times of oman - february 1, 2016
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Times of Oman - February 1, 2016TRANSCRIPT
Founded 1975 . Volume 40 No. | Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certifi ed Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group
085010 1200106February 1, 2016 22 Rabi Al Thani 1437 AH
MONDAY
291 40
All countries should work to fi ght tyranny and despotism, confront the policies of ethnic cleansing and the humiliation of human dignity. They should work, as well, to oppose the occupation of others lands and denial of legitimate rights. Also, they should strive to balance the scales of justice so that security, peace and tranquillity shall be established throughout the world.
On the occasion of the 28th National Day, 1998
FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN
‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’
Oman firms sending expat bosses home
REJIMON K [email protected]
MUSCAT: Companies have be-gun repatriating expatriates from highly-paid positions and tight-ening their spend on nationals as oil-driven austerity starts to dig into staff budgets.
“Many companies are central-ising their offi ces to reduce the workforce, cutting down bonus-es, adjusting annual leave plans and air ticket provisions and also dropping off training opportuni-ties abroad,” Dr Anchan CK, an investment advisor and fi nancial expert, said.
“While big companies are into austerity measures, small com-panies are looking for merger op-
tions to survive,” Anchan added.Due to the global oil price crisis
since the middle of 2015, Oman’s government announced an OMR3.3b defi cit budget in 2016 with plans to dramatically lower spending and slash subsidies.
This has already seen petrol prices rise and visa fees increase with more measures expected, and so companies are planning to cut their costs to survive in 2016.
Talking to Times of Oman on the condition of anonymity, two senior expatriate managers said that they were told to leave due to cost cutting measures.
“I was told to quit as part of cost cutting measures. I have been a long time employee in the company. However, I don’t feel
sad,” a general manager in one of the companies in Muscat who was forced to leave Oman a few days ago, said.
Another senior manager in en-gineering fi rm also said that he was forced to leave as part of the cost cutting exercise.
“The company was centralising the departments to save money. The company off ered me a golden handshake and I agreed to it,” the senior manager said.
According to a fi nance advisor in a government driven initia-tive, cost cutting measures have already come into eff ect.
“This time, the plan is to cut bo-nus by 50 per cent for the employ-ees. Tight control over air tickets, visa for maids and abroad training options are in place already,” the fi nance advisor said.
Tonia Gray, general manager at Competence HR, said, “Compa-nies have cancelled the payment of bonuses and allowances (in-cluding fi eld/special allowances) and in some cases employees have accepted reduced pay during this time to avoid the need for re-dundancies. >A6
Companies in Oman are taking all steps,
including cutting workforce, bonus, foreign
training, air tickets to survive the downturn
REJIMON K [email protected]
MUSCAT: “She was like an angel for us. She was smart in studies and playful. We can’t be-lieve even now the truth that we have lost her.”
These were the words of Siya Elizabeth Sabu’s uncle who has booked tickets to travel along with her body to India.
Siya Sabu, the Class II In-dian School Nizwa student, died from the injuries following Thursday’s bus accident which has so far claimed six lives, in-cluding Siya’s who passed away on Sunday morning.
Jaden Jaison, another Class II student, is still fi ghting for his life in the intensive care unit at the Nizwa Hospital.
Siya, Shammas, Ruya, all
Class II students, and Deepal Seth, a teacher at the Indian school apart from two Omani drivers lost their lives in the ac-cident. They were travelling in the bus which was returning to Nizwa after a trip from Bahala.
Repatriated to IndiaWhile, Shammas’ body was bur-ied in Bisiya, a town near Nizwa, Ruya’s and Deepal’s bodies were repatriated to India on Saturday evening.
“Siya’s body will be fl own to India tonight from Muscat. We all are travelling with the body,” her uncle added.
Meanwhile, a message to parents from the Indian School Nizwa read that the school will remain closed until February 3 to mourn the loss of three chil-dren and a teacher. >A7
N I Z W A A C C I D E N T
OMANAncient Omani ruler’s tomb found in UAE
1An archaeological team at Mleiha in Sharjah has discovered a tomb dating
back to 216-215 BC, making it the oldest historical discovery that refers to Oman and also proves that the ancient Kingdom of Oman existed in the late 3rd century BC. >A2
OMANIndonesia stops sending domestics
2Indonesia has stopped sending its domestic workers to Oman,
according to a senior offi cial of the Indonesian Embassy in Muscat. An Indonesian offi cial said instead of domestic workers, they are now sending skilled workers. >A2
MARKETMajor recovery at Muscat bourse
3Share prices on the MSM staged a major recovery, with the general
index climbing by 3.25 per cent or 162.85 points to close at 5,179.36 points. The market continued its rebound journey, as a result of which investors gained OMR203 million.>B1
T O P T H R E E I N S I D E S T O R I E S
A6
IRREPARABLE LOSS: Siya Sabu, the Class II Indian School
Nizwa student, who died from her injuries. Photo– Supplied
‘Angel’ dies from bus crash injuries
MORNING MINUTE
Young BSM talents enthral visitors
A2 M O N DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
OMAN
Indonesia stops sending domestic workers to OmanTimes News Service
MUSCAT: Indonesia has stopped sending its domestic workers to Oman, according to a senior offi -cial of the Indonesian Embassy in Muscat.
Speaking to the Times of Oman, Bambang Daranindra, Minister Counsellor of the Indonesian Em-bassy in Muscat, said instead of domestic workers, they are now sending skilled workers from In-donesia to Oman.
“This is being done to regulate the recruitment process, and to protect the Indonesian workers in Oman. It will also end certain mal-practices which agencies in Indo-nesia indulge in while recruiting domestic workers from various regions in Indonesia,” he said.
The decision was made last year but is rigorously being followed only now. “We have informed all the concerned authorities in this regard,” he added. The current sal-ary of untrained housemaids from Indonesia in Oman is OMR120 to OMR150 per month, while trained housemaids receive a salary of OMR200 a month.
Offi cials said they are currently studying the living conditions in each of the GCC states and are in the process of revising the salaries to meet the growing requirements of the workers.
“But right now we are keen on sending only more skilled workers to the Sultanate of Oman as there is a huge demand here,” Bambang Daranindra said.
According to the National Cen-tre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the number of Indone-sian nationals in the private sector in Oman was 32,535 in January 2016, including 31,891 females and 644 males.
“Our focus today is to reduce the number of Indonesia housemaids and, instead, to increase the num-ber of professionals in other sec-tors including oil and gas, health and hospitality,” he said.
In November 2014, there were 35,738 including 35,111 women and 627 males among workers. The Indonesian government has already imposed a temporary ban on letting domestic workers travel to several countries in the world, including some GCC countries.
R E G U L A T I N G R E C R U I T M E N T
Man dies after fall from mountainTimes News Service
MUSCAT: One person has died after falling from a mountain in Rustaq, the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulances (PACDA) tweeted on their offi cial Twitter handle.
“We rushed to the accident spot in Yaqa area as soon as we were alerted. However, we couldn’t res-cue him. The deceased’s body has
been shifted to the hospital,” the PACDA tweeted.
Last year in August, a British woman in her thirties was found dead in Wadi Al Sameeh in the province of Mahda. The woman was hiking with 11 other tourists on the Wadi Al Sameenah Moun-tain. She had lost her track and was later found dead by Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulances rescue team.
A C C I D E N T
Ancient Omani ruler’s tomb found in the UAE
REJIMON K [email protected]
MUSCAT: An archaeological team at Mleiha in Sharjah has discovered a tomb dating back to 216-215 BC, making it the oldest historical discovery that refers to Oman and also proves that the an-cient Kingdom of Oman existed in the late 3rd century BC.
“The recovered treasure fea-tures inscriptions engraved on a huge grave consisting of an un-derground burial chamber meas-uring 5.2X5.2 square metres. The inscription, written in Aramaic and a southern Arabic language, states that the tomb was built by the son of a certain Amid, who was in the service of the king of Oman,” Dr Bruno Overlaet, Cura-tor, Ancient Near East, Iran and Islam collections at Royal Muse-ums of Art and History, Brussels, wrote in an email interview he gave to the Times of Oman.
“The local Abiel dynasty, known from its coins minted at Mleiha, can in all probabil-ity be associated with this title of “King of Oman”. Their kingdom was apparently centred around
Mleiha and probably consisted of the territory of the UAE and the northern parts of Oman,” the curator added.
The Belgian team directed by Dr Bruno working in close col-laboration with Sharjah’s Depart-ment of Antiquities made the dis-covery on December 17 last year.
According to the curator, a square building of lime-bricks once stood on top of two under-ground burial chambers. These chambers, which once contained the deceased and the grave-relat-ed goods, had walls constructed with large boulders.
“The passage between the rooms was blocked with bricks and a large monumental inscrip-tion that had fallen down from the upper structure.
“The bi-lingual inscription is written in Aramaic and Ancient
South Arabian,” the curator added.Up to now, the oldest mention
of the name Oman was in classi-cal sources from the 1st century CE, where Omana refers to a har-bour on the Oman peninsula.
Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Moham-med Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, made the announcement of the
fi ndings when he inaugurated the fi rst phase of the Mleiha Archaeo-logical and Eco-tourism Project.
Mleiha Archaeological and Eco-tourism Project has been nominated by Unesco as a World Heritage site, refl ecting a rich ar-chaeological and cultural heritage and attracting more visitors and investors.
The recovered
treasure features
inscriptions engraved
on a huge grave
consisting of an
underground
burial chamber
measuring 5.2X5.2
square metres
RARE FIND: Eisa Yousef of the Sharjah Department of Antiquities and Dr Bruno Overlaet, director of the
Belgian team, examining the funerary inscription. -Supplied photos
A view of the tomb with the inscription.
This is being done to regulate the recruitment process, and to protect the Indonesian workers in Oman.
Bambang Daranindra, Minister Counsellor of the Indonesian Embassy in Muscat
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Avoid Zika-hit areas, pregnant women advised
HASAN SHABAN AL [email protected]
MUSCAT: Pregnant women should avoid visiting Zika-aff ect-ed countries, Oman’s minister of health said on Sunday.
“I urge all the pregnant women in Oman to seek medical advice if they have recently travelled to countries from where active Zika virus transmission cases are be-ing reported,” Dr Ahmed Al Saidi, the Minister of Health, said.
While there are no cases re-ported in the MENA region so far, Dr Ahmed Al Saidi said Oman, however, is fully prepared to deal with any epidemic virus cases, in-cluding that of Zika.
“We are fully prepared,” he told the media on the sidelines of a conference on Sunday.
The virus, carried by mosqui-toes, has been recently active across the Caribbean and Latin American countries.
Doctors at the private hospi-
tals also said citizens and resi-dents should not visit Zika-hit countries unless it becomes abso-lutely necessary.
“People visiting these coun-tries, if it is too necessary, should take adequate precautions to pre-vent any types of mosquito bites and should protect themselves by using insect repellents and wearing long sleeves and using mosquito nets,” said Dr V.C.P. Mo-hammed, specialist in Internal Medicine at Atlas Hospital, Ruwi.
The mosquito-borne Zika vi-rus, thought to cause a birth de-fect where the brain does not develop properly, has been ram-paging through the Caribbean and Latin America.
“It is a new virus, so people should take as much precaution as possible,” Mohammed said.
Zika virus is common in parts of Africa and South East Asia, but since 2007, there have been vari-
ous outbreaks outside Africa and South East Asian countries.
“Under these circumstances, people should avoid travelling and if you have already booked your tickets, then you should re-consider your travel plans to ar-eas where the outbreak has been reported,” opined another expert.
Zika, which causes symptoms including rashes, fever, conjunc-tivitis and headache, has now been linked to birth defects in children born to mothers infected while they are pregnant.
“If you have just returned from Latin American countries and if you experience similar symp-toms, then people should con-sult the doctors immediately,” the experts said. Zika is trans-mitted through bites from the same kind of mosquitoes that can spread other tropical diseases, like dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever.
Pregnant women
from Oman, who
have recently
travelled to Zika-
aff ected countries,
have been urged by
Dr Ahmed Al Saidi,
Minister of Health to
seek medical adviceAFFECTED: Dominican Air Force personnel fumigate various lo-
cations in Santo Domingo against the Aedes aegypti mosquito,
vector of the Zika virus, recently. -AFP
A4 M O N DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
For detailed coverage log on to www.timesofoman.com
Omani bands take the centre stage
MOBIN MATHEW [email protected]
MUSCAT: Traditional Omani music bands are taking center stage at Muscat Festival 2016, fascinating Omanis and tourists with their variety of music.
The festival provides an op-portunity for the musicians to perform, especially at Heritage Village in Al Amerat Park. Their performances have attracted-large crowds, who have come to listen to traditional music of the Sultanate.
According to Barnard, a Ger-man tourist, such Arab music is exciting to hear, and also helps tourists learn about the country.
“The rhythms of this music makes us dance,” he said.
Traditional music and dance is performed by both men and women, in groups or individually.
Enthralling performancesThey perform diff erent kinds of traditional musical compositions to enthrall audiences at the festi-val, such as Al Razfah, Al Aazi, Al Tagroodah and Al Dan, in addi-tion to Al Weeliah, Al Munanah, Al Rababah and Al Yoolah. There is also Al Habban, Al Liwah, Al Qurbah and wedding music, such as Al Tahteeb, Al Ruqat, Al Ta-seef, Al Mulalah and others.
“We feel really good about see-ing the performances of these bands because, as expats, this mu-sic helps us to know more about our second home and its tradi-tions,” Rishikesh told Times of Oman. Muscat Festival has been transformed into a celebration that brings together people from diff erent nationalities. So far, the festival has seen visitors from various parts of the Sultanate who have come to hear traditional mu-sic and enjoy the dances.
Hundreds of people await these performances, especially the new generations of the Sul-tanate who get an opportunity to witness Oman’s early culture through these performances.
“This traditional event helps our children know more about our country, and they can also see the traditional games played by their parents and grandparents,” an Omani resident said.
Performances of
traditional Omani
music bands are
attracting large
crowds at
Heritage Village in
Al Amerat Park
RHYTHMS OF MUSIC: Hundreds of people await these performances, especially the new generations of the Sultanate. -Talib Al Wahibi
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Cigarettes and shisha fuelling lung cancer rise
HASAN SHABAN AL [email protected]
MUSCAT: Lung cancer, a dis-ease with which 97 per cent of the smokers are diagnosed, is expect-ed to become the most common cancer in Oman in the next fi ve years, said Dr. Basim Al Bahrani, director of oncology and head of medical oncology at the Royal Hospital.
He was speaking on the side-lines of a press conference on the fi rst GCC Cancer Awareness Week which will kick off on Mon-day in Nizwa.
Cancer treatment consumes more than 30 per cent of the drug budget of the Royal Hospital.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Health (MoH), the monthly cost of cancer treatment in Oman gov-ernment hospitals can reach OMR30,000 per year for each pa-tient.
The latest statistics of the Na-tional Oncology Centre showed that number of visits in the out-patient clinics reached 19,103 in 2015, recording an increase of 10 per cent compared to 2014.
In Oman, there are 600 can-cer patients for each one million population, said Al Bahrani while adding that number of cancer pa-tients in the Sultanate is expected to increase in the forthcoming years due to several factors, in-cluding wrong food habits, obe-sity, lack of exercise, smoking and drinking alcohol.
“By 2040, we will be likely ex-pecting more than 3,500 cases of cancer every year,” he added.
Meanwhile, the detected can-cer cases in Oman stood at 1,314 (1,212 Omanis and 102 expatri-ates), according to latest fi gures by the National Registry of Tumours.
The median age at diagnosis was 53 years while 87 cases were reported among children aged 14 and below, accounting for 7.3 per cent of the total number of pa-tients. Oman is the fourth country among the GCC nations in regis-tered cases of cancer.
Till date, breast cancer is the most common among females while prostate cancer is the most common cancer among males in Oman. According to the MoH, cancer is the third leading cause of death in Oman after car acci-dents and heart diseases.
The Sultanate is taking part in the Gulf Cancer Awareness Week planned to be held in the fi rst week of February every year. The celebration of Cancer Week comes according to the recom-mendations of the Executive Board of Health Ministers’ Coun-cil for GCC States.
The aim of this Gulf Cancer Week was to raise health aware-ness about risk factors leading to cancer, encouraging people to follow a healthy diet and indulge in physical activity, apart from raising awareness about early cancer detection and chances of recovery.
40/40 is the logo for the year 2016 based on a scientifi c con-cept. It refers to the fact that 40 per cent of cancer diseases can be prevented by following healthy lifestyle, adopting sound nutritional habits, adhering to physical activity regularly and maintaining an ideal weight, whereas 40 types of cancer can be cured through early diagnosis and providing appropriate treat-ment in time.
According to the
ministry of health,
cancer is the third
leading cause of
death in Oman after
car accidents and
heart ailments
DELIBERATIONS: The fi rst GCC Cancer Awareness Week will kick off on Monday in Nizwa. – Jun Estrada
Muscat, Salalah
airports exceed
growth targets
MUSCAT: Muscat and Sala-lah airports have exceeded growth expectations in terms of the number of passengers, Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC) announced yesterday. The company said the number of passengers at Muscat International Airport rose by 18 percent during 2015, surpassing the 10 million pas-sengers mark for the fi rst time.
The recently launched Sala-lah Airport has also seen a rise in the passenger traffi c by 22 per cent to more than one mil-lion passengers, as a result of domestic and foreign tourists.
Air traffi c in the Sultanate has also seen strong growth as the number of fl ights at Muscat International Airport exceeded 95,000, an increase of 15 per cent, while air traffi c at Salalah Airport rose by 21 per cent.
Said Abdul Wahab bin Abdul Karim Baloch, acting Director-General of Muscat Internation-al Airport said that the com-pany was able to achieve much in 2015 refl ecting the growth as the number of passengers at Muscat International Air-port in December exceeded last years fi gure. -ONA
E C O N O M Y
The number of passengers at
Muscat International Airport
rose by 18 percent during
2015. – ONA
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We feel blessed to be able to work with such a wonderful group of young people. It’s fantastic to see how they develop over the years and grow to become accomplished performers
Kai Vacher, principal of BSM
Young talents enthral visitors at British School Muscat show
ERIK PRINS [email protected]
MUSCAT: Young performing tal-ents were the stars of the night during ‘A Night at the Musicals,’ a show organised by the Brit-ish School Muscat (BSM) last Thursday.
The students of BSM per-formed scenes from a range of world famous musicals, includ-ing Les Misérables, Oliver, Chicago and the Sound of Music.
Katie Bamforth, head of dance in BSM Senior School, told the Times of Oman that they chose a medley of the most famous shows, which allowed the students to show how versatile they are on the stage and play a variety of roles.
“It’s all about them. A lot of them like to challenge themselves and do things they haven’t done before,” Bamforth said.
Deborah El Alwan, director and producer and head of drama at BSM, said they gave students
all the chance to showcase their talent. “We have such a talented bunch of students here. We give them all the chance to let the com-munity see how talented they are”, she said.
She said that the older boys and girls had the chance to choose the musicals they like and where they could excel in their singing and dancing skills.
Commenting on the ambitions of some of their students, El Al-wan said some of the older stu-
dents will soon enroll in musical theatre in the UK.
Proud, but sad on the other hand, she added that the younger students will be there to take it over. “We want to inculcate in them a passion for dance, music and drama. That’s our responsi-bility,” she said.
Ayah El Alwan, in year eight and one of the rising stars of the night, and is performing as Artful Dodg-er in ‘Oliver!’ said: “I’m really keen on drama and I think I’ll become an actor playing the bigger roles in singing and dancing.”
Alex Pereyra, who is in year eleven and played Bernado in ‘West Side Story,’ said it was the fi rst time he was acting and sing-
ing in this show. “I really enjoyed it a lot,” he said. The response of the audience was overwhelming.
Alex’ mother Sonia said, “It was a great performance. I think these children have a great talent.”
Other spectators also said they very much appreciated the sing-ing and dancing skills of the young performers.
“I absolutely loved it,” said Anis Bekir from Tunisia. “I’m so proud and I’m sure I’m speaking on be-half of everyone. And it gets better every year,” he said.
“Spectacular, we really enjoyed it. It would be nice to see more of those musicals,” said Rikke Niels-en from Denmark.
After the end of the show, Kai Vacher, principal of BSM, lauded the talent of the performers.
“We feel blessed to be able to work with such a wonderful group of young people. It’s fantastic to see how they develop over the years and grow to become accom-plished performers,” he said.
The performers received a standing ovation after they per-formed their last chorus in which they chanted, “Everyone deserves a chance to fl y.”
It was precisely such a chance that they got during last Thurs-day’s show, whether performing for the fi rst time or not.
British School
Muscat students
performed scenes
from a range of world
famous musicals,
including ‘Les
Misérables’, ‘Oliver’,
‘Chicago’ and the
‘Sound of Music’ENTHRALLING PERFORMANCE: Young performers were the stars
of the night during ‘A Night at the Musicals,’ a show organised by
the British School Muscat. - Photo: A R Rajkumar
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Empty Quarter expedition team backMUSCAT: ‘Crossing the Empty Quarter’ expedition team re-turned to the Sultanate this morn-ing after its historic achievement of crossing the desert of the Emp-ty Quarter in 49 days, starting from the Sultanate to the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and then reaching Doha in the sis-terly State of Qatar.
The team was received at the Muscat International Airport upon its return from Qatar by Ali bin Khalfan Al Jabri, Un-dersecretary of the Ministry of Information.
The tired and weary expedition team, which included two Omani explorers, Mohammed Al Zedjali and Amour Al Wahaibi, and Brit-ish explorer Mark Evans, success-fully crossed the Empty Quarter desert, the largest sand desert in the world.
Wilayat of SalalahThe expedition fi rst set off on foot from the Wilayat of Sala-lah in the Governorate of Dhofar last December 2015 to cross the Empty Quarter desert, travers-ing through the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reach Doha in Qatar.
The expedition was originally expected to take 60 days. How-ever, the rigorous desert cross-ing took just 49 days due to the fast pace set by the expedition team members.
The ‘Crossing the Empty Quar-ter’ expedition aimed at enhanc-
ing the concepts of responsibil-ity and self-reliance among the Arab youth, and for them to be able to bear hardships to achieve their goals.
To underline the principles of determination and self-reliance, the team crossed 1,300km, walk-ing and riding camels in only the second ever documented expedi-tion across the Empty Quarter in modern history.
The expedition re-traced the
footprints of the fi rst ever re-corded crossing of the Empty Quarter in 1930, in which the British explorer Bertram Thomas and Sheikh Saleh bin Kalut spent 60 days traversing the tribal ar-eas in the desert, facing huge sand storms, harsh nature, changing weather conditions with limited amounts of food and water, to cross this dangerous desert, start-ing from Salalah in the Sultanate of Oman and passing by the King-
dom Saudi Arabia to reach Doha.
Forbidding areasThe Empty Quarter Desert is considered one of most forbid-ding areas in the world, covering 650,000 square kilometres of the Arab Peninsula, which is equal to the area of France, Belgium and Netherlands put together.
The temperature in summer reaches 50 degrees and hits sub-zero in the winter.
4 9 - D A Y T R I P
HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENT: The ‘Crossing the Empty Quarter’ expedition aimed at enhancing the con-
cepts of responsibility and self-reliance among the Arab youth. – Supplied picture
Five per cent fee on land transactions, property lease
MUSCAT: A ministerial decision to collect 5 per cent of land value on specifi ed registrations was is-sued yesterday.
Sheikh Saif bin Mohammed Al Shabibi, Minister of Housing is-sued the Ministerial Decision No. 13/2016 which replaces para “1” and para “3” of the annex “7” regard-ing registration and authentication fees for some legal transactions.
Article “1” of the decision stipu-lates that 5 per cent of the value of the land will be collected as fees upon registration of the sale and grant contracts from others and from non-fi rst-kin relatives.
Article “3” states that 5 per cent of the value of the land will be col-lected upon registration of the granted land plots.
As per the provision of article “2” all that contradicts and con-travenes with this decision will be cancelled. The decision comes into force on February 1, 2016.
Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Shihi, Minister of Regional Municipali-ties and Water Resources issued a ministerial decision.
Article “1” stipulates that the landlord of any property or part of it, or the tenant, if so agreed with the landlord, shall pay 5 per cent of the total lease value shown in the lease contract. -ONA
M I N I S T E R I A L D E C I S I O N
Oman companies in austerity mode
“Some have cancelled the medi-cal insurance for nationals as they have access to government health services. These meas-ures are an attempt to save the company and therefore the employees’ jobs in the longer term. While no-one likes to be on the receiving end of such cuts, the alternative of loss of jobs or company closure would be far worse.”
An offi cial in one of the leading health insurance fi rms said that they are seeing reduced price re-quests from companies during the time of policy renewal.
“We may have to wait a little more to link it with bad econo-my. However, it’s happening. We are also seeing that some compa-nies are willing to pull out from insurance coverage for their em-ployees,” the insurance company offi cial said.
Tonia also added that other than restructuring their organi-sations resulting in redundancy of employees and the remaining employees undertaking more work and responsibility, other companies are reducing benefi ts.
“Restructuring has to be done in such a way that key skills and experience are kept to ensure the company can deliver its ser-vices, whatever those services may be,” Tonia added.
A board member from general federation of Oman trade union said, “We are hearing about it. However, we are confi dent that companies won’t surpass the conditions set by the Labour Law. If somebody are being de-nied the facilities agreed in the job contract, they have to come forward. If they come forward with offi cial complaints, then we will be able to take it up to gov-ernment authorities,” Moham-med Khaldi, the trade union fed-eration board member, said.
An economist and business consultant said that the tighten-ing of the belt is necessary as the cash infl ows have reduced and thereby the cash availability.
“Every responsible employee shall understand the situation and appreciate the need to cut down on all ‘extras’,” Krishnan MAK, the business consultant in Muscat, said.
C U T T I N G C O S T S
< FROM
A1 ALAWI RECEIVES THAILANDDEPUTY PRIME MINISTERDr. Somkid Jatusripitak, Deputy Prime Minister of
Thailand arrived on a two-day visit to the Sultanate
yesterday. The guest was received by Yousuf bin Alawi
bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Aff airs,
Darwish bin Ismail Al Balushi, Minister Responsible
for Financial Aff airs, Dr. Ali bin Mas’oud Al Sunaidi,
Minister of Commerce and Industry and Dr Salim bin
Nasser Al Ismaili, Chairman of the Public Authority for
Investment Promotion and Export Development. -ONA
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Design award for Oman Air business class seats
Times News Service
MUSCAT: Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, was named an award-winner in the Transportation category of the prestigious 2015 Good Design Awards for their luxury Business Class Seat BE Aerospace Serenity Suite designed by TEAGUE.
The Good Design Awards Pro-gram was established in 1950 and is hosted annually by the Chicago
Athenaeum Museum of Archi-tecture and Design, whose stated mission is to educate the public about the value of good design and explain how design can positively impact upon the quality of life.
One of the main criteria for selection is based on whether a product can enrich society and people’s lives through its design,
and Oman Air’s Serenity Suite was awarded due to it combin-ing innovation and luxury to of-fer business class travellers an exceptionally comfortable fl ying experience.
Regarding the recognition, Paul Gregorowitsch, Oman Air’s Chief Executive Offi cer, said, “We are thrilled and excited to receive this
prestigious award. Oman Air is committed to providing its busi-ness class fl yers with an excep-tionally comfortable and pleas-urable journey, and our luxury Aerospace Serenity Suite is evi-dence of this.”
Further, Abdul Aziz Al Raisi, Oman Air’s Chief Offi cer for Man-agement Aff airs, noted, “We are extremely proud of this achieve-ment, and it is an honour to accept the award as a further manifesta-tion that Oman Air is setting the highest standards in on-board luxury and comfort. For Oman Air, excellence in design is some-thing that is very important.”
Business classOman Air’s Business Class Aero-space Serenity Suite features pre-mium-size specifi cations on their seats, armrests, and fully fl at beds.
Each seat includes features, such as an electronically con-trolled backrest, legrest, and seat depth, adjustable armrests, along with a meal table and cocktail table.
Oman Air’s Serenity
Suite was awarded
for combining
innovation and
luxury for business
class travellers
INNOVATION AND LUXURY: Oman Air’s Business Class Aero-
space Serenity Suite features premium-size specifi cations on
their seats, armrests, and fully fl at beds. -Photo supplied
Oman Air is committed to providing its business class fl yers with an exceptionally comfortable and pleasurable journey, and our luxury Aerospace Serenity Suite is evidence of this
Paul Gregorowitsch, Oman Air’s Chief Executive Offi cer
Sharakah to boost self-employment opportunitiesSALEH AL [email protected]
MUSCAT: Sharakah aims to cut down the dependence on jobs by creating self-employment oppor-tunities to help people in Oman set up profi table businesses or expand their existing trades.
Sharakah General Manager Ab-dulla Al Jufaili said in an exclusive interview with the Times of Oman that the vision of the company is to help people establish their own businesses to reduce reliance on job seeking and boost the economy of the Sultanate.
“Indeed, our mission, vision and
objectives recognise the impor-tance of entrepreneurship in soci-ety, its key role in economic devel-opment and the benefi ts that fl ow from it. We are proud that our work in this regard creates jobs, powers the economy and contributes to Oman’s international competitive-ness,” Al Jufaili explained.
Sharakah, which was established in 1998 through a Royal Decree, funds individuals, who want to set trades with the aim of contribut-ing to the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The projects fi nanced by Sharakah rep-resent diff erent sectors, including information technology, engineer-
ing, manufacturing, services and food industries. The company sup-ports both start-ups and business owners in diff erent regions of the country. He said the total number of projects Sharakah has supported so far has reached 76 nationwide.
“Till date, Sharakah has invested a total of OMR4.8 million, which is the equivalent of 90 per cent of our capi-tal. We believe that such investment has been utilised the right way and we are expecting more outcomes in the near future,” Al Jufaili added.
Though Sharakah supports pro-jects from diff erent sectors, its em-phasis is on the hospitality indus-try, manufacturing, education and
training and entertainment. He said such sectors add value to the local market. However, most applications are for the food and beverage busi-ness. “We have crossed check this with our counterparts in the region and found out that this is the current trend,” Al Jufaili pointed out.
Rigorous rulesBut Sharakah has rigorous rules to screen applications that suit eligibility of the companies to en-sure the long-term survival of the business. The top considerations include entrepreneurship with vi-able business plans. Trades that will provide employment opportuni-
ties and contribute to community development also receive top con-sideration. “We are also looking for projects that are able to produce products and services that have a competitive advantage and have po-tential for signifi cant sales growth,” Al Jufaili explained further.
Sharakah funds start-up compa-nies, which are willing to contrib-ute 33 per cent of the investment amount. For existing businesses, it has to be 20 per cent of the to-tal investment. But Al Jufaili said Sharkah’s initiatives are not with-out challenges.
“The challenges that we specifi -cally face are mostly related to not
receiving supportive documents or poor business plans. It is of utmost importance not only for us as fi -nanciers, but also the SMEs them-selves to have accurate data about the market they plan to venture into,” the Sharakah General Man-ager concluded. Sharakah provides fi nancial support in the form of loans, equity support and discount-ing facilities and provides technical and management consulting for projects after analysing feasibility studies and project plans.
It also participates in local, re-gional, and international events and conferences, which discuss is-sues connected with SMEs.
C U T J O B D E P E N D E N C E
Nizwa school to remain closed
The message sent by the school reads: “In view of the recent tragic accident the school will remain closed from January 31 to Feb-ruary 2.” “Till February 2, all the school activities have been sus-pended. The school will reopen on February 3 for Classes VI to XII and on February 4, for Class-es LKG to V. On their fi rst day at school, special counselling ses-
sions and activities are being ar-ranged. Looking forward to your active support. Please do not be-lieve rumours,” the message read.
A C C I D E N T A F T E R M A T H
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REGIONM O N DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
The suicide bombers had targeted a military bus carrying militias who were changing guard near a public transport garage in the neighbourhood’s Koua Sudan area in Syria.
$861m urged to help Iraq meet humanitarian bill
BAGHDAD: The United Nations appealed on Sunday for $861 mil-lion to help Iraq meet a big fund-ing gap in its 2016 emergency re-sponse to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war against IS.
Baghdad, whose revenues have fallen as oil prices have plunged, has said it would manage to fi nance less than half of its $1.56 billion plan to assist 10 million people in need. “With the expanding needs, the allocation through the federal budget will not be suffi cient. We expect that the highly prioritised (UN) Humanitarian Response Plan will help cover part of the gap,” Minister of Migration and Displacement Jassim Mohammed Al Jaff said in a statement.
UN humanitarian coordinator
in Iraq Lise Grande said she ex-pected the crisis in Iraq “to widen and worsen” in coming months.
The United Nations expects huge numbers of civilians to fl ee Mosul when Iraqi forces mount an off ensive to retake the northern city from IS, which the authorities have pledged to do this year.
Depleting resources“The number of people who need help is going up, the amount of re-sources is going down and that’s why you have a really big gap. What we’re trying to do in a very
clear way is to prioritise,” she told Reuters after launching the ap-peal in Baghdad.
Among the 10 million Iraqis requiring urgent assistance are more than 3.3 million people displaced by the confl ict with IS since 2014 and a quarter million people from neighbouring Syria who have fl ed from their coun-try’s nearly fi ve-year-old war, according to the United Nations. Children make up half of the displaced population. The Iraqi government allocated around $850 million last year for eff orts
to shelter such families and help them return to recaptured areas, but it ended up funding less than 60 per cent of that, according to a government report. The UN plan said it was only asking for a frac-tion of the $4.5 billion deemed necessary to meet humanitarian needs in an acknowledgment of security and funding constraints on its operations.
“The amount being requested is not commensurate with the overall humanitarian needs in Iraq... (but) accurately refl ects the absolute minimum required to
help Iraqis survive the crisis,” the plan said. IS seized about a third of Iraq’s territory in the north and west in 2014, but has slowly been pushed back by Iraqi forces, mili-tias and Kurdish peshmerga fi ght-ers - backed by US-led coalition air strikes. Most of the displaced people, living in makeshift camps, disused buildings and homes in Baghdad, the northern Kurdistan region and other areas, are from Iraq’s minority community.
Jaff said he expected 200,000 families could return home this year. — Reuters
The United Nations
expects huge
numbers of civilians
to fl ee Mosul when
Iraqi forces mount an
off ensive to retake
the northern city
from IS as Baghdad’s
fi nances are hit by
falling oil prices
Iraqi Kurds hold talks in Baghdad
ARBIL: A senior delegation from Iraq’s Kurdish north held talks in Baghdad with the government on Sunday, a spokesman said, after weeks of warnings from offi cials in the autonomous region that it faced an economic collapse.
Both Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) rely heavily on oil export revenue and have been hit hard by the global slump in crude prices.
Relations between the two sides have been strained in recent years by disputes over the budget and revenue sharing. The delegation led by KRG Prime Minister Nechir-van Barzani met with Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi and other senior Iraqi government offi cials. KRG spokesman Safeen Dizayee, who is part of the delegation, said “a wide range of issues, including security, fi nance, political and mili-tary” were on the agenda. Earlier this month, the KRG deputy prime minister said the region was in danger of being drowned by an eco-nomic “tsunami”.
Kurdistan enjoyed an economic boom in the wake of the US-led in-vasion that toppled Saddam Hus-sein in 2003, receiving a share of the revenue from Iraq’s rising oil exports. But Baghdad cut fund-ing to the region in 2014 after the Kurds built their own pipeline to Turkey and began exporting oil without federal government ap-proval in pursuit of economic in-dependence. The KRG has since increased independent oil sales to more than 600,000 barrels per day (bpd), but with depresses prices and a bloated public payroll is now fi ve months in arrears and deeply in debt. — Reuters
E C O N O M I C C R I S I S
Blasts claimed by IS kill 60 in SyriaAMMAN: At least 60 people were killed, including 25 fi ghters, and dozens wounded on Sunday by a car bomb and two suicide bombers in a district of Damascus where shrine is located, a monitor said.
IS claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to Amaq, a news agency that supports the group. It said two operations “hit the most important stronghold of militias in Damascus”.
The Syrian Observatory for Hu-man Rights said the casualties were expected to rise from the suicide attacks in Sayeda Zeinaba, a district of southern Damascus where militias have a strong pres-ence. Rami Abdulrahman, head of the British-based Observatory, said the suicide bombers had tar-geted a military bus carrying mi-litias who were changing guard there. The explosions occurred as representatives of Syria’s govern-ment and its divided opposition began convening in Geneva for the fi rst UN-mediated peace talks in two years.
