Times of Oman - January 25, 2016

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FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

To the students of Sultan Qaboos University, 2000

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

At the pre-university or pre-higher education levels we acquire the knowledge that was acquired by those who went before us. However, at the higher end of the education ladder we are expected to add new knowledge to that which already exists, to carry out research, think and reach conclusions.

MONDAY, January 25, 2016 / 15 Rabi Al Thani 1437 AH timesofoman.com

LAOS

His Majesty receives thanks MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a cable of thanks from President Choummaly Sayasone of the Laos People’s Democratic Republic in reply to His Majesty’s greetings cable on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, President Sayasone expressed his utmost thanks and appreciation for His Majesty the Sultan’s greetings, wishing His Majesty good health and well-being and the Omani people continuous success. -ONA

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E X PA N S I O N W O R K

Fahd reviews work progress at Muscat Airport MUSCAT: His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers and members of the Council of Ministers reviewed the work of Muscat International Airport on Sunday.

Upon his arrival, Sayyid Fahd was received by Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Salim Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications and officials at the ministry, in addition to members of the Technical Committee supervising the airports projects.

The Minister of Transport and Communications gave a visual presentation to their highnesses and excellencies on the airports in Oman, their components, the progress of work, the completion stage and the status of readiness for operation. >A7

INSPECTION: His Highness Sayyid Fahd asked the Board of Directors of the company to implement the project on time. -ONA

Renewed calls for school bus safety Two years after a horrific crash that killed three young students from Pakistan School Muscat in Darsait, parents say little has changed to make their children safer

RAHUL DAS

rahuldas@timesofoman.com

MORNING MINUTE

MUSCAT: Every day thousands of children are ferried to and from their daily lessons by school buses, but two years after a fatal crash that claimed the lives of three young students from Pakistan School Muscat in Darsait, parents say little has changed to make children safer.

“Life on the buses is still full of fear, as senior students of Pakistan School have to travel from faraway places to Darsait for their schooling. Soon after the accident, school authorities had announced that they would ensure safer school-managed transport system, but later I was told that they were no longer pursuing the

plan,” said Habibul Rehman, the father of Jawad Habib, who is still undergoing treatment in Muscat from injuries sustained during the bus accident.

The safety proposal was initiated after three students were killed when their bus hit a vehicle belonging to Muscat Municipality on Qurum Heights Road on January 22, 2014.

Project shelved The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Pakistan Schools, Mohammad Adnan Shehzad, said the project had to be shelved, as only 1 per cent of the parents wished to participate.

“Out of the 2,500 parents, only 25 to 30 parents opted for the safe transport system when we

The bus which met with an accident in Qurum Heights Road on January 22, 2014.

conducted a survey in September and October 2015,” he said, adding that the Board will be again pushing for changes during the next semester.

Meanwhile, the Indian Schools officials say they have drawn up plans for the safe transport system for all their schools, but so far only two of the 19 have witnessed the real change.

“We have already implemented the plan in Indian School Mabelah and Darsait, and will be doing it in Indian School Muscat and Indian School Seeb in the coming months,” said Wilson V George, chairman of the Indian Schools’ Board of Directors.

“Student safety is our priority,” Wilson added.

A senior official of the Ministry of Education (MoE) said that they are planning a safe transport scheme for all the government schools in partnership with the recently relaunched public bus service.

“With the help of Mwasalat buses, we are expanding the services to assure there are safer buses across Muscat. The work for this has already begun,” the official said. Recently, the Ministry has planned to replace the old model school buses with new school buses, in cooperation with Mwasalat.

“Mwasalat still offers services to schools throughout Muscat and continually boosts them with value-additions such as vehicle refurbishments, inside-out, and helping parents track a child’s bus in real time when not connected to the net. >A6

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

REGION

MARKET

Cute canines wow visitors at contest

Assad forces retake key rebel-held town

‘Oman’s Islamic banks to sustain growth’

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Oman’s Islamic banks achieved robust growth in finance, which crossed OMR1.6b by the Novemberend, 2015. Islamic banks and window operations saw 65.49% growth to reach OMR1,644.5m by end-November 2015, against OMR993.7m for same period. last year. >B1

More than 80 dogs wowed people on Friday at the annual dog competition organised by Muscat Canine in Al Seeb. Referred to as man’s best friend, pet members of the species competed in different activities including agility challenge, dance shows and attack simulation contests.>A6

ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

Syrian pro-government forces recaptured a key rebel-held town in coastal Latakia province, building on battlefield advances in the area just a day ahead of planned talks in Geneva between Damascus and Syria’s opposition. The latest advance comes just ahead of scheduled talks. >A8

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Fans flock to see Omani artists

O N LY A R A B C O U N T RY

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QUARANTINED

Omani tests positive for MERS in Thailand REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A 71-year-old Omani was quarantined at a hospital in Bangkok after he was diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, according to Thai media reports.

Quoting Thailand’s Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, the media reported that this was the second case of the MERS virus identified in Thailand.

“This case of virus-afflicted Omani was detected on Friday.

He was travelling to Bangkok,” Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn told a news conference in Bangkok.

“After he took a taxi to a hotel, the Omani national was checked for the virus at a hospital which is when the MERS virus was detected,” the report quoted the minister as saying.

According to the media reports, the man tested positive for MERS at Bamrungrad and Chulalongkorn hospitals.

The man was referred to Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute on Saturday at 6.20pm. Another laboratory test by the Medical Science Department confirmed that he had, indeed, contracted MERS. The minister said the Omani man was now quarantined at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute of the Diseases Control Department.

The Public Health Ministry is looking for people which had come into contact with the patient. These included a relative who had accompanied the patient, 218 people, including crew members and passengers who are still in Thailand, one taxi driver, a hotel employee, and 30 hospital staff. >A6

EXPLORING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Oman among top 17 growing tourist spots ‘Investment promotion offices planned abroad’

TARIQ AL HAREMI

tariqh@timesofoman.com

PICTURE-PERFECT: The lush green Wadi Darbat in the Dhofar governorate is among the most favoured tourist destinations.

MUSCAT: Oman has been ranked among the top 17 of the world’s fastest growing tourism destinations, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Travel Barometer.

Ranked 16th, ahead of Romania and behind Columbia, the Sultanate is the only Arab and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country to make the list.

While much of the Middle East has been suffering in recent years, with the rise of the Arab Spring, civil wars breaking out and the emergence of terrorist organisations in the North, Oman still continues to attract tourists.

In 2005, the Sultanate saw about 891,000 tourists’ arrival while in 2015, the number doubled to

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com

around 1.78 million visitors, accounting for a 17 per cent increase.

According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information’s (NCSI) latest monthly bulletin report, 964,956 guests had checked into 3-5 star hotels by the end of October 2015.

Earlier this month, Dr. Ahmad Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, announced a waterfront project which will begin on July 1. >A6

MUSCAT: Investment promotion offices are planned to be set up in several countries, said a senior official at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI).

The chamber will focus in a major way this year on business and investment opportunities in Oman, and offices will be set up in five countries, Redha Juma Mohammed Ali Al Saleh, vicechairman at the OCCI, told the Times of Oman.

Asked about the target countries, Al Saleh said the names of these countries would be officially announced later.

According to him, Omani businessmen will be present at these offices to promote trade and investment in Oman.

At the same time, they will assist the businessmen of the respective countries who evince an interest in dealing with Oman and entering the Sultanate’s market, added Al Saleh, the OCCI vice-chairman for administration and finance affairs.

The official explained that this year, one of the major areas of focus in terms of investment promotion will be the mining sector, given the recent establishment of an OMR100-million mining development company, called Mining Development Oman (MDO). >A6

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OMAN

TOURISM

‘Oman can build on its ‘safe’ image to attract more tourists’ ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Oman can build on its ‘safe’ image and high potential to attract more tourists but it needs to invest more in developing its infrastructure and marketing, says a senior official from a leading international travel agency chain.

Travelling is not as safe as it used to be some years ago but Oman is a safe country and can ‘play this card’, Klaus Henschel, managing director, Lufthansa City Centre International GmbH (LCCI), told the Times of Oman in an exclusive interview.

SENTENCED

Vendors get jail, fine for selling food unfit to eat ERIK PRINS

erik@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Two persons have been sentenced to a combined jail time of eight months and fined OMR44,000 for violating the Consumer Protection Law, the Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) said last Saturday.

The report, published in Arabic on the Authority’s website, said the Primary Court in Ibri has charged the two with offences, including failing to withdraw food unfit for consumption, threatening the wellbeing of consumers and falsely informing consumers.

According to the report, the maximum penalty, three months in jail and OMR30,000, was handed down to the accused for selling products that do not meet official requirements.

A fine of OMR2,000 and a jail sentence of one month was also issued for falsely informing consumers about products that were sold.

Said bin Salim Al Omairi, legal expert and designate Director of the Dhahira office of PACP, said during an inspection in the Al Dhahira region it was discovered that one of the shops was selling frozen chickens that weighed less than indicated on the packaging.

Additionally, he said, the Authority had been informed by the Saudi Rapid Food Alert Centre that frozen chickens from an international company, with production dates between 1-12015 and 1-12-2015, contained salmonella bacteria. Al Omairi said that in the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), it is forbidden to sell products infected with the bacteria.

I N I T I AT I V E

Omran sets up design league Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) has announced Omran’s Creative Design League, comprising up-and-coming young Omani architects and designers to further the goal of creating unique, world-class destinations.

The initiative is looking to recruit up to 20 League members, all of who will be employed by Omran, with standout candidates being given the opportunity to undertake a summer course at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD).

The formation of the League, with its vision to become a leading independent forum for architecture, design and urban planning in the Sultanate, is a necessary step in Omran’s task of creating quality destinations and urban centres that will build capacity and capability within the tourism sector.

It will be primarily involved in the design of the Mina Sultan Qaboos Waterfront Project Muscat and the Madinat Al Irfan Urban Centre, besides to being embedded with various local and global architecture, landscape and interior-design firms contracted by Omran.

He was visiting Muscat to open a new LCC office in Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos along with Khimji’s House of Travel, their franchisee partner in the Sultanate.

Their office was previously located in Ruwi.

LCC is the largest independent travel agency franchise system focusing on individual tailor-made customer service for both leisure and corporate customers.

It currently has over 650 offices in 80 countries around the world, most of which are located in Germany.

LCC is not part of the Lufthansa German Airlines and does not de-

pend on it, Henschel clarified.

The official noted that the new office in Muscat will provide a good platform for the clients to have face-to-face conversations with service providers and get the necessary information.

According to Henschel, global tourism is often affected by political, financial and natural crises happening all over the world but LCC looks into developing new products for ‘non-dangerous’ countries.

He believes that Oman can promote itself as a safe country the way Iceland, for example, is known for its safe environment

which helps it receive a large number of tourists.

Oman has great tourism potential, especially for leisure travel, as the country has many attractions including a rich culture, sea, beaches and mountains, besides its good image, he said.

However, it has to invest money in developing its infrastructure and marketing and should focus on budget tourism in order to attract those who travel with lower budgets, Henschel added.

Oman should promote itself as an attractive destination not only for stopovers, but also for longer travel periods, the official said.

Asked about LCC’s activities in Oman, Henschel said it has been a ‘successful story,’ thanks to the efforts of their reliable partner, Khimji’s House of Travel.

According to him, the LCC’s management information system (MIS), which collects data at one central place from all over the world helps fulfil various needs of the network’s clients, including those in Oman.

A standalone company cannot afford to invest in the hardware and software aspects of such a system, so this is an advantage that Khimji’s House of Travel has, he noted.

Oman can promote itself as a safe country, says Klaus Henschel, managing director, Lufthansa City Centre International. – Jun Estrada

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MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

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Fans flock to Naseem Garden to watch concert of Omani artists at the Muscat Festival, with fans mouthing the lyrics along with the artists.

the Omani Song Festival.

Saleh commended Muscat Festival panel for holding the event, saying, “It has given me the opportunity to reconnect with my fans after the Omani Song Festival.”

About his future plans, he said, “I have many plans that I’m preparing to accomplish, including continuing to work on my music with support of the supervising committee of the Omani Song Festival as well as participating in an Arab Song programme. It will facilitate the connection between the artist and his fans, which is important.”

Opening Muhad Saleh opened the concert with a bang, leaving crowds screaming for more as he sang the night away. It was his first performance after being awarded the Golden Nightingale award at

New songs Second on stage was Laila bint Naseeb, a regular participant at the Muscat Festival who opened her segment by singing six new songs, including ‘Bas Ma Ahibak’ (I Just Don’t Love You), ‘Usboo’a Ma Ta-

Muhad and Laila performed their masterpieces on the ‘World Stage’ in Naseem Garden as part of Muscat Festival activities as fans at the venue mouthed their lyrics

Times News Service MUSCAT: Fans and audiences flocked to watch two Omani artists perform at the first musical concert in Naseem Garden that left them mesmerised.

Muhad Saleh and Laila bint Naseeb performed their masterpieces on the ‘World Stage’ in Naseem Garden as part of the activities

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sel Bi’ (A Week And You Haven’t Called) and ‘Habibi Allathi Ramani’ (My Love That Left Me) which left the crowd ecstatic and swaying to her voice.

Omani folklore Updating fans about her latest, she said, “I have just completed recording three songs and have other things going on that are in the pipeline. I will announce those as soon as these are accomplished.”

Meanwhile, as part of the entertainment show at the Naseem Garden, visitors were treated to traditional Omani folklore, something

the Muscat Festival unfailingly brings to the festivities.

A’Shawat’e (Shores) Band group danced and pranced around the Naseem Garden premises while performing Liwa, a traditional Omani dance, which left the locals, residents and tourists, all amazed.

Traditional dances like the Sabata and Jumbi, among others, showcased Oman’s culture, with such folklore arts educating the visitors about the rich culture of the Sultanate.

“Not many know about Omani folklore, let alone the arts and dancing. Therefore, it was a great experience to see something like this here,” said a German tourist, adding, “I look forward to seeing more.”

The band, that comes from Suwaiq, have been a regular participant at the Muscat Festival.

They use the opportunity to per-

form during the festival in order to attract a large number of crowds, thus introducing them to traditional Omani culture. Among such beneficiaries are not just expatriates but even Omanis.

“It is a great way for tourists to learn about our traditional arts and for them to appreciate it as well,” said a local who wanted to remain anonymous.

The band leader, Yousuf Al Saadi, said, “Our uniqueness as a band is incomparable to others because we bring the true traditional art form.”

“We use drums like the Rahmani, Al Kasir, the Bato and the Masindo. This band has participated in many local and international events,” he added. The band also performs on the National Day, at weddings and birthday parties, among other occasions.

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

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EVENT

MUSCAT: Twenty-sixth edition of Oman’s prestigious IT, Telecom & Technology Exhibition & Conference — COMEX 2016 — will kick off at the Oman International Exhibition Centre on April 12.

The five-day event is being organised by the Oman International Trade and Exhibitions (OITE).

Strategies The event will include a pavilion for broadband and optic fibre connection companies to discuss strategies to develop the IT and telecom infrastructure in Oman.

It will also include a platform for business sector and will witness trade meetings between ACHIEVEMENT

SQU jumps in global rankings Times News Service MUSCAT: Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) has climbed from 650 to 601 in 2014 and 550 to 501 in 2015 in the QS World University rankings. Among universities from the GCC countries listed in 2016, SQU was ranked number 7.

The QS Rankings, which began in 2004, rank universities based on their reputation and academic activities. SQU’s improvement was partially due to its score in citations per faculty criteria, which is an indicator of the quality of research. This reflects the increase in the number of citations SQU’s research publications are receiving.

SQU took a number of steps to improve these criteria. In a campus-wide campaign, staff were encouraged to register in international research databases to make their research more visible.

OMAN ASSIGNED BY HIS MAJESTY

April 12 date for COMEX 2016 Times News Service

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customers, government sectors and exhibitors.

COMEX 2016 will invite prominent personalities from the government and private sector and industry experts.

Opportunities The COMEX seminars will provide many opportunities for the sponsors and exhibitors to give presentations on their products, services and relevant solutions.

Tariq Ali, General Manager of the OITE Exhibitions, said the last edition of the event, by attracting over 120,000 participants during this 5-day event, proved again that the ICT sector has a lot of potential.

Such a large number of visitors

set the highest ever record in 25 years’ history of the show.

He pointed out that the ICT sector is growing at a steady pace and a lot of cooperation is going on between the public and private sector.

Productivity boost In a statement to the ONA, he added that COMEX will present solutions aimed at reducing costs and maximising productivity of the companies operating in transport, education, wholesale, oil and gas sector related infrastructure.

It is expected that the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India and the United States of America (USA) will take part in COMEX 2016.

Al Zubair to sponsor entrepreneurship award MUSCAT: Assigned by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Mohammed bin Al Zubair, Advisor to His Majesty the Sultan for Economic Planning Affairs will sponsor on Tuesday the announcement of winners of the 2nd version of the Entrepreneurship Award 2015 in its three main categories, namely Entrepreneurship Award, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Entrepreneurship Award and En-

trepreneurship Supporters Award.

The announcement ceremony, to be held at the Cultural Centre of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), will include a speech on Entrepreneurship Award and a presentation entitled “Award History” about the stages through which the award progressed since the launch of the second version down to the announcement of the final results.

The Entrepreneurship Award includes Entrepreneurship Award, Best Entrepreneur (male and female) Award, Best Project Idea, Best Media Initiative and Best Educational Initiative.

The SMEs Entrepreneurship Award includes Best Home Project, Best Macro Enterprise, and Best Small Enterprise in the industrial, commercial and services sectors.-ONA

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Cute canines wow visitors The rare and highpriced Tibetan Mastiff was among the many rare breed dogs that participated in the competition

HASAN SHABAN AL LAWATI

DOG SHOW: Dogs of breeds such as Dogo Aregntino, Siberian

Husky, Chow Chow and German Shepherd were also present.

hassan@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: More than 80 dogs wowed people on Friday at the annual dog competition organised

by Muscat Canine in Al Seeb.

Often referred to as man’s best friend, pet members of the species competed in different activities including agility challenge, dance shows and attack simulation contests.

The rare and high-priced Tibetan Mastiff was among the many rare breed dogs that participated

in the contest. Among them also were dogs of breeds such as Dogo Aregntino, Siberian Husky, Chow Chow and the king sized German Shepherd.

The Muscat Canine team was formed in 2013 in a bid to raise awareness about dogs and share knowledge about ways to train them. The group, headed by Sami Al Wahaibi, has more than 100 members, who specialise in dog affairs.

As a part of its contribution to the Muscat Festival, Muscat Canines held dog show events for disabled people and another couple of events in a number of colleges and universities in Oman.

“Thanks to our social media team, Muscat Canine is now recognised all over the Arab world,” said Sami Al Wahaibi, head of the team. The team will kick off its annual Dog Show 2016 event in February, according to the organisers.

W O R L D T O P D J AWA R D

Darren Short chosen for Best Radio DJ Middle East award MUSCAT: World Top DJ Award (WTD2015), the Middle East’s largest music award ceremony, kicked off this week.

The Best Radio DJ Middle East award was given to DJ Darren Short from Hi FM Oman, while the Best Event Agency in Music Festivals went to Oman-based Axis Events. The award ceremony took place at the Dubai Marina and witnessed performances by Baby Brown, DJ Vlader, DJ Shadow, DJ AKS and other upcoming stars.

“This amazing recognition by the International Entertainments Industry will drive Oman’s focus towards developing tourism. In the past, we have experienced many residents and citizens leaving the country to celebrate occasions, which was mainly due to the lack of options available in Oman, but recently we have received excellent responses and participation from the community. We also had visitors from Saudi and Bahrain for our last event,” said Dr Nithin RS, CEO of Axis Group.

Additionally, Darren Short of HI FM OMAN noted, “It is an honour to be recognised by international platforms. Oman, over the years, has been enfolding in many ways and has accepted and always been open to change. Rising in the field

TOP PRIORITY

MERS CASE

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Thanks to our social media team, Muscat Canine is now recognised all over the Arab world Sami Al Wahaibi, Muscat Canine team

DJ Darren Short from Hi FM Oman.

of entertainment will definitely open wider doors for tourism in the country.”

Al Mouj Golf Further, Al Mouj Golf has been recognised with the number 2 ranking among the top 10 golf courses across the Middle East, in a listing published annually by Golf Digest Middle East.

This is the only golf course in Oman that was considered for this nomination, as many top international golfing events have chosen Almouj Golf as their favourite venue. Oman, with its beautiful places of interest, superb landscape and

renowned beaches, has always been a tourist attraction. It is believed that a better social lifestyle and more international events could attract even more tourists to the country.

These awards could be the start of a better future for this country, where life is more joyful.

People not only want to live in a better location, they also want a place where they can celebrate and have fun from their stressful routines. Oman will now strive to be the right place for both.

The public hopes to see Oman rising to new heights and changing its social calendar for the better. Oman will no more be just a small spot in the Middle East, but a tourist destination recognized by international entertainment followers.

The top DJ title was awarded to DJ Tiesto, while best club in the Middle East went to Club Sensation, Dubai.

Personalities and celebrities from the entertainment and music industry, the event concluded by bringing together several international and Middle Eastern stars under one roof to celebrate and honour both known and unknown, as well as hard working and talented personalities.

JACARANDA ENSEMBLE

A1 Kept in isolation A1 Parents want safe transport system

These people will be kept under close surveillance for 14 days. Of them, 37 have been categorised as high-risk. They included the patient’s relative, 23 air passengers, the taxi driver, the hotel employee, and 11 hospital staff.

Several attempts by the Times of Oman to seek a comment from the Ministry of Health in Oman went in vain. Thailand’s first MERS case was detected last year, and was of a businessman from Oman who survived the disease.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation’s Regional Office for South-East Asia tweeted vide its official twitter handle on Sunday, cautioning against the need to remain vigilant.

According to Oman’s World Health Organisation (WHO) office’s statement on its website,

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on January 3, the National IHR Focal Point of Oman had notified the WHO of one additional case of MERS infection.

“A 44-year-old male from the North Batinah Governorate developed symptoms on December 25 and on January 1, and was admitted to hospital. On January 3, the patient, who has no comorbidity, tested positive for MERS-CoV. Currently, he is in stable condition in a negative pressure isolation room in a ward. The patient has a history of exposure to dromedary camels in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. He did not have any history of exposure to other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Contact tracing of household contacts is ongoing for the case,” the WHO statement said.

“The safety of our little angels is of utmost importance and our staff members are specially trained to ensure that the seat belts are fastened and children are not allowed to move around when the vehicle is in motion.

Safety measures ensure everyone is safe and sound onboard,” it said on its website.

Statistics issued by the National Center for Statistics and Information revealed that the total number of students are 358,095 males and 342,986 females in the Sultanate schools. This includes government, private schools and community schools.

In government schools only, there are 523,522 students while in private there are 97,465 students and in community schools there are 57,986 students, according to the NCSI statistics for 2014-2015. Regarding the condition of his son, Habibul Rehman said his son is improving, though “his left side is still not moving and he often loses his balance even after 24 months,” he said.

Habib was sitting in front af-

ter boarding the bus from Al Hail South when it met with an accident on Qurum Heights Road.

The condition of another injured student, Faizal Abdul Aziz, however, has not improved much.

“I shifted my family to Pakistan some months back, and he is still lying senseless. He still cannot recognise anybody and has forgotten how to talk,” his father Aziz said.

Faizal received injuries to his head, chest, arms and legs during the school bus accident.

While Faizal and Habib were injured in the accident, three students, Fareeha, Owais Nasser, and Syed Fahad Abdul Haq, died in the crash. Meanwhile, safe school transport is what parents hope to see put in place. “It is always better that the schools run their own transportation systems, as we feel that our kids are safe when in school, rather than in the hands of private operators,” a parent, Habibul Rehman, said.

There are also concerns about private bus operators not picking up students on time.

C O M PA N Y S E T U P

A1 Fishing industry an investment priority < FROM

The company was recently set up by the State General Reserve Fund (SGRF), the Oman Investment Fund (OIF), the Oman Oil Company (OOC) and Oman National Investments Development Company (Tanmia).

The OCCI vice-chairman also said manufacturing, particularly in the fisheries industry, is another priority area for investment, considering Oman’s vast resources in this regard.

Omani fish is currently exported to other countries in raw form, without being processed, he noted, adding that Oman does not gain much this way.

“So we are encouraging our investors or partners to invest in Oman to process this fish and only then export it,” he said.

Logistics is another sector that Al Saleh believes is very important, given the Sultanate’s efforts to transform the country into a regional hub for transport with its strategically located ports of Sohar, Duqm and Salalah.

Other activities Commenting on other plans and activities of the OCCI for this year, he stated that Omani businessmen will be paying a number of visits to other countries while some delegations will explore business opportunities in Oman.

An Omani delegation will visit Germany in April, he said, adding that a delegation will participate

Redha Juma Mohammed Ali Al Saleh, OCCI vice-chairman

in a banking, finance and insurance committee meeting in Taiwan in February.

In addition, Al Saleh said an Indian-Arab gathering is expected to take place in Muscat in May while there will be an ‘Invest in Oman’ meeting in September.

2015 achievements Asked about the activities of the OCCI in 2015, he said a number of Omani delegations visited other countries, including Turkey and Iran.

The chamber also participated in various meetings, such as conferences related to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Arab League and Islamic chambers, he added. In addition, Al Saleh said a seminar about business opportunities in Oman was successfully held last year.

MEETING GROUND: Music can connect people from diverse back-

grounds, said the German ambassador. – OK Mohammed Ali

Music establishes intimate dialogue: German envoy Times News Service MUSCAT: Music has no language barrier and can connect people from diverse backgrounds, the German ambassador said on the sidelines of the announcement of the third concert in the second season of the Muscat Chamber Music series, organised by the Arabesque International.

Musicians of Jacaranda Ensemble will perform on January 31 at the Ministry of Education’s Auditorium in Wattayah.

“I am very happy to bring the German group, Jacaranda, to Oman,” German Ambassador Hans-Christian Freiherr von Reibnitz said.

“Music is an extraordinarily pleasant way to establish an intimate dialogue. Musicians do not speak to ears only but also to souls and minds,” the ambassador added.

The event will take place under the patronage of Dr Frank- Walter Steinmeier, German Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs.

According to the General Manager of Arabesque International, the five musicians of the Jacaranda Ensemble will perform on 25 instruments at the event.

Five young musicians, principals of the Brandenburg Symphony, have put together an unusual ensemble as a result of a desire to experiment with new sounds.

Instrumentation of this band clearly demonstrates the idea that the instruments used in the

concert have their origins often thousands of miles apart, and are woven through a mixture of well composed and improvised music, all resulting in a musical tapestry.

Instruments used in the concert are alpenhorn, didgeridoo, saxophone, and percussion.

Through its music, the Jacaranda Ensemble builds a bridge between the cultures of the world.

“We believe that music develops the intellectual and critical thinking of oneself,” Ahmed Abouzahra, General Manager of Arabesque International, said.

“That is why we launched this project to give a chance to the Omani musicians, music students and younger generation to meet international artists and get introduced to different musical genres from different cultures,” the General Manager added.

Arabesque International is also organising workshops in schools and universities.

“Our project’s vision is to bring professional artists to stay in Muscat for nearly two weeks before the concert to conduct musical workshops with schools and university students,” the General Manager of Arabesque said.

These workshops will take place on Sunday, January 27th, in the British School at 10AM, and in the PDO School at 2PM. On Monday 28, the workshop will be held in the GUtech at 1PM. Other workshops will follow in different public and private schools, universities and colleges.

T OU R I S T D E S T I NAT I O N

A1 Waterfront project < FROM

The project is divided into 4 zones, with the first one expected to be completed by 2019. It includes the waterfront’s heart which consists of the fisherman’s wharf and fish market as well as destination shopping, waterside restaurants and cafes, boutiques, offices and entertainment

and cultural facilities.

Six hotels will also be constructed, offering over 1,500 rooms and 65 apartments ranging from five to three stars. The waterfront is aiming to be the next tourist destination in Muscat, thus bringing more visitors to the Sultanate.

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

10,000

OMAN

plus is the number of people who downloaded Wali Al Amr only two weeks after the app was officially live on Google Play

AIRPORT PROGRESS

S A L I F K E I TA

A1 Fahd stresses need for project completion on schedule < FROM

Hear ‘Golden Voice of Africa’ at ROHM Times News Service MUSCAT: Salif Keïta, “The Golden Voice of Africa” and recipient of Best World Music 2010 award, is to perform at the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) on January 28.

World Music is an important dimension of ROHM’s global programming and Salif Keïta is seen as an excellent representative of E D UC AT I O N

Mobile app to help you keep tabs on your children HASSAN SHABAN AL LAWATI

hassan@timesofoman.com

After the presentation, they reviewed the work of Muscat International Airport, which is more than 86 per cent complete.

They also reviewed the external works, including the air traffic control (ATC) tower, the northern runway, the building of the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) and the Meteorology and Air Navigation Complex, in addition to the current works surrounding the passengers’ terminal, such as the roads leading to the airport. Dr. Al Futaisi affirmed that Muscat International Airport took into consideration the future expansions.

Afterwards, Sayyid Fahd and members of the Council of Ministers toured the passengers’ terminal and its facilities including the areas dedicated for check-in, boarding, security measures, the duty free market at the heart of project and the airport hotel.

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

They also toured the northern section of the project, which is one of three sections at Muscat International Airport. The model of the section is inspired from the Omani architectural design. The tour also included the arrival terminal at the northern section and its components.

Sayyid Fahd and the attendees expressed their admiration over the progress of work at the airport and the high quality of its facilities. Sayyid Fahd also praised the efforts made to complete the airports and other major projects in different parts of the Sultanate, which all come within the efforts made to translate the sound vi-

sion and constant keenness of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to continue the comprehensive development process and availing of all vital utilities in the Sultanate.

On behalf of members of the Council of Ministers and himself, Sayyid Fahd thanked all those involved in the implementation of this vital project, the officials at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Technical Committee in-charge of the airports’ projects and the Board of Directors of the company implementing the project and wished them permanent success.

At the end of the visit, Sayyid Fahd asked the Board of Directors of the company implementing the project the importance of completing the project on time and as per the required quality standards as it is the case with the other strategic projects. -ONA

MUSCAT: Tracking a child’s performance at school just got easier for parents in Oman, thanks to a new mobile app developed recently by the Ministry of Education (MoE).

Parents can track the days when their children were absent from the school, their discipline and exam results through the free app.

Talking to the Times of Oman, an official at the MoE said parents can log into the app using the username and password as provided by the ministry’s Educational Portal website.

Wali Al Amr (The parent) app was launched on January 13 and can be downloaded for free on Android. “This app offers parents a better view and engages them with the ongoing education of their children,” said Awatif Al Lawati, a former teacher.

The app offers a variety of personal information, including discipline-related cases, performance reports and the weekly time table in addition to latest updates on school events and activities. A section in the app also facilitates transfer requests for parents who want to shift their kid to another school.

To register for the app, parents can simply text their ID numbers to 90390 in order to receive the username.

Only two weeks after the app went officially live on Google Play, more than 10,000 people have downloaded it.

the music and culture of Oman’s neighbours in Africa as well.

