Times of Oman - July 27, 2015

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MONDAY, July 27, 2015 / 10 Shawwal 1436 AH

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B L E S S E D R E N A I S S A N C E D AY

HM receives greetings MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received more cables of greetings on the 45th Anniversary of the Blessed Renaissance Day (July 23).

His Majesty the Sultan received greetings cables from

the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). >A6

MINISTRY OF MANPOWER

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Mall of Oman set to create 5,000 jobs Mall of Oman Mall of Oman would

Online clearances for firms with ‘good record’

be the Sultanate’s

FAHAD AL GHADANI

MUSCAT: Companies that have ‘good records’ with the Ministry of Manpower will benefit from the online clearance application services that will be launched next month, according to a reliable source at the Ministry of Manpower.

“Starting August 23, such companies will not have to be physi-

cally present at the Ministry of Manpower building or other authorised offices, such as the Sanad offices, to apply for clearances. They can benefit from the online service and avoid standing in queues,” said the source.

The Ministry of Manpower made the announcement on their Twitter account, explaining that the move was a part of their participation in expanded e-government services. >A6

Audi expressive, efficient, sporty

C7

mall and most

MUSCAT: Around 5,000 job opportunities will be created once the “Mall of Oman” is complete, said a top official of Majid Al Futtaim Properties.

The Sultanate’s largest and most comprehensive shopping destination is right now at the design stage.

Speaking to the Times of Oman, Husam Al Mandhari, senior mall manager for the City Centre Muscat said Mall of Oman would be the Sultanate’s largest shopping mall and it will be bigger than any other mall.

“Right now 1,700 people are working at the City Centre Muscat, so we can easily say that Mall of Oman will generate three times the employment than the City Centre Muscat,” he said.

The project will be built on 157,000 square metres of land and will have more than 350 stores at Bausher.

Around OMR180 million is

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important information security issues and gain insights for making key decisions through questions relates to security budget, investments, security governance, security effectiveness, maturity of security programs, security environment, and emerging technologies and trends,” reads the report.

Oman is also doing well regarding IT security education, as the OCERT is working closely with Ministry of Education to introduce Information Security Curriculum in schools. >A6

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

OMAN

REGION

More rain expected in Oman this week

Majlis to play vital role in political arena

Zarif seeks help from Gulf against terror

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on Gulf neighbours to cooperate against the common threat of “terrorism, extremism and sectarianism”,. “Any threat to one country is a threat to all...

No country can solve regional problems without the help of others,” Zarif said at a news conference. >A7

Its legislative powers may be limited but the Majlis Al Shura still has an important role to play in political process as a voice for people, so voting in the upcoming elections is very important, experts say.

Since the 2011 Majlis polls the members have been increasingly vocal and active, debating social issues. >A6

160

2,400

Investment

3

P

Parking slots

Size comparison (sqm)

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SARAH MACDONALD

Oman is likely to witness more rain this week, as well as experience high humidity, according to a forecast by the Directorate General of Meteorology. Rain and thunderstorms with a mix of sun are expected tomorrow through Thursday. Temperatures are expected to be between 31 and 44 degree Celsius. >A2

OMR 180m

Oman Avenues Mall Muscat City Centre Qurum City Centre Mall of Oman

RAHUL DAS

Sultanate third best prepared in world to thwart cyber attacks

Well-prepared According to the report, Oman is very active in the field of cyber security and has continuous audits and checks.

It also compares itself to other countries to see how well-prepared it is.

“Oman also has an agreement with Ernst and Young to conduct a benchmark exercise under the Global Information Security Survey (GISS).

The GISS provides organisation with an opportunity to compare themselves with others on

Stores

International brands

shopping destination

GLOBAL CYBERSECURITY INDEX

MUSCAT: Oman is ranked third in the world for countries best prepared for cyber attacks, according to the Global Cybersecurity Index.

Oman came in behind the US, Canada, and shared third place with Australia and Malaysia. Qatar was the next strongest Arab country, with an 8th place ranking. The index was created by International Telecommunication Union and ABI Research.

In the report, Oman was cited as a country with some of the best organisational practices thanks to its High Level Cyber Security Strategy and Master Plan, and Comprehensive Roadmap.

Its strengths include the organisational structure, legal measures, capacity building, technical and procedural measures, and regional and international cooperation.

“This could be true because of the role of Oman ITA (Information Technology Authority) and their continuous investment in cyber security,” said Zaid Rufaie, from Fireware, a local IT security company.

The Oman Computer Emergency Readiness Team (OCERT) was launched in 2010 to study cyber threats and risks that could harm both public and private internet users in Oman.

350

biggest shopping

comprehensive fahadnews@timesofoman.com

ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

LARGEST: The proposed site of the Mall of Oman.

being invested to build the Mall of Oman by Majid Al Futtaim Properties, one of the leading developers, owners and operators of malls in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Anchor tenants at the Mall of Oman will include Carrefour, VOX Cinemas and Magic Planet.

Regarding the City Centre Muscat, he said that the expansion and refurbishment work are on track and expected to be completed by November 2015.

“There are plans to build a new flyover at Seeb to facilitate access to the mall,” he said.

In the second phase of its 10,000-square metre retail expansion, the mall will be welcoming 60 additional new shopping out-

lets, including 12 new high profile international retailers making their debut in the Omani market.

“A large number of brands will be coming for the first time,” he said.

Top-end stores The mall, which is home to more than 160 international lifestyle brands, will also welcome Virgin Megastore, Bershka, American Eagle, and Koton, in addition to fashion accessories F&F, New Look, Guess Accessories, and Lovisa. Handmade cosmetics Lush will also be entering Oman for the first time.

There will also be a new dining zone with five new casual-dining restaurants offering a variety of

72,500 60,500 23,200

Source: Majid Al Futtaim

157,000 Graphics

international cuisines, including the Turkish Kosibasi restaurant.

“We are also introducing larger, well-appointed prayer rooms, increasing toilet provisions, a mother’s room and refurbishing existing toilets,” officials said.

He also said that Majid Al Futtaim’s redevelopment plans are in line with the growing demand and changing needs of customers.

“Besides that, we now have parking space for more than 2,400 cars,” he said.

The mall recorded a significant increase in footfalls and sales in 2014.

More than 10 million shoppers visited the mall, representing a 7 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

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M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

OMAN

Temperatures are expected to be between 31 and 44 degrees C for northern regions of Oman, with humidity between 70 and 90 per cent.

Directorate General of Meteorology

Oman to get more rains this week Five-day weather forecast Mon. 27

Rain and

Tue. 28

Wed. 29

Thu. 30

Fri 31

thunderstorms are expected in Sultanate

Condition

Temperature

Morning Partly sunny Cloudy with Partly sunny and warm thunderstorm and warm thunderstorm

34°

38°

39° 33°

from Tuesday to

Min Max

Thursday

Source: AccuWeather

STAFF REPORTER

adjoining regions. Rain is expected on Monday in Rustaq, Ibra, Saiq, Al Buraimi, Jabal Shams Samail, Bahla, Ibri, Nizwa, Mudhaibi, Yanqul, Saiq and Bidbid, according to the Directorate General of Meteorology.

Forecasting for the next 48 hours by Oman Met said, “Convective clouds development accompanied by rain and occasional thundershowers, associated with fresh winds, are expected over AlHajar mountains and adjoining areas towards afternoon. Chances of late night to early morning low level clouds or fog patches are

MUSCAT: Oman is likely to witness more rain this week, as well as experience high humidity, according to a forecast by the Directorate General of Meteorology.

Rain and thunderstorms with a mix of sun are expected Tuesday through Thursday, in addition to high humidity. Temperatures are expected to be between 31 and 44 degrees C for northern regions of Oman, with humidity between 70 and 90 per cent.

Cloudy conditions are anticipated in the Hajar Mountains and

40° 33°

39° 32°

32°

38°

Graphics

there along the coastal areas.”

About the sea winds, the prediction said “along the coastal areas of Arabian sea, winds will be southwesterly fresh, and along Oman sea these will be easterly to northeasterly light to moderate.

These will vary variably be light at night while over the rest of the Sultanate, it will be southeasterly light to moderate.”

Sea condition will be rough along the Arabian Sea coast with maximum wave height of 4.5 metres and moderate along the rest of the Oman coasts with maximum wave height of 2.0 metres.

PACDA EXTINGUISHES VEHICLE FIRE IN BARKA Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance officials extinguished fire in a vehicle in Barka on Sunday. No injuries were reported.

Motorists have been cautioned about the need to maintain their cars and to be cautious about the high temperatures that could trigger fire.—Supplied photo

Sunny and warm

MO N DAY, JU LY 27, 2 0 1 5

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Omanis’ count to reach 4m by 2040 Demographic projection

2015

The largest projected increase in population during the

2,348,686

Number of Omanis

Growth projection by gender

next 25 years will be

100

recorded in Muscat where the projected

Estimated growth of Omani population

Women

72% 69%

2040

4,000,000

Growth projection by age Under 5 years

15 to 29 years

64%

Men

30%

increase reaches 322,000 people

15 to 64 years

27%

0

Times News Service MUSCAT: The number of Omanis will reach four million by 2040, a population projection study by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) for 20152040 estimates, according to highfertility assumption.

However, the figures stand at 3.8

Source: NSCI

million and 3.6 million as per medium- and low-fertility assumptions, respectively.

This translates into an increase of 2.4 million people by the year 2040 as against current figures.

Gender wise, Omani male popula-

Graphics

tion is expected to grow by 69 per cent while females will record a rise of 72%, according to average fertility assumption for the year 2040.

Going by high fertility assumption method, the percentage of

Omani children under 15 years of age is expected to reach 30 per cent of the total Omani population in 2040, while low fertility assumption estimates the share to be 25 per cent. Also, as much as 11 per cent of the Omani population will be children under five years (high fertility assumption), against nearly eight per cent according to low fertility assumption.

Youth population The study also projects that Omani youth (aged 15 -29 years) will constitute about 27 per cent of the total Omanis, marking a three per cent decrease compared to figures for mid-2015.

Further, the number of Omanis in the working age (15 till 64 years) will constitute 64 per cent and 69 per cent, respectively, according to high- and low-fertility assumptions. It is also expected that Omani females of childbearing age will constitute 45 per cent of the total Omani females in 2040, according to medium fertility assumption.

Throwing details on dependency rates, the study indicates 56 de-

ROAD ACCIDENT

Bodies of Haima bus-car road collision victims repatriated to home country Times News Service

and completed the formalities. As far as airlifting is concerned, it is the responsibility of the sponsors.

Right now, the local government formalities are under process to repatriate the bodies. The bodies of the victims will be airlifted shortly,” she said.

MUSCAT: Bodies of all those who died in the collision between a car and bus in Haima have been repatriated to their home country India, according to social workers.

“All the bodies, except that of Suresh Arumugam, have been sent to India. Arumugam’s relative came from Dubai on Sunday to identify the body. His remains will also be airlifted today (Sunday),” said a social worker in Muscat.

Five occupants of the car as well as two of the bus died in the crash on July 18.

South India residents While the bodies of Jinshad Kalathiparambil Jabbar and Shifa Fathima Firos were sent to Kozhikode in Kerala on July 20, bodies of Stephen Herald Joseph John and Dhivakar Manoharan were airlifted to Chennai in Tamil Nadu on July 23.

The repatriation of the bodies

TRAGIC ACCIDENT: The repatriation of the bodies was delayed because there were difficulties in identifing the dead.–File photo

was delayed because these were difficult to identify, social workers had said.

Public Authority for Civil Defence & Ambulance official con-

firmed that the bodies of five victims who were in the car were charred beyond recognition.

Meanwhile, an Indian embassy official said, “We have registered

C O N S U M E R A F FA I R S

PACP directs suppliers to repair, maintain sold goods Article 26 states: ‘The provider shall guarantee the repairs and maintenance in accordance with this law and its regulations.’

TARIQ AL HAREMI tariqh@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: “Suppliers shall guarantee to repair and carry out maintenance of the products they sell,” according to the Public Authority of Consumer Protection (PACP) law.

Stressing the importance of after sales maintenance, in a recent tweet the Public Authority of Consumer Protection (PACP) said: “Anyone in violation of proper maintenance will be subjected to a fine.” According to the Royal Decree 66/2014 to promulgate the Consumer Law, Article 26 states: “The provider shall guarantee the repairs and maintenance in accordance with this law and its regulations.”

The violator will be subjected to a fine of an amount between OMR100 and OMR5,000.

The Consumer Protection Law makes it clear that the law is meant to protect the consumer, but not all providers should fear being slapped with hefty fines since it does not apply to perishable products.

The law is applicable only to

Customers get claims worth OMR68,184 in Sharqiyah MUSCAT: A sum of OMR68,184 was returned to customers by the Directorate of Consumer Protection in North Sharqiyah Governorate during the first half of this year.

According to statistics from the Directorate of Consumer Protection in North Sharqiyah Governorate, 255 complaints were reported during the first half of this year concerning expired food products, food unfit for human consumption, unjustified price hikes and poor service.

During the same period, the directorate of consumer protection issued 110 fines on account of various violations, including price differences between projected prices of products versus accounting prices, and sale

non-perishable products such as TVs, watches, vehicles and electronics. As per the law, the provider must repair, replace or refund the product if any fault is brought to its notice by the consumer. If the provider fails to do so, then he will be fined an amount equal to the price or close to the price of the product.

Additional punishment may also be imposed by the appro-

of banned products.

Those who failed to present product information such as date of expiry and weight of the product were also fined.

Those who increased the price of some products and services were also fined.

The authority received 89 direct complaints via their call centre during this period. The PACP carried out all the necessary procedures as per the consumer law and decisions were taken to protect consumers by solving problems at the level of the PACP and by referring violators to the public prosecution.

A total of 63 cases were decided in favour of the consumers in court cases with the amount of fines reaching OMR18,640.

priate courts in the form of confiscation of the products of the violator, shutting down the store temporarily or permanently and publication of court sentencing in two daily newspapers.

In addition to that, the chairmen, board members, chief executives, managers and other supervising authorities will also be punished if any proof is found against them.

Seven dead The seven who died were Stephen Herald Joseph John, Dhivakar Manoharan, Suresh Arumugam, Sivabharath Santosh Kumar, Basheer, Ahamed Alaudeen Jinshad Kalathiparambil Jabbar, Shifa Fathima Firos.

Suresh was working as a lab technician in one of the government hospital since 2009 while Joseph and Divakar were working as X-ray technicians in a private hospital.

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pendents for every 100 persons in the working age by 2040, according to the high fertility assumption; the figure, however, decreases to 45 dependents according to low fertility assumption.

As for the population indices at the governorate level, the study says that the largest projected increase in population during the next 25 years will be recorded in the Muscat governorate where the projected increase reaches 322,000 people, assuming the policy of reducing the number of expatriates will continue. However, the size of the young people category (less than 30 years of age) in Muscat will decrease by 13 per cent by 2040.

Musandam’s slow growth In contrast, the lowest projected increase in the population is expected in the middle of 2040 in the Musandam governorate with an addition of just 17,000 people.

Muscat and Al-Batinah North Governorates will be home to 41 per cent of the total Omani youth population in the age group 15-29

years, while two-thirds of the Omani children under five years (constituting 66 per cent of the total) will be residing in Muscat, Al-Batinah South, Al-Batinah North and Al-Sharqiyah North Governorates.

Fertility rate Generally speaking, even as it is assumed that the total fertility rate will decrease over the projection period, the population is set to increase across the three assumptions. This is called the Population Momentum — the driving force behind population growth, which says that population growth will continue despite declining fertility rates.

The study also shows that the Omani population pyramid during the projection period moves closer towards achieving the demographic window by the year 2040.

It is the stage in which the community reaches its peak population size in the working age, compared to the lowest percentage of dependent population (children and old persons).

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M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

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Small and medium-sized enterprises are the drivers of every national economy. So we are proud that this MoU will help to strengthen Oman’s SME sector Paul Gregorowitsch, CEO Oman Air

Oman Air, Riyada pact to aid SMEs Times News Service

The MoU would support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) development.

The SMEs will be registered with Oman Air’s Supply Chain Department, enabling them to identify and schedule business opportunities with Oman Air via an online portal

MUSCAT: Oman Air has signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will offer greater access to the airline’s supply chain for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with Riyada, the Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprise Development.

Riyada is a government body established by Royal Decree and entrusted with developing the Sultanate’s SME sector.

The MoU allows SMEs registered with Riyada to bid for contracts with Oman Air in a more convenient and efficient way.

The SMEs will be registered with Oman Air’s Supply Chain Department, enabling them to identify and schedule business opportunities with Oman Air via an online portal.

Paul Gregorowitsch commented: “Oman Air is pleased to have

NATIONAL COMMITMENT: The MoU allows SMEs registered with Riyada to bid for contracts with Oman Air in a more convenient and efficient way.–Supplied photo

signed this Memorandum of Understanding with Riyada. It will strengthen and diversify Oman Air’s supply chain, support the development of the Sultanate’s SME sector and increase employment opportunities for many Omani citizens. All over the world, small and

medium-sized enterprises are the drivers of every national economy.

They are vital to their nations’ prosperity. So we are proud that this MoU will help to strengthen Oman’s SME sector. The resulting business opportunities will have a positive impact on Oman’s econo-

my. They will also help to increase Oman Air’s indirect contribution to the nation; a contribution which totalled more than OMR400 million in 2014.”

The importance of SMEs to Oman’s economy has long been recognised. With the support

of the government, the sector is growing rapidly, creating jobs and encouraging innovation.

The MoU was initiated by Dr Khalid Abdul Wahab Ahmed Al Balushi, senior manager, government relations and sustainability.

He added: “In addition to the clear business benefits for both Oman Air and local companies, this MoU makes an important contribution to the airline’s corporate social responsibility strategy.

We are, therefore, proud to be supporting Oman’s SMEs and helping them to create more jobs and increase diversification. Both are major goals for the Omani government and we look forward to working closely with Riyada to further the aims of the Sultanate.”

The MoU was signed as Oman Air continues its ambitious programme of expansion. This will see the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman’s fleet grow by 2020 to 70 aircraft, consisting of 25 wide-body aircraft and 45 narrow-body jets.

ACADEMICS

SQU, GUtech host ‘Young Explorer’ programme Times News Service MUSCAT: In a boost to talented students, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) are hosting student participants of the summer programme, ‘Young Explorer 2015’, related to the Oman University project.

The programme, which began

on July 25 and will last until August 20, targets 220 outstanding students in mathematics at grade nine in the public schools.

The programme aims to provide a good learning environment to improve the students’ academic knowledge and refine their skills.

In addition to the morning academic programme which includes lessons in English language, IT and

mathematics, there is an evening programme which contains several applied scientific activities, cultural, recreational and sports events and trips.

To ensure that the programme is of the highest quality, both universities have assigned teams of instructors and qualified specialists who have been selected carefully to implement the programme.

GROWTH AGENDA: The programme aims to provide a good learning environment that will improve the

academic knowledge of students.-Supplied photo ACCIDENT

SEMINAR

Experts to discuss modern surveying technologies, tools Times News Service MUSCAT: Bringing some new thoughts in the field of surveying techniques, including the introduction of some modern surveying devices such as GPS receiver, Robotic Total Station, and the Laser Scanner, will be the focus of a seminar here.

The Research Council (TRC) will organise a one-day seminar on ‘GNSS and modern surveying techniques, with their application and monitoring utilities’ on Monday. The key note of the seminar, to be held at the Higher College of Technology (HCT), will be delivered by Dr. Lukasz K

Dr. Lukasz K Bonenberg

Bonenberg, Senior Experimental Officer at the University of Nottingham in the UK,.

The seminar, open to the public, will focus on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), the

sources of error in engineering surveys while demonstrating the latest scientific applications, the system’s uses in engineering to detect and observe change and distortion, discussing the challenges it may face both on a local or global scale in geographic surveys and also the future of the system.

Dr. Lukasz, during his visit, will also hold meetings, discussions and technical and practical lectures. His schedule will also include a site visit and data collection in addition to visits to educational agencies including the Higher College of Technology (HCT) and Sultan Qaboos University (SQU).

Saudi girl shot Times News Service MUSCAT: A stray bullet in Musandam killed a girl child of Saudi nationality, according to a reliable source at the ROP. The source added that investigations are under way.

More details are awaited.

SPORTS ACTIVITY

Sports fiesta MUSCAT: Activities of the second stage of the ‘Summer of Sport’ programme, being implemented by the Ministry of Sports Affairs began on Sunday with the participation of citizens and residents -ONA

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Search for missing Emiratis extended Four of the six friends who had entered the sea, managed to swim to safety but two are still missing

Times News Service MUSCAT: Search operations have been extended to Taqah RESCUE MISSION: The two Emiratis went missing in the sea off area in the Dhofar governorate to Al Dimr in the wilayat of Mirbat in Dhofar. – PACDA trace the two Emiratis who went missing in the sea off Al Dimr in the wilayat of Mirbat in Dhofar governorate, according to an official of the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA).

“Search efforts are going on in full swing,” the official said, adding, “We will continue with our efforts.”

Seven friends, including two Omanis, had gone for a swim when six of them found themselves trapped in strong currents.

Four of the six, who had entered the sea, managed to swim to safety but two are still missing.

Meanwhile, authorities have urged the tourists and locals visiting Salalah to abide by the safety rules in the beaches and wadis.

“Some of the beaches and wadis have signboards warning people not to go out into the sea. In such cases, people should not step out to swim,” the authority said.

The authorities also urged tourists and locals to be aware of Recently, an official said that ing how to swim,” he said. the leading cause of drowning in According to the National Centre the currents and tides. for Statistics and Information Experts have advised people Oman is negligence.

“Some enter the water when (NCSI), the number of visitors to against going to places having strong currents and asked them there are strong currents, while Salalah has touched 88,405 as of others go too deep without know- July 21. to check the depth first.

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M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

OMAN CABLE

His Majesty receives thanks from Saudi MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a cable of thanks from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in reply to His Majesty’s condolences cable on the death of Princess Madawi

bint Mish’al bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

In his cable, King Salman expressed his thanks for His Majesty the Sultan’s generous feelings and sincere prayers, praying to Allah the Almighty to rest the deceased’s soul in peace and protect His Majesty against all harms. -ONA

We don’t have the power to cast a vote of no-confidence in a minister but the article 58-43 gave us the power to question the ministers for any passing of law or negligence or wrongdoing, which we have done Tawfiq Al Lawati, Majlis Al Shura member for Muttrah

Voting for Majlis vital for strengthening it

B I R T H D AY

HM receives thanks from Kazakhstan MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a cable of thanks from President Nursultan Nazarbayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan in reply to His Majesty’s greetings cable on the occasion of his birthday.

In his cable, President Nazarbayev expressed his utmost

thanks for His Majesty the Sultan’s greetings.

Nazarbayev affirmed that the mutual cooperation will boost the interest of the people of countries, wishing His Majesty the Sultan good health and success and the Omani people further progress and prosperity. -ONA

GREETINGS

DEBATING BODY: Majlis Al Shura member for Muttrah Tawfiq Al Lawati, left, and Dr Leon Goldsmith, from SQU’s Department of Political Science. -Supplied photo

Majlis Al Shura’s effectiveness is limited by current regulations which don’t allow it to exercise legislative power well but it is still

< FROM

A1 Renaissance Day His Majesty the Sultan has also received greetings from His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jabir Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, His Majesty King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, King Abdullah II of Jordan, King Mohammed VI of Morocco, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE VicePresident, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Prince Mohammad bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, KSA Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan.

His Majesty also received cables of greetings from their highnesses, ministers, advisors, command-

ers of the Sultan’s Armed Forces, Royal Oman Police and other security units, honourable members of the State Council, members of the Majlis Al Shura, undersecretaries, judges, the Omani ambassadors, heads of the diplomatic missions in the Sultanate, representatives of the international organisations and authorities, sheikhs, dignitaries and citizens. In their cable, they expressed their sincere greetings along with their best wishes of good health, welfare and long life to His Majesty the Sultan, hailing the great achievements made in the Sultanate under the wise leadership of His Majesty, praying to Allah the Almighty to protect His Majesty and grant him success to achieve the aspirations of his people and nation. -ONA

gaining attention for trying to hold ministers accountable and for some of its proposals

SARAH MACDONALD

sarah@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Its legislative powers may be limited but the Majlis Al Shura still has an important role to play in Oman’s political process as a voice for the people, so voting in the upcoming elections is very important, experts say.

Since the 2011 Majlis Al Shura elections the members have been increasingly vocal and active, debating social issues and making recommendations.

The Majlis Al Shura’s effectiveness is limited by current regulations which don’t allow it to exercise legislative power well but it is still gaining attention for trying to hold ministers accountable and for some of its proposals.

Impressive steps “What people need to do and why these elections are important is that even though it’s not a full legislative institution, it has taken some impressive steps since 2011. You’re starting to see more confidence among the members to challenge different ministers,” says Dr Leon Goldsmith, from SQU’s Department of Political Science.

A number of ministers have been called upon to answer questions, including the Minister of Higher Education, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Oil and Gas, and the Minister of Finance.

Though the ministers often provide written responses rather than facing the Majlis Al Shura in person, they are still questioned,

says Majlis Al Shura member for Muttrah, Tawfiq Al Lawati.

“Basically this is about raising questions, demanding the attendance of a minister to answer certain questions. We don’t have the power to cast a vote of no-confidence in a minister but the Article 58-43 gave us the power to question the ministers for any passing of law or negligence or wrongdoing, which we have done,” Al Lawati explains.

The Majlis Al Shura has also debated many important topics during its past mandate and come up with proposals on for job seekers, for marriage loans, for housing complexes, for banning alcohol and for regulating the mining and quarries, among other things.

Concerns of Omani people Though they are not binding and need to be accepted by the government, they still reflect the needs and concerns of the Omani people, says Al Lawati.

“I find the Majlis Al Shura over the past three years has done a great job. They have addressed significant issues. They have taken up matters that are of importance to the average member of the public. They have their own views regarding certain legislation, certain public challenges.

They have worked very hard” says Ahmed Al Mukhaini, a lawyer and political analyst.

He says the Majlis Al Shura is a place to discuss the needs of the country, such as infrastructure, education and business legislations, and question the results of

the government’s decisions.

“For these questions we need to create a partnership between the people and the government and the people who are in the government should be accountable. The role of the Shura Council is basically they are holding these people accountable and questioning them,” he explains.

Strengthen Shura Al Mukhaini says that rather than dismiss the Majlis Al Shura as being ineffective because it lacks legislative powers, people should help strengthen it or they may risk it becoming irrelevant.

He says people must remember that they live in a monarchy, not a democracy and since they have been provided with the Majlis Al Shura as a forum to have their voices heard, they should make use of it.

“When we are provided with the opportunity, we have the choice: either to participate and grow this right and evolve this right, or stay numb and then we risk losing this right,” he says.

Goldsmith sees the Majlis Al Shura as a part of a long-term process of slowly granting more power to the people. It began with the formation of the State Council in 1981 and has steadily evolved, resulting in the first general elections for the Majlis Al Shura elections in 2003.

“This is not, like we see in other cases, a facade-like institution.

There is a very clear trajectory.

In my view, what we’re starting to see is the beginning of a bottomup process,” Goldsmith says.

Political process A political process involving the citizens requires an educated, united and mature society, so since 1970 the emphasis has been on education and socio-economic development to achieve that goal, Goldsmith explains.

“They were concerned that if they instigated these representative politics at the early stages the country was still very fragile in terms of the different ethnic,

tribal and sectarian groups. If you had an immediate implementation at that time you would have fragmentation and a difficult time making the country cohesive,” he says.

While other Arab countries have tried applying a Westernstyle democracy, most have failed, Goldsmith says. Oman has an advantage since it is pursuing its own, indigenous form of political participation.

“This is part of Omani traditions, where they would elect the imam. Then [the imams] were obliged to consult widely with the different sheikhs and the walis and the different parts of the imamate. There is a tradition of Shura, or consultation,” he says.

Help shape the future Al Lawati says people need to get involved in politics so they can help shape the future of Oman, especially its economy, which is facing challenges due to the drop in oil prices. He says the Majlis Al Shura is a place to discuss the needs of the country, such as infrastructure, education and business legislations, and question the results of the government’s decisions.

“We should understand that the people need to participate and decide on what are their priorities,” he said.

Casting ballots Goldsmith says citizens who are eligible to vote should cast their ballots as a way to make their voices heard and to be entitled to an opinion on the Majlis Al Shura itself.

Even if none of the candidates are quite what one is looking for in a representative, there is still value in voting and holding the elected members to account.

“Don’t just sit back and complain that this member doesn’t represent me. That’s not how democracies should work. Take those opportunities and hold them to account. Support the political process. They can’t say anything if they don’t vote,” he says.

B I G C O M PA N I E S T O B E N E F I T

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A1 Ministry’s link for online applications The announcement added that the website of the ministry offers a link for online applications and eligible companies can process all paper work, including payments, through the link.

“By good records, we mean that the companies should have no violations. They should have abided by the ministry regulations and maintained the required Omanisation percentages. They should have registered staff in the social security system,” said the source.

He added that such companies will obtain a card that will entitle them to benefit from the special

services offered by the Ministry of Manpower.

Mohammed Hassan Al Ansi, vice-chairman of the Committee of Logistics and Transportation Affairs at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), said that although the move sounds positive on the surface, in reality it will have negative effects that will be felt throughout the Sultanate’s economy.

“Basically, big companies will benefit from this rule because they will be the companies with the good records. The small to medium enterprises, SME com-

panies, will have to pay a price for that,” said Al Ansi.

He added that implementing online services for companies will negatively affect the Sanad offices, which are part of the country’s economy. Therefore, such amove might affect the Sultanate’s economy in the long run, according to Al Ansi. “The Ministry of Manpower has to think again about implementing such services and come out with ways to involve the SME companies so they can still benefit from the private sector companies,” added Al Ansi.

Responding to the announce-

ment, Ali Al Bahri, who owns a company, welcomed the Ministry of Manpower’s move, saying that such consideration for companies with good records is a reward.

“This encourages other companies to abide by the laws and follow the Ministry of Manpower’s regulations,” said Al Bahri. He added that he had not received the card allowing his company to benefit from the special service provided by the ministry, but he is working hard to correct the company’s situation and follow the regulations to clean up his company’s records.

CYBER SECURITY

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High cost of cyber crimes

Oman also has about 350 public sector professionals certified under internationally recognised certification programmes in cyber security, the report stated.

Oman also has over 10 partnerships with countries and organisations to facilitate sharing cyber security assets, and it has participated in numerous international conferences on cyber security, even hosting number of them itself.

At the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Arab

Regional Cyber Security Center in Muscat in March, Dr. Salim Sultan Al Ruzaiqi, CEO of the ITA spoke about the importance of being prepared for cyber attacks.

“Statistics show cyber crimes cost the world’s economy around $445 billion every year and S$150 billion for the loss of personal information such as stolen credit card information,” Al Ruzaiqi said, adding that in 2014 the Kaspersky Antivirus Company reported that it deflected 6.2 billion viruses on the PCs and

smartphones, one billion more than in 2013.

In an interview with Times of Oman in February, Rajat Mohanty, CEO of Paladion Networks Private Limited, a Bangalorebased IT company that specialises in protecting information, said cyber attacks on information or infrastructure are becoming more sophisticated and harder to defend against, too. Fixed defence systems no longer work well and instead the focus is on increase monitoring for potential threats.

MO N DAY, JU LY 27, 2 0 1 5

REGION

The accident, the deadliest such incident on the River Nile in years, occurred late Wednesday when the victims were celebrating an engagement on a vessel that was struck by a cargo ship.

TRAGEDY

Toll in Egypt Nile boat crash rises to 36 CAIRO: Rescuers recovered seven more bodies from the Nile after a party boat collided with a cargo ship earlier this week, raising the death toll to 36, Egyptian officials said on Sunday.

The accident, the deadliest such incident on the Nile in years, occurred late Wednesday when the victims were celebrating an engagement on a vessel that was struck by a cargo ship.

The captain of the cargo boat and his assistants were arrested following the accident in the Warraq district north of Cairo. They have been charged with manslaughter. “We have recovered 36 bodies and the majority of the victims are children and women,” General Magdi Al Shalaqami from the interior ministry told AFP, raising the death toll from an earlier figure of 29.

Rescuers were still searching for more bodies, he said, with search operations expanded to other provinces.

Health ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said among those dead were 20 children, some aged as young as four.

Discipline In a meeting on Sunday the cabinet took several decisions “in order to achieve discipline on the Nile”, a government statement said.

The cabinet banned all nighttime movement of cargo ships on the Nile in and around Cairo until September, the statement said.

It banned use of loud speakers on vessels hired for private ceremonies and on ferries transporting people. The cabinet also decided not to build new berths along the river. The Nile, which runs along the length of Egypt, is dotted with cargo ships, party boats and fishing vessels.

In 2011, at least 22 people drowned in southern Egypt’s Beni Suef province when a bus they were in fell into the Nile from a ferry which crashed into the river bank. — AFP

Zarif calls for cooperation against ‘terror’ Our message to the countries of the region is that we should cooperate to face the common threat, said Iran’s foreign minister on his trip to Kuwait

MEETING: His Highness Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad

Al Jaber Al Sabah, right, with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, left, in Kuwait City, on Sunday. – AFP/HO/KUNA

KUWAIT CITY: Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday called on Gulf neighbours to cooperate against the common threat of “terrorism, extremism and sectarianism”, but insisted that Tehran’s regional policy will not change.

“Any threat to one country is a threat to all... No country can solve regional problems without the help of others,” Zarif said at a news conference hosted by the Iranian embassy in Kuwait.

“Our message to the countries of the region is that we should cooperate to face the common threat,” Zarif told reporters after meeting Kuwaiti officials on his first foreign trip since the nuclear deal with world powers.

Support “Iran has always supported the people of this region in confronting the common threat which is terrorism, extremism and sectarianism,” he said.