Syrian Ambassador Ibrahim Jaafari, head of the government delegation at Geneva, said the blasts in Damascus just confi rmed
the link between what the govern-ment says are a foreign funded “opposition” and terrorism.
State television showed footage of burning buildings and wrecked cars in the neighbourhood.
Syrian state news agency SANA, quoting an interior ministry source, said a group of militants had detonated a car bomb near
a public transport garage in the neighbourhood’s Koua Sudan area.
Two suicide bombers then blew themselves up nearby as people were being rescued. The authori-ties put the dead at 45 people.
“Bodies were still being pulled from the wreckage,” a witness told state news channel Ikhbariyah.
The heavily populated area
in the south of the city is a site of pilgrimage.
Syrian Prime Minister Wael Al Halaki was quoted as saying the attacks were prompted by “terror groups” who sought to “raise their morale after a string of defeats” by the army.
The United Nations has said it is aiming for six months of talks, fi rst seeking a ceasefi re and later work-ing toward a political settlement for Syria. The nearly fi ve-year con-fl ict has killed more than 250,000 people, driven more than 10 mil-lion from their homes and drawn in global powers.
The Sayeda Zeinab shrine area witnessed heavy clashes in the fi rst few years of the war but has since been secured by the Syr-ian army and militias, which has set up protective roadblocks around it. Rebels says the area is the fi rst destination of thousands of militias before heading to fi ght in battlefi elds across the country.
Militias from the region have played a crucial role in covering the shortfall in manpower faced by Syrian President Assad’s over-stretched army during nearly fi ve years of confl ict. — Reuters
W A R W I T H I N N A T I O N
Nine Americansamong 33 suspects held in Saudi ArabiaRIYADH: Nine Americans are among 33 suspects detained on terrorism charges in Saudi Ara-bia over the past week, the Eng-lish-language daily Saudi Gazette reported on Sunday citing an un-named source.
It reported that four Ameri-cans were detained on Monday and another fi ve in the following days, along with 14 Saudis, three Yemenis, two Syrians, an Indo-nesian, a Filipino, a United Arab Emirates citizen, a Palestinian and a citizen of Kazakhstan.
The American embassy did not immediately respond to a re-quest for comment. Saudi Arabia in 2014 declared IS a terrorist organisation and has detained hundreds of its supporters. The group, which controls territory in Iraq and Syria, has staged a series of attacks in the kingdom.
On Friday an attack at a mosque in Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahsa district in Eastern Province killed four people and injured 18,
the latest in a string of attacks.The website of the Interior
Ministry’s militant rehabilitation centre listed four US citizens as having been detained on January 25 and four more over the previ-ous three months. It did not yet list any more recent detentions. The Interior Ministry spokes-man pointed Reuters towards that website, which gives infor-mation on all people detained as militant suspects, but gave no further comment.
The ministry on Saturday identifi ed one of the attackers in Al Ahsa as 22-year-old Abdulrah-man Al Tuwaijri, a Saudi citizen, who detonated an explosive vest outside the Imam Rida mosque in the Mahasen district of Hofuf in Al Ahsa. A 27-year-old was also arrested wearing an explosive vest and carrying hand grenades after members of the mosque’s congregation seized him after he fi red shots at them during the at-tack, the ministry said. — Reuters
T E R R O R C H A R G E S
Netanyahu rejects French ultimatum
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Is-raeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Sunday for a more “sober” approach towards the Israeli-Palestinian confl ict in dismissing a French peace initia-tive as only encouraging Palestin-ians to shun compromise.
The proposal on Friday by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius for an international peace conference was the latest sign of Western frustration over the ab-sence of movement toward a two-state solution since the collapse of US-brokered negotiations in 2014. Fabius said that if the French plan did not break the deadlock, Paris would recognise a Palestin-ian state. In public remarks to his cabinet, Netanyahu did not explic-itly reject the notion of an interna-tional conference - an aide said Is-rael would examine such a request once it was received - but he made clear that reported details of the plan made it a non-starter.
Netanyahu said a “threat” to recognise a Palestinian state if France’s peace eff orts did not succeed constituted “an incen-tive to the Palestinians to come
along and not compromise”. “I assess that there will be a sober-ing up regarding this matter,” Ne-tanyahu added. “In any event, we will make eff ort so that there is a sobering up here, and our position is very clear: We are prepared to enter direct negotiation without preconditions and without dic-tated terms.”
On Saturday, Palestinian Presi-dent Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the French proposal, telling an African summit in Ethiopia that “the status quo cannot continue”.
While aware the initiative may struggle to get off the ground, French offi cials said Paris had a responsibility to act now in the face of ongoing Israeli settlement activity and the prospect of con-tinued diplomatic inaction as the United States focuses on a presi-dential election in November.
The US, European Union have also issued unusually stern criti-cism of Israel in recent weeks, refl ecting their own frustration with the policies of Netanyahu’s right-wing government. — Reuters
O N P A L E S T I N I A N S T A T E H O O D
APPEAL FOR HELP: Minister of Migration and Displacement Jassim Mohammed Al Jaff , right, delivers a joint statement to the media
with UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq Lise Grande in Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday. – Reuters
DEADLY BOMBING: Syrian pro-government forces inspect the dam-
age following suicide bombings in the town of Sayeda Zeinaba, on
the outskirts of the capital Damascus on Sunday. – AFP
STRICT VIGIL: Israeli soldiers keep guard near the scene of a
shooting attack at an Israeli military checkpoint near the occu-
pied West Bank city of Ramallah. – Reuters
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INDIAM O N DAY, F E B R UA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
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JD(U) exploring umbrella alliance with RLD, Congress in UPNEW DELHI: Janata Dal(United) and Rashtriya Lok Dal(RLD) are exploring the possibility of an um-brella alliance with Congress and some smaller parties in northern-Indian state of Uttar Pradesh for the 2017 Assembly elections after the JD(U)-RJD-Congress coali-tion infl icted a humiliating defeat on BJP-led NDA in the Bihar polls.
Sources said RLD chief Ajit Singh had a meeting with JD(U) President Sharad Yadav a couple of days back during which the two leaders discussed the broad con-
tours of a larger coalition against the BJP at a time when both SP and BSP, the two major parties in the state, have ruled out forging any alliance.
DiscussedThe RLD chief had also dis-cussed the issue with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Delhi last month when the latter was here for the launch of Yadav’s autobiography.
Peace Party chief Ayub Ansari had also met Nitish Kumar and
JD(U) general secretary K. C. Ty-agi to discuss the issue, sources said. Peace Party has its presence in Eastern UP, mainly in areas around Gorakhpur.
Some clarity on such an alliance is likely to emerge in a day or two after JD(U)’s state executive meet-ing in Lucknow on Sunday, they said. Tyagi, a senior party leader from Uttar Pradesh who has been assigned the task of organising a joint rally of the RLD and JD(U) in western Uttar Pradesh said, “We are keen to be part of any
anti-BJP campaign or front. In any such campaign in western Ut-tar Pradesh, RLD is an important element. Any grand alliance mi-nus RLD will not be successful in Western UP,” he said.
When asked whether the party is in talks with RLD on the issue of an alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Tyagi said, “We keep talking to RLD leaders. Nitishji and Sharadji have spoken to the RLD leadership”.
Sources in JD(U) said the party was also keen on forging an al-liance with Congress in Assam,
but the latter’s state unit was not inclined.
Janata Dal had 22 MPs in Uttar Pradesh in 1991, when Mulayam Singh Yadav and Chandra Shekhar parted ways with V. P. Singh and formed Samajwadi Janata Party.
Since then Janata Dal and later Janata Dal (United) have been on decline there.
In 1996, the party headed by Sharad Yadav had 6 MLAs, which came down to two in 2002 Assembly polls.
Buoyed by the victory in Bihar,
the party feels it can rejuvenate its moribund unit in Uttar Pradesh in alliance with parties like RLD and Congress.
JD(U), which is running a coa-lition government with Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar, is hopeful that Lalu Prasad will campaign for the secular umbrella alliance, if it comes about, despite SP chief Mu-layam Singh Yadav being his rela-tive. The SP chief had walked out of the JD(U)-RJD-Congress alli-ance in Bihar and formed a third front to contest the polls. - PTI
2 0 1 7 A S S E M B L Y E L E C T I O N S
‘Congress creating hurdles in country’s development’
HYDERABAD/NEW DELHI: Union Minister for Parliamen-tary Aff airs M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday alleged that by not al-lowing Parliament to function, Congress was not stopping the Narendra Modi government but “creating hurdles” in the country’s development.
“You (Congress) are reduced to 40 seats in the Lok Sabha. You don’t know what to do and don’t allow Parliament to function. You are not allowing the Goods and Services Tax and real estate bill to pass and even stall eff orts to re-form the labour laws,” he said, ad-dressing a public meeting ahead of civic polls here.
Hopeful“You are not stopping Modi, but creating hurdles in the develop-ment of this country. You are caus-ing loss to the poor people. Con-gress should know this and I am hopeful that the party will realise it shortly,” the Union Parliamen-tary Aff airs Minister said.
“NDA government is doing good
work. The country is progressing. Market is also picking up and there will be more measures for welfare of the poor,” Venkaiah said.
“Good days (‘achche din’) have come and better days are ahead. Congress asked where are the good days. I said there are no good days for you, but bad days,” he said, adding, people gave Congress the mandate to sit in the opposition, “but you are not ready”.
Over Congress’ attacks on Rash-triya Swayamsevak Sangh, Ven-kaiah said, RSS means “Ready for Selfl ess Service”.
“RSS is the most upright and patriotic organisation in the coun-try. We are all proud (of it). Yes, we were all brought up by RSS and that is why we got this character, calibre, conduct, discipline, dy-
namism and devotion,” the senior BJP leader said.
He also said Congress, which had followed “divisive and vote-bank agenda” and encouraged parties such as MIM and Muslim League, has no “moral right” to criticise RSS.
“We in BJP believe in unity and integrity of the country. People have come to Hyderabad from dif-ferent parts of the country and all are Hyderabadis. No one is a set-tler here and all are Indians,” Ven-kaiah said.
“Some people” have no objec-tion to those entering the country illegally from Bangladesh and Pa-kistan, he said, adding, some peo-ple sympathise with Yakub Me-mon and Ajmal Kasab.
“They have love for IS and ha-
tred for RSS because it speaks for the nation, and this is the irony of this country,” the senior BJP leader said.
AchievementsMeanwhile, listing the achieve-ments of the Modi government during 2015, BJP national secre-tary Shrikant Sharma said while GDP has grown, infl ation has come down, foreign exchange reserves have grown along with FDI, the country has done maximum pro-duction of ethanol and urea while providing relief to farmers.
He said Modi is aiming to take the country among the fastest growing economies and where people can live with dignity.
Sharma said that the “zero tol-erance” policy towards terrorism
adopted by the Modi government has proved to be eff ective and the outlook of the world towards India and Indians has now changed.
He said that the government has put an end to corruption and the recent spectrum and coal auc-tion in a transparent manner is an example.
It has also put a stop to leakages in diff erent schemes and now the subsidy is reaching the poor.
He said that while in 2015, there was highest coal and electricity production, the export of software from India too reached a new high. Sharma said that while during the previous UPA regime, the pace of construction of national highways was around 2-3 kilometres per day, the present government has fi xed the target of 18km per day. -PTI
Naidu said NDA
government is
doing good work.
The country is
progressing. Market
is also picking up
and there will be
more measures for
welfare of the poor
PUBLIC MEETING: Union Minister for Parliamentary Aff airs, Venkaiah Naidu along with Minister
of Labour and Employment, Bandaru Dattatreya during an Agarwal Samaj event at Banjara Hills in
Hyderabad on Saturday. - PTI
You are not stopping Modi,
but creating hurdles in the
development of this country.
You are causing loss to
the poor people. Congress
should know this and I am
hopeful that the party will
realise it shortly
Venkaiah NaiduUnion parliamentary affairs minister
Ammunition cache found dumped in canal in Pathankot
PATHANKOT: A cache of am-munition was on Sunday found dumped in UBD canal at Malik-pur in the district which is on high alert since the attack on the airbase earlier this month.
A few boys, who were taking bath in the Upper Bari Doab ca-nal here, accidentally found the ammunition, police said.
“As the water level was low, the boys discovered the ammu-nition lying at the bottom of the canal and then they raised an alarm,” Pathankot DSP (Rural) Kuldeep Singh said.
Two magazines along with 59 live cartridges of AK-47 ri-fl e, two magazines and 29 live cartridges of INSAS rifl e and 16 rounds and two shells of .315 ri-fl e were recovered, he said.
The investigations are under-way, the DSP said. Security had already been stepped up here and surrounding areas follow-ing a terror attack at Pathankot Airforce station on January 2 in which seven security personnel were killed.
Meanwhile, in separate inci-dent a huge cache of explosives including detonators and gela-tin sticks was seized by police near Vizianagaram in south In-dian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Illegally keptThe explosives, illegally kept in Bobbili village, was seized dur-ing a raid and two godown own-ers were arrested in this regard, police said. Police Sub-Inspec-tor S Naidu said. Over 700 gela-tin sticks, nearly 900 electric detonators, 4,000 non-electric detonators and 600 metres of safety fuse were seized from the godown of one G. Lakshmi Narayana. - PTI
O N H I G H A L E R T
No government until BJP assures
on Mufti’s vision, says Mehbooba
SRINAGAR: PDP president Me-hbooba Mufti on Sunday told her party’s core group that she was not averse to forming the govern-ment in Indian-administered- Kashmir but this cannot happen unless she has assurances from the ally BJP that her late father’s vision would be fulfi lled.
Presiding over the meeting of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders, Mehbooba Mufti, ac-cording to party sources, said she needed concrete assurances from the coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party that the vision of late chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed about equitable develop-ment and peace in the state would
be fulfi lled. “The core group meet-ing was called today (on Sunday) to basically discuss party aff airs like its membership campaign and reaching out to people. How-ever, some leaders and legislators wanted to know Mehboobaji’s views on government formation,” a party leader said.
Not averse“She told them she was not averse to government forma-tion, but she won’t burn her fi ngers for nothing. She spoke about Mufti Sahib taking a big decision by deciding to form an alliance with the BJP but his dream remained largely unad-
dressed during his 10-month tenure,” said the source.
According to him, Mehbooba Mufti said that she cannot decide to claim power in the state simply because that would make her the chief minister. From Sunday’s closed-door PDP deliberations, it has become clear that the impasse over the government formation in the state will continue.
Jammu and Kashmir was placed under the Governor’s rule on January 8 after Mufti Moham-mad Sayeed passed away on Jan-uary 7 in New Delhi after a brief illness, and Mehbooba Mufti did not step forward to stake claim to form the government. - IANS
I M P A S S E O V E R G O V E R N M E N T F O R M A T I O N
DELIBERATIONS: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti along with party lead-
ers during a party meeting at Mufti residence in Srinagar on Sunday. - PTI
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INDIA M O N DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
Can we take a pledge that we should connect at least 50 per cent of the farmers to this scheme in two years? I need this help from you. Because if a farmer joins the scheme, he will get huge help during a natural calamity
Narendra Modi, Prime minister
Modi behind confrontation with opposition: Congress
NEW DELHI: Signalling that Budget session is unlikely to be a smooth aff air, Congress on Sunday latched on to BJP leader Yashwant Sinha’s comments to accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “not believing in dialogue” and blamed it for the “confronta-tion” between the government and opposition.
“The Prime Minister does not believe in dialogue. He likes one way communication, be it with his organisation or with the media. Even inside Parliament, he does not believe in discussion...,” sen-
ior Congress spokesman Anand Sharma told reporters
“His mindset is responsible for the atmosphere of confrontation. His arrogance and obstinacy are responsible for the situation of confrontation between the gov-ernment and the opposition,” he alleged.
Sharma, who is also the deputy leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha, claimed that the Prime Minister has not made any eff ort in the past 20 months since com-ing to power to usher in an atmos-phere of constructive cooperation by taking into confi dence the op-position and its leaders.
“His style of functioning, his
concentration of decision making is proving detrimental to parlia-mentary democracy,” he said, add-ing that it was a matter of concern.
RemarksSharma’s remarks came in re-sponse to queries on senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha comments made at a conference in Goa on Saturday which indicated that he was critical of Modi though Sinha on Sunday contended that his re-marks had been “completely mis-understood” and misinterpreted.
During the discussion, Sinha was asked about the present day culture of “I, me, myself” and what was the use for dialogue in such
case. The former minister in the Atal Behari Vajpayee government replied that elected representa-tives including to Parliament and Assemblies have to continuously go back to the people who elect them. Sinha then referred to the Emergency of 1975 and said the country knew what happened to the “most concerted eff ort in our country to still the voice of dissent”.
“We all know how the people of India reacted.
So, there would be aberrations here, aberrations there, we might be very concerned about the pre-sent situation because some of these things according to us are
taking place. “But the great In-dian society will take care of it and will consign to the dust those who do not believe in dialogue in India. The people of India will consign him to the dust, you just have to wait for the next elec-tions,” Sinha said on Saturday, without naming Modi.
Congress spokesman Ab-hishek Singhvi took to twitter to take a dig at the BJP over Sinha’s remarks.
“A party which has people like Shatru, Kirti, Yashwant and Joshi, does not need any opposition,” he remarked in apparent reference to Shatrughan Sinha, Kirti Azad, Yashwant Sinha and Murli Mano-har Joshi.
In an apparent dig at the Prime Minister, he said in another tweet, “Due to the democratic structure put up by Congress in 68 years, people not believing in democracy are today occupying the top posts”.
Replying to a question on form-ing an alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the Assembly polls next year, Sharma said that the party is making eff orts to strengthen it-self on the ground and suggested that there was still time to decide such issues. He said that the Con-gress attempt would be to defeat BJP and bring together progres-sive forces. According to sources, JD(U) and RLD are exploring the possibility of an umbrella alliance with Congress and some smaller parties in UP for the 2017 As-sembly elections after the JD(U)-RJD-Congress coalition infl icted a humiliating defeat on BJP-led NDA in the Bihar polls. - PTI
Sharma claimed that
the Prime Minister
has not made any
eff ort in the past 20
months since coming
to power to usher
in an atmosphere
of constructive
cooperation by taking
into confi dence
the opposition
and its leaders
His style of
functioning, his
concentration of
decision making is
proving detrimental
to parliamentary
democracy
Anand SharmaCongress spokersperson
Ontario premier
on six-day visit
to boost trade
NEW DELHI: Premier Kath-leen Wynne of Ontario arrived on Sunday on a six-day visit leading a 100-member business delega-tion in a bid to boost the province’s trade relations with India, the Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) said in a statement here.
“Wynne’s delegation will visit four cities — New Delhi, Chan-digarh, Hyderabad and Mumbai —and will formalize agreements and memorandums of under-standing within the research, in-frastructure, technology, science, health and education sectors,” the statement said.
“Wynne will also meet with po-litical and cultural leaders to build new relationships, strengthen ex-isting ones and examine areas for future cooperation,” it added.
In December last year, the fi rst consignment of Canadian ura-nium was delivered in Mumbai marking the fi rst commercial out-come the Canada-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement that came into force in September 2013.
The India-Canada bilateral trade last year in goods amounted to over $6 billion. - IANS
B I L A T E R A L R E L A T I O N S
Modi wants 50% farmers to join Crop Insurance SchemeNEW DELHI: Highlighting ben-efi ts of the just-announced Crop Insurance Scheme, Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi om Sunday said awareness about it should be spread across the country so that at least 50 per cent of the farmers join it within two years.
In his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, he also pitched for continued eff orts to popularise Khadi and awareness to save girl child, mentioned about the re-cently launched ‘Start-Up India’ programme and talked about the upcoming International Fleet Re-view to be held in Visakhapatnam.
Modi said he needs the “maxi-mum help” from people about spreading awareness regarding the Pradhan Mantri Crop Insur-ance Scheme which was launched earlier this month.
Natural calamity“In our country, a lot is said in the name of farmers. I don’t want to get involved in that debate. But farmers face a major crisis. In natural calamity, their entire ef-fort goes waste. His one year goes waste. To give him security, only one thing comes to mind and that is crop insurance,” he said in this
year’s fi rst edition of the monthly radio programme.
“In (the New Year) 2016, the central government has given a big gift to the farmers — Pradhan Mantri Crop Insurance Scheme. This scheme has been brought not for the purpose that it should be praised or the Prime Minister should be hailed,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that for so many years, there has been a talk regarding crop insurance but “not more than 20-25 per cent” of the country’s farmers had been able to benefi t from such schemes.
“Can we take a pledge that we should connect at least 50 per cent of the farmers to this scheme in two years? I need this help from you. Because if a farmer joins the scheme, he will get huge help dur-ing a natural calamity,” he said.
Modi said this time, the scheme has got “wide acceptability be-cause it has been made quite ex-tensive and easy and involves use of technology. Not only this. If something happens to the crop within 15 days after harvest, even then help is assured.”
Usage of technology will ensure speedy assessment and disburse-ment of compensation, he said.
“The biggest thing is that the rate of premium has been kept so low which nobody would have im-agined. The rate of premium for Kharif crop has been kept 2 per cent while for Rabi crop it is one-and-a-half per cent.
“Now tell me, if any farmer is deprived of the benefi ts of this scheme, will he not suff er loss? I want the awareness about this scheme to spread,” he said.
The Prime Minister also re-ferred to the ‘Start-Up India’ scheme rolled out on January 16 and said it had infused new energy among the youth.
He said there was a wrong no-tion earlier that the initiative is limited to the sophisticated area of Information Technology and now it has become clear that there are enormous opportunities under this programme in all kinds of sec-
tors and areas, including farming.In this regard, he gave some ex-
amples of StartUp in farming sec-tor in Sikkim which was recently declared an Organic State.
He invited more examples of StartUp initiatives. In his nearly 30-minute radio broadcast, Modi also talked about cleanliness and beautifi cation eff orts being made in the country as also the upcom-ing South Asian games to be held in Guwahati and board examina-tions for Class X and XII.
Referring to eff orts to beautify places like railway stations, bus stands, temples, mosques, church-es, besides keeping them clean, he asked people to send photos to him displaying this endeavour.
He also appealed to the people to keep statues clean as a mark of respect to departed leaders.
Modi also underlined the impor-tance of duty of citizens along with their rights.
He referred to the death an-niversary of Mahatma Gandhi which was on Saturday and said people should every year observe a two-minute silence at 11am in the memory of the country’s martyrs.
Talking about popularising of Khadi regarding which he had is-
sued an appeal in his fi rst ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme in October 2014, the Prime Minister said more and more youths are now using Khadi products.
He, once again, asked people to have at least one set of Khadi clothing as part of their wardrobe. With regard to the International Fleet Review being held from Feb-ruary 4 to 8 in Visakhapatnam, Modi said naval assets of several countries across the world will participate in the event being host-ed by India.
He said the event is of major signifi cance and importance in the maritime history. While talk-ing about the upcoming board ex-aminations, Modi asked the stu-dents to appear without tension or anxiety. He asked the successful students of last year to send their examples to him so that he could publicise them and the students appearing now could learn how to appear without tension. - PTI
‘ M A N N K I B A A T ’ R A D I O P R O G R A M M E
AAP ministers, MLAs hit the streets to clear garbage messNEW DELHI: Delhi Ministers, AAP MLAs and hundreds of party workers on Sunday hit the streets to clear the garbage dumps in several areas of the capital as the strike by over 60,000 sanitation workers of BJP-ruled municipal bodies demanding payment of their dues entered the fi fth day.
The sanitation workers on their part maintained they will continue with their protest until their “just” demands were met.
They warned that the situation in the city may “deteriorate” after the government engaged Public Works Department(PWD) teams in the cleanliness drive.
AAP legislators and workers joined the PWD taskforce, which has been pressed into action on Saturday to shift garbage to land-fi ll sites, particularly in East and North Delhi where the strike has had maximum impact.
Kejriwal, who is in Bengaluru for naturopathy treatment,lauded the PWD staff for working through the night to clear garbage
and urged AAP functionaries to help the department personnel.
“I am told PWD people and trucks worked whole night to clean up garbage. I would urge all AAP volunteers to help PWD,” he tweeted, urging them to “keep it up”.
Hospitals run by the civic bod-ies were also hit hard as around 7,000 doctors and 12,000 nurses joined the strike on Saturday
seeking payment of their dues. The nearly 12,000 strong engi-neering staff of the civic bodies has also struck work since on Saturday. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who took part in cleanliness drive in his Patpar-ganj constituency, alleged a “sal-ary scam” in the corporations.
He said the government is look-ing for a “permanent solution” to the problem. - PTI
S T R I K E
MAKING A POINT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks at ET
Global Business Summit in New Delhi, India, on Friday. - Bloomberg
CLEANLINESS DRIVE: Aam Aadmi Party volunteers cleaning a
garbage dumping place in a street in East Delhi on Sunday. - PTI
ELATED: Premier of Canada’s
Ontario state Kathleen Wynne
poses along with people in-front
of Golden Temple in Amritsar
during her visit on Sunday. -PTI
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MQM ‘supreme council’ to issue orders in Altaf absence
KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has appointed senior leader Nadeem Nusrat as a permanent convener of the party, while forming a nine-member supreme council dur-ing an emergency meeting of the London-based Rabita Committee; under the chair of party supremo Altaf Hussain.
The decision comes at a time when the party supremo is to ap-pear for his hearing in a money laundering case due on February 2 when his bail ends.
Altaf endorsed the formation of supreme council which will be empowered to issue guidelines to all the leaders and workers of the party in any “extraordinary circumstances including the ab-sence of the party chief,” a press statement said on Sunday.
Rabita CommitteeFurther, the formation of the su-preme council will not aff ect the working of the Rabita Committee, which will continue its activities without any hindrances, it added. The party head also directed the leadership and the workers of the MQM to remain united and carry out their responsibilities with ut-most sincerity and diligence.
Meanwhile, some party lead-ers are being called to London in relation with Altaf’s appearance before investigators, MQM leader Wasay Jalil who was earlier ques-
tioned by Rangers, has left for London while Dr Farooq Sattar and Rauf Siddiqui will soon leave.
Earlier this month, the party had announced to change its in-
ternal organisational structure and renaming of various tiers in an apparent bid to get rid of the bad image associated with its units and sectors.
Teams of militantsThe move came following direc-tives by law enforcement agen-cies, who had shared their con-cerns about the party’s units and sectors, which are accused of running teams of militants in-volved in corruption and criminal activities.
During the ongoing Rangers operation, a large number of men heading these units and sectors have been arrested on charges of target killing, ‘china-cutting’,
extortion and arson, such as the Baldia factory fi re that claimed 259 lives.
The MQM has more than 200 units and 26 sectors in the city. Every unit will be equal to a union committee, which will report to the central executive committee.
Grassroots levelThe MQM’s organisational sys-tem of unit and sectors, aimed at reaching people at the grassroots level, goes back to the 1980s when it was formed as the Mohajir Qau-mi Movement.
These units and sectors report-ed to the Central Committee then, which was disbanded after the op-eration in the 1990s. — Express Tribune
The decision comes
at a time when the
Muttahida Qaumi
Movement leader
is to appear for his
hearing in a money
laundering case
due on February 2
when his bail ends
TESTING TIMES: Pakistani supporters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) political party celebrate the news that MQM leader
Altaf Hussain has been released on bail following his arrest, during a protest in Karachi on June 7, 2014. — AFP fi le photo
The nine-member council include party convener
Nadeem Nusrat, senior deputy convener Dr Farooq
Sattar, Barrister Dr Farogh Naseem, Senator Nasreen
Jalil, Kunwar Naveed, Rauf Siddiqui, Babar Ghauri,
Kishwar Zehra and Iftikhar Hussain Qureshi
Punjab’s Khewra salt mines comes alive with bustling crowdsISLAMABAD: The picturesque Khewra salt mines came alive this Friday as bustling crowds came to attend the First International Rock Salt Trade and Tourism Festival.
The place was abuzz with cor-dons and high-profi le convoys. The narrow road leading to the salt range was crammed with stalls displaying rock salt lamps, a chil-dren’s play area with jumping cas-tles, and of course, cars.
A rubab player welcomed visi-tors with the tunes of famous Pushto songs, while a fl utist sit-ting nearby chose to stay closer to the town’s own culture, playing famous Punjabi songs.
The famous mosque made out of salt bricks and the miniature Minar-e-Pakistan stood in their full glory, awing visitors, many of whom had not been to the world’s second largest salt mine before.
“We drove up from Sargodha to visit the mines. The journey was worth it,” said Mrs Adnan. She also appreciated the provincial govern-ment’s initiative.
The festival has proven to be a ray of hope for residents of Khewra, who believe that the
event will not only help highlight the area, but would also draw at-tention of the high-ups to assist in its development.
Positive impact“The event will have a positive impact on the people living in Khewra. Since most of these peo-ple are either labourers or artisans, the festival provides them with an opportunity to display their prod-ucts and attract foreign tourists,” said Ali Sabih, a local resident.
He further said that it was the need of the hour for the govern-ment to make eff orts to improve
the living conditions in the area and the festival would serve as a stepping stone. Another local trader, Muhammad Zubair, be-lieved the festival would help at-tract more tourists. “We get a good number of local tourists, but after the event, we expect foreign tour-ists to visit the area as well.”
He was of the opinion that high-lighting Khewra Salt Mines would eventually lead to foreign invest-ment, consequently assisting in the development of the area.
The government envisions Khewra as a tourist spot and is also banking on the decorative items produced from the mines to become important trade products.
Federal Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan stated that one of the purposes of the festival was to highlight the prod-ucts of the salt mine n the interna-tional market.
“We want to develop Khewra and export products from the mine,” Khurram said.
“God has given us a lot of re-sources. What we lack is good gov-ernance that can help us utilise our resources to their full potential,” he added. — Express Tribune
G L O B A L F E S T I V A L
ATTRACTION: A pond in the Khewra Salt Mines during the fi rst Rock Salt Trade, Tourism Festival at
Khewra Salt Mines. — Express Tribune
The Punjab government,
in an effort to attract
international tourists to the
salt range, launched the
First International Rock Salt
Trade and Tourism Festival
at Khewra Salt Mines
‘General Kayani used secret messenger to communicate with US administration’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s cur-rent envoy to the UN Maleeha Lodhi apparently acted as an in-formal messenger between the Obama administration and for-mer army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, some emails of Hillary Clinton indicate.
On Saturday, the US State De-partment released some 1,000 pages of emails of Hillary when she was the secretary of state and for a while used a private email account and a private server for online communication.
But the entire message deliv-ered by Maleeha, who has also served on the same deputation in
the US and Britain, on behalf of Kayani to the US State Depart-ment has been edited out.
Maleeha Lodhi“I got a call from Maleeha Lodhi, who is in London. She gave a mes-sage from Kayani,” Vali Nasr, who was then a senior adviser in the Offi ce of the Special Representa-tive for Afghanistan and Pakistan, wrote on January 21, 2011.
The readout of Kayani’s mes-sage through Maleeha — running into two paragraphs — was then sent to Hillary the same day. She asked this message to be printed on January 30 – three days after
Raymond Davis was arrested on charges of killing two men in La-hore. The incident had resulted in a crisis in the US-Pak ties.
“Please print,” Hillary wrote to her aide Lauren C Jiloty on the email with the subject “latest from Pakistan on Kayani 3.0”.
The emails are being released in phases on the directions of a US court. While most of the por-tions of the email related to Paki-stan have been heavily redacted, it does contain in full the text of the phone call between Clinton and Pakistan’s then foreign min-ister Hina Rabbani Khar on July 3, 2012. — Express Tribune
E M A I L S O F H I L L A R Y C L I N T O N
Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
‘Schools will reopen after conditions met’LAHORE: The All-Pakistan Pri-vate Schools Federation (APPSF) announced on Sunday that private schools would reopen across Pun-jab on Monday if the provincial government met two key demands by the association.
Announcing the ‘conditional’ off er after meeting Punjab Edu-cation Minister Rana Mashhood, APPSF president Kashif Mirza said, “We have asked the govern-ment of Punjab to withdraw all the fi rst information reports against private school owners and to pro-vide security to all private schools across the province.”
Public and private schools were
scheduled to reopen on Mon-day after the Punjab government had announced their closure from Jan 26 to 31 due to ‘extreme cold weather’.
Earlier in the day, Punjab Edu-cation Minister Rana Mash-hood claimed APPSF had agreed to reopen the schools across the province.
“We are striving to introduce a strategy for the security of private schools and a commit-tee has been set up for its im-plementation,” Mashhood told the media after meeting with the association’s delegation in Lahore. — Express Tribune
P R I V A T E I N S T I T U T I O N S I N P U N J A B
Pakistan and
Iran agree
to up border
supervision
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran have decided that terrorists will not be allowed to use the soil of either country to launch cross-border terror attacks.
In a meeting between Balo-chistan Chief Secretary Saifullah Chatta and Deputy Governor of Iran’s Sistan-Balochestan prov-ince, Ali Asghar Shikari on Sat-urday, the two countries agreed to enhance joint border super-vision through latest vigilance equipment to check cross border activities.
The agreement comes after a three-day meeting of Pakistan-Iran Joint Border Commission in Quetta. Chattah and Shekari signed fi ve Memorandums of Un-derstanding (MoUs) in connection with border activities.
Border marketsThe Pakistan-Iran Joint Border Commission also agreed to estab-lish fi ve border markets, includ-ing Gabd Gwadar, Taftan, Panjgur, Washuk and Mand.
Further, the two nations also discussed proposal for rail-link between Pakistani port city of Gwadar and Iranian port city of Chahbahar.
“The proposed rail-link between Gwadar and Chahbahar would provide Pakistan access up to Eu-rope,” Deputy Governor of Sistan-Balochestan Ali Asghar Mir Shek-ari said.
Speaking on the occasion, Chat-ta said that the friendship between Pakistan and Iran was durable and diverse and both value the inter-ests of each other highly.
Porous borderLast week, the Pakistan-Iran Joint Border Commission underlined the need for securing their porous border in an attempt to eff ectively check traffi cking in drugs, weap-ons and illegal immigrants that triggers cross-border incursions and hence tensions between the two countries. — Express Tribune
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China can prevent a crisis, but not the costMichael Schuman
All of the pieces are in place for a fi nancial crisis in China. The currency is weaken-ing and, if left to the market, would likely
plunge further. Capital outfl ows have hit record levels. Reserves are in retreat. A dramatic selloff on Shanghai’s stock market has wiped out all the gains from 2015’s bull run. The leadership, usually lauded for its sagacity, has at times seemed befud-dled about what to do.
Such a nasty combination of woes could easily topple many emerging economies. They can cause banks to collapse and growth to evaporate, even national insolvency. Yet so far China has avoided the kind of edge-of-your-seat fi nancial meltdown Wall Street experienced in 2008, and Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea did in 1997. Indeed, there’s a good case to be made China never will. The state commands such tremendous power over everything from capital movements to the banking system that policymakers might be able to prevent the world’s second-largest economy from fl ying completely off the rails.
Even if China doesn’t display the standard trap-pings of a fi nancial crisis, however, that doesn’t mean it can avoid the pain of one. No matter what levers its bureaucrats may pull, the country can’t forever escape the economic consequences of its deep-rooted problems.
First of all, China would have to defy decades of history to avoid being crushed by its mountain of debt. Research fi rm Capital Economics analysed 30 years of emerging-market crises and concluded that “no country has experienced an increase in its private debt-to-GDP ratio of 30 (percentage points) within the space of a decade and not expe-rienced problems.” At best such countries endured signifi cant, and often protracted, slowdowns in growth. China has seen an 80 percentage point jump in that ratio over the past decade, to more than 200 per cent. A reckoning seems inevitable.
And the chances of that debt bomb exploding are rising, since the government, rather than defusing it, is throwing on extra TNT. Terrifi ed of the po-litical fallout from a slowing economy, the central bank has been loosening money; credit growth is accelerating. Meanwhile, the stimulating eff ect from this renewed fl ood of lending appears muted, a sure sign that the new cash is being used unpro-
ductively. That means the weight of China’s debt burden will continue to increase and the inevitable damage will be even greater.
Nor does it seem possible for China to avoid a monstrous downsizing of industry. Chinese com-panies simply churn out too much steel, coal, ce-ment and other stuff , no matter how many roads and railways the government builds at home and abroad. That reality is slowly sinking in.
The State Council announced in late January it would speed up the elimination of steel capacity, a step analysts consider necessary to repair the sec-tor. But the cost will be heavy. The China Metal-lurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute has estimated that the cuts could cause as many as 400,000 steel workers to lose their jobs. Now im-agine those layoff s repeated across old-line manu-facturing industries.
