Times of Oman - September 30, 2015

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WEDNESDAY, September 30, 2015 / 16 Dhul Hijja 1436 AH timesofoman.com

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

Students addicted to social media

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New research has highlighted the risk of social media addiction on students. A study by SQU showed many students were addicted to social media. >A3

OMAN

Labourers held for washing clothes

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A group of migrant labourers have been arrested for using a contaminated swimming pool in a farm house to wash clothes for a laundry. >A4

REGION

UAE announces labour reforms

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The UAE announced labour reforms to be enforced from January 1 aimed at curbing abuse and protecting the rights of millions of foreign workers. >A7

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L AT E S T R E P O R T S

1.6m jobs remain untapped in Oman Staff reporter MUSCAT: Some 1.6 million job opportunities have remained untapped by Omanis, even though more than 80 per cent of these jobs only require basic training and skills and not even a university degree, said a senior official.

“Latest reports indicate that there are around 100,000 Omanis registered as jobseekers. It is estimated that the job market in Oman needs to create 50,000 job opportunities per year to cater to new entrants in the job market,” Musab Al Mahruqi, chief executive officer at Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic), said at a ‘People Conference’ on Tuesday.

“On the other hand, there are more than 1.6 million expats working in the private sector in Oman, which represents 87 per cent of the total workers in the private sector. Eighty-nine per cent of the private sector expats do not have a university degree and 88 per cent come from three countries, namely India, Pakistan and Bangladesh,” he noted.

Al Mahruqi made these comments at a conference at Al Bustan Palace held under the patronage of Sheikh Khalid bin Omar Al Marhoon, Minister of Civil Services.

Speakers from more than 15 countries, including former British foreign secretary Jack Straw, attended the meet organised by

Job scenario 100,000

registered Omani jobseekers

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ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

Frustration fuels calls for gas sale rules

50,000

job opportunities needed every year

Consumers complain

Private sector in Oman

about over-pricing Expats

Omanis

13%

87% (1.6M)

and non-delivery of (LPG) cylinders at their doorstep

89%

88%

of the expats working in the private sector do not have a university degree

FAHAD AL GHADANI/REJIMON K

fahadnews@timesofoman.com reji@timesofoman.com come from three countries including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh Graphics

Orpic, based on the theme, “The Power within–New Era of Human Capital,” which highlighted the challenges and opportunities in the field of human resources.

Orpic’s CEO said the conference had been organised to help the participants learn more about the innovative solutions needed to succeed in today’s business environment.>A6

MUSCAT: Their orange opentop trucks are a common sight in Oman but the public is becoming frustrated with roving gas bottle suppliers, with customers saying they are being short-changed, ripped off, and that the industry should be regulated better.

Over-pricing and non-delivery of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders at consumers’ doorstep have led to calls for the authorities to step in and monitor the suppliers.

In many areas of Muscat, suppliers are refusing to deliver LPG

CUSTOMERS CONCERNED: A 22-kg gas cylinder is sold to suppli-

ers for OMR1.9. – Supplied photo

cylinders to customers’ home, even when they are charging extra money to do so.

“We have been forced to collect cylinders from them where they are stationed. Citing trivial reasons, they are refusing to deliver it at the doorstep. It has become quite difficult. There are safety issues too. We have to transport the cylinder in our vehicles and fix it ourselves,” residents in Al Khu-

wair said. A 22-kg gas cylinder is sold to suppliers for OMR1.9; however, consumers claim some are being sold by suppliers for OMR3 or even more, though its price should be OMR2.8 as fixed by the government.

“If they supply it at the doorstep, then OMR3 is okay. But nowadays, even when we buy it from the suppliers’ place, they ask for OMR3,” residents added. >A6

MASSIVE RESPONSE

Ticket sale of Stereophonics show soars Times News Service

Car falls in Wadi Kabir ditch

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MUSCAT: There has been a great response to ticket sales for the Stereophonics Live Concert, according to the organisers.

Gordon Mackenzie, Managing Director of Alive Entertainment said, “We anticipate a sellout concert and urge people to get their

tickets early to avoid being disappointed, even though the show is over a month away.”

November 12 show The Stereophonics Concert will be held at the Shangri La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa Amphitheatre on November 12.

“This time, we offered concert

goers the option to reserve their tickets online well before they became available, ensuring they don’t miss out. The tickets went on sale on the September 22 at Mackenzie’s Café & Deli, an Alive Entertainment partner, in Madinat Qaboos. Online ticket reservations will be held until September 30,” said Mackenzie. >A6

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The agreement represents an embodiment of PDO’s wish to make a positive contribution to developing and empowering Omani citizens Abdul-Amir bin Abdul Hussein Al Ajmi, PDO External Affairs Director

2 Qatar Airways Dreamliners on Muscat route

C O M M U N I T Y I N I T I AT I V E

While one Dreamliner aircraft arrives at the Muscat International Airport every morning, the other arrives in the

HELPING HAND: The initiative aims to build a central database that would match qualified and experienced jobseekers with both public and private sector vacancies free of charge. – Supplied photo

evening from Hamad International Airport, Doha

Qatar Airways Dreamliner Muscat schedule

RAHUL DAS

Mct Doh.................... QR1133 ...................... Dep 0500 ......................Arr 0540 Mct Doh.................... QR1135 ...................... Dep 2330 ......................Arr 2359 Doh Mct.................... QR1132 ...................... Dep 0115 ........................Arr 0355 Mct Doh.................... QR1134 ...................... Dep 1950 .......................Arr 2225

rahuldas@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Qatar Airways said on Tuesday it has already placed two Dreamliner aircraft into service in Oman, with two flights a day departing from the Muscat International Airport.

Speaking to the Times of Oman, Qatar Airways’ Country Manager Oman, Joegendra Rajadurai, said while one Dreamliner arrives daily at the Muscat International Airport in the morning, the other arrives in the evening from Hamad International Airport, Doha.

“Both the aircraft have 232 economy and 22 business-class seats,” he pointed out.

Qatar Airways has 254 custommade seats across its 787 business and economy class cabins with specially designed interiors. The business class is configured in a 1–2–1 layout, with 22 seats, while the economy class has 232 seats in a 3–3–3 layout.

He added that Qatar Airways

PDO signs pact for ‘Mujeed’ to facilitate jobseekers Times News Service

has a total of 22 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which fly to all major destinations around the world.

“From Doha, passengers can fly on these aircraft to the United States, the Indian subcontinent, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia,” he said.

Besides this, Qatar Airways has 38 Dreamliner aircraft on order, which will be delivered in phases.

Qatar Airways recently announced plans to increase the number of its flights to several destinations in Europe.

The Doha-based carrier said that from December 1, flights from Doha to Stockholm will expand from 10 times a week service to 13 flights per week, resulting in a capacity increase of 30 per cent on the route.

The increase is seasonal and valid until March 25, 2016, the

airline said, adding that a doubledaily service will also be operated every day, except on Wednesday, by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Qatar Airways’ flight network to Scandinavia will be further enhanced with the expansion of flights to Copenhagen from December 2.

The airline will also increase frequencies from an 11-time weekly service to doubling daily flights, representing an increase of almost 30 per cent in additional seats every week. “All flights will be operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner,” it said.

On December 4, five years after the introduction of the route, flights from Doha to Brussels will also be ramped up from seven to eight times a week.

Qatar Airways also plans to introduce a Dreamliner flight to Kolkata in India from December.

MUSCAT: As part of its National Objectives programme to create well-paid employment and training opportunities for Omani jobseekers, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has signed a cooperation agreement with Apex E-Commerce LLC to oversee the “Mujeed” community initiative.

The initiative aims to build a central database that would match qualified and experienced jobseekers with both public and private sector vacancies free of charge. The agreement was signed by PDO External Affairs Director, Abdul-Amir bin Abdul Hussein Al Ajmi and Ahmed bin Salim Al Siyabi, chief executive officer of Apex E-Commerce LLC. Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Apex E-Commerce LLC, through the Mujeed initiative, will collaborate with PDO’s National Objectives programme.

The programme aims to create 7,000 job opportunities in the private sector for young Omanis each year up to 2020, through direct employment and on-the-job training. The company will also work with the Mujeed initiative to promote vacancies through its digital platforms.

Empowering citizens Al Ajmi said, “The agreement represents an embodiment of PDO’s wish to make a positive contribution to developing and empowering Omani citizens by helping them enhance their skills to meet industry requirements.”

The Mujeed website is also looking for an opportunity to promote their capabilities and qualifications and enables employers to find suitable Omani jobseekers to fill any vacancies they might have.

Apex CEO Al Siyabi, who is also the Supervisor of the Mujeed initiative, said: “The signing of this

agreement is a concrete translation of community responsibility to which both PDO and Apex ECommerce LLC are committed so as to contribute to local community development by training and qualifying young Omanis and empowering them to be in charge of the country’s development to which all members of society are contributing. This will undoubtedly uplift both the citizens and the nation.”

“We express gratitude to PDO for extending bridges of cooperation and for providing us with the opportunity to take part in society building. We also value PDO’s continued support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).”

Since 2011, PDO’s National Objectives team has generated more than 15,000 job and training opportunities through its contractors for Omanis in the oil and gas industry and various construction engineering areas, such as civil, mechanical and electrical.

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SQU study highlights social apps addiction A study carried out

by Sultan Qaboos

If this level of addiction is continued into the students’ working years, there may be a similar impact on their work and on their health

University (SQU) on its health science students showed many were addicted to the use of social networking websites

Staff Reporter MUSCAT: New research has highlighted the risk that social media addiction can have on students in Oman.

A study carried out by Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) on its health science students showed many were addicted to the use of social networking websites, which could hit the quality of their work and on healthcare delivery, a new research reveals.

Students were questioned about their use of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. They were asked to rank their responses to emotional statements, based on the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale, including whether they become restless or troubled if prohibited from using the social networking site, if they felt an increasing urge to use the site, and whether they tried to cut down on their use of the site without success. The study, published in the latest issue of the SQU Medical Journal, involved 81 medical and laboratory science students at SQU. Based on the students’ responses, the rates of addiction were calculated according to two sets of well-known addiction criteria.

Dr Ken Masters Assistant Professor of Medical Informatics at SQU

According to the first criteria, 47.2 per cent of the students were addicted to YouTube, 33.3 per cent to Twitter and 14.2 per cent to Facebook. The second criteria showed lower corresponding addiction rates of 13.8 per cent, 12.8 per cent and 6.3 per cent.

The study revealed that YouTube was used by 100 per cent of the surveyed students, while 91 per cent used Facebook and 70.4 per cent used Twitter.

“Generally, the surveyed students’ usage and addiction rates are similar to the rest of the world, but there is a concern that this rate of addiction may impact negatively on the students’ ability to work,” said Dr Ken Masters, the author of the study and an Assistant Professor of Medical Informatics at SQU. “If this level of addiction is continued into the students’ working years, there may be a similar impact on their work and on their health,” Masters added.

Masters stated that these rates of addiction are concerning because the overuse of the internet and social networking has been associated with increased neuroticism, narcissism and aggression, and decreased conscientiousness, honesty, humility and agreeableness. “One can see that these qualities are opposite to what we would want in health professionals,” he added.

However, the study also showed that when work-related social networking was taken into consideration, rates of addiction almost halved. This meant that, of those students deemed addicted to YouTube, Facebook or Twitter, approximately half were only ‘addicted’ to using the sites for work and study-related reasons, rather than for leisure.

This finding surprised the study’s author, who said it highlighted an interesting social issue.

“High usage of social networking sites is generally seen in a

CAR FALLS INTO DITCH A car fell into a channel dug up for laying a pipeline near the Wadi Kabir Lulu outlet. No details of injuries or causalities in the accident were available at the time of going to press. More details are awaited. - Photo Mukesh MG/Times of Oman Reader

F O R M E R B R I T I S H F O R E I G N S E C R E TA RY

Oman can ‘indirectly’ help resolve Syria crisis: Straw ated the release of six people taken hostage by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Straw said that in order to resolve the situation in Yemen, both Saudi Arabia and Iran should be involved and it is ‘frustrating’ that the United States and others were trying to ‘push Iran away’.

He added that he has always been in the ‘forefront’ of the efforts to engage with Iran.

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman can ‘indirectly’ play a role in resolving the Syrian crisis, according to former British foreign secretary Jack Straw, who also says he cannot criticise Gulf countries’ policies on refugees.

Straw, who served as foreign secretary between 2001 and 2006, participated in the People Conference held in Muscat on Tuesday under the theme ‘The Power within – New Era of Human Capital’.

Asked if Oman can play a role in resolving the crises in Syria and Yemen, he told reporters, “In Syria, indirectly.”

In Syria, you need Russia and other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Straw said. Straw said he believes that there has to be a conversation with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad to resolve the situation.

Regarding the Yemen crisis, he said that of course Oman and Yemen share borders but added, “I do not know enough about

Former British foreign secretary Jack Straw. – Talib Al Wahibi

Yemen.” However, he noted that there should be some kind of accommodation or political settlement in the country.

Oman’s efforts Oman, which has not joined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, has repeatedly called for an end to the war in the country before it becomes a serious threat to the security of the region and has urged Yemeni parties to sort out their differences.

A recent example of Oman’s diplomacy came when it announced that it had negoti-

Refugee crisis Asked about the fact that Gulf countries have been criticised for their policies on refugees, Straw said, “I’m not gonna criticise Gulf countries. Each country gotta make its own decision.”

Europe has got itself into a ‘mess’, he said, adding that some of the people involved are ‘genuine refugees’ but some of them are ‘economic migrants’ who are no different from the economic migrants from other countries like India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Straw believes that the problem will not be solved by encouraging more people to come to Europe.

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negative light, and plenty of news stories talk about how bad it is that our youth use these networking sites so much.

But why do we get upset when they use it this often for pleasure, when we are perfectly accepting of their high usage for work? I think this says something about society’s values, and the values that we currently instil in our youth.”

The SQU Medical Journal study concluded that, regardless of whether students were using these social networking sites for leisure or for work and study, intervention is needed to turn around this potentially harmful trend.

Meanwhile, a Muscat-based psychologist said that excess use of social networking sites will also lead to behavioural disorders, especially among children.

“Children who are spending more time on social networking sites will be having less person to person contact, which will affect their mental and physical growth.

They won’t be able to handle real life situations in a practical way.

It will affect their studies, too,” JeenaBeneesh, a Muscat-based psychologist, said.

“Of course, I agree that social media will enhance our connectivity and socialisation, but it will make us addictive, too. Social media makes us compare our lives with others, makes us restless, gives rise to cyber-bullying, glamorizes drug use and can make us unhappy, too,” Jeena added.

Recently, school, college and university teachers in Oman have supported the idea of banning the messaging app in classrooms.

They voiced their opinions through their responses during a study conducted by Omani researcher Modin Al Balushi on the effect of WhatsApp on college and university students, which revealed a high level of usage of the social networking app by students.

DIPLOMACY

Oman-Russia ties hailed MUSCAT: On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishing of diplomatic relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the Russian Federation, Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, exchanged greeting cables with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavarov, during which they expressed their satisfaction for the

high level of bilateral relations and constant coordination in international issues of mutual interest.

The two ministers affirmed their keenness to develop bilateral relations and joint cooperation in fields that serve the interests of both parties. The joint communique establishing the diplomatic relations between the two countries was signed on September 26, 1985. -ONA

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Hani Shaker, Wael Jassar, Hussein Al-Adhami and Asma Al-Menawar will sing selected group of the most famous Arabic songs Royal Oman Opera House statement

CRIME

Expats arrested for washing clothes in a swimming pool Times News Service MUSCAT: A group of migrant labourers have been arrested for using a contaminated swimming pool in a farm house to wash clothes for a laundry, the Public Authority for Consumer Protection said.

After investigations and follow ups, the officers had found that the labourers were washing these clothes for a laundry store. The laundry has been closed until further notice.

Judicial officers from the Directorate of Consumer Protection in SERVICE SECTOR

Oman’s first online ticket portal launched

The danger of mixing clothes could lead to skin diseases and rashes. The workers also did not separate the clothes based on colour, material and washing requirements said the labourers had violated Article 3 of the Consumer Protection Law, which states that, “It shall be prohibited to trade in any commodity or provide any services without meeting all the special health and safety conditions and obtaining the licences or

Seeb, who carried out the arrest, said the arrested expatriates were endangering the health and safety of the consumers.

The law Ziad Al Wahaibi, Deputy Director of Consumer Protection in Seeb,

permits from the competent body in the manner stipulated by the regulations.”

“The danger of mixing clothes could lead to skin diseases and rashes. The workers also did not separate the clothes based on colour, material and the way they (clothes) should be washed,” said Al Wahaibi.

In a similar case in Dhofar, officers arrested another expatriate labourer, who had transformed her farm into a laundry dumping ground without obtaining a proper licence.

VIOLATION OF LAW: The labourers were found washing clothes for a laundry store. -Photo courtesy @pacp_oman via twitter

ROHM lines up musical gems for its new season

MUSCAT: Entries for the Migration Advocacy and Media (MAM) Awards 2015 have been invited by the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Muscat.

Conceived in 2011 by the Philippine Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) for the December Celebration of the Month of Overseas Filipinos and International Migrants Day in the Philippines, the MAM Awards aim to recognise the significant role of the media in the promotion and advocacy of various issues on migration and development.

The work of any individual, government or private media outlet, institution and practitioner in the fields of print, radio, movie and television, advertising and internetbased media in the Philippines or abroad is eligible for the award.

will provide the opera fans with the opportunity to listen to international stars in music, opera and Arabic singing

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman’s first online ticketing portal, www.skyoman. com, has been launched, which will make it easier for customers to book and buy air tickets online.

“It aims to offer the best travel alternatives at the mere click of a button, thereby facilitating quick reservation of air tickets,” said an official.

The website’s flight booking will also ease passengers’ travel experience in easy steps. It provides a display of the best travel deals offered by nine airlines, arranged in ascending order of the cheapest fares available, from which the passenger can choose the most suitable deal that falls within their budget.

“The website has an efficient payment gateway enabling proper payment transactions and security systems. The customer is provided with two modes of payment, allowing them to choose between online payment and direct payments at the office,’ the official added. ‘Pay at office’ provides an opportunity to customers, who cannot make online payments via credit or debit cards.

Those who opt for this mode of payment should collect and pay for the tickets within 48 hours after making the reservation. “What sets us apart is that there will be absolutely no service charges involved,” according to an official.

P.N. Rajeev, managing director at skyoman.com said, “Our website focuses on providing an easy and simple way for the passengers to purchase their tickets anytime, anywhere. All it takes is just four simple steps and in no time at all, they get their tickets.”

Philippines embassy invites entries Times News Service

The performances

The website focuses on providing an easy and simple way for the passengers to purchase their tickets anytime, anywhere, said P.N. Rajeev, managing director at skyoman. com. – Supplied photo

MEDIA WORLD

MUSCAT: Several surprises are in store this year for the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) schedule for the 2015– 2016 season. The season will see varied performances and concerts to be conducted by many Arab and international stars who will present different kinds of elevated Arabic and international musics.

The performances will provide the opera fans with the opportunity to listen to international stars in music, opera and Arabic singing. Hani Shaker, Wael Jassar, Hussein Al-Adhami and Asma Al-Menawar will sing selected group of the most famous Arabic songs. Each one of them will present a selected group of their most important songs and classics of Arab singing.

Turandot Symphony At the beginning of October, the Royal Opera House will present Turandot Symphony by Giacomo Puccini. It is one of the most important works of Puccini who did not manage to complete it during his lifetime. The symphony was first performed in 1926 after another composer completed its last part. The symphony is based on a play carrying the same name that was written by the Italian playwright Carlo Gotsa in 1762.

In an Arabic music evening, the Lebanese singer Wael Jassar will present a selection of his most famous songs for his fans on 11 October. Jassar is famous for his sweet and tender voice that captivated the hearts and his ability to present the songs of the giant old singer in a new special tone.

Omani Women’s Day In its special way, the Royal Opera House will celebrate the Omani Women’s Day on October 17. It will present a selected group of the most beautiful local and international artistic genres presented to the Omani women in its annual day, in collaboration with the Egyptian singer Hani Shaker, the guest of honour. In the next day, the prince of Arab singing will sing his most famous songs;

FOR LOVE OF ART: Under the title of ‘45 years of loyalty and love melodies’, the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) will organise a distinguished party for some famous Omani and Arab singers. The party will continue for two consecutive days of love for Oman. – Supplied photo

in addition to a selected group of the authentic classical songs.

Under the title of “45 years of loyalty and love melodies”, the Royal Opera House will organise a distinguished party for some famous Omani and Arab singers. The party will continue for two consecutive days of love for the Oman.

The Cuban ballet band performs, on October 29 and 30, the famous international classical ballet show “Don Quixote”.

On November 4, the Royal Opera House presents for its fans a technical performance on the theatre that introduces them to the technical, sound and theatrical backgrounds of the Royal Opera House Theater.

Over three days, the Omani military teams will present a free distinguished performance for the public at the Medan Square.

Following this, the Royal Opera House will present the Gypsy’s Princess Symphony for Emric Kalman. On November 29 and 30, Parma Opera and Ballet Theatre presents present the (Tears Fountain) Symphony derived from a poem carrying the same name for the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin who wrote in 1823.

It is one the most ancient symphonies presented on the ballet theatres in Russia.

The Royal Opera House complements its educational role in the Omani community by holding a seminar about the Oud on December 2.

The seminar will be followed by the Oud International Festival during which two big parties will be held. Famous Arab artists will participate in this festival to embody the spirit of the Oud at the

Royal Opera House.

On December 13, 14 and 15, the Royal Opera House will take its fans in an enjoyable journey across Madrid including Zaswilla performances of Canal Theater.

Sondra Radfanovski sings her famous melodies on Friday, December 18 in a musical ceremony.

Artist Maher Zein will sing in two parties to be held on December 20 and 21 at Medan Square at the Royal Opera House.

The Social Club Orchestra at Buena Fista will present a performance on December 27 for Havana musicians who won Grammy prize and succeeded in disseminating Cuba’s traditional voice in the world.

December will be concluded with a musical concert with Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra with the tenor Michael Shadi, the soprano Fatimah Said and the violinist Anna Tefu leaded by the Musician David Levy.

The First Royal Music and Folklore Band will present on 5 January an outdoor performance at the Medan square. It will include the most beautiful folkloric songs, music and dances.

Anoushka Shankar On Thursday, January 7, Anoushka Shankar plays the most tender melodies of the Indian Raja music. On January 14-16, Lucia di Lammermoor Opera of Gatiano Donizini will be presented. On January 19, international Baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky presents a musical concert that includes some Italian and Russian works of famous composers. Pianist Elen Gremo from the Room Orchestra in Basel, presents on

January 21 some piano Concerto pieces of Bach and Mozart.

Under the title of “Africa’s Golden Voice”, the musician Salif Keita will present a distinguished concert during which he will preview his art course with the African Jazz Music.

On February 2, the Royal Opera House will commemorate the anniversary of Om Kolthoum, the Arab Singing Deva in the Kolthoumiat concert to be presented by the Syrian artist Shahd Bermda and the Moroccan artist Asma Al-Menawar.

Iraq has a space in the Opera’s nights. An evening will be organised on February 6 to commemorate the authentic Iraqi songs with artist Hussein Al-Adhami and Baidar Al-Bassri.

The Royal Opera House presents on February 17, 19 and 20 the famous comedian opera Elixir of Love, composed by the international composer Donizini. It recounts the story of a farmer in his pursuit for love. Ornita Dancing Theater presents on January 25 and 26 the lyric dancing performance “Silk Road” that tells the tale of an Arab rover who is acquainted with the different cultures, arts and countries through the Silk Road.

Silent cinema age The Royal Opera House presents various performances. It shows on Thursday, March 3 the General Movie of Buster Keaton with a live play on the organ.

It is a journey to the silent cinema age that combines the General movie of the comedian actor and director Buster Keaton accompanied by a live play.

Submission date Entries must have raised public awareness on issues of Filipino migration, advocated the cause of Filipinos overseas, or/and promoted a positive image of Filipinos overseas. Entries for the awards must be submitted on or before October 15. Attached, for reference, is relevant information on the awards.

For further information, please contact MAM Awards Secretariat at telephone nos.: (+632) 5524763, telefax no.: (+632) 561-8332, or e-mail at mamawards@cfo.gov. ph or visit the CFO website: www. cfo.gov.ph.

QURUM

Fire evacuation drill organised at City Centre Times News Service MUSCAT: It was a world class display of safety standards and emergency preparedness as the City Centre Qurum, a family destination of choice developed by Majid Al Futtaim, organised a complete mock evacuation and fire suppression drill, in coordination with the Civil Defence.

The drill was organised and carried out by the operations department of the mall management, and Carrefour Security, with the participation of the Civil Defence Department. More than 330 participants were evacuated from the venue during the four-minute drill, which involved a number of real life scenarios, with ambulances and role play casualties that simulated possible emergency situations.

W E AT H E R T R E N D S

Windy day in Muscat; hailstorm and rain in Jebel Akdhar, Ibri REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: While it was windy in Muscat, hailstorm fell in Jebel Akdhar and residents in Ibri and surrounding areas witnessed rains on Tuesday evening.

“Late in the afternoon, it was raining in Madha, Yanqul, Hammra and Ibri.

“There were even hailstorm in Jebel Akdhar,” said Bader Ali Al Baddaei, an administrator of www.rthmc.net, a local Web-based forum that discusses weather trends in Oman.

“Some wadis are overflowing in the interior areas of Ibri,” Bader added.

More predicted Meanwhile, Mohammed Al Battashi, another weather enthusiast in Muscat, also confirmed that late in the afternoon there was rain in Ibri.

According to Oman meteorology’s advisory, there will be thunderstorms in Buraimi, Rustaq, Ibra, Madha, Samail, Bahla, Ibri and Nizwa .

There will also be thunderstorms in Suwaiq, Mudhaibi,

Saiq, Al Amerat, Yanqul, Quriyat, Bidbid, Saham, Jabal Shams, Al Khaburah, Al Hamra and Izki .

In its 48 hour forecast, the meteorology department has predicted chances of clouds development and isolated rain over Al-Hajar mountains and adjoining areas.

Last week, Dr. Saeed Al Sarmi, the head of the Research Centre from Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA), told the Times of Oman, said that due to El Niño effect, higher–than-normal rainfall is expected in Oman in the RAIN FORECAST: In its 48 hour forecast, the meteorology department has predicted chances of clouds coming four months. and isolated rain over Al-Hajar mountains and adjoining areas. – Bader Ali Al Baddaei / Mohammed Al Battashi

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Indian School Muscat plans own transport Fitted with all the safety features, the school-managed buses will pick up children from various parts of the city from early next year NEW SYSTEM: The buses will also ensure the safety of children, with features like IVMS, seat belts, emergency doors etc. – File photo

Times News Service MUSCAT: One of the largest co-educational institutions in the Gulf region, Indian School Muscat, with more than 9,300 students, is planning to introduce a school-managed transport system from 2016.

Fitted with all safety features, the buses running under the new system will pick up children from various parts of the city from early next year.

“For this, we have initiated a transport survey to find out how many children are interested in taking the school-managed transport to school,” said Wilson George, chairman, board of directors, Indian schools in Oman.

He also said that all buses would be equipped with safety measures as outlined by the transport governing body of the school and the buses will be either be new or less than five years old.

“It will have assistants to monitor the children and will help the driver in picking and dropping the children at their door step. The new system will also ensure the safety of the children, with fea-

tures like IVMS, seat belts, emergency doors etc.

“Besides that all the drivers will have to undergo defensive training and the number of children riding the buses will be strictly limited to the seating capacity and as per Royal Oman Police and Ministry of Education guidelines,” George said.

The primary objective of starting the new system is to impart safety and comfort to the children, reduce the traffic congestion, and streamline the free flow of vehicles in the Darsait area.

“It will be operated fully under the guidelines given by the Ministry of Education, Muscat Municipality and the Royal Oman Police (ROP) and will help reduce the number of cars coming to drop-off and pick up children, which has become a concern off late.

“We are already in touch with Ministry of Education and ROP in this regard and they have encouraged us and offered all support to the project,” he said.

The coordination team will

initiate a tender process and then award the tender to a private operator after seeing the response from parents and children. “We can award the tender to more than one private operator also as ISM has more than 9,300 students,” he said.

Earlier, the Indian School, Darsait and the Indian School, Al Mabela had signed an agreement with a private operator for the safe transportation of its students and the service is being used by more than 1,000 students.

“We wanted to run the project successfully in smaller schools before we thought of launching it at Indian School Muscat, which is touted as one of the largest co-educational institution in the Gulf,” George stated.

He also hoped that more and more parents would opt for this transport system as safe and secure transportation is being offered to their children.

“Once the survey is finished, we will be able to estimate as to how many buses will ply on which routes,” he added.

A5

OMAN TRC FUNDED EVENT

GUtech workshop discusses flood mapping in Sultanate Times News Service MUSCAT: In the framework of a joint hydrology and GIS research project entitled, “Towards a floodresilient Omani Society: Improved Tools for Flood Management,” GUtech hosted a one-day workshop on flood mapping recently.

The inter-disciplinary research project, which started in February this year, was funded by ‘The Research Council (TRC)’ and was being planned for last three years.

“The workshop at GUtech was part of a work package on data visualisation. It was about gain-

ing an understanding of current flood mapping practices in Oman.

We discussed the availability and the use of flood maps by different stakeholders, the differences between different map types, e.g. flood hazard maps and flood risk maps, as well as flood map content and layout,” said Associate Prof.

Dr. Adrijana Car, who is leading the research project package related to data visualization, along with her colleagues from different departments at GUtech, Associate Prof Dr. Ekkehard Holzbecher (Applied Geosciences - Hydrogeology) and Associate Prof Dr. Nabil

Sahli (Computer Sciences), and Dr. Edda Kalbus, former professor of Applied Geosciences at GUtech (Hydrogeology).

Employees from the government sector, the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, the Muscat Municipality, the Supreme Council for Planning, ESRI Muscat and GUtech, also participated in the workshop.

Prof. Adrijana has extensive experience in GIS education and application in various projects around the world and has been teaching GIS at the University of Salzburg, Austria.

A6

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5 During this year’s roadshow in Europe, we have included additional networking events and will be visiting new cities to enable us to develop new leads and build relationships Trevor McCartney, OCEC General Manager

OMAN

ECONOMIC EXCHANGE

SAFETY CONCERNS

A1 Customers complain of being ‘fleeced’ < FROM

Another customer in the Qantab area said: “The delivery man came after we assured him OMR5 for the gas cylinder, but even then he gave us a poor quality gas tap that leaked and then snapped off the moment we tried to tighten it.

When we went to the Wadi Kabir gas distribution centre, we were told that it was of a poor quality and a counterfeit piece.

“Customers must ensure the safety and quality of the product being delivered to them for the amount they are being charged, after all this is a that gas we are talking about.”

A plant manager from Muscat Gas told the Times of Oman that individuals are not supposed to transport cylinders in their vehicles. “There are safety issues involved in that. And as far as I know, it is prohibited by the government too,” Marwan Daud, the Wadi Kabir plant

manager at Muscat Gas, said.

Meanwhile, a source at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said there is no clear regulation that forces gas cylinder suppliers to deliver the cylinders at the customers’ doorstep.

Regulate the process “The ministry can only regulate the process of obtaining the licence and method of collecting a cylinder from the distributor.

Once the supplier takes the delivery, we don’t have any control in their dealings with the customers,” said the source.

He added that the supplier might accept to deliver the cylinders at the doorstep for an extra charge.

On the other hand, a source at the Muscat Municipality said the body could not play any role in managing the pricing.

“We have a number of regula-

OCTOBER 2

Sultanate to celebrate Day of Non-Violence Times News Service MUSCAT: In conjunction with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the United Nations International Day of Non-Violence will be celebrated in Oman on October 2. Through a resolution passed on June 15, 2007, October 2 was declared as the UN International Day of Non-Violence.

The resolution was supported by more than 140 countries and is a reflection of the universal respect for Mahatma Gandhi and of the enduring relevance of his philosophy of non-violence.

Gandhi’s relevance The resolution reaffirms “the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence” and the desire “to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and nonviolence.”

The Embassy of India, together with the Rajyoga Centre for Self

Development, will organise an event on the occasion on October 2, from 7pm to 9pm at the Indian Embassy Chancery Auditorium.

Dignitaries Several dignitaries from Oman, including diplomats from various countries, UN agencies, government officials, businessmen and school children are expected to attend this high profile event.

The speakers will include Dr. Ali Saud Al Bemani, Vice Chancellor of the Sultan Qaboos University and the keynote speaker will be B K Arti from Brahma Kumaris Inner Space, London. The Omani youth forum “Y-Peer” will also present a creative art form, based on the theme of non-violence and the students of Indian School Muscat, will stage a dance-drama, underscoring the importance of peace and nonviolence.

The event will conclude with a message from young students.

YOU N G P O P U L AT I O N

A1 ‘Free market’ < FROM

Oman is a country of opportunities with a young population, Al Mahruqi said, adding, “Oman should adopt a free market approach and therefore we will have the opportunity to start where nations ended.”

“We need to build ‘agile’ organisations so we can beat ‘volatility’ and the ‘unpredictable’ world of today,” he noted.

In a speech delivered at the conference, the former British diplomat said there are challenges facing organisations and its employees, which could cause all investment to disappear overnight and undermine the morale of the organisation.

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the recent scandal involving Volkswagen’s cheating on diesel emissions tests were cited as examples by Straw to support his claims.

Commenting on Volkswagen’s issues, he said the company was facing legal and financial issues due to this case and had highlighted the importance of a system within an organisation, where people at all levels could speak truth to the higher authorities.

In addition, he said the BP case showed the importance of being prepared for ‘unexpected’ situations through an ‘effective system’ aimed at minimising the damage.

tions in place on the vehicle used to transfer the cylinders, including its colour and all,” said the source.

“If a supplier is stationing his vehicle in public places to sell cylinders, violating the rules, then we can book them. Such acts will be penalized even though the municipality is quite flexible with such issues,” said the source.

According to Muscat Gas, around 8,000 cylinders are sold in Muscat per day by two main companies, including theirs.

Meanwhile, an official from the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulances (PACDA) said there is no big risk in transporting a gas cylinder in a private vehicle.

Gas cylinders “The authority has passed a regulation only for the trucks, which are transporting gas cylinders, because they are carrying a number of gas cylinders. However, trans-

porting one or two gas cylinders in a private vehicle is not a big issue,” said the official.

While talking about gas cylinder-related fire accidents, the official said disregard to safety measures is the main cause for such accidents. “Most fire accidents happen only because the consumer has neglected the safety measures,” said the official.

New valves The official also added that the authority had entrusted the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to study the introduction of new gas valves in the market.

“The new valve will be quite easier and safer because with the click of a button, the consumer will be able to fix it by himself,” said the official, adding that the new valve is safer as it has an automatic lock that stops gas flow when there is a leak.

Oman, Iran discuss plan to form joint investment firms TEHRAN: An Omani economic delegation from Duqm Economic Zone, under the leadership of Yahya bin Said Al Jabri, held a joint meeting with the delegation of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines (ICCIM), headed by Jalal Mohsen Pour in Tehran on Tuesday.

Joint cooperation During the meeting, the two sides discussed the prospects of joint cooperation in the economic fields and discussed a proposal to form joint investment companies between the Sultanate of Oman and Iran and emphasised the importance of trade and economic exchanges to long-term

economic cooperation. The head of the Iranian side said that it is possible to invest hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years in infrastructure, mining and industry in the Duqm Economic Zone.

He added that the Omani-Iranian joint companies will also be able to invest in the region. Jalal Mohsen Pour Chairman of ICCIM also suggested to the Omani economic delegation to invest in Iranian tourism industry.

The Omani economic delegation currently visiting the Islamic Republic of Iran continued its meetings with a number of officials of the free trade zones and Iranian investors. -ONA

Omran, Bank Sohar ink deal to build hotel The new four-star hotel will be operated

by Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, which is part of the InterContinental Hotel Group

Times News Service MUSCAT: A funding agreement valued at OMR30.6 million was signed here between the state-owned Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) with Bank Sohar for building the Crowne Plaza Hotel within the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) precinct.

Bank Sohar will act as the chief financial partner for the development of the hotel.

The signing ceremony was held at Omran’s headquarters in Al Khuwair on September 28, said a company release.

The new four-star hotel will be operated by Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, which is part of the InterContinental Hotel Group.

The hotel, currently under construction, includes state-ofNOVEMBER 12 CONCERT

< FROM

Welsh

A1 band

He added, “Purchasing tickets remains offline for this event, but we are working to make it even easier and more convenient for our event guests, as we look to add an online ticketing option in the near future.”

Sellout concert Attributing the success of their previous concerts to local fans, Mackenzie said, “After a sellout concert featuring Ed Sheeran, we continue to have a great response from the fans.

It is the fans that make it possible for us to produce such events, and we look forward to their continued support. In the future, we plan to bring in artists offering varied types of music to meet everyone’s tastes.”

“Our sponsors also play a pivotal role in making these events successful. Event sponsors get a great deal of exposure, especially with the wide range of people attending the event and unprecedented coverage, with the help of our media partners,” noted Mackenzie.

Band members include Kelly Jones (lead vocals and guitar), Richard Jones (bass guitar and backing vocals), Adam Zindani (guitar and backing vocals), Jamie Morrison (drums) and touring member Tony Kirkham (keyboards).

Show time Doors for the concert open at 7pm and the show starts at 9pm.

GREAT HOSPITALITY: The hotel, currently under construction, will add an additional 296 keys to hotel offerings in the Sultanate.

the-art food and beverage outlets, meeting facilities and a health and leisure club, and will add an additional 296 keys to hotel offerings in the Sultanate.

Great synergy “This agreement represents great synergy between Omran and the banking sector in the Sultanate. As our financing partner for the new Crowne Plaza hotel at the OCEC precinct, Bank Sohar will play an important role in the development of one of the most comprehensive and modern conference and exhibition centres in the region. The new Crowne Plaza hotel will add significant guest capacity to the hospitality offerings in Muscat, allowing us to welcome

a greater number of business visitors to the Sultanate,” said Ali bin Nasser Al Rasbi, acting chief executive officer of Omran.

“Such an agreement underscores the confidence of major institutions in the nation’s rapidly growing tourism sector.

