Times Of Oman - September 28, 2015

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MONDAY, September 28, 2015 / 14 Dhul Hijja 1436 AH

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

Accidents decrease in Eid Al Adha break

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There has been a big fall in reported road accident cases during this Eid Al Adha break compared to previous years, according to an official of the Royal Oman Police (ROP) official. Increased awareness and shorter holidays could be among the reasons, he said. “I don’t have the statistics yet, but I can tell you with great confidence that the number of accidents have decreased during this break,” he said. >A5

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Advance rent demands hit tenants hard A number of cases of landlords demanding a deposit of six to 12 months of rent in advance have been reported

FAHAD AL GHADANI REJIMON K

REGION

France makes first hits at IS in Syria

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France carried out its first air strikes against the IS group in Syria on Sunday, as Russia said it was seeking a “coordinated framework” to fight the extremists. President Francois Hollande said six French warplanes were involved in the operation to strike an IS training camp near the eastern city of Deir Ezzor and that more air strikes could follow. >A7

MARKET

fahadnews@timesofoman.com reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Omanis and expatriates say they are being increasingly hit by landlords demanding six months or even a year’s rent in advance, forcing tenants to take out loans and become mired in debt.

Responding to calls for authorities to keep property owners’ demands in check, a realestate association chief has also urged landlords to be fair when demanding such a considerable advance.

“Property owners need to understand the tenants’ situation and think further for better settled business,” urged Mohammed bin Salim Al Busaidi, Chairman of the Omani Real Estate

This is an issue between the owner of the building and the tenants, said a reliable Muscat Municipality source

Association (OREA) and a Majlis Al Shura member.

Risk to business “If the owners force the tenants to pay six months rents in advance and subsequently seek loans then he will put his business at risk for the future.

“The loan might affect the financial situation of the tenants and result in them struggling to pay the future rent,” Al Busaidi

UAE remains Oman’s top import source

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United Arab Emirates (UAE), retained its position as the top exporter of goods and services to the Sultanate in the first five months of 2015, with a share of 32.5 per cent or OMR1,471.5 million. The Sultanate’s total imports edged down by 2 per cent to OMR4,525.8 million in this period, from OMR4,620.2 million for the same period last year. >B1

iPhones hit stores amid Apple growth concerns

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ADVISORY

Don’t leave your car engine running if stepping out: ROP TARIQ AL HAREMI

tariqh@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Do not leave your car engine running when you step out, even for a minute, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) has cautioned the drivers.

Drivers parking cars with their engines running, outside shops or ATMs for a quick purchase or money withdrawal, only provide an opportunity to thieves to steal and drive away a car with an already running engine, according to the ROP. In an advisory, the ROP tweeted, “Leaving a vehicle with the engine running in public places, such as in front of a store or an ATM machine, makes it vulnerable to theft.”

Speaking to the Times of Oman, an official said that this year, among the reports about stolen vehicles, a majority were from Muscat. “In most cases, cars get stolen because people park the vehicle with its engine running outside a shop for a quick buy, or an ATM or even outside a laundry cleaner,” said the official.

“You never know what could happen. The thief might have

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500 Omani rial fine and jail up to three years is the punishment for car theft

been watching your every move before you step out of the vehicle.

And when you do step out, your car is gone,” he added. The responsibility for a car being stolen due to this reason can be traced back to the owner’s carelessness.

It is just a matter of being aware.

“Some car owners have tracking devices installed in their vehicles to deal with situations such

as these (car theft) but rarely have they successfully retrieved their vehicle,” he said.

In a 2013 report published by the ROP, it said, “People leave vehicles in a running state; they leave them out in the open; they leave behind the keys or valuables inside the vehicle; park the vehicle in dark or at abandoned places for long durations, or lend the vehicle to people not very close to them in which case the borrower can make a duplicate set of keys and steal it later. Such carelessness often leads to vehicle thefts.”

According to the report, thieves almost immediately dispose of the vehicle after it has been stolen by smuggling it across the border.

Many such attempts have been foiled by the border police. Alternatively, the thieves sell the car to scrap dealers as scrap. The ROP is in cooperation with such scrap shops to catch the thieves and in many cases it led to their arrest.

The punishment, according to Article 279 of the Omani Penal Code, is imprisonment anywhere for between three months and three years, including a fine between OMR10 and 500.

told the Times of Oman.

A number of cases of landlords demanding a deposit of six to 12 months of rent in advance have been reported, in addition to a post-dated cheque to rent apartments, forcing tenants into debt.

Naushad Aziz and his family faced an eviction threat unless he paid six months’ rent in advance, which his landlord demanded for the renewal of his apartment’s lease.

The 44-year old Indian national from Hyderabad says he had no choice but to apply for an OMR8,000 bank loan to cover the rent for his three-bedroom flat in Ghubra.

“I could not come up with the cash and the bank loan was the only way out. My landlord insisted on the six-month down payment and he threatened to evict me if I did not pay up. Hopefully, I will manage to pay the instalments and the usual domestic bills,” said Aziz, a college teacher.

Another Muscat resident also spoke of similar problems while trying to rent an apartment.

“I had been looking for a proper flat for my small family, but got stuck with this condition,” said Salah Al Saadi, a Muscat resident.

The average rent in Muscat is OMR350, he added. “When the owner of the property demands six months’ rent in advance, it means I have to pay OMR2,100,” noted Al Saadi. >A6

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PILGRIMAGE

PERFORMING SACRED DUTY: Pilgrims touch the holy Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in holy city of Mecca, late on Saturday. -AFP

Road accident kills 3 Omanis in Saudi Arabia REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Three Omani nationals were killed and one suffered injuries in a road accident in Riyadh, the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs office in Muscat has said.

“The vehicle in question belonged to one of the Omani Haj campaigns,” the ministry tweeted on Sunday morning.

According to Sultan bin Mohammed Al Hinai, Deputy Head of the Omani Haj Mission, the vehicle drifted off the road and collided with another vehicle, leading to the death of three Omanis and injury to one.

“The Omani Haj Mission and the Sultanate’s Embassy in Riyadh is coordinating to complete

the accident-related formalities,” Sultan said in a statement.

In the statement, the Omani Haj Mission urged the drivers to remain cautious and ensure that they have had enough rest before driving while returning home from Saudi Arabia after performing Haj. Meanwhile, sources said the search for a pilgrim from Oman, who had gone missing after Thursday’s Mina stampede, was still continuing.

The stampede has claimed 769 lives, as per reports until date, with another 934 reported injured. Five pilgrims from Oman also suffered minor injuries in the stampede.

By Sunday evening, pilgrims had started leaving Saudi Arabia after performing Haj. >A6

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The State-owned Haya Water is coming up with a new sewage treatment plant (STP) in Darsait with a capacity of about 50,000 cubic metres per day Darsait wastewater plant to handle Muttrah sewage >A4

S C R E E N I N G FA C I L I T Y

Plans to boost genetic testing in Sultanate ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI elham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: There is a plan to make screening facility available for all genetic disorders known in Oman, thus also expanding the scope of the existing pre-marital tests that are currently limited to inherited blood disorders.

“No decision has been made yet, but the move has been introduced in the 2016-2020 plan,” Dr Musallam Said Al Araimi, molecular and community geneticist at the National Genetic Centre, told the Times of Oman.

The programme would use the latest methods and technologies, Al Araimi said, adding that genetics-related services are highly important as many of the medical issues have a genetic basis.

Genetic centres The availability of genetic centres is one of the major criteria for the evaluation of the health system of each country, he added.

He also highlighted the importance of public awareness about genetic disorders in curbing the rising number of people afflicted with such disorders in Oman.

“We need to put more effort in public education. We need to reach out to the people by using the right language and improving our skills. We also need to use the social media to help educate the people,” Al Araimi said.

Pre-marital tests In addition, he advised prospective couples to consult specialists and go through pre-marital tests well in advance, especially if they have a family history of genetic disorders.

The tests for inherited blood disorders are available at all major hospitals across the country, Al Araimi said.

According to him, the common practice of marrying a close relative, which is also known as con-

We need to reach out to the people by using the right language and improving our skills. We also need to use the social media to help educate the people Musallam Said Al Araimi Molecular and community geneticist

sanguinity or intermarriage, has resulted in the high prevalence of genetic disorders in the country.

The latest studies show that 24 per cent of Omanis marry their first cousins, 11 per cent marry their second cousins and 22 per cent marry within the same tribe, he said.

Al Araimi attributes the rise in genetic disorders to ‘recessive patterns of inheritance’ where affected children are produced as a result of the marriage of two

‘carriers’ of defective genes, who may be healthy and symptomless themselves. The specialist explained that apart from inherited blood disorders which are common in the Omani population, 28 per cent of the population is affected by chromosome disorders and 21 to 24 per cent are affected by metabolic disorders.

Genetic disorder is a significant cause of death in either newborns and infants or children below the age of 13, he said.

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Majlis elections mark new era of transition Importance is being attributed to the polls due to the qualitative leap that Omani parliamentary system has witnessed WISE LEADERSHIP: The Omani Shura experience was guided by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s wise vision, which took into consideration the gradual progress in society. – ONA

MUSCAT: Arab and regional analysts and observers consider October 25 — the day elections will be held for the Majlis Al Shura in Oman — as an important and historic juncture in the history of the Omani, Arab and regional democracy.

Importance is being attributed to these polls mainly due to the qualitative leap that Omani parliamentary democracy has made since the beginning of the blessed Renaissance.

The Omani Shura experience was guided by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s wise vision, which took into consideration the gradual progress in society.

The Omani Shura experience over the past years reflected positively on the stability of the Omani society, as well as on the political, social and cultural fields.

The Ministry of Interior said that as on August 25, the deadline for submitting applications for Majlis Al Shura polls, the number of candidates stood at 596, including 20 women.

The figures reflect the good turnout for nomination for Majlis Al Shura membership, especially after it was vested with new powers. The polling on October 25 is expected to witness a remarkable turnout that will reflect the maturity of the Sultanate’s Shura experience, which witnessed a

qualitative leap starting from the 7th term (2011-2015).

The Royal Decree No. 99/2011, which amended some provisions of the Basic Law of the State, marked a new era for the Shura process as the Chairman of the Majlis Al Shura is now elected from among the Majlis members.

The members of the Majlis Al Shura now have wider powers that enable them to participate in considering the state’s draft budget, the five-year development plans and approving the social and economic agreements, which the Sultanate intends to conclude or join. The members of the Majlis Al Shura may also interpellate

ministers if the Majlis Al Shura members believe that the ministers have gone beyond their legal powers. Besides other parliamentary work tools, the Majlis Al Shura members can also submit questions and applications for discussions.

The Majlis Al Shura can also propose draft laws that enhance the efforts for national development and take part in developing the draft five-year plans.

The Chairman of the Majlis is also a member of the Main Supreme Committee for the FiveYear Development Plans, which develops the broad lines and basics of the plan and follows

E X PAT FA C I L I T I E S

Stage set for Pakistan Embassy sprawling complex in Muscat

UPGRADING FACILITIES: Ayaz Hussain, Ambassador of Pakistan, and Engineer Mahmood A Malik, General Manager NESPAK & Partners LLC, Oman.–Supplied photo

SHAHZAD RAZA shahzad@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Ending the Pakistani community’s long wait, the Government of Pakistan has signed a contract to build a sprawling Embassy of Pakistan complex in Muscat.

The much-awaited construction of the complex is finally going to start on the piece of land allotted by the Government of Oman in 1994.

In 2006, the then foreign minister, Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri, had flown in from Pakistan to head the ground breaking ceremony in the Diplomatic Enclave that houses many foreign missions in Oman.

Since then, it has been a long wait as the construction plan has been facing one or the other hurdle for nine years.

It has been learnt that a “very high-ranking official” would again visit Oman to lay the foundation stone of the new embassy complex.

Confirming the news, Ayaz Hussain, Ambassador of Pakistan to Oman, told the Times of Oman that he was extremely pleased

that the contract had been signed with the National Engineering Services Pakistan (Private) Limited (NESPAK) as the project consultant and that the construction would start soon.

“We are now trying our best to ensure that a top dignitary from Pakistan comes to inaugurate the construction project,” he added.

The large Pakistani community in Oman had been calling for a more spacious embassy building, equipped with better facilities which are needed to deal with the workload it faces on a daily basis.

Nestled between the Embassies of the USA and Jordan, the sprawling 12,600 square metre plot will house the main Pakistan Embassy building comprising various offices, a meeting facility and a large consular hall to accommodate hundreds of daily visitors to the embassy. The complex will also comprise Pakistan House, the ambassador’s residence, as well as a big Community Hall to host events.

Explaining the details, Naheed Naveed, Head of Chancery at the Embassy of Pakistan, informed the Times of Oman that the construction was likely to start in

January 2016. “We have all the necessary approvals now, the agreement with the consultant has been signed and the first payment made with a go ahead from the Foreign Secretary to start the project as soon as possible,” she said.

“According to the contract signed with NESPAK, the embassy complex would be constructed in two years’ time and we hope the new building would be ready

by January 2018,” she added.

Replying to a question, the senior embassy official said the complex would reflect traditional Pakistani architecture.

“We have also felt the need to have our own place to host our cultural and social events. A multi-purpose hall, equipped with quality sound system and conferencing facilities, will be part of the embassy complex with a seating capacity of 350 people, and a stage,” she said.

NESPAK is likely to sub-contract the job to local contractors to complete the project within the stipulated time. The exact cost of the project would be known only after the tendering process is completed.

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up on its implementation.

The Majlis Al Shura also discusses the five-year development plan and the State’s General Budget in the presence of the respective minister who answers queries that the Majlis Al Shura members may raise.

Majlis Al Shura also considers and gives opinion on subjects referred to it by His Majesty the Sultan or by the Council of Ministers and returns such subjects, together with their recommendations or proposals.

Majlis Al Shura also submits an annual report to His Majesty the Sultan on the outcomes of the work of the Council.

Majlis Al Shura is thus taking steady strides, guided by the Royal care of His Majesty the Sultan, to play its prospective role and ensure that the interests of the nation and the Omani people are safeguarded.

It also provides citizens with an opportunity to be involved in decision-making. It is thus very important for voters to carefully select their candidates to ensure that Majlis Al Shura meets the envisaged aspirations, especially that the government has put everything in place to ensure the success and transparency of the upcoming Majlis Al Shura elections.– ONA

OMAN TOURISM

Social media users irked with Snapchat Times News Service MUSCAT: Social media enthusiasts in Oman have expressed anger and disappointment over Snapchat’s decision not to feature Oman_live.

Last week, the photo and video sharing app had announced that Oman will be included next in its City Life story, but Snapchatters eager about the programme were shocked to see Namibia featured as the ‘last’ story of the tour.

With more than 100,000,000 daily active users globally, multimedia users from various governorates in Oman was expected to be feverishly

using the app during Eid holidays, thus helping promote tourism.

“Thanks Snapchat for letting us down,” said @omai90, who joined hundreds of disappointed users on Twitter to express their anger through the hashtag #Oman_live.

Snapchat, which is worth more than $19 billion, has not issued any statement till date to clarify the decision. “Since Oman story was supposed to be coinciding with the first day of Eid Al Adha, I think Snapchat decided to postpone Oman as many snaps may have included graphic images of animals being slaughtered,” said Romila, a Sri Lankan expat.

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1,390

bundles of ‘khat’ were seized by ROP officials after intercepting a boat which was entering Omani waters

E X PAT R I AT E A F FA I R S

Indian ambassador to look into workers’ concerns Times News Service MUSCAT: Indian Ambassador to Oman, Indra Mani Pandey, has promised to look into issues regarding the welfare of the Indian community, especially those related to workers.

Addressing Indian Social Club Sohar members at the Jindal Shadeed Hall in Falaj on Friday, the ambassador said he would look into the need for cheaper and more flights between India and Oman.

He was in Sohar on the invitation of the Executive Committee of Indian Social Club Sohar.

Maiden visit This was his maiden visit to Sohar after assuming office. He was received by the members of the Indian community. His address highlighted the role of Indian community in the development of Oman. A question and answer ses-

sion followed after the address of the ambassador.

On behalf of the Indian Social Club Sohar, its chairman Dr Rajiv Tandon welcomed the ambassador and wished him a very successful posting in Oman. He also hoped that the friendly ties between India and Oman would be further strengthened.

Later in the day, the ambassador visited the premises of Larsen and Toubro Heavy Engineering/MFY and interacted with the workers.

He personally distributed sweets to each worker on behalf of the Indian Embassy, and also had lunch with the workers. The management of the company as well as the executive members of the Indian Social Club Sohar joined the Indian ambassador for lunch with the workers.

The ambassador planted a sapling in the compound of the company to mark his visit.

CLOSER LINKS: Indian Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey visited Sohar for the first time after assuming office.–Supplied photo

Darsait wastewater plant to handle Muttrah sewage

ROP ACTION

Three khat smugglers arrested at Raysoot Port

The new sewage treatment plant (STP) at Darsait will replace the existing one and will serve DANGER SIGNALS: ROP officers seized 1,390 bundles of ‘khat’.

the areas of Wadi Kabir, Hamriya, Ruwi and Darsait

CIVIC ISSUES Haya Water will also cover the rest of the governorates in the Sultanate according to the company-approved master plan which takes into consideration the expansion of the cities and the rapid growth of population.–Supplied photographs

Times News Service MUSCAT: State-owned Haya Water is coming up with a new sewage treatment plant (STP) in Darsait with a capacity of about 50,000 cubic metres per day.

The STP is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2017. “This new STP will replace the existing one and will serve the areas of Wadi Kabir, Hamriya, Ruwi and Darsait,” Hussain Hassan Abdul Hussain, CEO of Haya Water, has said.

The primary goal of the construction of this new STP is to connect most of the Muttrah areas to the wastewater system, and apply the latest technologies in the field of wastewater treatment.

“This will increase the water treatment capacity in these areas. The New Darsait STP uses the reactor membrane technology which is considered one of the best in the world to ensure high-quality treated water free from any kind of pollutants. Two new tankers for reserving treated wastewater and a pumping station will be also constructed at the site.

The contractor will also link the New Darsait STP with the control room at Al Ansab STP. The new STP will be completely covered and will have a ventilation system equipped with the state-of-the-art technology. This system will also purify any bad odours,” Hussain Hassan Abdul Hussain said.

He was enumerating the latest developments regarding the current and future projects and the plans of the company at an interaction with the media recently.

This was the second such gathering featuring the media that Haya Water organised after the success of a similar gathering in 2014. The meeting was attended

by Hussain bin Hassan Abdul Hussain, CEO of Haya Water, the general managers and a number of company officials. The event began with a welcome speech delivered by Sulieman Al Rawahi, General Manager of Corporate Affairs at Haya Water.

After that, Hussain Hassan Abdul Hussain, CEO of Haya Water, said, “I am happy to meet you today and present to you the latest developments relating to wastewater treatment project being executed by Haya Water, which is considered one of the most complex projects in the region.”

Master plan He said Haya Water will also cover the rest of the governorates

in the Sultanate according to the company-approved master plan which takes into consideration the expansion of the cities and the rapid growth of population.

“Haya Water is working hard to deliver the wastewater service to the wilayats of the Muscat Governorate covering 80 per cent of the areas by 2020,” he said.

On the other hand, Haya Water is currently treating approximately 118,000 cubic metres per day of waste water in the Muscat governorate.

The company is also operating, at present, 11 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), constructing two large modern STPs and expanding the two existing STPs with world-class standards. “These new plants are meant to raise the production capacity of the treated wastewater to 318,000 cubic metres a day by 2025. The company is currently executing wastewater networks projects in the wilayats of Seeb, Bausher, Amerat and Muttrah, and it is expected that the sewer networks will reach a length of around 3,500 km and the treated wastewater networks will cover about 680 km by 2025,” he said.

The company is now planning for the development, construction and management of the wastewater systems in other governorates that were previously being managed by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources. “The ministry has constructed 63 STPs connected to sewer and treated water networks with a total length of about 750 km spread over various governorates.”

The capacity of these STPs ranges from 30 cubic metres per day to 7,200 cubic metres per day.

The primary goal of the construction of this (Darsait) sewage treatment plant (STP) is to connect most of the Muttrah areas to the wastewater system, and apply the latest technologies in the field of wastewater treatment The New Darsait STP uses the reactor membrane technology which is considered one of the best Hussain Hassan Abdul Hussain CEO of Haya Water

Regarding the Bausher Wastewater Project, he said the total length of the current and existing sewer network projects is about 906.84 km. “The total length of the treated wastewater network is about 158.08 km. The main pumping station at Azaiba pumps the sewage water across the network to Al Ansab STP. The capacity of Al Ansab STP is expected to reach up to 140,000 cubic metres per day upon completion of the third expansion. The project will connect more than 25,647 buildings by 2019, thus taking into account the ongoing construction boom and the rapid population growth.

Haya Water had started executing a number of projects by awarding the contracts for Qurum and Madinat Al Ilam in 2012. The

wastewater network length is now about 112.5 km and the treated water network length is 12.95 km.

The project is in its final stages.

“The wastewater project in Al Khuwair is being awarded this year. The total length of the wastewater network will be about 106 km and the total length of the treated water network will be about 8.1 km.

“The wastewater network rehabilitation project in Madinat Sultan Qaboos was also awarded this year with a total wastewater network length of about 26.34 km and treated wastewater network length of 4.33 km. Also awarded this year is Al Ansab STP Expansion Project aimed at increasing the capacity of the plant to 125,000 cubic metres per day,” he said. For

Seeb Wastewater Project, he said it was aimed at connecting approximately 30.122 buildings to the wastewater network.

“The Seeb STP is yet another component added to this vital project with a capacity of 60,000 cubic metres per day in its first stage.

This STP will treat the wastewater flowing across the sewer networks from all Seeb areas. The total length of the current and future sewer networks projects will be about 1,765 km, which is twice the distance between Muscat and Salalah. This project also includes the construction of a treated wastewater network with a total length of about 182 km. The Seeb STP was commissioned in June 2014 and nearly 16,400 buildings were connected by the end of August 2015. At the beginning of 2015, two wastewater network projects were awarded for a total of OMR 42.5 million,” he said.

For the Muttrah Wastewater Project, he said the wastewater project covering the areas of Coastal Darsait, Ayant, Wadi Kabir, Hamriya, Ruwi, Bait Al Falaj, Mina Al Fahal and Wattayah in the Wilayat of Muttrah is considered one of the most vital projects in Oman.

Muttrah project “This project aims to connect nearly 3,722 buildings. The length of the current wastewater network is about 710 km and it is expected to reach about 812 km in the future.

These networks consist of main and sub-lines. The diameter of these lines ranges from 150 mm to 700 mm. In addition, the project includes a treated wastewater network with total length of 26 km. In 2014, two new pumping stations were built, one at Aynt and the other in Coastal Darsait, and 250 houses were connected.

The old network was scrapped and the two existing pumping stations in Aynt and Hamriya were shut off,” he said.

About Amerat, he said the implementation of the wastewater project in Amerat will be taken up in phases, taking into account the population growth and the development of the area.

“The first phase includes the construction of wastewater networks, pumping stations, an STP and treated wastewater network.

Four projects have been awarded in Amerat, including the construction of an STP with a capacity of 18,000 cubic metres per day and three wastewater network projects.”

Times News Service MUSCAT: A boat entering Omani regional waters was intercepted by officers from the Directorate of Narcotics Controls last week and three smugglers on board were arrested.

An official from the Royal Oman Police (ROP) said the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) was earlier informed about the boat’s entry into the regional waters with narcotics on board. The smugglers intended to sell the drug to recipients waiting on a beach in Raysoot in the Wilayat of Salalah.

ROP officers seized 1,390 bundles of ‘khat’ from them.

ROP foils entry of illegals An Omani citizen attempted to smuggle eight illegal Asians from Wilayat Sohar to Wilayat Buraimi through the Wadi Al Jizi border post, but was apprehended by officers at the post.

Commenting on the arrests, an ROP official said: “When they arrived at the inspection bay, we found the passengers hiding between bus seats. We later learned that five of them were not carrying official documents.”

Three held for theft Two citizens were arrested for burglary by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) from Sohar Police Department. An official from North Al Batinah ROP said, “One of the citizens called the Sohar Department and filed a report on two people entering her house.

They were able to steal money and gold jewellery before escaping in an unknown direction. Through our investigation, we were able to apprehend the suspects and they have since confessed the crime they are accused of.”

Meanwhile, in another case, ROP officers were also able to arrest a suspect accused of stealing money from a vehicle owned by a commercial company. The suspect confessed to his crime, as well as other crimes committed in Wilayat Shinas.

Drift cars seized in Sohar As part of the North Al Batinah ROP’s campaign to prevent drifting, the ROP raided a workshop that was being used to customise and install auto parts that are not compatible with standard specifications and conditions of safety and durability, as called for in the Traffic Laws.

Police also seized 10 vehicles ready for drifting, as well as others with forged license plates. In addition, the ROP detained those responsible for the work, and legal procedures were followed prior to bringing the defendants to court.

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Decrease in accidents during Eid TARIQ AL HAREMI tariqh@timesofoman.com

The drop in road accidents during this Eid Al Adha break could be attributed to increased awareness.

The shorter holiday period this year could also have been one of the reasons

MEDICAL BACK-UP: A senior ROP official said there has been a marked decrease in the number of accidents during Eid Al Adha holidays this year.–File photo

OMAN EMPLOYMENT

‘Oman at Work’ seminar focuses on market, future job prospects Times News Service MUSCAT: The tremendous progress in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) over the last 10 years has changed markets, products and processes, ushering in a new set of opportunities and challenges for Omani employers and professionals alike.

Responding to these developments and issues, the high-powered, six-strong panel of Ithraa’s fourth and final ‘Oman at Work’ seminar focussed on their impact on the Omani workforce and implications for jobs of the future while discussing trends in STEM education, the need to encourage more women in STEM fields.

Held at Bank Muscat’s Head Office and moderated by Dr Nadiya Al Saady, Executive Director of the Oman Animal, Plant & Genetic Resources Centre (OAPGRC), the event attracted a capacity audience. “The skills required for STEM literacy, such as problem

FUTURE POSITIVE: The skills required for STEM literacy are fundamental to Oman’s economy. – Supplied photo

solving, technological proficiency and numeracy are fundamental to Oman’s economy and to the growing interest in supporting startups and youth enterprise. In my view, STEM proficiency is central to innovation, entrepreneurship and productivity,” explained Taleb Al Makhmari, Ithraa’s Assistant Director General of Marketing & Media and organiser of the four ‘Oman at Work’ seminars.

While it is difficult to forecast trends in the labour market, gov-

ernment and business sector research projects that the demand for STEM-skilled workers globally will continue to increase, as both the number and proportion of STEM jobs grow.

According to data from the US Department of Education, jobs for biomedical engineers will increase by 62 per cent by 2020, while jobs in software development and medical science are expected to increase by 32 per cent and 36 per cent, respectively.

MUSCAT: There has been a decrease in road accident reports during this Eid Al Adha break compared to previous years.

Speaking to Times of Oman, a senior ROP official said there has been a marked decrease in the number of accidents during Eid Al Adha holiday break this year.

The official said, this could be because of increased awareness.

The shorter holiday period this year could also have been one of the reasons.

People have also travelled during the four-day break which eased traffic flow.

In 2011, 28 people were killed

and 346 were injured in 234 accidents during the Eid Al Fitr break.

In Eid Al Adha in 2013, an accident in Seeb resulted in fire in one of the vehicles which caused the death of three occupants, in addition to 13 who died in Eid Al Fitr during the same year.

“I don’t have the statistics yet, but I can tell you with great confidence that the number of accidents have decreased during this break,” reiterated the ROP official.

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OMAN

Owners should offer an extra privilege or maybe a discount to those capable of paying such a considerable advance.

But, it should not be made compulsory for all the tenants Mohammed bin Salim Al Busaidi, Majlis Al Shura member

Oman to be cancer prevention hub Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Zambia and Tunisia

We are working together to help improve registries and data bases for understanding the exact burden of cancer in the region Dr Amr S Soliman

are other participants in the cancer prevention consortium

MOBIN MATHEW BLESSON

mobinmathew@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman will be a hub for the International Cancer Prevention Consortium (ICPC), founded by the University of Nebraska Medical Centre and Arab and East African countries.

Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Kenya Tanzania, Egypt, Zambia and Tunisia are the participants in this consortium.

The University of Nebraska Medical Centre (UNMC) is a wellrecognised centre for medical research, patient care and biomedical education in the United States.

“This is our second visit to Oman and we are discussing collaboration with the Sultanate in cancer prevention,” Amr S Soliman, MD, PhD, Professor and chair, department of epidemiology, College of Public health in UNMC, told the Times of Oman.

The UNMC is conducting studies in different Arab and East Afri-

can countries to prevent and control cancer in these regions.

The team of experts of the UNMC had meetings and discussions with the Oman Cancer Association, Royal Hospital and scientists working on cancer treatment and cancer prevention.

The UNMC team had discussed the needs of the members of the ICPC (Oman, the Gulf countries, and North- and East-Africa) in the field of cancer prevention, especially regarding the need for of cancer at diagnosis stage and improving the rate of survival.

“We are working together to help improve registries and data bases for understanding the exact burden of cancer in the region, utilise the registry data for research and use low-tech interventions for detecting of cancer and capacity building in Oman and the ICPC countries,” Dr. Soliman said.

“The best chance of surviving cancer is by detecting/intervening in the initial stage,” he added.

Professor and chair, Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, UNMC

The University of Nebraska Medical Centre focuses more on breast cancer because it is the most common form of cancer among women in Oman.

According to local data, in Oman, a majority of the breast cancer cases are diagnosed at stages 3 and 4 that show lower survival patterns.

The UNMC is working with the Oman Cancer Association (OCA) and other groups in the country to further understand breast cancer

afflicted patients’ access to care and early detection.

“If we find 50 breast cancer cases, that doesn’t mean that these are all the cases in Oman.

These are the patients who came to the hospital but there could be more cases that did not come forward for diagnosis or treatment,” Dr. Soliman said.

The UNMC will work in collaboration with Oman and other ICPC member countries to better

understand the role of patient and providers (physicians and nurses), factors in late diagnosis of cancer, and the need to provide education to patients and professionals.

One of the main reasons for late diagnosis of breast cancer is because it does not cause pain in early stages.

“If a woman has a lump in her breast, it’s not painful in the early stages. In Arab countries, women usually don’t seek medical care unless the condition is painful,” Dr. Soliman explained.

According to Dr. Amr Soliman, the Oman Cancer Association is doing a great job to identify cancer patients at early stages and provide care to them. “The Oman Cancer Association screens a large number of patients and the collaboration with the ICPC will further the utilisation of the screening information,” Amr said.

The Oman Cancer Association has screened more than 17,000 women for breast cancer. As per Dr. Soliman, screening should not be a onetime experience. Women have to be screened repeatedly every two years or as recommended by the screening programme.

The UNMC wants to help the association in knowing why some women do not come for a second screening and why other women are not even coming for the first screening.

The UNMC is also interested in linking the databases of the OCA

W O R L D T O U R I S M D AY

T R AV E L

Oman’s tourism growth in last 10 years stood at 7.4% MUSCAT: Oman, along with the rest of the world, on Sunday marked the World Tourism Day, which falls on September 27 each year. The theme of this year’s celebration is “One Billion Tourists, One Billion Opportunities.”

The tourism movement in the Sultanate witnessed a remarkable growth with statistical indicators pointing out that more than two million tourists visited the country last year. The annual growth during the past ten years (2005-2014) stood at 7.4 per cent.

Ahmed bin Nassir Al Mahrazi, Minister of Tourism, said the tourism industry has witnessed a rapid growth and played a prominent role in the development and progress of societies. He explained that the Omani tourism sector is one of the main pillars for the country’s economic and social development.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Tourism has formulated a series of plans and promotional

with the Royal Hospital to better understand if patients treated for cancer have gone through screening or not and if patients referred by the association for treatment made it to the Royal Hospital for treatment.

The linking of the screening database of the association and the hospital will also show the success of the referral process.

“Oman is similar to other Gulf countries with respect to the most common cancers. Motivating more young Omani doctors to specialise in cancer management (oncology) will add to capacity building and resources for combating cancer,” Amr Soliman said.

The UNMC will work in collaboration with the local cancer community in Oman to transfer the scientific experience and improve the chances of survival, just as in other countries where survival improved significantly with early diagnosis and detection of the disease. “The five-year survival rate in cases of breast cancer in the United States is approaching 95 per cent. That is to say, out of 100 women diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States, 95 live for at least five years after diagnosis because of early detection and effective treatment at early stages,” Dr. Soliman said.

“We hope to transfer this experience to Oman and other member countries of the ICPC,” Amr Soliman added.

TOURISM’S VITAL ROLE: The Sultanate continues with its plans to diversify the sources of income and supporting the tourism sector to play its vital role in the development process. – ONA

campaigns to promote the Sultanate as one of the world’s unique tourism destinations.

On her part, Maitha bint Saif alMahroqiyah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism, said the theme of this year’s celebrations stresses the importance of the

tourism sector in the economic and social development.

She explained that the Sultanate continues with its plans to diversify the sources of income and supporting the tourism sector to play its vital role in the development process. -ONA

< FROM

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Omani Haj pilgrims returning

“A majority of the Omani Haj pilgrims will be returning to Oman by Sunday evening,” a Haj pilgrimage organiser in Muscat said.

“Already, some 300 pilgrims who had gone for Haj through us via chartered flights have returned,” the organiser said.

Pilgrims had streamed out of Mina after performing the ritual stoning of the devil for one last time on Saturday itself.

According to Saudi news reports, all roads leading out of Mina and Mecca were jammed with vehicles of all sizes.

The stampede was the second disaster to strike Mecca in two weeks, after a crane collapsed at the Grand Mosque, killing 109 people.

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R E A L E S TAT E

‘Some expatriate tenants A1 leave without notice’ < FROM

Al Saadi added that he is currently thinking of taking a loan to cover the flat advance or he would have to look for a flat outside Muscat.

Meanwhile, real-estate agents said they are now insisting on advance payments only from expatriates, who want to rent properties.

“We have had cases in the past where expats left the property without giving advance notice and simply disappeared. They usually leave large electricity and water bills unpaid, along with rent arrears. We are insisting on advance payment to protect us in case such an event happens again and to cover all the expenses that are left unpaid,” said Suhail Al Maamary, owner of Muscat Properties.

However, according to the Chairman of the Omani Real Estate Association, seeking such a big advance would be hard on young Omanis and expats with small families.

“Owners should offer an extra privilege or maybe a discount to those capable of paying such a considerable advance. But, it should not be made compulsory for all the tenants,” said Al Busaidi. He explained that the real-estate sector is a free market and no authorities interfere in how its run.

“If something can be done, it has to be by the Municipal Council. They represent the public and they can demand for a regulation

to limit the advance amount and make it not compulsory, but in return of other advantages provided by the properties owners,” said Al Busaidi.

When Times of Oman contacted the Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP), an official said they can intervene only in commercial building renting issues.

