Times of Oman - January 28, 2016

THURSDAY

January 28, 2016 18 Rabi Al Thani 1437 AH

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

On the occasion of the 29th National Day, 1999

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ We urge the international community to work wholeheartedly to find solutions to all problems that are distressing the world and endangering peace. These solutions must relieve the oppressed from tyranny, establish security and stability, harmony and co-operation among all nations; God will help us.

Founded 1975 . Volume 40 No. 288 | 40 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

M AU R I TA N I A

HM STRESSES ON ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION

HM receives thanks MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a cable of thanks from President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania in reply to His Majesty’s congratulatory cable on the occasion of his country’s 55th Independence Anniversary. In his cable, President Ould Abdel Aziz expressed his utmost thanks for His Majesty the Sultan’s sincere feelings, praying to Allah to grant His Majesty a good health and happiness and the Omani people further progress and prosperity. -ONA

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said presided over the meeting of the Council of Ministers at Bait Al Baraka yesterday. His Majesty the Sultan emphasised the need for economic diversification and encouragement to investment. See also >A6 Photos by Mohammed Mustafa

100% ownership for foreign investors?

150,000

Expats may no

Omani rial is currently the minimum capital requirement for a foreign investor to start business in Oman

longer need an Omani partner to open a business TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

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REJIMON K

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MUSCAT: Expatriates will be allowed to start a business without an Omani partner and no minimum capital requirement will be necessary if a draft law prepared by the Ministry of Commerce and

A treat for stargazers

reji@timesofoman.com

Stargazers can watch a celestial phenomenon involving five planets if they climb a mountain. >A3

Industry (MoCI) is approved by the government. The new foreign capital investment law, which is in its third and final drafting stage, will allow 100 per cent foreign ownership and remove the minimum capital requirement to provide foreign investors with an open market in Oman.

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Omantel’s TV service

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Omantel announced the launch of OmantelTV+ service. >A6

MARKET

Deal for car unit

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A car manufacturing facility has been planned in Duqm. >B1

A makeover for traditional jewellery

MORNING MINUTE

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W E AT H E R A D V I S O RY

Dust, sandstorms to hit Oman; temperature expected to drop Weather forecast

January Wednesday 27

(Muscat)

Temperature (in degrees Celsius)

6:35 am

Thursday 28

Friday 29

Saturday 30

Sunday 31

Monday 1

Tuesday 2

5:35 pm

30 26

25

15 30 20 10 0

26 22

20

Wind speed (Km/h)

February

20

18

17

16 21

29

26

Source: The Weather Channel | Oman Meteorological Department

Times News Service MUSCAT: Temperature is expected to drop from Wednesday as northern parts of Oman will witness dust and sandstorms in the coming three days, reducing the visibility, according to the Meteorological Department.

“The latest analysis from the Multi Hazard Early Warning Centre showed that the northern parts of the Sultanate will be affected by an upper air trough starting from Wednesday that will continue for the next three

23

20

Day Night 24

23

22

21

days,” the Meteorological Department said in an advisory issued on Wednesday.

Fresh north-westerly winds are expected to blow over most of Oman, associated with a noticeable decrease in temperature and dust rising winds.

“The sea is expected to be moderate to rough along most of the coasts, with maximum wave height ranging between two and three metres,” the advisory added.

The Public Authority for Civil Aviation has advised citizens and residents to take precautions

16

15 21

18

21

Graphics

during low visibility.

“We also advise that the fishermen and sea-goers should make sure that the sea conditions are not unstable and they should follow the latest updates from National Multi Hazards Early Warning Centre,” an official said.

In its 24-hour outlook, the Meteorological Department said that the weather is expected to be cloudy over the Musandam governorate, coastal areas of the Sea of Oman and Al Hajar Mountains, with chances of isolated rain from Wednesday until Thursday night.

“A number of multinationals are unwilling to have a local shareholder for their own reasons including, commercial, operational, legal, etc. Therefore, such multinationals, that are reluctant to invest in Oman due to this requirement, will be attracted under the new law to invest in Oman,”

Ahmed Amor Al Esry, managing partner at Ernst and Young (EY) Muscat, told the Times of Oman.

Under the current law, foreign investors are required to have a local shareholder, with at least a 35 per cent stake.

On Monday, the ONA had reported that in collaboration with the World Bank, the MoCI has completed the third draft of the new foreign investment law and the revision of the foreign investment map.

Quoting Sheikh Hamad bin Jabr Al Mahrouqi, director general of Planning and Follow-Up, at the MoCI, ONA reported that the new law would provide a conducive environment for investment and make Oman more attractive for investments. >A6

CMA

Firm told to scrap new insurance fee on vehicles Times News Services MUSCAT: Oman’s Capital Market Authority (CMA) has directed one of the insurance companies in Oman to stop charging a new type of insurance fee, according to the CMA’s official Twitter account.

The CMA said the decision had been taken following a number of complaints about the new vehicle insurance fees, following which CMA had ordered the insurance company to stop levying the new fee and stick to the old system.

The regulatory body tweeted that it had also asked the insurance company to provide documents justifying its move to apply the new vehicle insurance fee.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

384

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is the number of people found in violation of the labour law between January 17 and 23.

Race to encourage cycling in Oman ERIK PRINS

erik@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Spreading awareness about the benefits of cycling in Oman is one of the aims of the Trans Hajar Mountain Bike Race, which is being organised by the Oman Cycling Association (OCA) next month.

To be held from February 22 to 25, the 321-kilometre route will take riders across some of the Sultanate’s most spectacular and rugged landscape, with challenging climbs, descents and customised single-track racing through the eastern Hajar Mountains.

Saif bin Sabaa Al Rushaidi, director of the OCA, said during a press conference that one of the

aims of the four-day race will be to spread awareness about the importance of cycling and its health benefits. He said young Omanis in particular will be encouraged to take part in the race, whatever their experience may be.

This year, there is also the possibility of local schools being allowed to participate in the race, Rob Gardner, manager of the race, explained.

Gardner said schools will have to make bikes available for children to use on an alternative track. “Children will be able to meet professional riders and their local idols, giving them someone to look up to and to show them what kind of dedication is needed to excel.”

In addition, locals might also be allowed to come and join the race

for a day. The race is now also open to non-competitive riders, who want to join in the fun, he added.

Chris Boardman, a famous cyclist from the United Kingdom, and an advocate of increasing the role of cycling as a means of transport, told the Times of Oman (TOO) that events, such as the Trans Hajar Race, make cycling visible to the general public.

“Such races encourage people to go and try the sport themselves or simply start cycling to work. It normalises cycling, as it is constantly visible,” he added.

Noting the health benefits of cycling, Boardman stressed the potential of Oman for developing a healthier lifestyle by using bicycles.

“What you need in a car-orient-

ed society, which has the desire to change into a more cycle- oriented society,” he added.

Boardman said the change would also help counter the problem of obesity, just as it does in the United Kingdom.

Events, such as the Trans Hajar Race and the Tour of Oman have already helped to create awareness and improved cycling infrastructure in Oman. Al Rushaidi, director of the OCA, told TOO. “Oman is not yet a cycling nation, but awareness has gained momentum and we are on track to improve the infrastructure,” he stated. Al Rushaidi said that the creation of new cycling paths in Muttrah, Azaiba and Seeb are just the beginning of such improvements.

MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE: To be held from February 22 to 25, the

321-kilometre Trans Hajar Mountain Bike Race will take riders across some of the Sultanate’s most spectacular and rugged landscape. -Jun Estrada

.OPEN MINDS CONFERENCE

MINISTRY OF MANPOWER

Indian violin maestro to perform in Sultanate

34 arrested in a day for labour law violations

Times News Service

Times News Service

for films and collaborated with a wide range of musicians from different genres of music. Critics cite him as a, “musical force that is strongly India, but universal in nature and approach.”

Subramaniam is all set to dazzle with a “fusion music performance” at the dinner.

MUSCAT: Indian violin maestro, Dr L Subramaniam, will be the highlight of the gala dinner hosted for the speakers of the .Open Minds conference at the Shangri La Barr Al Jissah on February 10 and 11.

The dinner, which is being held in honour of the speakers of the two-day thought festival, will be held at the Turtle Beach—a secluded beach located on the edge of the mountain—of Shangri La on the evening of February 10.

Virtuosity of style Subramaniam, hailed as the “Paganini of Indian classical music” is known to combine the serenity of Indian classical music with the magnetism of western music to conquer audiences with the elegance and virtuosity of his style.

He is the only musician, who has performed and recorded South Indian classical music,

Dr L Subramaniam is known to combine the serenity of Indian classical music with the magnetism of western. – Supplied photo

western classical music, both orchestral and non-orchestral and also composed for and conducted major orchestras; he has scored

Top global speakers The .Open Minds thought leadership forum will see top global speakers, including Entrepreneur Chris Gardner, Princess Beatrice of York, Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit and other thought and change leaders.

The event is presented by Areej Vegetable Oils and Derivatives (AVOD). Merge and Al Wisal are the radio partners and the Times of Oman and Al Shabiba are the media partners.

For more information and registration, contact: 99620757, 95122430; email: bwopenminds@gmail.com

MUSCAT: An inspection team formed by the Ministry of Manpower in Tiwi in South Sharqiyah Governorate on Tuesday arrested 34 non-Omani individuals for violating the labour law.

A joint inspection team of the ministry monitored the non-Omani workforce for five days.

The campaign included Seeb, Baushar, Muttrah and Amerat, which concluded with the arrest of 20 labour law violators.

In similar news, a joint inspection team from the ministry arrested 384 people found in violation of the labour law between January 17 and 23.

Of these, 309 worked in the commercial sector, 26 in farming and 49 were domestic servants.

Going through the violations of those arrested, 180 of them had absconded, 162 were relieved of their duties, while 35 were referred to the ministry from other parties.

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Giving Omani jewellery a modern makeover TARIQ AL HAREMI

tariqh@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Diamonds or gold are usually considered a woman’s best friend, but semi-precious stones are quickly climbing up the trend ladder in women’s jewellery.

Boutique Tariq features in today’s #OmanPride, where a visionary owner modernises traditional Omani jewellery, such as necklaces, bracelets and earrings, using semi-precious stones and pure Omani silver.

Tariq Mohammad Abu Bakr Al Balushi, the owner and the man behind the intricate designs, has been working on innovative and modern jewellery with an Omani twist for 20 years at the store his father opened 45 years ago.

“This was my father’s business and I took over after he passed away. We used to sell big, chunky (Omani) jewellery, until I had the idea of integrating semi-precious stones with Omani silver,” said Al

Balushi. “We keep changing the designs and making new pieces; and every six months we display a collection… more-so whenever the time is right,” he added.

Each design is unique and oneof-a-kind. Customers leave the store knowing they purchased a piece of jewellery that has not been duplicated, nor existed anywhere other than in their possession.

When Tariq first started carrying out his ideas, he handcrafted the jewellery himself. Today he owns a workshop with five trained employees to make his designs come to life.

INNOVATION: Tariq Mohammad Abu Bakr Al Balushi has been working on innovative and modern jewellery with an Omani twist for 20 years at the store his father opened 45 years ago. – Tariq Al Haremi

Stones, such as amethyst, turquoise, quartz, marjan, amazonite and aquamarine, as well as pearls, are added to traditional Omani silver jewellery to give it the pop and modernity that today’s trend in jewellery is showing.

Tariq uses 925 pure Omani sil-

Climb peaks to get good view of rare planetary event the mountains of Oman, such as Jebel Shams. “People can watch this extravaganza where there is more darkness,” he stated.

Mountains of Oman like Jebel Shams offer the best vantage point for the celestial extravaganza

Times News Service

What is special about the current alignment is that the five planets are on one side of Sun.

MUSCAT: Stargazers will have to trek up the mountains of Oman if they want to have a good view of five planets that are currently visible simultaneously in the sky, an event that had last occurred 11 years ago.

Speaking to the Times of Oman, Mohammed Yahya Al Hijri, member of the Oman Astronomical Society, said this is a rare treat for those, who like to watch the night sky.

“During the next few weeks, citizens and expatriates of Oman can witness at least three to four planets from Oman if not five in the early hours of morning,” he

revealed. The five planets—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn—appear along an arch in the sky called the ecliptic. Generally, only a few of these planets are visible in the sky at the same time.

What is rather special about the current alignment is that the five planets are currently on one side of the Sun, which means during a certain period of the night, they will all be in the sky together.

“But from Oman it would be hard to see Mercury as it will be close to Sun,” Al Hijri said.

He also pointed out that the best place to spot the planets is from

TOURISM

Hours Technically, the planets will be visible in the sky in the early morning hours during the next few weeks.

“The best time to see them together will be the first week of February,” he said.

That is because Mercury, the smallest of the planets, which is also the nearest to the Sun, is currently too close to the horizon. “But during the first week of February, Mercury will be located a little higher on the horizon. So, all the planets will have a clear view an hour before sunrise,” they added.

This celestial event had last occurred between December 15, 2004 and January 15, 2005. The alignment will soon repeat itself in August this year, when these planets appear in the evening sky.

Some of the planets, of course, will be up in the sky much before dawn. Planets rise and set roughly along the same path as the Sun and the Moon. Jupiter will be the first to rise, followed by Mars after midnight and then Saturn, Venus and Mercury.

QAZI MUHAMMED YOUSUF

A lot in Oman yet to be explored: Official

Noted poet laid to rest SHAHZAD RAZA

shahzad@timesofoman.com

NEW OFFICE: Omani football superstar Ali Al Habsi officially

opened the new office, which is located in Al Khuwair. – Jun Estrada

Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Oman is one of the key tourist destinations among the GCC countries and tourists need to continue exploring the Sultanate, says Rafeeq Mohammed, Chief Operating Officer of ITL world.

Oman is a natural tourist destination and its vast serenity has to be explored more, Mohammed told the Times of Oman on the sidelines of the opening of their 35th office, which is the first in the Sultanate.

“We are looking to bring people from all around the world to this beautiful land and to explore the natural beauty which Oman is blessed with,” he added.

According to Rafeeq Mohammed, ITL World has begun a programme to promote Oman as a wedding destination.

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The company is also developing sports packages.

“To encourage sports enthusiasts, we are putting together football packages which will be promoted around Oman,” he said.

“This unique product would provide a platform to play friendly matches with local Omani clubs, and explore the culture and hidden treasures of Oman,” Mohammed added.

Omani football superstar Ali Al Habsi officially opened the new office, which is located in Al Khuwair behind Home Centre and opposite Muscat Bakery. At the opening, Ali Al Habsi wished ITL world success in Oman.

“We offer a wide portfolio of travel solutions,” noted Siddeek Ahmed, the Chairman & the Managing Director of the ERAM Group of companies, which ITL World is part of.

MUSCAT: Many eyes were moist yesterday when a large number of Omani and Pakistani community members laid to rest Qazi Muhammed Yousuf, an Omani businessman and a leading literary figure, at the Al Amerat graveyard.

Yousuf died on Tuesday, just two days before his 98th birthday, after a prolonged illness. He was a known writer and poet, whose work was published in literary magazines in Pakistan.

He was widely respected by the Pakistani community too for his meritorious services over six decades in Oman. “It’s a great loss for us. May Allah Almighty rest his soul in eternal peace,” said Ayaz Hussain, Pakistan’s ambassador to Oman.

Yousuf was awarded the Excellence Award by the Pakistan Social Club Oman (PSC) on August 14 last year in recognition of his life-long services to the community. “We have lost a great friend and patron. Qazi Yousuf was a major inspiration for those wanting to work for others,” said Mian Mohammed Munir, chairman, PSC Oman.

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ver. He explained that he has a large cache of silver, such as traditional anklets, bracelets and old Omani silver coins, which his staff melts and uses for their Omaniinspired silver designs.

It is unfortunate that the stones used are from around the world

and not Omani, Tariq stated. He travels to Hong Kong twice a year to attend a jewellery exhibition, buys the stones himself from several dealers and brings them back to the Sultanate for his designs.

He expressed his frustration that mining or retrieving stones from Omani soil is banned by the government. “We have plenty of stones in Oman. The mountains are filled with amazing stones, kile turquoise and granite. The only problem is we are not allowed to take them.

“Besides, if I wanted to take a rock, I’m going to need machines to cut the stones and special tools,and such requests are not granted, since collecting precious stones is banned,” Al Balushi stated.

His boutique is located on the narrow alleyway leading inside the market, near the gold market building of Muttrah Souq, lane 1427, shop number 1494. It is open from Saturday to Thursday from 10am to 1pm and 4pm to 10pm. Prices range from OMR25 – OMR600.

O C C I I N I T I AT I V E

‘Farm insurance soon’ Times News Service MUSCAT: Farmers in Oman may soon be covered by agricultural insurance, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) said.

The OCCI on Tuesday invited the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and insurance companies to discuss the development of new insurance products for the agricultural sector, a press release from the Chamber said.

On Monday, a meeting had taken place at OCCI between the Chamber, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the CMA to discuss proposals to activate agricultural insurance by implementing recommendations issued at a forum organised by the Chamber last December.

These recommendations were established with the cooperation of leaders and specialists in both

the government, as well as the private sector, the press release said.

Redha Al Saleh, vice president of OCCI and head of Insurance, said the Chamber during last December’s forum had recommended taking serious steps to help farmers cover the risk of damage to their crops and products.

Al Saleh said after Gonu and other tropical storms, farmers experienced major losses, as they were not insured. Many farmers’ associations complained that their members were not covered for such damage.

“Many of them do not have insurance, as insurance companies do not see it as a profitable sector,” he said.

Al Saleh said the insurance companies will have to be convinced to cooperate with the sector, as they currently do not have products that cover agriculture.

Oman’s fight against graft reflected in global ranking BERLIN: Oman was ranked 60th on the world level, according to the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for the year 2015. It is a report published annually by the Transparency International, a non-profit organisation established in 1993 and based in Berlin.

In assessing the Sultanate’ ranking in the index, Transparency International ranking relied on the data and reports of Bertelsmann Foundation, Economist Intelligence Unit, Global Insight, Political Risk Services, World Economic Forum.

Four-place gain During the past year, the Sultanate ranking improved by four rankings to 60th in 2015 compared to 64th in 2014.

The State Financial and Administrative Audit Institution (SFAAI) follows up the corruption perception indicator and join hands with other state institutions to improve, develop performance and improve the Sultanate’s ranking in the international indices.

Transparency International, a leader in combatting corruption in the world with branches in more than 100 countries, promotes awareness of the manifestations of political and administrative corruption.

The CPI cast light on the misuse of power, the confidential transaction and bribery, practices that affect the welfare of communities all over the world.

Two-thirds corrupt At the CPI for the year 2015, more than two third of the countries under review scored less than 50 on the scale from 0 to 100 which means that these countries have high corruption perception and that they need to take necessary measures to address such high CPI. -ONA

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New attraction: Illuminated Village The dazzling lights of Illuminated Village at Naseem Garden is a new attraction this time for Muscat Festival visitors. The centre piece features an illuminated traditional Omani dhow in the middle of a lake. Surrounding the area are illuminated ďŹ gures of the Sultanate’s wildlife such as turtles, dolphins, camels and gazelles.

The organisers have also included some non-Omani features such as the Dutch tulips and Fly Amanita Mushrooms (Red with white spots). These are some of the images taken by Tariq Al Haremi

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Startup Oman to host Dubai entrepreneur Baz is the winner of UAE’s reality TV show and is one of the MENA region’s most successful and recognisable female entrepreneurs

Times News Service MUSCAT: The Sultanate’s only online platform created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs— Startup Oman—will be hosting Dubai-based entrepreneur, Lou-

lou Khazen Baz, founder of Nabbesh at The Lounge on Sunday, January 31 at 6:30 p.m.

Baz is the winner of the United Arab Emirates’s (UAE’s) reality TV show “The Entrepreneur” (2012), securing dirham 2 million in funding, and is one of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s most successful and recognisable female entrepreneurs.

“The idea behind hosting this event is to inspire Omani entrepreneurs to think big and beyond their borders,” said Sherry Colbourne, managing partner, Startup Oman.

The theme of Startup Oman’s January events is focused on female entrepreneurship, starting with their caribou chats event, which featured Jokha Al Husaini of Shamookh Engineering and Ayesha Al Shoily, a licensed springboard trainer and coach.

“Hosting Khazen Baz wraps up

the month on a high note leaving Omani SMEs looking forward to next month’s focus on technology as Startup Oman exists to inspire an entrepreneurial movement in Oman,” Colbourne said.

Global community Startup Grind is a global entrepreneurial community made up of 215,000 entrepreneurs in 175 cities and 80 countries around the world. Founded by Derek Anderson in Silicon Valley, Startup Grind educates, inspires and connects entrepreneurs around the globe.

“We are excited to bring this calibre of event to Oman as the Startup Grind format infuses attendees with the community and energy needed to build global, successful businesses,” said Mahmood Zeyad, managing director of Startup Oman and event moderator.

SOHAR

Drunk man kills liquor vendor Times News Service MUSCAT: An argument between a customer and a liquor vendor ended in the death of the vendor after he was reportedly knifed by the inebriated customer in Sohar.

The murder occurred in Falaj Al Qaba’il in Sohar, where the victim was said to have been selling alcohol from the dormitory of the company he works for.

Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Al Zaydi, Director of Inquiries and Criminal Investigations at the North Al Batinah Police Department, said the authorities

arrest the murderer, who is an Asian national.

Another expatriate was also arrested, along with the murderer, for withholding information about the murder.

Five arrested A senior Royal Oman Police (ROP) official from the Hafit Police force affiliated with the Buraimi Police Department said they have arrested five Asian nationals for detaining a woman against her will and assaulting her.

The source added that the victim was able to escape from

the farm and filed a report with the police.

She said that she had arrived in Muscat on a domestic worker visa but escaped to Nizwa. She finally settled in Buraimi. A person detained her in one of the farms and assaulted her along with other suspects.

When the ROP questioned the suspects about their crimes, they confessed and were referred to the public prosecution to continue legal procedures.

The woman was also arrested for absconding and violating the labour law.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

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We are excited to introduce OmantelTV+ to our home customers, where they can enjoy for the first time in Oman, watching their favourite TV channels through our Home Internet service Talal Al Mamari, chief executive officer of Omantel

His Majesty presides over cabinet meeting MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said presided over the meeting of the Council of Ministers at Bait Al Baraka yesterday. At the outset of the meeting, His Majesty the Sultan thanked the Almighty Allah for the numerous bounties and appealed to the Almighty Allah to preserve such bounties over Oman and all countries in the world.

His Majesty the Sultan reviewed local, regional and international situations. At the local level, His Majesty the Sultan expressed his complete satisfaction over the efforts undertaken by the government and state institutions in the wake of fall in crude oil prices and for sustaining the level of services provided to citizens. His Majesty the Sultan emphasised the need for economic diversification and encouragement to investment in productive projects of public interest and for development of SMEs. His Majesty the Sultan also praised the commencement of the execution of the 9th five-year development plan 2016- 2020, which has taken into account the social and economic dimensions of development for ensuring sustainability and stability of economy and maintaining appropriate rates of GDP along with optimal priority to human development in all spheres.

On the regional and international

Photos— Mohammed Mustafa

developments, His Majesty the Sultan reaffirmed the Sultanate’s cooperation in terms of all the efforts aimed at peaceful resolution of the issues witnessed in the region through dialogue for the sake of peace, security and stability and for the interest of all the people of the region.

In his speech, His Majesty the Sultan tackled a number of issues of concern to citizens and issued his directives to all institutions of the state to continue with their efforts for achievement of the aspired goals, wishing all success for the further progress and prosperity of the Sultanate and citizens. —ONA

O M A N T E LT V +

Omantel launches unique TV service MUSCAT: Omantel announced the launch of OmantelTV+; a unique TV broadcast home service, based on internet protocol using Home Internet.

The new OmantelTV+ service will enable subscribers to watch news, sports, entertainment and the latest movies, with 450+popular TV channels, 1,100+ movies and 3500+ TV series. In addition, they can also enjoy watching 3D and HD channels with the ability to record and rewind what they are watching.

Commenting on the launch of OmantelTV+, Talal Al Mamari, chief executive officer of Omantel said, “We are excited to introduce OmantelTV+ to our home customers, where they can enjoy for the first time in Oman, watching their

favourite TV channels through our Home Internet service.”

He added, “Enabling digital smart home services is part of our broader digital strategy, a key area of growth in the years ahead.

Our new strategy goes beyond the rollout of OmantelTV+ across Oman, and indeed touches every aspect of our operational approach, both for retail consumers and corporate clients. We aim to be the nation’s digital partner of choice, helping bridge the digital divide across all sectors of society and pioneering the rollout of the digital home eco-system.”

Subscribers of OmantelTV+ will receive a decoder, which will allow them to watching premium and free to air channels and movies.

WOO INVESTORS

< FROM

A1 Investment boost According to Manjot Singh Chug, a Business Tax Advisory Services expert at Ernst & Young, the new law will recognise Oman’s investment obligations and international agreements that the Sultanate has entered into, or concluded.

“This is expected to increase investor confidence by ensuring consistency and avoiding conflict with international trade arrangements and agreements,” Chug said.

“However, a ‘negative list’ (restrictive list) will be prepared to safeguard certain areas, where the government may wish to restrict foreign investment to safeguard national security or interests,” Chug added.

In addition to 100 per cent foreign ownership, MoCI has also proposed the removal of a minimum capital requirement for foreign investors to stimulate investment.

“The removal of minimum capital requirement follows international best practices on an overall basis and, therefore, should have a positive impact,” Al Esry said.

At present, OMR150,000 is the minimum capital required for a foreign investor to start a business in Oman.

The law will also allow tax incentives and exemptions will be removed from the new investment law as it is more appropriate for such incentives to be addressed in the income tax law.

“In the modern dynamic environment, such bureaucracy is not healthy for the economy. Normally, tax incentives and exemptions form a part of the income tax law of a country and not the invest-

ment law. From an administrative and consistence perspective, it is easier to administer the law as any subsequent amendments do not necessarily require amending another law,” Al Esry said.

Meanwhile, commenting on the proposed new foreign investment law, a chamber of commerce official said the government should be more cautious while implementing this law.

“We welcome the foreign investment. It is needed. The market should grow. However, at the same time, the area of investment should be allowed after proper study. Local small time investors and businessmen should not lose their opportunities. The competition should not kill the small ones,” Mohammed Al Ansi, a senior official from the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) said.

An Omani investor in Muscat also echoed the same opinion.

“The government should be cautious. Small businessmen should not lose their opportunity,” Anvwar Al Balushi, chairman of the Anvwar Asian Investment Group, said. “Removing the minimum capital requirement will definitely affect small time Omani businessmen. We know that OMR20,000 or OMR30,000 is not at all a problem for expat businessmen,” Al Balushi said.

However, allaying concerns, Al Esry noted that the new law has been drafted, based on international standards and the team that has assisted the MoCI in drafting the law has vast experience and had been involved in drafting similar laws in other countries in the world.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

REGION

The new foreign minister of Qatar was named as Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a member of the royal family.

A ‘new chapter’ has begun in Iran’s ties with EU: Rouhani Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in France on Wednesday as the two countries look to revive trade ties

DUBAI/PARIS: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on his arrival in Paris on Wednesday that a new chapter had began in Tehran’s relations with the European Union, after the lifting of sanctions on Iran.

“A new chapter has began in Tehran relations with the EU, including France,” Rouhani was quoted as saying by Iran’s ISNA news agency.

Rouhani arrived in France on Wednesday with the bosses of oil major Total and aircraft maker Airbus among top executives he was due to meet as the two countries look to revive business ties.

On his first trip abroad since a sanctions-ending nuclear accord took effect, Italy this week already rolled out the red carpet for the Iranian president and his 120-member delegation of business leaders and cabinet ministers, signing a raft of deals.

Opportunities Nevertheless, since July, French economic and political delegations have travelled to Tehran to explore opportunities. Officials have said certain “commitments” could now be agreed, although how definitive they are is unclear.

Rouhani begins his trip to Paris by meeting some 20 company executives. He is due to deliver a speech to business leaders on Thursday

BOOSTING BUSINESS: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, left, attends a meeting with French employer’s body MEDEF union leader Pierre

Gattaz, right, and French business leaders and politicians at a hotel in Paris, France on Wednesday. – Reuters

at a Franco-Iranian forum, where Iranian ministers will outline their plans.

Face-to-face talks are scheduled with the Total and Airbus bosses, diplomatic sources said.

Several agreements are due to be announced after a meeting with President Francois Hollande.

Iranian officials have said they are poised to agree on a deal for Airbus aircraft. Carmakers Peugeot and Renault may also agree contracts.

Airport design and construction talks may be on the agenda

too, potentially involving builders Bouygues and Vinci and airports operator ADP. Although many sanctions relating to Iran’s nuclear programme have been lifted, most US measures remain in place. Companies are worried about the sanctions snapping back if Iran violated the terms of the agreement and are including this scenario in their risk analysis.

“Investing in Iran is not exactly like investing in Holland or Denmark,” a French diplomatic source said. “Everyone wants to be certain that there’s no Damo-

T R AV E L R E S T R I C T I O N S

Algeria suspends flights to Libya ALGIERS: Algeria has suspended flights to Tripoli, a few days after it detained hundreds of Moroccans trying to travel to Libya having arrived at the international airport in the capital Algiers.

Libya has become a regional concern since IS militants gained ground there and called for foreign recruits, especially from North Africa. Algeria is an important US ally in its fight against

armed groups in the region. The decision to suspend flights to Tripoli was taken by the Algerian civilian aviation authority on Tuesday. No reason was given for the suspension. “The decision will be effective on January 29,” according to a statement from the aviation authority. Algerian officials did not say when they would resume flights to Tripoli.

The authorities fear that Mo-

roccans entering Algeria to then cross into Libya may be planning to reinforce the IS militant group, which has set up a base in the Libyan city of Sirte, security analysts say. The decision to suspend the flights was taken hours after the new Libyan prime minister, Fayez Seraj, who heads a UN-backed national unity government, travelled to Algeria where he met President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. — Reuters

A7

cles Sword hanging over them before investing.”

Earlier in the day in Rome, Rouhani said that the United States cannot solve any problems in the Middle East without Iran’s help and should drop its “hostile” stance towards Tehran.

“It’s possible that Iran and the United States might have friendly relations. But the key to that is in Washington’s hands, not Tehran’s,” Rouhani told a news conference, saying he would be happy to see US businessmen in Iran.

“I would like to see the Ameri-

cans set aside their hostility and chose another way, but inside the US there are some problems, there is no unified voice,” he said.

He also rejected accusations that Iran was funding terror organisations. “It is clear that Iran is a country opposed to terrorism and a country that fights terrorism,” he said. “The Americans know very well that when it comes to important regional issues they cannot achieve anything without Iran’s influence or say,” Rouhani said, speaking through a translator. — Reuters

CABINET RESHUFFLE

Qatar’s Emir names new foreign minister DOHA: Qatar’s emir issued a decree on Wednesday replacing the foreign minister and merging some portfolios, the state news agency Qatar News Agency said, in what was seen as a move to cut costs after a sharp drop in oil prices.

The world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, Qatar is one of the Gulf’s richest countries, although the value of its energy exports almost halved last year.

The new foreign minister was named as Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a member of the royal family.

Khalid Al Attiyah, the outgoing foreign minister whose father was the founder of the Qatari armed forces, will become state minister for defence affairs.

The Emir, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who took over in 2013 after his father stepped down, holds the post of defence minister.

Message Late on Wednesday Sheikh Tamim said that Qatar needed to diversify its income and he urged an end to corruption. He said citizens should not “fear or panic” about the tumbling price of hydrocarbons.

“As citizens your responsibilities are greater due to the low oil prices; however, citizens’ welfare and way of life should not be affected by the situation,” he said in a speech carried by QNA. Sheikh Tamim, like his Gulf neighbours, is seeking to diversify the economy to reduce Qatar’s dependence on oil and gas, which the International Monetary Fund says constitute 90 per cent of government revenues.

He has used the slump in oil prices to emphasise that the government can no longer “provide for everything” for its population, and to encourage private sector employment. Qatari is set to spend around $200 billion (£131 billion) on infrastructure projects over the next decade, many related to its hosting of the 2022 soccer World Cup. — Reuters

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T IME S O F O MAN

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

T IME S O F O MAN

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

Muscat Festival 2016 continues to showcase rich tapestry of Oman TIMES NEWS SERVICE

P

eople of Oman are beginning to feel the latest edition of Muscat Festival is special, probably the best ever since its inception in 1998.

With the theme “E’sh Oman” (Live Oman), the Muscat Festival commenced on January 14 and will continue to showcase the Sultanate and its rich culture and heritage through a wide spectrum of art and activities till February 13.

