Times of Oman - January 27, 2015

44 285

6 085010 120010 SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY LAUNCH THE VIDEO

DIGEST VIDEO Top stories in one minute with our new daily Digest

TUESDAY, January 27, 2015 / 6 Rabia II 1436 AH

timesofoman.com

wtimesofoman.com

facebook.com/timesofoman

Ban on expats sharing home gets tougher

twitter.com/timesofoman

AUSTRALIA, INDIA

HM sends greetings MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of greetings to Peter Cosgrove, Governor General of Australia, on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty expressed his sincere greetings along with his best wishes of good health and happiness to Cosgrove and the friendly Australian people further growth and prosperity. >A6

Video bulletins boost WhatsNews service

EVICTION THREAT: New rules put villas off-limits to all but skilled expat workers. – Supplied picture

Muscat Municipality’s new rules on renting property in the capital set out restrictions for the expatriates at all levels

FAHAD AL GHADANI

fahadnews@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Expat workers sharing accommodation to save money face eviction under new rules implemented to crack down on unskilled and semi-skilled workers, male or female, from living in family areas.

There are no official figures to estimate how many people could be affected by the ruling from Muscat Municipality but it puts villas off-limits to all but skilled expat workers such as doctors, engineers or highly skilled professionals.

And under the new rules, issued in Circular 2/2015 last week by the Chairman of Muscat Municipality, such skilled expats can share a villa but they must be limited to one person per room in the

property. The circular goes on to state that students, professionals and technicians can rent flats in multistorey apartments, but not in villas. A maximum of two people per room are to be allowed in an apartment flat for them.

At any level — skilled, semi or unskilled — single professionals of mixed sex cannot live in the same property, apartment or villa, said an official with the municipality. The municipality will police the new regulations simply by refusing to approve contracts when they come up for renewal.

“No rental contract will be approved unless people follow these procedures. So the residents will have no other option but to vacate their houses if their rental agreement is not approved,” the official warned.

Another aspect of the regula-

DIPPING OIL PRICES

tions bans expats from using their homes — whether apartment or villa — for business purposes.

“This is being planned as many expatriates use one property for residential and commercial use at the same time,” an official of Muscat Municipality said.

Unskilled people are workers with low education levels while semi-skilled workers do not hold a diploma but they do have some certificates to show their skills.

“And a skilled worker is any worker who has special skills and has completed college,” the official of Muscat Municipality said.

The new regulations are obscure when it comes to the case of semi-skilled workers who earn over the OMR600 per month threshold to bring their families, whether they would be allowed to rent a villa or not.

Residents, however, said that it is getting increasingly difficult to afford the steep rents in the city, and attributed this as the reason why many families are resorting to shared villas. “Rents have been increasing significantly and that is one of the reasons the semi skilled expatriate workers go for sharing in the villas,” argued a Bangladeshi expatriate. >A3 TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

Oman asks firms Oman centre records to review cost of Iranian earthquakes oil production 1 A series of small earthquakes struck the southern Iranian region on Monday, an official from the SQU Earthquake Monitoring Centre said. The epicentre of the first quake was 28km north of Bandar Abbas, 133km north of Khasab. >A2

A. E. JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman government has asked all crude oil producers to review the viability of their operations in view of plunging oil prices, but the country’s projected average production this year will remain intact at 980,000 barrels per day (bpd), a top-level official at the Ministry of Oil and Gas told journalists here on Monday.

Oman crude declined by more than 55 per cent last year to touch $45.56 per barrel on Monday.

“We are in touch with all operators and service providers asking them to review their cost and activities to ensure that everything is still economical, even at a low oil price,” Salim Nasser Al Aufi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Oil and Gas told journalists on the sidelines of SPE Middle East Unconventional Resources Conference and Exhibition.

However, Al Aufi added that there is no plan to cut down (funds) for developing oil projects, which will be “the corner stone for tomorrow.”

“We are asking them to thoroughly review their budget and anything that is not generating oil to be discussed seriously first at the company level and then with the Ministry of Oil and Gas to de-

OMAN

Fervour marks India’s Republic Day events

2 Undersecretary, Ministry of Oil and Gas Salim Nasser Al Aufi

termine whether it is a must-todo activity or not.”

Al Aufi said the country’s crude oil production is expected to average around 980,000bpd, which was the earlier projection. The Sultanate’s average crude oil production last year was 944,500bpd, a marginal growth of 0.3 per cent over the previous year.

“There is no plan to cut oil production.” Natural gas production this year is estimated at 120 million cubic metres per day, which is 10 million cubic metres higher than that of last year. >A6 See also >A3

Hundreds of Indian expatriates gathered in the Indian Embassy premises in Muscat on Monday morning to celebrate India’s 66th Republic Day. J.S. Mukul, Indian ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, unfurled the Indian national flag. >A6

REGION

Kurds drive out IS militia from Kobane

3

Kurdish militia have driven Islamic State group militants from the Syrian border town of Kobane after months of heavy fighting, dealing a crucial blow to them. Across the border in Iraq, a top army officer announced troops had ‘liberated’ Diyala from IS. >A7

Find out why thousands of people have already downloaded our free WhatsNews app, especially now as there is an added reason to connect with us — video news.

As part of our service, available at no cost on Apple, Android or BlackBerry, we are now broadcasting our video bulletins Daily Digest and Business Digest to bring you up to speed on the morning’s top stories from Sunday to Thursday. >A3

blog.timesofoman.com

ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

U P D AT E O N AC H I E V E M E N T S

Majlis to discuss media scenario with minister FAHAD AL MUKRASHI

fahad@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman’s media landscape will be at the heart of discussions as the Majlis Al Shura hosts the Minister of Information, Dr Abdul Munim Al Hasani, on Wednesday and Thursday.

Hamodda Al Harsoosi, the head of the media committee at Majlis Al Shura, told Times of Oman, that Al Hasani plans to give an update on the Omani media as well as focus on the electronic media.

He will also make a statement in the Majlis Al Shura on the achievements of the ministry.

Al Harsoosi added that the draft of the publication and publishing law which was amended by the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Legal Affairs has been with the Council of Ministers for years.

Majlis is waiting to review and amend the draft to keep pace with the requirements of the current

Minister of Information Dr Abdul Munim Al Hasani.

era, he explained. Moreover, Al Harsoosi pointed out, the state owned-media should be focussing more on the concerns of nationals, rather than the achievements of the country. Diagnosing the weakness of the Omani media, he said it was reluctant to discuss the controversial issues raised by nationals in the social media that need to be answered by the authorities. >A6

816 die on roads in 2014

A5

TUE S DAY, JANUA RY 27, 2 015

OMAN

Minor quakes rock south Iran Another qquake in neighbouring g g lands The major temblor

YESTERDAY QUAKE Magnitude: 4.8

(Oman time) and the

A R A B I A N

E

Fault boundary

Earthquake zone Source: United States Geological Survey

of Bandar Abbas, some 133km north of Khasab, Oman, at a depth of 39.5km. “The second occurred at 1:45am with a magnitude of 3.5, the third at 1:59am with a magnitude of 2.8, the fourth one was at 6:52am with a magnitude of 3.1 and the fifth one was at 10:18am with a magnitude of 2.8,” the official added.

“Even though, the earthquakes were reported at our centre, we

Muscat Om Oma man

P L A T E

P L AT E

Earth arthq rthquake felt in Oman last May

AT P L

MUSCAT: A series of small earthquakes struck the southern Iranian region during the early hours of Monday around 10am, an official from the SQU Earthquake Monitoring Centre said.

“The relatively major temblor was the one at around 12:11am (Oman time) and the magnitude recorded on the Richter scale was 4.8. There were four more small earthquakes reported after that.

The latest one was at 10:18am and the magnitude was 2.8,” the official added. The epicentre of the first earthquake was 28km north

Qeshm

N C A A F R I

REJIMON K reji@timesofoman.com

E U R A S I A N P L A T E Pakistan P Pa Pak aki ak k staan an

Bandar Abbas

around 12:11am

was 4.8 Richter

IIran an n km 28

was the one at

magnitude recorded

Earrthquakes occurred laastt month

I N D I A N

A2

Graphics

have not received any reports on whether it was felt in Oman or not,” the official added.

According to the website of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), no fewer than four major tectonic plates (Arabia, Eurasia, India, and Africa) and one smaller tectonic block (Anatolia) are responsible for seismicity and tectonics in the Middle East and surrounding region.

NAT I O NA L E C O N O M Y

Banking sector robust: CBO MUSCAT: Oman’s banking sector possesses the flexibility and diversity, which enables it to successfully handle the changing macroeconomic indicators that include the current slump in oil prices, Hamoud bin Sangour Al Zedjali, Executive President of the Central Bank of Oman (CBO), has affirmed.

Besides, bad debts to total credit ratio is too low in accordance

with the international standards.

Al Zedjali said that banks operating in the Sultanate have excellent level of liquidity required for funding the economically feasible domestic projects. Total gross loans of commercial banks were 75 percent at the end of July last year as compared with the 87.5 percent required by the CBO. He added that the Omani banking sector continues to move

ahead in performing its economic role amid monitoring by the CBO and the closing accounts of commercial banks indicate a healthy growth in line with growing domestic demand backed by expansionary fiscal policy.

The CBO Executive President pointed out that the banking sector is subject to high-level monitoring and regulation in line with international standards. – ONA

T UE SDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015 SCAN THIS TO DOWNLOAD OUR FREE WHATSNEWS APP

Stay ahead of the curve with WhatsNews

A3

OMAN

Oman can withstand oil price slide: Expert

C U LT U R A L R E L AT I O N S

Haitham invited to Algeria MUSCAT: His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture, received an invitation to attend the opening ceremony of ‘Constantine, Capital of Arab Culture in 2015’ to be held in Algeria. The invitation was handed over by Azzedine Mihoubi, President of the Arabic Language Higher Council (CSLA), ambassador of the Algerian Culture to the Arab Countries on Monday.– ONA

Living with cheaper oil Oman can withstand the huge dip in

Real GDP growth % (2014 and 2015) 2014

7.4

Fiscal breakeven prices (2015) 2015

$57 per barrel projected for 2015

China

6.8

oil prices, say top economists. In its economic outlook, IMF has said that oil export losses in 2015 are expected to reach

4.4

3.7 2.4 0.9 0.6

Emerging countries GCC

US

Euro zone

in the GCC region

REJIMON K reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman and the other GCC countries can withstand the huge dip in oil prices, say economists who are backed up by new research by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“The Oman government’s prudent estimates in the past will help to withstand the present market volatility due to the dip in oil prices.

The cautious steps taken in the past budgets have guaranteed enough resources and the steps adopted for the diversification of the economy will help to withstand the oil price dip crisis,” said Fabio Scacciavillani, chief economist at Oman Investment Fund.

In its latest economic outlook, IMF said that oil export losses in 2015 are expected to reach about $300 billion or 21 per cent of GDP in the GCC. The IMF outlook says that the countries that will be most affected are Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq and Oman along with Libya, and Saudi

4.3 3.6

3.4 1.2

0

20

Qatar

11.1

9.2

-3

the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) decided not to cut production. Since then, markets expect oil prices to be around $57 per barrel on average in 2015 before rising gradually to $72 per barrel by 2019.

Recently, Mohammad Bin Hamad Al Rumhy, Oman’s oil and gas minister, sharply criticised Opec’s production policy, saying it was creating volatility in the market without benefiting oil producers and that his country was suffering.

The economist said that one could envisage that the downturn in the oil market will induce the authorities to give a renewed impulse to the development of the manufacturing sectors and high end-services such as IT and tourism.

Downward revision Meanwhile, a GCC economist said that the IMF’s downward revision of both global and regional growth forecasts and the oil price decline are a call for policy action by the GCC countries.

Omani motifs, heritage inspire modern artists SARAH MACDONALD sarah@timesofoman.com

OMANI PICASSO: Moosa Omar is a mixed media artist whose richly coloured canvases draw on stories and aspects of daily life in Oman. Idris Al Hooti could be called the Omani Picasso, as he paints with a strong cubist style. – Photos, video AR Rajkumar/TIMES OF OMAN

SCAN THIS TO VISIT

ARTICLE, VIDEO, PHOTO GALLERY W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N .C O M

could be called the Omani Picasso, as he paints with a strong cubist style. Since the age of 17 Al Hooti has been a part of the Youth Art Studio and from there continued to broaden his experiences and artistic practice, but he

admits he is moved by Picasso’s work and other cubist artists, even when he doesn’t plan to paint with this style.

“I find it in my paintings. I don’t put it there intentionally. What I’m looking for is feelings. I can’t describe it in words; I just put it in the painting,” Al Hooti said of his work, which are gentle, calm paintings in which women’s faces, doves, arched domes, horses and other things are blended together in overlapping pieces.

W H AT S N E W S U P D AT E S

< FROM

A1

‘Start your day informed’

These are in addition to our seven-days-a -week news updates at 12pm, 5pm and 10pm, plus look to WhatsNews for breaking stories, such as the three-day holiday announced on Friday to mark the death of King Abdullah

of Saudi Arabia.

So start your day informed, and stay that way, with updates on the big news in Oman. Let us do the hard work for you by sending it direct to your smartphone.

You can also share it directly with

80

100

2014

Saudi Arabia

2015

Oman

Bahrain

1.1 -1.4

-3.7

-5.4

-10.1 -16.4

-12.1

Graphics

Sources: National Authorities and IMF staff calculations

ART EXHIBITION

MUSCAT: Two modern Omani artists have found inspiration in their heritage and culture as their joint exhibition at Stal Gallery, which opened Sunday evening, reveals.

Moosa Omar and Idris Al Hooti’s show, ‘Nostalgia,’ is an example of how Oman’s rich traditions can be the muse for modern art. Moosa Omar is a mixed media artist whose richly coloured canvases draw on stories and aspects of daily life in Oman. The patchwork-like paintings hint at forts and Arabian architecture, Bedouin designs, date palms and other symbols of the Sultanate.

“I’m searching all the time and discovering what I can about the history and I can use it in my paintings, like symbols from the city, from the people,” said Moosa Omar, who has had solo exhibitions in the Gulf region and participated in exhibitions in prominent places, including the White House in Washington.

Much of his work reflects his love of the smaller towns in Oman, such as Bahla, Nizwa, Sinaw, and Rustaq where the culture is less modernised and women still wear brightly coloured clothing, colours he uses in his abstract paintings. “This is about how we use that culture and translate our views and bring it to our exhibition,” he explained.

Idris Al Hooti, meanwhile,

UAE

6 -1.5

Real GDP growth “Even after the plunge in oil prices, the real GDP growth for the GCC is projected by the IMF at 3.4 per cent in 2015 down marginally from the 3.7 per cent growth in 2014. In my view this is the fundamental element.

It underlines that the GCC countries are able to withstand a serious oil price shock without major repercussions on their economic performance. In other words the process of economic diversification has made the economies of our region more resilient than in the past,” Fabio said.

Last week, the World Bank had projected Oman’s GDP to grow 5 per cent this year, well above its 3.3 per cent average growth forecast for GCC countries.

Oil prices have declined by about 55 per cent since September 2014, and in late November

60

Fiscal balances (% of the GDP) 21.9

Ru ssia

Arabia and IMF expects growth in the GCC to be around 3.4 per cent in 2015, a downward revision of 1 percentage point relative to the October 2014 outlook.

40

< FROM

Kuwait Qatar UAE Saudi Arabia Oman Bahrain

Kuwait

0

about $300 billion

CIVIC RULES

Oil prices needed to cover government spending

your friends on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, SMS and email.

To download the free app visit www.timesofoman.com/whatsapp or scan the code attached with your smartphone’s QR code reader.

“Oman should gradually phase out of oil and gas subsidies to reduce the budgetary burden; maintain public investment and infrastructure spending that has the potential to ‘crowd-in’ the private sector, raises labour productivity and is business oriented; develop the local currency Treasury bill and government debt and Sukuk market to finance part of the budget deficit and capital expenditures and consider introducing excises taxes on items like gasoline and tobacco, while re-igniting discussions of introducing a VAT at a low level (say 5 per cent) across the GCC,” said Nasser Saidi, president of Nasser Saidi & Associates and former chief economist at the Dubai International Financial Centre.

“The fiscal impact is severe across the GCC, particularly for Saudi, Bahrain and Oman,” a dded Nasser.

The IMF outlook also cut its growth forecast for oil exporters in the Caucasus and Central Asia by 0.8 percentage point to 4.9 per cent.

A1

Housing for expat bachelors

To move out expatriate bachelors from residential areas and prevent them from sharing family accommodation, Muscat Municipality has planned residential complexes for expatriate bachelors in Mabela, Bausher and Amerat. “Work for this is going on as Ministry of Hous-

ing has already allocated three plots measuring 10,000 square metres to build residential buildings for expatriate bachelors,” said the official.

Hussien Al Rahbi, manager of real estate company Angles, said that rents in some places may go down following the new order.

A4

TUE S DAY, JANUA RY 27, 2 015

Video and photos by Talib Al Wahaibi/TIMES OF OMAN

SOPHISTICATION IN SIMPLICITY: BEDOUINS CAST THEIR CHARM ELHAM POURMOAMMADI elham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: It is said that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication and the Bedouin village in Al Amerat Park truly captures the spirit of this saying.

Clad in a turban and dishdasha, Sheikh Humaid bin Mohammed Al Hajri, greets visitors with a humble smile, inviting them to have a cup of traditional Omani coffee brewing on the fire in the Bedouin section of the Muscat Festival. In a desert-like area set up inside the Heritage Village, the Bedouins make you envious of their quiet and simple life, far from the city’s noise and urban confusions.

“This part showcases the Omani Bedouin traditions, from coffee making, living in a tent, outfits, handicraft, breeding camels and offering camel rides to the people,” Al Hajri, who is in charge of the Bedouin village, told Times of Oman, his face glowing with satisfaction. Visitors get an experience of the desert life here, he said, adding that the Bedouin section is one of the most popular parts of the Muscat Festival. As the sun sets on the park, you feel you are under a magical spell and it is only then that you can imagine how pleasurable it is to sleep under the unmatched view of the vast desert sky.

The Bedouins, who have brought their unique lifestyle to the city at Muscat Festival, prove that hospitality is all about being genuine and treating your guests with a kind heart.

In the Bedouin world, language is not a barrier for communication. It is the eyes that do the talking. Al Hajri believes that the new generation should keep these traditions alive as the desert life is an important part of Oman’s culture and history. “They should protect all these values,” he said while offering a second cup of coffee, the aroma of which filled the air.

SCAN THIS QR CODE FOR MORE

PHOTOS & VIDEOS W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N .C O M

T UE SDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

Tweet all about it

SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY LAUNCH TWITTER PAGE

Accidents dip in 2014

ROAD TRAGEDIES: Omani males comprised 78 per cent of the total deaths among nationals in 2014, as compared to 9.9 per cent females.– File photo

In 2014, 816 people died and 4,143 were injured in 5,768 road accidents as compared to 913 deaths and 10,802 injuries in 7,829 accidents in 2013

Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Road accidentrelated injuries in Muscat has significantly decreased in 2014, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information. (NCSI) In 2014, 816 people died and 4,143 were injured in 5,768 road accidents as compared to 913

deaths and 10,802 injuries in 7,829 road accidents in 2013. The number of deaths in road accidents also dropped by 10.6 per cent in 2014. Omani males constituted 78 per cent of the total deaths among nationals in 2014, with 405, as compared to 111 females or 9.9 per cent.

The number of expatriates who were killed in road accidents stood at 300, comprising both males and females.

The number of nationals who were injured in road accidents in 2014, stood at 3,112. Of these, 2,208 were males and 904 were females. The number of expatriates who sustained injuries in road accidents was 1,031. Of these, 817 were males and 214 were females.

Between September and December 2014, 41 per cent of the road accidents were recorded. In August 2014, there were 505 road accidents, while in September it declined to 429, before rising to 535 in October. The number of road accidents in November stood at 369, while in September the figure went up to 546, the highest number in 2014.

A5

OMAN

PA C P S TAT E M E N T

More than 208,000 vehicles recalled Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Seventy varieties of vehicles were recalled by various automobile companies in 2014 alone, an official at the Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) said.

The total number of vehicles recalled due to technical reasons stood at more than 208,888 in

2014. The official added that vehicles were recalled due to some technical issues that put consumers’ lives in jeopardy besides being heavy on consumers’ pockets.

The official affirmed that the PACP, in collaboration with a number of automobile dealerships, provides all necessary protection as part of its efforts to review all the products.

Enumerating the reasons behind recalling vehicles, the official explained that some of these had fuel leakage, defects in transmission gear box, technical defects due to any sudden increase in a vehicle’s speed or suddenly coming to a stop.

Article 15 of the Consumer Protection Law issued by Royal Decree No. 81/2002, states that when

the supplier discovers any defect in the vehicle that could harm the consumer, he has to inform the consumer and PACP immediately.

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

A6

TUE S DAY, JANUA RY 27, 2 015 We will continue to monitor the operation.

We will see what we can do in terms of making steam generation more efficient Salim Nasser Al Aufi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Oil and Gas

OMAN MAJLIS AL SHURA

< FROM

A1 ‘Social media powerful’ “While the media has promoted the ambitious plans of many Omanis, we should also give credit for these achievements to the Ministry of Information,” he said.

Al Harsoosi and other members of Majlis Al Shura urged the Ministry of Information to be more active on the social media circuit to nullify rumours. Other members believed that silence on part of the media

would only facilitate favouritism and corruption.

Sultan Al Abri, Ibri Shura member said that social media platform is more powerful in disseminating news and discussing national issues, than the government media.

More has to be done to develop the media in Oman, to keep pace with the mentality of the new generation of Omanis, he added.

Patriotic fervour marks Indian Republic Day

SPIRIT OF PATRIOTISM: An Indian army contingent saluted the Indian Tricolour, left, and Indian School Mabella students presented a cultural programme to mark the 66th Republic Day on Monday. - Photo: O K Mohammed Ali

SCAN THIS TO VISIT

People came in large

ARTICLE, VIDEO, PHOTO GALLERY W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N .C O M

numbers to celebrate the 66th Republic Day at the Indian Embassy in Muscat

Times News Service MUSCAT: Hundreds of Indian expatriates gathered in the Indian Embassy premises in Muscat on Monday morning to celebrate India’s 66th Republic Day. PLUNGING PRICES

< FROM

‘Focus on

A1 saving

energy’

J.S. Mukul, Indian ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, unfurled the Indian national flag and read out the address of the President of India.

An Indian army contingent performed a small parade and saluted the Tricolour on the occasion.

Monoj Seal, an engineer, who had come to witness the ceremony at the Indian Embassy, said the occasion enhanced his self respect as an Indian. “I am proud of the economic development of India.”

This year, Oman and India are

celebrating sixty years of diplomatic relations. The Indian Embassy in Muscat has planned a series of events throughout the year to mark the diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Earlier in the morning, the ambassador also unfurled the national flag and read out the President’s message at the Indian School, Mabella.

Students at the school said they believed that India will soon emerge as a world superpower.

“Scientific development, especially the successful launch of first Indian-made satellite Mangalyan in the country, has made every Indian proud,” a student of Indian School Mabella said.

Indian School Nizwa celebrated the Republic Day with patriotic

zeal and fervour. Brigadier Amor bin Said Al Hajri, Royal Oman Police, Nizwa was the chief guest on the occasion. The day began with a welcome speech by the Principal, Mrs Mainakshe Minoo, followed by hoisting of the Indian flag and the national anthem.

The students saluted the national flag and pledged to uphold the honour of country.

President of the School Management Committee Dr S Arockiasamy also graced the occasion and urged students to follow the footsteps of the great leaders.

The march past by the students was a treat to watch. The principal took the guard of honour.

Various activities were organised in the school to inculcate the spirit of patriotism.

3 5 Y E A R S O F D I P L O M AT I C R E L AT I O N

Oman-Thai ties grow stronger SARAH MACDONALD

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY WATCH

sarah@timesofoman.com Al Aufi noted that Occidental Mukhaizna’s (an enhanced oil recovery project based on steam water injection) operation cost is relatively high, but still below $40 per barrel. “We will continue to monitor the operation. We will see what we can do in terms of making steam generation more efficient.” Focus will also be on conserving energy, electricity and chemicals. “I know for sure that Occidental is reviewing their budget. They are in discussion with all service providers, including drilling companies to find opportunity for cutting cost.”

The undersecretary said majority state-owned Petroleum Development Oman’s (PDO) operations in all its oil clusters are economical since the average cost of crude production is around $27 per barrel, but some of these capital expenditures are for future production.

However, Al Aufi noted that the operating cost alone for PDO is around $10 per barrel. “Some of the oils the company produces today (like Qarn Alam and Harweel), they spend the capital few years ago,” he said, adding; “(The operating cost of ) most of the companies in Oman vary between $10 and $15 per barrel.”

MUSCAT: In the 35 years since Oman and Thailand established diplomatic ties the relationship between the two countries has grown ever stronger and this year it will be further cemented by a number of new agreements, says the Thai ambassador to Oman.

“We intend to conclude some agreements or MoU’s between Oman and Thailand in the areas of education, manpower, agriculture and hopefully public health.

It’s been under discussion for some time but hopefully the conclusion will take place within this year,” said Dr Pornchai Danvivathana in an interview with Times of Oman.

Danvivathana said that on July 30, 1980 the Kingdom of Thailand established diplomatic ties with Oman so the two countries could further their bilateral relations and because Oman is part of the GCC, an association in whose member nations Thailand was keen on opening embassies.

In the years following the formalized relations, embassies were opened in the two countries. Thailand’s embassy in Muscat opened in 1987, while the Sultanate’s embassy opened in Bangkok in 1994. Now ties are being made even strong with the new memorandum of understandings (MoU).

Until now trade has been a key aspect of the bilateral relationship, Danvivathana explained, adding that last year more than $2 billion in goods was exchanged between Oman and Thailand.

“There are more than a few aspects that have been significantly developed in terms of trade. The volume of trade between the two countries has been increasingly developed for the benefit of both,” he said.

Oman imports a lot of Thai agricultural products, as well as spare auto parts, which is a growing industry in Thailand.

VIDEO W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N .C O M

Thai ambassador Pornchai Danvivathana.

Last year $525 million worth of Thai auto parts were imported to Oman. Sales of Thai rice reached $14 million in 2014, up from $8 million in 2012.

Thailand, meanwhile, imports oil and fish products from Oman, including squid and tuna which it then processes for resale by canning or freezing.

Potential for more trade There is potential for even more trade in the areas of halal food and in fisheries, especially thanks to the developments in Duqm, the ambassador said.

“Duqm is also something we’re interested in both to use the fisheries port there and for Thai workers to work at Duqm. I’ve heard that once the port is completed some of the Thai private sector will be able to make use of the logistical support there because we have some business close to Duqm” he added.

The Thai embassy also has a special focus on promoting cultural cooperation, so since he became the ambassador in 2012 Danvivathana has organised three Thai festivals featuring food, fashion, and crafts, as well as other events with Thai musicians and dancers. A fourth festival is being planned for August or September this year which will celebrate the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

“We are discussing the way to

bring it to another level since it is to commemorate the 35th anniversary, so I hope it will be better than we had during the past three years,” he added.

Over the years Thailand has also benefitted from Omani tourists who visit by the tens of thousands. Last year approximately 73,000 Omanis went to Thailand, and Danvivathana expects the number to reach 80,000 this year thanks to relaxed visa policies for GCC nationals, who can receive a free one-month tourist visa on arrival and new extensions for medical visas.

The stable and ever-stronger relationship between Oman and Thailand is not just thanks to trade and cultural ties, but also thanks to some similarities in the people, Danvivathana said. Like the Omanis, many Thais used to eat with their hands rather than utensils, and both countries have monarchs who have helped them develop their economies and modernise while still holding onto their cultural traditions.

“I think we have some common way of life where we promote selfsufficiency both in the Sultanate and in Thailand under the royal path of His Majesty the King,” he said.

While on the political side of the relationship new agreements are being made, for the public there will be occasions to mark the 35th anniversary of ThaiOmani ties, too. Celebrations will kick off with a joint Thai-Omani cultural show with on January 29 at 7:30pm at the Ministry of Education auditorium in Wattaya which is open to the public.

Looking ahead to the future of Omani-Thai relations Danvivathana said he was optimistic that there would be more growth in a number of areas.

R E P U B L I C D AY

< FROM

A1 Greetings to India His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has also sent a cable of greetings to President Pranab Mukherjee of the Republic of India on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty expressed his sincere greetings along with his best wishes of good health and happiness to President Mukherjee and the friendly Indian people further progress and growth. -ONA

T UE SDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015 Shaima Al Sabbagh receiving assistance after she was injured during clashes with police during a rare leftwing protest in central Cairo, the eve of the anniversary of the 2011 protests against Hosni Mubarak. Shaima Al Sabbagh, who friends said was 34 and the mother of a five-year-old boy, later died of birdshot wounds, a health ministry spokesman said

FIGHT AGAINST TERROR

US drone kills Al Qaeda men in Yemen SANAA: A suspected US drone strike on a car in eastern Yemen killed three men believed to be Al Qaeda militants on Monday, officials said, suggesting US security operations are continuing despite a political crisis in the country.

President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi and his government quit on Thursday, depriving Washington of a staunch ally in its campaign against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The attack by a remotely piloted plane in Marib province was the first since the departure of Hadi.

On Monday, Houthi gunmen and supporters stormed the capital’s main university to detain several of the 200 or so protesters demonstrating against their rule.

A group of activists who took part in the 2011 protests in Yemen, which ousted Hadi’s predecessor, veteran leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, warned in an open letter on Monday that the Houthi takeover could destroy the Yemeni state and dash their hopes for a transition to democracy. “This path increases the chances of armed conflict which can only result in a civil war and fragment the country on fanatical sectarian and regional lines, putting an end to the dream of Yemenis for a civil state,” the activists wrote. — Reuters

REGION

IS militants driven out from Kobane; Diyala is ‘liberated’ The Kurdish advance marked the culmination of a battle lasting more than four months in which nearly 1,800 people were killed

BEIRUT: Kurdish militia have driven IS group militants from the Syrian border town of Kobane after months of heavy fighting, a monitor and spokesman said Monday, dealing a crucial blow to the militants.

Across the border in Iraq meanwhile, a top army officer announced troops had “liberated” Diyala province from IS militants.

In Syria, the Kurdish advance marked the culmination of a battle lasting more than four months in which nearly 1,800 people were killed. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human

RECAPTURED: Fighters and military vehicles engage in a military operation to retake positions held

by IS, on the outskirts of Muqdadiyah in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, on Sunday. – Reuters

Rights monitor said the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) had pushed IS militants from all of Kobane. They “expelled all IS fighters from Kobane and have full control of the town,” Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said. “The Kurds are pursuing some militants on the eastern outskirts of Kobane, but there is no more fighting inside now.”

PROTEST ANNIVERSARY

Death toll in Egypt clashes rises to 20 CAIRO: The death toll from clashes between protesters and police as Egypt marked the fourth anniversary of its 2011 protests has risen to 20, most of them demonstrators, officials said on Monday.

The clashes on Sunday in Cairo and the coastal city of Alexandria came after hardliners called for demonstrations against President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi’s government.

A7

At least 19 protesters, mostly supporters of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president who was ousted by then army chief Sisi in July 2013, and a policeman were killed, a health ministry official said.

The Cairo violence accounted for all but one death, that of a demonstrator in Alexandria.

Late Sunday, officials had put the death toll at 15, including the

policeman who was shot dead during clashes in a northern Cairo district.

Tensions had surged ahead of the anniversary, and a female demonstrator was killed in clashes with police during a rare leftwing protest in Cairo on Saturday. Shaima Al Sabbagh died of birdshot wounds when police fired to disperse a march, fellow protesters said. — AFP

The monitor said Kurdish forces were carrying out “mopping-up operations” against remaining IS forces in the Maqtala district, on the eastern outskirts of the town.

YPG spokesman Polat Jan also announced the news on his Twitter account, writing: “Congratulations to humanity, Kurdistan, and the people of Kobane on the liberation of Kobane.”

Mustafa Ebdi, an activist from the town, said that “fighting has stopped”. YPG forces are “advancing carefully in Maqtala because of the threat of mines and car bombs,” he added. The advance

by Kurdish fighters came after 24 hours of heavy bombing by the US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq.

In a statement, the Pentagon

said the coalition had carried out 17 air strikes against IS positions in Kobane in the 24 hours from January 25 alone.

The loss of Kobane, also known as Ain Al Arab, would be an important defeat for IS. “Despite all that manpower, all that sophisticated weaponry, IS couldn’t get the city, so it’s a big blow for their plans and its a great achievement for the Kurds,” Kurdish affairs analyst Mutlu Civiroglu said.

“Kobane sets an example on the ground, showing that when you have skilled fighters on the ground with the support of air strikes, this danger, these forces, can be stopped and eliminated.”

Over the border in Iraq, the army announced another defeat for IS, with the recapture of Diyala province. “We announce the liberation of Diyala from the (IS) organisation,” Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir Al Zaidi said.

“Iraqi forces are in complete control of all the cities and districts and subdistricts of Diyala province.”

The general said there would still be clashes however against IS in the rural Hamreen mountains, which stretch across multiple provinces, including Diyala. — AFP

A8

TUE S DAY, JANUA RY 27, 2 015 The prosperity and security of the two countries is indivisible. India looks forward to working with the new government of Sri Lanka to take the bilateral relationship to the next level for the benefit of the people of the two countries and the South Asian region as a whole Y. K. Sinha, Indian High Commissioner

INDIA

AAP chief undeterred by poll panel warning Do the BJP and Congress come to you with money?

If they do, don’t say no to them. Take the money. I know they are distributing blankets and sacks of rice as well. Take all of that, Kejriwal said

NEW DELHI: Despite Election Commission’s warning to refrain from making such remarks, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday once again exhorted Delhiites to accept bribes from BJP and Congress but vote for his party.

“Do the BJP and Congress come to you with money? If they do, don’t say no to them. Take the money. I know they are distribut-

UNRESTRAINED: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal address supporters during an election campaign, in New Delhi, on Saturday. - PTI

ing blankets and sacks of rice as well. Take all of that, but reject liquor as it destroys families,” Kejriwal told people on Monday as the crowd responded in affirmation with claps and cheers.

The former Delhi chief minister had been issued notice by the Election Commission for making such remarks during rallies, stating it amounts to “abetting and promoting electoral offence of bribery” under relevant sections of the Representation of People Act read with provisions of the IPC. However, undeterred by such warnings, Kejriwal continued

with his remarks as he held rallies in Jangpura and Kasturba Nagar constituencies and made a host of promises to people, which he said AAP would fulfil if voted to power.

“Each household of Delhi will be connected with a water pipeline and free wi-fi facility will be provided in the entire national capital,” he said.

Promises galore On women’s security, the Aam Aadmi Party chief promised that if voted to power, his government would provide a “security button” on the mobile phones of women

which would let the police reach the crime venue within minutes during an emergency.

Attacking the Narendra Modi led BJP government, Kejriwal said the Centre is expert in making uturns and that both BJP and Congress were hand in gloves with the power companies, a reason behind the high electricity rates.

The AAP leader had to take breaks in between his address a few times due to his cough and also because of technical snags, making it evident that he was campaigning hard in the run-up to the upcoming Delhi polls. -PTI

PA R T N E R S H I P

India to take bilateral ties with Sri Lanka to new level: Envoy COLOMBO: India will work closely with the new Sri Lankan government led by Maithripala Sirisena — whose victory was a tribute to Lankan people’s yearning for change — to take bilateral ties to a new level, the Indian High Commissioner Y. K. Sinha said on Monday.

Addressing the celebrations of the 66th Indian Republic Day held at India House here, Sinha said India stands ready to continue to provide support and partnership to Sri Lanka in realising its people’s aspirations.

He congratulated the people of Sri Lanka on the peaceful conduct of the recent landmark elections that installed a new government under Sirisena in the island after defeating two-time president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sinha noted that electoral victory of Sirisena, was “a tribute to his capacity to respond to Sri Lankan people’s yearning for change”.

“The prosperity and security of the two countries is indivisible.

India looks forward to working with the new government of Sri Lanka to take the bilateral relationship to the next level for the benefit of the people of the two

countries and the South Asian region as a whole,” he added.

Speaking about the bilateral ties, Sinha said that India and Sri Lanka enjoy a vibrant and growing economic and commercial partnership, with both trade and investment expanding sharply in recent years. Bilateral trade witnessed an upswing in 2014 and in the period January-November 2014, amounted to nearly $4 billion.

Premier Indian companies have displayed great interest in Sri Lanka. The ‘Make in India’ initiative will attract more Sri Lankan companies to invest in India, he said.

Sinha stated that one important pillar of modern India- Sri Lanka relations is development cooperation, which has been built on the foundation of mutual trust and understanding.

The flagship Indian Housing Project in Sri Lanka continues to make excellent progress, with the project reaching its target of constructing 16,000 houses during 2014. The reconstruction of the railway line up to Jaffna, carried out under a concessional Indian Line of Credit of about $800 million, was a seminal moment, Sinha said. - PTI

LEGENDARY FIGURE

Cartoonist R. K. Laxman, creator of ‘Common Man’, dead at 94 PUNE: Eminent cartoonist R. K. Laxman, who immortalised the hapless ‘Common Man’ with his devastating swipes at politicians but without malice, died here on Monday at a private hospital at the age of 94 after suffering multiorgan failure.

“Laxman passed away at 6.50pm,” Dr Sameer Jog of Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, said.

Creator of ubiquitous mute spectator ‘Common Man’, Laxman was admitted to the hospital on January 17 for urinary infection. He suffered multi-organ failure and was put on ventilator.

Laxman, brother of late novelist R.K. Narayan, is survived by writer wife Kamala, retired journalist son Srinivas and daughterin-law Usha.

His legendary spell on the Indian newspaper reader was cast after joining the Times Of India (TOI). His front page pocket cartoon “You said it” started in 1951, unleashing his iconic “common man”, a silent witness to the she-

LAST ADIEU: File photo of eminent cartoonist R.K. Laxman who passed away in Pune on Monday. - PTI

nanigans of politicians who were supposed to realise his dreams, hopes and aspirations but betrayed him on most occasions.

A Padma Vibhushan, Laxman also won the Magsaysay award in 1984 for journalism, literature and creative communication arts.

Condoling his demise, noted

cartoonists described him as outstanding, towering figure who always had his finger on the pulse of the nation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday paid rich tributes to legendary cartoonist R. K. Laxman, who died in Pune.

“India will miss you RK Laxman. We are grateful to you for adding the much needed humour in our lives & always bringing smiles on our faces.

“My condolences to the family & countless well-wishers of a legend whose demise leaves a major void in our lives. RIP RK Laxman,” the Prime Minister tweeted.

In his condolence message, Ansari said Laxman, best known as the creator of the “common man”, touched the lives of millions of our countrymen by his incisive humour and socially relevant messages expressed through his immensely popular cartoons. - PTI

A 10

TUE S DAY, JANUA RY 27, 2 015

INDIA TECHNICAL LANDING

Pakistan Air Force plane refuels at Lucknow airport LUCKNOW: A Pakistan Air Force aircraft, with five military personnel on board, was allowed to land at the airport here for refuelling on Sunday afternoon, official sources said on Monday.

