T16 09 2013 by Sahir Vayappat

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FIRST SAUDI FILM TO COMPETE FOR OSCARS Saudi Arabia is all set to compete for an Oscar for the ﬁrst time next year with feminist ﬁlm Wadjda directed by Haifaa Al Mansour, a Saudi official announced yesterday. >A14

MONDAY, September 16, 2013 / 10 DHUL QA’ADA 1434 AH

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PUBLISH ASIA 2013

CABLE

MPPH bags ags gold go in international creative awards STAFF REPORTER

MUSCAT: Muscat Press and Pub-lishing House (MPPH), the pub-lisher of the Times of Oman and All Shabiba, was honoured with threee awards at the 12th Asian Mediaa Awards gala ceremony held thiss week in Bangalore, India as part off the Publish Asia 2013 event. Hi Weekly won two awards forr its sports information graphicss — a gold medal for a graphic on n golfer Tiger Woods and a bronzee medal for one on Japanese gym-nast Sawao Kato — both were pub-lished last year. Bronze medal The Times of Oman’s weekend supplement Thursday Magazine also received a bronze medal for its cover design on the story Why Happiness Can’t be Bought. This was the second time that Thursday Magazine won the accolades from Asian Media Awards after it snatched gold in 2011. The latest honours took the total number of awards won by the MPPH to 38 this year alone. The MPPH has now amassed a whop-

ISO 9001:2008 Certiﬁed Company

His Majesty sends greetings MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Enrique Pena Nieto of the United Mexican States on the occasion of his country’s Independence Anniversary. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations along with his best wishes of good health and happiness to President Nieto and the friendly people of his country further progress and prosperity. -ONA

ping 147 global awards for all its publications, making it the most awarded media organisation in the Middle East. The company has been honoured by several international award-giving bodies including the Society for News Design, the Maloﬁej Infographic Awards (known as the Pulitzer Prize of information graphics), Communication Arts magazine, and the Society of Illustrators.

Another milestone Also, this year, MPPH marked another milestone in its history when Al Shabiba became the ﬁrst Arabic newspaper to be recognised with a merit award from the Society of Publication Designers, while the Times of Oman achieved yet another feat by remaining in the Top Five in the medal tally for three consecutive years in the Society for News Design annual creative competition, contend-

ing with the giants in the industry such as The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. Speaking about the award, a delighted MPPH Chairman Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali said: “Our management had set a vision in 1999 to become the number one media house in the country. As part of that, we have invested heavily in recruiting high quality professionals and we gave them the right at-

mosphere to excel and achieve in their ﬁelds. For the last ﬁve years, we have seen that MPPH has won several awards and it is owing to the continuous hard work of our staff. Without them this wouldn’t have been possible. “This recognition is a big achievement not only for us but also for Oman. We will continue with our efforts to become the number one media house not only in the region but also globally,” he added. >A4

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

Aﬂaj dry out

The Aﬂaj dryout, which can be partly attributed to climate change, is causing up to OMR9,805 in revenue loss per Omani family every year. >A5

REGION

Oman’s railway project to start on a ‘fast track’ subsidiary be created to take care of operation,” added the minister. Oman Railway Company (ORC) may also consider giving the operation licence to a foreign company.

The government is in an advanced stage to appoint a project management consultant, after the Tender Board shortlisted few companies that submitted their bids

A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman’s ambitious national railway project, estimated to cost anywhere between OMR56 billion for building 2,244 kilometres of railway line, will be implemented on a fast track basis and completed in a single phase, instead of three phases as proposed earlier. The government is in an advanced stage to appoint a project management consultant, after the Tender Board short-listed a few companies that submitted their bids. “We are in the process of reviewing and evaluating the tenders and hope that by the end of this month, we will send our recommendations to the Tender Board to process these further,” said Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, on the sidelines of an investment opportunities forum on railway project conducted under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Asa’ad bin Tariq bin Taimour Al Said, Representative of His Majesty the Sultan. The ﬁrst contract for the 2,244-km-long railway line will be awarded by the end of 2014 and a section of the railway project is expected to become operational by 2018. “We are going ahead (with the project) on a fast track and through this forum, we are asking the private sector to think about investment strategy and take advantage of the available opportunities.” Italferr, an Italian engineering ﬁrm, won a contract for consultancy services for preliminary design of the national railway project. The whole railway will have 30 small stations, 10

Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications.

KEY FACTS Project management consultant to be appointed soon First EPC contract to be awarded by the end of 2014 A section will be operational by 2018 Oman Railway Company to implement the project Operation to be managed by either ORC or some other ﬁrm 50 Omani engineers to be trained to work in railway

interim stations, six large stations and eight marshalling yards. Al Futaisi said the newlyformed Oman Railway Company (which is under the Ministry of Transport and Communications) would take care of the entire implementation programme, including procurement. “Then it will look at the operations part. It will decide whether it is to be operated by the company itself or a

Training, capacity building Delivering the keynote address at the well-attended two-day conference, the minister also announced a plan to take the first batch of 50 Omani engineers to be trained overseas to prepare them to work for the railway project. Emphasising the need for capacity building, he said, “The government is set to build capacity and train Omani professionals in different areas to run the railway from the very first day of opening.” The minister also noted that the region now represents the fastest-growing market for the railway sector in the world. Plans are afoot to construct more than 40,000 kilometres of railway line in the near future in the Gulf region and much more in long-term development plans, with a total envisaged investment of more than OMR100 billion. “We started seriously and vigorously to translate this ambition, as the railway project in the Sultanate witnessed a significant development in 2013 through the transformation of the project from a technical project embodied in tenders, design and execution into an integrated project, which represents a fundamental building block and a key element in the sustainable growth of the GDP of the Sultanate. Al Futaisi said the project was embodied in the emergence of many fields — strategy, the design and implementation of infrastructure, operation and maintenance of trains, national capacitybuilding and economic and trade dimension, the involvement of the private sector and the community. He said the railway will help Oman to boost exports and trade. It will make Oman not only a gateway for the entire region, but also a centre of trade between east and west. He called upon the private sector and the entire community to be part of the development programme since it was a project of great national importance. The two-day symposium aims to provide a broad meeting ground for the businessmen within and outside the country to identify real opportunities to provide services and set up manufacturing facilities in the Sultanate. See also >B1

US, Iran come closer?

US President Barack Obama and Iran’s President Hassan Rowhani exchanged letters. >A7

INDIA

Agni-V test-ﬁred US-Russia arms deal sparks hope in Syria

India successfully test ﬁred its longest-range Agni-V nuke capable missile for the second time. >A9

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

OMAN LEGAL COLUMN

Expats can demand medical benefits, return tickets for home I am an expatriate employee working for a Dubai based company in Oman. Our company staff have been receiving medical benefits and return tickets to their home town for annual vacations. Two months ago, we received a circular from the company informing that the medical benefits and tickets have been withdrawn and hereafter no expatriate employee would be entitled to such benefits. Our right to medical benefits and ticket is mentioned in our contracts. Is the company’s decision legally correct? Your company’s decision is absolutely not correct. Tickets for travel to home country during periodic intervals and right to medical facilities is established by law and practices and no employer has the right to dilute such specific and clear legal provisions. Article (62) of the Labour Law, promulgated by Royal Decree 35/2003 (as amended) mandates that “An employee must take leave of not less than two weeks once every two years.” Though the law does not specify that the employee should be provided a round trip ticket to go to his home country and return, inferences can be drawn that when an employee, who is a foreigner takes leave once in two years or any other agreed period, he/she would be naturally inclined to visit his/her home country for personal needs and due to domestic compulsions. Similarly, Article (33) of the Oman Labour Law reads: “The employer shall provide his employees with access to medical facilities in the establishment and he shall,

Times of Oman, in association with Khalifa Al Hinai Legal Consultants, will answer the legal queries of readers every Monday. Questions can be sent to readersclub@timesofoman.com with medicines required for the treatment, all of which must be free of charge…” The practice in Oman is that all employees are entitled to free medical treatment in Oman except for dental ailments and ophthalmic treatments and maternity costs.

If the employer arbitrarily stops facilities, the employer may be accused of deviating from the terms of the employment contract and breach of contract

if the number of employees is … more than 100, employ a qualiﬁed medical aid and assign a doctor to visit and treat them… The employer shall provide the employees

Prevailing contract In your case, you mentioned that you have a prevailing contract wherein your right to ticket and medical beneﬁts is mentioned. If the employer arbitrarily stops such facilities, the employer may be accused of deviating from the terms of the employment contract and in breach of the contractual provisions. If your company has a grievance redressal mechanism, you may address this issue through that system and wait for the outcome, failing which you may approach the Ministry of Manpower to get your rights reinstated with retrospective effect.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this column are for general guidance purposes only. They are based on facts presented to us and are not substituted for expert legal advice. Readers are advised to seek legal assistance for speciﬁc legal issues. Times of Oman and Khalifa Al Hinai Advocates & Legal Consultancy do not assume any responsibility towards anyone on this matter.

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 01 3

OMAN TECHNICAL MILITARY COLLEGE STARTS NEW SESSION The Technical Military College yesterday held a function to mark the beginning of the ﬁrst academic year. The chief guest, Mohammed bin Nasser Al Rasbi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Defence, said that the Royal directives of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces had instructed to establish a Technical Military College as a joint educational institution to combine military and technical education under one umbrella and the Technical Military College has helped in upgrading the technical skills of defence officials. — ONA

CEMENTING TIES

Fahd holds talks with top Libyan judge MUSCAT: His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, received in his office here yesterday Kamal Bashir Al Dahan, Chief Justice of Libyan Supreme Court. Sayyid Fahd informed the visiting judge about the initiatives taken to enhance effectiveness of the judiciary in Oman and the progress it has witnessed under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. The conversation also touched upon the ties binding the two countries and the means of promoting relations of cooperation in a number of ﬁelds, particularly exchanging judicial expertise and experience. The Chief Justice of the Libyan Supreme Court lauded the progress witnessed by the judiciary in Oman. He commended the Renaissance being witnessed by Oman at all levels. — ONA

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

OMAN DESIGN WHIZKIDS

< FROM

‘MPPH among the trendsetters in the region’

Commenting on the latest MPPH laurels, the Chief Executive Officer of MPPH, Ahmed Essa Al Zedjali, said this award reflects the constant innovation and high standards that MPPH publications have maintained and are now recognised in the region and globally for. “We are clearly among the trendsetters in the region and we shall continue to scale greater heights in the future,” he said. The Asian Media Awards is an annual competition sponsored by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) in the field of printing quality, design and photography, editorial content, newspaper marketing and community service among media houses in Asia Pacific, South Asia and the Middle East. Nearly 50 media companies participated in this year’s competition with over 400 entries. Apart from MPPH, the other winners from the Middle East were Al Nisr Media (publisher of Gulf News), United Printing and Publishing (publisher of The National), and Dubai Media Incorporated (publisher of Al Bayan).

DESIGNING LAURELS: Former WAN-IFRA president Jacob Mathew hands over the trophy to MPPH design director Adonis Durado during the gala ceremony in Bangalore,

India. Durado received the three awards along with graphic staff Isidore Vic Carloman III. All the winning works were exhibited in the Publish Asia 2013. — TIMES PHOTOS

Kerala expats keep up Onam spirit in Oman The prices may have gone up, but the Keralites cannot miss the Onasadhya. As the old saying says, ‘Sell anything to celebrate Onam’

REJIMON K. reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Expatriates from the south Indian state of Kerala — especially bachelors — residing in Oman will have to shell out more to taste a sumptuous Onasadhya meal today. Compared to the previous years, the restaurants have hiked the prices of Onasadhya, the festival feast, by nearly 50 per cent this year. “Everyone may not have a facility to prepare the 20-course feast at home. It takes a lot of time to prepare and for those living alone, it is almost impossible. Only experienced people can prepare a tasty Onasadhya. So, we have to depend on the restaurants,” a group of expatriate bachelors working in a construction ﬁrm in Ghala, said. “But, this time, they have hiked the prices. We won’t be able to ﬁnd a good sadhya served for less than OMR3.5 in town this year,” they added. Last year, the average price range for Onasadhya was between OMR2.5 and OMR3. “The hotels charged OMR3 for home delivery or takeaway, but this year, it is quite costly. We have to pay OMR3.5 for the sadhya at the hotel and for takeaway or home delivery, it is more than OMR4,” the expatriates added. Meanwhile, hoteliers said that

FESTIVAL TIME: Keralites in Muscat create colourful ﬂoral designs on the eve of the Onam festival. – O. K. Mohammed Ali/TIMES OF OMAN

with the prices of vegetables and other items rising, they are compelled to hike the Onasadhya prices. “Compared to previous years, the prices of vegetables have gone up due to various reasons. Also, the vegetables used for preparing Onasadhya are imported from India, mainly from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The fall in the rupee and a few other reasons have resulted in the prices of vegetables in the south Indian states rising. So, we are compelled to hike the prices,” hoteliers said. The regional tensions, espe-

cially the crisis in Syria and the Indian rupee’s value depreciation led to increased prices of vegetables in Oman. “The vegetable prices in the south Indian states have gone up by more than 30 per cent in the last two weeks. We are importing vegetables from those states and this time we had to pay more. Even though we have imported more, expecting a high demand, we had to sell also at a higher price compared to last year,” vegetable traders in the Sultanate said. Keralites who were busy do-

ing last minute Onam shopping at malls, also complained that the prices of vegetables have gone up. “The prices have gone up. But Keralites cannot miss the Onasadhya. We have an old saying that says, ‘Sell anything to celebrate Onam’. So, the price rise won’t stop us from buying items for the sadhya,” a Keralite family said. “This Onam was costly, compared to previous years,” the family added. According to statistics, there are nearly half-a-million Keralites residing in the Sultanate.

ENVIRONMENT

Oman to support global eco drive MUSCAT: The Sultanate will today mark the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, which falls on September 16 every year. The event will be celebrated under the theme ‘A healthy atmosphere, the Future We Want’. Oman is committed to preservation of the ozone layer came and it signed Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and its amendments in London 1990 and Copenhagen 1992. Royal Decree The Royal Decree No. 73/ 98 on September 28, 1998 affirmed the

Sultanate’s support for environmental issues. The Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, will today participate in the international workshop on ‘Remote Sensing and Eco-Hydrology in Arid Regions’ and the meeting on hydrology of the arid regions (G-WADI), being held in Beijing. The ﬁve-day workshop will discuss issues related to remote sensing, highlighting recent developments in the use of this technology in water resources management and review of data, products and communications with regional networks and other topics related to this aspect. — ONA

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 01 3

OMAN GLOBAL CONNECT

South Korean President hails HM’s website Times News Service MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s website administration has received a letter of appreciation from President Park Geun-hye of the Republic of Korea. Woo Kyoung-ha, Protocol Secretary to the Office of the Presi-

dent of Republic of Korea, wrote to the website administration saying: “We are conﬁdent that the website will serve as a valuable tool for deepening the understanding and knowledge about the Sultanate of Oman as well as His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. I am deeply impressed by your efforts to translate the site into 19 languages, including Ko-

rean. I wish you great success in reaching out to a wider audience around the world.” The website, as part of its ongoing progress, will launch more languages this year to celebrate the occasion of the country’s National Day. Hamoud Al Azri, the website’s general supervisor, has expressed his thanks to the em-

bassies accredited to the Sultanate for their cooperation. With the support of the embassies, the website which highlights the life of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and his achievements, has been translated into 19 languages. People from many parts of the world can now beneﬁt by reading the website in their own language.

Aflaj dry out triggers farm crisis Climate change has led to an increase in the temperature with the resultant heat waves lowering crop yields and possibly causing damage to the crops. The rise in temperature also increases crops’ evaporation rate which subsequently increases irrigation water demand

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI* MUSCAT: The Aflaj dry out, which can be partly attributed to climate change, is causing up to OMR9,805 in revenue loss per Omani family every year, according to an agriculture expert who cited a recent study conducted by the Sultan Qaboos University. There has been a reduction in the water flow of Aflaj, which is the main source of irrigation water in Oman. In several areas, the flow has completely stopped in some Aflaj, said Dr Salim Al Mamary, an irrigation and land expert at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, who presented his PhD thesis on risk management and climate change. “At the moment, water flow has stopped in 27 per cent of the Aflaj and 30 per cent of the area experienced a sharp decline in water level,” Al Mamary elaborated, noting that it can be partly attributed to climate change that has already occurred in Oman. According to him, climate change has led to an increase in

AGRICULTURE CHALLENGES: Left, climate change has increased soil erosion leading to drastic fall in food output. Right, there has been a reduction in the water ﬂow of Aﬂaj,

which is the main source of irrigation water in Oman. — TIMES OF OMAN

temperature with the resultant heat waves lowering crop yields and possibly causing damage to crops. The rise in temperature also increases crops’ evaporation rate which subsequently increases irrigation water demand, Al Mamary explained. “Change in climate variables would make crops more vulnerable to disease and pest attacks, causing production loss,” he added. He also explained that the social impact of climate change on the Aflaj communities is high and has prompted migration to the cities, less cooperation among Aflaj users, loss of interest on the part of the youth in the Aflaj management, and loss of many handicraft jobs. The Omani expert stated that the climate change could impact the total cultivated area, production quality and quantity, all of which have already declined in some areas in recent decades, and added that climate change has also increased soil erosion. According to him, Oman has a total of 136,134 hectares of agricultural land, about 44.2 per cent of which is under cultivation. Al Mamary noted that accord-

Water flow has stopped in 27 per cent of the Aflaj and 30 per cent of areas have had sharp decline in water levels Dr Salim Al Mamary Irrigation and land expert ing to the latest report by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, almost all regions are experiencing water shortage and over extraction of water with a total deﬁciency of 316 million cubic metres per year. The Al Batinah area, where most of the farming takes place, is facing the most severe water shortage, he noted.

M I N I S T E R ’ S S TAT E M E N T

Technical education all set to boost employment prospects MUSCAT: Manpower Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri yesterday said that the ministry is updating and developing services provided by Oman’s technical education and vocational training industries. He noted that technical education and vocational training, which plays a prominent role in supplying the employment market with professionals, has gained attention because of the number of students in these colleges, which is expected to reach 40,000 students this year. Al Bakri explained that the employment of citizens in the private sector has seen, from January to August 2013, the recruitment of 37,707 citizens, while 20,034 citizens resigned from their jobs and 8,798 citizens were laid off by private sector businesses. Regarding the expat workforce working in the private sector, Sheikh Al Bakri said that the period from January until the end of August this year saw an increase of expatriate labourers working in the private sector, bringing the total number to 1,678,320 workers. Of this, 1,311,799 workers, including those in the commercial works category, represented 83.7 per cent of all workers, while 256,033 workers were part of the special services category (16.3 per cent). Noting that the expat workforce in the commercial works category is mainly made up of the spe-

MARKET TRENDS

In the private sector, from January to August 2013, 37,707 citizens were recruited, while 20,034 citizens resigned from their jobs and 8.798 citizens were laid off by private sector businesses

The period from January until the end of August this year saw an increase of expatriate labourers working in the private sector, bringing the total number to 167,832 workers

cialist sub-category (8.8 per cent), technicians (5.6 per cent), professional and skilled workers (53 per cent), and semi-skilled workers (32 per cent). Also, 54.3 per cent of the expatriate workforce are employed at the second, third and fourth grade establishments and 45.7 per cent in the international, excellent, consultant and ﬁrst grade establishments. He added that in light of the indicator percentages of the expatriate labour force, the Omanisation percentage in the private sector at the end of August this year was 14.6 per cent, 82.1 per cent in the ﬁnancial intermediation sector; 75.7 per cent in the electricity, gas and water sector; 61.4 per cent in mining and quarrying sector; 32.4 per cent in the transport, storage and communications sector, 17.5 per cent in

the trade sector; 11.7 per cent in the manufacturing sector and 8.2 per cent in the construction sector. The Omanisation-to-grade percentage was 42.7 per cent in the international grade category; 32 per cent in the excellent; 25 per cent in the consultant category; 15 per cent in the ﬁrst; 3.7 per cent in the second;1.4 per cent the third; and 0.9 per cent in the fourth grade establishments. On the ministry’s use of modern technologies in activating e-Government Services, the minister of manpower said that for the implementation of government directives, plans and procedures for building a digital Oman, the ministry is seeking, expanding and updating technologies to accomplish this work and develop its services to the public. — ONA

Asked about the ministry’s plans to reduce the impact of climate change on agriculture, he said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, in cooperation with the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, is trying to ﬁrst increase the water supply to Aﬂaj areas by investing in the development of water resources, constructing recharge dams to col-

lect water during rainy season. It is also providing help for Aﬂaj by drilling support wells during a long period of drought, encouraging use of recycled wastewater for landscaping and industrial use, constructing more desalination plants to cover the domestic use of water, improving water management at farms, well abstraction control, moratorium on drilling wells, introduction of modern irrigation systems, transfer of certain high-demand crops such as Rhodes grass to Nejd area, and use of brackish water to produce some crops. Asked if the ministry has any speciﬁc plans to support farmers, he said that it is providing incentives to them with the aim of developing the agricultural sector, which would consequently help mitigate the impact of climate change. “We do not have any plans to expand the area under cultivation due to limited water resources, but we are providing farmers with many incentives. We are trying to modernise agriculture and are implementing plans to promote the use of greenhouses and modern irrigation systems.”

Increase in production When asked about the future of agriculture in Oman, he explained that despite water scarcity and reduction in rainfall, the agricultural production showed an increase of 1.6 per cent from 2009 to 2012. “The agriculture growth can be attributed to the use of new farming methods and technology in the agricultural production in addition to the use of modern irrigation systems which use water efficiently,” he said. According to Al Mamary, the government’s total investment in the agricultural sector during the ﬁve-year period of 2011-2015 is OMR63.3 million, OMR13.3 million of which has been allocated for the implementation of new technologies and plans to attract agricultural investment in the country. Al Mamary also expressed the hope that the upcoming conference in Muscat on agriculture and climate change would produce good results. *The writer is an Iranian national, who is currently doing her internship with Times of Oman.

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

SYRIA CRISIS US-Russia arms deal sparks hope and relief in Damascus War-weary residents foresee an end to the country’s devastating 30-month conﬂict

DAMASCUS: On the streets of Damascus, a US-Russian deal on Syria’s chemical weapons has brought relief and hope the end of the country’s devastating 30-month conflict may be in sight. Khulud Al Masri, a mother of two daughters, said her family is now “more relaxed”. “May Almighty calm everyone’s spirits and harm no one. But the sound of the bombings still scares my two daughters,” Masri said, as her girls aged five and three and a half played on swings. Muna Ibo said she hopes the agreement will boost business at her beauty salon. “We have more hope now, after this agreement. We might be able to see an end to terrorism and the troubles that we’ve had no part in creating,” said Ibo. Ibo opened up her salon, Beautiful World, six weeks ago, she said, despite the conflict that has raged in her country for 30 months and killed more than 110,000 people. “I hope Syria recovers, that we can go back to work and just keep on living,” she said. The streets of Damascus were busy again after weeks of anticipation of military action. Some major roads were gridlocked with traffic. On the terrace of a nearby cafe, 40-year-old Hazem sipped coffee at a table with his wife and two sons. “We pray to God for a solution to our problem,” he said. “This (US-Russian deal) is a good thing.” President Vladimir “Putin is turning Russia into a great country

BUSY AGAIN: A family rides a motorcycle in an alley of a market in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on Saturday. The streets of Da-

mascus were busy again after weeks of anticipation of military action. Some major roads were gridlocked with traffic. – AFP

again that plays a dominant role in the world,” added the banker. “The deal will work because the Syrians are dying and suffering, while the economy is in ruins.” Dancing with friends In a Damascus club, 36-year-old Wassim Al Sharif danced with friends to get his mind off the war. The agreement, he said, was a “good solution” for the country. “We lived in peace until this crisis. I used to live in the Palestinian Yarmuk camp, which is now completely destroyed. My family is

scattered across the city and I live in a hotel,” added the legal adviser to the Damascus city council. “It’s really awful when there’s no hope left.” But Fuad, a 60-year-old engineer, believed “this agreement will have no impact on how (the war) in Syria develops”. Still, he expressed hope that “the Russians and the Americans can agree on a solution to the crisis”. Fuad saw the deal as “an international agreement to protect neighbouring countries from weapons of mass destruction, and

the main beneﬁciary is Israel. “Other (steps) are needed, such as Geneva 2,” he said, referring to a stalled peace conference that would bring rebels and regime ofﬁcials to the negotiating table. Zura, who runs an insurance company, was also sceptical. “It might be that this agreement brings new hope, but I don’t trust the Americans at all,” she said, as she walked her two dogs in the Al Jahez gardens in the heart of Damascus. Meanwhile in Tehran, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos

urged Tehran at the end of a visit yesterday to use its inﬂuence with ally Syria to allow greater aid access to the country. “I asked the foreign minister (Mohammad Javad Zarif ) to use Iran’s inﬂuence with the (Syrian) government to continue to press for greater access for humanitarian organisations,” she told a news conference. “I did not specify areas because it is important that humanitarian organisations are allowed to go where people are in the greatest need.” —AFP

C H E M I C A L A R M S PAC T

‘Victory’ for us, says minister DAMASCUS: A US-Russian plan to remove Syria’s chemical weapons is a “victory” that averts war, a Syrian minister said yesterday, as Washington warned that the threat of US force “remains real”. “On one hand, it helps the Syrians emerge from the crisis and on the other it has allowed for averting war against Syria...,” Minister of State for National Reconciliation Ali Haidar said news agency Ria Novosti. “It’s a victory for Syria that was achieved thanks to our Russian friends.” His remarks came as US Secretary of State John Kerry met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to brief him on the plan to eradicate Syria’s chemical weapons. Kerry came out of the talks with a word of warning for Damascus. “The threat of force remains, the threat is real,” he said at a joint news conference in occupied Jerusalem with Netanyahu. The deal won the backing of China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, which like Russia has vetoed several UN resolutions on Syria. “This agreement will enable tensions in Syria to be eased,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his visiting French counterpart Laurent Fabius who will meet Lavrov on Tuesday in Moscow. It was also welcomed by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who cautioned: “It is important, however, that it be put into practice.” Arab League chief Nabil Al Arabi called the deal “a step closer to a political solution” to the civil war in Syria that has cost more than 110,00 lives since March 2011. The Syrian rebels ﬁghting to oust Assad have rejected the deal, warning it would not halt the conﬂict. “Are we Syrians supposed to wait until mid-2014, to continue being killed every day and to accept (the deal) just because the chemical arms will be destroyed in 2014?” asked Free Syrian Army chief General Selim Idriss. —AFP

NEW ACADEMIC YEAR

After a long summer, children are ﬁnally back to school DAMASCUS: Thousands of Syrian school children started their academic year on time yesterday after concern that schools would not open on schedule due to threats of a US military strike. In Damascus, many school buildings had been transformed into barracks to house personnel ﬂeeing military sites that could be targets in a strike that US President Barack Obama said would be punishment for an alleged chemical attack on August 21. By yesterday morning most soldiers had moved out, in a sign that President Bashar Al Assad’s government no longer fears strikes following a deal negotiated by the United States and Russia under which he would destroy his chemical arsenal.

NO LONGER BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: Pupils stand in a line at Nahla Zidane elementary school at the

start of the new school year in Damascus, yesterday. Reﬂecting the turmoil in the economy, school uniforms are now three to ﬁve times as expensive as they were before the revolt started. – AFP

Pouring out Hundreds of girls poured out of Satea Al Hosari all-girls middle school in west Damascus at 1pm (1000GMT), carrying their newly issued text books in white plastic bags and looking for their parents or school buses.

“It’s been a long summer, and the kids have been cooped up at home for too long and I’m happy to have them out of the house and back into their routine,” said Mayse, a mother of three, as she waited outside the school to pick up her daughter. When her daughter came out, she told her mother about friends who had not shown up to school because they had left town, and others whose families were considering leaving. Since talk of an imminent military strike against Syria last month, many families fled Syria to neighbouring Lebanon and some decided to stay there for the school year. Reflecting the turmoil in the economy, school uniforms are now three to five times as expensive as they were before the revolt started. As Washington talked of a military strike in response to the August 21 incident, the conspicuous presence of soldiers and armed security men in densely populated residential neighbourhoods left many Damascenes worried.

Some complained that the military appeared to be taking shelter amid civilians to use them as human shields. At the start of the month, rebels situated on the edge of the city fired a mortar bomb at Hosari school but it hit a nearby apartment block, residents said. Vulnerable to attacks Nearby shop owners said the soldiers’ presence made them vulnerable to attacks and that they were disconcerted by the men with guns in their neighbourhood. Soldiers and state security housed in schools appeared to go to lengths to keep low profile and minimise engagement with local civilians, to avoid any antagonism. Groups of armed men could be seen behind school gates sitting about in the courtyard, sipping tea and playing cards with their assault rifles on the floor by their side. One janitor at an elementary school said the men were there until Saturday when “they packed up and left”. —Reuters

P L A N T O E L I M I NAT E C H E M I C A L W E A P O N S

‘Difficult if not impossible to implement’ WASHINGTON: The US-Russian deal brokered on Saturday to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons will be difficult if not impossible to implement, experts said, not least because of the quandary of their destruction. Chemical weapons expert Jean Pascal Zanders said that timetable is irrelevant because decisionmaking now passes to the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Based in The Hague, the OPCW is charged with implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention. “The Executive Council has sovereign decision-making, and the US and Russia just have one vote each among the 41 members, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t have consensus decision-making,” Zanders said.

Taking the weapons out of Syria would be a problem “All deadlines proposed in the bilateral document (in Geneva) will only start running once the (Executive Council) decision has been taken,” said Zanders, who runs a consultancy and blog dedicated to disarmament. The OPCW’s Executive Council is currently set to meet on day after tomorrow, but a source close to the matter said that date might be pushed back to Thursday or Friday. Even once inspectors are deployed and stockpiles are found, they face the practical problem of destruction, said Olivier Lepick of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris. “You have to build a fac-

tory that costs several hundreds of millions of dollars to then be able to destroy the chemical weapons,” Lepick said. In Iraq, weapons inspectors used innovative but problematic methods to destroy Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, Zanders said. “Sometimes holes were dug in the desert, fuel was put in it and a certain type of detonation was created that equals the effect of a fuel air bomb as a result of which you had high temperature incineration, which was not necessarily contained or controlled.” Taking the weapons out of Syria would also be a problem. “The CWC (Chemical Weapons Convention) says chemical weapons and their ingredients cannot be transferred and no state party can under whatever circum-

stances acquire them in any way,” Zanders said. Israel is one of a handful of countries not to have ratiﬁed the CWC, and as it is the only one with a border with Syria, sending them there would “be the only option that’s not prohibited by the CWC,” he said. “But I don’t know what Bibi’s (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) reaction would be to get them on Israeli territory.” For the same reason, taking the weapons to either the United States or Russia would also not be possible. “Even assuming the US or Russia would be willing to accept these weapons on their soil, they have national laws prohibiting the transport of these weapons between states,” Zanders said. But, he added: “I do believe that people can be creative with the law.” — AFP

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 01 3

REGION Obama, Rowhani ‘exchange’ letters potential of resolving these issues diplomatically”. Meanwhile, a British Foreign Office spokeswoman said that “They will be meeting but we have no further details at this stage,”, adding that the talks would take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

British and Iranian foreign ministers to

I have. And he’s reached out to me. We haven’t spoken — directly

meet in New York this month

WASHINGTON/LONDON: US President Barack Obama says he and Iran’s new President Hassan Rowhani have exchanged letters even as the Britain’s Foreign Office said that the British and Iranian foreign ministers will meet in New York later this month after both sides indicated they wanted to restore ties suspended after an attack on the British embassy in Tehran in 2011. Obama, in an interview aired on ABC News yesterday, confirmed the outreach to Rowhani for the first time. Obama was asked on the ABC News “This Week” pro-

Barack Obama US President

gramme whether he had reached out to Rowhani. “I have. And he’s reached out to me. We haven’t spoken—directly,” Obama said. Asked by interviewer George Stephanopoulos whether the contact was via letters, Obama replied : “Yes.” The president was careful to draw a distinction between US behaviour over Syria after freezing military action to negotiate a deal

PLOT TO KILL YEMENI PRESIDENT

Three Al Qaeda militants jailed SANAA: A Yemeni court yesterday jailed three Al Qaeda militants to between one and seven years after convicting them of plotting to assassinate President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi and the American ambassador. The same court freed a fourth defendant held on similar charges based on time already served in prison. The defendants were accused of conspiring to carry out a suicide attack against Hadi using a vehicle laden with explosives, according to the charges read out by presiding judge Hilal Mahfal. The defendants were also monitoring the movements of US Ambassador Gerald Feierstein “to prepare to assassinate him,” according to the charge sheet. Amputation A Yemeni court yesterday ordered the amputation of the right hand and left foot of a man convicted of robbery, the official Saba news agency said. The court

in Sanaa found Abdulrahman Al Juri guilty of attacking a man and robbing a sum of cash he was transporting in a vehicle belonging to a money exchange firm, Saba reported. Two other defendants were sentenced to four years in prison, while a fourth was jailed for one year. The judge also ordered the release of three others, saying they had already spent enough time in custody. Blown up Saboteurs blew up a main oil pipeline in Yemen carrying crude to the Red Sea coast, halting its flow, an industry official and tribal sources said. The attackers targeted the pipeline at the 107Kilo spot, in Sarwah district of the Marib province, east of Sanaa, a tribal source said. The industry official said the flow of oil stopped due to the explosion. The same pipeline was also attacked on Saturday, but the damage did not cause interruption. — AFP

with Russia to secure the regime’s chemical arms, and Washington’s approach to Iran as a nuclear showdown reaches a critical point. “I think what the Iranians understand is that—the nuclear issue—is a far larger issue for us than the chemical weapons issue,” Obama said. “The threat against ... Israel, that a nuclear Iran poses, is much closer to our core interests. PA R I S A I R P O R T

Qatari beaten up, robbed PARIS: A wealthy Qatari businessman was attacked and robbed as he left a Paris airport, a source close to the case said, the latest foreign victim of crime in France. At least three people stopped the car of the “rich businessman” as it left the Roissy Charlesde-Gaulle airport on Saturday, bashed in the door and roughed up the Qatari and another person in the vehicle, the source said. The businessman was forced to give them a watch worth 30,000 euros ($40,000) and luggage containing high-value objects, the source, who wished to remain anonymous, said. Not clear It was not clear whether the robbers speciﬁcally targeted the businessman or whether this was a random attack. The assault comes as the French capital ﬁghts a rise in crime targeting foreigners that has tarnished its reputation as a haven for tourists. — AFP

IRAQ BOMBINGS

46 killed, official escapes bid on life BAGHDAD: Attacks across Iraq, including more than a dozen car bombs, killed at least 46 people yesterday while the head of Baghdad’s provincial council escaped an assassination attempt on his convoy. The militants struck in more than a dozen towns and cities, with at least 17 car bombs, killing 46 people and wounding more than 130 overall. The deadliest violence was in and around the city of Hilla, the capital of Babil province south of Baghdad, where four car bombs killed 19 people, police and medics said. “I saw many people with burns, and people who were on ﬁre, they were screaming for help,” said Sajjad Al Amari, a 22-year-old

witness to one car bombing on the outskirts of Hilla. Another witness, Karrar Ahmed, said he saw “many shop owners who were thrown to the ﬂoor, many were killed and wounded, and they were lying on the ground, among the goods from their shops”. Ahmed, still shaking with nerves, said incompetence by the security forces had “cleared the way for terrorists to target, and kill, civilians”. In Baghdad, meanwhile, a car bomb hit the convoy of Riyadh Al Adhadh, chief of the provincial council and a lawmaker from the party of the national parliament speaker. Adhadh was unharmed but two others, including one of his bodyguards, were killed and

four people were wounded. The blast shattered the windows of nearby shops and buildings, and security forces imposed a cordon around the area in the aftermath, a news correspondent at the scene said. A separate car bomb later in the evening in the capital killed three others. Another car bombing at a market on the outskirts of the southern port city of Basra killed three people and wounded 15 others, officials said. Attacks south of Baghdad—in Yusiﬁyah, Karbala, Nasiriyah, Kut, Suweirah and Hafriyah—left nine people dead, while shootings and bombings in and around the northern and western cities of Abu Ghraib, Baquba, Sharqat, Kirkuk and Mosul killed 10 more. —AFP

“A nuclear arms race in the region—is something that would be profoundly destabilising. “My suspicion is that the Iranians recognise they shouldn’t draw a lesson—that we haven’t struck (Syria)—to think we won’t strike Iran.” Obama said that on the other hand, the lesson from the showdown over Syria’s chemical weapons should show that “there is the

‘Meaningful talks’ The meeting between British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was requested by the British government following the election of new Iranian President Hassan Rowhani in June. Hague tweeted earlier this month that he hoped for “meaningful talks” with Zarif on Iran’s disputed nuclear programme as well as the Syrian conﬂict, and “reciprocal steps to improve relations”. London suspended diplomatic relations with Iran after hardline demonstrators stormed its Tehran embassy in November 2011, in an attack Britain said appeared statesponsored. Both sides have indicated they are open to restoring

ties, although the Iranians warned it would take time. “These issues need time and negotiations on an expert level,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi told reporters in August, adding that “it must be decided whether their (Britain’s) approach and behaviour have changed”. For his part, British Prime Minister David Cameron said there were still concerns about Iran’s behaviour. “We have effectively reached out to the Iranian government after the recent elections. And I have written to President Rowhani, so we are prepared to start trying to have a relationship with them,” Cameron told lawmakers last Monday. Asked about engaging with Iran to help resolve the Syrian conﬂict, he added: “There is a slight holdback on our behalf because we still really have not had proper redress for the fact that they smashed up our embassy and residence. “So we do have to enter these talks and discussions with a clear head.” — AFP

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

INDIA BRIEFS

INDO-FRENCH ARMY EXERCISE Indian and French army men take part in the Indo-French Army Exercises Shakti 2013 in Grenoble, France, yesterday. The second joint military exercise between the two countries is underway from September 9 to 20. This is the second joint military exercise between the two countries which have a history of extensive cooperation in the defence arena. The participating troops for this exercise have been drawn from 5th Battalion of the Kumaon Regiment of Jaipur based South Western Command, while the Alpine troops of 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade is participating from France Army. - PTI

Terrorist sleeper cell busted in Punjab: Police GURDASPUR: A sleeper cell of terrorist organisation Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) was busted in this border district of Punjab yesterday, police said. Gurdaspur police chief Sukhwant Singh Gill said that with the busting of the KLF sleeper cell, a major attempt to revive terrorism in Punjab had been foiled. He said three people had been arrested and sophisticated weapons, including an AK-47 riﬂe, and foreignmade small arms were recovered from them. The Fategarh Sahib district police had last week busted another cell that was trying to revive terrorism in the state. A total of 14 people were arrested by them and arms and ammunition recovered.

Political blame game begins over Bengal ragging death KOLKATA: The death of a minor girl student after being ragged and the subsequent ransacking of a school in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district took on a political colour yesterday after the ruling Trinamool Congress attributed the vandalism to “CPI-M’s conspiracy”. The CPI-M rubbished the allegations and in turn blamed the Trinamool for the ﬁasco. Oindrila Das, a class 5 student of Christ Church School in Dum Dum, died on September 11, a week after she was allegedly locked up inside the school toilet by some of her seniors who demanded money from her.

Dilip Kumar hospitalised MUMBAI: Veteran actor Dilip Kumar was admitted to the Lilavati hospital here yesterday evening after he complained of feeling uncomfortable, an aide said, adding he was “ﬁne” now. “He was feeling uncomfortable yesterday evening so we got him to Lilavati hospital. Now his routine check up is going on. We will be able to talk only tomorrow morning but he is ﬁne,” the actor’s manager said. Dilip Kumar was brought to the hospital at around 8.30pm. - Agencies

CALL FOR CHANGE

Shun anti-India attitude, Modi tells Pakistan

President concerned over riots and rapes Pranab stressed that

REWARI (Haryana): In his ﬁrst outing as the BJP’s newly-annointed prime ministerial candidate, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi yesterday told Pakistan to “shun its anti-India attitude” and said the massive crowds gathered to hear him were an indication of a “call for change” to the “sultanate of Delhi”. Modi in his 65-minute speech to former soldiers in this south Haryana town, 90km from Delhi, sought to project a national outlook. He touched on relations with neighbours, terrorism, defence, secularism and vote-bank politics. Though the event was scheduled weeks in advance, the rally turned out to be Modi’s ﬁrst big political outing immediately after the BJP on Friday named him its prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections. The massive crowds cheered Modi every time he made an important point. On Pakistan, Modi said that promoting gun culture had done the neighbouring country no good over the last 60 years. “The rulers in Pakistan should resolve that they will not allow terrorists (to operate) in Pakistan for 10 years, will not protect terrorists, will not allow its soil to be the breeding ground for terrorists,” he said. Progress “I can say with authority that if this happens, Pakistan will see the progress that it has not seen in the last 60 years,” he said. Amid cheers, Modi, dressed in a white kurta-pyjama, went on: “You cannot progress with anti-India tirade... For your own interests and for the youth of your country, you should rethink the wrong path you have chosen in the last 60 years and step back.” Calling for throwing out the United Progressive Alliance-led (UPA) central government, he told

religion should not

This situation cannot be changed unless the society asserts itself

be the vehicle for spreading hatred and violence against ‘believers of different faiths’, and called for UPBEAT: Narendra Modi

the gathering: “You should challenge the government in Delhi as it is ineffective.” He said that neighbouring countries like Pakistan and China were trying to create trouble on the borders with India and were being aided by the “weak policies” of the central government. Without naming anyone, Modi said those who talk about secularism were doing so only for votebank politics. “They should go and see how the army is a symbol of secularism,” he said. Taking a dig at some “big countries”, he said they were indulging in being “selective on dealing with terrorism”. Thousands of people, including former soldiers, turned up for the rally. Seeking to reach out to the ex-servicemen, Modi asked the UPA government to bring out a white paper on the long-standing demand of former soldiers for “one rank one pension”. As Modi got on to the dais, he was greeted with thunderous applause by the crowd gathered there despite sweltering heat inside the tented venue. Enthused by the response, Modi said: “No camera can capture this moment. No eye can capture it fully. This is a call for change from this land of Haryana. This is a call to the sultanate of Delhi.” - IANS

Pranab Mukherjee

introspection ‘on the

ENGROSSED: President Pranab Mukherjee with West Bengal Governor

sad decline in moral

M.K.Narayanan during the celebrations of 125th year of Ghatal Vidyasagar High School at Ghatal, Midnapore, yesterday. – PTI

President

values’ in the society

Muzaffarnagar riot victims’ kin assured of justice MIDNAPORE: Describing the incidents of killings and gang rapes of women and children in the recent communal clashes as a “sad spectacle”, President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday expressed his agony over the violence and called for “widespread” public mobilisation for gender sensitisation. The president stressed that religion should not be the vehicle for spreading hatred and violence against “believers of different faiths”, and called for introspection “on the sad decline in moral values” in the society. “At a time when our country is witness to the sad spectacle of people, including women and children, getting killed in communal clashes, the life of Pandit Vidyasagar teaches us that religion should never become an instrument for propagation of hatred and violence against believers of different faiths,” Pranab said. Delivering the seventh Vidyasagar Memorial lecture at the Vidyasagar University here, he said no society which ill-treats women and girls can claim itself to be “civilised”.

MUZAFFARNAGAR: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav yesterday visited the riot-hit areas of Muzaffarnagar and met families of some of the victims, a week after communal violence broke out in the region claiming 47 lives. Speaking to reporters after meeting the families of the three youth who were killed on August 27, the chief minister, who has been targeted for failing to curb the conﬂagration, termed the violence “very sad”.

“When such incidents occur, angry criticism of the government cannot lead to a solution,” he said. “There is an urgent need for widespread public mobilisation aimed at gender sensitisation. We need to introspect on the sad decline in our moral values and reﬂect on how we can reset our moral compass,” he said.