The venues for the festival include the Al Naseem Park, the Al Amerat Park, Al Hail Beach, Oman Automobile Association, Al Madina Theatre, Oman Cultural Club and several others.

Muscat Festival is currently showcasing a variety of activities, including entertainment, shopping, sports, social and cultural events. It is also presenting special entertainment activities for women and children, and attract visitors from all over the world.

During its 16th edition, the Muscat Festival will host participants from several Arab and international countries at several locations. The festival is offering a variety of activities and entertainment to meet different interests and tastes of the community, such as a cultural village, a dinosaur village, an Omani fashion show and the 6th Oman triathlon. Music concerts featuring prominent Omani artists, as well as children’s plays, are also being performed for the public.

The Omani Cultural Village is considered the most important aspect of the Amerat Park, and has been designed as a replica of a traditional Omani village. It is also considered an open museum,

where visitors can live and relive their experience by walking around the village, which includes a traditional art competition as part of the entertainment.

A technology exhibit entitled, “One Thousand and One Inventions” is a platform for promoting Arab and Muslim inventions.

Folklore performances from India, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Turkey and the Philippines, including fire performances, acrobatics, clown performances and illusionists, among many others, are being presented.

Naseem Public Park Several activities are being held at the Naseem Park, which aims to highlight children’s talent in art and science through educational and cultural programmes in agriculture and sports, as well as different sciences, including stage and floor performances.

The Family Village and Children’s Theatre is also hosting a number of arts and cultural events for children. The theatre will also present programmes from popular children’s channels. The Jungle Village is a part of the newest attraction of the Muscat Festival 2016. It showcases anthropomorphic models of animals with sound and light effects.

The Jungle is equipped with light and sound effects to give you the feel of being in a forest. It includes replicas of trees and plants found in jungles, as well as Omani land and sea animals, including a display of a Japanese Zen garden.

Theatre Events include an entertaining balancing and fireball dance performed by experienced artistes. The arena also has plenty of comic and cartoon characters to entertain every visitor. The Omani Wildlife Show exhibits the rich

biodiversity of Oman with specimens of plants, animals and fish.

The Amusement Park is brimming with activities and shows.

Colourful fireworks brighten up the skies during the weekends.

The commercial exhibition area has more than 400 shops. Besides, seven restaurants have been set up, including one specializing in Omani cuisine. There will be 24 stalls selling snacks and bever-

ages; all of this contributing to a great family outing full of fun, information, education and allround entertainment.

Al Amerat Park The Cultural Village is an open air museum that features a model for a traditional Omani village. Visitors get a chance to visit the traditional market and watch traditional art inside the village, which

aims to promote Omani heritage.

The exhibition “One Thousand and One Inventions” throws light on science, technology and civilization. The Folk Dance exhibit includes performances by folk dance bands from India, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Philippines.

Theatre Events is an opportunity to watch exhilarating balancing act and fireball dance.

The arena also has plenty of comic and cartoon characters to entertain all visitors. The Dinosaur Village is the place where children are having a lot of fun in a place that features life-size dinosaurs. With plenty of shows and activities, the Amusement Park has turned out to be one of the highlights of the festival.

The Muscat Festival is a perfect platform for promoting Oman’s tourism. Informative material, including maps, compact discs and brochures are being distributed among visitors and their inquiries are being answered. The booklets feature useful information about Oman’s various governorates, useful Arabic words and phrases, means of travel, popular tourist sites, such

as markets and forts, customs and traditions, wildlife and nature, seas and lagoons, mountains and dunes, outdoor activities, food and places to stay.

In a desert-like area set up featuring the Bedouin way of life, visitors are greeted with traditional Omani coffee brewing on fire and get a chance to better understand traditional coffee making, living in a tent and breeding camels.

A group of young Omani engineers has collaborated to spread love for science among children visiting the Muscat Festival venue at Al Amerat Park.

The Science Lab, the first of its kind in Oman, designed and built by Omani experts, provides a platform to introduce various aspects of science to children in an entertaining way. The Science Lab is a collaboration between the Innovation Factory, a research and development company, and the Innovation Group, an event coordinating company.

In addition to a wide range of cultural activities, such as traditional Arabic poetry, Omani clothing shows and folk dances from outside the Sultanate, there

will be a number of lectures taking place at both venues.

The lectures include: YouTube programmes and their impact on public opinion, the unity and intellectual tolerance of the Omani society, the impact of the oil price decline on the national economy; the Muscat Festival through the eyes of photographers, and an awareness course for families entitled, “Family disintegration and its impact on children’s behaviour,” an awareness course for children entitled “How can I protect myself.”

A Cultural Workshop for people with special needs and healthy people is also being held, along with Traditional Poetry, Musical Poetry, an Omani Fine Arts Pioneers Forum, a literary symposium on writing historical fiction called “Safe Journey Workshop.”

On the other hand, sporting activities include: a vehicles and motorbikes show at the Oman Automobile Association, Water Sports and Sailing organised by the Royal Navy of Oman and Shabab Oman Ship, Tattoo Shows (Red Helmets) at Royal Guard of Oman, Traditional Art and Folk Bands, Parachutist Shows, Sailing Experience — Oman Sail, Marathon Race, Triathlon Race, Acrobatics, balance shows, comics, clown performances and cartoon characters, inflatable games for children, basketball, as well as a Tour of Oman, which will be held from February 16 to 21.

Programmes on traffic awareness targeting children and young people are being organised at the Naseem Public Park. Areas have been marked out for such activities that include competitions and displays on road safety.

Don’t waste a beautiful country like OMAN.

Ensure proper disposal of garbage.

A9

A8

T IME S O F O MAN

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

T IME S O F O MAN

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

Muscat Festival 2016 continues to showcase rich tapestry of Oman TIMES NEWS SERVICE

P

eople of Oman are beginning to feel the latest edition of Muscat Festival is special, probably the best ever since its inception in 1998.

With the theme “E’sh Oman” (Live Oman), the Muscat Festival commenced on January 14 and will continue to showcase the Sultanate and its rich culture and heritage through a wide spectrum of art and activities till February 13.

The venues for the festival include the Al Naseem Park, the Al Amerat Park, Al Hail Beach, Oman Automobile Association, Al Madina Theatre, Oman Cultural Club and several others.

Muscat Festival is currently showcasing a variety of activities, including entertainment, shopping, sports, social and cultural events. It is also presenting special entertainment activities for women and children, and attract visitors from all over the world.

During its 16th edition, the Muscat Festival will host participants from several Arab and international countries at several locations. The festival is offering a variety of activities and entertainment to meet different interests and tastes of the community, such as a cultural village, a dinosaur village, an Omani fashion show and the 6th Oman triathlon. Music concerts featuring prominent Omani artists, as well as children’s plays, are also being performed for the public.

The Omani Cultural Village is considered the most important aspect of the Amerat Park, and has been designed as a replica of a traditional Omani village. It is also considered an open museum,

where visitors can live and relive their experience by walking around the village, which includes a traditional art competition as part of the entertainment.

A technology exhibit entitled, “One Thousand and One Inventions” is a platform for promoting Arab and Muslim inventions.

Folklore performances from India, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Turkey and the Philippines, including fire performances, acrobatics, clown performances and illusionists, among many others, are being presented.

Naseem Public Park Several activities are being held at the Naseem Park, which aims to highlight children’s talent in art and science through educational and cultural programmes in agriculture and sports, as well as different sciences, including stage and floor performances.

The Family Village and Children’s Theatre is also hosting a number of arts and cultural events for children. The theatre will also present programmes from popular children’s channels. The Jungle Village is a part of the newest attraction of the Muscat Festival 2016. It showcases anthropomorphic models of animals with sound and light effects.

The Jungle is equipped with light and sound effects to give you the feel of being in a forest. It includes replicas of trees and plants found in jungles, as well as Omani land and sea animals, including a display of a Japanese Zen garden.

Theatre Events include an entertaining balancing and fireball dance performed by experienced artistes. The arena also has plenty of comic and cartoon characters to entertain every visitor. The Omani Wildlife Show exhibits the rich

biodiversity of Oman with specimens of plants, animals and fish.

The Amusement Park is brimming with activities and shows.

Colourful fireworks brighten up the skies during the weekends.

The commercial exhibition area has more than 400 shops. Besides, seven restaurants have been set up, including one specializing in Omani cuisine. There will be 24 stalls selling snacks and bever-

ages; all of this contributing to a great family outing full of fun, information, education and allround entertainment.

Al Amerat Park The Cultural Village is an open air museum that features a model for a traditional Omani village. Visitors get a chance to visit the traditional market and watch traditional art inside the village, which

aims to promote Omani heritage.

The exhibition “One Thousand and One Inventions” throws light on science, technology and civilization. The Folk Dance exhibit includes performances by folk dance bands from India, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Philippines.

Theatre Events is an opportunity to watch exhilarating balancing act and fireball dance.

The arena also has plenty of comic and cartoon characters to entertain all visitors. The Dinosaur Village is the place where children are having a lot of fun in a place that features life-size dinosaurs. With plenty of shows and activities, the Amusement Park has turned out to be one of the highlights of the festival.

The Muscat Festival is a perfect platform for promoting Oman’s tourism. Informative material, including maps, compact discs and brochures are being distributed among visitors and their inquiries are being answered. The booklets feature useful information about Oman’s various governorates, useful Arabic words and phrases, means of travel, popular tourist sites, such

as markets and forts, customs and traditions, wildlife and nature, seas and lagoons, mountains and dunes, outdoor activities, food and places to stay.

In a desert-like area set up featuring the Bedouin way of life, visitors are greeted with traditional Omani coffee brewing on fire and get a chance to better understand traditional coffee making, living in a tent and breeding camels.

A group of young Omani engineers has collaborated to spread love for science among children visiting the Muscat Festival venue at Al Amerat Park.

The Science Lab, the first of its kind in Oman, designed and built by Omani experts, provides a platform to introduce various aspects of science to children in an entertaining way. The Science Lab is a collaboration between the Innovation Factory, a research and development company, and the Innovation Group, an event coordinating company.

In addition to a wide range of cultural activities, such as traditional Arabic poetry, Omani clothing shows and folk dances from outside the Sultanate, there

will be a number of lectures taking place at both venues.

The lectures include: YouTube programmes and their impact on public opinion, the unity and intellectual tolerance of the Omani society, the impact of the oil price decline on the national economy; the Muscat Festival through the eyes of photographers, and an awareness course for families entitled, “Family disintegration and its impact on children’s behaviour,” an awareness course for children entitled “How can I protect myself.”

A Cultural Workshop for people with special needs and healthy people is also being held, along with Traditional Poetry, Musical Poetry, an Omani Fine Arts Pioneers Forum, a literary symposium on writing historical fiction called “Safe Journey Workshop.”

On the other hand, sporting activities include: a vehicles and motorbikes show at the Oman Automobile Association, Water Sports and Sailing organised by the Royal Navy of Oman and Shabab Oman Ship, Tattoo Shows (Red Helmets) at Royal Guard of Oman, Traditional Art and Folk Bands, Parachutist Shows, Sailing Experience — Oman Sail, Marathon Race, Triathlon Race, Acrobatics, balance shows, comics, clown performances and cartoon characters, inflatable games for children, basketball, as well as a Tour of Oman, which will be held from February 16 to 21.

Programmes on traffic awareness targeting children and young people are being organised at the Naseem Public Park. Areas have been marked out for such activities that include competitions and displays on road safety.

Don’t waste a beautiful country like OMAN.

Ensure proper disposal of garbage.

A9

A10

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016 The Governor is supposed to act on the advice of the council of ministers. But when he acts as an RSS agent, it is very destructive Fauzia Khan, NCP’s women wing president

INDIA

President’s rule in Arunachal ‘darkest’ day in history: NCP Expressing solidarity with ruling Congress, Nationalist Congress Party’s women wing president Fauzia Khan told reporters that the party would protest the hasty decision of the Central government POLITICAL CRISIS: Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge with party leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal and V. Narayanasamy addressing the media after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee on Arunachal Pradesh issue, in New Delhi on Monday. - PTI

ITANAGAR/NEW DELHI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday termed imposition of President’s rule as the “darkest” day in the history of Arunachal Pradesh.

Expressing solidarity with ruling Congress in the state, party’s women wing President Fauzia Khan told reporters at Arunachal Press Club here that the party would protest the hasty decision of the Centre.

“The political situation in the state is very delicate and democracy has been sidelined,” she said adding, the party is with Congress.

Criticising Governor Jyoti Prashad Rajkhowa for his decision to advance the assembly session, Khan alleged that the Governor had transformed the Raj Bhawan into the office of BJP. National issue “This is no more a local issue but a national issue. If Raj Bhawan works as an office of BJP, it is very damaging for a democratic country,” she said adding, the Governor cannot summon an assembly session without consulting the council of ministers.

“The Governor is supposed to act on the advice of the council of ministers. But when he acts as an RSS agent, it is very destructive,” she added.

When her attention was drawn

President’s rule comes under Supreme Court scrutiny NEW DELHI: The imposition of President’s rule in crisis-hit Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday came under the scanner of the Supreme Court which sought the report of Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa recommending central rule in the state, saying “it is too serious a matter”.

The remark by a five-judge bench headed by Justice J.S. Khehar came when Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi raised a preliminary objection contending that the notification on promulgation of President’s rule has not been challenged

to the feud among ruling Congress MLAs which led to the crisis, Khan said dissidence among party MLAs was a different issue but dissident activities being engineered by another political party had created chaos in the peaceful state. Asked on the cases being in the Supreme Court on the issue, the NCP leader said that the party would honour

in the fresh plea.

The bench asked the Attorney General not to raise “technical objections” when he persisted with his plea arguing that “rules are rules” and they apply equally to all.

It posted the matter for February one asking the Governor and the Ministry of Home Affairs to file responses

by Friday on petitions filed by Congress leaders including the plea of Rajesh Tacho, Chief Whip of Congress Legislature party in the state assembly which is now kept under suspended animation.

whatever judgement the court would pronounce.

On her party’s stand if mid-term poll is announced, Khan said that political parties are always ready for any polls.

Meanwhile, Congress on Wednesday said it has an “open mind” in reaching out to party rebels in Arunachal Pradesh, insist-

The bench allowed the petitioners to amend their plea by Friday.

When Additional Solicitor General Satpal Jain, appearing for the Governor, sought to maintain secrecy of the report and the recommendation for the President’s rule, the bench said, “He will only mention the date of report recommending President’s rule to opposite parties during the course of the day.” However, the bench for its own perusal sought in a sealed cover the report and recommendation on imposition of the President’s rule. - PTI

ing that even now it commanded a majority in the northeastern state which was brought under President’s rule on Tuesday night.

AICC General Secretary V. Narainsamy and party spokesman Raj Babbar, however, refrained from making any comment on President Pranab Mukherjee giving his approval to the recommen-

dation of the Union Cabinet to bring the state under central rule.

“We do not want to make any comment on that because whatever the President decided, it is on record,” Narainsamy said at the AICC briefing.

Babbar also spoke likewise on queries on the issue. Replying to questions whether the party will approach rebel MLAs, he remarked, “We have an open mind.

We will not shut our doors.”

The Congress general secretary dismissed suggestions whether the party would parade its MLAs before the President.

He said that Supreme Court judgement in the SR Bommai case has made it clear that Raj Bhawan is not the place where the majority has to be proved.

At the same time, both the Congress leaders claimed that the party has majority in the Assembly.

“Take the case of 47 MLAs (out of a total 60) — they are all of the Congress. None of them have joined any other political party.

14 have been disqualified by the Speaker which was upheld by the Guwahati High Court.”

“The remaining 31 are Congress-men even today. How can the BJP say that we have no majority? This all is ploy created by the BJP to dislodge the duly-elected Congress government in the state,” Narainsamy said.

Concern He expressed concern over appointment of only RSS-backed, RSS-minded persons as governors in the northeast whether it is Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya or even Assam.

“This shows the sinister design of Narendra Modi government to dislodge constitutionally elected Congress governments in the northeastern state. They wanted to test and Arunachal Pradesh is the first case,” he added.

“Congress has full faith in the judicial process and in Supreme Court, which is currently hearing the matter. Constitutional norms, democracy and federalism will win at the altar of justice. Conspiracy to debunk democracy and murder of federalism will be defeated substantively,” Narainsamy and Babbar said in a statement. - PTI

KERALA

Solar accused targets Chandy, power minister

UNDER SCANNER: Solar Panel

Scam accused, Saritha Nair arrives to appear at Solar Commission office in Kochi on Wednesday. - PTI

KOCHI: The Congress-led UDF government in Kerala was on Wednesday at the receiving end with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy facing the heat in the Solar scam with a prime accused alleging that bribes of over Rs2 crore had been paid to him and a minister in his cabinet, even as the Opposition demanded Governor’s intervention.

The development comes barely days after the resignation of excise minister K. Babu hours after a vigilance court directed registering of an FIR against him in the bar bribery case. The storm over the resignation, the second in the case after seniormost legislator and finance minister K. M. Mani was forced to quit in the same case, was yet to subside, when a fresh wave of embarrassment hit the Congress government, months before the assembly polls.

Kicking up a political storm on Wednesday morning, Saritha, who appeared before the Justice Sivarajan Commission at Kochi, trained her guns against the CM and his senior cabinet colleague and Power minister, Aryadan Muhammed.

She alleged that Rs 1.90 crore had been given to Chandy’s key aide to set up mega solar projects in Kerala and about Rs 40 lakh had been given to the Personal Assistant of Aryadan.

Both Chandy and Aryadan have denied the charges. Chandy said it was “an attempt by Saritha to wriggle out” of the case after the scam broke out.

“Let her state what benefit she got after allegedly bribing us?”, Chandy told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. -.PTI

76TH RANK

India’s ranking improves nine points in global corruption index BERLIN: India has climbed nine points to rank 76th in this year’s global corruption index launched here on Wednesday topped by Denmark, with watchdog Transparency International calling graft a global “blight”.

According to Transparency International’s International Corruption Perceptions Index 2015, India is placed at 76th position along with Thailand, Brazil, Tunisia, Zambia and Burkina Faso out of 168 countries. India has improved its past year’s position of

85 and has a grade index score of 38 out of a possible 100 which indicates the least corrupt, said the report topped by Denmark.

Data The index was prepared by using data from institutions including the World Bank, the African Development Bank. According to Berlin-based Transparency International, 68 per cent of countries worldwide have a serious corruption problem and half of the G20 are among them.

“Not one single country, anywhere in the world, is corruptionfree,” the report said.

“The 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index clearly shows that corruption remains a blight around the world. But 2015 was also a year when people again took to the streets to protest corruption. People across the globe sent a strong signal to those in power: it is time to tackle grand corruption,” said Jose Ugaz, Chair, Transparency International, global watchdog on graft and abuses of power.

Denmark tops of the index for the second consecutive year as the country perceived as least corrupt.

It scored 91 points, while North Korea and Somalia remained at the bottom with unchanged scores of 8. The US rose one spot this year to 16th place with a score of 76, tying with Austria. The UK rose three spots to place 10th, with a score of 81 that tied it with Germany and Luxembourg. The other top spots, from second to ninth, were occupied by Finland, Sweden, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway,

Switzerland, Singapore and Canada. Brazil and Turkey were among nations that tumbled the most.

Bribery Brazil slid to 76th place, sharing its position with India, down from 69th last year. Turkey fell two spots to 66th, continuing its descent from 53rd place in 2013.

“Dealing with many entrenched corruption issues, Brazil has been rocked by the Petrobras scandal, in which politicians are reported to have taken kickbacks in exchange

for awarding public contracts,” the report said.

“Corruption can be beaten if we work together. To stamp out the abuse of power, bribery and shed light on secret deals, citizens must together tell their governments they have had enough,” Ugaz said.

Global corruption index, a composite index that draws from 12 surveys to rank nations around the globe, has become a benchmark gauge of perceptions of corruption and is used by analysts and investors. - PTI

DALIT SCHOLAR

‘BJP’s rivals politicising Rohith suicide to defame government’ HYDERABAD: Amid the row over suicide by a Dalit research scholar at Hyderabad Central University, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday alleged that BJP’s political rivals are trying to gain political mileage out of the tragedy instead of addressing the core issue.

“When an unfortunate incident happens, instead of condemning it, going into its roots as to why this unfortunate incident happened, why a youth lost his life, how the discrimination is to be eliminated, what are the changes to be made, what changes are to be brought in thinking, what changes are to be brought into the system, making it into a political pilgrimage and making it a tool of vote bank politics (is condemnable), the world is looking at this amazed,” he said.

BJP’s political rivals are trying to gain political capital by trying to “defame” the government when such incidents (like alleged suicide of Rohith Vemula in HCU) happened, he alleged.

PROTEST: Students march towards office of HRD Minister Smriti Irani to demand her resignation during a protest against the death of Rohith Vemula in New Delhi on Wednesday. - PTI

Taking a dig at Congress, he asked what did “those in power for 50-60 years” do for Dalits.

“When 10 or 20 students committed suicide then, had governments intervened, then the situation would not have come to this.

Why did it not intervene then?

People are asking those who are going on (political) pilgrimages now and making political speeches. But they do not have an answer,” Naidu said.

Such parties are only trying to “hurt” the country’s image by “polluting” social atmosphere, he charged.

“It is a challenge for us if somebody commits suicide due to caste discrimination. Everybody needs to introspect. All need to focus attention on how to change the system.’ Sarva Dharma Samabhavana’ is our policy. Our (BJP) slogan is ‘sab ke saath, sab ka vikas’,” he said. - PTI

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016 SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY INSTALL WHATSNEWS

Stay ahead of the curve with WhatsNews

INDIA

‘People’s confidence in Modi stronger now’ all fronts, be it external affairs or economy or agriculture,” party’s national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

The opinion poll, conducted by ABP News-Nielsen, says 46 per cent of the respondents had rated the government as very good or good but Modi got a rating of very good or good from 54 per cent of those polled POPULAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses during the

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) on Wednesday claimed that people’s confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi had become “stronger” since he was voted to power, while reacting to an opinion poll that rated his government “above average” but said Modi was more popular

inauguration of Interim Secretariat of the International Solar Alliance and foundation stone laying ceremony of International Solar Alliance Headquarters in Gurgaon, Haryana on Monday. - PTI

than his dispensation.

The opinion poll, conducted by ABP News-Nielsen, says 46 per cent of the respondents had rated the government as very good or good but Modi got a rating of very

good or good from 54 per cent of those polled.

“The confidence people had shown in Narendra Modi in 2014 has become stronger as his government has been successful on

A1 1

Condemned He said India’s and Indians’ standing had “risen” in the world under Modi and referred to comments made by the United States and France on Pathankot terror attack that was condemned like the Paris attack.

“Economy is sluggish everywhere but India is rising fast. Even China is undergoing a slowdown but our growth rate is increasing.

It is a big success of the Modi government and people acknowledge it,” the party’s media department head said. Corruption has been curbed by the government, he said, adding that graft at the top has “disappeared”.

He also referred to the crop insurance plan launched by the government, saying this was the first time such a vast insurance cover was given to crops at such a low premium.

According to the opinion poll, if the Lok Sabha elections were to be held tomorrow, NDA is likely to get 38 per cent vote share which will give it 301 seats as against 339 seats in May 2014 polls. - PTI

OBJECT NOT SPOTTED

Alert sounded after reports of big balloon over IGI airport NEW DELHI: An alert was sounded at Indira Gandhi International airport here on Wednesday after authorities received a call about a “big balloon” hovering over it.

Police said the call centre of the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) received a call about spotting of the big balloon following which the airport was put on alert. DCP of IGI airport D. K.Gupta said all security agencies have been informed about the information though police has not spotted the object.

“The airport was put on high alert after the DIAL call centre received a call about a big balloon spotted near the airport this evening. The call was received around 5pm and the caller said that the big balloon was heading from the airport to Arya Nagar following which an alert was issued at the IGI and all security agencies have been informed about it,” Gupta said.

A US-made helium-filled balloon that was shot down by a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft over Rajasthan had come in from Pakistan and could have been an attempt to gauge India’s response time, top government sources said on

Wednesday. The Defence Ministry has now written to the Ministry of External Affairs informing it about the incident.

The shiny 3 metres in diametre balloon, with “Happy Birthday” written on it, was flying at a height of about 25,000 feet in Jaisalmer district when it was picked up by the air force radars which were on high alert in view of Republic Day celebrations.

“Our radars picked up a shiny flying object entering our air space. A fighter jet was quickly scrambled which intercepted it and shot it down,” Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said without elaborating, when asked about Tuesday’s incident.

The Indian Air Force said in a statement, “Due to heightened security alert, the balloon was shot down as it would have been carrying unknown payload.

However, on analysis of the debris it was established that there was no dangerous payload.”

Meanwhile, government sources said that balloon, made by an American company, was flying at an altitude higher than that of an helicopter (18,000 feet) and hence leaving nothing to chance, it was shot down. - PTI

PA N I C WAV E

Four threat calls at Delhi, Bengaluru airports; three flights grounded NEW DELHI: Four bomb threat calls received in quick succession at Delhi and Bengaluru airports forced aviation authorities ground three flights, including two international, sending a panic wave among fliers.

While Air India and Jet Airways flights to Kathmandu were grounded at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here, nofrills airline AirAsia’s Goa flight

from Bengaluru also failed to take off on scheduled time due to similar reasons.

The Kathmandu-bound flights of Air India and Jet Airways, which were scheduled to take off at 1315 hours and 1325, were halted and sent to the isolation bay just before they were readying for departure after the airport police received a bomb threat call.

“Around 1pm, the airport police

received an anonymous call, saying that there were bombs inside two laptop (bags), kept in the planes of Air India and Jet Airways,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGIA) D K Gupta said.

Immediately, the authorities decided to ground both the flights, which were to carry 121 and 122 passengers respectively and take the two aircraft to the isolation bay for an extensive search of

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

the baggage, cargo and aircraft, sources said.

Security alert “Jet Airways flight 9W 260, scheduled to depart from Delhi for Kathmandu at 1325 hours, has been delayed due to a security alert. All 122 guests and 7 crew have been taken to the departures waiting area at the airport,” Jet Airways said in a statement. The Air India

flight finally took off at 1950 hours after receiving clearance from the security agencies. “#AI215 DEL-KTM, which was delayed due to bomb threat, took off at 1950 hrs with a change in aircraft after security clearances,” Air India tweeted.

Before this, the flight was delayed for the second time just when security agencies were carrying out the search.

“#AI 215 DEL-KTM has been further delayed due to a fresh threat call & will take off only after security clearances,” the airline had tweeted.

At the same time, budget carrier AirAsia India’s flight to Goa from Bengaluru, which was to fly 141 passengers and 4 infants, was also delayed following a similar bomb scare on its incoming flight from Jaipur. - PTI

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READERS’ FORUM Need to better quality of education in Indian schools I am concerned about the thriving private home tuition business, which are used to teach Indian school students in Muscat. This puts into question the quality of education the schools provide. A large number of individuals including schoolteachers are engaged in private tuition and the fee charged is very high. In some buildings the presence of students assembled in groups causes inconvenience to the dwellers. Basically the quality of education in Indian schools is poor in recent times and could be a reason for people depending on private home tuition mostly run by houseScan this QR code wives. I do not know whether these people to send letters to the are qualified enough to teach important Readers’ Forum, subjects. Being a parent, it is an additional containing not more than 200 words with expense particularly for people with fixed full name, address incomes. I hope that the new school manand telephone agement board to look into this seriously to number, may be sent improve the quality of education. — Ganga by e-mail (akhtar@ timesofoman.com).

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CHUANG-TZU

Realising 2020 vision by national funding strategy

T

he global economy has entered a new phase that is different in its essence and challenges from all the other phases witnessed by global markets before.

This is not solely the result of the drop in oil prices as some experts and economic analysts claim; it is rather due to a structural defect in the global economy that was largely apparent during the 2008 financial crisis.

The fall in oil prices has come about as a natural consequence of the crisis and its effect on both productive and consumer economies.

The most effective approach to exit this phase safely is not through discussing ways to raise oil prices but through assessing the reasons behind the current scenario.

Meeting the challenges emerging from globally falling oil prices is a good starting point. These challenges include economic diversity, specialised sectoral focus in each country, and innovating a new mechanism to fund sovereign projects by relying on national funding initiatives.

Oman has already implemented a few measures in this regard. First of all, it has kept a low public debt ceiling that amounts to only 10 per cent of its GDP. This enables the country to borrow from global financial markets to fund the deficit when necessary without exceeding reasonable public debt levels. In addition, government bonds enjoy an A1 credit rating according to Moody’s data, which is a highly regarded and positive rating.

It is worth noting that at a time when debts have become one of the critical challenges troubling large global economies, keeping low public debt levels is a positive indicator and must be maintained.

However, the government still needs to spend on sovereign and infrastructure projects in order to create an environment that encourages investments.

Such projects include completing the railway and transport network that will transform the Sultanate to a logistical hub for export and re-export and will facilitate further communication internally among all development projects. The country also needs to keep spending on developing non-oil sectors to achieve the 2020 Vision, which aims to reduce the oil sector’s contribution to GDP from 46 per cent to a mere 9 per cent.

These projects need a healthy amount of capital and we must examine financing options and identify the most suitable ones.

A few options worth considering include securing multiple revenues for sovereign projects, selling foreign assets, selling some public sector components to private companies, resorting to public debt, or creating new tax systems.

However, all these options exclude one important choice that may become a main financing method in the long term, especially amidst the complexities of economic globalisation and the relation of debts to certain political consequences that affect the country’s sovereignty.

This golden choice is the contribution of individuals in boosting the GDP through saving with certain financial instruments, such as public securities or sukuk.

Following the global financial crisis, many countries have relied on the savings of their citizens and national companies to fund their sovereign projects and stimulate their national economies.

Some countries have even issued what is called ‘Development Sukuk’ or ‘Development Bonds’ which basically represent equal shares in current projects that are bought by citizens.

Therefore, individuals can now contribute to financing projects in return to receiving revenues for their shares as determined by the number of sukuk or bonds that they own.

This choice may not be enough to bridge the gap between financial deficit and the country’s minimum capital spending. However, it is enough to reduce the country’s reliance on other options that could very well lead to a public loss in the long run.

Leveraging this choice does not necessarily mean that a country should not raise taxes; however, we should be careful and attempt to not harm the investment environment or add further financial burdens to citizens.

Oman’s great potential for non-oil sector developments is the greatest motivating factor towards the search for national funding methods. These developments will contribute largely to reducing our reliance on oil.

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES JANUARY 2001 Busaidi to leave for Tunis MUSCAT: Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, interior minister and his accompanying delegation will leave here today for Tunis to attend the Arab interior ministers’ 18th session due to be held in Tunisia from January 29 to 31. The session will discuss among other topics the report of the Arab interior ministers’ council on the secretariat general works between the 17th and 18th sessions and the annual reports on the implementation of security plan, the Arab strategy for combating terrorism, the Arab information plan for security awareness and protection against crime.

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

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PICTOGRAPH

PROPERTY TRADED VALUE IN OMAN From October to December, 2015 (In Million rials)

October

November

December

394.2 326.1

196.5

1757: Ahmed Shah, the first King of Afghanistan, occupies Delhi and annexes the Punjab.

1921: Albert Einstein startles Berlin by suggesting the possibility of measuring the universe.

1932: The Japanese attack Shanghai, China.

1986: The space shuttle Challenger explodes just after liftoff.

0 Source National Centre for Statistics & Information

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

A1 3

PAKISTAN HEAVY WEAPONS SEIZED

Pakistani soldiers pose for photographs alongside seized automatic weapons as they are displayed for media in Peshawar on Wednesday. Security forces seized heavy weapons and ammunition during a raid against suspected militants. — AFP

Humanitarian activist bags global award in maternal health Aman Foundation’s chairperson Fayeeza

We believe that healthy, educated and empowered women build strong families and productive communities

Naqvi said The ‘Sukh’ programmme seeks to foster gender equality, by giving women the power of choice

Fayeeza Naqvi

Chairperson of the Aman Foundation

T R A N S P O R TAT I O N

Ferry services between Karachi, Gwadar and Chabahar soon ISLAMABAD: Port and shipping authorities have finalised arrangements to start ferry services between Karachi and Gwadar and also to Chabahar, Iran from both the Pakistani port cities.

The service is set to begin by mid-March, aiming to promote tourism and safe transportation to pilgrims heading to Iran.

The decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting on Tuesday. Federal Ports and Shipping Minister Kamran Michael chaired the huddle.