All of these problems will eventually show up on banks’ balance sheets. Offi cially, the government claims that the slowdown has barely dented the stability of Chinese banks, with nonperforming loans at a mere 1.6 per cent of the total. If you be-lieve that, I’ve got some subprime mortgages to sell you. Private estimates place the potential NPL ra-tio somewhere between the high single-digits and as much as 20 per cent.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the banks will pancake Lehman-style. Backed by the state, they’d almost certainly be rescued. But policymakers should prepare for sticker shock. By one estimate, the price tag to support the banks could reach $7.7 trillion -- or the equivalent of three-fourths of Chi-na’s 2014 gross domestic product.
Such fi gures may seem outrageous, but history tells us they’re not. Indonesia’s bank bailout cost the government nearly 57 per cent of the nation’s GDP, while Korea spent 31 per cent. If we extrapo-late from Korea’s experience — which isn’t unrea-sonable, since the country had adopted a similar investment-led growth model — China would end up spending some $3 trillion rebuilding its bank-ing system. Perhaps Beijing’s mandarins believe that by keeping growth aloft some of these prob-lems will solve themselves. More likely, delaying hard choices will make the hit to future growth more damaging and the costs larger.
Call China’s problems whatever you wish, but in the end, a crisis by any other name still smells pretty bad. - Bloomberg View
Do not blame Nizwa school teachers for the accidentThis refers to the story Call for laws to govern school bus drivers in the Sultanate (January 31). After visiting Nizwa hospital and interact-ing with the parents the other day, I had found that many parents
are still worried about the transport system provided by the school. The biggest problem every Indian school in Oman is facing is that even important decisions like having better transport system are not implemented quickly. When the bylaw was changed couple of years back, the embassy of India was removed as the patron, which was a huge blow for the Indian expatriates living in the Sultanate. It would be wrong to blame either the principal or the teachers of the Nizwa school for the tragic accident and I feel shocked to read that the school management are not willing to react on this matter. — Salih Thacher, Seeb
T20 format dark stain on cricketThis refers to the story‚ India complete T20 sweep over Australia (January 31). Team India’s performance was sublime in the
shortest form of international cricket. That said, the T20 format is a dark stain on the game of cricket. For Test cricket afi cionados this form has greatly diminished the importance of technique in batting as the bowlers are constrained by ridiculous laws like limits on bouncers. — Erum Mehdi, Qurum
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Rajiha to attend workshop on e-governmentMUSCAT: Rajiha bint Abdul Amir, undersecretary for development aff airs at the Ministry of National Economy, will head the Sultanate’s delegation to a two-day workshop on e-government in the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (AGCC) states, which begins tomorrow in Bah-rain. The workshop will look into the meaning and implications of e-governance and will examine its role in promoting e-commerce. The workshop will also discuss the technological, legal ad security condi-tions required for setting up an e-government system, as well as pro-gress on the application of e-government programmes in the states of the region.
1902: US Secretary of State John Hay protests Russian privi-leges in China as a violation of the “open door policy.”
1909: US troops leave Cuba after installing Jose Miguel Gomez as president.
1965: Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and 770 others are arrested in protest against voter discrimination in Alabama.
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Trump’s pro-veterans event was against political veterans with their old-time tactics, and understanding of voter behaviour. It was designed
to show that the game can be played diff erently. It succeeded: His rivals didn’t score too many points for the
conventional wisdombit.ly/trumpsmashdebate
LEONID BERSHIDSKY
Eurozone fi nancial markets reacted in the expected way. Long-
term interest rates fell and the euro declined relative to the dollar.
But past experience suggest that these policies will do very little
to increase real activity and price infl ation in the eurozonebit.ly/europeshareowners
MARTIN FELDSTEIN
Urban resurgence is real, and public transit investment appears to have
played a part in it. People who could aff ord a couple of cars and a nice house in the suburbs are opting
instead for shorter commutes. But on the whole, cars are still the way
most Americans get around even in big, crowded metropolitan areas
bit.ly/carstransportus
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T O D A Y I N H I S T O R Y
Russia’s Defence Ministry releases video it says shows air strikes in Syria by long range bombers fl ying from Russia.
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SPECIALM O N DAY, F E B R UA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
WAITING FOR RAINS: Woman wait to collect water in the drought stricken Somali region in Ethiopia. More than 10 million people are now critically short of food, according to fi gures compiled by the govern-
ment with its humanitarian partners. That is putting a strain on the government as well as the budgets of international aid groups and donors. – Reuters
Drought tests Ethiopia’s ambitions
FEDETO/ADDIS ABABA: On a treeless plain in eastern Ethiopia, thousands of destitute pastoralists have set up camp outside the tiny village of Fedeto. Over the past six months the camp has swelled as one of the worst droughts in dec-ades has decimated herds, dried up pasture and made even drinking water scarce.
“We wandered for three months, losing every single animal apart from two donkeys,” said Saido Ahmed Keyat, a 29-year-old moth-er of fi ve, whose family had boast-ed 200 sheep and goats, 15 cattle, eight camels and seven donkeys. “All my children are malnour-ished. They need milk, they need many things.”
Ethiopia’s failed rains, which meteorologists blame on the El Nino weather phenomenon, have created a drought in some areas of the country worse than the 1984 crisis. Back then, water shortages and confl ict combined to cause a famine that killed an estimated one million people.
In the years since, Ethiopia has transformed under a government that promotes rapid economic development, although it is criti-cised for limiting many political freedoms. One of its signature schemes is a rural support pro-gramme designed to keep Ethiopi-ans from starvation.
The new drought is putting that model to the test. More than 10 million people are now critically short of food, according to fi gures compiled by the government with its humanitarian partners. That is putting a strain on the government as well as the budgets of interna-tional aid groups and donors.
“The scale of the need is really huge and has outstripped the Ethi-opian government’s ability to do this on their own,” Carolyn Wilson, chief executive of charity Save the Children told Reuters after tour-ing some of the affl icted regions in
the country’s north and east.In all, an estimated $1.4 bil-
lion is needed for food and other resources in 2016, according to the government and aid partners. The government said about 30 per cent of that had been raised from donors so far. The WFP said last week about $500 million was needed by the end of February to extend the aid eff ort beyond April.
Lagging behindIn a world facing the demands of the migrant crisis and confl icts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, that won’t be easy. “It’s not that donors have not responded,” said WFP Coun-try Director John Aylieff . “But they have not managed to keep pace.”
Today’s needs would be far greater were it not for the massive changes in Ethiopia over the past three decades.
In 1984, the then-communist government known as the Derg tried to hide the famine, while confl ict and social engineering projects like farm collectivisation exacerbated the scale of hunger.
Rebels toppled the Derg in 1991 and the government that followed has delivered stellar economic
growth rates, hitting double digits in some years, visible from endless construction in the capital and new highways crossing the nation.
In 2005, Ethiopia started the Productive Safety Net Pro-gramme, which was helping 7.9 million people facing chronic food insecurity even before the latest drought. Those people receive food or cash transfers in return for community work.
To deal with the drought, the government allocated $272 mil-lion extra spending in 2015 and a further $109 million this year, Mikitu Kassa, head of the National Disaster Risk Management Com-mission, told Reuters. To put that extra spending in perspective, it is roughly equivalent to Ethiopia’s entire state budget two decades ago, he said.
The government says no one has so far died from starvation.
Some of those in the worst af-
fected area contradict this. One woman in Fedeto said 20
had died in the past two months, though it was not possible to verify this. Mikitu said the government would spend what it takes if aid did not fl ow, although he said it could mean cutbacks on other pro-jects. But he said the government’s “mega projects” - new national railways, roads and dams - would go ahead.
Those projects are part of plans to industrialise Ethiopia. Eighty percent of the nation still relies on agriculture, mostly rain-fed pas-tures or subsistence smallhold-ings. The better transport links have already proved vital, allowing easier access for relief workers.
“The nature of the government that we had in 1984 is quite dif-ferent from the current govern-ment,” Mikitu said in Addis Ababa, where Sub-Saharan Africa’s fi rst metro system opened last year and
now snakes its way above traffi c-clogged streets.
The architect of modern Ethio-pia, rebel leader-turned-prime minister Meles Zenawi, told a 1991 news conference in Addis Ababa that his gauge of success would be “if Ethiopians were able to eat three meals a day”.
Ethiopia has not yet achieved that goal. Critics of the govern-ment - Meles died in 2012 but many of his policies continue un-der successor Hailemariam De-salegn - say it is authoritarian and stifl es opponents. No opposition party won a seat in last year’s par-liamentary election.
The US State Department said then that it remained “deeply con-cerned by continued restrictions on civil society, media, opposition parties, and independent voices and views.” Ethiopian offi cials deny restricting freedoms.
But in their determination not to let fresh images of hunger over-shadow the government’s develop-ment credentials, some ministers sent confl icting signals early in the crisis about how bad it was and how much help was needed, aid workers say.
“We have to walk on egg shells in terms of what we can say,” said one international aid worker, who has followed Ethiopia’s progress since the 1980s.
Disaster management chief Mikitu blamed any confusion on the speed at which numbers of those facing critical food short-ages grew. In January 2015 it was 2.9 million but swiftly rose - often in increments of several million - to 10.2 million by December. But even the government’s ability to gather such fi gures is testament to the way Ethiopia has changed. Fedeto, in a remote area of the hard-hit Sitti region, has benefi ted from that change. A tiny clinic, one of thousands built around the country over the past two decades, doles out rations and treats the malnourished. The village also has a water tower and a school.
That helps, though only up to a point. The administrator of the village of 600 people said he was struggling to meet the needs of 7,500 exhausted arrivals who are now camped nearby.
“There is a lot of pressure on us,” Dahir Omar Hosh said. “People are still coming.” — Reuters
Ethiopia is facing
drought worse than
1984 crisis as donors
struggle to keep pace
with relief needs and
government’s rural
projects help
contain crisis
Ethiopia’s failed rains, which meteorologists blame on the El Nino weather phenomenon, have created a drought in some areas of the country worse than the 1984 crisis. Back then, water shortages and confl ict combined to cause a famine that killed an estimated one million people.
TESTING TIMES: A small village is seen at a distance in Farado Kebele, one of drought stricken Somali region in Ethiopia. – Reuters
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AFGHANISTAN: A girl holds onto a railing overlooking Kabul city, Afghanistan on Sunday. — Reuters
JAPAN: Japanese teams use their hacking skills as they compete
among 70 participants of 18 teams from Japan, Romania, Russia,
South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Vietnam in the fi nal
rounds of the SECCON 2015 fi nal competition security contest in
Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday. — AFP
FRANCE: Roms people walk in an alley between makeshift shelters
in a Rom camp on Sunday, on the boulevard Ney in northern Paris,
France. — AFP
SENEGAL: A model presents a hijab and a dress on Saturday, during the fi rst Muslim Woman show in Dakar, Senegal,on the eve of the
World Hijab Day. — AFP
SPAIN: Children look at “NAO” a programmable humanoid robot developed by French robotics company Aldebaran Robotics during the
Global Robot Expo in Madrid, Spain, on Sunday. — AFP
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German conservatives in bid to allay fears over migrants
BERLIN: Senior conservative German politicians sought at the weekend to reassure citizens con-cerned about a record infl ux of mi-grants, saying their numbers must go down and criminal refugees could be deported.
They spoke as an Emnid survey showed support for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Demo-crats (CDU) and their Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) al-lies down by 2 percentage points to 34 per cent, its lowest level in that survey since July 2012.
Some 1.1 million migrants streamed into Germany last year, and regions and communities have complained that they are be-ing overwhelmed.
Concerns about crime and se-curity have also mounted since men of North African and Arab appearance assaulted women in Cologne and other cities at New Year.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said most refugees from Syria and Iraq would go home once the confl icts
there had ended and urged other European countries to off er more help “because the numbers need to be reduced even further and must not start to rise again, espe-cially in spring”.
Merkel’s chief of staff Peter Altmaier told Bild am Sonntag, the newspaper that published the opinion poll, that Berlin was ne-gotiating with countries including Turkey about taking back crimi-nal refugees who arrived via non-European Union countries.
“That can then mean that such refugees are not deported to their home countries - if civil war is rag-ing there, for example - but rather to the country via which they came into the EU,” said Altmaier, who Merkel has tasked with over-seeing the government’s handling of the refugee crisis.
Altmaier said Germany was working closely with Turkey, Jor-dan and Lebanon so that most of the refugees could stay in that re-gion until there was peace in Syria and Iraq.
A spokesman for his offi ce de-clined to comment on the state of negotiations.
Simone Peter, leader of the opposition Greens party, told Deutschlandradio Kultur the government, Altmaier and Mer-kel were “gradually moving away from a welcoming culture” for refugees.
On Wednesday, Merkel’s coali-tion government backed a new law to make it easier to deport foreign nationals who commit crimes.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere suggested that Ger-many could not accept economic migrants.
“It is impossible for Germany to take in all the refugees from the world’s crisis regions.
And this especially applies to those people not from Syria who are coming here for a better life,” he told Der Spiegel magazine.
Reiner Haseloff , the CDU state premier of Saxony-Anhalt state, told Welt am Sonntag newspa-per that Germany could no long-er accept the “loss of control” at its borders.
Ordinary Germans would only remain prepared to help if there was a “strict reduction” of num-bers arriving, he said.
Concerns about migrants have boosted support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), which the Emnid survey put on 12 per cent.
That marked it as the third strongest political force in Ger-many after Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc and their junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD).
The AfD has struck a tough tone on immigration.
Leader Frauke Petry attracted widespread criticism for saying, in an interview published on Sat-urday, that migrants entering il-legally should be shot if necessary.
Around 50,000 refugees have left Germany since the start of 2015, either voluntarily or by de-portation, Altmaier said. — Reuters
Some 1.1 million
migrants streamed
into Germany last
year, and regions
and communities
have complained
that they are being
overwhelmed
Ex-president of El Salvador dies facing graft charges
SAN SALVADOR: The former president of El Salvador, Fran-cisco Flores, 56, died on Satur-day after suff ering a stroke as he waited to face trial over embezzle-ment charges.
Flores ruled the Central Ameri-can nation from 1999 to 2004 and he had been operated on last Sun-day after suff ering a stroke.
Regret death“We regret the death of President Francisco Flores and we sym-pathise with his family at this time,” his far-right Nationalist Republican Party (Arena) said in a statement.
Flores was accused of embez-zling $15 million of aid from Tai-wan that was donated after two devastating earthquakes hit the country in 2001.
He had siphoned $10 million to give to his party and kept $5 mil-lion, according to prosecutors.
House arrestFlores maintained his innocence and was under house arrest for the charges.
“He suff ered a terrible health crisis, provoked by this unjust po-litical attack,” his wife Lourdes de Flores told local media. — Reuters
F R A N C I S C O F L O R E S
Suicide bombers kill 65 in NigeriaMAIDUGURI (NIGERIA): At least 65 people were killed during an attack by militant group Boko Haram near Nigeria’s northeast-ern city of Maiduguri, a Reuters reporter said after counting bod-ies at a hospital morgue.
The remains of a dozen victims were burnt beyond recognition in Saturday’s attack when militants opened fi re on residents, set fi re to houses and targeted a crowd with suicide bombers, security and medical offi cials said.
A Nigerian military spokes-man, Colonel Mustapha Ankas, said that Boko Haram militants attacked the community of Dal-ori, about 5 km (3 miles) east of Maiduguri in Borno state.
It was the third attack this week suspected to have been car-ried out by the insurgent group - and the most deadly.
Since it started losing control of territory, Boko Haram has re-verted to hit-and-run attacks on villages as well as suicide bombings on places of worship or markets.
In neighbouring Adamawa state, a suicide bomber believed to be a Boko Haram militant killed about 10 people on Friday and at least 12 were killed on Wednesday in an attack on the Borno state village of Chibok, from where over 200 schoolgirls were abducted in 2014.
Ankas said insurgents entered Dalori in two cars and on motor-cycles and opened fi re on resi-dents and burned down houses.
“While people were running for their dear lives...three female suicide bombers attempted to make their way into the crowd...and subsequently got blown up,” he said without providing a casu-alty fi gure.
An offi cial of the state emer-gency agency who was at the scene said there were 12 bodies burnt beyond recognition.”We can’t even pick those ones, they were seriously burnt,” the offi cial who declined to be named said.
Borno state capital Maiduguri was struck by several bombs at the end of December that killed at least 48 people. — Reuters
I N S U R G E N C Y
Al Shebaab kills 3 in Kenya attackMOMBASA: At least three men were killed in a village in Kenya’s coastal Lamu county in the early hours of Sunday during a raid by Al Shebaab extremist militants, police and the group said.
Gunmen speaking So-mali came to Pandanguo vil-lage searching for men, a survivor said.
They interrogated those they found and killed some, he said from a local hospital.
The village sits about 40 km (25 miles) inland from the Indian Ocean town of Lamu, which is popular with Western tourists, and is 100 km from the border with Somalia.
“They asked me questions in the Somali language.
When I struggled to respond, they shot me but hit my hand,” said the victim, who asked not to be named.
Al Shebaab’s military opera-tion spokesman Sheikh Abdia-sis Abu Musab said in a state-ment the group was behind the Lamu attack.
Al Shebaab has said in the past its frequent attacks in Kenya are punishment for Kenya sending its troops into Somalia as part of an African Union peacekeep-ing force.
Spate of attacksIn 2014, at least 60 people were killed in the area in a spate of at-tacks that targeted non-Muslim men. Al Shebaab claimed respon-sibility for those attacks.
Like the attack on Sunday, those attacks took place inland from the coast. — Reuters
S O M A L I A C O N F L I C T S P I L L O V E R
CHANGE OF HEART: Refugees wait to register at a German air base
in Erding, southern Germany, on Sunday. — AFP/dpa/Andreas Gebert
It was the third attack
this week suspected
to have been carried
out by the Boko Haram
insurgent group - and
the most deadly
Al Shebaab’s military
operation spokesman
Sheikh Abdiasis Abu
Musab said in a statement
the group was behind the
Lamu attack
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More than 2,100 Colombian women infected with Zika
BOGOTA: More than 2,100 preg-nant Colombian women are in-fected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the country’s national health institute said on Saturday, as the disease continues its spread across the Americas.
The virus has been linked to the devastating birth defect mi-crocephaly, which prevents fetus’ brains from developing properly. There is no vaccine or treatment.
There are 20,297 confi rmed cases of the disease in Colombia, the national health institute said in a epidemiology bulletin, among them 2,116 pregnant women. There are so far no reported cases of microcephaly or deaths from
the virus in Colombia. The insti-tute said 37.2 per cent of pregnant women with Zika live in Norte de Santander province, along the eastern border with Venezuela.
Earlier fi gures from the health ministry showed 560 pregnant women had the disease, out of
more than 13,500 infections.Zika cases have been confi rmed
in 23 countries and territories in the Americas and scientists are racing to develop a vaccine for the virus.
Nearly half of Colombia’s Zika cases have been reported in the
country’s Caribbean region, the bulletin said. More than 60 per cent of those infected are women.
The government has urged women to delay pregnancy for six to eight months to avoid potential infection. Offi cials expect up to 700,000 cases. Brazil is the coun-
try hit hardest by the disease. It has reported around 3,700 cases of microcephaly strongly suspected to be related to Zika.
The World Health Organisation has said as many as 4 million peo-ple in the Americas may become infected. — Reuters
There are 20,297
confi rmed cases
of the disease in
Colombia, according
to the national
health institute
Suu Kyi allies to form ruling party after decades of struggleNAYPYITAW: After decades of struggle, hundreds of lawmakers from Aung San Suu Kyi’s camp will form Myanmar’s ruling party on Monday, with enough seats in parliament to choose the fi rst democratically elected govern-ment since the military took pow-er in 1962.
The National League for De-mocracy (NLD) won some 80 per cent of elected seats in Novem-
ber’s historic vote, but the junta-drafted constitution means it will have to share power with the army that for years has suppressed, of-ten brutally, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and her allies.
The fi rst sitting of the NLD-dominated parliament is another step in Myanmar’s drawn-out transition which started with the election and will go on until the NLD government offi cially starts
its term in April. “We are likely to announce the president in the second week of February,” said Win Htein, a senior member of the party. Other NLD offi cials said the presidential nomination process may begin towards the end of the month. This week, the party will focus on appointing parliamentary speakers, who were announced last week. It will also prepare for the start of state and regional as-
semblies on February 8, some in places dominated by large ethnic minorities such as Shan State in the east or Rakhine in the west.
Presidential candidateEach of the parliament’s two chambers will appoint its presi-dential candidate and the military offi cials who hold a quarter of seats will put forward their nominee.
Combined chambers will then
vote on the candidates. The winner will become president. The other two will serve as vice presidents. Expectations are towering for Suu Kyi, who spent 15 years under house arrest after the NLD swept to power in 1990 but was barred from taking offi ce, and is regarded with an almost religious-like zeal in the Southeast Asian nation.
Myanmar’s 51.5 million peo-ple expect the NLD to quickly fi x
everything from bringing peace to fractured ethnic states to stopping the abuse of the Rohingya Mus-lims in Rakhine by the Buddhist majority. “They (people) hope that every problem will be solved auto-matically after the NLD becomes the government, FDI will come in,” said Shwe Mann, the outgoing speaker of parliament who is close to Suu Kyi, referring to foreign in-vestment. - Reuters
M Y A N M A R
Broadcaster Terry Wogan dies of cancer
LONDON: British television and radio personality Terry Wogan died of cancer aged 77 on Sunday, his family said.
Irish-born Wogan, one of the BBC’s most recognisable faces and voices, was granted a British knighthood in 2005.
“Sir Terry Wogan died today after a short but brave battle with cancer. He passed away surround-ed by his family,” a statement on behalf of his family said.
Wogan began his broadcasting career with Irish state broadcaster RTE before joining the BBC in 1966. He went on to become a na-tional institution as a disc jockey, chat show host and presenter, known for his gently mocking wit and Irish brogue.
He hosted the BBC’s coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest from 1980 to 2008. — Reuters
B B C ’ S F A C E
PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES: Health Secretariat workers fumigate against the ‘Aedes Aegypti’ mosquito, which transmits the Zika
virus, in Cucuta, Colombia, on Saturday. – AFP
AN END OF ERA: TV and radio
presenter Terry Wogan – AFP Files
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Muscat bourse stages major recovery on surging oil prices
MUSCAT: Share prices on the Muscat Securities Market (MSM) staged a major recovery on Sunday, with the general index climbing by
3.25 per cent or 162.85 points to close at 5,179.36 points.
“The main reason for the market recovery was a surge in the crude oil prices, which recovered by al-most 25 per cent from $26 a barrel to $34 per barrel last week,” said
Suresh Kumar, head of research at Al Maha Financial Services.
Rebound journeyThe market continued its rebound journey, as a result of which in-vestors gained OMR203 million (notionally) in terms of market capitalisation, mainly due to bet-ter investor sentiment.
Broad-based buying“There has been a broad-based buying in the last three to four trading sessions and the frontrun-ners were blue chip stocks or bank shares,” added Suresh Kumar.
The market is recovering after
the bourse touched a seven-year low on January 17 in the aftermath of a steep fall in crude oil prices, and started to recover in the fol-lowing week. The bourse is still lower by 4.19 per cent or 226.67 points, when compared to its last year close of 5,406.22 points.
Blue chip stocksThe blue chip stocks (especially bank shares) are available at at-tractive valuations, which attract-ed buying support from both local and foreign investors.
“Also, dividend announcements of banks last week were in line with market expectations,” noted
Suresh Kumar.Bank stocks, which touched re-
cent lows, led the market rally. The traded volumes on the lo-
cal market also recovered. Market turnover on Sunday at OMR7.15 million (on a volume of 37.9 mil-lion shares) was almost double, when compared to the average daily volume in the previous weeks.
The major gainers on the Mus-cat bourse on Sunday were Al Madina Investment, Bank Sohar, Takaful Oman Insurance, United Finance, Al Jazeera Services and Al Anwar Holding.
The trend on the local bourse in the coming days will largely
depend on the recovery in crude oil prices, said another market source. Recent indications of Opec and Russia to discuss output cut are likely to prop up the market sentiment in GCC region.
Like the Omani bourse, stocks across the Gulf also surged ahea-don oil price recovery.
Other regional bourses recov-ered substantially, with Dubai leading the recovery with over 4.92 per cent gain, followed by Abu Dhabi (3.68 per cent), Qatar (2.26 per cent), Kuwait (2.08 per cent), Saudi (1.98 per cent) and Bahrain (1.32 per cent).
Related story in B4
Main reason for the recovery was a surge in
oil prices, which recovered by almost 25%
from $26 a barrel to $34 per barrel last week.
Omani investment in Iranian ports key to plug links in vital transit chainELHAM [email protected]
MUSCAT: Omani investment is required in Iranian ports to make direct cargo shipping services between the two countries effi -cient and complete, said an Ira-nian offi cial who believes the re-export structure in Oman needs to be improved.
In order to establish an ‘ac-tual’ connection, Omani inves-tors should defi nitely invest in Iranian ports such as Port of Chabahar and Shahid Rajaee Port, otherwise some links will always remain missing in the transit chain, said Abdolhossein Khedri, chairman of the Khedri Jahan Darya Company.
Khedri Jahan Darya Company, affi liated with Marine Silk Road Holding, has been providing the fi rst-ever regular, direct shipping services for cargo transport be-tween Iran and Oman since a few months after an agreement was signed between the company and Iranian and Omani authorities.
The company participated in Iran’s second solo exhibition, which was held in Muscat from January 26 to 30.
In an exclusive interview with the Times of Oman, the offi cial said the current frequency of the direct shipping services between Shahid Rajaee Port and Sohar Port is every 14 days.
However, there are plans to of-
fer these services every 10 days and then every week in later stag-es, given the expected increase in demand, he added.
Asked about the response to the shipping services so far, Khe-dri said the Iranian market was facing certain challenges in 2015 due to the sanctions and the un-certainty about these being lifted.
However, the situation is im-proving and more people are welcoming the services day by day. Another challenge is the fact that many Iranian businessmen are still not very familiar with Oman’s market, he noted.
According to Khedri, the re-ex-port structure and infrastructure in Oman need to be improved as Iran needs re-export of products.
Asked if the company has any plans to connect more Iranian and Omani ports, he said the company has been approached by several parties and the servic-es can be started if the minimum amount of cargo is available.
He said comprehensive sup-port has been provided by the Iranian authorities, including the Iranian Embassy in Oman, the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade as well as the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
However, the most important thing is that cargos should be available for transport which necessitates that Iranian trad-ers become familiar with Oman’s market, he stated. > B3
S H I P P I N G S E R V I C E
WOOING OMANI INVESTORS: (From left to right) Mohammad
Mohammadzadeh, chairman of Rah Abrisham Marine Shipping
Agency, and Abdolhossein Khedri, chairman of Khedri Jahan
Darya Company. — Shabin E/Times of Oman
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIESDistressed investment opportuni-ties in the UAE and the Gulf will rise this year as stock markets and companies in the region buckle under pressure of oil trading at around $30 a barrel, according to Sancta Capital. — Bloomberg News
B2
MARKETM O N DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
Ministry issues 21 licences for filling stations in Oman
Times News Service
MUSCAT: As many as 21 licenc-es for commercial fi lling stations have been issued by the Minis-try of Commerce and Industry in 2015, taking the total number to 542 in various governorates and wilayats of the Sultanate. This is
against the combined fi lling sta-tion network of three oil market-ing companies — Oman Oil, Shell and Al Maha – at 521 in 2014.
Muscat and Batinah North Governorates topped the list in terms of construction of fuel sta-tions with 130 and 91 respectively. Dakhiliyyah Governorate had 57 stations, Dhofar 56, Batinah South 46, Sharqiyyah South 39, Shar-qiyyah North 36, Dhahirah 29, Wusta 29, and Buraimi 19 while Musandam had 10 stations.
This is an indicator of the eco-nomic development witnessed by all governorates of the Sultanate, the ministry said.
Temporary licencesThe temporary licences for fuel sta-tions under implementation in all the governorates of the Sultanate in 2015 totaled 29 while the Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued the same number of forms pending
approval of the relevant authorities during the same year.
The licences for commercial fi ll-ing stations granted by the minis-try in 2015 in various governorates of the were 21 — seven in Muscat, three in Dhofar, three in Dakhili-yyah, two in Batinah North, two in Wusta and one in each of Batinah South, Sharqiyyah North, Sharqi-yyah and Dhahirah.
The number of licences of pri-vate fi lling stations currently un-der construction has reached 18 — two of Shell Oman Marketing Company, 12 of Oman Oil Market-ing Company and four of the Om-ani Al Maha Petroleum Products Marketing Company.
Number of licences
for fuel stations in
various governorates
and wilayats by
the end of 2015 has
reached 542
FUELLING GROWTH: The number of licences of private fi lling sta-
tions currently under construction has reached 18. – Times fi le picture
HAVE YOUR SAY Send us your comments at facebook.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com [email protected]
First Gulf Bank
investor cancels
Dh1.2b share sale
DUBAI: A shareholder in First Gulf Bank, the Abu Dhabi-based bank partly owned by the govern-ment and the Al Nahyan ruling fam-ily, cancelled a share sale valued at Dh1.2 billion ($330 million), said people familiar with the matter.
The investor pulled the sale after it was priced and allocated to in-vestors, the people said, asking not to be named because the details aren’t public. The share owner wanted to use the proceeds to pay off a margin loan — a vehicle often backed by shares where the bor-rower agrees to pay extra if the col-lateral’s value declines, they said.
Deutsche Bank was the sole bookrunner on the sale of 120.6 million shares, or about 2.7 per cent of the lender. The bank’s top share-holder is the Mubadala Develop-ment, the United Arab Emirates government’s investment com-pany, which owns more than 7 per cent. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the bank’s chairman, owns 5.4 per cent. - Bloomberg News
I N V E S T M E N T
Nuhas achieves robust growth in sales revenueTimes News Service
MUSCAT: Nuhas Oman Cables and Wires, the only 100 per cent Omani-owned and managed ca-ble company in the Sultanate, is on a blazing trail. The company has achieved a 29 per cent in-crease in turnover for the year ended 2015.
The highlight of the perfor-mance has been its ability to bag project orders from global clients against stiff competition for a wide range of specialty and cus-tom cables. This is testimony to the growing strengths of the com-pany, which has been at the fore-front of technological innovation and new product launches since it commenced production at the facility in Rusayl Industrial Es-tate, said a company release.
Raw materialsThe company has set itself stiff targets for new product develop-ment which serve as import sub-stitutes for Oman and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
This gains importance in the current economic environment where it is necessary for every country to conserve foreign ex-change reserves by sourcing raw materials from within, reducing terminal product imports and in-creasing exports.
Nuhas Oman has been active on all these fronts, as it is an in-tegrated producer by sourcing refi ned copper from within the country (Government-owned Oman Mining Company), sell-ing 95 per cent of the production in Oman and introducing new
products for the indigenous and export markets.
The revenues generated are ploughed back into operations for adding capacity through ad-ditional investments in plant and machinery, thereby further reducing dependency on imports and increasing employment op-portunities. This has led to the doubling of medium voltage cable capacity and tripling low voltage (LV) cable capacity within sev-en years of commencing cable production. A formidable task achieved from 2009 to 2015, a period when the world was faced with the worst recession with industries facing closure.
Domestic marketSince its inception in 2004, the company has been on a blazing a trail. Initially as suppliers to the global cable industry and after commissioning of the in-house cable manufacturing facility as suppliers of low voltage and me-dium voltage cables targeting and bridging the shortages in the do-mestic market which were aff ect-ing project schedules.
The distribution segment com-panies under EHCO – Mazoon, Majan, Muscat Electricity Dis-tribution Company, Rural Areas Electricity Company and Dho-far Power Company as also the various contractors breathed a sigh of relief with the launch of Nuhas Oman Cables. They could now reap the benefi ts of compe-tition – attractive prices, lower lead times, consistency and fo-cus on quality, viable alternative source of supply.
C O M P A N Y R E S U L T S
Top Indian IT fi rms join US initative
WASHINGTON: Three major Indian IT companies — Info-sys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Wipro — have joined United States President Barack Obama’s ambitious computer science-for-all initiative as part of a public-private collab-oration, pledging thousands of dollars in grants.
Obama announced his ‘Com-puter Sciences for All’ plan in his weekly address as he empha-sised on the need for teaching the subject as a “basic skill” to all children across schools in the country in a changing economy.
While Infosys has pledged a $1 million in donation, Tata Consultancy Services is provid-ing support in the form of grants to teachers in 27 US cities, the White House said in a fact sheet, also issued on Saturday.
Wipro announced a $2.8 mil-lion grant for multi-year pro-ject in partnership with the Michigan University. - PTI
S C I E N C E - F O R - A L L
GLOBAL CONTRACTS: The highlight of Nuhas Oman Cables and
Wires performance has been its ability to bag project orders
from global clients against stiff competition for a wide range of
specialty and custom cables.– Supplied picture
B3M O N DAY, F E B R UA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
MARKET
Iran, Japan orders provide boost to Airbus’ struggling superjumbo
TEHRAN: Iran’s surprise agree-ment to buy the Airbus A380 marks the second new deal for the superjumbo in three weeks and will help the planemaker paper over the cracks in its fl agship pro-gramme - for now.
The Iranian accord for 12 A380s, together with the sale of three of the double-deckers to Japan’s All Nippon Airways, disclosed in or-der data on January 12 and con-fi rmed on Friday, provides some
cheer for Airbus after the model failed to fi nd a single new airline buyer in three years.
The 15 jets, worth $6.5 billion at list prices, will provide a vital breathing space as the Toulouse, France-based manufacturer seeks to drum up further orders and de-termine whether a life-extending upgrade of the jet sought by leading buyer Emirates of Dubai is viable.
The planes will provide at least six months of work for the A380
line at the current build rate of 30 aircraft a year, swelling a backlog that was suffi cient to support out-put only through about 2018. Air-bus is seeking cost cuts to drop the annual break-even level to 25 or fewer, further eking out production.
“The new orders may help push back the need for a new-engine version of the A380, thus encour-aging potential airliner buyers to move forward more quickly with orders,” said Yan Derocles, an ana-lyst at Oddo Securities in Paris with a ‘buy’ rating on Airbus stock.
Japan breakthroughThe Iranian commitment, likely to be for fl ag-carrier Iran Air, is especially welcome since Airbus has been seeking to sell the A380 to companies beyond the best-known fi rst-tier operators for years, with only limited success.
The carrier was a global player in the 1970s and even placed an
order for the supersonic Con-corde, which was canceled after the 1979 revolution.
The last new airline buyer for the A380, No. 2 Russian carrier Transaero, collapsed last year after agreeing to buy four planes.
Confi rmation of Japan’s ANA deal also comes as a coup, with the Asian nation not only a long-es-tablished customer for Boeing but also a leading market for the 747 jumbo, which remains in produc-tion as the 747-8 Intercontinental. A bid to penetrate Japan in the past failed when Skymark Airlines went in to bankruptcy protection with six A380s on order.
While two new orders received by themselves save the world’s biggest commercial aircraft, the deal signed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani points to new op-portunities. Airbus will now likely step up sales campaigns in other Islamic nations. - Bloomberg News
While two new orders save the world’s
biggest commercial aircraft, the deal signed
by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani points
to new opportunities
Supporting small companies in Iran
Khedri Jahan Darya Company provides marine transportation services in Iran’s territorial wa-ters, the Gulf, the Caspian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Ara-bian Sea. It also off ers customs clearance and multimodal trans-portation services.
The company owns a fl eet capa-ble of transporting dry and refrig-erated containers and can handle hazardous and bulk cargos.
Khedri said the company has launched an export management company to support small and medium-sized companies.
Stress on exportsThese companies account for around 70 per cent of Iran’s mar-ket and their products need to be exported, he said, adding that they do not have many employ-ees and it may not be fi nancially viable for them to export their products directly given the size of their budget.
“So we are paving the way to do marketing for these companies so that they can sell their prod-ucts in Oman,” he stated.
Asked about other projects that have been implemented in cooperation with Oman, Khe-dri said the company has helped Oman establish a fi rst-of-its-kind hydroponic greenhouse, which allows for growing plants using only water, without soil.
It has been a successful pro-ject and will hopefully be ex-panded with the cooperation of the Omanis, he added.