“We are pleased to join hands with Bank Sohar on a development that forms such a major component in this project of national significance.”

Financial model “The agreement is part of the financial model pursued by Omran whereby private institutions will work hand-in-hand with the government on commercial projects. We are currently looking at

a similar model of funding for the upcoming JW Marriott Hotel also under development at the OCEC, which like the Crowne Plaza, is scheduled for completion in 2017.

Creating increased hotel capacity is a priority for Oman and such agreements are necessary in order to achieve this.

“Together with our partners, Omran will strive to develop unique tourist destinations and innovative urban environments, such as the OCEC, destinations that enhance the Sultanate’s leisure and business offerings,” he added.

The agreement was signed by Said Al Qasmi, chief project officer of OCEC on behalf of Omran and Rashad Ali Al Musafir, acting CEO of Bank Sohar, at an event attended by senior officials from Omran and Bank Sohar.

Also present at the event were representatives from the National Bank of Oman and Ahli Bank, which are acting as financial consultants and Al Busaidy, Mansoor Jamal & Co. (AMJ) which is acting as a legal advisor for the Crowne Plaza development.

As with all projects under construction by Omran and within OCEC, the hotel is being built according to the highest standards of environmental sustainability and is designed to meet the criteria set under the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification awarded by the US-based Green Building Council.

P R E PA R AT I O N S O N

Europe roadshow to showcase Oman convention centre Times News Service MUSCAT: Final preparations are being made for the third annual roadshow in Europe starting from October 5, to present the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) as a venue for conferences, congresses and exhibitions, and Oman as a tourist destination.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, the European roadshow will involve a series of events for key decision makers and professional associations across a variety of industries.

The itinerary will include Berlin, Brussels, Geneva and Milan, which are the cities that host high numbers of industry associations.

In Milan, the roadshow will take advantage of the Sultanate’s Milan Expo 2015 pavilion, designed to offer a taste of Oman’s authentic charm and an introduction to its wide-ranging tourism and investment opportunities.

“During this year’s roadshow in Europe, we have included additional networking events and will be visiting new cities to enable us to develop new leads and build relationships with organisers and associations,” said Trevor McCartney, OCEC General Manager.

“Our aim is to share the remarkable proposition of the OCEC and our passion for this oasis of beauty, culture, integrity

BUSINESS PLATFORM: The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre will be projected as a venue for conferences, congresses and exhibitions, and Oman as a tourist destination.

and business opportunities: the Sultanate of Oman.”

Salim Al Mamari, Director General of Tourism Promotion at the Ministry of Tourism noted, “The roadshow in Europe is the ideal business platform to showcase the genuine warmth of Omani hospitality and what the Sultanate has to offer to delegates.

We are working closely with the OCEC team during our visits to four major European business focal points in order to share the tremendous possibilities associated with Oman’s vision for future development as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Europe is home to the headquarters of more than 58 per cent of the world’s international associations.

Hugely successful, the previous European roadshows have resulted in numerous agreements to host international gatherings at the OCEC, and last year attracted more than 160 international association decision makers with the potential to bring 130,000 attendees to Oman.

According to McCartney, the response to the OCEC roadshow is expected to be particularly strong this year, thanks to the attention the Sultanate has received following numerous recent international accolades, including being listed by The New York Times as one of the top 52 places in the world to visit in 2015, and named the number one destination for 2015 by the global travel industry website skift.com.

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5 Dr Zarif was leaving the hall when he accidentally faced Mr Obama and John Kerry, who were about to enter. They briefly greeted each other and the two shook hands ISNA news agency

CRITICISM

Iran lawmaker hits out at Obama-Zarif handshake TEHRAN: An ultraconservative Iranian lawmaker hit out Tuesday at reports Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shook hands with US President Barack Obama at the UN General Assembly, branding it as unrevolutionary.

The remarks came after Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency and international media outlets documented the impromptu encounter in New York on Monday.

“Dr Zarif was leaving the hall when he accidentally faced Mr Obama and John Kerry, who were about to enter. They briefly greeted each other and the two shook hands,” ISNA said, citing a source close to Iran’s UN delegation. “We hope this news is not confirmed because if Mr Zarif has done such a thing, he has definitely ignored the system’s red lines,” Haghighatpour was quoted as saying by the Tasnim News Agency.

Haghighatpour is a member of a special committee established by parliament to review the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers. In Tehran, the foreign ministry’s media office said no meeting was pre-planned with Obama and the encounter was “completely accidental,” but it did not deny there was a handshake. — AFP

A7

REGION

UAE labour reforms to be enforced from January 1 The new measures will allow foreign workers to terminate their contracts and change employers

ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday announced labour reforms to be enforced from January 1 aimed at curbing abuse and protecting the rights of millions of foreign workers.

Emirati Labour Minister Saqr Ghubash held a press conference in Abu Dhabi to announce the reforms contained in three ministerial decrees.

“We want to close the door on those who trick the simple worker,” said Ghubash, whose ministry has 500 inspectors.

The new measures will allow foreign workers to terminate their contract and change employer.

Employers must issue job offers in the employee’s language, legally

registered and laying down terms that cannot be changed after the worker’s arrival in the UAE. The whole contractual process must be “totally transparent” and based on “the informed consent of the workers and the employer”.

Ghubash said the reforms aim to curb abuse of the so-called “kafala” system, or sponsorship, which can leave foreign workers in the Gulf at the mercy of employers barring them from returning home or changing jobs.

Job offers must contain a clause forbidding the employer from holding onto the identity papers of his employee, he said.

New rules Emirati Labour Minister said the new rules would permit workers to change employer once they receive authorisation from the labour ministry.

The reforms apply to the 4.5 million foreign workers registered with the labour ministry, but not the millions of domestic workers from abroad whose cases are handled by the interior ministry. Emiratis account for barely 10 per cent of the 10-million population of the UAE and are far outnumbered by the country’s foreign workforce, mostly from Asia. — AFP

NEW MEASURES: Employers must issue job offers in the employee’s language, legally registered and laying down terms that cannot be changed after the worker’s arrival in the UAE. The whole contractual process must also be ‘totally transparent’. – File

AGREEMENT

Russia, US to ‘cooperate’ on fighting IS militant group

SEEKING JOINT WAYS: US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin look towards one another during their meeting at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday. – Reuters

UNITED NATIONS: Russia and the United States intend to seek joint ways of fighting the IS militant group, Moscow said on Tuesday, in a major coup for Vladimir Putin as he tries to shake off Western isolation.

Addressing the UN General Assembly for the first time in a decade, Putin on Monday called for a broad UN-backed coalition to fight IS militants.

Ostracised by the West over Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and support for a separatist insurgency in east Ukraine, Putin also held a 90-minute meeting with US President Barack Obama, their first formal bilateral in two years.

Predictably, the two leaders failed to resolve their dispute over

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the future role of Syria’s Bashar Al Assad. Putin however said the two countries had agreed to cooperate on fighting IS fundamentalists in what many commentators say further highlights the failure of Western efforts to freeze out Moscow over its Ukraine policies.

Air strikes The Russian president also said he had not ruled out air strikes on the militants. “We have an understanding that it is necessary to ramp up our work at least at the bilateral level,” Putin told reporters.

“We are now thinking about creating relevant mechanisms.”

Putin and Obama made eye contact at lunch with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after

their addresses but the two barely smiled. Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov said the two men agreed their foreign and defence ministries would work together in order to identify “specific ways and means which could make our common goal more achievable”.

They agreed to follow up their meeting with talks to find a common position on the Syrian conflict, he said, telling the Kremlin-backed RT television channel it was “a very constructive discussion”.

“They did not discuss coalitions in the classical sense of the word.

“What they did discuss was the possibilities for the United States and Russia to cooperate closely on the most burning issues of

today, Syria first of all,” he said.

“I believe that President Obama heard what President Putin had to say.”

Russia took the West by surprise by dispatching troops and fighter jets to Syria, sparking concern in Washington that Moscow might join the fighting alongside its Soviet-era ally.

“We all agreed that our common goal is to defeat ISIL,” Lavrov said, referring to the IS group.

“Both Russia and the United States are absolutely determined not to allow them to succeed.”

Obama said Washington was ready to work with Russia and Iran against IS, but warned this must not mean keeping Assad in power indefinitely. — AFP

A8

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

INDIA

PM Modi’s US trip ends. Time to ponder what has country achieved from his foreign trips so far? Does it suit the stature of an Indian PM to visit individual cos seeking investments?

Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi chief minister

ILLEGAL FUNDS

Black money declaration compliance window ends today NEW DELHI: With the one-time black money declaring ‘compliance window’ coming to an end on Wednesday, the Income Tax department has asked its officials to ensure that interested entities are provided all help to make their declarations in this regard.

The government has earlier announced that the 90-day window will close on September 30 even as it ruled out any extension in this regard.

“Officers may advise prospective declarants that the declarations in Form 6 can be filed either online or with the designated Commissioner office in New Delhi,” a latest advisory by the CBDT, the apex policy-making body of the I-T department, said.

While there are no official figures given by the government for collections in this regard, official sources said a “number of” declarations have been made to the tax department and they are expected to trickle till midnight today as the

e-filing of such declarations is also enabled. The Central Board of Direct Taxes has earlier warned that all “consequences” of law will follow and the taxman will go after black money hoarders who do not declare their illegal funds by the said deadline.

“Tomorrow, if it is known that there is some wrong or no filing by a person holding black money, then the accountability rests with that person. If you do not use the (one time black money declaration) window, then we assume that you deliberately hid your foreign asset. When you avoid law then all consequences of law should follow...,” CBDT Chairperson Anita Kapur had recently said.

She had also said that proconfidentiality procedures have been put in place by the CBDT for those people who want to avail this window before the September 30 deadline followed by payment of taxes and penalty before December 31.

The Black money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax provides for tax and penalty of 120 per cent and jail term of up to 10 years for holding undisclosed foreign assets

The Black money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets)and Imposition of Tax provides for tax and penalty of 120 per cent and jail term of up to 10 years for holding undisclosed foreign assets.

It has also provided for a 90-day compliance window to escape the harsh punishment by declaring the assets and paying 60 per cent tax and penalty. The Finance Ministry has also issued two separate sets of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the compliance window till now.

Meanwhile, the ambitious antioffshore tax evasion and black money detection pact between India and the US —Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) —will become operational from Wednesday.

The pact aims to cover automatic sharing of information on bank accounts as well as financial products like equities, mutual funds and insurance, and is aimed at fighting the menace of black money stashed abroad.

“The Foreign Account Tax Com-

pliance Act (FATCA) will get operational from September 30 as it was decided between the two countries.

All protocols and procedures have been put in place by Indian authorities in this regard,” a senior Finance Ministry official said.

Beginning Wednesday, banks, mutual funds, insurance, pension and stock-broking firms will report their Indian client details to the US which will be shared with New Delhi.

Indian entities will do a reciprocal information sharing about Americans and it will cover all new accounts opened by Indian financial institutions from July 1, 2014.

An official agreement in this regard was signed by the then Revenue Secretary Shaktikanta Das and US Ambassador to India Richard Verma in July here.

The CBDT, the nodal body to deal with the activities under this pact and the apex policy-making body of the Income Tax Depart-

PM bats for positive agenda to tackle climate change During talks with Obama, Modi

Our measures include not just a plan to add 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022, but a development strategy that will enable us to transition to a more sustainable energy mix

underlined the need for concrete outcomes at the upcoming global conference on climate change in Paris starting November

Narendra Modi Prime minister NEW YORK: Asking nations to shun negativism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a strong pitch for a positive agenda to tackle climate change in his talks with US President Barack Obama who said India’s leadership at the Paris conference will set the tone for decades to come.

“President and I share an uncompromising commitment on climate change, without affecting our ability to meet the development aspirations of humanity. We have both set ambitious national agendas,” Modi said after his talks with Obama.

During the talks on Monday, Modi underlined the need for concrete outcomes at the upcom-

ing global conference on climate change in Paris starting November.

Briefing reporters later on Modi’s meeting with Obama, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, “As far as the substantive issue of climate change is concerned, the PM made it very clear that the current climate of negativism was not a useful factor as we approach COP21 in Paris.”

“He (Modi) said that rather than just putting pressure, piling pressure...it would have been far more better if we had a positive agenda which enabled countries to go in

for more sustainable paths of development by providing finance and the requisite technology,” Swarup said.

In a brief statement after the talks, Obama stated that much of his discussion with Prime Minister Modi was focussed on the upcoming climate conference.

“We are encouraged by the aggressive nature of Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to clean energy...I think India’s leadership in the upcoming conference will set the tone not just for today but for decades to come,” Obama said.

Talking about India’s aggres-

sive push for the cause of climate change, Modi said, “Our measures include not just a plan to add 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022, but a development strategy that will enable us to transition to a more sustainable energy mix.”

“This is an exercise we are undertaking in the spirit of our culture and tradition, but also because of our commitment to the future of this planet,” he said.

Modi also thanked Obama for the positive response to his call for a global public partnership for developing affordable clean energy sources that will enable faster

adoption of clean energy across the world.

“We should work together to advance that goal. And, it is equally important to develop mechanisms to ensure that the affordable also become accessible to those who need it the most,” Modi said.

“We look forward to comprehensive and concrete outcome in Paris with a positive agenda on combating climate change, which also focuses on access to finance and technology for the developing world, especially the poor countries and small island states,” the prime minister said.

In his address at the Leaders’ Summit on UN Peacekeeping, Modi said India is ready to contribute monetarily to a memorial for slain UN Peacekeepers. He announced new contributions to the UN Peacekeeping Operations.

“These include additional battalion of up to 850 troops in existing or new operations; additional three police units with higher representation of female peacekeepers; commitment to provide critical enablers; deployment of technical personnel in UN missions; and, additional training for peacekeepers at our facilities in India and in the field,” Modi said.

Pushing for long-awaited reforms of the UN Security Council, Modi stressed that the success of UN peacekeeping “ultimately depends not on the weapons that the soldiers carry, but on the moral force that decisions of the UN Security Council command”. - Agencies

ment, has also created an Information Security Committee (ISC) as part of the standard operating procedures to implement the pact.

If a financial institution does not comply to FATCA, it will have to pay 30 per cent penalty tax on all its US revenues, including dividend, interest, fees and sales.

The pact will also help India deal with the menace of black money in foreign shores and will enhance cooperation between India and US in this specialised area.

The US had enacted FATCA in 2010 to obtain information on accounts held by US taxpayers in other countries.

It requires US financial institutions to withhold a portion of payments made to foreign financial institutions (FFIs) who do not agree to identify and report information on US account holders. The US has signed the said pact with over 100 jurisdictions across the globe and is engaged in related discussions with many other nations. - PTI K E J R I WA L’ S Q U E S T I O N

‘Why should PM visit individual companies?’

NEW DELHI: Questioning Narendra Modi’s foreign tours, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday wondered if it behoved the prime minister to visit individual companies like Google and Facebook to seek investment, even as AAP said PM’s travels have not brought any concrete outcome and claimed FDI was dwindling.

As Modi wrapped up his twonation tour of Ireland and the US, Kejriwal asked what the country had achieved from the PM’s foreign trips and took a dig at his engagements at Facebook headquarters and Google campus among others.

“PM Modi’s US trip ends.

Time to ponder what has country achieved from his foreign trips so far? Does it suit the stature of an Indian PM to visit individual cos seeking investments?” the Chief Minister said in a series of tweets.

Separately, the AAP said that “the real issue is how the PM projects himself at foreign countries. He presents factually incorrect statements and also targets the country’s core fabric by attacking secularism”.

Kejriwal, who has been targeting Modi’s flagship ‘Make in India’ project with his ‘Make India’ pitch, stressed that the country should first focus on infrastructure development. That would itself attract investment, he said. - PTI

R E N E WA B L E E N E R G Y

Modi government banking on solar energy to help cut blackouts BHADLA (India): Under a blistering sun, workers install a sea of solar panels in a north Indian desert as part of the government’s clean energy push — and its trump card at upcoming climate change talks in Paris.

After years of betting big on highly polluting coal, India is under huge pressure to commit to cutting carbon emissions ahead of the major meet aimed at forging a global climate pact.

But the world’s third largest emitter argues the burden should lie with industrialised countries, which have been accused of hypocrisy in heaping demands on poorer nations.

Instead, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is banking on increasing solar capacity fivefold to help cut crippling blackouts and bring power to 300 million Indians currently living without.

The government is expected to hike its renewable energy targets again on Thursday night when it becomes the last major economy to release its pledges for the Paris talks. A cornerstone of its climate change policy, the solar plans come even as India boosts coal production to meet its growing needs, ignoring calls to slash its dependence on fossil fuels.

With its year-round sunshine, barren plains and low-cost labour, the northern desert state of Rajasthan lies at the heart of Modi’s renewable energy ambitions.

“Solar gives you a steady income, steady return.

Here the main raw material is the sun,” Ramakant Tibrewala, chairman of Roha Dyechem, a local company making food colours which has jumped on the solar bandwagon.

After investing Rs800 million ($12 million), Tibrewala has built 67 glistening rows of panels in a Rajasthan solar park, shared with four other local companies and spread over 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres).

Tibrewala said he expects to be connected to India’s main grid in the coming weeks, producing 25 megawatts of power, and hopes to see a return in several years. $100 billion needed With the cost of manufacturing panels falling and consumer demand rising, foreign firms are also turning to India.

Japan’s SoftBank, US-based SunEdison and China giant Trina Solar have all pledged investments in recent months But much more money is needed to reach the government’s current goal of 100,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022, up from 20,000 at the moment.

Modi, a green energy enthusiast who helped create solar parks in his home state of Gujarat, has called for $100 billion in investment. His government has pledged to smooth the path in a country known for its infuriating levels of

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coming years... to base its primary resource on coal is going to be catastrophic, not only for India but also for the world,” said Krishnan Pallassana, India director of the nonprofit Climate Group. Modi came under pressure over the issue during his trip to the US for the ongoing UN General Assembly.

INCREASING SOLAR CAPACITY: An engineer positions solar panels at the under construction Roha Dyechem solar plant at Bhadla, some 225km north of Jodhpur in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, in this photograph taken on August 23, 2015. - AFP

red tape, as well as providing tax breaks and other incentives for interested companies.

“We do need money,” Upendra Tripathy, the top official in the new and renewable energy ministry, said.

Tripathy denied the government was under international pressure to transform its energy sector, saying instead the “whole world” was impressed by India’s ambitions.

“On its own, it (the government) thinks it is good for the globe. And

it thinks it is good for the country,” he said.

‘Catastrophic’ coal But even as India hikes up solar power, the government has vowed to double coal production by 2020 to one billion tonnes to meet the needs of its burgeoning economy, which grew by seven percent in the first quarter, matching China.

India, which sits on the world’s fifth largest coal reserves, already relies on coal-fired power stations

for 60 per cent of its electricity.

After storming to victory at elections last May, Modi pledged to bring electricity to the millions of poor who are not connected to the country’s over-stretched power grid. Experts warn India’s continuing dependence on coal will be environmentally devastating, and call for a cap on emissions which are blamed for climate change.

“For a growing country like India, which will be requiring enormous amounts of energy in the

‘Climate justice’ But the premier told a forum that the focus should be “climate justice” rather than climate action, saying rich countries should help poorer ones which suffer the most from rising sea levels and droughts blamed on global warming.

US President Barack Obama, who piled pressure on Modi during his visit to New Delhi in January, urged world leaders on Sunday to step up efforts for a “strong” climate agreement at the year-end talks.

But Modi has said India will not be forced into committing to a timeline on curbing emissions.

“Developed countries must share clean technology, provide financial assistance to the developing world to combat climate change,” Modi said at a September meeting of developing countries in Delhi. - AFP

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FIR lodged against Lalu for ‘casteist’ remarks Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi had said that any casteist remark was a breach of EC guidelines and the commission would deal with such matters under its legal framework DEFIANT: RJD chief Lalu Prasad addressing an election rally in Naugachiya on Tuesday. - PTI

HAJIPUR/NAWADA: An FIR was lodged against RJD President Lalu Prasad on Tuesday for making allegedly casteist remarks as the Election Commission prima facie found them violative of the model of conduct for assembly polls in Bihar.

The FIR was registered with Ganga bridge police station in Vaishali district against Lalu Prasad by Circle Officer Raghopur Neeranjan Kumar in connection with his casteist remark, SP, Vaishali district, Rakesh Kumar said.

The Circle Officer, who was deputed as magistrate during the election meeting of the RJD chief on Sunday last for his son Tejaswi Yadav in Raghopur, was ordered by District Magistrate of Vaishali Rachna Patil to get a case registered in the matter.

Launching his campaign from Raghopur, the RJD supremo had described the assembly elections as a direct fight between “the backward castes and forward castes” and gave a call to Yadavs and other backward castes to rally behind the secular alliance to defeat BJPled NDA. Additional Chief Election Officer R. Lakshamanan said that the case was registered against the RJD chief on the basis of video footage of his utterances at a political meeting in Raghopur on Sunday. The video footage showed violation of model code and provision of Representation of Peoples Act hence a case has been registered, Lakshamanan said.

Breach of guidelines Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi had on Monday said that any casteist remark was a breach of EC guidelines and the Commission would deal with such matters under its legal framework.

SECURITY SCARE

Terror threat to Taj Hotel, Mumbai airport turns out a hoax MUMBAI: The terror threats to the Mumbai domestic and international airports and the adjacent Taj Hotel have turned out to be a hoax, officials said here on Tuesday.

A phone call at around 12.40 am to a landline number at the airport manager’s office had warned about a planned terror hit at these sites with explosive-laden vehicles.

Describing it a “specific threat”, the Mumbai police and airport security went into a state of high alert at all the three sites, which are already classified as a “high security zone”.

Reportedly identified as Vishesh Kumar, the caller had warned that at least five vehicles would blow up between 9 to 10 am at the three targeted sites with the impact would be much bigger than the 26/11 terror attack.

Attempt to trace caller After investigations during the day, the security agencies concluded that the call was a hoax and are now attempting to trace the caller.

A spokesperson for the Taj Group of Hotels said here that the Mumbai Police conducted a thorough security check and have confirmed the call targeting the hotel to be a hoax.

“We continue to be highly vigilant at all times to ensure safety and security of our guests,” the spokesperson added. - IANS

Sushil Modi booked for promising laptops, TVs to voters BHABUA/PATNA: Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi has been booked for allegedly ‘promising’ to give away laptops, colour TVs and dhoti-saris to voters at an election rally, with the party leader contesting the FIR and urged the EC to look into the matter.

Superintendent of Police of Kaimur district Harpreet Kaur said that an FIR was lodged with Bhabua Police Station against Sushil Kumar Modi for inducing voters by promising

He had also said the Election Commission would find out the details of the alleged casteist remarks by Prasad and take appropriate action.

Meanwhile, unfazed by Election Commission scanner for casteist remark, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad on Tuesday made a blistering attack at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and said that he would not sit quietly in waging battle for the backwards, Dalits and poor even if they decide to “hang” him.

“Let Modi give Bharat Ratna to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for ending reservation...even if they decide to hang me for waging battle for backwards, Dalits and poor, I will not sit quietly,” Prasad tweeted, a day after EC took notice of his“backward and forward castes” comment at Raghopur on Sunday.

The RJD chief further wrote on the micro-blogging site that even if

colour TVs, laptops and dhotisaris.

Sushil Modi had allegedly made these promises on Monday during an address to an election meeting in favour of BJP candidate Anand Bhusan Pandey.

The SP said that the case was registered on the basis of video footage of the meeting.

Meanwhile, Sushil Modi, while talking to reporters at Patna, contested registration of the case against him and urged

PM Modi filed petition in the United Nations against him, he would not take rest towards getting reservation quota increased and caste census report.

In another development, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on Tuesday shown slippers by a section of people during an election rally in Nawada.

A group of people at the election rally at Warsaliganj showed ‘chappals’ while Kumar was addressing the rally in favour of JD(U) candidate Pradeep Kumar who is the sitting MLA. The restive crowd shouted “Modi, Modi” chant and also chanted anti-Nitish slogans at the rally, ahead of the five-phase state Assembly elections beginning on October 12.

Unperturbed by the protest, Kumar went ahead with his address and listed achievements of his government and his future vision particularly for youths.

the Election Commission to look into the matter.

“I had said to provide laptops to 50,000 boys and girls if our government is formed in Bihar along with colour TVs and dhoti-saris. It was meant to spell the vision of the party for the citizens and there is nothing wrong in it,” Sushil Modi said.

“Every party spells what it intends to do after the election.

So whats wrong in it?” he asked. - PTI

Though the exact reason behind the incident was not known, the scene continued while Kumar was delivering his speech.

Earlier, while addressing an election rally at Barbigha in favour of Congress candidate, Kumar raised the issue of DNA barb of Prime Minister Narendra Modi against him and played the issue of Bihari pride with the public.

“You mean to say that people chose a person with defective DNA as their chief minister for the past 10 years,” he said.

The senior JD(U) leader also questioned the BJP slogan of “parivartan” (change).

“By parivartan do you mean to send back girls home from school where they are going today on bicycles?” he said slamming the BJP. The chief minister reiterated his seven future resolves, contained in his vision document, worth Rs 2.70 lakh crore which included Rs4 lakh credit facility for students.-PTI

CREDIBLE AND SERIOUS NEWS ON CHANNELS

TV debates often do not have connect with reality: Jaitley NEW DELHI: Asserting that debates on television often do not have connect with ground reality, Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said not every controversy was news in itself and lamented the “scarcity” of credible and serious news on channels.

Jaitley also noted that the English media which has managed to capture the mind space to a large extent will not be sustainable and took dig at them saying if we went by English media alone, then even Gandhiji would not have found acceptability in the country.

“Sometimes while you watch news in the evening and there are couple of issues on which are being discussed; it seems that is the only thing happening in the country. And many times the reality has no connection with that thing,” Jaitley said at an event here, adding “Not every controversy is news in itself”.

He also maintained that because of the nature of TV news, newspapers also have had to change themselves, in an apparent reference to TV setting the agenda for print media.

Observing that with the advent of digital media, the situation was changing, Jaitley said a good idea or blog on new media circulates widely and becomes a topic of discussion.

“Perhaps the over saturation

LAUNCH: Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting, Arun Jaitley and Editor of the magazine, Pradeep Singh during the release function of ‘Opinion Post’ magazine, in New Delhi on Tuesday. - PTI

of Television news, and often it not having connect with what is happening on the ground, the readers or target audience, at times search for news as it was conventionally defined.

“Now, it is not natural that there are 20-25 people in the country, who show up on TV every evening and they have views on every issue,” Jaitley said.

He added that there must be others, who also have views, adding that it is why a large mass was looking for serious news and analysis which was “scarce”.

“Sometimes, digital media provides it. I think in this situation, it’s a great opportunity for serious print media to fight back,” Jaitley said.

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The minister, who was speaking at the launch of a fortnightly ‘Opinion Post’, said many newspapers have closed across the world but have their net editions and there was no problem in that.

And a time will come, when again, on the basis of credibility and seriousness of the writer, people will form their opinions, he emphasised.

Jaitley also said while English media had managed to capture mind space to quite an extent, the market place has been there with Hindi and regional languages.

This disparity between mind space and market space cannot sustain for too long, the finance minister said. - PTI

REVOLUTIONARY STEP

Framework unveiled to rank engineering, management bodies NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday unveiled a framework that would rank engineering and management institutes taking into account peer perception, research activity and also inclusively through reservations.

The ranking framework broadly covers all institutes both in government and private sectors, though participation is voluntary in nature, and the first ranking list would be released in early April next year.

The framework for pharmacy, architecture and universities would be released within the next one month.

“It is a revolutionary step. Before the next academic year, we will manage to give our students a plethora of choice on the basis of the national framework which is very transparent, which engages not only the institutes, regulators but the citizens at large,” Irani said while releasing the ranking framework.

Irani credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for encouraging an India-specific ranking framework especially because of the absence of an Indian institute in the global ranking list by international agencies which had been lamented both by him and President Pranab Mukherjee on various occasions.

The institutes would be ranked separately across disciplines and in category A and B, with category A institutes getting extra weightage for teaching and research.

The parameters would include ‘outreach and inclusively’ with up to 20 marks going to institutes for adhering to reservations for economically and socially disadvantaged sections.

“Fifty per cent economically and socially disadvantaged students should be admitted to score maximum marks,” the framework said setting the benchmark.

Private institutes could be at a disadvantage unable to fulfil this parameter as reservations are not

strictly binding on them.

Asked for his comments, Higher Education Secretary V. S. Oberoi merely said “we are working as per the reservation policy... we are not altering it”.

“India is one of the few countries that provides for affirmative action and institutions must be socially relevant,” he said.

The ranking list would be prepared by an agency which would function on the lines of the National Board of Accreditation (NBA). To check irrigularities, penalty would be imposed for unethical practices and false ranking. The India-specific ranking is being see an an answer to global ranking agencies where Indian universities and institutes including the IITs have never been able to make the cut.

However, the higher education secretary said the government has no intention of competing with anyone while NBA chairperson Surendra Prasad saw a positive side for the Indian institutes as they would be further empowered and encouraged to better their performances in the global rankings. In her remarks, Irani said the ranking would be an answer to issues typical to Indian academic systems.

“What we have seen is that research done in English is given proiminence. What about research done by scientists in their mother tongue, should they be left out. In India we have institutional mechanism that all support groups have constitutional support to pursue dreams in academic institutes through reservation policy. Is that inclusive nature reflected in (international) ranking,” she said.

The parameters which would be used for ranking are“teaching learning and resources, research, consulting and collaborative performance, graduation outcome, outreach and inclusivity (through reservations) and perception” said an official note. - PTI

INITIATIVE: HRD Minister Smriti Irani with Higher Education Secretary Vinay Sheel Oberoi releasing a book during the launch of National Institutional ranking framework document and web portal, at National Media Centre in New Delhi on Tuesday. - PTI

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PAKISTAN Man who was 15 when held for murder charge hanged examine Ahsan Iqbal’s school records and birth certificate which give his age at 14 and 15 respectively, saying the documents were submitted too late

A child at time of offence “All the documentary evidence provided to the courts during his trial or appeal indicates that he was a child at the time of the al-

EXECUTED: Policemen stand guard outside the district jail in Sargodha, Pakistan, on Tuesday. — Reuters/Stringer

leged offence; however, the courts have chosen to believe the estimate of police officers that he was in his 20s,” British legal aid group Reprieve said in a statement.

Pakistan brought back hanging in December as a way to crack down

BID TO STEM INTERFERENCE

on militancy after Taliban gunmen killed more than 130 pupils at an army-run school.

But very few of the 240 people hanged since had any links to militancy.

Most, like Iqbal, were convicted

of murder. Many of their families say they were falsely accused and too poor to get good lawyers.

Corrupt Pakistan’s criminal justice system is widely considered corrupt.

Police frequently ask for bribes and few are trained in preserving a crime scene or collecting evidence. Instead, they rely on easily manipulated oral statements.

Accusations of torture are common. — Reuters

Same price Umar said that this was the same price the government had managed to fetch last year when Pakistan re-entered the international bond market.

With everything else remaining the same, Umar said that government should have priced the bonds lower since no re-entry premium had to be paid. Hence, the markets were essentially saying that things were getting worse.

By comparison, Umar said, countries like Kenya and Sri Lanka had fared far better than Pakistan.

Kenya, which had issued its first ever bond last year had raised $1.5 billion at a yield of 6.875%,.

Low level The PTI leader said that the response of the international market was consistent with the extremely low level of foreign direct investment (FDI) Pakistan had been receiving in recent years. — Express Tribune

GOOD GESTURE

Sindh prepares law to form own graft commission KARACHI: In order to check the interference of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) in the province, the Sindh government has prepared a draft law to form its own accountability commission.

The draft of the ‘Sindh Accountability Commission’ bill will be presented in the next Sindh Assembly session, likely to be held next week.

The objective of the bill states that, “No institution except the Sindh Accountability Commission will probe provincial corruption cases. If any corruption case is liked to a federal subject, then federal agencies will have to take permission from the Sindh Accountability Commission before going ahead for further action.”

The commission will be headed by a serving or retired director-general of grade-20 or above who has experience of at least 20 years in his relevant field, states the draft. Meanwhile, five accountability commissioners will be appointed as members of the board along with the prosecutor-general, who will work exclusively for the accountability commission.

The commission will have six different wings, each headed by a director of grade 18. These

PTI censures government over tepid bond auction ISLAMABAD: A day after Pakistan’s latest dollar-denominated Eurobond received a lukewarm response from international investors, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) on Monday censured the government stating that the poor response was a virtual vote of no-confidence by global financial markets in its economic policies.

“The extremely poor response from the global markets to the euro bond offering by Pakistan shows that unfortunately the global investors remain unconvinced of the improved economy narrative that the government has been trying to sell,” senior PTI leader Asad Umer said in a statement on Monday.

Pakistan had on September 25 issued a $500 million Eurobond with a maturity of ten years in the international market at a coupon rate of 8.25%.

The court did not

LAHORE: Pakistan on Tuesday hanged a man who said he was 15 when he was arrested for a murder he did not commit.

Ansar Iqbal had said he and a friend were arrested 16 years ago for the murder of a neighbour. The victim’s family said Iqbal killed the neighbour over an argument at a cricket match but Iqbal said police framed him by planting two guns at his house.

Iqbal was hanged in the morning in the central Pakistani city of Sargodha and his body had been handed over to his family, authorities said.

Pakistani law does not allow the execution of someone arrested as a juvenile. The court did not examine Iqbal’s school records and birth certificate which give his age at 14 and 15 respectively, saying the documents were submitted too late.

EUROBONDS

include wings for complaints, investigation and inquiries, prosecution, public relations, monitoring, and one for audits and accounts.

The commission will not take notice of any corruption on its own, as is done by the courts or NAB, the draft states, adding that it will only take action after complaints are filed before it. The draft added that all cases will be referred to the director-general after the recommendations and approval of the prosecution and monitoring wing.

Legislative committee On the appointment of staff members, the draft states that a search committee will shortlist the candidates and a final decision will be made by the legislative committee, headed by the Sindh Assembly speaker along with 10 members of various parliamentary parties in the House.

“If the legislative committee fails to make the decision, then the chief minister will be the final authority for the recruitment,” it added.

The Commission with the approval of Sindh government can temporarily declare a place as sub-jail where it can put the accused for 45 days for proper investigation. — Express Tribune

Bangladesh women cricketers say they feel ‘comfortable’ in Pakistan KARACHI: Bangladesh women’s cricket captain Salma Khatun said Tuesday her players feel “comfortable” in Pakistan as they prepare for a series, even though most foreign teams have shunned the conflict-racked country for years.

The series, comprising two Twenty20s and as many one-day matches, was given the green light after a visit by a Bangladeshi security delegation.

Major foreign cricket teams have stayed away since Pakistani militants attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009, killing eight people and injuring several visiting players.

Pakistan’s international isolation was overcome earlier this year when Zimbabwe toured for a short limited-over series, but hopes for more cricket remain slim after a bomb went off outside the ground during the last match.

Pakistan hosted non-Test playing country Nepal in 2011 but the last high-profile teams to play in Pakistan were India and Sri Lanka in 2006.

REVIVING CRICKET TIES: Bangladesh women cricket captain Salma Khatun, left, and Pakistan women cricket captain Sana Mir pose with the T20 trophy during a media briefing in Karachi on Tuesday. — AFP

Focused on cricket Khatun said her team was focused on cricket.

“We are here to play cricket and are comfortable,” she said at the launch of the series that will be played entirely in the southern city of Karachi.

“It is just like our home and

we are fully prepared to play against Pakistan, which is a very strong team.”

Bangladesh twice refused to send their men’s team to Pakistan, in 2012 and 2013, over security fears after initially agreeing to play short limited-over series.

The first Twenty20 will be played on Thursday followed by the second on October 2. The two one-day matches will be played on October 4 and 6.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has promised foolproof security for the Bangladeshi wom-

en’s team, with players staying at the same club where they will play their matches.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said last week the women’s team tour is part of his gradual efforts to revive international cricket in his country. — AFP

S TA M P E D E T R A G E D Y

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa officials in the dark over missing pilgrims PESHAWAR/BANNU: So far the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Directorate of Hajj remains unaware over the condition of those who went missing after the stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia, during Haj. People from K-P and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas looking for their loved ones are left with little to go on.

At least five pilgrims from the province and one from Fata have been confirmed as dead; at the moment 14 people are still missing.

Officials in the directorate told The Express Tribune relatives of pilgrims were repeatedly calling the directorate and enquiring about their loved ones. However, it was unable to share any information due to the lack of it coming forth from the federal directorate.

The FATA Secretariat does not have a special section to deal with Haj or pilgrims. When contacted, officials there said since they function out of remote areas, communication was an issue to

begin with. They suggest getting in touch with officials in Islamabad to find out about those who are still untraceable and hail from the tribal belt.

One of the K-P Directorate of Haj officials, requesting anonymity, said matters were being dealt with by Pakistani officials present in Mecca. He suggested relatives call the hotline provided by the federal government to find out the status of their loves ones.

“We don’t have any contact with

them. Our updates come from television or newspapers as the federal directorate does not share information with us,” said the official, requested anonymity.

When contacted, K-P Directorate of Haj Deputy Director Fazl-eSubhan confirmed no information was shared with the provincial body. He said the director general of the federal Haj directorate was in Mecca, along with other officials, after the establishment of a control room to collect informa-

tion on pilgrims. “We already have set up a hotline in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and everyone can contact the relevant officials,” the deputy director said.

Return Haj flight Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) first return Haj flight, PK6314, carrying 325 pilgrims from Jeddah, arrived at Bacha Khan International Airport (BKIA) in Peshawar after a five-hour delay.

The flight was scheduled to ar-

rive at 7:25am, however, it was delayed by over five hours and arrived at 12:50pm. A PIA official at the regional office said passengers were unable to board the plane on time despite having collected their boarding passes.