An exceptional and charismatic musician, he is blessed with royal heritage since he is the direct descendant of the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita.

Salif was cast away by his family because of his inauspicious birth as an albino and made his way in life as a popular singer and song-writer.

He is now one of the most influential and inspiring musicians of his generation, and is counted in the same league as fellow luminaries Yossou N’Dour and Miriam Makeba.

Keïta’s life and career are distinguished by his humanitarian efforts. He famously performed at Nelson Mandela’s Seventieth Birthday Tribute Concert in 1988 .

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MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

REGION Syrian pro-government forces retake key town The latest advance comes just ahead of peace talks scheduled for Monday which increasingly look set to stall, partly because of a dispute over the opposition negotiating team’s composition

BEIRUT: Syrian pro-government forces recaptured a key rebel-held town in coastal Latakia province on Sunday, building on battlefield advances in the area just a day ahead of planned peace talks in Geneva between Damascus and Syria’s opposition.

Government troops and militiamen, supported by Moscow’s air power and joined on the ground by regional allies, have pressed offensives in the west and northwest of the country in recent months, seeking to reverse gains made by insurgents last year.

The latest advance comes just ahead of scheduled talks which increasingly look set to stall, partly because of a dispute over the opEVICTED BY ARMY

Israel PM in bid to return settlers to Hebron OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would allow Jewish settlers evicted by the Israeli army from two houses in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron to return once proper permits were in place.

Israeli settlements in occupied territory, deemed illegal by most countries, are a fundamental issue in the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process and a factor behind a recent wave of Palestinian stabbing attacks on Israelis.

About 80 settlers were removed from Hebron on Friday a day after Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon withheld his required approval of their occupancy in apartments in a city where tensions between Israelis and Palestinians run high. — Reuters

CONFLICT: A Syrian man rides a bike in the neighbourhood of Jobar, on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus, on Saturday. — AFP

position negotiating team’s composition and opposition demands that Russia stop bombing civilian areas and Damascus lift sieges before they will come to the table.

Advance to Turkey border The recapture of the town of Rabiya in Latakia province paved the way for an advance up to the border with Turkey, which supports insurgents fighting against President Bashar Al Assad, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Syrian state television confirmed Rabiya’s capture.

The Observatory described Rabiya as the “second most important base for (rebel) fighters in the northern Latakia countryside” after the town of Salma, which progovernment forces seized earlier this month in one of the most significant advances since Russia joined the fight.

Damascus’s gains come ahead of peace talks set to begin on Monday in Geneva.

The United States says it is con-

fident they will go ahead during the week. There is risk of delay, however, partly because of a dispute over who will comprise the opposition delegation.

Russia demands the inclusion of representatives who could be deemed closer to its own thinking, which is rejected by the opposition. The opposition demands a halt to Russian bombing of civilian areas and for sieges to be lifted before it will come to the table even for indirect talks.

A Western diplomat said talks

would be unlikely to begin before Wednesday, with the opposition negotiating team formed after a conference in Saudi Arabia last month taking stock in Riyadh until Tuesday. Negotiating team members could not be immediately reached for comment.

Hadi Al Bahra, a spokesman for the High Negotiations Committee, said on Twitter that the “issue of negotiations has not been determined yet”.

The United Nations has said it would not issue invitations to talks until major powers reach agreement on which rebel representatives should attend.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura had been expected to issue invitations on Sunday.

Syrian armed rebel groups said on Saturday they held the Syrian government and Russia responsible for any failure of talks.

US Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday that the United States and Turkey were prepared for a military solution against IS in Syria should the Syrian government and rebels fail to reach a political settlement.

Washington is waging an air campaign against the extremists in areas they control in northern and eastern Syria.

Russia is separately striking IS, including in Deir Al Zor province, where the Syrian Observatory said on Sunday raids believed to be carried out by Russian jets killed 63 people.

The conflict, which broke out after an uprising in 2011, has killed an estimated 250,000 people and displaced a further 11 million. — Reuters

MUCH NEEDED AIRCRAFT

Iran plans to buy 114 Airbus planes TEHRAN: Iran plans to buy 114 aircraft from European plane maker Airbus as soon as March, and is looking for other deals, senior Iranian officials said on Sunday as their country emerges from sanctions and international isolation.

The republic could need as many as 500 new planes over the next three years, lawmaker Mahdi Hashemi, the chairman of the parliament’s Development Commission, said at Tehran’s first major post-sanctions gathering of global businessmen.

Transport Minister Abbas Akhoondi told journalists Tehran would discuss details with Airbus next week and was also interested in negotiating with US plane maker Boeing for aircraft.

Tehran has long said it will need to revamp an aging fleet, hit by a shortage of parts because of trade bans imposed by Washington and other Western powers.

Hashemi said Iran could place an order in the next two months, confirming plans announced earlier this month ahead of a nuclear sanctions deal. He also urged international investors and airlines to move quickly into Iran after the lifting of sanctions.

“Come with your proposals.

We would like to have new contracts and serve them immediately and make up for the losses that we suffered from in the past,” Hashemi said.

Iran emerged from years of economic isolation when world powers last week lifted crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear programme. — Reuters

I S AT TA C K

Fires put out at Libya’s Ras Lanuf oil terminal BENGHAZI/ALGIERS: Firefighters have put out fires started by an attack by IS militants at the major Libyan oil terminal of Ras Lanuf, a spokesman for guards at the terminal said on Sunday.

At least five of the terminal’s 13 tanks were damaged as a result of Thursday’s attack, firefighters have said.

One of the tanks collapsed completely.

Petroleum Facilities Guard spokesman Ali Al Hassi said authorities were still assessing the extent of the damage.

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) has said it fears that up to three million barrels of oil could be lost and that the terminal, shut since December 2014, faces a lengthy closure.

Libya has been riven by violence and political turmoil following the uprising that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Rival governments backed by armed factions in Tripoli and the east have battled for power and a share of the country’s oil wealth.

The National Oil Corporation has said it fears that up to 3 million barrels of oil could be lost and that the terminal, shut since December 2014, faces a lengthy closure CIVIL WAR: Smoke rises from burning oil storage tanks in the port of Ras Lanuf, Libya, on Saturday. — Reuters/Stringer

The IS militants drove into the oil storage site and clashed with security guards before retreating and firing from a distance to set tanks on fire, NOC spokesman Mohamed Al Harari said on Thursday.

IS militants have taken advantage of a security vacuum to estab-

lish themselves in the city of Sirte, about 200 km (125 miles) along the coast to the west of Ras Lanuf and the nearby terminal of Es Sider, which is also closed.

On Saturday, armed forces allied to Libya’s eastern government said they had carried out airstrikes on

Ben Jawad, a town where IS militants have recently consolidated their presence.

It lies just 30km (19 miles) west of Es Sider on the road to Sirte.

Libya’s oil production has dropped to under 400,000 barrels per day, less than a quarter of a 2011 high of 1.6 million bpd.

Meanwhile, Algerian authorities have detained over 200 Moroccans at Algiers airport and summoned the Moroccan envoy to explain an “unusual” increase in the number of Moroccans apparently trying to cross into Libya, airport and government officials said on Sunday.

The foreign ministry and sources at the airport did not confirm why the Moroccans had been held.

Flow of Moroccans “The question about the massive and unusual flow of Moroccans from Casablanca heading for Libya through Algeria in the last weeks was the reason for discussions with the ambassador,” Algeria’s foreign ministry said in a statement published on APS state news agency.

The current “particularly delicate” security situation required more vigilance and cooperation, the statement said without giving details.

The ministry did not mention the detentions. — Reuters

B A N V I O L AT I O N

Moroccans protest job cuts RABAT: Thousands of Moroccan trainee teachers and their families took to the streets of the capital Rabat on Sunday to protest against government plans to cut education jobs, defying an official ban on demonstrations.

Waving banners and chanting slogans, several thousand protesters marched past hundreds of riot police who watched nearby with water canon trucks,

just weeks after police were accused of violently repressing an earlier protest.

One of several rallies The teacher trainee protests are one of several rallies that have taken place in the last few months against government plans to cut spending and reduce public sector hiring as part of reforms meant to revive state finances.

“I have three children, and I thought we had finally found a job for one, but it doesn’t seem so,” said Hassan Dehih, who came from the city of Kenitra to support his daughter. “At least if they beat her, I will be beaten too.”

The government said on Thursday that it would not allow any unauthorised protests. Organisers said they had the right to protest under the constitution. — Reuters

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INDIA

PM: Retro tax is thing of past, France to invest $1b per year Addressing business leaders of the two countries here in presence of French President Francois Hollande, Modi said his government wants to ensure that foreign investors are clear about tax systems that will prevail in India over the next 15 years

MEETING: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande at Indo-French CEOs meeting in Chandigarh on Sun-

day. - PTI

CHANDIGARH: Seeking to address concerns of investors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced that the controversial Retrospective taxation is “a thing of the past” and this chapter will never be opened again as his government was putting in place a predictable tax regime.

He also announced that France would immediately start investing $1 billion in India annually which will be scaled up later.

The two sides also signed 16 MoUs, including one for manufacture of helicopters in India.

Addressing business leaders of the two countries here in presence of French President Francois Hollande, Modi said his government wants to ensure that foreign investors are clear about tax systems that will prevail in India over the next 15 years.

Stable governance “I am for stable governance and predictable taxation system. The government is taking various steps to ensure this stability. This government is known for stable and predictable tax regime,” he said. In this context he referred to the Retrospective tax imposed in 2012 through amendments in

the Income Tax Act, a step which had led to an outcry and anxiety among the investors, particularly the foreign ones.

“Retrospective tax is a matter of past. That chapter will not be opened again. We are ensuring that neither this government nor the future governments can open this chapter,” Modi told the IndiaFrance Business Summit.

“Whosoever makes investment in the country should know about the taxation system in the country over the next five years, 10 years, 15 years,” he said.

The amendments in the I-T Act were brought to undo the Supreme Court judgement on British telecom major Vodafone’s tax liability case which was to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore. Hollande, who began his three-day India visit from here on, is accompanied by a large delegation of CEOs. Modi, who also attended the bilateral CEOs forum along with Hollande, said the French President informed him that his country will immediately invest over $1 billion annually in India and scale up the amount later.

Hollande said France has full trust on growth of Indian economy and the two countries can

work in areas like solar energy, technology transfer, transport, roads, space industry, health, agro, and nuclear energy. He said the agreements signed should be implemented and turned into reality.

While promising stable regime and predictable tax system, Modi said over 400 French companies are already in India and more than 1,000 firms linked to them are also operational.

“A big investment of France is in India. There are many big activities that India and France are jointly doing. Their experience has been very positive,” the prime minister said. Describing India as a source of hope and confidence for the entire world as it is the “fastest growing economy”, Modi invited French firms, especially in the defence sector to manufacture in India and take advantage of low costs involved.

“India wants to enter the field of defence manufacturing.... I assure French companies present here, especially in the field of defence manufacturing that we can do a lot in the area of defence manufacturing.”

The CEOs forum discussed issues like defence, green economy, Smart Cities, infrastructure,

A9

transportation, water and financial sector. Modi said France has decided to contribute to smart cities project in Nagpur, Puducherry and Chandigarh. “We are working towards improving quality of life.

We are working on good governance. These are the two initiatives that world is attracted towards,” the prime minister said.

Foreign direct investments India has witnessed 40 per cent increase in foreign direct investments and established itself as an important destination for foreign capital, he said.

The prime minister said India’s ranking in the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ has improved by 12 points in a short span of time after his government took over.

He said there are many opportunities to work on different fields between India and France.

“It is like ‘made for each other’.

What you (France) have is our requirement and what you need is the market which we have,” he said. Seeking French assistance in improving infrastructure, rail network and innovation, Modi said, “Our development model requires the expertise of France. We have to move forward in infrastructure,

rail, maritime, even waterways.”

He said India also wants to play a significant role in a fight against global warming. “We want to reduce carbon foot print and move towards waterways,” he said.

Modi said his government was in the process of switching over railways from diesel to electric mode and wants infrastructure to be set up at 50 stations for which French capability will be required.

Noting that innovation was France’s biggest strength, he said both India and France could work in this field.

He talked about collaboration in the field of cyber security, defence by clubbing expertise and manufacturing capability of France with skill available in India.

“Defence is also a very important matter. And now, it is not only about the battlefield, cyber security is becoming vital. Sitting in a room, a class 12 student can also create problem anywhere... India has young talents in the field of IT. France has manufacturing capability,” Modi said.

Modi also made a remark that France has an “umbilical” link with Chandigarh as the city was designed by French architect Le Corbusier. - PTI

HITS BACK

Nitish trashes ‘jungle raj’ barb, says ‘rule of law’ prevails in Bihar PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday dismissed opposition’s charge of “jungle raj” in Bihar and asserted that “rule of law” prevailed in the state pointing to the action taken against Janata Dal(United) MLA Sarfaraz Alam in a case of misbehaviour and abusing a couple in a train.

“There is neither jungle raj in Bihar nor will it ever come. There is rule of law and it will continue to exist,” Kumar said while speaking at a function to mark birth anniversary of socialist leader Karpoori Thakur.

“When a matter relating to a JD(U) MLA misbehaving and abusing a couple in a train came (to light), the party took stock of the situation and put the MLA under suspension,” he said narrating the incident related to JD(U) Jokihat MLA Alam.

“My government believes that everybody is equal before law. No lawbreaker will be spared be it anybody. The government does not protect any law breaker, rather it facilitates the law breakers prosecution,” Kumar said.

The government keeps a close watch over all the incidents of crime and initiate prompt action over them, he said, adding, “Police is doing its job by arresting the culprits. Those policemen found slack in duty would not be spared.”

“Despite these efforts a few people are indulging in baseless talks that jungle raj exists in the state,” he said taking an apparent dig at rival BJP. “There is no jungle raj here rather there is rule of law in the state.”

Launching a frontal attack against BJP, Kumar said, “They are trying to paint a picture of fear by linking separate incidents of crime... More crime incidents are taking place outside Bihar but still they link up separate crime events and speak about jungle raj which is not true.”

The CM referred to messages he received on WhatsApp in which, he said, people believed that “the truth is different from what is said about Bihar. “Rule of law is prevailing here and growth is taking place with justice,” he asserted.

Kumar said he followed “coalition dharma”. “There is a common programme of the coalition on which work is being done in a mission mode.” - PTI

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MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016 We have seen repeatedly that terrorism does not respect national borders. It seeks to subvert societies through its pernicious doctrine of a clash of civilisations Sushma Swaraj, External affairs minister

INDIA ROCKED BY POLITICAL TURMOIL

Cabinet recommends President’s rule in Arunachal, Congress protests NEW DELHI/ITANAGAR: The Union Cabinet on Sunday recommended imposition of President’s rule in Congress-ruled north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is rocked by political turmoil that broke out last month.

Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet at an unscheduled meeting on Sunday morning took the decision to recommend imposition of President’s rule in the northeast state, official sources said in Delhi.

It is learnt that the Cabinet also recommended that the state Assembly be kept under suspended animation.

The recommendation drew stinging condemnation from the opposition with Congress alleging democracy was being trampled and that Modi was “fountainhead” of political intolerance while a

shocked Chief Minister Nabam Tuki said such a decision in a sensitive border state was “unprecedented” and “unacceptable”.

Accusing the Modi government of trying to destabilise a state bordering China, the Congress also said that it will challenge in court the Cabinet decision if it gets presidential assent.

Expressed shock Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal expressed “shock” over the Cabinet decision, saying it is “murder” of the country’s Constitution.

“This is really shocking as the Centre did not consult the state government before taking such a harsh decision. Arunachal is absolutely peaceful without even a single case of law and order breakdown reported in the last month,”

The recommendation drew stinging condemnation from the opposition with Congress alleging democracy was being trampled and that Modi was ‘fountainhead’ of political intolerance

Tuki said in Itanagar.

Governor Jyoti Prashad Rajkhowa recommended President Rule without consulting the state cabinet at a time when several cases are sub-judice in the Supreme Court, he said.

“There is no Constitutional crisis in the state as recommended by the governor. Whatever crisis is there it is his (Governor’s) crea-

tion,” Tuki said, adding he enjoyed full support from all the cabinet ministers.

“With only a day left for Republic Day celebration, such decision will dampen the democratic spirit of the state’s people who are zealously guarding the border with China.”

Arunachal Pradesh was rocked by a political crisis on December

16 last year as 21 rebel Congress MLAs joined hands with 11 of BJP and two independents to ‘impeach’ Assembly Speaker Nabam Rebia at a makeshift venue, in a move branded as “illegal and unconstitutional” by the Speaker.

Up in arms against Tuki, 21 rebel party MLAs, including 14 disqualified a day before, with the help of BJP and independent legislators, congregated at a community hall after the state Assembly complex was ‘sealed’ by the administration, and ‘impeached’ Rebia in an impromptu session chaired by Deputy Speaker T. Norbu Thongdok.

Twenty seven MLAs in 60-member Assembly, including the Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues, boycotted the proceedings.

A day later, in a bizarre turn of events, opposition BJP and

India, Arab world call for new strategy to combat terrorism The two sides condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and rejected associating terrorism with any religion, culture or ethnic group

MANAMA: India and the Arab League on Sunday vowed to combat terrorism and called for developing a strategy to “eliminate” its sources and extremism including its funding as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a strong pitch for delinking religion from terrorism.

While addressing the 1st Ministerial Meeting of Arab-India Cooperation Forum here in the Bahraini capital, she also warned that those who “silently sponsor” terror groups could end up being used by them.

“Those who believe that silent sponsorship of such terrorist groups can bring rewards must realise that they have their own agenda; they are adept at using the benefactor more effectively than the sponsor has used them,” Swaraj told some 14 Foreign Ministers of the 22-member Arab League grouping, with its Secretary General Nabil El Araby in attendance.

She said that today’s meeting marks a “turning point” for IndiaArab relations while pointing out that “we are also at a major turn-

ONE FOR THE ALBUM: Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and other ministers at the first

session of the Ministerial Meeting of Arab-Indian Cooperation Forum in Manama on Sunday. - PTI

ing point in history when the forces of terrorism and violent extremism are seeking to destabilise societies and inflict incalculable damage to our cities, our people and our very social fabric”.

“Equally, we must delink religion from terror. The only distinction is between those who believe in humanity and those who do not.

Terrorists use religion, but inflict harm on people of all faiths,” said Swaraj, who arrived here on Saturday on a two-day visit.

Condemned The two sides condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and rejected associating terrorism with any religion, culture or ethnic group.

They emphasised the need for concerted regional and international efforts to combat terrorism and to address its causes and to develop a strategy to eliminate the sources of terrorism and extrem-

ism including its funding, as well as combating organised crossborder crime.

In the ‘Manama Declaration’, the countries affirmed the need to achieve a “comprehensive and permanent solution” to the Palestine issue and called for implementation of the two-state principle on the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestine State with Occupied East Jerusalem as its capital, living peace side by side with Israel.

She cited “India’s model of unity in diversity” as an example for the world to counter indoctrination and radicalisation. Her reference to India’s religious and cultural diversity at the world stage assumes significance as it comes in the backdrop of the intolerance debate that had raged recently in the country, with many writers, artists and civil society members expressing alarm over the issue.

“We in India have citizens who

belong to every existing faith. Our Constitution is committed to the fundamental principle of faithequality: the equality of all faiths not just before the law but also in daily behaviour.

“In every corner of my country, the music of the azaan welcomes the dawn, followed by the chime of a Hanuman temple’s bells, followed by the melody of the Guru Granth Sahib being recited by priests in a gurdwara, followed by the peal of church bells every Sunday,” she said.

“This philosophy is not just a construct of our Constitution, adopted in 1950; it is the essence of our ancient belief that the world is family,” she asserted.

She stressed that dangers of radicalisation and indoctrination cannot be ignored.

“We have seen repeatedly that terrorism does not respect national borders. It seeks to subvert societies through its pernicious

doctrine of a clash of civilisations,” Swaraj said.

“The only antidote to this violent philosophy is the path of peace, tolerance and harmony, a path that was illustrated centuries ago by Buddha and Mahavira and which was taken into the modern age by the Father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi. As he famously said, ‘an eye for an eye ends up making the whole world blind’,” she said.

Before wrapping up her second visit to Bahrain as the External Affairs Minister, Swaraj also called on Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

She also held a bilateral meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir and discussed an entire gamut of bilateral ties.

Swaraj’s strong push for antiterror cooperation comes at a time when there have been a spate of terror attacks across the globe from the Paris carnage and the Pathankot air base assault to the blasts in Indonesia as terrorism has risen as one of the most significant challenges of the world.

“As the spectre of terrorism and religious hatred raises its ugly head across the world, particularly in those cherished cities of history, it is time once again to reach back in time and redeem the essence of our civilisational spirit.

We must pledge to halt the physical violence that has spread like a plague,” Swaraj said.

She stressed on the need for equally addressing the violence in our minds, a poison that has been spread by terror groups, harnessing the power of modern technology and social media platforms to infect our youth.

“We should not underestimate the power of this illusion, clothed in a false interpretation of faith,” she asserted. - PTI

rebel Congress MLAs congregated in a local hotel to “vote out” Chief Minister Nabam Tuki and to “elect” a rebel Congress MLA in his place but the Gauhati High Court intervened to keep in “abeyance” decisions taken at the rebel “session”.

A “no confidence” motion moved

by BJP MLAs and Independent MLAs was “adopted” with Deputy Speaker T. Norbu Thongdok, who is also a rebel Congressman, in the Chair. A total of 33 members in the 60-member house, including 20 dissident Congress MLAs, later “elected” another dissident Congressman Kalikho Pul as the new “chief minister” of the state.

The Chief Minister Nabam Tuki and his 26 supporting MLAs boycotted the proceedings terming them as “illegal and unconstitutional”. - PTI NEW TERM

Shah elected BJP president unopposed

ELATED: Amit Shah after he was

re-elected as BJP President in New Delhi on Sunday.- PTI

NEW DELHI: BJP President Amit Shah, who is credited with taking the party’s membership to a new high and leading it to power in four states, was on Sunday elected unopposed for a new term with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading party bigwigs in his endorsement.

Modi, a number of his cabinet colleagues, including Rajnath Singh, M Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari besides Bharatiya Janata Party chief ministers among others proposed Shah’s name during the nomination process in which no other leader joined the fray.

Party veterans, including L. K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, who have in past expressed their unhappiness with 51-year-old Shah’s stewardship, were conspicuous by their absence at its headquarters as its almost entire top national and state leaders lined up to greet him.

Shah’s unanimous election for a three-year term is in line with the party’s tradition of choosing its president with a consensus, an outcome virtually guaranteed after Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the party’s ideological mentor which has always had a say in the matter, threw their weight behind his continuance. - PTI

HYDERABAD UNIVERSITY

Under attack over scholar’s suicide, VC goes on indefinite leave HYDERABAD: Under attack over Rohith Vemula’s suicide, Hyderabad University Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile on Sunday went on indefinite leave but it sparked more protests as Dalit faculty members alleged that the professor given interim charge too had “deep involvement” in the case and in the death of another student from the community.

A day after the students sitting on a hunger strike were hospitalised, a fresh batch of seven students on Sunday resumed the strike to press their demands, including sacking of Podile who has been named in the FIR on charges of abetment of suicide and and under relevant sections of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in connection with Rohith’s case.

The university put a notice on its website saying, “The ViceChancellor will be on leave. In the absence of the Vice-Chancellor, Vipin Srivastava, the senior most Professor, shall perform the duties of the Vice-Chancellor wef 24-012016.” It did not mention the period of leave.

When contacted, the ViceChancellor said he was “advised to be little away from campus” to break the current “impasse” in the

PROTEST: Youth Congress activists staging protest against the suicide of Dalit student Rohith Vemula, in Bhopal on Friday. - PTI

wake of student’s agitation.

“There is no pressure from anybody. It is my concern for my University. We want to resolve the issue now. There is an impasse now and to break that impasse we need to have some mechanism where I am advised to be little away from campus and somebody has to be there to be in command.

We have a provision to ask a senior Professor to be in-charge and

that’s what we have done,” he said.

Asked whether he would take charge once normalcy returns in the university, he replied in positive. However, the SC/ST Faculty Forum and SC/ST Officers Forum expressed “shock” over the decision to appoint Srivastava as officiating Vice-Chancellor and said it was disappointed that Podile was not dismissed.

They alleged that Srivastava

was one of the “accused” in the suicide of another Dalit student, Senthil, in 2008.

“We are shocked and dismayed at Dr Vipin Srivastava, assuming the office of Vice-Chancellor of Hyderabad Central University.

Prof Srivastava has been accused in the suicide of a Dalit student, Senthil, in 2008.

“More recently he headed the Executive Council Sub- Commit-

tee which has been responsible for the death of Rohith Vemula Chakravarti,” the Forums said in a joint statement.

The Sub-Committee had recommended disciplinary action against Rohith and four other scholars in connection with an assault case.

In the light of his “deep involvement” in both suicide cases, he may be asked to immediately step down from the Vice-Chancellor’s office, it said.

The development came on the eve of ‘Chalo HCU’ protest march called by agitating students to press for their demands, which include removal of the VC from his post and Rs5 million compensation to the deceased’s family.

Congress leader M Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday visited the campus and said that his party would raise the issue of Rohith’s suicide in Parliament, while its student wing NSUI has decided to hold a one-day hunger strike across all state capitals on Monday.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had on Saturday said if Prime Minister Narendra Modi getting “emotional” while expressing grief over the suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith is for real, he should

remove the Vice-Chancellor.

Kharge, the Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, on Sunday said, “The Vice-Chancellor and the (NDA) government have killed the scholar and they have denied human rights, that is why we want to take this to Parliament and tell the entire country how injustice is being done in HCU.” “Definitely we will take this issue, but at the same time we will formulate strategy (on this issue) for the session, because we have to consult with other political parties also. This is not only in the interest of this university, but in the interest of entire Dalit community and also in the interest of the country,” he said.

The Dalit scholar’s body was found hanging in a hostel room on HCU campus on January 17.

On January 18, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Podile, BJP MLC Ramachandra Rao and two others were named in an FIR on charges of abetment of suicide and and under relevant sections of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Rohith was among the five research scholars suspended by HCU in September last year for allegedly attacking an ABVP leader. - PTI

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PAKISTAN

S E M I NA RY TA R G E T E D

Two injured in Peshawar IED blast

SEEKING LIFE IN EUROPE

Asylum seekers Fida Hussain from Pakistan, right, Nazirulhag, centre, and Rahmatullah from Afghanistan wait for a permission on the Russian side of the border, near Kuoloyarvi to cross to the Salla border crossing of Finland, on Saturday. The number of people, so far from some 30 different countries, who cross the Finnish Lapland’s border with Russia to apply for asylum in Finland is expected to shoot up in 2016. — AFP/Lehtikuva/Jussi Nukari

PESHAWAR: At least two people, including an administrator of a religious seminary, were injured on Sunday when a roadside bomb hit a vehicle at Peshawar’s Sabzi Mandi area in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

“Qari Salahuddin, head of a religious institution, and his gunman Abdul Shakoor were on their way to the seminary when a remote-controlled bomb, planted in a pushcart, went off at the Inqilab Road, causing damage to the vehicle while both the persons received wounds,” a police official, who requested not to be named, told The Express Tribune.

Police and security personnel cordoned the area and shifted the injured to the Lady Reading Hospital.

Search operation Meanwhile, a search operation was underway to arrest the alleged perpetrators of the blast.

Incident comes days after gunmen armed with grenades and Kalashnikovs stormed the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, killing as many as 22 people while injuring over 30 others.

According to police, the militants, using the cover of thick, wintry fog, had scaled the walls of the university before entering buildings and opening fire on students and teachers in classrooms and hostels. — Express Tribune

Free gun licences for teachers following university attack The coordinator asked if two or three policemen were hired for the safety of a single lawmaker, why not schools? He added the government should form a new force security at educational institutes and have at least one trained security guard for the schools.

After the Army Public School massacre in 2014 which resulted in the death of 144 people who were mostly children, the K-P government allowed teachers to carry weapons on campus.

The Bacha Khan University was attacked by Taliban militants last Wednesday. Its faculty members on Friday met the vice chancellor and demanded they be allowed to carry weapons on the institution’s premises

PESHAWAR: Last Wednesday’s massacre at the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda has once again sowed the idea of arming teachers at schools and the Khyber Pakhthunkwa (K-P) administration has decided to issue free weapons’ licences for government educational institutes’ employees.

On Saturday, the provincial home ministry confirmed free licences would be issued after an official shows the necessary authority letter.

A day earlier, Bacha Khan University faculty members met the vice chancellor and demanded they be allowed to carry weapons on the premises of the university.

The meeting came in the wake of

TOUGH CHOICE: Khyber Pakhthunkhwa’s home department said government educational institutes

would get free licences, while private entities have to pay a fee. — AFP file photo

the deadly terrorist attack on the varsity which left 22 people dead.

The home department said government educational institutes would get free licences, while private entities have to pay a fee.

An official, requesting anonymity, confirmed that government officials only needed to show an authority letter from their department when applying for the licence.

Teachers showed a mixed reaction to the idea of carrying weapons on the premises of their insti-

tutions. Talking to The Express Tribune, K-P All Primary Teachers Association President Malik Khalid Khan said he was aware that educational institutes were seats of learning, but stressed the need for teachers to bear arms in these turbulent times.

He appreciated the government’s initiative to allow teachers to get free weapons licences.

However, he said there must be a strict ban on the display of weapons on any campus.

On the other hand, Fazal Hanif,

a schoolteacher in Mardan, believed these weapons would affect children’s studies and only create panic. He recalled that a student in Swat was killed a few months ago when his teacher was cleaning a pistol and it accidentally went off.

“Teachers are there to teach students and not to protect the school,” said Alif Ailaan Regional Coordinator Umar Orakzai.

He added the government should train policemen to protect schools.

Criticism However, there was much criticism from social activists and political parties. This forced the government to withdraw its decision and teachers were no longer allowed to bear arms on campus.

The incident of the death of a student in Swat gave credence to their stance.

On Friday, the vice chancellors of all 17 public universities held a meeting and demanded the establishment of police checkposts at their institutes.

The vice chancellors congregated at the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda to condole with Vice Chancellor Fazal Raheem Marwat at his office.

The educationists paid tribute to teachers, students and other staff members and expressed their solidarity.

The meeting also discussed threats to public sector universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and demanded the government install proper measures and security posts.

It was also asked that automatic weapons be provided to university staff and guards be trained properly. — Express Tribune

E X P L I C I T T H R E AT

Hate graffiti appears on Faisalabad girls school FAISALABAD: A threatening script on the walls of a girls school in the outskirts Faisalabad has caused panic among the inhabitants of the area, including teachers and parents of the students.

The script, allegedly posted by an unidentified group, warned the Government Girls High School Chak No241-RB Chinchal Singh Wala against commencing classes from January 26, saying it will be blown up if authorities did not take heed of it.

“We received a complaint from the headmistress, saying some students informed her about the threatening script written on the school wall,” Thikriwala police station officer Ghulam Asghar said on Sunday.

