HR & Administration. #94656009 Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+ experience in Administration/HR,

W E D N E S DAY, M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED ADMIN

Indian male, MCA

Indian male MBA 33yrs having 10 yrs of exp seeking full time suitable placement in Administration/ HR/ Operations/ Coordination/ Logistics. Holding valid D/L. Contact 99054786 Indian male MBA- UK 18 yrs Gulf exp in Administration/ HR & Public relationship. Fluent in Arabic/ English with D/L. Looking for suitable position. Contact - 99897280 Young Omani male have experience 12 years as P.R.O, CLERK Helper Supervisor Admin Supervisor, H.R Manager have diploma in H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license, looking for H.R position or P.R.O part time or full time. Contact: 95933288 Filipino male with 13 years HR and Administration managerial experience. MBA & CIPD holder. Currently looking for job in Oman. Interested employer Contact - 97728418.

Contact 92319677, Email : ismabsc@gmail.com

Contact - 92789995

Contact-93361624, Email-

Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com

dheerachpadikkala@gmail.com

DRIVER Omani male, 37 yrs, with 18 yrs experience in heavy & medium vehicles driving looking for driver job for reputed higher officials (PDO light vehicle license & heavy vehicle license). Contact 99808035 Pakistani, 3 yrs experience in Oman seeks driver job. Knows Hindi, Urdu, English & Arabic.

Contact 92142648 Pakistani male light vehicle driver looking for job. Contact: 99521033

Bangladeshi male light driver looking for job 3 yrs. experience. Contact: 94077119 Light driver looking for job Oman

Indian female, Masters in HR, having 4 + years Oman experience in media management and HR, looking for openings in HR, Education, Admin, Corporate communications. Contact 98252030

ARCHITECTURE Syrian Architect with 3 years of experience in Design and Supervisor in Oman. Contact : 97915193 Female Architecture with 3 years experience seeking for a job knows (AutoCAD2D, Photoshop, 3D Max sketch up modeling). Contact: 95582641 / 99632745

2 Years exp in driving, seeking any job .Contact: 97460056 Indian light driver cum house cleaner. Contact: 96255558 /99415443

B.Tech electronics & Comm.Engg with CCNA certified with 2yrs exp.

Contact-99490930. email; sujith8938@gmail.com An Iraqi civil with more than 30 years experience in (Iraq and G.C.C) looking for a job, (N.O.C) available.

Contact: 96561306 Email: iq.bgd.mnsr@gmail.com Civil Engineer 11 yrs exp in construction field having Oman driving license & NOC. Contact – 94194399 / shiblyrock@gmail.com Engineer has 10 years local & international experience in ready mix concrete also in Oil & Gas field also in marketing & sales field , has Omani driving license. #92534098

Indian Female, MSc Maths from a Central University, B.ED qualified with over 6 yrs into teaching.

Distinction holder and passion for teaching, currently on family Visa.

Contact: 91360147. iffi_ftm@yahoo. co.in.

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. CATERING Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp looking job. Contact: 99531802

Electrical Engineer, 7 years exp, NOC, GCC driving license looking for suitable jobs in MEP services, O & M of high voltage systems, FMS. Contact: 96137008

DOMESTIC HELP Housemaid (overseas) Indian family looking for job. #99531802

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN 3D & Multimedia Designer looking for job, currently using family visa. Contact : 95844940 Email: chrisrimas@yahoo.com

Senior CAD Designer Indian male with 10 years of experience (8 years of experience in GCC) good knowledge of architectural, civil using AutoCAD, MS Office seeking suitable position. Contact: 90518123 Email: mpmudasir@yahoo.com AutoCAD Draughtsman seeking job. Contact: 95516807 Indian Female, Bsc Fashion Designer with Oman driving Lisence, looking for any good job.

Contact 98757582 Interior Designer Seeking suitable job. On visit visa in Oman.

Contact - 92166130 Interior designer 3 years experience 1 year in Oman and 2 years in Egypt, experience in interior design, 3D max, AutoCAD, Photoshop. Contact - 94762876 AutoCAD draftsman experience 2 years. Contact: 93738335 /95809393 Email: mammoosing@gmail.com

DRIVER Light duty driver, 3 years driving experience of Oman, staying in Oman from last 8 years. Contact: 96731603 Light car driving. Contact: 99578213

Looking for light driving job 2 years exp. Contact: 91625977 Pakistani looking for driver job, 6 years experience with own car.

Contact : 95365879 Driver. Contact : 94087276 Pakistani male light Vehicle Driver with car looking for job. Contact: 99630504

2 years exp driver seeks placement. Contact: 92055093

Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact:97416564, Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp seeks suitable position ina reputed company. NOC available. #96789711

EDUCATION/TRAINING Female B. Ed English teacher, 7 yrs exp seeking suitable placement. Contact : 99739415 / 92091528

B.Tech Mechanical Engineer, on visit visa looking for job, who has done certification courses in quality control, basic pipeline engineering, ASNT NDT level II, also good knowledge in HVAC.Contact:94743373 email:akasharavind1@gmail.com Engineer with 5 years technical sales experience among leading brands in Oman construction market D/L. Contact : 93985140 Male QC Inspector Mechanical, NDT 20 years experience valid Oman D/L, NOC available. Contact: 91001104 Pakistani male, 2.5 yrs experience in AutoCAD Electrical design, estimation, installation commissioning, operation maintenance of switchgear panels MV, LT, MCC, HVAC, Gen Set, fire alarm panels, available on visit visa before 2nd April 2016 looking for suitable placement.

Contact 92012760, Email : ahmed. abdullah29@yahoo.com B.E Electronics & Instrumentation Engg, certification in Industrial Automation having 2 yrs G.C.C exp in power plant (termination & commissioning) having Omani driving license. Contact: 95862110 Email: mubeensid@gmail.com Civil Engineer with 9 years experience seeks suitable placement, NOC available. Contact : 91195257 Email: mjanoyon@gmail.com Indian Engineer 2 years experience B.Tech (IT) CCNA & MCP certified visit visa seeks challenging positions. Contact: 968 93184847, Email : rizaalrahim@hotmail.com Indian Merchandise, 7 years experience Dubai seeks challenging positions D/L in Dubai.

Contact : 90390323 Email: nvshameem123@gmail.com B.E Mechanical Engineer, 24, one year experience as Production Shift Engineer, Trained on HVAC Engineering design and has good hands on software like AutoCAD and HAP. On a visit visa, looking for a suitable placement.Contact:95065955 Email: mjs.jazeb@ gmail.com Indian male, 25 yrs, fire & safety diploma holder cum electrician looking for a suitable job, presently on visit visa. #94745056 / 98976252

Sales & Marketing specialist with 16 yrs experience in Oman in MNC retails telecom lubes construction related industry handled various projects, holding valid Oman driving license, release available.

Contact 96960991

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

exp. Contact :95292621 Indian, 26 yrs , female , 5 yrs exp in HR/ Admin with valid Oman D/L seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98236033

Indian History graduate with diploma in Safety with valid Oman Driving licence seeks suitable placement.

seeking suitable placement anywhere in Oman, now on visit visa.

(Post Graduate) fresher

Customer Support, Office Coordinator with good Computer skill, Now on Visit Visa,looking for suitable position. Contact: 90196235

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Indian male 30 years, having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India (MRF Tyres), holding valid Oman D/L.

Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912 Civil Engineer 8 years experience Structural buildings marine. Available NOC release. Contact: 92451323.

Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian male 24 years with 1+years Indian experience,(Certified in Staad Pro/ Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).

Looking for a Suitable position.

Available In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat) on Visit Visa.

Contact: 92835952. E-mail: mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in designing, assembling, commissioning execution etc having valid GCC license too looking for a suitable. Contact: 00968-98052942 Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+Diploma Safety+NEBOSH+OSHA) over 10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release Letter (NOC) available), seeking suitable placement, Mob:97061817, Email:jayanammu1977@gmail.com Indian male 26 yrs, Diploma in Electrical Engg residing in Oman seeking job in supervisor. Contact : 92182283 / 95767146, Email : safeerptuvvur@gmail.com Indian Civil Engineer (BE) with 16 years of industry experience in design, quantity surveying, looking for suitable job. #90302823 Email: prince.n@engineer.com Diploma in Civil Engineer having 8 years experience in Oman with driving license. Release available seek replacement urgently. Contact: 95387537 / 97232020 HSE OFFICER - 7yrs GCC experience, (Indian, 29 yrs) transferable VISA, Diploma, NEBOSH IGC, OSHA, IIRSM. Mob :96647486 Indian male 23 Mechanical Engineer (B.E) residing in Oman looking for suitable job. Contact: 98530806 / 99362006 BE (Mechatronic & Robotics Engg) CNC Operations, basic computer knowledge, multilingual skills, 23 yrs looking for suitable placement.

Contact 92552789 B.Sc in Civil Engineer having 10 yrs experience in structural designer in RCC structure & steel structure in Dubai having Municipality approval & Dubai driving license looking for suitable position. Email : engr. masud.civil@gmail.com BE Mechanical & Diploma with 4 yrs experience in India looking for suitable job. Contact 90542737 Indian male, 27 yrs, Electronics Engineer (B.Tech) & MBA, Project Management with 5 years experience in electronic security system, optical fiber, project planning installation. Contact 94819139, usamahaq@gmail.com Sudanese Civil Engineer 4 years experience –98093544

Indian Mechanical Engineer with 28 years of industry experience in Sales & Marketing, Materials Management seeks suitable opening. Presently working with Indian conglomerate in Oman. Possess valid driving license and SUV. CONTACT:+968 95901425 Male Dip.Civil Engineer, having 20 yrs exp (building & road) looking for suitable job. Contact: 94720782 B Tech Mech, certificate attested, exp in steel fabri. and autocad drafting , salary -250 OMR. #96108187 B.Sc Civil Engineer 27 yrs Oman exp as project manager, structural engineer looking for suitable placement. NOC/local transfer available. Contact: 99349578.

Email:farooqatm@hotmail.com BE Mechanical Engineer 6 yrs exp, 1.5 yrs in Oman in piping and structure construction work. Release available. Contact: 96115463. Email: jijoraju085@yahoo.com Indian male 35yrs BE - Engg 15 yrs exp in UAE Site Manager looking for job. Email : vinoj_1979@yahoo.co.in Pakistani male Diploma Civil Engineer 4yrs exp in Oman bulling & mega projects, valid license Oman. contact:98921022 Procurement Engineer (27 years single male with Oman Driving License) having 7 years experience (UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in MEP, Water, Electromechanical, Instrumentation seeking suitable placements. Contact 95852033, mail: hemal1988@gmail.com Male, NDT, QA/QC Supervision Mechanical 10 yrs experience seeks suitable placement.

Contact 96954202, Email : nasirarain86@yahoo.com Civil Engineers exp 4 yrs of Pakistan in building work.#95135608 Sr. Electrical Engineer with17+ yrs of exceptional exp in spear heading strategic planning and project management initiatives & executing various high rise residential & commercial building as well as roads and highway project with proficiency in installation, seeking a challenging position in a dynamic organization. contact 96570891 Indian male,24 yrs, Electronics & Telecom, Graduate, Mumbai University (2015 batch) looking for entry level job in Engg.com having good knowledge at telecom, networking ,fiber optic, OraclellgSQL, PLSQL, now in Muscat on 3 months visit visa. Contact : 91868936 / 93101922. Email: siddiquiajmal42@gmail.com Electrical Design Engineer (MEP) Indian male having 1.8 years of experience in India. Available on visit visa looking for suitable placements. Contact: 92658569, Email:mdraziuddin2@gmail.com Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work, 21+ years experience with Driving license. Contact: 95267113 Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com Indian Mechanical Engineer having 8.5 years of experience in mechanical maintenance of steel plant sintering division looking for a suitable job Oman. Knowledge of maintenance in belt conveyors, mixers, circle cooler, ID fans, vibratory screen, two and four roll crushers, weigh feeders, ESP, rotary valves, apron feeder,dragconveyor and vibrofeeder. Please #00918805022155 Indian female Project Engineer 15 yrs experience Project Management quality data base management data analytics marketing business development having Omani driving licenses seeks suitable placement presently on family visa, having Omani experience. contact 95783792 Network Engineer CCNA-MCSA exp computer science with NOC. Contact : 92346191 Structural Engineer, 8 yrs experienced in flat slab, post tensioned & slab-beam multi story building design & supervision with driving license. Contact: 98256860

Indian Civil Engineer in UAE seeking suitable placement in Muscat-Contact 00968 99142171 Electrical Engineer with 18 years exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034 Email: shassalih66@gmail.com Project Engineer B.Sc Civil, 7.5 yrs in Oman, need suitable placement, NOC release available.#91129192 Sudanese Electrical Engineer, granted with distinction, hard-working and can adapt to different work conditions. Contact: 98133281 Electrical & Electronics Engineer with 3 years GCC exp in sales, GCC driving license. Seeking suitable placement. Contact - 90301410 Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975518 Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.

Contact 91295802 acmfaslan123@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience HVAC design & site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD. Contact: 90150913 Email: mahmanmechengg@yahoo.im Sudanese Telecom Engineer, 5 years experience, 3 years in Oman PMP certificate. contact 93391008 Email: momen.awadallam@gmail. com Indian female civil engineer B.Tech having 3 years experience sound knowledge of software, REVIT STAD PRO structural detailing currently on family visa seeks suitable placement #95345591 Civil Engineer (BE) having total 5 years experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available#94450270 Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years in Oman experience Valid Driving License seeks suitable placement Phone 97619722 Email – golamrob@yahoo.com Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 97667113 7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the field of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598 Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs experience in international Oil & Gas company looking for job Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email: mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs experienced as AutoCAD civil draftsman (2 yrs experience in Oman) currently in Oman seeks suitable.

Contact 96789441 Email: simi5304@gmail.com Indian Electrical Engineer Btech, female 24 seeking job, presently in oman having 2 year experience in design and estimation of Ht &Lt projects. Contact 968 97436557, Mail id : sibinanoop1@gmail.com Indian Male 23 years B.Tech Civil having 2 years experience in quantity survey and site management looking for suitable placement. Contact:- 95042656

IT Indian Male, IT System Engineer having 4 yrs of experience in system administration.CCNA,MCSE, Linux. Looking for suitable job.

Contact :91272867 Indian male, 3 yrs experience in IT as Linux Administrator & 1 yr experience in Amazon EC2 Cloud at Wipro Technologies Bangalore looking for a suitable placement.