The aircraft, which had taken off from Rawalpindi, was allowed by the Indian Air Force to land at the Chowdhury Charan Singh Airport here for refuelling, they said, adding that it took off for the Bangladesh port city of Chittagong after about 50 minutes.

No emergency “There was no emergency. There was a Pakistani aircraft movement, that is PAAF-854 from

Rawalpindi to Lucknow (which) landed at 1201 hours on Sunday and departed for Chittagong at 1252 hours,” District Magistrate Rajshekhar said when asked about the landing. He said the Indian Air Force had cleared it for landing as it was a Pakistan Air force flight.

To questions, Airport Director S. C. Hota said it was a “technical landing” and added that soon after refuelling, the plane left for its final destination at the major port city of Bangladesh.

He said there were five military personnel on board the flight.

However, the type of the aircraft or what it was carrying could not be ascertained. - PTI

Modi has brought new energy and vigour to redesigning the architecture here in India so that more business, greater growth, greater investment can take place Barack Obama, US president

Obama nods to show of culture, military might Obama was the first ever US President to attend the Republic Day parade as chief guest, as light rains and overcast skies failed to dampen the enthusiasm of thousands of spectators who gathered along the Rajpath to watch

CELEBRATIONS: From left, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Barack Obama, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari attend the Republic Day parade, in New Delhi, on Monday. - Reuters

the spectacle

NEW DELHI: Watched by US President Barack Obama, India on Monday displayed its military might and rich cultural diversity during the dazzling 66th Republic Day parade in the capital which was wrapped in an unprecedented security cover.

Obama was the first ever US president to attend the parade as chief guest on the second day of his three-day visit, as light rains and overcast skies failed to dampen the enthusiasm of thousands of spectators who gathered along the Rajpath to watch the pompfilled spectacle.

Dressed in a dark suit, Obama was seated next to Modi, donning a multicoloured ‘bandhej safa’(Rajasthani turban), as the two leaders chatted and soaked up the splendour that unfolded on the rain-soaked parade route.

Obama was also seen holding his umbrella for a while.

Appreciation A smiling US President was seen nodding in appreciation on several occasions and gave a thumbs up to the BSF daredevils — famed for their formation of a human pyramid on moving bikes — during their display of daring motorcycle stunts that was a showstopper.

Smartly attired all-female units from the Army, Navy and Air Force marched for the first time in this year’s parade, as the country’s military hardware with carnivalstyle floats featuring achievements in diverse fields as well as tribal dancers and traditional music rolled past in a show of ‘unity in diversity’.

In a departure from tradition for the chief guest at the Republic Day parade, Obama arrived in his own highly-secured bomb-proof vehicle, ‘The Beast,’ at Rajpath.

The crowd erupted in cheers as the Obamas emerged from the limousine.

Obama and Michelle sat in a special glass enclosure along with President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President M Hamid Ansari and his wife, and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar among other dignitaries.

Michelle also smiled broadly at dance performance by young children. A highlight of this year’s parade was the display for the first time of the recently acquired long-range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine P-8I aircraft and the long-range advanced MiG-29K fighter plane.

Prime Minister Modi’s “Make in India” campaign to boost the country’s manufacturing industry and create much-needed jobs was

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT

PHOTO GALLERY W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N .C O M

featured in one of the tableaus.

The dignitaries watched in awe as a spectacular fly-past by the Indian Air Force that left a smoke-trail of the orange, white and green national flag signalled an end to the parade.

Seven-layered security The amount of time — around two hours — spent by Obama on an outdoor viewing platform was unusual given the US Secret Service security concerns.

A massive ground-to-air security apparatus was put in place in the national capital turning the city into virtually an impregnable fortress.

Snipers of National Security Guard were deployed at all highrises along the parade route.

The arrangements were made to ensure an incident-free Republic Day celebrations and foolproof security to the American President, who arrived here on Sunday.

As part of the seven-layered security, around 45,000 security personnel were deployed across the city while the commandos of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police

and Delhi Police kept a hawk-eye vigil at important locations.

The unfurling of the tricolour by the President and playing of the national anthem were followed by a customary 21-gun salute.

Minutes before the parade began, the Prime Minister, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and chiefs of army, navy and air force laid wreaths at ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti’, the war memorial at the India Gate where an eternal flame burns in memory of those who laid down their lives defending the frontiers of the nation.

The synchronised military and police contingents led by General Officer Commanding (Delhi), Lt General Subroto Mitra marched proudly to the lilting tunes of bands through Rajpath where President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Pranab Mukherjee took the salute from a specially erected dais.

Main attractions Among the main attractions of the ceremonial parade were 25 colourful tableaux representing India’s cultural and linguistic diversity as also signifying the vision of the future India as envisaged by the current government.

Colourful performances by schoolchildren delighted President Obama as much as the crowd in general. - PTI

INDO-US FORUM

Modi promises good business, Obama pledges $4b lending NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday promised an open business environment, predictable tax regime and to remove “remaining uncertainties” as President Barack Obama raised issues of trade barriers and intellectual property while seeking ease of doing business in India.

Modi asserted that his government has removed some of the “excesses of the past” and said “we will now soon address the remaining uncertainties”, an apparent reference to the retrospective taxation law of the previous government that put off global investors.

Pledging $4 billion in lending by US banks, Obama said the US is ready to help India grow by working with it in development of infrastructure like railways, ports, roads and clean energy power plants.

Both the leaders were addressing a meeting of the US-India Business Council on the second day of the US president’s visit that was attended by top corporate leaders of both the countries.

Earlier, addressing a meeting of India-US CEO Forum he said he would personally take charge of implementation of big projects and monitor them.

Encourage investment “You will find environment that is not only open, but also welcoming. We will guide you and walk with you in projects. You will find a climate that encourages investment and rewards enterprise.

“It will nurture innovation and protect your intellectual property.

“It will make it easy to do business.... You will find a tax regime that is predictable and competitive. We have removed some of the excesses of the past. We will now address the remaining un-

MEET: President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at India-US CEO Forum, in New Delhi, on Monday. - PTI

certainties,” Modi said at the USIBC meeting.

“In the past eight months, we have worked tirelessly to fulfil the mandate (of the people) — not just to increase our economic growth...Our task is huge and it wont happen overnight.

“We are conscious of our challenges but also inspired by our successes,” Modi said.

He said the business sentiments in India were among the strongest among major Asian markets.

Consumer confidence has turned positive after three years.

“Growth in eight core sectors of economy has increased sharply.Inflation is at a five-year low, 110 million new bank accounts have been opened in last four months.Investments from the US have jumped by 50 per cent in first six months of my government,” he said.

“And I know that some of the pledges made in September in Washington have begun to flow in. Yes, I do keep track of these things,” he said as the audience cheered the remarks.

Prime minister said the scale of India’s dream was vast and therefore the opportunities it offered were huge. He said prosperity of India will be an important anchor

of stability for the global economy and an engine for its growth.

“Above all, a prosperous India will be a force for peace and stability in the world.”

Referring to the cooperation in new areas like civil nuclear and renewable energy and defence equipment, Modi said economies resurgence in both countries gives us greater optimism of future of bilateral ties.

Obama said Modi has brought new energy and vigour in redesigning the “architecture” in India to facilitate greater growth and investment.

“Modi has brought new energy and vigour to redesigning the architecture here in India so that more business, greater growth, greater investment can take place,” he said.

According to the American president, US exporters are“very concerned” about issues like intellectual property rights as US economy was increasingly becoming a knowledge based economy. He said “absence of an effective IP protection” in India was affecting business.

“We tend to operate at the higher ends of the global value chain,” he said. - PTI

T UE SDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

Stay ahead of the curve with WhatsNews

SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY INSTALL WHATSNEWS

www.facebook.com/timesofoman

A Pakistani policeman mourns the killing of a colleague in an attack by gunmen, in Karachi, on Monday. Gunmen killed a policeman guarding a polio vaccination team in Karachi, police officials said, the latest blow to efforts to stamp out the crippling virus in Pakistan. — AFP

Unchecked, fuel crisis will affect ratings: Moody's Moody’s said that increasing energy addressing structural issues that create so-called circular

The IMF granted a $6.6 billion loan to Pakistan in September 2013

debt 'will further strain Pakistan’s budget and balance of payments, a credit negative'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ongoing fuel shortage that has led to worsening power blackouts is weighing on its credit worthiness and hindering its ability to meet

PAKISTAN SEND US YOUR VIEWS AND COMMENTS

ATTACK ON VACCINATION TEAM KILLS POLICEMAN

imports without

A11

key reform targets laid out by the IMF, ratings agency Moody’s warned on Monday.

Worst power crisis The country is currently in the grip of one of its worst power crises in years due to a shortfall in imported oil, with the situation exacerbated on Sunday by an attack on a key powerline in restive Balochistan province.

Moody’s said that increasing energy imports without addressing structural issues that cre-

ate so-called circular debt “will further strain Pakistan’s budget and balance of payments, a credit negative”.

“Fuel shortages also reflect the strained finances of state-owned distribution companies and the fuel importer, Pakistan State Oil corporation, and are a setback to the sector’s progress on reforms made so far under Pakistan’s financial support programme with the International Monetary Fund.”

The IMF granted a $6.6-billion loan to Pakistan in September 2013 on the condition that it carry out extensive economic reforms, particularly in the energy and taxation sectors.

Key driver Moody’s, which in July 2014 upgraded Pakistan’s rating outlook from “negative” to “stable, said that structural reforms had been a “key driver” in its decision last year.

“Circular debt” — brought on by the dual effect of the government setting low electricity prices and customers failing to pay — is at the heart of the crisis. — AFP

A12

TIMES O F O MAN

TUE S DAY, JA N UA RY 27, 2 015

COMMEN ARY ISO 9001:2008

Certified Company

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

Subscription: RO70 per year.

In Pakistan, they are spreading hatred

T

wo recent news items in Pakistan media uncovered a spinechilling, ugly truth about hate literature, its clandestine and not-so-clandestine sources and its extensive outreach with telling effect. Since no official monitoring mechanism is known to have been put in place ever to do content analysis of such literature, one suspects that the actual list of publications spreading hate is much longer than has been reported and their sources more widespread. Most of these publications are being produced by sectarian groups, seminaries, militant organisations and banned outfits. There are said to be as many as 82 sectarian groups, with 22 being violent and five having working relationships with militant outfits.

However, the main sources identified as responsible for the publication of such literature are the Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Sipah-e-Sahaba and Imamia Student Organisation.

According to interior ministry sources, these publications directly or indirectly glorify militancy and fuel support for the TTP and Al Qaeda. Interestingly, both Hafiz Saeed, the chief of the JuD, and Maulana Masood Azhar, the chief of the JeM, contribute in their respective publications under pen-names — Abu Shams and Saadi, respectively.

The Sipah is said to be producing the largest number of hate publications with about 13 hate books being sold freely in bookstores in Islamabad. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, about 22 publications spreading hatred were banned but they reappeared within weeks, some under the same title and others under different names. What has added to the worry is, due to the writings of a number of ‘influential contributors’, these publications are deemed to be ‘worth reading’.

And horror of horrors, such contributors include former army chief General (retd) Mirza Aslam Baig, former DG-ISI Lieutenant-General (retd) Hamid Gul, an adviser to the prime minister, Irfan Siddiqui, and in-service civil servant Orya Maqbool Jan. The capacities of the official administrative and law-enforcement agencies being what they are at present, one is constrained to believe that the task assigned to them looks like mission impossible. More so, because those who produce hate literature currently enjoy almost an unlimited socio-political influence and superior firepower.

It is true that even the most developed societies have failed to suppress clandestinely produced hate literature. But hate-based ideas could be marginalized by propagating superior ideologies that promote tolerance, peace, broad-mindedness and patience. So, while the law is doing what it is supposed to do under the circumstances — combing the country’s lanes looking for hate literature, confiscating it and apprehending its publishers —political parties, civil society and the media in Pakistan should be fighting this menace openly with ideas that give hope rather than induce despair, instead of whispering in undertones about it in drawing rooms while looking over our shoulders in absolute terror. - The Express Tribune

WASHINGTON WATCH

Boehner-Netanyahu: There’s more to story JAMES J. ZOGBY

Silencing authors in India

T

he story of the latest victim of censorship by intimidation in India, the Tamil-language author Perumal Murugan, was taken up by the Madras High Court. Earlier this month, Murugan posted a poignant statement on his Facebook page: “Perumal Murugan, the writer is dead.” This was after he had been hounded by right-wing Hindu groups, had met with local authorities and had agreed to withdraw copies of his novel from sale. The author’s plight has provoked an outpouring of support from readers and writers in India. Activists affiliated with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Hindu right-wing group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had called for the book to be banned because it offended them.

Weeks of threatening phone calls to Murugan culminated in late December with a mob burning copies of the novel in the town where it is set. The main sources of the mob’s ire were passages that evoke an ancient temple ritual that Murugan, who grew up in the area, does believe occurred in the past. It involves consensual sex between anonymous men and married women who had failed to conceive.

This is hardly the first time in India that groups expressing their outrage have acted as cultural vigilantes by trying to silence authors with threats. In 2012, an organiser of the Jaipur Literature Festival, William Dalrymple, was forced to cancel a planned programme by video with the author Salman Rushdie — who had already cancelled a personal appearance — after outraged activists threatened violence.

The Madras High Court has wisely asked the group that filed the Murugan case, the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association, to broaden its petition to the larger issue of violent threats to freedom of expression. The court said: “Our largest concern is extrajudicial groups wielding power to decide what is right and what is not right, and asking authors what to write and what not to write.”

This is refreshing language from an Indian court on the issue of free speech. - The New York Times News Service

India put up an impressive show on the Republic Day India’s Republic Day parade in the presence of US President Barack Obama was perhaps the most impressive one in history. It was more of a display of India’s military might than its cultural and ethnic diversities.

I am sure Obama will be going back home impressed, not just

by India’s fabled hospitality but also by its growing muscle power.

Sakshi Gulati Muscat

Depression leads to people committing suicide This refers to the news story, Suicide rate of Indian expats dips (January 26). It is good to learn that suicide rate among Indians in Oman has gone

down. However, the news story has forced me to visit a subject which I do not feel very happy to discuss. People commit suicide when they reach the point of no return. I would be the last person to blame it on the social and professional milieu. Yet, it is undeniable that Indians are sometimes found to be ill-treated. We are all humans and deserve the basic courtesy irrespective of what we are in our professional life. The heap of humiliation can often lead an individual to depression which may lead him or her to commit suicide.

P. K. Anand Ghubra

Muscat Festival has now become a mega event

Observers across the globe were amazed at the gall of the American Congress to invite a foreign leader to slap their president in the face and then to respond by giving the foreign leader 29 standing ovations

W

hen I was growing up, I remember a saying that was used to describe the behaviour of persons who were so cocky that they did really dumb things — “He’s so smart, he’s stupid”. I thought of this expression when I heard Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, announce that he had invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress in order to challenge President Obama’s handling of “the grave threats …”.

I’m sure that, as he was making his announcement, Boehner thought that he was being the smartest guy in Washington. He had just stolen the President’s thunder on the day after the State of the Union speech. I’m equally sure that Netanyahu sat back in Jerusalem crowing to himself just how smart he was to be in a position, once again, to deliver a frontal assault against an American President who had the temerity to oppose him.

Boehner’s invitation was not so much intended as a challenge to the President’s foreign policy; he had some obvious political motives, as well. According to Israeli press reports, the idea for the speech was first suggested by Israel’s Ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer. Dermer, a former Republican operative and a confidant of both Netanyahu and billionaire GOP donor, Sheldon Adelson, had apparently proposed the idea of the speech to Republican leaders as early as January 8. An agreement was reached for the Speaker to extend the invitation days before the State of the Union—without any notice given to the White House or the Department of State.

Netanyahu is running for re-election in Israel facing opponents who are raising concerns that he has damaged the US-Israel relationship. He, therefore, craves the opportunity of standing before an adoring US Congress giving him multiple standing ovations enabling him to demonstrate that he, not Obama, rules in American politics. It was Netanyahu, after all, who was caught on tape a decade ago telling supporters “I know what America is...America is a thing you can move very easily”. And he believes that he has a record to justify his cockiness.

Netanyahu has long been married to the neo-conservative wing of the Republican Party, working with them for years to sabotage US peace-making efforts.

During the 1990’s, he collaborated with the Gingrichled Congress to pass the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act, over the objections of both President Clinton and then Israeli Prime Minister Rabin.

Once elected as Prime Minister, Netanyahu delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress, at Gingrich’s invitation, pledging to end the Oslo peace process. That speech had been written with the help of leading American neo-conservatives like Richard Perle, Doug Feith, and David Wurmser.

READERS’ FORUM NEW INDIA ASSURANCE New India’s PERSONAL ACCIDENT INSURANCE offers you world-wide cover/ protection and TRAVEL INSURANCE that ensures you tension-free travels. website: www.newindiaoman.com

Never miss a chance to keep your mouth shut ROBERT NEWTON PECK,

He used his next appearance before Congress in 2011, at Boehner’s invitation, to rebuke President Obama’s call for a peace agreement based on the “1967 borders with mutually agreed upon land swaps”. At the time, observers across the globe were amazed at the gall of Congress to invite a foreign leader to slap their president in the face and then to respond by giving the foreign leader 29 standing ovations.

So the ever self-assured Netanyahu relishes the opportunity that his agents cooked up for him to once again demonstrate that he, together with his Republican allies, can dominate Washington. The fact that his appearance comes just weeks before the Israeli election is “icing on the cake”.

Crass political calculations are also key to Boehner’s intent. Not only does he get to embarrass the president, the invitation presents an opportunity for Republicans to try to make Israel a wedge-issue showing that they, not Democrats, are Israel’s best friends in Washington. And it doesn’t hurt that the decision to bring the Prime Minister to Congress will make Sheldon Adelson happy. Adelson, after all, spent more than $100 million in a failed effort to defeat Obama in 2012, and has committed to spend at least as much to bring a Republican to the White House in 2016.

While the calculations made by both sides may seem smart, there’s more to this story.

If Netanyahu fails to benefit politically from his effort, will Boehner and the GOP fare any better with the American electorate? Those pundits who suggest that Boehner’s action threatens to make support for Israel into a partisan issue miss an important point — it already is a partisan issue and is becoming more so with every passing year.

The division of the American electorate is not merely by party, but by demographics. Republican base voters are largely older and white and male, including a strong cohort who identify themselves as “born-again Christians”. Democratic voters, on the other hand, are young people, professional educated women, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans. What Obama’s victories demonstrated is that the GOP base is shrinking while the Democrat’s base is growing.

Furthermore, our polls show that Democrats may continue to support Israel, in the abstract, but are increasingly opposed to Israeli behaviours. And while Netanyahu has strong favourable ratings among Republicans, his ratings are decidedly lower among Democrats. And, by the way, polls also show that the vast majority of American Jews continue to vote for Democrats, supported President Obama in 2008 and 2012, and support his efforts to achieve and just Israeli-Palestinian peace.

The author is the President of Arab American Institute. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman.

Festival has grown immensely in terms of its popularity, size and appeal. It has now become a mega event, a brand, and has carved out a unique niche for itself in the annual calendar of events in the entire GCC region.

This month-long festival showcases the Sultanate’s rich traditions and historical identity.

This year Muscat Festival has introduced quite a few interesting surprises for the visitors. A visit to the festival is a must and if you miss it this year, you will certainly miss something which you may have to pine for long, in fact for years. For sure, visitors who would visit the festival will go back home awestruck. So visit the festival and you will return with all your senses revitalised.

Abid Shah Ruwi

Introduction of railway will boost Oman’s growth It will not be an exaggeration to say that in lot of ways the modern world is a creation of the railways.

It revolutionised transportation, both human and goods, transformed society and brought the world closer. We cannot deny that development of railways improved economies and encouraged new industries to grow and thrive. In Oman too, railway’s introduction will certainly be a big boost for economy. The benefits of railway are far too many. Today, as we in the Sultanate stand poised at the threshold of railway being introduced, we can say that it will herald the beginning of a new era — a period of progress hitherto unknown.

S. R. Radhakrishnan Hamriyah

In the last decade, Muscat

Letters, containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by mail (Times of Oman, P.O. Box 770, P.C. 112, Ruwi), by fax (24813153) or by e-mail (times@omantel.net.om)

T I M E S OF OMAN

T UE SDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

A13

PERSPEC IVE Our behaviour is enough to push them towards violence I

’m sure those at at GCHQ and the “Ms” and “Qs” of our intelligence services want more and more “tools” to combat the army of world terror which confronts Britain. But I was very struck by one of the metaphors used by MI5’s boss Andrew Parker this month.

He was waffling on to chosen journalists about the dangers of accepting that privacy was “so absolute and sacrosanct that terrorists … can confidently operate behind these walls without fear of detection”. If MI5 lost the ability to identify these enemies — “if parts of the radar go dark” — then public safety is reduced.

Hear, hear. Couldn’t agree more. However, I was much struck by the image of the radar screen, into which the sleuths are no doubt staring 24 hours a day. And you can see the problem.

A bit of the screen starts shading into grey, becomes a little patchy, “goes dark” — and then Isis, Al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Al Nusrah Front, Bashar Assad’s “Mukhabarat” and all manner of other chaps will be plotting to destroy us without The problem with all this is not that MI5’s radar might grow dark. It’s that any sane intelligence officer in the UK knows well that the “terrorist” threat grows not in proportion to the clarity of his or her radar screen, but to the hypocrisy and brutality of British, US and other Western policies in the Middle East.

For if Parker and his crew really want to protect us, they have only to look at the plight of the occupied Palestinians, the statelessness of the Kurds, the imprisoned tens of thousands of Arabs in the jails and torture chambers of the Arab world whose dictators we have supported — and in the case of Egypt and much of the Gulf — still do support and protect. The atrocities which we allow to be perpetrated — in effect, in our own name — would drive any Muslim young man or woman to violence against his or her oppressors.

Please note, I am not even mentioning the regime of torture we ourselves instituted in Afghanistan and in Guantanamo and in Iraq after our savage and illegal invasion.

Nor am I writing about the slaughter of Palestinian children — more than 300 last summer — in Israel’s regular bombardments of Gaza.

Yes, I know that Hamas isn’t saint and Isis is the most-frightening, “apocalyptic”, “end-of-the-world” enemy we have faced since Hitler, the Kaiser, Tamburlaine or Genghis Khan, that the “Muslim Brotherhood” wanted to create a caliphate in Egypt

ROBERT FISK

Beyond this field of blood there is a history of massive injustice which must be recognised, and a vital need for good people to speak out about the iniquities we have unleashed or permitted in the Middle East

(which I don’t believe), that Al Qaeda attacked America in 2001 and Britain in 2007 and — if its apostles in Yemen were behind the killings in Paris — in France in 2015.

But beyond this field of blood there is a history of massive injustice which must be recognised, and a vital need for good people to speak out about the iniquities we have unleashed or permitted in the Middle East.

What, for example, were those who have suffered so grievously at our hands — or at those of our supposed allies — to have thought when they read not many weeks ago of General Martin Dempsey’s preposterous remarks about the extraordinary restraint of the Israeli army.

General Dempsey is chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking military officer in America, and — making no reference to the compelling evidence of war crimes committed by Israeli troops when they killed 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians last August — claimed that Israel went to “extraordinary lengths to limit collateral damage and civilian casualties… They did some extraordinary things to try and limit civilian casualties, to include … making it known that they were going to destroy a particular structure”. He dismissed Palestinian civilian casualties – to whom Human Rights Watch accused the Israeli army of showing “callous indifference” – as “tragic”.

Why, General Dempsey even packed some senior and non-commissioned officers off to Israel after the Gaza bloodbath to learn more about the operation.

Let us hope that his warriors do not plan to put their knowledge into practice in the next air strikes in Syria and Iraq.

Not that Isis or Al Qaeda will care. They have long insisted that the US and Israel are essentially the same nation with the same military objectives and the same, vicious tactics.

And along comes General Dempsey to help Isis with their propaganda. This is the stuff from which “terrorism” is made.

But none of this seems of much interest to the director general of the Security Services. For what must appear on any radar screen at MI5 is the key word: injustice.

But I fear this would be regarded as a technical malfunction, a sudden darkening of the screen rather than a powerful illumination which could help our security services to protect our lives. For I’m sure I know what Andy’s orders would be if that dreaded word appeared on the radar at MI5: Switch off the screen! - The Independent

Is Amjad Bashir the Churchill of his day?

N

ever in the field of nostalgia has the anniversary of a prime minister’s death provoked so much anguish from so many.

Where, everybody has been fretting in the half-century since Churchill passed away, are we to find the Winstons du jour in the age of the political pygmy?

So it is with exquisite timing that a claimant to his mantle has emerged. I refer to Amjad Bashir, the Pakistan-born, Leeds-raised entrepreneur who has left Ukip, for which he briefly served as an MEP, for the Conservatives.

The true genesis of this development remains a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

Bashir says he was motivated by disgust at Ukip’s racism and amateurishness.

Nigel Farage counters that he suspended him, hours before the defection was scheduled to be

MATTHEW NORMAN

revealed, over alleged expenses irregularities and claims that he hired illegal immigrants at his restaurant.

One could easily become obsessed with such minutiae as why Bashir took so long to discern any racist undercurrents among his confrères.

In 2013, after Michael Heseltine had misinterpreted Godfrey Bloom’s reference to “bongo bongo land” as somehow racist, a cross Bashir appeared on the BBC to bat away the slur.

“Look at my ethnicity,” he harrumphed. “Listen, this is silly.

Here I am running as an MEP. Where’s the racism?

“If it was a racist party, would they select me?”

It was nothing more, he added with winning originality, than “political correctness gone mad”.

At the time, he had recently left the Tories, in despair at govern-

ment immigration policy, for a Ukip he praised with no discernible ironic intent as “very disciplined”.

Since we may never fully know what explains his epiphany, let us celebrate a political journey that puts his role model in the shade: although Churchill also left the Tories (for the Liberals) and later re-joined them, he was never a Labour Party member, as Bashir was in the 1970s.

What an infinitely supple political mind this is, and it will be scandalous if David Cameron, or the leader of whichever party he joins, fails to offer him a peerage.

Bashir would probably refuse it in further homage to his hero, who turned down the dukedom of London.

Even so, anyone who has stated that what most attracted him to Ukip was its discipline deserves a legislative voice. - The Independent

Pakistan in the grip of an identity crisis now Why then are the expectations of the population so lofty? There is talk of democracy and a demand for progress.

Herein lies the contradiction and where we need to find the answer to how Pakistan can operate as a nation.

Today’s society appears to neither have the intent nor capacity to right itself but is indecisively wavering about in search of answers.

The ‘Pakistani Nation’ as a whole is at fault. Pakistanis act as their own worst enemy and are on a circular path that leads nowhere.

This cannot be righted by anyone but ourselves and it must start by de-radicalising the populace. Once the radicalised element is under control, society can relearn to live for their belief rather than to just die for it.

People will once again be free to discuss in the open whether Pakistan is an ideological state or not.

If, according to outspoken opinion, the most important pillar of statehood is ideology, then it should certainly not be left in the hands of the fanatical clerics. This extreme aberration holds domestic and foreign policy hostage to his own interpretation of ideology, causing violent protests if his narrow views and demands are not strictly adhered to.

A moderate form of religion-based governance may not be feasible, when one person’s interpretation of religion does not recognise another person as a Muslim.

If ideology itself is responsible for dividing the nation into small little hate groups, then surely one needs to consider rational statehood in lieu of the theological form.

Was Pakistan created as a result of repression or was it created in order for Muslims to have a way to repress others? Was Pakistan always an Islamic Republic? If there is an alternative identity which doesn’t violate the number one priority, the well-being of its populace, then it must be sought.

Regardless of whether Pakistan turns into a more inclusive system or not, madrassas must be reined in and the role of religion in politics has to be reviewed.

The authority of the clerics also requires clear definition so as to avoid any delusions.

The state should be returned to the citizens, to live in an air of freedom without fear and fraud, without prejudice and malice towards anyone.

SABINA KHAN

M

ore than a month has gone by since the attack on APS, Peshawar. Military courts have been established and schools have been made responsible for their own security. The country is still limping back from one crisis and is now forced to deal with a self-imposed fuel shortage.

Are these events written in the stars or does the fault lie within ourselves?

We are racked with violence and extremism while our civil society is inept and known to celebrate suicidal maniacs with vigour and fanfare.

Hangings of convicted murderers bring out a vote for sympathy in their favour.

Volunteers administering polio shots are killed and anyone with a different ideology is destroyed.

The land of the pure wishes to represent all Muslims of the world, whereever they maybe, by rioting for their causes and protesting in their support.

Buildings are burnt and facilities are demolished because of the emotional tantrum we suffer on account of real or perceived insults to our belief.

Is Pakistan only made up of emotional mobs and nothing more, where might is always right and each citizen is left to their own struggle for survival of the fittest?

We are racked with violence and extremism while our civil society is inept and known to celebrate suicidal maniacs with vigour and fanfare.

Hangings of convicted murderers bring out a vote for sympathy in their favour.

Buildings are burnt and facilities are demolished because of the emotional tantrum we suffer

- The Express Tribune

Anti-austerity Syriza wins Greek election The radical anti-austerity Syriza party has won Greece’s general election, setting the stage for a showdown with the EU over its massive bailout

To Potami: Centrist. Favours staying in euro

PASOK: Socialist party could support Syriza

Syriza: Far left.

Seeking substantial cut to what Greece owes in rescue loans

12

149

Out

New Democracy: Conservative 151 seats needed for majority

16

going parliament

78

TODAY IN HISTORY 1695

Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul on the death of Amhed II.

1862

President Abraham Lincoln issues General War Order No. 1, setting in motion the Union armies.

1900

Foreign diplomats in Peking fear revolt and demand that the Imperial Government discipline the Boxer Rebels.

9 25 28 127 13

71 15

300

12

seats

Communist Party: Believes Greece should abandon eurozone Dimar

Independent

1905

12 16

Independent Greeks: Right-wing nationalist

17 Golden Dawn: Neo-Nazi, believes Greece should abandon eurozone

Predicted result with 80% of votes counted

1918

Russian General Kuropatkin takes the offensive in Manchuria. The Japanese under General Oyama suffer heavy casualties.

Communists attempt to seize power in Finland.

HISTORYNET.COM Source: News reports

Graphic News /

Graphics

OPINION POLL Do you have confidence in the infectious disease controls currently in place in Oman?

FROM OUR ARCHIVES DESALINATION RESEARCH CENTRE MEETING ENDS

MUSCAT: The executive council of the Middle East Desalination Research Centre (MEDRC) concluded its eighth meeting here yesterday. The meeting was presided over by Ambassador Sayyid Badr bin Hamd bin Hamoud Al Busaidhi, head of the minister’s office department and acting undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry. The council discussed the centre’s achievements and reviewed upcoming programmes and activities.

Visit timesofoman.com to cast your vote

LAST POLL RESULT Yes

85.4%

No

9.8%

Can't say

4.9%

Should the civic authorities in Muscat demolish all constructions made on Wadi basins?

A 14

TUE S DAY, JANUA RY 27, 2 015

GLOBAL EYE

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT

PHOTO GALLERY W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N .C O M

RUSSIA: A man fishes on the bank of the Yenisei River, with the air temperature at minus 31 degrees Celsius, outside Russia’s Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, on Monday. – Reuters

FRANCE: Mexico’s Gamaliel Mendez competes during the Pastries

World Cup final on Monday, as part of the Catering and Food International Show in Chassieu, outside Lyon, France. – AFP

SPAIN: A man throws flour to another during the ‘Domingo Fareleiro’ (floury Sunday in Galician language) carnival festival in the vil-

lage of Xinzo de Limia, northwestern Spain, on Sunday. During this festive battle participants throw flour against each other as a kind of purification ritual. – AFP.

SYRIA: Wooden helicopters carved by Abu Khalil, a 47-year-old Free Syrian Army fighter who is also a visual artist and decorator, are displayed at his workshop in Jabal Al Turkman in Latakia province. – Reuters

GERMANY: A snow plough clears a regional road near Koenigsfeld in the Black Forrest in southern Germany on Monday. – Reuters

BRAZIL: A girl plays with a curtain of water at Madureira park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday. – AFP

KENYA: Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance, as elephants walk in Amboseli National park in Kajiado District, Rift Valley Province in Kenya, on Monday. – Reuters

T UE SDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015 This study is a step towards better understanding of exactly which parts of the ice sheets are vulnerable to ocean warming and that is the sort of information that we can then use to improve our predictions of future sea level rises Steve Rintoul, Chief scientist

A15

WORLD

Warm ocean melting Totten Glacier ‘2014 tied with 2010 as the warmest on record’

The waters around the 120-kilometre long glacier, which is more than 30 kilometres wide, were found warmer than expected and likely melting the ice from below

SYDNEY: The largest glacier in East Antarctica, containing ice equivalent to a six-metre (20-foot) rise in global sea levels, is melting due to warm ocean water, Australian scientists said on Monday.

The 120-kilometre (74.4 mile) long Totten Glacier, which is more than 30 kilometres wide, had been thought to be in an area untouched by warmer currents.

But a just-returned voyage to the frozen region found the waters around the glacier were warmer than expected and likely melting the ice from below.

“We knew that the glacier was thinning from the satellite data, and we didn’t know why,” the voy-

WARMER THAN EXPECTED: A handout photo taken by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and released on Monday, shows the largest glacier in East Antarctica. – AFP

age’s chief scientist Steve Rintoul said. He said that up until recently the East Antarctica ice sheet had been thought surrounded by cold waters and therefore very stable and unlikely to change much.

Temperatures But the voyage found that waters around the glacier were some 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than other areas visited on the same trip during the southern hemisphere summer. “We made it to the front of the glacier and we measured temperatures that were warm enough to drive significant melt,” Rintoul said.

“And so the fact that warm water can reach this glacier is a sign

WORLD BANK

POPULATION SHIFT: A foreign worker sweeps a car park in front of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, on Monday. According to local media, there are an estimated 6.7 million foreign workers in Malaysia but only 2.1 million have valid work permits. – Reuters

200m moved to East Asian cities in decade: Report SINGAPORE: Almost 200 million people in East Asia moved to urban areas in the decade to 2010, the World Bank said on Monday, creating a massive challenge to the region’s planners.

About 36 per cent of people in the region — which under the World Bank’s definition includes Northeast and Southeast Asia — were living in urban areas as of 2010, up from 29 per cent 10 years before. This suggests the region will see decades more of further population shifts, it said in a report released on Monday.

The report contains data gathered through satellite imagery and “geospatial” mapping which the bank said should help planners ensure that policies will benefit a larger number of those moving to cities, especially the poor. “For the first time, the data compares urban areas and their population in a consistent manner across East Asia, providing governments and local leaders with a better understanding of the shape and scale of the growth so they can get urbanisation right — creating opportunities for all,” the bank said.

Data The data shows that urban areas in East Asia expanded at an average rate of 2.4 per cent per year during the decade, with urban land reaching 134,800 square kilometres (71,043 square miles) in 2010. Urban populations rose at a faster rate of 3.0 per cent, according to the report, which also found a direct link between urbanisation and income growth.

The region had 869 urban areas with more than 100,000 people, including eight “megacities” with a population of over 10 million as of 2010, according to the report.

Urban areas in East Asia expanded at an average rate of 2.4 per cent per year during the decade

China’s Pearl River Delta, which incudes Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan and Dongguan, has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s largest urban area both in size and population, it said.

As of 2010, the report stated that there were 42 million inhabitants in the Pearl River Delta, a population larger than that of Argentina, Canada or Malaysia.

World Bank urban development expert Abhas Jha said he hopes the report will push policy makers to a shift from a “car centric” to a “people centric” strategy in growing cities like Jakarta and Bangkok. “Massive traffic congestions in urban cities calls for a new paradigm shift in urban planning to move from a carcentric to people-centric urban plan,” he told reporters in a video conference from Singapore, adding that a more efficient public transportation system could be one way to alleviate this problem.

The report however said that despite the population shift, data shows that only less than one percent of the total area studied is urbanised. “Only 36 per cent of the total population is urban -- suggesting that the region’s urban expansion has only just begun,” it said. — AFP

that East Antarctica is potentially more vulnerable to changes in the ocean driven by climate change than we used to think.”

Previous expeditions had been unable to get close to the glacier due to heavy ice, but Rintoul said the weather had held for the Aurora Australis icebreaker and a team of scientists and technicians from the Australian Antarctic Division and other bodies.

Rintoul said the glacier was not about to melt entirely overnight and cause a six-metre rise in sea levels, but the research was important as scientists try to predict how changes in ocean temperatures will impact on ice sheets. “This study is a step towards better un-

OSLO: Last year tied with 2010 as the hottest on record, in a new sign of long-term global warming stoked by human activities, according to British data on Monday that back up US findings of record-breaking heat in 2014.

The worldwide data, compiled by the Met Office and the University of East Anglia from records stretching back to 1850, showed average surface temperatures last year were 0.56 degree Celsius (1.0 Fahrenheit) above the long-term average of 1961-90. “This ranks 2014 as the joint warmest year in the record, tied with 2010, but the uncertainty ranges mean it’s not possible to definitively say which of several recent years was the warmest,” a joint statement said.

With 2014, all of the 10 warmest years on record have been this century, with the ex-

derstanding of exactly which parts of the ice sheets are vulnerable to ocean warming and that is the sort of information that we can then use to improve our predictions of

ception of 1998. Given the statistical ranges, the data echoed US findings. On January 16, the US space agency NASA and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration said last year was the warmest on record, just ahead of 2010.

Findings The British team said the findings showed “several datasets in broad agreement”. Discrepancies occur because they use different ways to determine temperatures in places with few thermometers, such as the Arctic. The statement linked a long-term trend of rising temperatures in recent decades to human emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels. China, the United States and India are the top emitters. Almost 200 governments have agreed to limit global warming to 2 degrees

future sea level rises,” he said.

“East Antarctica is not as protected from change as we use to think,” he said.

The melt rate of glaciers in the

Celsius above pre-industrial times, and temperatures have already risen by about 0.9 C. Governments will meet in Paris in December to work out a deal. Sceptics who doubt that humans influence the climate often point to what UN studies have called a hiatus in warming in recent years, perhaps linked to natural variations in the sun’s output or factors such as sun-dimming ash from volcanoes. “To say that warming has stopped is not accurate,” Professor Tim Osborn of the University of East Anglia said.

But he said the pace of warming had been faster in the 1980s and 1990s.

Thomas Stocker, a professor at the University of Bern who co-chaired a 2013 UN report about climate change, said the recent run of warm years meant “the possibility is quite there that this hiatus is over”. — Reuters

fastest-melting part of Antarctica has tripled over the past decade, analysis of the past 21 years showed, according to research published last month. — AFP

A 16

TUE S DAY, JANUA RY 27, 2 015

WORLD

Share your world with us on Instagram

Anti-austerity Syriza wins power in Greece brought together by a mutual hatred of the 240-billion-euro bailout programme keeping Greece afloat at the price of budget cuts.

The alliance suggests a hardline stance against Greece’s creditors, who have dismissed Tsipras’s demands for a debt writeoff and insisted the country stay on the path of reforms and austerity to get its finances back on track.