“The message read: If the school opens on January 26, it would be blown up with a bomb,” Asghar, said while quoting the school’s headmistress.

Case registered The police officer said the headmistress had requested the police to provide security to the school and ensure the safety of its students and the faculty.

“We have registered a case under Section 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against unidentified terrorists,” said the Asghar.

While a special team has been constituted to trace out the accused involved in spreading terror, a police contingent has also been deployed in an around the school area. The incident comes days after at least 21 people were killed in a terrorist attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda district of KhyberPakhtunkhwa. — Express Tribune

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR PETITIONS ON JANUARY 28

Sharif faces contempt pleas over use of Urdu language ISLAMABAD: The top court will soon take up two contempt petitions against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for not notifying Urdu as the national language, despite explicit court orders.

The three-judge apex court bench headed by Justice Mushir Alam will hear the petitions on January 28.

Violating verdict Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi and Mian Zahid Ghani have taken the premier to court for violating its September 8, 2015, verdict and

delivering official speeches in the English language on several occasions.

The bench will also take up the Punjab government’s review plea to revise its judgment only to the extent of obligating the respective governments to translate all available laws from English to Urdu within three months.

In September, the Supreme Court had asked the government to consider and implement Urdu as the official language within three months.

This means the translation to

Urdu of all the competitive examinations at the federal level besides the judgements in cases relating to public interest and judgements according to Article 189.

Similarly, in the court cases, the government departments should make all reasonable efforts to submit their replies in Urdu to enable citizens to enforce their legal rights effectively.

The court had said if subsequent to this judgement, any public bodies or public officials continued to violate the constitutional commands of Article 251, citizens

who suffer a tangible loss directly and resulting from such violation shall be entitled to enforce any civil rights.

The petitioners claim the Punjab government has already completed the translation of around 150 different laws, which now have been uploaded on the official website.

Expression of interest has also been floated in daily newspapers for outsourcing of translation of laws of Punjab.

The provincial government has also received proposals against

the expression of interest and the process of consultant selection is likely to be completed soon.

The review petition, however, states it is humanly and practically impossible to adhere to the time span of three months suggested by the top court for the translation of laws from English to Urdu — considering the vast reservoir of laws on different subjects.

“It is on account of this inconsistency and problem that the provincial government is constrained to file this review petition,” the petition reads. — Express Tribune

Nawaz Sharif

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READERS’ FORUM New viral diseases spreading due to globalisation This refers to the story US adds more countries to Zika travel alert (January 22). Since the last decade or so numerous new viral diseases have been witnessed. It is surprising that is so. Many people claim that certain unscrupulous outfits are behind this. Their purpose being to test chemicals, which may be used for asymmetric warfare. In my opinion, this line of thinking is just a fantastical conspiracy theory. In my opinion, the likely cause of such occurrences is globalisation. This may be as a result of seeking jobs, travel as tourist or being displaced due to wars.

Scan this QR code — Ravi Nair, Ruwi to send letters to the Readers’ Forum, containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by e-mail (akhtar@ timesofoman.com).

Use type of petrol which does not degrade environment This refers to the story Filling Premuim: Is your car worth It? (January 24). I agree with the misconception behind Premium and Regular petrol types but in my opinion, use of Premium is better for environmental conservation. The types of emissions produced do not have as damaging effects as the other type of fuel. In my opinion, it would be advisable to think about this beautiful country’s clean environment before expenses. In the long run, clean surrounding will be benefit the nation.

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LEONID BERSHIDSKY

The 2016 US presidential election is the most polarising in half a century, and some commentators see a danger that “power-hungry demagogues” could take over.

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S

ince the Second World War, the international community has built up a mammoth infrastructure for disbursing financial and technical aid across the world. However, the world’s international aid system needs a major overhaul if it is to address not only lingering goals like the eradication of global poverty, but to contend with emergent challenges such as the unprecedented levels of displacement of people due to climate change-related events, instability and conflict.

Around 125 million people are left destitute by war and natural disasters. Such man-made and natural disasters have compelled people to become displaced and dependent on humanitarian aid. Displacement itself carries the risk of growing security threats, increased xenophobia and social fragmentation — issues which have come to the fore since the current refugee crisis in Europe.

In order to address this challenge, the UN secretary general recently appointed a team of experts to report on how to reinvigorate the humanitarian aid system through reform and identification of new sources of funding. According to this panel, the world already spends roughly $25 billion to deal with humanitarian issues, but at least another $15 billion is needed. This is hardly an impossible target given that the world is presently producing $78 trillion in terms of annual GDP. The UN experts have provided some concrete fundraising suggestions to reinvigorate humanitarian financing. Given that the vast majority of conflict-affected populations are in Muslim countries, the role of Islamic social finance has been highlighted. Waqf, zakat and other instruments such as sukuk bonds are mentioned, which could potentially be channelled to meet humanitarian needs. Zakat alone is somewhere between $300 billion and $500 billion a year. Yet, whether these countries would be willing to relinquish control over these funds, and allow them to be funnelled towards humanitarian purposes under the purview of the UN system, remains to be seen.

Given how remittances to the developing world help people meet their basic needs, the UN panel noted some money transfer agencies lowered their commission rates in times of crises and encouraged others to follow suit. The panel also advocated the creation of a voluntary solidarity levy. Other

suggestions included micro-levies on air tickets or on gasoline. However, the idea of using taxation to raise more humanitarian funds is not something that would be popular with the public at large.

The panel suggested that big business should play a larger role in the humanitarian system, helping manage risk and modernise aid transparency.

Given the profit-driven modus operandi of business entities, and their use of exploitative global supply chains, which do much to undermine resilience of poor households, expecting them to make a selfless contribution to support humanitarian efforts seems a bit naive.

Investing more in development is, however, rightly acknowledged as the best resilience-building and disaster-risk prevention strategy, and the UN panel did make some useful suggestions to increase the efficiency of the existing aid architecture. For example, the panel urged donor agencies to give more cash-based aid, and allow local organisations more say in how this aid is used. Right now, NGOs chasing after donors leads to much wasted effort. The creation of a repository of prequalified organisations could dispense with repeated screenings of NGOs and make the process of channelling aid to trustworthy organisations less cumbersome.

Perhaps, the best way to contend with the growing humanitarian crisis is to address some of its root causes, including the problem of global warming and man-made conflicts, many of which are being fuelled by proxy interests. While the UN panel itself did not allude to realpolitik machinations, it did reiterate the need for increased funding for the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. It would have been even better if the UN peacekeeping forces were able to deploy based on genuine humanitarian needs, rather than having to await a nod from the select membership of the Security Council.

The business-as-usual model for humanitarian aid will not suffice. If current trends continue, by 2030, the cost of humanitarian assistance would have risen to $50 billion and 62 per cent of the world’s poor may be living in fragile and conflictaffected countries.

Besides the unimaginable human suffering that would be implicit to such a scenario, the global ramifications of such a humanitarian disaster would become untenable, no matter what part of the world one belongs to. - Express Tribune

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES JANUARY 2001 Council of State hails HM’s speech MUSCAT: Sheikh Hamoud bin Abdullah Al Harthy, president of the Council of State, opened yesterday the council’s first regular session of the second term. In his opening address, Al Harthy welcomed the members and congratulated them for the trust bestowed upon them

by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. He urged both re-appointed members and new members to work together towards fulfilling their responsibilities. The president of the council praised His Majesty the Sultan’s speech at the opening of Oman council’s second term. He said the new council, to which new and qualified members were appointed, constituted a basic building block of the institutionalised state.

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1951: The US Eighth Army in Korea launches Operation Thunderbolt, a counter attack to push the Chinese Army north of the Han River.

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PICTOGRAPH

NEW VEHICLES REGISTERED IN OMAN From October to November, 2015

October

6,229

November

Private

5,386

Commercial

2,363 Other vehicles

648

2,421 793

0

1972: Nixon airs the eight-point peace plan for Vietnam, asking for POW release in return for withdrawal.

Source National Centre for Statistics & Information

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

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ASIA A S P I R AT I O N S N O T M E T

Nepal ethnic minorities reject charter amendment

SOUTH KOREA SNOWFALL CANCELS FLIGHTS

Passengers gather as their flights are cancelled at Jeju International Airport on Jeju island, South Korea, on Sunday. The popular vacation spot off the south of the Korean peninsula, recorded its biggest snowfall in 32 years at 11cm as of Sunday, with more than 1 metre of snow in mountain areas. — Reuters/Lee Seok-hyung/News1

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s ethnic minorities have rejected a constitutional amendment, dashing hopes of an end to a political crisis that has led to fuel shortages and hampered deliveries of relief materials to survivors of last year’s earthquakes.

More than 50 people have died since the ethnic Madhesis, backed by some other smaller ethnic groups, launched protests in the landlocked, Himalayan country’s southern plains against the amendment to the constitution.

The Nepalese people had hoped the charter, the country’s first since the abolition of the monarchy in 2008, would bring peace and stability closer after years of conflict.

However, the Madhesis, who have close familial, linguistic and cultural ties with Indians across the border, say Nepalese authorities have failed to meet their aspirations for greater participation in government.

The 597-member parliament voted 461-7 late on Saturday in favour of a provision of “proportionate inclusion” of minority groups in all government institutions including the army, and to carve out electoral constituencies on the basis of their population to increase their representation in parliament. — Reuters

Afghanistan Taliban demand inmates release before talks Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States met last week to lay the ground for a negotiated end to the war and called for the Taliban to rejoin the peace process

KABUL: Afghanistan’s Taliban demanded the release of political prisoners as one of the conditions that they said on Sunday would need to be met before they consider rejoining peace talks aimed at ending the 15-year war.

Taliban forces have stepped up their campaign in the last year to topple the Kabul government, which has struggled since most foreign troops left at the end of 2014.

The extremist insurgents are demanding the release of an unnamed list of prisoners, to be removed from a UN blacklist freezing their assets and imposing a travel ban on its leaders, and to

WAR ZONE: US troops keep watch at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul September 16, 2014. Tali-

ban’s demands on Sunday came a day after participants from the Taliban and former Afghan officials met in Qatar at a conference to resolve the war organised by the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, a Nobel peace prize-winning crisis group.- Reuters file photo

have a political office formally recognised.

These are “among the preliminary steps needed for peace,” the Taliban said in a

statement.”

Without them, progress towards peace is not feasible.”

Thomas Ruttig, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Net-

work in Kabul, said the Taliban have been fairly consistent in their demands and he is sceptical the latest push would yield any results.

“The demand for a release of what they call political prisoners had been on the table in earlier talks, too,” he said.

The latest demands are not a sign that the “Taliban are willing to join talks anytime soon”.

The demands came a day after participants from the Taliban and former Afghan officials met in Qatar at a conference to resolve the war organised by the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, a Nobel peace prize-winning crisis group.

The rare talks are a step towards a peace process that has proved elusive during a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Afghans since the Taliban were driven from power by a 2001 USled military operation.

Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States met last week to lay the ground for a negotiated end to the war and called for the Taliban to rejoin the peace process.

The first formal peace talks with the Taliban since the start of the war collapsed last year after it was announced its founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, who sanctioned the talks, had been dead for two years, throwing the group into disarray. Despite efforts to restart talks, since the start of the year the Taliban have ramped up their campaign of violence across Afghanistan, with suicide attacks and territorial gains in Helmand province. — Reuters

LINKED TO IS GROUP

Malaysia arrests 7 extremists KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police said on Sunday seven members of an IS cell had been arrested in a three-day operation carried out across the Southeast Asian country.

The operation was launched in four states on January 22, ahead of Monday’s International Conference on Deradicalisation and Countering Violent Extremism that Malaysia is hosting.

Police said the suspects had received instructions to carry out attacks in Malaysia by Syrian-based IS extremists, including Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian militant named as the mastermind of January 14 suicide attacks in Jakarta which killed seven people.

“All of the suspects are members of the same cell, who are responsible for planning terror attacks in strategic locations throughout Malaysia,” Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said.

He said the suspects were also given orders by Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, a known Malaysian IS recruiter who had previously been linked to a beheading video in Syria.

The arrests were made following the January 15 capture of a suspected militant who had confessed to planning a suicide attack in Kuala Lumpur, according to Khalid.

One of the suspects was believed to be responsible for collecting and channelling funds to Malaysian citizens looking to join up with IS in Syria. — Reuters

MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE

Thailand wreckage unlikely to be of missing MH370 BANGKOK: A piece of suspected plane wreckage found off the east coast of southern Thailand on Saturday was unlikely to belong to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 which vanished nearly two years ago, said aviation experts and Thai officials.

A large piece of curved metal washed ashore in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Tanyapat Patthikongpan, head of Pak Phanang district, told Reuters.

Villagers reported it to authorities for identification, he said.

“Villagers found the wreckage, measuring about 2 metres wide and 3 metres long (6.6 by 9.8 feet),” he said.

The find fuelled speculation in the Thai media that the debris could belong to MH370, which disappeared with 239 people on

board during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014.

A piece of the plane washed up on the French island of Reunion in July 2015 but no further trace has been found.

Experts said that while powerful currents sweeping the Indian Ocean could deposit debris thousands of kilometres away, wreckage was extremely unlikely to have drifted across the equator into the northern hemisphere.

The location of the debris in Thailand “would appear to be inconsistent with the drift models that appeared when MH370’s flaperon was discovered in Reunion last July,” said Greg Waldron, Asia Managing Editor at Flightglobal, an industry publication.

“The markings, engineering, and tooling apparent in this debris

strongly suggest that it is aerospace related,” said Waldron.

“It will need to be carefully examined, however, to determine it’s exact origin.”

Other possible sources of aerospace debris included the launching of space rockets by India eastwards over the Bay of Bengal, he said. There has been no official confirmation from Thailand that the wreckage belongs even to a plane, never mind the missing Malayasia jet.

“Personally, I don’t think it’s MH370,” Thai government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd told Reuters.

District head Patthikongpan said the debris “could have been under the sea for no more than a year, judging from barnacles on it.”— Reuters

UNKNOWN SOURCE: People stand next to a piece of suspected plane wreckage which has been found off the coast of southern Thailand in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, on Sunday. — Reuters

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UK plans to take in Syrian conflict’s displaced children A British official said the government was considering whether it could do more for the estimated 3,000 children who have fled the conflict without their parents or guardians and are in Europe

LONDON/PRAGUE: Britain might take in refugee children who have been displaced by the war in Syria and have travelled to other countries in Europe, a government minister said on Sunday.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said the government was considering whether it could do more for

FLIGHT TO EUROPE: Displaced children, who fled with their families the violence from IS-controlled

area of Al Bab, wait as they are stuck in the Syrian village of Akda to cross into Turkey, on Saturday.

Turkey’s border guards prevented the displaced people from approaching their country’s border, activists said. — Reuters

the estimated 3,000 children who have fled the conflict without their parents or guardians and are in Europe. Asked whether the government was close to agreeing to

calls from relief groups for Britain to admit the children, Greening told Sky News television: “That’s what we are doing and I think that is the right thing.”

Prime Minister David Cameron has previously said Britain would accept 20,000 refugees over the next five years from camps in the Middle East, as opposed to

those who have already made it to Europe.

Critics say that response has been meagre when compared with the 1.1 million asylum seekers who arrived in Germany last year. Campaign groups and more than 80 Church of England bishops have urged Cameron to do more.

Meanwhile, Czech President Milos Zeman said that the European Union’s planned border patrol will be too small and member states should contribute soldiers to build up a force to protect the bloc’s external frontier.

The EU has plans to create a European Border and Coast Guard with 1,500 personnel as part of measures to tackle its migration crisis, with leaders expected to agree details at a summit in June.

More than a million people arrived in Europe last year, mostly fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and north Africa, and the numbers show little sign of falling. — Reuters

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PRESIDENTIAL POLL

Chad set to hold elections on April 10 N’DJAMENA: Chad has set its presidential election date for April 10 in polls in which incumbent president Idriss Deby is widely expected to seek re-election, the national election commission announced on Saturday.

Candidates will submit their dossiers from February10 to 29.

In the event that a second round is necessary, it will take place on May 9.

Former premier Three candidates have already announced their intentions to seek office, including former prime minister Kassire Coumakoye.

Deby has ruled the central African country since seizing power in a coup in 1990 and was most recently re-elected in 2011.

Chad is one of several nations to have declared a state of emergency in areas hit by dozens of attacks

by Boko Haram fighters in the past year.

Major threat The extremist militants are mostly based in northeastern Nigeria but have become a major threat to wider regional security by carrying out attacks in the lawless Lake Chad zone where the borders of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria meet. — Reuters

BID FOR PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM

CORNERED: Co-leaders of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic

Party Selahattin Demirtas, right, and Figen Yuksekdag, left, wave as they attend the second general assembly of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Ankara on Sunday. — AFP

Turkey’s pro-Kurd opposition to join work on new charter ANKARA: Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said on Sunday it would take part in a parliamentary commission charged with drafting a new constitution and would challenge the ruling AK Party’s plans for a strong executive presidency.

The AK Party has broad crossparty support for overhauling Turkey’s constitution, which dates back to an era of military coups, but there are wide divergences over what a new charter should look like.

President Tayyip Erdogan and the AK Party he founded more than a decade ago want the head of state, who currently has a largely ceremonial role, to wield much greater political powers.

But the opposition parties want to focus on improving minority rights and democratic freedoms and fear Erdogan is becoming too authoritarian, a charge he rejects.

Turkey’s Parliamentary Speaker Ismail Kahraman of the AK Party has invited the opposition parties in parliament to join the commission but the HDP had

not previously said whether it would attend.

Deeply suspicious of Erdogan and the government, some HDP lawmakers had called for a boycott.

“We will be on the constitutional reconciliation commission. But we have serious differences with the AK Party in many fields such as freedom, equality and justice,” HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas told a party congress to loud cheers.

Meet without prejudice “Despite these differences we will meet them without any prejudice and will seek reconciliation for peace,” he told delegates, including representatives of European socialist parties, at the congress, held under tight security.

Relations between the AK Party government and the HDP have soured considerably since a surge in violent clashes between Turkish security forces and militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast. — Reuters

TURKISH AIRLINES

No bomb found on diverted flight ISTANBUL/DUBLIN: A Turkish Airlines flight from Houston, Texas, diverted to Shannon, Ireland, on Sunday was found to have no explosive devices on board and would take off to Istanbul soon, a spokesman for the flag carrier said. The plane, bound for Turkey’s largest city, was diverted after a piece of paper with

“bomb” written on it was discovered in the toilet, a spokesman for Turkish Airlines said.

Without incident An airport spokesman said the Boeing 777 touched down without incident and all 209 passengers, plus crew, disembarked safely. — Reuters

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

WORLD Massive blizzard paralyses US cities, 19 dead The storm was the second-biggest in New York City history, with 26.8 inches by midnight Saturday, just shy of the record 26.9 inches set in 2006,

SNOWSTORM: People using a cardboard box as protection get hit

the National Weather

by a snowball during the DC Snowball Fight on Dupont Circle in Washington on Sunday. Snowball fights have become a tradition after every major snowstorm in the Nation’s Capital. -AFP

Service said

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: Millions of residents, business owners and workers began digging out on Sunday from a massive blizzard that brought Washington, New York and other northeastern US cities to a standstill, killing at least 19 people in several states.

The storm was the secondbiggest in New York City history, with 26.8 inches (68 cm) by midnight Saturday, just shy of the record 26.9 inches set in 2006, the National Weather Service said.

Thirteen people were killed in weather-related car crashes in Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia on Saturday. One person died in Maryland and three in New York City while shovelling snow. Two died of hypothermia in Virginia, officials said.

On the New Jersey shore, a region hard-hit in 2012 by Su-

perstorm Sandy, the storm drove flooding high tides.

After dumping about two feet of snow on the Washington area, the storm unexpectedly strengthened as it spun northward and slammed into the New York metropolitan area on Saturday, home to about 20 million people.

Winds gusting to more than 40 mph (64 kph) sculpted drifts many feet high, burying cars.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency, as did 10 other governors.

A ban imposed on all travel on New York City area roads and on Long Island, except for emergency vehicles, was set to end at 7am on Sunday.

Bridges and tunnels into the city were also set to reopen.

Subways running above ground and trains operated by the Long Island Rail Road and MetroNorth halted service on Saturday and were to be evaluated for service restoration at 6am.

By early Sunday the storm had all but moved off the coastline, with remnants trailing over parts of Long Island and Cape Cod. Much of the northeast was expected to see a mix of sun and clouds on Sunday with temperatures just above freezing.

Given the massive storm’s impact, it was too soon to tell how much Wall Street’s reopening on Monday would be affected.

Authorities in New York and New Jersey halted public transportation and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority took the rare step of suspending operations through Sunday. About 3,500 flights were cancelled on Sunday, with more than 600 already cancelled for Monday, said FlightAware.com, the aviation data and tracking website. United Airlines said it would not operate at Washington-area airports on Sunday, and would gradually resume service on Monday. - Reuters

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MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

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DIGEST VIDEO Top stories in one minute with our new daily Digest

‘Islamic banks to sustain robust growth in Oman’ Regulatory relaxations Referring to certain regulatory relaxations given to Islamic banks for investing their excess funds in overseas markets, the CBO official said, “We are not going to relax these for a long period. We will assess the experience, see the conditions and if there is a need to extend these limits, we will review at that time.”

Some of the banks showed a robust 100 per cent growth in their finance last year. We will not expect a 100 per cent growth (this year), but growth will continue, said a senior CBO official

A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman’s Islamic banks have achieved robust growth in finance, which crossed OMR1.6 billion by the end of November 2015.

Islamic banks and window operations saw 65.49 per cent growth in finance to reach OMR1,644.5 million by end-November 2015, against OMR993.7 million for the same period last year.

ROBUST DEMAND: In Oman, two Islamic banks—Bank Nizwa and the Alizz Islamic bank—and window operations of six conventional banks have scores of branches in the country. — Times file picture

“Islamic banks grew very well last year, and the trend is continuing this year as well,” Ali Hamdan Al Raisi, vice president, Central Bank of Oman, told the Times of Oman.

He said there is still space for Islamic banks to grow further, although there are challenges ahead.

“Islamic banks are becoming more solid, compliance and risk management is getting better.

Some of these banks are in operation for (almost) three years,” added Al Raisi, on the sidelines of an international seminar on risk management and compliance in Islamic financial institutions last week.

Al Raisi said some of the banks showed a robust 100 per cent growth in their finance last year.

“We will not expect a 100 per cent growth (this year), but growth will continue.”

Reviewing rules He also said there are different limits and some have been relaxed until the end of this year, while some others will stay relaxed until March. “So, we will review these limitations when that time comes.”

Total customer deposits held by Islamic institutions also shot up by 196 per cent to OMR1,454 million by end-November 2015, from OMR491.2 million for the same period last year, according to the latest monthly bulletin released by the Central Bank of Oman.

Such robust growth in Islamic institutions indicates that Shariacompliant banks have been able to establish themselves in the market and are able to overcome teething problems.

Two Islamic banks and the window operations of conventional banks have launched innovative products to attract Omani

customers, besides opening several branches in different parts of the country.

Branches, assets grow There has been a considerable increase in the number of branches and assets held by these entities, ever since these banks started operations two years earlier.

Islamic banks are opening up new segments and players and thus adding to the competitive environment, not only in terms of efficiency and innovation, but also by providing consumers the benefit of choice between both conventional and Islamic banking products.

An important focus area for Islamic banks now is small and medium enterprises. Sharia-compliant institutions are also focussing on creating awareness about Islamic products among potential customers.

In Oman, two Islamic banks— Bank Nizwa and the Alizz Islamic bank—and window operations of six conventional banks have scores of branches across the country.

The total assets of Islamic banks and windows were pegged at OMR2,174.1 million at the end of November 2015, reflecting an increase of 67.13 per cent over the same period of previous year.

PRIMARY ISSUE

Saudi Aramco plans to open share sale to foreigners DUBAI: Saudi Arabian Oil Co. is pumping at high levels as it sees demand growing, and the staterun company may open a possible share offering to international investors.

Saudi Aramco, as the world’s largest oil business is known, is still considering “all options” in any future public offering, including the sale of shares internationally, Chairman Khalid Al Falih said in an interview on Al Arabiya television. The company isn’t considering selling its oil reserves, he said.

“What will be offered is the economic value of Saudi Aramco and not its oil reserves,” Al Falih said in the interview in Davos, Switzerland. “The oil reserves belong to the state. Therefore, we will offer the ability of the company to produce from those reserves.”

Saudi Aramco has announced it was studying options for a share sale. While one route is a full initial public offering, another is to list some of its subsidiaries, the company said in a statement earlier this month. Aramco pumps all of Saudi Arabia’s crude oil, with production at 10.25 million barrels a day in December. Saudi Arabia sees oil prices recovering this year even if inventories remain high, Al Falih said. — Bloomberg News

B2

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

MARKET TRAINING

PDO signs deal with corporate governance centre Times News Service MUSCAT: Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has signed a cooperation agreement with the Oman Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability (OCCGS) to ensure the company and its contracting community continue to operate to the highest performance and ethical standards.

Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), OCCGS will provide training, development and advisory services in corporate governance and sustainability. The agreement was signed by PDO managing director Raoul Restucci and OCCGS executive director Sayyid Hamid bin Sultan Al Busaidi.

“PDO has always been committed to being a good corporate citizen, putting honesty, integrity and fairness at the centre of everything

offering administrative technical consultations, research and studies in this area.

we do. We believe in transparency and accountability and this is another step forward in our efforts to ensure compliance to business ethics and anti-corruption policies,” said Restucci.

“This agreement will enable us to benefit from the services provided by OCCGS to reinforce gov-

ernance and sustainability and to work with our contractors to embed best practices both in their dealings with us and with their own personnel.”

Under the terms of the MoU, OCCGS will provide support and advisory services in the preparation of policies and manuals relat-

ing to corporate governance and sustainability.

The organisation, which is tasked with building the infrastructure, skills and value system to transform corporate behaviours and performance in Oman, will also provide governance training for PDO staff and contractors while

MERCEDES-BENZ EXPLORING JOINT VENTURE TO BUILD TRUCKS IN IRAN

Mercedes-Benz compact SUV automobiles, produced by Daimler, being carried in cradles on the assembly line of the Mercedes-Benz factory in Rastatt, Germany. The German automaker has announced plans for a joint venture in Iran to build Mercedes-Benz trucks after trade restrictions tied to the country’s nuclear programme were lifted recently. – Bloomberg News

Training programme Moreover, the agreement covers other companies working in the concession area which will benefit from training opportunities and the guidelines, charters and corporate governance and social responsibility policies which the OCCGS will prepare.

“We are delighted to sign this MoU as it is a positive step for the energy sector especially in light of the present challenges and risks arising from the economic conditions experienced by the Sultanate,” said OCCGS executive director Sayyid Hamid Al Busaidi.

“The OCCGS plays a leading role in supporting the national economy by providing governance services, and this MOU shows the

high level of awareness in PDO regarding this issue. We hope that other institutions will follow PDO’s example,” he added.

In January 2015, PDO became the first national oil company in the Gulf to become a member of the United Nations Global Compact – the largest voluntary corporate social responsibility initiative in the world. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company is committed to supporting the UNGC’s 10 universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. It also produced its first ever Sustainability Report outlining in detail its commitment to ethical business, the community, environment, economy and its own staff, to back its application.

It has also launched an industry-first programme called Project Prism focused on welfare of 30,000 staff in its contactor workforce.

Insurance firms plan Iran entry Allianz, Zurich Insurance, Hannover and RSA said in recent days that they would evaluate potential opportunities in Iran

LOCAL ASSETS

Kuwait plans $100b sovereign wealth fund DOHA: Kuwait plans a new state-owned fund to manage as much as $100 billion in local assets with the goal of selling them to private investors in five to seven years, Al Anba reported.

The new sovereign wealth fund will include local assets managed

by Kuwait Investment Authority, which has been burdened by its domestic mandate and will focus more on its international portfolio, Al Anba reported, citing unidentified officials. Stakes in local companies, as well as power and water projects, will be included in the new fund, the paper said.

Energy-exporting countries that amassed large financial reserves over a decade-long oil

boom are exacerbating a collapse in asset prices by selling off holdings to meet their obligations, according to Jefferies. Such nations are also shifting investment strategies with an eye on boosting returns.

Privatising utilities Kuwait’s plan to privatise utilities while removing domestic energy subsidies is intended to make its power and water assets more profitable for the fund and attractive to potential investors, Al Anba’said. Saudi Arabia plans to set up a sovereign wealth fund to manage part of its oil fortune and diversify its investments, according to Reuters. - Bloomberg News

SYDNEY/LONDON: Global insurance firms are circling Iran for business opportunities following the lifting of sanctions — and the first test of their appetite could come in March when some Iranian companies seek new cover.

Insurers, the reinsurers that share their risk and the brokers that forge deals are exploring ways to tap a market worth $7.4 billion in premiums after a nuclear accord between world powers and Tehran led to the removal of restrictions on financial dealings with Iran this month.

Allianz, Zurich Insurance, Hannover and RSA, for example, said in recent days that they would evaluate potential opportunities in the country.

Insurance and reinsurance specialists regard the marine and energy sectors as among those offering the best opportunities in oil-producing Iran. Alongside commercial cover, life insurance is a potential growth area as it represents less than a tenth of overall Iranian premiums, compared to more than half globally.

At first international companies are likely to link up with Iranian firms to capitalise on their local knowledge and to reinsure local insurance in the international market, according to industry experts, with international brokers helping foreign firms get that business.

American insurance industry players are still banned from doing business in Iran, however, due to separate United States sanctions that remain in place.

Insurance contracts The insurance contracts of some Iranian companies expire when Iran’s calendar year ends in late March — similar to the January renewal season in Western countries — and they will be looking to strike new agreements. This could include insurance firms themselves seeking new reinsurance cover.

Mohammad Asoudeh, vice chairman and managing director of Iranian Reinsurance, said he had already been contacted by foreign insurance players looking to forge tie-ups with his company and enter the market.

“They have been waiting for Implementation Day,” said the 30year industry veteran, referring to the day this month when the UN atomic agency confirmed Tehran had met its commitments under the nuclear deal. “We have had enough visits (from foreign firms)... resuming business could be quick but will depend on the terms and conditions they offer us.”

“There are some market renewal dates in two months’ time.

This will be a good point to start.”

American insurance industry players are still banned from doing business in Iran, however, due to separate US sanctions that remain in place

Sasan Soltani, regional business development manager at Dubaibased but majority Iranian-owned Iran Insurance Company, said his firm had also been approached about tie-ups by British and Japanese brokers and insurers.

Hurdles remain Foreign players have been awaiting the lifting of sanctions for months; eight out of 11 established Western and Middle East insurance and reinsurance firms who said Iran was an attractive market, especially in the marine and energy sectors.

However despite the lifting of sanctions, hurdles still remain which are making companies cautious about a speedy entry.

The US curbs still in place exclude American nationals, banks and insurance industry players from trading with Iran including dollar business, so concerns remain on whether other foreign insurers can transact without the risk of penalties.

London-headquartered United Insurance Brokers (UIB) said it was active in Iranian reinsurance before the imposition of international sanctions and planned to reopen its Tehran office “as soon as we can”, according to chairman Bassem Kabban.