Contact 92889678, Email : amalpathikal@gmail.com Male, 31 years, M.I.T, CCNA, 9 years exp in Qatar as assistant IT manager, network administrator, server management and knowledge of developing website. Qatar D/L and available in Oman on visit visa. Contact:00968-98179462.

0097477237607, Email: mohsin2022@gmail.com

IT Indian male 27 yrs master in computer applications currently in Muscat with Oman driving license seeking suitable placement. Contact: 93191800 Email: vijilraj60@ gmail.com 5 yrs experienced Network Administrator seeks suitable job,1 year Gulf experience, Indian Nationality, Indian (Keralite), male, fluent in English, Hindi. Contact 91 9747520792 (India), 94022497 / 98078068 (Oman), email : shariqlsh@gmail.com Indian female B.Tech IT having 2 years experience in Oman in Admin Insurance & IT support looking for suitable position. Contact: 98679397 Indian female completed M.C.A seeking for suitable jobs. Contact: 91409481 / 97308719 ASP.NET WEB DEVELOPER , 3 YR EXP, PH : 97947921 INDIAN male, pursued bachelor’s of computer science having experience in desktop Engineer, looking for IT job, on visit visa, seeking suitable placement. #98784174 ,email : abdulmoyeed@outlook.com Indian female, B.Tech graduate, with one and half years experience as ‘web developer’ interested in web development and has experience working in HTML,CSS,Bootstrap, JavaScript and Photoshop. contact 9592 7075 e-mail id: mariarosejacob90@ gmail.com Indian female, B.Tech graduate, with one and half years experience as ‘web developer’ interested in web development and has experience working in HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript and Photoshop.

Contact : 9592 7075, e-mail id: mariarosejacob90@gmail.com

MEDICAL Indian female 30 years Microbiologist having 3 years experience in Hospital having HACCP Level 3 , certificate seeking suitable job.

Contact: 92302719 / 92490501 Indian male 29 years Radiologists MD having 3 years experience in Hospital seeking suitable job. Contact: 923027199 / 92490501 Indian Bsc Female Nurse with 6.5 years exp, 4 years in KSA. Passed Oman Pro Metric with 69%, completed data flow. Presently in Muscat in visit visa looking for a suitable placement.

Contact 94744900, 94742834, jincyalphonese@gmail.com Male GP Doctor with NOC 6 yrs experience in Oman for perm/locum job. Contact : 97746074 An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license looking for job. #96436517 /97396088

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192

MANAGER Operations & Accounts Manager Indian 18 years experience in Oman finance, purchase, sales, HR, Admin looking for Senior position.

Contact : 99044724 The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: tenders& real estate& construction & marketing projects& investments & transportation & Marine services& companies management& develop business. Contact: :- 92385033 General Manager MEP also manage civil, MBA, BE Electrical, 10 yrs exp in Oman valid D/L, release available. Contact – 92447102 Indian male, with experience in operations management, information security, purchase & stores mgmt, hold UAE driving license, on visit visa, seeks suitable job. #91904541 Email: naushers@yahoo.com Production Manager 9 years experience in Oman manufacture and development factories .GRB. GRC. GRG rubber molds and false ceilings, fiberglass and executive at site emadadly2000@yahoo. com96149081

D6

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DAILY GUIDE

SITUATION WANTED EDUCATION/CLASSES/COMPUTER/WEBSITE

SITUATION WANTED MANAGER The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: construction(Very strong and qualified to bringing business for civil work Or any type of the construction work for many million per year with a good experience in pricing and collect payment and cash management of the company & marketing projects & investments& tenders & real estate. Contact 92385033

MISCELLANEOUS 12 yrs exp with store incharge purchasing having valid Omani driving license. #99004638 Wanted job as an office boy or customer service. Contact: 94640906 Indian male 37 yrs X-Ray welder 7 yrs exp (ARC, TIG, ARGON, Welding) seeking suitable job.

Contact: 91360190/98223683 Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement. Gsm 98805474 A lady entrepreneur with BF Tech 1st Class (Fashion Technology) since 2006 in Kerala like to make change for better. Specialized in designing, Production Management, Fashion Art, Grading, Surface ornamentation, Garment Construction.

Email: prettyjinu08@gmail.com Mobile: +919539397097.

Indian female on visit MBA (International Business- Marketing & Logistics), BE (Computers & Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/ BW with 1 year experience seeking for job Contact: 90228586 Email:fathimasha16@gmail.com Bangladeshi male, University M.Com, Working as an Accountant & Administrator in Oman; searching better job. Phone: 94864966 Email: sunrisetoiqbal@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING 10 yrs exp in procurement, tenders, importing, marketing and sales, organizing events. Have car NOC available. Contact: 94123939

Indian male 26 years of experience of sales & marketing in surgical and laboratory equipment, looking for good placement. Contact - 95774854

Indian male 23 yeas BBM & Diploma in logistic. Looking for Indore/ Outdoor sales & marketing suitable placement, currently in one month visit visa. Contact: 93180270/ faizanmck@gmail.com

Indian M/39 confident Keralite, Dubai Bank experience with Oman driving license & NOC seeks suitable placement in sales & marketing / coordinator. contact 94742666

Indian male Graduated in Business Management having 4 yrs exp in marketing & trading, dealt with international companies and product also having good knowledge in logistic & Admin looking forward to join immediately, having GCC driving license and car NOC available. Contact : 93639385 Email: faizenqidwai@gmail.com

Indian male, B.Com worked in Bahrain (4 years) and currently working in Oman from last 4 years in accounts and sales looking for suitable placement. Valid Oman license and NOC available. Contact number : 9954 8543.

Indian male Graduated in business management having 4 yrs exp in marketing & trading dealt with international companies and product, also having good knowledge in logistic and admin, looking forward to join immediately. having GCC driving license and car, NOC available. Contact : 93639385 email; faizenqidwai@ gmail.com Pakistani male, fresh Graduate & Diploma in hotel management & tourism, computer literate, interested in Sales & Marketing, Accounts, available on permanent visa, seeks placement with visa.

NOC available. Contact 91439870, Email : waqaxmooxa@gmail.com Warehouse Manager of 4 years experience in South Africa (retail, sales & marketing) and teaching in Maldives, on visiting visa looking for suitable placement in Muscat.

Contact : 94745292 Email: sabusoniairiffy@gmail.com Computer Sales and Service man (Indian) with Diploma in Electronics and Communication with more than 2 years experience available in Oman. Contact : 97017866 / 95141354

HOSPITALITY Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants Dynamic result oriented hospitality professional with 20 years of international exp. MBA in Hotel Management, specializing in Hotel/Restaurant start ups, concepts & Franchise development with proven records. Seeking for Challenging positions in reputed groups as GM/COO/CEO/Business Head. (NOC available) #96059470

TOURS & TRAVEL Indian , presently on visit visa Graduate and IATA certified seeking a job in travel and tourism.

Contact: 97066058 Indian female BA IATA, 7 yrs exp in travel industry knows SABRE AMADEUS GALILEO on family visa seeks opportunity in Oman.

