Times of Oman - March 17, 2016 by Muscat Media Group

THURSDAY March 17, 2016 8 Jumada Al Thani 1437 AH

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FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

On the occasion of the 18th National Day, 1988

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ We stress the need for co-operation between the oilproducing countries to re-stabilise the international oil market. We hope that this co-operation will be more effective than it has been in the past. It is important for the world economy and most particularly important for producers and consumers alike.

Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 21

CABLE

His Majesty congratulates Irish President MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Michael D. Higgins of Republic of Ireland on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty expressed his sincere congratulations and best wishes of good health and happiness to President Higgins and the Irish friendly people further progress and prosperity. — ONA

| 40 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certiﬁed Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

F R O M J U LY 1

Air passengers to pay OMR2 extra as airport tax REJIMON K

1.02m

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Outbound airline passengers will have to pay OMR2 extra as tax for every travel from Oman airports from July 1, travel agents said, citing a notice issued by Oman Air. According to the notice, there will be an increase in the ‘OM’ tax from OMR8 to OMR10 for international passengers from Oman and moreover, there will be a new ‘OM’ tax on domestic fares within Oman, effective March 15. “Effective from March 15, for

Was the total passenger traffic passing through the Muscat airport

travel on and after July 1, 2016, international departure adult and children will have to pay OMR10 as tax,” the notice read. For domestic travellers, for all airports from Oman, effective for tickets issued on and after March

15, and for travel on and after April 1, up to December 31, adult and children will have to pay OMR1 per sector and the return fare will be OMR2. “For travel effective January 1, 2017 domestic departure for

adults and children will be OMR2 per sector and for return fare it will be OMR4,” the notice added. Included in the ticket Travel agents said the increased amount will be included in the ticket itself. “The air ticket issuing system itself will include the new tax when tickets are issued to the client,” the travel agents said. In March 2015, the Oman Airport Management Company had issued a circular stating that all international departing passengers will have to pay OMR8 and transit

passengers will have to pay OMR1 as new passenger charges. According to the latest data available, total passenger traffic (including transit and transfer passengers) passing through the Muscat International Airport, increased by 20 per cent to 1,021,929 passengers during January, compared with 851,588 passengers for the same period in 2015. Data showed an increase in the arrival of passengers by 22 per cent to 517,473 during January this year, compared with 425,045 passengers for the same period in 2015.

HM receives message >A7 C E N T R A L B A N K S TAT E M E N T

A new dawn set for Oman beauty spot

Oman rules out currency devaluation rumours Times News Service

MORNING MINUTE

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

35 stranded workers repatriated to India

Out of the 74 workers who were stranded in a company in Oman without food and salary, 35 were repatriated on Tuesday night itself after the Indian embassy officials took up the case. The workers were employed by a construction company based in Muscat a few months ago. >A5

WORLD

Trump warns of ‘unrest’ if denied nomination SCENIC SPOT: The beautiful bay at the former Oman Dive Centre for which Muscat Hills Group have plans.

United States Republican front-runner Donald Trump warned on Wednesday of riots if he is denied the party’s presidential nomination after a string of primary election victories, raising the temperature even more in a heated White House race. >A14

Tourism Complex licence — plus a boutique hotel.

Muscat Hills Group plans a new restaurant and beach club, a nine-hole golf course, chalets and villas for sale at the beauty spot

BUSINESS

Opec to discuss oil output freeze in April

Oil producers from Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and beyond are ﬁnalising a plan to discuss freezing output at a meeting in Qatar in mid-April, the latest move in a campaign by ﬁnancially-stricken crude exporters to shift the dynamics of an over-supplied market. >B3

SHAHZAD RAZA/RAHUL DAS

shahzad@timesofoman.com rahuldas@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: One of Muscat’s best known beauty spots, the ‘former’ Oman Dive Centre, looks set for a new lease of life with Muscat Hills Group revealing ambitious plans for its future including a golf course and a boutique hotel. Times of Oman revealed in 2015 how the site had been rebranded as the Muscat Hills Dive Centre after years as ODC. Now

Chairman and CEO of Muscat Hills Group, His Highness Sayyid Al Rawy Kais Al Said, has shed light on future plans for the ‘Muscat Hills Resort’. ‘Transition’ of the site His Highness said the group were in discussions with the Ministry of Tourism over the ‘transition’ of the site. Plans include a new restaurant and beach club, a ninehole golf course, 70 to 80 chalets, 25 villas for sale — subject to the acquisition of an Integrated

Muscat Hills Resort “We are looking at what was formerly known as the Oman Dive Centre (ODC) now as the Muscat Hills Resort. Currently we are opening a new F&B outlet and beach club which will be open to the public, that’s the ﬁrst stage and then of course there will be a development further which we plan to build a nine-hole par three golf course in the Dive Centre,” said His Highness. “The beach club should have its soft opening by April, the golf course to open by this time next year, and the hotel and the villas are still to come, a few years away. Nothing is official, these are our plans.” The dive centre has long been a popular spot for tourists and Muscat resident, currently fea-

turing 35 ‘barasti huts’ for tourists to stay in and the venue has staged events such as New Year’s Eve celebrations. Nestled between the upcoming Saraya Bandar Jissah development, which will see hundreds of new residents move to the area and tourists visit two new ﬁvestar hotels beginning next year, and the plush Barr Al Jissah resort across the bay that is home to the Shangri-la resort and spa, the Muscat Hills Group plans for the former ODC site will add to the area’s leisure and residential boom. Major renovation “At the moment, the whole place is undergoing construction; major renovation and reconstruction work is taking place at the centre,” a source from Muscat Hills had said earlier to Times of Oman. >A7

MUSCAT: Oman’s central bank said that the country is still committed to peg the rial to the United States dollar and the value of the currency in the futures market did not change. Responding to rumours in the market, Hamoud bin Sangour Al Zadjali, executive president of the Central Bank of Oman, stated that other Gulf states also refuted baseless rumours of devaluation of Omani rial against other Gulf currencies. Such reports are generated in light of the economic pressures that oil-producing countries currencies are facing due to decline in global oil prices since the middle of last year, he added. “False and unverified stories have been spreading around lately about the fluctuating value of the Omani currency, especially on social media, prompting the Central Bank of Oman to publish clarifications to the public,” the central bank chief said in the latest edition of the ‘Al Markazi’ magazine. He also clarified that interest rates in the Oman’s banking sector are determined by supply and demand forces in line with the principles on which the Omani economy is based, including market freedom. The Central Bank of Oman has realised early on that the banking sector must be guided to increase lending towards productive sectors instead of focusing on personal loans that have negative impacts on the economy in general, he added. The central bank has taken numerous measures including consecutive reduction of interest rate on personal loans and the latest action was in October 2013 where a circular was issued to all commercial banks in the Sultanate to reduce interest rate ceiling on personal loans from 7 per cent to 6 per cent per annum. >A7

HONDA ROAD IN RUWI

28 families evacuated after ﬁre in building REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com

FIRE DOUSED: Fire broke out in a residential building. – Supplied pictures

Muscat: Around 28 families were evacuated after a fire broke out in a residential building located at Honda Road in Ruwi early morning on Wednesday, residents said. “The fire broke out in a flat in the building after midnight. We were all clueless about what happened. It was a scary situation. The fire brigade was called and they had to work for more than two hours to contain the fire,” residents said. “A police team evacuated all of us. We had to stay in our friends’ room. We just returned to our flat. Today we won’t be able to go to office,” residents added. “Nobody was injured in the fire,” residents said.

A fire had also broken out in a residential building in Muttrah last week. A Royal Oman Police (ROP) official had said earlier that the fire threat remains a major challenge for establishments in Oman. “Unorganised and poorly marked storage of cables and flammable materials in any building raises the risk of damage by fire,” Colonel Said Al Asmi, assistant general manager for Operations at ROP said. Lack of proper safety precautions at some hotels, ports, banks and other facilities in Oman can put them at risk of catching fire, Al Asmi said, adding that instances of such fires breaking out increased during summer due to high temperatures.

Omani singer Nadeem wows global festival

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

OMAN More seats in institutes reserved for children of Indian workers in Gulf REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com

Indian government has also ordered that the fee charged from such students should be at par with that charged from resident citizens of India

MUSCAT: More seats have been reserved for Children of Indians Working in Gulf countries (CIWG) looking for admissions at premier Indian institutes through Direct Admission to Students Abroad (DASA) scheme, an Indian government circular says. According the circular, a third of the 15 per cent seats at premier Indian institutes, such as institutions/university departments, approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), of-

fering technical courses leading to diploma, degree and post graduate degrees in engineering and technology, architecture and town planning, pharmacy, applied arts, MBA and MCA, hotel management and catering technology, will be reserved for CIWG. As per the data available on the AICTE website, there are 10,329 affiliated institutions across the country. These institutions together have an intake capacity of 39,56,234, but the total enrolment in the 2015 to 2016 academic year is 20,97,889. “There shall be one-third

reservation for Children of Indian Workers in Gulf Countries (CIWG). However, any vacant seats out of the 1/3 category of CIWG shall be reverted to the quota of 2/3 meant for other categories of DASA- 2016. Eligibility of CIWG will be same as that of NRIs,” the circular stated. However, CIWG will have to pay fee at par with resident citizens and have to present proof of either parent working in a gulf country. “Such a candidate has to make a payment of USD300 as registration fee (non-refundable) and USD700 towards tuition fee for

one semester. Fee as that of resident students will be applicable. Any change in the tuition fee from competent authority from time to time will be applicable to CIWG also,” the circular added. Proof that either of the parent is working in a gulf country, such as the copy of the passport of the parent working in the gulf, copy of the parent’s visa and copy of parent’s work permit (If any) will be required while applying for the admission. “It’s a commendable move from the government side. This at least assures a little more seats for the

children of Indian workers in Gulf countries,” Radhakrishna Kurup, a teacher at Indian School Darsait, said. “The majority of the Indian workers in the Gulf cannot be placed under the so-called wealthy Non-Resident Indian category. When an ordinary Indian migrant is considered an NRI parent, then they have to shell out a huge amount to get an admission for their child under the NRI quota. Now, with seats being reserved for ordinary Indian workers’ children in Gulf, it is surely a blessing,” the teacher added.

T R AV E L W R I T I N G

MARCH 21 TO 25

Muscat Film Festival comes out with names of artists to be feted

4th Oman Air Media Awards announced at ITB Berlin

Times News Service/ONA

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Muscat Film Festival management announced at a press conference on Wednesday the names of artists who will be honoured during the festival to be held from between March 21 to 25. The announcement was made by Dr. Khalid Al Zadjali chairman of the Board of Omani Society for Cinema. The names of actors to be honoured are Yousef Al Balushi from Oman, Suad Abdullah from Kuwait, Sabir Sabri, Bousi, Karim Abdelaziz and late Noor Al Sharif from Egypt. Six ﬁlms of Muscat International Film Festival will be screened at the Vox Cinemas at City Centre Muscat apart from hosting a large number of celebrities during the festival, the organisers said on Wednesday. This will be in collaboration with the Oman Film Society (OFS) under the auspices of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture. On March 22 and 23, these ﬁlms

Six films of Muscat International Film Festival will be screened at the Vox Cinemas at City Centre Muscat

will be screened at the Vox Cinemas at City Centre Muscat. The programme on 22 March begins with ‘Half The Sky’ by Moroccan filmmaker Abdelkader Lagtaa, drama film ‘Silence of the Shepherd’ directed by Raad Mushatat and the Egyptian film ‘Khanet Elyaly’ will close the day. On 23 March, the evening opens with ‘Le Puits’, followed by Omani film ‘Bent Almashta’ and will conclude with a star studded evening

with celebrities invited to watch Egyptian film ‘Cairo Time’. Stars expected to attend include: Pussi; Mirvat Ameen; Samir Sabri; Karim Abdul Aziz; Madeleine Tabr; Asmahan Tawfiq; Haifaa Hussein; Jamaan Al Rouwai; Jamal Ghailan; Tariq Abdul Aziz; and Solaf Fawakherji. An award ceremony will take place after the movie ‘Cairo Time’ to celebrate the lead actors, and will feature a special recognition to the late Nour Sharif. Husam Al Mandhari, Senior Mall Manager at City Centre Muscat, said: “We are delighted to be part of Muscat International Film Festival which brings a diverse mix of cultures together through the medium of film. “Majid Al Futtaim plays a significant role in supporting the growth and development of the Sultanate and Muscat International Film Festival gives us yet another platform to support the growth of creative industries.”

MUSCAT: Oman Air has announced the winners of the Oman Air Media Awards 2016. The awards celebrate the best of German and Swiss travel and aviation writing and recognise writers’ contributions over the past five years to the success of Oman Air and the destination of Oman. The winners in each of the four categories of the awards were announced at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show, on March 9. They were each presented with a framed reproduction of their reports, a certificate and a presentation case of traditional Omani silverware. In addition, an overall winner was chosen and was presented, along with two business class flights and five-star accommodation in Muscat. The winners in the two magazine categories were Ina Volkmer and Tina Bremer, whilst Marko Roth won in the blogger category and Harald Schmidt won the online media award. Harald Schmidt was also named as the overall winner. Presenting the awards, Oman Air Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Paul Gregorowitsch, said: “It has been an honour to host the Media Awards during ITB Berlin. They have enabled us to recognize both the exceptional talent at work within Germany‘s and Switzerland’s travel media, and the awe-inspiring source of inspiration that Oman provides for journalists.” “We would like to offer our sincere congratulations to each of the four winners: Ina, Tina Marko and Harald, who have all published outstanding print, online or video articles about Oman and we are delighted to recognise their work.” “We would also like to thank the very many other journalists throughout the German-language media, who have helped raise awareness about Oman, celebrated the many wonderful attrac-

AWARDED: The winners in each of the four categories of the awards were announced at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show, on March 9. – Supplied photo

tions that the country offers to visitors, and set an extremely high standard in travel writing. “This year’s Oman Air Media Awards come at a crucial time for the airline. We have currently embarked upon an ambitious expansion programme that will see Oman Air’s fleet increase in size to 70 aircraft by 2020. Over the last year, we have taken delivery of more Boeing 737 aircraft, and have unveiled the first two of our iconic new Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Oman Air’s expanded fleet will enable us to introduce a wide range of new routes in our network, adding to the 50 destinations to which we already fly. Charms of Oman “As a result of our expansion, Oman Air will be able to introduce thousands travellers from around the world to the unique and authentic charms that Oman offers to visitors. “And many of those visitors will first hear about Oman, and Oman Air, via the media. “The Oman Air Media Awards are designed to recognise and acknowledge the very best of that media coverage. We look forward to reading the many articles that we know will be published about Oman over the next 12 months and to recognising future talent in

the years to come.” Each of the winning pieces provided readers and viewers with a wealth of information about Oman and how to get there. Volkmer, writing for Laura magazine, brought the desert to life in a colourful article, which also featured the food offered at a Nizwa souk (market) and the warm hospitality of the Omani people. Bremer’s feature, published in Swiss magazine Bolero, described the balance that the Sultanate of Oman successfully achieves between tradition and progress. It followed a road trip, which took one from the capital city of Muscat and the modernity of the Royal Opera House, to the rose gardens of Jabal Akhdar and on a romantic desert camp. Hospitality was again the focus of Schmidt’s online feature for the reisestories.de travel website. Schmidt was invited to stay with an Omani oil worker and to experience life in the Sultanate. His article is rich in information about Oman, it history and culture, whilst stressing the friendliness and hospitality offered by Omanis to their guests. Roth’s winning entry in the Bloggers category of the awards was an outstanding ﬁlm about Oman, which was published on easywriters.de. MINISTRY OF TOURISM

Mobile tourist vehicles project to be launched SALALAH: Ministry of Tourism will launch next Sunday at Salalah port the mobile tourist vehicles project under the auspices of Abdullah bin Aqeel Al Ibrahim Acting Deputy Governor of Dhofar. Ministry of Tourism carried out the project with funding from the Salalah Methanol Company and in cooperation with the Public Authority for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises ‘Riyada’, Al Raffd Fund and Salalah Port to support tourism initiatives and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that contribute to the development of tourist sites in the Sultanate and the provision of services needed by tourists and visitors to the governorate. It is worth mentioning that the mobile tourist vehicles will be present at Salalah port during the cruise ship season and in a number of tourist sites during the Khareef season. — ONA

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

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HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Oman delegation meets UN official GENEVA: A delegation from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), headed by Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Riyami, Chairman of the Commission met Kate Gilmore, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights and Scheherazade Tajikistan Head of the UPR section in Geneva in the presence of a government delegation headed by Abdullah bin

Nasser Al Rahbi, the Sultanateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. The meeting aimed at enhancing aspects of joint cooperation between the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and NHRC in the protection and promotion of human rights in the Sultanate, and to increase awareness of the importance of the universal pe-

riodic review mechanism by all competent authorities by highlighting their roles with respect to the implementation of the recommendations approved by the Sultanate. The meeting also stressed the importance of cooperation between all institutions concerned in Oman when drafting the action plan to implement the recommendations. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ONA

OMAN

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

OMAN

$4b

Omani singer Nadeem wows global festival For Omani singer Nadeem Al Balushi performing at the World Culture Festival 2016, said to have been attended by 3.5 million people from around the world, was an experience of a lifetime

DEEBA HASAN

AMAZING SHOW: Nadeem sang a song with two other singers from Jordan, who were supported by a chorus that included two other Omanis. – Supplied photo

deeba@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Omani singer Nadeem Al Balushi was chosen by the Art of Living organisation to perform at World Culture Festival 2016, which was held on the banks of the Yamuna River in New Delhi, India from March 13 to 15. The festival marked the 35th anniversary of the organisation, which was started by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Nadeem was ﬁrst contacted by Kamal Khimji, head of the Art of Living organisation in Oman, about participating in the festival. “Kamal Khimji called me to discuss performing in a show at the Al Falaj Hotel to celebrate 35 years as a representative of Art of Living, and then she offered me the chance to join the big celebration, which she said would happen in India, and said I would be representing Oman in India. I was very excited about the opportunity and agreed. I was also supported by friends Hassan, Jagdip and Dipti in this.” At the festival, Nadeem sang a song with two other singers from Jordan, who were supported by a chorus, and said that it was an ex-

perience of a lifetime. “I could only see the ﬁrst row in the audience, after which it was hard to see because there were so many people. It was a very colorful event, with an audience of thousands of people, including Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, himself. From the Middle East and the Arab world there were singers representing Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, UAE and Morocco.” Participants and audiences from 155 countries were present at the festival, which is said to have been attended by 3.5 million people from around the world, along with Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh

Yadav. “The celebration continued for three days, and I performed on the second day. On the ﬁrst and third days I was in the audience, and it was great to see people from so many different countries at the venue. It rained over the three days, except for when it was time for our show. We were blessed.” Apart from Nadeem, there were two other Omanis in the chorus. “I was amazed at the number of people, and when I ﬁrst held the microphone there I was about to cry because I was so overwhelmed. I think there were about 200 performances from within India, itself.” Nadeem also said he was delighted when he had the chance to take pictures with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. “After our performance I went back to the stage, and a security guard for Sri Sri asked me if I wanted to join them. I was happy about it, so when I met him we took lots of pictures,” recalled Nadeem. After launching his album and music videos in India, Nadeem is now working on releasing two more videos this year, he added.

is the value of LNG imported by South Korea from Oman

H O S P I TA L I T Y

Oman-South Korea tourism growing steadily: Envoy MOBIN MATHEW BLESSON

mobinmathew@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Tourism between Oman and the Republic of Korea is seeing steady growth, said the Ambassador to Oman. “There is growth in the tourism sector between Oman and Korea; more Korean people are interested in visiting Oman because of its natural beauty,” Republic of Korea’s Ambassador to Oman, Kim Daesik told the Times of Oman on the sidelines of a tree planting ceremony at the new Korean Embassy construction site. “Many Korean business people have been participating in the process of development of the Omani economy, and more will come in the future,” he added. According to the Ambassador, Oman and Korea are enjoying an excellent relationship. “Since 1974, our relations have developed to the great satisfaction of both peoples in every ﬁeld,” the Ambassador asserted. Pointing out that South Korea is the number one country to import LNG from Oman; he said the annual worth of the imports is $4 billion. “Omani people are very keen to appreciate Korean achievements,” the Ambassador said. He also conﬁrmed that the Embassy of the Republic of Korea will

There is growth in the tourism sector between Oman and Korea; more Korean people are interested in visiting Oman because of its natural beauty, said South Korea’s Ambassador to Oman, Kim Daesik

soon start functioning inside the new building at the diplomatic quarter. New building “Construction of the new building will be completed within three months and we may be able to hold an opening ceremony and the building will remain here forever to mark our close and ever-growing relations,” the Ambassador further said.

A tree planting ceremony was held by Governor Song from the North Jeolla Province of Korea to mark the occasion. According to the Ambassador, Governor Song is in Oman to garner Omani support for hosting the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, one of the cities in the North Jeolla Province in 2023. “Governor Song’s regional government is a participant in our new Embassy building project, under the name of the Korean style of North Jeolla province to provide the project with ﬁnal touch, interior decoration with such traditional beauty and elegance,” the Ambassador said. “I am sure that after seeing the work done by Governor Song’s province, you will all agree with me that you and the people who will visit the province later will feel the essence of Korean aesthetic sense and beauty,” he added. Ambassador Nasser bin Mohammed Al Busaidi, chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ambassador Mohamed bin Ahmed Al Bulushi, chief of East Asia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Dr. Dato Haji Besar bin Haji Abu Bakar, Brunei’s ambassador and dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassadors of other friendly countries, as well as a number of officials attended the ceremony.

HAPPY OCCASION: South Korea’s Embassy in Muscat will soon start functioning inside the new building at the diplomatic quarter, said the country’s Ambassador to Oman, Kim Daesik. – Supplied photo

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OMAN

35 stranded Indian workers repatriated

E D UC AT I O N

Indian Schools’ Board meeting postponed REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com

The workers were on strike alleging non-payment of salary

REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Out of the 74 Indian workers, who were stranded in a company in Oman without food and salary, 35 were repatriated on

Tuesday night after Indian embassy officials took up the case. The Times of Oman had ﬁrst reported the story (http://timesofoman.com/article/79457/Oman/ More-than-60-expatriate-workers-on-strike-in-Omanof stranded

workers) on Tuesday afternoon. The workers, mainly from North Indian states, were employed by a construction company based in Muscat a few months ago. The workers were on strike alleging non-payment of salary and non-supply of food for the last few days. “In all, there were 74 workers stranded in the camp. Out of that, 35 left on Tuesday night with the embassy’s help and 16 will leave tonight (via a Thursday morning ﬂight) for India. The company ofﬁcials have assured us that the

rest will be repatriated on March 22,” the stranded workers said. Most of these workers came to Oman after paying between OMR300 and OMR500 to recruitment agencies back in India. An official from the company had said on Tuesday that they were planning to send back the workers to India. According to a legal advisor, non-payment of salary is against Oman’s Labour Law and companies cannot breach the terms and conditions agreed to in the job contract.

E S S AY W R I T I N G A N D P O S T E R M A K I N G C O M P E T I T I O N

13th SAI–Times contest set to take off Times News Service MUSCAT: The thirteenth SAI Group and Times of Oman’s ‘Spreading the Light Through Human Values’ Essay Writing and Poster Making Competition is set to take off, and in the process kindle the thought process and creativity of Omani school children. The event, supported by Ministry of Education, Oman, will be held on April 9 at Muscat, April 16 at Sohar, Ibri and Nizwa and April 23 at Sur, Salalah and Buraimi. To ‘Inspire children to take on life in a value-based manner‘ is the purpose of this competition, which is open to students of Omani Government and Private Schools – Arabic and Bilingual, as well as International and Special Education Schools. The contest encourages originality of ideas and expression, quality of content and depiction of human values. The suggested word limit for essays is 400 words for Group A and B and 700 words for Group C and D. The time limit is 90 minutes for essay writing

and 120 minutes for poster making. Essays are to be written in English. Evaluations will be performed by a panel of three judges. All essays will be judged based upon the relevance of their content, effectiveness of conveying human values, presentation, neatness and language. The posters will be judged based upon their creativity. Helping hand A brief write-up for each topic that will provide a helping hand to the participating children can be downloaded at http://www. saivaluesoman.org/2016/SAISample.pdf. This is meant to offer some assistance to parents and teachers to discuss with or guide participating children. These hints can be developed or a new, but relevant approach to the topic is also welcome. For further details, contact GSM: 95149226 or 92185310 or email: saitimesoman9@gmail. com or website www.saivaluesoman.org.

To ‘Inspire children to take on life in a value-based manner‘ is the purpose of this competition, which is open to students of Omani Government and Private Schools – Arabic and Bilingual, as well as International and Special Education Schools

MUSCAT: A meeting to select the Chairman for the Indian schools’ Board of Directors has been postponed to March 29, a top official from the board said. “Most probably the meeting to select the new Chairman for the board will be held on March 29,” Wilson George, the chairman of the current board said. A meeting was held last Monday to select the new Chairman; however, due to some issues it couldn’t be completed. An existing board of director, who attended Monday’s meeting,

said some errors had taken place in the procedures for inducting a new member to the board and moreover the board had failed to send letters to a promoter school seeking fresh nominations from them. “There were some procedural errors in the appointment of the Indian School Muscat’s School Management Committee’s President, who will automatically become a board member. The committee, which had appointed him, had not followed all the rules. This had led to discontent among members and some had urged that elections be held only after correcting this,” the board member said.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016 We are proud to see BDLU commencing its mandate and we are looking forward to its contribution to enriching the workplace environment at BankDhofar. Abdul Hakeem Omar Al Ojaili, Acting CEO BankDhofar

OMAN B A N K D H O FA R L A B O U R U N I O N

BankDhofar establishes Labour Union, elects members Times News Service MUSCAT: BankDhofar Labour Union (BDLU) has been officially established following the completion of its members’ registration and the election of its board members. The General Assembly of the BankDhofar Labour Union had elected its board in July 2015 and was approved by the Ministry of Manpower in accordance with the Ministry’s Article No. 7 of the Ministerial Decision No. 2012/570. BankDhofar’s acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdul Hakeem Omar Al Ojaili hailed the establishment of BDLU, reiterating the bank management’s support and commitment to facilitating

ELECTED MEMBERS: The union has been founded to safeguard the employees’ interests and to improve the workplace environment. — Supplied picture

the union’s efforts. “We are proud to see BDLU commencing its mandate and we are looking forward to its contribution to enriching the workplace environment

at BankDhofar. The union will deﬁnitely play a positive role and will strengthen the communication and interaction between the bank’s management and employ-

ees throughout all organisational levels,” he said. Salim bin Alawi Al Gazali was elected as president of BDLU, Dr. Hamid Al Marjan as vice presi-

dent, Hadeel Mohammed Redha Hassan as secretary and Mubarak bin Hamed Al Hassani as treasurer. Al Gazali elaborated on the establishment of BDLU, its function and objectives. “The union has been founded to safeguard the employees’ interests and to improve the workplace environment. It is an independent entity, fully run by its elected board members as per the laws and legislations of labour unions in the Sultanate. It will function as a common platform of communication between the bank’s management and employees in order to serve the mutual goals of both parties. We are committed to boosting the status of BankDhofar

staff socioeconomically, culturally and vocationally, and we will work in accordance with the framework of the General Federation of Oman Trade Unions and the rules and regulations the Ministry of Manpower,” he stated. Management of the bank welcomed the decision of establishing BDLU as the bank is committed to providing an inspiring workplace environment that encourages productivity and innovation. As part of its continuous efforts to accelerate staff development and career growth, the bank offers a host of training programmes that are specially designed to suit the needs and requirements of each respective employee.

Spotlight on medical tourism at health expo More than 50 hospitals and clinics took part in the ELAJ International Health and Medical Treatment Expoat the Oman International Exhibition Centre (OIEC) between March 13 and 15.

MAKING A POINT: Representatives were present from India, Thailand, Korea, Iran, Turkey, Germany, Ukraine, Cuba and the United Arab Emirates. — Supplied picture

DEEBA HASAN

deeba@timesofoman.com Muscat: Free medical consultations with doctors and medical experts were offered, along with free check-ups for eye ailments, diabetes and breast cancer at the international health expo that concluded on Tuesday. Also, representatives of the hospitals offered information on Ayurveda medicine, cosmetic surgery, dental services, skincare, spa and wellness services, orthopedic-knee and back care, and disabilities, among other ailments. More than 50 hospitals and clinics took part in the ELAJ International Health and Medical Treatment Expoat the Oman International Exhibition Centre (OIEC) between March 13 and 15. Representatives were present from India, Thailand, Korea, Iran, Turkey, Germany, Ukraine, Cuba and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “Based on my experience, we see a minimum of 10 patients per month, but not all of them go through us, some just go directly, probably because of monetary issues. Most of the Omani patients go to Thailand for medical treatments, then India, Iran and Germany, I believe,” said a representative from Steps Health Referral Office, a medical agency based in Oman.

The majority of the patients from Oman go to India because the standards are high and it is also much cheaper for services. The main medical points in India are Delhi, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, and Chennai Dr. Soumya Alikunju Medical Coordination Services, a medical agency based in Muscat

“For those patients who go through us, we assist them free of charge, offer consultations and help them with translators in the country. Most patients who travel have orthopedic ailments, or are car accident victims, as well as cancer and pediatric patients,” the representative added. Dr. Abhishek Srivastav from the Sri Sri Ayurveda Clinic in Al Khuwair, which offers a holistic approach to medical care, said more than 50 per cent of their patients are from Oman. “We get lots of patients with back pain, obesity, and diabetes, as well as those patients who are very severe and need treatment for months and a prop-

er diet. We send them to India to our Sri Sri Ayurveda hospital in Bangalore. Over 50 per cent of our patients are Omanis, and the rest are expats,” said Dr. Srivastav. “The majority of the patients from Oman go to India because the standards are high and it is also much cheaper for services. The main medical points in India are Delhi, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, and Chennai,” said Dr. Soumya Alikunju from Medical Coordination Services, a medical agency also based in Muscat. It was reported in October 2015 that a large number of Omanis were regularly travelling to Germany for medical treatment.

During the same time last year, regulations were formulated by the Ministry of Health (MOH) for treatment of patients abroad, which was paid for by the ministry, in which a team of ﬁve doctors would examine patients before they looked for treatment outside Oman. Previous statistics show that in 2012 alone, more than 60,000 Omanis visited Thailand for a variety of medical treatments, and this ﬁgure was expected to rise. About 3,500 patients visited India in 2012, it was reported. In 2010, the Ministry of Health spent OMR1,693,825 to send patients for treatment abroad. Last December, Oman’s Ministry of Health emphasised that visa rules needed to be followed by Omanis seeking healthcare in India, after 30 Omani citizens were denied entry at Chennai International Airport. It was added that anyone travelling for medical care must have a medical visa, rather than a tourist visa. Indian authorities also told Oman that their rules are being strictly enforced, and in the future no hospital in India would accept overseas patients who entered the countrywith tourist visas. Earlier in 2014, Oman’s Ministry of Health announced ‘Oman’s Health Vision 2050’, which included the establishment of 10,000 health centres to meet increasing demands arising from the country’s growing population.

S U LTA N Q A B O O S U N I V E R S I T Y

Forum discusses challenges to ‘information technology’ Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Information Security Gathering (ISeG Oman 2016), organised by the Free and Open Source Software Society (FO3S) at Sultan Qaboos University, opened at the university under the patronage of Dr Rehma Al Mahrooqi, SQU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Research. The gathering includes presentations and practical sessions about information technology. FO3S, functioning under the supervision of the Communication and Information Research Centre at SQU, organised this event as part of efforts to spread awareness about security for informa-

tion systems in today’s high technology environment. Ensure security Speaking at the gathering, Prof. Hadj Bourdoucen, Director of CIRC, underscored the need to ensure security for information systems, as organisations are becoming more dependent upon those systems. “The public is increasingly concerned about the proper use of information, particularly personal data. The threats to information systems from criminals are increasing. For organisations, information is an area of operation that needs to be protected as part of their system of internal controls. As individuals, we usu-

ally hold sensitive personal information on our home computers and typically perform online functions, such as banking, shopping and social networking,thus sharing our sensitive information with others over the Internet,” Bourdoucen said. “As more and more of this information is stored and processed electronically and transmitted across company networks or the internet, the risk of unauthorised access increases and we are presented with growing challenges of how best to protect it,” he added. FO3S is organising this event in association with national organisations, including ITA, TRA, and telecom companies Omantel and Ooredoo.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

OMAN CABLE

His Majesty recieves written message from Emir of Kuwait

State Council reviews Oman education sector The Education Council made a presentation about the outlook for the education sector in the Sultanate, and highlighted the national education strategy in the Sultanate 2040

MUSCAT: A presentation on the outlook of the education sector in Oman was made to the State Council by the education Council yesterday.