“We cannot interfere with rent-related disputes of individuals,” the PACP official added.

Salim Sarhan, the owner of a commercial and residential building in Amerat, said he usually asks for six months rent in advance from new tenants referring it to the current market value.

“Since most of the buildings demand such advance, why shouldn’t I benefit from it too?” said Sarhan.

Money helps He added that for independent owners, such money helped in the construction of additional floors in a shorter period of time.

“I built three floors in my building and based on the advance I got, and I plan to build another floor later,” he said.

Another building owner, who refused to be identified, said his building is new and he wanted to guarantee his property.

“Such people, who can afford paying six months advance can better use the property,” said the

owner. He added that such money will compensate him in case of any damage made by the tenants during the initial months. “We have paid lots of money to construct our building and demanding such money is part of our rights,” said the owner.

Speaking to the Muscat Municipality, a reliable source explained that there is no clear rule prohibiting such an act. “This is an issue between the owner of the building and the tenants. If they come out with an agreement, the Municipality has no reason to not approve their transaction, which is the rent contract,” said the source.

He added that the owner could demand any advance, as long as the tenants are ready to rent the properties.

“But, this is only applies to new rent contracts,” clarified the source. He added that the owner cannot demand such an advance during the renting period without stating this clearly in the contract signed by the tenants.

“Most of the owners demand such an advance from new tenants, but in case a resident has been paying only a month’s rent in advance for some time and is later asked to pay more, he can report this to the Municipality and in turn the Municipality will take the necessary legal action against the owner,” said the source.

— With inputs from Saleh Al Shaibany

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REGION

France has been part of the US-led coalition bombarding IS targets in Iraq since September 2014, and has carried out 215 out of nearly 4,500 strikes there, according to French and US figures

OPENING IN 2016

Star canopy dome placed on Abu Dhabi’s Louvre museum

ON A MISSION: A French Rafale fighter before taking off from a base as they embark for Syria on an Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission as part of France’s Operation Chammal launched in September 2015 in support of the US-led coalition against IS militant group. – AFP/ECPAD

France carries out first air raids on IS in Syria President Francois Hollande said six French warplanes were involved in the operation to strike an IS training camp near Deir Ezzor

PARIS: France carried out its first air strikes against the IS militant group in Syria on Sunday, as Russia said it was seeking a “coordinated framework” to fight the militants.

President Francois Hollande said six French warplanes were involved in the operation to strike an IS training camp near the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, and that more air strikes could follow in

the coming weeks. The action came on the eve of the UN General Assembly in New York where Syria is back in the spotlight after four years of a brutal war that has sent hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing to Europe.

President Vladimir Putin is set to unveil a plan to resolve the conflict after boosting Russia’s military presence in Syria and taking a leading role in pushing for a political solution. “We have proposed to cooperate with the countries in the region. We are trying to establish some kind of coordinated framework,” Putin said in an interview with CBS television.

“We would welcome a common platform for collective action against the terrorists,” he said. Iraq said it had agreed with Russia, Iran and Syria to set up a unit in Baghdad to share intelligence on IS. France has been part of the US-led coalition bombarding IS targets in Iraq since September 2014, and has carried out 215 out of nearly 4,500 strikes there, according to French and US figures.

But until now it limited its air

strikes on the group to Iraq.

Earlier this month, Paris cited self-defence as its rationale for expanding its policy to Syria. Hollande has been under political pressure to take action against IS after a series of militant attacks in France, and fears over hundreds of citizens who have gone to wage jihad who could return home battle-hardened and vengeful.

In January, extremists killed 17 people in three days of shootings in Paris and in August a gunman tried to attack a high-speed train but was thwarted by passengers.

After two weeks of surveillance flights, six French warplanes targeted the training camp in an operation done “autonomously” of the US-led coalition, but in coordination with regional partners.

“Our forces hit their target,” Hollande told a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.

The United States and its coalition partners including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and the UAE have carried out more than 2,500 air strikes in Syria, according to US figures. -AFP

ABU DHABI: The last of nearly 4,500 metal stars was placed on Sunday on the outer layer of the dome on Abu Dhabi’s Louvre museum, expected to open by the end of 2016.

The final star was added in the presence of prize-winning French architect Jean Nouvel, said Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC).

“The outer cladding consists of 4,481 stars which is now 100 per cent complete,” it said.

The giant 180-metre (yard) dome is perforated with designs that will project light patterns in the shape of palm trees onto the exhibition space below.

The outer canopy is part of eight layers of cladding comprised of 7,850 star-shaped pieces of aluminium and stainless steel, the largest of which measures 13 metres in diameter and weighs 1.3 tonnes.

Stone flooring TDIC said major work was expected in the next few months to lay the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum’s stone flooring, display cases for galleries and to complete the administration building.

Louvre Abu Dhabi, built on the island of Saadiyat in the oil-flush Emirate, is to have 9,200 square metres of art galleries. — AFP

FINAL STAR: Placing the final piece of the outer cladding of the dome structure of the future Louvre museum still under construction on Saadiyat island, near Abu Dhabi. – AFP/HO/WAM

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INDIA

It is not in the interest of any country or society to focus itself on one individual or a family Mahesh Sharma, Culture minister

NEHRU MEMORIAL MUSEUM AND LIBRARY

Gandhi family legacy a flashpoint in ideological war NEW DELHI: A stately New Delhi mansion, once home to India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and now a museum to his life, has emerged as a flashpoint in the growing ideological war between his heirs and the BJP-led NDA government.

Since trouncing the Congress party of the Nehru-Gandhi family in a general election last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chipped away at the dynasty’s grip on India’s post-colonial history.

For long-term dominance in the world’s second-most populous nation, Modi has to ensure his probusiness, conservative ideology prevails over the secular, socialist legacy bequeathed by Nehru.

Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, who is in charge of overseeing the teak-panelled museum that preserves Nehru’s portraits, writing and the rooms he lived in, wants the institution to reflect a wider range of India’s past and present leaders.

Earlier this month, the government of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata

Party (BJP) forced out the head of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, a historian seen as close to the Gandhi family.

The historian, Mahesh Rangarajan, did not respond to requests for comment. A replacement has not yet been named.

“It is not in the interest of any country or society to focus itself on one individual or a family,” Sharma said in an interview.

“So many people have contributed to this country and our institutions should reflect that.”

Starting with Nehru, an independence hero before becoming prime minister, the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty has been intertwined with India’s transformation from struggling developing nation to emerging superpower.

Nehru and his descendants ruled India for more than half of the seven decades since independence in 1947, and hundreds of public projects, airports, parks, universities and stadiums are named after Nehru, his assassinated daughter Indira Gandhi and her

BONE OF CONTENTION: A view of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in New Delhi. - Reuters

son Rajiv Gandhi, also murdered.

They all served as prime ministers.

Rajiv Gandhi’s wife Sonia is the current president of Congress, and her son Rahul is seen as a budding prime minister.

Before Modi, the BJP had only sporadically run India.

“We have elevated this family to royalty and built a personality cult around them,” said Mohan Guruswamy, president of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, a think tank.

“What the BJP is doing is pure politics. But, at the same time, the need to give space to other people is justified.”

Since Modi won power in May 2014, the names of Nehru and his descendants have been erased from about thirty government schemes or places and been replaced mostly with the names of ideologues who view India as a Hindu nation.

Earlier this month, the govern-

ment discontinued publishing two postage stamps that featured Indira and Rajiv Gandhi from the ‘Builders of Modern India’ series, a decision that led to opposition protests.

The government instead plans to feature stamps of the ideological founders of the BJP, who blame Nehru’s economic policies for many of India’s ills, including poverty and corruption.

At the end of last week, the Nehru museum for the first time hosted celebrations for the birth of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, a nationalist critical of Nehru’s economics.

The opposition Congress party has accused the government of diminishing the legacy of one of India’s greatest statesmen.

“The government is manipulating historical facts and distorting truth only to serve their political agenda,” said Kapil Sibal, a lawyer for the Gandhis and a former government minister. “You cannot belittle Nehru’s contributions.”

Modi has already moved far from Nehru’s economic moorings.

Earlier this year, the government named right-leaning economist Arvind Panagariya to run a new policy bureau, after Modi scrapped a Nehru-era socialist planning commission.

In his first full budget in April, Modi saved money on federal social and subsidy expenditure, the hallmark of Congress governments, and pumped funds into an infrastructure stimulus he hopes will trigger a spurt in economic growth.

Under Modi, organizations that support the idea of a Hindu state have gained prominence.

His followers believe Nehru and his successors pandered to India’s minorities and crimped the aspirations of the Hindu majority.

“The BJP realise that this family enjoys a lot of political goodwill and they will need to destroy that if they want a free run,” said Satish Misra, a political analyst at the Observer Research Foundation.

“Historical and cultural institutions are being used as proxies in the battle for the idea of India.” - Reuters

Modi pitches for Digital India at Silicon Valley Speaking before a gathering of Silicon Valley CEOs, Modi announced plans to create more public Wi-Fi spots including at 500 railway stations across India and an aggressive expansion of National Optical Fibre Network

SAN JOSE: Pitching his pet Digital India initiative with the titans of the IT world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday promised to make governance more accountable and transparent while assuring data privacy and security.

Speaking before a gathering of Silicon Valley CEOs, Modi announced plans to create more public Wi-Fi spots including at 500 railway stations across India and an aggressive expansion of the National Optical Fibre Network to take broadband to 600,000 villages.

“As our economy and our lives get more wired, we are also giving the highest importance to data privacy and security, intellectual property rights and cyber security,” he said at a dinner interaction attended among others by Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayan, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Qualcomm executive chairman Paul Jacobs and Google CEO Sunder Pichai.

“We will transform governance, making it more transparent, accountable, accessible and participative,” Modi said, adding that E-Governance is foundation of better governance — efficient, economical and effective.

Inclusive development In a nation of one billion cell phones, M-Governance or mobile governance has the potential to make development a truly inclusive and comprehensive mass movement. “It puts governance within everyone’s reach,” he said.

He said Digital India is an enterprise for transformation on a scale that is, perhaps, unmatched in human history. For nothing else will do in a country with 800 million youth under the age of 35 years, impatient for change and eager to achieve it,” he said “We have set up Ebiz portal to make approvals for businesses and citizens easy and efficient so that they concentrate their energy on their goals, not on government processes. We are using technology to impart scale and speed to development,” he said.

Information, education, skills, healthcare, livelihood, financial

DINNER INTERACTION: Prime Minister Narendra Modi claps with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, John T. Chambers, Executive Chairman of Cisco, Paul E. Jacobs, Executive Chairman of Qualcomm as Google CEO Sundar Pichai, left, walks to his seat after his speech during the Digital India and Digital Technology dinner function in San Jose on Saturday. - PTI

Modi invites Apple to set up manufacturing base in India SAN JOSE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Apple to set up a manufacturing base in India and its CEO Tim Cook responded positively, officials said here on Sunday.

“The Prime Minister (in his meeting with Cook) said he would like Apple to start manufacturing in India. He mentioned the huge opportunities India offered,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesman Vikas Swarup told reporters.

Foxconn, which is Apple’s largest manufactures, has decided to set up a manufacturing base in India, he noted.

“Cook responded positively.

I think India does fits into his long term plans. He particularly was interested in the whole App development economy, which he said could be a very very important factor

inclusion, small and village enterprises, opportunities for women, conservation of natural resources, distributed clean energy entirely new possibilities have emerged to change the development model, he said.

“But for all this, we must bridge the digital divide and promote digital literacy in the same way that we seek to ensure general literacy. We must ensure that technology is accessible, affordable, and adds value,” he said.

Modi said that by using space technology and Internet, 170 applications have been identified that will make governance better and development faster.

“Today, technology is advancing citizen empowerment and democracy that once drew their strength from Constitutions. Technology is forcing governments to deal with massive volume of data and gen-

for entrepreneurship where individual app developers can just become part of the app universe,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi has been mentioning that there is the public sector, there is the private sector and there is the personal sector.

Personal sector he has been talking about people who can be self-made entrepreneurs, Swarup noted.

“Cook said by using the app development tools people can really become part of this huge industry. He gave the example of China where in fact we created 1.5 million jobs,” he said.

Indian Ambassador to the US Arun K. Singh said that during the meeting there was a sense that a lot of design innovation is happening in India.

“As Apple expands its presence in India including a

erate responses, not in 24 hours but in 24 minutes,” Modi said.

To achieve the vision of Digital India, the government must also start thinking a bit like corporate world, he said.

“So, from creating infrastructure to services, from manufacture of products to human resource development, from support governments to enabling citizens and promoting digital literacy, Digital India is a vast cyber world of opportunities for you,” the prime minister said.

Economic hubs Also Common Service Centres will be set up in villages and towns as also use information technology to build smart cities. “We want to turn our villages into smart economic hubs and connect our farmers better to markets and makes them less vulnerable to the

manufacturing presence there could be enhanced opportunity for app development related to the apple platforms,” he said.

There was also some discussion on Apple Pay, how this can be part of Jan Dhan Yojana for instance and other such initiatives, Swarup said.

During the meeting, Cook said India has a very special place in the heart of every Apple employee for the simple reason that its co-founder Steve Jobs went to India when he was a young man for inspiration.

It was what he saw in India that inspired him to launch Apple. Cook expressed his great desire to be a partner in Prime Minister’s Digital India initiative, which he thought was a transformative initiative, which could be a real game changer in India. -PTI

whims of weather,” he said. Stating that access means content being made available in local languages, he said that affordability of products and services is critical for success.

Quality, affordable products “We will promote manufacture of quality and affordable products in India. That is part of our vision of Make in India, Digital India and Design in India,” he said.

“Since my government came to office last year, we have attacked poverty by using the power of networks and mobile phones to launch a new era of empowerment and inclusion: 180 million new bank accounts in a few months; direct transfer of benefits to the poor; funds for the unbanked; insurance within the reach of the poorest; and, pension for the sunset years for all,” he said. - PTI

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INDIA

‘Will achieve victory over terrorism’ Home Minister Rajnath Singh

Generally, the work of any government is related to economic and strategic issues. But for the first time in the history of the country, a government has come at the Centre which is fulfilling social concerns as well

dismissed a question that IS group was expanding in several states in India

Rajnath Singh LUCKNOW: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that terrorism is a “challenge”, but the country will “get victory over it” even as he dismissed talk that IS was spreading its reach to India.

“As far as terrorism is concerned, it is a challenge, but India will get victory over it,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an event at Manisha Mandir Ashram here.

Dismissing a question that IS terror group was expanding in several states of the country,

Home Minister

the Home Minister said, “Do not worry about it, there is nothing like this.”

Asked about reported claims by Pakistan that India was not ready for talks, Singh said, “Let them level allegations. It has no meaning.”

Blaming Pakistan for waging a proxy terror war against India, the home minister said it was a big

challenge for the country. He also noted that Pakistan has been continuously violating the ceasefire agreement.

“Pakistan has waged a proxy terror war against India and it is a big challenge before us. We have taken many countries into confidence on this count...we are also taking diplomatic measures,” he said.

A S S E M B LY P O L L S

BJP will abolish quota policy if it wins in Bihar, says Nitish

WOOING VOTERS: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar being welcomed with a garland by JD(U) workers at an election meeting in Kalyanpur at Samastipur on Saturday. - PTI

KHAGARIA (Bihar): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday alleged that the BJP-led coalition at the Centre will abolish reservation for Other Backward Class, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes if it win assembly elections in Bihar as RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had called for review of the reservation policy.

“The RSS chief has publicly called for review of the reservation policy which the BJP-led coalition at the centre may scrap if NDA gets power in Bihar,” Kumar alleged at an election rally in Parbatta Assembly constituency in Khagaria district.

The victory of the BJP-led alliance will embolden NDA to toe the RSS line and scrap the existing reservation policy, he alleged.

Kumar promised 35 per cent reservation to women in government jobs if his alliance (JDURJD-Congress) comes back to power at the hustings.

He also took umbrage to BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular for ridiculing him on his Rs 2.70 lakh crore vision for development of the state over next five years if his own alliance wins the election.

“You don’t worry about how we will raise resources. We have enough sources of revenue to fulfil aspirations of the people on development front,” Kumar said.

The chief minister said he has charted out the vision document after taking into account various sources from which revenues will

be raised in coming years and not from any dole by anybody, he said referring to the Centre.

The prime minister had ridiculed Kumar’s vision document last month and asked him from where he will raise funds to implement his development agenda.

The senior JD(U) leader, who launched the secular alliance’s campaign yesterday, flayed the NDA government for “non-fulfilment” of promises, including bringing back black money from foreign shores, and asked the Prime Minister what happened to his poll promise to distribute Rs1.5 to Rs2.0 million cash into bank account of every individual.

Kumar also slammed the ‘Gujarat Model’ of development, a plank on which Modi had won the Lok Sabha poll last year, and alleged the pitiable condition of women and prevalence of unemployment in the PM’s native state tell a different story compared to the claims made about development there. In all, the Chief Minister addressed five election meetings during the day.

Tough challenge Meanwhile, facing a tough challenge from the JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance in battleground Bihar, the BJP-led NDA has decided to launch a campaign blitzkrieg by holding a staggering 500 rallies, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi alone addressing 20-22 big meetings.

Modi, a seasoned campaigner

and the alliance’s face for the polls in which it has not projected a chief ministerial candidate, will plunge into electioneering barely two days after his arrival from a visit to Ireland and the US on September 29.

Photo finish All opinion polls have predicted a photo finish in the polls, a mustwin for BJP after its Delhi debacle. A victory in Bihar will give the Modi government the heft it requires to push its reform agenda, including introduction of the much-awaited GST. Modi, who remains a big draw in the state, can give it an edge in the fight. Modi will return to the state, where he has already held four rallies so far, with a public meeting on October 2 at Banka followed by another on October 4 in Lakhisarai, both of which are going to polls in the first phase on October 12.

BJP leaders said the party has made an elaborate plan which will also see a host of Union ministers criss-cross the state every day in the run up to polls.

Top BJP leaders will be seen in joint campaign with allies, LJP, RLSP and HAM (secular).

The idea is to hold about 500 rallies which would be addressed by national and state-level leaders, sources said.

Bihar will have a five-phase poll between October 12 and November 5. Counting of votes will take place on November 8. - PTI

TRAGEDY

Death toll of Indian pilgrims in Haj stampede rises to 35 MINA: The death toll of Indian pilgrims in last week’s horrific stampede during Haj rose to 35 on Sunday as authorities identified 13 more bodies among the victims of the worst tragedy to hit the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

“Unfortunately, there are six more Indians taking the toll to 35,” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.

Earlier, seven more Indians were identified among the dead

raising Saturday night’s death toll from 22 to 29.

The 13 Indian pilgrims who were among the dead, taking the death toll to 35, have been identified by the Haj Consulate in Jeddah as Mansurul Haque (Jharkhand), Anvar Janha (UP), F. A.Muneer Veetil, Amina Beevi, Abdul Rahiman Asarithodi, P. V. Kunhimon and Moiuddin Abdul Kader (all from Kerala), Jaibun Nisha (Bihar), Nashima Khatoon

(Jharkhand), Mohamed Younus Rahimbhai Mansuri (Gujarat), Bibi Ismail (Gujarat), Mehrunnisha Hanif (Gujarat), Muhammed Yusuf Sikandarmiyan Malik (Gujarat).

Saudi authorities have put the total death toll from the stampede during Haj to 769. The number of injured stands at 934. At least 13 Indians were among those injured. From India, 150,000 pilgrims performed Haj. - PTI

Citing the recent pact with UAE on cooperation on counter terrorism operation and intelligence sharing, Rajnath said it was a big diplomatic success.

Terming India’s borders with Pakistan and China as “very sensitive”, he said security arrangements had to be ensured keeping the situation in mind and as per

the requirements. Though the boundary with Nepal and Bhutan was peaceful and there was no problem, the borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar were “active”, he said.

Terming infiltration in Indianadministered-Kashmir as a big challenge, Singh said ever since the NDA government came to power in 2014, infiltration cases dropped to 52 in 2014 and further to 15 this year from 264 in 2012 and 277 in 2013 and congratulated the Army and Paramilitary forces for it.

The senior BJP leader, meanwhile, refrained from commenting on party MP R.K. Singh’s allegation that the party was giving tickets for Bihar Assembly polls to candidates with criminal antecedents.

Earlier, in his speech at the event, Singh said that the Narendra Modi government was making efforts to address social concerns.

“Generally, the work of any government is related to economic and strategic issues. But for the first time in the history of the country, a government has come at the Centre which is fulfilling social

concerns as well,” he said.

Referring to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, Singh said, “Such a campaign by the government and efforts being made to motivate people is not witnessed very frequently.”

The home minister added that with the prime minister having taken up the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ drive, the goal is now to balance the gender ratio to make the country prosperous.

“It is an irony that the gender ratio is not balanced in India. In all countries that are considered prosperous, gender ratio is balanced. A country and society where gender ratio is unbalanced can never prosper,” he said.

Singh said that while a man could be the patron of a single person, a woman is the protector of an entire family.

“Indian women have done wonders internationally. They are CEOs of global companies. Kalpana Chawla reached space. They are playing an active, effective and fruitful role in paramilitary forces and police,” he said. - PTI

A 10

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

PAKISTAN B A L O C H I S TA N

A 41-year-old school that has no address QUETTA: Despite tall claims of increasing funds for education in Balochistan, students and teachers were expelled from a government school in the provincial capital due to non-payment of rent.

Government Girls Primary School, which was established 41 years ago in Killi Shahnawaz Sariab area, has not been provided a permanent building and has been shifted 15 times from one place to another during the period of its existence.

According to sources, the owner of the school building got the premises vacated by force for not receiving rent.

Nearly a year ago, Adviser to CM Balochistan on Education Sardar Raza Barech and secretary education had announced Rs2.7 million grant for the school, but the fund is yet to be released.

“Children are forced to study on a plain ground without any roof due to failure of the government to provide funds,” Abdul Qayyum, a teacher, said.

“For the last three years, we are running the school with just two rooms,” he added. The teacher

PRIME MINISTER AT UNITED NATIONS Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif poses with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ahead of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Sunday. - Reuters

Government Girls Primary School, which was established 41 years ago in Killi Shahnawaz Sariab area, has not been provided a permanent building

went on to say, “For the last 41 years we have been shifted to different buildings 15 times but still we don’t have the government owned premises.”

Mostly students leave their studies due to lack of resources, he explained, but now owner of the building expelled teachers and students while the future of the 500 students is at stake. — Express Tribune

Tunnels over Attabad Lake to hit boatmen’s livelihood During the last five years, boatmen have carried people and cargo, including dead bodies, rare gemstones and fugitives, between central Pakistan and China

GILGIT: Boatmen in Gilgit-Baltistan fear losing their livelihood after the completion of four large tunnels along the south shore of Attabad Lake.

“We are going to lose 50 per cent of our business, probably more,” said a 47-year-old boat operator, Malik Shah. “Maybe the tourists will still come for us, but we do not

FEARFUL: Passenger boats ferry people, their belongings and even cars from one side to the other, all through the day. Traffic is prohibited after dusk, and it becomes almost impossible to travel in winter when the lake freezes over. - Express Tribune

know that, so maybe not.”

In January 2010, a massive landslide blocked the flow of River Hunza, creating a natural dam and burying 20 people beneath it.

The rising water displaced thousands of residents and submerged

countless villages, fields, orchards a well as a 19-kilometre stretch of the Karakoram Highway (KKH).

During the last five years, boatmen have carried people and cargo, including dead bodies, rare gemstones and fugitives,

between central Pakistan and China. Although the crossing is a pleasure for tourists, for villagers, truckers and smugglers it was more of a bother since they had to take the hour-long ride in hand-made wooden boats several times a week.

Earlier this month, after several years of construction, Chinese engineers completed four large tunnels along the south shore of the 13-mile-long Attabad lake.

Traffic will now flow on the newly diverted Karakoram Highway which will cause hundreds of boat operators and day labourers to lose their livelihood.

The 20-foot boats are as colourfully painted as Pakistani trucks and are powered by two engines and steering wheels taken from junked cars control six-foot rudders.

These boats wait on each side of the lake, where the highway disappears under the water, for customers who pay around $3 to $5.

These boats also transport cars, sport-utility vehicles which would drive directly onto the boats using boards as ramps, as well as, livestock.

However, trucks laden with cargo are too heavy to get on the wooden boats so the cargo is offloaded onto the boat and then reloaded onto another truck at the other end of the lake.

The whole process took hours and created a lot of jobs for the people of that region, many of whom survive on just a few dollars a day.

“It was fixed, permanent income,” said Ikram Ali, 32, who made about $350 a month offloading trucks. “Now, I wonder if I will stay penniless for days.”

Another problem for boatmen is that the lake, which was initially 350 feet deep, is now gradually being filled in by silt from glacial runoff. Many boats this summer ran aground near the shoreline.

“It’s filling in,” said Riazullah Baig, a local tour guide. “In another 10 years, it may just be a riverbed again.” — Express Tribune

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EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS

MQM prepares list of executed party workers ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has drawn up a list of 46 members it says were killed deliberately by paramilitary Rangers in Karachi, the first time it has accused the force of a campaign of extrajudicial killings.

MQM has submitted the list to the office of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, ratcheting up pressure on him to make the force, and the military to which it answers, more accountable.

The MQM has accused the military of illegally detaining members before, as the Rangers pursue a major crackdown on crime in Karachi. But the list, which Reuters has seen, raises the stakes by documenting dozens of alleged extrajudicial killings.

Neither the Rangers nor the armed forces responded to requests for comment on the list and Karachi operation, launched in late 2013 to tackle soaring crime rates.

Police spokesman Qamar Satti declined comment, except to say that some cases of alleged extrajudicial killings were being investigated by a directorate set up by the Supreme Court. — Express Tribune

CRIME

In Peshawar, girls torn away from families and sold off neighbour and I called him, who then asked the another officialand investigation team to hand her over [and release me],” he said while speaking to The Express Tribune. His daughter, he added, was lucky to return home even after being recovered by the police.

The existence of human trafficking rings in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) that kidnap and buy girls under the guise of marriage and then sell them to rich people in Punjab and Afghanistan is common knowledge. This trade is widespread throughout the province and yet, they manage to operate without inviting any attention from concerned quarters.

PESHAWAR: On July 7, a constable at Khazana police received a call that couldn’t believe: A man was trying to sell his daughter at a market on Charsadda Road.

The police arrested the suspect, who identified himself as Wasim and claimed the girl with him was his daughter. He went to on say he was a kidney patient, recent widower and that poverty had driven him to, or at least attempt to, sell his daughter.

He further told the police he was an Afghan refugee living in Bajuar Agency but refused to share any information about his relatives.

Upon insistence, and presumably force, the police managed to get a confession out of him, which was remarkably different from his initial admission.

The man was indeed an Afghan refugee but his family was settled in the Darmangi area of the Mathra police station. His real name was Amir Shah and the girl whom he claimed was his daughter was actually a 4-year-old he kidnapped a day earlier.

SAFELY HOME: Habiba was returned to her family after the police arrested her kidnapper. — Express Tribune

Whereabouts Initially refusing to provide the girl’s whereabouts at the time of the kidnapping, Shah eventually revealed he abducted her from Sethi Town, following which the police was able to reach out to her neighbourhood.

Habiba is the seventh of Afghan refugee Gul Haider’s eight children. She had strayed out of her

house just after iftari on July 6.

However, she is one of the lucky ones to return home.

Every year dozens of minor girls are kidnapped, cases of which are hardly ever reported in the media or registered given the lax attitude of the police. In Habiba’s case, too, an entry report was registered by

the Paharipura police rather than an FIR, while the police made absolutely no effort to locate the child after she was reported missing.

After Shah was caught, however, the police showed residents of the area pictures of Habiba, who was luckily identified by her neighbor, recalls Gul Haider. He goes on to

say that upon contacting the police and arriving at the police station at a given time to retrieve his daughter, he was arrested and put behind bars.

“Their attitude was completely inhumane and they refused to hand me over my daughter but luckily I have a police officer as a

Yet to be found In June, another Afghan refugee, Kher Baz’s nine-year-old daughter Sakina went missing in the Scheme Chowk area within the jurisdiction of the Badhaber police station. Despite her entire family’s tireless efforts, she is yet to be found.

Kher Baz had to quit his job as a truck driver and take up another fulltime job: looking for his daughter.

“My daughter Sakina has gone missing and I have been searching for her for the past couple of months. How can I return to driving, leaving things in the present state?” the father of nine said, while talking to The Express Tribune.

Sakina is not the only girl who

disappeared in the same vicinity.

On March 1, 10-year-old Ayesha was kidnapped just outside her house in Ahmad Khel, Badhaber, and was taken to Khost, Afghanistan, where she was sold her to a local leader for Rs200,000.

Kidnappers arrested Fortunately, Ayesha’s kidnappers were arrested by the Jalalabad police. While in prison, they called their relatives in Peshawar. During the call, which was intercepted by intelligence agencies, one of the suspects informed his family that they had been arrested and had sold Ayesha in Khost. The information was shared with Ayesha’s family, who arrived in Afghanistan, bought her back from the local malik and brought her home after several months.

Alarmingly, the police did not register reports against Ayesha’s kidnappers, who continue to threaten her family.

Human rights activist Uzma Mehboob said that like so many crimes, human trafficking seems to be an established fact.

“Unfortunately in K-P, the police and even the government wish to remain silent on such issues but that is not the answer,” she said, while speaking to The Express Tribune.

She pointed out that in Punjab, the media does not compromise on such issues and the government also takes appropriate action once a crime is reported. — Express Tribune

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

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ASIA

Taiwan evacuates tourists as super typhoon approaches Taiwan’s weather bureau upgraded Dujuan to a ‘strong typhoon’ — it’s top category — on Sunday evening as the storm approached the island’s east

TAIPEI: Thousands of tourists were evacuated from islands off Taiwan on Sunday as super typhoon Dujuan gathered strength on its approach to the island.

Taiwan’s weather bureau upgraded Dujuan to a “strong typhoon” — it’s top category — on Sunday evening as the storm approached the island’s east.

Other regional weather bureaus, including the Hong Kong Observatory, categorised it as a “super typhoon” as it intensified to reach gusts of 227 kilometres (141 miles) per hour.

Almost 3,000 people, most of them tourists, were evacuated from Taiwan’s Green Island and Orchid Island — popular with visitors — with heavy rains and high tides forecast.

The typhoon is due to make landfall in eastern Taiwan on Monday night.

“It is not likely to weaken in any significant way before making landfall,” a spokesman for the weather bureau told AFP. More than 24,000 troops are on standby for disaster relief and evacuations from areas prone to landslides and flooding.

Emergency response centres

PRECAUTIONS: A tourist boat is lifted into the air to be secured in Pitan, a popular area in Xindian district in New Taipei City on Sunday as super typhoon Dujuan approaches the northeast of Taiwan. — AFP

The storm threatens long-weekend plans for many as Taiwan celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, when families typically gather and moon-gaze

have been set up in the north and east, where heavy rain is expected, as well as 100 shelters.

Dujuan was 500 kilometres off the coast of eastern Hualien

County at 5:30 p.m. (0930 GMT).

The storm threatens longweekend plans for many as Taiwan celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon

PROTEST OVER NEW CONSTITUTION

Nepal imposes vehicle curbs over fuel shortage BIRGUNJ (NEPAL): Nepal on Sunday imposed nationwide restrictions on vehicle use due to growing fears of a fuel shortage, as protesters seeking changes to a new constitution vowed to keep blocking a major border trade route.

Drivers are allowed on the roads only on alternate days, depending on whether their licence plates end in odd or even numbers, to try to counter the effect of the blockade imposed on the India-Nepal border since Thursday night.

“The government has decided to limit the number of vehicles moving across the country due to the fuel shortage,” home ministry

spokesman Laxmi Prasad Dhakal told AFP. “We are facing a huge problem because of the blockade in the south and are trying to use the fuel we have effectively.”

Key hub Hundreds of protesters called for amendments to the constitution as they blocked a bridge crossing in the town of Birgunj, 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of Kathmandu, that serves as the key hub for oil and food imports into landlocked Nepal.

The protesters, from the Madhesi community, are angry about plans to divide the Himalayan nation into seven federal provinces

under the charter adopted on September 20.

More than 40 people have died in weeks of clashes between police and protesters from the Madhesi and Tharu communities, ethnic minorities who say the new internal borders leave them under-represented in the national parliament.

“I joined this protest to fight for my rights... and for the rights of my children and grandchildren,” Ajay Patel, a 40-year-old farmer, told AFP. “Why does the state not treat us like citizens of this country?”

Madhesi leaders vowed to continue the blockade until lawmakers agreed to their demands. — AFP

A11

Festival, when families typically gather and moon-gaze.

Dujuan is set to hit the Japanese island of Ishigaki at around midday on Monday.

Mainland China The storm is on course to hit mainland China from Tuesday after moving through Taiwan.

Japan’s meteorological agency has warned it could trigger waves 13 metres (42 feet) high when it strikes the country.

So far there have been no reports of damage or injuries in connection with the typhoon, but “winds are getting stronger now”,

an Ishigaki official said by phone.

At least three flights were cancelled, Japanese news reports and airline officials said, and the country’s meteorological agency warned of possible landslides, high waves and heavy rain.

Typhoon Soudelor caused at least eight deaths in Taiwan last month as it flooded rivers, ripped up trees, and triggered landslides.

Toppled trees and signboards damaged electricity lines, knocking out power to a record 4.3 million households.

It went on to kill 21 people in China. — AFP

HAZE FROM INDONESIA

Haze forces Malaysia to close schools KUALA LUMPUR: Thick white smoke from Indonesian slashand-burn farming enveloped Malaysia’s capital and other areas on Sunday, triggering school closures for the following day as weeks of choking haze showed no sign of abating.

Pollution readings in Kuala Lumpur soared into the “very unhealthy” territory in the Malaysian government’s hourly air-quality index.

The Ministry of Education ordered schools shut on Monday in the capital and three states due to health concerns, the second time this month it has had to issue such an order.

Malaysia, Singapore and large expanses of Indonesia have suffered for weeks from acrid smoke billowing from fires on plantations and peatlands that are being illegally cleared by burning.

The fires are located on Indonesia’s huge islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

The crisis grips the region nearly every year during the dry season, but the current outbreak is one of the worst and longest-lasting in years.

Authorities have said tens of thousands of people in the three countries have been forced to seek medical treatment for respiratory problems, and that dozens of flights have been cancelled or delayed due to poor visibility.

Indonesia has faced pressure from its neighbours to address the problem since it first emerged nearly 20 years ago.

But the issue has persisted, especially as plantations expand to meet rising global demand for products like palm oil, a key ingredient in a vast range of everyday consumer products.

Singapore on Friday ordered rare school closures across the city-state as air reached “hazardous” levels there, with Environment Minister Vivian Balakrishnan saying the problem has lasted “for far too long”. — AFP

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Will Putin pull off his Syria gambit?

