Times of Oman - February 29, 2016

MONDAY February 29, 2016 20 Jumada Al Ula 1437 AH

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FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

To the Council of Oman, 2011

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ We affirm the need for these good traits and high values to be instilled in our youth from a young age, at home, in schools, mosques, clubs and other educational and nurturing incubators so it will act as a fence, protecting them from falling into the abyss of intruding ideas that call for violence, extremism, hatred, fanaticism, being opinionated and non-acceptance of others, as well as other extreme ideas and opinions that lead to the tearing up of society, draining its vital powers and leaving it in ruins and utter destruction, God forbid.

Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 6

| 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

Hotline aims to protect children

POSITIVE GROWTH

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

Surgery gives girl from Oman eyelids

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A two-year-old girl from Oman, born without eyelids due to which her eyes always remained open, got a new lease of life after an Indian doctor sculpted eyelids, grafting skin from her mother’s ear. >A3

OMAN

GUtech students make wonder car

Welcoming the child protection line, people have said that children are the

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A stronger, lighter and more fuel efficient car is the weapon of choice for the students of German University of Technology (GUtech). >A5

WORLD

Rouhani hails gain in Iran elections

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani won a strong vote of confidence and reformist partners secured surprise gains in parliament in early results from the twin elections. >A15

MORNING MINUTE

future of the country GRAND WEDDINGS: Since 2014 until January this year, seven big fat Indian weddings have taken

place. – WeddingSutra

and psychological

Sultanate choice venue for big fat Indian weddings

support for their proper growth

FAHAD AL GHADANI

fahadnews@timesofoman.com REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: In India, there is a saying that weddings are made in heaven, and now, for the affluent Indians, the Sultanate – one of the safest countries with innate beauty is a haven for those who want to tie the knot in style.

Since 2014 until January this year, seven big fat Indian weddings have taken place, according to an Indian representative of the Oman tourism ministry.

A five-star hotel general manager has said that six more weddings are likely to be held this year. “The growth rate has been phenomenal as we have seen a positive growth in less than two years. Two high-

profile weddings have already taken place in early 2016, with one being held in the Al Bustan Palace and second in Millennium Hotel. The hotels and destination management companies are currently working on enquiries for weddings for the next season i.e. October–December,” Lubaina Sheerazi, India’s representative of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism, said in an exclusive email interview to Times of Oman.

Recently, the glitzy wedding of Sasha Rawal, sister of Bollywood’s leading fashion designer Kunal Rawal, with Samarth Bajaj, scion of a prominent business family from Hyderabad, was a grand affair at Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa.

In January, the Al Bustan Palace was fully occupied for another big fat Indian wedding for a couple of days. “Beautiful locations, authentic Arab culture, and pleasing locals are the three main aspects, which attract those looking for wedding destinations in Oman,” said Al Bustan general manager Katrin Herz.

“Oman is gaining popularity as a wedding destination in Asia. Six more big fat weddings are likely to take place in 2016,” Katrin said, adding that the drop in oil prices has affected the hotel industry in the region, and hotels are looking to diversify their activities such as by hosting grand weddings as one of the ways to cushion the downturn. >A4

DEEP UPPER AIR TROUGH

Rain forecast for next three days in Oman REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Heavy rains have been reported in northern Oman, said weather enthusiasts.

“Wadis are overflowing in Suwaiq, Samail, Al Awabi, Ouf, Shatan, and other areas,” Bader Ali Al Baddaei, administrator of www. rthmc.net, a local web-based forum that discusses weather in Oman, told the Times of Oman.

The Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) has forecast rain in Oman for the next three days starting from Monday afternoon due to a deep upper air trough.

“Isolated rains and occasional thundershowers associated with

and they need social

Picture:www.rthmc.net

fresh winds and hail are expected over the governorates of Musandam, Al Buraimi, and Al Dhahira.

It will gradually affect Muscat, North and South Batinah, and the Sharqiyah region,” according to the statement. >A5

MUSCAT: A child abuse hotline for young victims, or the public, to report cases of violence or neglect to the authorities is to be launched by the Ministry of Social Development.

The issue came to the fore during the last meeting held by Child Protection Committee under Dr. Yahya bin Mohammed Al Hinai, Director General of Family Development at the Ministry of Social Development.

The meeting, which discussed the achievements made in ensuring child protection in 2015 and 2016, approved the Child Protection Line (1100).

Any victim, or anyone who has witnessed the crime, can call and report the matter using the toll free number. The aim of the emergency line will be to provide children protection from abuse, violence and neglect and also provide them psychological and social support. It will also provide legal advice to families.

Riyadh Al Siyabi of the ministry’s media department said: “The emergency number will be open for everyone to inform the authorities about any child abuse.

Once the ministry receives the report, the concerned authorities will proceed to the next step immediately.”

The emergency line will provide children protection from abuse, violence and neglect and give them psychological and social support. The child protection line will also provide legal advice to families.

The move by the Ministry of Social Development to establish a child protection line was welcomed by the public, and several

1100

is the toll free emergency line for providing protection to children against abuse and neglect

people have expressed their happiness about it. Activists hope that more cases of abuse would be reported as the child protection committee starts receiving complaints.

Welcoming the move, Nasir Al Khamaisi, vice-president of Social Development Committee at the Majlis Al Shura, said this would help better protect Oman’s children. “Such a move shows the government’s care for its children.

Children are the future of the country, and there must be clear laws and regulations, which can protect them,” said Al Khamaisi.

He added that the public should positively respond to the move and spread awareness regarding it. “Many such cases could have been avoided if such a hotline existed before,” noted Al Khamaisi.

Last October, Sheikh Mohammed bin Sa’ayid Al Kalbani, Minister of Social Development, had issued a ministerial decision to establish a committee to prevent child abuse in the governorates.

Called the Child Protection Committee, it receives reports from individuals or the public regarding any cases of child abuse or violence against children.

Lawyers and social activists have been urged to assist in formulating new Child Law regulations, following a series of child deaths caused by negligence of adults. The Child Law was adopted in early 2014.

WA N I F R A M I D D L E E A S T D I G I TA L AWA R D S

Times bags top honours at digital media awards Staff Reporter

Land Rover BAR top America’s Cup World Series Oman

C1

MUSCAT: Times of Oman has been named as one of the best digital media houses in the Middle East.

Our timesofoman.com scored a number successes in the WanIfra (World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers) Middle East Digital Awards, taking two gold honours and three silver.

These awards are the most prestigious competition in the industry for publishers to benchmark their digital offerings in the region. The competition drew innovative publishers from all over the Middle East who submitted their digital media campaigns and content to see where they stack up against their peers.

Times of Oman relaunched its digital offering in July, 2015 and

our new desktop, tablet and mobile sites were highly praised.

Best in Tablet Publishing: Gold Award: Judges rated our tablet offering the best in the region.

Best in Data Visualisa-

tion: Gold Award: Judges loved our Omani Dress microsite.

Best News Website: Silver Award: Judges said our site was very appealing and gave great value to the readers plus highlighted our audience growth.

Best Mobile News Service: Silver Award: Judges hailed the growth in mobile traffic and praised its design and functionality.

Best Reader Engagement: Silver Award: Judges hailed our use of video as well as our cross platform strategy, our audience growth and our social media.

Chief Executive Editor Scott Armstrong said: “These awards are fantastic recognition for a lot of hard work which has gone into improving our news service online, both by our team in Oman and our technology partner Layout International. We’ve grown into the single biggest online news site in Oman by a significant margin.

Our site was read nearly 40 million times in 2015 and 2016 is already off to a great start. >A5

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

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A two-year-old Omani girl, who was born without eyelids due to which her eyes always remained open, received a new lease of life after an Indian doctor sculpted eyelids, grafting skin from behind her mother’s ear.

Surgery gives little girl eyelids >A3

Fair calling book lovers in Muscat

D A R A L AT TA’A

Major attractions at the Muscat International Book Fair this year include halls for cultural NOBLE WORK: Dar Al Atta’a Let’s Read Campaign has been promoting the love of reading to children in Oman since 2007.

events and a corner for children’s programmes and events

DEEBA HASAN

deeba@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Once again, it’s time to pop a can of soda, pick up a favourite title, curl up on the couch and just read. It is time to become completely immersed in the habit of reading, as the Muscat International Book Fair has begun at the Oman International Exhibition Centre, and has again proven to be a real treat for book lovers, especially Arabic language readers.

Hundreds of book sellers and publishers from the GCC and beyond are taking part in the fair, with over 250,000 titles,which include 100,000 new books.

Sakina Al Lawati, an avid reader, had been saving up for this fair for the last two months because she wanted to buy as many books as she could lay her hands on.

“I developed the habit of reading only about a year ago, and I must say that reading has helped me so much, with thinking better and changing my opinion about so many things. I saved up for this fair because I knew that I will be able to find my favourite books here, as I don’t normally find them at bookshops in Muscat.”

CATCH THEM YOUNG: Children at the Muscat Book Fair.

Promoting local authors Meanwhile, Humaid Al Amri, an Omani filmmaker, was able to publish his first book,entitled ‘Scenes from Omani Cinema’, with its launch at the fair, and has received tremendous response.

“On the first day of the launch, so many people came to me and asked me lots of questions about the book and about Omani cinema. They were really keen about getting to know as much as they could about the history of cinema in Oman. Also, because there are not as many books on films in Oman, people were anticipating this launch so they might gain more information on the subject,” said Al Amri.

Perfect launch platform Al Amri has published a thousand copies of the book in its first edition. “I think the Muscat International Book Fair was the perfect platform to launch my book, since it is the only festival for reading in Oman, and this time it is even bigger. I hope that more people will come and buy my book, which is priced at a minimal OMR3.”

Mohsen Al Hudhaili, an architect and a resident of Muscat, who is originally from Algeria, was able to launch his first book,entitled ‘Risha al Asfoor’, a story for children about a boy who

loves birds at the fair. “The book was published by ‘Dar Al-Hadaiq’, a popular publishing company from Lebanon which specialises in children’s books, and I have been able to sell 50 copies of the book, as of now,” noted Al Hudhaili.

“There is a huge demand for good quality children’s books at the fair, and I am happy to contribute towards the cause.” Al Hudhaili is also planning to write more books, after this first success.

Major attractions this year include halls for cultural events and a corner for children’s programmes and events. There is also an application for smart phones, to allow users to view activities at the fair.

The fair continues until March 5, and will be open to the public from Wednesday, running from 10 am until 10 pm. On Fridays, the fair will be open from 4 pm to 10 pm. There are 650 participants, which include publishers from 27 countries, compared with 441 publishers from 24 countries last year, and is spread over 8,550 sqm.

Visiting times set aside only for students are from 10 am to 4 pm on Monday, February 29, and Wednesday, March 2.Visiting times just for women and female students are from 10 am to 4 pm on Tuesday, March 1, and Thursday, March 3.

Charity book shop promotes reading with affordable books DEEBA HASAN

deeba@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A substitute for expensive bookstores in Oman, the ‘Let’s Read’ bookshop by Dar Al Atta’a, is a pioneering effort in promoting the reading culture by offering used books at very affordable prices- such as OMR1 for paperbacks and OMR2 for hardbacks.

This cost was further reduced to OMR1 for hard backs and 500 baizas for paperbacks at a recent book sale held at the Qurum Commercial Centre (QCC), where scores of book lovers from all age groups and nationalities gathered in large numbers to buy their favourite titles.

Speaking to the Times of Oman, Jane Jaffer, initiator of the Let’s Read campaign, said there is a lack of reading habits in the country, while this campaign encourages the love of reading by providing easy access to inexpensive, but good books.

“We are very happy to see the number of people coming to the book sale. By buying books here, you are able to purchase a lot of books because they are less expensive and, at the same time, you are

helping promote the cause of reading,” said Jaffer.

Simi, an expat visitor, was delighted as she purchased several books for her seven-year-oldchild. “There are some wonderful books here, I think it’s a great initiative which builds the reading culture, as a lot of people are not reading books here, especially in this age of technology.”

While looking for books, Simi came across some classic titles and decided to buy them for her child.

“Its my first time here, and I think it’s an amazing initiative. Oman lacks proper libraries and proper outlets where you can afford good books. They are very expensive, so this is a very nice initiative for book lovers, and I think they are doing great in the age of electronics where everybody reads books on screen and books are becoming archaic,” added Simi.

The Let’s Read campaign opened its first bookshop in the country last year at the Al Qurum Complex. This was Oman’s first charity bookshop, and has books for both children and adults. Located at 116, first floor, the shop is open daily from 10am to 1pm and 5pm to 7pm. Sales proceeds

are used to support Maktabati, Oman’s first mobile library, which travels around the country visiting schools and festivals. Dar Al Atta’a Let’s Read Campaign has been promoting the love of reading to children in Oman since 2007. The campaign’s committee achieves its aims in a variety of ways, by setting up play rooms, libraries and reading areas in hospitals, schools and nurseries. They also organise teen and children’s book clubs.

Haitham, another young expat, bought a number of titles and said he was glad he came. “I bought a few books from another bookshop in Muscat for a very high price, almost four times the cost here.

I now feel like I should have just bought books from here and not gone to the other store because it’s so affordable here and we are supporting a noble cause.”

It is clearly not possible to run the bookshop without enough donors and volunteers, so the bookshop requires donations of books whenever possible. If members of the public are interested in donating books or volunteering at the bookshop or at any of its activities, information can be obtained at the shop at the Al Qurum Complex.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

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After surgery, the child is recovering well, her eyes are finally closing sufficiently, and she is sleeping well, said Dr Sunil Vasani the surgeon who sculpted the eyelids

RAHUL DAS

rahuldas@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A two-year-old girl from Oman, who was born without eyelids due to which her eyes always remained open, received a new lease of life after an Indian doctor sculpted eyelids, grafting skin from behind her mother’s ear.

Speaking to Times of Oman, Dr Sunil Vasani, an Ophthalmic plastic surgeon in Mumbai, said, “Imagine a scenario wherein you are unable to close your eyes. It feels akin to some torture routines depicted in Hollywood films wherein clips are placed in the victims’ eyes, and the poor soul is deprived of all sleep.”

Icthyosis is a genetic condition in which the patient’s skin is unable to retain moisture and subsequently shrivels.

Meera Rashid was suffering from icthyosis, and her eyes have been open since birth. She did have lashes but were stuck to her

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Surgery gives little girl eyelids eyebrow. “Her parents, in despair after rushing from pillar to post, arrived in Mumbai in India,” Dr Vasani recalled.

It was then a taxi driver of Mumbai who brought them to a hospital, Eyes R Us, at Kemps Corner, Mumbai. “This is simply because the taxi driver had a child with eyelid problems that had been treated by me,” the doctor noted.

“The plight of the child triggered tears in most of my staff,” says Dr Vasani who is trained in Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery at University of California.

“We decided to accept the challenge,” said doctor Vasani.

Mother’s skin “The best skin grafts are those that are from the patient’s own body, but little Meera did not have a centimetre of skin on her body. The parents were urged to donate skin as the next best choice. I opted to take the skin from the back of the mother’s ear.

“It was a good match, otherwise I would have to go to a skin bank,” stated Dr Vasani.

Two little eyelids were then sculpted during a marathon surgery using the parent’s skin and the child’s own muscle and glands.

“After surgery, the child is recovering well, her eyes are finally closing sufficiently, and she is sleeping well,” said the doctor.

Dr Vasani claimed that major advancements in plastic surgery are now offering much more benefits to the people.

“We have constructed artificial eyes to such level of authenticity that you would not be able to identify which is real or fake. When patients come back to us, saying we are getting married or getting a job, this is when you feel a deep sense of satisfaction,” said the doctor.

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BABSON COLLEGE

Top US college delegation discusses entrepreneurship with SQU academics Times News Service MUSCAT: Advisory board members of one of the top entrepreneurship colleges in the United States interacted with Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) academics to learn about the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship being promoted here.

The International Cooperation Office at the SQU received members of the Babson College’s advisory board, who visited the university to gain an insight into the entrepreneurship culture of its students and the entrepreneurship education being offered at the university.

Babson College is a private business school in Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA, established in 1919. Its central focus on entrepreneurship education has made it to the top entrepreneurship college in the United States.

The advisory board members of Babson College interacted with a group of academics from SQU who spoke at length about the university’s activities in promoting the culture of innovation

EXCHANGE OF VIEWS: Babson College is a private business school in Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA, established in 1919. Its central focus on entrepreneurship education has made it the top entrepreneurship college in the United States. – Supplied photo

and entrepreneurship among its students.

The panel included His Highness Dr Adham Al Said, Dr Said Al Muharrami, and Dr Shahid Al Balushi from the College of Edu-

cation, Dr Rashid Al Yahyai from the College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences, Dr Salim Al Harthy from the Academic Innovation Assistance Programme, and Dr Mahmood Al Kindi from the Col-

lege of Engineering. The SQU conducts several courses and activities to expose its students to entrepreneurship and innovation, so that they can start their own companies and businesses in future with the support of the government, which promotes small and medium enterprises launched by youngsters.

The courses in entrepreneurship and innovation offered at SQU focus on idea generation, opportunity assessment, creative thinking methods, intellectual property protection, and business plan development.

Babson College also offers master’s degrees in business administration, accounting, entrepreneurial leadership, and management.

Often referred to as the “Entrepreneur’s College,” Babson is known for immersing its students in the entrepreneurial lifestyle and culture. Babson College has consistently appeared on the U.S. News & World Report rankings as the number one college in entrepreneurship education for nearly three decades.

SQU WORKSHOP

Engineers discuss soil improvement Times News Service MUSCAT: Latest developments in the field of geotechnical engineering problems and soil improvement were discussed at a workshop held at Sultan Qaboos University.

Dr. Hilal bin Ali Al Hinai, Secretary General of the Research Council (TRC), served as patron at the opening ceremony of a workshop, entitled “Problematic Soils and Ground Improvement”.

Dr. Ali bin Saud Al Bimani, Vice Chancellor of SQU, and a number

of experts and engineers in the construction sector in the Sultanate, as well as academics from the College of Engineering, attended the event.

The workshop was organised by the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at the College of Engineering, in collaboration with TRC and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).

During the workshop, experts, scientists, and engineers specialising in geotechnical engineering from the public and private sectors in the Sultanate, discussed

the latest achievements and developments in this field, and practical solutions to problematic soil in the region in general and the Sultanate in particular.

Dr. Mohammed bin Yousef Al Aghbari, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, said the workshop was the outcome of much research, scientific papers and fieldwork in geotechnical engineering.

“Urban expansion and giant vital projects in the Sultanate face a lot of geotechnical problems and

soil characteristic problems.

The scope of this field of engineering in the Sultanate prompted us to organise the workshop, which attracted more than 16 speakers who are specialists in this area. The main aim of the workshop is to enrich the background of Omani engineers in this field”, he said.

More than 220 Omani engineers attended the workshop. The chief guest later opened an exhibition of geotechnical engineering projects and companies working in this field.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

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20,000

hotel rooms will be available in Oman in three- to five-star category hotels by 2020.

Omani culture, growth highlighted at Lithuania’s Vilnius Book Fair Oman is the only Arab country that has a representative office in the Baltic States

Times News Service MUSCAT: For the second year in a row, Oman particpated in the Vilnius Book Fair showcasing the country’s culture, history, top tourism attractions, and economic achievements, which over the past several decades, have transformed Oman into a modern nation.

“After last year’s huge success, when the Omani stand was visited by thousands, including President Dalia Grybauskaitė and Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius, we did not have the slightest of doubt that our participation in the exhi-

bition should become a tradition,” said Boleta Senkienė, the Honorary Consul of Oman in Lithuania.

Oman was the first Arab nation to take part in the Vilnius Book Fair, the largest annual book show in the region.

The Sultanate’s pavilion included several Omani publications with Arabic and English languages in the developmental, cultural, literary, economic and tourist fields.

The Omani pavilion also included 12 book published by the Ministry of Information, in addition to craft section that highlighted the traditional handicraft and other

sections for the traditional costumes and photos of the Omani nature. The pavilion also presented a documentary on the Sultanate’s achievements during the past 45th years of the Blessed Renaissance under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

The Sultanate’s participation in this event comes in a bid to enhance the communication with the world’s countries and to highlight the achievements of the Blessed Renaissance, as well as strengthening the good relations binding the Sultanate and the friendly Republic of Lithuania.

As last year, the temporary staff included several specialists from the country’s Information Ministry to answer questions and hand out presents.

“Oman has been using book shows as a means of introducing their country to a wider world with remarkable success. In this con-

MODE OF COMMUNICATION: The Sultanate’s participation in this event comes in a bid to enhance the communication with the world’s countries. – Supplied photo

text, Lithuania is important as a potential gateway to the Baltic and Nordic states,” stated Senkienė.

Oman is the only Arab country that has a representative office in the Baltic States.

Mohammed K. Al Busaidi, head of the Minister’s Office at the In-

formation Ministry of Oman who was in charge of the Omani stand last year, had said he did not expect to meet several dozen Lithuanians who had actually been to Oman.

“This surely shows that we need to promote tourism and other bilateral ties,” he added.

Business and political relations between Oman and Lithuania received a boost more than two years ago, after the opening of the Honorary Consulate of Oman in Vilnius at the end of 2013.

Senkienė, the Honorary Consul, has taken part in organising almost ten visits of Omani officials to Lithuania. February 2015 witnessed the first ever visit of Lithuania’s Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius and several dozen Lithuanian business people to Oman.

There are several potentially beneficial sectors as far as bilateral ties are concerned, including e-Government projects in Oman, the exports of Lithuanian food products, student exchange programmes, and medical tourism in Lithuania.

For Lithuanian businesses, Oman is a potential springboard to the entire Gulf region, with 70 million consumers. -With inputs from ONA

AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR

Omani institute wins prestigious global certification Times News Service MUSCAT: National Automotive Higher Institute (NAHI) has become the first centre in the Sultanate to be approved by United Kingdom’s Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI).

IMI, an authoritative voice in the global automotive sector, recently certified NAHI. Following NAHI’s bid to deliver IMI’s international accreditations, an IMI representative arrived in Muscat to evaluate NAHI, its facilities, employees, and curricula before it emerged as the newest IMI approved centre worldwide.

“Through IMI’s endorsement, we will deliver important opportunities for the national workforce and the domestic industry, particularly talented local students and motivated professionals seeking fresh prospects in one of the world’s largest industries,” said Haji Al Balushi, General Manager of NAHI. The automotive industry provides promising opportunities for career growth based on merits and qualifications. It was, therefore, important to globalise the level of certification offered at NAHI.

IMI’s visit concluded after its evaluation found NAHI to have a sustainable and solid foundation to deliver internationally accredited automotive education. The leading local institute received its certification from Adrian Stevenson, IMI’s visiting External Quality Manager.

Stevenson said, “We expressed our interest in establishing an approved centre in Oman and were inspired when we received such a promising application from the Sultanate’s first specialised automotive organisation. By becoming IMI certified, NAHI will equip local professionals with the required skills to overcome some of the challenges faced by emerging automotive markets and thereby contribute to the growth of the domestic industry and Oman’s economy.”

Steve Scofield, IMI’s Head of Business Development, said, “We are delighted that NAHI has aligned itself with IMI’s global industry benchmarks. With this push to deliver high-quality training in the support of individuals’ and employers’ needs, we have no doubt that NAHI will have a highly positive impact on Oman and its automotive industry.”

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

< FROM

A1 Indian wedding Recently, Millennium Resort Mussanah showcased its leisure, wedding, and corporate facilities at the 23rd edition of South Asia’s Leading Trade Show (SATTE).

Held in New Delhi, India, the three-day event attracted over 750 participants from 35 countries and 25 states in India in addition to 30 international and 25 domestic tourism boards.

According to the Indian representative of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism, to make inroads into the Indian wedding industry, they have conducted familiarisation with exclusive wedding planners since 2013.

“The familiarisations comprised leading wedding planners from Mumbai and Delhi. We proactively pitched stories in magazines and undertook focused marketing on the digital platform along with WeddingSutra. WeddingSutra.com is the most popular source on wedding planning for Indians around the world,” said the Indian representative of Oman’s tourism ministry.

“We also plan to be present at wedding fairs and exhibitions in the coming years as it will help us reach out directly to the consumers. Through such nascent steps, we hope Oman will soon be reckoned as an ideal destination for holding weddings,” the official added.

A few weeks ago, Ahmed bin Nasser Al Meherzi, Minister of Tourism, said that by 2020, or the end of the current five-year plan, there will be 20,000 hotel rooms in three- to five-star category

Al Bustan general manager Katrin Herz.

hotels in Oman, and if the tourism sector continues to grow, the Sultanate will achieve this target before 2018.

“The (Oman Tourism) strategy includes the construction of 50,000 hotel rooms ‘three-stars and above’ during the next 25 years, with permits to build budget hotel rooms, but they will not be listed within the strategy,” the minister had said.

The Oman Tourism Strategy, which has been implemented since the beginning of 2016 after receiving approval from the council of ministers, focuses on several objectives, the foremost of which is boosting domestic tourism, particularly the recreational sector, which the ministry is currently executing.

Al Meherzi said total investments expected for this sector in coming years exceeds OMR1 billion. He added there were several projects being implemented, while others were issued licenses to be established, and some projects are still under study.

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WA R N I N G

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Call to

A1 stay alert The sea will be rough along the coasts of Musandam, with waves reaching a maximum height of up to three meters, and moderate waves are forecast along the coasts of Oman Sea, with waves reaching heights of up to two meters. The PACA has also advised the public to stay alert during the rains and to not cross wadis, to check the weather conditions at sea before undertaking any sailing activities, and to follow the latest weather updates.

SCHOOLS

Pact signed for teaching German MUSCAT: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Ministry of Education and the German Goethe Institute at the Ministry yesterday to promote and develop cooperation in the field of teaching German language in the Sultanate’s schools. -ONA

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GUtech-made wonder car set for Shell Eco-marathon Except for the engine, everything in this year’s car is new

HASAN SHABAN AL LAWATI

hassan@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A stronger, lighter and more fuel efficient car is the weapon of choice for its designers, a group of German University of Technology (GUtech) students, at this year’s Shell Eco-marathon Asia which kicks off on March 3.

The group, would represent Oman at the 4-day event being held in Manila, the Philippines.

The street circuit in Manila tests the boundaries of fuel ef-

ficiency and the winners are not measured by speed but on who can design a car that can drive the furthest on one litre of fuel.

“The car is built completely from scratch with extensive use of carbon fibre, as it is stronger and lighter than aluminum or steel,” said Adhir Kallingapuram, a student at GUtech while adding that this competition is a great platform for engineering students to show their skills and gain knowledge. Except for the engine, everything in this year’s car is new.

HIGH HOPES: GUtech team with

their wonder car. – Supplied photo

“With respect to the design, we stuck to the tear drop design like, last year, as it occupies least surface area and causes less drag,” Adhir added. Describing the building process, he said that his team

T H R E E - D AY W O R K

PAEW reviews preparations for Sohar plant maintenance MUSCAT: Maintenance work for the desalination plant in the Wilayat of Sohar will continue for three days from March 7 to March 9 as per the schedule decided by the authorities.

The Executive Emergency Committee of the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW), held a meeting at PAEW building on Sunday to identify the preparations to be taken by PAEW while Sohar Power Company will be conducting the planned annual maintenance.

The meeting was held in the presence of Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Mahrouqi, Chair-

man of the PAEW. During the meeting, the preparations and precautionary measures to be taken were discussed to ensure there is no shortage of water supply in the governorates fed by the station.

Since the plant is the main source of water supply in the North and South Al Batinah and Al Buraimi Governorates.

The maintenance will be conducted during this period due to reduced water demand compared to summer, reducing the likelihood of water shortages in the governorates served by the station.

The meeting reviewed the re-

ports of the sub-committees and plans that will be implemented to deal with any shortage of water in the governorates fed by the station.

Alternative water sources will be used during the period of maintenance which have proved very effective in previous times, such as the use of the wells of PAEW and the use of reciprocating pumping from Barka desalination plant.

The meeting also stressed the need to ensure the quality of the water wells and to set field teams to work around the clock to ensure the availability of water and to face any emergency. -ONA

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started out by using laser cutting technology to make the endoskeleton for the mould of the body.

“After assembling the various laser cut outs we had the endoskeleton of the mould. The mould was then ready after applying foam and many hours of sanding to achieve the perfect shape,” the engineering student added.

Adhir, who likes to describe himself as a “petrol head” said that the next step was to apply carbon fibre to the mould which is quite difficult.

“It is the same procedure with the monocoque chassis. Again, to reduce weight every single component of the car is made out of carbon fibre except for the engine, wheels, seat harness, side mirrors and the steering wheel,” he said.

Last year GUtech came fifth at the competition by completing 142.7km on a litre of diesel.

“We hope with our much lighter

and improved car we can score a better position than 5th,” said Mohamed Salman, a member of the team.

The team members are Mohammed Omer, MobashirKabir, Mohammad Shiveh. Kesh, Tejas Janardhan, Abdul Aziz Chowdhury, Issa Al Habsi, Mohamed Salman, Mohammed Essam, NavaneethSadasivan, Adhir Kallingapuram, Yousef Dak Al Bab, Aymen El Yatmi, Azeem Khan.

However, only four students will travel to Manila this year.

“Since the competition isn’t a race, but a mileage run and an amazing experience to live, it is a win-win for everyone,” Adhir concluded.

Besides GUtech, student teams from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and Caledonian College of Engineering (CCE) will be also representing the Sultanate at the event next week.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016 Our programme’s objectives are to improve customer experience in electricity distribution services, reduce the cost per customer, and to boost customer satisfaction across all our delivery channels Engineer Abdullah Said Al Badri, CEO of the Muscat Electricity Distribution Company

OMAN

New services launched for power customers During the event, Nama group also revealed their new bill layout, which will come into effect from 1 March.

“The new bill layout provides additional information to enable customers to gain a better understanding of their consumption,” said Sheikh Mansoor Al Hinai, Vice President of Distribution and Supply.

“Customers can know their current and previous month’s consumption, in addition to being able to view the period covered between each reading,” he added.

Objectives of Nama Group’s new programme are to improve customer experience in power distribution services, and boost customer satisfaction

CUSTOMER CARE: Projects have been selected on the basis of a review of the customers’ journey starting from obtaining a new connection, meter reading and billing. -OK Mohammed Ali

Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Nama Group, an electricity holding company, launched its new customer service programme for its electricity distribution companies in Oman.

According to the Nama Group officials, the new service programme has been developed to offer a wide range of services to its customers.

“Through this programme, our customers can understand the services being delivered by us,” Ghada Al Yousef, Executive

Manager for Group Communication and Sustainability at Nama Group, said on the sideline of the launch of their customer service programme.

Customers’ journey Projects have been selected on the basis of a review of the customers’ journey starting from obtaining a new connection, meter reading, billing, and collection, in addition to handling inquiries and complaints. The programme will also boost customer communica-

tion channels, which are assessed against an annual customer satisfaction survey.

“Our programme’s objectives are to improve customer experience in electricity distribution services, reduce the cost per customer, and to boost customer satisfaction across all our delivery channels,” Engineer Abdullah Said Al Badri, CEO of the Muscat Electricity Distribution Company, said on the sidelines of the launch of their customer service programme.

“GOUT DE FRANCE”

UNIVERSITY OF BRUNEL

Savour French cuisine at Chedi Muscat event Times News Service MUSCAT: French gastronomy will be celebrated at The Chedi Muscat as it announced taking part in the culinary event “Gout de France” also known as “Good France”.

The global event will simultaneously take place on March 21, 2016, over five continents with the participation of 1,000 selected chefs.