He said his government will provide justice to the victims and take strong action against all those who took part in the communal violence. Kawaal village is where an alleged incident of harassment on August 27 led to three youths being killed. A ‘mahapanchayat’ or gathering of village councils was held a few days later, which led to communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and nearby areas, forcing the government to call in the army to control the

Urging teachers to ingrain in the students values like sincerity of purpose, honesty, integrity and respect for women, he regretted that there was a lack of respect for women in the society. “This situation cannot be changed unless the society asserts itself,” he said. Seeking pro-active intervention of the society in such areas,

situation. Akhilesh Yadav told reporters: “I met the families of the three youth who were killed... I assured their families of justice and all help.” “The incident is being probed, and those guilty will not be spared at any cost, howsoever powerful they may be,” he assured. The chief minister has appealed to the prominent people in the area to come forward and speak to members of both communities so that peace prevails. - IANS

he said laws for securing women’s safety would become effective only if there was efficient mechanisms to enforce them. He stressed the need for continuous police and judicial reforms to ensure prompt justice for women. He also called for women’s empowerment and employment facilities for them. - IANS

DELHI GANG RAPE CASE

Convicts’ lawyer may lose licence NEW DELHI: A lawyer for two men sentenced to death for the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old girl could lose his licence for remarks that “reek of misogyny”, a regulatory body said yesterday. A. P. Singh, the counsel for Akshay Thakur and Vinay Sharma, has angered the Bar Council of Delhi with his outbursts after death sentences were passed on Friday on four men for the assault on the 23-year-old girl in New Delhi last year.

Singh told a section of the local media that he would have “burned his daughter alive” if she was having “physical relations” and “moving around at night with her boyfriend”. He was apparently referring to the victim, who died of grievous internal injuries after being lured on to the private bus by a gang of six following a cinema trip with her male companion on December 16. The only allegations against the character of the victim have

been made by some of the defence lawyers, who have produced no evidence. The Bar Council said Singh’s comments amounted to “professional misconduct”, and it would consider cancelling his licence at a meeting tomorrow. “How can he say anything like this? His comments reek of misogyny,” Surya Prakash Khatri, chairman of the council, said. “We can go to any extent. We can cancel his practice permit,” he added. - AFP

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 01 3

INDIA Nuclear-capable Agni-V test-fired successfully

ACHIEVEMENT: The surface-to-surface Agni-V missile is launched from the Wheeler Island off Odi-

sha, yesterday. All the systems and subsystems of the missile performed well. - Reuters

With the latest launch, India has strengthened its position as a member of the exclusive club of nations, including the US, Russia and China, that have the capability to hit targets over 5,000km

BHUBANESWAR: India yesterday successfully test fired its longest-range Agni-V nuclear-capable missile for the second time in less than one and a half years, defence ministry sources said. It was fired from the Inner Wheeler Island, a launch site at Bhadrak, about 200km from Bhubaneswar, the sources said. “The test was successful,” spokesman R.K. Gupta for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said. The missile flew on a predefined path and reached its destination with expected precision. Powered by three stage solid rocket motors, the missile had a

flawless, spectacular launch in auto mode and followed its entire trajectory in textbook manner, dropping the three motors at predefined stages into the ocean. Target point Ships located in midrange and at the target point tracked the vehicle and witnessed the final event. All the radars and electro-optical systems, ship based and those based on ground stations along the path monitored the performance parameters of the missile and displayed information in real time. All the systems and subsystems of the missile performed well.

The navigation systems, very high accuracy ring laser gyro based inertial navigation system and the most modern and accurate micro navigation system ensured the missile reached the target point within few meters of accuracy. The high speed onboard computer and fault tolerant software along with robust and reliable bus guided the missile ﬂawlessly, Gupta said. He said with the latest launch, the DRDO was now ready to start the process of production and induction of the missile in the military. But some more tests may be conducted. With the latest launch, India has strengthened its position as a member of the exclusive club of nations, including the US, Russia and China, that have the capability to hit targets over 5,000km away. The ﬁrst test of this homegrown missile was carried out successfully in April 2012. Defence Minister A.K. Antony congratulated the scientists of DRDO and said they had made the country proud. - IANS

A S S A S S I NAT I O N

Key witness in Rajiv case questions CBI-led probe NEW DELHI: A lawyer, closely associated with the probe by the Jain Commission into the conspiracy aspect of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, has claimed there were lapses and shortcomings in the Central Bureau of Investigation -led investigations. In a letter to the prime minister, Ramesh Dalal, one of the key witnesses before the Justice Milap Chand Jain panel, has also sought that the CBI-led Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) should submit its ﬁnal report within a time- frame of three months. The MDMA, comprising several agencies like CBI, Intelligence Bureau , Research and Analysis Wing, Enforcement Directorate and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, was set up in August 1998 to further probe all leads thrown up by the Jain panel, within India and abroad. “It would be in the interest of justice to issue the direction to the CBI for concluding this case within three months only,” Dalal said in a letter to the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Pulok Chatterjee earlier this week. “There are serious shortcomings and lapses under which the CBI had functioned in the important assassination case of our former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi,” he said. In another letter to CBI Director Ranjit Sinha, Dalal urged him to get the MDMA reopen a case involving Rajiv Gandhi killing accused J. Ranganathan and carry out extradition proceedings against top Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) man Kumaran Padmanathan alias KP for their statements linking controversial Chandraswamy to the May 21, 1991 assassination. CBI’s Special Investigation Team had given a 44-volume report which led to the Supreme Court judgment in the case in 1999. - PTI

BRIEFS

Govt notifies landmark food security legislation NEW DELHI: The government has notified the landmark food security legislation, giving a legal right on highly subsidised foodgrains to 67 per cent of the country’s population. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill on August 26, while the Rajya Sabha gave its nod on September 2. President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Bill last week. “...it (the Act) shall be deemed to have come into force on July 5, 2013,” the Gazette notification said. The food law will provide food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity, it added. The Centre has convened a meeting of state food ministers and secretaries to discuss the rules and regulations for implementing the world’s biggest programme to fight hunger.

Maharashtra top cop sets himself aﬁre, battling for life MUMBAI: Additional Director General of Police R.K. Sahay set himself aﬁre at his home late Saturday. Police officials said yesterday it was a suicide attempt. An Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1986 batch, Sahay has been rushed to the Bombay Hospital with 60 per cent burn injuries. The motive behind the step is not yet known. Top police officials are investigating the matter. Sahay shot into the limelight when he recently submitted an inquiry report detailing alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) during the tenure of its former chief, Deepak Kapoor, an IAS officer of 1991 batch.

Jayalalithaa launches Amma Mineral Water CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa yesterday launched a Rs10 a litre Amma Mineral Water bottle, inaugurating the water plant set up by the transport department. Jayalalithaa inaugurated the 300,000 litre per day plant at Gummudipoondi through video conferencing from the secretariat here. She also bought the ﬁrst water bottle for Rs10 from Transport Minister V. Senthil Balaji. According to the government, similar water plants will be set up in nine other districts. The government said the railways sell one litre water bottle for Rs15 and private players retail it for Rs20.

Two killed in bear attack VISAKHAPATNAM: A bear which strayed into a tribal settlement from nearby forest has killed two persons and injured three others near the port city Visakhapatnam. The incident took place near Malivalasa under Dumbriguda mandal of the district the other day, forest department sources said. - Agencies

A10

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

PAKISTAN ECONOMIC WOES

PIA labour unions set sights on employee buyout KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) strongest union has thrown its weight behind an employee buyout of the cash-strapped carrier, which has become a burden for the current government. “The government should give us the ﬁrst right of refusal of whatever market prices the shares get,” stated the Joint Action Committee of PIA Employees (JACPIAE). Even if the employees have to beg from door-to-door, we won’t allow a national asset to be gifted to someone,” they added. JACPIAE has already approached local and foreign investors to back its bid, and PIA’s Collective Bargaining Agent, which is controlled by Pakistan People’s Party-backed labour union, agrees with them. Earlier this week, the government announced its decision to privatise 26 per cent of the total shares of PIA along with management control. The airline and officials of the Privatisation Commission are working on a detailed plan. “Our foremost priority is to stop this (privatisation). But then we already own part of the airline. We

Our foremost priority is to stop this (privatisation). But then we already own part of the airline. We have an advantage CASH-STRAPPED: PIA saw a decline of 10,000 ﬂights to 45,000

in 2012. The number of revenue passengers — who pay for their seats — declined to a six-year low of 5.2 million, and available seat kilometres at 19.84 million remains at a four year low. — AFP ﬁle photo

have an advantage,” stated President of Society of Aircraft Engineers Shaukat Jamshed, and insisted that workers ﬁrst try to stop privatisation before considering the buyout option. The last government had distributed 12 per cent of PIA’s shares among the staff under the Benazir

OUTRAGE

One rapist identified, taken into custody LAHORE: The cousin of Lahore’s five-year-old gang-rape survivor identified one of the rapists as Shehzad Kapadia, Express News reported yesterday. The accused was taken into custody after the cousin identified a sketch prepared with the help of CCTV footage which captured a suspect dropping the child at the hospital. The girl was found at around 8pm on September 13, a day after she went missing from a low-income neighbourhood in the city. The rape survivor underwent a surgery, while two more operations are scheduled for the coming weeks, according to her doctor. Not speaking As per details gathered from the hospital, her condition has improved and she is responsive but is not speaking. Her parents were given visita-

tion rights but she is not allowed any other visitors. The doctor said that they want to give her sleeping medications to help speed up her recovery from mental trauma. Raped several times Doctors said the child was raped several times and after receiving emergency care was transferred to the intensive care unit of nearby Services hospital. The CCTV footage also showed a security guard from Lahore’s Sir Ganga Ram hospital carrying the victim into the building on his shoulder after he found her lying on the road in a critical condition, said the police chief. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary took suo motu notice of the rape and the inspector general of Punjab Police presented a two page report to the Supreme Court on Saturday. — Express Tribune

21 FOREIGNERS ARRESTED

Madressahs raided GUJRANWALA: Police and members of the Elite Force raided two madressahs in Gujranwala and arrested 21 foreigners, Express News reported yesterday. The madressahs reportedly belonged to Qazi Hamidullah Khan — a teacher of Taleban supreme leader Mullah Omar. SHOs from 30 police stations headed by the SP raided the seminaries.

The nationality and the names of the foreigners could not be ascertained. The madressahs records are being checked and tallied. Police said that the arrested suspects were able to speak Urdu but could not speak Pashtu. The security officers are investigating how and when these foreigners arrived in Pakistan and under which visa. — Express Tribunew

Employees Stock Option Scheme. Pakistan has previously witnessed two successful employeebuyouts. First in 1991, when Exxon decided to exit the market, its employees arranged ﬁnancers and bought 75 per cent equity in what later became Engro Corporation. And consecutively a year later,

Shaukat Jamshed President, Society of Aircraft Engineers

employees collectively bought out Millat Tractors, which is now one of the most competitive companies in the country. “Letting the employees have a stake is preferable to a private investor taking control. A private investor would ﬁre people and that create no economic value”

said Asad Umar, who was among the workers of Exxon who opted for the buyout. At the moment, analysts and industry officials can only guess the terms which will be offered to the investor. “Accumulated losses is not the big issue, it’s the long term debt that matters. And if the government picks that up then this transaction does not make much sense,” said Umar. PIA has a negative equity of over Rs125 billion. Its long term debt exceeds Rs80 billion. Starting from the ﬁrst quarter to March 2013, PIA’s loss increased 10 per cent to Rs8.62 billion. ‘Not unusual’ Investor Arif Habib, who is also on the board of directors at PIA, said “It is yet to be decided how the government proceeds with the privatisation but it’s possible that the government will take ownership of the liabilities. It is not unusual, it has happened before.” PIA saw a decline of 10,000 ﬂights to 45,000 in 2012. The number of revenue passengers — who pay for their seats — declined to a six-year low of 5.2 million, and

available seat kilometres at 19.84 million remains at a four year low. “Selling just 26 per cent shares won’t absolve the government from bearing the airline’s liabilities but it’s needed to make the transaction seem attractive to the investor,” stated an analyst. Dire need of a layoff Former CEOs including Tariq Kirmani and Zafar A Khan have argued that PIA is in dire need of a layoff. PIA is over staffed with 19,000 employees, placing it at the bottom in the league of all airlines when it comes to worker-toaircraft ratio. Salaries, wages, allowances, welfare, social security cost, retirement beneﬁt and compensated absences amounted to over Rs25 billion in 2012. On the other hand, the money spent on repairing the ﬂying machines, cost of replacing spare parts including expensive engine parts, the overhauls, all put together amount to approximately Rs8.9 billion. Fuel cost which make up 35 per cent of operational cost of an average airlines, is over 47 per cent in the case of PIA. — Exclusive, in arrangement with Express Tribune

Roadside bomb kills two military officials Major General

Troops set to withdraw from Swat Valley

Sanaullah Khan, along with a lieutenant colonel and another soldier, were killed in the district after visiting an outpost near the border, the army said

ISLAMABAD: A roadside bomb killed a Pakistani general and another officer yesterday near the border with Afghanistan, the Pakistani army said, rare high-ranking casualties in Pakistan’s war against militants. Major General Sanaullah Khan, along with a lieutenant colonel and another soldier, were killed in the Upper Dir district after visiting an outpost near the border, the army said. Taleban responsible Taleban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid claimed responsibility for the bombing, which Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said would not affect the ﬁght against militants.

PESHAWAR: Pakistan is to start withdrawing troops from a troubled northwestern district where Taleban insurgents shot schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai in the head, local officials said yesterday. The army in 2009 sent 30,000 troops to battle Taleban ﬁghters controlled by cleric Maulana Fazlullah, who since 2007 had taken control of the scenic Swat valley and waged a campaign of beheadings, other violence and attacks on girls’ schools.

“Pakistan army has made substantial sacriﬁces to protect the nation against the menace of terrorism and such cowardly acts by terrorists cannot deter the morale of our armed forces,” Sharif said in a statement. Peace talks The attack comes after weeks of discussions within Sharif’s government about whether to pursue peace talks with the Pakistani Taleban, who are separate from Afghanistan’s Taleban, although allied with them. Last week, major political parties held a conference on the

By July 2009 the army declared the region back under control and said the rebels had all been killed, captured or ﬂed. But more than 20,000 troops remained in Swat and adjacent districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Some security officials in Swat have voiced fears that Fazlullah and his loyalists, who escaped into eastern Afghanistan, could make a comeback in the event of a complete army pullout. The chief minister of

issue and agreed that talks should be pursued. But it was not clear when talks might begin, who might take part or if they would be held under any conditions. The killing of Khan and his colleagues would likely make it more difficult for the government to enter negotiations. Negotiations The Pakistani Taleban, an umbrella group of different factions, have said they would have their own meeting to decide whether to negotiate with the government. Analysts said it might be

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pervez Khattak, on Saturday approved the phased withdrawal, his spokesman Shiraz Paracha said. In the initial stage, troops will be withdrawn from neighbouring Buner and Shangla districts in October. “Chief minister Pervez Khattak has approved gradual withdrawal of forces from Swat and Malakand division. Forces will start leaving Shangla and Buner districts in the ﬁrst phase from next month,” he said. — AFP

difficult for them to reach an agreement. Taleban spokesman Shahid said the attacks would continue while the militants decided if the government’s offer was genuine. “If we ﬁnd them serious we can talk, otherwise we will continue our attacks,” he said. The Taleban said last year that they would only consider talks if the government imposed strict Islamic law and went to war with old enemy India. But Sharif’s government, which came to power this year, has made improving ties with neighbouring India a priority. — Reuters

KARACHI

Eateries asked to pack up, move KARACHI: The restaurants stretched across almost two and a half kilometres in Phase VIII of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) face the threat of being uprooted due to a notice issued by DHA authorities, asking them to shut down and vacate the premises. According to the restaurant owners, the notice was issued on March 22 without any reason or lawful justiﬁcation. According to the court’s record, the second notice was sent on July 11 ordering the owners to vacate the land before August 15. The affected restaurants – Sajjad, Charcoal, Creek Inn, H & Q Business (Kababees), Hot Bite, Ambala Corniche, Café Echoes and Olive Café – ﬁled a set of petitions with the Sindh High Court, asking that the agreement with the DHA management should be treated as a lease, not as a licence. On September 10, Justice Munib Akhtar of SHC granted an interim stay to the restaurant owners until the next hearing against vacating their premises and issued notices to the DHA management to appear before the

LEASE, NOT LICENCE: The affected restaurants ﬁled a set of peti-

tions with the Sindh High Court, pleading that the agreement with the Defence Housing Authority management should be treated as a lease, not as a licence. — Express Tribune

court on a date yet to be decided. The petitioners told the court that they were given the indication that their contracts would be renewed after the two-year period was completed. According to the petitions, the DHA allotted an open piece of 1,500 square yards to each restaurant through a written lease agreement on July 6, 2011, which was purported as a licence agreement. A DHA official told The Express

Tribune that the notice was nothing out of the ordinary and was part of running a business. ‘Right time’ When asked about the reason for this notice, he said that the authority will elaborate in their official statements “when it was the right time and once everything was decided and final.” He also clarified that there was still possibility of the contracts being renewed. — Express Tribune

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ASIA BRIEFS

THOUSANDS FLEE AS VOLCANO ERUPTS Sinabung volcano spews thick smoke and volcanic material in Indonesia’s Karo district, yesterday. Thousands of villagers ﬂed the area after a volcano erupted on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, spewing rocks and red-hot ash onto surrounding villages, officials said. National disaster agency spokesman said 3,710 people had been evacuated so far. It was the second recent eruption of Sinabung. The volcano was dormant for nearly 100 years before erupting in August and September 2010. - AFP

Waheed raises concerns over Maldives vote MALI: Outgoing Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed raised concerns yesterday about the first round of the polls in which he suffered a humiliating defeat, while calling for “peace and harmony” before the final vote. Waheed received just 5.13 per cent of the vote in the first round on September 7, while ex-leader Mohamed Nasheed took the top spot with 45.45 per cent. Nasheed, however, fell short of the majority mark and now faces a tricky run-off against his nearest rival Abdullah Yameen, who garnered 25.35 per cent. “I am very concerned that there are some very serious allegations regarding the election,” Waheed said in a statement. He did not elaborate but said it was “of utmost importance to resolve these issues by the respective constitutional mechanisms, and ascertain justice”. “I appeal to all Maldivian citizens to maintain the same peace and harmony in the second round of voting as well,” he added.

Police woman shot at in Afghan assassination bid KABUL: A senior female police officer in Afghanistan was shot at in an assassination attempt on Sunday, two months after her female predecessor was killed, underscoring worries about both security and the role of women as foreign troops prepare to leave. Lieutenant Negara, who like many Afghans only uses one name, was shot as she was being driven to work on a motorbike by a male relative in Lashkar Gah, capital of battleground southern province of Helmand. She was taken to hospital and was expected to survive, said the provincial governor’s spokesman, Omar Zwak.

Philippine army gains ground, arrests rebels Sporadic clashes continued as soldiers moved to clear MNLF rebels from coastal neighbourhoods and cut off the escape routes after a ceaseﬁre plan collapsed

ZAMBOANGA: Philippine troops took back ground from rebels yesterday, the military said, as they tried to end a week-long siege in the southern city of Zamboanga that has seen thousands ﬂee and left more than 60 people dead. Sporadic clashes continued as soldiers moved to clear Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) gunmen from coastal neighbourhoods and cut off escape routes after a ceaseﬁre plan collapsed. Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala said a number of MNLF rebels had sur-

ON GUARD: Members of the Philippine Marines hold their weapons

aboard a truck as they block a road during ﬁghting between government soldiers and rebels in Zamboanga city, yesterday. – Reuters

rendered yesterday, and some had been captured while trying to escape in civilian clothes. “We are gaining ground. We’ve taken back some of the areas from them. We are still moving forward,” he said. Extent of damage As troops moved through the Santa Barbara district, the extent of the damage from seven days of ﬁghting came into full view. Several buildings were reduced to smouldering heaps while others were pockmarked with bullet holes, an AFP reporter said. Soldiers recovered the bodies

of two slain gunmen still clinging to their rifles, and several unexploded warheads for use in rocket propelled grenades had been left behind by the fleeing rebels. In the distance, black smoke billowed from another area that had just gone up in flames. And in a nearby district, a group of soldiers could be seen crouched on the street as sniper fire whizzed just above their heads, television footage showed. Heavily armed MNLF forces entered the port city’s coastal neighbourhoods on Monday and took dozens of hostages in a bid to scupper peace talks between another

FUKUSHIMA CRISIS

Japan to be nuclear-free as last reactor is switched off TOKYO: Japan yesterday began switching off its last operating nuclear reactor for an inspection, with no date scheduled for a restart amid strong public hostility towards atomic power. The move will leave the world’s third largest economy without atomic energy for the second time since the Fukushima nuclear crisis erupted in March 2011. Nuclear power supplied about one-third of the resource-poor nation’s electricity before a tsunami knocked out cooling systems and sparked meltdowns at Fukushima, causing tens of thousands to ﬂee their homes. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has openly supported a return to the widespread use of atomic energy, but the public remains largely opposed on safety grounds. Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO) yesterday started gradually to take offline the No. 4 reactor at its Oi nuclear plant in the western prefecture of Fukui. “The work started at 4:40pm (0740 GMT),” said a company spokesman. “The reactor will come to a complete stop early tomorrow (Monday).” Without nuclear power Japan previously was without any nuclear energy in May 2012, when all of the country’s 50 commercial reactors stopped for checkups in the wake of the disaster.

PUBLIC HOSTILITY: Workers at the Kansai Electric Power Co’s Ohi

nuclear power plant monitor the central control room of the No. 4 reactor which was disconnected from its power grid, in Ohi, Fukui prefecture, in this photo taken by Kyodo, yesterday. –Reuters

Utilities were unable immediately to restart them due to public opposition. It was the ﬁrst time in more than four decades that Japan had been without nuclear power. Government officials and utilities voiced concern at the time that Japan could face major blackouts without nuclear power, particularly in the western region that relied heavily on nuclear energy. Their fears proved unfounded but the government last year gave Kansai Electric approval to restart No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Oi plant, arguing that nuclear energy was necessary to meet increased electricity demand during the winter.

The reactors were reactivated in July 2012 and resumed full commercial operation the following month, but the No. 3 reactor was shut down earlier this month for a scheduled inspection. The nation’s other reactors have remained idle. Consent Utilities this summer have submitted applications to restart their reactors with the Nuclear Regulation Authority, which has signiﬁcantly upgraded safety standards since the Fukushima crisis. The central government and utilities will seek the consent of local governments and communities hosting nuclear plants before any future restarts. - AFP

militant group and the government aimed at ending a decadeslong rebellion in the south. The fighting was now concentrated only in two coastal districts, while other areas were secure. Police said many hostages were either freed or escaped and the number was now down to only a few from as high as 200 in the early part of the crisis. But the attack underscored the complexity of ending conflict in the southern third of the mostly Catholic Philippines, where there are several armed factions and which has seen a proliferation of unlicensed firearms. Day and night operations by at least 3,000 elite government troops have now seen 51 MNLF rebels killed, as well as six soldiers, a policemen and four civilians. Air and sea ports remained closed yesterday in a crisis that has paralysed the city of one million, seen entire neighbourhoods razed to the ground, and forced tens of thousands to flee. “This is really catastrophic, we’re not prepared for this,” Zamboanga chamber of commerce president Pedro Rufo Soliven said. He said that based on initial estimates the economic losses to Zamboanga could be as much as 50 billion pesos a day. - AFP

27 killed in Afghanistan coal mine collapse KABUL: At least 27 miners in Afghanistan have been killed in a collapse in a coal mine, officials said yesterday, in an accident likely to reinforce worries about a sector that many Afghans hope can underpin the country’s development. The collapse occurred on Saturday evening in the northern province of Samangan, said provincial governor’s spokesman Sediq Azizi. “Rescue teams have recovered 27 dead miners and there are 22 more wounded,” Azizi said. District police chief Akram Behzad said all trapped miners had been rescued.

One killed as tension rises over Cambodia elections PHNOM PENH : Police used teargas, smoke grenades and water cannon to disperse demonstrators after a rally in Cambodia on Sunday to push for an investigation into a July election they say was ﬁxed to favour the ruling party. A human rights worker said he saw one protester shot dead and two others sustain bullet wounds to the legs as police moved in to arrest and disperse demonstrators. Police could not conﬁrm the witness account. - Agencies

ONE FOR THE ALBUM: Contestants of Miss World 2013

have a photo session at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park in Bali, on Friday. The event began in Indonesia on September 8 amid tight security. – AFP

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T I M E S O F O M AN

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Founder: Essa bin Mohammed Al Zedjali Chairman and Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Anees bin Essa Al Zedjali Chief Executive Officer: Ahmed Essa Al Zedjali Editorial: 24726666, Fax: 24813153; E-mail: editor@timesofoman.com Advertising: 24726666, Fax: 24812624 Circulation: 24726600, Fax: 24818270; E-mail: circulation@timesofoman.com Printed and published by: Muscat Press & Publishing House P.O. Box 770, Ruwi, Postal Code: 112, Sultanate of Oman. Subscription: RO70 per year.

Pakistan seeks to take drone attacks to UN

fter years of dithering about the matter and endless bluster and flowery and defiant rhetoric, Pakistan government has decided to take up the matter of the violation of its sovereignty by US drones with the United Nations. Consultation has begun with its missions in Geneva and New York as to what may be the best strategy to take the issue forward. This is a direct outcome of the All-Parties Conference (APC) which recommended that the government pursue this beyond formal and informal protests, none of which appear to have made the slightest difference to the US. At this stage it is unclear whether an appeal is to be made to the UN General Assembly or the Security Council (SC). If to the former, then the best that may be hoped for is a condemnatory resolution that has little real traction beyond the publicity it will attract. If the Government of Pakistan is to make an appeal to the latter, any resolution that calls for the cessation of drone strikes will be struck down by the US, since it has veto power by virtue of its permanent seat on the Council. In both instances, Islamabad’s decision to approach the UN will appear to be nothing more than a cosmetic gesture, and will achieve little that is concrete. That said, it would be fair to agree with the assessment that drone strikes by one country on another country’s territory are indeed a violation of the latter’s sovereignty. In the eyes of international law, they would be considered illegal as well, particularly when the country on whose territory the strikes are being carried out has publicly protested and asked for them to be ceased. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at a meeting earlier this year, said of drones: “The current lack of transparency surrounding their use creates an accountability vacuum and affects the ability of victims to seek redress.” This has a specific relevance to Pakistan where civilian deaths associated with drone strikes are of particular concern and the matter is very opaque with even the government not making public any figures regarding those who are killed who are not militants or high-value targets. Pakistan’s moral position is, however, compromised somewhat because the other side to this argument also holds water. This says that Pakistani soil is used by militants and terrorists to plan, launch and carry out attacks on other countries and that the presence of such elements is nothing less than a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. After all, it is an open secret that many such outfits are indeed present in the country’s northwest, in particular in Fata, where the state’s writ runs very thin. This argument posits further that the strikes would not happen if a) the government of Pakistan were to go after the militants in the safe havens on its own and b) if they were not carrying out acts of terror on other countries. Our advice to the Government — and the military — of Pakistan would be that instead of taking the issue to the United Nations (which as explained above will not achieve much), it would be far better to eliminate the safe havens and sanctuaries on Pakistani soil and which are being used by militants to carry out attacks on other countries..- The Express Tribune

PRICE OF CONFLICT

What another war will mean to a wary nation

I FRANK BRUNI

Diplomacy as deterrent

resident Obama did better by giving in to the diplomatic reality of the moment and asking Congress to postpone a vote on military action in Syria. The same applies to sending Secretary of State John Kerry to Geneva to meet with the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, about obtaining some kind of United Nations mandate that Syria disclose its chemical weapons and surrender control of them. While Obama stressed, and we strongly agree, that chemical weapons are a particularly repugnant form of warfare, these murders are just as wanton, just as disregarding of innocent lives, as the chemical attack, and far more deadly. The Russian suggestion that Syria could avert an attack by turning over control of its chemical weapons, which had its roots in an earlier offer by President Vladimir Putin to Obama, is the first real sign of life on the diplomatic side of this crisis. There are so many uncertainties — starting with the simple question of how far Russia will go in approving a Security Council resolution requiring Syria’s chemical disarmament, including the huge puzzle of how to actually accomplish the transfer of such deadly weapons to international control amid the chaos of the civil war. But the diplomacy could provide more of an immediate deterrent against further chemical attacks. Russia will continue to make seemingly unreasonable demands until a deal is finally signed and is unlikely to admit that the Syrian regime carried out the gas attack. But Congress and Obama should be careful about setting hard deadlines or drawing any more red lines. At least Syria has admitted that it has chemical weapons, for the first time ever; Putin has acknowledged to the world that there must be limits on the blank checks he was writing his client state; and Russia and the United States are working toward a common strategic goal for the first time in a very long time. - The New

York Times News Service

Capital punishment is a primitive practice This refers to the news story, Rights groups slam India death sentence for rapists (September 14). Given the gravity of the shocking crime of December 16, 2012, everyone wanted justice to be delivered at the earliest possible time. Everyone in India was also looking forward to a justice that would deter recurrence of such gruesome crime. A debate on the justiﬁcation of capital punishment has been raging across the world for the past sometime. In India, there are people who feel that death penalty is a primitive practice. The agony of those who are sentenced to death, waiting for the gallows, is beyond the comprehension of most human beings. The most painful scenario is when the death sentence is

postponed several times, creating a scenario that one lawyer described as “virtually killing the convict every day”. Such action should be considered abusive. I do not support capital punishment and I consider it an unethical act of aggression that is against the values of humanity. Ramachandran Nair Ruwi

The United States sent more than two million men and women to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 6,500 of them are dead. Tens of thousands were physically injured, including some 1,500 amputees

READERS’ FORUM “Insure with New India and be secure”

Essa was the pioneer of English journalism It was gratifying to learn that the founder chairman of MPPH and former editor-in-chief of Times of Oman, Essa bin Mohammed Al Zedjali was given an award posthumously at ‘Jai Oman Jai Hind’ cultural conﬂuence in Muscat. Essa bin Mohammed Al Zedjali was a pioneer of English journal-

n the feverish debate about a strike against Syria, there was a phrase that rankled, a shorthand that short-changed the potential consequences and costs of military engagement. “Boots on the ground.” It’s what the Obama administration told the world that we needn’t worry about. It’s what lawmakers and pundits said that voters could never abide. No “boots on the ground.” Definitely not “boots on the ground.” It was as if we were talking about footwear: rest assured, folks, wingtips and Birkenstocks are out of the question. But we were talking about lives, about American servicemen and servicewomen, the kinds who were dispatched for dubious reasons to Iraq and less dubious ones to Afghanistan, some of whom didn’t come back, some of whom will never be the same. We’re not good at discussing this, at confronting head-on what the toll of our best intentions and tortured interventions can be. We turn to abstractions, not just “boots on the ground” but the shop-worn observation, divorced from any detail, that Americans are “tired of war,” as if it’s a wearying chore, something that fatigues a country rather than something that rips families and communities apart, sucking their loved ones in and spitting them back out in coffins, on respirators, with missing pieces, with scrambled minds. As last week ended, the possibility of bombing Syria seemed to recede. But before that happened, President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry were promising that any military action The US might take would be limited to the air and would be at once a definitive deterrent and “unbelievably small,” in Kerry’s words. That paradoxical notion spoke volumes about the administration’s confused and confusing approach. And that assurance underscored a different, unspoken reality: that to strike a blow is to light a fuse. You just don’t know. You can’t predict the moment or the shape of the explosion, and you can’t guess the size of the temptation to follow it up with just one more manoeuvre, one additional push. And that’s why we should have been weighing, and should still weigh, some numbers in addition to those cited by the president in his address to the nation last Tuesday night. He mentioned the galling statistic that more than 100,000 people had been killed in the last two years of civil war in Syria. More than 1,000 of them, he said, had perished in the gas attack that prompted America’s current debate about whether to hit certain Syrian targets. Here are some other relevant figures. The United States sent more than two million men and women to

All the world’s a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed SEAN O’CASEY

fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 6,500 of them are dead. Tens of thousands were physically injured, including some 1,500 amputees. Iraq and Afghanistan were minefields, literally and metaphorically, rife with improvised explosive devices, or IED’s. They were easy places to lose a limb. Of the two-million-plus Americans who spent time there, “studies suggest that 20 to 30 per cent have come home with post-traumatic stress disorder,” writes David Finkel in his beautiful and heart-breaking new book, Thank You for Your Service,”which was excerpted in The New Yorker recently and will be published next month. “Depression, anxiety, nightmares, memory problems, personality changes, suicidal thoughts: every war has its after-war, and so it is with the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, which have created some five hundred thousand mentally wounded American veterans.” Pause here for a few seconds. Take that in. Half a million Americans carry around a darkness they didn’t used to, because when this country went to war, they, unlike most of us, actually had to go. “How to grasp the true size of such a number, and all of its implications, especially in a country that paid such scant attention to the wars in the first place?” Finkel asks in his book. That’s an essential question, not just in terms of Iraq and Afghanistan but in relation to our current crossroads and all that we need to take into consideration when deliberating war. There’s the financial strain of military engagement. There’s the wrath of nations that disapprove of it and the possible repercussion from terrorists. With Syria, each of these has been discussed. But there’s also a worst-case scenario of a point, down the line, when things get messier than we ever meant them to and when there’s a call for something more than aerial bombardment, for the presence — and the sacrifice — of American servicemen and servicewomen. And “boots on the ground” isn’t adequate acknowledgment of this. I mention Finkel and his books not just because they’re so gorgeously written, but because they fill in crucial gaps for the many Americans who have opinions about Syria but no first-hand experience of war. The way that we can best thank our good soldiers for their service is to keep in mind, whenever contemplating the next military engagement, the ravages of the last one. To remember that there are spouses passionately loved, parents sorely needed, sons and daughters fiercely cherished in all of those pairs of boots. - The New York Times News Service

ism and media in the Sultanate who carried Times of Oman to great heights with his visionary leadership and astuteness. I take this opportunity to convey my heartfelt congratulations to the family members of the founding chairman of the MPPH and the Times of Oman team. G.V.K. Durga Ravi Muscat

Mobile phone radiation is playing havoc with bees This refers to the letter, Mobile phones can cause serious harvest failures (September 15). The phenomenon has started to wipe out bee populations in the US and has now begun to make its presence felt even in major parts of Europe. The phenomenon took a rather serious toll on commercial

cultivation of bees in England sending the entire nation into a tailspin. Radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees’ navigation systems, preventing them from ﬁnding their way back to their hives. With one after another bee colonies disappearing, the mysterious phenomenon has been named ‘Colony Collapse Disorder’ (CCD). And this CCD phenomenon occurs when a hive’s inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers. The vanished bees are never found again and are generally believed either dead or having strayed very far away — without the queen. The natural cycle of pollination of crops and other growths then goes for a toss. Saurav Dutta Gupta Wadi Kabir

Letters, 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), by fax (24813153) or by e-mail (times@omantel.net.om)

TIMES OF OMAN

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PERSPEC IVE Is Twitter turning into a business? It always has been W

ALICE JONES

Just as Twitter has always been a business, it has always been used as a marketing tool. Seven out of the top 10 accounts on the site belong to popstars like Bieber and Katy Perry — all of whom have probably sold far more records and tickets via the site than they have made friends

ho knew that hashtag puns, pictures of Starbucks cups with wrongly spelt names and terse outrage could be worth so much? To be precise, $10bn, if early reports about Twitter’s planned flotation on the stock market are to be believed. On Thursday at 2pm, San Francisco time, Twitter made its first steps towards going public. It did so, of course, with a tweet: “We’ve confidentially submitted an S-1 to the SEC for a planned IPO. This tweet does not constitute an offer of any securities for sale.” Out it went to the 23.6 million people who follow Twitter on Twitter, and to the followers of the 13,066 people (and counting) who retweeted it. It topped news bulletins. Bloggers explained why this was the most anticipated flotation in tech history. Newspapers redrew their front pages. And, in just 135 characters, Twitter proved its power and its reach. Its worth? That’s #tbc. Since Twitter began on 21 March 2006, with a tweet from its executive chairman Jack Dorsey — “just setting up my twttr” — 430 billion tweets have been sent. And only about 429 billion of them were about Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus. Its growth is astonishing — up to 200 million users today. Whether you think it is the global news service of the future or the biggest procrastination tool ever invented, it is now, inevitably, part of 21st-century life. You do not even need to have your own account: what happens on Twitter rarely stays on Twitter. News agendas are, for better or worse, shaped by its 140-character missives — minute-by-minute bulletins from Tahrir Square, Sally Bercow’s *innocent face*, the announcement of Beyoncé conceiving. It is also, like a lot of things to do with computers and smartphones, a playground for the profoundly silly. Ed Miliband typing “Blackbusters” instead of “Blockbusters”, owls in hats, Ed Balls typing his own name, cats in boxes, the editor of Newsnight typing “boring snoring”, otters in coats — these are things that should not take up as many minutes as they do, but Twitter has harnessed the human will to waste time with spectacular success. On Thursday, it followed its bombshell with a second tweet which said, simply: “Now, back to work.” To which I, and 200 million others, said: “Fat chance, Jack”. At some point, though, the cosy sharing free-forall had to stop. And Twitter — like Facebook, LinkedIn and Zynga before it — is moving from chummy network to corporate concern. Its investors want their money back. How much they will get is a matter for excitable speculation, but that $10bn figure is all the more extraordinary for the fact that no one really knows how much money Twitter makes, or how it will go about making more.

The fact that it has filed for an IPO confidentially means it must have revenues of less than $1bn. The research firm eMarketer has projected its sales for this year at $583m. However much it makes, Twitter is and always has been a business. It is not a global charity for lonely people with time to kill. Dorsey, Zuckerberg and Co might pad around their open-plan offices in flip-flops, playing ping-pong, and thought-storming in the rooftop allotment, but underneath their hoodies, pinstripes lurk. Or at least the pinstriped types are never far away, whispering buzzwords like “monetise” and “target”. Start-ups can’t stay on the starting blocks for ever. Twitter has been preparing for some time. Earlier this week, it bought MoPub, a mobile advertising company, and before that, Bluefin, a firm which allows marketers to message those tweeting about certain TV programmes. It clearly believes the money is going to come from targeted advertising. We, and the information we share, are its golden goose. What does all of this mean for the average user? Will Twitter become less friendly forum and more marketplace? Already there are pop-up “sponsored tweets” from drinks companies and airlines, which insinuate themselves into one’s feed somewhere between Robert Peston and Rihanna, forcing the eye to scan them. Add in Bluefin’s dastardly ways and soon we’ll all be getting to the end of The Great British Bake Off having subliminally bought an electric whisk, a set of cake tins and five bags of flour. Or will we? Just as Twitter has always been a business, it has always been used as a marketing tool. Seven out of the top 10 accounts on the site belong to popstars like Bieber and Katy Perry — all of whom have probably sold far more records and tickets via the site than they have made friends. It has always been a marketplace. What it means for users is irrelevant in any case — unless they decide to buy shares. Thanks to Twitter’s chatty corporatese — its cute bluebird logo, the way it allows everyone to blather on in the same democratic fashion — users imagine they have ownership over the site. And yet it costs nothing to use. To enter one’s password is to enter a fiendish, cashless pact: post a picture of your wedding and deal with the fertility treatment adverts that inevitably follow. We use social networks and they use us. Perhaps, like Spotify, Twitter will start to charge for a premium service, free from advertising. Given that most users expect free access and are already resigned to pop-ups as a necessary evil, the take-up would probably be minimal. So what of the future? A lot of carping about ads and, in time, the birth of another social network. And then the cycle from friend-making to money-making can begin again. - The Independent

The Russians are coming

DAOUD KUTTAB Special to Times of Oman

Special perks for Duke of Cambridge

JOAN SMITH

ere is a piece of “breaking news”: a man has left his job. He did his last shift ﬁve days ago, and is thinking about what to do next. He is going to think about it for 12 months and an entire troupe of people will follow him on our behalf, bringing us “live” up-

dates. These will consist mostly of someone standing outside an imposing building, using lots of highsounding words such as “duty” and “public service”. So hats off to whoever wrote this headline in Friday’s Daily Mirror: “Prince William has left the RAF – but we’re none the wiser on what the future holds for him”. I don’t know if I’m right in detecting a hint of irritation towards another royal non-story, but elsewhere correspondents were doing their best. Lack of hard information has never stopped royal reporters leaping for bones thrown by the Windsor family, and then rushing back to newsrooms with their tails wagging. William is said to have embarked on a “transitional year” which will allow him to “focus on royal duties” while “keeping his options open” and doing a bit of charity work. (Note to the unemployed: you might

want to use that line about keeping your options open next time you’re asked why you haven’t found a job.) Monarchists always say I’ve overlooked how much time the royals spend on official engagements. So I’ve looked it up: Prince William carried out 88 engagements last year and the ﬁgure isn’t expected to increase much until he becomes a “full-time working royal”. That’s roughly one every four days, which doesn’t seem very onerous to me, but then my idea of work is different from that of the royals. Incidentally, his wife has been described as “on maternity leave”, which makes me wonder about her job description. On leave from what? Is “duchess” a full-time position? That’s another one to try at the Jobcentre. Almost every “news” story featuring the Royal Family is a combination of non-event and smart PR, with a bit of celebrity gossip thrown in. The usual standards of journal-

ism don’t apply, leaving us ignorant about the Windsors’ ﬁnances, politics and inﬂuence. The Government is so worried about the political bias displayed in Prince Charles’s letters to ministers that the Attorney-General, Dominic Grieve, has blocked publication of even a tiny sample; he fears disclosure would damage Charles’s future role as king. This is one of the few royal “stories” worthy of the name, but all we get most of the time is guff about how hard it is for the poor royals to balance “duties” and private life. So here is the real news: Prince William is taking a year off at a time when millions of people are struggling to hold on to their jobs, if they have one, and pay their bills. It’s another example of breathtaking self-indulgence within the ranks of the Royal Family, but most royal correspondents would stand on their heads rather than say so. - The Independent

hortly after the vote in the British parliament to oppose a strike on Syria, an American newspaper reported the decision of the House of Commons in an unusual way. In a spoof to the independence cry, the Daily News ran a front-page headline repeating twice the phrase: “The British are not coming.” While it has become clear that the British are not coming to America’s aid in the military theatre, the global political movement is witnessing the arrival of an old/new player. Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, appear to have made a grand entry into the international political scene. The handling of the Syrian file, the G-20 conference and the RussianUS relations all added up to a shrewd and brilliant performance. Russia has shown it respects its allies, uses all its assets and privileges and knows how to translate its powers into accomplishments. The Russian Federation, which was left from the old Soviet Union, appeared to be a weak player in the international political landscape and a weak partner compared to giants such as the US, Germany, France or China. In fact, Russia was not officially admitted to the group of major industrial countries. It was allowed to attend as an observer in the G-7 meeting, which later was called G7+1, and finally became a full member of the newly declared G-8 group. Russia is, of course, not new to international and Middle Eastern politics. But while the Russian steadfastness brought it many high marks in Arab circles, many are warning against get carried away by the newfound strength of the Russians in international circles. 2013 is not the 1970s or 80s, and we are not going to see a new bipolar world. Russia may have done very well in handling the Syrian file (and US President Barack Obama handled it badly), but this is not to say that Russians will be flexing their muscles too much in world politics, although they are certain to make a splash next

time they meet US and other world leaders. The Syrian crisis, which is still far from being solved, has forced all international parties to be cognisant of a number of important issues that were ignored during the past decade of total US domination. Overreaching is one matter the international community is clearly not comfortable with, even (and in fact specifically) when it comes from a superpower like the US. Trying to carry out aggressive military acts without a mandate from the UN or any other relevant international body is clearly not tolerated in today’s world. Flexing military muscles for dubious reasons such as “America’s credibility” or to “punish” a particular country does not impress anymore. Countries need to come up with a more credible justification before committing to carrying out acts of aggression against any country, no matter how abhorrent that country and its leadership might be. Taking the UN and its Security Council for granted has also been put to the test. When American officials talk about Russia or China taking the “Syrian people hostage” by threatening to use the veto rings hollow when the international voting record of the five members is checked out. While the Russian Federation vetoed only six resolutions since 1991, the Americans used their veto power 79 times (40 of those in regard to Middle East issues, in favour of Israel). The relative success of the Russian Federation, however, should not be exaggerated. In military, political and more importantly financial terms, Moscow is dwarfed by the US and its Western allies. The Russians’ steadfastness and political creativity raised their country’s profile in the world generally and in the Middle East specifically. After an embarrassing loss in Libya, the Russians bounced back and forced the US to rethink its current world domination. If the Syrian crisis has taught the world anything, it is that international affairs are a team sport that requires high performance and unity of purpose in order to produce the desired results. America and Russia, as well as other major countries, must realise their own size and power, and act in unison, rather than in competition, when trying to solve world problems, which are aplenty. The author is a veteran Palestinian journalist and the director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman.

