Times of Oman - November 25, 2015 by Muscat Media Group

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TURKEY DOWNS RUSSIAN JET

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border, saying it had violated its air space, one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a NATO member country and Russia for half a century. >A7

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ We wish to remind the new generation of the high purpose of their forefathers who braved the storms of the violent seas in order to provide us with a wholesome standard of living.

WEDNESDAY, November 25, 2015 / 13 Safar 1437 AH

CABLES

His Majesty sends greetings MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Desire Delano Bouterse of Suriname on the occasion of his country’s Independence Anniversary. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations along with best wishes to President Bouterse and his country’s people. Bosnia and Herzegovina His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has also sent a cable of greetings to Dr. Dragan Covic, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere greetings along with his best wishes to Dr. Covic and his country’s people. -ONA

on the occasion of the 26th National Day

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e-visa reprieve for air passengers to the UAE Some airlines conﬁrmed that passengers on their ﬂights are getting visa-onarrival in the UAE

DESTINATION DUBAI: Earlier, expatriates used to procure visa-onarrival in the UAE depending on their profession.

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official said that earlier visa-onarrival was revoked and as of this morning, the Dubai government has re-started visa-on-arrival facility until the website is updated to receive e-visa applications. “Oman Air will also accept passengers without e-visa until the December-end as per the UAE airports’ statement,” Usama Ka-

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Expatriates ﬂying to Dubai will be able to get visa upon arrival, airlines said. Quoting a statement from Col Talal Ahmed Al Shangeti, the UAE’s General Director of Airports Affair Sector, an Oman Air

rim Al Haremi, Senior Manager of Corporate Communication and Media at Oman Air, said. The statement from the UAE says they are updating the e-visa system and improving the process to make it user-friendly for the travellers. Therefore, they don’t have any objection to any airlines operating in the GCC region to

carry passengers without an evisa approved permit. “This improvement will continue until the end of December this year and we shall update you about any progresses,” the statement added. Two UAE-based low budget airlines —flydubai and Air Arabia—have confirmed that passengers on their flights are being provided visa-on-arrival by the UAE authorities, depending on their eligibility. “Expatriates flying to Dubai on our flights are being provided visa-on-arrival by UAE authorities,” an official from flydubai said. Even after the UAE authorities revised the visa-on-arrival facility norms for expatriates in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on October 1, passengers travelling on flydubai continued to get visa-on-arrival. However, on November 18, they stopped providing visa-on-arrival

for passengers and on Tuesday, they have again started giving it to passengers flying with them to Dubai. On October 1, the UAE announced that regardless of their professional status, expatriates would have to apply for an e-visa to enter the UAE through air, sea or by road. Earlier, depending on their professions, many expatriates were able to procure visa-on-arrival. However, now everyone, barring passport holders from certain countries, will have to apply for an e-visa to travel. “We have got the advisory from flydubai. Passengers flying on flydubai to Dubai will be eligible for visa-on-arrival depending on professional status,” Mohan Kumar, a top official at the Majan International Agencies Travel & Tourism LLC, said. Majan acts as a general service agent for flydubai in Oman. >A6

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

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Dar Al Atta’a offers discount on books

Use genuine tour operators to Kerala

Bids for Muscat port operations shifting

Charitable organisation Dar Al Atta’a’s ‘Let’s Read’ initiative’s “Big Book Sale” event, to be held on November 28 at the Al Qurum Complex, will offer a 50 per cent discount on all books that are on sale that day. The big book sale will be organised between 10am and 1pm. >A2

Omanis visiting Kerala have been advised to bank on accredited tour operators to avoid being cheated, the state tourism board said. “We have come across cases in which foreign tourists are being betrayed by unaccredited tour operators,” said Kerala tourism official. >A3

PREVENTING POLLUTION

Girl students clear debris from beach to mark National Day

ENVIRONMENT AWARENESS: About 35 students from Class XI and XII of Tabarak Private School took part in the beach clean-up drive. – Supplied photo

message to their neighbourhood and among friends. “Many students, who participated in the clean-up, admitted that they used to throw plastic items on the beach; however, they have vowed that they would never do it again. This itself reveals that our efforts have not gone in vain,” Purayil said.

REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A group of young Omani girl students cleaned the debris from a beach, to mark the National Day celebrations. The Times of Oman features the brave efforts of the young girls as part of its #OmanPride campaign. “Everyone celebrated National Day with rallies. We wanted it to be different. In our curriculum, we study about plastic pollution. So we thought of doing something to protect our environment from the danger of plastic pollution. That is how we decided to clean up the plastic polluting the Al Hail beach side,” Sheikha Mohammed Al Rawahi and her friends from the Tabarak Private School told the Times of Oman. About 35 students from Class XI and XII took part in the beach clean-up. “Many go to the beach side with plastic bottles, plates, bags etc and leave them while returning. This plastic affects every waterway, sea and ocean in the world. When we damage our water systems, we are putting

our own well-being at risk,” Al Rawahi and her friends said. The clean-up lasted for three hours. Muneer Thazhe Purayil, an English teacher, who led the group during the clean-up campaign held under the supervision of the Rwaa Najim, girls’ section supervisor, and Hisham Talaat, the English Department head, said the girls have been trying to spread this

Go Green “The effort was part of a campaign called “Go Green,” aimed at spreading environment awareness and best practices among friends. We have decided to continue these types of celebrations on other holidays, which would create an environment awareness in the minds of the new generation and create some environmentalists,” she added. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), around 80 per cent of marine debris is from land-based sources, mainly the tourismrelated litter on the coast, such as the waste left by beach goers, including food and beverage packaging, cigarettes and plastic beach toys.

Contracts for projects in Phase 1 of South Batinah Logistic Area, designed to help smoothen the relocation of commercial cargo operations from Muscat’s Port Sultan Qaboos to Sohar Port, will be launched in the ﬁrst quarter of 2016, a top official in charge of the project, said. >A6

Parts of Oman receive rainfall

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

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Come and visit Oman’s first charity bookshop, we have a great selection of fact and fiction for all. All the proceeds go to Maktabati, Oman’s first mobile library and the ‘Let’s Read’ campaign to promote the love of reading among children Jane Jaffer, ‘Let’s Read’ initiative

BIG BOOK SALE

Dar Al Atta’a’s ‘Let’s Read’ initiative offers 50 per cent discount on books Times News Service MUSCAT: Charitable organisation Dar Al Atta’a’s ‘Let’s Read’ initiative’s “Big Book Sale” event, to be held on November 28 at the Al Qurum Complex, will offer a 50 per cent discount on all books that are on sale that day. The big book sale will be held between 10am and 1pm. The initiative was reinstated on October 31 and will be held on the last Saturday of every month. Jane Jaffer of the ‘Let’s Read’ initiative spoke of Oman’s ﬁrst charity bookshop, saying: “Come and

visit Oman’s first charity bookshop, we have a great selection of fact and fiction for all. All the proceeds go to Maktabati, Oman’s first mobile library and the ‘Let’s Read’ campaign to promote the love of reading among children in Oman. First charity bookshop “Our location is shop 116, first floor, the Al Qurum Complex and our opening hours are between 10am and 1pm and from 5pm to 8pm Saturday to Thursday and from 5pm to 8pm on Friday.” This Oman’s first charity bookshop, which has both fact and fic-

tion books. It is also planning to start some programmes aimed at encouraging good reading habits among children and teenagers. For the love of reading Dar Al Atta’a’s ‘Let’s Read’ campaign has been promoting a love for reading among children in Oman since 2007. The campaign’s committee achieves its aims in a variety of ways, by setting up play rooms, libraries and reading areas in hospitals, schools and nurseries. Each month, it collects used books and holds a sale at

the Al Qurum Complex. Story-telling sessions It also conducts story-telling sessions in schools and buys books and distributes them among children in the outlying areas. Every year, it holds a “Big Book Day” event that includes literacy activities and story-telling sessions. Annual competition The campaign’s annual Children’s Writing Competition attracts hundreds of entries from all over the country. Many winning entries have been published.

Rainfall in parts of Sultanate While light rains fell in Muscat, Sohar received heavy rainfall

Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Several areas in Oman received moderate to heavy rainfall on Tuesday. While light rains fell in Muscat, Sohar received heavy rainfall, according to the Directorate General of Meteorology and Air Navigation (DGMAN), which monitors weather conditions in Oman. The other areas which received rainfall, include Quriyat, Shinas and Rustaq. In its 24-hour outlook, DGMAN said, “Clear to partly cloudy skies over Musandam Governorates, coasts facing Sea of Oman and Al Hajjr mountains with isolated rains.” Waterspout spotted A waterspout had been spotted on the Sur coast, a weather enthusiast said. A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that forms over a body of water. It is connected to a towering cumuliform cloud or a cumulonimbus cloud. In the common form, it is a non-super cell tornado over water. “A waterspout appeared in the Sur sea. It’s a rare phenomenon, which occurs during cyclone season. Skies are cloudy too,” Bader Ali Al Baddaei, an admin-

RAIN IMPACT: A waterspout was spotted on the Sur coast, a weather enthusiast said. – Bader Ali Al Baddaei/ www.rthmc

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istrator of www.rthmc.net, a local Web-based forum that discusses weather in Oman, told the Times of Oman. On Sunday, the meteorology department had predicted heavy rainfall in the northern parts of Oman till the end of the week. In the Sunday’s advisory, the meteorology department added that Oman will likely witness a deep depression as moderate to heavy rain is expected in Musandam and North Al Batinah, while other governorates will witness varied rain showers, except for in Dhofar and Al Wusta. Forecasters also noted that temperatures will drop, which indicates that winter is just around the corner. Northwesterly winds will become fresh to strong (from 15 to 25 knots) starting from Tuesday, along Oman’s coasts and changes in sea conditions will be from moderate to rough until Saturday.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

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FRIENDSHIP JOURNEY

Shabab Oman II, INS Tarangini set off for India MUSCAT: In response to the Royal Orders of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the Royal Navy of Oman’s Shabab Oman II vessel sailed to the friendly Republic of India on its second international journey (the Omani Indian Friendship Bridge 2015). Shabab Oman II, which will remind everyone of Oman’s rich marine history and the modern achievements of the Sultanate, will be accompanied by the Indian training sail ship ‘Tarangini.’ Farewell ceremony An official farewell ceremony was held at the Port Sultan Qaboos under the auspices of Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, secretary general of the Foreign Ministry. The chief guest, senior officers and invitees boarded the ship and bid farewell to the ship’s crew, who gave an overview en-route the vessel. The event was attended by Major General Matar bin Salim Al Balushi, commander of the Royal Army of Oman, Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Khamis Al Raisi, commander of the Royal Navy of Oman, a number of undersecretaries, senior SAF offices, some ambassadors of the friendly and sisterly countries, members of the State Council, Majlis Al Shura and a number of other invitees. -ONA

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‘Use accredited operators only for touring Kerala’ Omanis are eligible for visa-on-arrival in India. Out of nine airports having such facilities, two are in Kerala

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reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Omanis visiting the south Indian state of Kerala have been advised to only depend on accredited tour operators to avoid being cheated, a top official from the state tourism board said.

has announced special offers and packages for tourists. “Omanis are eligible for a visaon-arrival facility to visit India. Out of the nine airports in India, which provide visa-on-arrival facility for Omani tourists, two are in Kerala,” the director added.

“We have come across cases in which foreign tourists are being betrayed by unaccredited tour operators. So, we advise tourists to have a safe trip by taking assistance of accredited tour operators listed on our website,” P. I. Sheik Pareeth, director of Kerala tourism, said. Special offers “Moreover, the accredited tour operators often come up with slashed rates and special offers. So, it is always good to depend on them,” the director stated. The officials made these comments on the sidelines of a business-to-business meeting arranged in Muscat for tour operators from India and Oman to promote tourism in Kerala, which has been listed as one of the 50 must-see places globally by National Geography. According to the director, the

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

TOURIST HOTSPOT: P I Sheik Pareeth, director of Kerala Tourism, advised tourists to have a safe trip by taking assistance of accredited tour operators listed on the department’s website. – Shabin E

government website also has the names and contact numbers of accredited guides, who can speak Arabic. “In 2014, some 18,000 Omanis visited Kerala and this number is growing. We are looking at an

around 15 per cent rise in the total number of tourists visiting the state this year on the back of multiple initiatives being undertaken,” the director said. As Kerala celebrates the yearlong ‘Visit Kerala’, the government

Rising tourist numbers In 2014, foreign tourist arrivals into Kerala were pegged at 9,23,366, up 7.6 per cent from 2013. Meanwhile, among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, visitors from Saudi Arabia in 2014 topped the list with 48,346, the United Arab Emirates stood in the second position with 17,475 numbers, and Oman was ranked third, with 17,239. According to reports, more than 400,000 tourists from the GCC countries and the Middle East and North Africa region have visited India in the last two years.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015 We are delighted to welcome these 21 young Omanis to Oman Air. Following the successful completion of their training, each new pilot will become an invaluable part of the airline Paul Gregorowitsch, CEO, Oman Air

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Omani products expo to be held in Ethiopia ties are available for investors in Ethiopia. The committee aspires to witness positive outcomes for this exhibition by achieving the desired objectives of entering the African market. According to a research conducted by Ithraa, 59 products have the potential to penetrate the Ethiopian market, including agro food, building materials, furniture and furnishing materials, aluminium and plastics, among many others.

Omani products exhibition in Ethiopia aspires to further promote Omani products and boost trade relations with Ethiopia

GOING PLACES: OPEX held a coordination meeting with business owners on Tuesday at the Waljat College of Applied Sciences in Knowledge Oasis Muscat, to discuss preparations for the exhibition. – Supplied photo

Times News Service MUSCAT: To meet the growing demand of the Ethiopian market, the organising committee of the Omani Products Exhibition (OPEX) will hold OPEX 2016 from April 11 to 14, to promote local products in the East African market. OPEX held a coordination meeting with business owners on Tuesday at the Waljat College of Applied Sciences in Knowledge Oasis Muscat to discuss preparations for the exhibition. Organised by a committee formed by Public Establishment

for Industrial Estates (PEIE), the Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development (Ithraa), and the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), the Omani Products Exhibition in Ethiopia aspires to further promote Omani products and boost trade relations with Ethiopia. The meeting discussed the latest updates from the preparations for the exhibition and owners of companies and industrialists were informed about the participation process, the advan-

tages and the support that will be provided. Integrated efforts By participating in OPEX 2016, the companies will eventually support the integrated efforts of PEIE, Ithraa and OCCI to promote Omani products and advance their exports. The committee noted that Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular were selected to be the next destination for OPEX due to its promising and encouraging market as signiﬁcant opportuniCRIME

Expat arrested for cables theft Times News Service MUSCAT: An Asian national was arrested for trying to steal electric cables from a house, a Royal Oman Police (ROP) official from Al Buraimi said. The official said that they received a report about an Asian expatriate, who had tried to steal electric cables from a house during its construction. On reaching the spot, the ofﬁcers arrested the suspect with the cables. Five arrested A senior ROP official said narcotics control officers in the North Al Batinah Governorate had foiled a drug smuggling attempt via the sea near Wilayat Shinas. Officers were able to arrest ﬁve individuals, who were carrying two plastic bags full of heroin. Preliminary investigations revealed that they intended to sell the drugs. Legal procedures have been initiated in both the cases.

Great opportunity OPEX to be held in Addis Ababa and will offer visitors the opportunity to become acquainted with Omani products under one platform. The event will also offer a great opportunity for business-to-business meetings and interactions between Omani industrialists and their Ethiopian counterparts. It should be noted that the most recent OPEX event was held in Jeddah in 2015, where around 120 companies showcased their products and 3000 visitors to the exhibition were briefed on the locally manufactured products. OPEX events were also held in Riyadh, KSA in 2012; Doha, Qatar in 2013; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2014.

TOURISM

30,000 European tourists expected to visit Salalah Times News Service SALALAH: Starting March 2016, a weekly direct flight is scheduled to fly from Bratislava, Slovakia’s capital, to Oman’s southernmost governorate of Dhofar. It follows from a partnership agreement signed between Hydrotour, the largest tour operator in the Eastern European nation, and two of Muriya’s hotels, the five-star Salalah Rotana Resort and the four-star Al Fanar Hotel and Residences. With this agreement, Muriya’s tourism development will welcome 2,500 Slovak tourists to the Salalah beach bringing the total number of European tourists arriving at the company’s flagship destination to more than 30,000 annually. “The deal is a natural progression of our continuous efforts to actively promote the Sultanate as a year-round tourist destination,” said Ahmed Dabbous, chief executive officer (CEO) of Muriya Tourism Development. “According to a recent industry survey, outbound tourism from Eastern Europe is a key growth market for the global travel and tourism industry. This is a market that is yet to reach maturity; there-

fore, we have identified it as a key opportunity to grow tourist arrivals in the Governorate of Dhofar and to Oman.” The influx of tourists in the Governorate of Dhofar has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years. According to figures from the National Centre for Statistics and Information, tourist arrivals have grown at an annual rate of 16.3 per cent in recent years, with 2014 alone experiencing a 24 per cent jump in visitation. Occupancy rates have also reached record levels, with four and five-star hotels registering rates higher than 71 per cent. Hossam Kamal, general manager of the Salalah Rotana Resort said, “The Salalah Rotana Resort has experienced a consistent year-on-year growth in occupancy rates. With this deal in place, we expect to book an additional 6,500 room nights in spring 2016.” Mikuláš Milko, general manager of Hydrotour said, “Tourists from Slovakia will appreciate the quality of service, professional staff and the willing management, which is able to react to their requests so that they can enjoy the beautiful beach and the magical Indian Ocean.”

OMAN AIR

Oman Air hires 21 nationals for pilot training course Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Air’s drive to recruit Omani pilots is bearing fruit, with 21 nationals joining the Cadet Training Programme of the national carrier. The programme involves initial flight training at the ENAC Toulouse, France, for 18 months. Upon successful completion of their initial flight training, the candidates go on to undertake a type rating course, which will qualify them to become members of Oman Air’s flight crew. The recruitment drive was launched earlier this year with the aim of expanding opportunities for Omani nationals to become pilots with the airline. Applications were accepted from Omanis with good educational results, aged between 17 and 26 years. The study costs are being covered by Oman Air. Paul Gregorowitsch, chief executive officer (CEO) of Oman Air, commented: “We are delighted to welcome these 21 young Omanis to Oman Air. Following the successful completion of their training, each new pilot will become an invaluable part of the airline.” “As the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, it is vital that we offer employment and career progression opportunities to as many young Omanis as possible. Furthermore, it is important that we demonstrate the capacity, capability and commitment of the Omani people throughout our international network. “These new pilots therefore represent an investment not just in the future of Oman Air, but also

NEW HORIZONS: This latest group of Omani trainee pilots represents an important step for Oman Air. – Supplied photo

in the future of our nation.” Captain Ali Hassan Sulaiman, chief officer, Flight Operations at Oman Air, added: “As Oman Air continues its ambitious ﬂeet and network expansion programme, and as we introduce new aircraft, such as the B787 Dreamliner, the airline requires an increased number of pilots. This offers us an opportunity to provide the relevant training to ensure that the number of Omani pilots that we employ continues to grow. Our resulting recruitment drive has been a huge success. The degree of enthusiasm with which it was greeted throughout Oman has been both surprising and satisfying, showing that Oman Air enjoys a remarkable degree of support amongst Omani citizens.” Milestone “This is yet another milestone for the Omanisation drive that the national carrier of the Sultanate has adopted since its inception, as we send our ﬁrst batch of cadet pilots with scholarships fully funded by Oman Air. On behalf

of Flight Operations, we would like to thank the company’s Board of Directors and the CEO for their commitment to supporting Omani talent and capability,” Sulaiman added. Dr Rashid bin Mohammed Al Ghailani, chief officer, Human Resources at Oman Air, concluded: “As one of Oman’s largest employers, we take pride in employing Omani nationals at every level of Oman Air. We are committed to the Sultanate’s policy of Omanisation, and our objective is to reach 62 per cent Omanisation across Oman Air by the end of 2015. Within ﬂight operations, our aim is that 48 per cent of our pilots should be Omani by the end of this year. By 2020, we aim to reach 70 per cent Omanisation, with 60 per cent of all pilots being Omani. This latest group of Omani trainee pilots therefore represent an important step for Oman Air. In many ways, they represent the future of our company. We are very pleased that they have chosen to join us on our journey to become the best.”

C U S T O M I S AT I O N

McDonald’s Oman introduces new ‘Create Your Taste’ menu tunity to see their food prepared right in front of them using the highest quality choice of premium Halal Angus beef, gardenfresh vegetables, signature sauces and new options for buns.

Times News Service MUSCAT: McDonald’s Oman (Al Daud Restaurants LLC) has launched its ﬁrst “Create Your Taste” option at the McDonalds Sarooj restaurant. “Create Your Taste” is a new menu option and experience platform built around the concept of customisation. McDonald’s Oman is the ﬁrst restaurant in the Sultanate to launch this kind of new platform. As an initial step, it will be available at the McDonald’s Sarooj outlet and will be available in other outlets in the near future. Gourmet ingredients Using a new line of gourmet ingredients, customers can create their own burger in a very con-

NEW PLATFORM: McDonald’s Oman is the ﬁrst restaurant in the Sultanate to launch this kind of new platform. – Jun Estrada

venient way, which will be served to them at their table. Customers will be able to place their orders by self-ordering and using stateof-the-art digital screens. They will then have the oppor-

High-tech experience To cap off the distinctive and high-tech dine-in experience, tables will be outﬁtted with GPS devices so that food is delivered directly to customer’s tables by the service team. “As a modern and progressive brand we aspire to cater for our consumers evolving needs. And today is a testimony in this journey with the introduction of ‘Create Your Taste’ in Oman,” said Ali K. Daud, Development licensee and president of McDonald’s Oman.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

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S O U T H S H A R Q I YA H

Jaalan Hospital opened Times News Service MUSCAT: To mark the 45th National Day celebrations, the Ministry of Health announced the inauguration of Jaalan Hospital in the South Sharqiyah Governorate. The hospital, built at a cost of OMR7,321,817.363, includes an outpatient clinic, medical

laboratories, an x-ray laboratory, an emergency room, and a birthing room. Muqniyat clinic Meanwhile, also celebrating the National Day, the ministry started operating the Muqniyat Health Clinic in the Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dahira Governorate. It cost OMR1,261,600.900 to build the clinic.

The Muqniyat Health Clinic includes a male and female outpatient unit, a dental unit, a child, maternity and immunization care unit, as well as a surgery room and x-ray lab. Also included in the clinic are a medical laboratory, a medical archive room and a pharmacy along with other administrative departments.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015 Out of the total project area of 95 square kilometres in South Al Batinah, the Phase 1 covers 3 square kilometres Ahmed Al Azkawi, Project Director- South Al Batinah Logistics Project

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Bids for shifting Muscat port operations to Sohar next year

MEGA PROJECT: An artist’s impression of the Phase 1 project of the South Batinah Logistic Area.

Work for the dry port is progressing and bids for other Phase 1 projects will be announced in the ﬁrst quarter of 2016

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reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Contracts for projects in Phase 1 of South Batinah Logistic Area, designed to help smoothen relocation of commercial cargo operations from Muscat’s Port Sultan Qaboos to Sohar Port, will be launched in the ﬁrst quarter of 2016, a top official in charge of the project, said.

“Out of the total project area of 95 square kilometres in South Al Batinah, the Phase 1 covers 3 square kilometres. The dry port, the nucleus of the project, is included in this Phase. “Work for the dry port is progressing and bids for other projects in Phase 1 will be announced in Q1 of 2016,” Ahmed Al Azkawi, Project Director- South Al Batinah Logistics Project, told

the Times of Oman in an exclusive interview. “Local and international consortium have been prequaliﬁed and invited to bid to operate and manage the nation’s ﬁrst dry port in South Al Batinah,” Azkawi said. According to the official, the hub will support related infrastructure projects to turn the Sultanate into a logistics gateway to the wider Gulf and Middle East region. “The project is located at the interface between Muscat and Al Batinah Governorate, home to more than 50 per cent of Oman’s population.” This makes it a unique location for a Logistics Centre, which will support the socio-economic development of the area, Azkawi said. The logistic hub will include

SECOND REGULAR SESSION

four main activities dedicated to logistics, commercial activities, light industries and public services. “The entire project, which will be completed in the coming 25 years in ﬁve phases, is designed in such a way that it will have hotels, schools, shopping malls and all other facilities within the area, thus enabling workers to work and live in the same area. In this way, this project will stand out from other industrial areas,” Azkawi added. In March 2015, the Oman Logistics Company signed two agreements worth OMR3.5m for the development of the South Al Batinah Logistics Area. The ﬁrst agreement was related to the design and construction of the dry port in the logistics area. The sec-

ond agreement was signed to prepare the master plan and detailed design for Block 1 (approximately 3 million sq metres) of the logistics area which includes internal roads and utility services. “When completed, the hub will serve as a dry feeder port, halfway between Muscat and Sohar Port. As a customs bonded area, maritime freight originating from or destined for Muscat can be deposited or collected from the hub without the need for shippers and consignees to travel all the way to Sohar. From the Sohar end, deliveries to and from the hub will be undertaken by the Sohar Port or its representatives, thereby enabling shippers and consignees to beneﬁt from signiﬁcant transport costs besides saving time,” Azkawi added.

DOHA MEETING

State Council approves panel to study draft budget, 9th plan MUSCAT: State Council on Tuesday approved the formation of the ad hoc committee to study the draft state budget for 2016 and the draft 9th ﬁve-year plan (2016-2020). At the beginning of the session, Dr. Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al Mantheri, Chairman of the State Council, said the agenda of the meeting includes approving the minutes of the ﬁrst regular session (the procedural session) and discussion on the proposal made by the Office of the State Council on the changes in the permanent committee. Permanent committees The meeting also approved the members of the permanent committees and the distribution of the members on the permanent committees. The members discussed the proposal made by the Office of the State Council on the reformation of the permanent committee

and approved the distribution of the members on the permanent committees. It also approved the proposal on forming an ad hoc committee to study the draft state budget for 2016, the draft 9th ﬁve-year plan ( 2016-2020) . New session It was also decided that the third public session will be held on December 15 and 16, 2015. Meanwhile, Abdulqadir bin Salim bin Abdullah Al Dhahab was elected as Head of the Legal Committee while Issa bin Said bin Suleiman Al Kiyoumi as Deputy Head. As for the Economic Committee, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Hamad Al Harthy was elected as Head of the Committee while Salam bin Said bin Salim Al Shaqsi as Deputy Head. Social committee Dr. Hamad bin Suleiman bin Salim Al Salmi was elected as

Head of the Social Committee while Dr. Wafa bint Salim bin Ali Al Harasiyah as Deputy Head. As for the Education and Research Committee, Dr. Abdullah bin Mubarak bin Salim Al Shanfari was elected as Head of the Committee while Dr. Zuhoor bint Abdullah bin Salim Al Khanjariyah as Deputy Head. Dr Ahmed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mashekhi was elected as Head of the Media, Culture and Tourism Committee while Mohammed bin Hamad bin Ali Al Masroori as Deputy Head. The State Council on Tuesday held its second regular session of the 1st annual sitting of the sixth term under the aegis of Chairman of State Council. -ONA

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Sayyid Badr meets Deputy Emir of Qatar DOHA: Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, Deputy Emir of Qatar, on Tuesday met with Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib Al Busaidi, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs and his GCC counterparts taking part in the 14th meeting of the GCC Joint Defence Council, in Doha. The leaders discussed means of enhancing and developing military cooperation among the GCC countries. They also reviewed means of enhancing joint cooperation and ties among the GCC countries. Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib Al Busaidi, Minister Respon-

sible for Defence Affairs, chaired the Sultanate’s delegation. The meeting, which was attended by Dr. Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani, GCC Secretary General, discussed enhancing existing military cooperation to serve the GCC common interests and joint objectives. The delegation accompanying the Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs taking part at the 14th meeting of the GCC Joint Defence Council included Lt.Gen Ahmed bin Harith Al Nabhani, Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces, top SAF officers and Omani envoy to Qatar. -ONA

COMCEC

Salim Al Habsi to take part in OIC meeting MUSCAT: Assigned by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Sultan bin Salim Al Habsi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning (SCP), left on Tuesday to lead the Sultanate’s delegation at the 31st session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC), due to be held in the Turkish Capital, Istanbul. The meeting is being held to review the report of the COMCEC strategy and its implementation mechanism, besides discussing the OIC’s action programme, the latest global economic developments and the inter-trade among the OIC member states. It also seeks to strengthen ﬁnancial cooperation among the OIC member states and discuss various sectors’ role to develop economy, such as enhancing the private sector’s role in the economic cooperation, as well as discussing a range of topics of common concern. -ONA E-VISA

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Travel

A1 to UAE Hameed Moideen, manager at Oman Wings Travel and Tours, also confirmed having received an advisory from flydubai. An official from Air Arabia in Muscat also said that passengers flying to Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah are being provided visa-on-arrival by UAE authorities. Air Arabia flies 17 times per week to Sharjah and four times per week to Ras Al Khaimah. Meanwhile, an official from Emirates, which also flies to the UAE from Oman, said the decisions are taken by the UAE government. “Quick travel to the UAE has become a herculean task. It is affecting business. Some get evisa and some don’t,” PE Lalachen, a Muscat-based businessman, said. Under the previous rules, businessmen and women, and their families from countries, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or the Philippines living in Oman, whose countries don’t have a treaty with the UAE could claim visa-on-arrival if their job titles were of senior roles, such as accountants, doctors, lawyers or engineers. But now all have to seek an e-visa. European Union countries with whom the UAE has a treaty are unaffected by the new ruling, as are countries, such as New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Andorra, that all have pacts with the UAE. According to the new norms, a GCC residence entry permit is valid for 30 days before entry from the issuance date, and allows a stay period after entry of 30 days, which can be extended to 60 days. Meanwhile, a GCC accompanied entry permit is valid for 60 days before entry from the issuance date, and the stay period after entry is 60 days, which can be extended by another 60 days.