The project is supported by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development as well as celebrated French chef, Alain Ducasse.

Chefs of every kind will celebrate the excellence and diversity of French cuisine on the same evening as they delight diners with a specially crafted menu.

French-born Executive Chef at The Chedi Muscat Sébastien Cassagnol will be leading the event with his expert culinary team at the award-wining The Beach Restaurant, with a menu

Meter reading He also said that the distribution companies will continue the meter reading services through their contractors as the accuracy of the bills is highly dependent on the correct meter readings.

The Nama group has also developed an application, which can be accessed via smartphones and computers. According to officials, the application will help the customers to know how the consumption is calculated.

“Customers have to give some basic information to generate the bill to know how the consumption is calculated, and it can be used in both Arabic and English language” said Ghada.

that is sure to please the palate.

Born in the south of France and raised in a typically traditional French culinary background, Cassagnol’s cooking philosophy and style has evolved over 16 years of international experience, having worked in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Lebanon, and Indonesia, to name a few. In accordance with the guidelines from “Gout de France,” the menu will comprise a traditional French aperitif, a cold starter, a hot starter, fish or shellfish, meat or poultry, a French cheese (or cheeseboard), and a chocolate dessert, all paired with French vintages and digestifs.

Highlights from the Frenchinspired menu include local ingredients such as an entrée of Omani prawns served with vegetable pot-au-feu, followed by a main course that includes grilled tuna steak with ratatouille garnished with black olive foam.

3 projects of Omani students bag awards LONDON: Three projects of Omani students bagged top prizes in the contest ‘The Best Science Student Project’ out of 17 scientific projects presented at the University of Brunel in London.

Dawood bin Ahmed bin Hamoud Al Mahrooqi (PhD student in Petroleum Engineering at the Imperial College) won the first place for his project ‘Understanding the rate of water injection in the ionic carbonate rocks’ as one of the methods used to enhance oil recovery using electro-kinetic measurements.

Mohammed bin Nasser bin Saif Al Oufi from the University of Surrey won the second place for his project on ‘Osmosis way to provide low-salinity water for water injection into oil reservoirs’.

Juma bin Obaid Al Nahdi, Bachelor student of mechanical engineering at the University of Liverpool came third for his project: “Designing and manufacturing the next generation of the transistor’.-ONA

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

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REGION R A R E C O N F R O N TAT I O N

Militiamen clash with palace guards in Aden ADEN: Yemeni militiamen clashed with soldiers guarding the presidential palace in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Sunday, a local official and residents said, in a rare confrontation between the previously allied forces.

A local official said the attackers, affiliated with a local militia called the Popular Southern Resistance, sought an audience with top officials inside the palace over unpaid medical bills for guards wounded in an attack there last month.

Six guards were killed and several were wounded in the attack on January 28 at the Maashiq palace in the crater district, for which IS claimed responsibility. “They wanted to discuss compensation for those killed and paying the medical bills for the wounded... When the guards blocked them, a gun battle erupted involving light and medium weapons,” the official said. — Reuters

Syria truce largely holds on second day despite violations Syria’s opposition will stick to the cessation of hostilities despite what they said were 15 violations BREAK TIME: Syrian rebel fighters from the Failaq Al Rahman brigade, take a break as they hide inside a building on the frontline against regime forces in eastern Ghouta region. – AFP

BEIRUT/GENEVA: Cessation of hostilities in Syria appears to be mostly holding for a second day despite accusations of violations and air strikes in Aleppo province.

Syria’s opposition will stick to the cessation of hostilities despite what they said were 15 violations

by Syrian government forces on

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Aden airport to reopen in weeks DUBAI: Aden airport is expected to reopen fully for commercial traffic within weeks, Yemen’s information minister said, a move that would shore up confidence in the ability of President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi’s government to control the volatile city.

The southern port has been gripped by violence since Hadi supporters, backed by coalition forces, seized it from Houthi forces in July. The airport has operated only sporadically since then, amid constant security fears.

The minister, Mohammed Qobati, told Reuters the airport was being guarded by local fighters recently incorporated into a new

Yemeni army which Hadi had been rebuilding since July.

“We have done preliminary refurbishment work on the airport from outside, and now we are working on maintenance work inside the terminal,” Qobati told Reuters by telephone.

“We expect the work to be completed within weeks and we hope that commercial flights would return then,” he added.

The United Nations says nearly 6,000 people have been killed in the fighting, which began after the Houthis advanced on Aden, where Hadi had been based. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced. — Reuters

Saturday and more breaches on Sunday, a spokesman for the High Negotiating Committee (HNC) said. “The decision is to remain quiet, not to do anything, and I believe they will stick to the truce,” Salim Al Muslat said.

“Yesterday was the first day people can really go out and walk in the streets.”

Late on Sunday, in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Syria’s opposition said continued violations by the Syrian govern-

ment and its allies of a US-Russia truce deal would make the resumption of UN-backed negotiations “unattainable”.

The opposition also said violations would undermine “international efforts to guarantee the continuation of the truce and will lead to the collapse of the UNadopted political process.

Syrian military sources deny violations. “The goal of accepting the temporary truce is to..help in implementing humanitarian articles of UNSG concord 2254. However, the lack of progress in this would push us to look for other ways to protect Syrian people. So there must a firm security council position on this before its too late.”

On Saturday a Syrian military source denied the army was violating the truce after insurgents reported operations against them in several areas.

The opposition is waiting for

answers about how the cessation of hostilities in Syria, which came into effect at midnight on Friday, is being monitored, he said, and it was unclear how truce violations were to be punished. There was also no map with a common understanding of where the various fighting groups are, he said.

“Until this moment we did not really get any answers,” he said.

“This really worries us because we don’t know how to deal with any violations and what are the areas that should not be targeted.”

He said the United States should inform the HNC, and should have involved them before backing a UN resolution on the cessation of hostilities.

Muslat also blamed the United States for not insisting the HNC was mentioned specifically in the resolution, which paves the way for a round of peace talks in Geneva on March 7. — Reuters

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

INDIA

You will bring a privilege notice on insinuation in what she has stated.

If one would have to bring a privilege motion on insinuation, then not even a single Congress leader would have dared to stay in Parliament M. J. Akbar, BJP spokesperson

Man kills 14 family members in Thane, commits suicide The 14 bodies with throats slit were found lying on the ground on first floor and blood was seen everywhere in the house owned by the accused’s family where they had been living for the last 10

GRUESOME KILLINGS: Police inspecting the house where a 35-year-old man Hasan Warekar (inset) allegedly killed 14 of his family members and then committed suicide in the Kasarwadavli area in Thane on Sunday. - PTI

years, police said

THANE: In a macabre incident, a 35-year-old man allegedly killed 14 of his family members, including his parents, wife and children among whom were two infants, by slitting their throats after sedating them and then committed suicide early on Sunday, police said.

Seven children, the youngest

being his three month-old daughter, six women and the father of the accused, lay dead in a pool of blood. The body of the man, Hasnen Anwar Warekar, was found hanging with a knife in his hand at his family’s ground plus onestorey house in Kasarvadawali area here, they said, adding that one of the family members, who survived the gruesome incident, has been admitted to hospital.

Thane’s Joint Commissioner of Police Ashutosh Dhumbre said Hasnen had called his three sisters and their children from Koparkhairne in Navi Mumbai and Mahapoli near Bhiwandi for a ‘get-together’, which he used to host frequently.

Hasnen, a commerce graduate who used to prepare Income Taxrelated documents with a Chartered Accountant firm in Navi

Mumbai, is suspected to have offered them drinks laced with sedatives following which he slit their throats.

According to police, Hasnen offered prayers at around 3am at a mosque near his house. After returning home, he slit the throats of his family members one-byone and then committed suicide by hanging himself. At around 5-5.30am, the lone survivor of the incident, Hasnel’s 22-year-old sister, Subiya Sojef Burmal, shouted for help from the window of the house, following which the neighbours gathered there and brokeopen the window grill and pulled out the injured woman and admitted her to hospital. They also alerted the police. “ “Hasnen slit the upper part of this sister’s throat, she survived the attack and screamed for help.

The survivor’s in-laws, who were in the neighbouring house, heard her cries and tried opening the door, but it was locked from inside. The in-laws broke open the grill of a window on the ground floor and entered the house. It was then that the police was alerted of the incident,” Dhumbre said.

The 14 bodies with throats slit were found lying on the ground on first floor and blood was seen

everywhere in the house owned by the accused’s family where they had been living for the last 10 years, police said.

Besides, Hasnen’s body was found hanging from the ceiling with a knife dangling in his right hand, they said.

Dhumbre said the Hasnen’s mobile phone and laptop have been seized to get clues regarding the murders.

“Prima facie evidence suggests that the accused bolted all the doors of the house and murdered his family while they were asleep with a knife. The accused then hung himself after killing his family. There were three rooms in the house, while he was in a room with his wife and two daughters on the first floor, his parents and sisters were in separate rooms on the ground floor,” Dhumbre said.

While property dispute was suspected to be the reason behind the murders, the police officer said at this stage the motive could not be stated with certainty.

He said blood samples, viscera and food samples collected from the house will be sent for forensic testing. The bodies, meanwhile, have been sent for postmortem to Thane Civil Hospital, police said. - PTI

ODISHA

Naveen Patnaik

Naveen elected BJD president for seventh term BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister of east Indian state of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik was on Sunday formally declared elected as BJD president for the seventh consecutive term.

Announcing Patnaik’s election as the regional party’s chief, returning officer Pratap Keshari Deb said as many as 80 state executive members have also been elected with the completion of organisational poll process which had commenced in the last week of December. The announcement of Patnaik’s election was a mere formality as he was the lone candidate to file nomination papers for the post.

Patnaik is the founder president of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which came into being after the death of Biju Patnaik in 1997. The party’s organisational elections are held every three years. - PTI

ROHITH VEMULA SUICIDE CASE

BJP questions move to bring privilege motion against Smriti NEW DELHI: BJP on Sunday defended Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani who is under attack over her statement on Rohith issue, saying the Opposition has “no ground” to move a privilege motion against her as it is based on mere “insinuation”.

BJP spokesperson M. J. Akbar lashed out at the Congress, accusing it of “doing politics” over a tragedy and “using lies to mislead” public on the issue to divert attention from the flak it is facing after Rahul Gandhi joined the JNU protesters.

“You will bring a privilege notice on insinuation in what she has stated. If one would have to bring a privilege motion on insinuation, then not even a single Congress leader would have dared to stay in Parliament,” he told reporters. BJP said Irani’s statement on the issue in Parliament

was based on official account that the police gave at that time.

“It pains me even more that instead of grief bringing all of us together, some political parties, especially Congress, have become so cynical that they want to play politics even on tragedy.

“They are doing politics and are openly using lies of the most shocking kind in order to expand or they hope they will expand or regain their disappearing support base. There is so much in this country to do politics about.

Must we also do politics about such tragedies,” Akbar said.

He said it was hoped that political class and parties will work together to find a solution on the issue instead of doing politics.

Leaders of various parties intend to bring a privilege motion against Irani in both the Houses over her statement on Rohith Vemula suicide case. - PTI

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INDIA

Ready for budget exam: Modi Friends, your exams are starting. I too have exam tomorrow.

The country’s 1.25 billion people are going to take my examination, Modi said while pointing out that budget is being presented

REACHING OUT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at Kisan Kalayan Rally in Bareilly on Sunday. - PTI

on Monday

NEW DELHI: “I have an exam tomorrow,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday referring to presentation of General Budget in Parliament as he gave a pep talk to motivate students appearing for board exams for which he even roped icons like Sachin Tendulkar and Vishwanathan Anand.

Modi said he was “full of confidence” ahead of his “examination” by 1.25 billion people, a trait which he wanted students to emulate when they appear for their

examinations for Class X and XII starting Tuesday.

In his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, he emphasised that students should appear for the exams with a “positive approach” having free and calm mind without any anxiety. He also asked parents not to put pressure on them. In this context, he cited his example in the context of presentation of Budget which all the countrymen closely monitor and analyse.

“Friends, your exams are starting. I too have exam tomorrow.

The country’s 1.25 billion people

are going to take my examination,” the Prime Minister said, while pointing out that Budget is being presented on Monday.

“But you must have seen how healthy I am feeling, how full of confidence I am. Let my exams take place tomorrow and yours day after and may all of us succeed so that the nation succeeds...

Move ahead with a free mind, without any tension of success or failure,” he said in his 35-minute programme.

To lay stress on a positive and tension-free approach, Modi roped in Sachin, Anand besides

A9

Bharat Ratna scientist C. N. R. Rao and spiritual leader Murari Bapu, whose messages were played during the programme.

They gave their own examples of how they approached their exams in their respective fields, keeping tension aside.

Underlining that “positive approach” and “positive frame of mind” help in all aspects of life, the prime minister talked about himself and said when he comes across some issues which he is not familiar with, he concentrates to deal with them.

“Sometimes I feel tension within. Then I feel that I should relax a bit so that I feel good. So I have developed my own technique. I do some deep breathing. I take deep breath three times, five times. It may take a few seconds but my mind becomes ready to deal with the situation with a calm mind.

This may be my experience but this may help you too,” he told the students.

Modi, a practitioner of yoga, also referred to this art and mentioned how it helps in improving concentration and strengthening inner peace. To motivate the students, the prime minister also invoked Thomas Alva Edison, who invented electricity, and J. K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame, saying their success had possibly come after many failures.

“There is success in failure too” if there is a positive approach, he

said, while asking students to have dedication, determination and diligence to achieve success.

Giving example of Sachin, Modi asked students not be burdened by expectations of others but set their own targets with “free thinking, free mind and independent capability”.

He told students that nobody can stop them if they set out to break their own records. The students should link their efforts to achieve big goals like Sachin and even if the targets are not achieved, do not be demoralised but try harder, Modi said.

Sachin, in his message played during the programme, said, “I understand that exams are starting in a few days. Many of you must be tense....I want to say that your thinking needs to be positive, then positive results will follow. So be positive. God will give you good results... Write the exams with free mind and results will be good.”

He said there will be many expectations of the students from their parents, teachers, family members and friends who all will keep enquiring about their preparations and their expected percentage. “I will only say that you yourself set your targets and don’t come under pressure of expectations of others. Work hard but set a realistic achievable target and try to achieve it,” said the cricket icon. - PTI

JNU ROW

Rahul, Kejriwal among 9 booked for sedition HYDERABAD: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury are among nine persons who have been booked on sedition charges in connection with the Jawaharlal Nehru University row, police said on Sunday.

An FIR has been registered against Rahul, Kejriwal, Yechury, Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Ajay Maken, CPI leader D. Raja, JD(U) Spokesperson K.C. Tyagi, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and JNU research scholar Umar Khalid on the order of a court here, based on a complaint filed by lawyer Janardhan Goud.

“It is a court-referred matter.

Following the court’s directive, a case under section 124A of the IPC (sedition) has been registered on Sunday against nine persons, including Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Sitaram Yechury, Kanhaiya Kumar and others,” Saroornagar Police Station Inspector S. Lingaiah said on Sunday. The court has posted the matter for hearing on March 4. In his petition, Goud said Rahul and other leaders, despite being aware that Delhi Police had registered a case against Kanhaiya on charge of sedition had visited JNU campus and knowingly supported them and hence it “amounted to sedition”. - PTI

A 10

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

PAKISTAN Census to start as army assures more soldiers

DIPLO ROCKS ISLAMABAD US DJ Thomas Wesley Pentz, known by his stage name Diplo, performs in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Saturday (top); Concertgoers cheer during the musical event (bottom). — AFP

The General Headquarters has committed 100,000 troops, which is about one-fourth of the initial requirements pitched by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics to monitor and supervise the census and maintain law and order during the exercise

The holding of census is on top of the agenda of the Council of Common Interests which is meeting on Monday after a hiatus of almost a year

ISLAMABAD: Just before a scheduled meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), the military has assured the government it will review the number of troops it can commit for monitoring population census, rekindling hopes the much-awaited headcount could begin with a slight delay.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar took up the matter with the military brass at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Saturday, officials said.

Later in the day, the minister called officials of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), which is responsible for holding census, asking them to go back to the drawing board.

“The minister directed the PBS to chalk out a revised action plan for holding the census, incorporating the changes discussed in the meeting, in consultation with other stakeholders,” said a handout issued by the finance ministry after the meeting.

Chief Census Commissioner Asif Bajwa, who has lately come under pressure for not thinking out of the box, would now meet the director general military operations (DGMO), said officials. Dar asked him to consult the military

brass in light of his GHQ meeting.

The holding of census is on top of the agenda of the CCI which is meeting on Monday after a hiatus of almost a year. CCI’s last meeting was held in March, last year.

The CCI – the highest constitutional body on matters jointly controlled by the Centre and the provinces – had authorised the federal government to start the census from March 2016.

Officials said the military authorities have now assured that they would consider increasing the figure. However, the number will be still far less than 375,000 initially demanded by the PBS. The officials said that despite fresh commitments, it would be difficult to start the census in

March. If the military significantly increases the figure, chances are that the exercise could begin in April, they added. However, a final decision about the exact timing would be taken after the meeting between the chief census commissioner and the DGMO, which is also scheduled for Saturday evening.

The finance minister directed that after his GHQ meeting, an updated action plan be prepared

by Sunday evening, so that it could be shared with the members of the CCI for consideration in its upcoming meeting. Dar said it was the government’s resolve to hold the census in a befitting manner while ensuring its credibility and transparency. — Express Tribune D AY S A F T E R W O M E N P R O T E C T I O N B I L L PA S S E D

Acid attack on woman in Lahore LAHORE: Days after the Punjab Assembly unanimously passed the Protection of Women Against Violence Bill, unidentified men attacked with acid a 22-yearold woman in Lahore’s Harbans Pura neighbourhood late on Saturday night.

Unidentified men broke into

the house of Amina Bibi and threw acid on her, sources told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

The attackers managed to flee after the assault. Later, Amina’s family members rushed her to the Services Hospital in Lahore where her condition was said to be critical. — Express Tribune

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

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A11

ASIA

Record-breaking South Korean filibuster runs beyond 100 hours The filibuster began on Tuesday and had continued around the clock for more than 115 hours by Sunday afternoon, making it the world’s longest

SEOUL: South Korean opposition lawmakers seeking to block a government-backed “anti-terrorism” bill pushed their record-breaking filibuster into a sixth straight day of speeches in the parliamentary chamber on Sunday.

The filibuster began on Tuesday and had continued around the clock for more than 115 hours by Sunday afternoon, making it the world’s longest, according to the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper.

The marathon filibuster easily surpassed a 58-hour session by 103 members of Canada’s New

Democratic Party in 2011.

By Sunday afternoon, 23 lawmakers had spoken for an average of five hours each in opposition to a bill they believe will threaten personal freedoms if passed.

Many carried boxes of documents to the podium at the National Assembly, some wearing sneakers.

Earlier this month, President Park Geun-hye’s office called for parliament to pass the stalled security bill, part of tough action taken by her government amid heightened tension with North

JO I N T O P E R AT I O N

Afghan policeman ‘aiding’ Taliban killed, 30 others detained by army LASHKAR GAH(Afghanistan): A policeman was killed and a further 30 were detained in a joint operation between Afghan troops and US forces last week against police suspected of supporting Taliban insurgents in embattled Helmand province, Afghan officials said on Sunday.

Reports of fighting between police and soldiers add to the upheaval in the southern province, long a stronghold of the insurgency, where the military has abandoned several outposts.

The NATO-led coalition and the Afghan government are trying to overhaul security forces and reverse insurgent gains there.

The incident on Friday was in Sangin district, the scene of some of the heaviest fighting in Afghanistan’s long war, Helmand police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang said.

“Army forces detained the police and took them to the military corps in Helmand,” Sarjang said.

“An investigation is ongoing.”

The acting Sangin district po-

The NATO-led coalition and the Afghan government are trying to overhaul security forces and reverse insurgent gains there

lice chief, Mohammad Nabi, was among the detainees, Sarjang said. Nabi was acting in place of the district’s official police chief, Mohammad Dawood, who is recovering from injuries. Sarjang would not elaborate on the reason for the operation, but a senior Afghan army official in Helmand said that the army and US advisers suspected the police of providing weapons and ammunition

to the Taliban and that they had planned an eventual surrender to the insurgents.

“During our investigation we found some evidence they were helping the Taliban and we were afraid they may submit the district to the Taliban,” said the Afghan army officer.

“We launched a joint operation with Americans and detained all of them.” The full extent of American involvement was not clear and a spokesman for the US military in Kabul declined to confirm any details. The coalition recently deployed several hundred more troops to Helmand in an effort to increase security for the advisers helping Afghan forces.

US air strikes have also played an important role in trying to blunt Taliban offensives. Almost 100 Afghan army officers were removed or reassigned in Helmand in recent months and the army abandoned its outposts in several of the most hotly contested districts to redeploy elsewhere. - Reuters

Korea following its test launch of a long-range rocket this month and its fourth nuclear test last month.

The opposition wants the removal of a provision in the bill that would give South Korea’s intelligence agency authority to monitor private communications.

Lawmakers from the conservative ruling Saenuri party, which controls 157 of the assembly’s 293 seats, have expressed dismay that the speech-making is causing other bills to be delayed ahead of parliamentary elections due in April. - Reuters

MARATHON SESSION: Choi Kyu-sung, a member of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday. - Reuters/Song Won-young/News1

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READERS’ FORUM Air fares have nothing to do with crude prices This refers to the report ‘Fares for summer flights to India from Oman spike despite low crude prices’ (February 28). There is nothing surprising here and it has nothing to do with the oil price change, as it is always the trend that summer is the best opportunity for airlines to adjust any financial implications they face in rest of the year. Irrespective of which region people travel, summer is the time when most people opt for holidays especially families mainly due to closing of educational institutions. Even six months back when enquired about the price for June the Scan this QR code fare difference was quite clear, whereas the to send letters to the price for February was less than half of the Readers’ Forum, summer price. This issue has been debated containing not more than 200 words with on several occasions and airlines have full name, address their own justifications for this increased and telephone fare and make the best use of the crowded number, may be sent holiday season. Since almost all the by e-mail (akhtar@ timesofoman.com). airlines follow a similar approach on fixing the fare during the busy holiday seasons or the so called low seasons passengers from the GCC countries become the ultimate victims. Unfortunately, the low paid workers in the region, who do not understand the justifications of the airlines, are the worst hit and rectifying this requires a collective effort by governments and authorities concerned. — Ramachandran Nair, Ruwi

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“Insure with New India and be secure”

Tel: 24838800 | Fax: 24838899 | Email: niamct@omantel.net.om | Website: www.newindiaoman.com The trouble with jogging is that, by the time you realise you’re not in shape for it, it’s too far to walk back.

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Ban Ki-Moon

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Shinzo Abe’s economy strategy has enabled Japan to stay on a reasonably positive path in highly uncertain times, with the economy showing signs of steady recovery from its decades of stagnation.

Since taking office in 2012, 1.5 million jobs have been created, and unemployment rate has fallen from 4.6 per cent to 3.3 per cent

he number of persons that are dependent on humanitarian aid has now become higher than ever since the founding of the United Nations. The number of warring parties who do not abstain from violating international humanitarian law has increased. More resources than ever are necessary to meet the humanitarian needs, which increase starkly. However, we are also facing a greater shortage in funding than ever.

For this and many other reasons, I invite you to attend the first World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on 23 and 24 May. I call upon world leaders, international organisations and others to give more support and to increase the donations for those who urgently need it. There is no time to waste.

Climate change affects the lives of everyone on our fragile planet. Violent conflicts that appear to be chronic, the intensity of violence, crimes crossing national borders, the increase in inequality; these are all factors which devastate the lives of millions of men, women and children and disturb the stability in these regions.

The number of persons who were forced to flee from their homes is greater than ever since the World War II. The number of those who need humanitarian help around the world exceeds 125 million. If we would gather them in one country, it would be the eleventh biggest country in the world and among the fastest growing.

These complex challenges today cross borders. No country or organisation can overcome them on its own. We need to build trust in the ability of national, regional and international organisations to confront these challenges.

We have to understand that our shared humanity should form the basis of our policies and give direction to our financial decisions. Before the start of the summit, I have prepared an agenda for humanity in the framework of change and accountability. It consists of five main responsibilities.

First, leaders have to concentrate their efforts to find political solutions to avoid conflicts and to end them. These conflicts are the greatest impediment on human de-

velopment, because of their huge economic and human costs. We have to move from managing conflicts to countering them.

Second, countries have to adhere to rules that defend humanity. This means complying with international humanitarian and human rights laws and halting attacks on civil targets. It also means abiding by national and international justice and ending the practice of escaping punishment.

Third, we must not neglect anyone and first, we have to reach out to those who are displaced. This means changing the lives of the weakest groups, including people who live in conflicts and poverty and those whose lives are exposed to natural dangers and rising sea levels. Forced displacement must be tackled and more opportunities to find a safe haven should be offered in a legal and organized way. Women and girls must be empowered and good education for all must be guaranteed. There is no way of realising the goals of sustainable growth when these groups are not reached. World leaders agreed upon these goals last September.

The fourth main responsibility is offering aid to end the need. We need to close the gap between humanitarian work and development work. We also need to investigate conflicts instead of waiting them to happen. We need to improve local leadership and skills in order to limit aspects of weakness. We have to empower people and local communities in their persistence in confronting crises, as they are the ones responsive to it.

Fifth, we need to invent smart ways of mobilising funding. This will demand diversifying and widening of resources and using a wider set of funding tools. I proposed a new international funding plan with the World Bank to determine ways of funding in response to continuing crises.

The Agenda for Humanity presents basic instruments and strategic transitions the world needs in order to alleviate humanitarian needs and to realise sustainable growth. I call upon world leaders to attend the World Humanitarian Summit and to attach importance to improving sustainable human progress, respectable life and safety for all. - Exclusive to Times of Oman Ban Ki-Moon is the Secretary General of the United Nations.

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES FEBRUARY 2001 Qatabi back home after APU meeting MUSCAT: Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Qatabi, president of the Majlis Al Shura, and the delegation accompanying him returned yesterday from Abu Dhabi after taking part in the 38th session of the Arab Parliamentary Union which concluded yesterday. Upon arrival he told Oman News Agency that the session was a complete success whether politically, economically or socially, noting that it had come out with decisions and recommendations which reflected the goodwill of the participating delegations to enhance solidarity and stimulate joint Arab action in the light of the rapid changes and challenges facing the Arab nation. He praised the UAE Federal National Council for successfully hosting the event.

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TOTAL WATER PRODUCTION IN THE SULTANATE From August to October 2015, in thousand cubic meter

August

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45BC: The first Leap Day is recognised by proclamation of Julius Caesar. Under the old Roman calendar, the last day of February was the last day of the year.

1856: Hostilities in Russo-Turkish War cease.

1868: British PM Benjamin Disreali forms his first cabinet.

1968: Jocelyn Burnell discovers the first pulsar.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

A13

WORLD LIMITS ON MOVEMENT

Up to 70,000 migrants may get trapped in March: Greece

REVELRY AT LEBANON SKI RESORT A Lebanese woman jumps into freezing water during a contest at the Lebanese ski resort of Kfardebian (known as Faraya) northeast of Beirut on Sunday. — AFP

ATHENS: The number of refugees and migrants trapped in Greece may reach 70,000 in coming weeks, Greece’s migration minister said on Sunday, adding that a NATO plan to crack down on smugglers could limit migrant flows significantly.

Greece has been inundated with refugees and migrants after border shutdowns through the Balkans, stranding thousands in the country in the past ten days.

“We estimate that we will have a number of people trapped in our country which will be between 50,000 and 70,000...

I believe in the coming month,” Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas told Greek Mega TV. About 22,000 migrants and refugees were already in Greece, he said.

At Idomeni, a small community on Greece’s northern border with Macedonia, a Reuters witness saw dozens of people walking towards the frontier to join an estimated 6,000-7,000 more at a makeshift camp where many pitched tents.

Last week, NATO envoys set out how ships already deployed in the Aegean, including Turkish and Greek vessels, will pass intelligence and reconnaissance information to Turkish and Greek coastguards and to the European Union border agency, Frontex, as well as returning to Turkey any migrants crews rescue. — Reuters

IS militants launch attacks in Iraq; suicide blasts kill 70 Suicide bombers and gunmen in vehicles and on foot launched the attack on Abu Ghraib at dawn, seizing positions in a grain silo and a cemetery

BAGHDAD: IS militants attacked Iraqi security forces on the western outskirts of Baghdad on Sunday in their largest assault near the capital for months, while two suicide blasts within the city district killed 70 people.

Suicide bombers and gunmen in vehicles and on foot launched the attack on Abu Ghraib at dawn, seizing positions in a grain silo and a cemetery, and killing at least 17 members of the security forces, officials said.

Fighting was still raging at the silo site on Sunday evening, security officials said.

Security officials blamed IS, and a news agency that supports the group said it had launched a “wide attack” in Abu Ghraib, 25

DEADLY ATTACK: People gather at the site of suicide blasts in Baghdad’s Sadr City on on Sunday. - Reuters

km (15 miles) from the centre of Baghdad and next to the international airport.

Iraqi forces backed by US-led coalition airstrikes have driven IS back recently in western Anbar province and are preparing for an offensive to retake the northern city of Mosul, but the militants are still able to strike in Baghdad and other cities outside their main areas of control.

Later on Sunday, two suicide bombers riding motorcycles blew themselves up in a crowded mobile phone market in the Sadr City district, wounding more than 100 people in addition to the dead, police and medical sources said.

A Reuters witness saw pools of blood on the ground with slippers, shoes and mobile phones at the site of the blast, which was sealed off to prevent further attacks.

In a statement circulated online, IS said two suicide bombers had carried out the attack.

Baghdad-based security analyst Jasim Al Bahadli said Sunday’s attacks suggested it was premature to declare that IS was losing the initiative in Iraq.

“Government forces must do a better job repelling attacks launched by Daesh (IS). What happened today could be a setback

for the security forces,” he said.

In Abu Ghraib, a curfew was imposed as a regiment of Iraq’s elite counter-terrorism forces was mobilised to retake the silo and prevent the militants approaching the nearby airport, security officials said.

Army and police sources said the militants had attacked from the nearby IS-controlled areas of Garma and Falluja, driving Humvees and pickup trucks fixed with machine guns.

The Amaq news agency said Iraqi forces had been forced to retreat from several locations.

But the Iraqi security sources said the militants had been pushed out of a police station and several army positions and had dug in at the cemetery and the silo, part of which was set on fire.

Iraqi army helicopters began bombarding IS positions in the silo and the cemetery, a military statement said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan said at least 20 militants had been killed so far in the government’s counter offensive.

Fighters from the Hashid Shaabi, a coalition of militias, were mobilised to Abu Ghraib to reinforce regular government forces in the area, said Jawad Al Tulaibawi, a local Hashid commander.

Powerful cleric Moqtada alSadr also called on fighters loyal to him to be on alert to protect Baghdad. — Reuters

T O W N O F B A N I WA L I D

Air strike targets IS convoy in Libyan city TRIPOLI: Aircraft attacked a convoy carrying suspected IS militants near the northwestern Libyan town of Bani Walid early on Sunday, an official said.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack though both the United States and Libyan government forces have launched air strikes on extremists in recent months. Three huge explosions rocked the area around dawn, the member of Bani Walid’s municipal council told Reuters.

People living in Ras Al Tbel, about 80 km south-east of Bani Walid, had seen the same convoy of up to 15 vehicles carrying the markings of IS over the past two days, the official added.

It was not immediately clear if the convoy was hit.