However, Zarif also insisted that in order to spur cooperation

in the region, it was up to other states to change their policies, not Iran. “What is needed is not a change in Iranian policy but a change in the policy of some countries that want conflict and war in this region,” Zarif said.

Zarif earlier met His Highness Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah and his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled Al Sabah, who was not present at the press conference.

Zarif’s tour will also take him to Qatar and Iraq.

The nuclear accord between Iran and Western powers, struck on July 14, imposes certain controls on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of crippling economic sanctions.

Ahead of his Gulf visit, Zarif said in a statement posted on his ministry’s website late on Friday that Tehran would continue supporting its allies in Syria and Iraq to fight against militant group IS. Asked if Iran will change its policy in Syria and Iraq follow-

ing the deal, Zarif said Iran has been at the forefront in fighting against the IS militant group and Al Qaeda, and its timely interference prevented the fall of Baghdad and Arbil to IS. Echoing that message in a speech earlier on Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on a visit to Iran’s Kurdistan Province: “The Iranian nation supports all oppressed nations.”

“If it wasn’t for Iran, Erbil and Baghdad would have also fallen to the terrorists (of Islamic State) ... Just as we defended Dahuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah (in Iraqi Kurdistan), if any country in the whole region is a victim of aggression, the Iranian nation will defend the oppressed,” Rouhani added.

Zarif will return to Tehran next week where he will host EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini before meeting his French counterpart Laurent Fabius. — Agencies

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M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

INDIA

I have full faith in the judiciary. I ask the Government of India for pardon for Yakub so that his death sentence can be commuted Rahin Memon, Yakub Memon’s wife

I N F E C T I O N T H R E AT S

Doctors’ white coats, neckties spread dangerous infections NEW DELHI: The ever-present mobile phones are a source of spreading infections in health care settings, as they are almost never sterilised.

New evidence also suggests that the familiar white coat and neckties that physicians and doctors wear in India should be banned, as they are also potential sources of infection.

Diseases spread through such routes are called `hospital acquired infections’ and such illnesses are really hard to treat as these germs are usually very hardy as they have survived the hostile hospital environments.

Studies indicate that even the ubiquitous mobile phones also tend to harbour infections as they are almost never disinfected by health care workers. A recent Aus-

SOURCES OF INFECTION: Diseases spread through such routes are called ‘hospital acquired infections’ and such illnesses are really hard to treat.

tralian study found that five per cent of the mobile phones they analysed were source of disease causing bacteria.

Mobiles since they come in

close contact with the body become infected with germs.

Most doctors it seems wear white coats and neckties more like ornaments to look ‘professional’ a

F L AY S P O L I C E

Cash seized from wife of Vyapam whistleblower INDORE: The wife of Vyapam scam whistleblower Prashant Pandey was briefly detained by police, which seized Rs 996,000 from her alleging it to be ‘hawala’ money.

Flaying the police action, Prashant Pandey charged that his family was being harassed at the behest of the state government after the Supreme Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into Vyapam scam and the mysterious deaths related to it.

Superintendent of Police O P Tripathi said that acting on a tipoff about hawala transactions at Laxmi Motors, a private firm situated near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, police kept a vigil and noticed Meghna Pandey -- Prashant’s wife -- coming out of the firm’s office with a bag on Saturday.

Meghna works at the firm as

Opposition leaders pay tributes to those who died after their names figured in Vyapam scam.

an HR manager. According to the SP, the women police officers searched her bag and allegedly found Rs 996,000 in cash. She couldn’t give a satisfactory explanation about the money so it was seized under section 102 of the Criminal Procedure Code, he said.

Meghna was later allowed to go.

Police had informed the Income Tax Department and other author-

ities and further probe was on, the SP added.

Prashant Pandey said the action was illegal and the money seized was their own hard-earned money.

“My family is being harassed at the behest of the state government after the Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe into Vyapam scam and the mysterious deaths related to it,” he said.

His family had earned this money by working hard for ten years and it was mentioned in the IT returns, he said. “We live in a rented flat. We were supposed to give Rs1 million to a builder to book a flat,” he added.

Pandey had provided several documents regarding the Vyapam scam, which is about the widespread rackets in recruitment and professional courses entrance tests conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board. -PTI

study suggests. “Do doctors need to wear white coats at all?” questions Edmond Fernandes, working at the Department of Community Medicine,Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore.

Writing in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ), he says “Today we know white coats harbour potential contaminants and contribute considerably to the burden of disease acquired in hospital by spreading infections”.

Often potent `superbugs’ pass from patient to patient as the health care workers go about their daily jobs.

Simple hand washing can reduce chances of infections but those bacteria and viruses that are hitched onto the physician’s clothes are easy to pass on to other patients as doctors make their

rounds in hospitals. Making a plea to shed the white coats, Fernandes says since in Indian hospitals changing areas are rare so most doctors tend to wear white coats outside hospitals as well or often leave them on chairs, often students wear them even to the cafeteria and shopping malls.

Discourage white coats Given India’s tropical climate, common sense indicates that wearing of white coats should be discouraged, especially longsleeved ones as they are most prone to be infected.

An estimate in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that in USA alone annually some 1.7 million people get affected by hospital acquired infections and out of these some 99,000 annually

succumb to such infections.

Comparable Indian estimates are hard to come by but hospital based infections are frequent in India.

Looking at the scenario the BMJ report seeks that the Indian ministry of health should “ban doctors medical students from wearing white coats, to reduce the harm and cost that results from hospital acquired infections”.

Protocols need to be put in place that mandates doctors and nurses sterilise their mobile phones.

Howsoever will doctors be willing to disinfect their mobile phones and would they change their traditional attire and more importantly will the patients ever take their physicians to be serious professionals minus their white coats. -PTI

Yakub’s wife calls for commuting of death sentence Yakub Memon is scheduled to be hanged on July 30 at Nagpur Central Prison after his curative petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court

MUMBAI: Rahin Memon, the wife of Yakub Memon, the only death-row convict in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, has appealed to the judiciary and the government to commute her husband’s capital punishment to life term.

“I have full faith in the judiciary. I ask the Government of India for pardon for Yakub so that his death sentence can be commuted,” she said.

Yakub Memon is scheduled to be hanged on July 30 at Nagpur Central Prison after his curative petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Yakub has also submitted a fresh mercy petition to the Maharashtra governor.

Rahin said she believed that her husband was innocent and had willingly surrendered to the authorities. Rahin said she would be happy even if he was allowed to serve a life sentence.

“I personally believe that (only) someone who is innocent will surrender. But still, if they feel he is not innocent...they

APPEAL FOR PARDON: Rahin Memon arrives in Nagpur to meet her husband Yakub Memon. -PTI

Salman withdraws his tweets MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan on Sunday created a storm by describing Yakub Memon as innocent but was forced to withdraw his tweets and tender unconditional apology following outrage from political parties and social media.

Basking in the glory of his film Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s success, the 49-year-old actor posted about a dozen tweets from about 2 am early on Sunday in which he said

should consider that he has surrendered and show him some leniency,” she said.

The Memon family, Rahin claimed, had not fled India after the blasts (contrary to CBI’s case)

the wrong man is being hung for the crimes of his brother Tiger Memon who was described by the actor as a ‘lomdi’(fox) who ran away.

“Get tiger(Tiger Memon), hang him. Parade him not his brother,” the actor had tweeted. Khan said.

“Been wanting to tweet Tis fr 3 days n was afraid to do so but it involves a man’s n family. “1 innocent man killed is killing the humanity,” the actor said. -PTI

but had left the country before the explosions rocked the west Indian city of Bombay, as the city was then known, to celebrate Eid in Dubai. “We always went to Dubai for Eid,” Rahin said. -PTI

MO N DAY, JU LY 27, 2 0 1 5

INDIA

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Nation pays tribute to martyrs, heroes on Kargil Victory Day NEW DELHI/DRASS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday led an indebted nation in paying tributes to the martyrs and heroes of the 1999 kargil war, saying it was not only fought on the border but every village and city contributed to the fight against the enemy.

“In Kargil, each of our soldiers proved more than a 100 of the enemy. I salute the brave soldiers

who thwarted the evil designs of the enemy without caring for their own lives. The Kargil war was not fought only on the border but every village, every city contributed to it,” the Prime Minister said in his radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’, coinciding with the 16th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Divas being celebrated on Sunday. “This war was fought by those mothers

and sisters whose sons and brothers were in the battlefield. It was fought by those girls, who had just been married, those fathers who gave their sons and felt young themselves, and those sons who had not even learnt to walk properly holding the finger of their fathers. It is because of their sacrifices that India can move in the world holding its head high,” he said.

Accident victims to get ‘cashless treatment soon’ Government will soon introduce a Road Transport and Safety Bill in parliament, said the prime minister

NEW DELHI: Shocked over one fatality every four minutes in road accidents in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said his government will soon implement a road safety policy and cashless treatment for accident victims.

In his monthly ‘Maan Ki Baat’ radio programme, Modi said: “The statistics on road accidents in our country are shocking. There is an accident every minute. And... there is a death every four minutes.” In view of this, the government would soon

introduce a Road Transport and Safety Bill in parliament and work to implement the National Road Safety Policy and a Road Safety Action Plan, he said.

The prime minister said there would soon be a nationwide toll free number 1033 to provide information on accidents across the country. Official statistics show 15 to 16 people in road accidents in the country every hour or nearly 380 every day. The daily toll includes 16 children.

A total of 137,000 people became road accident victims in 2013. The prime minister also said that development of the country’s northeast was not possible with officials sitting in Delhi. He vowed to depute officials to the region to find solutions to problems faced by the people.

“Is it possible to develop the northeast while sitting in Delhi?

No. Officials will visit and see how it is to be done.

“The DoNER (Development of Northeastern Region) ministry has taken a significant decision to send teams of central government officials to the northeast and hold

week-long camps there,” he said.

The ministry is responsible for planning, executing and monitoring the central government’s development schemes in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram, Sikkim and Meghalaya.

“These teams will hold camps in districts and villages, meet local officials, people’s representatives and citizens. They will listen to their problems and help the government to find their solutions.” In his talk, Modi praised efforts made towards keeping India clean.

He congratulated government officials from Harda district in Madhya Pradesh for their ‘Malyudh’ (a sanitation programme).

“They have given a new meaning to ‘Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan’.

A brother gifting his sister a toilet on ‘Raksha Bandhan’, and the one who does so becoming ‘brother number one’ has given a new direction to the (cleanliness) mission,” he said. Speaking on issues like electricity, Modi said his government was committed to providing power to all villages. - IANS

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and Navy Vice Chief P Murugesan also paid tributes to the martyrs by laying wreaths at the Amar Jawan Jyoti in the national capital.

As the nation paid solemn tributes to 490 jawans and officers who laid down their lives in the

line of duty during the over two month-long conflict, the Army sought to assure the citizens that with its capabilities having grown “exponentially” since the Kargil war, it was confident of protecting the country’s frontiers.

“We are fully confident on both borders (with Pakistan and China). There used to be only a brigade before the Kargil war.

Now there is a full division.”

“So, I just want to tell everyone, tell the nation, please be confident.

We are there on the borders and our capability exists to do well,” Northern Indian Army Commander Lt General D S Hooda told reporters in Drass, a key battleground during the conflict, after laying a wreath at the kargil War Memorial. - IANS

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M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

PAKISTAN KASHMIR REGION

FLASH FLOODS INUNDATE PESHAWAR

Residents walk in floodwater caused by heavy rainfalls in Peshawar, on Sunday. Flash flooding caused by torrential monsoon rains has affected hundreds of thousands of people, according to aid agencies, with further downpours expected in the coming days. — Reuters

Border fire kills civilian in Chirikot area MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistani officials on Sunday accused Indian troops of killing a civilian in “unprovoked firing” in the disputed Kashmir region.

India and Pakistan often accuse each other of violating a 2003 ceasefire agreement. The two countries have fought three wars, two of them over the divided and disputed Kashmir region.

The latest incident took place overnight in Chirikot sector on the Line of Control (LoC), the region’s de facto border, Pakistan’s military said in a statement on Sunday.

“A civilian Muhammad Waseem who was severely injured due to unprovoked firing by Indians on LoC in Chirikot sector yesterday (Saturday) has embraced shahadat (martyrdom) this morning,” it said.

Waseem was taken to a military hospital in the garrison city of Rawalpindi but he succumbed to the bullet injury in his neck, it added.

Abdul Raoof, a police official in the area, confirmed the incident and told AFP that Waseem was grazing his cattle in his village when he was hit by a bullet fired by Indian troops.

Last week too, Islamabad accused India of a breach of their ceasefire after reporting the death of four civilians in cross-border shelling in Kashmir. — AFP

US DRONE STRIKE

6 ‘Mohmand Agency’ rebels killed in Afghanistan ISLAMABAD: Six suspected militants were killed on Sunday in a US drone strike in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the border with Pakistan.

The drone reportedly fired missiles on a vehicle carrying suspected militants in Chaknawr near Nalpura.

“The militants belonged to Mohmand Agency,” a source said.

Earlier this month, former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Shahidullah Shahid was killed in a US drone strike in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.

One of the most-recognisable faces in the ranks of the banned TTP, Shahid had declared allegiance to the IS group, also known by its Arabic acronym Da’ish, with several top leaders last year.

He was appointed the spokesman for IS Khorasan region, which includes Pakistan and Afghanistan.

No one tracks drone strikes in Afghanistan – many of them take place in remote regions and are not reported – but Taliban commanders say that fighters there are being increasingly targeted since late last year.

— Express Tribune

US embassy local employee gunned down in Islamabad told us that he has received threats in the recent past,” Awan added, without detailing the nature of the threats.

The attackers, who fired shots in the air after the attack, managed to flee.

“We have collected some evidence from the site including a 9mm pistol in the nearby area,” Awan added.

He said police were investigating several possible motives, including attempted robbery, sectarian killing and extremism.

The motive for the shooting was unclear.

Police said the victim was a member of the Ismaili minority community and was working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration

ISLAMABAD: A local employee of the US embassy in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad was shot dead by an unidentified gunman on Sunday, police said.

The motive for the shooting was unclear. Police said the victim was a member of the Ismaili minority community and was working in the US Drug Enforcement Administration in the embassy.

Police identified the victim as Iqbal Baig, a resident of G-9/1 district in Islamabad, and told AFP

SHOOTING: Police identified the victim as Iqbal Baig, a resident of G-9/1 district in Islamabad, and told

AFP that the attacker used a pistol.— Express Tribune

the attacker used a pistol.

Baig was shot at 2am outside his home as an unknown number of accomplices waited in a nearby parked car.

“One of the armed attackers opened fire on Iqbal Baig. One bullet hit him on the left side in the chest and exited on the right side,” Khalid Mehmood Awan, a senior

2 0 1 5 S P E C I A L O LY M P I C S W O R L D G A M E S O P E N I N G C E R E M O N Y

police official at the scene, said.

“Iqbal Baig was working in the US Drug Enforcement Administration for 12 to 13 years and was from the Ismaili sect. His brother

No claim made No militant group has claimed the attack. No one at the US embassy in Islamabad was immediately available for comment.

Sectarian violence has claimed thousands of lives in the country over the past decade.

Forty-five Ismailis were massacred in the southern city of Karachi in May in the first attack in the country claimed by the IS group.

The worst atrocities, however, have been in the southwestern province of Balochistan. — AFP

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ELECTION RIGGING REPORT

PTI urged to stop maligning judges ISLAMABAD: The legal fraternity on Sunday urged the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership to stop their supporters from maligning the judiciary on social media.

Senior leaders of superior bars have expressed concerns over the ongoing smear campaign against judiciary on social media after the inquiry commission probing the alleged rigging in 2013 general elections released its report, rejecting PTI’s allegations.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Fazle Haq Abbasi condemned the anti-judiciary campaign by some PTI supporters in the last couple of days.

MARCHING AHEAD: The Pakistan team marches in the Parade of Athletes at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games Opening Ceremony, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, on Saturday in Los Angeles, US. The Special Olympics, the world’s largest sports organisation for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, will be the single largest event in Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympics, with more that 7,000 athletes from 165 countries participating. — AFP

Abusive language Demanding the PTI leadership to take notice of the abusive language being used against judges, SCBA president said, “I personally know both Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk and Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and

they are upright, honest and unapproachable.”

Further, the SCBA president questioned why abusive was being used against the judges when all parties agreed to accept the verdict of the commission.

Terming the anti-judges remarks ‘unfair’, former SCBA president Kamran Murtaza said instead of blaming judges, PTI supporters should examine whether the standard of evidences presented in front of the inquiry commission were concrete enough to declare the elections as void.

He also urged the PTI leadership to give a shut up call to all those maligning the judiciary.

Gohar Nawaz Sindhu, senior vice president of PTI legal wing said that despite the reservations over the contents of the report, it is unfair to ridicule judges.

“Due to the lack of political maturity the young workers are blaming the whole judiciary,” Sindhu added. — Express Tribune

MO N DAY, JU LY 27, 2 0 1 5

WORLD

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Light plane crashes in Tokyo suburb, 3 killed The aircraft with a 36-year-old pilot and four passengers on board crashed shortly after take-off from Tokyo’s Chofu airport

TOKYO: A light plane crashed into a residential area of Tokyo on Sunday, setting fire to several houses and reportedly killing three people and injuring five others, according to officials and local media.

The aircraft with a 36-yearold pilot and four passengers on board crashed at around 11:00am (0200GMT) shortly after take-off from Tokyo’s Chofu airport, public broadcaster NHK reported.

“Four people were involved in the accident and three of them were rescued, but we don’t know about further details, including their condition,” a spokesman at the Tokyo Fire Department told AFP. NHK, quoting police, said two people on board and one female local resident were killed in the accident, while five others were injured. Jiji Press said the two casualties aboard were the pilot and a male passenger.

Rumbling A female witness told AFP: “First, I thought a large truck had crashed into a neighbouring house as I heard the rumbling of the earth. I then saw ferocious smoke.”

At least three houses and two cars were on fire in the residential district of Chofu only some 500 metres (yards) from the airport.

The crash also damaged the roofs of other houses nearby, ac-

ACCIDENT SITE: An aerial view shows debris of a crashed light plane, bottom centre, and burning

houses are seen after the plane went down in a residential area and burst into flames, in Chofu, outskirt of Tokyo, on Sunday. Below: Rescue workers carry a victim upon a stretcher. – Reuters/Kyodo /AFP

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cording to the spokesman and local media. “I thought it was flying quite low and then I heard a bang,” a local resident who witnessed the crash told NHK. Television footage showed firefighters battling the inferno, as well as the remains of the plane’s tail that had squashed a car.

It also showed flames engulfing one of the houses and the plane’s front fuselage as black smoke rose from the crash site near a school, a baseball stadium and a shopping arcade.

“This place is close to the air-

port but I’m surprised because I had never thought that an airplane would crash,” an 82-year-old woman told NHK. The single-engine propellerdriven aircraft was bound for Izuoshima island in the Pacific some 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of central Tokyo for a one-day training flight, local media said.

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“I have lived here for a long time and get used to the noise of light planes, but it was obviously abnormal,” Kotaro Sunaga, a 32-year-old businessman, told Jiji Press.

Police have launched an investigation into the accident on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death, local media said. — AFP

FIRST TOUR

Obama to Kenyans: No limit to what you can achieve NAIROBI: Barack Obama told Kenyans on Sunday on his first presidential trip to his father’s homeland that there was “no limit to what you can achieve” but said they had to deepen democracy, tackle corruption and end exclusion based on gender or ethnicity.

After political talks on Saturday with President Uhuru Kenyatta on security and business, his speech to a packed sports hall in Nairobi struck a personal note, talking of his own experience and Kenya’s in the five decades since independence.

“I’m here as president of a country that sees Kenya as an important partner. I’m here as a friend who wants Kenya to succeed,” he said, after being introduced by his sister Auma Obama to a crowd of 4,500, many of whom had secured tickets to attend. To a mixture of applause and laughter, he described being picked up at the airport on his first visit to Kenya in the 1980s by his sister in an old VW Beetle that often broke down.

This time, he arrived on Air Force One and travelled in the president’s armoured car nicknamed “the Beast.”

“When it comes to the people of Kenya, particularly the youth, I believe there is no limit to what you can achieve,” he said, but he told Kenyans that building their nation and the economy required personal effort and responsibility.

On corruption, an issue often blamed for holding back investment, Obama said money spent on bribes would be better paid to someone “doing an honest day’s work”.

Referring to ethnic fighting in which 1,200 people died after a disputed 2007 election, he told Kenyans that politics based on ethnicity was “doomed to tear a country apart”. He also warned Kenya would “not succeed if it

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treats women and girls as second-class citizens”.

Obama spoke of Kenya’s challenge in dealing with attacks by the Somali militant group Al Shabaab, and promised the United States would stand by Kenya as a “partner”. On Saturday, he offered extra counter-terrorism training and funds.

Kenya’s tourist industry has been hammered by attacks by Al Shabaab, who raided a Nairobi shopping mall in 2013 and attacked a university in the northeast in April. Hundreds were killed in those and other attacks.

Obama, whose father is buried in western Kenya, wants to boost business ties with Africa, one of the world’s fastest growing regions.

“Kenya is on the move, Africa is on the move,” he told the crowd at the sports hall.

Bramwel Rotich, a 24-year-old student, said after the speech: “It was awesome. It was really inspiring especially for us young people.”

After Kenya, Obama travels on Sunday to Ethiopia, a nation brought to its knees by famine in the 1980s that now boasts some of the fastest economic growth rates on the continent.

But rights groups say economic achievements are at the expense of political freedoms. The opposition failed to secure a single seat in a parliamentary vote in May. The government says opponents are free to speak their minds.

National Security Adviser Susan Rice said last week the United States had concerns about Ethiopia’s human rights record and the electoral process. — Reuters

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he hapless Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has been mauled, gored and trampled by the Judicial Commission bull. The party now lies curled up in the dust, whimpering like a child who just got his milk bottle snatched.

Imran Khan and his merry men and women are well and truly beaten. But is this a fatal blow to a doddering party or can it still salvage its dignity and electoral prospects before the next elections?

All depends on Imran Khan. From the colossus that he was in Lahore on October 30, 2011 to the defeated person that he is seen after the Judicial Commission lashing, Imran is yet again on the edge of the precipice. A quick scan at his political innings will reveal the following: From 1996-2011: Struggle and final crescendo at the Lahore jalsa (rally). This marked the highest peak of Imran’s struggle and on that balmy evening in Lahore in front of hundreds of thousands of people, he stood proud as a new hope for Pakistan.

From 2011-2015: The transformation of an ideology into a party and its trials and tribulations in the messy political arena marked this phase. As October 30, 2011 established the peak of the first stage, the release of the Judicial Commission report on July 23, 2015 marked the lowest ebb of the party and its sole leader.

What needs to be from 2015-2018: This is the third stage that now stares Khan in the face. He can either rise again to the very highest point in the 2018 elections, or be trounced humiliatingly and confined to the dustbin of Pakistani politics, where he will find himself in the company of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party.

The third stage begins now. And for Imran Khan to win again, he should embark on a 10-step rehabilitation programme. Here goes: 1) Crush the bloody civil war within the PTI: It is the world’s worst kept secret that the PTI is divided into two broad camps. Imran should have put an end to this bloodletting right at the start. Now he has no choice. Otherwise he can forget about 2018.

2) Ruthlessly reshuffle his team: Khan should know who has brought him to this humiliating stage. He should be brave enough to accept his own mistakes and errors, but he cannot remove himself. Bring the culprits in front of the firing squad, and be done with them.

3) Define the ideology again: What’s your ideology Khan? I’m not really sure anymore because for the last two years I have only been hearing and seeing dharnas (sit ins), protests, personal attacks and accusations of rigging. Return to the roots.

4) Curse of the ‘electables’: Yes, you need to win elections, but there has to be a balance between the so-called electables and those who define the soul of an ideological party. Khan has succeeded in gathering under his banner all kinds of electable scoundrels who represent the worst this rotten system has to offer.

5) Who has your ear Imran? Only he knows who pushed him into the rigging game. Only he knows who acted as a bridge between him and some uniformed people. Only he knows who promised him solid evidence of rigging when none existed.

6) PTI leader Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed is on to something: Go visit him. Listen with an open mind. Then apologise to him. And make amends.

7) Fire Chief Minister Pervez Khattak: He may be your friend, but he’s an unmitigated disaster for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and for Brand PTI. K-P is all you have got to show for your competence, and by handing over the province to Khattak, you set yourself up for failure. It’s still not too late.

8) Transform K-P and showcase it: What will you run your 2018 campaign on? K-P is your calling card. The anti-Nawaz campaign has ended in disaster, so the voters will judge you not on what Sharifs have done, but of what you have done (or not).

9) Focus on regaining your personal stature: Your image has taken a battering. The inconsistent policies, the flip-flops and U-turns, the unsubstantiated and wild allegations, all these have painted your image as a person who does not have the gravitas to rule a country.

10) All that matters now is 2018: You have got to keep your eye on the ball. Nothing should now divert your attention away from 2018. Nothing.

You have got to realign all your priorities so that everything converges on to a single-point agenda: Winning in 2018. If you lose focus again, you are done for.

Know this: The PTI has been a blessing for Pakistan in many ways; but a curse for itself. Change now, or prepare to retire without winning the Pakistan Cup. - Express Tribune

READERS’ FORUM Petrol station fires show compromised safety This refers to the news story, Switch off (July 26). It is a must to keep the vehicle engines switched off while refuelling. This is one of the necessary safety guidelines to be followed by all motorists at the filling stations. Yet, one can often observe road users mostly disregarding these rules even though the safety guidelines are printed in red. At times, it is also argued that the safety guidelines are showed in blue and confusing the motorists. The guidelines printed in red and blue makes difference, as text in red calls for strict adherence to safety at the fuel stations.

The recent incidents at fuel stations are direct evidence of compromising on the safety. The employees at fuel stations as well as motorists are both responsible and must strictly adhere to the safety guidelines without fail. At the same time, it is also equally important to improve safety Scan this QR code awareness of motorists, especially the to send letters to the safety rules for refuelling.

Readers’ Forum, containing not more — Ramachandran Nair, Ruwi 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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FROM OUR ARCHIVES JULY 2000 Oman, Japan sign pact on fish quality control centre The Sultanate and Japan yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of a fish quality control centre, within the context of technical cooperation between the two sides. Dr Ahmed bin Khalfan Al Rowahi, agriculture and fisheries minister, signed for the Omani side, while the Japanese ambassador to the Sultanate signed, as a representative of the Japanese International Development Agency, for the Japanese side.

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MO N DAY, JU LY 27, 2 0 1 5

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SPECIAL

Bullfighting on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa continues to attract big crowds, including families with small children who peer excitedly through the metal bars at the spectacle just feet away.

Where bullfighting is a way of life A bloodless spectator sport dating back hundreds of years also known as bull sumo, champion prizefighters are called ‘yokozuna’ — like Japan’s roly-poly wrestlers — and lead a pampered life

URUMA (JAPAN): Blood-shot eyes fixed menacingly on their foe and snorting furiously, two giant bulls smash into each other with shuddering force: in Japanese bullfighting, matadors need not apply.

Tongues hanging out and foam dripping from their mouths, the sweat-soaked beasts lock horns as barefooted handlers slap them on the backside and scream encouragement, risking life and limb beside the bovine battering rams, many of which weigh well over a tonne.

While the Spanish corrida faces mounting pressure from animal rights activists after being banned in Catalonia in the past few years, bullfighting on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa continues to attract big crowds, including families with small children who peer excitedly through the metal bars at the spectacle just feet away.

A bloodless spectator sport dating back hundreds of years also known as bull sumo, champion prizefighters are called “yokozuna” — like Japan’s roly-poly wrestlers — and lead a pampered life.

“In Spain the fight ends with the matador killing the animal,” bullfighting historian Kuniharu Miyagi told AFP at a competition in the Okinawan town of Uruma.

“Here, if a bull gets frightened and loses its courage, the fight is over and both bulls, winner and loser, get go home.

“We don’t feel bullfighting is cruel in Okinawa,” added Miyagi.

“It’s a way of life. Farmers used to bring their bulls together to fight for amusement.

“It takes five years to prepare a bull to fight, then it fights for at least five or six years. Cows that provide us with juicy steaks are slaughtered within a couple of years.

“Fighting bulls live far longer and in considerable luxury. Owners want their bulls to win so they spoil them with good food and give them a comfortable home environment to frolic in. Yokozuna bulls even retire to stud, so they have a happy old life.”

Bullfighting in Japan can be traced back almost 800 years, when it was held as entertainment for the deposed Emperor Gotoba following his exile to the western Oki islands, where it is still practiced today.

It also takes place in the Iwate and Niigata regions of northern Japan as well as remote areas stretching down to Okinawa.

Similar styles of bullfighting are also found in South Korea, Turkey, the Balkans, the Arabian Gulf and South America.

Called “ushi-orase” (literally “bullfight”) in the local Okinawan dialect, the sport is steeped in Japanese culture, with purifying salt scattered and rice beverage poured on the sandy ring to ward off evil spirits.

Hosed down with cold water and bellowing fiercely before doing combat, bulls can take over 30 minutes to win by barging their opponent into the fence or forcing him to run away.

Gored The “seco” bull handlers, who nimbly jump from side to side to avoid being gored, dote unashamedly on their animals.

“They’re part of the family,” said Yuji Tamanaha, a third generation handler. “They’re cute, aren’t they?

Hand-feeding them everyday, you form a loving bond. My wife and I don’t have children so our bull is like a kid to us. He’s very friendly.

He likes to lick visitors.”

Cute or not, fights can be brutal, the loser often sent crashing against the bars in a shower of dirt as fans dive for cover.

Many bulls never recover from a heavy defeat — on this day a

PRIZEFIGHTERS: Giant bulls fight during a Japanese bullfighting event in Uruma, Okinawa prefecture in this picture taken last Tuesday. – AFP

FORCING TO RUN AWAY: Handlers attempt to separate two bulls after a red bull, left, defeated the another one, right, during the Japanese bullfighting event in Uruma. – AFP

yokozuna called “Samurai” took one look at a brooding opponent tipping the scales at 1,100 kilos and beat a hasty retreat, so terrified he attempted to jump the fence.

Psychological damage “They can suffer psychological damage,” said Moriaki Iha, tenderly patting his animal. “You have to take care of their mental health too, just like a human athlete, and show them love from when they’re little. My animal is quite bashful

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but he knows no fear. He’s either very brave or just stupid.

“I come to the cow shed at five in the morning everyday,” he added.

“I mow grass to feed them, clean up. I spend more than half my day with the cows. My wife thinks I’m daft. It’s a miracle she hasn’t left me.

“To be a champion bull you need the size, physique and good horns.

Then there is the creature’s fighting spirit. Two bulls weighing a tonne smashing into each other is just magical.”

Iha revealed that owners go to bizarre lengths to win.

“I give my bull Okinawan tea before he fights,” he said.

“It’s got caffeine in it so it acts like a stimulant. There are no doping rules in bullfighting so it’s fine.

Everyone has their own secret tricks.” - AFP

BLOODLESS SPECTATOR SPORT: Handlers try to encourage their

bulls during the Japanese bullfighting event in Uruma. - AFP

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M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

GLOBAL EYE

CUBA: Picture taken in Santiago de Cuba on Sunday during a parade to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the city and the 62nd anniversary of the guerrilla assault on the Moncada Barracks, widely regarded as the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. More than 100 rebels led by Fidel Castro attempted to storm the military facility at Moncada on July 26, 1953, in the first armed action of the revolution to topple dictator Fulgencio Batista. The assault ended in a crushing defeat for the rebels, with many killed, while Fidel and Raul Castro were captured and imprisoned. — AFP

UNITED STATES: Charlie Boice holds his awards after winning the 2015 ‘Papa’ Hemingway Look-Alike Contest on Saturday, at Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, Florida. Boice finally won the contest after trying for 15 years, beating out 121 other entrants following two preliminary rounds, a semi-final and two final rounds. — AFP/ FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU/ANDY NEWMAN

GREAT BRITAIN: David Mountain, dressed as Judge Shimura from RUSSIA: A boy wears a navy service cap with words reading ‘Pa-

cific fleet’ during celebrations for Navy Day of Russia in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday. - Reuters/Stringer

2000 AD, attends the second day of the MCM Comic Con in the Manchester Central exhibition venue in Manchester, Great Britain on Sunday. — AFP

RUSSIA: A participant falls down during the Red Bull Flugtag Russia 2015 competition in Moscow, KYRGYZSTAN: Participants wrestle while riding yaks during the Kyrgyz national horse games and fes-

tival near the Tulpar-Kul lake in the Chon Alai mountain range, some 3,500 metres (11,483 feet) above sea level, in the Osh region of Kyrgyzstan, on Saturday. — Reuters

Russia, on Sunday. Enthusiasts competed in disciplines on the longest distance of the flight, on the creativity of self-made aircraft and on the originality of the performance in an attempt to win the contest, according to organisers. — Reuters

MO N DAY, JU LY 27, 2 0 1 5

A1 5

WORLD Houthis, Saudi-led forces battle for air base in Aden Al Anad base, 50 km from the southern port city, has been held by the Houthi rebels for much of a fourth-monthold civil war and commands the approaches to Aden

ADEN/SANAA: Yemeni forces allied with a Saudi-led coalition fought Houthi militia for control of the country’s largest air base north of Aden on Sunday hours before a humanitarian truce declared by the coalition was meant to start, residents said.

The Al Anad base, 50 km (30 miles) from the southern port city, has been held by the Houthi movement for much of a fourth-monthold civil war and commands the approaches to Aden.

The coalition on Saturday announced a ceasefire to take effect at 11:59pm (2059 GMT) on Sunday evening for five days to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The truce was cast into doubt when Houthi leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi was reported to have rejected it, saying in a message posted on an account believed to be run by his office that it would benefit only militant groups IS and Al Qaeda. But Hamed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi official, later posted a message on his own Twitter feed saying “the Tweet that is being reported by media from an account for the Sayyid (Abdel-Malek alHouthi) is incorrect”.