NEW CENTRE OPENED

Horizon Fitness to promote healthy living TARIQ AL HAREMI

tariqh@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Horizon Fitness’s new and mixed 24-hour fitness centre in Al Hail South will strive to promote a healthy lifestyle, rather than just body building. The 2,200-square metre facility is one of the largest in the Sultanate, which features the latest high-tech equipment and machinery, with a free weight area, a one-on-one training area, as well as a sauna, steam room and hot tub; in addition to a fully dedicated retail store selling fitness products, such as supplements and whey proteins. Some people feel intimidated in a gym when they see other seemingly more fit people, but the The 2,200-square metre facilTimes of Oman asked how the new ity is one of the largest in the facility could lessen the intimida- Sultanate. – Jun Estrada tion factor for customers. Duncan D’Ewes, Sales and Marketing manager, said, “There various other elements like that.” He continued, “It takes away is definitely a correlation between the intimidation factor and pure the element of big muscles and body building and rather drafts body and weight lifting. “The way to deal with the in- the gym and the classes as a lifetimidation factor is to provide a style choice. Lifestyle choices are variety of services geared towards not intimidating, body building cardio, functional training and and weight lifting is quite intimi-

dating.” Obesity and diabetes are among some of the most common conditions experienced by people, based on the lifestyle choices they make and they are encouraged to visit a gym and ﬁtness centre to improve their life longevity. Longevity, life expectancy “If you look at the statistics in Oman, the effect of our current lifestyle choices and the effect that it has on people’s longevity and life expectancy. If we get people in the gym even thrice a week for thirty minutes at a time, then that is a life changing thing that we are trying to do here,” said D’Ewes. Women might feel uncomfortable working out alongside men, but Horizon Fitness has a female only location. However, mixed gyms are becoming a trend within the Omani community, according to a survey conducted by Horizon Fitness. “We conducted a survey and the feedback we got from the Omani population, as well as the expat population, is that they prefer mixed locations,” said D’Ewes. There are several mixed gyms in the Sultanate, the biggest in

Athaiba, which has seen a large number of ladies participating in the gym for the past year. The ﬁtness centre is also equipped with an ‘Engine Room,’ which is designed to push individuals to their personal limit and maximize results in less time. The conditioning method ensures the body focuses on ‘real world movement’ using proven training techniques that create everyday dynamic strength. The workout is enjoyable and safe, yet challenging and engaging enough to be highly motivational. Aerobic performance All individuals are monitored to ensure they put in the same amount of effort, resulting in the achievement of gratifying results in cardio vascular and aerobic performance, strength and conditioning, muscle endurance and mobility. The environment in the new facility is non-intimidating, welcoming and motivational, with a friendly and helpful staff, which has been professionally trained to make sure that users get the best possible experience for their ﬁtness.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

REGION Turkey downs Russian jet near Syrian border Russian President Vladimir warned of ‘serious consequences’ for what he termed a ‘stab in the back’

ANKARA/MOSCOW: Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border on Tuesday, saying it had repeatedly violated its air space, one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a NATO member country and Russia for half a century. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the plane had been attacked when it was 1km (0.62 mile) inside Syria and warned of “serious consequences” for what he termed a “stab in the back”. “We will never tolerate such crimes like the one committed today,” Putin said, as Russian and Turkish shares fell on fears of an escalation between the former Cold War enemies. Each country summoned a diplomatic representative of the other and NATO called a meeting of its ambassadors for Tuesday afternoon. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cancelled a visit to Turkey that had been due on Wednesday. Footage from private Turkish broadcaster Haberturk TV showed the warplane going down in ﬂames in a woodland area, a long plume of smoke trailing behind it. The plane went

SHOT DOWN: A combination picture taken from video shows a war plane crashing in ﬂames in a mountainous area in northern Syria after it was shot down by Turkish ﬁghter jets near the Turkish-Syrian border on Tuesday. – Reuters/Reuters TV/Haberturk TV

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down in area known by Turks as “Turkmen Mountain”, it said. Separate footage from Turkey’s Anadolu Agency showed two pilots parachuting out of the jet before it crashed. A deputy commander of rebel Turkmen forces in Syria said his men shot both pilots dead as they came down. A video sent to Reuters earlier appeared to show one of the pilots immobile and badly wounded on the ground and an official from the group said he was dead. Russia’s defence ministry said one of its Su-24 ﬁghter jets had been downed in Syria and that, according to preliminary information, the pilots were able to eject. “For the entire duration of the ﬂight, the aircraft was exclusively over Syrian territory,” it said. The Turkish military said the aircraft had been warned 10 times

in the space of five minutes about violating Turkish air space. Officials said a second plane had also approached the border and been warned. “The data we have is very clear. There were two planes approaching our border, we warned them as they were getting too close,” a senior Turkish official told Reuters. “We warned them to avoid entering Turkish air space before they did, and we warned them many times. Our findings show clearly that Turkish air space was violated multiple times. And they violated it knowingly,” the official said. A second official said the incident was not an action against any specific country but a move to defend Turkey’s sovereign territory within its rules of engagement. A US official said US forces were not involved in the downing of the Russian jet, which was the first time a Russian or Soviet military aircraft has been publicly acknowledged to have been shot down by a NATO member since the 1950s. — Reuters

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

INDIA India, Singapore sign deal on strategic partnership Prime Minister Modi and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong signed the joint declaration on strategic partnership to boost bilateral relations to a ‘strategic partnership’ to deepen and broaden engagement in existing areas of cooperation

SINGAPORE: India and Singapore signed a joint declaration on strategic partnership and nine bilateral accords on Tuesday, the second day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to this city state. Modi and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong signed the joint declaration on strategic partnership to elevate bilateral relations to a “strategic partnership to deepen and broaden engagement in existing areas of cooperation and catalyse new ones ranging from political, defence and security cooperation to economic, cultural and people to people contact”, an official statement said. “The strategic partnership is also a framework to contribute to greater regional stability and growth,” it added. Besides this, two agreements

BOOSTING TIES: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, shakes hands with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, during a signing ceremony for the India-Singapore Strategic Partnership and memorandum of understanding at the Istana in Singapore, on Tuesday. - Reuters

on defence cooperation and loan of artifacts from India to Singapore, two executive programme/ operationalisation documents on arts and culture, and white-shipping, and five memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on cyber security, civil aviation, knowledge exchange in the field of planning, urban planning, and combating drug trafficking were also signed. Defence cooperation The agreement on defence cooperation enhances cooperation in the field by providing for defence ministers’ dialogue, joint exercises between armed forces, and cooperation between defence industries to identify areas of coproduction and co-development, the statement said.

The second agreement “extends the loan of Indian artifacts to the Asian Civilisations Museum of Singapore”. The operationalisation document on arts and culture is on an “executive programme on cooperation in the ﬁelds of the arts, heritage, archives and library” between the Indian and Singaporean governments for the years 2015-2018. The second operationalisation document has been signed following the technical agreement on sharing white-shipping or commercial shipping information about movement of cargo ships between the Indian and Singapore navies signed on July 21, 2015. “Following the signing of technical agreement between the two navies on sharing white-shipping

information in July 2015, both navies have established a two-way linkage. This has enhanced bilateral cooperation in the area of maritime security,” the statement said. The MoU on cyber security was signed between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and the Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team (SingCERT), “The MoU promotes closer cooperation and exchange of information pertaining to cyber security between the computer emergency response teams of the two countries by establishment of a broader framework for future dialogue; exchange of information on cyber-attacks; research collaboration in smart technologies; exchange of information on

prevalent cyber security policies and best practices as well as professional exchanges,” the statement said. The MoU on civil aviation “facilitates mutual cooperation in a number of mutually agreed areas of civil aviation services and airport management beginning with Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports”. The third MoU promotes knowledge and information exchange in areas such as urban planning, waste water management, solid waste management and publicprivate partnerships between India’s NITI Aayog and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE). The MoU on combating drug “facilitates and enhances cooperation by exchange of information on trends in the illicit manufacture and those arrested on drug trafficking charges and establishes direct contact points” between the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of India and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) of Singapore. “Capacity building, skill upgrading and knowledge development are also identified as areas of cooperation,” the statement said. The fifth MoU was signed between the Town and Country Planning Organisation of India and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise in Capacity Building in the field of urban planning and governance. It provides for participation of government officials from India in capacity-building programmes in areas such as urban planning and management. The documents were signed following bilateral talks between Modi and Lee here. After the signing of the documents, external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted that the two prime ministers noted the importance of culture between the two countries and encouraged more exhibitions, exchanges and interactions. - IANS

REPORT

Sheena died of asphyxia caused by strangulation MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Sheena Bora died due to asphyxia as a result of strangulation, according to a medical report that is part of the CBI chargesheet in the sensational murder case in which her mother Indrani Mukherjea is the key accused. The report was prepared by a ﬁve-member medical board formed by the Government-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) based in New Delhi. “Death in this case is due to asphyxia as a result of strangulation by the way of ligature or manual cannot be ruled out,” said the report. The report also said the human skeleton, sent for examination and believed to be of Sheena’s, was of a female aged about 23. It put the time of death at about three years ago. These details broadly matched with Sheena, who was aged 24 at the time of her murder in April 2012. The report maintained that the body was recovered from a remote place and was suggestive of discrete disposal of corpse and concealment of prime evidence (body). “The deceased had skeletal burns (burning of bones) which is only feasible in the case of deep burns. It is observed that there were pan-body burns over skeleton, which suggests the extent of burns were massive and intention was to destroy the whole body to conceal the prime evidence of death investigation.” Sheena was allegedly strangled in a car and then her body was burnt and dumped in a forest in Raigad. Indrani (43), her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and her ex-driver Shyamvar Rai have been chargesheeted in the murder case. Meanwhile, former media baron Peter Mukherjea is being evasive during his interrogation by CBI team here which grilled him for several hours on Tuesday after he was shifted from Mumbai in connection with the murder case of his step-daughter Sheena Bora. -PTI

FIVE INJURED IN CHOPPER CRASH The wreckage of a chopper which crashed while carrying a disaster management team, near Meluri in Nagaland on Tuesday. A four-member disaster management team had a narrow escape when their Pawan Hans helicopter crash-landed at Meluri Helipad in Phek district of north-east Indian state of Nagaland. All the four passengers and the pilot sustained minor injuries, the official said. - PTI

L O K S A B H A A N D A S S E M B LY B Y P O L L S

BJP loses Madhya Pradesh seat to Congress; TRS wins another B H O PA L / H Y D E R A B A D : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost its ﬁrst parliamentary seat on Tuesday after the party’s spectacular 2014 Lok Sabha victory when it failed to retain the RatlamJhabua constituency in a bypoll in central-Indian state of Madhya Pradesh losing to Congress in a setback coming close on the heels of its Bihar drubbing. The defeat in a BJP-ruled state that helped Congress increase its tally to 45 in the Lower House reverses the trend in the six earlier Lok Sabha bypolls where the incumbent parties had retained their seats. The strength of BJP comes down to 281 in the 543-member House. The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), however, retained the Warangal (SC) Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday as Pasunoori Dayakar won by a massive

margin of nearly 460,000 votes, defeating the candidates of Congress and the BJP-TDP combine. All the eight bypolls were necessitated either due to seats being vacated or death of sitting members. BJP’s Nirmala Bhuria was trounced by former union minister Kantilal Bhuria of Congress in Ratlam-Jhabua (ST) seat which the saffron party had won in 2014 during the landslide victory in the state bagging 27 of the 29 seats. In a sign there was no sympathy wave, Kantilal Bhuria defeated Nirmala Bhuria, daughter of Dileep Singh Bhuria, whose death necessitated the bypoll, by a convincing margin of 88,832 votes. The bypoll was a prestige battle for Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who had addressed 27 rallies in six days in Ratlam and Jhabua.

“The wave of BJP’s defeat has started from Jhabua and would spread to the entire state and in the country,” a jubilant Kantilal said. However, riding on ‘sympathy wave’ after the death of sitting MLA Tukoji Rao Puar, an erstwhile royal of Dewas, BJP retained Dewas Assembly seat where its candidate and Puar’s wife Gayatri Raje Puar defeated Congress’s Jai Prakash Shastri by a margin of 30,778 votes. BJP opened its account in the 60-member Manipur Assembly by winning the bypoll in two constituencies of Thangmeiband and Thongju, trouncing Congress in both the seats with Joykishan Singh and Bishwajit Singh emerging winners. Former Mizoram health minister Lal Thanzara of Congress won the bypoll to Aizawl North-III Assembly seat with a thumping majority. - PTI

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INDIA

India won’t agree to phase out fossil fuels this century Modi’s government wanted an agreement that required countries like India to do more over time as they become wealthier, rather than an ‘ideology-driven process’ committing everyone to ending carbon usage

NEW DELHI: India would reject a deal to combat climate change that includes a pledge for the world to wean itself off fossil fuels this century, a senior official said, underlying the difficulties countries face in agreeing how to slow global warming. Almost 200 nations will meet in

COMMITTED: A truck is loaded with top soil at the Jharia burning coal ﬁeld in Dhanbad district in Jharkhand. India, whose 1.2 billion people produce far lower emissions per capita than the world average, in October committed to slow the rate of growth in its carbon output by a third over the next 15 years. - Reuters ﬁle photo

the French capital on November 30 to try and seal a deal to prevent the planet from warming more than the 2 degrees Celsius that scientists say is vital if the world is to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change. To keep warming in check, some countries want the Paris agreement to include a commitment to decarbonise -- to reduce

VIOLENT REACTIONS

Aamir under fire for his remarks on intolerance NEW DELHI: Superstar Aamir Khan on Tuesday came under attack from Bharatiya Janata Party and some in the film industry for his remarks on intolerance in the country as the saffron party linked his statement to a “deep political conspiracy” of Congress to malign the country. But he was defended in equal measure by Congress and some other political parties and film celebrities who said the government should not brand its critics as unpatriotic and threaten them for “speaking truth”. An ambassador of ‘Incredible India’, a government’s campaign to promote tourism, Khan was at the centre of a raging debate a day after he expressed “alarm and despondency” over the rise in incidents of intolerance in the last six to eight months. “Kiran (his wife) and I have lived all our life in India. For the first time, she said, should we move out of India... She fears for her child, she fears about what the atmosphere around us will be,” the actor said on Monday in an interaction at the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism ceremony organised by the Indian Express. BJP fielded its national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain at a press conference in Mumbai to unleash a counter attack on Khan. “Where will Aamir and his family go other than India? There is no other better country like India and no better neighbour than a Hindu for an Indian Muslim. What is the situation in Muslim countries and Europe. There is intolerance everywhere,” he said. Shielding him from the attack, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said the government should instead of branding all those who question it and the prime minister as “unpatriotic, anti national or motivated” reach out to people to understand what’s disturbing them. “That’s the way to solve problems in India — not by bullying, threatening and abusing!” Rahul said, a view that was shared by CPM leader Sitaram Yechury. “Now an actor has spoken fearlessly — will the BJP admit it was a manufactured charge, that Bihar polls were why people were speaking up? “Aamir Khan spoke about difficult issues with ministers present in audience. He should be heard and not threatened for speaking truth to power,” CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in a series of tweets. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal “admired” Khan for “speaking up” against growing intolerance and insecurity in the

PROTESTS: BJP workers put black ink to the poster of actor Amir Khan during a protest against his statement, in Patna, on Tuesday. - PTI

country, and asked the Centre to take steps to instill sense of security among people. “Every word that Aamir Khan said is so true. I admire him for speaking up,” Kejriwal tweeted. Hussain also took a swipe at the Congress Vice President for coming out in support of Aamir Khan. He said there was a “deep political conspiracy” by the Congress to defame the country by harping on an atmosphere of intolerance in India. “This shows Congress complicity in the campaign to malign the country. Congress cannot tolerate an elected government and a popular prime minister. When the country is progressing under the leadership of Narendra Modi, Congress is creating an atmosphere to malign the country,” he charged. Congress leader and actor Khushboo batted for Khan, saying you don’t have to be in power to speak for people of this country. She also defended the artistes who have returned their awards. “Those who have returned awards don’t work for any particular party but for the nation.” Khan’s colleagues in the ﬁlm industry vented their ire on the 50-year-old celebrated actor with one of them asking him why he did not talk of leaving the country during “worse times” earlier. BJP MP Yogi Adityanath took a swipe at Khan, saying nobody has stopped him from leaving India if he wants to and it will help reduce the country’s population. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said his comments on intolerance were completely misplaced and such remarks only bring the image of country and the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi down. - PTI

and ultimately phase out the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas that is blamed for climate change — this century. India, the world’s third largest carbon emitter, is dependent on coal for most of its energy needs, and despite a pledge to expand solar and wind power has said its economy is too small and its people too poor to end use of

the fossil fuel anytime soon. “It’s problematic for us to make that commitment at this point in time. It’s certainly a stumbling block (to a deal),” Ajay Mathur, a senior member of India’s negotiating team for Paris, told Reuters in an interview this week. “The entire prosperity of the world has been built on cheap energy. And suddenly we are be-

ing forced into higher cost energy. That’s grossly unfair,” he said. Mathur said India, whose position at climate talks is seen by some in the West as intransigent, was committed to the 2 degrees ceiling as a long-term goal and was conﬁdent a deal would be reached. But he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government wanted an agreement that required countries like India to do more over time as they become wealthier, rather than an “ideology-driven process” committing everyone to ending carbon usage. India also wants to see rich nations’ pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions subjected to tougher reviews than those of developing nations, and Mathur warned against an “external penal regime that will only turn people back”. India, whose 1.2 billion people produce far lower emissions per capita than the world average, in October committed to slow the rate of growth in its carbon output by a third over the next 15 years. While the pledge was welcomed by some environmentalists, others worry that India’s huge population and rapid industrialisation mean heavy future use of carbon will tip the balance in the global ﬁght against climate change.- Reuters

REJECTING CRITICISM

No policy paralysis; GDP to touch 8% this year: Panagariya BEIJING: Rejecting criticism that the policy paralysis has returned to haunt the NDA in view of critical legislations getting stuck in Parliament, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya says the economic growth this year may touch eight per cent due to implementation of various critical economic reforms. He asserts that projects are being cleared and gathering speed and ease of doing business has improved. “In the last quarter meaning January to March, 2016, I expect that we would touch eight per cent mark, hopefully cross it a bit,” he told PTI here in an interview. He said the economic growth for the entire year is expected to be at 7.5 per cent to eight per cent. “We might get full eight per cent because I also expect the ﬁrst quarter growth rate which has been at seven per cent for 2015-16 will be revised upwards,” he said. “We will continue to make progress. When we come to the last year of the present term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I would expect it would be near the double digit,” he said. - PTI

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

PAKISTAN FOREIGN INVESTMENT

Russian investors interested in energy, automobile sectors

CARRYING THE HARVEST A woman carries cauliﬂower harvested from a ﬁeld outside Faisalabad, Pakistan on Tuesday. — Reuters

Woman pilot killed as trainer jet crashes The jet crashed during ‘routine operational training’, the air force said

ISLAMABAD: A female Pakistani Air Force pilot was killed on Tuesday when her trainer jet crashed near the central town of Mianwali, the military said, the ﬁrst such loss for the country’s tiny community of women pilots. The crash happened during “routine operational training”, the air force said in a statement. A second pilot survived. “Squadron Leader Saqib Abbasi and Flying Officer Marium Mukhtiar were on a routine op-

erational training mission when it encountered a serious in-flight emergency during the final stages of the mission,” the air force said. “Ensuring safety of life and property of civilian population on ground, both the pilots ejected and the aircraft crashed near Kundian, Mianwali.” Mukhtiar is the first female pilot of the Pakistan Air Force to be killed while on duty. The air force had 19 women pilots in 2013, the last year for which the figure was immediately available. The crash is the latest deadly accident to hit pakistan’s military. In May, a military helicopter carrying diplomats to inspect a tourism project crashed, killing seven people, including the ambassadors of Norway and Philippines. In August, another military helicopter being used as an air ambulance crashed near the northern district of Mansehra, killing 12 people. — Reuters

TRAGIC END: A handout image supplied by the Media Wing of the Pakistan Air Force shows Flying Officer Marium Mukhtiar, who was killed in a training accident near Mianwali, Pakistan on Tuesday. – Reuters/Pakistan Air Force/Handout

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Russian businessmen, led by Ildar Mingaleev, Deputy Minister Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Tatarstan, visited the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), expressing their interest in investing in Pakistan’s energy and automobile sectors. “The delegation has held negotiations with Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC) to explore the possibility of joint ventures in the oil and gas exploration field,” said Mingaleev. Karachi to Lahore pipeline: Pakistan, Russia seal $2 billion energy deal. “Russia’s largest energy company Gazprom is interested in supplying LNG to Pakistan while RT Global Resources, part of the Russian state corporation Rostec, will construct a 1,100km NorthSouth gas pipeline in Pakistan by 2020 to link LNG terminals from Karachi to Lahore.” Russian investors are also interested in investing and entering into joint ventures for the manufacturing of heavy-duty trucks, passenger cars and other specialised vehicles, shipbuilding and manufacturing of gas turbines and compressors. “Russia has established free economic zones with tangible tax benefits to foreign investors,” he said and suggested “Pakistani investors should set up textile units in Russia to capture the huge regional market.” The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan is planning to take a business delegation to Russia and ICCI members will also be part of the delegation that will look for business opportunities. Important country Speaking on the occasion, ICCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh said Russia was an important country with which Pakistan wanted to develop close relations. “Cooperation with Russia is the key to achieving Pakistan’s goal of better trade with Central Asia,” Sheikh said, adding “Pakistan wants to strengthen trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation with Russia for mutual benefits.” He highlighted energy deficit as a major issue facing Pakistan

Ildar Mingaleev Deputy Minister Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Tatarstan

due to which the industry suffered and asked Russia to help in overcoming the problem by exploring investment and joint venture avenues in the sector. “Pakistani products including textiles, surgical instruments, leather products, fruits and vegetables and others have great potential in Russia,” he emphasised, proposing frequent exchange of trade delegations that could ex An official of the Ministry of Commerce said delegations of businessmen and government ofﬁcials would visit Russia, Belarus and other Central Asian countries to step up business interaction in the respective markets. At the same time, he said, Pakistan would continue facilitating and offering incentives to local investors. — Express Tribune SGS-COTECNA REFERENCES

BETTERMENT SCHEME

More than 1.2m farmers to benefit from Kissan Package, says PM ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said over 1.2 million farmers across the country will beneﬁt from the recently-introduced Kissan Package. “The relief package is meant for their betterment,” Prime Minister Nawaz claimed while addressing a ceremony in connection with the scheme in Jhang on Tuesday. The prime minister said price of diesel had been reduced to aid poor farmers. “Although the price of diesel was reduced due to the price reduction in global market, our government did not try to take any advantage out of it. Instead, we facilitated our farmers.” Some circles, he added, tried their best to stop the relief from reaching farmers. “Some people who claim to be working for farmers’ beneﬁt tried their best to stop the relief package. However, we went to the court to have it restored because we care about our farmers,” Nawaz said, apparently criticising Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan. Imran Khan tried to stop Kissan Package, says Shahbaz The premier said his government was not only working in Punjab but in all provinces, regardless of the respective provincial governments. “I personally visited the quake-hit areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and extended complete support for the rehabilitation of the people.”

Russia has established free economic zones with tangible tax benefits to foreign investors. Pakistani investors should set up textile units in Russia to capture the huge regional market

Earlier during the day, the prime minister announced the construction of Gilgit-Skardu Expressway at a cost of Rs50 billion. Addressing the cheque distribution ceremony for quake victims in Gilgit, Nawaz assured “the federal government will provide best possible assistance for important development projects in Gilgit-Baltistan.” Expressway “The expressway way will be connected with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to increase economic activities in the area,” he said, adding an airport for jet service will also be constructed in Gilgit. Nawaz added efforts were being made to strengthen democracy in Gilgit-Baltistan and a committee was working to workout political reforms in the area. Lauding Governor GilgitBaltistan Mir Ghazanfar Ali’s services, who took oath on Tuesday, the premier reiterated the former would work for the welfare of the people of GilgitBaltistan. Prime Minister along with Minister for Kashmir Affairs Barjees Tahir, and Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haﬁz Hafeezur Rehman, among others attended the oath-taking ceremony. “Effective measures must be taken for the development of tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan,” he added. — Express Tribune

NAB acquits Zardari in 18-year-old cases ISLAMABAD: A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court acquitted on Tuesday former president Asif Ali Zardari in the SGSCotecna references against him, Express News reported. On November 11 Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir reserved the verdict after both parties concluded their arguments over acquittal applications of the Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman in the SGS-Cotecna corruption cases. SGS – a Swiss inspection, verification, testing and certification company – corruption case is the continuance of a reference filed in 1997 that accused late Benazir Bhutto and her spouse to have gained off a contract between the SGS and the government. Cotecna case is about the award of a contract to the Swiss company after allegedly receiving six per cent bribe on revenue proceeds. “The court today, has honourably acquitted Asif Ali Zardari, in 18-year-old reference cases for which he had spent eight years in prison,” the counsel for the former president, Farooq H Naek said while addressing the media. Earlier, in his arguments, Naek, reiterated that the real record of both references was not present and only photocopies were present before the court. In such a situation, he said, cases could not be taken forward and his client should be acquitted. On a previous hearing, the judge had remarked that the record consisted of attested copies asking if the real record of the references could be obtained or be available with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). — Express Tribune

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READERS’ FORUM Sushma’s efforts to repatriate UP youth praiseworthy I refer to the story, ‘Uttar Pradesh Youth to be repatriated from Pakistan: Sushma’, Times of Oman (November 24), and congratulate the foreign ministries of both the countries, and indeed the NGOs across the borders, for seriously taking up such humanitarian issues and for all their efforts in getting these children repatriated. I am sure that such gestures will touch the hearts of millions and bring the people of both India and Pakistan closer to each other in times to come. Humanity by its nature has immense power to spread its arm across the geographical borders. Scan this QR code to send letters to the Readers’ Forum, containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by mail (Times of Oman, P.O. Box 770, P.C. 112, Ruwi).

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Heads need to roll after Green Shirts’ pathetic show in ﬁnal This refers to the news story‚ ‘India rout Pakistan 6-2 to emerge Asian champs’. I was neither surprised nor dismayed as Pakistan capitulated to India. The Green Shirts had been pathetic throughout the tournament. It was sheer luck that they had scraped through to the ﬁnals. This debacle should see some heads rolling, especially the team’s coach. Also, those responsible for the selection of these incompetent players should resign too. Furthermore, the players who played dismally should be shown the door and make way for genuinely talented players. I cannot imagine how such a team had ever been selected. — Imtiaz Khan, Mabella

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Why ending free travel won’t make Europe safe

AISHA SARWARI

In Pakistan, even businesses established years ago are not just battling day-to-day operational woes, but also regulatory ones. Bringing in investment is not as much of a task as is persuading investors to stay. Economic research shows over-regulation doesn’t work. bit.ly/investmentpakistan

f the first casualty of war is the truth, maybe the second is common sense. It’s become common to declare that Europe’s borderless travel zone must go if security is to be restored after the terrorist attacks in Paris. Before abandoning part of the European Union’s most popular achievement — freedom of movement — let’s think it through. The argument goes roughly like this: Because borderless travel, established in stages through the 1990s and 2000s, never secured Europe’s external frontier and intelligence sharing, and because the European Union is too feckless to make that happen now, the best recourse is to resurrect national borders and put the maintenance of security back into the hands of national governments. Three pieces of evidence are generally provided. First, the Paris attacks were planned in Belgium, a divided state with an ineffectual intelligence service that allowed the Brussels district of Molenbeek to become a safe zone for Europe’s extremists. Belgium’s failures thus became the problems of its neighbours, too. Exhibit No. 2 is that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the leader of the Paris attacks and already one of Europe’s most wanted men, was able to travel from Syria to Brussels and back again in 2014, without detection. Finally, weapons: Belgium has a lively black market in arms that can be bought by extremists and brought onto a train or driven to points-anywhere in the EU to launch an attack. Shut the borders, the theory goes, and Belgium’s failure to clamp down on its illegal arms trade becomes less concerning. It would be absurd to argue that these failures didn’t occur. But would repetition be prevented if Europe’s internal borders were permanently resurrected, as France has done temporarily after the Paris attacks? The first thing to say is that even when there were border controls between the 26 European countries that are signatories to the Schengen Agreement that established the free-travel zone from 1995, traffic flows were so great that most cars were waved through, unchecked. That was in the 1980s and ‘90s, when cars drove at least 500 million fewer passenger miles per year across Europe than they do now. Restoring Europe’s internal borders today would be like putting border checks on state lines between New York and Washington.

How many cars travelling on I-95 would actually be stopped? Let’s say systematic checks were made, turning I-95 into a parking lot. Even then it would be no panacea. On the night after the Paris attacks, French police set up checks along the road to Belgium and stopped Belgian-born Salah Abdeslam, the one Paris gunman who didn’t detonate his suicide belt, three times, according to the lawyer of the man who helped him escape. The police let Abdeslam go because they didn’t recognize him. The manhunt continues. How about weapons? Europe’s illegal smallarms trade draws on weapons that weren’t registered when tougher regulations were imposed in countries such as France. It also involves arms trafficked from the ex-Yugoslav countries (where Bosnians alone are estimated to hold 750,000 private guns left over from the war), and weapons that were neutralized for sale as souvenirs or props and are subsequently reactivated. Restoring Europe’s internal borders might help a little with one part of this trade — imports from the western Balkans — but not by much, according to Nicholas Marsh, a firearms researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo. Putting Belgium in an isolation bubble wouldn’t fix the problem, either. According to a 2010 French government estimate, there were about 4,000 automatic rifles circulating in Paris suburbs such as Saint-Denis, where Abaaoud was found and killed. Someone determined enough to give up his life is unlikely to be deterred from finding a gun in Paris, if the softer Belgian option is closed. To address the terrorist threat, Europe’s governments would need to do what they should do anyway to bring the Schengen system up to date. They would need to harden external borders, preferably by putting them entirely under a jointly run agency such as the EU’s Frontex, using a common terrorist watchlist and fingerprint database. That way, for example, agents at the free- travel zone’s Balkan borders — in Slovenia and Hungary — could check cars and trains heading north. The EU should also put more resources into its existing effort to drain the ex-Yugoslav swamp of weapons and should do a better job of clearing out extremists cells in weak-link countries such as Belgium. But above all, the answer to nearly all these problems is better intelligence and intelligence sharing. That’s more likely to happen by modernizing a shared system than by retreating behind resurrected national borders. - Bloomberg View

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES NOVEMBER 2000 Added charm for Wahiba Sands MUSCAT: The Wahiba Sands, the popular tourist destination for all visitors seeking to savour desert life, has a new landmark, Golden Sands Resort, which began its operations in mid-September, has added a new charm to Wahiba Sands. Located off road in the desert of Wahiba Sands, the resort is 200km away from Muscat. It has added a new attraction to Wahiba Sands, which has been classiﬁed as a unique type of desert in the world, characterised by sand dunes that reach up to 30 metres in height.

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1930: An earthquake in Shizouka, Japan kills 187 people. 1947: The Big Four meet to discuss the German and European economy. 1963: The body of assassinated President John F. Kennedy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. 1964: Eleven nations give a total of $3 billion to rescue the value of the British currency.