The presentation was made when the State Council hosted today the Education Council, in the presence of Dr. Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al Manthri, Chairman

of the State Council. The Education Council made a presentation about the outlook for the education sector in the Sultanate, and highlighted the national education strategy in the Sultanate 2040. The presentation, given by a number of undersecretaries, academics, included many working papers on a study about restructuring the education system, the National Education Strategy in the Sultanate 2040, philosophy of education document, in addition to providing a working paper on school education projects and improve schooling law. The presentation also dealt

with working papers on the Higher Education Law, and a number of performance indicators in higher education institutions, as well as the review of the national system for the management of the quality of higher education, in addition to a working paper dealt with the technical education and vocational training in the Sultanate. Extensive discussions on various themes included in the national education strategy in the Sultanate 2040 interrupted the presentation. The presentation was followed by open discussion. -ONA

WAT E R A N D E N E R G Y R E S E A R C H

120TH SESSION

Oman, UK scientists discuss new directions in research Times News Service RECEIVING MESSAGE: The message was received on behalf of His Majesty the Sultan by His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said when he received in his office this evening Sheikh Mohammed Al Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Envoy of the Emir of Kuwait. – ONA

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a written message from Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jabir Al Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait related to the fraternal relations binding the two brotherly countries and issues of concern to the two sides. The message was received on behalf of His Majesty the Sultan by His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said when he received in his office this evening Sheikh Mohammed Al Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Envoy of the Emir of Kuwait who conveyed greetings of Sheikh Sa-

bah to His Majesty, the Government and the Omani people. The two sides exchanged cordial conversations and reviewed the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries. The meeting was attended by Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi, Minister of Interior and Fahd Hajar Al Mutairi, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Sultanate. The guest paid a short visit to the Sultanate this evening. He was received and seen off by Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi, Minister of Interior and the Kuwaiti Ambassador to the Sultanate. -ONA

MUSCAT: British Council, in association with the Department of Business Innovation and Skills and the UK Science and Innovation Network, organised the “Water and Energy Research Symposium” at SQU to promote links between scientists from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and universities in the UK,and carry out joint innovative research in the water and energy ﬁelds. Noted research scientists, specialising in the energy and water ﬁelds from SQU and seven UK universities, attended the symposium and discussed ideas to open new directions in water and energy research. Russ Dixon, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy, Oman, in his address, stressed

the need for innovations in energy research for oil producing countries,such as Oman. “The drop in oil price is a concern for the countries in this region. It is imperative to develop more innovative technologies to conserve energy and tap alternative energy sources. For arid regions, water is a crucial topic and conservation and sustainable use of water should receive enough attention,” he observed. SQU initiatives Dr. Shahid Al Balushi, expert from the International Relegations Ofﬁce at SQU, delivered a speech outlining SQU initiatives to support research and capacity building. He elaborated on various research funding options available to scientists in SQU and the university’s research ties with foreign univer-

Arab chambers session begins MUSCAT: 120th Session of the board of the General Union of the Arab Chambers, hosted by the Sultanate represented by Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) started at Grand Hormuz Hotel yesterday under the chairmanship of Mohammed Weld Mohammed Mahmoud, Chairman of the General Union of the Arab Chambers and Chairman of Muritanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the presence of Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry and heads and members of the Arab chambers boards and unions. Minister of Commerce and Industry said that the meeting will discuss a number of themes namely the implications of the oil price slump on the Arab countries. — ONA

sities and research institutes. In her address, Dr. Malak Hamdan, Head of the UK’s Science and Innovation Network in the Gulf, stated that science and innovation are at the heart of the prospects of any nation. “A country by its own cannot ﬁnd innovative solutions to the complex set of challenges that the world is facing today. This makes international collaboration between scientists imperative”. Dr. Hamdan said she hoped that ties between scientists from Oman and the UK would result in innovative solutions to address water and energy security challenges, along with climate change issues. Constantine Demetriou, Director for Commercialisation at The Research Council (TRC), spoke about the start-up and venture capital landscape in Oman.

CENTRAL BANK OF OMAN

A1 No plans to raise ceiling imposed on rates < FROM

I N T E G R AT E D T OU R I S M C O M P L E X

A1 Huge demand for real estate project in Oman < FROM

His Highness was speaking at the launch of the group’s new master-planned community The Boulevard project, a new downtown district featuring commercial and residential properties, shops and dining, at the expanding ITC close to Muscat International Airport. His Highness Sayyid Al Rawy Kais Al Said said that the drop in oil prices had not affected performance of the group. “Integrated Tourism Complex (ITC) properties are doing good as many nationalities are coming in from all over the world,” he said. Officials said that the demand for the ITC properties continued to be strong as people continued to invest in good properties. “That is one of the reasons it is no wonder that the properties in Muscat Hills are well sought af-

Muscat Hills continues to contribute meaningfully towards real estate sector in Oman, officials of the company added ter with its magniﬁcent backdrop and ITC status offering freehold ownership to all purchasers, Omanis, GCC nationals and expatriates alike. Muscat Hills with its distinct principle of ‘inclusive development,’ be it with a jointdevelopment approach or with sub-developers’ participation, continues to contribute meaningfully towards real estate sector in Oman,” officials added.

“Such measures and reductions are carried out upon periodical review by the board of governors towards the various issues that concern the banking sector including setting interest rates in general,” noted Al Zadjalil. There was a decline in interest rates in the local banking sector in the recent past, as the likely average of interest rates on loans in Omani rial declined from 5.080 per cent in December 2014 to 4.762 per cent in December 2015. The decline in the interest rates was mainly attributed to the low risk level associated with personal loans. “There are no plans to raise the ceiling imposed on interest rate on personal loans under the current conditions,” added the central bank chief. Case of a hike In case of a hike in interest rates on deposits, which may lead to an increase in financing costs on borrowers and in price levels, he said. “This will attract more customers to deposit their savings in commercial banks to benefit from the return on increased fixed deposit rates.” In order to keep risk at a certain

Such measures and reductions are carried out upon periodical review by the board of governors towards the various issues that concern the banking sector including setting interest rates in general Hamoud bin Sangour Al Zadjali Executive president of the Central Bank of Oman

manageable level in a manner that enhances safety indicators and solidity of financial institutions and consolidating the stability of the financial system while facilitating financial transactions in a way that benefits the economy and the country in general, precautionary directives and regulations on credit disclosure are currently applied to non-residents and funds deposited abroad. These were set forth and reviewed by the Central Bank

of Oman and completed through consultation with commercial banks that made valuable contributions in this respect. Accordingly, CBO expects the Omani banking sector to continue its fructuous performance in the current year 2016 under the tight surveillance of the Central Bank of Oman besides enjoying comfortable levels of liquidity and ﬁnancial solvency. This will qualify it to meet the needs of the private sec-

tor, which is anticipated to maintain the growth momentum that enables it to play its leading role in the economic diversification process in the Sultanate. Meanwhile, Islamic banking operations which started three years ago are adding extra diversification and flexibility to the Omani banking sector and contributing in the enhancement of all banking indicators quantitatively and qualitatively.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

REGION European Union agrees for curbs on Libyan leaders France, Britain pushed for sanctions on three men who oppose a Westernbacked unity government in Libya

BRUSSELS: The European Union has agreed sanctions on three Libyan leaders who oppose a Western-backed unity government, clearing the way for travel bans and asset freezes to be imposed in the next few days, diplomats said. EU governments have been hesitating for months, fearful of derailing peace efforts, but Western powers recognised a unity cabinet as Libya’s only legitimate government on Sunday, and are pushing for it to move to Tripoli and start work. Breakthrough The sanctions deal marks a breakthrough for France, which hopes the measures will help accelerate the formation of a government and avoid Libya slipping fully into the hands of IS militants. “Sanctions have been agreed,” a senior EU diplomat told Reuters, saying that although the legal text to support the sanctions still needs to be drawn up, no government is expected to object to the proceedings. The three men are Nouri Abusahmain, president of Libya’s General National Congress in Tripoli, one of two rival parliaments, Khalifa Al Ghwell, prime minister of the Tripoli government, and Aguila Saleh, the president of Libya’s internationally

CLASHES GO ON: Members of forces loyal to Libya’s eastern government sit in armed vehicles during clashes with the Shura Council of Libyan Revolutionaries, an alliance of former anti-Gaddaﬁ rebels who have joined forces with hardline group Ansar Al Sharia, in Benghazi, Libya on Monday. – Reuters

recognised parliament in Tobruk. Ghwell repeated his opposition to transfer powers to the unity government in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday. French and Italian officials have been saying for more than a year that the political chaos and security vacuum in Libya is allowing hardliners to gain ground, spreading out from Tunisia. Discussion EU foreign ministers held a 90 minute discussion on Libya on Monday with UN special envoy for Libya, Martin Kobler, and some governments warned about the perils of inaction. “We have four centres of power in practice and it turns out that the most effective one is the one created by IS, which is developing its structures there,” Poland’s

Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said following the meeting. EU foreign ministers in January promised 100 million euros ($108 million) of immediate support for Libya once a government is formed. Meanwhile in Tunis the prime minister of Tripoli’s self-declared government has warned Libya’s UN-backed cabinet - based in Tunis - not to come to the capital, saying such a move would be illegal and suggesting ministers could face arrest. Two rival administrations within Libya are ﬁghting for control, one in Tripoli, and one in the east, while the United Nations has brokered a deal for a national unity government meant to bring the sides together and end the conﬂict. Responding to a request by the UN-backed Presidential Coun-

cil and Western powers for an immediate transfer of power , Khalifa Al Ghwell told Reuters late on Tuesday he could not hand over authority to a government he said did not enjoy the support of Tripoli’s parliament, the General National Congress (GNC). The US and major European powers recognised the unity cabinet as Libya’s only legitimate government on Sunday, and are pushing for it to move to Tripoli and start work. Ghwell, who leads a government appointed after armed brigades supporting the GNC won a battle for control of Tripoli in 2014 and reinstated it, said the UN-backed cabinet lacked the legitimacy to govern from the capital. “If they want to enter Libya as individuals they are welcome, because they are Libyans. We don’t

advise them to enter Libya as a government, as to do so would be a violation to the law, and they will be treated according to the law,” he said. Some major armed brigades in western Libya and several dozen GNC members or former members have also pledged to support the new government. But the Presidential Council and the unity cabinet it nominated last month have faced opposition from hardliners both in Tripoli and in the east, where an internationally recognised rival government is based. This month, three members of a security committee appointed to prepare for the unity government’s move were brieﬂy detained in Tripoli. Ghwell said such decisions were taken by judicial authorities, but warned that members of the cabinet could face the same fate. “We are a sovereign state and must secure our city and safeguard the security of our people, and if they try to come illegally they will create a unforeseen consequences in Tripoli and we don’t agree with this,” he said. Ghwell backs parallel talks between members of the two governments in Libya, which he said were preparing an alternative plan for a political transition that he said would be presented in the next two weeks. Eastern opposition to a transfer of power is centred on concerns over future military leadership among allies of powerful commander Khalifa Haftar, whose Libya National Army has been leading battles against militants. In a statement condemning a recent attack by suspected IS militants, the eastern government on Wednesday urged Libyans to fully support the army and “not count on the international community, which is still delaying in its support for Libya’s legitimate institutions”. — Reuters

CITY OF JERICHO

Germany, France slam Israel for seizing land BERLIN/PARIS: Germany and France on Wednesday criticised Israel’s decision to appropriate large tracts of land in the occupied West Bank, saying the move violated international law and contradicted a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli Army Radio said on Tuesday the land was near the Dead Sea and the Palestinian city of Jericho. Israel says it intends to keep large settlement blocs in any future peace agreement with the Palestinians. Palestinians, who seek to establish a state in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, fear Israeli settlement expansion will deny them a viable country. “This decision sends a wrong signal at the wrong time,” the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Especially in the current tense situation, both parties in the Middle East conflict are called on to take steps for a de-escalation and to find ways that lead to an urgently needed resumption of peace negotiations,” it said. In Paris, Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said France was “extremely concerned” by the Israeli decision. “Settlements constitute a violation of international law and contradict commitments made by Israeli authorities in favour of a two-state solution,” the spokesman said. Palestinians have cited Israeli settlement activity as one of the factors behind the collapse of USbrokered peace talks in 2014, and a surge of violence over the past five months has dimmed hopes negotiations could be revived any time soon. Germany, which has forged close relations with Israel in the decades, has repeatedly criticised Israel for its settlement plans. “All people in Israel and Palestine have a right to live in peace and security. Only a clear political perspective for a sustainable two-state solution can guarantee this in the long term,” the ministry said. — Reuters

COMMON DECISION

‘Russian withdrawal was no surprise to Assad’s government’ GENEVA: Russia’s withdrawal of forces from Syria was no surprise to Damascus, Bashar Ja’afari, head of the Syrian government delegation at peace talks in Geneva, said on Wednesday. More than ﬁve months after they started air strikes to bolster President Bashar Al Assad, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that most Russian forces would leave, and almost half have already left, according to a Reuters calculation. “The Russian decision to withdraw partially from Syria was taken jointly by a common decision, taken both by President Putin and President Assad. So it wasn’t a surprise for us,” Ja’afari told reporters. He said Russia’s military involvement in Syria was a matter that would be constantly reviewed by both countries. “The day they will leave or withdraw or redeploy their forces partially or totally, it will be done again and again and again through a joint Syrian-Russian coordination action.” Ja’afari rejected talk of a federal model for Syria, in response to a move by Syrian Kurds to announce a federal structure of government in Kurdish-controlled northern Syria. “What we talking about here is how keep the unity of Syria,” he said. He also rejected a suggestion by the opposition High Negotiations Committee that the Geneva talks should move to a direct format, saying nobody should have a monopoly on representing the opposition. He described the HNC chief negotiator Mohammad Alloush as a terrorist, saying the rebel group he belongs to, and which controls large swathes of the besieged suburbs of Damascus, was responsible for the death of many innocent people. “We will not engage with this terrorist in direct talks, with this terrorist in particular, and so there won’t be any direct talks

MATTER OF REVIEW: Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) and Head of the Government delegation Bashar Al Jaafari in Geneva on Wednesday. – AFP

unless this terrorist apologises and also shaves off his beard,” Ja’afari said. Ja’afari also said he had “useful and promising” talks with the UN deputy Syria envoy Ramzy Ezzeldin, noting that procedural issues had to be thrashed out before moving to an agenda that tackled divisive issues. Ramzy said there had been “important progress” in the last few days and the reduction in violence on the ground had been reﬂected in the attitude of the delegations at the talks. He noted some common ground in papers submitted by the two parties but said important differences remained to be bridged. Meanwhile, the Arab League welcomed Russia’s decision to withdraw its troops from Syria, saying on Wednesday the move would help UN-mediated talks to end the country’s war. “The Russian announcement... represents a positive and important step towards fostering efforts... for the success of the Geneva negotiations taking place under the auspices of the United Nations and for stabilising the truce,” Arab League secretarygeneral Nabil Al Araby said in a statement. — Reuters

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INDIA

Ethics panel to probe bribery charges against TMC MPs Speaker Sumitra Mahajan made the announcement a day after BJP, Congress and CPI(M) came together in Parliament to attack the TMC members allegedly shown accepting bribe in a sting and demanded an inquiry

NEW DELHI: The bribery charges against Trinamool Congress members would be probed by the Lok Sabha’s Committee on Ethics, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan announced on Wednesday, asserting that the “very serious” allegations impacted the “very credibility of Parliament”. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan made the announcement soon after the Question Hour, a day after BJP, Congress and CPI(M) came together in Parliament to attack the TMC members allegedly shown accepting bribe in a sting and demanded an inquiry. Allegations “Certain acts of alleged unethical conduct on the part of some members of the House have been reported in the press and the matter was also raised by some members in the House on Tuesday. “These allegations are very serious in nature and seek to impact

RUCKUS: Councillors clash in a melee after Congress and CPI(M) councillors of Kolkata Municipality

staged a protest over a TV channel’s ‘sting operation’ on TMC leaders in Kolkata on Wednesday.

- PTI

Mamata slams Opposition over sting operation KALCHINI (West Bengal): Facing the heat of a controversial sting operation, West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the Opposition parties have formed a “nexus” to malign the Trinamool Congress ahead of the state Assembly election. Speaking at an election rally here, Mamata also said a “section of media” is with the

upon the very credibility of parliamentarians and Parliament as an institution and therefore need to be examined,” Mahajan observed as she asked the L. K. Advaniheaded 15-member committee

Opposition parties and she will “expose” them later. “We have done a lot of developmental work in the last four years. No other political party in the country has been able to usher in so much of development. But the Opposition parties can’t see that development. They are only campaigning to malign us,” Mamata told an election rally here.

for “examination, investigation and report”. The Speaker’s decision is reminiscent of a similar probe by a parliamentary committee in the Lok Sabha and the Ethics Committee

“They have formed a nexus to malign the TMC. A section of media is also with them. I won’t name them now, but in future I’ll expose them,” she said. Mamata said she will seek justice from the people of Bengal. “We have full faith in them. The Opposition parties want to divide West Bengal. But as long as I am alive, I won’t let them do that,” she said. - PTI

probe in the Rajya Sabha in 2005 in the wake of the ‘cash-for-query’ scam, which had led to the termination of membership of 11 MPs — 10 members from Lok Sabha and one from Rajya Sabha. Somnath

S E R I OU S F R AU D I N V E S T I G AT I O N O F F I C E

Kingfisher Airlines’ brand valuation under scanner NEW DELHI: Under fire from multiple agencies, Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines now faces a probe by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) into its allegedly ‘inflated’ brand valuation of over Rs4,000 crore. The government’s white-collar fraud detection agency is probing whether such a high valuation was arrived at fraudulently to get more funds from banks and siphon off the additional money for purposes other than proposed investment in the airline. Burdened under huge losses and liabilities, including to the lenders, the airline finally had to be grounded in late 2012. While lenders have stepped up their efforts to recover dues totalling over Rs 9,000 crore, the founder and main promoter I N D I A N O I L C O R P O R AT I O N

Petrol, diesel prices raised NEW DELHI: Petrol price was hiked on Wednesday by Rs3.07 a litre, reversing its 3-month declining trend, while diesel rates went up by Rs 1.90 per litre. Petrol in Delhi will cost Rs59.68 per litre from midnight On Wednesday as against Rs56.61 currently, said Indian Oil Corporation, the nation’s biggest fuel retailer. Similarly, a litre of diesel will cost Rs48.33 compared with Rs46.43 a litre at present. While the hike in petrol price turns the clock back on the declining trend since January, this is the third straight fortnightly increase in diesel rates. Petrol price was last cut by Rs 3.02 from March 1 and Wednesday’s hike has wiped off all of that. Diesel price on that day was hiked by Rs1.47. In fact, consumers are still to get all the beneﬁts from the sharp drop in international oil prices to a decade low as the government on ﬁve occasions since November has raised excise duty on the two auto fuels. - PTI

Burdened under huge losses and liabilities, including to the lenders, the airline finally had to be grounded in late 2012 Mallya left the country earlier this month. While SFIO was already probing Kingﬁsher for “ﬁnancial irregularities and fund diversion”, the agency has now also begun

looking into the high valuation secured by the airline as part of its overall investigation, sources said. In this regard, SFIO is also looking into the role of Grant Thornton LLP which had valued the brand. Support investigations When contacted, Grant Thornton India LLP said it stands by the brand valuation report of Kingﬁsher Airlines and was ready to provide all required information to appropriate authorities. “We fully stand by our brand valuation report which we believe was appropriate in the context of when it was done and the purpose for which it was done. Grant Thornton will obviously be pleased to offer all the information we have in connection with

the matter to the appropriate authorities, and support any investigations,” it said in a statement. Besides SFIO, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are also probing issues related to massive loan default by Mallya and others. Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India is also looking into alleged cases of insider trading and violations to listing regulations and corporate governance norms, among other lapses. Recently, the ED registered a money laundering case against Mallya and others based on a CBI FIR registered last year. The agency is also investigating the overall ﬁnancial structure of Kingﬁsher Airlines and will look into any payment of kickbacks. - PTI

Chatterjee was the then Speaker. In the purported sting telecast a few days back, five TMC members from Lok Sabha — Saugata Roy, Sultan Ahmad, Suvendu Adhikari, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Prasoon Banerjee, and Mukul Roy from the Rajya Sabha, were allegedly shown accepting money from fictitious officials of a firm. Members, including those from the TMC, heard in pin-drop silence as Mahajan made the announcement. “Keeping in view the extreme gravity of the matter, I have in exercise of my powers under the provisions of Rule 233B of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha decided to refer the matter to the Committee on Ethics for examination, investigate and report,” she said. However, Saugata Roy later strongly protested the decision, saying it was “unilateral and one-sided”. If it becomes a practice, then anybody will do a sting against members and inquiry would be ordered on such “unverified” contents, he contended. The sting relates to April 2014, he argued and suggested that it dates prior to the constitution of this Lok Sabha. The Speaker, however, brushed aside his objections, saying such a probe by a parliamentary committee had been ordered earlier too, an apparent reference to ‘cashfor-query’ scam. The TMC member also said he had full respect for Advani and added that the veteran BJP member will be fair. Government had on Tuesday made a pitch for an inquiry, saying either the Speaker can order it or the government can go for it. The House had seen BJP, Congress and Left making a common cause to target the Trinamool Congress on the issue, even as Mamata Banerjee’s party claimed that the charges were a political conspiracy ahead of the West Bengal assembly polls. - PTI

I N WA X

Narendra Modi

Modi to join world leaders at Madame Tussauds LONDON: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join the ranks of prominent global leaders at Madame Tussauds in London, Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok next month, the world famous wax museum announced on Wednesday. Describing him as a “hugely important figure in world politics”, the museum said the Indian Prime Minister had given the museum’s team of artists and experts a sitting at his residence in New Delhi earlier this year. “Madame Tussauds has crafted figures of very distinguished dignitaries from around the world how could I regard myself worthy of being alongside them? But when I was informed that your decision had emanated from public opinion and public sentiment, I was comforted,” Modi said in a statement to the museum. “During my sitting, I observed the team carefully and was deeply impressed by its dedication, professionalism and skill. I have visited Madame Tussauds three or four times and had the pleasure of getting myself photographed standing next to the figures of various dignitaries,” he said. The wax figures at each of the museum’s locations around Europe and Asia will be dressed in Modi’s “signature kurta” in cream with a jacket and he will be featured in a traditional pose “making a namaste gesture”. - PTI

A 10

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

INDIA Lok Sabha passes Aadhaar bill, rejects amendments The Aadhaar Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha by voice vote after all the amendments were negated and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sought to allay the opposition’s apprehensions on the bill

NEW DELHI: Parliamentary approval was on Wednesday accorded to the Aadhaar bill with the Lok Sabha again passing the bill without any of the amendments suggested by the Rajya Sabha which had returned the bill after a heated discussion. The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Beneﬁts and Services) Bill, 2016 was passed by the Lok Sabha by voice vote after all the amendments were negated and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sought to allay the opposition’s apprehensions on the bill. The Congress and other opposition parties had made a strong pitch against the overall nature of the bill in the Rajya Sabha, where the government is in minority, and the bill was returned to the Lok Sabha with amendments. Speaking in the Lok Sabha after CPI-M member Mohammad Salim referred to the amendments approved by the upper house, Jaitley said one of these sought to replace the words “national secu-

PROTEST: Trinamool Congress MP’s protest at Parliament House on Aadhaar card issue in New Delhi

on Wednesday.

- PTI

rity” with “public safety and public emergency” but noted these phrases had not been deﬁned in the constitution. “Though I consider the wisdom of the upper house but I reject their amendments,” he added. Limited powers The Aadhaar bill was brought as a money bill with respect to which the Rajya Sabha has limited powers and cannot amend but only suggest amendments. The debate on the bill in the upper house saw a heated debate as opposition members questioned the decision to convert it into a money bill. The government saw an em-

barrassing defeat in its efforts to stop the amendments - the second time in this session. Earlier, the opposition forced an amendment in the motion of thanks to the president’s speech, even after Prime Minister Modi urged them to pass it unanimously. The amendments passed on Wednesday included on enrolment under Aadhaar (clause 3), mandatory use for government services and subsidies (clause 7), disclosing information in the interest of national security (clause 33) and allowing private persons to use Aadhaar (clause 57). The opposition had recommended that Aadhaar be made voluntary,

disclosure of information should be permitted in the interest of public safety or public emergency, instead of national security, and the clause allowing private persons to use Aadhaar be deleted. “I don’t have an Aadhaar number and I don’t need one, because I am not a beneﬁciary of subsidy, but tomorrow if I want a mobile connection, the guys say ‘Where is your Aadhaar number! You made it mandatory no!” said Congress member Jairam Ramesh, who had moved all the four amendments that were passed. Jaitley, however, held that Aadhaar was not mandatory and where people don’t have it,

alternative documents will be prescribed, while the user would be predominantly the state government. “Tomorrow if Tamil Nadu government decides that people below a certain income would get some benefits then it is mandatory if you want benefits,” he said, giving an example. Assuring that there are provisions for ensuring privacy, he said that personal information of a person would be shared only on basis of his consent, and the “core biometric data” will not be shared even if there is consent. “The only ground on which data can be shared is national security. One authority will be created in Delhi,” he said, adding that the decision of that authority will be reviewed by an authority headed by the cabinet secretary. On it being made a money bill, he said: “Article 110 decides what a money bill is. If money flows into consolidated fund of India and money flows out of consolidated fund of India, and a law yields with that matter it becomes a money bill.” “Article 110(3) says clearly it is satisfaction of speaker of Lok Sabha that is final... Once the speaker satisfies herself and says I certify it is a money bill, it will be a money bill and no authority in the country can question that provision,” he said. He also rejected Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury’s argument that government was being hasty in bringing the law as a five-member bench of Supreme Court is looking into the Aadhaar case. “Sub-judice an argument which is available when issues of individual culpability are pending in the court, you don’t prejudice a trial or hearing in a court by discussing it in a parliamentary forum,” he said, adding that if the government waited for matters in court, petitions would be filed on other legislations as well. - IANS

CRITICISM

Government ups the ante over JNU row NEW DELHI: Opposition’s criticism of its handling of the Jawaharlal Nehru University row notwithstanding, government on Wednesday said what happened at the prestigious university was “definitely an anti-national activity”, which cannot be allowed. As the first half of the budget session came to an end on Wednesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said it was good that issues like JNU row and Rohith Vemula’s suicide were debated in both Houses as it “exposed” many parties which had earlier adopted a “spit and run” strategy. Claiming the government has given effective responses to all issues that the opposition raised, Naidu said, “JNU incident raised some serious issues. Universities, the highest seats of learning, are supposed to be the breeding grounds for reason, responsibility and maturity instead of pioneering anti-national activities. “This message has effectively gone out in the public domain as a result of some opposition parties seeking to make a political capital out of it.” Opposition exposed “Clearly what was happening in JNU by people inspired by a particular ideology, ultra-Left and separatist forces... is definitely an anti-national activity. Government cannot allow such thing. All these things are in public domain. Some people have a fancy. They have become zeroes. So they want to make heroes. All parties are thoroughly exposed,” he said. Without naming Congress, he said that it was regrettable that a party, which has ruled the country for such a long time, is putting up posters of those who shouted slogans in favour of Afzal Guru in poll-bound Assam. Calling the suicide of a “bright scholar” Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad Central University as “unfortunate”, Naidu said the truth will come out. - PTI

I N D I A AV I AT I O N 2 0 1 6

Plan to invest $120b in airport infrastructure projects: Pranab HYDERABAD: India is planning to invest over $120 billion in the development of airport infrastructure and aviation navigation services over the next decade with the civil aviation sector poised for fast growth, said President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday. Inaugurating India Aviation 2016 here, he said the sector is poised for a faster and sustainable growth with the development of 100 smart cities; new economic corridors; more than 50 new airports and expansion of existing airports. “The deeper air penetration to smaller cities; better connectivity to northeastern part of India; higher disposable incomes of the middle class of India is expected to further propel the growth of Indi-

an civil aviation industry,” he said. Mukherjee noted that India registered a growth of 14 per cent in civil aviation sector during the last decade. With foreign direct investment (FDI) in air transport during the last 15 years touched the mark of $570 million, he said India continues to be a favourite destination for foreign investors in civil aviation sector. The government has allowed FDI through the automatic route to the tune of 100 per cent in green ﬁeld airports; helicopter services and seaplanes; maintenance and repair organizations and ﬂying training institutes. He also pointed out that 49 percent FDI is allowed through the automatic route for domestic scheduled passenger airlines and

ground handling services. “The open sky policy; greater focus on infrastructure development; liberal FDI norms; robust technical and engineering capabilities; assured supply of skilled workforce in information technology and communication network has opened the doors to global players. This will make India a manufacturing hub of aerospace industry,” he said. Mukherjee said as India is at the threshold of taking a major leap in the aviation sector, this event is well timed and resonates well with the latest policy initiatives of ‘Make in India’, ‘Stand up India’ and ‘Start up India’.He called upon the global giants to seize this opportunity and take lead to forge long-term partnerships.

He also noted Indian civil aviation market is growing at a rapid pace and now ranks ninth in the world. It is estimated that by 2020, India would be the third largest civil aviation market. With a network of domestic and 85 international airlines connecting 40 countries, Indian airports handled passenger traffic of 190 million persons in 2015. “Yet India is one of the least penetrated air markets in the world with 0.04 trips per capita per annum as compared to 0.3 percent of China and more than 2 in the USA,” he said. Stating that by 2020, the total passenger traffic in India is likely to touch 421 million, he urged the government and all stakeholders to leverage this tremendous business opportunity. - IANS

ELATED: President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates the ﬁfth edition of the biennial India Aviation 2016 at Begumpet airport in Hyderabad on Wednesday. - PTI

FA L S E A F F I D AV I T S

Court directions to bring records of Smriti’s educational qualifications NEW DELHI: The Election Commission and Delhi University (DU) were on Wednesday directed by a court here to bring the documents related to records of educational qualification of Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani against whom a complaint was filed for allegedly giving false information in affidavits to the poll panel. Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh noted that in pursuance to court’s earlier order, the representatives of the commission and the university have not brought the complete documents on Wednesday and some additional papers were required in the case. The court had on November 20 last year allowed the plea of the complainant seeking a direction to the officials of EC and DU to bring records of Irani’s educational qualification after he said he was unable to place them before the court. It, however, had declined the submission of complainant Ahmer Khan, a freelance writer, seeking direction to the

Smriti Irani

CBSE to bring Irani’s class 10th and 12th records. The complainant had claimed in court that Irani had deliberately given discrepant information about her educational qualification in affidavits filed before the poll panel and not given any clarification despite concerns being raised on the issue. Khan had alleged that Irani had knowingly furnished misleading information about her educational qualification in affidavits filed before EC and that a candidate deliberately giving incorrect

details can be punished under the provisions of IPC and under section 125A of Representation of the People Act (RPA). The court on June 24 last year had taken cognizance of the complaint which accused Irani of furnishing false information about her academic qualifications in the affidavits filed before the EC in 2004, 2011 and 2014. The complainant had earlier claimed in court that in her affidavit for April 2004 Lok Sabha polls, Irani had said she completed her BA in 1996 from DU (School of Correspondence), whereas in another affidavit of July 11, 2011 to contest Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat, she had said her highest educational qualification was B.Com Part I from the School of Correspondence, DU. The complaint also alleged that in the affidavit filed for nomination of April 16, 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Amethi constituency, Irani said she had completed Bachelor of Commerce Part-I from School of Open Learning, DU. - PTI

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PAKISTAN

15 government employees killed in Peshawar blast Lashkar-e-Islam, a

Pervez Musharraf

militant group allied

Apex court lifts travel ban on Musharraf

with the Pakistani

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the government to lift a travel ban on former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, paving the way for him to leave the country while awaiting trial for treason and other charges. The departure of Musharraf, who has faced a battery of court cases since returning home from self-imposed exile in 2013, would remove a source of friction between the powerful army and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Then army chief Musharraf overthrew Sharif in a 1999 coup and ruled Pakistan until 2008 when he stepped down in the face of widespread opposition to his rule. Current military rulers are known to have disapproved of the legal action against their old boss, which stems from his suspension of the constitution and imposition of emergency rule in 2007, when he was trying to extend his hold on power. Sharif’s government had long declined to let Musharraf leave the country, saying it was a decision for the courts. A provincial court had ruled in 2014 that Musharraf be allowed to travel abroad but the federal government appealed that decision. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court rejected that. “Appeal is dismissed,” the court said in a short order. Musharraf pleaded not guilty to ﬁve counts of treason in April 2014. — Reuters

a military court’s

Taliban, claimed responsibility, saying it was to avenge sentencing of 13 militants to death on Tuesday

PESHAWAR: A bomb on a bus carrying government employees in the Pakistani city of Peshawar killed 15 people on Wednesday, officials said, and a militant group claimed responsibility, saying it was revenge for death sentences passed against extremists. The attack took place on a main road after the bus picked up government workers from districts surrounding Peshawar and was taking them to work in the city. Senior police official Mohammad Kashif said 15 people were killed and 35 wounded. A hospital official said the death toll was likely to rise. “It’s premature to comment about the nature of the blast but it appears that explosives were planted inside the bus,” Kashif said. “There were 40 to 50 people on the bus.” Lashkar-e-Islam, a militant group allied with the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility, saying it was to avenge a military court’s sentencing of 13 militants to death on Tuesday. Pakistani security forces

CARNAGE: Pakistani security officials inspect a damaged bus after a bomb blast in Peshawar on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. - AFP

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stepped up their ﬁght against the Pakistani Taliban and allied militants along the border with Afghanistan after the massacre of 134 children at an army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014. Bomb attacks have fallen off since then as the militants have been squeezed into smaller pock-

ets of territory. However, militant groups remain able to launch sporadic attacks on security forces and civilian targets. Two Pakistani employees of the US consulate in Peshawar and some soldiers were killed by a bomb while on a drug-eradication mission this month. — Reuters

INCONSOLABLE: Pakistani men comfort a mourner after the death of a bomb victim at a hospital on Wednesday. — AFP

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READERS’ FORUM Obama has mastered the art of divide and rule I refer to the story Japan ruling party considers international arbitration over China dispute (March 16). Indeed, it is a pity to see the Asian countries falling into the trap set by United States. Washington’s policies have create an atmosphere whereby all age-old rivalries in Southeast Asia have come to the surface. Only a few years ago China and its neighbouring countries ties going along perfectly. However, in a bid to stem China’s rise and prolong America’s superpower status the South China Sea dispute was fanned by President Barack Obama’s socalled Asian Scan this QR code pivot. It seems Obama has mastered the art to send letters to the of divide and rule. Readers’ Forum, — Mehjabeen Sitara, Ruwi containing not more

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American Statistical Association came out this week with a statement outlining ways that scientists were using statistical tools incorrectly. The association’s director, Ron Wasserstein, said the statement was prompted by concerns that misuse of statistics was contributing to a proliferation of questionable results, especially in the social sciences

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Dynasty-based democracy leads to inefficient governance This refers to the news Philippine’s Poe favours easing foreign ownership in media, utilities (March 16). The case of Philippines is the same in many Asian countries. Take Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India and South Korea, all have a dynasty-based democracy. Such a method of governance is more or less a system run by oligarchs, which is exempliﬁed by Russia under President Vladimir Putin. — Gordon Goldstone, Wadi Kabir

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hen Donald Trump talks about his desire to have good relations between the US and Russia, it’s not a recent attraction. Trump’s attempts to expand his business and his brand there date back decades, and this history casts a shadow over his pro-Russian foreign policy. As a presidential candidate, he courts Putin’s favor, extending the charm offensive intended to build the Trump real-estate empire. “Wouldn’t it be nice if actually we could get along with Russia?” Trump asked at a recent Republican presidential debate. It’s a line he’s used in rallies as well. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have exchanged praise and Trump said he “would probably get along with him very well.” Trump’s attraction to Russia seems to be mutual. There is a Russian-language website that collects Trump news and offers sales of Trump books and products. There’s even a Trump 2016 Russian language mock campaign site. What Trump rarely talks about is his decades-long effort to do business in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia. Good USRussian relations are potentially very lucrative for the Trump Organisation. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. In the 1980s, Trump was often seen on news shows offering his services to negotiate with the Soviets. “Why don’t you negotiate the SALT talks for Reagan, Donald?” a man on the street once yelled at Trump, according to a 1990 proﬁle of Donald and Ivana Trump in Vanity Fair. In 1987, Trump traveled to Moscow and Leningrad to discuss building hotels there. He even met with the Soviet ambassador to the US “It’s a totally interesting place,” Trump said at the time. “I think the Soviet Union is really making an effort to cooperate in the sense of dealing openly with other nations and in opening up the country.” In a 1997 New Yorker proﬁle, Trump talked about his trips to Russia to explore having the Trump Organisation take part in skyscraper and hotel development projects in Moscow, including the reconstruction of the Moskva and Rossiya Hotels. “That’s a very big project; I think it’s the largest hotel in the world,” Trump told Russian politician Alexander Ivanovich Lebed at the time. “And we’re working with the local government, the mayor of Moscow and the mayor’s people. So far, they’ve been very responsive.”