Wacom’s Cintiq goes mobile Adding to its line of Cintiq Pen Displays, Wacom has developed the Cintiq Companion creative tablets for Windows 8 and Android respectively, delivering professional pen-on-screen performance for users on the go

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TODAY IN HISTORY 1620 The Pilgrims sail from England on the Mayﬂower.

Express keys

Use as 2nd screen, or traditional graphics tablet

Cameras: Front and rear HD cameras (2M pixels/8M pixels) Speciﬁcations

1668

King John Casimer V of Poland abdicates the throne.

1747

The French capture Bergen-op-Zoom, consolidating their occupation of Austrian Flanders in the Netherlands.

Multi-touch gestures

Threelevel stand: Angled at 22, 35, 50 degrees

Keyboard: Optional wireless keyboard

Companion

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Operating system W8 or W8 Pro Processor Intel Core i-7 Weight /Thickness 1.8kg / 17mm Storage 256GB or 512GB Ram 8GB Price From $1,999

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Nvidia Tegra 4 quad-core 1.8kg / 17mm 16GB or 32GB 2GB From $1,499

Pressure and tilt recognition Cintiq 13.3in

iPad 9.7in display

1810

A revolution for independence breaks out in Mexico.

1934

Anti-Nazi Lutherans stage protest in Munich.

1942

The Japanese base at Kiska in the Aleutian Islands is raided by American bombers.

FROM OUR ARCHIVES WORK CAMP IN BAHLA

MUSCAT: The Bahla Municipality organized a one day work camp in association with the Bahla Club to repair and maintain interior roads of the wilayat. More than 100 youths and some local institutions participated in the camp. The camp was organized as part of the Municipalities and Environment Month programmes. Meanwhile Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Adwi, member of the Majlis Al Shura presided over a cultural function organized by the Bahla Club to honour the youths who won the summer art competitions held in the municipality.

Has the possibility of US military action in Syria receded indeﬁnitely? Visit timesofoman.com to cast your vote

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Has Russian President Vladimir Putin out smarted Barack Obama on Syria?

A 14

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

WORLD BID TO ARREST MAN

Bystanders hurt in NY ﬁring NEW YORK: New York police opened ﬁre on a suspect in Times Square on Saturday night, injuring two bystanders in the city’s busiest commercial district, police said yesterday. A 35-year-old man described as “emotionally disturbed” was weaving in and out of traffic at the Manhattan crossroads — one of

the city’s top tourist attractions -- and appeared to be trying to be hit by a car when an officer tried to arrest him. ‘Shooting at’ “The male eluded the officer, and when additional officers responded to the scene, the male put his hand in his pocket and then took it

out, simulating that he was shooting at the officers,” police said. One officer ﬁred a shot and missed, and another ﬁred two shots and also missed. The bullets hit a 54-year-old woman in her knee and a 35-year-old woman was injured in her left buttock. The man was arrested after being hit with a Taser. — AFP

First Saudi film to compete for Oscars next year Wadjda will represent Saudi Arabia at the Oscars, competing for the best foreignlanguage ﬁlm, in a ﬁrst for the kingdom, said the head of the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia, where cinemas are banned, is to compete for an Oscar for the ﬁrst time next year with feminist ﬁlm Wadjda directed by Haifaa Al Mansour, a Saudi official announced yesterday. The movie tells of a young girl’s quest to own a bicycle in the king-

HONOUR: Haifaa Al Mansour

dom where women are deprived of many rights, among them driving. “Wadjda will represent Saudi Arabia at the Oscars, competing for the best foreign-language film, in a first for the kingdom,” Sultan Al Bazie, who heads the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts, said. The decision follows “the success which the film and its director have achieved at several international festivals,” he said. Directed by Saudi Arabia’s first female filmmaker and shot en-

tirely in the Gulf state, the film won best Arabic feature award at the Dubai Film Festival last year and picked up an award in Cannes in March. Wadjda was co-produced by Germany’s Razor Film and several Saudi companies, including Rotana Studios which is linked to a member of the royal family. But the film, first released in France, will only be seen in the kingdom on DVD or on television. Mansour has said she was forced to direct what is her first feature film from a van with a walkie-talkie in some of the districts where she could not be seen in public together with male crew and cast members. In certain areas, screaming local residents would obstruct shooting altogether. The kingdom remains the only country where women are banned from driving. In April, local media reported that religious authorities have allowed Saudi women to cycle on condition that a male relative or guardian is present with them while they ride. — AFP

I N C L E M E N T W E AT H E R

Nine killed in Mexico storms MEXICO CITY: Tropical Storm Manuel drenched Mexico’s Paciﬁc coast yesterday, leaving at least nine people dead, while Hurricane Ingrid forced thousands to evacuate the east coast ahead of an expected landfall. The twin storms soaked huge swaths of the country in the east and west and threatening to cause more havoc as they neared the

coasts. In the southwestern state of Guerrero, six people died on Saturday when their van’s driver lost control due to a lack of visibility and a slippery road on their way to the resort city of Acapulco, civil protection official Constantino Gonzales Vargas said. The port of Acapulco was closed to navigation and issued a warning against recreational use

on beaches ahead of the hurricane’s strong winds. Two men who sailed away were reported missing. Guerrero’s civil protection services reported damage to at least a dozen homes in two towns in the Costa Chica region due to swollen rivers, and 50 more homes were at risk of being swept away in the ﬂooding and mudslides. — AFP

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 01 3

A15

WORLD H E AV Y R A I N S

500 people missing after massive ﬂoods hit Colorado DENVER: The water-soaked US state of Colorado was facing more rainfall yesterday that threatened to slow the search for some 500 people unaccounted for after several days of massive ﬂooding. Among the hundreds missing, officials suggested many may simply not be able to call loved ones because of damage to cell B O R N I N S PA I N

World’s oldest man dies at 112 NEW YORK: The world’s oldest man, a one-time sugarcane worker born in Spain, has died at 112 in New York state, a funeral home said on Saturday. Salustiano “Shorty” Sanchez, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest man, died on Friday at a nursing home in Grand Island, New York, the M.J. Colucci & Son Funeral Chapels said on its website. Guinness said in June that Sanchez, who also had been a construction worker, was the oldest man following the death of 116-year-old Jiroemon Kimura of Japan. Sanchez credited his longevity to eating one banana per day and taking Anacin daily, according to a recent Guinness online proﬁle. He told Guinness that living so long was not a special accomplishment. Sanchez was born in El Tejado de Bejar, Spain, in 1901 and worked as a sugarcane ﬁeld worker in Cuba before emigrating to the United States, where he found work in Kentucky coal mines. Sanchez liked to garden, do crossword puzzles, and play gin rummy every night with friends, according to Guinness. — Reuters

phone towers or power outages. “But we’re still bracing,” Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said. “There are many, many homes that have been destroyed. A number have been collapsed and we haven’t been in them yet,” he told CNN. As of early yesterday, 500 people

are unaccounted for, Hickenlooper added. In addition, thousands have been evacuated after torrential downpours washed away roads and inundated communities, claiming at least four lives. Rain began pelting the state earlier this week, in hard hit Boulder, which saw 18.3cm of precipita-

tion in about 15 hours beginning Wednesday night. And with more rain expected to be dumped on the region, the situation could get even more dire, Hickenlooper warned. In Boulder there was a 70 per cent chance of rain, The Weather Channel predicted. The same was true for Denver, it said.

With the ground already saturated, “that’s going to just really magnify the problems we’ve had so far,” Hickenlooper said in reference to Boulder County. “We’re still trying to evacuate people,” he added, noting that almost 2,000 people had been moved out of Boulder alone. New ﬂash ﬂoods were expect-

ed to inundate parts of the state Sunday, the National Weather Service warned as it forecast additional rainfall. On Saturday, large hail the size of peas or even marbles pummelled parts of the city of Aurora, according to local weather reports. A series of thunderstorms also struck the area. — AFP

A16

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

WORLD END CALL SAVE LIVES A TIMES OF OMAN HANDS-FREE DRIVING INITIATIVE

Now, drones to track storms With these drones, meteorologists will be able to swiftly make life and death decisions, like whether and when to evacuate people in the storm’s path

WASHINGTON: A pair of converted military drones are the US space agency’s newest tools for tracking hurricanes and tropical storms, with the aim of improving forecasters’ ability to predict them. Originally built for military reconnaissance missions around the world, they are the size of large commercial jets and are flown remotely from a Nasa base on the Virginia coast. The drones are capable of flying for 30 hours at an altitude of 21,000 meters, or twice the height of a passenger plane. They can also cover large swaths of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in a single mission, according to Chris Naftel, head of the drone project at Nasa’s Dryden center in California, the secondary drone base. The two Global Hawks began operating as Nasa drones in 2012, as part of a project that will last for three years. The drones operate in most active months -- August and September -- of the Atlantic hurricane season, which goes from June to the end of November. “It opens a window into a storm we did not have before,” said Scott Braun, a research meteorologist on the project called HS3, short for the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel. “Before we had short snap shots of individual storms at various times,” he said. Until now, the old stand-bys for monitoring storms have been piloted weather planes and satellites, he said. “By being able to

KEEPING AN EYE: A NASA Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle

taxies down a runway during a Hurricane in Wallops Island, Virginia, on September 10. -AFP

Even though scientists have been able to make great leaps in projecting the paths of hurricanes in recent years, their ability to predict the power and severity of storms has improved very little

view a storm continuously over a 20 hour period, you have a longer window to capture it,” he added. “This experiment will allow a better understanding of the processes that govern the intensiﬁcation in the formation of storms.” Even though scientists have been able to make great leaps in projecting the paths of hurricanes in recent years, their ability to predict the power and severity of storms has improved very little. Better forecasts would help authorities more swiftly make life and death decisions, like whether and when to evacuate people in the storm’s path. According to Nasa, nearly 100 million Americans live within 80 kilometres of a coast and are therefore at risk of being in the

path of a hurricane. The drones have two chief scientific missions: to determine the role of thunderstorms and rain in the intensification of storms, and to study the influence of the Saharan Air Layer, in the intensity of tropical cyclones. This very dry and dusty air mass forms over the Sahara desert and moves into the tropical Atlantic from the end of springtime until the beginning of autumn. Scientists are divided about the air mass’s impact on the intensity of tropical cyclones. Some think that the dry air could weaken a storm by blocking the upward motion of air and wind, while others suggest that the phenomenon makes storms more potent. Nasa along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are partners in the 30 million dollar programme and they hope that the information collected during three hurricane seasons in the Atlantic will provide some answers. Each of the planes is equipped with different instruments, including a laser for studying the structure of the clouds, a microwave system to probe the heart of hurricanes, GPS systems and radar. The drones’ precision instruments measure temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure several times per second. “We are really interested in trying to get measurements as close as we can to the surface of the ocean,” said NOAA scientist Gary Wick. -AFP

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM MONDAY, S EPTEMBER 16, 2013

MARKE

MAJORITY EXPECT COST OF LIVING TO SPIRAL IN OMAN Even though majority of the Oman residents are positive that their personal ﬁnancial situation will improve in the next six months, nearly 67 per cent expect the cost of living to increase in the same time span. >B2

‘Oman railway project offers huge business opportunities’ When the construction work starts next year for the railway project, contracting and manufacturing ﬁrms can expect huge opportunities, said a senior official of the consultant that won the design contract

A.E. JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman’s 2,244-kmlong national railway project offers huge business opportunities for the private sector, especially for contracting and manufacturing firms, when the construction work starts next

year, said a senior official of the consultancy ﬁrm that won the preliminary design contract. Presenting a paper on ‘business opportunities in rail’ at a panel discussion, Luca Beccastrini, Middle East Area Manager of Italferr — the Italian engineering ﬁrm that won the consultancy services for preliminary design contract for

the national railway project — said the national railway will need 30 small stations, 10 interim stations, six large stations and eight marshalling yards. Further, the railway project will need 12,000-kms of rail, 10 million sleepers, 20 million elastic pads and 2.25 million metres of pipes, 35 tunnels, 45 viaduct and 98 pedestrian crossings. “Rail production will be profitable in view of such a huge demand,” he said, adding; “A large number of plants are required in different locations for manufacturing sleepers.” The national railway project, which is 700-kms long and 120-kms wide, is divided into nine segments, which include Duqm-Thumrait-Salalah, Sohar Port-Muscat, Al Misfah-Sinaw, Thumrait-Al Mayzouna (Yemen border) and Sohar Port-Khatmat Malalah (UAE border). The railway will also need

15 diesel engines, 80 passenger coaches and 40 freight coaches as rolling stocks. Beccastrini said as much as 23 million cubic metres of ballast and sub-ballast are required for building railway line, and 670,000 bars (of 18m length) needed for completing the project. There is also a need for stocking sites and crushing plants in different locations. The contractors will need concrete batch plants, including mobile ones, as well as pre-cast plants. Business opportunities also exist in areas like power supply as well as in supplying signal equipment as the local partners are needed in installation and commissioning. Italferr, which joined hands with KEO consultants, has already started work on the preliminary design and the initial work is to collect data.

VITAL INFO

30 small stations

10 interim stations

6 large stations

8 marshalling stations

Project needs 12,000 kms of rail

10m sleepers

35 tunnels

98 pedestrian crossings

Total project divided into 9 segments

Luca Beccastrini. — Talib al Wohaibi/

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

MARKET NEW ROLE

alizz islamic bank appoints chief ﬁnancial officer Times News Service

Saif Al Yarubi. – Supplied photo

MUSCAT: alizz islamic bank, the second Islamic bank in Oman, has appointed Saif Al Yarubi as the bank’s chief ﬁnancial officer (CFO). An Omani national, Al Yarubi will sit on the Executive Management Committee of the bank and oversee all ﬁnancial

planning, risk assessment as well as reporting on the bank’s ﬁnancial performance. Jamal Darwiche, acting chief executive of alizz islamic bank, said; “Saif Al Yarubi brings a wealth of experience to alizz islamic bank. His regional experience will add valuable perspective and insight to the bank as it prepares for

launch. Al Yarubi will contribute to the development and delivery of our business strategy in addition to overseeing all financerelated operations.” Al Yarubi began his career with Finance Department of the Ministry of Defence in 1991, before moving, in 1999, to Ernst & Young in Dubai. Today, he joins alizz islamic

bank from the Investment Corporation of Dubai where he served as finance director since 2008. Al Yarubi holds accreditation as a Fellow Certified Chartered Accountant (FCCA) from the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) in the United Kingdom and in addition to his full-time role, he is a board mem-

ber and chairman of the Audit Committee at Deyaar and National Bonds, Dubai. He is also a member of the Audit Committee at Dubai Aerospace. alizz islamic bank earlier said that it plans to commence operation on September 30, 2013 with all requirements in place, after a soft opening on September 15.

Majority expect cost of living to spiral in Oman JOB SCENARIO In the Bayt.com survey, 67% expect life in Oman to get more expensive, compared to 71% of regional respondents and 57 of Oman residents anticipate

In terms of employment opportunities, 24% of Oman respondents state that ‘there are plenty of jobs available across various industries’, and half of all Oman respondents expect an increase in jobs in Oman in the next six months, while 24% expect the situation to remain the same

that their personal ﬁnancial situation will improve in the next six months

Times News Service MUSCAT: Even though majority of Oman residents are positive that their personal financial situation will improve in the next six months, nearly 67 per cent expect the cost of living to increase in the same time span. In a survey conducted by Bayt. com, 57 per cent expect their personal financial position to improve in the six months to come. Sixty-one per cent Oman respondents stated that their personal financial situation is now either the same as, or worse than, it was six months ago, with 29 per cent claiming it has improved. Only 26 per cent claim that their savings have increased in the last year, compared to 31 per cent whose savings have decreased.

The latest Middle East and North Africa (Mena) Consumer Conﬁdence Index (CCI) Survey, conducted by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s number one job site, and YouGov, a research and consulting organisation, shows that in the next 12 months, 38 per cent of Oman respondents do not plan to buy a vehicle, while 48 per cent who intend to purchase will look for a new vehicle (52 per cent, compared to 45 per cent who will buy a used one). Buying property Thirty-nine per cent respondents are looking to buy property within the coming year, with 35 per cent of these will be looking for a villa, and 73 per cent of respondents will prefer new properties. Consumers are looking to predominantly buy desktop or laptop computers (27 per cent), furniture (26 per cent), and LCD or plasma televisions (21 per cent in the coming six months. Further, the research note states that 43 per cent respondents

believe that Oman’s economy has improved in the last six months, while 11per cent stated that it has receded. Sixty-one anticipate better things to happen in the next six months. Business conditions in Oman are believed to be ‘good’ (36 per cent) or ‘very good’ (13 per cent), with 40 per cent stating that they are ‘average’, while 69 per cent of respondents anticipate them to improve in a year’s time. In terms of employment opportunities, 24 per cent of Oman respondents state that ‘there are plenty of jobs available across various industries’, and 25 per cent believe that ‘there are plenty of jobs available across few industries’. Half of all Oman respondents expect an increase in jobs in Oman in the next six months, while 24 per cent expect the situation to remain the same. Half of respondents in Oman stated that their companies have grown, employee-wise, in the last six months, while 14 per cent say that there has been a decrease in the number of people working with them. The majority (60 per cent) expect the number of employees to increase in the coming six months. On the other hand, survey respondents across the region (71 per cent) also anticipate a rise in the cost of living in their countries in the next six months. Almost 19 per cent of the region’s respondents stated that their ﬁnancial situation has improved compared to what it was six months ago, with 43 per cent claiming that it has remained unchanged.

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M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 01 3

MARKET Five years after Lehman Brothers’ collapse, Americans still enraged Post the ﬁnancial crisis, Wall Street has drastically changed under an onslaught of new regulations. The anti-Wall Street sentiment bodes ill for the sector

NEW YORK: A few years ago, Larry Summers, then the director of President Barack Obama’s National Economic Council, held a private meeting with some of Wall Street’s top bankers and executives. Although the worst of the ﬁnancial crisis was over by then, Summers — now seen as a candidate to be the next chairman of the United States Federal Reserve — chastised bankers for being out of touch, saying they didn’t under-

stand how angry average Americans were with them, according to a participant in the meeting. A spokeswoman for Summers said it sounded like something he might have said, though she did not provide more speciﬁc conﬁrmation. Five years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and two years after the start of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Wall Street has drastically changed under an onslaught of new regulations and by

some accounts become more conscious of its image on Main Street. Still, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Main Street animus against bankers and their role in the financial crisis persists. The anti-Wall Street sentiment bodes ill for the sector: It serves to pressure lawmakers and regulators into further restraining perceived excesses on Wall Street, threatening the longterm profitability of the industry. Nothing changed The poll of more than 1,400 adults, representing a cross-section of the US population, shows that half of the respondents believe there has not been enough reform to prevent a future crisis. As many as 44 per cent of those polled believe the government should not have bailed out financial institutions, while only 22 per cent thought it was the right move. Fifty-three per cent think

AUTOMOBILE

UK car industry in top gear as revival helps beat rivals LONDON: Britain is accelerating away from its European competitors in the car-making sector with investment ﬂowing into the factories of Nissan and Jaguar Land Rover as Chinese and American demand drives sales. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it was pumping £1.5 billion ($2.4 billion) into its plant in Solihull near Birmingham, creating 1,700 jobs and giving a welcome ﬁllip to industrial central England. The Solihull plant will make new lightweight Jaguar and Land Rover models made of aluminium. In northeast England, Nissan has been granted permission to extend its already vast plant in Sunderland, securing jobs in an area where major employers are in short supply. The investment decision was announced at the Frankfurt Motor Show by JLR chief executive Ralf Speth, who said it was “further evidence of our commitment to advancing the capability of the UK automotive sector and its supply chain”. JLR employs 11,000 people in Britain, with another 24,000 employed in its supply chain. Joe Rundle, an analyst at ETX Capital, credited the British government with reviving an industry that once looked close to extinction. “The UK automaking industry was considered a dying sector as car factories produced high volume motors by lowskilled manufacturing,” he said. “However, the UK government’s initiatives to kick-start manufacturing activity is turning the country’s auto making industry into one of premium niche manufacturing.” The government announced in March that it was

IN THE FAST LANE

Jaguar Land Rover said it was pumping £1.5b into its plant in Solihull near Birmingham, creating 1,700 jobs

In northeast England, Nissan has been granted permission to extend its already vast plant in Sunderland, securing jobs in the area

Toyota, Nissan and BMW are among other carmakers injecting more and more money into top-of-the-range models made in Britain

pumping £500 million into the auto sector. Demand from China and the recovering US economy are credited with driving sales. Top of the range models Toyota, Nissan and BMW are among other carmakers injecting more and more money into top-of-the-range models made in Britain. Nissan was granted planning permission this month for a 25,000 m2 extension of its factory in Sunderland. The £250 million addition to the factory extension will produce models for its luxury Inﬁniti division. In March, Nissan launched production of its fully-electric Leaf with £420 million of investment, creating an additional 500 jobs in the process, proving that

the Sunderland factory is bouncing back with a vengeance — in 2009 Nissan cut a quarter of the 5,000 workers there. The rude health of the topof-the-range sector is also underlined by the success of Rolls-Royce which last year set record-breaking sales ﬁgures for the third year running with 3,575 cars made by hand. Rolls-Royce too is expanding its factory, in Sussex in southeast England. Late last year, Ford closed down production of its Transit van. - AFP

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not enough was done to prosecute bankers; 15 per cent were satisfied with the effort. Henry Paulson, the former US treasury secretary who was the architect of the bailouts in 2008, said he believes the government botched its chance to portray them as a necessity for the financial stability of all Americans. “I never was able to convince the average American that what we did with these rescues wasn’t for Wall Street but it was for them,” Paulson said in an interview. “To understand the financial system, it’s a little like plumbing in your house — you don’t know where the pipes are and you just realise it when the pipes get clogged and everything grinds to a halt.” Among those polled, the concerns go deeper. “I can’t see any reforms they’ve done. Nothing’s really changed,” said Judith Klatt, 67, a retiree from Wisconsin who re-

sponded to the survey. “I’m angry at the government and Wall Street. I think they’ve both, in plain language, screwed the public and are still doing so.” A worse crisis Many financial experts believe bailouts of financial institutions after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 and subsequent actions by the US government to prop up the economy helped stop the country’s spiral into what could have been a crisis even as dire as the Great Depression. New regulations, including the Dodd-Frank finance reform law and Basel III capital rules, have also forced Wall Street to rein in risky behaviour. And while Wall Street gets poor scores on many questions, the results of the poll are not as damning as some polls about attitudes to Wall Street taken soon after the

financial crisis. Lindsay Owens, a Stanford University doctoral student who has tracked American attitudes toward Wall Street, said animosity toward the financial sector reached its highest level in 40 years in 2010. When it declined slightly in 2012, the level was still higher than it had been in that period before the crisis, she said. The cost of the crisis has been severe. A paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas estimated that the financial crisis and the recession cost the US economy as much as $14 trillion, or about $120,000 for every household. The recovery has also been slow, and high levels of unemployment have persisted. In September 2011, a groundswell of rage led to the creation of the Occupy movement and the concept of the 99 per cent of people against the 1 per cent of highest income earners. - Reuters

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

MARKET MSM 30 in MUSCAT green zone SECURITIES MARKET OMAN STOCKS

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ....................................... 6,638.66 ...............6,576.37 ................... 6,623.09 ...................6,574.92..................48.17 ................... 0.73 Financial Index .................................... 8,148.84 .............. 8,046.00 .................... 8,116.18 ...................8,039.38................. 76.80 ...................0.96 Industrial Index ....................................9,585.77 ...............9,536.18 ....................9,583.12 ................... 9,536.18................. 46.94 ...................0.49 Services Index .......................................3,465.67 .............. 3,448.39 ...................3,462.44 ...................3,448.39..................14.05 ................... 0.41 MSM SHARIAH INDEX....................1,049.33 ...............1,043.91 ....................1,047.48 ................... 1,043.91....................3.57 ...................0.34 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 26,594,575 .................. 7,521,812 ..................1,704 ................13,421,633,551 ................30 ........................8 .................... 14 .........................52

Transgulf Holding was the most active in terms of volume, while Salalah Mills was the most active in terms of turnover. Dhofar Cattlefeed was the top gainer yesterday MUSCAT: The MSM 30 Index ended higher on regional optimism at 6623.09 points, up by 0.73 per cent. Similarly, MSM Shariah Index also closed up by 0.34 per cent at 1047.48 points. Transgulf Holding was the most active in terms of volume, while Salalah Mills was the most active in terms of turnover. Dhofar Cattlefeed was the top gainer and closed up by 3.67 per cent, while Oman Textile Holding was the top loser, closing down by 3.41 per cent. Altogether 1,591 trades were executed in yesterday’s session, generating a turnover of OMR7.52 million with over 26.594 million shares traded. Out of 52 traded stocks, 30 advanced, eight declined and 14 remained unchanged. Foreign investors were net buyers to the tune of OMR600,000 worth of shares, followed by GCC and Arab investors at OMR622,000. Omani investors, who were net sellers, offloaded shares worth OMR1.22 million. Financial Sector Index increased by 0.96 per cent at 8116.18 points. Oman & Emirates, ONIC Holding, Al Anwar Holding, Ahli Bank and DIDIC increased by 3.43 per cent, 3.18 per cent, 2.46 per cent, 1.99 per cent and 1.82 per cent respectively. Taageer Finance was the only loser in the sector and was down by 0.65 per cent to close at 154 baisas. The Industrial Sector Index increased by 0.49 per cent at 9583.12 points. Dhofar Cattlefeed, Raysut Cement, Oman Cement, Jazeera Steel Product, Al Hassan Engineering and Al Anwar Ceramic increased by 3.67 per cent, 1.23 per cent, 1.17 per cent, 1 per cent, 0.88 per cent and 0.83 per cent respectively. Oman Textile Holding, Oman Flour Mills, Oman Fisheries and Gulf International Chemicals declined by 3.41 per cent, 1.39 per cent, 0.95 per cent and 0.52 per cent respectively.

Services Sector Index closed at 3462.44 points, up by 0.41%. SMN Power Holding, OIFC, Renaissance Services, Al Jazeira Services and Nawras increased by 1.41 per cent, 1.18 per cent, 1.11 per cent, 0.64 per cent and 0.57 per cent respectively. Shariyah Desalination was the only loser in the sector and was down by 1.46 per cent to close at OMR4.255. Dubai stocks rise Dubai’s stock index surged to the highest in almost three weeks as the threat of an imminent attack on Syria eased after the United States and Russia reached an agreement to eliminate the country’s chemical weapons. The DFM General Index climbed 4.8 percent to 2,659.93, the highest close since August 26. The measure had plunged as much as 15 per cent since reaching a ﬁve-year high on August 25 on concern the US would launch a military strike against Syria. Emaar Properties, the stock with the biggest weighting on the index, jumped 4.7 per cent, while Deyaar Development surged 9.1 per cent. Israel Chemicals led gains in Tel Aviv. Dubai’s stocks posted the biggest swings in the world in the past month on concern a military strike would have repercussions in the oil-rich Middle East. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reached agreement yesterday on a framework for ﬁnding, securing and destroying Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s stocks of poison gas. The deal calls for early signs of progress, giving Assad one week to submit an inventory of his toxic weapons, and calls for inspections in Syria by November. Dubai’s measure has climbed 64 per cent this year.

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Security Name ....................................................Volume .....Turnover ... Trades ......... High.........Low ..........Close ......... Prev. .......... Diff. ............ Diff .............Last ..........Last ............Last ................Market Cap.........Par ........................................................................................................................................................................................ Pr. ............ Close ........... RO ............... % .................Pr ..............Bid ............ Offer ............................................value

REGULAR MARKET .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... DHOFAR CATTLE FEED ........................................ 5,667 ................ 1,441.................2 ............0.255 ......... 0.253 ............0.254 .............0.245............ 0.009 .............3.673.............. 0.255 ............0.250 ..............0.255 ...............19,558,000.000 ......0.100 OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING ...........2,455,148 ...........444,188.............. 86 ............0.182.......... 0.179 ............ 0.181..............0.175 ............ 0.006 .............3.429 ..............0.179 ............ 0.179 ..............0.180 ...............22,059,375.000 ......0.100 ONIC. HOLDING ...............................................880,567 ...........343,301.............. 85 ............0.395 ......... 0.380 ............0.390 .............0.378 ............ 0.012 ............. 3.175.............. 0.393 ............ 0.393 ............. 0.394............... 67,635,067.500 ......0.100 AL ANWAR HOLDING ................................... 3,319,217 ........... 969,031............233 ............0.295 ......... 0.289 ............0.292 .............0.285............ 0.007 .............2.456 ............. 0.294 ............ 0.293 ............. 0.294.............. 35,040,000.000 ......0.100 AHLI BANK .........................................................10,432 ................2,136.................3 ............0.205 .........0.200 ............0.205 .............0.201 ............ 0.004 .............1.990 ............. 0.200 ............ 0.201 ............. 0.205.............259,097,480.750 ......0.100 DHOFAR INT.DEV.AND INV. HOLD. ......................... 16,813 ............. 10,324.................5 ............0.620 ......... 0.610 ............ 0.614..............0.603.............0.011 .............1.824 ..............0.610 ............ 0.607 ..............0.610 ............122,800,000.000 ......0.100 TRANSGULF IND. INV. HOLDING ....................3,823,099 ........... 641,451............ 148 ............0.170.......... 0.167 ............ 0.168 .............0.165 ............ 0.003 ............. 1.818 ...............0.167 ............ 0.166 ..............0.168 ...............11,235,000.000 ......0.100 OMINVEST .....................................................784,075 ........... 361,668.............. 49 ............0.465 ......... 0.460 ............ 0.461..............0.453 ............ 0.008 ............. 1.766...............0.461 ............ 0.461 ..............0.463 .............141,125,930.000 ......0.100 GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ....................2,885,933 ........... 508,166.............117 ............ 0.177.......... 0.175 ............ 0.176..............0.173 ............ 0.003 ............. 1.734...............0.176 ............ 0.176 ..............0.177 ............... 10,356,406.192 ......0.100 OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ...........................508,388 ............137,583...............16 ............0.273 ......... 0.267 ............ 0.271 .............0.267............ 0.004 ............. 1.498.............. 0.272 ............0.270 ..............0.272...............27,100,000.000 ......0.100 SMN POWER HOLDING ........................................8,235 ............. 47,304.................9 ............5.760.......... 5.700 ............ 5.744..............5.664 ............ 0.080 ............. 1.412.............. 5.700 ............ 5.450 ..............5.700 .............114,670,688.640 ......1.000 GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ..............3,744,826 ...........598,835............208 ............0.163.......... 0.157 ............0.160 .............0.158 ............ 0.002 .............1.266 ..............0.159 ............ 0.159 ..............0.160 ..............32,000,000.000 ......0.100 RAYSUT CEMENT .............................................. 15,150 ............. 29,878.................5 ............ 1.975...........1.921 ............ 1.972..............1.948 ............ 0.024 .............1.232 ..............1.973 ............ 1.950 ..............1.973 ........... 394,400,000.000 ......0.100 OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE .............. 289,747 ..............74,721.............. 37 ............0.260 ......... 0.257 ............0.258 .............0.255 ............ 0.003 ............. 1.176 .............. 0.257 ............ 0.257 ..............0.258...............51,600,000.000 ......0.100 OMAN CEMENT ............................................. 121,324 ............. 94,670...............12 ............0.785...........0.771 ............0.780 .............0.771 ............ 0.009 ............. 1.167 .............. 0.780 ............ 0.771...............0.780 .............258,080,713.800 ......0.100 RENAISSANCE SERVICES ................................346,370 ........... 221,471.............. 59 ............0.642 ......... 0.635 ............0.639 .............0.632 ............ 0.007 ............. 1.108.............. 0.640 ............ 0.637 ............. 0.640.............180,258,356.106 ......0.100 AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................... 16,281 ................4,927.................7 ............0.307 ......... 0.301 ............0.303 ............ 0.300............ 0.003 .............1.000 ............. 0.301 ............ 0.301 ............. 0.303............... 37,844,081.880 ......0.100 AL HASSAN ENGINEERING .......................... 1,390,851 ............318,162.............. 72 ............0.232 ......... 0.225 ............0.229 .............0.227............ 0.002 ............. 0.881.............. 0.230 ............0.230 ..............0.231 ...............17,222,632.000 ......0.100 AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ............................... 28,050 ..............13,577.................2 ............0.485 ......... 0.482 ............0.484 ............ 0.480............ 0.004 .............0.833 ............. 0.482 ............ 0.482 ..............0.485 ..............113,783,668.416 ......0.100 AL JAZEERA SERVICES ....................................230,100 ...........108,936.............. 25 ............0.477 ......... 0.470 ............0.473 .............0.470............ 0.003 .............0.638 ............. 0.470 ............ 0.465 ..............0.470 ............... 28,949,621.129 ......0.100 AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ..............471,739 ..............78,655.............. 45 ............ 0.173.......... 0.165 ............ 0.167..............0.166 ............ 0.001 .............0.602 ..............0.165 ............ 0.163 ..............0.165 .............. 14,028,000.000 ......0.100 NAWRAS ...........................................................54,000 ............. 28,488............... 11 ............0.530 ......... 0.525 ............0.528 .............0.525 ............ 0.003 ............. 0.571.............. 0.525 ............0.520 ..............0.525 ............ 343,698,553.440 ......0.100 BANK SOHAR .................................................. 121,000 .............24,089...............17 ............0.200 ......... 0.198 ............ 0.199 .............0.198 ............ 0.001 .............0.505 ..............0.198 ............ 0.198 ..............0.199 ............218,900,000.000 ......0.100 OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ..................... 100,973 ........... 162,396.............. 36 ............1.620.......... 1.602 ............ 1.608 .............1.601 ............ 0.007 .............0.437 ..............1.603 ............ 1.602 ..............1.603 ........ 1,206,000,000.000 ......0.100 NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN .............................265,000 ............. 79,243...............14 ............0.300 ......... 0.298 ............0.299 ............ 0.298............ 0.001 .............0.336 ............. 0.298 ............0.296 ............. 0.298.............331,299,475.000 ......0.100 BANK MUSCAT ...............................................588,958 ........... 356,815............ 106 ............0.610.......... 0.604 ............0.606 ............ 0.604............ 0.002 ............. 0.331.............. 0.605 ............ 0.603 ..............0.605 .........1,304,269,974.504 ......0.100 NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ................371,154 ............118,087...............31 ............0.324 ......... 0.318 ............ 0.318..............0.317 ............ 0.001 ............. 0.315...............0.318 ............ 0.318 ............. 0.322................10,675,721.100 ......0.100 GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. ................... 774,566 ........... 247,861.............. 39 ............0.320 ......... 0.320 ............0.320 ............ 0.320............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.320 ............ 0.316 ............. 0.320.............. 85,008,000.000 ......0.100 HSBC BANK OMAN .......................................... 153,033 ..............27,556...............14 ............ 0.181 .......... 0.180 ............0.180 .............0.180 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.180 ............ 0.179 ..............0.180 ............360,056,302.200 ......0.100 SALALAH MILLS ..............................................789,808 ........ 1,100,431...............12 ............1.400 ......... 1.370 ............ 1.375..............1.375 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............1.375 ............0.000 ..............1.375 ...............66,224,213.000 ......0.100 SOHAR POWER ........................................................211 ................... 483................. 1 ............2.290 .........2.290 ............2.290 ............ 2.290............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 2.290 ............2.290 ............. 2.350............... 50,611,290.000 ......1.000 VOLTAMP ENERGY .............................................. 2,591 .................1,115.................7 ............ 0.431.......... 0.430 ............0.430 .............0.430............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............0.431 ............ 0.431 ..............0.432 ...............26,015,000.000 ......0.100 GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS .................88,875 .............. 16,851...............12 ............ 0.191 .......... 0.188 ............0.190 .............0.191 ............-0.001 ...........-0.524 .............0.189 ............ 0.189 ..............0.190 .................3,990,000.000 ......0.100 TAAGEER FINANCE ...........................................27,628 ................4,263.................6 ............ 0.155.......... 0.154 ............ 0.154 .............0.155 ............-0.001 ........... -0.645..............0.154 ............ 0.154 ..............0.155 .............. 36,498,000.000 ......0.100 OMAN FISHERIES ............................................. 21,000 ................2,189.................8 ............0.105.......... 0.104 ............0.104 .............0.105 ............-0.001 ...........-0.952 ............ 0.104 ............ 0.103 ..............0.104 .............. 13,000,000.000 ......0.100 OMAN FLOUR MILLS ............................................6,300 ................4,038.................3 ............0.641.......... 0.641 ............ 0.641 .............0.650 ........... -0.009 ........... -1.385 ..............0.641 ............ 0.641 ..............0.655 .............100,957,500.000 ......0.100 SUM: ................................................................................ 24,717,109 ........7,184,329.........1,542 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ...................................................................................TRADED SEC. ......................36.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ FINANCIAL SERVICES .....................................100,000 ............. 12,200.................5 ............0.122.......... 0.122 ............0.122 .............0.120 ............ 0.002 ............. 1.667.............. 0.122 ............ 0.121 ..............0.122 .................7,930,000.000 ......0.100 AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ...........................59,210 ................ 5,762...............16 ............0.099 ......... 0.096 ............0.097 .............0.096............ 0.001 .............1.042 ............. 0.096 ............ 0.095 ..............0.096.................2,910,000.000 ......0.100 BANK DHOFAR ................................................228,400 ..............83,213.................7 ............0.370 ......... 0.364 ............0.364 .............0.363 ............ 0.001 .............0.275 ............. 0.364 ............ 0.362 ............. 0.364............440,486,636.044 ......0.100 ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK ..........................................11,500 ................ 1,231.................3 ............0.107.......... 0.107 ............ 0.107 .............0.107 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.107 ............ 0.107 ..............0.108 ............ 107,000,000.000 ......0.100 BANK NIZWA ...................................................106,781 ..............11,650...............15 ............ 0.110.......... 0.109 ............0.109 .............0.109 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.109 ............ 0.109 ..............0.110 ............ 163,500,000.000 ......0.100 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. .................1,017,196 ..............73,681.............. 49 ............0.074 ......... 0.072 ............0.072 .............0.072............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.072 ............ 0.072 ..............0.073 .................6,120,000.000 ......0.100 MAJAN GLASS ......................................................5,000 ................ 1,675................. 1 ............0.335 ......... 0.335 ............0.335 .............0.335 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.335 ............ 0.335 ..............0.345 ............... 14,077,805.500 ......0.100 NATIONAL FINANCE ......................................... 32,826 ................5,285................. 1 ............ 0.161 ...........0.161 ............ 0.161..............0.161 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............0.161 ............ 0.161...............0.163 ...............40,337,694.446 ......0.100 OMAN EDUCATION TRAINING INV. ..........................460 ......................91................. 1 ............0.198.......... 0.198 ............0.190 .............0.190 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............0.198 ............ 0.182 ..............0.195 ...............13,300,000.000 ......0.100 OMAN NATIONAL ENGINE. INVT. ......................... 2,000 ................... 678.................2 ............0.340 ......... 0.338 ............0.323 .............0.323............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.338 ............ 0.335 ..............0.338 .............. 25,840,000.000 ......0.100 SHARQIYAH DESALINATION .............................24,090 ........... 102,491.............. 25 ............4.300 ......... 4.201 ............4.255 .............4.318 ........... -0.063 ........... -1.459 ............. 4.300 ............4.265 ............. 4.299................27,743,212.720 ......1.000 OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING .................................. 4,800 ................ 1,358.................6 ............0.285 ......... 0.281 ............0.283 .............0.293............-0.010 ........... -3.413 ............. 0.281 ............0.000 ............. 0.290................. 1,698,000.000 ......1.000 SUM: ..................................................................................1,592,263 ........... 299,316.............131 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ...................................................................................TRADED SEC. ......................12.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ BANK MUSCAT SUBORDINATED BONDS ........... 25,500 ............. 29,070.................4 ............ 1.140...........1.135............. 1.140..............1.140 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............1.140 ............0.000 ..............1.139 .............. 85,500,000.000 ......1.000 BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ......................... 28,424 ................ 3,013................. 1 ............0.106.......... 0.106 ............0.106 .............0.107 ............-0.001 ........... -0.935............. 0.106 ............ 0.106 .............. 0.111 ............... 32,091,405.766 ......0.100 SUM: ....................................................................................... 53,924 ............. 32,082.................5 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ...................................................................................TRADED SEC. ........................2.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

- United Securities/Bloomberg News

WORLD BANK REPORT

ACHIEVEMENT

China may achieve 7.5% growth target EMAL produces hot metal, targets 1.3m tonnes

BEIJING: China is likely to achieve its growth target of 7.5 per cent this year despite planned structural reforms to rebalance the world’s second largest economy, the World Bank president said yesterday. Jim Yong Kim is making a fourday visit focusing on issues relating to carbon emission reductions and China’s urbanisation push. “We think the growth (for China this year) will be at about 7.5 per cent,” Kim told a press conference

in Shanghai on the ﬁrst day of his visit. “The data from August suggests that China will reach its goal of 7.5 per cent.” Earlier this month the government announced a series of betterthan-expected indicators for August, including strong exports and industrial output, that pointed to a pick-up in the domestic economy. China’s economy expanded 7.7 per cent last year, its slowest growth since 1999. Growth eased

to 7.5 per cent in April-June, from 7.7 per cent in the ﬁrst quarter of this year and 7.9 per cent in the ﬁnal three months of 2012.

Stimulus measures Authorities have so far been reluctant to introduce large-scale stimulus measures. But they have pledged to push forward structural reforms to shift the economy from dependence on big-ticket investments and more towards consumer demand as

the key growth engine. “The government is committed to ﬁnancial-sector reforms and also ﬁscal policy reforms that we think will pave the way for meeting the long-term growth,” Kim told reporters in Shanghai. Unfettered exchange of the yuan currency will be allowed within the proposed zone, according to a draft plan. “I think it’s a very positive development,” Kim said of the FTZ. - AFP

Times News Service MUSCAT: Emirates Aluminium (EMAL) recently celebrated a milestone of achievement in its Phase II expansion: First hot metal. Completed three months earlier than scheduled, the milestone marks the start of production for EMAL’s Phase II, as it heads towards achieving a total annual production target of 1.3 million metric tonnes of aluminium. EMAL’s Al Taweelah-based Phase I was completed ahead of the time and within budget. Phase I currently supplies the world with high quality metal, contributing 0.4 per cent of the UAE’s total GDP in 2012 and 2013 to help meet the targets set in the Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision for industrial diversification. This was achieved safely, garnering global recognition, including a Best Health and safety achievements in construction ‘high commendation’ at the fifth annual SHP Institution of Occupational Safety and Health Awards. Faster, safer and better, the construction of Phase II has exceeded the already exemplary standards achieved in the construction of its Phase I, setting new global industry records in the process. Phase II has achieved FHM milestone a full four months faster than Phase I, delivering 20 per cent more value in $/tonne investment, whilst maintaining an incredible zero LTI record, representing 40 million man-hours of work done, a testament to the strength of its commitment to “Safety first, last and always.” Having taken just two

years, it was also the fastest that any aluminium smelter reached FHM stage. Speaking at the FHM event EMAL, president and chief executive Saeed Fadhel Al Mazrooei said: “Reaching first hot metal safer, faster and better not only exceeds the successes achieved in Phase I, but highlights the Emirati excellence in setting new industry standards on a global scale.” Longest pot line The achievements of Phase II are impressive. Stretching 1.7km, EMAL Phase II has the longest pot line in the world, consisting of 444 reduction pots built with DUBAL aluminium for their cathode bus ring. Using Dubal developed DX+ technology, Phase II operates with the highest amperage in the region at 440 KA which is built to creep up in future to reach 460 KA. Among its world leading credentials, EMAL now possesses the largest single site production capacity — 1.3 million tonnes Al/ year; the world’s longest potline ever built - 1.7km long; the world’s largest gas treatment centre; the world’s biggest anode baking furnace; the biggest single site captive power plant; the highest single-line capacity green anode manufacturing plant; the first to use 2,000 V rectifier/transformers. EMAL also has one of the largest single-site Casthouse, with a 1.65 million tonnes/year casting capacity. One key strategy of the Phase II capacity increase has been to ensure application of “lessons learned” from Phase I.