“Under the sanctions we ceased to operate, but we have maintained the salaries of our people there for the past fiveand-a-half years,” said Kabban, adding that firms could be wary due to concerns about having US shareholders or subsidiaries.

“People will be very careful what to do. If they are not sure, they would rather not do it.”

He said, though, that French and Japanese players were likely to be quickest off the blocks in providing reinsurance. - Reuters

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MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

B3

MARKET SUMMIT

Economy of China set for bumpy ride: WEF leaders DAVOS: Chinese economy may continue to struggle this year, giving goosebumps to the world economy, but it should not be as bad as was being feared, according to global leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Other potential risks before the global economy include Brexit (Britian’s possible exit from European Union) and continuing plunge in commodity markets, International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde and several other leaders opined as the fiveday WEF annual.

Security concerns and refugee crisis will be the major issues as far as Europe is concerned, while presidential candidate Donald Trump and his several controversial comments were the most talked topics about the United States.

Negative surprises Indian leaders opined that the reform process would continue in the country, even though some opined in private, that the political scenario remains bumpy and could spring some negative surprises as several state elections are expected and that would come in the way of economic planning of the federal government.

Some of the most soothing comments for China came from noted economist Nouriel Roubini, who is famously known as Dr Doom, when he said market analysts tend to go from one extreme to the next in their predictions.

“That’s why we might not want to read too much into all their recent talk of an economic meltdown in the world’s second largest economy,” he said. At the same time, Roubini warned that all would not be entirely well for China. - PTI

Omantel voted as the best telecom service operator ‘Best Brands’ survey canvassed more than 1,000 respondents in Oman, including high profile company chairmen, chief executive officers and general managers

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel), the Sultanate’s leading provider of integrated telecommunication services, has once again been voted the best telecom service operator in an annual independent brand survey conducted by a business magazine.

Omantel was selected as the most favoured brand within the majority of categories in the annual survey, reinforcing the company’s leading position across different customer segments.

Clear lead The ‘Best Brands’ survey canvassed more than 1,000 respondents who were drawn from a cross section of Oman’s business community and general public, including high-profile company chairmen, chief executives officers and general managers.

The survey sought their opinion on the best telecommunications

Talal Al Mamari, chief executive officer, Omantel

Todd Dick, vice president of corporate business, Omantel

The survey sought their opinion on the best telecommunications service provider, with results giving Omantel the clear lead as the number one telecom brand in the Sultanate, preferred in both the popular choice and management choice categories

service provider, with results giving Omantel the clear lead as the number one telecom brand in the Sultanate, preferred in both the popular choice and management choice categories.

Commenting on the ‘Best Brand’ ranking for Omantel in the Sul-

tanate, Omantel chief executive office Talal Al Mamari said, “We thank all of our customers for the trust they place in us, voting Omantel as the best and most preferred telecom brand in Oman.

More than 3 million customers in Oman choose us for a reason. The

confidence they place in us to deliver reliable and relevant services across the Sultanate is something we take very seriously, and indeed, our continued growth is strong evidence of our customers’ trust in our products and services.”

“We are very proud to once again to receive this recognition from the Sultanate’s top business executives and the general public who participated in this independent annual brand survey. Oman is one of most digitally connected countries in the region, however our position as ‘Best Brand’ reminds us to not sit on our laurels, and to boldly innovate and invest for the future growth of Omantel and the nation,” he added.

The ‘Best Brand’ recognition also highlighted the strong preference from the business community to select Omantel as their telecommunications provider of choice, signaling high levels of trust given by Oman’s top corporates in the oil & gas, banking, industrial and insurance sectors.

Team spirit, dedication Commenting on the survey results, Todd Dick, VP of Corporate Business said, “Customer satisfaction is our number one priority and it is the team spirit and dedication of our staff that makes it possible for us to deliver the very best telecommunications experience for every one of our customers in Oman.”

“At Omantel, we have, and will continue to invest greatly in the expansion and modernisation of our nationwide network to offer customers the widest choice of tailored telecom solutions, the most extensive network reach, and the best customer service experience. Access to mobile and

broadband services are a key enabler for economic diversification in Oman, providing a foundation for businesses to grow and prosper and providing the right environment for SME’s to get their new businesses up and running, regardless of where they are located across the country.”

In 2015, Omantel was also voted as the ‘Most Trusted Brand’ in the telecom sector in Oman as per the annual brand survey conducted by ‘Oman Economic Review’ magazine in conjunction with the Arab Research Bureau and maintained its ranking as the Most Valuable brand in Oman since 2010 according to Brand Finance annual survey in cooperation with ‘Gulf Marketing Review’ magazine. Omantel also garnered a number of other prestigious regional and international awards in 2015.

Investing in the future of the nation, Omantel connects even the most remote communities of the Sultanate to each other and with the rest of the world.

Omantel is the Sultanate’s first and leading integrated telecommunications services provider, enabling the digital society to flourish, allowing new ways of doing business and delivering a world of information, news and entertainment.

Today, Omantel boldly innovates to deliver the highest levels of customer satisfaction, the broadest and most reliable nationwide network while investing for Oman’s future development.

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AV I AT I O N

WORLD SUMMIT

Markets need more Saudi’s budget airline in talks with clarity on China’s planemakers to acquire 100 aircraft currency, says IMF DAVOS (Switzerland): Financial markets need more clarity on how Chinese authorities are managing their currency, particularly the relationship of the yuan to the United States dollar, International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde has said.

Sharp swings in the yuan have contributed, along with a dramatic fall in the price of oil, to global market volatility since the beginning of 2016.

Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda, speaking on the same panel at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, said he believed China should use capital controls to stabilise its currency while keeping domestic monetary policy loose.

Asked whether she would back capital controls by China for a period, Lagarde avoided a direct reply but said: “Certainly a massive use of reserves would not be a particularly good idea ... Some of it was already used.”

She said that the market needed ‘clarity and certainty’ about China’s exchange rate basket ‘in particular with reference to the dollar, which has always been the reference’. “That would be the right move to make,” she added.

Kuroda said China was right to keep monetary policy accommodative to help cushion the country’s transition from a export-led industrial economy to a demanddriven consumer economy with-

out excessive depreciation of the yuan. “This is my personal view and may not be shared by Chinese authorities, but in this kind of contradictory situation, capital control could be useful to manage exchange rate as well as domestic monetary policy in a consistent, appropriate way.”

He said Beijing was struggling to avoid either an excessive depreciation or an excessive appreciation of its currency.

Chinese economic data signalling slowing growth in the world’s second-largest economy have sent investors into a panic globally in the first three weeks of 2016, with oil prices also plunging as a result of oversupply in the market.

Credit Suisse chief executive officer Tidjane Thiam told the Davos panel that many people in the markets did not necessarily believe China’s official growth figure of 6.9 per cent for 2015 and feared the Chinese economy was facing a ‘hard landing’.

“We believe China will have a soft landing, not a hard landing. A lot in people in the market believe demand in China is decreasing.

We don’t agree,” he said.

Part of the market slide was due to a massive distressed sales of assets by sovereign wealth funds and asset managers prompted by falling oil prices, Thiam added.

Both Lagarde and Kuroda suggested investors could trust China’s official growth data. - Reuters

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s low-cost carrier Flynas is talking to Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier about a potential order for 100 new aircraft, after the carrier posted a profit in 2015 for the first time in its history.

The airline is considering 60 new planes in the next five years with an option for 40 more, Flynas chief executive Paul Byrne said in an interview in Bahrain. It’s considering the Airbus A320 Neos, Boeing 737 Maxs and Bombardier CS300 aircraft and expects to decide on the order this year.

Saudi Arabia, with a population of 30 million people, is removing restrictions in its travel market.

It’s in the process of licensing two new operators, Saudi Gulf Air and Al Maha Airways, which is owned

by Qatar Airways. The two new operators have experienced delays

in obtaining their permits. Flynas currently has an all-Airbus fleet of 26 aircraft. “We’re talking to Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier about purchasing or leasing depending on which is the best deal for us,” Byrne said. “If we were to change from Airbus to Boeing or Bombardier, that will be a big move for us but its not as dramatic as it sounds.”

Replacement and growth The leases on Flynas’ 26 aircraft will end within six years and it will require additional aircraft for replacement and growth.

On top of that, it will need more aircraft to cope with demand for pilgrimages to the country’s holy sites, increasing frequencies to some destinations and catering to

Saudi’s large domestic travel market, he said.

“No one really knows the bottom of the Saudi market yet. There’s room for competition and expansion,” he said.

The airline is exploring different options for financing new aircraft, including bank loans and sale and leaseback, Byrne said. - Bloomberg News

B4

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

MARKET MSM index ends higher

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ....................................... 4,942.74 ...............4,868.76 ....................4,941.75 ...................4,867.00..................74.75 ................... 1.54 Financial Index .................................... 5,872.69 ...............5,762.03 ................... 5,872.69 ....................5,745.17................127.52 ...................2.22 Industrial Index ................................... 6,463.58 ...............6,441.67 ................... 6,463.58 ...................6,441.82..................21.76 ...................0.34 Services Index .......................................2,831.07 ...............2,813.22 ................... 2,829.95 ...................2,808.63..................21.32 ................... 0.76 MSM SHARIAH INDEX...................... 804.40 .................. 801.67 ...................... 804.35 ...................... 799.97....................4.38 ................... 0.55 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 14,525,727..................3,346,249 .................... 930 ............... 15,241,337,466 ................25 ........................4 .................... 12 .........................41

As many as 930 trades were executed, generating turnover of OMR3.35 million

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 24

with 14.5 million shares changing hands.

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: Following the regional trend, MSM30 Index also gained 1.54 per cent to close at 4,941.75 points. With gains of 0.55 per cent, the MSM Sharia Index ended at 804.35 points. Al Anwar Holding was the most active in terms of volume as well as turnover. Up 6.52 per cent, Al Anwar Holding was the top gainer while the top loser was Al Hassan Engineering, down 1.54 per cent.

As many as 930 trades were executed on Sunday, generating turnover of OMR3.35 million with 14.5 million shares changing hands. Out of 41 traded securities, 25 advanced, four declined and 12 remained unchanged.

Omani Investors were net buyers for OMR778,000 while Foreign Investors were net sellers for OMR705,000 followed by GCC & Arab Investors for omr73,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index Financial Index led the rebound to close at 5,872.69 points, up 2.22 per cent. Al Anwar Holding, Bank Muscat, Al Batinah Development, Bank Sohar and Gulf Investment Services gained 6.52 per cent, 6.28 per cent, 4.29 per cent, 4.17 per cent and 3.80 per cent respectively.

Industrial Index closed at 6,463.58 points, up 0.34 per cent.

Al Jazeera Steel, Galfar Engineering, Gulf International Chemicals and Al Maha Ceramics increased 5.07 per cent, 1.96 per cent, 0.77 per cent and 0.59 per cent respectively. Al Hassan Engineering, down 1.54 per cent was the only sector loser.

Services Index advanced 0.76 per cent to close at 2,829.95 points. OIFC, Renaissance Services, United Power, Phoenix Power and Ooredoo gained 5.63 per cent, 4.50 per cent, 1.76 per cent, 1.55 per cent and 1.31 per cent respectively. Shell Oman Marketing, Al Jazeera Services

and Sembcorp Salalah decreased 0.51 per cent, 0.43 per cent and 0.42 per cent respectively.

Gulf stocks surge The DFM General Index climbed 5.2 per cent, the most in more than a year, to close at 2,757.08 as traders exchanged 415 million shares, 63 per cent above the 12-month daily average volume.

Qatar’s QE Index and Abu Dhabi’s ADX General Index climbed 4.6 per cent and 2.7 percent, respectively. Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index soared as much as 6.8 per cent before paring gains to 3.6 per cent at 2:23pm in Riyadh.

Middle Eastern shares rallied after oil advanced the most since August on Friday. While governments in the six-nation GCC have attempted to diversify their economies away from crude, the commodity remains the region’s biggest source of revenue. The equity advance also follows the biggest surge in world stocks since June 2012 on speculation central banks will expand stimulus measures to counter turmoil in financial markets.

“The global rally and oil price recovery is a great signal for investors here to buy,” said Hisham Khairy, the Dubai-based head of institutional trade at Mena Financial Services, one of the United Arab Emirates’ largest brokerages. “If tomorrow the market opens higher, it would offer a great selling opportunity,” said Khairy, who recommends “exiting the market” because the factors that led to the selloff across the region haven’t been resolved.

Al Rajhi Bank in Saudi Arabia followed with a 6.5 per cent gain.

The lender’s board recommended a dividend of SR1 per share for the second half of 2015 after the bank posted a 28 per cent increase in fourth-quarter profit.

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

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 4,448,092 .....655,000...................201 ............0.145 ........... 0.151............0.144............0.147 ............. 0.138............ 0.009............. 6.522 ................0.150 ..............0.150................... 0.151 ...................22,061,025 .........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 1,601,413 .......650,036..................... 86 ........... 0.400........... 0.416 ...........0.400 .......... 0.406 .............0.382 ........... 0.024............. 6.283 ................0.404..............0.402...................0.406 .................930,479,974........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 1,215,523 ..... 205,202..................... 78 ............0.169 ........... 0.170 ...........0.167 ............0.169 .............0.160 ........... 0.009............. 5.625 ................0.169 ..............0.168...................0.169...................33,800,000.........0.100 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ..........................77,000 ............. 11,180........................9 ............0.140 ........... 0.149 ...........0.140............0.145 ............. 0.138............ 0.007............. 5.072 ................0.149 .............. 0.145...................0.149................... 18,110,204 .........0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 138,287 ............ 16,051........................5 ............0.116 ........... 0.117............0.116 ............0.116 ............. 0.111 ............ 0.005.............4.505 ................0.116 .............. 0.116................... 0.117 ................... 33,715,518 .........0.100 OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ........................10,000 .................. 730........................1 ........... 0.073 ........... 0.073 ...........0.073........... 0.073 .............0.070 ........... 0.003.............4.286 ................0.073..............0.069...................0.073....................2,190,000 ..........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 581,081 ............ 72,867......................11 ............0.122 ........... 0.127 ...........0.122............0.125 .............0.120 ........... 0.005............. 4.167 ................0.124..............0.123...................0.125..................180,180,000........0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 628,781.............51,805..................... 32 ........... 0.079 ...........0.084 ...........0.079........... 0.082 .............0.079 ........... 0.003............. 3.797 ................0.083..............0.081...................0.083....................4,825,144 ..........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 173,566.............14,821.....................20 ........... 0.082 ...........0.086 ...........0.082........... 0.085 .............0.082 ........... 0.003............. 3.659 ................0.085..............0.084...................0.085.................... 7,650,000 ..........0.100 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 468,938 ........... 77,940..................... 32 ............0.165 ........... 0.170 ...........0.165 ............0.166 ............. 0.161 ............ 0.005............. 3.106 ................0.166 ..............0.164...................0.166...................16,600,000.........0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK ..................................................................... 50,000 ...............9,400........................1 ............0.188 ........... 0.188 ...........0.188 ........... 0.188 .............0.184 ........... 0.004............. 2.174 ................0.188 .............. 0.172...................0.187..................267,906,795 ........0.100 OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ..................10,000 ...............1,020........................1 ............0.102 ........... 0.102 ...........0.102........... 0.102 .............0.100 ........... 0.002.............2.000 ................0.102..............0.100...................0.103...................20,400,000 ........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 182,443 ..............9,495.....................20 ........... 0.052 ........... 0.053 ...........0.051 ........... 0.052 ............. 0.051.............0.001 ..............1.961.................0.053..............0.052...................0.053...................15,078,993 .........0.100 OM0000001822............UNITED POWER ............................................................. 1,049 ...............2,723........................2 ........... 2.550 ...........2.600 ...........2.550........... 2.595 .............2.550 ............0.045..............1.765.................2.600..............2.550...................2.700....................2,076,000 ..........1.000 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 364,510 .........226,636......................15 ........... 0.620 ...........0.628 ...........0.620........... 0.620 ............. 0.612............ 0.008............. 1.307 ................0.628..............0.628...................0.000 .................403,585,423 .......0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 426,505 .........599,947..................... 30 ............1.400 ........... 1.440 ...........1.400............1.405 .............1.390.............0.015 ............. 1.079 ................1.440..............1.430...................1.440................ 1,053,750,000 ......0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER................................................ 355,098 ............66,708......................15 ............0.187 ........... 0.188 ...........0.187 ........... 0.188 ............. 0.186............ 0.002............. 1.075 ................0.188 ............. 0.000...................0.188..................126,878,837 ........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................. 355,055 ........... 66,700......................14 ............0.187 ........... 0.188 ...........0.187 ........... 0.188 ............. 0.186............ 0.002............. 1.075 ................0.188 ............. 0.000...................0.188..................134,308,392........0.100 OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ..................................................... 233,155............ 24,792.....................42 ............0.106 ........... 0.109 ...........0.106........... 0.106 .............0.105.............0.001 ............. 0.952 ................0.106..............0.106...................0.110 ...................32,941,084.........0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 761,240 ..........167,153......................19 ........... 0.220...........0.220 ...........0.218........... 0.220 .............0.218............ 0.002............. 0.917 ................0.220 .............0.218...................0.230 .................294,956,255 .......0.100 OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............ 203,524 ........... 53,384.....................24 ........... 0.260...........0.265 ...........0.260 .......... 0.262 .............0.260 ........... 0.002............. 0.769 ................0.265..............0.263...................0.265....................5,502,000 ..........0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ..................................................53,336 .............18,127......................13 ........... 0.338 ...........0.340 ...........0.338........... 0.340 .............0.338 ........... 0.002............. 0.592 ................0.340..............0.338...................0.340 ..................17,850,000 .........0.100 OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ........................ 36,240 ...............4,169........................2 ............0.115 ........... 0.117............ 0.115 ............0.115 ............. 0.115 ............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.117 ...............0.117...................0.120...................10,929,600 .........0.100 OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ............. 111,000 .............23,193......................15 ........... 0.209...........0.209 ...........0.208 .......... 0.209 .............0.209 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.208..............0.205...................0.208 ................... 7,016,433 ..........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING.............28,957 ...............2,328........................9 ........... 0.078 ...........0.083 ...........0.078........... 0.080 .............0.080 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.083..............0.081...................0.083.................... 9,750,000 ..........0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT .................................... 84,000 .............. 4,200........................4 ........... 0.050 ...........0.050 ...........0.050........... 0.050 .............0.050 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.050..............0.049...................0.050 .................. 10,357,569 .........0.100 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES .......................................668 .................. 190........................1 ........... 0.285 ...........0.285 ...........0.285........... 0.280 .............0.280 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.285..............0.285...................0.290 ..................82,939,831 .........0.100 OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER......................................................................20 ....................... 7........................1 ........... 0.350 ...........0.350 ...........0.350........... 0.352 .............0.352 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.350............. 0.000...................0.350................... 77,795,520 .........0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL...............................................68,297 ............... 4,791......................16 ........... 0.070 ........... 0.071 ...........0.070........... 0.070 .............0.070 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.070..............0.070...................0.071...................12,250,000.........0.100 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH................................................ 10,556 ............ 24,812..................... 10 ........... 2.360 ...........2.360 ...........2.340 .......... 2.350 .............2.360 ...........-0.010 ........... -0.424 ...............2.360............. 0.000...................2.360 ................ 224,324,408 .......1.000 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ............................................12,000 ...............2,748........................2 ........... 0.229 ...........0.229 ...........0.229........... 0.229 .............0.230 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.435 ...............0.229..............0.230...................0.240 .................. 14,015,779 .........0.100 OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ...................................48,950 ............ 96,388......................15 ............1.965 ........... 1.980 ...........1.940........... 1.970 .............1.980 ...........-0.010 ........... -0.505 ...............1.980.............. 1.965...................1.980..................187,150,000 ........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 12,739,284.......3,164,544.............746 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......32........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 199,457.............10,926......................21 ........... 0.054 ........... 0.055 ...........0.054........... 0.055 .............0.053 ........... 0.002............. 3.774 ................0.054..............0.054...................0.055...................55,000,000.........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 462,936 ............29,176..................... 28 ........... 0.063 ...........0.064 ...........0.063........... 0.063 ............. 0.061............ 0.002............. 3.279 ................0.063..............0.063...................0.064 ..................94,500,000 ........0.100 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 1,001,521........131,352................... 123 ............0.131 ........... 0.133 ...........0.130............0.131 .............0.129............ 0.002............. 1.550 ................0.130 ..............0.129...................0.130.................. 191,600,791 ........0.100 OM0000001053 ............OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING .......................................... 700 ..................246........................1 ........... 0.352 ...........0.352 ...........0.352........... 0.352 .............0.352 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.352............. 0.000...................0.352.................... 2,112,000 ..........1.000 OM0000001426............OMAN REFRESHMENT ..................................................128 ..................284........................1 ........... 2.220...........2.220 ...........2.220 .......... 2.220 .............2.220 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.220 ............ 0.000...................2.220 .................111,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE ....................................250 .....................25........................1 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.100 ...........0.100........... 0.100 .............0.100 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.100..............0.090...................0.100...................10,000,000.........0.100 OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING....................................65,600 .............. 4,224........................6 ........... 0.065 ...........0.065 ...........0.061 ........... 0.064 .............0.065 ...........-0.001 ............-1.538................0.061 ..............0.062...................0.064 ................... 4,813,312 ..........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 1,730,592 ...... 176,234....................181 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 7........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS AND SUKUK MARKET ......................................................................................................................................................................

OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ........................ 11,000 ............... 1,210........................ 1 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.110 ............0.110 ............. 0.110............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.110 .............. 0.110...................0.200 ..................33,302,402.........0.100 OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 .....................44,851 ...............4,261........................2 ........... 0.095 ........... 0.095 ...........0.095........... 0.095 .............0.095 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.095..............0.095...................0.099...................30,795,353 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................... 55,851 ............... 5,471........................3 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........2........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

— United Securities/Bloomberg News

FIRST OMAN FRANCHISE EXPO

SUKUK ISSUE

Al Nimr Expo to help create awareness on franchise business concept in Oman Times News Service MUSCAT: With various initiatives in developing entrepreneurship amongst the nationals in Oman, experts have projected that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and micro entrepreneurs are the best bet for the Sultanate to improve the diversity in the economy and generate more jobs for Omanis. This projection comes from the country’s vision and plan to cultivate and empower young entrepreneurs who are interested in starting their own business and be self-employed.

To support these initiatives and help generate more business concepts into the market, Al Nimr Expo will organise the first Oman Franchise Expo & Conference (OFEC) 2016 in May. This event can contribute to the development of franchising in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, which offers more opportunities for businesses to open and attract internationally recognised brands with the increase of number of commercial centers and malls existing.

Dr Khalid Al Sharfaa, chairman of the Middle East & North Africa Franchise Association (Menafa) has said that Oman is a new, exciting hub for the franchising concept which has a significant potential in growth and development of entrepreneurship and SMEs. Franchising a business can be an ultimate solution for interested entrepreneurs as it takes them from a zero point to one by purchasing an established and existing international brand to operate locally, and so that is the reason that have encouraged us to partner with Al Nimr Expo to deliver

There is a great interest in the concept of franchise witnessed by Menafa in the past couple of years from the Omani businessmen and entrepreneurs who fly to the United Arab Emirates to attend the franchise events hosted by Menafa Salim bin Omar Al Hashmi, chairman of Al Nimr Expo

Dr Khalid Al Sharfaa, chairman of the Middle East & North Africa Franchise Association

this event in Muscat, he added.

He pointed out that the franchising market research reports $8 trillion worth of market size in the world and is noticing a continues growth of 35 per cent each year, similarly in the Middle East & North Africa region as the franchise market size is of a $32 billion worth and expecting a significant increase annually considering that the region is in need for economically diversified markets and sectors other than oil & gas.

Salim bin Omar Al Hashmi, chairman of Al Nimr Expo said that Oman is witnessing a sustained growth in SMEs and micro entrepreneurs, which is a result of a clear vision and part of an ecosystem that has been established accurately and according to a study which enables young entrepreneurs to achieve their aspirations and the start a small and/or medium-sized enterprises in an ideal,

central, and focused environment.

Establishing this event has been inspired by this vision of the country starting from the talks at the Seeh Al Shamikhat SME forum for SMEs to have a significant contribution in the economy, understanding that this kind of event will help this to be achieved.

“There is a great interest in the concept of franchise witnessed

by Menafa in the past couple of years from the Omani business men and entrepreneurs who fly to the United Arab Emirates to attend the franchise events hosted

by Menafa and we have received a significant number of enquiries and consultancy requests in regards to the benefits and costs of franchising,” said Omar Al Haza’a, vice-chairman of Menafa.

In explaining the concept of franchising, he said, “franchising is an agreement between two parties, the first being the franchiser

Omar Al Haza’a

Vice-chairman, Middle East & North Africa Franchise Association

who grants the right to using his brand/trademark in a specific geographical region for a specific duration along with giving the license to use the business systems/processes to produce and market a good or service according to certain specifications to a second party being the franchisee for an agreed monetary return.”

Maryam Al Balushi, one of the event managers for the Oman Franchise Expo & Conference (OFEC) at Al Nimr Expo stated that the event will take place May 9 to11 at Oman International Exhibition Centre, endorsed by Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Riyada).

The event will attract more than 60 internationally established trademarks that are interested in entering the Omani market but also, OFEC will focus on local

grown business concepts available for aspiring entrepreneurs that are ready to take their ideas regionally and/or internationally, which we target between 30-40 locally-based brands.

She clarified that with the support of other organisations such as Oman American Business Council, UK Trade & Investment, and The Indian Franchise Association, “we will be able to achieve those targets, as well as Start Up Oman being our SME supporter and The Lounge as our promotional partner we will be able to reach out the local entrepreneurs whether they are looking into being a franchiser or a franchisee.”

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Saudi airline plans debut $1.3b bond sale DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s main airline said it’s planning to sell as much as SR5 billion ($1.3 billion) of Islamic bonds in the second quarter to refinance loans and buy planes, becoming the latest issuer in the kingdom to tap debt markets for cash amid an oil slump.

The carrier known as Saudia is in negotiations with local banks to oversee its first-ever bond offering, Saleh Al Jasser, the director general of Saudi Arabian Airlines, said in an interview at the Sakhir airbase during the Bahrain air show on Friday. The plans are part of a wider Islamic bond programme the company will turn to “as and when needed” for funding, he said.

“We will be initiating a sukuk programme for the purpose of refinancing some of our existing loans and also to help finance our growth plans, to finance the acquisition of fleet,” Al Jasser said.

Borrowers in the oil-exporting nation are turning to debt markets in greater numbers amid a slump in crude prices that is worsening the nation’s budget deficit.

Saudia’s sale comes as the airline, which bought 50 Airbus Group planes at the Paris Airshow last summer, seeks to boost its fleet to 200 by 2020.

The carrier is following Dubaibased Emirates airline and FlyDubai in issuing sukuk.

The airline will take delivery next week of three Boeing 787-9 and one 777-300ER, which will be used for flights to Paris, Guangzhou, Casablanca and Dubai, in addition to domestic routes, Al Jasser said. Saudia will add domestic and regional flights this year and in 2017, after announcing start of services to Algeria, Ankara in Turkey, Munich, Germany and the Maldives, he said. — Bloomberg News

B

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

SECTION

SLOW DOWN ENJOY THE RIDE

E-

IMES TECH STUFF

APPLE’S ELECTRIC-CAR PROJECT OFFICIAL TO LEAVE The executive leading Apple’s electric-car project is leaving, according to two people familiar with the move. Steve Zadesky, who was tapped by CEO Tim Cook to shepherd Apple’s bid to enter the automobile market, stepped down for personal reasons, not because of his performance, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified discussing Apple personnel matters. The leadership change hasn’t altered Apple’s plans to develop a car, one of the people said. — Bloomberg News

T E C H U P D AT E S

Apple to open first store in India to boost its sales

Catching up with the new digital platforms Tech firms are not the only ones innovating.

A handful of leading firms in practically every industry are deploying digital technology in increasingly sophisticated ways — and seeing huge benefits. The use of sensors to monitor livestock, for example, has farreaching implications forthe food industry

DOMINIC BARTON*

T

ECHNOLOGICAL change has always posed a challenge for companies. But, as we saw once again in 2015, it has never occurred as rapidly, or on as large a scale, as today. As innovation sweeps across virtually every sector, from heavy industry to services, it is transforming the competitive landscape, with the most advanced companies – rather than the largest or most established players — coming out on top.

For incumbents, the threat of displacement is very real. The average tenure of a company on the S&P 500 has fallen from 90 years in 1935 to less than 18 years today. Disruptive new players like Uber, which has upended the taxi industry, are tough competitors, often staking out market share by shifting more surplus to consumers. This is part of a broader trend of intensifying competition that, according to recent research from the McKinsey Global Institute, could reduce the global aftertax profit pool from almost 10 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) today to its 1980 level of about 7.9 per cent within a decade.

The effect of technology on competition arises largely from the power of digital platforms and network effects. New digital platforms reduce marginal costs (the cost of producing additional units of a good or service) to nearly zero.

A Google Maps user carries negligible costs, because the service

relies on GPS location data that is already stored on a user’s phone.

This allows Google to scale incredibly quickly, and then to leverage this scale (and the convenience of having a single platform) to move into adjacent sectors — such as music (Google Play), payment (Google Wallet), and word processing (Google Docs). In this manner, tech firms can quickly come to challenge incumbents in seemingly unrelated industries.

Of course, tech firms are not the only ones innovating. A handful of leading firms in practically every industry are deploying digital technology in increasingly sophisticated ways — and seeing huge benefits.

The use of sensors to monitor livestock, for example, has far-reaching implications for the food industry.

But the most digitally advanced sectors show the greatest progress.

Indeed, over the last 20 years, profit margins in these tech-infused sectors have grown 2-3 times faster, on average, than in the rest of the economy. Even within the most advanced sectors, there is a yawning gap between the top-performing companies and the rest of the pack.

For example, the retail offerings of digitally advanced multinational banks far outstrip those of local credit unions.

As technology transforms business models and processes, it is also changing the way employees work.

Recent McKinsey research finds that already-proven technologies could automate as much as 45 per cent of the tasks individuals are cur-

Haier, the Chinese white-goods manufacturer, reorganised its 80,000-person workforce into 2,000 independent units, each responsible for managing its own profits and losses.

Since the move, its market capitalisation has soared, tripling from 2011 to 2014

rently paid to perform. In the United States alone, that is the equivalent of about $2 trillion in annual wages.

The potential benefits of this transformation for companies extend far beyond cost savings, as workers gain time to pursue more valuable tasks involving critical thinking and creativity. Financial advisers can spend less time analysing financials and more time developing solutions that meet clients’ needs. Or interior decorators can shift their attention from taking measurements to devising design concepts, meeting with clients, or sourcing materials.

Technology also allows companies to rethink conventional wisdom on organisational design and governance. New information-sharing technologies deliver greater transparency, making organisations more efficient and, in many cases, less hierarchical.