The decisive victory

by Alexis Tsipras’ Syriza in Sunday’s snap election reignites fears of new financial troubles in the country that set off the regional crisis in 2009

ATHENS: Greek left-wing leader Alexis Tsipras was sworn in on Monday as the prime minister of a new hardline, anti-bailout government determined to face down international lenders and end nearly five years of tough economic measures.

The decisive victory by Tsipras’ Syriza in Sunday’s snap election reignites fears of new financial troubles in the country that set off the regional crisis in 2009. It is also the first time a member of the 19-nation euro zone will be led by parties rejecting Germanbacked austerity.

Tsipras’ success is also likely to empower Europe’s fringe parties, including other anti-austerity movements across the region’s economically-depressed south.

The trouncing of the conservatives represents a defeat of Europe’s middle-ground political guard, which has dallied on a growth-versus-budget discipline debate for five years while voters suffered.

“We have an uphill road ahead,” Tsipras told President Karolos Papoulias just before being sworn in as prime minister in a cer-

ON A MISSION: Syriza’s leader Alexis Tsipras, right, shakes hands with Greece’s President Karolos Papoulias as he is sworn in as Greek Prime Minister, in Athens, on Monday. — AFP

HELPING HAND: Leader of right-wing, anti-bailout Independent Greeks party Panos Kammenos, centre, leaves after a meeting with new Prime Minister, Syriza party’s, Alexis Tsipras (not pictured) at the Syriza headquarters in Athens, on Monday. — Reuters

emony that eschewed the traditional oath on a Bible and blessing with basil and water. Tsipras met Greece’s Archbishop Ieronymos to say he planned to take a nonreligious oath.

Coalition deal Within hours of victory on a campaign of “Hope is coming!”, the 40-year-old Tsipras sealed a coalition deal with the small Independent Greeks party which

also opposes Greece’s EU/IMF aid programme though the two parties are at odds on many social issues like illegal immigration.

Syriza won 149 seats in the 300seat parliament, leaving it just two seats short of an outright majority and in need of a coalition partner.

The Independent Greeks won 13 seats.

The alliance is an unusual one between parties on the opposite end of the political spectrum

Strange marriage “At first sight this looks like a very strange marriage, but both parties share a strong opposition to austerity,” said Diego Iscaro, an analyst at IHS Global Insight.

Yanis Varoufakis, an outspoken crusader against austerity and a blogger, was expected to become finance minister when the cabinet is unveiled on Tuesday, senior party officials said.

“The people of Greece gave a vote of confidence to hope,” economist Varoufakis wrote on his blog. “They used the ballot box, in this splendid celebration of democracy, to put an end to a selfreinforcing crisis that produces indignity in Greece and feeds Europe’s darkest forces.”

Reaction from financial markets to Syriza’s victory was largely muted, with the euro recovering from a tumble to an 11-year low against the dollar on initial results. Greek stocks fell 2.7 percent while 10-year bond yields rose but stayed below the levels seen in the run-up to the vote.

For the first time in more than 40 years, neither the New Democracy party of Samaras nor the centre-left PASOK, the two forces that had dominated Greek politics since the fall of a military junta in 1974, will be in power, beaten by a party that has until recently always been at the fringe.

Tsipras also intends to talk to the heads of two other parties, the centrist To Potami and the communist KKE to seek outside support for his coalition. — Reuters

SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY SHARE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS

A D M I T T I N G FA I LU R E

‘Very hard to close Guantanamo jail’ WASHINGTON: Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel said it is “going to be very difficult” to close the controversial US prison at Guantanamo Bay by the end of President Barack Obama’s term in two years.

In an interview with National Public Radio that aired Monday, Hagel also acknowledged that he had taken a cautious approach to approving the transfer of some detainees out of the prison, which had reportedly irritated some officials in the White House.

Obama has repeatedly vowed to close the prison for terror suspects at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But Congress has banned the inmates from being sent to the United States and put up other obstacles, and US diplomats have struggled to find countries willing to take them in.

Inmates declined The number of inmates has gradually declined as the Obama administration has tried to speed up the

Chuck Hagel

transfer of detainees to their home countries or other nations willing to accept them.

Asked if Obama will manage to fulfil his promise to shut down Guantanamo before leaving office, Hagel said: “It’s going to be very difficult ... especially if the Congress further restricts where these last 122 detainees go.”

“This isn’t a simple, easy matter of ‘Oh, let’s just move 122 detainees,’” he said.

“These people are there for a reason. And as you draw down into the last numbers there, these are the most difficult cases.” — AFP

POLITICAL TUSSLE

Tunisia MPs delay confidence vote TUNIS: The Tunisian parliament on Monday delayed what was expected to be a tight vote of confidence on the first government since landmark free elections held last year.

Lawmakers were to convene Tuesday to vote on prime minister designate Habib Essid’s line-up, parliament said on its website, only to announce later that “the vote has been put off to a later date”.

The moderate extremist movement Ennahda, which holds 69 of parliament’s 217 seats, has said it will vote against the line-up, as have three smaller parties.

Essid, a former interior minister and nominal independent, was charged with forming a government by anti-extremist President Beji Caid Essebsi following his inauguration in late December.

Short of majority With 86 seats, Essebsi’s own party Nidaa Tounes fell short of a majority in the October parliamentary election, forcing Essid to seek coalition partners.

He handed the tourism and sports ministries to the Free Patriotic Union party of businessman Slim Riahi, which holds 13 seats, and others to independents. — AFP

B

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM TU ES DAY, JAN UARY 27, 2015

MARKE

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY LAUNCH THE VIDEO

DIGEST VIDEO Top stories in one minute with our new daily Digest

Muscat 6,644.92 + 0.41 + 0.01%

Dubai 3,723.21 - 139.04 - 3.60%

Abu Dhabi 4,526.84 - 43.38 - 0.95%

Kuwait 6,659.26 - 3.55 - 0.05%

Saudi Arabia

8,470.77 + 49.05 + 0.58%

Bahrain 1,428.59 - 0.06 - 0.02%

Qatar 11,847.48 + 148.62 + 1.27%

CRUDE OIL PRICE

CURRENCY RATES*

DRAFT RATES (OMR1)*

GOLD PRICES*

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

Forex rates vs OMR1* US Dollar ................................. 2.58 Euro ............................................ 2.30 Pound ............................................1.72 Indian Rs .............................159.36 Pak Rs .....................................257.14 Bangla Taka.......................199.52

Indian Rs .................................. 159.20 Pakistan Rs ............................ 260.80 Sri Lanka Rs .......................... 343.05 Bangla Taka............................ 201.50 Phil Peso .................................... 114.00

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......16.55

Oman Crude............. (Spot) ........$45.56 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) ........$44.29 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$48.04 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) .........$47.83 N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) ........$48.02 West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........$44.89

companies will be exhibiting their products and services at the show.

It will create a platform for visitors to network and develop partnerships with leading exhibitors showcasing solutions and innovative products and services

BUSINESS REPORTER MAKING A POINT: The main focus will be on accessories, art, bathroom, décor, furniture and furnishings, interior design, kitchen, lightings, luxury life style, surfaces and finishes.

— Picture by Hussein Al Muqbali/Times of Oman

ers decided to give an opportunity to the companies which did not participate in the first edition of the exhibition.

The exhibit will be inaugurated

by Sheikha Ayisha Bint Khalfan Al Siyabiya, chairperson of the Public Authority for Craft Industries, he noted.

According to the organisers, Oman’s continuous development in the construction and the real estate sector has witnessed the

OIL SUPPLIES

Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ........... 156.00 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) .............. 147.75 * Rates as of Jan. 26

* Rates as of Jan. 26 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

* Rates are as of Jan. 26 Source: Bank Muscat

Interior expo to showcase products from 80 agencies

MUSCAT: A new set of local and international companies will be participating in Oman’s premier international interior design, décor and furniture exhibition, set to be held from February 17 to 19.

IDF Oman, which will be held atthe Oman International Exhibition Centre, will feature more than 80 companies, including over 55 international companies from 10 different countries.

At a press conference on Monday, Salim Omar Al Hashmi, chairman of Al Nimr Expo, which is organising the exhibition under the patronage of the Ministry of Housing, said that the organis-

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......15.85

launch of numerous commercial, residential and tourism projects, thus creating a demand for interior and outdoor design, décor and furnishing items.

Create a platform The event will create a platform for visitors to network and develop partnerships with exhibitors showcasing advanced solutions and innovative products and services.

The main focus will be on ac-

cessories, art, bathroom, décor, furniture and furnishings, interior design, kitchen, lightings, luxury life style, surfaces and finishes, textiles and carpets, commercial interiors and fit out, outdoor design and build, vastu and fengshui.

Asked about the participation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the exhibition, Adil Osman, project director at Al Nimr Expo, said that some individual small and medium enterprises

Italian pavilion Special highlights of the second edition include the Italian Area managed by MEDINIT SRL featuring over 35 Italian companies from diverse interior design sectors,in association with Alfardan Motors LLC & Maserati.

The pavilion will showcase a unique opera project ‘Opera, a living taste’ which is a cultural space that aims to showcase the excellence of Italian design.

‘Opera, a living taste’, realised in collaboration with Fondazione Arena Di Verona, will be set up at the entrance of the Italy pavilion.

The project has been created by Opera Architects Designers.

Another feature of the exhibition is Paragon Arts, a non-profit educational, social and entertainment Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, created by Paragon International and sponsored by The Wave Muscat.

Three visitors will have chances to win fine art paintings by Paragon Arts participating artist while interacting with fine artists from around the world and enjoying a plethora of musical tunes played on rarely seen ethnic instruments

by American musician Leta and her associate.

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

Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

ECONOMY

‘Reserve Bank of India could ease interest rates further’ DAVOS: Lauding RBI’s role in helping bring down inflation, India’s Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian said the central bank may further ease the interest rates as improvement on price front has opened the space for monetary easing.

“The way I view is that Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has a mandate to bring down inflation and keep it low and given the inflation has been coming down, that opened up the space for monetary policy easing and RBI has begun that,” said Subramanian, who was here to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting.

“The RBI’s own statement says that this is not just a change in rate, but a shift in its monetary policy stance provided inflation remains low and there could be more easing,” Subramanian told PTI in an interview at the WEF summit that ended this weekend.

A number of business leaders and bankers, including ICICI Bank’s Chanda Kochhar and Kotak Group’s Uday Kotak, also said at the World Economic Forum that the RBI may look at further easing of rates as inflation appears to be under control.

Subramanian also said the government is committed to making sure that the taxation is not an extra burden for foreign investments of all kinds. On January 15, the RBI had cut the policy rate by 25 basis points (bps) a few weeks ahead of its regular monetary policy meeting, which is scheduled to be held on February 3. — PTI

BUSINESS TIE-UP

UAE plans to keep investing in energy DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will continue building and upgrading its oil facilities to maintain its role as a major producer amid the decline and volatility in prices, Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said.

“Many are saying because of what’s happening around us in terms of the commodity prices, companies should rethink what they invest in their infrastructure.

I disagree with that,” Al Mazrouei said on Monday in a speech at a conference in Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital and largest emirate. “I think the investment in the infrastructure and the upgrade of infrastructure has to continue.”

UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei. — Bloomberg file picture

Fifth-biggest supplier The UAE pumped 2.7 million barrels a day of oil in December, making it the fifth-biggest supplier in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The emirate can produce three million barrels a day, the data show, and it plans to boost capacity to 3.5 million barrels a day in 2017. Brent crude has dropped 55 per cent in the last 12 months and was trading at $48.13 a barrel at 7:25am in London.

Oil slumped last year by the most since the 2008 financial crisis, with the UAE and Qatar estimating surplus supply at two million barrels a day. Opec is battling a US shale boom by resisting production cuts, signalling its readiness to let prices fall to a level that slows US output, which has risen at its fastest pace in three decades.

“Our investments are on track to make sure our standing as a major oil producer stays in the future,” Al Mazrouei said, without providing details.

Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori,

the UAE economy minister, said the country has sufficient financial reserves to weather the current slump in oil prices for as long as two years.

“If it extends beyond two to three years, it becomes an issue that challenges all of us,” Al Mansoori told reporters on Monday at a separate event in Abu Dhabi. “By the middle of this year, we should see some positive turn in the prices of oil due to the expected positive turn in the economies of the major blocs,” such as the European Union, the US and China, he said.

Opec cut estimates for the crude it will need to produce this year by 100,000 barrels a day, to 28.8 million a day, in its monthly market report on January 15. The group, which supplies about 40 percent of the world’s oil, decided on November 27 to maintain its collective output target at 30 million barrels a day. It exceeded that target for a seventh consecutive month in December, when it pumped 30.2 million a day, data compiled by Bloomberg show. — Bloomberg News

LAUNCH: Beginning this month, Eint Automotive will offer a full selection of high quality lubricants, including Kendall Motor Oil and 76

Lubricants throughout the country. — Picture by Jun Estrada/Times of Oman

WJ Towell ties up with Phillips 66 for distributing lubricants in Oman Times News Service MUSCAT: Phillips 66 Lubricants, one of the largest finished lubricants suppliers in North America, on Monday announced that Eint Automotive LLC, the automotive aftermarket division of WJ Towell Group, has been named an authorised distributor of Phillips 66 lubricants in Oman.

Beginning this month, Eint Automotive will offer a full selection of high quality lubricants, including Kendall Motor Oil and 76 Lubricants throughout the country.

The alignment represents the first distributor agreement for Phillips 66 Lubricants in Oman, and is part of an expanding growth strategy for the lubricants supplier throughout the Middle East.

“Oman offers a strong positive business climate; growing industrial opportunity and educated consum-

“Oman offers a strong positive business climate; growing industrial opportunity and educated consumers that we believe will appreciate the value of our high quality, made-in-the-USA products Bryan Faria Phillips 66 Manager, Finished Lubricants

ers that we believe will appreciate the value of our high quality, madein-the-USA products. We couldn’t be more pleased to be associated with such a highly recognised and

well-respected business as Eint Automotive as we spearhead growth and expansion in this region,” said Bryan Faria, Phillips 66 Manager, Finished Lubricants.

Shajahan Azeez, Business Operations Manager, said, “Eint Automotive LLC is proud to align with a world-class supplier like Phillips 66 Lubricants and introduce its high-quality lubricant products in Oman for the first time. Its reputation for superior technology and products as well as best-in-class service makes this arrangement a win-win for all of us.”

Eint Automotive will be introducing Kendall motor oil featuring Liquid Titanium protection additive for both petrol and diesel automobiles, as well as high-performance Kendall transmission fluids. Also offered will be a full selection of 76 Lubricants commercial and industrial lubricants and greases designed for a wide range of applications, from cars and trucks to heavy construction equipment and stressful industrial applications.

B2

TUE S DAY, JANUA RY 27, 2 015

MARKET BRIEFS

Majan Electricity extends meter reading contract MUSCAT: Majan Electricity Company has extended a contract for electricity meters reading, billing and collection awarded to Oman National Engineering & Investment Company for one year ending on December 31, 2015.

Galfar bags road contract MUSCAT: Tender Board has awarded dualisation of Nizwa-Ibri road (stage 2) from Jibrin to Ibri (option 2) for OMR28.03 million to Galfar Engineering and Contracting. The project’s duration is 550 days in addition to 30 days for mobilisation.

Oman Fiber Optic proposes dividend MUSCAT: The board of Oman Fiber Optic recommended distribution of cash dividend of 350 baisas per share and a stock dividend of 15 per cent on par value of the share for 2014, subject to approval of the shareholders.

France seeking insolvency law change MUSCAT: Corporate debt restructurings will become easier in France under proposals being considered by lawmakers to restrict shareholder involvement in the process. France’s Parliament will begin discussions on a reform bill to bolster the nation’s growth potential.

Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron is proposing to speed up insolvency procedures by making it simpler for companies to negotiate with lenders. This is the third time France has sought to amend its insolvency regime in the past five years to give creditors greater powers to help rescue ailing companies and preserve jobs.

Brazil’s currency real depreciates RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s real fell for a second straight day as a reduced economic growth outlook and a decline in commodities made the South American nation’s assets less attractive to international investors. The real slid 0.9 per cent to 2.6028 per dollar in Sao Paulo. Swap rates, a gauge of expectations for changes in borrowing costs, climbed 0.05 percentage point to 12.73 per cent on the contract maturing in January 2016. Economists lowered their forecast for gross domestic product growth in 2015 to 0.13 per cent. - Times News Service/Agencies

Japan trade deficit balloons to a record on fuel costs, yen in the oil prices push it back into deficit,” it said. Crude prices have lost more than half their value since June, sitting at less than $50 a barrel.

Shortfall of ¥12.78 trillion, Japan’s fourth-consecutive annual deficit, was 11.4% wider than 2013 and was the worst since records began in 1979, says Finance Ministry

TOKYO: Japan’s trade deficit swelled to a record $109 billion in 2014, data showed yesterday, mostly because of huge postFukushima energy bills, but analysts said a recent drop in oil prices would shrink the yawning gap.

The shortfall of ¥12.78 trillion, Japan’s fourth-consecutive annual deficit, was 11.4 per cent wider than 2013 and was the worst since records began in 1979, according to the Finance Ministry.

Fuel costs have weighed heavily on Japan as the resource-poor country struggles to plug a huge energy gap after the 2011 atomic crisis forced the shutdown of nuclear reactors that once supplied more than a quarter of its power.

SURGING DEFICIT: In December alone, however, Japan’s trade deficit almost halved over the previous year to ¥660.7 billion, largely thanks to falling oil prices. – Bloomberg News

That problem has been exacerbated by a sharp fall in the yen, which hiked the cost of energy imports purchased in foreign currencies. In December alone, however, Japan’s trade deficit almost halved over the previous year to ¥660.7 billion, largely thanks to falling oil prices. The trade balance last month was also helped by a better-than-expected 12.9 per cent jump in exports.

Japan’s trade deficit “is set to narrow further as lower energy

S E L L I N G S TA K E

$109b Was Japan’s trade deficit swelled in 2014, mostly because of huge post-Fukushima energy bills, but analysts said a recent drop in oil prices would shrink the yawning gap

prices are still not fully reflected in import costs”, Capital Economics said in note after the figures were published.

“The key development for the trade balance in coming months... remains the plunge in the price of crude oil since last summer. So far, this is only partly reflected in the cost of imported petroleum.

“Lower energy prices may briefly return the trade balance to surplus in coming months, before a weaker yen and a rebound

Imports rise The data yesterday showed Japan’s imports rose 5.7 per cent to a record ¥85.89 trillion in 2014, outstripping a 4.8 per cent jump in exports to ¥73.11 trillion. Exports to the European Union were up 8.3 per cent over the year, while United States-bound shipments grew 5.6 per cent. China-bound exports rose 6 per cent in 2014, the data showed.

“There is no doubt that external demand will contribute positively to Japan’s economic growth,” Hiroshi Watanabe, an economist at SMBC Nikko Securities, said.

Concerns about Japan’s recovery have increased since a sales tax rise in April slammed the brakes on consumer spending, plunging the economy into recession and throwing the success of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s growth project into question.

That, in turn, has boosted speculation the Bank of Japan will soon be forced to expand its already huge asset-buying stimulus scheme. - AFP

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

EUROPE

Yahoo planning to avoid paying taxes SAN FRANCISCO: Yahoo! today is expected to reveal something most companies usually try to keep secret: how it plans to avoid a multibillion-dollar tax bill.

The Web portal has spent more than a year figuring out how to cash out a chunk of its $40 billion stake in China-based Alibaba.

Typically, a US company faces a federal tax bill of about 35 per cent when it sells stock in another enterprise for cash.

Yahoo took a $3 billion tax hit last year when it sold about $10 billion in Alibaba shares. This time around, activist investors are leaning on the Sunnyvale, California-based company to be more savvy.

Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s chief executive officer, probably will

maintain at least part of the Alibaba holding to keep a finger in China’s fast-growing Web market. Were Yahoo to sell the entire stake, it could face a federal tax bill of as much as $14 billion.

TripAdvisor Last summer, John Malone’s Liberty Ventures wanted to avoid taxes on selling its stake in travel website TripAdvisor. Liberty did so by transferring that stake, as well as online costume-retailer BuySeasons, to a new unit created specifically for the deal.

Under the plan, the new unit took out a $400 million bank loan. Most of that cash was destined for Liberty and the new unit’s stock spun off to Liberty shareholders. - Bloomberg News

IN A DILEMMA: Thousands across central and Eastern Europe took out home loans denominated in Swiss francs in the early 2000s attracted by far lower interest rates than the double-digits offered on mortgages in historically unstable local currencies. – Bloomberg News

Swiss stability proves bad bet for some homeowners ZAGREB: Damir Hajduk likens paying off his mortgage to the tale of Sisyphus in Greek mythology, condemned forever to push a boulder uphill, only for it to roll back down again and again.

“You keep paying and the debt never goes down,” said the 47-year-old Croatian father of three. “After ten years of monthly payments, if we calculate in the (local currency) kuna, today I owe more than the principal I originally took.”

Hajduk is one of 60,000 borrowers in Croatia, and many hundreds of thousands across ex-Communist Central and Eastern Europe, who took out home loans denominated in Swiss francs in the early 2000s, attracted by far lower interest rates than the double-digits offered on mortgages in historically unstable local currencies.

It came back to haunt them when the global crisis that began in 2008 drove up the value of the franc as a safe-haven currency

for investors. Some respite came when the Swiss National Bank imposed a cap to rein in the currency, a policy that lasted three years until it was abruptly abandoned last week, stunning financial markets — and Hajduk.

The drama raises fresh questions over the lending practices of European banks — already dragged through the mud during the financial crisis — and the vigilance of their state regulators.

“No one cautioned or warned us about anything; they were saying the franc is a stable currency and there wouldn’t be any big oscillations,” said Hajduk.

Gullible The value of the franc has jumped 18 per cent against the kuna since last week, and 20 per cent against Poland’s zloty.

Some borrowers have seen their monthly mortgage instalments increase by hundreds of euros, threatening banks with a fresh wave of defaults.

More than half a million homeowners are affected in Poland, central Europe’s biggest economy, where the stock of loans denominated in Swiss francs was worth $36 billion in November, or 8 percent of national output. Croatia’s is equivalent to 7.5 per cent of gross domestic product. Serbia and Romania are also embroiled.

Hungary, the country that stood to lose most, escaped by the skin of its teeth, after the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban ordered that all foreign-currency loans be converted into forints at the tail end of last year to end the ordeal of borrowers.

Hungary had been guilty of failing to regulate the banks well enough; Poland was stricter, and Serbia banned the practice of issuing loans denominated in Swiss francs in 2011. But the damage was done.

“It should have been banned a long time before that,” said former Serbian central bank governor Dejan Soskic. - Reuters

T UESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

B3

MARKET FA C T O RY P R O D U C T I O N

No reprieve for Singapore manufacturers as output dips SINGAPORE: Singapore’s manufacturers are not catching any breaks. Industrial production has declined for three of the past four months amid faltering global demand, data released yesterday in Singapore showed, and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says he’s not ready to let up on foreign-worker curbs that have led to a labour crunch.

“Nothing in the external environment suggests an improvement in the industrial production output,” said Irvin Seah, a Singapore-based economist at DBS Group. “The labour market will remain tight and mismatch in the ECONOMY

Britain hints at rate hike LONDON: British interest rates may rise sooner than many people expect if inflation rebounds strongly from its current decline, a Bank of England rate setter said in an interview published yesterday.

Monetary Policy Committee member Kristin Forbes said inflation might fall further in the near term, but strong growth in the US and cheap oil could boost British consumption, eventually triggering the need for rate hikes.

“If the risks that I’m focusing on to our last forecasts come through, I think there is a chance that inflation will pick up faster than people had been expecting in the medium term, which then would most likely merit an increase in interest rates sooner than people are currently expecting,” Forbes told the Wall Street Journal.

BoE interest rates have held at a record low 0.5 per cent since early 2009, and financial markets do not price in an increase until midway through next year. Economists polled forecast a hike around the end of this year.

Oil prices and inflation Forbes’ comments chime with those of BoE governor Mark Carney, who said on Friday that it was best to look through the effects of falling oil prices on inflation.

Oil prices have more than halved since the middle of last year, pushing British inflation to a 14-year low of 0.5 per cent and causing two Bank of England policymakers to drop their calls this month for higher interest rates.

But Carney said rates would need to rise over the course of the next three years, to stop inflation from overshooting the bank’s 2 per cent target.

By contrast, the US Federal Reserve looks on track to hike interest rates much sooner — probably around June, according to a Reuters poll earlier this month — and Forbes said this would have to be watched closely.

“Whenever one large developed country starts to raise rates, that is going to be a wake-up call to investors and markets that at least in some economies the era of very low rates, ” she said. - Reuters

labour market will continue to exert upward pressure on wages.”

The prime minister is persisting with a plan to restructure the economy by slowing the inflow of cheap foreign workers and boosting productivity, which has raised business costs. That’s compounding the challenge for companies grappling with an uneven global recovery and, in oil-related industries, falling crude prices.

Industrial production fell 1.9 per cent in December from a year earlier, according to the January 26 government report. Electronics output slid 2.4 per cent and petrochemicals dropped 3.5 per cent.

LABOUR CRUNCH Prime minister says he’s not ready to let up on foreign-worker curbs that have led to a labour crunch He is against the inflow of cheap foreign workers

“The slump in oil prices and also the very sluggish growth momentum from the global economy, these are cyclical issues,” Seah said in a telephone interview.

“Some specific clusters would be under significant pressure” structurally from the labour curbs, including rig builders and construction firms that rely on

foreign workers, he said.

Higher levies Lee’s administration has imposed higher levies for overseas labour and set tighter limits on employing non-Singaporeans in some industries. The next round of tightening is scheduled for July. “We have set our immigration policy for now, but will review it after a few years,” Lee said in response to questions from the public on Facebook on January 24.

The government may have room to stick to its labor policies as price pressures elsewhere evaporate, according to Vishnu Varathan, a

Singapore-based economist at Mizuho Bank. Consumer prices fell for a second month in December for the first time since 2009, according to data.

“It’s a very welcome relief that they can go on with the labor market streamlining policy without unnecessarily causing too much policy dilemma,” said Varathan.

“They will not be pushing inflation unimaginably higher to a point where the Monetary Authority of Singapore may have to react to inflation despite slow growth,” Varathan said, referring to the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

- Bloomberg News

Cash-rich Samsung denies proposal to buy BlackBerry The $190 billion South Korean conglomerate makes dozens of consumer goods, from phones and televisions to vacuum cleaners and ovens

South Korean conglomerate, which has an alliance with BlackBerry, denied

Other potential targets include Atmel and Freescale Semiconductor, whose chips help devices talk to each other, said CM Research

reports of acquiring the Canadian smartphone maker

SEOUL: Whether or not Samsung Electronics has BlackBerry in its sights, it should spend some of its $63 billion of cash on takeovers.

Samsung, which has an alliance with BlackBerry, this month denied reports it proposed buying the Canadian smartphone maker for as much as $7.5 billion. Even so, a takeover would give Samsung the software to help its products communicate, according to Current Analysis.

The $190 billion South Korean conglomerate makes dozens of consumer goods, from phones and televisions to vacuum cleaners and ovens. What it needs is technology to link all the devices together online in the wireless

Samsung said in November 2013 it would be more aggressive in pursuing targets after spending only $1 billion on takeovers in three years

homes of the future. Other potential targets include Atmel and Freescale Semiconductor, whose chips help devices talk to each other, said CM Research.

“Samsung is a hardware company caught up in a software revolution,” said Cyrus Mewawalla, managing director at Londonbased CM Research. “So it needs to make acquisitions.”

ISLAMIC FINANCE

Dubai bank plans branch in Kenya DUBAI: Dubai Islamic Bank’s plan to open a Sharia-compliant arm in Kenya by year-end may be just the start for Gulf-based lenders seeking growth outside home markets.

Dubai Islamic received “in principle approval” from the Kenyan regulator this month, chief executive officer Adnan Chilwan said at a press event in Dubai. The lender still needs to get its final licence, he said.

Meanwhile Nigeria is educat-

ing its population about Islamic finance, the Bank of Zambia last month published guidelines for the industry and Tunisia vowed to sell its first sukuk in the third quarter this year.

“We have been seeing more interest from African countries for Islamic finance, and GCC banks are well placed to be the ones to meet the demand,” Montasser Khelifi, a Dubai-based senior manager at Quantum Investment Bank, said.- Bloomberg News

Internet of Things The goal is to profit from what’s known as the Internet of Things, a world where everyday items, from toasters and washing machines to phones and printers, are sewn together online and controlled by devices. The market for the Internet of Things could reach $7.1 trillion by 2020, research firm IDC has said.

“There are many areas in Internet of Things,” from sensor technology to components, Samsung said in a statement. “Samsung regards M&A (mergers & acquisitions) as one of our key business strategies, in conjunction with organic growth, and we continue to remain open to partnership and acquisition opportunities.”

Shares of Samsung rose 0.2 per

cent to 1,389,000 won at the close of trade in Seoul. The stock has gained 7.5 per cent in the past year.

SmartThings The Suwon-based company in August bought SmartThings, a startup that makes mobile applications to remotely control household goods. And the previous year, Samsung bought Novaled, a German maker of material to light up a gadget’s screen, and MOVL, which has developed a service that allows users to share content between devices such as phones and televisions.

Those deals don’t go far enough, said Neil Shah, research director for devices and ecosystems at Counterpoint Research. “Samsung has the vision of how the connected future will be, but still lacks the expertise and capabilities to tie all the assets together,” Shah, who is based in Mumbai, said in an e-mail.

Samsung said in November 2013 it would be more aggressive in pursuing targets after spending only $1 billion on takeovers in three years. - Bloomberg News

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

B4

TUE S DAY, JANUA RY 27, 2 015

MARKET Index gains Al Batinah Development, up by 1.53 per cent, remained the top gainer of the day, while Oman Fisheries was the top loser of the day MUSCAT: Amid weak trading activity, the MSM30 Index ended the day on a flat note at 6,644.92 points, up by 0.01 per cent. MSM Sharia index decreased by 0.07 per cent to close at 990.63 points. Al Anwar Holding was the most active in terms of volume as well as turnover. Al Batinah Development, up by 1.53 per cent, remained the top gainer of the day while Oman Fisheries, down by 5.63 per cent, was the top loser of the day.

A total number of 574 trades were executed during the day’s trading session generating turnover of OMR3.3 million with more than 7.8 million shares changing hands. Out of 45 traded stocks,

five advanced, 20 declined and 20 remained unchanged. Financial Index declined by 0.29 per cent to end the trading session at 8,101.60 points. Al Batinah Development and Oman Orix Leasing increased by 1.53 per cent and 1.35 per cent respectively.

Industrial Index closed at 8,551.38 points, a loss of 0.31 per cent. Galfar Engineering increased by 0.55 per cent to close at OMR0.182. Oman Fisheries, National Aluminium, Gulf International Chemicals, Voltamp Energy and Al Anwar Ceramics declined by 5.63 per cent, 2.94 per cent, 1.55 per cent, 1.04 per cent and 0.88 per cent respectively.

— United Securities

Stay ahead of the curve with WhatsNews

SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY INSTALL WHATSNEWS

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ....................................... 6,646.26 ...............6,642.31 ...................6,644.92 ................... 6,644.51.................... 0.41 ................... 0.01 Financial Index .....................................8,126.50 ...............8,101.53 ....................8,101.60 ................... 8,125.09................-23.49 .................. -0.29 Industrial Index ................................... 8,583.90 ...............8,551.38 ....................8,551.38 ................... 8,577.68............... -26.30 .................. -0.31 Services Index .......................................3,600.61 ...............3,597.62 ....................3,597.78 ................... 3,599.33...................-1.55 .................. -0.04 MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................991.28 ..................989.96 .......................990.63 ...................... 991.28.................. -0.65 .................. -0.07 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 7,859,347 .................... 3,309,686 .....................574 ............... 14,931,976,036 .................. 5 .....................20 ....................20 .........................45

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 26 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

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

OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 176,082.......... 315,547.....................40 ............1.780 ........... 1.800 ...........1.780 ............1.790 ............. 1.780.............0.010 ............. 0.562 ................1.795 .............. 1.770................... 1.795 ............1,342,500,000....0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 184,000 ............33,518......................17 ............0.182 ........... 0.184 ...........0.182........... 0.182 ............. 0.181.............0.001 ............. 0.552 ................0.182 ..............0.182...................0.183............... 47,978,615 .......0.100 OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS ...................................................... 200 ...................116........................1 ........... 0.580 ...........0.580 ...........0.580........... 0.584 .............0.584 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.580............. 0.000...................0.582...............91,980,000.......0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ...................................15,000 ...............5,400........................3 ........... 0.360 ...........0.360 ...........0.360........... 0.360 .............0.360 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.360..............0.332...................0.360 .............438,777,900......0.100 OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 232,001 ............99,760........................5 ........... 0.430 ...........0.430 ...........0.430........... 0.430 .............0.430 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.430..............0.430...................0.450..............144,799,490......0.100 OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY........................................2,300 ...............4,603........................2 ........... 2.000........... 2.010 ...........2.000 .......... 2.010 .............2.010 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.010............. 2.000...................2.015..............180,297,000......0.100 OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT ..............................................................4,940 ...............2,559........................2 ............0.518 ........... 0.518 ...........0.518 ........... 0.522 .............0.522 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.518 .............. 0.512...................0.516 .............. 172,715,555 ......0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT .......................................5,000 .................. 375........................1 ............0.075 ........... 0.075 ...........0.075........... 0.075 .............0.075 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.075..............0.072...................0.075............... 15,536,354 .......0.100 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ............................8,000 .............. 2,640........................1 ........... 0.330 ...........0.330 ...........0.330........... 0.330 .............0.330 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.330............. 0.304...................0.338............... 41,216,327 .......0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 103,504 ...........24,530........................4 ........... 0.237 ........... 0.237 ...........0.237........... 0.237 .............0.237 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.237..............0.237...................0.250 .............307,030,515 ......0.100 OM0000002614............ONIC. HOLDING ............................................................51,444 .............19,960........................6 ........... 0.388 ...........0.388 ...........0.388........... 0.388 .............0.388 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.388..............0.390...................0.400 .............. 67,288,221 .......0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 805,940 .........493,235......................17 ............0.612 ........... 0.612 ...........0.612 ............0.612 ............. 0.612............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.612 ..............0.600...................0.612.............1,335,805,171 ....0.100 OM0000003281............TAAGEER FINANCE .....................................................9,000 ...............1,350........................3 ............0.150 ........... 0.150 ...........0.150 ........... 0.150 .............0.150............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.150 ..............0.149...................0.150...............38,038,500.......0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 198,000 ............46,110........................7 ........... 0.233 ...........0.233 ...........0.230........... 0.233 .............0.233 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.230..............0.227...................0.230 ............ 266,552,000 .....0.100 OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER................................................................4,220 ............... 1,570........................2 ........... 0.372 ........... 0.372 ...........0.372........... 0.376 .............0.376 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.372..............0.376...................0.400 ..............83,099,760 .......0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 251,000 ..........175,700......................12 ........... 0.700 ........... 0.700 ...........0.700........... 0.700 .............0.700 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.700..............0.684...................0.696..............455,660,961......0.100 OM0000004248 ...........SMN POWER HOLDING ...............................................9,166 ...............6,050........................1 ........... 0.660 ...........0.660 ...........0.660........... 0.660 .............0.660 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.660..............0.660...................0.696.............. 131,759,496 ......0.100 OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS ............................................................ 44,526 ............ 26,569......................19 ........... 0.600 ...........0.600 ...........0.594........... 0.596 .............0.598 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.334 ...............0.598..............0.590...................0.598............... 27,154,603 .......0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE............... 52,800 .............12,675........................5 ............0.241 ........... 0.241 ...........0.240 .......... 0.240 .............0.241 ...........-0.001 ............-0.415................0.240 .............0.238...................0.240 ..............48,000,000 ......0.100 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 463,178 ......... 152,067..................... 48 ........... 0.330 ...........0.330 ...........0.324........... 0.328 .............0.330 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.606 ...............0.330..............0.324...................0.330 ..............32,800,000 ......0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 155,500 ........... 23,645......................21 ............0.153 ........... 0.153 ...........0.150 ............0.152 ............. 0.153............-0.001 ........... -0.654 ...............0.152 .............. 0.152...................0.153 ................ 8,944,169 ........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING........... 644,838 ............83,703..................... 38 ............0.131 ........... 0.131............0.129........... 0.130 ............. 0.131 ............-0.001 ........... -0.763................0.129 ..............0.128...................0.129............... 15,843,750 .......0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 2,423,866......554,560................... 158 ........... 0.232 ...........0.232 ...........0.225........... 0.229 ............. 0.231............-0.002 ........... -0.866 ...............0.227..............0.227...................0.228 ..............29,884,500.......0.100 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES .................................68,527 ............ 30,837........................5 ........... 0.450 ...........0.450 ...........0.450........... 0.450 .............0.454 ...........-0.004 ........... -0.881................0.450..............0.448...................0.450...............111,080,131 ......0.100 OM0000002572 ...........OMAN OIL MARKETING ............................................ 5,500 .............12,210........................3 ........... 2.220...........2.220 ...........2.220 .......... 2.220 .............2.240 ...........-0.020 ........... -0.893 ...............2.220 ............ 2.220...................2.230 .............136,030,500......0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ....................................................... 7,200 ...............2,748........................7 ........... 0.350 ...........0.390 ...........0.350........... 0.382 .............0.386 ...........-0.004 ........... -1.036................0.390..............0.380...................0.400 .............. 23,111,000 .......0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ........................................... 68,260 .............23,019......................16 ........... 0.338 ...........0.338 ...........0.336........... 0.338 .............0.342 ...........-0.004 ............-1.170................0.336..............0.334...................0.336...............20,687,044.......0.100 OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE .......................................................23,600 ................3,311........................7 ............0.142 ........... 0.142 ...........0.140........... 0.140 .............0.142 ...........-0.002 ........... -1.408 ...............0.140.............. 0.138...................0.140............... 38,501,851 .......0.100 OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............. 24,000 ...............4,560........................6 ............0.190 ........... 0.190 ...........0.190........... 0.190 ............. 0.193............-0.003 ............-1.554................0.190..............0.189...................0.190................3,990,000........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 113,300.............19,446......................16 ............0.175 ........... 0.175............0.170 ............0.172 ............. 0.175............-0.003 ............-1.714 ................0.170 ..............0.170................... 0.171 ...............14,881,440 .......0.100 OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ................. 9,100 ...............3,002........................4 ............0.318 ...........0.330 ...........0.318 ........... 0.330 .............0.340 ...........-0.010 ........... -2.941 ...............0.330..............0.322...................0.330 .............. 11,078,579 .......0.100 OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT .....................7,330 .................. 836........................2 ............0.116 ........... 0.116............0.114 ............0.114 ............. 0.119............-0.005 ...........-4.202 ...............0.114 .............. 0.114...................0.120...............22,800,000 ......0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 6,171,322 ...2,186,212...................479 ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......32..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ...................... 427,190............ 84,889..................... 35 ........... 0.200...........0.200 ...........0.191 ........... 0.199 ............. 0.196............ 0.003..............1.531.................0.196 .............. 0.196...................0.198................5,970,000 ........0.100 OM0000001723 ............OMAN ORIX LEASING ...............................................10,000 ...............1,500........................1 ............0.150 ........... 0.150 ...........0.150 ........... 0.150 .............0.148............ 0.002..............1.351.................0.150 ..............0.150...................0.000 .............. 35,153,016 .......0.100 OM0000001053 ............OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING ...........................................150 .....................41........................1 ........... 0.273 ........... 0.273 ...........0.273........... 0.273 .............0.273 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.273..............0.270...................0.280 ............... 1,638,000 ........1.000 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................. 83,240 ...............6,702........................9 ........... 0.080 ........... 0.081 ...........0.080........... 0.081 ............. 0.081............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.081 ..............0.080...................0.081..............121,500,000......0.100 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH...................................................8,613 ............. 19,416........................2 ........... 2.225 ...........2.255 ...........2.225........... 2.255 .............2.255 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.255............. 2.240...................2.280 .............215,255,975......1.000 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER................................................ 140,028 ........... 24,925........................9 ............0.178 ........... 0.178 ...........0.178 ............0.178 ............. 0.178............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.178 .............. 0.178...................0.179 ..............120,129,963 ......0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ..................................................32,254 .............18,888......................13 ........... 0.582 ........... 0.588 ...........0.580........... 0.586 .............0.588 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.340 ...............0.588..............0.588...................0.590 ..............29,300,000 ......0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER ....................................................10,923 ...............1,950........................3 ............0.179 ........... 0.179 ...........0.178 ............0.178 ............. 0.179............-0.001 ........... -0.559 ...............0.178 .............. 0.178...................0.180..............127,164,329 ......0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL...............................................45,604 ...............4,165......................11 ............0.091 ...........0.092 ...........0.091 ............0.091 .............0.092 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.087................0.092..............0.091...................0.093...............15,925,000 .......0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ....................................................... 17,490 ................1,178........................7 ........... 0.070 ...........0.070 ...........0.067........... 0.067 ............. 0.071............-0.004 ........... -5.634 ...............0.067..............0.068...................0.069................8,375,000 ........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 775,492 ......... 163,654......................91 ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......10..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000003810............BANK MUSCAT SUBORDINATED BONDS ...... 900,000.........958,500........................2 ............1.065 ........... 1.065 ...........1.065 ............1.065 .............1.060 ........... 0.005............. 0.472 ................1.065 ..............1.060...................1.080...............79,875,000.......1.000 OM0000004628 ...........BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5 ............................................ 1,300 .................. 130........................1 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.100 ...........0.100........... 0.102 .............0.102 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.100..............0.090...................0.000 ............... 7,293,000 ........0.100 OM0000004867 ...........BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 ........................................... 11,233 ................1,191........................1 ............0.106 ........... 0.106 ...........0.106........... 0.106 .............0.108 ...........-0.002 ........... -1.852................0.106 ..............0.106...................0.108...............33,882,124 .......0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 912,533.......... 959,821........................4 ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 3..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

GCC MARKETS

Saudi shares climb, Dubai and Abu Dhabi bourses fall DUBAI: Saudi stocks rose in the first trading day since the death of King Abdullah on bets the royal transition will be smooth as the late King’s successor signalled he would maintain policies in the Arab World’s biggest economy.