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The group has carried out similar attacks in the region as part of its bid to topple the Cairo government. It said two of its members carried out the attack.

Seven killed in Sinai hotel attack A militant tried to drive a car bomb into the hotel in the provincial capital Al Arish before security forces opened ﬁre, causing the car to explode

CAIRO: IS militant group’s Egyptian branch claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed at least seven people in a hotel in North Sinai on Tuesday where judges overseeing a parliamentary election were staying. A militant tried to drive a car bomb into the hotel in the provincial capital Al Arish before security forces opened ﬁre, causing the car to explode, the military and a witness said. A suicide bomber

broke into the hotel restaurant and blew himself up and a gunman entered the guest rooms area and killed a judge, they said. Seventeen people were wounded, the Health Ministry said. “A brother... seeking martyrdom hit with his car bomb the security force protecting the Swiss (Inn) hotel where 50 judges were staying, only to be followed by a lion... who broke into the judges’ base with his automatic weapon... then blew up his explosive belt among them,” Sinai Province said in a statement circulated by its followers on Twitter. The group has carried out similar attacks in the region as part of its bid to topple the Cairo government. It said two of its members carried out the attack. The Interior Ministry said there were two attackers but the military and a witness said there were three militants. It was not immediately possible to clarify the contradiction. Two judges, four policemen and a civilian were killed, the Interior Ministry said. The military said the three militants were killed. The blasts followed Monday’s second round of voting in Egypt’s parliamentary election. Egyptian elections are monitored by the ju-

diciary with judges running polling stations, observing the voting and counting ballots. “This brutal incident is a failed attempt to hinder the state from building its institution but we assure all that it will increase the drive and insistence of the armed forces and the Interior Ministry to weed out the roots of terrorism in North Sinai,” a military statement read. The attack happened early in the morning and started with the car bomb, Swiss Inn manager Mohamed Mahana told Reuters. Suicide bomber “The security forces shot the suicide bomber and his car and his tyres blew up but he kept driving until he got to the hotel entrance then the explosion happened. It was huge.” A second suicide bomber came in through the beach and into the hotel restaurant, breaking its window, before blowing himself up, said Mahana. The restaurant was empty. “A third attacker sneaked into the hotel through the side where the guest rooms are and shot passers by, killing one judge, before a security official shot him.” — Reuters

THE SITE OF ATTACK: Emergency personnel and security forces stand next to ambulances outside the Swiss Inn hotel in the Egyptian town of El Arish, in the Sinai peninsula, following an attack on the hotel by two suicide bombers and a gunman on Tuesday. – AFP

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FRANCE: People look at the Eiffel Tower illuminated in the colours of the French tricolour ﬂag in tribute to the victims of the November 13 attacks in Paris. – AFP

GERMANY: Frozen branches are seen against the morning sun on a ﬁeld in Warngau near Munich, Germany, on Tuesday. – Reuters

THE PHILIPPINES: An employee from the Bureau of Customs shows items from the Marcos Jewellery Collection before the appraisal inside the Central Bank in Manila, Philippines, on Tuesday. The Marcos Jewellery Collection were part of the wealth that was conﬁscated from the family of the deposed former president Ferdinand Marcos after they ﬂed from the Philippines in 1986, local media reported. The collection of about 750 pieces of jewellery was valued at $6-8 million in 1991, and some can now command much higher prices, Christie’s jewellery expert David Warren said. – Reuters

BAHRAIN: A woman uses her phone to take photos of Aaron Shum’s $2 million guitar exhibited at the watch and jewellery exhibition Jewellery Arabia 2015 in Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday. – Reuters

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CHINA: A boy gestures to a KINGER Robot at the World Robot Exhi-

bition during the World Robot Conference in Beijing. – Reuters

AFGHANISTAN: An Afghan child plays with a tyre on a street in Kandahar, Afghanistan on Tuesday. – AFP

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015 Fearing an imminent Paris-style attack, Belgium has extended a maximum security alert in Brussels until next Monday but said the metro system and schools may open again on Wednesday

Hunt for Paris attacks fugitive enters 11th day The US State Department issued a global alert of ‘increased terrorist threats’ SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT

VIDEO PARIS/BRUSSELS: The man who provided lodging for the presumed mastermind of the Paris attacks will go before an anti-terrorism judge on Tuesday as the hunt for suspected gang member Salah Abdeslam, Europe’s most wanted fugitive, entered its 11th day. Frenchman Jawad Bendaoud said before he was detained by police last Wednesday that he had been asked to put up two people for three days in an apartment in St. Denis north of Paris, but he had no idea one of them was the attackers’ ringleader. It was in this ﬂat that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected leader of the attacks claimed by IS militant group, died during a police raid along with Hasna Aitboulahcen, a woman believed to be his cousin, and an as yet unidentiﬁed third person. Under French counter-terrorism laws, Bendaoud must be charged or released on Tuesday. The Paris attacks that killed 130 people on Friday, November 13, at the national sports stadium, a concert venue and bars and restaurants in heart of the capital, shocked a city already struck by gunmen in January. As millions of Americans prepare to travel for the US Thanks-

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giving holiday on Thursday, the US State Department issued a global alert of “increased terrorist threats”. The agency said on Monday current information suggested that IS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and other groups continued to plan attacks in multiple regions. French investigators are still piecing together exactly who did what when and have launched a massive hunt to ﬁnd Abdeslam, suspected of being the eighth attacker mentioned by IS when it claimed responsibility for the killings. Abdeslam, 26, ﬂed to Belgium the day after the shootings and his presumed presence in Brussels was one of the factors behind a security lockdown that brought the city to a virtual standstill over the weekend. Fearing an imminent Parisstyle attack, Belgium has extended a maximum security alert in Brussels until next Monday but said the metro system and schools may open again on Wednesday. Belgium has been at the heart of investigations into the attacks since France said two of the suicide bombers in Paris had lived there. Four people, including two

who travelled with Abdeslam back to Brussels, have been charged with terrorist offences in Belgium. Abdeslam’s brother Brahim blew himself. While major shopping centres in Brussels remained closed on Tuesday, two Ikea furniture stores on the edge of town reopened, along with some of the larger supermarkets in the city. The Magritte museum remained shut, however, and Brussels had yet to decide whether to open its Christmas market on Friday in the historic Grand Place, where workers have set up stalls with an armoured personnel carrier in the background. “We are at the time of year when we are supposed to have a lot of people, and increase business. And there the problem with the attacks is people are scared and are afraid of leaving their homes,” said Brussels toy shop worker Laeticia Shalaj. Belgium’s King Philippe phoned King Mohammed of Morocco on Monday to ask for help in tracking down the militants behind the attacks, Belgium’s Interior Ministry said. A French police source said last week that Morocco tipped off Paris that Abaaoud, one of IS’s most high-proﬁle European recruits, was in France at the time of the attacks rather than in Syria as widely believed. — Reuters

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Children worst hit by climate change impacts Nearly 160 million children live in parts of the world that suffer severe drought, says UNICEF report

BARCELONA: Governments meeting in Paris next week must agree a strong new deal to curb global warming because they owe it to the world’s children, with hundreds of millions highly exposed to the impacts of climate change, the UN children’s agency said. Nearly 530 million children live in extremely ﬂood-prone areas, the vast majority in Asia, including over 300 million in countries where half or more of the population is poor, UNICEF said in a report ahead of the two-week Paris climate talks. Nearly 160 million children live in parts of the world that suffer severe drought, over half of them in Africa, and more than 115 million are in places at high or extremely high risk of tropical cyclones, it added. Countries have already promised to try to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, to avoid the most damaging future effects of worsening extreme weather and rising seas. But national plans to curb planet-warming emissions, made ahead of the Paris conference, are not enough to meet that goal. “We know what has to be done to prevent the devastation climate change can inﬂict. Failing to act would be unconscionable,”

BLEAK FUTURE: Nearly 530 million children live in extremely ﬂood-prone areas, the vast majority in Asia, including over 300 million in countries where half or more of the population is poor, UNICEF said in a report ahead of the Paris climate talks. – Reuters

UNICEF’s executive director, Anthony Lake, said in a statement. The agency’s report said scientiﬁc projections showed “the more ambitious the action taken to reduce emissions, the more children will be saved from the worst effects of climate change”. “We must also deal with the impacts of the carbon already emitted into the atmosphere. Children are already feeling the effects of climate change,” the report said. “We need to prepare now to help make the world’s children as resilient as possible.” Severe weather conditions harm children by increasing malnutrition and spreading diseases that are major killers, including malaria and diarrhoea, the UNICEF report said.

Climate change can also trigger a vicious cycle. “A child deprived of adequate water and sanitation before a crisis will be more affected by a ﬂood, drought, or severe storm, less likely to recover quickly, and at even greater risk when faced with a subsequent crisis,” it added. UNICEF called for the needs of the most vulnerable people, including children, to be prioritised in efforts to adapt to climate change, as well as measures to protect those displaced by disasters or inhospitable environments. Children should also receive education and training on climate change, and be allowed to play a central role in helping address it, the report said. — Thomson Reuters Foundation

MISMANAGEMENT AND CORRUPTION

Two journalists among five go on trial in Vatican VATICAN CITY: Five people, including two Italian reporters, went on trial in the Vatican on Tuesday, to outrage from rights’ groups, on charges arising from publication of books portraying mismanagement and corruption. At the first session, dominated by procedural issues and dubbed “Kafkaesque” by one of the defendants, journalists Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi said they had done nothing wrong and had simply fulfilled their professional duty. “I am incredulous in finding myself here as a defendant in a country that is not mine,” Fittipaldi told the court, adding that publishing news was protected by the Italian constitution as well as European conventions and universal declarations on human rights. The trial, being heard by three non-clerical judges in the sovereign city-state, stems from publication of two books which depict a Vatican plagued by mismanagement, greed and corruption and where Pope Francis faces stiff resistance from the old guard to his reform agenda. Two of the officials indicted, Spanish Monsignor Angel Lucio Vallejo Balda, who was number two at the Vatican’s Prefecture for Economic Affairs, and Italian laywoman Francesca Chaouqui, a public relations expert, were arrested earlier this month. Balda and Chaouqui were both members of a non-defunct commission Francis set up in 2013 to study economic and administrative reforms. Vatican employee Nicola Maio, Balda’s assistant, also went on trial. Embarrassed The Vatican was embarrassed and angered by the books, which it said used information that should never have been allowed to leave the walls of the city state. The leaks are one of the biggest internal scandals to hit the papacy of Pope Francis and are remi-

niscent of the “Vatileaks” furore that preceded the resignation of former Pope Benedict in 2013. The Italian media has dubbed the latest episodes “Vatileaks II”. The Vatican has said “Merchants in the Temple” by Nuzzi and “Avarice” by Fittipaldi, give a “partial and tendentious” version of events and has accused the writers of trying to reap ﬁnancial advantages from receiving stolen documents. The books were published earlier this month. Both journalists complained they had been forced to accept court-appointed lawyers and had been given documents needed for their defence only days, or hours, before the trial started. Fittipaldi told reporters that he had not met his lawyer until the trial was about to start. The court ruled that a senior Vatican judge would have to decide if outside lawyers could represent the two but that judge was out of Rome. The next session was set for Monday. Nuzzi told reporters during a break that the trial was “absurd and Kafkaesque” but it would not stop him from publishing more books. In their indictment, prosecutors said Balda, Chaouqui and Maio formed “an organised criminal association” with the aim of “divulging information and documents concerning the fundamental interests of the State”. Nuzzi and Fittipaldi, wrote books based on the leaks. Their indictment said both “solicited and applied pressure, especially on Vallejo Balda, to obtain secret documents and information. Both have complained that they have had to accept courtordered lawyers accredited to the Vatican and not allowed to use Italian lawyers. The defendants risk jail sentences of up to eight years. The human rights watchdog, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), urged the Vatican on Monday to withdraw the charges. — Reuters

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Forex rates vs OMR1* US Dollar ................................. 2.58 Euro ............................................. 2.41 Pound ........................................... 1.70 Indian Rs ............................. 172.09 Pak Rs ................................... 269.47 Bangla Taka.......................198.37

Indian Rs ....................................172.15 Pakistan Rs .............................273.68 Sri Lanka Rs ............................367.10 Bangla Taka...........................206.00 Phil Peso ................................... 122.00

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......13.80

Oman Crude............. (Spot) ........$39.44 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) ........$39.24 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........ $40.76 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ......... $37.74 N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) ........$44.94 West Texas Int ....... (Spot) .........$41.90

* Rates are as of Nov. 24 Source: Bank Muscat

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Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......13.30 Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ........... 129.00 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) .............122.25 * Rates as of Nov. 24 Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

Consortium wins $2.8b Liwa Plastics key project contract Times News Service

A joint venture of the Netherlands and Taiwan ﬁrms have won the ﬁrst EPC contract to build a steam cracker unit

MUSCAT: A joint venture between the Netherlands-based CB&I and CTCI Corporation of Taiwan has won the $2.8 billion worth engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build a steam cracker and associated utilities of Liwa Plastics Industrial Complex project in Sohar from the state-owned Oman Oil Reﬁneries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic), according to a release from CB&I.

This is the ﬁrst EPC package, among four packages, for building the $5.2 billion Liwa Plastics Industrial Complex and the other packages are a polymer unit, a natural gas liquids extraction unit and a 300 km-long NGL pipeline from Fahud to Sohar. Scope of work The scope of work includes EPC for a grassroot-level 880,000 tonnes per annum ethylene plant, pygas unit and MTBE unit, as well as all the related off-sites and

utilities. CB&I’s scope of work also includes the construction of cryogenic and atmospheric storage tanks and pipe spool fabrication. Latest technology As previously announced, the cracker will employ CB&I’s latest, proven ethylene technology, including highly selective SRT cracking heaters, and its innovative recovery section design, featuring low-pressure separation and mixed refrigeration. “CB&I is pleased to have been

selected for this signiﬁcant project following the successful completion of the front end engineering and design of the Liwa Plastics Project for Orpic,” said Philip K Asherman, CB&I’s president and chief executive officer. “This new award builds upon the successful relationship between Orpic and CB&I and is a testament of our customer’s conﬁdence in our experience and world-class project execution capabilities.” Orpic earlier said that Liwa Plastics Industries, which will go

on stream by 2018, will produce polyethylene, polypropylene and butene. Oman will produce polyethylene for the ﬁrst time and it is going to be the ﬁrst natural gas extraction project to produce high value petrochemical products in the country.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

MARKET OMAN SME SUMMIT

Oman Air continues to support small business units Times News Service

PANEL DISCUSSION: Oman Air’s support for SMEs in the Sultanate forms part of its comprehensive corporate social responsibility programme. - Supplied picture

MUSCAT: Oman Air has continued its support for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Sultanate by participating in the Oman SME Summit. The event was held at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel, Ritz Carlton recently and aimed to ‘reinvigorate the SME market in Oman’. As the official airlines partner of the Oman SME Summit, Oman Air enjoyed a high proﬁle throughout the event. Further, Oman Air’s chief executive officer, Paul Gregorowitsch, played a dynamic role in the proceedings and took part in a panel discussion. The panel considered the rules and regulations which apply to SMEs in Oman, SME’s contribution to

the National Economy and the importance of training prior to setting up an SME. Paul Gregorowitsch commented: “It was an honour to have been asked to participate in the Oman SME Summit. And it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to share Oman Air’s perspective and my business experience with potential owners of SMEs. “The Sultanate of Oman is actively pursuing a development plan which focuses on diversiﬁcation, industrialisation and privatisation. And young Omanis are being encouraged to enter the workforce and contribute to Oman’s GDP. SMEs are essential to the growth and sustainability of Oman’s economy over the coming years. It was therefore very satis-

Opec to hold the line as $40 crude looms their budgets, the initiative failed to win the backing of the group’s dominant Gulf-based producers.

The group will press on with its strategy to batter rival producers when ministers meet next week, according to analysts and traders LONDON: It will take more than $40 crude to make Opec change its mind, analysts said before the group’s December 4 meeting in Vienna. In the year since the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) chose to defend its market share, and let prices sink, a 44 per cent plunge in crude has slashed members’ revenues by almost half a trillion dollars. Undeterred, the group will press on with its strategy to batter rival producers when ministers meet next week, according to 30 analysts and traders surveyed by Bloomberg. Saudi Arabia, Opec’s biggest member, appears determined to see through its plan to eliminate a supply glut by squeezing out competitors like US shale drillers, even as the resulting price collapse spurs dissent from Venezuela, Algeria and Iran. The kingdom’s tac-

tic is “having the intended effect” as non-Opec supply heads for its steepest retreat since the fall of the Soviet Union, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). “There’s no reason to expect any change of heart,” said Antoine Halff, a senior fellow at the Centre on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. “The strategy is working out, it’s just not solving the problem overnight. The market is rebalancing, and there’s pressure on shale oil production, but it will take time.” Equilibrium price For some Opec members, opposed to the kingdom’s plan since they unveiled it last November, the cost has been too high. Venezuela, facing a 10 per cent economic contraction this year that would be the steepest in the world, has repeatedly called for a

– Bloomberg ﬁle picture

summit between Opec and other producers to end the crisis. Oil prices may drop to as low as the mid-$20s a barrel unless Opec takes action to stabilise the market, Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino said on Sunday, advocating the group adopt an “equilibrium price” of $88 that would cover the cost of new investment in production capacity. Brent crude, the benchmark for about half the world’s crude, closed as low as $42.69 a barrel in August, the weakest in more than six years. Prices have lost about 44 per cent in the past 12 months and were at $45.28 a barrel at 8:33am London time. Yet even as prices languish below levels most members need to balance

Chief architect While Saudi Arabia isn’t immune to the crisis, which has forced it to burn through currency reserves and tap bond markets to plug a 20 per cent budget deficit, the kingdom still has enough financial firepower to see the strategy through. “Saudi Arabia is the chief architect of Opec’s new policy, and despite calls by other members to reconsider, we expect them to remain steadfast,” said Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodity markets strategy at BNP Paribas in London. Their “experiment in letting prices bring adjustments to the world’s oil balance has yet to run its course,” he added. One change ministers could agree is an increase in the group’s output target as Indonesia rejoins after a seven-year hiatus that was triggered by the Asian country’s wilting oil production. The ceiling may be raised to 31 million barrels a day, from the current 30 million, according to two Opec officials who asked not to be identified. — Bloomberg News

fying to have played a role in raising awareness of the vast potential that SMEs hold for Oman’s future success. “A shining future awaits many of those potential SME owners who attended the Oman SME Summit. We look forward to seeing them achieve success and make a vital contribution to the life of this nation.” Oman Air’s participation in the Oman SME Summit continues its ongoing commitment to the development of small and medium-sized businesses in Oman. In addition to entering into commercial partnerships with a range of Omani SME’s, the airline has also held seminars about the issue, provided facilities as well as direct and indirect support to individual businesses.

In addition, Oman Air has partnered with the Al Raffad Fund to run a workshop, held in Muscat lately, which emphasised the importance of backing special needs students to develop their skills and gain employment. As part of the workshop, a presentation was given for the students. This outlined the signiﬁcance of economic independence, and described the steps necessary to create one’s own business. Oman Air’s support for SMEs in Oman forms part of its comprehensive CSR programmewhich includes support for social and environmental causes, providing employment and career progression policies through its Omanisation policy, and promoting access to air travel for the people of Oman.

HOUSING SECTOR

India plans tax incentives for housing sector NEW DELHI: India will offer more tax breaks to encourage investment in the housing sector as Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks to revive economic activity in Asia’s third-largest economy, two people familiar with the matter said. Finance minister Arun Jaitley has asked the state-owned National Housing Bank to design a programme to attract investments in the housing sector. The move comes shortly after a government panel recommended that salaries of federal employees rise 24 per cent rise, which would be the first increase in their base pay since 2008. The 13-member S&P BSE Realty Index rose the most in two weeks as of 1:43 p.m. local time. Housing Development & Infrastructure Ltd., DLF Ltd. and Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd. led the gains. India’s economy is poised to miss the government’s target of at least 8 per cent growth as a global slowdown hurts exports, credit growth is near a 20-year low and bad loans are climbing. Modi’s government is increasing wages and pensions to spur consumption, a move that also puts its fiscal deficit target at risk. Wage bill The wage increases would cost the government $15 billion in the next financial year starting on April 1. In a meeting with heads of state-owned banks and financial institutions on November 23, Jaitley said he would look

Home sales in India’s top eight property markets fell 4 per cent in the quarter through June from a year earlier. Modi plans to build 20 million houses by 2022 to meet demand for an urban population that is projected to swell to 600 million by 2031. at offering tax incentives to spur investment in housing, two officials present in the meeting said, asking not to be identiﬁed due to government rules. Finance ministry spokesman D S Malik declined to comment. Home sales in India’s top 8 property markets fell 4 per cent in the quarter through June from a year earlier, while unsold inventory rose by 18 per cent, according to Liases Foras, which estimates it will take at least 45 months to ﬁnd buyers for unsold homes in Mumbai alone. - Bloomberg News

C O M M E R C E D E PA R T M E N T D ATA

US economy grows WASHINGTON: The US economy expanded at a faster pace in the third quarter than previously reported, reflecting a smaller hit from efforts to rein in bloated inventories. Gross domestic product (GDP), the value of all goods and services produced, rose at a 2.1 per cent annualised rate, up from an initial estimate of 1.5 per cent, Commerce Department figures showed on Tuesday in Washington. The report also showed corporate profits slumped while worker incomes jumped. The consumer continues to power the US economy, with cheap gasoline giving households the means and greater job secu-

rity giving them the conﬁdence to spend. Still, company stockpiles remained elevated compared with sales, indicating that new orders and production will cool further to clear shelves and warehouses heading into 2016. “You’re getting more growth in the third quarter and perhaps that could come at the expense of less growth in the next couple of quarters,” Jim O’Sullivan, chief United States economist at High Frequency Economics in Valhalla, New York, said before the report. Still, the backdrop for consumer spending remains positive, as “the labor market is continuing to improve, which augurs well for wage income to accelerate.” — Bloomberg News

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

MARKET

Berger Paints launches new coating range Intumescent paint and ﬂame resistant coatings are suitable for structural building materials such as stone, plaster and steel structures

Times News Service MUSCAT: Berger Paints, world leader in colour mixing technology, has announced the launch ofintumescent and flame resistant coating that provides precious time in the event of a fire. Intumescent paint and flame resistant coatings are suitable for structural building materials such as stone, plaster and steel structures. While the coating is inert at low heat, it swells to provide a blanket of insulation at high temperature by increasing in volume and decreasing in density. This acts as an expanded layer of low conductivity at high temperature so that the heat is delayed and reduced in reaching the steel structure, stalling the fire from turning out of control. While it provides additional safety to any building or home, it is highly recommended for use in constructions that require the highest level of fire protection such as large multi-storey offices and hotels as well as public buildings such as schools, hospitals, municipal offices, retail outlets, supermarkets, leisure centres and airports. There is no compromise in the final look of the building as it is used as an undercoat with specific primer and is compatible with any topcoat and finish. At an event held to announce

MAKING A POINT: Experts explained the advantages of the new product as well as the unique product services offered by Berger Paints. — Supplied picture

the launch, experts explained the advantages of the new product as well as the unique product services offered by Berger Paints, whichmade its foray in Oman in 2000 as a joint venture between the Al Hassan Group and Asian Paints Limited. The event was attended byP K Raj, general manager, Asian Paints (Middle East);Salim Sulaiman Al Sharji, sales executive, Asian Paints (Middle East);Rajarshi Banerjee, senior manager for marketing and sales at Asian Paints (Middle East) and DrFransPaap from ExovaWarringtonFire, UK. “It has taken a while for people to understand the advances in converting a coat of ‘paint’ into a fire fighter and even more time to communicate the value and importance to the people in the industry. However, the extra margin of protection intumescent coating offers to people and property is critical and should be used to the maximum. In the long run, it is worth the cost and effort,” saysthe general manager. The launch was accompanied by a series of workshops and training sessions presented by DrPaap, an expert especially flown in for the event, who has over 29 years of experience working on assessments of fire resistant constructions and reaction to fire behaviour of materials and products.

DrPaap held a session for the students of the International College of Engineering and Management in addition to workshops/ training attended by officials from the ministries of housing, defence, fisheries and Royal Oman Police (ROP) as well as consultants, architects and professionals from furniture joinery. Other than the product, the training series covered topics such as fire risk in construction industry, key areas of fire risk and international standards. All those who attended the workshop were felicitated with certificates. Berger Paints has close to 40,000 colour mixing shops in the world. It is known for its innovative products that are decorative and attractive and safe and environment-friendly at the same time. In Oman, it currently has a plant in Ghala that produces a wide range of products that primarily include architectural coatings, wood finishes and industrial coatings. A second factory is being setup in Sohar that on completion will be the largest paint factory in Oman covering an area of 50,000 square metres. In 2012, it was bestowed with the Green Innovation Award in recognition of the pioneering work done on Royale Matt Emulsion, Oman’s first lead free, low VOC, APEO free interior emulsion.

NETWORKING PROGRAMME

Riyada conducts mentorship programme for entrepreneurs Times News Service MUSCAT: An open day was recently conducted by the Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Riyada) for the participants of the second mentorship programme. The programme is considered one of the most important initiatives offered by Riyada for effective transfer of knowledge from well-respected business leaders (mentors) to young dynamic entrepreneurs (mentees). The open day aimed to encourage new SMEs and business leaders to join the third networking

– Supplied picture

programme and receive feedback from the participants of the second batch of the same programme through a session that discussed the beneﬁts of the initiative. Qais M. Al Yousif, board member at Riyada and head of men-

torship committee, said, “We as the mentorship committee of Riyada are pleased to announce the opening of registration for the third batch of the mentorship programme, which started in 2013.”

TO ADVERTISE Call: 24726666

D UQ M D E V E L O P M E N T C O M PA N Y

Maintenance contract for Duqm township awarded Times News Service MUSCAT: Duqm Development Company (DDC), which is developing Duqm Frontier Town, has awarded the construction contract of the operation and maintenance (O&M) building to Golden Horizon Trading & Contracting Company, a contractor specialised in the construction of residential complexes. O&M building will comprise of administration offices for the operation and maintenance department, a maintenance workshop and a staff accommodation

equipped with the basic comfort requirements with a dining hall and an entertainment room. Fully equipped “The construction of O&M building is a continuation to the development of the basic amenities of Duqm Frontier Town, the building is well designed and fully equipped to cater to the operation and maintenance requirements of the town to ensure the comfort of the residents,” said Sheikh Ibrahim Sultan Alhosni, CEO of DDC. “The project is awarded to Golden Horizon as it fulﬁlled the tender

requirements, in addition it is an implementation of DDC’s direction towards supporting the small and medium enterprises (SMEs),” he added. Engineer Nasser Said Al Mushily, general manager, Golden Horizon said, “We are delighted to have been awarded the project by Duqm Development Company for the construction of O&M building at Duqm Frontier Town, we affirm our commitment to provide the best of our capabilities to deliver the project with the expected quality and the given timeframe in the contract.”

B 40

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

Bank Muscat committed to sus ‘Let’s Do More’ vision the driving fo

he journey of Bank Muscat began more than three decades ago with the mission of creating value for every individual and the nation. Thanks to the endorsement by the largest banking family in Oman, Bank Muscat prides itself to be the leading bank in the Sultanate. During the past 33 years since its inception in 1982, Bank Muscat has always focused on reaching out with banking service excellence, being closely associated with the progressive march of the nation in all realms. The trust and confidence reposed by the people and the nation have helped the bank to maintain its leading position. AbdulRazak Ali Issa, Chief Executive, said: “Coinciding with the 45th National Day celebrations, Bank Muscat is proud to join the nation in congratulating and extending best wishes to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the architect of modern Oman. Since the beginning of the blessed Renaissance and during the last 45 years, the Sultanate has recorded significant achievements covering the economic and social dimensions as a result of the inspiring leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Banking is one of the most important pillars of the Sultanate’s economy which has evolved over the years with new dynamics brought about by globalisation, liberalisation and technological innovations. Complementing the impressive achievements made by the Sultanate under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, Bank Muscat remains committed to contributing to further progress of the nation, prosperity and welfare for all.” As a forward looking financial institution, Bank Muscat is committed to the development and progress of Oman vis-à-vis its operations. Over the years, the bank has accomplished this in many ways by partnering with the government and industries in projects of national importance. Bank Muscat enjoys the legacy of a stable leadership and competent Management Team, committed to initiating changes that lead to sustainable success. The bank has adopted innovative strategies to equip Omani employees to take up leadership positions in tandem with future challenges. In step with the directive of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to accord priority for human resources development, the bank focuses on efforts to provide career growth opportunities for competent Omani employees and believes investment in youth is the key to achieving sustainable benefits to the financial sector in Oman. As the flagship bank in Oman, Bank Muscat enjoys 38 per cent market share of assets worth over RO 12 billion. The bank posted a net profit of RO 136.2 million for the 9-month

BANKING CHANNELS

Moving with the times - Righ and electronic banking chann

The year 2015 marks a momentous occasion for Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, which reckons itself a Renaissance achievement under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Marking the Sultanate’s 45th Renaissance anniversary, the bank lined up year-long activities and initiatives to commemorate the glorious achievements of the Sultanate envisioned by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. AbdulRazak Ali Issa Chief Executive

period ending 30 September 2015 compared to RO 126.7 million reported during the same period in 2014, an increase of 7.5 per cent. Bank Muscat is the leading provider of Corporate Banking services in Oman. In Project & Structured Finance, the bank’s expertise in key sectors along with innovative structuring capabilities has enabled to cater to the financing requirements of various large-scale projects in the Sultanate. During 2015, Bank Muscat signed one of the largest real estate financial transactions in the Sultanate in recent years with Saraya Bandar Jissah developing Oman`s luxurious Integrated Tourism Complex (ITC) in Muscat. The bank maintains its leadership position in Project Finance by playing an integral role in key infrastructure projects. As part of its commitment to sustainable development, alongside participation in large-scale projects, the bank has taken strategic steps to strengthen the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector in Oman. Aimed at broadening financial access for entrepreneurs,

the bank took the lead in launching a unique non-collateral SME finance addressing the critical requirement of SME finance without collaterals. Promoting self-employment initiatives boosting the national economy, the bank has also made available non-collateral finance for micro and small businesses. With a solid pipeline of mandates, the bank continues its leading position and dominance of the investment banking business in Oman. The Asset Management division also remains the biggest wealth manager in Oman and a leading player in the region with total Assets Under Management (AUM) of $1.8 billion. The Treasury & Capital Markets (T&CM) division is the only entity in the country to offer a full suite of treasury products and services, including hedging for foreign exchange requirements, managing interest rate risks, eliminating commodity price risks from businesses and offering fixed income investment opportunities across the region and globe.