Political chaos Extremist groups have taken advantage of political chaos to expand their presence in Libya and fighters loyal to IS have taken control of the coastal city of Sirte, about 260km east of Bani Walid.

Western officials say they are discussing air strikes and special forces operations in Libya against the group.

US aircraft attacked a suspected IS training camp on the outskirts of the western Libyan city of Sabratha this month, and launched two more air strikes against extremist commanders in Libya last year. — Reuters

B AT C H O F F I L E S

New documents cast shadow over Lech Walesa’s past WARSAW: Newly-publicised documents have revived claims Lech Walesa, the giant of Poland’s struggle to overthrow communism, was a secret police informant in the 1970s - allegations still fuelling an old feud among postcommunist leaders.

Poland’s ruling conservatives, led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, have leapt at the opportunity to question Walesa’s independence from the communist-era police after he became Poland’s first democratically elected president between 1990 and 1995.

His defenders say that whatever the authenticity of the documents, they do little to undermine the record of a man who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983.

Walesa, 72, has said a batch of files found last week at the house of a late communist interior min-

ister was fabricated, and denied he ever spied on fellow dissidents, an accusation he has faced repeatedly over two decades.

lished in the Polish press. Some of the documents appear to have been written by secret police officials and some by Walesa.

Codename ‘Bolek’ The new files contain a handwritten document signed “Lech Walesa” which includes a pledge to cooperate with the secret service. It mentions the codename “Bolek”, long ascribed by critics to Walesa.

Other documents include typed descriptions of conversations with Bolek in which he describes the mood among workers in the Gdansk shipyard where Walesa was working at the time and where the Solidarity movement originated.

There are invoices, apparently signed by “Bolek” for cash received in return for information.

Scans of the files have been pub-

Against the Polish Nation Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), a state agency tasked with investigating crimes “against the Polish Nation” from World War II until the collapse of communism, has said the documents in its possession are authentic, meaning they did originate from the secret service.

Forensic testing of the documents, including of handwriting purported to be Walesa’s, is under way. Walesa’s critics argue the files put into question not only Walesa’s standing as a hero of the effort to end communist rule but also raise doubts about whether the country ever succeeded in fully shaking off

the influence of pre-1989 communist officials.

“The (Walesa) legend probably cannot be defended any more,” Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told public TV. “We need to ask historians whether these issues linked to Lech Walesa and maybe others... may have served as obstacles in the 1990s in terms of taking important decisions about state security.”

Antoni Macierewicz, defence minister, went further, saying the files proved that post-communist Poland was a product of the secret police and not of democraticallyelected institutions.

“The legend of Lech Walesa is ending. He will disappear into the past just as he deserves,” Macierewicz said. “This issue shows the real truth behind (post-communist Poland).” — Reuters

CONTROVERSY: Protesters attend an anti government protest in Warsaw, on Saturday. Thousands of Poles were chanting “We will defend democracy!” and “Lech Walesa!” as they rallied in Warsaw to protest moves by Poland’s three-month-old conservative government that they say undermine freedoms and the constitution. - AFP

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

GLOBAL EYE

GERMANY: People stand on a bridge at the Jadebusen (Jade Bay) in Dangast on the North Sea coast, northwestern Germany, on Sunday. — AFP/dpa/Julian Stratenschulte

COLORADO: A general view of the field of play before the Stadium Series hockey game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday. — AFP/Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

CANADA: Outdoor shinny hockey action during the 7th Annual TURKEY: Tourists wearing local costumes pose for a selfie with beehive houses in the background in Harran, a major ancient city of

Lake Louise Pond Hockey Classic on the frozen surface of Lake Louise on Saturday in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. — Tom Szczerbows-

Upper Mesopotamia, Turkey, on Sunday. — Reuters

ki/Getty Images/AFP

GEORGIA: John H Nemechek, driver of the #8 farbe technik Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Great Clips 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday in Hampton, Georgia, United States. — Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images/AFP

NEW YORK: The sun sets behind the Statue of Liberty in New York’s Harbor as seen from the Brooklyn borough of New York, United States, on Saturday. — Reuters

ECUADOR: The Tungurahua volcano spews fumes and lava on Saturday in Huambalo, Ecuador, affecting neighbouring parishes with

ashfall.

— AFP

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

A15

WORLD ISRAELI ENVOY ISSUE

Egyptian lawmaker attacked in Parliament

Rouhani hails election wins Former president Akbar Hashemi

CAIRO: Egyptian lawmaker Tawfik Okasha was attacked in parliament on Sunday, with one colleague hurling a shoe at him and others demanding he be suspended after he invited the Israeli ambassador for dinner.

Egypt was the first of a handful of Arab countries to recognise Israel with a United Statessponsored 1979 peace accord, but Egyptian attitudes to the country’s neighbour remain icy.

Israel has an ambassador stationed in Cairo but Egyptian officials make a point of keeping their distance and the embassy has been the focal point of protests in the past. Okasha, a television presenter and lawmaker known for courting controversy, hosted the Israeli ambassador Haim Koren for dinner at his home in the northeastern Dakahlia province last week.

He made the invitation live on his television show.

Outrage The move sparked outrage in the media and in Egypt’s parliament, sworn in last month, with several lawmakers demanding Okasha be dismissed from parliament and one colleague, Kamal Ahmed, hurling his shoe during the session in a fit of anger. The speaker threw both Ahmed and Okasha out of the session, according to the parliament website.

Over 100 parliament members have also signed a statement seen

by Reuters rejecting normalisation of ties with Israel and demanding an investigation into Okasha’s actions.

Okasha told local media before the opening of Sunday’s session that he had done nothing wrong since Egypt enjoys full diplomatic relations with Israel.

Koren confirmed to Reuters that he and his staff had a three-hour dinner meeting at the Egyptian lawmaker’s home on Wednesday evening. — Reuters

Rafsanjani in a message on Twitter said that no one could resist the will of the people

TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani won a strong vote of confidence and reformist partners secured surprise gains in parliament in early results from elections.

Election results on Sunday showed moderates and reformists dominating both elections in Tehran, and making significant gains elsewhere in the country. Full results are expected to be released in coming days.

While gains by moderates and reformists in Friday’s polls were most evident in the capital, Tehran, the sheer scale of the advances there suggests a legislature more friendly to Rouhani has emerged as a distinct possibility.

A loosening of control by the hardliners who currently dominate the 290-seat parliament could strengthen his hand to open Iran further to foreign trade and investment following last year’s breakthrough nuclear deal.

A reformist-backed list of candidates aligned with Rouhani was on course to win all 30 parliamentary seats in Tehran, initial results released on Sunday showed. Top conservative candidate Gholamali Haddad Adel was set to lose his seat. “The people showed their power once again and gave more credibility and strength to their elected government,” Rouhani said, adding he would work with anyone who won election to build a future for the industrialised, oilexporting country.

HISTORIC VERDICT: Iranian journalists work in a press room at the Interior Ministry as they follow the preliminary results of the parliamentary and Experts Assembly elections on Sunday. – Reuters

The polls were seen by analysts as a potential turning point for Iran, where nearly 60 per cent of its 80 million population is under 30 and eager to engage with the world following the lifting of most sanctions. “Based on the votes that we have so far it looks like the principalities will lose the majority in the next Majlis (parliament) shy of 50 per cent. The reformists gained 30 per cent and independent candidates did better than before, gaining 20 per cent,” said Foad Izadi, an assistant professor at the Faculty of World Studies in Tehran University.

Principlists, otherwise known as hardliners, hold 65 per cent of the outgoing parliament and the rest is divided between reformists and independents who traditionally support Rouhani.

Izadi said the reformists’ strong lead was prompted by Rouhani’s success in reaching a nuclear agreement between Iran and in-

ternational powers, the removal of most of the punitive sanctions that had strangled the country’s economy over the past decade and restoration of relations with the West. “It is a sweeping victory for Tehran but for other cities it is not yet clear cut. It is beyond expectations,” he added.

Etemad, a reformist newspaper whose managing-editor Elias Hazrati won a seat in Tehran, has chosen the first headline of “clean up in the parliament.”

“The next parliament will be like no other parliament in the history of Iran as no political faction will have the absolute say,” the newspaper said on its front-page.

Millions crowded polling stations on Friday to vote for parliament and the Assembly of Experts, which selects the country’s highest authority, the supreme leader. Both bodies have been in the hands of hardliners for years.

Rouhani and key ally and former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani were leading the race for the Assembly of Experts with most votes counted, and appeared to be sure of winning seats, early results released on Saturday showed.

Rafsanjani, in a message, said on Twitter on Sunday that no one could resist the will of the people.

“No one is able to resist against the will of the majority of the people and whoever the people don’t want has to step aside,” the message said. Meanwhile, Revolutionary Guards said the winners of Friday’s elections would protect the country against foreign enemies, and the high turnout was evidence of broad popular support of the ruling system.

“There is no doubt that the election winners will do their best to protect Iran’s dignity, power and independence; resolve the main issues for society and the people;

and defeat the global arrogance by their awareness and wisdom,” the Guards said in a statement carried on the Tasnim news agency.

Two prominent hardliners were on course to be elected with lesser scores in the experts assembly race: Ahmad Jannati was in 11th place and the assembly’s current chairman, Mohammad Yazdi, was 15th. Conservative MohammadTaghi Mesbah-Yazdi appeared unlikely to win a seat, according to partial results.

A breakdown of the results had independents on 44, reformists on 79, and hardliners on 106, the tally showed. A number of seats will be decided in run-offs in late April because no candidate won the required 25 per cent of votes cast. Eight of the initial winners were women. Analyst say the large number of independents may be significant as they could cooperate across ideological lines with Rouhani’s government. — Reuters

ALLEGED CORRUPTION

Scandals likely to foil Spanish PM’s bid to retain power MADRID: When Jose Luis Penas recorded fellow councillors allegedly taking bribes from businessmen a decade ago, it marked the start of a series of corruption scandals that have engulfed Spain’s ruling party and could thwart its chances of retaining power.

The secret recordings in Madrid’s Majadahonda municipality controlled by the People’s Party (PP) culminated in a High Court investigation into allegations the party’s top brass had a slush fund bankrolled by friendly businesses.

Four senior former PP politicians are among 40 suspects awaiting trial. Since the beginning of the so-called Gurtel investigation in 2007, there have been a string of other graft inquiries into the PP,

with the latest ones implicating the party’s leadership in Madrid and Valencia this month.

Penas said he knew Gurtel - investigators’ code name for the case - would be big when he made the audio recordings, but had never imagined it might reach the upper echelons of the conservative party.

“I didn’t know how deep the corruption would go,” Penas, who left the party after the scandal erupted, told Reuters in an interview in the community centre he now runs.

“From Gurtel came everything.”

The PP denies any senior party officials were involved in any cases of alleged corruption, including Gurtel. It says only a tiny number of its politicians are corrupt, and that it is tackling the problem.

IN TROUBLED WATERS: Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. – Reuters

But the political cost has nevertheless been high for the party and its leader, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Public anger at the PP was a factor in its failure to win a parlia-

RUSSIA

16 miners trapped in Arctic coal mine pronounced dead MOSCOW: The 26 miners who were trapped in a Russian coal mine above the Arctic circle have died and rescue operations have been halted after a third blast underground killed several rescue workers, emergency services said on Sunday.

The miners were trapped on Thursday after a sudden leak of methane gas caused two blasts that led parts of the Severnaya mine in Vorkuta to collapse.

President Vladimir Putin ordered a government commission to be set up to look into the incident at the mine operated by Vorkutaugol, a subsidiary of Severstal. “The circumstances in the affected part of the mine did not allow anyone to survive,” Russia’s Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov said in televised comments after visiting the mine. “In the underground space where the 26 miners were, there are high temperatures and no oxygen.”

Denis Paikin, Vorkutaugol’s technical director, concurred with Puchkov’s assessment.

The Emergencies Ministry said

RESCUE EFFORTS: Mine rescuers are seen at the Severnaya coal mine in Vorkuta, Russia. – Reuters/Press Service of Russian Emergencies Ministry

on its website that underground rescue operations had been halted after a third blast early on Sunday killed six people. A Severstal spokeswoman confirmed to Reuters that six people had died in Sunday’s blast and that five of them were rescue workers. The total death toll from the accident now stands at 36 people.

The episode is the latest in a long line of accidents in Russia’s coal mining industry and is likely to raise fresh questions about

how strictly safety rules are being followed. Poor safety standards were blamed for an explosion at the Ulyanovskaya coal mine in the southern Siberian region of Kemerovo in March 2007. The Ulyanovskaya disaster claimed the lives of miners in Russia’s worst mining accident since the 1991. The head of the Komi republic, where the Vorkuta mine is located, has declared a three-day mourning period in the republic starting from Sunday. — Reuters

mentary majority in a December election. Since then, its attempts to form a governing coalition have floundered, snubbed by rivals who say they will not work with a party tainted by corruption scandals.

Should no other party succeed in forming a coalition, as most political analysts expect, another election will be held this year. While the PP is still expected to win the most votes, opinion polls suggest it will again fail to gain a majority.

According to a poll last week in right-wing newspaper El Mundo, the centre-right party would actually lose votes and parliamentary seats, with many of those surveyed blaming corruption and Rajoy’s inability to cobble together a coalition. Acknowledging the damage,

PP lawmaker Andrea Levy said earlier this month the corruption allegations “shamed and embarrassed” the party’s members and voters. “The people that have done these things should neither represent the PP nor should they be politicians,” said the 31-year-old, one of the party’s newest and youngest faces. “They should be expelled from politics,” she told a Spanish radio station. Fernando Jimenez, a political scientist at the University of Murcia and contributor to an annual EU anti-corruption report, said worse could be yet to come for the party. “Most likely new cases of corruption will continue to erupt,” he said. “I don’t think the PP’s vote has bottomed out, it could fall quite a lot more.”

He said the party was losing support due to perceptions among voters that it was shielding those implicated in scandals, something denied by the party’s leadership.

“The PP is a family and when one member suffers the party shelters and hides them,” he said. “But this strategy was born in an era when corruption was not a great concern for people.” Times have changed.

Corruption is now Spaniards’ second biggest worry behind unemployment. When Rajoy assumed office in December 2011, just 6 per cent of people said corruption was a major concern, in a survey by official pollster the Sociological Research Centre (CIS). Over the last year the figure has reached as high as 60 per cent. — Reuters

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

WORLD

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AMBITIOUS PROGRAMME

‘NICE’ WAVES CRASHING AT SHORE

China plans to launch second space lab

People watch waves crashing onto the shore of the Mediterranean sea in Nice, France, on Sunday. — AFP

BEIJING: China will put a second space laboratory in orbit in the third quarter of this year, state news agency Xinhua said on Sunday, part of the country’s plan to have a permanent manned space station in service around 2022.

Advancing China’s space programme is a priority for Beijing, with President Xi Jinping calling for the country to establish itself as a space power. Tiangong (Heavenly Palace) 2 is expected to be docked with a cargo ship, Tianzhou 1 (Heavenly Vessel) which is scheduled to be launched in the first half of next year, Xinhua said. China also plans to launch Shenzhou 11 spacecraft, which will carry two astronauts on board, in the fourth quarter of this year to dock with Tiangong 2, the Xinhua report said.

Xinhua, citing an unnamed spokesperson for the space programme, said China was expected to complete by 2020 an orbiting space station, to consist of a core module and two attached laboratories. The first space lab, Tiangong 1, was launched in 2011, and has been working well, said Xinhua.

China’s space programme must still master launching cargo and fuel via space freighters and recycling air and water for extended manned missions, state media have said. — Reuters O P P O S I T I O N N E W S PA P E R

Erdogan says does not respect court ruling on journalists ISTANBUL: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday he did not respect or accept a constitutional court ruling that the detention of two journalists from a leading opposition newspaper had violated their rights.

Can Dundar, editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet, and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul were released pending trial on Friday after the constitutional court ruling.

Their arrest last November, after Cumhuriyet published video footage purporting to show the state intelligence agency helping send weapons to Syria, drew international condemnation and concern about media freedom in Turkey. “I will remain silent to the decision the court has given. But I don’t need to accept it, I want to make that clear. I don’t obey or respect the decision,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul before leaving on an official visit to West Africa.

“This has nothing to do with press freedom. This is a case of spying,” he said.

The two were charged with intentionally aiding an armed terrorist organisation and publishing material in violation of state security. Cumhuriyet published photos, videos and a report last May that it said showed intelligence officials transporting arms to Syria in trucks in 2014. Despite their release, the two journalists are facing possible life sentences at a trial due to start on March 25 and are banned from leaving the country.

Erdogan, who has cast the newspaper’s coverage as part of an attempt to undermine Turkey’s global standing, has said he will not forgive such reporting. — Reuters

Hillary secures big win in South Carolina primary to her church two years ago and again on Hillary’s first campaign trip to the state when she held a roundtable for minority women business owners.

South Carolina was Hillary’s third victory in the first four Democratic contests, raising more questions about whether democratic socialist Sanders will be able to expand his support beyond his base of predominantly white liberals.

Former secretary of state said she was not taking anything for granted after crushing Democratic rival Bernie Sanders on Saturday by 48 points

COLUMBIA: Fresh off a runaway win in the South Carolina primary, Democrat Hillary Clinton turned her sights to a possible match-up with Republican front-runner Donald Trump in the November 8 presidential election.

Without mentioning Trump’s name, the former secretary of state made it clear on Saturday she was already thinking about taking on the real estate mogul whose recent string of victories made him the favourite to be the Republican nominee for the White House race.

Trump’s campaign Hillary shot down Trump’s campaign slogan of “Make America Great Again” and his plans to build a wall on the US-Mexican border.

“Despite what you hear, we don’t need to make America great again. America has never stopped being great,” she told supporters

EXPANDING SUPPORT: US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a primary night rally in Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday. – AFP

in her victory speech in South Carolina, pausing for applause then adding, “but we do need to make America whole again.”

“Instead of building walls, we need to be tearing down barriers,” said Hillary, who would be America’s first woman president.

Hillary said she was not taking anything for granted after crush-

ing Democratic rival Bernie Sanders on Saturday by 48 points and likely setting herself up for a good “Super Tuesday” night on March 1, a key date in the nomination battle. But if Hillary and Trump win big on Tuesday as polls suggest, the chance of a general election match up between them increases, adding another twist to

a presidential campaign that has defied convention as US voters vent frustration over economic uncertainty, illegal immigration and national security threats.

A Trump-Hillary election would embody the outsider vs. establishment battle in American politics. Trump has never been elected to public office, while the former first lady has been a player in Washington for decades.

South Carolina Democratic voter Teri Faust, 59, said Hillary would be better able to take on Trump than Sanders, a US senator from Vermont. “Bernie wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Hillary is strong,” said Faust, who met Hillary when she came

Exit polls Exit polls showed Hillary winning big in the state with almost every constituency. She won 9 of every 10 black voters, as well as women, men, urban, suburban, rural, very liberal and conservative voters.

Sanders was ahead among voters between ages 18 and 29, and among white men.

When asked which candidate they thought “can win in November,” an overwhelming 79 per cent said Hillary, with only 21 per cent putting their faith in Sanders to defeat the eventual Republican nominee. Sanders, who has energised the party’s liberal wing and brought young people to the polls by attacking income inequality and Wall Street excess, needs a breakthrough win in a key state in the next few weeks to keep his hopes alive.

“He’s got to pull off a surprise against Hillary soon or he won’t have time to recover,” said Phil Noble, a longtime Democratic activist in South Carolina.

He said Sanders’ momentum in South Carolina “fell off the table” after Hillary’s solid victory in Nevada on February 20. — Reuters

F L O R I D A , U N I T E D S TAT E S

Snake hunters bag 106 pythons in effort to control predator

BIG CATCH: A previously captured 13-foot Burmese python is taken out of a bag by Captain Shawn Meiman, left, and ‘Python Dave’ Liebman for the press to view before a state-sponsored snake hunt, in the Everglades, Florida on in this January 17, 2013 file photo. – Reuters Files

FLORIDA: Snake hunters stalked the invasive Burmese python in the Florida Everglades this year, capturing 106 of the predators in the state-sponsored “Python Challenge,” including one measuring 15 feet (4.6 metres), officials said on Saturday.

The challenge, which ran from January 16 to February 14, is similar to other hunts of problem species, such as Texas’ campaign against other animals, which are blamed for agricultural damage, and Michigan’s targeting of the invasive Asian carp fish.

It is unclear exactly how many Burmese pythons are slithering around the Florida Everglades, since they are masters of stealth, but they number at least in the thousands, said Florida Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Carli

Segelson. Still, state officials are hopeful that hunts such as the one they sponsored can keep the snake in check. Florida is aiming to eradicate the species from the wild to protect native mammals, birds and reptiles in the Everglades.

The pythons, which are native to Asia, arrived in Florida as pets, and some of them escaped into the wild and quickly reproduced.

On Saturday, officials honoured the Python Challenge’s top hunters, at a ceremony in Davie. Bill Booth and his team won the grand prize of $5,000. They removed 33 snakes, including the 15-footer, which weighed in at 125 pounds (56.7 kg), wildlife officials said.

The state has trained participants in how to capture the snakes: Pin their heads to the ground with a hook, grab their bodies and bag

them. “We fought this thing for 20 minutes and I didn’t think we were going to get it out of there,” Booth, speaking at the ceremony, said of his team’s largest snake. “But we had to get it out alive for the challenge and that’s what we did.”

All the snakes caught in the challenge were eventually killed, but in many areas state rules called for the snakes to be turned in live, Segelson said. The state’s preferred method for killing the pythons is to drive a bolt into their brains. The 106 pythons caught this year far surpasses the haul of 68 from a similar hunt Florida sponsored in 2013, Segelson said.

It has not been determined if a Python Challenge will be held next year, but state officials encourage the killing of pythons apart from the competition, she said. — Reuters

B TREASURY BILLS ISSUED A tender of government treasury bills, issue number 441, was held at the Central Bank of Oman. The total value of the allotted Treasury bills amounted to OMR15 million, for a maturity period of 91 days, from February 24 until May 25, 2016. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ONA

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

MARKET M A N U FA C T U R I N G FA C I L I T I E S

Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages plans expansion in region Times News Service MUSCAT: Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages Company, one of the leading beverage players in the Middle East and North Africa, confirmed that it is on track with its growth plans across the region and reaffirmed plans to build further manufacturing facilities across its jurisdictions.

Speaking on the sidelines of Gulfood last week, TolgaSezer, chief executive officer, Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages Company, said: “ “Despite political and economic disruption over the past few years,

the regional beverage market has continued to grow, and we expect this to continue. For Aujan CocaCola, an increasingly youthful population across Middle East and North African (Mena) region, together with opportunities for new categories and fresh consumer-focused innovations, mean significant growth prospects,” TolgaSezer, chief executive officer, Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages Company, said, on the sidelines of the recently concluded Gulfood.

“To fully leverage these opportunities, Aujan Coca-Cola has put in place a robust, five-year

growth strategy to drive profitability and retain our position as a world-class, regional beverage operator. By evolving our strategy, we are able to identify opportunities and avenues that allow us to grow without being constrained by product categories and geographies,” he added.

Aujan Coca-Cola is the authorised manufacturer and distributor of Rani and Barbican brands and the licensed manufacturer in the Middle East forVimto.

In 2015, Aujan Coca-Cola kicked-off its pre-announced investment project in Egypt.

Middle East key growth market for yacht makers Region’s 55% ultra-wealthy buy superyachts, the highest proportion of any global market, says a survey

Times News Service MUSCAT: Leading figures within the yacht manufacturing industry will outline their predictions for growth in the Middle East market, at the 10th Middle East Yachting Conference, to be held on Monday, ahead of Dubai International Boat Show.

Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) director of operations, Robert van Tol, and Roberto Zambrini, chief executive officer of Italian yacht builder Mondo Marine, will provide an overview and forecast of the regional superyacht market, as part of a panel discussion during the conference.

Middle East A separate presentation by Udo Kleinitz, secretary general of the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMA) will also discuss the importance of the Middle East within the global context.

“The 55 per cent ‘propensity to buy’ for the Middle East is the highest of all the regions,” said Robert van Tol. “This percentage is based on historic ownership of

superyachts versus the number of UHNWIs (ultra high net worth individuals) at that time, but it also means that if there is an increase in the number of UHNWIs in the Middle East, then 55 per cent of them are likely to buy a superyacht. Therefore this region will always remain very important.”

Yachting conference The annual Middle East Yachting Conference brings together global experts and industry authorities, as well as boating enthusiasts, to address the latest trends, technologies, plans and regulations affecting the marine leisure sector in Dubai and beyond. The theme for 2016 will be ‘Investing for the future, defining future strategies’. Topics for discussion include the region’s waterfront projects, maritime legislation and laws, the maritime community’s aspirations, and navigation at local and regional levels.

“Yachting has become an integral part of the luxury lifestyle in the Middle East, and it touches on many areas: manufacturing, sales, design, and has also had a significant influence on how cities in the region have grown, with so many

large-scale sea front development projects planned,” said Nabeel Farhat, editor-in-chief of ‘Word of Yachts & Boats’ magazine, who will be moderating the panel discussion on superyachts.

“The conference is an opportunity to discuss matters of market and lifestyle, and talk about the future of the industry, but also bring important issues such as rules and regulations into the conversation.”

Conference sessions will include presentations in important regional issues, including from DCMA on the first-of-its-kind Dubai Maritime Sector Strategy, and from TASNEEF on marine classification systems in the UAE. The Dubai Maritime Sector Strategy guides the city’s growth as a leading global maritime centre, with the sector estimated to provide 4.6 percent of the city’s GDP and 3.3 per cent of its employment.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

B3

MARKET HONOUR

Oman Insurance wins UAE award

Ooredoo to bring Xiaomi smartphones to Oman proven to be more than capable of standing alongside iPhone and Samsung devices as a marketleading lifestyle brand.”

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Insurance Company has been awarded the 2016 Finance Awards for Insurance Solutions Provider of the Year – UAE. The award is presented by Corporate LiveWire and aims to honour the business achievements in Financial Services, Tax and Accountancy.

The Corporate Livewire Finance Awards is a leading global awards programme which recognises growth and strong performance in the financial industry.

Outstanding performance, consistent results and innovation were the key qualifying criteria for Oman Insurance Company to win this esteemed award.

Commenting on this achievement, Christos Adamantiadis, chief executive office of Oman Insurance Company, said “We are delighted to receive the award and see this as a validation of our position as an insurance market leader in UAE.” “We will continue to constantly outperform the market and bring innovative insurance solutions that help our clients to protect their

Ooredoo has signed an exclusive one-year distribution deal with the Chinese manufacturer, the third largest smartphone maker in the world

Times News Service wealth and wellbeing,” he added.

Oman Insurance Company was established in 1975 and is one of the leading insurance providers in the Middle East. Oman Insurance Company has operations across Emirates in the UAE as well as in Oman, Qatar and a subsidiary in Turkey. Oman Insurance Company also owns a medical third-party administrator in Iraq operating under the name of ‘Support Management Services’.

Oman Insurance provides a wide range of insurance solutions for individuals and enterprises in life, medical and general insurance.

MUSCAT: Bringing marketleading devices to customers and smartphone enthusiasts in Oman, Ooredoo has signed an exclusive one-year distribution deal with Xiaomi, the third largest smartphone maker in the world.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ooredoo will be the first mobile provider in the country to offer Xiaomi handsets, renowned for their cost-effectiveness and high-functionality.

Starting from March 10, Ooredoo customers will be able to purchase four of Xiaomi’s best-selling and flagship products including

the Redmi 2E, Redmi 2 Note, Mi 4i, and Mi 4i Note Pro. Ranging from only OMR50 to OMR200 in price, the Chinese manufacturer’s sleek, affordable and reliable devices have made it one of China’s largest smartphone makers as well as one of the fastest growing companies worldwide.

Johan Buse, chief commercial officer at Ooredoo, said, “At Ooredoo, we aim to bring the latest devices to our customers and with Xiaomi, we have found a partner that puts the latest technology at their fingertips at fantastic value for money. The global success of the brand is a testament to the quality of the

Total value of outbound travellers in GCC estimated at $64 billion: Survey Times News Service

GROWTH OF MICE MARKET: The meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) market has grown rapidly in the GCC and particularly in Dubai, which in 2015 held 27 per cent market share of the $1.3 billion MICE GCC market. – Bloomberg News

Changing attitudes and requirements for more experiential, cultural, and sightseeing tours rather than the previously strong preference for shopping, are also challenges that travel sector are facing

Warren, Conference & Touring.

Security This is true for both inbound and outbound GCC business tourists, as well as luxury tourists. Changing attitudes and requirements for more experiential, cultural, and sightseeing tours rather than the previously strong preference for shopping, are also challenges that MICE, hospitality and travel sectors are facing.

“Furthermore, security plays an important role as travellers should always feel secure while meeting or discovering a new city,” noted Lambotte and Warren. Security concerns are not isolated to GCC countries only, but are indeed a global issue for MICE, travel and hospitality

$6 BILLION DEAL

Foxconn, Sharp extend takeover talks TOKYO: Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group and Sharp worked through the weekend to salvage their proposed $6 billion deal with one potential outcome being a revision to terms the Japanese’s board approved just last week, according to people familiar with the matter.

Bankers and lawyers are going through a list of Sharp liabilities that could exceed 300 billion yen ($2.6 billion), a last-minute stumbling block in Foxconn’s effort to take control of the strug-

high-performance products Xiaomi offers, making them perfectly suited to our discerning customers in the Sultanate. With handsets designed to be featurerich and affordable, Xiaomi has

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SURVEY

T R AV E L & T O U R I S M

MUSCAT: Value of outbound travellers from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has been estimated at $64 billion, according to a study conducted by Frost & Sullivan and Insights Middle East for Amadeus.

The study further estimated the average spend in GCC countries for inter-regional travel at $4,980 and for international business travel at $9,920.

These statistics clearly reflect the immense potential for business and meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) travel from the region.

Business tourists in the GCC comprise one in three of all tourists in the region. This is a high number when compared to the worrying statistics that suggests only 2 per cent of global exhibitions take place in the Middle East, according to the same study.

The meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) market has grown rapidly in the GCC and particularly in Dubai, which in 2015 held nearly 27 per cent market share of the $1.3 billion MICE GCC market.

Outbound travel from the Middle East, according to United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)’s 2015 tourism highlights, numbered approximately 37 million people for 2014 and accounted for 3.3 per cent of the global outbound market.

Speaking of luxury travel, according to a study by 2014 online survey conducted by YouGov, the average spend by luxury travellers from the Mena region is $8,310 while the average length of the trip is 5.1 nights. However, for sustained growth in the coming years, challenges that both the MICE and luxury travel sectors for both inbound and outbound travellers need to be addressed.

“We truly think that the easiness of access via direct airline connectivity is key. Time is too important for people and changingflights 3 times is not acceptable for business travellers,” noted Mikael Lambotte, Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski München, and Jason

Johan Buse, chief commercial officer at Ooredoo. – Supplied photo

Ooredoo network Ooredoo will be introducing the new devices in multiple phases, with the Xiaomi hero devices expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2016.

The exclusive handsets will be available for purchase from any of Ooredoo’s 40 stores across the Sultanate.

Ooredoo has invested heavily in its network to provide its customers with an enhanced mobile data and voice experience.

Now covering 99 per cent of the population, Ooredoo’s modernised network, today ensures that its customers have 3G/3G+ capabilities across the Sultanate as well as a significant and rapidly expanding 4G footprint.

gling Japanese company, according to the people, who asked not to be identified as the talks aren’t public. It’s too early to tell whether Foxconn will lower the value of its offer for Sharp or change its bid in some other way, said the people.