The Tadawul All Share Index gained as much as 1.1 per cent before closing 0.7 percent higher at 8,480.10 as in Riyadh. The late king Abdullah, who died on Friday aged about 90, helped drive a 27 per cent rally in the region’s biggest bourse over the past four years as he oversaw a $130 billion spending plan to boost non-oil industries. His successor said he will continue the late king’s strategy. The market was closed Sunday to mark Abdullah’s passing.

Succession plan “The succession plan is clear, things do look politically stable at the moment in Saudi and there’s no panic in the market,” Nabil Rantisi, managing director of brokerage at Mena

Corp. Financial Services, said by phone from Amman, Jordan. “Yesterday’s holiday, and the fact that he passed away on Friday, gave investors time to digest the news. The market is attractive, especially as Saudi Arabia is expected to open to foreigners in the second quarter.”

The kingdom’s plans to allow foreigners to invest in its equities market in the first half of 2015 won’t be affected by the shift in leadership, Salah Shamma, head of investment for Middle East and North Africa equity at Franklin Templeton Investments in Dubai, said by e-mail on Friday.

Savola gains Food processor Savola Group led the gains in Riyadh on Monday, adding 4.2 per cent, the steepest advance in two weeks. Almarai, which operates dairy farms, increased for the third day.

Elsewhere in the region, Dubai’s DFM General Index fell 3.6 per cent to 3,723.21 and

Abu Dhabi’s ADX General Index slipped 0.8 per cent, tracking declines in global markets.

“There’s no catalyst to move the shares up,” Tariq Qaqish, a fund manager at Al Mal Capital, said by telephone from Dubai. “The market is unable to break the resistance level of 4,000.”

Stock gauges in Kuwait and Qatar dropped 0.1 per cent each and Bahrain’s were little changed.

Share indexes in the Gulf have been among the most volatile in the world this year as crude dropped more than 50 per cent in seven months. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index lost 0.4 per cent as Russia’s benchmark stock index sank with the rouble amid a surge in violence in Ukraine. — Bloomberg News

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

T UESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

B5

ROUND-UP London Mayor, delegation discuss Islamic banking with Bank Nizwa tinue to do so, developing international partnerships with 30 year old Islamic banking markets like London will undoubtedly prove to be of great value to our infrastructural progress. To extend the exponential growth of Islamic banking in Oman, it is essential that we are able to construct a robust financial framework that can accommodate our future developments and market trends. Who better to do this with than the world’s foremost financial arena and Europe’s leading centre for Islamic finance,” commented Dr El Jaroudi.

“Bank Nizwa is honoured to receive the Lord Mayor and his delegation for a second year. In retrospect this visit is representative of our status as an industry pioneer in the Sultanate given our young name in the market,” he added.

Commenting on meeting with Bank Nizwa, Allan Yarrow, the Lord Mayor of London said: “The United Kingdom (UK) is Oman’s

The United Kingdom (UK) is Oman’s largest foreign investor, generating pools that

To extend the exponential growth of Islamic banking in Oman, it is essential that we are able to construct a robust financial framework

exceeded £600m (approx. OMR349m) in 2013 alone, said Allan Yarrow, the Lord Mayor of London

MUSCAT: Bank Nizwa, Oman’s first Islamic bank, recently hosted Alan Yarrow, Lord Mayor of London, at its head office. This visit is second of its kind from the City of London Corporation.

Received by Dr Jamil El Jaroudi, Chief Executive Officer, some Board members and the senior management team of Bank Nizwa, the British delegation explored the journey and progress of the bank to

date, whilst discussing key market trends and challenges of the global industry, says a press release.

The British delegation included Jon Wilks, British Ambassador to Oman, and a business team made up of Islamic banking specialists of the British financial sector to name a few.

“Oman is currently cementing its position as a regional centre of Islamic banking, and as we con-

Dr Jamil El Jaroudi Chief Executive Officer, Bank Nizwa

HISTORIC OCCASION

largest foreign investor, generating pools that exceeded £600m (approx. OMR349m) in 2013 alone.

As an ambassador of the leading global centre for infrastructural development, my interests lie in working with the Omani banking sector to help bring ambitious aims to life by sharing our experience and expertise with financial solutions such as Sukuk.”

The UK is the only non-Muslim majority country to issue sovereign Sukuk in the history of Islamic banking in 2014 with a value totaling £2.3b (approximately OMR1.4b), which highlighted the strong demand from the marketplace as the initial required amount was £200m (approx. OMR115m).

“We are looking to build on the strong bilateral relations between Oman and the UK which will aid the Islamic banking in Oman to drive its market share closer to industry forecasts,” concluded the Lord Mayor of London.

I N F O R M AT I V E S E S S I O N

Indian School Muladha celebrates Republic Day

ISWK hosts Hindi workshop MULADHA: The 66th Indian Republic Day was celebrated in all its solemnity and grandeur at Indian School Muladha yesterday. Principal S. I. Shereef hoisted the national flag. Felix Vincent Gabriel, the SMC member, was the chief guest at the function attended by a large number of fervent students, teachers and enthusiastic parents, says a press release.

National anthems of India and the Sultanate of Oman were sung on the occasion. Addressing the gathering, the principal commem-

orated the great warriors of nationalism and the unsung heroes who have died securing the liberation of Mother India.

The school choir presented the patriotic song Mera desh. The whole school joined the choir and the song reverberated the surroundings.

To mark the day, the Prefect Council and students displayed a spectacular march past and the guard of honour was received by the chief guest. The students in four houses — Muscat, Salalah,

PREMIUM PRODUCT

Nizwa and Sur — marched together and their foot tapping in unison was remarkable.

Handouts of the President’s message on the eve of Republic Day, were distributed. A patriotic dance performance by the students aroused the patriotic fervour in everyone present there.

Prizes were given to the winners in various competitions. The Vice Principal V. S. Suresh and Lekha.

OC, Coordinator (co-curricular and extra curricular) also attended the function.

MUSCAT: Indian School Wadi Kabir (ISWK) played host to 15 Indian schools from different regions of the Sultanate of Oman that participated in the Oman chapter Hindi workshop organised recently by a leading publishing house of India.

Mathew Abraham, educational adviser, BOD of Indian schools in Oman, was the guest of honour.

Shiksha Bhardwaj and D.V Singh, were the key resource persons to conduct the workshop, says a press release.

Also present on this occasion were Principal D. N. Rao and Vice Principal Jayprakash Pillai. The chief guest as well as the resource persons along with other dignitar-

ies and invitees was given a warm welcome with a floral tribute.

The workshop commenced with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp and the singing of prayers.

Mathew Abraham lauded the effort to hold workshops of such kind and emphasised the emerging role of Hindi in the present scenario. He said that Hindi has made itself a niche wherein it has become a communicative link among the people of different cultures in Oman.

He admired the diligence of Hindi teachers and motivated them to transmit their knowledge to the children in such a manner so that it has a long lasting impact on the students’ understanding of

SUPPORT

C E L E B R AT I O N S

Mazda Oman extends best wishes to Cup finalists Fanja and Dhofar

Firestone launches new Destination LE 02 tyres MUSCAT: Growing in popularity, Firestone tyres have now introduced another quality product in Oman — Destination LE 02.

A premium product, the Firestone Destination LE 02 is an allseason tyre developed for upmarket four-wheel drive sport utility vehicles and crossovers. The tyre is unique in that it is designed to combine long wear, better stability, a quieter and more comfortable ride and all-season traction, says a press release.

The Destination LE 02 uses a silica-enhanced light truck compound moulded into a symmetric tread design that helps grip the road in challenging conditions.

Notched shoulder blocks backed by continuous ribs work together to promote dry road handling, even wear and long treadlife.

Circumferential and sweeping grooves across the tyre’s footprint help evacuate water to resist

hydroplaning and enhance wet traction. Cross Grooves, stepped inside shoulder rib notches and zigzag sipes provide biting edges that promote traction.

The tyre’s internal structure features twin steel belts reinforced with spirally wrapped nylon to provide strength, uniformity and durability on top of a polyester cord body that helps cushion the ride.

Partnering with Al Hashar for over four decades, Firestone tyres are very popular in Oman and thousands of satisfied customers are testimony to their reliability and performance. Al Hashar and Company has a nation-wide presence with skilled professionals managing all interactions with customers.

Al Hashar is making further investments to positively enhance the ownership experience of their customers.

MUSCAT: The final is finally here for the very interesting Mazda Professional Cup and teams Fanja and Dhofar are geared up to take on each other.

Mazda Oman, official automotive partner of the Oman Football Association (OFA) and owner of this prestigious Cup has extended its best wishes to the competing teams, says a press release.

“Mazda Oman has been closely associated with the game of football, as the proud partner of OFA and owner of the Mazda Cup. We are committed to the game right from grassroots clubs to the national team to keep the game alive

the language.

The key resource persons shed light on the different aspects of teaching learning processes such as CCE, teaching methods, setting of question papers, evaluation and dealing with slow learners etc. During the question-answer session, all the teachers present could satisfy their queries regarding the teaching of the subject.

Most of the participants felt that it had been a very useful session for them and expressed their wish for such workshops to be conducted more frequently to refresh their teaching methodology.

The resource persons were presented mementos on behalf of ISWK as a token of appreciation.

and kicking. In the upcoming Mazda Cup final match, we would like to wish good luck to the participating teams,” said a senior spokesperson of Mazda Oman.

“We are keenly looking forward to the Mazda Cup final on January 29. The Mazda Cup trophy has been specially designed keeping in mind the spirited nature of the brand that resonates well with the game. Before the start of the Mazda Cup, we had also handed over Mazda2 cars to all the 14 clubs.

Mazda Oman is making every effort to make the game enjoyable for all those associated with it,” the spokesperson added.

Towell Auto Centre provides service to all models of Mazda and makes owning a Mazda extra pleasant with its efficient after sales service and quick response time. With a network of 11 showrooms, 13 service outlets and 10 parts outlets spread across Oman, TAC is the only Mazda distributor in the world to win the Mazda Customer Service award 5 years in a row.

With 98.2 per cent parts deliverability, TAC also offers quick, efficient service with genuine parts available for all models and have highly trained staff who pride in their quality of service.

Mar Thoma Church in Oman celebrates 40th anniversary MUSCAT: The Mar Thoma Church in Oman has successfully completed 40 years of its spiritual activities. It came into existence on March 6, 1975 with 126 members. The parish presently has 900 families with a total membership of 2,500.

While celebrating its 40th anniversary, it is worth mentioning that it is the first Mar Thoma parish in Oman. The Mar Thoma Church in Oman paved the way for the birth of Ghala St. Paul’s and Sohar St. Thomas parishes, says a press release.

The 40th anniversary celebrations were inaugurated on September 27, 2013 by Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom Valiya Metropolitan. The valedictory function is scheduled to be held on Friday, March 6, 2015 at the St. Thomas Church, Ruwi.

It will be inaugurated by Dr. Joseph of Mar Thoma Metropolitan and presided over by Thomas Mar Timotheos Episcopa of the Trivandrum-Kollam Diocese.

Dignitaries from the government and various churches are expected to attend the meeting.

Charitable activities On this auspicious occasion, the members who have completed 40 years with the parish will be honoured. As part of the 40th anniversary celebrations, the parish has been organising various charitable activities such as providing financial support for education, marriage, and construction of houses.

B6

TUE S DAY, JANUA RY 27, 2 015

ROUND-UP MGM adds to the charm of Muscat Festival 2015 Giving residents and visitors the opportunity to make the best of this festive season, MGM is running a sale upto 75 per cent promotion during this period, as well as a ‘Buy 1, Get 1 Free’ campaign at selected retail outlets

MUSCAT: Muscat Festival comes alive every morning at Muscat Grand Mall (MGM) with a host of promotions and activities adding to the festive atmosphere.

MGM is the bronze sponsor for the 2015 edition of the Muscat Festival and announced an array of fun activities and special in-store offers for its customers till February 14, says a press release.

Held annually since 1998 by the Muscat Municipality, the Muscat Festival commemorates the past and present culture and heritage of the Sultanate.

Giving residents and visitors the opportunity to make the best of this festive season, MGM is run-

ning a sale upto 75 per cent promotion during this period, as well as a ‘Buy 1, Get 1 Free’ campaign at selected retail outlets — providing customers with the exclusive advantage of amazing discounts across a broad range of international and local fashion, homeappliances and electronics outlets as well as the food and beverage brands that Muscat Grand Mall has become renown for.

One of the major attractions at the mall during the Muscat Festival will be a world class Broadcast Augmented Reality system, sponsored by Ooredoo which will debut in Oman for the very first time.

In association with ASM Technologies, Muscat Grand Mall will host ‘Walking with Dinosaurs and

Natural World’ as well as ‘Wildest Animals in the World’ - interactive displays which are set to enthral visitors at the mall between January 31 and February 8. This unique demonstration set up will allow the public to get up close and personal with some of the wildest animals in the world.

In addition, MGM is set to host an exhibition by the Ministry of Transport and Communications named ‘Transport in Oman’, which is aimed at highlighting the pivotal role of the ministry since the blessed Renaissance as well as showcasing key achievements of the ongoing projects towards the goal of sustainable development in the Sultanate.

Muscat Grand Mall is Oman’s

most dynamic shopping destination and recent recipient of the MENA ICSC Award for marketing excellence. It is the fastest growing lifestyle hub in the Sultanate offering choice and convenience for shoppers and residents, as part of a combined leisure experience.

Boasting more than 142 stores, a three-screen cinema, high-end residences and office space, in addition to hosting the largest food court in Oman, Muscat Grand Mall is also home to leading global brands such as Franklin & Marshall, Silvian Heach, US Polo Association., Garage, PAUL, Monsoon Children, Gymboree, Carrefour, Happy Land, City Cinema, Sharaf DG, R&B, HomesRUs, Chili’s and Patchi among others.

N E W F E AT U R E

FRiENDi top-ups boost BankDhofar e-Channels’ appeal MUSCAT: Central to its vision to be the best bank in the Sultanate, providing convenient and instant banking products and services, BankDhofar recently launched a mobile top-up option for FRiENDi subscribers through its various e-Channels.

The new feature allows FRiENDi users to add credit to their mobile phones through BankDhofar mobile banking and internet banking facilities. Not limited to the bank’s customers, FRiENDi subscribers whose accounts are with other banks will soon be able to use any of the 52 BankDhofar cash deposit machines (CDMs) that are strategically located across the Sultanate, says a press release.

“Banks around the world today compete to provide the most innovative, instant and convenient services for their customers.

BankDhofar has been a leader in the Omani market in terms of providing state-of-the-art technology and top-notch e-banking products and services. We are proud to provide a more convenient way for FRiENDi subscribers to top-up following the tremendous success of similar facilities we offer to Ooredoo and Oman Mobile users,” stated Marwan Mohammed Al Zadjali – Head of eBanking at BankDhofar.

Earlier, BankDhofar entered into a strategic tie-up with FRiENDi to provide the best banking experience for customers, meet their needs and requirements, and exceed their expectations. FRiENDi mobile top-up

option is available across BankDhofar e-channels: Mobile banking and internet banking, and shortly via CDMs. BankDhofar is the first bank in the Sultanate to provide this service to its customers and to all FRiENDi subscribers as the service was launched at the beginning of this year.

“We consistently conduct comprehensive market surveys that allow us to better understand our customers’ banking needs and requirements. To fulfil these requirements, our approach is to implement the latest technology and make it available to BankDhofar customers anytime and anywhere,” Al Zadjali added.

BankDhofar has been a leader in the local market in terms of customers experience, creativity and innovation. The bank has bagged a collection of prestigious awards from locally and globally esteemed organisations in recognition of its successful strategy and robust leadership.

PAT R I O T I C Z E A L

Indian Republic Day celebrated at ISN NIZWA: Indian School Nizwa celebrated the 66th Republic Day with a great deal of patriotic zeal and fervour. Brigadier Amor bin Said Al Hajri of Royal Oman Police, Nizwa, was the chief guest.

The day began with the welcome speech by Principal Mainakshe Minoo, followed by hoisting of the Indian flag and the national anthem.

The students saluted the national flag and pledged to uphold the honour of their country India, says a press release.

The President of the School Management Committee Dr S Arockiasamy also attended the celebrations and inspired the students by telling them to follow the footsteps of great Indian leaders.

The march past by the students

the students took part in interhouse competitions with patriotic songs, speeches and music.

Competitions The students took pride in glorifying and celebrating the spirit of unity by actively taking part in drawing competitions, watching patriotic movies and playing fun games. The winners of various events were felicitated by the chief guest.

was indeed a treat to the eyes.

Guard of honour The Principal Mainakshe Minoo took the guard of honour and

praised the students. Various activities were organised in the school to sensitise the students to the spirit of patriotism. The school echoed with patriotic fervour as

Republic Day address The programme concluded with the principal reading the Republic Day address of the Indian President Pranab Mukherji and who urged the students to do their best to be the proud citizens of a proud nation.

FA S C I NAT I N G C O N C E P T

Adinc DDB books Willats for ‘Lean in Healthcare’ seminar MUSCAT: Peter Willats, a profound and influential figure in the progression of lean practice around the world and a cofounder of the Kaizen Institute in Europe, will be in Oman to run a seminar on ‘Lean in Healthcare’ being organised by Advertising International Company DDB (Adinc DDB). Times of Oman is the media partner for the event, says a press release.

Scheduled for February 17 at the Grand Hormuz, the seminar will focus on how the adoption of Lean at hospitals and clinics can bring about positive transformation and enhance service delivery. The seminar will cover ways to minimise waste and maximise resource utilisation to achieve greater efficiencies in providing healthcare services.

“Lean management is a fascinating concept, no longer restricted to just the manufacturing sector. The principles apply to every industry as Peter Willats vividly demonstrated in the ‘Lean is in’ seminar he ran for our clients in 2013 to introduce the concept of Lean.

“With Willats’ special passion for healthcare and wide experience with successfully implementing the adoption of lean practices across large hospitals in the UK, we thought the healthcare industry in Oman could benefit from his rich experience.

“Oman, we understand, has

one of the best healthcare systems in the world, ranked 8th in the World Health Report 2000 (Source TOO Jan. 8, 2015) and undoubtedly the ambition is to keep getting better. The timing for the ‘Lean in Healthcare’ seminar we believe is just right with the growing demand for quality healthcare, against the challenges of escalating costs and resource availability.

We sincerely hope that healthcare professionals who attend, will take back valuable learnings from the seminar that they can apply immediately at their own hospital and clinic to advantage,” the CEO of Adinc DDB, Radha Mukherji, elaborated.

Peter Willats is a senior adviser to the Lean Enterprise Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a Visiting Professor at the Tech-

nical University of Dortmund, Germany. He is also associated with the National Health Service in England to work with 12 hospitals to reduce the waiting/treatment time for patients in their Emergency departments.

“Lean helps in the elimination of waste and creation of value in any organisation. At the ‘Lean in Healthcare’ seminar, we will take a look at healthcare operations through the Lean lens. We will discuss the technical side and the more important human aspect of this story. Many hospitals in the world have adopted Lean practices that have helped them to better utilise their resources and increase patient safety, thereby improving outcomes and increasing capacity without adding resources. I am keenly looking forward to this seminar,” concluded Willats.

T UESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

B7

ROUND-UP Badr Al Samaa hosts workshop on infection control strategies STAFF REPORTER

The programme outlined the various disease transmission models and the responsibilities of the staff concerned in preventing an infectious disease from spreading LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME

ICEM hosts UCLan’s Global Youth Solutions workshop MUSCAT: Sixty students from the UK and Oman have successfully completed a four-day youth leadership and facilitation programme titled ‘Global Youth Solutions’, hosted by International College of Engineering and Management (ICEM) on its campus.

Nine of the participating students were from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), while the rest were from ICEM and the University of Nizwa, says a press release.

Global Youth Solutions (GYS), an international social programme of UCLan’s awardwinning Centre for Volunteering and Community Leadership (CVCL), aimed at enhancing skills among the youth that can contribute to self-advancement and community development.

This is the second GYS workshop to be conducted at ICEM in a row, the first having been held in July last year.

Dr Martin Brown, Dean of ICEM, presented course certificates to all the participants.

“Developing leadership and volunteering skills among the youth is vital for the progress of the nation. I appreciate the UCLan team and all the participants for making this workshop successful,” Dr Brown said.

The training was held under the guidance of CVCL team members Wajid Khan and Yasmeen Ali, both lecturers in community leadership at UCLan. “It’s important that the youth of the Arab world, especially females, explore individual potential and team skills in a comfortable and rewarding environment so as to become community enablers, which is what we have done,” said Yasmeen.

MUSCAT: A workshop on infection control strategies was organised by Ministry of Health in Badr Al Samaa Ruwi recently.

Promotion of infection free environment across health facilities in the Sultanate was discussed in the workshop by officials from Ministry of Health and private healthcare institutions.

The event was opened by Noora Hamood Al Fori, Head of Infection Control in Ministry of Health, Private Health Establishments.

The importance of adhering to infection control protocols set by Ministry of Health was urged by V. T. Vinod, MD of Badr Al Samaa Group

HEALTHCARE: The event was opened by Noora Hamood Al Fori, Head of Infection Control in Ministry of Health, Private Health Establishments. – O. K. Mohammed Ali/ TIMES OF OMAN

of Hospitals. Zainab Mahmood Al Zadjali, Regional Infection Control Incharge, DGHS, Muscat, and Fawziya Hamed Al Rasbi, actingregional Infection Control Incharge- DGHS, Muscat, were also present in the workshop.

The other main speakers of the event were Marc Becker, infection control expert and international manager of Bode Chemie GmbH, Germany, Saju George, Director, Al Farsi Medical Supplies and Dr Sivakumar Subraniam, Business Head, Al Farsi Medical Supplies.

The programme outlined the various disease transmission models and the responsibilities of the staff concerned in preventing an infectious disease from

spreading through an organisation.

Presentations There were presentations and demonstrations by the speakers on the latest techniques in infection control and served as an opportunity to refresh the knowledge about infection prevention and control amongst the participants.

“It is indeed an honour for Badr Al Samaa becoming the host for such an event organised by the Ministry of Health, which is attended by officials from all private healthcare establishments across the Sultanate,” said Vinod, Abdul Latheef and P. A. Mohammed, directors of Badr Al Samaa Group of Hospitals.

U N I QU E C O M P I L AT I O N

Unique SBG calendar highlights Oman’s rich heritage MUSCAT: The Suhail Bahwan Group’s (SBG) 2015 calendar celebrates the rich heritage and history of the Sultanate of Oman.

With a unique compilation of rare photographs of Oman’s past, the calendar provides a visual tour of Oman’s rich heritage.

Secured from Oxford University library archives and printed with permission, the calendar offers some rare glimpses of Oman’s erstwhile landscapes, lifestyle, landmarks and people, says a press release.

The featured photos include Oman’s unique mango boats and boom boats during 70s, a picture

Secured from Oxford University library archives and printed with permission, the calendar offers some rare glimpses of Oman’s erstwhile landscapes, lifestyle, landmarks and people of the oldest mosque in Sur, a rare aerial image of Shihu hilltop village in Khasab, one of the old gates of Muscat which were locked at 6pm each day in the 60s, a glimpse of Nizwa Fort as it looked in the 60s, another rare image of the peo-

ple of Misrah, Wadi Bani Kharous, threshing barley in the 70s and remains of an interior of Rumays Fort. The calendar has been wellappreciated by its customers, business associates, employees and other stakeholders.

C

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM TU ES DAY, JAN UARY 27, 2015 5

SECTION

SPOR YOUR GAME

S

JATINDER SINGH SETS UP OMAN’S FACILE WIN Jatinder Singh’s swashbuckling knock of 62 inspired Oman to a facile 46-run win over Malaysia in the ACC Twenty20 tournament at Sharjah on Monday. Also contributing to Oman’s success were Zeeshan Maqsood (30), Ajay Lalcheta (40) and Adnan Ilyas (35 not out). >C3

Djokovic romps as Williams sisters fight on in Melbourne

ON A ROLL: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic plays a shot during his men’s singles match against Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller. – AFP

The Serbian top seed was always in charge against unseeded Gilles Muller from Luxembourg, dictating terms in a testing 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 work-out to reach his eighth consecutive quarterfinal at Melbourne Park

MELBOURNE: Dominant Novak Djokovic swept into the Australian Open last eight Monday as the Williams sisters displayed fighting qualities to stay alive, but the tournament ended for two-time champion Victoria Azarenka.

The Serbian top seed was always in charge against unseeded Gilles Muller from Luxembourg, dictating terms in a testing 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 work-out to reach his eighth consecutive quarterfinal at Melbourne Park.

He will now play big-serving Canadian eighth seed Milos Raonic as he bids for a fifth Australian crown and an eighth Grand Slam title.

“Generally it’s a positive feeling.

I haven’t dropped a set, I’m in the quarterfinals,” he said.

“There are a few things I think I can do better.”

Raonic snuffed out the chal-

lenge of Spanish 12th seed Feliciano Lopez in five tough sets.

Fellow world number one Serena Williams battled back from a set down in a tense match against Spain’s Garbine Muguruza to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, staying on track for a 19th Grand Slam title and her sixth at Melbourne.

“I didn’t start out so well and she did everything she needed to do in the first set,” said Williams, who can lose her top ranking if she exits and Maria Sharapova wins the tournament. “I just decided to do my best, stay focused and relax. I think I’ve been playing for a long time. When I have to go up a level, I have to.”

She will next face last year’s finalist Dominika Cibulkova, the 11th seeded Slovak, who ended the comeback from injury of Azarenka in three tight sets.

Elder sister Venus’ late-career

TOO MANY COACHES

renaissance gathered pace as she rolled back the years to thump Polish sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. She is now 9-0 for the season after winning the Auckland Classic.

It is the 34-year-old seven-time Grand Slam champion’s first major quarter since the 2010 US Open, having been diagnosed with the energy-sapping Sjogren’s Syndrome in 2011.

“The first set wasn’t easy, in the second she just started to play better, in the third I think I went into a trance. I just wanted to win,” she said.

Defending champion Stan Wawrinka ensured his passage by winning a thrilling fourth-set tiebreaker to down Spain’s tenacious Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (10/8).

He now plays Japanese superstar Kei Nishikori, who was a class above dogged Spanish baseliner David Ferrer, easing through 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. “He’s a tough, tough player. He improved a lot last year,” Wawrinka said of Nishikori.

Self-belief blossoms Former Australian champion Lindsay Davenport’s protege Madison Keys made her first Grand Slam quarter-final, winning an all-American clash with Madison Brengle 6-2, 6-4. The unseeded world number 35, just 19, has long been touted as the rising star of

GOOD GOING: Venus Williams of the US celebrates after victory against Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska during their women’s singles match – AFP

American tennis and will next play Venus Williams, the 18th seed.

Venus has been keeping tabs on Keys’ progress for years and noted that “she started watching me when she was in diapers”.

Cibulkova, who lost in the 2014 title decider to Li Na, went into her match as an underdog against Azarenka, who had beaten her seven times in their nine previous meetings.

But she said her self-belief blossomed as she stepped back onto Rod Laver Arena, the scene of her best Grand Slam performance.

“I just walked on the court and all the memories came to my mind and I was just thinking ‘I’m a great player, I can do it, I just have to believe in myself’,” she said.

Despite her disappointment Azarenka was content with what

she had achieved so far on the comeback trail, including a defeat of eighth seed Caroline Wozniacki in round two.

“I take it as progress. I think there are a lot of the positive things to take from here,” said Azarenka, who won the title in 2012 and 2013 but struggled with a string of foot injuries and bouts of depression last year. - AFP

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

‘Fan coach’ helps Wawrinka dismisses notions of vengeance Serena stay focussed MELBOURNE: Serena Williams took some coaching advice from a fan sitting in the Rod Laver Arena terraces as she struggled to overcome hard-hitting Spaniard Garbine Muguruza 2-6 6-3 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals on Monday.

“Someone in the crowd said ‘come on Serena, use spin,’” Williams said in a courtside interview. “There’re coaches everywhere here.”

Williams later told reporters the advice had hit home. “I was like, ‘you’re right. I’m trying to do that anyway, but I wasn’t doing it’.

“It’s been really great. I hear my name throughout the whole stadium like 360 (degrees). I don’t get that everywhere. It feels good.”

A fan may have woken Williams up, but her regular coach Patrick Mouratoglou was given most of the credit for keeping her at the top of the heap at the age of 33.

“I think Patrick has brought a lot more than one or two things,” said Williams.

“I think he’s brought a lot of consistency to my game, a lot of motivation, a lot of strategy. I go into a match knowing exactly what to expect, what to do.

“It makes my life a lot easier.

The motivation is really unbe-

HAPPY: Serena Williams. – AFP

lievable that he has. We’re a lot alike. He’s a perfectionist. I’m a perfectionist. So when I’m not where I need to be, he is there.

“He’s like, ‘you have to be better. There’s no other option but to be better’. If I want to continue to play, we’re working on new things.”

Williams was ecstatic with the win, having failed to get past the fourth round at any of the three slams apart from the U.S. Open last year.

She will play last year’s losing finalist Dominika Cibulkova for a place in the semi-finals, after the pint-sized Slovakian dumped out two-time champion Victoria Azarenka with an impressive display of clean hitting. - Reuters

MELBOURNE: Having dispatched one of his 2014 grand slam vanquishers to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals, Stan Wawrinka is now getting ready to face another on Wednesday.

Wawrinka avenged his early exit at last year’s French Open with a 7-6(2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(8) victory over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on Monday to book his place in the last eight and now must face his U.S. Open nemesis Kei Nishikori.

“It’s always tough to play against him. He’s a great shot maker. He’s always taking the ball really early and doesn’t give you a lot of time,” Wawrinka said about Nishikori, who followed him into the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win over David Ferrer.

“He’s a tough, tough player.”

The fourth-seeded Wawrinka has adopted a low-key approach to his title defence at Melbourne Park, swatting away questions about how last year’s experience could help him with a polite, but standard response — that was last year.

The approach was evident again on Monday when asked if the five-set loss to Nishikori in the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows would have any influence on Wednesday’s clash. “(We) start (at) zero again. It’s a new year,” he said. “Different conditions if I have to play him.

“If I can play heavy, if I can play

If I can play heavy, if I can play my game, it’s tough for him (Kei Nishikori) to always take the ball early.

We’ll see how I’m going to deal with that Stan Wawrinka Defending champion

my game, it’s tough for him to always take the ball early. We’ll see how I’m going to deal with that.”

While the 29-year-old Swiss was keen to put the past behind him, at least his performance against Garcia-Lopez buried the memories of Roland Garros.

Wawrinka became the first Australian Open champion to lose in the first round at Roland Garros

since Petr Korda in 1998 when Garcia-Lopez dumped him out last year and he did not have it easy against the 31-year-old this time around either.

Wawrinka had a two-set lead and a break in the third when he lost his focus and then had to overcome a 5-0 deficit in the fourthset tiebreak before he saved five set points with some booming

backhand drives. Those lessons, he said, were something he would take into the next round. “(This) level, it can change quickly. I made maybe two mistakes, then he started to play a little bit faster, a little bit more flat,” added Wawrinka.

“I started to be defensive a little bit too much. I’m happy to get through.” - Reuters

C2

TUE S DAY, JA N UA RY 27, 2 015

SPORTS

Tablet lovers add dd us on Google +

SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY ADD IN GOOGLE+

S. Korea surge into Asian Cup final South Korea face hosts Australia or the United Arab Emirates this weekend in their first final appearance at Asia’s showcase tournament in 27 years

SYDNEY: South Korea stormed into the Asian Cup final with a clinical 2-0 victory over Iraq on Monday, avenging a painful defeat at the same stage eight years ago.

Goals from Lee Jeong-Hyeop and Kim Young-Gwon did the job for the Koreans, who dominated a wet semi-final in Sydney to move a step closer to ending a title drought dating all the way back to 1960.

They face hosts Australia or the United Arab Emirates this weekend in their first final appearance at Asia’s showcase tournament in 27 years.

“We can’t speak anymore about pressure,” South Korea’s coach Uli Stielike told reporters. “We came to Australia as the third-ranked team in Asia and we have achieved all the goals we set. What comes now is extra. We have already taken a big step forward.”

The German insisted that South Korea’s 1-0 win over Australia in the group stage would count for little if, as he predicted, they meet the Socceroos again on Saturday.

“You know what Australia team

we played that day,” he sniffed. “(Mile) Jedinak injured, (Tim) Cahill on the bench, (Mathew) Leckie on the bench, (Robbie) Kruse on the bench,” he added as his phone went off.

“My wife,” deadpanned Stielike, before continuing: “We didn’t play the best Australia team. For me there is no doubt they will reach the final and we have to be prepared to play the best Australia team.”

There was no repeat of Iraq’s shock win over South Korea in 2007, when they won a dramatic penalty shoot-out before completing their fairytale run by beating Saudi Arabia to lift the trophy in Jakarta.

Watertight South Korea, still to concede in their five matches, simply overpowered the Iraqis, Lee climbing to glance in a free kick from Kim Jin-Su after 20 minutes.

Golden boy Son Heung-Min had already forced goalkeeper Jalal Hassan into a smart save with a long-distance rocket before Lee — a surprise Asian Cup call-up by Stielike — netted his second goal of the tournament.

Lee, who scored in the 1-0 win over Australia in the group stages, turned provider five minutes after the break, chesting down a high ball for Kim to smash home from the edge of the box.

Skipper Ki Sung-Yueng stung Hassan’s gloves with another howitzer from long range as South Korea continued to swarm forward, the mercurial Son proving a different class as he ghosted effortlessly past Iraq’s bedraggled players.

Iraq coach Radhi Shenaishil, looking forlorn in a plastic poncho, barked out orders to his troops, but there was little left in the tank after battling fierce rivals Iran to a

standstill in the quarterfinals.

Iraq, who prevailed 7-6 on penalties after a helter-skelter 3-3 draw, rarely threatened despite the threat posed by 2007 hero Younis Mahmoud, and the final whistle triggered wild celebrations among the massed ranks of Korean fans in the crowd of 36,000.

“We knew it was going to be tough said,” said Shenaishil. “Korea have a quality team with a lot of players in top leagues in the world.

For us there were a lot of positives to take from the tournament.”

Dream over The weight of expectation was just too much for Iraq in the end. As hard as they tried, they were unable to conjure up another miracle win at the Asian Cup. By defying the odds again and reaching the semifinals eight years later, Iraq’s footballers offered another ray of hope to their troubled homeland.

But motivation alone was not enough to help Iraq overcome a South Korean team driven to bring some relief to their own country, still grieving over last year’s Sewol ferry disaster. “To reach the semifinals is an amazing achievement for the team,” Iraqi head coach Radhi Shenaishil said, speaking through a translator.

“I’m very proud of my players, I think they played a quality match but the Korean team was very fast.

“We made two mistakes and they used them to score... if we could have scored early (after going down 2-0), I think we could have got a draw, but we couldn’t get the goal.”

The odds were against Iraq even before the kick-off. The Koreans had an extra day’s rest because they played their quarterfinal a day earlier than Iraq. — Agencies FOOTBALL

Rhino rodeo as bizarre Cahill memes trend SYDNEY: Australia’s Tim Cahill is celebrating his Asian Cup heroics by retweeting a series of bizarre memes of himself, from floating in space to rodeoriding a rhino, sparking a social media trend.

Copycat followers have jumped on the hashtag #cahilling — featuring a photo of the Socceroos sharp-shooter scoring his outrageous bicycle kick against China in the quarterfinals — poking fun of celebrities from Justin Bieber to Chuck Norris.

The former Everton forward reposted a meme of himself riding on a rhino, rodeo-style, to his 722,000 Twitter followers.