New opportunities In addition, Mohammad Mo-hammadzadeh, chairman of Rah Abrisham Marine Shipping Agency, which is affi liated with Marine Silk Road Holding, said the existing opportunities in Iran and Oman need to be introduced to both sides. There is great un-tapped potential for cooperation between the two countries in various areas which should be utilised, he noted.
Rah Abrisham Marine Ship-ping Agency is a representative of liner shipping services between Iran and Oman.
It off ers comprehensive cus-toms clearance and transporta-tion services in the ports of Iran and Oman.
It provides specialised con-sultancy services for commer-cial activities in Iran, Oman and Northeast Africa as well as trans-port, customs clearance, ware-housing and transit services in Iran and Oman.
The company also off ers re-export services from and to Iran, break-bulk services, cruise servic-es, cargo handling, husbandry ser-vices, clearing and forwarding and roll-on/roll-off (RORO) services.
E X P O R T F I R M S
Al Anwar board approves sale of Falcon stake Times News Service
MUSCAT: Al Anwar Holding on Sunday said that the company’s board has approved an off er to sell a substantial stake in Falcon In-surance Company.
“The transaction is subject to completion of due diligence by the buyer and approval from regu-latory authorities concerned,” the company noted in a stock market fi ling on the MSM website.
“The transaction price would be
1.2 multiples of book value, sub-ject to due diligence and audited fi nancial statements, as of Decem-ber 2015,” the report stated.
On January 13, Al Anwar said the company received, through Oman Arab Bank, a preliminary off er from a party to acquire a substantial stake of Al Anwar Holdings in Falcon Insurance.
In another disclosure state-ment, Al Anwar Holding said the company’s board approved the purchase of a plot of land at
Azaiba North, held in the books of its Falcon Insurance Com-pany, for a cash consideration of OMR1.90 million.
“This being a related party transaction, is subject to approval from the board of directors and annual general meeting of Falcon Insurance,” the statement added.
Al Anwar Holding shares surged by 8.5 per cent to close at 166 baisas, amid 6.04 million shares changing hands on the Muscat Securities Market.
I N S U R A N C E
MORE COMPANIES RUSHING TO IRAN Condotte D‘acqua: Italian infrastructure fi rm will sign
deals for projects with Iranian fi rms worth €4 billion
Hellenic Petroleum: Greece‘s biggest oil refi ner agreed to buy crude oil from Iranian state company
Peugeot Citroen: French car maker and Iran Khodro formed a joint venture to build Peugeot cars in Iran
Norinco International: This Chinese fi rm said its consortium had signed an agreement for a railway project in Iran for $350 million
International airlines group: British Airways, part of IAG, hopes to start fl ying to Tehran in the near future
Lukoil: Russia‘s oil major reached an agreement on the fi rm‘s possible participation in several oil projects
National Aluminium: India‘s state-run fi rm is interested in setting up a $2 billion-smelter complex
< FROM
B1
B4
MARKETM O N DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
MUSCATSECURITIES MARKET
SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 31
REGULAR MARKET .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
OM0000001962 ............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 119,500 ............... 6,514........................8 ........... 0.053 ........... 0.055 ...........0.053 ........... 0.055 .............0.050 ........... 0.005 ............10.000 ...............0.055 ..............0.055...................0.000 .................. 11,393,326 .........0.100
OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 1,624,100 ......232,246..................... 64 ............0.143 ........... 0.143 ...........0.143 ........... 0.143 ............. 0.130.............0.013 ............10.000 ...............0.143 .............. 0.143...................0.000 .................206,125,920 .......0.100
OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ........................................................19,123 ...............2,347........................6 ............0.123 ........... 0.123 ...........0.122 ............0.123 ............. 0.112 .............0.011 ............. 9.821 ................0.123 .............. 0.123...................0.126 ...................38,224,088.........0.100
OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ..............................................6,000 ...............1,500........................2 ........... 0.250 ...........0.250 ...........0.250........... 0.250 .............0.230 ........... 0.020 ............. 8.696 ................0.250..............0.250...................0.000 .................. 15,301,068 .........0.100
OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 6,040,214 ...1,002,783...................205 ............0.163 ........... 0.168 ...........0.163 ............0.166 ............. 0.153 .............0.013 ............. 8.497 ................0.168 .............. 0.168...................0.000 ..................24,912,450 .........0.100
OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ........................... 6,500 .................. 845........................2 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.130 ........... 0.130 .............0.120 ............0.010 ............. 8.333 ................0.130 .............. 0.125...................0.129 ...................12,355,200 .........0.100
OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 1,670,753....... 159,234..................... 49 ........... 0.094 ........... 0.096 ...........0.094........... 0.095 .............0.088 ........... 0.007 ............. 7.955 ................0.095 ..............0.095...................0.000 ................... 5,590,106 ..........0.100
OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 1,143,089 .........63,738..................... 62 ............0.055 ........... 0.057 ...........0.055 ........... 0.056 .............0.052 ........... 0.004 ............. 7.692 ................0.057 ..............0.057...................0.058................... 16,238,916 .........0.100
OM0000001483 ............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 3,076,968 ...... 797,897...................109 ........... 0.250 ........... 0.265 ...........0.250........... 0.259 ............. 0.241 ............0.018 ............. 7.469 ................0.265 ..............0.265...................0.000 .................347,243,955 ........0.100
OM0000001087 ............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 862,609 ......... 160,573..................... 39 ............0.184 ........... 0.189 ...........0.184 ........... 0.186 ............. 0.174 .............0.012 ............. 6.897 ................0.189 .............. 0.189................... 0.191 ...................18,600,000 .........0.100
OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 344,893 ........... 43,807......................19 ............0.126 ........... 0.128 ...........0.125 ............0.127 ............. 0.119 ............ 0.008 ............. 6.723 ................0.127 ..............0.126...................0.127 ...................36,912,680 .........0.100
OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE .............. 2,437,215 ......447,267................... 147 ............0.180 ........... 0.187 ...........0.180 ........... 0.184 ............. 0.173 .............0.011 ............. 6.358 ................0.186 .............. 0.186...................0.187 ...................36,800,000.........0.100
OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 755,214 .......... 180,502..................... 26 ........... 0.232 ........... 0.247 ...........0.232........... 0.239 .............0.225 ............0.014 ............. 6.222 ................0.245..............0.245...................0.000 .................369,190,122 ........0.100
OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 3,359,946 ... 1,470,162...................190 ........... 0.430 ........... 0.448 ...........0.430........... 0.438 ............. 0.414............ 0.024 ............. 5.797 ................0.448..............0.440...................0.448 ............... 1,003,818,297 ......0.100
OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................ 1,916,522 ......300,087..................... 90 ............0.150 ........... 0.163 ...........0.150 ............0.157 ............. 0.149............ 0.008 ............. 5.369 ................0.163 .............. 0.163...................0.000 ..................19,608,980 .........0.100
OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS .................................................... 9,508 ...............3,572......................17 ............0.374 ........... 0.376 ...........0.374 ........... 0.376 .............0.358 ............0.018 ............. 5.028 ................0.376 ..............0.376...................0.388................... 19,740,000 .........0.100
OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY .....................................................10,000 ...............4,296........................9 ........... 0.428 ........... 0.430 ...........0.428........... 0.430 ............. 0.410............ 0.020 ............. 4.878 ................0.430..............0.428...................0.430 ..................26,015,000 .........0.100
OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ...............65,000 .............14,075........................8 ............0.210 ...........0.220 ...........0.210 ............0.217 .............0.207 ............0.010 ............. 4.831 ................0.220 ............. 0.215...................0.220 ................... 7,285,005 ..........0.100
OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 961,409 ........... 90,522..................... 69 ........... 0.092 ........... 0.095 ...........0.092........... 0.094 .............0.090 ........... 0.004 .............4.444 ................0.095 ..............0.095...................0.096....................8,460,000 ..........0.100
OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............ 145,700 ............ 39,999..................... 23 ........... 0.269 ...........0.280 ...........0.269........... 0.275 .............0.264 ............0.011 ............. 4.167 ................0.274 ..............0.273...................0.274.................... 5,775,000 ..........0.100
OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 1,091,801 .......699,834..................... 68 ........... 0.640 ........... 0.648 ...........0.636 ........... 0.640 .............0.620 ........... 0.020 ............. 3.226 ................0.648 ..............0.648...................0.652..................416,604,307 .......0.100
OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 113,000 ............. 11,410........................7 ............0.101 ........... 0.101............0.100 ............0.101 .............0.098 ........... 0.003 ............. 3.061 ................0.101 ..............0.100................... 0.101 ..................202,031,592 .......0.100
OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 115,841 .............12,374........................5 ............0.106 ........... 0.107 ...........0.106 ........... 0.107 .............0.104 ........... 0.003 ............. 2.885 ................0.107 ..............0.109................... 0.112 ...................21,400,000 .........0.100
OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ...................... 316,761 ............22,884..................... 10 ............0.071 ........... 0.075 ...........0.071 ........... 0.072 .............0.070 ........... 0.002 ............. 2.857 ................0.075 ..............0.074...................0.075 ....................2,160,000 ..........0.100
OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 194,572 .........284,038..................... 35 ............1.470 ........... 1.470 ...........1.455 ........... 1.460 ............. 1.425.............0.035 ............. 2.456 ................1.455 .............. 1.455...................1.460 ................1,095,000,000 ......0.100
OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER .................................................. 61,395 ............. 11,726........................8 ............0.191 ........... 0.191 ............ 0.191 ............0.191 ............. 0.190 ............0.001 ............. 0.526 ................ 0.191 .............. 0.191...................0.200 .................128,903,499........0.100
OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER ....................................................50,429 ...............9,632........................4 ............0.191 ........... 0.191 ............ 0.191 ............0.191 ............. 0.190 ............0.001 ............. 0.526 ................ 0.191 .............. 0.192...................0.200 ................. 136,451,611 ........0.100
OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING ................1,133 .....................97........................ 1 ........... 0.086 ........... 0.086 ...........0.086........... 0.084 .............0.084 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.086 ..............0.086...................0.092 .................. 10,237,500 .........0.100
OM0000001822 ............UNITED POWER ................................................................... 63 ...................170........................ 1 ........... 2.700 ........... 2.700 ...........2.700 ........... 2.580 .............2.580 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................2.700 ..............2.700...................0.000 ...................2,064,000 ..........1.000
OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 181,000............ 33,825......................16 ............0.187 ........... 0.187 ...........0.185 ............0.187 ............. 0.187............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.185 .............. 0.181...................0.185 ..................266,481,759 ........0.100
OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ................................. 127,762 .......... 251,052........................3 ............1.965 ........... 1.965 ...........1.965 ............1.965 ............. 1.965 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.965 .............. 1.965...................0.000 .................186,675,000 ........0.100
OM0000002341 ............OMAN CHLORINE.......................................................... 5,000 ...............2,520........................ 1 ........... 0.504 ...........0.504 ...........0.504........... 0.510 ............. 0.510............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.504............. 0.000...................0.504 ..................33,078,920 .........0.100
OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL ............................................. 1,405,374 ........ 98,877..................... 57 ........... 0.072 ........... 0.072 ...........0.070........... 0.070 .............0.070 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.070..............0.070...................0.072...................12,250,000 .........0.100
OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST ......................................................................30,980 .............13,964........................6 ........... 0.450 ........... 0.454 ...........0.450........... 0.450 .............0.452 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.442 ...............0.454 ..............0.460...................0.470..................248,787,739 ........0.100
.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 28,269,374 .......6,474,373 .........1,366 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......34........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE ............................ 277,659 .............30,763......................14 ............0.103 ............0.111 ............0.103 ............0.111.............. 0.101 .............0.010 ............. 9.901 ................ 0.111 ...............0.111...................0.000 .................. 11,100,000 .........0.100
OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 6,843,206 .... 464,604................... 123 ........... 0.065 ........... 0.069 ...........0.065 ........... 0.068 .............0.063 ........... 0.005 ............. 7.937 ................0.069 ..............0.069...................0.070................. 102,000,000 .......0.100
OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 785,562 ............47,038.....................40 ........... 0.057 ........... 0.061 ...........0.057 ........... 0.060 .............0.056 ........... 0.004 ..............7.143.................0.061 ..............0.060...................0.061 ...................60,000,000 ........0.100
OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ..................................................... 263,900 ............12,580......................19 ........... 0.048 ...........0.049 ...........0.047........... 0.048 .............0.046 ........... 0.002 ............. 4.348 ................0.048..............0.048...................0.049 ...................6,000,000 ..........0.100
OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. .................. 632,516 ............18,438..................... 20 ........... 0.030 ...........0.030 ...........0.029........... 0.029 .............0.028 ............0.001 ............. 3.571 ................0.029..............0.029...................0.030 ...................2,465,000 ..........0.100
OM0000002580 ...........OMAN EDU. & TRIN. INV. HOLDING....................21,507 ............... 3,441........................ 1 ............0.160 ........... 0.160 ...........0.160 ........... 0.160 ............. 0.155 ............ 0.005 ............. 3.226 ................0.160 ..............0.160...................0.170 ...................11,200,000 .........0.100
OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 885,722 .........124,406..................... 68 ............0.139 ........... 0.142 ...........0.139 ........... 0.140 ............. 0.137 ............ 0.003 ............. 2.190 ................0.142 .............. 0.141...................0.143 ................. 204,764,204 .......0.100
OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................. 142,000 ..............8,460..................... 10 ........... 0.060 ...........0.060 ...........0.059 ........... 0.060 .............0.059 ............0.001 ............. 1.695 ................0.060..............0.060...................0.062 ................... 4,512,480 ..........0.100
OM0000001053 ............OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING ..................................... 34,815 .............12,329..................... 10 ........... 0.352 ........... 0.356 ...........0.352 ........... 0.354 .............0.350 ........... 0.004 ............. 1.143.................0.356 ..............0.352...................0.356....................2,124,000 ..........1.000
.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 9,886,887 ......722,060...................305 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 9........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
BONDS AND SUKUK MARKET ...................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ...........................1,784 ...................196........................ 1 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.110 ............0.110 ............. 0.110 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.110 .............. 0.110...................0.200 ..................33,302,402.........0.100
OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 ........................1,538 ...................146........................ 1 ........... 0.095 ........... 0.095 ...........0.095 ........... 0.095 .............0.095 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.095 ..............0.095...................0.099................... 30,795,353 .........0.100
.............................................SUM: ...................................................................................... 3,322 .................. 342........................2 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 2........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
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
O M A N S T O C K S
INDICESIndex .................................................High .................Low ..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff %MSM30 Index ........................................ 5,179.55 .............. 5,028.58 ....................5,179.36 ....................5,016.51 ............... 162.85 ................... 3.25Financial Index .................................... 6,336.52 ...............6,081.47 ................... 6,336.52 ...................6,034.62 ...............301.90 ................... 5.00Industrial Index ....................................6,529.63 ...............6,447.59 ................... 6,529.53 ...................6,446.58 ................. 82.95 ................... 1.29Services Index ......................................2,902.22 .............. 2,863.95 ...................2,902.21 ...................2,858.70 ..................43.51 ................... 1.52MSM SHARIAH INDEX....................... 816.46 ..................805.63 .......................816.42 ...................... 803.26 .................. 13.16 ................... 1.64
Trading SummaryVolume ................ Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up ............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded38,159,583................... 7,196,775 ..................1,673 ...............15,546,993,880 ................36 ........................ 1 ..................... 8 ..........................45
Gulf stocksrecover as crude rises
DUBAI: Gulf equities trimmed their worst January in seven years after oil capped its second weekly advance.
Dubai’s DFM General Index led gains in the region, climbing to the highest in more than three weeks as the number of shares traded was almost double the six-month average. Abu Dhabi’s ADX General Index had the big-gest increase in more than a year on a closing basis. Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose a fourth day, the longest streak since November.
“We were sitting on the side-lines for most of January,” said Mohammed Shabbir, the Dubai-based head of equities and funds at Rasmala Investment Bank. “We’re looking to enter the mar-ket again this week after the losses we’ve seen this month. February could well shape up as a positive month.”
Equities across emerging markets rallied last week as risk appetite strengthened on bets the Federal Reserve will refrain from raising interest rates soon and as oil jumped on speculation an output cut may be on the way. Governments in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes the United Arab Emir-ates and Saudi Arabia, depend on energy revenue to fund spending.
Brent crude for March settle-ment, which expired last week, rose 2.5 per cent to $34.74 a bar-rel on the London-based ICE Fu-tures Europe exchange on Friday. The more-active April contract increased to $35.99.
The Bloomberg GCC 200 In-dex, a gauge of 200 of the region’s biggest companies, added 2.9 percent in Dubai, gaining for a third day.
The measure has lost 8.6 per cent this month, poised for the worst start to a year since 2009.
Emirates NBD, Dubai’s big-gest lender, led the emirate’s benchmark index as just 211,000 shares were exchanged. The bank’s weight on the gauge was increased this month as part of a regular index review.
Emaar Properties, which has the largest weighting, added 4.5 per cent to the highest level in three weeks. The developer, which is 30 per cent owned by the Dubai government, signed an agreement with Sharjah Invest-ment & Development Authority, known as Shurooq, to form a real estate company, the state-run WAM news agency reported.
The DFM General Index in-creased 4.9 per cent to the high-est level since January 6, taking its three-day gain to 11 per cent. The measure’s 30-day volatility is near the highest in a year fol-lowing the swings in January.
Abu Dhabi’s ADX General In-dex advanced 3.7 per cent. First Gulf Bank was the biggest con-tributor to gains with a 12.4 per cent jump, the most since May 2005. A shareholder in the UAE’s third-largest lender cancelled a share sale valued at Dh1.2 billion ($327 million).
Dana Gas reported a tempo-rary interruption in gas fl ow in Iraq at the end of last week, the company said in statement to the Abu Dhabi stock market. The shares dropped 2.3 per cent.
Saudi Arabia’s benchmark add-ed 3.6 per cent, taking its four-day gain to 8.5 per cent.
Saudi Basic Industries Corpra-tion (Sabic), rose 4.9 per cent, the most since August on a closing basis. - Bloomberg News
Dubai’s DFM General Index led gains in the
region, climbing to the highest level in more
than three weeks.
India’s Sahara uses small investors to keep afl oat hill resort in MumbaiMUMBAI: India’s embattled Sa-hara conglomerate has been fun-nelling cash from small savers to fund one of its biggest projects, a luxury resort south of Mumbai, according to documents.
Sahara has ploughed at least Rs15 billion ($221 million) from two of its credit cooperatives into the Aamby Valley resort project through investments in prefer-ence shares, according to docu-ments fi led with India’s compa-nies regulator.
It is doing so as some investors in its credit cooperatives com-plain they have struggled to get Sahara to pay out their matured time deposits — even for sums as low as Rs30,000 ($448.83).
The credit cooperatives invest-ments into Aamby Valley are not illegal. Cooperatives are allowed to invest in shares and bonds of in-frastructure and real estate com-panies after board approval, if they are in the interest of the coopera-tives, according to the law under which these cooperatives operate.
Responding to queries, a spokes-man for Sahara Credit Cooperative Society said in an emailed state-ment that ‘all required approvals’ were in place and the investments would not put investors at risk. He did not elaborate. Sahara Credit Cooperative had shares worth Rs10.39 billion in Aamby Valley, according to Aamby Valley’s 2014 annual report.
Risky investment?Saharayn E-Multipurpose Soci-ety, which had shares worth Rs4.6 billion in the resort, did not re-spond to requests for comment.
But some experts say if Sa-hara is using deposits from the cooperative societies to fi nance Aamby Valley, members of the
cooperatives might face diffi culty recouping their money. That’s be-cause the conglomerate is under pressure to sell some of its prized assets to pay off investors in a sav-ings deposit scheme India’s Su-preme Court has declared illegal.
The two credit cooperatives could be hit “if Aamby Valley is monetised and the proceeds are given up to the investors of the earlier fi nancial schemes, which is sitting in the Supreme Court,” said Prem Rajani, founding part-ner of Mumbai-based law fi rm Rajani Associates, which works in the areas of banking and fi nance, and corporate litigation.
Supreme Court will decide on Tuesday whether to appoint a re-ceiver to auction off some of Sa-hara’s properties as part of eff orts to refund investors in the banned savings deposit scheme.
A senior offi cial from the Minis-try of Agriculture’s credit coopera-tives division, which regulates the cooperative societies that oper-ate across state lines, said Sahara could be “misusing provisions of the law” that govern credit cooper-
atives by investing some of the co-operative funds into Aamby Valley.
The offi cial said cooperative funds should not invested in a struggling company or project, or be used for any risky investment, the offi cial said, declining to be named as the person was not au-thorised to speak to the media. The division will look into the matter if they receive any com-plaint on this, the offi cial said.
Investors not paidOver the past four decades, Sa-hara founder Subrata Roy used his series of small deposit plans to build Sahara into an empire that encompasses businesses ranging from New York’s Plaza hotel and London’s Grosvenor House, to television stations, property pro-ject’s and a stake in a Formula One racing team.
But Sahara has been struggling fi nancially since the Supreme Court ordered the conglomer-ate in 2014 to repay investors in a 2008-11 Sahara time deposit plan that it declared was illegal. Roy has been in jail for the past
22 months for not complying with the Court’s order to return Rs360 billion ($5.4 billion) to investors.
Credit cooperatives are widely used by the rural poor.
A lack of banking services in In-dia - nearly two-fi fths of its 1.27 billion people have no bank ac-counts — has helped shadow banks such as the credit cooperatives thrive for decades.
This correspondent has spoken to dozens of savers who said Saha-ra had not given them their money when their deposits matured. In-stead, they complained, Sahara’s agents and branch offi cials tried to persuade them to switch their matured savings deposits into new schemes off ered through credit cooperatives run by Sahara. In the emailed response to Reu-ters, Sahara said it was not aware of this practice.
First planned citySpread over 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) in the hills of western India, Aamby Valley bills itself as India’s fi rst planned city since independ-ence: a sprawling resort of luxury chalets, manmade lakes and an air-port, favoured by the business elite and Bollywood stars.
Sahara said in a statement to Reuters the Aamby Valley pro-ject was valued at about Rs1 tril-lion ($14.76 billion), citing a 2014 report of property consultant Knight Frank’s India unit.
India’s markets regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which had asked the Supreme Court to order Sa-hara to repay millions of inves-tors in its 2008-11 time deposit plan, has pegged the valuation of lands owned by Aamby Valley and its units at about Rs405 billion ($5.95 billion). - Reuters
F U N D I N G
EMBATTLED: Sahara has ploughed at least Rs15b from two of its
credit cooperatives into the Aamby Valley resort project through
investments in preference shares. – Reuters
Venezuela faces uphill
task to persuade Saudi,
Russia on oil output cut
CARACAS: Venezuela’s Oil Min-ister Eulogio Del Pino faces an up-hill battle persuading Russia and Saudi Arabia to cooperate in cut-ting oil production amid a supply glut that has pushed prices down more than 30 per cent in the past year, according to analysts Robin Mills and Edward Bell.
Concern that U.S. shale pro-ducers would benefi t from any increase in oil prices following a potential cut is one factor that will keep Saudi Arabia and Russia from agreeing to a reduction in output, according to Mills, chief executive offi cer of Dubai-based oil consult-ant Qamar Energy, and Bell, com-modities analyst at lender Emir-ates NBD PJSC. Del Pino will meet Russian Energy Minister Alex-ander Novak in Moscow Monday before traveling to Qatar, Iran and Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter.
“There’s a minimal chance the Venezuelans will get them to agree to anything,” Mills said by phone on Sunday. “I don’t think the condi-tions are there for an agreement.”
Possible meetingVenezuela approached Russia about a possible meeting between the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and producers such as Russia that are outside the group, Novak said in an interview with Bloomberg Tel-evision on Thursday. Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said on Union Radio Sunday that “Opec and non-Opec countries are close to an agreement,” without specify-ing what kind of agreement.
Venezuela has repeatedly called for Opec members to meet as slumping oil prices sap govern-
ment revenue. Brent crude has dropped from $115 a barrel in June 2014 to less than $30 this month. Opec with its de facto leader Saudi Arabia supply about 40 per cent of the world’s oil. The group pumped in January at the highest level since 1996, as it reactivated Indo-nesia’s membership.
“The Saudis may want to take some oil off the market,” Mills said. “They can talk to the Russians, they can talk to the Venezuelans, they can talk to the Nigerians, but they can’t talk to shale.”
Opec meetingsMembers of Opec hold twice-year-ly meetings to discuss market con-ditions, whereas the United States shale industry involves thousands of private fi rms working alongside the world’s largest oil companies. That makes it impossible for the US to agree on production cuts, Mills and Bell said. Any decrease in output that results in higher oil prices would benefi t the US, they said.
Opec decided last month to abandon its previous 30 million-barrel-a-day production target. The group is seeking to maintain market share by pushing higher-cost producers out of the market, Mills said.
Any eff ort to coordinate cuts is complicated by Saudi Arabia’s goal of defending sales and Russia’s inability to rein in production in winter months, when output cuts can damage fi elds. Bell sees signs that demand will rise this year and provide support for prices. “A fundamentals-driven re-balancing is going to have an eff ect, and mar-kets will start to recover by the end of the year,” Bell said. - Bloomberg News
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E- IMESTECH STUFFTECH STUFF
BAPPLE ACQUIRES EDUCATION TECH START-UPApple said it acquired education-technology start-up LearnSprout, which creates software for schools and teachers to track students’ performance. Apple is working on education tools for iPad, which will allow students to see interactive lessons, track their progress, and share tablet computers with peers. “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” said Colin Johnson, a spokesman for Apple. — Bloomberg News
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T E C H U P D A T E S
Xerox plans to split into two for focusing on services
Xerox is splitting into two pub-licly traded companies – essen-tially breaking out the operations acquired with its largest-ever purchase fi ve years ago, and in-vestor Carl Icahnwill be given three board seats. The division will create an $11 billion docu-ment technology company that includes the namesake copier
and scanner hardware, and a $7 billion provider of services to gov-ernment and industries such as health care and transportation, Xerox said on Friday in a statement. Leadership and the names of the two companies will be determined in the future, according to the statement, and the move is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Icahn, the billionaire investor who has been build-ing a stake in Xerox since November and now holds more than eight per cent of the company, will select three directors on the service company’s board, according to separate statement. That business will also seek an external candidate to be chief executive offi cer. “Short-term Xerox should get some boost,” Anurag Rana, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence, said. “The long-term value for these companies will be how it redefi nes its services in a cloud-fi rst and mobile-fi rst world. Xerox is not known to be at the forefront of those movements.” Moody’s Investors Service said Xerox’s corporate debt ratings are on review for a possible down-grade, refl ecting the view that the split will result in two smaller companies with less business diversity and profi tability than the current combined business. — Bloomberg News
Facebook’s sales surgeby 52% in fourth quarter
Seagate sales top estimates in the second-quarter
Facebook is turning into a well-oiled advertisement machine. The world’s biggest social net-work notched another record, with fourth-quarter sales jump-ing 52 per cent as the company capitalised on its reams of user information to serve up more ads. Fourth-quarter sales rose to
$5.84 billion, compared with the $5.37 billion average analyst pro-jection, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. About 80 per cent of that came from mobile devices. The company now has 1.59 billion users who log into the service every month, especially on smartphones and tablets. That expansion in turn generates more profi t, giving Mark Zuckerberg leeway to invest in the company’s future. On a call with investors Wednesday, the chief executive of-fi cer spent most of his time talking about virtual reality, artifi cial intelligence and connecting the rest of the world to the Internet. While those initiatives won’t contribute meaningfully for years, they’re aimed at making sure that more people put Facebook at the centre of their digital lives. “Our strategy is working and we have many more opportunities ahead,” Zuckerberg said. — Bloomberg News
Seagate Technology, one of the two biggest makers of hard disk drives, rose the most in three-and-a-half years after reporting sales that beat some analysts’ predictions amid a tough mar-ket for computer components. The Cupertino, California-based
company reported sales of $2.99 billion for the fi scal second quar-ter ended on January 1. That compared with an average analyst estimate of $2.94 billion according to data compiled by Bloomb-erg. Seagate is dealing with a multiple-year decline in shipments of personal computers and a shift in storage technology away from the spinning magnetic disk-based devices it sells. It’s com-bating the changes by trying to lower its reliance on PCs and fi nd new markets for storage such as video surveillance. “In the last several quarters, we have discussed our concerns over global eco-nomic conditions, particularly in Europe and China, which have proven accurate, and we believe will persist at least through June this calendar year,” Chief Executive Offi cer Stephen Luczo said on a conference call with analysts. In the current period the company is projecting sales of $2.7 billion, a target it says is at the high end of the typical range for this time of year. Earlier this month, market researchers said worldwide PC shipments dropped in 2015, end-ing the year at fewer than 300 million units for the fi rst time since 2008. PC makers sold 75.7 million machines in the fourth quarter, a decline of 8.3 per cent from a year earlier, according to Gartner, failing to get a boost from holiday sales as more consumers opt to purchase smartphones and tablets. — Bloomberg News
Google computers now defeat human players
Computers have learned to master backgam-mon, chess, and Atari’s Breakout, but one game has always eluded
them. It’s a Chinese board game called Go invented more than 2,500 years ago. The artifi cial-intelligence (AI) challenge has piqued the in-terest of researchers at Google and Facebook, and the search giant has recently made a breakthrough.
Google has developed the fi rst AI software that learns to play Go and is able to beat some professional hu-man players, according to an article to be published on Wednesday in the science journal Nature. Google DeepMind, the London research group behind the project, is now get-ting the software ready for a compe-tition in Seoul against the world’s best Go player in March.
The event harks back to the high-ly publicised chess match in 1996 when IBM’s Deep Blue computer defeated the world chess champion. However, Go is a much more com-plex game. It typically consists of a 19-by-19-square board, where play-ers attempt to capture empty areas and surround an opponent’s pieces. Whereas chess off ers some 20 pos-sible choices per move, Go has about 200, said Demis Hassabis, co-found-er of Google DeepMind. “There’s still a lot of uncertainty over this match, whether we win,” he said. IBM demonstrated the phenomenal processing power available to mod-ern computers. DeepMind should highlight how these phenomenally powerful machines are beginning to think in a more human way.
Computer scientists have been try-
ing to crack Go for years. Facebook is working on a similar project using the same sorts of neural-network and search technology as Google. The social networking company said on Tuesday that its software has also beaten humans. Google’s version, called AlphaGo, achieved higher scores than Facebook’s, according to data from the companies.
The research has implications beyond an old Chinese board game. The systems used by Facebook and Google were not preprogrammed
with specifi c if-this-then-do-that code or explicitly told the rules. In-stead, they learned to play at a very high level by themselves. These techniques can be adapted to any problem “where you have a large amount of data that you have to fi nd insights in,” Hassabis said. Fa-cebook said its Go research will be used to improve its Facebook M virtual assistant and accessibility services, said Ari Entin, a company spokesman.
Jon Diamond, president of the
British Go Association, said ma-chines are fi ve to 10 years ahead of where he expected them to be. “It’s really quite a large, sudden leap in strength,” he said. “This is a signifi -cantly better result than any other computer Go program has achieved up to now.”
Google’s AlphaGo learned to play at an expert level by watching people compete and then simulating mil-lions of its own games against itself. It eventually became good enough to defeat even the best software that had been preprogrammed to play Go. In October, Google pitted AlphaGo against Fan Hui, the best player in Europe. They played fi ve games. The computer won all of them.
Google DeepMind employs more than 200 AI researchers and engi-neers. Over the 18 months or so it’s spent on AlphaGo, the team bal-looned from two or three people to 15, Hassabis said. “Go is a pretty siz-able project for us,” he said. Deep-Mind recently hired Matthew Lai, a London researcher who developed a system capable of playing chess at the grandmaster level. His software was able to reason in a way similar to how humans do, a more effi cient method than IBM’s attempt to crunch every possible outcome be-fore making a move in the 1990s.
Hassabis said Google may follow Facebook’s lead in making a version of its Go software available online for people to play against. But fi rst, the company must worry about the match in Seoul. AlphaGo is going up against Lee Sedol, the world’s top player over the past decade. The winner will receive $1 million. — Bloomberg News
Google’s AlphaGo learned to play at an expert level by
watching people compete and then simulating millions of
its own games against itself. It eventually became good
enough to defeat even the best software that had been
pre-programmed to play Go. In October, Google pitted
AlphaGo against Fan Hui, the best player in Europe. They
played five games. The computer won all of them.
B6 M O N DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
ROUND-UP
MHD unveils all-new Jaguar XF in Oman
MUSCAT: Mohsin Haider Dar-wish, the exclusive distributor of Jaguar cars in the Sultanate of Oman, hosted the unveiling of Jag-uar’s dynamic, coupé-like, alumin-ium-intensive, lightweight all-new Jaguar XF, in the Omani capital.
The all-new Jaguar XF joins the Jaguar saloon car range be-tween the XE and XJ model lines, sitting at the very heart of Jaguar. Underpinned by class-leading driving dynamics and refi nement, the all-new Jaguar XF brings an
unrivalled blend of design, luxury, technology and effi ciency to lead the business car segment, says a press release.
Exclusively unveiled to a gather-ing of the media, valued customers and business associates, the all-new Jaguar XF was launched at a private evening event held in the concert gardens of the InterCon-tinental Muscat. The Jaguar XF 3.0 Litre V6 Supercharged Port-folio was showcased at the event, giving guests a closer look at the outstanding proportions, elegant surfaces and perfect lines which defi ne all Jaguar cars.
Speaking at the launch, David Aziz, CEO, Automotive Products MHD, said: “Jaguar has a rich 80-year history that spans key historic events and sporting tri-umphs, a history of producing stunningly designed cars which deliver uncompromised form and function. The all-new Jaguar XF is the latest addition to this ex-traordinary heritage.”
Johnny Amiouni, regional busi-ness manager, Jaguar Land Rover MENAP region, added: “The all-
new Jaguar XF’s elegant and pro-gressive design stands out from the crowd and makes it instantly recognisable as a Jaguar from any angle. Setting the benchmark for steering response and feel, and exceptional ride comfort com-bined with refi nement and per-formance, this dynamic luxury business saloon off ers our custom-ers a compelling package defi ned by Jaguar’s dynamics DNA. The all-new Jaguar XF has been very well-received since its launch at the New York International Auto Show, and I am very pleased to be launching it here today in the Sul-tanate of Oman alongside Mohsin Haider Darwish.”
Staying true to the principles of elegant lines and disciplined sur-facing, the all-new Jaguar XF is the most visually dynamic car in the executive segment. The car’s dynamic design is formed around Jaguar’s aluminium-intensive ar-chitecture and combines the out-standing proportions, surfaces and lines which defi ne all Jaguar cars, with a longer wheelbase, more in-terior space and exceptionally low
aerodynamic drag.The all-new Jaguar XF retains
its predecessor’s core attributes while using Jaguar’s aluminium-intensive architecture to enable weight savings of up to 190kg and an increase in torsional stiff ness of up to 28 per cent.
The architecture also delivers dramatic improvements in pack-aging and the proportions, essen-tial to Jaguar design.
The cabin is a seamless blend of contemporary luxury materi-als and fi nishes, traditional Jaguar craftsmanship and state-of-the art technology, with features such as a reconfi gurable 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster, laser head-up display and the InControl Touch Pro premium infotainment system.
The all-new Jaguar XF range consists of: XF Pure, XF Prestige, XF R-Sport, XF Portfolio and XF-S.
It will be available exclusive-ly at Mohsin Haider Darwish showrooms across the Sultan-ate of Oman with prices starting from OMR18,950 along with fi ve years/250,000km warranty and fi ve years/65,000km service package.
All-new aluminium-
intensive Jaguar XF
represents another
innovative step-
change within the
business car segment
Techana Saudi signs agreement with Stanley HealthcareDUBAI: Techana Saudi for In-formation and Communication Technologies announced that it has entered into an agreement with Stanley Healthcare, a mar-ket leading provider of visibil-ity solutions and analytics for the healthcare industry, to act as a distribution partner for Stanley Healthcare’s Real-Time Loca-tion System (RTLS) solutions in Saudi Arabia.
The agreement was fi nalised during the Arab Health Exhibi-tion and Congress (AHEC) held recently at the Dubai Interna-tional Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event is one of the biggest in the Middle East and at-tended every year by over 13,000 healthcare representatives and professionals from all over the world, says a press release.
Market-leading solutions“We are very pleased to be work-ing with Techana to bring our market-leading solutions to more hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Techana combines impressive IT expertise and deep knowl-edge of healthcare, and we are confi dent that they will deliver
an excellent customer experi-ence,” said Marty Guay, presi-dent of Stanley Healthcare.