For the Karachi to Gwadar ferry, a deal with Silangan Express-1 is at the final stage. This carrier has a capacity of 419 passengers and will take 14 hours for the journey. It will allow 100kg of luggage for each passenger and will make three trips in a week.

Transporting pilgrims For transporting pilgrims to the port of Chabahar in Iran, arrangements are being finalised with another carrier, Samsun Ferry, which has a capacity of 600 passengers. The service will run from Karachi and Gwadar ports.

The ferry service will cost

CONNECTIONS: The service is set to begin by mid-March, aiming to promote tourism and safe transportation to pilgrims heading to Iran. — Express Tribune

about 40 per cent less than the Rs45,000 for a return air ticket to Iran via Dubai. About one million pilgrims travel to Iran from Pakistan every year.

The federal minister has directed the relevant officials to

complete all arrangements by the end of February so the service can be launched in March.

Kamran said the government might face losses but it wanted to facilitate pilgrims and promote tourism. — Express Tribune

A I R S PAC E U S E

Charsadda varsity officials blamed for lapse in security PESHAWAR/CHARSADDA: The vice chancellor (VC) and the person in charge of security at Bacha Khan University (BKU) in Charsadda have been blamed by district officials for the security lapse which led to the death of 21 people on last Wednesday.

This was said during a crisis conference held in Charsadda on Tuesday to discuss the security situation in the district.

Participants at the meeting claimed only four of the 55 security personnel were on duty at the time of the attack. They insisted the culprits be taken to task to set an example for others. According to the district councillors, the militants managed to carry out the attack even though the government and the security forces were aware of an impending attack.

They criticised the provincial government for failing to provide security and maintaining peace

in the region. During the conference, the provincial government, BKU’s VC and security head were criticised for their inability to avert the attack. While meetings are being held and statements are being made a large number of schoolteachers in Peshawar have voiced reservations about security arrangements.

Azizullah Khan, a teacher at an institute in Gulbahar, said the administration of his school has not received funds to improve security. “The government has provided one gun for two guards deployed at the school’s gate,” he said.

“Following the Charsadda attack, I carry a pistol when I leave for school,” said Liaquat Ali, a teacher in Daudzai.

“There is a looming fear I might not return home.”

Kamran Khurram, a teacher at a school in Cantt, said Army Public School and Bacha Khan Uni-

versity attacks resulted in uncertainty and fear.

“Students cannot stay in school grounds and all teachers have weapons in hands,” he said. “This tense situation has greatly affected education.”

According to Rifaqat Ali, a teacher in Mathra, the administration lacks funds to purchase guns and CCTV cameras.

However, the Peshawar district government has constituted a committee to ensure security at private schools in the city.

Insiders familiar with the matter said, owners of private schools, representatives from the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education and police officials will be part of the committee.

The committee will coordinate with the provincial government to guarantee security and monitor such arrangements across the district. — Express Tribune

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani woman has been awarded the first-ever Global Humanitarian Award for Women’s and Children’s Health for her contributions to Pakistan’s health and education sector.

Chairperson of the Aman Foundation, Fayeeza Naqvi, along with her husband Arif Naqvi was honoured as one of the four winners of the first-ever Global Humanitarian Award for Women’s and Children’s Health at the 2016 International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in Nusa Dua, Indonesia. Upon winning the award, Fayeeza said, “Aman is dedicated to promoting the centrality of family, and dignity of life for all.

“The ‘Sukh’ programmme was created with this mission in mind, and seeks to foster gender equality, by giving women the power of choice.

“Aman aims to develop pro-

grammes that convene international partners to bring best practise and expertise in collaboration with local government to ensure a sustainable impact,” she said.

“I am honoured to accept this award on behalf of the Aman Foundation and look forward to working closely with my fellow awardees in furthering the cause of family planning and maternal health,” she added.

The ICFP, a four-day event which kicked off on Monday, was co-hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the National Population and Family Planning Board of Indonesia (BkkbN).

The award paid tribute to Aman Foundation’s work in the area of

women and children’s health exemplified by programmes developed by Aman Health and its dedicated family planning programme, ‘Sukh’, which was launched as a concrete outcome for the London Summit on Family Planning, the press release read.

Challenging areas Sukh was established as a joint collaboration between the Gates, Packard and Aman Foundations.

The programme covers a population of one million in some of the most under-served and challenging areas of Karachi. Jose “Oying” Rimon II, an ICFP official said, “We are honoured to count Fayeeza and Arif Naqvi among the recipients of the 2016 Global Humanitarian Awards for Women’s and Children’s Health.” — Express Tribune

A 14

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

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BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY

12 killed in north Nigeria explosions

DRILLING IN NORTH SEA REDUCED

Drilling rigs are parked up in the Cromarty Firth near Invergordon, Scotland, Britain on Wednesday. Falling prices have reduced demand for drilling work in the North Sea and has led to the laying up of the rigs. — Reuters

MAIDUGURI (NIGERIA): At least 12 people were killed on Wednesday when two female suicide bombers blew themselves up in a market in the northern Nigerian town of Chibok where Boko Haram militants abducted more than 200 girls almost two years ago, police and residents said.

Boko Haram has been waging a six-year armed campaign in Nigeria’s remote north.

Thousands have been killed and more than two million people displaced by the campaign.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the attack bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which has been using suicide bombers since the army expelled the group from much of the northern territory.

Chibok market “Two veiled girls suspected to be suicide bombers entered Chibok market at about 12.54 pm today,” a police official said, asking not to be named.

“Afterwards we heard an explosion at the heart of the market and people fled.

Some minutes later another blast came just at the edge of the market,” he said.

The official said he had counted eight bodies at the market, while four others had died on the way to the hospital. — Reuters

US, China ‘agree’ on new UN action against North Korea On January 6, Pyongyang claimed it had carried out successfully a test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device

BEIJING: US Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed on Wednesday on the need for a significant new UN Security resolution targeting North Korea after its January 6 nuclear test, though there were few signs of concrete progress.

Kerry, on a two-day visit to Beijing, had been expected to press China, North Korea’s lone major backer, for more curbs on Pyongyang after it said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device, though the United States has voiced scepticism as to whether it was that powerful.

China has insisted it is already making great efforts to achieve denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula and Wang rejected any “groundless speculation” on its North Korea stance, following re-

DIPLOMACY: US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a meeting in Beijing on Wednesday. - AFP

marks from US officials that China could do more.

New resolution “We agreed that the UN Security Council needs to take further action and pass a new resolution,” Wang told reporters at a joint briefing with Kerry.

“In the meantime, we must point out that the new resolu-

tion should not provoke new tensions.” Kerry said the two sides had agreed to an “accelerated effort” at the UN to reach a “strong resolution that introduces significant new measures” to curtail North Korea’s ability to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

“It’s not enough to agree on the goal. We believe we need to agree

on the meaningful steps necessary to get the achievement of the goal,” Kerry said.

Pressure Pyongyang The exchange of goods and services between China and North Korea was one area where steps could be taken to pressure Pyongyang back to talks, he said.

Kerry also said that shipping,

aviation, trade of resources, including coal and fuel, and security at border customs, were key areas in the sanctions debate.

North Korea is heavily reliant on China for oil, gasoline and trade.

“All nations, particularly those that seek a global leadership role, share a fundamental responsibility to meet this challenge with a united front,” Kerry said.

He added that the US would take “all necessary steps” to honour security commitments to allies, signalling that the US was prepared to continue ramping up its military presence in the region, a move that would likely unsettle Beijing.

The 15-member UN Security Council said at the time of North Korea’s test that it would begin working on significant new measures in response, a threat diplomats said could mean an expansion of sanctions. Since then, diplomats said Washington and Beijing have been primarily negotiating on a draft resolution, but when asked on Saturday if they were nearing agreement, US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said no.

In a sign that Beijing could be reluctant to take a more hardline stance on North Korea, state news agency Xinhua said it was “unrealistic to rely merely on China to press the DPRK to abandon its nuclear programme, as long as the US continues an antagonistic approach wrought from a Cold War mentality”. — Reuters

VIOLENCE BY AL SHEBAAB

Kenya to remain in AU’s Somalia peace force ELDORET (KENYA): President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Wednesday Kenya was committed to remaining part of an African Unionled peacekeeping force in Somalia, after Al Shebaab militants said they killed more than 100 soldiers in an attack on an army base.

The extremist militants attacked the remote base close to the border with Kenya on January 15, killing soldiers and seizing military equipment. Kenya has declined to say how many died.

“This is not the time to waiver or to listen to the voices of defeat and despair,” Kenyatta told a televised memorial service for the dead soldiers, attended by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari.

“We fight because our cause is just, because we want to restore a productive peace in Somalia and we also wish to protect ourselves from an enemy that would seek to destroy us.”

Withdrawal of troops The main opposition party in Kenya has called for the withdrawal of troops from Somalia but Kenyatta said Kenya was committed to bringing stability to the neighbouring country.

African Union troops, now numbering about 22,000 from several African nations, have spent nearly a decade battling Al Shebaab extremists in Somalia, a country mired in conflict since civil war broke out in 1991. — Reuters

WA R N I N G

US experts call for swift WHO response to Zika virus CHICAGO: US researchers called on the World Health Organisation on Wednesday to take swift action on the Zika virus that is linked with thousands of birth defects in Brazil and is rapidly spreading in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Georgetown University researchers urged WHO DirectorGeneral Margaret Chan to heed the lessons of Ebola and act quickly to combat the mosquito-transmitted disease.

Emergency session Specifically, they called on the UN agency to convene an emergency session of health and infectious disease experts to consider how to respond to the outbreak.

Just convening the meeting would focus attention on funding and research, they said in a

viewpoint article published on Wednesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The Zika virus has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes.

An estimated 80 per cent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected.

Until recently, the virus was seen as a mild disease, but concern has been elevated after the recent discovery of a possible link to birth defects in some affected countries and also to Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare but serious condition that can cause paralysis.

Recent models for how the disease is spreading predict “significant international spread by travelers from Brazil to the rest of the Americas, Europe, and Asia,” Dr Daniel Lucey, an infectious disease expert, and Lawrence Gostin, a global health law expert, wrote in the viewpoint article in JAMA. Ebola crisis The WHO’s leadership admitted to serious missteps last April in its handling of the Ebola crisis, which was focused mostly on three West African countries and which killed more than 10,000 people.

They pledged reforms, with Chan declaring the WHO had “learned lessons of humility” after the agency was strongly criticised for acting too slowly to declare an outbreak. — Reuters

CRISIS: A child takes a picture as employees of the Peruvian Health Ministry display data on Aedes aegypti mosquitos that transmit Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya virus in Lima on Wednesday. — AFP

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016 Hundreds of locals, including children and the elderly, fled curfew-bound areas of Diyarbakir’s Sur district as gunfire and blasts resounded and police helicopters flew overhead, a Reuters witness said.

WORLD

EU nations warn Greece of more border controls EU countries have been increasingly critical of Athens’ handling of the continent’s worst migration crisis since World War II

BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) executive concluded on Wednesday that Greece could face more border controls with other states of the free-travel Schengen zone in May if it does not fix “serious deficiencies” in its management of the area’s external frontier.

EU countries have been increasingly critical of Athens’ handling of the continent’s worst migration crisis since World War II, with more than a million migrants reaching Europe last year, mainly through Greece. “If the necessary action is not being taken and deficiencies persist, there is a possibility to... allow member states to temporarily close their borders,” European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told a news briefing. He was speaking after the executive accepted a report saying cash-strapped Athens had “seriously neglected” its obligations to fellow Schengen states.

Reinstalling controls The use of that phrase could pave the way for EU governments to exercise the option of reinstalling controls on their national borders for up to two years once shortterm measures currently in place expire in May. Several EU member states have

THREATENED: Refugees and migrants arrive aboard the passenger ferry Nissos Rodos at the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Greece on

Wednesday. Several EU member states have instituted emergency controls on their borders and warned they may effectively suspend Athens from the passport-free zone. – Reuters

instituted emergency controls on their borders and warned they may effectively suspend Athens from the passport-free zone. Most of the irregular migrants arriving in the EU have come from Turkey via Greece and trekked northward to Germany.

Dombrovskis said Greece was not identifying or registering people arriving effectively, not uploading fingerprinting data to relevant bases systematically, and not checking travel documents properly and against key databases. EU border agency Frontex says its latest mission to the Greek island of Lesbos in January showed improvements in registration procedures.

But EU officials carried out an assessment in Greece in November that lead to Wednesday’s conclusion that there were “seri-

ous deficiencies” in Greek frontier control. The step of imposing border controls, under the as yet unused Article 26 of the Schengen code, can be taken for up to six months and can be renewed up to three times for a total of two years.

Dombrovskis said the Commission was intent on preserving Schengen, one of the EU’s key achievements, and said Greece had improved its border controls since November - but not enough.

Majority vote The next step in the process would be for Schengen member states - 26 countries, most of which are also in the EU - to confirm the Commission’s conclusions in a majority vote. The executive would then recommend remedial measures and assess by May whether Athens had complied.

A1 5

Greece has no land borders with the rest of the Schengen zone, so installing new frontier checks would affect only air and sea ports.

Diplomats and officials described the move to penalise tourism-dependent Greece as a way to raise pressure on Athens, which is already mired in a financial crisis, to better implement EU measures intended to identify and register all those arriving from Turkey.

The EU is also looking into using Frontex more to help guard the border between Greece and Macedonia, which is not a member of the EU or Schengen. Some Frontex personnel are already at Greece’s northern border, but the agency’s mandate does not allow for interventions in third countries.

Some diplomats said countries could send more police or border

guards to Macedonia on the basis of bilateral agreements.

Frontex has a precedent from 2006, when it ran a naval mission in territorial waters off Senegal and Mauritania to prevent African migrants reaching Spain’s Canary Islands. That operation was carried out on the basis of bilateral agreements between Spain, Dakar and Nouakchott.

“Details would need to be worked out but there seems to be very little opposition to this idea, apart, of course, from Greece,” said one EU diplomat involved.

Athens says the influx is impossible to control and its migration minister, Yannis Mouzalas, warned this week that sealing his country off from Schengen would create a humanitarian crisis with thousands of people trapped in Greece. — Reuters

CLASHES

Turkey widens curfew in southeast as 23 killed DIYARBAKIR (TURKEY): Security forces killed 20 Kurdish militants in southeast Turkey while three Turkish soldiers died in a rebel attack, the military said on Wednesday, as authorities widened a curfew in the mainly Kurdish region’s largest city, Diyarbakir.

Hundreds of locals, including children and the elderly, fled curfew-bound areas of Diyarbakir’s Sur district as gunfire and blasts resounded and police helicopters flew overhead, a Reuters witness said. Some people cried as they carried away possessions.

The southeast has endured the worst violence in two decades since a two-and-half-year-old ceasefire between the state and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants collapsed in July, reviving a conflict that has killed 40,000 people since 1984.

The army said 11 PKK members died in the town of Cizre, near the Syrian border, and nine more in Sur on Tuesday, bringing the militant death toll in the two towns to some 600 since security operations began there last month.

Attack It said three soldiers were killed in a militant attack in Sur, where security sources said militants opened fire with rifles and a rocket launcher. The ancient Sur district, enclosed by Roman city walls, has suffered extensive damage in the fighting and much of it has been under a round-the-clock curfew since December 2.

The district governor’s office said the curfew was extended to five more districts so security forces could remove explosive devices and barricades and fill in ditches set up by militants.

Turkey, the United States and the European Union all classify the PKK as a terrorist organisation. The PKK says it is fighting for autonomy for Turkey’s Kurdish minority. — Reuters

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Muscat 4,953.98 + 19.75 + 0.40%

Dubai 2,753.07 + 54.64 + 2.02%

Abu Dhabi 3,827.82 + 27.80 + 0.73%

Kuwait 4,969.25 + 32.74 + 0.66%

Saudi Arabia

5,697.75 + 60.44 + 1.07%

Qatar 8,979.50 + 230.88 + 2.64%

Bahrain 1,158.59 + 2.76 + 0.24%

CRUDE OIL PRICE

CURRENCY RATES*

DRAFT RATES (OMR1)*

GOLD PRICES*

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

Forex rates vs OMR1* US Dollar ................................. 2.58 Euro ............................................ 2.36 Pound ............................................1.76 Indian Rs ............................. 175.69 Pak Rs ....................................267.59 Bangla Taka.......................201.05

Indian Rs ...................................176.65 Pakistan Rs ..............................272.15 Sri Lanka Rs ............................ 371.75 Bangla Taka........................... 203.20 Phil Peso .................................... 124.10

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......14.40

Oman Crude............. (Spot) ........$26.86 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) ........$26.36 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$29.52 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) .........$25.21 N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) ..........$31.19

* Rates as of Jan. 27 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

* Rates are as of Jan. 27 Source: Bank Muscat

West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........ $30.70

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......13.90 Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ........... 135.00 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) ............ 128.00 * Rates as of Jan. 27 Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

F U L L Y E A R R E S U LT S

Bank Muscat proposes 25% cash, 5% stock dividend Times News Service MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the leading financial services provider in the Sultanate, has proposed a 30 per cent dividend payment to shareholders for 2015.

Continuing the bank’s strong dividend payment track record, the board of directors has proposed a 25 per cent cash dividend for 2015, which is consistent with the cash dividend paid in the last five years.

In addition, a 5 per cent dividend DEBT

Kuwait plans to issue bonds for funding $100b projects KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) is considering selling bonds to help pay for a planned investment of $100 billion over the next five years to boost oil output, echoing plans by Saudi Arabia to maintain spending on energy projects as global producers compete for market share.

State-run KPC is looking at issuing bonds and Islamic securities known as sukuk, the company’s chief executive officer Nizar Al Adsani said at a conference in Kuwait City. KPC had announced plans earlier this month to arrange a $10 billion loan to expand refineries to make cleaner-burning fuels.

Expanding production Kuwait, Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (Opec) fourth-biggest producer, plans to expand its crude production capacity to 4 million barrels a day by 2020, he said.

Al Adsani’s remarks came a day after Khalid Al Falih, chairman of state-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Company, said his company, the world’s biggest producer, has formulated a new strategy in response to cheaper crude and is keeping up its investments.

Together, the comments of both officials suggest that at least two of Opec’s core Arab producers are doubling down in long-term bets on their energy assets.

“The world market will need around 5 to 6 million barrels a day of new crude annually,” Al Adsani said. “This shows the importance of continuity in investments in upstream globally for the sake of stable market supply and to avoid volatility and spikes in oil prices.”

Opec output Kuwait, with fellow Arab producers in the Gulf including Saudi Arabia, led the Opec to abandon output limits on December 4 amid efforts to squeeze higher-cost producers such as Russia and United States shale drillers from the market. The small nation of 3.7 million people holds 101.5 billion barrels in crude reserves. Its production rose by 50,000 barrels a day to 2.9 million barrels a day in December, according to data.

Kuwait will study other means of financing its oil-investment push, including bonds, sukuk, and project bonds, Al Adsani said.

“This will open up the possibility for KPC to be rated by international credit agencies,” he said.

Saudi Aramco Oil producers in the Gulf region shouldn’t reduce output and risk losing buyers, Ali al-Jarwan, chief executive officer of state-run Abu Dhabi Marine Operating said.

Crude prices will remain low for a long period, he said, without specifying prices or the length of time.

Benchmark Brent crude tumbled 35 per cent last year and an additional 16 per cent. - Bloomberg News

in the form of bonus shares has also been proposed. The bank has retained a sufficient level of profits to further strengthen the capital base and be better positioned for possible future challenging market conditions.

A meeting of the board of directors chaired by Sheikh Khalid bin Mustahail Al Mashani, chairman, on January 26, approved the 2015 financial results and dividend payout, subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) and shareholders of the bank.

“Amid the challenging economic and financial situation marked by low oil prices, the key business lines of the bank recorded healthy performance on expected lines,” said Sheikh Khalid bin Mustahail Al Mashani.

Shareholders will receive a cash dividend of OMR0.025 per ordinary share of OMR0.100 each aggregating to OMR57.29 million on the bank’s existing share capital.

In addition, they would receive bonus shares in the proportion of one share for every 20 ordinary shares

aggregating to 114,591,130 shares of OMR0.100 each amounting to OMR11.46 million. The proposed cash dividend and issuance of bonus shares are subject to the formal approval of the annual general meeting of the shareholders and regulatory authorities.

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

basic earnings per share were OMR0.077 in 2015, against OMR0.071 in 2014. The banks’ capital adequacy ratio stood at 16.10 per cent as on December 31, 2015 after appropriation for proposed dividend for the year 2015 against the minimum required level of 12.625 per cent as per Basel III regulations issued by CBO. Net loans and advances from conventional operations increased by 4.9 per cent to OMR 6,695 million as against OMR6,386 million, as of December 31, 2014. Custom-

er deposits, including CDs from conventional operations increased by 6.2 per cent to OMR6,738 million as against OMR6,345 million as of December 31, 2014.

Islamic financing receivables amounted to OMR635 million as of December 31, 2015, compared to OMR400 million during the same period of 2014. The Islamic banking customer deposits amounted to OMR625 million as of December 31, 2015, compared to OMR283 million reported on December 31, 2014.

Iranian firm signs deal for $200m-car unit in Oman An MoU was signed

by Oman Investment Fund, Iran’s car manufacturer Iran Khodro and an Omani investor to create a joint venture for PARTNERS IN PROGRESS: From left, Issa Al Riyami, chairman of Al Riyami Automobile and Al Orkid Automobile; Mehdi Akbar, regional director of Iran Khodro in Gulf countries and Khalid Al Yahmadi, investment director at the Oman Investment Fund, signing a Memorandum of Understanding. - SHABIN E./Times of Oman

MOVING FORWARD: A portion of the cars will be sold in Oman but

elham@timesofoman.com

IN A NUTSHELL

and 80 per cent will be exported to other countries.

MUSCAT: A first-of-its-kind car manufacturing facility with a capital expenditure of $200 million is planned in Duqm through the establishment of an Iranian-Omani joint venture, targeting Oman and neighbouring regional markets.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Oman Investment Fund (OIF), Iran’s leading car manufacturer Iran Khodro and an Omani investor for the creation of the joint venture during Iran’s second solo exhibition on Wednesday.

Khalid Al Yahmadi, investment director at OIF, said that a preliminary study had been conducted before the signing of the MoU and a detailed study will be carried out within the next three months about the requirements of Oman and other target markets as well as the brand and types of the cars required.

As per the initial plan, it will be a new brand that will be created with the support of Iran Khodro, he told reporters.

The project will start with an assembly unit but the objective is to have a full manufacturing facility, Al Yahmadi explained.

The initial capacity of the unit will be around 20,000 cars per year, the official said, adding that the total investment at the full

Car project will start with an assembly unit, but the objective is to have a full manufacturing facility

Initial capacity of the unit will be 20,000 cars per year

OMR5 million will be invested in the assembly line

Nearly 100 to 300 jobs will be created in the unit

car manufacturing facility in Duqm

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

Company

will start selling cars in 2017

20%

of the cars will be sold in local market and 80% will be exported

stage is going to be around $200 million. Around OMR5 million will be invested in the assembly line, he stated, adding that the ground breaking for the assembly line is expected by the fourth quarter of this year.

Job creation He noted that it will take several years for other local ancillary industries, such as production of tyre, glass, batteries and brake pads, to be developed either through the private sector in Oman or other government entities to transform the unit into a full production facility.

Al Yahmadi said that around 100 to 300 jobs will be created in

the assembly line but definitely more employment opportunities will be created by a full-fledged project. A portion of the cars will be sold in Oman but a majority of the cars will be exported to other markets including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and some African markets.

Issa Al Riyami, chairman of Al Riyami Automobile and Al Orkid Automobile, said the share of OIF in the joint venture is 57 per cent, Iran Khodro 20 per cent, Al Riyami Automobile 20 per cent and Al Orkid Automobile 3 per cent.

He noted that the cars will start to be sold to the market in 2017, adding that 20 per cent of the cars will be sold to the local market

a majority of the cars will be exported to other markets, including the GCC countries and some African markets. – SHABIN E./Times of Oman

Economical cars Mehdi Akbar, regional director of Iran Khodro in Gulf countries, said that the company has participated in the exhibition with Dena, Runna, Soren and Samand passenger cars. He said that the cars manufactured by Iran Khodro, one of the largest car manufacturers in the Middle East, are on the economical scale and are among the best in the world in terms of fuel consumption.

Akbar noted that the project is planned to start with the Dena brand and good after-sales services will be offered. Asked when the assembly will start, he said that it is expected within 14 months from now.

Duqm gate Commenting on the importance of the project, the official said that Duqm will become a major gate for exports to other countries such as African countries in the near future.

According to him, the project will positively affect the trade ties between Iran and Oman and will mutually benefit both countries.

“We are going to transfer the knowledge of the production to the Omanis,” he said, adding that a number of Iranian experts will

help initiate the project but Omani staff will be used in the unit.

Akbar noted that a ‘great change’ is being seen in the activities of Iran Khodro after the lifting of the economic sanctions against Iran and the company is expected to sign cooperation agreements with a number of major international companies.

The signing ceremony was attended by Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, Oman’s minister of commerce and industry; Mojtaba Khosrotaj, Iranian deputy minister of industry, mine and trade; Ali Akbar Sibeveih, Iran’s ambassador to the Sultanate, and a number of other officials.

Speaking to reporters, Al Sunaidy said that the exhibition would help enhance trade between the two countries.

There are direct shipping line services between Sohar and Iran once every two weeks as the level of direct bilateral trade was still low but with this kind of exhibitions and enhanced trade of products, that particular line is going to expand, the minister further added.

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S TA G E T W O

Etihad suspends tender process for railway line DUBAI: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Rail has suspended the tender process for stage two of the project, which is due to take the line west to the UAE’s border with Saudi Arabia and east to Dubai and Oman, according to a statement on Tuesday.

The richest of the UAE’s seven emirates derives 51 per cent of its gross domestic product from oil, putting state spending under pressure after the price of crude

slumped to $30 a barrel.

HSBC this month trimmed its 2015 growth estimate for the UAE as a whole to 2.3 per cent from 2.4 per cent.

Etihad Rail, which has pledged to spend Dh40 billion ($11 billion) on its part of the pan-Gulf network, put the bidding on hold after suggesting on January 17 that tenders were in their final stages, even after the company dismissed one-third of its workforce, citing a need to streamline operations.

“We have been working closely with our partners and stakeholders to assess our strategic priorities for the year,” chairman Nasser

Alsowaidi said in Tuesday’s release. Stage two of the plan is now frozen while the company ponders “the most appropriate timing for this investment,” he said.

No impact on stage one The decision will have no impact on the stage one route, which recently commenced commercial operations after safety clearances were granted in December and links a number of industrial in-

stallations west of Abu Dhabi city, Etihad Rail said.

The Gulf Cooperation Council Rail Network aims to span the six GCC nations, running from close to the borders of Iraq in Kuwait via the Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia, with links to Qatar and Bahrain, into the UAE and on to Oman.

A notional deadline of 2018 for the work still stands, though some of the countries have yet to start laying down track. – Bloomberg News

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

MARKET MSM index ends higher

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ....................................... 4,962.19 ..............4,934.23 ...................4,953.98 .................. 4,934.23.................. 19.75 ...................0.40 Financial Index ..................................... 5,919.31 .............. 5,858.23 ...................5,898.00 ...................5,858.23..................39.77 ................... 0.68 Industrial Index ....................................6,416.57 .............. 6,392.44 ................... 6,395.57 ................... 6,415.95................-20.38 .................. -0.32 Services Index ...................................... 2,849.86 .............. 2,840.14 ...................2,848.93 ...................2,840.14.................... 8.79 ................... 0.31 MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................801.99 ..................798.80 .......................799.59 ...................... 801.99..................-2.40 .................. -0.30 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 28,332,338 ................. 8,498,014 .................... 842 ............... 15,276,885,276 ................ 14 ........................8 ....................22 .........................44

United Finance, up 4.67 per cent, was the top gainer on Wednesday, while Construction

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27

Materials, down 6.90 per cent, lost the most 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: Dividend announcements in banking stocks lifted the MSM 30 Index to 4,953.98 points, up 0.40 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index closed at 799.59 points, down by 0.30 per cent.

Al Suwadi Power was the most active in terms of volume while Sembcorp Salalah led in terms of turnover. United Finance, up 4.67 per cent, was the top gainer on Wednesday while Construction Materials was the top loser, down 6.90 per cent.

As many as 842 trades were executed on Wednesday, generating turnover of OMR8.49 million with 28.3 million shares changing hands. Out of 44 traded securities, 14 advanced, eight declined and 22 remained unchanged.

Omani investors were net buyers to the tune of OMR1.83 million worth of shares, while foreign investors remained net sellers at OMR1.67 million, followed by GCC and Arab investors who sold shares amounting to OMR158,000.

Financial Index advanced 0.68 per cent to close at 5,898 points.

United Finance, NBO, Al Anwar Holding, BankDhofar and Bank Muscat gained 4.67 per cent, 3.18 per cent, 2.80 per cent, 1.85 per cent and 1.50 per cent, respectively. Bank Nizwa and Bank Sohar declined 1.59 per cent and 0.81 per cent, respectively.

Industrial Index declined by 0.32 per cent to close at 6,395.57 points. National Aluminium, up 2.49 per cent, was the only gainer.

Construction Materials, Oman Cables, Oman Fisheries, Al Anwar Ceramics and Al Jazeera Steel declined by 6.90 per cent, 3.33 per cent, 2.17 per cent, 1.06 per cent and 0.67 per cent, respectively.

Services Index ended the session at 2,848.93 points, up 0.31 per cent. OIFC, Phoenix Power, Sembcorp Salalah, Renaissance Services and Oman Hotels & Tourism gained by 1.83

per cent, 1.50 per cent, 1.24 per cent, 0.88 per cent and 0.42 per cent, respectively. United Power, down by 0.58 per cent, was the sole loser.

Emerging stocks Emerging-market stocks rose before the Federal Reserve concludes its first policy meeting of the year and amid speculation counterparts in Europe and Japan will bolster their record stimulus.

Shares in Russia, South Korea, the Middle East and the Philippines rose at least 1.4 per cent.

Malaysia’s ringgit jumped as Prime Minister Najib Razak was cleared in a corruption probe, while Turkey’s lira gained for a second day and Russia’s ruble erased earlier losses. The extra yield investors demand to own developing-nation debt over US Treasuries narrowed for the first time this week.

Emerging markets took some respite after concern over China’s worsening economic outlook spurred a selloff that erased more than $2.5 trillion from the value of equities in developing nations this year. The turmoil has led traders to push back bets on the Fed’s rate increase, while European Central Bank President Mario Draghi signaled last week further stimulus may be necessary in March. The Bank of Japan meets on Friday.

“Sentiment has turned more positive, which was almost inevitable, considering how negative it had become,” said Tony Hann, the head of emerging equities at Blackfriars Asset Management Ltd. in London, who broadly prefers Indian shares and stocks of southeast Asian countries including Indonesia.

The MSCIEmerging Markets Index rose 1.1 percent to 715.79 at 12:55 p.m. in London.