Location: Qurum /Photo: Dhanesh Balakrishnan

D

uring a Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) meeting in Dushanbe on September 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced his concerns about Syria.

“The state of affairs there is very serious. The IS controls significant stretches of territory in Iraq and Syria.... Their plans include expanding activities to Europe, Russia, Central and Southeast Asia.”

Putin couldn’t be more correct. The IS threatens Russia and Central Asia specifically. Even though the Kremlin sees the rise of the IS as the product of American foreign policy and military operations that leave ungovernable holes later filled in by terrorists and transnational criminal groups, the Kremlin is intent on being a part of the solution to these problems.

Putin also blames American foreign policy for the migrant crisis currently engulfing Europe and has called for an international coalition against terrorism and extremism. The president stated that “This is a crisis which was absolutely expected. We in Russia said several years ago that there would be massive problems if our Western partners conduct what I have always called the ‘wrong’ foreign policy, especially in regions of the Muslim world, the Middle East and North Africa, which they continue practically to this day.”

Russia is making its move in Syria, with the deployment of a forward operating base for fighter jets and drones, in support of the Syrian military.

More importantly, it is possible that the Russian presence in Latakia will halt Turkish and Israeli air flights over Syria.

In other words, a no-fly zone imposed by the Kremlin could emerge. Moscow has already started a humanitarian aid lift and network in the country.

Iran is part of Moscow’s plans in Syria.

Tehran’s own military presence in Syria

is working in coordination with Russia to protect the Syrian government, especially the security of Alawites in Latakia.

Tehran seems to be wavering on Assad’s immediate future, which fits perfectly with the Kremlin’s plan. Iran may be persuaded to back Russia’s plan to accommodate the Americans somewhat by helping plan an exit strategy for the Assad family. Outlining his ideas on a potential diplomatic solution, Putin suggested that it be carried out in parallel with the fight against extremists and that Assad should play a role in the political process.

Putin said that “The Syrian president, as a matter of fact, agrees with that, including holding early elections, parliamentary elections, and establishing contact with the so-called ‘healthy’ opposition, bringing them into governing.”

That argument is gaining traction in Europe and with some Arab governments.

The Kremlin wants to stabilize the Syrian government through elections endorsed by a bulk of the Syrian opposition and form a new coalition of key regional states to attack and destroy the IS. Yet, all is not rosy. The perilous state of Russia’s finances will play a major role in Russia’s foreign policy ambitions. With the collapse of oil prices, coupled with economic sanctions, Russia’s economy will continue to be in recession. There have also been reports that some Russian servicemen are refusing to go to Syria.

These facts do not necessarily mean that Putin’s gambit with the Americans will not pay off in the future thanks to ongoing communication between US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Nevertheless, the Kremlin sees a real need for Russia to continue its involvement in Syria, on its own terms. — Special to Times of Oman Richard Galustian is a Middle East security expert based in Libya. Theodore Karasik is a senior adviser at Gulf State Analytics

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Moscow need not suffer another debacle by intervening in Syria

This refers to the online story, US reaches out to Iran as Syria strategy stumbles, (September 26). The policy of the Western countries is again in tatters.

However, I fail to see why Russia is getting into this mess. This is someone else’s problem and Moscow need not suffer another debacle like that of its Afghanistan intervention. That said, probably Vladimir Putin’a bid to shore up Syrian President Bashar Al Assad through Tehran is the best bet to defeat the IS. — Naheed Saeedi, Muscat

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A13

SPECIAL

People eat at a restaurant in Lisbon, Portugal. Winning the vote of the cooks and waiters dishing out succulent grilled fish and spicy chicken at Portugal’s restaurants could make all the difference in the country’s tight October 4 election.

TESTING THE PORTUGUESE APPETITE FOR AUSTERITY Thousands of eateries went broke amid the largest tax hikes in living memory as many recession-hit Portuguese were forced to do the unthinkable — forego eating meals out

WAITING FOR KEY TEST: Customers read the menu at the restaurant ‘Rubro’ in Lisbon, Portugal. Winning the vote of the cooks and waiters dishing out succulent grilled fish and spicy chicken at Portugal’s restaurants could make all the difference in the country’s tight October 4 election. – Reuters

LISBON: Winning the vote of the cooks and waiters dishing out succulent grilled fish and spicy chicken at Portugal’s restaurants could make all the difference in the country’s tight October 4 election.

The restaurant sector is a huge provider of jobs in this foodworshipping southern European nation. It was also among the hardest hit by austerity imposed by centre-right premier Pedro Passos Coelho as part of efforts to shake off the sovereign debt crisis that also afflicted Spain, Greece and Cyprus. Thousands of eateries went broke amid the largest tax hikes in living memory as many recession-hit Portuguese were forced to do the unthinkable and forego eating meals out.

So with opposition Socialists pledging to reverse the tax hikes, the mood behind the serving hatch will be a key test of whether Portuguese are ready to complete the austerity cure.

“The VAT increase was the last straw for many businesses,” Jorge Costa, who runs the tradi-

HOPING FOR RECOVERY: Jose Suarez of the ‘Adega Tio Pepe’ restaurant invites tourists to enter his establishment in Lisbon, Portugal.

The restaurant sector is a huge provider of jobs in this food-worshipping southern European nation. – Reuetrs

OFFERING QUALITY MEALS: The ‘Adega Tio Pepe’ restaurant in

Lisbon, Portugal. – Reuters

tional ‘Leitaria Anunciada’ restaurant in central Lisbon, said of a 2012 hike in value-added sales tax to 23 per cent from 13 per cent which Passos Coelho’s government said was needed to plug a soaring budget deficit.

“From one moment to the next we were without clients.”

In a painful overhaul of business practices, Costa scraped through the crisis by firing three of his five staff — leaving just himself and his cook — and adapting his menus to put the emphasis more on quality.

Others were also downsizing.

The result was the loss of some 30,000 restaurant jobs, a 20 per cent fall in sales between 2008 and 2013 and the closure of 10,000 restaurants - just under 12 per cent of the country’s total of 74,660 establishments.

That mirrored the fate of the wider economy, which shrank 8 per cent over the same period while unemployment leapt to around 12 per cent now from under 8 per cent in 2008. National debt has doubled to hit 130 per cent of output last year.

With an economic recovery finally taking root in 2014 and accelerating now, Passos Coelho wants to convince voters that a vote for him is a bet on stability that will allow investment to take off and generate more growth.

Debt is due to fall to a still colossal 125 per cent of output by the end of the year. But with polls showing Pedro Passos Coelho’s coalition stuck in a dead heat with his Socialist challenger Antonio Costa, the jury is still clearly out.

“The sector went through a perfect storm,” said Jose-Manuel Esteves, director-general of the AHRESP hotel and restaurant lobby group, describing Passos Coelho’s refusal to cut taxes if re-elected as an “affront and provocation” to restaurateurs. Passos Coelho argues the tax revenues will help reduce Portugal’s deficit and national debt pile, thus reassuring investors. But Esteves for one says that stability alone is not enough and endorses the Socialists’ platform of quickly cutting VAT for restaurants back down to 13 per cent.

Biggest job sectors That will appeal to many others in a sector which still employs about 211,200, one of the biggest job sectors in Portugal, and which generates about 5 per cent of gross domestic product on revenues of 6 billion euros ($6.8 billion). Still, the broadening economic recovery and, not least, soaring tourism, has already begun to benefit many in the restaurant sector who adapted during the crisis by offering quality meals at reasonable prices.

At ‘Rubro’, off Lisbon’s main avenue, co-owner Luis Morais Pereira said his restaurant also suffered but introduced changes to get through the crisis and is now even thriving. “What we did was reformulate our menu, to offer consumers more competitive alternatives, lowering the average ticket price,” said Morais Pereira as office-workers streamed in for lunch of charcoal-grilled meat.

Like other restaurants that survived, or new ones that have begun to open in the past year offering niche products like quality burgers, Rubro has stuck to doing the basics well.

“We are an Iberian restaurant, we offer beverages, tapas and very good, matured grilled meat. I think the key to our success is the sim-

plicity and quality of the ingredients at very good value,” Morais Pereira said.

He declined to say which he would vote on October 4. But regardless of the outcome of the election, Rubro has already decided to open two new restaurants this year — one to take advantage of growing tourism in Lisbon and another in the upmarket resort of Cascais not far from the capital.

That is a formula not everyone will be able to replicate. “I don’t believe that a restaurant will survive well unless it is located in a tourist zone,” said Costa, thankful his “Leitaria Anunciada” is in a tourist area that attracts Spanish, German and French visitors.

An as yet undecided voter, Costa hopes that all politicians will stop

treating businesses simply as a “point of collecting tax payments” and instead see their value as generators of jobs.

Such frustration with Portugal’s leadership is common, with many — especially those not in a lucrative tourist spot — doubting any politician will really make a difference. At the old-fashioned, family-owned ‘Adega do Tio Pepe’ restaurant, Spanish-born Jose Suarez says he has cut staff and opening hours and will probably sell soon, having no stomach to continue with high taxes and dwindling clients, and uninclined to put his faith in the Socialists either. “(Antonio) Costa talks and talks, and I don’t know if the prime minister, Mr Passos Coelho is any good or bad,” he said. - Reuters

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Polluted French capital hosts ‘car-free’ day for first time Paris became the latest city worldwide to hold a car-free day as it prepares to host UN-led climate negotiations this December seeking to seal a post-2020 pact on curbing greenhouse gases RIGHT MOVE: People walk on the Champs-Elysees, as Paris went car-free on Sunday.

PARIS: Paris staged a car-free day for the first time on Sunday, with large parts of the increasingly polluted French capital taken over by cyclists, joggers and families with pushchairs on roads normally choked by vehicles.

The roaring traffic of the worldrenowned Champs-Elysees avenue was replaced by people strolling in the late September

sunshine. Paris became the latest city worldwide to hold a car-free day as it prepares to host United Nations-led climate negotiations this December seeking to seal a post-2020 pact on curbing greenhouse gases.

All traffic except taxis and emergency vehicles was banned in four central arrondissements, or districts, from 11am to 6pm.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said she would have liked cars to be silenced across the whole city.

“We didn’t get as wide a perimeter as we’d have liked, we asked for the whole of Paris,” she said at the start of the event.

“But it’s a first and I think next year it will be even bigger.”

Hidalgo was accompanied by the mayors of Brussels, Sao Paulo

- Reuters

in Brazil and Bristol in southwest England, which have also held car-free days.

Elsewhere in Paris, cars were asked to stick to a pedestrian speed limit of 20 kilometres (12 miles) an hour — although many drivers ignored the request.

Still, the initiative drew rave reviews from many of those who took advantage of the car-

free streets on Sunday. “It’s very pleasurable,” Randy, an American tourist, told AFP. “It’s wonderful to able to just ride freely and not worry about cars.”

French cyclist Renaud, echoed that sentiment, saying Paris needed to take more steps to stem the daily flow of vehicles.

“If we want a city that is clean, beautiful and green... I believe that we must not hesitate to ban and thus limit cars in the city,” he added.

Paris has struggled with an increasingly troubling air pollution problem caused by vehicles, heating and heavy industry, which generate tiny floating particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and the blood system, causing health problems.

Twice in the past two years authorities have invoked drastic restrictions — which had not been used since 1997 — that forced half the cars off the road in the French capital and its surroundings in an effort to curb smog.

The restrictions allowed drivers to take to the road every other day and were enforced by hundreds of police officers writing citations carrying a fine of 22 euros ($25) to those who defied the rules. - AFP

INSURGENCY

IS fighters’ attack Afghan police posts JALALABAD: Self-proclaimed fighters from the IS group have for the first time launched coordinated attacks on police checkpoints in an eastern Afghan province, officials said on Sunday.

The raids on eight to 10 police posts began early on Sunday, Haji Ghalib, governor of Achin district in Nangarhar province, said giving no casualty figures.

“This is the first time that Daesh (IS) fighters have launched coordinated attacks on police checkpoints in Nangarhar,” he said.

The attacks in Achin were confirmed by the border police commander in eastern Afghanistan, Mohammad Ayoub Hussainkhail.

They came a day after a UN report warned that IS was making inroads in Afghanistan, winning over a growing number of sympathisers and recruiting followers in 25 of the country’s 34 provinces.

Afghan security forces told UN sanctions monitors that about 10 per cent of the Taliban insurgency are IS sympathisers, according to the report by the UN’s Al Qaeda monitoring team. Some insurgents, particularly in the restive eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, have adopted the IS flag to rebrand themselves as a more lethal force as NATO combat troops depart after 14 years of war. - AFP

SURVEY

Swiss populist right gains ahead of polls GENEVA: Switzerland’s populist right has seen its support swell ahead of parliamentary elections next month amid fears over the effects of Europe’s migration crisis, a survey showed on Sunday.

A poll published by the SonntagsBlick weekly showed 27.8 per cent of those questioned threw their support behind the antiimmigrant Swiss People’s Party.

This is 1.2 percentage points more than SVP, already the largest party in the wealthy Alpine nation, scored in the last elections four years ago.

Immigration Another poll earlier this month showed that immigration and asylum issues topped the concern of Swiss voters ahead of the October 18 elections.

Immigration has long been a hot-button issue in the country, where foreign nationals make up about a quarter of its eight million inhabitants.

The arrival in Europe of some 500,000 migrants since the start of this year — most of them refugees fleeing war and persecution in places like Syria — had fuelled concern in Switzerland.

Huge influxes While it has so far has been spared the huge influxes seen elsewhere, there has been a sharp rise in asylum requests, mainly from Eritrea.

For all of 2015, Switzerland

expects to receive some 29,000 asylum requests, up from 23,765 last year.

Most competent party Sunday’s survey, conducted by the OpinionPlus institute between September 17 and 21 of 1,007 Swiss citizens planning to vote, showed a full third of those questioned believed SVP was the most competent party to deal with the refugee crisis.

The party, which in the past has illustrated its programme with a picture of white sheep kicking a black sheep off the red and white Swiss flag, said Friday it wanted a referendum on Switzerland’s new asylum law, which it warned was too lax and would act as “a powerful magnet for illegal immigrants.”

Sunday’s survey meanwhile showed the leftwing Swiss Socialist Party remains the country’s second largest party with 19 per cent support, up 0.3 per cent from the 2011 elections.

SVP’s expected dominance in the polls does not mean it will dominate the next government.

Posts in the seven-member, five party government, the Federal Council, which has no prime minister, are traditionally shared among the major parties from right to left under a tacit decadesold agreement dubbed “the magic formula”. Despite being the largest party, SVP currently holds just one government post, with Defence Minister Ueli Maurer. -AFP

P L A N N E D P R O - M A L AY R A L LY

Malaysia summons China’s ambassador over comments KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has summoned China’s ambassador to clarify his remarks criticising extremism and racism ahead of a planned pro-Malay rally in the capital.

Local newspaper The Star said on Friday Ambassador Huang Huikang had warned that Beijing had no fear of speaking out against actions that threatened its interests and affected the rights of its people.

Discrimination “The Chinese government opposes terrorism and any form of discrimination against races and any form of extremism,” The Star quoted Huang saying.

Huang’s reported comments preceded a planned rally by a Malay-dominated, pro-government group that was reported to demand more Malay participation in Petaling Street, where most vendors are ethnic Chinese.

China’s Foreign Ministry did

not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Malaysia’s foreign ministry said it would meet Huang on Monday to clarify comments that “attracted attention and caused concern to the Malaysian public”.Huang made the comments during a visit to the popular Petaling Street market, known as Chinatown, on Friday.

Rally organisers said on Friday night they had cancelled the planned protest on advice from the police. Mostly-Malay ‘red shirts’ had taken the streets with 30,000 marchers in the middle of September to show support for Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is battling allegations of corruption and mismanagement at indebted state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd .But previous anti-government protests, critics said, led by a pro-democracy group called Bersih and which attracted many urban Chinese people, had insulted the country’s Malay leaders. - Reuters

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5 The attack on Bani Zela may signal an escalation in combat along the border.

The target of the strikes was unclear.

Saudi-led attack kills 25 civilians in Yemen village Women and children were among the victims when Saudi-led alliance helicopters attack the village of Bani Zela in Yemen RAGING BATTLE: The sky over Sanaa is illuminated by antiaircraft fire during a Saudi-led air strike in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, on Saturday. – Reuters

SANAA: Air strikes by helicopters from a Saudi-led alliance killed 25 civilians in a Yemeni village on Sunday, residents and medics said, adding that most of the victims were women and children.

“People were fleeing their homes as the helicopters pursued.

They committed a massacre for no reason,” a resident who called himself Khaled told Reuters by phone. The incident in the village of Bani Zela, in Yemen’s Red Sea border area with Saudi Arabia, comes a day after the kingdom announced that three of its officers, including a general, had been killed along the frontier.

An Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been pounding the Houthi militia in Yemen from the air for six months, trying to eject the group from the capital Sanaa and restore President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi to power.

The campaign has resulted in several mass killings of civilians, including 36 people at a water bottling plant in August and 25 workers at a milk factory in April.

The attack on Bani Zela may signal an escalation in combat

along the border. The target of the strikes was unclear and a spokesman for the alliance could not be immediately reached for comment. A Saudi brigadier general died in hospital of wounds suffered in an incident on the border with Yemen, the kingdom’s armed forces said on Saturday.

Ibrahim Omar Ibrahim Hamzi, deputy commander of the 8th brigade in Saudi Arabia’s southern Jizan province, was injured “defending the nation and its citizens,” the statement said, without providing any details.

His death follows the killing of two border officers along the frontier on Saturday. About 100 Saudi military personnel, including another general, have been killed along the border with Yemen since the Saudi-led campaign began in March, according to a Reuters count. More than 4,500 Yemenis have also died since March, according to UN figures.

In the latest fighting, coalition air strikes pounded suspected Houthi targets in the capital

around 25 times, residents said, and hit several other central provinces. Saudi-led troops and allied Yemeni tribesmen were fighting ground battles against militiamen and their allies in Yemen’s army in the desert province of Marib 120km (75 miles) east of Sanaa on Sunday.

Artillery fire The two sides exchanged artillery fire in a coalition push for the strategic foothills leading to Sanaa on Saturday, backed by Arab air strikes. At least 20 bodies from both sides were seen on the battlefield, a local official told Reuters. Hadi arrived in the southern port city of Aden on Tuesday, a week after his government’s formal return to Yemeni soil from Saudi Arabia. But he left the country again on Sunday, local officials said, en route to the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. It remains unclear whether he will return again to Yemen or go back to Saudi Arabia. — Reuters

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17 Syrians drown as migrant boat sinks in Turkish waters The bodies of the dead Syrians — including five children — were discovered by the Turkish coastguard inside the cabin of their wooden boat, which had set off from the holiday resort town of Bodrum for the Greek island of Leros

ANKARA/BRUSSELS: Seventeen Syrian refugees drowned Sunday when their boat sank in Turkish waters on its way to Greece, local media reported, while the Italian coastguard said it had rescued some 500 migrants in the Mediterranean this weekend. The bodies of the dead Syrians — including five children — were discovered by the Turkish coastguard inside the cabin of their wooden boat, which had set off from the holiday resort town of Bodrum for the Greek island of Leros, the Dogan news agency reported.

Another 20 migrants, who were on the boat’s deck and had been wearing life jackets, survived and swam back to the Turkish coast, Dogan said. They were taken to a morgue in Bodrum to identify their drowned relatives.

Among the dead was a three-

TOWARDS SAFETY: People help a woman as she arrives with other refugees and migrants to the Greek island off Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on September 27, 2015. — AFP

year-old boy named Yusuf, who was identified by his grief-stricken Syrian father, state news agency Anatolia said.

The tragedy came as the Italian coastguard launched seven operations in the Mediterranean over the weekend, plucking some 500

migrants from the water.

On Saturday the German navy frigate Werra and a boat run by medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) rescued 140 people from a giant dinghy, according to an AFP photographer.

The migrants -- who had set

sail from Libya three days earlier -- mainly came from the west African countries of Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Sierra Leone. They were rescued about 80 kilometres off the Libyan coast.

In Greece, police said on Sunday that an average of 5,500 migrants are crossing the border with Macedonia every day on their journey north. “Nearly 60 per cent of them are Syrians,” Vassilis Tsartsanis, a member of a local charity that is helping migrants on the border, told AFP. Meanwhile, up to 20,000 people demonstrated in the Belgian capital Sunday in support of refugees, demanding they be welcomed and

treated properly. The organisers, a collection of local and international rights groups, said there were “20,000 people in Brussels to say welcome to refugees.”

“Thanks for this fantastic effort,” the ‘Citizens Platform for support of refugees in Brussels’ said on Facebook.

“Standing behind us are all the European citizens who are working to help the refugees,” Elodie Francart of the Citizens’ Platform group was quoted as saying by the Belga news agency.

The marchers carried banners reading “Refugees Welcome” while many tweeted messages of support and encouragement. — AFP

EASING TIES

Obama to meet Raul on Tuesday UNITED NATIONS: US President Barack Obama will hold talks with Cuban leader Raul Castro on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the White House said on Sunday.

It will be the second meeting between the two leaders, after a first historic encounter in Panama in April.

Washington and Havana reestablished diplomatic relations in July after more than half a century of enmity.

The Cuban leader, who succeeded his brother Fidel in 2006, will make his first-ever address to the UN General Assembly on Monday, only several hours after Obama takes the podium.

In an address to a UN development summit on Saturday, Castro took aim at the US embargo against Cuba, describing it as the “main obstacle” to his country’s economic development.

“Such a policy is rejected by 188 United Nations member-states that demand its removal,” he said, referring to a UN resolution calling for the end of the decadesold embargo.

The 193-nation assembly has voted each year since 1982 to approve a resolution calling on the United States to lift the embargo against Cuba, which has been in place since 1960.

Unfinished business Castro hailed the re-establishment of relations with Washington as a “major progress,” but stressed that the embargo was unfinished business.

“The economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba persists, as it has been for half a century, bringing damages and hardships on the Cuban people,” said Castro.

Since the rapprochement with Cuba, Washingtonhas expressed support for lifting the embargo, but the decision rests with Congress, where a Republican majority opposes the move. — AFP

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UAE remains Sultanate’s main exporter Japan was the second leading market for Oman’s imports, followed

by India, China and Saudi Arabia, shows NCSI’s latest data

A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman’s neighbouring country, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), retained its position as the top exporter of goods and services to the Sultanate in the first five months of 2015, with a share of 32.5 per cent or OMR1,471.5 million.

The Sultanate’s total imports edged down by 2 per cent to OMR4,525.8 million in this period, from OMR4,620.2 million for the same period last year.

According to the latest statistics released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), Japan was the second leading market for Oman’s imports, followed by India, China and Saudi Arabia.

SAFE SAILING: The Sultanate’s total imports edged down by 2 per cent to OMR4,525.8 million in the first 5 months of 2015, from OMR4,620.2 million for the same period last year. — Times file picture

In fact, the Sultanate imported Chinese goods and services worth OMR249.6 million, showing a surge of 52 per cent over the same period last year.

Oman’s total imports last year stood at OMR11,267.7 million, with 32.5 per cent of these coming from the UAE. Also, it is generally believed that Chinese exports to Oman will surge in the coming months due to a fall in prices of Chinese goods in the aftermath of a huge devaluation of yuan.

As far as non-oil exports are concerned, Oman witnessed a 12.9 per cent fall at OMR1,338.1 million in the first five months of the current year, against the same period last year. The fall in export revenue was mainly on account of a plunge in commodity prices in international markets.

The UAE was also the top importer of Oman’s non-oil exports, followed by Saudi Arabia, the United States, China and India.

According to the latest statistics released by the NCSI, the UAE imported non-oil commodities worth OMR276.7 million, out of the Sultanate’s total non-oil exports of OMR1,338.1 million in the first five months of 2015.

Oman’s export development agency, Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development (Ithraa), is undertaking several initiatives to boost non-oil exports, especially to its target markets. These include visits of trade delegations, participation in international exhibitions, business-to-business meetings and market studies in potential export markets.

POWER PROJECT IN KOREA

Oman’s partly-owned firm opens Asia’s biggest biomass project Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Oil Company’s (OOC) partly-owned South Korea’s power producer — GS EPS — has officially inaugurated the largest biomass power plant in Asia.

The project has a capacity of 105 megawatt, which was developed with a capital expenditure of about $273 million. GS EPS is a joint venture in Korea between OOC (30 per cent) and GS Holdings (70 per cent), according to a press release.

GS EPS, Korea’s independent power producer has conducted a project completion ceremony for the Biomass Power Plantin the presence of executives of GS Group and OOC, at GS EPS’s Bogok Industrial Complex atDangjin, Chungnam Province, Korea.

“It is a great pleasure for OOC to witness the inauguration of the project completion with GS Holdings. This investment is part of the company’s integrated strategy to diversify its growing investments

JOINT VETURE PROJECT: GS EPS is a joint venture in Korea between Oman Oil Company and GS Holdings. — Supplied picture

internationally,” said Hilal Al Kharusi, vice-president of emerging businesses at OOC. “OOC plays a vital role to facilitate the transfer of expertise and technology to form a knowledgebased economy, and aims to build the technological and operational capacities through strategic partnerships. In future, similar renewable energy project opportunity can be explored in Oman,” he added.

GS EPS generates and provides electricity using natural gas and bio energy. The company oper-

ates LNG fired combined cycle power plants in Dangjin, Chungnam Province, which has a capacity of 1500 megawatt; biomass power plant in Shandong, China of 30 megawatt; and fuel cell power plant in Korea.

GS EPS Biomass Power Plant, which will use Palm Kernel Shell, an environmentally-friendly fuel for the plant and produce electricity by the steam turbine and Circulating Fluidised Bed Combustion type boiler. The Biomass Power Plant has capacity to generate electricity for 110,000 people.

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MARKET MIDDLE EAST

Construction industry faces skills shortage in region Times News Service

STRONG GROWTH: The fact that strong growth in construction is driving diversification from oil means mid-level skills-gaps will need to be filled in countries like Saudi Arabia. – Supplied photo

ECONOMY

India to reduce interest rate NEW DELHI: India’s central bank governor Raghuram Rajan may budge to government and industry pressure to cut interest rate with a view to spur economic recovery and mitigate the impact of slowing China on India.

Most of the bankers feel that benign inflation and status quo by United States Federal Reserve has given room for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to cut short-term lending (repo) rate by at least 0.25 per cent to 7 per cent.

Even federal finance minister Arun Jaitley last week asserted that common sense says the interest rates should come down. Jait-

ley had said inflation is “very much under control” and the country is better prepared than most emerging economies to weather the global economic turbulence.

Global turmoil Global turmoil triggered by devaluation of yuan and reports of slowing growth in China has impacted Indian currency and stock markets.

As regards the price situation, the wholesale price index (WPI) remained in negative territory for 10 months in a row and stood at (-) 4.95 per cent, while the retail inflation (CPI) eased to a record low of

3.66 per cent in August.

However, first quarter GDP number of 7 per cent was below the market expectation.

These macro-economic details would be taken into account by the RBI during its fourth bi-monthly monetary policy review of this fiscal on September 29.

According to State Bank of India chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya, there is a space for rate cut as the possibility of food prices going up in coming months is negligible. “I do still believe that there is a space for rate cut in India. How much is difficult to state at this point of time,” she said. - PTI

MUSCAT: A shortage in labour is currently one of the biggest challenges facing the Middle East construction industry, says a report.

In addition to technical skills, soft skills are said to be in increasing demand across the region, and in some cases are seen as being as important among increasingly selective employers.

“The implications of skills shortages in the GCC are such that project delays and costs are becoming a real possibility,” said Andy White, vice president of dmg events Middle East and Africa.

“However, when you consider that some skills shortages are emerging due to renewed confidence in construction, economic growth, rising populations, and a revival of projects put on hold during the global economic reces-

sion, the report is very positive,” she added. “It is also something we fully expected based on industry trends and feedback received from The Big 5 over the last few years,” Andy said.

However, while engineers rank highly among the top jobs held by expatriates, shortages are not present across the board. In fact, junior and senior level skills are said to be readily available.

The Big 5 event These are the highlights of a report commissioned by the organisers of The Big 5, one of the largest and most respected construction events in the world.

The fact that strong growth in construction is driving diversification from oil means mid-level skills-gaps will need to be filled in countries like Saudi Arabia.

According to the report pro-

duced by Ventures Onsite on industry trends, construction in Saudi Arabia registered the highest non-oil GDP growth rate in the region, reaching 6.7 per cent in 2014. Saudi Arabia also retained the highest share of the regional construction market, with its 44 per cent, followed closely by 31 per cent in UAE. Skills will also need to be filled as governments are poised to spend big on affordable housing, healthcare and education.

Bahrain, for example, has announced plans to build 10 new schools in the next 3 years, with at least 40,000 social housing units to be constructed by 2022.

A further 45,000 affordable homes are planned for Kuwait, while the Dubai Municipality has allocated its own space for affordable housing projects in the UAE emirate of Dubai.

BP Oman hires 15 new trainees

TRAINING CENTRE: The new recruits of BP Oman’s Technicians Development Programme are trained at a dedicated Technician Training Centre in Ghala. – Supplied picture

Technicians Development Programme provides a world-class learning environment for young and talented Omanis, recruited from local technical colleges

Times News Service MUSCAT: Eight production technicians and seven instrumentation technicians have been hired by BP Oman as part of the company’s Technicians Development Programme.

The programme provides a world-class learning environment for young and talented Omanis, recruited from local technical colleges and trained at a dedicated Technician Training Centre in Ghala.

As part of their induction, the new comers had a tour around the centre to learn about the technology used and to have an under-

standing of the equipment they will be trained on. In addition, they were briefed on the Khazzan project and BP’s activities, strategies, values and health and safety guidelines.

Launched in 2012, the BP Oman Technicians Training Programme so far has recruited over 90 technicians to become qualified instrumentation, mechanical, electrical and production technicians over a five-year programme.

The programme consists of 15 months foundation course followed by a post foundation programme providing operational experience mixed with technical assessments at an operational site

to achieve an internationally-recognised competence qualification.

The technicians are equipped with skills and expertise to work on the Khazzan project once operation starts by end of 2017.

“This programmeis a great example of how we develop locals to become world-class technicians in the long term,” Yousuf Al Ojaili, president of BP Oman said.

“Recently, we have signed an agreement with Oman LNG to train a number of the technicians at Oman LNG plant in Sur. This collaboration demonstrates oil and gas companies’ efforts to share their expertise for the benefit of Oman,” he added.

BP Oman also recently welcomed the new batch of its competency based programme known as BP’s global Challenge Programme, to train and develop fresh graduates.

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SHARIA-COMPLIANT

Indonesia trying for Islamic banking boom JAKARTA: Indonesian teacher Nina Ramadhaniah hopes for ‘blessings from Allah’ by opening a Sharia bank account — the sort of pious customer the world’s most-populous Muslim-majority country is praying for as it launches an Islamic finance drive.

Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, has a Muslim population of around 225 million but this huge number of faithful has not translated into success for Sharia banks, institutions required to do business in line with Islamic principles.

Now regulators have launched a plan aimed at growing the sector, which currently accounts for less than five percent of banking assets, compared to a quarter in neighbouring, more developed Muslim-majority Malaysia and around half in Saudi Arabia.

Authorities believe it is a good moment, with many Indonesians getting wealthier after years of strong economic growth and an increasing trend towards piety across broad sections of society.

Many of those without bank accounts, estimated at about 40 per cent of the population, are soon expected to open one.

“The situation is an opportunity for the Islamic banking business to get bigger,” said Nasirwan Ilyas, a senior official from the Islamic banking division of the Financial Services Authority (OJK).

Five-year roadmap The OJK is spearheading the drive, and unveiled a five-year roadmap earlier this year that included plans to educate the public about Sharia lenders and the establishment of an Islamic finance committee.

Key features of Sharia banking include the prohibition of interest on loans or customer deposits, and a ban on investing in “non-Islamic” businesses, such as those involving alcohol or some meat products. For teacher Ramadhaniah, who has an account with Indonesia’s biggest Islamic lender, Bank Syariah Mandiri, the ban on interest is a key attraction. - AFP

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MARKET BUREAUCRACY

Ethiopian entrepreneurs overcome obstacles ADDIS ABABA: The large open plan office with staff behind sleek computers looks like any newlystarted modern business.

But Ethiopia’s first online restaurant delivery service, Deliver Addis, must contend with major hurdles that would stall many entrepreneurs in more developed nations.

Setting up any business is a challenge, but in Ethiopia, those range from daily operating headaches such as on-off Internet — stalling the highly time-sensitive orders on which it depends — to even more fundamental business challenges.

Banking system As the country’s banking and payments systems are still in their infancy, electronic payments are impossible, thus creating a huge hurdle for growth. “The Internet goes out a couple of times a week -- when that happens, there is not much we can do but rely on phone lines to take orders,” said Feleg Tsegaye, manager of Deliver Addis.

But he also believes the Horn of Africa nation — the second most populous on the continent — offers enormous opportunities.

Tsegaye was born and brought up in the United States but moved to Ethiopia, the homeland of his parents, hoping to tap into a still largely untapped but swiftly growing market he believes is one of the most promising on the continent.

“The IT sector is still in its infancy — typically in these markets there is a way to transfer money very quickly and very easily, but here that doesn’t exist quite yet,” he added. “Once you have a way for entrepreneurs to make money through technology, I think you are going to see that change very quickly.” - AFP

Oman’s projects on track to surpass last year’s $14.8b After eight months of the year, the Sultanate has already awarded more than $11 billion worth of contracts, according to a survey

by Meed Projects

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman’s projects market is set for another recordbreaking year. After eight months of the year, the Sultanate has already awarded more than $11 billion worth of contracts, and is on track to beat the $14.8 billion signed awards in 2014, which itself was a record performance.

These are the latest estimates conducted by Meed Projects, the region’s leading online projects tracking service.

The pace has been set by a raft of major projects, including the multi-billion-dollar Khazzan and Makarem tight gas development, the $900million Yibal Khuff sour gas development, the $630million Salalah independent power project, and the estimated $600million Miraah solar power plant.

Also anticipated this year are awards on the first segment of the Oman Rail project, expected to be worth in excess of $1 billion, the four multi-billion-dollar main

MAJOR PROJECTS: Updates on Oman’s major infrastructure, transport, power, water, social and tourism projects will be shared at this year’s Oman Projects Forum taking place on October 26 to 28 in Muscat. – Times file picture

packages on the Liwa plastics scheme, and the Barka and Sohar independent water projects, valued at about $500million each, the Meed Projects noted.

Infrastructure, Updates on Oman’s major infrastructure, transport, power, water, social and tourism projects will be shared at this year’s Oman Projects Forum taking place on October 26 to 28 in Muscat. The forum is under the patronage of D. Ali Massoud Al Sunaidi, minister of commerce and industry. The Oman Projects Forum offers critical insight into Oman’s $140.6 billion projects pipeline to help delegates effectively penetrate and increase market share in Oman.