Main goalShadi Noori, CEO of Techana, said: “Our main goal is to select the best healthcare IT solutions that ensure our clients’ needs will be met properly. We provide high-quality consultation services and 24-hour after-sale support and maintenance to all healthcare facilities. This agreement with Stanley Healthcare will allow us to off er even more solutions to our healthcare customers.”
The agreement will give Techana full distribution rights for selected Stanley Healthcare solutions that enable hospitals to increase patient safety, secu-rity and operational effi ciency. Among the products that will be available in the Saudi market are Hugs and Kisses Infant Pro-tection, which protects infants from the threat of abduction and mother/infant matching; tem-perature and humidity monitor-ing; asset management; patient elopement; and hand hygiene compliance monitoring.
D I S T R I B U T I O N P A R T N E R
Annual Cadillac sales soar despite tough Middle East luxury marketDUBAI: In a year that saw a dis-tinct softening of the Middle East luxury car market, Cadillac bucked the trend, reporting 20 per cent annual growth.
“Last year the luxury car indus-try saw a slowdown in terms of sales and growth. This was due, in part, to geopolitical factors in the region and consumers’ views towards major purchases,” said Felix Weller, managing director, Cadillac Middle East.
Weller said Cadillac has been setting itself apart from the com-petition in terms of its unique ve-hicle lineup and by growing, even in a contracting market, says a press release.
“Cadillac is a leader in terms of last year’s the fastest growing pre-
mium car brands,” Weller said.He attributes the increasing
popularity of Cadillac to its strong foundation of vehicles packed with
modern technologies, sophisti-cated design, and advanced driving dynamics. The range starts with the ATS sedan and coupe, which
saw 17 year on year growth, and continues up to Cadillac’s fl agship, the Escalade, which posted an im-pressive 63 per cent increase in sales. As for the year ahead, Weller predicts the luxury market to con-tinue to face some challenges, but expects Cadillac to continue its growth story, buoyed by its ex-panding lineup of vehicles.
“We have made no secret about the fact that we’re looking at strengthening our portfolio by in-troducing eight all-new vehicles over a two year period. This starts with the performance ATS-V and CTS-V Series which is now in showrooms, and the introduction of the fi rst ever XT5 crossover and CT6 prestige sedan later in the year,” said Weller.
2 0 P E R C E N T G R O W T H
Competence HR set to organise major
conference on government excellence
MUSCAT: Oman-based human resource and training organisation – Competence HR – will be organ-ising a conference on government excellence in February.
The event is being jointly held in collaboration with the Internation-al Advisory Group (IAG), the Insti-tute of Public Administration (IPA) and the Ministry of Civil Services (MoCS), says a press release.
The conference is part of the Leadership Development Pro-gramme (LDP) that began in Sep-tember 2015 for 45 directorate generals from various ministries and government organisations. Amer Al Fadhil of Competence HR, said: “It is a pleasure to part-ner with the IAG and work with government bodies such as the IPA and MOCS in an event that refl ects a true partnership between the private and public sectors.
“This is the right time for our government to take such initia-tives to improve functional effi -ciencies in the public sector. We are more than satisfi ed to report overwhelming support and par-ticipation from candidates who at-
tended the programme.”Among the chief sponsors of the
event are the Ministry of Oil and Gas, Omantel, Oman Gas Compa-ny, Omran and Bank Muscat.
A major component of the pro-gramme’s mass appeal is its com-bination of lecture-based teaching, executive interaction, discussion forums, book reviews and ‘meet-
the-leaders’ sessions. The event registered active
participation from attendees who were widely receptive to its prac-tice oriented approach and inter-active associations. February’s conference will bring together lo-cal and internationally renowned speakers and experts in the fi eld of government excellence.
I N F O R M A T I V E S E S S I O N
ODC receives Higher Education Minister
MUSCAT: Dr Rawya bint Saud Al Busaidiyah, Minister of Higher Education, visited Oman Dental College (ODC) recently, and met with the dean, board of directors, student council repre-sentatives, and academic council of the college.
The objective of this visit was to give the Ministry of Higher Education offi cials an overview of Oman Dental College and to illus-trate the role of higher education institutions in helping the coun-try progress, says a press release.
Rawya toured the campus and visited the clinical facilities. She praised Oman Dental College for providing dental treatment and care to public patients, and for creating an environment in
which students can enhance their educational and training knowledge by practising on the college premises.
She met with Dr Rahul Arora, the dean of the college, and D. Mo-hammed Al Ismaily, chairman of the Board of Directors, to discuss the college’s achievements and academic programmes.
Saleh Al Harthy, director of Ad-ministration at Oman Dental Col-lege, said: “Rawya al Busaidiyah’s visit to Oman Dental College was very important for us, and we ap-preciate the ongoing support by her ministry.
“We were happy that she ap-preciated the college’s eff orts in providing Omani residents with free treatments alongside educat-
ing a new generation of dentists. Her visit reinforced that Oman Dental College is a one-of-a-kind institution which illustrates the partnership between the govern-ment and the private sector.”
The Ministry of Higher Educa-tion will continue to provide all necessary resources and support for students and graduates to en-able them to participate in the de-velopment process in Oman.
She concluded the visit by meeting with the college academ-ic council members and discuss-ing the best ways to improve the quality of education in the college.
C A M P U S T O U R
The objective of this visit
was to give the Ministry of
Higher Education officials
an overview of Oman Dental
College and to illustrate the
role of higher education
institutions in helping the
country progress
ISD principal to give
annual pre examination
telephone counselling
MUSCAT: Dr Sridevi P. Thashnath, the principal of Indian School Darsait (ISD), has once again been appointed as CBSE Pre Exam Tele Counsellor to pro-vide counselling services to the students to overcome common psychological problems and exam related stress with regard to Class X and XII Board examinations.
These services are extended to their parents as well to clear their doubts and queries regarding the same. Dr Sridevi, a renowned edu-cationist and counsellor par excel-lence, has been a part of CBSE pre and post exam counselling for the last two years, says a press release.
The students who are appear-
ing for their board examination in March 2016 and their parents who require any counselling ser-vices may avail of this voluntary, free of cost service and may reach the principal at [email protected] or 99432243.
The fi rst phase of counselling will begin today and will continue till April 22 from 4pm to 8pm on all working days.
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The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work. — Harry Golden
QUOTES
It’s not whether you
get knocked down, it’s
whether you get up.
— Vince Lombardi
If you are working on
something that you
really care about, you
don’t have to be pushed.
The vision pulls you.
— Steve Jobs
Failure will never
overtake me if my
determination to
succeed is strong
enough.
— Og Mandino
Entrepreneurs are
great at dealing with
uncertainty and also
very good at minimizing
risk. That’s the classic
entrepreneur.
— Mohnish Pabrai
Creativity is intelligence
having fun.
— Albert Einstein
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Bank Muscat celebrates half a million milestone
MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the fl ag-ship fi nancial services provider in the Sultanate, hosted a ceremony to mark the distribution of 500,000 Chip and PIN debit cards featuring advanced security for day-to-day payments and cash withdrawals.
Packed with an array of features and benefi ts, the new card is de-signed to make everyday purchas-es and payments easier. Off ering greater fl exibility and conveni-ence, the card provides access to the bank’s largest network of 153 branches, ATMs and CDMs across Oman, says a press release.
The innovative chip-based cards provide additional security
for transactions through Personal Identifi cation Number (PIN). The initiative heralding the future cards in Oman is in line with the Omani government’s ambitious eGovernment project.
The cards are in conformity with international standards and refl ect the bank’s commitment to ensure convenience and security for all card transactions.
While new customers directly receive the Chip and PIN card, all Bank Muscat debit cardholders will automatically migrate to the new card at the time of renewal. With the new technology, card-
holders are required to enter a four digit PIN, known only to them, instead of signature to verify pay-ments at terminals that are Chip and PIN compliant. Cardholders must enter their PIN as in ATM transactions to use the cards at PoS terminals.
The attractive features of the card include payment conveni-ence, facilitating shopping at millions of retail outlets across the world. Customers enjoy cash withdrawal from ATMs within and outside Oman.
With global acceptance, the card provides easy access to bank ac-
count across millions of ATMs and retail outlets all over the world.
Using the card, customers can shop on the Internet with confi -dence as the card is protected with the additional Verifi ed by Visa (VbV) security.
Customers also receive alerts on mobile phones for transactions made using the card. Cardholders can avail this service by register-ing their mobile number with the bank. The services available for cardholders include 24-hour Call Centre support, convenience of phone banking and Internet bank-ing 24x7. Time and again, Bank Muscat launches novel campaigns and promotions that continuously enhance value as well as create unique opportunities that enrich life for cardholders.
Bank Muscat cards, which spell convenience and security, is the preferred mode of payment in Oman. The wide range of Bank Muscat cards provide a secure op-tion to pay for a host of day-to-day transactions at shopping malls, restaurants or holiday abroad. Embedded with the electronic chip, the cards ensure maximum protection and peace of mind.
Bank Muscat hosted
a ceremony to mark
the distribution of
500,000 Chip and
PIN debit cards
Grand Hyatt Muscat claims fi rst place in Oman Chef contestMUSCAT: Grand Hyatt Muscat recently participated in the Oman Chef Mystery Box Competition, which was held at the National Hospitality Institute recently.
Three members of Grand Hy-att Muscat’s culinary and ser-vice team — Shyrrvin Magaway, Adil Al Shukairi and Shanmu-gavel Chellaiah — took part in the NHI’s acclaimed competi-tion, winning fi rst place and tak-ing home the gold medal, says a press release.
The purpose of the competi-tion is to highlight the culinary skills of chefs and raise aware-ness of the culinary arts among
industry professionals and the wider public. The Grand Hyatt Muscat team was up against sev-eral industry peers from other fi ve-star hotels, and the exciting trio was proud to have an Omani chef on the team.
“Adil, Shyrrvin and Shanmu-gavel have demonstrated great talent in this competition, and we are delighted to have them as part of our team. Through our eff orts to care for our associates and provide them with the highest-quality training, we continue to collectively reap the benefi ts of our hard work,” said Stefan Rad-strom, general manager.
T E S T I N G C U L I N A R Y S K I L L S
Kims Oman becomes fi rst hospital in Oman to receive ACHSI accreditation
MUSCAT: Kims Oman Hospi-tal (KOH) has raised the bar in healthcare quality standards by achieving the prestigious ACHSI (Australian Council on Health-care Standards International) Accreditation. The offi cial cer-tifi cate presentation ceremony was held at Grand Hyatt Hotel Muscat, yesterday.
With this accreditation, KOH has become the fi rst hospital in the Sultanate to achieve this quality milestone. The ACHSI accredi-tation for Kims Oman hospital, demonstrates the Kims group’s commitment to people of Oman in providing the highest quality of healthcare in a cost eff ective manner, says a press release.
The Australian Council on
Healthcare Standards Interna-tional (ACHSI) was represented by Dr Desmond Yen, executive director and Dr Yannis Skalkidis, regional representative, in the cer-emony that was held in the pres-ence of a number of dignitaries including the deputy of Dr Mazin Bin Jawad Al Khabouri, director general of Private Healthcare Es-tablishments in Oman, Engineer Saeed bin Nasser Al Saadi, Min-istry of Manpower, Dr Moham-med Sahadulla, chairman of Kims Group, Dr Sheriff Sahadulla, ex-ecutive director-Medical & Group CMO, Jacob Thomas, director Op-erations, in addition to local and regional media representatives.
The event featured, speeches presented by Dr Mohammed Sa-
hadulla, Dr Sheriff Sahadulla, and Dr Desmond Yen highlighting the importance and benefi ts of achiev-ing this accreditation to various stakeholders. The award presenta-tion ceremony concluded with an interactive Q&A session.
Commenting on ACHSI accred-itation, Dr Mohammed Sahadulla, chairman of Kims Group, said, “Since its inception, Kims Oman Hospital strives to serve the Om-ani community with the highest standards of medical care and health services. Today, with the joint efforts and the incredible dedication of our medical and administrative teams, we have proudly achieved this signifi-cant milestone.”
In his address, Dr Sheriff Saha-
dulla, said, “It is our great pleasure and privilege to be awarded this accreditation by ACHSI.
“This is recognition of Kims Oman Hospital’s highest quality services that are specially tailored for our patients.
“We strive to give our very best to our patients in clinical as well as non-clinical aspects of health care and we reciprocate the faith and trust that patient’s exhibit in our brand.”
Dr Desmond Yen, expressed his admiration for the hospital’s state-of-the-art facilities and praised their high quality medical care and services, wishing them to keep their position as a pioneer insti-tution in providing distinguished healthcare services in the region.
Q U A L I T Y S T A N D A R D S
RECOGNITION: The award presentation ceremony being held in the
presence of dignitaries. – A. R. Raj Kumar/TIMES OF OMAN
Almouj Golf, British Airways tee-up packages for golfers and travellersMUSCAT: Promoting ‘Destina-tion Oman’, Almouj Golf has teed-up an exciting partnership with British Airways, one of the world’s largest international air-lines, to off er added benefi ts to golfers and travellers.
The deal off ers all British Air-ways passengers 50 per cent off on a weekday booking at Almouj Golf and one complimentary game when purchasing an 18-hole round of play during the weekend, says a press release.
In addition, members of Almouj Golf can take advantage of a 10 per cent discount when booking their next fl ight with British Airways before June 30 with travel until December 31. A discount will also be available on the seasonal sale and promotional fares for Almouj golf members.
“Almouj Golf and British Air-ways share a vision and a passion for providing golfers with the best-possible golf and lifestyle ex-periences. Therefore, we are com-mitted to building initiatives that provide one-of-a-kind experiences to golf lovers and enthusiasts,” said Mubarak Hill, Club manager at Al-mouj Golf. “Our partnership will
allow us to further grow the sport in Oman, through expanding our reach to golf travellers from over 180 cities around the world and position the Sultanate as a global golfi ng destination.”
Paolo De Renzis, head of Middle East, Africa and Central Asia Sales for British Airways said, “Team-ing up with Almouj Golf provides us with the opportunity to further connect with our customers in Oman who have a passion for trav-el and golf. We recently launched our new 787-9 Dreamliner on our Muscat to London Heathrow route, which includes our luxuri-ous new fi rst class cabin. We hope our customers in Oman will enjoy experiencing our new genera-tion aircraft on their next fl ight to
London or further afi eld.”Designed by Greg Norman and
since inception, Almouj Golf, home to the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, has been receiv-ing worldwide acclaim. Off er-ing majestic views of the Al Ha-jar Mountains and the Indian Ocean, the course has recently been ranked 2nd on the 2015 Golf Digest Middle East Top 10 Golf Courses published by Golf Digest Middle East magazine.
British Airways fl ies to 188 des-tinations, 9 destinations in the UK, 97 in Europe and 82 in the rest of the world. The fl ag carrier was named Britain’s leading consumer super brand in 2015, beating over 1,500 companies to top the group-ing of favourite brands.
P R O M O T I N G ‘ D E S T I N A T I O N O M A N ’
Zubair SEC to name Direct Support
Programme winners on February 3
MUSCAT: Offi cials at the Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC), the social responsibility in-itiative of the Zubair Corporation, are in the process of selecting and fi nalising the winners of the Di-rect Support Programme for the year 2016.
The winners of the third edition of Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme will be announced on February 3, says a press release.
The two previous editions of the Direct Support Programme received huge response and reg-istered remarkable success. The programme provided support and mentorship to high-potential novice entrepreneurs and young business owners.
Apprising that the 2016 edition of Direct Support Programme has received an enormous re-sponse, Adel Al Hubaishi, senior adviser at Zubair SEC, said, “In every part of the world, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) hold the key to sus-tained economic growth. Our programme’s objective is to help young entrepreneurs pursue their passion, give them the skills and knowledge to actively con-tribute to Oman’s economy. This programme is in tune with the Oman’s government’s objective to achieve success in the devel-opment of the small and medium enterprises sector.”
Talking about the new ele-ments added to the 2016 Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Pro-gramme, Al Hubaishi, “This year we have included a new category /seat for Social Entrepreneurship Project. Individuals pursuing out-standing social entrepreneurship projects will be selected under this category.”
Zubair SEC’s 2016 Direct Sup-port Programme will provide an opportunity for those pursuing wholesale business too.
Stressing that the aim of Di-rect Support Programme is to
bring about long-term economic growth by selecting and mentor-ing the best young entrepreneurs in Oman, Al Hubaishi said, “In the last two years, we have helped the winners overcome obstacles by providing them strategic advice, logistical support, consultancy service and access to fi nancial grant. Additionally, we have helped them with skills and train-ing needed to fi nd success. The large number of applicants this year indicates that we are in the right path.”
He also added, “The feedback we have got from previous win-ners shows that we have helped cultivate a culture of entrepre-neurship which encouraged them to think big. Zubair SEC is proud of the progress and achievements registered by the previous win-ners of the programmes.”
Four-stage evaluationThe Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme witnesses a four-stage evaluation. Once applica-tions are evaluated, applicants go through interviews and their pro-jects are reviewed thrice.
Applications for the 2016 pro-gramme opened in early October 2015, and remained open until the
end of November 2015.The number of applicants for
Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Pro-gramme grew up from 94 in 2015 to 214 in 2016.
A total number of 122 appli-cants were shortlisted for the fi rst round of interview in 2016 while 63 were shortlisted in 2015.
In 2016, 70 business enterpris-es were shortlisted in the second round of review while 2015 saw 40 business enterprises being shortlisted.
With new categories being added to the 2016 programme, 12 were shortlisted for the second round of review under the social entrepreneurship category and 13 in the wholesale business by Oa-sis category. After the third round of review, 21 were shortlisted in the business enterprise category, seven in the social enterprise category and six in the wholesale business by Oasis category for the 2016 edition.
As a run-up to the winners’ an-nouncement, 18 business enter-prises, four social enterprises and six wholesale businesses by Oasis have been announced as fi nalists.
It may be noted that in 2015, 22 business enterprises were se-lected after the third review and 15 were selected as fi nalists.
Considered one of the most important contests in the fi eld of entrepreneurship, Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme aims to create a spirit of positive com-petition between its members to qualify as winners.
Personality, business plan, product/service specifi cations, targeted market specifi cations, fi nancial considerations, innova-tion and social impact are criteria considered while selecting the winners. The winning projects should have a clear strategic plan and feasibility study done which refl ects the owners’ willingness to apply best business practices with the support of Zubair SEC.
S U P P O R T I N G Y O U N G E N T R E P R E N E U R S
Personality, business
plan, product/service
specifications, targeted
market specifications,
financial considerations,
innovation and social
impact are criteria
considered while selecting
the winners
WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM
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Kiwis win rain-hit match, bag seriesAUCKLAND: Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson hit brisk fi fties and combined in a record stand of 159 to power New Zea-land to a thrilling series-clinch-ing three-wicket win against Pakistan in the third and fi nal one-day international in Auck-land on Sunday.
Babar Azam (83) and Moham-mad Hafeez (76) laid the platform for a big total with a stand of 134 for the third wicket after Paki-stan won the toss and opted to bat. But the touring side, needing to win the match to tie the series at 1-1, suff ered a mid-innings col-lapse to be shot out for 290 in the 48th over.
Brendon McCullum, return-ing from a back injury to lead the side, fell on the fi rst delivery he faced from Mohammad Amir but Guptill (82) and Williamson (84) steadied the chase with their stand, the highest for the second wicket for the hosts.
Pakistan captain Azhar Ali dismissed both batsmen in quick succession with his part-time leg spin to bring his side back into the match and New Zealand were quickly reduced to 210-5.
But a rain interruption disrupt-ed play and when New Zealand returned their target had been
revised to 263 off 43 overs by the Duckworth-Lewis method.
All-rounder Corey Anderson (35) was given not out by umpire Billy Bowden off Rahat Ali after a confi dent appeal for caught behind and the powerful left-hander made most of his fortune by smashing the paceman for two sixes on the next two balls.
New Zealand, needing six to win off the last over, got over the mark with two balls to spare with Mitchell Santner hitting Wahab Riaz for two boundaries.
Earlier, Pakistan were com-fortably placed on 215-3 in the 31st over, riding on half-centuries from Hafeez and Azam but lost their remaining seven wickets for just 75 runs to fall short of the target they would have liked to set New Zealand.
They would have folded for even less had wicketkeeper Sar-fraz Ahmed not scored 41. Adam Milne accounted for Pakistan’s tail, picking up 3-49 while Trent Boult and Matt Henry picked up two wickets each. - Reuters
O N E - D A Y I N T E R N A T I O N A L S
SERIES IN POCKET: New Zealand players celebrate winning the
ODI series against Pakistan 2-0 at Eden Park in Auckland. – AFP
PAKISTANA. Ali c Guptill b Henry 3A. Shehzad c Guptill b Boult 12M. Hafeez c Milne b Santner 76B. Azam c Guptill b Henry 83S. Malik c Ronchi b Boult 32S. Ahmed c Ronchi b Milne 41M. Rizwan run out (Elliott) 16W. Riaz c Guptill b Anderson 11M. Amir c Ronchi b Milne 1R. Ali c Ronchi b Milne 0M. Irfan not out 0Extras (nb-1, w-14) 15Total (all out, 47.3 overs) 290 Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-20, 3-154, 4-215, 5-227, 6-256, 7-279, 8-284, 9-284, 10-290Bowling: T. Boult 9-0-60-2 (nb-1, w-3); M. Henry 10-0-44-2 (w-3); C. Anderson 4-0-26-1 (w-1); M. Santner 5-0-56-1 (w-1); A. Milne 9.3-0-49-3 (w-2); G. Elliott 10-0-55-0
NEW ZEALAND (D/L Target: 263 off 43) M. Guptill c Hafeez b A. Ali 82B. McCullum c Irfan b Amir 0K. Williamson st S. Ahmed b A. Ali 84H. Nicholls lbw b Amir 5G. Elliott c B. Azam b Malik 10 C. Anderson c B. Azam b Irfan 35L. Ronchi b Riaz 20M. Santner not out 10A. Milne not out 0Extras (lb-5, w-14) 19Total (for 7 wickets, 42.4 overs) 265 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-165, 3-180, 4-188, 5-210, 6-253, 7-256Bowling: M. Irfan 8-0-60-1 (w-5), M. Amir 9-0-39-2 (w-2), R. Ali 7-0-54-0 (w-2), W. Riaz 8.4-0-51-1 (w-3), S. Malik 3-0-19-1, A. Ali 7-0-37-2 (w-2) Umpires: Billy Bowden and Nigel Llong TV umpire: Bruce Oxenford Match referee: David Boon
S C O R E B O A R D
India clinch thriller to complete sweep over AustraliaSYDNEY: Shane Watson’s un-beaten hundred could not prevent Australia falling to a seven-wicket defeat to India in the third and fi -nal Twenty20 match on Sunday as Suresh Raina hit a four on the last ball to complete a 3-0 clean sweep in the series.
India were chasing 198 to win and needed 17 runs in the fi nal over as Yuvraj Singh hit a four and a six off the fi rst two balls from paceman Andrew Tye and Raina hit the fi nal ball through point with his team needing two.
All-rounder Watson, leading Australia in the absence of the in-jured Aaron Finch, powered the hosts to 197-5 with an unbeaten 124 after winning the toss and opt-ing to bat.
Australia made fi ve changes to the side that lost the last match in Melbourne to concede an un-assailable 2-0 lead in the series, handing debuts to batsman Usman Khawaja and part-time wicket-keeper Cameron Bancroft.
Watson, named player of the match, was the fulcrum around which the hosts’ batting revolved and it was due to his 71-ball knock, which was studded with 10 fours and six sixes, that Australia posted a strong total.
India replied with half-cen-turies from in-form opener Rohit Sharma (52) and Virat Kohli (50), who was named the player of the series, and then Rai-
na’s 25-ball 49 to chase down the steep target.
Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan got India off to a rollicking start, scoring 46 in just 3.2 overs, with
fast bowler Shaun Tait going for 24 runs in the third over.
Rohit and Kohli then added 78 for the second wicket to keep In-dia strongly on course, before both
batsmen fell to leg spinner Cam-eron Boyce.
Yuvraj, who did not get an op-portunity to bat in the last two matches, was sent in ahead of
captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni at number fi ve and though the left-hander struggled initially to put bat on ball, he produced the goods when his team needed.
Raina and Yuvraj added 53 for the unbroken fourth wicket.
The 3-0 sweep in Australia took India to the top of the T20 rank-ings in a timely boost ahead of the World Twenty20 at home from March 8-April 3. - Reuters
T W E N T Y 2 0 I N T E R N A T I O N A L S
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AUSTRALIAU. Khawaja c Dhoni b Nehra 14S. Watson not out 124S. Marsh b Ashwin 9G. Maxwell c Raina b Yuvraj 3T. Head b Jadeja 26C. Lynn c Jadeja b Bumrah 13C. Bancroft not out 0Extras (lb-2, w-4, nb-2) 8Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 197Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-69, 3-75, 4-168, 5-193Bowling: Asish Nehra 4-0-32-1; Jasprit Bumrah 4-0-43-1; Ravichandran Ashwin 4-0-36-1; Ravindra Jadeja 4-0-41-1; Yuvraj Singh 2-0-19-1; Hardik Pandya 2-0-24-0
INDIAR. Sharma c Watson b Boyce 52
S. Dhawan c Bancroft b Watson 26V. Kohli b Boyce 50S. Raina not out 49Y. Singh not out 15Extras (b-1, w-7) 8Total (3 wickets; 20 overs) 200Fall of wickets: 1-46, 2-124, 3-147Bowling: Shaun Tait 4-0-46-0; Scott Boland 3-0-34-0; Shane Watson 4-0-30-1; Andrew Tye 4-0-51-0; Cameron Boyce 4-0-28-2; Glenn Maxwell 1-0-10-0
Toss: Australia, chose to batT20I debuts: Cameron Bancroft and Usman Khawaja (Australia)Umpires: Simon Fry and John WardTV umpire: Paul WilsonMatch referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)Reserve umpire: Geoff Joshua
S C O R E B O A R D
OVER THE MOON: The Indian team pose with the trophy after winning the series 3-0 after the third
Twenty20 international cricket match in Sydney. – AFP
Dominant Djokovic
MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic vanquished Andy Murray for the fourth time in an Australian Open fi nal on Sunday to win a record-equalling sixth title and serve no-tice to his rivals that he could sur-pass even his stellar 2015 this year.
The Serbian’s fi fth crown in six years on his favourite court not only allowed him to match Roy Emerson’s record Australian Open tally but also brought him level with Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg on 11 Grand Slam titles.
He has won four of the last fi ve slams, 38 of his last 39 matches, and at this rate Roger Federer’s record 17 is within range of the 28-year-old.
Although world number two Murray battled hard after losing the opening fi ve games in the blink of an eye, the dominant manner of Sunday’s 6-1 7-5 7-6(3) victory vindicated Djokovic’s opinion that he was at the zenith of his powers.
“There’s no doubt I’m playing the best tennis of my life over the last 15 months,” the 28-year-old, who topped the ATP rankings for the whole of 2015, said.
“I do feel that I’m at the peak of my abilities and my career. I don’t think about limiting my ambitions or what I might be able to achieve.”
For Murray, distracted on his 11th visit to Melbourne Park by the illness of his father-in-law and the impending arrival of his fi rst child, a dispiriting night ended up with a record of the wrong sort.
The Briton’s defeat was his fi fth in fi ve fi nals at the Austral-ian Open. Only his former coach Ivan Lendl has lost as many at one Grand Slam and he at least wedged three U.S. Open titles in between the defeats.
Murray gave it everything he had in the two-hour, 53-minute baseline battle that was compel-ling viewing throughout an en-grossing and pivotal 80-minute second set.
Delay inevitableHe was only able to delay the inevi-table though.
“A lot’s been going on,” twice Grand Slam champion Murray, who was catching the fi rst fl ight home, told reporters.
“I started the last couple of matches quite slowly, understand-able in some respects.
“Obviously it’s not good to begin matches like that against someone like Novak. But I’m proud of the way I fought and managed to get myself back into the match.
“Now I just want to get home.”Djokovic reprised the two sets
of fl awless tennis he played in his semi-fi nal against Roger Federer to race to a 5-0 lead in just 19 minutes.
Murray contributed to his downfall, a double-fault handed his fi rst service game to his oppo-nent, but the depth and accuracy of Djokovic’s groundstrokes had the Scot chasing shadows on the Rod Laver Arena.
To his credit Murray, who beat Djokovic to win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon titles and prob-ably would have claimed several more but for the Serb, rose to the challenge. He had chances too. He was 5-5 40-0 ahead in the second set with Djokovic under pressure before he came off second best in a spellbinding 36-stroke rally as Djokovic roared back to break be-fore clinching a two-set lead de-spite two double faults.
Murray even fought back from 2-0 down in the third, but his re-sistance snapped in the tiebreak and Djokovic fi red down his sev-enth ace to secure victory.
“Every Grand Slam title is very signifi cant in its own way,” Djoko-vic said. “Here, I managed to make history tonight and equal Roy Em-erson’s six Australian Open titles.
“I’m honoured to be mentioned
alongside legends of our sport.”While Emerson’s triumphs
came in the pre-professional era of the 1960s when few players from the rest of the world made the long journey Down Under, Djokovic’s dominance is international.
He won 11 titles including three of the four majors last year and already has a 12-0 record this season, having thrashed the other members of the “Big Four” — Rafa Nadal, Federer and Murray — to win in Doha and Melbourne.
Only Australian Laver, who was on the court named after him watching the fi nal, has managed to win all four Grand Slams in one year and Djokovic would have to break his Roland Garros duck to match
the feat and make more history.He said he thought he was get-
ting closer to winning the French Open title every time he played the claycourt Grand Slam but had learned not to think too far ahead.
“(I’m) very hungry (for Paris),” he concluded. “But the wolf needs to eat a lot of diff erent meals to get to Paris. Paris is a dessert.”
Double for SoaresBrazil’s Bruno Soares, fuelled by numerous cups of coff ee, pro-duced a doubles double on Sun-day when he and Russian partner Elena Vesnina won the Australian Open mixed doubles title on Rod Laver Arena. Soares, who won the men’s doubles title with Britain’s Jamie Murray that fi nished early on Sunday, clinched his second ti-tle in a little over 16 hours when he and Vesnina beat American Coco Vandeweghe and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau 6-4, 4-6, 10-5.
The Brazilian said after they clinched the trophy in the super tie-break that he had not slept well after he fi nished his offi cial duties at 0400 local time (1700 GMT) and had sent Vesnina a text message at 0430 saying he was ‘ready to go’.
“Been living on coff ee ever since. So I had 22 coff ees already today. But now it’s all worth it,” Soares told reporters.
“It feels amazing. It was long days, tough days. Last night I fi nished really late. It’s tough. A lot of adrenaline going on. Tough to sleep.
“But I knew I had another im-portant day. You don’t get the chance to play many grand slam fi nals. I think you got to make the most of it.
“To get the chance to play one and win one, it’s already extremely special. I mean, I got two in the same day, so... it’s special.” - Reuters
The Serbian’s fi fth
crown in six years on
his favourite court
not only allowed
him to match Roy
Emerson’s record
Australian Open tally
but also brought him
level with Rod Laver
and Bjorn Borg on 11
Grand Slam titles
SO SWEET: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic kisses The Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after his victory during
the men’s singles fi nal against Britain’s Andy Murray of the 2016 Australian Open. – AFP
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ALL SMILES: Elena Vesnina
of Russia, right, and partner
Bruno Soares of Brazil, left,
pose with the winner’s trophy
following their victory over
Coco Vandeweghe of the US and
Horia Tecau of Romania in the
mixed doubles fi nal. – AFP
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Bienne Voile set sights on points at EFG SATT
MUSCAT: The sailing crew of Swiss entry Bienne Voile includes a physicist, mathematician, physi-otherapist, architect and a sailing ace who happens to be 17 years old and still at school. Strictly amateur but with a fl air for inshore racing and high hopes of piling up points in port at EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2016 (SATT), the longest off shore race in the GCC region or-ganised by Oman Sail.
Competing for the second time, the team of 12 have come from a variety of sailing backgrounds with skills spread across Olympic and match racing classes with a glittering collection of national championship and Tour de France
a Voile medals alongside badges from most of the classic races around the globe.
Among them is Tobias Etter who competed at the Beijing 2008 Olympics for Switzerland in the 470 class and veteran Thierry Boss-hart, a member of the Bienne Voile crew in 2015 and the highly rated Flurina Schneider, who is just 17 years old and one of the four talent-ed women who have been selected for EFG Sailing Arabia —The Tour.
There is a lot of experience in the crew, says skipper Lorenz Mul-ler, with 15 Tour de France a Voile caps between them and as much ambition as any of the professional teams. They have spent months training and preparing on the lake at Neuchatel which should put them in contention for honours at all three in-port races at Dubai. Abu Dhabi and Doha.
“We have a lot of experience
in freshwater sailing and a good combination of skills so we think our main strength will be in tactics and positioning in the short races,” explained Muller. “We should be able to win some points in the port races and although we think speed might be an issue in the off shore legs we will try to improve our re-sults compared to last year.
“EFG Sailing Arabia — The Tour is now the only race with inshore and off shore races where every-one competes in one design boats. For us it replaces the former Tour de France a Voile and although we are unlikely to gain a podium place overall, because we are an amateur team competing against profes-sionals, we are all very ambitious.”
Last year, Bienne Voile came seventh despite threatening to upset the form guide in the early stages against some of the profes-sional crews.
“We started well in 2015 but lost places on the last couple of legs due to some tactical errors and prob-lems with our navigation system which wasn’t working properly,” said Muller.
“This time the long legs will be certainly main challenges for the endurance of the sailors and the performance of the navigator but we are looking forward to them.”
“All the legs will be tricky – the wind tends to be shifty in the Straits of Hormuz and of course the new long leg from Doha to Khasab could be a test of stamina.
“Our main aim is to achieve an enriching sailing experience and hopefully some good results. We anticipate a challenging and very interesting sail racing series and are looking forward to meeting all the friendly people within the EFG Sailing Arabia — The Tour organi-sation and among the competitors.”
Competing for the
second time, the
team of 12 have come
from a variety of
sailing backgrounds
with skills spread
across Olympic and
match racing classes
with a glittering
collection of national
championship and
Tour de France a Voile
medals alongside
badges from most
of the classic races
around the globe
FLAIR FOR INSHORE RACING: Bienne Voile in action during last year’s race. – Supplied photo
Omani girls to make debut at Junior Fed Cup
MUSCAT: The Oman Tennis As-sociation (OTA) has decided to send a two-member Omani girls team to the Junior Fed Cup Pre-Qualifying event to be organised in Sri Lanka later this year.
According to information re-ceived from OTA on Sunday, ‘the Omani tennis fans will cherish the news of the Sultanate’s girls taking part in the ITF Junior Fed Cup event in Sri Lanka’.
The Junior Fed Cup Qualifying event will take place in Sri Lanka from March 11 to 16.
The OTA has selected two ris-
ing talents Maryam Al Balushi and Aisha Al Suleimani for the Sri Lanka sojourn.
The OTA, meanwhile, informed that the association has received a special exemption from the ITF to fi eld two players instead of three. The Omani team will be ac-companied by the national team captain Suleiman Al Rawahi.
Salem Abu Baker, vice-pres-ident of the OTA, will head the Sultanate’s delegation.
The Omani girls will be train-ing at Grand Hyatt tennis courts till they leave for Sri Lanka.
T E N N I S
Salem Abu BakerSuleiman Al Rawahi
SET FOR DEBUT: Aisha Al Suleimani and Maryam Al Balushi.
Sur edge Dhofar, Al Nahda and Muscat in 1-1 drawMUSCAT: Sur recorded a nar-row 1-0 victory over Dhofar while Al Nahda and Muscat played out a 1-1 draw in Week 17 action of the ongoing Omantel Professional League on Sunday.
Sur Club, playing on home turf at Sur Sports Complex, upset for-midable Dhofar, who are in the top half of the league table while their hosts are just above the danger zone.
However, Sur had to thank Saud Al Farsi for his 25th minute goal that helped them earn full points in their only third victory in 17 outings in the league.
Despite the loss, Dhofar are
in fourth place with 27 points, behind defending champions Al Arouba (30), who played a game lesss, Suwaiq (30) and Fanja (29) in that order.
Muscat, who travelled to Burai-mi Sports Complex, were denied their fourth victory of the season by a battling Al Nahda.
The team from the capital city went ahead in the 66th minute when Mohammed Al Habsi came up with a fi ne eff ort.