Bukhaiti said the Houhti leader

CONFLICT ZONE: A Saudi soldier stands guard as servicemen on a Saudi military cargo plane prepare to unload aid at the international

airport of Yemen’s southern port city of Aden on Friday. — Reuters

did not have a Twitter account. He did not elaborate.

A spokesperson for the Houthis did not immediately reply to questions sent by email.

Houthi forces held up 16 trucks carrying humanitarian aid from the World Food Programme through Yemen’s Al Hudaydah province to support displaced persons in the city of Taiz.

Four months of air raids and war have killed more than 3,500 people in the Arabian Peninsula state. Aden has suffered especially, with severe shortages of fuel, food and medicine.

The coalition, allied with southern secessionist fighters, retook much of Aden last week in the first significant ground victory in their

campaign to end Houthi control over much of Yemen and restore exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Houthi fighters and army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh captured Aden at the outset of the war, prompting Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia, an ally along with the United States.

Aden and other southern provinces have been largely inaccessible to UN food aid, and about 13 million people are thought in dire need of food.

Coalition warplanes carried out raids near Sanaa late on Saturday and shortly after dawn on Sunday, residents reported. The targets included a military base near the city. In the city itself, a bomb

exploded underneath a passenger bus, killing three people and wounding five in the southern district of Dar Selm, police said. No further details were immediately available.

Ali Ahmedi, a spokesman for anti-Houthi forces in Aden, said they continued to fight Houthi forces at the Al Anad base and had damaged aircraft, tanks and equipment stationed there.

Residents said forces of the socalled Southern Resistance, a secessionist movement allied with the coalition, had taken and Sabr, a northern district of Aden.

The residents reported 25 Houthis and 10 Southern Resistance fighters had been killed.

The Saudi-led coalition began

its campaign on March 26, striving to reverse months of advances by the Houthis after they moved from their northern stronghold last year, capturing the capital Sanaa and pushing south to Aden.

Commander captured A senior Houthi commander, Abdul Khaliq Al Houthi, was captured on Saturday by the Southern Resistance, the secessionist movement said on its official Twitter account. Houthi officials could not immediately be contacted for comment. Yemenis say Abdul Khaliq, a brother of Houthi leader Abdul-Malek alHouthi, played an important role in the militia’s capture of Sanaa in September. — Reuters

MASS SURRENDER

Police base seized by Taliban in Afghanistan KUNDUZ: Taliban insurgents seized a police base in northern Afghanistan after more than 100 policemen surrendered, inflicting one of the heaviest blows to Afghan forces since the NATO combat mission ended in December.

The mass surrender in Badakhshan province occurred on Saturday evening, highlighting the challenges confronting Afghan security forces, who are facing their first fighting season without full NATO support.

“More than 100 policemen at the base fought for three days and had enough arms and munitions to continue fighting for three months,” Badakhshan Police chief General Baba Jan told AFP. “But they surrendered after a deal with the Taliban. All the ammunition and equipment was seized by the insurgents.”

The deputy provincial governor Gul Mohammad Bedar said surrendering the base in the volatile district of Warduj marked “a big act of treason” that would be investigated by authorities.

The policemen were briefly detained by the insurgents before being set free, with some openly accusing their commander of “betraying” them by striking a deal with the Taliban, Baba Jan said.

Policemen released Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the “policemen were released on the condition that they will not rejoin the Kabul government”.

The Afghan government conducted its first face-to-face talks with Taliban cadres on July 7 in Murree, a Pakistani hill station north of Islamabad, which were supervised by American and Chinese representatives.

Afghan officials said Friday they will meet Taliban insurgents next week for a second round of talks aimed at ending 13 years of war, pledging to press for a ceasefire in negotiations likely to be held in China. — AFP

S Y R I A WA R FA L L - O U T

Kurdish militants kill 2 Turkish soldiers in bomb attack ANKARA: Kurdish militants killed two Turkish soldiers in a roadside bombing on Sunday, the military said, apparently retaliating for Ankara’s crackdown on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) launched in tandem with strikes on IS militant group insurgents in Syria.

Long a reluctant member of the US-led coalition against IS group, Turkey made a dramatic turnaround this week by granting the alliance access to its air bases and launching air raids against both the militant movement and the PKK. But the relapse into serious conflict between Turkey and the PKK has raised doubts about the future of NATO member Turkey’s peace

process with Kurdish foes that started in 2012, after 28 years of bloodshed, but has recently stalled.

At least six people had been detained in connection with the attack, Dogan news agency reported.

The PKK, which Ankara and Washington deem a terrorist group, has also targeted police officers in the southeast and elsewhere, accusing the central government of covertly helping IS to the detriment of Syrian Kurds.

Highway A car bomb and roadside explosives hit a passing military vehicle on a highway near Diyarbakir in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey overnight on Sunday, an army said. Kurdish militants then opened fire on the vehicle with long-range rifles, it said. Four other soldiers were injured.

Insurgency for autonomy The outlawed PKK has waged an insurgency against Ankara for Kurdish autonomy since 1984.

Opposition politicians and critics accuse President Tayyip Erdogan of taking up the campaign against IS as political cover to clamp down on Kurds.

A senior US diplomat con-

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INTRUSIONS

Palestinians clash with police over access to Al Aqsa mosque OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli police entered occupied Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque as clashes erupted on Sunday over access to the mosque compound.

Palestinians threw stones and fireworks while police fired stun grenades after security forces entered the Al Aqsa compound before briefly going inside the mosque itself.

Police said they went a few metres (yards) into the mosque to shut the doors in a bid to restore calm and lock in rioters who were inside. About 300 security personnel had entered the compound when the clashes began with a couple of hundred Palestinians, an AFP photographer reported.

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned Israeli authorities for allowing what they described as “provocative” visits by hardline Jews.

It was the first time Israeli security forces had entered the mosque since November, when clashes with worshippers also

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erupted. There were multiple casualties and arrests surrounding the clashes, which came as Jews sought to access the mosque compound. Palestinians were angered by what they considered intrusions by Jews.

“Masked rioters fled into the mosque and started to throw stones and blocks at police from inside Al Aqsa mosque,” police said in a statement.

“They threw fireworks directly at police ... In light of the severe confrontation and the escalating actions of the rioters and with the aim of preventing further injury to police...forces entered a number of metres (yards) inside and closed the doors to the mosque with the rioters inside, restoring order.”

The police said that after their brief foray into the mosque, they withdrew and the area was quiet.

Access to the site was later restricted.

Protests broke out in the lanes and alleyways of the Old City around the mosque, with demonstrators confronting police and slogan chanting and police firing stun grenades.

“We are ready to die,” Khaled Tuffaha, a 46-year-old Palestinian shop owner. “Everybody is ready to die.”

At least three stone-throwers were arrested and four police were lightly wounded, authorities said. One Palestinian man was seen bleeding from the head and protesters spoke of further injuries, but details were not immediately clear.

Police reinforcements had deployed in the Old City overnight for fear of unrest as thousands of observant Jews flocked to the Western Wall for the annual prayer ceremony. — AFP

demned recent PKK attacks but said there was no link between Turkey’s fresh strikes on Kurdish militants and its newfound boldness in tackling IS, which has seized large expanses of neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

“There is no connection between these air strikes against PKK and recent understandings to intensify US-Turkey cooperation against ISIL,” Brett McGurk, the deputy special presidential envoy for the coalition to counter IS, said on Twitter, using one of IS’s acronyms.

White House spokesman Ben Rhodes, on an official visit to Kenya with President Barack Obama, told a news conference in Nairobi: “The US of course recognises the

PKK specifically as a terrorist organization. And so, again, Turkey has a right to take action related to terrorist targets. And we certainly appreciate their interest in accelerating efforts against ISIL.” IS suicide bomber Turkey said on Saturday its decision to enter the battle against IS, soon after an IS suicide bomber killed 32 people, mainly Kurds, in the Turkish town of Suruc, would help create “a safe zone” across the nearby border in northern Syria.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the campaign was no oneoff and would continue “as long as there is a threat against Turkey.

Members of the Turkish opposition say they are concerned Er-

dogan aims with new attacks on the PKK to whip up anti-Kurdish sentiment ahead of a possible early election later this year.

The AK Party he founded has until late August to find a junior coalition partner or face an early election.

The AKP lost its single-party majority for the first time in more than a decade in June, in part due to the success of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which entered parliament for the first time.

“One of the aims of the air, land and media operations carried out right now is to undermine the HDP in early elections,” HDP head Selahattin Demirtas said on Twitter.

— Reuters

A16

M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

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D A N G E R AT S E A

Close vigil as Australia closes four beaches after shark sightings SYDNEY: Four beaches on Australia’s east coast were closed on Sunday after numerous shark sightings, police said, as authorities patrolled waters off a southern island following a fatal attack on a diver a day earlier.

New South Wales police said the beaches at Ballina — where a bodyboarder was severely injured by a shark earlier this month and a Jap-

anese surfer was killed in February — would be closed for 24 hours.

“About 9.30am (2330 GMT on Saturday) a large shark was spotted swimming about 50 meters off Angels beach,” police said in a statement, adding that there were other sightings. “It is believed the presence of baitfish has attracted large sharks to the area.”

Surf Life Saving NSW said aer-

ial, jet ski and boat patrols were being conducted off Ballina, a popular tourist spot about 740 kilometres north of Sydney.

The sightings came a day after a scallop diver, named as Damian Johnson by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and aged in his late 40s, was attacked by a shark off Maria Island in the southern state of Tasmania as his daughter

watched. Johnson was hauled back to the surface but did not survive.

Johnson’s brother-in-law Andrew Paynter said his daughter, who is aged in her 20s, was “doing a remarkable job under... some really really trying circumstances”. “(Johnson was) just a great bloke, devoted husband, great father, just a great friend to all those who knew him,” Paynter told the ABC. — AFP AUSTRALIA

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CLARK COUNTY (LAS VEGAS): A fire burned trees and cabanas around an outdoor pool at the Cosmopolitan Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip on Saturday, injuring at least two people and forcing guests to evacuate, a fire official said.

The two injured people suffered smoke inhalation, and at least one was transported to a hospital, said Clark County Assistant Fire Chief Sandra Baker in a phone interview. “There was some damage to some windows; very, very minor damage to the building. It was contained to the pool area,” Baker said. The fire, which broke out at around noon local time, burned trees and cabanas surrounding an outdoor pool at the 14th floor of the hotel before it was extinguished, Baker said. Photographs on social media showed a huge mass of black smoke from the fire. Guests were evacuated from the hotel because of smoke, said Baker, who could not immediately say if the entire hotel or only part of it was evacuated. — Reuters

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Muscat 6,581.82 - 9.04 - 0.14%

Dubai 4,147.13 - 53.57 - 1.28%

Abu Dhabi 4,881.49 - 18.30 - 0.37%

Saudi Arabia

9,301.66 - 71.08 - 0.76%

Kuwait 6,281.84 - 4.66 - 0.07%

Bahrain 1,337.03 - 0.01 - 0.00%

Qatar 11,909.17 - 35.45 - 0.30%

CRUDE OIL PRICE

CURRENCY RATES*

DRAFT RATES (OMR1)*

GOLD PRICES*

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

Forex rates vs OMR1* US Dollar ................................. 2.58 Euro ............................................ 2.33 Pound ...........................................1.66 Indian Rs .............................165.89 Pak Rs ....................................260.17 Bangla Taka.......................199.44

Indian Rs ................................... 166.15 Pakistan Rs ............................ 263.40 Sri Lanka Rs .......................... 346.60 Bangla Taka.............................201.70 Phil Peso .....................................117.50

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) ........14.15

Oman Crude............. (Spot) ........$54.32 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) .........$54.12 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$55.98 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$54.22 N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) ........$54.56 West Texas Int ....... (Spot) .........$47.96

* Rates are as of July 26 Source: Bank Muscat

* Rates as of July 26 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......13.65 Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ............ 131.00 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) ............. 124.75 * Rates as of July 26 Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

D I S C L O S U R E S TAT E M E N T

Al Omaniya board to consider response from United Finance on merger plan Times News Service MUSCAT: United Finance Company has responded to a merger bid from Al Omaniya Financial Services, Al Omaniya said in a stock market filing on Sunday.

VITAL PROJECT: This is part of a scheme to supply potable water

from the OMR100 million-Quriyyat desalination plant. (Picture is an artist’s impression of the proposed project). — Times file picture

Target LLC expected to win pipeline contract Although Target LLC is yet to receive an official confirmation from the Tender Board, the company’s bid amount of OMR22.6 million matches with the price at which the authorities awarded the project contract early this month

A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A contract for building a pumping station and a water pipeline to connect the newly planned Quriyyat water desalination plant with Wadi Dhaqah might have been awarded to Target LLC. Potable water supply This is part of a scheme to supply potable water from the OMR100 million-Quriyyat desalination plant — an independent water project to be built by a consortium led by Singapore’s Hyflux — to the main grid.

Although Target LLC is yet to receive an official confirmation from the Tender Board, the company’s bid amount of OMR22.6 million matches with the price at which the authorities awarded the project contract, pushing aside eight other bidders.

Other bidders The bidders that seem to have lost out were major local and international contracting firms, including Societe Egyptienne Denterprises, Larsen & Toubro,

Towell Infrastructure Projects and Nagarjuna Construction Company, according to the Tender Board website. However, Public Authority for Electricity & Water officials did not comment on awarding the project.

Desalination plant The Quriyyat desalination plant, with a capacity to produce 200,000 cubic metres of water per day (44 million gallons per day), is expected to start commercial operation in May, 2017.

It appears that the pipeline construction will take two years since it has to be in place once the desalination plant starts water generation. The Quriyyat water desalination project is part of a series of desalination projects planned by Oman Power and Water Procurement Company to keep up with the demand for water in Oman, which increases at an annual rate of about 6 per cent.

Hyflux, which signed several agreements for building the project recently, will design, build, own and operate the plant and deliver water to Oman Power and Water Procurement (OPWP) Company for a period of 20 years.

“We have received a response from United Finance Company to our non-binding indicative offer for the acquisition of 100 per cent of the shares of the United Finance Company,” the statement said.

“This response will be placed

for review of the board of directors of Al Omaniya Financial Services for further consideration and Al Omaniya Financial Services will inform the market of any further development in this regard in due course,” the company further said.

Al Omaniya Financial Services is looking at consolidating their leadership position by acquiring another leasing company.

This could be one way to achieve inorganic growth in the country, when the competition is severe.

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M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

MARKET Northern Cyprus looks to boost trade ties with Oman be further enhanced,” he said, encouraging Omani investors to direct foreign investment into Northern Cyprus.

There is great potential for cooperation between Northern Cyprus and Oman in various fields, said president of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce Fikri Toros. — Supplied picture

BUSINESS REPORTER

MUSCAT: Northern Cyprus is seeking to attract investors and trade partners from Oman, as new opportunities are expected to open up in the island nation.

For four decades, the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus has been divided into the Turkish Cypriot-controlled section in the north and the Greek Cypriot-controlled Republic of Cyprus in the south, which joined the European Union (EU) in 2004.

With fresh impetus for the settlement of the Cyprus issue and prospects of joining the EU, Northern Cyprus has been promoting the current and future opportunities for foreign companies, especially in Islamic countries such as Oman.

“Turkish Cypriots are Muslims and are members of the Muslim

community. When the political settlement is concluded, the Turkish Cypriot community will be the first Islamic community within the EU. This should mean quite a lot to the entire Islamic community, including Oman,” said an official from Northern Cyprus.

“Oman is well-acquainted with Turkish Cypriots because it is a market where we export quite a lot of dairy products,” Fikri Toros, president of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, told Times of Oman.

Great potential Toros believes that there is great potential for cooperation between Northern Cyprus and Oman in various fields.

“The Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce is licensed to provide halal certificates. Therefore, our business relations can only

Islamic investments “We need to showcase Islamic investments in the EU and this can only be possible through the Turkish Cypriot community (after it joins the EU) following a political settlement,” Toros noted.

Cyprus, which is at the crossroad of three continents, provides accessibility to the markets of neighbouring countries such as Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and Greece.

Oman is currently not exporting goods to Northern Cyprus, but the chamber’s president elaborated on potential areas for cooperation during a press briefing.

Turkish Cypriot chamber Toros explained that the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1958 and, to date, it is the largest and most accomplished economic organisation in the Turkish Cypriot community, with over 3,000 registered members, representing many sectors.

As the chamber was established before the founding of the Republic of Cyprus, it has remained internationally recognized, irrespective of political changes, he further added.

The Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce and an institutional partner of the European Commission in Northern Cyprus. It also holds memberships in various international umbrella organisations and cooperates with its Greek Cypriot

counterpart. According to Toros, the chamber deals with domestic economic issues and seeks to attract and expand foreign investment into Northern Cyprus.

Economy He said that the economy of Northern Cyprus is driven by the service sector, which contributes some 70 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Tourism, professional services and higher education are the driving forces of the service sector, which have multiplied effects in the fields of construction, trade, agriculture and other related sectors, the official added.

Toros stated that Northern Cyprus’ imports have constantly grown over the past 10 years, and is currently importing some $1.8 billion worth of goods every year, which mainly include fuel, motor vehicles, foodstuffs and medicine.

Northern Cyprus exports about $130 million worth of goods annually, dominated by citrus and dairy products, chicken and chicken products, scrap metal, potatoes, artichokes and limestone.

Exports “About half of our exports go to Turkey, and a vast majority of the remainder goes to Islamic countries. Only about $8 million worth of our exports, out of $130 million, go to European countries,” the chamber’s president explained.

Toros also noted that trade mainly takes place through the Port of Mersin in Turkey.

He noted that Northern Cyprus requires the cooperation of other countries to grow and develop its industries.

Economic growth “Our economic growth is restricted to less than 2.5 per cent, while we believe that it should not be less than 5 per cent,” he added, noting that the resolution of the political issues can open the doors to more investors and improve economic competitiveness.

Toros further believes that the potential natural gas and possible oil resources in the eastern Mediterranean have expanded economic prospects, not only for Cyprus, but also for the entire eastern Mediterranean region.

Asked if foreign investors would face any legal or banking restrictions, the official said, “There is no legal obstacle in the way of potential foreign investors in Northern Cyprus. The banking services, together with postal, internet and telecommunications services, are all available and operating at international standards.”

“They have been made available to us by courtesy of the Republic of Turkey, and we do have investments from various countries,” he added.

Incentives Toros said that Northern Cyprus offers a number of incentives to foreign investors in certain sectors, such as tourism, health, education and agriculture, and is seeking to expand these incentives to other sectors.

Investment and Research and Development (R&D) would be required in the fields of information technology (IT), renewable energy, construction, exploration of potential gas and oil resources, as well as a number of other sectors, he further added.

C O R P O R AT E G OV E R NA N C E

Toshiba scam exposes Japan corporate culture flaws TOKYO: Toshiba’s billion-dollar accounting scandal has shone a light on a corporate culture in Japan still beset by collusion in its senior ranks, unquestioning employees and poor external controls, experts say.

The vast 140-year-old conglomerate was hammered this week by embarrassing revelations that top executives pressured underlings to inflate profits by about $1.2 billion since the 2008 global financial crisis. An independent report, which found senior managers complicit in the affair, pointed to the rigid system that powered Japan’s post-war boom — lifetime employment in exchange for complete loyalty to the company.

“If you look at management, you generally find people over 50 who have spent their career at the company, climbing up through the ranks,” said Keio University guest lecturer Takeshi Natsuno, a former executive at mobile giant NTT Docomo. “For 30 years they all ate from the same bowl. Everyone knows it isn’t good but so far nothing has changed.”

remains on a 400-member index that highlights firms with the best return on equity and other shareholder-friendly criteria.

SORRY: Koichi Ueda, chairman of the third-party investigation committee for Toshiba, second from

left, and his investigation committee members Hideki Matsui, left, Taigi Ito, second from right, and Kazuyasu Yamada bow during a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday. - Bloomberg News

It wasn’t supposed to be that way at Toshiba, which was hailed as one of the early leaders in changing Japan’s clubby boardroom culture. The vast firm, which had sales of $54 billion last fiscal year, hired outside directors and adopted a 16-member board a decade ago, among other changes, to “enhance management efficiency and improve transparency”.

But the scathing report — commissioned by the company after financial regulators questioned Toshiba’s books earlier this year — found a litany of problems, in-

cluding a pair of former diplomats on its audit committee who were not up to the task. Japanese firms are peppered with former bureaucrats given plum jobs in the industries that they once oversaw, despite many having few relevant skills or the incentive to question management.

“Only one of the three external directors on the audit committee is well-versed in financial matters, in a company that we now see had succumbed to the Japanese tendency to not question orders from above,” said Nicholas Benes,

head of the non-profit Board Director Training Institute of Japan.

Shameful results Benes was a key player behind Japan’s long-awaited corporate governance code, which came into effect less than two months ago.

It was hailed as a way to boost trust with foreign investors and avoid scandals such as the $1.7 billion accounting fraud at camera giant Olympus several years ago, one of Japan’s worst ever.

Toshiba, whose shares dived after the problems came to light,

Padded its profits “It is outrageous that a major company that represents Japan repeatedly padded its profits on a corporate-wide basis,” the topselling Yomiuri newspaper said in an editorial. About half Toshiba’s board resigned on Tuesday with president Hisao Tanaka and vice chairman Norio Sasaki — also a former president — the most senior to quit their posts.

Headed by a former Tokyo prosecutor, the investigating panel described a corporate culture where underlings could not challenge powerful bosses intent on boosting profits at almost any cost.

While the scandals at Enron and WorldCom in the United States are reminders that accounting fraud is not just a Japanese problem, the country’s corporate traditions enabled the years-long scheme at Toshiba, observers further said. — AFP

SHIPPING & TRANSPORT

Gantry cranes load shipping containers onto trucks at Semarang Port in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. - Bloomberg file picture

Indonesia plans port network expansion to boost economy JAKARTA: Container ships dot the horizon off the coast of Jakarta, as cranes and labourers work on an ambitious, economy-boosting project to expand the port network in the world’s largest archipelago nation. New Priok will be Indonesia’s biggest port once completed, and is one of 24 ports planned to overhaul maritime connections in Southeast Asia’s top economy, which comprises more than 17,000 islands. President Joko Widodo is leading efforts to improve dilapidated maritime infrastructure in a country where ships face lengthy delays before berthing and goods can get stuck for days as they run a gauntlet of government agency checks. “This is no longer a wish, but a necessity,” Widodo recently said of improving ports after Indonesian growth hit a six-year low of 4.7 per cent in the first quarter, a blow for a leader who won power on a pledge to revive the economy.

The port plan is part of a broader scheme to improve infrastructure, from potholed roads to creaking train lines, as the country seeks to lure foreign investors and pull out of a long slowdown driven by falling prices of its key commodity exports. Action is urgently needed — Indonesia’s infrastructure is so woeful that it is cheaper to transport goods from China to the country’s most populous island of Java than to bring them from the Indonesian part of Borneo, which is far closer, according to the World Bank. Improving ports is particularly critical for a nation that straddles the Indian and Pacific Oceans and is home to important shipping routes.

As well as attracting new investment, the scheme could reduce the price of consumer goods through lower transport costs and help develop more remote parts of the archipelago. Widodo, a former furniture exporter who knows well the problems of the country’s ports, is taking a personal interest in the project but it faces formidable challenges.

There are growing doubts his administration, which has been criticised over its failure to kickstart major infrastructure projects, will be able to push through the plans due to a lack of organisation and a dysfunctional bureaucracy.

On a recent visit to Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta — which handles much of Indonesia’s international trade — Widodo’s frustration at slow progress was clear when he delivered an angry tirade over the failure to substantially cut the time it takes goods to move through the facility. — AFP

ECONOMY

Greece in dilemma on capital controls ATHENS: It is just the headache Greece’s government does not need right now: how can it loosen the capital controls that are shielding its banks, but strangling the rest of the economy?

For the past month, Greece has been financially cut off from the rest of the world.

It is almost impossible for most Greeks to take money out of the country, thanks to a raft of capital control measures put in place on June 29 amid fears of a catastrophic bank run.

Government commission For companies, the capital controls have meant waiting for a government commission to sign off on large bills owed to foreign firms — a process that has slowed payments so much that distrustful suppliers started asking to be paid in advance.

Bank of Greece chief Yannis Stournaras on Friday loosened the restrictions to allow banks to greenlight companies’ foreign

payments up to 100,000 euros ($110,000).

But people remain unable to open new foreign bank accounts, buy shares, or transfer large sums of money.

Athens is tolerating two main exceptions to the rules: Greek students abroad can receive 5,000 euros per quarter, while citizens having medical treatment in other countries can receive up to 2,000 euros.

Cash withdrawals were limited to 60 euros ($65) per day after Greeks emptied ATMs, worried for the safety of their savings.

Greek Economy Minister Giorgos Stathakis warned on July 12 that it could be “several months” before it is deemed safe to lift the measures completely.

Announced in the throes of the crisis, when Greece appeared to be teetering on the brink of a chaotic eurozone exit, the capital controls were brought in with just one immediate concern in mind: protect the banks. — AFP

MO N DAY, JU LY 27, 2 0 1 5

B3

MARKET Duqm authority issues rules on land allotment, environmental clearance of all obligatory requirements according to the law and this regulation. Sezad, according to the provisions of this regulation, shall issue a preliminary environmental permit, which is granted prior to the commencement of construction.

This permit is valid for one year subject to renewal for a similar period or periods.

The newly issued regulations by Yahya bin Said bin Abdullah Al Jabri, chairman of Sezad, will come into effect from today. The issuance of these two regulations is for implementing the Royal Decrees related to Duqm special economic zone, which is developing now

NEW LEGISLATIONS: Usufruct regulations stipulate that Sezad is the only authorised party to license the usufruct of land owned by

the state within Special Economic Zone at Duqm, and that no party or individual will take advantage of lands without obtaining a prior usufruct permit from Sezad. — Supplied picture

Times News Service

obtain these permits.

MUSCAT: Two regulations pertaining to land allotment and environmental clearance at the Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (Sezad) have been issued.

The regulations issued by Yahya bin Said bin Abdullah Al Jabri, chairman of Sezad, shall come into effect from today.

The issuance of these two regulations comes in implementation of the Royal Decrees related to the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZD).

The environmental permits regulations has allowed projects at Special Economic Zone at Duqm a period of a calendar year to meet the obligatory requirements to

Land regulations Usufruct regulations stipulate that Sezad is the only authorised party to license the usufruct of land owned by the state within SEZD, and that no party or individual shall take advantage of said lands without obtaining a prior usufruct permit from Sezad.

The regulation also stipulates that the usufruct of these lands will be in exchange of a remuneration specified by Sezad’s board of directors after obtaining the approval of the Ministry of Finance, in order for the project to commence or expand its operations, or to build residential buildings for the project’s employees. Moreo-

ver, licensing the usufruct of the aforementioned lands to government authorities, places of worship, NGOs, and charities shall be in exchange of a nominal sum or with waiver of the remuneration whatsoever, as decided by Sezad’s board of directors and after obtaining the approval of the Ministry of Finance. The regulation emphasised that the right to usufruct is an in rem temporary right, which expires with the conclusion of the specified period, or with the expiration of the project, whichever occurs earlier.

The regulations explained that the right to usufruct of lands owned by the state is valid for the period of the operations and shall not exceed 50 calendar years,

subject to renewal upon the beneficiary’s request and Sezad’s approval. The regulation stated the rights and obligations of Sezad and the beneficiary, pointing out that Sezad shall commit to providing the land subject to the right of usufruct to the beneficiary free of any rights that might obstruct the beneficiary’s right, according to what is agreed upon in the usufruct agreement.

In addition, the beneficiary shall register the right to usufruct and all actions taken pertaining to this right, whether by waiving such right to another or by mortgaging it to Sezad.

Moreover, the beneficiary shall surrender the land to Sezad in its original condition and shall re-

B I L AT E R A L T R A D E

Iran eyes $8b investment from India NEW DELHI: Asking India to take advantage of the period ahead of lifting of sanctions against it, Iran has invited Indian investments of about $8 billion in infrastructure projects there without wasting time in “cheap negotiations.”

Asserting that Iran has been a “reliable partner,” Iranian Ambassador here Gholamreza Ansari said India should take advantage of the time before the western countries start making their investments after lifting of sanctions in the next 3-5 months.

“India has always been there even during the difficult time of sanctions. They should take advantage of their presence on the ground. Otherwise it will be a lost opportunity,” Ansari told PTI in

an interview. During his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ufa, Russia, earlier this month on the sidelines of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) Summit, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had offered India a bigger role in its strategic infrastructure projects including ports, railroads and highways and sought investments to the tune of $8 billion, Ansari said.

“Prime Minister Modi was very positive. People here are very positive. But what I am trying to convey is that it should translate into action and we should not waste our time in cheap negotiations.

We need to move forward.”

“Iran is a reliable partner for the business. It used to be so for a long time (before sanctions) and

the sentiments and attitude especially towards India is positive...

India investing in Iran is obvious fruitful business for Indians,” the envoy said.

Major projects He also said Modi government’s focus is on connectivity which coincides with Iran’s government policy and therefore Iran has asked India to get into major projects like building strategic ports like Chabahar, constructing big highways and railroads.

The two countries reached an agreement in May this year to develop the Chabahar port in Southeast Iran.

India’s Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi

signed a $85 million deal for India to lease two existing berths at the port and use them as multi-purpose cargo terminals.

Under the new proposal agreed by recently, India can help build second and third terminals at the port as well as railway connections into the rest of Iran. The project is expected to increase trade and economic engagement between the two countries.

Although India and Iran originally agreed to develop the project in 2003, both nations failed to make much progress on this front due to Western sanctions on Iran linked to its controversial nuclear programme.

Chabahar port will allow India easier access not only to Afghanistan but also to Central Asia.- PTI

move from it all buildings, facilities or waste, unless agreed otherwise.

Environmental permission The regulation of environmental permits confirmed the importance of preserving the environment to all projects that are being set up at SEZD, and confirmed that Sezad is the only authorised party to issue environmental permits and to take all necessary measures pertaining to the environment.

The regulation explained that projects should not commence or modify their operations before obtaining an environmental permit from Sezad, and emphasised that Sezad shall only issue environmental permits to projects after verifying the projects’ fulfillment

Two calendar years Additionally, Sezad shall issue the final environmental permit after the completion of construction activities; this permit shall be valid for a period of two calendar years, subject to renewal for a similar period or periods.

Moreover, Sezad may issue temporary environmental permits for temporary projects and infrastructure projects and their supplementary projects, and these permits shall be valid for one year subject to renewal. This regulation stated that Sezad has the right to conduct required on-site inspections in all stages of the project, in order to verify adherence to prescribed environmental requirements and standards.

The regulation also stipulate that Sezad has the right to conduct field inspections on projects to verify their adherence to the law, this regulation and any other environmental standards and requirements specified by Sezad.

The project must be notified three days prior to conducting periodic inspections and follow-up inspections which are conducted to verify the correction of environmental violations recorded in the periodic report within the period specified by Sezad. However, spot checks are to be decided by Sezad.

In the event wherein a project violates its specified obligations according to the law, this regulation or any other decisions and directives issued by Sezad, the regulation stipulates that Sezad may take certain measures.

B4

M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

MARKET MSM index ends lower

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ........................................6,593.47 ...............6,581.82 ................... 6,581.82 ...................6,590.86.................. -9.04 .................. -0.14 Financial Index .....................................8,169.43 ............... 8,110.15 .................... 8,110.15 .................... 8,159.11................-48.96 .................. -0.60 Industrial Index ................................... 8,336.06 ...............8,329.10 ................... 8,329.10 ................... 8,336.81................... -7.71 .................. -0.09 Services Index ...................................... 3,528.88 ...............3,527.03 ................... 3,528.52 ...................3,528.00....................0.52 ................... 0.01 MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................993.57 ..................992.41 .......................992.41 ...................... 993.57...................-1.16 .................. -0.12 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 10,813,464.................. 2,786,402 .....................729 ............... 15,236,140,391 .................. 5 ......................15 .................... 12 .........................32

Oman United Insurance was the highest gainer of the day while Al Madina Takaful

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, JULY 26

topped the loser’s list on Sunday ISIN ..................................................SECURITY NAME ...............................................................................................VOLUME ..............TURNOVER...................TRADES ...........OPEN PRICE............. HIGH....................LOW...............CLOSE PR. ..........PREV. CLOSE..........DIFF (RO) .................DIFF %......................LAST PR...............LAST BID.....................LAST OFFER .................MARKET CAP ........PAR VALUE

MUSCAT: In the absence of any major news and events, Muscat Securities Market witnessed dull trading to end its seven-day gaining trend. The MSM30 index closed at 6,581.82 points, down by 0.14 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index closed at 992.41 points, down by 0.12 per cent. Oman United Insurance was the most active in terms of volume as well as turnover. Oman United Insurance also stood as the highest gainer of the day while Al Madina Takaful, which lost 4.17 per cent from previous closing price, topped the loser’s list.

As many as 721 trades were executed during the day’s trading session generating turnover of OMR2.78 million with over 10.8 million shares changing hands.

Out of 32 traded securities, five advanced, 15 declined and 12 remained unchanged. GCC and Arab investors continued to be net buyers for OMR49,000 followed by Omani investors for OMR26,000 while foreign investors who were net sellers of OMR76,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index declined by 0.60 per cent to close at 8,110.15 points. Oman United insurance, and National Bank of Oman increased by 2.56 per cent, and 1.13 per cent, respectively. Al Madina Takaful, Bank Nizwa, HSBC Bank Oman, Oman & Emirates Investments, and Al Anwar Holdings declined by 4.17 per cent, 3.85 per cent, 2.90 per cent, 2.50 per cent and 1.72 per cent, respectively.