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M MONDAY, S EPTEMBER 16, 2013

SECTION

E-

NOW CHECK TWO GMAIL ACCOUNTS IN ONE WEB BROWSER >B6

IMES TECH STUFF

NEW DEVICES MIND PETS WHILE OWNERS ARE AWAY Since two-thirds of Americans share their homes with an animal, perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that pet care is going high tech, from tracking devices to a motorised, toy varmint that’s tough enough to withstand a big dog’s chomp. >B6

Word play on the mobile screen It’s not just Words With Friends; hundreds of word game apps are available. Some are more traditional and some are possible only because of high-tech Internet trickery.

ord puzzles are among the most successful games to make the leap from cardboard and wooden pieces atop the family dining table into apps on the glossy screens of tablets and smartphones. So popular is the Words With Friends app, for example, that an episode of “The Big Bang Theory” revolved around playing the game. But it’s not just Words With Friends; hundreds of word game apps are available. Some are more traditional and some are possible only because of high-tech Internet trickery. Of all the word games I’ve played on my phones and tablets, the one that I’ve been most instantly amused by is the app Letterpress, from the developer Atebits, available only for Apple devices. It’s a turn-byturn, two-player game that is played over the Internet, something like a

cross between Scrabble and the traditional Chinese board game Go. You are presented with a fiveby-five grid of letters, and when it’s your turn, you tap the letters to make a word. Each of your chosen letters earns a point, and the letters are then shaded in your colour. The same happens when your opponent plays. But there’s a twist; you can “defend” letters by boxing them in with your coloured tiles, so your opponent cannot use them to create his or her next word. It’s easy to learn and swift to play. But you will quickly find yourself cursing that you didn’t spot the long word your opponent plays next, and you will try to think up obscure words just to protect letters. It’s entertaining, and the clean and simple graphics do not distract from the play. To tax your word powers even more, you can have several games running at once. If you try this, you

will probably ﬁnd an hour goes by without your even noticing. This may be one of the few downsides, apart from the fact that it relies on having enough people playing for you to ﬁnd opponents to play against quickly. Though Letterpress is free, an upgrade to play more than two games at once costs $2. If a more traditional word game appeals to you, look no further than Boggle. In its old-fashioned form, Boggle was a tabletop game for groups of players, but on the smartphone it works as a play-andpass game, and also as a solo game against the clock.

In the game 16 cubes are marked with a letter on each face, and are juggled into the slots on a four-byfour grid. A cute animation mimics the way the real-life cubes move. Then, against the clock, you have to ﬁnd as many words of three or more letters as possible, zigzagging from one cube to the next. In the physical game you would write the words down, but in the app you tap on each letter in turn and double-tap on the last one to complete the word. The app keeps track of time and your chosen words, so you may even prefer it to the tabletop game. But it also conﬁrms if words are valid, and

at the end of the game you may ﬁnd it depressing that though you successfully spotted, say, 27 words, more than 150 could have been found. It’s free in ad-supported versions for Android and iOS; an iOS version without ads costs $1 on iTunes. A totally different game — a bit like a word search crossed with Tetris — is SpellTower. At its core this game is simply about spotting words among a grid of random letters on the screen; when you select a word, by tapping or dragging, the letters disappear and the ones above drop down. Bonus tricks, like destroying surrounding letters when

near-ﬁeld communication. This allows friends to hijack a Deck and become the DJ at your next party; a lock button can secure the connection to a single device. The Deck includes a 3.5-millimeter audio cable and ports to connect to devices without Bluetooth capability or to create a daisy chain with other speakers. It also comes with speakerphone capabilities, a lithium-ion battery that offers about 10 hours of life and an “acoustically transparent” cloth carrying bag, which offers protection from dings and scratches while still allowing the music to pass through. The speaker, which is expected this month at electronics retailers like Radio Shack and Best Buy, comes in lemon lime, electro blue, vivid red and gunmetal. The Deck’s internal drivers and side bass port produce a full, clean sound, with an emphasis on the bass; the slim, lightweight design makes it easily portable; and the heist mode is a fun, social feature that offers the opportunity for friends to share new music. But at $200, it’s a bit expensive, especially compared with similar models.

An app to add artsy blur to your photos

you ﬁnd a word of ﬁve letters or more, add to the strategic aspect of playing this game. It has attractive graphics and just enough addictive gameplay to keep you coming back for more. It’s $2 for iOS and Android. Dropwords is a similar free Android app. Puzzlejuice, $2 for iOS, is also similar to SpellTower but is more Tetris-like as puzzle pieces drop down the screen over time. But the fussy graphics in both Puzzlejuice and Dropwords may distract you. They are played against the clock, too, so don’t expect to relax while playing them. For those rare people who have never played Words With Friends, it’s worth trying out, and it’s free for iOS and Android. Think of a game a bit like Scrabble, in which you score points by laying words on a grid, then add in online real-time play with people around the world. If your conscience pinches you about wasting time, you can salve it with the thought that you are enriching and extending your vocabulary. Quick call Skype has updated its free Windows Phone 8 app with the video messaging feature that has been available on iOS and Android editions for a while. Now you can record a short video message for a contact who is not available in real time on Skype. — KIT EATON/The New York Times News Service

GADGET GALLERY

Deck speaker allows others to take control FOR ITS FIRST FORAY INTO WIRELESS speakers,

Putting an iPad into any situation IF YOU HAVE A PATHOLOGICAL attachment to your iPad mini, the Kraken A.M.S. cover is ready to contribute to your mania. The protective cover has a connector on the back that is part of the “Adaptive Modular System” that accepts more than 25 pedestals, making it possible to stick your tablet on things as varied as a bicycle and a refrigerator. At the centre of the system is the $60 Kraken cover, a hard plastic shell with a colourful shock-absorbent silicone sleeve inside and bumpers on the outside corners. The manufacturer of the case, Trident, said the case was “MilSpec,” a sometimes vague claim that stands for military speciﬁcation and that marketers use to imply the case is tough. But Trident details its speciﬁcations, which it said would keep an iPad safe from 26 drops onto con-

crete from four feet, 7.9 inches of rain in an hour at a wind velocity of 40 mph or sand blown at 59 feet a second for three hours, among other hazards. What is most different about these cases (there are also models for a variety of phones) is the number of ways they can be stuck to various surfaces. The company claims 26 accessories. The accessories use a circular mounting piece that goes into a recess in the cover. Twisting a collar on the mounting piece locks it into place. Even unlocked, it is solid. That collar slips onto various stands, including a suction cup base with adjustable arms and a gooseneck, a mount that attaches to vents in a car dashboard, and a 2-foot telescoping boom. You can have your iPad set for hands-free viewing in the car, kitchen, bathroom or boat helm — anywhere you can stick a suction cup or clamp. The case is available only in black, but the silicone sleeve and bumpers are available in a variety of colours. It is sold online and at Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores, among others.

the headphone maker Sol Republic wanted to stand out in an already crowded market. So the company teamed up with Motorola to create Deck, a speaker that offers more than the typical bells and whistles. With Motorola technology, Sol Republic was able to increase the range of the Deck to 300 feet, about 10 times the range of standard wireless speakers. Sol Republic also added an “outdoor mode” that bolsters the sound, allowing it to better ﬁll open areas. But the most innovative feature of the Deck is the “heist mode,” which allows other people to commandeer the speaker and stream their own music. Typical wireless speakers are manually paired with only one device at a time, but the Deck can be paired with up to ﬁve devices through Bluetooth or

THE TADAA 3-D APP FOR APPLE products adds an arresting effect to your photos, making a foreground object move around when you tilt your phone, like an old postcard with a plastic lenticular 3-D screen. But the app, which costs $3.99, can be tricked into providing an even more useful photo effect — “bokeh,” a blurring of the background to draw the eye to the main subject — that is usually reserved for Digital Single-Lens Reflex cameras with a high-end lens. Bokeh is used in many artful photos, especially in portraits. Generally you can’t get bokeh with a mobile phone or tablet camera because of limitations of the lens. Here is where the Tadaa 3-D app comes in. You start out as if you were making a Tadaa 3-D photo, by using your finger to draw over the part of your photo you want in focus. You can be pretty sloppy about it if you leave “Detect Edge” on; the app will help you isolate your foreground. The parts to remain focused will turn green. When you hit the apply button, everything not green will go blurry. You can then add filter effects, like making your picture black and white as you would with Instagram or other photo apps. Now you have a photo with a blurry background and that appears to change perspective as

you move your phone or tablet around. To see the 3-D effect you have to view your photo using the app, or on the Tadaa website. You can share the shot to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well as to the Tadaa shared site and send a link to your picture on the site by email. I like the bokeh effect without the gimmicky 3-D part, but Tadaa offers no way to save a static version to your phone. You can cheat by taking a screen shot. Just tap on your ﬁnished Tadaa shot to make it full screen, then press the round “home” button on the face of your phone or tablet at the same time as the power button on the top. That takes a photo of what’s on the screen and puts it on your Camera Roll.

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

E-TIMES TECH TIP

Now check two Gmail accounts in one Web browser Want to check mail from two Gmail accounts in one Web browser? You do not have to sign out of one to sign into the other — just sign into one account ﬁrst and click your email address or name at the top of the page. On the dropdown menu, click the Add Account button and sign in with the user name and password for the second Gmail account. To switch between accounts, click the address at the top of the page to return to the drop-down menu and select other account from list — or leave them both open in separate browser. You can add more than two Gmail accounts this way, and using multiple accounts does not merge mailboxes or share information. As an alternative to adding multiple accounts in Google’s Chrome browser, you can click on the Chrome menu icon on the right side of the toolbar and open a new Incognito window for private browsing. HELP FILES

Scanning printed documents for editing

Since two-thirds of Americans share their homes with an animal, perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that pet care is going high tech, from tracking devices to a motorised, toy varmint that’s tough enough to withstand a big dog’s chomp

NEW DEVICES MIND PETS WHILE OWNERS ARE AWAY

here’s an undercurrent of anxiety behind the newest pet products that busy working parents will instantly recognise. What are the darlings doing all day while I’m at the office? Are they snacking too much? Getting enough exercise? Becoming surly and stupid from lack of intellectual stimulation? Could they be getting sick? Not to worry. There’s a wealth of innovative tools meant to ease the fears of even the most guilt-ridden pet owner. And since two-thirds of Americans share their homes with an animal, according to the American Pet Products Association, perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that pet care is going high tech, from tracking devices to a motorised, toy varmint that’s tough enough to withstand a big dog’s chomp. Take Whistle, one of a number of new pet-monitoring devices. A stainless steel tag embedded with an accelerometer registers your dog’s every move and feeds you the data via a smartphone app. The half-ounce device, which costs $100, clips to a dog’s collar and can tell an owner whether the dog has been asleep all afternoon or chasing its tail. Tracking movements Tracking a pet’s movements isn’t just about tracking its health, said Ben Jacobs, co-founder of Whistle. Sudden changes in behaviour, like sleeplessness, can alert an owner that it is stressed or suffering from some other ailment before the symptoms are more obvious, he said. Similar products have been on the market for a couple of years now, but they’re adding features. For instance, Tagg — The Pet Tracker was initially meant to help owners ﬁnd lost pets with global positioning technology when it

Wickens’ company sells three sizes, costing $500 to $1,000. Demand, she said, has doubled since her ﬁrst model went on sale ﬁve years ago. Getting your pet off the couch is one thing, and calorie intake another. Two companies — AiKiou and Northmate — have redesigned chow time to give pets an intellectual challenge while making sure they don’t eat too fast.

was first sold in 2011. Since then, a tracking feature that charts a pet’s daily activity has been added. Like Whistle, it costs $100. Tracking capability is also being built into the newest pet doors. Electronic pet doors have been around for more than a decade, and sturdy, low-tech ones open and close like garage doors, activated by a pet wearing a battery-powered ultrasonic collar. But some newer flap doors have features that promise greater flexibility and the ability to collect data on the animal’s activity. Among the newest and most advanced on the market is the PASSport Pet Access Smart System, which PetSafe unveiled at this year’s Global Pet Expo and is just starting to sell. Ideal for anyone with a pet menagerie, the PASSport door can be programmed so that up to 20 animals can have unique time restrictions for going in and out of

the house (as long as they weigh less than 50 pounds, since a larger door isn’t offered yet). Do 20 radio frequency identiﬁcation keys seem excessive? Not to Bill Groh, director of the Pet Access Business Unit at PetSafe, because during product development one pet owner testing the product requested nine keys for nine pets. Suggested retail price: $229 for a door that accommodates cats and small dogs and $279 for the medium door. OK, but what if after all this fact-gathering it turns out your dog is lethargic as a slug? Then there’s an assortment of dog treadmills meant to keep off extra pounds. The ﬁrst dog treadmills were used in the 1800s to churn butter and they have long been used by professionals and show dog owners. But lately, interest in home treadmills has taken off, said Krista Wickens, co-founder of PetZen, of Ogden, Utah.

Food delivery AiKiou (pronounced as IQ) sells food-delivery systems for dogs and cats (think: food bowl) that work with the animals’ natural problem-solving skills, said Alexandre Tremblay, co-founder of the familyowned company in a suburb of Montreal. The dog bowl, for example, is shaped like a paw and has sliding covers the dog must push around to get to the food. Then there’s the company’s Stimulo Cat Interactive Feeder, which has a series of tubes too small for a cat to put its face into. Instead, it must use its paws to fish out the morsels inside. The feeder, Tremblay said, fits the true nature of cats. “They should eat as in nature,” he said. “We take our cats and dogs and make them sit the whole day, then throw them food. That is pretty unhealthy.” The Green Interactive Feeder by Northmate sets out to accomplish the same things with a uniquely odd design. Instead of a container, the Green feeder is a patch of green fins that are meant to resemble blades of grass. The kibble goes between the blades, leaving the pet to nose it out. The company also recently introduced Catch, a bladed feeder sized for cats. The Green feeder is meant to imitate a hunt for food on the lawn, said Qinyin Zhou, a sales manager for the company. So for an after-dinner

activity, what better than a game of chase? That’s the idea behind San Diego-based Go-Go Dog Pals. Convinced his dog needed more exercise, Will Bowen powered up an old remote control car in the park and his dog, Kota, went crazy for chasing it. “It’s a dog’s favourite thing to do, really,” he said. But toy race-cars aren’t built for the roughhousing that the average dog brings to the equation. So Bowen’s inspiration was to “ruggedise” common, off-the-shelf race-car parts by encasing the chassis in a hard plastic covering. The ﬁrst Go-Go Dog Pals varmint goes 22 mph, and costs $230. It looks sort of like a cartoon woodchuck, and two new models — a skunk and a raccoon — are expected to be available soon. Cats also are beneﬁting from new electronic toys. An old-fashioned, hand-held laser pointer can, of course, be a frenetic bonding experience. But when master is away, why not let the cats play with something like the programmable FroliCat Dart Duo? At about $40, it has two rotating laser lights that have speed and timer settings for “16 engaging play combinations.” Finally, there’s the Woofer, a handmade dog vest with 30-watt speakers sewn into it and a pouch for an iPod, phone or MP3 player that sells for $100 to $120. At 2 1/2 pounds, the setup is suitable for dogs 20 pounds and heavier. Adding a little music makes a walk more enjoyable for the owner and the pet, and the vets Baron has spoken with are supportive. “Their attitude is that the biggest problem with dogs nowadays is that we leave them at home for an extended time,” he said. “Any time you can get out and play, that’s a good thing.” — MIKE HENDRICKS and ROXIE HAMMILL/ The New York Times News Service

Q: Can a regular photo scanner also scan documents and turn them into text I can edit in Microsoft Word? A: With the right software, most modern photo scanners and multifunction printers can scan documents into digital files, much as you can scan a printed picture into a digital photograph. Once the scanner captures an image or PDF file of the document and saves the file on your computer, you can use an optical character recognition (OCR) program to analyse the scanned document and convert it to text that can be edited in Microsoft Word or another word-processing application. Some manufacturers include a basic OCR program along with drivers and other utility software when you buy the scanner hardware. If your model did not include OCR software, you can buy it separately. ABBYY FineReader, OmniPage and Readiris are among the commercial OCR programs out there, and some have free versions to try before you buy. FreeOCR is another program that lives up to its name and can be found in online shareware archives. If your scanner did not come with OCR software, you may have some on your computer anyway. The 2003 and 2007 editions of Microsoft Word include Microsoft Office Document Imaging tools for optical character recognition, for example, and the company has instructions for installing the software for use with Word 2010 at support.microsoft.com/kb/982760. The OneNote program, included with some versions of Microsoft Office and also available separately, has OCR functions as well. Recent versions of Adobe Acrobat have OCR built in, as does the popular Evernote programme.

Opening Mac’s downloads folder Q: When I click on the Downloads folder in the Mac’s Dock, it pops up as a vertical stack of a few icons and I always have to click the “More in Finder” arrow to see all the files in a window. Is there a way to just open the ﬁles in a window in the ﬁrst place? A: To cut to the chase and open the Downloads folder in a new window, right-click on the Downloads folder icon in the Dock and choose the Open “Downloads” option from the menu. (If your mouse lacks a secondary button, hold down the Control key while clicking the Downloads folder icon.)

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 01 3

ROUND-UP NEW TECHNOLOGY

Special offer on Renault Fluence Renault Oman has introduced a special pricing scheme for their valued customers where they can buy the stylish Renault Fluence at OMR89 on CVI basis with an initial 20 per cent down payment

MUSCAT: Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, the sole distributors of Renault vehicles in Oman, has gained rave reviews from auto buffs in the region on this year’s launch of their new Phase 2 Renault Fluence. The Renault Fluence builds on the comfort and roomy interior of its predecessor but places the emphasis on technology and design enhancement with more dynamic lines. Now, the new Renault Fluence is available across Oman with the new 1.6 16V 112 CVT X-Tronic automatic gearbox and the 2.0 16V 143 CVT XTronic automatic gearbox. With Renault’s growing popularity amongst all segments of people in town, Renault Oman has introduced a special pricing scheme for their valued customers where

they can buy the stylish Renault Fluence at OMR89 on CVI (Continuous Variable Instalment) basis with an initial 20 per cent down payment only. Customers also get to avail unlimited beneﬁts like free registration, free insurance, six years unlimited mileage warranty, free AAA road assistance and lastly free service for 20,000km/one year (whichever is earlier). Eligible customers can now avail this unique offer that will make their purchasing convenient and easy. Contemporary design The front-end design of new Renault Fluence takes its inspiration from the brand’s higher segment models, Renault Koleos and Renault Safrane. The focal point at the front is a prominent logo set vertically to a gloss black and chrome strips background. The design of the front bumper is bolder, with a large lower air intake that broadens towards the base: fog lights set against a gloss black surround have the effect of visually widening this lower intake, giving the front a sporty touch. The Renault Fluence is

U LT I M AT E P E R F O R M A N C E

MUSCAT: The present and future of driving pleasure converged in the new models presented by the BMW and BMW i brands at the International Motor Show (IAA) 2013 in Frankfurt am Main. Demonstrating the luxury motor manufacturer’s leadership in sustainability and its vision for the future, the first day of the world’s premiere automotive event featured a number of highlights from the BMW Group and its BMW i sub-brand, including the global debut of the highly anticipated BMW i8. Arriving in the Middle East in the first quarter of 2014, the BMW i8 is an extremely fuel efficient plug-in, high performance vehicle with the fuel consumption and emissions of a small vehicle — it is the most progressive and innovative sports car of all time. It is also joined at the IAA by the visionary BMW i3, the Group’s first all-electric car designed for use in major cities. Heralding a new era in mobility, the BMW i8 and i3 showcase the ongoing development and potential breadth of the BMW i portfolio, and highlight how high-performance, zero-emission mobility can also deliver emotional excitement and sheer appeal. Both models are built around BMW eDrive technology, which will provide a unique driving experience in all future BMW electric and plug-in hybrid models. These BMW eDrive powertrains, comprising an electric motor, lithium-ion battery and intelligent powertrain management, form the core of all BMW i models. Neither of these two cars will incorporate steel in their bodyframe; instead they will be

produced with a passenger cell made from carbon — a ﬁrst in the automotive industry. Joining the BMW i models in making their debut at the 2013 IAA will be the third generation of the BMW X5, a regular amongst BMW Group Middle East’s bestsellers. This dynamic model will offer customers new standards in powerful design, luxurious spaciousness, cutting-edge versatility and efficient driving pleasure. Under the bonnet lies the model’s enhanced output engine which allows the new BMW X5 xDrive50i to sprint from 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 5.0 seconds with an optional V8 unit available. Already a leader in the executive saloon segment both globally and in the Middle East, the current generation of the BMW 5 Series is the premium automotive manufacturer’s best-selling so far. The IAA 2013 will witness the unveiling of the new BMW 5 Series, which is set to extend the model series’ market lead even further and be a continued driving force behind future sales achievements with its design modiﬁcations and technology enhancements. These, coupled with

innovative new features to the range of BMW ConnectedDrive technology, will all raise the appeal of the BMW 5 Series model family a notch higher. The fifth and final model to be revealed at the show will be the all-new BMW 4 Series Coupé, which heralds the dawn of a new coupé era at BMW and embodies the very essence of aesthetic appeal and dynamics in the premium segment. On the outside the model’s stylistic features carry the promise of a powerful presence on the road while the stand-out dynamic ability and driving pleasure is in abundance. Under the bonnet lies a six-speed manual gearbox as standard or an eight-speed Sports automatic gear box alongside a TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder in-line petrol engine in the BMW 435i Coupé, and the four-cylinder petrol unit for the BMW 428i Coupé. The five model exposé will bring new additions to the sustainable mobility, Sports Activity Coupé and premium segments ensuring that BMW Group continues to hold pole position as the world’s best-selling premium automotive manufacturer.

UNBREAKABLE

Pentastar V6 — Tomorrow’s technology combined with engine performance MUSCAT: Combining latest fuel efficiency technology and more power than ever before, the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine delivers the most advanced powertrain in the history of Chrysler brands. The six-cylinder engine is designed and engineered with advanced technologies to deliver class-leading refinement, fuel efficiency and performance. The multi award-winning 60-degree, 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine is the most advanced six-cylinder ever produced by Chrysler and is now available in the majority vehicles across the Chrysler, Dodge Jeep and RAM line-up. Depending on the vehicle, engines are tuned for specific applications with horsepower ranging from 283 on front-wheeldrive models and up to 305 horsepower on the sporty Dodge Challenger. In addition, the Pentastar V6 also sports an exceptionally

packed with high-end technologies designed to make driving simpler. The principal instrument inside the cabin incorporates a large round LCD screen, the main functions of which include a digital speed display and the visual component of the parking assistant function. White segments around the circumference of the LCD screen indicate the settings of the cruise control and the speed limiter systems. The vehicle also offers a range of driver-assistance technologies, including the hands-free key card for no-touch locking and unlocking of doors, as well as push-button ignition. On the higher equipment level, the parking assist system of new Fluence features four rearparking sensors neatly integrated into the rear bumper. From its entry level model, the Renault Fluence offers ABS with electronic brake force distribution, emergency brake assist, three-point front safety belts with pretensioners and load limiters, driver and front passenger airbags, three-point Isoﬁx child seat anchorage for the outer rear seats and projector headlights.

BMW i8 makes debut at Frankfurt Motor Show

flat torque curve along with its high specific power. In fact, engine’s torque exceeds 90 per cent of its peak value between 1,800 to 6,350 rpm, providing outstanding drivability and responsiveness. Engineered to meet a variety of requirements, the all-aluminium Pentastar V6 engine also is the exclusive engine used with the new eight-speed automatic transmission on the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 models. The new engine and transmission combination not only improves fuel efficiency, but also allows quicker acceleration and smoother shifts, thanks to the shorter gearing. It is also designed for ultimate flexibility in usage allowing for all ranges of drive systems, i.e., front, rear, AWD and 4 x 4. The engine also comes equipped with iDFSO technology which cuts fuel to the engine while decelerating, to increase gas mileage.

Areej Business Systems to launch first rugged smartphone Oinom in Oman MUSCAT: What next in mobile market? From QWERTY handsets to Android handsets, it is now the time for rugged smartphones. The world is looking forward to this product. Oinom a professional mobile phone brand belonging to Kingbrand group will be launching a rugged smartphone called V9. Areej Business Systems is the exclusive distributor of Oinom in Oman and Siddhartha Chaturvedi, general manager of the company said that Oinom would be the first rugged phone to be launched in Oman with lot of new features which offer many added benefits. V9 has all the features of a smartphone like Android 4.2.1 Jelly bean, 1.2 ghz dual core, dual SIM card, dual network model, dual standby, 4.02 inch FWVGA (854 x 480) TFT IPS (gorilla glass). The rear camera is 8 megapixels and second 1.3MP front-facing

RAFFLE WINNERS

The battery capacity is 2800 MAH and it lasts for a longer time than any other smartphone with battery of 1500 MAH. The phone is wi-ﬁ enabled and will be made available at all leading stores in Oman and consumers can buy the same at a very special introductory offer of OMR90.

camera and an integrated ﬂashlight. The key feature is its ruggedness and it can withstand all manner of ungentle treatment. The phone is shock proof, dust-sand

and water proof and has inbuilt memory 1GB EMCC + 4GB DDR1. Users can add a micro SD card that will boost the memory space of the device to 32GB.

Durable Based on innovative thinking, Oinom was founded to continually invent the most durable, different, special functional phones. The products have been well received all over the world. The company’s research team has created the touch-screen waterproof phone with the grade IP67. They have also created the ﬁrst ruggedised mobile phone with long standby time (more than 600 hours) and also world’s thinnest ruggedised phone with the grade IP65.

NEW APPOINTMENT

American Tourister ‘Buy & Win’ The Chedi Muscat appoints new raffle draw winners announced director for food and beverage MUSCAT: American Tourister ‘Buy & Win’ raffle draw was conducted at the Khimji Megastore recently in the presence of officials from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. One hundred winners were declared. Winners will receive Moulinex Home Appliances which includes Food Processors (25 numbers), Microwaves (25 numbers), Juice Extractors (25 numbers) and Deep Fryers (25 numbers). The winners will be notiﬁed through SMS and e-mail and the gifts will be distributed to them through Khimji Luxury & Lifestyle store, Ruwi Street. Winners can contact 24796161 for more details. This raffle promotion was conducted for the period of June-July 2013 in connection with the travel season. Customers who bought an American Tourister luggage from any of the participating outlet were given a chance to participate in the raffle draw. The ‘Buy & Win’ promotion has created lots of enthusiasm and interest and has attracted new customers. The ‘Buy & Win’ pro-

motion is the latest promotional activity in American Tourister which comes after the success of past promotions like ‘Scratch & Win’ and ‘Buy & Fly’ promotions, said Ravikumar, business development manager at Khimji’s Luxury and Lifestyle. American Tourister range includes uprights, suitcases, brief cases, back packs, duffle bags, computer bags and travel accessories. American Tourister bags are available in all major hypermarkets and Khimji Luxury & Lifestyle outlets across Oman. In his comments Rohit Shah,

general manager at Khimji Luxury & Life Style Division said: “American Tourister is well known for the durability, functionality and trendy designs. This makes American Tourister the popular brand across the globe. The new light weight series in American Tourister is becoming a fast seller in its category as more and more customers prefer to use a light weight bag for travel which is the new growing trend. Customers can call our toll-free no 80075000 to know more details on American Tourister Products.”

MUSCAT: The Chedi Muscat, Oman’s leading ﬁve-star resort announced the appointment of Michiel Lugt as Director of Food and Beverage. Lugt began his tenure at the helm of Muscat’s leading culinary destination on September 1, 2013. Lugt joins The Chedi Muscat with 15 years of experience in the food and beverage sector. He was previously employed at Hotel de L’Europe in Amsterdam as Director of Food and Beverage. Prior to this he worked as the Food and Beverage manager at The Jockey Club in Hong Kong, in addition to many other ﬁve-star international

hotels around the world. Lugt has taken over from Christoph Girsch, who has been promoted to executive assistant manager at The Chedi Muscat. Lugt will be in charge of the award-winning Food and Beverage division of The Chedi Muscat which includes; The Restaurant, The Beach Restaurant, The Arabian Courtyard and Shisha Lounge, Lobby Lounge, the Poolside Cabana’s, In-room Dining and Banqueting. Commenting on his appointment, Lugt states, “I am thrilled to be joining the team at The Chedi Muscat which is reputedly known

as one of THE hotels in The Middle East. This role offers me not just the opportunity to join this incredibly iconic hotel as well as the opportunity to return to the Middle East, where I have worked before with great pleasure. Working in Oman in particular has always been on my list because of its superb reputation for history, culture, nature and very friendly people. The team and I will ensure that we continue to build on the success by ongoing staff training and by offering only the very best to our guests in terms of product, experience and ambience.”

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ROUND-UP Salman Stores opens at Salalah Gardens Mall To mark the occasion, Salman Stores launched a special promotion scheme exclusively for Salalah Gardens Mall

MUSCAT: After serving the customers through two popular stores in Muscat and yet another successful outlet in Salalah, Salman Stores has now opened its fourth store at the newly opened Salalah Gardens Mall. Inaugurated by the end of last month by Abdul Munam, managing director, Salman Corporations, Aqeel Abdul Munam, CEO, Salman Corporations and the well-known celebrity Chef Issa Al Lamki, the success of this new store needs no second thoughts as

excited shoppers hurried in to be a part of the celebration. To mark the occasion, Salman Stores simultaneously launched a promotion exclusively for Salalah Gardens Mall. The lucky one wins a trip to Bangkok or Thailand; while an array of fabulous and exciting gifts await the other winners. To add on to the excitement, Chef Issa charmed the audience with his unique take

on culinary delights with Salman Stores Cooking Studio. “We understand the value of the Salalah market and having a second outlet right here gives us more opportunities to serve our customers,” affirms Aqeel Abdul Munam. Living by his words, Salman Stores, through the years has provided nothing but the highest quality of household products, dinnerware, kitchen tools and utensils.

TRAINING LOCALS

Al Hassan backs Zubaidiya Football and Social Club MUSCAT: True to its commitment to supporting varied sporting activities in the country and as a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, the Al Hassan Group, Oman’s leading business house engaged in contracting, manufacturing and trading activities, recently supported the activities of the Zubaidiya Football and Social Club, one of the leading sports clubs in Muscat. In a glittering ceremony held at the club, Murtadha Mohsin, head of Corporate and Government Affairs, Al Hassan Group and Ali Maqbool, director, Al Hassan Manufacturing and Trading division, received a special memento of a football jersey bearing the number 10 — from the dignitaries for its support. The ceremony was attended by the deputy wali of Muttrah and respected members of the Majlis Al Shura apart from senior members of the club. The presentation ceremony was followed by promising young Omani’s displaying their football skills for everyone to witness. “We believe that it is the duty of organisations which beneﬁted from the country’s renaissance

to contribute positively to the development of sports in Oman so that the youth of the country can excel in all kinds of sporting activities. We are very happy to extend our humble support in this regard to the Zubaidiya Football Club which is doing good work in the ﬁeld of promoting Omani sporting talent. I hope in the future too we are able to associate with them,” said Ali Maqbool on the occasion.

PRE-OWNED CARS

Port of Salalah receives 14 students as part of summer internship programme SALALAH: Port of Salalah has received 14 students from Salalah’s universities and colleges as part of its summer internship programme which has been sustained each year from 2002 until 2013 as part of the company’s commitment to investing and training local talent. In a celebration held recently at the port, presided by Ahmed Akaak, acting CEO of the Port of Salalah, three of the 14 interns were awarded for top research presentations which were delivered in front of the managers, officials and specialists attending the ceremony. The summer internship programme is managed by the training department at the port which coordinates with the neighbouring educational institutions to set high qualiﬁcation standards, as well as with the port’s internal departments to ensure that the interns

Careful analysis of the market has led to the development and addition of its products on a line that suits the ever-changing tastes of the customers, thereby making sure that Salman Stores always remains an evergreen favourite. Thus, classy watches, fancy shoes and fashionable handbags soon became a part of the mainstream products receiving an increasingly over-whelming response with every passing year.

PROMOTING SPORTS

make the most of their training period through exposure, mentorship and information-sharing. The Port of Salalah’s annual comprehensive internship programme for students includes an induction on the port proﬁle and safety training, courtesy insurance, and a proportional salary for service during the two-month

training, among other beneﬁts. The summer internship programme began at the Port of Salalah in 2002 to provide on-job training exposure and experience to the growing population of the Dhofar region’s higher education students. Over 150 students have taken part since the start of the port’s summer internship programme.

Choicest 4WDs at Best Cars MUSCAT: When a pre-owned 4WD is required, one of the preferable options is to visit Best Cars’ main showroom, located at the most convenient place in the heart of the automobile market in Wattayah, Muscat. Best Cars is a professional set-up with a proven system for evaluating vehicles. “If you are looking for a quality pre-owned 4WD vehicle, you need not look beyond Best Cars. There is a good selection of top brand 4WD models to choose from here,” remarks a spokesperson, “We warmly welcome you to have a look. We are confident that you will find a 4WD that fits into your budget and performance criteria from the wide selection of 4WD’s. Best Cars is an automobile hypermarket and we are here to help you make the right choice across brands, specifications and price ranges.” Delighted customers Many customers express their

delight with not just ﬁnding their dream car, but also with the prices they have obtained for their trade-in vehicle, the hassle-free documentation, personalised care and overall professionalism of the staff. No surprise then that previous customers heartily recommends Best Cars to their friends and family calling it the

‘Best Bet’ to procure a vehicle of their choosing. A spokesperson for Best Cars remarks, “For us, it is a matter of great pride that we have truly catered to the needs of a buyer. Indeed, we regard each buyer as a valued patron, who has come once and will come again, only if we meet his demands right the ﬁrst time around. Customer satisfaction for us is not just a slogan; it is an everyday practice.” Not only does Best Cars offer a choice of pre-owned vehicles in the premises but also regularly updates its user-friendly website ‘www.bestcarsoman.com’ with new arrivals. Customers can login and view complete details, along with the vehicle’s photograph. They can also register their requirement and be informed as soon as their desired vehicle is available. Best Cars also provides ﬁnancing facilities for customers who want to purchase pre-owned vehicles on instalments.

PROMOTION SALES

IT SECTOR IN OMAN

Volkswagen Golf GTI drives record Ramadan sales at Wattayah Motors

Tariq Al Barwani honoured for his contribution to IT MUSCAT: Tariq Hilal Al Barwani, founder and president of Knowledge Oman, was honoured for contribution and services in IT sector in Oman by K. V. Thomas, the Union Minister of State of India, in the presence of J. S. Mukul, the Indian ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman at the Jai Oman Jai Hind event, held at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel. Dr J. Retnakumar, the honorary chairman of Jai Hind Operations in Oman, said, “Tariq has contributed valuable projects and services that has impacted many people in the country and it brings us great pleasure to honour him for his excellent contribution to the development of the IT sector in Oman.” Tariq has created software programmes that assisted thousands of users in Oman, launched special IT programmes in partnership with the public and government institutions that launched unique TV, radio and

events programmes for the mass public, created rich Internet IT portal website which was acquired by an international group of company, and created the leading volunteer knowledge sharing platform in Oman comprising local and expat residents that work together solely to ﬁll knowledge gap within the country. Tariq donated IT educational materials, so as visits schools, colleges and universities to present and guide students and faculty members on latest IT technologies and career opportunities on a regular basis. Tariq maintains an interactive website at www.tariq.net Leading Omani and Indian dignitaries attended the event that consisted of a cultural show with performances from the Omani and Indian artists as well as awards were conferred to the people who have excelled in the ﬁelds of social work, art, medical and education.

MUSCAT: Wattayah Motors, the official dealer for Volkswagen in Oman, has set a new record for its Ramadan deliveries, with the newly launched seventh generation Golf GTI driving sales in the Sultanate. Volkswagen customers purchasing a new model during the holy month, were offered a range of beneﬁts, including a ﬁve year

extended warranty, seven years — or 105,000km — free service, ﬁve years around the clock roadside assistance, free registration and insurance on selected models, and the chance to win a new Polo Sedan. Hemant Bhat, general manager, Wattayah Motors said, “With a full model line-up, including the stunning all-new GTI, our customers appreciated

the opportunity to be offered even more beneﬁts when purchasing a new Volkswagen. “We have seen a tremendous response to the latest edition of the iconic Golf GTI, which was launched in the Sultanate in July. With its highly agile and sporty performance, and with a 10HP increase, the GTI has never been more fun to drive.”

The icon of sportiness, the legendary compact sports car is powered by a turbocharged petrol, direct-injection engine (TSI) with 162 kW / 220 HP coming as standard and accelerates to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds, reaching a top speed of 244km. The popular Ramadan offer was extended across Volkswagen Oman’s full model line-up.

AFFORDABLE LUXURY

Geely Emgrand 7: Global quality, local prices MUSCAT: The stunning Geely Emgrand 7 has a global classy appeal, outstanding technology, superb performance and high-end active and passive safety elements. This is because the constituents that make up the car are of international repute that includes even basics such as electronic control systems, seats and even glass. What is more is that this formidable quality and sophistication is now available at an unbelievable starting price of OMR3,690 only. Available in sedan and hatchback models the suave Emgrand 7 has a 1.8L DOHC 4 Cylinder 4 Speed Automatic (CVVT). Comfort features in the Emgrand 7 include an AM/FM radio with CD player and MP3, Power windows, 6 way power driver seat adjuster, leather seats, sunroof with jam protection, rear sensors, remote keyless entry and full automatic air conditioner. The car comes equipped with ABS and EBD that offers faster and more sensitive reaction to

pedal inserts, ensuring that driving safety is not compromised. The car also boasts a dual airbag design which provides all-round protection for the front seat occupants and this is coupled with safety belts, alloy wheels and a steering wheel lock anti-theft device. A spokesperson from Towell Auto Centre (TAC), the sole distributors of Geely Emgrand range of vehicles in Oman, says, “The Emgrand

7 follows European standards and emulates European quality. “It conforms to international safety features, can effectively absorb crash energy and disperse it over a wide area, thus greatly reducing cab deformation and better protecting drivers and passengers. The Emgrand 7 has made history by becoming China’s ﬁrst proprietary model that participated in the European

safety collision test and achieved great success. ‘Safety ﬁrst’ is Geely’s core philosophy and Emgrand 7 is perfect testimony to this.” Over the years, Geely — acquirer of the Swedish Volvo, Australian DSI and the prestigious Manganese Bronze Holdings — has become a leading Chinese automotive manufacturer with a strong global presence. The company’s success is rooted in Geely’s entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to innovation and manufacturing efficiency, which allows the company to provide consumers with excellent cars that are economical, environment friendly and energy efficient. By bringing the Geely Emgrand range to the Sultanate, TAC has reinforced its commitment to provide high-quality products and services to its customers in Oman. Having a network of 11 showrooms, 16 service outlets and 10 parts outlets spread across the Sultanate, TAC is a leading automobile distributor in the Sultanate of Oman.

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ROUND-UP Third batch receives Bank Muscat’s ‘Jesr al Mustaqbal’ scholarships ‘Jesr al Mustaqbal’ was launched in 2012 in implementation of the directive of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to provide relevant educational and training opportunities to Omani youths to develop their employability skills

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat yesterday presented ‘Jesr al Mustaqbal’ (Bridge to Future) higher education scholarships to 15 Omani youths representing the third batch of beneﬁciaries of the unique corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. Abdul Kader Al Balushi, general manager, Credit, presided at the ceremony held at the bank’s head office. ‘Jesr al Mustaqbal’ was launched by the bank in 2012 in execution of the directive of His Majesty Sultan

Qaboos bin Said to provide relevant educational and training opportunities for Omani youth to develop employable skills. The comprehensive CSR initiative offers educational and vocational training sponsorship for young Omanis — both male and female who have not been able to complete their education for various reasons. Abdul Kader Al Balushi said, “Bank Muscat is happy to see 15 more Omani youth beneﬁting from the ‘Jesr al Mustaqbal’ higher education scholarship programme. Stemming from corporate social responsibility, the bank is committed to working closely with local communities with the aim of improving living standards in

a manner that serves the national economy and the development process. With proper education and enhanced skills, the ‘Jesr al Mustaqbal’ beneﬁciaries can actively participate in the service of society and development of the country.” Presently, a total of 43 Omani youth have received ‘Jesr al Mustaqbal’ higher education scholarships, in addition to others who have beneﬁted from scholarships for pursuing vocational training programmes. Secondary school graduates from low-income families are eligible to apply for the scholarship to pursue undergraduate diplomas at selected colleges and universities across the Sultanate. The study programmes

MANAGEMENT CHANGE

IT SOLUTIONS

Intertec and Oracle set to host exclusive seminar MUSCAT: Oracle and Intertec Systems are hosting an exclusive seminar on September 24 at Crowne Plaza, Muscat. Intertec, established in 1991, is a leading systems integrator and solutions provider. The company also possesses a development team focused on delivering highquality application products and IT services. Some of their specialised domains include ERP, HRMS, business intelligence, supply chain, mobility and hospitality. Seminar highlights Based on the theme ‘Get Your Businesses To Work Smart’, the seminar is directed towards owners and heads of business, ﬁnance and IT. The agenda highlights usage of ERP to streamline business operations, how to manage the supply chain, how mobility solutions can help manage ﬁeld sales and use of BI for dashboards and organisation KPI’s. In addition to these thought provoking sessions, there will be interactive sessions with the existing customers along with panel discussions. “We are pleased to host this event focusing on the trading and distribution sector, which comprises a larger share of businesses in the country. Our focus is to help these businesses understand how technology can help them achieve better business results. We have several customer success stories to share during the seminar,” states Nikhil Kothari, manager, Strategy and Marketing.

this programme. I thank Bank Muscat for this opportunity to lay a strong foundation for my life.” Nasra Sulaiman Al Manji from the wilayat of Ibra, who has enrolled for a diploma in Business Administration, commended Bank Muscat for its CSR initiatives beneﬁting various segments of society. “I am grateful to Bank Muscat for this big support which has given a new direction for my life.” Aqeel Abdulrahim Al Balushi from the wilayat of Al Amerat, one of the ‘Jesr al Mustaqbal’ beneﬁciaries enrolled for a diploma in Business Administration, thanked Bank Muscat for the CSR initiative. “I am very happy to receive the scholarship which will help me in my career advancement. I

will do my best to excel in my studies and give back to the country my contributions as a responsible citizen.” ‘Jesr al Mustaqbal’ beneﬁciaries must be unemployed Omani nationals below 20 years and they must have completed secondary school with at least 70 per cent marks, with the course completed not more than two years prior to the proposed date of enrolment to college. Candidates applying for sponsorship will be required to clear the placement test conducted by respective colleges. Priority will be given to students with no employment in the family. Scholarships are available for students from all regions in the country.

TRIBUTE TO TEACHERS

Oman Private School now under new management MUSCAT: Oman Private School, located at Madinat Sultan Qaboos, is the ﬁrst private school in Oman (Since 1976), now under the new management of Barik Group, one of the eminent business groups of the region, has re-organised the school set-up with a mission and vision to provide quality and value based education. Juma Ali Al Gheilani, chairman of the group, reminded everybody of the 7th century Oman, once the educational capital of the region, thriving in the areas like science, medicine, arts and literature, is keen to bring back the past and lost glory to the country by contributing in all possible means.

offered are diploma in banking, accounting, ﬁnance or information technology, with its duration not exceeding three and a half years. Students who achieved GPA of 3.50 and above in their diploma studies may, at the discretion of the bank’s management, be offered sponsorship to pursue a bachelor’s degree programme. The sponsorship covers course registration, tuition fees, books and monthly allowance. Suha Salem Al Habaishi from the wilayat of Nakhal, said: “I am very happy to be chosen for ‘Jesr al Mustaqbal’ scholarship to pursue an academic programme which will help me to secure a bright future. I look forward to motivating other youngsters to beneﬁt from

Dr Bilal Philips, educationist and eminent scholar of international repute is generous enough to take-up this assignment as a consultant and adviser, to be associated with the school. “It will be an added advantage to implement moral and value based education with Islamic principles in all the subjects, the school will be at par with other international educational institutions in the region,” he added. The school is under the supervision of Ministry of EducationOman, having bilingual education (English and Arabic) with Cambridge syllabus. The management is also in the

process of associating with an international school of repute, which would be an added value to higher grade students to pursue higher education in Western countries with ease. Mohammad Ali Al Gheilani, executive director of the Group, informed, “Oman Private School is ﬁrst of its kind with unique IVMS (In Vehicle Monitoring System) to track the students movement and the drivers performance, which would cater to the safety of students.” Admissions are open for KG-I to Class X and the classes will resume during the second week of September 2013.