“Pilgrims reached Jeddah airport and received boarding passes without a delay, but since the majority were over 55 years of age, they didn’t board the plane on time for several reasons,” the official said. — Express Tribune

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ASIA US-BACKED RESOLUTION

Sri Lanka war crimes resolution ‘softened’ before debate at UN

COUNTEROFFENSIVE: Afghan special forces arrive at the airport as they launch a counteroffensive to retake the city from Taliban insurgents, in Kunduz on Tuesday. — AFP

Afghan, NATO forces in battle to retake Kunduz The stunning fall of the provincial capital to Taliban, which has sent panicked residents fleeing, dealt a major blow to Afghanistan’s NATO-trained forces and highlighted the insurgency’s potential to expand beyond its rural strongholds

KUNDUZ (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan troops backed by US air support launched a counter-offensive Tuesday to retake Kunduz, a day after Taliban insurgents overran the strategic northern city in their biggest victory since being ousted from power in 2001.

Gun battles erupted and Humvees rolled in parts of the city as Afghan security forces, who had retreated to the outlying airport after the fall, began a counterstrike backed by reinforcements.

Freeing prisoners The Taliban had captured government buildings and freed hundreds of prisoners on Monday, raising their trademark white flag throughout the city.

The stunning fall of the provincial capital, which has sent panicked residents fleeing, dealt a major blow to Afghanistan’s NATO-trained security forces and

INSURGENCY’S POTENTIAL TO EXPAND: Members of the Taliban fighters walk on a street in Kunduz, a day after they took control of the city on Tuesday. — Reuters/Stringer

highlighted the insurgency’s potential to expand beyond its rural strongholds.

US forces also conducted an air strike in Kunduz province on Tuesday, a NATO statement said, without specifying the target.

Precise losses in the fighting were not known but the Afghan health ministry said hospitals in Kunduz had so far received 16 dead bodies and more than 190 wounded people.

Despite the counter-offensive, Kunduz swarmed with Taliban fighters racing stolen police vehicles and Red Cross vans.

Insurgents also showed off seized tanks and armoured cars in a Taliban video showed.

Deputy Interior Minister Ayoub Salangi said that security forces were ready to retake the city and vowed to investigate how the Taliban managed to seize a major urban centre for the first time in 14 years.

The defence ministry on Tuesday claimed that the police headquarters and city prison had been retaken, after marauding insurgents freed hundreds of prison-

ers including some Taliban commanders.

But several other government facilities, including a 200-bed local hospital, were still under Taliban control.

President Ashraf Ghani in a televised speech said the Taliban were using civilians as human shields, which was hampering the efforts of security forces.

Grave danger UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said the civilian population in Kunduz was in “grave danger”, raising concerns that casualties could mount if the violence intensifies. “We are scared of leaving our homes, scared of being beaten by the Taliban,” said Sadiqa Sherza, head of Roshani Radio, a Kunduz media network focused on women’s issues.

“There’s no electricity, no water, and ration shops are all closed,” she said, adding that insurgents had burned down the radio station. The United Nations and other aid agencies were forced to pull their staff from the city, which has seen a huge influx

of civilians displaced by recent months of fighting.

The Taliban’s incursion into Kunduz, barely nine months after the NATO combat mission concluded, raises troubling questions over the capacity of Afghan forces as they battle militants largely on their own. “The upshot is that Afghan forces, despite their many improvements in recent years, remain a work in progress,” said Michael Kugelman, Afghanistan expert at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

“And given the extent of the Taliban threat, work in progress isn’t good enough.”

The fall of the city coincides with the first anniversary of President Ghani’s national unity government coming to power, as it struggles to rein in the ascendant insurgency. It will undoubtedly boost the image of new Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour within insurgent ranks as he seeks to draw attention away from internal rifts over his leadership.

Kunduz province, which borders Tajikistan and is a major transport hub for the north of the country, could offer the Taliban a critical new base of operations beyond their traditional southern strongholds.

In a statement late Monday, Mansour congratulated his cadres on the “major victory”.

“In the long run, we may not be able to retain control but this victory will dispel the Afghan government’s belief that we are strong only in areas bordering Pakistan,” a prominent Taliban commander told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

Kunduz was the last Taliban stronghold in northern Afghanistan in November 2001.

The extremist group has been largely absent from cities since being driven from power by the US and its allies, but has maintained often brutal rule over swathes of the countryside. — AFP

COLOMBO: A US-backed resolution at the United Nations that seeks justice for victims of Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war has been softened to keep its government on board and allay the concerns of powerful neighbour India, sources say.

The latest draft, expected to be adopted in Geneva on Thursday, fails to specify the powers and role of foreign prosecutors and judges in trying war crimes suspects - a major shortcoming, in the eyes of human rights groups.

They and some diplomats say that reflects the balancing act needed to keep Sri Lanka’s new reformist leadership on board while making a credible attempt to end a culture of impunity over what the UN calls the mass killings of tens of thousands of people by both sides in the final stages of the conflict.

“Everything now depends on implementation - the text was worded in a very ambiguous way,” said Alan Keenan, Sri Lanka analyst at the International Crisis Group.

A judicial process with teeth would hold out a realistic prospect of punishment for senior figures in ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government and military, as well as Tamil Tiger rebels, who waged a bitter final battle in 2009.

The UN has estimated that 40,000 people died, many of them civilians, as government forces tightened the noose around a patch of land on the Jaffna Peninsula where Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels were penned in.

But the US-led draft agreed with the Sri Lankan government falls short of explicitly meeting a call by the UN’s human rights chief for a special court staffed with international judges, prosecutors, lawyers and investigators.

Hybrid courts Such “hybrid” courts have emerged in recent years as a way to deliver justice in places such as East Timor, Kosovo and Sierra Leone against powerful individuals capable of threatening judges or witnesses.

The text instead vaguely affirms the importance of participation in a Sri Lankan judicial mechanism of “Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers, and authorized prosecutors and investigators”.

John Fisher, Geneva director at Human Rights Watch, said the Sri Lankan government had resisted appointing an independent inter-

A judicial process with teeth would hold out a realistic prospect of punishment for senior figures in ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government and military, as well as Tamil Tiger rebels, who waged a bitter final battle in 2009

national prosecutor and a majority of foreign judges.

“Meaningful foreign participation and international monitoring will be needed to prevent local pressure and intimidation from interfering with a fair judicial process,” he said.

Engagement Sri Lanka argues that President Maithripala Sirisena’s constructive engagement with the UN marks a break with the recalcitrance of Rajapaksa, whom he defeated in a presidential election in January.

Sirisena won backing on Monday from US Secretary of State John Kerry, who endorsed a “credible domestic process” with international support when the two met on the fringes of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

How this would work in practice still needs to be hammered out. “In order to ensure credibility, we of course need some kind of international involvement. But it will be decided after the consultation process,” one Sri Lankan official said.

Placate Sinhala’s A source familiar with the drafting discussions said the Sri Lankan government wanted to create the impression the resolution had been watered down to placate the majority Sinhala community that formed Rajapaksa’s power base.

“The substance is still all there,” said the source, who requested anonymity. The US draft is widely expected to be adopted by consensus at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva. — Reuters

CONTROVERSY: This photograph taken on May 23, 2009, shows a general view of thousands of UNHCR tents, occupied by Internally Displaced Persons at Menik Farm in Cheddikulam, some 250 kilometres north of Colombo. — AFP file photo

DEPOSED THAI PRIME MINISTER

Ousted Yingluck files case against public prosecutor BANGKOK: Deposed Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra filed a criminal case against the attorney general on Tuesday alleging unfair handling of charges against her that could see her jailed for 10 years.

Thailand’s first woman prime minister faces charges in the Supreme Court of negligence in her management of a rice subsidy scheme the ruling junta says was tainted by graft and caused $16 billion in losses.

Rivalry between the royalistmilitary establishment and the Shinawatra family, in particular Yingluck’s brother, deposed populist premier Thaksin Shinawatra, has been at the heart of a decade of political turmoil in the kingdom.

The attorney general indicted

Yingluck in January on the same day she was banned from politics for five years by a legislature appointed by the generals who toppled her government last year.

Yingluck’s legal team on Tuesday drew attention to the timing of the indictment - an hour before the legislature’s impeachment began - and alleged the attorney general charged her without sufficient examination of evidence and witnesses.

The public prosecutor had included accusations related to corruption in the rice scheme and added 60,000 pages of material that had not been part of the case filed by the country’s anti-graft agency, Yingluck’s legal team said in a statement.

Yingluck told reporters in a

statement the attorney general’s actions were “wrong and unfair”.

Her flagship rice policy aimed to boost farmers’ incomes by buying their grain at above market prices and helped sweep her to office in a landslide in 2011.

She insists she acted honestly in administering the scheme. Critics said it was aimed at winning votes in the countryside. Yingluck’s supporters have accused the courts of bias in rulings against her and allies of the Shinawatra clan. The prosecutor’s office denied that.

“The prosecutor took the rice scheme case in a straightforward manner,” said Chutichai Sakhakorn, the official at the Attorney General’s office responsible for her case.

“There was no bullying.” — Reuters

CORNERED: Ousted Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, centre, and her brother-in-law and former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, right, arrive at a criminal court in Bangkok on Tuesday. — AFP

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O

n the surface, things could not appear to be better for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

With a majority in parliament, electoral rigging charges thrown out by the judicial commission and continued successes in by-polls, any prime minister would be comfortable with the current state of affairs. Yet, Sharif seems worried by what he deems to be conspiracies afoot to replace him. A week ago, in no uncertain terms, he alluded that some people wanted to overthrow him. Was he referring to the opposition led by Imran Khan, the establishment or another political grouping? He did not expound much but as a third-time prime minister, he knows how a civilian government can be weakened, and then undone.

Sharif’s political trajectory has been a paradox.

The civil-military bureaucracy groomed him in the 1980s as a ‘pliant’ politician. A decade later, he reached the office of prime minister after a manipulated election but soon ran into trouble with the security establishment. In 1993, he was ousted; only to be re-elected with a bigger mandate in 1997.

This time his power seemed invincible. He fired an army chief and the chief justice, and appointed a ‘safe’ general to lead the military. By 1999, he had been subjected to a coup, leading to incarceration and a long exile.

Sharif’s resurgence in the 2013 elections was a testament to the political base he had carved in the largest province. Two years after being elected with a landslide majority, not much has changed: There is a powerful military, a kitchen cabinet and a coterie of loyal bureaucrats, a sidelined parliament; and an opposition willing to make ‘deals’ with the real power centres.

The year 2014 witnessed decline in civilian power. Months of televised protests, orchestrated with the help of elements within the establishment — the blowback from the attempt to indict General Musharraf for treason — left the Sharif government considerably weakened. After the lethal attack on the Army Public School (APS) in December 2014, Sharif’s power slipped further. Within weeks of the APS incident, parliament amended the constitution to create military courts, and the apex committees led by the military took over counterterrorism operations.

The regional situation has also helped the mili-

tary regain its prestige, somewhat lost during the anti-Musharraf protests. The West wants to leave Afghanistan and the military is the key player that can broker a deal between Afghanistan and the Afghan Taliban. China is advancing its ‘One Belt, One Road’ policy that makes Pakistan vital for expanding Chinese influence westwards. This cannot be accomplished without the military undertaking the security for the $46 billion ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor. The re-emerging Russian power has also found an ally in the form of the military as Pakistan is seen as key to containing the extremist threat in the Central Asian region. At home, the Baloch insurgency is divided, and its outcome appears to be tilting in favour of the establishment.

Notwithstanding the external factors, it is the domestic variables that have led to a post-modern coup in Pakistan. The military, through the Rangers, is conducting a clean-up operation, targeting the nexus of crime and corruption in Karachi. The business lobbies had been asking for a military intervention, given the general state of insecurity.

The provincial government is disempowered and the rest of Pakistan welcomes this. Opposition leader Imran Khan has asked the military to extend such operations to Punjab — the home province of the prime minister where his brother is the chief minister. This may have also caused panic to the prime minister and his team.

Public opinion perceives the military operations against the Taliban and their affiliates to be the right policy move. Even though it was the former army chief who, according to his own aides, was reluctant in initiating such operations, the narrative is that the civilians are indecisive. In the public eye, it is getting clearer that General Raheel Sharif is the man in charge. Noted analysts and columnists continuously propel this image, which is not too different from what they did each time a powerful general was at the helm.

Is all this leading to a formal coup d’ etat? The answer is in the negative. If the security establishment has achieved its sway over policy, why should it get embroiled in the day-to-day mess of running a country? Is this sustainable? The answer is again in the negative. While a more temperate Nawaz Sharif is keen not to annoy the military, as a politician he would attempt to arrest the further weaning of his power. - Express Tribune

READERS’ FORUM

SEPTEMBER 2000 Maqbool to meet top officials of joint stock firms MUSCAT: Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, minister of commerce and industry and board chairman of the Capital Market Authority (CMA) will confer today with senior executives of joint stock companies. A source at the CMA said the meeting was part of a series of meetings CMA was to organise from time to time with joint stock companies executives.

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This refers to the picture captioned, Oman’s supermoon picture goes viral, (September 29). It was very surprising to know that Oman’s ‘Supermoon’ image is capturing wide attention on the social media platforms. Ever since the announcement about the moon appearing closer to the earth was made, there has people all across the world had been eager ready to witness and capture the rare opportunity. However, it is a true pleasure knowing that a photographer based in Muscat had the opportunity to record this remarkable moment.

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TODAY IN HISTORY

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1493: Christopher Columbus leaves Cadiz, Spain, on his second voyage to the new world.

1932: A five-day work week is set up for General Motors workers.

1960: General Douglas MacArthur officially returns Seoul, South Korea, to President Syngman Rhee.

1990: The YF-22, later named F-22 Raptor, flies for the first time.

2014

Scan this QR code to send letters to the Readers’ Forum, containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by mail (Times of Oman, P.O. Box 770, P.C. 112, Ruwi).

The Catalan nationalists want the Popular Party of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to lose the December election.

That party is the secessionists’ nemesis as its appeal to Spain’s Constitutional Court that ended in the 2010 decision to curb Catalonia’s autonomy

2012

This refers to the news story, Family’s search for the missing Haj pilgrims, (September 28). I express my sincere sympathies for the families of those who lost their near and dear ones during the unfortunate incidence of stampede. Enough is being circulated in the electronic and print media about finding out the root cause of the tragedy. I think that such stampedes during the ‘stoning of the devil’ ritual take place due to a couple of impatient pilgrims who do not bother to the commands of the security men. It is needless to mention here that managing the movement of such huge crowds is a very difficult job. I sincerely pray to God that the missing pilgrim Anwar is traced and returns to his family soon.

— Mohammad Osama Rawat, Ruwi

2013

Stampedes often happen because of impatience

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SPECIAL

The combined box office collect of Asia’s biggest movie markets — China, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia — out-earned North America for the first time last year by $10.5 billion to $10.4 billion

LOST AND FOUND: Undated handout photographs released by the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) on Tuesday show scenes from South Korean film ‘The DMZ’. The 1965 film was the first to be shot in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) set up 12 years before at the end of the Korean War as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. It was thought for decades that the film was lost until a print was found in 2005. – AFP/Busan International Film Festival

BREAKING NEW GROUND IN FILM MARKET Busan International Film Festival’s 20th edition will showcase 304 movies from 75 countries, including 94 world premiers in the South Korean port city of Busan from Thursday

MAKING A MARK: A file photo taken on October 4, 2012 shows the opening ceremony of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). – AFP/ Files

SEOUL: Asia’s most influential film festival kicks off on Thursday in the South Korean port city of Busan, celebrating its 20th anniversary at a time of growing regional clout in the global movie market.

“An increasing number of filmmakers from around the world are paying attention to the importance and potential of Asian cinema and the market here,” said actress Kang Soo-Yeon, co-director of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

“BIFF has always recognised the importance of Asian cinema and aimed to help introduce the region’s rising talent,” Kang said.

This year, the 10-day festival will open with the world premiere of Indian drama “Zubaan” by firsttime director Mozez Singh.

BIFF has never had a Bollywood production as its curtain raiser and Singh described the selection of his movie as a “wonderful turn of events”.

“All you really want is to make the best possible film that will

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reach out to as many people around the world as possible. Busan will give ‘Zubaan’ this chance,” he said.

The coming-of-age feature follows the story of a young man who uses music to question his role in modern Indian society. “BIFF has constantly broken new ground by empowering new and young film makers and it continues to do so,” Singh said. The festival’s 20th edition will showcase 304 movies from 75 countries, including 94 world premiers.

Asian superstars such as Korea’s Jun Ji-Hyun and Lee Jung-Jae, China’s Tang Wei and Taiwan’s Chang Chen will walk the red carpet alongside Hollywood A-listers like Harvey Kietel and Tilda Swinton and Europe’s Sophie Marceau

and Nastassja Kinski.

The combined box office collect of Asia’s biggest movie markets — China, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia — out-earned North America for the first time last year by $10.5 billion to $10.4 billion, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

Stellar growth Much of that was down to stellar growth in China where box-office receipts surged 38 per cent from 2013 to $4.8 billion. Growth in the first eight months of this year is estimated to have been even higher at 49 per cent, and the Chinese market alone is expected to outearn North America by 2018.

In the 20 years of its existence, BIFF has prided itself on identifying the filmmakers who have helped spur the industry’s growth in the region and on championing the cause of independent Asian cinema. Multi-award winning Korean directors Bong Joon-Ho

and Kim Ki-Duk’s early work was first introduced to the world at the festival, as was the work of China’s box office king Feng Xiaogang.

Bong and Feng have gone on to direct Hollywood-funded productions - Bong with the sci-fi thriller “Snowpiercer” (2013) and Feng with the war drama “Back to 1942” (2012). BIFF’s Window on Asian Cinema and Korean Cinema Today programmes are designed to give audiences a look at who might be coming next.

There are a combined 20 world premieres in those two sections alone, with much expected of the Korean-Chinese comedy thriller “Bad Guys Always Die”, directed by first timer Sun Hao and backed

by China’s Feng and Korean veteran Kang Je-Gyu. The 2015 Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award will be presented to Japan’s Studio Ghibli, formed by animation master Hayao Miyazaki and responsible for the Oscar-winner “Spirited Away” (2001).

But it hasn’t all been plain sailing for BIFF with controversies seemingly stalking organisers at every turn over the past 12 months.

Political pressure was brought to bear last year after they scheduled a controversial documentary looking at the Sewol ferry disaster in which more than 300 people died. Busan’s city mayor, who was also chairman of the BIFF organising committee, urged the festival’s director, Lee Yong-Kwan, to cancel the screening.

In the end, the film was shown but Lee said he later came under pressure from the municipal authorities to resign.

Then earlier this year, the festival had its state funding slashed to 800 million won from last year’s 1.4 billion won.

Kang Soo-Yeon, who now shares the festival director duties with Lee, said she hoped the focus would shift back to the films themselves.

“I think it is important that this year’s festival can be appreciated by as many people as possible — without any misadventure — and then we can move on to planning the next 20 years,” she said. — AFP

An increasing number of filmmakers from around the world are paying attention to the importance and potential of Asian cinema and the market here. BIFF has always recognised the importance of Asian cinema and aimed to help introduce the region’s rising talent.

Kang Soo-Yeon THE VENUE: A file photo taken on October 11, 2012 shows a general view of the main venue of the Busan International Film Festival. Asia’s most influential film festival kicks

off on Thursday in the South Korean port city of Busan, celebrating its 20th anniversary at a time of growing regional clout in the global movie market. – AFP/Files

Actress and co-director of the Busan International Film Festival

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GLOBAL EYE

CHINA: A huge wave crashes over a wall as two people ride on a scooter over a pier in Hui’an county in Quanzhou, east China’s Fujian province, on Tuesday. Super typhoon Dujuan has killed three people and left more than 300 injured in Taiwan, authorities said after it swept across the island before making landfall in eastern China. It hit the Chinese coastal city of Putian by afternoon, state news agency said, but there were no immediate reports of damage. — AFP

BURKINA FASO: A Burkinabe soldier patrols near the Presidental

GREECE: A migrant child blows soap bubbles at a transit camp in Gevgelija, Macedonia, after entering the country by crossing the border with Greece, on Tuesday. — Reuters

Security Regiment (RSP) military barracks on Tuesday in Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso’s government on September 28 accused an elite presidential guard, led by coup leader Gilbert Diendere, behind this month’s week-long coup of refusing to disarm, of seizing loyalist troops, and of planning yet more trouble. — AFP

FRANCE: Actors dressed as German soldiers pose during the film-

ing of ‘Le sac de billes’ on Tuesday in Nice, France. — AFP

SINGAPORE: People are silhouetted by the setting sun as they look out from the observatory tower of the Marina Bay Sands hotel shrouded by haze in Singapore on Tuesday. The 3-hour haze Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reached a high of 250 at 1400 SGT (0600 GMT), according to the National Environment Agency. Slash-and-burn agriculture in neighbouring Indonesia has blanketed Singapore in a choking haze for weeks. — Reuters

MEXICO: A woman walks in the rain during the passage of Tropical Storm Marty in Acapulco, Mexico on Tuesday. — AFP

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

WORLD

Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella was shot three times in Dhaka’s Gulshan district on Monday night by attackers who fled on a motorcycle.

Coalition denies role in Yemen bombing The spokesman for the Riyadh-based coalition denied any involvement as the toll in bombing of wedding in Yemen rises to 131

SANAA: The Saudi-led anti-rebel coalition denied on Tuesday that its warplanes were behind the bombing of a wedding in southwestern Yemen as the toll soared to 131, including women and children.

UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon condemned Monday’s air raid, saying intentional attacks on civilians were considered a “serious violation of international humanitarian law”.

Residents said the Arab coalition, which launched an air war on the Houthi rebels in late March, was behind the attack on the wedding in Wahijah village near the Red Sea city of Mokha.

But the spokesman for the Riyadh-based coalition, Brigadier General Ahmed Al Assiri, denied any involvement. “The coalition did not conduct any air strikes in the area over the past three days,” he said. “This is completely false.”

The coalition called for an independent investigation into the incident. “We can prove by satellite that we did not fly over that zone,” a coalition source said.

The death toll rose to 131 on Tuesday after “more bodies were taken overnight to hospital and many of the wounded succumbed to their injuries,” a local health official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

BADLY HIT: Smoke billows from buildings after reported air-strikes by the Saudi-led coalition on arms

warehouses at Al Dailami air base, on Tuesday, north of the capital Sanaa. – AFP

Previously the toll had been at least 40 dead and dozens wounded.

A doctor at Mokha’s Al Reefi Hospital, Mayaz Al Hamadi, confirmed that 131 bodies, including women and children, had been brought in.

“Many bodies are laid on the floor because the hospital does not have the means” to accommodate the large number of fatalities, he said.

The United Nations said it was trying to verify the death toll.

Deadliest incident “If the numbers are as high as suggested, this may be the single deadliest incident since the start of the conflict,” Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva.

Colville said that more civilians were being killed in the fighting in

Yemen amid “an increasing number of air strikes targeting bridges and highways”.

According to new UN figures, 151 civilians were killed, including 26 children and 10 women, in the conflict between September 11 and 24.

A total of 2,355 civilians have been killed in the war since late March, and 4,862 have been wounded, Colville said.

Ban urged all rival sides in Yemen “to immediately cease all military activities and resolve all differences through peaceful negotiations”.

President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi returned from nearly six months of exile in Saudi Arabia to Yemen’s southern port city of Aden last Wednesday.

On Sunday, as he left for the UN General Assembly, Hadi urged the rebels to lay down their

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arms and resume dialogue to end the conflict.

Human rights watchdogs have repeatedly criticised the coalition’s aerial bombardment of Yemen, saying they have struck areas without any military targets.

They have also accused the rebels of war crimes for what they have called “indiscriminate” shelling of civilian-populated areas.

Several coalition air strikes have hit non-military facilities killings dozens of civilians during the past six months.

In late August, an air raid struck a bottled-water factory in the northern province of Hajja, killing 17 civilians and 14 rebels.

Warplanes in July attacked the residences of employees of a power plant in Mokha, killing 65 civilians, while a raid on a dairy plant in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida in April left 35 civilians dead. — AFP

I S C L A I M S AT TA C K

International schools shut in Bangladesh after killing of Italian DHAKA: International schools closed down in Bangladesh on Tuesday and Western embassies restricted their diplomats’ movements after an Italian aid worker was shot dead in an attack claimed by the IS group.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan sought to calm escalating security fears in the country, denying the militant group was behind the murder on Monday night and describing it as an “isolated incident”.

“We have only heard about IS in Bangladesh but we haven’t found any of them,” Khan told reporters.

Cesare Tavella was shot three times on Monday night by attackers who fled on a motorcycle. No arrests have been made.

IS claimed “a security detachment” tracked and killed the 50-year-old with “silenced weapons” in Dhaka’s Gulshan district.

If the claim is verified, it would be the group’s first attack inside Bangladesh.

Reassurance The minister tried to reassure those living in the capital’s diplomatic quarter, saying security was sufficient. “There is nothing to worry about,” he said.

But in an updated advisory on Tuesday, the British Foreign Office (ministry) warned its officials against attending gatherings of Westerners in Bangladesh, saying there was “reliable information” that militants may be planning to target Western interests.

“A number of international schools and expatriate clubs have closed for the day on 29 September as a precaution,” the ministry also said on its website.

“You should be particularly vigilant at this time.”

The US embassy on Monday said its diplomats would be barred from attending interna-

tional hotels and other such gatherings and advised its citizens to follow suit. Other countries also issued warnings including Italy, which confirmed the charity worker’s death and advised nationals “to limit their movements” in Bangladesh.

The attack came a day after Cricket Australia said it was delaying its departure to Bangladesh for an October tour due to Canberra’s fears that militants may be planning to target Australian interests.

Cricket Australia said it was seeking assurances from its Bangladesh counterpart before going ahead with the trip.

Bangladesh prides itself on being a mainly moderate country. But the gruesome killings of four bloggers this year rocked the country and sparked a crackdown on local hardline groups.

Bangladesh authorities were initially criticised for failing to protect bloggers, most of whom are living in fear.

Police arrested the leader of banned local hardline IS group Ansarullah Bangla Team over the blogger killings, which sparked an international outcry.

Police were also investigating claims that Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent was behind the machete murders of the bloggers, whose writings were deemed blasphemous. But security experts said there was no clear motive for the killing of Tavella, a programme manager for Netherlands-based church group ICCO Cooperation which focuses on global food security and economic development. “Cesare was a hard-working professional, committed to help the people of Bangladesh,” the group said in a statement on its website.

“He was respected and loved by all his team members in the country office and field offices around the country.” — AFP

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Libya coastguards rescue 346 migrants The migrants, who had been trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, were shuttled in a three-hour operation to a naval base in Tripoli before being transferred to reception centres

TRIPOLI: The Libyan coastguard said it rescued 346 migrants on Tuesday, almost 100 of them women and children, crammed onto rubber boats and stranded off the country’s coast.

Three boats were intercepted around 10 nautical miles off Garabulli and Ghot el-Rommane, east of Tripoli, said coastguard officer Mohamad Jannane, who took part in the operation.

He said the migrants, who had been trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, were shuttled in a three-hour operation to a naval base in Tripoli before being transferred to reception centres.

“The rescue operation was carried out between 1:00 am (2300

GMT, Monday) and 4:00 in the morning because our boats are small and they were overloaded,” the officer said.

He said that 34 women and four children were among 230 migrants in two of the boats, while the third was carrying 116 migrants, among them 54 women and two children.

Libya has for years been a stepping stone for migrants — mostly from sub-Saharan Africa but also Syria and other Middle Eastern countries — seeking to travel to Europe.

People smugglers have taken advantage of the chaos in Libya since its 2011 revolution to step up their

lucrative business. In an upsurge of attempted crossings to Europe this week, the Italian coastguard said it had coordinated the rescue Monday of 1,151 migrants in 11 operations off the Libyan coast.

Separately, the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) said its ship Dignity 1 had saved 373 people, including 62 women and 10 children. Those migrants were transferred to Italy.

More than 430,000 migrants and refugees have crossed the Mediterranean since January and almost 2,750 have died or gone missing, according to the International Organization of Migration. - AFP

RESCUED: A member of Medecins Sans Frontieres checks the temperature of a refugee onboard the Dignity 1 search and rescue vessel after they were rescued along with other migrants from their rubber boat by members of MSF in the Meditterranean sea off the coast of Libya on Tuesday. - AFP

N E W T R E AT M E N T

Stem cell trial of potential blindness cure starts in UK LONDON: The first patient has been treated in Britain in a pioneering trial of a new treatment co-developed by Pfizer and derived from embryonic stem cells designed for patients with a condition that can cause blindness.

Specialists at London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital said the operation, described as “successful”, was the first of 10 planned for participants in a trial of the treatment for a disease called ‘wet’ age-related macular degeneration (AMD).The trial will test the safety and efficacy of transplanting eye cells known as retinal pigment epithelium, which have been derived from embryonic stem cells.

Stem cells are the body’s master cells, the source of all other cells. Scientists who support the use of embryonic stem cells say they could transform medicine, providing treatments for blindness, juvenile diabetes or severe injuries.

But critics object to them because they are harvested from human embryos. This trial involves surgeons inserting a specially engineered patch behind the retina to deliver the treatment cells to replace diseased cells at the back of the eye.

The first surgery was successfully performed on a patient last month, Moorfields said in a statement on Tuesday, and “there have been no complications to date”.

“The patient wishes to remain anonymous, but the team hope to determine her outcome in terms of initial visual recovery by early December,” it added.

Benefit Retinal surgeon Lyndon Da Cruz, who is performing the operations, said he hoped many patients “will benefit in the future from transplantation of these cells.”

Macular degeneration accounts for almost 50 percent of all cases of blindness or vision loss in the developed world.

It usually affects people over 50 and comes in two forms, wet and dry. - AFP RAIDS

Turkey frees 32 pro-Kurdish media staff DIYARBAKIR (Turkey): Turkish authorities on Tuesday released 32 people working for Kurdish-language media detained overnight in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, local sources said.

Anti-terror police on Tuesday detained the 32 journalists and other employees in raids on the offices of pro-Kurdish news agency Dicle (DIHA), Kurdishlanguage newspaper Azadiye Welat, Aram Publications and KURDI-DER (Kurdish language association).

All were released early Tuesday after being questioned by police, the sources said. It was not clear what they were accused of but one source said police had conducted the raid to search for a suspected terrorist who was thought to be hiding inside the DIHA building, which also houses Azadiye Welat. -AFP

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Orpic to boost asset base to $10b in 5 years Orpic is best positioned to achieve its vision of growing from an asset base of $4 billion to more than $10 billion within

Musab Al Mahruqi, chief executive officer of Orpic.

— Picture by Talib Al Wahaibi/Times of Oman

five years, said the company’s chief executive officer Musab Al Mahruqi

Orpic’s workforce expected to touch 3,000 by 2018: CEO

BUSINESS REPORTER

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic) plans to ramp up its asset base from the current $4 billion to over $10 billion in five years, while simultaneously enhancing its profit and contribution to the economy.

“We are best positioned to achieve the vision of growing our company from an asset base of $4 billion to over 10 billion in five years’ time. We will grow current contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) from six per cent by an additional two per cent and will generate four times more profit than we do today,” said Musab Al Mahruqi, chief executive officer of Orpic.

He made these comments while speaking at the People Conference, which was held under the patronage of Sheikh Khalid

MUSCAT: Employment opportunities at Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic) was not affected by the global slump in oil prices and the company’s workforce is expected to reach 3,000 by 2018, said a senior official.

bin Omar Al Marhoon, minister of civil service, at the Al Bustan Palace on Tuesday.

Challenging business The theme of the conference, powered by Orpic, was “The Power Within – New Era of Human Capital.”

Speakers from more than 15

“Our industry is a downstream business, and downstream businesses are not necessarily directly linked to oil price volatility. We are in the margins business so therefore the margin between oil prices and products,” Musab Al Mahruqi, CEO at Orpic, told reporters on the sidelines ofthe People Conference on Tuesday. >B4

countries attended the conference, includingformer British Foreign Minister Jack Straw.

Orpic’s CEO further said the conference had been organised to help the participants learn more about the innovative solutions required to succeed in today’s competitive and challenging business environment. >B4

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W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

MARKET GCC initiates move to slash energy subsidies

ORGANIC COMPOST PLANT

With the slide in LEADING ROLE: These achievements are an explicit and clear

oil prices, Gulf

reflection of the leading role played by Haya Water in all its work and projects. – Supplied picture

states have already

Haya Water gets UN recognition for fertiliser plant

started trimming government expenditures in part by introducing cuts in energy subsidies to alleviate the fiscal

Times News Service MUSCAT: Haya Water said it recently obtained international recognition from the United Nations for its compost plant, which produces a compost-based fertiliser called ‘Kala’.

This recognition has been successfully obtained after listing the natural organic compost plant in the global environmental project Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which was approved by the UN through Kyoto Protocol treaty which commits industrialised nations to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that causes direct impact on the climate and then on the ozone layer.

This achievement and previous consecutive achievements are an explicit and clear reflection to the leading role that is approached by Haya Water in all its work and projects, inspired by the vision of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to contribute in conserving the environment, as well as to provide a better life for all residents especially since Oman is one of the first countries that has established a ministry concerned with the environment and climate affairs.

Kala plant in Amerat Kala plant was established in Amerat in 2010. In the past, the solid waste resulting from the treatment process of the wastewater was dumped in the waste dumping area. Nowadays, the solid waste is mixed with green waste from trees, grass and other organic waste materials for the production of Kala, which is in conformity with the specifications of the global environment.

The company’s sales have exceeded one million bag (size of 50 liters) since the establishment of the plant. Thus, the wastewater treatment recycling process is completed and the company’s goal to protect the environment 100 per cent is achieved. The Kala

plant was constructed using the latest international specifications and modern techniques in which all means of environmental protection and conservation of natural resources are well achieved.

The plant is also equipped with a new laboratory with the best modern techniques that test the product before launching it on the market under the supervision of specialists in this field. The plant production capacity is expected to reach 40 tonnes per year.

International specifications Kala plant is built with the latest international specifications and technologies. It also includes a new laboratory, which is equipped with the best techniques that are used on product testing and ensure its conformity with the approved standards before launching it on the market with the supervision of a number of experts in this field.

The sediment (sludge) generated from sewage treatment is converted to organic fertiliser using the open-air piles system.

This project was established in order to reduce the carbon emissions that might harm the environment through optimum utilisation of the waste of treated water as well as the green waste resulting from trimming the trees and landscaping operations. These waste materials are recycled during the manufacturing process of the organic compost and then used in farms, home gardens and increase the green areas.

In order to protect the environment, Haya Water signed a Memorandum of Understanding with The Wave, Muscat where the Wave Muscat will provide Kala plant with all the green waste resulting from afforestation to be used in the recycling and compost manufacturing process.

The fact that Kala has played a significant role in increasing the crop production made it the best fertiliser to farmers.

burden, said National Bank of Kuwait

Times News Service MUSCAT: With crude oil prices reaching new lows, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are increasingly turning to subsidy reform to help reduce large fiscal deficits, a new report reveals.

For decades, GCC states have had some of the world’s most generous energy subsidies, but with the slide in oil prices, these countries have already started trimming government expenditures in part by introducing cuts in energy subsidies to alleviate the fiscal burden, the latest economic update of National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) shows.

Fiscal deficits are expected across the GCC as oil prices dropped below $50 per barrel.

This is well below the breakeven price of most GCC states. While most of the GCC countries can finance deficits for some time with substantial sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), moves to rationalise budgets remain critical in the medium- to long-term.

According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates, energy subsidies in 2015 in the GCC ranged from 1.1 per cent of GDP in Oman to 4.6 per cent in Saudi Arabia. While the recent drop in oil prices has reduced the cost of energy subsidies, the negative impact on oil revenues has been larger.

For example, Bahrain’s subsidy bill shot up from 17 per cent to 34 per cent of oil revenues and Saudi Arabia’s from 11 per cent to 20 per cent between 2013 and 2015.

While the primary objectives of energy subsidies is to redistribute hydrocarbon wealth, promote industrial growth and improve

OIL PRICE: Fiscal deficits are expected across the GCC as oil prices dropped below $50 per barrel.

This is well below the breakeven price of most GCC states. – Bloomberg News

GCC PETROL PRICES Saudi $0.16 per litre Kuwait $0.23 per litre Bahrain $0.27 per litre Qatar at $0.27 per litre Oman $0.31 per litre UAE $0.47 per litre

the standards of living of GCC citizens, they also bolster wasteful energy consumption, deplete oil resources and reduce oil revenues, not to forget the environmental damage linked to excessive energy consumption, the NBK report stated.

However, there are other more effective means to redistribute the hydrocarbon wealth in an effort to improve standards of living, and boost economic growth, integration and equality.

Energy consumption Low energy prices promote inefficient energy consumption and have placed all six GCC countries among the top 10 energy consuming countries on a per capita basis in the world, with Qatar topping the list at around 18,500kg of oil equivalent per capita (koe/capita).

Subsidies for petrol and electricity constitute the biggest chunk of the energy subsidies.

Petrol prices in the GCC are heavily subsidised and among the lowest worldwide. Prices in Saudi Arabia are the lowest in the GCC at $0.16 per litre, followed by Ku-

wait, Bahrain and Qatar at $0.23, $0.27 and $0.27 per litre respectively. Petrol prices in Oman and the UAE are the highest in the GCC at $0.31 and $0.47 per litre, though they too remain well below petrol prices charged in the US, China and Turkey. The latter has the most expensive gasoline at $2.54 per litre.

The NBK report further stated that GCC countries started lifting petrol and diesel subsidies, though steps remain timid and small relative to the size of the GCC energy subsidies.

Qatar raises diesel price In May 2014, Qatar raised diesel prices by 50 per cent, followed by Bahrain and Kuwait in early 2015.

Most recently, Dubai lifted subsidies on petrol and diesel prices.

Prices would be set by the government but linked to international market prices.

Despite IMF recommendations, Saudi Arabia remains the exception, showing no intention so far of deregulating fuel prices. Electricity subsidies constitute almost half of the energy subsidy bill, with heavy reliance on natural gas as a main resource for production.

As per the General Subsidies Initiative, established in 2005 by the International Institute of Sustainable Development and dedicated to analysing subsidies, GCC electricity production has grown at an average of seven per cent annually between 1999 and 2008.

As demand for electricity continues to grow, most of the GCC countries cannot sustain the high reliance on cheap natural gas for long and hence are facing higher production costs as the electricity prices to consumers remain low.

Electricity prices in Kuwait have been fixed at $0.007 per kWh since 1966, although the Electricity Policy Research Group at the University of Cambridge estimated the cost of electricity production at $0.14 per kWh, or 20 times higher.