Industrial Sector Index declined by 0.09 per cent and closed

at 8329.10 points. Construction Materials, Galfar Engineering, and Al Jazeera Steels declined by 2.38per cent, 0.81 per cent, and 0.42 per cent, respectively.

Services Sector Index closed flat at 3528 points. Al Batinah Power and Omantel increased by 0.45 per cent and 0.29 per cent, respectively. National Gas and renaissance Services declined by 0.51 per cent and 0.35 per cent, respectively.

Sabic profit dips Profit at Saudi Basic Industries Corp. declined less than analyst estimates as the Middle East’s biggest petrochemicals company seeks ways to weather swings in oil prices.

Sabic’s second-quarter net income dropped 4.5 per cent to 6.17 billion riyals ($1.65 billion) from 6.46 billion riyals a year earlier, the Riyadh-based company said in a statement to the Saudi bourse. The company’s profit is 25 per cent higher than the 4.95 billion riyal mean estimate of nine analysts compiled

by Bloomberg. It will pay a dividend of 2.5 riyals a share for the first half. “Given the volatility in oil prices, we are looking at ways to optimise our feedstock production,” acting chief executive officer Yousef Al Benyan said in a news conference in Riyadh.

Profit declined due to lowerthan-average sales prices even after Sabic reduced its cost of production, the company said in the statement.

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

OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 2,457,501 ...... 787,780................... 175 ............0.314 ...........0.324 ...........0.314 ........... 0.320 .............0.312............ 0.008.............2.564 ................0.320..............0.320...................0.322 ..................32,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 254,465 ............91,005..................... 25 ........... 0.358 ........... 0.358 ...........0.356........... 0.358 .............0.354 ........... 0.004............. 1.130 ................0.356..............0.354...................0.356..................479,974,270........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER..................................................10,000 ...............2,230........................2 ........... 0.223 ...........0.223 ...........0.223........... 0.223 .............0.222 ............0.001 ............. 0.450 ................0.223..............0.223...................0.228 .................150,499,897 ........0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION .......................... 15,890 .............27,786......................11 ............1.740 ........... 1.750............1.740 ............1.750 ............. 1.745 ............ 0.005............. 0.287 ................1.750 .............. 1.750................... 1.755 ................1,312,500,000 ......0.100 OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ..............................................................441 .................. 653........................1 ............1.480 ........... 1.480 ...........1.480........... 1.500 .............1.500 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................1.480 ..............1.480...................1.500................. 300,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE............... 45,000 ...............9,800........................4 ............0.218 ........... 0.218 ...........0.216 ........... 0.218 .............0.218............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.216 .............. 0.215...................0.216...................43,600,000 ........0.100 OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT ..................................................................939 .................. 483........................2 ............0.514 ........... 0.514 ...........0.514 ........... 0.520 .............0.520 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.514 .............. 0.514...................0.550..................172,053,809........0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 227,246 ........... 50,426........................4 ........... 0.222...........0.222 ...........0.216 ........... 0.222 .............0.222 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.220 .............0.216...................0.220 .................316,358,024........0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES .............................................. 2,170 .................. 790........................1 ........... 0.364 ...........0.364 ...........0.364........... 0.370 .............0.370 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.364..............0.364...................0.378...................22,645,581 .........0.100 OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ................................................................4,383 ................1,183........................1 ........... 0.270 ...........0.270 ...........0.270........... 0.281 .............0.281............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.270..............0.270...................0.288 .................434,068,721........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 305,048 ........... 62,535..................... 10 ........... 0.205 ...........0.205 ...........0.205........... 0.205 .............0.205 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.205.............. 0.195...................0.205 ................ 295,495,200 .......0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 315,135 ..........248,109..................... 59 ............0.792 ........... 0.792 ...........0.784........... 0.788 .............0.788............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.784..............0.784...................0.788..................512,944,053........0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS .................................................. 16,537 ...............9,288......................16 ........... 0.560 ...........0.562 ...........0.560........... 0.562 .............0.562 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.560..............0.560...................0.564...................29,505,000.........0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 166,400 ........... 46,936........................7 ........... 0.285 ...........0.285 ...........0.282........... 0.282 .............0.283 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.353 ...............0.282..............0.282...................0.285...................79,550,636 .........0.100 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................ 1,378,347 ......324,012.....................42 ........... 0.236 ...........0.236 ...........0.235........... 0.235 .............0.236 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.424 ...............0.235..............0.234...................0.235................... 29,351,021 .........0.100 OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS ............................................................. 14,317 ...............5,554........................6 ........... 0.388 ...........0.390 ...........0.382........... 0.388 .............0.390 ...........-0.002 ............-0.513................0.382..............0.372...................0.382 ..................19,400,000.........0.100 OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ...................................................... 40,000 ............... 5,810........................2 ............0.146 ........... 0.146 ...........0.145 ............0.145 .............0.146............-0.001 ........... -0.685 ...............0.145 ..............0.144...................0.146...................45,060,916 .........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 214,299 ..........123,105......................18 ............0.576 ........... 0.576 ...........0.570........... 0.574 .............0.578 ...........-0.004 ........... -0.692 ...............0.570..............0.566...................0.574.................1,315,506,171.......0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. ....................68,060 ...............8,303........................9 ............0.122 ........... 0.122 ...........0.122........... 0.122 ............. 0.123............-0.001 ........... -0.813................0.122.............. 0.121...................0.124................... 35,377,638 .........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 454,360 ........... 69,399......................15 ............0.155 ........... 0.155 ...........0.150 ............0.153 ............. 0.155............-0.002 ........... -1.290 ...............0.150 ..............0.150...................0.152...................13,770,000 .........0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT .....................................10,000 ..................690........................1 ........... 0.069 ...........0.069 ...........0.069........... 0.069 .............0.070 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.429 ...............0.069..............0.068...................0.070...................14,293,445 .........0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ...........................51,000 ...............6,929........................8 ............0.136 ........... 0.136 ...........0.133 ............0.136 ............. 0.138............-0.002 ........... -1.449 ...............0.133 .............. 0.133...................0.136....................8,002,678 ..........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 2,088,810 ......478,504....................118 ........... 0.233 ...........0.233 ...........0.226........... 0.229 .............0.233 ...........-0.004 ............-1.717 ................0.226..............0.226...................0.227 .................. 34,367,175 .........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING.............53,000 ...............6,206........................5 ............0.118 ........... 0.118............ 0.117 ............0.117 .............0.120 ...........-0.003 ........... -2.500 ...............0.117 ...............0.117...................0.120...................14,259,375 .........0.100 OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN ........................................................ 6,306 .................. 845........................1 ............0.134 ........... 0.134 ...........0.134 ........... 0.134 ............. 0.138............-0.004 ........... -2.899 ...............0.134 ..............0.134...................0.139..................268,041,914........0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL.............................................. 90,300 ...............8,348......................12 ........... 0.093 ...........0.093 ...........0.092........... 0.092 .............0.096 ...........-0.004 ........... -4.167 ...............0.092..............0.091...................0.092 ..................16,100,000 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 8,289,954...2,376,709...................555 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......26........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS ............................................... 100,800 ........... 50,602........................4 ........... 0.502 ...........0.502 ...........0.502........... 0.502 .............0.502 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.502..............0.490...................0.502 ..................79,065,000.........0.100 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 1,969,330 .......311,596................... 159 ............0.157 ........... 0.159 ...........0.157 ............0.158 ............. 0.158............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.158 .............. 0.158...................0.159..................231,091,031 ........0.100 OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. ....................13,000 .................. 533........................3 ............0.041 ........... 0.041 ...........0.041........... 0.041 .............0.042 ...........-0.001 ........... -2.381 ...............0.041............. 0.040...................0.042 ...................3,485,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA .................................................................... 8,632 ...................651........................3 ........... 0.078 ........... 0.078 ...........0.075........... 0.075 .............0.078 ...........-0.003 ........... -3.846 ...............0.075..............0.075...................0.077..................112,500,000........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 2,091,762 ...... 363,381................... 169 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........4........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

– United Securities/Bloomberg News

ECONOMY

Black economy clouds Spain’s recovery from the crisis

CAUSE OF WORRY: Freight trucks are seen beneath a gantry crane as they collect shipping containers at Barcelona Europe South Terminal (BEST) in Barcelona, Spain in this file picture. Spain’s economy returned to growth in 2013 after five years of economic crisis, but its unemployment rate is still the second-highest in the eurozone after Greece. - Bloomberg News

MADRID: Many of Spain’s five million unemployed dream of finding a steady job in the economic recovery vaunted by the government — but a legion of undeclared workers still scrape by cash-in-hand.

“Nowadays the phrase ‘steady job’ means nothing in Spain,” said Paloma Sotillo, 43.

She is one of 1.7 million people in Spain who admit to earning at least part of their pay in the “black economy”, without tax or social security contributions.

Spain’s economy returned to growth in 2013 after five years of economic crisis, but its unemployment rate is still the second-highest in the eurozone after Greece.

The rate dipped to 22.37 percent in the second quarter of this year, according to official data published this week. A study by Catalan busi-

ness school Esade indicated however that one in 10 employees and one in five unemployed people in Spain did work for earnings that they did not declare to the taxman.

Sotillo said she had been unemployed for a year when she found a job in a Madrid toyshop in December 2013. She worked there for a year before stopping in order to look after her sick mother.

“I had a contract to work 30 hours a week, but I worked 35 and they paid me the difference cashin-hand,” she said — a salary of 700 euros plus an undeclared supplement of 120 euros.

The tax collectors’ union Gestha says the vast black economy has for decades undermined Spain, the eurozone’s fourth-biggest economy. It estimates the black economy equals about a quarter

of Spain’s gross domestic product — or roughly a quarter of a trillion euros.

Fiscal bad boys For Gestha, that makes Spain one of the fiscal bad boys of Europe, along with Greece, Italy, Portugal and Poland. Economists say the cash-in-hand habit is strongest in agriculture, building, domestic work, trade and tourism.

“The high level of unemployment has increased it,” said Gestha’s president, Carlos Cruzado.

He said Spain suffers from a culture of tax avoidance, fuelled by indignation over constant reports of political corruption, and also lacks enough tax inspectors.

During the boom decade before Spain’s crisis broke out, companies subcontracted a lot of their

work to workers whom they paid in cash in order to keep up with demand, said Princeton University sociologist Alejandro Portes.

Then in the crisis, this gave way to “an informal economy of survival” of technically unemployed people living hand-to-mouth from casual jobs, he said. Cruzado complained that the black economy persists partly due to a belief that stopping people earning that way in a crisis could have explosive consequences. It is hard to do away with a system that supports many people who have exhausted all their welfare subsidies in the crisis. “There is a theory in Spain that, with five million people unemployed, there would be a revolt on the street if it were not for the underground economy,” Cruzado further added. — AFP

REGIONAL MARKETS

Dubai stocks lead Mideast fall DUBAI: Dubai stocks retreated, leading equity markets lower across the Gulf, after oil dropped to the lowest in four-months and some investors sought to benefit from the DFM General Index’s rally last week.

The benchmark gauge dropped 1.3 per cent, the most in almost three weeks, to 4,147.63 at the

close. Emirates NBD, the United Arab Emirates’ second-biggest lender by assets, slid the most in five weeks. Emaar Properties, the developer of the world’s tallest tower, lost the most since July 8.

Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index fell 0.8 per cent in Riyadh, the most in a month.

Abu Dhabi’s ADX General In-

dex retreated 0.4 per cent. Qatar’s QE Index slipped 0.3 per cent, and Kuwait’s SE Price Index slid 0.1 per cent. Bahrain’s BB All Share Index was little changed.

Egypt’s benchmark EGX 30 Index retreated one per cent, led by Commercial International Bank Egypt SAE, the country’s biggest listed lender. — Bloomberg News

B

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

SECTION

SLOW DOWN ENJOY THE RIDE

E-

IMES TECH STUFF

All about GPS devices What do stand-alone GPS devices do that smartphones can’t.

Here is a rundown of some of the newest models with the latest features

F

ree smartphone navigation apps from Apple and Google offer turnby-turn driving, walking and biking directions.

And many new cars have the option of built-in navigation systems. So is there any longer a reason to buy a stand-alone global positioning system (GPS) unit?

While smartphone navigation apps have some advantages, including limiting the number of devices one needs to buy and carry around, they also have some negatives.

For starters, smartphone screens are often tiny; those on dedicated GPS units can be almost twice the size.

In addition, navigation apps are processor-intensive, causing smartphones to heat up and the battery to run down faster than otherwise.

The apps generally eat into a consumer’s data plan, as well.

When a call comes in, even if you answer it using hands-free Bluetooth, the smartphone map disappears for some period of time. And if you’re playing music on your smartphone, the songs cut out to make way for the voice prompts giving directions.

Fit for one purpose Those are reasons “customers want a product that’s fit for one purpose, something they can put on their windscreen,” said Corinne Vigreux, managing director of TomTom Consumer, one of the top GPS device makers.

In Europe, TomTom’s standalone GPS business is growing, Vigreux said, as customers look for ways to avoid smartphone and data roaming charges when they cross international borders.

TomTom, like Garmin and Magellan, the two other largest GPS manufacturers, is trying to evolve with the times, to create units that offer additional features and exploit some of the negatives of using your Android or iPhone device as a GPS navigation system.

The three companies now offer devices with simplified touchscreen interfaces, for example, as well as faster GPS positioning, detailed 3-D graphics and turn-byturn directions in which the voice speaks the street name or other identifying information.

Both Garmin and Magellan offer GPS stand-alone products with integrated dashcams. Garmin also sells a unit that, in addition to the dashcam, features lane departure and forward collision warnings.

“Why a consumer should still buy a separate GPS unit is a question we ask ourselves all the time,” said Bill Strand, Magellan’s associate director of product marketing.

Whether these new strategies will help to stabilise and strengthen

TomTom, like Garmin and Magellan, the two other largest global positioning system manufacturers, is trying to evolve with the times, to create units that offer additional features and exploit some of the negatives of using your Android or iPhone device as a GPS navigation system

the market is still an open question.

“We’re finding things that smartphones are not good at yet,” Strand said. “But it’s a moving target; it could change next year.” Here is a rundown of some of the newest models with the latest features.

Garmin Nuevi The Nuevi, Garvin’s flagship unit, incorporates a dashcam and lane departure and collision warning systems into its 6-inch display. An optional $170 backup camera that must be wired into the brake light can be integrated into the unit.

The camera continuously records up to one hour of video on the included SD card, and then records over the previous video when space is used up.

When sensors detect a crash or bump, that video sequence and several seconds before the incident are automatically saved for later viewing or uploading to the Garmin website. The model can also be used to take still images, useful in the case of an accident. While the product includes only North America maps, maps of other countries can be downloaded for around $70.

Magellan RoadMate 6230 and SmartGPS 5390 With its 5-inch screen, the RoadMate offers an intuitive interface and basic navigation features, along with a built-in dashcam (a compatible connected backup camera is an extra-cost option). As with the Garmin model, the RoadMate records continuously and will automatically store video taken when a bump or crash occurs. The video can be viewed on the device or downloaded by a PC running Windows.

In addition to pronouncing street names, the RoadMate also provides directions based on landmarks so, for example, a driver will be instructed to “turn right at the Chevron station” rather than “turn right at Main Street.”

The SmartGPS from Magellan eschews the dashcam and instead includes a number of apps commonly found on smartphones, such as current gas (or diesel) prices based on price, distance or brand; Yelp and Foursquare reviews; and other apps that can be downloaded.

A companion smartphone app allows data and directions to be synced between devices. Bluetooth

allows the SmartGPS to act as a cellphone speaker to make hands-free calls. The two Magellan units are for North America only. Other countries’ maps cannot be added.

TomTom GO 600 Pinch and swipe gestures can be used to move around the GO 600’s large 6-inch screen and cycle through preference screens. Multiple voices are available to read directions, including celebrity voices for purchase, but only the computer-generated versions read actual street names.

The GO includes lifetime maps and real-time traffic data, which can be transmitted from a smartphone app via a Bluetooth connection.

The amount of data used for traffic updates is tiny, according to TomTom: equivalent to two downloaded songs a month.

The app can also be used to search for routes before entering the vehicle; that information is then transmitted to the GPS unit. Maps for other countries can be downloaded to the GO; they cost $40 and up, depending on region. — ERIC A. TAUB/The New York Times News Service

CRUISING WINDOWS 10 WITH CHROME

A Google representative said, “Chrome is an equal opportunity browser and will work great on Windows 10.” Some users running the Windows 10 preview software have reported issues with running Chrome in the last few months, but Google’s browser has worked fine for others. The finished version of Microsoft’s new operating system arrives on July 29. So when you have upgraded your PC, make sure you get the latest version of Google Chrome to be up to date.

SMARTPHONE APPS

Before heading for the festival, know the line-up Visitors to music festivals like Lollapalooza or Pitchfork often have three goals: enjoying great live music, having fun with friends and staying safe and secure. In a crowd of thousands, this can be difficult, but there are plenty of apps that can help.

Planning which performers you would like to see at a festival can be a big help, and Any.do is a great way to do this.

Essentially a to-do list, it is free for iOS and Android and includes timed reminders and alerts to help you remember to go to a particular stage to see a particular artist. Its clean and simple interface is pretty easy to learn, and it has sharing options so you can send your plans to any friends joining you at the festival. Any.do has a lot of menus and options, so it is worth familiarising yourself with it ahead of time, but the complexity allows the app to be useful in places other than music festivals. Another helpful app is Songkick Concerts, which shows the acts appearing at festivals long before the event happens. The app, free on iOS, scans your music library to learn which performers you like. It then sends alerts if any of them will be playing soon or nearby. Songkick lets you see the full line-up of bands at festivals, and it has other information like venue maps. It also has an option to buy tickets. Great to look at and easy to navigate, Songkick is also available on Android, where it looks similar and works the same way. It scans your Google Music, Last. fm and other accounts to learn your music tastes.

Don’t forget about song lyrics — you don’t want to find yourself in the crowd humming along to a rock anthem when you don’t know the words. Musixmatch can help.

Musixmatch connects to music played on your phone and displays synchronised lyrics so you can learn the words before you get to the festival.

You can also search for lyrics, and the app can listen to the music being played around you and match the lyrics to the music it identifies. This feature may work when you are in a crowd listening to a live performance, but the results may be unreliable. On iOS, the app has an Apple Watch extension so you can see the lyrics on your wrist. Musixmatch is free on iOS and Android, but to remove in-app ads and have access to the full range of features, you have to pay $5 a year. For identifying music you’re not familiar with, consider Soundhound. It works a lot like its main rival, Shazam, comparing music against its database to come up with an identification.

But unlike Shazam, Soundhound can identify music if you hum it or even, if you are lucky, if it is being performed live.

The app is easy to use and feels a little magical when it works.

It’s free on iOS and Android.

Meeting up with friends can be tricky at a festival, so to avoid a long string of instant messages, try Apple’s built-in Find My Friends app, which can locate fellow Apple users through their phones’ GPS services. You can even set up temporary sharing so your personal location is shared only during a festival. The free Locate My Friends app on Android is similar, but if you use it, keep in mind that your location info will be shared with a third party that is not Google.

Microsoft has an app that could help coordinate which performances you and your friends see at a festival: Tossup, free on iOS and Android. You set up a question like “Do you want to see Disclosure?” and your friends vote on it. You can even chat inside the app and set up calendar alerts. Tossup is available only in the United States, and because it is new, it may be a little buggy — some reviewers on iOS complain about problems logging in. Finally, it can be hard to find your tent in a huge festival campsite, or your car in the parking lots, so try Tent Finder, free from Aaron Wardle on iOS, or Festival Buddy, free for Android.

Tent Finder isn’t very elegant, but it seems to work well for marking the location of your tent or car, and it has an Apple Watch extension so you don’t even have to take out your phone to locate things. Festival Buddy is also pretty basic in design and has in-app ads, but it is worth trying out. Remember, too, to check the festival’s official app — many are high quality and have useful features specific to each location.

Quick call The popular blog-like publishing platform Medium has long had an iOS app, but it now has an Android app as well. The app lets you find and read interesting articles published on the platform and even submit some of your own. Medium is free. — KIT EATON/The New York Times News Service

B6

MON DAY, JULY 27, 2015

ROUND-UP Bank Muscat extends lead support to Salalah Festival Bank Muscat stalls will adorn the festival venues where the bank personnel will be available to familiarise visitors on promotional campaigns, services and products offered by the bank

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, as part of its commitment to promoting national celebrations, has extended lead support to Salalah Festival 2015, the Sultanate’s annual tourism and cultural extravaganza to be held from 23 July to 31 August, says a press release.

“Salalah Festival celebrating the monsoon splendour and cultural heritage of Oman perfectly fits into the corporate ethos of Bank Muscat in serving the largest banking family in Oman as well as visitors from the region and around the world.

“As the nation’s flagship financial services provider, Bank Muscat seeks to utilise all opportunities in reaching out to peo-

ple, offering them an enriching experience. While Salalah offers a rewarding experience to enjoy nature’s bounty, Bank Muscat complements this experience by facilitating banking convenience to all,” said Yasir Salim Tabook, regional manager - Dhofar.

Bank Muscat stalls will adorn the festival venues where the bank personnel will be available to familiarise visitors on promotional campaigns, services and products offered by the bank. Bank Muscat ATMs and CDMs will provide banking convenience and connectivity to visitors and tourists.

In all the previous editions of Salalah Festival, Bank Muscat has been closely involved with the popular family event.

“The partnership with Salalah

SUCCESSFUL OFFER

Festival is an earnest attempt by Bank Muscat to propagate the core family values held dear by Omanis. The bank is committed to making Salalah Festival a great success. As main sponsor of the annual festival, Bank Muscat aims to unite citizens, residents and visitors in sharing the good times and discovering the joy of being connected.

“The bank seeks to serve as a focal point in the preservation of Oman’s rich heritage and culture, encouraging people to maintain a strong link to the glorious legacy, thereby reinforcing the Sultanate’s distinct cultural character.

We strongly believe the presence of Bank Muscat will complement in making the event a memorable experience,” Tabook added.

WAT C H M A N U FA C T U R E R

IWC opens first outlet in Qatar DOHA: Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has opened its first boutique in Qatar, in collaboration with its authorised retailer in the country, Al Majed Jewellery.

With the opening of this new boutique in Doha’s upscale Lagoona Mall, IWC Schaffhausen now has nine boutiques across the Middle East, says a press release.

Karoline Huber, Brand Director of IWC Schaffhausen Middle East & India, said: “The opening of our first boutique in Qatar underscores the importance of the Qatari market to our brand. We’re thrilled to finally be able to offer our customers in Qatar a destination where they can choose from an excellent range of IWC timepieces and experience our brand’s vivid universe.”

Among the timepieces on display at the new boutique, some of the highlights are examples from the brand’s Portugieser collection.

ACADEMIC TRAINING

Honda Ramadan promotion receives great response from car aficionados MUSCAT: Omasco has taken every step and effort to keep its promise towards offering their valued customers the very best during Ramadan this year.

Omasco’s Ramadan promotion focuses primarily on people from all segments of society offering some of the most unique services and packages. The promotion was a huge hit amongst customers as it highlighted a plethora of luxury gifts, unlimited benefits and weekly cash prizes that made purchasing and owning any Honda vehicle easy, says a press release.

Major highlights The offer has been extended for another month and includes free insurance (Oman and UAE), free service package for three years / 50K km (up to 80K km on select models), free registration and a free gift (that includes a Black and Decker Car Hand Vacuum) with each model purchase.

Customers will also get a chance to win OMR500 during daily raffle draws and OMR1,000 on weekly raffle draws.

A customer, who recently purchased a Honda vehicle through the Ramadan offer, expressed his happiness, “I am thankful to Omasco for bringing out this scheme. I am extremely excited about my new purchase and would like to thank the friendly customer service personnel at the showroom who made my purchasing easy and hassle free.”

Adil Al Zadjali, National Sales Manager, Honda, said: “We are confident that we can jointly work towards providing customers the very best through our Ramadan

scheme. It is our way of showing gratitude to all our valued customers, who are eminently deserving all our appreciation.”

2016 Honda City The 2016 City, which has been developed as a global sedan, encompasses the best of Honda’s technologies to deliver advanced sporty design, best comfort and best fuel efficiency in the category.

The Honda City has undergone a complete design change based on a grand concept of an ‘Advanced Cool Sporty Car’ that has a stunning presence with its dynamic stance, outstanding fuel efficiency, comfortable and spacious interiors.

It aims to reflect sophistication and vigour while in motion and a striking charisma when stationary.

2016 Honda Accord The Accord reflects its status as a dynamic, intelligent sedan with deeply sculpted sharp character lines in the exterior. The vehicle is equipped with a bold chrome grille to enhance the expressive character of the car keeping the local taste in mind. All grades are equipped with daytime running lights and LED brake lights. LED headlights for the V6 Sports grade adds to the sophistication of the modern sedan.

Honda CR-V With a sophisticated overall look and feel, the Honda CR-V boasts a 2.4 litre i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine and a 5-speed automatic transmission. It has a fuel economy rating of 23/31 for front drives and 22/30 for 4 wheel drives. As standard equipment, every CR-V incorporates an electronic stability control system, antilock brakes with brake assist, driver and frontpassenger airbags, side curtain airbags with roll over sensor and a front seat design that can help reduce the severity of neck injury in the event of a rear collision.

Honda Pilot The Pilot is Honda’s midsize 4x4 offering, and their largest offering at this time. The new look features a new standard grille, new front and rear bumpers, and optional new wheels, along with a few other cabin additions. The Pilot can seat eight people at a pinch.

The standard 3.5-litre V6 engine features Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) which allows it to operate on half the cylinders when power is not needed, improving fuel economy.

Honda Odyssey The Honda Odyssey minivan received a facelift for the 2014 model

year. The upmarket minivan is aimed at big families, and is longer, wider and lower than the previous version. It comes in LX, EXL and Touring trim levels. Mechanical specs include a 3.5-litre V6 with cylinder-shutoff technology, a 6-speed automatic, MacPherson strut front and doublewishbone rear suspension, 17inch or 18-inch alloy wheels and an 80-litre fuel tank.

Extended timing Honda has extended the opening hours for its key Honda showrooms across Oman in order to better accommodate their patrons and enable them to visit the showrooms at a time that is convenient for them.

During Ramadan the extended hours provided additional flexibility.

Honda commitment Honda is confident that its showrooms will continue to welcome increased footfalls with auto enthusiasts over the coming weeks of Ramadan to avail of the promotion. Giving brings joy during the holy season and the current Ramadan offer is testament to this.

The company will continue to invest in its business and activities to ensure that Honda customers enjoy the best products and services available.

HOME FURNISHINGS

Danube Home launches store in Muscat MUSCAT: Danube Home, the retail arm of UAE based building materials’ market leader Danube Group, has opened its biggest retail showroom in Muscat, as part of its on-going expansion drive.

Located in Al Khuwair, the total area of the showroom stands at 60,000 square feet. The prestigious new store was launched by Rizwan Sajan, chairman of Danube Group, in the presence of senior management of Danube Group.

The brand has brought unrivalled quality and innovative products to the home furnishings industry in Oman with this launch, says a press release.

Housed in a modern, purposebuilt store the new outlet boasts of a unique and extensive product portfolio that caters to every requirement of its customer. The store provides end to end solutions from free 3D interior designing to the installation of modern and eclectic home interior furnishings to suit every lifestyle need. Customers can just walk in with their floor plans and get their interiors designed by professionally trained designers free of charge, based on their individual taste and preferences.

Besides, a whole host of hard fixtures, their range of soft furnishings include a large selection of chandeliers, beddings, dinner ware, blinds, curtains, wallpapers, home décor, kids décor, parquet

flooring, sofa sets, bedroom sets, dinning sets, outdoor garden furniture, luxury sanitary ware, ceramic tiles, and more among other products in this segment. All the brand’s products are meticulously and individually sourced for a target audience comprising of those with a taste for class, elegance and value for money.

With the three core principles of range, value and convenience in mind, the brand hand picks the best products to create world class and in-trend collections while being flexible and transparent in their operations. The entire business format is based on offering a convenient shopping experience for any customer from start to end. In doing so, Danube Home has organised a vast range of customised solutions, where in, the

consumer can coordinate the furniture for a particular room with his choice of wallpapers, curtains, blinds or parquet flooring to design his dream home.

Adel Sajan, director of Danube Group, shared, “We are delighted to officially launch our flagship retail showroom in Muscat, marking a major milestone in our expansion strategy for the region.

At Danube, it has always been our commitment to provide a range of innovative, value-added products and services for our customers to foster mutual success and growth Danube, started its operations in 1993, in UAE, with building materials as a core business, and then subsequently ventured into retailing and other verticals. The brand launched its very first Danube Home outlet in Dubai in the

year 2009. After testing the waters, the brand slowly and gradually spread its wings across all potential markets in the GCC region.

By 2013, they were strategically positioned across major cities in the UAE, along with Bahrain and Oman. From mid-2013 to early 2014, the company consolidated its complete operations and buying plans, making it ready for large scale operations and expansions, one of which included their strategic entry into Saudi Arabia and a flag ship store in Sharjah earlier this year.

“Geared up for faster expansion plans and with a highly established logistics network, Danube Home, continues to identify important and potential markets across the country, for future expansion. We have substantial growth plans for the coming five years with all big box formats for Danube Home. To make our strategies successful, right from day one, we have made our service standards unique.

“The free 3D interior designing service is a unique concept in its own kind, and with no strings attached. Our record shows, 90% of our customers have done their end to end purchasing from the Danube Home stores, after utilising the services, because of our continuous endeavour to remain truthful and transparent in our policies,” Sajan added.

CBFS signs MoU with UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute MUSCAT: The College of Banking and Financial Studies (CBFS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) headquartered in London.

The CII is considered one of the most prestigious institutions granting professional certification in insurance and specialised financial services.

The MoU was signed by Dr Ahmed bin Mohsin Al Ghassani, Dean of the College of Banking and Financial Studies and Margaret West, Head of Foreign Operations of the Chartered Insurance Institute. Ahmed bin Ali Al Mamari, director general for Insurance at the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and Anees bin Moosa Al Lawati, the assistant dean of Academic Affairs, CBFS, were present at the meeting, says a press release.

About the importance of the MoU, Dr Al Ghassani said that the agreement is in line with the interest of the CMA, which is governing the insurance sector in the Sultanate. Based on a framework, the college intends to provide training and offer professional certificates in the field of Insurance and Financial Planning to develop human resources of the Omani labour force in the sector, as identified by the Capital Market Authority.

Dr Ghassani added that the college is constantly working on offering specialised academic, professional and training programmes to meet the needs of various financial sectors and the labour market in the Sultanate.

On the MoU, Ahmed Al Maamari said the CMA is committed to the advancement of the insurance sector, which focuses on the development of the human element. With the MoU, the authority will be able to have professionals with ACII certification from the CII, which will reflect positively on the development and rehabilitation of human resources in the insurance sector in the Sultanate.

Margaret West, head of Foreign Operations in the Chartered Insurance Institute welcomes the MoU with CBFS, which has the support of the Capital Market Authority - the supervising body for the insurance sector in the Sultanate. She said, “We through this cooperation will be able to support the Omani labour market programmes of professional train-

Through this cooperation we will be able to support the Omani labour market programmes of professional training according to market needs and the vision of the Capital Market Authority as a regulator for the sector and it is a perfect opportunity to spread awareness about the insurance sector. I’m delighted with this cooperation and I positively look forward to the future and specifically towards increasing joint programmes with the college Margaret West Head of Foreign Operations, CII

ing according to market needs and the vision of the Capital Market Authority as a regulator for the sector and it is a perfect opportunity to spread awareness about the insurance sector, and I’m delighted with this cooperation and I positively look forward to the future and specifically towards increasing joint programmes with the college.”

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Bahwan Tourism awards prizes to Holiday Souq raffle draw winners The prizes were handed over to the 10 lucky winners, who won exciting prizes like packages for two people to destinations such as Vienna, Prague, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, India and Abu Dhabi

MUSCAT: Bahwan Tourism, one of the flagship companies of the Suhail Bahwan Group and the largest travel consortium in the Sultanate of Oman, announced the winners of Holiday Souq raffle.

The raffle draw was held recently at Bahwan Tourism office in Qurum in the presence of an official from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The prizes were handed over to the 10 lucky winners, who won exciting prizes like packages for two people to destinations such as Vienna, Prague, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, India and Abu Dhabi, says a press release.

Ali Al Lamki won the grand prize of a package for two persons to spend three nights in Vienna with stay in a star hotel and economy class tickets, Shibee Varghese won a trip to Prague (three nights stay and tickets for two), Humaid

Al Kasbi won a trip to Bangkok (three nights, stay plus tickets for two), Hamood Al Marshoudi got tickets for two to Kuala Lumpur with three nights stay in star hotel, Sudi Shahaphrkar won a six nights Golden Triangle package (Delhi- Agra-Jaipur) for 2 persons with stay in 5 star hotels, Ajay Chopra won a three nights Udaipur package for 2 persons

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

with stay in a 4 star hotel.

Others who won prizes were, Yaqoob Al Rashdi, (3 nights Goa package for 2 persons in 5 star hotel), Ahmed Al Zakwany, (3 nights Sri Lanka package for 2 persons in a 4 star hotel, Nadarajan Vadakkedah, (2 nights Abu Dhabi package for 2 persons in a 5 star hotel including 2 premium Yas Island passes to Ferrari World and Yas

Water World), Fathi Al Mukhaini, (2 Nights in Muscat for 2 persons in a 4 star hotel with breakfast).

The winners got the opportunity to enter the raffle draw during their visit to the Holiday Souq 2015 – organised by Bahwan Tourism. The Holiday Souq 2015 was supported by many international tourism bodies such as Thai Tourism Authority, India Tourism, Malaysian

Tourism Authority and Abu Dhabi Tourism along with popular airlines such as Emirates, Fly Dubai and Thai Airways.