IS Muladha celebrates Teachers’ Day MULADHA: The students of Indian School Muladha celebrated ‘Teachers’ Day’ with great serenity and sincerity to record the appreciation and gratitude to the teaching faculty. The school principal S. I. Shareef, vice-principals Vidya M. (co-curricular) and V. S. Suresh (Academics), teaching staff, nonteaching staff and students attended the function. Shareef, exalted the nobility of teaching profession and the inﬂuence of teachers throughout the life of a student. He appreciated the teachers for their dedication to the institution and wished them on their day. He also thanked all the prefect council members for organising such a memorable event for the teachers.

OFFER

The audience was enthralled by a melodious song presented by the senior girls. Vidya M., the viceprincipal presented the message from C. M. Najeeb, director-incharge for Indian School Muladha and wishes from the School Management Committee. Saeeda A. Khan, kindergarten teacher, shared her 20 years of valuable experience in the school. The prefects grasped this oppor-

tunity to express their sincere love and gratefulness towards the teachers by honouring each one with a gift. A few games like treasure hunt, tug of war, dumb charades, volley ball, etc were also organised for teachers which were thoroughly enjoyed by them. The hallmark of the day was ‘the taught’ acting as ‘the teachers’, shouldering their responsibilities for a day.

FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW

‘Seasons Promotion’ on Nissan Pickup 4WD MUSCAT: Nissan Oman from the house of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles has introduced an exciting line-up of offers on all their SUV, Crossover, Sedan and LCV models. Their special ‘seasons promotions’ are not to be missed until October 31, 2013 which have been launched for Nissan’s most valued patrons. Nissan has a heritage of showcasing some of the most amazing benefits for their customers by introducing unique offers on their prestigious line up of vehicles. In an effort to make Nissan vehicles affordable and accessible to all, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles has taken up this unique initiative. Unbeatable benefits Customers buying the Nissan Pickup will be eligible to avail exciting new offers like free registration, free insurance and free one year or 10,000km (whichever comes first) periodic maintenance. With two different engine models, the Nissan Pickup is best known for its ultimate performance on the road and off. With a 2.4L, 160hp twin cam gasoline engine in 2WD and 4WD, the 4x4 Pickup is one of the most economical in its range. It features dynamic suspension, rear step bumper, black coloured mirrors and grill, bed liner; — making it the perfect choice for all who wants to own a pickup. The 4x4 Pickup has an engine of KA24DE with power of 160HP/5600RPM and a torque of net-20.6KG-M/3600RPM. The

4x4 Pickup has a key element like the transfer knob and the exterior highlights over fender (black), fr bumper (wide type black) and a tyre size of 215 R15 with a wheel base of 2950 mm. What’s more the fuel tank capacity can hold a huge capacity, allowing increased cruising range. A durable aluminium-alloy engine block contributes to weight reduction, while micro finishing of the crankshaft and camshaft help cut friction loss. With a built-in divider, it lets you create separate loading areas simply by inserting a dividing board and a double-walled rear side panel means extra durability. As well as its flat tailgate extrastrength tailgate chains and flat steel bars which simplify loading and unloading. Its two separate large-size door pockets are positioned beneath the armrests for extra convenience. The vehicle’s vanity mirror is equipped on the front passenger sun visor which is a standard feature available on all their models. The Nissan Pickup provides a

smooth and effortless power steering which makes the driving experience easy, convenient and improves manoeuvrability. The Nissan Pickup models are built for versatility. Despite their comfortable ride and stylish passenger car-like interiors, they still deliver full load-hauling functionality. The Single Cab model makes an excellent multipurpose utility vehicle, while the Double Cab model can also serve as a versatile family pickup. Features The new 4x4 Nissan Pickup features a good entertainment system with good quality 2 DIN AM/ FM CD MP3 stereo system. It’s multi-function; clear-lens headlights provide strong night illumination which gives it an edgier look. A 4x4 configuration gives customers the freedom to negotiate tough off-road conditions. The sturdy closed-section ladder type frame with five cross members delivers the kind of durability that makes the Nissan Pickup the first choice for toughness.

Kia unveils bold new concept car MUSCAT: Eye-catching designs, pampering features and a range of advanced levels of options to choose from, Kia has always maintained its stance at presenting its enthusiasts with nothing but the ﬁnest. Therefore, Kia constantly invests a lot of time and passion apart from other necessary resources to bring bold new designs to life. Racing ahead in its endeavours Kia showcased a bold new concept that’s guaranteed to draw a lot of attention. Playful but gutsy, sturdy yet mischievous — Kia’s dramatic new European concept was unveiled at the IAA (Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung) in Frankfurt on September 10. This concept hints at a possible future B-segment contender ready to take on the urban environment with style and tenacity. Accepting any challenge that

the assured modern motorist may throw at it, this concept car combines a mischievous character in a clearly robust and substantial yet stylish bodyshape featuring a mix of contrasting materials in compact, purposeful dimensions. The official name of this concept will be revealed closer to the show. Born out of Kia’s determination to seek new compact-car options for the individualistic and demanding driver for whom size is an issue, the concept features intriguing elements not always associated with smaller cars and has been created in Europe with European tastes and expectations very much in mind. Although there are no current plans for production, the vehicle’s unveiling in Frankfurt will be used to gauge potential customer response for future showroom models.

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM MONDAY, S EPTEMBER 16, 2013

SECTION

RECRUI JOB POSTINGS

SMARTEN UP DRIVE SAFE A TIMES OF OMAN HANDS-FREE DRIVING INITIATIVE

Things which matter most, should never be at the mercy of things which matter least. — Johann Goethe

‘FIRST THINGS FIRST’

Making important tasks a top priority ARE you feeling overwhelmed yet? I imagine so. Whether you have children who just went back to school or you find the demands from colleagues, clients, family members, friends and others suddenly increasing, the feeling of being besieged with lots of things to do seems to have hit many people. It is easy to wonder if we have the balance right between doing what’s really important for us versus what others want us to do. As leadership guru Stephen Covey might say, its time to put “first things first.” Traditional time management techniques focus on having us work harder, smarter and faster in order to gain control over our lives. Yet, as he points out, this type of control will not lead to peace and fulfilment. Instead, we need to focus on doing what is important to us, not just what is urgent. So, how do we accomplish this? Covey categorises our activities into four quadrants by importance and urgency. Important things are those that contribute to our mission and goals. Urgent things are pressing things that demand our immediate attention. There are things we do that are

unimportant and urgent (e.g., interruptions, some meetings); things that are unimportant and not urgent (e.g., junk mail, busywork); things that are important and urgent (crises, deadline-driven projects) and then things that are important and not urgent (e.g., relationship building, values clarification). He notes that we need to spend more time on things that are important, rather than simply urgent. If we really thought about our day, we probably would see that we spend a lot of time on urgent, unimportant things. He shares a story from one of his associates about the “big rocks” and the importance when filling a jar, to put the big rocks in first, followed by gravel, then sand and finally water. The point is that unless you put the big rocks (i.e., the things that really matter to you) first in the jar, you won’t be able to get them in once all the little things are in the jar. As he mentions, we can be surprised by how much sand, gravel and water we can still get in to fill in the spaces once we put the big rocks in. So, clearly we need to identify what are those “big rocks.” There

are also some smaller things we can do to improve our peace of mind. First, we could reset or preview our day — at the beginning of the day step back and think about what top two or three things we really want to accomplish for that day. We could do the same for our week ahead. We can then plan around those things — to make sure they occur. Personal mission statement Designate a time each week to organise your important/not urgent activities. Covey says we could create a personal mission statement to help us in ﬁguring out what is really important to us and in making sure we plan for it. To do this, we would think about our various roles in our lives and our goals for each of those roles. We can label on our schedules things that are time sensitive versus things that can be done at any time. This can help us in planning our days. Periodically ask ourselves “what are we rushing for?” and really think about our answer here. Share our vision or mission statement with a friend, family member or close colleague. Get

someone to help us stay focused and accountable. Remember to use part of your commute time to relax and make transitions to the next part of your day (e.g., going from work to home). This can enable you to be more peaceful once you see people in that next environment. Find some time each day (even if just a few minutes) for quiet and reflection. It could be time for stretching or yoga, meditation, prayer, etc. Spend some time each week just thinking about a particular issue. For most of us, we never find the time. Take an hour a week and write down your ideas and then break them into next steps. It is important to review and evaluate our week at the end of it. We can examine which goals we achieved and didn’t. Only by reviewing our week, can we then figure out what to do differently for the following week. Benjamin Franklin said, “Time lost is never found again.” Let’s make sure that we are spending our time the way we really want to spend it on those things that are most important to us, rather than how others want us to spend it. — Joyce E. A. Russell/ The Washington Post.

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RECRUIT SMARTEN UP DRIVE SAFE A TIMES OF OMAN HANDS-FREE DRIVING INITIATIVE

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ROUND-UP Omantel slashes tariff of Omantel Games Club In the new tariff, the daily plan has been reduced to 150 baisa per day from 250 baisa, 750 baisa per week from OMR1, whereas the monthly plan has been reduced to OMR2 from OMR2.5

MUSCAT: In line with Omantel’s consistent efforts to enhancing its customers’ experience, Omantel announced a reduction on ‘Omantel Games Club’ tariff for on the daily, weekly, and monthly plans. ‘Omantel Games Club’ was launched last year in partnership with Nazara Technologies enabling Omantel customers to download their favourite games from companies such as Electronics Arts (EA) who specialises in electronic games and is considered to be among the leading global companies in the ﬁeld of entertainment through digital technology. Commenting on this new tariff, Sahar Al Asmi, acting manager, Applications and Data services at Omantel Consumer Unit said: “Omantel seeks to provide inno-

vative value-added services that meet our customers’ needs and requirements. The new tariff of ‘Omantel Games Club’ will give our customers more reasons to enjoy the unlimited entertainment opportunities that Internet provides. In the new tariff, the daily plan has been reduced to 150 baisa per day

from 250 baisa, 750 baisa per week from OMR1, whereas the monthly plan has been reduced to OMR2 from OMR2.5.” ‘Omantel Games Club’ has a variety of the latest games such as Fifa 13, Need for Speed, Hot Pursuit, Transformers 3 and many more being offered with high quality graphics. Omantel customers can enjoy the unique experience of games club by visiting the link www.omantel.om/gamesclub or sending a text message with the letter “N” to 91212. Omantel is the pioneer provider of leading edge telecommunications services in the Sultanate of Oman connecting individuals, enterprises and government across the country through a state-of-theart network.

T E C H N I C A L LY- A D VA N C E D

Jaguar Land Rover reaffirms commitment to UK MUSCAT: Jaguar Land Rover announced an investment approaching £1.5 billion ($2.3 billion) to introduce an all-new technically-advanced aluminium vehicle architecture in forthcoming models. To support this strengthening of the Jaguar product portfolio 1,700 new jobs will be created in the UK at its UK Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Solihull. Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover, chief executive officer, announced the major strategy at the Frankfurt Motor Show to deliver an enhanced range of models for both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands in new segments and markets. Commenting on the announcement, Dr Speth said: “Today’s announcement signals Jaguar Land Rover’s ambitions to push the boundaries and redeﬁne premium car ownership. At Jaguar Land Rover we place the customer at the heart of everything we do and the introduction of a world class all-new aluminium vehicle architecture means we will be more competitive, ﬂexible and efficient delivering exciting new products for our customers around the world.” He continued: “Jaguar Land Rover is a business driven by de-

sign, technology and innovation and this investment and level of job creation is yet further evidence of our commitment to advancing the capability of the UK automotive sector and its supply chain.” The first new model to utilise this innovative architecture will be an all-new mid-sized sports sedan from Jaguar. Launched in 2015, it will be the most efficient, advanced and refined premium sports sedan ever seen in the C/D segment. This vehicle will feature the first engine to be built at Jaguar Land Rover’s new £500m ($788m) Engine Manufacturing Centre. The plant will build the new family of high-output, fuel efficient petrol and diesel engines

for Jaguar Land Rover. The new 1,700 jobs at the Solihull site in the Midlands will bring the total number of UK manufacturing jobs announced by Jaguar Land Rover over the last three years to almost 11,000. Jaguar also revealed its ﬁrst ever sports crossover concept vehicle — the C-X17 — which was created as a design study to introduce the all-new aluminium monocoque architecture. The C-X17 concept illustrates the diversity of vehicles that could be produced using the architecture such as the four-seater sports crossover. The inherent ﬂexibility of this all-new technology will enable the Jaguar Land Rover business to not only enter but aggressively

compete in exciting new segments, creating new markets for both brands and deliver a wider range of compelling products tailored specifically for our demanding customers. For Jaguar, this will be the basis on which an exciting range of future Jaguars will be built. A modular and scalable vehicle architecture which will be high-strength, lightweight and incorporate innovative efficiency technologies. UK Business Secretary, Vince Cable said: “Jaguar Land Rover has been experiencing great success over the last couple of years but this ground-breaking project takes Jaguar onto the next level. “This all aluminium architecture project typifies the type of innovative and high value R&D that the UK excels in and government is supporting through the automotive industrial strategy.” In order to fully realise the potential of this vehicle architecture Jaguar Land Rover will significantly increase spend with the supply base. This latest announcement from the UK’s largest premium automotive manufacturer builds on a sustained programme of continued reinvestment.

P O W E R PAC K E D

Lexus CT200h: The powerful hybrid hatchback

MUSCAT: As Lexus continues to dominate the luxury hybrid market, the CT200h premium hybrid demonstrates the brand’s commitment to unparalleled quality, sophistication and technology, all the while being distinctively responsible towards the environment. The CT200h’s size, packaging, full hybrid technology and ultralow emissions perfectly meet the requirements of a young, highly discerning, environmentally conscious customer base. Yet it offers no compromise on the reﬁnement and driving pleasure which hallmark the progressive luxury inherent in every Lexus. The CT200h’s Lexus Hybrid Drive features a unique energy management system paired with a four-cylinder gas engine. Through the application of brand-speciﬁc engineering solutions and software tuning, Lexus engineers focused on enhancing both the environmental and driving performance of the full hybrid series/parallel system, as well as its Ultra-low Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) levels. Utilising the most recent generation hybrid system, the CT200h takes advantage of Lexus’ continuous engineering advances to maximise fuel economy, minimise emissions and deliver driving pleasure. Using a two-motor hybrid system, the CT200h uses an 80 horsepower drive motor that combines with the gas engine. A second motor in the hybrid system serves as both engine starter and generator to charge the hybrid battery pack. For a fun-to-drive experience, the CT200h also incorporates a drive-mode selector that allows

the driver to toggle between four distinct modes: Normal, Sport, Eco or EV. Each mode changes the rate of throttle opening for a given throttle-pedal angle. Normal mode has an essentially linear throttle response that gives naturally progressive power. Sport mode can be selected when the driver wants a more dynamic experience. In Eco mode, air conditioning settings are adjusted and the throttle response is reduced relative to the pedal angle to emphasise fuel economy. Under certain circumstances, the EV mode can allow the vehicle to be driven short distances using only the electric motors. The CT200h employs Lexus’ experience with Electric Power Steering (EPS). Its energy saving and lightweight design characteristics make it ideally suited for use in conjunction with the Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain. The vehicle-speed sensitive steering has been optimised to provide ideal steering feel at any speed. Inertia compensation control, friction feedback and recovery control assist in tailoring the steering feel and effort. The EPS system also helps improve fuel economy by reducing parasitic losses. The CT200h incorporates an advanced standard eight-airbag Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) with dual-stage airbags and knee airbags for driver and front passenger, side curtain airbags, and front seat-mounted side airbags to help protect passengers in certain types of severe frontal or side collisions. Lexus vehicles are brought to you in Oman by the Saud Bahwan Group.

SPECIALIST

FA S H I O N

Max winter 2013 for ladies launched

Internal medicine and diabetes specialist joins Nova Medical Center

MUSCAT: Ladies Max winter ’13 consists of an immense amount of key trends inﬂuencing the season. Max offers customers, collections on trend with added detail to in rich warm winter colours to make each piece unique and special.

MUSCAT: Nova Medical Center, one of the leading multi-speciality clinics in Muscat, has appointed Dr Dilip Singhvi, MBBS, MD, MRCP (UK) as a full-time consultant providing internal medicine service, with particular expertise in diabetes management. Dr Singhvi is available for consultation from Sunday to Thursday from 9am to 1pm and 5pm to 9pm. On Saturdays, Dr Singhvi is available from 9am to 1pm at the Nova polyclinic behind Al Zawawi mosque in Al Khuwair. A post-graduate in General Medicine from Rajasthan University, India, Dr Singhvi worked as a specialist in Nizwa Hospital, treating and managing patients of internal medicine, in outpa-

Ladies casual Max’s biggest influence from the Gala 2013 was tartan, and they added their own twist of mixing animal print and tartan not forgetting the hugely grunge influence. Hence they added a key PU fabric to most of the pieces to really give it that grunge industrial feel. Max uses this new fabrication in panel blocs and also plays with mesh inserts and over lays. A huge graphic influence sees through this season in line with the huge print on print seen on all the runways. Keep it clean sleek and sophisticated. The Scottish highlands add to the tartan influence in a more subtle classic way with kilts, blazers and pussy-bow embroided shirts. Key pieces are, tartan skirts and kilts, biker jackets, printed blazers, stud details, overlaid long skirts, Pu shirts and trench coats. The key colours consists of: PU back, mustard, deep red, gold, cobalt, grey marl and the biggest colour being burgundy. Ladies formal Attention to detail in this collection is key for winter. Embellished collars and hems and studded details are key throughout the different collections through the season. A vintage brocade print makes it way back and forms beautiful collections. The classic Chanel jacket is a key piece for every woman’s wardrobe. Max offers this timeless

piece in an array of colours, textures and fabrics. Print on print is huge this winter hence offer you a full top and bottom printed solution to look striking wherever your off to. Cosmic prints enter the season bright and bold. Keep this look sleek and sophisticated to really be the shoe stopper. Underpinned by classic peplum shaped tops in cobalt and PU black you have a solution for every occasion. Must have items Some of the must have items for your wardrobe consists of; printed suits, peplum tops, Tshirt dresses, metallic pieces and keep in mind to watch out for all the beautiful details on these garments as this winter it’s all about the detail. Max’s key colour inﬂuences are, PU black, cobalt, metallics, port wine, teal, and a rich bottle green. Gold accentuates a lot of the season and is a true investment for the future.

tients as well as inpatients and medical emergencies such as heart attacks, strokes, epilepsy, acute breathing problems, asthma, allergies, infections, gastrointestinal bleeds and others. He has vast experience of treating patients with diabetes (especial-

ly pregnant ladies with diabetes), hypertension, heart disease, obesity and metabolic syndrome. Dr Singhvi obtained his Membership of the Royal College of Physicians, UK; undertook clinical attachment to emergency department in North Manchester GH, UK and is a certiﬁed Advanced Cardiac Life Support Instructor. He has actively participated in various academic activities including frequent case presentations, participation in grand rounds, CMEs, journal clubs, seminars and departmental audits and also coordinated the MRCPI clinical exam in Nizwa Hospital. Dr (Col) KM Harikrishnan, general manager in charge of Nova Operations, says: “We are delighted to

welcome Dr Singhvi on board. With more than 17 years of clinical experience, he can greatly strengthen Nova’s internal medicine department and help us to achieve our goal of providing quality health care in Oman. His experience and expertise in diabetes management will be invaluable in supporting our efforts to tackle the rising incidence of diabetes and metabolic diseases in the country.” After one year of successful operations, Nova is actively expanding its scope of services in Oman. It is steadily moving towards its goal of opening the ﬁrst-ever Short-Stay Surgery unit and a centre of excellence to treat orthopaedic injuries. MY HASSAD

FRENCH EMBASSY APPOINTS MEDICAL ADVISER Dr Firazath Hussain, medical director of Al Massaraat Medical Centre, was recently appointed the medical adviser of the embassy of France, Muscat. (Left to Right) Oliver Le Van Xieu, Dr Hussain, Yves Oudin, ambassador and Luc Clement-Colas, counsellor.

ahlibank announces daily winners MUSCAT: ahlibank announced the names of the MyHassad daily prize draw winners. Amjed Salim Salam Al Fulaiti from Al Khoudh branch, Hamed Saif Hamood Al Qannobi from Al Khoudh branch, Khamis Said Seelam Alloun from Salalah branch, Nasser Saif Aloum Al Rizaiqi from Al Khuwair branch and Ahmed Madhat Fuzi Mohammed from Nizwa branch, were the lucky winners of OMR1,000 each for the week. MyHassad savings account continues to successfully satisfy the existing customers and attract new ones.

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM MONDAY, S EPTEMBER 16, 2013

SECTION

SPOR YOUR GAME

RONALDO EXTENDS REAL CONTRACT TO 2018 Real Madrid have moved to tie Cristiano Ronaldo to the club until the end of the 2017-18 season by agreeing a three-year contract extension with the proliﬁc Portugal forward. >C6

SPECTACULAR: MotoGP riders take a curve during the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano circuit in central Italy. – Reuters

Lorenzo tops San Marino GP Lorenzo’s second win in a row left the Spaniard level on points — but ahead on race wins — with Honda-riding compatriot Dani Pedrosa on 219 CELEBRATION: A combination of pictures shows Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo of Spain jumping as he celebrates on the podium after winning the race. – Reuters

SAN MARINO: MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo won the San Marino Grand Prix for Yamaha yesterday but Honda’s Marc Marquez extended his overall lead to 34 points after ﬁnishing second. Lorenzo’s second win in a row left the Spaniard level on points — but ahead on race wins — with Honda-riding compatriot Dani Pedrosa on 219. Marquez, the 20-year-old Spanish rookie who had taken the sea-

son by storm, has 253. Pedrosa ﬁnished third at the Misano Marco Simoncelli circuit in eastern Italy with local hero Valentino Rossi ending up fourth for Yamaha for the fourth race in a row. “I started really convinced, really motivated, and tried to push from the ﬁrst corner to the last” said Lorenzo, who passed polesitter Marquez at the start and streaked away to a comfortable 28th win in the top class. “It is im-

OMANTEL PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE

portant to win because we don’t lose points but we have only recovered five...it doesn’t make a big difference to the championship.” With five races remaining, Marquez does not need to win again and can clinch the title by finishing second in all of the remaining grands prix. “Marc is very consistent. We’ve got five races to go and 34 deficit so if we keep going, we have a chance,” said Yamaha team boss

Lin Jarvis. Marquez, who crashed in the morning warm-up, had to ﬁght back from fourth after losing ground to Pedrosa and Rossi and the scrap between him and Pedrosa for second provided most of the afternoon’s thrills. Pedrosa passed Marquez again with six laps to go but the move was short-lived, with the championship leader taking back the position within seconds. “That second place is so impor-

tant,” said Marquez. “In the beginning I was struggling a lot...I went wide two times. But anyway we did a good race and took 20 more points for the championship.” Germany’s Stefan Bradl, on the LCR Honda, took ﬁfth place on the last lap from Britain’s Cal Crutchlow on the Tech3 Yamaha. “At the end of the day I’m pleased. We came here and were 13th and 14th, 10th in practice, useless all weekend, I was bor-

derline crashing a lot and had no confidence during the race,” said Crutchlow. In the Moto2 class, Spain’s Pol Espargaro won to deny Japan’s Takaaki Nakagami the first victory of his career after passing him on the penultimate lap. Britain’s Scott Redding finished sixth and saw his overall lead slashed to 23 points. The next race is at Aragon in Spain in two weeks’ time. — Reuters

O N E - D AY M AT C H

Yuvraj, Yusuf fashion India A win

CELEBRATIONS: Dhofar Club players do a jig after winning the

OPL match against Majees at Sohar Sports Complex. – Supplied photo

Dhofar win and so does Al Musannah Times News Service SOHAR: Dhofar Club signed off the first week of the Omantel Professional League with a big 3-0 win over Majees at the Sohar Sports Complex yesterday. The victory was such that Dhofar signalled a warning for the other rivals, that they too are serious contenders of the inaugural pro league pennant. So dominant was the team from southern city of Oman, Majees were no match in all departments. It was Dhofar, who flashed on the scoreboard first, when Ahmed Mana found the net in the 16th minute. Though Majees did manage to hold the Dhofar forays at bay, their resistance did not last in the second half. Mustafa Mukhtar notched Dhofar’s second goal, when he convincingly beat the Majees goalkeeper in the 58th minute. Later in the 73rd minute, African import Attram was on target to steal the match away from Majees. In the match that followed, Al Musannah eased past Saham 2-0

to garner full points from the ir opening match. Moroccan Younis Ujana scored both the goals in the second half. OPL thank sponsors Meanwhile, the OPL thanked Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) for providing 100 prizes to the fans during the first match day of the Oman Professional League Football Season 2013-2014. This reflected the continuous support of Omantel to the Oman Football Association. This initiative added value to the league and played a significant role to stimulate fans to attend the game which is one of the imperatives in professional football. Sayyid Khalid Hamad Hamoud Al Busaidi, the Omantel Professional League Chairman and the executive committee of the professional league extended their appreciation and thanks to CEO Dr Amer bin Awadh Al Rawas, management and staff of Omantel for sponsoring the inaugural pro league and their will to support promoting Oman football.

BANGALORE: Yuvraj Singh staked his claim for national team selection as he struck a brutal 89ball 123 to lead India A to a thumping 77-run victory over West Indies A in the ﬁrst of the threematch One-day series yesterday. Handed a lifeline to return to the ODI team by being named captain of India A, Yuvraj produced a sensational exhibition of strokeplay by hitting eight fours and seven sixes in his scintillating innings to help India raise 312 for four after being put to bat at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The match was reduced to 42-over-a-side affair due to twohour delayed start on account of wet outﬁeld. India A then bowled out the visitors for 235 in 39.1 overs, giving the home side 1-0 lead in the series with the remaining two matches to be played at the same venue on September 17 and 19. Chasing the formidable target, the visiting side lost the plot early on as they were reduced to 58 for three in the 11th over and after a brief recovery with a 54-run stand between Narsingh Deonarine (57) and Andre Fletcher (29), they again lost quick wickets to fold up at 235. Ashley Nurse (57) was the other notable contributor for West Indies ‘A’ whose batsmen perished while playing shots for quick runs. For India A, R Vinay Kumar, Rahul Sharma, Yusuf Pathan and Sumit Narwal grabbed two wickets each while Jaydev Unadkat got a wicket. Earlier, Yuvraj tore apart the West Indies A bowling attack as he unleashed his wide range of strokes after a cautious start. The 31-year-old left-hander, who last played an international match in January, was simply superb with his drives on the up and also with the pull shots which all came with impeccable place-

REGAINING CLASS: India A Captain Yuvraj Singh celebrates his cen-

tury as Yusuf Pathan looks on. – PTI

ment and timing. Mandeep Singh and Yusuf Pathan — who is also looking for a comeback to the ODI team — played perfect second ﬁddle to Yuvraj to help themselves to 67 from 78 balls (7x4, 1x6) and 70 not out from 32 balls (4x4, 6x6) respectively. Yuvraj was though circumspect in the beginning as he took 39 balls

to hit his ﬁrst boundary and scored his ﬁfty in 61 balls. But, in the next 19 balls he raced to his century as a torrent of fours and sixes followed from his blade as the visiting bowlers had no clue how to contain him. India A, however, found themselves in a spot of bother after openers Unmukt Chand (1) and Robin Uthappa (23), who were in

fine form against New Zealand A side earlier in the month, had returned to the pavilion with the scoreboard reading just 47. Mandeep and Yuvraj shared a 100-run stand for the third wicket to resurrect the India ‘A’ innings before the former was out in the 31st over. Yuvraj then added 125 runs for the fourth wicket from just 55 balls with Yusuf, who is also looking for a national team comeback. Yuvraj whacked Nikita Miller for three sixes and a four to collect 23 runs in the 25th over to reach to 90 and then raised his 18th List A hundred in style with a six off Ronsford Beaton in the 38th over. He took 24 runs off that over with two sixes and three fours. Yusuf took the score past 300 with a late flurry of fours and sixes after Yuvraj was out in the 40th over. Chasing a stiff target of 313 runs, the West Indies ‘A’ lost three quick wickets for just 58 runs as local lad Vinay Kumar struck twice. Nkruma Bonner gave keeper Naman Ojha a low catch off the very first over off Vinay after the opener had scored 16 with four boundaries to his credit. Vinay and Narwal then accounted for captain Kieran Powell (17) and Kirk Edwards (19) respectively to leave the West Indies A in tatters. Andre Fletcher did not last long as he top-edged a Yusuf Pathan delivery for a simple catch to Unmukt Chand after scoring 29 runs with two fours and a six. Yusuf bagged another wicket by trapping Devon Thomas LBW for 10. Andre Russell was then run out for one and leg-spinner Rahul Sharma picked up the wickets of Narsingh Deonarine and Nikita Miller (2) in consecutive overs. Unadkat got Ronsford Beaton (15) out for hit-wicket and then Narwal wrapped up the West Indies innings by claiming Ashley Nurse (57). — PTI

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

SPORTS

‘NON’ BETTER IN THE WORLD Non Stanford leads a British one-two in the World Triathlon Championships, continuing a ﬁne GB tradition in this tough event

IVE years after learning to ride a bike, one year after watching the Olympics on television and less than two months after breaking her arm, Britain’s Non Stanford again deﬁed the odds, and even her own expectations, to win the world triathlon title. Her team-mate Jodie Stimpson also produced an impressive run, ﬁnishing fourth to claim the overall world silver medal. Stanford, who was nowhere near Olympic selection last year, arrived at the Games course in Hyde Park with a hope, though an outside one, of becoming the third British women’s world triathlon champion in the past 12 years – the prospect of which, she later claimed, meant she had not slept properly for three weeks. But from the moment she threw open her curtains yesterday morning things went her way. Even the gods seemed on her side, unrelenting drizzle and leaden skies reminding her of home in Swansea and frustrating others used to warmer climes. Stanford certainly had her share of luck in a race that saw her two rivals for the overall title suffer a series of misfortunes, but to use their problems as the principal reason for her success would be doing her a great disservice. Even the Brownlee brothers, whose tolerance for endless training is legendary, are said to marvel at Stanford’s capacity for hard work and a punishing seven-day-a-week 30-hour schedule. Indeed, her idea of a rest day involves a two-hour swim, a three-hour bike ride and not even a sliver of chocolate. Many would have seen their season ended by the injuries she picked up from her bike crash in Hamburg, and yet just a few weeks later she was back on the start line, swimming one-armed and, amazingly, not going round in circles.

Gomez is supreme LONDON: Spain’s Javier Gomez won a sprint ﬁnish with Britain’s Jonny Brownlee to claim his third World Triathlon Grand Final crown in London’s Hyde Park yesterday. Brownlee ﬁnished second in the race and in the world series but his brother Alistair’s hopes of a third world title were ended by an ankle injury.

This season, Stanford — whose best result last year was a fifth place — has won twice and finished second three times in her six world series races, consistency that underlined her dedication. Just 12 points separated the top three in the world rankings at the start of the final race of the season, with the third- placed Stanford 12 points behind the series leader, Gwen Jorgensen, and four behind Germany’s Anne Haug. But Haug had a nightmare swim, losing two minutes on her rivals, and the American race favourite Jorgensen crashed during the opening stages of the bike leg and tearfully retired. Those cruel twists of fate put the race at Stanford’s mercy, especially as the 24-year-old former cross-country international, a one-time member of Dame Kelly Holmes’s mentoring programme, is considered one of triathlon’s best runners. And she duly won the race in 2hr 1min 31sec to follow the

British lead of former world champions Helen Jenkins, a two-time winner, and Leanda Cave. “Being the world champion, it’s crazy, it hasn’t really sunk in yet,” said Stanford. “I’m just trying to take it in my stride, but when I get five minutes to reflect on it I will probably get quite emotional. I just can’t believe it, to be honest, I can’t quite put it into words. All the hard work over the last year, I’ve just managed to hold it together and it’s paid off.” As for silver-medallist Stimpson, she, like Stanford, has also enjoyed a breakthrough season — starting the year without a world series podium to her name but finishing it with one gold and three bronzes to leave her ranked second in the world. Earlier, Jorgensen and Haug’s problems had meant Stanford started the run knowing a toptwo finish would be enough, while finishing third and fourth would also secure the title if Stimpson — fourth in the world rankings before the race — didn’t win. “I went out really hard in the run to get a gap and never wanted to give them a chance to reel me back in,” added Stanford, last year’s world Under-23 champion. “I just wanted to stay ahead of them before I had to serve my penalty. It felt never-ending in that penalty box. I just got out there as quickly as possible. It was so cold and I couldn’t feel my feet; the crowd support was great and I couldn’t hear myself breathe. “To stand on the podium with a fellow Brit was great and there was no better way to do it.” A year ago, Stanford said her short-term goal was to qualify for the Commonwealth Games and her long-term ambition was to ditch the Under-23 part of “world Under-23 champion”. Mission accomplished. Next, after a long-overdue sleep, she will be on the road to Rio. — The Independent

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 01 3

SPORTS C LT 2 0

Morgan sees England’s chance to clinch series SOUTHAMPTON: Eoin Morgan believes the momentum and belief is now firmly with his England team as they prepare for their winner-takes-all clash with Australia at Southampton today. The stand-in skipper is confident the dramatic three-wicket victory over Michael Clarke’s men at Cardiff on Saturday can be the turning point for even greater achievements. England squared the series thanks to a dramatic and explosive 65 not out by wicket-keeper Jos Buttler to ensure the series goes down to the wire. “We can go into that match with real confidence and the feeling that we have a chance to win the series, and we must grab it with both hands,” said Morgan. “If we win the fifth game then it will have been a very successful summer not just for the Ashes team but also the limited overs side. So it is a big match for us. “We have so much potential and ability in this ODI squad. It’s a very young squad which just needs time to develop and really show its skills.” — AFP

Kumble asks MI players to keep emotions in check Kumble also lauded

Misbah elated at India opening

Rohit Sharma’s captaincy after he led the side to its maiden IPL trophy this year

NEW DELHI: The upcoming Champions League Twenty20 is all set to be Sachin Tendulkar’s last appearance for the Mumbai Indians but chief mentor Anil Kumble feels the emotions related to the veteran’s swansong should be kept in check to ensure that the side’s performance is not affected. “Emotions can’t be brought into a game. It won’t help players’ performance. Emotions would obviously be there, but they have to be kept in check... these emotions have to be kept in check. Every player understands that,” Kumble told the team’s official website. “He (Tendulkar) has been synonymous with Mumbai Indians right from the start of IPL. I have played a lot of cricket with him. It would be ideal for the boys to give him a ﬁtting send-off. He has been

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq said yesterday he hoped India’s decision to allow local team Faisalabad to play on Indian soil will open up more cricket opportunities between the two nations. Misbah will lead Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 champions Faisalabad in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League starting in the Indian town of Mohali tomorrow after

a great contributor for Mumbai Indians all those years. “Although he couldn’t play in the last four-ﬁve games in the IPL 2013, but his contribution to the overall cause of the team has always been very important,” he added. Kumble lauded Rohit Sharma’s captaincy after he led the side to its maiden IPL trophy this year. “I think Rohit was the highlight of the IPL. He is a quiet yet conﬁdent player. He is not a kind of

New Delhi cleared the tour. Misbah said matches between the two cricketobsessed nations should not be halted by politics. “I feel cricket must go on,” Misbah said on phone from Harare, Zimbabwe. “Giving a Pakistani team clearance is a positive sign and I hope this will help open more doors for Indo-Pak cricket.” Pakistan humiliatingly lost the second Test in Harare on

guy who would say a lot of things. He was given the responsibility of leading the side, and he took that extremely well. “He is a committed player, and he understands the T20 game. He opened for India in the Champions Trophy, and did well. He was always an exceptionally talented player. With experience and maturity, he understands his game better now.” Kumble also justiﬁed leaving out Ricky Ponting from the CLT20

Saturday to level the twomatch series at 1-1. Misbah wasa scheduled to join the rest of the Faisalabad squad in India soon. Despite the tensions, Misbah said people on both sides of the border enjoy cricket. “It is a fact that people of both the countries enjoy IndoPak cricket and it is necessary for both the countries to have regular exchange of cricket tours,” said Misbah. - AFP

squad. “For a player of Ricky’s stature, it’s tough on him. But with the Champions League rules, we can only travel with a squad of 15 players, and only four foreigners can play in a game,” he explained. “With the kind of balance we had struck in the second half of the IPL when Ricky sat out, it was tough to ﬁnd a place for him in the squad. So we informed him about his exclusion, he obviously was disappointed. But, that’s nature of the game,” he said. — PTI

C LT 2 0

Wolves shifted to Mohali due to visa issues CHANDIGARH: They have got the green signal to compete in the Champions League Twenty20, but Faisalabad Wolves players were yesterday forced to shift out of the city after it emerged that their visas were only valid for Mohali. The team, captained by Pakistan Test skipper Misbah-ulHaq, arrived after ﬁnally getting the visa to travel to India to play in the event starting on Tuesday. But they were forced to shift out of their hotels here to the clubhouse of Punjab Cricket Association stadium at Mohali due to visa issues. “The PCA will accommodate them in the clubhouse for today and the BCCI is in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Home Ministry to see that they get visa for Chandigarh also. We are hopeful that it will be done by tomorrow and they will be shifted back to the Chandigarh hotel,” PCA joint secretary G S Walia told reporters. “There are some issues and they are being sorted out,” added Faisalabad coach Naveed Anjum. — PTI

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 16, 2 0 1 3

SPORTS Serbia, Czech in Davis Cup final and raced through the ﬁnal act to seal the match in two hours and eight minutes.

Serbia, the 2010 champions, will host the November 1517 ﬁnal against the Czechs who defeated Argentina 3-2 in their semiﬁnal in Prague

BELGRADE: Serbia will face defending champions the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup final after defeating Canada 3-2 in the semifinals yesterday. Serbia, the 2010 champions, will host the November 15-17 final against the Czechs who defeated Argentina 3-2 in their semifinal in Prague. Janko Tipsarevic led Serbia into their second final in four years after defeating Vasek Pospisil 7-6 (7/3), 6-2, 7-6 (8/6). Earlier, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic beat 11th-ranked Milos Raonic 7-6 (7-1), 6-2, 6-2 in the day’s opening singles. Djokovic handed the 22-yearold Raonic a claycourt lesson in their first meeting, looking sharp and eager to erase the memory of

THRILLING WIN: Serbian players celebrate their victory over Canada after Janko Tipsarevic defeated Vasek Pospisi in the ﬁnal match of their Davis Cup semiﬁnal tie in Belgrade yesterday. – Reuters

last Monday’s U.S. Open ﬁnal defeat by Rafael Nadal. Thriving in the same kind of fervent home support which helped Serbia win the 2010 title when they beat France 3-2 in an epic ﬁnal at the same venue, Djokovic outclassed his hard-hitting rival after a nervy start. The players traded breaks in the opening set before Djokovic,

who dominated the rallies while Raonic used the slick red clay to good effect on his ﬁrst serve, raced through the tiebreak to delight the bulk of 15,000 noisy fans in the arena. The electrifying atmosphere reached fever pitch when Djokovic saved a triple break point to take a 3-1 lead in the second set, pumping his ﬁsts in delight as he took the

match by the scruff of the neck. Having tamed Raonic’s serve, the 26-year-old Serb broke again to lead 5-2 and then wrapped up the second set with a searing crosscourt forehand. Although Raonic was backed by several hundred colourful Canadian fans, he succumbed meekly in the third set as a galvanised Djokovic broke serve straight away

Britain back among elite World No 3 Andy Murray steered Britain back among the Davis Cup elite with a straight sets victory over Croatia’s Ivan Dodig in Umag. Murray, who turned out for his country for the first time in two years, capped a fine weekend with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory to give Britain a 3-1 lead and put them in next week’s draw for the World Group after a five-year absence. The Wimbledon champion, who beat 16-year-old Borna Coric on Friday and then teamed up with Colin Fleming to win Saturday’s doubles, was far too strong for a weary Dodig who hung on grimly at the end, saving two match points before succumbing. Spain, inspired by the return of Rafael Nadal, needed only two days to crush Ukraine 3-0 to retain their place in the World Group, having been required to face a playoff after losing in the first round to Canada. Switzerland and the Netherlands beat Ecuador and Austria respectively in their playoffs. Germany in World Group Rookie Daniel Brands maintained Germany’s World Group status by sealing yesterday’s 3-1 victory over Brazil after stepping in as a late replacement after illness to

Philipp Kohlschreiber. Brands, 26, who made his Davis Cup debut in Saturday’s doubles, enjoyed a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win over Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci having stepped in after Kohlschreiber suffered stomach problems. Despite the late call-up, Brands was always in control against Bellucci, who reached the Australian Open quarter-finals at the start of the year, much to Kohschreiber’s relief. After Kohlschreiber and Florian Mayer picked up wins for Germany in Friday’s singles rubbers, Brazil pulled the score back to 2-1 in Saturday’s doubles, before Brands’s decisive win. It means Germany, who were thrashed 5-0 by Argentina in Buenos Airies in February, remain in the World Group while Brazil drop to the second tier. Tomic steers Aussies Australia are back in the World Group for the first time in six years, with Bernard Tomic supplying the crucial third point against Poland with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 win over Lukasz Kubot yesterday. That victory gave Pat Rafter’s team an unassailable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five World Group playoff tie on clay. Tomic, often the bad boy of Australian tennis, won his second singles match of the tie after he and Lleyton Hewitt gave Australia a 2-0 lead on the opening day with straight sets wins.

O TA M O N T H LY T O U R N E Y

Nevil, Samar win junior tennis titles MUSCAT: Nevil Philip and Samar Madny Al Bakry clinched the under-18 boys and girls respectively as the Oman Tennis Association (OTA) successfully organised the second Monthly Junior Tennis Tournament from September 12 to 14 and award the winners in Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher. According to information received from the OTA yesterday, in the boys under-18 ﬁnal Nevil defeated Raghunath R. 9-5 while Samar took the girls crown with a 9-6 win over Maryam Majeed Al Balushi. OTA vice-chairman Salem Abubakar and Executive Manager Salman Al Balushi handed over

the trophies during a simple presensation ceremony at the SQSC tennis courts. Results (all finals): Girls U-10: Tallulah Nieper bt Nao Nishino in finals 9-3. Boys U-10: Muneer Toffel Al Rawahi bt Ayaan Maholtra in finals 9-8 (4). Girls U-12: Rafaella Saa bt Aisha Ali Al Suleimani in 9-4. Boys U-12: Taisei Nishino bt Tim Rutherford 9-8 (4). Girls U-14: Shahrazad Hamood Al Barakat bt Maryam Majeed Al Balushi 9-3. Boys U-14: Younis Toffel Al Rawahi bt Abdullah Hamdi Al Barwani 9-7. Girls U-18: Samar Madny Al Bakry bt Maryam Majeed Al Balushi 9-6. Boys U-18: Nevil Philip bt Ragunathar R. 9-5.

CHAMPION: Nevil Philip poses with his trophy along with OTA

officials after the presentation ceremony. – Supplied photo

H A L F M A R AT H O N

Bekele outshines Farah in Great North Run SOUTH SHIELDS: Kenenisa Bekele and Mo Farah are looking forward to extending their rivalry to the full marathon after their thrilling battle in the Great North Run half marathon yesterday. On his debut at the 13.1 mile half marathon distance, Bekele - the 31-year-old Ethiopian who completed 5,000m-10,000m doubles at the 2007 World Championships, 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships —

emerged from three years of injury troubles to get the better of Farah, the 30-year-old Briton who has dominated global distance running on the track in the past two years. In a gripping ﬁnale, Bekele took advantage of a steep downhill drop on to the mile-long stretch towards the ﬁnish line on South Shields seafront to open a 20m gap on Farah, who won the 5,000m and 10,000m at the World

Championships in Moscow last month, and also to leave the veteran Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie running for third place. Farah dug deep in the final half a mile and came close to retrieving the deficit but Bekele hung on to win by a second in 60 minutes and nine seconds. The Great North Run course qualifies for ‘best’ rather than ‘record’ half marathon status because it drops 30.5m from start to

finish. Paula Radcliffe’s women’s best of 65:40 was set in the race in 2003. The Kenyan marathon specialist Priscah Kiptoo missed the mark by five seconds, finishing in 65:45, after breaking clear with five miles to go. World 5,000m champion Meseret Defar was second in 66:09 and her Ethiopian compatriot, world 10,000m champion Tirunesh Dibaba third in 66:56. - AFP

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 01 3

SPORTS CRICKET

Jathin steers ISAS to win over ISM

Jathin Varijakshan

Ivan Manjila

MUSCAT: Jathin Varijakshan made a sterling 75 (65b, 10x4) and claimed a haul of three wickets for 20 runs off five overs, one of which was a maiden over, to steered Indian School Al Seeb (ISAS) to a thrilling one wicket win against Indian School Muscat (ISM) in the Khimji Ramdas sponsored Under-19 Junior League 25 overmatch was at Municipality Ground I in Al Amerat on Saturday. Winning the toss and fielding first ISAS did well to contain the strong ISM batting to 150 for the loss of eight wickets at the end of their allotted 25 overs. ISAS in their turn requiring 151 for victory managed to scrape through with 1.4 overs to spare, thanks to a 13run unfinished partnership for the 10th wicket.