Lebed, a former Russian presidential candidate, was eager to help Trump get established in the Russian market. “If Trump goes to Moscow, I think America will follow,” he told Trump. Trump traveled to Russia in the 1990s with developer Howard Lorber, whom Trump recently told the New York Times was one of his best friends. Lorber has “major investments” in Russia, according to Trump. Negotiations over the two hotels eventually ﬁzzled, but in 2008 the Trump Organisation was at it again, announcing it planned to build elite residences and hotels in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi, and licence the Trump brand for other projects. Donald Trump Jr., the candidate’s son, made the announcement in a speech at the 2008 “Real Estate in Russia” conference. The younger Trump made over half a dozen trips to Russia on behalf of the Trump Organisation in the two years during which the US real estate market was collapsing during the Great Recession. “The emerging world in general attributes such brand premium to real estate that we are looking all over the place, primarily Russia,” Trump Jr. told a Manhattan audience in September 2008. He said that while Russia was on the Trump Organisation’s “A-list” of emerging markets for investment, doing business there carried risks due to corruption and “because it is a question of who knows who, whose brother is paying off who, etc.” Trump Sr.’s interest in Russian real estate development escalated in 2013. He met with Russian partners including developer Aras Agalarov to discuss building a replica of his SoHo residential development project in Moscow. Trump’s other parter in the SoHo deal was Alex Sapir, son of Georgian billionaire Tamir Sapir, a well-connected real estate developer in Russia. “The Russian market is attracted to me,” Trump told Real Estate Weekly. “I have a great relationship with many Russians, and almost all of the oligarchs were in the room.” That was also the year that Trump brought his Miss Universe pageant to Moscow. Trump invited Putin to the event, although the Russian president ultimately didn’t attend. The event was held at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, which Agalarov owns. - Bloomberg View

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES MARCH 2001 Busaidi presides over education, science meet MUSCAT: The Omani National Committee for Education and Science held its first meeting of the year after the issue of Royal Decree No. 22/2001 on March 11, forming the general assembly of the Omani National Committee for Education, Culture and Sciences. The meeting was chaired by Sayyid Saud bin Ibrahim Al Busaidi, education minister who is also chairman of the committee. The meeting discussed several topics related to the Sultanate’s relations with the international, Arab and Islamic organisations’ relevant to education, culture and science and how to benefit from these organizations experiences and financial contributions.

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20,097.7

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1917: Russian Czar Nicholas II abdicates his throne. 1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson submits a $1 billion war on poverty program to Congress. 1984 Mozambique and South Africa sign a pact banning support for one another’s internal foes. 1985: Newsman, Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

ASIA

North Korea’s sentencing of Otto Warmbier to 15 years hard labour for a college-style prank is outrageous and shocking, and should not be permitted to stand Phil Robertson, Deputy director of HRW’s Asia division

North Korea sentences US student to 15 years in jail North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week said the North would soon test a nuclear warhead and ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, in what would be a direct violation of UN resolutions backed by its chief ally, China.

Otto Warmbier, a 21-year-old University of Virginia student, was detained in January for trying to steal an item bearing a propaganda slogan from his hotel in Pyongyang, North Korean media said previously CONFESSED CRIME: Otto Frederick Warmbier, centre, a University of Virginia student who was detained in North Korea since early January, is taken out of North Korea’s top court after being sentenced, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by Kyodon Wednesday. - Reuters/Kyodo

SEOUL: North Korea’s Supreme Court sentenced American student Otto Frederick Warmbier, who was arrested while visiting the country, to 15 years of hard labour on Wednesday for crimes against the state. Warmbier, a 21-year-old University of Virginia student, was detained in January for trying to steal an item bearing a propaganda slogan from his hotel in Pyongyang, North Korean media said previously. “The accused confessed to the serious offense against the DPRK he had committed, pursuant to the US government’s hostile policy toward it, in a bid to impair the

unity of its people after entering it as a tourist,” the state-controlled KCNA news agency reported, using the acronym for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Condemned Human Rights Watch condemned the sentence handed down to the student from Wyoming, Ohio. Japan’s Kyodo news agency published a picture of Warmbier being led from the courtroom by two uniformed guards, with his head bowed, but visibly distressed. “North Korea’s sentencing of

Otto Warmbier to 15 years hard labour for a college-style prank is outrageous and shocking, and should not be permitted to stand,” Phil Robertson, deputy director of HRW’s Asia division, said in an emailed statement. Warmbier’s defence attorney said the gravity of his crime was such that he would not be able to pay even with his death but proposed to the court a sentence that is reduced from the prosecution’s request of a life sentence, KCNA said. Last month, Warmbier told a media conference in Pyongyang

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that his crime was “very severe and pre-planned.” He was at the end of a ﬁve-day New Year’s group tour of North Korea when he was delayed at airport immigration before being taken away by officials, according to the tour operator that had arranged the trip. Warmbier’s sentencing comes as North Korea is increasingly isolated, with the UN Security Council imposing tough new resolutions earlier this month following the North’s January nuclear test and last month’s long-range rocket launch.

Long history North Korea has a long history of detaining foreigners and has used jailed Americans in the past to extract high-proﬁle visits from the United States, with which it has no formal diplomatic relations. North Korea is also holding a Korean-Canadian Christian pastor it sentenced to hard labour for life in December for subversion. The North is also holding a Korean American and three South Korean nationals. It has previously handed down lengthy sentences to foreigners before freeing them. In 2014, North Korea released three detained Americans. Former governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who had previously travelled to North Korea, met the North’s ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday to press for the release of Warmbier, the New York Times reported. “I urged the humanitarian release of Otto, and they agreed to convey our request,” Richardson was quoted as saying. While most tourists to North Korea are from China, roughly 6,000 Westerners visit annually, though the United States and Canada advise against it. Most visitors are curious about life in the reclusive state and ignore critics who say their dollars prop up a repressive regime. - Reuters

EAST CHINA SEA

Japan considers international arbitration over China dispute TOKYO: Japan’s ruling party urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government on Wednesday to consider seeking international arbitration over Beijing’s drilling activities in the disputed East China Sea, mirroring similar action by the Philippines. Sino-Japanese ties have long been plagued by conﬂicting claims over a group of uninhabited East China Sea islets. Last year, Japan called on China to halt construction of oil-and-gas exploration platforms in the East China Sea. At the time, Tokyo accused Beijing of unilateral development despite a 2008 agreement to maintain cooperation on resources development in the area, where no official border between them has been drawn. China said then it had every right to drill in the East China Sea close to waters it disputes with Japan. The Philippines has lodged a case with an arbitration court in The Hague about its dispute with China in the South China Sea. China reacted angrily and has pledged not to participate. Wednesday’s resolution by the Liberal Democratic Party called on Abe’s government to ﬁrmly ask China for the prompt resumption of talks on the drilling issue, as well as to consider taking the case to an international arbitration court. “If China shrugs off the request, some action must be taken,” Yoshiaki Harada, head of an LDP panel on resources development in the East China Sea, told reporters. There has been no bilateral dialogue on resources development in the East China Sea in recent years despite repeated calls from Japan for resuming such talks, he said. - Reuters

P L E D G E D C O O P E R AT I O N

Myanmar army chief endorses election of Suu Kyi’s president YANGON: Myanmar’s powerful army chief congratulated incoming president Htin Kyaw and pledged cooperation on Wednesday, after the ally of Aung San Suu Kyi was elected as the country’s ﬁrst head of state with no military background in decades. Suu Kyi led her National League for Democracy (NLD) to a landslide election win in November, but a constitution drafted by the former junta bars her from the top office. She has vowed to run the country anyway through a proxy president, and on Tuesday the NLD-dominated parliament elected Htin Kyaw for the role. He runs a charity founded by Suu Kyi and is a trusted member INDONESIA

Two Uighur militants killed in shootout JAKARTA: Indonesian security forces have killed two ethnic Uighur Chinese belonging to a militant network led by the country’s most wanted man, police said on Wednesday. Indonesia has launched an aggressive, military-backed, security campaign in the jungles of Sulawesi island as it battles the threat from growing domestic support for the IS militant group. Police said the men, part of China’s Uighur Muslim minority, had joined Santoso, a militant in Poso in central Sulawesi, who is Indonesia’s most high-profile backer of IS, and has been on the run for more than three years. Tuesday’s shootout followed a challenge by security forces to a group of unknown men to identify themselves, during an operation to comb through a forested area of Poso, which is more than 1,600 km (994 miles) northeast of Jakarta, the capital. “Based on testimony from another suspect we had arrested, those two were identified as Uighurs,” said Central Sulawesi police spokesman Hari Suprapto, adding that authorities had notified the Chinese embassy in Jakarta. A Chinese embassy press official declined a Reuters request for comment. - Reuters

of her inner circle. Relations between the armed forces and Suu Kyi will define the success of Myanmar’s most significant break from military rule since the army seized power in 1962. The armed forces hold a quarter of parliamentary seats and the constitutional right to nominate one of the three presidential candidates. The army candidate, retired general Myint Swe, was elected first vice president on Tuesday. “It is hereby announced that the Tatmadaw takes pride in U Htin Kyaw’s being elected as the President at the Second Union Parliament, and it will continue cooperating in every sectors for the emergence of peace, unity and

development,” the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, Min Aung Hlaing, said in a Myanmar language post on Facebook. Tatmadaw is the Myanmar language name for the military. Message Min Aung Hlaing, who at the time of the historic vote was at a summit of Southeast Asian defence chiefs in Laos, issued the message several hours after the vote and long after outgoing President Thein Sein and representatives of other countries, including China and the United States, had extended their congratulations. In the run up to the vote, the military questioned the qualiﬁca-

tions of both Htin Kyaw and an NLD candidate for vice president, Henry Van Thio, underscoring tensions that have risen as the two sides started working on the details of the transfer of power. Sources in Suu Kyi’s camp say she has grown increasingly frustrated with military intransigence on issues ranging from amending the constitution to relatively minor formalities such as the location of the handover of power. NLD lawmakers also say the military’s choice of Myint Swe, who served the junta as head of the feared military intelligence and is on the US sanctions list, goes against the spirit of reconciliation Suu Kyi is seeking to foster. - Reuters

HISTORIC MOMENT: Workers load sacks of sand outside the Myan-

mar parliament (background) in the capital city of Naypyidaw on Wednesday, a day after the presidential vote. Myanmar’s lawmakers on March 15 elected Htin Kyaw, 69, a close aide and longtime friend of Aung San Suu Kyi to become the country’s ﬁrst civilian president in decades. - AFP

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THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

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Trump warns of unrest if denied party nomination

VA C A N T S E AT

Merrick Garland

Obama picks Garland for apex court

The billionaire New York businessman scored big wins in primaries in Florida, Illinois and North Carolina on Tuesday, knocking out rival Marco Rubio and bringing him closer to the 1,237 convention delegates he needs to win the nomination

PALM BEACH (US): US Republican front-runner Donald Trump warned on Wednesday of riots if he is denied the party’s presidential nomination after a string of primary election victories, raising the temperature even more in a heated White House race. The outspoken billionaire New York businessman scored big wins in primaries in Florida, Illinois and North Carolina on Tuesday, knocking out rival Marco Rubio and bringing him closer to the 1,237 convention delegates he needs to win the nomination. But Trump lost the crucial state of Ohio and left the door open for those in the party trying to stop him from becoming the Republican nominee for the November 8 election. Trump might fall short of the majority required, enabling the party’s establishment to put forward another name at the July convention in Cleveland to formally pick its candidate. In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Trump said the party could not deny him the nomination should he fail to win enough delegates. “I don’t think you can say that we don’t get it automatically. I think you’d have riots. I think

THREAT: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the media following victory in the Florida state primary on Tues-

day in West Palm Beach, Florida.

you’d have riots. I’m representing many, many millions of people.” While the Republican race became mired deeper in turmoil, Hillary Clinton won victories in Florida, Illinois, Ohio and North Carolina on Tuesday that cast doubt on US Senator Bernie Sanders’ ability to overtake her for the Democratic Party’s nomination. Incendiary rhetoric Republican Party leaders are appalled at Trump’s incendiary rhetoric and believe his policy positions are out of step with core Republican sentiment, such as his vow to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, temporarily ban Muslims from the United States and build a wall along the border with Mexico. Recent outbreaks of violence at Trump rallies have prompted President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and mainstream Republican ﬁgures to speak out against

GOODWILL AMBASSADOR

- AFP

the real estate magnate. In comments likely to raise more concern in the Republican establishment about Trump’s lack of experience and temperament, the former reality TV show host said on Wednesday he was for the most part his own adviser on foreign affairs. “I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain,” he told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show. “I know what I’m doing. ... My primary consultant is myself.” Trump also pulled out of the next televised Republican presidential debate, scheduled for Monday. The Republican establishment’s bid to stop Trump may have come too late as a ﬁeld of candidates that once included him and 16 party ﬁgures has dwindled to only three with Trump, 69, in command ahead of US Senator Ted Cruz, 45, and Ohio Governor

John Kasich, 63, who won Ohio’s Republican primary on Tuesday. Trump’s closest national challenger is Cruz, a Texan and favorite of the conservative Tea Party, who is second to Trump in delegates but has struggled in states where conservative evangelical Christian voters, among Cruz’s biggest supporters, are not dominant. Brokered convention Cruz too warned of severe reactions against an attempt to stage a “brokered convention” in Cleveland and install a Republican candidate supported by party leaders. “There are many in the Washington establishment that are having fevered dreams about a brokered convention, about a deadlocked convention where they parachute in an establishment candidate. ... I think that would be an absolute disaster. I think the people would quite

rightly revolt,” Cruz told CNN. US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, a leading Republican, will not accept a nomination to be a presidential candidate, said his spokeswoman, AshLee Strong. Some party members have urged Ryan to step in. “The speaker is grateful for the support, but he is not interested. He will not accept a nomination and believes our nominee should be someone who ran this year,” Strong said in an email to Reuters. Kasich, a former investment banker, is the last establishment Republican presidential candidate standing. Trump now needs to win about half of the delegates still up for grabs in state-by-state nominating contests. It is not an insurmountable challenge, especially when factoring in winner-take-all states, like Arizona with 58 delegates and New Jersey, which has 51 delegates. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama nominated veteran appellate court judge Merrick Garland to the US Supreme Court on Wednesday, setting up a potentially ferocious political showdown with Senate Republicans who have vowed to block any Obama nominee. Considered a moderate, Garland, 63, is currently chief judge of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. He was picked to replace long-serving conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on February 13. Speaking in the White House Rose Garden as his administration girded for a fight, Obama urged Senate Republicans to consider the nomination, saying faith in the American justice system was at stake. Senate confirmation is required for any nominee to join the bench and Scalia’s sudden death set off an election-year fight well before Obama made his choice. — Reuters IS-HELD TERRITORY

Iraq Air Force plane crashes, three missing BAGHDAD: An Iraqi Air Force plane crashed on Wednesday northwest of the oil city of Kirkuk and its two pilots and a third member of the crew are missing, an Iraqi military spokesman said. The single turbo-propeller plane was on a ‘reconnaissance and combat mission’ over territory held by IS militants in northern Iraq, the spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, told Reuters. An investigation is underway to determine whether the plane was shot down by militants or crashed because of a technical failure, he said. — Reuters

REFUGEE INFLUX

EU to tweak Turkey deal to make it legal as Cyprus issue casts shadow

CONCERNED: UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie is surrounded by media and migrants in the port of Piraeus during a visit on Wednesday. — AFP

Jolie visits Greece refugee camps to highlight plight PIRAEUS (GREECE): A day after visiting refugees in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, UN special envoy Angelina Jolie travelled to Greece on Wednesday to highlight the plight of war-ﬂeeing families stuck in the country. Jolie visited the temporary ofﬁces of UN refugee agency UNHCR at the main port of Piraeus near Athens, which has become a makeshift camp for some 4,000 refugees and migrants sleeping in tents on the docks. Scores of onlookers stood outside the agency’s offices to see the Hollywood actress, clapping and cheering when she appeared. Jolie greeted children and asked the throng of reporters, cameramen and photographers to be more “thoughtful” as she tried to speak with them. “I’m here to learn and speak

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with you and the agencies and the government to learn what is happening, ok?,” Jolie told one boy. “Try to stay strong.” According to a UNHCR press release, Jolie is visiting Greece “to reinforce efforts by UNHCR and the Greek government to step up the emergency response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation”. Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants are stuck in makeshift camps or reception centres in Greece, which has been struggling with the mass inﬂux of migrants from the Middle East. — Reuters

BRUSSELS: European Union officials added last-minute tweaks to a pact with Turkey to halt the flow of migrants into Europe in an effort to make it legally watertight, but a standoff with Cyprus could yet scupper any deal at a summit this week. Under a tentative agreement reached last week, Ankara would take back all migrants and refugees who enter the EU from its shores or are detained in its territorial waters, in return for more money, faster visa-free travel for Turks and a speeding up of its slow-moving EU membership negotiations. For its part, the EU would admit one legal Syrian refugee directly from Turkey for each one trying to reach Europe by boat and taken back by Turkey from the Greek islands in a step meant to wreck the business model of people smugglers. “We are certainly not giving Turkey a free ride,” European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said. Ankara would have to enact a raft of measures within six weeks if Turks were to get visa-free travel to the 26-nation Schengen area in June. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing hardest for the deal after suffering heavy losses in regional elections on Sunday due to public anger over an uncontrolled influx of more than 1 million migrants into Germany last year. Merkel told parliament in Berlin on the eve of the Brussels summit that no one should be “deceived” by a relative lull in arrivals since Austria and Balkan countries shut their borders. More than 43,000 migrants and refugees are bottled up in squalid conditions in Greece after Mac-

CRISIS MEET: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, centre, casts her ballot during a nominal vote at the Bundestag on Wednesday in Berlin. Speaking on the eve of a crucial Brussels summit, Merkel had made clear before that the EU would stand ﬁrm on civil rights in Turkey and that Ankara’s bid to eventually join the 28-nation club is “not on the agenda now”. - AFP/dpa/Michael Kappeler

edonia closed its border, and more are arriving daily despite NATO’s Aegean sea patrols. “The current easing that Germany and some other member states are experiencing is one thing. The situation in Greece is the other, and it must be a big concern to us all because it is not without consequences for us all in Europe,” Merkel said. An agreement with Turkey would need to be followed by a deal among EU countries to accept quotas of refugees, she said, something several central European states have so far rejected. European Council President Donald Tusk, who will chair the summit on Thursday and Friday, has drafted a set of principles to

overcome legal and political objections to the deal, including an assurance against blanket mass returns of migrants. “This will be a temporary and extraordinary measure which is necessary to end the human suffering and restore public order,” a draft document seen by Reuters said. Migrants arriving on Greek islands would be duly registered and entitled to apply for asylum in Greece, it said, and their applications would be processed in accordance with EU rules. People returned to Turkey would be protected in line with international standards for refugees, even though Ankara applies the

Geneva Convention formally only to people ﬂeeing Europe. However, Cyprus has made clear it is ready to veto any widening of EU accession talks with Turkey unless Ankara meets obligations to recognise its statehood by opening its ports and airports to Cypriot traffic. Cyprus and Turkey have been at loggerheads since a 1974 Turkish invasion of the island. Cyprus could also try to block visa liberalisation for Turks since the EU conditions include the principle of equal treatment of all member states. Nicosia does not have a veto on the visa issue, but it could ﬁnd allies among reluctant countries such as France, Spain and Austria. — Reuters

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

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WORLD

The estimated 700,000 people who ride the Washington-area Metro system every weekday, scrambled to get to work and around town on Wednesday while 600 underground cables are inspected.

Denmark world’s happiest country The 2016 survey showed that three countries in particular, Ireland, Iceland and Japan, were able to maintain their happiness levels despite external shocks

ROME: Denmark overtook Switzerland as the world’s happiest place, according to a report on Wednesday that urged nations regardless of wealth to tackle inequality and protect the environment. The report, prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions

HEALTHY SOCIETY: In this April. 1, 2015 ﬁle photo, shows Tivoli in Denmark. The United Nations on Wednesday, found Danes to be the happiest people on Earth, in a study of 156 countries. – AP/PTI

Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, showed Syria, Afghanistan and eight sub-Saharan countries as the 10 least happy places on earth to live. The top 10 this year were Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, and

SAFETY CHECKS

#METROSHUTDOWN: With the closing of the DC Metro commuters had to adapt during the morning rush hours on Wednesday in Washington, DC. – AFP

Commuters turn to bikes, buses amid subway shutdown in US WASHINGTON: Commuters in Washington, DC, packed the roads in cars and on bicycles and crowded buses to cope with a last-minute shutdown of the second-busiest US subway system for emergency safety checks. The estimated 700,000 people who ride the Washington-area Metro system every weekday, including about a third of the region’s federal workforce, were scrambling to get to work and around town on Wednesday while 600 underground cables are inspected. Traffic was heavier than usual on many major commuter arteries leading in from the Virginia and Maryland suburbs, with roads including the George Washington Parkway clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic in the predawn hours. More cyclists were visible on roadways than is typical for the late winter. Jeanette Norton, who works at a Washington non-proﬁt organization and lives in the inner suburb of Arlington, Virginia, turned to ride service Uber and left more than two hours early “to avoid the craziness.” Her normal commute by Metro is about 20 minutes. “The traffic wasn’t too bad, and there was no surge pricing,” Norton said. More than 60 people were lined up waiting for taxis at Union Station, the Beaux Arts longdistance passenger rail hub a few blocks north of the Capitol. Ted Cox, a 62-year-old immigration attorney from New York, was worried about making a court appointment in Arlington, Virginia, and then getting back to the station in time for his Amtrak train at noon EDT (1600 GMT). “What kind of country are we in, that the nation’s capital can’t run a metro system?” he said. “It’s sort of on a par with the infrastructure in the rest of the country. Hopefully this will get the attention of legislators to deal with infrastructure in general.” US Representative Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat whose district includes Washington commuter suburbs, called the shutdown “a gut punch to commuters”.

Some commuters took to Twitter to express frustration at delays and crowding on buses, making #MetroShutdown the top-trending hashtag in the United States on Wednesday morning. One user joked that the city should flood the subway tunnels to the level of the platforms and rely on Venetian gondolas rather than trains. With cloudy skies and temperatures approaching 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6°C), the morning weather was conducive to cycling and walking, but forecasters warned of possible afternoon thunderstorms that could make for a messier trip home. Transit officials in the US capital announced the unprecedented closure on Tuesday afternoon after a cable fire this week caused delays. The Metro, which serves Washington and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs, shut down at midnight, its normal closing hour, and is scheduled to reopen at 5am on Thursday. The closure of the 119-mile (230-km) subway system, which has been plagued by equipment breakdowns and fires, will allow safety officials to inspect the cables for worn-out casings, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority General Manager Paul Wiedefeld told a news conference. The Office of Personnel Management, which oversees the federal workforce, said government offices would remain open, but employees could take unscheduled leave or work from home. Congress and most schools will be open. Local news radio station WTOP compared the situation to “a snow day without the snow.” Some Metro riders said they welcomed the shutdown as an indication the system was getting serious about safety even though it would snarl their commutes. “Washington Metro has become a problem child ... of US metro systems,” said Joe Schwieterman, a transportation professor at DePaul University in Chicago. “What was once the pride (of the US system) seems to be allowed to deteriorate to an embarrassing extent.” — Reuters

Sweden. Denmark was in third place last year, behind Switzerland and Iceland. The bottom 10 were Madagascar, Tanzania, Liberia, Guinea, Rwanda, Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi. The United States came in at 13, the United Kingdom at 23, France at 32, and Italy at 50.

“There is a very strong message for my country, the United States, which is very rich, has gotten a lot richer over the last 50 years, but has gotten no happier,” said Professor Jeffrey Sachs, head of the SDSN and special advisor to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. While the differences between countries where people are happy and those where they are not could be scientiﬁcally measured, “we can understand why and do something about it,” Sachs, one of the report’s authors, told Reuters in an interview in Rome. “The message for the United States is clear. For a society that just chases money, we are chasing the wrong things. Our social fabric is deteriorating, social trust is de-

teriorating, faith in government is deteriorating,” he said. Aiming to “survey the scientiﬁc underpinnings of measuring and understanding subjective well-being”, the report, now in its fourth edition, ranks 157 countries by happiness levels using factors such as per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and healthy years of life expectancy. It also rates “having someone to count on in times of trouble” and freedom from corruption in government and business. “When countries single-mindedly pursue individual objectives, such as economic development to the neglect of social and environmental objectives, the results can be highly adverse for human

wellbeing, even dangerous for survival,” it said. “Many countries in recent years have achieved economic growth at the cost of sharply rising inequality, entrenched social exclusion, and grave damage to the natural environment.” The ﬁrst report was issued in 2012 to support a UN meeting on happiness and well-being. Five countries — Bhutan, Ecuador, Scotland, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela — now have appointed Ministers of Happiness charged with promoting it as a goal of public policy. The 2016 survey showed that three countries in particular, Ireland, Iceland and Japan, were able to maintain their happiness levels despite external shocks such as the post-2007 economic crisis and the 2011 earthquake because of social support and solidarity. Sachs pointed to Costa Rica, which came in 14th and ahead of many wealthier countries, as an example of a healthy, happy society although it is not an economic powerhouse. — Reuters

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Brazil’s Lula takes Cabinet post in bid to save Rousseff Lula’s charisma and connections could help Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff navigate a political crisis threatening to topple her government

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO: Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will take over as chief of staff for his successor Dilma Rousseff in a bid to save her from impeachment, raising the prospect of a shift away from austerity measures to jumpstart a moribund economy. SAVIOUR: Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and President Dilma Rousseff in this file photograph. Lula’s return to govThe head of the government co- ernment may also spell a change of economic tack, as he has openly criticised austerity efforts and called for more public spending to alition in the lower house of Con- end Brazil’s worst recession in decades. – File photo gress, Jose Guimaraes, confirmed the appointment on Twitter after ally of the president until he was ing him out of the reach of ongoing a meeting of Rousseff, Lula and arrested last year. In plea bargain state and federal probes. senior ministers on Wednesday The Supreme Court will meet testimony, Amaral said Roussmorning. The move offers Lula eff knew about a massive graft on Wednesday to decide on the short-term protection from prosscheme at state-run oil company rules of the impeachment process ecutors who have charged him Petrobras and one of her minis- launched against Rousseff in Dewith money laundering and fraud, cember by her political archenters had tried to buy his silence. while his charisma and connecRousseff ’s popularity has been emy in the lower chamber of Contions could help Rousseff navigate pummeled by Brazil’s worst eco- gress, Speaker Eduardo Cunha. a political crisis threatening to Cunha’s Brazilian Democratic nomic downturn since the Great topple her government. Rousseff is trying to shore up Depression and the sprawling Movement Party (PMDB), the Lula’s return to government asking not to be identified. Brazil’s may also spell a change of eco- currency slid nearly 2 per cent on her government against a storm two-year-old corruption investi- main partner in Rousseff ’s coaltion, is moving closer to breaknomic tack, as he has openly criti- Wednesday and has lost almost 7 of corruption allegations, drawing gation stemming from Petrobras. More than a million people ing with a president they blame cised austerity efforts and called per cent this week as Dilma’s invi- on Lula’s keen political instincts for more public spending to end tation to Lula raised expectations and deep relationships with marched in demonstrations across for ruining Brazil’s economy, but Congress to avert an impeach- Brazil on Sunday, calling for Rouss- the party remains divided over Brazil’s worst recession in dec- of a sharp policy swing. eff ’s impeachment and applauding her impeachment. Cunha said Finance Minister Nelson ment process. ades. Brazil’s central bank chief Lula’s return to Brasilia on the graft probe that has turned up this week he plans to speed up the Alexandre Tombini may step Barbosa and other members of down if Lula’s return brings a ma- Rousseff ’s inner circle joined her Tuesday was overshadowed by evidence of political kickbacks process with the appointment of jor economic policy shift, a senior early meeting with Lula, accord- a barrage of fresh corruption ac- paid by Petrobras contractors. an impeachment committee as member of the government’s eco- ing to reporters at the Alvorada cusations by Senator Delcídio do Once appointed, Lula can only be soon as the Supreme Court sets the Amaral, a close Workers’ Party tried in the Supreme Court, plac- rules. — Reuters nomic team said on Wednesday, presidential residence.