Major tour operators whom Bahwan Tourism represents in Oman viz. Thomas Cook India, Cosmos, Globus Family of Brands, Monograms, Avalon Waterways and Royal Orchid Holidays, also took part in the event.

MOTOR SHOW

BankDhofar shares Eid happiness with children at Royal Hospital MUSCAT: To further extend its social involvement and community outreach, the Mujtamaie volunteer team from BankDhofar visited inpatient children at the Royal Hospital, sharing joy and happiness with them on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr and handing over toys and presents to lift up their spirit.

Social event Sami Omar Al Zadjali, Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications at BankDhofar, said: “The various social events and community involvement activities we organise and participate come in parallel with our strategy to reinforce our role as an inseparable part of the social fabric and as a socially responsible Omani organisation. I would like to thank the management of the Royal Hospital for their cooperation and for facilitating these visits, which gave us the opportunity to meet and great inpatient children and share the joy of Eid Al Fitr with them and their family members.”

Taking proactive steps on the path of the Sultanate’s social development and prosperity, BankDhofar puts corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the forefront of its commitments. Community

Infiniti Q30 Premium Active Compact set for Frankfurt premiere in September and social awareness campaigns, as well as a strong focus on engaging staff, are being promoted across the BankDhofar through various channels. The bank works towards supporting sustainable CSR initiatives, investing in long term objectives of all its CSR activities. External partnerships with various public and private sector organisations, as well as non-profit and charitable organisations, help BankDhofar extend its outreach and play a proactive role in the community, realising its weight as

RECRUIT QUOTES For no matter what we achieve, if we don’t spend the vast majority of our time with people we love and respect, we cannot possibly have a great life. But if we spend the vast majority of our time with people we love and respect -- people we really enjoy being on the bus with and who will never disappoint us -- then we will almost certainly have a great life, no matter where the bus goes. The people we interviewed from the good-to-great companies clearly loved what they did, largely because they loved who they did it with.

— Jim Collins We do not hire experts neither do we hire men on past experiences or for any position other than the lowest.

Since we do not take a man on his past history, we do not refuse him because of his past history. I never met a man who was thoroughly bad. There is always some good in him if he gets a chance. — Henry Ford Often the best solution to a management problem is the right person. — Edwin Booz

an integral part of the community.

More than just financial support and fund-raising, BankDhofar is dedicated to sustainable philanthropy causes, participating in events and activities across the Sultanate, collaborating with various organisations and non-profit associations to reinforce its social responsibility and community outreach programmes. BankDhofar has proudly supported numerous initiatives, institutions and organisations, providing essential services to the community.

DUBAI: The first ever Infiniti Q30 Premium Active Compact is ready for its world premiere at the International Frankfurt Motor Show in September this year.

Featuring Infiniti’s iconic design language, the all-new Q30 represents a category-breaking vehicle concept developed for customers seeking urban individuality. Its dynamic drive characteristics provide for Infinititypical confident and responsive performance as well as excellent ride and handling.

Crafted trims and expressive interiors extend the striking de-

sign approach from the exterior into the passenger cabin, says a press release.

The public premiere of the Q30 Active Compact comes exactly two years after its precursor, the Q30 Concept, was introduced at the 2013 Frankfurt show. The unmistakable approach of that winning concept has been fully maintained as Infiniti’s all-new Q30 compact vehicle is introduced to the market.

“Design is a key pillar of the Infiniti brand – and the new Q30 Active Compact perfectly embodies this approach,” said Infiniti

President Roland Krueger. “The Q30 Active Compact delivers the distinctive design, the driving dynamics and the individuality that our customers expect of an Infiniti vehicle. With our first ever entry in the compact car segment, we continue the product offensive and provide additional options for our discerning customers.”

The Q30 Active Compact underwent final testing and development in Europe. It will be built in Sunderland in the UK which then becomes the fourth country on three continents to build Infiniti vehicles.

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Four Kia models win top awards We are honoured that four of our world-class vehicles have earned AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards, affirming Kia’s on-going commitment to design, craftsmanship and the ownership experience, said Orth Hedrick, Vice President of Product Planning, KMA

MUSCAT: Four models from Kia Motors America (KMA) were recognised as segment winners of the 2015 AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA), including the Quoris luxury sedan, which ranked at the top of the Luxury Car category and won AutoPacific’s coveted President’s Award,

given to the vehicle that achieves the highest-ever overall VSA score. This is only the third time this award has been given in the 19-year history of the VSAs. The other three Kia winners included the 2015 Cadenza, 2015 Soul and 2015 Sportage in the Large Car, Compact Car and Com-

pact Crossover SUV categories, respectively, with the Soul scoring its second consecutive win, says a press release.

Kia had more category winners than any other brand and ranked third (tie) among all popular nonpremium automakers for overall brand score.

M O D E R N I S AT I O N S T R AT E G Y

“We are honoured that four of our world-class vehicles have earned AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards, affirming Kia’s on-going commitment to design, craftsmanship and the ownership experience,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president of Product Planning, KMA.

“While Cadenza, Quoris, Soul and Sportage each have their own personalities, together they represent the collective strength of the entire Kia model line. We’re especially proud of Kia Quoris’s recognition as Kia continues to move upmarket and compete with longstanding luxury brands,” he added.

AutoPacific’s VSAs identify the most satisfying vehicles for sale in the US market and assist new car buyers in making informed vehicle purchase decisions. The results are based on responses to over 66,000 surveys completed by owners of new, model year 2015 vehicles. The survey measures owner satisfaction through 50 separate attributes ranging from interior comfort and convenience to fuel economy and performance.

Kia Motors Corporation was founded in 1944 and is Korea’s oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. Over 3 million Kia vehicles

a year are produced in 10 manufacturing and assembly operations in five countries which are then sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering around 150 countries.

Kia today has over 49,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of $45 billion. Kia Motors Corporation’s brand slogan – “The Power to Surprise” – represents the company’s global commitment to surprise the world by providing exciting and inspiring experiences that go beyond expectations.

Reliable International Automotive (RIA), the distributor for Kia in Oman provides a rewarding ownership experience for customers.

Excellent product attributes and unmatched facilities easily ensure their absolute satisfaction, every mile of the way. No wonder then that Reliable International Automotive has been ranked amongst the top Kia distributors worldwide.

BOSCH CAR SERVICE

Technology comes to cut service time for vehicles Ooredoo welcomes 2015 Salalah Festival with improved network SALALAH: About 70 per cent of Ooredoo’s network across Oman has now been updated as part of its focused modernisation strategy which commenced three years ago.

The announcement came just prior to the popular Khareef Festival in Salalah, where Ooredoo has deployed additional 2G, 3G+ and 4G sites to give visitors wider coverage, and improved mobile data speeds and voice quality, says a press release.

All Ooredoo base stations across Salalah, from Mirbat to Mugsayl, have been upgraded to provide almost two times more 3G+ capacity in addition to the already turbocharged network. This will ensure Ooredoo customers get high speed data access and a superior Internet browsing experience both indoors and outdoors.

In the festival grounds, custom-

ers with 4.5G capable handsets on the Ooredoo network will experience the new LTE Advanced service giving 4.5G with high speeds.

The additional investment in the network will be further complemented with Ooredoo’s new festival stand which will greet visitors in a more visible location, at double the size. The new site enables Ooredoo this year to welcome more visitors each day and demonstrate products and services in a more engaging way.

In mid-Oct 2012, the company’s 3G+ network covered 53%of Oman. Today this figure stands at 92%. 4G is now widely available in the cities of Muscat, Salalah, Sohar and Duqm.

The 4G mobile broadband services now cover over 30% of the population of the Sultanate. Home Broadband is also an area of signif-

icant achievement. The older modem access of Wi-Max has been upgraded to 4G LTE TD with full migration of customers expected to be on the new service by end of August this year.

As part of the 2015 network upgrades this year, the Wilayats of Manah, Al Hamra, Izki, Adam, Bahla, remaining parts of Nizwa, Al Mudhaibi, Dima Wattayeen, Bidiyah, Ibra, Al Qabil, Jaalan Bani Bu Ali have already been modernised and there will be further rollouts to many more cities, including Haima, Hallaniyat, Al Jazir, Thumrait, Khasab, Bukha, Quriyat and Masirah.

As a result of their widespread upgrades, Ooredoo has seen a significant rise in broadband uptake within turbocharged areas, as customers enjoy the benefits of faster data speeds with higher quality.

EXHIBITION

MUSCAT: Motorists, frustrated when told it will take up to two days to get their car serviced, can take heart from new technology guaranteeing rapid turnaround of vehicles at workshops across Oman.

High volumes of vehicles taken in at many of the bigger service centres spend much of the time in a queue waiting for their turn, often leaving owners without their cars for 48 hours.

By contrast, the Oman-wide network of Bosch Car Service workshops is constantly working to reduce the time needed for cars to be serviced, and the latest around-the-wheel technology and equipment in use is paying dividends, says a press release.

“We’re constantly working to accelerate the process of car servicing,” said Andreas Bodemer, regional president of Bosch Automotive Aftermarket Middle East and Africa.

“The days of a car mechanic turning up for work with nothing to help him other than his trusty tool bag are, of course, long gone.

Computer software technology is now the mechanic’s best friend at all of our workshops. They

save time thanks to the speed and precision of the latest Bosch Diagnostics and around the wheel equipment, and that’s good news for the average motorist who wants his car back on the road as soon as possible,” he added.

The Bosch Car Service network of independently owned service centres in Oman are among more than 70,000 worldwide using the industry leading Esitronic workshop software which makes a mechanic’s life much easier.

It quickly helps to deliver troubleshooting and repair instructions, and mechanics are helped by regular user-friendly improvements and updates which give them access to current data for

almost all types of vehicles.

Separate software modules give mechanics comprehensive support to quickly handle the specific requirements of commercial-vehicle and bikes.

Assembly and disassembly instructions of components inside vehicles and on the exterior – including lights, operating and display units, and sensors – are now also integrated into the Esitronic software package.

High-resolution photos with integrated notes show mechanics the steps to follow for the most common models. They are also given quick and easy methods for service tasks such as changing brake fluid, replacing filters or even the windshield.

Bosch Car Service Centres in Oman meet the highest standards in technical training, service and process quality.

All guarantee the use of genuine spare parts and equipment for bumper to bumper repairs, a key requirement for Oman motorists looking for a cost-effective alternative to car dealer service centres, without turning to back street operators with unclear repair processes.

ENHANCING DRIVING EXPERIENCE

Driving a Range Rover with smartphone will be possible

Nama Group organises charity event to help needy families MUSCAT: As part of the social pillar of the sustainability policy, Nama Group organised a charitable event called ‘Ibtisamawa Nama’ which aimed at creating joy amongst under privileged families during the festive season of Eid. An exhibition was held at Bausher Club in coordination with mi-

cro business in the area to benefit around 250 families and Eid gifts were distributed for around 200 orphans and children with special needs. The event was organised in collaboration with Wali Bausher Office and ‘Bashair Alkhair’ volunteering team.

Eng. Omar Al Wahaibi, CEO of

Nama Group, said: “We are proud of the effort made by our staff and delighted at the joy and contentment that the event brought to these families and children.

“This event provided an opportunity for the group’s staff to be engaged in social service and give back to society.”

MUSCAT: Jaguar Land Rover has revealed some of the prototype technologies that its UKbased research team are developing to deliver autonomous driving in the future.

A Remote Control Range Rover Sport research vehicle demonstrates how a driver could drive the vehicle from outside the car via their smartphone. The smartphone app includes control of steering, accelerator and brakes as well as changing from high and low range. This would allow the driver to walk alongside the car, at a maximum speed of 4mph, to manoeuvre their car out of challenging situations safely, or even to negotiate difficult off-road terrain, says a press release.

The driver could use the smartphone to reverse the car out of a parking space if someone has parked too close for them to open the door, or allow the driver to become their own off-road spotter, to guide the car over off-road obstacles from outside the vehicle.

By walking alongside the car, the driver could continually check ramp, approach and departure angles and allow precise positioning of the vehicle when rock crawling. It could also be an invaluable aid when the vehicle is fording a stream or traversing sections made slippery by mud or snow. The remote control function will only operate if the user is within 10 metres of the car and if the smart key can be detected.

The system will stop the vehicle if the driver moves out of range or gets too close.

Future possibilities for this technology could include more autonomous functionality where the driver gives a simple com-

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mand from the handset to traverse an obstacle or exit a parking space, and the car does the rest.

Multi-point turn car Jaguar Land Rover’s ‘Multi-Point Turn’ Range Rover Sporti s capable of autonomously manoeuvring through 180 degrees to turn the car in the road and point the car in the opposite direction. This autonomous vehicle could extricate itself from the most difficult situations, such as a dead-end roads or congested car parks, as well as performing many drivers’ least favourite manoeuvre – the three-point turn in a busy street or car park.

The system uses sensors to assess available space and to avoid pedestrians, vehicles and other objects. The system takes over gear selection, steering, braking and acceleration to make as many forward and backwards movements as necessary to achieve the manoeuvre.

The research team is working on a system to scan the environment around the car and inform the driver whether it is safe to perform the turning manoeuvre.

The driver then confirms the manoeuvre and the car would move forward until its path is blocked. It then selects reverse and uses the steering, throttle and brakes to do the same again.

It repeats this as many times as required until it is facing in the opposite direction.

Dr Wolfgang Epple, director of Research and Technology, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Getting a car out of a tricky parking manoeuvre can be a stressful experience for any driver. A Remote Control car, or a vehicle that can autonomously turn in the road, demonstrates how we could use these new technologies to reduce the tedious parts of driving and improve road safety. Research into technologies like these won’t only help us deliver an autonomous car. They will help make real driving safer and more enjoyable. The same sensors and systems that will help an autonomous car make the right decisions, will assist the driver and enhance the experience to help prevent accidents. Autonomous car technologies will not take away the fun of driving.”

‘Solo car’ enhanced sensing Land Rover has an advanced research programme underway to enhance the car’s sensing capability. This project is developing a range of sophisticated sensors to make autonomous cars viable in a range of driving environments and weather conditions. Creating a car capable of functioning autonomously in all situations requires a fusion of sensors with different attributes including radar, LIDAR, cameras, ultrasonics and structured light technology.

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VETTEL WINS FOR BIANCHI, FERRARI

German driver Sebastian Vettel delivered ered an emotional high-speed tribute to his late colleague Jules Bianchi on Sunday y when he stormed to victory for Ferrari in a dramatic and incident-filled Hungarian rian Grand Prix. >C2

Scotland, Netherlands go Dutch The washout meant Netherlands and Scotland, the two finalists, were declared joint winners and shared the trophy, while Ireland was declared third after their match against Hong Kong too was washed out

DUBLIN: Rain had the final say as the final of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 was abandoned without a ball bowled on Sunday at The Village in Malahide.

The washout meant Netherlands and Scotland, the two finalists, were declared joint winners and shared the trophy. Namibia’s Bernard Scholtz, meanwhile, was declared the Player of the Tournament.

Things hadn’t looked too promising from the start of the day itself, which began wet and gloomy.

The third-place play-off tie earlier in the day between Ireland and Hong Kong had been abandoned without a ball being bowled, and the fact that it kept drizzling all the way through meant there was little chance of play in the final, too.

Play was finally called off at 2.56pm local time, and the teams were declared joint champions.

Both Netherlands and Scotland had already sealed their spots in

LET’S SHARE IT: Captains of Scotland and Netherlands share the ICC World T20 Qualifier trophy at Malahide. – ICC

the ICC World Twenty20 2016, which takes place in India in March-April.

While Scotland topped the Group B table, finishing with eight points, Netherlands, also on eight points, had finished one spot below on account of a lower net run rate also in Group B. As a result, Scotland earned a direct qualification to the sem-final, where it beat Hong Kong by five wickets.

Netherlands, on the other hand, had to get past Namibia in the second Qualifying play-off, before it defeated Ireland by five wickets in the second semi-final to set up a fi-

nal date with Scotland.

This was Scotland’s first appearance in the final of the tournament.

Netherlands has won the tournament once before, in the inaugural edition in 2008, where also it had to share the title with Ireland after rain forced the match to be abandoned.

On the individual front, Kyle Coetzer finished as the highest run-getter for Scotland, with 206 runs at 34.33, while Alasdair Evans, with 14 wickets, finished as the team’s leading wicket-taker.

For Netherlands, Ben Cooper scored 241 runs at 34.42, while Roelof van der Merwe and Mudas-

sar Bukhari shared the bowling honours, finishing with 11 scalps each.

Steady rain forced the thirdplace play-off between Ireland and Hong Kong also to be washed out.

The match was officially called off nearly three hours after the scheduled start of play, with the covers firmly on throughout the morning.

As a result, Ireland finishes third as it topped the Group A points table and Hong Kong ends up in fourth place.

Ireland won the tournament for the past two editions, but missed a chance to take the tally to three

after a five-wicket defeat to Netherlands in the second semifinal on Saturday.

In the first semifinal on the same day, Hong Kong lost to Scotland by a five-wicket margin as well.

In terms of individual performances with the bat, William Porterfield was Ireland’s highest rungetter with 190 runs at 47.50 while for Hong Kong, Irfan Ahmed was the leading scorer with 185 runs at 26.42.

With the ball, John Mooney finished with 14 wickets for Ireland while Haseeb Amjad impressed with 12 wickets for Hong Kong. — ICC

Oman heroes arrive today MUSCAT: Khalfan Al Naabi, Adviser at the Ministry of Sports Affairs, officials and cricket fans will accord a warm reception to the Oman cricket heroes at the Muscat International airport on Monday night.

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Vettel wins for Bianchi, Ferrari on an emotionally-charged day The four-time world champion claimed his second victory of the season and 41st of his career — drawing him level with the late Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna in equal third on the all-time list — after leading from the start to dominate a thrilling and unpredictable contest

BUDAPEST: German driver Sebastian Vettel delivered an emotional high-speed tribute to his late colleague Jules Bianchi on Sunday when he stormed to victory for Ferrari in a dramatic and incidentfilled Hungarian Grand Prix.

The four-time world champion claimed his second victory of the season and 41st of his career — drawing him level with the late Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna in equal third on the all-time list — after leading from the start to dominate a thrilling and unpredictable contest.

The Red Bull pair of Russian Daniil Kvyat and Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished in second and third respectively.

The ferocity of the contest, lit up

by Vettel’s blazing speed and tenacity, served as an appropriate tribute to Frenchman Bianchi, who died on July 17 from injuries sustained when he collided with a recovery vehicle in torrential rain at last October’s Japanese Grand Prix.

A minute’s silence for Bianchi, a Ferrari academy protégé, before the race created an emotional atmosphere that was reflected in the action and in Vettel’s speech to the

Ferrari team on his triumphant slow-down lap.

“Merci Jules, c’est a toi,” said the winner. “Thank you Jules, You will always be in our hearts... This win is for you.”

It was Vettel’s first victory in Hungary, and 21-year-old Kvyat’s first career podium — the best ever by a Russian driver — as Red Bull produced a reminder of their pedigree. It was the first podium this year without a Mercedes driver.

Dutch teenager Jos Verstappen finished fourth for Toro Rosso — on a track where his father Jos finished on the podium in 1994 — ahead of two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso who delivered the troubled McLaren Honda team’s best result of the year in fifth place.

Series leader and defending twotime champion Briton Lewis Hamilton finished sixth, after starting from pole position, for Mercedes to enlarge his advantage in the title race after an afternoon of incidents, mishaps and penalties.

Inspired, perhaps, by the team’s call for total commitment to racing in a signal of respect for Bianchi, Vettel surged from third on the grid to pass Rosberg into Turn One. Behind him, team-mate Kimi Raikkonen followed closely as both Rosberg and Hamilton attempted to defend, but just as at Silverstone three weeks previously, the two Mercedes men were out-started comprehensively.

Hamilton was relegated to fourth on the opening lap during which, in an attempt to pass Rosberg, he ran wide across a gravel trap at the chicane.

He returned to the track in a spray of stones, re-joining in 10th place. “Nico crossed my line there, he pushed me wide,” said Hamilton, a claim not supported by video replays.

After closing the gap behind Rosberg to five seconds, Hamilton lost time in traffic while Raikkonen, suffering more bad luck, lost power and slowed before Hulkenberg, after losing the front wing on his Force India car in a frightening incident on the straight, crashed directly into the barriers at Turn One. A virtual safety car was deployed immediately followed by the Safety Car as debris was cleared. As the field closed up, both Rosberg and

Hamilton pitted for harder medium tyres for a final rush to the flag.

More drama erupted at the restart on lap 49. Sensing his chance, Rosberg attacked and passed Raikkonen for second while Hamilton, on harder tyres, struggled against Ricciardo and collided with him at Turn One, the Briton losing a front wing end-plate.

It was his final significant act.

He pitted on lap 52 for a new front wing, re-joined 13th and was then given a drive-through penalty for his part in the incident.

Rosberg, free of his earlier tussles, raced after Vettel.

He cut the gap while Ricciardo, on softs, closed behind him before a late collision between the pair when the Australian tried to pass him at Turn One with four laps remaining left Rosberg with a puncture and Ricciardo with a damaged front wing.

This opened the door to Kvyat and gave Hamilton his chance to climb back ahead of Rosberg in an unexpected finish on a remarkable day. - AFP

SMILING HERO: Ferrari Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany celebrates with the trophy after the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix at the Hungaroring circuit, near Budapest. – Reuters

Family and Formula One circus in moving tribute to Bianchi BUDAPEST: They wiped away their tears, pulled down their visors and went racing again.

Formula One’s leading drivers paid a final formal tribute to their colleague Jules Bianchi during a minute’s silence ahead of Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the final race before the mid-season break.

Standing in a closed circle, arms across backs and shoulders to include each man and Bianchi’s family, they laid their own helmets on the ground.

When Bianchi’s father Philippe and mother Christine, his brother and sister, and his manager Nicolas Todt, arrived, the group took them in, heads bowed. A ring of linked arms, joined in love and grief.

The helmet of Jules Bianchi, who died on July 17 from injuries sustained when he crashed into a recovery vehicle

TRIBUTES: Philippe Bianchi, centre, the father of Jules Bianchi,

and Formula One drivers observe a minute’s silence in memory of Jules Bianchi before the Hungarian Grand Prix. – Reuters

in torrential rain at last October’s Japanese Grand Prix, was laid alongside them. His racing number 17, the sport’s ruling body the International Motoring Federation (FIA) said this week, was laid to rest too.

The Marussia team, for

which Bianchi had scored such a valuable points finish at last year’s Monaco Grand Prix, stood as a group in tribute.

“We miss you Jules,” their banner declared.

The silence was observed with a grim and emotional

stillness before a musical note signalled a singing of the Hungarian anthem. As tears ran, a helicopter hovered overhead and some of the drivers struggled with their emotions.

And then, they were leaning in to collect their helmets and stride away towards the starting grid.

Bianchi’s parents and family had arrived at the Hungaroring racing circuit on Sunday morning — his father and brother Tom wearing white polo shirts embroidered in red with “JB#17” — to attend the ceremony apparently flown there on Formula One ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone’s private jet.

He was the first F1 driver to die as a result of a racing accident since three-time champion Brazilian Ayrton Senna at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in 1994. — AFP

AFTER BEING CLEARED

Kerala Cricket Association to ask BCCI to lift ban on Sreesanth KOCHI: Kerala Cricket Association on Sunday decided to write to the BCCI seeking lifting of the life ban imposed on pacer S Sreesanth who has been discharged by a Delhi court in the IPL-6 spotfixing case.

KCA President T C Mathew, who is also a BCCI vice-president, will write to the Board regarding this after a Delhi court on Saturday dropped charges against former India pacer Sreesanth and two others in the 2013 IPL spotfixing and betting scandal.

“We will appeal to BCCI to lift the ban. We will soon write to BCCI as the court has discharged Sreesanth (in the IPL spot-fixing case),” KCA Secretary T N Ananthanarayanan told PTI. Mathew, who is currently in Bangalore, said the KCA will wait for response from the BCCI after sending the letter requesting lifting of ban imposed on Sreesanth.

A delegation of KCA office bearers may also meet the BCCI top

for the time being.

S. Sreesanth.

brass, KCA officials said.

Soon after the court verdict, the BCCI had said they have decided to stick to its ban on the three cricketers — Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan —

Back to cricket A day after he was exonerated by a court in Delhi in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing case, former Indian pacer S. Sreesanth on Sunday started his first workout in the nets here.

Cheered by a good number of his friends and cricket enthusiasts, Sreesanth turned out on Sunday evening in a blue track suit at the Edapally High School ground where the Ernakulam Cricket Club, his former club, has a net.

Before starting his first full net session in almost two years, Sreesanth said it will take him about three weeks to become match-fit.

He bowled and batted and proved that he has not lost anything in the almost two years of being entangled in the case, wherein he even had to spend time in Delhi’s Tihar jail.

It was on Saturday evening that the Delhi Patiala House court

cleared Sreesanth of all charges in the 2013 IPL spot fixing scandal.

Earlier in the day at 9.30 a.m, he arrived at the airport here and was given a warm welcome by his relatives, friends and well wishers.

An hour later it was all hugs and smiles at his residence where his parents and close relatives gave him the much needed moral support. “I take this opportunity to thank each one of my well wishers who stood behind me in my time of suffering. This is a sort of a second life for me and for me now even if it’s tennis ball cricket, I will take part to get back to full fledged cricket,” said Sreesanth.

Rebecca John, counsel for Sreesanth said Sreesanth has nothing to fear even if the Delhi Police approach any higher court with an appeal.

“They are free to go ahead with the appeal but we will see that they are given a stronger setback,” said John to the media in Delhi on Sunday. — PTI, IANS

MO N DAY, JU LY 27, 2 0 1 5

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SPORTS WA R N I N G

England will ‘bowl short’ to dizzy Rogers LONDON: England will continue to bowl bouncers at Australian batsman Chris Rogers if the opener is passed fit for this week’s third Ashes test at Edgbaston after suffering from dizziness, seamer Mark Wood has said. Rogers was forced to retire on 49 not out on the fourth day of Australia’s 405-run second test victory against England at Lord’s, which levelled the series 1-1.

The 37-year-old left-hander, who was struck on the helmet by James Anderson off the first ball of the second day of the match but recovered to score 173 in Australia’s first innings, was later diagnosed with an inner ear problem. “If he declares himself fit for the next game, that will not deter me from bowling a bouncer though. I’m sure the rest of our lads will be the same,” Wood told the Telegraph.

“I don’t wish him any harm.

But if he’s fit then he’s fit.”

Batsman Shaun Marsh, 32, is on standby to replace Rogers if he is not fit for the third test which starts on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old Wood is playing in his first Ashes series is having sleepless nights. “My mind is in overdrive and it gets to you. It keeps happening but it is just excitement for the next day and wanting to do well,” he said.

Wood struggled for wickets, like most of the England bowling attack, in the second Test but the Durham seamer is determined to feature in the rest of the series. — Reuters

Sri Lanka win match, Pakistan series SCOREBOARD

The left-handed Kusal Perera opener struck 116 off 109 balls and Tillakaratne Dilshan joined the 10,000-run ODI club as Sri Lanka piled up their highest one-day total against Pakistan

HAMBANTOTA: Kusal Perera led Sri Lanka’s strong batting display to give the hosts a comprehensive, but academic, 165-run win over Pakistan in the fifth and final one-dayer in Hambantota on Sunday. The left-handed opener struck 116 off 109 balls and Tillakaratne Dilshan joined the 10,000run ODI club as Sri Lanka piled up their highest one-day total against Pakistan of 368-4 in 50 overs.

Pakistan managed only 203 in reply, but took the series 3-2 to build on their 2-1 success in the preceding Test series, clinching a double in Sri Lanka for the first time since 2006.

Pakistan were sailing at 116-2 in the 20th over following an opening partnership of 51 between skipper Azhar Ali and Ahmed Shehzad, before the last eight wickets crashed for 87 runs.

Mohammed Hafeez (37) and Azhar (35) were the principal con-

IN 10,000 RUN CLUB: Tillakaratne Dilshan plays a

shot during the fifth and final ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at Hambantota. – AFP

tributors as the tourists faltered badly under lights despite good batting conditions.

Off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake claimed 3-39 in his first appearance in the series, while seamer Thisara Perera chipped in with two wickets.

Kusal reached his second century after a 164-run stand for the first wicket with Dilshan, who became only the 11th batsman and the fourth Sri Lankan to compile 10,000 one-day runs.

Skipper Angelo Mathews hammered an unbeaten 70 and Milinda Siriwardana clubbed 52 not out off 26 balls as Sri Lanka plundered 136 runs in the last 11 overs to surpass their previous best against

SUPERB KNOCK: Kusal Perera raises his bat in celebration after scoring a century at the Suriyawewa Mahinda Rajapakse Stadium. – AFP

Pakistan of 349-9 in Singapore in 1996. Kusal, whose only other oneday ton came against Bangladesh last year, smashed nine boundaries and four sixes before he was run out in the 34th over.

The flamboyant Dilshan reached the 10,000-run landmark in his 319th match when he took a single off Shoaib Malik to move to 55, before he was run out for 62.

The 38-year-old now has 10,007 runs, joining compatriots Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene in a coveted list headed by Indian great Sachin Tendulkar, who had 18,426 ODI runs.

Mathews and Siriwardana added a brisk 114 off just 55 deliveries

for the undefeated fifth wicket to complete Sri Lanka’s best batting display of the series.

Mathews hit eight boundaries and two sixes, while left-handed all-rounder Siriwardana smacked four fours and three sixes.

The hosts made three changes from the last match, dropping sling-arm fast bowler Lasith Malinga, seamer Nuwan Pradeep and Sachith Pathirana.

They were replaced by Senanayake, Thisara Perera and fast bowler Lahiru Gamage. Pakistan retained the same team.

Pakistan will round off their six-week tour with two Twenty20 internationals in Colombo on July 30 and August 1. - AFP

SRI LANKA K. Perera run out 116 T. Dilshan run out 62 L. Thirimanne c Rizwan b Rahat 30 D. Chandimal c Sarfraz b Rahat 29 A. Mathews not out 70 M. Siriwardana not out 52 Extras: (lb-6, w-3) 9 Total (for four wickets, 50 overs) 368 Fall of wickets: 1-164 (Dilshan), 2-212 (K. Perera), 3-219 (Thirimanne), 4-254 (Chandimal) Bowling: Irfan 10-1-73-0 (w1), Anwar 9-0-71-0, Rahat 10-0-74-2 (w1), Imad 3-0-27-0 (w1), Malik 10-0-44-0, Yasir 8-0-73-0.

PAKISTAN A. Ali run out 35 A. Shehzad st Chandimal b Senanayake 18 M. Hafeez lbw Mathews 37 S. Ahmed run out 27 S. Malik c Thirimanne b T. Perera 11 M. Rizwan c Chandimal b T. Perera 29 I. Wasim c and b Senanayake 15 A. Ali c T. Perera b Gamage 11 Y. Shah c T. Perera b Senanayake 9 R. Ali c Senanayake b Siriwardana 0 M. Irfan not out 4 Extras: (lb-1, w-2, nb-4) 7 Total (all out, 37.2 overs) 203 Fall of wickets: 1-51 (Shehzad), 2-71 (Azhar), 3-116 (Hafeez), 4-121 (Sarfraz), 5-140 (Malik), 6-170 (Imad), 7-178 (Rizwan), 8-197 (Yasir), 9-197 (Anwar), 10-203 (Rahat).

Bowling: Gamage 10-0-62-1 (nb4, w1), Lakmal 6-0-35-0 (w1), Senanayake 8-139-3, T. Perera 8-0-38-2, Mathews 3-0-9-1, Siriwardana 2.2-0-19-1 Result: Sri Lanka won by 165 runs Series: Pakistan win 3-2 Toss: Sri Lanka Umpires: Ranmore Martinesz (SRI) and Ian Gould (ENG) TV umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS) Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)

CRICKET

OMAN JUNIORS EXCEL AT ASIAN POWERLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Oman junior team emerged the overall champions as the Sultanate’s lifters bagged 13 gold, 12 silver and 17 bronze medals in different categories at the just-concluded Asian Powerlifting Championships in Hong Kong.

Among the medal winners for Oman were Abdulmajid Al Battashi (bronze in 95kg), Yahya Al Kiyumi (three bronze medals in 66kg), Mohammed Khamis (three bronze in 66kg juniors), Al Khatab Auladthani (four silver in 74kg juniors), Omar Al Zakwani (three gold, one silver in 74kg youth), Nibras Auladthani (four gold in 83kg juniors), Omar Al Hassani (silver), Mazen Al Kusaibi (bronze in 83kg youth), Mohammed Auladthani (bronze in 83kg open) and Salim Auladthani (four gold in 93kg youth).

Meanwhile, Oman’s Saud Al Khanjari was elected to the Asian Powerlifting Federation board when the elections were on the sidelines of the Asian championship. — MOSA

Dravid hails Kohli’s move to play against Australia A CHENNAI: Rahul Dravid on Saturday hailed Virat Kohli’s decision to play against Australia A, saying it shows Test skipper’s intent and keenness to prepare himself for the upcoming Sri Lanka series.

“It is great. It is fantastic that Virat wants to come and play. In fact, he spoke to me almost three weeks ago wanting to play at least one match in the series. It is nice that he is very keen to play and prepare himself for the Sri Lanka tour. He wants match practice and we are happy,” Dravid said at a press conference.

The India A coach said it indeed was a good chance for youngsters to catch attention of the Test captain.

“It is always nice to have the Indian captain (in team) and I think it will be great boost for lot of the young guys in the team who want to impress the captain. It is better way to do it in front of him. He is playing in the same eleven.”

Talking about the unofficial Test that ended in a draw against Australia A, Dravid said the slow wicket deprived the teams of a result.