Contact 93531170. E mail: claudiatresa17@gmail.com Filipinas lady having exp in ticketing and preservation, call center, secretarial and real estate is now looking for job please call.94054080

SALES / MARKETING Indian MBA Graduate having 4 years in Sales & Marketing in Oman having Oman driving license. NOC also available seeks suitable placement. Contact : 94193313 Email: nvshameem123@ gmail.com

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

Indian male MBA having 12 years of Sales experience in Oman seeking suitable position, good in Arabic and having valid D/L. NOC can be obtained (as per new rule).

Contact : 98908634 MBA, Executive Post, Omani Driving License, 14 years experience in Multinational Groups in Sales & Marketing. M.Z. 91685048 MBA Marketing sales & business development, digital marketing 10 years experience telemarketing online marketing. Contact: 98613324 Manager with 12 years experience in sales & property management, MBA in sales & marketing with Omani D/L looking for a suitable position NOC Available. Contact: 98125226 Indian male having 10 years of exp in sales & customer service also worked as IT Technician CCNA Certified. Graduate seeks suitable placement. contact 92490127 NDT candidate QC job visit visa.

Contact: 93857977 / 96085401 Email: sibinkjacob@ gmail.com 23 yrs, Indian male, B.Com, Graduate looking for suitable positions as Assistant Accountant, Marketing Executive, Sales Executive or in Administration, currently on free visa with valid Oman driving license. Contact 98093949

An experienced sales & marketing person having several years experience in GCC with valid D/L. Looking for a suitable position.

Contact – 92124669 Indian male with 6 yrs of GCC exp in sales and service & 1 year of exp in gym fitness instructor.

Seeking job presently in Muscat in family visit visa. Contact: 90694335/ 99438360 or email:sahildgreat99@yahoo.com MBA graduate having 6 years exp in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with PEPSI, India, having international driving license permit seeks suitable placement. #: 95308167, Email : samir.pag@gmail.com Indian Male 28 MBA Marketing with 4 years of experience in sales with good communication skills now available in Muscat on visit visa. GSM 95840153 / Mail akbarshareef786@gmail.com Sudanese B.Sc in business administration, exp 8yrs in sales, marketing & accounting. #96112453 Indian sales marketing professional highly experienced in business development in ME India and Africa seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 97897611 B.Com male 2 yrs experience in sales Computer knowledge, seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98371144 email: nabilnazar22@gmail.com Indian male, MBA Marketing having 2.5 years Sales experience immediately looking for a suitable position. Contact: 91415145, Email: shariqs88@gmail.com Male 38 yrs Graduate 07 years experience indoor / outdoor electronic field with D/License & NOC available (as per new rule).

Contact: 92453375

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Executive Secretary/ assistant Indian female 9 years experience in Oman, Diploma in Business management. Valid D/L. Contact: 96684705 Lady Secretary / Sales Co-coordinator 12 years experience in Oman in reputed companies, seek immediate Employment. Call: 95244761

MISCELLANEOUS Indian Female on a visit visa having master degree seeking suitable placement in any field, 1 ,5 year experience in HR .Contact : +968 91467576.

Sudanese male, 5 years experience in warehouse management and logistics services CONTAC 90644186

Any time available transportation solution for house office shifting, TV fixing, carpenter all type of maintenance. Contact Indian person : 95194801 / 96594592 Whatsapp WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman Karate and self defense classes at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per month twice a week Monday and Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM. CONTACT 98294551

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English class for Malayalam Speakers

MISCELLANEOUS Sr Material controller, having 13 years experience in material controlling in reputed companies.

Presently working in Muscat (NOC Available). #00968-92944026, Email charanjeet35@yahoo.co.in Indian/male (25)/ MBA/2 years experience in channel sales and distribution management. on visit visa. available for immediate joining. Contact: 96914068, E mail: mailanasap@gmail.com Indian, BE Mechanical Engineering with 1 yr exp as service Engineer, looking for suitable positions. Contact-90637918, E mail: aquasharath@gmail.com Senior Accountant, 5 yrs Oman, 10 yrs UAE experience in manufacturing & construction valid D/L immediately available. Email: irfan_syed2000@hotmail.com, call: 95389018 32year Indian Male MSC,MBA-HR having 8yrs Exp(HR / Payroll / Admin) with Oman valid DL. Seeking suitable opening in Human Resource, Payroll & Admin/ backend jobs. Contact:00968-99322978 Indian Male ,MBA Finance & Marketing 28 yrs,6+ Exp, with oman D/L & NOC, Hospital ,Pharma ,Herbal ,FMCG, F&B Markeing ,construction A/c & sales , 93379044

in Azaiba and Ruwi earn in two months

tion guaranteed

Tel: 95244310 AVAILABLE Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting.

Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

FOR HIRE Grader GD 705-5, Showel WA 4305, Roller BW 211D-40 JCB. Contact: 99292668 Grader, roller, bobcat, JCB 3CX, JCB 4CX with breaker & water tanker for rent. CONTACT 93218705 / 24478450

DRIVING

Indian/male (25)/ MBA /2 years experience in channel sales and distribution management. on visit visa. available for immediate joining. Contact: 96914068, email: mailanasap@gmail.com Indian male, 8.5 yrs experience, B.Com Graduate with GCC exp & valid driving license looking for better job opening in Muscat. Contact: 92609935 / 94771365 Indian male with 1 yr exp looking for job in I.T as Web developer, presently in Muscat on visit visa.

Contact: 92312978 Indian male network cabling technician (19 years Gulf experience), seeking for suitable placement.

Contact : 0091-8089909265 (India), Email: mohithavp@gmail.com Indian male, Kerala B.Com & B.PE, looking for suitable Job in Sales, Accounts, Admin etc. #93301023 email:- sajith3969@gmail.com

Nair boy 31 /175 cms working in Muscat Pooram star wants suitable bride. Contact : 95501263 Ezhava Divorcee, 37 yrs, 5.3”, Pharmacist in Muscat.

Email :suryakv2010@gmail. com,+919961176066 Keralite, Kollam Marthoma male (27) yrs diploma in Civil (Muscat) seeking alliances form suitable families. Contact: 95253640 Christian RC boy 30/160 cm fair, working as an Accountant in a company Muscat, suitable proposals solicited. Contact: 98788464 Ezhava girl 25yrs B. Tech working in MNC Shudajathakam from Palakkad looking suitable alliance Contact 99323085 / 99001726.

Malankara Catholic Male Nurse (28) from Thiruvalla working in Nizwa Private Co. Alliance invites parents/nurses working in Oman. #968 98267338, 0091 9287215726 Indian male Roman Catholic 40yrs divorcee working in Muscat.

Seeks suitable alliance from widow/ divorcee/ single. #96059801.

HSE Engineer, Indian male, 4 plus years experience in oil & gas, working in shclumberger Nebosh, ISOH & NDT certified, M. Tech in HSE. contact-krish.569@gmail. com mobile- +91 9867016808 BE Mechanical Engineering with one year experience now on visit visa, looking for suitable positions. #90637918 / 99335742,email: aquasharath@gmail.com

MATRIMONIAL

ACC WANTED

TRANSPORTATION Transport services Muscat – Kasab. Contact: 93163157

looking for a villa in Amirat area Contact : 95405033

NRI

Office and private transport available in Muscat area. contact 94297820

1650 Sq ft plot with gate for sale Erettai Vaikkal, Vayalur Road, Trichy 95366777

Transportation. contact 91703829

Housing in a well developed area for sale in Mangalore 100 meters from Main road at: Malaraya Temple Road, Chilimbi Near Urva stores, Mangalore -Karnataka, India Land: 181.60 Sq.mts, House built in the year 1986 consisting of ground floor and first floor. Total build up area around 2000 Sq.ft with car parking. Separate water and electricity connections. Contact: Anil Kumar: +91 97418 85128 (between 12 noon till 10 pm).