Ivan inspires ISWK Skipper Ivan Manjila smahed an unbeaten 74 (44b, 9x4) and bagged two wickets conceding 28 runs off five overs to help Indian School Wadi Kabir (ISWK) begin the season with a thumping ninewicket win against Muscat Cricket Coaching Centre (MCCC) in the Al Turki Enterprises-sponsored Under-16 Junior League at the same venue in the afternoon. Opting to bat after winning the toss, MCCC were restricted to 149 for the loss of five wickets off the 25 stipulated overs. Set a target of 150 for victory ISWK raced to 153 for the loss of one wicket off 14.1 overs thanks to an unfinished 122-run secondwicket partnership between Ivan Manjila and opener Rohan Koshy (29 not out, 33b, 2x4). Opening batsman Mayukh Misra contributed 21 (9b, 5x4).

WINNERS ALL: Winners in various categories pose for a group photo along the officials. – Supplied photo

Young Vaz dethrones Khan for fourth title The victory gave Kenneth his fourth title of the tournament having already won the boys’ under-15 and under-17 singles titles and the family doubles with his sister Erica

CELEBRATION TIME: Kenneth Vaz, right, and Suhail Khan display

their trophies after the presensation ceremony. – Supplied photo

MUSCAT: Indomitable Kenneth Vaz on Thrusday created a sensation when he captured the men’s singles crown on the concluding day of the Annual Table Tennis Tournament of the Indian Social Club Muscat sponsored by Muscat Insurance Services LLC (MIS) and became the youngest player to win the title at the ISC. Indian Ambassador J.S. Mukul presideded over the ﬁnals and watched in amazement as 14-yearold schoolboy, Kenneth Vaz unleashed a wide array of strokes to dethrone defending champion

Suhail Khan. Also present at the ﬁnals were Kiran Asher, Managing Director of Al Ansari Group of Companies, APS Chauhan, Head of Chancery of the Embassy of India, R. Subramanian representing the sponsors Muscat Insurance Services LLC, Dr. Sathish Nambiar, Chairman of ISC, and office beareres of the club. Table tennis enthusiasts who packed the ISC hall were not let down. The two ﬁnals lived up to expectation and table tennis of a high order was witnessed. After Ambassador Mukul and Kiran

Asher exchanged rallies to declare the ﬁnals open, Suhail and Kenneth took centerstage. After being deadlocked at sixall in the opening game, Kenneth went 8-5 ahead before Suhail equalised. A lucky edge gave Suhail game point which he converted. Shrugging off the loss of the ﬁrst game, young Kenneth upped the ante and controlled the tempo of the game with brilliant forehand topspins to take an unasailable 10-2 lead in the second. Suhail made a partial recovery but to no avail. Kenneth continued to

attack on both flanks and raced to a 7-3 lead and won the third game with a brilliant forehand drive to Suhail’s left. A change of strategy proved futile as Suhail tried to counterattack. Kenneth showed character and maturity beyond his young shoulders as he won the fourth game convincingly for a 3-1 lead. Suhail ran out of ideas as little Kenneth continued the onslaught and nullified Suhail’s defensive ploy to win the fifth game and become the youngest to win the men’s singles table tennis title at the Indian Social Club Muscat with final scores of 8-11, 11-4, 115, 11-5, 11-7. Ajith Rao in 2009 and Avinash Mukund in 2011 were the other youngsters to have reached the men’s singles finals. The vicotry gave Kenneth his fourth title of the tournament having already won the boys’ under-15 and under-17 singles titles and the family doubles with his sister Erica. Suhail Khan, however, was on the winning side when he partnered Srinivas Iyer to defend the men’s doubles title. In an exciting final, the defending champions were kept on their toes by the brilliant teamwork shown by Ashish Panday and Kenneth Vaz before the top seeds triumphed with a fighting 11-7, 117, 11-7, 12-10 victory.

FOOTBALL

OFA to organise course on eves’ soccer MUSCAT: Oman Football Association (OFA) in collaboration with Fifa will organising a course for women footballers from October 4 to 10. Qatar Women’s Football manager Monika Staab, who is an expert in the ﬁeld of women football and a member of development office at Fifa, will conduct the course.

Monika was the manager of the women’s Bundesliga side FFC Frankfurt from 1993 to 2004. She was also the chairman of the club. Monika won the Uefa Women’s Cup in 2002, the German championship in 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and the German Cup in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Monika Staab

Brief scores: ISM 150 for 8 in 25 overs (Harshit Mukesh Kumar 44, Jayesh Kaushik 25, Chirag Vijay 22; Jathin Varijakshan 3/20, Bilal Yunus 3/22) lost to ISAS 151 for 9 in 23.2 overs (Jathin Varijakshan 75, Mohammed Aadil 23; Yash Raj 3/20, Yash Lakhani 2/28, Nirmanthu Uday Vaishnav 2/30, Harshit Mukesh Kumar 2/38). Points: ISAS 4 pts, ISM 0.

Brief scores: MCCC 149 for 5 in 25 overs (Aveeral Golash 44 n.o., Sohail Sameer 35; Ivan Manjila 2/28) lost to ISWK 153 for 1 in 14.1 overs (Ivan Manjila 74 n.o., Rohan Koshy 29 n.o., Mayukh Misra 21). Points: ISWK 5 pts, MCCC 0.

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 16, 2 0 1 3

SPORTS TIED UP FOR THREE MORE YEARS

Ronaldo extends Real Madrid contract to 2018 MADRID: Real Madrid have moved to tie Cristiano Ronaldo to the club until the end of the 201718 season by agreeing a three-year contract extension with the proliﬁc Portugal forward. The announcement of the deal yesterday ended speculation about a possible return to Manchester United in 2015 when his previous deal expired. Ronaldo left the English Premier League club in 2009 to join Real for what was then a world-record fee of 94 million euros ($125 million). Big-spending Real president Florentino Perez and the 28-yearold Ronaldo signed the new contract at the club’s Bernabeu stadium and appeared before the media at a glitzy ceremony on the giant arena’s VIP tribune. Neither Ronaldo, who said 2018 could mark the end of his career, nor Perez provided details about his salary, but Spanish media reported that his net annual wage would rise to 17 million euros, making him one of the world’s best-paid players.

Wearing a dark blue jacket, light shirt and blue patterned tie and with a jewelled stud glittering in each ear, Ronaldo admitted there had been interest from other clubs, including Qatar-owned Ligue 1 side Paris St Germain. He was also asked about United and appeared to rule out a return to the city where he spent six years after joining from Sporting Lisbon in 2003. “Everyone knows I was in Manchester for six years and it was a club that give me many, many things and I don’t forget that,” Ronaldo told reporters. “But Manchester, it’s the past. “Now my club in the present is Real Madrid, this is my home, my family it’s here and I am really happy here. But I respect all the clubs, I respect the clubs who have knocked at the door to ask something about me. “The future nobody knows but I am really happy here. I just want to win trophies for this club and I appreciate that the fans still like me a lot to be here. I just want to do my best on the pitch with my

goals, my assists, and try to help my team mates.” Ronaldo’s renewed commitment to Real is excellent news for the nine-times European champions and comes two days before they begin their latest bid for the 10th continental crown that has eluded them since 2002. Ronaldo will likely line up alongside record signing Gareth Bale, who eclipsed the Portuguese as the most valuable player in soccer when he joined from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of 100 million euros this month, in on Tuesday’s Champions League Group B opener at Galatasaray. Wales winger Bale scored on his Real debut in on Saturday’s 2-2 La Liga draw at Villarreal, while Ronaldo netted his 203rd goal in his 203rd official game for the Spanish giants. “Today is a magniﬁcent day for Real Madrid,” Perez, who has spent hundreds of millions of euros of the club’s money to try to return them to the summit of world football, said yesterday,. — Reuters

STAYING AT MADRID: Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo arrives for a signing ceremony at Santiago

Bernabeu stadium in Madrid yesterday. – Reuters

Real hail ‘perfect’ Bale As Ancelotti had indicated in his pre-match press conference, Bale lined up on the right side of the attack with Ronaldo featuring mainly down the left. However, the two did exchange positions at time and Ancelotti expects that is something they will be able to do to even greater effect with more playing time together

MAKING AN IMPRESSION: Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale controls the ball during their training session at

Valdebebas sports grounds in Madrid. – Reuters

MADRID: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti hailed world record signing Gareth Bale’s attitude after the Welshman scored on his debut in the Spanish giants’ 2-2 draw with Villarreal. Bale levelled for Real with a simple finish from close range just before half-time to cancel out Cani’s opener for the hosts. The 24-year-old was withdrawn by Ancelotti along with fellow debutant Asier Illarramendi on the hour mark due to their lack of match fitness. Cristiano Ronaldo then briefly put Real ahead before Giovani Dos Santos, like Bale a former Tottenham player, struck 21 minutes from time to ensure the spoils were shared. Ancelotti was happy with the contribution of his new players against a confident Villarreal side. “I think they did well. I didn’t want to run the risk of playing them for 90 minutes because it is not good for them in their first game for a while,” he said. “I think Bale is happy because he has scored for the first time with Real Madrid which is very important for him. It was a dif-

I think Bale is happy because he has scored for the first time with Real Madrid which is very important for him. It was a difficult game for all of us but he played well and showed a good attitude Carlo Ancelotti Real Madrid coach

ﬁcult game for all of us but he played well and showed a good attitude.” As Ancelotti had indicated in his pre-match press conference, Bale lined up on the right side of the attack with Ronaldo featuring mainly down the left. However, the two did exchange

positions at time and Ancelotti expects that is something they will be able to do to even greater effect with more playing time together. “It was the ﬁrst time that they have played together. Now and again they are going to change positions because the movement that they have, but it wasn’t a spe-

cific point we had instructed them to do.” Bale’s debut was also hailed by Real’s Director of Institutional Relations Emilio Butragueno. “It is great news that he has scored on his debut,” he told Canal Plus. “It was his first game with his teammates and he has only had three days with them, but he is a player with enormous potential.” The real star of the show for Madrid though was goalkeeper Diego Lopez as he responded to calls by some for Iker Casillas to be reinstated as number one with a string of fine stops to save his side slipping to their first defeat of the campaign. However, Ancelotti said he would stick by his decision to start Casillas for the first time this season when Real open their Champions League campaign against Galatasaray tomorrow. “Diego played very well. He was ready and reacted very well,” said the Italian. “I don’t know if he saved us because with more attention to detail in midfield we could have won the match. The decision for Tuesday has already been taken. The two keepers know it and there will be no problem.” - AFP

SECTION

LIFE & STYLE

Bubble tea What exactly does it take to make genuine Taiwanese bubble tea?

’m on my third attempt at making bubble tea, and my tapioca pearls, after lounging in a large low-heat pot for more than four hours, have finally deigned to turn translucent and slightly grey. The problem is, they’re still nowhere near the shade of black required. Personally, I’m ready to beat them black and blue and call it a night. How did I find myself in this kitchen nightmare? All I wanted to do was make genuine Taiwanese bubble tea, the kind in which the richly steeped tea is the forward flavour, not those powders, syrups and jellies that so often pass for fresh fruit in the sweet smoothie interpretations of the drink. But I first needed to learn how to make the “bubbles,” or boba, the dark tapioca pearls that I love to Hoover up with a wide-mouth straw. The first person I contacted was Thanh Tran, matriarch of the Lai family, the Vietnamese clan behind the iconic Four Sisters restaurant in Merrifield, Vancouver (US), and the Song Que deli in the Eden Centre in Falls Church. Tran says she might have been the first one to introduce bubble teas to the Eden Centre, an Asian shopping centre with 120 stores, not long after she spotted the drinks-you-can-eat during a Southern California trip some 12-plus years ago. If Tran is a pioneer, she’s also practical. She warned me away from making my own bubble tea. “Too hard,” she told me through her son Thuan, who runs Song Que, where you can order a wide variety of bubble drinks. Tran instead suggested she show me how to make che chuoi, a traditional Vietnamese dessert with tiny tapioca pearls, bananas and coconut milk. I would take Tran up on her offer, in part because I understand the importance of tapioca in Asian desserts, whether Vietnamese honeycomb cake (banh bo nuong), Thai tapioca

pearls with young coconut flesh (saku piak maphrao awn) or Cantonese taroand-tapioca-pearls tong sui, one of many “sugar soups” that can be served at the end of a meal. Still, even with Tran’s warning, I couldn’t get those tapioca pearls out of my brain. I’ve long been fascinated with bubble tea, an accidental invention that has solidified into a global phenomenon. It has spread far beyond its place of origin — Taiwan in the late 1980s — and now passes the lips of people on almost every continent, inspiring all sorts of variations along the way (such as bubble tea fruit smoothies without a drop of tea — or a slice of fresh fruit, for that matter). Even McDonald’s sells bubble teas now, in Germany, of all places. Warnings notwithstanding, I charged ahead with my plan and sought the assistance of Diana Shen, a Taiwanese native who more than 10 years ago tried to open her own bubble tea bar in Washington, on the second floor of a Chinatown restaurant. The project ultimately fell through, a casualty of quarrelling owners, even though she had already bought all the necessary equipment. A decade later, Shen is one of the few local bubble-tea makers willing to share her methods. At the Virginia home of her friend Dorothy Brown, Shen offers her own

warning — Don’t buy the tapioca pearls that need only five minutes of stove-top cooking; those bubbles, she says, sacrifice texture for expediency. “Everybody will be very excited by that: ‘Oh, five minutes!’“ Shen notes. Shen relies on tapioca pearls that she special-orders. She calls them “fresh” pearls. Precooked, these pearls sport a light-tan complexion, as if they were Cocoa Puffs that know when to come inside during the hot midday sun. They smell like maple syrup, and if you press an uncooked pearl between your fingers, it will easily crumble. Shen tells me that I should be able to find these bubbles at Asian supermarkets. I called some professional bubbletea makers and explained my situation. “It’s a tough product to master,” says Linda Neumann, co-owner of Teaism in Washington, where bubble tea has been available for years. But she doesn’t cook the bubbles herself, so she turned me over to Ruben Hernandez, general manager at Teaism’s store in Old Town Alexandria in Virginia. He cooks the pearls. “It took a little while” to perfect the bubbles, Hernandez says. “Sometimes they were hard. Sometimes they were a little mushy — It’s not that easy. It takes a little practice.” The freshness of the pearls and their added colour clearly affect the cooking process and the bubbles’ ability to turn black. Shen explains that fresh bubbles can turn dark in as little as 20 minutes. When you test your pearls as they cook, you want bubbles that generate a certain bounce in the mouth as you bite into them. I found that bounce not only in my bubbles but also in my step, as I finally was able to steep some high mountain oolong tea, shake it together with ice and sweetened condensed milk and pour the creamy mixture over a small pile of beautiful, chewy and black tapioca pearls. —Tim Carman/The Washington Post

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM M ONDAY, S E PT E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

EXTRA

WE ALL LOVE TO

But why?

he Irish student, in her early twenties, had not invented this story to be awarded thousands in insurance money, or in an attempt to escape a prison sentence by covering up a crime. She had no reason other than to gain attention — and in fact, she was barely in control of what she was saying. She had become a compulsive liar. “I was sitting with two people who I don’t know that well, and it just came out. They tried to comfort me, but as soon as I said it, I didn’t want their sympathy because I realised what I had done and I felt guilty. “The lies just kept coming out and they always took me completely by surprise. It’s not like I’d be thinking about what to say in advance. It just flowed out of my mouth, and I couldn’t control it. I wouldn’t know when or why I was going to do it, I didn’t know where they’d come from.” ‘Pseudologia phantastica’ was the term coined by a German doctor in 1891 after deciding the lies told by five of his patients were so excessive that their cases deserved a new form of classification. Since then, the labels ‘mythomania’ and ‘morbid lying’ have also come to be used, but it is compulsive lying and pathological lying that are the most common. Both are bandied around rather casually in the

media and even in the legal system – judges are frequently quoted telling newly convicted criminals that they belong to one of these categories. According to Mike Berry, who recently retired as a senior lecturer in forensic psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University, compulsive lying should only be used as a specific term for people whose lying has become so habitual that they can no longer control it. “The interesting thing about true compulsive liars is that they’re lying against their wishes,” he says. “They just have this urge or need to lie even if it’s not necessarily to their benefit. The difference with pathological lying is that there’s no known reason in the brain for it to happen. A pathological liar is someone who has learnt to lie because they see a benefit in lying, so the question is open as to why these people choose to do it.” Berry knows his stuff. He worked in prisons and special hospitals for more than 25 years — during which time he has dealt with “some of the world’s best liars” — and also served as an expert witness in the courts to provide evidence on how reliable a witness is. Of the two forms, compulsive lying is the most difficult to rationalise. There have been plenty of people famed for fabricating their entire lives around nothing but fibs, little white

‘The worst lie I told was when I said that a friend of mine had died’ says Rachel. “That was when I knew it was serious.”

lies and downright whoppers. In the 1960s, there was Frank Abagnale, the American con artist played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can, who gained legendary status for assuming eight separate identities in four years (he apparently passed himself off as an airline pilot, a lawyer and a doctor — though some doubt his tales of duplicity, basically accusing him of lying about lying). Hundreds of investors were also taken in by the financial fraudsters Charles Ponzi, Allen Stanford and Bernard Madoff, whose lies have cost billions. Last year, cinema-goers were left aghast at the tale of Frederic Bourdin in the documentary about Thef Imposter, a man whose lies led him to impersonate a missing child from another continent to be ‘reunited’ with his family in an attempt to find a new life. Young people, seem to be the most susceptible to compulsive and pathological lying. One review, which found it occurs equally among men and women, concluded the average age at the onset of compulsive and pathological lying to be 16. Their deceitful ways are typically outed at 22. Yet it is still rare — one study of 1,000 juvenile repeat offenders in the US suggested that, even in this most vulnerable and troubled group of people, just 1 per cent of them could be classed as com-

pulsive or pathological liars. It has been suggested that a difference in the brain structure of compulsive liars could be part of the reason for their behaviour. Research by the University of Southern California in 2005 indicated that the brains of people with serious histories of lying had up to 26 per cent more white matter (tissue that transmits information, as opposed to the grey matter that processes it) than those who did not. But it is more commonly accepted that social factors, particularly in childhood, are the main origins of the problem. Childhood inﬂuences can be a key factor at the other end of the social spectrum, too. That certainly appears to have been the case for perhaps Britain’s most infamous liar, Jeffrey Archer, the peer and novelist, who not only falsiﬁed his CV time and again throughout his life, but also went to prison for perjury and perverting the course of justice and might well be described as having exhibited pathological tendencies. While researching Archer’s family life, his biographer, the journalist Michael Crick, uncovered that Archer’s father had been a conman and a bigamist who had falsely claimed to have served in the Army during the World War I. —Rob Hastings/The Independent

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 01 3

ENTERTAINMENT CINEMA SCHEDULE

BAHJA CINEMA PLAZA1 Turbo 3D (Animation/Comedy) (PG) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson 1:30, 5:30pm; CP No: 734 Getaway (Action/Crime) (12+) Cast: Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, Jon Voight 3:30, 9:45, 11:45pm; CP No:796 The Colony (Action/Thriller) (15+) Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Bill Paxton 7:30pm; CP No:792 PLAZA 2 Planes (3D) (Animation/Comedy/Adventure) (PG) Cast: Carlos Alazraqui, Dane Cook 1:30, 3:15, 5:15pm; CP No:808 We’re The Millers (Comedy) (15+) Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts 7:15pm; CP No:743 Riddick (Action/Thriller) (15+) Cast: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Kate Sackhoff 9:30, 11:45pm; CP No:777 PLAZA 3 Percy Jackson 2 : Sea of Monsters (3D) (Adventure/Fantasy) (PG) Cast: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30pm; CP No:802 The Colony (Action/Thriller) (15+) Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Bill Paxton 9:30, 11:30pm; CP No:792

The Colony (Action/Thriller) (15+) 2:30pm; CP No:793 Percy Jackson 2 : Sea of Monsters (Adventure/Fantasy) (PG) 4:15pm; CP No:803 Grand Masti (Comedy) 6:30pm; CP No: 814 Getaway (Action/Crime) (12+) 9:15, 11:45pm; CP No:797

PLAZA 1 Planes (3D) (Animation/ Adventure) (PG) Cast: Carlos Alazraqui, Dane Cook 11:30 am, 1:30, 3:30pm; CP No:809 Riddick (Action/Thriller) (15+) Cast: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Kate Sackhoff 5:15, 9:30pm; CP No:778 Getaway (Action/Crime) (12+) Cast: Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, Jon Voight 7:30, 11:45pm; CP No:797 PLAZA 2 Turbo (3D) (Animation/Comedy) (PG) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson 11:15 am, 1:00pm; CP No:735 We’re The Millers (Comedy) (15+) Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston 3:00pm; CP No:743 Percy Jackson 2 : Sea of Monsters (Adventure/Fantasy) (PG) Cast: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario 5:00, 7:00 pm; CP No:803 Grand Masti (Comedy) (18+) Cast: Vivek Oberoi, Ritesh Deshmukh 9:00pm; CP No:814 The Colony (Action/Thriller) (15+) Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Bill Paxton 11:45pm; CP No:793

3:30pm; CP No:794 One Direction: This Is Us (Documentary/ Music) (PG) 5:30pm ; CP No:821 Pullipullikalum Attinkuttiyum (Malyalam) (Comedy) (PG) CP No:817 Cast: Kunchako Bhoban, Namitha Pramod 7:30, 10:30pm

PLAZA 3 Chennai Express (Action) (PG) Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, 3:30, 6:30pm; CP No:692 Zanjeer (Action/Thriller) (PG) Cast: Ram Charan, Priyanka Chopra 6:30pm; CP No:786

PLAZA 1 Getaway (Action/Crime) (12+) Cast: Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, Jon Voight 3:00, 9:30, 11:30pm; CP No:798 Percy Jackson 2 : Sea of Monsters (Adventure/Fantasy) (PG) 5:00, 7:00pm; CP No:804 Cast: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario PLAZA 2 Planes (3D) (Animation/Adventure) (PG) 3:30, 5:30pm; CP No:810 Riddick (Action/Thriller) (15+) Cast: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Kate Sackhoff 7:15, 9:30pm; CP No:779 The Colony (Action/Thriller) (15+) 11:45pm; CP No:794 PLAZA 3 Kick Ass 2 (Action/Crime) (15+) 2:00pm; CP No:766 Zanjeer (Action/Thriller) (12+) Cast: Ram Charan, Priyanka Chopra 4:00pm; CP No:784 Shuddh Desi Romance (Hindi) (Comedy/ Romance) (PG) Cast: Parineeti Chopra, Sushant Singh Rajput 6:30pm; CP No:787 Percy Jackson 2 : Sea of Monsters (Adventure/Fantasy) (PG) 9:00pm; CP No:804 Riddick (Action/Thriller) (15+) Cast: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Kate Sackhoff 11:30pm; CP No:779 PLAZA 4 The Colony (Action/Thriller) (15+)

PLAZA 1 Grand Masti (Comedy) (18+) Cast: Vivek Oberoi, Ritesh Deshmukh 3:30, 6:30, 9:30pm; CP No:815 PLAZA 2 John Day (Hindi) (Thriller) (15+) Cast: Randeep Hooda, Naseeruddin Shah 3:30 pm; CP No:816 Zanjeer (Action/Thriller) (PG) Cast: Ram Charan, Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt 6:30pm; CP No:786 Shuddh Desi Romance (Hindi) (Comedy/ Romance) Cast: Parineeti Chopra, Sushant Singh Rajput, Vaani Kapoor 9:30pm; CP No:790

PLAZA 1 Riddick (Action/Thriller) (15+) 3:30pm; CP No:780 Getaway (Action/Crime) (12+) 7:30, 9:30, 11:30pm; CP No: 799 Percy Jackson 2 : Sea of Monsters (Adventure/Fantasy) (PG) 5:30pm; CP No:805 PLAZA 2 Planes (3D) (Animation/Adventure) (PG) Cast: Carlos Alazraqui, Dane Cook 3:30, 5:30, 7:15pm Percy Jackson 2 : Sea of Monsters (Adventure/ Fantasy) (PG) 9:45, 11:45 pm; CP No:805 PLAZA 3 Kick Ass 2 (Action/Crime) (15+) 4:00pm; CP No: 769 Zanjeer (Action/Thriller) (PG) 6:00pm; CP No: 785 Pullipullikalum Attinkuttiyum (Malyalam) (Comedy) (PG) CP No: 818 8:30pm Riddick (Action/Thriller) (15+) 11:30pm; CP No: 779

PLAZA 1 Planes (3D) (Animation/Adventure) (PG) ) Cast: Carlos Alazraqui, Dane Cook, Stacey Keach 5:30pm; CP No:812 Percy Jackson 2 : Sea of Monsters (Adventure/Fantasy) (PG) )

Cast: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson 7:30, 9:30pm; CP No:806 Riddick (Action/Thriller) (15+) ) Cast: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Kate Sackhoff 11:30pm; CP No:781 PLAZA 2 Getaway (Action/Crime) (12+) ) Cast: Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, Jon Voight 5:15, 7:15, 11:55pm; CP No:800

Planes (3D) (Animation/Adventure) (PG) ) Cast: Carlos Alazraqui, Dane Cook 11:30, 1:30, 3:30pm; CP No:813 Percy Jackson 2 : Sea of Monsters (Adventure/Fantasy) (PG) Cast: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson 5:30, 7:30pm; CP No:807 Getaway (Action/Crime) (12+) ) CP No:801 Cast: Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, Jon Voight 9:30, 11:30pm Kick Ass 2 (Action / Crime) (15+) Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz - Plasse 12:30pm; CP No:766 Riddick (Action/Thriller) (15+) Cast: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Kate Sackhoff 2:30, 4:30, 6:45, 11:45 pm ; CP No:782 Pullipullikalum Attinkuttiyum (Malyalam) (Comedy) (PG) ) Cast: Kunchako Bhoban, Namitha Pramod, Irshad 9:00pm; CP No:820

Getaway (Action /Crime) Cast: Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, Jon Voight 4:00, 8:00, 10:00 & 11:55pm CP No: 1022 (12+) The Colony (Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller) Cast: Kevin Zegers, Laurence Fishburne 4:00, 8:15, 10:00 & 11:55pm CP No: 1023 (15+) Kick-Ass 2 (Action/Comedy/Crime) Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace 2:00pm; CP No: 994 (15+) We’re the Millers (Comedy/Crime) Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts 2:00pm; CP No: 995 (12+) The Conjuring (Horror/Thriller) Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor 6:00pm; CP No : 917 (15+) Shuddh Desi Romance (Romance) Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Parineeti Chopra, Rishi Kapoor 6:00pm; CP No: 997 (PG)

Film Information - 24540856 / Advance Booking - 24540855 Website: www.albahjacinema.net

STARS CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Thoofan (2D)(Telugu) (Action/Romance) Cast: Ram Charan, Priyanka Chopra and Prakash Raj 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45pm (Cinema 3) Varutha Padatha Valibar Sangam (2D) (Tamil) Cast: Karthikeyan, Sri Divya and Sathya Raj 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45 (Cinema 2) Pullipullikalum Attinkuttiyum(2D) (Mal) (Comedy/Romance) Cast: Kunchako Boban, Namitha Pramod, Suraj and Joju 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30pm (Cinema Main) Neelaksham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi (Mal) (Comedy/Romance) Cast: Dulqar Salman, Sunny Wayne 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45pm (Cinema 4)

For More Information 24789032, 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

ACES ON BRIDGE

Try to anticipate the unusual

SUDOKU

4 8

8 9 5 8 7 4 1 1 4 7 5 6

7 5 6 9 2 6 4

6 8 7 1 4 1 3 6 5 2 6 9 1

September 16, 2003

1 5 7 2 3 8

4 9 8 7 6 1

3 2 6 5 9 4

9 3 5 1 2 7

MARMADUKE

B I G NAT E

ACROSS 1 Late bloomer 6 Bob Cratchit, for one 11 Fingerprint, say 12 Team cheer 14 Underhand throws 15 Nothing —! 17 A famous Derek 18 Geologic division 19 Harpers Ferry st. 20 Mongkut portrayer 21 Headset, to hams 23 Actress — Wallace-Stone 24 Say in fun 25 Gathered ﬂowers 27 Bashful 28 Gridiron div. 29 Low- — 30 Bugs Bunny’s voice 33 Bordered on 37 Beats the ﬁeld 38 Pecs neighbour 39 Bernard — of CNN 40 ABA mem. 41 “Mad Max”

Gibson 42 NASA counterpart 43 Santa Fe loc. 44 Rationed out 46 Sheik colleague 47 Harvest time 49 In and of — 51 Fiji neighbour 52 Topsy-turvy DOWN 1 Ethically neutral 2 Auto import 3 Gridiron stats 4 For example (abbr.) 5 VIP’s carpet 6 Spud garnish 7 Pale-green moth 8 Joule fraction 9 Kind of crossing 10 Japanese theatre 11 Rest 13 Sank, as a putt 16 Had a mortgage 20 — Kippur 22 Glances over 23 Yr. ender 24 Dumps a lover

26 27 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

Fast-food eatery Sigma follower Its logo is an eye Safari boss Acid-testing paper Hill builder Skilled Motifs With no difficulty

6 8 2 4 5 9

7 1 4 6 8 3

8 4 3 9 7 6

2 6 1 8 4 5

Previous puzzle Solution

CROSSWORD

36 Overshadow 38 Prudential competitor 41 Quick reminder 44 Corsage ﬂower 45 Shadowy 46 Dangerous curve 48 Prof’s aide 50 Tao — Ching

WITH LOVE

AMRITHA MENON 5 7 9 3 1 2

4 5 1 6 3 9 2 7 8 6 3 7 8 1 2 5 9 4 9 2 8 4 7 5 1 3 6

Answer to previous puzzle

ELBERT Hubbard was a writer, publisher, artist and philosopher who died when the Germans torpedoed the RMS Lusitania in 1915. He said, “If pleasures are greatest in anticipation, remember that this is also true of trouble.” Bridge players take great pleasure in making a contract after correctly anticipating trouble in the form of unfavourable distribution. In today’s deal, South is in four hearts. West leads the spade ace and continues with the spade queen. After ruffing, how should declarer continue? North’s takeout double was flexible, unlike a two-club overcall. Also, note South’s jump to four hearts. This showed a relatively weak hand with a lot of hearts. With a very strong hand, South would have started with a two-diamond cue-bid. South hopes to take five hearts and five clubs. But he must realise that he might first concede one spade, one heart and two diamonds. However, he can lose two diamonds only if East gains the lead. Declarer must work to stop East from winning a trick. So, at trick three, when South leads a low heart from his hand, he should anticipate West’s playing the king. And if he does, South must go low from the dummy, letting West take the trick. Then everything is under control. Finally, if you would have bid (a very risky) one spade with that East hand over North’s double, you would have reached four spades, which cannot be defeated. Also, if West doubles over four hearts, East might advance to four spades. (Rebidding four spades over four hearts is debatable, being less flexible than doubling.) Once again, bridge is a bidder’s game. — By Phillip Alder

HOW TO PLAY Fill the empty cells with the numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column and area. — Seven Galaxies

BORN LOSER

Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 16 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to extra@timesofoman.com

KIDSPOT

H E A LT H C A P S U L E

C10

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 16, 2 0 1 3

FIND-IT-ALL Y O U R B I R T H D AY

BORN today, you are one of those highly emotional individuals who feel things deeply — and for quite a long time. You aren’t the sort to let things roll off your back; instead, you absorb everything and let it affect you, for good or ill, for much longer than it would most other individuals. On the plus side, you are sure to use your rich emotional life to inform your work. As a result, you may well achieve things that others can only dream of! You are also highly creative, and you know how to follow your dreams far better than those around you. You may, at some point, learn not to take things quite so personally, but it will be no disaster if you do not. You ﬁnd inspiration in all manner of life’s offerings — the people you encounter, the events that you witness, the developments in which you may be involved. Everything, in fact, has the power to feed your passions and push you toward the achievement of a great many personal goals. Also born on this date are: Henry Thomas, actor; Adam Sandler, actor and comedian; Otis Redding, singer; Hugh Grant, actor; Michelle Williams, actress.

PRAYER TIMINGS

W E AT H E R

Max

OMAN WORLD Max 38 Min 33 Max 22 Min 12

Max 36 Min 26

Max 35 Min 28 Max 13 Min 6

Max 34 Min 29

Max 15 Min 10

Max 41 Min 26

Max 42 Min 29

Max 41 Min 26

Max 36 Min 29

Max 34 Min 26

Max 28 Min 25

Max 30 Min 18

Max 29 Min 25 Max 24 Min 13

— www.met.gov.om

LIBRA L You may be feeling out of sorts as certain physical signs point to a growing vulnerability. This is best kept from others for now.

SCORPIO S [[OCT. 23-NOV. 21] That which was problematic only yesterday is likely to pass smoothly now, giving you a certain measure of enjoyment — and other rewards.

SAGITTARIUS S

GULF Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai Kuwait Manama Riyadh

39 38 38 43 37 43

29 31 30 31 30 27

WORLD Athens Baghdad Beijing Berlin Boston Cairo Colombo Frankfurt Hong Kong Istanbul Johannesburg Kuala Lumpur Lisbon Paris Perth Singapore Tokyo Toronto

26 40 27 15 18 31 29 15 29 27 27 33 26 16 21 32 28 17

20 24 19 8 9 21 25 7 24 18 13 21 18 10 7 26 21 8

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (Route 36) Dept Destination Arrival Time Time 15:00 Quriyat 16:30 15:00 Sur 18:00 15:00 Jaalan 19:30 TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41) 06:30 Sohar 06:30 Buraimi 08:00 Buraimi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Buraimi 16.00 Sohar 16.00 Buraimi TO SINAW (Route 52) 17:30 Sinaw

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

Operating Days Daily Daily Daily

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (Route 36) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily 05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily 05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

08:50 11:00 14:30 15:45 17:40 18.35 20:20

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

20:50

Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41) 07:00 Sohar 07:00 Ruwi 13:30 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 17:00 Ruwi TO SINAW (Route 52) 07:00 Ruwi

08:55 11:40 20:20 14:55 17:40 19:20 22:15

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

10:25

Daily

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

[[NOV. 22-DEC. 21] You can capture a certain degree of magic as you do something of which others will become increasingly envious.

To Yanqul (Route 54) 14:30 Nizwa 14:30 Yanqul

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

To Yanqul (Route 54) 06:00 Nizwa 06:00 Ruwi

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54) 08:00 Nizwa 08:00 Al Araqi

10:20 12:30

Daily Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54) 15:40 Nizwa 15:40 Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

TO SUR (Route 55) 07:30 Sur 14:30 Sur

12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

TO SUR (Route 55) 06:00 Ruwi 14:30 Ruwi

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (Route 62) 06:30 Fahud 06:30 Yibal

10:30 11:15

Daily Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (Route 62) 12:30 Fahud 12:30 Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (Route 100) 07:00 Salalah 20:00 10:00 Marmul 20:30 10:00 Salalah 23:30 19:00 Salalah 07:40

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (Route 100) 07:00 Ruwi 19:50 10:00 Marmul 13:15 10:00 Ruwi 22:30 19:00 Ruwi 07:30

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

16:30

Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (Route 102) 15:00 Salalah 07:00

Daily

CAPRICORN [DEC. 22-JAN 19] You may be sending mixed signals today, but you can also trust that your closest companions and partners will forgive this in you.

AQUARIUS [JAN. 20-FEB. 18] You’re ready to make a kind of proclamation, but others may not be ready to hear it. Once again, you may have to wait your turn.

16:50

SALALAH TO DUBAI (Route 102) 15:00 Dubai 07:00

PISCES [Feb. 19-March 20] A friend sends you a certain signal that can only mean one thing. Once it’s received, some interesting things can transpire.

ARIES [March 21-APRIL 19] You’re nearing the end of an important phase, but this doesn’t mean you must bid farewell to all it has meant to you. On the contrary!

TAURUS [APRIL 20-MAY 20] You’re likely to be reminded of something that happened long ago, and this will foster a desire to be in another place and another time.

GEMINI [MAY 21-JUNE 20] It’s not so much what you have to say, but how you say it that will make the difference between compliance and noncompliance.

CANCER [JUNE 21-JULY 22] You’re ready and waiting, but you may not be exactly sure what for — until you receive a clear message from someone in charge.

LEO [JULY 23-AUG. 22] There’s no reason to hurry the process; let events develop organically, and you’ll be able to shape them to suit your needs and desires.

6:11pm 5.54am

High tide Low tide

7:09am 1:11pm

TO DUBAI (Route 201) 06:00 Sohar 06:00 Dubai 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Dubai 15:00 Sohar 15:00 Dubai

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

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily 07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily 07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

TO DUBAI (Route 201) 07:30 Sohar 07:30 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Ruwi 15:30 Sohar 15:30 Ruwi

10:50 13:40 16:15 19:10 18:45 21:35

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily 16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily 16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

LISTINGS

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24783334; Appolo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24782666; Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24702542, Salalah: 23291635; Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra: 24503585; Ruwi 24811715 Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya. Tel: 24787766 Muscat, A Seeb Market. Tel: 24421691 Muscat, Al Khuwair. Tel: 24485740 Muscat, Al Hail South. Tel: 24537080 Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah. Tel: 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 ROYAL OMAN POLICE Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence: 24569603 Directorate General of Customs: 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries: 24510228 Public Relations Admin: 24560099 ACCOMMODATION Al Bahjah Hotel: 24424400 Al Bustan Palace: 24764000 Al Khuwair Hotel Apartments: 24478171 Al Madina Holiday Inn: 24596400 Al Maha International Hotel: 24494949 Al Fanar Hotel: 24712385 Al Falaj Hotel: 24702311 Al Qurum Resort: 24605945 Azaiba Hotel Apartments: 24490979 Beach Hotel: 24696601 Bowshar Hotel: 24491105 Coral Hotel Muscat: 24692121 Crowne Plaza Muscat: 24660660 Crystal Suites: 24826100 Golden Tulip Seeb: 24510300 Grand Hyatt Muscat: 24641234 Haffa House Hotel: 24707207 Hotel Muscat Holiday: 24487123 InterContinental Muscat: 24680000 Majan Continental Hotel: 24592900 Marina Hotel: 24711711 Midan Hotel Suites: 24499565 Mina Hotel: 24711828 Muttrah Hotel: 24798401

Nuzha Hotel Apartments: 24789199 Oman Dive Centre: 24824240 Park Inn: 24507888 Qurum Beach House Hotel: 24564070 Radisson Blu Hotel: 24487777 Ramee Dream Resort Seeb: 24453399 Ramee Guestline Hotel: 24564443 Ruwi Hotel: 24704244 Safeer Hotel Suites: 24691200 Sheraton Oman Hotel: 24772772 Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa: 24776666 The Chedi Muscat: 24524400 The Treasurebox Muscat Hotel: 24502570 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:

MONDAY

Min

L O N G D I S TA N C E B U S T I M I N G S ( O M A N NAT I O NA L T R A N S P O R T C O M PA N Y S A O C ) * S U B J E C T T O C H A N G E

[[SEPT. [S S 23-OCT. 22]

Sunset Sunrise (Tomorrow) 5:26pm 12:14am

will be easterly to northeasterly light to moderate during day becoming variable light at night and over the rest of the Sultanate wind will be southeasterly light to moderate. SEA STATE: Slight to moderate along the southeastern coast with a maximum wave height of 1.5 metres and slight along the rest of Oman’s coasts with maximum wave height of 1.0 metre. HORIZONTAL VISIBILITY: Good over most of the Sultanate becoming poor during thundershowers, and fog.

[AUG. 23-SEPT. 22] You’ll enjoy seeing everyone’s separate efforts come together as you accelerate toward a clear, predetermined goal.