MEDIA, UTILITIES

Philippine’s Poe favours easing foreign ownership MANILA: Grace Poe, frontrunner in the Philippines’ presidential election campaign, said on Wednesday she favoured relaxing restrictions on foreign ownership in utilities and media as part of changes she would introduce in the constitution. The May 9 election is being closely watched by investors who fear the political succession could derail average economic growth of more than 6 per cent a year and stall efforts to crack down on corruption made under outgoing President Benigno Aquino, who is limited to one term. Poe, who is a senator, has campaigned on a pro-poor platform, promising to build on Aquino’s programmes of creating jobs and building infrastructure, which have helped propel one of Asia’s fastest growing economies. Foreigners are barred from owning media companies in the Philippines and are restricted to 40 per cent ownership of public utilities. “Within my ﬁrst month in office, it will be part of the agenda, the economic amendments of our constitution,” Poe, 47, told a business forum in Manila, referring to relaxing restrictions on foreign ownership in utilities and media. “Why not allow more foreign ownership for as long as they employ Filipinos and there is also a technology transfer? I am not for land ownership but I am for media, for certain utilities, for academic institutions and also for the medical profession.” The Supreme Court on March 8 ruled that Poe, who spent much of her life in the United States, was eligible to run for president, reversing a decision by the election commission that disqualiﬁed her on grounds that she failed to meet a 10-year residency requirement. Poe also supported the lifting of a bank secrecy law as senators launched an investigation on Tuesday into millions of dollars hackers stole from the Bangladesh central bank’s account. — Reuters

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM THU RS DAY, MARCH 17, 2016

MARKE

OMAN CRUDE RISES Oman Crude (May delivery) reached $35.68 per barrel, said Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME). A statement from DME added that the price of Oman Crude rose 43 cents from Tuesday’s rate, which was $35.25 per barrel. – ONA

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Muscat 5,308.10 + 12.22 + 0.23%

Dubai 3,299.82 - 22.01 - 0.66%

Abu Dhabi 4,344.34 - 59.09 - 1.34%

Kuwait 5,229.91 - 13.88 - 0.22%

Saudi Arabia

6,271.07 + 38.38 + 0.62%

Bahrain 1,159.15 + 3.20 + 0.28%

Qatar 10,291.00 + 91.42 + 0.90%

CRUDE OIL PRICE

CURRENCY RATES*

DRAFT RATES (OMR1)*

GOLD PRICES*

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

Forex rates vs OMR1* US Dollar ................................. 2.58 Euro ............................................. 2.31 Pound ........................................... 1.82 Indian Rs ............................. 174.64 Pak Rs .....................................267.31 Bangla Taka......................200.88

Indian Rs ................................... 174.55 Pakistan Rs ..............................271.52 Sri Lanka Rs .................................. N/A Bangla Taka........................... 203.50 Phil Peso .................................... 121.24

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) ....... 15.75

Oman Crude............. (Spot) ........$34.85 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) ........$34.85 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) .........$37.82 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$33.85 N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) ........$39.30 West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........ $36.87

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) ........15.15 Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ............149.50 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) .............140.25 * Rates as of Mar. 16

* Rates as of Mar. 16 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

* Rates are as of Mar. 16 Source: Bank Muscat

Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

NEW NORMS

New corporate governance code to help companies Times News Service MUSCAT: Capital Market Authority’s new code of corporate governance, which will become effective from July 1, will immensely help the corporate sector, according to experts. Addressing a seminar on ‘Toward better governance,’ here on Wednesday, Sayyid Hamed Al Busaidi, executive director of Oman Centre for Governance and Sustainability, said that it is a powerful tool for the corporate sector. It will help the market watchdog to further enhance transparency, fairness, accountability and

responsibility of listed companies and their boards. It will help family-owned businesses to minimise the risk of market failure. Al Busaidi said apart from listed ﬁrms, the Oman Centre for Governance and Sustainability offers its services to state-owned companies and family-owned businesses. Listed companies Corporate governance is a set of rules to ensure that the listed ﬁrms are governed in the most possible fair and ethical manner in an apparent move to protect the interest of all stakeholders. The market regulator is aiming

at further strengthening transparency, investor conﬁdence and trust, which will help attract more foreign investment to the local stock market. Seminar The corporate governance seminar was organised by Deloitte in coordination with the Capital Market Authority (CMA). Abdulla bin Salem Al Salmi, executive president of CMA, was the chief guest at the seminar. Ahmed Al Qassabi, principal, Deloitte, also made a presentation TRANSPARENCY: The Capital Market Authority of the Sultanate is aiming at further strengthening on major highlights of the new cor- transparency, investor conﬁdence and trust, which will help attract more foreign investment to the porate governance code. local bourse. - O. K. MOHAMMED ALI/Times of Oman

Eight firms vie for three water projects in Oman Oman’s northern region, which include Muscat governorate, is projected to grow by six per cent per annum in the next ﬁve year horizon, from 238 million cubic metres in 2013 to 349 million cubic metres in 2020. This compares to the previous seven-year forecasts in which average annual growth was in the range of three to ﬁve per cent, according to a seven-year outlook for power and water demand released by OPWP last year.

These pre-qualified firms have been selected after a request for qualification tender from OPWP for developing water projects at Salalah, Shaqiyah and Duqm

A. E. JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: As many as eight international companies have been pre-qualified to bid for developing independent water projects at Salalah, Shaqiyah and Duqm. The Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), which oversees the procurement of all new electricity generation and water desalination capacity in the country, said that these firms comprise a consortium of International Company for Water and Power Projects, Veolia Middle East and Dhofar International Development and Investment; a consortium between Degremont Middle East and Itochu Corporation; GS Inima Environment, Hyflux, JGC

WATER CAPACITY: The three desalination projects in the Sultanate will together add 52.8 million imperial gallons per day of new capacity to the country’s rapidly expanding domestic water generation capacity. Picture is used for only illustrative purpose. - File picture

Corporation, Marubeni Corporation, Sembcorp Utilities and Tecnicas de Desalination de Aguas. The companies are selected after a request for qualification (RfQ) tender floated by the stateowned OPWP in December last year. Like other independent water projects, the successful bidder or bidders will secure a mandate for the development, financing, design, engineering, construction, ownership, operation and maintenance of one or more of

the independent water projects. 52.8 million MIGD The three water schemes will together add 52.8 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) of new capacity to the country’s rapidly expanding domestic water generation capacity. According to earlier reports, the proposed Salalah and Sharqiya desalination projects will have capacities of 22 MIGD and 17.6 MIDG, respectively.

Similarly, Duqm IWP will have a water desalination capacity of 13.2 MIGD. This is aimed at meeting the growing demand for water in different regions. To meet the growing demand for potable water in Oman, a commercial operation date for the plants is being targeted in early 2019 for Salalah independent water project and the second quarter of 2020 for Sharqiyah independent water project. Demand for potable water in

Population growth A combination of population growth and industrial development, including tourism projects, is cited as a major reason for the growth in demand for potable water. In Salalah, the water demand is projected to grow at eight per cent, and peak water demand to increase from 75,000 cubic metres per day in 2013 to 132,000 cubic metres per day in 2020. The proposed Qurayyat independent water project, developed by a consortium of Singapore’s Hyﬂux and National Power and Water Company, is going to have a designed capacity of 44 MIGD of potable water. The Qurayyat project is scheduled to commence commercial operations by May 2017, under a 20-year water purchase agreement with OPWP.

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C R E D I T R AT I N G

Outlook for Saudi Arabian banks downgraded to negative RIYADH: Moody’s Investors Service changed its outlook for Saudi Arabia’s banks to negative from stable on the expectation that bad loans will rise over the next 12 to 18 months because of low oil prices and a decline in government spending. “Non-performing loans will rise to about 2.5 per cent of total loans over the period, from a “very low average 1.4 per cent in September 2015,” Olivier Panis, a vice president at the ratings ﬁrm, said in a statement on Wednesday. Banks will also remain exposed to loan defaults owing to their “persistently high single-party exposures,” the analyst said. Saudi Arabia’s economic growth will slow to 1.5 per cent in 2016 and 2 per cent in 2017, well below the 3.4 per cent growth estimated for 2015 because of the impact of lower crude prices, according to Moody’s. Banks’ loan

growth will slow to between 3 per cent and 5 per cent in 2016, from 8 per cent in 2015 and 12 per cent the previous year, it said. Still, capital buffers of Saudi banks are likely to remain “solid,” with the sector’s average tangible common equity ratio remaining stable at about 15.7 percent at the end of 2016, compared to 15.4 per cent in September 2015, Moody’s said. Profitability is also likely to remain strong because of the banks’ lean cost structures and zero corporate tax, it said. Tightening liquidity “Tightening liquidity — as publicsector deposit inflows and corporate profits moderate — will likely expose banks to greater funding volatility in line with regional pressures,” Khalid Howladar, a senior credit officer based in Dubai, said in the report. “However, we expect the lo-

Non-performing loans will rise to about 2.5 per cent of total loans over the period, from a very low average of 1.4 per cent in September 2015

Olivier Panis Vice president Moody’s Investors Service

cal impact to be manageable and funding structures to remain relatively stable thanks to a broad and growing depositor base.” On the other hand, Saudi Arabia does not think more measures to boost liquidity are necessary after the kingdom eased rules on bank lending last month to stimulate growth, a central bank official said, according to Al Riyadh newspaper. Liquidity in Saudi Arabia is ‘very good; and has not reached a critical point that would require additional government intervention, said Abdulaziz Al Furaih, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency vice governor, according to the report. “The current situation is very stable and reassuring and we don’t think that we have reached a stage that forces us to use other options,” Al Furaih was cited as telling the newspaper on the sidelines of a conference. The Saudi Arabian Monetary

Agency told banks last month that they can lend the equivalent of 90 per cent of their deposits, up from an earlier limit of 85 percent. The world’s largest oil exporter is seeking to revive its economy and stimulate credit as the slump in oil revenue and government spending strain the banking system. The three-month Saudi Arabia Interbank rate rose to 1.75 per cent in February, its highest in about seven years, according to data. The change to loan-to-deposit ratio was a “minor amendment,” and the central bank has several options to face the liquidity shortage, Al Furaih said. Net foreign assets held by the central bank declined by $115 billion last year as Saudi issued bonds and drew on reserves to plug its budget gap, yet remain among the highest in the world at more than $590 billion. – Bloomberg News

CONSTRUCTION

Galfar wins OMR115m PDO contract Times News Service MUSCAT: Galfar Engineering and Contracting Company said that the company has won a major contract to build Yabal Khuff project on plot project for Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). Total project cost is estimated at OMR115 million and the duration of the contract is 51 months, according to a disclosure statement. The scope of work includes construction of new central processing facility in Yibal Khuff area, which include civil, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation works. Shares surge Galfar shares surged ahead by 3.28 per cent to 63 baisas amid 1.67 million shares changing hands. Galfar, the largest contracting ﬁrm in Oman, has a healthy order book of around OMR665 million by end of December 2015, according to the ﬁnancial results. “Several projects are seen to be in the pipeline and Galfar stands a good chance at winning some of them during the year 2016. The outlook to win additional projects is particularly promising in the oil and gas sector,” the company said in its annual report. CENTRAL BANK

Bangladesh names new central bank governor DHAKA: Bangladesh named former bureaucrat Fazle Kabir as central bank governor a day after his predecessor resigned following a $101 million cyber theft. Kabir is currently chairman of state-run Sonali Bank. The notice of his appointment was e-mailed by A.F.M. Asaduzzaman, general manager at Bangladesh Bank Kabir spent 34 years in the civil service, including as ﬁnance secretary, according to a biography on Sonali Bank’s website. His wife is a bureaucrat at the Ministry of Public Administration. They have a son who is studying for his Master’s in Business Administration at Dhaka University. Atiur Rahman He replaces Atiur Rahman, 64, who had served as Bangladesh Bank governor for seven years and was due to retire in August. Lauded for his efforts at ﬁnancial inclusion, Rahman left the bank to take moral responsibility for failing to inform the Finance Ministry quickly enough about the stolen funds. He has denied any wrongdoing. – Bloomberg News

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

MARKET MSM index ends higher

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ........................................ 5,310.13 ...............5,296.15 ................... 5,308.10 ...................5,295.88................. 12.22 ...................0.23 Financial Index .....................................6,515.34 .............. 6,484.92 ................... 6,513.20 ................... 6,475.81..................37.39 ................... 0.58 Industrial Index ................................... 6,555.44 ...............6,548.79 ................... 6,549.05 ................... 6,547.32.....................1.73 ...................0.03 Services Index .......................................3,036.72 .............. 3,029.42 ................... 3,029.46 ...................3,035.38.................. -5.92 .................. -0.20 MSM SHARIAH INDEX...................... 828.24 ..................824.63 ....................... 827.76 ...................... 824.78....................2.98 ...................0.36 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 27,931,406 ................. 5,065,096 .....................706 ................16,301,013,136 .................11 ......................11 .................... 13 .........................35

Bank Nizwa was the top gainer, up by 4.55 per cent, while Jazeira Services was the top loser,

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16

down 3.33 per cent. ISIN ......................................SECURITY NAME ..................................................................VOLUME..... TURNOVER............TRADES ......OPEN PRICE......HIGH ............. LOW ........ CLOSE PR. ...PREV. CLOSE...DIFF (RO).........DIFF % .............LAST PR.....LAST BID .............LAST OFFER ........MARKET CAP.PAR VALUE

MUSCAT: Share prices on the Muscat Securities Market recovered on better support at lower levels. The MSM30 ended higher at 5,308.10 points, up by 0.23 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index gained 0.36 per cent to close at 827.76 points. Bank Nizwa was the most active in terms of volume, while Bank Muscat led in terms of turnover. Bank Nizwa was the top gainer, up by 4.55 per cent, while Jazeira Services was the top loser, down 3.33 per cent on Wednesday. As many as 706 trades were executed on Wednesday, generating turnover of OMR5.1 million with 27.9 million shares changing hands. Out of 35 traded securities, 11 advanced, 11 declined and 13 remained unchanged. Omani investors stayed net buyers for OMR1.42 million, while foreign investors were net sellers for OMR809,000 followed by GCC and Arab investors for OMR619,000 worth of shares. Financial Index closed at 6,513.20 points, up by 0.58 per cent. Bank Nizwa, Global Financial Investment, Bank Sohar and Al Izz Islamic Bank increased by 4.55 per cent, 4 per cent, 2.69 per cent and 1.82 per cent, respectively. Ahli Bank, Bank Muscat and Oman United Insurance declined by 1.71 per cent, 0.58 per cent and 0.49 per cent, respectively. Industrial Index increased by 0.03 per cent to close the session at 6,549.05 points. Galfar Engineering and Oman Cement increased by 3.28 per cent and 0.44 per cent, respectively. Gulf International Chemicals and Al Maha Ceramic declined by 3.11 per cent and 0.50 per cent, respectively. Services Index decreased 0.20 per cent to close at 3,029.46 points. OIFC, Sharqiyah Desalination and Port Services increased by 1.54 per cent, 1.39 per cent and 0.54 per cent, re-

spectively. Al Jazeira Services, Renaissance Services, Al Suwadi Power and Al Batinah Power declined by 3.33 per cent, 0.60 per cent, 0.50 per cent and 0.50 per cent, respectively.

REGULAR MARKET ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 4,304,298 ..... 559,559........................1 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.130........... 0.130 ............. 0.125............ 0.005.............4.000 ................0.130 .............. 0.121...................0.130...................26,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 1,673,842 ......105,000..................... 49 ........... 0.062 ...........0.063 ...........0.061 ........... 0.063 ............. 0.061............ 0.002............. 3.279 ................0.061 ..............0.061...................0.062 ..................18,268,780 .........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 568,886 ............87,059.....................22 ............0.152 ........... 0.154 ...........0.152 ............0.153 .............0.149............ 0.004............. 2.685 ................0.153 ...............0.151...................0.153 ................. 220,540,320 .......0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 2,205,018 ......435,850..................... 65 ............0.196 ...........0.200 ...........0.196 ........... 0.198 ............. 0.195............ 0.003............. 1.538 ................0.198 ..............0.198...................0.199...................39,600,000.........0.100 OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ..................................................... 876,680 ..........126,911......................12 ............0.143 ........... 0.145 ...........0.143 ............0.145 ............. 0.143............ 0.002............. 1.399 ................0.145 ..............0.144...................0.146...................45,060,916 .........0.100 OM0000004669 ...........SHARQIYAH DESALINATION ...................................1,350 ............... 6,414........................6 ............4.750 ........... 4.755 ...........4.750........... 4.750 .............4.685 ............0.065 ............. 1.387 ................4.755 .............. 4.755...................4.800 ..................46,456,026.........1.000

Emerging stocks fall Developing-nation currencies and stocks fell on Wednesday, paring their monthly gains, before the Fed concludes its twoday meeting in Washington. South Africa’s rand led declines among peers and the nation’s bonds slumped amid a spat between the police and the ﬁnance minister. The real fell for a third day as a former Brazilian leader facing criminal charges was said to join the president’s cabinet in principle. Egyptian stocks extended this week’s biggest rally worldwide after the biggest pound devaluation since 2003. Emerging markets face the prospect that tightening monetary policy in the US will boost the dollar and spark a resumption of outﬂows that dragged them lower at the start of the year. Conversely, a signal from US policy makers that they’re willing to wait longer before increasing interest rates may fuel gains. “There appears to have been a lot of repositioning ahead of the Fed,” said Simon Quijano-Evans, the chief emerging-markets strategist at Commerzbank in London, who favours Russia, Indonesia and Colombia in local currency bonds. “It is essentially the story of a higher risk premium being required if the Fed were to increase the cost of dollar funding.” The MSCI Emerging Markets Index extended Tuesday’s drop, with seven of its 10 industry groups falling, and a gauge of 20 emerging currencies was headed for its biggest three-day loss since January. The MSCI measure fell 0.4 per cent to 787.72 in London. - United Securities/Bloomberg News

OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ........................ 26,000 ...............4,805........................3 ............0.185 ........... 0.185 ...........0.184............0.185 .............0.184 ............0.001 ............. 0.543 ................0.184.............. 0.183...................0.185...................17,582,400 .........0.100 OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT .......................................................... 235,000 ......... 108,180........................3 ........... 0.458 ...........0.464 ...........0.458........... 0.460 .............0.458 ........... 0.002............. 0.437 ................0.464..............0.464...................0.000 .................152,201,447........0.100 OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 225,000 ........... 58,950......................16 ........... 0.262 ...........0.262 ...........0.262........... 0.262 .............0.261.............0.001 ............. 0.383 ................0.262..............0.250...................0.262 .................404,718,879........0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 600,000..........157,827......................16 ........... 0.263 ...........0.264 ...........0.263........... 0.263 .............0.263 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.263..............0.263...................0.264 .................352,606,796........0.100 OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .......................................................................17,100 ...............8,268........................3 ........... 0.484 ...........0.484 ...........0.480........... 0.484 .............0.484 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.480..............0.480...................0.490 .................267,585,035 ........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 432,000........... 72,998..................... 35 ............0.169 ........... 0.169 ...........0.168 ............0.169 ............. 0.169............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.169 ..............0.168...................0.169...................25,362,675 .........0.100 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................ 577,225.............76,776......................21 ............0.132 ........... 0.134 ...........0.132 ............0.133 ............. 0.133............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.133 ..............0.134...................0.135 ................... 16,611,429 .........0.100 OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ...........................................80 ...................152........................1 ........... 1.900 ........... 1.900 ...........1.900........... 1.900 .............1.900 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................1.900............. 0.000...................2.000 .................180,500,000 .......0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 137,524 ...........215,196......................18 ............1.570 ........... 1.570 ...........1.560 ............1.565 ............. 1.565............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.560 .............. 1.555...................1.560................ 1,173,750,000 ......0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 212,279 .........146,048......................13 ........... 0.688 ........... 0.688 ...........0.688........... 0.688 .............0.688 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.688..............0.684...................0.688..................447,849,630........0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL............................................. 152,000 ............10,488........................7 ........... 0.069 ...........0.069 ...........0.069........... 0.069 .............0.069 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.069..............0.068...................0.070...................12,075,000 .........0.100 OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS .............................................................60,336 .............17,942......................13 ........... 0.298 ...........0.298 ...........0.295........... 0.297 .............0.298 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.336 ...............0.298..............0.295...................0.298 ..................14,850,000.........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 4,580,434 ..1,879,863...................107 ............0.412 ........... 0.412 ...........0.408........... 0.410 .............0.412............-0.002 ........... -0.485 ...............0.408..............0.408...................0.410..................939,647,265........0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ................................................ 373,806 ..........150,351..................... 28 ........... 0.404...........0.404 ...........0.400 .......... 0.402 .............0.404 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.495 ...............0.400..............0.398...................0.400 ..................21,105,000 .........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER...................................................16,361 ...............3,256........................2 ............0.199 ........... 0.199 ...........0.199 ........... 0.199 .............0.200 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.500 ...............0.199 ..............0.199...................0.200 .................134,302,599........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .....................................................16,785 ...............3,340........................2 ............0.199 ........... 0.199 ...........0.199 ........... 0.199 .............0.200 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.500 ...............0.199 ..............0.199...................0.200 .................142,166,862........0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK ......................................................................94,533 ............ 16,260........................8 ............0.172 ........... 0.172 ...........0.172 ............0.172 ............. 0.173............-0.001 ........... -0.578 ...............0.172 .............. 0.172...................0.177 ..................245,106,217 ........0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ...................................... 80,000 .............13,360........................3 ............0.167 ........... 0.167 ...........0.167 ............0.167 ............. 0.168............-0.001 ........... -0.595 ...............0.167 .............. 0.167...................0.170................... 48,538,721 .........0.100 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ................................ 45,000 .............10,350........................2 ........... 0.230 ...........0.230 ...........0.230........... 0.230 .............0.234 ...........-0.004 ............-1.709................0.230..............0.230...................0.234 ..................23,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............ 457,137 ...........142,191..................... 79 ............0.314 ........... 0.314 ...........0.310........... 0.312 .............0.322 ...........-0.010 ........... -3.106 ...............0.310 ..............0.310...................0.312....................6,552,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ............................................12,000 ...............3,480........................5 ........... 0.290...........0.290 ...........0.290 .......... 0.290 .............0.300 ...........-0.010 ........... -3.333 ...............0.290..............0.282...................0.290 .................. 17,749,239 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 17,980,674........4,420,873............540 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......27........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 5,187,562........357,012..................... 69 ........... 0.067 ...........0.070 ...........0.067........... 0.069 .............0.066 ........... 0.003............. 4.545 ................0.070..............0.069...................0.070..................103,500,000 .......0.100 OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 4,356,300 .....243,726..................... 66 ............0.055 ........... 0.057 ...........0.055........... 0.056 .............0.055 ............0.001 ..............1.818.................0.056..............0.055...................0.056...................56,000,000.........0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ...................................................... 30,000 ............... 1,650........................6 ............0.055 ........... 0.055 ...........0.055........... 0.055 .............0.055 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.055..............0.054...................0.055....................6,875,000 ..........0.100 OM0000001590............MUSCAT FINANCE.................................................... 138,300 ............ 17,979........................4 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.130........... 0.130 .............0.130............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.130 ..............0.129...................0.130................... 32,710,401 .........0.100 OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................. 115,000...............6,900........................7 ........... 0.060 ...........0.060 ...........0.060........... 0.060 .............0.060 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.060..............0.059...................0.060 ...................4,512,480 ..........0.100 OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE ..............................10,000 ............... 1,010........................1 ............0.101 ........... 0.101............0.101 ............0.101 ............. 0.101............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.101 ..............0.099...................0.103...................10,100,000 .........0.100 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 104,078 ............ 15,091......................11 ............0.145 ........... 0.145 ...........0.145 ............0.145 .............0.146............-0.001 ........... -0.685 ...............0.145 ..............0.144...................0.146..................212,077,212 ........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 9,941,240......643,368...................164 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 7........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS AND SUKUK MARKET ...................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 ....................... 9,492 .................. 854........................2 ........... 0.090 ...........0.090 ...........0.090........... 0.090 .............0.090 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.090..............0.090...................0.100...................29,174,545 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: ...................................................................................... 9,492 .................. 854........................2 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. .........1........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

MARKET Meet to discuss on oil output freeze Qatar’s oil minister said that countries would meet in Doha on April 17. Oil producers are ﬁnalising a plan to discuss freezing output

DOHA: Oil producers from Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and beyond are ﬁnalising a plan to discuss freezing output at a meeting in Qatar in mid-April, the latest move in a campaign by ﬁnancially-stricken crude exporters to shift the dynamics of an over-supplied market. Prices have rallied more than

30 per cent since a mid-February proposal by Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela and Qatar in February to cap oil output and reduce a worldwide surplus that had seen prices slump to 12-year low in January. The summit in April would seek commitments from a wider range of producers both within and outside the Opec.

STOCK EXCHANGE

Deutsche Boerse, London exchange

merger to create mega bourse LONDON: Deutsche Boerse and London Stock Exchange Group agreed to merge, a deal that would create a titan of European trading as long as rival suitors don’t upend the agreement and regulators give it their blessing. LSE’s equity holders will own 45.6 percent of the enlarged group, while Deutsche Boerse stockholders will get the remaining 54.4 percent, according to a ECONOMY

Egypt central bank mounting war on dollar black market CAIRO: Egypt’s central bank governor Tarek Amer is stepping up the war on the black market for dollars, seeking to build confidence in the Egyptian pound after the biggest devaluation since 2003. Policy makers plan to provide local lenders with $1.5 billion in an exceptional sale on Wednesday to cover importers’ debt, taking the amount of hard currency injected this month alone to $2.4 billion — about five times what it usually offers to banks monthly. Egypt’s economic recovery has been slowed by a foreigncurrency shortage that has boosted black market demand for dollars. Authorities have said that narrowing the gap between the official and unregulated rates is essential to revive interest in Egypt’s debt and equity markets, deserted by foreign investors after the 2011 uprising against former President Hosni Mubarak. Foreign holdings of Egyptian T-bills fell to less than $50 million in 2015 from more than $10 billion almost five years ago. Psychological war “The central bank is playing a psychological war,” said Hany Farahat, senior economist at Cairo-based CI Capital Holding. “It is throwing liquidity in the face of the black market, making people trust that the central bank can deliver. This is the type of strategy needed for the black market to disappear.” The pound traded at 9.567 per dollar on Tuesday in the black market according to three money changers in Cairo and Alexandria. One of the dealers said the rate was 9.25 a day earlier. The central bank on Monday devalued the currency by 13 percent to 8.85 and said it would adopt a more flexible exchange rate to attract investments and shore up foreign reserves. The currency’s official rate was unchanged at 8.95 to the dollar at 9:14 a.m. on Wednesday. Investors cheer The devaluation was welcomed by the International Monetary Fund as well as investors, who sent Egyptian stocks up 8.8 percent over two days. Sovereign Eurobonds maturing in 2025 rallied again on Tuesday, with yields falling 18 basis points to 7.47 percent, for a 48-basis-points drop since the devaluation. Egypt’s two biggest state-run banks, Banque Misr and the National Bank of Egypt, offered certificates of deposits paying 15 per cent interest. - Bloomberg News

statement on Wednesday. The two companies announced on Feb. 23 that they were negotiating a deal. The companies are valued at $30.5 billion. “They’re being very, very careful to position this as a merger and a merger of equals,” said Scott Moeller, a professor of corporate ﬁnance at London’s Cass Business School and a former investment banker. - Bloomberg

Qatar’s oil minister said that countries would meet in the nation’s capital Doha on April 17 without providing details of who would attend. Delegates from three members of the Opec said they hadn’t yet received an invitation and two people with knowledge of the matter said no date had been finaliaed. They asked not to be identified because the talks are private. Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al Naimi and his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak, who represent the world’s largest exporters, will discuss the meeting on Wednesday by phone, one person said. The proposed freeze “put a floor under oil prices,” Qatari Oil Minister Mohammad Al Sada said in an e-mailed statement on Wednesday.

“To date, around 15 Opec and nonOpec producers, accounting for about 73 per cent of global oil output, are supporting this initiative.” Iran’s production Oil rallied after the Qatari statement, gaining as much 1.5 per cent to $39.33 a barrel in London. There are reasons to be doubtful that the planned freeze can radically alter an oil market that’s fallen victim to a global ﬁght for market share, causing stockpiles to rise to a record high. Most signiﬁcantly, Iran is seeking to increase production after the end of economic sanctions and has said it won’t participate in any accord until its output has recovered. Iran increased output by 187,800

barrels a day to 3.13 million a day in February, the biggest monthly gain since 1997, OPEC said in its monthly report on Monday. Brazil will also add more than 100,000 barrel of supply this year and has shown little interest in taking part. “We will now see if Opec and Russia are able to freeze the bears in the oil market,” said Olivier Jakob, managing director at consultants Petromatrix. “The signiﬁcance of the agreement is that it could remove the perception that Opec is ﬁghting for market share.” There have been other forces driving prices higher in recent weeks. Outages from Iraq and Nigeria have disrupted more than 800,000 barrels a day of supply

and tightened the Brent market, according to Citigroup. And falling drilling activity in the United States shale industry has seen analysts raise forecasts for declines in North American production. Shale production One key question is how fast shale production could come back if the Opec and some non-Opec producers succeed in driving prices higher. “It’s not surprising they’d be willing to agree to this because the outlook for further production increase was quite limited,” Jeff Currie, global head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs., said in an interview of Bloomberg Television. “You can’t’ operate a cartel the way you used to.” - Bloomberg News

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

FEATURE

The One Belt component consists of rail links from western China through Central Asia and thence to Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. The strangely named One Road component consists of ports and facilities to increase seaborne traffic from East Asia and connect these countries to the One Belt, giving them a way to move their goods overland, rather than across two oceans, as they currently do

s first two months of 2016 got over, a historic contest is underway over competing development models — that is, strategies to promote economic growth — between China, on the one hand, and the US and other Western countries on the other. Although this contest has been largely hidden from public view, the outcome will determine the fate of much of Eurasia for decades to come. Most Westerners are aware that growth has slowed substantially in China, from over 10 per cent per year in recent decades to below seven per cent today (and possibly lower). The country’s leaders have not been sitting still in response, seeking to accelerate the shift from an exportoriented, environmentally damaging growth model based on heavy manufacturing to one based on domestic consumption and services. But there is a large external dimension to China’s plans as well. In 2013, President Xi Jinping announced a massive initiative called “One Belt, One Road,” which would transform the economic core of Eurasia. The One Belt component consists of rail links from western China through Central Asia and thence to Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. The strangely named One Road component consists of ports and facilities to increase seaborne traffic from East Asia and connect these countries to the One Belt, giving them a way to move their goods overland, rather than across two oceans, as they currently do. The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which the US earlier this year refused to join, is designed, in part, to finance One Belt, One Road. But the project’s investment requirements will dwarf the resources of the proposed new institution. Indeed, One Belt, One Road represents a striking departure in Chinese policy. For the first time, China is seeking to export its development model to other countries. Chinese companies, of course, have been hugely active throughout Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa in the past decade, investing in commodities and extractive industries and the infrastructure needed to move them to China.

EXPORTING THE CHINESE MODEL

ONE BELT But One Belt, One Road is different: its purpose is to develop industrial capacity and consumer demand in countries outside of China. Rather than extracting raw materials, China is seeking to shift its heavy industry to less developed countries, making them richer and encouraging demand for Chinese products. China’s development model is different from the one currently fashionable in the West. It is based on massive state-led investments in infrastructure — roads, ports, electricity, railways, and airports — that facilitate industrial development. American economists abjure this build-it-and-theywill-come path, owing to concerns about corruption and self-dealing when the state is so heavily involved. In recent years, by contrast, US and European development strategy has focused on large investments in public health, women’s empowerment, support for global civil society, and anti-corruption measures. Laudable as these Western goals are, no country has ever gotten rich by investing in them alone. Public health is an important background condition for sustained growth; but if a clinic lacks reliable electricity and clean water, or there are no good roads leading to it, it won’t do much good. China’s infrastructure-based strategy has worked remarkably well in China itself, and was an important component of the strategies pursued by other East Asian countries, from Japan to South Korea to Singapore. The big question for the future of global politics is straightforward: Whose model will prevail? If One Belt, One Road meets Chinese planners’ expectations, the whole of Eurasia, from Indonesia to Poland will be transformed in the coming generation. China’s model will blossom outside of China, raising incomes and thus demand for Chinese products to replace stagnating markets in other parts of the world. Polluting industries, too, will be

offloaded to other parts of the world. Rather than being at the periphery of the global economy, Central Asia will be at its core. And China’s form of authoritarian government will gain immense prestige, implying a large negative effect on democracy worldwide. But there are important reasons to question whether One Belt, One Road will succeed. Infrastructure-led growth has worked well in China up to now because the Chinese government could control the political environment. This will not be the case abroad, where instability, conflict, and corruption will interfere with Chinese plans. Indeed, China has already found itself confronting angry stakeholders, nationalistic legislators, and fickle friends in places like Ecuador and Venezuela, where it already has massive investments. This does not mean, however, that the US and other Western governments should sit by complacently and wait for China to fail. The strategy of massive infrastructure development may have reached a limit inside China, and it may not work in foreign countries, but it is still critical to global growth. The US used to build massive dams and road networks back in the 1950s and 1960s, until such projects fell out of fashion. Today, the US has relatively little to offer developing countries in this regard. President Barack Obama’s Power Africa initiative is a good one, but it has been slow to get off the ground; efforts to build the Fort Liberté port in Haiti have been a fiasco. The US should have become a founding member of the AIIB; it could yet join and move China toward greater compliance with international environmental, safety, and labor standards. At the same time, the US and other Western countries need to ask themselves why infrastructure has become so difficult to build, not just in developing countries but at home as well. Unless we do, we risk ceding the future of Eurasia and other important parts of the world to China and its development model. — FRANCIS FUKUYAMA/Project Syndicate

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Malabar Gold introduces unique diamond pendants This Mother’s Day, make your mom feel unique by gifting her diamond pendant specially designed for the special occasion by Malabar Gold

MUSCAT: Mother’s Day is just around the corner and to celebrate this occasion, Malabar Gold & Diamonds introduced four exclusive diamond pendants as a glittering tribute to the unspoken love of a mother, says a press release. Mother’s Day is celebrated on March 21 every year to honour and commemorate the unconditional bond of motherhood. It reminds us

that motherhood cannot be taken for granted and this particular day gives us a unique opportunity to let her know just how special she truly is to you. This Mother’s Day, make your mom feel unique by gifting her diamond pendant specially designed for the special occasion by Malabar Gold & Diamonds. Let your mom know how you feel and shower some love on her with the magniﬁcent Mother’s Day collection by Malabar Gold & Diamonds. Show her how much she is loved and appreciated by gifting an en-

twined pendant sparkling with brilliant diamonds, representing the unbreakable bond a mother and child share. These special edition diamond pendants will surely touch her heart, bringing a sparkling smile on her face and adding that extra sparkle of love in her eyes. Celebrate the true essence of her motherhood with this perfectly crafted pendant offered at an affordable price of OMR85 to OMR120 in four designs and turn this occasion memorable. All pendants will come with the 18ct chain.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds is always at the forefront when it comes to promotions and festivals. The immaculate collection of Studs and Drops are available at its outlets in UAE, Oman, Kuwait, KSA, Singapore and Malaysia with its unique exchange offers and buyback policies. The jewellery chain offers lifetime free repair and maintenance service for all its products. These diamond pendant sets will be available at all Malabar Gold & Diamonds showrooms in the GCC until stocks last.