Moving along with the times, Bank Muscat offers the right mix of traditional and electronic banking channels for the Sultanate’s youth-dominated population. Product innovation and improved level of service by Bank Muscat for both conventional and electronic channels is the key to making a difference in banking excellence. Marked by speed, convenience and security, electronic banking channels, notably mobile banking, internet banking and ATM/ CDM network, enable ﬁnancial transactions anytime from anywhere, serving as a boon for people on the move. Bank Muscat customers are increasingly moving to electronic banking channels, the preference being mainly

due to factors such as the adaptive and ﬂexible nature of services. The bank is focused on adding value and engaging customers through their preferred banking channels. With the largest electronic channel network in Oman, innovations adopted by Bank Muscat are characteristic of the network of 645 ATMs/CDMs, more than 10,000 point of sales (PoS) machines and the Call Centre offering 24/7 banking service. In tune with the banking requirements of a young, tech-savvy generation, Bank Muscat enjoys an edge in hi-tech products and services, including electronic payment and webbased services. The bank’s state-of-the-art mobile

banking service has made banking truly mobile for customers who can bank 24/7 ‘anytime, anywhere’. The mobile banking service is available in both English and Arabic. The enhanced ‘Anytime, Anywhere’ internet banking by Bank Muscat offers an array of service to retail and corporate customers. The simple-touse 24/7 service is available in both English and Arabic at https://www. bankmuscatonline.com In step with innovation reﬂecting technological trends in future banking, Bank Muscat launched Oman’s ﬁrst electronic branch in the banking sector. The eBranch located at Oman Avenues Mall elevates banking experi-

Modern icon of banking excellence Epitomising the distinct Omani heritage, the Bank Muscat brand has evolved over the years to become a towering presence not only in the banking sector but in all arenas of the Sultanate. Endowed with a global outlook, Bank Muscat remains Omani at heart. The bank has adopted innovative ways to consistently build the brand to sustain loyalty of customers and growth in business. The bank strives to establish its leadership role in all realms of activities. Bank Muscat recognises that building strong brand equity is an important recipe for success. The brand is associated with its commitment to the development of Omani citizens and progress of society in which it does business. The Bank Muscat brand is reckoned as a prolific innovator wherein the first association is the element of innovation. Catering to the Sultanate’s traditional as well as tech-savvy young population, Bank Muscat has adopted innovative ways to build the brand. New trends in the field of branding adopted by Bank Muscat reflect that the institution is moving away from the traditional line to non-conventional utlisation of media, including social media. Bank Muscat is a trendsetter in this field. The physical logomark of Bank Muscat has evolved from a flat, stat-

ic one-colour to a 3D and youthful enhanced logomark. The typographic element has evolved from a standard typeface to a unique typeface, using Arabic motif designed to resemble Khanjar curves and points. Typography is written in lower case in keeping with the modern way (internet society) of talking in a quiet, controlled and conﬁdent voice to

Endowed with a global outlook, Bank Muscat remains Omani at heart. The bank has adopted innovative ways to consistently build the brand to sustain loyalty of customers and growth in business. match the bank’s new vision – ‘Let’s Do More’. Bank Muscat is a modern icon of banking excellence marked by consistent innovation and strategic marketing initiatives. Exciting and inspiring brand touch points offer a

unique banking experience for the largest banking family in Oman. Coming to the speciﬁcs of Bank Muscat logo, the khanjar reﬂects the deep traditions of Oman. The logo directly takes you to the country and its traditions. The bank’s name refers to the capital city of the country. One of the successful elements of Bank Muscat brand is its simplicity. The brand name is easy to pronounce and recall. The Sultanate’s capital city has a long history and citizens are very proud of it. The Bank Muscat brand propagates Oman to which citizens have a strong emotional association. The name of the capital city of the country evokes a sense of attachment and the people of Oman love Bank Muscat brand as they feel they are a part of it. In recognition of banking service excellence, Bank Muscat has been honoured with all major local, regional and international awards. In 2015, the accolades included the Best GCC Employer Brand by the Employer Branding Institute, CMO Asia; Best Bank in Oman by Euromoney and Global Finance; Best Banking Brand by Business Today; Best Performing Listed Company in Oman, OER Top 20. The bank also topped Omani companies in the Forbes Top 500 Companies in Arab World.

S AV I N G S C U LT U R E

Al Mazyona inculcates strong savings culture in Oman Aimed at sustaining the Sultanate’s economic development, Bank Muscat has succeeded in inculcating a strong savings culture in Oman. Making a lasting difference in the lives of customers, al Mazyona, the ﬂagship savings scheme in Oman, is targeted at all nationalities and segments, including ladies, youth, children and high savings balance customers, to help them develop a strong savings habit critical for the future development of Oman. Marking Oman’s 45th Renaissance anniversary, Bank Muscat raised the 2015 al Mazyona prize money to RO 9 million. Structured on the thematic ‘45’ reﬂecting the Sultanate’s 45 years of Renaissance under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the 2015 al Mazyona savings scheme campaign has been hugely successful in reaching out to the people with the ‘Save More, Dream Big’ call to action, guaranteeing more for everyone to share in the biggest prize money in Oman and the region. Notably, the bank organised a special 45th National Day draw rewarding customers with big prizes totaling RO 450,000 shared by 10 winners.

Bank Muscat attaches great importance to encouraging prudent savings and spending habits and has tailored al Mazyona with this objective in mind. Bank Muscat understands customer expectations and big prize money is not the only way by which al Mazyona seeks to transform the lives of prudent savers. The scheme is targeted to accommodate all segments, including asalah Priority Banking, al Jawhar Privilege Banking, ladies, youth, children and customers in all regions, thereby inculcating prudent savings habit among citizens who are responsible for the future development of Oman. Complementing the government efforts as part of the national development objectives, Bank Muscat is committed to facilitating a ‘home for every family’, especially the youth who constitute the future of Oman. baituna is the preferred home finance in Oman, offering citizens and residents easy access to mortgage finance, thereby strengthening the role of the real estate sector in boosting the national economy. baituna home finance is designed to help families fulfill their dream homes, facilitating

quality homes at affordable prices. With women comprising a major customer segment, Bank Muscat offers unique products and services aimed at enriching their lives. The Zeinah suite of products and services is based on the premise that women prefer to use special banking services that preserve their privacy. Catering to the unique needs, Zeinah offers privacy and a relaxed banking atmosphere for women at Bank Muscat branches. Zeinah customers maintaining a minimum balance of RO 100 are eligible to participate in al Mazyona prize draws for three exclusive weekly prizes of RO 1000 each. Oman is witnessing the increasing role of women in workplace and education. As women manage their ﬁnancial responsibility, the need for new and speciﬁc banking products and services has emerged. Zeinah addresses this need offering a personal and comfortable banking environment for women. The personalised banking platform of asalah Priority Banking aligns a distinct value proposition with the needs of high-end customers and pro-

vides a differentiated and specialized banking experience. asalah customers are served by qualiﬁed Relationship Managers (RM) at exclusive asalah Priority Banking centres in select branches across the Sultanate. Leveraging its unmatched nationwide branch presence, Bank Muscat offers asalah Priority Banking ser-

vices across all regions through a network of asalah centres. Further reiterating commitment to providing a distinct banking experience, Al Jawhar Privilege Banking is targeted at the bank’s core customer segment. Designed around the unique lifestyle and banking requirements of the largest customer segment, Al

Jawhar is the ﬁrst-of-its-kind privilege banking service in Oman. In the vibrant world of privilege banking, the distinctive identity says it all. Reﬂecting the elegant lifestyle of clients, Al Jawhar is an affirmation of the preferential treatment designed around their unique lifestyle and banking requirements.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

tainable development of Oman force to banking service excellence ht mix of traditional nels ence to new levels of convenience and delight. The exclusive facilities include a self-service zone for both retail and corporate customers to execute day-to-day banking transactions. The eBranch is open from 9 am to 10 pm to help customers visit the branch at their convenience and complete the banking requirements at their own pace. Driven by innovation and the latest technological trends, the eBranch presents a unique facility from Bank Muscat that helps both retail and corporate customers bank at convenience. Complementing the largest network of branches in the Sultanate, Bank Muscat has further added convenience and value-added services with

evening banking service, from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm (Sunday to Thursday), in 16 branches across the Sultanate. The branches offering evening banking service are Ruwi, Al Amerat, Opera House, Muscat City Centre, Al Khuwair, Seeb, Al Khoud, Barka main, Sohar main, Salalah main, Falaj Al Qabail, Buraimi, Ibri Jubail, Safalat Ibra, Sur Afiah and Firq. Aimed at accommodating people’s busy schedules, the extended banking hours at all key locations benefit customers who face difficulties in visiting the bank during morning hours. The facility reflects the bank’s commitment to making banking convenient and centered around customer‘s needs.

COMMITMENT

Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives gain momentum Living up to its commitment to sustainable development, Bank Muscat lays great importance to corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Central to the bank’s social responsibility programmes is the Green Sports initiative launched in 2012 to promote Oman as a sporting nation in general and the national game of football in particular. As part of the programme, the bank in a record time achieved notable success in developing green fields in all parts of the Sultanate. The initiative marked a milestone as the bank signed agreements with 15 new beneficiaries for 2015. In all, 49 sports teams have benefitted from the unique social responsibility initiative in four years. In 2015, the bank widened the scope of Green Sports initiative beyond the greening of football fields. From this year, sports teams seeking Green Sports support can choose from four options, i.e to either green their football fields with natural or synthetic turf, or avail support to affix flood lights or water desalination equipment to facilitate greening of fields in areas facing problems of water salinity. The move is aimed at providing wider representation to teams to build sustainable sports infrastructure in all parts of the Sultanate. The consistent progress of the Green Sports initiative confirms the bank’s commitment to the programme aimed at providing ample opportunities for young Omanis to develop their sporting talents in an ideal environment. The programme is expected to go a long way in developing the sporting skills and talents of Omani youth, thereby promoting the game of football in Oman. The Green Sports initiative reiterates the bank’s support to Oman’s youth who represent the future of Oman. True to its commitment to supporting varied sporting activities in the country, Bank Muscat remains at the forefront in offering the required en-

couragement to youth. Aimed at nurturing the future generations of Oman, the Jesr Al Mustaqbal education programme launched by the bank in partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education focuses on providing youth from families under the social welfare programme with an opportunity to continue their higher education. Extending support to needy homes across the Sultanate, the ‘Tadhamun’ programme initiated by the bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development supports homes in dire need of renovation and provides basic electronic home appliances to low-income families. Aimed at supporting youth to embark on entrepreneurial ventures, the bank widened the scope of al Wathbah Academy training programme to benefit 30 participants in Batinah and Dhofar governorates, with new al Wathbah Academy in Sohar and Salalah, taking the total number of beneficiaries to 45 in the year of Oman’s 45th Renaissance anniversary. The unique al Wathbah Academy was launched by the bank in 2014 as part of its commitment to sustainable social development, complementing government efforts in strengthening the role of SMEs in the economic development of Oman. The CSR initiative is aimed at equipping youth with self-employment skills boosting the country’s progress and development. Bank Muscat publishes annual Sustainability Report highlighting the impact of its activities on the economy, environment and society. The report demonstrates the bank’s commitment to sustainability reporting as a powerful tool in its decisionmaking as well as corporate policy and strategy. The bank recognises that sustainable development is the key to achieving long-term benefits spanning environmental, economic, social and cultural dimensions. The bank is focused on achieving long-term profitability with social and environmental responsibility.

Dynamic vision ushers in new era of strategic growth Ushering in a new era of strategic growth, the bank has set ambitious goals for the coming period. The bank’s ‘Let’s Do More’ vision is a powerful articulation of the contributions of a loyal, productive workforce, and customer-service focused solutions for all partners. The core focus of the vision is to further strengthen the standards in customer service. Being faithful to its vision, the bank continues to earn the trust of all stakeholders, providing a unique banking and financial experience to customers who are an integral part of the bank‘s journey of success. The ‘Let’s Do More’ vision roadmap reflects the essence of Omani values in the service delivery. Bank Muscat continuously measures the service delivery and continuously innovates to address customer needs, ensuring value for all stakeholders. The dynamic vision reflects the readiness to face future challenges and sums up the bank’s confidence and determination to stretch the

In step with the dynamic ‘Let’s Do More’ vision, the focus of Bank Muscat is clear – create a sustainable financial platform for society and business and thereby contribute to the Sultanate’s economic growth. boundaries in banking excellence. Doing more is the forte of Bank Muscat - more for the economy,

more for the community, and more for the environment. The bank has incorporated sustainable best practices and is fully equipped to guide customers through all stages of banking life, whether it be savings, investments, financing or just reliable financial advice. With the largest network of 137 branches, ATMs and CDMs spread across Oman, as well as mobile banking and internet banking, Bank Muscat has emerged as the bank of first choice in the Sultanate. In contributing to sustainable development, the prime objective of the bank is to serve all customer segments ranging from children, youth and women to corporates and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In step with the dynamic ‘Let’s Do More’ vision, the focus of Bank Muscat is clear – create a sustainable financial platform for society and business and thereby contribute to the Sultanate’s economic growth. Committed to supporting economic growth and sustainable

development, the bank utilizes every opportunity to reiterate partnership in building the nation by creating opportunities for individuals and businesses to grow and prosper. The assurance of being in safe hands is the conﬁdence enjoyed by the largest banking family in Oman. Bank Muscat enjoys investment grade credit ratings of ‘A1’ by Moody’s and ‘A-’ by Standard & Poor’s. The bank’s biggest footprint and presence across the Sultanate with 137 branches and world class products and services are helping to make the vital differentiation, with the focus on its ‘Let’s Do More’ vision. Outside Oman, the bank has a branch each in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as well as Representative offices in the UAE and Singapore which focus on ﬁnancial institutions and trade business. With the best and most knowledgeable team in the country, Bank Muscat remains committed to providing a world class banking experience.

ISLAMIC BANKING

Meethaq sets benchmark for Islamic banking service

In about three years of operations, Meethaq, the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman from Bank Muscat, has attained the leading position in Islamic banking industry in the Sultanate in terms of financing receivables, branch network, products and services, IT infrastructure development and human resources. The bank is also playing a key role in financing projects of national significance, thereby contributing to the growth and development of the economy. The notable finance facilities offered by Meethaq in 2015 include the refinancing facility of RO 78 million

signed with Oman Shipping Company for its three very large crude carriers (VLCCs). Meethaq Islamic financing receivables amounted to RO 482 million as of 30 September 2015 compared to RO 385 million in the same period of 2014.The Meethaq branch network has touched 13 since inception of operations in 2013. The bank also recently launched Hafawa Priority Banking service for high saving Meethaq customers. Meethaq offers a full suite of Islamic banking products and services, including savings account, current account, home finance, auto finance,

credit card and mobile banking. The bank has invested in staff, systems and controls to ensure the service is delivered in a professional, segregated and fully Shari’a compliant manner. Meethaq has adopted the best practices in Islamic banking and ﬁnance worldwide to combine a robust model which protects customers and complements the Islamic banking industry. Every Meethaq product goes through the process of Shari’a compliance certiﬁcation by the Shari’a Supervisory Board and is created in line with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Oman. As the pioneer of Islamic banking

in Oman, Meethaq stands out for its independent Shari’a Supervisory Board, separate capital allocation from shareholders’ money, unique risk management tools, complete fund segregation, separate books of account, Shari’a based core banking system, stand-alone Islamic banking branches and proper proﬁt distribution mechanism among investment account holders/depositors. The adoption of AAOIFI standards (Accounting & Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions) distinguishes Meethaq Islamic banking practices in terms of standardisation of products and services.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

ROUND-UP Bank Sohar organises events on National Day

ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

Ominvest elects new board of directors

Primary event was held at the bank’s headquarters at MBD under the auspices of Tawfeeq bin Abdul Hussein Al Lawati, member of Majlis Al Shura – Muttrah and attended by Rashad Ali Al Musaﬁ, acting CEO of the bank

MUSCAT: Bank Sohar, on the occasion of the Sultanate’s 45th National Day, organised special gatherings at its head office and several branches covering various regions of its nationwide operations. The events were organised in order for the management and staff to join in the celebrations of this joyous occasion and to honour and thank His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for wisdom, leadership and vision for the development and prosperity of Oman. The primary event was held at the bank’s headquarters at MBD under the auspices of Tawfeeq bin Abdul Hussein Al Lawati, member of Majlis Al Shura – Muttrah and attended by Rashad Ali Al Musaﬁ, acting CEO, senior officials of the bank and staff.

Commenting on the event, Rashad bin Ali Al Musafir said, “It was only through the wise guidance and benevolent rule of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said that Sultanate of Oman was transformed into the modern progressive nation we live in today. It was under his guidance that the Sultanate established its first modern government structure and saw its modern source of wealth begin to materialise.” “His Majesty has also firmly established himself and the Nation as a beacon of peace and prosperity in the region. Such an achievement is nothing short of a testament to His Majesty’s visionary outlook for the country. As such, we are proud to be able to bring together the Bank Sohar family from across the Sultanate to celebrate his achievements, as well as pay tribute to 45 years of his wise and benevolent leadership and the growth and heritage of the country,” he added. Throughout the events, which

took place simultaneously on the morning of November 19, the atmosphere was lively and joyous. Each of venues reﬂected the spirit of national pride and unity with the national colours of red, white and green dominating the décor complemented by music from traditional Omani bands. In addition to the traditional Omani band, the event at the head office witnessed a stage performance by the Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos Private School children portraying the traditional Omani dance, a residing of a poem by one of the Bank staff family members, concluding with a cake cutting ceremony by the chief guest and executive members of the bank to mark the joyous occasion. “On this occasion and on behalf of the Bank, I would like to congratulate His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and wish him the best of health. I would also like to extend our congratulations to the people and residents of the Sultanate on this glorious occa-

sion. We consider it a privilege for us at a bank to be able join in the National Day celebrations and convey a message of solidarity, loyalty and pride on this glorious occasion. As we approach the New Year we look towards 2016 as a continuation of the growth and prosperity for the Bank as well as the continuing success and achievement enjoyed by this great country and its people,” said Rashad Al Musaﬁr. In addition to the staff celebrations, the bank also launched a limited time offer for its Al Mumayaz auto loan in commemoration of the 45th National Day, which will end on November 26. As part of the offer, customers who purchase a new or used vehicle during the offer period and ﬁnance it through the bank’s Al Mumayaz auto loan facility will be eligible for interest rates starting from just 4 per cent based on the tenor of the loan and with absolutely no processing fees, concludes a press release.

MUSCAT: Oman International Development and Investment Company (Ominvest), one of the oldest and the largest investment companies in Oman, successfully held its Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) recently. In line with the merger agreement between Ominvest and Oman National Investment Corporation Holding (ONIC Holding), the OGM was called to elect a new board of directors, says a press release. As a result of the election process, Ominvest’s new board comprises the following 10 members: Khalid Muhammad Al Zubair,

Sheikh Hassan Ahmed Mohamed Al Nabhani, Taya Jandal Ali, Jamal Shamis Saoud Al Hooti, Saif Said Salim Al Yazidi, Ceruseri Srinivasan Badrinath, Sheikh Khalid Abdullah Ali Al Khalili, Qais Mohammed Moosa Al Yousef, Anwar Hilal Hamdoon Al Jabri and Shaheen Mohammed Amin. The new board of directors met after the OGM and elected Khalid Muhammed Al Zubair as chairman of the board and Sheikh Hassan Ahmed Mohamed Al Nabhani as deputy chairman. Shadi Hamid Ahmed Zghoul was appointed as secretary of the board.

EXPRESSION OF JOY

L&T Oman celebrates National Day

MUSCAT: Larsen and Toubro Oman (L&T Oman) celebrated the glorious occasion of 45th Oman National Day at Hotel Al Falaj in Ruwi. The celebration started with prayer to the Almighty for the good health of His Majesty Sultan

Qaboos bin Said, followed by the Oman national anthem and a cultural programme by national staff. National and expatriate employees warmly exchanged wishes for peace, prosperity and harmony for the country and its people.

E X E C U T I V E E D UC AT I O N

POPULAR GAME

Bahwan Cybertek, ISB complete yet another module on marketing Candy Crush craze at Markaz Al Bahja MUSCAT: Candy Crush, the famous game, has taken Oman by storm with unlimited fun happening only at Markaz Al Bahja. Shoppers enjoyed crushing the candies on huge screens using the latest technology and also had a chance to experience the Candy Crush ambience with fun activities, says a press release. Two players at a time were given smart phones and had to play the

Candy Crush game starting from level 1 until level 10 within 15 minutes and by just using one life. The lucky winners received OMR10 each of Markaz Al Bahja shopping vouchers and very excited to play the game again. Those who missed the game, still have an opportunity to experience and play Candy Crush game only at Markaz Al Bahja from November 26 to 28 between 6pm and 10pm

B I G D AY

Omasco celebrates 45th National Day MUSCAT: In celebration of Oman’s 45th National Day and recognition of the country’s tremendous achievements since its founding, Omasco celebrated the day in the presence of the management and staff at all its locations and branches. Hussain Al Lawati, Omasco managing director, along with senior management spoke to the associates about what the day represents. Omasco locations and branches were decorated with Oman’s ﬂags, and other decorations. A photo booth was also part of the initiative organised in celebration of the National Day. The day was marked

with a quiz competition based on Oman’s rich history that was held at the Wattayah showroom. Participants had the opportunity of winning exciting prizes and surprises. “On this occasion, I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, and the government, all Omanis, and all those that have worked towards fulﬁlling national aspirations and hopes. As we celebrate National Day, we must remember that we are moving closer each year to fulﬁlling His Majesty’s vision for an ever prosperous Oman; a vision that is steadily becoming reality,” said Hussain Al Lawati.

MUSCAT: Indian School of Business (ISB), a leading management and executive education provider in Asia along with Bahwan Cybertek, Global Business group, completed successfully module on ‘Marketing excellence for profitable growth’ under the certiﬁcate programme in general management for business executives in Oman span over 6 months. The highly interactive and reﬂective session used case scenarios and small group discussions which provided the base for understanding marketing and got even managers with no exposure to marketing, to appreciate the role of marketing and the power of marketing strategy. It encouraged participants to share their understanding or the lack of it to clarify and establish relevant marketing. Participants got an opportunity to apply the learning from the classroom and thus deepen learning, ultimately realizing the relevance of the knowledge in actual work situations, says a press release. The programme discussed the essential dimension of market-

ing strategy to deliver tangible results. The programme was delivered by Professor Siddharth S. Singh, director of Fellow Program In Management, ISB, PH D(Marketing from K.L. Kellogg School Of Management. Professor Siddharth S. Singh’s research broadly focuses on a firm’s ability to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. His work focuses on helping firms evaluate customers, identify the ‘right’ customers for acquisition and retention, and profitably manage customer relationships over time. After the successful completion of this module, participants

are currently applying their classroom learning at their respective organisations, through the action learning projects and are looking forward to the next module that focuses on ‘Strategic thinking and execution excellence’ due to start in December of 2015. The ideal candidates for this programme are executives with more than ten years of experience who aspire to reach the next level of leadership through enhancing their general management competencies. As the program is spread over six months, this ensures that working professionals can continue their learning without any disruption of

their work schedules. Successful candidates will receive the ‘Certiﬁcate programme in general management for business executives’ from the ISB’s Centre for Executive Education. This programme is a collaborative effort of the Centre for Executive Education (CEE) at the Indian School of Business (ISB), one of the largest executive education providers in Asia and BCT, one of Oman’s foremost business houses. The objective of this initiative is to provide executive education courses focused at grooming middle and senior management in the Sultanate of Oman

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

NBO conducts training course for new recruits MUSCAT: National Bank of Oman (NBO) recently launched a new batch of its ﬂagship ‘Core Banking Programme’. A total of 33 new employees have enrolled in this programme to complete an all-round training before taking up job functions within the bank across business units. NBO has been developing and delivering a number of bespoke programs especially designed to meet the needs of its people. This program is custom-made for those who are new to the bank, says a press release.

“National Bank of Oman has been a strong advocate of empowering employees through training programmes. This programme is an integral part of our talent development strategy and it reﬂects the bank’s strong commitment to nurturing young talent,” said, Nasser Al Hajri, chief human resource officer and head of corporate affairs at NBO. “As we continue to implement our learning and development strategy, which is aligned to our organization goals in creating a learning organization, we are de-

lighted to see this new batch of qualiﬁed and young employees enroll in this programme. We are hopeful that these new joiners will play a major role in the bank’s ongoing journey,” he added. The 10-week intensive course into the theory and practice of banking involves classroom training as well as hands on approach covering a range of areas including banking systems and operations, processing transactions, sales strategies, and delivering top-class customer experience among others.

The training also involves practical training modules through various role plays in a virtual branch setting, equipping trainees to gain on-the-job banking experience whilst preparing them for critical roles within the bank. The bank has a wide variety of training and development programmes offered by its training arm, Academy of Excellence. It has been consistently delivering a diverse mix of high-quality technical and soft-skill courses aimed at spearheading the bank’s transformation journey.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

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ROUND-UP

C O R P O R AT E S T R AT E G Y

Bahwan Travels, Oman Air discuss stronger business ties MUSCAT: In further strengthening the long-standing business relationship between Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate, and Bahwan Travels, one of the largest travel agencies in Oman, Mahfood Al Harthy, chief sales officer and Mustapha Elhamoui, commercial manager Oman from Oman Air recently visited Suhail

RECRUIT

QUOTES The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. — Christopher McCandless

When you wake up every day, you have two choices. You can either be positive or negative; an optimist or a pessimist. I choose to be an optimist. It’s all a matter of perspective. — Harvey Mackay Correction does much, but encouragement does more. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose. — Lyndon B. Johnson

Bahwan Group headquarters and met Amal Suhail Bahwan, managing director and board member of Suhail Bahwan Group. Both discussed ways to further promote the national carrier as the preferred airline among corporates as well as support the airline’s new routes through its marketing activities

Boeing Dreamliner Al Harthy presented Amal Bahwan a scale model of Boeing Dreamliner aircraft that has recently joined Oman Air’s ﬂeet. Bahwan Travels has been working closely with Oman Air in promoting both inbound and outbound tourism, says a press release.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

ROUND-UP

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S H O W O F L O V E & L O YA LT Y

alizz Islamic bank supports ODA MB Holding Group celebrates MUSCAT: alizz Islamic Bank, as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts towards combating diabetes in Oman, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Oman Diabetes Association. This tie-up is concluded as the global community celebrates the World Diabetes Day, the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign, says a press release. Held at the City Seasons Hotel,

the signing ceremony was presided by Sayyida Dr Noor bint Badar Al Busaidy, president of Oman Diabetes Association (ODA), and Aisha bint Abdullah Al Kharusi, chief marketing officer of alizz Islamic bank. The ceremony was also attended by a number of the bank’s senior management team and ODA team. Sayyida Dr Noor bint Badar Al Busaidy, president of ODA, on the

partnership with alizz Islamic bank: “I am delighted to have such a strong partner like alizz Islamic bank on board, supporting our activities throughout the country. Together we are taking an important step towards supporting our vision to permanently cure diabetes in the Sultanate.” The number of diabetics in Oman is expected to rise 124 per cent between 2012 and 2030.

45th National Day in Azaiba MUSCAT: MB Holding Group of Companies organised a special celebration at its headquarters in Azaiba on the occasion of the 45th National Day. The event was attended by employees and key officials from various group companies in Oman. It was a pleasurable and colourful event for the employees as they were entertained by a series of activities speciﬁcally organised for them, says a press release. Dr Mohammed Al Barwani, chairman of MB Holding, commented on the occasion: “We are an Omani company and it is natural that we celebrate such an occasion with our employees who form a diverse collection of nationalities. Together we form one big family living together in this beautiful country. Today we come together to share our joy and express our love and loyalty to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and to this nation by celebrating this epic landmark.”

The entire Azaiba head office has been decorated in national colors for the last one week. The almost three-hour-long programme started with recitation from the Holy Quran after which the audience listened to the speech delivered by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Al Said in 1970 when he took over the reigns of the Sultanate. At this juncture Said Al Jabri, director – Corporate Operations, MB Holding, delivered a welcome address, highlighting the progress the nation has made under His Majesty’s rule. Dr Mohammed Al Barwani and vice-chairperson Sharifa Al Harthy were then welcomed on stage

to cut the cake themed in national colours to mark the occasion. A quiz was also conducted iabout the history of Oman. Colleagues who were ﬁrst to answer correctly were given prizes. “We regard our employees as the most important and essential part of our business. This is yet another occasion where we all come together as one to celebrate Oman`s 45th National Day. Exhibiting different shades of our nation’s identity and sharing that with our colleagues, strengthens team spirit and bridges the gap between cultures through mutual understanding of each other’s traditions,” Said Al Jabri added. AUTOMOTIVE

Renault Fluence comes with exciting benefits MUSCAT: Renault Oman from Suhail Bahwan Group has announced a unique offer for customers on the Renault Fluence till December 31 . Renault’s exclusive offer comprises a plethora of benefits on most of their top selling models as well as their newly launched models in 2015. Renault’s sedan segment comprises a prestigious line-up of cars that include the sleek Renault Fluence, the strikingly good looking Renault Safrane and the newly launched Renault Symbol and Renault Megane, says a press release. The SUV/Crossover range comprises the Renault Duster, Renault Koleos and the all-new 2015 Renault Captur and lastly the recently launched LCV vehicle – the Renault Dokker Van. Customers will be entitled to receive assured cash gift of OMR1,000 on Renault Fluence 1.6L/2.0L along with other benefits that include free registration, 6 years unlimited mileage warranty and 2 years/ 30,000km free service (whichever is earlier). Customers will also receive free AAA/Road Assistance card for the first year only and as supported by AAA Oman. The scheme is applicable for all customers purchasing Renault vehicles for personal use only. The upbeat Renault Fluence comes in a new look with the 1.6 16V 115 CVT X-Tronic automatic gearbox and the 2.0 16V 140 CVT X-Tronic automatic gearbox. Fitted with a new petrol engine that is powerful and dynamic (117hp and 156Nm), Fluence sparks with energy. With the CVT X-Tronic next-generation automatic gearbox, the 2.0 16V 140 combines responsiveness and low fuel consumption. CVT technology – Continuously Variable Transmission – allows for smooth gear shifting with instant responses and no bumps. The new Fluence is comfortable, dynamic and lively with low fuel consumption. G R AT I T U D E

L&T Electromech

staff celebrates 45th National Day MUSCAT: Staff members of Larsen & Toubro Electromech decorated their office with national ﬂags and balloons to mark the glorious occasion of 45th Oman National Day. Omani colleagues celebrated the occasion by cutting a cake and displaying the successful journey of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Expat and Omani staff unanimously expressed their appreciation and gratitude to His Majesty the Sultan for the development and progress achieved by the country under HM’s benevolent rule, says a press release. The event concluded with prayers for the good health and long life of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and people of Oman.