However, Muscat were denied the full points as foreign recruit Frank’s equaliser two minutes from the fi nal whistle helped Al Nahda to escape with a point. Al
Nahda are in eighth place with 21 points, behind fi fth-placed Sohar (24), sixth-placed Al Musannah (24) and seventh on the ladder Al Nasr (23).
Meanwhile, lowly Salalah stunned Al Musannah for a 2-0 vitory with veteran Hashim Saleh and Abdulmajeed Dada scoring a goal each.
Despite the victory, Salalah are rooted at the bottom of the table with 11 points.
On Saturday, Fanja defeated Al Khabourah 3-1, Suwaiq played out a 1-1 draw with Al Shabab while Sohar and Saham were in-volved in a goalless draw.
F O O T B A L L
Chelsea and Everton crush minnows
LONDON: Chelsea banished any fears of a repeat of last sea-son’s shock FA Cup fourth-round exit to Bradford City when they crushed Championship side Milton Keynes Dons 5-1 away to reach the fi fth round on Sunday.
Everton comfortably won 3-0 at League Two Carlisle United, with the fourth-tier club playing at home for only the second time after fl oods damaged their Brun-ton Park home in December.
Police said they were inves-tigating allegations of racist chanting from a section of the home fans following Everton’s fi rst goal scored by Kone. - Reuters
F A C U P
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Sanjoli supreme in historic Sayyid Kais golf tourney
MUSCAT: In honour of His High-ness Sayyid Kais bin Tariq Al Said, Ghala Golf Club made history last weekend, holding the largest sin-gle stableford tournament ever seen in Oman. The event saw 165 players from Europe, Asia and Af-rica take to the green with fl are, representing the sporting passion inspired by late HH Kais Al Said, aff ectionately known as the ‘God-father of Golf ’.
Under the patronage of HH Sayyid Taimur bin Assad Al Said, the event further saw the celebra-tory attendance of HH Sayyid Al Rawy bin Kais Al Said and HH
Sayyid Azaan bin Kais Al Said. Representing regions from across Oman, golfers aged between 15 and 76 fi red up the fairway as they teed-off with multiple shotgun starts.
Hailing with a delightful score of 41, Sanjoli Singh not only emerged victorious as overall winner of 2016, but also became the fi rst women to have won the competition.
“The turnout, the atmosphere, the enthusiam and performance of players at this tournament were an exemplary display of how much key contributors - such as His Highness Kais Al Said - have done for the game of golf in Oman. Be-ing able to host golfers from so far afi eld in our celebration was truly an honour, and exactly what we wanted to achieve,” said Ahmed Al Farsi, Operations Manager at Ghala Golf Club.
A presentation ceremony was held at the club after the event, featuring a speech by Club cap-tain Salim Al Harthy, in addition to a number of catergory-based
awards. Just one point behind overall winner Singh was Massoud Al Barwani, who hit an even 40 to come top of the men’s division. He was followed by Paresh Sahai and Barath Gopal in second and third place respectively.
In the Ladies Division, Minke Gijiselman and Helen Robinson won the second and third places respectively.
Youngster Fahad Al Kitani proved worthy of recognition at the event in an admirable dis-play of golfi ng prowess, featured alongside other spectacular per-formances from local youth, dem-onstrating Oman’s growing talents in the sport. A further and fi nal award went to Puli Sharma, who skillfully concluded the event with the best gross score.
The tournament sought to bring the golfi ng community, its spectators and other parties together in celebration of what Oman has achieved to date as a re-gional fl agship destination for the game of golf.
At the historic
tournament at the
Ghala Golf Club,
Sanjoli Singh not only
emerged victorious
as overall winner but
also became the fi rst
women to have won
the competition
PROUD WINNER: Champion Sanjoli Singh proudly displays her
trophy in front of a portrait of His Highness Sayyid Kais bin Tariq
Al Said at the Ghala Golf Club. – Supplied photo
OGC picks six for GCC junior golf MUSCAT: A six-member Oman team will be taking part in the GCC Under-15 Golf Championships for Boys and Girls to be organised in Bahrain from February 2 to 5. The Oman Golf Committee (OGC) has picked four boys and two girls for the Bahrain tournament.
The Omani boys picked for the Bahrain tournament are Qusay bin Masood Al Barwani, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Baluchi, Ayman bin Ghalib Al Busaidi and Nasser bin Masood Al Barwani. The two Omani girls who will be represent-ing the Sultanate are Huwaida Al Barwani and Asma Al Rashidiy.
The Omani delegation will be headed by OGC chief Munther bin Salem Al Barwani and vice-chair-man Ahmed bin Faisal Al Jahdami will accompany the squad as the team manager.
The team will be accompanied by OGC National Teams’ German Milo Breitenwsher.
G O L F
Four boys and two girls will
be representing Oman at the
GCC U-15 Championships
PICTURE FROM THE PAST: A fi le photo of Oman junior golf team
with Oman Golf Committee offi cials. – Supplied photo
Yuvraj will feel lesser pressure as he plays more matches: Dhoni
SYDNEY: Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni seemed to be satis-fi ed with Yuvraj Singh’s cameo and expects that the veteran left-hander would only get bet-ter as he plays more and more matches in the lead upto the ICC World T20 starting in just over a month’s time. The skipper also termed the team combination as the right mix of players going into marquee event.
“I think we have the right mix. Also, Yuvraj can just go and ex-press himself batting at No 5. There will be less pressure on him and as he plays more and more games he will just open up more. I have never believed in a set batting order and according to situations and bowlers, we might need to create a gap in be-tween the two left-handed bats-men (Yuvraj and Suresh Raina). At the moment,this seems like what will be a very good batting line-up,” the skipper exuded con-fi dence in the batting line-up.
Dhoni also said that Raina is the only player in this set-up who has done well batting at No. 3 for Chennai Super Kings as well as batting at Nos 5 or 6 for India. — PTI
A F T E R T 2 0 W I N
‘India favourites
for World T20’
SYDNEY: Australian stand-in skipper Shane Watson has said that there are no doubts about hosts India being the favour-ites for the 2016 World T20, besides adding that his side has its work cut out in the build-up to the March-April tournament. “I think, no matter what, they would have always been the fa-vourites,” said Watson after the loss on Sunday.
“Obviously conditions are diff erent in India and they have so many world class players, es-pecially in the batting and spin-bowling point of view. There’s no surprise with them going in as favourites.” — PTI
A F T E R T 2 0 W I N
India lose but clinch series
SYDNEY: A historic series tri-umph already sealed, the Indian women’s cricket team faltered in its quest for a clean-sweep as it went down by 15 runs to Australia in the third and fi nal Twenty20 International follow-ing a spectacular batting col-lapse here on Sunday. Chasing a victory target of 137, the Indi-ans, who pocketed the series af-ter winning the fi rst two games, were comfortably placed at 94 for 3 in 13.3 overs before a mid-dle- order collapse led them to end at 121 for 8 at the SCG. - PTI
W O M E N ’ S C R I C K E T
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SPORTSM O N DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
Future Oilfield outplay Attic Outdoors
MUSCAT: Future Oilfi eld record-ed a 73-run victory over Attic Out-doors in an Enhance-sponsored D Division cricket match at the Mus-cat Municipality Ground on Friday.
Batting fi rst, Future Oilfi eld amassed 238 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs. Syed Ar-fan Ali top scored with 107 and Mu-hammed Amjad chipped in with 77 runs. In reply, Attic Outdoors were bundled out for 165 in 16.5 overs. Waseem, Imran, Arfan and Amjad took two wickets apiece.
Brief scores: Future Oilfi eld 238 for 4 in 20 overs (Syed Arfan Ali 107) bt Attic Outdoors 165 in 16.5 overs (Vi-kas Sharma 31; Waseem 2/13). Points: Future Oilfi eld – 3, Attic Outdoors - 0.
Easy for OCT Al Hail A In another D Division match, OCT Al Hail A defeated Al Meer by sev-en wickets. Batting fi rst, Al Meer managed to score 162 for four in 20 overs. Sanket S. and Shankar M scored 64 and 47 respectively. In reply, OCT Al Hail A scored 163 for three in 19 overs. Jamsheer Raisi top scored with 41.
Brief scores: Al Meer 162 for 4 in 20 overs (Sanket S 64) lost to OCT Al Hail A 163 for 3 in 19 overs (Jamsheer Raisi 41). Points: OCT Al Hail A – 2, Al Meer - 0.
Enhance Falcons winIn an E Division match, Enhance Falcons defeated MARH by four wickets. Batting fi rst, MARH scored 155 for eight in 19 overs. Vishal Shetty top scored with an unbeaten 84. Muhammed Sajid claimed two wickets for Enhance Falcons. In re-ply, Enhance Falcons scored 158 for six in 17.2 overs. Shams-ul Haq top scored with 52. Anwar-ul Haq and Sharmad Ali bagged two wickets each for MARH.
Brief scores: MARH 155 for 8 in 19 overs (Vishal Shetty 84 n.o.; Mu-hammed Sajid 2/22) lost to Enhance Falcons 158 for 6 in 19 overs (Shams-ul Haq 52). Points: Enhance Falcons – 2, MARH - 0.
GME beat Abu MaatherIn another E Division match, Global Money Exchange (GME) registered a four-wicket win over Abu Maather. Batting fi rst, Abu
Maather were bundled out for 99 in 17.1 overs. Dilip Bhai R. claimed four scalps for GME. In reply, GME raced to 102 for six in 9.2 overs. Ta-hir Khan claimed three wickets for Abu Maather.
Brief scores: Abu Maather 99 in 17.1 overs (Dilip Bhai 4/24) lost to GME 102 for 6 in 9.2 overs. (Tahir Khan 3/33). Points: Global Money Ex-change – 2, Abu Maather - 0.
Khurshid CT edge Al Daam In an F Division match, Khurshid CT recorded a thrilling one run victory over Al Daam. Batting fi rst, Khurshid CT scored 173 for nine in 20 overs. Firoz OV top scored with an unbeaten 97. In reply, Al Daam scored 172 for nine in 20 overs. Abhilash Gopi and Jothish Kumar made 36 and 39 respec-tively. Saif Rahman claimed two
wickets for Khurshid. Brief scores: Khurshid CT 173 for
9 in 20 overs (Firoz OV 97 n.o.) bt Al Daam 172 for 9 in 20 overs (Jothish Kumar 39; Saif Rahman 2/24). Points: Khurshid CT – 2, Al Daam - 0.
Kairali beat Oasis Water In another F Division match, Kai-rali defeated Al Daam by 43 runs. Batting fi rst, Kairali were all out for 166 in 17.3 overs with Praveen K. and Jeason Jacob scoring with 56 and 52 not out respectively. Rohan claimed three wickets for Oasis Water. In reply, Oasis Wa-ter scored 123 for nine in 20 overs. Rohan top scored with 36 for Oasis Water. Jeason Jacob claimed three wickets for Kairali.
Brief scores: Kairali 166 in 17.3 overs (Praveen K. 56, Jeason Jacob 52 n.o.; Rohan 3/24) bt Oasis Water 123
for 9 in 20 overs (Rohan 36; Jeason Jacob 3/8). Points: Kairali – 3, Oasis Water - 0.
Big win for OCT Mabellah In a G Division match, OCT Mabel-lah defeated Al Rehwan by 63 runs. Batting fi rst, OCT Mabellah scored 188 for four in 20 overs. Zaafar Ghu-lam and Asif Balushi scored 75 and 60 respectively. In reply, Al Rehwan scored 125 for nine in 20 overs. Waseem Mohammed claimed four wickets for OCT Mabellah.
Brief scores: OCT Mabellah 188 for 4 in 20 overs (Zafar Ghulam 75, Asif Balushi 60) bt Al Rehwan 129 in 18.5 overs (Gireesh 35; Waseem Moham-med 4/18). Points: OCT Mabellah – 3, Al Rehwan - 0.
MSE win thriller In a thrilling H Division match, MSE defeated Starcare by a solitary run. Batting fi rst, MSE scored 173 for six in 20 overs with Abdul Suhan top scoring with 45. Sujith Kumar claimed two scalps for Starcare. In reply, MSE scored 172 for seven in 18 overs. Rageesh O.K. top scored with 63. Vishnu Unnikrishnan and Hillary D’Souza claimed two wick-ets each for Star Care.
Brief scores: MSE 173 for 6 in 20 overs (Abdul Suhan 45; Sujith Ku-
mar 2/34) bt Starcare 172 for 7 in 18 overs (Rageesh O.K. 63; Vishnu Un-nikrishnan 2/19). Points: MSE – 2, Starcare - 0.
Axis defeat RAHRC In another H Division match, Axis Group defeated RAHRC by three wickets. Batting fi rst, RAHRC were 141 all out in 19.5 overs. Sujith Kottala top scored with 55. Sameer Hameed claimed six wickets for Axis. In reply, Axis Group scored 142 for seven in 19.2 overs. Sa-meer top scored with 33. Pranav G. claimed three wickets for RAHRC.
Brief scores: RAHRC 141 in 19.5 overs (Sujith Kottala 55; Sameer Ha-meed 6/20) lost to Axis Group 142 for 7 in 19.2 overs (Sameer Hameed 33; Pranav G. 3/27). Points: RAHRC – 2, AXIS GROUP - 0.
ONEIC beat Trust Doosan In an I Division match, ONEIC defeated Trust Doosan by 57 runs. Batting fi rst, ONEIC scored 219 for nine in 20 overs with Kamal Haider top scoring with 70. Nithin Sasi claimed four wickets for Trust Doosan. In reply, Trust Doosan managed 162 for seven in 20 overs. Sinu Thankachan top scored with 64 not out. Syed Osama and Zubair Ahmed claimed two wickets each.
Brief scores: ONEIC 219 for 9 in 20 overs (Kamal Haider 70; Nithin Sasi 4/33) bt Trust Doosan 162 for 7 in 20 overs (Sinu Thankachan 64 n.o; Zubair Ahmed 2/22). Points: ONEIC – 2, Trust Doosan - 0.
Batting fi rst, Future
Oilfi eld amassed
238 runs for the loss
of four wickets in
20 overs. In reply,
Attic Outdoors were
bundled out for
165 in 16.5 overs
SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT
PHOTO GALLERYW W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M
FUTURE OILFIELD HEROES: From left, Afran Ali, Mohammed Amjad,
Wasim and Imran Ali. – Supplied photo
Abdullah, Issa top seeds at ISC Open
MUSCAT: Talented Omani players have received top billing at the ISC-Muscat Pharmacy Open Junior Tennis Tourna-ment which gets underway on Monday evening.
The tournament is organised by the Indian Social Club (ISC) Muscat, sponsored by Mus-cat Pharmacy & Stores LLC and powered by Horlicks and Pocari Sweat.
Abdullah Al Barwani is the top seed in the boys under-18 singles while Younis Al Rawahi is seeded second. Subash Pillai of the ISC is seeded third and Amaan Kazi fourth.
Upcoming prospect Issa Al Suleimani is the top seed in the under-10 singles and Praneeth Raj is No. 2. Vivek Kolluru is No. 1 seed in the boys under-12 event with Omani player Mar-wan Al Khanjari second. In the boys under-14 singles, ISC’s Hassan Haider gets the top seeding with talented Omani player Muneer Al Rawahi seed-ed second.
Maryam Al Balushi, Samar Al Bakri, Aisha Al Suleimani and Sanjana Girish, Yashica Jain and Anusha Ravishankar are the girls favoured to claim top positions.
T E N N I S
WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM
GearSECTIONC L I F E S T Y L E M O N DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
Samsung, at the moment, seems to be fl ooding the TV market, with a new model launch every now and then. And though the
brand’s intention behind doing so could be providing customers with ample choice (not one TV customer must be left out, seems to be the dictum), the outpour has caused much confusion as well, with many models almost identical, having very minute diff erence (that the sales guy are mostly unable to tell). Then the coded model names further fuel the confusion (sounding like some fi ghter jet label).
After much window shopping and hanging around the Samsung display areas, we were fi nally able to pick out one superb off ering better than most in its segment, and yet priced quite reasonably: The JU7000.
The series sits in Samsung’s cur-rent mid-range of 4K televisions, and though it might not pack in all the future-proofi ng benchmarks as Samsung’s premium SUHDTV range, such as HDR or a wider colour gamut – it does have some enticing features, including local dimming, and 4K video streaming services from Netfl ix and Amazon.
The LED backlit fl at screen JU7000 incorporates all the latest
picture features found on Sam-sung’s UHD range of TVs.
Featuring Ultra HD 4K resolu-tion (3840 x 2160) and Active 3D with Quad-Core picture process-ing, the JU7000 also features Peak Illuminator, designed to boost the brightness of the image by taking energy not being used in dark parts of the image and using it to boost the brighter parts.
Having all the ingredients nec-essary to produce super pictures, the series has a precisely cor-rect contrast performance. Dark screen uniformity is also much better than the average. Though errant lighting maybe visible sometimes, but only during very black scenes.
The 3 mode ‘Smart LED’ feature (set at low mode), also works won-ders, retaining most of the detail in the shadows without produc-ing obtrusive haloing eff ects, aided further by the ‘Auto Motion Plus’ feature that eff ectively reduces motion blur.
The standard of video process-ing is quite high; even the stand-ard defi nition material looks very presentable. Though no miracles are to be expected with the ultra-low bit rate material broadcast-ers often infl ict upon us but a de-cent DVD plays superb, thanks to top-notch scaling.
The video deinterlacing is also strong, and the up-scaled con-tent remains perfectly watchable, though the full HD 1080p TVs still do a better job at it. But that’s the case with all the 4Ks, and not just the JU7000.
The only notable picture is-sue with the series is some visible panel banding, most noticeable on fast panning brighter colour shots, which might not sound good to sports lovers. But again the uni-formity issue is evident in most TVs with similar tech, and con-sidering brand switch won’t help much, or at all.
That said; the Samsung JU7000 is one of the best options in mid-level 4K TVs, delivering excellent results. The colours are really pleasing and they combine with those good black levels and com-petent dimming system to pro-duce very punchy pictures, whilst remaining natural.
Also, though not HDR capable, it still has plenty of dynamic range and those Ultra HD streams from Netfl ix and Amazon play superbly. The icing on the top will be Ultra HD Blu-ray, and we could only won-der how it would look on the 7000.
Samsung has also gifted the gamers a real delight with the JU series, delivering superfi ne per-formance having a measured lag
of just 24.2 milliseconds, which is less than a one frame delay for a 30 frames per second title.
On the design front, the JU7000 series is quite sleek, with a pleas-ingly dark metallic bezel angling forward from the screen like a sharp-edged picture frame, propped on an elegant T-shaped stand making the TV appear as if
fl oating above the tabletop. It is however not the slimmest TV out there with a maximum depth of approx. 7cm.
Typical of the Samsung, the JU7000 also comes with two re-mote controls; regular and smart. Bringing you next gen TV control, the smart controller includes navigation buttons and a pointer for eff ective motion control of all the smart features, plus a range of practical voice controls that actually work (talk to the remote if not thumb).
The new menu is also much more convenient and easy to oper-ate. Simply laying your fi nger on the capacitive button summons the pointer and basic menu. Icons appear on the top, bottom and left of the screen for “Menu/123,” “Smart Hub” and volume, respec-tively, allowing you to dive into overlays for each while the main video continues playing.
With the new the Tizen oper-ating system, the ‘Smart Hub’ is also very neat, with a clean, sim-ple, horizontal overlay of icons, with recently used apps and other items, like inputs, lined up along the bottom of the screen.
The app selection is also solid, with most of the major apps cov-ered. However, the OS is still be-hind LG’s Web OS and Google’s
Android TV, employed by Sony and Sharp TVs.
The Samsung exclusive ‘Multi Link Screen’ feature lets you split the screen and share it be-tween TV and apps or browser simultaneously.
Another interesting feature is the OneConnect Mini connection box, which houses most of the in-puts, and the TV needs not to be bothered time and again to connect all those cables. Just connect the Mini to the TV once, and then all the devices could be plugged into the conveniently placed connec-tion box to connect with the TV.
Last but not least, for such a large TV, energy consumption fi g-ures are also very impressive with the 65-inch JU7000 consuming 135.4w on a 50% grey pattern and the calibrated movie mode used just 89.5w, much lesser than what others are munching.
Defi nitely ‘One’ of the best, if not ‘The’ best: the Samsung JU7000. — [email protected]
PICTURE THISSuperb picture, revamped smart interface, and stylish design, the Samsung
JU7000 is a seriously tempting proposition in the mid-level 4K LEDs
Story Faisal Mohammed Naim
KEY FEATURESSamsung JU7000
•• Display technology: LCD
•• LED backlight: Backlit
with local dimming
•• Resolution: 4K
•• Refresh rate: 120Hz
•• Screen shape: Flat
•• Screen fi nish: Glossy
•• Smart TV: Tizen
•• Remote: General + Motion
•• 3D technology: Active
•• 3D glasses included:
No
•• Sizes available (inch): 50,
55, 65, 78
•• Price: OMR 629 (55inch),
OMR 1199 (65inch)
Available atSARCO Centre, Extra,
Emax, Sharaf DG
(Confused with all those super-tech terms you came across in the article — colour gamut, dimming, HDR, and so on? Turn to page C7 to know exact-ly what they mean)
FIND-IT-ALLC6 M O N DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
Dhuhr 12.25pm
Asr 3.35pm
Maghrib 5.58pm
Isha 7.10pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 5.30am
PRAYER TIMINGS
CITY CINEMAContact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.netfacebook.com/citycinemaoman
SHATTIAlvin & the Chipmunks:The Road Chip (2D) (Animation ) (PG) Voice over: Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.2:30, 4:30, 6:30 PMAmerican Hero (2D) (Action) (15+) Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions2:45, 8:15, 11:45 PMRide Along 2 (2D) (Action) (15+) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter11:30 PMStandoff (2D) (Thriller) (12+) Cast: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne.5:00, 10:00, 11:30 PMConcussion (2D) (Biography) (12+) Cast: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks6:30, 8:45 PMSisters (2D) (Comedy) (18+) Cast: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph4:45 PMOcean 14 (Arabic) (2D) (Drama) (15+) Cast: Amr Mostafa Metwally, Nermine Maher.7:00 PMAirlift (2D) (Drama) (12+) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur9:00 PM
MUSCAT GRAND MALLConcussion (Biography | Drama | Sport) 12+Cast : Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks3:00& 9:15PMGold Class -8:45PMAlvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (Animation) PGVoice over : Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.12:00, 1:45, 3:30 & 7:15PMGold Class - 5:15PMAmerican Hero (Action | Sci-Fi) 15+Cast : Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions1:00,9:30 &11:30PMGold Class - 3:30,7:00 & 8:45PMBrooklyn (Drama) TBCCast : Saoirse Úna Ronan, Emory Isaac Cohen5:15PM
Ride Along 2 (Action | Comedy) 15+Cast : Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter7:30 &11:30PMThe Good Dinosaur-3D (Animation) U5:15PM
PANORAMA MALLAlvin & the Chipmunks – The Road Chip (MX4D)(PG)Voice over: Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.3:00, 5:00, 6:45, 8:45, 10:30PMAlvin & the Chipmunks – The Road Chip (2D)(PG)2:30, 5:15PMConcussion (Biography, Drama)( (2D)(12+)Cast: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks2:30, 7:00, 11:30 PMConcussion (12+)-VIP LOUNGE6:30 PMExposed (Drama)(2D)(12+)Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves.5:00, 9:15 PMExposed (Drama)(2D)(12+)-VIP LOUNGE11:00 PMAmerican Hero (Action, Comedy)(2D)(15+)Cast : Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions4:30, 7:00, 11:45 PMAmerican Hero (2D)(15+)-VIP LOUNGE3:30, 9:00PM
Airlift (2D)(12+)Cast : Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur2:45, 6:15, 8:45, 11:15 PMThe Revenant (Adventure, Drama)(2D)(12+)Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy8:45PM
AZAIBA Saala Khadoos – 2D (12+) Drama/ Sport Cast: R Madhavan, Nasser, Radha Ravi2:30, 4:45, 7:00, 9:20, 11:30 PMAirlift – 2D (PG12) Drama/ History/ ThrillerCast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur.2:45, 4:40, 6:55, 9:10, 11:30 PMStandoff – 2D (12+) ThrillerCast: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne.3:15, 10:00, 11:45 PMAlvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip – 2D (PG) Animation Voice over: Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg. 2:45, 5:00 PMAmerican Hero – 2D (15+) Action| Comedy Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions5:15, 11:45 PM2 Countries (Malaylam) – 2D (PG12) ComedyCast: Dilip, Mamta Mohandas, 7:00 PMAranmanai 2 (Tamil) – 2D (15+) Horror
Cast: Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan. 6:45, 9:15 PM
RUWIScreen 1Airlift (Action / Thriller) –12+Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur3.30, 9.30 PMSaala Khadoos (Drama / Sports) –12+Cast: R.Madhavan, Nasser, Radha Ravi6.30 PMScreen 2Saala Khadoos (Drama / Sports) –12+Cast: R.Madhavan, Nasser, Radha Ravi4.00, 9.45 PMAirlift (Action / Thriller) –12+Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur6.45 PMScreen 3Wazir (Action / Thriller) – PG12Cast: Amitabh Bacchan, Farhan Akhtar3.45, 9.45 PMAranmanai 2 (Tamil) (Horror | Comedy) – 15+Cast :Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan6.45 PM
SUR
American Hero ( Action) (15+) CP#Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions.
9.55, 11.35PMAirlift - (Hindi)( Drama ) ( 12+ ) CP#Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur,7.40PMAranmanai 2 (Tamil) (Horror) (15+) CP #Cast: Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan7.40PMStandoff (Action | Thriller) ( 12+) CP#Cast : Laurence Fishburne, Thomas Jane10.05, 4.30, 6.10, 11.40PMAlvin and the Chipmonk (Animation | Adventure |Comedy) ( PG) CP#Voice over : Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.4.30, 6.00PM
SOHARThe Fifth Wave - 2D (PG12) Adventure Cast : Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson4:30, 11:30 PMAirlift - 2D (12+) Drama | History | ThrillerCast : Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur8:45, 11:15 PM2 Countries- 2D (M) (PG) ComedyCast : Dilip, Mamta Mohandas6:45 PMAmerican Hero - 2D (15+) Action | Sci-FiCast : Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions3:00, 7:00, 11:45 PMStandoff - 2D (12+) Thriller Cast : Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne2:45, 5:15, 9:45, 11:30 PMAlvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip - 2D (PG) AnimationVoice over : Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.3:00, 5:00PMSisters - 2D (18+) ComedyCast : Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph5:00 PMSaala Khadoos - 2D (12+) Drama/ Sport Cast : R Madhavan, Nasser, Radha Ravi7:00 PMConcussion - 2D (12+) Biography | Drama Cast : Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks2:45, 9:25 PMOcean 14 - 2D (Arb) (15+) DramaCast : Amr Mostafa Metwally, Nermine Maher6:45 PMAranmanai 2- 2D (T) (15+) Horror | ComedyCast : Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan8:45 PM
BURAIMI
Standoff – 2D (Thriller) (12+)Cast: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne5:00, 7:00, 11:30PM
Exposed– 2D (Drama) (12+)Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves3:45, 7:30PMAlvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip – 2D (Animation) (PG)3:15, 5:45, 8:45PMAmerican Hero – 2D (Action/Sci-Fi) (15+)Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions3:15, 7:15, 9:30, 11:30PMAirlift – 2D (Drama, History, Thriller) (12+)Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur5:00, 9:00, 11:15PMAranmanai 2– 2D (Horror/Comedy) (15+)Cast: Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan.8:45PM
SALALAH
Standoff (2D) (12+) (Thriller)Cast: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne2:00, 7:00, 11:45PMAmerican Hero (2D) (15+) (Action | Sci-Fi) Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions11:15AM,3:45,7:30,11:55PMRide Along 2 (2D) (15+) (Action | Comedy) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter5:30PMExposed (2D) (12+) (Drama) Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves12:45, 4:50PMSisters (2D) (18+) (Comedy)Cast: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph11:45AM, 2:40PMConcussion (2D) (12+) (Biography) Cast: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks2:45, 9:15PMAirlift (2D) (12+) (Drama, History, Thriller) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur8:45, 11:15PM 2 Countries (2D) (PG12) (Malayalam) Cast: Dileep, Mamta Mohandas8:40PM Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2D) (PG) ( Animation | Adventure | Comedy)Voice over:Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.11:00AM,1:00,5:15PMOcean 14 (2D) (TBC) (Arabic )(Drama) Cast: Amr Mostafa Metwally, Nermine Maher.6:45PM
CINEMA SCHEDULE CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 3 YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CINEMA | BOX-OFFICE COUNTER OPENS 30-MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCREENING OF THE FIRST SHOW
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
EMBASSIES IN OMAN
Afghanistan 24698 791/4
Algeria 24605 593
Bahrain 24 605 074/133
Bangladesh 24 698 660
Brazil 24640100
Brunei 24 603533
China 24 696782
Cyprus 24 699815
Egypt 24 600 982/411
France 24681 800
Germany 24835000
India 24684500
Indonesia 2469 1050
Iran 24 696 944/7
Iraq 24603642
Italy 24693727
Japan 24 601 028
Jordan 24692760/1/3
Kazakhstan 24 692418
Kenya 24 697664
South Korea 24 691490
Kuwait 24 699628
Lebanon 24 693208
Libya 24603466
Malaysia 24698329/643
Morocco 24696152/3
Nepal 24696177
Netherlands 24603706
Pakistan 24603439
Palestine 24601312
Philippines 24605335
Qatar 24 691 153/2/4
Russia 24602894
Saudi Arabia 24601705
Senegal 24694139
Somalia 24697977
South Africa 24647300
Spain 24691101
Sri Lanka 24697841/2
Sudan 24697875
Switzerland 24603267
Syria 24697904
Tanzania 24601 174
Thailand 24 602684/5
Tunisia 24603486
Turkey 24697050/1/2
UAE 24400000
United Kingdom 24609000
United States 24643400
Yemen 24600815
PHARMACIES
Round the clock
Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334
Apollo Medical Centre,
Hamriya 24782666
Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi 24702542
Salalah 23291635;
Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra 24503585
Muscat Region
Apollo, Al Hamriya 24787766
Muscat, A Seeb Market 24421691
Muscat, Al Khuwair 24485740
Muscat, Al Hail South 24537080
Dhofar Region
Muscat, Al Nahdha Road,
Salalah 23291635
HOSPITALS
Al Amal Medical & Health Care
Centre 24485052
Atlas Hospital
Ruwi 24811743/
Ghubra 24504000
Al Musafir Specialised
Medical Clinic 24706453
Hatat Polyclinic LLC,
Ruwi 24563641
Azaiba 24499269
Sohar 2683006
Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2
Al Massaraat Clinic &
Laboratory 24566435
Al Makook Medical
Coordinance Centre 24499434
Apollo Medical Centre,
Hamriya 24787766, 24787780
Capital Polyclinic 24707549
Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic,
Ruwi 24799760/1/2
Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740
Ceregem National Raak 24485633
Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217
Elixir Health Centre 24565802
Emirates Medical Centre 24604540
1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274
Lifeline Hospital Salalah 23212340
International Medical
Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5
Kims Oman Hospital 24760100
24 Hrs Emergency 24760123
Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128
MBD 24799077
Al Khuwair 24478818
Magrabi Eye and
Ear Hospital 24568870
Muscat Private Hospital 24583600
Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment
Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666
Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000
AIRLINE OFFICES
Muscat Airport Flight information
(24 hours) 24519456/24519223
Aeroflot 24704455
Air Arabia 24700828
Air France 24562153
Air India 24799801
Air New Zealand 24700732
Biman Bangladesh Airlines 24701128
British Airways 24568777
Cathay Pacific 24789818
Egypt Air 24794113
Emirates Air 24404400
Ethiopian Airlines 24660313
Gulf Air 80072424
Indian 24791914
Iran Air 24787423
Japan Airlines 24704455
Jazeera Airways 23294848
Jet Airways 24787248
Kenya Airways 24660300
KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737
Kuwait Airways 24701262
LOT Polish Airlines 24796387
Lufthansa 24796692
Malaysian Airlines 24560796
Middle East Airlines 24796680
Oman Air 24531111
Pakistan International
Airlines 24792471
Qatar Airways 24771900
Qantas 24559941
Royal Jordanian 24796693
Saudi Arabian Airlines 24789485
Singapore Airlines 24791233
Shaheen Air 24816565
SriLankan Airlines 24784545
Swiss International
Airlines 24796692
Thai Airways 24705934
LISTINGS
LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE
FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)
Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days
QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36)
15:00 Quriyat 16:30 Daily
15:00 Sur 18:00 Daily
15:00 Jaalan 19:30 Daily
TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)
06:30 Sohar 08:50 Daily
06:30 Buraimi 11:00 Daily
08:00 Buraimi 14:30 Daily via Ibri
13:00 Sohar 15:45 Daily
13:00 Buraimi 17:40 Daily
16.00 Sohar 18.35 Daily
16.00 Buraimi 20:20 Daily
TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)
17:30 Sinaw 20:50 Daily
TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)
14:30 Nizwa 16:50 Daily
14:30 Yanqul 19:30 Daily
TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)
08:00 Nizwa 10:20 Daily
08:00 Al Araqi 12:30 Daily
TO SUR (ROUTE 55)
07:30 Sur 12:00 Daily
14:30 Sur 18:45 Daily
TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62)
06:30 Fahud 10:30 Daily
06:30 Yibal 11:15 Daily
TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100)
07:00 Salalah 20:00 Daily
10:00 Marmul 20:30 Daily
10:00 Salalah 23:30 Daily
19:00 Salalah 07:40 Daily
TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)
06:00 Marmul 16:50 Daily
SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102)
15:00 Dubai 07:00 Daily
TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)
06:00 Sohar 08:30 Daily
06:00 Dubai 11:30 Daily
13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur
13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur
15:00 Sohar 17:35 Daily
15:00 Dubai 20:55 Daily
TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)
07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily
07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily
07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily
TO MUSCAT (RUWI)
Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days
FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)
05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily
05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily
05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily
TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)
07:00 Sohar 08:55 Daily
07:00 Ruwi 11:40 Daily
13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri
13:00 Sohar 14:55 Daily
13:00 Ruwi 17:40 Daily
13:00 Sohar 19:20 Daily
17:00 Ruwi 22:15 Daily
TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)
07:00 Ruwi 10:25 Daily
TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)
06:00 Nizwa 08:40 Daily
06:00 Ruwi 11:00 Daily
TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)
15:40 Nizwa 17:55 Daily
15:40 Ruwi 20:20 Daily
TO SUR (ROUTE 55)
06:00 Ruwi 10:45 Daily
14:30 Ruwi 19:00 Daily
TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)
12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily
12:30 Ruwi 17:30 Daily
TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)
07:00 Ruwi 19:50 Daily
10:00 Marmul 13:15 Daily
10:00 Ruwi 22:30 Daily
19:00 Ruwi 07:30 Daily
TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)
06:00 Marmul 16:30 Daily
DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)
15:00 Salalah 07:00 Daily
TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)
07:30 Sohar 10:50 Daily
07:30 Ruwi 13:40 Daily
13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri
13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri
15:30 Sohar 18:45 Daily
15:30 Ruwi 21:35 Daily
FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)
16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily
16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily
16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily
@BURAIMI @BAHJA
American Hero (2D) (15+) (Action | Sci-Fi) Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions3:15, 7:15, 9:30, 11:30PM
Ocean 14: (Arabic / Comedy)Cast : Omar Mustafa Metwally, Nirmen Maher2.00. & 6.00 PMCP NO: 140 (15+)
BAHJA CINEMAFilm information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com
Standoff: (Thriller)cast:: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne4.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.55 PM CP No: 138 (12+)Exposed: (Drama)Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves4.00., 10.00. & 11.55 PM CP NO: 139 (12+)Sisters: (Comedy)Cast : Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph2.00. & 6.00 PM. CP NO: 137 (18+)Ocean 14: (Arabic / Comedy)Cast : Omar Mustafa Metwally, Nirmen Maher2.00. & 6.00 PMCP NO: 140 (15+)Ride Along 2: (Action / Comedy)Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 8.00 PM CP NO: 112 (15+)
STAR CINEMAFilm information 24791641 / 24786776Website: www.isurf.co.om
2 Countries( Mal) ( Drama/Comedy) Cast : Dileep & Mamta Mohandas 3:00, 6:30 & 10:00 PM Cinema Main Irudhi Suttru ( Tamil) (Sports/Drama) Cast: R.Madhavan, Ritika Singh & Nassar 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30PM Cinema - 2 Aranmanai 2 (Tamil) (Horror/Comedy) Cast: Sidarth, Trisha & Hansika Motwani 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45PM Cinema -3 Airlift ( Hindi) ( Act/Thriller) Cast : Akshay Kumar & Nimrat Kaur 6:45 & 9:45PM Cinema- 4 Soggade Chinninayana ( Telugu) ( Drama/Comedy) Cast : Nagarjuna & Ramya Krishna 3:45PM Cinema -4NEXT CHANGE: ADI KAPYARE ( Mal) GHAYAL ONCE AGAIN ( HINDI), BANGALORE NAATKAL (TAMIL)Programmes are subject to change
WEATHER
230
Maximum
150
Minimum
TEMPERATURE
50-80%RELATIVE HUMIDITY
Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 17 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to [email protected]
WITH LOVE
HARDIK UMESH SHAHFebruary 1, 2007
@RUWI
Aranmanai 2 (Tamil) (Horror | Comedy) – 15+Cast :Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan6.45 PM
LIFESTYLEC7M O N DAY, F E B R UA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
The world of television can be a confusing place, where several buz-zwords and techno-
speak could be daunting to the uninitiated. Don’t worry, as here we are to bust the TV-tech jar-gon. We bet that next time you go TV hunting you are defi nitely go-ing to go fully informed and the sales guy won’t take you to be just another layman.