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

OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ...................................................... 38,000 .............. 4,260........................5 ............0.111 ........... 0.114............ 0.111 ............0.112 .............0.107............ 0.005............. 4.673 ................0.114 .............. 0.110................... 0.114 ...................34,805,673.........0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 943,360 .........214,239.....................42 ............0.216 ...........0.230 ...........0.216........... 0.227 .............0.220 ........... 0.007............. 3.182 ................0.230..............0.229...................0.231..................304,341,227 .......0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 1,054,385 ...... 155,327..................... 78 ............0.149 ........... 0.149 ...........0.146............0.147 .............0.143............ 0.004............. 2.797 ................0.147 .............. 0.147...................0.148...................22,061,025 .........0.100 OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ............. 2,692,938...... 555,314..................... 59 ............0.201 ........... 0.216 ...........0.201........... 0.206 .............0.201 ........... 0.005............. 2.488 ................0.210............. 0.208...................0.210.....................6,915,719...........0.100 OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 973,264 ......... 214,318..................... 54 ........... 0.230 ...........0.230 ...........0.220 .......... 0.220 .............0.216............ 0.004............. 1.852 ................0.220 ............ 0.220...................0.225 ................ 339,840,280 .......0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 126,279 ............21,068..................... 25 ............0.166 ........... 0.168 ...........0.166 ............0.167 .............0.164............ 0.003............. 1.829 ................0.167 ..............0.166...................0.167...................33,400,000.........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 4,096,407 .. 1,659,103................... 178 ........... 0.400...........0.408 ...........0.400 .......... 0.406 .............0.400 ........... 0.006............. 1.500 ................0.402............. 0.400...................0.402 .................930,479,974........0.100 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH.............................................. 1,013,506 .. 2,483,090..................... 10 ........... 2.450 ...........2.450 ...........2.450........... 2.450 .............2.420 ........... 0.030............. 1.240 ................2.450..............2.450...................2.500 .................233,870,128........1.000 OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 110,100 .............10,762........................5 ........... 0.097 ...........0.098 ...........0.097........... 0.098 .............0.097 ............0.001 ..............1.031.................0.098..............0.092...................0.098..................196,030,653 ........0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES .......................................64,447 ............... 7,347........................1 ............0.114 ........... 0.114............0.114 ............0.114 ............. 0.113 .............0.001 ............. 0.885 ................0.114 .............. 0.114................... 0.119 ................... 33,134,216 .........0.100 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 193,191 .............31,949..................... 36 ............0.164 ........... 0.166 ...........0.164............0.165 .............0.164.............0.001 ............. 0.610 ................0.165 .............. 0.165...................0.167...................16,500,000.........0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 142,396 .........203,806.....................42 ............1.430 ........... 1.450 ...........1.425 ........... 1.430 ............. 1.425............ 0.005............. 0.351 ................1.430 ..............1.420...................1.430................1,072,500,000......0.100 OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ........................... 1,300 ...................156........................1 ............0.120 ........... 0.120 ...........0.120........... 0.120 .............0.120 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.120.............. 0.116...................0.120...................11,404,800 .........0.100 OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ..........................................................2,600 ...............2,475........................1 ........... 0.952 ...........0.952 ...........0.952........... 0.952 .............0.952 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.952............. 0.940...................0.952................. 190,400,000 .......0.100 OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 266,112........... 119,765........................6 ........... 0.452 ...........0.452 ...........0.450........... 0.450 .............0.450 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.450..............0.450...................0.460 .................248,787,739 ........0.100 OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS .............. 11,000 ...............2,850........................5 ........... 0.259 ...........0.260 ...........0.259........... 0.259 .............0.259 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.260............. 0.260...................0.265....................5,439,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ..............................................5,000 ................1,175........................1 ........... 0.235 ........... 0.235 ...........0.235........... 0.230 .............0.230 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.235..............0.235...................0.240 ..................14,076,983 .........0.100 OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING .................................. 60,000 ...........117,900........................9 ............1.965 ........... 1.965 ...........1.965 ............1.965 ............. 1.965............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.965 ..............1.800...................1.960..................186,675,000........0.100 OM0000003000 ...........ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. ......... 5,542 ...............9,532........................3 ............1.720 ........... 1.720 ...........1.720 ............1.720 ............. 1.720............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.720 .............. 1.720...................1.800..................118,680,000........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 764,386 ............39,786......................11 ........... 0.052 ........... 0.053 ...........0.052........... 0.052 .............0.052 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.052..............0.052...................0.053...................15,078,993 .........0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ........................................................2,651 ............... 1,103........................5 ............0.416 ........... 0.416 ...........0.416 ........... 0.410 .............0.410............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.416 .............. 0.416...................0.428 ..................24,805,000 ........0.100 OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER......................................................................20 ....................... 7........................1 ........... 0.350 ...........0.350 ...........0.350........... 0.352 .............0.352 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.350............. 0.000...................0.350................... 77,795,520 .........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 203,000.........126,232........................7 ........... 0.620 ...........0.624 ...........0.620........... 0.620 .............0.620 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.624.............. 0.612...................0.624 .................403,585,423 .......0.100 OM0000004248 ...........SMN POWER HOLDING ....................................................20 ..................... 15........................1 ............0.740 ........... 0.740 ...........0.740........... 0.740 .............0.740 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.740............. 0.000...................0.740..................147,730,344 ........0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL............................................... 16,700 ............... 1,162........................3 ........... 0.070 ...........0.070 ...........0.068........... 0.070 .............0.070 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.068..............0.068...................0.070...................12,250,000.........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER................................................ 854,820 ......... 162,416......................16 ............0.190 ........... 0.190 ...........0.190........... 0.190 .............0.190 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.190..............0.190...................0.193..................128,228,612........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................. 10,000,000 1,910,000........................1 ............0.191 ........... 0.191............0.191 ........... 0.190 .............0.190 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.191 ..............0.190................... 0.191 .................. 135,737,205 ........0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ........................................................532 ...................178........................2 ........... 0.334 ...........0.334 ...........0.334........... 0.340 .............0.340 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.334..............0.334...................0.344 ..................17,850,000 .........0.100 OM0000001822............UNITED POWER ..............................................................1,183 ............... 3,051........................2 ........... 2.550 ...........2.600 ...........2.550........... 2.580 .............2.595 ...........-0.015 ........... -0.578 ...............2.600............. 2.600...................2.700....................2,064,000..........1.000 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ..........................35,000 ...............5,230........................7 ............0.146 ........... 0.150 ...........0.146 ........... 0.149 .............0.150............-0.001 ........... -0.667 ...............0.150 .............. 0.141...................0.150................... 18,609,796 .........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 200,403 ........... 24,668..................... 25 ............0.124 ........... 0.124 ...........0.123 ............0.123 .............0.124 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.806 ...............0.123 ..............0.123...................0.126.................. 177,297,120 ........0.100 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES .................................60,832 ............. 17,033......................12 ........... 0.280...........0.280 ...........0.280 .......... 0.280 .............0.283 ...........-0.003 ........... -1.060 ...............0.280............. 0.280...................0.288 ..................82,939,831 .........0.100 OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY...................................... 73,748 .......... 106,985........................6 ............1.450 ........... 1.455............1.450 ............1.450 .............1.500 ...........-0.050 ........... -3.333 ...............1.455 ..............1.460...................1.495 ..................130,065,000........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 24,013,122.....8,212,301 ...............660 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......33........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 819,093...........110,336..................... 35 ............0.134 ........... 0.136 ...........0.134............0.135 ............. 0.133............ 0.002............. 1.504 ................0.136 .............. 0.136...................0.137 .................. 197,451,197 ........0.100 OM0000001228............OMAN HOTELS AND TOURISM ........................... 22,880 ............... 5,514........................2 ............0.241 ........... 0.241 ...........0.241........... 0.241 .............0.240 ............0.001 ............. 0.417 ................0.241............. 0.240...................0.000 ..................13,255,000 .........0.100 OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS ................................................... 1,390 .................. 567........................1 ........... 0.408 ...........0.408 ...........0.408........... 0.408 .............0.408 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.408..............0.408...................0.000 ................. 64,260,000 ........0.100 OM0000001723 ............OMAN ORIX LEASING ................................................. 2,100 .................. 286........................1 ............0.136 ........... 0.136 ...........0.136 ............0.138 ............. 0.138............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.136 ............. 0.000...................0.000 ..................33,310,998 .........0.100 OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................. 147,770 ...............8,845......................13 ........... 0.060 ...........0.060 ...........0.058........... 0.060 .............0.060 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.059..............0.056...................0.059....................4,512,480 ..........0.100 OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.................................................. 1,000 .....................56........................1 ........... 0.056 ...........0.056 ...........0.056........... 0.055 .............0.055 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.056..............0.055...................0.056...................55,000,000.........0.100 OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE ....................................150 ..................... 15........................1 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.100 ...........0.100........... 0.095 .............0.095 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.100..............0.090...................0.100....................9,500,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 1,695,925 ......104,550.....................40 ........... 0.062 ...........0.063 ...........0.061 ........... 0.062 .............0.063 ...........-0.001 ............-1.587................0.061 ..............0.061...................0.063...................93,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ..................................................... 623,300 ............28,139..................... 36 ........... 0.046 ...........0.046 ...........0.045........... 0.045 .............0.046 ...........-0.001 ........... -2.174................0.046............. 0.044...................0.046 ...................5,625,000 ..........0.100 OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. .................. 1,004,000 ........27,253..................... 49 ........... 0.028 ...........0.028 ...........0.027........... 0.027 .............0.029 ...........-0.002 ........... -6.897 ...............0.028..............0.027...................0.028 ...................2,295,000 ..........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 4,317,608 ......285,560................... 179 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......10........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 ....................... 1,608 ...................153........................3 ........... 0.095 ........... 0.095 ...........0.095........... 0.095 .............0.095 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.095..............0.095...................0.099...................30,795,353 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: ...................................................................................... 1,608 ...................153........................3 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. .........1........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

- United Securities/Bloomberg News

INDIAN MARKETS

Sensex gains; rupee plunges again MUMBAI: Sensex oscillated for the most part of the session, but notched up gains for the third straight day as investors played safe ahead of the January derivatives expiry on Thursday amid a mixed trend overseas.

Sustained outflows by foreign funds and a mixed global trend ahead of the outcome of the US Fed’s two-day policy meet.

The 30-share barometer, which had gained 523.74 points in the

previous two sessions, inched up 6.44 points, or 0.03 per cent, to 24,492.39 at the close. It moved between 24,645.70 and 24,458.13. The broader Nifty settled higher by 1.60 points, or 0.02 per cent, at 7,437.75.

Rupee slumps Extending losses for the second day, the rupee on Wednesday plummeted by another 22 paise to close at a new 29-month low of 68.05 per dollar on sustained de-

mand for the American currency from banks and importers amidst lower greenback overseas.

The month-end dollar demand from importers, mainly oil refiners, affected the rupee value against the dollar, a forex dealer said.

The rupee resumed lower at 67.90 per dollar as against Monday’s closing level of 67.83 and fell further to 68.08 before closing at 29-month low at 68.05, showing a loss of 22 paise. - PTI

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

B3

MARKET OIL MARKET

New record for Oman crude oil contract Times News Service MUSCAT: Dubai Mercantile Exchnage (DME), the premier international energy futures and commodities exchange in the Middle East, on Wednesday achieved a new open interest record for its flagship Oman Crude Oil Futures contract of 31,492 lots, which is equivalent to 31.5 million barrels of Omani crude oil. The previous record was set on August 28, 2015 when open interest was 27,107 lots.

Wednesday’s record highlights the increase appetite for commercial players to trade on the exchange and get their crude oil delivered through DME due to its transparent trading platform and its delivery mechanism that allows DME to deliver between 15 and 22 million barrels every month from Mina Al Fahal port in Oman.

Owain Johnson, managing director of DME said: “The new record today indicates that our offering is highly appreciated by major global commercial players.

We have witnessed strong physical delivery volumes recently and this is due to the ever-growing appetite among oil traders to trade the DME Oman contract, both to participate in price discovery and also in physical delivery through the exchange.” ““An increase in open interest is the best indicator of the health of a futures contract and so we are delighted to set a new record.

Trading volumes also continue to grow strongly on the exchange, so DME has made an excellent start to 2016,” Johnson added. DME recently registered a 30 per cent increase year-on-year in physical delivery volumes.

Toyota retains top slot for fourth year in global sales Plans to

Japanese carmaker

acquire entire Daihatsu ownership

was the only auto company to deliver more than 10 million vehicles as Volkswagen fell back amid its recent emissions scandal

TOKYO: Toyota stayed the world’s top-selling automaker for the fourth straight year and only company to deliver more than 10 TOP-SELLING BRAND: Global sales for Toyota, including its Hino Motors and Daihatsu Motor units, million vehicles as Volkswagen fell fell 0.8 per cent to 10.15 million vehicles last year. – Bloomberg News back amid its emissions scandal.

Global sales for Toyota, includTo make it five wins in a row, gency braking. Although VolkswaThe German company also has ing its Hino Motors and Daihatsu units, fell 0.8 per cent to 10.15 mil- to mend its reputation and rethink Toyota is considering a move gen’s European recall is due to belion vehicles last year, according the goal of surpassing Toyota, a that could improve its position in gin this month, the company has yet to agree to a fix with regulators to a company statement. Volkswa- key objective under former chief emerging markets.

The automaker may buy the rest in the US, where it’s been forced to gen earlier this month reported a 2 executive officer Martin Winterper cent drop to 9.9 million, while korn, who resigned in the wake of of its 51 per cent-owned Daihatsu halt sales of diesel models. The auGeneral Motors’ deliveries rose revelations the company had em- unit, giving it full control over the tomaker has so far set aside €6.7 ployed defeat devices to cheat on leading maker of minicars for Ja- billion ($7.3 billion) for repairs to 0.2 per cent to 9.8 million. pan and compact cars in Indone- engines that were rigged to pass Toyota’s result caps a year in exhaust tests. emissions tests, and it faces hun“Toyota’s hegemony will prob- sia and Malaysia. which Volkswagen (VW) led its dreds of lawsuits and fines from Japanese rival through the first six ably not be challenged for the next regulators. – Bloomberg News months, only to relinquish the top few years after the big setback Redesigned Prius spot amid an unprecedented cri- for VW,” Zhou Jincheng, a Nago- Toyota also is introducing its first sis. Already dealing with slump- ya-based analyst at researcher redesigned Prius compact in aling sales in China, Volkswagen’s Fourin, said by phone. “The gap most seven years. The carmaker HAVE YOUR SAY emissions scandal has forced it to will only get wider and wider be- boosted the fuel economy of its Send us your comments at halt sales of diesels in some mar- cause VW will take time to adjust top-selling hybrid and has outfitfacebook.com/timesofoman kets and scramble to repair 11 mil- its strategies for markets such as ted the model with driver-assist blog.timesofoman.com features like automatic emerthe United States and Europe.” lion vehicles. haveyoursay@timesofoman.com

TOKYO: Toyota is considering a buyout offer for its Daihatsu Motor unit, which would give the world’s biggest automaker full control over a company that excels in minicars and emerging markets.

Toyota holds a 51 per cent stake in Daihatsu and is constantly considering a number of possibilities including making it a fully owned subsidiary. Daihatsu said it’s cooperating with Toyota and that the buyout is an option. Shares of Daihatsu rose 16 per cent, their biggest gain since November 1999, at the close in Tokyo.

At Daihatsu’s current market value, the portion of the company Toyota doesn’t already own is worth about ¥360.8 billion ($3 billion). The deal would give Toyota full say over a company that competes with Suzuki Motor in Japan’s minicar segment. - Bloomberg News

PERFORMANCE

C O R P O R AT E

BankDhofar to pay 25% dividend OMR25.02 million in 2015as compared to OMR22.06 million achieved in the previous year.

The cost-to-income ratio during the year 2015 improved to 44.43 per cent as compared to 46.69 per cent in 2014.

In line with loan growth and regulatory requirement, the provision for loan impairment, net of recovery, during the year 2015 stood at OMR8.78 million, as against OMR6.93 million in 2014.

Times News Service

SALES GROWTH SLOWS: Apple said it has sold 74.8 million iPhones in its fiscal first quarter, ended December 26, the first full quarter of sales of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. – Bloomberg News

Apple forecasts fall in revenue as sales growth declines SAN FRANCISCO: Apple forecast its first revenue drop in 13 years and reported the slowestever increase in iPhone shipments as the critical Chinese market showed signs of weakening, suggesting the technology company’s period of exponential growth may be ending.

The slowdown comes as Wall Street analysts worry the company does not have another blockbuster product to replace the iPhone. Apple does not report Watch sales, but it does not appear to have the makings of being a hit on the same level as the iPhone a year after launch.

And while the company is reportedly working on a car, what it plans to do in that area and when are still unclear. The company’s shares, which have fallen 5 per cent this year, bounced around in after-hours trading and were down more than 2.6 per cent. iPhone growth slows “It’s disappointing to see them miss on an already downward adjusted sales number and the fact is that with their iPhone growth slowing what was needed was a product to be excited about,” said J.J. Kinahan, chief strategist at TD Ameritrade. “Pressure on the shares will continue without a well-defined plan to grow sales or a new product.”

The company said on Tuesday it sold 74.8 million iPhones in its fiscal first quarter, ended December 26, the first full quarter

of sales of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. The 0.4 per cent growth in shipments was the lowest since the product was launched in 2007.

IPhone sales were expected to fall for the current quarter compared with the same quarter last year, chief executive officer Tim Cook said on a conference call with analysts. But suggesting there is still room for growth, 60 percent of people who had an iPhone prior to the launch of the iPhone 6 have yet to upgrade to an iPhone 6 or 6S, Cook said.

Shift in economy And iPhones remain popular with American consumers. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 86 per cent of iPhone owners were somewhat or very likely to buy another iPhone. Of those likely to buy a phone, 15 per cent are currently looking to upgrade and 17 per cent will when the next iPhone is released. The January poll had a credibility interval of 2.0 percentage points.

While revenue in Greater China rose 14 per cent in the last quarter, Apple is beginning to see a shift in the economy, particularly in Hong Kong, Apple chief financial officer Luca Maestri said.

“As we move into the March quarter it’s becoming more apparent that there are some signs of economic softness,” Maestri said.

Apple forecast second-quarter revenue of $50 billion to $53 billion, below analysts’ average forecast of $55.5 billion. - Reuters

MUSCAT: BankDhofar posted a net profit growth of 15.62 per cent in 2015 at OMR46.77 million as against OMR40.45 million in 2014.

And the bank’s board of directors have recommended a cash dividend of 15 per cent amounting to OMR23.17 million and 10 per cent bonus shares aggregating to 154.47 million shares of OMR0.100 each, of the share capital of the bank, subject to regulatory approvals.

The full year net loans, advances and financing to customers reached OMR2.73 billion, showing a significant growth of 21.33 per cent from OMR2.25 billion at the end of December 2014.

The customer deposits mobilised by the bank achieved a prudent growth of 4.43 per cent from OMR2.48billion at the end of 2014 to reach OMR2.59 billion at the end of 2015.

The key profitability indicators also showed positive growth with net interest and financing income achieving a solid growth of

FARES WELL: BankDhofar said it posted a net profit growth of 15.62 per cent in 2015 at OMR46.77 million as against OMR40.45 million in 2014 – Times file picture

17.47 per cent to reach OMR90.21 million for 2015 compared to OMR76.79 million achieved in 2014, the bank said in a statement on Wednesday.

AV I AT I O N

Emirates plans to add 37 planes to strengthen Asian operations DUBAI: Emirates, the world’s biggest long-haul airline, plans to add 37 new planes to its fleet in the fiscal year beginning April as it expands operations in Asia with new destinations.

The airline will receive 21 Airbus A380 superjumbos and 16 Boeing 777s in the year ending March 2017, chief commercial officer Thierry Antinori said on Wednesday in Singapore. The

aircraft are worth $14.5 billion at list prices.

Emirates already serves about 150 destinations in about 80 countries using the industry’s biggest wide-body fleet. The airline will begin operations to Panama in February in what will be the longest nonstop commercial flight by any carrier, overtaking Qantas Airways’ service to Dallas from Sydney. - Bloomberg News

Non-interest and non-financing income such as fees and commission, foreign exchange profit, investment and other income have grown 13.39 per cent to reach

Dividend proposed The impairment of investments due to downward market movements during the year is OMR 2.74 million, the bank said.

In recognition of its commitment to customers, BankDhofar has received 18 prestigious awards from local and international institutions including: ABF Retail Banking Awards 2015, SME Bank of the Year – Oman, Islamic Bank of the Year – Oman 2015, and the OER Finance Summit & Top 20 Awards, amongst other awards.

B4

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

FEATURE

SHAPING THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION BUILDS ON THE THIRD INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, ALSO KNOWN AS THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION, WHICH ENTAILED THE PROLIFERATION OF COMPUTERS AND THE AUTOMATION OF RECORD KEEPING; BUT THE NEW WAVE OF TRANSFORMATION DIFFERS FROM ITS PREDECESSORS IN A FEW KEY WAYS

OF the myriad challenges the world faces today, perhaps the most overwhelming is how to shape the Fourth Industrial Revolution that began at the turn of the century. New technologies and approaches are merging the physical, digital, and biological worlds in ways that will fundamentally transform humankind. The extent to which that transformation is positive will depend on how we navigate the risks and opportunities that arise along the way. The Fourth Industrial Revolution builds on the Third Industrial Revolution, also known as the Digital Revolution, which entailed the proliferation of computers and the automation of record keeping; but the new wave of transformation differs from its predecessors in a few key ways. First, innovations can be developed and diffused faster than ever. Second, falling marginal production costs and the rise of platforms that aggregate and concentrate activity in multiple sectors augment returns to scale.

Third, this global revolution will affect – and be shaped by – all countries, and have a systems-level impact in many areas.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has the potential to empower individuals and communities, as it creates new opportunities for economic, social, and personal development. But it also could lead to the marginalization of some groups, exacerbate inequality, create new security risks, and undermine human relationships. If we are to seize the opportunities, and avoid the pitfalls, of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we must consider carefully the questions that it raises.

We must rethink our ideas about economic and social development, value creation, privacy and ownership, and even individual identity. We must address, individually and collectively, moral and ethical issues raised by cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence and biotechnology, which will enable significant life extension, designer babies, and memory extraction. And we must adapt to new approaches to meeting people and nurturing relationships. The scale of the challenge should not be underestimated.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution could lead to forms of human augmentation that cause us

to question the very nature of human existence – and even sooner than one might imagine. Consider the impact that mobile technology has already made on our lives and relationships. As the novelty of wearable tech gives way to necessity – and, later, as wearable tech becomes embedded tech – will we be deprived of the chance to pause, reflect, and engage in meaningful, substantive conversations? How will our inner lives and ties to those around us change? These are weighty questions, about which debate will probably intensify in the coming years. In this effort, new forms of collaboration and governance, accompanied by a positive shared narrative, will be essential. To this end, three key steps are needed.

First, we must continue to raise awareness and understanding of the issues at stake. Decision-making cannot occur in isolation. We need an inclusive approach that brings together top minds from all over the world, from both the public and private sectors. Second, we must develop comprehensive, constructive narratives about how the Fourth Industrial Revolution should develop.

For example, we should ensure that values and ethics are at the heart of our individual and collective behaviors, including in capital and financial markets. We must move beyond tolerance and respect to genuine care and compassion, with empowerment and inclusiveness becoming guiding principles of our actions.

Third, we must move to restructure our economic, social, and political systems. It is clear that our current governance structures and dominant models of wealth creation are not equipped to meet current or, more important, future needs. What is needed now is not small-scale adjustments or marginal reforms, but comprehensive and innovative systemic transformation.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution can compromise humanity’s traditional sources of meaning – work, community, family, and identity – or it can lift humanity into a new collective and moral consciousness based on a sense of shared destiny. The choice is ours.

— KLAUS SCHWAB/Project Syndicate

THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES, AS IT CREATES NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT.

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ROUND-UP

ISM celebrates 67th Republic Day of India ISM family felicitated its Best Teacher Award winners for the academic year 2015-16 during the celebrations

MUSCAT: Indian School Muscat (ISM) celebrated India’s 67th Republic Day on January 26 with fervour on the school premises.

Dr Avirat Vaishnav, president, School Managing Committee (SMC), unfurled the tricolour in the presence of the SMC members, principal Srinivas K. Naidu, vice principals, teachers, parents and students. The school ground, well adorned with national flags, enlivened the settings and ambience of the occasion, says a press release.

The nationalistic passion induced by patriotic song sung by the school choir, the video presentation glimpses of the Republic Day celebrations of the yesteryears and the confluence of Indian classical dance forms, fascinated and filled everyone with intense reminiscences of the motherland.

Dr Avirat received the salute as

the school band played the Indian national anthem with precision.

He read out the excerpts of Indian President’s address to the nation on the eve of the 67th Republic Day. ISM family felicitated its Best Teacher Award winners for the academic year 2015-16 and felt proud as two of its staff members won the Best Teacher Awards after going through a meticulous selection procedure.

Speaking on the occasion, the principal lauded the dedicated services of the teaching community and observed that the academic year 2015-16 was the year of success and excellence for Indian School Muscat, and excellence did not happen just like that, but it was the outcome of the constant and continuous efforts of individuals.

The following teachers were felicitated for receiving awards and for their exemplary services to the school. Eskalin Gonsalves, assistant vice principal, Middle Section was felicitated for receiving the Best Teacher Award and Sripriya Sundar, head of English Department for receiving the Certificate of Excellence in the Primary Section Category, Deepak Roy, head of Co-curricular Activities Department, for his exemplary contributions in enabling six students to secure 100 percent in Sculpture in the CBSE examinations in 2015, Biju Varghese of the Department of Social Sciences, Senior Section for coordinating various school programmes, in particular, helping the school get the International School Award (ISA) from the Brit-

B5

ish council, Johns Abraham for coaching the school Athletic Team and winning gold for the 4x100 metres relay and Bronze for the 4 X 400 metres relay in the CBSE National Meet in India, and Ashutosh Pant for training the school Badminton Team to clinch a silver medal at the CBSE National Meet held in Chennai.

Dr Avirat, Rakesh K. P., co-convener and chairman of the Purchase Subcommittee and Riyaz Kuttery, Sports Sub-committee Chairman jointly bestowed the awardees with shawls, mementos and Certificates of Excellence.

On this joyous day, taking the school a step ahead in the technological realm, Rakesh officially launched the mobile application of ISM on Android platform, the technological utility to make the parents comfortable to do all transactions with the school.

ACADEMICS

WCAS graduation ceremony set to be held on February 9 MUSCAT: Waljat College of Applied Sciences (WCAS) is set to conduct its graduation ceremony on Tuesday, February 9, at 6.30pm at A’Noor Plaza, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos under the patronage of Saud bin Salim Al Balushi, undersecretary for Education Planning and Human Resources Development at the Ministry of Education.

Dr Omar bin Abdul Munim Al Zawawi, the founder of WCAS, Dr M. K. Mishra, the vice chancellor, Birla Institute of Technology, India, Dr Zuhoor Abdullah Al Khanjari, chairman and members of the Trustee Council of Waljat College, Dr S. L. Gupta, dean of the college and other officials from the institute would be attending the ceremony, says a press release.

Vital role Waljat College of Applied Sciences is considered one of the best colleges in the Sultanate of Oman due to the quality of education and training given in the field of engineering, information technology and business management. The college aims to develop students to be aware of their responsibility and to play an important role in various sectors of the economy.

In 2015, the number of graduate students were 371 students: 295 students with bachelor’s de-

gree, 41 students with diploma degree and 35 master’s degrees.

Prominent place Hard work and dedication by college graduates give them a prominent place in their field, whether in the government sector or the private sector or even as an entrepreneur at national level.

3,400 students have graduated from WCAS so far in diploma degree and bachelor of business administration, biotechnology, computer science, electronics and communications engineering, in addition to the master of business administration.

Best project award Last year, the college established ‘Best Project Award for Bachelor’s Degree’ to encourage students to learn about innovation and quality of research in order to stimulate a culture of research and innovation and invention among students in the college.

Therefore, the winners are awarded a certificate of appreciation and a cash award during the graduation ceremony.

Students who have graduated with the highest levels of academic performance in the field of management, engineering and computer applications for the academic year 2015, will be also given gold medals and appreciation certificates.

DEPENDABLE CHOICE

High performance of Daewoo trucks delights customers MUSCAT: Few trucks can stand tall amongst the league of proven heavy-duty truck brands in Oman today. Even fewer can muster up the grit and might to pass the 400 HP barriers and roar into the ranks of legendary European giant brands.

The ‘Proudly made in Korea brand’ Daewoo trucks has done it all. Low initial and maintenance costs make them stand out among many of their kind. Today, Daewoo trucks are becoming the first preference of many discerning customers, more than 2,000 trucks are already plying on Oman roads and the numbers are rapidly increasing, says a press release.

The high performance of Daewoo trucks is delighting customers in Oman. Several fleet owners using Daewoo trucks for various applications bear testimony, the best performing trucks in their fleets are Daewoo trucks.

Riasat Ali from Al Hadera Al Muttahida said: “Their strong built and powerful engine produces high performance in tough rugged terrain and are the best performers uphill, in fact equivalent to or better than European brands. They are the best performing trucks in my fleet.”

A proud Mohammed Abdul Alim Gazi of Gulf Modern Trading & Marketing stated: “Our drivers love Daewoo trucks for their trouble free operations. The comfort, safety, easy drivability and ease of maintenance are combined features that are hard to beat. Daewoo trucks are without doubt the most versatile trucks in my fleet.”

Another delighted business owner Musabbah Abdulla Hamed Al Sanidi said: “Daewoo trucks are very user friendly, their powerful Doosan and Cummins engines have helped us deliver more cargo, we now make more trips and we all know more trips mean more profit.

Certainly the most productive trucks in my fleet.”

O M A N E N V I R O N M E N T D AY

While appreciating the reliability of Daewoo trucks, Mohammad Retab Issa from Al Wahat Al Wardiya Trading, commented: “Trucks are the lifeline of my rental business, they must operate without trouble. The very reliable time tested transmission, axle and other major components in Daewoo trucks have brought peace of mind; they are the most dependable in my fleet.”

Commenting on drivers’ comfort, Hilal Yarub Majid Al Saifi from Al saifi Trading and Construction, said: “What counts in long distance transport is having plenty of space and a well laid driving position. Daewoo trucks offer very comfortable cabins, which add to the overall driving com-

fort of the trucks. A happy driver increases productivity; these are definitely the most driver friendly trucks in my fleet.”

Tariq Ali Al Shaihani of Ali Shaihani Group of Industries, emphasised that for his business to run smoothly, his trucks need to run consistently and constantly.

Continuous running of the truck results in increased wear and tear and requires high maintenance all the time. “Thanks to the strong build quality and low maintenance of Daewoo trucks. They run longer, require less maintenance and are considered the most cost-effective trucks in our fleet.”

Abdullah Al Hashmi from Al Ozon for Engineering & Projects

commended Al Hashar for their customer support. “I really appreciate the commitment of team Al Hashar, from ensuring timely delivery to onsite service, everything is done perfectly. Excellent warranty support, I am glad to have chosen Daewoo trucks backed by the caring after sales support of Al Hashar.” Daewoo Trucks deliver ‘Absolute value for money’ and that’s why customers choose them, commented a spokesperson from Al Hashar. “Daewoo trucks truly maximise the revenue of the owner by less initial investment and mainly low running cost,” he concluded.

With all these attributes and qualities, it is easy to understand why Daewoo Trucks generate

higher revenues and profits for its owners making them smile.

Daewoo rigid trucks are available in 20.5 tonne to 48 tonne GVW capacity in 4x2, 6x4 & 8x4 drive configurations. Prime movers are available in the 45 tonne, 85 tonne and 100 tonne GCW capacities. 100 tonne prime mover is also available with Automatic transmission.

The 6 & 8 cylinder Doosan and Cummins engines powering the trucks produces 225 to 480 horse power and are perfectly qualified for the task assigned to the truck.

Electric cab tilting system provides easy access to the engine for maintenance and repair.

All Daewoo trucks are subjected to rigorous tests under tough conditions to check the reliability and durability of the truck before it is launched in the market. This is further cemented with a warranty of 2 years or 200,000km directly from the manufacturer offering ‘Peace of mind’ to customers.

Daewoo trucks are distributed

by Al Hashar, one of Oman’s premier trading companies with an experience of over four decades in the field of automobiles.

Daewoo trucks are backed by a nationwide network of sales and after sales facilities.

PAT R I O T I C F E RVOU R

ISG students display Grand Republic Day celebrations held at ISD creativity at exhibition

MUSCAT: It was indeed an honour that ISG was invited to participate in the exhibition organised by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs and Ministry of Education recently at the Oman Avenues Mall, Al Ghubra, as part of Oman Environment Day celebrations, says a press release.

Malak Jamal of Class VIII presented a project based on ‘Energy from Salt Water’. The main aim of this project was to generate power without polluting the environment, using cheap technology and minimum infrastructure.

Lukshya Ganjoo and Subodh Satish Dalvi of Class VII exhibited a ‘Miniature Smoke Purifier’ - a

simple, affordable, portable device which purifies smoke by removing carbon and can be implemented effectively in houses, automobiles and factories. The aim of this project was to maintain a clean and healthy environment.

Both the projects were highly appreciated by the dignitaries who visited the exhibition.

Papri Ghosh, principal, Indian School Al Ghubra, on behalf of the management committee and the staff, appreciated the commendable effort of the students which would definitely help to raise public awareness and involve people from all the sectors in environment preservation.

MUSCAT: The 67th Republic Day of India was celebrated with unprecedented joy, brimming fervour and enthusiasm at Indian School Darsait (ISD).

The chief guest Indra Mani Pandey, ambassador of India to the Sultanate of Oman, unfurled the national flag. He also received the Guard of Honour from the March Past contingents of four houses: Bapu, C. V. Raman, Tagore and Vivekananda, says a press release.