Representatives from the Sul-

tanate’s key project owners, developers and contractors will participate in candid discussions sharing critical insight into Oman’s capital expenditure plans and the scale of opportunities across these sectors.

“Whether Oman beats last year’s record for contract awards will largely depend on the award of a handful of major contracts by the end of 2015,” said Ed James, Meed Projects director of content and analysis. “However, with most of them at an advanced stage of tender evaluation, we are hopeful that awards will be made soon.”

Oman has traditionally been a small market by regional standards, with about $8 billion worth of contracts awarded each year.

However, the past 18 months have seen a steep change in activity in

OFFSHORE VESSELS

the Sultanate as the government looks to proceed with a number of key projects such as the Muscat International Airport, the modernisation of the Sohar refinery and the planned railway network.

Oil price slump However, in light of the oil price slump, concerns are growing over whether current spending levels can be maintained into 2016 and beyond with the government under pressure to cut expenditure. “Like most Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Oman is reliant on oil income and will be under pressure to cut spending,” added James.

“If it is to maintain a steady flow of new projects, then the Sultanate may well have to look at new

ways of raising finance such PPPtype deals and bond and sukuk issuances,” he added.

These issues along with the prospects for the current and future projects market will be discussed at Meed’s Oman Projects Forum, where stakeholders including Oman Airport Management Company, Ministry of Manpower Oman, Omran, Oman Air, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Sohar Port and Freezone and more will share their plans for 2015 and beyond.

HAVE YOUR SAY Send us your comments at facebook.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com haveyoursay@timesofoman.com

HOUSING IN OMAN

Oman floats tenders to develop housing project in Liwa area Times News Service

DELIVERY IN 2017: The two modern subsea vessels will be of VARD 3 08 design and are scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2017 and the fourth quarter of 2017. – Supplied picture

Renaissance subsidiary Topaz to buy two modern subsea vessels from Vard Times News Service MUSCAT: Renaissance Services subsidiary, Topaz Energy and Marine (Topaz), a leading international offshore support vessel company, on Monday announced the acquisition of two modern subsea vessels from Vard Brattvaag in Norway at a purchase price of approximately $115 million.

Specifically developed for light subsea construction with intervention duties, the vessels will be of VARD 3 08 design and are scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2017 and the fourth

quarter of 2017.

Topaz retains an option for two more vessels.

René Kofod-Olsen, chief executive officer of Topaz Energy and Marine, said: “We have confidence in the growth of the Subsea sector and accordingly we’re reinvesting in our subsea-capable fleet with these innovative and fit-for-purpose vessels. By building in what is a challenging time for the industry we have minimised costs, and believe that at the time of delivery the market will have rebalanced sufficiently to be generating healthy demand.

These highly capable, energy efficient and cost-effective vessels will benefit Topaz and our global clients immensely.

Global designer “Vard is one of the leading global designers and shipbuilders of high-end offshore supply vessels (OSVs). Their longstanding shipbuilding traditions, cutting-edge innovation and technology coupled with an integrated design house, made us comfortable in entrusting this project to Vard.”

The DP2 class vessels will have a 120-tonne active heave compen-

sated offshore crane with the capability to reach working depths of 3,000 metres. Subsea equipment can be lowered down onto the seabed through a moon pool or over the shipside. In addition, both vessels will be prepared for two Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs), which are deployed via Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS) in the ship’s side.

The vessels will be built according to the latest Special Purpose Ship (SPS) regulations, with diesel electric engines and the ability to accommodate up to 82 persons in high standard cabins.

MUSCAT: Oman’s Ministry of Housing on Sunday floated three separate tenders inviting excellent grade contracting firms registered with the Tender Board to build single and twin villas in Liwa residential area.

The tenders are floated for three different zones — B, C and E — which will consist of several housing units in a newly developed residential area.

The last date for submitting bids is on November 30, and it will be opened on the same day. Oman has been investing heavily on housing units to resolve housing problems of its citizens.

According to recent reports, the Supreme Council for Planning (SCP) is studying setting up of modern residential complexes to deal with the problem of scattered housing developments that are posing challenges to municipal bodies. The traditional practice of building houses on land allocated by the Ministry of Housing has led to scattered development causing difficulties in providing utilities and other services.

Retail sector The retail sector is likely to benefit from a drive by the government to ensure that more planning is put into new housing development, including allied community services. The new housing scheme,

HOUSING PLAN

The tenders are floated for three different zones - B, C and E - and it will consist of several single and twin villas in a newly developed residential area in Liwa.

which will come under the ninth Five Year Plan, will take the form of residential complexes across the governorates that will be easier to serve.

A cluster approach to housing will also open the door to community-level retail developments to meet the needs of residents. Demand for such centres is likely to gain momentum as officials look to reduce the Ministry of Housing’s waiting list through an organised township policy as part of the new five year plan.

B4

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

MARKET Index rises marginally

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ........................................5,784.42 ...............5,765.40 ....................5,775.03 ................... 5,765.42.................... 9.61 ................... 0.17 Financial Index .....................................6,914.67 .............. 6,866.88 ................... 6,907.05 ................... 6,867.07................. 39.98 ................... 0.58 Industrial Index .................................... 7,351.37 .............. 7,348.24 ................... 7,348.53 ...................7,348.24....................0.29 ...................0.00 Services Index ...................................... 3,229.27 .............. 3,223.94 ...................3,226.25 ...................3,226.22....................0.03 ...................0.00 MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................906.81 ..................905.30 ...................... 906.35 ...................... 906.66.................. -0.31 .................. -0.03 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 6,037,350 .....................1,884,126 .................... 294 ............... 14,540,185,273 .................. 9 ........................9 .................... 13 .........................31

Ominvest, up by 4.17 per cent, was the day’s top gainer while Oman & Emirates Holding,

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

down by 1.94 per cent, was the top loser ISIN ......................................SECURITY NAME ..................................................................VOLUME..... TURNOVER............TRADES ......OPEN PRICE......HIGH ............. LOW ........ CLOSE PR. ...PREV. CLOSE...DIFF (RO).........DIFF % .............LAST PR.....LAST BID .............LAST OFFER ........MARKET CAP.PAR VALUE

MUSCAT: Amid thinly traded volumes, the MSM30 Index closed at 5,775.03 points, up by 0.17 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index closed at 906.35 points, down by 0.03 per cent.

Oman International Development and Investment Company (Ominvest) was the most active in terms of volume as well as turnover. Ominvest, up by 4.17 per cent, was the day’s top gainer while Oman & Emirates Holding, down by 1.94 per cent was the top loser.

As many as 294 trades were executed during the trading session generating turnover of OMR1.8 million with over 6 million shares changing hands.

Out of 31 traded securities, 9 advanced, nine declined and 13 remained unchanged. Omani investors were net buyers to the tune of OMR46,000 while foreign investors were net sellers at OMR46,000 followed by GCC and Arab investors.

Financial Index advanced 0.58 per cent to end at 6,907.05 points.

Ominvest, Global Financial Investment, Bank Nizwa, United Finance and Al Sharqia Investments gained by 4.17 per cent, 1.82 per cent, 1.64 per cent, 1.54 per cent and 0.93 per cent, respectively. Oman & Emirates Holding, Al Madina Takaful, Bank Muscat, Gulf Investment Services and Oman United Insurance declined by 1.94 per cent, 1.15 per cent, 1.14 per cent, 1 per cent and 0.86 per cent, respectively.

Industrial Index ended at 7,348.53 points, unchanged from the previous session. Oman Ce-

ment, down by 0.44 per cent, was the only sector mover. Services Index remained flat at 3,226.25 points. Al Jazeera Services and Al Maha Petroleum gained 1.48 per cent and 0.51 per cent, respectively. ACWA Power and Ooredoo declined by 0.97 per cent and 0.53 per cent, respectively.

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

OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 2,112,556 ...1,056,278........................9 ........... 0.500 ...........0.500 ...........0.500........... 0.500 .............0.480 ........... 0.020............. 4.167 ................0.500..............0.480...................0.506 .................276,430,821........0.100 OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................. 70,000 ............... 7,855........................7 ............0.109 ........... 0.115............0.109............0.112 ............. 0.110............ 0.002..............1.818................. 0.111 .............. 0.110................... 0.111 .................. 22,400,000 ........0.100 OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ....................................................... 39,159 ................5,181........................5 ............0.130 ........... 0.133 ...........0.130........... 0.132 .............0.130............ 0.002............. 1.538 ................0.133 ..............0.130...................0.133...................41,020,972.........0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ............................................55,000 ............ 22,670........................8 ............0.412 ........... 0.414 ...........0.412 ........... 0.412 .............0.406 ........... 0.006............. 1.478 ................0.412 ..............0.408...................0.412................... 25,216,160 .........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 198,510 .............21,645......................18 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.109........... 0.109 .............0.108 ............0.001 .............0.926 ................0.109..............0.109...................0.110 .................... 9,810,000 ..........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 200,992........... 32,559........................3 ............0.160 ........... 0.162 ...........0.160........... 0.162 ............. 0.161 .............0.001 ............. 0.621 ................0.162 .............. 0.161...................0.167..................233,513,280........0.100 OM0000003000 ...........ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. ....... 11,500 ............ 22,770........................2 ............1.980 ........... 1.980 ...........1.980........... 1.980 .............1.970.............0.010 ............. 0.508 ................1.980..............1.900...................0.000 .................136,620,000........0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN .................................. 30,000 ...............8,880........................1 ........... 0.296 ...........0.296 ...........0.296........... 0.296 .............0.295 ............0.001 ............. 0.339 ................0.296............. 0.290...................0.296 .................396,850,234 .......0.100 OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 100,000 ............11,400........................2 ............0.114 ........... 0.114............0.114 ............0.114 ............. 0.114............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.114 .............. 0.110................... 0.114 ..................228,035,658........0.100

UAE stocks retreat United Arab Emirates stocks fell amid a slump in trading as markets struggled to gain momentum following a two-day holiday.

With most Middle East stock exchanges still closed, the DFM General Index dropped 0.6 per cent to 3,612.70 at the close.

Emaar Properties, the developer of the world’s tallest tower, led the declines with a 0.8 per cent decrease. About 61 million shares changed hands in the emirate, the lowest since December 2012, compared with an average of more than 440 million. Abu Dhabi’s ADX General Index fell 0.4 per cent as 48 out of 64 shares on the gauge didn’t move.

With so many markets still closed, “I’m not expecting a strong move,” said Sebastien Henin, the head of asset management at The National Investor in Abu Dhabi.

Oil prices were able to maintain their levels, so it’s “business as usual” in the region, he said.

Bloomberg’s GCC 200 Index, comprising 200 of the biggest stocks in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, has dropped 24 per cent in the past 12 months as the price of oil.

OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE............... 50,000 .............. 8,200........................2 ............0.164 ........... 0.164 ...........0.164........... 0.164 .............0.164............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.164 ..............0.162...................0.164...................32,800,000 ........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 756,924 ..........131,876.....................40 ............0.174 ........... 0.176 ...........0.173 ............0.174 ............. 0.174............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.173 .............. 0.173...................0.174 ................... 26,113,050 .........0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ....................................117,017 ............... 7,021........................7 ........... 0.060 ...........0.060 ...........0.060........... 0.060 .............0.060 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.060..............0.060...................0.061...................12,429,083 .........0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ..........................62,109 ..........100,870......................15 ............1.625 ........... 1.625 ...........1.620............1.625 ............. 1.625............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.620 .............. 1.610...................1.620................ 1,218,750,000 ......0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ......................................... 7,200 ................1,151........................3 ............0.160 ........... 0.160 ...........0.159 ........... 0.160 .............0.160 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.160..............0.160...................0.162...................46,504,163 .........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 309,314 ........... 29,088......................16 ........... 0.094 ........... 0.095 ...........0.094........... 0.094 .............0.094 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.094..............0.093...................0.094 ..................27,258,180 .........0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ....................................................... 6,214 ...............2,547........................6 ........... 0.406 ........... 0.410 ...........0.406........... 0.410 .............0.410............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.410 ..............0.410...................0.432...................24,805,000 ........0.100 OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER............................................................ 516,486.......... 175,809......................13 ........... 0.340...........0.342 ...........0.340 .......... 0.340 .............0.340 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.342..............0.342...................0.350...................75,143,400 .........0.100 OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT ............................................................ 19,190 ............... 8,727........................2 ........... 0.454 ........... 0.456 ...........0.454........... 0.454 .............0.456 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.439 ...............0.456..............0.456...................0.500 .................150,216,210 ........0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 201,932 ............39,981........................3 ............0.198 ........... 0.198 ...........0.197 ........... 0.198 ............. 0.199............-0.001 ........... -0.503 ...............0.197 .............. 0.197...................0.198.................. 282,157,157 ........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO......................................................................... 29,774 ............ 22,273........................5 ............0.740 ........... 0.752 ...........0.740............0.748 ............. 0.752............-0.004 ........... -0.532 ...............0.752 ..............0.736...................0.752................. 486,906,284 .......0.100 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE .................................15,000 ...............3,450........................1 ........... 0.230 ...........0.230 ...........0.230........... 0.230 .............0.232 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.862 ...............0.230..............0.227...................0.232 ..................23,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000003141 ............ACWA POWER BARKA ...............................................23,100 ............ 18,942........................3 ........... 0.820 ...........0.820 ...........0.820........... 0.820 .............0.828 ...........-0.008 ........... -0.966 ...............0.820..............0.820...................0.824 .................131,200,000........0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 105,000 ............10,348......................14 ........... 0.099 ...........0.099 ...........0.098........... 0.099 .............0.100 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.000 ...............0.098..............0.098...................0.099.................... 5,825,478 ..........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT .............................................................. 56,217 .............29,221........................5 ........... 0.524 ...........0.524 ...........0.518 ........... 0.520 .............0.526 ...........-0.006 ............-1.141 ................0.520..............0.520...................0.526.................1,191,747,750 .......0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL.............................................. 26,000 .............. 2,242........................4 ........... 0.087 ...........0.087 ...........0.086........... 0.086 .............0.087 ...........-0.001 ............-1.149................0.087..............0.086...................0.087...................15,050,000 .........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING............ 82,000 ...............8,286........................6 ............0.101 ........... 0.103 ...........0.101 ............0.101 .............0.103............-0.002 ........... -1.942 ...............0.103 .............. 0.101...................0.103...................12,309,375 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 5,201,194 ...1,789,268.................. 200 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......26........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 290,376 .............17,871.....................24 ............0.061 ...........0.062 ...........0.061 ........... 0.062 ............. 0.061.............0.001 ............. 1.639 ................0.062..............0.061...................0.062 ..................93,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. .................... 11,500 ...................391........................1 ........... 0.034 ...........0.034 ...........0.034........... 0.034 .............0.034 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.034..............0.034...................0.035....................2,890,000..........0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ...................................................... 30,000 ............... 1,530........................2 ............0.051 ........... 0.051 ...........0.051 ............0.051 ............. 0.051............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.051 .............. 0.051...................0.054 ...................6,375,000 ..........0.100 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 502,822 ........... 74,920..................... 65 ............0.149 ........... 0.149 ...........0.149 ........... 0.149 .............0.149............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.149 ..............0.149...................0.150.................. 217,927,618 ........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 834,698 ............94,712..................... 92 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........4........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS MARKET .................................................................................................................................................................................

OM0000004628 ...........BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5 .............................................1,458 ...................146........................2 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.100 ...........0.100........... 0.100 .............0.100 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.100..............0.100...................0.110 .................... 7,150,000 ..........0.100 .............................................SUM: .......................................................................................1,458 ...................146........................2 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. .........1........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

– United Securities/Bloomberg News

ENERGY PRICE

TRADE

‘Uberisation’ of economies pinching state tax revenues PARIS: With ‘sharing economy’ services like Uber, Blablacar and Airbnb spreading among consumers, state tax collectors risk experiencing a revenue pinch as these new collaborative players capture market share from traditional businesses.

The so-called ‘Uberisation’ of commerce is both rising in volume and spreading across an everlarger number of sectors — ranging from apartment, car and power tool sharing to money lending and food services.

Increasingly popular trade directly between individuals is challenging the paradigm of traditional service businesses, and forcing na-

tional tax authorities to scramble for a way to get their piece of the action. “People speak of a digital revolution, but you also have to talk about a fiscal revolution,” said Bernard Lalande, a Socialist senator in France.

Sharing services He is among those who fear that many individuals generating income through Internet-based sharing services will not declare them for taxation as required. “It’s very easy with these sites to generate extra income that escapes taxation... and since development of the sharing economy is being encouraged, losses by the state will

increase automatically,” said Vincent Drezet, who heads the main labour union at France’s finance ministry. Michel Taly, a tax lawyer and former director of fiscal legislation at the ministry, agreed, saying “the Internet allows the return of the barter economy on a large scale”. “If that leads to entire sectors exiting the traditional economy, we can really start worrying,” Taly said.

Beyond spreading “Uberisation” of sharing services, tax authorities are even more concerned about the wider booming digital economy, and challenges it presents to ensure all web merchants contribute their fair share to the public pot.- AFP

Crude slackness affects banks in Norway, says Credit Suisse COPENHAGEN: As Norway falls deeper into an oil-induced slump, its financial watchdog is adjusting rules on how much capital banks must hold to cope with such shocks.

According to Credit Suisse, the changes will mean higher capital requirements for Norwegian banks and fewer rewards for investors, as the Oslo-based Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) imposes some of Europe’s toughest standards.

From 2016 onward, Norwegian banks will need to anticipate the fallout of stressed economic conditions on their operations, including losses from asset sales and increased funding costs. The adjustment marks an overhaul by the FSA of an eight-year-old framework now deemed out of step with the climate in which banks are operating.

“The FSA’s ambition is to strengthen the capital levels in Norwegian banks,” Jan Wolter, a director at Credit Suisse’s European banks team, said in an e-mailed response to questions. “We believe the extra capital requirement could dilute long-term returns in the Norwegian banking market.”

Under the new measures, banks will also have to evaluate risks from excessive debt accumulation. The government has imposed a 1 per cent counter-cy-

Under the new measures, banks will also have to evaluate risks from excessive debt accumulation.

The government has imposed a 1 per cent counter-cyclical buffer

clical buffer, an additional layer of capital imposed when regulators worry credit growth is too fast.

It’s set to rise to 1.5 per cent next year, as officials look for ways to deal with growing household debt levels.

Additional rules The FSA’s additional rules, which cannot be met using hybrid instruments, may raise the minimum core Tier 1 equity requirement for Norway’s biggest bank, DNB, to as much as 15.5 per cent of risk-weighted assets, Wolter said. The bank reported a 13 per cent ratio in the second quarter.

While DNB generates enough profit to be able to meet the higher requirements, the new standards put its dividend policy at risk, according to Credit Suisse.

“A 50 per cent pay-out ratio already in 2016, as consensus expect, could be too optimistic,” Wolter said. “Rather, we see a 30 per cent pay-out ratio in the next three years as more likely.”

The fallout of lower oil prices has had a huge impact on the economy of Norway, western Europe’s biggest producer. Its central bank unexpectedly cut interest rates last week to a record low, and signaled it may ease further, as a 50 per cent drop in Brent crude over the past year kills jobs.

The FSA published the revisions to its 2006 and 2007 framework last month. The changes are to the internal risk and capital assessments that regulators require banks to conduct.

The agency also revealed its own methods for setting capital needs in excess of minimum global requirements to make the process for determining.

- Bloomberg News

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B

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M M ON DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

SECTION

SLOW DOWN ENJOY THE RIDE

E-

IMES TECH STUFF

iPhones hit stores amid Apple’s growth concerns Since 2013, iPhone sales have increased an average of about 35 per cent each quarter. In October to December last year, Apple sold 74.6 million iPhones — about 34,000 iPhone purchases per hour

Upgrade time The new models reached stores on Friday in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, France, Germany, the UK, Canada, the US and Puerto Rico.

Google is back under US antitrust scrutiny as officials ask whether the technology giant stifled competitors’ access to its Android mobile-operating system, said two people familiar with the matter.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reached an agreement with the Justice Department to spearhead an investigation of Google’s Android business, the people said. — Bloomberg News

T E C H U P D AT E S

Samsung Electronics targets expansion in logic chips Samsung Electronics, the world’s second-biggest chipmaker, wants to get bigger and is targeting an expansion in logic chips as part of its effort to add to its leading position in memory. The company intends to sell more chips to other companies and won’t put the needs of Samsung divisions ahead of its potential external customers, said Kim Ki Nam, head of the company’s logic chip business. The South Korea-based chipmaker also is the world’s largest maker of smartphones, leading supplier of TVs and among the top suppliers of liquid-crystal displays and other components. “We believe we have plenty of room to grow,” Kim said. “If you have a fab (plant) to operate it doesn’t matter whether your customer is internal or on the outside. Whoever buys our capacity is the primary customer.” Samsung on Thursday opened a new chip research-and-design centre in Santa Clara, California. The one million square-foot building, close to the headquarters of companies such as Cisco Systems and Intel, is aimed at keeping Samsung competitive with Silicon Valley companies in its ability to recruit engineering talent, Kim said. Asia’s largest electronics maker has suffered declining sales over the past year and a half as its Galaxy line of mobile phones has lost share to Apple’s iPhone and face lower-priced competition from Chinese newcomers. — Bloomberg News

Foxconn near deal for control of Sharp’s key LCD business

H

ow many iPhones can Apple sell? That’s a question facing Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook as the latest batch of handsets began landing in stores worldwide on Friday. The company has hit sales records with each annual release. Yet the newest models, following a hugely popular design overhaul last year, may not match the success of previous releases, according to analysts.

From Sydney to San Francisco, some of the Apple faithful waited in lines for more than two weeks to be among the first to receive the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Cook greeted shoppers at the company’s store in Washington.

Before the new iPhones went on sale, demand appeared lower than last year, “Possibly meaningfully so,” said Andy Hargreaves, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities who studied Google search data, shipment times and third-party surveys. Analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein and RBC Capital Markets also raised concerns about iPhone growth. It’s a good problem to have. Since 2013, iPhone sales have increased an average of about 35 per cent each quarter.

In October to December last year, Apple sold 74.6 million iPhones — about 34,000 iPhone purchases per hour. Expectations are tempered partly because the gadget is at the point in its two-year design cycle that entails less dramatic changes.

In the first year, Apple generally overhauls the device’s hardware, including its look and feel. For the following year’s model, designated with an “s” tacked on to the number, the Cupertino, California-based company makes more subtle improvements. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus resemble last year’s versions but sport new features such as 3D Touch, which provides a shortcut for checking mail, taking pictures and other functions when the user presses down on the screen. Apple also added an improved camera and zippier processor.

GOOGLE UNDER ANTITRUST SCRUTINY

New models reached stores on Friday in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, France, Germany, the UK, Canada, the US and Puerto Rico. They will go on sale in more than 130 countries by year-end, according to Apple

They will go on sale in more than 130 countries by year-end, according to Apple. At New York’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue, Jaime Gonzalez took two weeks off from work to wait in line for 16 days.

“I never had an iPhone before,” said the 38-year-old truck driver from Corona, Queens. “I see all my friends playing with their iPhones and new devices, and I said, ‘You know what, maybe it’s time for me to upgrade,”’ said Gonzalez, who has been using an HTC handset.

Customers around Asia lined up to be among the first to get their hands on the device. Stores in China — Apple’s largest market outside the US — drew faithful buyers like Wu Kai, who picked up two phones from a packed Apple outlet at Beijing’s Xidan Joycity mall.

“Apple products are becoming family members,” the 17-year-old student said, explaining how he and his parents rely on every Apple product from the Mac Pro to the iPad. “It’s just good product that’s shaping our everyday life.”

Cook has said he expects the world’s second-largest economy to eventually become Apple’s largest market. Greater China accounted for 27 per cent of rev-

enue in the June quarter, more than all of Europe, and remains a swing factor for the company’s iPhone-reliant earnings.

Sydney, Berlin In San Francisco, a line stretched down the street from the company’s location near Union Square. Hundreds also waited outside the store in Palo Alto, California, near the campus of Stanford University. One of the shoppers was a robot controlled by a person in San Diego.

In Sydney, hundreds braved heavy rain outside Apple’s citycentre store. Freelance technology journalist Lindsay Handmer, 32, waited for 18 days in front of the shop to be the first, showering at a local gym and using the toilets at a McDonald’s. He plans to auction his two new phones for a charity that helps the homeless. In Berlin, about 400 people waited under clear skies on the main shopping boulevard Kurfuerstendamm. First in line was Helge Bruhn, a 47-year-old Berliner who had camped outside the Apple store for seven days.

“It’s the atmosphere, and about meeting new friends,” he said, shortly before the shop opened to cheers from the customers.

About 200 people waited outside Apple’s store on London’s Regent Street, then cheered and applauded as the doors opened. First customers sported beaming smiles and gave out high-five’s, hugs and handshakes while pumping their fist in the air and holding up their purchase proudly. “I’ve queued up for past iPhone launches all around the world — last time it was in New York,” said Moey Shawash, 31, who flew in from South Africa to be the first in line. “I am so excited about its new colour, re-engineered model, 3D Touch and camera.”

A heavyweight A smooth release is critical for Apple, which generates more than 60 per cent of its revenue from the phone. Cook is attempting to expand other businesses, but the portion of sales coming from the iPhone continues to grow. The Apple Watch hasn’t become a mainstream success and iPad sales are in decline.

The iPhone’s weight in Apple’s results has put further investor focus on the device’s performance. The stock through Thursday was down 14 per cent from its high in February, in part because of concerns that the device can’t sustain its run of unprecedented growth. The shares were little changed in New York.

Apple last week predicted it would top last year’s openingweekend sales record of 10 million units, although that figure is boosted by availability this year in China, which wasn’t part of the initial rollout last year. A better gauge for how the device is selling will come in January, when the company reports sales for the holiday quarter.

“The biggest area of interest for investors is the December quarter.

The major concern is whether they won’t be able to grow off that very difficult comparable to last year,” said Walter Piecyk, an analyst at BTIG in New York, who is predicting an eight per cent rise in shipments to 80 million. “If you can’t grow the number of phones you’re selling, you’re not going to grow earnings.” — Bloomberg News

Foxconn Technology Group has signed a letter of intent to buy a stake in Sharp’s liquid-crystal display (LCD) business in a deal that would give Foxconn management control as the Japanese electronics maker spins off the unit, according to people familiar with the plan. The companies still need to complete price negotiations and due diligence, and there is no guarantee a final deal will be reached, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plan hasn’t been announced. Taipei-based Foxconn would get management control under the preliminary terms, though it won’t necessarily hold a majority of equity in the unit, which makes display panels for mobile phones and tablets, they said.

Sharp, a supplier to Apple and Xiaomi, is under financial pressure to reach a resolution for the LCD business after years of negotiations without result. Sharp said Friday it would miss its first-half profit forecast, confirming a Bloomberg News story on Thursday and sending shares down as much as 10 per cent. “We are considering a variety of options for reforming the LCD business and have not entered detailed negotiations with a specific company,” said Yoshifumi Seki, a spokesman for Sharp. Chu Wen-min, a Foxconn spokesman, declined to comment. — Bloomberg News

Groupon to lay off 1,100 people In the latest sign of the decline of “daily deal” sites, Groupon said on Tuesday that it is laying off 1,100 people worldwide, or nearly 10 per cent of its workforce, and closing operations in six countries. Groupon is pulling out of Morocco, Panama, The Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Uruguay as well as Puerto Rico, according to a blog post from the company. “We saw that the investment required to bring our technology, tools and marketplace to every one of our 40(plus)+ countries isn’t commensurate with the return at this point,” wrote chief operating officer Rich Williams. The company also recently pulled out of Greece and Turkey and sold a controlling stake of its India unit to venture capital firm Sequoia. The job cuts will come primarily from the international team that helped put together deals and customer service, according to the blog post. And the restructuring will cost the company. It expects to pay a pre-tax charge of $35 million, which will cover employee severance and compensation costs as well as other costs, according a statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company’s stock fell 2.5 per cent in morning trading on Tuesday to about $4 a share. But its stock has lost half its value so far this year. Groupon was once at the forefront of sites hailed as a revolution for local commerce: They offered subscribers heavy discounts at businesses and typically took a cut of the deals sold. At first, businesses flocked to them and a crowd of similar services cropped up.

— Washington Post-Bloomberg News

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ROUND-UP Malabar Gold launches diamond exchange offer The jewellery chain is offering an opportunity to exchange and buy new diamond jewellery by giving the highest value on your old diamond jewellery until October 10

MUSCAT: Malabar Gold & Diamonds, the premier jewellery retailer, unfurled the details of its exclusive and unique campaign– ‘Diamond Exchange Offer’ giving the customers a golden opportunity to upgrade their old diamond jewellery and buy new ones which are certified by IGI. This 18 days long campaign started from September 23 and will run until October 10. The jewellery chain is offering an oppor-

tunity to exchange and buy new diamond jewellery by giving the highest value on your old diamond jewellery, says a press release.

Exclusive offer ‘This is truly an exclusive offer which no other jewellery retailer has provided to customers and I recommend all customers who want to exchange and upgrade their old diamond jewellery to make full use of this opportunity,

H E A LT H C A R E

said Shamlal Ahamed, managing director – International Operations of Malabar Gold & Diamonds.

Through this special exchange offer, customers can upgrade their old diamond ornaments to new ones which are certified by IGI. You can also be assured of obtaining the highest value on your exchange as a part of the offer. Any diamond ornament can be exchanged with the classic, trendy and unique designs available at Malabar Gold & Diamonds. The diamond collection at Malabar Gold & Diamonds offer high international standards with highest value on exchange and cash back facility as well.

Customers can buy their favourite jewellery by using their credit/ debit cards without paying any additional charge. Also Malabar Gold & Diamonds gives their customers the advantage of converting their jewellery purchase into ‘easy pay-

ment plans’ in association with various banks through which they can enjoy flexible payment options for up to 12 instalments without paying any interest.

Customers can also browse through the new jewellery assortment added in to the most admired exclusive brands in the jewellery segment that includes Ethnix — handcrafted designer jewellery; Era — uncut diamond jewellery; Mine — diamonds unlimited; Divine — Indian heritage jewellery; Precia — precious gem jewellery and Starlet — kids jewellery.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds has always differentiated itself from other jewellery retailers by offering customer friendly policies which are unique like exchange policies and free lifetime maintenance service.

Their convenient gold exchange schemes ensure quality service and customer satisfaction.

S AV I N G S S C H E M E

ahlibank announces MyHassad winners MUSCAT: ahlibank announced the names of the three MyHassad daily prize draw winners.

Ali Hassan Ali Al Lawati from main branch, Asad Abdulla Mohammed Al Qasmi from Sohar branch and Fahad Said Hamdan Al Maqbali from Sohar branch, were the lucky winners of OMR1,000 each for the week, says a press release.

MyHassad savings account continues to successfully satisfy the existing customers and attract new ones.

MyHassad Saving Scheme was introduced in July 2008 as an extension of the bank’s tradition of product innovation. Opening MyHassad Saving account is simple and easy. Customers need only to open their MyHassad account with OMR100 for their chance to win OMR1,000 in the next working day’s draw hence their chance to “open today and win tomorrow” continues. Further enhancements in March

2009 allow customers to participate in the OMR10,000 monthly draw, by maintaining a minimum OMR250 during the month.

Effective from June 2010 customers can also transfer their salaries to MyHassad saving account and will be eligible to enter in the daily, monthly draw as per the balance maintained. This highlights the commitment of the bank to its long-term MyHassad account holders.

As one of the leading banks in the Sultanate, ahlibank pledges to provide innovative, efficient and secure products and services to give their valued customers a convenient banking experience.

Opening an account with ahlibank is the first step towards smarter and convenient banking services. ahlibank accounts deliver an extensive and comprehensive range of benefits, personal banking services and instant access through Online and SMS Banking.

‘MARS MONEY RAIN’

Urology department Mars distributes prizes to promo winners at Kims now offers comprehensive care MUSCAT: In line with its mission to provide the highest level of healthcare, Kims Oman Hospital (KOH) offers full urology care from the newborn to the elderly at its urology department.

Recognised by its highly skilled and experienced doctor, Dr Arun Panackal, Specialist, MD, FCS (Urology), Kims Oman Hospital offers comprehensive care at its urology department along with surgical urology packages as part of its commitment to offer highest level of healthcare at affordable costs to all people in Oman, says a press release.

Dr Arun Panackal is highly skilled in endoscopic removal of kidney stones, ureteric stones and bladder stones, transurethral (endoscopic) surgery for prostate (TURP) and bladder disease (TURBT), female urology (Including stress incontinence), treatment for male infertility, and erectile dysfunction.

“We are extremely proud of

having a highly specialised and experienced urologist like Dr Arun Panackal in our medical team. Having a high degree of specialisation and technical proficiency, Dr Arun is highly skilled in applying innovative clinical care and treating complex urologic problems,” said Dr Hussam Akoum, chief operating officer at KOH. Kims Oman Hospital is committed to providing high quality health care services with care, compassion and courtesy to its patients.

MUSCAT: Mars International, the authentic initiators of Mars hypermarkets and shopping centres, conducted the prize distribution ceremony of their recent mega promotion ‘Mars Money Rain’ at Mars Hypermarket Al Azaiba.

The mega prize winner Ahmed Saleh bin Khalfan Al Rawahi (coupon No: 241526) received OMR10,000. The first prize, OMR5,000 was won by Sudhakar (coupon No: 544053), second prize of OMR2,000 each won by Khalil bin Ibrahim Al balushi (coupon No: 095066) and Sulaiman Ibrahim (coupon No: 918740). The winners of third prize of OMR1,000 for five persons each and fourth prize of 10 numbers of OMR100 were also announced, says a press release.

The gathering witnessed the prize distribution ceremony attended by Naveej Vinod, executive director Mars International, and other members of senior management and staff, in the presence of media and local dignitaries.

“It was a wonderful evening.

We got our gifts, more than that we witnessed the celebrations Mars organised here and we all enjoyed it,” said the winners on the occasion.

The venue that was filled with the winners and local attendees showed the success of the event.

Mars is organising such promotions regularly to give the customers maximum value for money and enable them to win exciting

PROMOTION

prizes. With frequent promotions and offers, Mars is always adding value to their loyal customers’ money. Their main attractions are garden fresh vegetables, fresh fish and butchery and oven hot bakery items with least price. Mars

is known for its concentration on providing the convenience shopping experience at most affordable and competitive prices. Their new project in Al Khoud is nearing completion and is expected to receive customers by January 2016.

SURGEON

Suzuki picks 1st winner of Gold Rush offer New orthopaedic MUSCAT: Suzuki announced the first winner of the most exciting offer in town — the Suzuki Gold Rush offer.

Mohammed Abdul Rahman Al Kharusi, who purchased a Suzuki Grand Vitara 4WD Deluxe Model, was the first lucky winner of 10 tola gold bar. The draw was held on the Suzuki showroom premises in Wattayah, says a press release.

Suzuki offers the opportunity to win 100 tola gold in 10 draws of 10 tola each. The excitement is even more if you buy early, said Anil Sethi, general manager of Suzuki.