Cahill also reposted photos of himself as a space-walking astronaut, his face superimposed over George Clooney’s in the Hollywood smash “Gravity” and another of him booting an asteroid in the build-up to Tuesday’s semifinal against the UAE. - AFP

ECSTATIC: Kim Young Gwon of South Korea, left, celebrates scoring their second goal with teammate Lee Jeong-hyeop, centre, against Iraq during the AFC Asian Cup semifinal in Sydney. – AFP

PREVIEW

That’s Amoory — not Messi, says Aussie boss Postecoglou NEWCASTLE: Australia coach Ange Postecoglou said Tuesday’s Asian Cup semifinal in Newcastle between the free-scoring Socceroos and the tournament’s surprise package United Arab Emirates is not about the new “Messi or Ronaldo”.

The bushy-haired Omar Abdulrahman has excelled in the Gulf side’s sensational run to the last four, capped by their stunning knockout of defending champions Japan, drawing excitable comparisons with some of the game’s biggest stars.

But Postecoglou sniffed: “The Chinese had the Chinese Ronaldo, Maradona. Everyone has a Messi or Maradona. “(Abdulrahman) is a good player, so is (Ali) Mabkhout up front,” the Socceroos coach added, refusing to single out the UAE danger man, whose jaw-dropping “panenka” penalty against the Blue Samurai in the quarterfinals underlined his prodigious talent.

The 23-year-old Abdulrahman — whose idol is France great Zinedine Zidane — has been one of the standout performers of the tournament, his creativity helping forward Mabkhout to four goals.

Al Jazira sharp-shooter Mabkhout is in a rich vein of form, with nine goals in his last eight outings for his country, and is in with a chance of winning the Asian Cup’s golden boot.

UAE coach Mahdi Ali has worked with the bulk of his squad for over 10 years — a fact Postecoglou says makes the Emiratis, appearing in their first semi-final since 1996, a formidable opponent.

“Every team in Asia has technically gifted players. The ones who use them better are the ones

The skipper added that he’d come through the quarter-final game against China without any issues after missing Australia’s win over Oman and loss to South Korea through injury.

who have a really cohesive team and I think UAE have one of those squads,” the Socceroos boss said.

“That is where the danger lies, rather than with individuals,” he added, adopting a softer line than that of defender Trent Sainsbury, who suggested Abdulrahman was not a hard worker and promised to “get in his face”.

Ali dismissed reports that the Al Ain midfielder, who has previously been linked with Manchester City, was seen hobbling as he arrived for a training session on Sunday.

“He was not limping, he was running normally. Everybody is ready to play,” said the coach.

Australia’s inspirational captain Mile Jedinak will have the job of subduing the player nicknamed “Amoory” in what promises to be one of the tastiest clashes of the tournament so far.

“The focus for myself is not one player and I don’t think it should be. They have a lot of potential threat in that team,” Jedinak said on Monday.

‘Everyone’s fit’ Australia, runners-up to Japan in 2011, have had an extra day’s rest after the 2-0 win over China, 24 hours before UAE stunned Japan on penalties on Friday, and the Socceroos will be hot favourites.

Postecoglou has Matthew Spiranovic back from suspension and said he had a full squad to choose from after there were concerns over Ivan Franjic and Mathew Leckie, who were seen with ice packs on their hamstrings during training Sunday.

“Everyone’s recovered really well from the quarterfinal game,” said the 49-year-old.

“We’re really looking forward to tomorrow, it’s a sell-out, there will be great atmosphere and we’re expecting a tough game against a very tough opponent.”

Postecoglou added that he would continue his policy of tinkering with his starting line-up for the match at port city Newcastle’s modest, 23,000-seat stadium.

“We’ll make some changes and put out a team that we think will be successful tomorrow night,” he told reporters, adding that he hoped to “avoid” penalties.

“My view is we’re going to try to avoid them if possible,” he told reporters on Monday. “And then if we have to take them, we have to take them.

“My view is we’re going to try to avoid them if possible,” he said.

“And then if we have to take them, we have to take them.” - AFP

T UESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

C3

SPORTS TRI-SERIES

Australia versus India match at Sydney rained out SYDNEY: Monday’s tri-series One-day International between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground was abandoned due to rain. After a delayed start, with returning Australian captain George Bailey winning the toss and electing to bowl, the Indian innings lasted just 16 overs before the players were forced from the field.

India were 69 for two, with

opener Ajinkya Rahane on 28 and Virat Kohli on three.

The outcome means India will play England at Perth’s WACA Ground on Friday for a place in the final of the One-day tri-series.

The winner of that game will face Australia — who are unbeaten in four matches in the series — in Sunday’s final in Perth. While the match was brief, it lasted long

enough to confirm the shaky form of opener Shikhar Dhawan.

With Rohit Sharma out injured, Dhawan has been holding onto his place. But he failed again, making just eight before being caught

by Aaron Finch off the bowling of Mitchell Starc (1-11).

The 29-year-old has made just 11 runs in three innings in the triseries at 3.66, after making 168

runs in the preceding Test series against Australia at 28.

The other man to fall was Ambati Rayudu, superbly caught for 23 by David Warner off the bowling of Mitchell Marsh (1-21).

The return of Marsh was one of four changes to the Australian team, with Bailey also recalled after serving a one-match ban for slow over rates. — AFP

Jatinder turns hero as Oman down Malaysia SCOREBOARD

Oman scored 192 for three in 20 overs before restricting Malaysia to 146 for seven in 20 overs for their second successive victory MAN OF THE MATCH: Jatinder Singh.

MUSCAT: Jatinder Singh’s 41ball 62 was highlight of Oman’s commendable batting performance in their 46-run victory over Malaysia in the ongoing ACC Twenty20 Cup tournament in Sharjah on Monday.

According to information received here, Oman scored 192 for three in 20 overs before restricting Malaysia to 146 for seven in 20 overs. Oman, after electing to bat first, were given a flying start by Ajay Lalcheta (40) and Zeeshan Maqsood (30) scoring 45 runs for the first wicket in 5.5 overs.

After the depature of Maqsood, Jatinder joined Lalcheta to take

the total to 119. During his 41ball stay at the wicket, Jatinder smashes four sixes and a four.

Later, Adnan Ilyas joined the party and smashed two fours and four sixes to remain unbeaten on 35 off just eight balls. Vaibhav Wategaonkar scored 19 unbeaten runs.

Malaysia started their chase shakily with Rajesh Ranpura sending back their opener Shafiq Sharif for a duck.

Though their other opening batsman Suhan Alagaratnam came up with a fighting 32, the Malaysians never really caught up

with the rising run rate. In Monday’s other matches, Kuwait defeated Saudi Arabia by three runs while Singapore recorded a 68-run win over Maldives.

Brief scores: Kuwait 159 all out off 19.5 overs (A. Javed 44, K.Sharif 31; S. Ali 6/55) bt Saudi Arabia 156 for 8 off 20 overs (M. Shabbir 44). Man of the Match: Kashif Sharif.

Singapore 128 for 8 off 20 overs (S. Janjua 38, K.Shinde 34 n.o.; H. Ibrahim 3/27, A. Hassan 3/22) bt Maldives 60 all out in 13.3 overs (S. Appusamy 4/25).

Man of the Match: Suresh Appusamy (Singapore).

CRICKET

Afridi set for English T20 stint LONDON: Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is to play for Northamptonshire in the first six rounds of English cricket’s 2015 T20 Blast competition, the Midlands county announced Monday.

One of the most spectacular hitters of a cricket ball the game has know, the 34-year-old Afridi — nicknamed ‘Boom Boom’ for his dynamism with the bat — holds the record for the most SPECIAL BOND

Love to mentor Indian players during IPL, says Hussey NEW DELHI: He is one among the few top overseas players to have regularly featured in the cash-rich Indian Premier League and Michael Hussey believes that his bond with it has got stronger over the years having played the role of a “mentor” to young Indian players.

Hussey, who has played six seasons for Chennai Super Kings and one for Mumbai Indians, will again go under the hammer during this year’s auction and is very hopeful of playing in his eighth season in the league. “I would love to be there as a player first and foremost.

“Most years that I have played IPL, I have seen myself as a bit of a mentor/coach to the younger players, particularly the young Indian players, with whom I have built up a fantastic rapport,” Hussey said.

Known as ‘Mr Cricket’ for his consistency during the phase in which he played 79 Tests, 185 ODIs and 38 T20 Internationals for Australia between 2004 and 2013, Hussey is confident of bringing something to the table if he is picked by any of the franchises.

“I am really hopeful. I feel I can still mix it with the best players and contribute to the team. I love the contest between bat and ball.” - PTI

sixes in One-day Internationals with 342 to his credit.

Renowned for his rapid runscoring, Afridi — also an effective leg-spinner — has a strike-rate of 116.29 from 389 ODIs and 145.29 from 77 T20 games for Pakistan.

“He doesn’t need a big introduction. He is one of the top oneday cricketers of the last decade,” Northamptonshire coach David Ripley said.

“I think we were in the right place at the right time to get a bit of dialogue going,” the former Northamptonshire wicketkeeper added. “It’s a very exciting signing. It’s for the start of the competition so hopefully we can come out of the blocks quickly.

“We might not be able to finance another player further down the line, but we haven’t given up hope on that.” — AFP

OMAN A. Lalcheta c Fetri b Duraisingam 40 Z. Maqsood b Fetri 30 Jatinder Singh b Hayat 62 V. Wategaonkar not out 19 A. Ilyas not out 35 Extras (lb-2, w-2, nb-2) 6 Total (3 wkts, 20 overs) 192 Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-119, 3-152.

Bowling: Suharril Fetri 3-0-10-1; Hassan Ghulam 4-0-41-0; Khizar Hayat 4-0-43-1; Virandeep Singh 2-0-31-0; Shahrulnizam Yusof 3-0-20-0; D. Duraisingam 4-0-45-1.

MALAYSIA S. Alagaratnam c Mehmood b Lalcheta 34 S. Sharif b Ranpura 0 A. Faiz c Kaleem b Maqsood 12 A. Ramly b Kaleem 23 K. Hayat st Ahmed b Kaleem 22 H. Khan c Mehmood b Ansari 6 H. Ghulam c Kaleem b Ranpura 27 V. Singh not out 12 S. Fetri not out 3 Extras (lb-3, w-4) 7 Total (7 wkts; 20 overs) 146 Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-46, 3-48, 4-80, 5-99, 6-106, 7-138.

Bowling: Rajesh Ranpura 4-0-32-2; Munis Ansari 4-0-28-1; Ajay Lalcheta 4-0-26-1; Zeeshan Maqsood 3-0-24-1; Aamir Kaleem 4-0-18-2; Sufyan Mehmood 1-0-15-0.

Points: Oman 2, Malaysia 0 Player of the match: Jatinder S. (OMA)

SCOREBOARD

INDIA A. Rahane not out S. Dhawan c Finch b Starc A. Rayudu c Warner b Marsh V. Kohli not out Extras (w-7) Total (2 wickets, 16 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-24 , 2-62

28 8 23 3 7 69

Bowling: Starc 4-0-11-1, Hazlewood 5-025-0, Marsh 3-0-21-1, Doherty 3-0-10-0, Faulkner 1-0-2-0 Result: Match abandoned due to rain Toss: Australia Umpires: Marais Erasmus (RSA), Paul Wilson (AUS) TV umpire: Mick Martell (AUS)

C4

TUE S DAY, JAN UA RY 27, 2 015

SPORTS Attic Outdoors remain unbeaten

ATTIC OUTDOORS STARS: Sarfraz, Vikas Sharma and Anwar Kaatil.

J DIVISION: Khalsa United after their win over Trust Oilfield Strikers.

Opting to bat first, Newrest Wacasco scored

R.S. 33, Bibin Sasi 33, Deepak Gakhar 30) lost to Attic Outdoors 176 for 7 in 20 overs (Anwar Kaatil Moulakkad 52, Vikas Sharma 31, Sarfaraz Ahmed 24; Shajivan 3/17, Krishna Raja 2/30). Points: Attic Outdoors - 2 (6 games, 11 pts), Newrest Wacasco - Nil (6 games, 8 pts).

172 for four in 20 overs. Attic Outdoors in reply were reeling at 61 for five but recovered to reach 176 for seven in 20 overs

MUSCAT: Attic Outdoors registered a three-wicket win against Newrest Wacasco to maintain their unbeaten run in the F Division T20 tournament.

Opting to bat after winning the toss, Newrest Wacasco scored 172 for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs. Captain Sandeep Rajan top scored with 66 while other useful contributions came from Dipu R.S. (33), Bibin Sasi (33) and Deepak Gakhar (30).

Attic Outdoors in reply were reeling at 61 for five but recovered to reach 176 for seven wickets in 20 overs. Anwar Kaatil Moulakkad batting at No. 7 remained unbeaten on 52 while Vikas Sharma (31) and Sarfaraz Ahmad (24) added useful runs.

Shajivan returned with bowling figures of three for 17 and Krishna Raja picked up two wickets.

Brief scores: Newrest Wacasco 172 for 4 in 20 overs (Sandeep Rajan 66, Dipu

ON CHOOSING REAL

Anand lifts Enhance Royals In an F Division T20 match, opening batsman Anand Pathi scored 47 runs off 22 balls and then claimed three wickets in four overs as Enhance Royals defeated Orange Mart by 11 runs.

Invited to bat first, Enhance Royals scored 171 for nine wickets in 20 overs with contributions from skipper S.N. Hari Krishnan (25) and Nathar Al Balushi (24). Shyam Lekshman claimed four wickets while Gopakumar bagged three.

Orange Mart, playing with 10 men, made a bold reply scoring 160 for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Shyam Lekshman

TRUST OILFIELD HEROES: Wajid, Shamsudheen and Dilip.

scored runs while Anup Rajan and Gopakumar contributed 34 and 23 respectively. S. N. Hari Krishnan picked up two wickets.

Brief scores: Enhance Royals 171 for 9 in 20 overs (Anand Pathi 47, S.N. Hari Krishnan 25, Nathar Al Balushi 24) bt Orange Mart 160 for 7 in 20 overs (Shyam Lekshman 35, Anup Rajan 34, Gopakumar 23; Anand Pathi 3/26, S.N. Hari Krishnan 2/28). Points: Enhance Royals - 2 (5 games, 5 pts), Orange Mart Nil (6 games, 5 pts).

Khalsa United win Khalsa United crushed Trust Oilfield Strikers by seven wickets despite a brilliant 105 off 66 balls by opening batsman Thushar Verma in a J Division T20 match.

Batting first, Trust Oilfield Strikers scored 170 for eight wickets in 20 stipulated overs. Denzil Miranda picked up three wickets and Arvind Singh bagged two.

Khalsa United, who were penal-

18.4 overs (Sushil Kadam 53, Mohammed Danish 49, Arvind Singh 33). Points: Khalsa United - 2 (6 games, 7 pts), Trust Oilfield Services - Nil (5 games, 6 pts).

TON IN VAIN: Thushar Verma

ized an over due to slow over rate, reached their target in 18.4 overs thanks to a 108-run first wicket partnership between Sushil Kadam (53) and Mohammed Danish (49). Arvind Singh chipped in with a useful 33.

Brief scores: Trust Oilfield Strikers 170 for 8 in 20 overs (Thushar Verma 105; Denzil Miranda 3/23, Arvind Singh 2/30) lost to Khalsa United 171 for 3 in

Easy for Trust Oilfield In an I Division T20 match, Trust Oilfield Services trounced Dhofar Automotive by nine wickets. After electing to bat first, a 10-member Dhofar Automotive team were bundled out for 58 in 12 overs.

Shamsudheen and Wajid Akram took three wickets each while Dilip Patel bagged two. Trust Oilfield Services scampered to their target scoring 61 runs for one wicket in just 4.3 overs with Wajid Akram opening the batting remaining unbeaten on 29.

Brief scores: Dhofar Automotive 58 in 12 overs (Shamsudheen 3/6, Wajid Akram 3/15, Dilip Patel 2/15) lost to Trust Oilfield Services 61 for 1 in 4.3 overs (Wajid Akram 29 n.o). Points: Trust Oilfield Services - 2 (6 games, 8 pts), Dhofar Automotive - Nil (6 games, 1 pt).

JUNIOR CRICKET

‘Not for money’

Prathyush all-round show inspires MCCC

OSLO: Norwegian football prodigy Martin Odegaard said Monday he joined Spanish giants Real Madrid for sporting reasons and not for the money. French legend Zinedine Zidane’s presence as reserve-team coach played an important part in the teenager’s decision, he said.

MUSCAT: Skipper Prathyush Sivakumar’s brilliant all-round performance steered Muscat Cricket Coaching Centre (MCCC) to a seven-wicket win against Gulf Cricket Centre (GCC) in an Al Turki Enterprises-sponsored 25 overs-a-side Junior League Under-16 match. Prathyush claimed four wickets for 11 runs in 3.5 overs and then opening the batting smashed an unbeaten 81 off 57 balls with nine fours.

Batting first, GCC were bowled out for 99 off 22.5 overs. Captain Shri Hari scored 21 runs.

Prashant Maikhuri lent valuable support to Prathyush claiming two wickets from two overs.

After being docked five overs for slow over rate, MCCC required a modest 100 in 20 overs and they achieved their target scoring 101 runs for three in just 13.4 overs.

The 16-year-old would not comment on his salary but media reports have put his weekly salary at about 45,000 euros per week ($51,000). “It (money) has not been an issue at all for me. It was not an issue in my discussions with various clubs,” the young midfielder told reporters. - AFP

Brief scores: GCC 99 in 22.5 overs (Shri Hari 21; Prathyush Sivakumar 4/11, Prashant Maikhuri 2/8) lost to MCCC 101 for 3 in 13.4 overs (Prathyush Sivakumar 81 n.o). Points: MCCC - 2 (8 games, 7 pts), GCC - Nil (8 games, Nil).

SLSM crush Al Hail In another Junior League Under-16 match, Sri Lankan School Muscat (SLSM) crushed Al Hail School of Cricket by 276 runs.

Opting to bat first, SLSM got off to a flier with Wenogk Romeno (58) and Azeem Isaam (48) putting to-

Prathyush Sivakumar

Mohsin Ali

Bharat Srinivas

gether 119 runs in 10.1 overs. Other useful contributions came from Wikum Dhananjaya (44), skipper Indunil Udara Palihawadana (24) and Adel Reyas Mohammed (24).

A further unfinished sixth-wicket partnership of 102 runs between Janith De Silva (50) and Pathum Nawanjana (35) helped the score to a mammoth 327 for five in 25 overs.

Ali Al Balushi bagged two wickets.

In reply, Al Hail School of Cricket were bowled out for a measly 51 runs in 16.5 overs. Indunil Udara Palihawadana took thee wickets.

ISM B record win Indian School Muscat B (ISM B) recorded a 49-win against Bosher Olympic Centre (BOC) in a Junior League T20 Under-13 tournament.

Electing to bat first, ISM B notched up 154 for one wicket in 20 overs thanks to an opening partnership of 106 runs between Bharat S. (48 not out) and skipper Mohsin Ali (47). Smit remained unbeaten on 26.

BOC in their turn were restricted to 105 for eight in 20 overs. Ayman Bijili scored 24, Mithil Kanchan remained unbeaten on 24 and opening batsman Rushil Dadwal made 22. Bharat S. and Shitikshu bagged two wickets each.

ISAS rout GCC In another Under-13 match, Indian School Al Seeb (ISAS) maintained their unbeaten run when they trounced Gulf Cricket Academy (GCC) by nine wickets.

Electing to bat first, GCC mustered 119 runs for eight in 20 overs thanks to contributions from Mohammad Rayan (49) and Arjun Rajesh (27). Mohammed Fardeen and skipper Harsh Gulwani claimed three wickets each.

ISAS, in reply, scored 123 losing just one wicket in 11.5 overs thanks to an opening partnership of 117 runs between Mohammed Sameer (78 not out) and Saud Qureshi (43).

Brief scores: ISM B 154 for 1 in 20 overs (Bharat S. 48 n.o., Mohsin Ali 47, Smit 26 n.o.) bt BOC 105 for 8 in 20 overs (Ayman Bijili 24, Mithil Kanchan 24 n.o., Rushil Dadwal 22; Bharat S. 2/12, Shitikshu 2/20). Points: ISM B - 2 (7 games, 7 pts), BOC - Nil (6 games, Nil).

Brief scores: GCC 119 for 8 in 20 overs (Mohammad Rayan 49, Arjun Rajesh 27; Mohammed Fardeen 3/15, Harsh Gulwani 3/22) lost to ISAS 123 for 1 in 11.5 overs (Mohammed Sameer 78 n.o., Saud Qureshi 43). Points: ISAS – 2 (9 games, 17 pts), GCC – Nil (8 games, 1 pt).

Brief scores: SLSM 327 for 5 in 25 overs (Wenogk Romeno 58, Janith De Silva 50 n.o., Azeem Issam 48, Wikum Dhananjaya 44, Pathum Nawanjana 35 n.o., Indunil Udara Palihawadana 24, Adel Reyas Mohammed 24) bt Al Hail School of Cricket 51 in 16.5 overs (Maher Ghulam Yousuf Al Balushi 15; Indunil Udara Palihawadana 3/6). Points: SLSM - 2 (8 games, 10 pts), Al Hail School of Cricket - Nil (8 games, 3 pts).

T UESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015 SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY LAUNCH FACEBOOK PAGE

Love us on Facebook

C5

SPORTS CRICKET

PCB, players hold negotiations over contract row

TOP LEVEL SAILING: Competitors from around the world line up during Al Musannah Race Week. – Supplied photo

Singapore sailors on top, Omanis impress Singapore dominated the podium with Daniel Ian Toh and Jodie Lai taking first and second place while the Omani sailors benefitted from the high level of performance

MUSCAT: The future of Oman sailing looks bright after the nation’s most talented youngsters came away with their prospects boosted by performances at 2015 Musannah Race Week.

A week of training competition alongside the best Optimist sailors in the world proved a powerful and valuable experience for the 39 Omani youngsters who were selected from the Omantel Youth Programme to take part.

Six of the group finished in the top half of the 110 strong fleet, confirming their potential on the world class stage with Oman’s first ever Optimist National Champion Zakariya Suleiman Al Wahabi finishing in a promising 25th place. Marwan Khalifa Al Jabri finished 31st, Almoatasem Al Farsi finished 41st in what was his first international event, Oman’s most successful girl Samiha Al Riyami finished 43rd and Jihad Al Hasani in 53rd was the only junior sailor qualifying in the gold fleet and went away with the under 12 overall trophy.

All five qualified to represent Oman in the upcoming GCC Championships to be held from April 1 to 4 in Abu Dhabi.

Amongst the contestants were sailors from Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Great Britain, Germany, Malaysia, Mozambique, Norway, Oman, Po-

CHAMPION SAILORS: All the winners at Al Musannah Race Week pose for a group photo. – Supplied photo

land, Qatar, Singapore and Switzerland. But it was Singapore that dominated the winners podium with Daniel Ian Toh and Jodie Lai taking first and second place in an exhibition of skill and determination while the Omani sailors benefitted from the high level of performance throughout Oman Sail’s race organisation.

The leading podium place of the silver fleet was won by Oman’s Alla Saleh Al Amrani, followed by Jentl Hanemaaijer from Netherlands in second place and Khalid Showaiter from Bahrain in the third position.

“They all did very well, the sailors, coaches and race management and everyone involved in the racing,” said Abdul Aziz Al Shidi, Oman Sail’s Youth Pathway Coach.

“The most competitive sailors of our youth squad were fighting in the gold fleet and our newer sailors were leading in the silver fleet. It was a great success in every level. The results are a reflection on the work that the Omani youth coaches are putting in. We still have a long way to go but we

feel we are on the right track and there is definitely plenty to look forward to.”

“The race management at Musannah Race Week came under close scrutiny by officials making assessments of the venue for future events but all of them passed with flying colours,” Al Shidi added.

It included coaches and centre managers from Oman Sail’s sailing schools such as Rami Al Araimi, Haitham Al Wahaibi, Zam Zam Al Balushi, Ali Al Harbi, Ghaith Al Kasbi, Sultan Al Balushi, Saleh Al Araimi, Abdul Aziz Al Mashari, Salim Al Araimi, Nawaf Al Ghidani, Ali Al Shuhaimi and Mohamed Al Araimi To bring the curtain down on 2015 Mussanah Race Week, Oman Sail hosted a final prizegiving ceremony attended by all 110 sailors and their teams under the patronage of Dr. Humoud bin Khalfan Al Harthi, Undersecretary for Education and Curriculum, Ministry of Education.

On the success of the event, Oman Sail CEO David Graham commented: “Musannah Race

Week was a truly global event this year with 110 boats and 19 different nationalities taking part.

Within this multinational field we had male and female sailing champions from around the world, including continental champions from South America, Africa, Europe, and the current top-ranked Optimist Sailor in the World.

“This was a huge opportunity for the sailors representing Oman and has given the Omani youth a chance to test themselves against the world’s best, to gauge their own progress, see how different teams operate, adopt new techniques, and experience representing their country as an athlete in international competition”.

“Sport has an immense power to unite people from different backgrounds and this event extends far beyond sailing; it is an opportunity to embrace different cultures, forge friendships and develop skills that can last a lifetime. This event also allowed us to do all of that and demonstrate the Sultanate’s capability as a worldclass sailing venue,” he added.

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket authorities and players on Monday said they were working at resolving a potentially destabilising contract row a month away from the World Cup. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier this month announced it would extend existing annual contracts for another three months, apparently wanting to give the next set of long-term contracts on the basis of performances during cricket’s premier tournament, which is this year hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

But the players, including skipper Misbah-ul Haq, have refused to go along with the makeshift arrangement.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior player said: “First the board has drafted a short-term contract and secondly the incentives given to the players have been changed, so we are in talks with the board to solve the matter”.

A PCB spokesman confirmed the matter was being negotiated and said that it had acted in line with its own rules.

“There were some reservations which we are sure will be resolved in the next couple of days,” said the

Former players and officials have termed the central contract row as “damaging” with the World Cup just three weeks away

spokesman. “As per the rules these contracts are extendable by 180 days which is what has been done.”

The PCB had added newcomers Sohail Khan, a medium-pacer, and leg spinner Yasir Shah to the existing list of 31 players who were awarded central contracts in A, B and C category on the basis of performance and seniority last year.

Former players and officials have termed the central contract row as “damaging” with the World Cup just three weeks away.

The 11th edition of the 50-over mega event runs from February 14 to March 29. - AFP

C6

TUE S DAY, JAN UA RY 27, 2 015

SPORTS

Tweet all about it

SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY LAUNCH TWITTER PAGE

Al Hoqain Team latest to benefit from Bank Muscat Green Sports initiative The Green Sports initiative, launched in 2012 by Bank Muscat in association with the Ministry of Sports Affairs to promote Oman as a sporting nation, has widened its reach across the Sultanate

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, handed over a green playground developed as part of the Green Sports initiative to Al Hoqain Team in the Wilayat of Al Rostaq at a ceremony held under the auspices of Ali bin Khalfan Al Jabri, Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Information, in the presence of dignitaries, senior

bank officials and a large turn-out of football enthusiasts.

Ali Al Jabri congratulated Bank Muscat for the success achieved by the greening initiative.

“The Green Sports initiative complements the government’s efforts in building a sporting nation by providing the youth the required infrastructure facilities.

The initiative benefiting communities, especially youth, contributes to sustainable development and protection of the environ-

ment, thereby ensuring all-round development in Oman.”

The Green Sports initiative launched in 2012 by Bank Muscat in association with the Ministry of Sports Affairs to promote Oman as a sporting nation has widened its reach across the Sultanate.

In a record time, the bank has achieved notable success in developing green fields in all parts of the Sultanate, thus contributing to realising the sporting dreams of clubs and teams. Till date in the

first three years of the programme, 34 sports clubs have been given support to green their playing fields. The bank’s support to the initiative stems from its commitment to giving a helping hand to all deserving teams and clubs in Oman to green their playing fields.

Saleh Al Maaini, Senior Regional Manager – North-West Muscat, South Batinah and Dhahirah Regions, said: “The inauguration of the green playground in Rostaq endorses the bank’s commit-

ment to support the youth representing the country’s future. We congratulate Al Hoqain Team for seizing the opportunity to green their playing field, thereby setting a fine example for other clubs and teams in Oman. The initiative is a strategic decision by the bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports Affairs to promote Oman as a sporting nation.”

The funding criteria for the programme includes that sports clubs/teams should have been

in existence for three years with a minimum membership of 300 youth from the local community.

Bank Muscat will lay turf grass and hand over the fields to beneficiary clubs/teams.

The bank recognises that local clubs wield immense influence on neighbourhood communities, especially youth, hence clubs with modern infrastructure facilities can help raise sporting heroes for the country.

Mubarak bin Said Al Ghufaili, President of Al Hoqain Team, said: “The Green Sports initiative has made vital contributions to create an environment encouraging Omani sports talents. The unique initiative is a big support for the country’s youth and we are confident that many youngsters will benefit from this programme and become sporting heroes for the country.”

True to its commitment to supporting varied sporting activities in the country, Bank Muscat remains at the forefront in offering the required encouragement to youth. As the nation’s leading financial institution, Bank Muscat aims to motivate other corporates to provide the required impetus for youth to excel in all arenas and thereby contribute the development and progress of Oman.

LA LIGA

Life easy next to Messi, says Neymar MADRID: Brazilian star Neymar has given four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi the credit for his upturn in form during his second season with Barcelona.

Neymar was set up twice by Messi to bag a double against Elche in a 6-0 rout on Saturday to take his tally for the current La Liga season to 19 goals in just 24 games, four more than he managed in the entirety of his debut campaign in Spain.

“Of all the players I have seen play, Messi is the best and I will always have enormous respect for him,” the 22-year-old said on Monday.

“We are getting better all the time and together we can do great things. If you have a good relationship off the field it can influence

things on it. To play beside the best is very easy.”

Neymar has yet to win a major trophy in Barca colours after the Catalan giants missed out last season for the first time in six years.

On a personal note, his season was blighted by injuries, as well the controversy surrounding his transfer from Santos which led to the club being accused of tax fraud and the resignation of president Sandro Rossell.

“In the first season I had to get to know everything and I have always said that I have many things to achieve and I still feel that.

“I have evolved professionally and personally, I have learned from players I have by my side who are world icons. It is a pleasure to be able to train with them.” - AFP

ENORMOUS RESPECT: Barcelona’s Neymar, second right, celebrates his second goal with Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez, left, during their La Liga match against Elche FC in Elche. – AFP

ISC TENNIS

Vivek, Sanskar, Ayaan storm into boys U-12 semifinals MUSCAT: Sanskar Dubey, Ayaan Malhotra and Vivek Kolluru advanced to the semifinals of the boys under-12 singles event at the ISC-Muscat Pharmacy Open Junior Tennis Tournament organised by the Indian Social Club (ISC) Muscat.

Ayaan, the No. 3 seed, has advanced with two convincing victories. After a first round bye, Ayaan wasted little sweat on the way to a convincing 8-1 win over J. Siddhant Guber and followed it up yet another clinical 8-2 victory over Prithvi Raj in the quarterfinal. Prithvi though made a strong start and challenged Ayaan’s serve in the first and third games but Ayaan held his ground and was the more consistent of the two.

Left-hander Vivek Kolluru, the No. 4 seed, went out all guns blazing and gave little away as he posted a convincing 8-0 victory over Dhruv Dhinak. In the second round, he gave no liberties to upcoming Omani player Azzan Al Hajri whom he defeated 8-2.

MARCHING ON: Vivek Kolluru

Azzan kept pace until twogames all. Vivek earned the first break in the fifth game and then reeled off the next six games in succession to win the quarterfinal. Azzan had earlier come through a tight first round match in which he struggled to a 8-5 victory over Piyush Sivakumar before handing Surya Mariappan a 8-0 defeat in the second round.

In other matches of the same event, top seeded Omani talent

Muneer Al Rawani advanced to the quarterfinals with a 8-0 demolition of Asvatt Thangamalai and second seed Sanskar Dubey controlled the game from start to finish to outplay Arjun Sriram 8-2 to enter the last eight stage.

Kapil Mansinghani has put in two dogged performances to reach the quarterfinals. He was given a tough time by Zain Ashfaque in the first round before overcoming him with a 8-5 margin and in the second round Kapil had to pull out all his tricks before outwitting Vatsal Manikandan 8-7 (7-5) in the tie-breaker.

Vatsal rallied from 2-6 down to force the tie-breaker and again fought back from 2-5 down in the tie-breaker before Kapil sealed the issue to advance to the quarters and Varun Deepak scored a confident 8-3 win over Indraneel Singh to line-up a quarterfinal date against second seed Sanskar Dubey.

Prithvi Raj also advanced with a convincing 8-0 victory over Rubesh Kumar.

C

SECTION

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

LIFE & STYLE

T U ES DAY, JA N UA RY 27, 2 0 1 5

MEXICO’S STREET FOOD IS NOT WHAT YOU EXPECT

‘I

’m so sorry, you’ve missed it,” apologises my concierge, oncierge, Rikardo, delivering the news that one of Oaxaca’s most celebrated annual events — La Noche de Rábanos — has finished. I knew that I’d missed the actual Night of Radishes, held each 23 December in the town’s Zócalo (public square) since 1897, but I had hoped that the elaborate displays would hang around at least until the new year.

Friends who had cycled through a week earlier had led me here in the eager hope of catching sweet nativity scenes, anteaters giddy from the effects of mezcal, and intricate Day of the Dead tableaux, all carved out of radishes — some of which, I’m told, can reach around 50 centimetres in length.

I was disappointed to have missed them, but my friends had also provided me with pointers for other edible treats that I could enjoy during my stay in the city, with its world-class food scene. For decades, Mexican cuisine was largely written off beyond its borders as an unsophisticated carb-rich mess of burritos and tacos.

Then, 2005 Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers introduced Britain to the nuanced, piquant flavours and textures of Mexican market food od with the launch of her restaurant rant chain Wahaca (the phoonetic spelling of Oaxaca) in London in 2007.

Miers, who lived in Mexico for many years, cited a street food dish from this enchanting city as the best meal she’d ever eaten, and it’s perhaps the memory of this dish — pozolé, a slow-cooked stew with radish, coriander, and fresh lime juice to give it zing (very different from our misconceived notions of Mexican food) — that inspired the chef to name her restaurant after the city. But it could also be that, with its numerous markets and distinctive flavours, the state and city of Oaxaca offer some of the most celebrated and innovative cooking and ingredients in Mexico. With its elegant colonial buildings, an impressive arts and crafts scene, top-class museums and markets selling mounds of mole (sauce) and the state’s other favourite food, chocolate, Oaxaca is a city that both looks and tastes good. The regional cuisine encompasses fiery, earthy mountain dishes and delicate seafood, crowned by stand-out restaurants such as Casa sa Oaxaca — one of the two Oaxacan establishments lishments

on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

The other is Pitiona, whose chef Jose Manuel Baños Rodriguez has done stints at elBulli and Arzak.

To make up for missing the radish fest, I delve into Pitiona’s six-course tasting menu at a courtyard table with a kitchen view. I watch chefs craft complex dishhes such as sopa de fideos, s, a noodle and bean soup that hat is presented with delicatee globes of cheese that burst into to liquid in the mouth. Each course is paired with a Mexican wine, from small producers that now thrive as part of the

country’s burgeoning gourmet scene.

I also sample dishes at Casa Oaxaca, El Típico, La Biznaga and La Olla. The range of flavours, spices and textures is as varied as the ingredients, which include delicate squash blossoms and an mole chichilo (beef stock, chillies, onion, garstoc lic an and lime-cured flour).

However, Howeve to get to the heart of Oaxacan cuisine, I need to visit markets. the food marke nd the country’s finest selecHere I fi find c tion of moles — salsas made from a base of black chillies, chocolate and sesame seeds to create mole negros; and more

unusually from yellow un o red chillies, tomaor tillos and fresh herbs, ti or ground pumpkin seeds, to create moles see coloradito, salsuch as amarillo, am pipián. sa verde or pip p At Mercado o Sánchez Pascuas, I Oaxaqueños at tiny familyjoin scores of Oax xaq run fondas (food stalls) to try some of the seven varieties of moles on offer, memelas (tortillas topped with lard, cheese and salsa verde) and grilled empanadas — pastry filled with fiery chicken and yellow mole sauce. During the rainy season, huitlacoche, a fungus that grows on corn, is added to the mix to give an earthy flavour quite unlike anything else. These antojitos, or little snacks, are as cheap and homely as Mexican food gets, but just as delicious as refined restaurant dishes.

At the shops along downtown’s Mina Street, I watch hair-netted, masked men toil over industrial mills to grind cocoa beans into chocolate and moles, all available to sample and buy for the equivalent of pennies. Just north, at Mercado 20 de Noviembre, the huge clouds of curling smoke and burly butchers pressing me towards slabs covered with wafer-thin meat may make the huge pasillo de carnes asadas (passage of grilled meats) look like a

modern Hieronymous Bosch scene of hell.

However, it smells like heaven — the meats are grilled and served in beef tacos. Equally appealing are the signature Oaxacan tlayudas — huge baked corn tortillas topped in the manner of pizzas with everything from lard and the local stringy, mozzarella-like cheese, quesillo, to avocado and tomatoes.

Across the road at Oaxaca’s oldest market, Benito Juárez, women sit beside mounds of chapulines — grasshoppers toasted with garlic, lime juice and salt.

They are an acquired taste which, despite two or three attempts, I never get the hang of. More palatable, I’m assured later, are the caviar-like escamoles — ant larvae.

Another local — and cheaper — flavour is nopal, the slimy prickly pear cactus leaves that offer another distinctive taste.

I’m much more enamoured of the agua frescas` on sale everywhere — flavoured, natural waters. I chose a Jamaica — made using dried hibiscus flowers — from the huge selection at Casilda’s stall in Benito Juarez market, where the crowds are three-deep and the everyday pastel-coloured plastic jugs belie the beauty of their contents. I join the throng, knowing that it will be worth the wait, and that in half an hour’s time, I’ll be ready for another antojito — though maybe not the grasshoppers.

- Yolanda Zappaterra/The Independent

TUE S DAY, JA N UA RY 27, 2 015

C8

EXTRA

IS VIRTUAL REALITY

THE FUTURE OF NEWS? Three companies launch virtual reality-enabled news documentaries, hoping that the 360-degree films can lure back people turned off by conventional news

O

ne of the apps was made

by Vice News, in partnership with digital artist Chris Milk and director Spike Jonze, to film the Millions March protests in New York in December.

Another called Hong Kong Unrest covered the Hong Kong protests and was made by the creators of immersiv.ly, an app that is being developed to make news journalism in virtual reality.

A third has been made by the UN, following a Syrian refugee. The film is called Clouds Over Sidra and was also created by Chris Milk, along with UN advisor Gabo Arora.

The launch of the three films all in one day is probably a coincidence — though one probably driven by Sundance Film Festival.

The festival began yesterday and will run until this week, promoting new ways of making films as well as traditional ones.

All three films seek to seize on

the growing interest in virtual reality. The technology is associated most closely with gaming, but has been put to diverse uses including recruiting soldiers for the army and filming a concert by Paul McCartney. Those uses often require expensive and complex headsets and computers — such as Oculus Rift, which is expected to launch in a consumer version of its headset by the end of 2015.

But the same technologies can be used without any special equipment — the Hong Kong film can be watched on a normal screen, scrolling around the scene using the mouse or trackpad, or watching a version that has been flattened so the whole of the 360-degree picture is seen.