“We knew that if we are to force a result, we need to get them at 40 for 3 early on. If they were to get the result they need to get 170

FOR PRACTICE: Test captain Virat Kohli to play for India A.

or so losing one or two wickets.

It was a slow wicket and was not easy to score runs, especially off the faster bowlers. It spun a little bit later on but it is a classic fiveday wicket. Unfortunately, for us to force a result was not really easy,” he said.

Yet Dravid drew a lot of positives from the game.

“Good all round positives. Pragyan Ojha coming back from the issues that he had and Amit Mishra getting in to the Indian side. They are still bowling well. I guess it

is one of the positives from their perspective. The conditions were not ideal for the seamers. I thought the two seamers and Vijay Shankar bowled with good disciplines and it was nice.”

“In the batting, again, it is very hard wicket to judge. It was not free flowing and was not easy to score lot of runs. In all round, I thought even in the batting the guys who made contributions chipped and kept. It was hard work and we need to look to be positive. Given the conditions

few all round positives from this game,” Dravid said.

On his impression of all-rounder Vijay Shankar performance, the coach said “Vijay had a good game considering the conditions, the wicket and the situation. It was not really a wicket for his kind of bowling. To be honest. Probably bowlers like him require some more in the wicket. He batted very nicely. First innings, he was nice and positive and in the second innings as well. It is a good first impression.”

The India A coach gave a message to his players that irrespective of the wicket and conditions the players must learn to “perform”.

“Ideally we would have liked a wicket to have pace and bounce and a bit of carry, which would have tested some of our batsmen. I hope the next one would be a little better.

If not, we just have to learn from whatever conditions that we get.”

Dravid said young batsman Baba Aprajith may get a chance in the second match, starting Tuesday.

“He had a good season and he is young. Hopefully, we will try and give him some games in the course of this series. We will just have to see some balance and give him matches as well.” - PTI

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M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

SPORTS OMAN PROBABLES BEGIN TRAINING AHEAD OF WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Oman national football team began training under the watchful eyes of their French coach Paul Le Guen in Seeb on Sunday. Le Guen had recently announced a list of probables for the domestic camp ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifying matches against Turkmenistan (September 3) and Guam (September 8). Captain Ali Al Habsi, midfielders Eid Al Farsi and Ahmed Mubarak ‘Kanu’ are not part of the camp as they are busy with their club commitments in England, Saudi Arabia and Qatar respectively. The probables attending the camp are Faiz Al Rasheedi, Riyad Al Alawi, Mazin Al Kasbi, Saad Suhail, Abdulsalam Aamer, Mohammed Sheiba, Jaber Al Owaisi, Ali Al Busaidi, Ali Salem, Mohammed Al Musallami, Mohannad Al Hasni, Ahmed Mubarak, Ali Al Jabri, Mohammed Al Masahari, Raed Ibrahim, Fahad Al Jalboobi, Mohsin Jowhar, Qasim Said, Yaseen Al Shiyadi, Mohammed Mubarak, Abdulaziz Al Muqbali, Imad Al Hosni, Saud Al Farsi, Mohamed Al Siyabi and Said Al Ruzaiqi. — ISMAIL AL FARSI/Times of Oman

Froome wins second Tour de France title While Greipel won the stage, his fourth this year, ahead of Bryan Coquard and Alexander Kristoff, Froome clinched a second Grand Boucle crown following his 2013 success

PARIS: Chris Froome won his second Tour de France title following Sunday’s 21st and final stage to Paris. Germany’s Andre Greipel won the stage, his fourth this year, ahead of Frenchman Bryan Coquard and Alexander Kristoff of Norway. Briton Froome crossed the line arm-in-arm with his Sky teammates to clinch a second Grand Boucle crown following his 2013 success.

Colombian Nairo Quintana finished second overall with his Spanish Movistar teammate Alejandro Valverde taking third, his best finish at the Tour at the age of 35.

Rain had rendered the cobbles at the finish on the Champs Elysees dangerous so organisers ASO neutralised the race from the mo-

SECOND CROWN: Tour de France winner Christopher Froome celebrates on the podium on the

Champs-Elysees avenue at the end of the 109.5km 21st and last stage of the 102nd edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Sevres and Paris on Sunday. – AFP

ment it reached Paris. It meant the official timing was stopped just after riders past the finishing line for the first time ahead of 10 laps of the famous Parisian avenue.

It allowed Froome, 30, and his teammates — wearing a black kit with the traditional blue stripe replaced by a yellow one in hommage to their leader’s feat — to finish in a straight line, arm-in-arm over a minute after the stage winner.

Having already won the Tour in 2013, finishing in the same way but

then because his lead to Quintana — second that time as well — was sufficiently large to allow him to do so, Froome became the first Briton to win the Grand Boucle for a second time.

Quintana finished at 1min 12sec overall with Valverde third over five minutes back.

Last year’s winner Vincenzo Nibali finished fourth overall, ahead of two-time former winner Alberto Contador.

But on the final stage, a 109.5km

run from the Parisian suburb of Sevres, Greipel, 33, emphasised his sprint superiority at this Tour.

He had already won the second, fifth and 15th stages in sprint finishes. His expected rivals Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan could only manage sixth and seventh respectively.

Sagan did win the sprinter’s green points jersey, though, while Froome finished as king of the mountains and Quintana, 25, was the best young rider. - AFP

CHINA TOUR

Benzema a doubt as Real face Inter GUANGZHOU: Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez said on Sunday that striker Karim Benzema was his only injury doubt as his side prepare to face Inter Milan in the International Champions Cup on Monday.

The French international is still recovering from tearing a thigh muscle at the end of last season and was substituted at half-time on Friday as Real romped past Manchester City 4-1 in Melbourne.

“The only slight worry is Benzema. He has a slight tweak, nothing serious, but we will take no risks” said Benitez.

“We will decide tomorrow whether he plays. If we think there is any problem we will take no chances,” added the Spaniard at a news conference after his side trained at Guangzhou’s 54,000-capacity Tianhe stadium in fierce heat and humidity on Sunday night.

Benitez, who only took the reins at the Santiago Bernabeu in June following the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti, said he was delighted overall with how his squad are shaping up with their fitness and conditioning as they zero in on the new season which begins next month.

“We are where we wanted to be at this stage. The training sessions in Australia have been fantastic,” Benitez said. “The boys have trained really well, very good, high intensity. Up till now I think we are fine, but we will only see for sure when the season begins.”

The Spanish giants arrived in the southern Chinese metropolis

only on Saturday night to continue their whirlwind pre-season schedule which has also seen them play AS Roma in Australia in the past eight days.

After Inter on Monday they face AC Milan in the eastern mega-city of Shanghai on Thursday after two weeks of training and four matches in Australia and Asia.

This is Real’s fourth visit to China but their first since 2011, making it a new experience for many of their players who got first taste of the frenzied appetite for football here.

Thousands of fans clad in the famous white shirt mobbed a Guangzhou city centre autograph session on Sunday bringing traffic to a standstill.

There were similar scenes as the team trained at Tianhe stadium, home of Guangzhou Evergrande FC, with around a thousand fans managing to get in to watch the session from the stands with hundreds more trying — and failing — to gain entry.

Novel attempts included brandishing home-made media passes and trying to sneak in with club officials.

“We are pretty pleased with the welcome,” said Benitez.

“You can feel the adulation of the fans for the players. It’s very special to see all the support for Real Madrid. It is massive here.”

Opponents Inter Milan will on Monday against Real conclude their three-match China tour that has seen them lose 1-0 twice already, to Bayern Munich as well as against AC Milan on Saturday. - AFP

MO N DAY, JU LY 27, 2 0 1 5

SPORTS

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Oman Air post two dazzling wins, The Wave edges up leaderboard More changes to the leaderboard are expected during the final day of racing as the fleet battles it out for vital points

MUSCAT: Hamburg is fast gaining a reputation for drama after another action-packed day which left The Wave, Muscat edging up the leaderboard to within a point of the top and Oman Air running into form with two dazzling wins at the Extreme Sailing Series Act 5.

The wind sweeping through the River Elbe proved to be wild and gusty in line with the forecast which forced crews to put safety above all other considerations yet in the penultimate race of the day, SAP Extreme Sailing Team was hit by a violent gust and capsized.

Thankfully no one was injured.

“The SAP capsize was eye opening,” said Oman Air skipper Stevie Morrison.

“It makes you realise these are big powerful boats with no keel and they fall over. When it gets as crazy as it did today with the storms and the wind, it is important to stay safe. The priority is getting to the finish.”

Morrison was delighted to have posted two wins and although Oman Air remains in sixth place, the pressure within the top six is starting to build with just 20 points separating them and a full day’s racing remaining culminating in a double points finale.

“It was a better day for us though we didn’t get the starts we wanted,” added Morrison. “There were more decisions we were surprised about

SPLENDID SHOW: Oman Air recorded two superb wins to run into form and stay in the sixth place at the Extreme Sailing Series Act 5 in Hamburg. – Supplied photo

but morale in the team remains high. We fought very hard and felt it was one of our better days.”

The wins came as a confidence booster, said bowman Ali Al Balushi, who admitted to feeling happier with their performances.

“To win two races was great and made it exciting. We feel like we are sailing well but we haven’t seen it in the results. We still need to

improve, especially our starts. The wind was strong but we are strong on board — we have to be focussed so hopefully we can do the same again tomorrow and end up on the podium. We put together a couple of solid scores so we are much happier and very proud.”

Leigh McMillan, skipper of The Wave, Muscat was less happy even though his team moved up

one place on the leaderboard to second, just one point behind SAP Extreme. “We are very pleased to have climbed up to second and a bit surprised because we had a lot of frustrating moments,” he said.

“But it means that tomorrow we can go out and fight for the lead and we have a good chance.”

The weather posed problems for the entire fleet, McMillan said and

GOLF

OGC officials meet minister of sports affairs MUSCAT: A four-member team from Oman Golf Committee (OGC) recently met Sheikh Saad Al Saadi, the Minister of Sports Affairs, at the sports ministry office.The team included OGC Chairman Mundhir Al Barwani, Vice-Chairman Ahmed Al Jahadhamy, and two board members Sharifa Adnan and Majid Al Toky.

The OGC members exchanged Eid greetings and updated the sports minister about OGC’s recent activities as part of its long-term golf development programme.

The minister was given a detailed lowdown about OGC’s forthcoming summer camp plans in Europe for its junior golfers. Discussions also comprised the sports ministry’s ongoing financial support for OGC to run its activities,

Mundhir Al Barwani

Majid Al Toky

among various other matters.

After the summit, Majid Al Toky informed: “His Excellency is very keen about how golf is coming up, what development programmes we have been running and what kind of response OGC is getting from the youth in Oman.

He also wanted to know about our plans for the summer camp and in

what ways that would benefit the Omani players.”

The sports minister was also particularly briefed about young Omani golfer Fahad Al Kitani’s consistent success in recentlyheld tournaments, apart from the OGC junior team’s good show of late. The sports minister had words of praise for Al Kitani and

assured the OGC contingent that if anything is required from the sport ministry’s front, he would be eager to extend his support.

The OGC ladies team ended up on the podium in the GCC Cup in Kuwait, and the sports minister was briefed in detail about the ladies’ golf development programme by board member Sharifa. The sports minister said at the meeting that he is keeping a close watch on the ladies’ programme development and he is confident that Oman will produce bigger results in future.

As Sharifa pointed out: “His Excellency suggested us to maximise our focus on the junior and ladies’ development programmes as a priority with the aim of producing future champions.”

at times, it was touch and go.

“When the gust came through, we realised we needed to get the boat back to the dock. I caught a glimpse of SAP going over – it was a massive gust and it could have happened to any of us,” he said.

Double Olympic gold medallist and The Wave, Muscat crewmember, Sarah Ayton, was confident in the team.

“When the breeze pipes up, you go into survival mode so the priority is getting round the course.

Capsizes happen but the boys on The Wave, Muscat are brilliant at sailing this boat and know when to change gear and back off.”

More changes to the leaderboard are expected during the final day of racing as the fleet battles it out for vital points.

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M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

SPORTS

TENNIS

Nadal feeling fine despite recent losses HAMBURG: Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal on Sunday said ahead of the Bet-At-Home Open here that he was feeling well and had to accept the fact that he had lost more matches in the past six months than in the previous 11 years.

“I feel good, there are no problems. I look forward to this week,” world No. 10 Nadal said.

Summer tournaments are usually for relaxing and preparing for the toughest stretch of the season, but “it’s obvious that the situation is different” this year, the 29-yearold said.

“I need to accept that it is a new situation and face it with a good

attitude and keep working hard to return to a good level.”

“I’ve lost more than in the last 10 or 11 years,” Nadal said, referring to his 12 losses this year.

Nadal acknowledged that his loss to German journeyman Dustin Brown at the Wimbledon was “tough,” but he said life goes on and sports are all about winning and losing.

“I am very happy to be back in Hamburg, I haven’t been here since 2008, so it’s great to be back in such a nice city. I have great memories about this tournament.”

Nadal will play Fernando Verdasco in the first round. - IANS

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Van Gaal heaps praise on unsettled De Gea Di Maria ‘no show’ adds fuel to rumours of PSG move

De Gea returned to face Barcelona at the Levi’s Stadium to play a key role in United’s 3-1 friendly victory, pulling off a couple of important saves in a commanding display between the sticks

SANTA CLARA: Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal heaped praise on unsettled goalkeeper David De Gea after the Spaniard returned from injury to thwart Barcelona here on Saturday.

De Gea missed the first two matches of United’s U.S. tour with an undisclosed injury that fuelled speculation about his possible transfer to Real Madrid, who want him to replace Iker Casillas.

However, De Gea returned to face Barcelona at the Levi’s Stadium to play a key role in United’s 3-1 friendly victory, pulling off a couple of important saves in a commanding display between the sticks.

One stop, when he denied Sergi Roberto an opener for Barcelona after only five minutes, proved crucial as United swept upfield and scored two minutes later.

Van Gaal expressed his admiration for De Gea’s ability to return to form despite an injury lay-off.

“In spite of his injury, he doesn’t train for one week, he showed his quality in this game,” Louis van Gaal said.

“The first chance was for Barcelona and when you stop the first chance you can score the first goal and that is always a difference in the game.”

QUALITY PLAYER: Manchester United’s goalkeeper David De Gea, right, speaks to Barcelona’s Luis Suarez during their friendly match at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Saturday. – AFP

Van Gaal admitted he was keen to keep De Gea but said ultimately the decision may be out of his hands. “Yes of course I do hope De Gea shall stay, but in this world of football you never know,” he said.

Van Gaal was also full of praise for the performance of United’s de facto second string, who replaced his starting eleven just after the 60-minute mark.

Van Gaal had sharply criticised the same group of players after a lacklustre performance against the San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday.

“I was very happy with the reaction of the youngsters because they were more aggressive and that is what I want always,” van Gaal said. “It was a team with the spirit, we created chances, we scored two goals with the youngsters so I’m very happy.”

The Dutchman also praised the performance of forward Adnan Januzaj, who scored United’ third goal. “Adnan Januzaj was very good, because he gives always an option for his midfielders and defenders,” he said. “He scored a wonderful goal.” - AFP

LONDON: Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal “does not know why” Angel Di Maria has not joined the Premier League club’s pre-season tour of the U.S. following media reports the winger is close to signing for Paris St-Germain (PSG).

The 27-year-old Argentina international, who joined United for a British record transfer fee of £59.7 million ($92.59 million) last year, was expected to travel to the U.S. after being given extended leave following the Copa America.

However, British media have reported that Di Maria was a target for French champions PSG and that a deal was close for the former Real Madrid winger.

“He was not on the plane,” Van Gaal told reporters after United’s 3-1 win over Barcelona in Santa Clara on Saturday. “(Fellow Argentine) Marcos Rojo was also not on the plane. He has had a passport issue — for Angel Di Maria, I don’t know why. I cannot say anything.”

PSG coach Laurent Blanc did little to dismiss speculation with a move for Di Maria.

“There is a good possibility (he could sign) but there is nothing official,” Blanc said. - Reuters

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Scotland rivalry sparks Hodgson’s imagination ST. PETERSBURG: England boss Roy Hodgson believe his side’s pairing with Scotland for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers will provide clashes of an intensity rarely seen in the preliminary stages.

The oldest sides in international football were drawn together along with Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta at a grand ceremony in Saint Petersburg to officially launch the competition.

However, despite the attention garnered by the clash with their neighbours, Hodgson admitted he was happy to avoid the likes of Italy and France in the draw.

“It’s not a walk in the park, but I think it could have been an awful lot harder,” he said.

“I think the Scotland games will be the two games in the qualifying stages that really excite everyone and ignite the imagination and we’ve got to be up for it.

“You don’t play the fixtures on paper, you play them on the field and you’ve got to be very careful because we’ve just played Slovenia recently.

“I thought we played quite well and deserved to win, but it wasn’t easy and it won’t be again.”

Hodgson’s men were 3-1 victors when the two sides met in a friendly at Celtic Park in November. However, they haven’t met in a competitive fixture since Eng-

I think the Scotland games will be the two games in the qualifying stages that really excite everyone and ignite the imagination and we’ve got to be up for it Roy Hodgson England coach

land edged a playoff for Euro 2000 by 2-1 back in 1999.

“We have the experience from Celtic Park which was a fantastic occasion. It really is everything it is cracked up to be.

“We knew that in pots two and three we were going to get teams that are more than capa-

ble of beating you, so we weren’t too surprised when Slovakia and Scotland came out.

“The journeys are useful ones or easy ones compared to what they could have been and also fixtures like England versus Scotland really fire the imagination and that is good too.”

As well as the old enemy, Scotland are likely to have to overcome a strong challenge from Slovakia and Slovenia to claim at least a playoff place.

Slovakia are well on course to qualify for Euro 2016 having won all six of their qualifiers to date, including a 2-1 win over European champions Spain last October.

Slovenia, meanwhile, matched England for long spells in a thrilling qualifier in June before a late Wayne Rooney winner handed the visitors a 3-2 win.

Scottish FA President Alan McRae insisted he is confident that Gordon Strachan’s resurgent side can qualify for the finals for the first time since 1998.

“I think we will be quietly confident. England have a good team, good players, but we will be there to take them on.

“It’s a great rivalry, but I think we’ve got a chance to beat them, particularly at home.

“Of course it will be intense.

It is a very competitive game, but you’ve got to remember the friendly in November our mission was to beat the Republic of Ireland beforehand (in a qualifier) and I think we exhausted ourselves in winning that game.”

“I’m sure Gordon will have everyone focused for the entire campaign.” - AFP

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SECTION

LIFESTYLE

Gear WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

AS DRIVERS IN OMAN, WE OFTEN FIND OUR DESIRES ARE MORE VARIED THAN THOSE OF PEOPLE IN OTHER PLACES. SO FINDING A VEHICLE WHOSE OFFERINGS ARE AS DIVERSE AS ONE’S NEEDS, ARE A RARE AND WONDERFUL COMMODITY. IT WAS JUST THIS KIND OF DISCOVERY THAT CAPTURED MY ATTENTION THIS WEEK AS I HIT THE ROAD IN THE NEW AUDI Q3.

EXPRESSIVE, EFFICIENT AND SPORTY

By Nishad Padiyarath

MON DAY, J U LY 27, 2 0 1 5

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M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

Photo: Wattayah Motors LLC/Audi AG/

LIFESTYLE

When former auto engineer turned Apple designer Julian Hoenig revealed the concept model of the Audi Q3 in 2007, no one really imagined that this little vehicle would become the world’s most popular and powerful compact executive crossover. Since its launch in 2011, the Audi Q3 has sold close to 400,000 units globally. I set out to see why, taking the 2015 model out on the Muscat roads for a few days.

Compared to the mid-luxury compact Q5 and the full-size Q7, which are positioned more for family practicality and off-road performance, the Q3 seems to be positioning itself as more of a lifestyle/sports automobile, a posh crossover that’s bigger and taller than the A3.

At first I felt the Q3 must have been designed for tarmac, but the raised ride height and optional four-wheel drive made it a decent choice for treading over a relatively rough track.

Having driven a series of Audi’s in the past, I must say that the TFSI engines attain a particularly high compression rate. The result of course is outstanding efficiency combined with optimum performance. The Q3 has two engine options: 2.0T FSI Quattro S Line 5dr S Tronic and 1.4T FSI SE 5dr. Both are very smooth and reasonably quick, but I’d stick with 2.0TFSI for the best mix of usability, performance and economy. With either engine, the Q3 can hit a 0 to 60 in 7.6 seconds; impressive numbers for an 180 horsepower crossover.

The Quattro permanent allwheel drive kept me hugging the turns and gripping the road while I blazed through gear changes with the S-tronic, 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (with this transmission the next gear is already engaged before you select it). And thanks to the Audi Drive Select, with the push of a button I could adjust everything from the shock absorbers to the steering and transmission to suit the driving “feel” I was in the mood for — all the way from maniac road racer to comfortable cruiser.

The luxurious, comfortable interior was what really made me fall hard for the Q3. Visually, I liked the stylish inlays in refined woods or aluminium, which highlight the curves of the interior and can be further emphasised by the LED interior lighting package. The optional sport leather steering wheel in the 3-Q-spoke design was both beautiful and pleasant to grip.

The media package was visually appealing, with the front woofers illuminated by indirect light, which, along with 14 high-performance loudspeakers, turn the Q3 into a rolling night club. The MMI navigation plus with 20 GB hard drive lets you operate a wide range of media and convenience functions. There is also a Bluetooth interface and an Audi music interface to connect an iPod or MP3 player.

The Q3 is expressive, efficient, and sporty; powerful and agile; compact yet spacious inside. In short, it gives you the best of both the worlds, which is what a great crossover is meant to do. If you are looking to buy a vehicle that combines comforts with the enthusiasm of a sporty car, the additional space and the rugged terrain capabilities of a 4x4, then you must consider taking the Q3 for a spin and see if it grabs your attention — the way it grabbed mine. nishad@timesofoman.com

SPECS: ĊTransmission: S-tronic on 7-speed dual-clutch ĊŗEngine: 2.0 TFSI Quattro ĊŗHorse power: 180hp/ 0-100kph in 7.6 seconds ĊŗQuattro permanent all-wheel drive ĊŗAudi Drive Select ĊŗFuel Consumption: 5.2-7.7L/100km ĊŗAcoustic windscreen with grey tinted strip Ċŗ4-way lumbar support ĊŗAutomatic headlight-range adjustment

Ą 7-inch colour display in the centre of the dashboard

MO N DAY, JU LY 27, 2 0 1 5

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LIFESTYLE The thing about Bose is that it is a Bose.

The audio quality is legendary. The Soundlink Mini II is an upgrade of Soundlink Mini which Bose discontinued in 2014.

The speakers do not distort even at high levels. It may look tiny but it is portable and the design is great with all the buttons conveniently positioned on the top.

It is really loud with thumping bass, and and connects to any device with ease.

CONNECTIVITY Streams wirelessly from virtually any smartphone or tablet, Bluetooth-enabled PC or audio player, plugs with AC adapter.

Comes with an auxiliary input on the side for non-Bluetooth devices as well as a Micro-USB port.

But, it does not charge with USB. Rating:

AUDIO QUALITY The Soundlink Mini II has a good bass, something lacking in literally every other speaker of comparable size. It comes with dual bass radiators which make it really powerful.

Rating:

DESIGN AND FORM FACTOR It is by far the best sounding compact Bluetooth speaker around and is excellent in its design. A row of rubber buttons along the top control power, mute, volume, Bluetooth pairing and input source (auxillary) making it a sleek design. SoundLink Mini II is more staid in an aluminium case, though you can get soft plastic wraps that offer green, pink, mint, orange, gray, blue and red accents.

Rating:

PORTABILITY AND RANGE Ideal for indoor and outdoor venues, it is loud, yet crystal clear in its sound quality and can easily set the stage for a party. Around 30 feet of range when connected with a Bluetooth device.

Rating:

BATTERY LIFE The SoundLink Mini II has a built-in rechargeable battery that can last for about 7 hours. The SoundLink Mini II charges in about 3 hours and is quite efficient in comparison to other. The pins for the included charging dock are at the bottom, along with a micro USB port and an input for charging.

Rating:

BASICS 12 watts of RMS audio output.

Weight: 700 grams.

Price: $179 online.

Four waterproof smartphones and IP-rating you need to know THE COST of smartphones is steadily increasing, so the urge to keep them safe is only natural. Phone users spend a good amount of money on protective cases and panels and still can’t ensure the safety of their phones from water and dust. This is one aspect phone manufactures need to take seriously. And boy are they. Progress on developing such technologies is now a high priority. Durable phones are already the next big thing, as phone manufacturers are concentrating on creating durable phones is worth big research and development investments.

LINE UP

T

here are so many portable speakers available these days that it can make you crazy trying to compare all of them. The quality of Bluetooth speakers has improved in recent years with most now designed with rechargeable batteries so they can be moved from room to room with ease. There are stalwarts like Bose in this segment and then you have relative newcomers like Logitech. But which one is your best? We narrow it down to Bose Soundlink Mini II and Logitech Megaboom, comparing them head-to-head to help you chose.

A quick IP-rating explanation

BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI II

VS

Hit us with your pick on facebook/Times of Oman

Conclusion

LOGITECH MEGABOOM

Our take: While Bose can bask in the glory of its bass technology, Logitech Megaboom scores better on many more fronts. When it comes to buying a Bluetooth speaker, you no doubt want a sound system that connects with both your Android and iOS devices, offers convenient mobility, long battery hours, and a good range of connectivity. Across these criteria, Logitech Megaboom emerges the superior speaker.

TOO Verdict: Logitech Megaboom

by Mahran Shaukat Ali

See you next Monday with more exciting stuff!

What Logitech delivers is big. With a mega name, it has created mega boom as advertised. The Ultimate Ears line UE Megaboom is the bigger, louder followup to the original UE Boom, and it is tough to make with high quality sound.

TECH SUPPORT

CONNECTIVITY Bluetooth streaming, connects with a nice looking audio input and micro USB port.

Rating:

AUDIO QUALITY: The larger UE Megaboom means there is better sound quality of the bass with even louder sound. The UE Boom is the 360-degree wireless speaker that blasts loud, insanely good sound in every direction. Logitech has done a good job improvising on the Boom, which was not available in its previous The Ultimate Ears line models.

Rating:

DESIGN AND FORM FACTOR The Logitech Megaboom has acoustic skin with plasma coating that makes it water and stain-resistant. With a cylindrical and round shape, it has a smooth design and is a treat to the eye. The cylindrical UE Boom comes in black mesh with black plastic, blue mesh/white plastic, tan/blue, pink/red, red/white and white/white.

Rating:

PORTABILITY & RANGE Good for both indoor and outdoor use, it can withstand an accidental drop on surface or in the water. It has a range of up to 100 feet.

Rating:

BATTERY LIFE The 15 hours of battery life gets a thumbs up from critics and reviewers.

Rating:

WATTAGE The Logitech MegaBoom has 12W RMS while the UE Megaboom has 36W RMS. Weight: 877 grams.

Price: $299 online.

Protected devices are judged by the Ingress Protection Rating, known as the International Protection Rating (IP rating).

In an IP rating the first number always refers to dust protection, while the second refers to water resistance. For example, a rating of IP54 would mean a dust protection rating of 5 and a water resistance rating of 4.

The maximum dust protection is 6; the maximum standard water protection is 8.

To keep things simple, we only need to pay attention to dust protection from 5 and up, and water resistance from 5 and up.

Dustprotection (Source: DSMT) HTC’s Desire Eye: HTC’s Desire Eye smartphone comes with an IPX7 rating, which means it is resistant to water up to a certain depth or water levels (1 metre).

Samsung Galaxy S5: Samsung’s last year flagship the Galaxy S5 offers resistance to water and dust. It comes with IP67 certificate which means that it can survive in up to 1 metre in depth for up to 30 minutes if the USB port is closed securely.

Samsung’s rugged smartphone offerings, the Galaxy S5 Active and Sport are two more water friendly options you can go for.

Sony’s gen Xperia Z smartphones: It is not just Sony Xperia M4 Aqua that boasts waterproof casing as Xperia Z3, Xperia Z2, Z1 and the Z1 Compact are also water resistant. It boasts both IP65 and IP68 protection, meaning that it can be submerged in over 1 metre (3 feet) of water for an indefinite period.

Huawei Honor The Honor 3 is a budget water resistant phone. It has an IP57 rating, meaning it could survive a 30 minute dip in shallow water and it can keep dust particles outside.

Ask the techspert: mahran@timesofoman.com

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M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

FIND-IT-ALL CINEMA SCHEDULE

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

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BAHJA CINEMA

Terminator: Genisys (Action / Adventure) Cast: Arnold Schwarznegger, Emily Clarke 3.30, 7.30, 9.45 & 11.55 pm CP No: 1714 (PG 12) The Gallows (Horror/ Thriller) Cast: Cassidy Gifford, Pfiefer Brown, Riyan Shoos 8.00 & 10.00 pm CP No: 1730 (15+) Minions ( Animation/ Comedy ) 12.00 & 5.45 pm CP No: 1731 (PG) Max (Adventure/ Family) Cast: Thomas Harden Church, Josh Wiggin 4.00 pm CP No: 1732 ( PG) Vatican Tapes ( Horror/Thriller ) Cast: Katheleen Roberston, Djimon Hounsou, Dougrey Scott 12.00, 1.45 & 11.55 pm CP No: 1835 (18+) Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! ( Horror/Sci: Fic ) Cast: Tara Reid, Bo Derek, Frankie Muniz 2.00 & 6.00 pm CP No: 1836 (15+)

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

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6pm) 24567664 | 68. www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Drama)(PG) Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Harshaali 11:30 am, 3:30, 8:30, 11:30 pm Terminator: Genisys (Action, Adventure) (3D)PG12 Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke 9:15, 11:45 pm Terminator: Genisys (Action)(2D)PG12 2:30 pm Minions (Animation, Comedy)(3D) PG 1:30, 5:00 pm Minions (Animation, Comedy)(2D) PG 11:30 pm Hayaty Mebahdela (Comedy)(PG) Cast: Mohamed Saad, Nicole Saba 7:00 pm The Gallows (Horror, Thriller) (15+) Cast: Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos 6:15, 10:00 pm The Vatican Tapes (Horror, Thriller) (12+) Cast: Michael Peña, Kathleen Robertson, Djimon Hounsou, 4:30, 11:45 pm Pixels (3D) (Action, Comedy) PG12 Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle 2:30, 6:30, 8:00 pm Pixels (2D) (Action, Comedy) PG12 12:15 pm MUSCAT GRAND MALL A Royal Night Out 2D (Drama) Cast: Sarah Gadon, Emily Watson, Jack 3:45PM (15+) Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! 2D (Horror) (15+) Cast: Tara Reid, Bo Derek, Frankie Muniz 7:45PM Terminator Genisys (3D): (Action) (PG12) 9:30 PM, 11:55 PM Gold Class: 12:30 PM, 11:15PM Terminator Genisys (2D) (Action) (PG12) 4:15 PM

3:45 pm

9:15, 11:45 pm

TERMINATOR: GENISYS (3D) (Action, Adventure) (PG)

A ROYAL NIGHT OUT 2D (Drama) Cast : Sarah Gadon, Emily Watson, Jack (15+)

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke

Minions (3D) (Animation, Comady) (PG) 12:30 PM, 2:00PM Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2D): ( Action) (PG) 11:00 AM, 8:45 PM, 11:45PM Gold Class: 3:00 PM, 8:15 PM Pixels (3D) (Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi ) (PG12) Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle 2:15, 6:45 PM Gold Class: 6:00 PM Hayaty Mebahdela (2D) (Comedy)(PG) Cast : Mohamed Saad, Nicole Saba, Hassan Hosny 5:45 PM

SCREEN 3 Masaan (Romance/Drama) – (12+) Cast: Richa Chadda, Sanjay Mishra, Saurav

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

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) Dept time

Destination

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

15:00 15:00 15:00

05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

16:30 18:00 19:30

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 06:30 08:00 13:00 13:00 16.00 16.00

07:00 07:00 13:30 13:00 13:00 13:00 17:00

Sohar Buraimi Buraimi Sohar Buraimi Sohar Buraimi

08:50 Daily 11:00 Daily 14:30 Daily via Ibri 15:45 Daily 17:40 Daily 18.35 Daily 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 17:30

Sinaw

Nizwa Yanqul

20:50

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Fahud Yibal

12:00 18:45

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Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

10:30 11:15

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

Marmul

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

06:00 06:00

Nizwa Ruwi

08:40 11:00

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Nizwa Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

06:00 14:30

Ruwi Ruwi

10:45 19:00

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19:50 13:15 22:30 07:30

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

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

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Salalah

07:00

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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

38 30 Minimum

11.45 13.30 14.00

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

Baahubali (Tamil) (Action) Cast: Prhabas, Rana Daggubatti, Anshka Shetty, Tamannaah & Satya Ra 3-30, 6-30 & 9-30 pm at Cinema Main Baahubali (Telugu) (Action) 3-30, 6-30 & 9-30 pm at Cinema -2 Ivede (Mal ) (Thriller) Cast: Prithviraj, Nivin Pauly & Bhavana 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 pm at Cinema – 3 Premam (Mal) (Rom) Cast: Nivin Pauly & Anupama 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 pm at Cinema -4 Next Change: Acha Din (Mal), Appatakkar (Tamil), Vallu (Tamil) (Programmes are subject to change)

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DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

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

Daily

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TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

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

SALALAH Terminator (3D)(PG12) (Action) 9:00, 11:55 PM

STAR CINEMA

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 07:30 14:30

BURAIMI Terminator Genisys - 3D (Action) (PG12) 6:45, 11:50PM Bajrangi Bhaijaan– 2D (Drama, Action) (PG) 2:45, 7:00, 9:00, 11:30PM Ivide– 2D (Crime/Drama) (12+) Cast: Prithviraj Sukumran, Nivin Pauly 7:30PM Minions– 3D (Animation) (PG) 2:00, 6:00PM Baahubali: The Beginning – 2D (Thriller) Cast: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka 3:45PM (12+) The Vatican Tapes– 2D (Horror) (18+) Cast: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Michael Pena 11:45PM

SUR Terminator Genisys (3D) (Action) (PG12) 5:45, 11:45 PM Minions (3D) (Animation) (PG) 4:00 PM Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Hindi) (Drama) (PG) 4:15, 8:00 PM Bahubali (Hindi) (Action) (12+) Cast: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka 7:15 PM The Vatican Tapes (Horror | Thriller) (18+) Cast: Michael Peña, Kathleen Robertson 10:00 PM Ivide (Mal) (Crime | Drama) (12+) Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Nivin Pauly 11:00 PM

Terminator (2D)(PG12) (Action) 2:45 PM Minions (3D) (PG) (Animation) 10:30, 2:15 PM Minions (2D) (PG) (Animation) 1:00 PM Pixels (3D)(PG12) (Action/Comedy/Sci-Fi ) Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle 10:15am, 12:15, 5:00, 7:00 PM Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2D) (PG) (Drama/Action) 10:00AM, 12:30, 4:00, 9:00, 11:15 PM Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Harshaali Hayaty Mebahdela (2D) (PG)(Arabic) 5:00 PM The Gallows(2D)(15+) (Horror/Thriller) Cast: Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos 3:30, 11:30 PM Masaan (2D)(12+) (Drama) Cast: Richa Chadda, Saurabh Chadhary, Sanjay Mishra 7:00 PM Mahra Story (2D)(PG) (Drama) Cast: Salim Bahwan, Raniya alali 7:00 PM Ivide (2D) (12+) (Crime/Drama) Cast: Prithviraj, Nivin Pauly, Bhavana 8:45 PM

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

Sharkando 3: Oh Hell No! (2D) (Horror) (15+) Cast: Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, Cassie Scerbo, 5:45, 10:00PM The Gallows– 2D (Horror/Thriller) (15+) Cast: Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan 3:45, 10:00PM

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

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

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

Sci-Fi ) Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan

Cast: Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, Cassie Scerbo

WEATHER

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36) Quriyat Sur Jaalan

10:15am, 12:15, 5:00, 7:00 pm PIXELS (3D) (PG12) (Action/Comedy/

1:30, 11:55 PM Nom El Talat - 2D (12+) Comedy 8:15 PM Masaan - 2D (12+) (Drama) Cast: Richa Chadda, Saurabh Chadhary, Sanjay Mishra 10:00 PM Ivide - 2D (M) (12+) (Crime, Drama) 12:45, 9:05 PM Baahubali - 2D (12+) (Action) 11:45 PM

SOHAR Terminator Genisys - 2D (PG12) (Action) 3:30 PM Terminator Genisys - 3D (PG12) (Action) 12:30, 9:00, 11:45 PM Bajrangi Bhaijaan - 2D (PG) Drama, Action 4:00, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30 PM Minions - 2D (PG) (Animation) 11:45 AM Minions - 3D (PG) (Animation) 2:15, 5:00 PM Baahubali - 2D (Telegu)(12+) (Action) 3:15 PM Hayaty Mebahdela - 2D (Arabic)(PG) (Comedy) 6:45 PM Pixels - 2D (PG12) (Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi) 6:15 PM Pixels - 3D (PG12) (Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi) 12:15, 3:00, 7:00 PM The Vatican Tapes - 2D (18+) (Horror)

SCREEN 2 Baahubali: The Beginning (Action) – (12+) Cast: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM

5:45 & 10:00 pm SHARKANDO 3: OH HELL NO (2D) (Horror ) (15+)

Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Harshaali Malthotra

Choudhary 3.45, 9.45 PM Bin Roye- Urdu - Pakistani (Romance/ Drama/Comedy) – PG12 Cast: Mahira Khan, Humayun Saeed, Armeena Rana Khan , Zeba Bakhtiar 6.45 PM

RUWI SCREEN 1 Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Action/Drama ) – PG Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Harshaali 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM

3:30, 6:30, 9:30 pm BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN (Action/Drama )

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

Appolo 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 Hamdan Hospital 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital 24760100 24 Hrs Emergency 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128 MBD 24799077 Al Khuwair 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000 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

MO N DAY, JU LY 27, 2 0 1 5

C11

LIFESTYLE

COUNTER THIS Y

By Faisal Mohammed Naim | (faisal@timesofoman.com) ou’re already doing it, if you’re riding a motorcycle. At higher motorcycle speeds, however, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the counter-steering process, which will help you make more controlled turns at higher speeds, steer away from hazards, and ride with less fatigue.