Any material change to the offer would require Sharp’s board to vote again on the Foxconn proposal, the people said.

Foxconn has made it clear it was surprised by the latest information from Sharp. — Bloomberg News

industry personnel.

When it comes to luxury travel, the challenges are more intense.

Keeping in line with global changing tastes and attitudes, luxury travellers too are looking for more value for their money. While this does not necessarily mean cheaper, it does mean more benefits such as personalisation, simplification, and seamless services.

Another challenge in luxury travel is the changing nature of group travel, where multi-generational travel is now becoming the norm.

Luxury travel market Speaking on the luxury travel market from the GCC, Lambotte and Warren agreed that market “Has been growing over the past 10 years and should keep grow-

ing the next 5 years. Every year the demand in Munich has been increasing by 5 per cent in the luxury sector.”

However, competition from emerging and developing market further complicates the landscape for MICE and luxury travel.

The fourth annual MICE Arabia Congress provides a huge advantage for participants by “focusing the attendance of qualified corporate decision makers and MICE agencies,” noted Aishvarya Guhagarkar of Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau.

“The choice for suppliers to pre-select the buyers they want to meet and vice-versa ensures good quality one -to-one pre-arranged meetings. In addition, the speakers and panelist share real time insights, current trends and exchange of ideas,” she added “At the fourth edition of the MICE Arabia Congress, the trends and challenges in the industry will be discussed, in addition to other crucial subjects,” said. Sidh N. C., director, QnA International speaking on the agenda of the conference.

The fourth annual MICE Arabia Congress will take place from March 1 to 2 in Dubai.

Gulf countries face $94b debt crunch on oil slump: HSBC DUBAI: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries may struggle to refinance $94 billion of debt in the next two years as the region faces slowing growth, rising rates and rating downgrades, according to HSBC Holdings.

The GCC states have to refinance $52 billion of bonds and $42 billion of syndicated loans, mostly in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, HSBC said in an e-mailed report. The countries also face a fiscal and current account deficit of $395 billion over the period, it said.

Expectations that these funding gaps “will be part financed through the sale of sovereign United States dollar debt will complicate efforts to refinance existing paper that matures over 2016 and 2017,” Simon Williams, HSBC’s chief economist for the Middle East, said in the report.

“With the Gulf acting as a single credit market, the refinancing challenge will likely be much more broadly felt” and “compounded by tightening regional liquidity, rising rates and recent downgrades,” he said.

GCC states, which collectively produce about a quarter of the

world’s oil, are taking unprecedented measures to shore up their public finances as crude prices struggle to rebound from the lowest levels in 12 years.

Some of these GCC countries have also been hit by a series of rating cuts, while billions of dollars have been drained from the region’s banking system.

Sovereign debt Gulf countries have about $610 billion outstanding in FX-denominated bonds and syndicated loans, HSBC said. This includes financial and corporate debt, as well as sovereign debt, mainly in the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar, it said.

HSBC is confident that the funding gaps will be covered and expects a “raft” of foreign sovereign bond issuance to fund budget deficits. Any new issuance will have to compete with upcoming refinancing needs, the bank said.

Almost half of the maturities due in the next two years are in the banking sector, HSBC said, “suggesting any increase in costs at refinancing could quickly feed through into a broader monetary tightening.” – Bloomberg News

REFINANCING BONDS: The GCC states have to refinance $52 billion of bonds and $42 billion of syndicated loans, mostly in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, HSBC said. – File photo

B4

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

MARKET MSM index ends lower

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ....................................... 5,389.09 ...............5,383.56 ................... 5,383.56 ...................5,388.34.................. -4.78 .................. -0.09 Financial Index .....................................6,655.95 .............. 6,644.39 ...................6,648.08 ...................6,649.30.................. -1.22 .................. -0.02 Industrial Index ................................... 6,632.29 .............. 6,604.79 ...................6,604.95 ...................6,629.26................-24.31 .................. -0.37 Services Index ...................................... 3,058.80 ...............3,047.59 ................... 3,055.22 ...................3,042.75..................12.47 ................... 0.41 MSM SHARIAH INDEX....................... 837.89 ..................836.48 .......................836.48 .......................837.89...................-1.41 .................. -0.17 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 9,804,092 ....................1,847,650 .....................584 ................16,380,155,011 .................. 8 ......................12 .................... 17 .........................37

Port Services remained Sunday’s top gainer, up 9.21 per cent while United Power was the

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28

top loser, with a loss of 3.94 per cent 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: MSM30 Index declined 0.09 per cent to close at 5,383.56 points. MSM Sharia Index ended at 836.48 points, down 0.17 per cent. Renaissance Services was the most active in terms of volume as well as turnover. Port Services remained Sunday’s top gainer, up 9.21 per cent while United Power was the top loser, with a loss of 3.94 per cent.

A total number of 584 trades were executed on Sunday, generating turnover of OMR1.84 million with 9.80 million shares changing hands. Out of 37 traded securities, eight advanced, 12 declined and 17 remained unchanged. At the session close, GCC & Arab Investors were net buyers for OMR91,000 followed by Omani investors for OMMR25,000 while Foreign Investors stayed net sellers for OMR116,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index down by 0.02 per cent to close at 6,648.08 points. Global Financial Investment, Gulf Investment Services and Al Madina Investment increased by 3.42 per cent, 3.23 per cent and 1.67 per cent respectively. Oman Takaful, Al Madina Takaful , Al Batinah Development and Bank Sohar declined by 3.85 per cent, 1.37 per cent, 1.35 per cent and 1.27 per cent respectively.

Industrial Index at 6,604.95 points, down 0.37 per cent. Dhofar Cattlefeed was the only gainer and was up by 3.18 per cent to close at OMR0.225. Galfar Engineering, Al Maha Ceramics, Oman Fisheries and Raysut Cement declined by 3.28 per cent, 2.39 per cent, 1.72 per cent and 0.80 per cent respectively.

Services Index advanced 0.41 per cent to close at 3,055.22 points. Port Services, Renaissance Services, Al Suwadi Power and OIFC increased 9.21 per cent, 5.06 per cent, and 1.53 per cent respectively. United Power,

Al Maha Petroleum and Pheonix Power declined 3.94 per cent and 1.16 per cent respectively.

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

OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ....................... 807,627 ......... 133,697.....................60 ............0.167 ........... 0.167 ...........0.163 ............0.166 ............. 0.152.............0.014 ..............9.211.................0.163 ..............0.162...................0.163................... 15,776,640 .........0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 1,512,889 .......251,318.....................60 ............0.163 ........... 0.169 ...........0.163 ............0.166 ............. 0.158............ 0.008............. 5.063 ................0.168 ..............0.166...................0.168...................48,248,069.........0.100 OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 444,224 ...........53,918........................8 ............0.120 ........... 0.123 ...........0.120............0.121 ............. 0.117 ............ 0.004............. 3.419 ................0.123 ..............0.122...................0.123.................. 24,200,000 ........0.100

Saudi stocks rally Stocks across the Middle East advanced after China’s central bank governor highlighted scope for further policy stimulus in the world’s biggest commodities user.

Tadawul All Share Index rose 1.6 per cent to 6,073.90 at 2:17pm in Riyadh, poised for the highest level since January 11. Dubai’s DFM General Index gained 1.7 per cent and Qatar’s QE Index climbed 0.8 per cent. Abu Dhabi’s ADX General Index advanced for the first time in three days. Kuwait’s SE Price Index rose 0.7 per cent, extending gains for a fourth day, the gauge’s longest winning streak since November.

“The world seems to be a better place this week,” said Saleem Khokhar, the head of fund management and equities at the asset management group of National Bank of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates’ biggest bank. “Comments from China’s central bank governor, in terms of combating currency speculation, were positive because it’s important for long-term stability in demand for oil.”

Stocks in Saudi Arabia, whose biggest trading partner is China, were led by Saudi Basic Industries Corp., one of the world’s biggest petrochemicals manufacturers by sales. The company’s shares were headed for the highest close in about two months.

The Bloomberg GCC 200 Index, which tracks 200 of the largest companies in the region, gained 1.3 per cent to the strongest level since January 7. Egypt’s EGX 30 Index rose 1.2 per cent to the highest level in three weeks on 75 per cent of the 12-month full-daily average trading volume. — United Securities/Bloomberg News

OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 372,420 ........... 35,688..................... 30 ........... 0.094 ...........0.097 ...........0.093........... 0.096 .............0.093 ........... 0.003............. 3.226 ................0.095..............0.094...................0.095....................5,648,949 ..........0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT .....................................10,000 .................. 610........................1 ............0.061 ........... 0.061 ...........0.061 ........... 0.061 .............0.060 ............0.001 ............. 1.667 ................0.061 ..............0.059...................0.062 ..................12,636,234 .........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 699,760 ......... 139,046..................... 46 ............0.201 ........... 0.201 ...........0.197 ........... 0.199 ............. 0.196............ 0.003..............1.531.................0.197 .............. 0.196...................0.197...................39,800,000.........0.100 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 146,944 ........... 34,876......................13 ........... 0.237 ...........0.238 ...........0.237........... 0.237 .............0.237 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.237..............0.236...................0.237...................23,700,000.........0.100 OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ...............10,000 ...............2,230........................1 ........... 0.223 ...........0.223 ...........0.223........... 0.223 .............0.223 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.223.............. 0.193...................0.223 ................... 7,486,433 ..........0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 845,000 .........222,235......................14 ........... 0.263 ...........0.263 ...........0.263........... 0.263 .............0.263 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.263..............0.261...................0.263 .................352,606,796........0.100 OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .........................................................................1,659 .................. 766........................1 ........... 0.462 ...........0.462 ...........0.462........... 0.466 .............0.466 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.462..............0.462...................0.480 .................257,633,525 ........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 141,105 ............ 25,360......................15 ............0.180 ........... 0.180 ...........0.179 ........... 0.180 .............0.180 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.180.............. 0.179...................0.180...................27,013,500 .........0.100 OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............ 276,994 ........... 83,033..................... 30 ........... 0.302 ...........0.302 ...........0.292........... 0.300 .............0.300 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.300 ............ 0.300...................0.302 ...................6,300,000..........0.100 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ................................ 40,000 .............11,200........................1 ........... 0.280...........0.280 ...........0.280 .......... 0.280 .............0.280 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.280............. 0.280...................0.285...................82,939,831 .........0.100 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................ 265,281 ........... 38,480......................31 ............0.145 ........... 0.148 ...........0.144............0.145 ............. 0.145............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.145 ..............0.144...................0.145................... 18,110,204 .........0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 529,884 ........... 90,078......................16 ............0.169 ........... 0.170 ...........0.169 ........... 0.170 ............. 0.170............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.170 .............. 0.167...................0.180..................242,256,144 .......0.100 OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ..................................................... 155,000 ........... 20,150........................3 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.130........... 0.130 .............0.130............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.130 ..............0.130...................0.132...................40,399,442.........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 118,935 ............ 82,303........................6 ........... 0.692 ...........0.692 ...........0.692........... 0.692 .............0.692 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.692..............0.680...................0.692..................450,453,407 .......0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 507,929 ..........215,727..................... 64 ........... 0.424 ...........0.426 ...........0.424........... 0.424 .............0.426 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.469 ...............0.424..............0.424...................0.426 ................. 971,732,781 ........0.100 OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ...................................................... 105,200 .........104,266..................... 27 ........... 0.992 ...........0.992 ...........0.980........... 0.992 .............1.000 ...........-0.008 ........... -0.800 ...............0.988..............0.980...................0.988..................198,400,000 .......0.100 OM0000003000 ...........ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. ....... 10,385 ............. 17,655........................2 ............1.700 ........... 1.700 ...........1.700 ............1.700 ............. 1.720............-0.020 ............-1.163................1.700 .............. 1.700...................1.720 ..................117,300,000 ........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 211,758 ............ 32,877........................8 ............0.156 ........... 0.156 ...........0.155 ............0.155 ............. 0.157............-0.002 ............-1.274................0.155 ..............0.154...................0.155 ................. 223,423,200 .......0.100 OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ....................... 38,000 ...............2,774........................7 ........... 0.073 ........... 0.073 ...........0.073........... 0.073 .............0.074 ...........-0.001 ............-1.351 ................0.073.............. 0.071...................0.073....................2,190,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL...............................................40,876 ...............2,931........................6 ........... 0.073 ........... 0.073 ...........0.071 ........... 0.072 .............0.073 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.370................0.072..............0.072...................0.073...................12,600,000.........0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ................................................ 100,282 ........... 40,935......................12 ........... 0.408 ........... 0.410 ...........0.408........... 0.408 ............. 0.418............-0.010 ........... -2.392 ...............0.408..............0.406...................0.408 ..................21,420,000.........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 502,366 ............29,786..................... 35 ............0.061 ........... 0.061 ...........0.059........... 0.059 ............. 0.061............-0.002 ........... -3.279 ...............0.060..............0.059...................0.060 .................. 17,108,858 .........0.100 OM0000001822............UNITED POWER ..............................................................1,514 .............. 4,984........................3 ........... 3.300 ...........3.300 ...........3.150 ........... 3.290 .............3.425 ...........-0.135 ........... -3.942 ...............3.150 .............. 3.150...................3.300 ...................2,632,000 ..........1.000 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 7,896,032 ...1,676,924...................500 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......26........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000001301 ............DHOFAR CATTLE FEED ..............................................8,000 ................1,815........................4 ........... 0.230 ...........0.230 ...........0.225........... 0.227 .............0.220 ........... 0.007............. 3.182 ................0.225............. 0.220...................0.230 .................. 17,479,000 .........0.100 OM0000001053 ............OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING .......................................... 500 ...................192........................1 ........... 0.384 ...........0.384 ...........0.384........... 0.386 .............0.386 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.384..............0.374...................0.384 ...................2,316,000 ..........1.000 OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. .................. 100,000 ............. 3,200........................5 ........... 0.032 ...........0.032 ...........0.032........... 0.032 .............0.032 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.032..............0.032...................0.033....................2,720,000 ..........0.100 OM0000001590............MUSCAT FINANCE.................................................... 300,000........... 39,000........................9 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.130........... 0.130 .............0.130............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.130 ..............0.129...................0.130................... 32,710,401 .........0.100 OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING....................................97,300 ...............6,595........................7 ........... 0.068 ...........0.068 ...........0.067........... 0.068 .............0.068 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.068..............0.068...................0.070.....................5,114,144 ..........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 458,173............ 32,072..................... 10 ........... 0.070 ...........0.070 ...........0.070........... 0.070 .............0.070 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.070..............0.069...................0.070................. 105,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK................................................35,000 ............... 1,985........................4 ........... 0.057 ........... 0.057 ...........0.056........... 0.057 .............0.057 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.056..............0.056...................0.057...................57,000,000.........0.100 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ........................................................ 71,081 .............10,072......................15 ............0.143 ........... 0.143 ...........0.141 ........... 0.142 .............0.143............-0.001 ........... -0.699 ...............0.141 .............. 0.141...................0.142..................207,689,407........0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ..................................................... 233,500 ............13,350......................14 ........... 0.058 ...........0.058 ...........0.057........... 0.057 .............0.058 ...........-0.001 ............-1.724................0.057..............0.056...................0.057.................... 7,125,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE ............................ 489,506 ............48,991..................... 10 ............0.104 ........... 0.104 ...........0.100........... 0.100 .............0.104 ...........-0.004 ........... -3.846 ...............0.100.............. 0.101...................0.103...................10,000,000.........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 1,793,060 .......157,271..................... 79 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......10........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ...................... 115,000.............13,455........................5 ............0.117 ........... 0.117............ 0.117 ............0.117 ............. 0.115 ............ 0.002............. 1.739.................0.117 ...............0.115................... 0.117 ...................35,421,646 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 115,000.............13,455........................5 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. .........1........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

C O R P O R AT E

LEGAL RECOURSE

Citigroup faces fraud suit from creditors, Buffett defends 51% investors of Mexican oil services firm owned 3G Capital as Berkshire logs profit

NEW YORK: Citigroup was sued for fraud by investors and creditors of a bankrupt Mexican oil services firm over claims they were harmed by a loan scheme that also led the bank to cut 2013 profit by $235 million and fire at least a dozen people.

Citigroup’s loans led to the 2014 collapse of the Mexican firm, Oceanografia, and caused Dutch lender Rabobank, with investors and creditors, to lose at least $1.1 billion, according to the lawsuit filed on Friday in Miami federal court.

Rabobank and other investors separately filed a negligence suit in United States’ Delaware state.

Citigroup’s Mexican subsidiary, Banamex, made short-term loans to Oceanografia, which did work for state-run Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. In turn, Pemex repaid the bank. Citigroup chief executive officer Michael Corbat said in February 2014 that $400 million of accounts receivable from Oceanografia were fraudulent. He said the bank was working with Mexican authorities and would find out “who perpetrated this despicable crime.”

Rabobank and the investors claim Citigroup conspired with Oceanografia to accept falsified work estimates even as the oil services firm became increasingly dependent on cash advances to survive. Those Citigroup loans propped up Oceanografia, while Pemex repaid the bank with millions of dollars in interest, according to the complaint.

“Intentional misconduct on the part of Wall Street banks — including Citigroup specifically — is far from unfamiliar,” according to the complaint.

“Yet again, greed and dishonesty have victimised blameless businesses and investors.”

IN TROUBLE: Citigroup’s loans led to the 2014 collapse of the Mexican firm, Oceanografia, and

caused Dutch lender Rabobank, with investors and creditors, to lose at least $1.1 billion, according to the lawsuit. – File photo

Mark Costiglio, a Citigroup spokesman, and Manuel Goncalves, a spokesman at KPMG, both declined to comment on the lawsuits. Quinn Emanuel Urguhart & Sullivan, the law firm that filed the lawsuit, provided copies of the complaint. The filing couldn’t be independently confirmed in court records.

SEC probe Citigroup has said in regulatory filings that it’s cooperating with an investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and a Justice Department request for information about the fraud.

The SEC inquiry has included requests for documents and witness testimony, the bank said in a filing on Friday.

Mexican authorities placed Oceanografia in bankruptcy and

later charged several Citigroup employees with crimes, according to the complaint. None of the creditors who sued have collected money through the bankruptcy, according to the complaint.

The complaint includes claims that the bank violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisation Act and engaged in fraud while breaching its fiduciary duty. It seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

Seven shipping companies and service providers, including Blue Marine Technology Group, were among those that sued, as well as nine bondholders, including Ashmore Investment Advisors.

The short-term lending accelerated rapidly, according to the complaint. In 2009, Oceanografia’s revenue was $288 million and Citigroup made $70 million in

cash advances. By 2012, the company had revenue of $920 million, yet was “almost entirely dependent on cash advances,” taking $450 million from Citigroup.

Cash advances Oceanografia’s cash advance requests were subject to a two- step approval process by Citigroup to verify that documents submitted accurately reflected the terms of its contracts with Pemex, according to the complaint. In at least 166 cash requests, Citigroup didn’t satisfy either step, failing to detect falsified documents, according to the complaint.

In February 2014, Citigroup contacted Pemex to discuss the cash advances and learned about Oceanografia’s phony supporting documentation, according to the complaint. - Bloomberg News

NEW YORK: Warren Buffett has used his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders to launch vigorous defences of an aggressive private equity partner and a maligned mobile home unit, as his conglomerate recorded robust profits.

The world’s third-richest person and a revered investor, Buffett also injected himself into the contentious 2016 United States presidential campaign, lambasting candidates who talk down the nation’s economic future as ‘dead wrong’ — an apparent jab at Republicans and frontrunner Donald Trump.

Buffett, who is backing Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, also raised a political issue dear to Democrats in his widely-read letter by calling climate change a “major problem for the planet,” although not one for Berkshire’s future.

Buffett, 85, also made no mention of who might succeed him at Berkshire, which he has run for a half-century, and in passing said he expects to be around at age 100.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based company reported a record fullyear profit of $24.08 billion, up 21 per cent, while operating profit rose 5 per cent to a record $17.36 billion.

Fourth quarter profit was up 32 per cent, and operating profit rose a larger-than-expected 18 per cent.

Berkshire owns 90 businesses in areas such as insurance, railroads, energy, food, apparel and real estate. Buffett himself is worth $62.1 billion, Forbes magazine reported.

3G, Clayton But he has critics, and spent about 10 per cent of his roughly 18,000word letter defending 3G Capital, a Brazilian firm in which Berkshire owns 51 per cent of Kraft Heinz,

For 240 years it's been a terrible mistake to bet against America, and now is no time to start.

The babies being born in America today are the luckiest crop in history Warren Buffett CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

and Berkshire’s Clayton Homes mobile home unit.Many shareholders questioned Buffett’s compatibility with 3G, an aggressive cost cutter led by Brazilian billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann.

Berkshire and 3G teamed up in 2013 to buy H.J. Heinz and last year merged it with Kraft Foods.

- Reuters

B

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M M ON DAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

SECTION

SLOW DOWN ENJOY THE RIDE

E-

IMES TECH STUFF

Inside Microsoft’s new machine learning tools Lie detector, cobbled together from algorithms and a 14-pronged headset that measures brain waves, is a kind of party trick deployed to show software developers how to Learning tools

DINA BASS

J

International Business Machines (IBM) paid more than $1.3 billion in cash last year to acquire closely held Cleversafe, adding data-storage software that works for both public and private cloud- computing systems. The deal, which IBM announced in October without disclosing terms, was the company’s largest in 2015, according to a filing on Tuesday. — Bloomberg News

T E C H U P D AT E S

HP shares decline as earnings outlook fail to offset PC slump HP shares fell after offering little insight into how it will overcome the globally depressed market for computers and printers as it released earnings that were just in line with analysts’ estimates. In its first full quarterly report as a standalone company, HP executives spoke of difficult markets and said job cuts announced earlier need to be accelerated. The stock declined 4.4 per cent to $10.34 at the close on Thursday in New York, making it the third-worst performer in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. The shares have dropped 13 per cent this year. HP Chief Executive Officer Dion Weisleris trying to navigate the challenges of shepherding his new company as demand wanes for key hardware products. While last November’s separation from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is supposed to give him the flexibility and control to pursue customers, the company still needs to find ways to bolster profit and sales. Profit before certain items in the second quarter, which ends in April, will be 35 cents to 40 cents a share, HP said Wednesday in a statement. That compares with an average estimate of 39 cents, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. — Bloomberg News

Google’s DeepMind forms health unit to build medical software

use Azure Machine

ennifer Marsman recently tested a lie detector of her own design on her boss at Microsoft. Do you work for the best company in the world, she asked. Yes. Oops! According to the software, that was probably a fib. Will she get a promotion this year? Yes! This time her manager was most likely telling the truth.

No, Microsoft isn’t getting into the law-enforcement game. Marsman, 37, is a “principal developer evangelist,” whose job is to tirelessly advocate for machine learning—a form of artificial intelligence that uses data to make predictions about everything from quarterly sales to when a cow will get pregnant.

The lie detector, cobbled together from algorithms and a 14-pronged headset that measures brain waves, is a kind of party trick Marsman deploys to show software developers how to use Microsoft’s Azure Machine Learning tools. Boisterous and known to spout Harry Potter references, Marsman plays a crucial role for a company that was early to machine learning but is now competing with Google and Amazon to commercialise the technology.

The stakes are high. In the coming years, machine learning will change the world—making computers exponentially smarter and helping companies cut costs, figure out where to invest and a whole lot more. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Anurag Rana describes the technology as “one of the biggest differentiators for software companies for years to come.” Without it, he says, “you’re not going to be able to sell your product.”

Though Microsoft has been working on machine learning for at least 20 years, divisions like Office and Windows once harnessed its predictive qualities only sparingly.

“The reaction of many people there was ‘We know how to do things, why are you questioning my views with your data,’” says Pedro Domingos, a University of Washington computer

IBM PAID $1.3B TO BUY CLEVERSAFE

science professor who wrote a book on machine learning called The Master Algorithm.

Microsoft truly embraced the technology when it started Bing in an attempt to catch up with Google.

Satya Nadella ran engineering and technical strategy for the search division before becoming chief executive officer two years ago and has been sprinkling machine learning like fairy dust on everything his company touches. “Microsoft is now in this place where they have machine learning very deeply embedded,” Domingos says. “They’re investing a lot in making machine learning less Wild West.”

Like Google and Amazon, which have both used the technology to improve their own products, Microsoft is weaving machine learning into its own operations. This isn’t simply about helping the company save money and function better; the more Microsoft uses the technology itself, the easier it is to explain and sell. “Customers are confused,” says Joseph Sirosh, lured from Amazon in 2013 to oversee engineering for Microsoft’s machine learning efforts. “Cutting through that noise has been a bit of a challenge. It has been also hard for our own field and sales people to go talk to customers and educate them about all the use cases.”

CFO Amy Hood’s finance department has come to rely on algorithms—using them to help forecast sales and how many licenses the company will sell in a given period. “It turns out to be very, very accurate for that application,” Sirosh says. “Amy Hood is a big fan of this. She can sleep nicer knowing that a machine learning model predicted her quarter.”

Microsoft also uses algorithms to predict how many servers it needs to buy for its rapidly ex-

Microsoft is now in this place where they have machine learning very deeply embedded.

They’re investing a lot in making machine learning less Wild West Pedro Domingos Computer science professor

panding datacenters and to help salespeople predict which clients to focus attention on. Even the company’s older products, like the accounting software it acquired in 2002, are getting a machine learning facelift, Sirosh says. Microsoft’s Cortana Analytics Suite lets customers build some of these tools in-house.

Ram Shankar Siva Kumar, 25, is a data cowboy—he chose his own title—on the Azure Security Data Science team. He uses machine learning algorithms to predict suspicious behaviour on Microsoft’s networks.

Security teams are already pretty good at finding an attack once they know what they’re looking for; Kumar has to find them before anyone has that information.

To train his algorithms to recognise malicious behavior, he feeds

them actual attacks by Microsoft’s Red Team of internal hackers paid to break into the company’s networks as well as threat reports coming in from Microsoft’s security center.

That allows him to build models that can recognise real exploits.

All kinds of companies and industries are already using Microsoft technology. Japanese farmers are tracking cows, which walk more when ready to conceive, so they can inseminate the cow at the optimal moment. An Australian wine company is using similar algorithms to predict grape yields. A hospital about an hour from Microsoft is using Azure tools to help figure out which cardiac patients are most likely to require re-admission. Norway’s eSmart Systems uses Azure Machine Learning to forecast energy grid usage and turn down home heating when demand is high.

Matt McIlwain, a managing director at Madrona Venture Group in Seattle, says Microsoft’s machine learning is as good or better than rival technology. But he says Microsoft still suffers from the perception that it’s playing catchup. “How do people find out that Microsoft has really cool machine learning capabilities that they can use?” he says. “They’ve got to get their story out there.”

That’s where Jennifer Marsman comes in. She travels the world demonstrating her lie detector and sparking conversations about potential uses for machine learning.

Medical applications come up a lot. People have asked about using the technology to predict seizures, monitoring the elderly at assisted living facilities and deciding whether a football player injured during a game should go to hospital or back onto the field.

Says Marsman: “I have the coolest job in the company.”

— Bloomberg News

Google’s DeepMind Technologies, an artificial intelligence company owned by the Web-search provider, is pushing into medical technology as it seeks to apply its expertise to health care. DeepMind has built a reputation for creating cutting-edge selflearning software and is pitting its technology against the world’s best player of Go, a complex board game played in Asia, in a match next month. The London-based subsidiary has teamed up with the Imperial College London and the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust through an endeavour called DeepMind Health.

The new division of about 15 people will grow “substantially,” said Mustafa Suleyman, who co-founded DeepMind. The company has also hired two physicians to work within its organization to help guide research and development. One of those doctors is Dominic King, co-creator of the technology behind Hark, a UK health-care startup acquired that is being bought by DeepMind as part of its push into medical technology. Hark has created a task-management smartphone application for clinicians. “At the moment we’re focused on building trust with clinicians and designing stuff hand-in-hand with doctors and nurses,” Suleyman said. Eventually, DeepMind wants to bring its machine-learning technology to health care. DeepMind Health built a piece of software called Streams, which lets clinicians view medical results faster, in a pilot project with the Royal Free Hospital. — Bloomberg News

Microsoft to buy Xamarin in latest mobile cloud push Microsoft said it agreed to buy startup Xamarin in the tech giant’s latest move to attract more software engineers to write programs using its cloud services. Integrating Xamarin into Microsoft’s Visual Studio will improve developers’ ability to build mobile applications across Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android and Microsoft’s Windows by making it easier to share code among the different operating systems, Scott Guthrie, Microsoft’s executive vice president of cloud and enterprise, wrote Wednesday in a blog post. The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive officer, has been working to bolster the company’s mobile capabilities as part of a broader push to sell more cloud services to reinvigorate growth. He has been focused on adding tools that would allow developers to build apps for multiple platforms. That way, Microsoft can sell its cloud services to programmers who aren’t just building for its Windows operating system and better compete with the likes of Amazon.com. “The combination of Xamarin, Visual Studio, Visual Studio Team Services, and Azure provides a complete mobile app dev solution that provides everything you need to develop, test, deliver and instrument mobile apps for every device,” Guthrie said. The partnership between San Franciscobased Xamarin, founded in 2011, and Microsoft goes back several years: some of Xamarin’s technology has already been integrated into many of Microsoft’s services, Guthrie said. The tech giant considered an acquisition or investment in Xamarin in 2014, people with knowledge of the issue said at the time. — Bloomberg News

B6

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

ROUND-UP Kahlil Gibran play ‘Rest Upon The Wind’ rescheduled on May 4 and 5 Rescheduled to May 4 and 5 from March 16 and 17, at the Oman Auditorium, Al Bustan Palace – A Ritz Carlton Hotel, the specially designed sets will transport the theatre aficionados to the very heart of Boston in the United States of America of the 19th and 20th centuries

MUSCAT: The life and times of Kahlil Gibran, the highly acclaimed poet, writer, painter, and philosopher of the Middle East origin, will be recreated in the London West End English play Kahlil Gibran Rest Upon The Wind.

Written and directed by celebrated actor and playwright Nadim Sawalha and produced by Ali Matar, the magnum opus Kahlil Gibran Rest Upon The Wind is brought to Oman by NPA Events.

It will be an artistic and spiritual voyage that delivers Gibran’s most powerful message of love, peace, brotherhood and unity, says a press release.

Rescheduled to May 4 and 5 from March 16 and 17, at the Oman Auditorium, Al Bustan Palace – A Ritz Carlton Hotel, the specially designed sets will transport the theatre aficionados to the very heart of Boston in the United States of America of the 19th and 20th centuries. There Khalil Gibran wrote his timeless classic The Prophet, the 1923 best-selling book which was translated to over 40

languages and sold over 140 million copies worldwide.

An enthralling mélange of drama, introspection and soulsearching discovery, Rest Upon The Wind chronicles Gibran’s life from the time he migrated from Lebanon to the United States of America as a 12-year-old with his family. The play revolves around his struggle to survive, of those who helped him along the way, and his warm family relationships.

INSPIRING STORY

First staged in the West End of London at the Tristan Bates Theatre in 2011, Rest Upon The Wind has been popular the world over with several shows in New York.

In Dubai, the play was a sell-out for five consecutive nights, as well as the one-time show in Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi.