For example, the CEOs of Apple, Inditex (a multinational clothing company), and Zappos (a large online retailer) have adopted broad

spans of control (the number of subordinates directly reporting to a manager) that far exceed the traditional model of “one to four to eight.” Haier, the Chinese whitegoods manufacturer, reorganised its 80,000-person workforce into 2,000 independent units, each responsible for managing its own profits and losses. Since the move, its market capitalisation has soared, tripling from 2011 to 2014.

Moreover, digitisation allows companies to operate as “platforms,” not structures, and make greater use of resources outside their company.

The insurance company Allstate used the crowdsourcing platform Kaggle to invite programmers to develop a new car accident injury algorithm; the eventual “winner” was 271 per cent more accurate than its existing model.

Likewise, China’s DJI became the world’s largest drone manufacturer by focusing on its products’ core technology, while giving away developer kits for free online so that others could build apps. This approach meant that DJI’s drones were equipped with attractive features far earlier than competitors’ products, which relied on in-house app development.

Similar technology-driven innovations in thought processes and business models can be seen across the economy, reflected in changes in companies’ planning processes.

Some have begun creating separate business plans with two-month and 20-year views, reallocating their resources more aggressively, and using new analytical techniques to identify, attract, develop, and retain talent.

Technological innovation enables — indeed, requires — companies to boost their agility and thus their competitiveness. That’s why CEOs’ top priorities in 2016 should be to digitize the core components of their business and rethink organisational design and governance processes. Catching this fast-moving — and rapidly growing — “digital wave” is the only way to avoid getting left behind. — Project Syndicate * Dominic Barton is the global managing director of McKinsey & Company.

Apple applied to open its own stores in India, a strategy that may help it better target a fastgrowing market just as iPhone sales may be peaking. Apple said on Wednesday it’s filed a request with the Indian government to bring its retail outlets to the world’s second- largest country.

Emerging markets will prove crucial to Apple as some analysts predict a decline this year in sales of the iPhone, which accounts for about two-thirds of the company’s revenue. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook is searching for growth opportunities as smartphone sales flatten and China’s economy slows. Apple has two per cent of the Indian market, according to International Data Corp. (IDC), and needs to make inroads against competitors including Samsung Electronics, Xiaomi and Micromax Informatics. Apple mostly uses resellers in India for its products. Redington India, Apple’s main domestic distributor, fell as much as nine per cent on Wednesday, heading for its lowest level since September. Apple’s shares are down 8.2 per cent this year in New York. — Bloomberg News

MariaDB receives funding from Intel, other tech firms MariaDB, whose open-source database software powers Wikipedia, received $9 million in equity financing from investors including Intel. Michael “Monty” Widenius, one of the lead developers and founders of MariaDB and MySQL, which was sold to Sun Microsystems in 2008, joins the company as chief technology officer. Michael Howard, previously the head of analytics company C9, was named CEO. MariaDB’s total funding now reaches $40 million, including Intel’s participation from an earlier funding round in 2013. The investment will be “a stepping stone” to add marketing resources, improve customer service and hire new technical talent, Howard said in an e-mailed response. “A portion of the investment will go to build features and products that no other database team is building today,” Howard said. “Monty is integral to this goal. He is the soul of the engineering team.” Analytics, hacking and cyber security will be among topics MariaDB seeks to address, Howard said.

The company estimates its database has about 9 million users. It’s included with every distribution of the operating system Linux and offered with cloud services hosted by Rackspace Hosting and Microsoft’s Azure. MariaDB was founded as an offshoot, or fork, of MySQL’s database management system amid concerns for its open-source future after Sun was bought by Oracle. — Bloomberg News

IBM profit tops estimates as lower tax rate curbs costs IBM’s profit narrowly topped analysts’ estimates last quarter after a lower tax rate curbed costs and helped the company weather a persistent slump in demand.

Adjusted earnings, excluding some items, fell 17 per cent from a year earlier to $4.84 a share, International Business Machines (IBM) said in a statement. Analysts had forecast $4.81 a share on average, a forecast that’s come down almost 10 per cent in the past three months. IBM’s operating tax rate was 14.7 per cent in the quarter, a decrease of 7.1 percentage points from the year earlier period.

Fourth quarter revenue declined for the 15th quarter straight to $22.1 billion, which met the average analyst expectation. Revenue from the software business fell 11 per cent to $6.8 billion. IBM is struggling with a multi-year transition that has sent the stock tumbling, losing more than 30 per cent of its value in the last two years. CEO Ginni Rometty is working to drive growth by focusing on newer operations — including cloud computing and data analytics — bundled up in what the company calls strategic imperatives. Investors and analysts have been waiting for the new businesses to help IBM return to sales growth, which some expect to happen this year. Rometty has countered investor concerns about revenue by emphasising that the new businesses are higher in value and more profitable. The strong dollar crimped sales by seven percentage points, more than the forecast for about five percentage points IBM made in October. The company exceeded the low end of its forecast for full- year earnings at $14.92 a share, after cutting the range to $14.75 to $15.75 in the third quarter.

— Bloomberg News

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MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

ROUND-UP

Bank Muscat outlines customer-centric future strategies at Leadership Forum

In light of the prevailing economic situation, the event themed ‘Opportunities’ focused on strategies to chart the way forward

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, reviewed the 2015 performance and outlined its customer-centric future strategies at the annual Leadership Forum attended by the management and branch leadership.

In light of the prevailing economic situation, the event themed ‘Opportunities’ focused on strategies to chart the way forward, says a press release.

AbdulRazak Ali Issa, chief executive, commended the front line branch managers for their dedication and commitment to steer the bank to greater heights in serving the largest banking family in Oman as well as contributing to the development march of the nation.

AbdulRazak Ali Issa said: “The forum articulated the bank’s strategy towards the challenges and opportunities faced in light of the prevailing economic situation.

Challenges often bring the best out of the brave and the bank’s focus remains on identifying business growth opportunities in unchartered territories to achieve the goals and strategy.

“The bank is progressing well on track with clarity on its vision, values and strategy, which have helped in distinguishing itself in banking excellence, and remains focused on its customer-centric strategy to sustain the competitive advantage. The bank’s operations are ingrained in its values which represent what we stand for: how we conduct ourselves as the

trusted banking partner, and how we engage with our shareholders, business partners, colleagues and the communities we serve.”

Addressing the session, Waleed Al Hashar, deputy chief executive officer, said: “Our commitment to customers will be the key to achieving our strategic objectives, thereby establishing sustainable, long-term business relationships in communities we operate in.

“Ushering in a new era characterised by a dynamic strategy reflecting the readiness to face future challenges, the new organisational structure sum up the bank’s confidence and determination to stretch the boundaries in banking excellence. Setting new standards, we are embarking on further enhancing our products and services to serve customers better.

“We constantly ask ourselves, are we fulfilling our vision? Yes, we are making steady progress in ‘Doing More’ for ourselves, our customers, stakeholders, communities and country. We remain focused on our strategy to bring our vision and values to life in today’s challenging environment. By making steady progress in business operations and being faithful to our vision and values, we continue to earn the

The bank is progressing well on track with clarity on its vision, values and strategy, which have helped in distinguishing itself in banking excellence, and remains focused on its customer-centric strategy to sustain the competitive advantage AbdulRazak Ali Issa

Chief executive

trust of our stakeholders and provide a unique banking and financial experience to our customers.”

In sessions focusing on real life personal achievements and corporate success, the forum was addressed by Janab Sayyida Dr Sharifa bint Khalid Al Said, who highlighted her experiences in overcoming the challenges in life, and Sheikh Aymen bin Ahmed

Al Hosni, CEO of Oman Airports Management Company, who led a session on ‘Leadership’.

The analysis of 2015 performance and the growth plan for 2016 were highlighted in presentations made by various departments. The bank’s future strategies in line with the ‘Let’s Do More’ vision seek to achieve an ideal balance between the contributions of

a loyal, productive workforce and customer-service focused solutions, continuously measuring and delivering value for all stakeholders. The core focus of the bank’s vision is to stretch further the standards in banking excellence.

In order to achieve the bank’s growth objectives, the new organisational structure assigns higher emphasis to customer centricity whereby the bank’s functions are aligned based on the main customer segments being served.

Additionally, the new structure incorporates representation of branches in the management team to ensure that opinions of customers and employees from different parts of the country are reflected at the highest management levels.

Renowned for top-notch customer service, Bank Muscat accords priority for building key relationship with customers. With the widest reach and the largest network of 153 branches spread across the Sultanate, Bank Muscat meets the expectations of customers at the grassroots level. The expanding branch network reflects the commitment to remain as the bank of first choice in all parts of the country, offering banking convenience at the doorstep of cus-

tomers. In order to maintain the leadership position, the bank accords priority for value addition and strengthening of relationship with customers.

The ‘Let’s Do More’ vision reiterates a leadership which continuously challenges everything, from listening to improving and looking for positive change as the bank believes that only through questioning convention can it truly deliver sustainable value.

Over the past 33 years, Bank Muscat has achieved steady and significant growth in various disciplines to emerge as the flagship financial institution in Oman.

The bank posted a net profit of OMR175.45 million in 2015 compared to OMR163.23 million in 2014, an increase of 7.5 per cent.

The bank has leveraged on investments in new technology to further increase efficiency and improve customer service.

The sophisticated banking experience stems from the right mix of traditional and electronic channels. Bank Muscat enjoys an edge in hi-tech products, notably electronic payment and web-based services in tune with meeting the banking requirements of a young, tech-savvy generation.

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Volkswagen launches 2016 Passat The 2016 Passat will be available in Oman in four configurations: S, SE, SEL and Sport

MUSCAT: Volkswagen, represented in Oman by Wattayah Motors, launched the 2016 Passat recently. The new vehicle, with its striking new design, innovative technology and enhanced value, was introduced with a starting price of just OMR8,500.

The 2016 Passat will be available in Oman in four configurations - S, SE, SEL and Sport - and features more dynamic styling than its predecessor, with a new hood, front fenders, grille, front and rear bumpers, trunk lid and LED headlights and taillights available, says a press release.

Andrew Squires, general manager of Wattayah Motors, said: “The 2016 Passat offers a more dynamic style, a more premium interior and newly available connec-

tivity and convenience features.

The new Passat is the smart choice for an affordable mid-size sedan, with class-leading space and innovative technology.”

The new exterior offers slimmer headlights, a more substantial fourbar grille, and a muscular, domed hood, with all features blending harmoniously to give the Passat a wider, more planted stance at the front end. Additionally, a new chrome strip on the trunk ensures the rear lights appear lower, enhancing the grounded appearance,

RECRUIT QUOTES I have learned that real angels don’t have gossamer white robes and Cherubic skin, they have calloused hands and smell of the days’ sweat.

— Richard Evans All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.

— Calvin Coolidge Don’t wish it were easier. Wish you were better.

— Jim Rohn

while chrome on the window surrounds, bumpers, and door trim compliments the more premium nature of the design upgrade.

Inside, the 2016 Passat showcases an extensively upgraded interior, for a more sophisticated look and feel including a new steering wheel and two-tone décor panels, and refined chrome and piano black trim. The Passat features the second-generation in-car infotainment system, also known as MIB II by Volkswagen. The system features touch screens as stand-

ard equipment on all models. On most models, the display utilises a capacitive touch sensor (similar to smartphone and tablet technology) enabling gesture controls like swiping and pinch-zooming rather than the resistive touch screens that require pressure and have slightly longer response times.

Most infotainment units also feature a proximity sensor, which detects when a hand is nearby and automatically switches its display to allow easier selection of specific features. USB and Bluetooth con-

nectivity are standard on all 2016 Passat models.

Featuring the three major smartphone integration platforms – Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink, the in-car infotainment system allows seamless integration with the vast majority of smartphones available today.

Volkswagen also offers a combination of new safety and driver assistance systems in the 2016 Passat. The Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, standard on all 2016 models, builds on the prem-

ise that a collision is rarely a single, instantaneous action, but rather a series of events that follow the initial impact – which can cause additional collisions.

The system helps address this by applying the brakes after a primary collision is detected by the airbag sensors, thus helping to reduce residual kinetic energy and, in turn, reduce the chance of additional damage.

The 2016 Passat is now available at Volkswagen showrooms across Oman.

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ROUND-UP

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MHD launches 4S Ford Trucks facility in Oman

The 4S facility staffed by a team of trained personnel will provide sales, service and spare parts support to the Ford Trucks customers MUSCAT: MHD, one of the leading companies in the Sultanate of Oman, and Ford Trucks, celebrated the opening of the newly constructed 4S Ford Trucks facility in Muscat, including showroom, spare parts and service.

The facility is built following Ford Trucks’ global vision and represent the first Ford Trucks dealership in Oman, third biggest truck market in Middle East, says a press release.

The 4S facility staffed by a team of trained personnel will provide sales, service and spare parts support to the Ford Trucks customers.

Facility is formed of 225 m2 internal showroom, 192 m2 external showroom, 350 m2 workshop and 1,000 m2 commonly used spare parts warehouse area.

The showroom can accommo-

date up to three trucks and the service area can receive up to 300 trucks per month.

Speaking at the launch Gopi Subramanian, general manager of the Engineering Products & Commercial Vehicles Division, MHD said, “We are proud to launch the tough, technically superior, fuel efficient Ford range of Trucks in the Sultanate of Oman.

“They have been equipped with specifications that will cater to all the specific requirements of our clients in cargo hauling, construction, tankers or any other load handling applications.”

Haydar Yenigün, general manager, Ford Trucks emphasised that Ford Trucks continue to establish global network and stated; “We have strong business relations with our distributors. And as a result of this settlement in Muscat, we are truly hoping our long lasting relationship will continue with Mohsin Haider Darwish. The Middle East is very important for Ford Trucks and Oman is among the most im-

portant markets within the region.

“We will continue to expand our operations in GCC countries and in the Middle East region in order to get closer to our customers. In the midterm, we expect Middle East market will constitute 25 per cent of our international sales and we aim to reach 10 per cent market share in Oman’s heavy commercial market in three years.”

Preferred by concrete plants and long haulage transportation all around the region, Ford Trucks offer high quality and durability with low initial investment and low operating costs. Popular Ford Truck models, 1843T tractor, 3535D (6x4), 4135M (8x4) mixer can be customized with transmission and cabin modules for on road and off road conditions.

Tractors and construction vehicles are offered with 10 mm 500 Mpa chassis frame. The mixer series for construction applications are offered in 6x4 and 8x4 versions with 350 PS power engine. The mixer capacity ranges between 7.7

and 12.7 m3. 1843T tractor model is presented with a 10.3 litre 430 PS powerful engine with Euro 3 emission norms with standard ESP. Public and special trucks are mainly used for municipality, army and various applications which are offered with many superstructure alternatives and capable of fulfilling the market needs. 4x2 and 6x2 models offered with 9.0 litre Ford Ecotorq powerful engine with Euro 3 emission norms with standard ABS. Ford Trucks offer standard 2 year/unlimited kilometre warranty in Oman. Warranty terms substantially contribute to the readily competitive total cost of ownership of Ford Trucks models.

Hot Climate Package in Ford Trucks provides comfort in hot and dusty environments with increased air-conditioner performance, improved radiator and filtration. During the two-year development period for the Hot Climate Package, vehicle durability tests including laboratory tests that simulate the region’s high temperatures, humidity and dusty conditions and also the specific customer expectations were studied and considered with 300,000km road tests in the region. Hot Climate Package is offered in the whole line-up sold in GCC countries.

Established almost half a century back, MHD has grown to become one of Oman’s most respected business groups.

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B I RYA N I F E S T I VA L

Give your taste buds a royal treat with biryanis at Chulha restaurant

SOHAR: Chulha, the authentic Indian cuisine restaurant by Jawad Sultan Restaurants in Sohar is hosting a Biryani Festival that will give the foodies a chance to experience the different regional Biryanis from across India.

A special a la carte biryani menu has been prepared by the master chef to satiate the bon vivant in you. Indulge in the carefully crafted specialities from 12-4pm and 7-11.30pm at Chulha inside the Sohar Plaza above City Cinema, says a press release.

The Biryani Festival offers a vast range of mouthwatering specials with a fine mélange of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delectable miryanis.

The fragrant rice, tender meat and succulent vegetables packed with authentic flavours have been put together by the master chef at Chulha to please all the senses.

The Biryani Festival menu includes the traditional Gosht Awadhi Biryani, Murgh Handi Biryani, Yakhni Biryani and many more, for the non-vegetarian enthusi-

asts. The menu also comprises an array of vegetarian Biryanis from Hyderabadi Subz Biryani, to Kale Motiyon ki Biryani, to Nariyal Ki Biryani of South India, for the vegetarian aficionado.

“The Biryani Festival is our way of taking our esteemed guests in Oman on a trip that showcases the true authenticity, diversity and the richness of the Indian cuisine,” stated P. Chandrasekhar, group general manager, Jawad Sultan Group.

“Indulge yourself in a variety of tongue tantalising Biryanis and savour India’s favourite rice preparations, only at the Biryani Festival at Chulha!”

MYHASSAD

ahlibank picks daily winners MUSCAT: ahlibank announced the names of the MyHassad daily prize draw winners.

Salim Said Al Bakhet Fadhil from Salalah branch, Khamis Sulaiman Hamed Al Gharibi from Nizwa branch, Afrah Abdullah Khalfan Al Shaaibia from Sur branch, Muhammed Asif Ashiq Hussain from Avenues Mall branch and Salim Said Al Bakhet Fadhil from Salalah

branch were the lucky winners of OMR1,000 each for the week, says a press release.

MyHassad savings account continues to successfully satisfy the existing customers and attract new ones.

MyHassad Saving Scheme was introduced in July 2008 as an extension of the bank’s tradition of product innovation. Opening MyHassad Saving account is

simple and easy. Customers need only to open their MyHassad account with OMR100 for their chance to win OMR1,000 in the next working day’s draw hence their chance to “open today and win tomorrow” continues. Further enhancements in March 2009 allows customers to participate in the OMR10,000 monthly draw, by maintaining a minimum OMR250 during the month.

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Error-prone Djokovic survives Simon scare

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contrast, booked a rematch of last year’s title decider against Maria Sharapova by sweeping into the quarter-finals without having lost a set, and Roger Federer progressed almost as comfortably to bring the day to a close

MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic’s grip on the Australian Open title looked shaky for a short spell on Sunday but the world number one finally shook off Gilles Simon in a four-and-a-half hour marathon to take his place in the quarterfinals.

Serena Williams, by contrast, booked a re-match of last year’s title decider against Maria Sharapova by sweeping into the quarter-finals without having lost a set, and Roger Federer progressed almost as comfortably to bring the day to a close.

The whiff of an upset hung around Melbourne Park for much of the day — Tomas Berdych, Agnieszka Radwanska and Carla Suarez Navarro all lost opening sets

DAY OF STRUGGLE: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns against France’s Gilles Simon. – AFP

-- but it was most potent in Djokovic’s five-setter against Simon.

Djokovic had eased into the fourth round without losing a set as he continued the dominant form that earned him 11 titles, including three of the four Grand Slams, last year.

Defensive baseliner Simon is a wily campaigner, however, and he elicited 100 unforced errors out of the reigning champion in his 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 defeat.

Hurtling around the arena on legs that have always looked too spindly to take the kind of punishment they regularly endure, the 31-year-old Frenchman absorbed Djokovic’s power and timed his shots to perfection to hurl it back at the Serbian.

Djokovic has not won five titles at Melbourne Park without being able to negotiate a scrap, however, and despite a string of fluffed drop shots he reasserted his authority in the final set to reach the last eight for a 27th successive Grand Slam.

“I honestly didn’t expect to make

this many unforced errors. In terms of a level that I’ve played, it’s the match to forget for me,” said Djokovic.

“When you’re playing someone like Simon ... you’re trying to cut down on the length of the rallies, go for a winner or go for a dropshot. Sometimes you have a brain freeze, if I can call it that.”

Djokovic’s next opponent, Japan’s Kei Nishikori, must have enjoyed every last minute of the match as he rested up after a straightforward 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Nishikori was humiliated 6-1, 6-1 in his last meeting with Djokovic in November and will be hoping to avenge that defeat and revive memories of his stunning upset of the Serbian in the semi-finals of the 2014 U.S. Open.

Williams lost her serve for the second time at the tournament in the opening game of her match but that was just about all that went against the American in her brisk 6-2, 6-1 demolition of Margarita Gasparyan.

Sharapova was make to work much harder for her 7-5, 7-5 victory over teenager Belinda Bencic in the opening match of the day on the main showcourt.

If Djokovic’s high error count was uncharacteristic, the fifth seed’s reliance on her serve to get her out of trouble against the rising Swiss talent was also at odds with perceptions of her game in recent years.

The 28-year-old might need more than 21 aces to end a run of 17 successive defeats against Williams going back to 2004, however.

David Goffin has made great strides over the last couple of years but could still not cope with 17-times Grand Slam champion Federer.

The 34-year-old Swiss got onto court late but wasted little time in dissecting the Belgian 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 to set up a meeting with Berdych, who earlier came from behind to beat Roberto Bautista Agut 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

Radwanska and Suarez Navarro both had their nerves tested before being able to set up their quarterfinal date.

Radwanska was 5-2 down in her deciding set against Anna-Lena Friedsam but the 21-year-old German was reduced to tears when her legs simply gave up on her, allowing the fourth seed to recover for a 6-7 (6), 6-1, 7-5 victory.

Tenth seed Suarez Navarro rebounded from an opening set battering to beat Daria Gavrilova 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 and end Australia’s interest in the women’s draw. - Reuters

Oman finish third in Sudan, qualify for ITPF World Cup MUSCAT: Oman tent pegging team qualified for the second International Tent Pegging Federation (ITPF) World Cup when they clinched third place at the Group III Qualifiers of the World Cup in Sudanese capital of Khartoum.

The ITPF World Cup will take place in Cairo, Egypt in April. The Sultanate squad won the second place at the inaugural World Cup organised in Oman in 2014.

In Khartoum, the qualifying event was organised from January 19 to 23. Besides Oman and

hosts Sudan, the other teams that took part in the qualifiers were Yemen, Russia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar and USA. For Oman, Ali bin Khamis Al Balushi and Safwan Al Mamari won the silver medal in round six. In round seven of lance competition, Ali Al Balushi won the bronze medal.

In the overall standings Sudan finished on top with 748.5 points, followed by Jordan (687 points), Oman (683.5) and Yemen (667).

All four teams qualified to the World Cup finals.

EPL

Chelsea edge Arsenal LONDON: Arsenal missed their chance to go back to the top of the Premier League after being forced to play with 10 men for much of the game against London rivals Chelsea on Sunday. Defender Per Mertesacker was sent off in the first 20 minutes for a foul on Diego Costa, who scored the only goal shortly afterwards from a cross

by Branislav Ivanovic.

Swansea City’s coach Franc-

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esco Guidolin saw his relegationthreatened team win 2-1 at Everton for the first time to lift them four points above the League’s bottom three places. - Reuters

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Kagiso Rabada’s brilliant 7 for 112 helped dismiss England for 342 in reply to South Africa’s 475. He was just the second player in history to take six wickets or more in an innings in both Tests and ODIs

PRETORIA: Kagiso Rabada became the youngest South Africa bowler to take seven wickets in an innings as the hosts took charge of the fourth and final Test against England on Sunday.

The 20-year-old’s brilliant 7-112 helped dismiss the tourists for 342 in reply to South Africa’s first innings 475 at Centurion.

South Africa ended day three leading England by 175 runs with

BIG WICKET: South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, left, celebrates the dismissal of England’s batsman Joe Root, right, during the third day of the fourth Test match. – AFP

nine second-innings wickets intact, finishing on 42 for one wicket with debutant Stephen Cook (23 not out) and Hashim Amla (16 not out).

The only Proteas wicket to fall in their second innings was that

of Dean Elgar (one), who edged James Anderson to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow. The day belonged unquestionably to Rabada who confirmed his rich potential and his powers of endurance after

bowling 29 overs, in part because the hosts lost seamer Kyle Abbott to a hamstring strain.

Abbott’s availability to bowl again in the match is still to be determined. After Morne Morkel re-

moved Alastair Cook (76) midway through the first session, it looked as though it would be England’s morning as they approached lunch with confidence.

Rabada then had Joe Root (76) caught by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, two more wickets fell quickly before the break as James Taylor (14) and Bairstow (0) fell to the same combination to leave England teetering at 211 for six.

A rain delay just after the restart took the players from the field, but when they returned Rabada removed a fluent Ben Stokes (33) with the new ball, caught in the slips by Amla.

The part-time spin of JP Duminy accounted for Chris Woakes (26), before Stuart Broad (five) became Rabada’s seventh victim. Moeen Ali (61) played an excellent rear-guard hand to frustrate the hosts before he became the last wicket to fall, caught at extra cover off Morkel Rabada was just the second player in history to take six wickets or more in an innings in both Tests and One-Day Internationals before the age of 21, joining Pakistan great Waqar Younis.

England have already wrapped up the series with an unassailable 2-0 lead. - Reuters

SCOREBOARD

South Africa 1st innings: 475 (Q. de Kock 129no, S. Cook 115, H. Amla 109; B. Stokes 4-86) England 1st innings (overnight: 138-2) A. Cook c de Kock b M. Morkel 76 A. Hales c Piedt b Rabada 15 N. Compton lbw b Rabada 19 J. Root c de Kock b Rabada 76 J. Taylor c de Kock b Rabada 14 B. Stokes c Amla b Rabada 33 J. Bairstow c de Kock b Rabada 0 M. Ali c Piedt b M. Morkel 61 C. Woakes c Elgar b Duminy 26 S. Broad c Cook b Rabada 5 J. Anderson not out 5 Extras (b-2, lb-7, w-3) 12 Total (all out, 104.2 overs) 342 Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-78, 3-177, 4-208, 5-211, 6-211, 7-252, 8-295, 9-320, 10-342 Bowling: K. Abbott 19-9-36-0, K. Rabada 29-6-112-7 (w-2), D. Piedt 24-4-78-0, M. Morkel 23.2-4-73-2 (w-1), D. Elgar 4-0-130, J. Duminy 5-0-21-1 South Africa 2nd innings: S. Cook not out 23 D. Elgar c Bairstow b Anderson 1 H. Amla not out 16 Extras (b-2) 2 Total (for 1 wickets, 17 overs) 42 Fall of wickets: 1-5 To bat: A. de Villiers, J. Duminy, T. Bavuma, Q. de Kock, K. Abbott, M. Morkel, K. Rabada, D. Piedt Bowling: J. Anderson 5-1-14-1, S. Broad 4-1-8-0, B. Stokes 3-1-6-0, C. Woakes 2-07-0, M. Ali 2-1-1-0, J. Root 1-0-4-0 Umpires: K. Dharmasena & C. Gaffaney TV umpire: Rod Tucker Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle

CRICKET

Dhoni, Smith warn against Spidercam interference SYDNEY: India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni knows the introduction of broadcast technology has enhanced the viewing experience for fans but the skipper has called for restraint after the overhead ‘Spidercam’ interfered with play in Saturday’s one-dayer against Australia. Virat Kohli upper-cut John Hastings for a boundary in the 19th over of India’s innings but it was declared a dead-ball after hitting the camera.

India managed to chase down a 331-run victory target to end their losing streak but Dhoni warned that such interference could affect the outcome of tight contests.

“I am quite a traditional guy,” he said after the tourists avoided a whitewash by winning the fifth and final ODI. “Anything that disturbs the

game of cricket I don’t like it. It all started right from the Twenty20 where people would be like, ‘Why don’t you wear a mic?’, ‘Why don’t you wear a camera?’”

Dhoni said the camera, which travels along cables and gives a bird’s eye view of the action, had to be used more carefully.

“I always feel there is always a need for a balance. At the end of the day, it’s a spectators’ sport,

people watching on television, but at the same time four runs can really matter. Especially when it’s a 310-320 game, those four runs can be crucial,” he said.

On a lighter note, he said there should be some form of penalty for Spidercam if it gets in the way.

“Everyone gets penalised, why not have the same system for the Spidercam? Say, ‘Okay if you get hit, $2,000 per hit.’ Let’s

make it interesting,” he joked.

His counterpart Steven Smith also saw the funny side of the incident at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

“He was probably our best fielder tonight, Spidercam. He saved four,” said Smith, who was not best pleased with his team’s fielding display after Shaun Marsh and Nathan Lyon dropped simple chances.

Smith was also a Spidercam victim last year when he was distracted by the camera’s movement and spilled a catch at the same ground.

“We don’t need to see things like that where it’s a dead ball. Something like that can really change the course of the game. So I just think we need to make sure we get him out of the way when the bowler is coming in to bowl.”- Reuters

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

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SPORTS TENNIS

Oman Tennis Association to honour achievers of 2015

WINNERS ALL: Winners in various categories pose for a group photo after the conclusion of Oman Amateur Open golf championship at Almouj Golf on Saturday. – JUN ESTRADA/Times of Oman

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Abdullah Sultan took the top honours in the men’s category and Lynn Casey won the ladies title while Azzan Al Rumhy won the best Omani gross player award

MUSCAT: After two days of splendid golfing action, the Oman Amateur Open saw a new champion emerge in the form of Sultan Abdullah Sultan at Almouj Golf on Saturday. In the prestigious tournament, organised by the Oman Golf Committee (OGC), Sultan Abdullah Sultan of Bahrain clinched the gross title in the men’s category with a total score of 150, while Lynn Casey took the top honours in the women’s category with a total score of 148.

The annual flagship competition of the OGC, supported by Sohar Aluminium, Al Turki, A’Saffa Foods and Port of Salalah, was played over Friday and Saturday.

Chief guest Sheikh Khalid bin Omar Al Marhoon, the Minister of Civil Service, presided over the final day’s proceedings and gave away the trophies during a glittering prize-distribution ceremony.

The awards ceremony was also attended by Sheikh Rashad Al Hinai, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Sports Affairs, and Fahad

Al Raisi, the Director-General of Sports at the Ministry of Sports Affairs. After a close contest with his cousin and the defending champion Nasser Yaqoob and a few other top contenders, Sultan Abdullah finished the first day with a gross score of 77, just one stroke behind his closest competitor Saleh Al Kaabi.

“I didn’t expect to finish second best after day one. When I started on the second day, I was not quite sure if I would finish within the top three. But second day on the 15th hole, a fellow Qatari competitor told me that I was leading.

And I just couldn’t believe what I heard,” Sultan said.

Sultan doesn’t pay heed to his position until he finishes the game.

And this time also, it was no exception. Sultan, who is taking part in the competition after three long years, said: “The competition is getting tougher day by day. The quality is improving tremendously and there are top GCC golfers who are keen to be part of the competition.”

When Sultan had entered his name for this seventh edition of Oman Amateur Open, he counted his cousin Nasser Yaqoob, the defending champion, and Oman’s top player Azzan Al Rumhy as the two toughest competitors.

Azzan, Oman’s biggest challenge in the fray, finished in the 12th position after carding gross scores of 81 and 85. He aggregated a gross total of 166.

Ali Hameed, another experienced Omani golfer, scored a gross total of 169 (81 and 88) to finish 15th. Young Omani player

Fahad Al Kitani finished in 20th place with a gross score of 175 (90 and 85), while Rashad Al Harthy claimed 27th place with a gross total of 179 (88 and 91).