The electricity price in KSA is slightly higher at $0.013 per kWh. In January 2015, Abu Dhabi increased electricity tariffs by 40 per cent for expats from 15 fils/ kWh to 21 fils/kWh for consumption of up to 20 kWh. For nationals, electricity tariffs remain highly subsidised.

The residential sector is the biggest consumer of electricity in the GCC along with the commercial and public services sectors, rendering subsidy cuts more difficult. With the exception of Qatar and the UAE, more than 50 per cent of the electricity supply is consumed by the residential sector. Kuwait residential sector consumes 58 per cent of the total electricity supply versus only 17 per cent for the industrial sector.

Unfortunately, in developing countries, spending on energy subsidies is higher than spending on productive social sectors like education and healthcare. Iran’s energy subsidy bill reached 15 per cent of GDP in 2013 versus expenditures on healthcare and education of less than four per cent of GDP, respectively. Saud Arabia’s energy subsidies to GDP reached 4.6 per cent, more than double its expenditures on healthcare.

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THIRD QUARTER

Vietnam’s growth accelerates on foreign investment and export HANOI: Vietnam’s economic growth quickened in the third quarter, buoyed by foreign investments and exports growth that contrasts with the performance of many of its neighbours.

Gross domestic product rose 6.81 per cent in the third quarter from a year earlier, according to figures released by the Hanoibased General Statistics Office on Tuesday that complements other signs of an economic pickup.

That compares to a revised 6.47 per cent pace in the second quarter this year.

Vietnam typically releases growth estimates before the end of the quarter, weeks ahead of its peers, and the numbers are often revised later.

“Vietnam is the only country with strong export growth amid contracting exports among its regional peers,” according to a Australia & New Zealand Banking Group research note earlier this week.

In a bid to safeguard exports and support government efforts to boost economic growth to a four-year high of 6.2 per cent in 2015, the central bank weakened the dong’s reference rate in August for the third time this year, widening the currency’s trading band after China devalued the yuan. The country is also benefiting from cheaper energy costs as disappearing inflation aids domestic demand.

EXPORTS SURGE: In a bid to safeguard exports and support government efforts to boost economic growth to a four-year high of 6.2 per cent in 2015, the central bank weakened the currency’s reference rate in August. – Bloomberg News

The faster growth numbers failed to lift Vietnam stocks, which joined Asian markets in a tumble on Tuesday with a selloff in commodity companies.

Vietnam stock market The benchmark VN Index dropped 0.7 per cent at the close.

Vietnam’s stocks are poised to resume gains that have made the benchmark equity index Asia’s best performer this year, according to analysts in a survey.

In the nine months through September the economy grew 6.5 per cent, compared to the median estimate of 6.4 per cent in a survey by Bloomberg News.

Vietnam is forecast to post the strongest economic growth this

year of six major Southeast Asian countries tracked by the Asian Development Bank in a recent report. The country’s growth is expected to accelerate through the second half, underpinned by rising private consumption, export-oriented manufacturing, and FDI, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.

Inflation dwindled to zero this month for the first time ever. Low prices have spurred retail sales but may pose a risk if sustained, said Huynh The Du, lecturer at the Fulbright Economics Teaching Programme in Ho Chi Minh City. “It’ll become a challenge for economic expansion later if inflation continues to stay at this slow pace.” - Bloomberg News

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

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MARKET INSURANCE SECTOR

Saudi Arabia’s insurance premium set to rise 25%: S&P

Asian stocks plunge as China’s dismal growth hits corporates

Times News Service MUSCAT: Saudi Arabia’s gross premiums this year will be about 25 per cent higher than that in 2014, largely because of price increases on the main insurance lines — group medical and motor, according to a report released by international rating agency - Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services.

Although performance varies considerably among Saudi Arabia’s 34 locally incorporated insurance companies, Standard & Poor’s considers that the general trend is a positive one, encompassing improving tariffs, increasing earnings, enhanced capitalisation, and growing total premium volumes.

Growing demand for insurance in the near term, combined with regulatory encouragement of highly prudential ‘actuarial pricing’ after the price war of 2012-2013, means that Saudi Arabia’s insurers are showing few signs of being affected by the fall in oil prices, the credit agency said in its report, which was released on Tuesday.

“Consequently, we consider that the strong growth in sector premiums is likely being driven by the demographics of an expanding population,” the report noted.

Saudi Arabia is the largest GCC economy.

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Trading floors around

Saudi Arabian bourse leads Gulf

the planet have

stocks fall after global selloff

witnessed extreme volatility since midAugust, when China devalued its yuan ning fears about the state of the world’s number two economy and crucial driver of global growth.

currency, fanning fears about the state of China’s economy

HONG KONG: Resources firms led by mining giant Glencore headed a sell-off deep in Asian markets on Tuesday following painful losses across Europe and New York as fears about the impact of China’s slowing growth burst back into view.

The yen rallied and higher risk emerging market currencies took another hit ahead of key United States jobs data that could determine the United States Federal Reserve’s decision on when to hike interest rates.

India’s rupee suffered added selling pressure after the country’s central bank cut interest rates again.

Trading floors around the planet have witnessed extreme volatility since mid-August, when China devalued its yuan currency, fan-

Brazil and Australia “The slowdown in China is spreading to other Asian economies, Brazil and Australia, and weakness in emerging countries could echo throughout the overall world economy,” Toshihiko Matsuno, chief strategist at SMBC Friend Securities, said.

“We still don’t know when market fears will end about China’s slowdown, and because of this investors are turning to cash and safe assets.” China’s growth has been slowing for several months and the economy is this year expected to see its worst performance in a quarter of a century.

Last week already-weak confidence was rattled by news that a gauge of factory activity in the country came in at its lowest level for six-and-a-half years.

On Monday, Beijing said its key industrial companies saw profits fall 8.8 per cent in August — hit by last month’s shock devaluation, weak demand and plunging

ECONOMY

India cuts key interest rate MUMBAI: India’s central bank aggressively cut interest rates on Tuesday in a bid to kickstart economic growth, following a sharp drop in inflation.

Such a move is designed to lower the barriers to borrowing and investing, providing a boost to consumers and the economy.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) surprised analysts by lowering the benchmark repo rate — the level at which it lends to commercial banks — to 6.75 per cent from 7.25 per cent with immediate effect.

Economists had been expecting a cautious 25-basis-point cut and the 50-basis-point reduction was certain to please Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s businessfriendly government. But the repo rate is still much higher than that in other major economies, with the United States and Japan on record lows of near zero per cent.

“In India, a tentative economic recovery is underway, but is still far from robust,” RBI governor Raghuram Rajan wrote in the bank’s monetary policy review.

has cut rates, raising to 125 the number of basis points that the bank has lopped off borrowing rates in 2015.

Raghuram Rajan – Bloomberg News

“Investment is likely to respond more strongly (and boost domestic demand) if there is more certainty about the extent of monetary stimulus in the pipeline, even if transmission is slow.

“Therefore, the Reserve Bank has front-loaded policy action by a reduction in the policy rate by 50 basis points,” he added. Tuesday’s announcement marked the fourth time this year that the RBI

Under pressure Rajan kept rates on hold last month and pressure had been growing on him to announce a further reduction as the Indian government seeks to quicken the pace of growth in Asia’s thirdlargest economy.

“It was surprise announcement, but timely. I don’t think the pressure from the government influenced Rajan,” Arun Singh, a senior economist at Dun & Bradstreet, said.

Modi swept to power in May 2014 on a pledge to reform and revive the economy to help provide jobs for India’s tens of millions of young people.

After a promising start, India’s economic growth slowed to seven percent in the first quarter of the current financial year, matching China and outpacing most major economies, but down from 7.5 per cent in the previous quarter. -AFP

stocks. With China’s demand for resources waning and prices sitting at multi-year lows, commodities-linked firms took a hit.

The hardest hit was Glencore, which lost 28.5 per cent in the afternoon in Hong Kong. The losses followed a near 30 per cent plunge in its London-listed arm after online brokerage Investec warned about the impact of soft commodity prices on the group’s future.

“We know all their businesses including agricultural, energy, or mining, all are in trouble,” securities analyst, Jackson Wong said.

“They are in a very tough situation that how they are going to survive in the next few years with the slow economy in China, that’s the worry that investors have,” Wong, associate director at Simsen Financial Group, said.

Rush to safety Other resources firms also sank.

In Sydney BHP Billiton plunged 6.65 per cent and Rio Tinto shed 4.57 per cent, while Origin Energy plunged 10.43 per cent and Santos gave up more than nine per cent.

In Tokyo, oil firm JX Holdings

DUABI: Saudi Arabian stocks led a drop across all Gulf equities following a global selloff, as the kingdom’s market reopened after a public holiday.

The Tadawul All Share Index, the benchmark gauge of Opec’s biggest oil producer, fell 1.8 per cent to 7,308.75 in Riyadh. Al Rajhi Bank led the retreat with a 2.2 per cent slide. Qatar’s QE Index lost 1.2 per cent, Abu Dhabi’s ADX General Index retreated 1.1 per cent and Dubai’s DFM General Index slid 1 per cent.

“With global markets selling off, regional markets are following suit,” Ramez Merhi, a Dubai-based director at Al Masah Capital., which manages $500 million, said.

“Recent commodity market

lost 4.32 per cent and Kubota — which makes tractors and heavy equipment — fell 7 per cent.

Industrial robot maker Fanuc, which has close links to China, was down 3.8 per cent.

The losses dragged all Asia’s bourses lower. Tokyo was down 4.05 per cent at close, while Sydney shed 3.8 per cent. Hong Kong

weakness is taking its toll.

With Glencore taking a big hit and our markets being significantly linked to energy, investors are following suit in selling risk assets, reducing commodity exposure and raising cash.”

About $800 billion was wiped off global stocks on Monday as a selloff in commodity and biotechnology companies widened. Glencore, a commodity trader, saw its value slashed by about a third on Monday amid concern over its debt and waning demand for raw materials.

Government budgets in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council rely on income from oil, the price of which has dropped by half in 12 months.

- Bloomberg News

lost 3.32 per cent in late trade and Shanghai was 1.85 per cent lower.

Wellington and Singapore both shed more than one per cent.

Markets in New York and Europe were sideswiped. The Dow, S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all saw hefty selling, while London, Frankfurt and Paris each lost more than two per cent. - AFP

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W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

MARKET OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ........................................5,775.57 ...............5,760.85 ....................5,760.85 ....................5,767.77.................. -6.92 .................. -0.12 Financial Index .................................... 6,900.25 ...............6,871.32 ................... 6,871.32 ...................6,883.57................-12.25 .................. -0.18 Industrial Index ....................................7,347.84 ...............7,326.83 ................... 7,326.83 ................... 7,347.84................ -21.01 .................. -0.29 Services Index .......................................3,228.17 ...............3,218.50 ...................3,220.88 ................... 3,228.17.................. -7.29 .................. -0.23 MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................905.98 ..................903.37 ...................... 903.37 ...................... 905.98.................. -2.61 .................. -0.29 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 10,660,896 ..................3,125,339 .....................593 ...............14,529,934,683 .................. 5 ......................16 ....................20 .........................41

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 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 Securities Market. –Times file picture

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

OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 2,326,043 ..1,163,022........................9 ........... 0.500 ...........0.500 ...........0.500........... 0.500 .............0.490 ............0.010 ............. 2.041 ................0.500..............0.480...................0.500 .................276,430,821........0.100

Index ends on a flat note

OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ..............52,550 .............13,400........................9 ........... 0.255 ........... 0.255 ...........0.255........... 0.255 .............0.253 ........... 0.002............. 0.791.................0.255..............0.255...................0.258....................5,355,000 ..........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 306,600 ......... 231,810..................... 33 ............0.744 ........... 0.764 ...........0.744............0.756 ............. 0.752............ 0.004............. 0.532 ................0.764 ..............0.752...................0.764..................492,113,838 ........0.100 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH................................................ 43,133 ...........112,918......................15 ............2.610 ...........2.630 ...........2.610........... 2.620 .............2.610.............0.010 ............. 0.383 ................2.630..............2.630...................2.650..................250,097,851 ........1.000 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 391,000 ........... 89,928.....................20 ........... 0.230 ...........0.230 ...........0.229........... 0.230 .............0.230 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.230..............0.225...................0.230 ..................23,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS ............................................................. 11,000 ...............3,320........................3 ........... 0.302 ...........0.302 ...........0.300 .......... 0.302 .............0.302 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.300 ............ 0.300...................0.304 ..................15,100,000 .........0.100 OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ...............75,000 .............16,348........................6 ............0.216 ........... 0.218 ...........0.216 ........... 0.218 .............0.218............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.218 ..............0.212...................0.218.....................7,318,576 ..........0.100 OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ....................................................... 43,020 ............ 49,473........................5 ............1.150 ........... 1.150............1.150 ............1.150 ............. 1.150............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.150 .............. 1.130................... 1.150 ................. 230,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000001509............DHOFAR INT.DEV.AND INV. HOLD............................ 112 .................... 44........................1 ........... 0.394 ...........0.394 ...........0.394........... 0.394 .............0.394 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.394............. 0.400...................0.410...................97,081,600 .........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 129,000 ............21,156........................8 ............0.164 ........... 0.164 ...........0.164........... 0.164 .............0.164............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.164 ..............0.162...................0.164...................32,800,000 ........0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 204,966........... 12,298........................7 ........... 0.060 ...........0.060 ...........0.060........... 0.060 .............0.060 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.060..............0.059...................0.060 ..................12,429,083 .........0.100 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ................................ 50,000 .............16,560........................3 ........... 0.330 ...........0.332 ...........0.330........... 0.332 .............0.332 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.332..............0.328...................0.332...................98,342,942 ........0.100

Tuesday’s top gainer was Ominvest, up by

OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ........................63,885 ............... 5,770......................16 ........... 0.090 ...........0.094 ...........0.090........... 0.090 .............0.090 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.094..............0.090...................0.095....................2,700,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ...................................................... 50,000 ............... 6,759........................2 ............0.135 ........... 0.136 ...........0.135 ............0.135 ............. 0.135............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.136 ..............0.130...................0.136...................41,953,267 .........0.100

2.04 per cent, and Al Sharqia Investment,

OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ..........................48,533 ............ 78,430......................13 ............1.615 ........... 1.620 ...........1.610 ............1.615 ............. 1.615 ............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.610 .............. 1.610................... 1.615 ................ 1,211,250,000 ......0.100

down by 2.78 per cent, was the top loser

OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER....................................................................530 ...................175........................1 ........... 0.330 ...........0.330 ...........0.330........... 0.340 .............0.340 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.330..............0.330...................0.342 ..................75,143,400 .........0.100

OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY .......................................................2,046 .................. 839........................4 ............0.410 ........... 0.410 ...........0.410........... 0.410 .............0.410............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.410 ..............0.404...................0.430 ..................24,805,000 ........0.100

OM0000004248 ...........SMN POWER HOLDING ............................................87,000 ............ 65,076........................4 ............0.748 ........... 0.748 ...........0.748 ............0.748 ............. 0.748............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.748 ..............0.748...................0.760..................149,327,429 ........0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL............................................. 607,167 .............52,112......................19 ........... 0.086 ...........0.086 ...........0.085........... 0.086 .............0.086 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.086..............0.085...................0.086...................15,050,000 .........0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ....................................................... 500 .................. 245........................2 ........... 0.490 ...........0.490 ...........0.490........... 0.490 .............0.490 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.490..............0.482...................0.490 ..................25,725,000 .........0.100

MUSCAT: Shares on the Muscat Securities Market closed on a flat note. The MSM30 Index ended at 5,760.85 points, down by 0.12 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index declined 0.29 per cent to close at 903.37 points.

Oman International Development and Investment Company (Ominvest) was the most active in terms of volume as well as turnover. Tuesday’s top gainer was Ominvest, up by 2.04 per cent, and Al Sharqia Investment, down by 2.78 per cent, was the top loser.

16 shares decline As many as 593 trades were executed during the trading session generating turnover of OMR3.1 million with over 10.6 million shares changing hands.

Out of 41 traded securities, five advanced, 16 declined and 20 remained unchanged.

GCC and Arab investors were net buyers for OMR241,000 while foreign investors were net sellers for OMR139,000 followed by Omani investors for OMR102,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index closed at

6,871.32 points, down by 0.18 per cent. Ominvest, up by 2.04 per cent, was the only sector gainer. Al Sharqia Investments, Oman & Emirates Holding, HSBC Bank, Al Anwar Holding and Bank Nizwa declined by 2.78 per cent, 1.98 per cent, 1.75 per cent, 1.72 per cent and 1.61 per cent respectively.

Industrial Index falls Industrial Index declined by 0.29 per cent to close at 7,326.83 points. Oman Flour Mills and Gulf International Chemicals increased by 0.83 per cent and 0.79 per cent, respectively. Oman Cables, Dhofar Cattlefeed and Galfar Engineering declined by 2.63 per cent, 2.44 per cent and 1.06 per cent, respectively.

Services Index closed negatively at 3,220.88 points, down by 0.23 per cent. Ooredoo and Sembcorp Salalah gained by 0.53 per cent and 0.38 per cent, respectively. Renaissance Services, Al Batinah Power, Shell Oman and Al Jazeera Services fell by 1.85 per cent, 1.41 per cent, 0.99 per cent and 0.49 per cent respectively. – United Securities

DOWNSTREAM BUSINESS

OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 568,444 .........295,987......................51 ........... 0.522 ...........0.524 ...........0.520........... 0.520 .............0.522 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.383 ...............0.520..............0.520...................0.524 ................1,191,747,750 .......0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES .......................................... 132,067 ........... 53,299........................6 ........... 0.404...........0.404 ...........0.396........... 0.404 .............0.406 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.493 ...............0.396..............0.394...................0.396...................24,726,526 .........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 462,612 ............74,173..................... 32 ............0.159 ........... 0.161............0.159 ........... 0.160 ............. 0.161 ............-0.001 ........... -0.621................0.160.............. 0.159...................0.160................. 230,630,400 .......0.100 OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ...................................44,935 ............ 89,870......................15 ........... 2.000...........2.000 ...........2.000 .......... 2.000 .............2.020 ...........-0.020 ........... -0.990 ...............2.000 ............ 0.000...................2.000 ................ 190,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 379,812.............36,778.....................24 ........... 0.097 ...........0.097 ...........0.096........... 0.097 .............0.098 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.020 ...............0.096..............0.096...................0.097.....................5,707,792 ..........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 408,258 ............37,947..................... 23 ........... 0.093 ...........0.093 ...........0.092........... 0.093 .............0.094 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.064 ...............0.092..............0.092...................0.094 ..................26,968,199 .........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER.................................................... 9,803 ...............2,059........................2 ............0.210 ........... 0.210 ...........0.210........... 0.210 .............0.213............-0.003 ........... -1.408 ...............0.210..............0.210...................0.213..................141,726,360 ........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 1,129,544 ......193,260..................... 70 ............0.172 ........... 0.172 ...........0.170 ............0.171 ............. 0.174............-0.003 ............-1.724................0.171 ...............0.171...................0.172...................25,662,825.........0.100 OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 330,000 ........... 36,960..................... 10 ............0.112 ........... 0.112............0.112 ............0.112 ............. 0.114............-0.002 ............-1.754................0.112 ...............0.111................... 0.112 ................. 224,035,032 .......0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 413,352 ........... 65,832......................21 ............0.160 ........... 0.160 ...........0.158 ............0.159 .............0.162............-0.003 ........... -1.852................0.159 .............. 0.158...................0.159................... 46,213,512 .........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING........... 126,000 ............12,495......................11 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.100 ...........0.099........... 0.099 ............. 0.101............-0.002 ........... -1.980 ...............0.099..............0.098...................0.100...................12,065,625 .........0.100 OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY......................................10,000 ............ 18,500........................1 ............1.850 ........... 1.850 ...........1.850 ............1.850 .............1.900 ...........-0.050 ........... -2.632 ...............1.850 ............. 0.000...................1.850..................165,945,000........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 1,221,634 ...... 128,374..................... 75 ............0.107 ........... 0.107 ...........0.104........... 0.105 .............0.108 ...........-0.003 ........... -2.778 ...............0.105 ..............0.105...................0.106....................9,450,000 ..........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 9,728,546 ...2,985,217................... 521 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......33........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS .................................................36,000 .............17,580........................4 ........... 0.484 ........... 0.510 ...........0.484........... 0.488 .............0.484 ........... 0.004............. 0.826 ................0.510 ..............0.484...................0.510...................76,860,000.........0.100 OM0000001855 ............MAJAN GLASS ................................................................. 1,000 .................. 210........................1 ............0.210 ........... 0.210 ...........0.210........... 0.220 .............0.220 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.210..............0.198...................0.210.................... 9,245,126 ..........0.100 OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 118,000...............7,906........................2 ........... 0.067 ...........0.067 ...........0.067........... 0.067 .............0.067 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.067..............0.066...................0.067...................67,000,000.........0.100 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 592,134 ........... 88,228..................... 49 ............0.149 ........... 0.149 ...........0.149 ........... 0.149 .............0.149............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.149 ..............0.149...................0.150.................. 217,927,618 ........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ..................................................................72,700 ...............4,465......................11 ........... 0.062 ...........0.062 ...........0.061 ........... 0.061 .............0.062 ...........-0.001 ............-1.613 ................0.061 ..............0.061...................0.062 ..................91,500,000.........0.100 OM0000001301 ............DHOFAR CATTLE FEED .......................................... 105,000 ........... 21,050........................2 ........... 0.205 ...........0.205 ...........0.200 .......... 0.200 .............0.205 ...........-0.005 ........... -2.439 ...............0.200 ............ 0.200...................0.208 ..................15,400,000.........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 924,834 ......... 139,439..................... 69 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 6........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS MARKET .................................................................................................................................................................................

OM0000004628 ...........BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5 ................................................725 .....................73........................1 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.100 ...........0.100........... 0.100 .............0.100 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.100..............0.100...................0.109.................... 7,150,000 ..........0.100 OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 ........................6,791 ...................611........................2 ........... 0.090 ...........0.090 ...........0.090........... 0.090 .............0.094 ...........-0.004 ........... -4.255 ...............0.090..............0.090...................0.094 ..................29,174,545 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .......................................................................................7,516 ..................684........................3 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........2........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

SOHAR REFINERY PROJECT

INDIAN MARKETS

Scope for Indian bonds, stocks rally as ‘Orpic margins B1 B1 employment interest rate cut erases losses have increased’ creation < FROM

“What we have seen this year is an increase in margins, compared to last year. While the oil prices have dropped, the margins have increased. So most of the downstream companies, especially in refining, have made more profit this year than last year,” Orpic CEO further stated.

New jobs Al Mahruqi also noted that the company had not only not seen job cuts, but had rather added a number of jobs.

“We grew from about 1,800 employees last year to 2,400 employees,” he said, adding, “If the projects go ahead, Liwa Plastics in particular, we will have 3,000 employees by year 2018.”

Liwa Plastics Industries Complex is one the three major projects thatOrpic is implementing.

The two other projects are the Sohar Refinery Improvement Projectand the Muscat-Sohar Pipeline Project.

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Commenting on the Liwa Plastics project, Al Mahruqi said, “We hope to sign a loan agreement, as well as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts by the end of the year.”

Sohar Refinery expansion He added that the Sohar Refinery expansion project was progressing well and around 80 per cent of the project had been completed.

“We hope to commission the plant in the second half of next year,” Al Mahruqi added.

He also noted that Orpicwould aim to maximise the refinery output for the remaining months of the year.

“In the previous year, we had several incidents that impacted the refineries. We have avoided these incidents this year,” the official said, adding, “We hope we do not achieve only 4 per cent, but maybe more than a 4 per cent increase this year.”

Al Mahruqi also commented on the company’s contribution to job creation in Oman, saying that a recent study had shown that the Sohar Refinery project had created over 27,000 jobs (direct, indirect and induced).

“This year, we are planning to start building the largest petrochemical project in Oman, the Liwa Plastics Industries Complex, at an estimated cost of $5 billion, again creating thousands of direct, indirect and induced job opportunities,” Al Mahruqi said.

He also highlighted the fact that Oman has a young population, whose potential should be utilised and said that half of Orpic’s current employees are aged below 35 years. “In three years time, we will have around a third of our employees aged below 30 years,” said the official at Orpic, one of Oman’s largest companies and one of the most rapidly growing businesses in the Middle East’s oil industry," he further added.

MUMBAI: India’s sovereign bonds rallied, pushing the 10-year yield to a two-year low, and stocks rose the most in a week after the nation’s central bank surprised investors with bigger-than-expected cut in borrowing costs and eased curbs on foreign ownership of local debt.

The yield on government bonds due May 2025 slumped 11 basis points to 7.61 per cent, the lowest closing level for benchmark 10-year debt since July 2013.

The rupee gained 0.1 per cent to 65.95 per dollar after weakening as much as 0.6 per cent. The 30stock S&P BSE Sensex increased 0.6 per cent, erasing an intraday loss of 1.3 per cent.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut its main repurchase rate by half a percentage point to 6.75 per cent. Most of the 52 economists surveyed by Bloomberg had predicted a quarter-point move, and just one made an accurate call. Governor Raghuram Rajan had faced growing pressure from the government to cut one of Asia’s highest borrowing costs as growth and consumer prices slowed amid the rout in global commodities.

“A 50-basis point cut was needed to kick start growth, and the decision reflects the RBI’s view that inflation will be under control due to low global commodity prices,” Shishir Bajpai, a director at Mumbai-based IIFL Wealth Management, which has $12 billion under management and advisory. He reaffirmed the company’s bullish stance on companies tied to the economy.

Sensex erased losses soon after RBI’s decision at 11am local time but traded little changed for up to two hours as emerging-market stocks sank to a five-week low

LOOKING UP: Sensex erased losses soon after the central bank’s decision on interest. But trading little changed for up to two hours as emerging-market stocks sank to a five-week low amid a selloff in commodity-trading companies. - Bloomberg file picture

amid a selloff in commodity-trading companies. Gains in US equity futures, oil and copper later in the day helped the Sensex climb as much as 1.7 per cent.

Global funds have pulled a net $2.4 billion from Indian shares in this quarter, the highest since the period ended December 2008, as the turmoil sparked by China’s shock currency devaluation curbed demand for riskier assets.

That’s put the benchmark Sensex on course for its biggest quarterly retreat in four years.

Seeking to stem capital outflows and give overseas investors greater access to Asia’s best-performing bonds, the RBI on Tuesday eased curbs on their purchases of debt. The cap will be raised in phases to five per cent of outstanding stock by March 2018, and the move may attract Rs1.2 trillion ($18 billion) of flows, the authority said. Overseas funds have almost exhausted the previous limit of $30 billion, National Securities Depository data show.

“The higher limits could result in inflows of $5 billion in the next six months alone, and this will help reduce fears of the rupee depreciating in line with other emerging markets,” Mihir Vora, Mumbai-based chief investment officer at Max Life Insurance, which has $4.8 billion in assets, said by e-mail. The rupee will outperform other emerging-markets currencies, he said.

The rupee has rebounded about four per cent from an unprecedented 68.845 a dollar in August 2013, beating South Africa’s rand, Indonesia’s rupiah, Turkey’s lira and Brazil’s real. Morgan Stanley dubbed the currencies the “Fragile Five” that year 2013 for being the most at risk of capital flight.

Housing Development Finance Corp., the biggest mortgage lender, climbed to its highest since August 21. Maruti Suzuki India, the largest carmaker, rallied 3.2 per cent, taking this year’s gain to 41 per cent, the most on the Sensex after Lupin. — Bloomberg News

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ROUND-UP

Al Hashar Electronics opens new showroom The swanky showroom, spread over 180sq. m, is at the Oman Avenues Mall

MUSCAT: Leading retail chain Al Hashar Electronics has opened its flagship household appliances and electronics showroom at Oman Avenues Mall as part of its reformulated retail strategy. Al Hashar Electronics is Oman’s prestigious household appliances, electronics and storage solutions distributor.

The swanky showroom, spread over 180sq. m, boasts an attractive product line-up sourced from the world’s best brands in the kitchen and cooling solutions segments along with other consumer electronic appliances. The showroom was inaugurated by Sheikh Al Muhannad Al Hashar, chairman, Al Hashar Group, in the presence of senior management and staff, says

a press release.

“Al Hashar Electronics’ presence in one of the largest and finest shopping malls of the Sultanate heralds our new approach to better connect with niche segments. This state-of-the-art showroom is sure to present our esteemed customers with a never-before buying experience,” said Sultan Al Kharusi, MD, Al Hashar Group.

“Al Hashar is committed to bringing in the best of international brands that are innovative as well as segment-leading. In line with this core principle, Al Hashar

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Electronics showroom takes pride in introducing for the first time in the Sultanate premier Italian modular kitchen brands DiemmeCuicine and Composit, and also sinks and mixers from yet another Italian super brand Foster.

“These are sure to generate lots of excitement in the consumer electronics market here,” said Rajeev Sharma, general manager, Al Hashar Electronics.

“Our endeavour is to offer our esteemed customers 360-degree solutions across consumer electronics verticals, especially

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kitchen and cooling products.

With the opening of Al Hashar Electronics’ premier store in Avenues Mall, the capital city has now three Al Hashar Electronics stores serving customers across income segments. We have an absolutely fantastic product mix. Our kitchen section offers value-added products from global super brands such as Ariston from Italy and Rinnai from Japan. We have them all including cookers, dish washers and appliances such as hobs, ovens, hoods, and refrigerators as well as commercial kitchen equipment.

We also offer built-in and freestanding kitchen units from major Italian brands.

“In the cooling section, we have an exciting range of top-notch split air-conditioners, packaged units, ducted split units and VRF systems from one of the world’s leading companies Mitsubishi Electric from Japan; and split airconditioners from India’s leading brand Onida. Customers can also choose from a wide selection of televisions, refrigerators and other products of Daytek by top Korean brand Daewoo and the Swedish brand Finlux,” he added.

H E AV Y D U T Y P E R F O R M A N C E

JAC trucks on display in Al Mawaleh market MUSCAT: Towell Auto Centre (TAC) has displayed JAC Motors trucks in Mawaleh Central Fruits and Vegetable Market.

These trucks are generating a lot of interest among the vegetables and fruits suppliers and sellers who are appreciating the transportation and storage facilities offered in a JAC truck, says a press release.

Available in 3 tonne (2.7L) and 4 tonne (3.8L), JAC Motors light-duty trucks offer heavy duty performance and are reliable, rigid, safe and suitable for various road conditions. They come with water tanks and refrigerated storage which ensures a wide variety of food items can

be transported for long distances without getting spoilt.

“JAC’s light-duty trucks are developed over many years of R&D based on advanced European and Asian platform technologies. Low oil consumption, low using cost, high performance, smart pricing, strong load capacity, solidity and durability – are some of the other strengths of JAC trucks,” commented a senior spokesperson of TAC In Oman, TAC is the sole distributor of JAC light-duty trucks.

With a network of 11 showrooms, 13 service outlets and 10 parts outlets spread across Oman, TAC is one of the leading automobile distributors in the region.

C R E AT I V E C A M PA I G N

Hyundai’s campaign ‘A Message to Space’ wins accolade at Clio Awards

Bank Sohar extends support to Al Noor Association for Blind MUSCAT: Having already supported the Dhofar and Nizwa branches of the Al Noor Association for the Blind, Bank Sohar has now extended its support to the Muscat branch; marking its third contribution to the association this year. This latest donation will contribute towards the purchase of iPhones to be used by the association’s beneficiaries through the phone’s built in ‘VoiceOver’ feature.

The donation cheque was handed over at the association’s head office to Rashid Suleiman Al Farsi, chairman of the Al Noor Association for the Blind, by Mazin Mahmood Al Raisi, senior AGM - Marketing and Customer Experience at Bank Sohar.

Speaking on the rationale behind this donation, Munira Abdulnabi Macki, GM of Human Resource and Corporate Support, Bank Sohar, commented: “Modern technology has come a long way in facilitating the needs of the visually impaired, enabling them to use a phone and its applications to enhance their communication and mobility.

‘VoiceOver’ is one such feature of the iPhone that makes the device easier to operate for people with low vision capabilities; reading out to them what’s displayed on the screen including buttons, icons, links, and other interface elements. With the voice over, beneficiaries can use the smart device more effectively as well as use it to navigate.

"We are glad to be in a position to donate funds for these devices to members of the Al Noor Association; I am confident they will be of great help to them in all aspects of their lives.”

Thanking Bank Sohar for its support, Rashid Suleiman Al Farsi said: “What makes us proud at the Al Noor Association is the fact that, together with the support of organisations such as Bank Sohar, we can make lasting positive changes in people’s lives. We can genuinely help

We are glad to be in a position to donate funds for these devices to members of the Al Noor Association; I am confident they will be of great help to them in all aspects of their lives Munira Macki GM of Human Resource

people with vision impairments and give them tools to make their journey towards a normal life a little easier.”

Bank Sohar strives to ensure that its contributions are carefully planned and evaluated in order to diversify and reach out to the maximum number of people, especially those in most need of it, offering recipients positive support to make a meaningful change. In addition to the Muscat, Dhofar and Nizwa branches of the Al Noor Association for the Blind, Bank Sohar has also supported several other organisations and their activities in the current year including Omani Society for the Hearing Impaired, Al Amal Association, Dar Al Atta’a, Al Wafa Centre for Rehabilitation Children with Disabilities, etc.

MUSCAT: Hyundai Motor’s pioneering ‘A Message to Space’ campaign has won two bronze awards at the international Clio Awards in the Film Technique and Out of Home categories.

This latest success completes a triple awards crown for the innovative film following other recent acknowledgement achieved at the Cannes Lions and New York Festivals awards, says a press release.

Soon to reach 70 million views on YouTube, the ‘Message to Space’ video has been the centre of attention on social media around the world since its launch in April.

The creative campaign tells the story of how Hyundai Motor sent a message from a 13-year-old girl to her astronaut father.

In the video, 11 Genesis cars write a huge message, covering about 5.55 km2, on the Delamar Dry Lake, Nevada — an image the girl’s father was able to capture from the International Space Station. In a unique extension to the concept, Hyundai Motor invited viewers to create their own virtual message to share with loved ones, an opportunity taken up by more than 85,000 people around the world.

The Genesis, Hyundai Motor’s premium sedan, which is featured in the film is surprisingly well

suited to the terrain of the dry lake in Nevada thanks to its HTRAC all-wheel drive system – available at the push of a button. Customers who drive Genesis appreciate the model’s superior grip in all weather conditions, plus its fun-to-drive performance when the HTRAC system is activated.

On top of its Internet popularity, the video was aired more than 800 times on US national TV channels such as ABC, Fox TV, and NBC, as well as being covered by numerous high-profile print and online media including TIME, People and Forbes. The Clio Awards recogni-

tion follows four bronze honours at the Cannes Lions and New York Festival events – including the Third Prize Award in the ‘Film: Use of Medium’ category at the 2015 New York Festivals World’s Best Advertising awards.

‘New Thinking’ Commenting on the latest accolade, which was recognised by Guinness World Records as creating the largest tyre track image ever, Jin (James) Kim, vice president and head of Hyundai Motor Company operations in Africa and the Middle East, said: “The

Message to Space campaign effectively communicated our company’s ‘New Thinking’ through a number of impactful marketing platforms making its launch a tremendous success.”

The Clio Awards have been rewarding excellence in advertising, design and communication since the first ceremony in 1960. Categories are judged internationally, adding to Hyundai Motor’s worldwide acclaim for its ‘A Message to Space’ video, reaching viewers across the globe, and connecting with those further afield, too – like the astronaut in the story.

HIGH PROFILE DEAL

Mercedes inks pact with Ghantoot Group MUSCAT: Zawawi Trading Company (ZTC) Automotive, the authorised general distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Oman, signed an agreement with Ghantoot Transport and General Contracting (Ghantoot Group) to supply a large fleet of Mercedes-Benz Actros tractor units and tipper chassis. The high-profile deal is fully supported by ZTC’s recent network expansions and includes a training and after sales programme, says a press release.

“Mercedes-Benz has been a pioneer in truck technology for over 50 years, and the Actros has been designed to rise to the challenge of every task. It thoroughly deserves its reputation as the pinnacle of the Middle East covering the construction and transportation segment, unrivalled by any vehicle in its class,” said Daniel Fitzjohn, general manager, Commercial Vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Oman.

“This agreement will serve as the foundation of a long-term partnership with Ghatoot Transport and General Contracting, and we are confident the Actros will set new benchmarks while supporting their local developmental projects.”

Abdul Qader Alawi, local representative of Ghantoot Transport and General Contracting, commented: “We are delighted to add the Actros trucks to our fleet of vehicles as we move forward with

our projects in Oman. Among the many factors that persuaded us to make this agreement were the reliability, safety, and exceptional performance of the vehicles alongside ZTC’s reputation as a first-class partner of choice.

"This move will help cement our position in the Sultanate and build long lasting ties with ZTC that will remain mutually beneficial in the years to come.”

Ghantoot Group is already operating a huge fleet of MercedesBenz vehicles in their UAE and Qatar operations, which includes Actros Tractors and tippers.

With over 760,000 awardwinning trucks sold, the Mer-

cedes-Benz Actros offers drivers maximum comfort and reliability, combining cutting-edge technology with five decades of truck expertise and technical know-how. A proud bearer of the star, the Actros is equipped with V6 and V8 engines to yield top performance and generate the required power for the most difficult terrain and temperatures. With an ergonomically designed workplace and plenty of space to move around, it sets new standards in functionality, safety, comfort and equipment.

Even in rough driving conditions, the practical features, such as the Brake Assist function, the enhanced instrument cluster, and

the luxury bed in the lower sleeping area, help drivers feel at ease.

Moreover, the Actros is world renowned for being the most environmentally-friendly vehicle in its class, having successfully demonstrated its landmark fuel efficiency across five continents and in the harshest settings.

The fleet of vehicles is set to be delivered in September - October 2015 and will provide essential support for Ghantoot Transport and General Contracting as the company embarks on a series of new contracts in the Sultanate, including the first phase of the Adam-Thumrait Road Dualisation Project.

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W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

ROUND-UP KNOWLEDGE

Course on supply chain management to be held on Oct. 12 MUSCAT: Al Osool Al Arabia, leading name in corporate business solutions and training, is organising for the first time in Oman, the much awaited supply chain management training course in association with Institute for Supply Management (ISM - India), an affiliate of ISM USA. This exclusive course titled ‘Transform Yourself’ will be conducted by Krishan K. Batra, president and CEO of ISM - India on October 12 and 13 at Haffa House, Muscat, says a press release.