The Indian Diaspora that witnessed this iconic moment and attended the occasion included Sushma Indra Mani Pandey, officials from the Embassy of India, the Vice Chairman of BoD, Kiran Asher, a number of dignitaries from the Board of Directors of Indian schools, President of SMC, Abdul Rahim Kasim, esteemed Members of SMC, Dr Sridevi P. Thashnath, principal, former chairman of the Board, former presidents of the SMC, school administrators, staff, students and a good number of parents and well wishers.

The ambassador read out the gist and highlights of the address of the President of India to the nation on the eve of the Republic

Day. Addressing the gathering, the chief guest implored the audience to exhibit their commitment to the enduring democratic institution that the country represents.

“The need of the hour is to inculcate critical thinking and tap the intellectual intelligence of the young minds,” he added.

Indra Mani emphasised on instilling in the students, respect for diverse cultures and various religions and urged all to imbibe the spirit of unity in diversity and work for communal peace and harmony.

He congratulated the school for playing its role beautifully well in shaping the future generation and thus contributing towards nation building.

Some of the attractions of the day were the melodious patriotic songs by the choirs from both primary and senior sections of the school. They were indeed meaningful glimpses that aroused patriotic fervour and love in one and all.

A scintillating dance tableau tuned to the rhythm and beats of ‘Vande Mataram’ fused with the exposition of the burning issues of the time and the vision of a nation resounded in every ear invoking great feelings of patriotism and national pride beyond expression.

It further conveyed a message that we should stand for India which is free from corruption, atrocities

and harassment in the name of caste, gender and religion.

This year’s celebration was a remarkable one with colourful decorations with the school clad in tricolour invoking the patriotic ambience. Above all, the little ones with their faces painted in tricolour stole the show of the day.

The ambassador also planted a sapling on the school premises to commemorate this historic day.

The releasing of 67 tricolour helium balloons by him and other dignitaries amid the echoing of Jai Hind and waving of tricolour flags marked the closing of this year’s Republic Day celebration at Indian School Darsait.

The celebrations concluded with a cake cutting with the reverberation of a live orchestra by Malavika Harish, Aromal Shaji, Sradha Prasannan, Devika B. R., Nanda I. S. and Archana N. S. aroused the spirit of patriotism in all present.

Sweets were distributed to all who attended the celebrations.

The chief guest appreciated the school for rising to the occasion and putting up a well organised programme and commended the efforts of all in making the 67th Republic Day a truly splendid and remarkable occasion.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

ROUND-UP Bank Muscat commits to finance Mazaya project A memorandum of understanding was inked by the bank to provide baituna home finance for Mazaya project

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, and Mazaya company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide attractive baituna home finance for Mazaya project in Baushsr.

Abdullah Tamman Al Mashani, deputy general manager – Institutional Sales & Products Development, and Dr Mohammed Al Wahaibi, promoter of Mazaya company, signed the MoU at the bank’s head office, says a press release.

Al Mashani said: “Bank Muscat is proud to be associated with Mazaya project and facilitate attractive baituna finance for prospective home buyers. The real estate sector is a major component of the national economy and Bank Muscat is committed to extending all possible support to achieve the objective of a ‘home for every family’, especially youth. baituna home finance is aimed at offering citizens and residents easy access to mortgage finance, thereby enhanc-

ing the role of the real estate sector in the national economy.”

Al Wahaibi said: “We are happy to join hands with Bank Muscat to provide attractive home deals for citizens. The association between the two institutions will give a boost to the real estate sector and benefit citizens across Oman to fulfill their dream homes. Mazaya project comprises 24 sophisticated apartments and is expected to be handed over by July 2017.”

The attractive features of bai-

Oman UAE Exchange ties up with SBI for FLASHremit

MUSCAT: Fareeha Pervez Shaheed Intra School Science, IT and Art Exhibition was held recently at Pakistan School Muscat.

The exhibition was named in the loving memory of one of the martyred students of Pakistan School Muscat, says a press release.

The exhibition proved to be a great platform where the students manifested their understanding of concepts engulfed with their creativity in model making. Students from Pakistan School Muscat, Pakistan School Sohar, Pakistan School Musannah and Pakistan School Seeb participated in the exhibition.

Syed Ayaz Hussain, ambassador of Pakistan to the Sultanate of Oman, was present at the event.

He visited each stall and commended the efforts put in by the

students in model designing and their presentations.

A huge number of parents, students and members of different communities visited the exhibition. Three judges from different institutes were part of the exhibition to pin down the best of the models and the presenters.

Students, participants as well as visitors availed this opportunity of conducive learning to combine their vision with their understanding. Be it the unique incubator functioning with light of bulb, the model of animal cell, model of greenhouse effects; everything was awe-inspiring in the event for the visitors.

The exhibition proved to be a milestone for the inquisitive minds to explore, experiment and implement their ideas.

With FLASHremit facility, customers residing in Oman can instantly transfer money to any SBI account in India in a secured manner

The FLASHremit service empowers the customers to transfer money to their loved ones in real time.

Another value-added service being provided to the customers is the instant SMS notification that will reach both the sender and receiver once the amount is credited.”

“Oman is emerging as a strong

market in the remittance industry.

We are glad to partner with Oman UAE Exchange as the integration of FLASHremit in our bouquet of services will enable the customers to remit home in a more convenient, instant and secured manner,” said J. V. Ramanan, deputy general manager (GLS), State Bank of India.

Majan College honours ACCA graduates MUSCAT: Majan University College arranged a ceremony for its students who recently acquired the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) certification. The ceremony was attended by the Director of Studies, ACCA faculty, students and parents, says a press release.

The graduates were awarded certificates of appreciation by the dean. These students joined Majan’s ACCA tuition programme after completing senior secondary school/higher school diploma and have achieved the ACCA qualification within a period of three to four years.

The proud students, Ishita Vijay Mithani, Divya Ratan Ramchandhani, Zeba Zafar, Mushtaq Ali Meera and Yousuf Ahmed Khan thanked the college for providing an excellent academic environment and highly qualified

RECOGNITION

faculty to deliver the programme.

The Dean, Dr Maha Kobeil, congratulated the students for achieving this milestone in their life and wished them all the best in their future careers. She also appreciated the efforts of the parents in ensuring that their children had all the support they needed during their studies.

Majan University College is a gold status tuition provider for the ACCA programme. The col-

lege relaunched the programme in 2009/2010 and many of its graduates are already employed.

Ikram Ul Haq, director of the programme at Majan and a fellow of ACCA affirmed that the college applies very comprehensive and examination focused teaching strategy to ensure students get strong conceptual knowledge and are able to apply the knowledge gained on given examination scenarios.

LU C K Y D R AW

Bank Sohar honoured by Al Amal Association MUSCAT: In recognition of its continual support to the Al Amal Association which has resulted in a four-year-long partnership, Bank Sohar has received a token of appreciation from the association at an annual ceremony held recently at the Al Mouj Golf Tent in Muscat.

The event was held under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Faisal bin Turki Al Said, chairman of the Al Amal Association. Representing Bank Sohar and receiving the token of appreciation was Maha Hussain Al Lawati, Events & Promotions manager at Bank Sohar, says a press release.

Commenting on the bank receiving the token of appreciation, Munira Abdulnabi Macki, GM of HR and Corporate Support at Bank Sohar said: “Our corporate social responsibility commitment guides us towards understanding that each and every child is a vital part of our community. In 2015, our contribution to the association was aimed at providing children with intellectual disabilities a comprehensive training programme to enhance their skills and further develop their talents.

We have supported the association for four consecutive years now

Science and arts expo held at PSM

C H A R T E R E D C E R T I F I E D A C C O U N TA N T S

I N S TA N T M O N E Y T R A N S F E R

MUSCAT: With an aim to make money transfer a seamless experience for its customers, two entities came together to join hands. Oman UAE Exchange partnered with State Bank of India (SBI), one of India’s largest and trusted public sector banks, for FLASHremit, a real time account credit facility.

With this facility, customers residing in Oman can instantly transfer money to any SBI account in India in a secured manner, says a press release.

Commenting on the strategic tie-up, Boban MP, chief executive officer, Oman UAE Exchange, said: “Our partnership with State Bank of India is another step towards bringing convenience and value to our customers remitting to India.

tuna home finance include low interest rates with maximum loan tenure up to 25 years for Omani customers. With extended loan tenure and low interest rate of 4.25% pa during Muscat Festival, Bank Muscat facilitates the best home finance deals in the Sultanate. Citizens and residents can avail easy and convenient credit approval across the bank’s branches in the Sultanate. baituna home finance is designed to help families fulfil their dream homes, offering convenient mortgage plans to suit everyone’s needs with simplified documentation, flexible repayment options, insurance coverage and processing across the bank’s extensive network of branches. All leading property developers are associated with the bank, hence baituna facilitates access to prime residential projects in Oman. baituna facilitates purchase and construction of new homes as well as land for residential use.

Mortgage finance is offered to Omani nationals, GCC nationals and expatriates.

EXPERIMENTING IDEAS

We have supported the association for four consecutive years now and at the onset of the New Year, it gives us great pleasure to be a part of their annual honouring ceremony and at the onset of the New Year, it gives us great pleasure to be a part of their annual honouring ceremony, and we look forward to an enduring relationship with Al Amal Association in the future.”

The event, which took place recently, began with a recitation from the Holy Quran and followed by a short speech by Faisal Al Said.

This was followed by an entertainment and musical show, in addition to the felicitation ceremony honouring the supporters of Al Amal Association.

Expressing his appreciation for Bank Sohar’s support, Faisal Al Said remarked, “It is always very encouraging when private sector companies come forward to undertake their responsibility towards the community. On behalf of the association, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Bank Sohar for their support over the years in uplifting the lives of special members of our society by helping them to enjoy confident, dignified and self-reliant lives – and hope that other organisations

Munira Abdulnabi Macki

GM of HR and Corporate Support at Bank Sohar will follow Bank Sohar’s lead.”

Bank Sohar strives to ensure that its contributions are carefully planned and evaluated in order to diversify and reach out to the maximum number of people, especially those who most need it, offering recipients positive support to make a meaningful life change.

Muscat Lightings announces National Day sale winners

MUSCAT: Muscat Lightings announced the names of 45 winners of the lucky draw as part of the National Day Sale, recently.

The lucky winners were hosted at the showroom of Muscat Lightings located at Al Hail, and were welcomed by the directors of the company. National Day sale attracted a large number of customers. Besides quality products and services, a chance to win Samsung LED TVs were given to customers, on the purchase of goods of just OMR25, says a press release.

“This promotion to commemorate the country’s 45th National

Day was simply fantastic, as massive number of customers showed very strong interest in the products displayed at the showrooms, across the Sultanate. This clearly demonstrates Muscat Lightings’ commitment to turn each and every customer’s experience into one that is pleasant, as well as rewarding,” a company’s spokesman commented.

Muscat Lightings, the market leader and trendsetters in Oman’s Lighting Industry, is one of the most renowned company, with the privilege of having largest lighting showrooms all over Oman.

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Barka customer wins ‘Hassad’ grand prize The OAB event was held at Amerat Public Park and included exciting games and performances for a wide audience

MUSCAT: In the vibrant ambience of Muscat Festival 2016, Oman Arab Bank (OAB) hosted a colourful ceremony to announce the grand prize of OMR50,000 for a lucky ‘Hassad’ savings scheme customer.

Barka branch customer was the winner. The event was held at Amerat public park and included exciting games and performances for a wide audience, says a press release.

The draw was held in the presence of Fahd Amjad, GM Retail Banking, along with a number of senior bank officials.

“Hassad is our flagship savings scheme through which we encourage the habit of saving in our customers. We selected Muscat Festival as our appropriate setting to make winner announce-

ments as the festival continues to attract visitors with fun activities for families. Our event complemented the theme with entertainment and recreational activities for one and all. We invite all our customers to participate in “Hassad” savings scheme as we have now introduced bigger and better chances to win for everyone,” said Fahd Amjad.

OAB has increased the monthly regional prize from OMR20,000 per winner in 2015 to a greater

prize of OMR40,000 per winner in 2016. ‘Hassad’ also continues to reward its younger segment and female savings account holders by offering them higher value prizes. Five lucky female winners will win OMR1,500 each every month increased from OMR1,000 in 2015.

Five lucky child account holders will also win OMR1,000 each every month increased from OMR500 in 2015. ‘Hassad’ savings scheme will end the year

with a mega draw of OMR50,000 for two lucky winners each.

The new exclusive customer segment to reward for their savings within ‘Hassad’ prize scheme is OAB’s newly established Elite Priority banking segment. Elite customers will be eligible to win a whopping prize draw of OMR100,000 in both June and December each. The Elite Priority Banking customers maintaining a minimum balance of OMR35,000 are eligible to participate in all ‘Hassad’ prize draws, in addition to exclusive prize draws earmarked for them.

‘Hassad’ celebrates the Sultanate’s special occasions with specially designed draws for Eid Al Fitr, Women’s Day and National Day. Customers will be rewarded on Eid Al Fitr with five winners winning OMR1,000 each. Women’s Day will reward five female winners OMR1,500 each and celebrating National Day with 46 winners winning OMR1,000 each.

Hana Al Hinai, AGM Wealth Management, Bancassurance and Liabilities said: “With the new ‘Hassad’, OAB is looking to reward various segments for our customers be it parent saving for a child’s future or an Elite customer investing his life savings with OAB. We encourage everyone to invest with ‘Hassad’ account and enjoy the excitement of winning one of our exclusive prizes this year.

‘ D R I V E S A F E LY ’ C A M PA I G N

Jotun Paints campaign educates school students about road safety MUSCAT: Jotun Paints, the leading paint brand in Oman and represented in over 100 countries across all continents, is known for various corporate social responsibility initiatives in Oman.

Recently, the company had launched the ‘Drive Safely’ campaign to educate school students about road safety and in turn influence their parents about observing traffic rules.

The Jotun team has been visiting various schools in Muscat and has explained to over 6,000 school children about the importance of road safety through educational leaflets, says a press release.

Beautifully illustrated, the leaflets show the importance of all passengers in a vehicle wearing seat belts, following the speed limit and avoid using the cell phone while driving which distracts the driver from concentrating on the road.

Seat belts are designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle

against harmful movement that may result while applying the breaks suddenly or during collision. These safety devices help save lives by preventing passengers from making contact with

the interior of the vehicle or from falling out.

The leaflet also shows the benefits of parents slowing down their vehicles and allowing children to cross the road safely.

Speaking about the ‘Drive Safely’ campaign, Bjorn Skjelby, general manager, Jotun Paints Oman, said: “At Jotun, safety is of paramount importance, even at our work place, at home and while driving. Our effort is to influence the safety habit at a very young age in school children and spread the message to parents.”

Jotun Paints Oman cares for children, having earlier been associated with painting competitions for the young minds.

Celebrating 30 years of excellence in Oman, Jotun Paints Oman is synonymous with offering a host of innovative and environmentfriendly products that protect property. The company is committed to reducing the carbon footprint throughout the whole value chain. Jotun Green Steps help create a more colourful world by taking steps towards being a little greener through reducing emissions, hazardous materials, energy consumption and waste.

M U S C AT F E S T I VA L

Visitors benefit from unique Renna promotion MUSCAT: Renna Mobile (Majan Telecommunication) is Oman’s and the Middle East’s first mobile reseller and in its continuous endeavour to maintain a dedicated customer base has announced its active participation in this year’s Muscat Festival.

Renna Mobile has simultaneously also launched a unique promotion for its patrons, making its services even more effective and efficient, says a press release.

Renna Mobile’s presence at Muscat Festival this year is a step towards deepening the connection with visitors at the festival ground. In its continuous efforts

to provide the public with the best services and products, Renna mobile has gained a positive response from customers through their special promotions during the festival.

The ongoing Renna promotion

boasts of a competitive edge over its competitors giving existing and new customers many benefits. When a new customer buys a Renna SIM, they will be receiving 1GB immediately after activation, this 1GB is valid for 1 month. After the activation, if the customer subscribes for 1GB or higher data bundle, they will instantly get 1GB free. This 1GB includes 250MB (Day) and 750MB (Night). To avail this offer, customers will have to subscribe to data bundle within 60 days of activation.

In addition to this, if customers purchase a Renna SIM at the Renna Stall at Muscat Festival

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grounds, they qualify to enter a lucky draw to win exciting Renna merchandises like T-shirt / water bottle / key chain / sling bag etc.

“Muscat Festival reflects Oman’s legendary history, culture and traditions attracting thousands of people from within and outside the Sultanate every year,” said Raed Haddadin, CEO, Renna Mobile. “Our participation this year represents Renna Mobile’s commitment to the strengthening of cultural and social foundation of the Omani society and to provide our customers the best services and promotions from Renna Mobile,” he further added.

UNIQUE

Zeitoun promises authentic taste of Mediterranean

MUSCAT: Zeitoun is a lively new restaurant from Al Balushi Food Group, inspired by the tradition of the Mediterranean basin, rustic Roman pizzeria, and local haunts.

Zeitoun celebrates the Italian tradition of cooking seasonal specials “alla brace” — over open embers. Zeitoun also focuses on seasonal product and high quality ingredients.

The culinary journey at Zeitoun Omani & Mediterranean, extends beyond the cuisine, beginning with unique restaurant design and carrying through to fine ingredients presented on each plate. Guests can enjoy fine dining, fresh cocktails, elegant afternoon tea and other delectable experiences at their seating location at Seeb, says a press release.

Zeitoun is Mediterranean and Omani upscale casual, energetic, everyday restaurant in the heart of Seeb just off city centre is located at the Boulevard complex in the growing neighbourhood north of Mawaleh and a walk away from Holiday Inn Seeb. The restaurant also offers complimentary parking. As you walk through the giant traditional nailed wooden door, you are welcomed by architectural details, including the Alicante Spanish marble, the steal and

blown glass bar, the magnificent blown glass fresque designed by Sadika Keskes a well known Tunisian artist and romantic arched booths. The restaurant’s warm walls, wood extension, candlelit tables and plush interiors lend themselves to an elegant dining experience that is both comfortable and cosmopolitan.

Chef Samir of the restaurant draws inspiration from many cuisines around the Mediterranean to create a menu that is truly unique to Muscat dining scene. Drawing inspiration from historic Omani dishes such Pablo, Mazrouta and Shuwa just to name a few always using what is local and in season, Chef Samir puts a healthful, distinctive spin on classic Omani dishes. Aiming to become known for their tapas and the town’s best outdoor dining, they promise to offer exceptional food at a great value. Their menu features local Omani specialities, tapas and paellas, artisan pizzas from their wood-burning oven.

From Bread Rolls made in house daily, to the selection of local seafood, to Pastry Chef Loni’s incredible desserts, each dinner at Zeitoun celebrates the region we call home all complemented by their signature cocktails.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

ROUND-UP

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Leading poets promise memorable International Mushairah tonight The event will have the presence of a variety of poets with varied moods and style and they are all looking forward to tonight’s event

SHAHZAD RAZA

shahzad@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: All is set for tonight’s International Mushairah with a star-studded lineup of poets from various countries promising to entertain what is expected to be a full house at Al Falaj Hotel.

Set to start at 8 pm, the Mushairah is being organised by Alpha Events Oman and presented by Ittfaq Travel and Tourism and Double Road Tyres of Best Ittfaq.

Mohsin bin Khamis Al Balushi, adviser to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, will be the chief guest, while Syed Ayaz Hussain, ambassador of Pakistan to the Sultanate of Oman, will be the guest of honour.

In another first, Mian Muhammed Munir, presenter of the International Mushairah, who is also chairman of Pakistan Social Club-Oman, will honour legendary poet Anwar Masood with the first ‘Muscat Urdu Adab Award’ along with a gold medal. Daily Times of Oman is the media partner of this grand literary event.

“Alpha Events Oman has taken a wonderful initiative by launching Muscat Urdu Adab Award (Muscat Urdu Literature Award) and I will continue to support this award in future too,” said Munir.

“It has always been our endeavour to offer high quality events and we hope to deliver another memo-

rable evening tonight,” said Fahad Awais Munir, managing director of Alpha Events Oman.

The event will see the presence of a variety of poets with varied moods and style and they are all looking forward to tonight’s event.

“Nothing pleases me more than the pace at which Oman is progressing under the exemplary leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. I have always enjoyed the love and hospitality of the people of Oman during my countless visits here. This time I am grateful to the organisers as well as Mian Mohammed Munir for honouring me with the award as well as a gold medal,” said An-

war Masood, who will also preside over the Mushairah.

One of the highlights of today’s event will be the presence and participation of immensely popular Indian poet Popular Meeruthi.

“I have always received great applause, attention and affection from the very distinct and discerning Muscat audience. I am sure this International Mushairah will prove to be another milestone in a long list of memorable literary events hosted by Muscat,” commented Meeruthi, who has deep fan following in Oman.

Wasi Shah, a poet, writer and TV anchor, is among the biggest names in today’s event. “I still re-

STELLAR EVENT

BETTER SERVICES

ZTC wins accolades at Mercedes-Benz Levant Sales and Marketing Awards MUSCAT: Zawawi Trading Company (ZTC) scooped four top prizes at the 2015 Mercedes-Benz Middle East and Levant Sales and Marketing Awards: ‘Best Target Achievement’, ‘Best Ever Sales Results’, ‘Best Social Media Activation’, and ‘Best SUV Sales Performance’.

Dubbed the ‘Night of the Stars’, the stellar event held in Dubai recognised the successes of the iconic brand’s 11 general distributors in the Middle East and Levant as they pursued the Mercedes-Benz philosophy of ‘The Best or Nothing’, says a press release.

Accepting the four awards on behalf of ZTC, Clive Hammond, CEO, enthused: “It’s a true honour to receive this major recognition in these extraordinarily competitive categories. These accolades are the culmination of a remarkable year for Mercedes-Benz in Oman, one in which we have reinforced our commanding position in the luxury automotive sector thanks

member the wonderful welcome and amazing hospitality I experienced at Muscat International Airport and throughout the Omani capital during my last visit here. I have been greatly impressed by the sagacious leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos who has turned Oman into a developed country in a short span of time.

“The lovely people of Oman are enjoying the fruits of his dedicated rule. I promise another memorable session at International Mushairah and will be expecting the same applause from the Muscat audience I received the last time I was here,” said Wasi, who is sure to attract a large number of youngster

to the Mushairah.

Leading poetess Rehana Qamar from the USA has fond memories of poetry evenings in Oman.

“It is always a pleasure coming to Oman, a country endowed with breathtaking beauty and very friendly people. I am sure Muscat’s discerning audience will once again enjoy my poetry and encourage me as generously as it did in my previous visit to Oman,” stated Rehana Qamar, a thinking poet whose poetry is going to be one of the highlights of this Mushairah.

Abbas Tabish, one of the hottest properties in Urdu Mushairahs all over the world, is looking forward to another memorable evening in Muscat. “I feel privileged to have got the opportunity to participate in a Mushairah being hosted by Muscat, a place where poets expect a very learned crowd. I was equally impressed by the sights and people of Salalah where I spent a few memorable days during my last visit. I congratulate the whole team for organising a Mushairah of this scale and appreciate the initiation of Muscat Urdu Adab Award,” Tabish added.

Other poets in the lineup include Sarwat Zahra (UAE), Ambreen Haseeb Ambar (Pakistan), Khalid Sajjad Ahmed (Kuwait), Arshad Meena Nagri (India) and Adnan Baig (UK). Sohar Poly Industries (SPI) is leading the event supporters as platinum sponsor.

to an outstanding line-up and an incredible set of new launches.

“We look forward to continuing to set standards and enthralling the market in the coming year as we introduce more exciting new models and continue our activities across various media and social

media platforms.”

The CEO concluded by thanking Daimler Middle East and Levant and adding: “I also like to acknowledge the contribution of the ZTC Sales and Marketing Team who are relentless in their pursuit of best customer experience every

single day. This is no easy feat, especially in a market of connoisseurs like Oman where they will settle for nothing but the best.”

Following a remarkable twelve months of continuous growth and building on the tremendous sales figures of 2014, Mercedes-Benz Oman closed 2015 reporting an incredible overall increase of 20 per cent as a whole compared to the previous year.

The extraordinary success was due in no small part to the new stars introduced to the iconic brand’s line-up, which ranged from three ground-breaking SUVs and the first Mercedes-Benz crossover to an ultra-luxury sedan and a thoroughbred sports car.

2016 promises more from Mercedes-Benz with five thrilling new launches to come, along with four new editions of current models, all of which will drive Zawawi Trading Company towards achieving the Mercedes-Benz 2020 Vision.

DHL Express Oman renovates QCC branch MUSCAT: Taking forward its vision to expand services in the Sultanate, DHL Express Oman announced the renovation of the branch located in Qurum City Centre (QCC), Muscat.

Providing convenience to the customers of nearby areas looking for logistics services, the branch provides sorting and distribution services for shipments and logistics, says a press release.

Commenting on DHL Express Service centres, Ali Thabet, general manager of DHL Express Oman, said: “Adding to the strong presence of DHL in the region as leaders of logistic services industry, we are expanding and improving our network to accelerate transport operations and double our capacity. The development of our logistics services is in pace with the economic development in Oman and we are confident that many customers – individuals and businesses will

Providing convenience to the customers of nearby areas looking for logistics services, the branch provides sorting and distribution services for shipments and logistics benefit from the unique location of the QCC branch.”

“With the increased demand of the services provided by DHL, we are expanding our branches especially in the strategic areas, this renovated outlet will be able to cater to the needs of a wider range of customers, and provide high quality services at a competitive rate,” he added.

‘ B E S T S M E S D E V E L O P M E N T I N I T I AT I V E ’

E X PA N S I O N

Hamdan Exchange opens branch in Yanqul

NBC bags Entrepreneurship Award

MUSCAT: Hamdan Exchange opened its 19th branch in Yanqul (Al Dhahirah Governorate) recently in the presence of a large number of customers and dignitaries from the management of Hamdan Group Holdings, says a press release.

“The management of Hamdan Exchange is pleased to open its branch in Yanqul to serve the customers from the area. Until now people from the area had to travel long distances to avail the services of money exchange. The branch will surely reduce their ordeal,” said Ammar Al Ghafri, managing director, Hamdan Exchange.

“We have plans to open more branches in the current year so as

MUSCAT: National Business Centre (NBC), which falls under the umbrella of the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE), was awarded with Best SMEs Development Initiative at the second edition of the Entrepreneurship Award held recently, says a press release.

Speaking about this achievement, Malak Al Shaibani, director general of NBC, said: “This achievement comes as a result of the efforts made to develop and provide an apt entrepreneurial environment in the Sultanate.

Since its inception, NBC has been offering promising Omani entrepreneurs a platform to develop their business ideas and advance them into growing ventures in practice. This award indeed is a great honour and gives further responsibility to double the efforts and continue to serve this promising sector in the Sultanate.”

Al Shaibani noted that in 2015, the National Business Centre organised 10 events as part of various initiatives of the centre targeting different segments of entrepreneurs, including Reyooq event which aspires at presenting an ultimate platform for Omani entrepreneurs to network with experts, and learn about entrepreneurship to get innovative and creative ideas for their businesses. “In addition, a series of Najihat sessions were organised to utilise the skills and knowledge of Omani women and highlight

to reach to a wider customer base very soon. We are also introducing new services for the convenience of our customers. The agreement for remittance tie up with Federal Bank in India had already been signed and the services will

be available to the customers very soon,” he added.

The new branch is located in a strategic location to offer better services to the expatriate community as well as Omani nationals in the area.

inspiring stories of successful women leaders in the business field, as well as encourage other talented entrepreneurs to start their own ventures. Besides, NBC organised a series of events to mark the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) for the third consecutive year in cooperation with a number of local institutions that support entrepreneurship. GEW week was organised in line with the 45th National Day,” she pointed out.

New initiatives The National Business Centre is introducing new value adding initiatives this year. “We are introducing Mashoura initiative which will consist of a series of workshops that focus on providing specialised consultancy in business for the incubated companies. Mashoura, which will be held quarterly a year, will be presented by experts in various fields. Topics that will be dis-

cussed in these workshops include entrepreneurship and law, tenders and contracts, company values, among others,” Al Shaibani pointed out.

She added that another initiative called ‘Reyooq with CEO’ will be organised this year, which will consist of quarterly a year visits to high profile Omani companies and factories to meet their CEOs. GEW Week will also be organised

by NBC next November. NBC is an initiative launched by PEIE at the Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) to offer promising Omani entrepreneurs a platform to develop their business ideas and advance them into growing ventures.

The centre offers a premier platform for Omani entrepreneurs by providing business development support and guidance, training and mentoring, access to markets and industry experts, and state-ofthe-art and fully equipped office space, meeting rooms and presentation facilities.

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typically attritional slog against Spaniard David Ferrer 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3, while Konta eased past Chinese qualifier

AGGRESSIVE: Britain’s Andy Murray reacts during his quarterfinal

EASY PASSAGE: Britain’s Johanna Konta hits a shot during her

match against Spain’s David Ferrer. – Reuters

quarterfinal match against China’s Zhang Shuai. – Reuters

Zhang Shuai 6-4 6-1 to become the first British woman in more than 30 years to reach a Grand Slam semifinal

MELBOURNE: British hearts swelled with pride at Melbourne Park on Wednesday as Andy Murray battled into the Australian Open semifinals after compatriot Johanna Konta swept into the last four of the women’s tournament.

Murray won a typically attritional slog against Spaniard David Ferrer 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3, while Konta eased past Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai 6-4 6-1 to become the first British woman in more than 30 years to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.

The pair gave Britain two players in a Grand Slam semi-finals for the first time since 1977 but they will need to muster more bulldog spirit to reach the final.

Second seed Murray, who booked his sixth semi-final in Mel-

Sania-Martina enter final; Bopanna’s campaign over MELBOURNE: Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis stormed into the final of the women’s doubles event of the Australian Open after notching up a comfortable straight-set win here on Wednesday.

However, Rohan Bopanna’s campaign ended with a shock defeat in the mixed doubles quarterfinals with partner Yung-Jan Chan of Chinese Taipei.

Sania and Martina, who are on a record winning streak, continued to rule the roost as they brushed aside Julia

bourne, will face Milos Raonic with the Canadian 13th seed in the form of his life.

Raonic’s 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Frenchman Gael Monfils made him Canada’s first male semi-finalist at Melbourne Park.

Konta will face seventh seed

Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, the 13th seeds, 6-1, 6-0 in just 54 minutes at Rod Laver Arena to enter their third successive doubles Grand Slam final.

The top seeded Indo-Swiss pair will take on the seventh seeded Czech combination of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka in the summit clash.

They continued their superb form this year, extending their unbeaten run to 35 with Wednesday’s semifinal win.

Earlier, the third seed Bopanna and Chan lost 2-6, 5-7 to Slovenia’s Andreja Klepac and Philippines’ Treat Huey. — PTI

Angelique Kerber, who stunned twice former champion Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 7-5 in the opening match at Rod Laver Arena.

The fall-out from match-fixing allegations that rocked the tournament’s opening day continued to rumble. There was nothing

TROUBLED TIMES

Anti-corruption unit to be reviewed after ‘fixing’ scandal MELBOURNE: Tennis officials on Wednesday launched an independent review into their anti-corruption practices after allegations the sport’s watchdog had not done enough to stamp out possible corruption in the game.

The announcement at the Australian Open came in the wake of media reports criticising the Tennis Integrity unit (TIU) for not adequately investigating some 16 players repeatedly flagged over suspicions they had thrown matches in the past decade.

Recent corruption scandals involving the world governing bodies of soccer and athletics have thrown those sports into turmoil and tennis was not keen to follow them down that path, Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Chairman Chris Kermode said.

“We are in a toxic environment for sport at the moment, in terms of it’s an easy target for people to have a go with recent allegations at other governing bodies,” Kermode told reporters in Melbourne.

The review would address issues of transparency and resourcing at the TIU, structural or governance issues, and how to extend the scope of tennis’ anti-corruption education programmes.

Tennis authorities repeated they felt the allegations made in the report by the BBC and Buzzfeed News were historical, but could help the sport in the long run.

Tennis great Martina Navratilova, who won 51 grand slam titles, said she was sceptical about the match-fixing reports and wanted proof. “The first report was a bunch of baloney, because there were no specifics,” she told reporters at Melbourne Park.

“The only way to control it is for the ATP, WTA and ITF to work together and put money into the integrity unit, because they need more resources. “But ultimately it’s up to the players.”

Prominent London barrister Adam Lewis QC will head the inquiry and its report will be made publicly available.

“This should have been done a long time ago,” said one UK-based professional gambler, who spoke

ANNOUNCING REVIEW: International Tennis Federation (ITF) President David Haggerty. Tennis Integrity Board Chairman Philip Brook and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Chairman Chris Kermode address a press conference. – AFP

Ivanisevic demands proof MELBOURNE: Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic says players are being hounded like “serial killers” and demanded proof of the match-fixing allegations that have rocked the sport at the Australian Open.