Azzan claimed the prize for the top Omani gross player.

“It’s been a really good tournament. There was some very good competition over two days here,” he said. “I would have liked to have finished higher up. But it’s been a great outing still. Congratulations to the winners.”

Nasser emerged as the runnerup with a total score of 152 (77 and 75) and Saleh Al Kaabi finished third in the gross category with the same scores.

The Ladies’ Gross champion Lynn Casey was delighted to win the title. “I am more than happy. I took part in a serious competition after a long time, and I won a title after nine years. After all it’s a national championship, and to win a national championship is always special,” said Lynn.

She made 72 and 76 over two days with a total score of 148.

She received a trophy and a Kalea driver from the chief guest.

Madeleen Grosskopf finished as the runner-up with a total score of 171. Mundhir Al Barwani, the Chairman of the OGC, congratulated the winners, saying, “It was great to see that the level of competition have been good. I found that all the players enjoyed their two days out. My congratulations to the winners.”

Results: Men’s gross: 1. Sultan Abdullah Sultan (150), 2. Saleh Al Kaabi (152), 3.

Nasser Yaqoob (152). Women’s gross: 1.

Lynn Casey (148), 2. Madeleen Grosskopf (171), 3. Okkie Reijnders (195). Men’s nett: 1. Nasaruddin Mohammed (148), 2. Gurcharan Kadan (149), 3. Puli Sharma (150).

Women’s nett: 1. Yvonne Welling (150), 2. Okkie Van Rossem (159). Best Omani gross player (men’s): Azzan Al Rumhy.

MUSCAT: The Oman Tennis Association (OTA) will organise an award ceremony to honour the individual tennis players as well as the national teams who did the Sultanate proud at the regional and international events during year 2015.

According to information received from the OTA on Sunday, the ceremony will be organised at the Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) on Monday. The ceremony, to be presided over by association chief Mutassim Al Zadjali, is scheduled to begin at 7.00 p.m.

HEADING THE LIST: Fatma Al Nabhani, left, and Sarah Al Balushi.

The list of awardees: Silver medalists at Islamic Games in Indonesia: Fatma Al Nabhani, Sarah Al Balushi and Samar Al Bakri.

GCC Women’s Games in Muscat: Team gold winners: Fatma Al Nabhani, Sarah Al Balushi, Samar Al Bakri and Mariam Al Balushi. Women’s singles gold winner: Fatma Al Nabhani, Women’s singles bronze winner: Sarah Al

Balushi, Women’s doubles gold winners: Fatma Al Nabhani and Sarah Al Balushi, Women’s doubles bronze winners: Maryam Al Balushi and Samar Al Bakri.

GCC U-14 and U-18 tourney in Kuwait: Bronze winner: Abdullah Al Barwani.

GCC U-16 team event in Qatar: Bronze winners: Abdullah Al Barwani, Younis Al Rawahi, Zakariya Al Suleimani and Ammar Al Khanjari.

GCC U-14 team event in Saudi Arabia: Bronze winners: Muneer Al Rawahi, Eyad Al Khanjari, Ali Al Sarhani and Abdullah Al Raisi.

C4

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

SPORTS Landscape Architecture, Atkins win Batting first, Carillion Alawi were bowled out for 123 in 19.2 overs. In reply, Landscape Architecture scored 124 for four in 14.2 overs

D DIVISION: Landscape Architecture pose for a group photo after defeating Carillion Alawi. – Supplied photo

MUSCAT: Landscape Architecture registered an easy six-wicket victory over Carillion Alawi in an Enhance-sponsored D Division match on Friday.

Batting first, Carillion Alawi were bowled out for 123 in 19.2 overs. Arun Kumar top scored with 28. Mohammed Ihtesham claimed four wickets for Landscape. In reply, Landscape Architecture scored 124 for four in 14.2 overs.

Darwis top scored with 68 runs.

for four in 20 overs. Zaheer and Manikandan scored 78 and 65 respectively. Giridharan claimed two wickets for Atkins. In reply, Atkins scored 167 for five in 19.3 overs.

Giridharan top scored with 75.

Brief scores: Carillion Alawi 123 in 19.2 overs (Arun Kumar 28; Mohammed Ihtesham 4/17) lost to Landscape Architecture 124 for 4 in 14.2 overs (Darwis 68). Points: Landscape Architecture – 3; Carillion Alawi - 0.

In an E Division match, Atkins defeated Al Fairuz by five wickets.

Batting first, Al Fairuz scored 164

Brief scores: Al Fairuz 164 for 4 in 20 overs (Zaheer 78, Manikandan 65; Giridharan 2/14) lost to Atkins 167 for 5 in 19.3 overs (Giridharan 75). Points: Atkins – 2, Al Fairuz - 0.

OUA Travel win In an F Division match, OUA Travel defeated OCT Muscat B by 33 runs. Batting first, OUA Travel scored 192 for seven in 20 overs with Jaison Delboy top scoring with 81.Nawad Majeed and Karim Qader claimed four and three wickets respectively for OCT Muscat B. In reply, OCT Muscat

Daam. Batting first, Bahihi scored 203 for four in 20 overs with Shaheer and Murad scoring with 81 and 90 not out respectively. In reply, Al Daam were restricted to 138 for six in 20 overs.

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B scored 159 for nine in 20 overs.

Talal Hussain and Essa Mohammed scored 54 and 53 respectively.

Vishal, Jaison and Aneesh claimed two wickets apiece.

Brief scores: OUA Travel 192 for 7 in 20 overs (Jaison Delboy 81; Nawed Majeed 4/35) bt OCT Muscat B 159 for 9 in 20 overs (Talal 54, Essa 53; Jaison 2/24). Points: OUA Travel – 2, OCT Muscat B - 0.

Big win for Bahihi In an F Division match, Bahihi recorded a 65-run win over Al

Brief scores: Bahihi 203 for 4 in 20 overs (Shahreer 81, Murad 90 n.o.) bt Al Daam 138 for 6 in 20 overs (Murtaz 41). Points: Bahihi – 3, Al Daam - 0.

Easy for Aptus Infotech In a G Division match, Aptus Infotech defeated Prime Trading by 56 runs. Batting first, Aptus Infotech scored 185 for five in 20 overs.

Anoop Rajan top scored with 80 runs. Sreelal claimed three scalps for Prime Trading.

In reply, Prime Trading were bowled out for 129 in 18.5 overs.

Gireesh top scored with 35. Sherin

claimed six wickets for Aptus.

ab and Dawood took two each.

Brief scores: Aptus Infotech 185 for 5 in 20 overs (Anoop Rajan 80; Sreelal 3/35) bt Prime Trading 129 in 18.5 overs (Gireesh 35; Sherin 6/20).

Points: Aptus Infotech – 3, Prime Trading - 0.

Brief scores: Caledonian College 177 for 9 in 20 overs (Asim 68; Mirajul 2/22) bt Al Ansari 152 for 8 in 20 overs (Sohail Khan 53; Imran Arif 3/26). Points: Caledonian College – 2; Al Ansari - 0.

Ahli Bank down MSE In an H Division match, Ahli Bank got the better of MSE in a 24-run victory. Batting first, Ahli Bank scored 214 for seven in 20 overs with Mohammed Ramzan and Maaz Siddique scoring 64 and 56 not out respectively. Hillary claimed three scalps for MSE. In reply, MSE managed to score 190 for seven in 20 overs. Anumodh and Rajendra scored 45 and 41 respectively. Haris Alam and Shahid Mughal claimed two wickets each for Ahli Bank.

Majees B win against ONEIC In an I Division match, Majees B defeated ONEIC by 17 runs. Batting first, Majees B scored 196 for seven in 20 overs with Manumon scoring a unbeaten 114. Waqas and Muzaffar claimed two wickets each for ONEIC. In reply, ONEIC were bowled out for 179 in 19.1 overs. Zubair top scored with 41.

Shahzair and Naushad took three wickets each.

Brief scores: Ahli Bank 214 for 7 in 20 overs (Mohammed Ramzan 64, Maaz Siddique 64; Hillary Dsouza 3/29) bt MSE 190 for 7 in 20 overs (Anumoudh 45; Shahid Mughal 2/23).

Points: AHLI BANK – 2, MSE - 0.

Caledonians beat Al Ansari In another H Division match, Caledonian College defeated Al Ansari by 25 runs. Batting first, Caledonian College scored 177 for nine in 20 overs with Asim top scoring with 68. Sohail and Mirajul claimed two scalps each for Al Ansari. In reply, Al Ansari scored 152 for eight in 20 overs. Sohail Khan top scored with 53. Imran Arif claimed three wickets each for Caledonian College while Aft-

Brief scores: Majees B 196 for 7 in 20 overs (Manumon 114 n.o.; Waqas 2/29, Muzaffar 2/23) bt ONEIC 179 in 19.1 overs (Zubair 41; Shahzair 3/30).

Points: Majees B – 2, ONEIC - 0.

QBG prevail over HFP In an J Division match, QBG edged Hussain Fahdhil Partners (HFP) by 11 runs. Batting first QBG scored 206 for six in 20 overs. Aditya smashed a brilliant 130. Anoop claimed two wickets for HFP. In reply, HFP scored 195 for eight in 20 overs. Sreeraj top scored with 65. Suman claimed three wickets for QBG. Brief scores: QBG 206 for 6 in 20 overs (Aditya 130; Anoop 2/35) bt HFP 195 for 8 in 20 overs (Sreeraj 65; Suman 3/41). Points: QBG – 2, Hussain Fahdhil Partners - 0.

OMAN SAIL

SMARTEN UP DRIVE SAFE

Team Averda to compete in SATT

A TIMES OF OMAN HANDS-FREE DRIVING INITIATIVE

MUSCAT: With two runners-up places to his name, Marcel Herrera, skipper of the ‘young guns’ Team Averda will be pulling out all the stops in the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2016 (SATT 2016), the longest offshore race in the GCC, to turn a flair for adventure into the ultimate treasure trail.

This will be the fifth time Marcel Herrera has made an attempt on the tour’s trophy, and knowledge of the event has helped him select a crew that have all the skills and qualities to knock the favourites EFG Bank (Monaco) off their perch.

Earlier this month, Team EFG Bank (Monaco), along with Team Mangold and Delft Challenge announced they will take part in the reputable race which brings together the best sailing talent in the GCC alongside some elite international sailors to take on an intense challenge at the perfect time of year.

Starting in Dubai on February 14th and ending in Muscat in February 29, the tour offers an unrivalled experience to develop new skills and prepare local crew to compete at the highest level.

Herrera’s young team will comprise mainly sailors from the UK who are forging careers in offshore racing, with recent success in the Figaro class, graduates of the Artemis Offshore Academy

or who have been members of the British Olympic Sailing Team.

Young team Although relatively young, the crew of Team Averda between them have thousands of racing miles under their belts, says skipper Herrera who has made his name by putting together crews of highly competitive and talented young amateurs, many of whom are seeking professional careers in offshore racing, and producing performances to match any of the professional crews.

“Our team in 2016 is fairly experienced having competed last year, as well as having competed in prestigious other races including the Rolex Fastnet Race, Solitaire du Figaro and the Royal Ocean Racing Club Offshore Series,” said Herrera. “We are a young team so cannot come close to boasting the experience levels of someone like EFG Bank Monaco skipper Sidney Gavignet but we do have a good amount of experience for our age.”

The team is sponsored by Averda, the largest integrated waste management service provider in the MENA region who are strongly committed to supporting youth and talent through environmental awareness campaigns and educational programmes they run across all MENA markets.

C

LIFESTYLE

SECTION

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

Gear WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

THE FLYIN G NINJA Stor

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passing thought, ‘are the litrebikes any good at all?’

I mean you obviously can’t go out riding long on them, and in the city the roads are too crammed for them to unleash their full potential. Still, if there had been a racetrack around, I could have convinced myself about the litre-class’ practicality, but there isn’t one, and the idea of riding to Bahrain or Abu Dhabi for a racetrack rampage doesn’t sound that alluring.

But one thing that affirms my belief time and again is the Kawasaki Ninja ZX 6R, the mini rocket which is so much fun, that my grin goes ear to ear every time I ride it (though I don’t own one, having seasoned to a cruiser-man). As the New Year models get set to hit the floors, I walked into the Kawasaki dealership once again, to get a taste of the all new 2016 Ninja ZX 6R KRT Edition.

The new 6R largely remains the same as the outgoing, albeit a new paint scheme with green accommodating more of black, and revamped livery. Key features on the 6R KRT include selectable full and low engine power modes, three-mode KTRC traction control tuned to cover a wide range of situations, and Kawasaki Intelligent ABS (KIBS), employing a

oham

Sinc h a s e i ts i n c 2016 domina eption, rolle 6R KR ted the the Ka r coa T Edi Sup wasa ster tion f ersp ki Ni ride urth ort s nja Z r u l e s e r fo e g m X 6 R over rtifies ent. T the r that he ealm the

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multi-sensing system.

Hopping on the 6R, the first thing I enjoy immensely is its nimbleness. You feel like being in the pilot seat with everything under total control, not on comfort though. Ideal sport riding position offers intuitive fit that puts the rider instantly at ease.

The tank, seat, and rear frame offer good contact with the bike for enhanced rider feedback. The rider’s triangle keeps weight off the wrists, and the balls of feet in a comfy position while lending aggressive sport riding stance. The 31.7-inch seat feels alright during aggressive riding, but feels bit annoying while riding normal (tad too high).

Kawasaki has even put more padding into the seat to add a bit of comfort as well (though still doubtable), and the rear suspension feels much plusher than what you get on most other sportsbikes.

Whenever I rode over some obstacle, I realised the impact wasn’t nearly as severe as I thought it would be.

Chalked up with the biggest engine in its class, the ZX 6R offers racetrack-ready power. But out on the street power delivery is amazingly flexible. Selectable full and low engine power modes allow adjusting power delivery to riding

conditions. But there is no difference to bike’s eager response. The low power mode only makes the top end softer (by 20 per cent).

The initial and power bands remain unaffected. I got a taste of the bike’s enormous power right outside the dealership, as I started on the fast bending lane which merges into the busy main road. You’ve got to make haste as soon as you see the chance to enter the main road. As soon as I saw my window of opportunity, I twisted the accelerator; a bit hard (cruiser adapted hands), and much to my panic, the bike gave out a loud roar before plunging ahead into the road with insanity, and I gathered myself on the move, whispering “control it a bit – go easy son”.

The tuned KTRC traction control, works real magic, covering a wide-range of situations from advanced racetrack use, to street riding, to mixed and slippery conditions. Some road patches in Muscat are pretty glossy and slippery, especially near Al Khuwair and Wadi Kabir areas, where you can actually feel loosing grip while on a bike (cars also give out loud screeching tyre sounds while turning; if only the driver could pay heed). I set the traction to wet mode, and viola, I was simply amazed to feel the difference. The

TECH SPECS Kawasaki ZX 6R KRT Edition Engine 636cc, inline 4 Power 129.3bhp (13,500rpm) 135bhp with RAM air, 71Nm (11,500rpm) Torque Performance Top Speed: 270kph, 0 – 100kph: 3 seconds Curb Wet Weight 192kg Authorised Dealer Fairtrade Auto, Al Khuwair +968 9744 5272

bike felt more grounded, as I accelerated more and more confidently.

The KIBS assisted brake setup provides a firm initial bite, and never pulsates even under extremely hard braking. The brakes also remained consistent throughout every spirited sport ride, never fading. The clutch feels very responsive too. The assist and slipper functions offer light clutch pull and minimise wheel chatter caused by aggressive downshifting, which was quite often the case with me, as I time and again tried to feel a gush of hard acceleration, only to be forced to mellow down by a slow mover ahead in sight. I was finally able to unleash the horses late at night (or early morning to be more precise) on the empty straight stretch in Al Amerat, after the Amerat Heights road. Like I said, the bike will make you forgo your love of the litrebikes, hitting 0 to 100kph in just 3 seconds. On the 3km stretch, the bike hit its top speed of 270kph, and I was actually able to keep up at that speed for a good few seconds before letting – not just a touch and go.

The bike has got a real punchy low and mid power band. The engine is incredibly smooth, pulling from as low as 2,000 rpm, even in sixth gear, and feels powerful

through the entire rpm range. It does vibrate a bit above the 8,000 rpm range, but pulls really strong up into the peak 14,000 rpm range.

With most same segment sportbikes, you would need to drop a gear when cruising on the freeway to make a pass. But on the Kawasaki, all it takes is a handful of throttle.

The high low and mid-range torque also offers increased usability in everyday street-riding situations, like riding in stop-and-go traffic, or accelerating to pass another vehicle on the highway.

The only thing that really annoyed me in the bike were the headlights. They work perfect only aesthetically, and are almost useless for night riding (but then same is the case with most sixers). Another big thrill factor on the ZX is its awesome sound note. Under acceleration, it sounds like a fighter jet, and roars just enough to keep the rider happy; nothing annoying.

To conclude the ZX 6R is a do-all sport bike, and can keep up with the literbikes, especially in the corners. The continued dominance of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R in both the FIM World Championship Supersport Series and the European World Superstock 600 series proves just that.

—faisal@timesofoman.com

C6

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

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2 Countries (Mal) (Drama/Comedy) Cast: Dileep & Mamta Mohandas 6:45PM

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4:45 & 9:30PM Gold Class - 11:00PM Norm of the North (Animation) PG12 Voice over: Rob Schneider, Heather Graham 3:45PM The Peanut Movie - (Animation) PG Voice Over: (Noah Schnapp, Bill Melendez) 2:00PM The Good Dinosaur-3D (Animation) U 5:30PM PANORAMA MALL Our Brand is Crisis (2D)(PG) Cast : Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton 2:30 & 6:30PM Airlift (2D)(12+) Cast : Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 3:30, 6:15, 8:45, 11:15PM Airlift (2D) (12+)-VIP LOUNGE 8:30PM Ride Along 2 (Action, Comedy)(2D)(15+) Cast : Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 2:30, 4:30, 9:30, 11:30PM RIDE ALONG 2 (Action)(2D)-VIP LOUNGE 6:30, 11:00PM The 5th Wave (ci-fi)(MX4D)(PG12)

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FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

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05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

Quriyat Sur Jaalan

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) 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

SALALAH Dirty Grandpa (2D) (15+) (Comedy) Cast: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch 10:30AM & 3:55PM Ride Along 2 (2D) (15+) (Action | Comedy) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 10:45AM, 2:00, 6:50, 9:15 & 11:45PM The Boy (2D) (15+) (Horror, Thriller) Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans 5:10, 11:55PM The 5th Wave (2D) (PG12) (Adventure) Cast: Chloe Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson 12:30, 2:40, 7:05PM The Hateful Eight (2D) (12+) (Comedy) Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell 6:05PM Airlift (2D) (12+) (Drama, History, and Thriller) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 11:30AM, 2:45 ,9:15 & 11:15PM 2 Countries (2D) (PG12) (Malayalam) Cast: Dilip, Mamta Mohandas 8:50PM Our Brand is Crisis (2D) (PG12) (Comedy) Cast Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton 12:40, 4:45PM

27 17

11.45 13.30 14.00

STAR CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

2 Countries (Mal) (Drama/Comedy) Cast: Dileep & Mamta Mohandas 3:00, 6:30 & 10:00PM Cinema Main Rajani Murugan (Tamil) ( Com /Rom) Cast: Sivakarthikcyan & Keertht Suresh 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30PM Cinema - 2 Dictator (Telugu) (Action/ Comedy) Cast: Balakrishna & Anjali 3:45PM Cinema -3 & 6:45PM Cinema -4 Airlift (Hindi) (Act\ Thriller) Cast: Akshay Kumar & Nimrat Kaur 6:45 & 9:45PM Cinema- 3 Gethu (Tamil) (Com\ Drama) Cast: Udhanidhi & Amy Jackson 3:45 & 9:45PM Cinema -4

Programmes are subject to change WITH LOVE

ARANYA SURESH January 25, 2007

Minimum

0

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

50-90%

ABHINAND N. January 25, 2007 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

Our Brand Is Crisis: (Comedy / Drama) Cast: Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie 2.00, 4.00, 8.00 & 11.55PM CP No: 122 (PG) The Boy: (Horror / Thriller) Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, James Russell 4.00, 6.00, 10.00 & 11.55PM CP No: 123 (15+) Dirty Grandpa: (Comedy) Cast: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch 2.00, 6.00 & 10.00PM CP No : 124 (15+) Ride Along 2: (Action / Comedy) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 8.00PM CP No: 112 (15+)

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

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 07:30 14:30

07:00

BURAIMI Ride Along 2– 2D (Action, Comedy) (15+) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 3:15, 5:15, 9:30, 11:30PM The Boy – 2D (Horror, Thriller) (15+) Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans 5:00, 11:45PM The 5th Wave – 2D (Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller) (PG12) Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson 3:00, 6:00, 9:45PM Rajini Murugan– 2D (Comedy) (PG) Cast: Shivakarthekeyen, Keerthi Suresh 8:00PM Airlift – 2D (Drama, History, Thriller) (12+) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 3:30, 7:00, 11:00PM 2 Countries– 2D (Comedy) (PG12) Cast: Dilip, Mamta Mohandas 6:45PM

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

BAHJA CINEMA

0

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54) 14:30 14:30

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

SOHAR The Revenant - 2D (12+) Adventure | Thriller Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 3:00 PM The 5th Wave - 2D (PG12) | Sci-Fi | Thriller Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson 6:30, 9:30, 11:45 PM The Hateful Eight - 2D (12+) Comedy Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell 3:15 PM Ride Along 2 - 2D (15+) Action | Comedy Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 5:00 , 11:30 PM Airlift - 2D (12+) Drama | History | Thriller Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 3:45, 7:00, 8:45, 11:15 PM The Boy - 2D (15+) Horror | Thriller Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans 3:00, 11:45 PM Min Dahar Ragel - 2D (Arb) (TBC) Drama Cast: Asser Yassin, Yasmin Raeis 5:50 PM Rajini Murugan - 2D (T) (PG) Comedy Cast: Shivakarthekeyen, Keerthi Suresh 8:30 PM Gethu - 2D (T) (PG )Action | Comedy Cast: Udayanidhi Stalin, Amy Jackson 6:15 PM 2 Countries- 2D (M) (PG) Comedy

Cast: Dilip, Mamta Mohandas 8:45 PM

WEATHER

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36)

17:30

12.24pm 3.31pm 5.53pm 7.06pm 5.32am

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

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

C7

LIFESTYLE BRIEFS

Apple may launch ‘improved’ version of iPhone 5S in March Apple may come up with an improved version of iPhone 5S in March that may have specifications of iPhone 6, a media report said. Apple is believed to be working on a new 4-inch iPhone that is expected to have the iPhone 6’s 8-megapixel primary camera, 1.2-megapixel front camera, NFC chip for using Apple Pay, A8 processor, and improved connectivity like faster Wi-Fi, the Verge quoted a report by 9to5Mac as saying on Saturday. The phone may have a slight design change and a curved glass around its edges. According to the report, the new device will “likely” be called the iPhone 5SE and will support Live Photos. Apart from the phone, Apple may also launch a new version of the Apple Watch in March or early April.

St S tory orry Fa o Fais isa is all M oham oh ham mme med Naim Na N aiim m Story Faisal Mohammed

WORTH THE PREMIUM? You have been filling up with the Premium grade petrol all this while,

but do you know what is the advantage of the Premium over the Regular grade fuel?

If not read on to find out if it is worth the upgrade.

N

ote: This article is not for the fast and the rich; they may please turn over the page. As the oil prices plunge globally the oil producing nations are bearing the brunt, and those living in these countries are facing the consequences. Fuel subsidies are being lifted and people are now buying car-food at significantly higher prices. Muscat residents were recently seen queueing near the filling stations as they tried to fill up their rides for one last time at the old prices before the price rise.

The situation however has set one thing right. More and more people are now opting for the Regular grade fuel over Premium. And though they may be doing so as an act of compromise, the step in itself is quite wise. It all comes down to knowledge again.

Unknowingly they were doing a mindless act by filling in their cars like, Yaris, Tida, and Camry with Premium grade fuel. While now they are acting sensibly, by opting for the Regular grade, yet many aren’t aware of the difference between the two. Ask them now, why they were filling with Regular, and most would respond saying, “to save a bit on the dough”.

If you had asked the same guys earlier, why they chose Premium, and quite confidently they could have shot back at you saying they only went with the best.

However, if you were to ask how Premium was better than Regular, you would end up hearing probably the silliest explanation (if you know the real reason that is). Almost concordantly they say Regular is inferior in quality to the Premium. And no matter how sound the assertion might seem to you, it is not at all true. Truth only is that all those commuters filling

Premium petrol in their ordinary cars, only waste extra pennies.

Contradictory to the general mindset, Regular grade fuel is by no means inferior to the Premium in quality. The Premium grade is specifically meant for high performance vehicles (Ferrari, Jaguar, Audi, and Range Rovers, having high compression engines.

Regular fuel is as pure and as high quality as the Premium one.

The only difference is that the Premium grade has higher octane number, also known as RON (Research Octane Number) – usually 92 or 93+, which is achieved by adding ethanol to the oil.

And quite interestingly, ethanol mixed Premium grade actually contains less energy than the Regular fuel. It is so done to prevent knock on cars with high compression ratios, caused by pre-mature firing.

The compression ratio is the total volume inside the cylinder that is displaced when the piston moves. High compression ratio engines have higher operating temperatures within the combustion chamber, and untreated fuel (Regular) runs the risk of flaming up (from the excessive heat in the chambers) even before the spark plug emits the spark.

This causes a premature blast in the expansion chamber (combustion chamber) and the upcoming pistons are forcedly punched backwards midway, while they were coming up, leading to knocking – the worst thing that could happen to any engine, causing it to disintegrate.

To tackle this situation, the Premium fuel is actually turned milder by increasing the octane number, so it is ignited only when the spark plug emits spark after efficient completion of every engine cycle.

The other additives that are in-

Regular fuel is as pure and as high quality as the Premium one. The only difference is of the octane rating. And quite interestingly, the ethanol mixed premium grade petrol actually contains less energy than the regular one, done so to prevent the knock caused by pre-mature firing, in engines with high compression ratio cluded to reduce carbon build-up inside the engine, improve combustion, inhibit corrosion, and allow easier starting in cold climates. These are contained by the Regular grade oil as well. The only difference is of the octane number.

With the advancement in technology, even the cars which come with a “Recommended” (and not “Strictly Required”) high-octane fuel use could run smoothly on regular fuel without any damage to the engine.

The engine control system sensors compensate for low octane by monitoring knock activity and adjusting ignition advance to avoid knocking. This sophisticated electronic capability effectively tunes the engine on the fly and gives drivers more flexibility in the grade of

fuels that they can safely use.

The delay in delivering the retarded spark allows the piston to start moving downward on its expansion stroke before the ignition actually occurs.

This provides additional room in the cylinder head for the gases to expand, thereby reducing thedamaging peak pressure, allowing a controlled ignition.

Because of the retarded ignition, the engine will, of course, produce less power, and have slightly higher fuel consumption.

But the poorer fuel economy is likely to be outweighed by the savings at the pump.

However, the performance loss is very slight, and will be noticeable only if you have a regular heavy foot, accelerating rapidly from a dead stop and changing lanes at highway speeds. If you accelerate moderately, the difference in power is barely noticeable.

It is a different story for cars which strictly require Premium fuel. Though they will still run on regular fuel, but you shouldn’t make a habit out of it. The fuel’s lower octane can result in elevated exhaust-gas temperatures and possible knocking, both of which can adversely affect the engine’s health in the long run (like we said performance buffs may please turn over the page).

To sum it up for all the ordinary commuting car owners, Premium fuel is of no good to you, given your car doesn’t pack that extra punch (yes, extra compression). And to those who still somehow believe that filling their family Toyota with Premium will somehow make it go faster or deliver more kilometre to the litre, my only piece of advice is: “The only thing that it will make run faster is the money from your pocket. Period”. —faisal@timesofoman.com

Next-Gen lithium batteries to store five times more energy Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have developed a new prototype of a next generation lithium battery that may store five times the energy of today’s batteries. The new battery is powered by a surprising chemical reaction that may solve the new battery’s biggest drawback. Today’s lithiumair batteries hold great promise because they store energy in the form of chemical bonds of oxide compounds. Versions tested to date have stored and released energy from lithium peroxide - an insoluble substance that clogs the battery’s electrode. Battery scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory developed a prototype that they claimed had the surprising ability to produce only lithium’s superoxide, not peroxide, as the battery discharges. Unlike troublesome lithium peroxide, lithium superoxide easily breaks down again into lithium and oxygen, thus offering the possibility of a battery with high efficiency and good cycle life. Amin Salehi-Khojin, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, and postdoctoral research associate Mohammad Asadi devised a stateof-the-art mass spectroscopy apparatus to measure the electrochemical reaction products in situ during charging or discharge of the battery. The system operates in ultra-high vacuum and is “very sensitive to the tiniest change in oxygen concentration,” said Asadi. — IANS

IN THE NEWS

Facebook Reveals Change in Parenting Habits A new Facebook survey has revealed the changing parenting habits globally as mobile-first millennials (those born after 1980) are becoming parents and bringing their tech-savvy ways in nurturing their offspring.

While 83 per cent of parents globally describe their family as loving and 77 per cent say their family is happy, coupled with that optimism are heightened daily-life stressors as well. “Nearly 48 per cent of parents say they are concerned about money while 39 per cent say they are time-crunched,” says the survey conducted by Facebook IQ, a consumer research programme from the social networking giant.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of modern parenting, Facebook IQ embarked on a multiphased research study of 25-65 year old parents of infants, toddlers, adolescents and teenagers around the world.

The research team analysed Facebook and Instagram data across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Spain, the UK and the US. By observing new parents’ behaviour on Facebook, the team found that parents globally spend 1.3X more time on Facebook mobile than non-parents. Equipped

with mobile devices, parents can get opinions, price comparisons and reviews before they make purchasing decisions. Parents today have greater access to more information and opinions. As they are getting more informed, so are their children who exercise a significant amount of influence over household purchasing decisions, with over 50% of parents listening to their children while making purchasing decisions. While parents are sharing more decisions with their children, they are also learning to prioritise their own needs so they can be better equipped to tend to their family, nearly 38% parents confirmed to which. Equipped with mobile devices, parents can get opinions, price comparisons and reviews before they make purchasing decisions. -IANS

C8

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

LIFESTYLE

WAYS TO SAVE FUEL

The sudden spurt in fuel prices indicates that your car’s fuel tank is going to drain your wallet faster.

The good thing however is that there are several things you can do to make your car fuel-efficient.

Follow these tips and get the maximum value for your money every time you fill up.

Reduce Your Top Speed: Take it a bit slower on the motorway; you’ll save both on fuel and speeding tickets.

Tune-Up Your Engine: Not only will a tune-up keep your car running in tip-top shape; it can also increase your fuel efficiency between 4% and 40%.

Use A/C Sparingly: When driving at slower speeds, keep the A/C at low speed setting. These days, the weather being better, you could even roll down your windows and turn it off totally. However, avoid rolling down the windows at 90kph and above speeds, as it would create enough aerodynamic drag to reduce fuel economy.