Hyundai celebrates its major milestone in ME To thank customers, the company is offering a new five year/100,000km warranty across all models

MUSCAT: Hyundai Motor Company is this month celebrating the sale of its three millionth vehicle in the Middle East, 39 years after it began operations in the region.

This month officials gathered at the Ulsan Plantin Korea to mark the occasion and to thank customers, the company is offering a new five year/100,000km warranty across all models, says a press release.

Now firmly established as the second biggest automotive manu-

facturer across the region, Hyundai arrived in the Middle East in 1976. Almost four decades on, the brand has enjoyed success right across the region.

And now customers purchasing Hyundai models can take advantage of a new five years/100,000km warranty package, making the decision to purchase a Hyundai even easier.

In terms of bestselling markets, Saudi Arabia has taken pole position for Hyundai, benefiting from the brand’s approach of working with three different distributor partners across the Kingdom.

This was followed by Jordan which is one of the Middle East’s leading markets in terms of sales volume. Not far behind are the UAE and Oman which also prove to be important markets for the manufacturer.

Highlighting the popularity of the brand’s diverse product offering, Hyundai can point to a compact car, a mid-size sedan and a compact SUV as its best-sellers across the decades. Having sold

over 667,000 units to date, the Elantra is by far the company’s most popular Middle East model.

The Sonata, which saw its seventh generation version launched in the region just last year, has recorded sales of over 321,000, while the Tucson took the honours in third place with sales exceeding 242,000 units.

Testament to strength Commenting on this milestone, Jin (James) Kim, vice-president and head of Hyundai Africa and Middle East, said: “Meeting the three million vehicle mark is testament to the strength of our brand, and the quality and value offered across our wide model range. By purchasing our vehicles in ever increasing numbers, nothing highlights more powerfully the confidence that our customers have in us and our products.”

“This success is also down to the continued support of our distributor partners, who have invested in developing unrivalled facilities and unrivalled customer service

VA L U E A D D I T I O N

offerings and this new warranty is the perfect example of the type of unbeatable offers which are available in the region,” Kim continued.

Established in 1967 in Korea, Hyundai Motor Company began operations in the Middle East just nine years later, since then it has gone from strength to strength.

Key milestones include the manufacturer reaching the cumulative one million sales mark in the region in 2005 and the two million sales mark in 2012. It also broke the 300,000 barrier for annual sales for the first time in the same year, something it went on to repeat in 2013 and 2014.

In the first half of 2015 alone the Korean brand has sold 168,878 vehicles in the region, representing a strong year-on-year increase in sales. With several key model launches coming out later this year, including the All-New Tucson, the All-New Sonata Hybrid and the Creta, a completely new compact SUV, the manufacturer is well set to continue the success of the past 39 years.

The challenges Positioning yourself as a strategic innovator in supply chain management with this novel training programme.

You will be eligible to manage the global supply chain complexity and risks.

Focusingyourselfinmakingyour supply chain risk-resistant, brand or reputation risks, business continuity risks, financial risks, operational risks, legal risks and technical risks.

Objectives The training course objectives are to develop, implement and manage a risk profile and strategies in accordance with existing contracts, applicable laws, regulations and organisational policy.

Develop and implement a risk management and/or claims management program (for example, copyright violation, patent infringement, harassment). Implement supply management processes in consideration of legal issues. Develop/implement/maintain a database/physical filing system of relevant information.

Verify the existence, accuracy and completeness of relevant financial transactions and commitments to third parties. Assess risk from end of life cycle issues in the market place and establish proper risk mitigation contingency plans for all components in the product.

Manage and control the storage/ disposal of hazardous/regulated materials and related documenta-

tion. Comply with programs that prevent and respond to discrimination or harassment.

Training methodology “The training sessions will be as workshop styled and feedback, questions and assessments will be used to gauge progress and ensure understanding. Participants will be challenged to explore the concepts in detail and consider how they relate to their own supply chain environments. The training programmes are designed to provide participants with an active and relevant learning experience.

The resources and methodologies include a blend of lecture, interactive groups and discussions, webinars etc. The training programmes are very interactive. They are case studies based along with Q&A at the end of each session. This challenges the participants to use disciplinary knowledge and team participation skills,” according to Jose Chacko, CEO, Al Osool Al Arabia.

The trainer Krishan K. Batra, is president and CEO of ISM India. An innovative and dynamic supply chain management professional with 40 years of leadership experience of transforming procurement and supply chain activities across private sector, public sector and UN organisations. He has a proven track to professionalise procurement function and instrumental in developing UNSPSC coding system. He is also a “Hind Ratna” award holder and has written many articles covering various aspects of Procurement and SCM.

W O R L D H E A R T D AY

Renna Mobile promo offers Free heart tests at Al Hayat surprises from McDonald’s Hospital till October 29 MUSCAT: Renna Mobile (Majan Telecommunication), Oman and the Middle East’s first mobile reseller, has launched yet another exciting offer for their customers.

Renna Mobile customers will win an instant free meal from McDonalds offered by Renna Mobile during their ongoing promotion until October 20.

When customers recharge with OMR3 or OMR5, they will be eligible to claim a free McDonald’s burger and a cold drink.

When customers recharge with OMR7 or OMR10, they will be eligible to claim a free McDonald’s burger, fries and a cold drink, says a press release.

Customers need to show the SMS that they receive after a recharge is done (the SMS has to

have a mention of the offer as well) along with the recharge card at any of the McDonald’s outlet to claim their free meal.

Raed Haddadin, CEO, Renna Mobile said, “We continue the journey of bringing value to our customers. And this time, we are happy to celebrate Eid with this tie-up with McDonald’s.

“This current offer from Renna will help create excitement amongst our customers. We want our customers to enjoy our services as well as benefit from our innovative campaigns.”

It is worth mentioning that Renna mobile recharge cards and services are easily accessible by means of shopping outlets and several other locations across Oman.

Customers can also recharge on-

line, by signing up and logging in to Renna Mobile website and get 10% off their recharge.

Renna Mobile also offers Oman’s most valuable data bundles with the best price/data ratio and international calling offers among all the mobile service providers in Oman.

The quality of the services provided by Renna mobile is credited with a strong and reliable network accessible from almost all parts of the region.

With the aim to become the most cost-efficient mobile service provider in Oman, Renna Mobile provides fantastic prices and brilliant customer service coupled with superb network coverage, offered through Omantel’s superior telecom network all across Oman.

E N T E R TA I N M E N T P R O G R A M M E

ISD celebrates ‘Hindi Divas’ MUSCAT: Hindi Divas was celebrated by the primary section of Indian School Darsait (ISD) by the Hindi department recently to mark the significance of India’s official language, Hindi, that took its shape and form on September 14, 1949, when it was adopted by the Constituent assembly.

The day was celebrated with great pomp and grandeur that paved the way for the little ones to rekindle their love for their ‘National Language’.

The students showcased an entertainment programme which included speech, action songs, group song, Meera bai bhajan, skit, Antakshari, and tongue twisters that added colour and vigour to the programme, says a press release.

Leena Francis (vice principal, Primary Section) recited the Kabir Das’ Dohey and urged the students to be punctual in their work. Principal, Dr Sridevi

P. Thashnath, in her speech expressed her happiness at the well conducted programme and appreciated the sincere efforts of the teachers.

She announced that the highlight of the day was the Gurukula, where the students depicted the

ancient ‘Guru-Shishya relation and how the students tried to satisfy their ‘Guru’ by doing their best.

The Principal also exhorted the students to learn the language and speak well in Hindi since it is their Rashtra Bhasha.

MUSCAT: Al Hayat International Hospital, Ghubra is celebrating World Heart Day in a unique manner by observing an entire month of activities dedicated to heart health from yesterday.

Aimed at reducing cardiovascular risk in the Sultanate, the various activities planned include free screening of blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and body mass index, for people above the age of 40. There will also be free group cardiology and diabetology consultation for those with high BP, cholesterol and sugar level along with free diet counselling during the period.

Headed by Dr K. P. Raman, chairman of Al Hayat and senior consultant cardiologist of Oman, the excellent cardiac team of Al Hayat International Hospital comprises Dr Mohammed H Al Deeb, president of the Oman Heart Association and an expert in angiogram and angioplasty, Dr Najib Al Rawahi, a Canadian board certified cardiologist specialising in electrophysiology and

life-saving procedures, including ICD/CRT implantation, Dr Abdullah Al Farqani, an Australian board certified paediatric cardiologist who extends the highest quality of cardiac care to children and newborn, Dr Tarek Al Dairi, an expert in CCU management and treatment of acute heart attack and Dr Satish, An expert in cardiology.

The excellent cardiology department of Al Hayat, staffed by six experienced cardiologists, offers facilities such as 24 hours open chest pain clinic, CATHLAB, CCU, Treadmill, Holter, ABPM, Stress Echo, Trans-esophageal Echo, Non-invasive CT Coronary Angio, Pacemaker Implantation and ICD/CRT Implantation. The advanced Cardiac Catheter Laboratory (Cath Lab) is now open. Hayat’s interventional cardiologist performs angiograms and angioplasty and stent insertion for patients with blocks in heart arteries.

Dr Raman, said, “World Heart Day is observed globally on Sep-

tember 29 to educate people about cardiovascular diseases, a leading cause of death worldwide. Incidence of heart disease in Oman has been increasing at around 10 per cent every year, while the age of the affected is alarmingly getting lower and lower. Through this programme, we hope to not only raise awareness about cardiovascular diseases but also promote a heart-healthy Oman.”

The free tests can be availed between 2pm and 5pm, Saturday to Wednesday. Health talks will also be held during the period.

For World Heart Day Al Hayat International Hospital is offering: 1) Free basic cardiac health screening 2) Special cardiac health check package is offered at 65% discount (ECG, screening ECHO, lipid profile, thread mill test (TMT), blood sugar fasting, creatinine, cardiology consultation) 3) CT coronary angiogram is offered at 50% discount All the above mentioned offers will be valid till October 29.

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QUOTES The secret of my success is that we have gone to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world.

— Steve Jobs Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine.

— David Ogilvy

The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. — Earl of Beaconsfield

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Mitsubishi Lancer EX available at great price engine at the same price point as that of the former Lancer EX 1.6!”

Aside from the entry-level family-oriented GLS 2.0, the Lancer EX is also available in two other flavours — the balanced GLX 2.0 and the sporty GT which have also retroactively had their prices reduced.

The GLX 2.0 ups the ante with an ergonomic design, Mitsubishi’s renowned INVECS-II four-speed automatic transmission and a roomier interior.

In addition to the lowered price, all Lancer EX models come complete with free registration, six-year unlimited mileage warranty, six-year roadside assistance and a three-year 50,000km free service package

MUSCAT: General Automotive Company, official distributor of Mitsubishi vehicles in Oman, is now providing its customers an exciting opportunity to own their very own performance packed Mitsubishi Lancer EX 2.0 at an unbeatable price, starting from just OMR5,850.

Even at this price point, customers will still enjoy the peaceof-mind motoring thanks to a six-year unlimited mileage warranty and roadside assistance, says a press release.

Commenting on the lowered price, Rajesh Sharma, national marketing manager of General Automotive Company, said: “The Lancer EX is truly a car with a great personality and performance and with the price of the stylish yet practical saloon. Derived from

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the world of rallying, the Lancer EX, even in its most docile ‘GLS 2.0’ guise, offers drivers an unparalleled driving experience in its class, thanks to its performance oriented 2.0L MIVEC power plant.

And it does so while still offering class-leading space and modern luxury appointments.

"With the starting price of the Lancer EX 2.0 standing at just OMR5,850, our customers can now enjoy the performance benefits of Mitsubishi’s renowned 2.0L

Stunning looks However, for the performance focused driver, the Lancer EX GT 2.0 is the ultimate driving machine of the range, boasting stunning looks and aggressive styling with aerodynamic lines.

Add-in a racing inspired paddle shift gear changer to shift into overdrive, a Rockford Fosgate premium sound system and a cockpit full of gadgets and features ensures that every drive of the EX GT 2.0 is a truly memorable experience.

In addition to the lowered price, all Lancer EX models come complete with free registration, six-year unlimited mileage warranty, six-year roadside assistance and a three-year 50,000km free service package.

VA L U E D E A L

Bank Muscat to offer exciting cash prizes on debit card promo MUSCAT: In line with its ‘Let’s Do More’ vision and commitment to partnership in enhancing the banking experience, Bank Muscat has launched an exciting promotion offering attractive cash prizes for its debit cardholders.

The promotion, which rewards Bank Muscat customers with the attractive value proposition of cash prizes, begins on October 1 and runs for 3 months till December 31, says a press release.

The exclusive debit card promotion is yet another value addition launched as part of the bank’s year-long activities lined up to reward customers in celebration of the Sultanate’s 45 years of Renaissance under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

Reflecting the 45th Renaissance anniversary theme, 45 Bank Muscat cardholders will win cash prizes of OMR100 each every month during the 3-month promotion period. In all, three monthly draws will be held rewarding a total of 135 customers.

All Bank Muscat debit cardholders are eligible to participate in the promotion. All that they need to do is use their debit

cards to settle payments across merchant outlets in Oman or abroad as well as online transactions. Each PoS transaction using Bank Muscat debit card is valid and a minimum of five transactions a month entitle customers for a chance to enter the monthly draw. The more the debit card transactions, the more the chances to participate in the draw.

“Bank Muscat is delighted to launch yet another promotion offering an attractive value proposition for customers. Time and again, Bank Muscat takes the lead in launching novel campaigns and promotions that continuously enhance value as well as create unique opportunities that enrich life for customers,“ said Tariq Atiq, AGM – Cards and eBanking.

“Bank Muscat cards, which spell convenience and security, are the preferred mode of payment in Oman. The wide range of Bank Muscat cards provide a secure option to pay for a host of transactions across millions of merchant outlets in Oman and abroad. The campaign reiterates the bank’s commitment to promoting secure card payment in Oman,” he added.

EXCLUSIVE SALE

Malabar Gold ‘Diamond Show’ starts tomorrow MUSCAT: Malabar Gold and Diamonds launched an exclusive diamond show and sale at Oman Avenues Mall, Bausher from tomorrow till October 10.

‘Diamond Show’, provides a great opportunity to witness the rarest and finest collection of handpicked diamond jewellery designs from the Malabar Gold & Diamonds, offering the jewellery lovers a different kind of experience, a visual treat for the con-

noisseurs of fine art. The jewellery chain showcases over 2,000 jewellery designs worth OMR2 million from different countries, says a press release.

To mark the celebrations, Malabar Gold and Diamonds is showcasing a vast variety of diamonds jewellery and solitaires at challenging prices seen never before in the market. The jeweller offers IGI Certified Diamonds offered at best prices along with free life-

time maintenance. The jeweller also ensures the cash buy back guarantee for the diamonds sold.

“This is truly an exclusive opportunity for Diamond lovers, offering exquisite brands and immense collection of Diamond Jewellery at the most competitive prices. Customers can utilise this rare opportunity to own a diamond jewellery at never before prices,” said Najeeb K., regional head, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Oman.

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Malmo take on mighty Madrid Swedish champions Malmo will have to find a way to shackle Cristiano Ronaldo who scored a hattrick against Donetsk to become the alltime highest scorer in the Champions League with 80 goals

STOCKHOLM: When Swedish champions Malmo take on mighty Real Madrid on Wednesday they do so knowing they would probably have to sell their entire squad just to be able to afford a single player from the bench of the Spanish giants.

Valued at around 20 million euros in total on the Transfer Market website (www.transfermarkt.cm), the modest Malmo squad consists of home-produced players and lowbudget signings brought in by sporting director Daniel Andersson.

Malmo do have some pedigree in Europe having reached the 1979 European Cup final where they lost to Nottingham Forest.

Since then, however, the gulf between Europe’s big leagues has grown so wide that it is almost impossible for a club of Malmo’s limited means to survive beyond the group phase.

EYEING AN UPSET: Malmo players take part in a training session at Swedbank Stadion on the eve of EFA Champions League Group A football match against Real Madrid. – AFP

Yet, there will be no sense of inferiority on Wednesday as the 18-times Swedish champions welcome Rafa Benitez’s side to the 24,000-capacity Swedbank Stadion -- even if their ambition is to finish third in Group A and continue in the Europa League.

“No matter who they put in, it will be a world-famous star,” captain Markus Rosenberg told reporters of the prospect of meeting the 10-times European champions.

“Nobody is counting on us to take points, but when we play offensively and get the crowd behind us, anything can happen.”

Madrid put down an early Champions League marker with a 4-0 thrashing of Shakhtar Donetsk, following on from 5-0 and 6-0 La Liga wins against Real Betis and Espanyol respectively, but the goal flow has dried up as they arrive in southern Sweden.

They managed only three goals

in narrow victories over Granada and Athletic Bilbao while a scoreless draw with Malaga on Saturday cost them top spot.

“These things happen in football,” Benitez said after the stalemate. “We need to keep working, create chances and be more accurate”.

Malmo will have to find a way to shackle Cristiano Ronaldo who scored a hat-trick against Donetsk to become the all-time highest

scorer in the Champions League with 80 goals.

The Portuguese has another chance to overtake Raul as Real’s all-time leading marksman on Wednesday.

Former Spain striker Raul, now with New York Cosmos, netted 323 goals in 741 appearances, while Ronaldo has a jaw-dropping 321 in just 307 matches.

Malmo goalkeeper Johan Wiland, who kept Lionel Messi

out when he played for FC Copenhagen against Barcelona in the Champions League in 2010, will be doing all he can to stop Ronaldo breaking that record.

Asked by newspaper Kvallsposten if Ronaldo was over-valued compared to his Malmo team mates, Wiland laughed said: “I’m not going to stand here and say that today, if I do they’ll smash in four on Wednesday,” the 34-yearold said. - Reuters

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

United banking on ‘Martial’ arts for European goals LONDON: Manchester United will bank on the dazzling form of Anthony Martial in Wednesday’s Champions League game against VfL Wolfsburg as Louis van Gaal’s men look to bounce back from their opening defeat in Group B. The 19-year-old Frenchman, initially seen as a panic buy on the last day of the transfer window this month, has been a revelation, netting four times since leaving Monaco to help United top the Premier League for the first time in two years.

The Old Trafford club lost their first Champions League match 2-1 to PSV Eindhoven in a game overshadowed by the broken leg suffered by Luke Shaw but have since won 3-2 at Southampton and beaten Sunderland 3-0.

Wayne Rooney scored his first league goal of the campaign against Sunderland and with Martial providing pace and composure up front, Van Gaal’s attacking worries are receding.

“He (Martial) is very direct, he is willing to take on players and he is willing to take on that risk,” said United defender Chris Smalling.

“I think, in the final third, it is an area where you can take that risk because you can’t take it at the back. He looks a very sharp player.”

Goalkeeper David de Gea has also been in fine form after signing a new contract while Smalling and Daley Blind have formed a solid central defensive pairing and Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger have added expe-

English teams will do better in Champions League: Ozil

WARMING UP: Manchester United’s players take part in a raining session at their Carrington training complex in Manchester ahead of their Champions League Group B match against VfL Wolfsburg. – AFP

rience and craft to the midfield.

“We have improved,” Smalling said. “Last season’s start was disastrous and it didn’t give us a foothold to be able to challenge for anything.

“We know we have improved in this section of the season and we now have to improve in each other section compared to last season and aim a lot higher.”

Wounded Wolfsburg, who drew 1-1 with Hanover 96 on Saturday

after being crushed 5-1 by Bayern Munich last week, are likely to be without midfielders Luiz Gustavo and Vieirinha.

Brazil international Luiz Gustavo was taken off midway through their demolition at Bayern with a knee injury and coach Dieter Hecking says his chances of playing in Manchester “don’t look good”.

Portuguese Vieirinha has returned to training after a threeweek break caused by a thigh in-

jury but the game at Old Trafford could come too soon for him.

The Wolves, who won their opener against CSKA Moscow, are looking to take control of the group.

“We have worked very hard to get here and experience games like the one at Manchester United,” said captain Diego Benaglio.

“So we want to look really good there and we are certainly not going to England just to look at the stadium.” - Reuters

LONDON: Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil believes English teams were unlucky in the Champions League last season and is expecting a much stronger showing this time round.

Chelsea and Arsenal were knocked out on the away goals rule while Manchester City lost to eventual champions Barcelona in the last 16 and Liverpool failed to make it past the group stages.

A repeat of last season’s performances in Europe from English and Italian clubs would see the Premier League lose its fourth Champions League qualifying spot to Serie A in 2017-18.

“I think there was a lot of misfortune last year,” Ozil told the club’s website (www. arsenal.com) ahead of Tuesday’s Group F tie with Greek national champions Olympiakos Piraeus. “When you look at the English teams you see they are strong...they have a lot of players in their ranks who have a lot of quality.

“In the knockout rounds

sometimes one goal or the away goals ruling can decide ties, like with us against Monaco,” added Germany’s 2014 World Cup winner Ozil.

“We had some bad luck and as a team you need more fortune. I think it will be different this year, the English sides are well equipped and will go far.”

England’s teams have also made a poor start this season with Chelsea the only side to win their opening Champions League game. No English side has reached the semifinals since Chelsea lifted the trophy in 2012.

Ozil said Arsenal’s 2-1 Champions League defeat by Dinamo Zagreb had prompted a reaction from the squad.

“Defeats always rouse the team more and our aim this season is to go as far as possible and, if possible, to win it because we have the potential,” said the 26-year-old.

“Anything is possible and that’s what we want to show this year. With a bit of luck we can reach our target.” - Reuters

FOOTBALL

Struggling Man City face stern test

AT TRAININING: Manchester City’s George Evans, left, and Raheem Sterling train at Manchester City Academy. – AFP

BERLIN: Manchester City already have their backs to the wall when they travel to Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday, with injuries piling up and a losing start to the competition threatening to derail their Champions League campaign.

After starting the English Premier League season with five consecutive wins, a jolting home defeat by Juventus in their Champions League opener was followed by consecutive beatings by West Ham United and Tottenham

Hotspur. Saturday’s 4-1 defeat

by Tottenham also saw midfield powerhouse Yaya Toure suffer a hamstring injury, while keeper Joe Hart missed that game with an injury and both are doubts for the clash in the Rhineland.

With pressure mounting to stay in the running for a top-two finish in Group D, City’s coach Manuel Pellegrini is also likely to be without captain Vincent Kompany who is nursing a calf problem.

“Joe had a problem with his back during the week,” Pellegrini said.

“Yaya had some problem with his hamstring, and we don’t know (if they will be fit). We must wait..to decide if they are 100 percent.”

With Moenchengladbach hosting their first game in Europe’s premier club competition for 37 years, the atmosphere at the Borussia-Park will be daunting for City who badly need a three points to bolster their chances of getting beyond the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time.

Chilean Pellegrini, however, remains confident of City’s chances.

“The first season we beat Bayern Munich and lost against Real Madrid in the group stages and qualified with 15 points,” Pellegrini said.

“Last year was exactly the same.”

Gladbach are neither Real Madrid nor Bayern or Juve but the Germans are on a high. In complete contrast to City they lost their opening five Bundesliga games, leading to the resignation of coach Lucien Favre, but interim coach Andre Schubert has since stopped the rot and they will be confident of their first points. - Reuters

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FIFA’s lifetime ban on Warner

T W E N T Y 2 0 I N T E R NAT I O NA L S

With the scandals continuously widening, there are growing calls for immediate change at the top of FIFA JUBILANT BUNCH: Pakistan players leave the pitch led by captain Shahid Afridi after a series victory againstZimbabwe at Harare Sports Club. – AFP

Akmal helps Pakistan to victory over Zimbabwe HARARE: Umar Akmal’s aggressive innings proved crucial in a low-scoring game as Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 15 runs to win Tuesday’s Twenty20 international at Harare Sports Club and sweep the two-match series.

Akmal scored 38 not out from 28 balls and added 24 runs with Imad Wasim in the last two overs of Pakistan’s innings to boost the tourists’ total to 136 for six, which proved beyond Zimbabwe despite Sean Williams’s fighting 40 not out.

Williams shared a 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Sikandar Raza Butt -- the only half-century stand in the series -but was always playing catch-up after the hosts had slumped to 24 for four at the start of their chase.

Zimbabwe finished on 121 for seven, as left-arm spinner Wasim once again proved the pick of the Pakistani bowlers with figures of 1 for 14 from four overs.

“Our bowlers were good again,” Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said. “Body language is very important and whatever the coach has asked, the boys have delivered.”

With the game being played on the same pitch as Sunday’s series opener, low and slow conditions made the going heavy for batsmen throughout. Although Pakistan made a brighter start after they once again won the toss and opted to bat first, they lost wickets whenever

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN Mohammed Hafeez c Utseya b Jongwe 17 Ahmed Shehzad c Cremer b Panyangara 7 Sohaib Maqsood c Chigumbura b Utseya 26 Shoaib Malik c Sikandar Raza b Cremer 15 Mohammed Rizwan c Williams b Jongwe 16 Umar Akmal not out 38 Shahid Afridi c Williams b Panyangara 2 Imad Wasim not out 13 Extras (1-lb, 1-w) 2 Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 136 Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-34, 3-64, 4-72, 5-106, 6-111.

Bowling: Chibhabha 2-0-13-0, Panyangara 4-0-27-2, Jongwe 4-0-24-2, Williams 4-026-0, Cremer 4-0-25-1, Utseya 2-0-20-1.

ZIMBABWE H. Masakadza c Imran b Irfan 9 C. Chibhabha lbw b Sohail Tanvir 3

their batsmen attempted to force the pace. While Sohaib Maqsood anchored the innings with a run-aball 26, only Akmal and Wasim were able to take the attack to the hosts.

After struggling to gain any meaningful momentum, the tourists went into the final two overs with just 112 runs on the board and were grateful to the pair for some late blows. With the same task that had faced them on Sunday, Zimbabwe’s batsmen had an opportunity to show what they had learned but lost their top four with just 24 runs on the board. That left the middle

C. Ervine run out 1 R. Mutumbami b Imad Wasim 3 S. Williams not out 40 Sikandar Raza b Imran Khan 36 E. Chigumbura c Malik b Irfan 17 L. Jongwe c & b Imran Khan 8 G. Cremer not out 0 Extras (3-lb, 1-w) 4 Total (7 wkts, 20 overs) 121 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-15, 3-16, 4-24, 5-84, 6-101, 7-120 Bowling: Sohail Tanvir 4-0-18-1, Mohammad Irfan 4-0-25-2, Imad Wasim 4-0-14-1, Shahid Afridi 4-0-26-0, Imran Khan 4-0-35-2.

Umpires: Langton Rusere and Russell Tiffin TV umpire: Jeremiah Matibiri (ZIM) Match referee: David Jukes (ENG) Result: Pakistan won by 15 runs.

Series: Pakistan won two-match series 2-0.

order with too much to do, and although Williams shared a 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Sikandar Raza Butt - the only half-century stand in the series he was always playing catch-up.

Once Raza had been bowled for 36 by Imran Khan and Elton Chigumbura’s brief but entertaining stay at the crease had come to an end, Zimbabwe’s hopes vanished.

“I can repeat what I said after the last game,” said Chigumbura.

“We were disappointing again with the bat, but the bowlers were good.” - AFP RELIEF

Kaushal cleared to bowl without ‘doosra’ COLOMBO: Sri Lankan offspinner Tharindu Kaushal — who was reported for a suspect action — has been cleared to resume playing provided he does not bowl the “doosra”, the International Cricket Council said.

Kaushal, 22, was reported during the third Test against India this month, but tests at an ICC-accreditated centre in Chennai cleared him partially.

The “doosra” (the second one) is the Hindi/Urdu word for the off-spinner’s googly, which turns from leg to off.

“The results showed that the level of elbow extension measured for all deliveries bowled was well within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under ICC regulations,” the world governing body said in a statement.

“However, Kaushal’s ‘doosra’ was found to exceed the 15-degree level of tolerance.” — AFP

LAUSANNE: FIFA imposed a lifetime ban on one of its most notorious former leaders on Tuesday amid calls for an emergency task force to be sent in to run the scandal-tainted body.

Jack Warner — an ex-FIFA vice president and former ally of the body’s president Sepp Blatter — was barred from all football activities by FIFA’s ethics committee over repeated misconduct.

“He was a key player in schemes involving the offer, acceptance, and receipt of undisclosed and illegal payments,” a committee statement said of the 72-yearold Warner, who previously led CONCACAF, the confederation of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The latest judgement against the thoroughly-tarnished Warner came as the Swiss justice ministry approved the extradition of former Costa Rican federation boss Eduardo Li to the United States, where he faces a range of charges linked to corruption.

Warner and Li were both named in the US justice department indictments that were announced in May and which ignited an unprecedented crisis within world football.

With the scandals continuously widening, there are growing calls for immediate change at the top.

South Korean former FIFA vice president Chung Mong-Joon, who is a candidate to replace Blatter, called for a task force to run football’s world body after Switzerland placed Blatter under criminal investigation for mismanagement.

Blatter, 79, told FIFA staff on Monday that he will stay on as president while cooperating with

Former FIFA vicepresident Jack Warner was a key player in schemes involving the offer, acceptance, and receipt of undisclosed and illegal payments

Swiss prosecutors. He has said he would stand down when a new election is held in February.

Michel Platini, the powerful head of European governing body UEFA has been implicated in the Swiss probe, but has insisted he did nothing wrong as he tries to preserve his hopes of replacing Blatter.

Wanted in the US Warner and Li were both among the 14 people — nine FIFA officials and five sports marketing executives — charged in the US over bribery in football deals worth more than $150 million dating back to 1991.

Warner is facing 12 charges of wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering, while Li is ac-

cused of taking bribes in connection with the sale of sports marketing rights.

Warner is fighting extradition from his homeland in Trinidad and Tobago to the US, with a hearing set for December. Li appeared to lose that fight on Tuesday, when the Swiss justice ministry approved his transfer to US jurisdiction, although the Costa Rican has 30 days to file an appeal.

Warner’s name has also become central to the Swiss probe targeting Blatter, which is focused in part on a 2005 television rights sale to the Caribbean Football Union, allegedly at a hugely deflated price.

Swiss investigators are also looking at a two million Swiss franc ($2 million) payment made

by FIFA to Platini in 2011 for a work reportedly done a decade earlier. Both Blatter and Platini, still the two most powerful men in world football, insist the payment was legitimate although neither has explained why it took so long to finalise compensation.

‘Total meltdown’ Chung, a strong candidate to replace Blatter, called Tuesday for an extraordinary executive committee meeting which could establish an emergency task force “that will enable the FIFA secretariat to function without interruption”.

He described the allegations against Blatter as “another sad day” for FIFA and said the organisation, which should be preparing for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, is in “total meltdown”.

Days before Blatter was placed on notice by Swiss authorities, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke was suspended over allegations of involvement in tickets sold at inflated prices.

Although Blatter has insisted he will stay in office until February, FIFA’s ethics committee could force him out at any time.

There has been unconfirmed speculation that the panel is set to hear evidence against the Swiss national, possibly leading to suspension, a process that could also implicate Platini.

The former French star’s involvement in an ethics committee review would further complicate the FIFA presidential vote that he had been favoured to win. - AFP

CRICKET

Bangladesh tour in doubt as Australian staff leave Dhaka SYDNEY: Australian officials were Tuesday returning from Bangladesh after meetings with high-level security figures, but no final decision has yet been taken on the upcoming Test tour, Cricket Australia said.

The team’s departure was delayed on Sunday on security fears, prompting Dhaka to pledge to provide the kind of measures usually reserved for visiting heads of state if the tour goes ahead.

“There has been no change to our position on the matter,” a spokeswoman for Cricket Australia told AFP via email on Tuesday.

CA’s anti-corruption and security manager Sean Carroll met top security and intelligence officials in Dhaka on Monday.

Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan, who insisted there was no risk to the players, were also at the meetings.

“Following yesterday’s meetings, our head of security (Car-

CA boss Sutherland said the Canberra government had identified a potential security risk to its nationals’ interests in Bangladesh roll), team manager (Gavin Dovey) and team security manager (Frank Dimasi) are on their way home from Bangladesh for further meetings with the Department of Foreign Affairs and to brief our board, management and players on the situation,” the CA spokeswoman said.

In delaying the team’s departure, CA chief executive James Sutherland said the Canberra government had identified a potential security risk to its nation-

als’ interests in Bangladesh.

Australia’s foreign ministry warned on Friday of “reliable information to suggest that militants may be planning to target Australian interests in Bangladesh”.

On Monday the British government also warned that militants may be targeting western interests in the country, the same day that an Italian charity worker was shot dead by attackers in Dhaka.

“UK officials have been advised to limit attendance at events where westerners may gather,” it said in a travel advisory.

Bangladesh prides itself on being a mainly moderate Muslim nation but the gruesome killings of a series of atheist bloggers this year rocked the country and sparked a crackdown on local hardline Islamist groups.

The first Test is scheduled from October 9 in Chittagong and the second from October 17 in Dhaka following a three-day warm-up match scheduled to start on Saturday in Fatullah. - AFP

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

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SPORTS C O M M E N TA RY

Dhoni ready for selfish avatar

T

here are three things we got to know for sure MS Dhoni had done during his three-month break from cricket after the disastrous ODI series against Bangladesh.

First, the jump off an Indian Air Force plane from a height of 1,250 feet. That had nothing to do with cricket. The Honorary Lieutenant Colonel with the Indian Air Force was actually making his maiden jump at the end of a two-week training session at the Paratroopers’ Training School in Agra.

Second, the darshan he had given to the Indian diaspora in New Jersey. He wasn’t there to play cricket, but to perform pooja at the Siddhivinayak Temple, which was under construction. Still, he talked cricket and promised the gathering that “we will keep doing well”, although “we are in a phase where we are going through a lot of changes”.

Third, the trip to London, was really about cricket, during which he showed flashes of his finishing brilliance, sending the ball to the rope to post the winning runs in a charity match.

Some cricket experts say Dhoni should have played in some matches against the visiting Bangladesh A team to gain match fitness and readiness, but that’s because they use, despite watching him go about his business all these years, the yardstick with which they measure up other, normal guys.

The three-month break from active cricket may have given the Indian captain precious time to relax and rethink his strategies. He needed time away from the limelight to put behind him the disgusting mindset that made him say and do things we had never expected from him. Things such as his readiness to step down as captain if he was “the reason for all the bad that’s happening to Indian cricket”and deeds such as shoving the debutant Bangladeshi bowler Mustafizur Rahman. He needed a break to

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has an impressive record batting at No. 4 in ODIs: one hundred and nine fifties from 20 matches, with a strike rate of 80.54.

More significantly, India had won 16 of those 20 matches

shake off the frustration that was threatening to destroy the familiar image the world has had of him.

So, is time on Dhoni’s side now? That’s a tricky question to explain away frivolously.

What he has to live with now are some facts of life he has no power at the moment to ethereally dismiss or arrogantly deal with. He will have to share the dressing room with the captain of the Indian test team, Virat Kohli, whose exploits on the field and style of doing things or getting them done are receiving great attention. It’s natural for the guys who played three Tests on the tour of Sri Lanka and posted an inspiring comingfrom-behind series victory to show a new spirit and attitude, but if Dhoni views the whole thing as an instance of the team having moved on, his international career is going to come to

an end sooner than we, and he, would really like it to be.

There’s reason to believe Dhoni will be wiser from his Bangladesh experience. Obviously, the media would draw comparisons now and then.

They would ask him — just as he was teased on the new, aggressive bowling strategy Kohli was harping on during the Bangladesh tour — disturbing questions. The way forward for Dhoni is to focus on his game.

And that’s what he’s going to do. Ending his Test career was the first strategic step Dhoni has made to extend his shelf life, and moving up the batting order, to No. 4, was a masterstroke that silenced his critics.

Dhoni has an impressive record batting at No. 4 in ODIs: one hundred and nine fifties from 20 matches, with a strike rate of 80.54. More significantly, India had won 16 of those 20 matches. Only when we stumble upon such awesome truths do we realize how he has denied himself for donkey’s years, as Ravi Shastri would put it, possibilities that could have scripted a different story of him as a batsman.

Such a danger to play against.

That’s what Adam Gilchrist said about Dhoni in 2009. A danger that seldom grabbed the opportunity to explode, batting down the order for the sake of the team, in fact. The danger is now ready to unleash the full, lethal potential — if only Dhoni doesn’t allow himself to get distracted by the happenings in the unlimited version of the game. Beneath the familiar, flawless, cool façade, there’s a smart, sharp, shrewd attitude, and we are about to witness the selfish, sustained explosion of a completely different persona of Dhoni.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

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

Proteas fall flat in tour opener

TOP SCORER: South African wicketkeeper AB de Villiers, left, watches as India A opener Mayank Agarwal plays a shot during the T20 practice match between India A and the visiting South Africans at The Palam A Ground Model Sports Complex in New Delhi. – AFP

The surprise win was fashioned by uncapped openers Manan Vohra and Mayank Agarwal, who gave their team a flying start with a 119-run partnership in 12.4 overs

NEW DELHI: South Africa made a dismal start to their 10-week tour of India, losing a Twenty20 warmup match to a second-string side by eight wickets in New Delhi on Tuesday.

India ‘A’, comprising young talent drawn from across the country, chased down a competitive 189-3 by the tourists with two deliveries to spare at the Palam ground.

The surprise win was fashioned by uncapped openers Manan Vohra and Mayank Agarwal, who gave their team a flying start with a 119-run partnership in 12.4 overs.

UNOFFICIAL TEST

Innings victory for Dhawan’s India A BANGALORE: India A, led by Shikhar Dhawan, defeated the touring Bangladesh A by an innings and 32 runs on the third and concluding day of the unofficial Test match here on Tuesday.

Bangladesh A, trailing by 183 runs in the first innings, folded up for 151 in their second innings with a disappointing batting display as a combination of pace and spin did them in.

Resuming at their overnight score of 36 for two, the Bangladeshi resistance crumbled after a promising 61-run partnership for the third wicket between Mominul Haque (54, 95b, 9x4) and Liton Das (38) was broken.

Das was clean bowled by paceman Ishwar Pandey who came away with bowling figures of three for 28. Thereafter, off-spinner Jayant Yadav (3 for 48) and new ball bowler Abhimanyu Mithun (2 for 23) tore into the visitors’ lineup which caved in under pressure.