Tennis officials have been forced onto the back foot at the season opening grand slam after media reports alleged the anti-corruption watchdog had failed to properly police the game.

Ivanisevic said statistics and numbers were not enough to prove guilt. “You need

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on condition of anonymity. “I think they are just telling people what they want to hear.”

Grand slam overshadowed Allegations of match-fixing surfaced at the Australian Open when a global bookmaker suspended

proof. Show me that somebody did something wrong then I will believe you.”

Ivanisevic, however, said irregular betting patterns on matches only resulted in players being placed on a ‘maybe list’.

“Maybe I am going to have a date with Angelina Jolie,” the tall Croat added. “Maybe not. How can you say maybe?

It’s a serious thing, worse than taking drugs, worse than killing somebody. Don’t give me a maybe, don’t give me the mathematics, give me proof.” — Reuters

betting on a mixed doubles match last Sunday after unusually large amounts were bet on it.

The players have denied any involvement and International Tennis Federation (ITF) President David Haggerty said they had spoken to the TIU afterwards.

The review will also examine the sponsorship of tennis by betting companies. One prominent bookmaker is an official partner to the Australian Open and some players have questioned the relationship.- Reuters

GREAT PARTNERSHIP: India’s Sania Mirza listens to partner

Switzerland’s Martina Hingis during their women’s doubles semifinal match. – AFP

suspect about the commitment of the combatants in the third singles match, however, as Ferrer and Murray engaged in a taxing threehour and 20-minute dog-fight.

A classic baseline hustler, Ferrer stunned all with a rare dash to the net and a volleyed winner that con-

jured a set point during the second set tiebreak. Murray surrendered the set with an unforced error but from there the match turned in the Scot’s favour. The weather turned thoroughly British as rain clouds gathered, and after a break in play, Murray ended the match

under a closed roof. “I like playing indoors,” Murray, who has lost four finals in Melbourne, said courtside. “I grew up in Scotland and the weather is not as good as here so I grew up playing most of my tennis indoors.”

Australians woke groggily a day after celebrating their national public holiday, and Sydney-born Konta reminded locals of what they had lost.

The 24-year-old closed out the first set after an epic game at 5-3 and ran away with the match to end Zhang’s own fairytale run as a 133rd-ranked qualifier.

Konta is the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since Jo Durie at the 1983 U.S. Open and just the third to reach the last four in Australia in the professional era after 1972 champion Virginia Wade and Sue Barker.

“I’m just so happy that I’m enjoying what I’m doing. That is me living my dream,” said Konta.

With Murray’s brother Jamie also reaching the last four of the men’s doubles with Brazilian Bruno Soares, Britain could have three finalists at the same tournament.

Kerber poses a formidable roadblock to Konta, the German having floored former world number one Azarenka in their quarter-final.

The 28-year-old faced three set points when trailing 5-2 in the second set, and another two at 5-4, but stormed home to book her maiden semi-final at Melbourne Park.

Nearly 17 years have passed since Steffi Graf won Germany’s last Grand Slam title, and Kerber said she had sought inspiration from the 46-year-old in Las Vegas last year. - Reuters

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

SPORTS

Invest in Bumrah, Fleming tells India In an encouraging start to his

I liked the look of him (Jasprit Bumrah). He was the bowler of the match for me in Sydney, and he has done very well here in Adelaide too. He obviously isn’t lacking in confidence

international career, Bumrah bagged two wickets in the fifth ODI and also made it count in his first T20, returning a three-wicket haul

ADELAIDE: Former Australia paceman Damien Fleming says that India should invest in someone like Jasprit Bumrah to add to their fast bowling arsenal as he found the youngster very impressive in the two games he has played so far against the hosts.

In an encouraging start to his international career, Bumrah bagged two wickets in the fifth ODI and also made it count in his first T20, returning a three-wicket haul.

Fleming believes that India should back youngsters like Bumrah for success abroad.

“I liked the look of him. He was the bowler of the match for me in Sydney, and he has done very well here in Adelaide too. He obviously isn’t lacking in confidence after playing for Mumbai Indians’ Indians in the IPL. He has a unique action and I hope his body holds up well in international cricket,” said Fleming.

“Because he is quick and has good bounce, and he even bowled

Damien Fleming Former Australia fast bowler

IMPRESSIVE: India’s sensational pacer Jasprit Bumrah celebrates a win during their T20 International against Australia in Adelaide.

– AP/PTI

well in the death overs (in both matches), and Indian cricket should be investing in someone like that.”

Fleming said investing in youth was the way forward for India so that the players can back themselves in tough situations later on.

“And India have been helped in this because there hasn’t been a lot of assistance for spinners in the pitches on this tour. There hasn’t been a lot of swing around, but nothing at all for the spinners, perhaps leaving the Melbourne ODI and here in Adelaide.

“So someone like R Ashwin will be disappointed that he didn’t play at the MCG, but ended up playing in the first two ODIs. In the end, it helped India test some young players.”

Fleming said addition of Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra to the side was an indication that India’s preparations for the upcoming World Twenty20 are in full swing.

“This T20 series is obviously more important than the ODIs prior. And this is why they have flown the senior, more experienced players in, to start ticking some boxes for the World T20, especially the players they definitely want for that tournament. It’s pretty evident India would want to win it at home,” Fleming said. - PTI

CRICKET

Need to tackle Indian spinners better: Warner MELBOURNE: Holding the team’s batting failure responsible for the opening T20 loss, Australian batsman David Warner on Wednesday said the hosts need to play smarter cricket against the Indian spinners and take full advantage of the big stadiums Down Under.

Apart from skipper Aaron Finch’s 44, the rest of the Australian batting surrendered meekly against the Indian attack. And Warner, who fell to debutant medium-pacer Jasprit Bumrah (3-23) for 17, wants to learn from his mistakes.

“During those middle overs a lot of us get carried away trying to play too many big shots and not trying to take advantage of the big fields in Australia.

I think in India you can actually get away with trying to hit boundaries cause it’s a bit smaller and with either side of the fielders around the bat, you can actually get a more value for your shots,” Warner told reporters here ahead of the second T20 game at the MCG on Friday.

LEARN FROM MISTAKES: Australia T20 captain Aaron Finch.

“But definitely your basic batting wasn’t there last night (in Adelaide) and that’s trying to get twos on the big field.”

Shane Watson (2-24) was the pick of the Australian bowlers in India’s tall score of 188 for three in the first T20 match and Warner welcomed his teammate’s return to the international fold.

“Obviously his form over the last

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18 months hasn’t been as good as he would like. He knows that; we all know that. We always want him performing to the best of his ability and the one thing I think he’s at strength is his bowling. “It’s such a great thing to see him work harder than that. In the Big Bash also he scored a lot for his side. Last night (in first T20) I saw glimpses of him actually bringing it back a little

bit for us. In the end his addition would be fantastic for us throughout middle overs and we know what he is capable of with the bat,” said Warner.

Warner was also all full of praise for Steven Smith’s contribution as a leader (in ODIs and Tests) and as a batsman.

“I think Steve Smith is probably going to bag well and truly. He’s been a fantastic player in the last 24 months,” Warner said about Smith’s chances of bagging backto-back Allan Border medals.

“The way he’s matured and appeared in time. He feels no pressure out there when scoring runs. He’s got a free mind when he goes out there. It’s a great thing for the team at the moment and he deserves the accolades he gets,” he said.

“I hope one day a bowler can get all this (awards) as they work off their backsides especially in these years, very, very tough for them.

They always get my vote on these tough wickets,” Warner added. - PTI

C O M M E N TA RY

Double blow dents Australian ego. And the man in focus is Bumrah

H

ow do you hang in there and swallow the hurt when you are hit for a flawless six? You could freeze yourself in the follow-through sneering at the batsman with a devilish smile lurking on the lips, like Ashish Nehra did as David Warner pulled him over deep midwicket.

You could walk limply back to the top of you run-up wondering where to pitch the next ball in and, like the debutant Hardik Pandya, eventually end up sending another wide down the leg side, which was actually his fourth in the 11ball over that leaked 19 easy runs.

Or, you could run in completely nonchalant and rattle the woodwork with a vicious, monstrous yorker, like Jasprit Bumrah did after James Faulkner slogged him over midwicket.

The sweet, comprehensive “team victory”, as skipper MS Dhoni termed it after the game, in the first T20 match against Australia in the threematch series could inspire the Indian team to do things that looked impossible mid-way through the ODI series.

The closest on the list of things that now look possible for India is making a dash to the top of the T20 rankings, which could come about if the team win the remaining two matches. The next, of course, is winning again the T20 World Cup, and the momentum the Indians have now discovered is quite good to last as long and beyond.

The victory in the fifth ODI chasing a massive target has done wonders. It has reunited the team and the fresh faces have brought to the team, and more importantly, to Dhoni, a can-do spirit and belief that has been missing for quite some time. All of a sudden, Dhoni finds himself with exciting options to get things done.

The energy Virat Kohli brings to the team is incomparable, but that alone hadn’t been winning games. Dhoni had been hit hard by the absence of a go-to guy among his bowlers. Bumrah embraced the role in his debut match, and his performance in the first T20 match showed he was no one-game wonder, and that’s perhaps the biggest positive Dhoni merrily stumbled upon in the twilight days of his career.

Neither Aaron Finch nor Warner looked happy against Bumrah, and the Australian backroom guys must now be busy running the tapes for clues to solve this unorthodox puzzle.

The Australians may eventually find a way to tackle Bumrah, but the youngster could stay ahead in the hunt if he keeps himself fit and just

Dhoni had been hit hard by the absence of a go-to guy among his bowlers. Bumrah embraced the role in his debut match as disciplined with his line and length. He seems to show maturity and intelligence Umesh Yadav failed to get a grip on even after playing dozens of international matches.

In recent years, Indian fast bowlers seldom generated an air of expectation about them, either in the captain, or in the rest of the team, or in the Indian fans. That’s why Bumrah looks more special than he actually is. Ever since he bowled his first two tight, tidy overs, and claimed his first wicket in his third over when Steve Smith, after getting desperate facing three dot balls in a row, threw away his wicket going for a stupid pull, Bumrah looked like taking a wicket every time he ran in with the ball. That’s some excitement for Indian fans. Something they get to experience only with their spinners, and that too when they are bowling on their home dustbowls.

The double blow — the failure in the fifth ODI to defend a 330-plus target and the inability to chase a big score in the first T20 — will obviously force the Australians to take the field at Melbourne tomorrow with determination to win but doubts about how they could really do it.

Gone with the double blow is the rock-hard confidence mouthed by Finch after successfully chasing massive totals in the first three ODIS, and the all-aggression streak in Warner who, upon landing in Melbourne yesterday, sought to get his mates hooked to the new ground reality, that the size of the ground does matter and that the way to go about it is in twos and down the ground, with the odd big shots.

Now we know it’s a battle of equals.

The writer is a freelance contributor based in India. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

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SPORTS AB de Villiers ponders but Proteas see revival signs HORSE RACING

Following South

Radad and Akran win top places in Riyadh

Africa’s 280-run win over England at Centurion Park on

MUSCAT: Radad of Ahmed Abdullah Al Mahrooqi, ridden by Asaad Al Siyabi, and Arkan of Abdullah bin Rashid Al Saadi, ridden by Al Mutasim Al Balushi, won the second and third places respectively in the 1800metre race at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Horse Race

Tuesday, there is a growing hope that they can reverse their recent slide as a number of much needed pieces in the

VOLLEYBALL

puzzle have started

Two Omanis make it to Asian volleyball panels

falling into place

CAPE TOWN: For the first time in a decade, South Africa have been forced to acknowledge they are on the decline following backto-back series losses to India and England that have knocked them off the top of the Test rankings.

And things could get worse still if their captain, AB de Villiers, decides that his future lies away from the five-day format of the game in the coming months.

However, following South Africa’s 280-run win over England at Centurion Park on Tuesday, there is a growing hope that they can reverse their recent slide as a number of much needed pieces in the puzzle have started falling into place.

The emphatic victory does need to be placed into context — England had already claimed the fourTest series and played with less intensity, while South Africa won a crucial toss on day one.

But there were some outstanding individual performances from the home side that answered a number of their most pressing

organised at Al Khalidiyah Farm Track in Riyadh on Tuesday.

The event saw participation of teams from Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and France.

Radad had earlier won the title Qatar International Horse Race while Arkan finished second at Qatar International Derby.

MUSCAT: Two Oman Volleyball Association (OFA) officials have made to the different committees of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC).

Dr. Amer bin Humaid Al Tooqi UNCERTAINTY: The biggest factor in South Africa’s renaissance, though, will be the decision that AB de Villiers makes about his own future amid uncertainty created by his own words. – AP/PTI

questions. Not least the 13 wickets for 20-year-old fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who has all the attributes to become a match-winner for the side over the next decade.

He is one of the most exciting pace prospects to hit the Test scene in a number of years and, with Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander expected to return from injury for the next Test series against New Zealand in August, the fast bowling stocks look healthy.

There were excellent centuries too for debutant opener Stephen Cook and young wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, who has the po-

tential to bat higher than his current seventh position, possibly allowing for an extra bowler.

Cook, at 33 years of age, is not a long-term solution to the team’s opening batting woes but he is organised enough to hold the fort for the next few years until a longer term replacement can be found.

Temba Bavuma showed maturity and no shortage of skill with an unbeaten 78 in the second innings at Centurion Park to follow his hundred in Cape Town.

Perhaps the biggest factor in South Africa’s renaissance, though, will be the decision that de

AL NASR HOLD FANJA, SUWAIQ MOVE TO SECOND

Villiers makes about his own future amid uncertainty created by his own words.

He has spoken of a desire to lighten his workload and should he end up retiring from the five-day format, Test cricket would certainly be poorer for it.

De Villers’ departure would not only significantly weaken the South African top six but also be a crippling blow to morale at a time when they have recently also lost two giants of the game in Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis.

South Africa can ill afford to lose another. - Reuters

Fanja were held to a goalless draw by a battling Al Nasr in week 16 action of the Oman Football Association Omantel Professional League at Seeb Sports Stadium on Wednesday. The result meant, Fanja (26 points) have dropped to fourth in the table.

Suwaiq, meanwhile, moved to second place taking their points tally to 29 after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Al Nahda at Sohar Sports Complex. Defending champions Al Arouba currently occupy the top spot with 30 points while Dhofar are in third with 27 points. In Wednesday’s other matches, Muscat blanked Al Khabourah 2-0 at Seeb Sports Stadium while Saham and Al Shabab were involved in a 1-1 draw at Sohar Sports Complex. — ISMAIL Al FARSI/Times of Oman

won the membership of the referees committee while national coach Ali bin Sulaiman Al Balushi won the membership of the coaches committee of the Asian Volleyball Confederation. - ONA

FOOTBALL

Cole moves to LA Galaxy NEW YORK: Former Arsenal, Chelsea and England left-back Ashley Cole has signed for LA Galaxy, the Major League Soccer (MLS) team said on Wednesday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Cole left Serie A team AS Roma this month after his contract was cancelled by “mutual consent”. The 35-year-old had made just 11 league appearances for the Italian club after signing for them in July 2014.

Cole will link up in Los An-

geles with his former England teammate Steven Gerrard and 32-year-old Belgian defender Jelle Van Damme, who signed for the club on Tuesday.

“Ashley is one of the world’s most successful defenders and has played at the highest level of competition throughout his career,” said Galaxy coach Bruce Arena.

“He can provide our defense with valuable experience. We look forward to his contribution to our club this season.” - Reuters

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

SPORTS Ghala Golf Club to organise open tourney in memory of Sayyid Kais cap bearing golfers the opportunity to be a part of this momentous occasion.

As an open tournament in the Stableford format, the event was designed to offer all local handicap bearing golfers the opportunity to be a part of this momentous occasion

MUSCAT: To honour His Highness Sayyid Kais bin Tariq Al Said and his supreme commitment to the game of golf in Oman, Ghala Golf Course will hold a free open tournament under the patronage of His Higness Sayyid Taimur bin Assad Al Said.

Teeing off on Saturday, the event will host competitors, spectators and patrons from across the re-

PICTURESQUE LOCATION: A view of Ghala Golf Club course where the an open tournament will be held in honour of late HH Sayyid Kais

bin Tariq Al Said. – Supplied photo

gion, in celebration of HH Sayyid Kais Al Said’s passion for golf.

“The landscape of golf in Oman transformed through the zeal of His Highness Kais Al Said, mov-

ing from a leisurely game played by few to a competitive platform of countless nationalities. We will now come together and revel in the dream that was delivered to

us by Kais’ legacy,” remarked Ibrahim Al Wahaibi, Vice-President of Ghala Golf Club.

Sponsored by HH Sayyid Taimur Al Said, the event com-

memorates what the game has become in and for the Sultanate.

As an open tournament in the Stableford format, the event was designed to offer all local handi-

Fully booked Leon Sassen, Events Coordinator at Ghala Golf Club, said: “The tournament has received an astounding amount of attention and is naturally fully booked by players from across the nation. We have 156 players registered and even more on the waiting list.

“This will be the largest shotgun start that I have coordinated to date in Oman. We anticipate nothing short of a spectacular turnout from players and fans alike, as the competition has drawn talent from every corner of the Sultanate, offering people a chance to demonstrate and admire the flare that His Highness lived to inspire.”

Whilst the sporting and social benefits of Golf continue to be observed nationwide, Oman is further developing the game by capitalising on it as a prominent tourism attraction.

With the exponential growth of golf across the Asian continent, the game, combined with the allure of the Sultanate’s shores, has opened the door to economic opportunities comprised by a $20 billion industry.

POPULAR EVENT

INDIAN AMBASSADOR HONOURS SAS NAQVI

Popular hockey personality SAS Naqvi, former coach of Oman national team and the consultant of Oman Hockey Association, was honoured by Indian Ambassador Indramani Pandey during the Republic Day of India Hockey Festival organised by Friends of Naqvi Group and Team Coorg Muscat at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex recently. The honour for Naqvi comes just a few days after he was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by the visiting Asian Hockey Federation CEO ‘Dato’ Tayyib Ikram for his contribution to the development of hockey both in India and Oman. The hockey veteran has received many awards in the recent past in Oman and as well as India. — Supplied photo

RAHRC to host 3-ON-3 basketball meet on Friday MUSCAT: Ras Al Hamra Recreation Club (RAHRC) is all geared up to host the 3-on-3 basketball tournament on Friday.

A total of 26 teams will be seen in action in three different categories. The one-day league-cumknock-out tournament is scheduled to begin at 8.00 a.m. and run till 5.00 p.m.

The event is expected to draw in a large crowd and the organisers have lots of spot prizes, DJ – Live, The Mirch Girls and other surprises in store.

The event is mainly sponsored

by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), Al Hajiry Group, Al Turki Enterprise and Seven Seas and is supported by Pocari and Red Bull.

The tournament will feature

three categories: men (over 19 years), boys (under-18) and girls competitions.

List of participating teams: Men (above 19 years): 1. The Hustlers; 2. XPATZ; 3. Intimacy; 4. Shisha Smokers; 5. The Eagles; 6. Lens Buddies; 7. Vocablix; 8.

BBC Oman; 9. WANN4, 10 i3.

Boys (below 18 years): 1.

Hawks; 2. Self Esteem Destroyers; 3. Manila Arsenal; 4. Team Clutch; 5. Buckets and Chill; 6.

Hot Shots; 7. Supersaiyans; 8.

Team Crazy Handles; 9. The Patriots Legacy; 10. KAPITANS. Girls: 1. MT Lions; 2. Al Ta’awun; 3. Baseline Leaners; 4.

Ballers Squad; 5. AND1; 6. The Dream Team.

TENNIS

ISC to give cash prizes for winners of ISC Junior Open

FOOTBALL

Chelsea’s Cahill wants move to save England career LONDON: England centre back Gary Cahill is so frustrated by a lack of first-team football at Chelsea that he wants to leave the club in an attempt to safeguard his international place at the European Championship in the summer.

The England vice captain has played more than 170 games for the Premier League champions but has made only 12 league appearances this season as Kurt Zouma and John Terry have become the preferred starters.

Cahill fears he might miss out on the Euros this summer if he is still not playing regularly, a source close to the player told Reuters.

While it could be too late to make the move before the current transfer window closes on Monday, Cahill is resigned to leaving the champions to ensure regular topflight football. The highly regarded defender, who cost Chelsea around £7 million ($10.02 million) when he joined from Bolton Wanderers in January 2012, says he may be at the “crossroads of his career”.

The 30-year-old made 10 starts at the beginning of the season before Jose Mourinho was sacked after 16 league games.

He has played only twice since Guus Hiddink took temporary charge on December 19 — and one

of those was in the FA Cup against third-tier Scunthorpe United.

The source said Cahill — who was appointed England vicecaptain in September 2014 — was genuinely concerned about his chances of playing for his country in the European Championships in France if he is not playing regularly for his club.

While Cahill has been in and out of the Chelsea side, he has been a mainstay in England’s successful march to the Euros, playing in eight of their qualifiers as they won all 10 to sweep into the finals. The defender captained his country for the first time in October’s Eu-

ropean Championship Qualifying victory over Estonia at Wembley.

He won his 40th cap in the 2-0 friendly win over France in November but the emergence of Everton’s John Stones — a Chelsea target in the summer — and Manchester United’s Chris Smalling means he will have to fight for his place in the Euros. Cahill in May last year became the fastest player in Premier League history to win all five possible major club trophies.

It took him a little over three years to clinch winners’ medals for the FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League, League Cup and Premier League. - Reuters

MUSCAT: Winners and runners-up at the forthcoming ISC Open Junior Tennis Tournament will receive prize-money, according to the Indian Social Club (ISC) Muscat.

The members of the organising committee of the ISC-Muscat Pharmacy Open Junior Tennis Tournament, who met on Wednesday to finalise arrangements, confirmed that winners and runners-up at the tournament will receive cash prizes.

The tournament, which has become a regular feature of the tennis calendar in Muscat, will get underway on February 1.

The tournament includes singles events for juniors in the under-10, under-12, under-14 and

under-18 categories. A junior doubles event is also included.

The tournament is open to players of all nationalities, Omanis as well as expatriates residing in Oman. Entry forms are available at the Indian Social Club (ISC) in Darsait as well as at the Oman Tennis Association in Baushar and all training centers. The deadline for submission of entries is 6.00 p.m. on Thursday. More information and entry forms can be obtained from the ISC Darsait (Tel. 24701347 or 24797921) from 11.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m.

Muscat Pharmacy & Stores LLC together with brands Pocari Sweat and Horlicks are the main sponsors of the tournament.

C

SECTION

LIFESTYLE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

Culture WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

Singer-turned composer Reju Joseph spells out the inside story of his transformation and how he is making a mark in the world of music.

STORY T.K. MOHANDOSS

STRIKING I THE RIGHT CHORD

t is a struggle to thrust your neck out from the vast ocean of music and get noticed, but Reju Joseph has left an imprint with hard work and dedication.

Having carved a niche for himself as a lawyer and singer, Reju, who hails from Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala, has added one more feather to his illustrious cap when he composed music for soon-to-be released Malayalam movie, Thank You Very Much.

“The opportunity came quite unexpectedly,” said Reju, who sang super hit Malayalam songs Ozhukukayayi from Achanurangatha Veedu) and Kaattadi thanalum from Classmates.

“Director Sajin Lal told me about his new movie and inquired if I would recommend any music directors. I sincerely obliged, but to my surprise Sajin asked me to compose the songs and I readily agreed.

“I have completed all the four songs, which includes a lullaby to a new-gen-styled number. Sound tracks were composed in less than two months based on elements of Carnatic and Hindustani ragas. I have provided melody to the beautiful lyrics with an aim to cater to all age groups.

The audio will be released in the second week of February and I’m confident that people will hum these songs for a while,” he added.

The shooting is at its final stages and the movie is expected to hit theatres in March. “We are extremely thrilled and anxiously counting down on days, as we get closer to the release date,” said Reju, who will also score the background music.

On asked how it felt to turn into a composer after crooning hit numbers for other composers, Reju replied: “I’m a very versatile person. The music bug caught me very young. I have been learning, performing, and expanding my talent since then. I love all aspects of music such as singing, composing, directing, conducting, background scoring, recording, mixing, mastering,etc.”

He highlighted further that his first music composition was in 1994 (when he was studying Law) for the album Nilavintai Nattil.

“In 2011, I composed music for the album Kurumbintai Koottukari, which had eight songs. I felt honoured to compose and sing to the lyrics of O.N.V Kurup, Gireesh Puthenchery, Shibu Chakravarthy, Rafeeq Ahammed Santhosh Varma, and R.K.Damodaran.” All the songs were recorded and mixed at his own Sarangy Studio in Kochi.

“I focussed on voice training and performing during my initial years.

Having established myself as a playback and Ghazal singer, I shifted my focus to owning a state-of-the-art recording studio.

The music composition was just a natural next step. I was fortunate to work with well-known music direc-

tors like Devarajan Master, Ouseppachan, to name a few. I also assisted Alex Paul on 22 films,” Reju took a trip down the memory lane.

Though he is a hardcore musician and creative person, Reju is well aware of his strengths and weaknesses.

“I weigh in multiple factors, such as my adaptability and timing, before accepting a project. For instance, the script, lyrics, theme, timing, and team of Thank You Very Much resonated well with me and I thoroughly enjoyed doing it.”

Reju wishes to create unique and trendy music with roots in Carnatic/Hindustani ragas because those melodies are not easy to compose and they can stand the test of time.

“For example, hit film songs like Malarai, Kannondu mindanu, Mazhakondu mathram are based on Carnatic / Hindustani raga with some western flavour (fusion version),” he remarked.

On his future plans, Reju said: “Discussions are underway to compose music for the next movie.

I have a stage show in Kuwait on February 5 organised by AMICOS. My studio is almost booked for different ventures. Above all, if time permits, I would like to create few albums with my signature style composition and singing.”

One may wonder how he continues his love affair with music while practicing as a lawyer at the Kerala High Court. “I always pushed boundaries to have fun and I continue to do that even to this day. My goal is to get into every aspect of music and test different waters. Along the way, I decided to be a lawyer. I believe my creative and analytical mindset along with my interpersonal skills complements my profession as musician and as a lawyer.”

Music has been Reju's life for the past 40 years. He started learning Carnatic music at age of seven from gurus Annapoorneshwari and Perumbavoor G. Raveendranath and later from Cherthala Gopalan Nair, M.R. Madhusoodhana Menon and Pandit Ramesh Narayan for Hindustani. He continues to practice Carnatic music under N.P. Ramaswami and Hindustani classical under Ustad Fayas Ghan.

“I had topped the District and State Youth Festivals while at school. I had also won University of Kerala Youth Festival six years in a row,” said Reju, who is the recipient of Top Grade in Light Music from All India Radio. He also was recently inducted to the Malayalam audition board of All India Radio.

Reju’s wife Manju, owns a boutique and his son Jagan, an engineering student, essayed the younger version of Thilakan in the film Ustad Hotel. His second son Joel, a Grade IX student, of Rajagiri Public School, is a singer and plays piano. mohandoss@timesofoman.com

C6

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

FIND-IT-ALL

PRAYER TIMINGS

@SHATTI

@PANORAMA

@SOHAR

3.45,11.45PM Aranmanai 2 (Tamil) (Horror | Comedy) – 15+ Cast:Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan 6.45,9.15PM

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI Alvin & the Chipmunks:The Road Chip (2D) (Animation) (PG) CP# Voice over: Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.

2:30, 4:30, 6:30 PM American Hero (2D) (Action ) CP# Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions 2:45, 8:15, 11:45 PM Ride Along 2 (2D) (Action) (15+) CP# Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 11:30 PM Standoff (2D) (Thriller) (12+) CP# Cast: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne.

5:00, 10:00, 11:30 PM Concussion (2D) (Drama) (12+) CP# Cast: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks 6:30,8:45 PM Sisters (2D) (Comedy) (18+) CP# Cast: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph 4:45 PM Ocean 14 (Arabic) (2D) (Drama) (15+) CP# Cast: Amr Mostafa Metwally, Nermine Maher.

7:00 PM Airlift (2D) (Drama) (12+) CP# Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 9:00 PM MUSCAT GRAND MALL Concussion (Biography | Drama | Sport) 12+ Cast : Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks 3:00& 9:15PM Gold Class - 8:45PM Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (Animation) Cast : Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg, Josh Green 12:00,1:45,3:30 &7:15PM Gold Class - 5:15PM American Hero (Action | Sci-Fi) 15+ Cast : Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions 1:00, 9:30&11:30PM Gold Class - 3:30,7:00 &8:45PM

Ocean 14 (Arabic) (2D) (Drama) (15+) CP# Cast: Amr Mostafa Metwally, Nermine Maher.

7:00 PM

Concussion (Biography, Drama)( (2D)(12+) Cast : Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks 2:30,7:00 ,11:30 PM

American Hero - 2D (15+) Action | Sci-Fi Cast:Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions 3:00,7:00,11:45PM

Brooklyn (Drama) TBC Cast : Saoirse Úna Ronan, Emory Isaac Cohen 5:15PM Ride Along 2 (Action | Comedy) 15+ Cast : Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 7:30&11:30PM The Good Dinosaur-3D (Animation) U 5:15PM

American Hero (Action, Comedy)(2D)(15+) Cast : Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions 4:30,7:00 ,11:45PM American Hero (2D)(15+)-VIP LOUNGE 3:30 ,9:00PM Airlift(2D)(12+) Cast : Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 2:45,,6:15,8:45 ,11:15PM The Revenant (Adventure, Drama)(2D)(12+) Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 8:45 PM

Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions 5:15,11:45 PM 2 Countries (Malaylam) – 2D (PG12) Comedy Cast:Dilip, Mamta Mohandas 7:00 PM Aranmanai 2(Tamil) – 2D (15+) Horror Cast: Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan.

6:45, 9:15 PM

PANORAMA MALL Alvin & The Chipmunks – The Road Chip (Animation)(MX4D)(PG) Voice over: Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg, 3:00,5:00,6:45 ,8:45,10:30PM Alvin & The Chipmunks – The Road Chip (MX4D)(PG) 2:30,5:15 PM Concussion (Biography, Drama)( (2D)(12+) Cast : Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks 2:30,7:00 ,11:30 PM Concussion(12+)-VIP LOUNGE 6:30PM Exposed(Drama)(2D)(12+) Cast : Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves 5:00,9:15PM Exposed (Drama)(2D)(12+)-VIP LOUNGE 11:00 PM

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36)

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

15:00 15:00 15:00

05:30 05:30 05:30

Quriyat Sur Jaalan

16:30 18:00 19:30

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 06:30 08:00 13:00 13:00 16.00 16.00

07:00 07:00 13:30 13:00 13:00 13:00 17:00

Sohar Buraimi Buraimi Sohar Buraimi Sohar Buraimi

08:50 Daily 11:00 Daily 14:30 Daily via Ibri 15:45 Daily 17:40 Daily 18.35 Daily 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 17:30

Sinaw

Nizwa Yanqul

20:50

Daily

Nizwa Al Araqi

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

Sur Sur

10:20 12:30

Daily Daily

Fahud Yibal

Daily Daily

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

Daily Daily

Marmul

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

Daily Daily Daily Daily

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

06:00 06:00

Nizwa Ruwi

08:40 11:00

07:00

15:40 15:40

Nizwa Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

06:00 14:30

Ruwi Ruwi

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

12:30 12:30

Fahud Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

Ruwi Marmul Ruwi Ruwi

19:50 13:15 22:30 07:30

06:00

Marmul

16:30

Daily

Daily

15:00

Salalah

07:00

Daily

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

07:30 07:30 13:00 13:00 15:30 15:30

Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

10:50 13:40 16:15 19:10 18:45 21:35

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 07:00 07:00

16:00 16.00 16.00

11.45 13.30 14.00

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

2 Countries (Mal) (Drama/Comedy) Cast: Dileep & Mamta Mohandas 3:00,10:00 PM Cinema Main\ 6:30 PM cinema- 2 Irudhi Suttru (Tamil) (Sports\Drama) Cast: R.Madhavan, Ritika Singh & Nassar 3:30,9:30PM Cinema - 2 \6:30PMCinema Main Aranmanai 2 (Tamil) ( From Friday) Cast:Sidarth, Trisha & Hansika Motwani 3:45 ,6:45 & 9:45 PMcinema -3 Airlift (Hindi) (Act\ Thriller) Cast: Akshay Kumar & Nimrat Kaur 6:45 & 9:45 PM cinema- 4 Soggade Chinninayana ( Telugu) ( Drama) Cast : Nagarjuna ,Ramya Krishna 3:45 PM Cinema-4 Rajini Murugan( Tamil) ( Comedy\ Drama) Cast : Sivakarthiyan & Keerthe Suresh 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45PM cinema -3 (Only Thursday) Programmes are subject to change

WITH LOVE

60-80%

Maximum

27 17

0

SONA MANOJ January 28, 2010

BHARAT SUBASH January 28, 2010

Minimum

0

ARSHEEN AFZAL ADENWALA January 28, 2008

SARTHAK ANAND KUNDU January 29, 2009

Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 16 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to extra@timesofoman.com

Daily Daily Daily

Sharjah Fujairah Ruwi

16:30 18.15 23.00

LISTINGS

ROYAL OMAN POLICE Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence 24569603 Directorate General of Customs 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries 24510228 Public Relations Admin 24560099 EMBASSIES IN OMAN

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 08:30 11:30 15:30 18:30 17:35 20:55

Standoff: (Thriller) Cast: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne.