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM W EDN ES DAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

SECTION

STEYN UNLIKELY TO PLAY IN THIRD TEST, SAYS AMLA

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India hold edge over South Africa Both the teams would be a bit rusty going into the game with no play being possible in the second Test at Bengaluru after the opening day’s proceedings following the end of the ﬁrst Test in Mohali inside three days TALKING STRATEGY: Team India Director Ravi Shastri, skipper Virat Kohli and other players at a practice session in Nagpur. – PTI

NAGPUR: Leading 1-0 in what has now effectively become a three-game series after the washout at Bengaluru, India would be looking to deliver the knock-out blow on South Africa and sew up the rubber in the third cricket Test commencing here on Wednesday. With the VCA Stadium pitch in Jamtha here sporting a dry look and promising to offer copious turn to spinners, another lowscoring cat-and-mouse contest is on the cards in the penultimate game of the series with India holding the aces because of its superior spin attack. Both the teams would be a bit rusty going into the game with no play being possible in the second Test at Bengaluru after the opening day’s proceedings following the end of the ﬁrst Test in Mohali inside three days. Having knocked down the visitors for scores of 184, 109 and 214

in the three completed South African innings so far in the series, the Indian spin attack poses the biggest threat to the visitors in this do-or-die game which they must win to keep the contest alive for the fourth and last match at Delhi. Barring the odd wicket to the medium pacers or to a run-out, the Indian spinners have done the bulk of the damage against a side which has played them with a lot of concern and suspicion. As such, India have a lot going in their favour even if their batsmen, barring opener Murali Vijay and one-down Cheteshwar Pujara, did not do anything significant in the low-scoring first Test at Mohali. The encouraging return to form of opener Shikhar Dhawan after a string of low scores with a fluent, unbeaten knock of 45 with seven fours in India’s strong reply of 80 for no loss to the visitors’ paltry 214 in the rained-out Bengaluru

game is another plus. Though shot out for 201 and 200 in the opening match at Mohali, Vijay who scored 75 and 47 in the two innings did not feel the hosts’ batting was a cause for worry. “The conﬁdence is really high as for now because we had a good game (in Mohali) and the ﬁrst day (in Bengaluru) was in our favour. I don’t think batting is a worry for us because everybody is one match away from a big knock and this match may be the one,” he insisted yesterday. The key to South Africa turning around the fortunes is the willingness of their batsmen to confront the spin threat posed by Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on a track that could be tailormade for them. Leg spinner Amit Mishra is also expected to regain his spot in the playing eleven after being left out in the second Test and the triple

spin attack is again going to test the nerves of South African batsmen. South Africa’s ODI captain A B de Villiers has been the one to lead the way with a classy 85 at Bengaluru on his milestone 100th Test match. Mishra dismissed dangerous De Villiers both times at Mohali and this much-expected battle is going to be watched with great interest. Unless the Proteas batsmen, especially captain Hashim Amla and Faf du Plussis, strike form and take on the Indian spinners to lend support to de Villiers, their proud achievement of not having lost a Test rubber overseas since 2006 in Sri Lanka is under serious threat. Amla scored a magnificent 253 five years ago to lead the Proteas to a huge score at this ground and lay the platform for Steyn to produce an incisive spell and knock the stuffing out of the hosts with a seven-wicket haul in the first innings.

South Africa would hope that a return to this venue would help their skipper, who did not score many runs in the preceding T20 and ODI rubbers too. The Proteas are also faced with the groin injury to their premier fast bowler Steyn, who is doubtful for the upcoming Test after he had sat out of the previous one in Bengaluru. Steyn had taken 10 wickets in the innings victory notched up by South Africa at this venue five years ago and if he is declared unfit to play it would be huge blow to the visitors’ chances on a track where the ball is expected to keep low. Steyn bowled for a short while in the nets here yesterday morning, raising the visitors’ hopes. Steyn’s fast bowling partner Morne Morkel, who himself has come off an injury lay-off on their long tour sustained during the ODI series, said they are keeping their “fingers crossed”.

“Dale (Steyn) bowled this morning. It was a pleasing thing for us to see. Obviously groin is a tricky sort of injury. So I think we will keep monitoring and give him 9 AM (before toss) on Wednesday to decide,” he told reporters here yesterday. South Africa have ﬂown in the tall Marchant de Lange as a cover for Steyn, but it remains to be seen whether he will take the ﬁeld without having had sufficient preparations, in case the latter is ruled out. The tourists have already lost the services of another frontline pacer, Vernon Philander, and his replacement Kyle Abbott played in the rain-ruined Bengaluru game. Morkel was candid when he spoke about the challenges faced by his team’s bowlers on Indian tracks. “Coming here as a fast bowler we weren’t expecting favours, we knew that the wickets would turn,” he had said. >C2

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

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Debate on the nature of track is beyond my understanding: Kohli Steyn unlikely to play in third Test, says Amla

The wicket, as per reports, is expected to assist the spinners and the ball is also expected to keep low, a big help for the spinners have run through the South African batting order in the three completed innings in the series so far

NAGPUR: India’s Test captain Virat Kohli has consciously stayed away from the debate surrounding the nature of the pitches prepared for the ongoing South Africa series as he feels that these discussions are “beyond his understanding”. “That wicket debate is out of my understanding. I don’t know why there is so much (hue and) cry about the wickets in India. We absolutely have no problems in playing on this sort of a wicket. If both teams don’t agree on playing on a particular wicket, then it is not suited for a game of cricket. But we have no problems,” the skipper wasn’t exactly amused while fielding queries on whether Jamtha track will be a spin-friendly one. Kohli reiterated that his team does not discuss the condition of pitches. “We haven’t had any sort of talk about the track. Whoever wants to talk about the track is free to talk about it. As I said, we will decide a combination according to how the wicket will play over a span of five days and not how it looks for the first time,” said Kohli. The wicket, as per reports, is expected to assist the spinners and the ball is also expected to keep low, a big help for the spinners have run through the South African batting order in the three completed innings in the series so far.

NO TO DEBATE: India captain Virat Kohli during a practice session ahead of the Test match against South Africa in Nagpur. – PTI

Kohli indicated that the playing XI will be decided after assessing the condition. “In a Test side, according to the conditions, I feel you should have a couple of all-rounders, one a spinning all-rounder and one a seaming all-rounder. It’s just that one slot which brings balance to the team and must be decided according to the conditions we are playing in. Other than that anything could be a possibility,” Kohli said. “Assessing the nature of the wicket, we have got to make a few changes. Obviously, I won’t disclose it here. We possibly might

make a few changes according to the conditions,” he added. He said though there has not been much cricket in the two Tests, especially at Bengaluru, the team members were in good nick for the game ahead. “Mohali was a positive result for us but that was a long time back. What happened in Bangalore is something that was not in our control. Remember one ﬁne tour that India had to Sri Lanka, it was a 20 or 22-day tour and only one day of cricket was possible,” Kohli said, referring to India’s tour of 1993-94 to the island nation. - PTI

NAGPUR: South Africa are unlikely to have the services of their premier pace bowler Dale Steyn for the second match running as he was yet to fully recover from a groin injury, said visiting team skipper Hashim Amla on the eve of the third and penultimate Test against India. “Dale Steyn won’t probably play in this Test match, I don’t think his injury has recovered fully,” said Amla. “Yes, not having Dale in the team is a setback because not having the best bowler in the world is never a nice thing. But we’ve got to deal with it, and we’ve got some good reserves. Hopefully, the guys who play will get a chance to stand out,” he remarked. Steyn grabbed 10 wickets after South Africa amassed over 500 runs to inflict a humiliating innings defeat on India when the two teams met five years ago at the same VCA Stadium in Jamtha. South Africa have flown in Marchant de Lange as the back-up pacer ahead of the match. With South Africa trailing 0-1 in the four-Test rubber, Amla conceded the team’s batting has failed to click, while hoping for a turnaround in this Orange City. “We haven’t played our best Test cricket. If one goes back in the past, at Mohali I’d definitely say that in the first three innings, we were definitely in it. If India got bowled out for 200, and we got bowled out for 187, I think it’s fair reflection that the game was pretty poised up until the last innings, in which we didn’t do too well, obviously. In the first day of the last Test, we didn’t bat well again. “So it hasn’t been our fullflowing Test cricket that we’re normally used to.This will be great for a start that hopefully

AT PRACTICE: South African player Hashim Amla during a practice session ahead of the 3rd Test match against India, in Nagpur on Tuesday. – PTI

in Nagpur we can get on to the pitch and put up a performance that the South African team is used to. The issue has been more with the lack of runs than the lack of wickets. “Hopefully, we’ll get the runs and continue to play the game to win.” The Proteas batsmen have

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SPIN TRIO: From left, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra prepare to bowl during a practice session. – Reuters

“For us, mental preparation was always going to be the key, especially bowling well with a reverseswinging ball. That has been the big strength for us over the last couple of years and that is how we achieved success in India in the past.” South Africa will have to hold their nerves in the game here if

come a cropper against the Indian spin attack and asked about the wicket prepared for the third game, Amla remarked wryly, “Well, it looks like a good cricket wicket, one that we kind of expect in the sub continent. They’ve played three spinners in the ﬁrst game as well, so it’s nothing new.” - PTI

they want to win the make-orbreak battle. Teams (from): India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar,

Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Stuart Binny and Gurkeerat Singh Mann. South Africa: Hashim Amla (Captain), AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, JP Duminy, Stiaan van Zyl, Dane Vilas, Dane Piedt, Simon Harmer, Imran Tahir, Dale Styen, Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, Marchant de Lange. - PTI

Kohli voices support for day-night Tests NAGPUR: Indian Test captain Virat Kohli has voiced his support for day-night Tests, the ﬁrst of which will feature Australia and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval from November 27. He added that it is a big experiment and looks like an exciting concept. “It is a landmark Test. It is a big experiment. It is a big step towards changing something in Test cricket. I am hopeful that it will work. I also hope it can be another option as well,” Kohli told reporters here. Kohli also praised the two teams, Australia and New Zealand on taking up the challenge of playing in the ﬁrst ever day and night Test. “I’m glad two teams have actually agreed to play an official Test like that as an experiment. Credit to Australia and New Zealand. Hopefully it will be better for the game. It will be a step which we all will remember few years down the line. Let’s hope so,” he said. — IANS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

SPORTS U-19 CRICKET

India beat Bangladesh KOLKATA: An impressive allround display drove India to a four-wicket win over Bangladesh in an Under-19 cricket tri-series match at the Jadavpur University ground here on Tuesday. Chasing Bangladesh’s total of 222/7, the hosts crossed the line with four wickets and eight balls to spare. Wicket keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant top scored for India with a knock of 51 runs while rival captain Mehidy Hassan Miraz’s 87 runs with the bat and figures of 2/50 with the ball went in vain. The Indians were off to a flyer as Pant (51) and Ishan Kishan (24) put on a partnership of 67 runs in 5.4 overs. Kishan got out thereafter but left-handed Pant continued clobbering the bowlers. Bangladesh crawled back into the contest with quick wickets but knocks from A.N. Khare (41) and Washington Sundar (50) helped the home side inch closer to the target. M.K. Lomror (not out 19) and M.J. Dagar (not out 11) then finished it off as the Indians grabbed their third win on the trot. Earlier in the day, after electing to bat, Bangladesh rode on a classy knock of 87 runs from Miraz to post a challenging score of 222/7. — IANS

Why adamant PCB agreed to play defiant India in Sri Lanka With Ten Sports as broadcasters, Sri Lanka was Pakistan Cricket Board’s preferred venue for the December series against India. A ﬁnal word on the series is still awaited

NEW DELHI: With Sri Lanka all set to turn hosts for the upcoming bilateral series between India and Pakistan next month, the venue has come as a relief for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as it also solved the broadcasting rights issue, which could have been a problem. While sources in Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said that they are gearing up for the marquee series, they would only come out with a statement once PCB task-force

chairman Giles Clarke makes an official statement. The Dubai-based broadcasters Ten Sports will be broadcasting the series in India and Pakistan, which will also mean that PCB will not need to compromise on their revenue, which is highly dependant on a series with India. “Had the series been in India, the broadcasting rights would have gone to Star Sports as they have exclusive rights of covering India’s home series. Even if you would

TENNIS

have termed it as Pakistan’s home series in India, there could have been legal ramiﬁcations,” a senior BCCI official said on Tuesday. “Ten Sports has broadcasting rights of international cricket matches held in Sri Lanka as they are rights holder for the Sri Lankan national cricket team. While Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) has just started in Bangladesh, it was the island nation that was most convenient option for the PCB top brass,” the source added. FOOTBALL

Conﬁdent Coutinho pushing himself to become even better

ALL SET: From left, Britain’s Dominic Inglot, Kyle Edmund, Britain’s captain Leon Smith, Andy Murray, James Ward and Jamie Murray pose during a press conference ahead of the Davis Cup World Group ﬁnal against Belgium at Flanders Expo in Gent. – AFP

Britain counting on Murrays to bring home Davis Cup LONDON: Britain will attempt to win the Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years this weekend when they take on Belgium in Ghent, although if they do succeed the Scottish town of Dunblane could argue its name should be enscribed on the trophy. World No. 2 Andy Murray and his brother Jamie, who grew up in Dunblane, have propelled Britain through the draw, with Andy churning out vital singles wins and teaming up with his elder sibling in the doubles. That is likely to be the scenario again at the Flanders Expo, beginning on Friday, where despite 13,000 home fans trying to cheer Belgium to their first ever Davis Cup, Britain will start favourites. Twice Grand Slam champion Andy Murray is the class act of the final — a repeat of the 1904 match when the British Isles won 5-0 with brothers Laurence and Reggie Doherty starring. Murray’s commitment to the cause this year has been immense. The 2013 Wimbledon champion is undefeated, winning two singles against the United States in Glasgow in March.

Against France in the quarterfinals at Queen’s Club, the Murrays joined forces to win the doubles with Andy winning both his singles in a 3-1 victory — the second against Gilles Simon when he was down on both knees with fatigue. Then came the semifinal against Australia, again in Glasgow, when the 28-year-old crushed Bernard Tomic, having won a gripping doubles five-setter with Jamie the previous day, to send Britain into the final for the first time since 1978. He flew into Belgium on Monday -- a country on high alert after the Paris attacks -- having lost two of his three matches at the ATP World Tour Finals last week. How he adapts to the quick switch to indoor clay will be crucial for Britain captain Leon Smith. “The reality is that if Andy gets injured or ill, then it would be a very difficult match to win,” Mark Cox, who played for Britain in the 1978 final, said. “Leon has done well to bond the team and get some performances from James Ward, well beyond what realistically would be expected.

“But the whole run to the final has relied on Andy’s performances and it has been great to see Jamie rising to the challenge and becoming a force in doubles.” Roger Federer, who won the trophy for the first time last year for Switzerland, believes Murray will decide the tie. “Britain are the favourites, in my opinion, because they have Andy in the team,” he said. Federer, however, believes Belgium should not be dismissed, especially with world No. 16 David Goffin in their ranks. “Belgium are at home. I really like Goffin, a great player. Good attitude. I feel like he’s the kind of guy that can handle pressure,” he said. Goffin will likely be up against Britain’s 100th-ranked debutant Kyle Edmund in the opening match — a must win rubber for the hosts. Murray is likely to play Belgium No. 2 Steve Darcis, who won the fifth rubber in the semifinal against Argentina, although captain Johan Van Herck could save him for what could be a potential title-decider in Sunday’s reverse singles. - Reuters

TRAINING SESSION: Belgium’s David Goffin, left, and Davis Cup captain Johan Van Herck take part in a training session ahead of the Davis Cup World Group ﬁnal. – AFP

LONDON: Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho believes he has become a more complete player and said he is always striving to make himself better after putting in a string of fine performances in recent weeks. The 23-year-old Brazilian picked up the club’s player of the season award after he scored five goals and set another seven in the Premier League last season and helped the Merseyside club to a sixth place finish and a spot in the Europa League. Coutinho had a quiet start to the campaign but has burst into life under the stewardship of new manager Juergen Klopp and has scored four goals, including a brace in the Reds’ dismantling of champions Chelsea on Oct. 31. “It’s been personally a good year for me, with big moments, some good goals and receiving awards,” Coutinho, who scored in Liverpool’s 4-1 victory over Manchester City on Saturday, was quoted as saying on the club’s website (www.liverpoolfc.com). — Reuters

It is no secret that PCB’s multimillion deal with their broadcasters hinges largely on the fact that an India series will be held. “If India does not play Pakistan in this period than atleast 60 percent of the total bid amount will be reduced by the successful broadcasters,” a PCB source said. So it was no wonder that PCB’s last throw of dice was a series in Sri Lanka which would enable Ten Sports to broadcast the series. The source also said that the

undisclosed amount for broadcast rights that PCB had bagged was mainly due to the fact that its international calendar for next ﬁveyears included two home series against India on ‘neutral’ venue. India has not played a full bilateral Test series against Pakistan since 2007 when Pakistan toured India. Since than although Pakistan toured India for a short oneday series in the winter of 201213, the PCB didn’t earn anything from it. - PTI

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

SPORTS Mata recalls ‘genius’ Best as United eye win against PSV Hector Moreno, whose sliding tackle resulted in Luke Shaw’s broken leg in United’s 2-1 away defeat in their opening match of the group in September.

Louis van Gaal’s United could be without nine frontline players for the visit of Dutch champions PSV in Group B

MANCHESTER: Midﬁelder Juan Mata hailed George Best “a genius forever” as an injury-hit Manchester United aim to mark the 10th anniversary of the Northern Irishman’s death with a Champions League victory against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday. Best, who made 361 appearances for United and helped them win the European Cup in 1968, died on November 25, 2005 at the age of 59 after a long struggle with alcoholism. “Yesterday, I watched a documentary about his life and football career,” Spaniard Juan Mata wrote in his weekly blog on kicca.com on Monday. “He was one of the best players of Manchester United and one of the best in the history of football, no doubt, and also an idol for several generations that still remember him today.” Louis van Gaal’s side could be without nine front-line players for the visit of Dutch champions

DOUBTFUL STARTER: Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, centre, trains along with his teammates at their training ground in Manchester on Tuesday. – Reuters

PSV in Group B after defender Phil Jones (ankle) and midﬁelder Ander Herrera (hamstring) were injured in the Premier League win at Watford. Striker Wayne Rooney is also a doubt after missing Saturday’s

AT L E T I C O - G A L ATA S A R AY T I E

match with an illness, while 19-year-old French forward Anthony Martial has a foot injury. United could also be without James Wilson, who injured his knee in training on Friday, while Michael Carrick damaged an ankle

on England duty, Marouane Fellaini has yet to return from a calf injury and Antonio Valencia will be out until January after having surgery on a foot problem. Old Trafford fans could be planning a hot reception for PSV’s

Group leaders United have since beaten VfL Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow at home as well as drawing 1-1 in Moscow to lead Group B by one point from PSV and Wolfsburg. “We could make an important step to finish first in our group in the Champions League and we could climb to the top of the Premier League. This is how we face this new week,” added Mata, referring also to Saturday’s Premier League game against leaders Leicester City. PSV trail table-toppers Ajax by four points in the Dutch league, and manager Philip Cocu blames a lack of concentration after they squandered yet another lead before rescuing a 2-2 draw against Willem II Tilburg on Saturday. “It is deteriorating further,” said Cocu after watching a fifth lead for PSV this season end in either a draw or defeat. “It has happened too many times. In matches against top opposition we rise above our potential. But these kind of games are just as important. We also have to bring our motivation to these games.” Manchester United won the last of their three European titles in 2008 and lost to Barcelona in the final in 2009 and 2011. Last year they finished seventh in the Premier League and missed the competition for the first time since the 1995-1996 season. - Reuters

FOOTBALL

UEFA ‘accept’ doping, says Wenger LONDON: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has accused European football’s governing body UEFA of accepting doping because they allowed his team’s defeat by Dinamo Zagreb to stand despite one of the Croatian club’s players failing a drugs test. After Dinamo beat Arsenal 2-1 in their opening Champions League Group F match in September, midﬁelder Arijan Aremi tested positive and was banned for four years. The club are appealing. Under UEFA rules the result of a match stands if only one player fails a test. “You cannot say ‘okay, they had a doped player and the result stands’” Wenger told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s return match in London. “That means you basically accept doping. If doesn’t look logical, especially if you (test) only three players.” More blood tests Last week Wenger called for more blood testing in football. The following day, he said, UEFA testers visited the club’s training ground for the ﬁrst time he could remember in his 19 years as Arsenal manager. Dinamo’s manager Zoran Mamic said it was fair that the win should count. “Mr Wenger can talk about what he wants but there are other people who make decisions about that,” he told a news conference. “I don’t think there is a problem with doping in football,” Wenger added. - Reuters

FOOTBALL

Security beefed up Morata-Dybala partnership could give Juventus added edge against Man City MADRID: Spanish government authorities in Madrid have tightened security with 30 percent more police officers at the European Champions League football game on Wednesday between Atletico Madrid and Turkish side Galatasaray at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. The step comes as part of protective measures against any terrorism attempt.

Speaking to reporters at Madrid police headquarters, the government delegate in Madrid, Concepcion Dancausa explained that the match is high risk because it is in the UEFA Champions League. Dancausa added that all mass gatherings of people will be protected and therefore there will be 30 percent more police officers and the club has increased the number of private security guards. - IANS

TURIN: Juventus need to beat Manchester City to reach the Champions League knockout stages on Wednesday and many fans still believe the best way to achieve this is by fielding Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala together in attack. At the start of the season, Juventus supporters were eagerly anticipating the new partnership between Morata and 22-year-old Dybala, bought from Palermo to replace his fellow Argentine Carlos Tevez. Yet the pair have started only five of Juve’s 17 competitive matches this season as the Serie A champions have stumbled. Instead, coach Massimiliano Allegri has preferred Mario Mandzukic as his main target man even though the Croatia forward has clearly struggled. Morata, often fielded wide on the left, recently admitted that he has not yet got into gear. Allegri has insisted that Dybala needs more time to settle and cannot take on an out-and-out striking role. Wednesday, however, could be the right moment to give the pair another try. Dybala scored the winning goal against AC Milan on Saturday, taking his Serie A tally to six. “I am happy with what I’m doing and there is always going to be competition for places, but everyone is helping me to settle in,” he said. “I know that I can do much more.” “I was always convinced of his quality, just as I am of other players, but it’s normal he needed time to settle,” Allegri said. “Dybala is improving, he has important abilities and did very well between the lines. He works hard too and in time he’ll become a great support striker.” Juventus, Serie A champions for the last four seasons, have had

TO RECOVER: Manchester City’s Gael Clichy, cetnre, runs with the ball durng a team training session at the City Football Academy in Manchester on Tuesday. – AFP

City have experience for CL challenge: Aguero LONDON: Manchester City now have enough experience of playing against the European elite to mount a serious challenge in the Champions League, Sergio Aguero has said. “Now most of us have enough

to rebuild since the departures of Tevez, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, with injuries making Allegri’s life even more difficult. He will have to reshuffle his midﬁeld on Wednesday as Hernanes is suspended and Sami Khedira has a thigh injury.

experience,” Aguero said. “We have very good players who are going to do a lot for us and I think we are on the right path. “In the last few Champions Leagues we have maybe not had the experience.”

Saturday’s win was their third in a row and suggested that things are starting to come together, even if Allegri was still not satisﬁed with their display. Juventus, unbeaten in Group D, are second with eight points from four games, one less than City

“In all our previous runs we would have wanted to move into the next round without any hitches, but now we are more experienced and we are developing naturally,” the 27-yearold striker added. - Reuters

who have already qualiﬁed. “The important thing is to try to recover our performance,” said City coach Manuel Pellegrini, whose side were thrashed 4-1 at home to Liverpool on Saturday. “We are not going to go to Juventus just to try to draw.” - Reuters

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SPORTS

FIFA seeking life ban for Platini: Lawyers Platini could be allowed back into the race if the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepts his appeal against the 90-day ban but could then be eliminated again if Eckert’s panel hands him a long-term ban in its final verdict

A media consultant representing Platini’s lawyer Thibaud d’Ales said ethics committee official Vanessa Allard had recommended a life ban for the Frenchman, who is head of European soccer’s governing body UEFA

PARIS: Former French football great Michel Platini, until recently seen as the man to lead soccer’s governing body FIFA out of its worst ever graft crisis, could face a life ban from the sport if recommendations from FIFA ethics investigators are followed. FIFA’s ethics committee has completed an inquiry into accusations of corruption against Platini, who as a player led French football out of the doldrums in the 1980s before becoming one of the sport’s most powerful officials, and FIFA President Sepp Blatter. A media consultant representing Platini’s lawyer Thibaud d’Ales said ethics committee official Vanessa Allard had recommended a

life ban for the Frenchman, who is head of European soccer’s governing body UEFA. “I can conﬁrm that she is proposing to the ethics committee a ban for life,” the consultant said. Allard’s report has been passed to FIFA ethics judge HansJoachim Eckert who is due to issue a verdict by the end of the year. Swiss authorities opened criminal proceedings against Blatter in September over a 2 million Swiss franc ($1.97 million) payment from FIFA to Platini in 2011. The case was part of a broader scandal that broke around FIFA in May when 14 officials including two exvice presidents were indicted in the United States.

crisis after another in his 17 years as FIFA president. The FIFA scandal is one of the biggest of several corruption affairs shaking world sport. International athletics has also suffered revelations of doping, largely affecting Russia, and corrupt manipulation of anti-doping test results. Financial problems Platini was one of the most gifted players of his generation and inspired a French team which played with an exuberant Gallic flourish that delighted international audiences during the early to mid 1980s. He went on to coach the national team, then played a key role in helping France host the 1998 World Cup before moving on to become a member of the FIFA and UEFA executive committees in 2002 and, finally, UEFA president in 2007. The FIFA payment to Platini was made in 2011 for work Platini had completed nine years earlier, the Swiss attorney-general’s office has said, adding Platini was considered “between a witness and an accused person.” Platini says the payment was delayed only because of financial problems at FIFA. - Reuters

FOOTBALL

Former coach Ancelotti willing to return to Real ROME: Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti has said that he would like to return to coach Spanish football giants Real Madrid but “not this season”. “I would go back to Real, just like I would go back to Paris Saint-

Germain or Chelsea,” Efe quoted Ancelotti as saying on Monday. “I had some fantastic experiences abroad, but when I left Madrid I decided to take a year off and that is how it is,” the former manager of

N E G AT I V E LY TA R G E T E D

African athletics body defends Diack over doping, fraud NAIROBI: The Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) believes its officials are targeted negatively in the fight against doping that is bedevilling track and field discipline at the moment. CAA believes embattled International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) former president Lamine Diack of Senegal is being condemned without trial for abetting doping, reports Xinhua. “For some days, the African athletics family is living some particularly difficult moments due to allegations against some of its members, mainly (honorary) president Lamine Diack, as part of an investigation led by the Independent Commission of World Anti-Doping Agency,” CAA president Kalkaba Malboum said in a statement on Tuesday. French police are investigating the son of Diack and the former head of its anti-doping department, amid the corruption crisis engulfing international athletics. Papa Massata Diack, Valentin Balakhnichev, Alexei Melnikov, and Gabriel Dolle have been charged with various alleged breaches of the IAAF code of ethics. Papa Massata Diack is a former consultant to the IAAF, Balakhnichev is the former presi-

Disgusted by corruption Platini, who in May said that he was disgusted by corruption within FIFA, and Blatter have both been suspended for 90 days. They deny wrongdoing. Blatter’s former public relations officer and conﬁdant Klaus Stoehlker said the Swiss did not want to “go into detail for now” on what the committee had recommended in his case. “He was very surprised at the news about Platini,” Stoehlker added. Platini, still determined to run in February’s election for president in Zurich, has registered as a candidate but FIFA’s electoral committee has said his bid cannot be processed while he is suspended. He could be allowed back into the race if the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) accepts his appeal against the 90-day ban but could then be eliminated again if Eckert’s panel hands him a long-term ban in its ﬁnal verdict. If that happens, Platini would also have to quit his role as European body UEFA’s president which he has held since 2007. For a long time, Platini was considered the natural successor to Blatter who has weathered one

Real Madrid said in an interview with Italy’s RAI radio. Ancelotti, however, defended the current coach of Real, Rafael Benitez after his side’s 0-4 defeat against Barcelona at the Santiago

Bernabeu stadium on Saturday. The Italian tactician explained that every coach has his ideas and applies them on the ﬁeld while it is the start of the season and there is time to ﬁx things. - IANS

dent of the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF), Melnikov is a former chief ARAF coach for long distance walkers and runners, and Dolle is the former director of the IAAF’s anti-doping department. “Without judging on the ongoing investigation — all people who are mentioned in this matter fully beneﬁt from the presumption of innocence. It is our duty to talk to you and to all the family members whom I call to unity, peace and serenity especially in this difficult moment,” Malboum, who is also an IAAF council member, said. “Despite this turbulence aiming at Africa, we still show our loyalty, our affection and our full support to president Lamine Diack who has devoted himself, soul and body for decades to serve this discipline both on continental and world levels,” said Malboum. Kenya’s IAAF council member David Okeyo is also being investigated by the Kenya AntiFraud Unit and Criminal Investigation Department for his role in signing a new Nike deal that saw the American sports ﬁrm pay $500,000 as signing fees for the official to use. Nike signed a deal with Kenya, lasting 10 years up to 2022. - IANS

ISC TENNIS

FINALISTS: Vatsal Manikandan, left, and Praneeth Raj.