The brilliant cast Eleven original members of the play will be flying down from Lon-

don especially for the play. Among them, the acclaimed, six-member cast with rich theatre experience will add a spark of brilliance to the proceedings. Fanos Xenofós, will essay the role of Kahlil Gibran while Lara Sawalha will enact the character of Michelline. Dina Mousawi plays Gibran’s sister Miryanna. Stephanie Ellyne portrays the role of Mary Elizabeth Haskell, a respected headmistress 10 years Gibran’s senior – after meeting at his first art exhibition of his drawings in 1904 in Boston at Day’s studio, the two became lifelong friends.

Nabil Elouahabi, a versatile British Moroccan actor, dons the role of the Ottoman Ambassador and Zak Sawalha plays Salim, an Armenian steward in Boston.

The original music score by award winning composer Jules Deering, the breathtaking visuals, the outstanding performances of the cast, the brilliant onstage projection by Eva Auster, the stage and production management by Nicola Doningthorn, are all sure

to make this spectacular presentation an unforgettable one for a long, long time to come.

Animated movie Ashok Suvarna, executive director of NPA Events, said: “Seeing the popularity of Kahlil Gibran in the Middle East, we are staging two back-to-back shows to meet the demand. Moreover, we are also planning to screen the animated movie based on Kahlil Gibran’s masterpiece The Prophet. Highly acclaimed across the world, this animated movie is directed by Roger Allers (director of Lion King) and is produced by famed actress Salma Hayek. She has also recorded the voice over along with superstar Liam Neeson. This private screening, with a red carpet welcome, will be exclusively for all the sponsors and their invites.”

The magnum opus Kahlil Gibran Rest Upon The Wind brought

by NPA Events, known for their ‘Wow’ presentations, is a play not to be missed for the theatre enthusiasts of Oman.

AT H L E T I C M E E T

VLCC customer shares her Annual sports day at Al Injaz inspiring weight-loss journey MUSCAT: Here is an inspiring journey of a 47-year-old Omani woman, who has embarked on a mission to reduce her extra kilos and get healthier at the VLCC. Sheikha Saleem Al Harthy lost 18kg in six months without any crash diets, hunger suppressants, or surgery, says a press release. ‘’I believe that my mission has been accomplished. It is nothing but VLCC, the premier beauty, slimming and preventive healthcare brand in the Middle East, which encouraged me to embark on this fruitful journey. VLCC’s scientific slimming methods helped me achieve my goal, and of course, my determination played the pivotal role,’’ says Sheikha.

Today, at 58.8kg (BMI: 25.2), Sheikha is energetic and enthusiastic. At the time of marriage in 1995, Sheikha weighed 55kg. After giving birth to her three children, especially after the second delivery, she started gaining weight – until she weighed 79kg. ‘’In 2008, at 79kg weight and 154cm height, I was too tired and lazy. Finding excuses for everything was my routine. Overweight was the villain. Friends and family members were worried about my laziness. I felt like all alone.

One day, I decided to do something about my laziness and overweight.

I heard about VLCC from the media, and there I started my weightloss journey,’’ Sheikha added. ‘’To the surprise of many, within three months with VLCC, I lost 24kg, and weighed 55kg. However, due to my unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle, I started gaining weight again, and gradually in

2015, I reached 77kg.’’ ‘’In March 2015, weighing over 77kg I rejoined VLCC. I started feeling the difference, and I found that losing weight is not a nightmare, as I lost 3kg per month. At present, at 58.8kg I am so happy, and my target is 55kg. Today, the word ‘laziness’ is not in my life dictionary. I don’t feel like a feather, but more than that I sleep peacefully, and feel very healthy. I like cycling, swimming, walking, badminton, aerobics, etc. I enjoy getting up early in the morning, and go for a morning walk. I feel so happy and my colleagues are impressed with my body weight. Never give up as your determination is more important than anything else,’’ says Sheikha.

Sheikha used to avoid vegetables, and was fond of more fruits and fruit juices. As fruits contain sugar, her weight and fat started increasing day-by-day. With the

VLCC diet-plan, her eating habits have been modified, and drinking enough water has become a routine today.

Sheikha’s determination has increased tremendously.

She feels like learning all kinds of dance forms. Walking an hour daily, and swimming in weekends have further modified her lifestyle. Now she advises her friends and colleagues to follow healthy eating habits.

“Indeed, the credit goes to VLCC and its team of experts. I can eat anything today because I am also burning out calories under the guidance of VLCC. I changed my eating habits, and controlled sweet intake. One must always keep an eye on food choices. It is an amazing feeling to be healthy and live in right weight. Yes, I have an iron will. My energy levels are high, and I am a more cool and much happier woman today,’’ Sheikha added.

MUSCAT: Al Injaz Private School, Al Ansab, held its annual sports day for the Grades V to XI recently. Mohammed Amur Rashid Al Malki, who has represented Oman in track and field events in various international arenas, attended the occasion as the chief guest, says a press release.

He praised the enthusiasm and sportive spirit of the students and the efforts of the school to enthuse sports and academics.

The students presented drills and track events. Medals and trophies were awarded for individual and team winners. The best house trophy went to the Green House.

Al Injaz, Ansab, follows the IGCSE and bilingual curriculum and has classes from Kindergarten to Grade XII. Admissions are open for 2016-17.

R A F F L E D R AW

ANNUAL GENERAL BODY MEETING

Geepas launches ‘Shop and Win’ promotion MUSCAT: Geepas, leading consumer electronics brand, launched a 3-month ‘Shop and Win’ car promotion all across Oman giving customers a chance to take home three Toyota Corolla cars and brand new Geepas home appliances.

Group brands, Royalford, providing premium tableware and kitchenware, and Clarkford, exclusive brand of fashionable watches, have also teamed up together to be a part of the promotion. Customers can enter the promotion upon purchasing products from ranges across all three brands, says a press release.

With every spend of OMR10 on Geepas/Royalford/Clarkford products, customers get a chance to receive one raffle coupon to enter the ‘Shop and Win’ promotion, and be close to winning three brand new Toyota Corollas along with top-of-the-line range of Geepas refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, cooking ranges, vacuum cleaners, etc.

The promotion runs from March 1 until May 31 and will be activated all over Oman including Salalah. More than 1,200 outlets

This promotion is a celebration of the love and support of our customers and we wanted to give them back through this massive promotion. We hope it has a positive impact on our customers Nizar T. N. Director of Operations, Western International Group

from all over Oman will be participating in the promotion providing exciting offers to customers over its wide range of products. The raffle draw date is set on June 10.

Nizar T. N., director of Operations, Western International Group, parent company of Geepas, Royalford and Clarkford, said: “We have received tremendous support from our loyal customers in Oman and it gives us immense pleasure

to be able to provide for them. This promotion is a celebration of the love and support of our customers and we wanted to give them back through this massive promotion.

We hope it has a positive impact on our customers.”

“Geepas has an extended range of quality electronic products.

With this promotion, we aim at making Geepas a household name at every home across Oman,” says

Sajeer K. T. K., country sales manage, Oman.

Geepas is a part of Western International Group and has one of the world’s largest electronics product portfolios with over 1,500 products in entertainment products, home appliances, kitchen appliances, lighting devices and personal care gadgets.

Royalford, another brand under Western International Group, offers premium tableware and kitchenware that are made from the finest raw materials. Clarkford is the brand that deals with fashionable stylish watches for men, women and kids.

Western International Group is a diversified conglomerate comprising several verticals and businesses that spread over more than 86 countries.

Built over last 30 years, and with a workforce of more than 11,000 employees, they own and manage several popular brands across varied categories with strong presence in GCC, South Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. Geepas, the flagship brand has been awarded Superbrand Award for 2016, for a consecutive second year.

ISC, Salalah AGM on March 25 SALALAH: Indian Social Club (ISC), Salalah will hold its annual general body meeting (AGM) on March 25 at the Sultan Qaboos multipurpose hall of the club from 10am onwards.

All bona fide members of the club have been requested to attend the meeting. All members should carry their identity cards or membership receipts issued by the club, says a press release.

PROMOTION

Attractive offers at B.young store MUSCAT: B.young store located at the Oman Avenues Mall has announced an exciting offer ‘Buy 2 and Get 3rd Free’ on all items in the store. In addition to this they also have ‘Shop and Win’ offer.

These offers are sure to be a shopper’s delight: ‘Buy 2 and Get 3rd Free’ will give customers an opportunity to save more, whereas ‘Shop and Win’ allow customers to take home exciting prizes such as 50” LED smart TV’s, Philips air fryer, garment steamer, etc, says a press release.

The store is constantly striving

to provide best service to its customers, and these schemes are sure to be attractive.

B.young label offers value for money and luxury for less.

B.young is all about the creation of great fashion styles. With b.young, you have the perfect opportunity to express your own personality through new and fresh styles all year around.

B.young is the popular brand of Denmark based DK Company.

DK Company has renowned and popular brands like B.young, Fansa, ICHI, Blend and Cream.

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ROUND-UP

All-new Chrysler 200 now comes to Oman The new 2016 Chrysler 200 sedan offers a pleasurable experience for the driver as well as the passengers

MUSCAT: Chrysler, being one of the preferred brands in the Sultanate, has revolutionised the market for mid-size sedan with the grand entry of its all-new 2016 Chrysler 200 sedan, adding the element of premium luxury options while still scoring high on the value for money quotient.

Dhofar Automotive’s plethora of luxurious Chrysler vehicles combined it with their expert services, once again establishes its stand as one of the prominent leaders in the industry.

Renowned since 1925, for engineering excellence and innovation,

the new 2016 Chrysler 200 sedan offers a pleasurable experience for the driver as well as the passengers.

With an eye on design, this beautifully crafted car sports a simple but elegant style and offers an exhilarating driving experience with state-of-the-art and easy-to-use technology, says a press release.

A high priority area for all Chrysler vehicles, the Chrysler 200 also has a panel of 60 advanced safety and security features that connects passengers and drivers. 2016 Chrysler 200 Limited is powered by the new 2.4-litre MultiAir2 Tigershark I-4 engine that produces 184hp, 173 lb.-ft. of torque and delivers excellent fuel economy, features a simple, elegant

design, world-class craftsmanship, fuel economy estimated at 6.53 L/100km highway and standard features not typically found on a mid-size sedan - segment-exclusive nine-speed automatic transmission, state-of-the-art electronic shifting with rotary dial, electronic park brake with Safe Hold and an innovative centre console with sliding cup holders and concealed charging/media centre and centre pass-through.

The new 2016 Chrysler 200 C sedan comes refined with a few additional variants, modifications and upgrades. It is packed with bifunction halogen projector headlamps; rear backup camera. It also comes with 8.4-inch Connect me-

NEW ROLE

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dia centre with navigation and 7 speakers, premium 7-inch full-colour driver information display instrument cluster, remote start and leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls to name a few.

The 2016 Chrysler 200 is designed, engineered and built with pride in Michigan. With a major investment of more than $1 billion, FCA US Sterling Heights (Michigan) Assembly Plant sports an allnew paint shop using leading-edge technology, a new, fully robotic body shop and an upgraded assembly area, setting the stage for the world-class craftsmanship found in the all-new 200.

The 2016 Chrysler 200 provides drivers and passengers a beautifully crafted car with an elegantly simple style, an exhilarating driving experience, state-of-the-art and easy-to-use technology, It’s the mid-size sedan for customers who have earned a little luxury in their life, but demand value for their money.

For Oman, the 2016 Chrysler 200 comes in two models - 2016 Chrysler 200 Limited with the new 2.4-litre MultiAir2 Tigershark I-4 engine and 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 for the premium Chrysler 200C.

APPOINTMENT

Expert ophthalmologist joins Kims hospital MUSCAT: Kims Oman Hospital welcomed Dr Sheeja Susan John at the hospital’s ophthalmology department.

Dr Sheeja Susan John is a Professor of Ophthalmology from Christian Medical College, Vellore, India. After completing her MS and Diploma in Ophthalmology from Medical College, Kottayam, Kerala, India, she was awarded the Diplomate of the National Board (DNB Ophthalmology). She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, UK, and she underwent further training in the sub-specialities of Uveitis and Medical Retina in reputed hospitals in the USA and Australia, says a press release.

With more than 14 years of experience in ophthalmology, Dr Sheeja is an expert practitioner in surgical procedures on the anterior segment of the eye, and in performing laser procedures of both anterior and posterior segments of the eye. Dr Sheeja’s area of expertise includes the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory diseases of the eye, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the back of the eye, such as diabetic retinopathy.

“Every diabetic patient should

have a dilated eye examination once a year to screen for diabetic retinopathy – a complication of diabetes that affects the retina or the back of the eye,” said Dr Sheeja. “Diabetic retinopathy is a silently blinding disease, and patients often have good vision till the disease reaches a very advanced stage, when they can have sudden, severe visual loss due to bleeding and other complications in the eye. Severe, irreversible visual loss can be prevented by detecting the disease in the early stages, when it can be treated effectively with laser or injections into the eye,” she explained.

“I am very pleased to welcome Dr Sheeja Susan John into Kims Oman Hospital’s family. I am confident that Dr Sheeja will be a valuable addition to the hospital’s distinctive medical standards,” said Dr Hussam Akoum, COO of KOH.

BOUQUET OF BENEFITS

Al Madina Insurance appoints New baggage policy provides greater Usama Al Barwani as acting CEO benefits to Kuwait Airways customers MUSCAT: Al Madina Insurance, Oman’s first Takaful provider, announced the appointment of deputy CEO, Usama Al Barwani as the acting CEO and Ajay Srivastava as the new COO. Gautam Datta, the current CEO of Al Madina Insurance, will be taking up a new assignment with an associate company based in Abu Dhabi, after serving as CEO of Al Madina Insurance for six years, says a press release.

“I wish Usama and Ajay the very best in their new portfolios and their support has been immeasurable in my tenure. It was a great opportunity to be part of the Al Madina Insurance team, and I will always be proud of what we have achieved. I thank the board, my peers and the team for all their support and wish the company a bright future,” said Gautam Datta.

Usama Al Barwani, a postgraduate diploma holder in HRM in Information System Management and Education, is a certified Islamic Specialist in Islamic Insurance and a certified Compliance Officer.

He has over 22 years of experience in HR and administration. He was one of the key people involved in the meetings held with specialists in Sharia consulting services with respect to transforming the

company’s activities into a Takaful based insurance. He has been instrumental in steering the company ahead as Oman’s first Takaful provider and has been an integral part of its innovative offerings.

“This is a new role and a challenging and inspiring one to take the company to new heights. I look forward to working together as a team and setting new benchmarks for Al Madina Insurance and continue to uphold our industry-lead-

RECRUIT

ing status,” said Usama.

Ajay has been appointed as COO of Al Madina Insurance. He has been with the company for seven years and serving currently as the general manager, commercial. His appointment is aimed at strengthening the technical operations of the company and an effort to provide a higher level of customer service. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and is an Associate of Insurance Institute of India with over 27 years of insurance experience in the Indian and London insurance markets. He has been responsible for introducing innovative products and developing the Al Madina range of products.

“This is an exciting and challenging time for the company and in this new role, we hope to raise our operational excellence and continue to deliver innovative products for our customers,” said Ajay.

“Gautam Datta has been a key figure in our company’s success and we wish him well as he takes up the next chapter in his career.

We wish him the very best and we welcome our new acting CEO, Usama Al Barwani and new COO Ajay Srivastava and wish them the very best in their new roles,” said Dr Mohammed bin Ali Al Barwani, chairman, Al Madina Insurance.

MUSCAT: Kuwait Airways has announced changes to ‘Baggage made simple’, its baggage policy under which all its routes will operate on a piece concept basis, says a press release.

The new policy means that customers are entitled to one or two bags, depending on their class of travel. Customers flying first class will now have increased allowance for two pieces of baggage at 32kg maximum weight per bag ie, total 64kg compared to total 40kg allowance offered earlier.

Customers flying business class will now have increased allowance for two pieces of baggage at 23kg maximum weight per bag ie, total 46kg compared to total 30kg allowance offered earlier. Similarly, customers flying economy class to/from USA will now have allowance for two pieces with maximum weight of 23kg per bag and customers flying economy class to all other destinations will have allowance for one piece with maximum of 23kg. Nevertheless, as a promotional offer, economy class passengers travelling other than to/from USA, will receive one extra piece of baggage with maximum weight of 23kg until April 30.

The increased allowance of two pieces of 23kg each bag in econo-

my will benefit customers to enjoy 46kg of allowance instead of 20kg offered earlier.

Further, as part of baggage policy change, the cost of excess baggage charge is also cut by allowing more weight at less cost. Customers flying with excess baggage will now be charged on extra piece basis. The first excess bag with maximum of 23kg will be charged OMR45, the second excess bag with 23kg will be charged OMR80 and the third excess bag with 23kg will be charged OMR130.

The new excess baggage charges per bag upto 23kg will be beneficial to customers carrying excess bags as the cost of buying an additional 23kg piece of baggage to many sectors is cut by 60 per cent and above.

For example, the current excess baggage rate per kilo from Muscat to Manila is charged OMR7.300 per kg and the cost to carry 23kg of baggage will be OMR167.900.

Whereas, under the new piece concept policy, the excess baggage charges will be OMR45 only for the first excess bag of 23kg.

Members of Kuwait Airways loyalty programme will also benefit from the new policy as Oasis gold members will now receive an extra bag of 23kg to all online destinations. Further, infant also will get a free baggage allowance one piece 10kg.

The changes in baggage policy will provide greater benefits to customers flying Kuwait Airways.

Kuwait Airways currently operating four flights a week from Muscat to Kuwait and will be adding 5th frequency with effect March 27 giving convenient connections beyond KWI to India, Sub Continent and Far East.

Further, Kuwait Airways is also offering special promotional fares to various destinations valid for travel from Muscat until May 31.

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ROUND-UP

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Nissan partners with top cricket stars Indian batting star Rohit Sharma, West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell and New Zealand captain Suzie Bates will all help Nissan bring cricket excitement to fans starting with the ICC World Twenty20 in India from March 8

MUSCAT: Nissan announced a new line-up of cricket talent in support of its partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Indian batting star Rohit Sharma, West Indian all-rounder Andre

Russell and New Zealand captain Suzie Bates will all help the Japanese car manufacturer bring cricket excitement to fans, starting with the ICC World Twenty20 in India from March 8, says a press release.

“Nissan is absolutely delighted to welcome this illustrious line-up to the Nissan team as ambassadors,” said Roel deVries, corporate vice president and global head of marketing and brand strategy for Nissan. “As genuine performers in

the shorter form of the game, these players consistently deliver on the big stage. We look forward to working together to bring cricketing excitement to fans worldwide, starting with the ICC World T20.”

In addition to an advertising

campaign, Nissan’s cricket ambassadors will be active on social media across the tournament, supporting other fan focused initiatives such as Nissan Play of the Day and sharing great cricket content.

Rohit Sharma said: “I’m thrilled to work with Nissan on their partnership with the International Cricket Council. The ICC World T20 is very special to me and takes a tremendous amount of hard work and innovation to win. It remains one of the most exciting cricket competitions in the world and I’m looking forward to sharing that with the fans.”

Sharma, Russell and Bates join South African bowling legend Dale Steyn and rising star Kagiso Rabada in the Nissan cricket

family, who were recently announced as Nissan cricket ambassadors in their home country for the next year.

“I am thrilled to be among some of the top athletes in the world that are associated with Nissan as a brand ambassador,” Dale Steyn said.

“Nissan’s partnership with cricket will expose and inspire more young players to the game both internationally and on home soil.”

The eight-year sponsorship deal with the ICC comprises all tournaments for the period 2016 to 2023. It builds upon Nissan’s sport sponsorship portfolio that already includes the UEFA Champions League, City Football Group and the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

MICRO AND SMALL BUSINESS

Bank Muscat Open Day evokes strong response MUSCAT: Giving a major thrust for micro and small businesses in Oman, an exclusive Open Day hosted by Bank Muscat to provide special discount on najahi business credit facilities has evoked strong response.

The two-day event organised by the Retail Enterprises department was held across five najahi centres in Bank Muscat head office at Airport Heights and branches in Ruwi Rex Road, Al Khuwair Souq, Seeb Souq and Barka Souq, says a press release.

The first-of-its kind finance offer for micro and small businesses came in line with the bank’s ‘Let’s Do More’ vision and commitment to partnership in strengthening the role of micro and small businesses to play an important role in diversifying the Sultanate’s economy and creating job opportunities for Omani youth.

The Open Day reiterated the bank’s commitment to extending the helping hand to micro and small businesses to fulfil their financial needs. In step with responsible banking, the focus of Bank Muscat is clear – create a sustainable financial platform for the nation and people and thereby contribute to the country’s progress and development.

Facilitating financial inclusion, Bank Muscat najahi products and services have created a bench-

mark, helping micro and small businesses to overcome hurdles and chart successful ventures with proper planning, financial discipline and prudent management. Early on, Bank Muscat identified the opportunities and challenges faced by this vital segment to develop a relevant suite of products and services.

Securing credit without collaterals and accessing innovative banking services have been hurdles faced by micro and small businesses. The specially designed najahi products mainly include credit facilities without collaterals to develop and grow micro and small businesses. With najahi, Bank Muscat fulfils the primary need of finance for the micro and small business segment.

The najahi suite of products include the value added najahi Current Account, najahi Flexi Loan to

support working capital, business expansion and other business needs; najahi Business Credit Card; najahi Contractors Loan to help complete contracted jobs; najahi Contractors Bill Discounting to get immediate funds after completing contracted jobs and Najahi PoS Receivables financing for customers who use PoS machines for their sales.

The value added najahi Current Account offers differentiated services, including Business Debit Card, branded cheque book, priority queuing at branches, free access to Maktabi Business Centres and online banking services.

Serving micro and small business customers across the Sultanate, the network of najahi centres are also located in Salalah Corporate branch, Buraimi branch, Nizwa Firq branch, Sohar Main branch and Sur branch.

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Land Rover BAR reign supreme Sensational racing set to a backdrop of Oman’s stunning coastline rounded off the inaugural Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman on Sunday as Sir Ben Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR team snatched victory

MUSCAT: The first ever America’s Cup event held in the Middle East was hailed a storming success by sailors and spectators alike following two days of intense battle in Muscat.

The world’s media descended on the Omani capital for the first Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series event of 2016 and expectations were high for an exciting event.

The arrival in Oman on Thursday of the America’s Cup trophy, sailing’s oldest prize, was marked with a grand welcoming ceremony at Muscat International Airport attended by a host of dignitaries including Maitha Al Mahrouqi, Under-Secretary of Ministry of Tourism and Chairwoman of Oman Sail.

It is the first time the trophy, also known as the ‘Auld Mug’, has ever visited the Middle East in the 165year history of the America’s Cup. And after two days of nail-biting action under Muscat’s blue skies

THRILLING WIN: After two days of nail-biting action, Land Rover BAR claimed a dramatic last-minute victory. – ISMAIL AL FARSI / Times of Oman

that saw Land Rover BAR claim a dramatic last-minute victory, the first ever Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman was given a resounding thumbs up.

Sir Ben Ainslie praised Oman as a world-class venue and also commended Oman Sail’s work to reignite the country’s maritime heritage and inspire youngsters to take up the sport.

“We’ve had a great weekend of racing here in Oman – it’s always a pleasure to come here,” said fourtime Olympic gold medallist Ainslie.

“There is such fantastic support for sailing and in particular youth sailing to get youngsters out on the

CRICKET

series leaders Emirates Team New Zealand, was in agreement with his rival as to the top-notch sailing Muscat dealt out.

“It was fantastic sailing today and yesterday here in Oman,” he added. “We had some tricky, shifty breeze and the racing was really close. As a team we’ve really enjoyed coming here to Oman – the racing has been brilliant, and so has the hospitality. We’ve had a great time and hopefully we’ll be back here again in the future.”

Dominant display Land Rover BAR went into the second of two days of racing on

top following a dominant display on Saturday when they won two of the three races in light airs.

A slightly stronger breeze of around 10 knots greeted the teams today on what was dubbed ‘Super Sunday’ because of the double points on offer.

A slow start from Ainslie’s crew allowed Emirates Team New Zealand to rocket ahead and extend their lead all the way to the finish line to claim the first race win of the day. Canny tactics saw Land Rover BAR scrap back into second place ahead of Dean Barker’s SoftBank Team Japan.

Desperate to avenge a fifth-place

Results: Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman overall results: Land Rover BAR — 8, 10, 10, 18, 14, 16 — 76 points; ORACLE TEAM USA — 9, 6, 9, 12, 20, 18 — 74 points; Emirates Team NZ — 10, 7, 5, 20, 16, 12 - 70 points; Groupama Team France — 5, 8, 7, 10, 18, 20 — 68 points; SoftBank Team Japan — 6, 9, 6, 16, 10, 14 - 61 points; Artemis Racing - 7, 5, 8, 14, 12, 10 - 56 points Overall World Series results: Emirates Team New Zealand – 192; ORACLE TEAM USA – 186; Land Rover BAR – 185; SoftBank Team Japan – 161; Artemis Racing – 161; Groupama Team France - 150.

ASIA CUP 2016

India will be tough to beat in World T20, says Smith SYDNEY: Australia skipper Steve Smith is determined to secure the one major international cricket trophy his country has never won but thinks India are going to be tough to beat when they host the World Twenty20 next month.

The Australia squad, world champions in 50-overs cricket and number one in the Test world rankings, flew to South Africa on Sunday morning to prepare for the March 8-April 3 tournament.

Their best result in the five previous versions came when they reached the 2010 final, however, a 3-0 drubbing by India in a recent Twenty20 series has given them plenty of food for thought.

“On any given day in T20 cricket any side can be dangerous, an individual can take a game away from you,” Smith told reporters at Sydney airport. “(But) I think India in Indian conditions are going to be very tough to beat. They’re a very good side as we saw out here in the three Twenty20s we played in Australia so I think they’re going to be right up there.”

No Australian cricket captain goes into a tournament or series believing victory is impossible, though, and captain Smith is no exception.

water. Conditions have been great for racing and to bring the America’s Cup here is very special for the event and for Oman.

“It was tricky racing in the light winds but it actually proved for really exciting competition.

“There was a lot of placechanging that you might not get in stronger winds. It was a whole new challenge for the sailors to deal with. I love Oman — I’ve been here twice now and it’s a great country.

Muscat has proved to be a fantastic venue for the America’s Cup and hopefully we can come back again soon.”

Glenn Ashby, skipper of overall

finish in race 1, Jimmy Spithill’s ORACLE TEAM USA flew out of the starting blocks in Race 2 as the teams traded blows in front of crowds of spectators.

They saw off a late challenge from Groupama Team France, with Adam Minoprio at the helm in place of injured skipper Franck Cammas, to pick up maximum points. With ORACLE TEAM USA getting an early jump on the fleet in the sixth and final race of the ACWS Oman it looked all over for Ainslie’s men when they were penalised at the start along with Artemis.

But the Brits fought back thanks to some bold calls by tactician Giles Scott to finish the race in third behind Groupama Team France and ORACLE TEAM USA. The result handed the first ever ACWS Oman title to Land Rover BAR by just two points.

Their spectacular win makes them the first team to win two ACWS events, having won in Portsmouth, UK, last year.

It also puts them just one point behind second-placed ORACLE TEAM USA on the overall ACWS leaderboard. Emirates Team New Zealand continue to lead the series by six points going into the next round in New York in May.

“It’s one that’s alluded us, the T20 World Cup, and it would be great to win that trophy, that’s our goal,” Smith added.

“It’s going to be a tough tour in India, in conditions that are foreign to us. But it’s really exciting and I think we’ve got the squad to give that tournament a real shake.”

Deprived of the advantage that their pace bowling brings them on home soil, Australia will look more to the batting line-up to make the difference in India even if Smith is not yet sure how it will look.

“I’m not really sure of the make up of our top three or four yet, obviously, there’s a lot guys who that fill those position,” Smith said.

“We’ve got three games to have a look at that before the World Cup. We’ve got some very destructive and talented batters up the top of the order that we can choose from.”

Smith said all four injury concerns - Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, James Faulkner and Nathan Coulter-Nile - were “tracking well” and should be in contention to feature in the three matches in South Africa.

Australia get their World T20 campaign underway against New Zealand in Dharamsala on March 18. - Reuters

Bangladesh stun Sri Lanka MIRPUR: Bangladesh produced a superb all-round performance to outclass Sri Lanka by 23 runs in their Twenty20 International clash of the Asia Cup at the Shere-Bangla National Stadium here on Sunday.

Batting first, the hosts posted 147 for 7 in 20 overs, thanks to Sabbir Rahman’s 54-ball 80. In reply, Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals and managed only 124 for 8 in 20 overs.

Al Amin Hossain (3 for 34) and Shakib Al Hasan (2 for 21) were the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers.

Challenging target Chasing a challenging target of 148, the defending World T20 champions didn’t start well as they lost experienced batsman and opener Tillakaratne Dilshan (12) in the fourth over itself.

His opening partner Dinesh Chandimal (37) and incoming batsman Shehan Jayasuriya (26) held on to help team’s score past the 70-run mark.

But Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan claimed the wickets of Chandimal and Jayasuriya respectively in two successive overs to have them in trouble at 78 for 3 in 12th over.

From there on, no Sri Lankan batsmen were able to score as some tight bowling and wickets at

COMPLEMENTING EACH OTHER: Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, right, and Sabbir Rahman cheer each other during the Asia Cup Twenty20 international cricket match against Sri Lanka. – AP/PTI

regular intervals helped the hosts stun their opponent.

Earlier opting to bat, Bangladesh too struggled at the start losing both openers Mohammad Mithun and Soumya Sarkar inside three overs.

But incoming batsman Sabbir played a commendable innings striking three sixes and ten boundaries to help the hosts cross the 100run mark. He was well supported in the other end by Shakib (32).

But with the wicket of both Sabbir and Shakib, Mahmudullah (23 not out) came in to notch up couple of boundaries to help team cross 145-run mark.

For Lanka, Dushmantha Chameera (3-30) was the pick of the bowlers. - IANS

SCOREBOARD

BANGLADESH Mohammed Mithun lbw Mathews 0 Soumya Sarkar c Mathews b Kulasekara 0 Sabbir Rahman c Jayasuriya b Chameera 80 Mushfiqur Rahim run out 4 Shakib Al Hasan c Chandimal b Chameera 32 Mahmudullah (not out) 23 Nurul Hasan c Mathews b Chameera 2 Mashrafe Mortaza run out 2 Extras (b-1, w-2, nb-1) 4 Total (7 wkts, 20 overs) 147 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-2, 3-26, 4-108, 5-123, 6-140, 7-147.

Bowling: A. Mathews 3-0-8-1; N. Kulasekara 4-0-44-1; T. Perera 1-0-14-0; S. Jayasuriya 3-0-21-0; R. Herath 4-0-24-0; T. Dilshan 1-05-0; D. Chameera 4-0-30-3 (nb-1, w-2).

SRI LANKA D. Chandimal c Taskin b Mahmudullah 37

T. Dilshan c Soumya b Shakib Al Hasan 12 S. Jayasuriya st Nurul b Shakib Al Hasan 26 A. Mathews c Shakib b Al Amin Hossain 12 T. Perera lbw Mustafizur Rahman 4 T. Siriwardana c Sabbir b Mortaza 3 D. Shanaka c Mushfiqur b Al Amin 14 C. Kapugedera (not out) 12 N. Kulasekara c Soumya b Al Amin Hossain 0 D. Chameera (not out) 1 Extras (w-3) 3 Total (8 wkts; 20 overs) 124 Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-76, 3-78, 4-85, 5-92, 6-102, 7-116, 8-117.

Bowling: Taskin Ahmed 3-0-19-0; Al Amin Hossain 4-0-34-3; Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-21-2 (w-1); Mustafizur Rahman 4-0-19-1 (w-1); Mashrafe Mortaza 3-0-17-1 (w-1); Mahmudullah 2-0-14-1.