Ruwi, Muttrah, Al Khuwair, Muscat, Qurum, seek transportation. Contact: 91132238 Transportation. Contact 99508282 /93113534 Transportation. Contact 99508282 Transportation. contact 92015894 Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909

5 cent land location Trissur town Paravattani National Highway Road side, opposite Skyland flat building, best location for shops & villa. #968 95890957 / 99038328 Flats villas land for sale in Pune Contact: 95272138/918139098275

W E D N E S DAY, M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

TOURS

TOURS

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636 We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED ED ONE STOP SHOP BUSINESS SERVICES Public relation services (PRO), Formation new companies, LLC companies, investor visa, business setup, prepare business & companies accounts, legal services, representing you and your company.

Contact Saleh: 96723485

RENT A CAR Best Rates for Saloon Contact: 97869042 / 95730550 sales@modernreem.com

Looking for experienced person to run a fully arranged Coffee shop in Khuwair (behind Rawasco) with 7 visa available 99441122

Hyundai Electra saloon car 2010 with experience driver for company and other for all Muscat 24 hours available new car with experience driver.#97376342

GOOD NEWS

Driver available with car.#96728056

Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steambath, obesity, spondylitis. Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street, Azaiba.

Contact: 99639695 / 97397320 FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com Electrical Contracting Company with DCRP- D Grade license, Muscat started in 2013, having running projects available for sale or partnership. #00968 9604 5659

RENT A CAR

Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact:24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

WANTED IELTS Coaching (academic) required nearby wadi Kabir area. Please call on mobile or msg on Whats up. Mobile no: 92927880/99012165

ACC.WANTED Required single room for an executive lady (non cooking) in Darsait, Ruwi, Wadi Kabir.

Contact - 98591132 Accommodation required with food for 1 month, bachelor for March month. Preferably Al Ghobrah area. Contact: 99335742

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP speciďŹ cation for monthly rent & small car with driver. Contact 99839898

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DAILY GUIDE

MANPOWER

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

MV SALE GMC Acadia No 1 SLT June 2014 Blue Metallic Color 95366777 Toyota Corolla, 1.6 Ltr, 2009 Model, Automatic, 110,000Kms RO.3,200/-. Contact: 92769735

WĞƐƚ ĐŽŶƚƌŽů Θ BƵŝůĚŝŶŐ ĐůĞĂŶŝŶŐ Ăůů ŬŝŶĚƐ ŽĨ ƉĞƐƚ ĐŽŶƚƌŽů ďƵŝůĚŝŶŐ͘ ůĞĂŶŝŶŐ Ɵ ůĞƐ ͬ MĂƌďůĞ ƉŽůŝƐŚŝŶŐ ŵŽŶƚŚůLJͬ YĞĂƌůLJ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ͘ ŽŶƚĂĐƚ͗ ϵϴϴϭϰϳϯϯ ͬϵϴϴϭϰϳϰϬ ů ,ƵƐŶ ůĞĂŶŝŶŐ >͘>͘

Toyota Echo model 2005, 142,500 kms, in good condition. CONTACT 99412902 Doctor used Nissan Sunny 2012 new model for sale Indians preferred. Contact : 95991809 Toyota Yaris 2008 model, white, color, automatic transmission, expat driven km 140500. CONTACT 99104124 Toyota Rav 4 2012 RO 5500. Contact: 93835318 Nissan path finder model 2012 R.O 5500. Contact : 97692959 Nissan Qashqai 2013 low mileage 30.000kms comprehensive insurance UAE Oman valid till 2016 .

Contact: 96995430

SITUATION WANTSERVICES Villa cleaning, shifting, marble crystallization, tiles polishing, shampooing sofa & carpet. Modern Eastern Arms. 92145560 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722 Marble crystallization & grinding, Ocean center LLC .CONTACT 99344723

SERVICES We Provide Cleaners, Kĸ ĐĞ ďŽLJƐ͕ ůĞĂŶŝŶŐ ŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ͕ 'ĞŶĞƌĂů ĐůĞĂŶŝŶŐ ĞƚĐ͘ ů DƵĚĂŬŚŝƌ EĂƟ ŽŶĂů Ɛƚ͘ >> ŽŶƚĂĐƚ ͗ ϵϰϮϳϳϬϮϬ Window & split unit A.C servicing & repairing. Contact: 99557080 Split & window unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact: 96236476 Split & widow unit A.C servicing & maintenance. CONTACT 93769089 / 95323517 Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. #93769089 / 95323517 GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 A/C maintenance & servicing, fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, painting & cleaning services, electrical & plumbing. #99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281

A/C Technician, cold store, freezer, chiller all kinds of A/C & refrigeration installation & service.

Contact: 92279370 / 92459357 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422 Pest control treatments, Ocean center LLC #99344723 MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. #24793614/ 99314807 House shifting packing.

Contact: 99657644 / 98518013 House shifting. Contact: 99708138

Marble crystallization & grinding, cleaning & carpet shampooing.

Ocean center LLC.#99344723 Split A/C servicing R.O 10 only.

Contact: 94217681 / 99210141 Building maintenance. CONTACT 96173326 Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont Maintenance services electric, plumbing and A/C. Contact: 96524904 /94285064 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting,Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. Contact: 24810137, 99450130

PAKISTAN NATIONAL DAY 2016

TIMES OF OMAN SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

President Mamnoon Hussain

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Prime Minister Muhammed Nawaz Sharif

Poet of the East Allama Dr Muhammed Iqbal

Message of Charge d’Affaires

Strength of Pakistan-Oman ties lies in ‘diversified engagement’

O

n the auspicious occasion of 76th Pakistan Day I have the privilege to extend heartiest felicitations to all Pakistanis residing in the Sultanate of Oman.

The Pakistan Day is celebrated every year on 23rd March to commemorate the most outstanding achievement of the Muslims of South Asia who passed the historic “Pakistan Resolution” on this day at Lahore in 1940. This Resolution gave an ideal to the Muslims and united them for the attainment of a shared objective.

The Resolution demanded the establishment of a separate state based on the higher ideals of Islamic social justice and human compassion.

Though Allama Dr Muhammad Iqbal, poet-philosopher, gave an idea for the establishment of a separate homeland in 1930, there was still a need for a visionary leader to translate this concept into reality. The architect of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah led Muslims of the sub-continent out of the darkness of political bondage and frustra-

tion into the dawn of freedom, and gave direction to their quest for liberty and self-determination.

The emergence of Pakistan as a sovereign state after seven years was the result of a long and arduous struggle under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. His motto, “Unity, Faith and Discipline” inspired the Muslims of Sub-continent and greatly helped in achieving Independence. Renowned American historian Stanley Wolpert paid a glowing and befitting tribute to his leadership in the following words, “Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world.

Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Muhammad Ali Jinnah did all three.”

Pakistan was achieved through a democratic struggle. The leadership of Pakistan movement stood for the rule of law, for freedom, social justice and representative rule where people would be the master of their destiny. They envisaged Pakistan as a welfare state.