“The early you buy, the more your chances to win, so why wait.

There are 10 draws in total, meaning a draw almost every two weeks, throughout the scheme period.

Furthermore, you are absolutely assured of one tola gold with every purchase, which proves an instant delight to our valued customers,” added Anil.

Also on cards are ever attractive prices on the entire Suzuki range, backed with ‘Cash-Gift’ promotion of up to OMR1,500, which also has been the key contributing factor for the huge success of the scheme.

“So hurry! Make the most of the ‘Suzuki Gold Rush offer’ to enjoy the benefits of Suzuki’s exciting models, attractive prices, guaranteed gift of gold, cash-gift and ample chances to win 100 tolas of gold in 10 draws,” he added.

Moosa Abdul Rahman Hassan & Co. is the sole distributor of Suzuki vehicles in Oman.

U P D AT E D V E R S I O N

Customers delighted with new Best Cars website MUSCAT: Online support is vital to your search for a quality used vehicle and Best Cars website does just that.

The smartly spruced and updated Best Cars website ‘www.bestcarsoman.com’ is a very convenient way to search for a dream car, says a press release.

“Imagine being able to visit Oman’s largest pre-owned vehicles facility sitting at home! Now with the updated Best Cars website customers can enjoy these conveniences and more,” said a delighted customer.”

For example, without moving from the desk, a customer can surf for the required vehicle be it a PC, CV, 4WD of any brand. The search is also possible brand-wise, model-wise, model year wise and budget-wise.

www.bestcarsoman.com has been tastefully designed and features a logical, user friendly flow which naturally leads the customer to the information area of choice Furthermore, if one wants to sell a pre-owned vehicle, an easy form is provided, just fill and click on send. Best Cars representative will promptly contact the customer.

The website has been tastefully designed and features a logical, user friendly flow which naturally leads the customer to the information area of choice. Not only is the navigation extremely easy, the site is packed with updated information — a boon for buyers and sellers, alike.

“Once you decide, it is just a matter of driving down and making a deal — either to buy or to sell,” was the response from one of the first customers who approached Best Cars through the website.

An added advantage for those who don’t immediately find the car of choice is that once they register their requirements, they will get an alert through mail whenever the right vehicle becomes available.

Best Cars offers a choice from popular brands including Lexus,

Toyota, Ford, Kia, Daihatsu, to name a few. Models are prominently displayed with price and features of every single vehicle — ready for test-drive and sale. Daily new arrivals are updated on the website on which a customer can log in and view all details along with the vehicle’s photograph.

Customers can also register their requirement and once the required model arrives, they promptly get the reply mail along with personalised, courteous services of the sales staff.

“All our cars are fully checked by our trained team of professional technicians, giving customers the confidence that they are making a good investment. With these added benefits, it’s no wonder that more people are turning to Best Cars,” added the spokesperson.

specialist joins Badr Al Samaa MUSCAT: Badr Al Samaa healthcare group has announced the joining of Dr Sajjad S., MBBS, D.Ortho, DNB (Ortho) as orthopaedic surgeon in Badr Al Samaa hospital, Al Khoud.

Dr Sajjad did his graduation and post graduation at government medical colleges in Kerala, India. After a short stint of service in government health department, he worked as orthopaedic surgeon in the private hospital in Kerala, India.

He did his special training in arthroscopy and arthroplasty under orthopaedic surgeons of repute in Kerala. He has also done training in hip and knee replacement at Tartu University Hospital, Estonia, Europe under Prof.

Martsen who is a leading replacement surgeon of Europe, says a press release.

Since 2007 Dr Sajjad has been doing hip and knee replacements, shoulder, sports injury (arthroscopic and open) surgeries in India. His special interest in trauma cases has yielded good results in complex fractures including spine and pelvic fracture fixations. His core area of expertise is in the field of sports medicine, foot and ankle surgery, lower limb arthroplasty, complex trauma and arthroscopic surgery.

He has presented various papers at state ortho conferences and has also held public education programmes. He has attended many talk shows on television channels and published various articles on magazines on topics related to orthopaedics.

The directors Abdul Latheef, V. T. Vinod and P. A. Mohammed expressed their happiness in inducting Dr Sajjad to Badr Al Samaa group who is an authority in his respective field.

His presence will definitely help patients who are in need of hip and knee replacements, shoulder and sports injury (arthroscopic and open) surgeries.

In addition, it will also enhance their Orthopaedic department which is already well known for its excellence.

Orthopaedic department is supported by a team of 18 doctors across their nine medical establishments in the Sultanate. Orthopaedic department at Badr Al Samaa Hospital, Ruwi is supported by a visiting senior consultant for trauma and orthopaedics.

Dr Sajjad is available on all working days from 9am to 5pm.

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NBO customers can benefit from updated Internet banking portal Development of a state-of-the-art portal is aligned with bank’s commitment to deliver customer service excellence through technologydriven innovation

MUSCAT: National Bank of Oman (NBO) has now redefined how its customers use the Internet banking portal to transform their modern banking experience.

The updated portal, which is available in both Arabic and English, is designed for an intuitive customer-friendly experience, providing new ways for its customers to interact digitally with the bank through innovative features, to make banking more accessible than ever for NBO’s customers.

The extensive content available on the Internet banking platform has been specifically designed to help clients apply for products easily and browse the bank’s multitude of services allowing them to benefit from a better understanding of

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QUOTES The happiest life is that which constantly exercises and educates what is best in us.

— Hamerton Executives owe it to the organisation and to their fellow workers not to tolerate nonperforming individuals in important jobs.

— Peter Drucker

their own personal finances, says a press release.

John Chang, chief retail banking officer of NBO, said: “At National Bank of Oman, we put our customers at the heart of everything we do. With digital channels becoming increasingly important to our customers, we want to ensure our customers receive the best banking experience and service digitally. As such we are pleased to launch NBO’s updated Internet banking portal in line with this strategy. The feedback we have received on the design and functionality of the new portal has been very positive. We can confidently say that the bank is delivering the best digital banking experience in the Sultanate.”

Customers now have more capability than ever before to make and initiate banking transfers (including international transfers) and apply for everyday banking products including accounts, home loans, personal loans and credit cards.

The updated NBO Internet banking portal is seamlessly interactive and provides easy access to essential information, such as branch and ATM location. Other key features include the ability to request for e-Statement registration, the ability to protect cheque payment by linking current accounts to savings accounts, as well as the chance to repeat or re-do previous transactions with a single click.

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Bank Muscat launches Tadhamun initiative The initiative is a fine example of the publicprivate partnership launched by the bank to support weaker sections of society

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, in line with its ‘Let’s Do More’ vision and commitment to partnership in social responsibility, launched the annual Tadhamun programme to distribute basic electronic home appliances to social welfare families across the Sultanate.

The CSR initiative launched by the bank in association with the Ministry of Social Development has already benefited over 300 families. The initiative is a fine example of the public-private partnership launched by the bank to support weaker sections of society, says a press release.

In the coming days, the Tadha-

mun programme will continue for beneficiaries from social welfare families identified by the Ministry of Social Development.

The bank will distribute essential electronic home appliances, including air-conditioner, refrigerator, deep freezer, cooking range and television, for beneficiary families.

Bank Muscat is a pioneer of CSR activities in the banking sector in Oman. Over the years the bank has implemented several initiatives benefiting various segments of society. The bank has identified key areas to empower communities, accomplishing the objective of giving back to society through innovative CSR programmes. In its ongoing commitment to deliver

long-term benefits to the community, Bank Muscat CSR programmes are focused on key areas, including sports, youth, education and the economically disadvantaged sections of society.

Commitment The Tadhamun programme underscores the bank’s commitment to complement the government’s efforts in social responsibility and thereby strengthen the hands of underprivileged segments in society. Reflecting the ‘Let’s Do More’ vision, the bank seizes every available opportunity to channel resources for creating sustainable, positive changes in communities by investing in their welfare to equip them for a better life.

C E L E B R AT I O N

OAB conducts Eid carnival at Avenues Mall MUSCAT: Oman Arab Bank (OAB) celebrated this year’s Eid Al Adha with another fun and exciting carnival for all its Hassad customers and the public at Oman Avenues Mall. Children were involved with many activities and shows at the event, says a press release.

In addition to highlighting the bank’s services, OAB arranged a fun filled event that staged a one of a kind ‘science show’ by a Canadian company along with various games and prizes for kids.

Hanaa Fahd Al Hinai; assistant

general manager, head of Wealth Management, Liabilities & Bancassurance, said: “OAB takes great pride in organising exciting events for the community. This Eid Al

Adha OAB carnival delivers to our customers and the public the perfect fun and entertaining evening out with family and friends. The carnival has showcased an educa-

tional and thrilling science show along with giving the chance to 10 lucky children to win cash prizes each and open a ‘Hassad’ account to start saving for their future.”

As a new addition to the ‘Hassad’ draw for this year’s scheme, OAB has introduced a lucky winner of OMR10,000 weekly and a lucky regional winner of OMR20,000 monthly.

OAB is a leading bank in Oman where it owns a wide network of branches consisting of 67 branches and offices and 120 ATMs and CDMs.

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A L M U M AYA Z S AV I N G S S C H E M E

Bank Sohar weekly draw held at Shinas MUSCAT: Continuing to offer more chances, more winners and more prizes for its customers, Bank Sohar conducted its 24th Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme Weekly Draw at its Shinas branch recently. The draw witnessed A.S.F. of the bank’s Salalah branch win OMR5,000 while the dedicated Branch Draw lucky winner of OMR1,000 was Nasser Hilal Al Mamari from Shinas branch.

As part of the bank’s yearlong branch-wide tour, the 24th weekly prize draw event was held under the auspices of Sheikh Ali Mohammed Al Balushi, one of Bank Sohar’s VIP customers and was attended by Rashid Saif Al Maskry, Batinah district manager and Badriya Sultan Al Jahwari, senior branch manager of Shinas, in addition to other senior staff members and VIP customers.

The event was inaugurated with a welcome speech followed by an overview of the 2015 Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme by Rashid Saif Al Maskry. Following the presentation, the chief guest conducted the draw to identify the names of the two lucky cus-

tomers. The event concluded with the handover of a token of appreciation to Sheikh Ali Mohammed Al Balushi on behalf of the bank.

Commenting on the response the bank has received for the Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme 2015, R. Narasimhan, DGM and head of Retail Banking said, “We are committed to providing excellence in all our services and following best international banking practices whilst seeking out innovative ways to reward our valuable customers. Similar to the previous years, this year’s Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme has been very well received by customers with many appreciating the significant increase in number of prizes and chances to win.

“On behalf of Bank Sohar, I would like to congratulate A.S.F and Nasser Hilal Al Mamari our lucky winners of last week’s draw.

I would also like to wish all our customers the best of luck in the upcoming draws and encourage them to continue saving to increase their chances of winning,” added Narasimhan.

READY-MADE GARMENTS

Linen Club opens at Avenues Mall MUSCAT: Linen Club’s showroom at Oman Avenues Mall was inaugurated recently by Indra Mani Pandey, Indian Ambassador to Oman.

Linen Club, a premium brand of Aditya Birla Group, a multibillion dollar Indian business conglomerate, is a popular brand in India for the largest collection of linen fabric and also recently launched ready-made garments.

The brand is now being marketed outside India and Al Arifa Fashions has opened the first overseas showroom of Linen Club brand in Oman, says a press release.

Linen, the incredible fabric, is the oldest fabric woven on earth.

The human civilization reached a pinnacle of achievement when linen was discovered. Linen has a wealth of properties that almost no other natural fabric can boast

of. Linen symbolises a regal elegance that defines the erstwhile royal fabric, once widely worn by the monarchs of the world.

“Browse through our carefully designed collection of linen fabrics in different colours. Fabrics include Pure linen; linen rich blends with cotton, silk, wool, rayon, lyocell and a lot more — something for every style, taste and budget.

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Hamilton equals Senna’s tally On a sunny afternoon at Suzuka, in marked contrast to the dark and tragic 2014 race that he also won, the double world champion seized the lead from pole-sitter Rosberg at the start and never looked back

For me to come here to a race where I used to love watching Ayrton drive, to match his wins... I can’t really describe it. It doesn’t feel real at the moment Lewis Hamilton Mercedes

SUZUKA: Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday to equal the late Ayrton Senna’s tally of 41 Formula One victories and move 48 points clear of Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg with five races remaining.

On a sunny afternoon at Suzuka, in marked contrast to the dark and tragic 2014 race that he also won, the double world champion seized the lead from pole-sitter Rosberg at the start and never looked back.

The win was the Briton’s eighth of the season, with Rosberg anchoring the eighth one-two finish for dominant Mercedes as the champions returned to form after a mysterious dip in Singapore last weekend.

“For me to come here to a race where I used to love watching Ayrton drive, to match his wins... I can’t really describe it. It doesn’t feel real at the moment,” said Hamilton after saluting the fans from the podium.

Rosberg took the chequered flag 18.9 seconds behind Hamilton with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, the winner in Singapore, finishing third in an exact repeat of last year’s top three at Suzuka.

Hamilton now has 277 points to Rosberg’s 229 with Vettel dropping back on 218 but refusing to give up his championship hopes until mathematically ruled out.

“It’s not done until it’s done. So, the chance is there — and what kind of racing driver would I be if I stopped believing?,” said the German. “You have to keep believing otherwise I guess it’s pointless trying to fight.”

Mercedes, who have now won 11 of 14 races, moved a step closer to retaining their constructors’ title with 506 points to Ferrari’s 337.

If last year’s post-race ceremonies were muted in the aftermath of the late Jules Bianchi’s horrific and ultimately fatal accident, only a brief microphone failure prevented Hamilton from expressing his joy on the podium this time.

“I am so happy right now,” he said, before Vettel poured champagne over his rival’s head. “The team did a fantastic job this week-

end, it’s great to be back up here as a team with a one-two. The car was beautiful to drive today.”

Rosberg had gone into the first two corners side by side with Hamilton but was forced wide to avoid a collision and dropped to fourth as Hamilton made his getaway.

“Lewis just got a better start, fair play and it was a good battle into turn two,” said the German.

“He had the inside and just made it stick and that was the end of it there. Then it was great to fight to second place. “Second was the best possible after that so I’m happy with the fightback.”

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was fourth with fellow-Finn Valtteri Bottas fifth for Williams, whose other driver Felipe Massa was involved in a first-lap collision.

That incident left both Massa and Ricciardo, who was overly optimistic in going for a gap between the Brazilian and Raikkonen, limping back to the pits with punctures.

“I haven’t seen the footage and don’t want to put the blame on anyone so we’ll call it a racing incident for now,” said Ricciardo.

Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for Force India, with the Lotus duo of Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado seventh and eighth in a boost for the financially-troubled team.

Dutch hotshot Max Verstappen who turns 18 next week completed his last race as a 17-year-old in the points, taking ninth place for Toro Rosso ahead of Spanish team mate Carlos Sainz. There was disappointment and dismay for McLaren at engine partner Honda’s home track, with Spaniard Fernando Alonso making his feelings painfully clear for the Japanese manufacturer on the way to 11th place.

“I am getting passed down the straight like a GP2 (car),” he exclaimed angrily. “This is embarrassing, very embarrassing.”

The double world champion returned to the theme later as Verstappen passed without problem to drop him out of the points: “GP2 engine, GP2 engine,” he exclaimed. - Reuters

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Victorious Lorenzo closes gap on Rossi

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Defending world champion Marc Marquez’s hopes of a third consecutive title are all but over as he crashed out on the second lap SHOE TROUBLE: The insoles of Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge’s running shoes are seen slipping up to his ankles, after he crosses the finish line to win the men’s 42nd Berlin marathon, in Germany. – Reuters

ALCANIZ: Spain’s Jorge Lorenzo won his third race on home soil this season at the Aragon Grand Prix to cut the gap on Yahama teammate Valentino Rossi in the fight for the world championship to just 14 points.

Rossi finished third as he failed to get passed Honda’s Dani Pedrosa despite a series of attempts.

However, defending world champion Marc Marquez’s hopes of a third consecutive title are all but over as he crashed out on the second lap.

For Marquez to clinch the title he would have to win each of the last four races, and Rossi and Lorenzo to hit a run of poor form.

Marquez started on pole at his self-confessed favourite race afer setting a blistering new track record in qualifying. However, he had already been overtaken by Lorenzo by the time he pushed too hard on the second lap and was unable to get his bike going again after running into the gravel.

“As always I made a good start, so my strategy was to ride at the maximum,” said Lorenzo.

“I think it worked well because Marquez was at the limit to try and follow me. On the second lap I think he recovered some of the gap, but I didn’t expect him to crash.

“When I saw that he had crashed I could breathe more deeply. Anyway I had Dani at between 2.7 and three seconds, but I couldn’t open a bigger gap. I really needed to push all the race to keep this distance.”

Lorenzo was then allowed to ride easily to his sixth win of the season with the real action taking place behind him as Pedrosa bravely held off Rossi.

The Italian passed Pedrosa on five occasions, but each time the

Kipchoge ‘shoes’ in but misses record in Berlin

ECSTATIC: Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo of Spain holds his trophy after winning the Aragon Motorcycling Grand Prix at Motorland race track in Alcaniz, northern Spain. – Reuters

Spaniard was able to respond immediately to prevent Rossi picking up an vital extra four points in the title race.

“It was really hard to focus on keeping the lap time but also closing the door because Vale was faster on many corners,” said Pedrosa.

“I tried to fight, I tried to stay in front because I knew that was the key finish second. In the end, it was a good battle because I don’t know how many times we overtook each other but it was nice to race to the end and finish second today.”

Nine-time world champion Rossi hasn’t won a world title

since 2009 and he was left to lament what could be an important four points lost come the final Grand Prix of the season in Valencia in November.

“I tried everything, but unfortunately Dani was able to overtake me in the next corner. After I would try another time but he was always able to come back,” said Rossi. “I knew it was difficult to beat Dani because he had very good pace, but I tried and I am not very happy because I needed that four points more for the second place. Today was not possible, but anyway it was a good result.” - AFP

BERLIN: Eliud Kipchoge failed in his bid to set a third straight world record at the Berlin marathon on Sunday after winning in an official time of two hours, four minutes.

Kenya’s Kipchoge had targeted compatriot Dennis Kimetto’s world record of 2:02:57 set in Germany’s capital last year, which in turn had bettered Wilson Kipsang’s previous record of 2:03:23 from 2013.

It was not to be for Kipchoge, this year’s London marathon winner, who was hampered by a shoe problem early on, but still went on to run the world’s fastest marathon time this year and a personal best. “At some point, the insole came out of my shoe, but I had no time to sort it out and it made things hard as it gave me some pain,” explained Kipchoge.

“It wasn’t pleasant on impact with the ground during the race.

“I am happy to have run my personal best, but I had wanted to run the world record. I will come back to try again next year.”

Kenya’s Eliud Kiptanui was second at one minute, 21 seconds back and Ethiopia’s Feyisa Lilesa took third at 2:57.

Having finished second in Berlin in 2013 behind Kipsang, the 30-year-old Kipchoge has now added Berlin to his marathon victories in Hamburg, Rotterdam, Chicago and London.

Kipchoge has turned himself

THE WINNERS: Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge and Gladys Cherono, right, celebrate during the victory ceremony after winning the men’s and women’s 42nd Berlin marathon in Germany. – Reuters

into a long-distance expert having won the 5,000m title at the 2003 world athletics championships in Paris, then earned an Olympic bronze over the distance in 2004.

The lead group of elite runners in Berlin passed through the halfway point at 61:53 minutes — down on the world-record pace of 61:30 they had hoped for.

Kipchoge took charge at the 32 kilometre stage, leaving training partner Emmanuel Mutai, who

finished second here in 2014, and Lilesa trailing 30 metres behind him. The winner passed under Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate in Kimetto’s winning time from last year, several hundred metres short of the finish line.

After a Kenya one-two in the men’s race, compatriot Gladys Cherono took the women’s title in 2:12.25 ahead of Ethiopia’s Aberu Kebede at 1:23 back, and Meseret Hailu, at 5:08. - AFP

TENNIS

Li Na thrills fans at Wuhan stadium opening WUHAN: China’s two-time Grand Slam winner Li Na opened a new 15,000-seat stadium at the Wuhan Open in central China Sunday to huge cheers from her hometown fans.

The new stadium has been built on the back of Li’s career success — she was the first Asian to win a Grand Slam singles — that saw the popularity of tennis surge in China. Huge applause echoed through the stadium as Li, now retired, stepped onto the court wearing a red dress and was joined by the tournament’s defending champion Petra Kvitova to open the new stadium officially.

Similar in capacity to Wimbledon’s centre court, the new stadium is dwarfed only by the US Open’s Arthur Ashe stadium which has a capacity of 23,000. It has a retractable roof and a metal and glass structure reminiscent of the iconic “bird’s nest” stadium in Beijing, the centrepiece of the 2008 Olympics.

Czech Kvitova, the world number four, won the inaugural Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Wuhan Open last year, and is

ALL SMILES: Former Chinese star Li Na, left, smiles as she talks to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic during the opening ceremony at the Wuhan Open tennis tournament. – Reuters

joined for the 2015 edition by 18 of the world’s top 20.

“I am very happy to be here again and the stadium looks wonderful and I will try my best to fight for the title,” Kvitova said.

She added that Li, who was a

close friend when they were both on the circuit, has promised to let her meet her new daughter Alisa, who was born in June. Mention of the baby’s name prompted more excited applause from the crowd.

Li, who has rarely appeared in

public since retiring and giving birth, said: “One year ago, I came here for the farewell ceremony, now one year later, I’m standing on this court as mother.”

During her career, Li famously opted out of China’s state sports system and has previously been accused of a lack of patriotism during a sometimes rocky relationship with domestic press.

But in her home city of Wuhan she is a local hero and has been influential in the WTA tour’s growth in Asia.

Li now has plans to open her own tennis academy. “Now it’s under preparation, so please be patient,” she told the crowd.

The WTA first opened an office in Beijing in 2008, when there were only two events in mainland China.

This year there were 10 professional women’s tournaments in China, and 23 in the Asia Pacific region, nearly half of the WTA’s 55 annual events.

The Wuhan Open with a $2.4 million purse, is the penultimate qualifying tournament before the WTA Finals in Singapore. - AFP

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SPORTS Wasim stars as Pakistan snatch exciting victory

END OF AN ERA

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN A. Shehzad b Chibhabha 17 M. Ahmed c Masakadza b Chibhabha 4 S. Maqsood b Chibhabha 6 S. Malik b Williams 35 U. Akmal c Masakadza b Cremer 14 M. Rizwan not out 33 I. Wasim c Ervine b Jongwe 19 S. Afridi c Chibhabha b Panyangara 2 Wahab Riaz run out 0 Extras (2-lb, 3-w, 1-nb) 6 Total (8 wkts, 20 overs) 136 Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-25, 3-29, 4-71, 5-87, 6-133, 7-136, 8-136 Did not bat: Imran Khan, Sohail Tanvir.

Bowling: Utseya 4-0-32-0, Chibhabha 3-0-18-3, Panyangara 2-0-8-1, Jongwe 2-0-9-1, Cremer 4-0-21-1, Williams 4-034-1, Sikandar Raza 1-0-12-0.

Although Zimbabwe put in a disciplined performance with the ball after losing the toss and restricted Pakistan to 136 for eight, they were unable to contend with Wasim’s bowling on a slow pitch and crumbled to 123 for nine in reply

HARARE: Left-armer Imad Wasim took four wickets to spin Pakistan to a 13-run victory over Zimbabwe in the first of two Twenty20 internationals at Harare Sports Club on Sunday.

Although Zimbabwe put in a disciplined performance with the ball after losing the toss and restricted Pakistan to 136 for eight, they were unable to contend with Wasim’s bowling on a slow pitch and crumbled to 123 for nine in reply.

The 26-year-old Wasim finished with figures of 4 for 11 from four overs, and was named man of the match having also contributed 19 runs from just 12 balls.

“Everything I touched turned

MAN OF THE MATCH: Pakistan bowler Imad Wasim celebrates after claiming a wicket. – AFP

into gold today,” Wasim said. “I tried to bowl wicket-to-wicket and the basics paid off.”

Such a comfortable victory was not always on the cards for Pakistan, who slumped to 29 for three early in their innings as seamer Chamu Chibhabha grabbed three wickets in six deliveries.

Their recovery was led by Shoaib Malik, who scored 35 from just 24 balls before he was bowled by a skiddy Sean Williams delivery, and was finished off by Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 33.

Chibhabha finished with figures of 3 for 18 from three overs, and also took an outstanding catch in the outfield to dismiss Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi late in the innings.

That helped Zimbabwe prevent the onslaught at the death that their bowlers have been vulnerable to this year, but they lost inform Chibhabha to Wasim in the

first over of their reply.

Hamilton Masakadza’s steady 25 kept the hosts in the game as they headed towards the halfway stage of their chase, before Wasim returned to take a wicket in each of his remaining three overs and leave Zimbabwe’s lower order with too much to do.

Captain Elton Chigumbura’s 31 took the match into the last over with Zimbabwe needing 16 to win with two wickets in hand, but debutant Imran Khan held his nerve to secure the win for Pakistan.

“We just lost too many wickets at the end,” Chigumbura reflected.

“The wicket was a bit slow and difficult, but requiring six runs an over, it was good enough to bat on.

“We have come close on many occasions but we keep on losing.”

The second T20 international takes place at the same venue on Tuesday, and will be followed by three One-day Internationals. - AFP

ZIMBABWE H. Masakadza c Mukhtar b Wasim 25 C. Chibhabha b Imad Wasim 0 C. Ervine lbw b Sohail Tanvir 11 Sikandar Raza lbw b Imad Wasim 13 S. Williams lbw b Imad Wasim 14 E. Chigumbura run out 31 R. Mutumbami run out 9 L. Jongwe run out 2 G. Cremer c Afridi b Wahab Riaz 0 P. Utseya not out 12 T. Panyangara not out 1 Extras (2-lb, 3-w) 5 Total (9 wkts, 20 overs) 123 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-27, 3-49, 4-60, 5-66, 6-77, 7-90, 8-90, 9-121.

Bowling: Imad Wasim 4-0-11-4, Sohail Tanvir 4-0-24-1, Wahab Riaz 4-0-27-1, Imran Khan 4-0-29-0, Shahid Afridi 3-023-0, Shoaib Malik 1-0-7-0.

Toss: Pakistan Umpires: J. Matibiri and Russell Tiffin TV umpire: Langton Rusere (ZIM) Match referee: David Jukes (ENG) Result: Pakistan won by 13 runs.

Series: Pakistan lead the two-match series 1-0.

CRICKET

India A in command BANGALORE: India A took command of their unofficial three-day game against Bangladesh A by scoring 161/1 in their first innings after dismissing the visitors for 228 on the opening day here on Sunday.

Leading the Indian charge was skipper Shikhar Dhawan who marked his return from an injury-induced break with a blistering unbeaten century (116 not out) as he dominated a first wicket stand of 153 with Abhinav Mukund (34).

Earlier, batting first, Bangladesh did well to recover from 6/4 to post 228, thanks in the main to an unbeaten century by Shabbir

Rahman (122 not out) as he put on 132 runs for the sixth wicket with Shuvagata Hom (62) to rescue the side. The visitors were rattled by some hostile bowing by paceman Varun Aaron (4 for 45) who made early inroads while off-spinner Jayant Yadav (4 for 28) sliced through the lower-order to put the home team on top.

Brief scores: Bangladesh A (1st innings): 228 all out in 52.5 overs (Shabbir Rahman 122 not out, Nasir Hossain 32, Shuvagata Hom 62, Varun Aaron 4/45, Jayant Yadav 4/28) vs India A (1st innings): 161/1 in 33 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 116 not out, Abhinav Mukund 34).

FINE KNOCK: India A batsman Shikhar Dhawan celebrates his unbeaten century on Day One of the three-day match against Bangladesh A at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. – PTI

TOUR OF BANGLADESH

Australia to seek security assurances SYDNEY: Cricket Australia said on Sunday it would seek assurances from its Bangladesh counterpart before proceeding with the team’s October tour, amid government fears that “militants may be planning to target Australian interests”.

CA chief executive James Sutherland late Saturday announced that the team’s departure from Sydney on Monday would be delayed after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) told him there was a potential security risk to Australians.

CA’s head of security was en route to Dhaka to get some “undertakings and understandings of what the situation is there in Bangladesh before we make further decisions,” Sutherland told

reporters in Brisbane on Sunday.

“This is obviously coming very suddenly and we have needed to make this response,” Sutherland added. “Our preferred position is to continue with the tour but the safety and security of our players and staff is the absolute priority and the first priority for us is to secure that.”

Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan rejected any security threat as “groundless” and said he was hopeful of the tour going ahead.

“Our country is now secure and there is no scope for rise of any militant outfits. So their report about a security concern in our country is groundless,” the minister told reporters in Dhaka.

“We do not have any risk and

security problems for local and international matches played in our country,” he said.

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

Sutherland said the meetings in Bangladesh would start on Monday and stretch over a few days.

“We will then make a judgement on what the likely scenario, in terms of the team’s departure or not is, and then make decisions from there,” he said.

DFAT said it updated the travel advice for Bangladesh on Friday to state that “militants may be planning to target Australian in-

terests in Bangladesh”.

“DFAT is aware of Cricket Australia’s decision to delay the departure of the Australian tour to Bangladesh,” the government said in a statement Sunday.

“We remain in close contact with Cricket Australia and Bangladesh authorities on this matter.”

The updated travel advisory also said: “Australian officials in Bangladesh have been advised to limit their movements in public places.”

Bangladesh are due to host Australia for the first Test from October 9-13 in Chittagong and the second from October 17-21 in Dhaka.

The Australians were originally scheduled to play a three-day warm-up match in Fatullah beginning on October 3. - AFP

Frank ‘Typhoon’ Tyson is no more LONDON: Former England fast bowler Frank Tyson has died at the age of 85, his former county Northamptonshire announced on Sunday. Northamptonshire announced the news on their website, stating that Tyson has passed away in hospital in Australia — where he emigrated after retiring — following a period of ill health.

Nicknamed ‘Typhoon’ due to his ferocious pace, Tyson notably picked up 28 wickets in five Tests during the 1954-55 Ashes series in Australia, which England won 3-1.

“Northants Cricket offers sincere condolences to Frank’s family and friends at this sad time,” Northamptonshire said.

Born in Lancashire, Tyson played 170 matches for Northamptonshire, claiming 525 wickets at an average of 20.94, and took 76 wickets in 17 Tests for his country.

His 28-wicket haul in the 195455 Ashes included 10 wickets in the second Test in Sydney, as well as seven for 27 in Australia’s second innings in Melbourne.

After retiring due to injury at the age of 30, Tyson moved to Australia and became a school headmaster, whilst also working as a coach, commentator, journalist and writer. “Frank ‘Typhoon’ Tyson will

forever be remembered as a great of English cricket,” said Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland in a statement.

“Throughout his career he struck fear into the hearts of batsmen around the globe.

“But once his playing days were over he chose to settle here in Australia, the country where he had become a household name.

“Over many years he became a much-loved and greatly admired member of the Australian cricket community where he coached and mentored countless players in Victoria and Queensland.

“He also made a wonderful contribution to the coverage of the game in Australia as a broadcaster and cricket writer.

“Cricket Australia mourns his loss and extends its deepest sympathies to his wife Ursula, family and friends at this sad time.”

England Cricket tweeted: “Very sad to hear of the passing of England and @NorthantsCCC paceman Frank Tyson. RIP Typhoon Tyson.”

Lord’s Cricket Ground also expressed its condolences, writing on Twitter: “Sad to hear that former @ englandcricket bowler Frank Tyson has passed away.” - AFP

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M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

SPORTS Blatter and Platini risk suspension amid probe FIFA Ethics Committee spokesman Andreas Bantel said he could not comment on individual cases, and refused to confirm reports that the committee had opened a probe against the two most powerful men in football

GENEVA: The future of embattled FIFA President Sepp Blatter and his heir-apparent Michel Platini was in play on Sunday, as they faced scrutiny by the football world body’s Ethics Committee that could end with suspension.

Committee spokesman Andreas Bantel said he could not comment on individual cases, and refused to confirm reports that the committee had opened a probe against the two most powerful men in football.

But he emphasised that “if there is an initial suspicion, the Investigatory Chamber of the Ethics Committee initiates a formal proceedings.”

“These rules apply to all people

in football regardless of their position or name,” he wrote in an email.

And there is plenty of suspicion to go around with the ethics committee due to meet in the coming days.

In a dramatic escalation of the corruption scandal engulfing world football since May, Swiss investigators swept into FIFA’s headquarters on Friday as they turned their attention to Blatter and Platini.

Authorities said a criminal investigation had been opened against Blatter on suspicion of criminal mismanagement, while UEFA chief Platini, who was favourite to win an election to find a successor to Blatter, had come un-

der scrutiny over a murky multimillion-dollar payment.

Swiss prosecutors said Friday that Blatter was being investigated over the 2005 sale of World Cup television rights to the Caribbean Football Union, then run by his former ally Jack Warner, a deal which had been “unfavourable for FIFA”.

Suspended within days?

Blatter, who has denied any wrongdoing, was also suspected of making a “disloyal payment” of two million dollars to Platini in February 2011 allegedly made for work the Frenchman carried out for FIFA between 1999 and 2002.

The UEFA chief defended the payment as compensation for work he conducted under contract with FIFA, but did not explain why it arrived nearly a decade after he completed the work.

Friday’s stunning development came after months of probes following raids in Zurich which led to the indictment of more than a dozen top officials. The FIFA ethics committee moved quicker back then, waiting barely 24 hours to suspend the officials snapped up in the May 27 dawn raid.

Media was awash Sunday with

speculation over how long 79-yeaer-old Blatter could hold on, and if Platini, his 60-year-old former ally, still had a chance to take his place.

“If Blatter does not step down himself, he will be suspended within days,” the Sonntags Zeitung weekly wrote, citing an inside source.

The Sonntags Blick weekly meanwhile said Blatter could step down as early as Sunday. A former FIFA insider, who requested anonymity, however stressed that a probe by the Ethics Committee did not necessarily mean Blatter would face suspension.

“It is not automatic, neither for him, nor Platini,” he said.

If Platini is suspended he could be barred from standing in the February 26 election to succeed Blatter.

If Blatter were to be suspended, meanwhile, he would likely be forced to step down before the February vote, bringing a rapid and ignomious end to his 17-year FIFA reign. He was re-elected to a fifth term at FIFA’s Congress in May in Zurich but then announced on June 4 that he would stand down in February.

If Blatter leaves, Cameroon’s FIFA vice-president Issa Hayatou would temporarily take over. - AFP

CSR PROGRAMME

Bank Nizwa fetes Omani swimmer MUSCAT: As part of the their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, Bank Nizwa honoured young Omani swimmer Ka’ab Al Riyami from the Wilayat of Nizwa, after he helped Oman’s National Team secure second place in the U-10 4x50 meter freestyle relay during the 25th GCC Swimming Championships in Qatar recently.