Keep It Steady: It takes more fuel to get a car moving than to keep it moving. So, whatever the pace, keep it steady.

Accelerate Wisely: Red lining the RPMs burns a lot of unnecessary fuel. But, believe it or not, accelerating too slowly also decreases fuel economy. Cars perform less efficiently in lower gears, so you would want to accelerate at a pace that allows you to upshift at an efficient rate.

Use Fuel-Efficient Tyres: The next time you change your tyres, buy the fuel-efficient models, which use less energy when you drive.

Inflate Your Tyres: Under-inflated tyres add rolling resistance, thus burning more fuel. Check your tyre pressure at least once a month to make sure it’s at the recommended level.

Replace Your Air Filter: A clogged air filter restricts the air flowing into your engine, hindering performance. Replace your air filter, and add up to 10% more fuel efficiency to your car.

Lighten The Load: You’d be surprised at how quickly a few items in your car can become a heavy burden. The more weight in your car, the more fuel it will burn. Lighten the load by removing anything you don’t need.

Plan Your Errands: You can drastically reduce the time and distance you spend on the road each day by planning your trips strategically. Hit all the stops you need to make in one outing.

Source: cars.about.com, popularmechanics.com

D

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M M O N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 5, 2 0 1 6

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Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

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E t &ůĂƚƐ Θ ^ŚŽǁƌŽŽŵƐ ĨŽƌ ZĞŶƚ 1/2/3 BHK Flats & Showrooms at DƵƩ ƌĂŚ͕ ŶĞĂƌ KŵĂŶ Ň ŽƵƌ ŵŝůůƐ͕ ϭϬ ŵŝŶ͘ ĨƌŽŵ ĐŽƌŶŝĐŚĞ͘ ĞƋƵŝƉƉĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ƐƉůŝƚͬ ĐĂƐƐĞƩ Ğ ƵŶŝƚ Ɛ͕ ŝŶƚĞƌŶĞƚ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͕ ĨƌĞĞͲ ƚŽͲĂŝƌ ĚŝƐŚ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƟ ŽŶ͕ ds ŵŽŶŝƚŽƌĞĚ͕ ďĂƐĞŵĞŶƚ ƉĂƌŬŝŶŐ͘ ZĞŶƚ ZK͘ϮϱϬͬϯϱϬͬϰϱϬ ;EĞŐŽƟ ĂďůĞͿ ƉĞƌ ŵŽŶƚŚ͘

*Tourist visa arranged

ŽŶƚĂĐƚ ͗ ϵϵϮϮϵϮϲϯ͖ ϵϯϮϮϭϬϱϰ͖ ϵϱϮϭϱϮϴϵ

Luxury flat for rent in Bareeq Al Shatti building Spacious 2 BHK with sea view, split A/Cs, fixed wardrobes, kitchen appliance.

Near Opera Gallery.

Rent RO.900/- negotiable.

Contact - 94084335 / 96920789

Bosher Rimal 1, building appt for rent 2BR, Maid room, sitting room, full appliance, kitchen, 4 toilets.

Contact: 99349910 New flat in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact: 98185135

Big office for rent in CBD (Ruwi) road ready to shifting with AC and partitions. Contact: 92345250 3 Bedroom flat in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact 95755953 / 95555162 BHK apartment for rent in Al Khuwair near Ibis Hotel.

Contact: 95124975 4 BHK with terrace near Raymond Ruwi in market on road.

Contact: 99065900/99354975 Empty plot at Al Wadi Al Kabir industrial area 550 sqm.

Contact: 95909020

A big room available for Muslim couple / small family executive bachelor near Hamriya R/A rent 130/- OMR, including water / Electricity. Contact: 99495131 Residential cum commercial 2BHK available in MBD at 280/-.

Contact: 96332793 Villa in Al Khoud for staff accommodation, like nurses or teachers can accommodate. Rent RO.1200/-.

Contact - 91178282 1BHK near Indian school Darsait Junior , 2 room , 2 bathroom , kitchen Monthly rent R.O 225/-.

Contact: 98320476/92459806

Single room attach bath with kitchen in Muscat 100/- R.O. Contact: 95094028 Villa for rent in Al Khuwair.

Contact: 96571151 Flats two bed room for rent in Al Khuwair. Contact: 96571151 Room, toilet and sharing kitchen for family near Azaiba Bank Muscat. Contact: 96755127 1&2 BHK flat in Walja.

Contact: 98218279 1000 sqmtrs industrial land for rent in Ghala suitable for warehouse workshop etc.

Contact 24700120 / 92584715 1& 2 BHK flats for rent at Hamriya Wadi Adai, Al Khoud, Mabela & shop at Al Khoud & land line Contact: 24834644 GSM 93994401/02/03 3 lines

FLATS FOR RENT In a Luxury Building in Al Seeb Market Near Police station Call: 99888007 - 99473500

New flats for rent at Darsait near to ministry of sports, Mumtaz area the flats include 1 living room, 2 Bedroom, kitchen, 3 toilets every room with split A/C & high Quality finishing, rent per flat is R.O 340/-.

Interested candidates please Contact: 00968- 92225523 2 bed rooms flat with hall, 2 bathrooms in Darsait near Muscat Municipality. Contact: 92584715/ 24700120 2BHK modern & spacious flats with split AC for rent in Qurum near PDO Gate No.2.

Contact: 94057023 02 BHK Commercial / Residential (with split AC) flat at Honda road.

Contact: 99342733 / 99795241 Flat available in Muttrah Corniche near Gold Souq (4 rooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 kitchen with balcony).

Contact: 24707088 / 91405015

3BHK flat for rent in Ghubra.

Contac: 99328070 1000 sqm industrial land with compound well & two rooms at Misfah. #99342733/ 99795241 Store / warehouse for rent 52 sqm at Maabela Sinaiya.

Contact: 92454170 Flats shops & store for rent in Ruwi, MBD area & Honda road.

Contact: 92589235/ 94579531 Flats for rent 2BHK, 1 BHK with AC new building at Wadi Al Kabir behind Muscat Bakery.

Contact: 92103604 02 BHK residential flat opposite to Al Nadha hospital.

Contact : 99342733 /99795241 Flats shops & store for rent in Ruwi MBD Honda road.

Contact: 92433127 / 97293708

Single bedroom flat behind German Embassy near to Al Nahdha Hospital and single bedroom flat near to Indian School Al Ghubrah. Contact: 99203954 2BHK new bldg for families Al Khuwair 17/2. Contact: 91403136 2BHK flats with split AC available for rent at Al Khuwair 33.

Contact: 94057023 Flat for rent (Walja) Ruwi 2 rooms, 2 toilets & kitchen for enquiry.

Contact: 95464608 or 95464607 2 bedroom centrally air conditioned flat in CBD, Central Bank area. Contact: 24714625 / 99053493 2 BHK near Khamis shoes Honda road Junction. Contact: 99737562 Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99376454

M O N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

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DAILY GUIDE

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RUWI :

STORE FOR RENT

FURNISHED DELUXE 1 B/RM WITH 2 bathrooms, SPLIT A/C, BUILT IN ARDROBRE, PRIVARE TERRACE.

500,000 sqm store with 200 sqft office & 200 sqm covered shed for rent at Mabella Ind No-11 on main road, direct from owner.

ŽŶƚĂĐƚ ͗ Ϯϰ ϳϬ ϯϬ ϲϬ

CONTACT - 99278002

Ware House - 630 M2 SPACIOUS -2 B H K FLATS

NEAR AL FALAJ HOTEL:

Flats in Darsait.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

7 Bedrooms villa in Ghobrah North. Contact - 96420432

Flats in WadiKabir.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

1,2 BHK Ghubra R.O 300/-, 325/& 350/-. Contact: 97799175

Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) Contact - 94051789-97201688

1BHK flat near Star Cinema 220/Contact 99358589 /95570288

Flats in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Single BHK flat available in Honda road Ruwi. Contact: 24833972/ 24833974/ 99367448

Offices in Ghala.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

FOR SALE

BUILDING

Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

MUMTAZ AREA (NEAR RUWI HOTEL)

Mini Furnished Apartment in Qurum. Contact - 9405178997201688 Duplex villa in Qurum 29. Contact - 94051789-97201688 Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

FOR RENT 2BHK, 3 washroom Flat with Split Air Conditioners Near Lulu Darsait CONTACT :

93202733 2BHK flat for rent Darsait near ISM. Contact: 95158570 / 99102255 2 bedrooms, kitchen, toilet, car park R.O 220/- & 1 bedroom, kitchen, toilet R.O 140 in Al Khuwair. Contact: 95154331 Flats available for rent at Al Ghubra. Contact 99876576 & 93656672 Brand new Twin Villas in Mawaleh South 4BR; 2Halls; External Kitchen and Maids room.

Contact: 99414106 Commercial / residential flats in a new building for rent near Muttrah Police Station residential 1BHK / 2BHK more details.

Contact: 99364735 / 95729711 2BHK Sitting room, 3 bathrooms, split AC big balcony 300/- R.O in Wadi Kabeer. Contact: 99324402

•Office spaces for rent in Al Hail on the main road On the same building of Al Khamis Shoes at Al Hail •2 bed room flats in Qurum 29 for rent next to ABA New building -split AC - Good location

Contact No: 96177505 Flats for rent in Muscat.

Contact: 99262605.

Flat for rent in Wadi Al Kabeer near the Kuwaiti Mosque, for more information. Contact: 99425958 Flat for Rent 1/2 BHK Flat at Muttrah, near Oman flour mills, 10 min. from Corniche.Equipped with split unit ACs, internet points, free-to-air dish connection, CCTV monitored, basement parking.

Rent RO.250/350 per month.

Contact:99229263; 93221054; 95215289 3 BHK flat near Darsait ID medical.

RO 420/- Contact – 99358589 / 97079146 / 95570288 Apartment for rent in Muscat Sidab beside road ground floor 3 bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms.

Guestroom, Kitchen & hall.

Contact: 99277377

FOR SALE

Offices in Qurum opposite City Center. Contact - 9405178997201688

FOR SALE CONTACT - 99353931

Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Flat for rent in CBD area - Ruwi Two rooms and a large hall

ACC. AVAILABLE

Flat in Khoud near Mazoon Mosque with 3 bedrooms, living room, 3 toilets, RO 250/- with A/C. Contact 95328147 1& 2 bedroom apartments available for rent at Ghubra near Grand mall, 6 bedroom villas available for rent Al Mouj (Wave) at Al Hail.

Contact: 99833747 Furnished offices in business center behind Al Burj Hotel Ruwi with all facilities included.

Contact: 99331181

Dialysis Machine(DBO7) - Available 10 Units for Sale .

Contact : 94306662 or Email : ahdialysis1010@gmail.com Household items & furniture in excellent condition for sale. Indian expat leaving for good.

Contact Ravi : 93380408 Beauty Salon for urgent sale in Azaiba prime location behind Al Fardan building. With sponsor and 1 staff and 1 ready visa clearance. Call: 95318629 / 95169411

MV SALE

Hummer H2 model 2006, 178000 km, Full options Number 1 Army edition.OMR 7200. Contact -99466773

Villas in Al Khoud. Contact 95056808-97201688

Beauty parlor for sale in good condition at Ghubra.

Contact: 98178135

1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-.

Contact: 97799175 / 92144045

Excavation contracts worth RO 2 million + Big Volvo Excavators & 2015 Astra 5 tippers for sale. Contact: 99120532 / 98867530

2 Room + hall & kitchen ,3 toilets in Bareeq Al Shatti 750 RO. Contact: 99314314

Low bed Trailer (PDO – SPC) available monthly / daily for Rent.

Contact: 96633970

Filling material for sale in Muscat. Contact: 93299940

2 BHK Flats for rent Muttrah near Oman house S/ AC. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232

One flats for rent 2 bedroom all with bath al Ghobrah north near Indian school (hot burger restaurant) Tel. 9976610

Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299

Tucson Automatic 2007 V – 6, net R.O 1600/-. Contact: 99384640

Luxury Apartments in Bousher (35). Contact - 9505680897201688

600 SQT commercial flat for rent opposite Oman flourmill Darsait more details. Contact:91214849/ 99364735

FOR HIRE

Restaurant items for sale.

Contact: 96772479 /98428507

Fully furnished deluxe villa behind Khimji Mart Darsait.

Contact: 99331181

Profs/ Jack. Contact 93219378

Restaurant & Coffee Shop for sale in Ghala area. For details contact 99072003 / 99299712

Dental Lab for sale Seeb.

Contact: 99826435 Master Chef restaurant Al Hail for sale 8 visas clearance available.

Contact: 91205000 3Ton Forklift, Special made for Oman market, Japanese Isuze C240 Engine, Cascade side shifter, High amount exhaust, 3m lifting height, Solid tyres, One year warranty. Contact: 98883445

Chaverlet Epica 2004 model RO -700, for sale. Contact 92194205 BMW 318/ 2003 for sale.

Contact 96364990

WANTED IELTS Coaching (academic) required nearby wadi Kabir area.

Please call on mobile or msg on Whats up.

Mobile no: 92927880/99012165

BUYING Buying cars for cash. Contact: 90202090

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished room with a/bathroom in Al Khuwair33 for Indian Executive. Call: 95234062

Single bedroom flat behind German Embassy, near Al Nahdha Hospital. Contact 99203954 2 rooms, toilet in Al Khuwair preferable for Indian couple or working woman rent R.O 190/- only include Ele & water. Contact: 99546410 Room available in Mumtaz area 1 room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1 room, common bathroom. Interested please Contact: 92680041 Mr. Altaf Room , B/Room & Kitchen for Executive in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99336206 Furnished room for an Indian in Al-Khuwair33 - 95234062 Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan villeage.

Contact 93687466 Furnished room available for executive bachelor in Ruwi area.

Contact: 99054542 Furnished room available with attached bath & balcony near MBD. Contact: 97636432 Room available for executive bachelor in MBD with kitchen on sharing basis. Contact: 96332793 New 1BHK fully furnished for R.O 275/- at Wadi Kabir near Al Hassan. Contact: 92577929 Hail Independent rooms RO 140/& 160/-. Contact 95529970 Furnished room at Hilat Al Saad with TV, AC, fridge near main road.

Contact : 95714202 Couple or bachelor room in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 91165580 / 95264549 Room available Walja. Contact : 95382651 / 95382650 Semi furnished spacious room with attached washroom separate entrance near Indian school Al Ghobrah for non cooking Executive Indian bachelor.

Contact: 95146361/92657598 Furnished bedrooms for Indian Executives / couple at Al Ansab.

Contact: 96366282 CONTD on pg 6

D4

M O N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 5, 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

REQUIRED FIBER OPTIC PROJECTS MANAGER, should have GCC experience 5-10 years kindly send your CV to oilndgasoman@gmail.com

Urgent Requirement

SALES LADY For Jewellery Showroom 1. Two years experience in sales.

2. NOC is must.

3. Arabic speaking advantage.

(Send CV with current picture)

Email: vacancy299@gmail.com SALES / MARKETING Urgently required Experienced Sales Man for Al-Rawas Marble & Granite.

Located at Al Rusayl Industrial.

Please forward your cv at oure mail : mahmood@rmgoman.com

hZ' Ed Z Yh/Z D Ed

^ĂůĞƐ Θ DĂƌŬĞƟ ŶŐ DĂŶĂŐĞƌ &Žƌ Ă ƌĞƉƵƚĞĚ /ĐĞ ĐƌĞĂŵ ŽƵƚůĞƚ ϭ͘ DŝŶŝŵƵŵ ϯ LJĞĂƌƐ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƐĂŵĞ Į ĞůĚ͘ Ϯ͘ 'ŽŽĚ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟ ŽŶ ƐŬŝůůƐ͘ ϯ͘ EK ĂŶĚ ĚƌŝǀŝŶŐ ůŝĐĞŶƐĞ ĂƌĞ ŵƵƐƚ͘ ^ĞŶĚ s ǁŝƚŚ ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚ ƉŝĐƚƵƌĞ Θ ƌĞĨ ŶŽ͗ ϭϮϭϲͬϬϭ

ŵĂŝů͗ ǀĂĐĂŶĐLJϮϵϵΛŐŵĂŝů͘ĐŽŵ

SITUATION VACANT (Omani Candidates only) Required Store Keeper to manage an office store in Ghala Minimum 5 years experience handling stores with working knowledge of English

Send CV to oman.newvacancy@gmail.com

Wanted female GP, female Gynecologist, female Staff Nurse, female X- Ray Technician With MOH license for Al Saadi Specialized Medical Centre in Musanna.

Contact -91262604 Email: chillapalli76@gmail.com

Well reputed Marble Company looking for

3 SALESMEN Requires minimum 3 years experience and valid Omani driving license.

Interested candidates please Fax your CV to 24601724 or Email on saab2803@gmail.com

^/dh d/KE s Ed 'ƌĂĚƵĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ϯ ƚŽ ϱ LJĞĂƌƐ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŽĨ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐĨƵů ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀĞŶ ƐĂůĞƐ ŝŶ ƐĞůůŝŶŐ ĐĞƌĂŵŝĐ͕ ƉŽƌĐĞůĂŝŶ Ɵ ůĞƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƐĂŶŝƚĂƌLJ ǁĂƌĞ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ ;DŝdžĞƌƐ͕ tĂƐŚďĂƐŝŶƐ͕ tĂƚĞƌ ĐůŽƐĞƚ͕ ĞƚĐ͘​͘​͘Ϳ ƐĞůĨ ƐƚĂƌƚĞƌ͕ ŝŶŝƟ ĂƟ ǀĞ ƚĂŬĞƌ͕ ŵƵƐƚ ďĞ ďĂĐŬĞĚ ďLJ ĞǀŝĚĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚƌĂĐŬ ƌĞĐŽƌĚ͘ ,ĂǀŝŶŐ Ă ƉƌŽǀĞŶ ŶĞƚǁŽƌŬ ŽĨ ĐŽƌƉŽƌĂƚĞ ĐůŝĞŶƚƐ ;ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚŽƌƐ͕ ĂƌĐŚŝƚĞĐƚƐ͕ ĐŽŶƐƵůƚĂŶƚƐ͕ ŝŶƚĞƌŝŽƌ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞƌƐ͕ ĞƚĐ͘​͘​͘Ϳ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŝǀĂƚĞ ĐůŝĞŶƚƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ďĞŝŶŐ ĂďůĞ ƚŽ ĞdžƉĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵƉĂŶŝĞƐ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ďĞLJŽŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ ďLJ ĂĐƋƵŝƌŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŝŶŐ ŶĞǁ ůĞĂĚƐ ŝŶ ƚŽ ƉƌŽĮ ƚĂďůĞ ŽƵƚĐŽŵĞƐ͘ ďůĞ ƚŽ ĂĐŚŝĞǀĞ ƐĂůĞƐ ƚĂƌŐĞƚƐ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƉƌŽǀĞŶ ŚŝƐƚŽƌLJ ŽĨ ĚŽŝŶŐ ƐŽ͘ Ʃ ƌĂĐƟ ǀĞ ƉĂĐŬĂŐĞ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵŝƐƐŝŽŶ KŶůLJ ƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐ tŝƚŚ ZĞůĞǀĂŶƚ džƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ Θ EK tŝůů Ğ ŽŶƐŝĚĞƌĞĚ͘

WůĞĂƐĞ ƐĞŶĚ LJŽƵƌ s ƚŽ <ŚĂůŝĚΛĞůŝƚĞĐĞƌĂŵŝĐ͘ĐŽŵ

OUTDOOR SALES EXECUTIVE A leading trading establishment based in Sultanate of Oman is looking for an experienced male outdoor sales executive preferably an Arab national having minimum 5 years of retail sales experience. Good English and Arabic communication skills is a must along with Oman Car Driving License.

This position is to be based in Oman Only.

Only serious applicants who holds above criteria in related field may apply to: Email: retailtrading01@gmail.com

AN URGENT REQUEST A specialized Physiotherapy clinic located in Madinat Al Sulatan Qaboos, seeking for two (male and female)

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Required female Accountant postgraduate in commerce email: mailcv7@gmail.com fax: 24784202 We are looking for Chief Financial Officer, Male 40- 45 years old, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy with 5 - 15 yrs. of experience. Contact: +968 24702133 Email: admin-dept@daud.om

BEAUTY Beauty expert required to work in Salon in Al Amerat.

Contact : 93336061

CATERING Chinese / Arab/ Grill, cooks.

Contact: 95529970 Wanted experienced English speaking Continental Cook for reputed house in Qurum.

Contact 99466062

DESIGNER FASHION DESIGNER specializing in western attire and traditional wear required for a Boutique in Capital area. Female candidates with 4 to 5 years experience in GCC are advised to revert at 9321 8210 or jiby@mpesllc.com

DOMESTIC HELP Housemaid required for Keralite family. Contact 95405033 Looking for housemaid urgently clearance available good salary yearly ticket. TEL 24446920 / 99238121, mail: ravi.ztc@omzest.com

DRIVER Required Full Time Light Driver for an Omani Family. Indian or Philippine national are preferred.

Send SMS only to 97711577 Required experienced Omani drivers for a reputed courier company walk in interview on 25/1/2015. Please come with your Bio – Data and 2 reference letters.

Contact: 99424407 for details Heavy duty driver with valid Oman Heavy Duty license, with 4 years experience. PDO License holder preferred. Call: 99221683 Driver available with release.

Contact: 93885404 Wanted Driver.

Contact: 91025698 Reputed Construction Company require experienced light Vehicle Driver. Contact 95526871

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH Urgently required building Technician for inquiries.

Contact: 98111363 Civil Site Supervisor for telecom tower projects across Oman. Send CV to fyjo@spec-link.com or call +968 9946 7227 Required Maintenance Technician (male - 1) - should have knowledge of new devices & 3 years Oman experience.

Contact: 94441111 Send CV to email: gsheild9@gmail.com

IT Required male Omani / Filipino, 24 – 35 yrs as IT Coordinator. Fluent in English, to handle all Web Designing aspects, Mail Campaigns management, Technical Support / Troubleshooting. Contact 91371231

MEDICAL

PHYSIOTHERAPISTS, With minimum 5 years’ experience and an Omani Ministry of Health licenses, for a full time work (7 hours a day).

Salary starting from 600, Omani Rials.

To apply please send your C.V. by

e-mail: tours@omantel.net.om

MISCELLANEOUS Urgently required a lady to work in the studio shop and must have experience. Contact: 95097722 Urgently required for a reputed company in Oman (Tyre, Battery & Lubricant division) Sr. Executives/Executive-5 nos (Sohar, Nizwa & Muscat), Techno Commercial Professional-5nos, Driver (Omani)-1no. Required minimum 3-5 yrs experience in the same field with market exposure holding valid Omani driving license or GCC. Kindly fwd your CV’s to ashwin@taasintl.org Contact: (+968)93891700

Wanted Manager and Doctor for 25 year old well running clinic in Amerat. Tel 99024340 E mail drtkjoseph50@ gmail.com

Sales Ladies wanted for Ladies Boutique. Age: 20-35 yrs. Al Khoudh. Call -91159905 Send CV to sameer916@hotmail.com

Orthopedician, Nurses, Physiotherapist, Asst. Pharmacist, Gynecologists to work in a clinic at sur. M/F, any nationality with MOH license or prometric pass 60% and above can apply to rcsphysiotherapy@gmail.com

Urgently required a man to work in the studio shop inside, outdoor and should know to get business from outside. Contact: 95097722

Urgently required GP, Gynecologist, Dentist, Staff Nurse, Lab Technician, Pharmacist, For a medical centre in Muscat.

Email : ruwistar@hotmail.com.

Tel: 92603863 Urgently required Office Staff/ Manager for medical equipment import office in Ruwi.

Email: ruwistar@hotmail.com, Tel: 92603863 We require licensed General Practitioner, General dentist and male Asst. Pharmacist. Contact 93129219 or CV to clinicrecruitment2015@gmail.com Wanted Gynecologist, General Practitioner, Assistant Pharmacist for immediate appointment.

Contact 97884856/ mail CV to – sarita_h23@yahoo.com Wanted urgently lady Doctor GP or DGO for immediate appointment. Contact : 99310590 Email: tjmaluke@gmail.com Wanted GP Doctor with MOH license, job location in Muscat with good salary and benefits.

Drop your cv at 0careerhr1972@gmail.com.

Required lady photographer for studio. Contact: 99020458 Email: mohdautocentre@gmail.com

SKILLED LABOR Immediate Requirements for experienced Tailors (Designer wears, casual clothing). Please call for interview 99471085 Looking for experienced construction laborers as a subcontractor for a villa construction in Mawaleh. Contact: 96203333

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Experienced Secretary required for Ruwi office. Must have high standard of competence in MS Office suite and excellent Arabic / English communication skills.

Send CV and covering Email to mj-co@omantel.net.om Required SECRETARY ( FEMALE) Preferably Omani (For Private Trading Company Deals in to Oil & Gas Equipments). Candidate should be Graduate with 2 Years of Experience (Preferred) & Fluent in English with having strong written Communication Skills and sound knowledge of Computer. Interested Candidate may apply to : recruit_54@yahoo.com OR CONTACT ON GSM: 99681448

MISCELLANEOUS Photographer lady with experience in Photoshop and editing video. Visa available.

Contact: 92073780

SALES / MARKETING Sales for a printing press Whatsapp Only. Contact: 95955729

SALES / MARKETING SALES CO ORDINATOR ( male/ female) Preferably Omani (For Private Trading Company Deals in to Oil & Gas Equipments). Candidate should be Graduate with 2 Years of Experience (Preferred) & Fluent in English with having strong written Communication Skills with sound knowledge of Computer. Send CVrecruit_54@yahoo.com OR Contact on gsm : 99681448 Required Philippine Sales lady for women’s shoes and bags store.

Arabic speaking advantage.

Send CV with current picture.

Email: markato.fashion@gmail.com Required Salesman for Electronic & mobile devices (male - 2) should have 3 years Oman experience. Contact: 94441111. Send CV to email: gsheild9@gmail.com Sales Executive required in Muttrah, Muscat Oman experience & driving license is must.

Contact: 91710453 / 24711695 Email: salesaetOman@gmail.com Marketing Executive required for tyres & batteries.

Contact: 99020458 Email: mohdautocentre@gmail.com Salesman require for building material with driving license & 10 years working experience.

Fax your C.V 24833043.

(Mustafa Hardware Store) An excellent Grade company requires experience Salesman for indoor and outdoor with Oman driving license. Mail your CV to salesppeoman@gmail.com Looking for Sales Executive for a fiberglass Company in Oman.

Should have 5 yrs experience in fiber glass / construction field.

Should have valid driving license.

Email : mfbarka1@omantel.net.om, Contact: 00968 98634898 fax: 26881211 Urgently required Sales Executive with experience in printing press line with driving license.

Contact: 00968 95948142 Email: al_bpp@yahoo.com

SIT - WANTED Chief Accountant , 7 years experienced (out of 25 years experience in accounts) worked in reputed group companies. Currently procuring MBA finance and having Omani Driving License seeks suitable openings from reputed companies.

Contact : 95598477 / 98803439

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE 15 years experienced in finance & treasury management CPA, CMA, ACCA, MBA, qualified Chartered Accountant available for immediate joining as head of finance, financial advisor, financed consultant.

Contact: 94872345 Email: mfta27@gmail.com Indian male B.com accountant with 9 years ( 8 yr Oman) experience seeking suitable placement immediately ( NOC available ).

Contact: 98624850 Female Accountant Indian with 3 years exp in Oman looking for suitable job. Contact: 98418533/ 99338639 Accounting, B.Com, 2 yrs experience in India Tally ERP 9, Peach tree accounting quick books, accounting SMACC busy advanced Excel power point E-filing of statutory return visa date 24.12.15, visit exp.

23.01.2015. Contact 90439594 Chartered Accountant - Indian, 9 yrs + Exp (7 yr in Oman & UAE ) in Finance , Accounts & Auditing , seeking suitable position in Muscat/Dubai, Can Join Immediately, NOC Available , Contact #: 98707434 Email: casmart007@gmail.com Indian male B.Com with 1 year experience in Oman as Account having driving license seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 93415880 Email: nithin_thomas@1992 hotmail.com Chartered Accountant with 1.5 years of experience looking for job. Currently in Oman on visit visa. Contact - 91520687 Email: murtazanmh@gmail.com Accounting Assistant, BBA, M. Com (pursuing), tally, peach tree, valid visa available.

Contact : 98269281 Indian male (25) B.com 6 years experience in accountant seeking suitable placement accountant, admin, sales visit visa.

Contact: 98437731 Email: faisadcpsy@gmail.com Presently working as finance accountant having 16 years experience in Oman with Oman D/L looking for new placement NOC available. Contact: 95060390 Finance & accounts 25 years Oman experienced WHO can handle accounts up to finalization job costing, receivable payable age wise analysis and timely followers with D/L & NOC. Contact: 94070799 Indian Accountant well experienced in construction accounts (Financial and Cost) and also administration and HR seek suitable placement (Full/Part time) in Oman or UAE. Contact 98598099 Part time accounts qualified experience accountant.

Contact: 91126314 Indian female 27 MBA Finance with 4+ years exp in banking, accounts exp in teaching field also presently on visit visa.

Contact: 94735164 / 96591950 Accountant / account assistant, BBA, M.Com, Tally, Peach tree on valid visa in Oman. #98269281 Sudanese National Bachelor of Accounting 7 years experience electronic accounting and auditing. Contact: 94872045 Email: hussainhassan1@hotmail.com SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with 13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in manufacturing, trading & contracting Cos, capable of handling all accounting, finance, banking, L/C, import, export & finalization seeks placement. NOC Available.

Call+968-98932752, mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com Financial Accounting Manager having working experience 24 years looking job in construction or manufacturing companies 8 years working in Muscat expecting family status with good compensation. Contact: 95919546.

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com Finance-Indian with 7 years experience in Finance & Accounts up to finalization. Currently employed in Oman. Having D/L & NOC. Mob: 94122464, cammk13@ gmail.com Part time Accountant with 15 yrs exp. in Accounts Finance, Tax Audit Management.

Contact: 95857199

Indian male, 28, Post Graduate, 6 years exp. in Oman in Sales and Credit Control , with valid Oman D/L looking for suitable placements.

NOC available. Ph: 9206 6523 Indian Accountant professional with 3 years experience currently on visit visa looking for suitable job openings. Contact: 92390604 Email: sachinkokkatt@gmail.com Indian male 28 MBA & M.Com finance 5 yrs exp in Accounts & finance. NOC available seeks suitable placement. #93939421 Email: baleeq.ams@gmail.com 28/male/MBA - finance/B.Com Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/ India experience looking for a suitable placement. shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com Contact 90187483 Indian lady, bachelor degree in Preparatory Programme (BPP) and Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), completed training course in MS Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook from KTI looking for full time / part time job opportunity in Oman.

Contact 92437568, 96795853, Email: linda_navs@yahoo.com Part-time accounting, tax report, auditing & bank loan assistance.

Contact 91720465 Total 24 yrs exp. 15 years served Oman LLC SAOG, SAOC Contracting, trading manufacturing company as Finance Commercial Manager looks after finance logistics, procurement, ERP, oracle, tally focus internal control implementation B.Com PGDBM, ICWA (Inter).