LUCKY WINNERS

OAB picks February winners of Hassad Savings Scheme MUSCAT: Oman Arab Bank (OAB) announced the Hassad Savings Scheme winners for the month of February. Initiated by the bank to inspire a culture of saving in the Sultanate, the 2016 Hassad scheme rewarded 11 lucky account holders with more than OMR50,000 in cash prizes with one regional winner, Mohammed Al Balushi, walking away with OMR40,000. Held at the bank’s head office, the monthly draw awarded ﬁve customers in the child account category with OMR1,000 each and ﬁve in the female only category with OMR1,500 each. Fahd Amjad, general manager - Retail Banking at Oman Arab Bank, said: “I would like to congratulate February 2016 lucky customers for winning lucrative cash prizes by saving for their future. We have worked tirelessly to enhance the banking experience and add value to the lives of the OAB family and Hassad Savings Scheme is part and parcel of those efforts. Our loyal customers from all ages and from across the country can now save more with this exciting product and stand a chance to win big.”

Unveiled in January to encourage personal savings, the revamped Hassad Savings Scheme offers customers from every segment a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win. As part of the draw, one regional, five female, and five children are chosen randomly every month to receive prizes ranging from OMR1,000 to OMR40,000. The savings scheme will end the year with a mega draw of OMR50,000 for two winners. Elite Priority Banking customers have not been forgotten and are eligible to win cash prizes valued at OMR100,000 in June and December. Additionally, the draw will also reward customers on special occasions such as Eid Al Fitr, Oman Women’s Day, and National Day with a total of OMR58,000 up for grabs. OAB has consistently expanded its reach as well as its products and services offering to provide customers in the country with a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions in retail banking, corporate and project finance, investment banking, trade finance and most recently, Islamic Banking.

ADDITIONAL COVERS

New India Assurance modifies its motor insurance policy MUSCAT: Incorporating the changes in the existing Unified Motor Policy, New India Assurance Company Limited has modified its motor insurance policy as per the order of Capital Market Authority’s (CMA) vide Decision No.E/19/2016 dated February 3, 2016. These changes came into effect from March 15. The new revised Unified Motor Policy carries provisions for certain additional covers to the insured which can be bought at an additional premium, if the customer opts for it, says a press release. As per the CMA order, the fees for medical expenses charges will be applied at the rate of OMR3 per seat instead of OMR3 per vehicle. The revised Unified Motor Policy offers more benefits to the insured including reduction in excess payable to the insurer while on accident claims and no claim discounts in premium from 5 per cent onwards during renewal. There are also certain changes in the definitions of policy wordings and the revised proposal form and unified motor policy wordings which will be in use with effect from March 15. Dr K. P. Sebastian, chief operating officer, stated that A.M. Best,

the USA based international Credit Ratings Agency has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of The New India Assurance Company Ltd., the leading general insurer of the Afro-Asian region. The revised credit rating was published in January 15, 2016. As per the revised credit rating New India Assurance enjoy the FSR, A-Excellent. Founded in 1899, A.M. Best Company is the world’s oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. A.M. Best’s Credit Rating assigned to an insurance company is an independent opinion of an insurer’s financial strength and ability to meet its ongoing major financial obligations. The rating is determined based on comprehensive and qualitative evaluation of a company’s balance sheet strength, operating performance and business profile. The company has presence in 28 countries spanning five continents and has the largest number of specialist and technically qualified personnel at all levels of management who are empowered to underwrite and settle claims of high magnitude. “Our organisation, which is a multinational since 1920 has been enjoying a solid capital-base, ex-

cellent liquidity and highest solvency margin since its inception. New India has been a pioneer in the promotion of customer satisfaction, and advocate of transparency. We are proud to have been present in Oman since 1974. We have been one of the leading participants in promoting a strong insurance section in the Sultanate,” Sebastian said. “New India-Oman’s growth, since its entry in 1974, has been steady. For the last few years the company has enjoyed enormous support from its valued clients. The reputation of being one of the

most trusted customer friendly insurance companies in Oman has put ‘New India’ with an additional responsibility to serve the Oman market in their insurance needs with our ever improving all round customer service. New India Assurance is in the forefront of offering unique insurance products and services. "The wide range of insurance covers caters to project insurance, ﬁre (property) insurance, personal accident, household insurance, workmen compensation, motor, marine, professional indemnity, public liability policy,

‘THE ART OF PERFORMANCE’

product liability, travel insurance and health insurance. "‘Better Health’, a healthcare insurance programme for corporate clients, is one among several attractive policies in its vast array of products and services. ‘Family Health’ – a medical insurance scheme adding portability facility to our existing customers by which our customers can continue with health insurance schemes back in India, upon their return. ‘New India’ constantly promote valueadded products and services as it is its tradition to maintain customer satisfaction and value addition.” “New India-Oman’ have a very good customer base – large, medium and small corporate clients as well as cash customers – which we have retained over these years. We build up good and strong relationship and we intend to retain our reputation of being one of the most customer friendly insurance companies here in Oman. For about four decades of operation in Oman, ‘New India’ has carved out a reputation of not only being customer friendly, but also for being trustworthy and stable in all aspects. Our customers trust us as much that it is through customers we get more customers,” he said.

Its operation network in the Sultanate includes branch offices in Ruwi, Seeb, Sohar, Avenues Mall Ghubra and sub-agency offices in various parts of Oman apart from Muscat (Hamriya) where the head office of Oman operation is located. The company has been aggressively expanding its network in Oman. “It has always been one of the key objectives of New India Oman to widen its operations in the Sultanate of Oman, and empower Omanis by providing them with adequate training in insurance services. This as an Indian Insurance major, we believe will not only help enhance Indo-Oman relations, but also strengthen the Omani workforce in a fast-changing insurance and ﬁnancial sector scenario. New India Oman will further spread its wings across the country to expand its services network and offer the best possible insurance services to our customers,” he added. “We have dedicated personnel to meet all requirements of our customers. In fact, New India Oman is a true blend of Omanis and Indians working together in harmony and cooperation. More than 60 per cent of New India Oman’s workforce is Omanis,” concluded Sebastian.

M C D O NA L D ' S PA R T N E R S

Platinum Records delights audience with spectacular shows at gala night MUSCAT: Leading regional music entertainment company Platinum Records, owned by MBC Group, delighted audiences with jaw-dropping performances led by its music artists in four consecutive acts during its annual red carpet gala event, held at Meydan Sobha’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City – District One in Dubai recently. The evening titled, ‘The Art of Performance’, presented by District One in partnership with Jaguar MENA was an evening to remember and set the tone for reshaping the future plans of Platinum Records as the leading regional music and entertainment company. “‘The Art of Performance’ event was the biggest in Platinum Records’ history in terms of both audio-visual and technical production, featuring 10 different artists performing with over 70 musicians from Kiev, Bucharest and Beirut, 10 Khaleeji Iqaat, 20 international dancers and over 400 distinguished guests, including chairman and CEOs of top regional brands and companies, leading Arab artists, actors and celebrities, pan-Arab press, MBC Group management and TV personalities. Every performer was introduced on stage by a different guest presenter, including Platinum A&R composers, producers, lyricists as well as leading social media inﬂuencers and MBC programme hosts. The stunning private venue in

the heart of Dubai at Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City – District One was brought to life, commencing with a grand red carpet media blitz, where celebrity appearances and interviews kicked off the night. MBC 4 for the ﬁrst time aired an unprecedented 90-minute live from the red carpet show presented by hit entertainment show, ET Bil Arabi at the event, which was viewed by millions, covering all the celebrity arrivals and all the excitement with live coverage of the fashion, ﬂair, glitz and glamour. Guests proceeded to the cocktail reception amidst luxury villas and mansions, where the red carpet arrivals were streamed on a large screen, giving all the VIP guests a front-row seat to see the stars prior to being seated for the show at District One’s Crystal Lagoon, where the Dubai skyline and Burj Khalifa set the stunning backdrop. The show kicked off with Act 1, entitled Pop Extreme, led by Platinum Moroccan artists Grini and

Jamila performing their 2015 hit singles and one new song each to be released this week exclusively on music streaming site, Anghami. The Soloists, Act 2 featured a stunning performance by famous Asmaa Lmnawar signing the legendary ‘J’en Ai Marre’, followed by a gorgeous classical Khaliji fusion from Emirati singer/composer, Fayez Al Saeed as one of the A&R Team members of Platinum Records. Act 3, The Diva showcased a dramatic, powerful entrance by Ahlam with 20 international dancers staging a military march choreography and performance, as part of her new music video recorded live from the concert, which was nothing short from ground breaking. Act 4, Balkan Fusion witnessed a live performance by Platinum’s Lebanese A&R Producer/Composer, Michel Fadel, and the music director and lead maestro for the entire concert, with a grand performance with his Balkan band from Romania, with a medley of stun-

ning music from his debut album to be released by Platinum Records. Taymoor Marmarchi, head of Platinum Records said during his speech: “Tonight is an example of how Arabic music can be presented on a global scale; live performances each with a different style, theme and unique show. I am proud and excited of the work that Platinum has achieved the past year, catapulting the record label as a leading music and entertainment brand in the region. Our roster of talent has become world class and there are so many exciting projects in the pipeline.” Joseph Al-Sharif, vice president of Sales & Marketing at Meydan Sobha commented: “We are proud to host this exclusive Platinum Records Gala event at Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City – District One.” Salman Sultan, press media relations and social media manager at Jaguar Land Rover Mena, said: “The Art of Performance event was the ﬁrst demonstration of Jaguar’s collaboration with Platinum Records and it was a true showcase of the best in art, creativity and performance. We are thrilled to have celebrated what the Art of Performance means through music, an art form which remains deeply intertwined with the culture of the Middle East region. This was the ﬁrst in a series of exciting tie ups, and we look forward to developing our partnership with Platinum Records.”

Lucky MasterCard GCC winners receive all-expense-paid trip to watch UEFA Champions League DUBAI: Forty lucky MasterCard cardholders from the GCC won an all-expense-paid trip to London last month to watch the high-voltage clash between Arsenal FC and FC Barcelona live at the Emirates Stadium in London, thanks to a UEFA Champions League campaign organised jointly by MasterCard and McDonald’s. Launched last November to promote MasterCard’s cashless payment system now available in Oman, the campaign enabled McDonald’s customers using their MasterCard cards to enter into a raffle to win a four-day Europe trip for two to watch a UEFA Champions League RO16 contest, says a press release. The raffle draw was held early this year and the winners received the chance to travel to London to watch the ﬁrst leg of the Round-of-16 tie between Arsenal FC and FC Barcelona on February 23. Their priceless experience included a private tour of the stadi-

um with England legend, Graeme Le Saux. The tour was followed by a private lunch and Q&A session with Le Saux. Ali K. Daud, Development Licensee and president of McDonald’s Oman, said: “In partnership with MasterCard, we at McDonald’s want to celebrate our customers’ loyalty and highlight how simple it has become for them to purchase their favourite meals. With so many of our customers having beneﬁted from this exclusive opportunity to experience Europe’s biggest football competition, we can conﬁdently say that winning never tasted so good!” Raghav Prasad, general manager – Gulf Countries, MasterCard, said: “Football has a universal acceptance, just like MasterCard, and the passion for the game here in the Arab world is just incredible. By partnering with McDonald’s for this unique promotion, MasterCard continues to offer our cardholders priceless experiences that connect with their interests and passion points.”

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

ROUND-UP OPWP signs pact with Muscat Water for plants

S T R AT E G I C PA R T N E R S H I P

Hormuz Grand hotel joins hands with Gailani Art Retreat Oman Power and Water Procurement is set to establish the Quriyat and Aseelah temporary desalination plants

Times News Service MUSCAT: In order to establish the Quriyat and Aseelah temporary desalination plants, Oman Power and Water Procurement (OPWP) Company, member of Nama Group, the sole procurer of power generation and water desalination capacity in the Sultanate, signed the water purchase agreement with Muscat Water at a cost of OMR9 million at InterContinental Muscat. The signing ceremony was held under the patronage of Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Mahrouqi, chairman of the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW). A number of dignitaries including government officials, as well as board of directors and representatives from the consortium and

electricity and water sector in the Sultanate attended the event. The agreement was signed by Eng. Yaqoob bin Saif Al Kiyumi chief operating officer of OPWP and on behalf of Muscat Water, Haitham Al Fannah, chief operating officer of Al Sulaimi Group Holding inked the pact. The scope of the project which will be located in Quriyat in Muscat governorate and Jalan Bani Bu Ali in Sharqiyah South governorate includes the design, construction, ownership, operation and maintenance of a high efficiency reverse osmosis desalination facilities. The total potable water output of Quriyat plant is 8,000 m3 per day (1.76 million gallon per day) whereas total potable water output of Aseelah plant is 10,000 m3 per day (2.2 million gallon per day). The projects will be structured as Independent Water Projects (IWPs) with OPWP purchasing the potable water produced by the project under a Water Purchase Agreement. Speaking at the event Eng. Naif bin Ali Al Abri, acting director of Projects Development at OPWP said that this project is part of temporary and urgent desalination water projects being developed by Oman Power and Water Procurement Company in coordination with the Public Authority for Electricity and Water, to keep up with the growing demand for water in

the Sultanate of Oman. It is expected that this project will contribute to creating job opportunities for the national cadres and create contractual opportunities for local business and enrich the Omani content through the award of the project to one of the national companies operating in this field. Most of the project’s materials will be manufactured or procured locally through specialised local companies. Omani technical cadres will be contributing in the manufacturing of the plants in various engineering, technical and occupational safety fields. OPWP started the procurement process to develop the project in June 2015 where five companies participated in the tendering process. Bidders have competed in their technical and financial bids, and through the evaluation and negotiation process carried out by the company, the project was awarded to the consortium of AquaSwiss and Al Sulaimi Group Holding. Dr Manfred Reid, the head of Global Business Development from AquaSwiss AG said, “We are happy and proud for obtaining the opportunity to provide a technical solution to convert saline water into drinking water, serving the demands of thousands of people in the regions of Asselah and Quriyat, making their life safer and more comfortable. In this respect we understand this project not only

as a mere business, but also as a contribution to social responsibility. We would like to thank OPWP for identifying this demand of fresh water in the region and for developing these projects for Asselah and Quriyat. Muscat Water is lucky to contribute its part, and once we can see the people from Asselah and Quriyat beneﬁting from a stable and secure water supply we will see that we have accomplished our mission. Muscat Water is a coalition of the desalination experts, AquaSwiss AG of Switzerland, with world’s leading desalination technologies and Al Sulaimi Group Holding - a leading Omani Group with expertise in various engineering branches and specialises in seawater intakes, water network, water plants O&M services and fabrication for the water and oil industry. Muscat Water aims to bring drinking and potable water at very competitive prices through the unique differentiating technologies, to bring a high local Omani content, and to develop signiﬁcant in-country-value through the deployment of Omani manpower and local manufacturing capabilities in its projects. Thus OPWP and Muscat Water share the same motive of meeting the growing need ofwater and creating more employment opportunities within the country through the projects.

MUSCAT: Hormuz Grand Hotel Muscat and Gailani Art Retreat have formed a strategic partnership that will see the restaurant venue as the new home for the monthly art retreats run by Muscat-based artist Ibrahim Gailani. This partnership goes into effect this March with the first one being held on March 19 at Hormuz Grand Hotel Muscat. Hormuz Grand will become the third home of the art retreat that has progressed from humble beginnings of only five attendees when it started in 2013, to now with over 600 attendees spread over 37 art retreats during the past three years in Muscat. According to Gailani, the move to Hormuz Grand reflects the progression of the retreat from what was initially thought of as just another art class. It is now a hub for creative activity. So partnering with Hormuz Grand was a perfect collaboration as they are committed to fostering artists and the arts community in collaboration with Gailani Art Retreat. The Gailani Art Retreat is a creative getaway for people who even if they have never painted before, venture into self-discovery using painting and music. “The reason for our success has been that we provide inclusive safe environment where creative souls can express with-

out judgment as we don’t focus on art education and criticism but positivity and encouragement of self-expression,” stated Huma, manager of the Retreat. “The Hormuz Grand’s beautiful pool-side banqueting venue with both indoor and outdoor painting and meditation facility with the serenity pool with beautifully landscaped greenery will only add to the participant’s experience of having a creative escape,” she added. In addition, this new partnership aims to give a platform to emerging and established artists who come to the art-retreat. As part of this deal the art created at the retreats will be exhibited for sale at Hormuz Grand Hotel Muscat in an ongoing exhibition curated by Gailani. In addition there will be a solo art exhibition of Gailani that will also be held at the venue, and Hormuz Grand will also host an art festival with local and international artists in addition to works form the Art Retreat. “We have been looking for cultural opportunities to add to the experience of our patrons and make Hormuz Grand Hotel Muscat not only a business and leisure destination but also an artistic one,” elaborated Christopher Pike, the general manager of Hormuz Grand.

E X PA N S I O N

Dubai Gold and Diamonds opens new outlet MUSCAT: Dubai Gold and Diamonds opened its second new showroom at Oman Avenues Mall in Bausher, recently. Sheikh Ali bin Sulaiman bin Muhammad Alghabshi, directorgeneral for employment licences, Ministry of Manpower, inaugurated the new showroom in the

presence of P. P. Muhammad Ali Haji, chairman Dubai Gold and Khalid Al Balushi, Benzeer, Basheer Ahammad, Sidique Hassan, the directors and other dignitaries, says a press release. Dubai Gold and Diamonds has announced fabulous gifts and exciting offers for the custom-

ers. There will be assured gifts for each and every purchases, 50 per cent special discount offer for diamond and polki purchases and free gold coin offer for the purchases of gold jewellery worth OMR200 and above and for the purchases of diamond polki worth OMR100 and above. It showcases

fabulous collections of jewellery of old tradition and most modern patterns that suit the requirements of the customers. Muhamed Ali Haji said that the jewellery is set to open new showrooms at Barka, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Perinthalmanna, Manjeri of Kerala, India.

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Nissan Pathfinder Classic receives solid support from loyal customers Auto enthusiasts can also avail exciting beneﬁts on the Nissan Pathﬁnder Classic 4L

STAFF REPORTER MUSCAT: In a recently conducted survey within Oman, Nissan received positive feedback on its Nissan Pathfinder Classic range from customers in different sectors within Oman. The selected customers are from professions that involve travelling to tough and difficult terrains within the Sultanate in their Pathfinder. Owner’s pride Ali Hussain Al Khalili, assistant manager - Transportation, Oman National Engineering & Investment Co., a proud Nissan Pathfinder owner was all praise for the powerful car. “The mighty Pathfinder offers a magnificent drive on road and off. There is a lot of ground clearance and solid protection for vitals underneath. Low-range gearing is great for slower four-wheel-driving, while the huge ground clearance makes it a formidable tool,” Al Khalili said “We have to go for site visits almost every week which are located at remote parts within Oman. The Pathfinder has always offered a

PROUD OWNERS: The selected customers from professions that involve travelling to tough and difficult terrains within the Sultanate in their Pathﬁnder give positive feedback on the Nissan range. – Shabin E./ TIMES OF OMAN

steady drive and is quite stable in all kinds of difficult terrain,” he continued. “Just getting inside reinforces how big the Pathﬁnder is. The side steps don’t only come in handy for many, they will be necessary to make the ascent to the driver’s seat. Needless to say, you get a decent view,” he added. “The broad collection of controls and buttons are well laid-out and storage areas are plentiful; the cabin is wide, too, something that helps with three people across the back and those in the middle row will be blessed with generous legroom,” Al Khalili asserted. According to Al Khalili, Nissan introduces schemes and offers on a daily basis on its vehicles making it convenient for customers to buy vehicles at any time of the year.

G E N E R A L S U R G E RY & L A PA R O S C O P I C D E PA R T M E N T

Kims Oman conducts yet another critical surgery successfully

MUSCAT: Expert surgical staff at Kims Oman Hospital successfully conducted the first Vascular Access-A-V Fistula for a patient of Chronic Renal Failure (CRF), led by Dr Muhamed Mustafa Alhabash, senior consultant of General and Laparoscopic Surgery, at the hospital’s general surgery and laparoscopic department, recently, says a press release. This critical surgery is urgently performed on CRF patients who need to undergo a regular kidney dialysis which is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood and is used primarily as an artificial replacement for lost kidney function. During his many years of wide experience, Dr Alhabash has conducted more than 4,500 A–V Fistula similar surgeries, in addition to conducting advanced general surgery operations, laparoscopic operations, and renal transplantation surgery. He also has a special interest in arterio-venous fistulas, grafts, as well as handling

I would like to express my pride of our expert medical team, who indeed has the capability to treat and deal with the most serious and critical cases Dr Hussam Akoum Chief operating officer of Kims Oman

their complications. Dr Hussam Akoum, chief operating officer of KOH, said: “I would like to express my pride of our expert medical team, who indeed has the capability to treat and deal with the most serious and critical cases.” “We provide the best and most advanced medical and surgical services. This was a milestone in the development of the ﬁeld of microsurgery at Kims Oman Hospital,” he added.

“Nissan Pathfinder Classic too comes with attractive insurance, registration and service options this month.” Speaking about its service Al Khalili said, “Nissan service is equally good; I have had no complaints so far. They are on-time and professional with delivery of vehicles.” Unique offer Auto enthusiasts can now avail exciting benefits on the Nissan Pathfinder Classic 4L that include cash gift up of OMR2,500, free registration, six years unlimited mileage warranty and easy and convenient financing options. Flexible EMI’s can also be tailor made for any individual requirement from inhouse Auto Finance team. Younis Sulaiman Mohammed Al Harrasi, Associate - Transpor-

tation, Mezoon Electricity Company, Oman, another proud Nissan Pathfinder owner commented, “I have been driving my Pathfinder for the last 10 years and it has truly been the most ideal vehicle I have ever driven. The vehicle has been tested through the most difficult terrains. If I ever have to recommend a vehicle to anyone, it will undoubtedly be the Pathfinder Classic. It offers safe, steady and an efficient driving experience.” Classic features With a powerful V6 engine, the mighty vehicle lives up to its reputation as an authentic, rugged adventure vehicle. The vehicle has maintained an iconic exterior design, while also remaining fresh and dynamic; the exterior is

defined by its unique combination of sophistication and rugged, goanywhere looks. The classic interior design of the Pathfinder stands for all that’s good in an SUV, and with a 20-plus-year legacy of being tough, stylish and innovative, the driver along with six fellow travellers will find any trip an easy one. The best stories are woven around unexpected challenges accepted and conquered, opening the door to new experiences. The desire to explore the Pathfinder’s power and capabilities will drive you to seek out new places and tackle new terrain – actively feeding the exhilaration and lasting pleasure that adventurous trips generate. Now with a styled exterior and premium grade additions like the

Rearview Monitor, Cruise Control and Bluetooth hands-free phone system. Further with three rows and up to 64 seat configurations, the Pathfinder Classic is there to practically advance your adventures. The Pathfinder’s long list of standard safety features and equipment includes Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS), featuring dual-stage front supplemental air bags with seat belt sensors and a front occupant classification sensor; supplemental front seat-mounted side-impact air bags; and roof-mounted supplemental curtain air bags for improved side impact and rollover head protection for outboard occupants in all three rows. Nissan Oman strives to achieve pioneering success through its services and activities offered to its valued customers. Through a relentless pursuit of excellence and adopting aggressive marketing style with an emphasis on customer satisfaction, backing it up with strong after-sales service network across the Sultanate, Nissan Oman has built a name on trust, superior customer services and value for money. Nissan Oman boasts of a niche premium clientele comprising of leading corporate houses and businesses, international businessmen and tourists visiting the Sultanate of Oman and thus, the promise of the Pathfinder Classic is to allow a broad but discerning car buying audience and tourists visiting the city to ‘experience lavishness’. SBA is largely committed to supporting Nissan’s growth in the Sultanate through major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman.

TOP ACHIEVERS

Zubair Corporation honours six outstanding students in Nizwa MUSCAT: Six top achieving students of Grade XII from various schools in the Al Dakhiliyah Governorate were honoured by The Zubair Corporation in Nizwa at the Ministry of Education office recently. The act of honouring the top achievers is part of The Zubair Corporation’s strategy to recognise academic excellence among students, says a press release. The Ministry of Education, represented by Suleiman Al Salmi, head of the department, Ministry of Education, Nizwa was also present at the award giving ceremony. The Zubair Corporation has been making sustained endeavours to contribute positively to society. The group’s community initiatives span key areas of education, healthcare, sports and employability. The group believes that the children of today are the future shapers and builders of the country. By supporting outstanding students today, The Zubair Corporation hopes to nurture tomorrow’s achievers in all ﬁelds. The Zubair Corporation’s strategy is based on the culture of innovation and educational support. This gesture forms part of the company’s corporate social responsibility plans – the objective of which is to promote and celebrate excellence in education. Congratulating the students on their achievement, Mohammed Al Hasani, chief communications officer, The Zubair Corporation said: “We are very proud of the students’ accomplishment, and

we are certain that they will all go on to reach even greater heights of achievement.” Urging the students to continue to work extra hard, Al Hasani said: “You all are the future of this nation and the success of the country depends on your contribution.” The Zubair Corporation will continue to support academic student achievers and encourage them to develop into proﬁcient individuals in a proliﬁc local and global community. Conveying his gratitude to teachers Al Hasani said: “You all play a constructive role in the students’ life journey. Teachers support is essential for students to achieve excellence in life.” Thanking The Zubair Corporation, Al Salmi said: “As a company

enthusiastic about engaging with the community in a positive way, it is heartening that you are encouraging students who will shape the future of the industry.” Explaining further, Al Salmi added: “Through this gesture The Zubair Corporation encourages youths to embrace the challenges and changes ahead of them. We are grateful to them for rewarding students’ hard work and celebrating their talents.” Saying that the Ministry of Education takes great pride in the achievements of the students Al Salmi said: “We will continue to focus on enabling students to develop their potential.” He advised students to make study plans and be focussed. He also urged parents to support their children.

The students who were honoured thanked The Zubair Corporation. After accepting the honour, one of the students said: “We are thankful to The Zubair Corporation for this gesture. This encouragement means a lot to the students.” Another student said, “We are delighted that The Zubair Corporation honoured us and we are sure that this honouring will go a long way in attracting more students to work hard and be toppers in the future.” Another awardee thanked her teachers for all their help and support throughout the years. Stressing that achieving success was full of challenges, a topper said, “But it will prepare us for the future and we know that our hard work will pay us rich dividends.”

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

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Bank Muscat conducts monthly prize draw al Mazyona monthly draw conducted at the event held in Shinas was aimed at customers maintaining a minimum balance of OMR1,000 who got a chance to win OMR10,000 each

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the ﬂagship ﬁnancial services provider in the Sultanate, celebrated al Mazyona monthly prize draw in the wilayat of Shinas in which customers, including Shababi account holders across the region, won attractive prizes. Sheikh Soud bin Abdullah Al Makhmari, member of State Council, picked the lucky winners at an event hosted by Al Watan Sports Team to celebrate the game of football, says a press release. The monthly draw conducted at the event was aimed at customers maintaining a minimum balance of OMR1,000 who got a chance to win OMR10,000 each. For every OMR1,000 balance,

customers are entitled to 10 winning chances. In all, 28 monthly prizes, are reserved for customers covering all the regions. The more the balance, higher the winning chances. The event also witnessed the Shababi monthly draw wherein youth customers who opened a Shababi account with just OMR10 got a chance to win OMR300 each. In all, 30 winners are rewarded every month in the youth category. Shababi account holders are also eligible for other al Mazyona prizes by maintaining a minimum balance of OMR100. Reaching out with a powerful call for savings, Oman’s ﬂagship al Mazyona savings scheme includes high value prizes totaling OMR10

million for different segments, including women, children, youth and high saving customers. Adding excitement to festivals and national celebrations, the 2016 savings scheme also rewards customers with special prizes, besides aspirational prizes of OMR1 million at the end of year. As on date, al Mazyona savings scheme guaranteeing more for everyone to share is the biggest prize money in Oman and the region with prizes ranging from OMR1,000 a week to OMR10,000 a month, OMR100,000 every quarter and OMR500,000 at the end of year. al Mazyona continues to be the only savings scheme to recognise and reward loyalty for customers based on their association

with the bank. A special prize draw offering OMR10,000 each for winners from 14 regions will be held in celebration of Eid Al Adha in July. An exclusive draw for Zeinah women customers coinciding with Omani Women’s Day is another highlight in which 10 customers will be rewarded with OMR10,000 each. On the occasion of the National Day, a special draw will be held offering OMR10,000 each for 10 winners. Targetted at high savings customers, al Mazyona offers prizes to asalah Priority Banking customers who have chances to win OMR50,000 monthly prizes, OMR250,000 quarterly prizes, and a jackpot OMR500,000 yearend prize. Prizes reserved for al Jawhar Privilege Banking customers include OMR25,000 monthly prizes and OMR50,000 quarterly prizes. The double-your-salary scheme is another attraction of 2016 al Mazyona savings scheme. The scheme entitles customers maintaining a salary account with the bank to win a free bonus salary every month. The prize scheme is open to all customers with a minimum monthly salary of OMR500. For instance, a customer whose salary is OMR500 can win an additional salary prize of OMR500 whereas another customer whose salary is OMR3,000 can win back an equivalent bonus salary of OMR3,000 and so on. In all there will be 30 winners every month who will gain a bonus salary with al Mazyona savings account.

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FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT

PDO hosts delegation from State Council MUSCAT: For the first time in its history, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) hosted a delegation from the State Council on an official visit to its Mina Al Fahal headquarters on Tuesday. The eminent group was led by Dr Yahya bin Mahfoodh Al Mantheri, chairman of the State Council, and included most of its 84 members. Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Oil and Gas, was also in attendance, says a press release. A senior PDO management team, headed by Raoul Restucci, managing director, gave an overview of the company’s performance on a range of matters including health, safety and the environment, production, cost control and the creation of job and training opportunities for Omanis through its pioneering In-Country Value (ICV) and lean efficiency programmes. During the three-hour official engagement, the guests visited PDO’s Bait Mina Al Fahal HQ building and the hi-tech Lekhwair and Qarn Alam Collaborative Work Environment centres, which featured a live broadcast from the field with coastal staff. They also toured a small exhibition featuring some of PDO’s award-winning projects and challenges, including Harweel, which is one of the world’s biggest miscible sour gas injection projects, Miraah, one of the largest solar energy ventures globally, and the Nimr reed beds, a pioneering energy-efficient wetland scheme to treat produced water from oil production. There was a focus on how PDO had responded to the present low oil price environment and explanatory displays of oil samples, fossils, rocks, equipment

and goods made by women on the company’s Banat Oman vocational training programme. The visitors were also shown a film giving a corporate overview of PDO and one outlining its National Objectives programme which has generated more than 20,000 employment, training and re-deployment opportunities for Omanis since 2011. Al Mantheri praised PDO’s efforts on the economy, new technology and in providing training and employment opportunities, saying: “As PDO is proud to serve Oman, we are also proud of PDO.” Restucci said: “We are honoured to have welcomed the first-ever delegation from the State Council to PDO. We communicated some of our notable achievements and strategic priorities, such as our determination to support Omani businesses and jobseekers, and also how we are adapting to the current tough economic challenges through greater efficiency and value creation. “We would like to thank our distinguished guests for their support for, and recognition of, the great work our staff and contractors are doing every day to support Oman. Such visits can only encourage our employees to even greater heights to support the country’s development under the visionary leadership of His Majesty the Sultan.” The State Council visit is the latest in an extensive programme of engagement by PDO with a range of its key stakeholders. Last year, the Council of Ministers, led by Deputy Prime Minister His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, made a firstever visit to PDO, followed by a delegation of ministerial undersecretaries and senior officials.