The nine-year-old silver medallist is a member of the Junior Centre for Swimming in Nizwa, which is sponsored by the Bank.

“Bank Nizwa believes in nurturing the skills of gifted young people and boosting their motivation to excel in sports, education and other disciplines,” said Dr. Ashraf Nabhan Al Nabhani, General Manager Corporate Support at Bank Nizwa.

“Ka’ab is one of many success stories that promise to inspire other talented children to represent Oman in regional and international sporting events as role models of hard work and strong contributors to society.”

CRICKET

Assarain CT celebrate with A Division trophy

TEAM ICC CLINCH TERMINATOR CRICKET TITLE Team ICC got the better of Salalah Royals to win the top honours at the Terminator cricket tournament. In the final match, played at Al Saada ground Salalah last Friday, ICC won the toss and elected bowl first. They restricted Salalah Royals to 55 for eight wickets in 12 overs. Sunil took three for 16. Team ICC chased the target in 10.5 overs for the loss of four wickets thanks to an unbeaten 26 by captain Mrijesh. — Supplied photo

MUSCAT: Assarain Cricket Team celebrated with the A Division trophy after being presented with the prestigious cup during the annual Oman Cricket Awards Gala recently.

During a ceremony organised at their office, the team manager

Vinu Mathew presented the trophy to Managing Director Ibrahim Said Al Wahaibi.

It may be mentioned that Assarain team emerged the champions of A Division last season for their second consecutive title triumph.

K A R AT E

Renshi Kumar gets Dan V grading MUSCAT: After years of hard work and dedication, Muscatbased Renshi Kumar was awarded the DAN V (Black belt V certification) by the Isshinryu World Karate Association of Okinawa, Japan.

Kumar received the award from Grandmaster Kichiro Shimabuku who heads the Isshinryu World Karate Association.

Kumar represented Bodhidharma Martial Arts Academy, which is currently situated at White Rose Institute in Ruwi.

After receiving the Dan V status, a delighted Kumar said: “I dedicate this achievement to the students of Bodhidharma Martial Arts Academy Muscat and their parents. Their encouragement and support has been phenomenal.”

“I wish to pass the advanced concepts to my beloved students of Muscat Branch and wish to see them scale greater heights.”

Kumar’s quest for DAN V commenced five years ago, to be precise in the middle of 2010.

“Dedication, practice and focus are the three vital elements needed to succeed,” said Renshi.

Renshi departed for Okinawa at the end of July this year where he qualified for the final assessment after four weeks of rigorous training.

The training comprised 11 hours of hard practice on daily basis — six hours in the morning and

five in the evening — and it also included 10kms of jogging followed by ‘kata’ practice and an hour’s practice of sparring.

After successfully completing the training and impressing the judges during the final assessment to gain DAN V status, Ku-

mar said: “Getting trained by the Grand Master himself and eventually receiving the honours from him is a dream come true.”

Kumar also owns a world record in ‘Breaking 4,000 tiles at a stretch’, which is certified by Limca Book of Records.

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

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SPORTS Oman Optimist sailing squad head to Algeria

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ISC BADMINTON

A six-member optimist youth squad will be competing with 70 other sailors from ten nations while hoping to better Oman’s second place FINALISTS: Ashpruha Patnaik, right, and Sanjana Kulkarni

Ashpruha downs Sanjana to claim U-13 girls crown MUSCAT: Ashpruha Patnaik clinched the girls under-13 singles title at the on-going National Bank of Oman-sponsored Annual Badminton Tournament organised by the Indian Social Club (ISC) Muscat.

In the final, Ashpruha was in her elements and showed no mercy on the way to retaining the under-13 title with a masterly display. Ashpruha played with confidence and dominated the match and gave nothing away to defeat Sanjana Kulkarna with a convincing 21-8, 21-7 scoreline.

Ashpruha also reached the final of the girls under-15 singles where she was scheduled to take on Gayathri Krishna.

In the first round of Open men’s singles, Sharath defeated Omani player Mohamed Fajwani 21-13, 21-13. Shebaz Nasar downed Vishal Dhavale 21-16, 2117, Prabhu AR posted a fine 2115, 21-14 victory over Hitendra Joshi and teenager Leon D’Souza proved too strong for P. Balasubramanian in a 21-3, 21-2 verdict.

Mathew Thomas beat Prakash

Mohanty 21-7, 21-14 and Geemon Baby was a 21-14, 21-7 victor over Pradeep NP. Jarnail Singh and Bished Singh Bhalla showed good teamwork in their 21-15, 21-19 victory over the team of Justin Thomas and Sunil to advance to the second round of the men’s A doubles event.

The team of Anoop and Salim were the first to advance to the second round of the open men’s doubles when the duo overcame Mohamed Nayaz and Ameenuddin in three games 21-9, 17-21, 21-11.

In other first round matches, the Pakistani duo of Adeel and Rizwan beat Vishal Dhavale and Hitendra Joshi 21-14, 2119, Vineesh M. and Rajesh were deadlocked at one game all before defeating Manoj Varghese and Hari S. in the tie-breaker 20-22, 21-18, 15-9.

Geemon Baby and Dipu eased past Pradeep NP and Anil Mathew 21-7, 21-3, Sharath and Sajan defeated Ramesh Ekambaram and Vishnu Vijayan 21-14, 21-8 and Jhonney VO and Srinivas beat Jaimon and Sajesh 21-17, 21-12.

finish in 2014

MUSCAT: Oman Sail’s six strong optimist youth squad is heading to Oran, Algeria to compete in the International Optimist Dinghy Associations Optimist African Championships 2015 where they will face 70 other sailors from 10 nations. With two members of the team reaching 15, the upper age limit for IODA Optimist racing, and graduating to Laser 4.7, this race will see the introduction of Ghassan Al Hosni, aged 10, and Mohammed Al Qasmi, 11, to the squad.

Al Hosni and Al Qasmi will join other members of the Omantel’s Youth Programme, which is co-sponsored by Oman Shipping Company, Zakariya Al Wahaibi, Samiha Al Riyami, Almotasem Al Farsi and Marwan Al Jabri who are all now seasoned Optimist campaigners after spending up to three years in the class.

After the squad’s success in 2014, where Al Jabri achieved 24th in the fleet racing competition and Oman beat 12 other national teams from across Africa, Asia and Europe to come second in the team racing event, hopes are high that results in 2015 will be even better.

“Both Zakariya and Marwan are reaching the upper age limit so this will be one of their last events before they embark on different sailing classes that are appropriate for their age. We see this as an op-

GEARING UP: Some of Oman’s Optimist fleet in action at a recent racing event. – Supplied photo

exposure to international competition since they will be our main protagonists in 2016.”

Last year we were second in the team racing so now we would like to at least repeat that and also improve on our fleet racing performances Rashid Al Kindi Oman Sail’s Youth Team Manager

portunity for our new young talent to take on the mantle,” Rashid Al Kindi, Oman Sail’s National Youth Team Manager, said.

“Last year we were second in the team racing so now we would

like to at least repeat that and also improve on our fleet racing performances. We are quite confident we can do that but our focus must also be on giving our new youngsters Ghassan and Mohammed some

Pre-race camp The squad will arrive in Oran, a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, four days before the championships start for a training camp to acclimatise them to the conditions. Each day, they can expect a sea breeze to kick in giving them between 15 and 20 knots of wind and up to 30 degrees heat.

“They have not sailed in Algeria before so they will be able to get used to Mediterranean conditions,” Abdulaziz Al Shidi, Oman’s Optimist national coach, said.

“This training will be valuable because they will have to sail against the best sailors from the other countries. We are confident because our team has been competing since 2012 and we improve every year.”

Racing in the 2015 Optimist African Championships will start on October 2 following a practice race on Thursday with the finals scheduled for October 7.

NO SECURITY FEARS

TELY BOYS CLINCH TOP HONOURS AT OASIS CLUB BOX CRICKET TOURNAMENT Tely Boys defeated Sri Lanka Lions in a keenly-contested final to lift the title at Oasis Club Night Box Cricket Tournament played at the Oasis Club Salalah. The tournament attracted 16 teams. In the final, Tely Boys, after electing to field first, restricted Sri Lankan Lions to 24 in six overs. Then they chased down the target in 5.4 overs losing three wickets. Antony, Manager of Oasis Club Salalah, handed over the trophies and cash awards. Hamras of Tele Boys emerged the best bowler while Shashika of Sri Lankan Lions was the best batsman of the tournament. — Supplied photo

Bangladesh eves to tour Pakistan DHAKA: Bangladesh women’s cricket team said Sunday they were pushing ahead with matches in Pakistan after receiving assurances about security, becoming the first Bangladesh side to tour its neighbour since a 2009 attack.

Captain Salma Khatun said the 15-member squad were looking forward to playing two T20 Internationals and two ODIs starting on Wednesday all in of Karachi.

There are currently no plans to send the Bangladesh men’s side to Pakistan. - AFP

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M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

SPORTS RULED OUT

A rugby prince but World Cup pauper LONDON: Jean de Villiers once dryly remarked he had been to two World Cups and spent only two nights in the team hotel such has been his ill fortune with injuries at the rugby showpiece.

The 34-year-old dashing South African centre managed a few more nights this time, but on Sunday his third and final World Cup campaign came to an end with a fractured jaw suffered in the Pool B game against Samoa.

This could mean the end of his international career.

“Jean is not only our captain and one of the most experienced players in the squad, but he is also the glue of this team and to lose him is very sad,” said coach Heyneke Meyer.

His fate and that of Meyer’s were indelibly linked, especially after Japan inflicted the greatest upset in World Cup history a 3432 victory last week.

As usual de Villiers, just as he did on the 109 occasions he donned the green Springbok jersey, did not shirk his part in the traumatic defeat. “We are a very proud nation. What saddens me is to see how a loss like this can break the country apart,” he said on the eve of the Samoa game.

“Rugby is a game, but in South Africa it has become so much more than just a game and we carry that responsibility with us every single time we enter the field,” added de Villiers, whose appearance at the World Cup was a little miracle because of his repeat injuries.

Fractured career He had feared he would never walk again after a serious knee injury suffered in November last year. Having recovered from that he broke his jaw a first time in August. The father of two daughters, who married his university sweetheart Marlie, can look back on a career that brought him recognition as one of the finest centres in the world and 27 Test tries.

However, the World Cup cupboard — in which most great players would wish to leave a mark — is bare thanks to a rotten timing of injuries.

De Villiers — whose Test debut in 2002 lasted just seven minutes before suffeirng a serious knee injury — missed the 2003 edition because of a shoulder injury, and the

Scotland battle back for bonus-point win over US Ireland win

The Scots were left to rue missed kicks and errant passes as they trailed 13-6 at the break, but they struck Jean de Villiers

back with five tries to earn the extra points

most bitter of all a biceps injury in the first pool game of the 2007 tournament resulted in him missing the victory in the final although he stayed with the squad and received a medal at the ceremony.

“It was a very empty feeling,” he told the Guardian last year.

“I’m fortunate to have a World Cup winners’ medal but I don’t think I deserved it. I was very happy for the team and my friends but I was empty inside.

“I never look at the medal now.”

In 2011 he injured a rib in the opening game and only returned for the final pool match before playing in the losing quarterfinal to Australia. Out of the wreckage of his own World Cup experiences, de Villiers will have to make do with the one World Cup memory he and the whole of the nation treasures.

The emotional win at home over favourites New Zealand in 1995, principally because of the image of post-apartheid president Nelson Mandela handing the trophy to white captain Francois Pienaar in a sport seen as the last preserve of the white minority.

“I was only 14-years-old when we won the World Cup and I would never forget the image of Madiba (Mandela) walking out at Ellis Park with his Springbok jersey on with the No 6 on the back,” he said in 2013 following Mandela’s death.

“And then the image of Francois actually holding the World Cup at the end, with Madiba standing in the background waving his cap and dancing. He was such a joyful person.”

Sadly for de Villiers with his lucky charm gone on Saturday brought him the stark realisation the World Cup gods would never smile on him. - AFP

LEEDS: Scotland managed to turn around a first-half deficit to secure a 39-16 bonus-point victory against a physical United States at Elland Road in Leeds on Sunday and return to the top of Pool B. The Scots were left to rue missed kicks and errant passes as they trailed 13-6 at the break, but they struck back with five tries to earn the extra points that could prove so crucial in a group that also contains South Africa, Japan and Samoa.

The United States scored through prop Titi Lamositele in the first half but were eclipsed by tries from Scotland wingers Tim Visser and Sean Maitland, prop Willem Nel and replacements Matt Scott and Duncan Weir.

Having comfortably dispatched South Africa’s conquerors Japan

SCOTS FIFTH TRY: Scotland’s Duncan Weir celebrates with his teammates after scoring a try during their Pool B match against the US at Elland Road in Leeds. – Reuters

in their first game, Scotland arrived at a sun-drenched Elland Road in confident mood but were guilty of overplaying in the opening exchanges.

The Scots dominated early possession and built a slender 6-3 lead midway through the half but their quest for an opening try was undermined by some sloppy handling.

The United States had struggled on their own lineout throughout the first 20 minutes but a successful set piece laid the platform from which prop Lamositele burst over for a converted try.

After Scotland twice missed

kicks to cut the deficit, Alan MacGinty knocked over a penalty to open up a seven-point for the Americans towards the end of an exciting first half.

With the second half less than 90 seconds old Scotland finally showed their cutting edge when Visser collected Stuart Hogg’s pass and surged down the left wing to score. Flyhalf Finn Russell missed the conversion but was at the heart of a patient move that yielded Scotland’s second try, his quick break and offload putting in British and Irish Lions winger Maitland adjacent to the posts.

LONDON: Keith Earls scored two tries to equal Brian O’Driscoll as Ireland’s leading try scorer in Rugby World Cups as they eased to a 44-10 victory over Romania at Wembley on Sunday.

The 27-year-old took his total to seven tries in the competition — saw fellow wing Tommy Bowe also score two tries with Rob Kearney and Chris Henry getting the others. - AFP

The Scots had upped the tempo noticeably and a charge down from Tim Swinson created the field position for replacement Nel to barge over before fellow substitute Scott cut a superb line to score the bonus-point try. The United States never gave up and were unlucky not to snatch a second try before Weir dummied his way to Scotland’s fifth try at the death.

Worryingly for Scotland, however, playmaker Russell limped off midway through the second half — a potentially heavy blow if he were to miss next Saturday’s clash with South Africa in Newcastle. - Reuters

EASY OUTING

Australia’s second string crush Uruguay BIRMINGHAM: A second-string Australia ran in 11 tries to hammer Uruguay 65-3 at Villa Park on Sunday and ease to the top of Rugby World Cup Pool A ahead of their crunch encounters with England and Wales.

The twice former champions, who opened their campaign with a 25-13 victory over Fiji on Wednesday, made hay in the bright Birmingham sunshine to score five tries before halftime and secure the bonus point.

Two tries in five minutes at the start of the second half from winger Drew Mitchell, his 11th and 12th

at World Cups, gave the Australians the points differential they needed to ease ahead of Wales, conquerors of England the previous evening.

Flyhalf Quade Cooper converted only five of the tries and did nothing for his chances of replacing Bernard Foley in the number 10 shirt for next week’s clash with England by spending 10 minutes of the match in the sin bin for a high tackle.

In his absence, Uruguay had their best moments of another brave performance but were only able to produce a single penalty goal from flyhalf Felipe

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Berchesi in the 23rd minute.

Outstanding Wallabies openside flanker Sean McMahon had already opened the scoring off the back of a rolling maul in the seventh minute and winger Joe Tomane scored the first try by an Australian back at the tournament three minutes later.

Stand-in captain Dean Mumm, centre Henry Speight and loose forward Ben McCalman also crossed after Cooper’s return to give Australia a comfortable 31-3 lead at the break.

After Mitchell’s double strike, which helped to subdue the Uru-

guayans after their bright start to the second half, McCalman and man-of-the-match McMahon also grabbed second tries to push Australia over the 50-point mark.

Centre Matt Toomua added the 10th try after Cooper showed what he can do against tired opponents with a searing break up the middle in the 70th minute.

Uruguay’s desperation to get a try on the board saw them camped on the Australian line for much of the last 10 minutes but the final word went to the Wallabies with a try from replacement back Tevita Kuridrani. - Reuters

RUGBY

Barca’s Messi blow a likely relief for Leverkusen BARCELONA: With Barcelona’s squad already stretched, the loss of talisman Lionel Messi is a major blow but for the Bayer Leverkusen players there will no doubt be sighs of relief ahead of their Champions League tie on Tuesday.

Among the Argentine’s vast list of exploits he became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match when Barca hammered Leverkusen 7-1 at the Camp Nou in 2012, but the treble winners will have to cope without

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him for the next two months. Messi suffered knee ligament damage in Barca’s La Liga victory over Las Palmas on Saturday and they take on Leverkusen in their Champions League Group E clash with limited options to replace him in attack.

The FIFA transfer ban for signing underage players that prevented Barca bringing in reinforcements over the last two transfer windows along with the sale of Pedro to Chelsea and the long term injury for Rafinha has left them with mainly

youth players as back-up.

“It is always sad when a player is injured. In the case of Messi it is not necessary for me to say what we all know that he is very important to the team,” Barca coach Luis Enrique said. “Without Messi we lose a lot of things from our style of play that we will now have to rearrange collectively.”

Leverkusen still have to deal with Neymar and Luis Suarez, the other components of an attacking trident that bagged 122 goals last season

and Luis Enrique feels the absence can even be an opportunity for the team as a whole to show its value.

“This team will cope fine and will deal with this,” he said. “It is capable of doing so well because it has personality and courage. It can be seen as a test and a stimulus.”

Leverkusen lead Group E having won their first game against BATE Borisov and face Barca on the back of two straight wins in the Bundesliga having overcome Werder Bremen 3-0 on Saturday. - AFP

Wood in anxious wait over possible citing TWICKENHAM: England may have to wait until as late as Monday morning to discover if Tom Wood will be cited for the incident that left Wales full-back Liam Williams unconscious at Twickenham on Saturday.

England lost a thrilling ‘Pool of Death’ match 28-25 to leave them in danger of becoming the first World Cup hosts not to reach the knockout stages and

that defeat could be compounded by any disciplinary action that may be taken against blindside flanker Wood. Williams went off 14 minutes from time when he was struck on the head by Wood’s shin as the back-row forward attempted to hack a loose ball towards Wales’ line.

After several minutes treatment, Williams left the field on a medical cart. - AFP

C

SECTION

LIFESTYLE

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

Gear WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

By Faisal Mohammed Naim

Excitement runs high among bike enthusiasts, as the world’s first supercharged bike comes to Muscat — the Kawasaki Ninja H2, arguably the world’s fastest.

Sit tight.

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M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

LIFESTYLE

MADE TO BLOW AWAY A supercharger pushes additional air into an engine. Increased airflow into an engine allows the engine to burn more fuel, which results in increased power output of the engine, throughout the range.

The roll on power of a supercharged motor will be far superior to naturally aspirated.

The H2’s supercharged engine was designed with know-how sourced from many arms of the company, including assistance from the KHI Gas Turbine & Machinery Company, Aerospace Company, and Corporate Technology Division.

KAWASAKI NINJA H2 Engine Supercharged 998cc, inline four Max Horsepower 210 bhp Torque 140 Nm Curb Weight 238kg Transmission 6-Speed, return, dog-ring, (supposedly very fast), with slipper clutch

KAWASAKI NINJA H2 R Engine Supercharged 998cc, inline four Max Horsepower 326 bhp Torque 165 Nm Curb Weight 216kg Transmission 6-Speed, return, dog-ring, with slipper clutch Available at Fairtrade Auto, Al Khuwair Contact No: +968 9744 5272

T

he battle for the fastest has been long on in the world of motorbikes, with one edging the other out by the minimum of a second.

However, the latest man missile from the Japanese giant Kawasaki, is a class apart that would claim the battle of supremacy: once and for all – as the company puts it – “the most exciting and fastest motorcycle ever, to revolutionise how people think of motorcycles, to create a motorcycle of the future, that is still new, 10 years from now”.

The current year has been bringing many happy surprises for bike lovers in Muscat, with nearly all bike brands adding newer models and facelift versions of their existing models.

But this one blithe bundle has thrown the aficionados into a thrilling frenzy, as the superfast and super sleek, special anniversary model Ninja H2 comes to Muscat.

Marking the 30th anniversary of the iconic Ninja brand, the limited edition supercharged bike comes in two variants – the supercharged 998cc Ninja H2 R track bike, along with road-going brother the A-spec H2.

Being dubbed the most extreme production motorcycle ever made, the brand claims the bike offers a sensory experience surpassing anything that riders have ever felt.

And that I absolutely vouch for.

Yes, I got the chance to ride this mean machine recently. Although the authorised dealers (Fairtrade Auto) couldn’t lend me a new one, as there was only one in stock and booked already.

But they were good enough to call a customer and ask if he could let me have the bike for a few hours. The amazing guy obliged, and there I was with the most ultimate babe underneath me.

Quite honestly, this is the ultimate bike I’ve ever come across.

It is entirely a class of its own.

Looks like a rocket, and definitely shoots like one too. It is pure thrill to even have a glance at the beauty. The bike’s sinister

performance and devilish looks make it dangerously addictive.

The bike borrows its name from another epoch-making model of the 70s: the “H2” (also known as the 750SS Mach IV), powered by a 2-stroke 748 cm3 Triple, which too had an intense acceleration that made it a worldwide sensation.

You have got to be real careful with the accelerator (forget the Busas and the Fireblades, you are on a completely different turf with this one). There I was at the Al Khuwair Centre Point traffic signal, and the moment the signal turned green, I twitched the throttle, like I usually did on my Ninja ZX 14 (mind you the 14 is second to none, if we leave the H2 apart). The bike almost snatched the breath out of me – it propelled ahead with such brute force.

Instantly I adapted, and I improvised and switched myself to saner mode. It has got the quirkiness of a 1000cc, and the raging bull power of the hypersports, making it a dangerous cocktail, lethal for many.

And despite its 238 kilos of dry weight, the bike handles amazingly well. Packed with a tubular trellis steel chassis, and single-sided swingarm, the bike is super agile, flicking into corners and carving with the best.

On the safety part, the bike comes equipped with KTRC (Kawasaki Traction Control), selectable through three levels of intrusion, and can cut power when it doesn’t trust you, KLCM (Kawasaki Launch Control Mode), which makes you look like a hero off the stoplight, the KIBS (Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-Lock Brake System), engine-brake control, and an Öhlins electronic steering damper that changes steering weight based on speed.

Still remained the eternal itch of testing the bike’s wits, now that it had tested mine. Straight I headed to the long and unwinding Al Amerat road (after Amerat – Bausher road). Giving it a full throttle, unleashed a whirlwind, and I went flying from naught to hundred in under 3 seconds.

This is the ultimate bike I’ve ever come across. It is entirely a class of its own.

Looks like a rocket, and definitely shoots like one too

Again, the response was too insane for me to hold on to my wits.

The bike screamed and rammed forward with such force, that I was jolted back into the seat, and neck pushed and locked backwards.

It reached the electronically restricted top speed of 300 kmph in no time, as I held on tightly to the grips, tried to hide under the windshield, gasping for life – the entire 2km stretch was covered in less than 30 seconds. Yes you heard it right. It was an empty stretch at three in the morning, and finally I was relieved of the itch.

In order to achieve intense acceleration, and ultra-high top speed, coupled with supersportlevel circuit performance, Kawasaki installed a supercharger on the engine to produce big power, and at the same time keeping it lightweight and compact.

Aside from minor differences in the engine unit (210bhp), and intake and exhaust systems tailored for street use to ensure it meets noise and emissions standards, the supercharged engine on the H2 is essentially the same as that of its track-legal-only sibling, the H2R, delivering an intense acceleration unlike anything you can experience on a naturally aspirated bike.

The H2R is a closed-course model that allows an unadulterated pursuit of performance, free of the limitations that street riding would impose. Sinister in every approach, the bike has a lethal output of 326bhp, and an earth pounding torque of 165 Nm, all that at just a weight of 216kg. How I wish we had a track out here in Oman, and then an H2R as well to tear the tarmac apart.

The entire body was designed

by Kawasaki’s Aerospace Company and is made of superlight yet strong carbon fibre, as well as the dual intake air duct and the back of the engine. Each part of the body was designed with aerodynamics in mind and a closer look will reveal many resemblances with jet fighters.

Seriously mean in its blackchrome mirrored finish, the new H2 looks like something never seen before and sets new standards in its class in terms of style, technology and performance.

‘Built Beyond Belief’, as goes the slogan… - faisal@timesofoman.com

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

C9

LIFESTYLE

Wayfarer I

f you’re searching for an “always right” pair of sunglasses and you’re torn between Ray Ban Wayfarer and Oakley Frogskins, you’re not alone. Both these styles are hot, and for good reason. They look great on men and women, and they go well with many facial shapes. Both brands do have one thing in common: Heritage. A rich history ties both brands

vs

Frogskins

together and you can be sure that these sunglass heavyweights will be around for many years to come. No matter which side of the fence you sit on, Ray Ban or Oakley, both are produced to the highest possible standards and the technology that goes into them is second to none. Here are a few things to consider when making your choice between these two.

Material

Lenses

Durability

Controller

Ray-Ban Wayfarers are made from acetate which is pure plastic and a bit heavier than the Frogskins. The Frogskins are made from nylon based plastic (O-matter,) much lighter.

The Wayfarers use standard glass lenses while Oakley’s signature iridium lenses are ANSI Z87 certified; a more scratch and impact resistant lens variety.

Wayfarers still use metal hinges that have anchor points and drilled and glued into the frame.

Frogskins have ear-stems that snap into the frame. The Frogskins are an easier frame to fix when it comes to temples (arms) if they fall, etc.

Frogskins are made from Oakley’s patented O-matter material, which is lighter than the acetate used in Wayfarers.

Also, the ear pieces snap in and out, so if you’re hard on hinges, Frogskins might last you longer than Wayfarers. It’s easier to break the arms on a pair of Wayfarers than Frogskins.

Wayfarer: Frogskins:

Wayfarer: Frogskins:

Wayfarer: Frogskins:

Wayfarer: Frogskins:

Iconic status The Ray Ban Wayfarer has been around for more than 50 years, and they’ve never really gone out of style.

The classic Wayfarer can be seen on everyone from the stylish young mom to the surfer to the retired businessman.

More disruptive and bold, the Frogskins were introduced in the 1980s and have made a comeback in recent years.

For those born in the 80s, Frogskins are classic, while older people would consider them more “retro” than classic.

Conclusion The Ray Ban Wayfarer has been around for more than 50 years, and they’ve never really gone out of style. The Ray Ban has played with the style, some offering different colour frames and lenses. Stylewise, they’re classic, timeless, and understated, and they’ll go with your wardrobe today and tomorrow.

Frogskins, rather than being timeless and understated like the Wayfarer, are more disruptive and bold, and they’re more popular among surfers, race drivers, and those who don’t mind the spotlight. They are also made of better material and are more durable than the Wayfarer. But that does not translate into the Ray Bans being inferior in any way.

Generally speaking, it’s hard to go wrong with either. But given the same or similar colour combination, Wayfarers tend to be a little more reserved, and Frogskins tend to be bolder.

Whichever you choose, you’ll get great style, and great protection for your eyes year-round.

TOO Verdict: Looking for a classic, goes-with-everything pair of shades that looks great on most people? It’s hard to go wrong with the Wayfarer. faisal@timesofoman.com

Wayfarer: Frogskins:

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

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10:25

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06:00 06:00

Nizwa Ruwi

34 28

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08:40 11:00

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

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17:55 20:20

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Marmul

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

12:30 12:30

Fahud Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

Ruwi Marmul Ruwi Ruwi

19:50 13:15 22:30 07:30

06:00

Marmul

16:30

Daily

Daily

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

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

15:00

Salalah

07:00

Daily

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

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 07:30 07:30 13:00 13:00 15:30 15:30

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TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 07:00 07:00

16:00 16.00 16.00

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11.45 13.30 14.00

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Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 17 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to extra@timesofoman.com

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SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

06:00 14:30

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100) Daily Daily Daily Daily

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SATKRUTI SRIRAM September 28, 2013

0

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EMMIE KAITHLN September 28, 2014

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10:20 12:30

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Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om Kunji Ramayanam (Mal) (Dram/Com) 3-30, 6-30 & 9-30 Pm At Cinema Main Cast: Vineet Srinivasan, Aju Vargees Trisha Illana Nayanthara (Tamil) (Act/Com) 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 Pm Cinema-3 Cast: G.v Prakash Kumar, Anandi Subramanyam (Telugu) (Act/Rom) 3-30 & 6-30 Pm Cinema-2 Maya (Tamil) (Horror) 6-45 Pm At Cinema-4 ; 9-30 cinema -2 Utopiayile Rjavu (Mal) (Drama/Com) 3-45 & 9-45 Pm At Cinema-4 NEXT CHANGE: Pulli (Tamil) Rajni Murugan (Tamil) Singh Is Bling (Hindi) Programmes are subject to change

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The Visit (Comedy/Horror) Cast: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan 12.00, 2.15, 6.15 & 10.00 p.m.

CP No: 2445 ( 15+) Pay The Ghost (Thriller) Cast: Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Alex Mallari Jr. 8.00, 10.15 & 11.55 p.m.

CP No: 2446 (15+) The Intern (Comedy ) Cast: Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro, Nat Wolff 12.00, 1.45 & 8.00 p.m.

CP No: 2447 ( PG 12) Ahwak (Arabic) (Comedy) Cast: Tamer Housney, Ghada Adel, Mahmoud Heimeida, Amal Rizki 5.45 p.m.

CP No: 2451 (PG 12) Everest (Adventure/Drama/Thriller) Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Elizebeth Debicki, Keira Knightly 4.00 p.m.

CP No: 2434 (PG) The Deadlands (Action) Cast: James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare, Te kohe Tuhaka 4:00, 11.55 p.m CP No: 2435 ( 15+ )

0

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 20:50

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54) 14:30 14:30

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

Film information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855 Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

16:30 18:00 19:30

BAHJA CINEMA

WEATHER

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36) Quriyat Sur Jaalan

SALALAH Pay the Ghost (2D) (15+) (Horror/Thriller) 12:30/10:10/11:55PM Everest (3D) (PG) (Adventure 2:15PM Hotel Transylvania 2 (3D)(PG) (Animation) 10:00AM/02:00/3:45PM Sicario (2D) (12+) (Action/Crime/Drama) 10:15AM/07:00/09:15/ 11:45 PM The Intern (2D) (PG12) (Comedy) 11:45AM/5:30PM Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (3D) 4:30/11:30PM (PG12) Kiss Kisko Pyaar Karoo (2D) (PG) 10:45AM/ 07:45PM The Visit (2D) (15+) (Fantasy/Romance) 1:15/ 10:00PM Ahwak (2D) (PG12) (Arabic) (Comedy) Cast: Tamer Hosny, Ghada Adel, Mahmoud 5:30PM Tale of Tales (2D) (12+)( Fantasy/Romance) Timings: 03:00PM Kunju Ramayanam (2D) (PG) (Mal)(Comedy) 7:45PM

Hotel Transsylvania 2 - 3D (PG) Animation| 01:00, 05:45 PM Sicario - 2D (12+) Action|Crime| Drama Cast : Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin 12:30, 02:45, 07:00, 09:15, 11:30 PM Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon - 2D (PG) Comedy Cast : Kapil Sharma, Elli Avram, Simran Kaur 12:15 , 07:30 , 11:15 PM Calendar Girls- 2D (TBC) Drama Cast : Akanksha Puri, Ruhi Singh, Kyra Dutt 03:00, 9:30 PM Kunji Ramayanam - 2D (M) (PG) Comedy Cast : Vineeth Sreenivasan, Aju Varghese 9:00 PM Trisha Illana Nayanthara- 2D (T) Romantic Cast : G. V. Prakash Kumar, Anandhi, Manisha 5:00 PM (PG)

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

SUR Sicario (Action | Crime | Drama) (12+) 4:45, 07:00, 11:45 PM Maze Runner : the Scorch Trails (3D) (Action) 8:15 PM (PG12) Hotel Transylvania (3D) (Animation) (PG) 4:15 PM Kunji Ramayanam (Mal)(Family) (PG) 10:45 PM Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon (Hindi) (Romance) 9:15 PM (PG) Everest (3D) (Adventure ) (PG) 6:00 PM

KIS KISKO PYAAR KAROON - 2D (PG) Cast: Kapil Sharma, Elli Avram, Simran Kaur Mundi, Manjari Phadnis, Arbaaz Khan Timings : 12:15, 7:30, 11:15 PM

CALENDAR GIRLS (DRAMA) – 15+ Cast: Akanksha Puri, Avani Modi, Kyra Dutt, Ruhi Singh, Satarupa Pyn, Suhel Seth, Ronit Roy Timings: 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM

Cast – Nicolas Cage, Sarah Callies, Veronica 2:15, 11:45 PM Hotel Transsylvania 2 – 2D (PG) Animation, Cast – Selena Gomez, Adam Sandler 2:00 PM Hotel Transsylvania 2 – 3D (PG) Animation 3:30, 05:10 PM Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon – 2D (PG) Cast: Kapil Sharma. Elli Avram, Simran Kaur 2:00, 06:45, 09:15 PM (Romantic) Calendar Girls – 2D (TBC) Hindi, Drama Cast: Kyra Dutt, Akanksha Puri, Avani Modi 6:45, 09:00 PM Kunji Ramayanam – 2D (PG) Comedy Cast: Vineeth Shrinivasan, Aju Verghese 4:30, 09:30 PM Trisha Illana Nayanthara - 2D (PG) Comedy Cast: GV Prakash Kumar, Anandhi 7:00 PM

AZAIBA Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials – 3D (PG12) Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller Cast - Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie 4:30, 11:55 PM Everest – 3D (PG) Adventure, Drama, Thriller Cast - Jason Clarke, Ang Phula Sherpa 2:15, 11:30 PM Sicario – 2D (12+) Action, Crime, Drama Cast – Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin 4:00, 06:15, 10:45 PM Pay The Ghost - 2D (15+) Horror, Thriller

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) Destination

12.03pm 3.28pm 6.03pm 7.13pm 4.42am

CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 3 YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CINEMA | BOX-OFFICE COUNTER OPENS 30-MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCREENING OF THE FIRST SHOW

@SHATTI

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

Afghanistan Algeria Bahrain Bangladesh Brazil Brunei China Cyprus Egypt France Germany India Indonesia Iran Iraq Italy Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya South Korea Kuwait

24698 791/4 24605 593 24 605 074/133 24 698 660 24640100 24 603533 24 696782 24 699815 24 600 982/411 24681 800 24835000 24684500 2469 1050 24 696 944/7 24603642 24693727 24 601 028 24692760/1/3 24 692418 24 697664 24 691490 24 699628

Lebanon Libya Malaysia Morocco Nepal Netherlands Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Senegal Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Switzerland Syria Tanzania Thailand Tunisia Turkey UAE United Kingdom United States Yemen

24 693208 24603466 24698329/643 24696152/3 24696177 24603706 24603439 24601312 24605335 24 691 153/2/4 24602894 24601705 24694139 24697977 24647300 24691101 24697841/2 24697875 24603267 24697904 24601 174 24 602684/5 24603486 24697050/1/2 24400000 24609000 24643400 24600815

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi Salalah Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya Muscat, A Seeb Market Muscat, Al Khuwair Muscat, Al Hail South Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

23291635

HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre 24485052 Atlas Hospital Ruwi 24811743/ Ghubra 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi 24563641 Azaiba 24499269 Sohar 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740 Ceregem National Raak 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217 Elixir Health Centre 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274 Hamdan Hospital 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital 24760100 24 Hrs Emergency 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128 MBD 24799077 Al Khuwair 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours) 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot 24704455 Air Arabia 24700828 Air France 24562153 Air India 24799801

Air New Zealand 24700732 Biman Bangladesh Airlines 24701128 British Airways 24568777 Cathay Pacific 24789818 Egypt Air 24794113 Emirates Air 24404400 Ethiopian Airlines 24660313 Gulf Air 80072424 Indian 24791914 Iran Air 24787423 Japan Airlines 24704455 Jazeera Airways 23294848 Jet Airways 24787248 Kenya Airways 24660300 KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737 Kuwait Airways 24701262 LOT Polish Airlines 24796387 Lufthansa 24796692 Malaysian Airlines 24560796 Middle East Airlines 24796680 Oman Air 24531111 Pakistan International Airlines 24792471 Qatar Airways 24771900 Qantas 24559941 Royal Jordanian 24796693 Saudi Arabian Airlines 24789485 Singapore Airlines 24791233 Shaheen Air 24816565 SriLankan Airlines 24784545 Swiss International Airlines 24796692 Thai Airways 24705934

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

LIFESTYLE

Moto Myth-Busters We’ve all heard the tall stories about what will happen to you if you ride a motorcycle; the weird things you can do to make your bike faster or what to do if you crash. Most, if not all, are sheer misconception. Here are a top few motorcycle myths and legends:

You should lay down your bike if you’re going to crash It’s never going to happen. For one thing most accidents happen so quickly that as a rider you’re simply not going to have the time to think about doing this.