Contact: 91721545 / 95788723, mail: manojpanda111@hotmail.com Accounts & finance: 32 yrs Indian male (B.Com) having 7 years Oman experience Oman D/L & NOC available, looking for suitable placement.Contact: 98093515 / 97494322 email: manusodharan83@gmail.com Accounts part time services available to handle all accounts up to finalization, consulting & audit works. Contact: 96247295 Female Accountant with 10 years experience. 93726921 Indian male, MBA (finance), 1 year experience in Oman having Oman D/L and NOC on visit visa looking for a suitable job.

Contact 94109375 Indian Male Accountant 10yrs Exp. in OMAN Retail & Furniture Co. (Release Available) GSM.92564955 Indian male MBA finance 12 years experience in Oman as Accounts / Admin manger, seeks suitable placement on visit visa. Can join immediately. Contact: 96055815 Email:shaikhussain111@gmail.com ACCA with more than 1year experience in an audit firm looking for a suitable position in accounts, audit section in a company, having Oman driving license. #98428098 Available Indian Graduate B.Com) / CA Final (Appeared) having 3 years practical Auditing & Accounting Experience. Currently in Oman on Visit Visa. #91418637 Accounting B.Com, 2 years experience in Indian tally ERP9, Peachtree, accounting, QuickBooks accounting SMACC , busy advanced excel PowerPoint E filing of statutory return visit date 24/12/2015 visit exp 23/1/2015 27,male,ACCA finalist, have professional experience up to finalization of accounts, statutory and internal audit, expertise in using tally, focus and oracle software, have 3.5 years experience in accounts till finalization ,seeking for permanent replacement in senior position,GSM-91324962,email id : abdullah.nooralam@gmail.com

ARCHITECT 20+ years experience Architect M.B.A 10 years Muscat experience (local transfer) looking for job opportunity. Contact: 91709408 / 92981814 Architect looking for freelance work in (design plans and 3dmax).

Contact: 96041201 Architect, Indian Female with 04 years of work experience in Qatar, Oman & India seeking suitable position. Email: shaazneen.s@gmail. com, Contact No: 96635846

M O N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED

Senior Management Executive With over 18 years of experience in Retail, Distribution, FMCG & Electronics across GCC markets seeks GM / VP / Vertical Head position for Group Companies Management and P&L deliveries.

Contact +968 9791 2950 cxogcc@gmail.com

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/ finance field. On visit visa.

Immediately available.

Contact – 92836216 / muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com

ADMIN Indian female, M.Tech electronics 6.5 IELTS experience as VLSI / Electronics project trainer & institute administration currently in family visa. Contact: 90195131 /24551290 Email: chinj.89@gmail.com Indian female Graduate over 6 years experience in Admin operations business support excellent MS Office skills looking for suitable job. Contact: 94231020 Indian Female MBA, 3 Year experience in Admin MIS, Family Visa.

Contact 98234427, jkjsmith01@gmail.com 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 license . Looking for H.R position or P.R.O part time or full time. Contact: 95933288

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DRIVER Experienced Light Duty Driver, Fluent in English, Arabic Well knowledge of Oman Areas Seeking Suitable placement Contact 97950869

Operation Engineer Chemical Engg.

MBA certified in supply chain Mgt ERP familiar 5 years experience . Contact +968 94690325 Email: phahad.hashim@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) with 2 and half years experience Indian male 24 years in visit visa. Contact: 96620482 / + 91 9605423272 Email: bijumonps@gmail.com

Light driver looking for job experience in Oman 6 years & K.S.A 5 years’ education H.S.C. Contact: 93940319

B.Tech Mechanical, Diploma in industrial health and safety, NEBOSH (IGC) , working experience 4 years (Construction, oil and Gas) .

Contact: 94750413 Email: shilpaneapen@gmail.com

B.Tech (IT) Indian Male 2 years Oman experience in I.T & Networking, holding Oman Driving License, presently on employment visa, seeks for a suitable placement.

Ready to join immediately. NOC available. Contact: 92462578

Omani male need driver job for part time. Contact: 92296607 Light duty driver experience 4 years suitable job. Can speak English, Arabic & Hindi.

Contact: 98393692 Driver with car looking for job or part time. Contact: 96023492 Light driver need job knows English, Hindi & Arabic.

Contact: 92820309 Light driver need job 4 years exp English & Arabia speaking.

Contact: 94208089 Job for driving.

Contact: 98982410 27 years, 1 year experience, with D/L. Contact: 97369716 Indian young smart driver 5 years Oman exp speaking English Arabic, Hindi looking for job.

Contact: 94524433 Pakistani male light driver 10 yrs in UAE & 1 yr in Oman.

Contact: 93709393 Light driver Ruwi.

Contact: 95779594 Having Oman D/L seeking suitable placement of driver.

Contact: 92789805

14 years of Gulf experience in HR/ Admin & logistics fluent in Arabic & English with D/L looking for suitable position, NOC available.

Contact: 95824598

Looking for driver job 3 years Oman experience. Contact: 98244078 / 93798802

Filipino male with 13 years HR and Administration managerial experience. MBA & CIPD holder. Currently looking for job in Oman. Interested employer pls call 97728418.

Indian male seeking office driver cum admin job having NOC and 5 years experience with valid Oman driving license. Contact: 97942787 Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+ experience in Administration/HR, Customer Support, Office Coordinator with good Computer skill, Now on Visit Visa,looking for suitable position. Contact: 90196235 Indian female 29 MBA (HR) BSc Oman & India, 3 years exp in Admin & HR seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95619537 Indian female 27 yrs with 5 yrs HR /Admin experience seeking suitable placement with valid Oman driving license. Contact: 98236033

Light Driver, 4 yrs exp in Oman.

Contact: 94608755

Driver with car available for part time job.

Contact: 96320385 Driver 2 years job visa Indian male (31 yrs). Contact: 96525311 Light driver Indian 4 yrs exp in Oman having own car need job.

NOC available. Contact: 93053917 Bangladeshi male light driver exp 14 years need job and visa transfer, release paper available.

Contact: 99165961 Driver (light & heavy duty) valid gulf /Indian) looking job.

Contact: 95175192

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN Civil AutoCAD Draughts man 5 years experience on visit visa.

Contact: 99759284 Email: ahmedimran945@gmail.com Interior designer Indian male with 4 years experience / 3Ds Max, AutoCAD .Now on visit visa seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 94886507 Email: vizhue07@gmail.com

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

25 years male BA. English , Qualified as mast in digital animation having 5 yrs ex in character animation specialized Auto Desk mago and motion building software knowledge, seeking suitable placement. Contact: 97917357

CATERING

EDUCATION

Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp looking job. Contact: 99531802

DOMESTIC HELP Looking full time job.

Contact: 99153378

DRIVER Driver with new car looking for job.contact: 95873286 Light driver looking for job.

Contact: 95219183

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ACCOUNTANT With 8 years of experience (working in Oman since Jan 2013) is looking for a change.

Experienced in all aspect of accounting up to finalization of accounts. Also experienced in Insurance underwriting and claim settlement.

NOC will be available

Contact: 95503646

Indian having more than 10 years experience (7 years in UAE) as project secretary, document controller, site administrator, site store keeper on visit seek suitable placement. Contact 92196001

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

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Indian female masters in computer science and Engineering B.Tech in information technology , M.B.A ( Systems) 3 years experience teaching in college , having good knowledge in C++ , java oracle now on visit visa looking for openings in Educational institutions.

Contact: 91812419/96935426 Email: anorelindhinesh@gmail.com

Computer Network and Hardware Engineer with driving license and 20 years of experience in Oman looking for a suitable position.

Contact: 98388431 Email: nwengineer@outlook.com B. Sc Civil Engineer, having 27 yrs Oman experience as Project Manager, Structure Engineer looking for suitable placement, consulting, contracting co. NOC & local transfer available. Contact : 99399578 Email: farooqatm@hotmail.com Indian male 26 yrs BE- Mechanical Engineering, CSWIP 3.1 certified welding inspector + ASNT level in UT, RT, MPT, LPT with 3.5 yrs experience in QC Inspector- Welding.

Looking for a suitable job.

E-mail: rahmanmech2@gmail.com Sri Lanka (BSC) quantity surveyor, having 3 years GCC experience is looking for a suitable placement 1 such as QS/ Contract administrator for / estimator / project coordinator has knowledge in Fidic and construction standard available in visit visa. Contact: 96301107 /94292198 Email: mailifaisfreed@gmail.com B.Tech Mechanical Engineer fresh graduate, 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 Sudanese Civil Structure Engineer, 3 years experience with residence and Omani license, good at AutoCAD Etabs Staad. Pro looking for suitable job. Contact: 97906770 Civil Engineer 3 years diploma holder having 7 years experience, building construction & oil & gas field with driving license. Contact: 93294965 Mechatronics Engineer 26, MSc with 3 years industrial experience, looking for suitable placement. NOC available. Contact 94887665 Email: mechatron_mt@yahoo.com Civil Engineer / QS engineer, 9 years experience in Oman freelance visa, searching for a suitable job in Oman. Contact: 97299165 Sr.HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+ Diploma Safety + NEBOSH+OSHA) over 10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release/Transfer Letter (NOC) available), seeking suitable placement. Contact - 97061817, Email:jayanammu1977@gmail.com Highly experienced mechanical/ steel structural fabrication engineer looking for suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 99860714, hussain20173@gmail.com.

Networking Engineer having 10 years experience with 3 years in Oman having valid driving license and NOC, presently in Oman needs immediate placement.

Contact - 95783383 10 years experience in Dubai & Bangladeshi as a BSC Engineer on structural designer & construction having Dubai municipality approval & driving license. Contact: 91206763 Future 008801758846027 Email: engr.masud.civil.@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) Indian male, with good knowledge in HVAC on visit visa looking for suitable placement. Contact: 90154793 Email: sangu.vazhoor@gmail.com

Electrical & Instrumentation Engineer, Gulf Experience, 3 Year, Immediately available.

Contact- 95691800 Email: fasalf@gmail.com Civil Engineer 8 years experience Structural buildings marine. Available NOC release. Contact: 92451323.

Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp seeks suitable position ina reputed company. NOC available.

Contact – 96789711 Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912

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 Civil Engineer 11 years experience in construction having driving license & NOC. Contact: 94194399 Email: shiblyrock@gmail.com Procurement Engineer (27 years Single Male with Oman Driving License) having 7 years experience (UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in MEP, Water, Electro-mechanical, Instrumentation seeking suitable placements. (Contact 95852033, hemal1988@gmail.com Transmission Cable Technician / Cable Splicer: Saudi Aramco & Saudi Electricity Co License Holder.

Experience 5yrs, Age 29yrs, Nationality Pakistani: KSA Valid Driving License. Immediately Available.

Contact: 92850409 Email: usman0083@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer male 26 yrs, with 4 yrs of experience in manufacturing oil & gas retail, brand promoting, marketing, logistics having valid Omani D/L seeking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 97098676 Email: ja237le@gmail.com

Electrical Engineer B.Tech with 4 yrs experience in India available on visit visa looking for suitable placement. Contact: 94741401 mail: sobinthomask05@gmail.com

Chemical Engineer MBA holder ITC certified in supply chain management, ERP familiar 5 years experience. Contact: 94690325 Email: phahad.hashim@gmail.com

Indian male electrical engineer having 3 yrs exp in industrial electrical machine maintenance & data center facilities management looking for suitable placement (NOC available). Contact :99381733 Email : shihab4eee@gmail.com

Architect Engineer with 3 years experience in Muscat looking for a suitable job Contact: 91262904, Email: saeedbakayeh@gmail.com BE Mech specialization welding technology 11 yrs quality cont Engineer by Steel Cons EPL Installation desalination plant (Gulf). Contact: 96603299

Operating Engineer MBA holder 5 years experience in electroplating and coating of metals. #94690325 Email: phahad.hashim@gmail.com

Electrical Engineer: Indian male, 30 yrs having 5 yrs of experience in industrial automation & utility maintenance in India (MRF tyres), holding valid Oman D/L. Contact 92789995, email : akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com

Indian male Diploma Civil Engineer have 1 yr. experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job (certificate attested).

Contact: 92667406 / 99210411, Email : manojgvh@gmail.com

Instrument Engineer B.Tech Indian male, 24 yrs, 1 yrs experience in reputed oil & gas companies, currently on visit visa, seeks suitable job. Contact: 92007218 Email: ahmed0515@gmail.com

Sudanese Telecom Engineer, 5 years experience, 3 years in Oman PMP certificate.

Contact: 93391008 Email: momen.awadallam@gmail.com

7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the field of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598

Sudanese Structure Civil Engineer 2 years experience resident Omani license. Contact: 94393880 Bangladeshi male Diploma in Civil Engineer with D/L 5 years exp, 4 years in Oman has exp. in building construction seeking a suitable placement. Contact: 96732988 Electrical Engineer Indian (29) , 7 years exp in Oman, 33KV, 11 KV projects in MZEC & MEDC having CEP 1 & NOC with D/L. Contact: 99822373 Need job for experienced mason, electrician & welder.

Contact: 93015630 Telecom Engineer and HSE Advisor with 6 years experience in Oman with PDO requirement, fluent in Arabic and English with valid driving license searching for job. Contact: 96355678

HSE & Fire Safety Engineer 4 years experience air port operational safety, power & chemical industry. Contact: 94374241

16+ yrs of Techno commercial experience in ELV systems seeking suitable position in mid management level. Local release available. Contact: 98143907 Email: mazher2005@yahoo.com

Indian male 31, Mechanical Enggr with 9+ year’s exp in Quality Assurance / control presently on visit visa. Contact: 94735164 / 96591950

M.Tech in Manufacturing Engineering with 2 years of experience, on visiting visa looking for a suitable job. Contact: 91417949 Email: dannyrangde@gmail.com

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ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

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 female, BE in EEE having 3yrs exp in Software & 1 yr Experience in Marketing & Admin in Muscat, looking for suitable placement. Tel:93422434

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Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 97667113 Indian Male 23 years B.Tech Civil having 2 years experience in quantity survey and site management looking for suitable placement. Contact:- 95042656 Civil Engineer (Diploma) having 11 years experience in building construction, looking for a suitable placement , having Oman driving license. Noc available.

Contact: 95075365 Email: azharraaz@gmail.com Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975518 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. Contact: 95345591 Civil Engineer diploma holder having 7 years experience of Site Engineer with valid Omani D/L looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 93294965 Email: hamza.nazeer717@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

5 years of experience in Business Analyst & Product Management with Engineering in ECE on visit visa Contact: 91374247 Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact:97416564, Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com 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 Project Civil Engineer, BSc, 6 years experience in Oman, building construction Fluent Arabic, English and good Hindi Release and NOC Available). Tel: 97858589 Diploma in Electronics, 2 years exp in telecommunication.

Contact: 94519571 Email: telecommunicationvishnumadhull @gmail.com Civil Engineer (BE) having total 5 years experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available Contact# 94450270 Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work, 21+ years experience with Driving license. Contact: 95267113 Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience HVAC design & site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD. Contact: 90150913 Email: mahmanmechengg@yahoo.im Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years in Oman experience Valid Driving License seeks suitable placement Phone 97619722 Email – golamrob@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs experience in international Oil & Gas company looking for job Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email: mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com Sudanese Architectural Engineer 2 years experience in Oman, Revit, AutoCAD 3Ds max Archicad looking for suitable job.

Contact: 94722356 Email: maya40999@hotmail.com Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.

Contact 91295802 / acmfaslan123@gmail.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 Electrical Engineer with 18 years exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034 Email: shassalih66@gmail.com

HOSPITALITY Indian male B.A Degree & diploma in hotel management with 16 years experience as restaurant & catering manager in Oman & Saudi with V/L Oman D/L seeks suitable placement. Contact: 92100141 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) Contact: 96059470

IT Indian female MCA Graduate, holding valid driving license seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 99466062

D6

M O N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED IT Indian male B.E ECE 25 yrs with 2 years experience in Networking MCITP CISCO certified AutoCAD searching for suitable placement.

Contact: 90189537 Indian male (29) MCA Post Graduate 4.6 years experienced skilled in System and Network administration seeking job in IT sector now on visiting visa.

Contact: 92805363 Email: anukkuttan1986@gmail.com Indian female (30 yrs) , BCA , MCA,ASP NET certification, SAP ABAP certification 2 yrs experience, seeking placement family visa. Contact: 99109121 Email: ashamaryphilip@gmail.com SAP consultant with experience in SD, MM & PM on visit visa in Oman searching for job.

Contact: 92824632 Indian male 26 years with BBA, tally and hard ware networking, having 3 years of experience as an accountant, seeking for suitable placement.

Contact: 98201244 5yrs experience in software and 1yr in admin, looking for a part-time or work from home jobs Contact: 91711326 Indian male (28) MCA 6 yrs experienced Oracle 10g, 6I, PL / SQL forms / reports seeking job in IT sector now on visit visa.

Contact: 91475059 Email: maridurai19@yahoo.com Software Engineering Graduate, 2 years IT Sales Experience, D/L + NOC, Contact: 94464786 Sudanese Network Administrator 1 year experience with (MCSA, CCNA, CCNP) have valid driving license. Contact: 92394485 Network Engineer degree Computer Science CCNA, MCSA experience NOC. Content: 92346191 Indian male 26 years BSC IT with 4 years experience currently on visit visa looking for IT support job knowledge of networking, programming languages, windows / Linux environment.

Contact: +968 95369856 / 24781651 Email: mark.tony.alphonso@hotmail.com Dynamics AX 2009 / 2012 R2/ R3 Microsoft certified professional MCA & BCA Having 15 yrs of total exp & 6 yrs of relevant exp seeking for suitable position. NOC is available. Contact: 93469493 Email: axcertprof@gmail.com Indian male 27 yrs Master in Computer applications currently in Muscat with Oman driving L/C seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 93191800 Email: vijilraj60@gmail.com Indian Male, IT System Engineer having 4 yrs of experience in system administration.CCNA,MCSE, Linux. Looking for suitable job.

Contact :91272867 10 years Oman experience ICT Sector, capable of handling large accounts, looking for suitable Senior Executive position.

Contact: 98987654 B.Tech (IT) Indian Male 2 years Oman experience in I.T & Networking, holding Oman Driving License, presently on employment visa, seeks for a suitable placement.

Ready to join immediately.

NOC available.

Contact: 92462578

MANAGER

MISCELLANEOUS

Logistics All rounder Indian male 23 years experience administration material management, supply chain, warehouse, purchase, marketing, inventory, accounting, Oman D/L. NOC available.

Contact: 95980115

Indian Female, 24 Years - MSc Biotechnology. Worked in International Crops Research Institute For The Semi Arid Tropics for project work as trainee. Looking for suitable job. Mobile: 92619048, Email: anusreeg1991@gmail.com

Indian male with more than 15 years experience in construction, agriculture, industrial tools, air coolers & personal protective equipments looking for suitable position in sales & marketing valid Oman D/L. Contact: 92406527

25 years experienced Supervisor in plumbing & firefighting available, NOC & driving license.

Contact: 95703680

Indian male having experience more than 13 yrs, 4 years in Oman as Store keeper, Procurement in reputed company looking suitable placement release available.

Contact: 92245926 Email: mohammedbasheer700@gmail.com

Indian male 26, with more than 4 years experience in Sales and Marketing having valid GCC license on visit visa seeks suitable position. Contact: 92423161

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 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 Indian male, with experience in operations management, information security, purchase & stores mgmt, hold UAE driving license, on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact 91904541 Email: naushers@yahoo.com MBA (marketing) with 17 years experience in freight forwarding/ logistics industry in GCC & Oman.

Presently working as branch manager in Muscat. Looking for a suitable position. Release and NOC available. Contact: 99856331

MEDICAL Male nurse MOH licensed having NOC completed BLS, ACLS total 6 yrs exp seeking suitable job, join at anytime . Contact : 91322744 An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license looking for job. Contact: 96436517 /97396088

MISCELLANEOUS Purchaser, experience 9.5 years in Oman, Indian male, Driving License available with own car. Currently working with ARDISEIS Oman Branch (Seismic work for PDO Oman) as a purchaser. Handling all type purchase, logistic, petty cash, stock, dispatch. Working with SAP application. Educational qualification - Post Graduate in MA (Economics) Salary – Negotiable seeks suitable Placement. Contact 99458569 Email : nitesh.rane2015@gmail.com.

Female business graduate from UK with four years corporate Experience in procurement purchasing expediting logistics and supply chains in UAE Seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 99581399 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 Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement. Gsm 98805474

Indian male 25, On Visit Visa MBA (HR & Marketing) experienced in Sales, Looking for Suitable Position, Contact 92788018, shinemoncherian@gmail.com 10 years experience in Oman in logistics / purchase have Oman D/L looking for suitable placement.

Contact- 96410767 Email: harishkts@yahoo.com

LOGISTICS Indian having PG diploma Logistics and shipping management 3 years experience as Warehouse Executive experience in logistics, purchase and store.

Contact: 98473905 More than 8 years of gulf experience & qualified executive in Air freight & Sea freight, proven work experience in logistics coordination, shipment, export and import Coordination, cross shipments and client relation etc. Contact: 95149624 / 0097150-3462492

SALES / MARKETING A dynamic professional, Female, with 8 years of experience in PURCHASE,SALES COORDINATION ,OFFICE ASSISTANT, residing in Oman with valid NOC from current company,looking for a suitable job, Ready to join Immediately”.

Contact:-shiji4123@gmail.com Phone:- 94157662 South Indian hold 12 years Omani residency – B.E, MBA, PGDM, MCIM, result oriented self starter - Techno commercial Executive 15 years core experience in business development/ marketing oil & gas (all streams) & manufacturing. seeking suitable placement. Contact 99277816/ myakram@hotmail.com B.Sc Graduate with 4.4 years work experience in Sales, Marketing and Business Development looking for a job. Currently in Oman and ready to join immediately.

Contact : 00968-95096284 Indian marketing & sales professional for automobile, hotel & retail with over 7 years experience Indian & us on visit & seeking change/ suitable placement.

Contact: 99454425 Email: qamest@omantel.net.om 27 years old male MBA Graduate having 1.5 years experience in Marketing seeking for good opportunities in sales & marketing.

Contact: 90572132 Email: bibi4bibin@gmail.com Sales & Marketing Executive MBA with 3 years experience in sales looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 91345727.

MBA Graduate (Indian) 2 years experience in Auto sales & marketing looking for suitable job in automatic industry.

Contact: 94676974 Email: dabdulmuqsit@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING

PG diploma in Strategic Management having two years experience in Marketing and Management currently on visit visa seeking for suitable job. Contact : 93406821 Email: sayeedminhaj@gmail.com Indian male Sales Engineer 18 years experience (pneumatics, electric, air compressor, garage equipments etc) including 5 years Gulf experience currently employed in Oman with D/L looking for suitable position, NOC available.

Contact 94425942 Email: kishorekumar.naik@yahoo.in Indian 15 yrs Marketing exp with visa D/L looking for senior job.

Contact: 90390862 Indian male 22 BBA Graduate one year experience in Oman with valid Oman driving license looking for a placement. Contact: 96357787 Looking for immediate sales and marketing 3 years GCC experience with valid driving license now on visit visa till Feb 12.

Contact: 99642611 Email: kashif_iam@yahoo.com Indian male 29 yrs having 6 years Oman experience in hotel industry & sales looking for a suitable placement. NOC available having Oman driving license. #91059015 Email: nidhin.lal86@gmail.com BBA graduate /Valid Omani license/2 year experience/ Preferred role Marketing / Sales / Business development Executive.

Contact-94122944, raashidjabir@protonmail.ch Indian male B.Sc Chemistry Graduate 6 years experience in India seeking suitable placement willing to work in any field currently on visiting visa. Contact: 94855667 / 92255983 Pakistani male three years experience in Oman speaks excellent English, earlier worked as English speaking tourist guide.

Contact : 99120956 Indian 16 yrs sales / marketing all Oman experience, on visit visa with D/L. Contact: 90205082 B.Tech Electronics Indian male experience in Technical & marketing 2 years Oman driving license.

Contact: 98627362 , email : shah9746099350@gmail.com 34 yrs, Indian male 7 years sales & marketing exp have valid D/L. Contact: 99869456 Indian male, MBA Marketing having 2.5 years Sales experience immediately looking for a suitable position. Contact: 91415145, Email: shariqs88@gmail.com Indian female M.Sc in computer application, having experience in Muscat looking for suitable placement available to join immediately.

Contact: 94591608 Sales Coordinator, BBA MBA (pursuing) tally on valid visa in Oman. Contact : 98269281

MBA graduate having 6 years exp in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with PEPSI, India, having international driving license permit seeks suitable placement. Cont : 95308167, Email : samir.pag@gmail.com Assistant Purchase Manager experience 9 years at Oman in Construction Company skills driving license.

Contact: 98894178 Email: amerfawzy2000@yahoo.com Indian female (M.Tech in Power system) having Gulf experience seeking suitable placement in Oman, now in family visa.

Contact: 94306164 / 91001194 5 years experience in Sales currently looking for a placement.

Contact: 93458869 30 yr old experienced available with NOC & Oman driving license 6+years experience in chemicals Industry. Contact: 96675065 B.Com male 2 yrs experience in sales Computer knowledge, seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98371144 email: nabilnazar22@gmail.com

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192

TECHNICIAN /MECH. Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years experience preferably in water sector and having valid driving license call Ph:+968 99450811 Send CV to shiju@spec-link.com

MISCELLANEOUS

ACC. AVAILABLE Spacious semi furnished room with separate bathroom for executive bachelor opposite OC centre Ruwi. Call: 92273779 Furnished room & bath Darsait R.O 140/-. Contact: 93289652 Single room for expat Indian bachelors near Al Aktham restaurant Al khuwair for RO 120.

Water and electricity included.

Contact 98803261 Furnished room in new building for working Muslim lady/ Muslim couple only. Location AINT, Darsait. Contact - 99008069

GOOD NEWS 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 Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

D.M.E, Indian, 12 yrs experience in Oman, in Project Estimation, Execution, Quality & marketing working as Estimation Engineer in acid & water tanker, semi trailor company, with havin driving license & will get NOC, seeks suitable job in Oman.

Contact 98968495.

Indian male M. Com 10 years of experience looking for Part time Job can do finalization Contact 97433387 or thodaforme@gmail. com Indian male, 26 years, With 7 years of experience in Sales Field in shipping company in “Dubai” , looking for suitable placement. Experienced working in safety Marine equipment and well versed with MS Office. Contact: 90182494, Manojmallya999@gmail.com Indian male 25yr B. Com 4 years experience in trading and contracting field in India looking for suitable accountant vacancies.

Please contact 96155921 or fysal.nellaya@gmail.com Senior Accountant Indian male 35 Years with 13 Years of Experience (7 years in Oman) in Accounts & Finance having valid Omani Driving License. Looking for job in GCC Countries.

Contact: 96001918 Indian male looking job part time driver. Contact: 93884951 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

An Investing partner needed for a printing press.

Contact 99498949

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

SIT - WANTED Indian male BE, (ECE) 18 months experience in Telecom Sector as installation and Commissioning Engineer, troubleshooting the bts, 3G and LTE equipments currently on visit.

Contact: 95183497 Email: v.karthi984@gmail.com

M O N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

D7

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

TOURS

TOURS

RENT A CAR

NRI Plot for sale Shadnagar Municipality, Mahboob Nagar District, walk able distance to existing colonies, national highway and basic amenities at reasonable price.

Contact – 0091 8686631669 1100 Sqft Property for sale opposite to SP Fort Hospital, Trivandrum. Contact 91254791, 91 8893226226

SITUATION WANTTOURS ED Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636

TRANSPORTATION We need transport from Mabella to Mawalleh for student & employee. Contact: 92757673

We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

Transportation.Contact: 99099714

DRIVING

Transportation Al Khuwair.

Contact: 92711421

3 bedroom flat for sale Kerala, EKM, Palarivattom. Contact: 00968 95993089/ 0091 9446845999/ 0091 4842422700 Jimmy

Transportation. Contact: 91310107 Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909

Plot, propeties for sale in prime location in pune Contact 95272138, (+918390982975)

Transportation. Contact:99664703 Silver car, car rental at good rate.

Contact: 96166155/93530540

MATRIMONIAL Menon / Nair boy 30 years, looking for a girl, preferred from Ottapalam area. Contact: 99505473 Hindu nair age 64, looking for a suitable girl. # 0091 755900189

MATRIMONIAL Nair boy 27 years Keralite working in Canada looking for qualified girl. Contact: 99361442

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP specification for monthly rent & small car with driver.

Contact: 99839898

Transportation. Contact 96173326 Transportation. Contact 94510847 Transportation Contact:99077395 Transportation taxi mini bus.

Contact: 93091106

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M O N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED EDUCATION/CLASSES/TRAINING/COMPUTER/WEBSITE

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English class for Malayalam Speakers

in Azaiba and Ruwi earn in two months

tion guaranteed

Tel: 95244310

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

^ Zs/ ^ tĞ WƌŽǀŝĚĞ ůĞĂŶĞƌƐ͕ Kĸ ĐĞ ďŽLJƐ͕ ůĞĂŶŝŶŐ ŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ͕ 'ĞŶĞƌĂů ĐůĞĂŶŝŶŐ ĞƚĐ͘ ů DƵĚĂŬŚŝƌ EĂƟ ŽŶĂů Ɛƚ͘ >> ŽŶƚĂĐƚ ͗ ϵϰϮϳϳϬϮϬ

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble.Contact 24793614/ 99314807 GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 A/C maintenance & servicing, fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, painting & cleaning services, electrical & plumbing. Contact: 99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

Pest Control Treatments.

Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 Cleaning & Carpet Shampooing, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 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 We are providing services like Accounts, Auditing, Tax Reports, Feasibility Study, Bank Loan Assistance & L L C Registration ASAS AUDIT & CONSULTANCY Contact at 91720465/94319719

Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. #93769089 / 95323517 House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

For wooden Aluminum door, windows. Contact: 98796982 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS- 99320217 /24788722 *Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

LOST Syakiroh Bt Dahrun Sapran has lost Indonesia Passport No. AT 057801. Finder please handover to ROP

NOTICE I, SUBASRI SUBRAMANIAN (Holder of INDIAN Passport No. H4526702).

D/O R. Subramanian having permanent residence in A 601, Hari Om Puram, New D.P Road, Aundh Pune – 07 and presently residing in P.O Box 26, PC 211, Salalah intent to marry Mr. LALIT PRAKASH NIKAM (Holder of INDIAN Passport No. K4810776) son of Lt. Prakash Ramdas Nikam in EMBASSY OF INDIA, MUSCAT. I swear that I am marrying him at my own free will AND not under any duress and intimidation. Any objection towards this marriage may please be communicated to Embassy of India, Muscat, Diplomatic Quarters, Al Khuwair, P.O Box No. 1727, Postal code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman within 30 days of publication of this newspaper advertisement.

IELTS PREPARATION Target Band 8.0

Classes for Spoken English TOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed EAGLES INSTITUTE 92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: engominst@gmail.com