The films can also be watched using Google Cardboard, a simple version of a virtual reality headset that can be made with little more than a piece of cardboard and a phone. The technology is likely to become even more mainstream in

the coming weeks, when YouTube is expected to unveil 360-degree videos on the platform. It is expected that it will support flat videos as well as those being watched on virtual reality headsets.

Now news journalists and documentary makers hope that they can use the 360-degree videos to bring back people who may be disenchanted from traditional journalism — as well as making films more immersive for those already watching them.

That will be helped partly by the increased sense of objectivity in the 360-degree films. Because less editing happens, viewers feel more in control.

“When you put a frame around something, you can get the audience to interpret what’s in that frame in a very certain way,” Edward Miller, who filmed and edited the Hong Kong film, told The Independent. “Often the director or the cameraman can influence what it is you’re seeing, and what

it is you think you’re seeing.

“Whereas there’s nowhere to hide with a 360-degree camera.”

That kind of choice adds a sense of objectivity, which could return some of the excitement to an increasingly jaded news audience.

“When played back, you have the freedom to literally explore the full picture, on your own terms,” said Scott Broock, vice president of content at Jaunt VR, the immersive content firm that made the Paul McCartney concert film. “You decide what to make of the facts for yourself, which is empowering and ultimately far more meaningful than a heavily edited piece. It returns a true sense of objectivity to newsgathering.”

It could also increase the amount of time that people watch the films for, and encourage them to view them repeatedly — what experts refer to as “stickiness”.

Watching the film over again from a different point of view can mean watching an entirely different film,

and the filmmakers hope that viewers will keep coming back to watch again and re-edit their own film.

Miller made the Hong Kong film using six separate go pro cameras, either placed on a tripod or a long boom pole that meant he could hold it up high. (The Hong Kong protests were especially helpful to cover, given the protestors were so mediasavvy and welcoming to coverage, but Miller says the kit is so light that it could be used in most places.)

The film is then stitched together using a range of software — much of which is still in development and so needs improvement.

Jaunt VR, for example, hopes to speed up its editing suite so that it will be able to take live footage and make it 3D in only 8 seconds.

That would allow for the kind of livestreaming that has become a common feature of protests — but in 360-degrees.

Using the six cameras and 3D footage meant that Miller could get a more full view of events than

traditional cameras, he said. He pointed to the example of seeing a girl falling over in a scuffle with police — unlike 2D cameras, which tend to see only 120-degrees or so, he could film all parts of what was happening.

While those kind of big, immersive events are one way of demonstrating the value of the technology, those behind it say that it could one day be used for a range of films.

It could capture roundtable discussions so that viewers can choose which panel member they want to watch. Or it could be used in education — capturing doctors in the middle of surgery so that they can be watched by students, for instance.

And there are many questions still to be answered, which filmmakers are engaged in researching.

Films could be shot in 180-degrees rather than needing to go all the way around, for instance, and could introduce 3D for even more immersion. -Andrew Griffin/The Independent

DOCUMENTARIES GO 360-DEGREES

T UE SDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

C9

ENTERTAINMENT CINEMA SCHEDULE

BAHJA CINEMA Cast: Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma 3.45, pm Alone - Hindi - (Thriller) (18+) 6.45 pm Dolly Ki Dolly (Com | Drama ) (TBC) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pulkit Samrat, Varun Sharma, 9:45pm

Voice Overs: Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana 11:45 am & 3:30 pm Gold Class: 12pm The Book Of Life (2D) (Animation/Adventure) (PG) 10:00 am Taken-3 (2D) (Action/Thriller) (12+) Cast: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker 5:15 pm Mortdecai (2D) (Act/Comedy) (12+) Cast: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor 1:30 & 7:15 pm Gold Class: 1:45 & 6:15 pm American Sniper (2D) (Act) (15+) Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller 6:15, 9:15 & 11:45pm Gold Class: 3:45 & 11:15 pm Baby (Hindi) (2D) (Action/Crime) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Tapsee Pannu 11:45 am & 8:45 pm Gold Class: 8:15 pm Wolf Creek (2D)(Horror) (18+) Cast: John Jarratt, Ryan Corr 4:15 & 11:45 pm

American Sniper (2D) (Act ) (15+) Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller 2:45, 7:00, 9:15, 11:45 pm Mortdecai (2D)(Act | Crime) (12+) Cast: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor 5:15, 9:30, 7:15 pm Baby (2D)(Action | Crime) (12+) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Tapsee Pannu 9:00 pm Barbie in Princess Power (2D) (Animation) (PG) Voice Overs: Rebecca Husain, Britt Irvin 2:00, 3:45 pm The Book of Life (3D)(Animation) Voice Overs: Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana 3:30, 5:15 pm (TBC) The Book of Life (2D)(Animation) (TBC); 2:00 pm Reach Me (2D)( Drama) (15+) Cast: Lauren Cohan, Kyra Sedgwick 5:15 pm Wolf Creek 2 (2D)(Horror) (18+) Cast: John Jarratt, Ryan Corr 7:00, 11:55pm Taken 3 (2D) (Action | Crime) (12+) Cast: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker 11:30 pm

Mortdecai– 2D (12+) (Act | Com) Cast: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor 2:45, 7:15, 9:00 pm American Sniper– 2D (15+) (Action ) Cast: Bradley Cooper, Kyle Gallner 3:00, 4:45, 9:15, 11:45 pm The Book of Life– 2D (PG) (Animation | Adventure) Cast: Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana 3:15 pm The Book of Life– 3D (PG) (Animation | Adventure) 5:00, 6:45pm Baby – 2D (12+) (Act | Crime) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Tapsee Pannu 8:30, 11:00 pm Taken 3 – 2D (12+) (Act | Crime) Cast: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace; 11:30 pm Barbie in Princess Power– 2D (PG) (Animation) Voice Overs: Rebecca Husain, Britt 3:15, 4:45 pm I (Tamil) – 2D (12+) (Action | Fantasy) Cast: Vikram, Amy Jackson 6:15pm Dolly Ki Doli– 2D (Com) Cast: Malaika Arora, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Sonam Kapoor 9:30 pm Wolf Creek 2– 2D (18+) (Horror)

SCREEN 1 Baby - Hindi - (Thriller | Act) (12+ ) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu, Rana Daggubati, Anupam Kher 3.30, 6.30, 9.30pm SCREEN 2 Dolly Ki Dolly (Com | Drama ) (TBC) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pulkit Samrat, Varun Sharma 3.45, 6.45 pm Alone - Hindi - ( Horror) (18+ ) Cast: Bipasha Basu, Karan Singh Grover; 9:45 pm SCREEN 3 P. K (Comedy) (PG)

Barbie In Princess Power (2D) (Animation) (PG) Voice Overs: Rebecca Husain, Britt Irvin, Michael Kopsa 10:15 am & 2:45 pm The Book Of Life (3D) (Animation/Adventure) (PG)

Cast: John Jarratt, Ryan Corr 7:00, 11:30 pm [REC] 3: Genesis– 2D (15+)Horror Cast: Leticia Dolera, Diego Martín, Ismael Martínez 5:30 pm

The Book of Life (3D) (Anim ) (TBC) Cast: Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana 2:15, 4:30 pm Taken 3 (Act | Thriller) (12+) Cast: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace 2:15, 11:30 pm I (Tamil) (Act | Fantasy | Ro) (12+) Cast: ‘Chiyaan’ Vikram, Amy Jackson, Upen Patel; 05:30 pm [REC] 3: Genesis (Horror) (15+) Cast: Leticia Dolera, Diego Martín, Ismael Martínez; 4:00 pm Mortdecai (Action | Comedy) (12+) Cast: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor 2:30, 6:45, 9:15 pm American Sniper (Action | Biography | Drama) (15+) Cast: Bradley Cooper, Kyle Gallner 4:15, 9:00, 11:45pm Baby (Hindi) (Action | Crime | Mystery) (12+) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Tapsee Pannu 6:15, 8:45, 11:15 pm

American Sniper (2D) ( Act ) (12+) Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner.

04:15, 11:45 pm The Book of Life (3D)(Adv ) Cast: Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana

04:30 pm I (Tamil) (Act | Fantasy) (12+) Cast: ‘Chiyaan’ Vikram, Amy Jackson, Upen Patel;6:15 pm Taken-3 (Action | Thriller) (12+) Cast: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace 6:45 pm Baby (Hindi) ( Act / Mystery ) (12+) 8:45, 11:30 pm Mortdecai ( English ) (Act ) (12+) Cast: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow 9:30 pm

Taken 3 (2D/12+) (Act/Crime) 9:15pm American Sniper (2D/15+) (Act/Bio) Cast: Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner 11:30 am, 9:15, 11:45 pm Barbie in Princess Power (2D) (Animation) 2:00pm The Book of Life (2D/TBC) (Animation/Adventure) 11:15 am The Book of Life (3D/TBC) (Animation/Adventure) 3:30, 5:30pm Mortdecai (2D/12+) (Act/Com) 1:00, 5:15, 7:15 pm Wolf Creek 2 (2D/18+) (Horror) 7:15, 11:30 pm I – (Tamil) (2D/12+) (Act/Fantasy) 3:30pm Dolly Ki Doli (2D/TBC) (Com/Rom) Cast: Malaika Arora, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Sonam Kapoor 6:45 pm Baby (2D/12) (Action/Crime) 12:30, 8:40 pm

American Sniper (Action) Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Luke Grimes, Kyle Gallner 3.30, 7.30, 9.30 & 11.55 pm CP No: 2015 /181 (15+) Mortdecai (Action/comedy) Cast: Johny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Evan Mc Gregore 4.00, 10.00 & 11.55 pm CP No: 2015/182 (12+) Reach Me (Drama) Cast: Lawren Chan, Sylvester Stallon, Kyra Sedgwick 2.00 & 5.45pm CP No: 2015/180 (15+) Taken 3: (Action) Cast: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker 7.30 pm; CP No: 2015/153 (12+) Barbie in Princess Power (PG) (Animation) Voice Overs: Britt Irvin, Michael Kopsa 2.00 & 6.00pm; CP No: 2015/179

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

STARS CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776

“I” (Tamil) ( Action\Thriller) Cast: Vikram, Amy Jackson 3:00, 6:30 & 10:00 pm Cinema Main Baby - Hindi - (Thriller | Act) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu, Rana Daggubati, Anupam Kher, Kay Kay Menon 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45pm Cinema 3 Mylanchi Monchulla Veedu (Mal) (Rom/Com) Cast: Jayram & Asif Ali 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30pm Cinema 2 Chinnadana Nee Kosam (Tel)(Com) Cast: Nitin Reddy & Misnti 3:45 pm Cinema 4 P K (Hindi) (Comedy) Cast: Aamir Khan, Sanjay Dutt 6:45 & 9:45pm Cinema-4 NEXT CHANGE: Nagaravaridhi Naduvil Najaan

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

ACES ON BRIDGE

SUDOKU

With two suits, the second first

2

6 7 4 3 2

4 9 8 3 7 5 1

4

3 7 5 2 8 4

1 5 9 5

1

2 9 7 1 5

4 3 8 6

3

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

— Seven Galaxies

6 1 3 8 2 4 7 9 5 7 2 9 5 1 3 4 8 6 5 8 4 9 7 6 3 1 2 2 7 5 1 9 8 6 3 4 3 6 8 2 4 7 1 5 9 9 4 1 3 6 5 2 7 8 8 9 6 7 3 2 5 4 1 4 5 7 6 8 1 9 2 3 1 3 2 4 5 9 8 6 7 Previous puzzle Solution

MARMADUKE

CROSSWORD

B I G NAT E

ACROSS 1 5 9 12 13 14 15 17 19 20 21 24 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 38 39 40 41

In a — (right away) Blow gently Round veggie Canal of song Pandora’s boxful Mischief-maker Hot under the collar (2 wds.)

Full-length, as a novel Bullring shout Pesky bug Cliff inlet Colouring need Ferber or Best Shut noisily Ms. McClanahan After expenses Turbaned seer One of the Gershwins Lah-di- — Defeats a wrestler Autograph site Deli worker’s job Meadow rodents Art-class model Calendar divs.

Ripple pattern

43 47 48 50 51 52 53

Best policy?

Legendary big bird Kind of squad Emerging magma “Murder, — Wrote” Gray-green shrub Good dirt

DOWN 1 Travel option 2 Feeling of fury 3 Exclamation of yore 4 Soft hat 5 Helen, to Menelaus 6 Gordon Shumway’s nickname 7 Marlins’ st.

8 Tidal wave 9 Illustrated 10 Down Under bird 11 Unusually bright 16 Well-worn 18 Opposing vote 20 Chemist’s amounts 21 Wards (off) 22 Without a flaw 23 In a risky situation (3 wds.)

24 25 26 28 31 35

Trolley sound Clinic staffer Theatre units Boars and sows Web makers Sportscaster Howard — 37 Unfriendly mongrel 38 Baron —

Richthofen Dust particle Half a couple Admirer’s murmur Monopolise — Tome Rural elec. provider 46 Candied tuber 49 Midwest st.

40 41 42 43 44 45

Answer to previous puzzle

SHIRLEY Conran, an English novelist and journalist, said, “First things first, second things never.”

In bridge, though, you do have to worry about second things, especially second suits. In this deal, for example, how should South play in four hearts after West leads the spade king and continues the suit when his partner encourages with the ten?

In the auction, South’s two-club rebid was New Minor Forcing, which artificially announced at least game-invitational strength.

Without three hearts, North rebid two diamonds. South mentioned his second suit, which instigated a game force. And when North bid three hearts to show high-honourdoubleton, South decided to play in four hearts. (If he had continued with four clubs, North would have raised to five clubs, a contract that would have made easily with the trumps 3-2.)

Four hearts needed careful handling. After ruffing the second spade, if South had drawn trumps, he would have turned it into a no-trump contract and gone several down.

When declarer has a two-suiter and needs to gain tricks from the second suit, it is usually correct to play on the side suit first. So South led a club to dummy’s king, returned a club to his ace, and played a third club to West’s queen.

East discarded a diamond.

When West led his spade queen, South ruffed and played off dummy’s top diamonds. East ruffed the second, but had no riposte. If he had returned a heart, declarer would have drawn trumps and cashed his club winners. When East played another spade, South crossruffed home.

— By Phillip Alder

BORN LOSER

WITH LOVE

DAKSHA DHARMIK K S

AISHWARYA ANIL

January 27, 2009

January 27, 2004

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

KIDSPOT

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

C1 0

TUE S DAY, JAN UA RY 27, 2 015

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

BORN today, you are bound to make the most of your copious talents, provided you do not become complacent or lazy, but rather insist on pushing yourself to the limit as often as possible. If you live on the edge, you will surely explore all you have to offer and develop your abilities to their fullest possibly potential. Of course, the flip side is that living on the edge in such a way can actually be quite dangerous, and those dangers are often difficult to recognise or anticipate.

Indeed, it is not likely that anything external will ever threaten your wellbeing; rather, it will be internal forces that threaten to tear you apart in some way, perhaps physically, perhaps emotionally — perhaps both!

You can work well with a partner, but you’re not happy working from the back seat. You want to be front and center, and though you don’t have to make all the key decisions, you do want to be the one to implement them if possible. You can, at times, be a bit too hungry for attention and recognition.

Also born on this date are: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer; Lewis Carroll, author; Donna Reed, actress; Mimi Rogers, actress; Mikhail Baryshnikov, ballet dancer and actor; Sir Francis Drake, sea captain and explorer; Troy Donahue, actor; Alan Cumming, actor; Rosamund Pike, actress; Bridget Fonda, actress; John Roberts, chief justice of the US Supreme Court; Jerome Kern, composer; James Cromwell, actor.

W E AT H E R

M

WORLD

Max 26 Min 17 Max -3 Min -9

Max 20 Min 7

Max 23 Min 17 Max 9 Min 6

Max 23 Min 17

Max -3 Min -5

Max 24 Min 11

Max 26 Min 13

Max 26 Min 17

AQUARIUS

Max 24 Min 13

[JAN. 20-FEB. 18]

Two seemingly random and T unrelated events conspire to put you in a new position that affords you an advantageous view.

ARIES [March 21-APRIL 19] Two seemingly random and unrelated events conspire to put you in a new position that affords you an advantageous view.

TAURUS [APRIL 20-MAY 20] It’s a good day to accept what another offers, even though it may not fulfill all of your expectations.

Compromise is beneficial.

GEMINI [MAY 21-JUNE 20] It’s not necessary for you to be everywhere at once; you can arrange things quite well from the comfort of your own home.

CANCER [JUNE 21-JULY 22] You’ll realize that what you are trying to do may not have the intended effect. Consider making a recommended change.

Max 26 Min 17

Max 22 Min 13

Max 30 Min 21 Max 22 Min 20

—www.met.gov.om

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

GULF Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai Kuwait Manama Riyadh

23 22 23 22 22 24

13 12 12 12 15 7

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

16 19 0 5 -5 21 32 5 19 9 29 30 15 7 38 30 15 -6

8 11 -10 3 -8 8 23 1 14 6 17 23 8 5 25 24 5 -12

[JULY 23-AUG. 22] You may have to do more early in the day as a result of a schedule change that was simply unavoidable.

Someone else’s business comes first.

VIRGO [AUG. 23-SEPT. 22] Others may believe your preferences are vague, but the fact is that you’re after something very specific. You must make this known.

LIBRA L [[SEPT. [S S 23-OCT. 22] You can’t expect those around you to read your mind — even those who know you best. You must be willing to engage in honest talk.

SCORPIO S [[OCT. 23-NOV. 21] You may impress someone with your ability to anticipate his or her emotional responses. Indeed, you are unusually perceptive!

SAGITTARIUS S [[NOV. 22-DEC. 21] You’re likely to be making many rules for yourself and others, and you must be sure to stick to them yourself, as an example.

CAPRICORN [DEC. 22-JAN 19] What happens to you early in the day will surely affect you later on — but in ways that defy expectation or, for now, comprehension.

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

Operating Days Daily Daily Daily

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

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

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

20:50

Daily

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

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

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

10:25

Daily

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

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

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

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

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

10:20 12:30

Daily Daily

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

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

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

12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

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

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

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

10:30 11:15

Daily Daily

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

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

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

Daily Daily Daily Daily

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

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

16:30

Daily

Daily

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

Daily

16:50

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

LEO

Sunset Sunrise (Tomorrow)

5.49pm 6.51am

High tide Low tide

2:02am 9:06am

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

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

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

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

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

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

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

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

LISTINGS

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24783334; Appolo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24782666; Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24702542, Salalah: 23291635; Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra: 24503585; Ruwi 24811715 Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya. Tel: 24787766 Muscat, A Seeb Market. Tel: 24421691 Muscat, Al Khuwair. Tel: 24485740 Muscat, Al Hail South. Tel: 24537080 Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah.

Tel: 23291635 HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre: 24485052 Atlas Hospital: Ruwi: 24811743/ Ghubra: 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic: 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi: 24563641, Azaiba: 24499269, Sohar: 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital: 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory: 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre: 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic: 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi: 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb: 24420740 Ceregem National Raak: 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic: 24563217 Elixir Health Centre: 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre: 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre: 24472274 Hamdan Hospital: 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC: 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital: 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency: 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar: 26751128, MBD: 24799077, Al Khuwair: 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital: 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital: 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair: 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC: 22004000 ROYAL OMAN POLICE Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence: 24569603 Directorate General of Customs: 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries: 24510228 Public Relations Admin: 24560099 ACCOMMODATION Al Bahjah Hotel: 24424400 Al Bustan Palace: 24764000 Al Khuwair Hotel Apartments: 24478171 Al Madina Holiday Inn: 24596400 Al Maha International Hotel: 24494949 Al Fanar Hotel: 24712385 Al Falaj Hotel: 24702311 Al Qurum Resort: 24605945 Azaiba Hotel Apartments: 24490979 Beach Hotel: 24696601 Bowshar Hotel: 24491105 Coral Hotel Muscat: 24692121 Crowne Plaza Muscat: 24660660 Crystal Suites: 24826100 Golden Tulip Seeb: 24510300 Grand Hyatt Muscat: 24641234 Haffa House Hotel: 24707207 Hotel Muscat Holiday: 24487123 InterContinental Muscat: 24680000 Majan Continental Hotel: 24592900 Marina Hotel: 24711711 Midan Hotel Suites: 24499565 Mina Hotel: 24711828 Muttrah Hotel: 24798401

Nuzha Hotel Apartments: 24789199 Oman Dive Centre: 24824240 Park Inn: 24507888 Qurum Beach House Hotel: 24564070 Radisson Blu Hotel: 24487777 Ramee Dream Resort Seeb: 24453399 Ramee Guestline Hotel: 24564443 Ruwi Hotel: 24704244 Safeer Hotel Suites: 24691200 Sheraton Oman Hotel: 24772772 Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa: 24776666 The Chedi Muscat: 24524400 The Treasurebox Muscat Hotel: 24502570 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours): 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot: 24704455, Air Arabia: 24700828, Air France: 24562153, Air India: 24799801, Air New Zealand: 24700732, Biman Bangladesh Airlines: 24701128, British Airways: 24568777, Cathay Pacific: 24789818, Egypt Air: 24794113, Emirates Air: 24404400, Ethiopian Airlines: 24660313, Gulf Air: 80072424, Indian: 24791914, Iran Air: 24787423, Japan Airlines: 24704455, Jazeera Airways: 23294848, Jet Airways: 24787248, Kenya Airways: 24660300, KML Royal Dutch Airlines: 24566737, Kuwait Airways: 24701262, LOT Polish Airlines: 24796387, Lufthansa: 24796692, Malaysian Airlines: 24560796, Middle East Airlines: 24796680, Oman Air: 24531111, Pakistan International Airlines: 24792471, Qatar Airways: 24771900, Qantas: 24559941, Royal Jordanian: 24796693, Saudi Arabian Airlines: 24789485, Singapore Airlines: 24791233, Shaheen Air: 24816565, SriLankan Airlines:

TUESDAY

Min

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

[Feb. 19-March 20]

12.24pm 3.33pm 5.55pm 7.08pm 5.31am

2:09pm 7:57pm

governorate western coast with a maximum wave height of 2.25 metres and slight to moderate along rest of Oman coasts with a maximum wave height of 1. 5 metres.

HORIZONTAL VISIBILITY: Good over most of the Sultanate becoming poor during fog formation.

THE NEXT 48 HOURS OUTLOOK: Mainly clear skies over most of the Sultanate. Chance of low level clouds during early morning over Musandam governorate and parts of Oman Sea coast.

Max

OMAN

PISCES

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

AIRLINES

ainly clear skies over most of the Sultanate with chance of early morning low level clouds or fog patches over Musandam governorate and parts of Oman Sea coast and Al-Dhahira governorate.

EXPECTED WIND: Along Oman Sea coasts and Arabian Sea wind will be northerly to northeasterly light to moderate while over rest of the Sultanate it will be northerly to northwesterly light to moderate becoming light variable at night.

SEA STATE: Moderate along Arabian Sea coast and Musandam

Max 24 Min 9

You’re waiting to hear from someone in charge whether you have completed a job to his or her satisfaction. News may come that surprises you.

PRAYER TIMINGS

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

National Museum Ruwi: Tel: 24701289, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pm Sohar Fort Museum: Tel: 26844758, Open from Saturday to Wed: 8 to 1:30pm Thurs: 9am to 1pm Muscat Gate Museum: at Al Bahri Road, Muscat open from Sat to Wed 8am to 2pm

WEDNESDAY FLT NO

ARRIVALS FROM

CAIRO 0005 RIYADH 0005 RIYADH 0005 JEDDAH 0005 KUWAIT 0010 BANGKOK 0015 LAHORE 0130 SALALAH 0150 ISTANBUL 0215 ISLAM ABBAD-SIALKOT 0225 KARACHI 0230 DOHA 0345 ADDIS ABABA 0350 DUBAI 0355 BAHRAIN 0405 ABU DHABI 0405 DUBAI 0415 SALALAH 0630 ABU DHABI 0650 BAHRAIN 0700 AMMAN 0705 DOHA 0710 KUWAIT 0715 MUNICH 0715 FRANKFURT 0715 DAMMAM 0725 JEDDAH 0730 MALPENSA-ZURICH 0745 PARIS 0800 DUBAI 0805 BOMBAY 0815 TEHRAN 0815 LONDON HEATHROW 0820 BEIRUT 0830 DUBAI 0850 SHARJAH 0915 HYDERABAD 0920 DELHI 0935 MADRAS 0940 DUBAI 0940 DOHA 1000 DOHA 1010 ABU DHABI 1015 MUKHAIZNA 1045 JAIPUR 1100 DUBAI 1110 SALALAH 1110 RAS AL KHAIMA 1120 DUBAI 1200 CHITTAGONG 1210 LUCKNOW 1210 CALICUT 1210 GWADUR 1220 CHITTAGONG 1245 KHASAB 1245 DUBAI 1330 KARACHI 1355 KHASAB 1440 MANGALORE-ABU DHABI 1440 SALALAH 1445 BANGKOK 1525 KUWAIT 1525 BAHRAIN 1530 LAHORE 1550 DUBAI 1555 ABU DHABI 1635 BOMBAY 1710 CALICUT 1720 DELHI 1730 HYDERABAD 1740 TRIVANDRUM 1740 ISLAM ABBAD 1745 DOHA 1745 DOHA 1745 DUBAI 1800 BAHRAIN 1810 BANGALORE 1810 DUBAI 1845 MUKHAIZNA 1845 RIYADH 1900 SHARJAH 1915 BANGKOK-KARACHI 1935 DUBAI 1945 DUBAI 2030 SALALAH 2055 DUBAI 2125 DELHI 2125 BOMBAY 2130 COCHIN 2140 DUBAI 2145 COLOMBO 2150 MADRAS 2155 BANGKOK 2200 MADRAS 2200 DOHA 2210 COLOMBO 2225 BAHRAIN 2240 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2240 ABU DHABI 2250 SALALAH 2305 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY 2310 DOHA 2315 ZURICH-DUBAI 2320 BOMBAY 2325 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI 2330 BAHRAIN 2330 DUBAI 2335 DAMMAM 2350 ABU DHABI 2350 SALALAH 2355 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 2355

WY682 WY406 WY676 WY648 WY816 WY816 WY824 4H583 WY916 PK229 TK776 QR1132 EK866 GF560 EY384 FZ041 WY638 WY902 WY686 WY658 WY668 WY644 WY692 WY674 WY602 WY202 WY432 WY102 NL768 WY342 FZ043 G9114 WY236 WY918 WY226 WY242 EK862 WY346 WY252 IX443 QR1128 EY382 IX549 9W530 WY604 WY822 WY3922 G9841 FZ037 WY268 IX337 WY314 PA450 WY904 WY3302 WY606 WY326 WY918 WY918 WY906 WY274 WY656 WY632 FZ045 WY216 WY204 WY292 WY610 WY246 WY3304 WY284 WY232 QR1126 WY664 EK864 GF564 G9116 WY254 WY144 FZ047 WY614 WY914 AI977 KL441 WY624 AI973 6.00E+81 WY414 9W534 FZ049 AI907 QR1134 WY272 GF566 BA073 EY388 WY908 AI985 WY662 WY124 LX242 9W540 LH618 WY654 WY612 WY116 WY928 WY636 W696 WY717 WY910

RIYADH 0005 CAIRO 0005 JEDDAH 0005 KUWAIT 0010 BANGKOK 0015 BANGKOK 0015 KUALA LUMPUR 0055 DACCA-CHITTAGONG 0130 SALALAH 0150 LAHORE 0215 ISTANBUL-BAHRAIN 0300 DOHA 0345 DUBAI 0355 BAHRAIN 0405 ABU DHABI 0405 DUBAI 0415 ABU DHABI 0520 SALALAH 0630 RIYADH 0700 BAHRAIN 0700 DOHA 0710 KUWAIT 0715 DAMMAM 0725 JEDDAH 0730 DUBAI 0805 BOMBAY 0815 TEHRAN 0815 LONDON HEATHROW 0820 LAHORE 0830 LAHORE 0835 DUBAI 0850 SHARJAH 0915 HYDERABAD 0920 KHASAB 0930 COCHIN 0930 DELHI 0935 DUBAI 0940 ISLAM ABBAD 0940 MADRAS 0940 COCHIN 1010 DOHA 1010 ABU DHABI 1015 TRIVANDRUM 1020 TRIVANDRUM 1035 DUBAI 1110 KUALA LUMPUR 1115 DUQUM OMAN 1115 RAS AL KHAIMA 1120 DUBAI 1200 LUCKNOW 1210 CALICUT 1210 CHITTAGONG 1210 LAHORE 1215 SALALAH 1215 MUKHAIZNA 1330 DUBAI 1330 KARACHI 1355 KHASAB 1440 KHASAB 1440 SALALAH 1445 JAIPUR 1515 BAHRAIN 1530 ABU DHABI 1535 DUBAI 1555 TRIVANDRUM 1705 BOMBAY 1710 CALICUT 1720 DUBAI 1730 DELHI 1730 MUKHAIZNA 1730 BANGALORE 1740 HYDERABAD 1740 DOHA 1745 DOHA 1745 DUBAI 1800 BAHRAIN 1810 SHARJAH 1915 MADRAS 1920 MALPENSA 1930 DUBAI 1945 DUBAI 2030 SALALAH 2035 BANGALORE-HYDERABAD 2105 AMSTERDAM-DOHA 2120 DUBAI 2125 DELHI 2125 BOMBAY 2130 AMMAN 2135 COCHIN 2140 DUBAI 2145 MADRAS 2200 DOHA 2210 JAIPUR 2235 BAHRAIN 2240 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2240 ABU DHABI 2250 SALALAH 2305 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY 2310 DOHA 2315 MUNICH 2320 ZURICH-DUBAI 2320 BOMBAY 2325 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI 2330 BAHRAIN 2330 DUBAI 2335 FRANKFURT 2345 SALALAH 2345 ABU DHABI 2350 DAMMAM 2350 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 2355 SALALAH 2355

FLT NO

DEPARTURES TO

FLT NO

DEPARTURES TO

AI986 LX243 9W539 BA072 SG062 LH619 WY685 WY251 WY201 WY811 WY235 WY601 WY241 WY431 WY643 WY637 WY313 WY657 WY667 NL769 WY691 TK775 PK282 PK226 WY271 WY267 ET625 EK867 FZ042 QR1133 EY385 WY3301 GF561 WY603 WY903 WY813 WY327 WY325 WY291 WY215 WY823 FZ044 WY231 WY245 G9115 WY815 WY283 WY373 WY203 WY605 WY905 WY347 WY717 EK863 EY383 WY655 QR1129 QR8551 WY917 G9842 PK192 WY337 IX350 FZ038 WY253 WY3931 WY223 WY631 WY663 WY101 BG024 WY405 WY3305 IX818 WY609 KU678 WY675 WY913 FZ046 WY613 WY623 QR1127 WY681 WY907 GF565 WY647 WY661 WY653 WY695 EK865 WY821 WY909 SV535 G9117 WY611 WY635 TG508 FZ048 WY915 FZ050 6.00E+82 AI908 AI974 QR1135 GF567 UL206 EY381 WY901 WY673

BOMBAY 0005 DUBAI-ZURICH 0020 BOMBAY 0025 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 0025 AHMEDABAD 0030 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT 0050 RIYADH 0105 MADRAS 0110 BOMBAY 0120 BANGKOK 0120 HYDERABAD 0135 DUBAI 0150 DELHI 0155 TEHRAN 0155 KUWAIT 0200 ABU DHABI 0205 CHITTAGONG 0205 BAHRAIN 0205 DOHA 0220 LAHORE 0230 DAMMAM 0235 ISTANBUL 0310 SIALKOT 0325 KARACHI 0330 JAIPUR 0350 LUCKNOW 0355 ADDIS ABABA 0450 DUBAI 0455 DUBAI 0510 DOHA 0520 ABU DHABI 0525 MUKHAIZNA 0715 BAHRAIN 0745 DUBAI 0800 SALALAH 0800 BANGKOK 0805 LAHORE 0920 KARACHI 0920 CALICUT 0920 TRIVANDRUM 0920 KUALA LUMPUR 0930 DUBAI 0935 HYDERABAD 0955 DELHI 0955 SHARJAH 1005 BANGKOK 1010 BANGALORE 1010 COLOMBO 1020 BOMBAY 1030 DUBAI 1030 SALALAH 1030 ISLAM ABBAD 1040 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 1045 DUBAI 1055 ABU DHABI 1105 BAHRAIN 1110 DOHA 1115 DUBAI WORLD CENTRE-DOHA 1130 KHASAB 1140 RAS AL KHAIMA 1210 GWADUR-TURBAT 1305 KATHMANDU 1310 CALICUT 1310 DUBAI 1315 MADRAS 1315 SOHAR 1315 COCHIN 1325 ABU DHABI 1325 DOHA 1330 LONDON HEATHROW 1330 CHITTAGONG 1415 CAIRO 1430 MUKHAIZNA 1515 MANGALORE 1530 DUBAI 1545 ABU DHABI-KUWAIT 1625 JEDDAH 1630 SALALAH 1650 DUBAI 1700 DUBAI 1700 DUBAI 1820 DOHA 1845 RIYADH 1845 SALALAH 1850 BAHRAIN 1855 KUWAIT 1900 DOHA 1900 BAHRAIN 1910 DAMMAM 1910 DUBAI 1915 KUALA LUMPUR 1930 SALALAH 1940 RIYADH 2000 SHARJAH 2005 DUBAI 2025 ABU DHABI 2030 KARACHI-BANGKOK 2040 DUBAI 2040 SALALAH 2135 DUBAI 2225 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 DELHI 2310 DOHA 2320 BAHRAIN 2325 COLOMBO 2335 ABU DHABI 2350 SALALAH 2350 JEDDAH 2350

AI986 LX243 9W539 BA072 LH619 WY685 WY251 WY201 WY225 WY235 WY601 WY345 WY341 WY431 WY241 WY151 WY643 WY313 WY637 WY657 WY115 WY667 WY123 WY143 4H584 WY691 PK230 TK777 WY267 EK867 FZ042 QR1133 EY385 WY617 WY3921 GF561 WY903 WY603 WY273 WY215 WY325 WY291 NL769 FZ044 WY283 WY245 WY231 WY3301 G9115 WY815 WY203 WY905 WY605 WY253 WY717 EK863 EY383 WY655 IX554 IX442 QR1129 9W533 G9842 WY631 IX350 FZ038 PA451 WY101 WY663 WY413 WY3303 WY927 WY609 WY405 WY331 WY913 WY675 FZ046 WY613 WY623 QR1127 WY681 WY907 GF565 WY661 WY647 WY653 WY695 EK865 WY909 G9117 WY611 WY635 FZ048 WY825 WY915 AI978 FZ050 KL442 9W529 6.00E+82 AI908 AI974 QR1135 GF567 WY901 EY381 WY673

BOMBAY 0005 DUBAI-ZURICH 0020 BOMBAY 0025 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 0025 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT 0050 RIYADH 0105 MADRAS 0110 BOMBAY 0120 COCHIN 0125 HYDERABAD 0135 DUBAI 0150 ISLAM ABBAD 0150 LAHORE 0150 TEHRAN 0155 DELHI 0155 ZURICH 0155 KUWAIT 0200 CHITTAGONG 0205 ABU DHABI 0205 BAHRAIN 0205 FRANKFURT 0215 DOHA 0220 MUNICH-PARIS 0220 MALPENSA 0225 DACCA 0230 DAMMAM 0235 LAHORE 0315 BAHRAIN-ISTANBUL 0350 LUCKNOW 0355 DUBAI 0455 DUBAI 0510 DOHA 0520 ABU DHABI 0525 KHASAB 0630 DUQUM OMAN 0715 BAHRAIN 0745 SALALAH 0800 DUBAI 0800 JAIPUR 0815 TRIVANDRUM 0845 KARACHI 0920 CALICUT 0920 LAHORE 0930 DUBAI 0935 BANGALORE 0940 DELHI 0955 HYDERABAD 0955 MUKHAIZNA 1000 SHARJAH 1005 BANGKOK 1010 BOMBAY 1030 SALALAH 1030 DUBAI 1030 MADRAS 1040 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 1045 DUBAI 1055 ABU DHABI 1105 BAHRAIN 1110 TRIVANDRUM 1110 COCHIN 1115 DOHA 1115 COCHIN 1135 RAS AL KHAIMA 1210 ABU DHABI 1225 CALICUT 1310 DUBAI 1315 LAHORE 1315 LONDON HEATHROW 1330 DOHA 1330 AMMAN 1330 MUKHAIZNA 1400 SALALAH 1415 DUBAI 1420 CAIRO 1430 KATHMANDU 1455 SALALAH 1630 JEDDAH 1630 DUBAI 1700 DUBAI 1700 DUBAI 1820 DOHA 1845 RIYADH 1845 SALALAH 1850 BAHRAIN 1855 DOHA 1900 KUWAIT 1900 BAHRAIN 1910 DAMMAM 1910 DUBAI 1915 SALALAH 1940 SHARJAH 2005 DUBAI 2025 ABU DHABI 2030 DUBAI 2040 KUALA LUMPUR 2110 SALALAH 2135 HYDERABAD-BANGALORE 2200 DUBAI 2225 DOHA-AMSTERDAM 2230 TRIVANDRUM 2240 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 DELHI 2310 DOHA 2320 BAHRAIN 2325 SALALAH 2350 ABU DHABI 2350 JEDDAH 2350

FLT NO

ARRIVALS FROM

WY406 WY682 WY682 WY676 WY648 WY816 NL768 WY916 TK774 PK281 PK225 QR1132 ET624 EK866 GF560 EY384 FZ041 WY902 WY638 WY658 WY412 WY668 WY644 WY122 WY114 WY692 WY674 WY154 WY132 WY602 WY202 WY432 WY102 WY422 FZ043 G9114 WY236 WY242 WY252 EK862 QR8550 QR1128 EY382 WY3302 WY272 WY604 WY904 G9841 FZ037 WY314 WY268 IX337 PK191 BG023 WY918 WY606 WY326 WY918 IX817 WY906 WY812 KU677 WY656 WY328 FZ045 WY632 WY204 WY292 WY246 WY232 WY216 WY348 WY664 QR1126 EK864 GF564 WY284 WY610 WY3306 SV534 G9116 TG507 FZ047 WY614 WY914 WY624 AI973 6.00E+81 WY224 FZ049 WY374 WY254 WY814 AI907 QR1134 UL205 GF566 BA073 EY388 WY908 AI985 WY662 LX242 9W540 LH618 WY654 WY612 WY696 WY636 WY910 WY717

ETA

ETD

ETA

ETD

T UESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

C11

EXTRA SCIENCE

Virtual reality improves lives of stroke survivors

PINSTRIPED FOR ACTION A glimpse of what the very rich man will be wearing this winter

A

s the models from Berluti pranced down a silver catwalk on Friday evening through the storeyed halls of Paris’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs, in slick, super-expensive suiting, coating and booting, swinging polished leather bags, you were reminded of who this fashion game is really for. Not you, nor I, nor the throngs of young fashion fans snapping images with fervent ardour, but for very, very rich people.