Video Processing
ScalingThe TV has its own resolution, while the source has its own (the content to be displayed on the TV), and scaling is the process by which the TV matches the content’s resolution to its own. Your televi-sion will have a certain amount of pixels (tiny dots of light) that will form the overall picture at a certain resolution – the higher the resolu-tion the more detailed and defi ned the picture will be, like UHD (3840 x 2160) Full HD (1080p) or HD Ready (720P) televisions. Regard-less of what resolution the source material is, your TV will then pro-cess the video signal to match the number of pixels it has.
Screen Refresh RateRefresh rate refers to the number of times a television scans the sig-nal per second and is measured in Hertz (Hz). Having a higher num-ber here is better as it means the image should exhibit no fl icker and the perception of moving im-ages will be smoother. You must have seen TVs with extremely high refresh rates – anything up to 3000Hz – but it is more a slightly confusing terminology on the manufacturer’s behalf and actu-ally refers to the number of times the backlight can be switched on and off , per second, rather than the number of times the screen is actually refreshing. Still, bigger is generally better but don’t be mis-led by manufacturer claims of in-credibly fast screen refresh rates.
Motion ResolutionTo display moving images at their full resolution with perfect clari-ty, manufacturers include option-al motion processing to the TVs, which modifi es the frame rate by inserting made-up (guessed) frames to give the impression of greater clarity. However, it is ad-visable to use the function only in moderate settings as over pro-cessing might actually ruin the picture quality.
Input LagInput Lag is defi ned as the time be-tween when the user presses a but-ton on a game controller and when the action happens on the screen. There are many factors that con-
tribute to the amount of input lag, including whether you are using a wired or wireless controller, the network lag (if you are playing on-line) and the processing speed of the console itself.
Input lag is not to be confused with panel response time, which is the time measured for a pixel to go from grey to white and then back to grey again.
Calibration
Colour GamutThis is the range of diff erent col-ours that a TV can accurately dis-play; the more colours, the wider the colour gamut and the more sat-urated and intense the colours will be. Most modern displays have a wide colour gamut available out of the box, which when displayed on
screen adds an artifi cial punch to the picture. However, if the gamut is over the accepted standards then picture quality will suff er with colour inaccuracies.
High Dynamic Range (HDR)HDR is a way of displaying the wider dynamic range inherent in the original capture of content. A fi lm camera or a modern digital camera is capable of capturing a higher level of brightness (lumi-nance) and a wider array of colours than the Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) content we more often see.
HDR doesn’t only increase the brightness of an image, it works on overall dynamic range between black and white by making the dark parts darker and the bright parts brighter, while retaining de-tail when both are in the frame.
HDR also adds greater expression and detail within colours too.
Connectivity
HDMI 1.4/2.0/2.0aFor regular High Defi nition (1080P) video, and for that matter 3D content, an HDMI 1.4 port on the back of your TV will be suffi -cient. If, however, you’re planning to take the leap in to 4K with an Ultra HD TV, you will want to check its ports are at least HDMI 2.0 com-patible. The HDMI 1.4 is also capa-ble of carrying a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, but only at low frame rates, so it is not future-proofed against advances in Ultra HD de-livery technology. The HDMI 2.0a connection is also important for High Dynamic Range (HDR) capa-bility and HDR data processing.
HDCP 2.2The very latest version of High-bandwidth Digital Content Protec-tion (HDCP) is 2.2 and you should get compatibility via any HDMI 2.0 labeled input for all that 4K Blu-ray and other UHD content.
Other Terminologies
Contrast RatiosThe contrast ratio of a TV is sim-ply calculated by measuring the brightness of white (peak lumi-nance) and then dividing that by the black level (minimum lumi-nance level) measurement. The higher the contrast level, the more striking the picture will be; higher the better.
Dynamic RangeMore the dynamic range in a TV, the more realistic images – closer to what we see in reality. While contrast is the diff erence be-tween the darkest and brightest elements of the image, dynamic range is the expression of eve-rything in between. A given col-our has almost limitless shades (steps) that the eye can see but the content on TV is limited by com-pression techniques. Currently 4K delivers the best dynamic range with 10-bit video, providing 1,024 steps per colour.
Viewing AnglesWhen moving to the sides, you may notice that colours and con-trast are more washed out and ( just like laptop), depending on your room lay-out, this might be an important factor when con-sidering a new TV. If you’re in the market for a new LED/LCD TV, look out for those having an IPS panel if wide viewing angles are a necessity. Or, if you have plenty to spend, OLED TVs off er the best off -axis viewing experience.
Dimming SystemsDimming systems improve the per-ceived contrast and black levels, and can be global or local. Where global refers to an overall dimming of the picture, local means that smaller portions or zones of the screen are dimmed, providing a better coloured picture.
Backlit vs Edge Lit An LED TV actually means
LED LCD TV. LED or Light Emit-ting Diodes is simply the lighting source of the LCD Panel provid-ing the white light, as the LCD it-self cannot illuminate enough to create a vivid image. The LED il-luminates the panel in two ways; directly behind regions of LCD screen known as backlit, or on the edges of it, known as edge lit. The backlit LED produces more uni-form results. —[email protected]
Facebook to add computer art to make your photos incredible
Social networking giant Facebook and its photo and video-sharing app Instagram are reportedly set to quietly make your photos incredible by add-ing computer art to them.According to The Verge, it has been discovered that for every photo you upload to Facebook or Instagram, the company quietly makes an html page that replicates that photo using ASCII or text characters that lets you blow up your images to massive scale.Mathias Bynens, a web standards enthusiast from Belgium, noticed it and tweeted about it. “Take any Facebook/Instagram photo URL… Append ‘.txt’ ? ASCII art … append ‘.html’ ? coloured ASCII art,” he wrote in his tweet.
Virtual reality headsets can trigger motion sickness, nauseaRegular virtual reality (VR) headset-users who play motion-heavy videos suff er the most from mo-tion sickness and nausea, researchers have found.Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison demonstrated this by making the partici-pants watch motion-heavy videos through the Oculus Rift -- a 3D virtual reality headset worn like a pair of goggles. The results, published in the journal Entertainment Computing with Green, pointed out that nearly two-thirds of the study subjects quit watching the videos early, overcome by nausea in the virtual environment for much the same reason discomfort catches up to people in real-world situations.-IANS
T E C H T A L K
Out Buying the latest TV? But how well do you know it actually? All those catchy features might sound lucrative but it is essential to be aware exactly what and how they do,
and whether it really serves your purpose.
Story Faisal Mohammed Naim
TV Tech Decoded
LIFESTYLEC8 M O N DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 , 2 0 1 6
Million Internet users
Users spend online everyday
72
GAMING
2 HoursGoogle searches everyday
100 million
growth in Arabic language2500%
KSA has the highest rates in social gaming
Arabic language will be the 4th most used language
on the web
Internet penetration: 150 million users in 2015
KSA will be leading 4G market in the Middle East by 2016
Source: smarttouch.me
handheld devices25 million
KSA smartphones will increase by 48.63% by 2016 end
48.63%
A AR
BI
C
The Massive Growth of MENA Internet Users by 2016
W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O MSECTION
CONNECT H E D A I LY G U I D E
D
D4 VACANCY CARGO D7
M O N D AY, F E B R UA R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6
RENT D2
*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication.
* Subject to space availability
*Tourist visa arranged
Email: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461
FOR RENT
D2 M O N D AY, F E B R UA R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6
DAILY GUIDE
FLATS FOR RENT
CONTACT : 93202733
1 BHK and 2BHK Flats with Split ACs - Opp. to MOD -
Near Lulu Darsait
Brand New 4-Bedroom Ground
Floor House for Rent in Al-Ansab
(Bousher) . Easy access to main
road. House is constructed with
high quality fi nishing and elegant
doors design. 4 Bedrooms with
in-situ bathrooms. Marble fl oor.
Specious kitchen. For rent @ 600
OMR/Month (Negotiable).
Please contact Mr. Ali 92755663.
2 bed rooms fl at with hall,
2 bathrooms in Darsait near
Muscat Municipality.
Contact: 92584715 / 24700120
1000sqmtrs industrial land for
rent in Ghala suitable for
warehouse workshop etc.
Contact 24700120 / 92584715
Flat for rent in Wadi Al Kabir next
5 Al Hassan company, 2 bed room
& 3 toilets. Contact: 99210008
Villa 2 room, 1 sitting room, 1 lob-
by, 2 bathrooms at South Mawalleh
behind Discount Supermarket.
Contact: 92757673 / 99388138
Al Khuwair 17/2, 4 rooms,
4 bathrooms. Contact: 97300123
Al Khuwair 33, 3 rooms, 2 bath-
rooms. Contact: 97300123
Flat in Hamriya. Contact
99341112
Flat in Wadi Al Kabir 2 bedrooms, 1
living room, 1 family hall, kitchen & 3
bathrooms. Contact: 99277787
Flat for rent in Al Ansab 1, 2
rooms, living room, kitchen & A/C.
Contact: 91256340
Luxurious villa for rent in Al
Athaiba, a new luxurious G+2
fl oors villa in Al Azaibs. All rooms
W/ Splt unit ACs, close to Wave
Muscat & shopping centers.
Contact: 95965445
02 BHK Commercial / Residential
(with split AC) fl at at Honda road.
Contact: 99342733 / 99795241
Apartments & shops for rent in Al
Amerat & brand new apartments &
shops for rent in Al Amerat.
Contact: 95965445
Villa in Al Khoud for staff accommo-
dation, like nurses or teachers can
accommodate 30 to 35 people.
Rent RO.1200/-. Contact - 91178282
New fl at in Wadi Kabeer.
Contact: 98185135
Flats shops & store for rent in
Ruwi MBD Honda road.
Contact: 92433127 / 97293708
Flat for rent in
CBD area - Ruwi
Two rooms and a large hall
•Office spaces for rent in Al Hail on
the main road On the same building
of Al Khamis Shoes at Al Hail
•2 bed room flats in Qurum 29 for
rent next to ABA New building
-split AC - Good location
Contact No: 96177505
Luxury flat for rent in Bareeq Al Shatti buildingSpacious 2 BHK with sea view, split A/Cs, fixed wardrobes,
kitchen appliance. Near Opera Gallery.
Rent RO.900/- negotiable. Contact - 94084335 / 96920789
STORE FOR RENT
500 sqm store with 200 sqft offi ce & 200 sqm
covered shed for rent at Mabella Ind No-11 on main road,
direct from owner. CONTACT - 99278002
Contact : 24 70 30 60
FOR RENTRUWI :
Ware House - 630 M2SPACIOUS -2 B H K FLATS
NEAR AL FALAJ HOTEL:FURNISHED DELUXE
1 B/RM WITH 2 bathrooms,SPLIT A/C, BUILT IN
ARDROBRE, PRIVARE TERRACE.
Contact PersonMr.Mudassir :99314330
Mr.Joao Pereira: 99435952
RESTAURANT AVAILABLEFOR RENT
Of area 500 Sq mts with well equipped kitchen and dining facility on Ground Floor at
DARVESH Building, Near Royal Hospital.
DAILY GUIDEM O N D AY, F E B R UA R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6 D3
FOR RENT
Furnished sharing accommoda-
tion in ruwi near O.K. Center for
non-cooking indian bachelor.
Contact - 98805474
FOR RENT
1000 sqm industrial land with
compound wall & two rooms at
Misfah. Contact: 99342733 /
99795241
Newly build luxury residen-
tial villas for rent in Al Khoud.
Contact: 98116480 / 99447002 &
99358724
Single room attach bath with
kitchen in Muscat 100/- R.O.
Contact: 95094028
Villa for rent in Al Khuwair.
Contact: 96571151
Sharing accommodation at Ruwi
near family shopping center,
please call after 6:00 pm .
Contact: 93394653
02 BHK Residential fl at opposite
to Al Nahdha hospital.
Contact: 99342733 / 99795241
1& 2 BHK fl ats for rent at Hamriya Wadi Adai, Al Khoud,
Mabela & shop at Al Khoud & land
line Contact: 24834644 GSM
93994401/02/03 3 lines
FOR SALE
FOR SALE
*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00
noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to
space availability
Empty plot at Al Wadi Al Kabir
industrial area 550 sqm.
Contact: 95909020
Bosher Rimal 1, building appt for
rent 2BR, Maid room, sitting room,
full appliance, kitchen, 4 toilets.
Contact: 99349910
Flats shops & store for rent in
Ruwi, MBD area & Honda road.
Contact: 92589235/ 94579531
Flats two bed room for rent in
Al Khuwair. Contact: 96571151
1&2 BHK fl at in Walja.
Contact: 98218279
New fl ats for rent at Darsait near
to ministry of sports, Mumtaz area
the fl ats include 1 living room, 2
Bedroom, kitchen, 3 toilets every
room with split A/C & high Quality
fi nishing, rent per fl at is R.O 340/-.
Interested candidates please
Contact: 00968- 92225523
3BHK fl at for rent in Ghubra.
Contac: 99328070
Flats in Muttrah. Contact - 94051789-97201688
600 SQT commercial fl at for rent
opposite Oman fl ourmill Darsait
more details. Contact:91214849/
99364735
Offi ces in Ghala. Contact - 94051789-97201688
Household items & furniture in
excellent condition for sale. Indian
expat leaving for good.
Contact Ravi : 93380408
Beauty Salon for urgent sale in
Azaiba prime location behind
Al Fardan building. With sponsor
and 1 staff and 1 ready visa clear-
ance. Call: 95318629 / 95169411
Well running restaurant with 100
mess for sale at Misfa.
Contact: 95212017 / 99608600
Porta cabin for sale in Misfa.
Contact: 99442438 / 96578799
Luxury Apartments in Bousher
(35).# 95056808-97201688
Marble factory for sale location
Misfah. Contact: 98586828
Supermarket for sale in Amerat
(5) for part-time workers does not
have required 35/000 retractable
negotiate. Contact : 96656972 /
99719973
Restaurant items for sale.
Contact: 96772479 /98428507
Villas in Al Khoud. Contact -
95056808-97201688
High quality Warehouses
for rent at Mizfa 550 sqm to 3400 sqm.
Contact 96046951 / 99332291
3 Bedroom fl at in Wadi Kabeer.
Contact 95755953 / 95555162
4 BHK with terrace near Raymond
Ruwi in market on road.
Contact: 99065900/99354975
Family fl ats in Wadi AL Kabir, Ham-
riya, Muttrah, Al Khuwair, Ghubrah,
Bowshar, Al Hail North & Al Seeb.
Contact: 95250300 / 92125648
Excavation contracts worth RO 2
million + Big Volvo Excavators &
2015 Astra 5 tippers for sale.
Contact: 99120532 / 98867530
ACC. AVAILABLE
LOST
ACC. AVAILABLE
Accommodation available at
Al Hail Keralite family only.
Contact: 96234708
Big room, attached bathroom,
inbuilt cuboard, next to Sagar
polyclinic Al Khuwair, available
from Feb 7. Contact-97311413
Furnished bedroom with at-
tached bath and kitchen, separate
entrance available for Executive
bachelor for R.O 150/- per month
all inclusive in a villa OPP star
cinema. Contact: 99314807
Hail Independent rooms RO 140/-
& 160/-. Contact 95529970
A big room available for Muslim
couple / small family executive
bachelor near Hamriya R/A rent
130/- OMR, including water /
Electricity. Contact: 99495131
2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sitting
room, hall, kitchen with parking
space for rent in Mawalah, behind
City Centre. Contact 93930352
Fully furnished room with attached
bath for Executive bachelor behind
Al Meera Hyper market, Azaiba
150/- R.O. Contact: 99455735
Ghubra. Beautiful Room. Indian
Lady/Couple/Bachelor. Non-cook-
ing, Vegetarians.
Contact 99283938
Accommodation available at
Hamriya roundabout for executive
bachelors (no kitchen, furniture and
A/C) including water and electricity
RO 130. # 98145825, 98949724.
Furnished room in new building for
working Muslim lady/
Muslim couple only. Location AINT,
Darsait. Contact - 99008069
Furnished room with a/bathroom
in Al Khuwair33 for Indian Execu-
tive. Call: 95234062
Spacious semi furnished room
with separate bathroom for execu-
tive bachelor opposite OC centre
Ruwi. Call: 92273779
Single room for expat Indian
bachelors near Al Aktham restau-
rant Al khuwair for RO 120.
Water and electricity included.
Contact 98803261
Single bedroom fl at behind
German Embassy, near Al Nahdha
Hospital. Contact 99203954
Room available in Mumtaz area 1
room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1 room,
common bathroom. Interested
please Contact: 92680041 Mr. Altaf
Room for rent with furniture.
Al Bustan villeage.
Contact 93687466
Room , B/Room & Kitchen for
Executive in Wadi Kabir.
Contact: 99336206
Semi furnished spacious room
with attached washroom separate
entrance near Indian school
Al Ghobrah for non cooking
Executive Indian bachelor.
Contact: 95146361/92657598
Spacious semi furnished room
with separate bathroom for execu-
tive bachelor opposite OC centre
Ruwi. Call: 92273779
USED VEHICLES FOR SALE1. Toyota Land Cruiser. Model 2008 in good running condition. Vehicle regularly serviced by authorized service dealer. 2. Hino 7T Tipper. Model 2010 regularly serviced and in running condition 3. Toyota Yaris. Model 2006 regularly serviced and in running condition Place of inspection: Barka. Last date of submitting the quotation: 4th February 2016
Interested buyers may please contact on Phone: 26883543, Mobile : 99440306
Four bedrooms villa in Al Athaiba
300 m away from Shell Petrol
Station in an excellent condition.
Contact: 97755586
Brand new deluxe fl ats located
near Seeb fl yover on the right
hand side the main road coming
from the Seeb palace round about,
2 bedrooms family, hall, kitchen,
3 toilets & split unit.
Contact: 97755586
2BHK fl at for rent Darsait near ISM.
Contact: 95158570 / 99102255
2 bedrooms, kitchen, toilet, car
park R.O 220/- & 1 bedroom,
kitchen, toilet R.O 140 in
Al Khuwair. Contact: 95154331
One fl ats for rent 2 bedroom
all with bath al Ghobrah north near
Indian school (hot burger restau-
rant) Tel. 9976610
Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir.
Contact: 99376454
Flat for Rent 1/2 BHK Flat at
Muttrah, near Oman fl our mills,
10 min. from Corniche.Equipped
with split unit ACs, internet points,
free-to-air dish connection, CCTV
monitored, basement parking.
Rent RO.250/350 per month.
Contact:99229263; 93221054;
95215289
3 BHK fl at near Darsait ID medical.
RO 420/- Contact – 99358589 /
97079146 / 95570288
1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-.
Contact: 97799175 / 92144045
7 Bedrooms villa in Ghobrah North.
Contact - 96420432
1,2 BHK Ghubra R.O 300/-, 325/- &
350/-. Contact: 97799175
Profs/ Jack. Contact 93219378
1BHK fl at near Star Cinema 220/-
Contact 99358589 /95570288
Single BHK fl at available
in Honda road Ruwi. Contact:
24833972/ 24833974/ 99367448
FOR RENTOFFICES
PRIME LOCATIONS:AT: WALJA - HAMRIYA
– SEEB - BARKACALL:
99332242 [email protected]
FOR RENTOFFICES &
SHOWROOMS MAIN ROAD
PRIME LOCATION:BARKA - OPPOSITE
MARSCALL: 99332242
Perfect 5 BHK villas in Azaiba
RO 800/-. Contact: 94232344
2BHK fl at at Darsait nearby Indian
School RO 290/-. Contact: 94232344
4 BHK villa in AL Khuwair RO 525.
Contact: 94232344
FOR RENT3 BHK @ Ghobrah -18th November St2 BHK @Bousher - Bousher ShabiaStudio Flat - Alkuwair 33Shop for Rent 156 SQM - Bousher Shabia
GSM: 99 014 885 / 92 871 744
QSR OUTLET FOR SALE
Capital Area in a well known Mall.
Interested buyers may contact
on 99077960 or 94306216
3Ton Forklift, Special made for
Oman market, Japanese Isuze
C240 Engine, Cascade side shifter,
High amount exhaust, 3m lifting
height, Solid tyres, One year war-
ranty. Contact: 98883445
Furniture for sale immediatly.
Contact:99738104
CONTRACT BUSES REQUIRED FOR TRANSPORTATION OF WORKMEN
Contact Number : 97970935, 94306683
One of the leading construction companies in Oman requires 65/30 seater buses on contract basis for transportation of their workmen from camps to various sites located in Muscat region. Th ose interested may please contact within one week from the date of this advertisement.
Mohammad Sofi qul Islam has
lost Bangladeshi Passport No. BE
6252041. Finder please handover
to ROP
Jehad Abdul Samad has lost
Bangladeshi Passport No. BB
0908555. Finder please handover
to ROP
Ramjan Ali Mohammad has lost
Bangladeshi Passport No. AE
5623835. Finder please handover
to ROP
Qaisar Sajjad Ali has lost Paki-
stani passport No. FX1796002.
Finder please handover to ROP
DAILY GUIDED4 M O N D AY, F E B R UA R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6
SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT
SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED
SITUATION WANT-SIT. WANTED
SITUATION WANT-SIT. WANTED
Email: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624
ENGINEER/TECH/MECH
CATERING
BEAUTY
SKILLED LABOR
DRIVER
IT
MEDICAL
MANAGER
MISCELLANEOUS
DRIVER
ADMIN
ADMIN
ARCHITECTURE
CATERING
DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN
ACCOUNT. & FINANCE ACCOUNT. & FINANCE
ACCOUNT. & FINANCE
SALES / MARKETING
DOMESTIC HELP
Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp
looking job. Contact: 99531802
A leading facilities Management Junior Accountant, B.Com with 3
yrs experience. Communication
skill in English. Send your CVs :
We are looking for Chief Financial Offi cer, Male 40- 45
years old, Bachelor of Science in
Accountancy with 5 - 15 yrs. of ex-
perience. Contact: +968 24702133
Email: [email protected]
Required Full Time Light Driver for an Omani Family. Indian or Philippine national are preferred.
Send SMS only to 97711577
Reputed Construction Company
require experienced light Vehicle Driver. Contact 95526871
Immediate Requirements for ex-perienced Tailors (Designer wears,
casual clothing). Please call for
interview 99471085
Civil AutoCAD Draughts man 5 years experience on visit visa.
Contact: 99759284 Email:
A lady entrepreneur with BF Tech
1st Class (Fashion Technology)
since 2006 in Kerala like to make
change for better. Specialized in
designing, Production
Management, Fashion Art,
Grading, Surface ornamentation,
Garment Construction.
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +919539397097.
25 years male BA. English , Quali-
fi ed as mast in digital animation
having 5 yrs ex in character
animation specialized Auto Desk
mago and motion building
software knowledge,
seeking suitable placement.
Contact: 97917357
Indian male good experienced in
Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in
India & Oman, presently on visit
visa, looking for suitable placement.
Contact 94834687
Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in com-
merce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/
fi nance fi eld. On visit visa. Immedi-
ately available.
Contact – 92836216 /
Looking full time job. Contact:
99153378
Well reputed Marble Company looking for
3 SALESMEN Requires minimum 3 years experience
and valid Omani driving license. Interested candidates please
Fax your CV to 24601724 or Email on [email protected]
Contact -91262604Email: [email protected]
Wanted female GP, female Gynecologist, female Staff
Nurse, female X- Ray Technician With MOH license for Al Saadi
Specialized Medical Centre in Musanna.
DOMESTIC HELP
Urgently required House Boy for an Indian Business Family.
Call for Interview-99471085
Housemaid required for Keralite
family. Contact 95405033
Looking for housemaid urgently clearance available good salary
yearly ticket. TEL 24446920 /
99238121,
mail: [email protected]
Wanted: HEAD OF QA/QC & SALES ENGINEERS : Candidates with
Minimum 5-7 Years Experience in
one of the leading manufacturing
company in Sohar Industrial Area,
suitable candidates send their CV
to the below email :
Wanted A/C Technician with local
experience. Contact : 95779616
Require LAB TECHNICIAN ,The
desired candidate must be a gradu-
ate/diploma in Civil Engineering
with minimum experience of 3 to
5 years as Lab Technician having
Experience of testing construc-
tion materials on Building/ Road
projects. Send your CV to:
Indian male, 28, Post Graduate, 6
years exp. in Oman in Sales and
Credit Control , with valid Oman D/L
looking for suitable placements.
NOC available. Ph: 9206 6523
ACCOUNT. & FINANCE
Urgently required for a Medical Centre in Muscat & Salalah GP Doctor, Pediatrician (male / fe-
male) Gynecology, Nurses (male
/ female) with or without MOH
license, salary negotiable. Send
your CV : moc.hrd2015@gmail.
com or contact 92681842
Wanted female Ayurvedic
therapist with or without
MOH. Contact: 97263637 /
93309131
Required X RAY Technician, Lab Technician, General Practitioner, Gynecology, Staff Nurses. Contact: 95133572
Email: [email protected]
Wanted GP Doctor with MOH
license, job location in Muscat
with good salary and benefi ts.
Drop your cv at
Wanted urgently lady Doctor GP or DGO for immediate appoint-
ment. Contact : 99310590
Email: [email protected]
Wanted B- Pharmacist (female)
for a pharmacy in Sohar.
Contact : 99767605
Indian male MBA fi nance / market-
ing 34 yrs, 7 years experience in
India Accounts / Administration
/ offi ce jobs currently in Muscat
on family visa. Contact: 98104991
Email: [email protected]
Indian male 32 yrs having 8 years
experience in Oman looking for
suitable placement NOC & Oman
D/L available (release available if
required). Contact: 98093515
Part Time Accounting, Accounts
Finalization as per IFRS, Audit
Preparation, Cost Control and Man-
agement, Training for Accountants,
Internal Audit, Accounting System
for New Companies,
Contact: 96975454,
email:[email protected]
Indian male having good experience
in accounts and in accounting and in
accounting software’s ready to join
immediately #+91 9444965126
15 years experienced in fi nance &
treasury management CPA, CMA,
ACCA, MBA, qualifi ed Chartered
Accountant available for immediate
joining as head of fi nance, fi nancial
advisor, fi nanced consultant.
Contact: 94872345
Email: [email protected]
Indian male - M Com and More than
5 year experience in Finance and Ac-
counting seeking suitable placement
immediately. Now in Oman on visit
visa. Contact:97724457 / 99886476
A young CA (ACA & ACCA qualifi ed)
with 4 years experience in one of top
audit fi rms in UK & KSA seeks suit-
able placement in Oman. Contact:
Kamran [email protected],
+44 7480 1196 74/ +968 93595050
Indian male 30 yrs, B. Com, 6
yrs accounts exp in East Africa &
1 yr exp in Oman, NOC available
looking for suitable placement.
Contact: 94613626
Email: [email protected]
Indian female Accountant B.Com
P.G.D.C.A Tally 8 years exp in
Oman. Contact: 93726921
B. Com Diploma Computer 3 years
experience as an Accountant
Indian male (25) seeking place-
ment Accountant / Admin / sales
on visit visa. Contact: 98437731
Email: [email protected]
Chief Accountant Indian male 44
years B.Com Graduate PGDVA total
13 years in GCC, 7 years in Oman &
knowledge in Tally, ERP9, Peachtree
MS Offi ce having NOC seeks place-
ment Contact: 97060826
Email: [email protected]
Accountant MBA (fi nance)
masters (accounting) 2 yrs Exp
looking for suitable placement,
having NOC & valid D/L .
Contact: 92491009,
Email: [email protected]
Young 24, ACCA affi liate,
Advanced diploma in Accounting
and Business, seeking suitable
placement in Accounts, Finance or
audit With valid driving license.
Contact - 92430152,
Email - [email protected]
Part time Accountant, up to fi na-
lization, looking for job after 5pm
(location prefer – MSQ to
Al Hail). Contact: 95694737
Finance & Accounts Indian male
35 years B.Com MBA (F) 7 years
experience tally ERP9 with valid
D/L family visa.
Contact: 93257426 / 95230114
Email: [email protected]
Indian male B.Com with 1 year
experience in Oman as Account
having driving license seeks
suitable placement.
Contact: 93415880 Email:
Accounting Assistant, BBA,
M. Com (pursuing), tally, peach tree,
valid visa available.
Contact: 98269281
Indian Accountant well experi-
enced in construction accounts
(Financial and Cost) and also
administration and HR seek suit-
able placement (Full/Part time) in
Oman or UAE. Contact 98598099
Part time accounts qualifi ed
experience accountant.
Contact: 91126314
SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com
Finance-Indian with 7 years expe-
rience in Finance & Accounts up to
fi nalization. Currently employed
in Oman. Having D/L & NOC. Mob:
94122464,
Email: [email protected]
Chinese / Arab/ Grill, Cooks. Contact: 95529970
28/male/MBA - fi nance/B.Com -
Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/
India experience looking for a
suitable placement.
Contact 90187483
SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with
13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in
manufacturing, trading & contract-
ing Cos, capable of handling all
accounting, fi nance, banking, L/C,
import, export & fi nalization seeks
placement. NOC Available.
Call+968-98932752,
mail:[email protected]
Part-time accounting, tax report,
auditing & bank loan assistance.
Contact 91720465
Indian female, M.Tech electron-
ics 6.5 IELTS experience as VLSI /
Electronics project trainer & institute
administration currently in family
visa. Contact: 90195131 /24551290
Email: [email protected]
Looking for H.R Admin Assistant post or any related position, cur-
rently on visit visa, available for
immediate placement Qualifi ca-
tion MBA H.R. Contact: 94665450
Email:
Indian female PGDHRM MSW hav-
ing 5+ experience in HR Assistant
Administration customer support
good computer skill DOA, CIT Tally
now on family visit visa looking for
suitable position.
Contact: 95352527
Indian female 25 years Graduates
in BBM (HR) currently on visit visa
looking for suitable job.
Contact: 92065248
Email: [email protected]
young Omani male have experi-
ence 12 years as P.R.O , Clerk helper
supervisor Admin supervisor , H.R
Manager have diploma in H.S.E, IT
and P.D.O license looking for H.R
position or P.R.O license . Looking
for H.R position or P.R.O part time
or full time. Contact: 95933288
SITUATION VACANTGraduate with 3 to 5 years experience of successful and proven sales
in selling ceramic, porcelain ti les, and sanitary ware products (Mixers, Washbasins, Water closet, etc...)
self starter, initi ati ve taker, must be backed by evidence and proved track record.Having a proven network of corporate clients
(contractors, architects, consultants, interior designers, etc...) and private clients, and being able to expand the companies business
beyond that by acquiring and developing new leads in to profi table outcomes.Able to achieve sales targets with a proven history of doing so.
Att racti ve package and commissionOnly Applicants With Relevant Experience & NOC Will Be Considered.
Please send your CV to [email protected]
Experienced Sales Man for Al-Rawas Marble
& Granite.Located at
Al Rusayl Industrial.
SALES / MARKETING Urgently required
Please forward your cv at oure mail :
Beauty expert required to work
in Salon in Al Amerat.
Contact : 93336061
URGENTLY REQUIRED Qualifi ed & experienced
male B.SC holder CIVIL ENGINEER With 10 -15 years experience
for a Muscat based well known construction company.
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 24479675
Required a Filipino private/Family Driver With Omani
driving license, Age 27-40.
Contact 94446669
Wanted Driver. Contact 91025698
Employee marketing company
engaged in the design, promotion and advertising is required. Contact: 96656972 / 99719973
Urgently Required: Aluminum Doors & Windows Salesman with
an experience in aluminum prod-
ucts, MUST have Oman driving
license, and immediately join. Ap-
ply, fax 00968–24605955, emails
Wanted marketing personnel for acquiring Premium customers
for MNC. Should have communica-
tion/sales skills and must possess
Oman DL. Contact 96545020
.
Urgently Required Steel Fabri-cated Products Salesman with
an experience in steel fabrication,
MUST have Oman driving license,
and immediately join. Apply, fax
00968–24605955, emails
Salesman for a printing press
Whatsapp Only.
Contact: 95955729
Required Philippine Sales lady for women’s shoes and bags store.
Arabic speaking advantage.
Send CV with current picture.
Email: [email protected]
1. General Practitioners (Male & Female) 2. Nurses (Male & Female) 3. X Ray Technician
Leading Medical Services Company in Oman is looking for the following staff :-
4. Lab Technician 5. Insurance Coordinators6. Omani Receptionist
Preference given to candidates in Oman with MOH/Oman prometric for medical openings. Interested candidates kindly forward your resume to
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected].
Contact :24613069 for further details.
Developers needed with experi-
ence in .net, C#, EF Code First,
WCF, MVC 4/5, WebAPI, SQL and
WF 4.5 must. Work from home role
for an Australian company.
Send resume to
Email: [email protected]
Indian female 27 yrs with 5 yrs
HR /Admin experience seeking
suitable placement with valid
Oman driving license.
Contact: 98236033
Senior Management Executive
An Omani Road Construction Contracting
Company Seeks GM/ Senior Contract Manager.
Mail : [email protected]
GSM 94293031
REQUIRED PROJECT MANAGER
For an Infra/ Bldg project in Duqm/Oman
Graduate Engineer with 20+ years experience preferably
in Oman/ GCC with valid D/L and transferable visa,
computer literate.
Send CV to Email : [email protected]
Indian female diploma in archi-
tecture having 5 years of working
experience in Oman (Engg Consul-
tancy having valid Oman driving
license. Contact: 96683293
Required Manager who has
experience in printing press call
92673716 or send ur CV to
Urgently required for a reputed
company in Oman (Tyre, Battery
& Lubricant division) Sr. Execu-tives/Executive-5 nos (Sohar, Ni-
zwa & Muscat), Techno Commer-cial Professional-5nos, Driver (Omani)-1no. Required minimum
3-5 yrs experience in the same
fi eld with market exposure hold-
ing valid Omani driving license
or GCC. Kindly fwd your CV’s to
Contact: (+968)93891700
Sales Ladies wanted for Ladies Boutique. Age: 20-35 yrs. Al
Khoudh. Call -91159905 Send CV
Indian male, MBA (fi nance),
1 year experience in Oman having
Oman D/L and NOC on visit visa
looking for a suitable job.
Contact 94103975
Indian Male Accountant 10yrs
Exp. in OMAN Retail & Furni-
ture Co. (Release Available)
GSM.92564955
Chartered Accountant with 1.5
years of experience looking for job.
Currently in Oman on visit visa.
Contact - 91520687
Email: [email protected]
Indian male MBA- UK 18 yrs Gulf
exp in Administration/ HR & Public
relationship. Fluent in Arabic/
English with D/L. Looking for suit-
able position. Contact - 99897280
Indian female Graduate 7 years as
Secretary Offi ce Assistant Admin
seeks placement.
Contact: 99073789
Filipino male with 13 years HR
and Administration managerial
experience. MBA & CIPD holder.
Currently looking for job in Oman.
Interested employer
pls call 97728418.
Indian Female, MBA-HR having
8+ experience in Administration/
HR, Customer Support, Offi ce
Coordinator with good Computer
skill, Now on Visit Visa,looking for
suitable position.
Contact: 90196235
Indian female, Masters in HR,
having 4 + years Oman experience
in media management and HR,
looking for openings in HR, Educa-
tion, Admin, Corporate communi-
cations. Contact 98252030
Job for driving. Contact:
98982410
27 years, 1 year experience,
with D/L. Contact: 97369716
Light driver Ruwi. Contact:
95779594
Pakistani male light driver 10 yrs
in UAE & 1 yr in Oman.