C2

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

SPORTS

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Muscat CT defeat Sinha by eight wickets zam Ali 4/27). Points: NBO – 3, Axis Group - 0.

Batting first, Sinha

Majees defeat Trust Doosan In an I Division match, Majees B defeated Trust Doosan by five wickets. Batting first, Trust Doosan were bowled out for 135 in 18.4 overs with Sajeev KS top scoring with 40. Arjun Rajesh claimed four wickets for Majees B. In reply, Majees B scored 136 for five in 13.4 overs. Manumon top scored with an unbeaten 88.

CT were bowled out for 193 in 45.3 overs.

In reply, Muscat CT scored 196 for two in 22.1 overs

MUSCAT: Muscat CT recorded an easy eight-wicket victory over Sinha in a Muscat Pharmacy and Stores-sponsored Premier Division match at the Ministry of Sports Affairs ground on Saturday.

Batting first, Sinha CT were bowled out for 193 in 45.3 overs.

Dhammika Premadasa top scored with 65 runs. Badal Singh claimed four wickets for Muscat CT. In reply, Muscat CT scored 196 for two in 22.1 overs. Aman Sharma and Vamsi Ram scored 85 and 64 not out respectively.

Brief scores: Sinha 193 in 45.3 overs (Dhammika Premadasa 65; Badal Singh 4/29) lost to Muscat CT 196 for 2 in 22.1 overs (Aman Sharma 85).

Points: Muscat CT – 3, Sinha – 0.

Al Maddah win In an Enhance-sponsored D Division match, Al Maddah defeated Carillion Alawi by three wickets at the Municipality Ground I. Batting first, Carillion Alawi were bowled out for 159 in 19.4 overs. Abdul Rahman claimed four wickets for Maddah. In reply, Al Maddah scored 162 for seven in 19.2 overs. Nikhil Kadave top scored with 53.

Brief scores: Carillion Alawi 159 in 19.4 overs (Milind Paresh 38; Abdul

F DIVISION: Kairali celebrate their win over OCT Muscat B.

G DIVISION: Prime Trading after their win over RK Group.

Rahman 4/35) lost to Al Maddah 162 for 7 in 19.2 overs (Nikhil Kadave 53; Davinder 2/24). Points: Al Maddah – 2, Carillion Alawi - 0.

ham and Sreelal claimed four and three wickets respectively for Prime Trading.

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GME down Falcons In an E Division match, Global Money Exchange (GME) posted a 49-run win over Enhance Falcons at the Municipality Ground III. Batting first, Global Money Exchange scored 171 for six in 20 overs. Rahul Rajeev and Amal Raj top scored with 74 and 62 respectively. Nathar Al Balushi claimed four wickets for Enhance Falcons.

In reply, Enhance Falcons were bowled out for 122 in 17.3 overs.

Jerrin claimed three wickets for Global Money Exchange.

Brief scores: Global Money Exchange 171 for 6 in 20 overs (Rahul Rajeev 74; Nathar Al Balushi 4/10) bt Enhance Falcons 122 in 17.3 overs (Jerrin George 3/24). Points: Global Money Exchange – 3, Enhance Falcons - 0.

Kairali beat OCT Muscat B In F Division match, Kairali eased to a seven-wicket victory over between OCT Muscat B.

Batting first, OCT Muscat B were bowled out for 129 in 19.1 overs. Mohammed Moshin and Fahad Hamsa claimed four and three wickets respectively for Kairali. In reply, Kairali scored 133 for three in 13.4 overs. Praveen Kumar top scored with an unbeaten 55.

Brief scores: OCT Muscat B 129 in 19.1 overs (Mohammed Moshin 4/10) lost to Kairali 133 for 3 in 13.4 overs (Praveen Kumar 55 n.o). Points: Kairali – 3, OCT Muscat B - 0.

Easy for Prime Trading In a G Division match, Prime Trading registered a 35-run win over RK Group. Batting first, Prime Trading were all out for 146 in 20 overs. Gireesh Nair top scored with 52. Muneer Ahmed claimed five scalps for RK Group.

In reply, RK Group were bowled out for 111 in 18.1 overs. Jobi Abra-

Brief scores: Prime Trading 146 in 20 overs (Gireesh Nair 52; Muneer Ahmed 5/13) bt RK Group 111 in 18.1 overs (Jobi Abraham 4/19). Points: Prime Trading – 3, RK Group - 0.

Trust Oilfield shine In another G Division match, Trust Oilfield defeated Al Rehwan by 53 runs. Batting first, Trust Oilfield scored 207 for seven in 20 overs.

Shamsudeen Irfan top scored with 63. Shihab and Shanid claimed two scalps each for Al Rehwan. In reply, Al Rehwan scored 154 for nine in 20 overs. Sanooj top scored with 51. Jinesh Scaria claimed five wickets for Trust Oilfield.

Brief scores: Trust Oilfield 207 for 7 in 20 overs (Shamsudeen Irfan 63) bt Al Rehwan 154 for 9 in 20 overs (Sanooj 51; Jinesh Scaria 5/37). Points: Trust Oilfield – 3, Al Rehwan - 0.

Madan stars for RAHRC In an H Division match, RAHRC recorded a four-wicket victory over Al Ansari. Batting first, Al

Ansari scored 168 for seven in 20 overs with Sajid Tanwar top scoring with 50. Manoj Varghese and Prathik Vedak claimed two wickets each for RAHRC. In reply, RAHRC scored 169 for six in 16 overs. Madan Pagar top scored with 72. Sajid Tanwar claimed five wickets for Al Ansari.

Brief scores: Al Ansari 168 for 7 in 20 overs (Sajid Tanwar 50; Manoj Varghese 2/28) lost to RAHRC 169 for 6 in 16 overs (Madan Pagar 72; Sajid Tanwar 5/31). Points: RAHRC – 3, Al Ansari - 0.

Big win for NBO In another H Division match, National Bank of Oman (NBO) routed Axis Group for a massive 153-run win. Batting first, NBO scored 219 for three in 20 overs. Siddharth Oza and Ramesh V. top scored with 65 and 61 runs respectively.

In reply, Axis Group were bundled out for 66 in 9 overs. Khurram Bilal and Mozzam Ali claimed three and four wickets respectively for NBO. Brief scores: NBO 219 for 3 in 20 overs (Siddharth Oza 65, Ramesh V. 61) bt Axis Group 66 in 9 overs (Moz-

Brief scores: Trust Doosan 135 in 18.4 overs (Sajeev KS 40; Arjun Rajesh 4/20) lost to Majees B 136 for 5 in 13.4 overs (Manumon 88 n.o). Points: Majees B – 3, Trust Doosan - 0.

Al Hail B better ONEIC In another I Division match, Al Hail B defeated ONEIC by four wickets. Batting first ONEIC scored 168 for three in 20 overs with Kamal Haider top scoring with 62 runs. In reply, Al Hail B raced to 171 for six in 15.5 overs.

Anayat Allah top scored with 50.

Brief scores: ONEIC 168 for 3 in 20 overs (Kamal Haider 62) lost to Al Hail B 171 for 6 in 15.5 overs (Anayat Allah 50). Points: Al Hail B – 3, ONEIC - 0.

Hydrotech rout QBG In a J Division match, Hydrotech posted a four-wicket victory against QBG. Batting first, QBG were bowled out for 89 in 17.1 overs. Shahid Sharif top scored with 43. Neil Paily claimed four wickets for Hydrotech. In reply, Hydrotech scored 90 for six in 13.4 overs. Taimur Khan top scored with 28. Suman Chandra claimed four scalps each for QBG. Brief scores: QBG 89 in 17.1 overs (Shahid Sharif 43; Neil Paily 4/12) lost to Hydrotech 90 for 6 in 13.4 overs (Taimur Khan 28; Suman Chandra 4/21). Points: Hydrotech – 3, QBG - 0.

CRICKET

Al Yam Enterprises lift Corporate Cup

MUSCAT: Al Yam Enterprises defeated Auditors XI by six wickets to clinch the Corporate Cup at the Republic Day of India Al Yam Cricket Cup organised by ISC Bhojpuri Wing at Ahli-Sidab Ground.

Auditors XI, after electing to bat first, scored 65 for six in the allotted eight overs. Omar Sarfaraz scored a quickfire 28 off 15 balls with the aid of three sixes. He was well supported by Saud Haroon 19. For Al Yam, Zaheer claimed two wickets in two overs.

In reply Al Yam raced to a sixwicket win in just seven overs.

Ashwin smashed 14 off just five balls with the aid of two huge sixes.

He was well supported by Wasim Ahmed 30. For Auditors XI, captain Alkesh Joshi took two wickets.

Indian Ambassador Indramani Pandey presided over the day’s proceedings and handed over the trophies. He also presented mementos to Mahmud Raza , Head of Sales & Marketing of National Mineral Water, Arun Kumar Pandey, MD of Al Yam Enterprises LLC, Sanjay Kumar Tiwari, GM of National Stone, Manish Mishra, GM of National Life Insurance and Mohammed Nayaz, Partner of EY. The tournament was sponsored

by Al Yam Enterprises LLC, National Stone LLC, Oman Phone,

National Mineral Water,Ernest Young, Sea Pearls Gold and Diamond Jewellery, Muscat Pharmacy – Pocari Sweat , ABT Technology LLC, Al Faisal, National Life and General Insurance Company SAOC, Gulf Cricket Centre Muscat, Raha Poly Products LLC, Al Khaleej Cold Stores United LLC, Al Saigh Jewellery, Noor and Sons Company and Air India.

Individual honours: Man of the series – Wasim Ahmed (Al Yam); Man of the match: Zaheer (Al Yam); Best bowler: D N Mishra (Al Yam); Best batsman: Omar Sarfaraz (Auditors XI); Best all-rounder: Ashwin Lobo (Al Yam); Best fielder: Saud Haroon (Auditors XI).

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

C3

SPORTS FOOTBALL

C O M M E N TA RY

SMARTEN UP DRIVE SAFE

The more the merrier: Kohli-Amir ‘bhai-bhai show’ spices up the duel

A

s MS Dhoni hit Wahab Riaz through the covers for a blistering boundary in the 16th over of the Indian innings to register a five-wicket win over Pakistan with 27 deliveries to spare, and as the Indian skipper coolly picked up a LED stump as a keepsake, one man standing just outside the boundary line pounced on the ball as it raced past the rope.

It wasn’t one of the hyper Indian fans in the stadium who rushed forward from his seat in the gallery to celebrate the magical moment.

This one was no ordinary fan of India or cricket. He is the biggest, loudest and most vociferous fan of Indian cricket at the moment.

His name is Virat Kohli.

After strolling out into the middle as early as the third ball of the Indian innings after Rohit Sharma was cut to a sorry, zero size by Mohammed Amir’s vicious, monstrous pace and sly, sneaky swing, and staying at the crease until nearly the end of the innings to take the team singlehandedly within just eight runs of a famous victory, you normally would expect a batsman who was unfairly sent back to the dressing room by an umpiring error just one run short of his well-deserved half century to put his feet up on a dugout chair, biting his nails in disgust.

Dejected he was, of course, but that was not going to stop him from watching and relishing every bit of the sweet moments being unfolded.

Sweeter would it have been had Dhoni sent the ball flying over the rope, but the Indian skipper, who ‘walked’ three runs off the previous ball, was obviously not in the best of shape to spice up the mood of the crowd.

Seldom have we seen Kohli smile his way back to the pavilion when he got out, fair or foul, but when the finger of the umpire went up to an lbw appeal after a Mohammed Sami delivery took an inside edge of his bat before hitting him on the thigh, Kohli wasn’t his usual angry, upset, irritated self.

The smile that played on his lips as he walked back to the dressing room was wry, sure, but it was seasoned with a heavy dose of satisfaction. The team, at that stage, required just 8 runs off 35 deliveries, with six wickets in hand.

It was time to smile after taking on the Pakistani speed merchants with caution at first and taming them with smarts as it got going on a wicket that had pace and bounce and offered deceptive swing.

The Indian bowlers were good, though they were nothing as delightfully and

A TIMES OF OMAN HANDS-FREE DRIVING INITIATIVE

dangerously explosive as Amir was. The difference between the two teams was the brilliance of one man. If Amir did consume Kohli too in the four overs he was allowed, the Saturday script at Mirpur would have looked different from what it eventually turned out to be.

Kohli had expressed his appreciation for the comeback man Amir even before the Saturday match. After watching the youngster ripping through the Indian top-order sending Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina back to the pavilion in his first two overs giving away just three runs, the appreciation from Kohli was spot on.

If it’s rare for a batsman to praise your rival, a bowler, in the middle of a risky, unfinished business, it’s rarer still when the occasion is an Indo-Pak encounter and the heroes of the story are two young prospects who could perhaps give a new twist to the sporting folklore of the region in the years to come.

To that end, it was pleasing to hear from Kohli that he had congratulated Amir on his brilliant bowling during the course of the match itself, and amusing to spot Kohli and Amir arms around the shoulders just after the match.

The scoreboard shows that India won the match by five wickets in 15.3 overs, but the real match was about the 16 balls that spanned from the first to the seventh over. That was exactly the number of deliveries Kohli had faced from Amir, from 0.3 overs to the last ball of the seventh over.

Fifteen runs were added to the Indian scoreboard off the 16, and those little but precious runs amid a very close lbw shout, pokes, prods and edges that fetched two singles, a wide bouncer that sailed over the wicketkeeper past the rope to add five more in extras, two exquisite fours off the second and third ball of the final Amir over, and then the three dot balls played as if paying respect to the bowler, summed up the short story of the Pak fightback and the smart tale of the Indian determination.

If this is just the beginning, the more the merrier.

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

SENSATIONAL: Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, left, celebrates after scoring a goal against Arsenal during their Premier League match at Old Trafford on Sunday. – Reuters

Spurs beat Swansea, United edge Arsenal LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to achieve a crucial 2-1 home win over lowly Swansea City in the Premier League at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Italian striker Alberto Paloschi, signed from Chievo in the January transfer window, scored his first goal for the Welsh club to give them a half-time lead.

Substitute Nacer Chadli equalised with 20 minutes left and fullback Danny Rose scored the winner seven minutes later.

Seeking a first league title since 1961, second-placed Spurs are now two points behind surprise leaders Leicester City with 11 games to play.

Meanwhile, teenager Marcus Rashford followed up two goals on his Manchester United debut in midweek with another double plus an assist as Louis van Gaal’s team beat Arsenal 3-2 at Old Trafford.

The 18-year-old local man struck twice in three minutes in the first half to undermine thirdplaced Arsenal’s title challenge.

Former United striker Danny Welbeck pulled one goal back but Rashford set up Ander Herrera for United’s third before Mesut Ozil reduced the deficit.

The result left Arsenal five points behind leaders Leicester City while United returned to fifth place above West Ham. - Reuters

FOOTBALL

Al Khabourah stun Suwaiq to reach HM’s Cup semis MUSCAT: Al Khabourah upset two-time champions Suwaiq to book their place in the semifinals of His Majesty’s Cup Football Championship on Sunday.

In their quarterfinal second leg match played at the Sohar Sports Complex, Al Khabourah

defeated Suwaiq 2-1. The teams had played a goalless draw in their first leg match played at the same venue on February 15.

On Saturday, Saham and Rustaq sealed their berths in the semifinals with crucial victories over Muscat and Salalah respectively.

C4

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

SPORTS Team Coorg clinch top honours at Gulf Hockey Fiesta for Starcare Cup In an exciting final of the Asian Hockey Federation-recognised event, Team Coorg defeated Qatar Wanderers 4-1

MUSCAT: Team Coorg Oman clinched the top honours at the Gulf Hockey Fiesta for Starcare Cup organised by United Thalessery Sports Club (UTSC) in association with Oman Hockey Association (OHA) at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher on Friday.

In an exciting final of the Asian Hockey Federation-recognised event, Team Coorg defeated Qatar Wanderers 4-1.

The eventual champions two quick goals through Kavan and Pradhan Somanna to take 2-0 lead

just five minutes into the match.

Pradhan struck his second and team’s third goal in the 14th minute and a minute later Omani player Ali Salim made it 4-0.

Qatar Wanderers managed to pull one back in the 16th minute.

Earlier in the semifinals, Qatar Wanderers edged King Khan Hockey Club of Dubai for a 1-0 win while Team Coorg defeated UTSC 4-2.

A total 12 teams, including seven from outside Oman, took part in the event, which was officially inaugurated by Indian Ambassador Indramani Pandey by hit-

ting the ball to PR. Sreejesh, the Indian hockey team vice-captain and goalkeeper, who flew in from India to preside over the event as the chief guest.

Later, the prize-distribution ceremony was graced by OHA’s former chief Dawood Al Raisi, present general secretary Mohammed Redha Taqi Al Lawati, popular hockey

personality SAS Naqvi, Starcare Hospital vice-chairman C.M. Najeeb, CEO Dr Mohammed Naseem, ISD President Abdul Rahim, Indian School Muladha Principal SI Sher-

iff, Mohammed Riaz LLC Chairman Mohammed Riaz, Aziz of Al Jadeed Exchange, Oman hockey veterans Mohammed Shambeh Al Raisi and Abdulrahman.

The best goalkeeper award went to Ahmad Alam, a former Pakistan goalkeeper and Olympian. Best defender award was claimed by Ali Salim of Team Coorg. Future player award went to Geroge Extel of Bahrain Hungry Humoours while Juniad of Qatar Wanderers was adjusted the man of the tournament award.

During the ceremony, a raffle draw was conducted which saw several gifts presented includng two gold coins of eight grammes each, return air ticket to Sharjah and two return tickets to Mumbai. Starcare Hospital were the main sponsors and the other sponsors were Mohammed Riaz LLC, Al Jadeed Exchange, Majan Distrubters, Foodlands Restaurant, Lynx, FAP, Al Nahla Solutions, Times of Oman and Gulf Madhyamam.

CRICKET

FCC lift HCC Winter Cup

MUSCAT: FCC defeated OEC by 10 runs to lift the 8th Holiday Cricket Club Winter Cup. In the seven-overs-a-side final, FCC batted first and scored 55 runs. In reply, OEC were restricted to 45 runs.

Earlier the semifinals, OEC defeated AKCT by four wickets while FCC recorded a 42-run win

over Ruwi Kings. Adnan of FCC was adjudged the man of the tournament, his teammate Irfat won the best batsman award, Rana of OEC was the best bowler, Ibrahim Kutty of Ruwi Kings was the best wicketkeeper and Santhosh of SS Friends was the best young talent of the tournament.

Ajay Ganti, CEO of SARCO, and

Imran Kazi, General Sales Manager of Genserv, presided over the prize-giving ceremony and handed over the trophies.

Al Seeb Technical (SARCO) LLC, General Engineering Services LCC, Shamel International Industries EMD Division and Ramnik B Lal Kothary were the main sponsors of this tournament.

LIFESTYLE

C SECTION

Gear WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

Which is your favourite shopping hub? Pundits and critics rate Amazon higher than ebay, but that’s largely from the sellers’ perspective. Here we are pitting each against the other on various crucial parameters, which also includes a buyer’s perspective. Let’s see who emerges as the winner.

Site Interface The ebay has a very user-friendly design.

All things fall in a proper manner, with all the elements catching the user’s eye.

All the relevant information – from user account to product categories – is neatly organised and easily accessible. The pages are not overcrowded, and the blue highlighted tone is quite pleasant to the eye.

It’s just the opposite on Amazon. The user interface is quite hectic, with an overdose of scrambled information. For a new user, it could be quite a confusing experience going through the site.

The bright orange highlight design also somewhat pinches the eye. However, Amazon scores above ebay in the product search feature. Putting even incorrect or misspelled name brings about the relevant product results. On ebay, you have to put in the exact name, or else, the search engine would display no results.

Ebay: Amazon: Product Information It’s ebay again which is ahead, with detailed and precise information of the product. From the seller ratings, to product location, to shipping details and product condition: everything is clearly mentioned in an organised pattern, moving from one aspect to the other, such that nothing misses the eye. The product information is highly precise, including the shipping charges.

On Amazon its mostly a mess. You

have to look out for piecess of info here and there. Even to check seller’s eller’s ratings, you need to click on the seller’s name and then it will open in a separate window. The most annoying however, owever, that the users may find, is the absence nce of the product condition description (whether hether it is new, used, or new with defects and so on), and a common generalised prodd uct description page for any particular product from multiple sellers, with all the sellers mentioned on the right side of the page. Ebay on the other hand has exclusive pages from different sellers for any particular product, which makes the product description more exclusive of that product. The description layout is also pretty much confusing on Amazon.

The shipping info is a disaster on Amazon, which announces ‘free shipping’ irrespective of the buyer’s location, while the fact is that the free shipping is in most cases available only within the USA. Much to the annoyance of buyer, the truth emerges only when the billing comes inclusive of shipping charges in case of international orders, while finalising the purchase, resulting in unnecessary waste of effort on part of the buyer, who may then finally cancel the order.

On ebay the shipping info is exact, automatically syncing with thee buyer’s location mentioned in the address, ddress, and specifying the calculated shipping hipping rates accordingly.

Ebay: Amazon:

Ebay vs Amazon

THE BUYING WARS Story Faisal Mohammed Naim

Payment Opti Options Paypal, that’s a knockout The ebay has P Amazon, and then ebay accepts punch to Amazo all the payment methods that Amazon does including net banking, and credit cards. However, certain counand debit ca specific Amazon pages like Amatry speci zon.in don’t accept many international cards. With ebay payment is never a hascard sle. Amazon might be on par with ebay in payment option in the USA with many more options including emi (ebay also offers the same), but for international buyers, ebay is more smooth. Both offer buyer money protection.

Ebay: Amazon: Shipping Amazon leaves ebay behind by a mile in shipping. While ebay does not have its own shipping channel, leaving the shipping always and entirely on the seller, Amazon has its own Amazon shipping for products that fall under ‘Amazon fulfilled’ category.

While the shipping is rarely delayed beyond the specified date on ebay, Amazon delivers the product much before the stipulated date of delivery. Also, on ebay, stipul sellers from certain countries like often se Hong Kong, and certain European China, Hon countries, post pos a very long delivery date, a month to deliver and may take even e sometimes.

However, ebay having a more interacbuyers to negotiate tive interface, it allows a

or request with the seller directly in case the seller is not shipping to the buyer’s country: a feature absent on Amazon.

Ebay: Amazon: Dispute Resolution Both ebay and Amazon facilitate returns in case the buyer is not satisfied with the purchase; however ebay provides significantly more options for proper buyer grievance addressal.

The biggest advantage on ebay is that the customer has the option of directly contacting the seller and ebay regarding a dispute.

The procedure is highly interactive, with ebay assisting the buyer step by step, while also explaining what, when, and how to do, and what would be the possible outcome. Amazon does not have the option of contacting the seller or even Amazon itself directly. All the buyer can do is go through the quite artificial procedure having very limited options; mostly only refund.

Another big feature of ebay grievance addressal is that if the wrong product is sent to the buyer, and the seller doesn’t respond quickly within the stipulated time to the buyer’s request, the buyer gets to keep the product and is fully reimbursed as well. Same happens if the product does not reach the buyer by the stipulated deadline, the buyer can instantly demand full refund, and may also keep the product when it arrives.

Ebay: Amazon:

Conclusion Both the sites are unmatched in their product diversity and excellent customer service. Though Amazon is rated above ebay by most, but it is only because they take the local US operations into consideration more. Also, almost all the reviews and opinions are created from the sellers’ perspective. For international buyers, ebay is more convenient with a pleasing user interface, more accurate details, and easy payment options.

TOO Verdict: With Paypal assurance, and a very detailed dispute resolution centre, shopping is a more carefree jolly-go-round experience on ebay.

—faisal@timesofoman.com

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

C6

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PANORAMA MALL Kings of Egypt (Adventure, Fantasy) (MX4D) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 3:30, 6:00, 8:30, 11:00 PM; (12+) Kings of Egypt-3D (Adventure) (12+) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 4:45, 7:00, 9:15, 11:45 PM Kings of Egypt-3D (Adventure, Fantasy) (12+)-VIP LOUNGE Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 3:30, 6:15, 8:45, 11:15 PM Zoolander 2-2D (Comedy) (12+) Cast: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penélope Cruz 3:00, 5:00, 7:15 PM Unnatural-2D (Action, Horror) (15+) Cast: James Remar, Sherilyn Fenn 5:30 PM Colonia-2D (Drama) (15+) Cast: Emma Watson, Daniel Brühl, Michael Nyqvist 3:15, 9:15, 11:30 PM Dead Pool-2D (action, Adventure) (12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 2:30, 7:15, 9:30, 11:30 PM

Dead Pool (2D) (Action |Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller 3:30, 6:30, 11:45 PM

AZAIBA Dead Pool (2D) (Action |Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 3:30, 6:30, 11:45 PM Fitoor (2D) (Hindi) (Romance| Drama) (12+) Cast: Aditya Roy Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Tabu 3:00, 6:15 PM Kings of Egypt (3D) (Action | Adventure | Fantasy) (12+) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 3:00, 6:15, 9:00, 11:30 PM Neerja (2D) (Hindi) (Biographical) (PG12) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azami 2:45, 5:15, 7:30, 10:00, 11:30 PM Kanithan (2D) (Tamil) (Action ) (TBC) Cast: Atharvaa Murali, Catherine Tresa 8:45 PM Action Hero Biju (2D) (Mal) (Action) (PG12) Cast: Nivin Pauly, Anu Emmanuel, Devi Ajith 9:00 PM

3.30, 9.30 PM Tere Bin Laden Dead or Alive (Comedy) –PG12 Cast: Manish Paul, Pradhuman, Mia Uyeda, Ali Zafar 6.30 PM Screen 2 Tere Bin Laden Dead or Alive (Comedy) –PG12 Cast: Manish Paul, Pradhuman, Mia Uyeda 3.45, 9.45 PM Neerja (Action / Biography) –PG12 Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi 6.45 PM Screen 3 Fitoor (Romance / Drama) –12 + Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif, Tabu 3.45, 9.45 PM Sanam Re (Romance / Drama) –12 + Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Yami Gautam, Urvashi Rautela 6.45 PM

RUWI Screen 1 Neerja (Action / Biography) –PG12 Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Shekhar Ravjiani

SUR King of Egypt - 3D (Action | Adventure) (12+)

SOHAR Dead Pool– 2D (Action/Sc-Fi) (12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 2:45, 6:45, 11:30PM Kings of Egypt-2D (Adventure) (12+) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj Coster 2:45, 9:45PM Kings of Egypt– 3D (Adventure) (12+) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj Coster 3:30, 9:00, 11:30PM The Benefactor – 2D (Drama) (15+) Cast: Richard Gere, Dakota Fanning, Theo James 5:00PM Zoolander 2– 2D (Comedy) (12+) Cast: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penélope Cruz 3:00, 7:15PM Unnatural – 2D (Action/Horror/Thriller) (15+) Cast: James Remar, Sherilyn Fenn 5:00, 11:55PM Colonia– 2D (Mystery/Suspense) (15+) Cast: Emma Watson, Daniel Brühl 2:30, 9:30, 11:45PM Trumbo– 2D (Biographical) (PG12) Cast: Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren 4:45PM Neerja– 2D (Biographical) (PG12) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi 6:45PM Kanithan– 2D (Action/Thriller) (PG) Cast: Atharvaa Murali, Catherine Tresa, 8:45PM Miruthan– 2D (Action/Romance) (15+) Cast: Jayam Ravi, Lakshmi Menon, Kali Venkat 7:15PM Action Hero Biju – 2D (Action) (PG12) Cast: Nivin Pauly, Anu Emmanuel, Devi Ajith 9:15PM

BURAIMI Dead Pool (Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Moreno Baccarin, T.J. Miller 7:05, 9.30, 11.30PM Zoolander 2 (Comedy) (12+) Cast: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penélope Cruz.

5.15, 7.30PM Unnatural (Action | Horror| Thriller) (15+) Cast: James Remar, Sherilyn Fenn 9.50PM The Faith of Anna Waters (Horror) (15+) Cast: Matthew Settle, Elizabeth Rice 5.30, 11.45PM Kings of Egypt (3D) (Adventure) (12+) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 4.30, 9.05, 11.30PM Action Hero Biju- (Mal) (Action) PG12 Cast: Nivin Pauly, Anu Emmanuel, Devi Ajith 7.15PM SALALAH Kings of Egypt (3D) (12+) (Action ) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj Coster 11:30, 8:55, 11:30PM Kings of Egypt (2D) (12+) (Action ) 2:15PM Dead Pool (2D) (12+) (Action | Sci-Fi) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 12:00, 2:25, 6:30, 11:55PM The Faith of Anna Waters (2D) (15+) Cast: Matthew Settle, Elizabeth Rice 4:15PM The Benefactor (2D) (15+) (Drama) Cast: Richard Gere, Dakota Fanning 4:45PM Colonia (2D) (15+) (Mystery / Suspense) Cast: Emma Watson, Daniel Brühl 2:00, 6:35, 11:35PM Zoolander 2 (2D) (12+) (Comedy) Cast: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penelope Cruz 11:45AM, 4:30PM Neerja (2D) (PG12) (Hindi | Biographical) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi 6:40PM Action Hero Biju (2D) (PG12) (Malayalam) Cast: Nivin Pauly, Anu Emmanuel, Devi Ajith 9:05PM Kanithan (2D) (TBC) (Tamil) (Action) Cast Atharvaa Murali, Catherine Tresa 8:45PM

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

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) Destination

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

16:30 18:00 19:30

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 06:30 08:00 13:00 13:00 16.00 16.00

07:00 07:00 13:30 13:00 13:00 13:00 17:00

Sohar Buraimi Buraimi Sohar Buraimi Sohar Buraimi

08:50 Daily 11:00 Daily 14:30 Daily via Ibri 15:45 Daily 17:40 Daily 18.35 Daily 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) Sinaw

Nizwa Yanqul

20:50

Daily

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

Nizwa Al Araqi

29 23

Daily Daily

07:00

Ruwi

10:25

Daily

06:00 06:00

Nizwa Ruwi

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

15:40 15:40

Nizwa Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

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

Fahud Yibal

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

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

Daily Daily

Marmul

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

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

0

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

90-50% Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 17 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

LISTINGS

06:00

Marmul

16:30

Daily

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

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

15:00

Salalah

Daily

07:00

Daily

10:50 13:40 16:15 19:10 18:45 21:35

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 07:30 07:30 13:00 13:00 15:30 15:30

Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 07:00 07:00

16:00 16.00 16.00

Fujairah Sharjah Dubai

11.45 13.30 14.00

Daily Daily Daily

Sharjah Fujairah Ruwi

16:30 18.15 23.00

Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence 24569603 Directorate General of Customs 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries 24510228 Public Relations Admin 24560099 EMBASSIES IN OMAN

Daily Daily Daily Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

07:00

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

10:45 19:00

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

Ruwi Ruwi

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

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

06:00 14:30

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

10:30 11:15

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

Action Hero Biju (Mal) (Act\Comedy) Cast: Nivin Pauly & Anu Emmanuel 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30 PM Cinema Main Kanithan (Tamil) (Com \ Act) Cast: Atharvaa & Catherine Tresa 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30 PM Cinema –2 Neerja (Hindi) (Act\ Drama) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi 6:45 PM Cinema-4 Pavaada (Mal) (Com\ Act) Cast: Prithviraj & Miya George 3:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema -4 Aarathu Sinam (Tamil) (Act) Cast: Arulnithi & Aishwarya Rajesh 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema -3 Next Change: Puthiya Nitamam (Mal) on 3rd March; Pokkiri Raja (Tamil) Programmes are subject to change

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) Sur Sur

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

Minimum

ROYAL OMAN POLICE 07:30 14:30

STAR CINEMA

0

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54) 08:00 08:00

08:55 Daily 11:40 Daily 20:20 Daily via Ibri 14:55 Daily 17:40 Daily 19:20 Daily 22:15 Daily

Kings of Egypt (Adventure / Fantasy) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gerard Butler 2.00, 5.30, 9.30 & 11.55 PM CP No: 341 (12+) The Faith of Anna Waters (Horror) Cast: Matthew Settle, Elizabeth Rice 7.45 & 11.55 PM CP No: 342 (15+) Colonia (Drama / History / Romance) Cast: Emma Watson, Daniel Brühl, Michael Nyqvist 2.00, 6.00 & 10.00 PM CP No: 343 (15+) Zoolander 2 (Comedy) Cast: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penelope Cruz 4.00 & 8.00 PM CP No: 344 (12+) Barbie Spy Squad (Animation) Voice Overs: Erica Lindbeck, Stephanie Sheh, Jenny Pellicer 4.15 PM; CP No: 345 (PG)

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

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

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

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

WEATHER

15:00 15:00 15:00

Quriyat Sur Jaalan

BAHJA CINEMA

WITH LOVE

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36)

17:30

12.24pm 3.45pm 6.15pm 7.25pm 5.14am

CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 3 YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CINEMA | BOX-OFFICE COUNTER OPENS 30-MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCREENING OF THE FIRST SHOW

CINEMA SCHEDULE

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

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

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

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

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

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

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

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

23291635

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

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

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

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

C7

LIFESTYLE

WATCH OUT A

watch is never just a watch. More than your timekeeper, it is your pride that you wear on your wrist. Any watch you buy is a premium watch, simply because you love it. You never buy a watch for the need of it; at least not these days, when every other thing around you is doing the job (your smartphone is more than enough for time telling). You buy it for the love of it, and what you love commands your utmost attention, no matter what others may think of it.