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM THU RS DAY, MARCH 17, 2016

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Afridi leads from front as Pakistan rout Bangladesh The Pakistan skipper led by example

SHAHID AFRIDI

49 2 from 19 balls

for 27

blasting 49 off just 19 balls with winners scoring 201 for ﬁve. Afridi then grabbed two for 27 to restrict Bangladesh to 146 for six in 20 overs

KOLKATA: Stung by unwarranted criticism, Shahid Afridi gave a ﬁtting reply with a brilliant all-round performance guiding his team to a comprehensive 55-run win over Bangladesh in a group league encounter of the ICC World T20, here on Wednesday evening. The Pakistan skipper led by example blasting 49 off only 19 balls with winners scoring a massive 201 for ﬁve after opting to bat. Afridi then bowled his superfast leg-breaks to grab two for 27 in four overs to restrict Bangladesh to 146 for six in their stipulated 20 overs on a batting friendly Eden Gardens track. He deservingly got ‘man of the match’ award and also the victory was a sweet revenge for Pakistan, who were ousted from Asia Cup by Mashrafe Mortaza’s men only a couple of weeks ago. Afridi very rarely plays rampaging innnings these days but on Wednesday afternoon, he did show why he is known as ‘Boom Boom’ as balls disappeared thick and fast into stands. He hit four sixes apart from equal number of boundaries and his innings was the difference between 150 and 200. Before Afridi’s carnage, Ahmed Shehzad (52 from 39 balls; 8x4s) and Mohammed Hafeez (64 from 42b; 7x4s, 2x6s) had laid the foundation with a 95-run partnership from 68 balls. CRICKET

Eden showers love on Afridi and his men KOLKATA: Shahid Afridi may be in trouble back home for his “getting more love in India” remark, but a half-ﬁlled but boisterous Eden Gardens on Wednesday seemed determined to prove the Pakistani skipper’s assertions were not ill-founded as they lustily cheered each and every move of the Green Brigade in their World Twenty20 Group 2 encounter against Bangladesh. The maverick all-rounder, who was chided by his own people for his remarks, appeared to be the toast of the around 30,000 crowd right from the moment he walked out for the toss and much to their delight repaid the love with a blistering knock of 49 studded with eight hits to the boundary. The stadium reverberated with chants of “Boom Boom Afridi” as the 36-year-old carted the bowlers to all parts of the ground, hitting four towering sixes and an equal number of boundaries. There was a tinge of disappointment in the crowd after he missed his 50 with by one run, holing out in the deep. Frustrated at the team’s performance and huge support for Pakistan, a Bangladeshi journalist couldn’t help quipping, “It seems Kolkata has become Karachi”. - IANS

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN Sharjeel Khan b Arafat Sunny 18 A. Shehzad c Mahmudullah b S. Rahman 52 M. Hafeez c S. Sarkar b A. Sunny 64 S. Afridi c Mahmudullah b T. Ahmed 49 Umar Akmal c Shakib b Taskin 0 Shoaib Malik (not out) 15 Imad Wasim (not out) 0 Extras (lb-1, w-1, nb-1) 3 Total (5 wkts; 20 overs) 201 Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-121, 3-163, 4-175, 5-198. Bowling: Taskin Ahmed 4-0-32-2; Al Amin Hossain 3-0-43-0; Arafat Sunny 4-0-34-2; Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-39-0 (w-1); Mashrafe Mortaza 3-0-41-0 (nb-1); Sabbir Rahman 2-0-11-1.

Afridi got the perfect platform as he took just one single to settle down before smashing Mortaza for consecutive boundaries and a six. Afridi was exquisite with his shot selection and had all the time to improvise as he raced to 25 from nine balls toying Bangladesh bowlers with ease on a fast outﬁeld. Such was his power that his mistimed shots went over boundary and the 25,000-plus present in stands mostly comprised diehard Afridi fans.

BANGLADESH Tamim Iqbal c I. Wasim b S. Afridi 24 S. Sarkar b Mohammad Amir 0 Sabbir Rahman b Shahid Afridi 25 Shakib Al Hasan (not out) 50 Mahmudullah c Sharjeel b I. Wasim 4 Mushﬁqur Rahim c S. Ahmed b M. Amir 18 M. Mithun c M. Amir b M. Irfan 2 Mashrafe Mortaza (not out) 15 Extras (lb-4, w-4) 8 Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 146 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-44, 3-58, 4-71, 5-110, 6-117. Bowling: M. Amir 4-0-27-2 (w-2); Mohammed Irfan 4-0-30-1 (w-1); Wahab Riaz 4-0-31-0; S. Afridi 4-0-27-2; Shoaib Malik 2-0-14-0 (w-2); Imad Wasim 2-0-13-1.

Afridi’s blitzkrieg along with half centuries from Hafeez and Shehzad meant that their batting came to fore ahead of March 19 big match against traditional rivals India who will be looking for survival after their loss to New Zealand on Tuesday. In reply, Bangladesh were in no way in the game and the fast and furious Mohammed Amir provided the perfect start unsettling Soumya Sarkar’s off-stump in the third ball. - PTI

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THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

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Sri Lanka start title defence against hopeful Afghanistan able replacements for players like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara who were instrumental in winning them the trophy in Bangladesh two years ago. But the islanders’ strength lies in their batting and the likes of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal would want to use the ﬁrst six overs at the ﬂat belter in Eden to pile on the runs and the pressure. If they are able to post a decent total, the Lankans have the bowling unit to defend it as well, even without Malinga.

Though the contest may turn out to be a cake walk for Sri Lanka, what would give Afghanistan hope is the fact that Sri Lanka have been struggling recently MOST TRUSTED: Afghanistan’s Mohammed Shahzad.

KOLKATA: Struggling Sri Lanka would hope to regain their touch as they launch their title defence against qualiﬁers Afghanistan in the World Twenty20 at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday. Though the contest may turn out to be a cake walk for Sri Lanka, the unpredictability of the format always keeps cricket buffs guessing. What would give Afghanistan hope is the fact that Sri Lanka have

been struggling recently. They ﬁrst lost a series 1-2 in India last month and then surrendered to Bangladesh and Pakistan in the Asia Cup. The islanders’ tune-up for the ongoing tournament has also been disappointing, as they succumbed to both New Zealand and Pakistan in the warm-up games. Adding to Sri Lanka’s concerns

is veteran pacer Lasith Malinga. The golden haired talisman has failed to live up to expectations in recent times and quit his post as captain just before the World T20. He is also nursing an injury in his left knee and might not be available for the Afghanistan tie. One cannot also deny the fact that Sri Lanka are yet to ﬁnd suit-

No fluke Afghanistan’s entry to the tournament is no fluke. They have battled hard every time in the qualifiers and have made it to every World T20 after 2010. The icing on the cake was when they made it to the 50-over World Cup in 2015, only two years after being handed the One-day International status. The Afghans remained unbeaten in the qualifiers leading up to this tournament and were able to pull out some special performances from the bag during it. They first beat Scotland where

their most trusted batsman Mohammed Shahzad struck a ﬂuent 61. And next they easily skipped past Hong Kong’s challenge, where Shahzad once again was instrumental with a crucial 41. In the last game Afghanistan convincingly beat Zimbabwe by 59 runs to go unscathed in the main round. But how will the players who learnt their cricket in refugee camps, in a war torn country cope with the likes of Dushmanta Chameera clocking 145 kmph constantly? They might not have the answer yet but on Thursday all eyes will be on the likes of captain Asghar Stanikzai and Shahzad who have had great runs with the bat in recent weeks. Besides, Afghanistan have quite a bowling line-up of their own. It might not be the best in the business, but capable enough to do what it is meant to. Besides the likes of pacers Shapoor Zadran and Dawlat Zadran, the trump card for the Afghans can be 17-year-old leg-spinner Rashid Khan. This is also the ﬁrst time that the two sides are locking horns in a T20 International. - IANS

CHAMPIONS

Sri Lankans happy to be ‘underdogs’ KOLKATA: Happy to carry the tag of “underdogs”, defending World Twenty 20 champions Sri Lanka are not considering Afghanistan as minnows but are confident of starting their title defence on a winning note against the Asian side at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday. “Coming in as underdogs, it releases the pressure off the players. We haven’t done well in the recent past especially in the Asia Cup, but we are getting better with each game. We are very confident with our progress,” Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews told mediapersons here a day ahead of their opening group encounter against Afghanistan. “You can’t call Afghanistan as minnows. In the qualifying stages they beat their opponents easily. We are taking them seriously because on a given day they can upset any team. We have to play really good cricket to beat them,” he said. “When the last time we met, they played really well and we had to fight hard to defeat them,” said Mathews referring to their 2014 Asia Cup encounter which the Islanders won by 129 runs. - IANS

C O M M E N TA RY

Thumb up for Dhoni — but toe be or not toe be, that’s the question

or a people of a nation who have got addicted to Dhonispeak at post-match presentation ceremonies, and for whom a game of cricket is not simply about the national team winning or losing but about how their visionary skipper gets inspired/disgusted/upset/irritated/philosophical by the happenings of the day, the defeat at the hands of the New Zealanders at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium at Nagpur was yicky. Just a month ago when India failed to last the full quota of 20 overs while batting ﬁrst and were bundled out for just 101 runs in 18.5 overs by a second-string Sri Lankan team in the ﬁrst of the three-game T20 series played on a green wicket at Pune, MS Dhoni was happily looking at the positives his team could pick up

and quietly slip into their kits soon after the ﬁve-wicket defeat. The Indian batting failure, from top to bottom, at Pune was actually an opportunity to test everyone, even the No.11 batsman, and to get a measure of the depth of the batting — or, that was how Dhoni saw it — but the Nagpur disaster was an uninspiring matter of “a lack of adaptability” when “the batting let us down”. Coming from a man famous for seeing positives even amid a mountain of ruins, this is no matter for raising one’s thumb up, despite the good news coming from the skipper that his thumb that took a nasty blow from a Ravindra Jadeja turner that beat Mitchell Santner in the 13th over will be ﬁne for the all-important match against Pakistan on Saturday. Was it really a lack of “a bit of

adaptability” that did the Indians in at Nagpur or is the matter more serious than how Dhoni sees or wants to put it? Looking at the way a couple of top guns misﬁring regularly with the bat makes us think that the captain is either getting it sorely wrong or he’s desperately trying to put a spin on the ugly, grisly truth. The dismissals of Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina had, in recent weeks, a disturbing pattern about them that raised concerns

about their failures to adapt to the demands of the day. The number of instances Dhawan getting out lbw going for sweeps or caught behind poking at balls outside his off-stump and Raina moving back and across and lobbing the ball to close-in ﬁelders for soft dismissals are growing. If they don’t learn from their mistakes, what’s adaptability? If Indian batsmen’s failure to adapt to the demands of a slow track was incredibly poor, what disturbed more was how the Indian regular spinners failed to get as much purchase from the pitch as the less-fancied visitors like Nathan McCullum, Mitchell Santner and Inderbir Singh Sodhi could. Ravinchandran Ashwin and Jasdeja picked up just two wickets between them, leaking 58 runs in the process that ac-

counted for nearly half the New Zealand total. A target of 127 was within the reach of the Indians without having to raise the pulse rate of guys like Ashish Nehra or Jasprit Bumrah waiting for their turn, or no turn, in the dugout, but the art of the matter is about better performances from Ashwin and Jadeja on wickets ideal for their slow business. It’s good to hear that the thumb “will be ﬁne for the next match”. But is that enough for the battle against Pakistan at Eden Gardens? Maybe not. At the moment, there are doubts about how a team that looked all thumbs against the little-known, not-so-hostile New Zealand bowlers could rediscover the courage to thumb their collective nose at Mohammed Amir and Wahab Riaz who have re-

venge as ringtone since the Mirpur humiliation and pumped-up patriotism as theme song after Shahid Afridi’s attempt at winning Indian hearts upon landing in Kolkata misfired. Adaptability, for now, is about Rohit Sharma and Dhawan playing without the fear of Amir’s yorkers kissing their toes and setting up a robust platform for Virat Kohli to step in and do some loud, rowdy act against Samis and Irfans so Dhoni and Hardik Pandya could flex their muscle without fear. The writer is a freelance contributor based in India. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

SPORTS Gayle’s blows stun England

CHRIS GAYLE

100 runs from 48 balls 5 fours, 11 sixes

Gayle made mockery of a seemingly steep 183-run target set by England, carrying West Indies to victory with 11 balls to spare on a hot and humid evening at the Wankhede Stadium

MUMBAI: Chris Gayle smashed the ﬁrst hundred of the sixth World Twenty20 to underline his reputation as cricket’s most destructive batsman and powered West Indies to a six-wicket win over England in their Super 10 match on Wednesday. The tall left-handed opener, who often polarises opinions with his antics off the ﬁeld, made mockery of a seemingly steep 183-run target in the Group One match, carrying West Indies to victory with 11 balls to spare on a hot and humid evening at the Wankhede Stadium. Gayle’s century was his second in the format and he remained unbeaten on 100 off 48 balls with his CRICKET

Stanikzai thanks BCCI, hope to upset Sri Lanka KOLKATA: Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai on Wednesday praised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for their support and added they are capable of beating Sri Lanka in their World Twenty 20 opener. The BCCI allowed Afghanistan to practice at a ground in Greater Noida for their World T20 preparations. Afghanistan take on Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. “There is lot of craze in Afghanistan. The people love this game (cricket). Back home they are very excited. They are following us very closely. It is the No.1 game in the country. We appreciate and thank the BCCI for providing us with a home ground in Greater Noida, they have not only helped us have better infrastructure but they have proved the friendship,” Stanikzai said. Asked if they think they can upset Sri Lanka, he said: “Last time we were very near to beating them in the World Cup in 2015. But (Mahela) Jayawardene, (Kumar) Sangakkara batted well and took the game away from us. But they are not there now, so we have good chance. Sri Lanka is the defending (champions), so we have good players who can change the game. We are looking forward to beating some big names.” - IANS

innings studded with 11 sixes and ﬁve fours. Marlon Samuels (37) took the early lead of smashing the England bowling while Gayle took his time to settle down and the pair added 55 for the second wicket to lay down the foundation for a West Indies victory. Period of worry It was the sparse crowd at the stadium overlooking the Arabian Sea who were at risk once Gayle decided to open his arms and swat away everything that was in his zone over the boundary. Both England spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali were at the receiving end of Gayle’s blitzkreig with the latter suffering the igno-

miny of being hit for three consecutive sixes in an over in which he gave away 22 runs. Denesh Ramdin and Dwayne Bravo threw away their wickets in a brief period of worry for West Indies but England captain Eoin Morgan and his teammates could do little to stop the 36-year-old Gayle take apart their bowling. Earlier, a measured 48 from Joe Root helped England to 182 for six after West Indies won the toss and opted to bowl on a greentinged wicket. Root, who hit three fours and two sixes in his 36-ball knock, and Alex Hales (28) added 55 for the second wicket for England. Opener Jason Ray (15) and Hales broke the shackles in the third over as they added 18 runs against fast bowler Jerome Taylor after West Indies, the 2012 champions, restricted them to five runs in the first two overs. Jos Buttler (30) and Morgan (27 not out) provided the late flourish with the 2010 champions taking another 18 runs in their last over off paceman Bravo. All-rounder Andre Russell, who dismissed both Roy and Root, and Bravo picked up two wickets each for West Indies. - Reuters

POWER AND MYSTERY

Vaughan tips West Indies to win World Twenty20 trophy DUBAI: Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has tipped the West Indies to win the World T20 cricket tournament, despite hosts India being regarded as the favourites. Vaughan’s prediction came ahead of Wednesday’s match between West Indies and England in Mumbai. “The team that doesn’t get mentioned that much is the West Indies,” said Vaughan. “But if you look at their squad, eight of them are regular IPL players; they’ve got a huge amount of power all the way down and bit of mystery about them as well.” The West Indies, who dazzled the cricket world in 2012 to win the

T20 World Cup, also qualiﬁed for the semiﬁnals in 2009 and 2014. The England skipper says the number of T20 stars in the West Indies line-up makes them a dangerous side to play against. “They’ve got a good leg-spinner in Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn as left arm, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Jason Holder, then you’ve got the Gayle force (Chris Gayle) at the top of the order and Marlon Samuels as well,” he said. “They’ve got some real quality in that team and they look to me that on any given day they could have a run and they’ve won it before.” The West Indies have been lan-

ENGLAND J. Roy c Badree b Russell 15 A. Hales b Benn 28 J. Root c Taylor b Russell 48 J. Buttler c Brathwaite b Bravo 30 E. Morgan (not out) 27 B. Stokes lbw Bravo 15 M. Ali run out 7 Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-10) 12 Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 182 Did not bat: C. Jordan, A. Rashid, D. Willey, R. Topley Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-92, 3-114, 4-152, 5-175, 6-182. Bowling: J. Taylor 3-0-30-0 (w-3); S. Badree 4-0-34-0 (w-1); A. Russell 4-0-36-2 (w-1); D. Bravo 4-0-41-2 (w-1); S. Benn 3-0-231; C. Brathwaite 2-0-16-0.

guishing at the bottom of the Test table in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) rankings. However, they are entering the T20 World Cup as the number two team in the ICC rankings after a brief stint as number one, earlier this year. “They seem to get life when they play T20, it’s like their bread and butter at the minute. The Tests are going in a different fashion and they are having all sorts of fallouts with the administrators but as soon as they play T20, they have a bit of life,” Vaughan pointed out. “If it’s not India (favourites and hosts), then I’ve got a funny feeling the West Indies might do it.” - IANS

WEST INDIES J. Charles c Ali b Willey 0 C. Gayle (not out) 100 M. Samuels c Willey b Rashid 37 D. Ramdin c Rashid b Ali 12 D. Bravo c Hales b Topley 2 A. Russell (not out) 16 Extras (lb-4, w-10, nb-2) 16 Total (4 wkts, 18.1 overs) 183 To bat: Darren Sammy, Carlos Brathwaite, Samuel Badree, Jerome Taylor, Sulieman Benn Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-57, 3-103, 4-113. Bowling: David Willey 3-0-33-1 (w-2); Reece Topley 2.1-0-22-1 (w-2); Chris Jordan 4-0-24-0 (w-4); Ben Stokes 3-0-42-0 (nb-2, w-2); Adil Rashid 2-0-20-1; Moeen Ali 4-0-38-1.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

SPORTS ACT 1

Oman Air open Extreme Sailing Series with stunning show MUSCAT: Racing at Muttrah, Morgan Larson’s new look crew on Oman Air hit their straps in the first few minutes of the opening race and swept to a fine victory. After just a few day’s training in the new GC32, the team looked to have formed a strong and exciting bond which underpinned a second victory in the next race plus two further wins to post an emphatic score line of four wins in six races. The breeze freshened to 16 knots before fading prompting Race Director Phil Lawrence to cancel the coastal race to Almouj which according to Larson, made for ‘some tight, challenging and fun’ racing in front of the crowds in Muttrah where Oman Air bowman Nasser Al Mashari lives. “It was fantastic to sail in a new location here in Muscat, in front of the city,” Larson said. “It was a great call by the race director as the conditions were great – it was tight, challenging and fun. “Going into today, we weren’t that confident but everything came together. We need to build on

Oman Sail’s GC32 Oman Air opened their 2016 Extreme Sailing Series season with a stunning display of foiling putting them at the top of the leaderboard on the inaugural day

GREAT START: Oman Air in action during the Act 1 of the Extreme Sailing Series on Wednesday. – Supplied photo

where we’re at now. It’s a long season so for us, we need to just take the right steps without cutting any corners, and even if in the short term we don’t get it right, we need to for the long term.”

By the close of day one, Oman Air had established a seven-point lead over second placed SAP Extreme Sailing Team with LandRover BAR, the new British team, mentored by former skipper of

2015 champions The Wave, Muscat Leigh McMillan taking third place with two outright wins. For Al Mashari, scoring so many successes on home waters, in front of a crowd that included his broth-

Faisal, Hamed shine at Ras Al Khaimah Rally

er, made the day a special one. “We are very happy and proud with what we achieved today and hopefully if we carry on like this and push a bit harder, we might be able to win in Muscat,” he said.

“It was our best day in the boat since we started training in Dubai. Everything went well today, but there is still a lot more we can do. “It was fantastic to be racing right in front of Muttrah and especially good to win the ﬁrst race and the last one. It made me feel very proud.” The ﬂeet moves to the stadium race track off the Almouj Golf Course on Thursday with up to 20 more races still to come over the next three days.

GOLF

CONFIDENT: Ali Hameed

Ali Hameed eyes hat-trick at Oman Senior Open COMMENDABLE SHOW: Oman’s Faisal Al Rashdi in action in the Ras Al Khaimah Rally. – Supplied photo

Faisal Al Rashdi and Hamed Al Qasimi not only won the second and third places respectively in Group B category of the Ras Al Khaimah Rally, but they also ﬁnished fourth and ﬁfth overall

MUSCAT: Oman rallyists Faisal Al Rashdi and Hamed Al Qasimi won the second and third places respectively in the Group N competition of the Ras Al Khaimah Rally during the last weekend. According to information received here, the event, which is the

THIRD IN GROUP N: Oman’s Hamed Al Qasimi drivers during the Ras Al Khaimah Rally. – Supplied photo

third round of the UAE National Rally Championship, saw Faisal Al Rashdi and co-pilot Waleed Al Rashdi clinch the second place while Hamed Al Qasimi and codriver Mohammed Al Mazroui settled for the third place. Interestingly, Fasail and Waleed also ﬁnished fourth in the fourth overall standings while Hamed and Mohamed were ﬁfth overall. The event was won by Sheikh

Abdullah Al Qasimi in Ford Fiesta S2000 ahead of Rashid Al Kitbi in Ford S2000 and Sheikh Mohamed Al Qasmi in Subaru N12, the latter two ﬁnishing second and third respectively. Faisal Al Rashidi completed the rally in total time of one hour, nine minutes and 44 seconds while Hamed Al Qasimi clocked 1:13:03 despite some drawbacks in the second stage, when both drivers

were jolted by punctures. Hamed lost more than seven minutes and Faisal lost five minutes. However, the duo recovered well the remaining stages to finish second and third in their group. With some family members and rally enthusiasts from back home, including Oman Automobile Association official Younis Al Balushi and rally driver Khalid Soomar, travelling to Ras Al Khaimah, the Omani teams had a memorable outing. A delighted Faial Al Rasidi said: “We are happy to finish the rally in the second place in our group. Thanks to the organisers for all their effort and support to the Omani drivers.” “We are looking forward for the fourth round in October in Sharjah. Hopefully we will get better support from the sponsors and the government organisations.” Hamed Al Qasimi, meanwhile, added: “Frankly that we need a lot of support from everyone in Oman as we represent the Sultanate in this championship. We spent a lot of money from our own pockets and it is difficult to understand why we don’t get any support from the government or private sector.”

MUSCAT: As the prestigious Oman Senior Open Golf Championship approaches, Ali Hameed is hoping to make it three titles in a row when the competition tees off at the Ghala Golf Club on Saturday. “Indeed, I see a hat-trick coming, especially considering how much I have improved my game,” a confident Ali said. But at the same time, the veteran golfer is realistic enough to keep his fingers crossed, saying, “but then this is golf, anything can happen.” Ali’s two consecutive wins makes him the obvious top contender for the trophy. He emerged champion back in 2014 with a gross score of 77 and then earned 82 in 2015 to take the trophy for the second time. He feels the competition is getting better with every year. “There are some good players out there and I am sure it will not be a walk in the park, and winning tournaments in this year was not so easy for me,” he said. “So yes, there will be some tough challenges ahead but that’s the fun part of the game. I am confident about my capabilities. It’s good for me that I am fit and fine when the tournament is approaching,” added Ali. Ali is all praise for the tournament which is organised by the Oman Golf Committee (OGC) and supported by Bank Muscat and Omanline Institute. Ali said: “With this tourna-

ment, the OGC gives veteran golfers in Oman a scope to showcase their talent. I am happy that I will be participating as the defending champion. I am excited and can’t wait for the action to begin.” Ali is a regular in the golf circuit even after his retirement from the National Golf team. He said: “Playing for the national team is a matter of pride but then you have to give space to the juniors. But I am playing almost every day even after my retirement. “I have just returned from Thailand where I have enhanced and elevated my game, but I believe that there is always room for improvement. I would love to make it a third, I wish all participants good luck and may the best young man win!” Like Ali Hameed, Sachin Bawa is also on the verge of a hat-trick of his own having ﬁnished runner-up on the last two occasions. Last year, he produced a gross score of 83, narrowly missing the title by a single stroke to Ali to settle for the men’s gross category runner-up prize, while in 2014 he had ﬁnished runner-up with a gross score of 80. The OGC is done with the registration process for the tournament. The registration includes a T-shirt, sleeve of balls, a pass for the presentation ceremony, dinner entry and prizes for the players. One free practice round for the registered players will be provided before the tournament begins.

SECTION

LIFESTYLE

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

Culture WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

DREAM W E AV E R Story Asmaa Al Balushi

he experiences of our lives often teach us who we are and what is the real purpose of our existence. They may change our thinking, our goals, and sometimes even the way we perceive life. Muneera bint Salim Al Busaidi, a young girl in her 20s and a graduate in business administration, is an inspiration for many, for her virtue of giving and sharing. Making the less fortunate feel happy, lessening their pain and grief, Muneera puts forward a strong statement for the section which is more or less marginalised in our society — the juveniles. Muneera herself had faced many challenges in life and have been through many pressures and psycho-

logical crisis at crucial points in her life. She recently lost her brother, whom she was closest to. Starting her career as a PR executive, she moved on to join the Ministry of Social Development as overseer at the Juvenile Home for Females. She felt she could be of immense help in understanding the inmates and their fears, pressures and insecurities in a personal level. “It was quite a challenge being an overseer. Unlike most of the other jobs, I had to deal with human beings, who were not mature, and could not decide the good and bad for them. I took my time, and gradually developed an intimate bond with the children, as they began accepting me. Soon I was their elder sister,” said Muneera.

The group of overseers in the juvenile home organises several programmes for the juveniles including cultural activities, information technology courses, and teaching them school subjects. But Muneera had bigger plans for the children, and she always wondered how to keep them engaged during their free time. “I did not want them to sit idle. It is the emptiness that brings back the horrors. I wanted to somehow ensure that they are happily engaged in doing something productive,” Muneera added. It was then when she came across an artiste who was skilled in making frames, paintings, and other handicrafts. Having an inclination for handicrafts, especially the Omani accessories, right from her childhood days she

herself took a training in accessory making and jewellery designing. And that’s when she got the idea of taking this art to the juvenile home. She organised workshops on jewellery designing to teach the inmates. “I was surprised to ﬁnd their inclination towards learning the art. Through the workshop we discovered such talent and creativity among them that one could not have imagined at all,” she said. It was not just for the women, even male juveniles attended the workshop and involving in these activities help them relieve their stress and other psychological problems. “I feel pure joy and contentment whenever I am among them,” said Muneera. Having worked with the juveniles and their problems it has been a

personal growth for Muneera. “Earlier I used to be very impatient. But spending time here has taught me the virtue of being patient and take responsibility. It is not just a job for me. Rather it is a unique experience of my life that has transformed me entirely, making me more social and teaching me to love, and be loved by sharing and caring”. Muneera plans to harness the vocation and establish it as a full ﬂedged business, creating proper opportunities for the inmates, in near future. “Juveniles are part of us, and we should not forget that every individual is essential to build a healthy and self-sufficient society. Let’s give them another chance. They deserve it by all means,” she concluded. —asmaa@timesofoman.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

PRAYER TIMINGS

FIND-IT-ALL @RUWI

@MGM

@SALALAH

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI Kung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (Animation) PG Cast: Jack Black, Bryan Dustin Hoffman 3:30, 5:30 & 7:30PM The Wave (Action | Drama | Thriller) PG12 Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen 7:00PM & 9:45PM The Witch (Horror | Mystery) 15+ Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson 11:45PM Solace (Crime | Drama | Mystery) 12+ Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Xander Berkeley 3:00PM, 9:30PM & 11:30PM Eye in the sky (Drama| Thriller | War) PG12 Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman 5:30PM The Divergent Series: Allegiant (Action| Adcenture| Sci-Fi) PG12 7:30PM Triple 9 (Action | Crime | Drama) 15+ Cast: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor 3:15, 9:15 & 11:30PM London Has Fallen (Action| Crime) PG12 5:00PM MUSCAT GRAND MALL Kung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (PG) Animation Voice Overs: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman 12:45, 5:30, 7:30 PM Gold Class – 6:45 PM Kapoor and Sons – 2D (PG12) Hindi | Drama Cast: Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Kapoor, Fawad Khan 9:00 PM Solace – 2D (12+) Crime | Drama | Mystery Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Colin Farrell 9:30, 11:30 PM Gold Class – 3:30,8:45, 11:00 PM The Dressmaker – 2D (15+) Drama Cast: Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth 4:30 PM Zootropolis – 3D (PG12) Animation | 12:15, 2:15 PM The Divergent Series: Allegiant – 2D

Kung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (PG) Animation Voice Overs: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman 12:45, 5:30, 7:30 PM Gold Class – 6:45 PM

Kapoor & Sons (Hindi | Drama) (PG 12) Cast : Fawad Khan, Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt 2.30, 5.30, 8.30, 11.30 PM

(PG12) Action| Adcenture| Sci-Fi 3:00 PM Triple 9 – 2D (15+) Action | Crime | Drama 6:45, 11:45 PM

The Wave – 2D (Action | Drama ) (PG12) Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen, Ane Dahl Torp 11:30AM, 3:30, 9:45PM

3:00 ,5:00 ,9:30 ,11:30 PM Solace (2D) (Crime, Drama)(12+)-VIP LOUNGE 5:15 ,9:15 ,11:15 PM Kapoor and Sons (2D) (Drama)(PG12) Cast : Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Fawad Khan 9:00 PM Eye in The Sky (2D) (Drama, Thriller)(PG12) Cast : Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman 2:45 ,11:45 PM

PANORAMA MALL London has Fallen(2D) (Action) (PG12) 2:30 ,5:00 ,7:30 ,10:30 PM Triple 9 (2D) (Action, Crime)(15+) Cast : Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor 9:15 ,11:30 PM Triple9 (2D) (Action, Crime)(15+) -VIP LOUNGE 3:00 PM The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2D) (Action, Adventure)(PG12) Cast : Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz 3:15 ,7:00 PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (Action)(MX4D)(PG) Cast : Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman 4:30 ,6:30 ,8:30 PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (Animation)(PG) Voice Overs : Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman 5:30 ,7:00 PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (Animation, Action) (PG)-VIP LOUNGE 7:15 PM Solace (2D) (Crime, Drama)(12+) Cast : Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Xander Berkeley

SOHAR London Has Fallen – 2D (Action) (PG12) 3:30PM Solace – 2D (Crime | Drama | Mystery) (12+) Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Xander Berkeley 2:30, 9:45, 11:45PM The Wave – 2D (Action | Drama ) (PG12) Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen 5:00, 9:15PM Kung Fu Panda 3 – 2D (Animation) (PG) Voice Overs: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman 4:45PM Kung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (Animation) (PG) 2:45, 6:45PM Emilie– 2D (Thriller) (12+) Cast: Sarah Bolger, Carly Adams, Carl Bailey 5:00, 11:45PM Eye in the Sky -2D (Drama| Thriller ) (PG12) Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman 7:15, 11:30PM Kapoor and Sons– 2D (Hindi) (PG12) 9:00PM Pugazh – 2D (Action| Thriller) (PG) Cast: Jai, Surabhi Laxmi, RJ Balaji 7:15PM Maheshinte Prathikaaram– 2D (Comedy) (PG12) 8:45PM

Pugazh (2D) (Tamil) (Action ) (PG) Cast: Jai, Surabhi Laxmi, RJ Balaji 7:00, 9:00 PM RUWI Screen 1 Kapoor & Sons (Drama / Family) –PG12 Cast :Sidharth Malhotra, Rishi Kapoor 2.30, 5.30, 8.30, 11.30 PM Screen 2 Kung Fu Panda 3 (2D) (Animation) –PG Voice overs: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman 3.15, 5.15, 7.15 PM Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2D)– Mal(Comedy / Family) –PG12 Cast:Fahadh Faasil, Anusree 9.15 PM Jai Gangajal (Action) –PG12 Cast :Priyanka Chopra, Prakash Jha 11.45 PM Screen 3 Neerja (Action / Biography) –PG12 Cast : Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi 3.30, 9.15, 11.45 PM Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2D)– Mal(Comedy / Family) –PG12 Cast :Fahadh Faasil, Anusree, Soubin 7.00 PM

AZAIBA Triple 9 (2D) (Action |Crime) (15+) 4:50, 9:30, 11:30 PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (Animation) (PG) Voice Overs: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston 3:00, 5:00, 7:00 PM The Divergent Series-Allegiant (2D) (Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi) (PG12) Cast: Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz 2:45, 11:45 PM Jai Gangaajal (2D) (Hindi) (Action) (PG12) 3:30 PM Kapoor and Sons (2D) (Hindi) (PG12) Cast: Alia Bhattm Siddhart Malhotra 2:30, 5:05, 7:40, 10:15, 11:30 PM Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2D) (Mal) (Drama | Comedy) (PG12) Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir 6:50, 9:15 PM

SUR The Wave (Action | PG12) Cast : Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen 2:45, 9:45 PM Triple 9 ( Action |Crime | Drama ) (15+) Cast: Casy Affleck, Kate Winslet 6:10 PM Eye in the Sky ( Drama ) (PG12) Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman 4:15, 11:45 PM Maheshinte Parthikaaram (Mal) (PG12) Cast: Fahad Faasil, Soubin Shahir 8:15 PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (3D) ( Animation | Action | Sequel ) (PG) Voice Overs: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston 2:30, 4:45, 6:30 PM Emeli ( Thriller ) ( 12+) Cast : Sarah Bolger, Carly Adams, Carl Bailey 8:15 PM Kapoor And Sons ( Drama ) ( PG12) Cast : Alia Bhatt, Siddharth Malhotra 10:30 PM

BURAIMI The Witch (Horror | Mystery) (15+) Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) Destination

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

16:30 18:00 19:30

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 06:30 08:00 13:00 13:00 16.00 16.00

07:00 07:00 13:30 13:00 13:00 13:00 17:00

Sohar Buraimi Buraimi Sohar Buraimi Sohar Buraimi

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

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) Sinaw

Nizwa Yanqul

20:50

Daily

Nizwa Al Araqi

29 25

07:00

Ruwi

10:25

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

06:00 06:00

Nizwa Ruwi

Daily Daily

Fahud Yibal

12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

08:40 11:00

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

Daily Daily

20:00 20:30 23:30 07:40

15:40 15:40

Nizwa Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

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

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

Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 07:00 07:00

16:00 16.00 16.00

Fujairah Sharjah Dubai

11.45 13.30 14.00

SUBHADEVI March 17, 2000

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

LISTINGS

Daily Daily Daily

Sharjah Fujairah Ruwi

16:30 18.15 23.00

Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence 24569603 Directorate General of Customs 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries 24510228 Public Relations Admin 24560099 EMBASSIES IN OMAN