The only thing that works is the body reflexes, and not the brain’s situation gauging abilities. It is all that instant.

It’s also a bit odd that you should try and crash before potentially hitting whatever risks you’re about to encounter.

Never even try to lay your bike down. It’s not at all going to help. Instead, shed as much speed as you can, stay upright and use both your brakes.

Race tyres will make your bike faster on the road No, in fact they will make riding your bike more risky with no treads on them, resulting in reduced or no traction.

Motorcycle race tyres are completely different from road tyres. They have different compounds and properties and are designed to work best when really hot to create grip. You’re rarely going to get a set of race tyres up to proper race temperature out on the highway. The chances are, after setting off on your bike, you’re going to probably fall off, at the first intersection. Stick to road tyres for your bike for anything apart from track days.

It’ll never happen to me Yes, it will. Just because you’ve ridden for years without falling or getting into an accident on a motorcycle doesn’t mean that it’s never going to happen. Always ride prepared for the unexpected and remember that it’s never a case of if it happens, but when it happens. Never venture out without proper riding gear and a fit bike.

Traction control on a motorcycle will help me go faster Yes and no. If you’re new to riding and not that confident yet, you’re never going to be aware of what traction control does. If

you’re an all out racer and ride really hard, then the chances are traction control is actually going to get in your way and slow you down, even when set on the least interfering mode. If you fit somewhere between these two groups then it’s good to have traction control as a sort of safety net, if you find yourself going a little faster than expected into and out of the corners. It will be there to help you out of trouble.

New tyres come with a coating which is to be removed by riding them for a few miles under inflated No. You’re going to fall off and hurt yourself or maybe get killed. Most new motorcycle road tyres look like they have a coating on them but in effect that’s because that’s what they look like when they come out of the mould at the factory.

Never, ever reduce the pressure in the tyres to try and scrub them in. Riding on under inflated tyres causes them to flex, damages the sidewall and potentially could cause a blow out throwing you off the bike and down on the road. Don’t do it.

Buy the bike of your dreams as your first bike and you’ll grow into it as a rider This depends on what your dream bike is. Just because you’ve set your heart on a particular bike doesn’t mean you should go straight out and buy it. Do your homework. Talk to friends who ride and people who know. Try and test your riding skills at some riding club (Oman Riders Club for example), and only then buy a bike that matches your skills. Graduate to the most ultimate bike if you are a novice. Start with a smaller capacity one. Simply loving a Busa, and buying it right away, without knowing how to manoeuvre it is not at all going to help. Forget enjoying it, you’d rather be busy getting it fixed most of the time, that way. faisal@timesofoman.com

V O L K S WA G E N

VW in legal mess after emissions scandal SINCE the EPA revealed a week ago that VW used software in its diesel-powered cars to cheat on emission tests, there have been 89 federal lawsuits filed against VW across the United States alone.

Most of those suits have been on behalf of car owners and Volkswagen dealers who argue the value of their cars has been hurt

by VW’s deception. Another suit has been filed on behalf of Volkswagen’s US shareholders. The automaker’s stock has lost more than 30 per cent of its value since the EPA first alleged VW was cheating last week.

VW has since admitted that the software in its diesel cars allowed them to pass emission tests even though they were dumping 40 times the allowed levels of nitrogen oxide into the air when they

were on the road.

Recently, VW disclosed that the problem involved 11 million cars worldwide and that it had set aside $7.3 billion to deal with the scandal. The EPA said that VW could face civil fines of up to $18 billion for violations of the US Clean Air Act. Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn apologised for the deception and resigned, but claimed he had not been aware of the cheating.

According to Forbes, the net present value of the cost of the entire “Dieselgate” scandal for Volkswagen — taking into account factors like, loss of future sales, private settlements, recall expenses, and government fines and settlements, could reach to the tune of $34.5 billion.

— Agencies

C11

C1 2

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8, 2 0 1 5

LIFESTYLE

BY THE NUMBERS

Apple–Leading The Way (End 2014 stats)

Quarterly Earnings

Units Sold

Apple

$18.0 billion

iPhones

Microsoft

$5.9 billion iPhones per minute IBM

$5.5 billion Gross Margin Intel

$3.7 billion eBay

$0.8 billion Facebook

$0.7 billion Yahoo

$0.2 billion

40%

billion

billion

INTEL’S GLOBAL SALES

Netflix

$16.1 $14.7 APPLE’S GREATER CHINA SALES

$0.9 billion

Apple

Revenue

Microsoft

61%

Cash Reserves Apple’s cash and investments:

$178 billion - 6 times the market value of Netflix

D

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 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

RENT

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VACANCY

D4

CARGO

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M O N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE FOR RENT

FOR RENT Al Ahlia Real Estate L.L.C

95957000/24504001/24504003

3BHK well maintained flat (villa type) G. floor split A/C separate entrance, parking, and compound available in Al Khuwair behind Sagar Polyclinic Way no. 3922, Block 239, Villa No. 1839.

Contact: 99253125

Furnished room for rent at Al Khuwair R.O 225/- for family only.

Contact: 99251975

New 1/2 B/R RES/ Comm. flats near Medical College Bausher directly from owner. contact: 92158031 2BHK flats & shops available for rent at Honda road in a brand new building (dish & split A/C provided in flats). Contact: 91165807 / 92976611 Shops for rent at City Seasons hotel Al Khuwair. Contact: 24394800 Small office space for rent near Ruwi Mosque & Badr Hospital. Contact : 99512270 Flat for rent in Wadi Kabir near Indian Primary School 2B and 1k.

Contact : 92222922 Flats for rent near Indian School in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99777122 Single room available for Executive bachelor near Zakhar mall behind Kamat Restaurant. contact 94271085 Villas and flats for rent.

Contact: 99120014. www.dreamhomesoman.com Deluxe 3 BHK Penthouse with Seaview, ideal for office / residence at Qurum near PDO. contact 9772 1313 / 95070421 For rent : showroom / storage space available (area 290 SQM, 6M height) facing Al Mina street, Jibroo.

Contact: 99360631 / 96760819 Villa in Bausher 36 for Rent : Mordent design, Mordent decorations with spot lights, 4 bedrooms, 6 balconies, Kitchen, Store, 6 toilets, full marble, full split unit. contact 94009600 New Building in Mutrah, 2 B/D Room Flat + Setting Room,3 Baths+ Kitchen with split unit Ac’s. Behind Khimiji’s main office/opposite to Oman House Call 99419712

2BHK, 2 Baths, Split A/C, Wadi kabeer towards Al bustan, Near Indian Elementary School.

Contact 99441193, 93004802

Room Al Khuwair R.O 120/-.

Contact : 97799175 1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-.

Contact: 97799175 1,2 BHK Darsait. Contact : 97799175

Spacious 2BHK with attached bathroom near Lulu Wadikabir. Rent – OMR 280/=. Contact 98759576 or 95822833

2BHK Ghubra RO 325/-.

Contact: 97799175

2 bedroom villa in Sidab.

Contact: 95755953 / 95555162

1BHK Ghubra R.O 275/-.

Contact : 97799175

1BHK Ruwi & 3BHK Bosher.

Contact: 99024730

2 BHK Wadi Kabeer R.O 300/-.

Contact : 97799175 Flat for rent, 2 bedrooms, 1 sitting room, 3 toilets next to Al Hassan Company in W/K. Contact: 99210008 2 BHK flat in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99792181 3 & 4 BHK villa in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99792181 100 & 700 sqr mtrs office space in Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181 2 BHK flat in Rex Road (Ruwi).

Contact 99792181 Wadi Kabir, 2 Bed Room Flat with sitting Room, 2 Bath Rooms+ Kitchen. Opposite to Kuwaiti Mosque.

Close to Indian school.

Call 99419712/99261628 Twin villa with basement for rent AL Khuwair 25. Contact: 99359988 House for rent 4BR family hall, fitting room, dining room, kitchen, store with A/C & satellite reception at Mawaleh south , behind Sultan discount center rent R.O 550/-.

Contact: 93653311 600 SQT commercial flat for rent opposite Oman flourmill Darsait more details. Contact: 91214849/ 99364735

Available furnished meeting hall for seminars on a hourly, daily, monthly, yearly basis. please contact 93203773 : Email: mbdeast@gmail.com VILLA IN AZAIBA – Four Bed Room Villa, near Well Roundabout & Umm Al Qura Mosque. Available for sharing also. Call 92887809 / 98048207.

Villa for rent - Al Seeb/Al Mawelah - Block 5 - 4 bedrooms with attached bathrooms , Majlis, 2 halls, kitchen and storeroom. split Ac and carpark - Contact 99564616 / 99498448

Shops for rent in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact: 99888390

2BHK close to Indian school kindergarten Wadi Kabir R.O 320/-, 1BHK R.O 250/-. Contact: 99476728 / 98484415

1BHK flats available for rent in CBD area. Contact: 98116480

Flats, shops for rent in Ruwi, MBD & Mumtaz area. Contact 97293708

Flat for rent in Hamriya. contact 99341112

FOR SALE 3BHK flat Darsait Near I.D card Medical 450/- R.O. Contact: 99358589 / 95570288

2BHK with split AC near PDO Gate No.2 Qurum available for immediate renting. Contact : 94057023

Twin villa 6BR hall, kitchen at Al Ansab-2. Contact: 99747560 / 99444786

2 BHK with split AC Al Khuwair -33 for residential & commercial use.

Contact : 94057023

Room with A.C at AL Khuwair R.O 120/-. Contact: 97799175

New flats for rent in Darsait Al Sahal. Contact: 99777351

Villa for rent: 6 bed rooms, 1 sitting room, 2 halls, 1 kitchen and 1 pantry.

Al Mawaleh South phase 3 close to Al Sahwah roundabout, first line behind Amwag perfume factory.

Contact - 99360366

2BHK new Amerat with AC 230/R.O. Contact: 99024730

Fully Furnished 2BHK Apartments available at Bareeq Al Shatti.

Contact 92888063

Two shops in Muttrah Souq, for rent more details please contact: 91214849 / 99364735

1 & 2 bedroom flats available for rent in wadi-kabir (opp: pencil bldg), ideal for company staff / families bulk corporate deal possible.

Contact: 97677170

Villa for rent in Al Khuwair 33, 8 bedrooms & 5 bathrooms with parking area near Taimur Mosque.

Contact: 99366624

1& 2 BHK flats for rent at Wadi Kabir, Wadi Adai, Hamriya, Al Khoud and Mabela and shop at Al Khoud land line. Contact : 24834644 GSM 93994401/ 02/ 03, 3 lines

Rooms for rent in Al Khuwair near Ibis Hotel with AC. Contact: 95124975

Flat and show room for rent Al Khuwair 33, Al Ghubrah, Darsait and Jibroo. Contact: 24485240 / 24485241 / 93651633 / 92109563

1BHK flat with A/C AL Khuwair 250/- R.O. Contact: 99358589 / 95570288 New flats for rent in Darsait, Al Sahal. Contact : 99311525 Two shops in Muttrah Souq, for rent more details pleas.

Contact: 91214849 / 95729711

Computer training centre for sale. contact 94412557 Ladies parlor for sale at Ansab.

Contact: 98806430 Ice Cream & juices shop in Ruwi good location for sale suitable for beauty parlor also. Contact: 92150455 Shop for sale at Ruwi High street inside. Contact 96023492 For sale land in Amerat 3000 Sq.mt with petrol pump permission.

Contact 99323957 / 92702891

AVAILABLE Vegetable & fruit counter in grocery store in Saham available. Contact: 93006562 / 99417418

AVAILABLE Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

ACC. AVAILABLE Single room, bath Darsait R.O 140/-.

Contact: 93289652 Sharing accommodation for Indian family Ruwi high street. Contact : 99895616 Large room furnished sep / entrance Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99336206 A big room in available near Hamriya R/A for Muslim couple / small family / Executive bachelor rent 150/- per month including W+ E. Contact: 99495131 3 BHK Fully Furnished Villa for (Family or executive bachelors) at South Al Mawaleh (Behind Seeb City Center). Gsm 92494923 Room for rent with sharing bathroom & kitchen at Al Khuwair, behind Golden Spoon Restaurant.

Contact 92994415 Semi furnished separate room for non-cooking Asian bachelor, behind Shell filling station, Ghubra round about. Contact: 94263390 Furnished room (for Ladies)with attached bath separate entrance in Mabela. Contact : 99634841

FOR HIRE Bobcat Grader and roller for rent.

Contact: 94584688 Volvo 12 Ton Truck for monthly rent. Contact: 98713900

NRI Brand new 3 bedroom flat in Ernakulam Vytila Bus terminal, 1500 sq ft, ready to occupy. Contact 96947652

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

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DAILY GUIDE

AFFORDABLE QUALIFIED STAFF AVAILABLE: EŽ ƟŵĞ ƚŽ ƐĐƌƵƟŶŝnjĞ ƐƚĂī ĂŵŽŶŐ ƚŚŽƵƐĂŶĚƐ͍ EĞĞĚ ŝŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů ƐƚĂī Ăƚ ĂŶ ĂƌƌĂŶŐĞŵĞŶƚ͍ tĞ ĂƌĞ Ă ŵĂŶƉŽǁĞƌ ĂŐĞŶĐLJ ǁŚŽ ŚĞĂĚͲŚƵŶƚ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂī ĨƌŽŵ ĂŶLJ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ͊ tĞ ƐĐƌĞĞŶ ƚŚĞ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐ ƐĞǀĞƌĂůůLJ ƚŽ ĞŶƐƵƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ LJŽƵ ŐĞƚ ŽŶůLJ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ŝƐĐŽǀĞƌ ǁŚLJ ƚŽƉ ĞŵƉůŽLJĞƌƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌ ƵƐ ĨŽƌ ƐƚĂĸŶŐ͊

Hurry and call this number now!

95967902 UNIVERSAL SCRAP BUYERS AT AMAZING PRICES Convert ANY type of Scrap into Money by selling us the scrap Great prices are guaranteed for our clients!

Call this number now for urgent response -

96059470

MATRIMONIAL RC, Keralite ( Kottayam) male, 27 yrs, Civil Engineer, working in Muscat from decent family looking for suitable alliance.

Contact : 95035953 31 years RC boy, M. Com MBA - working in Sohar - Seeks alliance from Christian families Contact 94219830 Seeking alliance for our son from Muslim families. Interested families Contact: 99889590

GOOD NEWS

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133.

For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic massage backache, joint pain, neck pain etc.

Contact 98254909 Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

91494149

*Kindly note that the scrap should be 50 tons onwards

ĨŽƌ ĂŶ ĞdžĐůƵƐŝǀĞ ůŝŵŝƚĞĚͲƟŵĞ ŽīĞƌ ĚŝƐĐŽƵŶƚ͊​͊​͊

MANPOWER

TRANSPORTATION

GOOD NEWS Ayurvedic Treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steam bath, obesity, spondylitis , IDEAL CARE Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street, Azaiba Contact: 99639695 / 98342990

Transportation in Muscat.

Contact: 95530908 Transportation for saloon car& delivery van. Contact : 95530908

SITUATION WANTM.V. FOR SALE ED Mitsubishi 10 ton Truck 2006 model company body, registration valid till May 2016 for sale.

Contact: 95150329 Toyota Yaris (Hatchback) White, 2008, fully automatic, Expat used. 9206 6523 Mitsubishi Pajero 2006 model Automatic, 1,22,000 km, insurance + registration valid till August 2016 black, well serviced, good condition, OMR 2,800/-.

Contact: 94515102

Genuine Ayurvedic treatments & massage, Ayurvedic clinic at Al Khuwair. Contact: 24478618 / 97263637 / 93309131

CLASSY, CREATIVE AND AFFORDABLE INTERIOR DESIGN 'Ğƚ ĐƵƐƚŽŵŝnjĞĚ͕ &ŝƫŶŐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƵŶŝƋƵĞ ŝŶƚĞƌŝŽƌ ĚĞƐŝŐŶƐ ŵĂĚĞ ĨƌŽŵ ƐĐƌĂƚĐŚ͘ Our professionals give YOU: ͻ ƵƚŽ ĂĚ >ĂLJŽƵƚ ͻ D W ƌĂǁŝŶŐƐ ͻ Ϯ ĂŶĚ ϯ ĚƌĂǁŝŶŐ ͻ /ŶŶŽǀĂƟǀĞ ŽŶĐĞƉƚ ĞƐŝŐŶ Hurry now and call this number

Transportation. Contact 99508282 Transportation available.

Contact -955 70 429 Leading manpower agency to hire Recruiter from India housemaids.

Contact: 99226093, Email: fesalwardi48@gmail.com

CLASSES

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

COMPUTER

Lexus GX 460, 2013.

Contact : 99336093 Kia Cerato 2014 Model for sale 1300 kms Under agency warrenty and service.

Contact: 99634841

LOST DRIVING Zareena Mohammed has lost Indian Passport No. J 5399051.

Finder please handover to ROP.

Want regular financing for profitable small projects. Contact : 92162623

Ayub Ali has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. AG 0216337. Finder please handover to ROP

Required investors for different projects. Contact: 99674870

Jehirul Islam has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. E 1992388.

Finder please handover to ROP

We will register LLC trade license for foreign investors and do all actions. Contact: 92833566

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

D4

M O N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

ADMIN

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED

Omani Receptionist required receptionist, well presented with excellent communications skills and telephone manner, fluent in Arabic and English required for Ruwi office. Candidates should be familiar with MS English and Arabic office suite. Send CV and covering email to mj-co@omantel.net.om

ADMIN 14 years of gulf experience in HR / Admin & logistics fluent in Arabic / English with D/L looking for suitable position. Contact: 95824598 Indian 17 yrs experience in Admin and have knowledge in Accounting seeks job. Have driving license and release. Contact : 99573353

BEAUTICIAN Urgently required experienced Beautician. Contact 96616731 or send CV to pbm.ibra@gmail.com

CATERING Cooks & helpers for café.

Contact: 95529970 Restaurant Staff urgently required Tandoor roti maker, waiter/ helper required in restaurant in Saham.

Contact : 98029701 / 95821905 Required Catering Supervisor, Chef, Asst. Cook & Chapathi makers for a catering Company in interior area. Apply with NOC. SMS : 99242984

DESIGNER Required Graphic Designer (minimum 2 years experience) Client Service Executive with Omani license (minimum 2 years experience) visa available. Contact: 96727631 send CV to dollydhian@gmail.com

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH Urgently Required: MEP EngineerDegree holder and with 7 years experience in building construction, MUST have NOC and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com Biomedical Engineer is required, preferably with Oman exp.

Contact: 99337840 Reputed metal fabrication company seeks fabrication supervisor, structural steel fabricator, Machine maintenance Technician and Electrician. Contact: 99102383 Email: hr@khancogroup.com A Mechanical Engineer with salesmanship experience of 5 years & above preferable with Oman drivers license and NOC. Please forward your CV to almaadhi.trd@gmail.com

DRIVER Driver with Oman driving licence needed. Visa available. #94288863 Looking for an experienced house driver for an Omani family.

Interested candidates may Contact: 96203333

DRAUGHTSMAN A leading Construction Company in Muscat urgently requires Draughtsman (Civil).

Send CV : hr.azatllc@gmail.com or call 99344279

EDUCATION Post Graduate researcher required.

Contact 99229700 A well – known private School require English, Mathematics, Science, Computer and KG Teachers. Contact: 96910649 Email: staffing.oman@gmail.com

MEDICAL Urgently needed female Dermatologist with minimum 5 yrs experience. Send CV : elixirhealthcenter@yahoo.com P.S. details of salary and benefits will be sent after submitting the CV

MEDICAL Required urgently General Physician Gynecology, Pharmacist, LAB Technicians staff nurse.

Contact: 95133572 Email: kunoozghala@gmail.com Wanted Nurse for dental centre in Mawaleh South & Qurum.

Contact 93431024, Email : drasyanaseem@gmail.com Required Pharmacies with license, needed for clinic in Al Khoudh , Contact :+968 97696502 , mail CV to towershr70@gmail.com Wanted a Lab Technician with valid M.O.H license and N.O.C to work in a polyclinic. Salary R.O 450/- per month (package).Contact: 96493058 (2 pm to 4 pm).

Email: ap_sdsudhi@yahoo.com

MANAGER Required Sales Manager for a hotel supply company with minimum 5 years experience.

Contact 92035162

MISCELLANEOUS Required Salesman, Store keeper, Private driver, preferably with good experience and communication skills. Contact: 91408759 Email: hanaa.alritaj@gmail.com A leading Construction Company in Muscat urgently requires the following candidates: - 1) Electromechanical Supervisors 2) Electrical Foreman 3) Plumbing foreman 4) Electricians 5) Plumbers.

Send CV : hr.azatllc@gmail.com or call 99344279 Building material Salesman, Electrician cum Plumber & C.C.T.V Technician. Contact: 99383044

SALES / MARKETING Looking for a Staff has experience in Oman in real estate and real estate valuation. Interested Contact: mobile: 99109094 Email: aburashid94dd@gmail.com Marketing Manager with Oman experience & driving license.

Contact: 95766844 Looking for qualified, good communication and computer skills candidate with experience for position of : Sales Manager to work in high-end window tinting business. Minimum academic requirements: bachelor’s degree and own a driving license.

Kindly email your CV to abdullah.alhinai86@gmail.com Required experienced Sales / Marketing Executives having light license. Send your CV ocean@omantel.net.om Required Sales Executive for Stationery Company with Oman driving license. Send Email: mipartjob@gmail.com Sales Executive : required urgently for an established Printing Press.

Minimum 3 years relevant experience and working knowledge of printing process is expected.

Contact 99354681

SKILLED LABOR Wanted urgently need two Tailors who can make curtains.

Contact: 98962888

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Fresher 24 years B.Com Graduate, Tally 7.2 & ERP9, looking for a suitable placements in Accounts.

Contact: 97219505

Indian 24 years BCA MCITP having 2 years exp as system administrator looking suitable job.

Contact 94170892 Filipina, 10 yrs experience in Fashion Retail, Shipment, Logistics, Inventory, Warehouse Control and Store Management is seeking employment. Call +971565833126 or 97728418.

ARCHITECT Part time Accountant, up to finalization, looking for job after 5 pm (location prefer – MSQ to AL Hail).

Contact: 95694737 Srilankan male, 5 years experience, presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant. NOC available. seeking suitable opportunities.

Contact 00968 95522109 ACCA finalist, Recent B.Com Graduate, Indian female, looking for full time employment in Accounting and Audit. +968 96964379, sangeethaumesh5@gmail.com Accounting B.Com male Diploma in computerized professional Accounting, professional & manual accounting, 25 yrs, Indian, 25 yrs, Keralite, India. Contact: 0091 9746838659 Email: jijesh567@gmail.com Finance Manager 26 years experience including 22 years Oman with NOC. Contact : 91302906 / 91335205 Accountant Indian female on visit visa, degree B.Com exp Tally ERP-9 finalization of Accounts, Tax Accounting, Stock maintenance, pay roll, etc. Contact : 91551164 / 91175456, mk.jothipriya@gmail. com

Senior Architect, Indian male 15yrs exp. having DL& NOC, Looking for suitable position.

Contact: 97239313 Email: abdul_muq2000@yahoo.co.uk

CATERING Indian cook, Tandoori cook experience in Indian looking for a cook job in hotel, Restaurant. The candidate is in India (brother). Contact: 98744307

SITUATION WANTED ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Indian Mechanical Engineer, 30, having 8yrs of UAE Sales/Business Development. experience in Electromechanical and Irrigation sectors. Contact no- +971558763220 email id-sangowri@outlook.com M.Tech BE civil 9 yrs experience Project Management Indian male (34 yrs) with NOC seeks suitable in construction industry. Contact : 99156291 / 95281545 (Whatsapp) 00919579666999 Email: kashidss@gmail.com HSE Engineer (Indian, 26 yrs), B.Tech Mechanical, Nebosh, 5 yrs experience in oil & gas construction.

Contact 94616721 Young Electrical Engineer looking for suitable placement. Having specialization in electronics.

Contact 99227861

DRIVER Bangladesh 24 years, 2 years experience. Contact: 97806144 Light driver with car Hyundai Accent 2016. Contact : 94039796 Bangladeshi light driver (AG) 48) expe, 14 years, need job & visa have release paper transpire. #99165961

Project Manager (Interior fitouts décor & MEP) B.E. Arch having 8 years experience looking for a suitable position in a reputed company.

Local release is available.

Contact: 91528851 B.E Arch with 8 years experience as 2 Project Manager in Interior fitouts décor & MEP works looking for suitable. Local release is available.

Contact: 91528851

Driver. Contact: 95084826

Pakistani male light vehicle driver looking for job. Contact: 96474528

Indian male diploma in Civil Engineering with 20 years experience in interior fitout with valid driving license NOC and local release available. Contact: 98048410

Driver with car. Contact :91452930 Chief Accountant, 12 years Oman experience looking for suitable position. Contact: 99513082 Accountant with 8 years U.A.E experience, on visit visa, looking for a job. Contact : 96166512 Senior Accountant 10 years experience, looking for accounts parttime works and finalization works.

Contact: 96247295 Accountant 7 Years Experience with D/L and NOC. Contact 97712084 25 yrs female Indian with B.Com MBA looking out for a job in finance / marketing / HR field with a work experience of 1 year, 3 months at Bank Muscat & 7 months at India.

Contact: 94657403 / 95537261 Jordanian Accountant (ACPA) with more than 15 yrs experience in Oman (Accounts, Purchase & finance.

Contact: 92881223 Email: kamal_sarhan@yahoo.com Indian male, 27years, MCom, having 2years experience in Accounts looking for suitable position. Presently on visit visa.

Contact 93455055| gibingeorge88@gmail.com

ADMIN Indian male BBA Graduate 12 years experience in Administration level 15 months exp in Oman having NOC available looking for suitable placement. Contact : 91458388 Indian Female MBA, 3 years experience in Admin MIS, family Visa.

Contact 98234427, jkjsmith01@gmail.com

Wanted driver. Contact 95112461 Car with driver or without cat specially Companies.

Contact 97943750 / 97408900 Driver job wanted.

Contact 99343782 Light duty driver 5 years exp in Oman. Contact: 92602182

DOMESTIC HELP Housemaid (exp 20 years) looking for English, family.

Contact: 99564133 / 96534195

DRAUGHTSMAN Indian Civil Auto cad Draftsman looking suitable placement 5 years experience. Contact: 97465102

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. BE (Civil) Indian male with 20 years experience with reputed consultancy companies & working for one of the prestigious project of Muscat since 2008 seeks suitable position.

Contact: 92511428, Email: manoj_ t2000@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer, 24 having knowledge in HVAC looking for suitable placement. Contact: 95434381 Email: shuhaibusman313@gmail. com Agriculture Engineer Egyptian in Oman available till 10th Oct experience 5 years. Contact: 90155723 Sudanese Telecom Engineer 5 years experience in Oman.

Contact: 93391008

Professional Civil Engineer 25 yrs experience with N.O.C Management and Supervision with D/L. Contact: 97290338 Bangladeshi Diploma Civil Engineer 3 years experience in Bangladesh 2 years in Oman.

Contact: 93796905 / 97319361 Civil Engg, B.Tech fresher Indian male currently on visit visa seeks suitable placement. contact 91702450 Email: tijoct2015@hotmail.com Civil Engineer, Indian M 29 5yrs exp. having DL & NOC Looking for suitable position. Contact: 94576233 Email: suhailmullah@gmail.com Since March 2010 in Oman as a building Construction Site supervisor with Oman D/L looking for suitable placement or small Omani Construction Co. Contact 93061107 Degree Engineer Civil, 6 years experience Oman D/L, N.O.C available for a suitable position.

Contact: 93523507 / 95961336 Indian male, 23 yrs, B.E in Mechanical post Graduation Diploma in piping Engineering, seeking job in relevant field. Contact : 94786570 Email: asim.hajwani6@gmail.com Indian 22 years male, Mechanical Engineer, B.Tech has done internships, born and brought up in Oman with Omani driving license, seeking suitable jobs. contact 92791637 Email: ashwinsureshkotturethu@gmail.com Indian male BE civil project Engineer 15 years Oman experience in building projects with valid D/L NOC available. Contact: 92178471

B.Tech civil project coordinator 5 years experience of with different ministry projects NOC available.

Contact: 94194393 Indian male software Engineer 2 years experience knowledge of Java .NET C# ASP.Net. Contact: 99210940 working in techno park Indian Trivandrum BE Electrical Engineer 8 years experience 4 years in Oman with Oman driving license.

Contact : 96942032 Civil Engineer (Diploma) seeking for placement. Contact: 95200650 Civil Engineer (diploma) 3.5 yrs exp, seeking for placement.

Contact: 95200650 Indian Mechanical Engineer 31 yrs, 8+ experience in sales & Bus. Dev, having Oman driving license & NOC. Contact: 97116858 Email: menonamit1984@gmail.com Electrician 3 years experience in Building lines in Oman and other related experience also. NOC available. Stay till 29.09.2015. Contact: 94057129 / 95964419 Email: raheemdadbaloch@hotmail.com Electrical Eng. Degree (MEP) need suitable job of construction 12 yrs exp.

Email: mohd.ateeq.khan@gmail.com C-SWIP 3.1 ASNT level 2 QC Mech.

Engr 5+ yrs exp Indian male 26 seeks placement. Contact : 91823331 Email: kannasekhar46@gmail.com Electrical and Electronics Engineer with one year experience and GCC licence holder seeking a job mail – shyjalpk@gmail.com SUPERVISOR: Indian male site supervisor (AIR CONDITIONING) 25 years of experience with valid Oman Driving license, seeking suitable placement. Contact: 97498809, 93391910 Email: hilariankj@gmail.com Engineer with 3 yrs experience in Indian in MEP, HVAC& mechanical maintained field on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact 99191535 Email: fareed029@gmail.com Btech computer science graduate 2015 passout.. Android application marketing.. Having good communication skills and mindset to work in a team. Contact 91024385 Indian male BE Mechanical currently on 2 yrs free visa with NOC & local release. Looking for suitable job in Muscat. Contact – 90296975 / ali.syedausaf@gmail.com Indian BE (MECH) aviation BE degree diploma in material quality management 17 years Navy aviation 13 years construction purchase stores professional on visit.

Contact: 90205082 /98796982

HOSPITALITY Dynamic result oriented hospitality professional with 20 years of international exp. MBA in Hotel Management, specializing in Hotel/Restaurant start ups, concepts & Franchise development with proven records.

Seeking for Challenging positions in reputed groups as GM/COO/CEO/ Business Head. (NOC available) Contact : 96059470

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED IT

MISCELLANEOUS

Software Programmer, 6 yrs exp in software development (Java, PL/SQL Unix) on visit visa. #99487493 SAP BW Analyst : Indian male, 26 yrs, B.Tech (CS & E) from ASET, New Delhi, worked as a Business Analyst in Software Industry.

Contact 98008127 / 92878708, vaisakh.bhaskar@gmail.com Indian male 25 years MCA, CCNA Certified MCSE2012 having 16 months experience in network and system administration looking for suitable placement. Contact 97703253 / 92365310 Email: albinmperakkattu@gmail.com Software Engineer, 6 yrs exp in software projects & development (Java,PL/SQL Unix) on visit visa.

Contact: 99487493 Indian male, 29 yrs, B. Eng in CS, CCNP, JNCIA, MCSA, MCITP, ISO/ IEC27002, 8 yrs exp in IT, Networking and Server support. #98285401 Email: maneshm3@gmail.com Indian 24 years BCA MCITP having 2 years exp as System Administrator looking suitable job. #94170892 BE, ECE Mumbai university skills in C, C++, windows, linux, controller and processor RTOS, Electronics, Networking, 6 months experience in embedded software seeks placement. Contact : 917774864736 Email: sadatbtisekar@gmail.com CCNA MCITP Network support/ Network technician with 2 yrs experience Indian male having bachelors degree on visit visa.

Contact: 93080871, email :sean.f.peters@outlook.com

MEDICAL Indian male Nurse, prometric passed seeks suitable placement.

Contact 97284508I 33 years, Indian male Dentist having 7 years of experience with MOH license is seeking suitable placement. Contact: 91559265 Email: praveengp_82@yahoo.com A GNM Nurse seeking suitable placement in Hospital or clinic having 11 yrs experience in Oman.

Contact 98766167, can ready to work temporary or permanent.

Indian male, MSc, MPhil, BEd Chemistry,2 Yrs Teaching experience and having experience in lab analyst, currently on visit visa, seeks suitable post.

Contact 90208673

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR Project Manager (B.E. Arch) in Interior décor fit outs & MEP having 8 years experience looking for a suitable post in a reputed firm. NOC is available. Contact: 91528851 Sudanese procurement Manager three years experience in Oman.