It’s something highlighted again and again in this season’s Paris shows, where various labels played with the city boys’ favourite: pinstripes. But Alessandro Sartori, the creative director of Berluti, isn’t interested in that sort of stuff. Granted, he used differing weights of jersey to give his suits an activewear slant, but he didn’t literally slant them like Comme Des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo (so the buttoning sloped to the right at a 45-degree angle).

Sartori’s sartorial games were subtler.

They are intended to sell, for a lot of money.

His palette was moneyed, in rich-person colours — the cognac they quaff; the greens of their acres of land; the sandstones and greys that facade their hotels particulars on Parisian boulevards. There was also plenty of black, like their bank balances. If that colour palette was remarkable in its breadth and variety, the garments on offering were not.

They were weighted towards the real demands of a real, really rich, man’s wardrobe.

Less than 24 hours later, Kris Van Assche opened his Dior Homme show with the same formal style. His vision, however, wasn’t STUDY

Scientists find protein in coffee with effect like morphine RESEARCHERS at the University of Brasilia (UnB) and Brazil’s state-owned agriculture and livestock research company Embrapa have discovered a protein in coffee with effects similar to morphine. Embrapa’s genetics and biotechnology resources division and the UnB successfully “identified previously unknown fragments of protein — peptides — in coffee that have an effect similar to morphine, in other words they have an analgesic and sedative activity,” a statement from Embrapa said. Those peptides, it said, “have a positive differential: their effects last longer in experiments with laboratory mice”. The two institutions applied for patents to Brazilian regulators for the seven “opioid peptides” identified in the study.

The discovery of the molecules came about through the doctorate research work of Felipe Vinecky of the molecular biology department at UnB, who with the consultation of Embrapa was looking to combine coffee genes to improve the quality of the grain. -IANS

about the past, but the future. Van Assche said he wanted “to bring formality into the world of the technical the utilitarian”. To underscore the theme, an entire orchestra fiddled while the season turned at Dior Homme – in black-tie and shiny, box-fresh white trainers. That was a somewhat clichéd expression of Van Assche’s intended mashup of the techy (sports touches) with the traditional (suits). Usually, they mashed together in the styling rather than the design. He teamed the opening tailcoats with baseball caps and clusters of foliage-printed

Alessandro Sartori

badges in place of the classic bouttonnière.

You were struck, throughout, with an urge to strip away those gimmicks that only served in the end to disrupt the line of Van Assche’s suiting. Which was safe, but sturdy — a great coat, a sharp suit. He wanted the orchestra to represent “a metaphor for the making of the collection”, which ultimately amounted to a touch too much fiddling that all felt to be a little unnecessary. Unnecessary because Dior Homme’s customers aren’t looking for fussy fashion, but for classic design that will last. If you’re shelling out a couple of grand on a grain de poudre evening tuxedo, you don’t want it to become outmoded in a season or two. Berluti, on the other hand, is about eschewing the changeability of fashion in favour of eternal style.

But it also often lacks innovation.

Rei Kawakubo takes another tack: she elevates the poor, fabrics like puckered polyester, leatherette or stocking-nylon, through design. Innovation. Experimentation. This season, she meditated on concepts of power and ceremony, monastic chanting soundtracking her Comme Des Garçons show.

Frockcoats appeared here, too: but they were puckered, buttoned too tight like 18th-century justacorps over knee-breeches or slashed with seams. A few were scribbled with patterns that recalled tattoos. And there were plenty of suits. Skew-whiff across the torso, twisted and turned with ingenious complexity like tailoring refracted through funhouse mirrors, they were nothing approaching normal, never mind nondescript. Rich in ideas, not mere material. -Alexander Fury/The Independent

STROKE SURVIVORS might soon be able to go online to find a system to help improve their memories with virtual reality technology developed by New Zealand scientists. Improving prospective memory -- the ability to remember to perform actions in the future — was crucially important to everyday life and to the rehabilitation of stroke patients, University of Canterbury Professor Tanja Mitrovic said in a statement. “This kind of memory is often impaired in stroke survivors and can interfere with independent living, as it can result in forgetting to take medication or remember something they had to do,” Xinhua news agency quoted Mitrovic as saying. “It is a complex cognitive ability, which requires coordination of multiple cognitive abilities: spatial navigation, retrospective memory, attention and executive functioning.”

Stress during pregnancy can affect a baby’s development STRESS in the mother can affect foetal development, a new study says. To test whether high stress levels in pregnant mice had an impact on their offspring, pregnant mice received the natural glucocorticoid corticosterone at different times during pregnancy. Researchers found that increased levels of glucocorticoid stress hormones in pregnant mice caused the mother to eat more but reduced the ability of the placenta to transport glucose to her foetus. “The findings show that maternal glucocorticoids regulate foetal nutrition. Higher glucocorticoid hormone levels in the mother can reduce glucose transport across the placenta and lead to a decrease in foetal weight,” explained Owen Vaughan, lead author of the study.

Flexible work hours improve overall health of employees GIVING EMPLOYEES flexible work hours help curb sleep deficiency and improve overall health, researchers report. In the absence of sufficient sleep, we are not as attentive or alert, process information more slowly, miss or misinterpret social and emotional cues and decision making is impaired,” said Orfeu M. Buxton, associate professor of biobehavioral health at Pennsylvania State University. For example, we may misjudge risks by undervaluing negative consequences and overvaluing potential rewards, he added. Buxton and colleagues looked to see if a workplace intervention, designed to increase family-supportive supervision and give employees more control over their work time, improved sleep quantity and quality. The researchers followed 474 employees, with nearly half of the employees serving as the control while the other half experienced the study intervention. The intervention was designed to reduce conflicts between work and personal life and focused on two main cultural shifts: allowing employees to decide on when and where they worked and training supervisors to support their employees’ personal lives. -IANS

C1 2

TUE S DAY, JA N UA RY 27, 2 015

EXTRA Colombia’s Paulina Vega wins Miss Universe title COLOMBIA’S Paulina Vega was crowned Miss Universe Sunday, beating out contenders from the United States, Ukraine, Jamaica and The Netherlands at the world’s top beauty pageant in Florida. The 22-year-old model and business student triumphed over 87 other women from around the world, and is only the second beauty queen from Colombia to take home the prize.

The last time Colombia won the crown was in 1958 when Luz Marina Zuluaga scored the title.

Vega, wearing a long silver sequined gown, was beaming and tearful as she accepted her sash and crown from reigning miss universe, Venezuelan Gabriela Isler.

She edged out first runner-up, Nia Sanchez from the United States, hugging her as the win was announced. London-born Vega dedicated her title to Colombia and to all her supporters. “We are proud, this is a triumph, not only personal, but for all those 47 million Colombians who were dreaming with me and were part of this whole process,” she told reporters after the win.

She said the title was “more important than the World Cup,” and said beauty queens are respected around the world. For Vega, the win was a point of na-

tional pride and she hopes it will put her country on the map. “We are persevering people, despite all the obstacles, we keep fighting for what we want to achieve.

After years of difficulty, we are leading in several areas on the world stage,” she said during the question round.

Colombian President Juan

Manuel Santos applauded her, praising the brown-haired beauty on Twitter. “Colombia today is an example for the world, congratulations,” he wrote.

The five-foot-nine model from Barranquilla is the granddaughter of legendary tenor Gaston Vega and 1953 Miss Atlantico, Elvira Castillo. -AFP

DIANA KRALL ON BEING FRIENDS WITH ELTON JOHN, OUTER SPACE AND SKIING IN DUBAI The Canadian jazz pianist and singer has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide and won five Grammys

I

’ve played a lot of piano bars I sound like Humphrey Bogart, but you don’t begin at the Royal Albert Hall. I started playing at about 15. You have to work very hard to be a jazz musician and you’ve got to do some things (you might not want to), as in any job. I was sent to Europe and I was like a human jukebox, playing six hours a night.

I’ve been recording songs I listened to at High school — from California Dreamin to Sorry Seems to be The Hardest Word.

(The musician, producer and current chairman of Verve Music Group) David Foster and I had worked together on a couple of films and he can play any kind of piano. He’s played with Dave Brubeck. We thought, let’s not do a jazz record, or a jazzy pop record, but keep it like it is. The first day, he played it, I sang it, we added some orchestra, and that’s what it is. Graham Nash singing harmonies made it exquisite.

Paul McCartney let me record a new song of his I worked with him on his album Kisses on the Bottom, and one of the songs, If I Take You Home Tonight, didn’t make it on to his record. At home in Vancouver I found it on my piano and I asked him if it was OK

to do it on my record and he said sure. He is one of the most extraordinary people I’ve worked with , not only as a musician and artist but as a person. Now my kids are listening to Revolver.

My hero player-singer is Elton John I used to listen to him as a child, every single record. When Blue Moves came out (in 1976), that’s what I wanted for Christmas. He still remains to me just completely incredible in the way he plays and the way he performs.

Elton is extremely generous I met him in Hawaii and we became friends. He gives me records, and we had lunch together last summer with his family. He’s always interested in what’s going on and who’s playing what. I don’t have that energy to keep on top of everyone. He’s so supportive of artists he likes, and I became one of them.

There’s an art to making people feel comfortable When you meet your hero, you’re ready to say all these things you’ve prepared all your life and you end up saying something like, “I like cheese.”

Elton knows how to not to make you feel awkward.

I grew up meeting jazz musicians (The drummer) Jeff Hamilton, (the bassist) John Clayton and (the pianist) Monty Alexan-

der were my mentors and they still influence me. (The double bassist and cellist) Ray Brown was probably the most influential, and (the singer) Rosemary Clooney. It was a time when I could go to see (the pianist) Hank Jones and (the trumpeter) Freddie Hubbard, original creators of the art form. It went beyond music; it was the people too.

As a kid, I dreamt of being an astronaut I built rockets and became good friends with astronauts. I played for the 40th anniversary of Apollo 13 at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (in Washington DC). I met Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, and I went on the bus to Orlando with a lot of space people and watched the last launch at Cape Canaveral. It was one of the most awesome things in my life.

I love to ride horses I’m not very good, but I love to ride Western-style, down the beach. Two of the few things in life outside music that make me feel freest are skiing and swimming in the cold.

I went skiing recently in Dubai.

That’s how hardcore I am.

Diana Krall, 50, is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer who has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide and won five Grammys. -Adam Jacques/The Independent

D

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M T U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

SECTION

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

RENT

D2

VACANCY

D4

CARGO

D7

D2

T U E S D AY, JA N UA RY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

FOR RENT

OFFICES FOR RENT - Premium offices to let a very good location on the main road very close to Zakher Mall, Al Khawiar. Business Center has offices with sizes of 50m2, 110m2, 180m2, 207m2, 230m2, 437m2.

- Showroom also available at Business Center, Area 500m2 with central A/c.

- Offices with Central Air-conditions, Security System with CCTV cameras, and Security presence in the building.

Contact: 97377355 / 95530121, Email id: aaleem@ggcoman.com

2 BR, 2 toilets, kitchen at Al Mawaleh. Contact 99444786, 99747560

We have 3 BHK apartment in Al Khuwair 28 Muna Complex with swimming pool, gym, covered car parking, prime location, good for European & Indian Families. Contact 93782735 / 99208033 We have 2 BHK flats in Ghala, 2 BHK offices in Ghala, 100 SQM open space office in Ghala. Full furnished office in Ghala, 4 BHK villa in Al Khuwair 33. # 93782735 / 99208033 3BHK, (3 bathroom and big hall) opp. Apollo Hospital, Hamariya R/A (OMR 300/-) Contact 91181761 2 BR flat for rent in Wadi Kabir next to Al Maha Petrol Pump.

Rent RO 300 pm. contact 99440826 Fully furnished 1 bedroom penthouse Wadi Kabir behind Sana Hassan, monthly RO 275/-.

Contact 99349990 Fully furnished rooms for rent for family. Contact 99251975, Al Khuwair Furnished room with AC for Executive, Al Khuwair. Contact 97004265, 99689315 2 bedroom flat for rent in Hamriya, RO 160/-. Contact 95401070 For rent flat and showroom in Al Khuwair, Ghala, Ghubrah and Darsait.

Contact 24485240, 24485241, 93651633, 92109563 Flat Al Ghubrah near Indian School second floor without lift, 1 BHK living room, 2 bathrooms, split AC, family only, RO 280/-, kitchen, balcony.

Contact 92479515 Flat new Al Athaibah near 18 Nov Street, 2 BHK hall, 2 bathrooms, split A/C, RO 350/-. Family only.

Contact 92479515 Flat Al Khuwair near Badr Al Samaa, 2 BHK living room, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, split A/C, family only, RO 375/-. Contact 92479515 1,000 sq mtrs industrial land in Misfah Industrial area near to Khanco.

OMR 1,500 Monthly. It has Electricity and boundary wall. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 1 & 2 BHK in Rex road. Contact 99792181 Huge 2 bedrooms apartment, Al Khuwair for rent immediately.

Contact 95631834 / 91335205

We have 2 BHK luxury flats with 3 toilets in Ghala for rent, very spacious, building on main road, huge parking, good for families, 20 flats available. # 93782735 / 99208033 We have 3 BHK flat in Ghubah North close to sea with balcony, very nice location. #93782735 / 99208033 Office space with cassette type A/C’s with free internet at al Khuwair near KM Hypermarket. Contact 99460330 2 BHK in Bowsher. Contact 99792181 1 & 2 BHK in Ruwi. Contact 99792181 180 Sqr mtrs Showroom in CBD. Contact 99792181 100 &190 Sqr Mtrs office space in Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181 4 BHK Villa in Madhinat Ilham.

Contact 99792181 House in Darsait near the sea with 2 bedrooms, toilets & kitchen RO 350/- with E/W. Contact 94455311 Bowsher signal Shop suitable for hotel/supermarket is available for rent.pls contact on 97749285/ 96252684 Offices space available min.120 upto max. 142 sqm, with data cable, pantry, cassette AC, parking, @ RO. 4/per/sqm at Jibroo Muttrah. Contact: 93221054, 99229263, 95215289 4 bedrooms Deluxe Villa available at Al Khoud-6. (2Nos.) for 450/- per month each. Contact: 93221054, 99229263, 95215289 Flat for rent for family, 2 bedrooms, 1 hall, 2 bathrooms at Al Amerat.

Contact 99598264 / 99329949 1 BHK / 2 BHK flats available at Darsait near Medical.

Contact 24705742 / 24705639 2 bedrooms flats available at Ghubrah, near Grand Mall, close to Atlas Hospital, next to Diwan’s office.

Contact 24562526, 99833747 For rent new flat in Wadi Adai.

Contact 99345137 3 bedroom residential villa in Al Khuwair near to Zakher Mall. Has shaded car park. Can be used for office or other commercial purposes.

OMR 690 Monthly. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

1 BHK flat Qurum RO.270/- with split A/C. Contact – 99358589 / 95570288 /97079146

I room with attached toilet in Al Hail for bachelor, rent RO 100 to RO 130/-.

Contact 97661432 Industrial empty plots 1000 – 15000 sqm are available in Misfah / Jiffnain rent for long lease, RO 1.200 per sq mt. Contact 96789522 2 BHK with window A/C in Al Khoudh rent RO 250/-. Contact 97661432 Constructed warehouse 3000 sq mt with boundary wall & gate in Misfah ready for lease or rent for long term.

Rent RO 3.500 per sq. mt. #96789522 Ghubrah, 2 BHK, 3 bath new building, rent RO 380/- per month.

Contact 98266157 Flat deluxe in Al Amerat Mahaj 4, 3 rooms with 3 toilets.

Contact 99672604 Luxurious flat with AC’s, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen with store & family hall. # 93366421 For store, workshop in Wadi Kabir Industrial Area 5/5 m.

Contact 99374977 2 bedrooms flat with hall, 2 bathrooms in Darsait near Muscat Municipality.

Contact 24700120, 92584715 2 shops, store accommodation, Barka Sanayya opposite Al Khalili.

Contact 92423401 1&2 BHK flat & Shop for rent at MBD, Hamriya, Hallat sad, Al Khoudh area.

Contact: 24834644, 93994401, 02, 03 Office space for rent in Ruwi, OMR 500. Contact 91120552 Flat for rent in Al Khuwair 33.

Contact 99003626 1 BHK at Ghobrah - Near Indian School. Contact: 99014885 Al Qurum heights Sea view. # 99249069 / 92888376/ 93201688 3 flats in Mabellah for rent.

Contact 99445177

2 BHK flat at Al Khuwair RO.370/with split A/C. Contact – 99358589 / 95570288 /97079146 We have 1 BHK, 2 BHK, 3 BHK flats, 4, 5 bedrooms villa, open space offices & shops available in Ghala, Ghobrah, Qurum, Mabela, Ruwi, Darsait, Mumtaz, Wadi Kabir. All brand new buildings & very affordable prices.

Contact 93782735 / 99208033 For rent apartments: An apartment in old Muscat at Oman Arab Bank’s building. 3 bedrooms + 3 bathrooms, dining room, living room and a kitchen. Air conditioned apartments.

2 bedrooms + 2 bathrooms, living room, dining room area and kitchen in an excellent location in Al Khuwair opposite the court of first instance. For further information call 97072976 For rent at Ruwi, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sitting, dining, kitchen with A/C near Al Falaj Hotel, Ruwi, Way 2116 building 577, rent RO 275, PDC. Contact 99879939 For rent at Al Khuwair, 1 room with bathroom (Independent), near Rawasco with split A/C, 2nd floor, rent RO 125 PDC. Contact 99879939 2 BHK Commercial, Al Khuwair, RO 375/-. Contact 92144045 Flat, shops, basement, Ruwi-MBD Area, Honda Road.

Contact 96942749, 92433127 Apartments in Al Khuwair new area each apartment contains (2 bedrooms + living room) for RO 365. # 93181111 6 bedroom villas at Al Ansab (nr Express highway).

Contact 99199365 Villas & flats & stores. Contact 99776071 / 99057348 Villa, ground floor in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99743569, 97004265 Abu Adnan Tower - flat for rent available at Al Mabelah, 2 B/R, 1 hall, 2 toilets, 1 kitchen.

Contact 95566475 / 99654252

New bldg 3 BR flats located at Darsait, Muscat close to Kims Pvt Hospital. Contact 92020004 / 99800838

1 / 3 BHK Flat Ghobrah, close to ISG Way 4041, building 4390.

Contact 99319880

For rent at Al Khuwair, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, sitting, dining, kitchen split A/C near Rawasco, 1st floor.

Rent 480 PDC. Contact 99879939

1 BHK with attached toilet & bathroom behind Bank Muscat at Wadi Kabir. Contact 99373290, 24815012

If require flats for rent in Wadi Kabir please send messages through Whatsapp or call – 99376454 Luxury 2 bed room villa at BausherAL Ansab Phase 3.

Call. 99324456 2 BHK at Al Azaiba, Building No.5145 Way 4470. Contact 99224748, 99425665 Industrial Land in Misfah.

Contact 93009999 Flats and shops.

Contact 93009999 For rent (flats), 2 bedrooms + hall +kitchen, location: South Al Mawaleh.

Contact 99870020 1 / 3 BHK Flat Ghobrah, close to ISG Way 4041, building 4390.

Contact 99319880 Show room on the main road Saham center total area 450 m sq.

Contact: 99366558 / 99334226 Flats/villas owned by ROP pension fund available for rent in Muscat.

Contact 99349526 Flats ground floor, 3 Rooms & AC, kitchen, hall, in Al Mabaila South.

Contact 99377290 2 B/ R Fully Furnished Executive Apartment @ Al Khuwair 33 Near Zaker Mall. 3 Bedroom Furnished executive apartment @ Al Khuwair 25.

5 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished villas at Azaiba with servants, 3 Bedroom Unfurnished Villa @ Mawalah South Area 6 with Servant Quarter, 5 Bedroom Unfurnished Villa @ An Apartment that resembles a penthouse has 2 rooms with 2 toilets, living room & an elegant balcony.

Fully furnished, suited for families.

Final price RO.300/- Mabela 8 near German University.

Contact 99888400 New Villa for Rent Two floors newly built villa in Maabillah, 8 Fullfledged Residential Area 6 Rooms, 8 Toilets, excellent finishing spacious Kitchen, Big Dining Rooms in Both Floors, Easy Access to Muscat and Sohar using Maabillah Bridge.

Contact 92828303

WANTED Urgently Required 5000 used shuttering Jacks for Construction Company. Contact: 92867677

AVAILABLE Established Restaurant for rent with sponsorship. Contact 97628242 Party & Wedding equipment rentals. Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. www.tunesoman. com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

BUYING/SELLING I am looking for a VCR Video for a price. Please call me if you have one in stock. Contact 99291154 We are looking for construction company at any level to buy.

Contact 97413496 Looking for purchase of Used Portable Compressor (350 CFM, 7 Bar Pressure) powered with Diesel run Generator.

Kindly Contact 99014686 or operation@khancogroup.com Looking for commercial lands for sale in Al Ghobrah North (urgent serious buyers, commercial lands in al Ghobrah North (corners prime location). Contact 91155779

FOR SALE We are dealing with sale of all beauty salon equipments, furnitures & cosmetics.#942 888 61 / 942 888 63 A running gents tailoring shop for sale in Sur with full clothes and all type of sewing machines.

Contact 99376723 Urgent sale of scrap for electronic items such as TV, Refrigerator, Freezer, Cooking Range, Washing Machines, Accessories etc.

Only serious buyers kindly contact: +968 96725423 for viewing the items.

Building material shop for sale.

Opp Mars Hypermarket, Al Ghubrah.

Contact 99881647 / 93797343 For sale carpentry workshop with labor clearance in Wadi Al Kabir.

Contact 99345137

T U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

D3

DAILY GUIDE

ACC. AVAILABLE Independent room with attached bathroom and AC near Wadi Adai signal. Contact 92148188

Independent room furnished Executive at Wadi Kabir.

Contact 99336206

Room available at barka, near al shaikh total room space 660 sqm. width.11.7 m length.56 m. contact:96971777,99015059 Email : marafialwasanintl@gmail.com

Rooms for rent in Al Hail, front of the Wave. Contact 95192927

Brand New Villa in Al Hail.

Contact 92817777 Excellent 4 bedrooms house in Al Hail. Contact 92817777 Bedroom with A/c sharing kitchen for Executive bachelors at Al Khuwair. Contact 99636550 Port cabins – New & refurnished Porta cabin for sale and rent.

Contact 96723468 Sinaw Gift House & Shopping Center for sale at Sinaw in good condition, with very good business opportunities. Contact 99738014, 95652642 Good running boutique and ladies tailoring shop in MBD Area for immediate sale. Contact 95123679, 99885298

FOR SALE 2 Prime Movers Man 2008 with 40 ton petrol tank each working at the moment in Al Maha. Price OMR 35 Thousand each. Tel: 97000155 or 92688692 Used first class office furniture for immediate sale. 3 Office Tables + Side Tables, Steel cabinets, Conference Table + Chairs etc. Excellent condition. Ideal for small start ups.

Contact: 92193885 Sales of Indian Schools girls uniform readymade, stitching facility, contact our showroom : Fashion park, opp. Happy Centre, Ruwi.

Contact 95717201 / 95331600, Email : muscatfiroz@gmail.com Dental clinic for sale in Sohar. Contact immediately 99705760,92625962 Well running fast food and coffee shop for sale or rent in Al Khuwair.

Contact 97646492 Sale of used commercial kitchen equipment in Ghala.

Contact 99024519 600 sq mtrs residential land in Misfah Phase 2. OMR 25 Thousand.

Tel : 99333479 or 95215360

Toshiba Laptop I 3, 3 GB ram, 500 GB hard disk with graphics card, in very good condition.

Contact 94412557 If you have any empty land, plot, building, villa to sell. Contact with all information : info@goldenllc.com Restaurant for leasing/sale in Al Hail. Contact 94148970, 94148972, 97820877

Room for rent for family & bachelor at Ghubrah. Contact 97681599 Self contained room for executive bachelor in secured villa in Ghubra, call 92595830 / 24495667 Room for rent for family & bachelor at Honda road. Contact 99040590 Sharing room with A/c and attached toilet available for non cooking bachelors for male/ Female. opp. of Al nada hospital service road, Street name- Hellat Al Saad, bldg.no. 1670.

Contact no. 96913801

Room available in Ruwi near Badr Al Samaa for Executive bachelor or couple, RO 125/- including W/E. Contact 92196783 Furnished sharing one room with bath at Darsait near ISM. Contact 95257213

Darsait Business Office furniture, Isuzu 4 ton brand new.

Contact 91391363

Independent room, kitchen and bathroom available near Ruwi roundabout. Contact 99016562

Villa for sale in new Al Khoudh.

Contact 99778773

4 bedrooms house and one bedroom attached bathroom sharing kitchen in Wadi Kabir.

Contact 96639246

Household items on sale.

Contact 93833107 Sale!, all household items, like fridge, freezer, cooking range, washing machine, window/split A/Cs, LCD TV, Laptop, tab and many more for attractive prices. Location : near Toyota service Center, Honda Road. Contact - 97048983, 95293643

2 Bedroom flat for offices with furniture near Al Manaf Hotel, Ghala.

Contact 99525743, 99439705 Excellent 3 bedrooms , 2 sitting rooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen & store with A/C. 92817777 Furnished single room with separate bathroom near al meera hypermarket, azaiba. Gsm 94288863

ACC.WANTED Single room or studio flat required in Ruwi area. Contact : 95405033

NRI

GOOD NEWS

Ghubrah furnished room with attached bath, dish, wi-fi available for executive person. Contact 98266157

Beauty Salon, Wadi Kabir, Al Hassan Co. Contact 95241147, 96700192

A newly opened Barber Shop for sale at upcoming industrial zone in Misfah. Expat leaving Oman.

Genuine buyers call 93833107 (Sale Price Negotiable)

Room with separate toilet and WiFi, Wadi Kabir near pencil building.

Contact 93416854

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 96050000, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit: www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact 24475280 / 95371554 / 92504980 , www.siddhayur.com

Spacious semi-furnished room with separate entrance, attached washroom for non-cooking Indian Bachelor near ISG. Contact 95146361, 92657598

Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steam bath, obesity, spondylitis, ideal care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street, Azaiba. Contact 99639695 / 99117987

Single room attached bathroom, kitchen, split A/C, Al Ghubrah near Mars Hypermarket, OR 180/-.

Contact 95094028

Genuine Ayurvedic treatments & massage, Ayurvedic clinic at Al Khuwair. Contact 24478618 / 97263637 /93309131

Furnished single room with attached bathroom near Mars Hypermarket, Al Ghubrah. Contact 97312111, RO 150/- per month

Land for sale at Trivandrum near Medical College Sreraryam, 3 cents road side. Contact 93772067, +91 9567517447 Villa for sale 2200 sq ft in 8 cent.

Kottayam. Contact: 92652534 For Astrological consultation, Jathakam.Contact 99860435 / 97102599

MATRIMONIAL Keralite girl, 26 (160), BSC Nurse at South America seeks suitable alliance. Contact 94413100, 98335340 Proposals are invited from parents of professionally qualified Nair Boys for 24 year old Upper Middle Class Nair girl hail from Trivandrum, (171 cm, Star-Bharani) employed in a reputed Company in Oman. Contact: 0968-9950 2593 /99798041.

(KM ID.2844689)

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

NOTICE Shumoo Al hambar Al mutmaizah ASSO which is recorded under the commercial register in directorate general for trade industry number 1134244 is going to change its name to Shumoo Al Falaj Al mutmaizah ASSO This is to inform anybody who concerns about that.

Shams Al fayath Trad joint which is recorded under the commercial register in directorate general for trade industry number 1117230 is going to change its name to Harbash Sons International joint.

This is to inform anybody who concerns about that.

D4

T U E S D AY, JA N UA RY 2 7, 2 0 1 5 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ED

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

We are looking for a part time accountant for our office . Must have knowledge of Tally soft ware . Working hour is flexible , but not after 5 pm .Please contact by email : sales@petromaroman.com / mobile + 968 99338105

Head office waiter storekeeper required for new Indian Restaurant.

Contact 96500750

Indian female, 25 yrs, bachelors of businesses management, having experience of 5 years as a fund/ financial administration, on visit visa,looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94662416 Apurwaverma@gmail.com

Required driver with car, looking for a person with experience in making gift boxes and special packing. Send CV to abba201541@yahoo.com

Required experienced Accountant Tally, excellent English & driving license. Contact – omanlaw.om@gmail.com / 24497762 / 92192510 Wanted Accountant part time job in Company, email : anas@kenzostone.com, nabil@kenzostone.com Male Accouuntant required in Ghala. Candidates present in Oman only. Contact 99454425, Email: qamest@omantel.net.om

BEAUTY Urgently required Beautician visa available. Contact 97172334

DESIGNER Urgently required Interior Designer qualified with minimum 5 yrs experience, capable to execute internal / external decorations to work for a leading construction company.

Email : alfayafy@outlook.com or fax : 24479675 Interior Design office seeking AutoCAD Draftsman, 3 yrs experience with knowledge of MEP Drawings. Send CV at tarneem.design@gmail.com, 95273166 / 24155315

DOMESTIC HELPER Required part time house maid for Keralite family in Darsait, salary RO 150/-. Contact 99864290, 98564647 European Family looking for maid and or cook.

Email: cv.lo.oman@gmail.com House driver for Salalah. Contact 95600011, 99081190

DRIVER Wanted driver. Contact 95112461

SALES / MARKETING Urgently required a dynamic Marketing Executive for a furniture company. Should posses a valid Omani Driving License.

Contact 97164554 / aliasgar@ultimate-furniture.com

ENGINEERS Omani Trainers & OJT’s for Mechanical / Electrical / Instrumentation & Business with suitable qualification and min 5 yrs experience in Oil & Gas. Very attractive salary offered. Suitable candidates send your CV to trainingjobsoman@gmail.com

A Energy drink wholesale Distributor in Oman, required experienced Storekeeper, Marketing Executive & Marketing Manager. Send CV at Email : cvjobsmuscat@gmail.com

ELECTRIC/MECHANICAL

Marketing Executive with light duty driving license. Send CV to jobs@prestigeprojectsoman.com or call 00968 92341826

Electrician with 2 yrs experience.

Send CV to jobs@prestigeprojectsoman.com or call 00968 92341826

Urgently needed, Projects Sales Executives (3), Store Helpers (2), kitchen carpenters (2), Office Assistants/Secretary (2) (All male only) for a leading building material trading company. Candidates with right education, experience and D/L (Sales), please email CV to trend1993@yahoo.com

MANAGER Telecom / Electrical Supervisors, minimum 3 yrs exp, GCC exp & D/L preferred, Diploma in respective fields essential. Contact 96341946, email : kmmadhupal@gmail.com

MEDICAL Required laboratory technician & 4 nurse Filipina (female) for health center in Sohar. Contact: 92369417, Email: shafii_17@hotmail.com Wanted Pharmacist (B.Pharm), Staff Nurses (female), Dental Technician (Acrylic, Ceramic & veneer experience), with or without MOH license for a polyclinic near Sohar.

Excellent Salary package. Contact 99006915, dxbclinic@yahoo.com Required the following staffs for a medical complex in Salalah urgently 1) Female Gynecologist, Arab Nationality, 2) Male Pharmacist, Indian, 3) Lab Technician, Indian.

Those interested kindly contact 97413418, 92732491.

Please send your resume to careclinicsalalah@gmail.com

MEDICAL Wanted Female Staff Nurse with MOH Licence/Prometric passed candidates (immediate placement)for a Medical Clinic in Muscat area Contact :+ 968 98185250 e mail:fizashafir@gmail.com General practitioner Doctor is required to work urgently in Dreams Clinic at Al Khoudh and must be resident in the Sultanate of Oman. Please send your CV to the following email: towershr70@gmail.com, balushi70@gmail.com & info@towersinternationalgroups. com, Mobile 99882340, Tel: 24545914 Wanted female physiotherapist with MOH License. Send CV at Email : info@sagarpolyclinic.com

Urgently required an experienced Pharmacist with MOH License for a reputed Pharmacy in Muscat.

Please send CV to newcareesr2015@gmail.com Urgently required a GP Doctor with MOH license for a leading Medical Clinic. Contact 92008272 / 96602188, email : dearnaif@hotmail.com Dentist required to work urgently in dreams clinic at Al Khoud and must be resident in Sultanate of Oman.

Please send your CV to the following email – towershr70@gmail.com / balushi70@gmail.com / info@towersinternationalgroups.com Mobile – 99882340 / 24545914

Sudanese resident Bachelor of IT with 2 yrs of experience in customer service plus data entry & collection. Contact 95273302 / 96446656, Email: momazoon@gmail.com

Senior Accounts Professional, Indian Male, 35 years, M.Com, MBA (Fin) 8 years in Oman, with valid Oman DL and NOC available.

Capable to handle accounts up to finalization. Contact 9602 3965.

3 Years experienced Administrative Executive seeking for Virtual Admin Opportunities. Can work for 6 hours/day from a virtual location for 100 RO/month. Call: 95811820

26 years Indian male BMS (Building Management System) Engineer with 4 yrs of experience in Security systems(CCTV, access control systems, fire alarm systems and public addressing systems) seeking suitable placement. Kindly contact me on +91 9884277198, E-mail: yuvarajsd@ymail.com

28 years male, MBA in Marketing, 5 years experience in Marketing and Brand Promotion. On visit, looking for job. Contact: 96104833

Indian male 27 years, B.Com, Graduate 2year experience in marketing, looking for good placement in any field, since from 4year in Oman. Contact 98765838

B.Tech. (Civil), 2 years experience in designing, and training corporate professionals in Dubai in software, presently working in India, seeks suitable job opening. madhunambiarm@hotmail.com

Indian, Female, Pharmacist available with NOC and MOH License, preferably in Muscat.

Contact 9439 1355.

Indian Male, 31 years of Rich Oman experience in Multifunctional Management, Administration, Business Development, Purchase & Operations seeking suitable Manager/Supervisory Position. Visa transfer/NOC Available.

GSM: 95036410 PROCUREMENT OFFICER-Indian-33 yrs, M.Com with12Yrs (7 yrs Exp. in Oman) in ROAD, CIV, MEP & Others projects of Contg &Trdg Co llc. Work Visa will Exp in Feb-2015. Contact :92694956, Email:nagauae@gmail.com Male 24,looking for permanent job in Computer and Communication field ,BSC in Computer and Communication Engineering. 3-month Practical training in Hayyat Communication company (subcontractor of ooredoo).

Email:adilbutt102@gmail.com, Gsm:+968-92328726.

Indian female, 34 yrs, B.A, B.Ed (S.S), DCA, Doing M.A by distance, having 6 yrs experience in School (5 yrs in Indian School, Oman).

Contact 98728700, 92458872

Indian Female 23 years M.Com Graduate on visit visa having four month experience as an Accountant in a company at Muscat. Looking for a suitable job. Immediately available for joining.

Contact: 95846642, Email:shreedhanya916@gmail.com

Indian male 2 years experience in Light & Heavy motor vehicle Mechanic. Diesel & Petrol. Seek suitable placement Contact 99421537 Indian male executive secretary having vast experience in Admin, Logistics & procurement well versed with computer .seek suitable placement. Contact: 99514286 Project Manager civil, Indian, seeking suitable placement, having 18 yrs exp (13 yrs in Oman) in tendering, contracting and managing projects, available with release.

Contact: 99244245, 95321251 Indian Male 26years BCOM having 5years rich experience in Accounts and Admin looking for suitable placement. Contact : 96897914340, 00919902200486 Email: sudhakaranchan06@gmail.com Mechanical Engineering Post Graduate with 10+ years work experience looking for a suitable immediate opening in construction, oil& gas, and other related companies, currently on visit visa.

Contact: 92975815 Indian male -39, Graduate 15 years experience in FMCG sales and marketing and logistics operations with valid driving license looking suitable placement.

Contact 92090949

Indian female 24 yrs, MBA (finance) (1 year experience as administrator cum junior level accountant looking for suitable job & holding visiting visa. Contact 97481488, Email: ayeshaowasi12345@gmail.com

Indian male QA/QC Engineer-Civil (BE,ACQE)on visit visa, 10 years of experience in building construction projects in Qatar & U.A.E., holding valid GCC driving license.

Mobile: 93958533, E-mail: sheikhnavid@yahoo.com

Hotel Manager, Indian male, 25 years exp. in Budget & 3 Star Hotel, with Omani Driving License , Seeks Placement. NOC/Release Available.

Contact: 99799774, Email: smoin_moinsb@yahoo.co.in

Indian Male 24 years, looking for a Suitable Job in Telecom / Networking. 1 year sales experience. MSc. Communications Engineering & Valid Driving license. Ph: 99027504.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com

M. Sc. Medical lab technician (Prometric passed) having 6 years experience in India. Currently on visit, looking for a suitable placement. Please contact 97248144, samiullah_ar@yahoo.co.in.

BCA graduate, 2 years experience in JAVA and .NET development looking for a suitable job. Mob. 98395032.

For CV visit ‘http://muhammedswafuvan.weebly.com

Highly reputed Perfume Company requires Omani Sales girl promoters. Contact 95663682, 92956876 Required an experienced person who has ideas to start a new business in electrical field or supply with minimum cost. Contact 99426421

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ED ADMIN/HR Indian male MBA 32 yrs having 10 yrs of exp seeking suitable placement in Admin/ HR/ Operations/ Coordination/ Logistics etc. Holding valid Oman D/L .Contact - 99054786 Indian female, Graduate experience in Admin Customer Service operation, retail looking for suitable job.

Contact 94231020

SITUATION WANTED Sudanese with 2 yrs experience in data entry and data collection plus customer service.

Contact 95140805, email ; zeejunior010@gmail.com

Looking for outdoor salesman for heavy equipments.

Contact- 93292015, 99656542

Manager Maintenance/Workshop/Purchase, 31 yrs. exp. in mechanical, electrical, electronics, parts fabrication, purchase dep’t, oman exp. 5yrs, have NOC, looking for job. Pls. contact pkv2k3@yahoo.com, 99331289 Senior Accounts Professional, Indian Male, 35 years, M.Com, MBA (Fin) 8 years in Oman, with valid Oman DL and NOC available.

Capable to handle accounts up to finalization. Contact 9602 3965.

Civil engineer B.E, Indian male, having 18 yrs exp 11 yrs in Oman, with valid D/L, seeking suitable placement release available.

Contact_95321251, 99244245, kader_fz99@yahoo.co.in Omani Man looking for a job with experience in HR/ Admin/ accounting. # 99767666 3 Years experienced Administrative Executive seeking for Virtual Admin Opportunities. Can work for 6 hours/day from a virtual location for 100 RO/month. Call: 95811820 Graduate, Indian, having 6 yrs experience in Sales with D/L, NOC available. Contact 93410723 Seeking for immediate placement as a manager- projects, sales, marketing, product, business development job for BE- MBA, 12 years Oman experience with D/L. #96040977, kvmssn@gmail.com AutoCAD draughtsman (Architect ural+Structural+Plumbing & HVAC) having more than 12 years Oman experience seeking work as a FREELANCER. Contact - 91620107 INDIAN, B.E Mechanical Engineer, 2 years job experience in Oman in pipeline field, fluent in English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi, with valid Omani driving license (light) searching for job. Contact 99871470

Masters in Law, MBA in HR, experienced and highly qualified lady Indian nationality looking for job in Admin or as Legal Advisor in reputed firms. Contact 92595933 Indian female Graduation in computer Science having 2 yrs experience in Oman seeking for suitable job in Admin/HR, email : maluvijayan40@gmail.com or contact 92014628 Post Graduate Indian male, MBA (Hospital Administration) having 4 Years experience in hospital administration looking for suitable placement. Currently on visit.