The worst villains in your love story with the watch are scratches: even the slightest blemish hurts your pride very much as the scar mocks you staring right into your eyes every time light dances on your beloved’s face.

And no matter how much you might try to protect your timepiece, you could still end up getting one scratch here, a brush there; you can’t fight fate after all. And let’s be honest everyone who is a watch freak is somewhat of a perfectionist. This means that while we love looking at the watch every now and then, we hate seeing even the slightest scratch or scuff on it.

Matter of fact is if you actually wear the watches in your collection, there’s really no way to avoid the occasional brush with something that’s harder than the case of the watch. The result of these encounters can range from something not much more obvious than a swirl mark to a scratch that seems to overwhelm the rest of the watch.

So what is important is to know how to refinish your own watches,

As with all things premium, owning an expensive watch also calls for exclusive care. Even a most minute scar could very much mar the beauty of your timepiece.

We bring the ins and outs of watch care — how to remove scuffs and scratches and refinishing your watch on your own.

STORY FAISAL MOHAMMED NAIM

rather than deciding to give up on wearing your watches better left safe in the safe (not an exciting proposition — the latter one). You must learn the art of keeping your watch spotless by yourself. Jewellers and commercial refinishing services on the whole do a miserable job that would hardly satisfy you.

You only end up paying dearly amounts, with over or under buffing and rather disappointing finish in most cases. After all your watch matters only to you, who paid upfront to own it; the probably underpaid guy at the watch repair shop would have least regard for it to pay proper attention. His aim is to rather make haste and finish the job anyhow.

With a little knowledge, even an absolute novice can easily remove the most horrific scuffs and

With a little knowledge, even an absolute novice can easily remove the most horrific scuffs and scratches and re-create the finish their watch used to flaunt so much in its heyday

scratches and re-create the finish their watch used to flaunt so much in its heyday.

If the scratch or scuff sits on highpolish (mirrored) area of the watch, and isn’t very deep; a Cape Cod Polishing Cloth and a little bit of patience rubbing it softly but firmly on the scratched surface will do the job.

Even if the scratch is deeper, a Dremel or roto-tool along with a Deep Scratch Kit will make it go away quickly. If the scratch is on a brushed area (satin finish) like the clasp or outer links of a premium bracelet (like Rolex), then a Satin Refinishing Pad is all that is required.

If the blemish is on a brushed area that’s close to the crown or a pusher or on the bezel or lugs of your watch, then a Satin/Titanium Refinishing Pen is the best bet since it allows you

to get into much smaller areas.

To remove scratches from a titanium watch, use a Titanium Refinishing Pad or the Satin/Titanium Refinishing Pen. If you own more than one watch, you might want to check out the Ultimate Watch Refinishing Kit that gives you absolutely everything you need to refinish any stainless steel, yellow gold, rose gold, platinum, or titanium watch. All of these products are easily available at watch service outlets (or online) and cost significantly less than one commercial refinishing job.

One common mistake to strictly refrain from is using jewellery polishing cloth that’s coated with red rouge, to polish your watch.

Stop worrying too much and enjoy your watches. Flaunt your style on the wrist. — faisal@timesofoman.com

C8

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

LIFESTYLE

Top 10 Future Strategic Technology Trends

Information of Everything

The Device Mesh

Information issues: Isolated, incomplete, unavailable, and unintelligible. The solution: Information of everything.

“A mesh of devices extending well beyond traditional mobile devices.” – David Cearley

US based information technology research and advisory firm, Gartner has identified the top ten strategic technology trends for 2016 which could revolutionise the already much advanced digital media across various platforms, making a significant impact on businesses

3D Printing Materials There will be steady 3D printing expansions over the next 20 years causing a rethink of assembly line 7 supply chain processes.

Ambient User Experience A user experience that works across the device mesh, time, and space.

Adaptive Security Architecture Threats have increased, security must improve.

Internet of Things Platforms Platforms constitute the behind the scenes work that is needed to make ‘the internet of things’ and the digital mesh possible.

.

Advanced Machine Learning Deep neutral nets (make machines appear intelligent).

As such machines will autonomously learn to perceive the world.

Autonomous Agents and Things Machine learning offers virtual personal assistants, autonomous vehicles, smart advisors, and robots.

Mesh App and Service Architecture Whatsapp design needs less monolithic and linear design.

Whatsapp design needs to be agile, flexible, and dynamic.

Advanced System Architecture Source: Gartner.com

High demand computing requires neuromorphic architectures which work like a human brain.

D

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M M O N DAY, F E B R UA RY 2 9, 2 0 1 6

SECTION

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

RENT

D2

VACANCY

D4

CARGO

D7

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

D2

M O N D AY, F E B R UA RY 2 9, 2 0 1 6 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE FOR RENT

*Tourist visa arranged

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

FOR RENT RUWI : Ware House - 630 M2 SPACIOUS -2 B H K FLATS &1BHK

CBD: 2 BHK flat for rent Darsait near Muscat Pharmacy, ISM. Contact: 95158570

2 BHK fully furnished flat at Ruwi MBD area. Contact – 93211557 / 24814853

One / two B/R , RES / Comm flat near Bank Muscat Bausher directly from owner. Contact: 92158031

Villa in Al-Khuwair 33. Quality Finishing. Consist 5 Bedrooms, 1 Living room, 3 Lounges, All with A/C, Kitchen and storage.

Contact: 90665135

3 Rooms, 2 Toilets Flat for Rent. 18 November Street. Near Mars Hypermarket and The Chedi. Ghobrah -Good for Commercial or Residential use.

OMR 295/- month. Call 94477222 2 Room, 2 Bathroom, kitchen cat parking 200 Rails. Contact: 92005298

Flats for rent 2BHK sitting room, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, big balcony split A/C Wadi AL Kabir 300/R.O. Contact: 99324402 Flats in Darsait. 9405178997201688

2 BHK Muttrah near Oman House with A/Cs. Contact: 95915154

Flats in Wadi Kabir. 9405178997201688

2 BHK A/C split, available near Al Nahdha Hospital.

Contact: 96987335/99572460

Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35). 94051789-97201688

Villa and flats for rent in AL Amerat (Al Atkeya). Contact: 99425184 Flat for rent in Hamriya.

Contact 99341112 Shop (rent 250/ 400) commercial / Residential building 1& 2 bed flat (flat rent 350+ 250) available in Wadi Kabir (Near Lulu) one bed flat 200/- Wadi Al Kabir (near Toyota.

Contact: 92325212 /99451168

New building office for rent Muttrah 2nd floor. Contact: 99364735/24714791/95729711 Single room with A/C & WIFI having separate entrance for non –cooking Indian executive, near Rawasco, AL Khuwair rent 130/- (W& E). Contact 92888691/95397442/97201100 Warehouse at wadi Kabir 300SQM – 6 MTR, height. Contact: 99711949

SHOWROOM & OFFICEMezz.floor

Contact : 24 70 30 60 Modern and spacious 4 bedroom twin villa for rent in Azaiba north behind Nov 18st with detached maids room. Contact 99317349 1BHK near medical Darsait R.O 180/Contact: 95076261

3BHK in Qurum P.D.O high 350/Monthly. Contact: 99342661

Room Al Khuwair R.O 110/-.

Contact: 97799175

Flats in Muttrah. 9405178997201688

Flat with two rooms with window A/C, with toilets & car parking way No: 1670 north Al Hail near Dosteen restaurant 1KM Inside.

Contact: 99238334

Offices in Ghala. 9405178997201688

2BHK split A/C 320/- monthly & 1 BHK split A/C 250/- Ghobrah south near Grand mosque.

Contact: 99342661 3 BHK flats 2Nos with A/C new building behind Muscat bakery opposite Mars supermarket at Wadi AL Kabir. Contact: 99338133/92103604 2BHK split A/C 200/- Monthly & 1BHK spilt A/C 150/- monthly new building good location Barka Market. Contact: 99342661

2 Bedroom ground floor apartment with sitting & 2 baths + big kitchen close to Indian School near to Maya supermarket Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 98011224

Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

94051789-97201688 For rent and investment Land industrial shops in Rusayl.

Contact: 99323957 / 95490842 2 bedrooms flat for rent in Azaiba with split ac. 300/ monthly.

Contact- 92447365 Full furniture room for rent for family monthly 200/- .

Contact: 99251975 Flats in Qurum. Contact 94051789-97201688 Villa is composed of 5 bedrooms and sitting toilets and 5 living room, kitchen and Seeb (North Al Hail). Contact: 91130875

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Contact 98885055/ 92744168 1BHK Flat with spilt A/C near star cinema 210/-. Contact: 99358589/95570288 /97079146 Flat for rent south Al Mabela.

Contact: 95331177/95230355 2 Bedrooms, kitchen, toilet, car park R.O 200/- & 1 bedroom, kitchen, toilet R.O 140 in Al Khuwair. Contact: 95154331 1 Bed room, sharing K& T, R.O 100, 2 bedrooms , sharing K& T R.O 200/- in AL Khuwair.

Contact: 95154331

Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah.

94051789-97201688

Ghobrah. Big bedroom, bathroom, huge terrace. Non-cooking Indian female/male - Manager/Sr. Exec.

Vegetarian non-drinkers only.

Contact 99283938

Duplex villa in Qurum 29.

94051789-97201688

Wadi Kabir new building 2 bedrooms rent. Contact: 99313274

Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud.94051789-97201688

2 BHK flat behind Nesto hypermarket with split A/C R.O 220/.

Contact 91642157/97653524

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Office space 350 Sqm, C.B.D. Contact: 99024730

Luxury villa of 5 BHK in Al Khuwair 33 RO.650/- Contact – 91776665

1 BHK flat with split A.C, balcony near Wadi Adai signal.

Contact: 95042855

M O N DAY, F E B R UA RY 2 9, 2 0 1 6

D3

DAILY GUIDE

FOR RENT

WAREHOUSE AVAILABLE

FOR RENT IN BALADIA SANAYAH AMIRAT (Floor area 600sqmtrs and mezzanine of 500sqmtrs) 1100sqmts fully cover warehouse & staff accommodations

WELL FURNISHED OFFICE SPACE & CAMP ACCOMODATION

AVAILABLE FOR RENT IN GHALA INDUSTRIAL AREA Ideal for workers, staff members Catering facility option available &

4WDs/Pick up’s/Heavy Vehicles are available for sale on as is where is basis.

Please contact: G.S.M

The vehicles can be inspected at our premises at Ghala.

99417229/92621039

Contact : 94057473

Warehouse at Wadikabir - total area 3500 sqm - covered warehouse (500sqm), office, accommodation (1000sqm), open area (2000sqm) please contact: 99273774 - 99202278

Flats in Darsait. Contact 94051789-97201688

Flats for rent at Mawaleh near Omantel main office opposite Lulu bandar comprises 3 rooms, 2 toilets and one kitchen OMR 250/- Per month. Contact: 93131497 or 99203435

Duplex villa in Qurum 29.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Shop for rent near Al Nahdha Hospital. Contact: 97380548 / 99680499

Concrete Batching Plant

Flats for rent in Ruwi Mumtaz area 2 bedroom. Contact: 91409667/24291500

A good running condition, UK Pemat Mixer, 50CBM Per hour production capacity Plant for sale.

Interested parties may please call

Flat for rent in Al Hail south 2 bedroom. Contact: 91409667/24291500 2 BHK Flats for rent, Muttrah near Oman house S/ AC. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232 Commercial flats of 3 & 2 BHK in Al Ghobra North 18 Nov street RO.650/- & 450/- #91776665 Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Flats in WadiKabir.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 600 M2 showroom or office in Bousher in front of Dolphin complex. RO.3.5 per m2.

Contact 91776665 Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) Contact - 9405178997201688 Brand new 4 BHK villa in Al Fai compound Al Khoud. RO.475/Contact – 91776665 Villa of 3 BHK and sitting area in Al Ghobra North. RO.525/Contact – 91776665 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 Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud. Contact 9405178997201688 Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

-

BUILDING MATERIAL SHOP FOR SALE Running shop with paint machine for sale in kadra

AVAILABLE

Prime location with good daily sales 260 Square meters Warehouse facility Staff accommodation Interested parties may call 9322 3382 or mail to cs@mpesllc.com

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

ACC. AVAILABLE

Offices in Qurum opposite City Center. Contact 9405178997201688

FOR SALE

for sale

Mr Mateen - 92892209 Sreejith - 99478263 Steel rack sets (Godown).

Contact: 94521205 Urgent sale of steel scrap only serious buyers kindly contact: +968 96725423 for viewing the items.

Scrap for sale to inspection. Contact Mr. Ravi Nair: 99329514 Big shop for sale near K.M Trading Ruwi. Contact: 99636476 Nursery School for sale. Well established Nursery school running for over 18 years in Muscat with all Furniture, Play Equipments, Licenses & Permits for immediate sale. Whatsapp: 99353017 Email: nurserymuscat@gmail.com Space for printing press available at wadikabir with or without machinery. Contact 99328430 Shop for sale near Oman House, Muttrah. Contact 99024362.

Porta cabin for sale in Misfah.

Contact: 99442438 / 96578789

Sharing acc. Available near Al Nahdha hospital.

Contact: 97242114

FOR SALE 1 No. Prado VX 8 SPL A/T (model 2008) KM: 350694 Colour: white pearl (petrol)

1 No. Corolla 1.8 XLI PWR A/T (model 2008) KM: 245071) Colour: super white Please send offer to :-

Luxury Apartments in Bousher (35). 95056808-97201688 Almost new beach/ garden lounge chairs /bar stools/ counter. Photos can be sent 95865457 Single colorful Bed and Sofa for Sale at Al Khuwair. Contact 92881849 / What`s up No 97290565 Dental clinic for sale in Seeb.

Contact: 92882209/96373097 HD Scaffoldings, Shuttering Jacks, Wooden Planks, Shuttering wood assorted, Tower hoist (lift), Concrete Mixer, Bending Machine, Steel Fabrication Machinery (Searing/Cutting, lathe & Welding) including tools for immediate sale: Contact 99273774/ 99202278 Villas in Al Khoud. 9505680897201688 Well established coffee shop / restaurant prime location at AL Khoud.

Contact: 92188777/98700760 Steel Scrap materials for immediate sale: Contact 99273774/ 99202278

BUYING Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299

Fire rated portacabins and steel caravans. ContacT: 94058574

Buying cars for cash.Contact: 90202090

Marble factory for sale location Misfah. Contact: 99489453/99838439

Furnished room attached bath for Indian bachelor & lady Wadi Kabir near Mars hypermarket.

Contact: 96202458/96761960 Bachelor room available in Al Khuwair. Contact: 95250161

desbyrne@omantel.net.om

Tailoring shop for sale Al Khuwair.

Contact: 96500940

Small business for sale in reputable shopping center.

Contact 97207440

Self contained furnished room in decent villa for rent at Ghobrah North, Contact 92595830/24495667.

WANTED IELTS Coaching (academic) required nearby wadi Kabir area. Please call on mobile or msg on Whats up.

Mobile no: 92927880/99012165

Sharing room partner required for executive bachelor in Ruwi sharing toilets, including (E& W) WIFI is available in Ruwi, OPP Karama hypermarket rent 60/- R.O. Contact: 92205097/91384654 Execute bachelor room available behind Kamat restaurant Al Khuwair for nesses.

Contact 94271085 /92261906 Spacious semi furnished room with separate bathroom for executive bachelor opposite OC centre Ruwi.

Call: 92273779 Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan villeage.

Contact 93687466 Single rooms with kitchen available at Ruwi. Contact: 91214897/98049288 Furnished bedroom with attached bath and kitchen separate entrance available for executive bachelor for R.O 150/- All inclusive in a villa opp star cinema.

Contact: 99314807

SALE OF OWNERSHIP OF INSTITUTE A new fully furnished institute with one UK brand English learning franchise program with study materials at prime location, near City Center, near Shell Petrol Pump, Mawelah, Muscat.

Interested persons contact:

infoduqumoil@gmail.com or call on GSM 92828693 GOOD NEWS Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steambath, obesity, spondylitis. Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street, Azaiba.

Contact: 99639695 / 97397320 FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam).Contact:24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

ANNOUNCEMENT M/s.Al Ruqa Ships Service Co. LLC, which is registered with the Commercial Registry under CR No. 1151229 hereby announces that it is going to change its commercial name to M/s. Farlin Minerals Co.LLC. Therefore, all stakeholders shall be notified of this change.

CHANGE OF NAME Hindu Boy -30 Yrs MBA Finance Graduate working in Muscat seeking alliance of Hindu girl only.

Contact: 98278401 Indian male Roman Catholic 40yrs divorcee working in Muscat.

Seeks suitable alliance from widow/ divorcee/ single.

Contact: 96059801.

NRI Land for Sale. House Plots for Sale in Athrampuzha, Kottayam very close to MG University. Please contact 99412383(Oman) or 00918129917061(India)

Room available in Mumtaz area 1 room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1 room, common bathroom.

Interested please Contact: 92680041 Mr. Altaf

New 3 BHK villas in Coimbatore Tamil Nadu for immediate sale.

Contact: 95264562

Accommodation required with food for 1 month, bachelor for March month.

Preferably Al Ghobrah area.

Contact: 99335742

The declaration announces / waheeda bint laheg bin Said AL Sesani examines and partner to trade / solidarity recorded with the secretariat of the commercial register of the ministry of trade and industry (1128732) was in the process of changing its name to companies / projects sands tone for trade / solidarity Therefore, inform all interested by this amendment.

MATRIMONIAL

Room with attached bathroom and sharing kitchen available for Executive bachelor or small family at wadikabir Contact 9304 9849

ACC.WANTED

ADVERTISEMENT

Flat for sale Kerala Thiruvananthapuram 3 bed room Flat in cyber Palm (SFS) Area 1860sqf Flat in cyber gate way, Area 1159.

Cont no +91 99-95-674657, 00968 92967614.

I Antonio Apolinario Baptista (holder of Indian passport No. F 8093246 ) Son of Apolinario Baptista having permanent residence in H. NO 17/A, Sanglem Ward , Majorda – Goa ( complete postal address in India ) and presently residing in P.O. Box 3586, Postal code 112, Ruwi , Sultanate Of Oman (complete postal in Oman) intend to change my name from Antonio Apolinario Bartista (old name) to Antonio Baptista ( new name) for all practical purpose. Any objection towards my name change may please be communicated to Embassy of India, Muscat, diplomatic Quarters, AL Khuwair, P.Box No, 1727 postal code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman.

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

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M O N D AY, F E B R UA RY 2 9, 2 0 1 6 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

SITUATION WANTED

REQUIRED PROJECT MANAGER

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Part time Accounting / Data entry services. Contact: 93477447

For an Infra/ Bldg project in Duqm/Oman Graduate Engineer with 20+ years experience preferably in Oman/ GCC with valid D/L and transferable visa, computer literate.

Send CV to Email :

Sri Lankan lady experienced in key accounts, Market Demand planning & Communications, Brand/Sales in multinationals seeks placement in Muscat.

Contact 98250829

omanproject2011@gmail.com

Part Time Accounting, Accounts Finalization as per IFRS, Audit Preparation, Project Report, Training for Accountants, Internal Audit, Accounting System for New Companies, Contact: 96975454, email:ibfc.gcc@gmail.com

ADMIN Required urgently a Legal Consultant/ Lawyer for reputed law firm in Sohar, Muscat. Candidates should have 5-7 years experience as a Legal Consultant/ Lawyer with good knowledge of Computer & should be fluent in English both written & spoken.

Email C V to shejaanil66@gmail. com or Contact 99153620 between 8am to 1pm & 2pm to 5.30 pm on Sunday to Thursday

Accounting Asst, BBA Mcom Tally Peach Tree ph: 98269281 25 Years/Male Indian/B.com with 2 Years Experience/Seeking Job in Finance and accounts/Skills Tally ERP9/SAP-FICO/MS Office. Immediately Joining.

Contact No: +96897184087 Email: modi_harshal@ymail.com Indian male Accountant looking for a suitable placement in Salalah. More than 20 years exp in accounting job (up to finalization of accounts) 8 years working experience in middle east in Dubai, Muscat & Salalah.

Contact - 91325029

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Required female Accountant postgraduate in commerce email: mailcv7@gmail.com fax: 24784202 Required gulf experienced Accountant cum Admin.

Contact: +968 24494748, Email:admin@aljazeeraglobal.com

Experienced Accountant seeks suitable placement. NOC available.

Contact: 96902860

Accountant with gulf experience in construction field preferred with Oman driving license. Interested candidates send CV to: Email: omanhari@yahoo.com Gsm: 95892831/95197615

Indian male, 22 yrs B.SC graduate having computer knowledge and valid Oman driving license presently in Oman seeks suitable placements in accounting field or office. Contact: 92508069

CATERING

Chief Accountant 25 years experienced looking for part/full time accountant job.

Contact: 95598477/98803439

Looking for Indian or Bangladeshi cook and Porata, Chapatti, maker for restaurant at Misfah.

Contact: 95212017

DOMESTIC HELP Looking for a part-time cookcum-housemaid in Azaiba.

Call 92450197.

Looking for full-time Housemaid - please call 99385119.

Required Cleaners & office boys.

Contact 24707833

DRIVER Wanted driver.

Contact: 91025698 Part or full time Driver Required call us 91120552 Required a driver (light driver).

Contact: 92392979

MEDICAL

SALES / MARKETING

GP doctor needed for reputed clinic.

Preferably with MOH license or with Dataflow & Paramatics pass Contact: 95388934

Wanted Marketing Personnel for Construction Company, visa available. Contact: 95286741

SKILLED / UNSKILLED ENGINEER Civil Engineer with minimum 5/8 years experience with valid Oman driving license. Contact Interested candidates send CV to: Email: omanhari@yahoo.com Gsm: 95892831/95197615 MEP Engineer minimum Diploma 5 years experience in building construction and with driving license.

Contact- Fax- 24478522 / Email – gh1.careers@gmail.com

MANAGER/SUPERVI. Required Gulf experienced Cleaning Supervisor, with / without GCC driving license.

Contact: +968 24494748, admin@aljazeeraglobal.com

MISCELLANEOUS Required candidates for following posts: Accountant, Storekeeper, Foreman Building Maintenance, Van-salesman (water), Helpers.

Candidates with Omani driving license preferred.

Contact 99273774/99202278

MEDICAL Wanted Nurse for a dental centre in capital area. Interested may contact – 93431024 or send CV to – drasyanaseem@gmail.com Required gynecologist GEN: practitioner lady lab Technician and pharmacologist immediately for a clinic in Suwaiq.

Contact: 95081010 Email: umchealthcare@gmail.com

Required experienced Plumber with knowledge in copper, G. I pipe and U.P.V.C Drainage work & Electrician knowledge in cable tray, trunking, cable termination works.

Contact: 24505708 / 92830203 Email: excelgrd123@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING Required Smart, dynamic Sales & Marketing Executive having 2-3 years sales experience in building materials for Omani branded product. Omani Driving License and NOC is must. Apply with photograph to E-mail: jobdsint@gmail.com.

Challenging tyres Omani companies seeking for Sales Man only an tyres division sales minimum 2 years experience send CV to saeed@liwainvestments.com Urgently required female person to work at the retail shop for immediate appointment.Housemaid with release may apply. For enquirers please Whatsapp: 95907300 Required Salesman, Tailor and Barber. Contact: 96964767 Software company is recruiting minimum 2-3 years experienced Female Tele Sales Executive.

Interested candidates are requested to send their resume toomanerpsales@gmail.com Required male / female Marketing person for man power Supply Company with minimum 3 years experience with valid GCC / Oman driving license.

Contact: 97158893 / 94148972.

Kindly send CV at Email: rastllcmuscat@gmail.com

Marketing Managers (girls for Arabic restaurant) with minimum 5/6 years gulf experience with valid Oman driving license.

Preferred GCC people. Interested candidates send CV to: Email: omanhari@yahoo.com Gsm: 95892831/95197615 Urgently Required Steel Fabricated Products Salesman with an experience in steel fabrication, MUST have Oman driving license, and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com Finance-Indian with 7 years experience in Finance & Accounts up to finalization. Currently employed in Oman. Having D/L & NOC. Mob: 94122464, Email: cammk13@gmail.com Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA Finance and marketing with IT skills, 7+ yrs of experience, Looking for suitable placement.

Contact : 94879615,Emailsajan_chacko1981@yahoo.com Indian female 25 yrs, MBA HR & Marketing, with one and half years experience as accountant and 6 months experience in teaching, now on a visit visa, seeking suitable position. Contact: 99624044, mail: np.neethu1@gmail.com.

Accounts part time services available to handle all accounts up to finalization, on Monthly basis finalization and consulting works.

Contact: 96247295

MBA Finance Indian lady 23 yrs currently on visit visa family resident Oman seeking opportunity for career enhancement in suitable firms ready to join immediately.

Contact: 99872664 /92651331

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 male good experienced in Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in India & Oman, presently on visit visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94834687

Indian male MBA 33yrs having 10 yrs of exp seeking full time suitable placement in Administration/ HR/ Operations/ Coordination/ Logistics. Holding valid D/L. Contact 99054786

Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/ finance field. On visit visa. Immediately available. Contact 92836216 / muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com 28/male/MBA - finance/B.Com Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/ India experience looking for a suitable placement.

Contact 90187483 shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com Indian male MBA (F) with 6 years of experience as accountant proficiency in A/C software like tally, focus, Sap (FICO) seeking suitable placement. Contact: 98665219 Email: abdulhameed1527@gmail.com Indian Male Accountant 10yrs Exp. in OMAN Retail & Furniture Co. (Release Available) GSM.92564955

Jordanian, Senior accountant, 15 yrs experience in Oman finance & accountant. Contact: 92881223 Indian male, B.Com with 6 years experience as an Accountant, looking for suitable placement.

Mob: 93903458 , Email : Akkandyrijesh@gmail.com Indian male 25 B.Com (graduate) 2 years experience as accountant in country club India with ERP oracle r12, tally knowledge. On visit visa immediately available.

Email: shabi.hyd@gmail.com Contact- 9042-1161 Accounts finance Indian male 35 years B.com MBA (F) 7 years experience tally ERP9 valid Oman D/L family visa.

Contact: 93257426/95230114 Email: sibigeorgep@gmail.com Sri Lankan male 5yrs experienced in Sales & Accounts, seeking suitable position with NOC & DL.Contact:93369940

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

DOMESTIC HELP

Housemaid (overseas) Indian family looking for job.

Contact 99531802

ADMIN

8 years of intensive Oman experience in procurement & supply chain management looking for suitable placement. Contact: 97755488

Indian Male 28, M. Com with 3 yr Oman exp in Accounts with valid D/L on visit Visa available to join immediately. GSM: 94744575.

Email:sidharth673@gmail.com

CATERING

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with 13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in manufacturing, trading & contracting Cos, capable of handling all accounting, finance, banking, L/C, import, export & finalization seeks placement. NOC Available.

Call+968-98932752, mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com

Indian male 40 yrs knows M.S Office excel & Tally 2 yrs experience in account & 2 yrs experience in marketing valid D/L seeks suitable placement in marketing.

Contact: 92409891 Email: danoman@yahoo.co.in

Chartered Accountant - Indian with 8 yrs + Exp in Finance/Accounts/Auditing in Oman & UAE. Seeking suitable position in Muscat/Dubai and available immediately for joining. NOC Available, urgent available till 29th Feb in Oman. Contact #: 98707434 Email: casmart007@gmail.com

Indian male 32 yrs with 9 yrs experience in MIS & Administration good knowledge of MS .Office currently on visit visa looking for suitable position.

Contact 99815835 Email: rinumohan.842@gmail.com

Looking for job as office boy.

Contact: 94640906 Email: angelchowdhury515@gamil.com

Indian female (25) M.com Finance, 3 yrs, exp in accounts / finance seeks suitable position in corporate finance / Banking / consulting purchase coordination / Admin. Now in family visa. Contact: 96953705 Email: prapullasuvarna@gamil. com

M.com (finance) post graduate having 3 years experience in processing, accounting customer care with multinational companies seeking suitable placement in Oman. Contact: 92794845 Email: sowas.peer@gmail.com

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

Accounting Assistant, BBA M.Com, tally, peach tree, can work on current visa ph: 98269281

Sri Lankan Male, Holder of Diploma in Management Accounting and Student of Chartered institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

Have 3years accounting experience I am available at Muscat on VISIT VISA GSM: 90660764 E-mail:insafali92@gmail.com

MBA finance with total experience of 4 years in finance operations (management information system) sales / Marketing and retail currently 3 month on visit visa. Contact: +968 99739330 / +968 91966020 Email: faiz.faisal3@gmail.com

ADMIN

Indian male (26) diploma, 6 years experience as office asst & Admin asst. Now on visit visa looking for suitable position. Contact: 92600859 Indian male MBA / HR and marketing 2 years experience in royal bank of Scotland looking for opportunities in banking operating marking and HR services excellent communication Kills. Contact: 90661245 Indian male 40years experienced about 12 years in banking credit risk department UAE and INDIA with UAE driving license, on visit visa looking for suitable opportunity, please contact mobile# 91305978 E-mail Hani.leo@gmail.com 15 years of working experience in Business development in Oman & UAE & UK , marketing plans and strategies & importing firewoks for festivals & preparing government tenders , Operations and logistics , importing and international business trading , CNC engineering & industrial areas , I have dual nationality (I can travel abroad easily without needing visa, for finalizing business trading NOC available.

Contact: 94123939 Indian male 40 years MBA with 11 years experience in Admin & HR as HR & Admin manager with valid Oman license seeking suitable placement release/ NOC available .