Daily Daily Daily Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

07:00

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 06:00 06:00 13:00 13:00 15:00 15:00

Ruwi Ruwi

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

06:00 14:30

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100) Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

SHALINI PUNITHAN March 17, 2006

80-45%

Daily Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

10:30 11:15

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100) 07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

Maheshinte Prathikaram (Mal) (Comedy) Cast: Fahad Faasil & Anusree 3:00, 6:30 & 10:00 PM Cinema Main Pugazh (Tamil) (Com\ Drama) Cast: Jai, Surabhi & R. J. Balaji 9:30 PM Cinema-2 From Friday: 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30 PM Cinema -2 Action Hero Biju (Mal) (Act\ comedy) Cast: Nivin Pauly & Anu Emmanuel 3:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema -3 Puthiya Niyamam (Mal) (Thriller) Cast: Mammotty & Nayantara 3:45 PM Cinema-4\ 6:45 PM Cinema-3 Kapoor & Sons (Hindi) (Drama\Rom) 6:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema -4 Kadhalum Kadhandhu Pogul (Tamill) (Comedy) (Only Thursday) Cast: Vijay Sethupathi & Madonna Sebastion 3:30 & 6:30 PM Cinema -2 Next Change: Rocky Handsome (Hindi ) Vettah ( Mal)

Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62) 06:30 06:30

Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) Sur Sur

STAR CINEMA

Minimum

ROYAL OMAN POLICE 07:30 14:30

The Wave (Action / Drama / Thriller) Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen 4.00, 8.00, & 11.55 PM CP No: 371 (PG12) Frankenstein (Horror / Thriller) Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel. 2.00, 6.00, & 10.00 PM CP No: 372 (18+) The Witch (Horror / Mystery) Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie 1.00, 10.00, & 11.55 PM CP No: 373 (15+) Kapoor & Sons (Hindi / Comedy / Drama) Cast: Fawad Khan, Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt 3.00 & 7.30 PM CP No: 374 (PG12)` London Has Fallen (Action / Crime / Thriller) Cast: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart 5.30 PM CP No: 351 (PG12)

PREM MEHUL UDESHI March 17, 2014

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54) 08:00 08:00

08:55 Daily 11:40 Daily 20:20 Daily via Ibri 14:55 Daily 17:40 Daily 19:20 Daily 22:15 Daily

Film information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855 Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54) 14:30 14:30

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

SALALAH Kung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (PG) (Animation) 11:05AM, 3:00, 4:45PM The Wave (2D) (PG12) (Action | Thriller) Cast: Kristopher Jonner, Thomas Bo Larsen 11:30AM, 3:30, 9:45PM Frankenstein (2D) (18+) (Horror | Thriller) Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel 5:30PM London Has Fallen (2D) (PG12) (Action) 1:30PM Triple 9 (2D) (15+) (Action | Crime | Drama) 1:15, 5:30, 11:30PM The Witch (2D) (15+) (Horror | Mystery) Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson 10:05PM Solace (2D) (12+) (Crime | Drama | Mystery) Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Xander Berkeley 11:15AM,3:30, 6:50, 11:45PM Eye in the Sky (2D) (TBC) (Drama) Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul 1:00, 11:55PM Kapoor and Sons (2D) (PG12) (Drama) Cast: Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Fawad Khan 8:45PM Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2D) (PG12) (Mal) (Comedy / Drama) Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir 7:45PM Pugazh (2D) (PG12) (Action| Thriller) 7:15PM

BAHJA CINEMA

WEATHER

15:00 15:00 15:00

Quriyat Sur Jaalan

5.45,11.45PM The Wave (Action | Drama ( PG-12) Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen 3.45, 9.30PM Maheshinte Prathikaaram(Mal) (Comedy) ( PG12 ) Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir 7.30PM Kung Fu Panda 3 (Action|) (PG) Voice Overs: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston 3.15, 5.00, 7.00PM Triple 9 (Action | Crime | Drama) (15+) 5.15, 11.30PM Kapoor & Sons (Hindi | Drama) (PG 12) Cast : Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Fawad Khan. 9.00PM Frankenstein (Horror | Thriller) 18+ Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel 3.30, 9.45PM Eye in the Sky (Dramar) PG12 Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman 7.30, 11.30 PM

WITH LOVE

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36)

17:30

12.20pm 3.45pm 6.22pm 7.32pm 4.59am

CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 3 YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CINEMA | BOX-OFFICE COUNTER OPENS 30-MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCREENING OF THE FIRST SHOW

CINEMA SCHEDULE

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

Afghanistan Algeria Bahrain Bangladesh Brazil Brunei China Cyprus Egypt France Germany India Indonesia Iran Iraq Italy Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya South Korea Kuwait

24698 791/4 24605 593 24 605 074/133 24 698 660 24640100 24 603533 24 696782 24 699815 24 600 982/411 24681 800 24835000 24684500 2469 1050 24 696 944/7 24603642 24693727 24 601 028 24692760/1/3 24 692418 24 697664 24 691490 24 699628

Lebanon Libya Malaysia Morocco Nepal Netherlands Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Senegal Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Switzerland Syria Tanzania Thailand Tunisia Turkey UAE United Kingdom United States Yemen

24 693208 24603466 24698329/643 24696152/3 24696177 24603706 24603439 24601312 24605335 24 691 153/2/4 24602894 24601705 24694139 24697977 24647300 24691101 24697841/2 24697875 24603267 24697904 24601 174 24 602684/5 24603486 24697050/1/2 24400000 24609000 24643400 24600815

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi Salalah Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya Muscat, A Seeb Market Muscat, Al Khuwair Muscat, Al Hail South Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

23291635

HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre 24485052 Atlas Hospital Ruwi 24811743/ Ghubra 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi 24563641 Azaiba 24499269 Sohar 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740 Ceregem National Raak 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217 Elixir Health Centre 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274 Lifeline Hospital Salalah 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital 24760100 24 Hrs Emergency 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128 MBD 24799077 Al Khuwair 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours) 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot 24704455 Air Arabia 24700828 Air France 24562153 Air India 24799801

Air New Zealand 24700732 Biman Bangladesh Airlines 24701128 British Airways 24568777 Cathay Pacific 24789818 Egypt Air 24794113 Emirates Air 24404400 Ethiopian Airlines 24660313 Gulf Air 80072424 Indian 24791914 Iran Air 24787423 Japan Airlines 24704455 Jazeera Airways 23294848 Jet Airways 24787248 Kenya Airways 24660300 KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737 Kuwait Airways 24701262 LOT Polish Airlines 24796387 Lufthansa 24796692 Malaysian Airlines 24560796 Middle East Airlines 24796680 Oman Air 24531111 Pakistan International Airlines 24792471 Qatar Airways 24771900 Qantas 24559941 Royal Jordanian 24796693 Saudi Arabian Airlines 24789485 Singapore Airlines 24791233 Shaheen Air 24816565 SriLankan Airlines 24784545 Swiss International Airlines 24796692 Thai Airways 24705934

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

LIFESTYLE

Considering Dynamics and the Forms of Chaos Artworks by internationally-acclaimed artists Maria Zerres and Angela Bulloch on display till May 31 at Sharjah Museum

wo of Europe’s most established female artists have opened an exhibition of their works at Sharjah Art Museum. Considering Dynamics and the Forms of Chaos features more than 25 works by British and Canadian artist Angela Bulloch, ranging from large scale installations and sculptures to mural paintings and sound pieces, and more than 60 paintings by German artist Maria Zerres. The exhibition was officially inaugurated yesterday by HH Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasemi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Corporation. The opening was attended by Sheikha Nawar bint Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, PR and Communications Officer at Sharjah Art Foundation, Manal Ataya, Director General of Sharjah Museums Department, Aisha Deemas, Director of Executive Affairs at Sharjah Museums Department, the artists Maria MUSIC

Muscat-based singer releases musical album

Peeyali Bhattacharya, a singer based in Muscat, has recently launched her ﬁrst musical album, Ebhabe Ki Phera Jaye. Peeyali is a gifted vocalist and has performed at various prestigious concerts in Oman, India, and Middle Eastern countries. She has hosted concerts to raise funds for The Cancer Association Oman and had the opportunity to sing with renowned singers from India. While the music for this album has been composed by Subrata Bhattacharya, a renowned tabla player who has taken Hindustani classical music all around the world, the lyrics are by Rajib Chakraborty. —lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Zerres and Angela Bulloch, Curators Amira Gad and Brigitte Schenk, and a number of distinguished guests. The exhibition stands out as being the ﬁrst time either Zerres or Bulloch has exhibited in the UAE on such a scale, giving art lovers in the UAE and beyond, the opportunity to appreciate a diverse range of pieces by two internationallyacclaimed artists. Sharjah Art Museum has merged a wide selection of their work into two parallel exhibitions framed under a single theme. The exhibition title refers to each artist’s representation of chaos and disorder through different art forms and styles. Manal Ataya, Director General of SMD said: “Sharjah Art Museum is constantly seeking to expand the boundaries of our understanding and appreciation of art. We believe this exhibition will have a signiﬁcant impact on all our audiences from art students to the general public.”

Considering Dynamics and the Forms of Chaos refers to each artist’s interpretation of the notions of entropy through their respective visual style and artistic mediums. Entropy is commonly understood as a measure of disorder. In contemporary art, since the late 1960s, it has emerged to refer to installations often associated with representations of order, disorder and information, and their uniformity.

Maria Zerres is a German artist based in New York and Germany who began her studies in art at the Pedagogical University of Cologne in 1981 and the following year moved to study at the Academy of Applied Arts in Vienna. She has featured in major solo presentations and exhibitions throughout the US and Europe, including the Venice Biennial. Her collection of more than 60 paintings at Sharjah Art Muse-

um is curated by Brigitte Schenk (Galerie Brigitte Schenk, Germany). The paintings display forms of disﬁguration and strategies of abstraction. In her works, ideas of entropy appear through chaotic brush strokes that result in a sense of uniformity. Angela Bulloch is a British/Canadian based in Berlin who works with sculpture, installation and sound. Educated at Goldsmiths’ College, London, she was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1997 and featured in the 1988 Damien Hirst-organised Freeze exhibition. Her selection of works at Considering Dynamics and the Forms of Chaos is curated by Amira Gad (Serpentine Galleries, UK). Bulloch’s artistic practice can be perceived through the lens of an idea of entropy that is related to its application in information theory. Her series of Pixel Boxes, for example, code information that is abstracted into a visual representation and then turned into a visually

aesthetic and harmonious installation. Ataya said: “We encourage visitors to look beyond the aesthetics of the pieces to examine the artists’ similar use of technique and references to speciﬁc genres such as minimalism, conceptual, and abstract art.” Alongside the exhibition will be a series of workshops starting from March 10 and running throughout the duration of the show. The workshops ‘Express Yourself ’ forms part of the museum’s accessibility programme. It includes a tour of the exhibition followed by a workshop where participants are asked to express their feelings in response to Maria Zerres’ paintings. Prior booking is required. A catalogue published by Sternberg Press and the Sharjah Art Museum will be released alongside the exhibition. For more information sharjahmuseums.ae —lifestyle@timesofoman.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

LIFESTYLE

CRAFTSMEN HAPPY TO CONTINUE THE LEGACY Omani craftsmen have an uncanny knack in making products using different parts of the palm tree, including Al Khaws (palm leaves), the Zawr (palm branches stripped of their leaves), the palm trunk, and the ďŹ bre. Some of the popular products are Al Surood and Al Makba (used to protect food from insects), and experienced craftsmen say they are happy to continue the legacy. Photos: Talib alib Al Wahaibi

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

RENT

VACANCY

RENT RUWI SPACIOUS -2 B H K FLATS & 1 B H K CBD: SHOWROOM & OFFICE-Mezz.ямВoor

Contact: 24 70 30 60

CARGO

T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiﬁeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE FOR RENT

OFFICES FOR RENT AT AZAIBA Prime location on service road (previously occupied by A'Saffa Foods) near Al Turky and Mazda showroom.

*Tourist visa arranged

- 2 BHK flat available directly from the owner, at Azaiba.

Contact: 99229263, 93221054, 95215289

Luxury flat for rent

OFFICE SPACES

in Bareeq Al Shatti building Spacious 2 BHK with sea view, split A/Cs, fixed wardrobes, kitchen appliance. Near Opera Gallery. Rent RO.900/- negotiable. Contact - 94084335 / 96920789

FOR RENT 230 SQ. Mtr each Ready to move in two offices for rent near Man Truck Showroom, Ghala Contact -

99269841 / 92429917 1 Bed room, sharing K& T, R.O 100, 2 bedrooms , sharing K& T R.O 200/- in AL Khuwair. #95154331 Flat for rent 2 BHK 2 split A/C, 2 toilets, Wadi Kabir near Kuwaiti Masjid. #97007934 / 92609232 3 Rooms, 2 Toilets Flat for Rent. 18 November Street. Near Mars Hypermarket and The Chedi. Ghobrah -Good for Commercial or Residential use. OMR 295/- month. Call 94477222 Conditioned room with toilets in Al Khuwair. #92620858 /92605500 Villa for rent in Al Hail South, consist of 3 bed rooms for family only. Contact: 99546777 2B/R with 3 toilets directly from owner, near Dolphin Complex Bausher. Contact 92158031 We have staff accommodation in Bousher 30 to 40 people can stay. Contact 93782735 / 99208033 We have 7BHK commercial villa in Al Khuwair 33 for rent. Lift also Available. Contact 93782735 / 99208033

2 BHK fully furnished flat at Ruwi MBD area. Contact – 93211557 / 24814853 Flat in Al Khuwair opp grand mall 4 room 3 toilet + hall kitchen in 3 floor 400. Contact 99420346 4 bedroom new villa Al Mawaleh 2 km to city center mall luxury high end fit outs, split A/C, full kitchen fitting all room with private toilet. Contact: 99349990 2 bed rooms flat with Hall, 2bathrooms in Darsait, near Muscat Municipality. Contact: 24700120 / 92584715 1000 sq mtrs industrial land in Ghala suitable for warehouse workshop etc. Contact :24700120 / 92584715

We have 1BHK / 2BHK ﬂats for rent in Mabela7. #93782735 / 99208033

For rent 1BHK at Al-Hamriya, B-2397, Way-5935 near Muscat Pharmacy. Contact: 9922478 / 99332297

We have 2BHK ﬂats for rent in Ghubra, Ghala, Azaiba. Contact: 93782735 / 99208033

Single bed room ﬂat behind German Embassy near to Al-Nahdha Hospital. Contact: 99203954

We have 5BHK villa in Qurum near Mars Hypermarket for rent. Contact: 93782735 / 99208033

2 studio ﬂat for rent in Al Amerat, opp. ROP police station rent 150/- and 130/- each. Contact: 99350946

We have office for rent in Ghubra 150 sqm. prime location main road. Contact: 93782735 / 99208033 Flats for rent in Ghubra at good location. 93782735 / 99208033 2 BHK ﬂat in Azaiba, near Sultan Centre, 2 rooms, sitting hall, kitchen & 3 bathrooms. Contact: 93782735 / 99208033

2 BR, 2 bath, a kitchen, a yard , with AC, separate enterance, AlKhuwair near ibis hotel. PDC. RO 250 .. Call 97056443 Commercial/ residential ﬂat for rent in a new building. A warehouse also available, location Muttrah. For more details contact – 99364735 / 95729711

Readymade office space for rent (240sm) in Bank Melli Iran Building, MBD area, Ruwi, opposite Center point. Contact: 99011352

2 Bedrooms, kitchen, toilet, car park R.O 200/- & 1 bedroom, kitchen, toilet R.O 130 in Al Khuwair. Contact: 95154331

Furnished 2BHK near Indian School Wadikabir from 1st May RO 250 with sale of household items total RO700. Contact:92622506

2 BHK ﬂats /office & shops valuable in a new building at Honda road .Contact: 91165807

Room Al khuwair 120 R.O Contact: 97799175 Studio type in Qurum. Contact: 92230462 -98273470 2 BHK in Wadikabir RO250. Contact: 97799175/92144045

2 BHK Flat in Wataya. #99792181 Flats in Al Khuwair, Al Ghobrah, Al Hail & Seeb. Contact: 92125648 / 95250300 / 24182000 Villa in Seeb near the beach and Dreams Resort. Contact: 92125648 / 95250300 Flats in Wadi Kabeer, MBD, Darsait, Hamriya & Sidab. Contact: 92125648 / 95250300/ 24182000 Villa in Al Khuwair. Contact: 92125648 / 95250300 Flat for rent in South AlGhubrah 3 rooms, hall and 3 toilets, kitchen rent 450/-. Contact: 99335580 Flats, shops and basement in MBD area and Honda road. Contact: 92433127/96291778/ 92589235/97293708 1 & 2 BHK Flat in Al.Khuwair. Contact - 99792181 2 BHK flat in Ghobrah. Contact - 99792181 2 BHK flat in Ruwi. Contact - 99792181 Office Space Available in Al Khuwair & CBD.Contact – 99792181 Double bed room flat CBD area. Contact: 97608564

2 & 3 BHK Flat in Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181 Staff Accommodation for Rent in Al hail. Contact 99792181

2 BHK in Ghobrah RO310. Contact: 97799175/92144045 1.2BHK in Darsait .Contact: 97799175/92144045

3000 Sqr mtrs Store in Misfah. Contact 99792181

Flats 2 bedroom Majlis, 2 toilet, kitchen balcony near Indian school Darsait new building rent R.O 275/-Contact: 99243059

Industrial land in misfah for near Hal service & Al Awazi.950sq.M with 3rooms,5 bathrooms, boundary wall with 2 sides road facing &large parking in front.full or part area. Contact99364007/99454425

Two bedrooms ﬂat in Al Ghobrah near Oman Oil of 18 November Street. OMR 330 Monthly. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955.

2 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished @ Al Khuwair 33 1 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished @ Al Khuwair 5 B/R Fully Furnished villa @ Madinat Al Ilam 5 B/R Fully Furnished villa @ Madinat Al Ilam. For Daily, Weekly, monthly or Yearly contract. Please Contact: Atlas Real Estate & Rent a Car LLC 99249069 / 994617563/92888376 / 24834888E mail: info@alshahiintl. com Open land + workshop + labour camp in Ghala & Rusayl. Contact – 99792181 Flat, 1 bedroom, kitchen, toilet in AL Khuwair family bachelors R.O 150/-. Contact: 95154331

4 BHK villa in Qurum. Contact: 97799175/92144045 2 BR ﬂats with 2Baths Kitchen Al Amerat Aster Hospital . Contact: 99366142 Flats in Darsait. 94051789 - 97201688 02 BHK residential ﬂat opposite to Al Nahdha hospital. Contact: 99342733 /99795241 2BHK split A/C 200/- Monthly & 1BHK spilt A/C 150/- monthly new building good location Barka Market. Contact: 99342661 Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35). 94051789-97201688

WAREHOUSE AVAILABLE

FOR RENT IN BALADIA SANAYAH AMIRAT (Floor area 600sqmtrs and mezzanine of 500sqmtrs) 1100sqmts fully cover warehouse & staﬀ accommodations Please contact: G.S.M

99417229/92621039 Flats in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 94051789-97201688 Four bedroom two floors luxurious and spacious residential villa in Al Hail North, near to the sea and Oman oil. Each room has its own bathroom. It has splits A/C’s and shaded car park. OMR 750 monthly. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955 New flats for rent at Al Ghobrah near to atlas hospital the flats includes 2 living room , 1hall , kitchen , toilets , air conditioned room & high Quality finishing rent per flat is R.O 375/-. Interested candidates please Contact: 00968- 97093283 Warehouse at Wadikabir - total area 3500 sqm - covered warehouse (500sqm), office, accommodation (1000sqm), open area (2000sqm) please contact: 99273774 - 99202278 1BHK Flat with spilt A/C near star cinema 210/-. Contact: 99358589/95570288 /97079146 Full furniture room for rent for family monthly 200/- . Contact: 99251975 Flat with two rooms with window A/C, with toilets & car parking way No: 1670 north Al Hail near Dosteen restaurant 1KM Inside. Contact: 99238334 3BHK in Qurum P.D.O high 350/Monthly. Contact: 99342661 Flats in Muttrah. Contact: 94051789-97201688 Offices in Ghala. Contact: 9405178997201688 Commercial flats of 3 & 2 BHK in Al Ghobra North 18 Nov street RO.650/& 450/- Contact 91776665

T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

FOR RENT

FOR SALE

FOR RENT

Store space in Al Wattayah.

One good ﬂat of 2 BHK for res/comm purpose in Al-Khuwair plaza building, situated on the main road of Al-Khuwair.

Contact: 99 44 60 12

Contact 99382489 / 99263443 220 M2 SHOWROOM

FOR SALE @ Sanaya/ Hospital Road- Sohar PLEASE CONTACT: Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah. 94051789-97201688 Duplex villa in Qurum 29. 94051789-97201688 Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud.94051789-97201688 Brand new villas in Al Ansab. 94051789-97201688 For rent and investment Land industrial shops in Rusayl. Contact: 99323957 / 95490842 Flats in Qurum. Contact 94051789-97201688 1B/R apartment executive fully furnished at AL Khuwair 33 & 5 B/R villa unfurnished at Madinat Al Ilam & 5 B/R villa furnished at Madinat Al Ilam. Contact: Atlas Real Estate & rent a car LLC -24834888/ 99249069/92888376/94617563 Email: info@alshahiintl.com Luxury villa of 5 BHK in Al Khuwair 33 RO.650/- Contact – 91776665 Brand new villas in Al Ansab. Contact - 94051789-97201688 Flats in WadiKabir. Contact - 94051789-97201688 600 M2 showroom or office in Bousher in front of Dolphin complex. RO.3.5 per m2. Contact 91776665

00968 - 9898 9532/ 2471 4325 info@paramountmuscat.com An excellent grade license with various activities and ten clearances (4 General Cooks, 4 waiters, 2 waitresses) is for sale. Serious buyers send Email: mohdhinai.mgp@gmail.com Well running 30 yrs old irrigation and agricultural showroom in Al Ghubra with materials. Contact: 99310450 Zanzibari coffee shop for rent or sale in Barka Souq road, at Prime location. Contact: 99814411 400 sq mtrs Commercial/Residential land in Mabela Phase 5 Block 2. OMR 165 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955 A well running pharmacy for sale at prime location. Contact- 99627621, 93240949 Well established coffee shop / restaurant prime location at AL Khoud. Contact: 92188777/98700760 Space for printing press available at wadikabir with or without machinery. Contact 99328430 Shop for sale near Oman House, Muttrah. Contact 99024362.

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished two rooms both attached bath with common kitchen in a new building with compound in front & back side for single bachelor or both rooms for a family, Aint, Darsait.#99008069 1 BHK apartment for rent in Al Khoud Shabiya near Mazoon Mosque for rent. Contact : 93913224 Single room near Al Falaj Hotel. Contact 99643845 Room with attached bathroom for a family in Wadi Kabir. Contact 97167857 Room with kitchen available at Ruwi. Contact 91214897 / 98049288 Spacious villa Al Ansab main road, 8 rooms, 8 toilets & bathrooms, kitchen store. Contact:96354553 Furnished office for rent No. 503 at Business Center – Al Khuwair. Contact: 24488833

Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud. Contact 9405178997201688

Almost new beach/ garden lounge chairs /bar stools/ counter. Photos can be sent 95865457

Furnished bedroom with attached bath and kitchen separate entrance for bachelor for RO 150 per month all inclusive in a villa, opp. Star Cinema.#99314807

Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) Contact- 9405178997201688

Luxury Apartments in Bousher (35). 95056808-97201688

Room with toilet for working lady. Contact: 91450718

Villas in Al Khoud. 9505680897201688

Furnished room attached bath for Indian bachelor, Al-Falaj Ruwi & lady Wadi Kabir near Mars hypermarket. Contact: 96202458/96761960

Brand new 4 BHK villa in Al Fai compound Al Khoud. RO.475/Contact – 91776665 Villa of 3 BHK and sitting area in Al Ghobra North. RO.525/Contact – 91776665 Luxury and brand new semi furnished 2 BHK ﬂat in Remalbowsher. RO.550/- Contact – 91776665 Mini Furnished Apartment in Qurum. Contact 9405178997201688 Spacious 1 BHK ﬂat in Al Wattaya with all split A/C’s and parking. RO.300/-Contact – 91776665 Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah. Contact - 9405178997201688 Flats in Darsait. Contact 94051789-97201688 Offices in Qurum opposite City Center. Contact 9405178997201688 Duplex villa in Qurum 29. Contact - 94051789- 97201688

Steel Scrap materials for immediate sale: contact 99273774/ 99202278 Urgent sale of steel scrap only serious buyers kindly contact +968 96725423 for viewing the items. Single colorful Bed and Sofa for Sale at Al Khuwair. Contact 92881849 /What`s up No 97290565 HD Scaffoldings, Shuttering Jacks, Wooden Planks, Shuttering wood assorted, Tower hoist (lift), Concrete Mixer, Bending Machine, Steel Fabrication Machinery (Searing/Cutting, lathe & Welding) including tools for immediate sale: Contact 99273774/ 99202278

ACC. AVAILABLE Fully furnished 1BHK at Wadikabir near Al Hassan RO275/ month available for 4 months from 01/04/2016 to 31/07/16. Contact: 92577929

Furnish bedroom with attach bathroom for executive bachelor. Contact: 97704794 Room with attached bathroom and sharing kitchen available for Executive bachelor or small family at wadikabir Contact 93049849 Room available in Mumtaz area 1 room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1 room, common bathroom. Interested please #92680041 Mr. Altaf Room for rent with furniture. Al Bustan village. #93687466

ACC.WANTED Required single room for an executive lady (non cooking) in Darsait, Ruwi, Wadi Kabir. Contact - 98591132 Accommodation required with food for 1 month, bachelor for March month. Preferably Al Ghobrah area. Contact: 99335742

OFFICE SPACES

FOR RENT 230 SQ. Mtr each Ready to move in two offices for rent near Man Truck Showroom, Ghala Contact -

MATRIMONIAL

99269841 / 92429917

Indian male Roman Catholic 40yrs divorcee working in Muscat. Seeks suitable alliance from widow/ divorcee/ single. Contact: 96059801.

BUYING

AVAILABLE

Bobcat available for rent. Contact 97623299 Buying cars for cash. Contact: 90202090

MV SALE Toyota Yaris 2008 model, white, color, automatic transmission, expat driven km 140500. Call: 99104124 Toyota Rav 4 2012 RO 5500. Contact: 93835318 Nissan path ﬁnder model 2012 R.O 5500. Contact : 97692959 Nissan Qashqai 2013 low mileage 30.000kms comprehensive insurance UAE Oman valid till 2016 . Contact: 96995430

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

FOR HIRE Grader, roller, bobcat, JCB 3CX, JCB 4CX with breaker & water tanker for rent. Contact:93218705 / 24478450

MANPOWER

Pickup for sale, model 2013, diesel engine 4x4. contact 94194399

CHANGE OF NAME We, Modha HetanKumar Jayantilal (name of father as per the passport, holder of Indian Passport No. J9865189) and Modha Anishaben HetanKumar (name of Mother as per the passport holder of Indian Passport No. J9863575) having permanent address in 2 VrijBhuvan Soc, Opp. Airport Nr. VasuBhai Teachers House Porbandar – 360577 Gujarat (complete postal address in India) and presently residing at the following address in Muscat P.B. No. 491, PC No. 112, Sultanate of Oman, hereby solemnly afﬁrm and declare to change the name of our child Miss Modha Aryashi Hetan (name as per present passport), holder of Indian Passport No. J9864146 date of issue 26.08.2011 issued at Ahmedabad. The name of our child will be henceforth known as Modha Aryashi HetanKumar (new name) for all purposes. Any objection towards change of name of our minor child may please be communicated to Embassy of India, Muscat, Diplomatic Quarters, Al Khuwair, P. Box No. 1727, Postal Code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman. This is to inform anybody who concerns about that Maraaya Al Ghail Trad. Limit. Part. company which is registered under the commercial registeration number 1136411 with Directorate General for Trade & Industry is changing its name to Maraaya Al Ghail LLC for all purposes.

MATRIMONIAL Christian RC boy 30/160 cm fair, working as an Accountant in a company Muscat, suitable proposals solicited. Contact: 98788464 Ezhava girl 25yrs B. Tech working in MNC Shudajathakam from Palakkad looking suitable alliance Contact 99323085 / 99001726. A Graduate Syrian Christian Pentecostal boy, 27, working in Oman as Store-in-Charge seeks proposals from parents of suitable girl, preferably those working in Oman. Contact 92411983 40 Years male divorced, working in Muscat seeks suitable proposals, Indian. Contact - 91346321 Malankara Catholic Male Nurse (28) from Thiruvalla working in Nizwa Private Co. Alliance invites parents/nurses working in Oman. Contact: 968 98267338, 0091 9287215726

DRIVING

WANTED IELTS Coaching (academic) required nearby wadi Kabir area. Please call on mobile or msg on Whats up. Mobile no: 92927880/ 99012165

URGENTLY REQUIRED New/ Used Tower Cranes Contact +968 92695608

NRI 2 Acres of land for sale in Tamil Nadu, Tirunevelli District, Kondanagarm, near Suthamalli, 7 km from Tirunelveli town, off Cheranmahadevi Road. Contact:0091 7358518439 / 92324126 Urgent sale semi furnished 2BHK Kanakia properties opposite Cinemax Mira Road Mumbai contact 99009686

Email – constpurchase16@gmail.com

Flats villas land for sale in Pune Contact: 95272138/918139098275

T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiﬁeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

SITUATION WANTED

REQUIRED PROJECT MANAGER For an Infra/ Bldg project in Duqm/Oman Graduate Engineer with 20+ years experience preferably in Oman/ GCC with valid D/L and transferable visa, computer literate. Send CV to Email :

omanproject2011@gmail.com

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

REQUIRED

A famous Italian brand is seeking for female applications for the position of “Counter Sales” which will be located in one of Muscat’s most popular malls. Qualification required: Fluent English speaking, Arabic speaking is preferred, good communication skills, basic knowledge with computers. Experience required: Minimum of 1 years of professional experience in sales Candidates are requested to send their CVs on recruit

Full time

nomination.sales@gmail.com ADMIN

ENGINEER/MECHANIC.

Urgently required Omani receptionist for a trading company in Muscat. Kindly send CV to email: infooman@orchidinternational.ae

Required urgently experienced Civil Engineers having 2-3 years on building construction jobs. Contact: 99472795

Required urgently a Legal Consultant/ Lawyer for reputed law ﬁrm in Sohar, Muscat. Candidates should have 5-7 years experience as a Legal Consultant/ Lawyer with good knowledge of Computer & should be ﬂuent in English both written & spoken. Email C V to shejaanil66@gmail. com or Contact 99153620 between 8am to 1pm & 2pm to 5.30 pm on Sunday to Thursday

Required Site Inspector (PRO) having Omani D/L. Contact – 24291500 Email: hr16.careers@gmail.com

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Required Accounts Officer- ensure accurate processing of revenue data into ERP systems and invoicing module. Posting of invoices to customer SAP portal and delivery to customer offices and interface with country manager/ reporting to regional CEO. Qualiﬁcations: BSc accounting. Relevant experience & knowledge on online accounting systems especially the customer SAP system. Submit CV to: me-job@interwell.com

A construction company requires Civil Engineer (degree holder) is having minimum 7 yrs exp who can independently handle the site. Oman experience will be plus point. Apply with bio data to fax no: 24489096 or email: tec_oman@hotmail.com. Contact: 99339661 Urgently required QA/QC Engineer minimum exp 5yrs including Gulf in fabrication tanks, vessels. Certiﬁcate- CSWIP, NDT-L-2, ISO Certiﬁcate – int. audit. Contact:92746349. Email: mydeen@ mudest.com Required Hydraulic Mechanical. Contact - 95251213 Civil Engineer with minimum 5/8 years experience with valid Oman driving license. Contact Interested candidates send CV to: Email: omanhari@yahoo.com Gsm: 95892831/95197615

Housemaid For a reputed Omani household. Age group between 30 to 35 years only.

Please call 99342737 between 9 am to 6 pm only.

SALES / MARKETING Urgently required Sales Executives (2 nos.) & Graphic Designer for signage / print media with minimum 1 to 2 yrs experience. Send CV at Email : info.kkllc@gmail.com, 91275555 Require Salesman with D/L. E mail: mailcv7@gmail.com Required Sales staff 2 NOS Having experience in Cosmetics Sales. Send your updated CV to james_kunju@yahoo.com GSM 92683688 Urgently Required Steel Fabricated Products Salesman with an experience in steel fabrication, MUST have Oman driving license, and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com An Omani construction company located at Muscat looking for Marketing executive with GCC driving license & NOC send C.V to kwk585@gmail.com Required Sales Executive knowledge of building materials.Full or part time. Contact: 99421513

SKILLED LABOUR Accountant with gulf experience in construction ﬁeld preferred with Oman driving license. Interested candidates send CV to: Email: omanhari@yahoo.com Gsm: 95892831/95197615

CATERING

MISCELLANEOUS Required candidates for following posts: Accountant, Storekeeper, Foreman Building Maintenance, Van-salesman (water), Helpers. Candidates with Omani driving license preferred. Contact 99273774/99202278

Required Cook 5 yrs exp in Oman for family. Send CV fax: 24703854 or abuakram_omer69@hotmail. com. Contact: 90140203

MEDICAL

DOMESTIC HELP

Wanted a Nurse for dental clinic Seeb. Contact: 99722457 / 95706223

Urgently required an Filipino Housemaid, interested people can forward your bio-data to careerhr1972@gmail.com

Urgently required female Gynecologist for a clinic at Samail. Send CV: saemomar@gmail.com, 95498105

Screen printer in Ruwi. Contact 92831131 / 97752162

TECHNICIAN We, the storm shield in the talented candidates for the below positions (Indian only): Maintenance Technician (male -1) should have knowledge of new mobile devices & 3 years Oman experience Contact: 94441111 Send CV to email: gshield9@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Housemaid required for full-time for Indian family, Hindi/English speaking CBD area Ruwi. Contact: 96183093

Wanted Nurse for a dental centre in capital area. Interested may contact – 93431024 or send CV to – drasyanaseem@gmail.com

Indian male good experienced in Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in India & Oman, presently on visit visa, looking for suitable placement. Contact 94834687

Looking for a part-time cookcum-housemaid in Azaiba. Call 92450197.