12.07pm 3.34pm 6.15pm 7.26pm 4.38am

AIRLINES

lear to partly cloudy skies along the coastal areas of Dhofar governorate and adjoining mountains. Mainly clear skies over the rest of the Sultanate with chance of convective clouds development and thundershowers over Al-Hajar mountains and adjoining areas towards afternoon associated with fresh downdraft wind. Chance of early morning low clouds or fog patches along the coastal areas of south Al-Sharqiya and Al-Wusta governorates. EXPECTED WIND: Along the coastal areas of Oman sea wind

VIRGO

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

24784545, Swiss International Airlines: 24796692, Thai Airways: 24705934, Turkish Airlines: 24703033 MUSEUMS Bait Al Baranda: Corniche (seafront opp ﬁsh market), Open from Saturday to Thursday 9am to 1pm and 4 to 6pm Natural History Museum: Al Khuwair, Tel: 24604957, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm; Thursday: 9am to 1pm Museum of Omani Heritage: (former Omani Museum), Madinat Al Alam, Sat-Wed 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday 9am to 1pm, Tel: 24600946 Armed Forces Museum: Bait Al Falaj, Tel: 24312651, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm; Thurs 9-12pm and 3-6pm; Fri 9-11am and 3-6pm. Al Hoota Caves 24498258; Turtle Beach 96550606/96550707 Children’s Science Museum: Shatti Al Qurum, Tel: 24605368, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pm Oman-French Museum: near Muscat Police Station, Tel: 24736613, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm, Thurs: 9am to 1pm Bait Al Zubair, Muscat: Tel: 24736688, Al Saidiya St., Muscat museum@baitalzubairmuseum.com Open from Sat to Thurs: 9:30am to 6pm. National Museum Ruwi: Tel: 24701289, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pm Sohar Fort Museum: Tel: 26844758, Open from Saturday to Wed: 8 to 1:30pm Thurs: 9am to 1pm Muscat Gate Museum: at Al Bahri Road, Muscat open from Sat to Wed 8am to 2pm

TUESDAY FLT NO

ARRIVALS FROM

JEDDAH 0005 RIYADH 0005 TEHRAN 0040 SALALAH 0055 DACCA 0130 ISTANBUL-BAHRAIN 0210 SALALAH 0245 ABU DHABI 0310 ADDIS ABABA 0350 DUBAI 0355 DOHA 0355 CAIRO 0400 DUBAI 0415 BAHRAIN 0425 SALALAH 0635 JEDDAH 0640 BAHRAIN 0640 RIYADH 0640 ABU DHABI 0640 SHIRAZ 0710 DOHA 0715 LONDON HEATHROW 0730 DUBAI 0800 DUBAI 0800 JAIPUR 0820 BOMBAY 0825 BANGALORE 0910 BEIRUT 0910 SHARJAH 0915 DELHI 0925 HYDERABAD 0925 MADRAS 0930 DUBAI 0930 TRIVANDRUM 0935 SALALAH 0935 COCHIN 0935 ABU DHABI 0950 ISLAM ABBAD 1000 DOHA 1010 TRIVANDRUM 1045 COCHIN 1050 DUBAI 1100 COLOMBO 1115 LAHORE 1125 KHASAB 1125 KATHMANDU 1130 SALALAH 1140 MALE 1200 BAHRAIN 1230 BANGKOK 1230 MUKHAIZNA 1230 KUALA LUMPUR 1245 ABU DHABI 1245 DUBAI 1330 ISLAM ABBAD-SIALKOT 1430 SALALAH 1440 BANGKOK 1440 KARACHI 1450 DUBAI 1525 DUBAI 1545 LAHORE 1645 BOMBAY 1645 DELHI 1700 CALICUT 1715 LUCKNOW 1725 MUKHAIZNA 1730 MADRAS 1740 DOHA 1740 HYDERABAD 1740 BAHRAIN 1745 BAHRAIN 1810 KUWAIT 1840 SHARJAH 1915 SALALAH 1940 DUBAI 2020 DUBAI 2020 TEHRAN 2045 BANGALORE-HYDERABAD 2105 CHITTAGONG 2115 COCHIN 2115 AMSTERDAM-DOHA 2115 KATHMANDU 2125 DELHI 2125 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2130 BOMBAY 2130 DOHA 2135 DUBAI 2145 COLOMBO 2155 MADRAS 2200 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI 2225 ZURICH-DUBAI 2235 SALALAH 2235 ABU DHABI 2235 SALALAH 2240 ABU DHABI 2240 BAHRAIN 2240 AHMEDABAD 2300 AMMAN 2300 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY 2310 BOMBAY 2315 SALALAH 2315 DOHA 2325 BAHRAIN 2335 BANGKOK 2340 DOHA 2340 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 2345 DUBAI 2345 DAMMAM 2350 CAIRO 2355 BEIRUT 2355 KUWAIT 2355

WY313 WY676 BG021 4H583 NL768 WY3908 EY384 ET624 QR170 EK866 FZ041 GF560 MS930 TK778 WY412 WY904 WY122 WY658 WY686 WY674 WY638 WY142 WY154 WY114 WY692 WY668 WY644 WY102 WY132 FZ043 WY602 WY432 WY274 WY202 WY3902 G9114 WY242 WY236 WY252 EK862 WY226 WY268 EY382 QR166 9W530 WY3302 WY604 WY918 WY902 WY314 IX549 WY3904 GF562 PK191 WY324 WY606 WY632 WY328 IX817 WY906 WY3304 QR6162 FZ045 WY346 KU677 WY204 WY3922 WY246 WY910 WY292 WY664 WY232 WY656 WY908 WY284 WY216 GF564 EY386 WY338 WY3306 TG507 SV534 G9116 WY910 FZ047 WY614 WY254 9W534 AI973 WY374 6.00E+81 BA073 QR168 WY624 UL205 AI907 LH618 WY814 WY386 WY672 LX242 EY388 GF566 WY912 WY636 WY3910 AI985 9W540 WY916 QR172 WY654 WY3912 WY816 WY662 WY717 WY612 WY696 WY648

RIYADH 0005 JEDDAH 0005 DACCA-CHITTAGONG 0130 DACCA 0130 LAHORE 0130 SALALAH 0235 ABU DHABI 0310 ADDIS ABABA 0350 DOHA 0355 DUBAI 0355 DUBAI 0415 BAHRAIN 0425 CAIRO 0500 ISTANBUL-BAHRAIN 0510 AMMAN 0615 SALALAH 0620 MUNICH 0620 BAHRAIN 0640 RIYADH 0640 JEDDAH 0640 ABU DHABI 0640 MALPENSA 0650 ZURICH 0650 FRANKFURT 0650 DAMMAM 0705 DOHA 0715 KUWAIT 0720 LONDON HEATHROW 0730 PARIS 0745 DUBAI 0800 DUBAI 0800 TEHRAN 0800 JAIPUR 0820 BOMBAY 0825 SALALAH 0900 SHARJAH 0915 DELHI 0925 HYDERABAD 0925 MADRAS 0930 DUBAI 0930 COCHIN 0935 LUCKNOW 0935 ABU DHABI 0950 DOHA 1010 TRIVANDRUM 1045 MUKHAIZNA 1045 DUBAI 1100 KHASAB 1125 SALALAH 1140 CHITTAGONG 1155 TRIVANDRUM 1215 SALALAH 1225 BAHRAIN 1230 GWADUR 1245 KARACHI 1250 DUBAI 1330 ABU DHABI 1345 LAHORE 1415 MANGALORE-ABU DHABI 1425 SALALAH 1440 MUKHAIZNA 1445 DOHA 1530 DUBAI 1545 ISLAM ABBAD 1545 KUWAIT 1605 BOMBAY 1645 JAALUNI 1700 DELHI 1700 DUBAI 1710 CALICUT 1715 DOHA 1740 HYDERABAD 1740 BAHRAIN 1745 SALALAH 1750 BANGALORE 1750 TRIVANDRUM 1800 BAHRAIN 1810 ABU DHABI 1815 KATHMANDU 1830 MUKHAIZNA 1845 BANGKOK-KARACHI 1900 RIYADH 1900 SHARJAH 1915 SALALAH 1940 DUBAI 2020 DUBAI 2020 MADRAS 2110 COCHIN 2115 DELHI 2125 COLOMBO 2130 BOMBAY 2130 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2130 DOHA 2135 DUBAI 2145 COLOMBO 2155 MADRAS 2200 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI 2225 BANGKOK 2230 MALE 2230 MEDINA 2235 ZURICH-DUBAI 2235 ABU DHABI 2235 BAHRAIN 2240 SALALAH 2240 ABU DHABI 2240 SALALAH 2255 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY 2310 BOMBAY 2315 SALALAH 2315 DOHA 2325 BAHRAIN 2335 SALALAH 2335 BANGKOK 2340 DOHA 2340 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 2345 DUBAI 2345 DAMMAM 2350 KUWAIT 2355

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BA072 AI986 QR173 9W539 SG062 WY685 WY251 WY201 WY225 WY313 WY601 WY273 WY267 WY235 WY431 WY643 WY637 WY903 WY241 WY657 NL769 WY691 WY667 4H584 BG022 ET625 EK867 FZ042 WY3901 EY385 QR171 MS931 TK779 WY3301 GF561 WY901 WY813 WY327 WY603 WY3903 WY323 WY917 FZ044 WY345 WY337 WY291 WY215 WY815 WY823 G9115 WY283 WY245 WY231 WY203 WY605 WY373 WY905 WY385 EK863 WY631 EY383 WY3303 QR167 9W533 WY253 IX554 WY3921 GF563 PK192 WY655 WY907 WY663 WY101 WY609 WY3305 IX818 WY405 WY671 WY909 FZ046 WY675 QR6163 KU678 WY613 WY623 WY911 WY3909 WY681 WY647 GF565 EY387 WY915 WY695 WY3911 WY653 WY635 WY661 G9117 SV535 TG508 WY611 FZ048 WY825 9W529 WY673 QR169 6.00E+82 AI908 UL206 AI974 GF567 EY381 LX243 LH619

ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 0001 BOMBAY 0005 DOHA 0025 BOMBAY 0030 AHMEDABAD 0030 RIYADH 0050 MADRAS 0110 BOMBAY 0115 COCHIN 0120 CHITTAGONG 0125 DUBAI 0140 JAIPUR 0145 LUCKNOW 0150 HYDERABAD 0155 TEHRAN 0200 KUWAIT 0210 ABU DHABI 0215 SALALAH 0220 DELHI 0225 BAHRAIN 0230 LAHORE 0230 DAMMAM 0235 DOHA 0235 CHITTAGONG-DACCA 0300 CHITTAGONG-DACCA 0300 ADDIS ABABA 0450 DUBAI 0500 DUBAI 0500 SALALAH 0500 ABU DHABI 0525 DOHA 0540 CAIRO 0600 BAHRAIN-ISTANBUL 0600 MUKHAIZNA 0715 BAHRAIN 0730 SALALAH 0740 BANGKOK 0750 LAHORE 0750 DUBAI 0800 SALALAH 0820 KARACHI 0830 KHASAB 0830 DUBAI 0840 ISLAM ABBAD 0915 KATHMANDU 0930 CALICUT 0935 TRIVANDRUM 0940 BANGKOK 0940 KUALA LUMPUR 0950 SHARJAH 0955 BANGALORE 1000 DELHI 1000 HYDERABAD 1010 BOMBAY 1025 DUBAI 1035 COLOMBO 1040 SALALAH 1040 MALE 1040 DUBAI 1045 ABU DHABI 1045 ABU DHABI 1050 MUKHAIZNA 1115 DOHA 1115 COCHIN 1145 MADRAS 1255 TRIVANDRUM 1305 JAALUNI 1315 BAHRAIN 1315 GWADUR-TURBAT 1330 BAHRAIN 1345 SALALAH 1350 DOHA 1350 LONDON HEATHROW 1400 DUBAI 1410 MUKHAIZNA 1515 MANGALORE 1515 CAIRO 1515 MEDINA 1540 SALALAH 1540 DUBAI 1630 JEDDAH 1645 DOHA 1700 ABU DHABI-KUWAIT 1705 DUBAI 1715 DUBAI 1805 SALALAH 1840 SALALAH 1850 RIYADH 1850 KUWAIT 1850 BAHRAIN 1855 ABU DHABI 1915 SALALAH 1915 DAMMAM 1930 SALALAH 1930 BAHRAIN 1935 ABU DHABI 1940 DOHA 1950 SHARJAH 1955 RIYADH 2000 KARACHI-BANGKOK 2005 DUBAI 2045 DUBAI 2105 KUALA LUMPUR 2115 TRIVANDRUM 2230 JEDDAH 2235 DOHA 2235 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 COLOMBO 2305 DELHI 2310 BAHRAIN 2325 ABU DHABI 2330 DUBAI-ZURICH 2335 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT 2345

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WY676 WY682 WY434 WY916 4H583 TK776 WY3904 EY384 ET624 EK866 QR170 MS930 FZ041 GF560 WY904 WY674 WY658 WY686 WY638 EP6555 WY668 WY102 WY602 FZ043 WY274 WY202 WY282 WY422 G9114 WY242 WY236 WY252 EK862 WY212 WY3902 WY226 EY382 WY326 QR166 9W530 IX443 WY604 WY372 WY342 WY918 WY332 WY902 WY384 GF562 WY818 WY3302 WY826 WY632 WY606 PK259 WY906 WY812 WY324 WY610 FZ045 PA450 WY204 WY246 WY292 WY264 WY3304 WY254 WY664 WY232 WY656 GF564 WY646 G9116 WY910 WY614 FZ047 WY434 AI977 WY312 9W534 KL441 WY338 AI973 BA073 6.00E+81 QR168 WY624 UL205 AI907 LH618 LX242 WY3906 EY388 WY912 WY636 GF566 SG061 WY414 AI985 9W540 WY916 QR172 WY654 WY816 WY662 WY717 WY612 WY696 WY406 WY424 WY648 FLT NO

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BA072 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 0001 AI986 BOMBAY 0005 QR173 DOHA 0025 9W539 BOMBAY 0030 WY685 RIYADH 0050 WY811 BANGKOK 0100 WY251 MADRAS 0110 WY201 BOMBAY 0115 WY225 COCHIN 0120 WY211 TRIVANDRUM 0120 WY281 BANGALORE 0120 WY601 DUBAI 0140 WY371 COLOMBO 0145 WY273 JAIPUR 0145 WY235 HYDERABAD 0155 WY637 ABU DHABI 0215 WY903 SALALAH 0220 WY241 DELHI 0225 WY657 BAHRAIN 0230 WY325 ISLAM ABBAD 0230 WY667 DOHA 0235 WY383 MALE 0235 WY341 LAHORE 0240 TK777 BAHRAIN-ISTANBUL 0300 4H584 DUBAI-DACCA 0300 ET625 ADDIS ABABA 0450 EK867 DUBAI 0500 MS931 CAIRO 0500 FZ042 DUBAI 0500 QR171 DOHA 0515 EY385 ABU DHABI 0525 WY3901 SALALAH 0530 GF561 BAHRAIN 0730 WY901 SALALAH 0740 WY603 DUBAI 0800 WY3301 MUKHAIZNA 0800 EP6556 SHIRAZ 0810 WY917 KHASAB 0830 FZ044 DUBAI 0840 WY253 MADRAS 0920 WY263 LUCKNOW 0935 WY291 CALICUT 0935 WY815 BANGKOK 0940 WY631 ABU DHABI 0945 G9115 SHARJAH 0955 WY245 DELHI 1000 WY231 HYDERABAD 1010 WY203 BOMBAY 1025 WY323 KARACHI 1030 WY605 DUBAI 1035 WY311 CHITTAGONG 1040 WY905 SALALAH 1040 WY717 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 1045 EK863 DUBAI 1045 EY383 ABU DHABI 1050 QR167 DOHA 1115 9W533 COCHIN 1145 IX442 COCHIN 1150 WY337 KATHMANDU 1225 WY609 DUBAI 1235 GF563 BAHRAIN 1315 WY645 KUWAIT 1330 WY3303 MUKHAIZNA 1330 WY423 BEIRUT 1335 WY655 BAHRAIN 1345 WY413 AMMAN 1345 WY153 ZURICH 1350 WY131 PARIS 1350 WY663 DOHA 1350 WY113 FRANKFURT 1355 WY101 LONDON HEATHROW 1400 WY121 MUNICH 1415 WY405 CAIRO 1440 WY433 TEHRAN 1445 PK260 ISLAM ABBAD-SIALKOT 1530 WY909 SALALAH 1540 WY141 MALPENSA 1600 FZ046 DUBAI 1630 WY675 JEDDAH 1645 WY613 DUBAI 1715 PA451 LAHORE 1730 WY623 DUBAI 1805 WY3905 SALALAH 1830 WY911 SALALAH 1840 WY681 RIYADH 1850 WY647 KUWAIT 1850 GF565 BAHRAIN 1855 WY915 SALALAH 1915 WY695 DAMMAM 1930 WY653 BAHRAIN 1935 WY635 ABU DHABI 1940 WY661 DOHA 1950 G9117 SHARJAH 1955 WY611 DUBAI 2045 FZ048 DUBAI 2105 AI978 HYDERABAD-BANGALORE 2200 WY411 AMMAN 2215 WY3907 SALALAH 2230 9W529 TRIVANDRUM 2230 KL442 DOHA-AMSTERDAM 2230 WY673 JEDDAH 2235 QR169 DOHA 2235 6.00E+82 BOMBAY 2245 WY421 BEIRUT 2250 AI908 MADRAS 2300 UL206 COLOMBO 2305 AI974 DELHI 2310 GF567 BAHRAIN 2325 EY381 ABU DHABI 2330 LX243 DUBAI-ZURICH 2335 LH619 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT 2345

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M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 01 3

C1 1

EXTRA

EXISTENTIAL RISK Scientists have been trying to ﬁgure out the different ways in which the world could end

ome of ﬁnest minds are drawing up a “doomsday list” of catastrophic events that could devastate the world, pose a threat to civilisation and might even lead to the extinction of the human species. Leading scholars in Britain have established a centre for the study of “existential risk” which aims to present politicians and the public with a list of disasters that could threaten the future of the world as we know it. Lord Rees of Ludlow, the astronomer royal and past president of the Royal Society, is leading the initiative, which includes Stephen Hawking, the Cambridge cosmologist, and Lord May of Oxford, a former government chief scientist. The group also includes the Cambridge philosopher Huw Price, the economist Partha Dasgupta and the Harvard evolutionary geneticist George Church. Initial funding has come from Jaan Tallinn, the co-founder of Skype. “Many scientists are concerned that developments in human technology may soon pose new, extinction-level risks to our species as a whole,” says a statement on the group’s website. Lord Rees said in his closing speech to the British Science Festival in Newcastle this evening that the public and politicians need the best possible advice on low-risk scenarios that may suddenly become reality, with devastating consequences. “Those of us fortunate enough to live in the developed world fret too much about minor hazards of everyday life — improbable air crashes, carcinogens in food, low radiation doses, and so forth,” Lord Rees told the meeting. “But we are less secure than we think. It seems to me that our political masters, should worry far more about scenarios that have thankfully not yet happened — events that could arise as unexpectedly as the 2008 ﬁnancial crisis, but which could cause world-wide disruption,” he said. Professor David Spiegelhalter, an expert in risk at Cambridge University, said that our increasing reliance on technology and the formation of complex interconnected networks is making society more vulnerable.

“We use interconnected systems for everything from power, to food supply and banking, which means there can be real trouble if things go wrong or they are sabotaged,” Professor Spiegelhalter said. “In a modern, efficient world, we no longer stockpile food. If the supply is disrupted for any reason, it would take about 48-hours before it runs out and riots begin,” he said. “Energy security is also an issue, as we import much of our fuel from abroad, so a conflict over resources in the future is possible,” he added. According to Lord Rees, the threat of nuclear war was the main global risk we faced in the last century, but in the fast-developing 21st Century there are new concerns over risks such as deadly bioterrorist attacks, pandemics accelerated by global air travel, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and artificially intelligent computers that turn hostile. “In future decades, events with low probability but catastrophic consequences may loom high on the political agenda,” Lord Rees told the science festival. “That’s why some of us in Cambridge — both natural and social scientists — plan, with colleagues at Oxford and elsewhere, to inaugurate a research programme to compile a more complete register of these existential risks, and to assess how to enhance resilience against the more credible ones,” he said. The Cambridge Centre for the Study of Existential Risk is so far a loose coalition of scholars but Lord Rees hopes later this year to announce major funding and a more detailed programme of research into the “doomsday” scenarios. “Our goal is to steer a small fraction of Cambridge’s great intellectual resources, and of the reputation built on its past and present scientific pre-eminence, to the task of ensuring that our own species has a long-term future,” the centre states on its website. Lord Rees, who has written popular science books on 21st Century threats to humanity, said that the organisational aspect of the centre is still being finalised but he hopes to have this clarified by the end of the year. “The response we’ve had to our proposal has been remarkably wide, and remarkably positive. The project is still embryonic but

Many scientists are concerned that developments in human technology may soon pose new, extinction-level risks to our species as a whole Lord Rees of Ludlow Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at Cambridge we are seeking funds via various sources and have strengthened our international advisory network,” he told The Independent. There is a need for a more rational approach to the low risk events that could have devastating consequence because politicians tend to think of short-term problems and solutions while the public is in denial about scenarios that have not yet happened, he said. “The wide public is in denial about two kinds of threats — those that we’re causing collectively to the biosphere, and those that stem from the greater vulnerability of our interconnected world to error or terror induced by individuals or small groups,” Lord Rees said. “All too often the focus is parochial and short term. We downplay what’s happening even now in impoverished, far-away countries and we discount too heavily the problems we’ll leave for our grandchildren,” he said. Risk assessors: The distinguished panel Martin Rees Lord Rees of Ludlow is emeritus professor of cosmology and astrophysics at Cambridge. Rees is the astronomer roya, a former president of the Royal Society and master of Trinity College Cambridge. Jaan Tallinn An Estonian software programmer

and co-found of Skype. Tallinn provided the seedcorn money to set up the centre for the study of existential risk. He is an academic adviser to the Estonian president.

fellow and former member of Council of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, and a past president of the Australasian Association of Philosophy.

ity grids around the world. Loss of electrical power would have immediate and possibly severe consequences if it could not be restored quickly.

Stephen Hawking Probably the world’s most famous living scientist. A cosmologist and author of the best-seller A Brief History of Time, Hawking is an adviser to the centre. He has stated his concerns about the demise of the human species.

The end? Scenarios —

Pandemics The increasing mobility of the human species makes it more likely that a new, emerging infection could quickly spread around the world via air travel before a vaccine is developed to combat it.

Bio-terrorism Large infrastructure is required to build and deliver nuclear weapons, but genetically engineered harmful microbes or viruses could be developed in a relatively simple laboratory.

Robert May Lord May of Oxford is a former government chief scientist and past president of the Royal Society. His specialities include studying the spread of infectious diseases and estimating the rate of species extinction.

Food shortages The modern food industry is based on “just in time” delivery with little or no stockpiling. Failure of the information networks controlling this could quickly lead to shortages and food riots.

Huw Price The Bertrand Russell professor of philosophy at Cambridge. He is a fellow of the British Academy, a

Cyber attacks One of the biggest threats is some kind of attack on the computers controlling the electric-

Malign computers Some experts fear that increasingly intelligent computers may one day turn “hostile” and not perform as they were designed. Runaway climate catastrophe Climatologists fear that, as the climate is polluted with increasing quantities of carbon dioxide, it may pass a tipping point after which feedback effects cause it to get warmer and warmer. —Steve Connor/The Independent

C12

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

EXTRA

DISCOVERY DISPELS THE NOTION THAT GEARS ARE A HUMAN INVENTION. EVOLUTION GOT THERE FIRST

set of mechanical gears that work just like those seen in moving instruments and engines has been discovered in a small garden insect which uses them to kick its hind legs at exactly the same time. It is the ﬁrst time that scientists have shown the existence of a gearing mechanism in the natural world. It was thought that the idea was purely an invention of the human mind. The insect, called the Issus leafhopper, has a set of curved, cog-like strips of opposing “teeth” which intermesh with one another precisely when the young leafhopper uses its hind legs to jump into the air, the scientists said. “We usually think of gears as something that we see in human designed machinery, but we’ve

found that is only because we didn’t look hard enough,” said Gregory Sutton of the University of Bristol, a co-author of the study published in the journal Science. “These gears are not designed; they are evolved — representing high speed and precision machinery evolved for synchronisation in the animal world,” Dr Sutton said. Each tooth in the gears has a rounded corner at the point when it connects to the gear strip which is an identical feature of manmade gear and is designed to absorb the shock during movement so that the teeth do not shear off, the scientists said. The ‘gears’ in the Issus leafhopper The scientists combined anatomical analysis with high-speed video to capture the precise movements of the gears, which resemble

those seen in bicycles or a car’s gear box. The gear teeth on the opposing hind-legs lock together to ensure almost complete synchronicity in leg movement — the legs always move within 30 millionths of a second of one another,

said Professor Malcolm Burrows of Cambridge University, who led the study. “This precise synchronisation would be impossible to achieve through a nervous system, as neural impulses would take far too long for the extraordinarily tight coordination required,” Professor Burrows said. “By developing mechanical gears, the Issus can just send nerve signals to its muscles to produce roughly the same amount of force — then if one leg starts to propel the jump the gears will interlock, creating absolute synchronicity,” he said. “In Issus, the skeleton is used to solve a complex problem that the brain and nervous system can’t. This emphasises the importance of considering the properties of the skeleton in how movement is produced.”

The gears are only seen in juvenile Issus and are lost when the insect matures into its adult form. Scientists believe this is because gears cannot be repaired if broken except during the “moults” of the juvenile stages when the entire skeleton is replaced. Each gear strip in the juvenile Issus was around 400 micrometres long and had between 10 to 12 teeth, with both sides of the gear in each leg containing the same number — giving a gearing ratio of 1:1. While there are examples of apparently ornamental cogs in the animal kingdom — such as on the shell of the cog wheel turtle or the back of the wheel bug - gears with a functional role either remain elusive or have been rendered defunct by evolution. —Steve Connor/The Independent

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

SECTION

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For rent Misfa 1000 sqm Sinaya 2 rooms, bath, kitchen, full boundary wall. Contact 92989071/ 92087781/ 92353939

2 BHK with AC near ISM school 350 RO last. Contact 92144045 Furnished ﬂat in Al Khuwair 1 Bedroom, sitting room, 2 WS kitchen, Balcony. Contact 98003444 / 99341138 1 and 2 BR Brand New Flats in Azaiba. Contact: 96793675 Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact 96440598

12 Flats 1 BHK OR 200 & 2 BHK 250 RO behind Wadi kabir Indian School contract start 10TH Dec. Contact 99376454 Office room for rent at Muttrah. Contact 24713253 / 99187422 Shop and Office available for rent in CBD Ruwi. Contact 99861331

Nice villa for rent 1 kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 1 hall, 1 d. room, 3 toilets, full AC at Qurum heights. Contact : 99237827 / 95515152

Villa in Qurum PDO 3 Bedroom, maid room with bathroom big hall Majlis with Ac split 750RO. Contact 92479515 Profs for rent. GSM : 98087644 1 BHK available, Mumtaz area, Ruwi. Contact 99269751 4 Villa with sitting room & hall & 4 bad room & 6 toilets with AC 850 RO. Contact 99548999 Flat for rent in Al Hail North new 3 rooms, 2 bathrooms, Kitchen. Contact 99353433 Deluxe Villa Al Khuwair 25, 6 Bedroom. Contact 98914157 Flat for rent Mabailah Block no 8 near German University. Contact 99445177 Store for rent at Wadi kabir. Contact 99893363 1 and 2 BR Brand New Flats in Azaiba. Contact: 96793675 New Offices for rent in Mumtaz area behind Al Buri Hotel. Please Contact 95453813

Flat for rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99388994. 1 BHK without AC Ghubra near to Indian School RO 250/-last. Contact 92144045 Small House Al Ghubra 2 Bedroom, small Hall 1 bathroom kitchen without AC 300 RO. Contact 92479515 Flat, shops, basement for rent location : Ruwi area, MBD area. Contact 92433127 / 97293708 Shop for rent at Wadikabir Industrial area. Contact 99893363 2 BHK with AC for Commercial MBD area. Contact 91162431 For rent Barka Land for rent Boundary wall & Security , accommodation, small store available 500, 1000 & 2000 sq.mtr.# 99321325 / 95538172 1 BHK flat Star cinema 240/RO. Contact 99358589/97079146 Commercial flat of 2 and 3 bedrooms in 18 November street 475 and 675 RO monthly. # 93191111 New 2BHK / 1 BHK flats with Ac spilt unit in Al Hail South 280, 250 RO. Contact 93121111 / 93191111 Villas for rent. Contact 95178930 350 Sqm shop CBD. Contact 99024730 2 BHK CBD. Contact 99024730 Shop in Mabailla phase 8 industrial area 36 sqm and cost is 350 RO. Contact 93191111 Flat in North Al Ghobra 3 bedrooms, 2 toilets and 1 kitchen. #95067716

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE

FOR SALE

M.V. FOR SALE

FOR SALE Oil paintings For sale. Contact 99737812

Crane, 30Tons for sale. Contact 99209427

Complete Aluminum fabrication Machineries, as good as new for sale. Contact 99489100 / 99294095

Shop for sale at Sohar Falaj Al Qabail. Contact : 99103077

8seated sofa set brand new one month old purchased for 800/- RO, now 400/- bed room set, cupboard, AC. Contact 99326339

2 years old Ariston 4 burner cooking range, RO45/- , King size bed for RO 40/-. Both in perfect condition. Contact 98232794

2 textile running shop Seeb souq main road & 1textile shop in Dhofar building. Contact 99326339

2 bedroom ﬂat near Muscat private hospital, Bausher. Monthly income OMR 300, OMR 46,000. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Restaurant for sale in Plaza Hotel Ruwi, opp. Bank Muscat Ruwi high street. Contact 99326339

Running Carpentry work shop for sale or rent in Wadikabir. Contact 94107686 / 94107689

Coffee shop for sale in Sun City Hotel Ruwi. Contact 99326339

Shop for sale in Wadi Kabir two shutters. Contact 96607448

Full bedroom set (king size) show case. Contact 93569380

Porta cabin and Container for sale. Contact 99373256

Restaurant with existing seating capacity of 50 people and potential for 90 people and lots of parking place in prime business location at Wattayah near Bank Muscat & Indian Passport Office (B.L.S) in running condition is available for partnership or sale. Contact 95213273

Door with frame for sale. Contact 99208798 / 95643086

Shop for sale in Ghubrah, good location. Contact 99055410 Household shop in Al Koud, Wadi Lwami, well running. Contact 98972021 / 95251676 Shopping centre Sale or rent in Seeb Souq. Contact 95204145 Brand new parlour for sale in Ghubrah with equipments or partnership/ Lease. Interested parties only call 96761960 Camp for sale Including Porta cabin, kitchen & Dining facilities with RO plant. For more information. Contact Nasser 99808067 Used furniture dining table with chairs, cooking range, microwave oven, show case (big & small). Contact 96282677 Beauty Parlour for sale Mawaleh with license. Contact 95020852 Barber shop for sale Mawaleh with license. Contact 95020852 Porta cabin sale. Contact 96432604

ACC. WANTED

Toyota Corolla 1.6 Xli 2009 single owner. Contact 98180493 Luxus ES 350, 2007 model good condition. Contact 94480418 Subaru Impreza 2001 model for sale. Contact 99055410 Toyota Rav4, model 2009. Contact 96120459 For sale Lancer 2008 bought 2009 single driver 60000 kms 99636424 2006 Model, Toyota Battery Operated Excellent condition fork Lift suitable for store & rack system. Contact 99371732

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished single room for executive bachelor near Safeer hypermarket, Azaiba. Gsm 99761216

TRANSPORTATION Transportation available from Ruwi to Ghubra. Call 96402727, 96761960

Sharing accommodation with attach bathroom and split A/C available near Al Hassan Mosque, Wadi Kabir. Contact 99577462

For Sale Lexus 350Es model 2007 good condition. Contact 94480418

Pajero 2003 No-1 Automatic. Contact 99384640

FOR HIRE

Transportation. Contact98546606

Furnished sharing accommodation available for Executive bachelor near Star cinema / Oman house. Contact 99886840

Transportation. Contact 99509283

2 BR ﬂat 6 months old in Ghala with gym, near Vasantha Bhavan / vachas Hyper market, from 10 Oct. rent RO 360. Contact 99860874

Transport Pick & Drop. # 97581610

For transport. Contact 92548219

Car with Graduate experienced driver. Contact +968 98267157

Car with driver. Contact 95068976 Transportation Contact 95570429

Furnished room with sharing bathroom and equipped kitchen immediately available in a ﬂat in MBD area. Contact 95450250

ACC. AVAILABLE Room for rent in Ruwi. 95372192

Beauty Parlour for sale Contact 94062285.

Single furnished room. Contact 24833609

MBD new building accommodation with attached bathroom and split AC available for couple or working lady rent OMR 150 including W & E. Contact 97268031

Acc available in Muttrah behind Oman house. Contact 99354340

2 BR, 2 toilet, kitchen at Al Mawaleh. Contact 99444786 / 99747560

Fully furnished Executive bachelor room with all facilities ac, washing etc in Mumtaz, Ruwi- Contact/SMS 99459843

2 showrooms for rent Al Amerat behind Sultan Center. Contact 97886169

Furnished single room available for Exe bachelor at Rex road & Darsait. Contact 92873832

3 BHK Flat Darsait 450/RO. Contact 99358589 / 97079146

Single room available for Executive bachelor near Al Falaj Hotel. Contact 99643845 Pent House single room with bathroom and kitchen in Wadi Kabir (RO 150). Contact 93878793

Sharing acc. available for Executive bachelor in Muttrah, near Oman house. Contact 95915399 Room bath attached furnished Wadi Kabir. Contact 99336206 Sharing accommodation for Executive bachelor furnished room with separate bathroom, near Pencil building Wadiakabir. # 99251214 Shared bachelor accommodation available in villa Rex road area, Ruwi. Contact- 99013227 Room in Al Wattyah. # 98910213

Big two rooms for sharing opposite Al Nahda Hospital. #98725208 Single room for bachelor or lady, opp. Al Nahdha Hospital. # 92563206

350 SQ MTS and plot, clear title, on 120 ft road near IIIT, Kalindipuram Allahabad, UP, India Serious buyers Contact 99236945

GOOD NEWS

NRI only beach side and lake side land for sale in Kerala suitable for resort and hotels. We are one of best property buyers and sellers in Kerala. Contact 0091 9496605598, Email hopezdevelopers@gmail.com

Transportation. Contact 96954496

1 Bedroom sharing K & T, family bachelor RO 100 in Al Khuwair. Contact 95154331

Running clinic with pharmacy for sale. Contact 95314738

New villa at Al Khuwair 33/ 6 bed rooms R.O 1000/- Monthly. Contact 99443834

Inﬁniti M375 2011. # 92844996

Transportation. Contact 98178135

Furnished room in Al Falaj area with attached balcony & Wadi Kabir for Indian bachelor/Students single. Contact 96761960

Flat for rent at Qurum heights, ground ﬂoor, 3 bed rooms. Contact 95178930

NRI ONLY

Toyota Fortuner model 2012, 2.7 LT, km 17000. Contact 99350092

Transportation. Contact 93400744

Spacious room with A/C and attach bath for walking lady of executive bachelor in Wadi Kabir (Indian only). Contact 99720561

1 BHK Flat Wadikabir 250/RO. Contact 99358589 / 95570288

Excellent condition Toyota Camry 2007 beige colour, fully automatic, single owner maintained by Toyota KM 1,18,000 for sale. # 99315297

Transportation available. Contact 95714934

Semi furnished studio ﬂat is available in MBD area. # 99037554

FOR RENT

Chevrolet Captiva 2008 GCC, 20,0000 KM, 4100/-RO. Contact 97646282

Dodge Charger 2012. # 92844996 Single bedroom ﬂat with A/C and car parking rent payment monthly basis. Contact 93569380

Sharing accommodation with attached bath available at behind ISM, Darsait contact 94355675

Well running new Coffee shop at Hamariya for sale, with clearance. Contact 93660957

Doctor Owned Lexus RX 350 excellent condition 2010 model km sixty thousand. Contact 99785613

Furnished room in CBD area for Executive bachelors free wi-ﬁ, non-cooking, Advance deposit. Contact 95934642

Cranes and excavators available on hire. Contact 99209427 Party & Wedding equipment rentals. Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chaﬁng Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. www.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

House for sale in Aynawaram Chennai G+3, plot for sale Maduranthagam 1200 sq ft, 1.75 lakhs. Contact 99354340 IND 00919840154225 3 bedroom villa for sale kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. Contact 92893243 Land for sale in Kollam Asramom 26.5 cent square plot with compound wall, 8.45 cent with 2 storey building in Umayanalloore near Industrial area, Ambalthumkala Ezhukone 9 cent with 2 storey building. Contact 00918086135254 / 92830626

Crane Trailor Hiab. #99354909 25/ 50 seater Buses for rent/ leasing with drivers in PDO Speciﬁcation. Contact 99839898

AVAILABLE

MATRIMONIAL Thiyya girl, MBA, working in Dubai, Rohini, 27 seeks alliance from BTech/MBA holders working in Oman/Dubai. Contact 97270140 Muslim Parents invite alliance for son, B.Tech doing Business, seek suitable Girl good family background age 21-23 Preferable Hyderabad / Bangalore. Contact 96731961/ Email skmahmed@arspowertech.com

Fully equipped commercial kitchen with camp & storage facilities available at Ghala Industrial area. Interested Parties may Contact 99024519

BUYING/SELLING We Buy all types of Wooden Scraps. Contact ahastco123@yahoo. com , Ph: 24458759/ 98539316/ 99318152 Good Quality Wooden Kicking blocks available 1.2 mtr & 2.6 mtr length. Contact ahastco123@yahoo. com , Ph: 99318152

Sunni Muslim hand some boy Graduate, 24 years working as a Divisional Manager, well settled seeking Dini Namazi good family for suitable alliance. Contact 92876040 Hindu, 35 yrs lady from Mangalore, Working as beautician in Oman, seeks suitable alliance. Contact 95208305 Hindu Handsome boy Kerala Graduate 35 years working at Sales leading Automobile company at Muscat, seeking alliance from any cast or region. Contact 94176397 Email : aajesh98765@gmail.com Keralite Hindu 28 yrs Biomedical Technician working in Oman need suitable proposal. #99433516 Email: vinojrkrishnan@gmail.com

Onam special fresh ﬂowers Jasmine- Marigold & 5 different assorted colors ﬂowers available. Haridas Nensey SupermarketRuwi. Phone 24750784 FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 96050000, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit: www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steam bath, obesity, spondylitis etc. Free consutation, Ideal Care Ayurvedic clinic, Azaiba. Contact 99639695 Genuine Ayurvedic treatments &massage, ayuredic clinic AL Khuwair. Contact 24478618/ 97263637/ 97109295 Ayurvedic treatment for backache paralysis arthritis etc. & massage All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980

MATRIMONIAL Kerala boy 38 years Chartered Accountant in Sultanate of Oman Hindu Nair seeking suitable alliance. Contact 97133729, E mail : kunjumonaca@gmail.com

M O N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION VACANT

SALES / MARKETING Required Salesman cum Driver with Education certiﬁcate for trading company visa ready. Contact 99250248

ADMIN

DRIVER

Required for a leading international company in the ﬁeld of IT located in Ruwi, CBD Area, a female employee (Administrative Secretary) holding a diploma in IT and familiar with public relations and staying in Wilayat Muttrah. CVs to be sent to the email: anismaimani@gmail.com

Urgently wanted one experienced House Driver. Contact 24493666 / 99228454

Office Administrator required for prestigious furnishings and design company, based in Qurum. Must have three years experience with Omani administration. Must have good bookkeeping and organizational skills. Must have Omani drivers license. Salary and bonuses. Email : tony@materials-plus.com

Expatriate driver with car for Omani family required to pick & drop children from school, middle aged person with at least 10 years clean Omani D/L. call - +968-95523416

ARCHITECT / INTERIOR DECORATOR Required for Consultant Managing Director 15 yrs Arch & STR Eng 10 years. Email meceng111@hotmail.com

BEAUTY Required Indian lady beautician, Al Amerat, visa & accommodations available. Contact 92059502 Exclusive Ladies SPA & Saloon in Salalah has an opening for female Operation Executive exp. min. 3 yrs, energetic & independent to operate. Guest relationship & strong knowledge in ERP. Send CV info@ezrahlife.com Required General Beautician, Indian Nationality with local release for beauty parlour at Al Ghubrah. Contact 95134495 / 95622129 Ladies beautician. Email : info@sparkles-oman.com Required urgently experienced Beautician. Contact 99467033

CATERING Required one House Cook for Capital area. Contact 24493666/ 99228454 Wanted experienced Cooks. Contact 95529970 Urgently required North Indian part time cook in mutrah. Contact – 99100314 Wanted Experienced Egyptian Cook. Contact 99466062 Required Continental Cook (1) 3-5 years experience. Contact +968 99364735 / 99652716

DOMESTIC HELP Part-time housemaid (Tamil/Malayalam) required in the afternoon, near Star cinema, Ruwi. Contact after 5 pm - 99682680, 92934990 House maid required. Visa available. Contact Deepak 96500750

Wanted JCB operator with local release. Contact Ashley 99257975 Pakistani Family requires Driver at Ghubrah South. Call 99101958

Expatriate driver for Omani family required, middle aged person with at least 10 years clean Omani D/L. Contact +968-95523416 Wanted Driver. Call - 24170076 / 98936716. Send resume: tthrteam@gmail.com. Urgently required experienced HV Drivers with local release. Contact 99364007 Car Driver personal. Contact 96694954

DOMESTIC HELP Required Housemaid Pilipino full time. Contact 98563312 Full time Houseboy or Housemaid with Cooking experience for family in Ruwi. Should be able to read English, visa available. Contact 96170867 Malayali Housemaid required for Indian (Keralite) family in Muscat. Full time for ONE (1) month (October) only. Contact immediately: 98988678”. Pakistani Family living at Ghubrah south is looking for house maid. Should be resident card holder and familiar with Pakistani cooking. Contact 99101958 / 93575206 Wanted full time Keralite Housemaid with Kids experience for a Keralite Family. Will provide visa and Accommodation. Contact immediately to 00968 99898741

DESIGNER Graphic designer with Arabic & English knowledge for a printing press. Contact 99244470 Email excelpress1@gmail.com

EDUCATION Wanted Mathematics lecturers with PhD and 5 years of college teaching exp for immediate Joining. Very good salary package offered. Interested candidates send you CV to trainingjobsoman@gmail.com Required for Private school at Al Ansab Science & Math & English & headmaster of School. Contact 99615500 Required Primevera P6/Stadpro teacher. Contact 98686852

Looking for efficient Sales Executives with experience. Omani driving license holders preferred. Fresher can also apply. Email : jobvaciuc@gmail.com

ENGINEERS/TECH A reputed Engineering Contracting Company requires Project Manager (Piping) for Oil&Gas ﬁeld. BE (Mech),min 12 yrs exp in managing cross country pipelines, industrial piping etc. Thorough knowledge on HSE, QA and Environmental systems essential. Mail detailed CV to:- recruitbmen@gmail.com Urgently require A/C Technician with 3 to 5 years experience. Send CV to: Email nationalhvac@ymail. com , Fax +968 24799442 Testing & commissioning engineer required for lighting control & dimming system with 2 yrs of experience. Candidate with driving license will be preferred. Mail your CV : cdas@aaalkindi.com Urgently required Quantity Surveyors (for tendering) Project Managers, Project Coordinators for a reputed construction company/ Interested candidates can send their CVs to mohamed@oasisgrace.com Contact 99881459 Fax: 24812226 Required Electrical Foreman (DIP/ degree) preferably Gulf experienced, holding Oman electric license & ROP driving license. Fax or email your CVs at fax: 24505447 Email: sadanand@modernee.com Contact 99353859 Looking for an Indian well educated Construction Technician with at least 5-10 years experiences in Oman, willing to start working with a newly established construction company in Muscat. Contact 96961306

MEDICAL Required Pharmacist/Assist. Pharmacist with MOH license for a pharmacy in capital area. saif695@yahoo.com Shatti Al Qurum Medical Center is looking to employ qualiﬁed and registered nurses (Dentist hygienist and Gyno). If interested, please send your qualiﬁcations and experience to: hr71mb@hotmail. com Tel: 93655425 A licensed dentist is needed to rent a running dental clinic in Sohar (next to Sohar university). Contact : 95603395 Wanted Ophthalmologist (DO), Staff Nurses (female) with MOH license for a polyclinic. Excellent Salary package. Contact 99006915 Email alhinaee.clinic@ yahoo.com Wanted Doctor-MBBS-MD-with MOH license –Saham. #96941772 Urgently require an Asst. Pharmacist with or without MOH license for a Pharmacy in Barka. Contact 93353186 / 26868839 Required a Nurse for a clinic in Al Khuwair with MOH license, Full time or Part time. Send CV ntestament@hotmail.com Contact 99355095 Required Asst. Pharmacist with MOH License for a pharmacy in capital area. GSM: 9282057 Wanted GP - Male & Female for well established clinic in Barka & Mabela. Call 99754628 / 95197358.

SIT.WANTED BE Civil Engineer with minimum 2 years Oman experience and driving license, only for immediate joining. Email CV: md@dirbasoman.com or Fax: 24495398 Wanted Civil Engineer. Email almoosaengineering@gmail.com Required CCTV Technician with minimum 3 yrs experience. Email birdymaan@hotmail.com

MISC Required an Arabic spoken office boy from Kerala. Contact 92345861 Urgently required experienced Fabricators, Welders 6G, Riggers, Grinders and Construction workers. Contact 99776471 / 95205473 Email ardharab@gmail.com Urgently required Mobile Technician (good experience), Sales staff (Indian, Filipino), Accountant M/F, Out door Sales executive, Graphic Designer M/F. Contact : 95227500 , tv_shopom@yahoo.com . Lady cleaner. Email : info@sparkles-oman.com

Indian female, 24 yrs, having 3 yrs experience in Hospiatlity & HR. Presently working as Customer Care Executive in a reputed ﬁrm. Seeks suitable post. # 94288397, email: rajeevrajan307@gmail.com Indian male Graduate, 26, 3 yrs exp in handling purchase in a reputed company in Oman looking for suitable placements.#95776353 Filipina graduate of computer programming looking for suitable job in Muscat Contact no: 96599254/95611624 Indian female with GCC experience in office admin, accounts and HR seeks suitable placement Contact : 95584732. Driver with car seeking a job in Oman as a company’s or family driver, having experiences 12 years in Abu dhabi and 2 years in oman. Contact: 93043871. Indian male, BBAM, 27 years, specialized in marketing & ﬁnance, 6 years of experience as transport coordinator in an earthmoving co. having valid Omani driving license seeking for suitable placement. Contact : 93213160 email: nikiniji86@gmail.com

SECRETARIAL Office Secretary Female with 2 years experience. Send CV to: Email nationalhvac@ymail.com , Fax +968 24799442

SALES / MARKETING Job available with a leading food stuff Company at Seeb area: Salesmen, Light Drivers- For Omani National only, Sales Supervisors, prefer having frozen food stuff experience- all nationalities. Send your CV to : thekkutt@gmail.com Wanted experienced Marketing Executives with (valid Oman D/L) for a leading printing press in Musanah. Contact: alqariyaprintingpress@gmail.com, Mobile 96557079 Marketing company requires Sales Executive salary + incentive, visa available send CV at bdmrightway@gmail.com Contact 95748080

Urgently required for our Salalah Branch. Operation cum Sales representative with valid driving license and knowledge of English and basic Arabic language. Minimum 3 years of experience in land transport and freight forwarding industry preferred. Email recruitjbc@gmail.com Urgently required PRO male or female Omani National minimum two years exp. in dealing with Govt. departments. Preferably female. Contact: 91375737 Email mian@mianandpartners.com A leading oil & Gas company is looking for active Sales Engineer with minimum of 2 years experience technical, sales marketing with valid license. Contact 99061232 / 99853353 Building material Salesman. Contact 95856070 Leading construction company requires Quality Assurance (QA) & quality control (QC) Electric Engineer, Personnel. Send CV to : nikunj@uniqueom.com

SITUATION WANTED 28 years, Male MBA in Marketing looking for suitable job on urgent bases, having valid Omani driving license and 2 years marketing experience in oman and 4 years marketing experience in Pakistan. Contact: 97136426

26 Years old Indian female Bachelor of Business Administration with 1.5 years experience, Looking for a Marketing Job, Contact # 96899068641

5 years experience in Accounts, 1 year experience in Oman, age 25, gsm -91130227.