Contact: 96701543, 92945632 Indian female with excellent communication skills, confident, dedicated to work and enthusiastic.

Knowledge about ms office. Has 6 years of experience in customer service, telecommunication, HR.Looking for immediate placement. Contact # 97348819

ARCHI./ DRAUGHTSMAN 28 yrs Indian male, M.Arch, 3.5 yrs exp in Green Building Architecture seeking placement. #91540113, Email: abdulmomin.h@gmail.com

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian Male, MBA 2 yrs experience in Accounts, Admin & HR on visit visa. Contact 92045306 Indian male having 14 years of experience in Various dept. (stockbroking Dealing, Back Office Accounts, Dmat, Settlement, Risk management, Maintaining Books of accounts ETC).Having Good Computer Knowledge seeking suitable placement. # +91 9820240094 Email Id: vora_bharat@yahoo.com, Indian Male 25 years B.Com having 3 years of exp of Oman in Accounts/Administration.Well versed with computer knowledge looking for suitable position. Immidiately available. Contact:93207867 email: tambeazhar@gmail.com

Indian male, 25 yrs, now on visit visa having 2 yrs experience in Accounts and Admin seeking suitable placement. Contact 95351570, mail2ajithpc@gmail.com Part time accounting & finalization.

Contact 93053875 Accounts Finalization, Part Time Accounting, Audit Preparation, Internal Audit, Onsite Tally Training, Onsite Training for Accountants, Inventory Management.

Contact : 94669089, email : ibfcoman@hotmail.com Indian accountant with more than 30 years experience in construction accounting (both finance and cost) with experience in material management and general administration seek part/full time assignment.

Ready to work anywhere in Oman and UAE and can join immediately.

Contact 98598099 Male Indian, 22 yrs, B.Sc, Computer science on visit valid upto 10/02/2015 looking for a suitable placement. Contact 92579790 Accountant, Indian Male, B.Com, MBA presently working in Oman since 9 yrs having suitable change, NOC/Release available. #94134085, email : muscatoman95@yahoo.com Indian Male, MBA, B.com Having 7 yrs of experience in finance Department (Trading & Logistics) with knowledge of ERP & Tally, and Oman valid D/L. NOC is available looking for suitable Position contact No.99279626 Email ID: magdum28@gmail.com Accounts Manager, 8 yrs experience in trade, construction and real estate looking for suitable placement. Contact 94669596 Indian male, B.Com with 2 yrs Oman exp & 4.5 yrs Accounts exp looking for suitable placement in Accounts with NOC letter. Email : parasunadkat12@gmail.com Indian male, 24 yrs MBA, having 2 yrs of experience in financial accounting finalization, knowledge of Tally, ERP, focus, wings, PEACHTREE, MS Excel, Payroll, currently on visit visa seeking suitable placement available immediately.

Contact 91058205, email : aslammohammed10@gmail.com Pakistani male, 25 yrs, MBA Finance, 1.6 yrs exp in Accounts seeking placement in Accounts, Administration or Business Management. Contact 92651927 / 94250149 Male, 4 yrs of experience as Financial Analyst looking for suitable position. Contact 94140728 Part time Accountant with 15 yrs exp in Accounting, Auditing, Taxation Management.#95857199 Finance Manager, CPA, with more than 15 yrs. of experience in GCC. Fully knowledgeable in Finance, General & Management Accounting .

NOC available. Contact 96209331 Accounts part time works upto finalization & finalization works.

Contact 96247295 Accountant / Auditor, Srilankan male 27, having 3+ yrs experience looking for suitable placement.

Contact 93556320 India Accountant: Male, M com, 7 Yrs experience in Accounts up to finalization, having knowledge of ERP, Tally, seeks suitable placement. Contact:93950138 Email: lijinrajan123@gmail.com Indian male, 32 years, M. Com. 7 out of 9 years experience in Oman in Accounts/finance. Having NOC and valid Oman D/L. Contact 98277143, Email: anzarks@gmail.com

DESIGNER AutoCAD Interior Designer / detailer, 9 yrs GCC experience seeking for a suitable opening in a reputed company, NOC available from current employer. Contact 92110589 Indian female, 25yrs BscFASHION DESIGNING, 3yers experience in designing field and teaching. looking for a sutable placement. Contact: 98785310.

Email: vinaya.m.nair@gmail.com

T U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED DRIVER

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

INFORMATION TECH

Light Driver having own visa looking for job as driver Contact 92303692

Indian male on Visit Visa. Expert in ELV systems, Instrumentation, PID controllers, Embedded systems, Electronics CAD. 20years experience. Contact 98915066

Oracle certified BE (CS) Indian male with skills in OCA (DBA, SQL10g, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 98436022/99848874 Email: rineel2005@yahoo.com

Logistics Officer, Experience in Store keeping. Contact : 99505934

Indian Civil Engineer, M.Tech in Construction Management, Primavera Expert looking for suitable placement. Contact 92550987

Indian male, BE Wireless Networks, CCNA & MCSE trained, 3 years experience as IT support assistant at a leading higher education institution in Oman, seeking a position as an Network/Systems Engineer. Contact:96008737.

Email: m.anas365@outlook.com

Indian female, well experienced in secretarial, administration, customer care & supervisory jobs.

5 years experience in Muscat.

Immediately available for joining.

Contact: 92139298

Pakistani driver with L/D valid Omani license contact #97331685 Bangladeshi male, light driver, exp 6 yrs looking for job.

Contact 97460056 Oman experienced Bangladesh Driver available. Contact 96692774 Light driver & delivery boy available. Experience & Graduate.

Contact 98987475 Office Executive light driver, 2 yrs exp. Contact 93408758 Light driver looking for job.

Contact 94077119 Indian Driver need job with car.

Contact 91254539 LV Driver- 2 yrs Exp-know English- Contact 95292064 Light Driver looking for job.

Contact 92787245 6 Years experience light duty driver.

Contact – 96736744 Light driver looking for job.

Contact 92791678

ENGG. / TECHNICAL B.E Mechanical Engineer, Indian Male, 29, 5 years experience in steel fabrication field (piping and structural) as site engineer. Looking for suitable placement.

Contact 96115463.

Jijoraju085@yahoo.com.

Seeking job, BTech Instrumentation, 12 years experience Design, FEED, Detailed engineering, Oil & Gas, Instrumentation systems, Oman Driving license.

Email :- wilfridsjacob@gmail.com Mobile:- 00968 99048130 Quantity Surveyor (Civil Building) looking for Part time job Contact no:94391712 E-mail addressinayathhussain@yahoo.com Experienced female Electrical Engineer.Contact 93800906 Jordanian Engineer Electrical 7 yrs exp. Consulting, site & shop drawing works. Ready to join immediately.

Worked in UAE & Saudi Arabia.

Contact - 00971555594733 Sudanese Mechanical Engineer, 3 yrs experience in HVAC fire fighting, NOC and driving license available. Contact 91135140 Diploma of Associate Civil Engineering, Diploma of AutoCad, having 3.5 yrs experience, 2 yrs experience of Oman in Building Construction, valid transferrable ID Card.

Contact 94378581 Indian B.Tech Mechanical Engineer, 26 yrs, 4 yrs experience in HVAC/MEP. Contact 94669629, rajeevhpd15@yahoo.com 26, female, B.Tech in Electronics & biomedical engineering with 1 And Half yrs experience in medical field is seeking suitable job openings.

Email : aswathiravirak@gmail.com, ph : 94652908 Telecommunication Engineer with 5 yrs experience in the Gulf.

Contact 95219822 Civil Engineer with 12 years Experience Looking For Job. Contact 98162295 M. Tech Electrical Eng. Female, now in visit visa.

Contact +968-94654481.

Looking Part time Job in HVACContact - 93198128 Indian Male, IT Support Engineer, 2 yrs in Oman & 5 yrs Indian experience. Contact 97311847 Civil Engineer B Tech, Site Engineer Experienced, Drafting on Visit Visa Ph : 91642050 Indian male, 26 yrs B-Tech (ECE) with MBA in Marketing / HR looking for a suitable placement. Currently on visit visa valid up to 30 January 2015. Contact 93754428, email : shijosirius709@gmail.com DAE (Civil) having 3.5 years Experience 2 years from Oman with driving licences, seeking for suitable position in Construction field NOC and release available .

Contact 96968554 Email: mehranahmad26@yahoo.com

Indian female, Electrical Engineer (family visa) M-Tech in Power System having 1 yr experience seeking suitable placement.#94306164 Project Engineer (B.E Civil) having 10 yrs experience in Interior fit out industry looking for suitable opening from reputed companies (NOC available) from current employer.

Contact 91403433 Indian male, BE Mechanical Engineer having 4 yrs experience seeks suitable placement. Family visit visa. Contact 95088176, toufikyermal@gmail.com Project Engineer / Site Engineer (Dip. Electrical) having 9 yrs exp in 400 KV/132 KV Cable Project, 11 KV indoor/outdoor Tr., DG set, light & power wiring, drafting in AutoCAD. Possess driving license. Contact 91554270, underoneroof51@gmail. com, contact 91554270 Civil Engineer (Diploma) seeking for a placement.

Contact 95200650 Chemical Engr with experience in analytical instrumentation, bulk drugs and herbal production.

Contact apssasif@gmail.com Aircraft Maintenance Technician with one year experience seeks suitable placement. Contact amaljohn2002@gmail.com Indian male, BE MBA PMP having 20 yrs exp in Civil Residential Commercial Infra Construction and contract management looking for role in Project / Program Management.

NOC available. Contact 94634053 Generator maintenance in charge with 4 yrs experience with Cummins, caterpillar, kirloskar and voltas. Contact - email: shibinmundakkal@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer,(BE in Mechanical) with Certified quality controller - NDT level 2 qualified as per ASNT - SNT-TC-I A, having experience as quality control engineer in India, presently on visit visa, seeks suitable placement .

Cont : suhylehameed@gmail.com / 95405033 Indian male, (MCA, B.Sc Maths) locally available with 4 yrs experience in Software Engineering (IOS Development) also experienced IT & Maths Teacher.

Contact 93396053, 93927437, email: vishnursk@gmail.com Indian male, 28 yrs, Electrical Engineer, 5 yrs Gulf Oman experience in HV and LV Installation work seeking placement. NOC available.

Contact 91391587 Diploma Civil Engineer, Indian male, 29, 4 yrs experience in building construction field, 2 yrs experience with consulting company in Oman driving license and release available from current company. Contact 93282447, cv.shihabedappal@gmail.com Diploma in Civil Engineer, 6 yrs experience in Oman with D/L. Contact 94052815 Mechanical Engineer, Indian male, 6 yrs experience, 3 yrs in GCC, seeking suitable opening in Oil & Gas Sector, have valid GCC D/L. email : msfebco@gmail.com, Contact 91228398 B. Tech Civil Eng. 3 yrs exp in Oman with driving license.

Contact 93733627.

Mail id : joinvisam@gmail.com, neethusprakash@gmail.com Diploma in Civil Engineer, 15 yrs Oman experience (total 28 yrs) looking for senior position with valid D/L, NOC available. Contact 99013465

HOSPITALITY M.Sc International Tourism & hotel management UK Graduated with Omani D/L seeking job as CRE, tour operations & marketing in hospitality & tourism industry.

Contact 91640428

Well qualified Indian female, B.Sc & Computer’s Diploma with 7 yrs experience in reputed companies as Executive Secretary excellent knowledge in MS Office and manage task independently seeks placement. Contact 95423692 MBA (Systems) with MCSA Certified having more than 10 years of experience in Computer Hardware & Networking , Specialization in Server Configuration, Windows Server 2012, Redhat Linux Enterprise 6.0, VPN Firewall, Router, & CCTV Installation and Maintenance seeks suitable placement.

Now in visit visa & back to India on 26/01/15. E-mail : pkram1977@outlook.com & Mob#+968 95642554 ERP Specialist, 14 yrs exp, Indian male, (VB.NET & SQL Server) able to handle in-house development single handedly. Release/NOC available, valid D/L. Contact 93047636 M.Tech-IT professional, Indian Male specialist in Networking, Configuring maintaining and managing servers, Exp in configuring cisco products, Knowledge in SQL database. Contact:+968 98536430, +968 98743886 Indian Male 23 yrs – IT / Pre-post Sales Consultant / Business Analyst / Web Designing. 2 yrs. exp.

Languages-HTML5, WebRTC, Java, CSS, C++, .Net, SQL, Oracle, ERPMicrosoft Dynamics CRM. Looking for suitable job.

Contact: 98802504, email:shrihari26@gmail.com B.Tech IT Professional, Indian Male with 3 yrs of Exp. In System Admin, IT Support, Networking, Installing Active Directory, DHCP, DNS,RAS, configuring maintaining and managing servers, configuring cisco routers, Exp in handling SQL database, With Valid Driving Licence.

Contact - 968 98863507 IT Prof, MCA having 6+ yrs exp, seeks suitable position.

Contact 94543668 IT Professional, Indian male, B.Sc Graduate with 4+ yrs Gulf (UAE) good exp in System Administration, IT Support, Server Desktop, laptop, smartboard, datashow biometric, CCTV, currently on visit visa.

Contact 98936548, Email: vaseemj@yahoo.com BCA Graduate, Indian male with 1yr of exp in System Admin, IT Support, Network Admin and 1yr exp as sales Executive.CCNA,MCSE .looking for suitable job. # 95938303 email- hafsalhs@gmail.com IT Professional, 7 yrs exp in System Administration, IT Support, Networking etc. currently on visit visa. Contact 94064579, email : preejes01@gmail.com

MEDICAL Medical- Indian female, 27 yrs, masters in hospital administration, fellowship in HTA studied in a super specialty medical sciences and research center in India and done project in an established hospital in sultanate of Oman.

Contact 93200827, 91026506 Indian Female, 28 yrs Staff Nurse, 7 yrs of experience (4 yrs in Gulf) presently working in India, Oman Prometric passed 63%, valid BLS & ACLS certificates, looking for suitable job in Muscat area.

Email : anishaabrahamc@gmail.com or call 93137898 Female Pharmacist with MOH license seeking suitable job Contact 93215380

MISCELLANEOUS

SECRETARIAL/OFFICE

MEDICAL Female dentist with MOH license and with Noc looking for suitable placement in Muscat region Contact no. 99147426 Indian female, 26, Pharmacist with MOH license, 3.5 yrs of experience in India, seeking suitable placement.

Contact 94474924, Email: suryacprasad88@gmail.com Indian male Pharmacist (B.Pharma) 5 1/2 years experience in Oman seeking suitable placement in Muscat. NOC from the present employer available.

Contact +968 98525100 Indian female Nurse, 4 yrs experience Prometric passed, seeking for good posting. Contact 92917448, 97362119

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR Warehouse Manager with 10+ yrs Oman experience in Building Material and construction field with D/L, release available. Contact 99883712 Indian male Graduate with 20+ years of Administration, Operations & Management experience in IT, Oil & Gas & Hospitality Industry. 12 years in Oman with vast contacts, very strong management, operational, communication and interpersonal skills, can handle any size of business and projects whether it’s in initial stage or established. Can join immediately. Local release available on request. Contact: 9906 4589 Indian male, having 18 yrs experience in “Automatic door opening and closing system.” From Riyadh as Manager and Department Head.

Contact +97466912692 Techno Commercial Manager, Indian, well experienced in Oman.

Vast knowledge in Operations, Business development, Logistic / Purchase, General administration.

Looking for suitable opening.

NOC Possible, Contact - 96599704 Project Manager more than 20 yrs experience, 15 yrs in Sultanate of Oman in construction field.

Contact 93385789 Qualified Manager: (12+ yrs. Oman Exp.) Vast knowledge in A/c & Admin, Costing, Banking, Credit Control, Insurance, International Purchase/Logistics & Finance, With D/L looking for suitable position.

Gsm: 93826090 Email: jskanchan01@gmail.com Indian female with nine years of experience in 5 Star hotels as Assistant Food & Beverage Manager looking for a suitable placement in a reputed Star hotel.

Contact 91219787

MECHANICAL/TECH. Electrical Technician with 7 yrs experience in the field of oil & gas. Contact 96946044 / 94682982 Indian Electronics & Communication with transmission project, embedded designing, telecommunication experience (3 yrs) having visit visa looking for suitable placement in Oman.

Contact Mohammed Arshad Khan – 93398772, email : eng.mohdarshadkhan@gmail.com Indian male, 27 yrs, B.Tech Mechanical, 1 yr pipeline experience seeking job in any mechanical field, NOC available, available in Oman till 31st Jan. Contact 95982207, rahman.taus@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS MBA Finance, 7 yrs exp in Financial & Banking Sector seeks suitable position with Driving License.

Contact 98371903

Lab Technician, Civil (8yrs Gulf experience) looking for a suitable job (NOC available) Contact-93344378

Quality Assurance Officer, ISO Quality System Internal Auditor, BSc Graduate, female 27, with 4 years experience seeks suitable placement.

Contact nipuni.d.silva@gmail.com

Indian male, B.Sc nurse with critical care specialization, 16 yrs experience including GCC Oman Prometric passed, seeking for good posting.

Contact 91124083, 96132494

Microbiologist & Quality Assurance Executive, BSc Graduate, female, 27 with 4 yrs experience in food industry looking for a suitable placement.

Email : nipuni.d.silva@gmail.com

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Civil foreman maintenance D/L, 12 yrs in Oman, 2 yrs in Kuwait.

Contact 96405865, 99534138, India - +91 7589248550, +91 9464255409, email: sukhwinder9@yahoo.com

SALES / MARKETING MBA with 6 yrs experience in Sales & Marketing with Omani Driving License seeks suitable placement.

Contact 94685706 Croatan Woman, 12 yrs experience in Sales. Contact 99797290 MBA, 26 years male, 4 Year Experience (1year Banking experience in UAE) seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 94600128 Email: hassan_imran_ch@hotmail.com 18 yrs Oman experience in Building Materials seeking suitable placement, NOC available. Contact 93105775 Indian male having 6 yrs experience of working in Oman with Advertising, Interiors, Events, Purchase & Accounts valid Oman D/L looking for suitable job. Contact 98851980 Indian male, MBA 9+ yrs Oman exp in Sales & Marketing in FMCG (F & B) sector on a Supervisor / managerial role with D/L & Local NOC available.

Contact 97912789 Young female, having experience of working in Oman with expertise in the field of Event Management, Advertising, Marketing and Hotel Management. Currently on a visit visa. Seeking for a suitable Job. # 96153578 Indian male, B.Com, 20 yrs experience in Sales & Marketing having UAE light D/L looking for suitable post. Contact +91 9946699062, email : sajim40@gmail.com Indian male, 26, MBA Marketing, 1 yr GCC experience Oman, license.

Contact +91 9946308583, haris.hameedali@gmail.com Indian MBA-Marketing & Systems Manager having 6 yrs experience in Solar System & Inverters seeking suitable placements. Contact 97892269 / 99046313 Pakistani male, 34, College 2 yrs, 2 yrs experience as Sales Representative, 3 yrs experience as Clerk / Office Assistant, 3 yrs experience as Salesman in Oman, Computer Skills : Excel, BUSY, ERP, languages known – English, Arabic, Hindi and Urdu. Contact 96763346 Indian male, 30 yrs, 8 yrs + experience in Sales & Marketing, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 95601197 Indian Male having 7 yrs in experience in Oman Sales & Marketing Office Automation Printer, Copier, MFP, IT products & Stationery. Looking for Suitable Placement NOC Available Contact :97384748 Young Energetic Male, with Oman work experience in the field of Sales/ Marketing and Administration.

Currently on a visit visa seeking suitable position.

Contact 97832289. wakakhan.1@gmail.com 15 years experience in Business Development , marketing, purchase – UAE & Oman-staff coordination, documentation, civil & technical maintenance, -valid GCC license-looking for working partnership or management post. Contact:91568362 / Email vpj555pem@gmail.com Indian Male, 7 yrs experience in building materials trading having Oman D/L, immediate release available. Contact 98676713 Indian Male, MBA in Marketing and Finance, 10 years’ Sales & Business Development Experience with valid D/L of Oman & UAE looking for a suitable placement. NOC Available.

Contact: 93969961 e-mail abhilash.pvrk@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING Sales & Marketing Indian male MBA (marketing & sales) business development experience at all levels of management. Currently on visit visa. Contact – 91272819 Indian male, 32 yrs, total 8+ yrs experience with 4+ yrs experience of Sales and Marketing in Oman, seeking job.

NOC available. #95731981 Indian male, 24 yrs Computer Engineering in Diploma, 3.6 yrs experience in sales looking for sales executive job. Contact 96396011 Indian male, 10 years ongoing Oman Experience in Sales / Marketing of Oilfield Equipment / Supplies, looking for mid career job opportunity with reputed firms / groups.

Masters Degree. NOC available.

Contact +968 94045125.

Email: djoman.career@gmail.com Dynamic Indian male Graduate with experience in Sales and Marketing of luxury auto brands, having 8 yrs of Oman experience with D/L currently in Oman.

Contact 93342565, 99364437, email : manojkpa@rediffmail.com US / AUS IT educated, 16 yrs experience in Business Development, Sales, Marketing, HR/Admin looking for suitable position.

Contact 93649932 in Muscat Filipino Male, 26 yrs old looking for any job in restaurant or hotel or Sales or finance and having exp total of 8 yrs in all these fields. #92156753 MBA Graduate with valid Omani D/L looking for suitable job. Contact 94143683

TOUR / TRAVELS IATA Certified experienced Indian Lady looking for job.

Currently on visit.

Contact 94613747, 91339846

MISCELLANEOUS Indian female MCA, with 5 years 4months of exp. in oracle, sql, plsql, unix. Knowledge in c language Contact no:93234758, email id:indu.mr@gmail.com Indian female, 25 yrs, B.Com with computer Application, 1 yr experience as Accountant, looking for suitable job. Contact 98847165 Graduate, Indian, having 6 yrs experience in Sales with D/L, NOC available. Contact 93410723 Indian female, 25 yrs, M.Sc Software Engg., on visit visa having 2 yrs experience in IT & Admin seeks suitable placement.

Contact 96985150, Email: anucherian15@gmail.com MBA Marketing with 10 years experience in Oman and Pakistan, sales of industrial equipment and machinery, now on visit visa looking for job.

Contact 99189286 Pakistani Male Having 5 year experience Valid Omani license working in Transport Division looking for a suitable position .Salary is negotiable...naveedmuhammad037@gmail.com Mob:93363316 Indian male, B.com with tally, having 11 years experience in accounting, looking for a part time job. contact.96423671 Diploma Holder, Now working as logistic coordinator/ salesman with one year experience , Seeking for Suitable Jobs in Oman, NOC available, Trying for License , Contact 94440370 Indian Male, 31 years of Rich Oman experience in Multifunctional Management, Administration, Business Development, Purchase & Operations, seeking suitable Manager/Supervisory Position. Visa transfer/NOC Available.

GSM: 95036410 B pharm, Indian female, Oman MOH License holder, seeking job.

Email- shivallath@gmail.com.

Contact no:99665183 Part- Time Accountant, well versed with all accounting, Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact 98803439 A young, Bsc & B.Ed female graduate with 9 months of teaching experience in science subjects looking for suitable position in reputed organisation. Currently on Visit Visa. Please contact: 92282796

D6

T U E S D AY, JA N UA RY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

EVERY FRIDAY 2.00PM ON INDIA’S KAIRALI PEOPLE TV

● Worldwide ● Air Ticket ● Car Rental ● Holiday Packages ● Hotel Reservations ● Travel Insurance

Call: +96824790400, +96898569830 Email: info@omanorienttravels.com

SITUATION WANTED Accountant, Indian male,29 years.

Presently working in Oman as Accountant.7 years Successful experience in Accounts with Oman Driving license, seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 98184170 Civil Engineer, B.E in civil, Experience in Oman approx in two years.

Cell no : 94389853 Email: faheemdeer1986@gmail.com.

30 year Indian male MSW- HR ,with 5 yrs Professional experience in HR in Construction Oil & Gas Oman seeking suitable placement.

Contact me in 93488914 Indian male 23 yrs, 4 yrs experienced in Architectural Draughtsman looking for a suitable Post GSM:96023726, Email jayan.mathew009@gmail.com

Indian Male, 31 years of Rich Oman experience in Multifunctional Management, Administration, Business Development, Purchase & Operations seeking suitable Manager/Supervisory Position. Visa transfer/NOC Available. GSM: 95036410 Seeking for immediate placement as a manager- projects, sales, marketing, product, business development job for BEMBA, 12 years Oman experience with D/L. #96040977, kvmssn@gmail.com AutoCAD draughtsman (Arch itectural+Structural+Plumbing & HVAC) having more than 12 years Oman experience seeking work as a FREELANCER. Contact - 91620107

26 year Indian male BMS (Building Management System) Engineer with 4yrs of experience in Security systems(CCTV, access control systems, fire alarm systems and public addressing systems) seeking suitable placement. Contact +91 9884277198, E-mail: yuvarajsd@yahoo.com

Indian Female, B.com, 2year Indian Exp. in Accounts, strong in Tally ERP 9,MS Office, looking for suitable position. Part time/ Full time. Contact-95939129, 99104579, mail: sreekulaparambil@gmail.com

Diploma Holder, Now working as logistic coordinator/ salesman with one year experience, seeking for Suitable Jobs in Oman, NOC available, Trying for License.

Contact 94440370

Indian Male, 31 years of Rich Oman experience in Multifunctional Management, Administration, Business Development, Purchase & Operations, seeking suitable Manager/Supervisory Position.Visa transfer/NOC Available. Contact : 95036410

Indian male, 4 Years experienced in Architectural & Structural Draughtsman, looking for a suitable Post GSM:96023726, Email :jayan.mathew009@gmail.com Accountant ,Indian male,24 years.

Presently working in Oman as Accountant.2 years experience in Accounts with oman Driving license. NOC available..Seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 93409315 Indian male 25 B.Tech (IT) Engineer 2.5 years experience in hardware networking. Currently on visit visa, looking for suitable job.

Contact - 94359564 Post Graduate Indian male, MBA (Hospital Administration) having 4 yrs. experience in hospital administration looking for suitable placement. Currently on visit.

Contact: 96701543, 92945632 PROCUREMENT OFFICER-Indian 33yrs, 7yrs Exp. in Oman in (ROAD,CIV,MEP & Others) Contg & Trdg Co. Visa will Exp in Feb-15. M: 94064650, Email:nagauae@gmail.com IT supports 6 yrs experience, male, Filipino Desktop Support, Backup administrator, Wireless Networking, server admin.

Contact - +96896126502

31 years, male with Gulf Experienced Microsoft Certified Solution Associate, Have GCC driving license, looking for a suitable job as Network/System Administrator. Phone: +968 93927126, 99853614, Email: khalil837@hotmail.com 26 years male, MBA Finance & Marketing, 1 year experience in marketing. Looking for sales job.

Contact: 95437921 Mechanical Engineer with 10+ years experience currently on visit visa looking for a Operation Manager/Branch Manager position in reputed organizations. #95757845 Indian female, Accountant. having +5 years experience in Oman till Nov 2014. seeking suitable placement. NOC available. currently in family visa. Contact :98447045, email: anilavandika@gmail.com Indian male, 26 yrs - MBA Graduate with 3 yrs of Experience in Banking ( Standard Chartered Bank Scope International Operations) &Coffee Vending Machine (Fresh & Honest Cafe ltd - Operations) on Visit Visa seeking placement. # 91267867

SITUATION WANTED INDIAN, B.E Mechanical Engineer, 2 years job experience in Oman in pipeline field, fluent in English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi, with valid Omani driving license (light) searching for job. Contact 99871470 Male 28, seven & half an year experience. Worked as maintenance division co-ordinator, purchaser’s assistant, and office administration works. Valid driving license.

Contact 94454847 Indian male, 25yrs, MBA in marketing from Delhi with 1 year experience in operation department, currently on visit visa seeking suitable placements.

Ph 97334359 email: mshahinp1@gmail.com Civil Engineer, B.E in civil , Approx. two year experience in Oman, Pakistani age 29 years.

Contact : 94389853 Email : faheemdeeer1986@gmail.com Male 28, seven & half an year experience. Worked as maintenance division co-ordinator, purchaser’s assistant, and office administration works. Valid driving license.

94454847 Indian, female, Pharmacist available with NOC and MOH License, preferably in Muscat. # 9439 1355.

Indian, Female, Pharmacist available with NOC and MOH License, preferably in Muscat Contact : 9439 1355 An Indian driver with car looking for part time job.

Contact 91103909

28 year Indian male with 7yrs of experience in Accounts & Finance up to finalisation in Construction Oil & Gas and also in Manufacturing industries with Oman D/L seeking suitable placement.

Contact 97104364 . email:moorthy_cbe@hotmail.com.

28 years Indian male with 7yrs of experience in Accounts & Finance up to finalisation in Construction Oil & Gas and also in Manufacturing industries with Oman D/L seeking suitable placement.

Contact me on 97104364 .email: moorthy_cbe@hotmail.com

Senior Accounts Professional, Indian Male, 35 years, M.Com, MBA (Fin) 8 years in Oman, with valid Oman DL and NOC available.

Capable to handle accounts up to finalization. Contact 9602 3965.

Indian female MA. B.Ed. with One year three months Teaching experience. Subject: English, seeking for a Better placement.

Now working in Oman.

Contact 93961142, 92184408 Email:anoopkesavan78@gmail.com.

Looking out for the post of Travel coordinator/Senior travel Consultant, 14 years (10 years in GCC Countries) of experience in the travel industry looking for a suitable placement. Contact : 96328687.

Civil draughtsman part time work for job. Contact : 96023726 Indian, 24 years, B.Tech with Diploma in Sound Engineering & Sound Recording seeking suitable placement. Currently on Visit Visa.

Contact: 95615436. Email: siddharthsadasiv@gmail.com Indian Female-Tech Electrical, from third best college, Government Engineering College Trissur. Fluent in English. Excellent presentation skill.Engineering, IT, teaching or account sector job wanted.

Contact -97724630 / email: vyshnaparthan@gmail.com Indian male, 31 years of Rich Oman experience in Multifunctional Management, Admistration, Business Development, Purchase & Operations seeking suitable Manager/ Supervisory Position. Visa transfer/ NOC Available. Contact 95036410 Filipino Accountant with 13 years working experience in the field of accounting looking for a suitable job in Muscat. Contact: 94547323 Well experienced MOH Licensed Indian female staff nurse looking for placement under contract with Schools, Medical Centres, other Institutions. Contact 98140024.

Admin Executive, 31, Indian Male, having 8+ years exp. in reputed companies, seeking suitable placement in any gulf region. Contact: +968 99276601 & 97693456. muralimahdav77@gmail.com Indian male, 26 yrs - MBA Graduate with 3 yrs of Experience in Banking (Standard Chartered Bank Scope International - Operations) & Coffee Vending Machine (Fresh & Honest Cafe ltd - , Operations) on Visit Visa seeks placement. # 91267867, Email: jai.ks1988@gmail.com Tunisian women looking for job, khnows english, frensh, Italian and arabic. Contact: 91171838 28 year Indian male with 7yrs(5yrs in Oman) of experience in Accounts & Finance up to finalisation in Construction Oil & Gas and also in Manufacturing industries with Oman D/L seeking suitable placement.

Contact me on 97104364 email: Moorthy_cbe@hotmail.com Looking out for the post of Travel coordinator/Senior travel Consultant, 14 years (10 years in GCC Countries) of experience in the travel industry looking for a suitable placement. Contact:96328687 Female dentist with MOH license and release looking for a suitable placement in Muscat, presently residing in Muscat.

Contact: 99147426

Indian Male, B.COM, ICWA, CMA Australia, 24 years experience in finance, costing, accounts, internal audit. Valid Oman driving license.

NOC available. Can join immediately. Contact 97917136 Manager Maintenance/Engineering/Purchase, 31 yrs. exp. in mechanical, electrical, electronics, parts fabrication, purchase deptt, oman exp. 5yrs, have NOC, looking for job. Contact - pkv2k3@yahoo. com, 99331289 Indian Male, 31 years of Rich Oman experience in Multifunctional Management, Administration, Business Development, Purchase & Operations seeking suitable Manager/ Supervisory Position. Visa transfer/ NOC Available.GSM: 95036410 Indian male, 28 yrs in Civil Engineer (Diploma), 3 yrs experience in Gulf seeking suitable chances.

Contact 92063150 Post Graduate Engineer with 5+ years experience in Project Planning & Management currently on visit visa looking for a Project Co-ordinator/Planning Engineer position in reputed organizations.

Please contact (968) 96105079 Indian female dentist with 4 year experience. Call Nazia 96488737 MECHANICAL ENGINEER (B Tech), Indian Mail, with NDT Level 2(ASNT), Autocad, Solidworks, 2 year above experience (as Mechanical Site Engineer and Design Engineer), Seeking suitable placement(on visit visa). Contact: 91591548, 00919447300022, Email: vishnu300022@gmail.com Indian Female, IATA, BSc looking for suitable placement.#95514305.

Email-jitureshmi@gmail.com Indian Female, Graduate having good experience looking for suitable job. NOC available. #91774397

Phd – Management, specialization in management, e-marketing and online consumer behavior, 6 years of academic and research experience. Indian lady GSM 97240687 & 93463439

Indian Female. B-Tech Electrical, from third best college, Government Engineering College Thrissur. Fluent in English. Excellent presentation skill. Engineering, IT, teaching or account sector job wanted. GSM-97724630, email: vyshnaparthan@gmail.com

22 Indian Female, BCA (MCA), 4 Years’ Experience in Teaching, Training & Management of Office and Computer Applications, looking for suitable vacancy in the field of Teaching/IT/Office Management Contact – 94540768, Email – paipreethi01@gmail.com

Indian Male having 14 years of experience in HR, Purchase Dept having Oman Driving License looking for a suitable position NOC available.

Email –madhuvtk@gmail.com.

Contact: 99252635, 99239498

Structural Engineer with 14 years experience in structural design and supervision fields with full knowledge of structure design programs, Omani D/L, seeking a reputed engineering consultancy office vacancy Tel. 96248598.

Indian Male Graduate 20 yrs in Oman, Accountant / Business Property Management seeking suitable position in Accounts / Administration working knowledge with TALLY. Valid Omani Driving License. Contact 99817183

T U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

D7

DAILY GUIDE TOURS

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours Contact- 98029602, 92808636

RENT A CAR

M.V. FOR SALE

DRIVING

Pajero 3.8 v6 full option, 2008 model expat driven single owner, excellent condition, accident free, 217k.

Contact - 92590781 30 seater Toyota Bus, 2014, white color for sale. Contact 98888999 / 96341946 Prado 2012. Contact 99336093 Tucson V-6, 2007, automatic RO 2500/-. Contact 99384640

FOR HIRE

TRUCK FOR HIRE

L/R Discovery, 2003, KM 1,60,000. Contact 99238877 Lexus GS300, 2006. Contact 93218349

Isuzu 10 ton cargo body truck (2012 FVR) with UAE experienced driver available for long term / short term rent.

Contact: 95346950 50 seater bus with PDO speciďŹ cation for rent or lease. # 99839898

Chevrolet van model 2000 for sale, RO 1400/-. Contact 96789522

FOR HIRE Running truck wash for rent in Ouhi Sunia Sohar. Serious people can.

Contact on 97864747

TRANSPORTATION Transportation available 99159277 Transportation. Contact 96538078 Transportation Available Contact 97180655 CONTD on pg 8

D8

T U E S D AY, JA N UA RY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

SITUATION WANTSERVICES

CLASSES

WEBSITE

Al Manar Vocational pleased to announce at vocational short and long term courses in tailoring, cooking and internal design. Contact us now : 24698070 or 91144335

COMPUTER WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

BUSINESS

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. # 24793614/ 99314807 Cleaning services, carpet & sofa shampooing, marble restoration (grinding) and polishing, pest control, fogging service. Contact 99448057, 95401996

House shifting. Contact 99557080, 96236476

Split & window unit A/C servicing & repairing. Contact 99557080

For All Your Maintenance Solutions, A/c Servicing & Fixing, Painting, Cleaning, Electric. #99002390

Window & split unit A/C servicing & maintenance. Contact 96236476

MANPOWER

PRO services. Contact 99368907 Carpet & sofa cleaning, house cleaning. Contact 99542979 / 98855815 For All Your Maintenance Solutions, A/c Servicing & Fixing, Painting, Cleaning, Electric. #99002390

Cheapest Prices, all types window, curtains and blind. #99539521

Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

Computer service/ AMC/ Networking. Contact 93552434

Civil Maintenance, Painting Electric, Plumbing, Decor, Tile Fixing, Lecithin Copra Board flat stifling , Carpet Cleaning and A/C Servicing.# 97897831 (Indian keralite)

Fast & Right Way - For all PR related works – permanent Visa stamping, family visiting visa holders, clients contacts – with NOC letter with signed & sealed photocopy documents . Contact 91568362

TRANSPORTATION

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS- 99320217 /24788722 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS- 99320217 /24788722 Door to Door Computers repair specialist laptop software Website cartridges. Contact 99199376

BUSINESS Wanted dentist or investor to buy a well-running dental clinic in Sohar immediately. Contact 92625962, 95904234

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

A.M Trading Pest control.

Contact 99067923 GULF INTERNATIONAL LLC all kind of pest control. #92326955 We assist in new business set up local sponsorship, real estate services, assist in company formation services. Contact - 93166088 My client needs to buy Residential land or villa in Al Ghubra Bahar Factory area. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Painting Interlock plumbing maintenance. Contact 92142319 Carpet & sofa cleaning, house cleaning. # 99542979 / 98855815 Split & window A/C servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089

Waterproofing, light weight Screed, Antitermite and MS Fabrication.

Contact 92888337 Electrical Plumbing Painting Contract and Maintenance.

Contact 98456535 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir AlRizaiqi trading. L.L.C. # 24810137, 99450130 For HT cable jointing and termination works 33KV/11KV. #99056438 / Email: npgoman@gmail.com Catering services We do industrial catering service, Canteen/ mess, 3 times packed meals, and all types of catering events.

Contact 92188777/99249899

Transportation. Contact 93405941 VIP transport 24 hrs services.

Contact 92108447, 96781899 Truck transporting & shifting.

Contact 99008442 We can give best price for transportation to shift the material from DUBAI to OMAN and local OMAN areas. (Less 25 ton wait Dubai To OMAN Only 170/OMR). GSM 91006589,97754600 ASIF ALI Transportation. Contact 94087276 Transportation. Contact 95190627 Labor Pick & drop.

Contact 92218001 Transportation. Contact 92306582

TRANSPORTATION Transportation. Contact 91379976 Pick & Drop any time.

Contact 97014786

Transportation available.

Contact 95570429

Transportation. Contact 99664703

Pick & drop anytime in al Khuwair.

Contact 99764307

Transportation. Contact 99542393