Contact: 93709393
Driver (light & heavy duty) valid
gulf /Indian) looking job.
Contact: 95175192
Driver with new car looking for
job.contact: 95873286
DAILY GUIDEM O N D AY, F E B R UA R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6 D5
SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED
DRIVER
ENGG. / TECH./MECH.
ENGG. / TECH./MECH.
Diploma Engineer (Civil) looking
for job 7 years experience in Oman.
Contact: 93017821
Civil Engineer 8 years experience
Structural buildings marine. Avail-
able NOC release. Contact: 92451323.
Email: [email protected]
Indian female (B.Tech/ Mechani-
cal Engineering) 4 yrs Oman ex-
perience in project coordination in
water, sewerage and infrastructure
sector , Having valid Omani D/L
seeking suitable placement.
Local release available.
Contact: 95297449
B.Tech Chartered Electrical
Engineer, AMIEI with 5 years of
experience in electrical power
transmission and distribution in
industrial, residential & com-
mercial sectors. Expertise in
load designing BOQ, Estimations,
transformer and switchgear
selections. Leadership skills in
project execution & management.
Contact: 94638744
Email: [email protected]
Electrical Engineer B.Tech with
4 yrs experience in India available
on visit visa looking for suitable
placement. Contact: 94741401 /
97239852 Email:
Indian male 5 years experience in
piping (Site Engineer / Supervisor)
Indian and Oman (PDO Project) &
looking for suitable post currently
on visiting visa, NOC available.
Contact: 94258289 Email:
Indian male diploma in Mechani-
cal Engineering have 12 years
experience in oil and gas in GCC on
visit visa looking for suitable job.
Contact: 92932763
Email: [email protected]
Male 38 yrs Graduate 07 years
experience indoor / outdoor
electronic fi eld with D/License &
NOC available (as per new rule).
Contact: 92453375
Indian male 23 years Mechanical
Engineer, 1 year experience family
visit, seeking placement.
Contact: 94203042
Mechanical Engineer with QA QC
experience.
Email: [email protected]
Networking Engineer having 10
years experience with 3 years in
Oman having valid driving license
and NOC, presently in Oman needs
immediate placement.
Contact - 95783383
Electrical Engineer Indian (29) ,
7 years exp in Oman, 33KV, 11 KV
projects in MZEC & MEDC having
CEP 1 & NOC with D/L.
Contact: 99822373
UPS Technician Electronics, Elec-
tronic technician, Solar power prod-
ucts 11 years experience in power
electronics looking for job Oman.
Contact: 99680821
Email: [email protected]
Civil Engineer 8 years experience
Structural buildings marine. Availa-
ble NOC release. Contact: 92451323.
Email: [email protected]
Indian male Electrical Engineer with MBA (Mktg) having 4 and
half years experience in technical
commercial and marketing fi elds
with valid GCC D/L, NOC available
seeking placement.
Contact: + 968 96547828
Email: [email protected]
Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) with
2 and half years experience Indian
male 24 years in visit visa. Contact:
96620482 / + 91 9605423272
Email: [email protected]
Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp
seeks suitable position ina reputed
company. NOC available.
Contact – 96789711
Civil Engineer 8 years experience
in Oman as a project engineer for
governmental & private projects.
Contact – 90164912
Civil Engineer with 8 yrs exp in
construction having license and
NOC. Contact: 97986606
Telecom Engineer Sudanese on
visit visa have 1 year experience
in installation and have diploma
in Tally ERP & excel and one year
experience. Contact: 91991215
Indian female Computer Science
Engineer having two years experi-
ence in teaching and programming
C .CCP Java VB HTML, Sql, Php
currently on visit visa seeks suit-
able placement. Contact: 91168733
Aeronautical Engineer with MBA in
Operations Management having 4
yrs experience in reputed Aviation &
Oil Companies, now on visit.
Contact 91864047 / 92791625
B.E .Mechanical Engineer Indian
over 4 yrs of exp in HVAC design
auto cad drafting on visit visa .
Contact 90305596. Email:
Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work,
21+ years experience with Driving
license. Contact: 95267113
Email: [email protected]
7 years teaching experience in
Political Science at University level,
5 years experience as Intellectual
property lawer 20 years experi-
ence of Arabic / English visa versa ,
translation / interpretation / Editing
, 20 years of experience in manage-
ment, Tri lingual (Arabic / English /
French) Contact : 92175153
Indian female civil engineer
B.Tech having 3 years experience
sound knowledge of software,
REVIT STAD PRO structural detail-
ing currently on family visa seeks
suitable placement.
Contact: 95345591
B.Tech Civil, 25 yrs female, 3 yrs
exp in qty survey have valid GCC
license. Contact: 91309475
Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman.
Contact: 97667113
Civil Engineer / QS engineer,
9 years experience in Oman free-
lance visa, searching for a suitable
job in Oman. Contact: 97299165
Sudanese Civil Structure En-gineer, 3 years experience with
residence and Omani license, good
at AutoCAD Etabs Staad.
Pro looking for suitable job.
Contact: 97906770
Civil Engineer 3 years diploma
holder having 7 years experience,
building construction & oil & gas
fi eld with driving license.
Contact: 93294965
Indian Electrical Engineer Btech,
female 24 seeking job, presently
in oman having 2 year experience
in design and estimation of Ht &Lt
projects. Contact 968 97436557,
Mail id : [email protected]
Finance / Project/Program Manager ProfessionalQualifi cati ons : MBA, PMP, Six Sigma Country Exposure Canada & Middle East, Industry any (experienced in Banks (Islamic) Telecom Transport
Nati onality Canadian, In Person Interview on Sundays
Contact: 97203531, +923042955747
Mechatronics Engineer 26, MSc
with 3 years industrial experience,
looking for suitable placement.
NOC available. Contact 94887665
Email: [email protected]
Sr.HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+ Diplo-
ma Safety + NEBOSH+OSHA) over
10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release/Transfer
Letter (NOC) available),
seeking suitable placement.
Contact - 97061817, Email:
Diploma in Electronics, 2 years
exp in telecommunication.
Contact: 94519571 Email:
telecommunicationvishnumadhull
@gmail.com
Syrian Civil Engineer graduated
2012, 1 year experience in Oman.
Contact: 92967785
10 years experience in Dubai
& Bangladeshi as a BSC En-
gineer on structural designer
& construction having Dubai
municipality approval & driving
license. Contact: 91206763 Future
008801758846027 Email:
Electrical Engineer with 18 years
exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034
Email: [email protected]
7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in
the fi eld of Building Const. Oil &
Gas Seeking Job.94625598
Indian male Diploma Civil En-
gineer have 1 yr. experience, on
visit visa looking for suitable job
(certifi cate attested).
Contact: 92667406 / 99210411,
Email : [email protected]
Indian Male 23 years B.Tech
Civil having 2 years experience in
quantity survey and site manage-
ment looking for suitable place-
ment. Contact:- 95042656
Sudanese Telecom Engineer, 5 years experience, 3 years in
Oman PMP certifi cate.
Contact: 93391008 Email:
Need job for experienced mason,
electrician & welder.
Contact: 93015630
M.Tech in Manufacturing
Engineering with 2 years of
experience, on visiting visa
looking for a suitable job.
Contact: 91417949
Email: [email protected]
Civil Engineer (BE) having total
5 years experience in building
construction looking for a suitable
placement. D/L available
Contact# 94450270
Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman
with license. Contact: 98975518
Mechanical Engineer M.Tech
2 years experience HVAC design
& site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD.
Contact: 90150913 Email:
Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years
in Oman experience Valid Driving
License seeks suitable placement
Phone 97619722
Email – [email protected]
SPECIALIST AVAILABLE FOR EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN TERM
OF RESTRUCTURING ALL MODULES OF BUSINESS WITH 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, MANUFACTURING,
TRADING, APPLICATIONS, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. CONTACT – 93343251 /
profi toman@ gmail.com
EXPERIENCED TEAM TO PROVIDE TECHNO- COMMERCIAL BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, FEASIBILITY, ERP WITH BI TOOLS, ADVISE ON FINANCIAL, HR,
RISK GENERAL MANAGEMENT, GUIDE STARTUPS RESTRUCTURING,
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. Contact – 96500729
Email: k.profi toman@ gmail.com
EDUCATION
Looking for part time tutoring on
Mathematical & Statistics.
Contact: 99229700
Indian : female – MBA in foreign
trade ,BE Computer Science, sap
trained bi/bw with one year expe-
rience seeking for job.
Contact 90228586
email:[email protected]
teaching also preferred.
Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian
male 24 years with 1+years Indian
experience,(Certifi ed in Staad Pro/
Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).Look-
ing for a Suitable position. Avail-
able In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat)
on Visit Visa.
Contact: 92835952. E-mail:
Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in
designing, assembling, commis-
sioning execution etc having valid
GCC license too looking for a suit-
able. Contact: 00968-98052942
Email: [email protected]
Civil Engineer 11 years experience
in construction having driving
license & NOC. Contact: 94194399
Email: [email protected]
Indian male 26 yrs BE- Me-chanical Engineering, CSWIP 3.1
certifi ed welding inspector + ASNT
level in UT, RT, MPT, LPT with 3.5
yrs experience in QC Inspector-
Welding. Looking for a suitable job.
E-mail: [email protected]
HSE & Fire Safety Engineer
4 years experience air port opera-
tional safety, power & chemical
industry. Contact: 94374241
Sudanese Structure Civil Engi-
neer 2 years experience resident
Omani license. Contact: 94393880
Civil Engineer (Diploma) having
11 years experience in building
construction, looking for a suitable
placement , having Oman driving
license. Noc available.
Contact: 95075365
Email: [email protected]
Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs
experience in international Oil
& Gas company looking for job
Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email:
Electrical Engineer: Indian male,
30 yrs having 5 yrs of experience
in industrial automation & utility
maintenance in India (MRF tyres),
holding valid Oman D/L.
Contact 92789995, email :
Sudanese Architectural Engineer
2 years experience in Oman, Revit,
AutoCAD 3Ds max Archicad look-
ing for suitable job.
Contact: 94722356
Email: [email protected]
Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years
old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon)
Mining / Geotechnical Presently
in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.
Contact 91295802 /
Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs expe-
rienced as AutoCAD civil drafts-
man (2 yrs experience in Oman)
currently in Oman seeks suitable.
Contact 96789441
Email: [email protected]
HOSPITALITY
Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants
Dynamic result oriented hospital-
ity professional with 20 years of
international exp. MBA in Hotel
Management, specializing in
Hotel/Restaurant start ups, con-
cepts & Franchise development
with proven records. Seeking for
Challenging positions in reputed
groups as GM/COO/CEO/Business
Head. (NOC available)
Contact: 96059470
Mechanical Engineer male 26 yrs,
with 4 yrs of experience in manu-
facturing oil & gas retail, brand pro-
moting, marketing, logistics having
valid Omani D/L seeking for a suit-
able placement. Contact: 97098676
Email: [email protected]
Indian male, Mechanical
Engineer having 1year experi-
ence, on visit visa looking for
suitable job. Contact:97416564,
Email:[email protected]
Procurement Engineer (27 years
single male with Oman Driving Li-
cense) having 7 years experience
(UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in
MEP, Water, Electromechanical,
Instrumentation seeking suitable
placements. Contact 95852033,
mail: [email protected]
IT
IT
Indian male 3 years experience
in IT as Linux Administrator and
1 year experience in Amazon
EC2, cloud at Wipro technologies
Bangalore looking for a suitable
placement. Contact: 92889678
Email: [email protected]
Indian male, MCA, 15 years expe-
rience in Oracle, developer, Orion
Sage ERP, 5 years in Oman working
as IT In charge, with NOC release
and transferable visa.
Contact: 95398567,
Email: [email protected]
Hardware & networking, 2 years
exp. Contact: 96244031
5yrs experience in software
and 1yr in admin, looking for a
part-time or work from home jobs
Contact: 91711326
Sudanese Network Administra-
tor 1 year experience with (MCSA,
CCNA, CCNP) have valid driving
license. Contact: 92394485
MEDICAL
Male Indian Dentist BDS with 9
years experience, prometric exam
cleared, looking for job.
Contact 97768187/
Indian lady Pediatrician avail-
able immediately, Oman prometric
exam (>60%) passed Indian Kerala
lady pediatrician available
immediately for appointment.
now available in Muscat.MOBILE
NO. 96276347, 94769455 EMAIL :
Indian male GP Doctor looking for
suitable post. Datafl ow &
prometric completed.
Contact: 90377433
An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license look-
ing for job. Contact 96436517
/97396088
Indian female BDS with MOH
license looking for job.
Contact 95347894
Experienced Light Duty Driver,
Fluent in English, Arabic Well
knowledge of Oman Areas
Seeking Suitable placement
Contact 97950869
Bangladeshi male 31 years, Driver
fresh currently in Muscat.
Contact: 97118292
Driver with car, full time / part
time job. Contact: 96320385
Driver with land cruiser,
Indian seeks placement.
Contact: 99725003
Bangladeshi driver want job. Con-
tact: 93822195
Omani male need driver job for
part time. Contact: 92296607
Light duty driver experience 4
years suitable job. Can speak Eng-
lish, Arabic & Hindi.
Contact 98393692
Driver with car looking for job or
part time. Contact: 96023492
Light driver need job knows
English, Hindi & Arabic.
Contact: 92820309
MANAGER
MISCELLANEOUS
Procurement Manager / Commer-
cial Manager / G.M Indian male
having 26 years of experience in
Import, procurement, logistics,
Commercial activities, Warehousing,
TRD & Sales. Contact: 90502724
Email: [email protected]
Safety Manager B.Tech (safety &
fi re) M. Sc 8 years experience Indi-
an 31 years presently occupied on
notice period available with clean
NOC, holds Oman driving license &
owns car. Contact: 94616721
Email: [email protected]
Camp Supervising 6 years looking
for a good job. Contact: 98178804 /
96703816
Stone Incharge / Store keeper 8
years experience in Oman, NOC
& release is available looking for
good job. Contact: 98178804 /
96703816
Indian female having 17 years of
Dubai work experience in Business
Process Management & Quality As-
surance (ISO 9001) is looking for
job in Muscat (Full time/Part time/
Consultant). Experienced in devel-
oping, training & implementation
of business process documenta-
tion, leading the organization to
ISO 9001 certifi cation, Quality
Audits and Business process
improvements & controls.
Contact: 97903127. Email :
The Business Development Man-
ager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years
Inside and outside Oman follow-
ing activities: construction(Very
strong and qualifi ed to bringing
business for civil work Or any
type of the construction work for
many million per year with a good
experience in pricing and collect
payment and cash management of
the company & marketing projects
& investments& tenders & real
estate. Contact 92385033
The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years
Inside and outside Oman following
activities: tenders& real estate&
construction & marketing projects&
investments & transportation & Ma-
rine services& companies manage-
ment& develop business.
Contact :- 92385033
MBA (marketing) with 17 years
experience in freight forwarding/
logistics industry in GCC & Oman.
Presently working as branch
manager in Muscat. Looking for a
suitable position. Release and NOC
available. Contact: 99856331
Indian male, with experience in
operations management, informa-
tion security, purchase & stores
mgmt, hold UAE driving license,
on visit visa, seeks suitable job.
Contact 91904541
Email: [email protected]
A Filipina lady having experience
in call center, airline booking and
reservations, secretarial and real
estate is now looking for a job in
any fi elds. Contact: 93839304
Filipina lady very urgently look-
ing job only in boutique, release
available ready to join immediately.
Contact: 97122152 / 91240759
10 years experience in Oman in
logistics / purchase have Oman
D/L looking for suitable placement.
Contact- 96410767
Email: [email protected]
Purchaser, experience 9.5 years
in Oman, Indian male, Driving
License available with own car.
Currently working with ARDISEIS
Oman Branch (Seismic work for
PDO Oman) as a purchaser. Han-
dling all type purchase, logistic,
petty cash, stock, dispatch. Work-
ing with SAP application. Educa-
tional qualifi cation - Post Graduate
in MA (Economics) Salary – Nego-
tiable seeks suitable Placement.
Contact 99458569 Email :
Indian female on visit MBA
(International Business- Market-
ing & Logistics), BE (Computers &
Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/
BW with 1 year experience
seeking for job Contact: 90228586
Email:[email protected]
Graduate, computer literate,
experienced in sales, credit
control, accounts, Omani D/L ,
seeks suitable placement.
Gsm 98805474
Network Engineer degree Com-
puter Science CCNA, MCSA expe-
rience NOC. Content: 92346191
Indian Male, IT System Engineer
having 4 yrs of experience in
system administration.CCNA,MCSE,
Linux. Looking for suitable job.
Contact :91272867
Indian Female, 24 Years - MSc
Biotechnology. Worked in Inter-
national Crops Research Institute
For The Semi Arid Tropics for pro-
ject work as trainee. Looking for
suitable job. Mobile: 92619048,
Email: [email protected]
MISCELLANEOUS
SALES / MARKETING
Indian male 32, MBA (Marketing &
Finance) with 10 years experience in
Marketing of Banking Products & In-
surance Industry. Seeking for a Job in
Oman. Contact: 93576980, 97750460
Email: [email protected]
Indian sales marketing professional
highly experienced in business
development in ME India and Africa
seeks suitable placement.
Contact: 97897611
Indian male diploma in logistics
management looking for an open-
ing, presently in Oman on visit
visa. Contact: 93373421
Indian male plumbing sanitary
ware & building materials experi-
ence in outdoor sales (9 years)
with valid D/L UAE.
Contact: 98723456
Indian male, MBA Marketing hav-
ing 9 years’ experience in India
in marketing is seeking suitable
placement. Currently in Muscat on
business visa. Contact: 92417523
Marketing exceutive BBA, MCOM,
Tally, exp in accouting
(can continue in current visa)
ph : 98269281
A dynamic professional, Female,
with 8 years of experience in
PURCHASE,SALES COORDINATION
,OFFICE ASSISTANT, residing in
Oman with valid NOC from current
company,looking for a suitable job,
Ready to join Immediately”.
Contact:[email protected]
Phone:- 94157662
South Indian hold 12 years Omani
residency – B.E, MBA, PGDM, MCIM,
result oriented self starter - Techno
commercial Executive 15 years core
experience in business develop-
ment/ marketing oil & gas (all
streams) & manufacturing. seek-
ing suitable placement. Contact
99277816/ [email protected]
A dynamic professional, female,
with 8 years of experience in PUR-
CHASE, SALES COORDINATION ,
OFFICE ASSISTANT, residing in
Oman with valid NOC from current
company, looking for a suitable
job, Ready to join Immediately.
Contact:- [email protected],
Phone:- 94157662
Indian male 28 yrs having 6 years
experience in Oman in Sales &
Marketing & Offi ce Administration,
looking for a suitable placement.
Contact: 99142314
Indian male, BBM, MBA, having 3
years experience in Sales looking
for suitable job. Contact: 92796046
Looking for job with car educa-
tion O level exp 6 yrs English,
Arabic & Hindi.
Contact : 99640986
DAILY GUIDED6 M O N D AY, F E B R UA R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6
Email: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624
SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED
SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED
Indian male B. Pharm 15 years
sales experience MOH Pharmacist
license driving license looking
for opportunities in Pharmacy or
Sales and marketing can get NOC.
Contact: 99694865
Indian male, Graduate, 9 yrs expe-
rience in FMCG – UAE, valid GCC
driving license on visit seeks
suitable position. Contact
92419491 / 94881950,
Email : [email protected]
27 years old male MBA Gradu-
ate having 1.5 years experience
in Marketing seeking for good
opportunities in sales & marketing.
Contact: 90572132
Email: [email protected]
MBA Indian male 2.5 yrs exp
in marketing & sales presently
on visit visa seeking immediate
placement. contact :91725539.
Email: [email protected]
Indian male 26, with more than
4 years experience in Sales and
Marketing having valid GCC
license on visit visa seeks suitable
position. Contact: 92423161
Indian male, MBA Marketing
having 2.5 years Sales experience
immediately looking for a suitable
position. Contact: 91415145,
Email: [email protected]
MBA graduate having 6 years exp
in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with
PEPSI, India, having international
driving license permit
seeks suitable placement.
Contact : 95308167,
Email : [email protected]
B.Com male 2 yrs experience in
sales Computer knowledge,
seeking suitable placement.
Contact: 98371144
email: [email protected]
SKILLED / UNSKILLED
Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fi tter
gulf & Indian exp looking job.
Contact: 95175192
TECHNICIAN /MECH.
TOURS/TRAVELS
TOURS/TRAVELS
Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years
experience preferably in water
sector and having valid driving
license call Ph:+968 99450811
Send CV to [email protected]
Bangladeshi Male, University
M.Com.Working as an Administrator
cum Accountant in Oman; search-
ing better job. Phone:94864966,
email: [email protected]
Indian Male, 26 years, With 7
years of experience in Sales Field
in shipping company in “Dubai”
, looking for suitable placement.
Experienced working in safety
Marine equipment and well versed
with MS Offi ce. Contact: 90182494,
IT professional, B.E. in IT, CCNA,
MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/
networking/server support, valid
Omani D/L seeking suitable place-
ment in IT/Network/Server support.
Contact 92607532.
Light Driver looking for job.
Contact:99594946
Sudanese Mechanical Engineer
26 years old (male) with 4 years
experience as Mechanical engineer
, Sales engineer and Call center
agent seeking suitable placement.
Contact: +968.90644235
Bangladeshi Male, University
M.Com Working as an Admin-
istrator cum Accountant in
Oman; searching better job.
Phone:94864966,
email: [email protected]
MBA - (F), M.Com, B.COM. Indian
female having knowledge of ac-
counts with Tally looking for part
time or full time job. Presently on
family visa. Contact :- 91892264.
Email:- [email protected]
Bangladeshi Male, University
MA, Working as Sales administra-
tor in Oman; searching better job.
Phone:91997605, email:
9 yrs exp Site Engineer in Civil &
Shade Structure. 2d, 3d draughts-
man (holding Oman driving license)
seeking job. Contact : 90139903
Light Duty Driver Professional,
Indian male having 5 years of
experience with valid Oman driving
licence.NOC Available.
Contact 91652481
Indian Female, BE Electronics and
Communication, having oman ex-
perience looking for full time or part
time job. Ready to join immediately,
currently on family visa.
Contact : 92115948 / 99327912
Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA,
MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/net-
working/server, valid Omani D/L
seeking suitable placement in IT/
Network/Server support.
Contact 92607532
22, Indian BBA graduate, 1 year
experience, presently on visit visa,
looking for suitable placement.
Contact 91881053
Highly experienced mechanical/
steel structural fabrication engineer
looking for suitable placement. NOC
available. Contact: 99860714,
B.Com 5yrs experience good
command on tally, Excel sheet on
family visa. Contact: 98002428
Email: [email protected]
Indian male 26, on vist visa, 2+
yrs of experience with UAE D/L,
IATA-FIATA,BBA looking for any
suitable job. Contact 91324567
B.TEC ( IT) . 24 years, 2 Years of
experience in technical support,
software development, networking,
troubleshooting and managing.
seek suitable placement.
Contact GSM- 98184170
Purchase Executive Professional,
Indian male having 6 Years of
Experience in Oman Having Valid
Driving Licence working as a Pur-
chase offi cer, Looking for a suitable
Position, NOC/LR Available.
Contact: 95132564/96456071,
E-mail: [email protected]
Electronics service Technician , 4 Years experience as Electronics
service engineer. Knowledge in all
type of Electronics items. Looking for
suitable placement. GSM- 99105043
Searching a land surveyor job fully
know latest instrument of Survey
GPS and Total station two year
OMAN experience.NOC Available.
Contact +96894144052,
Email- wasifnaz [email protected]
Part- Time Accountant, well expe-
rience senior accountant ,doing all
type of accounting works, Finaliza-
tion, Budgeting available.
Contact 98803439
Indian male experienced material
segregation with D/L seeks suita-
ble placement. Contact: 92715032
Email: santhoshgeorge99@gmail.
com
Indian male 26 years (MBA Fi-
nance) seeks suitable placement.
Contact: 92715032
Email: [email protected]
D.M.E, Indian, 12 yrs experience in
Oman, in Project Estimation, Execu-
tion, Quality & marketing working
as Estimation Engineer in acid &
water tanker, semi trailor company,
with havin driving license & will get
NOC, seeks suitable job in Oman.
Contact 98968495.
Indian male, 26 years, With 7 years
of experience in Sales Field in ship-
ping company in “Dubai” , looking
for suitable placement. Experienced
working in safety Marine equip-
ment and well versed with MS
Offi ce. Contact: 90182494,
Senior Accountant Indian male 35
Years with 13 Years of Experience
(7 years in Oman) in Accounts &
Finance having valid Omani Driv-
ing License. Looking for job in GCC
Countries. Contact: 96001918
Indian male 34 Yrs., Dual MBA
Finance and marketing With
IT skills, 7+ yrs. of experience,
looking for suitable placement.
Contact: 94879615, Email-
Indian male M. Com 10 years of
experience looking for Part time
Job can do fi nalization #97433387
Indian male 25yr B. Com 4
years experience in trading and
contracting fi eld in India looking
for suitable accountant vacancies.
Please contact 96155921 or
Indian male looking job part time
driver. Contact: 93884951
SALES / MARKETING
Indian male BE, (ECE) 18 months
experience in Telecom Sector as
installation and Commissioning
Engineer, troubleshooting
the bts, 3G and LTE equipments
currently on visit. Contact:
95183497
Email: [email protected]
27,male,ACCA fi nalist, have
professional experience up to fi na-
lization of accounts, statutory and
internal audit, expertise in using
tally, focus and oracle software,
have 3.5 years experience in ac-
counts till fi nalization ,seeking for
permanent replacement in senior
position, GSM-91324962,
Chief Accountant , 7 years experi-
enced (out of 25 years experience
in accounts) worked in reputed
group companies. Currently pro-
curing MBA fi nance and having
Omani Driving License seeks
suitable openings from reputed
companies. Contact : 95598477 /
98803439
Female 5 years experienced Oman
as Senior Accountant. SKILLS :
ERP9, MS OFFICE, SAGE, ACCPAC.
GSM # 95483804 / 9986 8330.
MAIL : sararowshan344@gmail.
com
Indian male 25 yrs, MBA
(Finance, Marketing), Overall 2 yrs
exp in Accounts/Finance fi eld, On
Visit Visa. Immediately available.
Contact – 92989197 / 94786544.
mail: [email protected].
Bangladeshi male, University MA,
working as administrator in Oman;
searching better job. #91997605
Indian male 25 yrs, MBA in mar-
keting on visit looking for a job in
Sales and Marketing.
Contact 91270215
Email: [email protected]
Indian Male, pursuing ACCA with
knowledge in C++, Java looking for
accounting job.
Contact 94743462.
Email: [email protected]
Indian, Keralite seeks cleaning
job part time. Contact: 90169048
HR Manual, Employee Hand-
book, Recruitment, Training, HR
Consultancy. Are you looking for
freelancer HR professional? Please
contact on 97914669
BE Mechanical Engineer / MBA
Indian male 25 yrs, currently
working in Qatar skills MEP de-
signing surveying, Oracle, Auto-
CAD, SAP. Contact: 97474470866
& C/O in Oman 95071632
Indian male, 23 years PG diploma
in Petroleum Engineering and
B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering
holding UAE driving license seeks
suitable placement.
Contact: 95880127 / 95084905
Email: [email protected]
Indian Female, Master of Tech-
nology (M.Tech) in Electronics
& Communication Engineering,
currently in Muscat with Family
Visa,1+ year experience in Teach-
ing seeks suitable placement in
Muscat. Contact 96209509
B.TECH ( IT) . 24 years, 2 Years of
experience in technical support,
software development, network-
ing, troubleshooting and manag-
ing, seeks suitable placement.
Contact GSM- 98184170
Indian Male 4 years experience
Chef. Indian, Chinese Cuisine seek
suitable placement. # 99883019
Indian male having 6 Years of
Experience in Oman Having Valid
Driving License working as a
Purchase offi cer, looking for a
suitable Position, NOC Available.
Contact: 95132564 / 96456071,
E-mail:[email protected]
Indian female 22 years 1 year ex-
perience in Secretary & Account-
ing, Tally, looking for suitable job
on visit visa. Contact: 97084473
Email: [email protected]
Relationship Manager, Indian
male 28 yrs, BBA, MBA 5 year’s
exp, currently working in India
computer skilled. Contact: 0091
974710108 / 95071632
Bangladeshi Male, University MA,
5 years experience in IT sales &
marketing working as sales coor-
dinator in Oman; searching better
job. Phone: 91997605, email:
Indian Male 28yr age having
7year gulf+ Indian experience in
HR/Admin fi eld, looking for suita-
ble placement. Contact:97914340,
Email: [email protected]
Indian Female Accountant, now
in Oman on Visit Visa, looking for
suitable placement. #94250871.
Part- Time Accountant, well ex-
perienced senior accountant ,do-
ing all type of accounting works,
Finalization, Budgeting available.
Contact : 98803439
Indian male Executive Secretary
having vast experience in admin,
logistics & procurement well versed
with computer seeks suitable place-
ment. Contact : 99514286,
Email : [email protected]
Sri Lankan Male, 23 years old with
3 years of Sales experience and
basic accounting knowledge (AAT
and Tally) Seeking for a suitable
position. Contact-94864296
Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA,
MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/ net-
working/ server, valid Omani D/L
seeking suitable placement in IT/
Network/Server support.
Contact 92607532
Indian, male, 28, BBM degree
holder. having 2 years experience.
1 year in banking industry & 1 year
in hotel industry. good accounts
knowledge also. seeking a suitable
job. # 94678590,
email: [email protected]
Indian female, 35 years, Bachelor
of Pharmacy (B. Pharm) with no
experience and BSc & MA seeking
suitable positions in pharmacy,
pharmacy stores, hospital, poly-
clinic & pharmaceutical compa-
nies. Contact 90236481
Indian male, 26 years, With 7
years of experience in Sales Field
in shipping company in “Dubai”
, looking for suitable placement.
Experienced working in safety
Marine equipment and well versed
with MS Offi ce.
Contact: 90182494
Sudanese male 31 years, 3 years
Diploma in electrical engineer , 6
years and 1year in Oman experi-
ence in building construction and
electrical plants, have oman drive
license. Contact No : 94549609
Well-qualifi ed Indian Female with
8 years of experience in Procure-
ment Supply Chain from reputed
Companies in Oman seeks place-
ment. Contact 91374217
Indian Male, 26 years, With
7 years of experience in Sales
Field in shipping company in
“Dubai” , looking for suitable
placement. Experienced working
in safety Marine equipment and
well versed with MS Offi ce.
Contact: 90182494,
Indian female accountant, now
in Oman on visit visa, looking for
suitable placement,
Contact 94250871.
Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA,
MCSA, MCSE, 3 yrs exp. in IT/
networking/ server, valid Omani
D/L seeking suitable placement in
IT/Network/Server support.
Contact 92607532
Indian female 10 years exp as
cook in Oman . South Indian &
Gujarati special looking for part-
time job. Contact 96710189
Indian female, 27, food tech-
nologist (MSc Food Technology),
2years experience in Research
and Development -Instant foods,
Snack, Noodles, Oats seasonings,
Soups, Curry powders. Raw Mate-
rial Quality Assurance and Analy-
sis, HACCP. Contact -93987174 ,
email :[email protected]
DAILY GUIDEM O N D AY, F E B R UA R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6 D7
TOURS
TOURS
RENT A CAR
25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP
specifi cation for monthly rent &
small car with driver.
Contact: 99839898
SITUATION WANT-
ED
TOURS
SITUATION WANTEDCARGO
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation.Contact: 99099714
Transportation Al Khuwair.
Contact: 92711421
Transportation available Ruwi to
Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.
Contact: 91103909
Transportation. Contact 92015894
DRIVING
Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with
Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain
Marine Tours contact 98029602,
92808636
We arrange tours & accommoda-
tion at all the beautiful places in
Oman. Contact 99839898
Plot for sale Shadnagar Munici-
pality, Mahboob Nagar District,
walk able distance to existing
colonies, national highway and ba-
sic amenities at reasonable price.
Contact – 0091 8686631669
One bedroom fl at in Guruvayoor
Kerala, 2 minutes walk to Guruvay-
oor temple direct owner.
Contact: 00968 99466800
Plot, propeties for sale in prime
location in pune
Contact 95272138,
(+918390982975)
NRI
MATRIMONIAL
Hindu nair age 64,
looking for a suitable girl.
Contact: 0091 755900189
SITUATION WANT-
ED
BUSINESS
An Investing partner needed for
a printing press.
Contact: 99498949
MV SALE
Hiace Toyota van for sale, model
2010. Contact: 94203204
Rav4 ,2015,38000 km No.2 O.R
8200. Contact : 96474787
Hummer H2 model 2006, 178000
km, Full options Number 1 Army
edition.OMR 7200.
Contact -99466773
Chaverlet Epica 2004 model
RO -700, for sale. Contact 92194205
BMW 318/ 2003 for sale.
Contact 96364990
BUYING
MANPOWER
Bobcat available for rent.
Contact 97623299
Buying cars for cash.
Contact: 90202090
GOOD NEWS
Genuine Ayurvedic treatments
& massage, Ayurvedic clinic at
AL Khuwair. Contact: 24478618 /
97263637 / 93309131
FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to
know more about Islam, please
call: 99425598, 99250777,
99353988, 99253818, 99341395,
and 99379133. For ladies:
99415818, 99321360, 99730723
Orvisit:www.islamfact.com
Ayurvedic treatment for back-
ache, paralysis, arthritis etc &
massage, All Season
(Vaidyaratnam).
Contact: 24475280 / 95371664 /
92504980 www.siddhayur.com
WANTED
IELTS Coaching (academic) required nearby wadi Kabir area. Please call
on mobile or msg on Whats up. Mobile no: 92927880/99012165
AVAILABLE
Party & Wedding equipment rentals.
Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirt-
ing, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery,
Crockery, Glassware, Chafi ng Dishes,
Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound
Systems and spectacular lighting.
Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering
and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound &
Light. ww.tunesoman.com,
E-mail: [email protected]
D8 M O N D AY, F E B R UA R Y 1 , 2 0 1 6
DAILY GUIDEEmail: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624
*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text,
should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication.
* Subject to space availability
SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES
SITUATION WANT-SERVICES
SERVICESWe Provide Cleaners,
Offi ce boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc.
Al Mudakhir Nati onal Est. LLC Contact : 94277020
Split & window A/c servicing &
maintenance. Contact 93769089 /
95323517
Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont
Maintenance services electric,
plumbing and A/C.
Contact: 96524904 / 94285064
Building maintenance. Contact: 96173326
MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of
your marble.Contact 24793614/
99314807
GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing,
Contact 99314807/24792998
House shifting & transporting.
Contact 92490422
SITUATION WANTEDEDUCATION/CLASSES/TRAINING/COMPUTER/WEBSITE
Classes for Spoken EnglishTOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT
Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed
IELTS PREPARATION Target Band 8.0
EAGLES INSTITUTE92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: [email protected]
Karate and self defense classes
at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per
month twice a week Monday and
Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM.
CONTACT 98294551
Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English
class for Malayalam Speakers in Azaiba and Ruwi
• Learn in two months• Satisfaction guaranteed
Tel: 95244310
WEB, ERP and Business Intelli-
gence (BI) creation and man-
agement at rock bottom price.
Contact: http//webviewoman
LEGAL SERVICEAn Indian lawyer Provides all legal
services in company matt ers. Labour issues, contracts, agreements, LLC formati on, legal help for starti ng new business in Oman, Civil, criminal
cases,.service issues.Ibrahim Al Massalhi.legal consultancy
Sarafudheen, LLB, MBA,Legal Advisor
Muscat. GSM: 97351649
FURNITURE SHIFTINGMaintenance,
Dismantling, Packing, Shifting & Fixing furniture with expert technicians.Contact: 99041337
Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile
polishing, pest control & anti-ter-
mite treatment, general cleaning
painting,Plumbing, Electrical,
shifting. Contact Mundhir
Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. Contact:
24810137, 99450130
Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles
polishing, carpet shampooing,
maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS-
99320217 /24788722
Water proofi ng ABUQABAS-
Contact 99320217/24788722
A/C maintenance & servicing,
fridge, washing machine & dish
washer repairing, painting &
cleaning services, electrical &
plumbing. Contact: 99447257 /
97014234 / 24504281