The three-day match saw India opener Dhawan run into fine form with a knock of 150 on his return from an injury-break while young gun Yadav sent out strong signals with a match-haul of seven wickets.

Paceman Varun Aaron, seeking to regain his spot in the national team ahead of the series against visiting South Africans also put in an impressive performance taking four wickets in the first innings though he went wicketless in the second.

JUBILANT: India A players celebrate the win on the day three of the three-day match against Bangladesh A at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Tuesday. – PTI

As for out-of-favour all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, it was not a productive outing. He sent down a combined 15.3 overs of left-arm spin and took just one wicket, and

did not get an opportunity with the bat.

Brief scores: Bangladesh A 228 and 151 all out in 39.3 overs (Mominul Haque 54, Liton Das

38, Ishwar Pandey 3 for 28, Abhimanyu Mithun 2 for 23, Jayant Yadav 3 for 48) lost to India A 411 for 5 decl. by an innings and 32 runs. - IANS

Vohra hit a 42-ball 56 and Agarwal smashed 87 off 49 balls that included 12 boundaries and two sixes. Upcoming batsman Sanju Samson steered the hosts home with an unbeaten 31 off 22 balls, leaving the Proteas with much to ponder ahead of the tougher contests ahead.

Fast bowlers Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada and Chris Morris failed to take a wicket, with Abbott proving to be the most expensive by conceding 43 runs in his four overs. South African batsmen hit early form — the lone bright spot

for them in the game — with lefthander JP Duminy top-scoring with 68 off 32 balls that included six sixes and two boundaries.

Skipper Faf du Plessis retired after scoring a 27-ball 42 and AB de Villiers made 37 off 27 balls, the pair adding 84 for the second wicket off just 50 deliveries after Quinton de Kock was run out in the first over. Duminy and Farhaan Behardien boosted the total by plundering 44 runs in the final three overs.

The tourists are due to play three Twenty20 internationals and five one-day matches up until October 25, before starting a fourTest series on November 5. The first Twenty20 international will be held in Dharamsala on Friday.

Brief scores: South Africa 1893 in 20 overs (JP Duminy 68 not out, Faf du Plessis 42 retired, AB de Villiers 37, Kuldeep Yadav 1-26) lost to India ‘A’ 193-2 in 19.4 overs (Manan Vohra 56, Mayank Agarwal 87, Sanju Samson 31, JP Duminy 1-22) by by eight wickets and with two deliveries to spare. - AFP

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W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

SPORTS Leading players on Road to Oman Rankings to lock horns in Dubai The event is part of a week-long programme for European Challenge Tour players to practice in Dubai between playing in the Foshan Open, China finishing on October 25 and NBO Golf Classic Grand Final at Almouj Golf in Oman which begins on November 4

MUSCAT: The leading players on the Road to Oman Rankings are set to lock horns in Dubai when the ICAEW Challenge Tour ProAm gets underway on the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates on October 28.

The event is part of a week-long programme for European Challenge Tour players to practice in Dubai between playing in the $500,000 Foshan Open, China finishing on October 25 and the €375,000 NBO Golf Classic Grand Final at Almouj Golf in Oman which begins on November 4.

The Challenge Tour players are invited to use the Jumeirah Golf Estates ETPI (European Tour Performance Institute) along with other practice facilities as well as honing their games on the Fire Course.

The highlight of the week will be the ICAEW Challenge Tour Pro-Am involving 20 professionals playing in a four-player team format with one pro alongside three guest amateurs from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). Among the players already confirmed are Ricardo Gouveia, Jens Fahrbring, Rhys Davies, Ryan Fox and Dominic Foos.

Nick Tarratt of The European Tour said at the Pro-Am announcement: “This is a great opportunity for the Challenge Tour players to experience what is potentially ahead of them in their careers.

“The Jumeirah Golf Estates ETPI facilities are up there with the best of its kind in the world and we are also bringing over

IMPORTANT WEEK: The European Tour official Nick Tarratt, left, Regional Director of ICAEW Michael

G.W. Armstrong and Jumeirah Golf Estates General Manager of Club Operations Neal Graham. – Supplied photo

Jean Jacques Rivet from the ETPI in Terre Blanche to assist Mark Gregson-Walters and his Jumeirah Golf Estates ETPI team with the training.

“We wish all the Challenge Tour players all the best in this impor-

tant week for them as they acclimatise and tune up for the final event of the season in Muscat.”

Michael Armstrong FCA, Regional Director ICAEW — Middle East, Africa and South Asia, added: “We are very excited to be a part of

this prestigious event and to work with partners who are as dedicated to supporting and promoting talent in their field as we are in ours.

“Whether it is on the green or in the boardroom, people’s capabilities must be nurtured and they

TENNIS

F1

Rising Venus reaches hallowed 700 club WUHAN: Venus Williams beat Julia Goerges at the Wuhan Open to reach 700 career wins on Tuesday, the only active women’s player to achieve the milestone other than her sister Serena.

The 35-year-old, still winning despite her ongoing fight with Sjogren’s Syndrome, said she had no idea she was approaching the milestone before her 6-4, 6-3 victory in China.

“I didn’t know. I’m glad nobody told me before. I would have been a little bit nervous,” the American told reporters.

The veteran star added, with a smile, that her first thought now

must be given the appropriate tools, focus and direction so that they may rise to the top of their careers.”

Neal Graham, General Manager, Club Operations of Jumeirah Golf Estates, concluded by saying: “The Challenge Tour is a proven, emerging platform for some of the world’s leading players, including our own Brand Ambassador: Henrik Stenson.

“We look forward to hosting the next crop of European Tour stars for the ICAEW Challenge Tour Pro-Am, who will undoubtedly benefit from the world-class European Tour Performance Institute in the way many of the game’s top players continue to do so.

“I’d like to thank our partners at The European Tour and ICAEW for their support in bringing this exciting, new event to Jumeirah Golf Estates. It is a perfect showcase for the potential future DP World Tour Championship hosting on our Fire course, and I know many of our members and residents are looking forward to engaging with these top, young professionals throughout the week.”

The top 45 players on the Road to Oman Rankings qualify for the Oman event and then the final top 15 ranked players following the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final will earn their playing privileges on the 2016 European Tour International Schedule.

was how long would it take her to get to 800 victory.

Williams, who is the oldest player at Wuhan and turned professional in 1994, when Goerges was not yet six, becomes only the ninth player to reach 700 wins.

Martina Navratilova (1,442 wins), Chris Evert (1,309) and Steffi Graf (902) head the list, while Serena Williams hit 700 in April and is now on 737.

Williams was diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, an immune system disorder, in 2011 and later switched to a vegan and raw foods diet to curb its symptoms.

This year she won her 46th ca-

reer title in Auckland and reached both the Australian Open and Wimbledon quarterfinals, losing to Serena in New York.

During her career Williams, now ranked 24th, has spent 11 weeks as the world number one and won seven Grand Slam singles titles, the last one in 2008.

Players with 700 or more wins: 1.

Martina Navratilova (USA) 1,442 wins; 2. Chris Evert (USA) 1,309; 3. Steffi Graf (GER) 902; 4. Virginia Wade (GBR) 839; 5. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (ESP) 759; 6. Lindsay Davenport (USA) 753; 7.

Conchita Martinez (ESP) 739; 8. Serena Williams (USA) 737; 9. Venus Williams (USA) 700. - AFP

IN ELITE CLUB: Venus Williams

Force India and Sauber file complaint to EU authorities LONDON: The Sauber and Force India teams have filed a complaint to European Union (EU) authorities about what they see as unfair and “unlawful” practices in Formula One’s governance and distribution of revenues.

“We have received a complaint and will assess it,” a competition commission spokesman said on Tuesday.

Force India Deputy Principal Bob Fernley confirmed separately that his team and Swiss-based Sauber, two of the smallest competing against rivals with far greater resources, were involved.

The complaint comes at a delicate time for Formula One, with several teams struggling to stay afloat while a major rules revamp is under discussion for 2017.

The sport’s ownership has also been in the spotlight, with media speculation that RSE Ventures, the investment vehicle of Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, and Qatar are lining up a potential $7 billion-$8 billion takeover deal.

Ferrari, whose team receive special payments to reflect their status as the oldest and most successful in Formula One, are meanwhile lining up a flotation in New York.

Financially-troubled Lotus, who joined Force India and Sauber in November by writing to F1 commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone, are being taken over by Renault and were not signatories to the complaint filed on Monday.

That November letter to Ecclestone had spoken of “a questionable cartel” controlling “both the governance of Formula One and, apparently, the distribution of...funds.” - Reuters

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5 SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY LAUNCH FACEBOOK PAGE

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BOXING

Sonny Whiting faces Vijender in pro bout MANCHESTER: Star Indian boxer Vijender Singh will square off against rising British pugilist Sonny Whiting in his eagerlyanticipated professional debut scheduled here on October 10.

India’s first Olympic and World Championships-medallist will take the ring in his first pro contest against an opponent, who is three-bouts old and has a 2-1 overall record so far in the middleweight division.

Vijender said he knows it won’t be easy against Whiting.

“I know that my opponent Sonny Whiting will not be an easy first fight. He has already had three fights so he’ll be prepared and I hear that he wants to defeat me in my first pro fight.

He won’t beat me, I’m so focused and determined on what I have to do,” he said.

Whiting, who trains under former pro boxer Johnny Greaves, said he is confident of upstaging the celebrated Indian.

“I don’t care who is in front of me on the night, they’re going to get beat, plain and simple. I hear that Singh is a massive superstar in India, well I’ll be looking to send a brutal message back to his home when I beat him,” Whiting said.

“He’s entering the world of the professionals now and it’s going to be hard for him, he might of done plenty in the amateurs but that will count for nothing now.

I’ll make sure I give him a good welcome,” he added. - PTI

SPORTS

Oman leave for Doha to take part in AFC U-19 qualifiers OFA’s Al Farsi named match commissioner

The reigning GCC Under-19 champions will be aiming to finish on top of Group D and clinch a berth in the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship finals

Sports Reporter MUSCAT: Oman under-19 team, accompanied by head coach Rasheed Jaber and his support staff, will leave for Qatar on Wednesday to begin their 2016 AFC U-19 Championship qualifying quest.

The Sultanate squad will be playing in Group D, which is being hosted by Qatar, from October 2 to 6.

The four-team group includes Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan and hosts Qatar.

The Omani delegation will be headed by Humaid Sulaiman Al Jabri, a member of the Oman Football Association (OFA) board.

The delegation includes assistant coach Abdulaziz Al Habsi, manager Isam Al Hatrashi, goalkeepers coach Alshadh Al Mabrooqi and physio Yaqoob Al Mahrooqi.

EYEING ASIAN BERTH: Oman under-19 football team. – Supplied photo

Coach Rasheed Jaber, who guided the young Omanis to the title triumph at the recent GCC Under-19 Championship, has picked 23 players for the Asian qualifying campaign.

The team includes Ibrahim Al Mukhaini, Abdulhadi Al Hajri, Thuwaini Al Mukhaini, Ammar Al Rushedi, Mohsin Al Ghassani, Talal Al Awadi, Asaad Al Awadi, Mohammed Al Khamisi, Haitham Al

Muqaini, Mohammed Al Yahmadi, Qasim Al Mubarak, Ehad Al Balushi, Zahir Al Aghbari, Salah Al Yahayai, Salim Al Siyabi, Baqeet Salim, Omran Al Heedi, Ahmed Al Araimi, Aiman Ibrahim Al Haikal, Abdullah Al Meshaikhi and Ali Al Hinai, Hussain Ali and Almuntasir Al Riyami.

Oman are scheduled to begin their campaign against Lebanon on October 2. They will play their second match against Kyrgyzstan

ISC BADMINTON

ISL

Mutu hoping to take ISL route to Euros SINGAPORE: Controversial Romania striker Adrian Mutu is hopeful a strong spell with new club Pune City in the Indian Super League (ISL) could lead to an unlikely appearance at Euro 2016 and the chance to become his country’s record goalscorer.

The 36-year-old forward, twice banned for failed drug tests while playing for Fiorentina in Italy and English club Chelsea, will return to competitive action in the burgeoning franchise league next month after more than a year out of the game.

Mutu, whose last club was Romanian outfit Petrolul Ploiesti, said a conversation with Romania coach Anghel Iordanescu had given him hope, two years after his last international match.

“He has told me that if I continue playing football even after ISL, then he will consider me for the European Championship next year,” Mutu told Emirati outlet Sport360.

“It’s a huge motivation for me to keep going and I am taking it very seriously.”

Romania are currently second in Group F of Euro 2016 qualifying with two matches remaining.

Mutu, who is level on 35 goals for his country with former great Gheorghe Hagi, will kick off the second season of ISL with Pune in October. - Reuters

on October 4 before completing their engagements with a match against Qatar on October 6.

According to the Asian Football Confederation, a total of 43 member associations including finals hosts Bahrain will be competing in the qualifiers in ten different groups.

Ten group winners and five best second-placed teams will qualify for the finals while hosts Bahrain received an automatic qualification.

MUSCAT: Oman’s Saleh Al Farsi has been appointed as the match commissioner of Group F qualifiers of the AFC U-19 Championship qualifiers.

Group F matches will be played in Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe from October 2 to 6.

According to a statement issued by the Oman Football Association (OFA), the Asian body has informed about Saleh Al Farsi’s appointment.

Al Farsi, an experienced sports administrator who is also the vicechairman of the OFA, has left for Tajikistan on Tuesday.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Prayag claims boys under-13 crown MUSCAT: Prayag Mohanty has claimed the boys’ under-13 singles crown at the National Bank of Oman-sponsored Annual Badminton Tournament organsied by the Indian Social Club (ISC) Muscat.

In a thrilling a high-quality final, Prayag prevailed over Mohammed Iman 21-19, 21-13.

Prayag and Iman played a high level of badminton and exchanged rallies that drew accolades from the spectators. Southpaw Mohamed Iman started on a positive note and gained an early 10-6 lead.

Prayag opened up and rattled the next seven points before Iman rallied to level at 15-all.

Brilliant rallies were exchanged as scores went neck-and-neck until 19-all when Prayag produced a delicate drop to gain game point which he converted to win the first game.

Prayag exhibited brilliant courtcraft and sound temperament as he took control of the second

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FINALISTS: Prayag Mohanty, right, and Mohammed Iman.

game. He often caught Iman on the wrong foot with clever placements and went on to build his lead to win the second game and the boys under-13 crown.

Top seed Prabhu AR advanced

to the semifinals of the men’s A singles event after defeating Justin Thomas 21-9, 21-15 while second seed Niyas N. downed VA Francis with a 21-9, 21-15 score.

In another quarterfinal match,

third seed Bishen Singh Bhalla played a heroic match before scraping past Vinod Abraham in three thrilling games 21-23, 21-17, 21-19.

Vinod put in a gallant display, saved three game points to win the first game but squandered a good lead in the decider when Bishen fought back to win the match.

Fourth seed Shivadas P completed the semifinal line-up when he faced some resistance in the first game before coasting to a 21-18, 21-3 victory over Domnic Kennedy.

In the first round of the veterans singles, Sunil Kumar overcame a fighting Ameenuddin with a 2114, 22-20 win, Haridas P. Hung showed doggedness and fought against all odds to pull off a thrilling 21-13, 12-21, 22-20 win over Shibu John, Babu Said Mohamed defeated K. Sashindran 21-15, 1821, 21-13 and Yogesh Narula was a 21-9, 21-8 winner over VA Francis.

Man United to miss Carrick, says Van Gaal LONDON: Manchester United will be without England midfielder Michael Carrick for Wednesday’s Champions League Group B game at home to Germany’s VfL Wolfsburg, manager Louis van Gaal told a pre-match news conference.

Like Ander Herrera and Antonio Valencia, Carrick did not train on Tuesday ahead of a match in which United cannot afford another slip, having lost their opening group game 2-1 away to PSV Eindhoven. The Germans are also three points ahead of them after beating CSKA Moscow 1-0 in their first match.

“I think Michael Carrick shall not play,” Van Gaal said.

He added that Herrera and Valencia had minor injuries and would probably not be risked.

Carrick and Valencia both started Saturday’s 3-0 win over

Sunderland, which took United to the top of the Premier League.

Three successive wins in the league have given them new confidence, which prompted Van Gaal to suggest they were capable of becoming European champions for the first time since 2008.

“I think we can, because I’ve done it,” said the experienced Dutchman, who won the competition with Ajax in 1995.

“It’s not (just) quality but it’s also luck. For me as a manager when you reach the final you have done fantastic.

“I think in the Champions League you need to win all your home matches otherwise it will be very difficult.”

Whether or not he were to win it again, Van Gaal does not envisage staying on once his contract expires in 2017. - Reuters

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SPORTS

Injury-hit Wales need to lift again for Fiji Gatland’s side are

Ram leads Tonga past Namibia

already assured of a place in the pantheon of Welsh rugby after last Saturday’s Twickenham heroics but a spot in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals could still evade them if they fail to beat the Pacific Islanders

CARDIFF: A patched-up Wales will need to summon up a second big performance in five days on Thursday against a Fiji team that have proved they are no Pool A pushovers if they are to ensure their win over England was no pyrrhic victory.

Warren Gatland’s side are already assured of a place in the pantheon of Welsh rugby after last Saturday’s Twickenham heroics but a spot in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals could still evade them if they fail to beat the Pacific Islanders. The 28-25 victory over the hosts came at the cost of three more injuries to a squad that could illafford them ahead of what will be bruising contest against the Fijians.

Still, if Wales can produce a result more reminiscent of the 66-0 hammering they handed the Fijians at the 2011 World Cup than the 38-34 upset they suffered at the 2007 tournament, they will be in a very strong position.

Not only will they be able to put their feet up and watch England

SUPER TRY: Tonga’s Jack Ram, second round, dives for the line to score their fourth try during the Pool C match of the Rugby World Cup against Namibia at Sandy Park on Tuesday. – AFP

EXETER: Stand-out flanker Jack Ram bagged two tries to help Tonga put a disappointing opening loss to Georgia behind them with a thrilling 35-21 World Cup victory over Namibia on Tuesday.

and Australia knock spots off each other on Saturday but they will have nine days to patch up their wounds before their final pool match against the Wallabies back at Twickenham.

“The whole focus is preparing for Fiji - we know how important it is,” Gatland told reporters in Cardiff on Tuesday. “We have to put Saturday behind us. It’s incredibly important to get a result on Thursday and if do that we’re in the box seat a bit more.”

CHANGES

After going down 17-10 to the Georgians, Tonga showed their true colours against an outpowered Namibia, who are now winless in 17 World Cup matches. Led by a barnstorming display by Australian-born spe-

Wales: 1-Gethin Jenkins, 2-Scott Baldwin, 3-Tom Francis, 4-Bradley Davies, 5-Alun Wyn Jones, 6-Dan Lydiate, 7-Sam Warburton (captain), 8-Toby Faletau; 9-Gareth Davies, 10Dan Biggar, 11-George North, 12-Jamie Roberts, 13-Tyler Morgan, 14-Alex Cuthbert, 15-Matthew Morgan; Replacements: 16-Ken Owens, 17-Aaron Jarvis, 18-Samson Lee, 19-Luke Charteris, 20-Justin Tipuric, 21-Lloyd Williams, 22-Rhys Priestland, 23-James Hook.

cialist sevens player Ram, the South Sea islanders scored five tries to bag a bonus point that could be vital in their battle with Georgia for third place in Pool C and automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup. - AFP

Fiji: 1-Campese Maafu, 2-Sunia Koto, 3-Manasa Saulo, 4-Tevita Cavubati, 5-Leone Nakarawa, 6-Dominiko Waqaniburotu, 7-Akapusi Qera (captain), 8-Netani Talei, 9-Nemia Kenatale, 10-Ben Volavola, 11-Aseli Tikoirotuma, 12-Lepani Botia, 13-Vereniki Goneva, 14-Timoci Nagusa, 15-Metuisela Talebula; Replacements: 16-Viliame Veikoso, 17-Peni Ravia, 18-Leeroy Atalifo, 19-Nemia Soqeta, 20-Malakai Ravulo, 21-Henry Seniloli 22-Joshua Matavesi, 23-Kini Murimurivalu. - Reuters

SHORT TURNAROUNDS

‘Brutal nature of rugby needs to be considered’ CARDIFF: Wales coach Warren Gatland on Tuesday questioned the short match turnarounds in the World Cup as he prepared his battered and bruised side to play Fiji on Thursday.

“It’s something we all need to be aware of because it’s a pretty brutal game at the moment and it’s important that we consider and look after the welfare of our players too,” he said.

“I don’t know whether four or five day turnarounds in a World Cup are too short.”

England attacking skills coach Mike Catt, who as a player won the World Cup in 2003 and was a losing finalist four years later, said of rugby’s attrition rate: “It’s hard to say that it’s one particular thing. It’s a tough sport.

“It was a lot easier when I played with defences that weren’t as organised, so there were holes everywhere.

“The tight five are so much more mobile (now). The back row are like your centres, so the game has definitely changed.”

Wales play Fiji just five days after a sensational victory over England that was marred by injuries. Scott Williams and Hallam Amos have been forced out of the tournament while Liam Williams was concussed and could not be considered for the next game.

Wales have lost six players since naming their initial World Cup squad, twice as many as any other team, and Gatland has been forced to select players who could do with a break.

“We’ve got guys who are still battered and bruised and we’ve got a game in two days,” he said when making only three injuryforced changes from the side that came from behind to beat England 28-25.

Gatland kept the same Sam Warburton-led pack that won their first two matches against Uruguay and England while backs George North, Jamie

three, including two specialist fullbacks in Scott Spedding and Dulin, to field the high kicks he expects from Canada.

“Many teams play with two fullbacks given the many high balls kicked in modern rugby,” he said. “It’s also good to have an extra kicker and if it rains we will have more options with the boot.”

Saint-Andre said it had been good to give all 31 players in his squad a game in the first two matches.

“If we want to go far in this competition it’s maybe the third choice player in a particular position who can make the difference,” he said. “We have four wins in a row and are keen to get a fifth.

We’ve had some quality practices this week, made progress in rucks and in the contact. With the high number of rucks per match we need to be more precise in them.”

Team: 1-Eddy Ben Arous, 2-Guilhem Guirado, 3-Rabah Slimani, 4-Pascal Pape, 5-Yoann Maestri, 6-Thierry Dusautoir (captain), 7-Bernard Le Roux, 8-Damien Chouly; 9-Sebastien TillousBorde, 10-Frederic Michalak, 11-Brice Dulin, 12-Wesley Fofana, 13-Mathieu Bastareaud, 14-Remy Grosso, 15-Scott Spedding; Replacements: 16-Benjamin Kayser, 17-Vincent Debaty, 18-Nicolas Mas, 19-Yannick Nyanga, 20-Fulgence Ouedraogo, 21-Morgan Parra, 22-Remi Tales, 23-Alexandre Dumouli. - Reuters

Roberts, Dan Biggar and Gareth Davies will also be starting their third consecutive game.

Matthew Morgan gets his first start at fullback and Tyler Morgan makes his World Cup debut at centre while Alex Cuthbert, a replacement against England, starts on the wing.

But their New Zealand-born coach said Wales could not complain about their tournament schedule as they have known the draw for a long time and “our planning over the last couple of years has been about preparing for the short turnarounds.”

Gatland, who coached the British and Irish Lions to a series win in Australia in 2013, havin been an assistant coach in South Africa four year earlier with the combined side, said the increasingly brutal nature of Test rugby was evident to him.

“The only gauge I have as a coach is my involvement with the Lions in 2009 and 2013 and just seeing the difference and physicality in that four years,” he said.

“You go to South Africa which is one of the most physical countries to go and play in, and then from South Africa to Australia the step up in intensity and physicality had just increased massively in four years.”

Gatland said he could not dwell on the injuries and Wales’ focus was on preparing to play Fiji on Thursday not an eight-day break before playing Australia.

“The chat’s been about making sure we’re mentally right and that’s the key.

“We have to put Saturday behind and know it’s incredibly important to get a result on Thursday.

If we can do that it puts us a little bit more in the box seat.”

Australia, the only other unbeaten team in Pool A after wins over Fiji and Uruguay, play England this Saturday before their final first round encounter with Wales. - AFP REPLACEMENT

D E S P E R AT E

France rest Picamoles, give Grosso Cup debut CROYDON: France have opted to rest number eight Louis Picamoles and will give wing Remy Grosso his first Rugby World Cup start in the Pool D match against Canada at Milton Keynes on Thursday.

Coach Philippe Saint-Andre, having altered almost his whole team for last week’s win over Romania, named a line-up on Tuesday with four changes from the side that beat Italy in their opening match at Twickenham on September 19.

Bernard Le Roux will play as openside flanker with Damien Chouly moving to number eight, while in the backs Wesley Fofana keeps his place at inside centre having missed the Italy match through injury and Brice Dulin, fullback against the Romanians, stays in the team as right wing with Grosso on the left.

Uncapped Grosso was drafted into the squad as cover after Yoann Huget was ruled out of the tournament.

“Picamoles played three warm-up matches in a row then two matches in four days (at the World Cup) and needs to recover, to refresh, and has been doing specific work (for that),” SaintAndre told reporters at the team’s hotel in south London.

He said he had chosen his back

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England dismiss critics as ‘irrelevant white noise’

Scotland call up Kiwi-born Blair Cowan

LONDON: The England camp are trying desperately to distance themselves from criticism of their performance against Wales last week, with skills coach Mike Catt dismissing it as “irrelevant white noise” on Tuesday.

Though England played well for the first hour of Saturday’s Pool A match, they also allowed Wales to stay in touch through a series of penalties and the decision-making that led to the late call not to kick for a potentally score-levelling goal has been widely attacked in the wake of Wales’s 28-25 victory.

Former England captain Will Carling was among the most outspoken, when he said there was a prescriptive environment and that the players were treated as schoolboys.

Catt, a World Cup winner in 2003, said the team were ignoring such comments.

“The criticism is external white noise, which is irrelevant,” he told journalists. “We are massively excited that we’ve got Australia at Twickenham and everything is on this one game for us.”

Scrumhalf Richard Wigglesworth, who is in line for a possible start on Saturday if Ben Youngs fails to recover from an ankle injury, said Carling, who played the last of his 73 internationals 18 years

NEWCASTLE: Scotland on Tuesday called up New Zealand-born Blair Cowan to replace the injured Grant Gilchrist in their World Cup squad.

The 29-year-old back row forward — who qualifies through his Scotland-born mother — narrowly missed out on a place in the original squad when Kiwi coach Vern Cotter opted for another New Zealand transfuge John Hardie.

But Cowan — who was due to turn out for his English club London Irish against Harlequins on Friday — is ready to immediately push for a place in the side to take on South Africa in Pool B on Saturday where table-topping Scotland will seek to make it three wins from three.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Cowan, who was first capped in 2014. “I’ve seen a few of the boys and it caught me off guard with how stoked I was to see them. It was a bit emotional.

“I was just chilling at home after training when I got the call. You would have seen a dust shadow of me getting off the couch to pack my bags. I’m up here to do whatever they need to push us forward. They know what I can do.” - AFP

The criticism is external white noise, which is irrelevant. We are massively excited that we’ve got Australia at Twickenham Mike Catt England skills coach

ago, was out of touch.

“Certain people who have come out and said things should know better,” he said.

“We knew coming into this that it (the criticism) could be like this but if they don’t know — and he doesn’t — and hasn’t played the game for how long and hasn’t been involved in professional rugby for how long...?

“Let’s have a meaningful discussion about his knowledge, about what he knows about the game. He is there to further his own career.”

“If you get concerned about the external effects you are not in a good place,” he said. “Our job is to beat Australia. “Whoever we pick we have total belief that we can score tries. We are doing everything to make sure we get it right.” - Reuters

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LIFESTYLE

SECTION

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Leisure WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

I N D G I R

WIND

AND

WAVE RY SALIM JO SE STO PH

INDSURFING Y ’S W OU WATCH CLOSE N A TH LY , OM C AN

P WINDSURFE S TO RS LD’ R WO

IN

ION IN ACT

NAH SPOR TS SAN CIT WATERS – AT MU L Y, A C LO

S IP SH N

LD BE HOSTING WOU TH S:X WORL H C E 2015 R D HI W N I F G CH UR AM NDS WI PI O OCTOBER .

IN

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W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

fter Lake Garda (Italy), Cascais (Portugal), Auckland (New Zealand), Kerteminde (Denmark), Weymouth (UK), Perth (Australia), Cadiz (Spain), Buzios (Brazil), and Santander (Spain), now it’s time for Al Musannah Sports City in the Sultanate to be in the limelight.

Having emerged as one of the top venues for international watersports competitions after a successful hosting of the Laser World Championships two years back, Oman will witness the world’s top windsurfers in action in the RS:X World Windsurfing Championships, which will be held here from October 18 to 24.

World’s top windsurfers are set to descend on the Olympic qualifier city as preparations heat up for 2016 Olympic Games, according to the officials of Oman Sail, which organises the event under the umbrella of Oman Sailing Committee chaired by Rashid bin Ibrahim Al Kindi. The 2015 RS:X World Windsurfing Championships is the final major meeting before the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August 2016.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the event is expected to attract top officials including RS:X Class President Carlo Dalla Vedova, and representatives from the 32 competing nations. The top 50 ranked athletes, including 24 women, will be sizing up the conditions in Oman to prepare for the competition in Rio where the winds and tides are likely to be similar, making this event the perfect warm up event. And, amongst the contestants are Dorian van Rijsselberge from The Netherlands who won the RS:X (Men’s) gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics, and Bryony Shaw from Britain, the world number one’s woman windsurfer who won bronze at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

The championship gains significance as it’s an opportunity for the world to see who could be winning medals in Rio, says David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail which has recently established a Youth Windsurfing Club. This would also show the rest of the world what Oman can offer as a world-class racing venue which is of Olympic standard, he adds.

“Oman Sail has been working hard to build the infrastructure and capability to host globallyrenowned sporting events and, as the Laser World Championships proved in 2013, Oman can now compete with any venue in the world to successfully stage these

The RS:X World Windsurfing Championships will kick off with an opening ceremony on October 18 and continue through to the medal race on October 24.

international events. We look forward to welcoming all the athletes before their big test next year” says Rashid Al Kindi, Chairman of Oman Sailing Committee.

Besides, the event would give an opportunity for Oman’s windsurfing youth to watch closely the world’s best in action. The local windsurfers include Oman’s top athlete, Waleed Al Kindi, who is campaigning to be part of Oman

Sail’s first ever Olympic squad in 2020. Now recuperating from a back injury he also will be watching the event closely as his eyes are set on the ASAF Asian Championships 2016, an Olympic qualifier which will be held in Abu Dhabi next March.

The race management, meanwhile, will comprise Omani umpires who were trained at Oman Sail’s sailing schools across Oman and now officiate at events across the world. Around 40 international coaches will also be there besides backup staff and race teams from the leading national sailing authorities in the world. Oman is fast-becoming one of the top venues for international watersports competitions, and the conditions are superb and the organisation is top rate, according to Carlo Dalla Vedova, President of the International RS:X Class Association.

The event will kick off with an opening ceremony on October 18 and is expected to be attended by key Omani dignitaries, Oman Sail management and board members.

Racing will continue through to the medal race on October 24.

T R AV E L T I P S

Minimise Your Travel Troubles Holidays are steeped in traditions — visiting long distance relatives and friends, inching the car through a traffic jam, and standing in a queue at the airport that just doesn’t move.

Follow these tips to ensure a hassle-free holiday.

CONTACT A TRAVEL agent well in advance of your trip to secure the lowest-priced airline seats, hotel rooms and rental cars that usually sell out quickly for holiday travel.

Be aware that prices generally escalate during the holiday season, as demand is higher.

Packing Light saves time and energy when it comes to filling the trunk with fragile bags packed with gifts or racing to fill the last empty space in the overhead bin.

Before Leaving, be sure to secure your house. Lock all doors and windows, and don’t forget to set the alarm. Also, give your home that lived-in look to repel potential burglars by having a friend collect your mail, newspapers, and setting lights on timers.

Remember, your holiday travel

plans will most likely bring you, and millions of others, to the airport. To manage this, first, avoid peak travel days. As your travel agent will tell you, the busiest days to fly are those immediately before and after the actual holidays. Book your flights two days before and after Eid, Christmas and New Year.

Secure a Non-Stop Flight, or one involving the fewest connections and stops. Every time your plane touches the ground during peak travel times, the possibility of delays due to inclement weather or airtraffic problems increases.

If You Drive and park at the airport lot, do not leave any valuables, such as electronic gadgets, or GPSs in plain view. Also remember to put jumper cables in the trunk in case the battery dies during your trip.

Take The Worry of getting to the airport completely out of the equation by staying at an airport hotel the night before an early flight. The additional sleep is well worth it. In some cases, hotels will allow guests to leave their car in the hotel lot for the duration of their trip.

Check in Early. As flights are sometimes overbooked during the holidays, it’s critical to check in early. Do web check-in, if possible.

Keep a Positive Attitude, but also be mentally ready for setbacks. Delays happen, and airlines do the best they can to keep their schedules on time. Bring water and snacks, an inflatable pillow and eye mask, a good book, your favourite music, MP3 player and a deck of cards. Boredom is the true enemy in these situations, so be prepared to conquer it.

Photos: Supplied

LIFESTYLE

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

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LIFESTYLE THE HOBBYIST Gulzamin Ahmed Dune Buggy

TAKING IT TO THE EXTREME Dune bashing takes lots of courage, skill, and experience. It’s not a child’s play.

Why Do You Love Dune Bashing?

Being different in the crowd and experiencing the extreme is the key reason why I love dune bashing. Exploring the off roads, seeing far off unknown places, and conquering dangerous dunes has always been my passion.

How Did You Get Into It? I am working with the power sports industry for almost a decade but more than a profession it’s my passion to live life to the extreme that motivates me.

How Can I Get Into It? You must own a specialised off road capable vehicle (I ride POLARIS RZR XP 1000) and handful of experience and professional skill to drive. Join with the experienced off road goers, train yourself to drive, and learn the techniques.

What’s Your Pro-Tip? Dune bashing takes lots of courage, skill and experience. I’s not a child play if you don’t know what you are doing. Safety precaution is must. Wearing safety apparel like helmet, goggles, gloves, and safety jacket is a must. Use seat belt all the time. Don’t try for something what you don’t know — you must practice enough before you go for the extreme.

CONTACT INFO/RESOURCES FOR DUNE BASHING IN OMAN ‘Fairtrade Auto Services (+968 9744 5272) organises off road crossings for its customers (you must own a product from Fairtrade Auto Services). Many vendors around Bidiyah, and Muscat are renting off road vehicles.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Abdul Hameed Siyabi @ Seefa +968 9554 4402, Fahad +968 9722 2669 @ Baushar, Saif Al Hajari-Arabian Oryx –Bidiyah +968 9555 5460.

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

The Vulture is a Patient Bird A crime thriller from the stable of James Hadley Chase Author: James Hadley Chase If you are a fan of the English writer James Hadley Chase, there’s little chance you would have not read this book. The Vulture is a Patient Bird is one of the offbeat masterpieces of Chase’s fictional crime thrillers, peppered with his wry sense of humour, and worth reading, even if you are one of those who consider Chase’s novels as downmarket fiction.

The story of this thriller revolves around a character called Max Kahlenberg who is a rich recluse, yet a compulsive art thief who operates with a network of unscrupulous elements who engineer vile missions to

steal the finest artworks from museums around the world. The stolen treasures are stored in an underground museum in the Drakensberg mountains in South Africa where this ‘vulture’ resides in a sprawling estate engulfed by a jungle guarded

by Zulu warriors.

Kahlenberg is a cripple bound to a wheelchair but manages to call his shots with the help of a remote. He patiently awaits a group of three men and a woman who intrude on his estate with a secret mission of retrieving a famous poison ring which he had once stolen from a rival collector.

The secret agents are unaware that Kahlenberg is awaiting them along with Hindenberg, his pet cheetah and his battalion of Zulu warriors, and that they would have to fall prey to a game designed to give him sadistic pleasure.

The story might appear a bit unconvincing as the quartet easily walk into the trap set for them but Chase’s treatment of the plot with humour and spicy sequences here and there make the story gripping. Like any Chase novel, you can finish this one in a couple of hours or fall back on it as a stress buster and take in the tale

in a few big gulps. I read this one 20 years ago but wouldn’t mind having another go.