4.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.55 PM CP NO : 138 (12+) Exposed: (Drama) Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, 4.00., 10.00. & 11.55 PM CP NO: 139 (12+) Sisters: (Comedy) Cast: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph 2.00. & 6.00 PM. CP NO: 137 (18+) Ocean 14: (Arabic / Comedy) Cast: Omar Mustafa Metwally, Nirmen Maher, 2.00. & 6.00 PM CP NO: 140 (15+) Ride Along 2: (Action / Comedy) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 8.00 PM CP NO : 112 (15+)

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

Daily Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204) Fujairah Sharjah Dubai

WITH LOVE

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

Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

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

10:25

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

Ruwi

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

07:00

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

10:30 11:15

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

SALALAH Standoff (2D) (12+) (Thriller) Cast: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne, 2:00,7:00,11:45PM American Hero (2D) (15+) (Action) Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions 11:15AM,3:45,7:30,11:55PM Ride Along 2 (2D) (15+) (Action | Comedy) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 5:30PM Exposed (2D) (12+) (Drama) Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves.

12:45,4:50PM Sisters (2D) (18+) (Comedy) Cast: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph 11:45AM, 2:40PM Concussion (2D) (12+) (Drama | Sport) Cast: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks 2:45,9:15PM Airlift (2D) (12+) (Drama, History, Thriller) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur.

8:45, 11:15PM 2 Countries (2D) (PG12) (Malayalam) Cast: Dileep, Mamta Mohandas 8:40PM Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2D) (PG) ( Animation) 11:00AM,1:00,5:15PM Ocean 14 (2D) (TBC) (Arabic) (Drama) Cast: Amr Mostafa Metwally, Nermine Maher, Bayoumy Fouad, Lotfy Labib 6:45PM

GYANADA SUBHASH January 28, 2008

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 12:00 18:45

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

SOHAR The Fifth Wave - 2D (PG12) Adventure Cast:Chloë Grace Moretz,Nick Robinson 4:30,11:30PM Airlift - 2D (12+) Drama | History | Thriller Cast : Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 8:45,11:15PM 2 Countries- 2D (M) (PG) Comedy Cast : Dilip, Mamta Mohandas 6:45PM American Hero - 2D (15+) Action | Sci-Fi Cast:Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions 3:00,7:00,11:45PM Standoff - 2D (12+) Thriller Cast:Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne 2:45,5:15 ,9:45 ,11:30PM Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip 2D (PG) Animation | Adventure 3:00, 5:00PM Sisters - 2D (18+) Comedy Cast : Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph 5:00 PM Saala Khadoos - 2D (12+) Drama/ Sport Cast:R Madhavan, Nasser, Radha Ravi 7:00 PM Concussion - 2D (12+) Biography | Drama Cast:Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks 2:45 ,09:25 PM Ocean 14 - 2D (Arb) (15+) Drama Cast : Amr Mostafa Metwally, Nermine Maher 6:45 PM

BAHJA CINEMA

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 07:30 14:30

08:55 Daily 11:40 Daily 20:20 Daily via Ibri 14:55 Daily 17:40 Daily 19:20 Daily 22:15 Daily

TEMPERATURE

BURAIMI Standoff – 2D (Thriller) (12+) Cast: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne, 5:00, 7:00, 11:30PM Exposed– 2D (Drama) (12+) Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves 3:45, 7:30PM Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip – 2D (Animation) (PG) 3:15, 5:45, 8:45PM American Hero – 2D (Action/Comedy) (15+) Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions 3:15, 7:15, 9:30, 11:30PM Airlift – 2D (Drama, History) (12+) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 5:00, 9:00, 11:15PM

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54) 08:00 08:00

Daily Daily Daily

WEATHER

Aranmanai 2- 2D (T) (15+) Horror | Comedy Cast : Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan 8:45 PM

SUR American Hero ( Action) (15+) CP# Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions.

3:15,7:45,11:30PM. Airlift - (Hindi)( Drama ) ( 12+ ) CP# Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur, 5:00,9:30PM Standoff (Action | Thriller) (12+) CP# Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Thomas Jane.

4:40,9:55,11:45PM Alvin and the Chipmonk- The Road Chip (Animation) (PG) CP# Voice over: Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.

3:00, 6:05, 7.25 PM

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

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

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

RUWI Screen 1 Saala Khadoos (Drama / Sports) –12+ Cast :R.Madhavan, Nasser, Radha Ravi 2.30,8.30PM Airlift (Action / Thriller) –12+ Cast :Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 5.30,11.30PM Screen 2 Airlift (Action / Thriller) –12+ Cast :Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 2.45,7.15,9.30PM Saala Khadoos (Drama / Sports) –12+ Cast :R.Madhavan, Nasser, Radha Ravi 5.00,11.45PM Screen 3 Wazir (Action / Thriller) – PG12 Cast :Amitabh Bacchan, Farhan Akhtar

AZAIBA Saala Khadoos – 2D (12+) Drama/ Sport) Cast: R Madhavan, Nasser, Radha Ravi 2:30,4:45,7:00,9:20,11:30PM Airlift – 2D (PG12) Drama/ History/ Thriller Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kau 2:45, 4:40, 6:55,9:10,11:30PM Standoff – 2D (12+) Thriller Cast: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne 3:15,10:00,11:45 PM Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip – 2D (PG) Animation | Adventure | Voice over: Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg 2:45,5:00PM American Hero – 2D (15+) Action| Comedy

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

Destination

12.25pm 3.33pm 5.55pm 7.08pm 5.31am

CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 3 YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CINEMA | BOX-OFFICE COUNTER OPENS 30-MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCREENING OF THE FIRST SHOW

CINEMA SCHEDULE

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

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

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

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

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

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

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

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

23291635

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

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

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

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

C7

LIFESTYLE GHAWI BAZAAR

H O L LY W O O D B U Z Z

‘Fast and Furious 8’ to film big explosion in Iceland

BUY LOCAL: ALKA (NATURAL OMANI CHEWING GUM)

Director F. Gary Gray will reportedly film a few sequences of Fast and Furious 8 in Arkanes, Iceland. Town mayor Regina Asvaldsdottir confirmed the report

by Icelandic news site Visir and said that actor Vin Diesel and the film crew members would arrive in April, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Of what scene would be filmed in Arkanes, the news outlet reported that the crew planned to make “the largest explosion ever in Iceland”. In addition to shooting in Arkanes, the director will reportedly film Fast 8 in Cuba and Russia.

“Surely, this is a major project and will affect retail and service in town,” Regina told the news outlet regarding the positive effect of the movie on her town. Local residents are reportedly excited after learning that the sequel to Furious 7 will partly be filmed in their town. In Fast and Furious 8, Diesel will reprise his role as Dominic Toretto. Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jason Statham and Kurt Russell also star in the movie. The street-racing movie will be released in North America on April 14, 2017.

Alka is a natural chewing gum, which is very popular in Dhofar.

The thin, white, crispy, and disc-shaped product is made from either the resin of frankincense or tishkot tree (scientific name: Euphorbia Balsamifera).

Sylvester Stallone to be feted at Santa Barbara film festival Actor Sylvester Stallone has been tapped by the jury of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for this year’s Montecito Award. The honour will be presented following a career retrospective on February 9, reports variety.com. “Sylvester Stallone’s performance in Creed has reminded us of what a true talent he is and what a joy it is to share in his successes as the many beloved characters he has created,” Roger Durling, executive director, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, said in a statement.

“Since he first hit the silver screen as Rocky Balboa nearly four decades ago, he has been a force in the industry both on film and behind the scenes. He is a true legend in our field,” Durling said in a statement. The Montecito Award, named after a posh nearby community in Santa Barbara that luminaries like Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bridges and Google’s Eric Schmidt call home, is annually reserved for “a person in the entertainment industry who has made a great contribution to film.” Stallone is also nominated in the Actor in a Supporting Role category at this year’s Oscars, which will take place on February 28.

WHAT Frankincense is known as the divine sap of Dhofar and has been widely used as a medicine to ease inflamed joints to congestion and anxiety. The resin is also used to make Alka. People chew it during family gatherings and special occasions. A prominent scientist from Dhofar, Mohsin Al Amri, says it strengthens gum and prevents tooth decay.

WHO Women in Dhofar region make Alka. They collect resin from frankincense or tishkot. It is then manually rolled and flattened into thin disc-shape before drying it under sun for a few days. The properly dried slices are then packed in polythene bags before being taken to the markets.

WHERE

New ‘Spider-Man’ movie set for Imax release

HOW MUCH Each slice costs 500 baisa. Regular customers buy it in bulk and stock it at home. Amina, who manufacturers Alka and supplies in Dhofar souqs, says regular customers buy the product for a minimum of OMR 20 as they are worried about its availability. —lifestyle@timesofoman.com

The Wages of Gratitude ONE DOES not have to be a great scholar to teach another person a great lesson. I learned mine from a weather-beaten surrounding where sweat and hard work was the order of the day. I learned it from a barefooted man who could not spell his name and who earned his living with his unskilled hands.

It was during school breaks that I had befriended this porter who was as cheerful as the sun itself. He worked hard at the dockyard, in the same terminal I worked as a tally clerk. He was always there at the stroke of the hour when the clock struck six in the morning.

Some 50 years separated us but he always shared some aspect of his life with me. It was one of those days when no ships had called at the small harbour that he sat on an old stool between two warehouses, hoping that someone would come and ask for his service. Since it also meant that I had no job that day, I would go home and he would always say, “bring back better luck tomorrow, son”.

It would be a year later that I would know that he had eleven children to feed from the meagre, unsecure earnings. I would watch

SALEH AL-SHAIBANY

SO TO SPEAK Gratitude makes you forget the ingratitude of others towards you. Nothing hurts a person more than envying others who have a more secure livelihood.”

him kiss the palm of his right hand whenever he got paid after a hard day’s work and raised his hands to the heavens in deep gratitude. He taught me, in a very humble way, that it was important to be grateful even if nothing was earned during the day.

“Gratitude,” he once said as we were breaking for lunch, “makes you forget the ingratitude of others towards you.

Nothing hurts a person more than envying others who have a more secure livelihood.”

Well, I still think he was a great philosopher, for, his words ring true even today. He went on to teach me another lesson — one he had to learn the hard way — but I had to wait for another summer for that lesson to begin. He was sitting on the same old stool but his face wore a droopy look and his usual cheerfulness was masked by sorrow. I feared the worst and when I inquired, he said, “the accountant said goodbye to me yesterday because he is retiring. He’s decided to call it a day and said he was looking forward to a peaceful life and a pension.”

I heaved a sigh of relief that nothing bad had happened to

him or his family, but still was puzzled. “It may be a happy occasion for him, but why are you so sad?” I gently asked.

He wiped his face with his head cloth and then looked at his hands, feet and other parts of his body.

“I won’t be getting any pension when I am too old to work because I am a daily wage labourer,” he said.

And I have eleven children to feed.”

That summer came and went and a few others too.

On my final year at school, the old man met with a tragic accident. He broke an arm and fractured his thighbone. I went to see him and he told me that part of the tools of his trade — the two broken limbs — would never mend properly.

Was he sad? No, instead, he said, “something would come up sooner or later.” And he was right.

Six months passed and I saw him again limping in a marketplace with a group of young muscular men. “One of the dockyard contractors hired me to supervise young porters for a government project,” he said giving me a toothy grin. Something indeed had come up for the man who was always grateful.

PHOTOGRAPHY: T.A. AMEERUDHEEN

The chewing gum is easily available in all souqs in Dhofar region, but it has minimal presence in other souqs in Oman.

A yet-to-be-titled Spider-Man movie has been set for release in Imax Theatres along with the film’s worldwide date on July 7, 2017. Sony Pictures Entertainment is teaming with Marvel Studios to produce the sixth movie in its franchise, which has grossed $4 billion worldwide, reports variety.com. Tom Holland will star as Peter Parker and Marisa Tomei will play his Aunt May. Jon Watts is directing the franchise re-boot from a script by the team of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein.

“Imax’s long-standing relationship with Marvel and Sony first began with Spider-Man in 2002, establishing the ultimate way for fans to be transported into the world of their favourite characters like Peter Parker,” Imax’s Greg Foster said in a statement.-IANS

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016

LIFESTYLE

RAZHADANCE AT M U S C AT F E S T I VA L

Razha, the quintessential folk dance of Oman, is a major highlight of the cultural festival at the Muscat Festival. Performed by men during special occasions, including Eid and weddings, the dance is attracting people attending the festival.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Talib Al Wahaibi

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W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M T H U R S DAY, JA N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

SECTION

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

RENT

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VACANCY

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CARGO

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USED VEHICLES FOR SALE 1. Toyota Land Cruiser. Model 2008 in good running condition.

Vehicle regularly serviced by authorized service dealer.

2. Hino 7T Tipper. Model 2010 regularly serviced and in running condition 3. Toyota Yaris. Model 2006 regularly serviced and in running condition Place of inspection: Barka.

Last date of submitting the quotation: 4th February 2016 Interested buyers may please contact on Phone: 26883543, Mobile : 99440306

PDO APPROVED PORTABLE OFFICE FACILITIES ON SALE PORTA CABIN OFFICE

– 1200 SQ.M – 32 SECTIONS

PORTA CABIN OFFICE

– 900 SQ.M – 24 SECTIONS

PORTA CABIN OFFICE

– 700 SQ.M – 16 SECTIONS

PORTA CABIN OPEN HALL – 500 SQ.M – 14 SECTIONS

Contact Person - S. Sundaram- 00968 93221934 - Viral Desai - 00968 93221397

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DAILY GUIDE

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

FOR RENT

E t &ůĂƚƐ Θ ^ŚŽǁƌŽŽŵƐ ĨŽƌ ZĞŶƚ 1/2/3 BHK Flats & Showrooms at DƵƩ ƌĂŚ͕ ŶĞĂƌ KŵĂŶ Ň ŽƵƌ ŵŝůůƐ͕ ϭϬ ŵŝŶ͘ ĨƌŽŵ ĐŽƌŶŝĐŚĞ͘ ĞƋƵŝƉƉĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ƐƉůŝƚͬ ĐĂƐƐĞƩ Ğ ƵŶŝƚ Ɛ͕ ŝŶƚĞƌŶĞƚ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͕ ĨƌĞĞͲ ƚŽͲĂŝƌ ĚŝƐŚ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƟ ŽŶ͕ ds ŵŽŶŝƚŽƌĞĚ͕ ďĂƐĞŵĞŶƚ ƉĂƌŬŝŶŐ͘ ZĞŶƚ ZK͘ϮϱϬͬϯϱϬͬϰϱϬ ;EĞŐŽƟ ĂďůĞͿ ƉĞƌ ŵŽŶƚŚ͘

*Tourist visa arranged

ŽŶƚĂĐƚ ͗ ϵϵϮϮϵϮϲϯ͖ ϵϯϮϮϭϬϱϰ͖ ϵϱϮϭϱϮϴϵ

&KZ Z Ed RUWI : Ware House - 630 M2 SPACIOUS -2 B H K FLATS

NEAR AL FALAJ HOTEL:

Luxury flat for rent in Bareeq Al Shatti building Spacious 2 BHK with sea view, split A/Cs, fixed wardrobes, kitchen appliance.

Near Opera Gallery.

Rent RO.900/- negotiable.

Contact - 94084335 / 96920789

Flat for rent in CBD area - Ruwi Two rooms and a large hall •Office spaces for rent in Al Hail on the main road On the same building of Al Khamis Shoes at Al Hail •2 bed room flats in Qurum 29 for rent next to ABA New building -split AC - Good location

Contact No: 96177505

Brand New 4-Bedroom Ground Floor House for Rent in Al-Ansab (Bousher) . Easy access to main road. House is constructed with high quality finishing and elegant doors design. 4 Bedrooms with in-situ bathrooms. Marble floor.

Specious kitchen. For rent @ 600 OMR/Month (Negotiable).

Please contact Mr. Ali 92755663.

STORE FOR RENT

High quality Warehouses for rent at Mizfa 550 sqm to 3400 sqm.

Contact

500 sqm store with 200 sqft office & 200 sqm covered shed for rent at Mabella Ind No-11 on main road, direct from owner.

96046951 / 99332291

CONTACT - 99278002

Villa 2 room, 1 sitting room, 1 lobby, 2 bathrooms at South Mawalleh behind Discount Supermarket.

Contact: 92757673 / 99388138

Flat for rent in Al Ansab 1, 2 rooms, living room, kitchen & A/C. Contact: 91256340

Flat for rent in Wadi Al Kabir next 5 Al Hassan company, 2 bed room & 3 toilets. Contact: 99210008

Al Khuwair 17/2, 4 rooms, 4 bathrooms. Contact: 97300123

Flat in Wadi Al Kabir 2 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 family hall, kitchen & 3 bathrooms. Contact: 99277787

Al Khuwair 33, 3 rooms, 2 bathrooms. Contact: 97300123

Flat in Hamriya.

Contact 99341112

Luxurious villa for rent in Al Athaiba, a new luxurious G+2 floors villa in Al Azaibs. All rooms W/ Splt unit ACs, close to Wave Muscat & shopping centers.

Contact: 95965445

FURNISHED DELUXE 1 B/RM WITH 2 bathrooms, SPLIT A/C, BUILT IN ARDROBRE, PRIVARE TERRACE.

FLATS FOR RENT

ŽŶƚĂĐƚ ͗ Ϯϰ ϳϬ ϯϬ ϲϬ

1 BHK and 2BHK Flats with Split ACs - Opp. to MOD Near Lulu Darsait

Villa in Al Khoud for staff accommodation, like nurses or teachers can accommodate 30 to 35 people.

Rent RO.1200/-. Contact - 91178282

CONTACT :

93202733 Apartments & shops for rent in Al Amerat & brand new apartments & shops for rent in Al Amerat.

Contact: 95965445 1000 sqm industrial land with compound wall & two rooms at Misfah. Contact: 99342733 / 99795241 Newly build luxury residential villas for rent in Al Khoud.

Contact: 98116480 / 99447002 & 99358724

Villa for rent in Al Khuwair.

Contact: 96571151 Sharing accommodation at Ruwi near family shopping center, please call after 6:00 pm .

Contact: 93394653 02 BHK Residential flat opposite to Al Nahdha hospital.

Contact: 99342733 / 99795241 Empty plot at Al Wadi Al Kabir industrial area 550 sqm.

Contact: 95909020 Bosher Rimal 1, building appt for rent 2BR, Maid room, sitting room, full appliance, kitchen, 4 toilets.

Contact: 99349910

02 BHK Commercial / Residential (with split AC) flat at Honda road.

Contact: 99342733 / 99795241

New flat in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact: 98185135

Single room attach bath with kitchen in Muscat 100/- R.O. Contact: 95094028

Flats shops & store for rent in Ruwi MBD Honda road.

Contact: 92433127 / 97293708

T H U R S DAY, JA N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

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DAILY GUIDE

FOR RENT 3 Bedroom flat in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact 95755953 / 95555162 BHK apartment for rent in Al Khuwair near Ibis Hotel.

Contact: 95124975 4 BHK with terrace near Raymond Ruwi in market on road.

Contact: 99065900/99354975 Flats two bed room for rent in Al Khuwair. Contact: 96571151 Residential cum commercial 2BHK available in MBD at 280/-.

Contact: 96332793 1& 2 BHK flats for rent at Hamriya Wadi Adai, Al Khoud, Mabela & shop at Al Khoud & land line Contact: 24834644 GSM 93994401/02/03 3 lines 1&2 BHK flat in Walja.

Contact: 98218279 New flats for rent at Darsait near to ministry of sports, Mumtaz area the flats include 1 living room, 2 Bedroom, kitchen, 3 toilets every room with split A/C & high Quality finishing, rent per flat is R.O 340/-.

Interested candidates please Contact: 00968- 92225523 3BHK flat for rent in Ghubra.

Contac: 99328070 Flats shops & store for rent in Ruwi, MBD area & Honda road. Contact: 92589235/ 94579531 Flats in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Offices in Ghala.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 2BHK flat for rent Darsait near ISM. Contact: 95158570 / 99102255 2 bedrooms, kitchen, toilet, car park R.O 220/- & 1 bedroom, kitchen, toilet R.O 140 in Al Khuwair. Contact: 95154331 One flats for rent 2 bedroom all with bath al Ghobrah north near Indian school (hot burger restaurant) Tel. 9976610 Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99376454 600 SQT commercial flat for rent opposite Oman flourmill Darsait more details. Contact:91214849/ 99364735

Family flats in Wadi AL Kabir, Hamriya, Muttrah, Al Khuwair, Ghubrah, Bowshar, Al Hail North & Al Seeb.

Contact: 95250300 / 92125648

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished sharing accommodation in ruwi near O.K. Center for non-cooking indian bachelor.

Contact - 98805474

Flat for Rent 1/2 BHK Flat at Muttrah, near Oman flour mills, 10 min. from Corniche.Equipped with split unit ACs, internet points, free-to-air dish connection, CCTV monitored, basement parking.

Rent RO.250/350 per month.

Contact:99229263; 93221054; 95215289

FOR SALE FOR SALE

2BHK Sitting room, 3 bathrooms, split AC big balcony 300/- R.O in Wadi Kabeer. Contact: 99324402

BUILDING

3 BHK flat near Darsait ID medical.

RO 420/- Contact – 99358589 / 97079146 / 95570288

FOR SALE MUMTAZ AREA (NEAR RUWI HOTEL)

1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-.

Contact: 97799175 / 92144045

CONTACT - 99353931

2 Room + hall & kitchen ,3 toilets in Bareeq Al Shatti 750 RO. Contact: 99314314 7 Bedrooms villa in Ghobrah North.

Contact - 96420432

1BHK flat near Star Cinema 220/Contact 99358589 /95570288 Single BHK flat available in Honda road Ruwi.

Contact: 24833972/ 24833974/ 99367448 Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) Contact - 94051789-97201688 Offices in Qurum opposite City Center. Contact - 9405178997201688 Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Dialysis Machine(DBO7) - Available 10 Units for Sale .

Contact : 94306662 or Email : ahdialysis1010@gmail.com Luxury Apartments in Bousher (35). Contact - 9505680897201688

ACC. AVAILABLE FOR RENT

A big room available for Muslim couple / small family executive bachelor near Hamriya R/A rent 130/- OMR, including water / Electricity. Contact: 99495131

Profs/ Jack. Contact 93219378 1,2 BHK Ghubra R.O 300/-, 325/- & 350/-. Contact: 97799175

Excavation contracts worth RO 2 million + Big Volvo Excavators & 2015 Astra 5 tippers for sale.

Contact: 99120532 / 98867530

Commercial flats of 3 & 2 BHK in Al Ghobra North 18 Nov street RO.650/- & 450/Contact – 91776665 600 M2 showroom or office in Bousher in front of Dolphin complex. RO.3.5 per m2.

Contact – 91776665 Brand new 4 BHK villa in Al Fai compound Al Khoud. RO.475/Contact – 91776665 Luxury villa of 5 BHK in Al Khuwair 33 RO.650/Contact – 91776665 Villa of 3 BHK and sitting area in Al Ghobra North. RO.525/Contact – 91776665

Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Luxury and brand new semi furnished 2 BHK flat in Remalbowsher. RO.550/- Contact – 91776665

Mini Furnished Apartment in Qurum. Contact - 9405178997201688

Spacious 1 BHK flat in Al Wattaya with all split A/C’s and parking.

RO.300/-Contact – 91776665

Duplex villa in Qurum 29. Contact - 94051789-97201688

Flats in Darsait.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Flats in WadiKabir.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Household items & furniture in excellent condition for sale. Indian expat leaving for good.

Contact Ravi : 93380408 Beauty Salon for urgent sale in Azaiba prime location behind Al Fardan building. With sponsor and 1 staff and 1 ready visa clearance. Call: 95318629 / 95169411 Kingsize 7x7 double cot, dining table good as new. # 98796982 Restaurant items for sale.

Contact: 96772479 /98428507 Filling material for sale in Muscat. Contact: 93299940 Villas in Al Khoud. Contact 95056808-97201688 3Ton Forklift, Special made for Oman market, Japanese Isuze C240 Engine, Cascade side shifter, High amount exhaust, 3m lifting height, Solid tyres, One year warranty. Contact: 98883445

2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sitting room, hall, kitchen with parking space for rent in Mawalah, behind City Centre. Contact 93930352 Fully furnished room with attached bath for Executive bachelor behind Al Meera Hyper market, Azaiba 150/- R.O. Contact: 99455735 Spacious room semi furnished with attached bath near Ruwi roundabout. Contact: 96612979 Ghubra. Beautiful Room. Indian Lady/Couple/Bachelor. Non-cooking, Vegetarians. Contact 99283938 Accommodation available at Hamriya roundabout for executive bachelors (no kitchen, furniture and A/C) including water and electricity RO 130. Contact 98145825, 98949724.

Furnished room with a/bathroom in Al Khuwair33 for Indian Executive. Call: 95234062 Furnished room & bath Darsait R.O 140/-. Contact: 93289652

Spacious semi furnished room with separate bathroom for executive bachelor opposite OC centre Ruwi. Call: 92273779 Single bedroom flat behind German Embassy, near Al Nahdha Hospital. Contact 99203954 Room available in Mumtaz area 1 room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1 room, common bathroom. Interested please Contact: 92680041 Mr. Altaf Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan villeage. # 93687466 2 rooms, toilet in Al Khuwair preferable for Indian couple or working woman rent R.O 190/- only include Ele & water. Contact: 99546410 Room , B/Room & Kitchen for Executive in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99336206 Furnished room available with attached bath & balcony near MBD. Contact: 97636432 Room available for executive bachelor in MBD with kitchen on sharing basis. Contact: 96332793 Furnished room at Hilat Al Saad with TV, AC, fridge near main road.

Contact : 95714202 Semi furnished spacious room with attached washroom separate entrance near Indian school Al Ghobrah for non cooking Executive Indian bachelor.

Contact: 95146361/92657598 Spacious semi furnished room with separate bathroom for executive bachelor opposite OC centre Ruwi. Call: 92273779 Single room for expat Indian bachelors near Al Aktham restaurant Al khuwair for RO 120.

Water and electricity included.

Contact 98803261 Furnished room in new building for working Muslim lady/ Muslim couple only. Location AINT, Darsait. Contact - 99008069

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DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT Wanted female GP, female Gynecologist, female Staff Nurse, female X- Ray Technician With MOH license for Al Saadi Specialized Medical Centre in Musanna.

Contact -91262604 Email: chillapalli76@gmail.com

Well reputed Marble Company looking for

3 SALESMEN Requires minimum 3 years experience and valid Omani driving license.

Interested candidates please Fax your CV to 24601724 or Email on saab2803@gmail.com

SITUATION VACANT (Omani Candidates only) Required Store Keeper to manage an office store in Ghala Minimum 5 years experience handling stores with working knowledge of English

LIBRARIAN REQUIRED PART-TIME For organizing and maintaining a private library in Qurum, Muscat.

Interested persons who are qualified and experienced, please respond to: GEORGE@ALYOUSEFGROUP.COM Or Fax: 24614144 P.O.Box 200, P.C. 100, Muscat

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SITUATION WANTED URGENTLY REQUIRED Qualified & experienced male B.SC holder

CIVIL ENGINEER With 10 -15 years experience for a Muscat based well known construction company.

Email: alfayafy@outlook.com Fax: 24479675 SALES / MARKETING Urgently required Experienced Sales Man for Al-Rawas Marble & Granite.

Located at Al Rusayl Industrial.

Please forward your cv at oure mail : mahmood@rmgoman.com

oman.newvacancy@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING Urgently required Experienced Sales Man

We are looking for Chief Financial Officer, Male 40- 45 years old, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy with 5 - 15 yrs. of experience. Contact: +968 24702133 Email: admin-dept@daud.om

BEAUTY Beauty expert required to work in Salon in Al Amerat.

Contact : 93336061

CATERING Chinese / Arab/ Grill, cooks.

Contact: 95529970

DESIGNER FASHION DESIGNER specializing in western attire and traditional wear required for a Boutique in Capital area. Female candidates with 4 to 5 years experience in GCC are advised to revert at 9321 8210 or jiby@mpesllc.com

DOMESTIC HELP Housemaid required for Keralite family. Contact 95405033 Looking for housemaid urgently clearance available good salary yearly ticket. TEL 24446920 / 99238121, mail: ravi.ztc@omzest.com

DRIVER Wanted Driver. Contact: 91025698

DRIVER Required Full Time Light Driver for an Omani Family. Indian or Philippine national are preferred.

Send SMS only to 97711577 Reputed Construction Company require experienced light Vehicle Driver. Contact 95526871

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH Civil Site Supervisor for telecom tower projects across Oman. Send CV to fyjo@spec-link.com or call +968 9946 7227

MEDICAL Orthopedician, Nurses, Physiotherapist, Asst. Pharmacist, Gynecologists to work in a clinic at sur. M/F, any nationality with MOH license or prometric pass 60% and above can apply to rcsphysiotherapy@gmail.com

Part Time Accounting, Accounts Finalization as per IFRS, Audit Preparation, Cost Control and Management, Training for Accountants, Internal Audit, Accounting System for New Companies, Contact: 96975454, email:ibfc.gcc@gmail.com

Indian female, M.Tech electronics 6.5 IELTS experience as VLSI / Electronics project trainer & institute administration currently in family visa. Contact: 90195131 /24551290 Email: chinj.89@gmail.com

Indian male having good experience in accounts and in accounting and in accounting softwareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ready to join immediately.

Contact: +91 9444965126 15 years experienced in ďŹ nance & treasury management CPA, CMA, ACCA, MBA, qualiďŹ ed Chartered Accountant available for immediate joining as head of ďŹ nance, ďŹ nancial advisor, ďŹ nanced consultant.

Contact: 94872345 Email: mfta27@gmail.com Indian male B.com accountant with 9 years ( 8 yr Oman) experience seeking suitable placement immediately ( NOC available ).

Contact: 98624850

Accountant MBA (ďŹ nance) masters (accounting) 2 yrs Exp looking for suitable placement, having NOC & valid D/L .

Contact: 92491009, Email: rasubiswas4@gmail.com

Auto Electrician cum A/c Mechanic

Young 24, ACCA affiliate, Advanced diploma in Accounting and Business, seeking suitable placement in Accounts, Finance or audit With valid driving license.

Contact - 92430152, Email - rau_dey@yahoo.com

for Workshop

mahmood@rmgoman.com

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ADMIN

Chief Accountant Indian male 44 years B.Com Graduate PGDVA total 13 years in GCC, 7 years in Oman & knowledge in Tally, ERP9, Peachtree MS Office having NOC seeks placement Contact: 97060826 Email: tomnedum71@yahoo.co.in

Send CV to

for Al-Rawas Marble & Granite.

Located at Al Rusayl Industrial.

Please forward your cv at oure mail :

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Candidate must have a minimum 2 to 3 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in assembly, installation, maintenance and repairs of automotive refrigeration, air-conditioning systems and chiller units.

He should be well conversant in repair and troubleshooting of electrical faults and experienced in using computerized diagnostic systems.

Part time Accountant, up to ďŹ nalization, looking for job after 5pm (location prefer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MSQ to Al Hail). Contact: 95694737

He should be ITI/DME (Auto) qualified.