Therefore, whichever political party we may belong to, it is our

Pakistan and Oman continue to maintain their traditionally close and mutually beneficial relations which are based on mutual respect and trust.

Naheed Naveed Atif Charge d’Affaires

collective responsibility to preserve and protect the democratic order in the country and make every effort to achieve the above mentioned goals. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah said: “We want to make this great State

of Pakistan happy and prosperous; we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and especially of the masses and the poor.”

Pakistan and Sultanate of Oman continue to maintain their

traditionally close and mutually beneficial relations which are based on mutual respect and trust. The strength of PakistanOman relationship lies in diversified engagement in many fields such as trade, defense, culture and education. I am happy that our relations with Oman are growing in all fields. I am looking forward to further promoting and expanding fraternal ties between the two countries. May Allah bless and guide the leadership of both the countries to continue with their endeavors to achieve further progress and prosperity for both the countries.

On this happy occasion I wish to convey our sincere greetings to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and pray for the health and long life of His Majesty and for the continued progress and prosperity of the brotherly people of Oman under his benevolent rule.

I avail this opportunity to acknowledge the positive role played by the Pakistani community in upholding the soft image of Pakistan through their hard work and dedication. The Paki-

stani community is contributing to the development of the Sultanate and therefore, remains a great source of strength for us. I urge them to continue to perform with dedication and achieve new heights in serving the Sultanate of Oman. I also convey my gratitude to the Pakistan community for their unwavering and continuous support for the successful accomplishment of many welfare projects which were otherwise very difficult to complete. On behalf of the Embassy of Pakistan I express my appreciation and thanks to the valued sponsors supporting the issuance of special supplements in three newspapers.

Let us pray that Allah Almighty grants us wisdom, courage and resolve to take our country on the path of glory and bless our efforts to prove ourselves worthy of the heritage bequeathed to us by our founding fathers. I pray to Allah Almighty to enable us to protect Pakistan and put it on the rails of progress and prosperity.

Long live Pakistan-Oman friendship. — Naheed Naveed Atif

I N S I D E PAG E S

The irresistible Pakistani fruits

Why invest in Pakistan!

Coastal attractions of Balochistan

Economy on the road to recovery

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

The irresistible

P

akistan is one of the few countries in the world where fruits grown in cool temperate climate (apples, plums, pears, cherries), warm temperate (apricots, grapes, pomegranates and melon), and subtropical climate (citrus, mango, banana, dates and guava) are available. Country annually produces about 12 million tons of fruits that fetch over $102.7 million in exports. Citrus fruit is leading in terms of production followed by mango, dates and guava.

Sweet Citrus Fruits (mandarins, clementine and oranges) With 2.29 million tons, Pakistan is the 10th largest producer of Citrus in the world. Citrus is cultivated on an area of 193,212 hectares and it is increasing at compound an-

nual growth rate of 5 percent annually. Pakistan is also the largest producer of ‚Citrus Reticula‘ variety (mandarins). This unique variety of citrus is indigenous to this part of the world. According to an estimate, approximately 95 percent of the total mandarins produced all over the world is grown in Pakistan. Punjab is the centre of production and supplies citrus fruits of high quality and grade.

The soil and climatic conditions in Pakistan have given mandarin a unique flavor which distinguishes it from other comparable varieties grown in the World.

and sweetness. It is home to more than 150 varieties of mangoes of which ‘Sindhri’, also known as the king of mangoes, remains the most popular. Other major varieties include Chaunsa, Anwar Ratol, Langra, Malda, Fajri, Bagan Pali, Dusheri, Kala Pahar, Neelam, Summer Bahist and Totapari. These mangoes remain in high demand in international markets as some of them like Chaunsa and Sindhri are not found anywhere else. The European Union, Australia, South Korea, Japan, the Gulf and USA are the major importers of Pakistani mangoes.

Magical mangoes Pakistan, world’s third largest producer of mango, keeps the credit to produce some of the finest qualities of this fruit for their unique taste

Irresistible apple Apples have been grown as commercial fruit plants in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since long. The production of deciduous

TIMES OF OMAN SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

PAKISTAN NATIONAL DAY 2016

Pakistani fruits

HIGHLIGHTS Pakistan produces 12 million tonnes of fruit every year Fruits worth $102.7 million are exported annually apple in Balochistan has a special significance among other fruit growing areas. This is because the environmental conditions are relatively far more suitable for the production of this fruit. Apple is grown in highlands of Balochistan with a production of 0.224 million tones. The Tur-Kulu (red delicious) and Shin-Kulu (golden delicious) are the famous varieties for their very attractive color and taste throughout Pakistan.

Delicious dates Pakistan is one of the main growers of dates. It follows Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and UAE in the list of top date producing countries with about 10 percent share of global production.

Balochistan is the largest date producing province followed by Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakh-

tunkhwa. Out of the 300 varieties of dates produced in Pakistan, BegamJangi of Balochistan, Aseel of Sindh and Dhakki of Dera Ismail Khan are the most popular varieties across the world due to their exotic taste.

Pakistan earns around $29 million from export of dates each year.

India remains one of the major importers of Pakistani dried dates whereas major importers of fresh dates include the US, Turkey, UAE, Qatar and Malaysia.

Export of fruit in Pakistan has shown an appreciable increase in recent years. Latest post-harvest techniques such as hydro cooling, refrigeration and freezing, modified atmosphere (MA) packaging, storage, control atmosphere storage, skin coating, hypobaric are being employed to preserve and protect the quality of the product.

Pakistan is 10th largest producer of Citrus in the world 95 percent of mandarins produced in the world is grown in Pakistan Pakistan is third largest producer of mangoes Pakistan grows about 10 percent of global dates‘ production Latest post-harvest techniques are used to protect quality of its fruits

3

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

Why invest in Pakistan!

With the nation experiencing steady economic growth and stability, Pakistan offers global investors a plethora of incentives to make the most of their investments in the country

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ith democracy ďŹ nding its feet in Pakistan, the country is now well on its way to strengthening its institutions and delivering in more areas of economy than ever before. With the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s economy growing steadily, Pakistan now offers ideal atmosphere for global investors to do business there.

Pakistan is home to the sixth largest population in the world at more than 180 million people and is also the 26th largest economy by purchasing power parity and 44th largest economy by real gross domestic product. By 2050, Pakistan is tipped to become the 18th largest economy. The country is a federal parliamentary democracy, comprising four provinces and federal territories, based on separation of powers principle and an efficient regulatory system that oversees the economy. There are a number of

very good reasons why Pakistan is an attractive destination for foreign investment:

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Demographic dividend Pakistan has the fastest growing middle class in South Asia with a wide consumer base. According to the Asian Development Bank since 1990 Pakistan has experienced a growth in the middle class at an astonishing 36.5 percent. Pakistan is the sixth largest market in the world with a population of 180 million of which more than 65 million constitute the middle class.