It’s hard to imagine that so many so called “experienced” riders either fail to understand the importance of counter-steering or fail to recognise it is only by counter-steering that a motorcycle actually turns.

A motorcycle turns by leaning.

Once the bike is banked over the geometry of the chassis as well as the rounded profile of the tyres and the hard-to-describe forces cause the machine to arc around the curve. So, to turn a bike you must get the motorcycle to go from upright to leaned position precisely and efficiently.

The most effective way to get a motorcycle to go from upright to leaned is to introduce handlebar inputs. By pressing forward (and to a lesser degree, down) on the handlebar on the side that you want to turn, you essentially unbalance the bike so that it “falls” into a lean. Press on the right handlebar to initiate a lean to the right and press on the left handlebar to turn left. Got it?

In simpler words, lean in the direction you want to turn and gently push the handle away to the other side (turning right? Push the handle from right to left.)

Many riders believe that they are able to manoeuvre their motorcycle by simply leaning their body or by looking into the turn. While these are helpful techniques for assisting the bike’s turn, this alone cannot effectively cause a 300+ kilogram machine to change direction (mine is almost 400 kilograms — the Vulcan 2000).

Yeah, but I already turn my bike without counter-steering. Not really. Sure, you can cause the bike to drift into a turn, but that can’t really be called turning. Also, consider that most people who think they cannot counter-steer, actually are doing it without realising. Pay close attention the next time you are making any sort of turn and notice how you put a slight amount of pressure on the inside handlebar.

Counter-steering is used when-

THE ED AT EDUCORIST T MO

ever you need to change direction.

This applies to basic cornering manoeuvres, as well as evasive manoeuvres, such as swerving.

It’s important to be able to counter-steer with authority when a corner suddenly tightens more than you expected, or when you approach a tight corner too-fast.

Not being able to turn your motorcycle quickly could eventually result in an off-road excursion or collision with an oncoming car or a guardrail. In a car, when we need to turn right to avoid an accident, we yank the wheel to the right.

Doing the same thing on a bike will do just the opposite, so that instinct can be deadly.

By understanding what counter-steering is and how it works, rather than just doing it unconsciously, any biker can enjoy a safer, more comfortable ride.

1. Rider counter-steers

2. Front wheel out-tracks away from turn 3. Motorcycle leans, front wheel centres 4. Motorcycle stabilises in turn, front wheel points toward turn

CYBER CRIMES

Photo: Shutterstock/Wires

Ethical Hackers?

DATA BREACHES and financial crimes have become more than the stuff of Hollywood thrillers, representing major issues in the current information era.

These cyber crimes are carried out by hackers who exploit weaknesses in computer systems and networks, but not all hackers are created equal. It is interesting to note the existence of so-called “ethical hackers,” in addition to “white”, “black”, and “grey” hackers, who all operate outside the scope of the law, but with very different motivations and intentions.

Ethical hacking and ethical hacker are terms used to describe hacking performed by a company or individual as a means of identifying potential threats on a computer or network. An ethical hacker attempts to bypass system security and search for any weak points that could be exploited by malicious hackers.

This information is then used by the organisation to improve the system security, in an effort to minimise or eliminate any potential attacks.

On the non-professional side,

white hat hackers are those who carry out their craft with no apparent criminal intention, many a times simply for the challenge.

Black-hat hackers, or simply “black hats,” are the hackers the media seems to focus on. Black hats violate computer security for personal gain, such as to steal credit card numbers or harvest personal data for sale to identity thieves.

Very few things in life are as clear as black-and-white, so it goes in the world of hacking where grey-hat hackers falls somewhere between the black and white hats.

A grey hat doesn’t work for their own personal gain or to cause carnage, but they may technically commit crimes and do arguably unethical things like invading the privacy of others.

Technology evolves and changes faster than the laws can keep up, which is creating a need for ethical hackers to protect companies and individuals from cyber wrongdoers in a high stakes game that continues to feel more like science fiction. - Mahran Shaukat Ali mahran@timesofoman.com

P R I VA C Y C O N C E R N S

Privacy Online: Who owns it?

IF A COMPANY or a person shares his data then does he still own it? When he erases the data, can he really be sure that it has been erased? An iCloud hitch in 2014 led to a flurry of leaked private photos of celebrities and actors, thus calling for a greater safeguard against such incidents.

Cloud Computing needs better cloud controls and companies are responding by offering features such as encryption of data and setting up strong passwords for verification and access (as did Google and Amazon).

Now more than ever, your online privacy is under attack. ISP, advertisers, and governments around the world are increasingly interested in knowing exactly what you’re up to when you browse the

web, and increasingly your privacy is under threat.

The Internet and computerised databases make automated collection and processing of information particularly easy and convenient. As a result, there are now zillions of databases silently collecting data. While consumers can often benefit from revealing personal information, most would rather remain anonymous browsers.

Anti-Virus Softwares, VPN’s, Private Browsers, Ghostery Browsers, Online Routers, Blocking Third Part Cookies, and many more tools are available to help people browse the Web anonymously. But many still fear the next glitch.

-Mahran Shaukat Ali / mahran@timesofoman.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: SAUBER F1 TEAM

Front wing mainplane

Front wing flap

Nose, front crash structure

3rd element damper

Forward turning vane

Correvit optical sensor (speed and angle)

Junction box (Sensor data connectors)

Brake fluid reservoir

Pitot tube

SECU Standard Engine Control Unit

Steering wheel

Seat

The lap trigger and the ECU are components imposed by the FIA and are identical in all the competing cars in the F1 World Championship

Lap trigger (FIA timing)

Antenna

Telemetry data transmitter

Onbard fire extinguisher

Brake master cylinder

Throttle damper

Knee padding

GPS transmitter

Pedals

Lower steering column

Upper steering column

SDR Secuity Data Recorder

Headrest

Roll hoop

Fuel cell

Oil tank

Onboard camera dummy

Gearbox Rear axle

Rear suspension, springs and dampers

The engine design is one of the most guarded secrets of each racing team. This one is a modified version of the engines used by Ferrari F1 team

Engine

Clutch

Air horn

E

ver wondered what’s actually inside those sleek, carbon fibre-covered racing machines?

Wonder no more, Sauber’s giving you a glimpse inside one of its actual racers with this full-length car cut away, which took two years to painstakingly slice in half.

From tiny bits like the knee padding for the driver, foot pedals, and

Rear crash structure

Rain light

Rear wing lower mainplane

Rear wing flap

-Faisal Mohammed Naim/ faisal@timesofoman.com

steering rack, to the multi-celled fuel tank and entire engine and gearbox, Sauber splayed it all open for you to ogle at. It’s incredible to see just how much they pack in there, where they cram it in, and that they actually bothered to add touches like an air horn in the car. Odd, I’ve never heard an F1 car sound its horn...

C12 M O N DAY, JULY 27, 2015

LIFESTYLE

D

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M M O N DAY, J U LY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

SECTION

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

RENT

D2

VACANCY

D4

CARGO

D7

D2

M O N DAY, J U LY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

FOR RENT

FOR RENT

Building In Rusail Industrial ŶĞĂƌ ƚŽ ŵŝĂŶƟƚ KŵĂŶ comprising a store divisible area 266 sq. meters.

The building includes Studios ĂŶĚ ƌŽŽŵƐ ǁŝƚŚ ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ ƐŝnjĞ ƐƵŝƚĂďůĞ ĨŽƌ ŽĸĐĞƐ Žƌ residence.

Preferably to be leased to one company.

3BR villa, sitting, dining & hall, Azaiba behind Al Meera H- Market.

Contact: 99259977 / 95033008 1BHK, Darsait, walking distance to ISM , neat and clean building, ground floor, OMR 260/- per month rent Call IQRAR on 99076557

Mob + 968 96177505

Fully furnished 3 BHK accommodation with all spacious rooms in a villa at Darsait near ISD. Contact: 9526 5289 / 9604 8422

2 BHK near Kuwaiti Masjid Wadi Kabir. Contact: 24816774 / 97608564

Furnished room for rent at Al Khuwair R.O 225/- for family only.

Contact: 99251975

Shop for rent/ sale in Ruwi near Dish market good location, behind City Cinema. Contact: 91318111

Villa AL Ghobrah, 6 bedroom 1200/R.O. Contact: 99340055/97557555

Flat for rent in Wadi Kabir with 3 rooms. Contact : 98555580 / 92800007

3 flats, 2BHK near Ghala Church, top of Majan Hyper market Ghala.

Contact: 95928800 / 98014921 Two bedrooms flats in Wadi Kabir near Indian School.

Contact: 99313274 1bedroom, kitchen, sharing toilet, parking, family R.O 110/-, 1bedroom sharing K& T family in Al Khuwair R.O 100/-. Contact: 95154331 Flats for rent near Indian School in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99777122 Well maintained spacious 2BHK at Rex Road. Contact: 92227165

2 bed rooms, kitchen, toilet & car park in Al Khuwair R.O 200/- .

Contact 95154331 2BHK near Oman house Muttrah.

Contact: 99233116 3BHK, 3 bathrooms, 2 balconies, nr Al Hassan W/Kabir R.O 340/-.

Contact: 99384640 Deluxe 2,3 bedroom flats in Ruwi & 2 BHK in Wadi Kabir & 1and 2 BHK Al Khuwair. Contact: 95282986 / 24707340

1BHK, 2BHK, 3BHK new flat available at Mabela in front of Modern English School Contact: 96239126 House in Amerat near to Makah hypermarket with three room, 5toilets, kitchen and hall 430/-.

Contact: 92747078 For rent if require flats for rent in Wadi Kabir please send me messages through Whatsapp.

Contact: 99376454 For rent in Qantab European style 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, Guest toilet, fully equipped modern kitchen, covered car park for two cars, approximately 150 meters from the beach. For enquiries, please Contact: Yasser at 92606005 Flats shops for rent in Ruwi MBD area Mumtaz area.

Contact: 97293708 / 92433127

Grill cafe sale Al Khuwair.

Contact 97249366

Fabulous AC flat at Al Khoud 3 bedrooms, hall and kitchen RO 270/for rent. Contact: 99334699

2560 sq mtrs industrial land in Wadi Kabir main road, First line on way to Al Bustan hotel. Possible to make petrol station or hotel. OMR 990 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Office space at Alasfoor Plaza Qurum. Contact : 24566217 /24564686 For rent if require flats for rent in Wadi Kabir please send me messages through Whatsapp.

Contact: 99376454

Villa 4 & 5 BHK for rent in Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181

2 BHK flats in Rex Road.

Contact: 99792181

Store 2000 Sqr mtrs for rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99792181

3 Bedroom flat in Wadi Kabeer and 2 bedroom villa in Sidab- Muscat.

Contact: 95755953

1BHK flat at Honda road (Ruwi).

Contact: 99792181

Deluxe 3 BHK Penthouse with Seaview, ideal for office / residence at Qurum near PDO. Contact: 9772 1313 / 9507 0421

Villa with two floors in (Hay Al Arjan) in AL Khoud with 4 bedrooms, hall, Majles, kitchen & one room in ground floor. Contact: 93219597

1,000 sq mtrs industrial land in Misfah Industrial area near to Khanco. OMR 1,500 Monthly. It has Electricity and boundary wall.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

1 Villa & 3 big Flats of 2/3 BHK with hall, Kitchen & ACs Al Khoudh 6, Close to express way, from owner. Tel 97600322 alnehang@gmail.com

500 sq mtrs office space on mezzanine floor near Royal Hospital. OMR 6.500 per sq mtr. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

4 BHK single villa in Al Khuwair.

Contact: 97616158

250 sq mtrs restaurant for rent in Plaza Hotel, Walja Ruwi.

Contact 99326339

600 sqr mtrs showroom in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99792181

Vehicle automotive batteries available at cost price. Interested parties who want to buy the batteries in bulk numbers for reselling purpose may. Contact: 24794657 1 A/C for sale. Contact: 99573353

2 bedrooms apartments for rent in Al Khuwair and Ghubra. Call Yellow Bird property on 24615375 / 97137989 or visit www.muscat-realty.com

Brand new villa Bosher 37, 4 BHK. Contact: 91936034

FOR SALE

Bath attached room for rent Al Khuwair. Contact 99743569

506sqm space with mezzanine available for rent in AL Wadi Al Kabir, Suitable for carpentry / Auto workshop and / or electrical shop interested parties may.

Contact: 24703981

Available 2 BHK flat with two bathrooms at Wadikabir near Shell petrol pump, rent RO 225/-.

Contact 95708014

2BHK flat in Al Khuwair. Contact: 99792181

FOR SALE

Deluxe furnished / unfurnished flats Qurum. Contact: 24566217 / 24564686

BUYING/SELLING Used furniture & Electronic items, office & house. Contact: 99834373

60,000 Sq Mtrs Agriculture Land in Misfah, can be changed to Industrial Land. OMR 29 Per Square Meter.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 5 Flats of 1 bedroom for Sale in Boushar: OMR 35 Thousand each.

Monthly income OMR 270 Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 23,886 Sq Mtrs Agriculture land with water well in Al Salwa, Barka.

OMR 260 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 Turkish MDF door with frame for sale, size 210 x 100 Price: RO 75/-.

Contact: 95899296 / 92141514 Wall papers, grass carpets sale & fixing. Contact 99834373 / 97102699

3 floor commercial building in Muttrah behind Police. Generating income of OMR 18 Thousand annually. Neat and well maintained. Built on 197 sq mtrs land. 2 tailor shops on ground floor and 6 flats. OMR 207 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

AVAILABLE Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. www.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

M O N DAY, J U LY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

D3

DAILY GUIDE

MOTOR VEHICLE FOR SALE NRI

ACC. WANTED

BUSINESS Tucson automatic V-6 2007, R.O 2300/-. Contact: 99384640

Required a room in Darsait / WadiKabir /Ruwi area.

Contact: 95405033 The following properties in South India are for sale. 1. 25 cent plot in Eroor, Cochin (less than 2km from Vytila hub) 2. 12 cent plot in Trivandrum opposite to Kims hospital in hill top colony.

Interested parties- please send SMS “property” to 99341156.

We will contact you.

ACC. AVAILABLE Room with attached bath and sharing kitchen available for Executive bachelor, opp. O.C. Center Ruwi.

Contact: 99016562 / 99296296 Family sharing accommodation available in Al Khodh.

Contact: 99371129

GOOD NEWS

2 BHK rent R.O 200/- from 01.09.2015 location after Muscat Gate main road fully furnished for sale. Contact Francis 92251786 Full furnished room with attached bathroom near Star Cinema for Ex. Bachelor/lady. Contact 92886715 Rooms in Seeb for couple / single ladies. Contact : 96996938 Fully furnished 1BHK with all household items in Darsait near Lulu on monthly Basis.

Contact : 99378397 Sharing accommodation available for working lady or couples near Ruwi Church. Contact: 92837206 Room attached toilet and kitchen near Indian School Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 95345537 Fully furnished room for a decent expatriate. independent kitchen, bathroom in Wadi Adai.

Contact 96243086 at 5p.m.

Genuine Ayurvedic treatments & massage, Ayurvedic clinic at AL Khuwair. Contact: 24478618 / 97263637 / 93309131 Established running Grade -1 tender board construction company with work force, plant, staff, credit suppliers & financial credit limit up to 335,000/- in place only serious buyers. Please Contact: civilprojects57@gmail.com

Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis massage, steam bath, obesity, spondylitis IDEAL , CARE Ayurvedic Clinic 18 November street, Azaiba.

Contact 99639695 / 99117987

Looking for financial partner or investor for running small industry. Contact : 92337002

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 96050000, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit: www.islamfact.com

New company seek partnership.

Contact: 96996938 General Investors.

Gsm-99674870

Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact 24475280 / 95371554 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

LOST Saiful Islam Md Abu Taher has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. AC 2921480. Finder please handover to ROP. Latheesh Kaliyaramil Balan has lost Indian Passport No. M 0600516.

Finder please handover to ROP Mohammed Sahadat has lost Bangladesh passport No AC 0412087. Finder please handover to ROP

CHANGE OF NAME I Azeem Abdul Rawoob (holder of Indian passport No. J 1341176) son of Azeem having permanent residence in 55 Anai Katti Maidanam Beema Nagar Trichy DT Tamil Nadu (complete postal address in India) and presently residing in P.O Box. No 390 P.C 118 Sultanate of Oman (complete postal address in Oman) intend to change my name from Azeem Abdul Rawood (old name) to Azim Abdul Rauf (new name) for all practical purpose. Any objection towards my name change may please be communicated to Embassy of India, Muscat, Diplomatic Quarters, Al Khuwair, P.Box No. 1727, Postal Code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman.

Car for sale in Muscat, single owner (doctor) driven, Mazda SUV cx-9, model 2014, low mileage (66,000 kms) in excellent condition with company warranty, for sale.

Interested parties please contact in 99341156.

Land Cruiser 2012. #99336093

Toyota Corolla 1.8 ltr GLI excellent condition 28,000 kms.

Contact: 97717152 Touareg 2011 Oman cars, 114000 KM, silver, 8500/-R.O. Contact 92857111 Prado ,2012. Contact : 99336093 Sportage, 2013. Contact: 99336093

CHANGE OF NAME We, Ashish Kumar (name of father as per the passport, holder of Indian passport No. F 9862728 and Ritu Gupta (name of the mother, holder of Indian Passport No. L 8823059) having permanent address in 128/96, B - Block, Kidwai Nagar, Kanpur Nagar, Pin - 208011, UP, (complete postal address in India) and presently residing at the following address in Al Khuwair, Sultanate of Oman, here by solemnly affirm and declare to change the name of our child Master Dev Gupta (name as per present passport) , holder of Indian passport No. L 3951829 date of issue 20/08/2013 issued at Lucknow. The name of our child will be henceforth known as Advik Gupta (new name) for all purposes. Any objection towards change of name of our minor child may please be communicated to Embassy of India, Muscat, Diplomatic Quarters, Al Khuwair, PB No. 1727, PC 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman.

Naif Helaes Mohammed Al Roshdi & his partner for Trad & cont joint which is recorded under the commercial register in directorate general for trade industry number 1060944 is going to change its name to Al Batinah Projects Al wataniah for Service Logestic joint .This is to inform anybody who concerns about that.

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

D4

M O N DAY, J U LY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ED

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

ADMIN Indian male 2+yrs oman exp in HR. joing immediatly. release available.

Contact :93671437 BSCS hons (4 years) 2 years experience female currently on visit visa looking for any vacancy.

Contact: 91519478 Email: marryum.akmal@gmail.com Indian male, 15 yrs experience in Admin & Office management seeks job. Contact: 96425101

ADMIN

14 years of Gulf experience in HR / Admin & logistics fluent in Arabic / English with D/L looking for suitable position. Contact: 95824598

Urgently required Male with 2 years’ experience in Admin Works, fluent in Arabic and English, Computer knowledge, preferably with driving license.

Working hours 6am to 2pm or 2pm to 10 pm daily Email: jayan@ra.cc or 99661980

AUTO CAD/DRAUGHTSMAN Electrical draftsman AutoCAD switch gear & MEP control panel 7 years experience Qatar.

Contact: 92546203/96228100

ACCOUNTANT

BEAUTICIAN Urgently required Junior Accountant. Please send CV: hr.azatllc@gmail.com Reputed Construction Company require Accountant experience in Construction Company with accountancy degree.

Email: jvacancy05@gmail.com Urgently required cash investors for company’s profitable projects.

Contact: 92950082 Required Office Assistant in a market research company.

Send CV to jayakumar.valiyaparambith@ nielsen.com

BEAUTY Wanted experienced Beautician for beauty parlor in Al Amerat 3.

Contact: 91107337

DOMESTIC HELPER House maid required for an Indian family at Al Ghubra (stay full time).

Contact: 98622766

ENGINEER MEP Engineer on urgent basis required for immediate placement.

Please contact tgi17@omantel.net.om

MISCELLANEOUS Required Indian or Pakistani calligrapher & Painter (staff accommodation) Contact# 24480487/24483493 Urgently required experienced Safety Officer with valid license for a reputed construction company.

Interested candidates can send their CVs to rajesh@oasisgrace.com Contact: 99881459 / 99885931 fax: 24812226 Wanted urgently Secretary to the managing partner, Sales Executive with driving license for rent a car business & electrical Engineer, linemen, electricians. All the above vacancies are for Salalah and enough experience required. Apply soon to hr_oman1@yahoo.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ED

Beautician exp Gulf and India looking job. Contact 93554741

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

CATERING

Qualified Accountant 5 years experience bilingual Arabic & English, 2+ years in Oman. Contact: 95539923

Indian male 33 yrs DEM, chef DE Partie (Continental, Chinese & South Indian) 14 yrs exp in hotel Industry, 7 yrs in Oman N.O.C available, seeks placement. Contact 97858956 Email: pratheesh.chef@gmail.com

Motivated and energetic male 25 having 4 years of experience in finance with Master’s degree in Economics and CAT Certified seeking opportunity in Accounts/finance/ audit in a reputable organization.

Cell no: 00968-94626209 E-Mail: omerjawedshah@gmail.com 12 years Oman experienced Chief Accountant looking for immediate placement. Contact: 99513082 15 years Oman experienced Admin & Accounts Manager looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 92253080 Good experienced in accounts and Admin knowledge of Tally ERP9 having NOC looking for suitable job.

Contact: 98717938

MEDICAL Full time housemaid required for Indian family in Ghubra, Nepalese preferred, call 95681350

DESIGNER Grade”A” company in interior Designing looking for: Operations manager Sales executive Qs Interior Designer CVs to be emailed to : alzahi.oman@gmail.com

DRIVER Wanted driver. Contact: 95112461 Driver heavy duty required urgently for trailer. Oman / GCC experience must. Those ready for immediate joining. Contact: 99310859

ENGINEER Engineering company in Muscat requires HVAC Engineer, minimum 7 Years experienced, knowledge in Tendering, BOQ, Design, Supply, Installation & Supervision of all Central & Unitary A/C systems.

Email: info@4dengineering.net Urgently Required: Civil Engineer minimum 5years experience in building construction in GCC, MUST have NOC and immediately join.

Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com.

Required Electrical Engineer minimum 5years experience in building construction in GCC, MUST have NOC and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com.

Quantity Surveyor for Mechanical, Electrical BOQ preparation and verification required for part time assignment on immediate basis.

Please Contact-tgi17@omantel.net. om Urgently required: HSE Engineer with an experience minimum in 5 years in building construction, MUST have NOC and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com Leading Construction Company requires Quantity Surveyor (QS) with 4-6 yrs Gulf experience. Send your CV : qsmuscat2015@gmail.com (NOC required).

Dental surgeon, Staff Nurses (female), Dental Technician with or without MOH license for a polyclinic near Sohar. Excellent salary package.

Phone: 99006915, Email : alhinaee. clinic@yahoo.com General Practitioner DR to work in Bidbid, Prometric passed,3 years of work experience, Send CV clinic@m-oman.com

Accountant Indian male 8 years experience, 6 years in Oman with Oman driving license, seeking suitable job. Contact 96012973 Indian male, M.Com & CA inter qualified seeking a suitable position in Audit/finance. Contact: 91148139

Indian male 33 yrs DEMI chef DE Partie Chinese South Indian, cold kitchen 13 yrs exp in Hotel industry 7 yrs in Oman, N.O.C available seeks placement. Contact: 95872464, Email: sreejith809@gmail.com

DESIGNER Indian female B.Sc- Fashion Designer 21 years, fresher, One month internship in a garment industry 2015 University best designer award holder. Now looking for a creative job, currently on residential visa.

Contact: 98297940 / 99741604.

Email : zintasabu@gmail.com

Light vehicle driver NOC available, seeks suitable job with 4 yrs exp in Oman having driving license.

Contact: 95683735 / 95495003

Driver available with car and without car. Contact 96771598 / 92883299

Indian female 35 years MCA, MBA six sigma black belt, 14 years Gulf experience in business analytics, Marketing business development qualities seeks placement. NOC available, Omani driving license available. Contact: 95783792

Looking for driver.

Contact: 91788481

A leading marketing company is looking for outdoor Sales Executives on part time or full time basis in Salalah. Contact 92760281 / 96436719 Experienced Marketing representative – interlock blocks with light Omani driving license is required.

Contact 99222086 Looking for Outdoor Salesman for heavy equipment spare parts.

Contact - 93292015, Email: mail.om@gulfcenter.co

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ED 8 yrs exp Site supervisor cum 2d, 3d Draughtsman (holding Omani driving license) seeking job.

Contact : 93790601 24 year Indian Chartered Accountant male with 3yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat, currently on visit visa & ready to join immediately. Contact him on 98201476 or email at lokeshkaluri@gmail.com Finance ACCA Affiliate, 2.5 years experience in audit/finance and oil company in reputed firms. Looking for suitable permanent placement. Release available. Contact 95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com

Indian male Accountant B.Com 8 yrs in Oman exp with N.O.C, valid driving license. Contact: 95052969 Email: chetansmma@yahoo.co.in / chetansmma@gmail.com Jordanian Accountant (ACPA) with more than 15 yrs experience in Oman (Accounts, Purchase & finance). Contact: 92881223 Email: kamal_sarhan@yahoo.com Indian female MBA with 1 year experience seeks suitable placement. Contact: 98435532 MBA, B.Com CA (finalist) 7 years experience (2 years in Oman) looking for suitable placement in a reputable organization. Expertise in ERP, Tally Quickbooks, peachtree and Excel.

NOC available. Contact: 97736404 Email: adnantahir1990@gmail.com

Driver 8 years exp India (Keralite).

Contact: 93412587 Light driver looking for suitable placement. Contact: 95141473

Looking for driver job.

Contact : 93650209 Male Driver 2 years exp in Oman seeking suitable placement.

Contact 96362684 Light driver searching for job experience 5 years. Language English, Arabic & Hindi. Contact: 92458526 / 97941771 Faisal Driver with 8 years experience looking for job. Contact: 98130645 / 94342106 Indian (Kerala) light driver seeking for job, 12 years experience Oman.

Contact: 98175321 Pakistan male (27) light driver seeking job, 4 years experience in Oman. Contact 96346582 Light duty driver with 2 yrs experience looking for job. #96342684

Indian (Kerala) light driver seeking for job, 5 yrs experience in Oman. Contact: 98029273

ADMIN

Indian female, 29 yrs, MBA (HR) 4 yrs exp in HR & Admin seeking suitable placement. Contact: 95619537

EDUCATION Professional Teacher Qualified M.Com Post Graduate in finance for teaching Accounting subject.

Contact: 91251210

Mechanical Engineer, Indian 24 with 2 yrs experience in HVAC- MEP Revit – MEP, AutoCAD – MEP Navis solid works Catia PRO-E primavera.

Contact: 96975382 Email: bonny491@gmail.com 2 years experienced Electrical Engineer looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 98480509 B.Tech Computer Engineer wanted job to work on IT / Banking / sales marketing, MCITP, CCNA, Networking, having NOC. Contact: 98857689 Email: khanshoebameer@gmail.com Indian (M) B.Tech (civil) with 2 yrs exp in Structural Designing using Etabs, Staad, Safe, excel looking for suitable position.

Contact: 96698342 / 98768045 Email: qadeertom@gmail.com Civil Engineer diploma holder having 7 years experience in construction / oil & gas as Site Engineer seeking for suitable placement.

Contact: 93294965 Indian m 25 yrs B.E Mechanical 3 yrs exp in oil & gas as Piping Project Engineer now on visit visa.

Contact : 96487013 Email: riarun.007@gmail.com Graduate Engineer Electronics & Communication, Indian (23) M.Tech from reputed University in Bangalore, 1 year experience, currently on visit Tel. 968-99152453 mail : robin.scaria.1992@gmail.com

Light driver. Contact: 96961993

Looking for driving job.

Contact: 98219182

Indian female 24 years MBA (HR) having 3 years experience in HR Administration, payroll seeking suitable placement. Contact: 91104352 / 99012861

Housemaid (full time / part time) looking for job. Contact: 95799643

Indian male diploma Civil Eng with 2 yrs experience on site as QS & AutoCAD seeking on site or - off site position. Contact: 94756183 Email: indianexpat1@gmail.com

Indian male B.Com with Accountant, HR, Indoor sales, Store keeper on visit visa. Contact: 98295101

SALES / MARKETING

Housemaid Indian looking for Madras family house job.

Contact 93554741

Job driver light operator shawl and excavator. Contact: 91376612

Urgently wanted Lady Ayurveda Therapist. Contact: 91590083 / 92798678

Well experienced and hard working Restaurant Manager seek immediate placement. Release available.

Contact: 92953199

Experienced Indian lady is looking housemaid job looking full time job for European family total experience : 9 years, 2 years exp. with European family 6 years worked with Indian family language English & Hindi.

Contact: 93392788

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

Require Quality Caregiver for an elderly Mother. Contact: 99425200

Required Omani Receptionist / Office assistant for a company in Ghoubra. Fresher’s can apply with expected salary.

Email : thomas.john@ext.gfk.com

DOMESTIC HELPER

DRIVER

Accountant, Indian male, 10 years experience in Oman, having knowledge of Tally ERP9 & able to do upto finalization and can be joined immediately with NOC. Contact: 94134085 Email: mascatoman95@yahoo.com

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE

SITUATION WANTED

Driver available with car and without car Education, B. A exp. 5 years, language Hindi, Arabic, English.