Indian male, experience in Store/ Operation//Logistic/Coordinator having good communication skills, seeking suitable change. Contact: 94355675

Indian, male, 26, Mechanical Engineer (HVAC) having 3 years experience as project engineer in Oman seeks suitable placement holding valid Omani D/L. Contact 98050877

Indian Male experience 26 yrs in sales co-ordination, marketing & logistics, import export, purchase seeks suitable posting having D/L. Contact : 97129061

Indian Male, MBA, 16 yrs in Oman. Experience in supply chain mgmt, logistics, import export mgmt, purchase, domestic and export sales seeks suitable placement in Bank or money exchange sector. Having 15 years experiences in related ﬁeld. Contact: 922 60 508. Seek Job, Driver have car pick & drop. Contact : 96136615.

Indian Kerala male, 23 yrs, BSC Chemistry, 4 months experience in building material shop as a Salesman in Oman, seeking suitable placement. Contact 91290076 / 95097507.

Male, 27, MBA specialized in marketing , looking for suitable position. Having valid oman driving license. Contact. 99590408, E mail. aneesteepee@gmail.com Videographer for filming any occasion or event, website videos, corporate profiles, promotional films, ad films. Also calendar, brochure, logo, poster designing. # 99631986 24 yrs female with driving license, b.b.a plus I.A.T.A,3 years experience seeking suitable position in secretarial ,admin,hr,procurement ,travel. please contact 95337828 or e-mail at hibhak@gmail.com. Indian Female, B.Tech-IT, Fresher, Currently in Resident Visa, having C and JAVA Knowledge, seeking Suitable Position in IT. CONTACT : 97232497,99108857, psharan24@ gmail.com,parthipan61@gmail.com

Indian Female MBA with 3 yrs of experience in the field of Business Development, HR and office administration on family visa seeks immediate placement. # 99179709 Male,25,ACCA finalist with driving license, seeking for permanent visa,1 year accounting and 2 month audit experience in audit firm, expected salary is 300 plus, expecting audit job only. G.S.M. No. 97654769, id: abdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com Indian male, Having 3years experience for furniture Sales in Oman and 5 years experience for electronics and Home appliances Sales in India with Valid Oman Driving License. GSM 96148228 , kmfiroz6@gmail.com 21 years Indian BBA (commerce) graduate with knowledge of E-Finance include tally, peach tree, Dac-Easy etc. 1+ year experience in India looking for a job kn accounts \ office assistance contact 95601158/94282894

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED ADMIN Indian male 4 years of HR experience, looking for Admin, Recruitment job. Contact 99489496 Admin qualiﬁed female HR professional with MBA (HR), BE, PGDBM, 5 years of experience seeking suitable role in HR proﬁle, valid Oman D/L. Contact 94129462 HR & Administration officer 15 years experience, looking for a suitable opening. Contact 95893806 Sri Lankan female 27 years having 7years experience in Administration, customer service with excellent English and computer knowledge seeking suitable placement. Contact 96144390 Indian Male, 27 years, 5 years’ experience as a Customer/Client relation Manager in MNCs. Seeking suitable posts in Customer relations/Administration/HR. GSM: 93088407 Indian female Currently on Visit Visa, looking for a job in Oman. Total Work Experience of 6 Years, Worked as a senior technical associate and Senior Technical Support Officer with Bank of America & Mphasis Mumbai respectively. Diploma in MBA (HR MANAGEMENT), B. Com Graduate from Mumbai University. Email : beena.bhatia24@gmail.com, daswaniash_2001@yahoo.co.in, Mobile : 98682715 / 95257148 Indian female MA, MBA (HR) with 5 yrs GCC exp, presently working as HR Coordinator in groups of company, seeks suitable placement. Contact 93498876 Manager HR Administration, 8 yrs. Oman experience, good knowledge of HR policies, appraisals and HR Management available immediately. Contact 92515583

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Part time accounts / audit services. Gsm 99761216 Muslim Chartered Accountant and M.Com, 12 Years of Experience, At present in UAE, seeking good Job in Accounts, Finance, Audit etc. Contact 00971 50 9607654, 00968 9985 7838, E mail : chishtiaca@yahoo.com ACCA Member, 3 yrs experience, Well Versed in Tally ERP-9, Quick Book & MS office, Currently on visit visa. Contact: 97268263 Chartered Accountant with 10 years experience of which 5 years in Oman. Contact 93795838 Accounts works up to finalization on part-time / fulltime. Contact 96247295 Indian male, MBA with more than 14 years of experience as Warehouse Manager and Accountant, NOC available & can join immediately seeks suitable placement. Contact 92203972 Chartered Accountant young Indian Female 26 years with good knowledge and experience in Finance, Accounts and Audit of large corporate available for immediate joining. Contact 99887464 Email deepaj122@gmail.com Indian Male, MBA ( Finance) with 5 years experience as Senior Analyst at reputed company in India, Seeks job in Finance or Accounts. Contact 91378950 Email ms.sharief@gmail.com Indian female 35 B.Com with 5 years experience & driving license, seeks suitable placement. Contact 95871492 Chartered Accountant Young Indian female 25 years with Good knowledge and experience in Finance, Accounts and Audit of large corporate, available for immediate joining. Contact 92530131/ 24785757 Email muflihak@gmail.com Chartered Accountant, with B.Sc Accountancy (special) degree, more than seven years of experience, looking for a position in accounts, finance or auditing department. Contact 93957919 B.Com Graduate male 22 yrs, MS Excel, Peachtree, Window OS knowledge, looking for entry level position. Immediate joining. # 98997746 Sir Lankan CA with B. ScManagement, 7 years experience (3 in Oman), 30 years, looking for a position in Accounts, Finance and Audit department. Contact 93397026

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Manager Accounts & HR MBA ﬁnance PGDHRM 10 yrs experience in India 14 yrs experience in Muscat Presently working in Construction/ Earth works co. in Muscat available to join immediately. # 91103856 Email newjobs13@yahoo.com

Male Accountant MBA, ICMAP (ﬁnalist) 6.5 years experience in ﬁnance, accounting, payroll, audit, administration, ERP,SAP,TALLY, seeking for good opportunity Email: faisalsaeedbana@hotmail.com Faisal Saeed : 97268088

Indian, B. Com graduate with 9+ years experience, great exposure in Accounting/Administration job(TallyErp9), seeks suitable placement. Omani Driving License, Contact: 96001864

Part time Accountant / Internal Auditor computerized and Manual Accounts, Driving own car. Accounts up to ﬁnalization. Contact Kumar 96414305

Chartered Accountant with ICWA Inter having 5 years experience in accounts, costing, budgeting, Insurance, treasury & Banking operations - Available for Immediate Joining. Contact : 96596380 Email-financecost2@gmail.com Indian male 39, Accounting professional 15+ years experience in Accounting, Auditing, available for immediate joining. Contact 96675398 Charted Accountant from India, Post Qualification experience 21 years, working in Muscat since July 2011, at a Senior position in a group of SME’s, seeks suitable change. Contact 94201290 Email chakjain37@yahoo.com Indian male 40 yrs M.Com ICWAI (Inter) 12 yrs experience in Accounts and finance 7 yrs in Oman valid D/L. Good experience in IT and service Industry, looking for suitable in Finance. Contact 98334960 Part time Accountant with 15 yrs experience in Accounts Finance Audit & tax management. Contact 95857199 Finance Accounts Indian male B.Com MBA 31 years, Exp 6 years. Contact 93257426 / 92365310, Email : sibigeorgep@gmail.com Finance Controller 15+ years versatile experience in Oman, seeks immediate openings. Contact 92439941 Indian male, 27 yrs Accounts 4 years experience in Oman, seeks similar position. Contact 93770862 Email badarkkb@gmail.com Indian male, 27 yrs Sales Executive 4 years experience in Oman, with valid Oman driving license, seeks similar position. Contact 91161698 Email badarkkb@gmail.com Accounts Manager, MBA Finance & PG Diploma in HR, total 24 yrs experience, working in Oman since 14 yrs now working in Oman since 14 yrs now working for construction co. in Muscat can join immediately. Contact 91387354, accounts242013@yahoo.com ACCA finance professional 5 years experience including 1 yr in Oman experience, looking for suitable placement. Contact 95174220 5 years experienced M.Com Accountant looking for part time job. Contact 94109930 Indian Male 32, having over 10 yrs of experience in Finance & Accounts up-to finalization with complete admin knowledge, seeks suitable placement in middle management. Have valid Omani D/L. Contact 99881723 Chartered Accountant, Indian female 25 years, with good Knowledge and experience in Finance, Accounts, Audits, immediate joining. Contact 92530131 / 24785757 Email : muflihak@gmail.com Indian male Accountant B.Com, 6 yrs exp in oman.prof.in tally erp9, sap seek suitable placement. Contact 98455490 mail-umct777 gmail.com Indian female 33 years 5 years experience in Muthoot Finance Ltd, Now on visit visa, seeks suitable jobs. Contact 96214105 Email bijibinu2003@gmail.com M.Com Accountant with 7 years experience, expert in Tally have driving license, seeks suitable placement. Contact 97283098 / 99711807 Indian male M.Com, Finance having 7 + yrs experience in Oman, Finalization, Audit, AR/ AP, Payroll with valid Oman D/L, seeks senior level position. Contact 93088436 Indian male 34 B.Com Senior Accountant 10 years experience (8 years in Oman) valid Omani driving license, seeks suitable placement ready to join immediately. Contact 91101645

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Male, Indian 26 yrs Accountant 4 yrs in Oman. Contact 95960600 Mumbai Born, male-24, PGPM + MBA (Finance) with one year experience as a ﬁnancial analyst in India. seeks job in ﬁnance. Tel: 98711999 email: sharancherian@gmail.co

ARCH/ INTERIOR

Chief Accountant, 22 yrs. experienced, seeks immediate placement. Contact 95598477 / 99013963

Artist Masters of ﬁne Arts having 20 years experience of all kinds of Arts and decoration works in Oman, looking for suitable placement. Contact 92635029

Senior Accountant seeks part time job. Contact 99013963 / 98803439

Iraqi Architect 22 years experience. Contact 97608513

Accountant: Indian male, 10 years experience, 6 years in Oman, with Oman driving license, seeking suitable placement. Contact 97123002 Email venetr@live.com

Indian female B. Arch (Architect) having 3 years Middle East experience with valid driving license on family joining visa. Contact 96908041 /99349047

CA, MBA (Finance) Indian male with 20+ years Oman experience seeks senior position in ﬁnance /Accounts in a reputed organization. Contact 99022386. Email: kaz1961_01@yahoo.com

Indian male, 3 yrs experience managing projects in interior designing & execution in Oman with valid Omani D/L seeks suitable placement. Contact 96678029 / 93285996 Email: kw251287@gmail.com

Accountant Indian male 2 years experience B.Com, Tally, Peachtree. Contact 93050561, Email rafikatoorans@gmail.com Accountant Indian Male, Having valid Omani driving license age 31, B.Com Graduate with 10 years of computerized Accounting experience in India, UAE & Oman, seeking suitable jobs. Contact +968 94058639 & +968 95704584 Accountant Indian male 13 years exp in Oman reporting up to finalization Payroll, immediate joining, Local release available having Omani D/L. Contact 97331967 Indian female 1 year experience profit Accounting MBA Finance, Tally, Peachtree. # 98998186. Chartered Accountant , Indian Female 25 years , with good knowledge and experience in finance , accounts, audits. Immediate joining contact GSM : 92530131 , 24785757 Email : muflihak@gmail.com. B.Com 21 yrs with 1 yrs exp Indian male valid D/L. Contact: 95186796 Female 33, Indian B.Com looking for suitable placement as back office support. Contact 95256416 Accountant, Indian, with UAE & Oman working experience in accounts, seeks suitable position in Muscat as an Accounts Executive. Contact : 96950764. email manipv.pv@gmail.com Indian female Accountant, having 15 years experience in Oman up to finalization with computer proficiency, seeks suitable placement. Contact 99739464

CATERING Indian male BSc Hotel Management with 10 yrs experience and Oman D/L, seeking suitable replacement. Contact 95066454 Indian male 23 B.Com with Hotel Management one year experience Oman looking for hotel service vacancy. Contact 91172990

DOMESTIC HELP Srilankan Maid available, part time hard working, trustworthy good with Children & Animals, Cooking. Contact 98024739 Housemaid looking for part time job, good English experience. Contact 98024739 Housemaid looking for part-time/ full time job. Contact 93889545

DRIVERS Office Driver with car. Contact 95615642 Indian male 24 yrs, looking for driver job, heavy duty 1year experience in Oman. Contact 92473490 Email kuttushaju@gmail.com 47 years Indian Heavy Driver 16 years experience in Oman, looking for suitable placement. Contact 93842371 / 99389268

Experience driver, 4 years in Oman. Contact 92417566 Corolla 2013 with driver. Contact 96772324

Accounts and administration or logistics, with 5 years of experience in Oman with valid driving license. Contact 93880414

Experience Light duty Driver. Contact 95592452

Accountant M.Com, MBA, with 7 years experience looking for suitable placement. Email heams.merlin@gmail.com Contact 93029334 Indian male Accountant with 7 years experience (Expert in Tally ERP-9) seeks suitable placement. Contact 94251297 Email : milan.muscat@gmail.com Jordanian Senior Accountant 11 Years Experience, Worked In Constructions, Tourism Company and Poly Clinic, Experience in Tally Erp9.Contact 96470036 Indian female MBA (ﬁnance) working with reputed company in Muscat with valid Oman D/L seeking for suitable placement in ﬁnance / accounts. Contact 97197683 Indian male, 25 years, MBAFinance Graduate, 1 year experience with computer knowledge, on the lookout for suitable openings in Oman. Contact 93870465 and email : fahadhv@yahoo.com . Indian male B.Com Tally with 8 months experience in Accounting is looking for Accounts Assistant job. Contact 94103460

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

Indian female, 25yrs Bsc-FASHION DESIGNING, 3yers experience in designing ﬁeld and teaching. looking for a sutable placement. Contact: 98785310. Email: vinaya.m.nair@gmail.com

25 years Indian male, B.E Aeronautical, 2 Years experience on Maintenance repair and overhaul. Hands on experience on Gas turbine engine and Autocad 2007. Contact 00919739656833 Email: midhu4u@gmail.com

Indian male B.Com 30 years 5 years experience in UAE, looking for Graphic designer job, visit visa. Contact 97166820

DRAUGHTSMAN BSc Interior designer with 6 years in Mumbai and 2 years in Oman, seeking a suitable job for Site Co ordination. Contact +968 95796137 AutoCAD electrical draughtsman (2D) IND/M 5+years Gulf exp urgently looking for a job currently on visit visa. Contact 94459806 / 98192825 Autocad d/man, gulf exp, exp in Arch, interior, structural, 3D, PH : 96722150 AutoCAD Civil Draughtsman 2D/3D IND/male 2 years Gulf experience & having Oman D/L seeking suitable placement. Contact 99147961 Email: ashratalikv786@gmail.com

Light driver available, experience Graduate. Contact : 98987475

Experience Light Duty Driver, 6 years in Oman. Contact 96246001 Shahad Ahmed, Driver Oman experience. Contact 94257120 Heavy Duty Driver with Oman license, now on visit visa in Oman, experience 4 years Oman. Contact 92775607

20 Yrs Exp Light Duty Driver. Contact 91210747 4 yrs Experienced Indian Driver looking for job as driver. #93079087 Driver with Car Pick & Drop. Contact 97581610

DESIGNER 3D Visualizers / designer having 2 D & 3 D experience in Oman, knowledge of interior & exterior, seeking for good place part time or fulltime, having Omani D/License. Contact 95268877 Web designer with experience in application design for Android and iOS platforms available for full time and part time employment. Email: monishak12@gmail.com. Gsm: 96103465

B.Sc in Civil Engineer 4 years experience in Oman and D/L, seeks suitable job. Contact 98475572 Email kkholifa@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer western educated, 25 years, male looking for suitable placement with valid Omani driving license. Contact 99624582 Email aziz.qaiser@gmail.com Indian Civil Engineer (BE & Diploma) with 2.5 years experience in Oman, 6 years in India with valid Omani Driving license, looking for suitable placement on release. Contact 91229885

Electrical D/man, experienced, on visit visa. Contact :96516924 Looking for CAD Draftsman related jobs 6 years working experience in India. Also knowledge in Civil CAD Electrical CAD M/S Application Hardware and Networking Programming and Scripting and Web designing, looking for suitable job in Muscat. Contact +91 9835112958

Male 31 Years Mech Engr on visit visa till next month 2 experience 2 years in Civil, Mechanical Projects. Also have experience in Engineering sales, looking for immediate appointment, job consultants also welcome. Contact 98023845 Email writeznisanth@gmail.com

AutoCAD MEP Draftsman IND/M, 10+ yrs Gulf exp presently working in Oman seeks immediate suitable placement having Omani D/L. Contact 97697861 / 95291403

B-Tech Mechanical Fresh Engineer Indian male Presently in Oman, looking for suitable vacancy completed PDMS course. Contact +968 96332565 / +968 95786556 Email: ashiq.ptni@gmail.com

EDUCATION 26 Years Indian female BA. B.Ed & MSW degree holder applying for Teaching & office administration post. Contact 94162888 Email sreelakshmi.kuttysree@gmail.com Indian female, BSc B.ED, fresher looking for a teacher’s job for secondary section from 5th to 8th for all subjects. Contact 97645135 / 93023379

ENGG. / TECHNICAL Indian Female 23 years old, Aeronautical Engineering graduate with 1 year 6 months experience, expert in MS Office tools, Technical documentation, reports and excellent communication skill. mail: sandhyamenon057@gmail.com B.Tech Mechanical, 26yr Indian male having 4 yr experience in plant construction,structural fabrication & erection in India. Contact 0091 9546418417 E-mail-mail2umesh89@gmail.com Bio-medical Engineer (B-Tech), 3 years experience in India, on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact : 92163918, saviojose111@gmail.com Experienced 12 yrs Gulf 1yr Oman exp. as land surveyor in building / road construction seeks immediate placement. Contact 97850467 Project Manager B.E Civil Eng. 11 years experience (8 years in Oman) in Projects Management, development, Construction, Real Estate & Business development, Omani D/L. Contact 93813851

Light driver. Contact 95387829 Driver light duty. Contact 94263433

Indian female 30 yrs, Procurement Engineer having 9+ yrs experience in EPC sector, looking suitable job. Contact 96682307 Email: bgeetha2004@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer western educated 25 year old Male looking for suitable placement with valid Omani driving license. Email aziz.qaiser@gmail.com

Light Driver. Contact 97020205

MBA Graduate currently in middle management position seeks similar position. 9 yrs work experience interested in real Estate Automotive. Contact 93690264

Accounting & Finance ACCA, experience 5 years. # 92436843

DESIGNER

Indian male Diploma with 9 years of Instrumentation experience in Automation (SCADA, PLC &DCS) based Industry, seeking a suitable placement. Contact 95868048 Email ar13685@gmail.com 8 years experienced Civil Engineering diploma holder 5 years in Civil 3 years in PEB with valid Oman license seeking good opportunities. Contact 97408346 Project Engineer Micro tunneling sewerage Network with 18 years experience infrastructure with good skill also having valid Omani D/L, seeking suitable placement. Contact +968 94220778 / Email abidhusaindesai@yahoo.com Indian Keralite 33 years male ITI Electrician, 13 years exp, 5 years Gulf experience able to handle ﬁre alarm AVS PS system and Plumbing with valid Oman D/L looking for suitable placement in Muscat area. Contact 93367545

BE Mechanical Engineer, also completed advance diploma in Oil & Gas, seeking suitable job. Contact 93056016 Email: mail2dayjustin@yahoo.com B.Tech Electronics and Instrumentation Indian male with 2 year experience and valid Omani driving license, seeking suitable placement. Contact 95127955 Email shemeerkmohd@yahoo.com Diploma-in- Civil Engineer, 4 years experience in Sultanate of Oman also having Omani driving license. GSM : +968 98899738, E-mail: hfiroz301009@yahoo.com Purchase / procurement officer, Gulf exp, exp in MEP Products. Contact 93243846 Electrical Engineer, Indian, Female, with 10 years experience, 4 years in consultancy firms in UAE seeks suitable job in Muscat. Mob: 91279796 B.Tech Mechanical Engineering with Diploma in CADD Fresher. Contact 92144704 Indian male B Tech Chemical Engineer, looking for suitable placement in Oman urgently. Email sarellayeshwanth@gmail.com/ vanabalaji@gmail.com Indian female B.Tech Mechanical Engineer, presently in Salalah (visit), looking for suitable placement in Salalah urgently . # 96613978 Email divyasarella7@gmail.com Land Surveyor 7 years experience 5 years in Oman know survey instruments, handle AutoCAD for call 96531364 email : eltamam-2003@yahoo.com Sudanese Civil Project Engineer with 15years +5 in Oman seeks suitable project works, consultant Office supervisor, projects Omani D/L seeking suitable position. Contact 96302025 / 92123375 MEP Project Manager with 9 years of experience in EPC sector seeking for a suitable placement. Contact:92858543,24626827 B.Sc Engineer (Civil), 5 Yrs experience with good construction skill, looking for suitable placement. Mobile: 93247929, Email: maislam03@hotmail.com Indian Male 35 yrs, Instrumentation Engineer, DEI, NTC, NAC, ATI-EPI. 14 yrs of Instrumentation Exp. in the field of Sales, Construction, Commissioning & Maintenance with Reputed Co’s in Oman, UAE, Qatar & India. Have Indian D/L, and Oman L/L. Seeking suitable Job, #93376354, Email: samuel.ndia@gmail.com

M O N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED ENGG. / TECHNICAL Indian Male, B.E. in Electrical & Electronics Engg with valid CCNA certiﬁcate and 6 yrs experience in BMS, project management & maintenance seeks suitable placement. Currently in India. Pls call Muscat contact No. 99639375 Indian Civil Project Engineer with 10+years Gulf exp, suitable for Project works/ QS works, Omani D/L, seeking a suitable position. Contact 93476959 Male, 29 years, B. Tech in Electrical Engg having more than 5 years of experience in Electrical project Execution also having a valid Omani D/L seeking a good placement. Contact: 95583947 B.Tech (Electronics and Biomedical Engineering) and MBA (Marketing and HR) with 1.5 years experience in marketing and media ﬁeld. Contact 96175799 Email: aadil.azis@gmail.com Service advisor, 5 years experience in Maruti Suzuki, Automobile Engineering. Contact-91038554, email: charancholakkil@gmail.com M.Sc Agriculture / Horticulture Sudanese Female looking for suitable job. Contact: 95498223 Mechanical Engineer Indian male having 10 years GCC experience in HVAC & MEP with valid Omani D/L, seeks suitable job in a reputed company. Contact 96093552 MEP Supervisor exp 15 years, HT, LT (exper.) with D/L, dp maintenance. Contact 96297274 Project Engineer B.Sc (Civil) 7 years experience, looking for suitable placement. Contact 94422489 Email gmssohel.ee@gmail.com Indian male 24, B.Tech Electrical. Contact 94460751 Email: alexpynadath@gmail.com Indian female, B-Tech Civil Engg, 3 years (6 months in Oman) experience in QS, Estimation, Cost control & planning, seeks suitable job. Contact 92047375 Email vinujosephcm@gmail.com

INFORMATION TECH. IT Professional, 32, Indian Male, Graduate, CCNA, MCSA, Sun Solaris SA1, 9years of exp. in Hardware Networking,Wintel/Linux/Unix Servers, Data Centre Administration & Service of Printers/MFP & Copier, Now on Visit Visa looking for the suitable post. Contact 98327017 Email-jsrbharat@gmail.com Indian male 33 years, with more than 10 years experience in hardware and networking specialization in network administration. Router conﬁgurations hands on experience in troubleshooting hardware networks & software related problems looking for suitable placement now on visit. Contact 96206320 CCNA male 28 years with 4 years experience in system and network support, looking for job. Contact 98479807 ITIL, OCP, CRISC certiﬁed IT Professional with 20 yrs. exposure to Dubai & Oman markets having expertise in ERP, Cloud Computing, Virtualization, security, IT/Project Management, Citrix, Oracle etc. is looking for immediate placement. Contact: 95602424 Indian male 27 years old, Masters in Computer Applications with 4+ years experience, Key skills: Oracle Pl/sql and .net Seeking Suitable placement. Contact: +919538345624 sujithchennat@gmail.com IT Professional with 19 yrs. experience having expertize in ERP, Virtualization, Cloud Computing, Oracle Programming, Citrix, Microsoft, Lync is looking for immediate placement. Contact: 95602424 Indian male 29 BSc. IT CCNA with 3 yrs experience, looking for a suitable placement in Networking or IT service. Contact 98871199 Indian male, MBA (HR & IT), having 1.5 yrs. working experience as Asst: Mgr (HR & Admin), seeking for a suitable post. Contact 98031852 Email : sarathmalayil4u@gmail.com Indian male, MCA, MBA-HR, B.Com with 9.5 yrs. Exp. looking for a suitable opportunity as IT Project Head & SAP HR Consultant (Multi tasking) presently come on visit visa in Oman, Contact GSM : +968 92801761 E-mail : rishhi@msn.com

INFORMATION TECH. Indian male, MCA, 8 yrs exp, JAVA, J2EE, Struts, AJAX, Oracle, SQL. Contact 93858967 Email nrawat01@yahoo.co.in 10 Years of Technical presales experience, Graduate from University of Huddersﬁeld UK, previous experience of working with ZTE, looking for job. Contact 91379396 IT professional Indian Male ME in CSE, 12 years IT experience (6 months in Oman, 3 years in Dubai, Emirates Airlines/Project management, Software development in Dot Net, Training , Technical & Customer Support, Marketing) looking for suitable post, for immediate placement. #92664161 or 98261787. Email: sh8301@gmail.com Indian female MCA ( Result Awaiting), seeking suitable placement in IT ﬁeld. Contact 99436069 Email ramanrami@rediffmail.com Indian male 26 years MSC telecom (UK) B.Tech (EC) having 3 years experience in IT/Telecom seeks suitable placement. #95285710 Email : prajith5678@gmail.com Indian female, B.Tech, 5 yrs of exp, JAVA, J2EE, AJAX, Struts, Oracle, SQL. Contact 96200984 Email shiljyrajan@gmail.com

MANAGER/ SUPER Commercial Manager (Contracts Specialist ) in Construction in Muscat till 30th September seeks placement 92829562 email: forwork283@gmail.com Indian total exp18 years with 10 years Gulf exp as a services center in charge in electronics & Gulf driving License, seeks suitable placement in Oman. Contact 96527926 Indian male efficient highly Oman experienced in Managerial level available for running new or existing business. Interested 96460469 Purchaser/Procurement: Indian* *Male,10* years experience as Purchaser/Procurement Head in a construction comp. D/L. Contact No:92501871 Indian auto parts store keeper 16 years exp Oman in a multinational co now on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact 97146910

MEDICAL Female MBBS doctor with 3 years experience seeks suitable position in Muscat region. Contact 91218141 Female physiotherapist with MOH Looking for suitable job. Contact 99545952,98147312 Indian female nurse with MOH license seeks suitable placement. Contact 94499120 Male Nurse Indian 26 years with 3 years experience & MOH license, ACLS, BLS & ITLS, seeking job. Contact +91007965, 99470508 Email: jomonthomas1313@gmail.com Indian male Nurse with MOH License, 1 year experience from Oman as company Nurse is Looking for a job, now on visit visa. Contact 93645954 Indian Female staff Nurse, 27, holder of MOH license( currently in Oman on visit visa), Looking for suitable placement. Contact 95720390

MISCELLANEOUS Logistic ﬁeld, Ware house man, Forklift Operator, hazmat specialist, sales any other suitable post. Contact 93867502 29,Indian, female, NEBOSH IGC, PG in Marketing, BSC & MSC Microbiology, 1.5 years experience, looking for suitable placement. Contact 95117139 Indian Male, experience in Store/ Operation//Logistic/Coordinator having good communication skills, seeking suitable change. Contact: 94355675 Indian (M) with 11 yrs exp. (7-India & 4-Dubai) in Sales & Office support with Omani D/L need a job in Oman. Call 98267793 Indian female, 28, MBA looking for suitable placement. Contact 98435532

PROJECTS Looking for HSE Advisor job. Qualiﬁcation NEBOSH IGC and OSHA education masters in Geosciences age 28 years. Contact 93835938

SALES / MARKETING

Business Development Manager with 6 yrs experience in Oil & Gas, Business development, Sales & Marketing with Oman D/L, seeks a suitable placement. Contact 92961826 Email waseemprod@gmail.com

A dynamic Sales & Mkt professional with 9 years of experience currently situated in Muscat, looking for suitable position. Contact 95304232

Manager/Super 12+ yrs experienced Purchase Manager with D/L & release , seeks placement . Contact 97073942.

Indian male 2 years exp in Oman, looking for job as Marketing Executive in Van or mini truck. Contact 96148903

Indian Male 42, B.Com Graduate, 19 years experience in AC,LCD, LED installation Manager seeking sales, service or Supervisor post, on visit visa. Contact 98044075 Mail markarmstrong20068@gmail.com

An Indian having rich Gulf experience in Sales Marketing ( in House) Procurement Admin, seeking suitable placement at Senior level. Contact parthinath123@gmail.com / Contact 93689602

Sales Manager having 15 years of experience in Retail management in Oman & Currently handling Electronics & home appliances, seeking suitable placement, Release available. Contact 93826379 Email marvelgeet@yahoo.com

Indian male having valid driving Omani license with 9 years experience in FMCG Electronics knowledge of complete Interior capital Route, Seeking for suitable job. Contact 91155541

SALES / MARKETING 24 years female with D/L, BBA + BSc in Business & Management, 3 yrs work experience, seeking suitable position in Marketing/ HR or Office co-ordination. Contact 92462238/98123236 Email : hemapopat7@outlook.com Indian male MBA Sales & Marketing, 7 years of experience holding Oman D/L, looking for a suitable position in the same. #95475833 Indian male 25 yrs MBA Mrkt BSc Biotech 4 yrs exp in Sales & Mrkt experience in Oman with valid Omani D/L, looking for a suitable position. # 94080049/ 95138285 Email mataher786@gmail.com Indian male 2 years exp in Sales, Have a valid Oman driving license, seeks suitable placement. Contact 98613038 Marketing Manager 25 years experience in Building materials in GCC/ Oman. Contact 94381598 Female European 31 yrs, Bachelor of Accounts, 13 yrs of Exp. as Showroom/Front Office Manager (Fashion Accessories/Jewellery)/Ofﬁce Secretary (Educational Consultancy). Can speak, write, and read English, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Hindi and Telugu. Seeking suitable Job, Contact: 93376354, Email: samuel.ndia@gmail.com Indian male with GCC experience in Sales, Admin & Store, seeking suitable placement. Contact 92893273 Young Male Graduate BA Hons (Marketing)- United Kingdom with 2 years experience & driving licence seeks suitable placement in Business development/Brand management/Logistics. call – 96492727 Male 28,B.Com, Having over 7 years of experience in Sales & Marketing, valid D/L, seeking for a suitable position.Contact:96662739 or E-Mail-sidd9191@yahoo.com Male 36 Years 6 years experience in Oman as Sales Executive, Home appliances ﬁeld with Driving License. Good Command in Arabic. Contact 94378787 Indian Counter Salesman experience, Omani D/L. Contact 97438780 MBA, Indian male (30 yrs), 6.5 years experience in Sales / Marketing / Admin with Omani D/L, seeking for suitable placement. Contact 95480402 Email dgjdp1982@gmail.com MBA in Marketing & Finance with 2 years work experience in Oman, with valid driving license and good communication skills, Seeks suitable placement. Contact 91181288 / Email george15386@gmail.com Indian male B Tech MBA with 4 years of marketing/sales experience on visit visa seeking suitable placement Ph 96010724 Indian male 27, 3 years experience in Sales & Marketing in Australia on visit, seeking suitable placement. Contact 93717152 Email engoor@gmail.com Indian male 24 MBA 2 yrs exp in Marketing on visiting visa. Contact 97138676 Email haris.hameedali@gmail.com

Indian male MBA 6 years experience in IT Sales business development and training staff in telemarketing and customer service in Oman on visit. Contact 91380575

Outdoor Salesman with 10 years Oman experience with valid driving license. Contact 93600795

Pharmacist female with 5 years experience and MOH license require suitable placement in Store, Clinic or Hospital in Capital area. Contact 92363840 / 92694895

Indian male MBA Sales & Marketing, 7 years of experience holding Oman D/L, looking for a suitable position in the same. #95475833

Indian male MBA marketing / ﬁnance with 4 yrs of exp in sale & marketing looking suitable placement in sales/ marketing/ sales coordination/ customer care/ retail/ admin jobs. #98443722 / 92409198

Indian Doctor female MD (Anesthesiology) with 3years post MBBS experience seeks suitable placement. Contact 96243418

Indian female, MBA( HR & Marketing) B.Tech ( Electronics & Communication) with experience. Contact 96963961

Male Nurse with MOH license and ACLS seeks placement. Contact 93262628 Email: robitjohn@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer: Presently working in Muscat with valid Oman DL. Having 10 Years of experience in Technical Marketing, Project Sales & Execution. Looking for a suitable placement. Contact:96295282

MEDICAL

Female Staff Nurse having MOH license, looking for job. Contact 93028381 Indian female 23, M.SC Bio Chemistry with experience in teaching and clinical lab work looking suitable placement in teaching/ laboratory technologist/ chemist. Email: ktkasthika22@gmail.com, contact 97200435 M.Sc Biotechnology Clinical Research Clinical Data management IPR 4 Years experience. Contact 92136290 Email ebinabraham@gmail.com

27 years Indian male 8 years’ Indian market experience in the ﬁeld of Event Management, Sales & Customer Service, looking for a challenging opportunity in Muscat in relevant ﬁeld. Contact # 96167803 Indian male 27 yrs having 6 years experience in Sales & Marketing including FMCG Products in Kerala, Fluent in English and Hindi, looking for immediate placement, currently in visiting visa. Contact 94041305 Email : jibinrm@gmail.com

Sudanese B.Sc Computer Engineer with 6 years experience, looking for Marketing, Sales, IT Jobs. Contact 97099676 Indian male MBA 12 years Gulf Experience logistics, product and Business development seeking suitable placement currently on visit visa. Cont 95895451 Email : smartkhan76@hotmail.com Indian Male 30 having 5 yrs experience in Marketing having valid Oman driving license, Looking for a suitable position. Contact 93047608 29 Male MBA Marketing with 5 years experience in GCC. Holding valid Oman D/L, Seeking for suitable placement. Contact 97268004 Indian male age 25 MBA from England, 2 yrs exp in Marketing and Sales with valid Oman D/L, Looking for suitable placement. # 97267753

B.Tech E & I, 8+ yrs experience Sales, Marketing Procurement, etc, currently working in Oman valid D/L, looking for suitable placement. Contact 97233074 / 95140207 Indian male B.Com 33 years having 7 years experience in Sales Coordination, Office Administration and warehousing in Oman in the field of Furniture, EHA, IT Products. Contact 92786255 Indian male 6 yrs experience in Oman Sales field, having valid Omani Driving license, seeking suitable placement. Contact 92868522 Indian male BBM Specialized in Marketing 6 years of experience as Transport Coordinator in an Earthmoving co, having valid Omani D/L, seeking for suitable placement. Contact 98465262 Email nikiniji86@gmail.com 15 yrs exp Purchase, Sales, Store & Admin, fluent English, Arabic, know computers, Omani D/L. Contact 99717061 Indian male 10 years experience in Sales with valid Oman driving license seeking for suitable replacement. Contact 98481925 MBA( MKTG)6 yrs exp Sales & Mktg valid OM D/L, Ind Male 30yrs currently working as an AQT manager. Contact 97757866 Indian male MBA (Sales & Marketing) 10+ yrs exp in Sales & Marketing, Purchase exp in Oman & Saudi with valid D/L, seeking suitable placement. Contact 95173538 Indian male 33, 12 years exp in marketing, D/L, excellent in Arabic. Contact 94243250 Indian male 37 yrs, having 6 yrs exp. in purchasing with D/L seeking suitable placement. #99345732

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Indian Male 28 yrs Ms office T. FAP knowledge, DTP, looking for entry level position (Office Assistant). Contact 92648898 Email rchinchur@gmail.com Indian Female 36 yrs, 15 yrs exp as Secretary/Accounts Document Controller, Seeking suitable placement. Contact 96761271

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Pakistani Male on visit visa looking for job as any Helper/Office Boy Contact:- 99002390

TOURS & TRAVEL Indian Male, PG in tourism, 23 years, seek suitable job in travel & tourism. Available for immediate joining .ph 92409102 , akhilantony0303@yahoo.com

MISCELLANEOUS IT cum Buyer, Indian male,26years. BA, Computer proficiency: Operating system (Windows 2000xp & Windows7) E plus and Tally ERP9, 6 yrs Experience in Oman seeks suitable placements. Contact :95360255 Accountant cum Buyer,Indian male,28years.BA, Computer proficiency:Operating system (Windows 2000xp&Windows7) E plus and Tally ERP9, 6 yrs Experience in Oman.Seeks suitable placements. mob:95360255 35 yrs, male, seeking a job in Oman for the post of Office Asst. cum office boy. Contact: 98494561. Electrical maintenance works looking in Oman. Contact : 96136615 Looking a watchman job in Oman. Contact :-98494561/ 95813403 Indian female with GCC experience in office admin, Accounts and HR seeks suitable placement. Contact : 95584732 Indian female fresh MBA ( Finance and Marketing) having driving licence looking for suitable placement, Contact: 98447033 email: ank2755@gmail.com Indian male, MCA, MBA-HR, B.Com with 9.5 yrs. Exp. looking for a suitable opportunity as IT Project Head & SAP HR Consultant (Multi tasking) presently come on visit visa in Oman, Contact : 92801761 E-mail : rishhi@msn.com

MISCELLANEOUS Indian male Graduate, 26, 3 yrs exp in handling purchase in a reputed company in Oman looking for suitable placements. Phone: 95776353 Networking, Hardware and Software knowing person looking for suitable job. Contact 98141356 Male, 27, MBA specialized in marketing, looking for suitable position. Having valid oman driving license. Contact. 99590408, E mail. aneesteepee@gmail.com Seeking a placement Office boy, Coffee boy, Hotel boy in Oman. Contact :- 98494561 Male Graduate 12 years experience in Oman seeks immediate placement as logistic coordinator/office coordinator/ office in charge or any suitable job. Contact 93393769 Indian Female Staff Nurse with MOH License & 5 Years of experience seeks suitable placement.# 93979353 Male Nurse with MOH license seeks placement. Contact 93262628, nobitjohn@gmail.com Indian Male, 11 years experience in Oman with diversified business at Managerial positions in HR, Admin, Operations & Business Development seeks placement, #99634130 Seeking a Store keeper, Marketing Officer job in Oman, having 10 years job experiences with D/L. #95660533. BE (Hons) in Electronic & Telecommunication, Paki male with 2years technical sales experience in Muscat, seeking suitable placement in Oil & Gas or any electronic industry, able to design electronic circuits, well experienced in computers. Contact# 98068695 Officer Logistics, 11 years’ experience in coordinating clearing at Ports & Border & Logistics experience in construction field. Holding valid ROP license. Ph93539653, sskr1981@gmail.com Indian Male, 27 years, 5 years’ experience as a Customer/Client relation Manager in MNCs. Seeking suitable posts in Customer relations/ Administration/HR. GSM: 93088407 B.Tech Mechanical,26yr Indian male having 4 yr experience in plant construction,structural fabrication & erection in India. Cntc- 0091 9546418417, E-mailmail2umesh 89@gmail.com Seeking a job as a watchman, Office Asst. cum Office boy. Having experiences in Dubai, Kuwait and Oman. Contact: 98494561/ 99712920. Indian Female Staff Nurse, 27, holder of MOH license (currently in Oman on visit visa) looking for suitable placement. Contact: 95720390

BUSINESS

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

TOURS

WEBSITE

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al Ainain Marine Tours- Contact: 98029602, 92808636 We arrange Tours to Jabel Alakhdar / Shames wahiba Sands. Contact 99839898

CLASSES

RENT A CAR

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

COMPUTER

MANPOWER Manpower supply maintenance & civil work contracting. Contact 98425389 Housemaid, male / female cleaner, driver, light and heavy gulf valid D/L, house boy, & skilled and unskilled categories, form Srilanka, India. Contact Mr jerry 95175192 Email: oman.manpower@yahoo.com

BUSINESS CANADIAN company .for immigration & manpower is looking for a partner in Oman with license !For contact evro21@gmail.com Looking for Omani partner for business development services. Contact 93194825 Email: edumass4@gmail.com

Learn Baking Cakes & Icing Decoration, sugarcraft, creative water falls & Handicraft classes. Contact 96761960 Learn Drawing & painting for children. (MBD area Ruwi) Contact 99737812

New Car 2013 model fully automatic available for rent with or W/out Driver. Contact 92128176 Morning Star Rent A car. Contact 94475478 / 24478505/ 24478589

M O N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE

SERVICES

Carpet, sofa- cleaning, glue removing, shampooing, house cleaning, polishing & painting etc. Contact – 99542979 / 98855815 MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble.# 24793614/ 99314807 Split & Window AC Servicing & repairing. Contact 99557080 Split & Window A.C Servicing & repairing. Contact 99380307

FOR LADIES Special package for RO. 15/Home service available. (Threading, facial, waxing, pedicure, manicure, hot oil treatment) Home service available. # 99722031

SERVICES House shifting and transporting. Contact 92490422 A/C service RO7/- , repairing & installation, painting, building all maintenance. Contact 95563858 / 99326786

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

Cleaning Service, Carpet & Sofa Shampooing Marble grinding & Tile polishing, pest control. Contact 99448057 / 95401996 Pest control water proof. Contact 99067923

Marble polishing & crystallization building cleaning ﬂoor, ﬂoor polishing, carpet, sofa shampooing, pest control, anti termite, shifting, maintenance. Contact 99504275 Civil Maintenance, painting, Electrical land scaping. # 96465032 GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 Door to Door Computers repair specialist laptop software Website cartridges.Contact 99199376 Split A/C window cassette type standing unit installation, maintenance servicing. Contact 97145652 / 99540621 House shifting, packing and Transportation. Contact 99657644 / 98518013

Accounting and audit services project feasibility study. Contact97133729 Email: omanaudits@gmail.com

Building maintenance, electrical, plumbing, painting cleaning, false ceiling, compound wall, interlock. Etc. Contact: 9408676

Building maintenance, electrical, plumbing, painting, cleaning, false ceiling, compound wall, interlock, lift maintenance etc. Contact 95885106 / 95829331

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

Electrical plumbing, Tiles interlock water prooﬁng maintenance & contract RIZWAN 99429071 / 91162345 Electrical Plumbing Painting Contract and Maintenance. Contact #98456535 1. A/C, Fridge & Washing Machine servicing & Repairing, 2. Painting , Plumbing, Electrical & Carpentry Works. Contact 97014234 / 24504281 Split & Window A/C, Servicing. Contact 99380307 Water prooﬁng ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 Carpet, sofa- cleaning, glue removing, shampooing, house cleaning, polishing & painting etc. Contact – 99542979 / 98855815

Electrical Works, Maintenance, Building Gas Pipelines, Fire Alarm & Security systems. Contact Amjad Majees Trading & Contracting: 99467936 Dish Antenna Sales & Service, Dish TV, Tata Sky showtime & all other kind of satellite installation renewals. Contact 95779616 A/ C maintenance, servicing & installation. Split A/C Servicing RO 10.000 Only. #94217681 / 99210141 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722 Painting / building construction & maintenance. Contact 99057348