Global FMCG giants see Pakistan as a lucrative market for their products. It may be added here that consumer spending in Pakistan has increased by an average of 26% in three years, according to a Bloomberg report published on November 21, 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a strong sign that people are consuming more goods than ever before. This rise in consumer demand has spurred the growth of supermarkets across major ur-

TIMES OF OMAN SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

PAKISTAN NATIONAL DAY 2016 HIGHLIGHTS Pakistan is home to 6th largest population in the world 26th largest economy by purchasing power parity 44th largest economy by real gross domestic product Tipped to become 18th largest economy in the world by 2050 Fastest growing middle class in South Asia Consumer spending increasing annually by an average of 26% Corporate income tax holiday of 10 years for investors Pakistan has the 10th largest labour force in the world

ban centres, which include, but are no longer limited to, Karachi, Hyderabad, Multan, Lahore, Faisalabad and Islamabad. Such superstores are getting larger and asking manufacturers for broader brand portfolios in order to serve their customers better. They have larger shelves, enabling them to have more sophisticated and developed categories in which they can stock more products than ever before.

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Evolving investor friendly policy Pakistan accords equal treatment to local and foreign investors. All economic sectors are open to FDI except a few specified industries like arms and ammunition, explosives, radioactive substances, security printing, currency and mint. Foreign equity up to 100% is allowed, apart from a host of other incentives including remittances of royalty, technical and franchise fee, dividends, capital and profits and import of raw material for export

manufacturing zero-rated.

Foreign Investment is fully protected by following Acts: i. Foreign Private Investment [Promotion & Protection] Act, 1976. ii. Protection of Economic Reforms Act,1992.

Pakistan‘s investment policy has been formulated to create an investor-friendly environment with a focus on further opening up the economy and marketing the potential for direct foreign investment. Various incentives have been offered to attract foreign investment including full repatriation of capital, capital gains, dividends and profits. Furthermore, according to various economic commentators, Pakistan has the most liberal investment policy regimes and public-private partnership frameworks in the entire South Asian region. The changed scenario of globalization has shackled the economies of the developing countries and has forced them to adopt liberalized policies for attraction of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

In the backdrop of international competition, these countries have created efficient and competitive industrial clusters / economic zones.

These zones have reduced the cost of doing business and thereby increased their exports share globally.

To meet global competitiveness effectively and efficiently, creation of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Pakistan has become an acute necessity. The SEZ Act, promulgated in 2012 provides SEZs to be set up by the federal or provincial governments themselves or under different modes of public-private partnership or exclusively through the private sector.

The provincial SEZ authorities,

set up under the law, are required to move the applications received from developers to the Federal Board of Investment for seeking approval of Board of Approvals/ Approvals committee. The main objective of this SEZ is to give assurance to the investors that the incentives once given cannot be withdrawn to the disadvantage to the investors. The features/incentives for the SEZs are as under: - Exemption of levies on import of capital equipment for zone developers and investors - Corporate Income tax holiday of 10 years for investors and for zone developers - Captive power generation would be allowed to zone developers - Maximum land that each SEZ can allocate for commercial use and other non-productive activities such as for setting up retail shops, other recreational areas, hospitals etc should be limited to 30% of total land area.

- Minimum area for a SEZ should be 50 acres.

- Investors must begin construction within 6 months and production within 24 months of project approval. The land titled will not be transferred to the investor until after it has been in production for 6 months.

- Each SEZ must have rules regarding investment destiny and coverage ratio in place that will have to be approved by the Board of Approvals (BoA).

- Any Existing Zone at its desire may apply to the SEZ Authority in which they are located to become eligible for SEZ but can avail only one set of incentives.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

Coastal attractions of Balochistan

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lessed with a coastline of 800 kilometres, Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan area wise, is known to have breathtaking natural beauty and historical places along the way.

A trip to Balochistan will take you through to an unforgettable journey full of chill, thrill and adventure of a lifetime.

Gwadar Port

Gwadar is famous for three things: fishing village, 5-star hotel on the hammerhead, and the famous Gwadar Port, which was opened in 2007 by then President General Pervez Musharraf. Gwadar port was built with the assistance of China. It is situated on three very important cross-roads: oil rich Middle East, Central Asian countries and Pakistan. The plan for this port was to facilitate trade and accessibility to Central Asian countries via Afghanistan. A good vantage point to view this port is from the Pearl Continental Hotel which is situated on top of the hammerhead. PC can arrange a tour of the port if one wants to go and see it.

Hammerhead in Gwadar

Hammerhead is a projection protruding out on the ocean, and looks like front of a hammerhead shark.

This rocky mass was created by ancient mud volcanoes which covered this region. Majority of the mountains carved on the coastal highways are results of mud volcanoes. The hammerhead on its southern side gives a beautiful view of the Arabian Sea, and on its north end the Gwadar City. Gwadar’s prime residential block, Sanghar Housing scheme, is built on top of this hammerhead.

Also on the hammerhead is an army and a navy base.

Ormara

Ormara is approx 240 km from Karachi. This city is also at a midpoint between Karachi and Gwadar. The city belongs to Pakistan Navy as several of their vessels are stationed here. A large hammerhead formation protects Ormara from the sea. It is also a small fishing village, and a pit stop for fuel and nourishment. The beach at Ormara is beautiful, sandy, clear and untouched. A small airport also serves the local population.

Ormara is also an ancient city and Alexander the Great’s route is linked with it. The city got its name from

one of Alexander’s General Ormuz, who died here.

The Sphinx

From a distance it looked like the replica of the Sphinx in Egypt. A naturally carved object on top of a range, the formation resembles the famous man-made structure. This is situated well before Princess of Hope. The formation is within the Buzzi Pass. One cannot miss it.

Buzzi Pass

Buzzi pass is the most spectacular scenery one can imagine. Starting from Kund Malir where the MCH starts to climb and going all the way till you reach Ormara (approx.

100 km from Kund Malir), one is treated to an unimaginable scenery and views.

Overlooking the Hingol National Park, the scenery definitely resembles a mini-Grand Canyon. The road climbs to approx 1500 feet only, and on both sides there is something to see. On various spots small streams are flowing, or small crater type lakes are visible.

Various rock carvings that can be seen inside the Buzzi pass remind one of different architecture (Sphinx, Pyramids, Greek Pan-

theon, etc) around the world. Who knows travelers through this region may have got the idea of building similar architecture.

MCH is the same route Alexander the Great took on his way back after sightseeing the Indian Subcontinent and it was the treacherous Buzzi pass where he lost many of his legions. The landscape on the MCH is really spaced out.

The dry-diverse landscape, built by ages of erosion and eruptions, has made this drive on the coastal highway once (or twice) in a lifetime trip. Some of the sceneries, especially in driving through the Buzzi pass, are breathtaking.

Right after you pass Hingol River bridge, the scenery suddenly changes. On your right are mountains, and on your left a desert. Beyond the desert is the ocean. If you have a 4x4 car, you can enjoy a short desert safari sunning up and down the sand dunes.

easily traverse this journey in approx 3-4 hours.

From the coastal highway at Aghore, a dirt track leads towards Nani Mandir, a Hindu temple carved inside the mountain, and is situated approx. 10-15 km inside the Hingol mountain ranges. At one time one could take their own car till the temple, but neglect has caused the road to deteriorate, and one now needs a 4x4 to reach this site, as you may have to cross the Hingol river.

Mythology states that to calm deity Shiva down when he was in his trance performing Tandava/dance, deity Vishnu carved Sati (first consort) into several pieces, and spread it around the sub-continent. The head landed at Hinglaj.

Ex-Indian foreign minister of BJP, Jaswant Singh, made a pilgrimage to this Mandir in 2006.