Vatsal lifts U-10 title MUSCAT: Vatsal Manikandan was crowned the champ of the new breed of players when he claimed the under—10 singles title at the Falcon Insurance Company-sponsored Annual Tennis Tournament organised by the Indian Social Club (ISC) Muscat. Justifying their top billing, the top two seeds battled it out for the under-10 title with top seed Vatsal Manikandan taking on second seed Praneeth Raj in the ﬁnal. It was Praneeth who made early inroads into the match and grabbed a 3-1 lead before Vatsal got his act together and broke Pra-

neeth to level at three-games-all. A tense battle ensued thereafter. Vatsal showed consistency in his ground strokes and powered to 5-4 lead. Praneeth was serving to stay in the match but squandered a 4015 advantage as Vatsal put his opponent under pressure and broke Praneeth to win the under-10 singles title with a 6-4 verdict in the final. Vatsal had advanced to the final with an emphatic 6-0 victory over Mikhail Sarit in the semifinal and Praneeth defeated J. Kaavya 6-2 in the other semifinal.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

SPORTS TENNIS

ISL

Fatma advances in Rabat tournament

WINNING START: Fatma Al Nabhani

MUSCAT: Omani ace Fatma Al Nabhani made a winning start in the ITF Pro Circuit $10,000 Rabat tournament in Morocco. According to information received here, the top seeded Omani eased to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Moroccan wild card Ghita Benhadi in her singles ﬁrst round match. Fatma next plays Croatian qual-

ifier Mariana Drazic, who moved up after defeating another Moroccan wild card Lilya Hadab 6-1, 1-6, 6-2. Fatma will also be in action in the doubles competition, where she is teaming up with Spanish girl Olga Parres Azcoita. The top seeds were given a first round bye and will start their campaign in the quarterfinals.

Chennai thrash Delhi Jeje found the net in the 40th and 54th minutes after Mendoza Valencia and Bruno Pelissari had given hosts Chennaiyin an early 2-0 lead

CHENNAI: Jeje Lalpekhlua struck twice as Chennaiyin FC produced a stellar display to thrash Delhi Dynamos FC 4-0 in an Indian Super League (ISL) clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Tuesday. Jeje found the net in the 40th and 54th minutes after Mendoza Valencia (17th minute) and Bruno Pelissari (21st) had given the hosts an early 2-0 lead. Chennaiyin, who were lying at the bottom of the ISL table a couple of matches ago, have now climbed to the fourth spot with 16 points from 12 games. Delhi on the other hand, missed the chance to go top of the table as they continue to lie at the third spot with 18 points from 11 matches. Both teams made a cautious start, but host Chennaiyin were seeing more of the ball in the opening stages of the match. It was the visitors, however, who had the ﬁrst big chance of the game when Adil Nabi played Florent Malouda through on goal in the 13th minute. But the Frenchman shot wide of the target. Chennaiyin took the lead short-

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FC Goa set to tackle NorthEast at home FATORDA: FC Goa chief coach Zico feels that his team will remain unaffected by the 0-4 thrashing at the hands of Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) in their last game as they prepare to tackle NorthEast United FC in a crucial Indian Super League (ISL) clash here on Wednesday. FC Goa were ﬂying high after defeating Mumbai City FC 7-0 at home, but suffered a huge set back in their last game when they lost to ATK, though the loss did not alter their position on the ISL points table drastically as they continue to occupy the second spot. “Our victory against Mumbai City did not affect us as you see that we lost the next game against Kolkata. The loss against Kolkata will soon be forgotten. We must stay focused and carry on, although I must mention that the loss against Kolkata was largely due to their merit,” Zico said at the pre-match media brieﬁng here on Tuesday. Even though FC Goa had defeated NorthEast United 3-1 in the away clash, Zico is aware he cannot relax at this juncture. “Every game is a must win now. All games are important,” said Zico, indicating they cannot afford to lose any more in the competition now, as it would affect their chances of qualifying for

the semifinals. The former Brazil legend said he will have to look at the team in training to find out the availability of players with doubts over Gregory Arnolin, Luciano Sabroza and Rafael Coelho, all of whom are injured. NorthEast United, on other hand, have scripted a remarkable turnaround after starting the campaign with consecutive losses in the first three matches, but now find themselves in the running to qualify for the semifinals. Coach Cesar Farias said he always believed in his team and knew they would come good at some stage of the league phase. “We played well in those three games and there was no reason for us to put our heads down. There were also eight players unavailable because of injuries at that time,” explained Farias. NorthEast United have 16 points in their bag from 11 matches and are placed among the top four at the moment. A win will embolden them especially since they play their last two matches at home against Delhi Dynamos (November 28) and FC Pune City (December 2). “If you look at it with a cool head, a point should be good enough. A point will be good while three points will be excellent,” said Farias. - IANS

FOOTBALL

DOMINANT DISPLAY: Chennaiyin FC’s Steven Mendoza and Jeje Lalpekhula celebrated after scoring a goal against Delhi Dynamos FC during their Indian Super League match at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. – PTI

ly after. A long ball from Jeje saw Delhi goalkeper Toni Doblas rush out of his line hoping to clear the threat posed by a rampant Mendoza who was chasing down the ball alongside Souvik Chakraborty. Doblas’ headed clearance fell straight to Mendoza who side-footed the game’s opener into an open net. Pelissari almost made it 2-0 soon after, but he couldn’t keep his effort on target. The Italian though, had a second bite at the cherry in the 21st minute after Lalpekhlua had his initial shot saved by Doblas. The rebound came directly at Pelissari who made no mistake this time around as he scored Chennaiyin’s second past three Delhi defenders in goal.

Robin Singh tried to pull one back for Delhi in the 29th minute courtesy of another defence-splitting pass from Malouda. His shot was tipped behind for a corner by Apoula Edel who looked resolute in the Chennaiyin goal. Things got worse for Delhi Dynamos FC before half-time. Rafael Augusto found Mendoza brilliantly with space on the left. The Colombian then played the perfect low cross to find Lalpekhlua in the box who calmly finished to make it 3-0 for the hosts five minutes before the break. Delhi’s marquee player-cumcoach Roberto Carlos responded by bringing on Richard Gadze for Nabi before the interval. The speedy

Ghanaian tried to inject some impetus into Delhi’s attack but the score remained 3-0 at the interval. The game was put beyond any reasonable doubt nine minutes into the second period when Lalpekhlua got his second of the night. It was Mendoza again who caused havoc in Delhi’s penalty box as a flustered Dynamos defence somehow kept out his shot. Lalpekhlua, however, was in the right place at the right time to make it 4-0 after the ball dropped to him in the midst of chaos inside the penalty area. But the Dynamos to their credit, never stopped trying to find a way back into the game. But Chennaiyin’s huge lead proved to be too big a deficit to overcome. - IANS

FA’s new ‘safety-ﬁrst’ rules for concussion LONDON: The Football Association (FA) has issued new safety-ﬁrst guidelines on how to identify whether a player has been concussed following an injury and how soon they should be allowed to return. The guidelines state that a player suspected of being concussed should be immediately removed from play or training and must not return to play that day. In cases where concussion is proved, an adult player can only return to play after 19 days at the earliest, while the earliest possible return for an under-19 player is 23 days. “The paramount priority for The FA is player safety, and so the publication of these con-

cussion guidelines is integral to achieving an unprecedented high level of care and safety for players at all levels,” said Dr Ian Beasley, the FA’s head of medical services. The issue of concussion gained prominence in England after the death of former West Bromwich Albion striker Jeff Astle in 2002, at the age of 59. Astle, known for his skill at heading, died from a brain condition most commonly associated with boxers, known as dementia pugilistica or boxer’s disease. The new guidelines were drawn up in consultation with a panel of experts to address fears over rising head injuries across all sports. - Reuters

TELY BOYS DEFEAT NTECH TO LIFT CRICKET TITLE Tely Boys defeated Ntech to lift the title at the tape ball floodlight cricket tournament organised by Team 050 at Haafa Ground in Salalah. A total of eight teams took part in the tournament. In the final, Ntech batted first and scored 52 for one in eight overs. Tely Boys chased the target in 4.5 overs without losing any wicket. Individual awards went to Tely Boys’ Shamsu (player of the final), Ntech’s Badsha (best batsman) and Ashkar (best bowler), and Tely Boys’ Mashmool Shanu (man of the series). — Supplied photo

SECTION

LIFESTYLE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

Leisure WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

FANJA

THE HIDDEN BEAUTY Story Mohammed Shafeeqe

Photography MMG Photographers

Photos: Supplied & MMG Photographers

While driving on the Nizwa-Muscat highway, many a times the panoramic green view of date palm trees lining the wide wadi in Fanja must have forced you to slow down your car and peep through the window. Next time, take the detour and explore Fanja. It is one of the most picturesque villages perfect for a picnic, camping, or a day tour that can be reached in less than one hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive from Muscat. >>

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

Photography: Cio Datan, A R Rajkumar & Talib Al Wahaibi

LIFESTYLE

he village clad in rich heritage and history is next to an extensive palm grove that runs alongside Wadi Fanja, and the approach is one of the most scenic views that Oman has to offer. Taking the exit on the highway from Muscat, a new majestic mosque under construction is the ﬁrst charm of the modern Fanja that welcomes us. The little town is a mix of modern and old charms with supermarkets, petrol pumps, eating joints, beauty saloons, ATM, old market place, ﬁsh vendors, and the traditional souq. The souq is renowned for its pottery where you can wander round the market bargaining for locally produced pots, local fruits and, farm fresh vegetables, and woven goods made from palm leaves. In ancient times, traders and bedouins would bring their goods, including perfumes, spices, rugs and handicrafts to sell in the market. The souq is an array of small shops that offer everything from handmade merchandise to local honey, spices, dried fruits, and ghee. It is learnt that Fanja was once a business hub and the wealthy people of Fanja had expanded their trade ties to Zanzibar, India, and Africa. Many people from Fanja and the neighbouring villages come to the souq either as buyers or sellers who exhibit their products. The souq showcases a wonderful collection of handicrafts that are

locally made. The pottery items, usually used as decorative pieces, are well-made and beautifully decorated with different shapes and colours. There are also coffee pots, leather goods, antiques, and household products as well as dried fish displayed in the yard of the souq. This outstanding souq also includes artistic products made of wood such as decorated boxes, called Mandoos, in, which people used to keep clothes. The village has a dramatic tower perched on top of a hill offering spectacular views of the surrounding scenery and the wadi below. The wadi is beautiful as it is surrounded by date palms and other trees. The peaceful and tranquil place offers ambience for a great day out. Wadi Fanja often has running water especially after usual seasons of rain. Most of the residents and visitors enjoy lovely evenings here, especially on weekends. Explore the wadi bed; you see a lot of families gather and doing barbecue, children playing in the water. Fanja has many aflaj that are used as the source of water for farms. Some of these aflaj are Al Rasah, Al Sharjah and Tawi Mansoor. According to the locals, there are two aflaj — East and West Hamam aflaj — with hot water, which is believed to have properties that can cure skin diseases. The road crosses the wadi on a bridge, take a right deviation into the palm trees and go on till you see the old houses behind the trees.

The old world charm is one of the fascinating factors about Fanja. Fanja’s rich cultural heritage reflects the ancient past of the city. It offers a unique mixture of old and new landmarks that represent the real image of the town

Leave the car and climb to one of the watchtowers to have a great view of the green valley below. It is a bit of a climb. Resist the temptation to go straight up as there are a number of much easier paths. A portrait of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said will welcome you to the village. The dark alley way takes you to a bygone era as you see rows of ruined mud houses. It is refreshingly cool inside with one of the all-around holes always in a good position to catch a breeze. View to the Nizwa motorway in the distance and the old houses of Fanja right below with in-between wadi Samail and Fanja’s abundant green gardens. It is a treat to watch the green date palm garden, the falaj that water the garden all the time, the majestic mountains and the Wadi Fanja from the top. This old world charm is one of the fascinating factors about Fanja. Fanja’s rich cultural heritage reﬂects the ancient past of the city. Some archaeological studies, including projects by Sultan Qaboos University, have found out that the old village had a glorious history. However, Fanja offers a unique mixture of old and new landmarks that represent the real image of the town. There are many ancient buildings like towers, castles and old houses built of mud on the mountains overlooking the wadi, and new structures as well. These old cannons that protected the town from rival incursions, the castle and mud structures have withered extreme weather and, later, human interventions to survive for more than 400 years, but

the future remains bleak as the historical place is in the throes of fading into oblivion. Majority of the villagers had moved to other parts of the new-look Fanja town. But there are a few who still live in refurbished houses as they are reluctant to leave the village that fed them from the time of their birth. Mud bricks were main construction material for the houses and castle, while multistoreyed structures were made utilising the trunks and leaves of the date palm trees. Fanja’s ancient civilisation still exists along with modern development; it is a place with a hidden beauty that is yet to be explored.

HOW TO GET THERE Drive out of town on the Muscat to Nizwa road for about 25km and take the right turn off the highway at the Fanja sign. Follow the road through the town passing the police station and market, go over the valley bridge, and take the next right. Follow the road passing the fort on your right, the road gets narrower. You might want to park the car here and explore on foot. Take a left at the small convenience store, turn right at the junction, and follow the hill up and up until you see the gateway to the old town with the painting of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Enjoy the cool breeze and nice surroundings. While coming back, head to the wadi and take a dip in the calm waters. You do not need a 4X4 to visit Fanja, but if you want to explore the wadi it is a must. —shafeeq@timesofoman.com

T R AV E L T I P S

Travel Technology Must Haves Preparing for a trip and enjoying it has never been this easy, thanks to advancements in the latest technology. So before you grab your bag and go, make sure you’ve added each of these tech items.

Plan Ahead

Find your Luggage

Multi-Focus Glasses

In Case of Emergency

Exploring a new locale is half the fun of a vacation, so plan ahead to ensure you leave yourself time to wander and money to do it with. There are several smartphone apps that can be downloaded for free, and they can be used to compare prices on airline tickets, hotel stays, and event options.

Worried about losing your luggage on your ﬂight? Get a luggage tracker. This compact device clips to your luggage and allows you to track its whereabouts with your smartphone or tablet. It’s always better to know where your luggage is, even if the answer may horrify you.

If you’ve ever left your reading glasses behind at home because you were afraid of losing them while travelling, a pair of Foster Grant Multi Focus Advanced Readers can help. These glasses offer three different magniﬁcation zones in a single pair of reading glasses, allowing you to use your glasses as readers, but still focus on things far away. The result is that you’ll never have to take your reading glasses off or risk losing them while you’re travelling.

No one likes to think about the worst, especially on vacation. Accidents, however, do happen and having an emergency cellphone on you isn’t a bad idea. Emergency cellphones run on AA batteries so you don’t have to worry about charging them. In fact, just one battery can last 15 years if the phone isn’t used. These phones also have built-in panic sirens and even an SOS ﬂash. Make sure to add a local SIM card if you are travelling abroad. — Courtesy of Brandpoint

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

LIFESTYLE THE HOBBYIST Akbar Al Balushi Drummer

Why do you love playing drums? I find it interesting. Drums are a form of retreat and being behind the kit is magical. I guess I should share my reasons too. I spent my school years hitting table tops with my fingers. There was just something pleasurable in exploring different sounds of one surface. I learnt guitar, keyboard, and bass guitar. But I realised that percussion makes me happier as I find a special pleasure in exploring different sounds. Above all, I was born into a musical family. How did you get into it? A close friend of mine, who was involved in learning music since his school days, and I decided to form a band (Arabic music). That is how Mayasim Band was born in 1997. Later I joined some other friends to form a Latin band called Majan Band (Latin music). I got more experience in different styles of music after I joined many bands in Muscat.

BEAT IT

How can I get into it? It should come naturally to you. What’s your pro-tip? Perfect practice. Get into practice schedules with your bandmates as a run up to a tour. This isn’t as much learning the songs as it is conditioning your body and building up your muscle memory. Whether you’re a sloppy Black Flag style band or a machine of a band like Dream Theatre, you need to rebuild that chemistry. So when you hit the stage there’s nothing to worry about. Contact info/resources for Learning Drums in Muscat

The drums are a form of retreat and being behind the kit is magical

Photography: Supplied

Classic Music and Arts Institute +968 2448 9847

Y O U R FAV O U R I T E B O O K

CATCH-22 WHAT’S CATCH-22 SITUATION? It is something like invoking logic in an illogical manner. Or it is like a logic that proves “A precedes B and B precedes A”. A bit weird? This will eventually form a circular logic having the pillar of illogical dogmas. A big zero that absolves everything. Zero originates from zero and rest in zero. Now, shift your focus to the battle ground. “Is everything fair in love and war?” We have been conditioned to believe so. So as to nurture alternate thoughts, we have to unlearn a few. Let us assume the military personnel on the battleground. Can it be that, everyone is being driven

by Joseph Heller

by the spirit of patriotism? Not always. But in reality, many of them are trying to save their life also. Here you have Yossarin, our protagonist who is an indolent bombardier. No wonder he was employed to fly the fighter and there is guarantee to return alive. On records, Yossarin and others were fighting against the enemy of the state. But in real sense, Yossarin’s foe was the one who is pushing him towards the mishap. It boils down to the country he represents in the war itself. The primordial human psyche to save their lives is the guiding spirit of Yossarin. But there is a stumbling block –“Great Loyalty Oath of Crusade – Catch-

22”. The hilarious and baleful description of the war scenario and the vain attempt of almost loony characters are described in 453 pages. The apt succinct of the novel could be, “A wild, moving, shocking, hilarious, raging, exhilarating, giant, roller-coaster of a book” . This is written by famous literary critic Maurice Dolbier. Joseph Seller’s narration gives an alternate literary experience. The story is not told in a linear fashion and was expressed through the characters and their portent feeling. The central theme itself is about the pandemonium associated with the circular logic. This is a novel gained “cult classic” status after

several years of publication. The best accolade for Joseph Seller could be the addition of a new phrase in dictionary “Catch-22”. Whether you love or hate — we are not immune to Catch-22. — Reviewed by Sajith Nair

ARE YOU A PROLIFIC READER? Which is your favourite book? Pick one and send in your thoughts on it. Contact shafeeq@timesofoman.com

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

C10

PRAYER TIMINGS

FIND-IT-ALL CINEMA SCHEDULE

@SHATTI

@RUWI

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 4:30, 7:30, 9:00, 11:30 PM Tiger House (Action ) (12+) Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Gougray Scott 7:00, 10:00 PM Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Family) (PG) Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor 4:30 PM Amar Akbar Anthony( Malayalam) (12+) Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaram, Jayasurya 11:30 PM

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI Spectre (Action | Thriller) (PG12) Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz 2:30, 9:15, 11:55 PM The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-2 (3D) (Adventure | Sci-Fi) (PG12) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 3:15, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30 PM The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-2 (2D) (Adventure | Sci-Fi) (PG12) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 4:15, 6:45 PM Secret in their Eyes (Mystery | Thriller) (12+) Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman 2:15, 9:30, 11.45 PM A Perfect Day (Drama) (PG) Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Tim Robbins 5:15 PM Eyal Harifa (Comedy) PG12 7:30 PM

Hunger Games : Mockingjay part 2 (Action, Adventure) (PG12) (4D) Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth Timings : 2:00, 5:15, 8:30, 11:45 pm VIP Lounge: 3:00, 8:15, 11:00 pm

Secret in their Eyes (Mystery | Thriller) (12+) Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman Timing: 2:15, 9:30, 11.45 PM

4:00 & 9:00PM Gold Class : 5:45PM

Amar Akbar Anthony- Malayalam (PG12) Cast : Prithiviraj, Jaya Surya Timing: 3.45, 6.45 PM

2:30, 11:45 pm A Perfect Day (Drama)(2D)(PG) Cast : Benicio Del Toro, Tim Robbins, Olga Kurylenko 4:45 pm Eyal Harifa (Arabic, Comedy)(2D)(PG12) 6:45 pm

PANORAMA MALL Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 2 (3D) Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 2:00, 5:15, 8:30, 11:45 pm (Action) (PG12) Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 2 – (Action) (PG12) VIP LOUNGE 3:00, 8:15, 11:00 pm Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 2 (Action, Adventure)(4D)(PG12) Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth 2:00, 5:15, 8:30, 11:45 pm Spectre (Action, Adventure) (PG12) 8:45, 11:30 pm Spectre (Action, Adventure)(PG12) VIP LOUNGE: 5:30 pm Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Hindi, Family)(PG) 5:15, 8:30 pm Secret In Their Eyes (Mystery, Thriller) (2D)(12+) Cast : Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts

MUSCAT GRAND MALL The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-2 : 3D (Adventure/Sci-Fi) PG12 Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 1:00, 3:45, 8:45, 11:30 PM Gold Class : 3:00, 8:30, 11:15 PM Hatched: Chicks Gone Wild : 2D (Animation/Fantasy) (PG) 12:15PM Secret in their Eyes : 2D (Thriller) (12+) Cast : Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts 1:45, 6:30 & 11:45PM A Perfect Day : 2D (Drama) (PG) Cast : Benicio Del Toro, Tim Robbins 6:45PM Spectre : 2D (Action/Thriller) PG12 Cast : Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz

Amar Akbar Anthony - 2D (12+) Comedy Cast – Prithviraj Sukumaran, Namitha 5:45, 7:15 PM RUWI Screen 1 Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Family) – PG Cast : Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor 3.30, 6.45, 10.00 PM Screen 2 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 – 2D (Action/Sci Fic) – PG12 Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM Screen 3 Amar Akbar Anthony- Malayalam – PG12 Cast : Prithiviraj, Jaya Surya 3.45, 6.45 PM Spectre (Action) – PG12 Cast : Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes 9.45 PM

AZAIBA Spectra – 2D (PG12) Action, Thriller Cast: Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes 4:00, 11:30 PM Vedalam – 2D (PG) Action, Masala Cast: Ajith Kumar, Shruti Hasan 3:00, 8:30 PM Prem Ratan Dhan Payo – 2D (PG) Family Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor 2:00, 5:05, 8:15, 10:00, 11:30 PM Hatched: Chicks Gone Wild – 2D (PG) Animation, Fantasy 2:30 PM The Hunger Game : Mocking Jay Part 2 – 3D (PG12) Adventure, Sci-Fi Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 2:15, 4:45, 6:45, 9:15, 11:45 PM

SUR The Hunger Game - Mockingjay 2 3D (Action | Adventure | Sci Fi ) (PG12)

SOHAR Spectre - 2D (PG12) Action |Thriller Cast : Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes 3:00, 6:15 PM Prem Ratan Dhan Payo - 2D (PG) Family Cast : Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor 2:30, 8:15, 10:30 PM The Hunger Game : Mocking Jay Part 2 - 3D (PG12) Adventure, Sci-Fi Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 3:15, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30 PM The Hunger Game : Mocking Jay Part 2 - 2D (PG12) Adventure, Sci-Fi Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 7:50 PM Secret in Their Eyes - 2D (12+) Mystery Cast : Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman 2:30, 5:45, 11:45 PM Tiger House - 2D (12+) Action |Drama Cast : Kaya Scodelario, Dougray Scott 4:40, 11:30 PM A Perfect Day - 2D (PG) Drama Cast : Benicio Del Toro, Tim Robbins 5:45 PM Amar Akbar Anthony - 2D (M) (12+) Thriller Cast : Prithviraj Sukumaran, Namitha 9:00 PM BURAIMI The Hunger Game: Mocking Jay– 3D (Adventure, Sci-Fi) (PG12) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 4:45, 6:15, 9:00, 11:30PM Tiger House – 2D (Action, Crime) (12+) Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Dougray Scott, Ed Skrein 7:30, 11:15PM Secret in Their Eyes – 2D (Mystery,

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) Destination

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

16:30 18:00 19:30

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

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

Daily

Nizwa Al Araqi

07:00

Ruwi

10:25

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

06:00 06:00

Nizwa Ruwi

Daily Daily

Fahud Yibal

12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

08:40 11:00

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

20:00 20:30 23:30 07:40

Daily Daily

15:40 15:40

Nizwa Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

Marmul

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

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

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

06:00

Marmul

16:30

Daily

08:30 11:30 15:30 18:30 17:35 20:55

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur 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) 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

INSIA IBRAHIM November 25, 2013

55-80%

11.45 13.30 14.00

KARTHIKA VINOD November 25, 2008

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 extra@timesofoman.com

LISTINGS

Daily Daily Daily

Sharjah Fujairah Ruwi

16:30 18.15 23.00

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)

07:00

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 06:00 06:00 13:00 13:00 15:00 15:00

Ruwi Ruwi

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

06:00 14:30

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100) Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

Programmes are subject to change

Minimum

Daily Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

10:30 11:15

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100) 07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

Amar Akbar Anthony (Mal) (Act/Drama) Cast: Prithviraj, Jaya Surya, Indrajith & Namitha 3-30, 6-30 & 9-30 Pm Cinema Main Vedalam (Tamil) Act Cast: Ajith, Shruthi Hassan & Lakshmi Menon 3-30, 6-30 & 9-30 Pm Cinema – 2 Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Hindi ) (Act) Cast : Salman Khan,Sonam Kapoo 6-45 & 9-45 Pm Cinema- 4 Akhil (Telugu) (Rom/Act) Cast : Akhil Akkineni & Sayesha Saigal 3-45 Pm At Cinema - 4 Thoonga Vanam (Tamil) Thriller Cast : Kamal Hassan & Trisha 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 pm At Cinema-3 Next Change: Anarkali (Mal); Inji Iduppazhagi (Tamil); Size Zero (Telugu)

Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62) 06:30 06:30

Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) Sur Sur

STAR CINEMA

AYERA SAGAR November 25, 2013

ROYAL OMAN POLICE 07:30 14:30

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (Adventure / Sci-Fi) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth 2.00, 4.30, 7.00, 9.30 & 11.55 pm CP No: 3015 (PG12) Tiger House (Action / Crime / Drama) Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Dougray Scott, Ed Skrein 12.30, 10.00 & 11.55 pm CP No: 3016 (12+) Spectre (Action / Adventure / Thriller) Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes 2.30 p.m. CP No: 2965 (PG12) Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Hindi / Drama) Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anupam Kher 7.00 pm CP No: 2996 (PG) A Perfect Day (Drama) Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Tim Robbins, Olga Kurylenko 12.30 & 5.00 pm CP No : 3017 (PG)

SALALAH The Hunger Game : Mocking Jay Part 2 (3D) (PG12) (Adventure, Sci-Fi) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson 10:45AM, 6:30, 9:00, 11:35PM The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2 (2D) (PG12) (Adventure/Sc-Fi) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson 3:30PM Spectre (2D) (PG12) (Action /Thriller) Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes 12:30, 3:10PM Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2D) (PG) (Family) Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor 11:00AM, 8:00, 11:15PM A Perfect Day (2D) (PG) (Drama) Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Tim Robbins 1:35, 6:00PM Secret in Their Eyes (2D) (12+) (Thriller) Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman 10:30AM, 2:15, 11:55PM Eyal Harifa (2D) (PG12) (Arabic)(Comedy) 7:15PM Amar Akbar Anthony (2D) (12+) (Mal) Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Namitha 9:15PM ( Comedy/ Thriller) Vedalam (2D) (PG) (Tamil) (Action | Masala) Cast: Ajith Kumar, Shruti Hasan, Laxmi Menon 4:25PM

29 22

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

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

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 20:50

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54) 14:30 14:30

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

BAHJA CINEMA

WEATHER

15:00 15:00 15:00

Quriyat Sur Jaalan

Thriller) (12+) Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts 4:15, 9:30, 11:45PM Prem Ratan Dhan Payo– 2D (Family) (PG) Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh 4:00, 8:45PM Amar Akbar Anthony– 2D (Comedy, Thriller) (12+) Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Namitha, Jayasurya, Indrajith 7:00PM

WITH LOVE

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36)

17:30

11.59pm 3.04pm 5.25pm 6.39pm 5.08am

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

@PANORAMA MALL

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

Afghanistan Algeria Bahrain Bangladesh Brazil Brunei China Cyprus Egypt France Germany India Indonesia Iran Iraq Italy Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya South Korea Kuwait

24698 791/4 24605 593 24 605 074/133 24 698 660 24640100 24 603533 24 696782 24 699815 24 600 982/411 24681 800 24835000 24684500 2469 1050 24 696 944/7 24603642 24693727 24 601 028 24692760/1/3 24 692418 24 697664 24 691490 24 699628

Lebanon Libya Malaysia Morocco Nepal Netherlands Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Senegal Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Switzerland Syria Tanzania Thailand Tunisia Turkey UAE United Kingdom United States Yemen

24 693208 24603466 24698329/643 24696152/3 24696177 24603706 24603439 24601312 24605335 24 691 153/2/4 24602894 24601705 24694139 24697977 24647300 24691101 24697841/2 24697875 24603267 24697904 24601 174 24 602684/5 24603486 24697050/1/2 24400000 24609000 24643400 24600815

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi Salalah Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya Muscat, A Seeb Market Muscat, Al Khuwair Muscat, Al Hail South Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

23291635

HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre 24485052 Atlas Hospital Ruwi 24811743/ Ghubra 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi 24563641 Azaiba 24499269 Sohar 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740 Ceregem National Raak 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217 Elixir Health Centre 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274 Lifeline Hospital Salalah 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital 24760100 24 Hrs Emergency 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128 MBD 24799077 Al Khuwair 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours) 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot 24704455 Air Arabia 24700828 Air France 24562153 Air India 24799801

Air New Zealand 24700732 Biman Bangladesh Airlines 24701128 British Airways 24568777 Cathay Pacific 24789818 Egypt Air 24794113 Emirates Air 24404400 Ethiopian Airlines 24660313 Gulf Air 80072424 Indian 24791914 Iran Air 24787423 Japan Airlines 24704455 Jazeera Airways 23294848 Jet Airways 24787248 Kenya Airways 24660300 KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737 Kuwait Airways 24701262 LOT Polish Airlines 24796387 Lufthansa 24796692 Malaysian Airlines 24560796 Middle East Airlines 24796680 Oman Air 24531111 Pakistan International Airlines 24792471 Qatar Airways 24771900 Qantas 24559941 Royal Jordanian 24796693 Saudi Arabian Airlines 24789485 Singapore Airlines 24791233 Shaheen Air 24816565 SriLankan Airlines 24784545 Swiss International Airlines 24796692 Thai Airways 24705934

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

LIFESTYLE

Shadow Play

.6”E Location: 23°17’43.5”N 57°27’55 the beauty of an Have you been able to capture n in Oman? Send off-the-beaten-path destinatio geo-locator to: your pictures with a caption & shafeeqe@timesofoman.com

IN THE NEWS

Emirates Launches New Toys for Young Travellers

DUBAI: Emirates has released its newest range of toys, the Fly with Me Animals for infants and toddlers and specially designed Fly with Me Lonely Planet activity bags for those aged between six and 12 years old. The new toys are now available on board, ahead of the upcoming holiday season. Emirates’ Fly with Me Animals is a new take on its signature kid’s products, replacing the popular Fly with Me Monsters. The toys are designed for infants and children up to eight years old and are meant to be both entertaining and educational. Each character represents a speciﬁc region and will help chil-

dren learn more about its habitat. The ﬁrst four animals to make their debut on board are: Lewis the Lion from Africa, Peek U the Panda from China, Enrico the Monkey from Latin America, and Leila the Camel from the Middle East. Four new Fly with Me Animals will be introduced every six months. The animals will be featured across three product lines: the Travel Buddy, which comes with a plastic toggle allowing the toy to be hung in the car, on a pram or in the cot; the Carry Buddy, a dual purpose toy and blanket; as well as the Magnetic Sketcher for young ones to express themselves creatively.