Contact: 98522914 Heavy duty driver with PDO license, 5 yrs Intl. exp. # 95546585 Light driver. Contact:95779594 Driver looking for job. #99507039

DIPLOMA + B.E. (CIVIL ENGINEER) from India, having 4 years of experience in construction, currently on visit visa; Seeking Right Position.

GSM:91570703.

Email:Rizwan.mohd1@gmail.com Civil Engineer B.E 12 years experience with valid Oman driving license. Contact: 93843448 Sudanese male Engineer looking for job. Contact: 94537607 Electrical Engineer bachelor degree having 6+ years experience of Gulf and professional license available to join. Contact: 98063081 Email: imran.engr08@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECHNICAL Civil Engineer B.E, 5.5 years experience with Omani D/L. Contact: 96785311 Indian 24 yrs male, 2 years experience in Site Engineer (Diploma in Civil Engineering), Now on visit visa in Oman. Contact: 94050311 Indian Male, Diploma in Civil Engineer working as a Project engineer with 7years of experience looking for suitable job. Contact- 92636569 SAP – SCM.MM Consultant B.Tech.

(Chemical), from NIT, working with oil industry, seeks employment.

Contact: 98049288 Indian female 23, B.Tech (Electrical & Electronics) & Diploma in Electrical CAD on Visit Visa seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 99278410 / 94027398, Email: renju.raghavan7@gmail.com Iraqi Civil Engineer, 12 years experience with Omani driving license.

Contact: 94695595 Degree holder Civil Engineer having 10 years experience with driving license looking for better position.

Contact 98451844 Email: zahid_ruet@hotmail.com Indian male, 38 years old, DME – Mechanical Maintenance Technician 11 years Oman experience. Ready for NOC, VISA transfer, ready to join immediately, Mob +968 95612870, Email: seeniselvan@gmail.com Indian male, 34 years old, DEE – Electrical Supervisor 10 years Oman experience. Ready for NOC , VISA transfer and valid Oman driving license light, ready to join immediately. Contact +91 9740679094, kulasekar1980@gmail.com Indian male Safety Officer, 4+ years experience diploma in fire & safety Eng seeks suitable post.

Contact: 98843139 Electrical Engineer, B. Sc degree, Filipino, 15 years experience in oil & gas, power plant, substation, EPC projects, testing & commissioning, O & M with Oman D/L light.

Contact: 97090934 Electrical Engineer Indian male 29 years, having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India (MRF Tyres) seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 92789995 Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com Structural Engineer of 2 years & 7 months experience, specialized in Structural Design and Site Supervision looking for a job. Contact: 94634906 / 94370767 Email: muazomer45@gmail.com Indian Civil Engineer (buildings) available immediately as supply contract. Contact: 93263834 Btech computer science graduate 2015 passout.. Android application marketing.. Having good communication skills and mindset to work in a team. Contact 91024385 B.E in ECE worked as Junior Scientist Trainee in Chennai worked as System Admin in Berik Honda Nagger coil worked at Technical Support in Samsung Service, presently in Bangalore.

Contact : 0091 7026267513

M O N DAY, J U LY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

MISCELLANEOUS

Engineer with 3 yrs experience in Indian in MEP, HVAC& mechanical maintained field on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact 99191535 Email: fareed029@gmail.com

Electrician, Plumber, Driver, looking for job. Contact 95175192

Indian Male, IT Support Engineer, 2 yrs in Oman & 5 yrs Indian experience. Contact 97311847

Indian male, Post Graduate in law, 15 + experience - seeks suitable position in corporate companies.

Contact: 92844354

Electrical Eng. Degree (MEP) need suitable job of construction 12 yrs exp.

Email: mohd.ateeq.khan@gmail.com

IT Indian visit visa, Network / System Engineer switches, routers, servers, load balancers 5 yrs of exp holds B.E (ECE), CCNA looking for good opportunity. Contact: 91911792 Email: arafakdnl@gmail.com Diploma holder in Computer Hardware and Networking with valid Oman driving license, NOC available seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 95249087 / 93095329 B.Tech (CSE) Diploma Fire & safety IOSH, NEBOSH having 3.5 years exp in MNC on visit. Contact: 90260889 Male 25 B.Com with 3.5 years experience in IT and Administration excellent computer and communication skills, web developing and handling, looking for relevant job, on family visit till 5th Oct 2015.

Contact: 91298960 Email: usman.ali786@hotmail.com Male BE ECE having 1 years experience CCTV, ACCESS CONTROL, Server now on visit visa, seeking suitable opportunity. #96792239 IT professional MCA Oracle certified 6 months training of PLSQL data warehousing, PHP, 3 months trained seeking job at good company. Contact: 95694330 Email: monakashyap001@gmail.com B.E Computer Science, Indian male looking for suitable job in the field of software or information technology having good knowledge in Java, ASP. Net, MS Sql, MS Word.

Contact: 91986919 Email: dileep2468.a@gmail.com

Mason, still fitter, carpenter, helper, looking job. Contact 95175192

Male Indian BBM Graduate 8 years experience in logistics and ware housing in a reputed company valid driving license NOC available looking for suitable position.

Contact : 96311786 Email: ubinfs@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING MBA from UK with 9 yrs experience in London, Dubai & Mumbai. Specialized GCC experience in top real estate co & bank with driving license. NOC available. #968 95168205, dubaihomes1@gmail.com Indian ( Keralite) looking for job in sales (oilfield) 20 years experience in the Middle East with valid Omani driving license good communication skills. NOC available. #95991122 Email: muneervmd@gmail.com Sales Mechanical Engineer 14 year’s exp looking for Senior position. Contact: 0091 9600987895 Email: srameson@yahoo.co.in Indian male B.Com (Computer) looking Sales Manager.

Contact: 97235819 Indian 44 yrs, 16 yrs Indian Army 5 and Half years in Oman exp ware house, seeks suitable placement in store, ware house or sales having Oman driving license. #94050311 B. Com & MBA Graduate on visit visa seeks suitable placement.

Contact : 97372624 ,email : sivaraj.gurukripa@gmail.com B.Tech (MECH) MBA (Marketing) having 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, projects presently working in Oman seek suitable placement N.O.C available and ready to join immediately. Contact: 91257781 email: rajrathsing@yahoo.com

MEDICAL Female Nurse - Indian, well experienced, Prometric passed – 60%, currently on visit visa, ready to join immediately. Kindly contact: 9721 9495 / 9655 0603 or jshani67@gmail.com

Young Bangladeshi male 26 knowing coffee shop work as watering sandwich making juice marking etc presently in Bangladesh if any employer need please Contact behalf of candidate with his brother.

Contact: 92278538

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Welder 16 years experience Arc Tig Welding & fabrication seeks placement, NOC available. Contact: 9134547 / 91604842 Looking for job as Mason, pipe fitter, Electrician and Aluminum fixer available. Contact: 93015630

TOURS & TRAVELS Indian male B.Com MBA (Tourism) 23 years, seeks a job in any field currently on visit visa.

Contact: 92363811 Email: faizekk@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS Indian male post graduate.2 years experience in sales. currently in oman on visit visa.seeks suitable placement.Gsm 92388346 Civil site coordinator, Diploma, Male 25, now present in Oman, Seeking job in Oman. # 92875345, jubincivileng@gmail.com Syrian male 3yrs. exp in IT support, Networking, Security systems, Server support, IT sales and marketing.

Valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement. Contact 91033395 Chartered Accountant with 7 years of post qualification experience, seeking challenging job opportunity.

Experience in auditing/accounts & finance/taxation/IFRS, etc.

GSM +968 95763680 Indian male having 4 years of experience in IT Support & networking. Currently on visit visa. seeking suitable opportunities.

Contact : 92013641.

Male Indian 27, working as finance analyst having two years Oman experience with Driving license looking for suitable position.

Mob: 98097009, rameesnm@gmail.com FRESH - B.Com Graduate on Family Visa, looking for any suitable Job. Contact : 92567020 / 95322175, Email: shwayanad@gmail.com Energetic Qualified & Experienced Finance Manager / Chief Accountant / Audit Manager, C.A , MBA-USA ,ACCA-UK , CPA..15years in GULF , Specialist of Profit Maximizations , Business Developments & Problems, Expert of all ERPs, Audit Exp. with Big 5 , NOC & Driving License Call 94403270 or 94504505

Management professional experienced in profitable management with organization skills with over 21+yrs exp. in Bombay, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, UAE & in Oman11 yrs as GM Publications, Printing, Media & Advertising in entire operations, Sales marketing & etc. Looking for a reputed organization for a challenging position any industry, can Join immediately with NOC. Contact : +968 98864706/99574638 Mail : akdas_uae@yahoo.com

Admin Executive, Indian Female having 10 years Gulf experience in seeking suitable placement currently working in Muscat. Email: meenafajar@yahoo.com, Mobile 0096893211402

Indian male, B.com, diploma in material management, 12+ years exp in international / local purchase, ware housing 4 logistics seeks suitable placement NOC available.

Contact: 96477638 / 96477638

Indian male 31 visionary business strategist having over 8+ years of global experience seeking a challenging position that utilizes my years of experience currently on visit. Contact: 91902154

Omani , female, have diploma in quantity survey, bachelor in Constitution management, seeking situated placement at Sohar. Tel 94454180, Mail nhlmct@yahoo.com

Production Manager 13 years experience in cast Aluminium fab. field and good track record seeking for a suitable job. NOC ready in Hand.

Contact: 96392319

Looking for Sales Assistant job (having Oman driving license).

Contact: 95872634

GP Doctor Yemeni national-male, with 4 years of work experience.

Mobile:00966531598754 Email: alsyaniramzy@gmail.com Indian male GP doctor, 12 years experience parametric passed with 74% seeks suitable post.

Email: ppdr2020@gmail.com.

Contact 97985325

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

Facility / Project Mgmt, 4+ yrs of exp holds B.E (ECE) Indian visit visa looking for suitable opening.

Contact: 98580569 Email: arafacareer@gmail.com Indian male, with 8 yrs exp. in Oman (BA- Graduate) working as a project Sales Coordinator, with Oman D/L, looking for suitable job, ready to join immediately with NOC. Contact 95245057

Indian male seeking job, 8 years experience in Qatar in clerical/administration/documents controlling fields. Willing to work in customer care or sale also. Qatar driving license available. Job preferred in Sohar and surrounding cities.

Contact 93285117 Market research / Hospitality Indian male Graduate with nearly 30 yrs experience in Market research & hospitality industry. NOC available.

Contact: 99347089

Having 9+ years exp. in Administration & HR in reputed companies.

Presently working in Muscat and seeking for suitable placement.

Contact No.: 97693456. Email : muralimahdav77@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS Indian male Diploma, Civil engineer 4.3 year experience at building construction and consulting company with Oman driving licence and N.O.C available seeking suitable placement Contact 95989500 email cv.shihabedappal@gmail.com

Civil Engineer, Diploma, Male 25, 3 years experience in site, CAD, 3d, MS Project, Seeking job in Oman. # 92875345, jubincivileng@gmail.com

12 yrs exp FREELANCE 2d, 3d Draughtsman (holding Omani driving license). Contact : 93790601

Indian male accountants, 12 years experience, tally also. Looking for a part time/ full time job in accounts or purchase. Contact- 98983122

Sudanese male, 31 year, have 3 year Diploma in Electrical Engineer, 6 years experience in construction and electrical plant.

Mobile No ; +96894549609

MEP Quantity Surveyor-Estimation-Project, 10 Years Experience (3 years in Oman). Having NOC & Oman D/L. Looking for suitable job, contact – 98291626

Indian Female 2yrs exp. in Accountant 5 yrs exp. in Electronics, seeking suitable Job. Contact: 97162705,93705090

Freelance Graphic Designer available to assist in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Corel Draw Projects.

Contact : 95811820

Indian male Auto cad Draughtsman (civil) 8 years experience seeking for part time job.

Contact : 00968 99070584, Email: remluvp@gmail.com

Indian male, 14 years Experience in maintenance & Supervisor in hotel field (Electrical, Ac Mechanical & Plumber). NOC available #95253640 email = hareeshma24@yahoo.com

Indian Female Lawyer 36 Yrs having 11 yrs experience presently working in Oman as Legal Advisor seeks placement in Legal/HR/Admin NOC available Contact-94436960 Email: famidakhan123@gmail.com

Finance Manager / Chief Accountant / Audit Manager, C.A , MBA ,ACCA , CPA..15years in GULF , Expert in Banking ,Financing, Profit Maximizations , Admin & Management, Business Developments , ERPs Software’s, Audit Exp. with Big 5 , NOC & Driving License Call 94403270 or 94504505

Female Candidate: Having experience (ISRO India) in Administration (seeking suitable opportunities &presently in Oman Mob:97239854, Mail:asherlalitha@yahoo.com

ACCOUNTANT, Indian Male, 25 years old, 5 years Experience (2 years in Oman & 3 years in India) Presently working in Oman. Going exit on this week with NOC. Seeking suitable opportunities.

GSM : +968 97018783 B.E Biomedical Engineer, having 5 years of experience in Diagnostics division seeking suitable position.

94151658

Diploma civil Engineer seeking jobs(positions suits me: civil engineer ,site engineer,qa/qc engineer,land surveyor ,total station, auto level,draftsman (autocad, microstation) mob:97239854, Mail:asherlalitha@yahoo.com MOH Indian Dentist 10 years experience in Oman. Can speak Arabic, has driving license. Contact 98995321 or ventureoman007@gmail.com BRANCH-HEAD, MBA-BBA, Indian Male having experience in UAE, India, Oman total 5 years (including MNC), looking for similar or same openings.NOC available.

Mobile :92700670, E mail:catanalur131@gmail.com

23, Male, ACCA Affiliate, 2 years+ experience in Audit and Finance in audit firm, Looking for suitable permanent placement, NOC release Available. Contact: #95140445 a.saran891@gmail.com MBA - (F), M.Com, B.COM. Indian female having knowledge of accounts with Tally looking for part time or full time job. Presently on family visa. Contact :- 91892264.

Email:- yashicapandya@gmail.com Indian Female 10 years exp as cook in Oman. South Indian & Gujarati special looking for part-time job Contact 96733187.

Indian male-28 Years, Diploma in Electrical Egg, having gulf experience. Specialization on Electrical Installation and Maintenance, Operation. 7 years experience seeks for suitable placement.

Mob – 968-95334580. E-mail -sunilkumar257.sk23@gmail.com

Indian Male 24 years, Looking for a Suitable Job in Telecom / Networking. 1 year sales experience. MSc. Communications Engineering & Valid Driving license. Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com

Innovative Indian Male 29, B.E & M.Tech Web designer / developer with over 5.5 years of work experience in HTML 5, CSS 3, SEO, Digital marketing (DFP & DCM), Magento, CMS, Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

Can join ASAP. Contact 00968 9630 3055 / email: aditya.khandkar@gmail.com

29 years Indian female (MBAFinance) with 4+yrs experience (Oman) in Accounts is seeking suitable placement in Accounts/Admin.

Contact:96141283.

Video Editor 29 years Indian male with 8 years experience on visit visa looking for a suitable placement Contact:91275969 leomoorkoth@gmail.com

Indian female, IATA, B. Sc, looking for suitable placement.Contact-95514305, E mail idraveendranmala@gmail.com

Seeking Teaching Position. Qualified and experienced Native English speaking teacher seeking position in Muscat, I have a Teaching Diploma , two Honours Degrees and a CELTA Certificate. Position at Language school will be suitable. Will e-mail CV. Whatsapp only +96893952732

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29 years.8 years experience .Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license. NOC available. Seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854

10 YEAR Experienced PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER. Currently working at Kerala, India.

Seeks placement.

Contact: 95872030 email: - sajith3969@gmail.com

ACCOUNTANT, Indian male, 29 years, 8 years experience. Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with Oman Driving license.

NOC available seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 98184170

MBA (F), B.COM. Indian female having knowledge of accounts with Tally looking for full or part time job. presently on family visit visa.

Contact :- 96259171.

Email:- bhumicapandya@gmail.com

Qualified Native speaking male English Teacher with 18 years experience seeks position. Salary Negotiable. Whatsapp on +968 9334 1047 / +968 93952732 or e-mail me on nadgov@gmail.com

D6

M O N DAY, J U LY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED MISCELLANEOUS Indian male auto cad draughtsman (civil) 8 years experience seeking for part time job Mobile 99070584, E mail: remluvp@gmail.com SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29 years.8 years experience .Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license. NOC available, seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854 Sudanese male (B.Sc Computer Science) (Diploma Computer Engineering) 6 yrs. experience DBA Oracle PLSQL , MS SQL-server, MS visual studio VBA, network. Contact :91415886 Syrian male 3yrs. exp in IT support, Networking, Security systems, Server support, IT sales and marketing.

Valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement. Contact 91033395 Indian Male, 34 years old, DEE – Electrical Supervisor 10 years Oman experience. Ready for NOC , VISA transfer and valid Oman driving licence light, ready to join immediately, Mob +91 9740679094, kulasekar1980@gmail.com 24 years, Indian Chartered Accountant male with 3 yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat, currently on visit visa & ready to join immediately. Kindly contact him on 98201476 or email at lokeshkaluri@gmail.com Indian Male, 38 years old, DME – Mechanical Maintenance Technician 11 years Oman experience. Ready for NOC , VISA transfer, ready to join immediately, Mob +968 95612870, seeniselvan@gmail.com BSc Graduate, INDIAN male , seeking suitable jobs.

GSM: +91-8589820233.

MAIL ID: prajinap45@gmail.com Young Indian Chartered Accountant, female, Having 6 years experience in Oman and India. Accounts and Finance Manager, Auditor.

Urgently seeking suitable positions.

Contact 92530131, jobcareer44@gmail.com Tunisian women looking for a job, khnows english,frensh, italian and arabic. Contact: 91171838 Indian male 25 years B.tech computers (Having 3 years of experience in customer service/Admin/IT Support) looking for suitable position. Visa Transfer/NOC Available immediate to join. Contact: 98402389, Mail: naresh6672@gmail.com Manager, Young Indian Male, MBA, BBA. Having excellent managerial experience (around 5 years) in leading Multi-National-Company.

Looking for suitable positions.

Contact: 92700670, fardhaan@gmail.com Available for part time accounting job, contact 99196621 Indian Female MA. B.Ed. with One year three months Teaching experience. Subject: EnglishSeeking for a Better placement.

Now working in Oman.

Contact 93961142, 92184408, Email:-anoopkesavan78@gmail.com Indian Female M.Com with Computer Skills and Four Month Experience as Accountant ,Currently On Family Visa Looking for a Suitable Placement, Available Immediately.

Contact : 95846642, Email : dhanyashree91@yahoo.com ACCA Affiliate, Experience in audit/ finance of 2.5 years in Big 6 Firm and Oil industry, looking for suitable permanent placement, Release NOC available. Contact: #95140445 a.saran891@gmail.com

PART TIME ACCOUNTANT, Indian male, M. Com, 35 years, 12 Years exp. in Accounts, 8 years in Oman.

Knowledge upto finalization. Having valid D/L, seeks suitable Placement.

GSM: 96249124 Egyptian Civil Engineer, total experience 7 years - 2 years experience in Oman. I am looking for Project Engineer, I have good experience in site & office works.

Contact number:91148708 Indian Male 24 years, Looking for a Suitable Job in Telecom / Networking. 1 year sales experience. MSc. Communications Engineering & Valid Driving license. Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com.

Filipino Male looking for a job & have experience in sales, waiter, barista, technical support / customer service with good communication skills. # 91789465 ACCOUNTING – Indian male seeking accounting job with 2 years experience in accounting.

Contact: 94263445, E mail – contactantonyxavieranand@gmail. com Sudanese male: 27 yrs, 2 years experience in accounting, other experience (purchasing – HR - Coordinating and Office Management), looking for a job Omani Driving License, NOC. Contact: 94174403 24 year Indian Chartered Accountant male with 3yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat, currently on visit visa & ready to join immediately. Contact him on 98201476 or email at lokeshkaluri@gmail.com Sudanese male (B.Sc, computer science) (diploma computer engineering), 6 yrs. experience DBA oracle PL-SQL, MS SQL - Server, MS visual studio vba, network.

Contact 91415886 Syrian male 3yrs. exp in IT support, Networking, Security systems, Server support, IT sales and marketing.

Valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement. Contact 91055584 Over 15 years experience in Gulf.

Interior Architect, Lebanese Nationality, on visit visa seeking a suitable Placement. 96268005.

PRODUCTION OPERATOR – Indian male seeking production operator or related jobs with 4 years of experience in oil & gas field.

Contact 94263445.

Email: tonyxavier4u@gmail.com Indian Keralite Male 35 looking for Scaffolding supervisor post having 5 years of Supervisor and HSE experience in GCC Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Fluent in English Arabic and Hindi .

Contact 96155921, or mail fysal.nellaya@gmail.com Indian Male 28 yrs, having 7 years Gulf + Indian experience in HR and Admin field, looking for suitable placement. Contact: 97914340, Email: rajkv3086@gmail.com Indian Male 28 years MSM, B. Com having 6years experience in Gulf and India as a HR and Admin looking for suitable placement.#97914340.

Email: rajkv30@gmail.com B.Sc. Mechanical Engineer Sudanese 3 yrs of exp. In industrial field available in muscat on vist visa seeking suitable job .

Contact: 95868922, Email: almouthanaosman@yahoo.com IT system and Printer engineer ME, 5Years bank IT Management exp in India looking for full time job visit visa contact 94462150

Indian male with 8 yrs experience in FMCG in Oman as Sales Supervisor looking for suitable placement.

NOC available. Gsm: 96495206 24 year Indian Chartered Accountant male with 3yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat, currently on visit visa & ready to join immediately. Contact him on 98201476 or email at lokeshkaluri@gmail.com MCA IT Professional Indian Female seek placement in Teaching/ Non Teaching field. Presently on visit visa. 9588 7051, ashwininakod@gmail.com ACCA Affiliate, Indian, 2.5Years experience in Audit/ Finance in Big 6 Audit Firm and Oil Accounting in PDO, For Permanent Placement for Finance or Accounts or Audit. Release NOC Available on hand.

Contact #95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com Finance ACCA Affiliate, Worked as an Auditor with 2.5 Years Experience in reputed firm, Handled independent audit/finance assignments, Looking for permanent placement, NOC available. Contact 95140445. a.saran891@gmail.com Piping Design Engineer, Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering. Having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708, E-mail : mohammednazeer07@gmail.com Sudanese male (B.Sc Computer science) (diploma computer engineering) 6 yrs. experience DBA Oracle plsql, MS sql-server ,ms visual studio vba, network. Contact :91415886 Indian Male, Graduate, 11 years Sales experience in Lighting / Industrial products, ready to join immediately. GSM: 9710 5356 Indian heavy duty driver with 8 years experience in oman available with NOC. GSM : 93601943 GSM : 94496457 Indian male, 28 yrs MBA (HR/M) 2 years experience in Indian Oman in HR & admin seeks suitable placements. NOC available.

Contact 97484159 Email: rameshkapa86@gmail.com M.Sc 3+ years exp from France & India in IT Support Engineer / Hardware & Networking / Server support / scientific system support looking for suitable positions. Indian, male on visit visa, contact 98898781/ anoopys@gmail.com Looking for managerial post (full time ), More than Ten years of experience in Team Development ,Training, planning, Administration, Sales & Marketing, Advertisement and Credit Control and Logistics. Contact 91076608 / 99322748. Release & noc available Indian male, 34years having 10 years of experience in Sales, Sales Coordination and Administration.

Experienced in SAP and MS Office. NOC available.

Contact # 94686594 Indian Male MBA Marketing/HRM 3 year experience with Omani D/L, seeking suitable jobs.

Contact: 97424188 email: dharwesh@gmail.com Indian, Male, 23 years, BE Electrical, having 2 years experience in Electrical Works-H.T. cabling etc, & Construction, looking for a suitable placement. Contact +968 96927880 (Oman), +91 9765376109 (India), Email: rahulrevi6@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTED B.Tech Computer Engineer Wanted job to work on(IT/Banking/Administrator/Technical/Office works) having NOC with the limited time from (04/06/2015 to 13/06/2015).

Mobile:98402389 email:naresh6672@gmail.com British Beauty Therapist looking for suitable position. #:97175240 Highly Qualified & Experienced Finance Manager Pakistani with USA , UK & Canadian Degrees , CPA ,ACCA-UK . MBA-USA ,IFA- Financial Consultants Canada , Corporate Analyst USA Professional of Banking , Audits ,ERPs & Profit Maximizations ( NOC available ) call 94 504505 – 94403270 27 year Indian female who has 4 years of experience with logistics function in distribution of spares for both heavy machinery & wind turbine parts. Kindly contact me on +91 9790769104 E-mail: joemohana@yahoo.co.in Indian male Executive Secretary having vast experience in admin, logistics & procurement well versed with computer .seek suitable placement. Contact : 99514286 Indian male MBA (U.K), 10 Years of experience in Admin, Sales, HR, stores and logistics seeks suitable placement. Contact 99271903.

Indian Female MCA, 4 plus Years of experience in Web designing, Admin, P.A, seeks suitable placement.

Contact 99486374 8 Years successful experience, SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29 years. Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license seeks suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854 7 and half years experience working accounts / inventory manager looking suitable job. Contact: 96991782 Email: srinivasu.sp@gmail.com Indian female , MCA BCA, certification PL SQL , 6months training PHP, date warehouse looking for suitable placement. #95694330 Email: mondkashyapodl@gmail.com B.Com with more than 5 yrs exp. looking for an accounts part tome job work. know with tally.

Email-shilpa_62@yahoo.com

Part- time accountant, well experience senior accountant , doing all type of accounting works, finalization, budgeting available.

Contact : 98803439

Sudanese male, 31 year old, have 3 year Diploma in electrical engineer, 5 years experience in different activities . Mobile No ; +96894549609

Indian male, looking for a part time accounting job. Having additional knowledge & experience in HR admin & purchase.

Contact 99196621

ACCA affiliate, with 2.5 years experience in Big6 audit firm and Oil industry, looking for permanent placement in Accounts/Audit.

Release available Contact :95140445 a.saran891@gmail.com

Indian Female, 24yrs, M.COM (Accounts) having 3yrs experience in Accounts, HR, Administration, Customer Service. Good Computer Proficiency. Seeking Suitable Position. Visa Transfer/NOC Available.

Contact: 99654913

Indian Female, Commerce Graduate, Total 9 yrs of experience in India. worked as Accounts Assistant and Business executive seeking for suitable placement.

Tel : 96173533/24222457 Email : topranidivya@gmail.com

HSE Advisor, NEBOSH IGC, Indian male, 4 years experience in construction and oil fields, seeking suitable jobs. Gsm: 97458900, Mail: miroshbabu@gmail.com

Indian Male, 29 years, CCNP, MCITP having Bachelor degree and 6 years of experience in Networking looking for job. 96760618 / varghese.manthara@gmail.com

Highly Experienced Finance Manager, CPA ,ACCA-UK . MBA-USA , Professional of Banking, Audits , ERPs Sap , Management as Team Leader and Problem Solver call 94 504505 / 94403270

Female Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary with 27+ experience, worked with top management/Board in financial services with shorthand skills & Omani driving license, seeks suitable placement. call 95941515

Indian male MBA Finance presently OMAN IN visit visa, 26 years, looking for an accountant job.

Contact 95240641, email Id mohammadabdulazharuddin@ gmail.com

B.E. Civil Engineer from India with 3 years of experience looking for suitable vacancy in oman now on visit visa. Contact 9571 3441, Email . Khatrialeem@gmail.com

Admin Executive, 31, Indian Male, having 9+ years exp. in reputed companies. Seeking suitable placement in any gulf region. Contact +968 99276601 & 97693456. email : muralimahdav77@gmail.com

Indian male 21 IT Eng. networking & computer hardware diploma, 1 year experience, currently on visit visa looking for a suitable job.

Contact 96036273 email: faizanfarooqui23@gmail.com

MEP Quantity Surveyor-EstimationProject, 10 Years Experience (3 years in Oman). Having NOC & Oman D/L, looking for suitable job, Contact - 98291626

Indian, 32 years, completed M.A. English, M.Sc. Psychology and B.Ed in English. Searching for suitable job in the field of teaching. To Contact: 00968 99869535 Email: sahadkeyi33@gmail.com

Indian house maid looking full time job. Contact : 98254909 B.E. Civil Engineer age 27, total 3 years of experience in Mumbai looking for placement asap in oman now on visit visa of 1 month ph 9571 3441 Email. Khatrialeem@gmail.com Indian Male, 29 years, CCNP, MCITP having Bachelor degree and 6 years of experience in Networking looking for job. 96760618 / varghese.manthara@gmail.com

Indian Male 24 years, Looking for a Suitable Job in Telecom / Networking. 1 year sales experience. MSc. Communications Engineering & Valid Driving license. Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com 26 years Indian male with MBA & PGDFM, Total 3.8 years experience in Administration, seeking suitable placement in any gulf region.

Holding Oman valid driving license.

Contact :94501423

M O N DAY, J U LY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

D7

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

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

TOURS

DRIVING

RENT A CAR Driver for Automatic Transmission. Contact: 99040813 Learn driving with professional only automatic. Contact 94022250

TRANSPORTATION Transportation. Contact: 91310107 House shifting, transporting.

Contact : 94229277 Pick & drop anytime in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99764307 Transportation. Contact: 96538078 Transportation. Contact:98522914 Transportation. Contact 99508282 Transportation. Contact: 98244078 Pick & Drop any time.# 97014786

FOR HIRE Silver Car, car for rent. Contact: 96166155 / 98402662

Volvo 12 Ton Truck for monthly rent. Contact: 98713900

D8

M O N DAY, J U LY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

COMPUTER

WEBSITE

SITUATION WANTED SIT. WANTED BE civil Engineer with a vast experience of 18 years in Oman seeks immediate placement as General Manger /Partner. contact @ joboman2015@gmail.com.

Indian male 23 yrs B. Tech Civil having 2 years exp, currently on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact: 98031034, Email: musheer786.mm@gmail.com Indian male Autocad Draughtsman (Civil) 8 years experience seeking for part time job. Contact : 00968 99070584.

Email: remluvp@gmail.com Indian male, 14 yrs experience in maintenance & Supervisor in hotel field (Electrical, Ac Mechanical & Plumber). N O C available. Contact : 95253640, E mail = hareeshma24@yahoo.com BE Electrical Engineer, with 2 yrs exp. well knowledge in construction field on visit visa.

Contact -98269366 Indian female, Ph. D in Mech. Engg, B.Sc, B.Ed, M.Sc & M.Phil in Physics having 6 yrs Malaysia University/ College teaching exp +1 yr experience for research fellow seeking good position in Oman. Contact 97793859 / 93621114, sreejayarejil@gmail.com ACCOUNTANT: Indian male 25 having 4years experience in accounting & having well knowledge in tally.

Contact:968094535881, 0091 9037622048 Email: vishnuraj889@gmail.com ACCA Affiliate, 2.5years experience in Audit/Finance in Global Big6 Firms and Oil company in Oman, Looking for suitable permanent placement. Release NOC Available.

Contact: #95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com

Electrical Engineer, 29, Indian Male, having 7+ years exp. in reputed companies. Seeking suitable placement in any Oman.

Contact - 97693456.

Mail ID : venkatbadri23@gmail.com BE. Biomedical Engineer, 5 years experience in the same field (Hospital/company)looking for suitable placement.

Contact:92084807 Email:bonnygeorge1005@gmail.com ELECTRICAL ENGINEER – Indian male seeking Electrical Engineer job with 2 years’ experience.

Contact: 94263445, E mail – janardhanan53@gmail.com 32 years, Filipina with experience in Teleperformance, Manila call centre, now working as Waitress in Qatar seeking suitable post.

Contact 99022484 Sudanese/ 26 years/ master of clinical pharmacy(1st class)/ 1 year experience/live in India/excellent communication in English(IELTS Certificate) and arabic/pharmacist license/hassan_kassala@hotmail. com 00919600413966-96387227

Split & widow unit A.C servicing & repairing. Contact: 99557080 WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

SITUATION WANTMANPOWER

CCNA MCITP network support / network technician with 2 years experience indian male having bachelors degree on visit visa. #93080871 sean.f.peters@outlook.com

Window & split unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact : 93769089 / 95323517 House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422 MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807

24 Years, indian male 2.5 Years experience in admin & accounts, dubai.

Currently on visit visa. Seeking suitable placement in admin & accounts.

M: 93016252 EMAIL: shahabaskp@gmail.com Indian male, MBA with 20 years of experience in back office operation, risk and operational management, financial management for Finance and Trading companies. Presently available on visit visa. Contact 91276221

Split & window unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact: 96236476

House shifting. Contact 99708138 House shifting packing.

99657644 / 98518013

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ED Omani male , BBA ,with 6 year experience in HR &Admin looking for opportunity in HR & Admin in Muscat. Joint date after one month notice period . Mobile 92223279 Having 9+ years exp. in Admin, Purchase, Stores & Warehouse in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat and seeking for suitable placement. Contact +968 97693456. email : muralimahdav77@gmail.com

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. # 24810137, 99450130 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 Pest control Treatments, termites, cockroaches, bedbugs Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723

Split & window A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089/95323517

CLASSES

Air condition maintenance split and window services AC specialist ducted and package type unites.

Contact: 98667326 GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 Civil maintenance - plumbing, electrical, painting, and tiling, interior decorations, shop furnishing and all other maintenance works.

Contact: 97897831 / 92112094 (Indian, Keralite) A/C Maintenance & servicing, fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, painting & cleaning services, electrical & plumbing.

Contact: 99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance.Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722 Carpet, Sofa Shampooing. Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99884591 AC servicing maintenance fixing.

Contact: 99540621

Admission Open: CAMBRIDGE / BILINGUAL CURRICULUM admission started in Al Burj Private School, Azaiba for KG and Grade I to IV. Please register soonest.

Contact: 93211417 / 92887809.

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