Contact: 97782843 Email: vinodhpkd@yahoo.com Indian female, Masters in HR, having 4 + years Oman experience in media management and HR, looking for openings in HR, Education, Admin, Corporate communications.

Contact 98252030 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 Indian Male, B.Com, MBA with 3 years GCC experience seeks Administration job in Muscat. Valid Oman & UAE D/L available.

Visit visa & can join immediately.

Contact: 00968 98896847 mail: tssavad@gmail.com

DRIVER Pakistani light driver looking job.

Contact 95604741 Light driver. Contact: 96756014 Pakistani male 30 years with 4 years experience in driving license (Oman) light.

Contact: 97469730 Light vehicle driver GCC license seeking for job. Contact: 94801679 Looking for job driver 10 yrs exp.

Contact: 99035942 Indian light driver cum house cleaner. Contact: 96255558 /99415443 20 years embassy experience male driver looking for job valid visa available. Contact: 94297820 Light driver for job experience K.S.A & Oman 9 years.

Contact: 94297563 Looking for job driver K.S.A 7 years & Oman 5 years education H.S.C. Contact: 93940319 Pakistani male light vehicle driver looking for job.

Contact: 97690766 Light driver with car.

Contact: 96379697 Looking for job car driver.

Contact: 98388947

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN Interior designer 4years experience design and supervision skills (3D Max AutoCAD Photoshop.

Contact: 95246737 Email: yassalnajjar@gmail.com Autocad Drafting, part time/ full time, 2D & 3D, Architectural, Structural, MEP, Shop drawing , experienced. Ph: 90189070 AutoCAD draftsman experience 2 years. Contact: 93738335 /95809393 Email: mammoosing@gmail.com Autocad D/MAN, experienced, 2D & 3D, ARCH, Structural, Revit, Interior Dwg PH: 93837973 Interior Designer 3 years experience, AutoCAD 2D & 3D Max & Photoshop.

Contact number: 99025312

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. 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 Sudanese Telecom Engineer, 5 years experience, 3 years in Oman PMP certificate.

Contact: 93391008 Email: momen.awadallam@gmail.com

M O N DAY, F E B R UA RY 2 9, 2 0 1 6

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

Finance / Project/ Program Manager Professional

Indian male, 22 Chemical Engineer residing in Oman looking for suitable placement. Contact: 92379181

Qualifications : MBA, PMP, Six Sigma Country Exposure Canada & Middle East, Industry Any Nationality Canadian, In Person Interview on Sundays

REVIT (ARCH), Diploma Civil 3yr , in visit visa , exp. Salary : 250 PH : 92279784 AUTOCAD D/MAN, diploma civil engg. 3 Yr , certificate attested , in visit visa , expecting salary : 200 omr. Contact - 99506977 Indian Male, 24, B.Tech with electrical & electronics & PG Diploma in Automation & Scada with 2 years KSEB experience is looking for a suitable position. Contact 95340253 HSE Engineer (BE Mech + Dip in Safety+ NEBOSH + OSHA), 10 yrs exp, NOC Available, seeking suitable placement: Mob: 97061817; email:jayanammu1977@gmail.com Indian male Electrical Engineer, 7 years experience, valid GCC driving license, NOC available looking for suitable job. Contact: 96137008 Email: joshuaruarkfernandez@gmail. com HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+Diploma Safety+NEBOSH+OSHA) over 10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release Letter (NOC) available), seeking suitable placement, Mob:97061817, Email:jayanammu1977@gmail.com Indian Male B. Tech, 10+ years of extensive work experience in various aspects like Computer Networking, Technical Support, Management and Engineering with good communications, interpersonal and technical skills seeks suitable opportunity. Now in Oman on Visit Visa GSM : 9489 8009,

Pakistani male have 2 years experience as a site supervisor / Sub Engineer looking for suitable place/ Job Advance diploma in construction industry and seeking employment with visa now on visit visa. Contact: 0092-3127418676 /91899860 B. Tech mechanical Engineer has experience in QA/ QC in looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 96505642 Architect Engineer 8 years experience in construction field, designing and supervision (AutoCAD, Archi CAD, 3D Max).

Contact: 94370767 B.Tech Electronics & comm. Engg & MBA Degree in operation management with five years experience in optical fiber planning coordination etc. Contact: 94219139 Engineer in 14 yrs experience in project execution & operation all kinds of Mech / civil & interior decoration with license.

Contact: 97070527 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 Pakistani male seeking job site supervisor (civil) age 24 years with 2 years experience ( Oman) valid Oman driving (license ) light.

Contact: 94712273 Electrical Engineer, Indian male 23 years, 2 years experience HV/ LV design experience in Oman based projects experience on visit visa. Contact: 99729860 Email: vivekcet888@gmail.com Indian Male Degree Holder BE (civil) having 11 years of Oman experience with valid Oman driving license looking for a suitable job .NOC available and ready to join immediately. Mobile: 93803950.

Mail:kavinvasi2007@gmail.com Civil Engineer (B.sc) 5yrs exp. in const. with Oman D/L. Contact: 96045025 Email:talal.faroug@gmail.com Indian male, 36 years, BE (electrical), MBA 12 years exp (maintenance of electrical equipment, transformer, grid & sail, RSP exp in India, looking for suitable job in Oman, please Contact: 00919437648101 Mail Id: kushikkumarsahoo@rediffmail. com Sudanese civil Engineer three years experience with NOC. Contact: 96297316 Email: abdallakoty22@gmail.com

For your BPR, guide finance & HR & RM, advise product marketing & CRM, appraise IT system for reporting & communication.

Contact: Tel - 96500729 k.profitoman@gmail.com

Contact No: 97203531, +923352855176

MISCELLANEOUS

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. B.SC civil Engineer, road construction field with 13 years experience in Oman. Contact: 92200485 Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech Indian male 5 years experience Indian and Oman (PDO projects) currently on visiting visa & NOC available (as per new rule). Contact: 94258289

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

Electrical diploma Engineer with 1.5 years experience in AutoCAD designing for LV constructions and diesel generator maintenance looking actively for job in Oman.

Contact: 92171858/90595609 Email: nelsondas213@gmail.com

Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in designing, assembling, commissioning execution etc having valid GCC license too looking for a suitable. Contact: 00968-98052942 Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) with 2 and half years experience Indian male 24 years in visit visa. Contact: 96620482 / + 919605423272 Email: bijumonps@gmail.com

Electrical Testing Engineer (B.Tech) having 7 yrs Gulf experience expertise in testing precommissioning commissioning of electrical systems, currently on visit visa seeks suitable job in Muscat.

Contact: 90188231

Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp seeks suitable position ina reputed company. NOC available.

Contact – 96789711 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

Email : bios4u@gmail.com Civil Engineer B.E 12 years experience with valid Oman driving license NOC available.

Contact: 93843448

EXPERT ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE

B.SC Civil Engineer 27 yrs Oman experience as project manager, structural Engineer looking for suitable placement NOC/ LOCAL transfer available.

Contact: 99349578 Email: farooqatm@hotmail.com BE Mechatronics and robotics Engg and basic knowledge in computers and CNC Operations. multilingual skills age 23, looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 92552789 Email: ashwinreghu3@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912 Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience HVAC design & site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD. Contact: 90150913 Email: mahmanmechengg@yahoo.im Omani HSE supervisor. Email: jeebal3000@gmail.com Indian female civil engineer B.Tech having 3 years experience sound knowledge of software, REVIT STAD PRO structural detailing currently on family visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95345591 Civil Engineer (BE) having total 5 years experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available Contact# 94450270

Diploma in Mechanical 75% B. E mechanical 75% 5 years Sresenthil Engineer Company production planning designing.

Contact: +919003612305 Email: prabugn28@gmail.com

Mechanical quantity surveyor (India male 25 years ) having 3 years experience in India I Can do any sort of works looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 94864680 Email: m.mohamedazik@gmail.com

Mechtronics Engineer, Indian male 2 yrs exp in industrial automation & maintenance, seeking suitable job. Presently on visiting visa. Contact – 97315735 / jithinm717@gmail.com

Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.

Contact 91295802 / acmfaslan123@gmail.com

Sudanese Civil Engineer - 4 years experience – 98093544

Electronics and Communication Engineer (B.E) - Indian male-looking for full time job. Corporate experience (2 years) - GSM 92916894; Email: salu.mn555@gmail.com

Indian B.E civil Engineer 25 years experience in gulf looking for a suitable placement with driving license noc available.

Contact: 94867039 Aeronautical Engineer 1 year experience aviation industry/ experience in quality assuring and technical service in air India express looking for suitable position in aviation industry / fluent in English . Contact: 9474563 /95128200 Email: fhcpaero@gmail.com B. SC Building & architectural Engineer male 26 having 2 years of experience in architectural designing & construction supervision of building projects currently on visit visa seeking suitable position in Muscat. Contact: 95626378 Email: waqasbashir65@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer (male) with 2 years experience in project & production field seeking suitable jobs now on visit visa.

Contact: 94823009/94223483 Email: jisso.joseph@outlook.com Structural Engineer, 8 yrs experienced in flat slab, post tensioned & slab-beam multi story building design & supervision with driving license. Contact: 98256860 Electrical Engineer B.Tech with 4 years experience in India available in visit visa looking for suitable placement. Contact: 94741401/97239852 Email: sobinthomask05@gmail.com Indian male 23 years B.E in mechanical fresher and have CSWIP certification on visit visa seeking employment foe mechanical jobs as entry level.

Contact 98422072 Email Id: j-joel92@yahoo.com

Civil Engineer 5 Years exp 2 years in Oman as QS. Seeking for part time job as QS. Contact- 91507508 Electrical Engineer Indian male 30 years, having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India (MRF Tyres) holding valid Oman D/L. Contact: 92789995 Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com MEP Engineer 5 years exp in Gulf driving license NOC. Contact 97838220 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 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975518 Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years in Oman experience Valid Driving License seeks suitable placement Phone 97619722 Email – golamrob@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs experience in international Oil & Gas company looking for job Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email: mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work, 21+ years experience with Driving license. Contact: 95267113 Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com

Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact:97416564, Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com

Chemical laboratory analysis acquired knowledge of laboratory and chemical safety Sudan university of science and technology. Contact 90644755

Civil Engineer 8 years experience Structural buildings marine. Available NOC release. Contact: 92451323.

Email: zubairali134@yahoo.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.

Indian Male 23 years B.Tech Civil having 2 years experience in quantity survey and site management looking for suitable placement. Contact:- 95042656 7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the field of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598 Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 97667113 Indian male 25 yrs, B.E in Electrical & Electronics,4 and half years experience in Procurement/ Electrical purchase. Looking for suitable placement in oman. contact:vvselvambe@gmail.com, +91 9894049078.

HOSPITALITY Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants Dynamic result oriented hospitality professional with 20 years of international exp. MBA in Hotel Management, specializing in Hotel/ Restaurant start ups, concepts & Franchise development with proven records. Seeking for Challenging positions in reputed groups as GM/ COO/CEO/Business Head. (NOC available) Contact: 96059470

IT IT Administrator B.Tech C.C.N.A, M.C.S.A, 5 years experience in GCC, looking suitable placement.

Contact: 92339064 (+919633836307) INDIAN Male 25 B.com (graduate) hold 2 years experience as accountant with ERP oracle R12, Tally, focus knowledge. On visit visa immediately available.

Email shabi.hyd@gmail.com Contact- 968-9042-1161 Pakistani male 27 years IT Engineer computer skill ms office, excel, word, net working installation for mating, window, intent and data curtly, Oman experience 2 years. Contact: 94568628 B.S.C, MSC (IT) 7.4, 1 year Al Eassa Al Dayssi L.L.C in Bahrain, 4 years Asma computers system engineer, Chennai 32 age. Content: +918608247110 Email: samad3301@gmail.com IT 8 yrs + GCC experience DW/ Business intelligence Sap oracle data analyst informatica Qlik view immediately available D/L. Contact: 94504554 Email: shijasj@gmail.com Indian male 25 years BSC (C.S) with basic hardware and software knowledge seeks suitable placement now on visit visa.

Contact: 92319677 Email: ismabsc@gmail.com Indian Male, IT System Engineer having 4 yrs of experience in system administration.CCNA,MCSE, Linux. Looking for suitable job.

Contact :91272867 Indian female, B.Tech graduate, with one and half years experience as ‘web developer’ interested in web development and has experience working in HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript and Photoshop.

Contact : 9592 7075, e-mail id: mariarosejacob90@gmail.com

LOGISTICS Indian Male, 36 years, over 16 years’ Stores, Logistics and Import Export, experience with US based MNC, seeks suitable placement.

Mob: 9822 6568

Bangladeshi male, University M.Com, Working as an Accountant & Administrator in Oman; searching better job. Phone: 94864966 Email: sunrisetoiqbal@gmail.com A Filipina lady having experience in call center, airline booking and reservations, secretarial and real estate is now looking for a job in any fields. Contact: 93839304 Indian female on visit MBA (International Business- Marketing & Logistics), BE (Computers & Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/ BW with 1 year experience seeking for job Contact: 90228586 Email:fathimasha16@gmail.com Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement.

Gsm 98805474

MANAGER 20 years experience in Oman plumbing Foreman N.O.C Release available.

Contact: 93054511/95441583 Indian well experienced personal assistant/executive office manager/ senior administrator / commercial executive with license looking for a change. release letter available – 99168054 mbkishore@hotmail.com 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 MBA with 18 years of experience in Procurement, 2 years in Sohar, Oman driving license with vehicle, looking for suitable position.M:94047501, ahmed16071974@gmail.com The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: tenders& real estate& construction & marketing projects& investments & transportation & Marine services& companies management& develop business. Contact: :- 92385033 Operations & Accounts Manager Indian male , 18 years experience in Oman finance, purchase, transport, sales Admin & H.R looking for Sr. Position. Contact: 99889396 Email: srjobsinoman@yahoo.com 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

MEDICAL Male GP Doctor with NOC 6 yrs experience in Oman for perm/locum job. Contact : 97746074 Indian Bsc Female Nurse with 6.5 years exp, 4 years in KSA. Passed Oman Pro Metric with 69%, completed data flow. Presently in Muscat in visit visa looking for a suitable placement.

Contact 94744900, 94742834, jincyalphonese@gmail.com An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license looking for job. # 96436517 /97396088

MEDICAL Female Biomedical Engineer Be with 4 years experience in India, Tamil Nadu ( TN MSC) looking for a job in biomedical hospital Field.

Contact: 92942479 /+918122572471 Indian male Nurse on visit visa having 8.5 years of experience with valid parametric ACLS, BLS dataflow completed seeking jobs in Muscat.

Contact: 96925790/95579716 Email: libinmvarghese@gmail.com Indian male Nurse 32 years Oman parametric and data flow completed 8 yrs emergently experience.

Contact: 92463190 Indian female MBA in health care service, BSN with MOH license looking for a job in hospital. Contact: 94876041 Doctor couple MOH license holders 25 years experience required job in clinic. Contact: 92893243 1Year exp, orthodontist, looking for job, prefers Barka, ready to give exam. Contact -94369280

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Lady Secretary / Sales Co-coordinator 12 years experience in Oman in reputed companies, seek immediate Employment. Call: 95244761

SALES / MARKETING Indian male, 6 years of sales experience in Oman with Oman driving license, NOC / Release available.

Contact: 95440908 Indian male pluming sanitary ware & building materials experience in outdoor sales (9 years) experience with D/L UAE valid visit visa. Contact: 98723456 MBA graduate having 6 years exp in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with PEPSI, India, having international driving license permit seeks suitable placement. Contact : 95308167, Email : samir.pag@gmail.com Indian Male 28 MBA Marketing with 4 years of experience in sales with good communication skills now available in Muscat on visit visa. GSM 95840153 / Mail akbarshareef786@gmail.com MBA (UK) with 2 years experience in Oman seeks placement in Business development / sales.

Omani D/L.Contact: 98108979 Indian male MBA (HR management) bilingual (Arabic / English) Oman experience HR & office manager on visit. Contact: 94663657 Indian female having 10 years experience in logistics & sales coordinator exp in SAP Ms Office valid D/L currently on visit visa looking for suitable placement.

Contact 95251911 Indian male (31 yrs) sales supervisor, total 9 yrs gulf exp, 4 yrs in Oman with valid GCC D/L with NOC, release & transferable visa.

Contact: 94014327 Email: praveenkotian188@gmail.com Indian male with 27 years of rich experience in sales/ marketing in Oman with driving license and proficiency in Arabic language, seeks suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 96725458 Email: ranisadhu@yahoo.com Indian female, MBA Marketing with 4 years experience with NOC & D/L seeks employment with visa.

Contact: 92460623 Indian male 3 years as sales representative looking for suitable placements. Contact: 94420033 Email: ssidisking@gmail.com Indian male 31 years with over 10 years sales & marketing experience seeking suitable placement NOC & Oman D/L available in addition have proficiency in Arabic language. Contact: 95760969 Sales Engineer (M.Eng) Canada five + years Oman market experience with leading brands with D/L. Contact: 93985140 Email: jbom628@gmail.com Indian male, MBA Marketing having 2.5 years Sales experience immediately looking for a suitable position. Contact: 91415145, Email: shariqs88@gmail.com

D6

M O N D AY, F E B R UA RY 2 9, 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED

SITUATION WANTED EDUCATION/COMPUTER/WEBSITE

SALES / MARKETING

IELTS PREPARATION Target Band 8.0

Classes for Spoken English TOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed EAGLES INSTITUTE

MBA / UGC, NET / Male /25 .2 years experience in channel sales / relationship management with a leading Indian telecom company schooling form Oman Now on visit visa. Contact: 96914068 Email: mailanasap@gmail.com

92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: engominst@gmail.com

Male 38 yrs Graduate 07 years experience indoor / outdoor electronic field with D/License & NOC available (as per new rule).

Contact: 92453375 Indian sales marketing professional highly experienced in business development in ME India and Africa seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 97897611 B.Com male 2 yrs experience in sales Computer knowledge, seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98371144 email: nabilnazar22@gmail.com Indian male, Graduate, experienced Sales person (FMCG) with valid UAE driving license, on visit seeks suitable position. Contact 92419491 / 94881950, Email : pranilpp76@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING Marine Services / Business Development having more than 15 Years experience in GCC Countries with Indian Male with experience in Operations Management / Sales and Procurement / Ship Chandling / valid GCC Driving License seeks suitable job. Presently in Oman on Visit Visa. GSM : 9053 55 65, Email : rafi.vprc@gmail.com Pakistani Male having 6 years Experience Valid Omani Driving license working as a Transport Manager looking for a suitable position. Salary is negotiable.

Mob: +96893363316 / 94202746 mohdnaveed043@gmail.com

Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English class for Malayalam Speakers

Indian Male Accountant I have 2 year better experience in accounting field. I can do all my accounts in Tally and Excel searching for suitable job. Contact: contactsubbayan5@gmail.comGSM : +918098637908, +919087776759 Indian female 23 BA economics with computer knowledge looking for the post of Administration dept or day care or sales please Contact 96155921 or Email- fysal.nellaya@gmail.com.

Male Locum Pharmacist with MOH & Driving License. Available on request from March to April 2016; Contact #: +968 9188 5485/+968 9943 8058.

Indian Female, 35years, Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm) with 6months experience and BSc & MA seeking position as Insurance Coordinator or suitable positions in pharmacy, pharmacy stores, hospital, polyclinic & pharmaceutical companies or in front office/ administration office preferably in hospital. Please contact on 90236481.

Indian Female, 24 MA Eng. Litr with 2 yrs experience in teaching & 14 months in Administration cum Secretary, Currently on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact: 92613704/99260702 Email:rohinis2010@gmail.com Indian Male, 26 years, with 7 years of experience in Sales Field in shipping company in Dubai, looking for suitable placement. Experienced working in safety Marine equipment and well versed with MS Office. Contact: 90182494/ manojmallya999@gmail.com 18 years experienced in Shipping, ShipChandling& Marine services.

Valied GCC D/L. Languages Known as English, Arabic, Hindi & Malayalam.Now in Visit Visa.

GSM : 9053 5565 IT professional, B.E. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/ networking/server support/Indoor sales, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/ Server support/Retail sales.

Contact 92607532.

Iraqi Civil Engineer with more than 30 years experience in (Iraq and G.C.C) looking for a job, (N.O.C.) is available. Contact No. 96561306 iq.bgd.mnsr@gmail.com Female Interior Designer 15 months experience design and management skills ( 3D Max, AutoCAD , Photoshop, Illustrator, Coral Draw (Basic) and Sketch up (Basic) and well versed with M.S Office). 24789883 Email: sasd_shirur@yahoo.com,

in Azaiba and Ruwi

• Learn in two months • Satisfaction guaranteed

Tel: 95244310 WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

SITUATION WANTED Indian male 28 years exp as sales executive & asst accountant. With valid Oman driving license .languages known Hindi and English.

Looking for any good job Contact# 96175176

Indian female, holds LLB & Masters in business administration(MBA),2 yrs oman experience as HR & Admin, seeks suitable placement in jobs @ SOHAR. Contact: 96541959

Indian male AUTO CAD Draughtsman (civil) 8 years experience, seeking for part time job.#- 99070584 / email: remluvp@gmail.com

IT professional, B.E. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/ networking/server support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532.

Mechanical Engineer (Indian Male, 24 Years) with three years experience, looking for suitable job. Currently on visit visa, ready to join immediately. # 92175441, Email: ihabeeb24@gmail.com Male Indian 27, working as finance Officer having three years Oman experience with Driving license looking for Finance/Audit/ Accounts position. Mob:98097009, rameesnm@gmail.com Indian male with three years of experience in IT as system administrator seeking for IT administration job placements. Presently in Muscat on visit visa. #90664136 email: szuheabikram@yahoo.com Diploma (Electrical Engineering) from Government polytechnic.

Age 27 years, 6 years Experience in troubleshooting and managing and Technical in substation as a Electrical Engineer. Seek suitable placement. Contact - 92995899, MBA (F), B.COM. Indian female having knowledge of accounts with Tally looking for full or part time job. Presently on family visit visa. Contact: - 96259171. Email: bhumicapandya@gmail.com BS in Civil Engineering Experience: 3 Year (Road Projects) Omani license: 9 Years. #97427701 Email: hassanrvc1989@gmail.com Indian Male, total 8+years gulf experience in Document Controller / Coordinator / Secretary. Looking suitable position. Local release available. CONTACT: 94524259 EMAIL: madhuppnair@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer (Indian Male, 24 Years) with three years experience, looking for suitable job.

Currently on visit visa, ready to join immediately. Contact 92175441, Email: ihabeeb24@gmail.com

Indian male 23 years Diploma in Mechatronic having 3years experience in production and maintenance department looking for suitable placement #+919597008904 (sachin.valappil92@gmail.com) Indian Male, 26 years, with 7 years of experience in Sales Field in shipping company in Dubai, looking for suitable placement.

Experienced working in safety Marine equipment and well versed with MS Office. # 90182494 Accountant. Having 6 years experience in accounts in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat (NOC Available) GSM. 00968-97010584, Email usman7678@yahoo.com Iraqi civil Engineer with more than 30 years experience in (Iraq, U.A.E. and Oman) looking for a job, (N.O.C.) is available.

Contact No. 95626218 Email- amin.sarim007@gmail.com Indian male 26, on vist visa, 2+ yrs of experience with UAE D/L, IATA-FIATA,BBA looking for any suitable job. Contact 91324567 Assistant Manager – Planning (B.Tech EEE): Indian Male, over 10 years( 7+ Yrs in Oman & UAE) of experience in Project Planning & Scheduling, Liaison & Coordination, Budgeting and Client Interaction. Seeking a suitable Job in Muscat. Contact – 00971503529608, Email Id: saravananbe44@gmail.com Diploma in civil engineering having an experience 26years (22years in Oman) experience in Estimator / quantity surveyor looking for a suitable placement.

Willing to join immediately Contact: 96328687.

Indian female, B.Tech graduate, with one and half years experience as ‘web developer’ interested in web development and has experience working in HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript and Photoshop.

Contact 9592 7075, e-mail id: mariarosejacob90@gmail.com Indian Male ,MBA Finance & Marketing 28 yrs,6+ Exp, with oman D/L & NOC, Hospital Pharma ,Herbal ,FMCG, F&B Marketing ,construction A/c & sales , 93379044 33 year old Filipina with experience in Teleperformance, Manila call centre ,now working as Waitress in Qatar seeking suitable post.

Contact 99022484 9 yrs exp Site Engineer in Civil & Shade Structure. 2d, 3d draughtsman (HOLDING OMANI DRIVING LICENSE) seeking job. #90139903 Assistant Manager – Planning (B.Tech EEE): Indian Male, over 10 years( 7+ Yrs in Oman & UAE) of experience in Project Planning & Scheduling, Liaison & Coordination, Budgeting and Client Interaction. Seeking a suitable Job in Muscat. Contact – 00971503529608, Email Id: saravananbe44@gmail.com Bangladeshi Male, University M.Com, Working as an administrator in Oman; searching better job.

Phone:94864966, email: sunrisetoiqbal@gmail.com Bangladeshi Male, University MA, Working as Sales coordinator cum Store keeper in Muscat; searching better job. Phone:91997605.

E mail: mohamednazrulislam2@ gmail.com

Karate and self defense classes at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per month twice a week Monday and Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM. CONTACT 98294551

SITUATION WANTED Indian female 25 yrs, MBA HR & Marketing, with one and half years experience as accountant and 6 months experience in teaching, now on a visit visa, seeking suitable position. Contact: 99624044, mail: np.neethu1@gmail.com.

Bangladeshi Male, University MA, Working as Store keeper in Muscat; searching better job.

Phone:91997605, email: mohamednazrulislam2@gmail.com MBA (F), B.COM. Indian female having knowledge of accounts with Tally looking for full or part time job. presently on family visit visa. Contact :- 96259171. Email:bhumicapandya@gmail.com Indian Male, 27 Years, MBA Finance pursuing, BCA, 6 years working in Airline Cargo Operations, Airline Passenger Ticket Auditing domain, looking for a suitable placement, currently on visit. email: jeevamal89@gmail. com, Phone:- 91713489 9 yrs exp Site Engineer in Civil & Shade Structure. 2d, 3d draughtsman (holding Oman driving license) seeking job. #90139903 B.Com 5yrs experience good command on tally, Excel sheet on family visa. Contact: 98002428 Email: lubnakanwal36@gmail.com Diploma in civil engineering having an experience 26years (22years in Oman) experience in Estimator / quantity surveyor looking for a suitable placement.

Willing to join immediately Contact : 96328687.

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

Electrical Engineer with 11 years experience in Electrical Design (LV&HV) Villas , apartments , seek part time jobs.

Contact -91403412

Indian Male, 26 years, With 7 years of experience in Sales Field in shipping company in “Dubai” , looking for suitable placement. Experienced working in safety Marine equipment and well versed with MS Office. Contact: 90182494, manojmallya999@gmail.com

Pakistani Male having 6 years Experience Valid Omani Driving license working as a Transport Manager looking for a suitable position. salary is negotiable. mail: mohdnaveed043@gmail. com, Mob: +96893363316 / 94202746

Light Duty Driver Professional, Indian male having 5 years of experience with valid Oman driving licence.NOC Available. #91652481 Indian male 25 yrs, MBA (Finance, Marketing), Overall 2 yrs exp in Accounts/Finance field, On Visit Visa. Immediately available.

Contact - 92989197/94786544. abdulqhizer2004@gmail.com Bangladeshi Male, University MA, Working as Store keeper in Muscat; searching better job.

Phone: 91997605, email: mohamednazrulislam2@ gmail.com Electronics service Technician , 4 Years experience as Electronics service engineer. Knowledge in all type of Electronics items. Looking for suitable placement.

GSM- 99105043 Highly experienced mechanical/ steel structural fabrication engineer looking for suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 99860714, hussain20173@gmail.com.

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

Contact 98803439 22, Indian BBA graduate, 1 year experience, presently on visit visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 91881053 Bangladeshi Male, University M.Com.Working as an Administrator cum Accountant in Oman; searching better job.

Phone:94864966, email: sunrisetoiqbal@gmail.com Indian male M. Com 10 years of experience looking for Part time Job can do finalization Contact 97433387 or thodaforme@gmail.com IT professional, B.E. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/ networking/server support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support.

Contact 92607532.

M O N DAY, F E B R UA RY 2 9, 2 0 1 6

D7

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

TOURS

TOURS

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636 We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED ED ONE STOP SHOP BUSINESS SERVICES

DRIVING

RENT A CAR

Public relation services (PRO), Formation new companies, LLC companies, investor visa, business setup, prepare business & companies accounts, legal services, representing you and your company.

TRANSPORTATION

Contact Saleh: 96723485

Transportation in Muscat area.

Contact: 94297820 Ruwi, Muttrah, Al Khuwair, Muscat, Qurum, seek transportation. Contact: 91132238 Transportation. Contact 99508282 /93113534

MV SALE SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED

Nissan pathfinder 2010 model.

Contact: 94521205

Sudanese Mechanical Engineer 26 years old (male) with 4 years experience as Mechanical engineer , Sales engineer and Call center agent seeking suitable placement. Contact: +968.90644235

Honda CRV 2009 Dec model rend for sale 78000 Km full options price 4500/- R.O. Contact: 96530006

Bangladeshi Male, University M.Com Working as an Administrator cum Accountant in man; searching better job. Phone:94864966, email: sunrisetoiqbal@gmail.com

Nissan sunny 2013 model, expat lady driven & well maintained.

Contact: 97100419 Cars for Sale - Mercedes c230 2006 R.O 3600/- Geely Gx2 2015 AT 12400 km R.O 2300/Contact: 97312774

Transportation. Contact 99508282 From Mabela to Mawaleh for school student.

Contact: 92757673 Transportation in Muscat.

Contact: 96004045 Transportation. Contact 92015894 Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909 Transportation. Contact: 99078967

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP specification for monthly rent & small car with driver. Contact 99839898

D8

M O N D AY, F E B R UA RY 2 9, 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 SERVICES Pest control & Building cleaning all kinds of pest control building. Cleaning tiles / Marble polishing monthly/ Yearly contracts available.

Contact: 98814733 /98814740 Al Husn Cleaning L.L.C

SERVICES We Provide Cleaners, Office boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc.

Al Mudakhir National Est. LLC Contact : 94277020 LEGAL SERVICE

Marble tiles grinding & polishing, Mosaic tiles grinding & polishing, carpet shampooing, sofa shampooing, pest control treatment & general cleaning of villa & building.

Express Building Cleaning Services.

An Indian lawyer Provides all legal services in company matters.

Labour issues, contracts, agreements, LLC formation, legal help for starting new business in Oman, Civil, criminal cases,.service issues.

Ibrahim Al Massalhi.legal consultancy Sarafudheen, LLB, MBA, Legal Advisor Muscat. GSM: 97351649

Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089 / 95323517 GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 All maintenance works such as plumbing painting masonry interlock fixing etc. Contact: 91278819 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

Contact 98480070 / 94134784

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807 Marble Crystallization & Grinding, Ocean Center L.L.C. Contact: 99344723 A/C maintenance & servicing, fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, painting & cleaning services, electrical & plumbing. # 99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422 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 House shifting packing.

Contact: 99657644 / 98518013

House shifting. Contact: 99708138 Pest Control Treatments Ocean Center L.L.C. Contact 99344723 Cleaning & Carpet Shampooing Ocean Center L.L.C. Contact 99344723 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722

Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont Maintenance services electric, plumbing and A/C. Contact: 96524904 / 94285064 Split A/C servicing R.O 10 only.

Contact: 94217681 / 99210141 Building maintenance.

Contact: 96173326

MANPOWER