The Fly With Me magazine on board has also been revamped to feature the animals. The activityfilled publication is produced exclusively for Emirates’ young flyers. “Over 4 million children travel with us each year, which makes young travellers among our most important customers. We know how challenging it can be for parents to keep their children occupied and happy on flights. We’ve ensured that every aspect of the travel experience is catered for, from toys and kids’ entertainment to special meals on board, and even family check-in areas. We are committed to ensuring a smooth travel experience for fami-

lies,” said Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Executive Vice-President and Chief Operations Officer. In addition to the Fly with Me Animals, Emirates has partnered with Lonely Planet to create activity bags containing travel content tailored for children. The Fly with Me Lonely Planet products come in four variations – two specially designed Kid’s Retro-Style Rucksacks, and two Kid’s Cool Bags. These products will be refreshed every 12 months. Each bag features different content to encourage a sense of adventure in young travellers. These include fold-out world maps, travel journals, plastic drink bottles, cards with world facts and various educational books exclusive to Emirates. Families can look forward to even more enhancements by the end of the year. This includes a new range of kid’s greeting cards to celebrate special occasions on board, and refreshed photo cards for cabin crew to capture special moments with an instant Polaroid camera. Meal times on board have also been given extra attention. The special meals offered to children aged between two and 12 years old will be served on newly designed meal trays featuring the iconic Emirates cabin crew and pilots. Children travelling on Emirates will be kept occupied with its award-winning inﬂight entertainment system, ice Digital Widescreen, which features over 25 dedicated kids TV channels and over 40 classic Disney movies. — lifestyle@timesofoman.com

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

LIFESTYLE 01

The World’s Most

OLD YUNGAS ROAD BOLIVIA We’d rather hitchhike the Highway

DANGEROUS ROADS

to hell than take our chances on Old Yungas Rd (aka: “The Death Road”), considered the most dangerous in the world. The 40-mile stretch linking La Paz to Coroico hugs cliffs that overlook a sprawling canyon and features so many sharp turns that you’d think drivers would putter along at 10mph rather than take a chance. They don’t. More than 200 people a year fall to their death in trucks, cars, and public buses.

Imagine driving down a scenic road in some exotic, far-ﬂung locale when the railing disappears around the bend, the road narrows to practically a trail, and thousands of feet below — if you squint — you can see the skeletal remains of cars long lost. Sometimes the road that is less travelled is for a reason — they might take your life.

KARNALI HIGHWAY NEPAL Just like Old Yungas Road, the 155-mile Karnali Highway in the Himalayas of West Nepal is a death wish (approximately 50 people die there a year). The dirt road’s surface is so bad that even cyclists who ﬂock there for the stunning views are often like, “maybe not today.” And as you can imagine, vehicles that attempt to drive the road tend to slide on patches of dirt and choke on steep climbs.

JAMES DALTON HIGHWAY ALASKA If we’ve learned anything from Ice Road Truckers on the History Channel, it’s that the roads in Alaska suck. And the most infamous sucky road is the James Dalton Highway, a 414-mile passage between the Arctic Sea oil ﬁelds and civilisation. Winter is unfortunately peak season for drivers, and high winds and icy conditions turn the road into a slip’n’ slide for truckers.

GUOLIANG TUNNEL ROAD CHINA The literal English translation for the mile-long Guoliang Tunnel Road is “road that tolerates no mistakes”. Built by 13 local villagers in the Taihang Mountains (many of whom died during construction), the chiselled mountain tunnel measures only 15ft high by 12ft wide, but provides us with unbelievable views of the Chinese landscape through 30 “windows” that were cut out of the cliff. Not only is it one of the steepest roads in the world, but it’s become one of the area’s top tourist attractions to be visited ... on foot.

ATLANTIC ROAD NORWAY Considered one of the most scenic road trips in Europe, the Atlantic Road has its dark moments. The ﬁve-mile highway links islands between Kristansund and Molde, boasts eight bridges, and has an infamous stretch along the ocean that gets battered by massive waves and ﬁerce winds during storms. Conditions get crazy enough that you’ll wish you stayed in Oslo.

FEDERAL HIGHWAY 1 MEXICO This road is straight up loco.

VITIM RIVER BRIDGE SIBERIA You’d think Vitim River Bridge

Spanning 1,000 miles along the Baja Peninsula, and heavily used by freight trucks transporting goods to remote towns and villages, the road snakes through the mountains and along cliffs. It’s a heart stopper on its own, but what’s even scarier: drivers don’t need to pass a driving test in six Mexican states, meaning you could possibly be sharing that road with texting-addicted amateurs.

would be called “Victim River Bridge,” considering its reputation as one of the scariest roads in the world. But lucky enough, there have been no reported fatalities on the road. Which seems strange until you realise just how few people dare to drive here. The answer is ... not many. The super-old structure is barely wide enough for a standard car and there are no railings — just iced over decaying wood (it is Siberia, after all) that could collapse at any moment.

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M W E D N E S DAY, N O V E M B E R 2 5, 2 0 1 5

SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

RENT

VACANCY

CARGO

FOR HIRE WITH OPERATORS

1. Back Hoe Loaders (Shovels): 5 Nos 2. 10 Tons Vibratory Roller Compactor: 1 No. 3. 42 Mtrs. Concrete Pump Putzmeister: 1 No. 4. 45 Cbm Tippers: 2 Nos 5. 50 M height, 50 Boom tower cranes: 5 Nos.

Please contact – Mr. Ravi on 96529679 Email – ravi@alliedoman.com / narayan@alliedoman.com

W E D N E S D AY, N OV E M B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiﬁeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE FOR RENT

*Tourist visa arranged

FOR RENT SPACIOUS – 2 BHK, 3 bathrooms Flat with Split AC at Muttrah Prime Location

Contact : 93202733 NEW 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 (Negotiable) per month.

Contact : 99229263; 93221054; 95215289 2 BHK with spilt A/C in W.K behind Sana fashion. Contact: 96708000 1 BHK with split A/C in Darsait opposite Muscat Municipality. Contact: 96708000 2 BHK with spilt /AC in MSQ opposite AL Fair. Contact: 96708000 Room, kitchen & bath in north Ghobrah include E/W & AC split 200/- R.O. Contact: 92811110 Excellent office 5 rooms Al Khuwair O.A. Bank building 850/-R.O. Contact: 94232344 4 BHK villa for rent Al Khuwair 650/- O.R Contact: 94232344 2 BHK Honda road Ruwi. Contact: 99224748 /99332297 House for rent in AL Amerat opposite office Justice, 3rooms, Majlis , 4 toilets, living room ,food hall & kitchen. Contact: 99252494

Indian school Darsait (ISD), 2BHK Spacious ﬂats, ground ﬂoor air conditioners provided , OMR 350/including full maintenance . Ideal for south Indian families. Contact: 99076557 Urgent apartment for rent: First Floor, Purpose built one bedroom, bath, Kitchen with balcony and a drawing & dinning. 2 Minutes walk from Indian School Muscat. Contact - 99346265 5 BHK villa at Mabela 7 for Rent. Contact: 99428221/ 99269912 A Bedroom along with separate bathroom available for rent for an Executive Bachelor in Al Khuwair (near Zawawi Mosque). Contact 92138451 Flats in Qurum, Al Wallaj, 3 rooms, Majlis, dining room, kitchen, 3 bathrooms. Contact: 98044421

One / two, B/R RES / Comm. directly from own ER near medical college Bausher. Contact: 92158031

Beautiful villa directly on beach in best location in Shatti Qurum 1800 OMR. Contact: 95887572 Flat available for rent 2 bedrooms hall, 2 toilets, 1 kitchen & balcony with proper sun light & ventilator location or Mabela north very close to Indian school AL Seeb rent R.O 230/-. Contact: 99432496

Spacious 2 BHK ﬂat on Penthouse behind Sultan Center, Azaiba – RO.425/- p.m. Contact: 99849325/99824803 Furnished rooms attached bath for Indian bachelor Al Falaj area - Ruwi & for lady in Wadi Kabir near Mars Hypermarket Contact 96202458/96761960

2 BHK in Al Meera MKT building in Al Khuwair available. Rent RO420. Contact 94047434 Villa at Al.Khuwair having six bedrooms, six bathrooms, sitting, dinning, hall, kitchen Etc. Contact - 24833972/ 24833974/ 99367448 1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-. Contact: 92144045

Sohar: 3BHK AND 4BHK FLATS, R.O 200 and R.O 215 respectively. (New Building with CCTV camera with Split A/C). Contact: 99881426 / 92123699 House in Al Khoud commercial district, 4rooms, Majlis, 2 kitchens, 3 bathrooms. Contact: 98044421 1BHK ﬂat near Star Cinema 220/-. Contact 99358589 /95570288 Shops in AL Amerat industrial area near shell station.Contact: 98044421

1BHK new bldg with A/C curtains near Khimji mart MBD. Contact: 99061408 /99024039

1.2.3 BHK ﬂats 8 villas. Contact: 97799175

1.2 BHK M.B.D. Contact: 92144045

Furnished office, accommodation available Walja. Contact: 96246625

5B/R villa in Mumtaz area and 4 B/R villas in Mawalah next to the wave for rent. Contact: 97296105

Deluxe , spacious & air conditioned two bedroom ﬂats with good quality ﬁnishes , wardrobes & secured basement parking are available for rent in Azaiba north , close to 18th November street. Contact: 93888666 /24493666/99228454

1BHK Darsait I.S.D school R.O 225/Contact: 92144045

2.3 BHK Ghobrah R.O 350/- / 400/-. Contact: 92144045

Flats for rent near Indian school in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99777122

Villa for rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 95562646

Luxurious 2 BHK ﬂat with 3 toilets , store , equipped kitchen & split A.C s at Mumtaz area with free GYM & party, hall rent 410 R.O. Contact: 92622506

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 2 5, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

HOME THEATER & KARAOKE BRING HOME - LIVE MUSIC & CINEMA GENERAL ELECTRONICS SERVICES LLC CONTACT: 99627299 / 93327841

SERVICES REQUIRED IN OMAN We are looking for a suitable sub-contractor to carry out installation and supervision of GRP Sectional Water tanks. Interested parties may contact by e-mail :

recruitments007@gmail.com or call 99104461

AVAILABLE FOR RENT 100 Sq Mts Showroom On Ground Floor at Darvesh Building, Near Royal Hospital. Contact Person

Mr. Mudassir : 99314330 Mr. Sajeev : 98157340

USED & SCRAP VEHICLES & EQUIPMENT

FOR SALE

Flats and Houses for rent in Wadi Kabir and Sidab best price. Contact: 95555162/95755953

D/C Pick-Ups, 3 Ton Trucks, Cars, Buses, Station Wagons, Prime Movers, Hiabs, Swg. Tankers, Diesel Tankers, Water Tankers, Skip Trucks, Trailers, Dozer, Sideboom, Excavators, Shovels, Rollers, Graders, JCB for sale on “as is where is basis”

Flat for rent in Amerat two bedroom, one hall. Contact: 91141097 2 Bedroom centrally air conditioned flat in CBD, Central bank area. Contact: 24714625/ 94460790 New Building in Muttrah, 2 B/D Room Flat + Setting Room, 3 Baths+ Kitchen with split unit Ac’s. Behind Khimjis main office/opposite to Oman House Call 99419712 Deluxe beach front villa at AL Hail North with 5 bedrooms and staff quarter having excellent finishes is available for immediate occupation. Contact: 93888666/ 244493666/99228454 2BHK near Oman house behind Khimji, H.O. Contact: 95865686 Air conditioned two bedroom flats centrally located at AL Khuwair are available for rent. Contact: 93888666/24493666 /99228454 New warehouse for rent at Ghala Ind. Area. 800 & 2500 approx sqms near Hotel Al-Madinah Holiday Ghala. Container can enter. Immediate access to roads & highways. Contact : 94583320 Three bedroom fully furnished apartment in UAE Cornish area. Contact: 99326318 1BHK flat Darsait near MCT Municipality 220/-. Contact: 99342661 2 & 3 BHK Al Khuwair. Contact: 99024730 3 Bedroom flat at Al Khuwair. Contact: 99447257/97014234 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

Interested parties may please contact between 9 AM to 4 PM from Saturday to Thursday on

99235977 / 92880784

2 Bedrooms ﬂat with hall, 2 bathrooms in Darsait near Muscat Municipality. Contact: 92584715 /24700120 1000 SQ mtrs industrial land for rent in Ghala suitable for ware house workshop etc. Contact: 24700120 /92584715 Spacious separate room with A/c and Bed, for non-cooking Asian bachelor, behind Shell ﬁlling station, Ghobrah round about. Contact: 94263390 2 B/R Apartment Executive Fully Furnished @ Al Khuwair 33 1 B/R Apartment Executive Fully Furnished @ Al Khuwair 33 1 B/R Flat - Fully Furnished @ Salalah Near New Lulu. 2 B/R Flat - Fully Furnished American standard @ Salalah. 5 B/R Villa - Fully Furnished @ Madinat Al Ilam 5 B/R Villa - Unfurnished @ Madinat Al Ilam 5 B/R Villa - Unfurnished @ Al Mawalah North Brand New Please Contact: Atlas Real Estate & Rent A Car LLC. 24834888, 99249069 / 92888376 92888374 Email: info@alshahiintl.com

Offices for Rent GalaContact –94051789-97201688 For Rent Duplex villa in Qurum 29- 94051789-97201688 3BHK Qurum P.D.O light 350/-. Contact: 99342661 For Rent Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud- 94051789-97201688 For Rent offices in Qurum opposite city center- 9405178997201688 New pent house 219 meters, 3 bedrooms Each own toilet , servant room with toilet laundry area , kitchen with store elevator available AL Khuwair 39 rent R.O 575/family only. Contact: 99207840

For Rent Flats in Darsait 94051789-97201688

For Rent Mini Furnished Apartment in Qurum- 9405178997201688

For Rent Flats in Ghala Heights 94051789-97201688

For Rent Flats in Mawalah south-94051789-97201688

For Rent Flats in Wadi Kabir 94051789-97201688

For Rent brand new villas in Al Ansab- 94051789-97201688

For Rent Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) 94051789-97201688

For Rent Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah -94051789-97201688

For Rent ﬂats in MuttrahContact – 94051789-97201688

Single BHK ﬂat available in Honda road Ruwi. Contact - 24833972/ 24833974/99367448

New villa at Mawalah south 5 bed room, family hall, Majlis, bath. Contact: 99332367 2BHK Wadi Kabir near Kuwaiti mosque. Contact: 97007934/ 92629232

FOR SALE

RESTAURANT/ CAFÉ

2013 Model Mitsubishi Diesel tanker in good condition is to be sold on the maximum offer. Mileage :- 28,000 km

An established and functioning restaurant/ café available for sale in prime location at Qurum. Well –furnished and equipped for instant launch.

Contact -Mr. Mohan 93214717/93214707

Please contact:

Ladies beauty parlor sale at Muttrah.

6 shops in South Mawalah Contact: 96420432

Contact - 91135930

Studio in souk Al Khoud behind of Al Ahali bank with 2 BR toilet+ kitchen in 2 ﬂoor 160RO. Contact 99738881

FOR SALE

Flats and shops for rent in Ruwi Honda road Mumtaz area. Contact: 97293708 /92433127

Villa with 5 rooms, two sitting rooms, 5 toilets and kitchen at Al Hail North. Contact: 91130875 Flat for rent at Wadi Al Kabir next Al Hassan.co, 2 bedroom, 3 WS, 1 sitting room. Contact: 99210008 600 SQT commercial ﬂat for rent opposite Oman ﬂourmill Darsait more details. Contact: 91214849/ 99364735

95126949 Running furniture showroom for urgent sale.

2 BHK Flats for rent Muttrah near Oman house. Contact: 97007934/92629232

New ﬂats for rent Darsait Al Sahel. Contact: 99311525 / 92533356

FOR SALE

FOR RENT Villa in Arjan complex near Seeb stadium 4BHK, 1 living room, 1 majles, 1 extra room in ground ﬂoor. Contact 93219597 Coffee shop for rent Jifnain. Contact: 93340597 2 BHK ﬂat available for rent in Darsait. Contact: 99357586

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 Running dental clinic in Quriyat for sale Contact: 96534564 Ladies saloon with 2 staff for sale in Mawalah. Contact 94197589 Printing Press for sale at Musanah. Contact – 99645150

FOR SALE, ACC.AVAIL CONTD ON PG 7

W E D N E S D AY, N OV E M B E R 2 5, 2 0 1 5 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiﬁeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

SITUATION VACANT

Sales & Marketing Executive Qualiﬁcation Job : Experience

Language Age Salary No. of positions

: Minimum Graduate Product marketing, product innovation, branding Target group – India, Pakistan & other nationals : 5 years in a Financial Institution / Exchange Co. with Sales & Marketing background : Must be proﬁcient in English. Hindi, Urdu & Malayalam communication ability will be preferred. : Not over 40 years : Attractive : 2(two)

Please send your CV by email: inquiry@oiexc.com, hr@oiexc.com

REQUIRED A SUPERVISOR For Travel Agency with minimum 5 years’ experience in the Sales, marketing and Ticketing, with Oman Driving License, Interested candidates can send their CV to:

jobvacancyho@gmail.com

Looking for Executive Sales and Sales Engineers with experience in earthmoving equipments, cruchers, quarry & mining industry. Email:

applyinggchr@gmail.com

Wanted female Gynecologist, female Staff Nurse – 2 no., Dental Asst, female Lab Tech from India or Filipino with MOH license & data flow for Al Saadi Specialized Medical Centre in Mussana.

Contact 92025033, dr.srinivas76@gmail.com

VACANCIES FOR HEAVY DUTY TRUCK DRIVERS A excellent grade company is looking for heavy duty truck driver with valid driving license (Oman/ Dubai) Please send CV with copy of license. Fax: 24817276 Mob: 93728515 Email: pankaj@primetrading.co.om

VACANCY Oil Service Company is looking for

Finance Manager: HSE Manager & HR Specialist With relevant experience in oil industry.

URGENTLY REQUIRED 1.

Electrical Engineer

2. 3.

Accounts Manager - (CA with minimum 5-10 years gulf experience) Purchase Manager

Receptionist (Omani National)

(B.tech with relevant experience in MEP works (Gulf experience preferred)

Contact:

92325542 | 93657915 | 91321880 engominst@gmail.com

WASTE MANAGEMENT AND WATER TREATMENT SPECIALIST Looking for dynamic and talented individuals to join our team in Oman for the position of “waste management and water treatment specialist” with at least 5 years experience in the relevant field. And one in-house specialist issa@nibrasholding.com Kevin.dodd@oasismaritimeservices.com

URGENTLY REQUIRE Expatriate

HEAVY DUTY DRIVER (Hiab / JCB) With valid Omani Driving License for a reputed Telecom/IT Company.

Contact

kirill.muromtsev@me.borets.com

99068080/92697382

Urgently required

WANTED

ACCOUNTANT

Civil Engineer (Building Construction) 2 Nos

(Degree with minimum 5-10 years gulf experience in construction field. D/L preferred) (Knowledge in MS oﬃce and good communication skill in English)

HR Manager

(5-10 years gulf experience in entire HR functions and policies) Driver (Omani National) - Driver required for 3 ton pickup (Full time)

Send detailed resume to surcivilmep@surunited.com GSM:99845439

CIVIL ENGINEER Diploma (8-10 years experience) Preferably in GCC & having Omani driving license and knowledge in estimation. Please send your CV’s to ame@muscatoverseas.com

A reputable law firm in Oman is seeking an

Account/ Administrative Assistant

Minimum 2 years experience must be able to handle accounts up to finalization. Good knowledge of MS-Oﬃce and accounting software.

Email your Cv to :

hr@starslightllc.com

Qualification: BE in Civil Engineering Electro Mechanical Engineer (Building Services)1 No. Qualification: BE in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering

Send detailed resume to sskpvr@gmail.com

required: - Accounting experience required - Administrative experience required - Computer literate - Willing to learn

Please send your cv to

hr@alalawico.com

VACANCY 1. Service Administrator: A qualified Electro/Automobile/Electric Diploma holder with minimum 2 years’ experience on deskjobs such as preparing quotation, supplier correspondence, warranty claims etc. Age between 25 – 30.

SITUATION VACANT Position

Qualiﬁcation

Branch Manager

Diploma

Experience 6 months

Network Administrator

Diploma in Computer

6 months

Internal Audit & Compliance

Diploma in Accounting

6 months

Public Relation Clerk

Third Secondary

Positions for Omani nationals only Attractive Salary

Please send your CV by email : inquiry@oiexc.com, hr@oiexc.com

ASSISTANT RETAIL MANAGER • • • • • • •

To support GM in developing Muscat based stores 5 years past Retail store operations experience Omani or Expatriate (must have NOC if moving jobs) Full Time or Part Time (flexible hours ) Omani Driving License Team player & good communicator Written & spoken English

Use the email -recruitment@aflaggroup.com Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

INSURANCE MARKETING EXECUTIVE

Looking for dynamic and talented individuals to join our team in Oman for the position of Chief Financial Officer.

Well established Insurance Broking firm looking for Omani Nationals/Expats Insurance Sales Executive having not less than 3-4 years’ experience in Oman and good Insurance exposure in Oman Market. Interested candidates, please send your cv to : stp3294@gmail.com

with at least 5 years experience in the relevant field for a group of companies associated with Petroleum, please apply, with confidence and send your C.V issa@nibrasholding.com Kevin.Dodd@OasisMaritimeServices.com

URGENTLY REQUIRED FEMALE (any nationality)

VACANCIES FOR

HEAVY DUTY TRUCK DRIVERS An excellent grade international company is looking for Heavy Duty Truck Drivers with valid Omani Driving Licence and NOC. Please send your CV with copy of valid Omani Driving Licence and a copy of NOC.

Fax number 24480417 Email: mzouaibi@yuksel.net

SERVER/ HOSTESSES & Marketing for a reputed Hospitality Company. Please apply within 2 days. Email: id.recruitmentomannov@gmail.com

2. Accountant: A qualified B.Com/M.Com/C.A. Inter accountant with minimum 4 years’

GSM - 94203204

experience in accounting with banking knowledge. Age between 25-30. Attractive Salary and terms Offered

Candidates with NOC or on visit visa can apply, please drop your CV at

careerhr1972@gmail.com

ADMIN Urgently required Admin / Accountant with minimum 4 years experience with valid Omani driving should be ﬂuent in Ms Office applications and tally. Fax: 24564459 Email: mhca@mhabibgroup.com

ARCHITECT Engineering consultancy office looking for Architect with experience in Oman (portfolio needed) hr@touchcdc.com 96649374 99441122

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE 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 Urgently wanted Lady Beautician at Sur call after 10 am Contact: 99771763. Branded salon in Muscat requires a beautician with skills of: Manicure, Pedicure, Nails techniques, Massage, Facial and waxing. Contact- 98500222

CATERING Urgently Required One General Cook (Experience in Indian/ Chinese) for Hotel Apartment – Tel: 99797170 / Fax : 24490735 Email – hotapaz@omantel.net.om

DRIVER Wanted heavy driver. Contact: 91770195 Urgently required one experienced house Driver to work in capital area. Contact: 93888666/ 24493666/ 99228454 Heavy duty driver with valid driving license and experience. Contact: 94107090 or 95398929 Email: alkharusi.international@ gmail.com

DOMESTIC HELP

Need excellent cook & housekeeper. Contact Whatsapp: 95887572

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH MEP Engineer with minimum ﬁve years PDO / ministry experience. Please send CV to info@globaltechinternational.com Contact: 99150203/91404425

Medical CARE Centre, Al Seeb, requires General Practitioners and Pharmacist, Please Mail CVsarita_h23@yahoo.com or call 97884856.

Wanted GP Doctor with MOH license, job location in muscat with good salary and beniﬁts. Drop ur cv at careerhr1972@gmail.Com.

Full time living House maid required for an Indian female in Al Ghobrah. Contact: 97084023

Required experienced part / full time house keeper for company CEO. Contact: 98458542

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 Nurse and Omani Receptionist for a well established dental centre in Mawalah South. Contact – 93431024/ Email – drasyanaseem@gmail.com

Wanted driver. Contact 91025698

Small Omani family in Muscat requires an educated House maid. Contact – 98500222

MEDICAL

We require Omani driver with valid visa, Cont: 92680323/91425640.

Urgently required a Kerala House maid for small family (2 members) aged around 40-45 visa available. Contact: 99324343

MISCELLANEOUS

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years experience preferably in water sector and having valid driving license Send CV to shiju@spec-link.com or call Ph:+968 99450811 Wanted Civil Engineer, with minimum 4 years experience in Oman supervising building construction. Noc and D/L Must. Send CV to vpdath43@omantel.net.om HVAC Technician with GCC experience in installation of spilt / package ducted AC Units, ducting design ETC. Contact: 93214193 Email CV: adexpress2015@gmail.com

Civil Engineer with minimum ﬁve years, PDO Experience, earth work and building construction (PDO driving license preferred. Please send CV to info@globaltechinternational.com Contact: 99150203/91404425

MISCELLANEOUS Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years experience preferably in water sector and having valid driving license Send CV to shiju@spec-link.com or call Ph:+968 99450811

Urgently required Philipina Nurse with MOH license at prometric parsed. Contact: 99724013 Canary clinic MBBS Indian female doctor with 3 years experience MOH license if she has. Good offer salary. Contact 94395199 Email: canarymoh@gmail.com Wanted, Gynecologist, G.P, Pharmacist and Lab Technician for a polyclinic in North Bathina. Contact: 95081010 Email: umchealthcare@gmail.com A reputed Wellness Center is looking for MOH licensed or Prometric Passed Physiotherapist, Nurse and Occupational therapy. Please send your CV to : hr2015.oman@gmail.com

Required General Physician, Gynecology, Lab Technician & Pharmacists. Contact: 95133572 Email: kunoozghala@gmai.com

SALES / MARKETING Sales man / Interior Designer wanted for prestigious interior design and office furniture Supply Company. Experience and drivers license needed excellent remuneration package. Email: tony@materials-plus.com Media Company needs sales male /female not required experience, only to have good knowledge on Muscat area, having driving license. Having some knowledge on designs) send CV to: magicﬁngerprint1@gmail.com Wanted a experienced out door sales man for a screen printing ﬁrm with valid Oman driving license and graphics designer with Arabic & English knowledge, P.B Box: 2635 PC: 112 Email: aburazantrad@gmail.com Required van Sales man cum delivery executive with 1-2 yrs exp & valid GCC driving license. Please post your resume to: omanvacancy2@gmail.com

SECT. /OFFICE We are looking for Experienced Omani Receptionists and Omani PRO (Public Relation Officer) for our organization Ayaan Healthcare centre. Contact – 93676708 Email: z.ali@ayaanhealthcare.com

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 2 5, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANTSIT. VACANT SKILLED Store keeper with minimum 5 years experience, should have experience in handling office furniture and ﬂuency in tally & bar coding software etc. Interested candidates can apply by mail: info@smartvisionoman.com fax: 24818818 Well experienced aluminum fabricator. Contact 24505708 /92248407

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian female, MBA HR & Finance, having 1 year experience, seeking suitable placement. Currently in Oman. Contact: 96052366. Sr. Accountant ( CA- inter) Indian male 31 years having 9 years experience in finance & accounts looking for suitable placement. NOC available and valid Oman D/L. Contact: 94108678 Email: vijeshvasu@gmail.com Indian male highly resulted oriented and self driven CA Inter qualified accountant with over more than 14 years of experience in auditing, finance and accounts seeks placement. Contact: 93405047 Finance controller 15 years experience in Oman contracting, consultancy, trading oil & gas tourism IT etc project financing feasibility ERP cost control. Contact: 98571309 Male Indian with 7 years experience in accounting & 6 years experience in sales and marketing very good knowledge of tally currently in Muscat on a visit visa. Contact: 96148427 Email: jijokurianp@gamil.com Experienced Female Senior Accountant looking for suitable alternative. Contact: 99849325 Sr. accountant M.com (finance) 2 yrs in Oman seeking suitable placement NOC Available with immediate joining. Contact: 92404608 Email: jin_75@rediffmuil.com Indian male, 23 years, MBA finance MNC 2 years experience in accounts, currently in Oman seeking for suitable position. Contact: Yahya Manager 96930855 Indian female 28yrs, B.com, 7yrs call center/accounts/admin/ marketing experience, currently on visit, seek suitable placement. Contact Rashmi 96746698. ACCA member / B.com (3.7 years experience) looking accounts / audit job. Contact: 97769145 Email: mnaem02@gmail.com Part time accounting, also contact for auditing, tax reports and feasibility study – 91044655 B.com, 25 years male, 3 years exp release available on visa, seeks placement accounts / comm. Asst. Contact: 94693593 Accountant 8 years experience in Oman 4 years Indian male project management 4adneud skills in JUE (tally .9) NOC available ready to join immediately. Contact: 95364896 /92912347 Email: bsdv1978@gmail.com 28/ male MBA – finance /B.com – accountant with 4 years of Dubai / India experience looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 90187483 Email: shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com Senior Accountant Indian male 18 yrs of exp, CA article ship completed. Currently on visit, seeking suitable placement. Contact – 98569025 / 97498809 Accountant job wanted 8 years experience 5 years in Indian 3 years in Oman knowledge of tally ERP- 9 NOC available. Contact: 91162503

Well experienced team available to provide feasibility reports & business solutions, product development, risk management methods for startups, progressive, defunct operations. Creating of ERP modules. Contact - 93343251 Email: profitoman@gmail.com

A result oriented professional B.E.(Mech), 30+ years experience in Oil & Gas Projects, Fabrication, R & M and Services. Seeking job as GM, CEO, Country Head. NOC & immediate availability.