Contact: 93391008 Senior Manager Indian, 30 years in FMCG Business in Oman looking for better opportunity at management level. Contact 99231513 22 years B.Com Graduate having experience in trading of car accessories and also with valid GCC driving license looking for a suitable job.

Contact 98504698

MISCELLANEOUS Omani female Arabic and English speaking searching for job. Contact 92387170 TIG+ARC welder Indian with 16yrs middle est. exp in copper nickel.

Diplex, inconel, S.S, CS Now on visit visa seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 96502282.

Email manuangola88@gmail.com

SECRETARIAL & OFIC. Indian male more than 10 years gulf experience in Office / Sales Coordinator, Admin, Secretarial and purchase with good computer skills.

Having Driving license and NOC available, looking for suitable placement. Contact 90135063

SALES / MARKETING Egyptian very good marketing and sales skills experience 10 years in tourism. Contact : 90155723

SALES / MARKETING Filipino lady looking for Receptionist Sales girl having good experience in Muscat. NOC will be available ready to join immediately. Contact: 92664896 / 91107941. After October 1st week. Contact: + 639759460269 Wanted salesman job, with driving license. Have exp. ins selling goods, experience in shops special experience in car parts seeking any job related to selling. Contact: 94162434 Indian male 35 years BBM, diploma in A/C, 5 years experience as Sales Executive in Oman with valid D/L and NOC seeking suitable placement in Muscat area. Contact : 92683606 Email: abhi.abrahm09@gmail.com MBA Graduate having 23 yrs of experience as Sales Manager in building materials trading looking for a suitable opportunity, release available. Contact 92106768, Email : suvimasri@gmail.com Business intelligence / Global Marketing management specialist with 9 years of experience developing brand value & managing overall projects to achieve business objectives seeking suitable position on family visit. Contact: 91902154 MBA 15 years experience in Sales & Marketing in telecom, FMCG, presently in India C/O Saif Kazi.

Contact : 99625957 Email Id: a_kazi123@yahoo.co.in Indian male 25 yrs BBM Graduate 3 yrs of experience Sales / Marketing in Oman looking in suitable placement. Contact : 93185316 Email: karsh794@gmail.com

TOURS & TRAVELS Five years experience in Travel field ,BCom., IATA & pursuing MBA, Presently working in the Travel Desk of (ITC managed) Five Star Hotel in India, looking for a suitable position in the Middleeast. pls contact 9470 5767

MISCELLANEOUS Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+ experience in Administration/HR, Customer Support, Office Coordinator with good Computer skill, now on Visit Visa ,looking for suitable position. Contact: 90196235 29 years Indian female (MBAFinance) with 4 yrs experience in Accounts, seeking suitable placement in Accounts/Admin/HR. NOC available. Contact:96141283 ACCOUNTANT: Indian male 25 having 4years experience in accounting & having well knowledge in tally. Contact:968 094535881, 0091 9037622048. Email: vishnuraj889@ gmail.com ACCA finalist, Recent B.Com Graduate, Indian Female, looking for full time employment in Accounting and Audit. Contact +96896964379, sangeethaumesh5@gmail.com Admin, having 10+ years experience in Admin/HR/Logistics/Time Keeper, in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat. Contact94369965 ,mail - satya1528@gmail. com Indian male . 14 yrs experience in maintenance & Supervisor in hotel field ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical & Plumber ) N O C available mob : 95 25 36 40 . email = hareeshma24@ yahoo.com Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA,MCSA,MCSE, 2.5 yrs + exp. in IT support, networking and server support valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/ Server support. Contact 92607532 ACCA Affiliate, Indian Male, Fresher, looking for full time employment in Tax and Audit.+968 91291520, shahidazeez5@gmail.com Indian Male, 24 years old recently completed M.Tech in Offshore Structures from NIT Calicut, looking for suitable position. Contact : +91 9833 2485 68, Email: shihabpatel91@ gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS

Store Supervisor or Site Supervisor, Indian male 30 years, looking for suitable placement in any reputed company. Having 5 years of gulf experience with good communication skills. Willing to work in any GCC country. Contact: 00968 97756269, Email: razzakbmt@gmail.com Chartered CIPD HR, MBA having 5+ years of experience in Oman and 7 years in GCC looking for job opportunities. Call 97728418 Store Supervisor or Site Supervisor . Indian male 30 years age.

Looking for suitable placement in any reputed company. Having 5 years of gulf experience with good communication skills. Willing to work in any GCC country. Contact 97756269 , Email: razzakbmt@ gmail.com 32 years Indian Male MSC, MBAHR having 7+yr Exp(HR and SAP operations) with Oman valid driving license, seeking suitable opening in Human Resource & Admin/backend jobs.Contact: 00968-99322978 Iranian male. ME Civil- structural Engineer, 8 Years Structural engineer experience, Looking for Structural Designer, supervisor or site engineer Position. Contact: 93696929 Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com Indian looking for a part time accounting or Internal Auditing job, contact 99196621.

Land Surveyor experience 6 years in landscape , construction and roads for contact : 0096895244840, 0096899703488, e-mail: eng.amr_salama@yahoo.com Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering.Having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. #97351786 / 96143708/ 97357143 Indian female, 25yrs Bsc nursing with MHA (Master of Hospital Administration) looking for a suitable placement. Currently on visit visa valid up to 25 November 2015.

Contact: 9951 3267, email: alinaelshaddai@gmail.com Pakistani, Male, Pak, Exp 14 Years in IT Trainer, looking for a better position in Oman, already working in Prestigious Construction Company. #95983711. Join.mtmali@gmail.com

Filipino (Male), 33 yrs/old, 9 yrs. experience in marine transportation (seaman/deck crew), & 3 yrs. in sales (electronic devices) currently on visit visa & looking for a suitable employment. GSM: 94750459

Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA, MCSA,MCSE, 2.5 yrs + exp. in IT support, networking and server support valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532

Pakistani, Male, Pak, Exp 14 Years in Computer Teacher, looking for a better position in Oman, already working in Prestigious Construction Company. Contact:- 95983711, join.mtmali@gmail.com

Indian B.E Computer Science graduate 2012 passout. 1 .5 yrs exp. in Accounting. Having good communication skills and mindset to work in a team. Having NIIT certificate in Diploma in Java Technology. # 97767894 Email: jinsonjacobjohn@gmail.com

ME Civil- structural Engineer, 8 Years Structural engineer experience, Looking for Structural Designer, supervisor or site engineer Position. Iranian male, #93696929 Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com ACCOUNTANT, Male, 8 years experience, presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with Oman Driving license. NOC available, seeks suitable opportunity. GSM: 98184170 Indian male, 14 yrs Experience in Maintenance & Supervisor in hotel field ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical & Plumber) N O C available Contact 95253640 email-hareeshma24@yahoo.com Senior Accountant Indian male Graduate CA Articleship completed 18 years of experience currently on visit visa seeks suitable placement contact.97498809,93391910 Email.hilariankj@gmail.com Electrical Maintenance Engineer, 29, Indian Male, having 7+ years exp. in reputed companies. Seeking suitable placement in Oman.

Contact - 98440637. Mail ID : venkatbadri23@gmail.com

Mechanical Draftsman, Indian male 27, Diploma in Mechanical Engineering having 7 years of experience in Auto CAD looking for a suitable placement. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708 E-mail : mohammednazeer07@gmail.com

Indian Male, 26 Yrs, Business Management, 6 years in Oman.

Knowledge of MS Office and Arabic Language. Seeks suitable position.

Contact 93931935

Indian male Oman 8 yrs exp looking for any suitable vacancy for accountant / Asst. Accountant office admin local release available.

Contact : 98492752 Email: atiduehzidve@rediffmail.com

Indian Mechanical Engineer, 30, having 8yrs of UAE Sales/Business Development. experience in Electromechanical and Irrigation sectors. Contact no- +971558763220 email id-sangowri@outlook.com Indian male, with finance and Law degree, having more than 25 years of experience in Finance/ Accounts / Audit (5 years of Oman experience) seeks suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 98421619.

E-mail: talemadhamu@yahoo.com.

Indian male Executive Secretary having vast experience in admin, logistics & procurement well versed with computer seeks suitable placement. Contact : 99514286

Civil Engineer B.Sc -6 years experience with constructions companies - 1 years in Oman - qualified as Site Engineer & Planning Engineer .

Contact+968-94682217

Light duty driver, 23yrs. Can speak Arabic, Hindi, Bangla and understand English. Release available.

Ph.92854775 / 93487450

ACCOUNTANT: Indian male 25 having 4 years experience in accounting & having well knowledge in tally.

Contact:968094535881, 0091 9037622048, Email: vishnuraj889@gmail.com

Civil Engineer Indian 20 years experience (1 year in Oman) in management and construction seeks suitable placement. Contact: 91718976

M. Tech VLSI design, B. tech Electronics and instrumentation, Indian female,3 years teaching experience for graduation level students, seeking suitable placements .

Ph:00968 92904155. email-achusooraj@gmail.com

Indian female, MBA, 25yrs Having 4yrears of experience in MNC, hands of experiences in recruitment and administration, flexible for any suitable job placements currently in visting visa. Contact Tel : 98864639 Email : neethuvijayan06@gmail.com

ACCA Affiliate, Oxford Brookes Bsc, 2.5 years experience in audit, finance in Big 6 and oil industry, NOC release available. a.saran891@gmail.com, 95140445

Male, 32 years M.A. English M.Sc Psychology and B.Ed in English having 4 years experience in teaching present company is ready to issue release letter.

Contact : 99869535 Email: sahadkeyi33@gmail.com

27, male, ACCA finalist, have professional experience up to finalization of Accounts, Statutory and internal audit, expertise in using tally and focus & Oracle Software, have 3.5 years experience in accounts till finalization, seeking for permanent replacement ,GSM-97654769,email id-abdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com

Indian male 22yr BBA with LOGISTIC Diploma, exp in tally and data entry seeking in suitable placement.

Contact; 90151739 email shakeeb.mp280gmail.com

Pakistan Male: 24 years,M.Com Finance having 2.5 year experience as a accountant & marketing executive looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 97670816, E.mail: naeem.ahsan68@gmail.com

Pakistan Male: 24 years, M.Com Finance having 2.5 year experience as a accountant & marketing executive looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 97670816, e.mail: naeem.ahsan68@gmail.com

Indian male, 24 years, HSE Engineer having 2 years of Indian experience.

Done IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications, seeking for suitable placement in any related industries.

Contact 98045482

Having 9+ years exp. in Admin & HR in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat and seeking for suitable placement.

Contact No.: 97693456. email : muralimahdav77@gmail.com

Civil Engineer Indian 20 years experience (1 year in Oman) in management and construction seeks suitable placement. Contact: 91718976 , email : mdnaveed71@gmail.com

B.com .5 yrs exp. of oman Looking for an Accounts job work, preferred to do from home. Well versed with TALLY Accounting software.

Contact 95482970

Indian male 24 YEARS, B.Tech (Electrical & Electronics), having 2 yrs. exp as Electrical Site Engineer. Done IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications, seeking for suitable placement in any related industries.

Contact 98045482, Email: mastanshaik1008@gmail.com

31 year Indian male PG in HR ,with 5 yrs Professional experience in HR in Construction Oil & Gas Oman seeking for a suitable placement. Kindly contact me on 93488914, emailKaarthickshankar@gmail.com Sudanese/26/Bsc Computer Science /3 years exp/skills Excellent knowledge in operating systems and maintaining computers Java Programmer Web Developer Linux SMS solutions Android developer/ email khalid.omx@gmail.com/contact no 944958080 and 99758186.

Civil Autocad Draughtsman part time work for job mob :96023726 Chemical Engineer Indian 2 years of experience in production field Contact: 91247222 Email:sahadpoonchola@gmail.com

ACCA Affiliate, OBU Degree, 2.5 years experience in audit and finance in Big6 firm, Looking for permanent placement. NOC release available. Contact: #95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com B.Tech EEE with 4+ years experience in the field of it, networking, ex-tonics etc. presently working in Amazon India development centre as a content quality associate seeking for suitable jobs in Oman. Contact : +91 9940514005, 93116402 email: mail2nbn@gmail.com Indian female with MBA in finance seeking immediate placement.

Contact: 968-93316493 MBA Finance with more than five years of experience in Finance & Accounts including GCC, looking for a suitable opening. Having UAE driving license. Contact no..91391802.

Indian Male Nurse with Moh licence & Noc seeking a job with Family Status gsm:95817579.

E.mail:vasudevanv2005@gmail.com Part- Time Accountant, well experience senior accountant ,doing all type of accounting works, Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact 98803439 Sudanese/Bsc IT/26/2 years experience/excellent Eng-Arb speaking/ Omani driving license/96387227/ henrykarrar@gmail.com MBA - (F), M.Com, B.COM. Indian female having knowledge of accounts with Tally looking for part time or full time job. Presently on family visa.

Contact- 91892264. mail: yv.dixit@yahoo.com Indian male Accountant, 12 years experience, looking for a full time or part time job, experience in tally also. Contact 98983122 Pakistani, Male, Pak, Exp 14 Years in IT Trainer / Computer Teacher, looking for a better position in Oman, already working in Prestigious Construction Company.

Contact 95983711.

Join.mtmali@gmail.com Indian Male (Diploma in electronics Engineering and CCNA.) having 9 years of experience in Networking, 5 years’ experience in Oman. Looking for a suitable Placement. NOC available. GSM- 93787098, Email –anishktr@gmail.com INDIAN MALE 24 YEARS,B. Tech (Electrical & Electronic).Having 2 years experience as Electrical Site Engineer in Constructions. Done IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications.

Seeking for suitable placement in constructions or in any related industries. Contact no: 98045482, Email: shannu.hse@gmail.com Admin, having 10+ years experience in Admin/HR/Logistics/Time Keeper, in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat.

Contact- 968 94369965 mail - satya1528@gmail.com Site Supervisor/ L Driver, Pakistani Male 33 with valid D/L, 4 years experience in Muscat, fluent in English, Arabic looking for suitable place. Contact: 97950869 Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA,MCSA,MCSE, 2.5 yrs + exp. in IT support, Networking and Server support with valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/ Server support. Contact 92607532 Indian male auto cad draughtsman (civil) 8 years experience seeking for part time job mobile no: 0096899070584, email: remluvp@gmail.com Indian Male, 25, Chartered Accountant, working with ICICI Bank India. On a Visit Visa in Oman.

Staying with parents at Azaibah.

Ph:24492638.

Email: shyamal008@gmail.com Tunisian shoes designer wuth 40years expereince in designing and manifacturing loocking for a job in a related field contact : 97816917 Indian Male, 28, B.Com, 6+ yrs exp in Accounts, 2 yrs in Oman with Valid Oman D/L, NOC available.#9719 4864

Senior Accountant. 8 Years experience. NOC available. Oman driving license. Seek suitable opportunity.

GSM- 98184170

Indian male post graduate.2 years experience in sales. currently in oman on visit visa.seeks suitable placement.Gsm 92388346

B.E Mechanical Engineer with 2 years’ experience in HVAC field on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact: 93442296 Email Id: sal201091@gmail.com.

Civil site coordinator, Diploma, Male 25, now present in Oman, Seeking job in Oman. contact 92875345, jubincivileng@gmail. com

MBA (F) B.COM Indian female having knowledge of accounts with Tally looking for full or part time job. Presently on family visit visa.

Contact: - 96259171. Email: bhumicapandya@gmail.com

Male Indian 27, working as finance analyst having two years Oman experience with Driving license looking for suitable position. Mob: 98097009, rameesnm@gmail.com

Indian Male, MBA, Talented management expert having 6 year experience at U.A.E, India and Oman in luxury goods and Retail. Seeking suitable openings in related or same field. Contact:92700670 Email: jobcareer44@gmail.com MBA Finance with more than five years of experience in Finance & Accounts including GCC, looking for a suitable opening. Having UAE driving license. Contact no..91391802 Indian 26M, B. Tech Computer Science graduate, 3 years exp in India, looking for suitable job in Muscat.

Contact : 93125669, Email : amritrajGT18@gmail.com

FRESH - B.Com Graduate on Family Visa, looking for any suitable Job. Contact : 92567020 / 95322175, Email: shwayanad@gmail.com Admin Executive, Indian Female having 10 years Gulf experience in seeking suitable placement currently working in Muscat.

Email: meenafajar@yahoo.com, Mobile 0096893211402 Indian female MBA Finance currently on visit visa seeks immediate placement. Phone: 968-98430089 Indian male,27, IT/Telecom Engineer, 2 yrs exp in Oman, with valid Oman D/L, NOC Available. contact 93938727

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M O N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

SIT.WANTED MOH Indian Dentist 10 years experience in Oman. Can speak Arabic, has driving license. Contact 98995321 or ventureoman007@gmail.com Having 9+ years exp. in Administration & HR in reputed companies.

Presently working in Muscat and seeking for suitable placement.

Contact No.: 97693456. Email : muralimahdav77@gmail.com Omani , female, have diploma in quantity survey, bachelor in Constitution management, seeking situated placement at Sohar. Tel 94454180, Mail nhlmct@yahoo.com ACCOUNTANT, Indian male, 29 years.8 years experience .Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license.

NOC available. Seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 98184170 Diploma in civil engineering having an experience 24years (20years in Oman) experience in Estimator / quantity surveyor looking for a suitable placement, willing to join immediately Contact : 96328687 Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 2yrs + exp. in IT support, networking and server support valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532 Indian male, 14 yrs Experience in Maintenance & Supervisor in hotel field ( Electrical. Ac Mechanical & Plumber ) N O C available #95253640 . email = hareeshma24@yahoo.com ME Civil- structural Engineer, 8 Years Structural engineer experience, Looking for Structural Designer, supervisor or site engineer Position. Iranian male. #93696929, Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com Indian Male 26 years MCA, MCSE 2012 certified, Microsoft Exchange Server Administration, having 1 year experience in IT/System Administration looking for suitable placement.

Contact Mob : 00968 92745708 Email: nabeelmmkty@gmail.com, Light duty driver, Young and honest.

Can speak Arabic, Hindi and understand English. Release available.

Ph.92854775 / 93487450 Indian female with MBA on visit visa seeking immediate placement.

Contact - 968-93316493 27,male,ACCA finalist, have professional experience upto finalization of accounts, statutory and internal audit, expertise in using tally and focus & oracle software, have 3.5 years experience in accounts till finalization and statutory audit, seeking for permanent replacement ,GSM-97654769,email idabdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com Sudanese male, 31 years, have 3 year Diploma in electrical engineer , 6 year experience in construction and electrical production plant .

Mobile No ; +96894549609 Indian male, B.com, MBA, having 5 years experience (3 years in U.A.E) is currently seeking suitable opportunities within finance/accounts/ admin dept.Contact:93953613, allen.mathew83@gmail.com B.Com graduate, 11 years experience in Accounts, 9 years Oman experience , Oman valid driving license, looking for suitable post.

Mob:92758404 NOC Available.

Indian male 27 years B.E & MS Mechanical Engineer working in Delhi for last 4 years inJcb India pvt. ltd., seeks placement in Oman.

Contact: 93393768 Driver looking for job exp 2 yrs.

Contact: 98522914

SITUATION WANTED Female MBA gold medalist, with computer proficiency, Oman driving license looking for job opportunity in event management companies in Muscat. Ph : 99012949 SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29 years.8 years experience .Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license. NOC available. Seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854 Two year experience in Oman, experience in sales, purchase and system admin, Having GCC license.

Contact number 97475860, Yadhukrishnan08@gmail.com Indian Male, 32 yrs, MBA-HR, Trainer & Faculty worked on Omanisation & nationals development activities with 10 yrs of experience seeking suitable job. Contact : 93891401 saiprasad_18@yahoo.com Sudanese 29 male (Bsc computer science,diploma computer engineering), 6 yrs. experience dba oracle plsql , ms sql-server ,ms visual studio vba,network Omani Driver licence language English, Arabic Tel: 91415886 Piping Design Engineer, Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering. Having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708/97357143 Indian female, 24yrs, M.COM (Accounts) having 3 yrs experience in Accounts, HR, Administration, Customer Service. Good Computer Proficiency seeking Suitable Position. Visa Transfer/NOC Available.

Contact: 99654913

Indian female B. Com MBA finance ,5 years experience in oman as an account seeking suitable placement.

Contact 99044292 Indian Male 22 Years , Graduation In Electronics Seeking Jobs In Supervisory , Sales & Sales Co-ordination Fields , Good Communication Skill Contact 96141317, E-mail: akhilek5@gmail.com DIPLOMA+B.E.(CIVIL ENGINEER), Indian, 4 years of experience, currently on visit visa; Seeking Right Position. GSM:91570703.

Indian male 23 years Graduate, working as a sales coordinator cum purchase & office coordination 2 yrs in oman Having oman license & NOC looking for suitable job in Muscat Email:yadhukrishnan08@gmail.com, GSM:97475860 ME. Civil Engineer, Structural Designer, 3 Years Structural Design, 6 Years Str. Engineer Experience, Looking For Structural Designer Position. Iranian Male. #93696929, Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com Male Graphic designer cum animation, non linear editing VFX, seeking suitable position.

Contact: 97792661 / 96229406 B-tech Electrical Engineer with more than 2 years of experience in erection and designing of HT and LT electrical systems. Seeking for suitable job in Muscat. #98269366.

Email: sijincleetus@gmail.com Indian Female BSC nurse with 8+ years of experience including 3 years of GCC exp. Oman Prometric passed with 57 %. Currently in Oman.

Contact : 98034384

SITUATION WANTED Data Entry operator cum Buyer, Indian male,26years.BA, Computer proficiency :Operating system (Windows 2000xp & Windows7) E plus and Tally ERP9, 4 yrs Experience in Oman seeks suitable placements.

Mob: 95360255 Senior Accounts Professional, Indian Male, 36 years, M.Com, MBA (Fin) 9 years in Oman, with valid Oman DL and NOC available. Capable to handle accounts up to finalization.

Contact 9602 3965.

Driver 5 years exp know English, Arabic,& Hindi Education B.A. Contact : 91615715 / 99512270 Indian Male 24 years, Looking for a Suitable Job in Telecom / Networking, 1 year sales experience. M. Sc. Communications Engineering & Valid Driving license. Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com Indian lady 30 years Graduate having work experience in India and Oman looking for Admin or any other suitable job. Contact : 95676957 Indian male, 39 yrs, MSC Computer Science 10 years experience IT support, FMS Engineer, bank experience looking for suitable job. #94276449 Indian, presently on visit visa in Salalah looking for job B.com failed UAE experience in accounts, commercial Admin & warehouse.

Contact: 92754071 /93346931 Email: sathyanathanuk@gmail.com MBA (Marketing /HR) with 45 years exp in business development and marketing, having valid Oman driving license seeks suitable placement currently available on family visa.

Contact 97618033 Email: vjgeorge12@gmail.com Indian, male, 41 years, CA Inter, Persuing CA final. Now on express visa. 7 years of Experience in OMAN as Finance and Accounts Manager in Trading , Construction and Firefighting industry. 21 Years of exp. seeking suitable Managerial positions. No visa issues. Immediate joining.

Contact 98469311 Email:sebin30@yahoo.co.in Indian male 63 years have 30 years Muscat experience all office work sales business development insurance administration accounts with Oman driving license. Contact 99249412

Indian female LLB (Advocate) 2 years experience looking for suitable post legal advisor company secretary etc. # 93343190 / 94476387 Email: shafu1019@gmail.com Indian Female Accountant, CA Final (Group I cleared), 5+ year’s experience in the field of Accounts, Audit and Financial ERPs. Currently available in Muscat and seeking suitable job opportunities.Ph:94704800 email id: vinithsavith@gmail.com B.E (IT) 1 year exp complete schooling in Muscat needs job in software / net working / java/ WEB design or marketing. #97136248 / 99313821 Indian female, B.Sc, PGDCA, currently on family joining visa, 2 years working experience in oman as customer care / sales co-ordinator, immediate joining seeks suitable placements. Contact no. (968) 95573205 / 95949230 / 95800792 Indian male 22 years ACCA affiliate , BSc, Graduate in applied accounting 2 months working experience seeking suitable placement in Finance / Accounts / audit immediately. Contact: 97378607 / 92558734 B-tech Electrical Engineer with more than 2 years of experience in erection and designing of HT and LT electrical systems. Seeking for suitable job in Muscat. Contact: 98269366.

Email: sijincleetus@gmail.com Project Manager / Senior Engineer, Indian Male BE Civil, 21yrs experienced including Oman looking for the Job Contact +918939295181 Email I’D 58031_bala@yahoo.co.in Indian male 26 , graduate in mechanical engineering having 2 years experience in fabrication production filed in India, looking for a suitable job. mobile: +968-91384621 EMAIL : rmekhil@hotmail.com

INDIAN MALE 23 YEARS,B. Tech (Electrical & Electronic). Done IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications. Looking for HSE engineer job in Oil Gas Sector, constructions or in any related industries. Contact 98045482 Indian male. M.com holder with two year working experience as an accountant in India. Now at Muscat on visiting visa. Seeks suitable placement. Gsm:96947500,99463120, :mohamedshafikk5@gmail.com ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29 years.8 years experience .Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license.

NOC available seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854 Civil site coordinator, Diploma, Male 25, now present in Oman, Seeking job in Oman. Contact 92887561, jubincivileng@gmail.com B-tech Electrical engineer with more than 2 years of experience in erection and designing of HT and LT electrical systems. Seeking for suitable job in Muscat. Contact:98269366.

Email:sijincleetus@gmail.com Indian Female B.Sc., B.Ed.(Maths), M.C.A residing in Al-Ghubra seeking a teaching position as a Math Teacher GSM.- 94231633 Female, Indian, 35 Yrs- house maid available for Full/Part time work in Muscat. contact- 96754303.

Indian male, ERP Functional Consultant (SCM, MM, HRMS), Seeks employment.Contact: 98478928, Email: anand.desai2408@gmail.com Indian male , 14 yrs Experience in maintenance & Supervisor in otel field ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical & Plumber ) N O C available#95253640 email hareeshma24@yahoo.com

Sr. Sales Executive, Indian Male, Holding Valid Oman DL. Total experience in Oman of 15 years with 4 years Rent a Car Co. experience. Looking for Opportunities in any Industry for similar sales role. # 95703233 email id “khetani_r@yahoo.com

Piping Design Engineer, Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering. Having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708, Email : mohammednazeer07@gmail.com

29 years Indian female (MBAFinance) with 4+yrs experience (Oman) in Accounts, seeking suitable placement in Accounts/Admin.

Contact:96141283

Indian male 28YRS, 7Years exp. in Architectural & structural Draughtsman & 3d visualization, looking for a suitable Post GSM: +971551965944.

Email:aboosufiyan@gmail.com

M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

D7

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

SIT.WANTED INDIAN MALE 23 YEARS, B. Tech (Electrical & Electronic) having 4 years working experience as an Electrical site Engineer. Looking for suitable job in Oil Gas Sector or in related industries. Contact 98045482 Indian Female, M.Com & MBA with 1.5 years of experience in Reinsurance Treaty seeking a good job opportunity in Insurance & Reinsurance Accounts or General Accounts.

Contact: +968 91920189, Email: neethumano.manohar@gmail.com CCNA MCITP network support / network technician with 2 years experience Indian male having bachelors degree on visit visa. #93080871 sean.f.peters@outlook.com 8 yrs exp 2d, 3d draughtsman (HOLDING OMANI DRIVING LICENSE) seeking job. Contact : 93790601 ME. Civil Engineer, Structural Designer, 3 Years Structural Design, 6 Years Str Supervising Experience, Looking For Structural Designer Position. Iranian Male. # 93696929 Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com BSC Female Nurse having 8 years of experience ( 3 years in gulf). Prometric passed - 57%. Currently in Oman.

Contact : 98034384 ACCOUNTANT, Male, 8 years experience .Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with Oman Driving license. NOC available seeks suitable opportunity. GSM: 98184170

WEBSITE

ACCOUNTANT, M.Com holder with 2 year working experience as an accountant in Kerela-India, seeks suitable placement. GSM NO:96947500, 9 9463120, mail: mohamedshafikk5@gmail.com Indian Male 22 Years, Graduation In Electronics Seeking Jobs In Supervisory , Sales & Sales Co-ordination Fields , Good Communication Skill Contact 96141317, E-mail: akhilek5@gmail.com Sudanese.male 32 years.B.SC mechanical engineer.7years experience.5 years experiance in Gulf.working now in water pipeline projects.fluent Arabic and English. have Omani driving license.looking for good opportunity TEl:91117089 Filipino (male), 37 yrs. old, having 8yrs. experience in Operation (Shipping & Logistics) currently on visit visa looking for suitable job.

GSM: 97121525 Chartered Accountant with 7 years of post qualification experience, seeking challenging job opportunity.

Experience in auditing/accounts & finance/taxation/IFRS, etc.

GSM +968 95763680 Indian Female Interior Designer, 4.5 yrs experience, seeking immediate mid-senior level position with firm having lady clearance. NOC Available. Contact 93033072 Indian Male 22 years, ACCA Affiliate with B..Sc. Degree in Applied Accounting having three months working experience seeking suitable placement in Finance / Accounts / Audit. Holding valid Oman D/L. Contact 97378607 / 92558734 Indian female Nurse, Prometric passed 64%, 5 years of experience, MOH licensed, presently working in Oman seeking a suitable placement in reputed Hospitals, NOC available.

Contact: 98329941, Email: ancyanish2011@gmail.com.

Female from India -MA. B.Ed. with One year three months Teaching experience. English seeking for a urgent better placement, Now working in Oman. #93961142, 92184408 Email:-anoopkesavan78@gmail.com.

Driver with car seeking suitable post. Contact : 916602662 Video Editor 29 years Indian male with 8 years experience on visit visa looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 91275969 / leomoorkoth@gmail.com Syrian male 3yrs. exp in IT support, Networking, Security systems, Server support, IT sales and marketing.

Valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement. Contact 91033395 8 yrs exp 2d, 3d Draughtsman (HOLDING OMANI DRIVING LICENSE) seeking job.

Contact 97449630

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

SIT.WANTED Accountant 7 years experience with D/L and NOC. #97712084 Indian Male 24 years, Looking for a Suitable Job in Telecom / Networking. 1 year sales experience.

MSc. Communications Engineering & Valid Driving license.

Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com Finance Manager / Chief Accountant / Audit Manager, C.A , MBA ,ACCA , CPA..15years in GULF , Expert in Banking ,Financing, Profit Maximizations , Admin & Management, Business Developments , ERPs Software’s, Audit Exp. with Big 5 , NOC & Driving License Call 94403270 or 94504505 29 years Indian female (MBAFinance) with 4+yrs experience (Oman) in Accounts is seeking suitable placement in Accounts/ Admin. Contact:96141283.

MEP Quantity Surveyor-Estimation-Project, 10 Years Experience (3 years in Oman). Having NOC & Oman D/L. Looking for suitable job, Contact – 98291626 ACCOUNTANT, Indian Male, 25 years old, 5 years Experience (2 years in Oman & 3 years in India) Presently working in Oman. Going exit on this week with NOC. Seeking suitable opportunities.

GSM : 97018783 SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29 years.8 years experience .Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license. NOC available.

Seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854 Indian male MBA + TALLY , 29 years & 7years experience in Administration and Manager level in Reputed companies, Seeking suitable placement. Contact 96297709 / +91 9066130371, Email: jomonjohnm9@gmail.com

Indian male Auto cad Draughtsman (civil) 8 years experience seeking for part time job. contact 99070584, Email: remluvp@gmail.com Indian male Nurse 5 years ICU experience prometric 63% and BLS, ACLS puss, looking for suitable job currently on visit visa.

Contact: 93894049 Email: basilbabybasilbaby@gmail.com Indian male 29 years B.Tech & MBA with 1.2 years experience in Oman as Electronic Engineer seeking for a suitable job. Contact: 92085082 Email: suhailece.61@ gmail.com BE Civil Engineer with 11 years of experience in building construction with valid Oman DL, looking for suitable placement, NOC available.

Please contact 91329910 Indian female, B.Sc, PGDCA, currently on family joining visa, 2 years working experience in oman as customer care / sales co-ordinator. immediate joining seeks suitable placements. contact no.

(968) 95573205 /95949230/ 95800792 Indian Male, 25, C.A., 2 years experience as Credit Manager with ICICI Bank India on Visit Visa. Staying with parents at Azaibah.

Ph: 24492638. Email: shyamal008@gmail.com 27,male, ACCA finalist, have professional experience upto finalisation of accounts, statutory and internal audit, expertise in using tally and focus & oracle softaware, have 3.5 years experience in accounts till finalisation and statutory audit, seeking for permanent replacement GSM-97654769, email idabdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com Indian Male, 29, 9 years exp in Sales in Oman (Buraimi) with valid D/L looking for suitable placements, NOC available .Ph: 9360 1947

SIT.WANTED Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering, having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version), CAESAR ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708, E-mail : mohammednazeer07@gmail.com Indian male having 14years of experience in HR, Purchase Dept, having Oman driving license looking for a suitable position at Salalah. Noc available.

Contact : 91182907 Mail: Madhuvtk@ gmail.com SENIOR ACCOUNTANT Indian male 55 years. 30 Years experience, presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant last 10 years.

NOC available, seek suitable opportunity. GSM 99685800.

Email:- sanatoman@gmail.com Female, BE(hons) Systems Administration, 2 years teaching experience. Seeking suitable placement in Higher Education/Training industry.

Email: sadia_fatima@hotmail.com Contact:96447091 Indian male, 27 years, BCom CA Inter, Pursuing CA final and MBA with 5 years work experience (2 years GCC), currently working as a cost accountant seeks suitable placement. Contact: 94390660

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

Split & widow unit A.C servicing & repairing. Contact: 99557080

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. #24793614/ 99314807

Split & window unit A.C servicing & maintenance.

Contact: 96236476

Air condition maintenance installation window AC, split a/c, ducted AC and package type units.

Contact: 98667326

Window & split unit A.C servicing & maintenance.

Contact: 93769089 / 95323517

Window & split unit A.C servicing & maintenance.

Contact 93769089 / 95323517 Used house & office furniture & electronic items. Contact: 99834373 / 96642500 Pest Control Treatments, Cockroaches, Ants, Rodents & Termites, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723/ 99357908 Supply fixing Wallpapers, all carpets. Contact: 99834373 / 96642500 One stop shop business services : Public Relation (PRO) formation new companies, LLC companies, Investor visa, business setup, prepare businesses & companies accounts, legal services, representing you and your company. Contact: Saleh : 96723485

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 House shifting & packing.

Contact: 99657644 / 98518013 General cleaning & Shampooing. Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723/99357908 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting.

Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading.

L.L.C. contact 24810137, 99450130 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722

*Classified Advertisement space booking with Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA, MCSA,MCSE, 2yrs + exp. in IT support, networking and server support valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532

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

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M O N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

TOURS

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

SITUATION WANTCARGO

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours Contact- 98029602, 92808636

RENT A CAR

RENT A CAR