Interested candidates email cv on

krauto@kr.om or contact on 99440518 FOR COMPANIES SEEKING OMANI EMPLOYEES We have a batch of skilled Omani candidates in Administration, HR, Account & Reception ready to join different companies in a month We will also provide training for Omani candidates as per your need like Cashier, Teller, HR, Admin, Sales, Stores, Customer service etc., t Ä&#x2021; F *OTUJUVUF XJMM JEFOUJGZ UIF QPUFOUJBM DBOEJEBUFT JOUFSWJFX UIFN BOE select the suitable candidates in consultation with your officials. t Ä&#x2021; F FOUJSF DPTU PG USBJOJOH XJMM CF CPSOF CZ UIF (PWFSONFOU %VSJOH training the company will not incur any cost like salaries & training. t Ä&#x2021; F *OTUJUVUF XJMM USBJO UIFN GPS B QFSJPE PG UP NPOUIT BT QFS UIF program. t 'SPN UIF EBUF USBJOJOH TUBSUT XJUI VT ZPV BSF GVMÄ&#x2022; MMJOH UIF PNBOJ[BUJPO SFRVJSFNFOU Ä&#x2021; F DBOEJEBUF XJMM TUBZ BU MFBTU GPS B ZFBS XJUIPVU MFBWJOH UIF KPC

For any queries contact us: 26862210, 93677745 & 93677795 Fax: 26861710 email: ojt@aifas.net, www.aifas.net

MEDICAL

MISCELLANEOUS

Require LAB TECHNICIAN ,The desired candidate must be a graduate/diploma in Civil Engineering with minimum experience of 3 to 5 years as Lab Technician having Experience of testing construction materials on Building/ Road projects. Send your CV to: rakesh@uniqueom.com.

Furniture company urgently required : 2 Outdoor sales people, 1 Interior designer. Previous experience in furniture ďŹ eld will be an added advantage. Interested candidates please send CV : Email : batrading2014@gmail.com

Required X RAY Technician, Lab Technician, General Practitioner, Gynecology, Staff Nurses.

Contact: 95133572 Email: kunoozghala@gmail.com Wanted GP Doctor with MOH license, job location in Muscat with good salary and beneďŹ ts.

Drop your cv at 0careerhr1972@gmail.com.

Wanted B- Pharmacist (female) for a pharmacy in Sohar.

Contact : 99767605 Urgently required GP, Gynecologist, Dentist, Staff Nurse, Lab Technician, Pharmacist, For a medical centre in Muscat.

Tel: 92603863 Email : ruwistar@hotmail.com.

Urgently required Office Staff/ Manager for medical equipment import office in Ruwi.

Tel: 92603863 Email: ruwistar@hotmail.com Wanted Gynecologist, General Practitioner, Assistant Pharmacist for immediate appointment.

Contact 97884856/ mail CV to â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sarita_h23@yahoo.com Wanted urgently lady Doctor GP or DGO for immediate appointment. Contact : 99310590 Email: tjmaluke@gmail.com

Urgently required for a reputed company in Oman (Tyre, Battery & Lubricant division) Sr. Executives/Executive-5 nos (Sohar, Nizwa & Muscat), Techno Commercial Professional-5nos, Driver (Omani)-1no. Required minimum 3-5 yrs experience in the same ďŹ eld with market exposure holding valid Omani driving license or GCC. Kindly fwd your CVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to ashwin@taasintl.org Contact: (+968)93891700 Sales Ladies wanted for Ladies Boutique. Age: 20-35 yrs. Al Khoudh. Call -91159905 Send CV to sameer916@hotmail.com

SALES / MARKETING Wanted marketing personnel for acquiring Premium customers for MNC. Should have communication/ sales skills and must possess Oman DL. Contact 96545020.

Wanted Sales Supervisor with Oman experience in FMCG for a reputed company. Send your C.V to our email: recruityarek@gmail.com Salesman require for building material with driving license & 10 years working experience.

Fax your C.V 24833043.

(Mustafa Hardware Store) Sales for a printing press Whatsapp Only. Contact: 95955729

SALES / MARKETING Required Philippine Sales lady for womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoes and bags store.

Arabic speaking advantage.

Send CV with current picture.

Email: markato.fashion@gmail.com

SKILLED LABOR Immediate Requirements for experienced Tailors (Designer wears, casual clothing). Please call for interview 99471085

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED

Finance & Accounts Indian male 35 years B.Com MBA (F) 7 years experience tally ERP9 with valid D/L family visa.

Contact: 93257426 / 95230114 Email: sibigeorgep@gmail.com Indian male B.Com with 1 year experience in Oman as Account having driving license seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 93415880 Email: nithin_thomas1992@hotmail.com Chartered Accountant with 1.5 years of experience looking for job. Currently in Oman on visit visa. Contact - 91520687 Email: murtazanmh@gmail.com

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Accounting Assistant, BBA, M. Com (pursuing), tally, peach tree, valid visa available.

Contact : 98269281

Indian male, 28, Post Graduate, 6 years exp. in Oman in Sales and Credit Control , with valid Oman D/L looking for suitable placements.

NOC available. Ph: 9206 6523

Indian male (25) B.com 6 years experience in accountant seeking suitable placement accountant, admin, sales visit visa.

Contact: 98437731 Email: faisadcpsy@gmail.com

Indian male good experienced in Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in India & Oman, presently on visit visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94834687

Indian Accountant well experienced in construction accounts (Financial and Cost) and also administration and HR seek suitable placement (Full/Part time) in Oman or UAE. Contact 98598099

Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/ ďŹ nance ďŹ eld. On visit visa. Immediately available. Contact â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 92836216 / muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com

Part time accounts qualiďŹ ed experience accountant.

Contact: 91126314

28/male/MBA - ďŹ nance/B.Com Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/ India experience looking for a suitable placement. #90187483 shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com Finance-Indian with 7 years experience in Finance & Accounts up to ďŹ nalization. Currently employed in Oman. Having D/L & NOC. Mob: 94122464, Email: cammk13@gmail.com

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with 13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in manufacturing, trading & contracting Cos, capable of handling all accounting, ďŹ nance, banking, L/C, import, export & ďŹ nalization seeks placement. NOC Available.

Call+968-98932752, mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com Part-time accounting, tax report, auditing & bank loan assistance.

Contact 91720465 Indian male, MBA (ďŹ nance), 1 year experience in Oman having Oman D/L and NOC on visit visa looking for a suitable job.

Contact 94103975 Indian Male Accountant 10yrs Exp. in OMAN Retail & Furniture Co. (Release Available) GSM.92564955

ADMIN Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+ experience in Administration/ HR, Customer Support, Office Coordinator with good Computer skill, Now on Visit Visa,looking for suitable position.

Contact: 90196235 Indian female 27 yrs with 5 yrs HR /Admin experience seeking suitable placement with valid Oman driving license.

Contact: 98236033 Indian female, Masters in HR, having 4 + years Oman experience in media management and HR, looking for openings in HR, Education, Admin, Corporate communications. Contact 98252030

Indian female Graduate 7 years as Secretary Office Assistant Admin seeks placement.

Contact: 99073789 Indian female PGDHRM MSW having 5+ experience in HR Assistant Administration customer support good computer skill DOA, CIT Tally now on family visit visa looking for suitable position. Contact: 95352527 Indian female 25 years Graduates in BBM (HR) currently on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact: 92065248 Email: bibinnj47@gmail.com young Omani male have experience 12 years as P.R.O , Clerk helper supervisor Admin supervisor , H.R Manager have diploma in H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license looking for H.R position or P.R.O license . Looking for H.R position or P.R.O part time or full time. Contact: 95933288 14 years of Gulf experience in HR/ Admin & logistics ďŹ&#x201A;uent in Arabic & English with D/L looking for suitable position, NOC available.

Contact: 95824598 Indian male MBA- UK 18 yrs Gulf exp in Administration/ HR & Public relationship. Fluent in Arabic/ English with D/L. Looking for suitable position. Contact - 99897280 Filipino male with 13 years HR and Administration managerial experience. MBA & CIPD holder. Currently looking for job in Oman. Interested employer pls call 97728418.

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

DOMESTIC HELP Looking full time job. Contact: 99153378

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN Civil AutoCAD Draughts man 5 years experience on visit visa.

Contact: 99759284 Email: ahmedimran945@gmail.com A lady entrepreneur with BF Tech 1st Class (Fashion Technology) since 2006 in Kerala like to make change for better. Specialized in designing, Production Management, Fashion Art, Grading, Surface ornamentation, Garment Construction.

Email: prettyjinu08@gmail.com Mobile: +919539397097.

25 years male BA. English , QualiďŹ ed as mast in digital animation having 5 yrs ex in character animation specialized Auto Desk mago and motion building software knowledge, seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 97917357

DRIVER Experienced Light Duty Driver, Fluent in English, Arabic Well knowledge of Oman Areas Seeking Suitable placement Contact 97950869 Bangladeshi driver want job.

Contact: 93822195 Looking for driver job with own car, education, B.A, can speak English, Arabic, Urdu & Hindi.

Contact: 96728056 / 98031620 Light driver looking for job experience in Oman 6 years & K.S.A 5 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; education H.S.C. Contact: 93940319 Omani male need driver job for part time. Contact: 92296607 Light duty driver experience 4 years suitable job. Can speak English, Arabic & Hindi.

Contact: 98393692 Driver with car looking for job or part time. Contact: 96023492 Light driver need job knows English, Hindi & Arabic.

Contact: 92820309 Job for driving. Contact: 98982410 27 years, 1 year experience, with D/L. Contact: 97369716

T H U R S DAY, JA N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED

Senior Management Executive With over 18 years of experience in Retail, Distribution, FMCG & Electronics across GCC markets seeks GM / VP / Vertical Head position for Group Companies Management and P&L deliveries.

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Contact +968 9791 2950 cxogcc@gmail.com

DRIVER Light driver Ruwi.

Contact: 95779594 Pakistani male light driver 10 yrs in UAE & 1 yr in Oman.

Contact: 93709393 Driver (light & heavy duty) valid gulf /Indian) looking job.

Contact: 95175192 Driver with new car looking for job.contact: 95873286

EDUCATION Indian female masters in computer science and Engineering B.Tech in information technology , M.B.A ( Systems) 3 years experience teaching in college , having good knowledge in C++ , java oracle now on visit visa looking for openings in Educational institutions.

Contact: 91812419/96935426 Email: anorelindhinesh@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. B.Tech Mechanical, Diploma in industrial health and safety, NEBOSH (IGC) , working experience 4 years (Construction, oil and Gas) .

Contact: 94750413 Email: shilpaneapen@gmail.com Indian female (B.Tech/ Mechanical Engineering) 4 yrs Oman experience in project coordination in water, sewerage and infrastructure sector , Having valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement.

Local release available.

Contact: 95297449 B.Tech Chartered Electrical Engineer, AMIEI with 5 years of experience in electrical power transmission and distribution in industrial, residential & commercial sectors. Expertise in load designing BOQ, Estimations, transformer and switchgear selections. Leadership skills in project execution & management.

Contact: 94638744 Email: ceng.shaz@gmail.com Computer Network and Hardware Engineer with driving license and 20 years of experience in Oman looking for a suitable position.

Contact: 98388431 Email: nwengineer@outlook.com Civil Engineer with 8 yrs exp in construction having license and NOC. Contact: 97986606 Telecom Engineer Sudanese on visit visa have 1 year experience in installation and have diploma in Tally ERP & excel and one year experience. Contact: 91991215 Indian female Computer Science Engineer having two years experience in teaching and programming C .CCP Java VB HTML, Sql, Php currently on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 91168733 Syrian Civil Engineer graduated 2012, 1 year experience in Oman.

Contact: 92967785 Aeronautical Engineer with MBA in Operations Management having 4 yrs experience in reputed Aviation & Oil Companies, now on visit.

Contact 91864047 / 92791625 B.E .Mechanical Engineer Indian over 4 yrs of exp in HVAC design auto cad drafting on visit visa .

Contact 90305596. Email: shaikrizwan330@gmail.com 7 years teaching experience in Political Science at University level, 5 years experience as Intellectual property lawer 20 years experience of Arabic / English visa versa , translation / interpretation / Editing , 20 years of experience in management, Tri lingual (Arabic / English / French) Contact : 92175153 Indian female civil engineer B.Tech having 3 years experience sound knowledge of software, REVIT STAD PRO structural detailing currently on family visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95345591

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ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Indian male Electrical Engineer with MBA (Mktg) having 4 and half years experience in technical commercial and marketing fields with valid GCC D/L, NOC available seeking placement.

Contact: + 968 96547828 Email: deva0234@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) with 2 and half years experience Indian male 24 years in visit visa. Contact: 96620482 / + 91 9605423272 Email: bijumonps@gmail.com Civil Engineer 8 years experience Structural buildings marine. Available NOC release. Contact: 92451323.

Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp seeks suitable position ina reputed company. NOC available.

Contact – 96789711 Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912 Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian male 24 years with 1+years Indian experience,(Certified in Staad Pro/ Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).

Looking for a Suitable position.

Available In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat) on Visit Visa.

Contact: 92835952. E-mail: mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com B.Tech Civil, 25 yrs female, 3 yrs exp in qty survey have valid GCC license. Contact: 91309475

Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in designing, assembling, commissioning execution etc having valid GCC license too looking for a suitable. Contact: 00968-98052942 Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com Civil Engineer 11 years experience in construction having driving license & NOC. Contact: 94194399 Email: shiblyrock@gmail.com B. Sc Civil Engineer, having 27 yrs Oman experience as Project Manager, Structure Engineer looking for suitable placement, consulting, contracting co. NOC & local transfer available. Contact : 99399578 Email: farooqatm@hotmail.com Indian male 26 yrs BE- Mechanical Engineering, CSWIP 3.1 certified welding inspector + ASNT level in UT, RT, MPT, LPT with 3.5 yrs experience in QC InspectorWelding. Looking for a suitable job.

E-mail: rahmanmech2@gmail.com HSE & Fire Safety Engineer 4 years experience air port operational safety, power & chemical industry. Contact: 94374241 7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the field of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598 Indian male Diploma Civil Engineer have 1 yr. experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job (certificate attested).

Contact: 92667406 / 99210411, Email : manojgvh@gmail.com

Indian male 5 years experience in piping (Site Engineer / Supervisor) Indian and Oman (PDO Project) & looking for suitable post currently on visiting visa, NOC available.

Contact: 94258289 Email: nidhishgopinathan@gmail.com

Indian Male 23 years B.Tech Civil having 2 years experience in quantity survey and site management looking for suitable placement. Contact:- 95042656

Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 97667113

Sudanese Telecom Engineer, 5 years experience, 3 years in Oman PMP certificate.

Contact: 93391008 Email: momen.awadallam@gmail.com

Sudanese Civil Structure Engineer, 3 years experience with residence and Omani license, good at AutoCAD Etabs Staad. Pro looking for suitable job. Contact: 97906770 Civil Engineer 3 years diploma holder having 7 years experience, building construction & oil & gas field with driving license.

Contact: 93294965 Mechatronics Engineer 26, MSc with 3 years industrial experience, looking for suitable placement.

NOC available. Contact 94887665 Email: mechatron_mt@yahoo.com Electrical Engineer Indian (29) , 7 years exp in Oman, 33KV, 11 KV projects in MZEC & MEDC having CEP 1 & NOC with D/L. Contact: 99822373 Sr.HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+ Diploma Safety + NEBOSH+OSHA) over 10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release/Transfer Letter (NOC) available), seeking suitable placement.

Contact - 97061817, Email: jayanammu1977@gmail.com Highly experienced mechanical/ steel structural fabrication engineer looking for suitable placement. NOC available.

Contact: 99860714, hussain20173@gmail.com.

Networking Engineer having 10 years experience with 3 years in Oman having valid driving license and NOC, presently in Oman needs immediate placement.

Contact - 95783383 Diploma in Electronics, 2 years exp in telecommunication.

Contact: 94519571 Email: telecommunicationvishnumadhull @gmail.com 10 years experience in Dubai & Bangladeshi as a BSC Engineer on structural designer & construction having Dubai municipality approval & driving license. Contact: 91206763 Future 008801758846027 Email: engr. masud.civil.@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) Indian male, with good knowledge in HVAC on visit visa looking for suitable placement. Contact: 90154793 Email: sangu.vazhoor@gmail.com

Sudanese Structure Civil Engineer 2 years experience resident Omani license. Contact: 94393880 Civil Engineer / QS engineer, 9 years experience in Oman freelance visa, searching for a suitable job in Oman. Contact: 97299165 Need job for experienced mason, electrician & welder.

Contact: 93015630 M.Tech in Manufacturing Engineering with 2 years of experience, on visiting visa looking for a suitable job. Contact: 91417949 Email: dannyrangde@gmail.com BE Mech specialization welding technology 11 yrs quality cont Engineer by Steel Cons EPL Installation desalination plant (Gulf). Contact: 96603299 Electrical Engineer: Indian male, 30 yrs having 5 yrs of experience in industrial automation & utility maintenance in India (MRF tyres), holding valid Oman D/L. Contact 92789995, email : akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com Instrument Engineer B.Tech Indian male, 24 yrs, 1 yrs experience in reputed oil & gas companies, currently on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact: 92007218 Email: ahmed0515@gmail.com Civil Engineer (Diploma) having 11 years experience in building construction, looking for a suitable placement , having Oman driving license. Noc available.

Contact: 95075365 Email: azharraaz@gmail.com Indian Electrical Engineer Btech, female 24 seeking job, presently in oman having 2 year experience in design and estimation of Ht &Lt projects. Contact 968 97436557, Mail id : sibinanoop1@gmail.com Electrical Engineer with 18 years exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034 Email: shassalih66@gmail.com Civil Engineer (BE) having total 5 years experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available Contact# 94450270

Sri Lanka (BSC) quantity surveyor, having 3 years GCC experience is looking for a suitable placement 1 such as QS/ Contract administrator / estimator / project coordinator has knowledge in Fidic and construction standard available in visit visa. Contact: 96301107 /94292198 Email: faisfareed@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer male 26 yrs, with 4 yrs of experience in manufacturing oil & gas retail, brand promoting, marketing, logistics having valid Omani D/L seeking for a suitable placement. Contact: 97098676 Email: ja237le@gmail.com Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact:97416564, Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com Procurement Engineer (27 years single male with Oman Driving License) having 7 years experience (UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in MEP, Water, Electromechanical, Instrumentation seeking suitable placements. Contact 95852033, mail: hemal1988@gmail.com Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975518 Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work, 21+ years experience with Driving license. Contact: 95267113 Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience HVAC design & site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD. Contact: 90150913 Email: mahmanmechengg@yahoo.im Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years in Oman experience Valid Driving License seeks suitable placement Phone 97619722 Email – golamrob@yahoo.com

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IT

MANAGER

A young CA (ACA & ACCA qualified) with 4 years experience in one of top audit firms in UK & KSA seeks suitable placement in Oman. Contact: Kamran hkamran112@gmail.com, +44 7480 1196 74/ +968 93595050

MBA (marketing) with 17 years experience in freight forwarding/ logistics industry in GCC & Oman.

Presently working as branch manager in Muscat. Looking for a suitable position. Release and NOC available. Contact: 99856331

Hardware & networking, 2 years exp. Contact: 96244031 Indian female (30 yrs) , BCA , MCA,ASP NET certification, SAP ABAP certification 2 yrs experience, seeking placement family visa. Contact: 99109121 Email: ashamaryphilip@gmail.com Indian male 26 years with BBA, tally and hard ware networking, having 3 years of experience as an accountant, seeking for suitable placement. Contact: 98201244 5yrs experience in software and 1yr in admin, looking for a part-time or work from home jobs Contact: 91711326 Sudanese Network Administrator 1 year experience with (MCSA, CCNA, CCNP) have valid driving license. Contact: 92394485 Network Engineer degree Computer Science CCNA, MCSA experience NOC. Content: 92346191 Indian male 26 years BSC IT with 4 years experience currently on visit visa looking for IT support job knowledge of networking, programming languages, windows / Linux environment.

Contact: +968 95369856 / 24781651 Email: mark.tony.alphonso@hotmail.com

MEDICAL

Indian male, with experience in operations management, information security, purchase & stores mgmt, hold UAE driving license, on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact 91904541 Email: naushers@yahoo.com

MISCELLANEOUS Sri Lankan (male) having 14 years experience as a Store keeper in an imports exports firm, looking for suitable position presently in Muscat.

NOC available. Contact: 91494225 Email: janath.lk@ymail.com Filipina lady very urgently looking job only in boutique, release available ready to join immediately.

Contact: 97122152 / 91240759 Looking for job with car education O level exp 6 yrs English, Arabic & Hindi. Contact : 99640986 Indian male having experience more than 13 yrs, 4 years in Oman as Store keeper, Procurement in reputed company looking suitable placement release available.

Contact: 92245926 Email: mohammedbasheer700@gmail.com Female business graduate from UK with four years corporate Experience in procurement purchasing expediting logistics and supply chains in UAE Seeks suitable placement. Contact: 99581399

Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs experience in international Oil & Gas company looking for job Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email: mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com

Male Indian Dentist BDS with 9 years experience, prometric exam cleared, looking for job.

Contact 97768187/ vermanikhil492@gmail.com.

10 years experience in Oman in logistics / purchase have Oman D/L looking for suitable placement.

Contact- 96410767 Email: harishkts@yahoo.com

Sudanese Architectural Engineer 2 years experience in Oman, Revit, AutoCAD 3Ds max Archicad looking for suitable job.

Contact: 94722356 Email: maya40999@hotmail.com

Indian female BDS with MOH license looking for job.

Contact 95347894

Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.

Contact 91295802 / acmfaslan123@gmail.com

An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license looking for job. Contact 96436517 /97396088

Purchaser, experience 9.5 years in Oman, Indian male, Driving License available with own car.

Currently working with ARDISEIS Oman Branch (Seismic work for PDO Oman) as a purchaser. Handling all type purchase, logistic, petty cash, stock, dispatch. Working with SAP application. Educational qualification - Post Graduate in MA (Economics) Salary – Negotiable seeks suitable Placement.

Contact 99458569 Email : nitesh.rane2015@gmail.com.

Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs experienced as AutoCAD civil draftsman (2 yrs experience in Oman) currently in Oman seeks suitable.

Contact 96789441 Email: simi5304@gmail.com

HOSPITALITY Indian male B.A Degree & diploma in hotel management with 16 years experience as restaurant & catering manager in Oman & Saudi with V/L Oman D/L seeks suitable placement. Contact: 92100141 Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants Dynamic result oriented hospitality professional with 20 years of international exp. MBA in Hotel Management, specializing in Hotel/Restaurant start ups, concepts & Franchise development with proven records. Seeking for Challenging positions in reputed groups as GM/COO/CEO/Business Head. (NOC available) Contact: 96059470

IT Indian Male, IT System Engineer having 4 yrs of experience in system administration.CCNA,MCSE, Linux. Looking for suitable job.

Contact :91272867 Dynamics AX 2009 / 2012 R2/ R3 Microsoft certified professional MCA & BCA Having 15 yrs of total exp & 6 yrs of relevant exp seeking for suitable position.

NOC is available.

Contact: 93469493 Email: axcertprof@gmail.com

Female Ayurvedic therapist.

Contact: 97263637

MANAGER Procurement Manager / Commercial Manager / G.M Indian male having 26 years of experience in Import, procurement, logistics, Commercial activities, Warehousing, TRD & Sales. Contact: 90502724 Email: tk.sasi@gmail.com

Indian female on visit MBA (International Business- Marketing & Logistics), BE (Computers & Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/ BW with 1 year experience seeking for job Contact: 90228586 Email:fathimasha16@gmail.com

Indian female having 17 years of Dubai work experience in Business Process Management & Quality Assurance (ISO 9001) is looking for job in Muscat (Full time/Part time/ Consultant). Experienced in developing, training & implementation of business process documentation, leading the organization to ISO 9001 certification, Quality Audits and Business process improvements & controls. Contact: 97903127. Email : ravichandran. mangala@gmail.com

Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement. Gsm 98805474

The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: construction(Very strong and qualified to bringing business for civil work Or any type of the construction work for many million per year with a good experience in pricing and collect payment and cash management of the company & marketing projects & investments& tenders & real estate. Contact 92385033 The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: tenders& real estate& construction & marketing projects& investments & transportation & Marine services& companies management& develop business.

Contact :- 92385033

SALES / MARKETING Indian male 32, MBA (Marketing & Finance) with 10 years experience in Marketing of Banking Products & Insurance Industry. Seeking for a Job in Oman. Contact: 93576980, 97750460 Email: senthil.cbe83@gmail.com Indian sales marketing professional highly experienced in business development in ME India and Africa seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 97897611 Indian male 28 yrs having 6 years experience in Oman in Sales & Marketing & Office Administration, looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 99142314 Indian male B. Pharm 15 years sales experience MOH Pharmacist license driving license looking for opportunities in Pharmacy or Sales and marketing can get NOC. Contact: 99694865 Indian male, BBM, MBA, having 3 years experience in Sales looking for suitable job. Contact: 92796046

D6

T H U R S D AY, JA N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED SALES / MARKETING Indian male, Graduate, 9 yrs experience in FMCG – UAE, valid GCC driving license on visit seeks suitable position. #92419491 / 94881950, Email : pranilpp76@gmail.com A dynamic professional, Female, with 8 years of experience in PURCHASE,SALES COORDINATION ,OFFICE ASSISTANT, residing in Oman with valid NOC from current company,looking for a suitable job, Ready to join Immediately”.

Contact:-shiji4123@gmail.com Phone:- 94157662 South Indian hold 12 years Omani residency – B.E, MBA, PGDM, MCIM, result oriented self starter - Techno commercial Executive 15 years core experience in business development/ marketing oil & gas (all streams) & manufacturing. seeking suitable placement. Contact 99277816/ myakram@hotmail.com Indian male 22 BBA Graduate one year experience in Oman with valid Oman driving license looking for a placement. Contact: 96357787

Looking for immediate sales and marketing 3 years GCC experience with valid driving license now on visit visa till Feb 12.

Contact: 99642611 Email: kashif_iam@yahoo.com B.Sc Graduate with 4.4 years work experience in Sales, Marketing and Business Development looking for a job. Currently in Oman and ready to join immediately.

Contact : 00968-95096284 A dynamic professional, female, with 8 years of experience in PURCHASE, SALES COORDINATION , OFFICE ASSISTANT, residing in Oman with valid NOC from current company, looking for a suitable job, Ready to join Immediately.

Contact:- shiji4123@gmail.com, Phone:- 94157662 27 years old male MBA Graduate having 1.5 years experience in Marketing seeking for good opportunities in sales & marketing.

Contact: 90572132 Email: bibi4bibin@gmail.com

MBA Indian male 2.5 yrs exp in marketing & sales presently on visit visa seeking immediate placement. contact :91725539.

Email: suhailahmad1489@gmail.com Indian male 26, with more than 4 years experience in Sales and Marketing having valid GCC license on visit visa seeks suitable position. Contact: 92423161 Indian male, MBA Marketing having 2.5 years Sales experience immediately looking for a suitable position. Contact: 91415145, Email: shariqs88@gmail.com MBA graduate having 6 years exp in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with PEPSI, India, having international driving license permit seeks suitable placement. Cont : 95308167, Email : samir.pag@gmail.com B.Com male 2 yrs experience in sales Computer knowledge, seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98371144 email: nabilnazar22@gmail.com

TOURS/TRAVELS Indian 15 yrs Marketing exp with visa D/L looking for senior job.

Contact: 90390862 Indian male Sales Engineer 18 years experience (pneumatics, electric, air compressor, garage equipments etc) including 5 years Gulf experience currently employed in Oman with D/L looking for suitable position, NOC available.

Contact 94425942 Email: kishorekumar.naik@yahoo.in

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192

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

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Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English class for Malayalam Speakers

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in Azaiba and Ruwi earn in two months

tion guaranteed

Tel: 95244310

Karate and self defense classes at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per month twice a week Monday and Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM. CONTACT 98294551

FURNITURE SHIFTING Maintenance, Dismantling, Packing, Shifting & Fixing furniture with expert technicians.

Contact: 99041337

^ Zs/ ^ tĞ WƌŽǀŝĚĞ ůĞĂŶĞƌƐ͕ Kĸ ĐĞ ďŽLJƐ͕ ůĞĂŶŝŶŐ ŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ͕ 'ĞŶĞƌĂů ĐůĞĂŶŝŶŐ ĞƚĐ͘ ů DƵĚĂŬŚŝƌ EĂƟ ŽŶĂů Ɛƚ͘ >> ŽŶƚĂĐƚ ͗ ϵϰϮϳϳϬϮϬ

Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089 / 95323517 House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

For wooden Aluminum door, windows. Contact: 98796982

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman Building maintenance.

Contact: 96173326 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722

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

Pest Control Treatments.

Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 Cleaning & Carpet Shampooing, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont Maintenance services electric, plumbing and A/C. Contact: 96524904 / 94285064

MISCELLANEOUS Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/networking/server, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/ Network/Server support. Contact 92607532 22, Indian BBA graduate, 1 year experience, presently on visit visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 91881053 Highly experienced mechanical/ steel structural fabrication engineer looking for suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 99860714, hussain20173@gmail.com.

B.Com 5yrs experience good command on tally, Excel sheet on family visa. Contact: 98002428 Email: lubnakanwal36@gmail.com

Purchase Executive Professional, Indian male having 6 Years of Experience in Oman Having Valid Driving Licence working as a Purchase officer, Looking for a suitable Position, NOC/LR Available.

Contact: 95132564/96456071, E-mail: naji1988@gmail.com

GOOD NEWS Genuine Ayurvedic treatments & massage, Ayurvedic clinic at AL Khuwair. Contact: 24478618 / 97263637 / 93309131 FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133.

For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam).# 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

SITUATION WANTED EDUCATION/CLASSES/TRAINING/COMPUTER/WEBSITE

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble.Contact 24793614/ 99314807

Indian male 26, on vist visa, 2+ yrs of experience with UAE D/L, IATA-FIATA,BBA looking for any suitable job. Contact 91324567

MISCELLANEOUS

A/C maintenance & servicing, fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, painting & cleaning services, electrical & plumbing.

Contact: 99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting,Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. Contact: 24810137, 99450130

AVAILABLE Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting.

Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

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

IELTS PREPARATION Target Band 8.0

Classes for Spoken English TOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed EAGLES INSTITUTE 92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: engominst@gmail.com

T H U R S DAY, JA N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

D7

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

TOURS

TOURS

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

SITUATION WANTTOURS ED

DRIVING

RENT A CAR

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636 We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

An Investing partner needed for a printing press.

Contact 99498949

NRI Plot for sale Shadnagar Municipality, Mahboob Nagar District, walk able distance to existing colonies, national highway and basic amenities at reasonable price.

Contact – 0091 8686631669 One bedroom flat in Guruvayoor Kerala, 2 minutes walk to Guruvayoor temple direct owner.

Contact: 00968 99466800 Plot, propeties for sale in prime location in pune Contact 95272138, (+918390982975)

MATRIMONIAL Hindu nair age 64, looking for a suitable girl.

Contact: 0091 755900189

WANTED IELTS Coaching (academic) required nearby wadi Kabir area.

Please call on mobile or msg on Whats up.

Mobile no: 92927880/99012165

NOTICE Accordance with Article 13 of the Commercial Companies Law No. 4/74 . Sukhoor Al Khaleej for Cont joint company which is recorded under the commercial register number 1076033 is going to change its legally shape from joint company to limited Responsibility company. This is to inform any body who concerns about that to 2 months from the date publishing this advertising Asael Saham Al mumiyzah for Trad ASSO company which is recorded under the commercial register number 1203657 is going to change its legally shape from ASSO company to joint company And in accordance with Article 13 of the Commercial Companies Law No. 4/74 . This is to inform any body who concerns about that to 2 months from the date publishing this advertising.

LOST Husna Ally Omary has lost Tanzania Passport No. AB 609157. Finder please handover to ROP. Obayed Mobarok has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. AB 6051049.

Finder please handover to ROP.

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

TRANSPORTATION We need transport from Mabella to Mawalleh for student & employee. Contact: 92757673 Transportation.Contact: 99099714 Transportation Al Khuwair.

Contact: 92711421 Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909 Transportation. Contact 96173326 Transportation. Contact 94510847

MV SALE Hiace Toyota van for sale, model 2010. Contact: 94203204 Rav4 ,2015,38000 km No.2 O.R 8200. Contact : 96474787 Hummer H2 model 2006, 178000 km, Full options Number 1 Army edition.OMR 7200.

Contact -99466773 Chaverlet Epica 2004 model RO -700, for sale. Contact 92194205 BMW 318/ 2003 for sale.

Contact 96364990

BUYING Buying cars for cash.

Contact: 90202090

FOR HIRE Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299

Car available with driver on daily rent and Monthly. Contact: 96728065 / 98031620 25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP specification for monthly rent & small car with driver.

Contact: 99839898

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T H U R S D AY, JA N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 6

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SITUATION WANTED DINING DELIGHTS

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