- Reviewed by Hubert Vaz hubert@timesofoman.com

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

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10:00PM Black Mass 2D (Crime, Drama) (12+) Cast: Johnny Depp, Dakota Johnson 11:55 PM Tale of Tales – 2D (Fantasy, Romance) (12+) Cast: Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel 6:45PM Kiss Kisko Pyaar Karoo– 2D (Romantic) 9:15PM (PG) Kunji Ramayanam – 2D (Comedy) (PG) 8:00PM

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CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68. www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI Black Mass (Crime, Drama)(12+)(2D) Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton 11:45 pm Sicario (Action, Crime)(12+)(2D) Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro 7:00, 9:30, 11:55 pm The Visit (Comedy, Horror) (15+) Cast : Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould 2:30 pm The Intern (Comedy)(PG12) Cast : Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro 3:45, 7:45 pm Hotel Transylvania 2 (Animation)(3D)PG 6:00 pm Hotel Transylvania 2 (Animation) (2D)PG 2:00 pm Pay The Ghost (Horror,Thriller) (15+) Cast : Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies 5:00, 10:00, 11:45 pm The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (Action) Cast : Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario 4:30, 9:15 pm (PG12)(3D) Everest (Adventure, Drama)(PG)(3D/IMAX) Cast : Jason Clarke, Ang Phula Sherpa 2:30, 7:00 pm Everest (Adventure, Drama)(PG)(2D) 7:00 pm MUSCAT GRAND MALL Black Mass (Biography, Crime, Drama) 12+ Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch 9:30 PM M aze Runner: The Scorch Trials: 3D Cast: Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie 03:15, 11:45 PM; (Action) (PG12) Gold Class: 06:30 PM Sicario (Action, Crime, Drama) (12+) Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro 12:15, 07:45, 11:55 PM Gold Class: 02:00, 09:00, 11:15 PM

BLACK MASS (Crime, Drama) (12+) Cast : Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton Timings : 11:45 pm

Moomins on the Riviera : 2D (Animation) 10:00 AM, 1:30 PM (PG) Everest : 3D (Adventure, Drama, Thriller) (PG) Cast : Jason Clarke, Ang Phula Sherpa 4:45 PM Hotel Transylvania-2 : 3D (Animation) (PG) 10:00, 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM Gold Class: 12:15 PM Calendar Girls (Hindi) : 2D (Drama) (15+) Cast : Akanksha Puri, Ruhi Singh, Kyra Dutt 7:00 PM Pay the Ghost : 2D (Horror, Thriller ) (15+) Cast : Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies 5:45, 10:00 PM The Intern: 2D (Comedy ) (PG12) Gold Class: 04:15 PM AZAIBA Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials – 3D (PG12) Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller Cast - Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie 4:30, 11:55 PM Black Mass – 2D (15+) Crime, Drama Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict, Dakota Johnson 9:00 PM Everest – 3D (PG) Adventure, Drama, Thriller Cast: Jason Clarke, Ang Phula Sherpa

KIS KISKO PYAAR KAROON - 2D (PG) Cast: Kapil Sharma, Elli Avram, Simran Kaur Mundi, Manjari Phadnis, Arbaaz Khan Timings : 12:15, 7:30, 11:15 PM

SICARIO (Action, Crime) (12+) Cast : Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro Timings : 12:15, 7:45, 11:55 PM Gold Class: 2:00, 9:00, 11:15 PM

CALENDAR GIRLS (DRAMA) – 15+ Cast: Akanksha Puri, Avani Modi, Kyra Dutt, Ruhi Singh, Satarupa Pyn, Suhel Seth, Ronit Roy Timings: 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM

2:15, 11:30 PM Sicario – 2D (12+) Action, Crime, Drama 4:00, 06:15, 10:45 PM Pay The Ghost - 2D (15+) Horror, Thriller 2:15, 11:45 PM Hotel Transsylvania 2 – 2D (PG) Animation 2:00 PM Hotel Transsylvania 2 – 3D (PG) Animation 3:30, 05:10 PM Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon – 2D (PG) 2:00, 06:45, 09:15 PM (Romantic) Calendar Girls – 2D (TBC) Hindi, Drama Cast: Kyra Dutt, Akanksha Puri, Avani Modi 6:45 PM Kunji Ramayanam – 2D (PG) Comedy Cast: Vineeth Shrinivasan, Aju Verghese 4:30, 09:30 PM Trisha Illana Nayanthara - 2D (PG) Comedy Cast: GV Prakash Kumar, Anandhi 7:00 PM

Jawani Phir Nahi Aani (Comedy) – 12+ Cast: Humayun Saeed, Javed Sheikh 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM Screen 3 Calendar Girls (Drama) – 15+ Cast: Akanksha Puri, Avani Modi, Kyra Dutt 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM SOHAR Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials - 3D (PG12) Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller Cast : Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario 4:30, 11:45 PM Pay the Ghost - 2D (15+)Horror | Thriller Cast : Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies 2:45, 10:00 PM Ahwak - 2D (Arb) (TBC) Drama 6:45 PM The Intern - 2D (PG12) Comedy Cast: Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro 12:30, 04:30 , 07:20 PM Hotel Transsylvania 2 - 2D (PG) Animation| 2:45 PM Hotel Transsylvania 2 - 3D (PG) Animation| 01:00, 05:45 PM Sicario - 2D (12+) Action|Crime| Drama Cast : Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin

RUWI Screen 1 Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon (Comedy) – PG Cast: Kapil Sharma, Elli Avram, Simran Kaur 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM Screen 2

12:30, 02:45, 07:00, 09:15, 11:30 PM Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon - 2D (PG) Comedy Cast : Kapil Sharma, Elli Avram, Simran Kaur 12:15 , 07:30, 11:15 PM Calendar Girls- 2D (TBC) Drama Cast : Akanksha Puri, Ruhi Singh, Kyra Dutt 03:00, 9:30 PM Kunji Ramayanam - 2D (M) (PG) Comedy Cast : Vineeth Sreenivasan, Aju Varghese 9:00 PM Trisha Illana Nayanthara- 2D (T) Romantic Cast : G. V. Prakash Kumar, Anandhi, Manisha 5:00 PM (PG) Black Mass - 2D (12+) Biography | Drama Cast : Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch 11:55 PM BURAIMI Sicario 2D (Action, Drama, Crime) (12+) 7:00, 9:15, 11:30PM Maze Runner: The Scroch Trails - 3D 4:45, 11:30PM (Action, Sci-FI, Thriller) (PG12) Everest – 3D (Adventure) (PG) 4:30PM Hotel Transylvania 2 – 3D (Animation) (PG) 4:30, 6:15PM Pay the Ghost – 2D (Horror, Thriller) (15+)

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

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34 27

07:00

Ruwi

10:25

Daily

06:00 06:00

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08:40 11:00

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17:55 20:20

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TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 12:00 18:45

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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

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19:50 13:15 22:30 07:30

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Marmul

16:30

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Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

15:00

Salalah

07:00

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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

Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om Kunji Ramayanam (Mal) (Dram/Com) 3-30, 6-30 & 9-30 Pm At Cinema Main Cast: Vineet Srinivasan, Aju Vargees Trisha Illana Nayanthara (Tamil) (Act/Com) 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 Pm Cinema-3 Cast: G.V. Prakash Kumar, Anandi Subramanyam (Telugu) (Act/Rom) 3-30 & 6-30 Pm Cinema-2 Maya (Tamil) (Horror) 6-45 Pm At Cinema-4 ; 9-30 Cinema -2 Utopiayile Rjavu (Mal) (Drama/Com) 3-45 & 9-45 Pm At Cinema-4 NEXT CHANGE: Pulli (Tamil) Rajni Murugan (Tamil) Singh Is Bling (Hindi) Programmes are subject to change

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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

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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

STAR CINEMA

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) Sur Sur

SALALAH Pay the Ghost (2D) (15+) (Horror/Thriller) 12:30/10:10PM Black Mass (2D) (12+) (Biography) Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch 11:55PM Everest (3D) (PG) (Adventure 2:15PM Hotel Transylvania 2 (3D)(PG) (Animation) 10:00AM/02:00/3:45PM Sicario (2D) (12+) (Action/Crime/Drama) 10:15AM/07:00/09:15/ 11:45 PM The Intern (2D) (PG12) (Comedy) 11:45AM/5:30PM Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (3D) 4:30/11:30PM (PG12) Kiss Kisko Pyaar Karoo (2D) (PG) 10:45AM/ 07:45PM The Visit (2D) (15+) (Fantasy/Romance) 1:15/ 10:00PM Ahwak (2D) (PG12) (Arabic) (Comedy) 5:30PM Tale of Tales (2D) (12+)( Fantasy/Romance) 3:00PM Kunju Ramayanam (2D) (PG) (Mal)(Comedy) 7:45PM

Minimum

ROYAL OMAN POLICE 07:30 14:30

SUR Sicario (Action | Crime | Drama) (12+) 4:45, 07:00, 11:45 PM Maze Runner : the Scorch Trails (3D) (Action) 06:30 PM (PG12) Kunji Ramayanam (Mal)(Family) (PG) 11:15 PM Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon (Hindi) (Romance) 9:15 PM (PG) Everest (3D) (Adventure ) (PG) 04:15 PM Black Mass (Biography | Crime ) (12+) Cast: Johnny Depp, Bendict Cumberbatch 9:00 PM

KRITHIKA VINOD September 30, 2014

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

The Visit (Comedy/Horror) Cast: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould 12.00, 2.15, 6.15 & 10.00 p.m.

CP No: 2445 ( 15+) Black Mass (Biography/ Crime/ Drama) Cast : Johnny Depp, Dakota Johnson 11.55 p.m; CP No : 2465 (12+) Pay The Ghost (Thriller) Cast: Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies 8.00 & 10.15 pm CP No: 2446 (15+) The Intern (Comedy ) Cast: Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro, Nat Wolff 12.00, 1.45 & 8.00 pm CP No: 2447 ( PG 12) Ahwak (Arabic) (Comedy) Cast: Tamer Housney, Ghada Adel, Mahmoud Heimeida, Amal Rizki 5.45 pm CP No: 2451 (PG 12) Everest (Adventure/Drama/Thriller) Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Elizebeth Debicki, Keira Knightly 4.00 pm CP No: 2434 (PG) The Deadlands (Action) Cast: James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare, Te kohe Tuhaka 4:00, 11.55 pm CP No: 2435 (15+)

0

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

12.02pm 3.27pm 6.01pm 7.11pm 4.43am

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

@SHATTI

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 Hamdan Hospital 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital 24760100 24 Hrs Emergency 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128 MBD 24799077 Al Khuwair 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours) 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot 24704455 Air Arabia 24700828 Air France 24562153 Air India 24799801

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

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

LIFESTYLE

Dreamy Wakan

Location: 23°08’33.2”N 57°44’01.8”E Have you been able to capture the beauty Oman? of an off-the-beaten-path destination in Send your pictures with a caption an.com and geo-locator to: shafeeq@timesofom

H O S P I TA L I T Y

Dusit Continues Expansion in Oman

IN KEEPING with its expansion strategy to launch in exciting world destinations, Dusit International announces its latest project in the Sultanate of Oman.

Executives from the Bangkokbased hospitality group Dusit International, led by Managing Director and CEO Chanin Donavanik, joined executives from the Al Jarwani Group to ink a management agreement on a new dusitD2 hotel in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

The dusitD2 Palm Mall Muscat, scheduled for completion in 2017, will be located within the mixeduse Palm Mall development that will offer unique attractions including Oman’s first snow village and the Sultanate’s largest aquarium. The upscale hotel will offer approximately 150 guest rooms and 100 suites with an enticing culinary offering. Select rooms will offer stunning views of the mall’s aquarium and snow village. Leisure facilities will include a gym, spa and pool, while meeting rooms

and a ballroom will cater for business guests and special events.

Despite being a desert country, Oman possesses a diverse geography, making it an excellent destination for adventure travellers keen to explore its rugged mountains, beautiful coastlines or awe inspiring sand dunes. Cultural tourism is also a major highlight in Oman which boasts multiple Unesco World Heritage Sites, such as the ruins of the necropolis of Bat, dating back to 3,000 B.C. “We are excited to add Oman to our list of international destinations, further strengthening Dusit’s presence in the GCC region,” commented Donavanik.

“The dusitD2 Palm Mall Muscat will offer the Dusit brand’s signature warm, gracious service, combined with local hospitality customs and world-class entertainment facilities to provide a truly unique experience. We are confident that alongside our partners at Al Jarwani Group, we will be able to make this hotel a great success and a new landmark in the region.”

Chairman of Al Jarwani Group, Mahmood Al Jarwani, also added, “We are very happy to join hands with Dusit International.

The Sultanate of Oman will soon experience the unmatched hospitality and service.”

DRIVE SLOWER LIVE LONGER

C11

C1 2

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

LIFESTYLE

01 BAIA DO SANCHO

02 EL NIDO

Palawan, Philippines Shockingly, Palawan has remained steadily under the radar, and it stays that way. El Nido alone is home to around 50 white sand beaches — it’s impossible to choose just one — all of which are set around dramatic limestone formations and boast the finest and whitest sand you’ll ever see. The water is so blindingly blue it makes the Caribbean Sea look murky in comparison, and the sunsets? Well, they’ll ruin you for life. Consider yourself warned.

03 BLINKY BEACH

Lord Howe Island, Australia While many of the continent’s best beaches can be found in Queensland, make no mistake — New South Wales firmly holds its own. Besides its excellent surf, Blinky Beach, on the east side of Lord Howe Island, is fantastically beautiful: It’s situated between Blinky Point and a promontory known as Mutton Bird Lookout, and boasts the requisite powder-white sand and azure waters. Behind it, you’ll find tall dunes dotted with prickly spinifex and wild daisies.

Fernando de Noronha, Brazil Baía do Sancho on island paradise and environmentally protected area Fernando de Noronha has been voted the best beach in the world by Tripadvisor for the second year in a row. The bay with the crystal clear water on Noronha’s main island can be visited by boat or through a narrow staircase down the cliffs. The beach lies on a secluded bay on the main island of Unesco protected archipelago Fernando de Noronha, off the coast of Recife. It is best visited via boat, which will stop right in front of the bay to not destroy the corals underneath, or via a narrow staircase, which leads down the cliffs that tower around the bay.

TOP 10 BEACHES For some travellers, the perfect beach trip consists of white sand and blue waters. For

10 ANSE LAZIO

Praslin, Seychelles Anse Lazio, on the northwest tip of Praslin island, is known widely as the most beautiful beach in the Seychelles and is by far the most photographed. It’s no wonder: The beach is long and broad with velvety sand and shocking blue water, and it’s fringed with swaying palms and leafy takamaka trees. To add to the drama, it’s also framed by enormous granite boulders on either side.

09 MATIRA BEACH

Bora Bora, French Polynesia Matira is perhaps the most famous of Tahiti’s beaches, and for good reason. The mile-long stretch of silky, powder-white sand slopes gently into a shallow emerald lagoon, and is backed by a thick curtain of palms and tropical foliage. Added bonus: It’s one of the only public-access beaches in Bora Bora, so you won’t need to pay five-star resort prices to enjoy its beauty.

others, a family-friendly atmosphere defines a beach’s excellence. And yet for others, an off-the-grid setting is a top factor. In truth, there isn’t one ideal strip of sand that would suit everyone. Still, the ranking of the best beaches in the world showcases what makes

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Vacationers are almost always pleased with Grace Bay in Provo. The beach’s breathtaking surf and sand, plus its proximity to a golf course and plenty of shops and restaurants, leave most guests pleasantly satisfied. It is unbelievably clear, clean water with hundreds of shades of blues and greens and white sugar sand beaches.

affordability, and approval among experts and travellers. Before you grab your towel and hit the sands, check out which places top the list.

05 EL CASTILLO

Tulum, Riviera Maya, Mexico When it comes to Mexican beaches, this one can’t be beat: It hugs the base of towering, 40-foot limestone cliffs. Its pale, silvery sand leads invitingly into the clear, shallow Caribbean Sea, and it’s flanked by palms and lush vegetation on either side.

Best of all, it’s located directly beneath the famous El Castillo ruins, which can be admired from the shore.

08 WAIPIO VALLEY BEACH

Big Island, Hawaii This beach in Waipio Valley is one of the hardest to get to in Hawaii — you must hike or drive down a treacherously narrow, steep road to reach your destination. But it’s well worth the trek: At the bottom, you’re rewarded with a mile-long black volcanic sand beach bordered by 2000-foot cliff walls and backed by thick rainforest. If that weren’t scenic enough, the Kaluahine and Waiulili waterfalls cut into the cliffs at the south end of the beach, and are accessible via a boulder-strewn trail along the surf.

07 RADHANAGAR BEACH

06 HONOKALANI

Wai’anapanapa State, Maui With its jet-black shore, lapis lazuli waters and thick, junglelike foliage, Honokalani Beach is a photographer’s dream. Besides lying lazily on the “sand” — actually made up of tiny lava pebbles — there’s plenty to do: you’ll find seaside lava tubes and sea caves carved into the lava cliffs along the shore. It’s wild, unspoiled Hawaii at its best, and a necessary stop en route to Hana.

Havelock, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India Where on earth do you know a beach with the softest white sand, situated just off a jungle and with a beautiful mountain as a backdrop? The reputed Time magazine named it as Asia’s best beach in 2004. Radhanagar beach, Havelock Island is very well known for its vast spreading and long white, sandy beach that sprawls across a wide area. With lush green trees on one end and aqua green, clear water on the other end, one can truly take a walk midst nature and forget all his woes.

PHOTOGRAPHY: SUPPLIED

04 GRACE BAY

a beach stand out: ambience, accessibility,

D

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

SECTION

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

RENT

D2

VACANCY

D4

CARGO

D8

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

D2

W E D N E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE FOR RENT

Villa for rent in Al Khuwair 33, 8 bedrooms & 5 bathrooms with parking area near Taimur Mosque.

Contact: 99366624

New 1/2 B/R RES/ Comm. flats near Medical College Bausher directly from owner. contact: 92158031

1,2 BHK flats in Wadi Al Kabeer.

Contact: 99369081

Fully furnished 2 BHK apartments available at Bareeq Al Shatti.

Contact 92888063

02 BHK Commercial / residential (with Split A/C) flat at Honda road.

Contact : 99342733 / 99795241

2BHK flats & shops available for rent at Honda road in a brand new building (dish & split A/C provided in flats). Contact: 91165807 / 92976611

2 BHK residential flat opposite to AL Nadha Hospital. Contact : 99342733 / 99795241

Shops for rent at City Seasons hotel Al Khuwair. Contact: 24394800 Small office space for rent near Ruwi Mosque & Badr Hospital.

Contact : 99512270 Flat for rent in Wadi Kabir near Indian Primary School 2B and 1k.

Contact : 92222922

1BHK flats available for rent in CBD area. Contact: 98116480

New deluxe villas at Madinat Qaboos. Contact: 99369081

Room Al Khuwair R.O 120/-.

Contact : 97799175 1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-.

Contact: 97799175 1,2 BHK Darsait. Contact : 97799175 2BHK Ghubra RO 325/-.

Contact: 97799175 1BHK Ghubra R.O 275/-.

Contact : 97799175

500/1000 sqm industrial land with compound wall at Misfah behind Oman Oil filling Station. Contact : 99342733 / 99795241 2BHK, 2 Baths, Split A/C, Wadi kabeer towards Al bustan, Near Indian Elementary School.

Contact 99441193, 93004802 2 bedroom villa in Sidab.

Contact: 95755953 / 95555162

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

2 BHK Wadi Kabeer R.O 300/-.

Contact : 97799175

Single room available for Executive bachelor near Zakhar mall behind Kamat Restaurant. contact 94271085

Flat for rent, 2 bedrooms, 1 sitting room, 3 toilets next to Al Hassan Company in W/K. Contact: 99210008

2BHK new Amerat with AC 230/R.O. Contact: 99024730

Deluxe 3 BHK Penthouse with Seaview, ideal for office / residence at Qurum near PDO. contact 9772 1313 / 95070421

For rent : showroom / storage space available (area 290 SQM, 6M height) facing Al Mina street, Jibroo.

Contact: 99360631 / 96760819

House for rent 4BR family hall, fitting room, dining room, kitchen, store with A/C & satellite reception at Mawaleh south , behind Sultan discount center rent R.O 550/-.

Contact: 93653311

New Building in Mutrah, 2 B/D Room Flat + Setting Room,3 Baths+ Kitchen with split unit Ac’s. Behind Khimiji’s main office/opposite to Oman House Call 99419712

Wadi Kabir, 2 Bed Room Flat with sitting Room, 2 Bath Rooms+ Kitchen. Opposite to Kuwaiti Mosque.

Close to Indian school.

Call 99419712/99261628

1BHK Ruwi & 3BHK Bosher.

Contact: 99024730

600 SQT commercial flat for rent opposite Oman flourmill Darsait more details. Contact: 91214849/ 99364735

Furnished room for rent at Al Khuwair R.O 225/- for family only.

Contact: 99251975 Shops for rent in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact: 99888390 Villa for rent - Al Seeb/Al Mawelah - Block 5 - 4 bedrooms with attached bathrooms , Majlis, 2 halls, kitchen and storeroom. split Ac and carpark Contact 99564616 / 99498448

1bedroom attached, toilet & kitchen in AL Khuwair R.O 140/-. #95154331 3BHK , 3bathrooms , 2balconys NRAL Hassan W/ Kabir R.O 320/-.

Contact: 99384640 2BHK close to Indian School Kindergarten Wadi Kabir R.O 300/-.

Contact: 99476728 / 98484415 1BHK R.O 225/- close to Indian Nursery, Darsait. Contact: 99476728 / 98484415 Flat for rent in Wadi Kabeer (2 bedrooms, 1 Majlis, 3 toilets, 1 Kitchen & hall. Contact: 95562646

2BHK with split AC near PDO Gate No.2 Qurum available for immediate renting. Contact : 94057023

Villa for rent in Wadi Kabeer. Contact: 95562646 / 94059333

2 BHK with split AC Al Khuwair -33 for residential & commercial use.

Contact : 94057023

Fully furnished luxury 2 bedroom flat for rent at Ghala for short or long term basis. # 99886386/ 99881653

New flats for rent in Darsait Al Sahal. Contact: 99777351

1, 2 BHK in Azaiba. Contact: 99385835 / 99428143

Flats, shops for rent in Ruwi, MBD & Mumtaz area. Contact 97293708

Big room bathroom attached with kitchen near Riyam Park Muscat RO 100. Contact: 95094028

3BHK flat Darsait Near I.D card Medical 450/- R.O. Contact: 99358589 / 95570288 1& 2 BHK flats for rent at Wadi Kabir, Wadi Adai, Hamriya, Al Khoud and Mabela and shop at Al Khoud land line. Contact : 24834644 GSM 93994401/ 02/ 03, 3 lines

Flat for rent in Hamriya. #99341112 2 bed room flat at Al Khoudh Commercial Street Souq.

Contact: 99224748 / 99332297 3500 sqr mtrs open Industrial land for rent in Rusail. Contact 99792181 1000 sqr mtrs store in Mabela industrial area. Contact 99792181 New 1 & @2 Bhk Flat in CBD opposit Al maya supermarket. #99792181 1 BHK flat in Ruwi ( Honda Road).

Contact 99792181 2 BHK Flat in Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181 Commercial cum residential new building looking for one company, location Muttrah near Police Station.

For more details contact: 99364735 / 95729711 Twin villa 6BR hall, kitchen at Al Ansab-2. Contact: 99747560 / 99444786 1BHK flat with A/C AL Khuwair 250/- R.O. #99358589 / 95570288

1000 sq mtrs Industrial land in Ghala suitable for ware house workshop etc. Contact: 24700120 / 92584715

New flats for rent in Darsait, Al Sahal. # 99311525

One Bed room flat with full furniture available at ruwi high street, Rent RO 200. Furniture cost RO 350.

Contact 99445675.

Flat and show room for rent Al Khuwair 33, Al Ghubrah, Darsait and Jibroo. Contact: 24485240 / 24485241 / 93651633 / 92109563

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

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DAILY GUIDE

AFFORDABLE QUALIFIED STAFF AVAILABLE: EŽ ƟŵĞ ƚŽ ƐĐƌƵƟŶŝnjĞ ƐƚĂī ĂŵŽŶŐ ƚŚŽƵƐĂŶĚƐ͍ EĞĞĚ ŝŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů ƐƚĂī Ăƚ ĂŶ ĂƌƌĂŶŐĞŵĞŶƚ͍ tĞ ĂƌĞ Ă ŵĂŶƉŽǁĞƌ ĂŐĞŶĐLJ ǁŚŽ ŚĞĂĚͲŚƵŶƚ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂī ĨƌŽŵ ĂŶLJ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ͊ tĞ ƐĐƌĞĞŶ ƚŚĞ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐ ƐĞǀĞƌĂůůLJ ƚŽ ĞŶƐƵƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ LJŽƵ ŐĞƚ ŽŶůLJ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ŝƐĐŽǀĞƌ ǁŚLJ ƚŽƉ ĞŵƉůŽLJĞƌƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌ ƵƐ ĨŽƌ ƐƚĂĸŶŐ͊

Hurry and call this number now!

95967902 UNIVERSAL SCRAP BUYERS AT AMAZING PRICES Convert ANY type of Scrap into Money by selling us the scrap Great prices are guaranteed for our clients!

Call this number now for urgent response -

96059470 *Kindly note that the scrap should be 50 tons onwards

FOR SALE Shop for sale or rent at Ruwi City.

Contact: 99103077 Shop for sale in Sohar- Office purpose in the main centre of Sohar Contact – 99437086 Muscat hill luxury 4 bedroom apartment 209 sq. meters under construction for sale for RO 15000. only 10% paid. Balance in easy installment. Expected completion in Jan 17.

98083217 Beauty Salon for sale in Azaiba prime location behind Al fardan building. With sponsor and 1 staff and 1 ready visa clearance.

Contact: 95318629 Used Fabrication machinery for sale : Fabrication machinery and tools in excellent condition for immediate sale. Contact 94652485/ 99273774/ 99202278 Shop for sale in CBD area prime location G. Floor + mezzanine low rent.

Contact: 90112434 Used air condition.

Contact : 97093793 Building material shop for sale at Misfah near Oman Cement factory.

Contact : 99617464 / 95961577 Computer training centre for sale. contact 94412557 Ladies parlor for sale at Ansab.

Contact: 98806430 Ice Cream & juices shop in Ruwi good location for sale suitable for beauty parlor also.

Contact: 92150455 For sale land in Amerat 3000 Sq.mt with petrol pump permission.

Contact 99323957 / 92702891

FOR RENT 1 & 2 bedroom flats available for rent in wadi-kabir (opp: pencil bldg), ideal for company staff / families bulk corporate deal possible.

Contact: 97677170

CLASSY, CREATIVE AND AFFORDABLE INTERIOR DESIGN 'Ğƚ ĐƵƐƚŽŵŝnjĞĚ͕ &ŝƫŶŐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƵŶŝƋƵĞ ŝŶƚĞƌŝŽƌ ĚĞƐŝŐŶƐ ŵĂĚĞ ĨƌŽŵ ƐĐƌĂƚĐŚ͘ Our professionals give YOU: ͻ ƵƚŽ ĂĚ >ĂLJŽƵƚ ͻ D W ƌĂǁŝŶŐƐ ͻ Ϯ ĂŶĚ ϯ ĚƌĂǁŝŶŐ ͻ /ŶŶŽǀĂƟǀĞ ŽŶĐĞƉƚ ĞƐŝŐŶ Hurry now and call this number

91494149 ĨŽƌ ĂŶ ĞdžĐůƵƐŝǀĞ ůŝŵŝƚĞĚͲƟŵĞ ŽīĞƌ ĚŝƐĐŽƵŶƚ͊​͊​͊

AVAILABLE Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

ACC. AVAILABLE Room for rent available in a flat for Executive bachelor at Azaiba behind AL Meera Market with attached bath with cot & A/c, rent RO 175/- per month including water & Electricity.

Contact 96404166 / 97433992

NOTICE

Two bed rooms with 2 toilets and sharing, Kitchen available near Al Falaj hotel. Contact: 90269652 Large room furnished sep / entrance Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99336206 Furnished room available in Ruwi for bachelor. Contact: 93086584

SITUATION WANTM.V. FOR SALE

2BHK available for office Ghubra.

Contact: 99269751

Nissan Altima 2005 automatic.

Contact: 99454425

Single exclusive room available for Executive bachelor furnished separate toilet, kitchen sharing Wadi Kabir behind Golden Oasis hotel.

Contact: 99335145

40 Feet Atlas Trailor 2010.

Contact: 99454425

Single room, bath Darsait R.O 140/-.

Contact: 93289652 Sharing accommodation for Indian family Ruwi high street.

Contact : 99895616

Toyota YARIS. Model 2008. KM 69000. Expat driven, All services at Toyota. Very clean. Rate: 2900.

Contact 99445675.

Mitsubishi 10 ton Truck 2006 model company body, registration valid till May 2016 for sale.

Contact: 95150329

A big room in available near Hamriya R/A for Muslim couple / small family / Executive bachelor rent 150/- per month including W+ E. Contact: 99495131

Lexus GX 460, 2013.

Contact : 99336093

Accommodation available for indian executive bachelor’s (no kitchen).RO:125 including water and electricity Contact no. .. 98145825, 98949724

Trailor with driver for hire.

Contact: 92303774

FOR HIRE

Bobcat Grader and roller for rent.

Contact: 94584688

NRI Plot for sale 10 cent plot facing the lake for sale in Kollam town, 2 km away from Mulangadakam temple.

Please contact: 00968 91271516 Old Goan Portuguese house for sale location Parra Bardez North Goa build-up area 150 sq mtr Total area 400 sq mtr price 1.85 CR negotiable India. Contact: 919225903788 Oman.

Contact: 93277007 (call after 7 pm)

MATRIMONIAL RC, Keralite ( Kottayam) male, 27 yrs, Civil Engineer, working in Muscat from decent family looking for suitable alliance.

Contact : 95035953 31 years RC boy, M. Com MBA - working in Sohar - Seeks alliance from Christian families Contact 94219830

Jenaah Al Naser Al Dhaabi for Trad ASSO company which is recorded under the commercial register number 1040887 in the treading & industry Al Batinah is going to change its legaly shape from ASSO company to Joint company And in accordance with Article 13 of the Commercial Companies Law No. 4/74 . And change name to Taaj Soahr Al Momayaz for consturution joint company . This is to inform any body who concerns about that to 2 months from the date publishing this advertising.

Declaration of converting the legal form Radiance Trading and Contracting solidarity announces useful commercial register images under number (1019903) It’s in the process of converting the form of a company of solidarity to the limited company liarits in accordance with Article 13 bis 2 of the commercial companies law No. 74/4 , as amended , and modify its trade name to Radiance Modern Trading & Contracting LCC and therefore all of his objection to that he has to submit the reasons for his objection to the department of Trade and Industry South Eastern province within two months from the date of publication of this announcement.

LOST Juwal Mia has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. BA 0363290. Finder please handover to ROP Rahim Qadar has lost Pakistani Passport No. CW 9155142. Finder please handover to ROP

CHANGE OF NAME I Abdurahiman Moideen (holder of Indian Passport No. F 7857611) son of Moideen having permanent residence in Puvvathodi House, Post Velimukku Dt. Malappuram, Kerala (complete postal address in India) and presently residing in Muscat P.O. Box. 3129, P.C 112 Ruwi (complete postal address in Oman) intend to change my name from Abdurahiman Moideen (old name) to Abdurahiman Puvvathodi (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

Seeking alliance for our son from Muslim families. Interested families Contact: 99889590

availability

D4

W E D N E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Part Time Accounting, Accounts Finalization, Audit Preparation, Internal Audit, Accounting System for New Companies, Contact: 96975454, email :ibfc.gcc@gmail.com Indian female B.Com Graduate 2 years Oman experience in tally ERP 9 seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 95186652 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

ADMIN Omani Receptionist required receptionist, well presented with excellent communications skills and telephone manner, fluent in Arabic and English required for Ruwi office. Candidates should be familiar with MS English and Arabic office suite. Send CV and covering email to mj-co@omantel.net.om

B.Com (Indian Male) with 5 years experience (2 years GCC) in Accounts & Audit field.

Contact:95584531/ razikthumbe@gmail.com

ACCOUNTANT Wanted Accountant for an insurance brokerage office. Interested please send CV on fax: 24601729

BEAUTICIAN Urgently required Gulf experienced Beautician for a well known parlor in Muscat. Send the details to 1974ambi@gmail.com or contact 0096896789862 Urgently required experienced Beautician. Contact 96616731 or send CV to pbm.ibra@gmail.com

CATERING Cooks & helpers for café.

Contact: 95529970 Restaurant Staff urgently required Tandoor roti maker, waiter/ helper required in restaurant in Saham.

Contact : 98029701 / 95821905 Required Catering Supervisor, Chef, Asst. Cook & Chapathi makers for a catering Company in interior area. Apply with NOC. SMS : 99242984

DESIGNER Required Graphic Designer (minimum 2 years experience) Client Service Executive with Omani license (minimum 2 years experience) visa available. Contact: 96727631 send CV to dollydhian@gmail.com

DOMESTIC HELP Required one Waiter cum house boy for a Royal Omani family in Al Khoudh. 2 to 3 years experience candidates should send their CV on fax no 24811352 or contact Mr. Tauqir Ahmed on GMS no 92174983

DRAUGHTSMAN A leading Construction Company in Muscat urgently requires Draughtsman (Civil).

Send CV : hr.azatllc@gmail.com or call 99344279

DRIVER Required heavy duty truck driver holding Omani driving license w/ 5 years experience please Contact 92001111 Driver with Oman driving licence needed. Visa available.

Contact 94288863 Looking for an experienced house driver for an Omani family. Interested candidates may Contact: 96203333

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH Urgently Required: MEP EngineerDegree holder and with 7 years experience in building construction, MUST have NOC and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com Biomedical Engineer is required, preferably with Oman exp.

Contact: 99337840 Reputed metal fabrication company seeks fabrication supervisor, structural steel fabricator, Machine maintenance Technician and Electrician.

Contact: 99102383 Email: hr@khancogroup.com

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH

MISCELLANEOUS

Urgently required a Indian Diploma Civil Engineer with 1-2 years of experience and should valid G.C.C driving license.

Email: smtcoman@gmail.com

Required Salesman, Store keeper, Private driver, preferably with good experience and communication skills. Contact: 91408759 Email: hanaa.alritaj@gmail.com

A Mechanical Engineer with salesmanship experience of 5 years & above preferable with Oman drivers license and NOC. Please forward your CV to almaadhi.trd@gmail.com

A leading Construction Company in Muscat urgently requires the following candidates: - 1) Electromechanical Supervisors 2) Electrical Foreman 3) Plumbing foreman 4) Electricians 5) Plumbers.

Send CV : hr.azatllc@gmail.com or call 99344279

EDUCATION A private School looking for an English teacher, preferable (Philipino - Jordanian) Nationality for more information. Contact: 98982088 Post Graduate researcher required.

Contact 99229700 A well – known private School require English, Mathematics, Science, Computer and KG Teachers. Contact: 96910649 Email: staffing.oman@gmail.com

MANAGER/SUP An Omani Co. located at Muscat start a new workshop with three divisions: Steel, Carpentry and Aluminum and looking for experts Supervisor and Foremen. The candidate must have minimum 10 yrs. experience and GCC driving license. Send C.V to kwk585@gmail.com General Foreman. Required Foreman (MEP) with 4 to 5 years experience for maintenance of building.

Having valid Omani driving license.

Contact: 94652485 E-mail: realconsco@gmail.com Required Sales Manager for a hotel supply company with minimum 5 years experience.

Contact: 92035162

MEDICAL Urgently needed female Dermatologist with minimum 5 yrs experience. Send CV : elixirhealthcenter@yahoo.com P.S. details of salary and benefits will be sent after submitting the CV Looking for pharmacist with a valid MOH license to work in Bidbid. Send CV to abumustafaclinic@gmail.com Required urgently General Physician Gynecology, Pharmacist, LAB Technicians staff nurse.

Contact: 95133572 Email: kunoozghala@gmail.com Wanted Nurse for dental centre in Mawaleh South & Qurum.

Contact 93431024, Email : drasyanaseem@gmail.com Required Pharmacies with license, needed for clinic in Al Khoudh , Contact :+968 97696502 , mail CV to towershr70@gmail.com Wanted a Lab Technician with valid M.O.H license and N.O.C to work in a polyclinic. Salary R.O 450/- per month (package).Contact: 96493058 (2 pm to 4 pm).

Email: ap_sdsudhi@yahoo.com

MISCELLANEOUS Building material Salesman, Electrician cum Plumber & C.C.T.V Technician. Contact: 99383044

SALES / MARKETING Required Graduate with Omani driving license preferably Indian willing to travel outside Muscat.

Contact: 99454425 Required Salesman, Tailor & Barber. Contact: 96964767 Required experienced Sales & Marketing Executive for sports club. Preference will be given who has experience in Oman and valid driving license. Please send your CV to dasanthas1@gmail.com or saud7kh7@gmail.com Sales Incharge 5 years experience (Oman) language English, Arabic.

Contact: 24566813 Email: hammadhassan5786@gmail.com Sales man (Dairy) 2 years exp as a Sales man with FMCG in GCC , Location Muscat, Barka, Khaboura , Ibri, Izki & Al Kamil, key skills Salesman (Dairy) & Sales (Dairy) / business development. Contact: Ahmed Al Salami 96929227 Telephone: 26940215 Fax: 24811565 Email: ahmed.alsalmiy@unikai.com Looking for a Staff has experience in Oman in real estate and real estate valuation. Interested Contact: mobile: 99109094 Email: aburashid94dd@gmail.com Marketing Manager with Oman experience & driving license.

Contact: 95766844 Looking for qualified, good communication and computer skills candidate with experience for position of : Sales Manager to work in high-end window tinting business. Minimum academic requirements: bachelor’s degree and own a driving license.

Kindly email your CV to abdullah.alhinai86@gmail.com Required experienced Sales / Marketing Executives having light license. Send your CV ocean@omantel.net.om

Indian male, 34 years MBA finance, having 9 years experience, looking for suitable placement presently on visit visa. Contact: 92914869 Email: noblev1982@gmail.com Indian female 28 years M.Com, Accountant having 6 years experience in Accounts, finalization, Tally currently on visit visa.

Contact : 95595083 Email: merlinfernandes16@yahoo.in Part time accountant, senior accountant, doing all type of accounting works, up to finalization. contact.95254864 Indian male 23 yrs B.com having 3 yrs accounts exp in India looking for suitable placement presently on visit visa. Contact :94131842 / 93516968, Email: jithujithin05@gmail.com Part time Accountant, up to finalization, looking for job after 5 pm (location prefer – MSQ to AL Hail).

Contact: 95694737 ACCA finalist, Recent B.Com Graduate, Indian female, looking for full time employment in Accounting and Audit. +968 96964379, sangeethaumesh5@gmail.com Accounting B.Com male Diploma in computerized professional Accounting, professional & manual accounting, 25 yrs, Indian, 25 yrs, Keralite, India. Contact: 0091 9746838659 Email: jijesh567@gmail.com Finance Manager 26 years experience including 22 years Oman with NOC. # 91302906 / 91335205 Accountant Indian female on visit visa, degree B.Com exp Tally ERP-9 finalization of Accounts, Tax Accounting, Stock maintenance, pay roll, etc. Contact : 91551164 / 91175456, mk.jothipriya@gmail.com Chief Accountant, 12 years Oman experience looking for suitable position. Contact: 99513082 Accountant with 8 years U.A.E experience, on visit visa, looking for a job. Contact : 96166512 Senior Accountant 10 years experience, looking for accounts parttime works and finalization works.

Contact: 96247295 Accountant 7 Years Experience with D/L and NOC. #97712084

ARCHITECT

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE 25 yrs female Indian with B.Com MBA looking out for a job in finance / marketing / HR field with a work experience of 1 year, 3 months at Bank Muscat & 7 months at India.

Contact: 94657403 / 95537261 Jordanian Accountant (ACPA) with more than 15 yrs experience in Oman (Accounts, Purchase & finance.