Wanted Staff Nurse for a dermatology clinic in Muscat . Must have MOH license and NOC. Attractive salary offered. Email: clinicvacancy2015@gmail.com

Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/ ﬁnance ﬁeld. On visit visa. Immediately available. Contact 92836216 / muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com

Required female Nurse, with MOH license for private dental clinic in Bowshar area, Muscat. Contact: 92189807

28/male/MBA - ﬁnance/B.Com Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/ India experience looking for a suitable placement. # 90187483 shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com

DRIVER Looking for driver with motorbike licenses for resturant delivery , contact 95048797 Looking for motor cycle license holders for FMCG merchandising contact: 92312112 Required a expat driver with Omani D/L. Contact – 91409668 Part or full time Driver Required call us 91120552

EDUCATION/TRAINING The Egyptian school requires chemistry Teacher for IG, English, Science & mathematics. Teacher’s application should be submitted by hand or by email – egyptianschool98@gmail.com / 24603930

GP doctor needed for reputed clinic. Preferably with MOH license or with Dataﬂow & Paramatics pass Contact: 95388934 Required gynecologist GEN: practitioner lady lab Technician and pharmacologist immediately for a clinic in Suwaiq. contact 95081010 Email: umchealthcare@ gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING Urgently required a Marketing Executive with 2 years experience and driving license (GCC) for a reputed building material & electrical showroom in Al Khoud. Please send CV to – startradingmuscat@gmail.com. Contact - 94320909

Dynamic Indian Male Accountant with 9 Years Experience seeks suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 96902860 MBA Indian National 26 years old Having (06) years experience in FSM Industry Catering and Restaurant, As An Accountant and finalization of all accounts related works, Available to join immediately kindly contact on 98315449. Male Accountant M.Com Accounts & finance, 3 yrs exp in accounts looking for suitable job on visit visa. Contact: 95648575 Indian female MBA in financ currently on visit visa seeking suitable placement in Accounts / HR/Admin Contact: 92896110. E mail: anoopodiyan@gmail.com

DRIVER

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian male, M. Com with 3 yr Oman Exp in Accounts with valid oman D/L, on visit Visa, seeking suitable placement. GSM:94744575. Email:sidharth673@gmail.com

Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA Finance and marketing with IT skills, 7+ yrs of experience, Looking for suitable placement. Contact : 94879615,Emailsajan_chacko1981@yahoo.com

Indian CA ﬁnalist, 7 yrs exp having driving license with visa looking for ﬁnance / accounts position Email: rameesnm@gmail. com, 98097009

Chief Accountant 25 years experienced looking for part/full time accountant job. Contact: 95598477/98803439

B.Com Graduate, Indian male 24 yrs, 3 yrs exp in Oman looking for Accounting, Sales, suitable jobs. NOC Available. Contact:90615814. Mail : adhilrahman.a@gmail.com Fresher 24, ACCA Affiliate, Advanced diploma in Accounting and Business seeking suitable placement in Accounts, Finance or Audit with Oman driving license. Contact - 92430152 Email - raju.rd619@gmail.com Purchase/Planning & Logistics Manager MBA (Finance), 14yrs. Oman Exp. with D/L, NOC available, looking for suitable position. Contact: 93826090 jskanchan01@gmail.com ACCA member with 6 yrs of experience in Oman looking for a suitable job in finance. Contact 99284193 Indian female MBA in finance currently on family visa seeking suitable placement. Contact: 96471025 Female seeking suitable placement in reputed Company, 5 yrs experience in Oman. Skills : Tally, EKP9, Sage ACC, PAC, ITIL, MS Office. Contact 95483804, sararowshan344@gmail.com 4 yrs experience in Oman handling Accounts. NOC available, strong communications. Contact 95187454, rowshan.rafiul@gmail. com Indian male B.Com Graduate, 6 yrs exp in auditing, accounts and marketing 3 yrs exp in Oman with DL looking for suitable placement. Contact :96146287, mubarakamk@gmail.com Indian male, 32 yrs, B.Com having 8 yrs Accounts experience in Oman, looking for suitable placement (local release + Oman D/L available). Contact 97494322 / 98093515 Accountant Indian male 25 yrs BBA with Tally, having 3 years of exp. plus Hardware, Networking seeking for suitable placement: 98201244 Indian male 22 yrs B.Com with one year exp in accounting auditing with good working knowledge in tally erp-9 looking for a suitable placement now on visit visa Contact: 97189500 Indian male 25 years of age, Bachelor degree in B.Com, seeking suitable place in Oman, on visit visa. Contact – 91240544 / 98016928 Indian female MBA Accountant, 8 yrs exp in accounts seeking suitable placement. Contact: 96117303 Indian female Accountant 8yrs exp in Oman. Contact:93726921 Part time accountant, up to finalization of accounts looking for job after 5 PM (location prefers – MSQ – to AL Hail). Contact: 95694737 Jordanian, Senior accountant, 15 yrs experience in Oman finance & accountant. Contact: 92881223 Indian male 28 yrs MBA finance/ marketing and graduate in computer experience 3 yrs seeking suitable job, now family visit visa. Contact: 93195378 Email: faisalme.beg677@gmail.com SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with 13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in manufacturing, trading & contracting Cos, capable of handling all accounting, finance, banking, L/C, import, export & finalization seeks placement. NOC Available. Call+968-98932752, mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com Indian Male Accountant 10yrs Exp. in OMAN Retail & Furniture Co. (Release Available) #92564955 SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com Finance-Indian with 7 years experience in Finance & Accounts up to finalization. Currently employed in Oman. Having D/L & NOC. #94122464, Email: cammk13@gmail.com

Indian male 25 B.Com (graduate) 2 years experience as accountant in country club India with ERP oracle r12, tally knowledge. On visit visa immediately available. Email: shabi.hyd@gmail.com Contact- 9042-1161 Indian female 25 yrs, MBA HR & Marketing, with one and half years experience as accountant and 6 months experience in teaching, now on a visit visa, seeking suitable position. Contact: 99624044, mail: np.neethu1@gmail.com.

Bangladeshi male light driver looking for job 3 yrs. experience. Contact: 94077119

Light Driver looking for work in a family. Release ready. Contact 96693290

Experienced Indian Driver cum Travel Coordinator, 20 yrs in Oman looking for suitable job. Contact: 95113612 (NOC available).

Driver with car. Contact 95037759

Pakistani looking for job as driver 4 yrs exp light duty. Contact:97469730

Male 28 yrs looking for driver job part time / full time. Contact : 97224035 Driver job wanted. Contact: 96393082

Light driver looking for job Oman exp. Contact :95292621

ADMIN 8 years of intensive Oman experience in procurement & supply chain management looking for suitable placement.#97755488 10 yrs experienced Omani PRO looking for suitable position. Good knowledge in HR Admin ROP, all Ministries related affairs. Contact: 99588154 / 93387833 MBA professional with 5 yrs exp in the ﬁeld of HR , Administration, Sales (Business Development) and accounts, holding valid UAE driving license on visit visa until end of March. Contact: 91731542/ shanoj120@gmail.com

Light driver with car 3 months exp. Contact: 97118292 Light driver Indian 4yrs exp in Oman having own car looking for job, release available . Contact: 93053917

Seeking driver job. Contact : 93499058 Pakistani driver with Elantra 2016 model car seeks job: 95873286 Pakistani light driver looking job 9 yrs exp in Oman. Contact: 96048460 2 Years exp in driving, seeking any job .Contact: 97460056

24 yrs, lady expat looking for full time job with visa. Interested ﬁelds are admin, back office, front-office, reception. Contact: 96321431 or email: sharanya. nair08991@gmail.com

Seeking driver job with own car. Contact: 98031620

Indian female BS, 2 yrs exp looking for suitable position in HR & Administration. Contact – 94656009

Bangladeshi male light driver looking for job 3 exp. Contact: 93254149

Urgently required Document controller / material controller / HR job 15yrs exp. D/L available plz contact; 96777019/92386043 Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+ experience in Administration/HR, Customer Support, Office Coordinator with good Computer skill, Now on Visit Visa,looking for suitable position. Contact: 90196235 Indian male MBA 33yrs having 10 yrs of exp seeking full time suitable placement in Administration/ HR/ Operations/ Coordination/ Logistics. Holding valid D/L. Contact 99054786 Indian male MBA- UK 18 yrs Gulf exp in Administration/ HR & Public relationship. Fluent in Arabic/ English with D/L. Looking for suitable position. Contact - 99897280 Young Omani male have experience 12 years as P.R.O, CLERK Helper Supervisor Admin Supervisor, H.R Manager have diploma in H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license, looking for H.R position or P.R.O part time or full time. Contact: 95933288 Filipino male with 13 years HR and Administration managerial experience. MBA & CIPD holder. Currently looking for job in Oman. Interested employer Contact - 97728418.

Looking for job light duty driver 6 years experience NOC available. Contact: 92381696

Indian light driver cum house cleaner. Contact: 96255558 /99415443

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN AutoCAD Civil Draughtsman for road, having 5 yrs experience working on X- Sec, L-Sec & alignment, preparation of plan & proﬁle & cross sections, preparation of structural drawings, quantity estimation as per drawing. Contact 94034544, casper_c100@yahoo.com

Revit /Draughtsman experienced expected salary 200. Contact : 92279784 AutoCAD Draughtsman seeking job. Contact: 95516807 Indian Female, Bsc Fashion Designer with Oman driving Lisence, looking for any good job. Contact 98757582 Interior Designer Seeking suitable job. On visit visa in Oman. Contact - 92166130 Interior designer 3 years experience 1 year in Oman and 2 years in Egypt, experience in interior design, 3D max, AutoCAD, Photoshop. Contact - 94762876

EDUCATION/TRAINING Indian, 26 yrs , female , 5 yrs exp in HR/ Admin with valid Oman D/L seeking suitable placement. Contact: 98236033 Indian female, Masters in HR, having 4 + years Oman experience in media management and HR, looking for openings in HR, Education, Admin, Corporate communications. Contact 98252030

CATERING Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp looking job. Contact: 99531802

DOMESTIC HELP Housemaid (overseas) Indian family looking for job. contact 99531802

Female B. Ed English teacher, 7 yrs exp seeking suitable placement. Contact : 99739415 / 92091528 Female Indian, M.Sc, Maths Teaching experience College University ready to join immediately. Contact 99835738 Indian female MSC,B.ED, MPHIL, IELTS, currently on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 96916534

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Indian Mechanical Engineer with 28 years of industry experience in Sales & Marketing, Materials Management seeks suitable opening. Presently working with Indian conglomerate in Oman. Possess valid driving license and SUV. CONTACT:+968 95901425

DRIVER Pakistani male light vehicle driver looking for job. Contact: 99521033

Male Dip.Civil Engineer, having 20 yrs exp (building & road) looking for suitable job. Contact: 94720782

T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Pakistani Civil Foreman and PDO civil permit holder looking for job 94768993 B Tech Mech, certificate attested, exp in steel fabri. and autocad drafting , salary -250 OMR. Contact : 96108187 Indian male 23 Mechanical Engineer (B.E) residing in Oman looking for suitable job. Contact: 98530806 / 99362006 B.Sc Civil Engineer 27 yrs Oman exp as project manager, structural engineer looking for suitable placement. NOC/local transfer available. Contact: 99349578. Email:farooqatm@hotmail.com BE Mechanical Engineer 6 yrs exp, 1.5 yrs in Oman in piping and structure construction work. Release available. Contact: 96115463. Email: jijoraju085@yahoo.com Indian male 35yrs BE - Engg 15 yrs exp in UAE Site Manager looking for job. Email : vinoj_1979@yahoo.co.in Indian male, 29 yrs, B.Tech (EEE) with 5+ yrs of experience from reputed firms in the field of Electrical Site Execution & Project Coordination in HL, LT for various EPC Projects, now on visit, seeks suitable placement in related industries. Contact 92310762, email : write2man@gmail.com

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

For your BPR, guide finance & HR & RM, advise product marketing & CRM, appraise IT system for reporting & communication.

Indian male 30 years, having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India (MRF Tyres), holding valid Oman D/L.

Contact: Tel - 96500729 k.profitoman@gmail.com

Contact - 92789995

Contact-93361624, Email-

Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com

dheerachpadikkala@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Electrical Engineer, Indian male, 6 years industrial experience on visit-visa, seeking job- ready for any roles. Contact: 98750295 Email:bebala04@gmail.com Building Site Supervisor working in Oman since Mar 2010 with Oman D/L looking for suitable placement .contact:91507828 B.Tech electronics & Comm.Engg with CCNA certiﬁed with 2yrs exp. Contact-99490930. email; sujith8938@gmail.com An Iraqi civil with more than 30 years experience in (Iraq and G.C.C) looking for a job, (N.O.C) available. Contact: 96561306 Email: iq.bgd.mnsr@gmail.com Civil Engineer 11 yrs exp in construction ﬁeld having Oman driving license & NOC. Contact – 94194399 / shiblyrock@gmail.com Indian male 22, Chemical Engineer residing in Oman looking for suitable placement. Contact: 92379181

Male, NDT, QA/QC Supervision Mechanical 10 yrs experience seeks suitable placement. Contact 96954202, Email : nasirarain86@yahoo.com

Engineer has 10 years local & international experience in ready mix concrete also in Oil & Gas ﬁeld also in marketing & sales ﬁeld , has Omani driving license. #92534098

Civil Engineers exp 4 yrs of Pakistan in building work. Contact: 95135608

Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact:97416564, Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com

Diploma in Civil Engineering 13 yrs exp with valid Oman D/L, NOC available. Contact : 99612163 Sr. Electrical Engineer with17+ yrs of exceptional exp in spear heading strategic planning and project management initiatives & executing various high rise residential & commercial building as well as roads and highway project with proficiency in installation, seeking a challenging position in a dynamic organization. contact 96570891 Pakistani Civil Eng having 10 yrs exp in consulting and building field looking for suitable job in good running company with valid driving license. Contact: 97425973 Indian male,24 yrs, Electronics & Telecom, Graduate, Mumbai University (2015 batch) looking for entry level job in Engg.com having good knowledge at telecom, networking ,fiber optic, OraclellgSQL, PLSQL, now in Muscat on 3 months visit visa. Contact : 91868936 / 93101922. Email: siddiquiajmal42@gmail.com

Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp seeks suitable position ina reputed company. NOC available. #96789711 B.Tech Mechanical Engineer (Indian, 23yrs male) 1.5 yrs exp (IBM India &Pvt Ltd & Zeuzer Engineers (Pvt ltd) looking for suitable job. Currently on visit visa ready to join immediately #93354092/990249660. email:eapenbijoy92@gmail.com Pakistani male Diploma Civil Engineer 4yrs exp in Oman bulling & mega projects, valid license Oman. contact:98921022 Mechanical Engineer having Omani driving license and 2yrs exp seeks suitable placement. Email:malvindevachan@gmail. com, Contact: 97411523 Project Engineer B.Sc Civil, 7.5 yrs in Oman, need suitable placement, NOC release available. contact 91129192

Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) looking for job. Contact:90623220

Sudanese Electrical Engineer, granted with distinction, hardworking and can adapt to different work conditions. Contact: 98133281

Electrical Design Engineer (MEP) Indian male having 1.8 years of experience in India. Available on visit visa looking for suitable placements. Contact: 92658569, Email:mdraziuddin2@gmail.com

Electrical & Electronics Engineer with 3 years GCC exp in sales, GCC driving license. Seeking suitable placement. Contact - 90301410

Indian female Project Engineer 15 yrs experience Project Management quality data base management data analytics marketing business development having Omani driving licenses seeks suitable placement presently on family visa, having Omani experience. #95783792 Network Engineer CCNA-MCSA exp computer science with NOC. Contact : 92346191 Indian Civil Engineer in UAE seeking suitable placement in Muscat-Contact 00968 99142171 Project Engineer 14 yrs exp of project execution & operations, all kinds Mech/civil and interior decoration with license Contact: 93260559 Sudanese Civil Engineer 4 years experience –98093544 B.E Mechanical and diploma with 75%, age 28, 2yrs Hyundai Motor and 3yrs in water treatment. Contact - +91 9003612305. prabugn28@gmil.com Male 25 age M.B.A, HRM, BE Automobile 3.4yrs exp production engineering. # +91 9841873619/ vickey040890pt@gmail.com. Electrical Engineer with 18 years exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034 Email: shassalih66@gmail.com

Indian History graduate with diploma in Safety with valid Oman Driving licence seeks suitable placement.

EXPERT ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE

26 yrs Indian Male – B.Tech (IT) - 6 yrs exp -sales & admin -seeks suitable placement 91848460 / 98304080; Email: arun9895431989@gmail.com Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975518 Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience. Contact 91295802 acmfaslan123@gmail.com Structural Engineer, 8 yrs experienced in ﬂat slab, post tensioned & slab-beam multi story building design & supervision with driving license. Contact: 98256860 Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience HVAC design & site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD. Contact: 90150913 Email: mahmanmechengg@yahoo.im Indian female civil engineer B.Tech having 3 years experience sound knowledge of software, REVIT STAD PRO structural detailing currently on family visa seeks suitable placement contact 95345591 Civil Engineer (BE) having total 5 years experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available Contact 94450270

Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects. Contact – 90164912 Procurement Engineer (27 years single male with Oman Driving License) having 7 years experience (UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in MEP, Water, Electromechanical, Instrumentation seeking suitable placements. Contact 95852033, mail: hemal1988@gmail.com Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian male 24 years with 1+years Indian experience,(Certified in Staad Pro/ Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad). Looking for a Suitable position. Available In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat) on Visit Visa. Contact: 92835952. E-mail: mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in designing, assembling, commissioning execution etc having valid GCC license too looking for a suitable. Contact: 00968-98052942 Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com Civil Engineer 8 years experience Structural buildings marine. Available NOC release. Contact: 92451323. Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+Diploma Safety+NEBOSH+OSHA) over 10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release Letter (NOC) available), seeking suitable placement, Mob:97061817, Email:jayanammu1977@gmail.com Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years in Oman experience Valid Driving License seeks suitable placement Phone 97619722 Email – golamrob@yahoo.com Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman. Contact: 97667113 Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work, 21+ years experience with Driving license. Contact: 95267113 Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com 7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the field of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598 Omani HSE supervisor. Email: jeebal3000@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs experience in international Oil & Gas company looking for job Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email: mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs experienced as AutoCAD civil draftsman (2 yrs experience in Oman) currently in Oman seeks suitable. Contact 96789441 Email: simi5304@gmail.com Indian Electrical Engineer Btech, female 24 seeking job, presently in oman having 2 year experience in design and estimation of Ht &Lt projects. Contact 968 97436557, Mail id : sibinanoop1@gmail. com Sudanese Telecom Engineer, 5 years experience, 3 years in Oman PMP certificate. #93391008 Email: momen. awadallam@gmail.com Indian Male 23 years B.Tech Civil having 2 years experience in quantity survey and site management looking for suitable placement. Contact:95042656

HOSPITALITY Indian male Graduate hotel management 12 yrs exp operations & sales oriented GCC driving license and release available. #94525463 Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants Dynamic result oriented hospitality professional with 20 years of international exp. MBA in Hotel Management, specializing in Hotel/Restaurant start ups, concepts & Franchise development with proven records. Seeking for Challenging positions in reputed groups as GM/COO/CEO/Business Head. (NOC available) contact 96059470

IT Indian Male, IT System Engineer having 4 yrs of experience in system administration. CCNA,MCSE, Linux. Looking for suitable job.Contact :91272867 Indian female completed M.C.A seeking for suitable jobs. Contact: 91409481 / 97308719 ASP.NET WEB DEVELOPER , 3 YR EXP, PH : 97947921 INDIAN male, pursued bachelor’s of computer science having experience in desktop Engineer, looking for IT job, on visit visa, seeking suitable placement. Contact : 98784174 ,email : abdulmoyeed@outlook. com Indian female, 30 yrs, B.Tech & MBA(I.T), 6 yrs work exp in India & Oman exp in telecommunications, conﬁguration & installation of automated solution systems seeking for suitable placement. Contact : 92689823, jobymees2014@ gmail.com Indian female, B.Tech graduate, with one and half years experience as ‘web developer’ interested in web development and has experience working in HTML,CSS,Bootstrap, JavaScript and Photoshop. Contact: 9592 7075 e-mail id: mariarosejacob90@gmail.com MSC (IT) male 32 age 4 yrs networking system administrator. Seeking a suitable placement +918608247110. email:samad3301@gmail.com Indian female, B.Tech graduate, with one and half years experience as ‘web developer’ interested in web development and has experience working in HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript and Photoshop. Contact : 9592 7075, e-mail id: mariarosejacob90@gmail.com Omani 26(M) seeks placement, 6 yrs excellent experience networking hardware software. Contact: 95356166

MANAGER 35 yrs vast experience in Sales, Marketing, Advertisement & distribution at Senior position in Oman. NOC available. Contact 99868330 / 99848831, rwahedi458@gmail. com

MEDICAL Staff Nurse (female) with MOH license. Looking for opportunity in Muscat. NOC / release letter available. Contact - 99433415. Pharmacist have license and experience, looking for job in Sohar or Buraimi. Contact- 93878153 Indian Bsc Female Nurse with 6.5 years exp, 4 years in KSA. Passed Oman Pro Metric with 69%, completed data ﬂow. Presently in Muscat in visit visa looking for a suitable placement. Contact 94744900, 94742834, jincyalphonese@gmail.com Male GP Doctor with NOC 6 yrs experience in Oman for perm/locum job. Contact : 97746074 An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license looking for job. Contact 96436517 /97396088

MISCELLANEOUS 12 yrs exp with store incharge purchasing having valid Omani driving license. Contact: 99004638 Wanted job as an office boy or customer service. Contact: 94640906 Indian male 37 yrs X-Ray welder 7 yrs exp (ARC, TIG, ARGON, Welding) seeking suitable job. Contact: 91360190/98223683 B.Com Graduate with ﬁve and half yrs exp in Oman as a purchaser. NOC available. Valid driving license. Looking for suitable placement Contact: 96772166 Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement. Gsm 98805474 A lady entrepreneur with BF Tech 1st Class (Fashion Technology) since 2006 in Kerala like to make change for better. Specialized in designing, Production Management, Fashion Art, Grading, Surface ornamentation, Garment Construction. Email: prettyjinu08@gmail.com Mobile: +919539397097. Indian female on visit MBA (International Business- Marketing & Logistics), BE (Computers & Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/ BW with 1 year experience seeking for job Contact: 90228586 Email:fathimasha16@ gmail.com Bangladeshi male, University M.Com, Working as an Accountant & Administrator in Oman; searching better job. Phone: 94864966 Email: sunrisetoiqbal@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING 10 yrs exp in procurement, tenders, importing, marketing and sales, organizing events. Have car NOC available. Contact: 94123939 The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: tenders& real estate& construction & marketing projects& investments & transportation & Marine services& companies management& develop business. Contact: :- 92385033 General Manager MEP also manage civil, MBA, BE Electrical, 10 yrs exp in Oman valid D/L, release available. Contact – 92447102 Indian male, with experience in operations management, information security, purchase & stores mgmt, hold UAE driving license, on visit visa, seeks suitable job. #91904541 Email: naushers@yahoo.com Production Manager 9 years experience in Oman manufacture and development factories .GRB. GRC. GRG rubber molds and false ceilings, ﬁberglass and executive at site emadadly2000@yahoo. com96149081 The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: construction(Very strong and qualiﬁed to bringing business for civil work Or any type of the construction work for many million per year with a good experience in pricing and collect payment and cash management of the company & marketing projects & investments& tenders & real estate. Contact 92385033

Indian male 23 yeas BBM & Diploma in logistic. Looking for Indore/ Outdoor sales & marketing suitable placement, currently in one month visit visa. Contact: 93180270/ faizanmck@gmail.com Indian M/39 conﬁdent Keralite, Dubai Bank experience with Oman driving license & NOC seeks suitable placement in sales & marketing / coordinator. #94742666 Indian male, B.Com worked in Bahrain (4 years) and currently working in Oman from last 4 years in accounts and sales looking for suitable placement. Valid Oman license and NOC available. Contact number : 9954 8543. Indian male, B.Com with Valid GCC Driving License 5-year experience in Sales. Good Arabic/English Mob-96970027 Having more than 5 yrs exp in sales indoor & outdoor with driving license. Contact – 90126776 An experienced sales & marketing person having several years experience in GCC with valid D/L. Looking for a suitable position. Contact – 92124669 Sudanese B.Sc in business administration, exp 8yrs in sales, marketing & accounting. contact 96112453 Indian male with 6 yrs of GCC exp in sales and service & 1 year of exp in gym ﬁtness instructor. Seeking job presently in Muscat in family visit visa. Contact: 90694335/ 99438360 or email:sahildgreat99@yahoo.com

SALES / MARKETING 4 Years of experience in Sales with driving license. contact 90615235 MBA graduate having 6 years exp in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with PEPSI, India, having international driving license permit seeks suitable placement. #: 95308167, Email : samir.pag@gmail.com Indian Male 28 MBA Marketing with 4 years of experience in sales with good communication skills now available in Muscat on visit visa. GSM 95840153 / Mail akbarshareef786@gmail.com Indian sales marketing professional highly experienced in business development in ME India and Africa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 97897611 B.Com male 2 yrs experience in sales Computer knowledge, seeking suitable placement. Contact: 98371144 email: nabilnazar22@gmail.com Indian male, MBA Marketing having 2.5 years Sales experience immediately looking for a suitable position. Contact: 91415145, Email: shariqs88@gmail.com Male 38 yrs Graduate 07 years experience indoor / outdoor electronic ﬁeld with D/License & NOC available (as per new rule). Contact: 92453375

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Executive Secretary/ assistant Indian female 9 years experience in Oman, Diploma in Business management. Valid D/L. Contact: 96684705 Lady Secretary / Sales Co-coordinator 12 years experience in Oman in reputed companies, seek immediate Employment. Call: 95244761

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Mason, SH / carpenter, steel ﬁtter gulf & Indian exp looking job. Contact: 95175192

TOURS & TRAVEL Indian 26 yrs looking for fresh sales /coordinator /admin/logistics & travel air fare, air audit experience 8 yrs in India on visit visa looking for suitable post. Contact: 94894170 / 95618311 Filipinas lady having exp in ticketing and preservation, call center, secretarial and real estate is now looking for job please call.94054080 Five years in travel ﬁeld B.Com. IATA & pursuing MBA including experience in the travel desk of (ITC managed) ﬁve star hotel, looking for suitable position. Contact 9470 5767, 9465 2485, 9536 4479

MISCELLANEOUS B.Com Graduate with 4 year experience as an Accountant in Oman. Also have Oman Driving License. Best fluency in English, Arabic, Hindi & Malayalam, looking for Job. Currently in Oman. Cont: +968 93943448, murshid4u@gmail.com Indian Male,B.Com & Diploma Logistics & supply chain management 2years experience looking for job in Accounts/ logistics field. Presently on Visit Visa. Software knows MS office & Tally7.2 .MOBILE:93884951Email:mehreenraiz@gmail.com HSE Engineer: 3.8 years experience in Oil & Gas. NEBOSH,IOSH, & NDT Certified, M Tech in HSE,B Tech in Mechanical Engg. CONTACT-krish.569@gmail.com, Mobile- +91 9867016808 Looking for QHSE – Manager / Asst. Manager job, Indian Male – 39.Yrs, With 17.Yrs Experience & NOC, NEBOSH – UK, MR – ISO 9001, 14001 & 18001, HSE Trainings, Audits, Pls Contact – haree. krishnan9944@gmail.com Manager with 12 yrs of exp in sales & marketing & business development, MBA Graduate with valid driving license looking for a suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 98125226 MBA Indian male 2 years experience in firefighting & security systems sales & marketing. Seeking suitable job. Contact – 90634050

T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED EDUCATION/CLASSES/COMPUTER/WEBSITE

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED

MISCELLANEOUS

Diploma(Electrical Engineering) From Government polytechnic.Age 27years, 6 years Experiance in Maintenance, troubleshooting and managing and Technical in substation as a Electrical Engineer. Seek suitable placement. Contact GSM- 92995899,(a.abbas31@ gmail.com) INDIAN MALE, 26 years, BBA graduate, seeks suitable position in automotive spare parts, Have 3 year experience. Phone no:96026400, Bineeshpn@gmail.com Mechanical Engineering 6 years experience. Contact: 00968998907110091-9841867534 Email: sayed.fortuner88@gmail. con Bangladeshi male, University MA, Working as Store In-charge cum Logistic Manager in Muscat; searching better job. Phone: 91997605, email: mohamednazrulislam2@gmail.com 25 years, male B.Com and insurance Graduate with 6 year experience looking for an opening in accounts, ﬁnance or operations related only. Driving license and NOC available. Contact- lilommca@gmail.com and 95236312. Civil Draftsman seeking job. Contact-95516807

LOST Waris Ali Rahim Bakhsh has lost Pakistani passport No. KG 854522. Finder please handover to ROP

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED MISCELLANEOUS Admin Assistant, Having 5 years experience in admin department in reputed companies, presently working in Muscat (NOC Available). GSM. 00968-98404122, Email - panduru.jeevankumar@ gmail.com Master’s in Petroleum Geology looking for relevant job ready to join ASAP, valid drivers license. Email : mehdi.poorjahangiri@ gmail.com IT/Telecom Manager, BE, MBA 13+ Years of experience, Valid Driving License. Available immediately. Phone: +91205211, Email: ghulamqasimali@gmail.com

Any time available transportation solution for house office shifting, TV ﬁxing, carpenter all type of maintenance. Contact Indian person : 95194801 / 96594592 Whatsapp WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price. Contact: http//webviewoman

Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English class for Malayalam Speakers

Karate and self defense classes at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per month twice a week Monday and Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM. CONTACT 98294551

in Azaiba and Ruwi • Learn in two months • Satisfaction guaranteed

Tel: 95244310

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

Pest control & Building cleaning all kinds of pest control building. Cleaning tiles / Marble polishing monthly/ Yearly contracts available. Contact: 98814733 /98814740 Al Husn Cleaning L.L.C

SERVICES We Provide Cleaners, Oﬃce boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc. Al Mudakhir National Est. LLC Contact : 94277020 LEGAL SERVICE An Indian lawyer Provides all legal services in company matters. Labour issues, contracts, agreements, LLC formation, legal help for starting new business in Oman, Civil, criminal cases,.service issues. Ibrahim Al Massalhi.legal consultancy Sarafudheen, LLB, MBA, Legal Advisor Muscat. GSM: 97351649

Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089 / 95323517 GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 Water prooﬁng ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

House shifting & transporting. Contact 92490422

Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont Maintenance services electric, plumbing and A/C. Contact: 96524904 / 94285064

House shifting. Contact: 99708138

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS- 99320217 /24788722

Pest control treatments, Ocean center LLC . contact:99344723 MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807 A/C maintenance & servicing, fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, painting & cleaning services, electrical & plumbing. Contact: 99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281

Marble crystallization & grinding, cleaning & carpet shampooing. Ocean center LLC. Contact:99344723 Split A/C servicing R.O 10 only. Contact: 94217681 / 99210141

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

Building maintenance. Contact: 96173326

House shifting packing. Contact: 99657644 / 98518013

Villa cleaning, shifting, marble crystallization, tiles polishing, shampooing sofa & carpet. Modern Eastern Arms. 92145560 Sahal Al Wadi White Trad. Specialist in repairing of cold store, chiller, A/C & refrigerator. Contact – 94528546

Marble crystallization & grinding, Ocean center LLC . Contact:99344723 *Classiﬁed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

TOURS

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636 We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED ED ONE STOP SHOP BUSINESS SERVICES Public relation services (PRO), Formation new companies, LLC companies, investor visa, business setup, prepare business & companies accounts, legal services, representing you and your company.

Contact Saleh: 96723485

RENT A CAR

RENT A CAR Best Rates for Saloon Contact: 97869042 / 95730550 sales@modernreem.com

GOOD NEWS Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steambath, obesity, spondylitis. Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street, Azaiba. Contact: 99639695 / 97397320

Driver available with car. Contact: 96728056

TRANSPORTATION Transportation. Contact 91703829

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

Ruwi, Muttrah, Al Khuwair, Muscat, Qurum, seek transportation. Contact: 91132238

Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact:24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

Transportation. Contact 92015894

Transportation. Contact 99508282 /93113534 Transportation. Contact 99508282

Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba. Contact: 91103909

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

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP speciﬁcation for monthly rent & small car with driver. Contact 99839898

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DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED DINING DELIGHTS