Devotees part of pilgrimage is to visit the Mud Volcano first, Baba Chandrakup, and then travel to Nani Mandir, which is revered both

by Hindu and Muslim followers.

Nani Mandir

Mud volcano

Hinglaj is an important Hindu community’s pilgrimage site. Situated almost 250 km from Karachi on the Makran Coastal Highway, one can

The geographical terrain of Hingol National Park was created millions of years ago by various mud volcanoes which existed in this area. Very

Desert

few (some say 18) active volcanoes are left, and one of them is called Baba Chandrakup (apprx 200-300 feet high). It is also claimed that this is the largest mud volcano in the world. The mud it spews out is not hot, but cold.

On the Makran Coastal Highway there is huge sign directing one towards the mud volcano, but one needs a 4x4 vehicle to reach this volcano or walk 7 kms towards it.

The mud volcano is part of Hindu mythology, where devotees on their pilgrimage camped overnight at the base and offered “Roti” (bread) in the morning, and confessed their sins. Those who do not confess are separated from the pilgrimage and asked to go back. After the completion of their rites, the pilgrims proceeded towards Nani Mandir, approx 27 km from here.

Hingol National Park

Hingol National Park is the largest national park in Pakistan. Declared national park in 1997 owing to its ecological and biodiversity importance, it stretches over 600,000 hectares, including both terrestrial and marine species, the first and only protected area of such kind in south Asia.

TIMES OF OMAN SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

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PAKISTAN NATIONAL DAY 2016 FROM

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Why invest in Pakistan!

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Large workforce Pakistan is the 10th largest country in the world according to the size of the labour force. The latest statistics show that the total labour force has increased from 50 million in 2005-06 to 59.7 million in 2012-13. It shows that more than 9 million people joined the labour force during this period. On the other side, the number of employed labour force increased from 46.95 million to 56.0 million during this period. This means that all the increase in labour force could not be adjusted in employment sector and therefore unemployed people increased from 3.10 million to 3.73 million during the same period.

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Availability of skilled manpower Pakistan has more than 200 institutions of Higher Education recognized by the Higher Education Commission. The country produces close to half a million graduates and about 20,000 graduates in Computer Science and about as many in engineering faculties annually. This translates into huge potential vis a

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

vis skilled manpower in the country.

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English speaking work force Pakistan has one of the largest English speaking work forces outside the English speaking world. English language is compulsory in all educational institutions in Pakistan and secondary, higher secondary, graduate and post graduate level education is largely conducted in the English language. Euromonitor International estimated in 2009 that 49 percent of Pakistani population has working knowledge of the English language which translates into about 92 million Pakistanis.

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Infrastructure improvement The emphasis in recent years has been on infrastructure improvement, both technologically and physically. A series of new motorways has been planned and new highways and expressways have been completed to link various cities in the country. The government is implementing Bus Rapid Transit systems in major cities. Plans to link

various cities through bullet trains are afoot. A brand new airport, the Gandhara International Airport, is nearing completion in Islamabad and will be equipped with the latest facilities. On technology front, Pakistan has auctioned off 3G and 4G licenses and now 3G cellular services are operational all around the country. The government is also making efforts towards improving internet connectivity and penetration even in the remotest parts of the country.

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China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) China and Pakistan have entered into a comprehensive plan of “economic corridor” between the two nations. It will serve as driver for connectivity between South Asia and East Asia. High level infrastructure development will link Urumqi in Western China to Pakistani centers of Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and ultimately the Gwadar Port. It forms part of the “String of Pearls” strategic maritime planning by the Chinese.

The Chinese Economic Corridor which will link Western China to Middle East and Africa has immense

economic potential in services especially transportation and banking.

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Geographic location Pakistan is located at a strategic hub, close to the markets of South East Asia, Middle East and also Europe. Pakistan‘s neighbour to the east is India which is a rising economy in its own right and with which Pakistan is attempting to cultivate long term peaceful relations. To Pakistan‘s south west is the oil rich Middle East.

Towards Pakistan‘s North West is the energy rich Central Asia and in Pakistan‘s north is China. Pakistan‘s airports can serve as transportation hubs. Karachi‘s Jinnah International Airport is more or less equidistant to Dubai, Doha, Delhi, Mumbai, Muscat, Lahore and Islamabad.

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Natural resources Pakistan is rich in natural resources. The potential for oil, gas and minerals exploration in the west of the country is enormous.

The east, historic Indus Valley, is extremely rich in agriculture.

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TIMES OF OMAN SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016

PAKISTAN NATIONAL DAY 2016

Economy on the road to recovery, stability

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hatever fair or unfair criticism that may be leveled against the government, Pakistan’s economy is moving towards a stable recovery after a turbulent period of five years. The country is slowly winning the confidence of the foreign investors and countries like South Korea, Japan, China, UK, Gulf and UAE are coming forward with full vigor to invest here, especially in the energy sector.

Highly encouraged by robust manufacturing and service sector, GDP growth is projected to achieve four percent this year. From a weak financial position, the government is taking all sorts of positive measures to meet its fiscal deficit target.

No doubt the imports, FDI flows and private investment and circular debt in the energy sector still remain perturbing. The current account deficit remains normal, about one percent of GDP, being supported by strong remittances and export sturdiness.

The external position is cautiously improving since monetary and exchange rate policies moved towards ameliorating reserves last November. The fiscal deficit is at around six percent of GDP, with restriction on current and development expenditure. Growth continues to be motivated by private consumption.

However, private domestic investment recovery is mild.

The surge in growth of large-scale manufacturing came from strong performances of agro-based indus-

HIGHLIGHTS Pak economy showing signs of improvement, says IMF GDP growth expected to reach four percent in 2016 Robust manufacturing and service sector pushing growth

tries, iron and steel, construction and external demand-driven cotton yarn and fabrics-based textiles while the agriculture performance was slightly below the target due to un-favorable weather conditions.

The government has tried to rectify its loose financial stance. On the expenditure side, energy-related subsidies have been reduced with tariff adjustments. Nevertheless circular debt is again becoming visible. External financing available to the government is scarce, but expected to improve. Uncertainty in the political environment still weakens investor’s confidence and lessens economic activity. The worrisome domestic energy sector continues to sustain a long-due complex inheritance on its circular debt. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan economy is showing signs of

improvement and that its reform program remains broadly on track.

IMF is concerned that inflation will rebound in the coming months. It has forecast that inflation in Pakistan will hit 10 percent this year.

Pakistan is committed to increasing growth and improving financial stability, while implementing measures to reduce deficit. State Bank of Pakistan has estimated economic growth in current financial year of up to four percent, surpassing forecasts by international agencies.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a $6.7 billion loan package for Pakistan in September last year, subject to strict economic reforms, particularly in its troubled energy sector and tax system. In the last fiscal year, Pakistan’s economy grew at 3.6 percent, the central bank said and inflation fell to single digits. But it warned inflation could rise as high as 11 percent in the current fiscal year.

The latest macro-economic indicators show a strong recovery of Pakistan economy. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar recently noted that the fiscal deficit is well below the target for the current year, inflation is down to single digit and foreign reserves have crossed the $10 billion mark.

He said that the stock market in the country is booming and has reached the 31,000 mark. The government had cleared the circular debt and was able to add 1,700 MWs of electricity to the national system in the near future, which led to growth in large scale manufacturing.