Contact: 92881223 Email: kamal_sarhan@yahoo.com

ADMIN

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

Experienced Manager in HR, Administration and Finance. More than 10 years gulf experience including four years in Oman. Having Oman Driving License and NOC Contact 93264005

Indian diploma Civil Eng, 2 yrs Infrastructure Projects (4G, Towers, substation) landscaping & Auto CAD. Contact: 94756183 Email: indianexpat1@gmail.com

Indian female 24 years BE Electronics now in Oman visiting visa searching job for any Administrative Sectors telecommunicating, banking, teaching. Contact: 95935867 / 99536948 Email: anjujose011@gmail.com Indian male BBA Graduate 12 years experience in Administration level 15 months exp in Oman having NOC available looking for suitable placement. Contact : 91458388 Indian Female MBA, 3 years experience in Admin MIS, family Visa.

Contact 98234427, jkjsmith01@gmail.com Indian male 25 years MBA (HR) Now in Oman visiting visa searching job for Administration, HR Customer relation. Contact: 90196322 / 91049868 Email: nithinvarghese19@gmail.com Filipina, 10 yrs experience in Fashion Retail, Shipment, Logistics, Inventory, Warehouse Control and Store Management is seeking employment. Call +971565833126 or 97728418.

DRIVER Light driver looking for full time job.

Contact: 95154610 4 years exp driver need a job.

Contact: 94208089 Pakistani driver with car.

Contact: 91248202 Driver looking for job. Contact: 92303744 Light driver Pakistani age 24 years.

Contact: 97106232 Indian driver with experience in Oman. Contact: 96255558 Looking for driver job.# 93650209

Indian male, 27years, MCom, having 2years experience in Accounts looking for suitable position. Presently on visit visa.

Contact 93455055| gibingeorge88@gmail.com

SEC/OFFICE Sir Lankan Secretary with experience in recruitment field.

Contact: 92809528

SITUATION WANTED

Sr. Architect male 5 yrs exp having NOC looking for suitable position.

Contact: 91546108 Email: morshedarch@yahoo.com Senior Architect, Indian male 15yrs exp. having DL& NOC, Looking for suitable position.

Contact: 97239313 Email: abdul_muq2000@yahoo.co.uk

ADMIN 14 years of gulf experience in HR / Admin & logistics fluent in Arabic / English with D/L looking for suitable position. Contact: 95824598

Bangladesh 24 years, 2 years experience. Contact: 97806144 Light driver with car Hyundai Accent 2016. Contact : 94039796 Bangladeshi light driver (AG) 48) expe, 14 years, need job & visa have release paper transpire. #99165961 Driver. Contact: 95084826 Pakistani male light vehicle driver looking for job. Contact: 96474528 Driver with car. Contact :91452930 Wanted driver. Contact 95112461

DOMESTIC HELP Housemaid (exp 20 years) looking for English, family.

Contact: 99564133 / 96534195

Electrical Engineer (B.E) with 5 years experience (3 yrs in Gulf) NOC available. Contact: 92119851 Email: mayurdevadiga@gmail.com Resident Engineer B.E civil 25 years exp 12 yrs in Architecture consultancy having Oman Dubai D/L NOC available. Contact: 95732453 Email: milindj951@gmail.com Civil Engineer B.Sc -6 years experience with constructions companies - 1 years in Oman - qualified as Site Engineer & Planning Engineer.

Contact+968-94682217 B.E in Mechanical post Graduation Diploma in piping Engineering.

Contact : 94786570 Email: asim.hajwani6@gmail.com Automobile Engnr Indian with 7 yrs experience 2 yrs Toyota and 5 yrs Jaguar corporate experience looking for suitable job in Oman. Contact immediately: 93709706 currently on visit visa for 10 days only Civil Engineer Pakistani 12+2 years Oman experience D/L required placement. Contact: 94392616 Building site supervisor, since March 2010 in Oman with Omani D/L looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 93061107 Mechanical Engineer (UK ) 28 years, male looking for suitable placement with valid Oman driving license having 3.5 years experience in Oman NOC available. Contact 968 97612297 immediate availability.

Email: ymirza11@caledonian.ac.uk Mechatronics (Electrical, Mechanical) Engineer, 3 years of experience. Contact: 91234024 Email: ammar.r.elerris@gmail.com Indian male 29, having 7 years exp in construction field& Auto Cad in Oman. Having valid driving license.

Fluent in English & Arabic. Looking for suitable job in reputed firm.

Contact - 99650569 BE (Civil) Indian male with 20 years experience with reputed consultancy companies & working for one of the prestigious project of Muscat since 2008 seeks suitable position.

Contact: 92511428, Email: manoj_t2000@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer, 24 having knowledge in HVAC looking for suitable placement. Contact: 95434381 Email: shuhaibusman313@gmail. com Agriculture Engineer Egyptian in Oman available till 10th Oct experience 5 years. Contact: 90155723 Sudanese Telecom Engineer 5 years experience in Oman.

Contact: 93391008 Electrical and Electronics Engineer with one year experience and GCC licence holder seeking a job mail – shyjalpk@gmail.com

DRAUGHTSMAN Indian 17 yrs experience in Admin and have knowledge in Accounting seeks job. Have driving license and release. Contact : 99573353

Indian Civil Auto cad Draftsman looking suitable placement 5 years experience. Contact: 97465102

Young Electrical Engineer looking for suitable placement. Having specialization in electronics.

Contact 99227861

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED MISCELLANEOUS

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Indian Mechanical Engineer, 30, having 8yrs of UAE Sales/Business Development. experience in Electromechanical and Irrigation sectors. Contact no- +971558763220 email id-sangowri@outlook.com 22, Indian female,Chemical Engineer with valid Omani driving license seeking internship/job opportunities in oil and gas/perfumery and cosmetics sector. Currently on family visa.Contact: 97242506 Project Manager (Interior fitouts décor & MEP) B.E. Arch having 8 years experience looking for a suitable position in a reputed company.

Local release is available.

Contact: 91528851 M.Tech BE civil 9 yrs experience Project Management Indian male (34 yrs) with NOC seeks suitable placement in construction industry.

Contact : 99156291 / 95281545/ 00919579666999 (Whatsapp) Email: kashidss@gmail.com HSE Engineer (Indian, 26 yrs), B.Tech Mechanical, Nebosh, 5 yrs experience in oil & gas construction.

Contact 94616721 B.E Arch with 8 years experience as 2 Project Manager in Interior fitouts décor & MEP works looking for suitable. Local release is available.

Contact: 91528851 Indian male diploma in Civil Engineering with 20 years experience in interior fitout with valid driving license NOC and local release available. Contact: 98048410 Professional Civil Engineer 25 yrs experience with N.O.C Management and Supervision with D/L. Contact: 97290338 Bangladeshi Diploma Civil Engineer 3 years experience in Bangladesh 2 years in Oman.

Contact: 93796905 / 97319361 Civil Engineer, Indian M 29 5yrs exp. having DL & NOC Looking for suitable position. Contact: 94576233 Email: suhailmullah@gmail.com Degree Engineer Civil, 6 years experience Oman D/L, N.O.C available for a suitable position.

Contact: 93523507 / 95961336 Indian male BE civil project Engineer 15 years Oman experience in building projects with valid D/L NOC available. Contact: 92178471 BE Electrical Engineer 8 years experience 4 years in Oman with Oman driving license.

Contact 96942032 Civil Engineer (Diploma) seeking for placement. Contact: 95200650 Electrician 3 years experience in Building lines in Oman and other related experience also. NOC available. Stay till 29.09.2015. Contact: 94057129 / 95964419 Email: raheemdadbaloch@hotmail.com

HOSPITALITY 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 Oracle ADF Developer, Msc (IT), 2 yrs of Experience in Software Development (Oracle ADF, sql, pl/sql), Oracle OCA & SQL Expert, Currently on visit visa. # +968 93755858 / 92141644 Email : shiralkarmuzammil@yahoo.com Indian male 25 years MCA, CCNA Certified MCSE2012 having 16 months experience in network and system administration looking for suitable placement. Contact 97703253 / 92365310 Email: albinmperakkattu@gmail.com Software Engineer, 6 yrs exp in software projects & development (Java,PL/SQL Unix) on visit visa.

Contact: 99487493 Indian male, 29 yrs, B. Eng in CS, CCNP, JNCIA, MCSA, MCITP, ISO/ IEC27002, 8 yrs exp in IT, Networking and Server support. #98285401 Email: maneshm3@gmail.com CCNA MCITP Network support/ Network technician with 2 yrs experience Indian male having bachelors degree on visit visa.

Contact 93080871, email :sean.f.peters@outlook.com

MEDICAL An Indian female GNM Nurse having 10 yrs experience in Indian with Oman MOH license seeking suitable placement currently in Oman.

Contact: 97895004 Email: sandhyamol26@gmail.com Indian male Nurse, prometric passed seeks suitable placement.

Contact 97284508I 33 years, Indian male Dentist having 7 years of experience with MOH license is seeking suitable placement. Contact: 91559265 Email: praveengp_82@yahoo.com

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

Electrical Eng. Degree (MEP) need suitable job of construction 12 yrs exp.

Email: mohd.ateeq.khan@gmail.com

Procurement Manager: Indian male (B.Com) having 6 more years of purchasing experience in civil construction & MEP sector is looking for a suitable position(NOC available).

GSM:97700967

C-SWIP 3.1 ASNT level 2 QC Mech.

Engr 5+ yrs exp Indian male 26 seeks placement.

Contact : 91823331 Email: kannasekhar46@gmail.com

Project Manager (B.E. Arch) in Interior décor fit outs & MEP having 8 years experience looking for a suitable post in a reputed firm. NOC is available. Contact: 91528851

SUPERVISOR: Indian male site supervisor (AIR CONDITIONING) 25 years of experience with valid Oman Driving lic Contact: 97498809, 93391910 Email: hilariankj@gmail.com

Sudanese procurement Manager three years experience in Oman.

Contact: 93391008

Engineer with 3 yrs experience in Indian in MEP, HVAC& mechanical maintained field on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact 99191535 Email: fareed029@gmail.com Btech computer science graduate 2015 passout.. Android application marketing.. Having good communication skills and mindset to work in a team. Contact 91024385 Indian male BE Mechanical currently on 2 yrs free visa with NOC & local release. Looking for suitable job in Muscat.

Contact – 90296975 / ali.syedausaf@gmail.com Indian BE (MECH) aviation BE degree diploma in material quality management 17 years Navy aviation 13 years construction purchase stores professional on visit.

Contact: 90205082 /98796982

Senior Manager Indian, 30 years in FMCG Business in Oman looking for better opportunity at management level. Contact 99231513

MISCELLANEOUS Omani female Arabic and English speaking searching for job.

Contact 92387170

SECRETARIAL & OFIC. Indian male more than 10 years gulf experience in Office / Sales Coordinator, Admin, Secretarial and purchase with good computer skills.

Having Driving license and NOC available, looking for suitable placement. Contact 95149624

SALES / MARKETING Egyptian very good marketing and sales skills experience 10 years in tourism. Contact : 90155723

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

MISCELLANEOUS

SALES / MARKETING Filipino (male) 37yrs. old having 8 years experience in operation(shiping&logistics) currently on visit visa looking for a suitable job GSM:97121525 Filipino lady looking for Receptionist Sales girl having good experience in Muscat. NOC will be available ready to join immediately. Contact: 92664896 / 91107941. After October 1st week. Contact: + 639759460269 Indian male more than 8 years experience in UAE in Office , Sales Marketing with good computer skills having driving license looking for suitable placement.

Contact : 99369081 Email: shazulashraf60@gmail.com Indian male, U.K Post Graduate M.A, MBA, 3 years Experience, looking position within Marketing, Branding, Business Development & PR. Contact: greetings111@hotmail.com BBA Graduate with 3 years experience in Sales & Marketing valid Omani D/L looking for job.

Contact: 97378073 Email: samaanmohammed@gmail.com Indian male MBA having 4 yrs Gulf experience in logistics and Counter Sales currently on visit visa and looking for suitable job.

Contact 96695541 Looking for Driver & Salesman vacancy 10 years Oman experience Oman license holding.

Contact 98234893 Indian male 30 yrs, B. Sc food science and quality control 7 years experience in G.C.C 3 years experience in laboratory related jobs, valid Oman driving license.

Contact: 93405643

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 29 years Indian female (MBAFinance) with 4 yrs experience in Accounts, seeking suitable placement in Accounts/Admin/HR. NOC available. Contact:96141283

Indian Mechanical Engineer, 30, having 8yrs of UAE Sales/Business Development. experience in Electromechanical and Irrigation sectors. Contact no- +971558763220 email id-sangowri@outlook.com

Admin, having 10+ years experience in Admin/HR/Logistics/Time Keeper, in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat. Contact- 94369965 ,mail satya1528@gmail.com

Pakistan Male: 24 years,M.Com Finance having 2.5 year experience as a accountant & marketing executive looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 97670816, E.mail: naeem.ahsan68@gmail.com

Indian male . 14 yrs experience in maintenance & Supervisor in hotel field ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical & Plumber ) N O C available mob : 95 25 36 40 . email = hareeshma24@yahoo.com Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA,MCSA,MCSE, 2.5 yrs + exp. in IT support, networking and server support valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/ Server support. Contact 92607532 ACCA Affiliate, Indian Male, Fresher, looking for full time employment in Tax and Audit.+968 91291520, shahidazeez5@gmail.com Indian Male, 24 years old recently completed M.Tech in Offshore Structures from NIT Calicut, looking for suitable position.

Contact : +91 9833 2485 68, Email: shihabpatel91@gmail.com

MBA 15 years experience in Sales & Marketing in telecom, FMCG, presently in India C/O Saif Kazi.

Contact : 99625957 Email Id: a_kazi123@yahoo.co.in

22, Male, Indian, BBA (Marketing),1 year experience in India, Looking for suitable placement in Sales and Marketing. #91897046, azzamsiddique1@gmail.com

Indian male 25 yrs BBM Graduate 3 yrs of experience Sales / Marketing in Oman looking in suitable placement. Contact : 93185316 Email: karsh794@gmail.com

Indian Male,27,ACCA Part Qualified,B.COM with 7+ yrs exp in receivables and credit control in Oman looking for suitable placements. NOC available.

Contact 9657 4343.

26, Male, Indian, BBA (Finance), MBA(HR), Looking for suitable placement in Finance/HR/Marketing.

Contact immediately.

Contact 98176105, nruknaddin@outlook.com

Indian Male, 26 Yrs, Business Management, 6 years in Oman.

Knowledge of MS Office and Arabic Language. Seeks suitable position.

Contact 93931935

Indian male Executive Secretary having vast experience in admin, logistics & procurement well versed with computer seeks suitable placement. Contact : 99514286

23, Male, ACCA Affiliate, OBU Bsc, 2.5 years of experience in audit and finance in Big 6 Firms, Looking for permanent placement in similar field. Release NOC available. Contact: #95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com

INDIAN MALE , MBA. Having 10+ years experience as Automotives Sales Manager .Worked with M/s TALWAR AUTO GARAGES PVT LTD India’s Largest Selling Dealer for VOLVO EICHER commercial vehicles .Seeking for suitable Job in Oman.

Contact no: 98045482 Email: dmstalwar@gmail.com

Mechanical Draftsman, Indian male 27, Diploma in Mechanical Engineering having 7 years of experience in Auto CAD looking for a suitable placement. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708 E-mail : mohammednazeer07@gmail.com

ACCA finalist, Recent B.Com Graduate, Indian Female, looking for full time employment in Accounting and Audit. Contact +96896964379, sangeethaumesh5@gmail.com

Indian male 35 years BBM, diploma in A/C, 5 years experience as Sales Executive in Oman with valid D/L and NOC seeking suitable placement in Muscat area. Contact : 92683606 Email: abhi.abrahm09@gmail.com

31 year Indian male PG in HR , with 5 yrs Professional experience in HR in Construction Oil & Gas Oman seeking for a suitable placement.

Contact me on 93488914, emailKaarthickshankar@gmail.com

Indian female, MBA, 25yrs Having 4yrears of experience in MNC, hands of experiences in recruitment and administration, flexible for any suitable job placements currently in visting visa.

Contact Tel : 98864639 Email : neethuvijayan06@gmail.com

Indian male, with finance and Law degree, having more than 25 years of experience in Finance/ Accounts / Audit (5 years of Oman experience) seeks suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 98421619.

E-mail: talemadhamu@yahoo.com.

Well experienced management finance specialist having 18 years experience available for placement.

Contact.95602518

Indian male with 18 years of Indian and Overseas experience in hospitality industry, with excellent cooking, operational, managerial and communication skills seeking a suitable job from reputed groups and organizations. On a visit visa.

Contact: 95363751

Indian male 22yr BBA with LOGISTIC Diploma, exp in tally and data entry seeking in suitable placement.

Contact; 90151739 email shakeeb.mp280gmail.com

ACCOUNTANT: Indian male 25 having 4years experience in accounting & having well knowledge in tally. Contact:968 094535881, 0091 9037622048.

Email: vishnuraj889@gmail.com

Wanted salesman job, with driving license. Have exp. ins selling goods, experience in shops special experience in car parts seeking any job related to selling. Contact: 94162434

MISCELLANEOUS

Syrian male 3yrs. exp in IT support, Networking, Security systems, Server support, IT sales and marketing.

Valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement. Contact 91033395

Indian Female, Science Graduate, 3 years Experience in Teaching back home. Looking for a suitable job opportunity as a teacher, in Schools in Muscat Region. Contact : 96431456 / 95704814 Indian Male, 25, Chartered Accountant, working with ICICI Bank India.

On a Visit Visa in Oman. Staying with parents at Azaiba.

Ph: 24492638.

Email: shyamal008@gmail.com Looking for a suitable job as Jr. Accountant/ Jr. Administration in a reputed company. NOC Available.

GSM # 93004738.

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, 8 years experience ,Oman driving licence,Noc available. Seek Suitable opportunity.

GSM- 98184170 ACCOUNTANT, Male, 8 years experience, presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license. NOC available, seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854 Chemical Engineer Indian 2 years of experience in production field Contact: 91247222 Email:sahadpoonchola@gmail.com

Indian female with MBA in finance seeking immediate placement.

Contact: 968-93316493 Civil Engineer B.Sc -6 years experience with constructions companies - 1 years in Oman - qualified as Site Engineer & Planning Engineer .

Contact+968-94682217 ACCOUNTANT: Indian male 25 having 4 years experience in accounting & having well knowledge in tally.

Contact:968094535881, 0091 9037622048, Email: vishnuraj889@gmail.com 31 year Indian male PG in HR ,with 5 yrs Professional experience in HR in Construction Oil & Gas Oman seeking for a suitable placement. Kindly contact me on 93488914, emailKaarthickshankar@gmail.com Sudanese/26/Bsc Computer Science /3 years exp/skills Excellent knowledge in operating systems and maintaining computers Java Programmer Web Developer Linux SMS solutions Android developer/ email khalid.omx@gmail.com/contact no 944958080 and 99758186.

Civil Autocad Draughtsman part time work for job mob :96023726 Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA, MCSA,MCSE, 2.5 yrs + exp. in IT support, networking and server support valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532 Indian B.E Computer Science graduate 2012 passout. 1 .5 yrs exp. in Accounting. Having good communication skills and mindset to work in a team. Having NIIT certificate in Diploma in Java Technology. # 97767894 Email: jinsonjacobjohn@gmail.com Indian male 24 YEARS, B.Tech (Electrical & Electronics), having 2 yrs. exp as Electrical Site Engineer. Done IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications, seeking for suitable placement in any related industries.

Contact 98045482, Email: mastanshaik1008@gmail.com Indian male, 24 years, HSE Engineer having 2 years of Indian experience.

Done IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications, seeking for suitable placement in any related industries.

Contact 98045482 27, male, ACCA finalist, have professional experience up to finalization of Accounts, Statutory and internal audit, expertise in using tally and focus & Oracle Software, have 3.5 years experience in accounts till finalization, seeking for permanent replacement ,GSM-97654769,email id-abdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com M. Tech VLSI design, B. tech Electronics and instrumentation, Indian female,3 years teaching experience for graduation level students, seeking suitable placements .

Ph:00968 92904155. email-achusooraj@gmail.com

ACCA Affiliate, OBU Degree, 2.5 years experience in audit and finance in Big6 firm, Looking for permanent placement. NOC release available. Contact: #95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com B.Tech EEE with 4+ years experience in the field of it, networking, ex-tonics etc. presently working in Amazon India development centre as a content quality associate seeking for suitable jobs in Oman. Contact : +91 9940514005, 93116402 email: mail2nbn@gmail.com MBA Finance with more than five years of experience in Finance & Accounts including GCC, looking for a suitable opening. Having UAE driving license. Contact no..91391802.

Senior Accountant. 8 Years experience. NOC available. Oman driving license. Seek suitable opportunity.

GSM- 98184170 B.E Mechanical Engineer with 2 years’ experience in HVAC field on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact: 93442296 Email Id: sal201091@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, MBA, Talented management expert having 6 year experience at U.A.E, India and Oman in luxury goods and Retail. Seeking suitable openings in related or same field. Contact:92700670 Email: jobcareer44@gmail.com MBA Finance with more than five years of experience in Finance & Accounts including GCC, looking for a suitable opening. Having UAE driving license. Contact no..91391802 Indian 26M, B. Tech Computer Science graduate, 3 years exp in India, looking for suitable job in Muscat.

Contact : 93125669, Email : amritrajGT18@gmail.com Indian Male Nurse with Moh licence & Noc seeking a job with Family Status gsm:95817579.

E.mail:vasudevanv2005@gmail.com Part- Time Accountant, well experience senior accountant ,doing all type of accounting works, Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact 98803439 Sudanese/Bsc IT/26/2 years experience/excellent Eng-Arb speaking/ Omani driving license/96387227/ henrykarrar@gmail.com MBA - (F), M.Com, B.COM. Indian female having knowledge of accounts with Tally looking for part time or full time job. Presently on family visa.

Contact- 91892264. mail: yv.dixit@yahoo.com Indian male Accountant, 12 years experience, looking for a full time or part time job, experience in tally also. Contact 98983122 Pakistani, Male, Pak, Exp 14 Years in IT Trainer / Computer Teacher, looking for a better position in Oman, already working in Prestigious Construction Company. # 95983711.

Join.mtmali@gmail.com Indian Male (Diploma in electronics Engineering and CCNA.) having 9 years of experience in Networking, 5 years’ experience in Oman. Looking for a suitable Placement. NOC available. GSM- 93787098, Email –anishktr@gmail.com INDIAN MALE 24 YEARS,B. Tech (Electrical & Electronic).Having 2 years experience as Electrical Site Engineer in Constructions. Done IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications.

Seeking for suitable placement in constructions or in any related industries. Contact no: 98045482, Email: shannu.hse@gmail.com Admin, having 10+ years experience in Admin/HR/Logistics/Time Keeper, in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat.

Contact- 968 94369965 mail - satya1528@gmail.com

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W E D N E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

SIT.WANTED Syrian male 3yrs. exp in IT support, Networking, Security systems, Server support, IT sales and marketing. Valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement.

Contact 91033395 8 yrs exp 2d, 3d Draughtsman (HOLDING OMANI DRIVING LICENSE) seeking job.

Contact 97449630 Indian male MBA + TALLY , 29 years & 7years experience in Administration and Manager level in Reputed companies, Seeking suitable placement. Contact 96297709 / +91 9066130371, Email: jomonjohnm9@gmail.com Tunisian shoes designer wuth 40years expereince in designing and manifacturing loocking for a job in a related field Contact : 97816917 Diploma in civil engineering having an experience 24years (20years 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, 2yrs + exp. in IT support, networking and server support valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532 Indian male, 14 yrs Experience in Maintenance & Supervisor in hotel field ( Electrical. Ac Mechanical & Plumber ) N O C available #95253640 . email = hareeshma24@yahoo.com ME Civil- structural Engineer, 8 Years Structural engineer experience, Looking for Structural Designer, supervisor or site engineer Position. Iranian male. #93696929, Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com Indian Male 26 years MCA, MCSE 2012 certified, Microsoft Exchange Server Administration, having 1 year experience in IT/System Administration looking for suitable placement.

Contact Mob : 00968 92745708 Email: nabeelmmkty@gmail.com, Light duty driver, Young and honest.

Can speak Arabic, Hindi and understand English. Release available.

Ph.92854775 / 93487450 Indian female with MBA on visit visa seeking immediate placement.

Contact - 968-93316493 27,male,ACCA finalist, have professional experience upto finalization of accounts, statutory and internal audit, expertise in using tally and focus & oracle software, have 3.5 years experience in accounts till finalization and statutory audit, seeking for permanent replacement ,GSM-97654769,email idabdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com Sudanese male, 31 years, have 3 year Diploma in electrical engineer , 6 year experience in construction and electrical production plant .

Mobile No ; +96894549609 Indian male, B.com, MBA, having 5 years experience (3 years in U.A.E) is currently seeking suitable opportunities within finance/accounts/ admin dept.Contact:93953613, allen.mathew83@gmail.com B.Com graduate, 11 years experience in Accounts, 9 years Oman experience , Oman valid driving license, looking for suitable post.

Mob:92758404 NOC Available.

Indian male 27 years B.E & MS Mechanical Engineer working in Delhi for last 4 years inJcb India pvt. ltd., seeks placement in Oman.

Contact: 93393768 Driver looking for job exp 2 yrs.

Contact: 98522914

SITUATION WANTED Female MBA gold medalist, with computer proficiency, Oman driving license looking for job opportunity in event management companies in Muscat. Ph : 99012949 SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29 years.8 years experience .Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license. NOC available. Seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854 Two year experience in Oman, experience in sales, purchase and system admin, Having GCC license.

Contact number 97475860, Yadhukrishnan08@gmail.com Indian Male, 32 yrs, MBA-HR, Trainer & Faculty worked on Omanisation & nationals development activities with 10 yrs of experience seeking suitable job. Contact : 93891401 saiprasad_18@yahoo.com Sudanese 29 male (Bsc computer science,diploma computer engineering), 6 yrs. experience dba oracle plsql , ms sql-server ,ms visual studio vba,network Omani Driver licence language English, Arabic Tel: 91415886 Piping Design Engineer, Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering. Having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708/97357143 Indian female, 24yrs, M.COM (Accounts) having 3 yrs experience in Accounts, HR, Administration, Customer Service. Good Computer Proficiency seeking Suitable Position. Visa Transfer/NOC Available.

Contact: 99654913

Indian female B. Com MBA finance ,5 years experience in oman as an account seeking suitable placement.

Contact 99044292 Indian Male 22 Years , Graduation In Electronics Seeking Jobs In Supervisory , Sales & Sales Co-ordination Fields , Good Communication Skill Contact 96141317, E-mail: akhilek5@gmail.com DIPLOMA+B.E.(CIVIL ENGINEER), Indian, 4 years of experience, currently on visit visa; Seeking Right Position. GSM:91570703.

Indian male 23 years Graduate, working as a sales coordinator cum purchase & office coordination 2 yrs in oman Having oman license & NOC looking for suitable job in Muscat Email:yadhukrishnan08@gmail.com, GSM:97475860 ME. Civil Engineer, Structural Designer, 3 Years Structural Design, 6 Years Str. Engineer Experience, Looking For Structural Designer Position. Iranian Male. #93696929, Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com Male Graphic designer cum animation, non linear editing VFX, seeking suitable position.

Contact: 97792661 / 96229406 B-tech Electrical Engineer with more than 2 years of experience in erection and designing of HT and LT electrical systems. Seeking for suitable job in Muscat. #98269366.

Email: sijincleetus@gmail.com Indian Female BSC nurse with 8+ years of experience including 3 years of GCC exp. Oman Prometric passed with 57 %. Currently in Oman.

Contact : 98034384

SITUATION WANTED Data Entry operator cum Buyer, Indian male,26years.BA, Computer proficiency :Operating system (Windows 2000xp & Windows7) E plus and Tally ERP9, 4 yrs Experience in Oman seeks suitable placements.

Mob: 95360255 Senior Accounts Professional, Indian Male, 36 years, M.Com, MBA (Fin) 9 years in Oman, with valid Oman DL and NOC available. Capable to handle accounts up to finalization.

Contact 9602 3965.

Driver 5 years exp know English, Arabic,& Hindi Education B.A. Contact : 91615715 / 99512270 Indian Male 24 years, Looking for a Suitable Job in Telecom / Networking, 1 year sales experience. M. Sc. Communications Engineering & Valid Driving license. Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com Indian lady 30 years Graduate having work experience in India and Oman looking for Admin or any other suitable job. Contact : 95676957 Indian male, 39 yrs, MSC Computer Science 10 years experience IT support, FMS Engineer, bank experience looking for suitable job. #94276449 Indian, presently on visit visa in Salalah looking for job B.com failed UAE experience in accounts, commercial Admin & warehouse.

Contact: 92754071 /93346931 Email: sathyanathanuk@gmail.com MBA (Marketing /HR) with 45 years exp in business development and marketing, having valid Oman driving license seeks suitable placement currently available on family visa.

Contact 97618033 Email: vjgeorge12@gmail.com Indian, male, 41 years, CA Inter, Persuing CA final. Now on express visa. 7 years of Experience in OMAN as Finance and Accounts Manager in Trading , Construction and Firefighting industry. 21 Years of exp. seeking suitable Managerial positions. No visa issues. Immediate joining.

Contact 98469311 Email:sebin30@yahoo.co.in Indian male 63 years have 30 years Muscat experience all office work sales business development insurance administration accounts with Oman driving license. Contact 99249412

Indian female LLB (Advocate) 2 years experience looking for suitable post legal advisor company secretary etc. # 93343190 / 94476387 Email: shafu1019@gmail.com Indian Female Accountant, CA Final (Group I cleared), 5+ year’s experience in the field of Accounts, Audit and Financial ERPs. Currently available in Muscat and seeking suitable job opportunities.Ph:94704800 email id: vinithsavith@gmail.com B.E (IT) 1 year exp complete schooling in Muscat needs job in software / net working / java/ WEB design or marketing. #97136248 / 99313821 Indian female, B.Sc, PGDCA, currently on family joining visa, 2 years working experience in oman as customer care / sales co-ordinator, immediate joining seeks suitable placements. Contact no. (968) 95573205 / 95949230 / 95800792 Indian male 22 years ACCA affiliate , BSc, Graduate in applied accounting 2 months working experience seeking suitable placement in Finance / Accounts / audit immediately. Contact: 97378607 / 92558734 B-tech Electrical Engineer with more than 2 years of experience in erection and designing of HT and LT electrical systems. Seeking for suitable job in Muscat. Contact: 98269366.

Email: sijincleetus@gmail.com Project Manager / Senior Engineer, Indian Male BE Civil, 21yrs experienced including Oman looking for the Job Contact +918939295181 Email I’D 58031_bala@yahoo.co.in Indian male 26 , graduate in mechanical engineering having 2 years experience in fabrication production filed in India, looking for a suitable job. mobile: +968-91384621 EMAIL : rmekhil@hotmail.com

INDIAN MALE 23 YEARS,B. Tech (Electrical & Electronic). Done IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications. Looking for HSE engineer job in Oil Gas Sector, constructions or in any related industries. Contact 98045482 Indian male. M.com holder with two year working experience as an accountant in India. Now at Muscat on visiting visa. Seeks suitable placement. Gsm:96947500,99463120, :mohamedshafikk5@gmail.com ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29 years.8 years experience .Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license.

NOC available seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854 Civil site coordinator, Diploma, Male 25, now present in Oman, Seeking job in Oman. Contact 92887561, jubincivileng@gmail.com B-tech Electrical engineer with more than 2 years of experience in erection and designing of HT and LT electrical systems. Seeking for suitable job in Muscat. Contact:98269366.

Email:sijincleetus@gmail.com Indian Female B.Sc., B.Ed.(Maths), M.C.A residing in Al-Ghubra seeking a teaching position as a Math Teacher GSM.- 94231633 Female, Indian, 35 Yrs- house maid available for Full/Part time work in Muscat. contact- 96754303.

Indian male, ERP Functional Consultant (SCM, MM, HRMS), Seeks employment.Contact: 98478928, Email: anand.desai2408@gmail.com Indian male , 14 yrs Experience in maintenance & Supervisor in otel field ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical & Plumber ) N O C available#95253640 email hareeshma24@yahoo.com

Sr. Sales Executive, Indian Male, Holding Valid Oman DL. Total experience in Oman of 15 years with 4 years Rent a Car Co. experience. Looking for Opportunities in any Industry for similar sales role. # 95703233 email id “khetani_r@yahoo.com

Piping Design Engineer, Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering. Having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708, Email : mohammednazeer07@gmail.com

29 years Indian female (MBAFinance) with 4+yrs experience (Oman) in Accounts, seeking suitable placement in Accounts/Admin.

Contact:96141283

Indian male 28YRS, 7Years exp. in Architectural & structural Draughtsman & 3d visualization, looking for a suitable Post GSM: +971551965944.

Email:aboosufiyan@gmail.com

W E D N E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

D7

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

SIT.WANTED INDIAN MALE 23 YEARS, B. Tech (Electrical & Electronic) having 4 years working experience as an Electrical site Engineer. Looking for suitable job in Oil Gas Sector or in related industries. Contact 98045482 Indian Female, M.Com & MBA with 1.5 years of experience in Reinsurance Treaty seeking a good job opportunity in Insurance & Reinsurance Accounts or General Accounts.

Contact: +968 91920189, Email: neethumano.manohar@gmail.com CCNA MCITP network support / network technician with 2 years experience Indian male having bachelors degree on visit visa. #93080871 sean.f.peters@outlook.com 8 yrs exp 2d, 3d draughtsman (HOLDING OMANI DRIVING LICENSE) seeking job. Contact : 93790601 ME. Civil Engineer, Structural Designer, 3 Years Structural Design, 6 Years Str Supervising Experience, Looking For Structural Designer Position. Iranian Male. # 93696929 Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com BSC Female Nurse having 8 years of experience ( 3 years in gulf). Prometric passed - 57%. Currently in Oman.

Contact : 98034384 ACCOUNTANT, Male, 8 years experience .Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with Oman Driving license. NOC available seeks suitable opportunity. GSM: 98184170 ACCOUNTANT, M.Com holder with 2 year working experience as an accountant in Kerela-India, seeks suitable placement. GSM NO:96947500, 9 9463120, mail: mohamedshafikk5@gmail.com Indian Male 22 Years, Graduation In Electronics Seeking Jobs In Supervisory , Sales & Sales Co-ordination Fields , Good Communication Skill Contact 96141317, E-mail: akhilek5@gmail.com

DRIVING

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

WEBSITE

Sudanese.male 32 years.B.SC mechanical engineer.7years experience.5 years experiance in Gulf.working now in water pipeline projects.fluent Arabic and English. have Omani driving license.looking for good opportunity TEl:91117089

CLASSES

Filipino (male), 37 yrs. old, having 8yrs. experience in Operation (Shipping & Logistics) currently on visit visa looking for suitable job.

GSM: 97121525 Chartered Accountant with 7 years of post qualification experience, seeking challenging job opportunity.

Experience in auditing/accounts & finance/taxation/IFRS, etc.

GSM +968 95763680 Indian Female Interior Designer, 4.5 yrs experience, seeking immediate mid-senior level position with firm having lady clearance. NOC Available. Contact 93033072 Indian Male 22 years, ACCA Affiliate with B..Sc. Degree in Applied Accounting having three months working experience seeking suitable placement in Finance / Accounts / Audit. Holding valid Oman D/L. Contact 97378607 / 92558734 Indian female Nurse, Prometric passed 64%, 5 years of experience, MOH licensed, presently working in Oman seeking a suitable placement in reputed Hospitals, NOC available.

Contact: 98329941, Email: ancyanish2011@gmail.com.

We want regular finance on short term or long term basis from individuals of Omani nationals or expatriates for trading business.

Contact: 99462591 or 93525028 Want regular financing for profitable small projects. Contact : 92162623 Required investors for different projects. Contact: 99674870

GOOD NEWS

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

Female from India -MA. B.Ed. with One year three months Teaching experience. English seeking for a urgent better placement, Now working in Oman. #93961142, 92184408 Email:-anoopkesavan78@gmail.com.

Video Editor 29 years Indian male with 8 years experience on visit visa looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 91275969 / leomoorkoth@gmail.com

GOOD NEWS Ayurvedic massage backache, joint pain, neck pain etc.

Contact 98254909 Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

COMPUTER

We will register LLC trade license for foreign investors and do all actions. Contact: 92833566

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

Split & widow unit A.C servicing & repairing. Contact: 99557080

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. #24793614/ 99314807

Split & window unit A.C servicing & maintenance.

Contact: 96236476

Air condition maintenance installation window AC, split a/c, ducted AC and package type units.

Contact: 98667326

Window & split unit A.C servicing & maintenance.

Contact: 93769089 / 95323517

Window & split unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089 / 95323517

MANPOWER Used house & office furniture & electronic items. Contact: 99834373 / 96642500

Genuine Ayurvedic treatments & massage, Ayurvedic clinic at Al Khuwair. Contact: 24478618 / 97263637 / 93309131 FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic Treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steam bath, obesity, spondylitis , IDEAL CARE Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street, Azaiba Contact: 99639695 / 98342990

TRANSPORTATION Transportation. Contact98505294

Leading manpower agency to hire Recruiter from India housemaids.

Contact: 99226093, Email: fesalwardi48@gmail.com *Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

Transportation in Muscat.

Contact: 95530908 Transportation for saloon car& delivery van. Contact : 95530908 Transportation. Contact 99508282 Transportation available.

Contact -955 70 429

Pest Control Treatments, Cockroaches, Ants, Rodents & Termites, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723/ 99357908 Supply fixing Wallpapers, all carpets. #99834373 / 96642500 One stop shop business services : Public Relation (PRO) formation new companies, LLC companies, Investor visa, business setup, prepare businesses & companies accounts, legal services, representing you and your company. Contact Saleh : 96723485

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 House shifting & packing.

Contact: 99657644 /98518013 General cleaning & Shampooing. Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723/99357908 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & antitermite treatment, general cleaning painting, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. contact 24810137, 99450130 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722

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W E D N E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

TOURS

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

SITUATION WANTCARGO

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

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

RENT A CAR

RENT A CAR