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ADMIN

Freelance services of accounting, auditing, taxation and feasibility report - 91720465

10 years Gulf & 4 years Oman experience in HR / Admin & logistics ﬂuent in Arabic / English with D/L looking for suitable position. Contact 95824598

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 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 Indian female 5+ yrs Oman exp in Accounts tally looking for suitable placement in W.K to Qurum area. Contact: 95580416 Part time accountant services from senior accountant M.com 15 years Oman exp. Contact: 97441960 Part time Accountant services available to handle all accounts related work up to finalization on monthly basis. Contact: 96247295 B.SC Hons (finance & accounts) having 2 years experience in accounts, male looking for suitable job on visit visa. Contact: 91420128 CMA & CIA professional Finance Manager with 10 years middle eastern experience, inclusive of Managerial experience with leading F&B companies. For further information, kindly Contact: + 971566561199 Email: babar_shabir@hotmail.com Male 24 yrs MBA in marketing fiancé seeking immediate placement. Contact: 96112920 Accountant Indian female having 5 years exp in finalization, audit and administration in GCC presently in Muscat seeking suitable position. Contact 97323574 Email: sreeja@236@gmail.com

ADMIN Egyptian woman resident has considerable experience in the administration and secretarial executive for companies. Contact: 97221126 Legal advisor (Egyptian)| experience in international arbitration, contracts and labor law and administration looking for a company. Contact: 99664890 Senior HR , professional MBA , 12 yr GCC experience at managerial recruitment, administration , policy formulator working with a leading construction co (4000 plus employees) looking for a immediate change over , NOC available. Contact: 94017306 Email: saneesh9181@gmail.com Indian male - 25 years - MBA ( HR & marketing) with one year experience on visit visa looking preferably for suitable HR/ ADMIN / marketing jobs .contact : Mr. Harish Ravindranathan / mail ID : payyazhihari1990@gmail.com / 90189964 25 years of experience in Account, Sales, Marketing & Administration in Poultry Industry, seeking suitable placement immediately. Contact: +91 9704075855/+968 96500893 Email: sanaullah.sheikh@rediffmail. com

Male Indian 27, working as ﬁnance analyst having three years Oman experience with Driving license looking for suitable position. Mob:98097009, rameesnm@gmail.com

Indian female M.Tech electronics IELTS 6.5 experience in VLSI project training seeks placement in education / training / Admin ﬁeld in family visa now. Contact: 90195131 Email: chinj.89@gmail.com

Certiﬁed Public Accountant, Filipino Male 26 years old, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy with 5 yrs. of experience now on visit visa. Looking for suitable opening. Contact: +968 91409308 Email: kennethalcedo07@gmail.com

MBA (HR & marketing) & B.Com, Indian male 28 yrs, 2 years exp in Qatar having Oman driving license, currently on family visa in Salalah (NOC available. Contact: 98138376 Email: subinabraham87@gmail.com

Phone : +91 9773828663, Email : jvp291367@yahoo.com

Qualiﬁcation B.com accounting BE mechanical engineer course completed experience 17 years HR administration, parches store, quality assurance. Contact: 93820512 Email: kuruvilajohn2012@gmail.com Indian male MBA graduate (HR) with 19 years of gulf experience (6 years in Oman) seeking suitable job can join immediately with NOC. Contact: 99103763 /99519841 5 years of experience in software and 1yr in administrator looking for any software of any office suitable jobs or any work from home jobs. Contact: 91711326 Email: shetty.sapna22@gmail.com Female Indian 9+ yrs experience in administration customer support office coordination with good computer skill now on visit visa looking for suitable openings. Contact: 99285440 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

DRIVER Experienced Light Duty Driver, Fluent in English, Arabic Well knowledge of Oman Areas Seeking Suitable placement 97950869 Light driver, looking for job. Contact: 98372745/99090362

Looking for Job driving. Contact: 97418036 Driving with car, looking for job. Contact: 97095200 Driver with new car looking for job.contact: 95873286 Heavy duty driver (Exp 3years) seeking suitable job. Contact 91372623 Pakistan male light vehicle driver 8 yrs GCC exp looking for job. Contact: 96393805 Light duty driver looking for job. Contact: 98356230 Driver (light & heavy duty) valid gulf /Indian) looking job. Contact: 95175192

EDUCATION Indian female M.SC B.Ed, 3 years experience looking for suitable placement. Contact: 94420033 Email: binitathanki@gmail.com Indian Female B.Ed. and B.C.A. and IELTS certiﬁed with 5yr U.A.E. exp. and 6 months Oman exp. in teaching primary and secondary students looking for a teacher’s job. Email: rani_sweet786@live.com. Mob. 97384206.

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Sudanese female Electrical Engineer graduated with distinction excellent knowledge and interested in protection. Contact: 98133281

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

Electrical Engineer Indian male 29 years, having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India (MRF Tyres) seeking suitable placement. Contact: 92789995 Email: akhilabrahmlktr@gamil.com

26 yrs male, MBA, 3+ years experience in Administration in MNC, seeks suitable placement. Contact 95041201 Email: noyel55@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975528

Architect (B. Arch) 5 years experience seeking job. Contact 96146645 Email: anjuovil@gmail.com

CATERING Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp looking job. Contact: 99531802

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN AutoCAD d/ man 7 years exp in GRC gypsum marble. Contact: 96967862 Creative Designer with 8+ years experience in web, graphic, video editing, outsourcing looking for a suitable placement in a reputed company. Contact 97276004 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 Professional architect 3ds max (interior, exterior) looking for private work. Contact: 96041201

Mechanic Tractor Diesel Engines & Hydraulic, 25 years Experience in Multinational Companies. Contact - 91685048 Medical Lab Technologist 5 years experience willing to work in Oman. Contact: 97007930 Road and construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman. Contact: 97646908 Indian female M.Tech (electrical power system) having gulf experience in family visa seeking suitable placements in Oman. Contact: 91001194 /94306164 Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects. Contact – 90164912 B.E civil Engineer having 5 years experience in Oman with construction companies need suitable placement. Contact: 98180524 Civil Engineer (4 years ) having total 5 years experience in building construction ( 2 years , 8 months in Oman) looking for suitable placement D/L available. Contact: 94450270 Indian male , 26 years , electrical engineer with 3 years of experience seeking employment in a reputed ﬁrm. Contact: 92953046 Email: divinmathew007@gmail.com

DRIVER Three years driving experience in Muscat language known English, Arabic, and Hindi, Bengali. Contact 97462781 Light duty driver looking for job. Contact: 98356230 Light duty driver looking for job. Contact: 93131542 Indian male driver 3yrs experience seeking for suitable placemen. Contact: 93663493 Bangladeshi male light vehicle driver with 2 yrs exp looking for job. Contact: 93761597

Indian male 24, B.Tech electrical & electronics engineer and P.G. Diploma in automation & SCADA with 2 years experience Kerala electricity board, looking for suitable placement. Contact: 95340253 /92914336 Email: seanjohnson176@gmail.com

Light driver. Contact: 95084826

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

ARCHITECT

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

B.E Biomedical Engineer 5 years experience in the subﬁeld (hospital / company) looking for suitable placement. Contact 92084807 Email: bonnygeorge1005@gmail. com Civil Engineer B.E , 06 years experience in Oman having D/L seeking for a suitable position . Contact 95961336 Email: eyousuf04@yahoo.com Electrical Engineer (diploma + BSC) available on visit visa in the ﬁeld of MEP WITH 10 years experience in GCC Dubai. Contact: 93372389 Email: rajarathe@gmail.com

Indian male 21, B.Tech, Mech Engineering + quantity analyzer/ controller looking for suitable placement. Contact: 92914336/ 96585010 Email: deenjohnson94@gmail.com Indian Male 23yrs Fresh Mechanical Engineer presently on a visit visa looking for placements in service/sales/purchase/project engineer. Contact Ajith 91791724 Indian male B.Tech electrical 2 years experience seeking opportunities. Contact: 93570984 Indian 30 yrs B.E civil Engineer 8 year experience with Oman D/L & NOC available. Contact: 95962450 Email: solanki.ahmed@gmail.com Indian male (Btech mechanical) 1 year, experience in planning drawing, inspection, administration looking for suitable job. Contact: 94112207 Email: sabir49@gmail.com B.E civil Engineer having 11 years experience with NOC looking for job. Contact: 95690780 Email: sadiq.asrar81@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer graduated from Caledonian college Oman with NDT Level 2 ( ASNT ) and solid works looking for suitable placement currently on family visit visa having valid Oman D/L. Contact: 95990677 Email: asifmnawab@gmail.com Structural Draughtsman having 10 years experience in engineer consultancies N.O.C available. Contact: 00968 97612846 BE Electrical with 14 years experience in projects & maintenance industry and power sector up to 132 KV, NOC & DL available. Ph: 99015463 / +919447249212 ; email: abhi_lash2@rediffmail.com Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.91295802 / acmfaslan123@gmail.com Indian Male, Mechanical Engineer having 1year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact: 97416564, Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com Civil Site Engineer building and roads 04 years experience. Contact 92613467 Email: wajisyed777@hotmail.com Indian male , 29 yrs electrical design engineer , having 5 years of gulf experience in oil & gas / construction ﬁeld specialization in load calculations cable sizing & selection, earthing , transformer selection etc having GCC valid license , looking for an suitable job. Contact: 00968-98052942 Email: azamjeelani@gmail.com M.Tech Civil, certiﬁcate attested, Indian, 18.8 year experience seeks suitable position. Contact: 98327311 Email: sen.pangode@gmail.com 25 Years experienced MEP professional is available to associate with nationals to set up & run mep consultancy or contracting business with full p/l responsibility, full investment expected by the national. contact – 97754141 Civil Engineer 11 years experience in construction, having driving license & NOC. Contact: 94194399 Email: shiblyrock@gmail.com Indian male B.Tech electrical 2 years experience seeks placement. Contact: 93570984 Email: arunprasad7883@gmail.com Engineer Mechanical (BR) Indian male, with NDT Level 2 (ASNT), works, 2 years above experience (as mechanical QC Engineer and SME Engineer) seeking suitable placement (on visit visa). Contact: 90249803 / 00919446048596 Email: naveenbasheer@gmail.com Civil Engineer diploma holder 1 years experience site supervision level 2, 2D, 3D Revit languages English, Malayalam and Hindi Tamil looking challenging career. Contact: 98058242 Email: manu6222@gmail.com

Indian male 24, B.E. Civil Eng’g with 2 years experience as Structural Engineer looking for suitable job in Muscat. 97355352 Indian male 27yrs, mechanical engineer (energy engineering M.Tech & HVAC diploma) with 4 yrs experience on visit visa, seeking suitable placement. Contact: 98791735 Email: anilengandiyur@gmail.com Indian male 25 years diploma in mechanical engineering having 2.5 years experience in piping fabrication, plumping and ﬁre ﬁghting knowledge in AutoCAD seeking suitable placement. Contact 92733482 Email: sonumm.m2@gmail.com Indian Male, 23 years PG dip in petroleum engineering & B.Tech in mechanical engineering, holding UAE driving license seeks suitable placement immediately. Contact: 95880127 / 95084905 Email: vijith2573459@gmail.com B.Sc in Civil Engineer 12 yrs exp in Dubai and South Africa on construction and infrastructure having Dubai license currently on visit looking suitable position. Contact: 91206763 Email: delwar.civil.97@gmail.com B.Tech Safety Engineer, 10 years exp, NOC available, seeking suitable placement, Mob: 97061817, Email: jayanamuu1977@gmail. com Mechanical Engineer, 24 yrs Indian male, 2yrs experience (L+T Port) as maintenance Engineer sear citing for a suitable job on visit visa. Contact: +968 92685011 Email: srinathvijayanavs@gmail. com Indian Male 34yrs diploma (EEE) available with 13 yrs experience in electrical power plant on LV & HV, and can work with electrical drawings currently on visit visa. Contact: 93502487 Email: asitpasha1978@gmail.com Electrical Engineer 13 years experience HV/ LV in Oman 5 years, Oman valid D/L to NOC. Contact: + 0091- 9946570903 Email: shibualukka@gmail.com Ref: no-Oman 97095094

HOSPITALITY Egyptian male B.S degree tourism & hotels (10 years experience) 2 in Oman in hotels management have Oman driving license looking for suitable job. Contact: 91695779 Email: bola.fahmi@gmail.com Indian male/31yrs with hotel management degree, 03 yrs experience in F&B services at 5 star hotel Dubai & 05 yrs in American 6 star cruise liner as Butler. Has Oman driving license. Contact no 91135371 Dutch male qualiﬁed commercial pilot (Faa-ME-IR certiﬁed) is looking for job openings in middle east. rutjestom@outlook.com

IT Indian male B.Tech IT 3 years experience windows / Ulinux / network administration on visit visa. Contact: 93311963 Email: sajal035@gmail.com Experienced female D. Arch Engg seeking job AutoCAD (2D, 3D), 3D Max, and revit Photoshop. Contact: 98907341 Email: susuhu@gmail.com Female seeking job in graphic designing, admin, MS office Photoshop, CorelDraw, 3D Max. Contact: 94536117 Email: shaiumarba@gmail.com Indian male B.Tech (E& C) MCSE, CCNA having 1.5 years of experience seeks job. Contact 99257702 Email: jithu.m.moolayil@gmail.com Indian male MC.A 2 years experience in software knowledge of Java ASP Net, network in techno park Kerala. Contact: 9920940 Male 31 Years, IT 6 year’s online marketing experience in India seeks suitable placement. Contact-91175265 Net work Engineer with experience degree in computer science, CCNA, MCSA. Contact: 92346191

W E D N E S D AY, N OV E M B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiﬁeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED IT

MEDICAL

Age 28 years experience 2years & 8 month in IT accounting technical skill, java, J.S.P tally Peachtree M.S excel, SQL ,Working java programmer India , accountant , Dubai ,Qualiﬁcation MCA, B.C.A mathematic visit visa. Contact: 95673451

Indian Dentist having 7 years experience prometric cleared seeking suitable placement. Contact: 95706223

Indian female M.Tech in electronics Engg 2 yrs industrial exp in IT & robotics research seeking opportunities in academy or industry. Email:mariaannajoseph@gmail. com Contact: 91306840

An experienced Indian male GP with MOH license and NOC, looking for good placements in the capital areas only. Pl contact 96386388

Indian female, MCA, Oracle & ACL certiﬁed, 5+ years of experience in Data Analysis, IT Administration, Accounting and Office Administration etc. holds valid Oman driving license, seeking suitable opening. Mob: 98579241. B.Tech Computer Science fresh graduate looking for suitable job. Android application marketing services. Valid D/L also available. Contact 91024385 IT Indian male B.Tech computers, networking 1 years experience in Database support on visit. Contact: 96376061 Email: diaz1992@outlook.com Male 26 years , BSc IT with years 4 years experience , currently on visit visa looking for any IT support job. Knowledge of hardware & net working, environment, programming languages, Linux environment. Contact: + 968 95369856 / 968 24781651 Email: mark.tony.alphonso@hotmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, omani d/l , seeks suitable placement. Gsm 9880-5474 Indian male, 27 years SAP – CRM certiﬁed associate fresher P.G (English) having 5 years of experience in marketing, communication and designing on visit, seeks suitable placement. Contact: 90196845 Email: joshjk99@gmail. com Web: www.joshjk.net Indian male B.SC graduate having experience of 30 years in inspection, testify and QA – Industrial technical textiles and tyre industry. Currently in Oman with visiting visa. Contact: 93375690 24 years Indian female MSC Biotechnology 1 year exp.in clinical microbiology, worked in ICRISAT for project work as Trainee, looking for suitable job. Contact: 92619048 Email: anusreeg1991@gmail.com B.E Civil (ﬁrst class) site / project Engineer with 3 years of experience in residential building projects Ms. Office AutoCAD on visit visa valid till Dec 2nd (week), looking for a suitable job. Contact: 96692175 Email Id: nazarrizvi1@gmail.com Indian male B.Com Graduate looking for job in admin sales or accountant with valid Oman driving license ready to join. Contact: 98093949 Indian female, 26, M.sc biotechnology now in family visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95210498/ 99850321/93093466 Omani national with bachelor in management looking for suitable placement please call: 91908052 or Email: saidoburndi257@yahoo.com

GP doctor with MOH license and PDO experience seeks job offer. Contact-96528807

Arabic male general practitioner with MOH license looking for a suitable placement in Muscat. Contact: 95618680 Male staff Nurse, 4 years of hospital experience in Oman with MOH license and driving license. Contact: 99502456/ 99831657 Indian female dentist prometric cleared seeking suitable openings in Muscat. Contact: 95585807/92880267

SALES / MARKETING

MISCELLANEOUS

Indian male 25 age, MBA marketing (fresher) PGDM (HR) ﬂuency in English, Arabic, Hindi looking for suitable job currently in Oman on visit visa. Contact: 97127799 Email: vijnvijioo@gmail.com

Indian Male 33 yrs, BCA ,10 years experience(India & Oman) IT Support, System administrator/supervisor looking for suitable Job. #95448561.

07 years Dubai 02 years Oman experience in sales marketing MBA in marketing diploma in marketing with Dubai, Oman driving license studied in S.E.O online sales & marketing E-commerce looking for job. Contact: 97367321 Young, 24 years, MBA graduate (HR & Mktg) with experience, working in Salalah, NOC available, seeks suitable placement in muscat. Gsm 9205-1929 Indian male 26, 4 years experience in sales and marketing D/L , seeking suitable placement. Contact: 95137733 Email: robbs.me@gmail.com

Indian female accountant 5 years of experience in accounting tally, office coordination,And admin, currently on visit visa. seeking suitable placement Contact: 95684179 Indian male 23yr BA TTM (travel and tourism management) with advanced diploma in supply chain logistics and shipping management, exp in logistics (cha) seeking in suitable placement. currently on visit visa(oman) Contact;90291092 email: iyas.adhur@gmail.com Indian male, 19 years oman exp. in purchase, material coordinator in building/pipe line 9yrs & factory production ﬁeld 10yrs.good computer skills & D/L & with NOC. looking for suitable placement. mr.victor2015@hotmail.com contact: 99008101

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

Purchase experienced 8 years in Construction Company Indian male 45 yrs, release & D/L available. Contact: 90268183 / 96987234

Purchase Officer with 8 years experience in Oman having Oman D/L and NOC, looking for urgently placement. Contact: 96174564

Indian male 29 , BHM , 6 years overall 3 yrs in Oman in sales with D/L NOC available to join immediately. Contact: 92594055

Part- Time Accountant, well experience senior accountant, doing all type of accounting works, Finalization, Budgeting available. Contact 98803439

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 MBA, 8 years experience in hospitality industry sales & marketing looking for suitable job now in visit visa. Contact: 92115860

Indian male B.Eng. in IT, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/ Server support. Contact 92607532

Indian male, 26 years, B. Pharm graduate having 3 years experience in marketing / sales looking for a suitable job. Contact: 94145992 Email: syedanasmustafa1989@ gmail.com

Indian Males 32 years, Dip. In Hardware & Networking with 10 years of hands-on experience. Currently on visit visa seeking immediate placement in IT Support or relevant jobs. Good knowledge of Hardware & Networking. Contact: 9416 9341 / haripulikal@gmail.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 Manager Finance, M.Com/MBA -thorough knowledge & more than 20 years of experience with start-up skills. Group consolidation and audit. : Bank dealing for corporate credit/ funding.: Ability to handle Group of companies on professional way. Contact: 00968-91279373, applyforjob991@gmail.com 20 yrs experienced MEP Manager seeks suitable placement NOC available. Contact: 97892269 Manager MBA (Finance) 13+ yrs experience in Oman with knowledge of ﬁnance admin purchase logistics costing looking for suitable position with D/L. Contact : 93826090 Email: jskanchan01@gmail.com 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 Indian male with 9 years experience in business development looking for suitable placement NOC available. Contact: 92573230

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Mason, SH / carpenter, steel ﬁtter gulf & Indian exp looking job. Contact: 95175192 Electrician, plumber (exp gulf / Indian) looking job. Contact 95175192

Indian male, MBA with 8 yrs experience in sales and marketing with Omani D/L , NOC available. Contact: 96746107 Sales Engineer 5 years experience looking for a placement. Contact: 91411043 Indian male MBA marketing 2 years Oman experience with valid Oman driving license looking for a suitable position NOC available. Contact: 91202335 Email: mrishad90@yahoo.com Sales Manager having 12 years experience M.B.A in sales & marketing having valid GCC driving license seeking suitable placement, NOC available. Contact: 98125226 Indian male, 25 yrs, 1 year experience in auditing and 10 month in sales. Currently on visit visa seeking suitable placement. Contact 97142538 Indian Male 32, MBA (Marketing & Finance) with 10 years experience in Marketing of Banking Products & Insurance Industry. Seeking for a Job in Oman. Contact: 93576980, 97750460 Email: senthil.cbe83@gmail.com Marketing Executive/Merchandiser, Omani License, BA 8 years Experience in Multinational Groups. Contact 97601343

Indian male, 19 years experience in purchase, material coordinator in building construction & factory production ﬁeld, have good computer skills & driving license and NOC. Looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 99008101

Shop for sale Ghala Sanaiya main Junction (prime location) shop for sale. Contact: 92696479

For sale Fully Furnished apartments in Bousher (35) - 9505680897201688

Sale house & office furniture & electronic items. Contact : 99834373/ 96642500/22010080

For sale villas in Al Khoud 95056808-97201688

Used Hiab truck 15 ton and forklift 3and 5 ton. Contact: 99326318 For Sale Luxury Apartments in Bousher (35) - 95056808-97201688 Running barber shop for sale in Ruwi with all equipments. Contact: 99343735

ACC. WANTED

ACC. AVAILABLE

Sharing Accommodation Required for Non cooking Executive Lady in Darsait /Ruwi/ Wadikabir. Contact: 99360615

SIT. WANTED Marketing or Business development-BSC in marketing 5 years of experience looking for suitable position. Contact (99522233) Indian male accountant, 12 years experience, looking for a full time or part time job. Experience in tally also. Contact-98983122

Indian male B.Eng. in IT, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532

FEMALE SYRIAN ARCHITECT ,new graduate have good experience in architect programs, autocad 3d max ,sketch up , Photoshop ,sketch up, searching for a job full time or part time, for Contact : 97482871

Indian male, 27 BSC nurse 4.5 years experience in India. Pro metric passed with 61% Data ﬂow processing, ACLS, BLS passed. Now on visit visa. Mob: 98926621, 94361049 e-mail: shemeermk@gmail.com

Looking for a part time accounting & admin job. Contact 99196621. Indian (Kerala) Male, 32yrs, looking for a job as Accounts Assistant/ Cashier/ Salesman (indoor), having 5 yrs experience in Oman. Currently on Visit Visa. Contact-94410485, Email: visanthvijay@gmail.com

Sudanese male...telecom engineer 11 yrs. exp in IT support, Networking, Security systems, Server support, IT sales and marketing, management .Seeking suitable placement. Contact 91182027

A running restaurant for sale near Oman oil petrol Pump Al Uqdah (Barka). Contact: 99059013

For Sale: Equipped carpentry workshop with 10 working employees at Sohar. Contact: 95728453

Beauty parlor for sale Muttrah. Contact: 93142676

31 years, Indian male PG in HR , with 5 yrs Professional experience in HR in Construction Oil & Gas Oman seeking for a suitable placement(NOC Available). Contact me on 93488914, emailKaarthickshankar@gmail.com

Indian Mechanical Engineer (16 Yrs Exp), Knowledgeable in Monitoring of workshop setup, Workshop run, Business Development, ISO certiﬁcation, Quotation, Tender, Account veriﬁcation, Sohar Area, Mb. 94215208’

Beauty parlour at Mabela for sale. Contact: 96131261

For sale 8 Apartments (Total area 850 SQM approximate) in “Bait Al Noor” occupying two full ﬂoors (7th and 8th ﬂoors). The building is opposite to GMC car showroom facing the main road (Sultan Qaboos Road). Excellent location for best visibility of signboard for any corporate. Contact 94194071 for details.

Male Accountant Indian, B.com, 2 Year experience currently working in Oman. NOC available, doing accounts in Tally and Excel searching for suitable Job. Email: contactanand31@gmail.com / 91894487, 98789958

Electrical Engineer, B-Tech, with 4 Yrs experience in India, 3 YEARS IN MRF and one year in KSEB. Available on Visit Visa. Contact: 94741401 :Email: sobinthomask05@gmail.com.

MISCELLANEOUS

FOR SALE

Electronics/Electrical/Instrumentation Design Engineer with 2+ years of experience, having a Bachelors Degree in Instrumentation Technology. Seeking for a job, currently on visit visa. Contact- 90142166 / Mail: aksafwan@gmail.com Sales & Marketing/ Business Development Executive: - B.Tech. (Electrical & Electronics) MBA in marketing having 9 years of experience seeking a suitable position. Contact (97043494) Purchase & Stores In charge – Having continues 13 years experience in a single ﬁrm, looking for a placement. # 99627427, 96154564 Indian male be electrical and pg in power systems (transmission & distribution) with one year experience on visit. Seeking placement contact – 94669679/ email prsabarish@gmail.com

Sharing room available for family /executive bachelor, near Oman house. Contact: 96753740 Room with bath for executive bachelor near A/C ﬂat, hotel. Contact: 99643845 Furnished rooms attached bath for Indian bachelor in Al Falaj Ruwi & lady in Wadi Kabir. Contact 96202458 /96761960 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sitting room, Kitchen & store including utilities bills at Al hail. Contact 92817777 Furnished sharing accommodation in ruwi near O.K. Center for noncooking indian bachelor. Gsm 9880-5474 Furnished single rooms available for executive bachelors at Ruwi. Contact: 98049288 Bed space / sharing accommodation available for executive bachelor near to Mars hypermarket Wadi Kabir. Contact: 93137816 1 Bedroom with bathroom available for rent. Only Indian female. Contact - 92394614 Single room bathroom in Darsait R.O 140/-. Contact: 93289652 1BHK fully furnished spacious for rent CBD, ideal for family or two bachelors easy access to Main road near Sheraton hotel with all electronics & furniture. Contact: 96444400 /5pm -10pm Single room for expat Indian bachelors near Al Aktham restaurant Al khuwair for RO 120. Water and electricity included. Contact : 98803261 Big room available near Hamriya R/A for Muslim couple / small family / Executive bachelor rent 150/- per month including W+ E. Contact : 99495131 1 Bedroom with attached Bath, fully furnished, separate entrance at Mabela for ladies only. Contact : 99634841

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 2 5, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE 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

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

RENT A CAR

Best Rates for Saloon. Tel: 99826300 / 97869042, rentacar@modernreem.com

NRI royal castles

vakathanam, kottayam Luxurious villas in a Gated community with all the modern facili es at Vakathanam By-Pass (MC road-NH 220) Web: www.royalcastles.in email: info@royalcastles.in +968 92855909, +91 9961 11 9988

Plot with three BHK in Calicut city, Kerala for details. Contact: 99735584 11 Cent land with house for sale, Ernakulum dist 14 km from airport Contact: 91101457 2BHK 1100SQMT ﬂat with 300 SQMT Terrace allotted parking with luxury amenities for sale in Dona Paula Panjim Goa Indian price 95 lakes. Contact: 0091-9823674576 / 00968- 97488872

AVAILABLE

COMPUTER

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

MV SALE

CLASSES

IELTS & TOEFL Academic / General Target Band 8 TQT Institute. Ph # 24480800 / 99347202

WEBSITE

Classes for bakery, cup cakes, icing decorations. Contact: 96202458 /96761960 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

Mitsubishi lancer 92 model very good running condition RE GN up to 6/11/2016 R.O 500/-. Contact: 92545269

SERVICES We Provide Cleaners, Oﬃce boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc. Al Mudakhir National Est. LLC Contact : 94277020

BMW 318/ 2003 for sale. Contact 96364990

DRIVING Ford focus, automatic, 2010 model, silver colour, expat driven, 58000 kms, dealer serviced, registration till sep 2016, price ro 2750. Contact- 93207590

TRANSPORTATION Muttrah to Bausher. Contact: 99022790/24712088 Transportation. Contact: 96538078 Transportation. Contact 99508282 Transportation. Contact: 95190627 Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba. Contact: 91103909

MANPOWER

Nissan Altima 2.55, 2012 excellent condition agency maintained. Contact: 97717152 Tucson automatic 2009 model black color very good conduction registration up to 2016 price R.O 2950/-. Contact: 98196845

MATRIMONIAL

MANPOWER Tile Masons, Masons, Electricians, Plumbers, False Ceiling / Gypsum Works and Carpenters required immediately on Labor supply basis.

Indian male christian 40yrs. working in muscat.looking for life partner.divorced or single. Contact :91429811

Interested parties please contact Keralite R.C. Boy, 30yrs, 161cm, MBA (Finance) Working in Oman seeking suitable alliance. Contact: 92290247 / 97302978 Nambiar boy, 29 years Kerala, MBA (marketing), working in Oman, seeks suitable alliance. Contact: 99322891 Seeking alliance for our son from Muslim families. Interested families Contact: 99889590 Housemaid, cooks waiter , helper driver ( light & heavy ) mason carpenter steel ﬁtter, skilled & unskilled categories , immigration service from India & Philippine. Contact: Al Aidi Manpower 24484232/99531802 Email: oman.manpower@yahoo.com

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

35 years Bombay based Sunni Muslim divorcee girl (Degree holder) seeking alliance. Contact: 92886145 Suitable match for punjabi ,sikh, ramgharia girl, 1982 born, 5”5”, bachelor of design. Contact- 00968 98581868, hvsingh.1947@yahoo.com

GSM: 96775023 / 96775024

Learn driving with professional. Contact: 94022250

GOOD NEWS Balloons for all occasions birthday, celebration, grand opening, wedding, party, national day all type of balloons, designs work please Contact: 95194801 /96594592

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price. Contact: http//webviewoman

Water prooﬁng ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & antitermite treatment, general cleaning painting,Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. Contact: 24810137, 99450130

GOOD NEWS Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage steambath, obesity, Spondylitis, Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street Azaiba. Contact: 99639695 / 98342990 Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com 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

A/C maintenance, installation spilt A.C and maintenance window A/C and ducted and package the reunites. Contact: Asad Abbas 98667326

Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont Maintenance services electric, plumbing and A/C. Contact: 96524904 / 94285064 Sub contractor available for shuttering & steel works, hill cutting & ﬁlling works. Contact: 93299940 Ware house space for rent at Ghala and Barka up to 20000/- Sqm. Contact 99509460 / 93731363 An investor requested in a printing press in Muscat. Contact: 99498949

A/C Maintenance & servicing, fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, painting & cleaning services, electrical & plumbing. Contact: 99447257 /97014234 / 24504281

*Classiﬁed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

Window & split unit A.C servicing & repairing. Contact: 99557080 Split & window unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact: 96236476 House shifting & transporting. Contact 92490422 MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807 Window & split unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089 / 95323517 Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. Contact: 93769089 / 95323517 Cleaning & carpet shampooing, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99884591 Pest control treatments. Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 House shifting. Contact: 99657644/98518013 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722

W E D N E S D AY, N OV E M B E R 2 5, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiﬁeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

TOURS

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

ABDULHAKIM AL BIMANI TRADING & CONTRACTOR Expert in Shipping cargo by sea & air to Zanzibar, Pemba, Dar es Salam in Tanzania, Burundi, The Philippines, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Reasonable price.

Contact: 97440625/95416662 Email: abdulhakimalbimani@hotmail.com

*Classiﬁed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability