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HM sends greetings

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a ca-ble of congratulations to Presi-dent Maithripala Sirisena of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on the occasion of being sworn in as the new presi-dent of his country.

In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan expressed his sincere congratulations and best wishes of success to President Sirisena in leading the friendly people of Sri Lanka towards further pro-gress, wishing the relations be-tween the two countries further progress and prosperity. -ONA

S R I L A N K A

A2

Rain, fog in parts of Oman

OMANCurbs on wedding

1Ministry of Interior has no plans to lift the restriction on Omani nationals

marrying non-Omanis. >A3

OMANHonour for Khasab Port

2UK-based The Telegraph newspaper has chosen Khasab Port of the

Sultanate as one of the world’s most beautiful ports. >A4

MARKETCentre of excellence

3A major centre of excellence to cater to the needs of railways will be

formed in country soon. >B1

T O P T H R E E I N S I D E S T O R I E S

FAHAD AL MUKRASHIfahad@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: In a bid to improve mobility across Muscat, the Mu-nicipal Council has urged the Ministry of Transport and Com-munications to introduce a tram system in the capital.

Tram, a rail vehicle that runs on tracks along public roads, is a popular mode of transport across the world. Closer home, it was launched in Dubai last year.

Members of the Municipal Council will meet a consulting company next month to discuss ways to improve public transport in Muscat areas.

“We will discuss the tram issue too,” Malik Al Yahmadi, member of Muscat Municipal Council, said after attending the council meeting on Monday.

Speaking to Times of Oman, Al Yahmadi said the introduction of trams in Muscat would reduce traffi c congestions, provide an alternative mode of public trans-port as well as reduce pollution.

“With the capital growing by leaps and bounds, Muscat needs a good public transport system. Across the world it has been prov-en that trams provide high capac-ity service,” noted Al Yahmadi.

Juma Al Hasani, a national, said that introducing a tram ser-

vice along with other advanced public transport like ferries and trains would be benefi cial to both citizens and residents. Al Hasani added that many employ-ees would prefer to take a tram to avoid the morning traffi c jams.

“Having used trams, I can ap-preciate the ease of boarding and alighting from low-fl oor trams,”

said another citizen. The call to introduce a tram system in Mus-cat came on the heels of the as-surance given on Sunday by Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Sa-lem Al Futaisi, Minister of Trans-port and Communications, at the GCC Rail and Metro Conference 2015, that Oman’s ambitious 2,135-kilometre long national railway project will not be delayed due to the plunging crude.

The members also approved the development of passenger waiting areas on a number of main roads in Muscat.

The council also recommended to the Oman National Transport Company (ONTC), a proposal to introduce double-decker buses in the near future.

At the same meeting, among the key recommendations made by the Muscat Municipal Council were to improve services for tour-ists, reduce airport taxi tariff s and increase fi nes for rude and drunk-en driving.

As per the recommendations, the airport taxi meter will now begin at OMR6 with a 50baiza charge for every kilometre.

The Municipal Council has also recommended that taxi ser-vices be made available round-the-clock and drivers be made aware of how to deal with tourists.

The Municipal Council has also recommended that airport taxi drivers should have member-ships and taxi drivers working in the government or private sector should be denied memberships.

The Oman Airports Manage-ment Company S.A.O.C (OAMC) will be asked to launch the revised taxi tariff s. >A6

Besides reducing gridlock, it will save time,

increase mobility and reduce pollution

MERS under control, says health ministry REJIMON KFAHAD AL GHADANI reji@timesofoman.comfahadnews@gmail.com

MUSCAT: Middle East Res-piratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, the viral respiratory illness, is under con-trol in Oman, said a top offi cial from the Ministry of Health.

“Since December 2013, the Sultanate has been free of the MERS virus. The patient who died due to MERS infection had other ailments which complicat-ed eff orts during his treatment,” said the offi cial.

“The moment the patient was admitted to the hospital, labora-tory tests were conducted and results confi rmed the infection.

However, as his condition wors-ened with other ailments, his life could not be saved,” explained the offi cial.

A patient in Al Dakhliyah re-gion diagnosed with the MERS coronavirus died last Thursday. The case is the third of its kind in the Sultanate and was detected after a gap of one year since the two previous cases.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) offi ce in Oman said that all health per-sonnel in the country are being encouraged to remain vigilant in detecting suspected cases. Ac-cording to a ministry statement on Sunday, a new case of MERS-CoV has been detected in the Sul-tanate, raising the total number of recorded cases to four. >A6

O N G U A R D

Oman brokers top Yemeni offi cial release

Times News Service

SANAA: The Sultanate played a key role in the release of Yahya Al Murani, chief of Yemen’s in-ternal intelligence unit, from the clutches of Houthi militants after two weeks in captivity, his son said on Monday.

“My father was released and handed over to the Political Se-curity Agency following Omani mediation,” Mohamed Al Ma-rani, the son of Maj. Gen. Yahya Al Murani, said.

According to Mohamed, the militants released his father af-ter the Omani mediators agreed to the Houthi’s proposals, in-cluding his dismissal as the in-telligence chief and the appoint-ment of a pro-Houthi fi gure in his place.

His son added that Houthi militants did not return the ar-moured car belonging to his fa-ther taken away at the time of his abduction.

F R O M H O U T H I C A P T I V I T Y

NRIs upbeat over voting rights nodREJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Indian expatriates in Oman are in an upbeat mood with the Indian government on Monday accepting the Election Commission’s (EC) proposal to provide voting rights to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).

This ends the long wait for NRIs, after the Indian Supreme Court (SC) had issued notices to the EC and the central govern-ment to ensure that the NRIs were made eligible for vote.

The government informed the SC that it had accepted in letter and spirit the EC’s suggestion to extend voting rights to NRIs through e-postal ballots.

“It is a welcome move. We were all awaiting this happy news. Now, we can be a deciding fac-tor on who will govern us in our country,” said Shameer PTK, a Muscat-based social worker.

“In future, we can also have our own representatives in our coun-

try who can work for our welfare. This can be seen as a fi rst step in that direction,” added Shameer.

The Supreme Court granted four weeks to the government to inform them on the steps it had taken to implement the EC’s sug-gestions in this regard.

“It is a good thing if we are go-ing to get voting rights. I was missing the chance to vote after migrating to Oman. The voting process might be a bit compli-cated, but I am ready for it,” said Madhu Reddy, an Indian blue-collar worker.

The poll panel has ruled out the possibility of allowing NRIs to vote through the Internet or at diplomatic missions abroad for the time being. In a report sub-mitted to the SC, the EC had said that the option of voting through a proxy appointed by overseas electors as well as e-postal ballot, where a blank postal ballot paper is transferred electronically to the NRI and returned by post can be considered. >A6

L O N G W A I T T O E N D

Council seeks tram service for Muscat

Tram is a railway

vehicle that runs on

tracks along public

roads and is a popular

mode of transport

across the globe

A2 T U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

OMAN

GCC plans integrated rail, metro projects

Times News Service

MUSCAT: There are plans to es-tablish eff ective programmes to encourage experienced foreign companies in the sector to enter real partnerships with the re-gional private and public sectors, and to invest in railway and metro projects in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which will benefi t from their professional and ad-ministrative experience.

Plans are also in place to de-velop a comprehensive strategy to achieve the integration of railway and metro projects within a com-prehensive transportation sys-tem and all its forms in the GCC, including passengers and goods transportation logistics.

The strategy should form a part of comprehensive strategic plan-ning in GCC countries.

The recommendations of the GCC Rail and Metro Conference 2015 released after its conclusion in Muscat on Monday suggested that related policies and regula-tions should also be developed in line with projects executions re-quirements, to provide a suitable environment and purchase sys-tems that will guarantee fair com-petition and transparency.

The conference was organised by Ministry of Transport and Communications in Oman, in as-

sociation with the GCC for the Arab states of the Gulf. The con-ference also made recommenda-tions such as the need to prepare a detailed study to establish a devel-opment fund to achieve sustain-ability in the GCC rail and metros.

The main goals of the ‘GCC Sus-tainable Railway Development’, which will be fi nanced in partner-ship with the private sector, will be to establish training programmes, including on-the-job training, and establishing a GCC academy for the training and development of national talent. This will benefi t from the already available railway training institutes in the GCC countries as much as possible.

Member states will work to ease processes to establish part-nerships between GCC compa-nies and specialised companies from developed countries who have experience in manufactur-ing requirements for rail projects, to transfer technology and ex-periences to the GCC countries through establishing joint manu-facturing facilities for those re-quirements.

Plans are on to extend invita-tions to rail and metro specialised companies, and hold meetings with them to discuss the possibil-ity of partnerships to establish joint GCC companies that off er passenger and goods transport services and supporting logistic services in the GCC.

United economic blocGCC countries to participate as a united economic bloc in interna-tional organisations such as UIC, AREMA, and ERA, that work on developing engineering specifi ca-tions and standards, and rail and metro projects regulations and legislation in the GCC, to play a more eff ective role in making re-lated decisions.

It is necessary to reach an agree-ment between member countries to develop and improve institu-tional structure and establish comprehensive policies and sys-tems to ease passenger and goods transportation between GCC countries through border posts to achieve the strategic goals and optimise use of transportation and

rail sectors in the GCC countries.Speaking at the conference on

Monday panellists, Abdulrahim Hasan Naqi, secretary general, Federation of GCC Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FGCC Chambers), Imran Abdool Karim, strategy & marketing, Transnet Engineering and Nigel Ash, Man-aging Director, Network Rail Consulting, made a series of short presentations followed by a mod-erated discussion on identifying and agreeing the key areas and actions that need to be addressed to ensure eff ective and successful public-private participation.

Naqi spoke about government policies and regulations for the development of the rail and metro projects – procurement, and la-bour issues. “In terms of labour, we are focusing on how to en-courage GCC nationals to fi nd employment through various pro-grammes. These include training programmes, vocational and pro-fessional development initiatives such as the training development that Saudi Arabian Railways has established for building railway re-lated skills and capability,” he said.

“We are encouraging entrepre-neurs and SMEs to be involved in this project. The Saudi metro pro-jects, including the one in Riyadh, are focused on being established as public-private partnerships. We are also inviting the GCC pri-vate sector to get involved in the policies for the railway to enhance transparency and corporate gov-ernance,” said Naqi.

Also a part of the panel discus-sions today, Ash outlined the key lessons that the GCC rail and metro sector can use for defi ning a vocational development strategy.He said, “There needs to be a greater focus on the development of key vocational skills concerning the operation and maintenance of a live railway system. The con-struction project may only last fi ve years but the railways will last for decades to come.”

Recommendations

of the ‘GCC Rail and

Metro Conference

2015’ were released

after its conclusion in

Muscat on Monday

INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK : The conference also made recom-

mendations to prepare a detailed study to establish a development

fund to achieve sustainability in the GCC rail and metros.

Light showers, fog in parts of OmanTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Some parts of Oman experienced light drizzle on Monday, according to the Direc-torate General of Meteorology and Air Navigation (DGMAN), which monitors weather condi-tions in Oman.

Some residents even took to social media to report light driz-zle, posting pictures of raindrops on their car windshields in Barka.

In its daily weather forecast is-sued on Monday, the offi ce said, “Clear to partly cloudy skies over Musandam, the coastal area of Oman Sea and Al-Hajar moun-tain with a chance of isolated rain. There are chances of low level clouds or fog during the late night to early morning over the governorates of Al Buraimi, Al-Dhahira, South Al Sharqiya and Al Wusta.”

It also reported that there dust may rise over desert and open areas. The depression, which is blowing eastwards towards the Gulf, will also bring about high winds over the sea. “The north-erly winds will blow dust over scattered parts of the country over the next two days, reducing horizontal visibility in parts of Oman,” the report added.

Additionally, the sea will be moderate to rough over Musan-dam and Omani seacoasts, with maximum wave heights of be-tween 2 to 3 metres. Visibility, however, is expected to deteriorate over most of the Sultanate, becom-ing poor due to fog and rising dust.

“In the next 48 hours there are chances of low level clouds dur-ing the late night to early morn-ing over the governorates of Al Buraimi, Al Dhahira and Al Wus-ta,” it added.

W E A T H E R R E P O R T

WELCOME RAINDROPS: Some residents even took to social me-

dia to report light drizzle, posting pictures of raindrops on their

car windshields in Barka.– JUN ESTRADA/TIMES OF OMAN

In terms of labour, we are focusing on how to encourage GCC nationals to fi nd employment through various programmes

Abdulrahim Hasan Naqi, secretary general, FGCC Chambers

HM Receives thanks and appreciation messageMUSCAT: The participants of the GCC Railway and Metro Conference 2015, organised by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, in collaboration with the GCC Secre-tariat General, have sent a cable of thanks and apreciation to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said. The organisers and the participants wished His Majesty the Sultan good health and wellbeing. They expressed their sincere thanks and gratitude for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to them. -ONA

B R I E F S

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No changes in curbs on marrying non-Omanis

FAHAD AL MUKRASHIfahad@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Ministry of Interior has no plans to lift the restriction on Omani nationals marrying non-Omanis, nor is such a move foreseeable in the near future.

An offi cial at the Ministry of Interior told the Times of Oman that opening the door for Omanis to marry foreigners would have a certain impact on the social, fam-ily and cultural life of the country.

The offi cial conceded there has been a demand from Omanis ap-plying for marriage to non-Oma-

nis. When the applicant meets the requirements of the regulations, the Ministry of Interior approves the application.

New article Meanwhile, the Ministry of Inte-rior has issued a new article in the annexure of the regulations about marriage of Omanis to non-Om-anis in the Ministerial Decision number 92\93.

The new article stipulates that the applicant has to pay OMR5

for marriage application fi le. The applicant also has to pay OMR20 for issuing or renewing the mar-riage license. For the issuing of the marriage evidence certifi cate, the applicant has to pay OMR20 as also for any change in the mar-riage certifi cate.

For opening a fi le for anyone in violation of the regulation gov-erning marriage of Omanis to foreigners, the applicant has to pay OMR150 as fees. The deci-sion does not include those under

the social insurance. The new decision will come into eff ect by March 31.

Regarding the new decision, the offi cial pointed out that it was aimed at generating more income for the states’ coff ers.

Khalid Al Mashani, a social ex-pert, told the Times of Oman that couples would fi nd it diffi cult to understand each other due to dif-ferences in customs and tradi-tions and such a situation may lead to the divorce rate increasing.

Al Mashani added that it will lead to the demographic compo-sition of the population being im-pacted at a time when it must be preserved. Also, the Omani wom-en’s rights should be maintained.

Others believe the marriage of Omanis to non-Omanis should be optional for nationals as their per-sonal decision.

According to Article 4 of the Ministerial Decision 92|93, any-one violating the regulation gov-erning marriage, will be fi ned not less than OMR2,000 besides be-ing deprived of a chance to work in the public sector. More than 90 per cent of the Omanis who mar-ried foreigners, are working in the private sector or are business-men, according to sources in the Public Prosecution.

An offi cial said that

opening the door

for Omanis to marry

foreigners would

have an impact on

the social, family

and cultural life

OMANI IDENTITY: According to Article 4 of the Ministerial Deci-

sion 92|93, anyone violating the regulation governing marriage,

will be fi ned.

A4 T U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

OMAN Jan 30will witness the fourth annual Muscat

Marathon 2015, which will welcome

runners from around the world to compete

Run at the sporting events to stay fi t this winterTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Citizens and residents of Oman can participate in walka-thons, or in the Muscat Marathon, to stay fi t this winter.

Organisers say these events are aimed at raising awareness about the importance of exercising to stay fi t.

“These events also aim to edu-cate the community on how to pre-vent many diseases and obesity by doing regular exercises and lead-ing a healthy lifestyle,” said Ahmed Al Malki, chairman of Muscat Road Runners (MMR).

The fi rst one this month is the Oman Road Safety Association’s (ORSA) fi rst walkathon on Tues-day, at Qurum Natural Park in partnership with BP Oman.

The walkathon is a part of the greater ‘Buckle Up Every Per-son in Every Seat on Every Trip’ campaign, which aims to spread awareness on the importance of seatbelts.

To boost the ongoing road safety

awareness campaign the walka-thon will be off ering awareness buses manned by the Royal Oman Police (ROP), a live painting activ-ity, educational play settings for children, a seatbelt test demon-stration and a blood bank among an array of activities.

The walkathon is a part of BP Oman’s social investment educa-tional programmes.

This is part of the oil major’s commitment to safety in its op-erations as well as the commu-nity. The campaign’s role as an educational initiative is a unique addition to the programme through integrating safe attitudes in the community while raising awareness.

Amor bin Nasser Al Matani, chairman of ORSA, said, “Since its launch, the ‘Buckle Up’ campaign has benefi ted more than 2,500 people, predominately students and parents living near ten schools in Muscat, Al Dakhilyah and Al Dhahira. Through this walkathon, ORSA’s main objective is to raise

awareness on the importance of seatbelts and child restraints, which we are encouraging through our donation of 50 child restraints to government hospitals.

“Judging by the response from the people we have approached, I can say that we are making ster-ling progress in our aim to educate people to the realities of road safe-

ty. For helping us to further this, I thank BP for its continuous sup-port in Oman.”

Muscat Marathon 2015Then, on January 30, the fourth annual Muscat Marathon 2015 will welcome runners from around the world to compete at distances of 10,000 metres, 21,000 metres and 42,000 metres.

Participants will have training for months in order to be fi t and be ready to challenge themselves to complete the race.

Hosted in the beautiful gardens of the Intercontinental Hotel, and generously supported by the spon-sors, Bank Muscat, PDO, Schlum-berger and Strabag, 500 hundred runners will be on the starting line early in the morning to fi nd out if all their hard work and training has paid off .

“As part of the Muscat Festival, this year’s marathon promises to be a great community event draw-ing a multinational crowd from inside and outside Oman. Running

through the streets of Muscat, along the sea front and through Qurum Natural Park, the race showcases our beautiful city with participants enjoying the scenery at diff erent places during the race,” said Ahmed Al Malki.

Spectators are welcome to cheer the runners and there are many scenic spots for families to relax and watch the fun on the route.

The marathon starts at 6am, the half-marathon at 7am and the 10,000-metre run at 8am, so there will be plenty of runners to on the course during the race.

This event is organised by Mus-cat Road Runners, a multinational running club that gets together several times a week to run.

“We have been doing so since October 1983, and while few re-member those early days, the spirit of the group has grown and fl our-ished. Our numbers are currently around 150 and we have regular participation of up to 80 people of all abilities. We welcome all run-ners,” summed up Al Malki.

H E A L T H Y L I F E S T Y L E

HEALTH DRIVE: As part of the Muscat Festival, this year’s marathon

promises to be a great community event.–File photo

UK’s Telegraph lauds Khasab Port’s charm

Staff Reporter MUSCAT: UK-based publication The Telegraph has chosen Khasab Port as one of the world’s most beautiful ports.

Out of the world’s 10 most beau-tiful ports, Khasab Port is the only one selected in the region. Khasab Port is positioned at 7th place by the newspaper.

“While the Omani capital of Muscat may be all the rage as a Gulf destination on the rise, the country’s Musandam Peninsula is a place of legend. An enclave sepa-rated from the rest of Oman by the United Arab Emirates, its remote desert fj ords are an inhospitable, barrenly beautiful land inhabited by hardy shepherds and fi sher-men,” says the brief summary

about Khasab by the newspaper.“Ships, including those of

MSC Cruises, anchor some two miles from the old town, with its traditional souk, 17th century Portuguese fortress and shaded palm groves. Cruise visitors can explore the landscape on tradi-tional dhows, see huge schools of tuna and get up close to dolphins by swimming in the calm waters surrounding Telegraph Island. Now known by its original name, Jazirat Al Maqlab was once home to a British repeater station used to boost the strength of messages along the Gulf submarine cable,” the summary adds.

Khasab is also dubbed the ‘Nor-way of Arabia’.

New York Port in US tops the list

and Santorini Greece is placed in the second position.

Last week, Oman was featured in The New York Times ‘52 Places to Go in 2015’.

The New York Times placed Oman in the number 20 position, being the only country so named in the GCC, in this weekend’s edition of places to go worldwide. Each January, the editors of the Travel section of The New York Times publish a ‘Places to Go issue’.

Endorsed as the “Middle East’s best-kept secret no longer” the brief summary on Oman says staggering peaks in Oman’s land-scape come from mountains, not skyscrapers; its dramatic coast-lines owe little to man-made en-gineering; and the unending hub-

bub of Dubai and Abu Dhabi is contrasted here with the sheer si-lence of Oman’s numerous Wadis, or ravines.

According to Oman’s Ministry of Tourism, Oman was last week ranked a top travel destination for GCC tourists who are looking for short holidays.

This comes after Oman emerged as one of the most preferred desti-nations among GCC travellers, registering a 17 per cent increase in GCC citizens, as of the end of the third quarter of 2014.

The latest government statistics by the National Centre for Statis-tics and Information (NCSI) says over 701,311 tourists from the GCC visited the Sultanate as of September 2014.

The reputed

newspaper says:

‘Cruise visitors can

explore the landscape

on traditional dhows,

see huge schools

of tuna and get up

close to dolphins by

swimming in the

calm waters...’

OMAN’S PRIDE: Ships, including those of MSC Cruises, anchor some two miles from the old town, with

its traditional souk, 17th century Portuguese fortress and shaded palm groves.– File photo

Smartphones, Wi-Fi add value for hospitality sectorTimes News Service

MUSCAT: The hospitality sector in Oman is booming and accord-ing to the Ministry of Tourism, the industry is expected to grow to 10 per cent of the GDP by 2020 and hotel room capacity is forecast to expand at an annual growth rate of 5.3 per cent in the next three to four years.

Rapid advancement of mobile computing and increased smart-phone usage in Oman is giving hoteliers the opportunity to create additional value for their guests and lower operational costs by implementing mobile technology solutions. It is, therefore, surpris-ing that plans of most hoteliers to implement mobile enablement so-lutions are rambling.

Graeme Kane, sales manager, hospitality at Aruba Networks says that a revolution has taken place, from the days when there was one Ethernet port in the room with the hotels off ering guests a wired con-nection, or a dedicated hotel busi-ness centre often found in the lob-by. A couple years ago, the typical traveller would have carried only a laptop and a phone. With the huge

rise in the use of smart phones and tablets in the last three years trav-ellers now use their devices any-time and anywhere – for business, personal entertainment, social media engagement and other such purposes. And when they arrive at a hotel, they expect to connect to everything all the time. Guests now demand always-on Wi-Fi across the hotel complex, access to self-service apps and content streaming without delay.

This mobility revolution has created a need for hotels to engage guests through smartphone apps and untether their front-desk staff so they can assist guests anywhere on the property. Essentially, pro-viding a guest the Wi-Fi experi-ence is now a fundamental part of customer satisfaction.

There is clear evidence of the change in guests’ mentality. A re-cently conducted survey by Aruba Networks found that with respect to hospitality, #GenMobile, a term coined for the growing segment of people for whom smartphones is now an integral part of their personal and professional lives, displayed some interesting char-acteristics.

For example, 65 per cent of trav-ellers have three or more devices and 94 per cent cite Wi-Fi as the most important amenity. The sur-vey also found that 77 per cent of #GenMobile travellers reference reviews before choosing a hotel and 36 per cent will hesitate to re-book after a poor Wi-Fi experience

Business travellers now require VPN connections to their head-quarters while leisure travellers

feel the constant need to update their online photo albums. These requirements demand for broad-band internet speeds to be deliv-ered over Wi-Fi networks.

To remain competitive, hotels need to leverage a smarter, adap-tive network infrastructure that delivers stable, simple, smart, se-cure Wi-Fi access to thousands of devices at a time, supports mobile collaboration for staff , and enables

personalised and location-based mobile engagement for guests. There are therefore a number of aspects that must be looked into and addressed in order to achieve this which include Issues like ease of logging in. Before checking out the pool or entertainment, the fi rst thing the modern traveller wants to access is the hotel’s Wi-Fi net-work. It is therefore imperative to make it easy for them to self-

register for secure Wi-Fi access without IT assistance or dealing with multiple login screens. The solution should integrate with the existing property management system and allow the hotel to cre-ate custom-branded registration portals and browser pages.

Hotels continue to use tradition-al static promotional signage. But this does not always reach guests and often does not relate to them. Location-aware technology can also be used to push out relevant and timely off ers to guests’ mobile devices based on where they are on the venue’s property. Hotels, resorts and casinos can now re-ward loyal guests by sending them personalised push-notifi cations that contain exclusive off ers on in-house services or events.

By delivering stable, simple, smart and secure Wi-Fi to guests and then leveraging this network as a platform for innovation, hotels in Oman can set themselves apart in this highly competitive market. Done right, guests might use the very network developed for their satisfaction to post glowing re-views about the hotel and the ser-vice they received.

V A L U E A D D I T I O N

ISM staff upgrade their e-content skills Times News Service

MUSCAT: As part of the ongoing staff development programme at Indian School Muscat (ISM), the 350 plus teaching staff of the school attended a workshop on the use of the e-contents, follow-ing the guidelines of the Central Board of Secondary Education, Delhi (CBSE).

The inaugural session of the workshop was held in the new multipurpose hall.

Wilson George, chairman, Board of Directors, Indian Schools in the Sultanate of Oman, Dr. Avirat Vaishnav, president of the school Managing Committee, and other members of the SMC were present on the occasion.

The workshop is intended to better empower and update the staff in the professional front, in

the use of the e-contents avail-able on the Educational Portal Destination Success.

Trainers and resource persons from S. Chand Harcourt, India, a CBSE empanelled Teachers’ Training Organisation, are im-parting knowledge and skills, and equipping teachers with in-novative teaching methods using e-content tools and related sys-tems. Addressing the teachers, Wilson said ISM has a great repu-tation, and teachers, the intellec-tual wealth of ISM, have helped the school to gain this.

Dr Avirat shared the new initi-atives of the school management.

Principal Mr. Srinivas K. Naidu welcomed the gather-ing and thanked the Board of Directors and the School Manag-ing Committee for their continu-ous support.

A C A D E M I C S

NEW AVENUES: The workshop is intended to better empower

and update the staff on the use of e-contents available on the

Educational Portal Destination Success.–Supplied photo

A revolution has taken

place, from the days

when there was one

Ethernet port

Graeme KaneSales manager, Aruba Networks

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Caledonian Society to raise money for Dar Al HananSARAH MACDONALDsarah@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Caledonian Society of Oman will be raising money for the Oman Cancer Association’s Dar Al Hanan at its upcoming Rob-ert Burns Nights, which honours Scotland’s national poet.

The Society, an expat group started by Scottish residents of the Sultanate in 1976, holds a number of events through the year that both foster ties among the Scottish community and introduce Scot-tish culture to other people, as well as raising money to help charities in Oman and Scotland, Forbes Clow, Chieftan of the society said.

In past years the society split the

funds it raised equally, donating half to an Omani charity and half to one in Scotland, but this year its members decided to give 70 per-cent to a local charity.

Dar Al Hanan, the OCA’s home for sick children from outside of Muscat and their families to use when they need medical treat-ment, was chosen as the recipient along with the Children’s Hospice Association of Scotland.

“As you can see, both of our charities are focused on children. We’ve all got children we care about. In this troubled world that’s our future,” said Clow, adding that the society hopes to raise about OMR3,000 OMR this year.

A representative of the OCA

will be invited to the Robert Burns Night on February 5 at the resi-dence of the British ambassador, who is the honorary chieftain, where a cheque will be presented.

The event will also feature reci-tations of Burns’ poetry, Scottish music and dancing, and a dinner including haggis, a classic Scot-tish dish of sheep innards mixed with oatmeal and cooked inside the sheep’s stomach. “Some peo-ple want it more traditional and some people want more dancing so

we’re trying to cater to everybody this year,” noted Clow.

The Robert Burns Night is one of several events the Caledonian Society of Oman holds each year, along with its St Andrew’s Ball, oc-casional sundowners, and pop-up ceilidhs (Gaelic word for party).

This year the society is also planning on introducing some new events to Muscat, including traditional Highland Games, an event with bag piping, drumming and dancing competitions and Scottish heavy athletics, and a Kilt Walk for charity, in which people can wear their Scottish tartans and raise money for a good cause.

While most of the members are Scottish, the Caledonian Society

of Oman is open to anyone who is interested in Scottish culture and now has nearly 200 members, Clow noted.

“The society has really picked up since our annual general meet-ing in April 2014. We gained a very dynamic committee and have a lot of hardworking people here in Muscat. Through them we’ve able to get a lot of support and sponsor-ship for the society,” said Clow.

To get involved in the Caledo-nian Society of Oman, or to buy tickets to the Robert Burns Night, which cost OMR50 for members and OMR55 for non-members, people can send an email to cal-edoniansocietyofoman@gmail.com or call 96056904.

C H A R I T Y

FOR A CAUSE: Forbes Clow,

Chieftan of Caledonian Society

of Oman. – Jun Estrada/Times of Oman

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France’s Monte Carlo Doualiya Radio in Oman

SARAH MACDONALDsarah@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: France’s Arabic-lan-guage radio station Monte Carlo Doualiya (MCD) is hitting the Omani airwaves and to celebrate its arrival here, it is putting the spotlight on the Sultanate.

MCD, the Arabic branch of France Medias Monde group can be heard on 92.2FM in Oman, al-lowing listeners here to join 7.5 million other listeners in the Mid-dle East and North Africa, as well as fans who follow its broadcasts in France, Canada, Latin America and other countries. It will off er Oman international perspectives and something diff erent from lo-cal stations, said Marie-Christine Saragosse, Chairwoman and CEO of France Medias Monde, at a press conference announcing the launch on Monday.

‘Not partisan’“Monte Carlo Doualiya is not a partisan radio. It gives facts, of-fers debates and a variety of opin-ions, so it’s a radio that is well respected,” Saragosse said. The director of MCD, Souad El Tayeb, and a number of the presenters came to Oman this week for the launch, and they will be reporting from here over the next few days.

“We are very happy to be here. Oman is very important to us and it has been on our radar for a while,” said El Tayeb.

Though the station will bring new and diff erent news, music and programming to Oman, pre-

sented by French citizens of Arab heritage who understand the cul-tures of both France and the Arab world, to celebrate its arrival in the Sultanate the programmes will feature all kinds of news, mu-sic, and information about Oman until January 18.

ProgrammesReports on its programmes Gulf Hour, Café Chaud, The News Re-visited, Health Forever and Life and People will off er analysis on the changes and developments in Omani society, its culture, econ-omy, politics and social issues. There will also be broadcasts in-troducing the MCD listeners eve-rywhere to Oman, with reports on the Royal Opera House Muscat, lo-cal handicrafts, the Mutrah Souq, Oman Sail’s women’s programme, archeological excavations, the French presence in the Sultanate, and learning French in Oman.

For the past two weeks MCD has been available through local station Al Wisal, and El Tayeb said she has received very posi-tive feedback from people who have listened to it, especially taxi drivers who spend a lot of time listening to the radio in their cars.

“They’ve told us that what they’ve heard the past two weeks has been diff erent,” she said, add-ing that they have been interested in the international perspectives

heard on the station. HE Abdul-monem Al Hasani, Minister of Information, said he was happy to welcome MCD to the Sultanate, and also expressed his solidarity on behalf of the Omani people to the people of France following the attacks on their media last week.

“We can do many things to-gether and things for the Omani listeners. It’s something very im-portant for Omani listeners and for the local media. I wish you all the success and I want to let you know we are here to help you,” Al Hasani said.

Speaking on behalf the Embas-sy of France in Oman, Clément Moutel, Counsellor for Cultural Aff airs and Cooperation, said it was important for Omanis to have the opportunity to listen to a French radio station in Arabic. It would also off er more news and information than other Arabic stations here.

Point of view“It will off er a French point of view, a diff erent perspective on international aff airs. MCD is an informative station with open de-bates with auditors, directors, and specialists so I think this will in-terest many Omanis,” Moutel said. He added that was also a chance for the MCD journalists to dis-cover the Sultanate, which he de-scribed as a special place because it’s at the crossroads between the Arab World, Asia and Africa.

“It’s got a specifi c foreign poli-cy, a policy of permanent dialogue and the absence of confl ict, and I think it’s interesting for non-Om-anis to discover this,” he said.

The station will

bring new and

diff erent news, music

and programming

to Oman, presented

by French citizens

of Arab heritage who

understand both

French and

Arab cultures

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

BOOSTING RELATIONS: Minister of Information Abdulmonem Al

Hasani and France’s Ambassador to Oman Roland Dubertrand at

the event to launch Monte Carlo Doualiya in Oman. – Ismail Al Farsi/

Times of Oman

‘Educational standards hold the key’

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Educational stand-ards are very signifi cant pillars of any educational system, and therefore its continuous develop-ment and improvement will have a long-standing positive impact on the outcomes of educational institutions, Her Highness Sayyi-dah Dr Mona bint Fahad Al Said, Sultan Qaboos University Assis-tant Vice Chancellor for Interna-tional Cooperation, has said.

She said this while chairing a special working group to prepare for the second meeting of the

working group of the committee on quality management system in educational institutions of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which is being hosted by Sultan Qa-boos University, in association with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The working group includes specialists from SQU, the Min-istry of Commerce and Indus-try and the Ministry of Higher Education. Speaking to the par-ticipants of the workshop on the fi rst day, HH Sayyidah Dr. Mona Al Said, said that SQU, being the

premier higher educational insti-tution in Oman, was glad to host such a very important meeting.

The Assistant Vice Chancellor praised ISO, the world’s largest developer of voluntary Interna-tional Standards, for its great and continuous eff orts in developing such high quality International Standards, and for giving SQU the honour and opportunity to host this meeting.

Dr. Sandra Felciano, the Con-vener of ISO/PC288 Working Group 1, also spoke on the occa-sion, in which she thanked SQU for its hospitality.

S Q U H O S T S M E E T I N G

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OMANT U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

The service is impeccable, yet discreet, in keeping with the sophisticated tone of the restaurant

Ryan Stallwood, restaurant manager

‘A milestone for democracy’“Voting rights will enable us also to participate in the elections. I am here for more than three dec-ades and I have missed my voting rights on numerous occasions, as I am stuck in Oman due to my work schedule. Now, the e-postal ballot will be a great help,” said Bino PP, a production manager in an advertising agency in Muscat.

“This will be a milestone in In-dian democracy. Now, the voice of the NRIs can be heard in the parliament. Voting rights will help them, especially those in the Gulf countries, to raise their issues in the parliament and get them resolved. However, the gov-ernment bodies should also en-sure to make the polling process foolproof,” said Shaji Sebastin, a Muscat-based social worker.

According to the EC, the e-postal ballot system has almost no risk of manipulation, rigging or violation of secrecy.

The EC said the system can be initially tried in one or two constituencies in elections to

the legislative assemblies. The system can then be scaled up to more assembly elections and fi -nally parliamentary elections if found feasible, practicable and meeting the objectives of free and fair elections, it added.

On proxy voting, the EC said that the facility of voting through an appointed person — ordinar-ily from the same constituency as the voter — is currently availa-ble to service voters belonging to the armed forces and paramili-tary forces.

The poll panel said, “Proxy voting facility would be a con-venient, effi cacious and doable method of providing a voting fa-cility to overseas electors.”

“Since the appointment of a proxy can be made at any point of time, the issue of time con-straints, logistical issues of the embassy and the related issues of host country permission is elim-inated in this system,” stated the EC report.

The EC report was submitted

by a committee formed to look into the issue following the SC order. A committee was formed to explore the possibility of al-lowing NRIs to cast their votes overseas while it heard a public interest litigation (PIL) fi led by Dr. Shamseer Vayalil, the Dubai-based NRI litigant from Kerala, who contended that the exist-ing provision which mandates any NRI voter to be physically present in the constituency to exercise his franchise was dis-criminatory and a violation of a citizen’s fundamental rights.

“A historic day for all NRIs,” Dr. Vayalil told Times of Oman over phone from the Indian capi-tal New Delhi.

“I feel proud and happy. Now, millions of NRIs who were de-prived of the right to participate in the Indian democratic process can do so. It is dream come true for me and other NRIs. I thank everyone who was with me in this fi ght for our rights,” added Dr. Vayalil.

V O T I N G R I G H T S

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For exquisite Italian cuisine, visit Rossini

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Exquisite Italian cuisine is set to be the latest cu-linary rage at The Cave with the launch of Rossini, the Sultanate of Oman’s newest and most authen-tic Italian restaurant.

Brought to the Sultanate by Four Seasons Tourism LLC, which manages a chain of premi-um restaurant brands around the country, Rossini off ers guests the opportunity of a culinary journey that is quintessentially Italian.

From the signature Italian dishes to the distinctive hospital-ity, this outstanding diner recre-ates the Italian experience in all its gastronomic grandeur.

Speaking at the opening, Ryan Stallwood, restaurant manager, said that around 90 people, in-cluding 16 in the VIP room, can be accommodated at this Italian restaurant. “The service is im-peccable, yet discreet, in keeping with the sophisticated tone of the

restaurant,” he added. The menu is the carefully crafted handiwork of an experienced and profes-sional Executive Chef Luca Um-breto Voncini and features a wide selection of Italian classics such as antipasti and risottos, succu-lent steaks and seafood dishes – all prepared to perfection by the team of chefs.

À la carteSalads, soups and desserts add to the diversity of the À la carte menu. Only the freshest and fi n-est ingredients are used in keep-ing with a commitment to culi-nary authenticity. All the pastas and other delicious creations are borne from scratch out of the kitchen.

Complementing the delight-

ful menu is Rossini’s elegant and contemporary décor. Lend-ing a distinctively Italian feel to the restaurant are paintings and themes redolent of Italy’s histori-cal charms. But the Rossini expe-rience is more than just Italian fi ne dining and décor.

For cigar afi cionados, the styl-ish Cigar Lounge with its leather upholstery and refi ned appeal is the ideal setting for a puff .

Tucked away in a discreet sec-tion of the restaurant is a private dining area catering to small

groups of customers eager for some privacy as they make the most of the exquisite Italian fi ne dining experience that Rossini has to off er. Guests can dine ei-ther À la carte or choose from per-sonalised menus with each dish prepared on order.

Fine diningCommenting on the launch of Rossini, Lawrence D’sa, general manager of Four Seasons Tour-ism LLC, says, “Rossini is a brand that promises to take Italian fi ne dining to a new level in Oman. Customers can look forward to an authentic Italian experience that our staff has trained long and hard to deliver. The experience will be an evening to remember – Italian-style!”

From signature

Italian dishes

to distinctive

hospitality, this

outstanding diner

recreates the Italian

experience in all

its gastronomic

grandeur

WHO encourages member states to raise surveillance “This case relates to a person who was in contact with a patient di-agnosed with the virus a few days ago. The condition of the patient is stable and improving,” said the ministry statement.

“The Ministry of Health is well prepared to respond to the MERS-CoV outbreak. All health personnel in the country, in both public and private health facili-ties, are encouraged to remain vigilant in detecting suspected cases and strictly implementing policies and guidelines that are

in line with WHO recommenda-tions,” Dr Abdallah Assaedi, WHO representative in Oman, said in an email to Times of Oman. “Based on the current situation and available information, the WHO encour-ages all member states to continue their surveillance for acute res-piratory infections and to care-fully review any unusual patterns,” added Abdallah.

As of January 6, 2015, the WHO has reported 945 human cases, including 348 deaths due to MERS. They were expecting ad-

ditional cases of this new strain of the coronavirus.

Last December, Saudi Arabia also notifi ed of three additional cases of the MERS-CoV infec-tion, including one death. Accord-ing to their health ministry, as of January 9, there are seven active cases of MERS-CoV infection in the Kingdom.

“Self-medication by patients who are infected with infl uenza can worsen the situation. Those who have a recent travel history to Saudi Arabia should not be reluc-

tant to consult a doctor if they suf-fer from infl uenza, because only a detailed diagnosis and laboratory tests can confi rm whether the pa-tient is infected with the MERS vi-rus or not,” said Basheer A, a senior doctor at the general medicine de-partment in Badr Al Samaa Ruwi Hospital. “In the initial phase the fatality rate is only one per cent. But in the second phase, it will be 50 to 60 per cent. So, patients, and those who are close to the patients, should be more cautious. Scien-tists are not sure of the origin of

the virus, but several studies have linked it to camels and some ex-perts think it is being passed to hu-mans through close physical con-tact or through the consumption of camel meat or camel milk. So, those who work in camel butch-ery shops or those who consume poorly cooked camel meat should be cautious,” said the doctor.

The doctor also added that the Sultanate’s Ministry of Health has put in place all kinds of advanced treatment procedures to handle infected patients.

Meanwhile, a Haj and Umrah operator said that they follow the Ministry of Health instructions strictly for their pilgrims to avoid the risk of contracting the virus.

“We make sure that the pilgrims who approach us to travel to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage have got the health clearance certifi cates and are fi t to travel.

“It is mandatory and we follow it,” said Irshad Ali Khan, regional manager at Travel Point, a special-ist in organising Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages from Oman.

M E R S - C O V

DINERS’ DELIGHT: Brought to the Sultanate by Four Seasons Tourism LLC, which manages a chain

of premium restaurant brands around the country, Rossini off ers guests the opportunity of a culi-

nary journey that is quintessentially Italian. –Jun Estrada/Times of Oman

HOUSING COMPLEX: The staff accommodation zone will be home to

employees of the two Jumeirah hotels along with the resident staff

of Saraya Bandar Jissah. – Supplied picture

Saraya Bandar Jissah awards contract to build staff quartersTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Saraya Bandar Jissah, the developer of the upcoming lux-urious Integrated Tourism Com-plex, has awarded the construction contract of the staff accommoda-tion zone to Ghantoot Transport & General Contracting LLC (GTGC).

The company’s core competen-cies include executing large-scale projects with their highly skilled professional manpower and prov-en track record.

The company has previously undertaken mega projects in buildings, palaces, road networks, bridges and power transmission and distribution networks as well as executing major infrastructure projects in United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries.

The staff accommodation zone will be home to employees of the two Jumeirah hotels along with the resident staff of Saraya Bandar Jissah. The staff housing will have its own recreational facility, com-

plete with a sports complex and various other amenities.

On signing with GTGC, the CEO of Saraya Bandar Jissah, Sheikh Hamood bin Sultan Al Hosni said, “We look forward to working with GTGC as their projects are a re-fl ection of their professionalism and industry leading expertise. Each zone of the Saraya Bandar Jissah project is well thought out and demonstrates true luxury. We are confi dent that with a lead-ing contractor like GTGC on site, Saraya Bandar Jissah will evolve into one of the most unique archi-tectural marvels in the Sultanate.”

The staff accommodation zone will comprise 13 buildings and 207 allotted parking spaces. The break-down of the 13 buildings includes eight accommodation blocks, one facilities management and retail building, one common facility building, one nursery block build-ing for plants propagation and two MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) rooms.

P A C T S I G N E D

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Good communication and leadership promote the ability to speak to what is essential and what isn’t, and facilitates decision making and meetings, develop-ment of staff . Communication and leadership skills begin with good listening, an expert said here.

Experts from the University of Michigan delivered a series of lectures on entrepreneurship re-lated topics at the Academic In-novation Assistance Programme (AIAP), at Sultan Qaboos Univer-sity on Monday.

The topics included commu-nication skills for entrepreneurs, theory in new directions in brand love, and access to capital for tech-nology oriented startups.

Giving a lecture on “Leadership Skills for Entrepreneurs: Eff ec-tive and Mindful Communica-tion”, Surry Scheerer, consultant coach for custom programmes at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business Executive Ed-ucation Program, said that good communication and leadership promotes authenticity, clarity, trust and eff ective relationships.

Surry Scheerer said the more a leader listens to others, the more likely he or she is likely to hear what colleagues need to do their jobs; hear what clients and cus-tomers want; hear good ideas; receive bad news, and avoid mis-takes and build stronger ties.

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I L L S

Workshop on entrepreneurs’ skills at SQU

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Sports facility in Muscat discussed

The municipal council has been briefed on the plans of the Haya Water Company to establish a sewage treatment plant in Mus-fah area of Bausher wilayat. The municipal council also discussed the challenges facing the sports

sector in Muscat, mostly with regard to the limited areas avail-able for sporting facilities.

The new residential schemes in the Muscat governorate do not have allocated areas for build-ing sport facilities which force

youths to encroach on the green covers in Muscat.

All these recommendations were made during the meeting at the municipality presided by HE Mohsin Al Shaikh, the chairman, on Monday.

M U N I C I P A L C O U N C I L

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REGIONT U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

NOTORIOUS: A view of Roumieh prison. Lebanese forces stormed

the country’s largest prison on Monday where militants are

detained, security sources said, as authorities searched for those

behind a double suicide attack at the weekend. – Reuters

SHIVERING COLD: A Syrian man carries wood for a fi re in the rebel-held city of Douma on Sunday

The snowstorm that hit large swathes of Syria on Sunday caused the death of seven people, the

Observatory said. – AFP

President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi appears to be succeeding where predecessors Hosni Mubarak and Mohamed Morsi both failed in the delicate task of reforming a system that has drained the state’s fi nances while angering the population

Zarif calls for greater Russian role in talks

TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Minis-ter Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that a more active role for Russia could speed up talks aimed at sealing a comprehensive deal on Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme. With meetings be-tween Iran and world powers to resume in Geneva on Wednesday, Russia’s deputy foreign minis-ter Sergei Ryabkov was visiting Tehran, with both sides seeking a breakthrough.

“A more active Russian role is an important element in acceler-ating the fi nal settlement of ques-tions for a global nuclear agree-ment,” Zarif was quoted as saying on state media.

With a fi nal deal at stake by a June 30 deadline, the talks have stalled on key issues. Ryabkov, who heads up the Russian nego-

tiating team under the P5+1 talks, said good ties between Tehran and Moscow can still help “a rapid settlement of nuclear relations re-lating to Iran”.

Technical stepsExperts say such technical steps push back the “breakout capacity” to make an atomic weapon, while Iran denies seeking a nuclear bomb. Iran’s atomic agency chief Ali Akbar Salehi, however, said Sunday that Tehran was insist-ent on increased uranium enrich-ment, saying that in eight years it would need to produce 12 times more than at present. Iran says it needs more enrichment to create

fuel for peaceful nuclear energy production, but the issue has been a stumbling block in talks with world powers, who say a lower ca-pability would suffi ce.

In Geneva, US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Zarif on Wednesday, with lower-level P5+1 meetings on January 18.

The other main obstacle to a fi nal deal is the timeline for lift-ing sanctions imposed on Iran for pursuing its nuclear programme in the face of international pres-sure. Although Iran is led in the talks by Zarif and a team of ne-gotiators, Ayatollah Ali Khame-nei, as Iran’s supreme leader, has the fi nal say on any decision.

Kerry said that he and his Iranian counterpart would seek at their meeting to lay the ground for ne-gotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme to make greater pro-gress. “The meeting is calculated to take stock, number one, and to provide direction to our teams, number two, and to hopefully be able to accelerate the process to make greater progress,” Kerry told reporters on a visit to India.

“We’re at a juncture where most of the issues are now get-ting fl eshed out and understood and I think it’s important for him and for me to take stock,” Kerry said of his meeting with Zarif on Wednesday. — Reuters

A more active

Russian role is an

important element

in accelerating the

fi nal settlement of

questions for a

global nuclear

agreement, Iran’s

Foreign Minister said

Lebanese troops raid notorious Roumieh prisonBEIRUT: Security forces raided Lebanon’s notorious Roumieh prison on Monday after discover-ing that inmates were linked to a deadly bomb attack last week, se-curity services said.

The Internal Security Forces (ISF), in a statement, said an op-eration was underway at the pris-on’s B block, where many high-profi le prisoners are held.

The block in Roumieh, east of Beirut, is known as a virtual no-go zone for security forces, where prisoners have access to laptops, phones and money.

RiotsThe ISF said some prisoners had rioted, starting fi res to thwart the operation, which follows a dou-ble suicide bomb attack Satur-day in the Jabal Mohsen district of the northern city of Tripoli.

“The operation is taking place as planned,” said the statement, published by Lebanon’s offi cial National News Agency.

“The situation is under con-trol and there are no casualties and the plan being implemented complements the overall security plan for Lebanon,” it added.

“Roumieh prison is part of that plan, especially after the discov-ery of ties between a number of prisoners and the terrorist blasts in the Jabal Mohsen area.”

The attack in often-tense Tripoli killed nine people in the neighbourhood.

Fighting has regularly bro-ken out between residents of the neighbourhood and militants in neighbouring Bab Al Tebbaneh.

The Saturday attack was car-ried out by Lebanese from anoth-er Tripoli district. — AFP

L I N K S T O B O M B B L A S T S

Sisi scores success with smart cards for bread subsidies CAIRO: The successful roll-out so far of a new “smart card” sys-tem to distribute subsidised bread has been a major achievement for Egypt’s government, saving money while earning praise from families who no longer have to wake early to fi ght for loaves.

President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi appears to be succeeding where predecessors Hosni Mubarak and Mohamed Morsi both failed in the

delicate task of reforming a system that has drained the state’s fi nanc-es while angering the population.

While the government still has a long way to go to roll out the new system countrywide, success so far marks an important civilian achievement for the president, a former army chief mainly known for security issues, including a harsh crackdown against Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood followers.

“In the time of Mubarak and Morsi, there was no organisation at bakeries. People fought each other. Now we all take what we need and there’s bread for all,” said Bakhita Ibrahim, a Cairo resi-dent at a bakery in the Sayyeda Zeinab district.

For generations, Egypt’s govern-ment has fed the public by distrib-uting subsidised fl our to bakeries, which sell bread for as little as 5 pi-

astres a loaf, less than one US cent. The system turned Egypt into

the world’s biggest importer of wheat, draining the government’s foreign currency reserves.

Cairo spends $3 billion a year on imports for it. Nor has it pleased the public. Bread has been sold on a “fi rst come, fi rst served” ba-sis, forcing people to queue up for hours in the morning to get it before it runs out, and sometimes

leading to violence. Those who arrive at the bakery early some-times buy extra bread to feed to their livestock. Meanwhile, those who arrive too late can get noth-ing. And bakers are widely accused of siphoning off fl our to sell on the black market, profi ting while run-ning up the government’s bills.

Under the system, families are issued plastic cards allowing them to buy fi ve loaves per family mem-

ber per day. Buyers no longer have to queue. Bakeries are paid for the subsidised loaves they sell, rather than being given a fi xed allotment of cheap fl our, making it harder to siphon off subsidies. The cards have so far been introduced in 17 of Egypt’s 29 provinces and consump-tion in those areas is already down between 15 to 35 percent, Supplies Minister Khaled Hanafi , who has led the reforms, said. — Reuters

M A J O R A C H I E V E M E N T

Five more die of freezing temperatures in SyriaBEIRUT: Five more people have died of freezing temperatures in Syria, bringing to 11 the country’s death toll in a week-long storm battering the region, a monitoring group said on Monday.

Seven children, including twin baby girls, were among the dead, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. “The snowstorm that hit large swathes of Syria on Sunday caused the death of seven people,” the Observatory said, up-dating an earlier toll.

Among the latest deaths was

a two-day-old girl in the Firdous district of the northern city of Aleppo whose twin sister was re-ported dead on Sunday.

Twins“Both twins have now died be-cause of the cold,” Observatory di-rector Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The other new deaths included three boys: in Beit Sahem, south of Damascus, in the eastern town of Albu Kamal, controlled by the IS militant group, and in southern Syria’s Daraa province.

The fi fth additional death was in Deir Ezzor province, which neighbours Iraq, where a man died because of a lack of heating, the group said.

VictimsAll the victims lived in rebel-held areas, where shortages of food, heating and medical equipment are especially severe.

In neighbouring Lebanon, at least two Syrian refugees died last Wednesday due to plunging tem-peratures. — AFP

S N O W S T O R M

SEEKING A BREAKTHROUGH: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, meets with

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov in Tehran on Monday. – AFP

Meshaal is welcome in Qatar: Attiyah

DOHA: Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal remains welcome in Qatar, the Gulf country’s for-eign minister said on Monday, brushing off claims that the Pal-estinian leader had been asked to leave. “Khaled Meshaal is a dear guest in Qatar. He is in fact at home,” Khalid Al Attiyah said. - AFP

B R U S H I N G O F F C L A I M S

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INDIAT U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

Those groups indulging in violence, division of people and extortion have to be shunned. I seek your help to fi ght violence and insurgency

Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister

HARVEST FESTIVALSchoolgirls clad in traditional Punjabi dress toss puff ed rice, peanuts and popcorn into a bonfi re on the eve of the Lohri festival

in Amritsar on Monday. The Lohri harvest festival, which falls on January 13 this year, is marked in northern India with cel-

ebrations involving the fl ying and battling of kites. - AFP

No talks with militant

outfi ts indulging in

violence, says Rajnath

GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Mon-day categorically said there will be no talks with those militant outfi ts that indulge in violence though doors are open for parleys with others.

“Doors are open for discussions. Talks we will have but under no circumstances we will have talks after the militants indulge in vio-lence. We will not talk with such extremist groups under the Nar-endra Modi government,” assert-ed the Home Minister addressing the closing ceremony of the 19th National Youth Festival here.

Appealing to the North East region based insurgent outfi ts to stop their violent activities, the Home Minister said, “they do not understand the poor people’s problems. The poor are being mas-sacred and the youth cannot re-main silent but have to fi ght them, however, powerful they are.”

“Those groups indulging in violence, division of people and extortion have to be shunned. I seek your help to fi ght violence and insurgency,” Singh said.

Twelve Bodo militants were on Sunday arrested from three places in Assam along the inter-

national border with Bhutan, a day after an insurgent involved in the massacre of tribals was shot dead, police said.

The cadres of the anti-talk fac-tion of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) were arrested in Chirang district in op-erations jointly carried out by As-sam Police, the Central Reserve Police Force and the Sashastra Seema Bal.

“The 12 cadres include a mem-ber of the outfi t’s central com-mittee, a deputy commander and a platoon commander,” said In-spector General of Police (BTAD) L.R. Bishnoi.

They were being interrogated to ascertain their links with the recent violence in three districts, he said. Four AK-56 rifl es, fi ve pistols, one .303 rifl e, one .315 ri-fl e, 12 magazines, four grenades and 785 rounds of ammunition were seized from them.

Security forces Saturday gunned down Jeblang alias Jagat Basumatary, platoon commander of the NDFB in Kokrajhar dis-trict, who was involved in fi ring in Pakriguri area in Kokrajhar on December 23 that left over 30 people dead. - Agencies

A S S A M K I L L I N G S

Civil nuclear deal on Obama-Modi agenda

GANDHINAGAR: The US and India will try to make progress in defence and civil nuclear coop-eration when President Barack Obama visits Delhi this month end, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday.

He also said that they expected India to sign a landmark climate change agreement in Paris at the end of this year and this would be part of the discussions Obama will have with Prime Minister Modi.

Obama will be in India as chief guest at the Republic Day celebra-tions this year. He will also have discussions with Modi on bilateral and other issues.

“We will try to make progress on issues like defence agreements, civil nuclear agreement as well as economic progress,” Kerry told re-porters here giving the outline of the discussion with Modi.

“We are also working together to

strengthen maritime security. We are strengthening our partnership to combat terrorism, piracy and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. We are committed to regional dialogue on key political and security issues,” he said.

After the landmark nuclear deal between the two countries in 2008, cooperation in the sector has been stalled over the tough provisions in the Civil Nuclear Liability Act that have come as a dampener for foreign operators.

Productive discussionSpeaking about his Sunday’s meet-ing with Modi, Kerry said, “I had productive discussion with prime minister Narendra Modi when President Obama is coming here next month.

Obama is honoured to be invited as a chief guest at the Republic Day parade and is going to be the fi rst

sitting president to be on a visit to India for the second time”.

Kerry, who is here to take part in the seventh edition of the Vibrant Gujarat summit, his second visit to India after Modi took over as prime minister, also said that he is impressed by the event.

“We expect to sign a landmark climate change agreement with In-dia in Paris at the end of this year. And I know that this topic would be part of President Obama’s dis-cussion with the prime minister during his upcoming visit,” he said.

Given that Prime Minister Modi has been in offi ce for only six months, it is not surprising that the two countries have not com-pletely resolved these things, the offi cial said.

“There has been a great deal of rolling up your sleeves discussion going on the civil liability issue, on the nuclear side on civil/nuclear,

and I think there’s a commitment on both sides to try to fi nd a way through that.

“I don’t know whether that will be resolved in time for the President’s visit, but I would say I think there is progress being made there,” the offi cial said.

Talking about the patents issue, the US offi cial said it has to be put in the context of the larger intel-lectual property issues.

“There has been a great deal of progress and discussion on the copyright side and a commitment by India to introduce new legis-lation on copyright, particularly with respect to the fi lm industry and piracy there,” the offi cial said.

Noting that the patents issue had not been resolved yet, the of-fi cial said there is a robust discus-sion taking place and will continue to take place.

Kerry unhurt in accidentMeanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his staff were in-volved in a minor road accident Monday during his visit to western India, but none of the party were injured, an offi cial said.

Kerry was heading to the airport in Ahmedabad city in Gujarat state when his car and another in the motorcade were involved in the accident, a State Department of-fi cial said.

“During the drive to the airport in Ahmedabad... two cars in the motorcade had a minor traffi c ac-cident resulting in some damage to both cars,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

“Secretary Kerry was in the fi rst of the two vehicles. He sustained no injuries nor did any staff or per-sonnel.” - Agencies

US Secretary of

State John Kerry

said we will try to

make progress on

issues like defence

agreements, civil

nuclear agreement

as well as economic

progress

CBI summons Mamata aide for questioning in Saradha scamKOLKATA: The CBI on Monday summoned Trinamool Congress general secretary and former rail-way minister Mukul Roy for ques-tioning in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam.

The opposition termed the development a major “setback” for the Trinamool, while West Bengal’s ruling party accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government of using the Central Bureau of Investigation as a “po-litical tool”.

Confi rming that he has been called for questioning, Roy — pres-ently in Delhi — said he would appear before the CBI once he re-turns to Kolkata.

“Question doesn’t arise about any summons but I have been in-formed by the CBI. I am here (in Delhi) for a day or two, and once I go back to Kolkata, I will defi nitely

meet the CBI people,” Roy told re-porters in Delhi.

“I have never been involved in any illegal or immoral activity. They (CBI) have called me but I am here. Once I return to Kolkata, I will meet them,” he added.

Claiming that the CBI’s sum-mons to Roy was yet to be re-ceived, Trinamool spokesperson and Rajya Sabha chief whip Derek O’Brien wondered if the investi-gating agency was being run by BJP president Amit Shah.

Nasty ploy“The nasty ploy of using the CBI as a political tool by the BJP continues. They could not fi ght us politically in Bengal in the Lok Sabha elections. So now, these dirty tactics months be-fore the corporation elections. We will fi ght them — strongly, po-

litically,” the spokesperson said in a written statement.

“This is blatant vindictiveness. The so-called summons has not yet reached and the BJP honchos are already giving bytes. Is the CBI being run by (Prime Minister)

Narendra Modi’s offi ce or by Amit Shah at the BJP headquarters?” asked O’Brien.

“This is a deliberate bid to try and fi nish all regional parties and they are doing this against many states. The Trinamool functioned almost as the main opposition party in parliament. By doing this, the BJP hopes to silence us. This devious strategy will not succeed, because we do not succumb. We fi ght politically,” he added.

ArrestedFour Trinamool leaders — includ-ing Rajya Sabha members Kunal Ghosh and Srinjoy Bose, and state Transport Minister Madan Mitra — have been arrested in connec-tion with the scam.

The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate have also questioned many Trinamool MPs as part of

the probe. Claiming that the Tri-namool frontline leadership was involved in the scam, BJP national secretary S.N. Singh said Roy’s summoning was a major setback for the state’s ruling party.

Signifi cant step“The summoning of Roy by the CBI is a big setback for the Tri-namool. Moreover, Roy was the last person whom Saradha chief Sudipta Sen had met before he fl ed to Kashmir. So his summoning by the CBI is a signifi cant step,” the BJP leader said.

Former state Congress presi-dent Pradip Bhattacharya said Roy’s summoning by the CBI “was imminent”.

“It has become evident how the Trinamool’s frontline leadership was directly and indirectly in-volved in the scam. Their involve-

ment in ruining lakhs of poor peo-ple cannot be denied,” he said.

CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechury demanded that properties of all those involved in the scandal should be confi scated and sold off and every person con-nected to the graft be called for questioning, irrespective of their positions including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

“The matter must be investigat-ed in its entirety and all those who are involved irrespective of their position must be quizzed and if found guilty, action must be taken against them.

“More importantly, the money that was swindled from the poor must be returned by confi scat-ing and selling their properties, whatever position they may hold, including the chief minister,” Yechury said. - IANS

S E T B A C K F O R T R I N A M O O L C O N G R E S S

DOING THE GROUNDWORK: United States Secretary of State John

Kerry announces he will visit Paris later in the week, at a news

conference in Gandhinagar on Monday. - AFP

Mukul Roy

13 die after consuming spurious liquor in UPLUCKNOW: Thirteen people died in two separate incidents on Monday after consuming illicit liquor in Uttar Pradesh, on the outskirts of the state capital, police said. More than two dozen people were admitted to various hospitals in Luc-know where the condition of 18 is said to be “very critical.” The fi rst incident occurred at Datli village in Malihabad, the mango belt of the state. An offi cial said that fi ve people died on the spot while consuming the country made liquor. Five others died in hospitals. People in serious condition have been admitted to Balrampur hospital and the trauma centre at the Lucknow Medical College. In the second incident early Monday three persons died after consuming spurious liquor in Talvasarai village in Unnao, neighbouring the state capital. The deceased belonged to Datli, Pahadpur, Khadta, Rampur, Gondwa, Baraunja and Bhogla. Many people are feared to have lost their eye sight.

Tharoor may be questioned soon in Sunanda’s murderNEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor may be ques-tioned soon in connection with his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s murder, Delhi Police chief B.S. Bassi said Monday. “I know Tharoor is in Delhi. Our SIT (Special Investigation Team) is working on the case, and if they require, they will call him (Tharoor) soon,” Bassi told the media. Tharoor reached Delhi on Sunday from Kerala, where he was undergoing ayurvedic rejuvenation. Pushkar, 52, was found dead in a luxury hotel here on January 17, 2014. Police have said she was poisoned to death. In response to a question, Bassi said Pakistani journal-ist Mehr Tarar, whose friendship with Tharoor had reportedly led to a row between him and Pushkar, may also be questioned if needed. Pushkar was found dead just days after an open spat on Twitter drew attention to the couple’s personal life and Tarar.

Andhra Pradesh to launch ‘e-biz’ portal for investorsHYDERABAD: As part of plans to create a business-friendly environment and woo more investment, south Indian state Andhra Pradesh has drawn up a plan to launch an ‘e-biz’ web portal. The objective of the portal is to make easier for inves-tors to obtain licenses and permissions for business, offi cial sources said. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu held a meeting on the proposed portal last week. So far, the investors have to go through lengthy processes to obtain permissions for setting up industries. - Agencies

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Delhi assembly polls on February 7

NEW DELHI: The Assembly election in Delhi, being touted as a direct contest between BJP and AAP, will be held on February 7, the Election Commission announced on Monday.

Counting of votes for the elec-tion to the 70-member Assembly will be held on February 10, ahead of the expiry of President’s Rule which was imposed in the capital on February 15, last year.

With the declaration of the poll schedule, the Model Code of Con-duct will come into force with im-mediate eff ect, the EC said.

The notifi cation for the polls will be issued by the Lt Governor on January 14 while the last date for fi l-ing nominations is January 21. The date of scrutiny is January 22, while candidates can withdraw from the electoral battle by January 24.

Addressing a press conference here, the full Commission com-prising Chief Election Commis-sioner V. S. Sampath and Election Commissioners H. S. Brahma and Nasim Zaidi, said 1.30 crore voters were eligible to exercise their fran-chise to elect a new Assembly.

“The dissolution (of the Delhi Assembly) order of the President

will expire by February 15 and in order to restore the mandate of the people as expeditiously as pos-sible, the Commission has decided to go in for elections where the results will be known well before February 15,” Sampath said.

Hectic campaign expectedThe electoral process in Delhi will be completed by February 12.

The CEC said that the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi will witness a “very heated and hectic” political campaign as there are no polls being held anywhere in the country during that period

and the “focus of all political par-ties” will be here.

He said the EC has put up a mechanism for conduct of a free and fair election and all measures to check the use of “money power” will be taken.

Responding to a volley of ques-tions that the EC was not fol-lowing the principle of giving a month’s time between announce-ment of the polls and the date of nomination, Sampath said three weeks is the “outer limit” but the timeline can be reduced to two weeks or even one week.

“Giving more time would have

been a ritual than a requirement as people were anticipating polls for a very long time,” he said.

Warning political leaders against making hate speeches, the Election Commission of India on Monday said there will be strict and “ruthless” enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct during Delhi polls and it will have zero tol-erance against such occurrences.

“Any statement made before the Model Code is one thing. Any statement made after the enforce-ment of the Model Code is anoth-er...there cannot be any advance ruling on the issue. Ruling can be made when it happens...there will be strict and ruthless enforcement of the code,” Chief Election Com-missioner V. S. Sampath said.

He was responding to a volley of questions on hate speeches and re-conversion programmes like ‘ghar wapsi’.

Responding to a similar ques-tion, he said the poll watchdog has “zero tolerance” against prohib-ited activities or speeches during the conduct of polls.

During the Lok Sabha polls ear-lier this year, EC had banned ral-lies of BJP chief Amit Shah and UP minister Mohammad Azam Khan for allegedly making infl am-matory speeches.

While ban on Shah was lifted after he approached the Commis-sion, ban on Khan had remained as he did not clarify his stand before the poll body. - PTI

Counting of votes

for the election to

the 70-member

Assembly will be

held on February 10,

ahead of the expiry

of President’s Rule

which was imposed

in the capital on

February 15, last year

COMMUNIQUE: Chief Election Commissioner V. S. Sampath along with Election Commissioners H.S.

Brahma and Syed Ahmed Zaidi at a press conference for the announcement of the schedule for the

Delhi Assembly elections, in New Delhi on Monday. - PTI

NEW DELHI: BJP lead-ers admit the AAP is their main foe in Delhi, but three-time chief minister Sheila Dikshit doesn’t feel that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is an alternative to the BJP or the Congress.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes all out campaigning for the BJP in Delhi, Sheila says her party is very much in the reckoning with a view to keeping the BJP out of power.

“The Congress agenda is to keep the BJP out. It’s a political battle,” said Dikshit. “I don’t know whether they (AAP) have any potential or not... That party is more of a media creation. Look at their behaviour the last time when they worked for 49 days and ran away,” Sheila added. - IANS

AAP not an alternative, says Sheila

Ban asks India to play key role in ensuring nuclear disarmament in South Asia NEW DELHI: Recognising its growing stature, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday asked India to play a major role in ensuring nuclear disarmament in South Asia, bringing back peace and stability in Afghanistan and combating key global challenges like terrorism, climate change and poverty.

Expressing deep concern over rise in violent extremism and radicalisation in the region, Ban said India must shoulder the re-sponsibility” to help South Asia stop developing nuclear arsenals and urged it to sign the Compre-hensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) which provides for banning all nuclear tests.

In an address to a select group of diplomats and foreign aff airs experts at the Indian Council of World Aff airs here, the UN Secre-tary General identifi ed terrorism as major global challenge and said the terror attack in Paris was to strike at the “heart of our freedom”.

Concern over terrorismEarlier, External Aff airs Minister Sushma Swaraj held expansive discussion with Ban during which issues such as growing global con-cern over terrorism, UN Peace-keeping Mission and UN reforms fi gured among others. India has been seeking reform of the UN Security Council to refl ect

realities of the modern world. India stressed on the need for a decision-making mandate in the evolving UN doctrine on peace-keeping. India has been one of the largest contributors to UN Peace-keeping missions.

The issue of “Indian air compo-nent” which had been withdrawn by India in Congo in peace keeping mission also fi gured in the talks.

In his lecture on “India and the United Nations in a Changing World”, Ban also mentioned about 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai and

killing of school children in Pesha-war recently and said a secure re-gional environment and stability in South Asia will help India reach its “ambitions and goals”.

“As world’s largest democracy, India has important role. Political leaders must put aside long-stand-ing grievances and resolve old dis-putes. Specially in case of India and Pakistan. Continued instabil-ity in Pakistan and Afghanistan is not only responsibility of those nations,” he said in his lecture.

“When I come to Delhi I am

a full man as I had left my heart here,” this was how UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday reminisced his days as a young diplomat here 43 years ago.

“I had left my heart in Delhi. I am returning regularly to check whether half of my heart is totally functioning,” he said delivering a lecture at the Indian Council of World Aff airs.

Ban worked in South Korean Embassy as vice consul which was his fi rst overseas posting af-ter joining foreign service. - PTI

G L O B A L C H A L L E N G E S

ONE FOR THE ALBUM: From left: Bollywood actress Nandita Das, Indian Nobel laureate Kailash Sat-

yarthi, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood

actress Sharmila Tagore at a function, in New Delhi, on Monday. - AFP

‘Create mechanism to allow NRIs to vote in eight weeks’NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the gov-ernment to take steps, within eight weeks, for implementation of e-voting by NRIs after being told the government has accepted the poll panel’s recommendation to this eff ect.

The government has accepted both in “letter and spirit the rec-ommendation of the Election Commission. Further steps are to be taken to implement the sugges-tions in eight weeks”, said a bench of Chief Justice H.L.Dattu and Justice A.K.Sikri in their order.

The order came as government on Monday informed the court that it has accepted the EC report on voting by the NRIs.

Appearing for the petitioners Nagender Chindam, Naresh Ku-mar Hanchate and Shamsheer V.P, senior counsel Dushyant Dave told the court that the rec-ommendation of the panel set up by the Election Commission could be carried out both by the executive order or by taking a leg-islative route.

At this court said: “They (govern-

ment) will take the follow-up ac-tion. If it is amending the law then they will amend and if it is through an executive order then they will pass it.” It also told the government to do it “at the earliest”.

Senior counsel Meenakshi Arora, who appeared for the poll panel, told the court that for fa-cilitating NRI voting as suggested by the expert panel would require amending the law as it at present the votes could only be exercised at the polling booth concerned.

In a related plea, the court also sought the response of the Elec-tion Commission on the facilities that could be extended to migrant workers within the country to cast their votes for the constitu-ency where they are registered as voters from their native place.

As Arora said that they could get registered afresh as voters in the city where they are working, the counsel for petitioners said there were enormous diffi culties including that of identity in get-ting registered as voters in a new place. The apex court on Novem-ber 14 had asked the government to consider the report of the Com-mittee for Exploring Feasibility of Alternative Options for Voting by Overseas Electors, set up by the poll panel, recommending elec-tronic or proxy voting by NRIs staying overseas.

The panel had however, reject-ed the feasibility of NRIs voting at the diplomatic missions. It had also not favoured internet voting till appropriate technology/IT ap-plications as well as other vulner-abilities are addressed. - IANS

S U P R E M E C O U R T O R D E R

The order came

as government on

Monday informed

the court that it has

accepted the EC report

on voting by the NRIs

A10

PAKISTAN T U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

PESHAWAR SCHOOL REOPENS

PESHAWAR: Survivors of Paki-stan’s worst-ever militant attack returned on Monday to the school where Taliban gunmen massacred their classmates, with students and parents expressing a mixture of defi ance and apprehension.

The December 16 attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar claimed the lives of 150 people, mostly children, and prompted a bout of national soul-searching even in a country used to high lev-els of violence.

Across the country, schools had remained shut for an extend-ed winter break as authorities strengthened security and an-nounced new measures includ-ing the death penalty to combat insurgents.

Most reopened Monday along with the army school in the north-western city.

For 16-year-old Shahrukh Khan, who was shot in both legs while

pretending to play dead in his school’s auditorium, going back was traumatic.

‘Lost 30 friends’“I have lost 30 of my friends. How will I sit in the empty class, how will I look towards their empty benches?” he told AFP before the school reopened.

“My heart has been broken. All the class fellows I had, have died. Now my heart does not want to at-tend school,” he added.

At least 20 soldiers were seen at the main entrance of the Army

Public School, with an airport-style security gate installed at the front.

Elevated boundary walls with steel wire fencing have been put in place in some schools around Pe-shawar and nationwide.

Hugging streetsRaheel Sharif, the head of Paki-stan’s powerful army, made an unannounced visit with his wife, greeting and hugging students dressed in green blazers.

Parents spoke of having to sit down with their children and men-

tally prepare them for their return to the school, which has undergone a complete renovation to remove all traces of the bloody attack.

“He was terrifi ed but we talked him up. We cannot keep him im-prisoned between four walls and we must stand against militancy,” Muhammad Zahoor said as he walked his son along the city’s main Warsak Road.

“I want to go to school to see my friends. I will join the army after my schooling and will take re-venge,” said Muhammad Zaid, his son.

Of the 150 victims killed in Pa-kistan’s deadliest-ever militant at-tack, 134 were children.

Survivors recounted Taliban gunmen moving from room to room hunting for students and teachers. Sometimes the militants toyed with them and pretended they would let them go, before lin-ing them up and shooting them in front of their peers.

Like Muhammad Zaid, many struck a defi ant note.

“I am not scared. No force can stop me from going to attend my school. I will go and will tell the at-

tackers, ‘We are not afraid of you’,” 16-year-old Zahid Ayub, who sus-tained minor wounds, told AFP.

A teacher said rows of empty seats, especially in the 9th and 10th grade classes, had made the fi rst day back at school a surreal experience.

“Students were greeting each other and saying ‘You’re alive?’ They were taking their parents to diff erent spots and explaining to them where they were during the time of the attack and how it hap-pened,” he said, on condition of anonymity.

“Photographs of the martyred are pasted on a noticeboard in the school. Students and teachers were placing fl owers in front of it and weeping,” he added.

Parents across Pakistan spoke of their fears in what was widely seen as a key moment for the country.

“Driving to school in the light of a quietly subdued rising sun. There’s a kind of stillness in the air. It sounds like a million moth-ers saying a silent prayer as they drop their babies to school. Stay safe. Stay safe,” wrote Saima Jamil Ashraf, a parent in Karachi, on In-stagram.

Pakistan has strengthened its off ensive against the Taliban since the Peshawar attack, ending its six-year-old moratorium on the death penalty in terror cases.

It plans to set up nine military courts to hear terrorism-related cases, prompting concern from rights groups who believe the army will use the crisis to wrest more powers from civilian authorities.

The country’s liberals have held protests to pressure the govern-ment into arresting clerics who praise the Taliban, and into crack-ing down on sectarian and anti-India militant groups who operate with relative impunity.

Analysts say Pakistan must end its dualist policy — that tolerates “good” militants while taking ac-tion against “bad” ones -- if gains against extremism are to be made sustainable. — AFP

Across the country,

schools had

remained shut for

an extended winter

break as authorities

strengthened security

and announced new

measures including

death penalty to

combat militants

BACK TO SCHOOL: Pakistani parents gather at the Army Public School with their children after it was reopened following an attack there by Taliban militants in Peshawar on Monday. — AFP

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REASSURING PRESENCE: Pakistani Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, right, is seen speaking with students at the Army Public School in

Peshawar which was reopened on Monday, almost a month after an attack there by Taliban militants. — AFP/INTER SERVICES PUBLIC RELATIONS

Kerry arrives on unannounced visitISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived on Mon-day on an unannounced visit to Pa-kistan and reportedly plans to visit a school where Taliban gunmen last month killed 150 people in the country’s worst ever militant attack.

“We heard you are planning to visit Peshawar and the school,” Sartaj Aziz, the national security adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told Kerry shortly after he arrived for an unannounced two-day visit.

No confi rmationThere was no immediate State De-partment confi rmation of Kerry’s trip to the insurgency-wracked city, which would be the fi rst by a high-ranking American offi cial since Speaker John Boehner went in 2011.

The December 16 raid on the Army Public School prompted a

bout of national soul-searching even in a country accustomed to high levels of violence. Kerry at the time along with President Barack Obama led global condemnation, calling the attack “gut-wrenching”.

A senior State Department offi -cial said Kerry would chair annual strategic talks between the two countries during the visit.

“The secretary’s engagement will be very critical to advancing

our shared fi ght against militant extremism,” the offi cial, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

While there has been good co-operation in the fi ght against Al-Qaeda militants, the US wants to “ensure that actions are met with a real and sustained eff ort to con-strain the ability” of other groups such as the Haqqani Network, the Pakistani Taliban — who were re-sponsible the school attack — and the Afghan Taliban.

“We’ll be talking about the elim-ination and not distinguishing between any terrorist groups,” the offi cial said.

“It’s obviously no secret that the US has pushed Pakistan to do far more on counter-terrorism.”

“But I also think that the govern-ment of Pakistan deserves credit for moving pretty decisively both after Peshawar and in the actions it has undertaken in North Wa-ziristan,” the offi cial said. — AFP

P L A N S T O V I S I T P E S H A W A R S C H O O L

CRUCIAL MEET: US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif shortly after his arrival in

Islamabad, on Monday. — AFP/RICK WILKING/POOL

Akhtar, Ghani for joint

anti-militant eff orts

KABUL: Pakistan’s intelligence chief met Afghanistan’s new president to discuss ways to boost coordination in fi ghting militant attacks in the region, an offi cial said on Monday, in a sign of improving ties between the of-ten uneasy neighbours.

It was the third trip to Afghani-stan in recent months for the powerful Inter-Services Intelli-gence chief, Rizwan Akhtar, hint-ing at new cooperation between the countries that have long ac-cused each other of harbouring extremist insurgents.

Afghan President Ashraf Gha-ni met Akhtar on Sunday, said Ghani spokesman Nazifullah Salarzai.

“In this meeting, both sides discussed ways to strengthen joint eff orts against terrorism and extremism,” Salarzai said.

He declined to go into detail.Ghani — unlike his predeces-

sor Hamid Karzai who had dif-fi cult relations with Islamabad — made a state visit to Pakistan soon after being sworn into offi ce last year, pledging to improve ties.

In the latest meeting, the sides agreed to coordinate against militant groups that fi ght against each government and exploit the porous border to fl ee military crackdowns.

Pakistan wants Afghanistan’s help in stopping the Pakistani Taliban, which is under attack by the military from gaining shelter on Afghan territory.

Afghanistan for its part hopes Pakistan might use its infl uence to bring the exiled top leaders of the Afghan Taliban, who report-edly are in hiding in Pakistan, to the negotiation table. — Reuters

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One black box of crashed AirAsia plane retrieved; report in a month

JAKARTA: Indonesian divers on Monday retrieved the fl ight data recorder of the AirAsia plane that went down in the Java Sea with 162 people on board, a potential breakthrough in eff orts to discover what caused the crash.

The second black box, the cock-pit voice recorder, was spotted by divers a short distance from the fi rst but they had not yet managed to retrieve it because it was trapped under wreckage, offi cials said. They also gave new dramatic de-tails of the accident, saying a rapid change in pressure caused the plane to “explode” as it hit the wa-ter. Navy divers brought the fl ight data recorder to the surface early in the morning, said national res-cue chief Bambang Soelistyo, after a fortnight-long frustrating search often hampered by bad weather.

“We succeeded in bringing up part of the black box that we call the fl ight data recorder,” Soelistyo told reporters in Jakarta.

S.B. Supriyadi, a director with the rescue agency, said eff orts would resume on Tuesday to re-cover the second recorder, which was about 20 metres (65 feet) from the fi rst and trapped under a wing.

He told reporters in Pangkalan Bun on Borneo island, the search headquarters, that giant balloons might be used to raise the wing so that the device could be retrieved.

The fl ight data recorder moni-tors information such as airspeed and heading, while the cockpit voice recorder stores radio trans-missions and sounds in the cock-pit. Both are located near the rear of the plane and designed to sur-vive underwater.

Flight QZ8501 crashed on De-cember 28 on a short journey from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. Indonesia’s mete-orological agency has said stormy weather likely caused the Airbus A320-200 to go down but a defi ni-tive answer is impossible without the data recorders.

After a lengthy search, rescuers

on Sunday detected “ping” signals from the recorders’ emergency transmitters close to what was ini-tially thought to be the main body of the plane.

However Indonesian military chief Moeldoko told reporters aboard navy ship the KRI Banda Aceh that the main cabin, which is believed to contain most of the victims, had not yet been found. Just 48 bodies have so far been recovered. Offi cials said they be-lieve the fl ight data recorder is in good condition and it was being fl own to Jakarta on Monday. Indo-nesia’s National Transport Safety Committee said it would undergo a lengthy analysis in the capital, with the help of a team of experts including from France and manu-facturer Airbus.

The committee has said a pre-

liminary report on the accident will be produced within a month, and a fi nal report after a year.

Supriyadi said initial analysis of the wreckage so far recovered indi-cated that the plane broke apart on impact with the water.

“It exploded because of the pres-sure,” he said. “The cabin was pres-surised and before the pressure of the cabin could be adjusted, it went down -- boom. “That explosion was heard in the area.” The search has involved US, Chinese and oth-er international naval ships.

The tail of the plane, with its red AirAsia logo, was lifted out of the water on Saturday using giant bal-loons and a crane. It was brought by tugboat on Sunday to a port near Pangkalan Bun.

All but seven of those on board the fl ight were Indonesian. — AFP

The cockpit voice

recorder, which was

spotted by divers a

short distance from

the fi rst had not

yet been retrieved

because it was

trapped under

wreckage

SUCCESS: The fl ight data recorder of AirAsia QZ8501 is lifted out of a carrying case at the airbase in

Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan on Monday. — Reuters/Adek Berry/Pool

MONTREAL/PARIS: Airbus has begun talks with a European regulator to make ejectable fl ight recorders available on its two largest models, the A380 and the new A350, potentially making them the fi rst commercial planes to use the technology.

The European company said that further ahead it could also expand the use of ejectable recorders, which combine voice and data recordings, to new versions of its A330 and A320 jets.

The talks with the Euro-pean Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) come as global aviation authorities consider recommending the devices to make it easier to recover evidence in cases such as the December 28 crash of an AirAsia jet. Used in military planes for decades, ejectable or “deployable” recorders separate from the tail during a crash and fl oat, emitting a satellite distress signal.

“Airbus is working with EASA ... and other stakehold-ers to advance the approval of such a solution industry-wide,” an Airbus spokesman said, adding there was no indication when the devices might be in use. “In the future, applicability for our other aircraft products could be like-wise considered, but presently we have decided to focus on the A350 and A380,” he added.

EASA declined to com-ment. Recommended by investigators after an Air

France A330 jet crashed in 2009, ejectable recorders are gaining support at the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

New packageA proposal recommend-ing that new commercial aircraft certifi ed after 2016 be quipped with them is to be heard by ICAO’s Air Naviga-tion Commission this month.

If approved, following a three-month consultation among 191 member states, it would likely appear in a new package of ICAO standards in 2016 and could come into force from around 2021.

ICAO’s standards are not always implemented by all members. — Reuters

Airbus, regulator discuss ejectable fl ight recorders

Used in military

planes for decades,

ejectable or

‘deployable’

recorders separate

from the tail during

a crash and float,

emitting a satellite

distress signal

Cuba releases prisoners ahead of talks with USWA S H I N GTO N/ H AVA NA : Cuba has released all 53 prisoners it had promised to free, senior US offi cials said, a major step toward détente with Washington.

The release of the remaining prisoners sets a positive tone for historic talks next week aimed at normalising relations after dec-ades of hostility, the offi cials said.

They described the Cuban gov-ernment’s release over the week-end of the last detainees on the list as a milestone but said they would keep pressing Havana to free more people the United States considers political prisoners.

The offi cials, speaking to Reu-ters on condition of anonymity, did not say how many prisoners were released over the weekend or identify them. But the White House will provide the names of all 53 to Congress and expects lawmakers to make them public, the offi cials added.

There had been questions over whether Havana would release all 53 prisoners as part of the deal Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced on De-cember 17 to restore diplomatic ties that Washington severed more than 50 years ago.

Intense secrecy surrounding the 53, whose names have been withheld by both countries, had fuelled skepticism over Cuba’s

intentions and played to critics who said Washington hasn’t pres-sured Havana enough on human rights in exchange for normalis-ing ties and loosening economic and travel restrictions.

The US exchanged three con-victed Cuban spies for an agent who had spied for the US gov-ernment. The United States also received Alan Gross, a US aid worker jailed in Cuba.

The Cuban government in-formed the Obama administra-

tion over the weekend that the last of those on the list of prison-ers had been released, and the US Interests Section in Havana, which handles consular aff airs and other contacts for Washing-ton, confi rmed it, the offi cials said. The US offi cials said they would pressure communist-ruled Cuba to release more prisoners.

“The fact of the matter is there are other individuals whose cases we have raised in the past,” one of the offi cials said. — Reuters

N O R M A L I S I N G R E L A T I O N S

FREEDOM: Recently released dissidents Aide Gallardo, left, and

Sonia Garro hold the Cuban national fl ag during a march in Ha-

vana, on Sunday. — Reuters/Stringer

60 members in Somalia cabinet MOGADISHU: Somalia’s newly appointed prime minister named a giant cabinet of 60 people late on Sunday, as he warned of the “huge task” ahead to bring peace to the war-torn nation.

Prime Minister Omar Abdi-rashid Ali Sharmarke, endorsed by parliament last month after the president fell out with the pre-vious premier amid bitter infi ght-ing, released his choice of names for lawmakers to approve.

The 60 members include 26 ministers, 25 deputies and nine state ministers, an increase of fi ve posts from the previous cabinet. Many of those named were in the previous cabinet.

Huge task“There is a huge task ahead....we will put our eff orts into bring-ing peace among Somalis,” Shar-marke told reporters.

Somalia is due to vote on a new

constitution next year ahead of elections in 2016, but Al-Qaeda linked Shebab rebels remain a major threat.

The Somali government, which took power in August 2012, was the fi rst to be given global recog-nition since the collapse of Siad Barre’s hardline regime in 1991.

Billions in foreign aid has been poured in, with the government hailed as off ering the best chance for peace in a generation. — AFP

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There is a growing chasm between Israeli rhetoric and reality. In the discourse of Israel’s Knesset and media, the Israel Defence Forces represent a “people’s army.” Re-fusal to serve is portrayed by poli-ticians and pundits — many of

whom began their careers through service in elite units — as treacherous and sacrilege. This rheto-ric becomes the common wisdom: A popular bum-per stickers reads, “A real Israeli doesn’t dodge the draft.” The outrage is disproportionate. Rarely do more than a few hundred Jewish Israelis publicly refuse to serve each year in protest against Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories. The shrill condemnation of refusers is thus an indication of the establishment’s panic.

Last year brought something of a surge in re-fusals. Open letters of refusal were published by a group of high schoolers, a group of reservists, veter-ans of the elite intelligence Unit 8200 and alumni and former staff members of the prestigious Israel Arts and Sciences Academy.

All were denounced by politicians and in the me-dia: In September, the Knesset’s opposition leader, the Labour member Isaac Herzog, blasted the letter from Unit 8200 as “insubordination.”

Aggression toward refusers is widespread. When I accompanied a refuser named Udi Segal to his draft station during the Gaza war last summer, we were met by a group draped in Israeli fl ags and chanting, “Udi, you’re a traitor! Go live in Gaza!” After signing the scholars’ letter, Raya Rotem, a for-mer literature teacher whose husband was killed in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, received a threaten-ing phone call. And a friend of 50 years severed ties with her. The idea that the “real Israelis” serve and those who refuse are “traitors” is a false dichotomy. As Rotem told me, “Israeli patriotism today means resisting anything which frames the occupation as normal.” It’s also inaccurate: The reality is that a majority of Israeli citizens do not serve in the mili-tary, including Palestinian citizens of Israel, or the “fi fth column,” as they are often branded, and the ultra-Orthodox, or “leeches,” as they’ve been called.

The largest group is the 1.7 million Palestinian citizens of Israel. Members of this community are not required by law to enlist, and only a tiny fraction volunteer (about 100 Christians and a few hundred Muslims in 2013). In 2014, the defence forces began sending “voluntary draft notices” to Christian Arab citizens, inciting Palestinian protests at Hebrew University and in Tel Aviv.

Even among the Druze, an Arabic-speaking mi-

nority whose male members have been drafted since 1956 and whose Arab and Palestinian iden-tities are often played down or denied, dissent is rising. Omar Saad, a soft-spoken viola player, is the most prominent of a rising number of Druze refus-ers. He spent the fi rst half of 2014 in and out of jail. In his letter of refusal, he wrote, “How can I bear arms against my brothers and people in Palestine?”

The next biggest group of non-serving Israelis are the Haredim, ultra-Orthodox Jews. Historically, they have been exempted from service as long as they were enrolled full-time in a yeshiva.

Recently, though, a coalition formed in the Knes-set over a proposal to draft the Haredim — which resulted in a 500,000-strong public demonstration. Most Haredim cite religious reasons for refusing, but the Haredi refusenik Uriel Ferera, recently re-leased after six months in jail, gave the occupation as a primary factor in his decision.

There are also thousands of “grey refusers,” who fi nd quieter ways to get out of the army, mostly by seeking mental health exemptions, known as a “Profi le 21.” Like most public refusers in recent years, I was released after a month in military jail with a Profi le 21. Most of the prisoners with me in Military Jail No. 6 were Mizrahim (Jews of Middle Eastern origin), Ethiopians and Russians. Many of these members of Israel’s most marginalised Jew-ish communities told me of their intention to “get out on 21,” despite the risk this entailed for their future: Employment and educational opportunities often depend on completing military service.

In a recent interview, the Israeli author Amos Oz urged politicians to act as “traitors,” and make peace. But the type of traitors Oz wishes for — vi-sionary ministers, peace-minded military men — are non-existent. The most left-wing of Prime Min-ister Benjamin Netanyahu’s potential challengers in Israel’s coming election is the same Herzog who attacked the 8200 refusers.

Peace won’t come from the next Knesset, or the one after that. But some hope for a less violent, more decent future lies with the real traitors, the disregarded millions of Israeli citizens who have refused to serve in the army.

The reasons for not serving may diff er between a Palestinian youth from Acre and a Haredi from Beit Shemesh, between me and the deserter in Military Jail No. 6, but there is a deeper consensus: We all refuse to see the government as a moral guide and military service as sacrosanct. As the Israeli gov-ernment leads us further from peace, and the army faithfully executes its violent orders, this is the kind of treachery we need most. - The New York Times News Service

The idea that the ‘real Israelis’ serve and those who refuse are ‘traitors’ is a false dichotomy. The reality is that a majority of Israeli citizens do not serve in the military, including Palestinian citizens of Israel, or the ‘fifth column’, as they are often branded

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

GROWING CHASM

Schools in most parts of the country are ready to reopen from January 12, with those in Sindh having been told that they can only reopen only if they have adequate security arrangements

in place. An extension in winter vacations was announced soon after the terrible events at the Army Public School in Peshawar. The tragic incident shook the authorities into action, with strikes against mili-tants increasing across the country. Students are now ready to don their uniforms once again after spending their winter holidays watch-ing the horror that unfolded in Peshawar, as well as its aftermath. But as stated previously, the schools that they are eager to rejoin may not reopen unless they have “foolproof” security measures in place, in the words of a statement released after a meeting of senior offi cials of the Sindh government.

It seems that the authorities in Sindh at least have made the school administrations responsible for arranging their own security, which is an immature strategy at best. One hopes that other provincial au-thorities do not have similar ideas. With countless schools operating in the country, it is unlikely that all of them will have the resources, the expertise and the capacity to arrange proper security checks and prepare for an attack as brazen as the one in Peshawar. The ultimate responsibility for providing security lies with the federal and provin-cial governments and law enforcement agencies.

Deterrents can be placed in the form of strict checks at school en-trances, allowing only authorised vehicles to enter premises and hiring guards to man the boundaries around school buildings. While these measures can be taken more easily in larger school buildings, they may be diffi cult to implement in schools located in dense neigh-bourhoods. There is a need for governments and law enforcement agencies to form plans that take into account all these considerations. Keeping shut those schools that are unable to ensure adequate secu-rity is not a solution to the problem at hand. - The Express Tribune

Security for schools

The solidarity march of more than one million people in Paris on Sunday was rich in placards and symbols but appropriately devoid of speeches. Like many in the vast throng that fi lled the

broad boulevards between Place de la République and Place de la Na-tion, the world leaders who marched a portion of the route with Presi-dent François Hollande locked arms and embraced. But there was no podium, no pulpit, only ubiquitous signs reading “Je suis Charlie.” For the moment, that said it all. “Je suis Charlie” has become a dec-laration of solidarity and grief, displayed on kiosks, armbands, head-bands, TV screens and banners. There were some other signs too. Many displayed a simple pencil, symbol for the freedom of expression that came under attack when terrorists massacred cartoonists and editors at Charlie Hebdo.

There’s much that can and should be discussed as a result of the tragedy — about freedom of the press, about the growing backlash across Europe against a section of immigrants, about terrorism and fundamentalism. Certainly many of the dozens of national leaders in the Paris march — including the leaders of Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Greece — could have said plenty. Many of their countries have known vicious terrorist attacks in recent years; many are contending with rising anti-immigrant movements.

But with the horror and fears raised by the attacks still fresh, it was important and proper that the fi rst response in Paris — as elsewhere in France, across Europe and across the Atlantic — was a resounding and united demonstration of outrage and solidarity. Simply by turning out in vast numbers, the marchers eloquently demonstrated a shared conviction that Charlie Hebdo was exercising a right fundamental to democracy, the right of free expression. No perceived provocation, no grievance and certainly no religious conviction justifi es killing those who wield only a pen. The Charlie Hebdo murders are certain to in-tensify exploration for eff ective ways to combat terrorism. Perhaps the greatest danger in the wake of the massacres is that more Europe-ans will come to the conclusion that all immigrants from a particular community on the Continent are carriers of a great and mortal threat.

Anti-immigrant sentiments were already at a dangerous level, mak-ing it essential for national and pan-European leaders in coming days to underscore that extremism is not inherent to the faith, and that the radical bigots themselves are hardly a single entity. That point was sear-ingly made by the brother of Ahmed Merabet, a French police offi cer who was one of the people gunned down in the Charlie Hebdo attackers. “My brother was Muslim,” said Malek Merabet, “and he was killed by two terrorists, by two false Muslims”. - The New York Times News Service

The world was united in

outrage against terrorism

Oman is indeed one of the most beautiful countriesThis refers to the news story, NYT hails Oman’s natural beauty (January 12). I am a European living in Oman for the past seven years and I can vouch that in its natural beauty — comprising its pristine beaches, mountains and wadis — the Sultanate is indeed comparable with many countries in Europe. It is no wonder that the New York Times has hailed Oman’s beauty. I am very sure that with its abundant beauty, political and economic stability, friendly local people and good hotels, Oman can become one of the most sought after tourist destinations for travellers from all over the world. What is required is a bit of aggres-sive marketing.David CroftAzaiba

Politicians, please stay away from interfering!This refers to the news story, Tha-roor to be quizzed over Sunanda’s death (January 12). It is natural that the husband will be ques-tioned in the case of a woman’s unnatural death. However, some recent revelations pertaining to the mysterious death of Sunanda Pushkar have raised many a question. Gradually the interfer-ence of politicians into the matter is becoming evident. Political pressure would obviously aff ect fair investigations and may not help identifying the real cause of Sunanda’s death. In the interest of the truth, investigation agencies must be given the freehand as the people of India reserve the right to know the truth.Ramachandran NairRuwi

Freedom of expression cannot be absoluteThis refers to the article, Paris massacre ignites clash of civili-sations (January 11). I cannot agree more with the author of the referred article about the fears he has expressed. The attack on Char-lie Hebdo will now lead to isolation of a section of people despite the fact that they have got absolutely nothing to do with the murderous attack on the magazine’s offi ce. The community or the co-reli-gionists will bear the brunt of the suff ering and will undergo castiga-tion because of the crimes of the misguided few. Though the attack cannot be condoned or justifi ed we cannot also deny the fact that the freedom of expression cannot and must not be off ensive. Usha Devi Rao SuddapalliRuwi

The US must stop pursuing what cannot be achievedAmerican buff aloes suff ered extinction primarily because of their inability to evolve with time and their inability to foresee the inevitable. In its pursuance of an antediluvian, two-state solution, Palestine and Israel, Washington appears more like the American buff aloes running away from emerging reality with its eyes reso-lutely shut. Its fall to death from cliff in Middle East is foreseeable and imminent. Yet, in its eff orts to run counter to the inevitable, Washington appears rather in pursuit of a mirage. The two-state solution in West Asia has become an obsolete and unfeasible option. What is needed right now is a single-state solution.Yahyah MubeenAl Ghubra

READERS’ FORUM

Joy is not in things; it is in usRICHARD WAGNER

website: www.newindiaoman.com

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M O R I E L R O T H M A N -Z E C H E R

Why Israelis will not serve Israel army now

PERSPEC IVET I M E S O F O M A N T U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5T I M E S O F O M A N A13

The British economy “came off the boil” in the fi nal quarter of 2014, according

to the latest estimate from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) re-leased recently.

The think-tank said GDP ex-panded by 0.6 per cent, down from the 0.7 per cent growth registered in the third quarter.

The NIESR noted that the growth would be broadly in line with the average over the past 18 months, but the slowdown adds to the impression of a recovery that is losing steam.

Over 2014 as a whole, the NIESR estimates that the econ-omy grew by 2.6 per cent. That would be the strongest expansion since 2007 but also well short of the three per cent pencilled in by the Offi ce for Budget Responsibil-ity, the Government’s offi cial fore-caster, only last month.

There were sizeable downward statistical revisions to growth in 2013, largely attributable to trade performance, which have consid-erably depressed the annual GDP expansion rates and confounded widespread expectations of three per cent plus growth in 2014.

Surveys also point to a slow-

down in the fi nal quarter. Recent activity readings from the manu-facturing and services sectors, in the much-watched composite purchasing managers’ index from Markit/Cips, indicate the slowest rate of GDP growth since the third quarter of 2013.

Hard data from the Offi ce for National Statistics yesterday add-ed to the impression of declining momentum. Construction output fell two per cent in November and industrial production fl atlined in the same month.

There was, however, slightly better news from manufacturing, where output rose 0.7 per cent in November. The trade defi cit also fell to £8.8bn, from £9.6bn the previous month, helped by cheap-er oil imports.

Ross Walker at Royal Bank of Scotland cited an “underlying moderation” in the recovery and said a stronger performance in the services sector was not off set-ting the weakness in construction and industry.

Rob Wood of Berenberg bank said the economy “came off the boil late last year” but argued that weaker oil prices, lower mortgage rates and the prospect of rising real wages would push growth up

in 2015. “Falling oil prices put a huge new stimulus in the pipe-line that should rev up the UK economic engine again.”

Wage growth has fi nally turned positive thanks to an unexpectedly rapid decline in infl ation to just 1 per cent in October, its lowest rate since 2002. Figures due next week are expected by analysts to show infl ation dipping still further in November, hitting 0.7 per cent.

The latest UK trade fi gures showed the drag from the strug-gling eurozone, with exports to the Continent declining by 1.5 per cent in the three months to November on the same period in the previous year.

There was further evidence of weakness in the eurozone’s core economy, Germany, with indus-trial output dipping 0.1 per cent in November.

In the US, by contrast, there were strong signs of a pick-in growth yesterday, with the number of new jobs created in December rising by 252,000. November’s job-creation fi g-ures were also revised up from 321,000 to 345,000, the stron-gest monthly performance since January 2012. - The Independent

TODAY IN HISTORY

OPINION POLL

1846 President James Polk dispatches General Zachary Taylor and 4,000 troops to the Texas Border as war with Mexico looms.

1862 President Lincoln names Edwin M.

Stanton Secretary of War. 1900 To combat Czech nationalism,

Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary decrees German the offi cial language of the Imperial Army.

1923 Hitler denounces the Weimar

Republic as 5,000 storm troopers demonstrate in Germany.

1937 The United States bars Americans

from serving in the Civil War in Spain.

INCREASE IN DEMAND FOR OIL TO CONTINUE: OFFICIALMUSCAT: Rashid bin Khalid Al Barwani, adviser of the oil and gas minister for marketing, has said that increase in oil demand will continue during this year to guarantee the continuation of the current price improvement. In a statement published by Al Watan daily yesterday, Barwani said the compliance of Opec and non-Opec states with the production quotas, would safeguard the market price stability.

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

The visit of President Obama in January 2015, stands out as a diplomatic victory for the new BJP Government in Delhi. Prime Minister Modi can well be credited with galvanising and fast-tracking the wilting Indo-US tie

The newfound bonhomie between the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Obama seems to continue for an

extended phase. What started with the famous kem cho greeting by Obama has already blossomed to a new height with the White House confi rming that the President will indeed be a guest of honour dur-ing the symbolic, but highly signifi cant Republic Day celebrations in India, in January 2015.

This clearly marks the beginning of a new era of Indo-US relationship, successfully stemming the diplomatic stalemate around the arrest and strip-search of the Indian consular, Devyani Khobragade. The proposed second summit, in a short span of less than four months, also depicts the emerging possibilities and warming ties between the world’s two largest and diverse democracies.

The visit of President Obama in January 2015, stands out as a diplomatic victory for the new BJP Government in Delhi. Prime Minister Modi can well be credited with galvanising and fast-tracking the wilting Indo-US tie.

While both the countries are likely to politically posture this move as a diplomatic leap in their ef-fort to strengthen and expand the Indo-US partner-ship, there are some serious business lying ahead for both. If Modi’s US visit was meant to break the ice, now is the time to push substantive agreements around business and international strategic aff airs.

Obama’s extensive authority in infl uencing In-do-US policies may seem slightly doused with the mid-term electoral debacle of the democrats, but he is still likely to call a few shots. This critical sum-mit is coming at a propitious time, when both the countries are showing early signs of recovery after a protracted period of economic slump.

Both the countries are seeking FDI and access to free market in their bid to reinvigorate their respec-tive economies. The key offi cials from the state de-partment and the PMO must be working overnight to prepare an extended bucket list, ahead of this crucial meet. It must be ensured that the delibera-tions this time take a quantum leap and don’t stop at the usual diplomatic rhetoric of increasing secu-rity ties and transfer of green technology.

Washington, for its part, is also eager for India to become stronger so that it can play a greater role as a counterweight to a rising and assertive Bei-jing. The growing bond between India and the US is being viewed as a soft-check on the expansionist agenda of the red dragon in the South China Sea,

and other maritime and border disputes.More than Modi, the proposed visit will be an

acid test for Obama. He has to walk a diplomatic tightrope in New Delhi to ensure that relations with Pakistan and China, often at loggerheads with India, stay stable and unperturbed. The Paki-stani camp on its part has already turned up the decibel on Kashmir, soon after the announcement of Obama’s visit.

The calls made by President Obama to his coun-terpart in Islamabad exposed the need to pacify an anxious Pakistan. It is indeed imperative that India and the US move ahead strategically in the light of the changing power equations in Asia.

Obama’s decision to pass the immigration reform law, largely benefi tting the Indians in the US, has set the tone for the upcoming meeting. The Modi Government has reciprocated with the same alac-rity by passing the long-pending insurance legisla-tion, increasing the FDI cap in the insurance sector. This would enable greater participation of the US corporates in the grossly under-insured, but hugely lucrative Indian market.

There is much on the agenda for both the incum-bent leaders to deliberate upon before they ink the deal. The Indian list would far exceed the US, for sure. But there are again a set of contentious issues for both the leaders to deal with.

The fi rst and foremost agenda would be to kick-start the frozen Indo-US civil-nuclear deal. The historic nuclear agreement is yet to translate into concrete action and has been languishing over intellectual-property rights and nuclear-liability disputes. Prime Minister Modi would be interested in getting the deck cleared, allowing greater partici-pation from the US nuclear power giants supply-ing turbines and technical know-how, to bridge the growing power defi cit in India.

Modi would also like to see the greater partici-pation of the US private sector in his pet project of building 100 smart cities in India. Beside these, the Indian camp would once again pitch their fl agship campaign of ‘Make in India’ and elicit affi rmative commitment from the US corporates who would be a part of the entourage of President Obama.

To be concluded...

The writer is an author and works as an international advisor on governance and civil society. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely of the author and do not refl ect those of Times of Oman.

HISTORYNET.COM

Divers recover “black box” flight recorder

GraphicsGraphic News /Source: Indonesia National Search And Rescue Agency

200km

Dec 28, 06:17: Communicationwith plane lost

Intendedflight path

Surabaya,Dec 28, 05:35 local timeFlight QZ8501 departs

J A V AS E A

I N D I A NO C E A N

Sumatra

Java

Jakarta

Seach areafor debrisand bodies

Airbus A320-200 disappeared with 162people on board

M A L A Y S I A

S I N G A P O R E

I N D O N E S I A

I N D O N E S I A

Jan 12: FDRfound underwing of plane

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Senator Raza Rabbani was reported to have been in tears as the 21st

amendment to our much-amended constitution was passed some days back. It was for him, and many others, a moment of shame.

Rabbani voted on principle because his party had taken this line and also hinted that he and his party may part ways in the coming days.

Some unkind souls termed them crocodile tears but I for one know that if there is any-one who has been behind hav-ing democracy implemented in its true spirit, that person is Senator Raza Rabbani. For nearly a decade in the senate and many years in and out of power, he has worked to bring sense to the sometimes sense-less politics of Pakistan.

It is to him that we credit with the passage of the 18th amendment, which was de-scribed as one of the most sig-nifi cant pieces of legislation to bring the government closer to the people.

The devolution process was started but it has met with limited success.

Since the passage of that historic legislation in 2010, all eff orts have been made to kill it in letter and spirit by those who feel threatened by giv-ing power to the provinces. It is ironic that even when the Peoples Party government was both at the centre and in at least one province, nothing was done to have the amend-ment implemented in the manner that was envisaged.

Coming back to Senator Rabbani, one can sympathise with him. I once met him many years ago at a dinner in Karachi and asked him, quite naively, why some elected rep-resentatives of his party acted as hooligans.

Leave alone the Aman com-mittees and the massive outer city encroachments, why do they force us off the roads in their brand new SUVs and abuse us if we don’t do so. Senator Rabbani looked at me and then turned the other way and walked off . At least he did not attempt to give me a spiel like some other PPP leaders I know. I can live with that.

Like me, many Pakistanis continue to be disillusioned by politicians, but in some cases not democracy. It is our poli-ticians that have let us down time and again with regards to our aspirations for democratic governance in the country. There is so much corruption in the country and the lack of accountability at every level that many long for some sort of change – no matter what the cost. This is not a good place to be in.

So the 22nd amendment

should come as no surprise. It was cobbled together by the father of consensus politics in Pakistan, former president Asif Zardari.

He seems to have special-ised in the art of give and take. The only problem with this arrangement is that it is the people of Pakistan that usually end up giving.

But do people care that the amendment distorts the prin-ciple of separation of powers. It is also in some way a rever-sal of earlier amendments to the constitution where eff orts were made to vest power in the elected representatives.

One wonders what the com-pulsion was to go ahead with this other than being on the right side of public opinion af-ter the Peshawar tragedy.

The only person to have showed some protest was Maulana Fazlur Rehman, but that too was not for ideologi-cal reasons.

There are many who argue, however, that desperate times call for desperate measures. Pakistan is in a state of war. The state had been unable to respond eff ectively to the threat owing to political and legal compulsions. But one cannot ignore the stakehold-ers who have forced these con-ditions on us.

Our army chief has argued that military courts are not the desire of the army but the need of extraordinary times. Possi-bly in the larger picture, they will play a role in the war on terror which has been forced upon us.

Sectarian and ethnic kill-ings continue. We will have to fi ght this cancer as well. And for this we need both agree-ment within and determina-tion all around.

What we do know is that we have to fi ght terrorism but the litmus test in this is how we deal with those who some quarters do not consider to be working against the inter-ests of the state. We wait and see. - The Express Tribune

Pakistan is waiting and watching

Eurozone continues to drag down growth

KA M A L S I D D I Q I

B E N C H U

PA R T - 1

S U J E E T S A R KA R

Many Pakistanis

continue to be

disillusioned by

politicians. It is our

politicians that have

let us down time and

again with regards

to our aspirations for

democratic governance

in the country. There is

so much corruption

in the country

The newfound Modi-Obama bonhomie is set to continue

A14

GLOBAL EYET U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

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UNITED STATES: Miss Mexico 2014 Josselyn Garciglia paints at

Britto Central in Miami on Sunday. The 63rd Miss Universe pag-

eant takes place on January 25 in Doral-Miami, Florida. – Reuters

HAITI: Protesters burn tires during a march against the government of Haitian President Michel Martelly in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on

Sunday. The US embassy in Haiti urged the Caribbean country’s politicians on Sunday to fi nd a solution to the political crisis that will

soon see its parliament’s mandate end, leaving a perilous political vacuum. – AFP

CHINA: A couple rides a skating bicycle on the frozen Houhai Lake in central Beijing, China on Sunday. – Reuters

JAPAN: Twenty-year-old women wearing kimonos ride a roller-

coaster after attending a ‘Coming-of-Age Day’ celebration at the

Toshimaen amusement park in Tokyo on Monday. The number

of people aged 20 years old, the legal age of adulthood in Japan,

is estimated to stand at 1.26 million this year, an increase of

50,000 from 2014. – AFP

BOLIVIA: Drivers compete during 2015 Dakar Rally stage 8 between Uyuni and Iquique in Bolivia, on Sunday. The Uyuni salt fl at is the lasrgest in the world, located in Bolivia near the crest of the Andes, some

3,650 metres above sea level. – AFP

A15

WORLDT U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

Afghanistanunveils unity government

KABUL: Afghanistan’s new cabi-net was unveiled on Monday after three months of wrangling fol-lowing the election of President Ashraf Ghani and the formation of a “national unity government” in the wake of last year’s fraud-mired election.

Ghani was inaugurated in late September after signing a power-sharing deal with his poll rival Ab-dullah Abdullah.

The “unity government” deal was seen as saving Afghanistan from the risk of imminent civil war when both candidates claimed to have won the election in a stand-off that fanned long-standing ethnic tensions. But negotiations over ministerial posts brought pol-itics to a stalemate and threatened to fuel the Taliban insurgency.

Abdul Salam Rahimi, Ghani’s chief of staff , read out the names of the 25 new ministers at the presidential palace in Kabul. The list will now go before parliament for approval. Three women were named in the cabinet, as minis-ters for higher education, infor-mation and culture, and women’s aff airs. Allocating the ministries

was fraught with diffi culty due to Afghanistan’s complex ethnic di-visions and rivalries.

Ghani, a former World Bank economist, is largely backed by Pashtun tribes of the south and east, while Abdullah, a former anti-Taliban resistance fi ghter, draws his support from Tajiks and other northern groups.

Monday’s breakthrough comes at a sensitive time as Taliban in-surgents push to exploit the end of NATO’s combat mission on De-cember 31 after 13 years of fi ght-ing. Confl ict still rages across Af-ghanistan, with a record number of civilian and Afghan security force casualties in 2014.

About 17,000 US-led foreign troops will remain deployed this year, focusing on training the Af-ghan police and army and con-ducting a limited counter-terror-ism mission.

“There are a lot of new and less experienced faces who could be tested soon,” Haroon Mir, a Ka-

bul-based political analyst, said. “Some names you can say are there because they actively supported one side in the election campaign.

“Today’s move will calm people who have been waiting for a long time to see the new government, but it takes time to see if they are a better, less corrupt cabinet.”

Proposed defence minister Sher Mohammad Karimi and fi nance minister Ghulam Jilani Popal are both close to Ghani.

Nominee interior minister Noorul Haq Ulumi and foreign minister Salahuddin Rabbani are both Abdullah supporters.

Last year’s presidential elec-tion, which was meant to be the keystone legacy of the massive in-ternational development eff ort in Afghanistan, was marred by fraud and bitter disputes over the result.

The US embassy said in a state-ment it “welcomes (the) nomi-nation of the Cabinet of Minis-ters by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.” — AFP

Three women named

in the cabinet,

as ministers for

higher education,

information and

culture, and

women’s aff airs

Three women were named in the Afghan cabinet, as ministers for higher education, information and culture, and women’s aff airs

NEW ROLE: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani addresses an event

at the Presidential Palace in Kabul in this photograph taken on

January 1, 2015. – AFP File photograph

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10,000 soldiers to secure France

PARIS: France will deploy 10,000 soldiers on home soil by Tues-day and post almost 5,000 extra police offi cers to protect Jewish sites after the killing of 17 people by extremist militants in Paris last week, offi cials said.

Speaking a day after the biggest French public demonstration ever recorded, in honour of the victims, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the country remained at risk of further attacks.

Soldiers would guard transport hubs, tourism sites and key build-ings and mount general street

patrols. “The threats remain and we have to protect ourselves from them. It is an internal operation that will mobilise almost as many men as we have in our overseas op-erations,” Le Drian told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

The victims, including journal-

ists and police, died in three days of violence that began on Wednes-day with a shooting attack on the political weekly ‘Charlie Hebdo’, known for its satirical attacks. Many at Sunday's march wore badges and carried placards de-claring “I Am Charlie”.

Charlie Hebdo's remaining members are working on an eight page issue due to come out on Wednesday with a one-million copy print run.

The three days of bloodshed ended on Friday with a hostage-taking at a Jewish deli in Paris

where four hostages and another gunman were killed. That gunman declared allegiance to IS insur-gents and said he was acting in re-sponse to French military deploy-ments against militant extremist groups overseas.

Interior Minister Bernard Ca-zeneuve said 4,700 police offi cers would be placed at all 717 Jewish schools across the country in ad-dition to some 4,100 gendarmes already deployed.

“Synagogues, Jewish schools, but also mosques will be protected because in the past few days there have been a number of attacks against mosques,” Prime Minister Manuel Valls told BFM TV.

France has Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish communities.

The fi rst two attackers, who had travelled to Yemen in 2011 for training, were killed on Friday after a siege north of the capital. Police said all three men were part of the same Paris-based militant extremist cell.

Liberation of ParisAbout 1.5 million people marched in Paris on Sunday and 2.5 million more in the provinces. The Paris march was led by dozens of foreign leaders. Some commentators said the last time crowds of this size were seen in the capital was at the Liberation of Paris from Nazi Ger-many in 1944.

After an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday to outline

Britain's response to the attacks, British Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to give secu-rity and intelligence services new powers to monitor Internet com-munications.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Cameron were among 44 foreign leaders march-ing with French President Fran-cois Hollande on Sunday. Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and Pales-tinian President Mahmoud Abbas were also present.

Controversial invitationHis invitation to French Jews to migrate to Israel if they wanted irritated some. Valls scrambled to reassure the community it was safe and an integral part of France.

“It was essential he came to show that he was with us French, Jews of France,” said Mauricette Abouchaya. “(But) we're in France, we want to stay in France. It is our country.”

With growing calls for a com-prehensive investigation into whether there had been security failings given that the three gun-men were known to intelligence services, Valls and main opposi-tion leader Nicolas Sarkozy agreed on a bi-partisan parliamentary commission into the attacks.

Valls also said the govern-ment had begun studying ways to strengthen the fi ght against “homegrown terrorism”. — Reuters

Defence Minister

Jean-Yves Le Drian

said the country

remained at risk

of further attacks.

Soldiers would guard

transport hubs,

tourism sites and key

buildings and mount

general street patrols

BESIEGED: A French soldier patrols near the Eiff el Tower as part of the highest level of 'Vigipirate'

security plan after a shooting at the Paris offi ces of 'Charlie Hebdo' on Monday.— Reuters

Attack accomplice Hayat entered Syria via TurkeyISTANBUL: The suspected fe-male accomplice of extremist militants behind attacks in Paris was in Turkey fi ve days before the killings and crossed into Syria on January 8, Turkish offi cials said on Monday.

France launched a search for 26-year-old Hayat Boumeddiene after police killed her partner Amedy Coulibaly while storm-ing a Jewish supermarket where he had taken hostages. Authori-ties described her as armed and dangerous.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Ca-vusoglu, in an interview on state-run Anatolian news agency's website, said Boumeddiene had arrived in Istanbul from Madrid on January 2. Turkey had re-ceived no request from Paris to deny her access.

“There is footage (of her) at the airport. Later on, she stayed at a hotel with another person and crossed into Syria on January 8. We can tell that based on tel-ephone records,” he said.

Those dates would put Boume-ddiene in Turkey before the vio-lence in Paris began, and leaving for Syria while the attackers were still hiding from police.

Coulibaly had said he was carrying out the attack in the name of IS.

Seventeen people, including journalists and policemen, were killed in three days of violence that began with the storming of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo on last Wednesday, and ended with a hostage-taking at a kosher supermarket on Friday when four hostages were killed.

Three gunmen were killed and there was some confusion at fi rst about whether Boumeddiene had been present in the supermar-ket when police stormed it and had escaped.

Footage from security cameras posted on the HaberTurk news website showed a woman it iden-tifi ed as Boumeddiene walking

with a man to passport control at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport after fl ying in from Madrid.

The woman is wearing a long dress and winter coat and her head is covered with a white head scarf. Her companion has a short pony tail. She is seen briefl y con-versing with a Turkish immigra-tion offi cer before the undated footage ends.

An offi cial French police pho-tograph shows Boumeddiene as a young woman with long dark hair hitched back over her ears.

Turkish Prime Minister Ah-met Davutoglu, speaking at a press conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Turkey could not blamed for allowing Boumeddi-ene to travel through its territory because it had not been asked to bar her.

“Is it Turkey's fault that it has borders with Syria?" Davutoglu said. — Reuters

T E R R O R C O N D U I T

ESCAPE: The wanted partner of one of the gunmen behind the

terror attacks in France — Hayat Boumeddiene, right, — is seen

presenting her passport at Ataturk airport in Istanbul on January

2, 2015. — AFP/IHLAS NEWS AGENCY

We need to receive

intelligence first so

we can track people.

We have 7,000 people

on a no-entry list

and deported 2,000,

including French and

German citizens

Ahmet DavutogluTurkish Prime Minister

MARKEWWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMT U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5B

Muscat

6,438.91+ 35.75

+ 0.56%

Dubai

3,749.37- 25.49

- 0.68%

Abu Dhabi

4,449.43- 30.63

- 0.68%

Saudi Arabia

8,436.71- 8.42

- 0.10%

Kuwait

6,561.02- 1.96

- 0.03%

Bahrain

1,430.24+ 4.59

+ 0.32%

Qatar

12,033.70+ 19.35

+ 0.16%

CURRENCY RATES* DRAFT RATES (OMR1)* GOLD PRICES*Forex rates vs OMR1*

US Dollar ................................. 2.58

Euro .............................................2.16

Pound ........................................... 1.70

Indian Rs ...............................161.13

Pak Rs ................................... 257.00

Bangla Taka.......................199.52* Rates are as of Jan. 12

Source: Bank Muscat

Indian Rs .................................... 161.15

Pakistan Rs .............................261.00

Sri Lanka Rs .......................... 343.00

Bangla Taka............................201.80

Phil Peso .................................... 115.95

* Rates as of Jan. 12 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......15.65

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......15.05

Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ............ 148.75

Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) ............. 140.75

* Rates as of Jan. 12

Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

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

Oman Crude ............. (Spot) .........$46.14

Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) ........$46.92

Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$48.92

Arabian Light ......... (Spot) .........$49.31

N.Sea Brent ............... (Spot) ........$48.85

West Texas Int ....... (Spot) .........$47.24

CRUDE OIL PRICE

DIGEST VIDEO

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Major ‘centre of excellence’ for railway sector to come up soon

A E JAMESbusinesseditor@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A major centre of ex-cellence to cater to the emerging requirements of professionals in railway sector will be formed in the country soon.

The new centre, which is being formed by Oman Railway Com-pany, is aimed at ensuring high standards among professional col-leges and vocational training insti-tutes for training professionals for the railway sector.

“We will start the centre soon. It is a framework to manage and gov-ern the progress and development

of skills. We will be able to utilise the existing infrastructure like professional colleges and vocation training institutes,” Eng Abdulrah-man Al Hatmi, chief executive of-fi cer of Oman Railway Company, told Times of Oman, on the side-lines of GCC Rail and Metro 2015 conference.

“We are trying to get interna-tional expertise.”

The new centre will also look into quality assurance and licenc-es for working in the railway fi eld.

With Oman gearing up to award the fi rst engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for 207 km-long Sohar-Buraimi

railway project by the middle of this year, the Centre of Excel-lence will play an important role in strengthening availability of pro-fessionals with specialised skills, with the help of training institutes.

Pan-GCC railway networkIt is also signifi cant in view of the fact that the GCC countries are investing as much as $250 billion for the pan-GCC railway network, which drives demand for special-ised professionals in the region.

Eng Al Hatmi said the Centre of Excellence would be more focus-ing on skilled workforce required for the building railway line, rather

than those required for operation and maintenance. GCC states are also contemplating to establish a common training academy for moulding railway professionals.

The total manpower require-ment for the railway project in the country is not yet known. Abu Timam GrantThornton is helping the Oman Railway Company in determining the human resources requirement and to establish op-erational framework and organisa-tional structure.

Talking about the plans to ap-point an operator for running the railway, Oman Railway Company chief said there are three options –

either Oman Rail can run it, or go for some sort of partnership with a private fi rm or give it completely to a private agency. “We have now almost fi nalised the model, which is going through approval process.” However, he declined to reveal the model the company has selected.

Responding to another question on private sector involvement in procuring rolling stocks, he said there are three options — either to buy it, take it from private sector on lease or the operator can buy it. “We have off ers from private sector (within the country) to buy the rolling stock and lease it to us,” added Eng Al Hatmi. “The private

sector has a critical role to play and it cannot be done by the govern-ment alone.”

Eng Al Hatmi also noted that the Sohar-Buraimi route will be for both freight and passenger traffi c.

The national railway project will start construction phase by the middle of this year, with the govern-ment’s plans to award the fi rst seg-ment. The entire project will include laying of 2,135 kms of track, con-struction of 35 kms of tunnels and 40 km of bridges, and building of 50 terminals and 8 marshalling yards. In total, this will require 12,000 km of track, 10 million concrete sleepers and 40 million fasters.

The new centre,

being formed by

Oman Railway

Company, is aimed

at ensuring high

standards among

professional colleges

and vocational

training institutes

for training

professionals for the

railway sector

GCC railway to boost Oman’s exports and foreign investment: Ithraa offi cial ELHAM POURMOHAMMADIelham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Oman’s eff orts to in-crease the volume and effi ciency of exports and attract foreign in-vestment will get a major boost through the implementation of the Gulf-wide railway project, said an Omani offi cial.

“From our perspective, it is a very signifi cant project as it will encourage many industrial com-panies to invest in Oman for the supply of the required products and services while creating lots of opportunities for local busi-nesses,” Faris Nasser Al Farsi, di-rector general for investment pro-motion at the Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Ex-port Development (Ithraa), told Times of Oman.

Investment areas Speaking on the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Rail and Metro Conference 2015, which concluded on Monday,Al Farsi said that Ithraa’s role is to identify and promote potential areas for investment in the rail-way sector in the international market in cooperation with Oman Rail, the Ministry of Transport and Communications and other authorities concerned.

The plans to boost Oman’s con-nectivity in the railway segment can also provide an incentive for foreign-based companies to es-tablish their own factories in the country, the offi cial added.

Al Farsi also noted that a multi-model transport network provid-ing connectivity through sea, air and land can further boost the po-sition of Oman as a logistic hub in

the region given its strategic loca-tion and access to other countries.

Commenting on the railway project’s contribution to the Sul-tanate’s exports, he said that this alternative route for transport will defi nitely help increase the volume of exported commodities and will also increase the effi cien-cy of the transport.

“It will help reduce the costs and save time and energy apart from many other direct and indi-rect impacts. It was a wise deci-sion to implement this project.”

SMEs Ithraa’s offi cial said that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will benefi t from the railway pro-ject, especially if they join hands together to fulfi ll the needs of big contractors. In addition, Al Farsi highlighted the importance of adopting an integrated approach

towards the implementation of the project to avoid duplication of activities that would serve the same purpose.

Deadline During a panel discussion at the conference, Eng Abdulrahman Al Hatmi, chief executive offi cer of Oman Rail, expressed confi dence that the project will be complet-ed on time and will not miss the2018 deadline.

He said that the countries in-volved in the project should stick to the set deadline, adding that a loose deadline may create a situa-tion where the parties would keep delaying the work.

Eng Al Hatmi also noted that certain mechanisms will be de-veloped to pave the way for the contribution of the private sec-tor, especially the SME sector, to

the railway initiative. Comment-ing on the deadline, Rumaih Al Rumaih, chief executive offi cer of the Saudi Railway Company, said that in his opinion a 2019 deadline is expected to be met if the project cannot be accomplished in 2018.

Transparent Al Rumaih and other participants at the panel discussion also said that the tendering process and other related activities are quite transparent and will remain so.

The panelists included offi -cials from Etihad Rail, Qatar Rail, UNIFE and HSBC as well.

R A I L W A Y I N F R A S T R U C T U R E

DME records 33% growth in trading volumes in 2014 Times News Service

MUSCAT: The Dubai Mercan-tile Exchange (DME), the premier international energy futures and commodities exchange in the Mid-dle East, registered an impressive performance in 2014, posting a 33 per cent growth in trading volumes to average 8,431 lots per day. Over 160 diff erent traders from more than 90 entities traded on the DME in 2014 – the broadest level of participation ever recorded.

During the year, DME set re-cords in every aspect of the DME Oman contract with record daily and monthly volumes, record physical delivery, record EFP (Exchange Futures for Physical) activity, and record open inter-est in addition to record marker windows.

In December, DME average daily volume (ADV) was 6,975 lots (7.0mn bl), which was nine per cent up year-on-year. Physical delivery for February loading was 11.6mn bl while EFP/EFR (Exchange for Risk) volumes were 7.8mn bl.

“Our performance in 2014 re-fl ects the success we have had in providing a mature and fully trans-parent price discovery mechanism for industry participants,” said Christopher Fix, Chief Executive of DME. “Our consistent growth in volumes can also be attributed to the confi dence of global play-ers in the DME value proposition which has been boosted by meas-ures that we have taken to enhance our trading platform. The global oil markets have never been more volatile and so the need for quality benchmarks and hedging mecha-

nisms have become even more imperative. Our impressive per-formance and our ever increasing roster of members from Asia is a defi nite sign that the DME Oman is the undisputed crude oil bench-mark in Asia.”

A key focus last year was to make trading on the DME easier for customers and so the Exchange allowed Letters of Credit (LCs) to be issued from Singapore and To-kyo with participating banks Soc-Gen, RBS, Rabobank and Mizuho.

The exchange also introduced Trade at Marker (TAM) function-ality and revised the duration re-quired for LCs.

The DME also made major strides in increasing the number of market participants in 2014 in or-der to expand its presence globally. The exchange welcomed four new trading members — Marubeni, Idemitsu, Mitsui, Itochu — in addi-tion to attracting four new clearing members, namely GH Financials, Advantage Futures, Phillip Capital and Straits Financial.

C O M M O D I T I E S E X C H A N G E

SKILL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE: With Oman gearing up to award the fi rst contract for 207 km-long Sohar-Buraimi route, the centre will play an important role. — Times picture

Christopher Fix. — Supplied picture

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

From our perspective, it is a very significant project

as it will encourage many industrial companies

to invest in Oman for the supply of the required

products and services, while creating

lots of opportunities for local businesses

Faris Nasser Al FarsiDirector general for investment promotion, Ithraa

B2

MARKETT U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

alizz islamic bank opens Salalah branchMUSCAT: alizz islamic bank yesterday announced the soft launch of its branch in Salalah on January 11. The opening of a new branch is part of the bank’s strategic initiatives to reach new customers with innovative and value-added products and services to further boost the alizz islamic bank brand, according to a disclosure statement on MSM website.

Qatar reserves touch record high of $46.5 billion DOHA: Qatar’s internation-al reserves hit an all-time high of $46.5 billion (€39 billion) in November and are expected to climb higher despite falling oil prices, Qatar National Bank fi gures revealed. The latest fi gure was a jump of almost $7 bil-lion on the level of reserves recorded by the energy-rich Gulf state at the same time in 2013. In its monthly monitor, the emirate’s largest commercial bank said it expected the new record to be broken in 2015 and for Qatar’s economy to power ahead over the next 12 months as it diversifi es away from the energy sector. It also said Qatar’s population grew by over nine per cent in 2013. - Times News Service/Agencies

B R I E F S Lenders back Dubai World’sdebt optimisation proposal

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Dubai World on Mon-day said that it has reached formal agreement with a substantial ma-jority by value of its creditor banks on its proposal to amend and ex-tend the terms of its outstanding debt totalling $14.6 billion.

As part of its debt optimisation strategy, Dubai World entered into discussions with a wide range of representative creditors with signifi cant holdings of its debt for several months around a vol-

untary transaction to improve terms and conditions of the exist-ing credit agreement for both the company and the lenders.

Following these discussions, the company hosted meetings with lenders in Dubai and Lon-don in early December 2014, to explain the in-principle agree-ment reached, the headlines of which are: full, early repayment of 2015 maturities totalling $2.92 billion, extension of 2018 maturi-

ties to 2022, enhanced economics through increased pricing, intro-duction of amortisation targets, and additional collateral.

Decree 57As contemplated at the meetings, Dubai World has now made a voluntary arrangement notifi ca-tion under Decree 57. Decree 57 is being utilised as an implemen-tation tool to eff ect the neces-sary amendments to the existing

agreement. The decree requires that at least 66.67 per cent of cred-itors (by value) vote to approve the agreement and existing com-mitments from lenders means that this threshold has already been comfortably exceeded.

Specifi c Dubai World subsidi-aries include Dubai World Group Finance, Istithmar World Hold-ings, Istithmar World and Port & Free Zone World, have also made similar notifi cations in their ca-

pacities as guarantors under the existing facility.

The company aims to continue to sign up more lenders to the agreement during the Decree 57 process, which in the ordinary course will take several months to complete. Throughout the pro-cess, business will continue as usual for Dubai World and its sub-sidiaries all of whom will continue to meet their existing contractual obligations in the ordinary course.

Dubai World commented that it is delighted to have substantial majority support from its lenders on the proposals, as the agreement represents a ‘win-win’ for the company and lenders, providing an improvement on the existing credit agreements for both sides.

The commencement of the De-cree 57 process which is tried and tested, and has very similar char-acteristics to parallel regimes in other international jurisdictions, is an entirely logical and expected step to complete the agreed debt optimisation exercise.

An agreement has

been reached with a

substantial majority

by value of its

creditor banks on its

proposal to amend

and extend terms of

debt totalling $14.6b

Japan plans a

record budget

for next fi scal

TOKYO: Japan plans a record budget for next fi scal year to support an economy that fell into recession after Prime Min-ister Shinzo Abe’s government increased the sales tax.

Government ministers and the ruling coalition parties ap-proved the ¥96.34 trillion ($814 billion) budget proposal for the 12 months starting April 1 at a meeting in Tokyo, Finance Min-ister Taro Aso told reporters.

Japan, with the world’s heav-iest debt burden, will halve the primary balance defi cit next fi scal year as new bond issu-ance declines to 36.86 trillion yen, the lowest since 2008. Tax revenue is projected to rise to ¥54.53 trillion.

The economy contracted for two straight quarters after the sales tax was hiked three per-centage points to 8 per cent. In response, the government de-ferred another played bump in the levy and assembled a ¥3.5 trillion stimulus.- Bloomberg News

B I G B O O S T

Crude prices sink further; US dollar hit by wage data NEW YORK: Oil prices tumbled again yesterday, while most Asian stock markets also retreated after a sell-off in New York at the end of last week that came in reaction to data showing weak United States wage growth.

The news on wages, which overshadowed another forecast-beating rise in jobs creation, pushed the dollar down against the euro and yen as it complicates the Federal Reserve’s plans to hike interest rates.

Weak demand and a supply glut sent crude to new fi ve-and-a-half-year lows, with analysts tipping further losses this week.

The US benchmark, West Tex-as Intermediate for February de-livery, lost $1.00 to $47.36 a barrel, while Brent was $1.06 to $49.05.

Singapore’s United Overseas Bank said in a commentary: “Oil prices continued to tumble and headed for a seventh straight weekly loss as key producers show no sign of cutting output in the face of a supply glut.”

China and eurozoneCrude oil prices have lost more than half their value since the middle of last year, with weakness in key markets China and the eu-rozone adding to the supply and demand crisis.

Wall Street provided a nega-tive lead for stock markets after fi gures showed US wages grew 1.7 per cent year on year in Decem-ber, barely keeping up with in-fl ation and indicating consumer spending power remained low.

The Dow slipped 0.95 per cent, the S&P 500 fell 0.84 percent and the Nasdaq lost 0.68 per cent.

Traders latched on to the data, ignoring the fact that unemploy-ment fell to 5.6 per cent, the lowest level in six and a half years, while 252,000 new posts were created in December to cap the best year for job creation since 1999.

“Despite the robust US jobs data, markets chose to focus on the weak wages growth and the likelihood that it will keep the Fed

Reserve ‘patient’ about any rate hike,” United Overseas Bank said.

Interest ratesEconomists took the report as allowing the Federal Reserve to hold off hiking interest rates too soon, denting speculation of an increase in April and making the dollar less attractive to investors.

“This tug of war between defl a-tion and expectations of the fi rst rate hike in many years by the US Federal Reserve is likely to result in intense volatility,” Nader Naei-

mi at AMP Capital Investors in Sydney, told Bloomberg TV.

In Asian trade it bought 118.21 yen compared to 118.46 yen on Friday in New York. The euro fetched $1.1860 against $1.1842, while it was also at 140.20 yen compared to 140.29 yen. Gold cost $1,228.96 an ounce, compared with $1,211.42 on Friday.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manu-facturing Co eased 1.49 per cent to Tw$132.0 while Hon Hai Pre-cision Industry was 0.92 perc ent lower at Tw$85.7. — AFP

W O R L D M A R K E T

DUBAI: Iraq, Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (Opec) second-largest producer, raised the selling price for February shipments to Asia of its main Basrah Light crude by 30 cents a barrel, after Saudi Arabia boosted its pricing to the region.

Iraq set Basrah Light at a discount of $3.70 a barrel to the average of Middle East-ern benchmark Oman and Dubai grades, the country’s Oil Marketing Company said in an e-mailed statement. The announcement followed increases January 5 by Saudi Arabia, the biggest producer in the Opec, for its main grades to Asia. Iran raised its prices to Asia last week.

The Basrah Light discount for February, while narrower than the January discount of $4 a barrel, was greater than for any other month since at least August 2003. “It’s in line with the Saudi move,” Robin Mills, the head of con-

sulting at Manaar Energy in Dubai, said by phone. “Saudi Arabia is always the trend-setter, and everyone has to bear that in mind.”

Supply glutOil slid to the lowest level in more than fi ve years last week amid speculation that a global supply glut will linger through the fi rst half of 2015. Saudi Arabia raised the cost of its oil sales to Asia in February, prompt-ing concern that the world’s largest exporter is retreat-ing from using record price discounts to defend market share against North Ameri-can shale drillers and other non-Opec producers.

Iraq cut the price for Feb-ruary sales of Basrah Light to Europe, widening the grade’s discount to Dated Brent to $5.95 a barrel from $4.35 for January. It also reduced export prices for North and South America, deepening the discount. - Bloomberg News

After Saudi Arabia, Iraq ups Basrah crude price for Asia

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BUSINESS AS USUAL: Dubai World entered into discussions with representative creditors with sig-

nifi cant holdings of its debt for several months around a voluntary transaction to improve terms and

conditions of existing credit agreement for both company and lenders. – Bloomberg News

B3T U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

MARKET

Bank Muscat optimistic on Oman’s economic outlook

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the lead-ing fi nancial services provider in the Sultanate, is optimistic on the outlook for Oman’s economy, not-withstanding the challenges aris-ing from the volatile oil prices.

“The outlook on the Sultanate of Oman’s economy continues to remain strong owing to its stable fundamentals and expansive poli-cies to support growth of both oil and non-oil sectors. The govern-ment affi rmation that develop-ment projects will continue as planned without any negative impact on the lives of citizens is a clear indication that the economy is on track in achieving its objec-tives,” said AbdulRazak Ali Issa, chief executive, of Bank Muscat.

“The Sultanate has weathered similar crises in the past, includ-ing the global fi nancial crisis in 2008 as well as fl uctuations in oil prices and overcome the challeng-es. The Vision 2020, which serves as the economic blueprint of the Sultanate, has paved the way for

comprehensive economic diver-sifi cation polices, investment op-portunities and infrastructure development in the country.”

“During challenging situations, the cushioning eff ect from budget surplus has led to sustained mo-mentum for development projects in the country. In the prevailing situation, the government has ini-tiated comprehensive measures, as refl ected in the 2015 budget, to maintain economic and social growth,” he added.

“The key to sustaining econom-ic development is attracting both local and foreign investment in strategic projects and enhancing the role of the private sector. Oman has identifi ed alternatives for oil and gas revenues by investing heavily in agricultural, industrial, fi sheries, tourism and other sec-tors. The promotion of small and medium enterprise (SME) sector is another priority for Oman to equip the youth to embark on self-employment ventures and there-by contribute to nation-building,” the chief executive said. “The

prevailing situation confi rms the importance of intensifying eff orts to diversify the sources of national income away from a reliance on oil revenues to overcome fl uctua-tion of fi nancial resources. Oman has adopted realistic fi ve-year de-velopment plans to diversify the source of national economy and leverage the human, natural and non-oil resources. The big chal-lenge for Oman is to reduce reli-ance on oil revenues,” AbdulRazak Ali Issa said.

OMR30b worth projects“The current value of projects being executed in Oman is about OMR30 billion. This is part of a pipeline of projects valued at OMR49 billion to be delivered within the country’s Eighth Five-Year Development Plan, which ends in 2015. Oman’s quest to de-velop economic clusters in strate-gic locations around the country with the objective of creating jobs for local people and spreading development across the nation is gaining momentum in Salalah, So-

har, Sur and Duqm where world-scale maritime and industrial ven-tures are underway,” he said.

“Capitalising on Oman’s van-tage geographical position, the focus is on the transportation sec-tor - airports, railways, ports and highways – as well as the tourism sector. Oman’s eff orts aimed at building trade infrastructure will help the country become a major player in global trade as well as a very competitive producer of goods in the region,” AbdulRazak Ali Issa added.

“Oman has all the main ingre-dients to be not only an interna-tional player, but also a hub for trade and transit. Oman’s fi scal freedom, including investment and trade, witnessed further im-provement in the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom as the coun-try’s economic freedom score stood at 67.4, making it the 48th freest economy in the world. Oman is doing the right things and investing signifi cantly in not only physical infrastructure improve-ment, but also in terms of develop-

ing human capital. Oman is aware of its potential as well as require-ments to remain competitive and is getting ready for that,” the chief executive said.

Stable performance“The Omani banking sector has recorded stable performance on the back of sound macro-econom-ic policies, strong fi scal system and fi ne-tuned monetary policy measures in the country. Amidst the challenging situation, high capital adequacy and profi tability have defi ned the banking sector in Oman. Against the backdrop of the steady economic advancement, Oman’s banking sector is witness-ing healthy growth in lending, de-posits and earnings. The liquidity position is very comfortable for the banks to participate and sus-tain the economic development in Oman,” he explained.

“During the last 33 years since its inception in 1982, Bank Mus-cat has been closely involved in the progressive march of the nation. The outlook for Oman’s economy is positive and in view of the government commitment to economic and social development by accelerating non-oil revenue growth, Bank Muscat anticipates considerable growth opportuni-ties. The bank remains commit-ted to supporting the government objectives in diversifying the na-tional economy, creation of em-ployment opportunities to young educated Omani youth and ex-pansion of industrialisation in the Sultanate,” he added.

The bank’s CEO said

the government’s

affi rmation that

development

projects will continue

as planned is a clear

indication that the

economy is on track

The Sultanate has weathered similar crises

in the past, including the global financial

crisis in 2008 as well as fluctuations in oil

prices and overcome the challenges

AbdulRazak Ali IssaChief executive, Bank Muscat

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India’s Adani, SunEdison to build $4 billionsolar panel unit

NEW DELHI: Indian conglomer-ate Adani Group and global energy fi rm SunEdison have announced a deal to build the largest solar panel factory in the energy-starved na-tion, worth $4 billion.

The project will be set up in the next three to four years in Mundra city in the western state of Gujarat, a press release said. Mundra al-ready hosts India’s largest private port owned by the Adani Group.

“By pairing SunEdison’s solar technology expertise with Adani’s experience in creation of infra-structure, we will be able to trans-form the region into a solar pro-duction powerhouse,” said Ahmad Chatila, president and chief execu-tive of US-based SunEdison.

20,000 jobsThe planned unit is likely to create more than 20,000 jobs in the re-gion and would be a step in Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign that aims to turn the country into a global manufac-turing hub, the companies said.

“India has embarked on an am-bitious program to become a world leader in power generation from renewable technologies, and sees solar as a key part in realising that goal,” said Adani Power’s chief ex-ecutive Vneet Jaain.

Blackouts in India are frequent and solving the country’s energy shortage is seen as key to generat-ing economic growth. Currently more than 60 per cent of India’s electricity comes through coal, the supply of which can be unreliable given the low effi ciency of mines and transport networks.

Just last week, the country was facing possible power cuts after workers at the biggest coal mining fi rm, Coal India, went on a strike that lasted two days. - AFP

R E N E W A B L E E N E R G Y

Oil price slide not to aff ectQatar’s $30 billion projects Times News Service

MUSCAT: Qatar’s infrastructure projects pipeline is set to soar with more than $30 billion worth of new projects deals in 2015, ac-cording to the latest data from MEED Projects, the region’s lead-ing online projects tracker.

The record year has come on the back of major project awards on Ashghal’s expressway and local roads and drainage programmes as well as signifi cant investment in real estate and transport pro-jects such as Lusail and the new port project.

This year will be boosted by forecast project awards on the $5 billion-plus Al Karaana petro-chemical complex, the $2 billion-plus rolling stock and systems contract on the Doha Metro, and fi ve main multi-billion-dollar packages on the mega water res-ervoirs main packages.

“Despite falling oil prices, Qa-tar has the project pipeline, the political impetus, and the fi nan-cial reserves to continue project spending as it prepares to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup,” says Ed James, director of Analysis at MEED Projects.

“With around $30 billion worth of projects, 2014 witnessed a 25 per cent increase in project spending as compare to the year 2013, and there will continue to be an upward trend in project ac-tivity,” he added.

Project spending will be boost-ed by the fact that Qatar continues

to be the fastest-growing econo-my in the Gulf Cooperation Coun-cil (GCC) in the years to 2020 as the country presses ahead with one of the world’s most compre-hensive and ambitious economic development and infrastructure programmes, the annual MEED Qatar Projects Conference in Doha fro, March 10 to 11 March will be told.

LNG exportsAccording to the Qatar’s Ministry of Development Planning & Sta-tistics, Qatar’s economy will ex-pand by 7.7 per cent in 2015, pro-viding evidence that the world’s leading LNG exporter expects lower oil prices will have minimal impact on growth.

“Solid expansion in non-hydro-carbon activities will continue to drive overall economic momen-tum, propelled by investment spending, an expansionary fi scal

stance and population growth,” the ministry said.

“In calendar years 2014-2016, the overall fi scal balance is ex-pected to stay in surplus.”

Qatar is the Middle East’s most creditworthy economy. The Standard & Poor’s credit rating is AA. Moodys rating for Qatar sov-ereign debt is Aa2.

The IMF’s annual Article IV report on the Qatar economy pub-lished earlier this year showed Qatar’s budget and balance of payments’ surpluses were by far the highest in the region and were among the largest in the world. Its fi nancial reserves are more than 100 per cent of GDP.

Qatar’s oil and gas wealth per capita is the highest in the world. “Qatar has enormous oil and gas wealth, especially in relation to the size of its national popula-tion,” Qatar National Bank said in a report in September.

E C O N O M Y

Hong Kong tycoon set to replace Alibaba chief as richest in AsiaHONG KONG: Hong Kong bil-lionaire Li Ka-shing is set to regain his spot as Asia’s richest person as fl agship Cheung Kong’ shares surged the most in more than six years following his $24 billion re-organisation plan.

The 86-year-old tycoon has a $30.8 billion fortune as of the close in Hong Kong. That puts him al-most $3 billion ahead of Jack Ma, the billionaire chairman of Hang-zhou, China-based Alibaba, who was worth $28.2 billion as of Janu-ary 9, according to Bloomberg Bil-lionaires Index.

The increase in Li’s wealth puts him on track to become the 15th richest person in the world, over-taking European retail billionaires Bernard Arnault and Stefan Pers-son. Li proposed to restructure the assets of his companies into two new entities, one focusing on prop-

erty mainly in Hong Kong and Chi-na, and the other on global assets from utilities and ports to retail stores across more than 50 coun-tries. “This reorganisation is far from a surprise and has long been discussed,” Andrew Lawrence, an analyst with CIMB Group, wrote

in a research note. “It will make for a cleaner corporate structure and remove many of the cross-group investments that made it diffi cult to understand the group,” he added.

Cheung Kong shares jumped 15 per cent to HK$143.20, the biggest gain since October 2008. Hutch-ison Whampoa, which is 50 per cent controlled by Cheung Kong, climbed 13 per cent, the most since October 1997.

More than half of Li’s wealth is derived from Cheung Kong, which had declined 4.2 per cent this year before today’s surge. Alibaba’s Ma, 50, last month briefl y overtook Li as Asia’s wealthiest, the fi rst change in Asia’s top spot since April 2012. The two billionaires have since been in a close race for the number one position in the re-gion. - Bloomberg News

B L O O M B E R G B I L L I O N A I R E S I N D E X

OPTIMISTIC: Qatar’s Ministry of Development Planning & Statis-

tics said the economy would expand by 7.7 per cent. - Supplied photo

Li Ka-shing. – Bloomberg News

B4

MARKETT U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

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MUSCATSECURITIES MARKET

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 12

REGULAR MARKET .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............ 675,178 ...........114,955..................... 58 ............0.165 ........... 0.172 ...........0.165 ........... 0.170 ............. 0.163............ 0.007 .............4.294 ................0.170 ...............0.171................... 0.175 ....................3,570,000 ..........0.100

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 6,048,074 ...1,270,770...................397 ............0.215 ........... 0.215 ...........0.205........... 0.210 .............0.202 ........... 0.008 ............. 3.960 ................0.205..............0.205...................0.206 ..................27,405,000 .........0.100

OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE .............. 2,027,274 ......463,663................... 154 ........... 0.224 ........... 0.232 ...........0.223........... 0.229 ............. 0.221 ........... 0.008 ............. 3.620 ................0.223............. 0.222...................0.225 ..................45,800,000 ........0.100

OM0000001087 ............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 773,430 .........224,687..................... 57 ........... 0.286 ...........0.292 ...........0.286........... 0.291 ............. 0.281.............0.010 ............. 3.559 ................0.289..............0.287...................0.290 ..................29,100,000 .........0.100

OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 199,540 ......... 134,801..................... 27 ........... 0.660 ........... 0.684 ...........0.660........... 0.676 .............0.656 ........... 0.020 ............. 3.049 ................0.672 ..............0.664...................0.668................. 440,038,299 .......0.100

OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING ........... 3,035,586 ...... 412,196................... 175 ............0.135 ........... 0.139 ........... 0.131 ............0.136 ............. 0.132............ 0.004 ............. 3.030 ................0.132 ...............0.131...................0.132 ...................16,575,000 .........0.100

OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 1,162,278 ......278,627..................... 60 ........... 0.226 ........... 0.245 ...........0.226........... 0.240 .............0.234 ........... 0.006 ............. 2.564 ................0.235 ..............0.233...................0.235................. 274,560,000 .......0.100

OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 684,325 ............99,748..................... 67 ............0.146 ........... 0.149 ...........0.140 ........... 0.146 ............. 0.143............ 0.003 ............. 2.098 ................0.140 ..............0.140...................0.142 ................... 12,631,920 .........0.100

OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS ............................................................. 19,042 .............10,846........................5 ........... 0.572 ........... 0.572 ...........0.566 ........... 0.570 .............0.560 ............0.010 ............. 1.786.................0.566 ..............0.552...................0.566...................25,970,006 .........0.100

OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 199,167 ............ 97,222.....................40 ........... 0.490 ...........0.490 ...........0.480........... 0.488 .............0.480 ........... 0.008 ............. 1.667 ................0.480..............0.474...................0.480 .................137,662,094 ........0.100

OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 222,290 .........388,009..................... 75 ............1.730 ............1.755 ............1.730 ............1.745 ............. 1.730 .............0.015 ............. 0.867 ................ 1.750 .............. 1.750................... 1.755 ................1,308,750,000 ......0.100

OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT ........................................................... 40,227 ............ 20,947......................11 ............0.514 ........... 0.524 ...........0.514 ........... 0.520 ............. 0.516 ............ 0.004 ............. 0.775 ................0.524.............. 0.516...................0.524 .................172,053,809 ........0.100

OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES .......................................... 164,229 .............51,151..................... 34 ............0.310 ........... 0.314 ...........0.310 ........... 0.312 ............. 0.310............ 0.002 ............. 0.645 ................0.310 ..............0.310...................0.314 ................... 19,095,733 .........0.100

OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ................................................... 427,718 .......... 168,082..................... 32 ........... 0.390 ........... 0.394 ...........0.386........... 0.392 .............0.390 ........... 0.002 ............. 0.513 ................0.386 ..............0.386...................0.390 ..................23,716,000 .........0.100

OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ........................... 1,000 ..................340........................ 1 ........... 0.340 ...........0.340 ...........0.340 .......... 0.336 .............0.336 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.340..............0.342...................0.346 ..................31,933,440 .........0.100

OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ............. 100,000 ........... 31,200........................7 ............0.312 ........... 0.312 ...........0.312 ........... 0.312 ............. 0.312............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.312 ..............0.302...................0.312 ...................10,474,292 .........0.100

OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ........................................................... 1,631 ............... 2,773........................2 ............1.700 ........... 1.700 ...........1.700 ............1.700 ............. 1.700 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.700 .............. 1.700................... 1.740 ................. 340,000,000 .......0.100

OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN ............................................................107 ..................... 16........................ 1 ............0.145 ........... 0.145 ...........0.145 ............0.145 ............. 0.145............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.145 ..............0.140...................0.145 ..................290,045,355 .......0.100

OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 227,741 ............ 96,035........................6 ........... 0.430 ........... 0.430 ...........0.418 ........... 0.422 .............0.422 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.418 .............. 0.414...................0.418 ..................142,105,546 ........0.100

OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY ........................................ 9,920 .............19,840........................5 ........... 2.000 ...........2.000 ...........2.000 .......... 2.000 .............2.000 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................2.000 .............1.900...................2.000 .................179,400,000........0.100

OM0000001889 ............SALALAH MILLS ......................................................... 400,400.........596,594........................7 ............1.490 ........... 1.490 ...........1.485 ........... 1.490 ............. 1.490............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.485 .............. 1.485...................1.490 ................... 71,762,965 .........0.100

OM0000001962 ............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 221,775 ............. 16,013......................18 ........... 0.072 ........... 0.073 ...........0.071 ........... 0.072 .............0.072 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.071 .............. 0.071...................0.072...................14,914,900 .........0.100

OM0000002168 ............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ................................ 34,000 .............16,436........................5 ........... 0.484 ........... 0.484 ...........0.480........... 0.484 .............0.484 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.480..............0.478...................0.484 ................. 119,472,852 ........0.100

OM0000002614 ............ONIC. HOLDING ............................................................10,000 ...............3,600........................ 1 ........... 0.360 ...........0.360 ...........0.360........... 0.360 .............0.360 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.360..............0.346...................0.360 ..................62,432,370 .........0.100

OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 2,789,709 ....1,561,917...................222 ........... 0.560 ........... 0.562 ...........0.556 ........... 0.560 .............0.560 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.556 ..............0.552...................0.556 ................1,222,305,385 ......0.100

OM0000003000 ...........ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. ......... 1,900 ...............4,085........................ 1 ............2.150 ........... 2.150 ...........2.150 ........... 2.205 .............2.205 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................2.150 ..............2.150...................2.300 .................152,145,000 ........0.100

OM0000003141 ............ACWA POWER BARKA .................................................... 900 .................. 738........................ 1 ........... 0.820 ...........0.820 ...........0.820........... 0.820 .............0.820 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.820.............. 0.812...................0.820 .................131,200,000........0.100

OM0000003281 ............TAAGEER FINANCE ................................................... 86,915 .............13,124......................11 ............0.151 ........... 0.152 ...........0.150 ............0.151 ............. 0.151 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.150 .............. 0.146...................0.150 ...................38,292,090.........0.100

OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 953,397 ..........177,903..................... 80 ............0.189 ........... 0.190 ...........0.180 ............0.187 ............. 0.187............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.180 .............. 0.177...................0.180 ...................49,296,708 .........0.100

OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER ................................................................ 5,974 .............. 2,246........................4 ............0.376 ........... 0.376 ...........0.376 ........... 0.376 .............0.376 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.376 ..............0.376...................0.386...................83,099,760 .........0.100

OM0000004248 ...........SMN POWER HOLDING ...............................................6,114 ...............4,035........................ 1 ........... 0.660 ........... 0.660 ...........0.660........... 0.660 .............0.660 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.660..............0.660...................0.000 ................. 131,759,496 ........0.100

OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 342,000 ............80,412........................5 ........... 0.236 ........... 0.236 ...........0.233 ........... 0.235 .............0.237 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.844 ...............0.233 ..............0.230...................0.235................. 304,439,540 .......0.100

OM0000001483 ............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 159,000 ........... 50,880........................9 ........... 0.320 ...........0.320 ...........0.320........... 0.320 .............0.324 ...........-0.004 ............-1.235................0.320..............0.310...................0.320 ................ 390,024,800 .......0.100

OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 3,400,488...... 516,863................... 199 ............0.155 ........... 0.155 ...........0.148 ............0.152 ............. 0.154............-0.002 ........... -1.299 ...............0.148 .............. 0.147...................0.148 .................... 8,944,169 ..........0.100

OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ......................... 49,800 .............16,367......................13 ........... 0.330 ........... 0.334 ...........0.320........... 0.328 .............0.336 ...........-0.008 ........... -2.381 ...............0.320..............0.322...................0.330 ..................40,966,531 .........0.100

OM0000001301 ............DHOFAR CATTLE FEED ........................................... 50,000 ...............9,070........................5 ............0.180 ........... 0.185 ...........0.180 ............0.181 ............. 0.186............-0.005 ........... -2.688 ............... 0.181 .............. 0.181...................0.190 ................... 13,937,000 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 24,531,129 ...... 6,956,190 ..........1,796 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......36........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH ...................................................7,803 .............17,062........................4 ............2.180 ...........2.200 ...........2.180 ............2.185 ............. 2.150.............0.035 ............. 1.628 ............... 2.200 .............2.180...................2.220 .................208,573,971 ........1.000

OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ................................................ 188,240 .........102,500..................... 65 ........... 0.542 ........... 0.546 ...........0.538 ........... 0.544 .............0.536 ........... 0.008 ............. 1.493 ................0.538 ..............0.536...................0.538...................27,200,000 .........0.100

OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER ..................................................62,146 .............10,608........................7 ............0.170 ........... 0.171 ............0.170 ............0.171 ............. 0.170.............0.001 ............. 0.588 ................ 0.171 ...............0.171...................0.173 .................. 115,405,751 ........0.100

OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER ....................................................80,382 .............13,792........................8 ............0.171 ........... 0.172 ........... 0.171 ............0.172 ............. 0.171 .............0.001 ............. 0.585 ................0.172 .............. 0.172...................0.173 ..................122,877,890 ........0.100

OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ........................40,275 ...............4,933........................8 ............0.125 ........... 0.125 ...........0.120 ........... 0.122 ............. 0.122 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.120 ..............0.120................... 0.121 ....................3,660,000 ..........0.100

OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................. 114,847 ............. 11,919..................... 22 ............0.105 ........... 0.105 ...........0.102 ........... 0.104 .............0.104 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.103 ..............0.103...................0.104.................... 7,821,632 ..........0.100

OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK............................................... 22,000 .............. 2,024........................3 ........... 0.092 ........... 0.092 ...........0.092........... 0.092 .............0.092 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.092..............0.092...................0.095.................. 92,000,000 ........0.100

OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE ................................ 1,249 .................. 122........................ 1 ........... 0.098 ........... 0.098 ...........0.098........... 0.098 .............0.098 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.098 ..............0.098...................0.102 ....................9,800,000 ..........0.100

OM0000004669 ...........SHARQIYAH DESALINATION ...................................7,549 ............ 24,836........................ 1 ........... 3.290 ........... 3.290 ...........3.290........... 3.290 .............3.300 ...........-0.010 ........... -0.303 ...............3.290..............3.100...................3.290 .................. 32,176,911 .........1.000

OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 351,540 ........... 28,047..................... 23 ............0.081 ........... 0.081 ...........0.079 ........... 0.080 ............. 0.081............-0.001 ............-1.235................0.079 ..............0.079...................0.081 ................. 120,000,000 .......0.100

OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES .......................................................16,000 ................1,136........................2 ............0.071 ........... 0.071 ...........0.071 ............0.071 .............0.072 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.389................0.071 .............. 0.071...................0.073....................8,875,000 ..........0.100

OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL ............................................. 131,000.............11,564......................12 ........... 0.090 ...........0.090 ...........0.088........... 0.088 .............0.090 ...........-0.002 ........... -2.222 ...............0.088 ..............0.087...................0.090 ..................15,400,000 .........0.100

OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. ................... 40,000 ...............1,460........................2 ........... 0.036 ........... 0.037 ...........0.036........... 0.036 .............0.037 ...........-0.001 ........... -2.703 ...............0.037 ..............0.036...................0.038....................3,060,000 ..........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 1,063,031 ......230,003................... 158 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ...... 13........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS MARKET ........................................................................................................................................................................................OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ...................... 777,341 ............ 82,398........................2 ............0.106 ........... 0.106 ...........0.106 ........... 0.106 ............. 0.106 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.106 ..............0.106...................0.107 ...................32,091,406 .........0.100

OM0000004628 ...........BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5 ............................................... 280 .....................29........................2 ............0.103 ........... 0.103 ...........0.103 ........... 0.103 ............. 0.103............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.103 ..............0.102...................0.000 ................... 7,364,500 ..........0.100

OM0000004867 ...........BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 ......................................... 578,788.............61,752........................8 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.106 ........... 0.107 ............. 0.113 ............-0.006 ........... -5.310................0.106 ..............0.106................... 0.113 ...................34,201,766 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 1,356,409 ...... 144,179......................12 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 3........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

M U S C A T B O U R S E

INDICESIndex .................................................High .................Low ..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff %MSM30 Index ....................................... 6,450.26 .............. 6,398.88 ................... 6,438.91 ................... 6,403.16 ..................35.75 ................... 0.56Financial Index .....................................7,846.07 ...............7,786.28 ................... 7,805.38 ....................7,776.91 ................. 28.47 ................... 0.37Industrial Index ................................... 8,553.36 .............. 8,532.25 ................... 8,538.53 ...................8,540.63 .................. -2.10 .................. -0.02Services Index ...................................... 3,540.84 ...............3,505.57 ................... 3,539.95 ................... 3,505.57 ................. 34.38 ................... 0.98MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................975.97 ...................971.13 .......................975.48 ...................... 970.93 ....................4.55 ................... 0.47

Trading SummaryVolume ................ Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up ............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded26,950,569 ..................7,330,372 ................. 1,966 ............... 14,640,397,457 ................ 18 ......................11 .................... 23 .........................52

MSM index ends higher

MUSCAT: Muscat bourse’s gen-eral index - MSM30 Index - moved up 0.56 per cent to close at 6,438.91 points. MSM Sharia index closed at 975.48 points, up by 0.47 per cent. Al Anwar Holding was the most active in terms of volume while Bank Muscat was the most active in terms of turnover. Gulf International Chemicals, up by 4.29 per cent was the top gainer of the day while Construction Mate-rials, down by 2.70 per cent, was the top loser of the day.

A total number of 1,966 trades were executed during the day’s trading session generating turno-ver of OMR7.3 million with more than 26.9 million shares changing hands. Out of 52 traded stocks, 18 advanced, 11 declined and 23 remained unchanged. Omani investors were net buyers for OMR377,000 while GCC and Arab Investors were net sellers for OMR357,000 followed by foreign investors for OMR19,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index gained 0.37 per cent and closed at 7,805.38 points. Al Anwar Holding, Oman United Insurance, Oman & Emir-ates Holding, Bank Sohar and Al Sharqia Investments increased by 3.96 per cent, 3.56 per cent, 3.03 per cent, 2.56 per cent and 2.10 per cent respectively. Al Madina Takaful, Gulf Investment Services, National Bank of Oman, Bank Ni-zwa and Ahli Bank decreased by 2.22 per cent, 1.30 per cent, 1.23 per cent, 1.23 per cent and 0.84 per cent respectively. .

Industrial Index ended the day on a fl at note at 8,538.53 points, down marginally 0.02 per cent. Gulf International Chemicals, Al Maha Ceramics, Oman Cements and Voltamp Energy increased by 4.29 per cent, 1.49 per cent, 0.78 per cent and 0.51 per cent respectively. Construction Ma-terials, Dhofar Cattlefeed, Al Ja-

zeera Steel and Oman Fisheries decreased by 2.70 per cent, 2.69 per cent, 2.38 per cent and 1.39 per cent respectively.

Services Sector Index closed at 3,539.95 points, up by 0.98 per cent. OIFC, Ooredoo, National Gas, Renaissance Services and Sembcorp Salalah increased by 3.62 per cent, 3.05 per cent, 1.79 per cent, 1.67 per cent and 1.63 per cent respectively. Sharqiyah De-salination decreased by 0.30 per cent to close at OMR3.290.

Damac shares riseDamac Properties Dubai Co., the developer working with Tiger Woods and Donald Trump on a golf course in Dubai, climbed in debut trading in the emirate.

Damac added as much as 21 per cent before closing 1.8 per cent higher at Dh2.84. The company received regulatory approval to list in Dubai last month and of-fered to exchange each London-listed global depository receipt, known as GDRs, for 23.077 ordi-nary shares in Dubai until Janu-ary 9. The stock declined 11 per cent in London last year compared with a 2.7 per cent drop in the FTSE 100 Index.

“Many of these companies that went and looked for international recognition through listings in London are coming back amid low trading volumes there,” Moham-med Ali Yasin, managing director of NBAD Securities in Abu Dhabi, said by phone.

“They are fi nding out that peo-ple who will pay premiums for the shares are those who are familiar with it in its home market.”

Damac began trading in London in December 2013 and was fol-lowed by Abu Dhabi-based Gulf Marine Services, whose shares plunged more than 20 per cent since their debut trade in March.

— United Securities/Bloomberg News

Gulf International Chemicals, up by 4.29 per

cent, was the top gainer of the day, while

Construction Materials, down by 2.70

per cent, was the top loser on Monday

Sensex and rupee advanceMUMBAI: The BSE Sensex re-versed losses to end stronger on Monday on optimism ahead of the retail infl ation data due later in the day while sentiment was boosted after European shares gained on increased mergers and acquisition activity in the health-care sector.

The local share market had ear-lier dropped as much as 0.5 per cent as lower oil prices hurt en-ergy stocks.

Retail infl ationTraders will closely watch the retail infl ation print, due to be released later in the day, which is likely to determine the central bank’s stance during its monetary policy review on February 3.

A Reuters poll showed the con-sumer price index accelerating to 5.4 per cent in December from 4.4 per cent in November, but still within the central bank’s comfort zone.

The benchmark BSE Sensex closed 0.46 per cent higher at 27,585.27. The broader Nifty gained 0.46 per cent to 8,323.

Rupee, bonds rise Indian bonds rose with the rupee, pushing the 10-year yield to the lowest since July 2013, as a drop in US wages spurred speculation the Federal Reserve will delay an increase in interest rates. Aver-age hourly earnings of US work-ers fell 0.2 per cent in December, the biggest decrease since records began in 2006. Chair Janet Yellen signalled last month that the cen-tral bank is on track to increase rates as the world’s largest econo-my improves.

“Any bad US data reading has an impact on the market’s expec-tations of a Fed rate hike,” said N.S. Venkatesh, the Mumbai-based head of treasury at IDBI Bank. “Indian assets are rallying also amid hopes of a reduction in domestic interest rates as infl a-tion stays under control.”

The yield on Indian sovereign bonds due July 2024 declined three basis points, or 0.03 per-centage point, to close at 7.81 per cent in Mumbai, prices from the Reserve Bank of India’s trading system show. That’s the lowest

level for the benchmark 10-year debt since July 2013.

The rupee advanced 0.3 per cent to 62.1350 a dollar in Mum-bai, prices from local banks com-piled by Bloomberg show. The currency, which climbed for a fourth day, touched 62.0950 ear-lier, the strongest level since De-cember 10.

A report may show consumer prices rose 5.35 per cent in De-cember from a year earlier, ac-cording to a Bloomberg News survey. While that will be higher than the 4.38 per cent gain in No-vember, it’s still below the central bank’s 6 per cent infl ation target for January 2016.

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan raised the benchmark repurchase rate three times from Septem-ber 2013 to January 2014 and has since kept it steady at eight per cent. One-year interest-rate swaps, derivative contracts used to guard against swings in fund-ing costs, fell for a fourth day, retreating three basis points to 7.65 per cent, data compiled by Bloomberg show. — Agencies

I N D I A N M A R K E T S

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Bank Muscat najahi a big hit with small businesses

MUSCAT: The fi rst-of-its-kind najahi suite of products and ser-vices launched by Bank Muscat as part of its commitment to encour-age entrepreneurial initiatives has become a big hit with micro and small businesses.

Within a span of three months from its launch, najahi has extend-ed a helping hand to 260 micro and small business customers with more than OMR6 million non-collateral fi nance facilities, says a press release.

The new initiative from the fl ag-ship fi nancial services provider

in the Sultanate off ering a major boost for start-up and small busi-nesses in Oman is aimed at com-plementing the government ef-forts in encouraging Omani youth to embark on entrepreneurial pur-suits and thereby make vital con-tributions to the economy.

Bank Muscat has taken major initiatives to provide the required support for entrepreneurs, espe-cially youth, who constitute the future of Oman.

The bank’s commitment stems from the strong belief that entre-preneurial ventures help boost the local economy, contribute to the GDP and create self-employment opportunities for youth.

The specially designed najahi

products include credit facili-ties not requiring collaterals or guarantees for the small business segment to establish and develop their business. With najahi, Bank Muscat fulfi ls the primary need of fi nance for the small business seg-ment to embark on entrepreneuri-al ventures.

In the market, there are small business customers who do not have access to formal credit facil-ity. najahi off ers the required fa-cilities and support for micro and small businesses to take their fi rst step confi dently in the journey of success as well as encourages youth to join the world of entre-preneurship.

The najahi suite of products

comprises fl exi loan to support working capital, business expan-sion and other business needs; contractors loan to complete con-tracted jobs; contractors bill of discounting against bills submit-ted for completed contracted jobs; specially designed current ac-count facility with dedicated rela-tionship managers and insurance cover for business premises.

Bank Muscat has launched a se-ries of initiatives to strengthen the SME sector in Oman.

Serving as building blocks for entrepreneurs, these initiatives assume importance in the back-drop of the priority accorded by the government to develop the SME sector in Oman.

Within a span of

three months from

its launch, najahi has

extended a helping

hand to 260 micro

and small business

customers with more

than OMR6 million

non-collateral

fi nance facilities

OETC holds workshop on risk managementMUSCAT: Under its new policy that classifi es risk management as one of the important work pil-lars, Oman Electricity Transmis-sion Company (OETC) conducted a risk management workshop recently at Holiday Inn Hotel lo-cated in Mawelah. The event was part of a series of workshops or-ganised by Business Planning and Risk Management Department of OETC, says a press release.

The goal of the workshop was to explain and educate the staff about relevant concepts and the best policies and practices involved in risk management, thereby reinforcing its applica-tion in all areas of the company's business. It emphasised the need to develop a risk management that is proportionate to the risks levels and be part of the decision making process.

The framework will be devel-oped and structure based on ISO 31000/2009 in order to imple-ment common approach of risk management in all areas of the company's business.

The workshop stressed on the important of staff training for ef-fective implementation and use of risk management as well as providing the required human and fi nancial resources to imple-ment the risk policy.

It was highlighted that the Audit Committee is responsible for supervising the implementa-tion and maintenance of the risk management framework. Fur-thermore, Business Planning and Risk Management Department will provide the required support for all other departments. It will also be responsible for ensuring compliance with risk policy and coordinating with stakeholders tow ensure the company is com-mitted to the group's risk man-agement policy.

"The company is going ahead to develop framework for risk management and recently we in-troduced specialised department in Risk Management which aims at developing risk management for all the company activity,” said Eng. Ali Al Haddabi, OETC CEO.

B E S T P R A C T I C E S

Ghubra Power Co. recognises employees in safety awardsMUSCAT: Al Ghubra Power and Desalination Company (GPDCo) recently held a ceremony to rec-ognise its employees and top per-forming department for 'outstand-ing achievement' in protecting employees, property and the en-vironment as well as maintaining the HSE culture within the com-pany, says a press release.

The awards aimed to encourage practices that improve the safety standards which operate within the plant.

“At GPDCo, we attribute our accomplishments to our team and their understanding of our philosophy towards the main GP-DCo HSE goal of providing safe working environment rewarding our top achievers in safety encour-ages other to contribute the HSE culture,” said Yaqoob Al Rabaani, HSSE/Compliances Manager.

Another important aspect of maintaining a culture that focuses on the safety of its employees is continuous education; and that is why the company decided that a central trait in the awarded em-ployees is contributions in raising awareness of the HSE culture to their fellow employees through reg-ular workshops and safety briefs.

Furthermore, GPDCo has strengthened this HSE culture through understanding and ad-dressing safety issues before they arise through the “Near Miss Re-port”. The report highlights ar-eas that may result in accidents regardless of how minor they may be, and encourages suggestions on how to improve these situations.

This also leads to raising aware-ness of the safety philosophy with-in the employees of GPDCo as well as the contractors and suppliers of the company.

The six employees and the Me-chanical Department have been granted the HSE Outstanding

Achiever award, and have been recognised as part of GPDCo’s continued strategy to identifying the hazards at site by reporting the near miss which lead to reduce the incident as well as increasing edu-cation through peer education and workshops for the coming year.

O U T S T A N D I N G A C H I E V E M E N T

Malabar Gold honours staff for making ‘world’s longest handmade gold chain’

DUBAI: Malabar Gold & Dia-monds, one of the leading jewel-lery retailers, honoured 60 staff for their involvement and participa-tion in the creation of world’s long-est handmade gold chain, which was jointly manufactured by Ma-labar Gold & Diamonds, Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group (DGJG) and Dubai Festival & Retail Es-tablishments (DFRE) along with selected manufacturers.

This chain has created another record for Dubai and secured yet another position in the Guinness Book of World Records, says a press release. This remarkable creation, which is fi ttingly named as ‘Dubai Celebration Chain’, was manufac-tured to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of DSF.

“This is a very special occasion for us and we are honoured to be a part of this success. Being the largest partner in manufacturing 1.32km of the chain out of the total 5.52km, we can defi nitely say that

it was a painstaking task. But our entire team was in high spirits and took it as a challenge.

"As recognition of their com-mitment and hard work, we hon-our our staff in our two manufac-turing divisions in UAE, who had worked day and night to complete this mission on time,” said Sham-lal Ahamed, managing director- International Operations.

“We are proud of this achieve-ment and consider this as the success of jewellery industry as a whole. It required 60 staff mem-bers, 28,800 manhours and 45 days for manufacturing 61.75kg of the total 256kg chain. We consider this as the success of gold industry as a whole,” stated Faisal A. K., cor-porate executive director, Jewel-lery Manufacturing, Malabar Gold & Diamonds.

The management team mem-bers spent a day with the factory team members and together they cut a cake to celebrate this success.

Mementos and certifi cates were also distributed to the team mem-bers who were involved in the cre-ation of Dubai Celebration Chain.

The public can be a part of this unique project by booking a piece of the chain. The booking can be made by paying 10 per cent of the total amount as advance deposit. Customers can own it as a brace-let of 8g or as chains ranging from 22 to 26g. The chain will be deliv-ered to customers in an exclusive branded pack along with a unique-ly numbered certifi cate that states that it is a part of the world’s long-est handmade chain.

Other partners of DGJG in this initiative are Siroya Jewellers, Sky Jewellery, Joy Alukkas and Emer-ald Jewellers DMCC.

With every piece of chain, the customers will also get raffl e cou-pons, which will make them eligi-ble to win up to 100 kilo gold and 40 carats of diamonds in raffl e draws during the DSF 2015.

R E C O G N I T I O N

Sheikh Hamdan wins 2015 Longines Endurance Cup DUBAI: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mo-hammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, won the 2015 Sheikh Mo-hammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup presented by Longines and hosted by the Dubai Equestrian Club at the Dubai In-ternational Endurance City, says a press release.

To further its long-term com-mitment with Meydan, Longines was once again the presenting partner, offi cial timekeeper and offi cial watch of Sheikh Moham-med bin Rashid Al Maktoum En-durance Cup, which took place in Dubai recently.

This impressive international event featured some of the top names from the world of endur-ance riding competing over a dis-tance of 160km. The winner of the

cup, Sheikh Hamdan, received, along with the prestigious trophy, an elegant Longines watch, the Longines 24 Hours Single Push-Piece Chrono. This stainless steel chronograph watch piece of the Heritage Collection houses a self-winding mechanical chronograph movement. Its refi ned black dial displays hours in a 24 hours scale, minutes and small seconds at 9 o’clock and date. In addition, the total prize money for the winners of the Endurance Cup amounted to AED 9.6 million.

Longines is a signifi cant partner of endurance riding. Besides this renowned Endurance Cup pre-sented by Longines since 2010, the Swiss watch brand is also the title partner of the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships, which will take place in 2016. The disci-pline shares Longines’ values of

elegance, precision, reliability and a perfect mastery of technique.

The passion of Longines for equestrian sports dates back to 1878, with the design of a chrono-graph featuring an engraved jock-ey and his mount. The brand is partnering for the fi rst time with an international show-jumping competition in Portugal. This pas-sion continues today as, in addi-tion to endurance riding, Longines is also committed in show jumping and horseracing.

Elegance, performance and tra-dition are values that both equestri-an sport and Longines share. Lon-gines' growing involvement and partnerships to umbrella institu-tions, prestigious events, as well as numerous races and competitions in equestrian sport make the Swiss watch brand resolutely indissocia-ble from the equestrian world.

R I D I N G C O M P E T I T I O N

B6 T U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

ROUND-UP

Bank Nizwa engages Fikra youth group on Islamic banking in Oman

MUSCAT: Bank Nizwa, Oman’s fi rst Islamic bank, recently par-ticipated in a panel discussion on local banking, organised by Fikra, a youth engagement group based in the Wilayat of Wadi Al Ma’awel.

Held under the patronage of Muhanna bin Saif Al-Mawali, wali of Bausher, the session aimed to empower the Omani youth by raising their awareness on what Islamic banking off ers to people as individuals, as well as how this growing trend will continue to

positively impact the Sultanate, says a press release.

The panel included Dr Ashraf Al Nabhani, general manager of Corporate Support at Bank Nizwa, who alongside prominent Islamic Economist, Adel Al Hassani, and Ahmed Al Hooti, Chief of Bureau of Al Jazeera channel in Oman, addressed the progress of Islamic banking in Oman and how the growth of this alternative banking system is contributing to the na-tional economy.

“Raising the level of awareness on Islamic banking is much more than sales and marketing, it is about delivering an understanding of how the growth of Shari’a-compliant in-stitutions and an increased market share is functioning to strengthen economic development. Our prod-ucts and services are inherently valuable assets and have become increasingly popular across our growing markets; however this is just the starting point, the added value that fully-fl edged Islamic

banks are bringing to the socio-economics of the Sultanate is pro-found,” said Dr. Ashraf.

Bank Nizwa has maintained a strong stand on raising awareness on Islamic banking since obtain-ing its license in 2012.

To date, market analysis has demonstrated that as the level of awareness increases, so does the segment’s market share, which currently rests at 4.4% and has been forecast to grow to as high as 10% by 2018.

Held under the

patronage of

Muhanna bin Saif

Al-Mawali, wali of

Bausher, the panel

discussion aimed to

empower the Omani

youth by raising

their awareness on

what Islamic banking

off ers to people as

individuals as well

as how this growing

trend will continue

to positively impact

the Sultanate

Raising the level of

awareness on Islamic

banking is much more

than sales and marketing,

it is about delivering an

understanding of how

the growth of Shari’a-

compliant institutions

and an increased market

share is functioning to

strengthen economic

development

Dr Ashraf Al NabhaniGM, Corporate Support at Bank Nizwa

Manpower Ministry recognises Al Hassan for excellence in Omanisation MUSCAT: The Ministry of Man-power recently celebrated and honoured leading private sector organisations for their signifi cant contributions in training and em-ployment of national workforce.

Al Hassan Engineering Compa-ny was honoured at this ceremony as one of the leading companies for achieving its Omanisation percentage targets in construc-tion sector, says a press release.

“Al Hassan has persevered for decades on Omanisation, training and development and employing nationals in cadres across various disciplines in all its projects. It endeavours at all times to fulfi l its vital role and social responsibility

as one of the top Omani construc-tion companies, which necessi-tates supporting and promoting Ministry of Manpower’s eff orts for providing employment op-portunities to Omani nationals,” stated Maqbool Ali Salman, MD

of AHEC, on being bestowed with this prestigious award.

To this end, the company has developed plans and programmes for vocational training and up-grading employment enabling skills. It regularly sponsors train-

ings of Omani nationals through various government and private institutions, most notably the Ministry of Manpower. These programmes have a signifi cant impact in supporting and moti-vating Omani nationals as they not only provide them with train-ing, but also employment and ca-reer growth opportunities.

The core objective of the com-pany’s Omanisation drive is to provide multiple levels of train-ing which are consistent with the market needs and also to enhance the chances and opportunities of employment for fresh graduates in coordination with universities and colleges in the Sultanate.

A C C O L A D E

Muscat Electronics rewards Daikin promotion winnersMUSCAT: Muscat Electronics (ME) recently concluded its Dai-kin air-conditioner promotion that gave their retail customers the chance to win exiting prizes, which included fi ve sets of Dai-kin’s premium FTD series wall-split air-conditioners, six Sharp LED TVs, and gift vouchers worth OMR1,200.

On every purchase of a Daikin wall-split AC, customers were given a raffl e coupon to enter the draw, which was held in three stages, says a press release.

The draws were held at Muscat Electronics’ newest showroom in Al Farahidi Street, Ruwi in the presences of representatives from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and following the draws a prize distribution cer-emony was held. During the func-tion the CEO, Faisal Al Yousef and the management of ME net-worked with the customers and further comprehend their feed-backs and suggestions.

The prizes were distributed to

the winners by Salah Al Mawalli along with Faisal Al Yousef.

“We received an impressively overwhelming response from our consumers during the promo-tion period and which may not have been without our author-ised dealers’ support, and this has also motivated us to roll-out even more exciting off ers in the coming months and thereby adding more value for our loyal customers” said Faisal Al Yousef.

“We have a wide range of products to suit the needs of our retails customers, of which the

FTD series is the deluxe range of wall-mount split ACs and is a fl agship product of Daikin that is focused on providing homes with optimum comfort as well as air purifi cation system. It off ers ultra-silence and high energy effi -ciency even in very high ambient outdoor temperatures, bringing home pure cool comfort and we are among the fi rst few to intro-duce in the Oman market resi-dential wall-mount split ACs with the environment friendly R-410A refrigerant,” stated Geeju Paul, General Manager, AC division.

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After a great 2014, MGM expects an exciting 2015

MUSCAT: Refl ecting on an event-ful and prosperous year, Mus-cat Grand Mall (MGM) has an-nounced that 2014 witnessed an impressive growth in footfall fi g-ures at Oman’s favourite lifestyle destination, with the mall also welcoming 15 new global brands during the year.

Now boasting a total of 142 outlets within the mall complex and a unique collection of apparel brands, MGM has steadily become one of the most popularly visited destinations in downtown Muscat.

“2014 was an excellent year for us as the mall welcomed 15 new global brands to the Sultanate and we’re proud to have a top-quality

tenant mix to cater to the Sultan-ate’s diverse shoppers. Given the range of exciting events and cam-paigns held throughout the year, we also witnessed an overwhelm-ing record footfall of over nine mil-lion visitors to the mall. Further-more, the mall expansion project has gathered momentum and will further add to the choice and se-lection for Muscat shoppers, for 2015 we are looking forward to a very exciting year, indeed,” said Hassan Jaboub, general manager of Muscat Grand Mall.

Among the new outlets which opened at the Mall during 2014 are international brands such as Orig-inal Marines, Hunkemoller, Toy

Store, bYSI, Go Sport, Reebok, Mi-gato, Franklin & Marshall, Silvian Heach and other apparel stores in addition to the Lebanese cuisine operator, Semsom.

For 2015, the Mall is looking at increasing its value and brand of-ferings with outlets such as Mavi, Dresscode and Mandi Express as well as bringing more innovative experiences for its customers.

Muscat Grand Mall is Oman’s most dynamic shopping destina-tion and recent recipient of the MENA ICSC Award for marketing excellence. It is the fastest grow-ing lifestyle hub in the Sultanate off ering choice and convenience for shoppers and residents, as part

of a combined leisure experience. Boasting more than 142 stores, a three-screen cinema, high-end residences and offi ce space, in ad-dition to hosting the largest food court in Oman, Muscat Grand Mall is also home to leading global brands such as Franklin & Mar-shall, Silvian Heach, US Polo Asso-ciation., Garage, PAUL, Monsoon Children, Gymboree, Carrefour, Happy Land, City Cinema, Sharaf DG, R&B, HomesRUs, Chili’s and Patchi among others.

Customers can have the ul-timate shopping experience at Muscat Grand Mall along with a variety of dining, amusement and fun activities.

Now boasting a total

of 142 outlets within

the mall complex and

a unique collection

of apparel brands,

Muscat Grand Mall

has steadily become

one of the most

popularly visited

destinations in

downtown Muscat

Al Nab’a charts roadmap for 2015 at grand get-together

MUSCAT: Al Nab’a Holding rang in the New Year with a grand event showcasing strategies and initiatives designed to sustain growth across all facets of its well-diversifi ed business portfo-lio over the course of 2015.

The reception was conceived in keeping with the group’s time-honoured tradition of in-welcoming each new year with a celebratory get-together toasting a successful year gone by, while ushering in a new year fi lled with opportunity and promise, says a press release.

Also on the occasion, a number of long-serving employees of the group were feted on the comple-tion of 25 years and 10 years of service. The tradition of felicitat-ing long-service staff at New Year get-togethers underscores the value and importance accorded by the group to its human capital.

Commenting on the get-to-gether, the Group Chairman Sayyid Khalid bin Hamed bin Saif Al Busaidi said: “This inaugural event, coinciding with the start of the New Year is an opportunity for us at the decision-making and management levels of the group to review our past performance

while recommitting ourselves to the achievement of new objec-tives and goals during the current year. It is also an opportunity to applaud our long-serving staff who, along with the rest of the 9,000 Al Nab’a family, represent the lifeblood of our group. We look forward to 2015 with great positivity and promise.”

But the New Year event is also about corporate strategy and busi-ness growth — themes designed to set the group’s companies fi rmly on a path to success for another year. Helping kick off the formal part of the evening was the screen-ing of the group’s new corporate video. Slickly produced to capture the new dynamism driving its growth, the video provides a fas-cinating snapshot of the remark-able strides made by the group in developing its business portfolio, expanding its market footprint, and achieving new benchmarks in its service delivery.

Later, company executives took turns to off er their appraisals of the many highs that characterised Al Nab’a’s performance during 2014 — a year commemorating 3 decades of successful operations in the service of the Omani nation.

R E C E P T I O N

CBFS hosts strategic planning workshopMUSCAT: As part of its peri-odic introspection, the College of Banking and Financial Studies (CBFS) conducted a review of its strategic plan and documents un-derpinning its principles.

The two-day strategic plan-ning workshop was preceded by several rounds of deliberations of the CBFS’ key documents by in-ternally formed teams — the Stra-tegic Planning Review Taskforce and the Institutional Eff ective-ness Taskforce. The taskforces, comprising representative mem-bers of faculty, staff , stakeholders as well as students, had submit-ted their input to the external consultants who facilitated the workshop. The workshop was also attended by CBFS’ Board of Directors and stakeholders,

says a press release. The objec-tives of the workshop were to de-velop a framework for long term strategy by realigning it with the vision and the mission of the col-lege. After fi nalising the vision

and mission, participants worked in groups to deliberate on goals, objectives and KPIs that should be followed.

Prior to the workshop, CBFS had also conducted a ‘comprehensive

market study’ for capturing the market needs of academic, profes-sional and training programmes in the banking and fi nancial sector. The study also identifi ed impacts of future expansion of CBFS’ ser-vices and resources.

Ali Hamdan Al Raisi, chair-man of CBFS Board of Directors and vice-president of the Central Bank of Oman, stressed that com-mitting time and resources to im-plementing the strategic plan is equally important to having well defi ned strategy documents.

The Dean of the College, Dr Ahmed Mohsin Al Ghassani ex-pressed gratitude to all those who participated in the work-shop and emphasised the impor-tance of quality in all activities of the college.

D E V E L O P I N G F R A M E W O R K

2014 was an excellent year for us as the mall

welcomed 15 new global brands to the Sultanate and

we’re proud to have a top-quality tenant mix to cater

to the Sultanate’s diverse shoppers. Given the range

of exciting events and campaigns held throughout

the year, we also witnessed an overwhelming record

footfall of over nine million visitors to the mall

Hassan JaboubGeneral manager of Muscat Grand Mall

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Toyota cars: A winning range

MUSCAT: Toyota continues to enhance customer satisfaction with its wide range of vehicles to suit varied needs, wants and aspi-rations. Toyota models are known to continue to perform well, off er-ing good resale value … even after clocking many years of use, says a press release.

Every generation of Toyota sets a new benchmark and represents the evolution of iconic Toyota models. According to an automo-tive expert, “Toyota manufac-tured its fi rst passenger vehicle in 1936, and since then has continu-ously pursued the number one position for total customer satis-faction in all areas, ranging from manufacturing and products to sales and service.”

Today, too Toyota’s winning range that includes the all-new Yaris hatchback, Yaris sedan, Co-rolla (with a new 2.0 L engine), Camry, Aurion and Avalon … pre-sent owners with superb driving experiences. The all-new 2015 Yaris hatchback has made a grand entry into Oman with a sportier design, larger profi le and class-leading performance. It is pow-ered by a 1.5 L VVT-i engine with a maximum output of 107 HP and a maximum torque of 14.4 Kg-m.

The all-new 2015 Yaris hatch-back boasts bigger exterior di-mensions to meet the needs of consumers desiring a more spa-cious and impressive design.

A worthy choice, the 2015 Toyota Yaris is an exciting sedan,

available in 1.5 L and 1.3 L engine choices, Toyota Yaris also has a compact 4-speed automatic gear-box delivering excellent response and a smooth gear shift.

The 2015 Toyota Corolla is a pride to own and a joy to drive. It off ers two engine variants. Cus-tomers can choose a powerful 2.0 L Engine with maximum power of 143 HP (net). The second op-tion is a 1.6 L engine delivering 121 HP (net). The Toyota Camry is the top-selling car for the past 11 years in America. The 2015 Camry off ers a 2.5L Dual VVT-i Engine delivers 178 HP, 6 speed multi-mode A/T transmission, 6 airbags (driver+ passenger+ front side + curtain) combination along with VSC and TRC.

The elegant and luxurious Au-rion is available with 6-speed

multimode automatic transmis-sion, with a 3.5 L engine and a maximum output of 268 HP, delivering top-class level fuel economy and a powerful driving experience.

The Toyota Avalon is an excel-lent sedan with an athletic design. It utilises a 3.5-litre, six-cylinder engine that features Dual VVT-i (variable valve timing with intel-ligence). The V6 engine produces 273 horsepower and provides the Avalon with competitive accel-eration. All specifi cations listed are standard Toyota equipment. Safety kit (fi re extinguisher, warning triangle, tyre pressure gauge and fi rst aid kit) and fl oor mats are dealer installed non Toy-ota items provided on Toyota For-tuner as standard equipment. Ve-hicle specifi cations may change without prior notice. Pictures and colours may diff er from actual specifi cations of the vehicle.

In Oman, Toyota’s outstanding product quality is supported by the nationwide parts and service net-work of Saud Bahwan Automotive.

Every generation

of Toyota sets a

new benchmark

and represents the

evolution of iconic

Toyota models

Nissan Oman Facebook page among the ‘most liked’ in automotive sector MUSCAT: Nissan Oman’s face-book page has gained huge mo-mentum over a year as they have been successful in reaching out to a diverse audience on the social media platform.

Beating top competitors in the Sultanate, Nissan Facebook page has been the most liked or a favour-ite page since May 2013 leading up to the highest fan following today of 39,378, says a press release.

The aim of Nissan’s Facebook page has always been to off er view-ers and Nissan fans an interactive experience and since Nissan as a brand is built on the ethos of ‘in-novation that excites’; through its page, Nissan showcases its cut-ting-edge technology to connect with its audience.

The Facebook page also show-cases Nissan’s path breaking technological features of its vari-ous models in easy to understand mode focusing on core advantages.

The page also provides a pleth-ora of information on the wide range of models from Nissan which is updated on a daily basis to provide the latest information at all times comprising interac-tive videos, behind-the-scenes access, international news, picto-rial galleries, aesthetic details, and unique model features.

The page also regularly runs contests on all its latest models to keep viewers enticed and engaged at all times. The aim has been to be at par with customers’ require-ments and needs.

The creative strategy to have a social media campaign on Nissan’s offi cial Facebook page is aimed at being a social advertising in-novator. The success is measured through evaluation of brand per-ceptions and assessing audience feedback from the Facebook page as well as the number of clicks re-questing test drives.

“By using social media in a smart way any traditional ad, be it on TV, in print, or billboard has the poten-tial to become a subject of interest; a gateway that leads the audience to more engaging information and communicating core benefi ts with Audio Visual content. Be that new products or USPs or existing and

upcoming off ers or prizes, deeper engagement, or an enriched expe-rience, it is all about creating a so-cial moment,” commented a senior SBA offi cial.

The Nissan Oman Facebook page has gathered over 90 per cent interest and viewership from online viewers which is available both in English and Arabic ver-sions. The page has offi cially made

a new record of creating buzz and excitement in the market on their latest product off ering from the 2015 range of models purely through social media content.

Social Bakers, a company off er-ing monitoring and tracking tools for analysis of social networks that are used for comparing social me-dia stats and metrics has credited SBA Nissan Oman’s Facebook post as one of the most engaging in their study of the Mena region.

SBA is known to have a prestig-ious nationwide network of over 19 showrooms, 22 service and 35 parts centres.

The group is famous for their world’s largest Nissan showroom in Qurum, Oman along with the largest Nissan warehouse in the GCC for parts, ensuring 98 per cent parts availability at all times.

SBA has successfully spear-headed Nissan’s growth in Oman making them the fastest growing market for Nissan in the entire GCC. They have been awarded the Nissan Champion Distributor Award three consecutive years in a row (2009, 2010 & 2011). SBA also won the Global Distributor Award in 2013.

SBA also has to its credit the achievement of excellence in Sales, Service and Parts and Op-erations for Nissan, making them one of the pioneering leaders in the automobile companies in cus-tomer satisfaction.

The Facebook page also is a gateway to information on all of Nissan’s vehicles — the Nissan range consists of sedan vehicles like Sunny, Sentra, Tiida hatch-back, Altima and Maxima.

S O C I A L M E D I A

The aim of Nissan’s

Facebook page has

always been to offer

viewers and Nissan

fans an interactive

experience and since

Nissan as a brand

is built on the ethos

of ‘innovation that

excites’; through

its page, Nissan

showcases its cutting-

edge technology

to connect with

its audience

Jaguar F-PACE: All-new performance crossover, set to join line-up in 2016

MUSCAT: Jaguar has confi rmed it will introduce an all-new model to the Jaguar line-up, to go on-sale in 2016, named the Jaguar F-PACE, says a press release.

“We received such an over-whelmingly positive response to the C-X17 concept car last year that we just had to make it a real-ity. The Jaguar F-PACE, inspired by the F-TYPE, represents a per-fectly judged balance of perfor-mance, style and practicality.

“It off ers a unique combina-tion of Jaguar sports car inspired exterior design, fused beautifully with a thoroughly practical and spacious luxury interior. The F-PACE is our family sports car,” commented, Ian Callum, director of Design, Jaguar.

The Jaguar F-PACE couples class-leading interior space and exceptional on-road dynamics with fi ve-seat usability to produce a true performance crossover. It will encapsulate everything that Jaguar stands for: beautiful de-sign, precise handling, a supple

ride, luxurious interior fi nishes and cutting-edge technology.

Speaking in Detroit, Andy Goss, Jaguar Land Rover Global Sales Director said: “In 2015 we will cel-ebrate Jaguar’s 80tw year. We have started it by announcing our fi rst performance crossover which we consider to be the ultimate prac-tical sports car — a car that builds on the marque’s founding ideals of Grace, Pace and Space to become one of the most innovative Jaguars we’ve ever developed. The F-PACE has now begun its engineering and development testing programme ahead of the new model going on sale in 2016.”

The F-PACE will be manufac-tured in Solihull, UK.

N E W M O D E L

Malagasy duo is back

to perform at Park Inn

MUSCAT: Park Inn by Radis-son Muscat introduces the Mal-agasy duo Thierry and Sandra to perform at Sama Terrazza rooftop lounge. Thierry and Sandra are professional musi-cians hailing from an island like Madagascar where there is an abundance of talent and years of experience in the music in-dustry, says a press release.

The duo has travelled and per-formed in hotels in the Middle East, Africa and Indian Ocean’s Islands. Performing an extensive repertoire of well known songs in multiple languages (English, Italian, Spanish, French and in-ternational standard). The music they play is full of heart and soul, a quality emphasised by the pas-sion they share for all genres of music. Playing anything from jazz to current hits, old classics, sizzling Latin music, soul, pop and their native style: tropical.

“The evening repertoire can be an elegant blend of smooth, jazzy songs and/or celebrated party an-

thems; they warm many hearts and interact well with the audi-ence. We extract on what guest wants and try diverse concepts,” said Rabih Zein, General Manag-er, Park Inn by Radisson Muscat.

The duo will play from Satur-day to Friday (except Thursday, DJ Night) at Sama Terrazza roof-top. On Thursday (DJ Night) an entry fee of OMR 5 will be charged for men, inclusive of one selective beverage, while the ladies will be allowed complimentary entrance.

P R O F E S S I O N A L M U S I C I A N S

Bin Mirza International celebrates 10th anniversaryMUSCAT: Bin Mirza Interna-tional (BMI), the Omani franchise partner for some of the world’s most recognisable food and bev-erage brands, celebrated its 10th anniversary as one of the coun-try’s pioneers in the hospitality industry. In commemoration of the milestone, a special dinner was held for the company’s staff of 150 and their families, says a press release.

Unique brand of hospitality“In true BMI spirit, we celebrated the occasion with our employees who we consider an extension of our family. We all share a passion for raising industry benchmarks with our own unique brand of

hospitality that is underpinned by products and service of inter-national quality standards. This has seen us come a long way since our early beginnings and together,

we are turning vision into reality,” said Jannat Moosa, Marketing di-rector at Bin Mirza International.

“Our success over the years is not only a result of our growth but of

how we have adapted to the market. We introduce leading global brands that cater to the tastes and culture of the people, while staying in tune with customer needs and keeping

ahead of dining trends to tailor to evolving lifestyles and provide even greater and more memorable expe-riences at our selection of restau-rants and cafés,” she added.

Recent additionBMI has gone from strength to strength throughout its 10 year journey, carving a name for itself with a strong market presence of eight Second Cup cafés from Canada, two Nando’s PERi-PERi Chicken restaurants from South Africa and soon-to-be three bou-tique BreadTalk bakeries from Singapore. The most recent addi-tion to the company’s ever-grow-ing portfolio which also includes the franchise rights of CinnZeo

Bakery cafés from Canada is the American restaurant, Steak Es-cape Sandwich Grill.

Reinforcing its position in the hospitality industry is the many accolades BMI has received in-cluding ‘International Franchise Partner of the Year’ from Second Cup International as well as a number of wins at Oman Today’s Restaurant Awards for ‘Best Café’ and ‘Best Casual Dining’.

Looking to the next decade, BMI is gearing towards supporting the country’s growing population and tourism industry with plans to ex-pand its retail network while also acquiring brands to introduce to the market and enhance the na-tion’s dining options.

F O O D A N D B E V E R A G E B R A N D

The F-PACE sports car is

going to be manufactured

in Solihull, United Kingdom

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OMAN OPTIMISTIC AHEAD OF AUSSIE SHOWDOWNDespite having lost their opening match and with hosts Australia next up at Stadium Australia on Tuesday, goalkeeper and captain Ali Al Habsi insists there is still plenty of optimism within the Oman squad. >C2

Blue Samurai pummel Palestine

CANBERRA: Holders Japan cruised to a 4-0 win over Pales-tine in their Asian Cup opener on Monday, setting up the deckchairs in the second half with the job al-ready done.

The Blue Samurai, who won the tournament for a record fourth time in 2011, needed only eight minutes to take the lead against a nervy Palestine team making their fi rst appearance in Asia’s show-case competition.

Yasuhito Endo, making his 149th appearance for Japan, rifl ed a shot into the bottom corner, goal-

keeper Ramzi Saleh going down in installments to gift the J-League player of the year his 15th interna-tional goal.

Shinji Okazaki, who has been in a rich vein of form for German club Mainz, scored with a poacher’s strike in the 25th minute, reacting with razor-sharp refl exes to head in a volley from Shinji Kagawa which looked to be fi zzing wide.

Keisuke Honda, Japan’s bleach-blond cult hero, then stroked home a penalty just before half-time be-fore defender Maya Yoshida nod-ded in a fourth as the fl oodgates

threatened to burst open in blus-tery Newcastle.

“People assume Japan are vastly superior to Palestine but in mod-ern football it’s not easy to win by four goals,” Japan coach Javier Aguirre told reporters.

“Palestine fought hard, they’re battlers. We didn’t play a perfect game but I’ve got to be happy with four goals. Their keeper also made some good saves.”

Aguirre, currently embroiled in

a match-fi xing scandal linked to his time as manager of Zaragoza in 2011, opted to save legs for his side’s next two Group D games against Iraq and Jordan as the champions eased off the gas in the latter stages.

Political turmoilPalestine, whose preparations for tournaments are invariably dis-rupted by political turmoil in their war-torn homeland, were barely

given a sniff by a well-drilled Ja-pan backline marshalled by South-ampton centre-back Yoshida.

Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashi-ma, who had little to do during the 90 minutes, said: “The fi rst game was always going to be diffi cult but we scored an early goal which made it easier.

“We are confi dent as we won the title last time and we’ve gained experience in the last four years. We’re very calm.”

Aguirre was less relaxed, bel-lowing at his players from the touchline as their concentration levels dropped off signifi cantly to-wards the end of the game.

The Mexican, whose honey-moon period came to an abrupt end after a poor run of perfor-mances, is under intense pressure to lift the trophy following Japan’s World Cup fl op last year under Al-berto Zaccheroni.

“The coach is a good motiva-tor,” said man of the match Oka-zaki after scoring his 41st goal in 85 appearances for Japan. “It was important to get some momentum and to boost confi dence after what happened at the World Cup.”

The game wasn’t a complete washout for Palestine forward Mahmoud Dhadha, however, af-ter exchanging shirts with AC Milan’s Honda.

“I got to swap jerseys with Hon-da,” he beamed. “He was a gentle-man and I will be keeping it.”

Dhadha added: “We can’t make the same kind of mistakes against the other teams in the group. I hope we can do better and make everyone in Palestine proud of us.” — AFP

Aguirre, currently embroiled in a match-

fi xing scandal linked to his time as manager

of Zaragoza in 2011, opted to save legs for his

side’s next two Group D games against Iraq

and Jordan as the champions eased off the

gas in the latter stages

GOOD START: Japan’s goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima, second left, congratulates teammates after win over

Palestine in a Group D football match of the Asian Cup in Newcastle. – AFP

Ball boy, 12, becomes China penalty hero BRISBANE: If China go far in this Asian Cup, they may have a 12-year-old ball boy to thank. Unassuming Brisbanite Stephan White has been hailed in China after help-ing goalkeeper Wang Dalei save a crucial penalty in the 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia. As Naif Hazazi lined up his kick, Wang asked White which way to dive. The ball boy answered “left”, Wang fol-lowed his advice and saved the spot-kick with his legs. The grateful Chinese team rewarded White by inviting him to train with them ahead of their second match against Uzbekistan in Brisbane on Wednesday.

Iraq’s Mahmoud to decide future after Asian CupBRISBANE: Iraq’s Asian Cup-winning hero Younis Mahmoud said he’ll decide his next move following the current tournament in Australia, after spending the past year without a club. Mahmoud famously scored the winner in Iraq’s 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the 2007 fi nal, but he has been unemployed since his departure from Saudi outfi t Al Ahli. Despite his lack of regular football, the “Lions of Mesopotamia” talisman, who turns 32 next month, is now appear-ing in his fourth Asian Cup.

Sanctions choking Iran’s progress, says QueirozMELBOURNE: ran coach Carlos Queiroz has his voiced anger at how international sanctions are damaging his plans to build for the team’s future. “It’s been very diffi cult,” the former Portugal and Real Madrid manager said. “We suff er a lot to prepare friendly games and to move internationally to prepare the team and players. After the World Cup the situation is getting worse and worse. — Agencies

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Oman full of optimism ahead of Socceroos showdown in Sydney

SYDNEY: Despite having lost their opening match and with hosts Australia next up at Stadium Australia on Tuesday, goalkeeper and captain Ali Al Habsi insists there is still plenty of optimism within the Oman squad.

Oman lost 1-0 to Korea Republic on Saturday after conceding just before half-time, but put in a good performance against the two-time winners in the Group A opener.

“We played well against Korea,

but we were just unlucky with the result,” said Al Habsi, who has been playing for England’s Wigan Athletic since 2010.

“We were unlucky with some of the chances against Korea. It wasn’t our strikers’ day. For the last 15 minutes, we were the better team. For tomorrow’s game it will be dif-ferent. We have to be confi dent.”

Oman desperately need three points to have a chance of quali-fying for the quarter-fi nals for the fi rst time, while Australia are look-ing to take control of the group af-ter beating Kuwait 4-1 on Friday.

“They are a good team, a quality team, and we always enjoy playing against this kind of team,” added the Oman goalkeeper.

And Oman coach Paul Le Guen, who saw his side let slip a two-goal lead in a Fifa World Cup qualifi er

at Stadium Australia in 2013 en route to a 2-2 draw with Australia, is not expected to make any chang-es to his side.

‘The stadium will be crowded,” said the Frenchman, who has been at the helm of Oman since 2011.

“It is a great game to play and we know it will be tough, but some-times it is good to play tough games in such a context.

“We have refreshed the team and there is a good mix. With a bit more experience we could have got a better result against Korea.

“To compete against Australia and Korea we need a little bit more experience. I am convinced that with more experience this team will be able to compete at this level and become really ambitious.”

Australia will be without cap-tain Mile Jedinak due to injury

as the Socceroos look to build on their opening win over Kuwait.

“They have a large squad, and when you have such substitutes on the bench, it is not a big blow when you miss one player,” added Le Guen. “I think they have all the subs they need to complete the team. We know we need to get the result, but to say it is not enough. We know we are in a tough group.”

Respect for OmanStand-in captain Tim Cahill in-sists Australia will have to “focus 24/7 for a massive game” when they face Oman in Group A of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 on Tuesday at Stadium Australia.

Cahill will captain the tourna-ment hosts in the absence of Mile Jedinak, who suff ered an ankle in-jury in the fi rst half of Friday’s 4-1

win over Kuwait in Melbourne.And while Oman were edged

out 1-0 by Korea Republic, Aus-tralia are fully aware of the threat posed by Paul Le Guen’s side hav-ing been forced to come from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw in a 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifi er at Stadium Australia in March 2013.

“We respect the team highly,” said Cahill. “We are going to have to focus 24/7 for a massive game tomorrow (Tuesday). Oman are a strong side. We know they have a great squad and a coach who has been with them for a very long time. Their team has been together for a while, they have familiarity, so they have the upper hand there, but we just have to focus on ourselves.”

Cahill equalised on Friday after Kuwait had opened the scoring af-ter just eight minutes, while Mas-

simo Luongo, Jedinak and James Troisi were also on target as Aus-tralia eventually made the ideal start to their campaign.

Oman, on the other hand, con-ceded just before half-time in their defeat by the Koreans although Le Guen’s side were unfortunate not to salvage a draw as Amad Al Hosni’s stoppage time header was tipped onto the crossbar.

“We have watched a lot of Oman, not just the Korea game, but also the Gulf Cup when they beat Ku-wait 5-0. We know attacking wise in transition they are very good,” added Cahill.

“We also know defensively in the last game they played with fi ve full backs. We always do our home-work. They were unlucky as well in that match.

“We are defi nitely wary of the Oman team no matter how many times we have played them before.”

Australia had won just one of fi ve friendlies following the Fifa World Cup, which included a 2-1 defeat in Japan in November, but against Kuwait on Friday the Socceroos re-covered from conceding inside the fi rst 10 minutes to eventually ease to a comfortable victory.

“The players are a lot more com-fortable now with the way we play. We gave plenty of players oppor-tunities, and the group of players we have now has grown with that. There is defi nitely a lot more un-derstanding now,” said Australia coach Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou, meanwhile, con-fi rmed Australia will continue to monitor Australia captain Jedinak ahead of the fi nal Group A game against Korea on Saturday. — AFC

While Oman were

edged out 1-0

by South Korea,

Australia are fully

aware of the threat

posed by Paul Le

Guen’s side having

been forced to come

from two goals down

to salvage a 2-2

draw in a 2014 Fifa

World Cup qualifi er at

Stadium Australia

in March 2013

WARMING UP: Oman skipper Ali Al Habsi and hie teammates warm-up before a training session. – Times of Oman / CIO DATAN

Magical goal sees Iraq beat Jordan

BRISBANE: A magical goal from midfi elder Yaser Kasim gave Iraq a crucial 1-0 win over a 10-man Jor-dan in the Asian Cup on Monday. Kasim, who plays for Swindon Town in the third tier of English football, scored the winner in the 77th minute with a touch of Messi magic and a little slice of luck.

Taking the ball from outside the Jordan box, the 23-year-old dribbled his way past three de-fenders, then unleashed his shot at goal. The ball took a defl ection off the outstretched boot of Tareq Khattab, leaving Jordan captain and goalkeeper Amer Shafi with no chance of making the save.

Kasim’s spectacular strike

ended what had been a relatively dour contest with teams adopting a cautious approach to the Group D clash at Lang Park. Although it was their fi rst match of the tour-nament, the stakes could not have been higher for both teams, with defending champions Japan hav-ing launched their Group D cam-paign with a 4-0 rout of Palestine earlier in the evening.

Iraq are now in the box seat to reach the quarter-fi nals and per-haps start another fairytale run reminiscent of their 2007 Asian Cup triumph, which became a rare moment for celebration in the war-torn country.

Few people had given Iraq any

chance of going far this time after a haphazard preparation brought about by the troubles at home, forced to train and play qualifi ers in other neighbouring countries, including Jordan. Neither Iraq nor Jordan had won a match since March last year and Jordan’s de-feat was compounded by the sending off of Anas Bani-Yaseen, who picked up a second yellow card in a fi ery match during which the referee made seven bookings.

Although Iraq had the lion’s share of possession, they still had to survive some anxious moments from a Jordan team coached by former English international Ray Wilkins. — Reuters

A S I A N C U P 2 0 1 5

CELEBRATION: Yaser Safa Kasim, centre, of Iraq celebrates his goal against Jordan with teammates

during the fi rst round Asian Cup football match. – AFP

Country P W D L F A Pts

Group A

Australia 1 1 0 0 4 1 3

South Korea 1 1 0 0 1 0 3

Oman 1 0 0 1 0 1 0

Kuwait 1 0 0 1 1 4 0

Group B

China 1 1 0 0 1 0 3

Uzbekistan 1 1 0 0 1 0 3

North Korea 1 0 0 1 0 1 0

Saudi Arabia 1 0 0 1 0 1 0

Group C

UAE 1 1 0 0 4 1 3

Iran 1 1 0 0 2 0 3

Bahrain 1 0 0 1 0 2 0

Qatar 1 0 0 1 1 4 0

Group D

Japan 1 1 0 0 4 0 3

Iraq 1 1 0 0 1 0 3

Jordan 1 0 0 1 0 1 0

Palestine 1 0 0 1 0 4 0

A S I A N C U P S T A N D I N G S

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Olaroiu still seeking recipe for Saudi Arabian success

MELBOURNE: Saudi Arabia coach Cosmin Olaroiu is a big a fan of the writings of John Wood-en and will be hoping his players can follow the basketball icon’s most famous maxim by mak-ing Wednesday their own Asian Cup “masterpiece”.

Three-times champions Saudi Arabia are living on borrowed time in their ninth straight Asian Cup after a 1-0 defeat against China in the Group B opener and desperately need a victory against North Korea in their second match in Melbourne.

Olaroiu has had precious little time to put in place many changes to the team tactically since taking over as coach in early December, making his ability to inspire a play-ing group often described as ‘diffi -cult’ all the more important.

The 45-year-old’s track record of club success in Romania, Saudi Ara-bia, Qatar and the United Arab Emir-

ates should have been enough to earn him the respect of the players.

In Romania, he inspired two un-fashionable clubs to top four fi n-ishes before getting his chance at Steaua Bucharest, leading them to the league title and the semifi nals of the Uefa Cup in 2006.

Taking his talents to the oil-rich Gulf, he won the Saudi title and two cups with Al-Hilal, the Qatari Stars Cup with Al Sadd be-fore moving on to the United Arab Emirates, where he won back-to-back league titles with Al Ain in 2012 and 2013.

A controversial defection to Al Ahli followed but Olaroiu’s midas touch did not desert him and he led the Dubai club to the UAE title last year.

It was to help inspire the team for their title defence that Olaroiu turned to the “Leadership Game Plan for Success” written by late college basketball coaching great Wooden, whose most famous quote was “Make each day your

masterpiece”. “Motivation is the key to success in all sport,” Olar-oiu told the Gulf News in October. “This book speaks about success in (basketball), but I fi nd that it can be applied to all sports includ-ing football, basketball, tennis and golf. The measures and guide-lines laid down are like a recipe towards success.”

In the short period he has been in charge of the Green Falcons, Olaroiu has just about had enough time to throw together a sandwich from the ingredients at his dispos-al, let alone a gourmet meal.

What will not help in keeping up the spirits of his side was the bad luck he bemoaned after the loss to China, who scored the winner from a defl ected free kick and also saved Naif Hazazi’s penalty.

That match came hot on the heels of Asian player of the year, the prolifi c striker Nasser Al Shamrani, being ruled of the tour-nament with an abdominal injury.

“We just have to look forward to the game against North Korea,” Olaroiu said after the match. “We still have a chance to qualify — it’s not fi nished after just the fi rst game. We have to win the next two games and we can do it.”

Their fi rst chance to get back to winning ways comes against the North Koreans — the lowest ranked team in the tournament — at the Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne on Wednesday.

They stay in Melbourne to con-clude their group action against Uzbekistan on Sunday.

The Saudis may yet emulate the 2011 squad by crashing out with-out a point after the group stage but that will not be through lack of eff ort from Olaroiu — at least if he is true to his philosophy.

“It’s not important for me to win a trophy,” the Romanian said last April. “What’s important is that I can go home having done everything possible to win every day.” — Reuters

Three-times

champions Saudi

Arabia are living on

borrowed time in

their ninth straight

Asian Cup after a 1-0

defeat against China

in the Group B opener

and desperately need

a victory against

North Korea in

their second match

in MelbourneTRAINING SESSION: Members of the Saudi Arabia football team train ahead of their next match at the AFC Asian Cup in Melbourne. – AFP

South Korea urged to show killer instinctCANBERRA: South Korea coach Uli Stielike on Monday urged his players to fi nd a killer touch against defence-minded Kuwait as they look to secure their place in the Asian Cup quarterfi nals.

The Taeguk Warriors are far from prolifi c and they only de-feated Oman 1-0 on Saturday despite dominating possession in their opening Group A clash.

And they would have paid for their lack of goals had goalkeep-er Kim Jin-Hyeon not expertly tipped a header onto the cross-bar at the death. Stielike said South Korea had to learn to “kill the game” and take their chances when they come.

“Our problem was that during a very good phase when we came out for the second half we had 70 per cent of ball possession and we had three clear chances,” Stielike said. “In that moment you have to kill the game. You have to make it 2-0 and then play the last half-an-hour quietly,” the German added.

“We will not change our phi-losophy. The team that has con-trol of the ball has control of the game but this team in the big moments has to score and that’s what we have to learn from the Oman game.”

South Korea’s bid for a fi rst Asian Cup trophy in 55 years was dealt a blow shortly before the start of the tournament when

target man Kim Shin-Wook was ruled out through injury.

But they still have the ingenu-ity of Bayer Leverkusen star Son Heung-Min and Saturday’s goal-scorer Cho, who is fi t to face Ku-wait after shaking off an injury.

Pressure to deliverStielike warned that the Gulf side, who lost 4-1 to Australia in their opening match, would be determined not to concede.

“You think they will attack? I don’t think so,” said the Ger-man. “A team who defends from the fi rst minute of the tourna-ment, it’s very diffi cult for them to change. They are not going to come out with three or four of-fensive players. They’ll have nine men behind the ball, and will close spaces, so we have to move a lot to break them down.”

But Kuwait coach Nabil Maaloul rejected Stielike’s as-sessment of his side.

“I never ask the players to play defensively,” the Tunisian said. “Against Australia our (opening) goal gave the players confi dence and we tried to score again. We want to win.”

South Korea last won the Asian Cup in 1960 and are under pressure to deliver after a disap-pointing World Cup in Brazil last summer saw them exit at the group stage. — AFP

A S I A N C U P

Cahill one of the best, says Ali Al Habsi

SYDNEY: Oman goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi on Monday said Tim Cahill remained one of the best strikers around as he prepares to resume battle with the Aus-tralian at the Asian Cup.

Al Habsi, who knows Cahill only too well from both the Premier League and Oman’s clashes with the Socceroos, said Cahill’s form at 35 years old was impressive.

Stand-in captain Cahill scored one of the great World Cup goals in Brazil last year and on Friday, set Australia on their way to a 4-1 win over Kuwait.

“He’s a class player. It’s great to see Tim in this competition. He’s 35 now, he’s kept himself fi t and it’s always a pleasure to play against him,” Al Habsi said.

“But I think he’s always scor-ing against me! Of course it’s go-ing to help me to know him, his career with the Premier League or with the national team.”

Cahill will lead the Socceroos, in the absence of injured skipper Mile Jedinak, against Oman in Sydney on Tuesday as they seek a win which could put them into the last eight.

Oman are fi ghting for their lives after losing 1-0 to South Korea in their opening game, in which they were denied a strong penalty appeal and nearly scored at the death.

English-based Al Habsi said Oman, who have won one and drawn two of their last three games against Australia, would have to know how to deal with the New York Red Bulls forward.

“I know how classy he is, es-pecially how he fi nishes with headers or the way he jumps, how strong he is and how confi -dent in the box, his experience,” the goalkeeper said.

“For me he’s one of the best strikers I’ve played against in the world. He always causes problems in the box... This kind of player, you have to take care of him.” — AFP

F O O T B A L L

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The fi nal scoreline of 2-0 to Australia suggests a better

series for India than the one in 2011-12 when they were walloped in all four Tests. On that tour, they had the greatest names in the history of Indian cricket playing for them and yet were unable to get the kind of scores that the younger lot of 2014-15 did. Granted, the pitches were better for batting with less bounce than three years back and the Australian attack perhaps not as incisive as then, but this batting lineup, apart from Virat Kohli, was playing in Australia for the fi rst time and they were nothing short of brilliant.

 India now has the nucleus of a batting line up that can be the envy of the rest of the cricketing world with play-ers capable of taking on any attack in all kinds of condi-tions and being able to adapt their game to the needs of the situation.

Leading them will be Virat Kohli, who batted so well that a century looked as inevitable as morning fol-lowing night and the govern-ment raising taxes.

Murali Vijay has devel-oped into the kind of opening batsman that is needed in modern cricket with a sound defence and terrifi c judge-ment of the off stump and the ability to up the tempo when required. At the high-est level, temperament is what separates the men from the boys, and Rahul showed that he has a good one as the Australians tried to unset-tle him with verbals and what not. Rahane enhanced his reputation with an-other calm collected display throughout the series.

 Kohli’s masterstroke was in sending Rohit Sharma at number three. Today’s cricket needs a number three

who will not just be a watch dog but a bull terrier who can counter attack, and Sharma has all the qualities to do so. Like all elegant batsmen, he will also get out stylishly which gives the erroneous perception that he doesn’t care, but he hurts as much as Kohli, Rahane or anybody else when he gets out.

As he settles down at the new spot, he will be a lot more choosy in his shot selection and make the big runs that he does at the one-day format. With Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara also in the frame, this is a batting lineup that can serve India well in the future.

 It is the bowling that is a worry, for it is not just about not taking wickets, it is about not learning anything from the previous over that has been the feature of this attack.

Three of them — Ishant, Umesh Yadav and Ashwin were on their second Aus-tralian tour, and they have not progressed even a mil-limetre since then, commit-ting the same mistakes time and again and allowing the Australians off the hook. The Australians were vulnerable at the start of the series with the tragedy that had shaken them, but the Indian bowl-ers helped them get back to normalcy quicker than was thought.

India has an impressive new captain, a healthy look-ing new batting lineup, and if it wants to win overseas they must have a new bowling attack too.  — PMG

Bowling is the only major worry for Team India

C O M M E N T A R Y

Melwin smashes ton in Z Axis’ facile win

MUSCAT: Opening batsman Melwin Mathew scored a bril-liant unbeaten 102 off 65 balls to help Z Axis Media register an easy eight-wicket win against Arrow Overseas in an Al Ansari Group of Companies-sponsored C Division T20 match.

Electing to bat fi rst, Arrow Overseas scored 152 for the loss of eight wickets in 20 stipulated overs with a top score of 56 from Abdul Raheem.

K.G. Bentick was the pick the bowlers ending with fi gures of three for 26 in four overs while skipper Nowfal Raymarakkar bagged two wickets in two overs.

Z Axis Media reached their tar-get scoring 153 for the loss of two wickets in 18 overs. Melwin and fellow opener Vijeesh Velunni (21) put together 88 runs for the fi rst wicket.

Brief scores: Arrow Overseas 152 for 8 in 20 overs (Abdul Raheem 56; K.G. Bentick 3/26, Nowfal Raymarakkar 2/22) lost to Z Axis Media 153 for 2 in 18 overs (Melwin Mathew 102 n.o., Vijeesh Velunni 21). Points: Z Axis Media - 2 (4 games, 8 pts), Arrow Overseas –Nil (4 games, 4 pts).

Shamsudheen starsShamsudheen scored a brilliant

51 and thereafter claimed four wickets conceding 14 runs off three overs to steer Trust Oilfi eld Services to an easy 89-run win against Oneic in an I Division Twenty20 match.

Opting to bat fi rst, Trust Oil-fi eld Services piled up 222 runs for the loss of four wickets in a match reduced to 19 overs-a-side due the late submission of the team list by them.

Shahid Mehmood (75) and Wajid Akram (43) put together 82 runs for the fi rst wicket. Talal Al Balushi chipped in with an un-beaten 21 off just 10 balls.

Oneic, in reply, scored 133 for the loss of six wickets in 18 overs, after being docked an over for slow over rate, thanks to a top score of 53 not out from opening batsman Atif Jalali while skipper Kamal Haider made 32.

Brief scores: Trust Oilfi eld Servic-es 222 for 4 in 19 overs (Shahid Mehmood 75, Shamsudheen 51, Wajid Akram 43, Talal Al Balushi 21 n.o.) bt Oneic 133 for 6 in 18 overs (Atif Jalali 53 n.o., Kamal Haider 32; Shamsudheen 4/14). Points: Trust Oilfi eld Services -2 (5 games, 6 pts), Oneic – Nil (5 games, 1 pt).

Sayarti down Bank MuscatSayarti recorded a three-wicket win against Bank Muscat in a H Division T20 match.

Deciding to bat fi rst, Bank Mus-cat were restricted to 148 for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Mony Subramony with 34 runs and Yousuf Abdul Al Balushi with 27 made major contributions.

Achintha, Imtiaz Ahmed Shah and Ruwan Rupasinghe claimed two wickets apiece.

In reply, Sayarti achieved the tar-get scoring 151 for the loss of seven wickets in 18.3 overs thanks to a well compiled 56 from Sunil Ku-mar. Opening the batting Ruwan Rupasinghe (24) and Achintha (21) made valuable contributions.

Younis Murad, skipper Pratik Dalal and Benny Mathew claimed two wickets apiece.

Brief scores: Bank Muscat 148 for 7 in 20 overs (Mony Subramony 34, Yousuf Abdul Al Balushi 27; Achintha 2/21, Im-tiaz Ahmed 2/21 and Ruwan Rupasinghe 2/29) lost to Sayarti 151 for 7 in 18.3overs (Sunil Kumar 56, Ruwan Rupasinghe 24, Achintha 21; Younis Murad 2/27, Pratik Dalal 2/32 and Benny Mathew 2/35). Points: Sayarti - 2 (5 games, 8 pts), Bank Muscat - Nil (6 games, 6 pts).

Al Ansari beat RAHRCIn an I Division T20 match, Al Ansari registered an easy seven-wicket win against RAHRC.

Batting fi rst, RAHRC scored 160 for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs with Sujith Ramesh top scoring with 68. Skipper Suresh Ramachandran chipped in with 36 runs. Ameet Sampat bagged two wickets.

In reply, Al Anasri reached their target scoring 163 for the loss of three wickets in 14.2 overs thanks to a fabulous 82-run fi rst wicket partnership off just 5.3 overs be-tween Sajid Tanwar (74 not out) and Sohail Khan (32).

Brief scores: RAHRC 160 for 7 in 20 overs (Sujith Ramesh 68, Suresh Ra-machandran 36; Ameet Sampat 2/40) lost to Al Ansari 163 for 3 in 14.2 overs (Sajid Tanwar 74 n.o., Sohail Khan 32). Points: Al Ansari - 2 (6 games, 4 pts), RAHRC - Nil (6 games, 5 pts).

Starcare winStarcare Hospital defeated Doug-las OHI by 26 runs in a J Division T20 match. Opting to bat fi rst, a 10-man Starcare Hospital team were bowled out for 150 in 20 overs. Major contributions came from Sidhi V.S. (32), Meesam Ali (30) and opening batsman Jestin Augustin (28).

Ramshela Prasad claimed three wickets while and skipper Viplav Kumar bagged two.

In reply, Douglas OHI were bowled out for 124 in 18.5 overs. Viplav Kumar top scored with 31.

Meesam Ali was the pick of the bowlers ending with fi gures of three for 28 in 3.5 overs.

Brief scores: Starcare Hospital 150 in 20 overs (Sidhi V.S. 32, Meesam Ali 30, Jestin Augustin 28; Ramshela Prasad 3/25, Viplav Kumar 2/25) bt Douglas OHI 124 in 18.5 overs (Viplav Kumar 31; Meesam Ali 3/28). Points: Starcare Hospital - 2 (6 games, 10 pts), Douglas OHI - Nil (6 games, 6 pts).

Easy for NBO B In another J Division match, Na-tional Bank of Oman B (NBO B), aided by an unfi nished opening partnership of 228 runs between Siddharth Oza (111 not out) and Homeshwar Ratre (99 not out), registered a 78-run win against ISC Kutch Wing.

Electing to bat fi rst, NBO B piled up 218 runs for no loss in 20 allotted overs.

In reply, ISC Kutch Wing scored 150 for the loss of fi ve wickets in 20 overs.

Opening the batting Hardik Limbani scored 47, Suketu Lim-bani 26, Salim Mohammed 25 not out, Ahmed Mohammad 23 and skipper Ashish Jethwa 20.

Siddharth Oza followed his bat-ting performance with an equally good bowling feat ending with fi g-ures of three for 16 in four overs.

Brief scores: NBO B 228 for 1 in 20 overs (Siddharth Oza 111 n.o., Home-shwar Ratre 99 n.o.) bt ISC Kutch Wing 150 for 5 in 20 overs (Hardik Limbani 47, Suketu Limbani 26, Salim Mohammed 25 n.o., Ahmed Mohammad 23, Ashish Jethwa 20; Siddharth Oza 3/16). Points: NBO B 2 points (5 games, 8 pts), ISC Kutch Wing - Nil (6 games, Nil).

Electing to bat fi rst,

Arrow Overseas

scored 152 for the

loss of eight wickets

in 20 stipulated

overs. Z Axis Media

reached their target

scoring 153 for

the loss of two

wickets in 18 overs

J DIVISION: Starcare Hospital celebrate their win over Douglas OHI. NBO B heroes, right photo, Homeshwar Ratre and Siddharth Oza.

H DIVISION: Sayarti pose for a group photo after their win against Bank Muscat. Trust Oilfi eld stars, right photo, Wajid Jutt, Talal Al

Aalushi, Shahid Jaan and Shamsudeen Irfan.

GOOD SHOW: Z Axis players, from left, Bentick, Vijesh and Melwin

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Sultan Ahmed to lead Oman at ACC T20 Cup

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Wicketkeeper-bats-man Sultan Ahmed has been select-ed as the captain of Oman cricket team that will take part in the ACC Twenty20 Cup to be organised in Sharjah later this month.

The tournament is scheduled to be played at Al Dhaid Cricket Vil-lage and Sharjah Cricket Stadium from January 25 to 30.

The winners of the tournament will book a berth in the World Twenty20 Qualifi er to be hosted by in Ireland in June and July this

year. They will be joining teams like Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Ne-pal and United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Ireland Qualifi er.

Besides Oman, the other teams who will be vying for the top honours in Sharjah will be Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Saudi Arabia and Singa-pore with the matches to be played on round robin league format.

The 15-member Oman team also includes a debutant in tal-ented Aaqib Ilyas Sulheri and his brother Adnan Ilyas Sulheri, who is an experienced campaigner.

The squad also includes two Omani talents Shuaib Ismail Al Balushi and Sufyan Mahmood.

The members of the team are

Syed Aamir Kaleem, Syed Amir Ali, Rajeshkumar Ranpura, Jatin-der Singh, Zeeshan Maqsood, Ajay Lalcheta, Munis Ansari, Muham-mad Nadeem and Gayash Dias.

The team is coached by Sri Lan-kan great Duleep Mendis, who also the Development Offi cer of Oman Cricket. Jameel Zaidi will be accom-panying the team as manager while Jaganathan Premnath is the physio.

First match against SaudiOman are scheduled to launch their campaign with a match against Saudi Arabia on January 25 and the following day they will take on Malaysia.

Duleep Mendis’ boys will square

off against Singapore on Janu-ary 27. After a rest day, Oman will clash with Maldives on January 29 before completing their engage-ments with a match against Ku-wait on January 30.

Oman team: Sultan Ahmed (captain), Syed Aamir Kaleem, Sh-uaib Ismail Al Balushi, Syed Amir Ali, Rajeshkumar Ranpura, Jatin-der Singh, Adnan Sulheri, Zeeshan Maqsood, Ajay Lalcheta, Sufyan Mahmood, Munis Ansari, Mu-hammad Nadeem, Aaqib Sulheri and Gayash Dias. Coach: Duleep Mendis. Manager: Jameel Zaidi. Physio: Jaganathan Premnath.

FixturesJanuary 25: Malaysia vs Mal-dives at Al Dhaid; Oman vs Saudi Arabia at Sharjah; Kuwait vs Sin-gapore at Sharjah.

January 26: Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia at Al Dhaid; Maldives vs Singapore at Sharjah; Malaysia vs Oman at Sharjah.

January 27: Oman vs Singa-pore at Al Dhaid; Kuwait vs Mal-dives at Sharjah; Malaysia vs Saudi Arabia at Sharjah.

January 29: Maldives vs Oman at Sharjah; Saudi Arabia vs Singa-pore at Sharjah; Kuwait vs Malay-sia at Sharjah.

January 30: Maldives vs Saudi Arabia at Sharjah; Kuwait vs Oman at Sharjah; Malaysia vs Singapore at Sharjah.

The tournament,

scheduled to be

held in Sharjah from

January 25 to 30,

serves as a qualifying

event for World

Twenty20 Qualifi ers

to be hosted by in

Ireland in June

SELECTED TO LEAD: A fi le photo of Sultan Ahmed. – ACC

Aaqib Ilyas excels with bat on return to Muscat CTMUSCAT: Aaqib Ilyas, who re-turned to the Sultanate after his studies in the neighbouring UAE, made an immediate impact with the bat while turning up for Mus-cat CT in the Oman Cricket’s A Division League.

In a recent match against Raha CT, Aaqib smashed a blister-ing 109 off 59 deliveries, a knock which was studded with eight sixes and 12 fours, winning man of the match accolades in Muscat CT’s comprehensive victory.

Aaqib, younger brother of Oman national player Adnan

Ilyas, started his cricketing ca-reer at Pakistan School Mus-cat playing in the inter-school tournaments conducted by Oman Cricket.

Aaqib, who later moved to Dubai to further his studies at the Manipal University, continued his playing career with the uni-versity team. He also represented Danube Cricket Club in various tournaments in the UAE.

On his return to Muscat, he has registered to represent Muscat CT in the ‘A’ Division in the cur-rent league tournament.

R O A R I N G F O R M

IN FINE TOUCH: Aaqib Ilyas

ISC to reward tennis tourney winners with cash awardsMUSCAT: Winners and runners-up at the forthcoming ISC Open Junior Tennis Tournament will receive attractive prize-money, said the organisers, the Indian Social Club Muscat in a press release. The organising commit-tee of the ISC-Muscat Pharmacy Open Junior Tennis Tourna-ment, met on Monday to fi nalise arrangements and issued a state-ment in which they confi rmed that winners and runners-up at the ISC tournament will receive attractive cash prizes.

The tournament, which has be-

come a regular feature of the ten-nis calendar in Muscat, will get underway on January 20.

The tournament includes sin-gles events for juniors in the un-der-10, under-12, under-14 and under-18 categories. A junior doubles event is also included this time, seeing the popularity of tennis and the successful tourna-ments that the Indian Social Club.

The tournament is open to players of all nationalities, Oma-nis as well as expatriates residing in the Sultanate. Entry forms are available at the Indian Social Club

in Darsait as well as at the Oman Tennis Association in Bausher and all training centers.

The deadline for submission of entries is set for 8.00 PM on Janu-ary 15. For more information call the Indian Social Club in Darsait (Tel. 24701347/24797921) be-tween 11.00 a.m. and 11.00 p.m.

Muscat Pharmacy & Stores LLC, together with brands Po-cari Sweat and Horlicks, are the main sponsors of the tournament, which is co-sponsored by Supa Sportsman LLC and Khimji Ram-das Watches Division.

A T T R A C T I V E P R I Z E S

GOOD DECISION: ISC Open Tennis Tournament Organising Committee members pictured during

meeting ahead of the tournament. – Supplied photo

Anelka ‘too old’ to join Algerian club

ALGIERS: Controversial French striker Nicolas Anelka was on Monday refused permis-sion to join an Algerian club on the grounds that he was too old.

The 35-year-old former Ar-senal, Chelsea, Juventus and Real Madrid star was on the verge of joining Nasr Athletique d’Hussein-Dey (NAHD).

But the move was blocked by the Algerian Football Federation, Mahfoud Kerbadj, president of the Algerian professional football league, told APS news agency.

“The rules concerning foreign players being allowed to play in the Algerian league are clear,” he said. “Only those aged under 27 and playing on the international level for their countries are al-lowed to sign up with our clubs.”

Anelka has been training with NAHD and had hoped to sign an 18-month contract with what would have been his 13th club.

The 69-capped forward’s most recent employers were Mumbai City in the Indian Su-per League. Last March he was fi red by English side West Bro-mwich Albion for “gross mis-conduct” after he made an al-leged anti-Semitic gesture as a goal-scoring celebration. - AFP

F O O T B A L L

Schalke sign Man City’s Nastasic

BERLIN: Bundesliga club Schal-ke 04 have signed Manchester City defender Matija Nastasic on loan until the end of the season.

“Matija Nastasic to the Royal Blues. Schalke get Serbia inter-national on loan,” the club said on Twitter.

The tall 21-year-old joined City as a teenager in 2012 on a fi ve-year

deal but has been unable to force his way into Manuel Pellegrini’s side. Nastasic has made just one appearance for City this season, in the 3-0 Community Shield defeat by Arsenal in August.

Schalke, who are fi fth in the Bun-desliga, have conceded 21 goals in 17 league games compared to lead-ers Bayern Munich’s four. - Reuters

O N L O A N

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DRIVE SLOWER LIVE LONGER

OMAN EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION HOLDS MEETING The Oman Equestrian Federation (OEF) board members held their fi rst meeting of the

year under the chairmanship of OEF chief Sayyid Mundhir Al Busaidy. During the meet-

ing, the members discussed various issues concerning the development of equestrian

sport in the Sultanate. In his remarks, Sayyid Mundhir lauded the members for their

untiring eff orts in organising and popularising the federation’s activities. — Supplied photo

Van Gaal defends methods after United defeat to Southampton

LONDON: Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal was forced to defend both his tactics and squad management following a disjointed 1-0 home defeat by Southampton in the English Pre-mier League.

Substitute Dusan Tadic’s 69th minute goal earned Southampton a fi rst victory at Old Traff ord since January 1988, which allowed Ron-ald Koeman’s side to climb above United to third place in the table.

Victory was the visitors’ reward for a disciplined and intelligent display, but United misfi red badly in attack, failing to muster a shot on target in a home league game for the fi rst time since a 0-0 draw

with Arsenal in May 2009. On that occasion, the draw was enough to give United the league title, but Sunday’s defeat left them with 37 points from 21 games — the same amount as Van Gaal’s hapless pre-decessor David Moyes had mus-tered at this stage last season.

Koeman suggested that United were having trouble adapting to Van Gaal’s preference for a three-man defence, opining that “they have diffi culties to build up with three centre-backs”.

But Van Gaal, whose side have taken six points from a possible 15, rejected the claim and argued that Southampton had been “lucky” to avenge their 2-1 loss to United

in December. Asked if United had struggled to bring the ball out of defence, he replied: “I don’t think so, because we were the dominat-ing team. You have seen that today (Sunday). That for me is not any question.”

Van Gaal also had to explain his decision to omit Radamel Falcao from his 18-man squad, having se-lected 19-year-old striker James Wilson ahead of the Colombia in-ternational.

With Luke Shaw, Daley Blind and Angel di Maria playing after injury, Van Gaal said he needed de-fensive and midfi eld cover on the bench and had plumped for Wil-son over Falcao “because I know I

want speed in attack”. In the end, Van Gaal threw Ma-

rouane Fellaini on as an auxiliary striker, but Juan Mata squandered late chances to equalise when he failed to convert a pair of excellent opportunities created by Blind.

Koeman rebukes Tadic Falcao may get a recall at Queens Park Rangers next weekend, with

Van Gaal revealing at the end of a spiky press conference that Rob-in van Persie had sustained an ankle injury.

Southampton’s campaign ap-peared to have come off the rails following a run of four straight defeats in early December, but they have now won four of their last fi ve matches, defeating Arse-nal and United and drawing 1-1 at

home to leaders Chelsea. Seven of the 14 players who featured at Old Traff ord were not even at the club last season and Koeman be-lieves his side are acquiring the belief required to mount a sus-tained challenge for a Champions League place.

“We know that we have a strong team and it was important in the end of December that we got a point against Chelsea and the three points against Arsenal,” said the former Netherlands international.

“That’s always what you need if you are not a big club and you have to play against a big one that belief in the players, and not (being) afraid about the name, not afraid about the stadium. We have 11 clean sheets now (actually 10) in 21 games.

“If we keep the spirit and we know what we have to do in our or-ganisation, we can keep in front in the table.”

Tadic was booked for whipping off his shirt after scoring with the game’s only shot on target follow-ing up after Graziano Pelle had hit the post and Koeman said that he would speak to the Serbian winger about the matter.

“I don’t like that,” Koeman said. “Because it’s a yellow card and a stupid fault is your second (yellow card), and it’s a red card.

“When it’s the last minute of the season and you have qualifi ed for European football, then it’s no prob-lem. But keep that shirt on.” - AFP

Van Gaal, whose side

have taken six points

from a possible

15, argued that

Southampton had

been ‘lucky’ to avenge

their 2-1 loss to

United in December

LONDON: Manchester United have the highest wage bill in the Premier League, according to fi gures released on Monday.

United paid out a total £214.8 million ($324 million) on salaries in the 2013-14 season, while English cham-pions Manchester City’s wage costs dropped last season to £205 million.

Chelsea, currently top of the Premier League, paid £190.5 million, up eight per cent from £176 million, according to the club’s annual accounts which were lodged at Companies House this week.

Arsenal are next in the pay league with a total wage bill of £166.4 million, while the scale of Southampton’s recent success is illustrated by the fact that their wage bill was a fraction of their top-four rivals.

The latest fi gures available for 2012-13 show the Saints, currently third in the Premier League after beating United on Sunday, paid out just £47.1 million in salaries.

Chelsea’s accounts confi rm the club’s announcement in November that they made a £18.4 million profi t last season. - AFP

United top EPL salary list

FORCED TO DEFEND: Louis van Gaal

Powell tries new regime to win elusive gold medalKINGSTON: Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, who has struggled to pro-duce form his best at major cham-pionships, believes a change in coach and a new approach to train-ing will improve his fortunes.

The sprinter who held the 100m world record between 2005 and 2008 before compatriot Usain Bolt lowered it to 9.58 seconds be-lieves he can rediscover his form and improve his personal best time of 9.72 seconds.

“Anything is possible. Justin Gatlin surprised me last year, he ran his personal best times of (9.77 and 19.68) at age 32,” said Pow-ell, who ended 2014 as the fastest Jamaican with 9.87 seconds after serving a six-month drug suspen-sion for using the banned stimu-lant Oxilofrine.

“I think I’m capable of doing a lot more than most of the sprint-

ers out there. My best is yet to come, so it’s just to be patient,” said Powell who is eying gold at this year’s world championships in Beijing.

“I feel a lot stronger, I’m a lot more focused and I think I’m smarter now, so I know what it takes to do it,” added the man who has run a world-record 84 times under 10 seconds.

“It’s just to put myself out there and do what I’m supposed to do,” he added.

Powell’s brother Donovan, a 100m quarterfi nalist at the 1997 world championships, is backing his 32-year-old sibling to add gold to his two bronze medals from 2007 and 2009.

“Nothing is impossible, 32 is the year you really get to put every-thing together,” he said.

“We are doing diff erent things.

He’s really working hard to achieve the 9.72 he ran a few years ago and I personally think if he keeps fo-cused and remains healthy, he can do it,” he said.

The fi fth fastest man in history is set to run three 60m indoors be-fore bidding for the elusive 100m world title.

“The main focus is the trials fi rst because that is like a world cham-pionships by itself and then the world championships in China,” said Powell, in reference to the glut of Jamaican sprinters with sub-10 credentials.

They include Bolt, Yohan Blake, Nesta Carter, Kemar Bailey-Cole and Nickel Ashmeade.

“I’m just trying to stay healthy, put in all the hard work and make sure that I stay focused and just win the gold (in Beijing),” Powell added. - Reuters

A T H L E T I C S

Women off er Fifa ‘good-faith’ proposal in World Cup turf war LONDON: Players at this year’s women’s World Cup, trying to set-tle a lawsuit against Fifa, will play on artifi cial turf as long as the fi -nal matches are on natural grass, their lawyer said on Monday.

The proposal is the latest twist in a rolling dispute that picked up steam in August when players said a proposal to play the June-6-July 5 tournament in Canada on artifi cial turf was discrimina-tory and violated human rights.

“The battle over the use of plas-tic pitches at the women’s World Cup can easily and quickly come to a peaceful resolution,” attor-ney Hampton Dellinger said in a statement.

“All Fifa and the Canadian Soc-cer Association need to do is ac-cept the players’ feasible, aff ord-able, and more than fair deal.”

Fifa has previously said there were no plans to change the de-cision to play the tournament on artifi cial surfaces.

The players, who fi led a lawsuit against soccer’s governing body and the Canadian Soccer Asso-ciation last year, are now propos-ing playing all but the semifi nal, third-place and fi nal matches on artifi cial turf.

The proposal lays out how top quality grass fi elds could be pre-pared for and installed in each of the three stadiums hosting the

tournament’s fi nal two rounds. According to the proposal, the

plan is modelled on systems used successfully for previous men’s and women’s World Cups, and is approved by leading world ex-perts on sports grass.

The tournament’s fi nal game will be played in Vancouver with Montreal and Edmonton hosting semifi nals. The third-place game will also be in Edmonton.

“The players continue to be-lieve a women’s World Cup should not be singled out for fi eld conditions men’s World Cups have never been subjected to,” the proposal said.

“But this settlement off er rep-resents a good-faith attempt at compromise.” - Reuters

F O O T B A L L

The proposal lays

out how top quality

grass fields could

be prepared for and

installed in each of the

three stadiums

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMSECTIONC T U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5LIFE & STYLE

The latest campaign ad for Céline, the sought-after French fashion la-bel headed by Phoebe Philo, featuring a typ-

ically impenetrable Joan Didion. Shot by Juergen Teller, the literary lioness’s trademark giant shades are framed by her famous silver bob. She looks, in a word, badass.

The internet went crazy for it when it appeared online last week. In no time, pretty much everyone was proclaiming their adoration for the writer, who celebrated her 80th birthday last month. LOVE magazine stopped reporting on Cara Delevingne’s latest activities for fi ve min-utes to publish a reading list of Didion’s books. The singer Lorde changed her Twitter avatar to the

campaign snap. And my entire Instagram feed became clogged with women (and a few men) re-posting the image and celebrat-ing this most unlikely pairing.

But how unlikely is it? After all, for a certain slice of the popula-tion, Didion’s appeal lies not just in her incisive prose but also her timeless chic. She is the original “cool girl”.

And Philo has previously hinted at her admiration for the writer. For Céline’s resort campaign late last year, she had the model Daria Werbowy recreate a 1968 Julian Wasser portrait of Didion staring out the window of her Corvette Stingray . So why the fuss?

“Designers are subverting our expectations when it comes to ad-vertising and they’re re-calibrat-

ing the vision of the kind of woman that we aspire to be,” suggests Lau-ra Weir, Vogue’s fashion features editor. “Joan is an icon. She repre-sents a shift in society that’s saying it’s not age that matters, it’s style that counts.” It might seem odd to celebrate a writer’s wardrobe in-stead of their work, and, at times, the fashion industry has been ac-cused of lionising Didion because she conforms to an aesthetic ideal. But it seems foolish to suggest that one cannot appreciate both her output and her outfi ts.

Besides, Didion began her ca-reer at a fashion magazine. After winning an essay contest in 1956 for which the prize was a job at Vogue, Didion rose from copywrit-er to features editor and published her fi rst book of essays, Slouching

Towards Bethlehem, in 1968. Tom Wolfe was so impressed with her story about a murder in San Ber-nardino that he included it in The New Journalism.

She has published fi ve novels, a number of screenplays, one play, and more than a dozen collections of non-fi ction writing, including her most famous work, 2005’s The Year of Magical Thinking, about her grief following the death of her husband of almost 40 years, the writer John Gregory Dunne. Now an octogenarian, Didion fi nds her-self as much a part of the zeitgeist as ever. Last October, a trailer for a Joan Didion documentary, We Tell Ourselves Stories In Order To Live, debuted on the crowd-fund-ing website Kickstarter. To be di-rected by her nephew, the writer

and actor Griffi n Dunne, it opens with footage of Obama presenting Didion with the National Medal of Arts and Humanities in 2013. “I’m surprised she hadn’t already got-ten this award,” the President says wryly. With an appeal for $80,000 to make the fi lm, Didion fans pledged $221,135.

Laura Bailey, the model and writer, confesses to being “long ob-sessed with Joan”. Having contrib-uted funds towards the making of the documentary, she was thrilled to receive a hand-written list from Didion of her all-time favourite books. “2015 reading list sorted,” she enthuses. what is so special about her? “Joan Didion simply makes me want to read more, write more, and not look back.” - Gillian Orr/The Independent

B orn in Shimane Prefecture in 1926, Mori graduated from Tokyo Women’s Christian University. She opened a clothing store, Hiyoshiya, in 1951. From the 1950s, Mori de-

signed costumes for more than 200 movies, including “Kurutta Kaji-tsu” (“Crazed Fruit”) and “Taiyo no Kisetsu” (“Season of the Sun”). In 1996, she was awarded the Order of Culture.

The Western-style dressmaking boom be-gan right after World War II, with dressmaking schools springing up across the country.

I began attending one of these schools so I could make clothes for myself and my children.

My classmates were women who had lost their husbands in the war and were learning a trade to support themselves, and others who were “training” to become wives.

We had spent the war wearing clothes like monpe work pants and were eager to put on something more beautiful. Only poor material was available, but we poured everything into making clothes.

Even though the clothes produced by women were modest, they were infused with the anticipation of affluence, beauty and a wonderful future.

My dream was to make clothes for large num-bers of women. In 1951, I opened a Western clothing store in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district that I called Hiyoshiya.

The store was on the second fl oor of a build-ing and hard to spot, so I installed windows in the wall facing the street and placed U.S.-made mannequins there. For material, I bought goods released from the Occupation forces in places like Ameyayokocho in Tokyo. As soon as I placed a piece of pink or yellow clothing on a mannequin, someone would swoop in and buy it. I ran out of things to dress the mannequins in, so I wrapped them in the paper I used for wrapping the items on sale at my store.

Clothes refl ect the times. The miniskirt boom that started in the mid-1960s was an expression of the energy women had to break through old value systems.

When Prime Minister Eisaku Sato visited the United States in 1969 to negotiate the return of Okinawa, I designed outfi ts for his wife, Hiroko, who accompanied him.

When the 62-year-old Hiroko stepped out of the airplane’s door and waved to the crowd, her knees were visible.

Someone in the Japanese Embassy in Wash-ington had told me that in the United States, where miniskirts were hugely popular, long hemlines would stand out.

So I spoke with the fi rst lady, and she was ex-cited to try something new. I created an ensem-ble of a coat and dress that stopped 5 centim-eters (about two inches) above her knees.

Opinions were mixed about Hiroko’s ap-pearance. In letters to the editor in a news-paper, a man accused her, saying, “She should stick to being a Japanese wife,” while a woman praised her, saying, “The prime minister’s wife looked wonderful in a miniskirt.”

I felt that the miniskirt fad was a symbol of how women were moving from a passive role to one in which they actively expressed their views.

In the 1980s, suits with padded shoulders be-came popular.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Law came into eff ect in 1986, and a suit became the symbol of the working woman.

My father, who was a doctor, once told me: “If you’re going to work, become a doctor. Other-wise, be a housewife.”

That man’s daughter became a designer and in 1986, was the fi rst woman to become a mem-ber of the Japan Association of Corporate Ex-ecutives in its 40-year history.

I have spent many years feeling women’s energy and transformation through clothing. What I have kept in mind was to make clothes that would not overly emphasize femininity but rather show the presence of women.

It makes me happy to see female leaders ap-pearing in various fi elds around the world. In Japan as well, the government is trying to help women prosper. But still, men need to change. I think it is important that we create a society in which both men and women have more choices.

“One dollar blouse” — seeing these words in a famous New York department store shocked me on my fi rst visit to the city in 1961. The store was designed so that the higher up in the store you went, the more luxurious the products were. On a basement sales fl oor I saw some Japanese-made cotton blouses. The price? $1 each. That showed me how cheap Japanese products were.

This made me sad because I had made movie costumes for many famous Japanese actresses, and I had seen high-quality fabrics and tradi-tional techniques all over the country. I decided I needed to show the world how great the fabrics and techniques of Japan were.

But at the time, Japanese saw Americans as living modern lifestyles, with homes fi lled with appliances, and everyone wanted to catch up to the United States.

Nobody was thinking about exporting luxury women’s clothing to the United States. The only person who would support me was my husband.

In 1965, I showed my work in New York for the fi rst time. I felt like I was carrying the Rising Sun on my shoulders.

I sent invitations made from Japanese pa-per from Japan using stamps commemorat-ing the Tokyo Olympics. I used handwoven Nishijin-ori fabric, indigo dye and other tech-niques to make clothes that expressed a tradi-tional Japanese beauty.

In 1977, I went to Paris and became a full member of La Chambre Syndicale de la Cou-ture Parisienne.

I was the fi rst new member to the world of high-class, custom-made clothing in 10 years. At the time, there were few women, and I was the fi rst Asian.

A famous journalist critiqued me as mak-ing clothes that were “more French than those made by the French.” At fi rst I took it as praise, but apparently it meant that I should look more closely at my roots and seek my own personal style.

Working in the West made me highly aware of Japan. Seeking to know more, I traveled around the country examining fabrics used in kimono and obi sashes. I also took up the study of dyeing techniques again. Those experiences helped me establish a style that was my own.

After the war, Japanese people had a great ap-petite for Western culture and information. Our lives became more affl uent, and these trends were refl ected in our fashion.

I think that is a good thing, but I am skeptical about what has happened to Japan recently.

People are fl ooded with information and con-trolled by it. To me, everyone looks like every-one else. People appear to have trouble express-ing their own personal style.

We have entered an age in which people and information fl ow freely across national borders. And precisely because of that, we should look closely at our roots. If we can do that, we can create a style that is truly ours. — Tokyo/Izumi Miyachi

C8

EXTRAT U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

How clothingrefl ected the

changing status of women

SEBASTIAN Bach, a Canadian heavy metal singer, said, “So, it ended up being what you have there, seven songs brand new and 10 live songs, which is a good mix.”

It is not often a good mix at the bridge table when 10 tricks are required and only seven trumps are held, especially when those trumps are divided 4-3. But if you try to fi nd 10 winners, maybe a successful line will be apparent.

In this deal, South is in four spades. West leads the heart ace and continues with the heart king. What should declarer do?

West would normally have held an eight-card suit for his four-heart opening, but he hoped to silence his opponents. North had too many points to pass and nothing better to do than double. If South had passed, the penalty would have been 500 for down two. But hoping that his partner had four-card spade support, he advanced with four spades.

South ruff ed the second heart, cashed his spade ace, and led a spade to dummy’s queen. West’s discard caused declarer to deliberate for a few moments.

South eventually realised that he needed to take these 10 tricks: three clubs, two diamonds and fi ve trumps.

Declarer cashed dummy’s diamond ace-king and club king-queen, then played a club to his ace. When East had to follow suit, South ruff ed a club with dummy’s spade king and called for the heart nine.

If East had ruff ed high with his spade jack, declarer would have discarded; and when East threw his last diamond, South ruff ed for his 10th trick via a coup en passant.

— By Phillip Alder

C9

ENTERTAINMENT

Only seven trumps, but 10 tricks are there

B I G N A T E

B O R N L O S E R

M A R M A D U K E

A C E S O N B R I D G E

C I N E M A S C H E D U L E

K I D S P O T H E A L T H C A P S U L EC R O S S W O R D

Ans

wer

to p

revi

ous

puzz

le

WITH LOVE 4 9 6 2 6 1 9

4

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

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

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

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

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

Previous puzzle Solution

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

S U D O K U

T U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 16 years) whose birthday you are

celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number

and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi

or through e-mail to extra@timesofoman.com

27 Map collection29 Wine category31 Quiche base35 Prickly plant part37 Checked in40 Hurrah!42 Expired44 Time of the

mammals46 Skip stones

48 Okefenokee loc.51 Camera’s eye53 “Mona Lisa”

crooner54 Big burger55 Keats opus56 Lao-Tzu’s “way”58 L. — Hubbard59 Hear a case

ACROSS 1 Be bold enough 5 Unexplained

sighting 8 Chow mein

additive11 Mountaineer’s tool

(2 wds.)13 Golfer’s

benchmark14 Dinny’s rider15 Coke rival16 Salon off erings (2

wds.)18 Ancient

Phoenician port20 Well output21 Eight bits23 ACLU concerns25 Rum-soaked cake28 Wanton looks30 Summer in Cannes32 Checkroom item33 Battery size34 Kan. neighbor36 Turkish potentate38 Prairie st.39 Good for cacti41 — -de-sac43 “Ninotchka” name45 Oklahoma town47 Tattered cloth

49 Mr. Perot50 Comrade52 Wall Street dread54 Tots57 Sidestep60 Lemon cooler61 Kilt-wearer’s

refusal62 Operatic voice63 So-so mark64 Install a lawn65 Turn down

DOWN 1 Short swim 2 Make a hole in one 3 Esteem 4 Oriental 5 Latest news 6 Wray of “King

Kong” 7 Layered cookie 8 Dough 9 Kind of story10 Family docs12 Noon, on a sundial17 Derrick arm19 Black-ink entry21 Leaf of grass22 Pine for24 Depot (abbr.)26 Fishing lures

DAIVIKA V. PAIJanuary 13, 2012

MAYUKH KRISHNAJanuary 13, 2012

SMRITI VENKATESH SESHADRIJanuary 13, 2008

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Seventh Son – 2D (Adv | Fam) (PG15)Cast: Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore 03:15 PMSeventh Son – 3D (Adv | Fa ) (PG15)05:15, 09:15 PMPoker Night (Act | Thriller) (PG12)Cast: Beau Mirchoff , Ron Perlman07:15, 11:45 PMZulu (Crime | Drama | Thriller) (15+)Cast: Orlando Bloom, Forest Whitaker03:15, 09:45 PMSwelter (Act | Drama | Thriller) (15+)Cast: Jean-Claude VanDamme, Mindy05:15 PMFrom A to B (Adv | Com) (12+)Cast: Fahad Albutairi, Shadi Alfons05:00, 07:00 PMTevar (Action | Romance) (…)07:00, 09:00, 11:15 PMAutómata (Sci-Fi | Thriller) (PG)Cast: Antonio Banderas03:00, 11:45 PM

Zulu (Crime | Drama | Thriller) (15+) 11:45 PMVice (Act | Adventure | Sci-Fi) (15+) 06:45 PMSeventh Son (3D) (Adv ) (PG12)

Seventh Son (3D/PG12) (Adve/) Cast: Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges ; 09:45PM, 11:45PMSeventh Son (2D/PG12) (Adv) 02:30PMThe Imitation Game (2D/12+) (Biography/Drama/Thriller) 01:30PM, 07:30PM Poker Night (2D/PG12) (Act/Thriller) 12:30PM, 11:15PMJack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2D/PG) (Animation/Adv/Drama)02:30PMVice (2D/15+) (Act/Adventure/Sc-FI) 11:45AM, 11:30PM Zulu (2D/15+) (Crime/Thriller)09:30PMFrom A to B (2D/12+) (Adv/Drama)4:15PM, 06:15PMP.K. (2D/PG) (Hindi- Com)06:45PMTevar (2D/PG12) (Hindi-Act)11:30AM, 04:30PM, 08:15PMMylanchi Monchulla Veedu (2D/PG) (Family/Drama)03:45PM

09:45 PMSeventh Son (2D) (Adv) (PG12) 04:45 PMMylanchi Monchulla Veedu (Mal) (Family | Drama) (PG) Cast: Asif Ali, Jayaram, Kanika 11:15 PMTevar (Hindi) (Co | Fantasy) (PG12) 08:30 PMFrom A to B (Arabic) (Adv | Co ) (12+) 05:00 PMP.K (Hindi) (Comedy | Drama |

SCREEN 3

Seventh Son (Fantasyn|Adventure) (English) -(PG12 )Cast: Rajnikanth, Sonakshi Sinha 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 pm

Mylanchi Monchulla Veedu – 2D (M) (PG) Family | DramaCast : Asif Ali, Jayaram, Kanika 06:45 PMAutomata – 2D (PG) Sci-Fi Cast : Antonio Banderas, Dylan 09:45 , 11:45 PM

C10

FIND-IT-ALLT U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

PHARMACIESRound the clockAl Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24783334; Appolo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24782666; Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24702542, Salalah: 23291635; Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra: 24503585; Ruwi 24811715 Muscat RegionApollo, Al Hamriya. Tel: 24787766Muscat, A Seeb Market. Tel: 24421691Muscat, Al Khuwair. Tel: 24485740Muscat, Al Hail South. Tel: 24537080Dhofar RegionMuscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah. Tel: 23291635

HOSPITALSAl Amal Medical & Health Care Centre: 24485052Atlas Hospital: Ruwi: 24811743/ Ghubra: 24504000Al Musafi r Specialised Medical Clinic: 24706453Hatat Polyclinic LLC,Ruwi: 24563641, Azaiba: 24499269, Sohar: 2683006Al Raff ah Hospital: 24618900/1/2Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory: 24566435Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre: 24499434Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24787766, 24787780Capital Polyclinic: 24707549Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi: 24799760/1/2Capital Clinic, Seeb: 24420740Ceregem National Raak: 24485633Dr Harub’s Clinic: 24563217Elixir Health Centre: 24565802Emirates Medical Centre: 246045401st Chiropractic Centre: 24472274Hamdan Hospital: 23212340International Medical Centre LLC: 24794501/2/3/4/5Kims Oman Hospital: 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency: 24760123Lama Polyclinic, Sohar: 26751128, MBD: 24799077, Al Khuwair: 24478818Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital: 24568870Muscat Private Hospital: 24583600Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair: 24477666Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC: 22004000

ROYAL OMAN POLICEEmergencies and inquiries: 9999General Directorate of Passport and Residence: 24569603Directorate General of Customs: 24521109Traffi c violations inquiries: 24510228Public Relations Admin: 24560099

ACCOMMODATIONAl Bahjah Hotel: 24424400Al Bustan Palace: 24764000 Al Khuwair Hotel Apartments: 24478171Al Madina Holiday Inn: 24596400Al Maha International Hotel: 24494949Al Fanar Hotel: 24712385Al Falaj Hotel: 24702311Al Qurum Resort: 24605945Azaiba Hotel Apartments: 24490979Beach Hotel: 24696601Bowshar Hotel: 24491105Coral Hotel Muscat: 24692121Crowne Plaza Muscat: 24660660Crystal Suites: 24826100Golden Tulip Seeb: 24510300Grand Hyatt Muscat: 24641234Haff a House Hotel: 24707207Hotel Muscat Holiday: 24487123InterContinental Muscat: 24680000Majan Continental Hotel: 24592900Marina Hotel: 24711711Midan Hotel Suites: 24499565Mina Hotel: 24711828Muttrah Hotel: 24798401

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

AIRLINE OFFICESMuscat Airport Flight information (24 hours): 24519456/24519223Aerofl ot: 24704455, Air Arabia: 24700828, Air France: 24562153, Air India: 24799801, Air New Zealand: 24700732, Biman Bangladesh Airlines: 24701128, British Airways: 24568777, Cathay Pacifi c: 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, Turkish Airlines: 24703033

MUSEUMSBait Al Baranda: Corniche (seafront opp fi sh market), Open from Saturday to Thursday 9am to 1pm and 4 to 6pmNatural History Museum: Al Khuwair, Tel: 24604957, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm; Thursday: 9am to 1pmMuseum of Omani Heritage: (former Omani Museum), Madinat Al Alam, Sat-Wed 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday - 9am to 1pm, Tel: 24600946Armed Forces Museum: Bait Al Falaj, Tel: 24312651, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm; Thurs 9-12pm and 3-6pm; Fri 9-11am and 3-6pm. Al Hoota Caves 24498258; Turtle Beach 96550606/96550707Children’s Science Museum: Shatti Al Qurum, Tel: 24605368, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pmOman-French Museum: near Muscat Police Station, Tel: 24736613, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm, Thurs: 9am to 1pmBait Al Zubair, Muscat: Tel: 24736688, Al Saidiya St., Muscatmuseum@baitalzubairmuseum.comOpen from Sat to Thurs: 9:30am to 6pm.National Museum Ruwi: Tel: 24701289, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pmSohar Fort Museum: Tel: 26844758, Open from Saturday to Wed: 8 to 1:30pm Thurs: 9am to 1pmMuscat Gate Museum: at Al Bahri Road, Muscat open from Sat to Wed 8am to 2pm

PRAYER TIMINGS

Dhuhr 12.20pm

Asr 3.24pm

Maghrib 5.45pm

Isha 6.59pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 5.31am

Sunset 5.39pm

Sunrise (Tomorrow) 6.51am

High tide 1:43pm 2:10am

Low tide 7:22pm 9:12am

W E A T H E R

OMAN

Max 27Min 19

Max 25Min 18

Max 26Min 19

Max 25Min 12

Max 26Min 16Max 25

Min 10

Max 27Min 14

Max 30 Min 20

Clear to partly cloudy skies over government of Musandam, the coastal area of Oman Sea and Al-Hajar mountains with chances of isolated rain. Chances of low level clouds or fog during late night to early morning over governorates of Al-Buraimi, Al-Dhahira, south Al-Sharqiya and Al-Wusta. Chances of dust rising over desert and open areas.EXPECTED WIND: Wind will be northwesterly slight to moderate occasionally fresh over most of the Sultanate while northeasterly light to moderate along southeastern coast.

SEA STATE: Moderate to rough over Musandam and Oman Sea coasts with maximum wave height between 2 to 3 metres and moderate along southeastern coast with maximum wave height 2.0 metres.HORIZONTAL VISIBILITY: Good over most of the Sultanate becoming poor during fog and dust rising.THE NEXT 48 HOURS OUTLOOK: Chances of low level clouds during late night to early morning over governorates of Al-Buraimi, Al-Dhahira and Al-Wusta.

Max Min

GULFAbu Dhabi 21 18Doha 20 12Dubai 24 11Kuwait 15 9Manama 17 14Riyadh 14 2

WORLDAthens 12 7Baghdad 15 1Beijing 2 -3Berlin 9 4Boston 3 -4Cairo 17 8Colombo 29 19Frankfurt 2 4Hong Kong 11 8Istanbul 8 3Johannesburg 29 16Kuala Lumpur 31 23Lisbon 14 8Paris 10 5Perth 32 18Singapore 29 24Tokyo 11 2Toronto -12 -13

WORLD

Max -1Min -6

Max 21Min 7

Max -12Min -18

Max 29Min 12

Max 20Min 10

Max 27Min 23

Max 1Min -1

Max 29Min 23

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

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (Route 36)Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 15:00 Quriyat 16:30 Daily15:00 Sur 18:00 Daily15:00 Jaalan 19:30 Daily

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (Route 36)Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41)06:30 Sohar 08:50 Daily06:30 Buraimi 11:00 Daily08:00 Buraimi 14:30 Daily via Ibri13:00 Sohar 15:45 Daily13:00 Buraimi 17:40 Daily16.00 Sohar 18.35 Daily16.00 Buraimi 20:20 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41)07:00 Sohar 08:55 Daily07:00 Ruwi 11:40 Daily13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri13:00 Sohar 14:55 Daily13:00 Ruwi 17:40 Daily13:00 Sohar 19:20 Daily17:00 Ruwi 22:15 Daily

TO SINAW (Route 52)17:30 Sinaw 20:50 Daily

TO SINAW (Route 52)07:00 Ruwi 10:25 Daily

To Yanqul (Route 54)14:30 Nizwa 16:50 Daily14:30 Yanqul 19:30 Daily

To Yanqul (Route 54)06:00 Nizwa 08:40 Daily06:00 Ruwi 11:00 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54)08:00 Nizwa 10:20 Daily08:00 Al Araqi 12:30 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54)15:40 Nizwa 17:55 Daily15:40 Ruwi 20:20 Daily

TO SUR (Route 55)07:30 Sur 12:00 Daily14:30 Sur 18:45 Daily

TO SUR (Route 55)06:00 Ruwi 10:45 Daily14:30 Ruwi 19:00 Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (Route 62)06:30 Fahud 10:30 Daily06:30 Yibal 11:15 Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (Route 62)12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily12:30 Ruwi 17:30 Daily

TO DUBAI (Route 201)06:00 Sohar 08:30 Daily06:00 Dubai 11:30 Daily13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur15:00 Sohar 17:35 Daily15:00 Dubai 20:55 Daily

TO DUBAI (Route 201)07:30 Sohar 10:50 Daily07:30 Ruwi 13:40 Daily13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri15:30 Sohar 18:45 Daily15:30 Ruwi 21:35 Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (Route 100)07:00 Salalah 20:00 Daily10:00 Marmul 20:30 Daily10:00 Salalah 23:30 Daily19:00 Salalah 07:40 Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (Route 100)07:00 Ruwi 19:50 Daily10:00 Marmul 13:15 Daily10:00 Ruwi 22:30 Daily19:00 Ruwi 07:30 Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101)06:00 Marmul 16:50 Daily

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

TO MARMUL (Route 101)06:00 Marmul 16:30 Daily

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

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204)Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204)Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

LISTINGS

FLT NO DEPARTURES TO ETD AI986 BOMBAY  0005LX243 DUBAI-ZURICH  00209W539 BOMBAY  0025BA072 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW  0025SG062 AHMEDABAD  0030LH619 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT  0050WY685 RIYADH  0105WY251 MADRAS  0110WY201 BOMBAY  0120WY811 BANGKOK  0120WY235 HYDERABAD  0135WY601 DUBAI  0150WY241 DELHI  0155WY431 TEHRAN  0155WY643 KUWAIT  0200WY637 ABU DHABI  0205WY313 CHITTAGONG  0205WY657 BAHRAIN  0205WY667 DOHA  0220NL769 LAHORE  0230WY691 DAMMAM  0235TK775 ISTANBUL  0310PK282 SIALKOT  0325PK226 KARACHI  0330WY271 JAIPUR  0350WY267 LUCKNOW  0355ET625 ADDIS ABABA  0450EK867 DUBAI  0455FZ042 DUBAI  0510QR1133 DOHA  0520EY385 ABU DHABI  0525WY3301 MUKHAIZNA  0715GF561 BAHRAIN  0745WY603 DUBAI  0800WY903 SALALAH  0800WY813 BANGKOK  0805WY327 LAHORE  0920WY325 KARACHI  0920WY291 CALICUT  0920WY215 TRIVANDRUM  0920WY823 KUALA LUMPUR  0930FZ044 DUBAI  0935WY231 HYDERABAD  0955WY245 DELHI  0955G9115 SHARJAH  1005WY815 BANGKOK  1010WY283 BANGALORE  1010WY373 COLOMBO  1020WY203 BOMBAY  1030WY605 DUBAI  1030WY905 SALALAH  1030WY347 ISLAM ABBAD  1040WY717 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM  1045EK863 DUBAI  1055EY383 ABU DHABI  1105WY655 BAHRAIN  1110QR1129 DOHA  1115QR8551 DUBAI WORLD CENTRE-DOHA  1130WY917 KHASAB  1140G9842 RAS AL KHAIMA  1210PK192 GWADUR-TURBAT  1305WY337 KATHMANDU  1310IX350 CALICUT  1310FZ038 DUBAI  1315WY253 MADRAS  1315WY3931 SOHAR  1315WY223 COCHIN  1325WY631 ABU DHABI  1325WY663 DOHA  1330WY101 LONDON HEATHROW  1330BG024 CHITTAGONG  1415WY405 CAIRO  1430WY3305 MUKHAIZNA  1515IX818 MANGALORE  1530WY609 DUBAI  1545KU678 ABU DHABI-KUWAIT  1625WY675 JEDDAH  1630WY913 SALALAH  1650FZ046 DUBAI  1700WY613 DUBAI  1700WY623 DUBAI  1820QR1127 DOHA  1845WY681 RIYADH  1845WY907 SALALAH  1850GF565 BAHRAIN  1855WY647 KUWAIT  1900WY661 DOHA  1900WY653 BAHRAIN  1910WY695 DAMMAM  1910EK865 DUBAI  1915WY821 KUALA LUMPUR  1930WY909 SALALAH  1940SV535 RIYADH  2000G9117 SHARJAH  2005WY611 DUBAI  2025WY635 ABU DHABI  2030TG508 KARACHI-BANGKOK  2040FZ048 DUBAI  2040WY915 SALALAH  2135FZ050 DUBAI  22256.00E+82 BOMBAY  2245AI908 MADRAS  2300AI974 DELHI  2310QR1135 DOHA  2320GF567 BAHRAIN  2325UL206 COLOMBO  2335EY381 ABU DHABI  2350WY901 SALALAH  2350WY673 JEDDAH  2350

FLT NO DEPARTURES TO ETD AI986 BOMBAY  0005LX243 DUBAI-ZURICH  00209W539 BOMBAY  0025BA072 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW  0025LH619 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT  0050WY685 RIYADH  0105WY251 MADRAS  0110WY201 BOMBAY  0120WY225 COCHIN  0125WY235 HYDERABAD  0135WY601 DUBAI  0150WY345 ISLAM ABBAD  0150WY341 LAHORE  0150WY431 TEHRAN  0155WY241 DELHI  0155WY151 ZURICH  0155WY643 KUWAIT  0200WY313 CHITTAGONG  0205WY637 ABU DHABI  0205WY657 BAHRAIN  0205WY115 FRANKFURT  0215WY667 DOHA  0220WY123 MUNICH-PARIS  0220WY143 MALPENSA  02254H584 DACCA  0230WY691 DAMMAM  0235PK230 LAHORE  0315TK777 BAHRAIN-ISTANBUL  0350WY267 LUCKNOW  0355EK867 DUBAI  0455FZ042 DUBAI  0510QR1133 DOHA  0520EY385 ABU DHABI  0525WY617 KHASAB  0630WY3921 DUQUM OMAN  0715GF561 BAHRAIN  0745WY903 SALALAH  0800WY603 DUBAI  0800WY273 JAIPUR  0815WY215 TRIVANDRUM  0845WY325 KARACHI  0920WY291 CALICUT  0920NL769 LAHORE  0930FZ044 DUBAI  0935WY283 BANGALORE  0940WY245 DELHI  0955WY231 HYDERABAD  0955WY3301 MUKHAIZNA  1000G9115 SHARJAH  1005WY815 BANGKOK  1010WY203 BOMBAY  1030WY905 SALALAH  1030WY605 DUBAI  1030WY253 MADRAS  1040WY717 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM  1045EK863 DUBAI  1055EY383 ABU DHABI  1105WY655 BAHRAIN  1110IX554 TRIVANDRUM  1110IX442 COCHIN  1115QR1129 DOHA  11159W533 COCHIN  1135G9842 RAS AL KHAIMA  1210WY631 ABU DHABI  1225IX350 CALICUT  1310FZ038 DUBAI  1315PA451 LAHORE  1315WY101 LONDON HEATHROW  1330WY663 DOHA  1330WY413 AMMAN  1330WY3303 MUKHAIZNA  1400WY927 SALALAH  1415WY609 DUBAI  1420WY405 CAIRO  1430WY331 KATHMANDU  1455WY913 SALALAH  1630WY675 JEDDAH  1630FZ046 DUBAI  1700WY613 DUBAI  1700WY623 DUBAI  1820QR1127 DOHA  1845WY681 RIYADH  1845WY907 SALALAH  1850GF565 BAHRAIN  1855WY661 DOHA  1900WY647 KUWAIT  1900WY653 BAHRAIN  1910WY695 DAMMAM  1910EK865 DUBAI  1915WY909 SALALAH  1940G9117 SHARJAH  2005WY611 DUBAI  2025WY635 ABU DHABI  2030FZ048 DUBAI  2040WY825 KUALA LUMPUR  2110WY915 SALALAH  2135AI978 HYDERABAD-BANGALORE  2200FZ050 DUBAI  2225KL442 DOHA-AMSTERDAM  22309W529 TRIVANDRUM  22406.00E+82 BOMBAY  2245AI908 MADRAS  2300AI974 DELHI  2310QR1135 DOHA  2320GF567 BAHRAIN  2325WY901 SALALAH  2350EY381 ABU DHABI  2350WY673 JEDDAH  2350

A I R L I N E S

—www.met.gov.om

TUESDAY

FLT NO ARRIVALS FROM ETA WY406 CAIRO  0005WY682 RIYADH  0005WY682 RIYADH  0005WY676 JEDDAH  0005WY648 KUWAIT  0010WY816 BANGKOK  0015NL768 LAHORE  0130WY916 SALALAH  0150TK774 ISTANBUL  0215PK281 ISLAM ABBAD-SIALKOT  0225PK225 KARACHI  0230QR1132 DOHA  0345ET624 ADDIS ABABA  0350EK866 DUBAI  0355GF560 BAHRAIN  0405EY384 ABU DHABI  0405FZ041 DUBAI  0415WY902 SALALAH  0630WY638 ABU DHABI  0650WY658 BAHRAIN  0700WY412 AMMAN  0705WY668 DOHA  0710WY644 KUWAIT  0715WY122 MUNICH  0715WY114 FRANKFURT  0715WY692 DAMMAM  0725WY674 JEDDAH  0730WY154 MALPENSA-ZURICH  0745WY132 PARIS  0800WY602 DUBAI  0805WY202 BOMBAY  0815WY432 TEHRAN  0815WY102 LONDON HEATHROW  0820WY422 BEIRUT  0830FZ043 DUBAI  0850G9114 SHARJAH  0915WY236 HYDERABAD  0920WY242 DELHI  0935WY252 MADRAS  0940EK862 DUBAI  0940QR8550 DOHA  1000QR1128 DOHA  1010EY382 ABU DHABI  1015WY3302 MUKHAIZNA  1045WY272 JAIPUR  1100WY604 DUBAI  1110WY904 SALALAH  1110G9841 RAS AL KHAIMA  1120FZ037 DUBAI  1200WY314 CHITTAGONG  1210WY268 LUCKNOW  1210IX337 CALICUT  1210PK191 GWADUR  1220BG023 CHITTAGONG  1245WY918 KHASAB  1245WY606 DUBAI  1330WY326 KARACHI  1355WY918 KHASAB  1440IX817 MANGALORE-ABU DHABI  1440WY906 SALALAH  1445WY812 BANGKOK  1525KU677 KUWAIT  1525WY656 BAHRAIN  1530WY328 LAHORE  1550FZ045 DUBAI  1555WY632 ABU DHABI  1635WY204 BOMBAY  1710WY292 CALICUT  1720WY246 DELHI  1730WY232 HYDERABAD  1740WY216 TRIVANDRUM  1740WY348 ISLAM ABBAD  1745WY664 DOHA  1745QR1126 DOHA  1745EK864 DUBAI  1800GF564 BAHRAIN  1810WY284 BANGALORE  1810WY610 DUBAI  1845WY3306 MUKHAIZNA  1845SV534 RIYADH  1900G9116 SHARJAH  1915TG507 BANGKOK-KARACHI  1935FZ047 DUBAI  1945WY614 DUBAI  2030WY914 SALALAH  2055WY624 DUBAI  2125AI973 DELHI  21256.00E+81 BOMBAY  2130WY224 COCHIN  2140FZ049 DUBAI  2145WY374 COLOMBO  2150WY254 MADRAS  2155WY814 BANGKOK  2200AI907 MADRAS  2200QR1134 DOHA  2210UL205 COLOMBO  2225GF566 BAHRAIN  2240BA073 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI  2240EY388 ABU DHABI  2250WY908 SALALAH  2305AI985 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY  2310WY662 DOHA  2315LX242 ZURICH-DUBAI  23209W540 BOMBAY  2325LH618 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI  2330WY654 BAHRAIN  2330WY612 DUBAI  2335WY696 DAMMAM  2350WY636 ABU DHABI  2350WY910 SALALAH  2355WY717 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM  2355

WEDNESDAY

FLT NO ARRIVALS FROM ETA

WY682 RIYADH  0005WY406 CAIRO  0005WY676 JEDDAH  0005WY648 KUWAIT  0010WY816 BANGKOK  0015WY816 BANGKOK  0015WY824 KUALA LUMPUR  00554H583 DACCA-CHITTAGONG  0130WY916 SALALAH  0150PK229 LAHORE  0215TK776 ISTANBUL-BAHRAIN  0300QR1132 DOHA  0345EK866 DUBAI  0355GF560 BAHRAIN  0405EY384 ABU DHABI  0405FZ041 DUBAI  0415WY638 ABU DHABI  0520WY902 SALALAH  0630WY686 RIYADH  0700WY658 BAHRAIN  0700WY668 DOHA  0710WY644 KUWAIT  0715WY692 DAMMAM  0725WY674 JEDDAH  0730WY602 DUBAI  0805WY202 BOMBAY  0815WY432 TEHRAN  0815WY102 LONDON HEATHROW  0820NL768 LAHORE  0830WY342 LAHORE  0835FZ043 DUBAI  0850G9114 SHARJAH  0915WY236 HYDERABAD  0920WY918 KHASAB  0930WY226 COCHIN  0930WY242 DELHI  0935EK862 DUBAI  0940WY346 ISLAM ABBAD  0940WY252 MADRAS  0940IX443 COCHIN  1010QR1128 DOHA  1010EY382 ABU DHABI  1015IX549 TRIVANDRUM  10209W530 TRIVANDRUM  1035WY604 DUBAI  1110WY822 KUALA LUMPUR  1115WY3922 DUQUM OMAN  1115G9841 RAS AL KHAIMA  1120FZ037 DUBAI  1200WY268 LUCKNOW  1210IX337 CALICUT  1210WY314 CHITTAGONG  1210PA450 LAHORE  1215WY904 SALALAH  1215WY3302 MUKHAIZNA  1330WY606 DUBAI  1330WY326 KARACHI  1355WY918 KHASAB  1440WY918 KHASAB  1440WY906 SALALAH  1445WY274 JAIPUR  1515WY656 BAHRAIN  1530WY632 ABU DHABI  1535FZ045 DUBAI  1555WY216 TRIVANDRUM  1705WY204 BOMBAY  1710WY292 CALICUT  1720WY610 DUBAI  1730WY246 DELHI  1730WY3304 MUKHAIZNA  1730WY284 BANGALORE  1740WY232 HYDERABAD  1740QR1126 DOHA  1745WY664 DOHA  1745EK864 DUBAI  1800GF564 BAHRAIN  1810G9116 SHARJAH  1915WY254 MADRAS  1920WY144 MALPENSA  1930FZ047 DUBAI  1945WY614 DUBAI  2030WY914 SALALAH  2035AI977 BANGALORE-HYDERABAD  2105KL441 AMSTERDAM-DOHA  2120WY624 DUBAI  2125AI973 DELHI  21256.00E+81 BOMBAY  2130WY414 AMMAN  21359W534 COCHIN  2140FZ049 DUBAI  2145AI907 MADRAS  2200QR1134 DOHA  2210WY272 JAIPUR  2235GF566 BAHRAIN  2240BA073 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI  2240EY388 ABU DHABI  2250WY908 SALALAH  2305AI985 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY  2310WY662 DOHA  2315WY124 MUNICH  2320LX242 ZURICH-DUBAI  23209W540 BOMBAY  2325LH618 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI  2330WY654 BAHRAIN  2330WY612 DUBAI  2335WY116 FRANKFURT  2345WY928 SALALAH  2345WY636 ABU DHABI  2350W696 DAMMAM  2350WY717 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM  2355WY910 SALALAH  2355

BORN today, you have a mellow sort of approach to life, but this belies a rapid current of heightened emotions running just beneath your cool, calm exterior. You feel very strongly about almost everything, but you also feel strongly that others needn’t know what you feel at every turn. For this reason, you keep close tabs on what you are projecting to the world at large. You are keenly aware of how you fi t into the world and what your role is — and what it can be if it is allowed to develop and grow organically. You are also quite ambitious, and the combination of self-knowledge and professional desire is sure to take you very far, very quickly!

You have a strong personality and the ability to take charge of a situation if and when you are required to do so. You will often grab the reins simply because your instincts tell you that you have what it takes to move things forward and increase the odds of success.

Also born on this date are: Orlando Bloom, actor; Patrick Dempsey, actor; Trace Adkins, singer-songwriter; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress; Charles Nelson Reilly, actor; Robert Stack, actor; Penelope Ann Miller, actress; Sophie Tucker, singer and actress.

You seem to think that everything can be summed up in just a few words, but perhaps you’re oversimplifying.

VIRGO [AUG. 23-SEPT. 22]

LIBRA [SEPT. 23-OCT. 22] LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL[S[[[S[S[S[[S[SS[SSSS[S[[[[SSSSSSSSSS

SCORPIO [OCT. 23-NOV. 21] S[

SAGITTARIUS [NOV. 22-DEC. 21] SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS[N[N[[N[[[[[[N[N[N[[[N[NN

AQUARIUS [JAN. 20-FEB. 18]

You may be able to convince another that your way is the right way — but if you cannot, it’s no reason to give up. Keep trying!

You’re looking at a very serious situation in a way that doesn’t allow for any diff erences of opinion. This is a mistake.

If it’s up to you, you’ll surely make things happen in ways that please the most people at once. You’re not in a selfi sh mood.

You’re feeling as though anything is possible, and so it is — but not for an infi nite amount of time. Get things done now!

You’ll gravitate toward those who seem to maintain diff erent opinions and views from your own. What is it that you have to learn?

You’re trying to cover up something that is likely to be public knowledge very soon anyway. Why not come clean now, and remain in control?

You’re in a fi ne position to broaden your horizons. You can also, if you choose, break a bad habit or two.

PISCES [Feb. 19-March 20]

That which holds the greatest sway over you is likely to release its grip for a time, granting you more freedom than you’re used to.

GEMINI [MAY 21-JUNE 20]

CANCER [JUNE 21-JULY 22]

LEO [JULY 23-AUG. 22]

CAPRICORN [DEC. 22-JAN 19]

Y O U R B I R T H D A Y

ARIES [March 21-APRIL 19]

TAURUS [APRIL 20-MAY 20]

You may be angered by someone who thinks it’s acceptable to pass judgment on your hard work with a fl ippant comment. Don’t get carried away.

You’re likely to share more about yourself than you had anticipated — particularly if you continue along the same course.

What you seek may be currently unavailable, but if you know where it comes from, you can be ready to take possession of it later on.

C11

EXTRAT U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

Parents who have pa-tiently sat through countless music re-citals and questioned their sanity at en-

couraging all those trumpet or vi-olin lessons need do so no longer. Even ear-splitting dissonance has an upside.

Music training not only helps children develop fi ne motor skills, but aids emotional and be-havioural maturation as well, ac-cording to a new study, one of the largest to investigate the eff ects of playing an instrument on brain development.

Using a database produced by

the National Institutes of Health Magnetic Resonance (MRI) Study of Normal Brain Develop-ment, researchers at the Univer-sity of Vermont College of Medi-cine analysed the brain scans of 232 healthy children ages 6 to 18 specifi cally looking at brain de-velopment in children who play musical instruments in the UK.

“What we found was the more a child trained on an instru-ment,” said James Hudziak, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont and di-rector of the Vermont Centre for Children, Youth and Families, “it accelerated cortical organisation

in attention skill, anxiety man-agement and emotional control.”

The cortex, or outer layer of brain, changes in thickness as a child grows and develops. Previ-ously, Hudziak and colleagues Matthew Albaugh and Eileen Cre-han found relationships between cortical thickening and thinning in various areas of the brain re-sponsible for depression, aggres-sion and attention problems. This research, announced last month in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, was diff erent.

“I wanted to look at positive things, what we believe benefi ts

child development,” Hudziak said. “What I was surprised by was the emotional regulatory regions. Everyone in our culture knows if I lift 5-pound, 10-pound, 15-pound weights, my biceps will get bigger.

The same is true for the brain. We shouldn’t be surprised we can train the brain.” Because the study’s participants were all mentally healthy children, Hud-ziak thinks the positive eff ect of music training on those who are not could be signifi cant.

“A kid may still have ADHD,” he said. “It’s the storm around it that improves.” Inspired by his own research, and having never

learned to play an instrument, the 56-year-old Hudziak decided to take viola lessons last year.

“I had this passion for health promotion in children, it seemed silly not to do it myself,” he said.

Though music isn’t his only health-related extracurricular ac-tivity — Hudziak also engages in regular exercise and meditation — he believes the viola lessons con-tribute to his overall wellness.

They have not, however, con-tributed much to his overall play-ing ability — at least not yet. The sanguine psychiatrist had just one word for his viola skills: “Horrible.”- Amy Ellis Nutt/The Washington Post

Music lessons spur emotional,behavioural growth in children

Music training not only

helps children develop

fine motor skills, but

aids emotional

and behavioural

maturation as well

Experts call for research to avoid dangers of artifi cial intelligence

HUNDREDS OF SCIENTISTS and technologists have signed an open letter calling for research into the problems of artifi cial in-telligence in an attempt to com-bat the dangers of the technology.

Signatories to the letter cre-ated by the Future of Life In-stitute including Elon Musk

and Stephen Hawking, who has warned that AI could be the end of humanity. Anyone can sign the letter, which now includes hun-dreds of signatures.

It warns that “it is important to research how to reap its benefi ts while avoiding potential pitfalls”. It says that “our AI systems must

do what we want them to do” and lays out research objectives that will “help maximise the societal benefi t of AI”.

That will be a project that in-volves not just scientists and technology experts, they warn. Because it involves society as well as AI, it will also require help from experts in “economics, law and philosophy to computer security, formal methods and, of course, various branches of AI itself”

A document laying out those re-search priorities points out con-cerns about autonomous vehicles — which people are already “hor-rifi ed” by — as well as machine ethics, autonomous weapons, pri-vacy and professional ethics.

Elon Musk has also repeat-edly voiced concerns about arti-fi cial intelligence, describing it as “summoning the demon” and the “biggest existential threat there is”. The document is signed by many representatives from Goog-le and artifi cial intelligence com-panies. -Andrew Griffi n/The Independent

NEWS

C12

EXTRAT U E S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 3, 2 0 1 5

The vocalist Lorde wore a tuxedo. Begone sparkles, hand-sewn paillettes and buff ed cleavage!

And Amal Clooney, the human rights lawyer recently married to George, wore a black Dior gown, elbow-length white gloves and a “Je Suis Charlie” button on her clutch.

Lorde’s custom black tuxedo was created by designer Narciso Rodriguez. The trousers fl owed loosely and the oversize blazer, with its strong shoulder, was open to reveal a cropped black top with a low — but not revealing — neck-line. Seemingly a million carats of Neil Lane diamonds sparkled around her neck. And her dark hair was slicked back. She resem-bled her goth-loving self, only more glamorous and sleek. Most-ly, she looked like an individual with a point of view, rather than a dress-up doll who chose a gown from Column A and a suite of jew-els from Column B.

The ensemble was sophisti-cated and grown-up. Some might argue that it was too mature for a woman who has yet to celebrate her 21st birthday. But it was re-

freshing to see a young woman willing to go on the record to defi ne sex appeal and beauty in a way that did not involve reveal-ing decolletage.

In the past few weeks, several design houses have revealed ad-vertising campaigns that have focused on older women — that is those who are over age 30. Julia Roberts stars in ads for Givenchy, and Joan Didion is the centerpiece of Celine’s market-ing campaign. Fashion may not be reshaping itself to cater to a more mature demographic, but it is suggesting that there is a com-pelling confi dence to be found on that distant horizon.

Lorde wore a look that aspires toward a kind of personal swagger that comes after wading through a decade or two of insecurity and self-criticism. She was an inter-esting counterpoint to the women on the red carpet who are more than twice her age and showing twice as much skin.

Jennifer Lopez wore a Zuhair Murad gown that was a bit like a shiny-gray superhero-caped cos-tume. The neckline plunged low and required a dancer’s perfect

posture, which Lopez possess-es. She wore it well, but it also looked like a rather exhausting aesthetic choice.

Jessica Chastain wore a bronze, starburst-pleated Versace gown that was essentially a frame to draw the eye directly to the curve of her breasts. So often, celebrity profi les are quick to point out that an of-a-certain-age actress has a great fi gure or a tight jawline. The message is that they should be applauded for being so well pre-served — for still looking like the starlet they once were.

Lorde’s choice suggests that clutching on to youth isn’t all that it is believed to be.

Amal Clooney, whose appear-ance was anticipated as the ar-rival of a kind of fashion super-nova, noted that she had styled her Dior gown to express her solidar-ity with the French. This was, of course, her husband’s night; he received a Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. And so her gesture was an awkward re-mark delivered in the midst of a brief fl urry of light banter.

She must have known that it would be virtually impossible

to say anything intelligent and thoughtful about the terror that has unfolded in France. Attempt-ing to do so within the context of discussing couture is treacherous. But she risked it.

And by taking that risk, it seemed that she was being herself. She was willing to make the jar-ring remark during an interview with E! Entertainment’s Ryan Seacrest. Many years ago, the late great Joan Rivers — queen of red-carpet interrogations — noted that she was once criticized for not asking more thoughtful questions of celebrities. Her response was essentially: Do you want me to ask some starlet about how she would promote world peace?

Amal Clooney is no starlet. And as much as observers joke wryly about her education and accom-plishments and how her gravitas far outweighs that of her husband, one can see the pressure on her to consistently up her fashion game, to dazzle and to entertain.

On the Globes’ red carpet, she refused. Her remark may have made eyes roll. But she did not seem to care. -Robin Givhan/The Washington Post

Lorde, Amal Clooney make a Golden Globes statementIn the midst of a Golden Globes red carpet that overfl owed with

fl oor-length gowns in shades of sunny yellow, dusty rose and robin’s-egg blue,

two people stood out — a singer and a spouse

Kathy Bates heard screaming in pain at the Golden Globes

AMERICAN HORROR Story: Freak Show actress Kathy Bates was apparently heard screaming out in agony after suff ering an accident mid ceremony. Her cries were appar-ently heard moments before she lost out on the Best Supporting Actress in a TV Drama, Movie or Minise-ries to Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt (the other Mrs Bates). The source of her pain? E! Online reports

that someone stepped, rather heavily, on her foot.

Man passes out at table

next to Jane Fonda AN AMBULANCE was called to the Golden Globes last night after a male attendee passed out at his table mid-ceremony. The Beverly Hills Police Department confi rmed that paramedics were alerted to an inci-dent at the awards in Los Angeles, but were cancelled before they got there. The man was originally re-ported to be Jane Fonda’s boyfriend, Richard Perry. However, a spokes-person for the actress told the Holly-

wood Reporter that Perry remained in good health throughout the evening, and that the casualty was actually an unidentifi ed man at a nearby table.

Prince’s appearance draws surprise reaction

PRINCE MADE a surprise ap-pearance at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards last night to a rapturous reception. As he walked onstage to present the award for Best Original Song he was met with cheers, whis-tling, and possibly the best facial expression from Allison Janney. Hands down the best-dressed man of the night, he strolled out to greet the audience in a shiny metallic suit and a diamond studded cane.

Chrissy Teigen laughs after

her crying face goes viral

WATCHING HER husband ac-cept his Golden Globe was always going to be an emotional moment for Chrissy Teigen. But as the cam-era cut to John Legend’s proud wife, tears streaming down her face, the social media commenta-tors went wild. Luckily Sports Il-lustrated star Chrissy saw the fun-ny side, joking on her own Twitter account: ‘Sorry I don’t practice my cry face okay.’ - Agencies

G O L D E N G L O B E S 2 0 1 5

A C C E P T A N C E S P E E C H

MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL used her acceptance speech at this year’s Golden Globes to celebrate the wealth of “actual women” cast in roles on screen.

The actress, who won for her performance in The Honourable Woman, praised the number of ‘complicated female roles’ on screen. The actress, who won for her performance in The Honour-able Woman, paid tribute to the growing number of “complicated women” portrayed on TV. “I’ve no-ticed a lot of people talking about the wealth of roles for powerful women in television lately.

And when I look around the room at these women who are in here and I think about the per-formances that I’ve watched this year, what I see actually are wom-en are sometimes powerful and sometimes not; sometimes beau-tiful, sometimes not; sometimes honourable and sometimes not,” she said.

“And what I think is new is the wealth of roles for actual women in television and in fi lm. That’s what I think is revolutionary, and evolutionary, and it’s what’s turn-ing me on.”

She went on to thank the “won-derfully complicated” women in her life, before rushing to fi nish her speech in time. “I gotta thank Hugo Blick who wrote, directed and produced every minute of The Honorable Woman, I share this with you. And to my husband who is a lover of complicated women. I could never have done this with-out you. Thank you,” she said.

Gyllenhaal’s character herself on The Honorable Woman was all but honourable. In trying to do the right thing for her family, Gyllen-haal made many ethically ques-tionable choices. The show turned the “Can women have it all?” ques-tion up to full throttle, becoming a show about deeply fl awed love. -Agencies

Maggie Gyllenhaal celebrates wealth of ‘actual women’ on TV

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

T U E S D AY, J A N UA R Y 1 3 , 2 0 1 5

RENT D2

New deluxe building in Misfah Industrial Area, 11 shops with A/C, each 4cm x 9cm, an additi onal 12

huge spaces including kitchens and bathrooms which can be used for offi ces or residences. The building

locati on fi rst row close to main road.

Contact - 98880333

FOR RENT

DAILY GUIDEEmail: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifi eds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

Five tower cranes with operators.

(50 m height, 55m boom length

and 2.5 tons lifting capacity at Jib).

Please contact : ravin0225@gmail.

com or call 96529679

Fully furnished rooms for rent for

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Al Khuwair

Offi ce space for rent in Ruwi,

OMR 500. Contact 91120552

Flats in Muttrah near Oman House

per fl at RO 230. Contact 92815855 /

95181077

Furnished room with attached bath-

room for Executive bachelor behind

Al Meera Hypermarket, Azaibah RO

150. Contact 99455735

Villa in Al Khuwair 33 close to

Technical College with 3 bedrooms,

1 sitting room and shaded balcony.

Directly from owner not for brokers.

Contact 92814242

Flat, shops, basement, Ruwi-MBD

Area, Honda Road.

Contact 96942749, 92433127

Offi ce space (3 BHK fl at – Ample

space) located in prime area at 18th

November street, Al Azaiba

(nr. To Sultan Center).

Contact 99261522

6 shops in Mabela Industrial Area.

Each Front Shop OMR 400 and Side

Shop OMR 300Monthly.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

1,000 sq mtrs industrial land in

Misfah Industrial area near to Khan

co. OMR 1,500 Monthly. Electricity

and boundary wall will be provided.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

2 BHK available in Mumtaz area,

Ruwi & Ghubra, nr Indian School.

Contact 99269751

Family room available for rent at

Muttrah Souq. Contact 24712088 /

99022790

Offi ce space & store, CBD 20059.

Contact 99024730

2 BHK, Al Khuwair. Contact

99024730

2 BHK, CBD. Contact 99024730

2 BHK, Darsait near Kims Hospital.

Contact 99024730

1 & 2 BHK & villa 3 BR-Darsait near

ISM & ISD. Contact 99024730

1 BHK, 2 BHK, Ghala, new bldg.

Contact 99024730

1 BHK, Wadi Kabir. Contact

99024730

Flat for Rent in Ruwi, Bareeq

Shatti, Mawalah. Contact 92521080,

98899916

Spacious 2 BR fl at in MBD. Contact

99713489

2 BHK fl at in Mumtaz.

Contact 99792181

D2 T U E S D AY, J A N UA R Y 1 3 , 2 0 1 5

1, 2, 3, BHK in Alkhuwair.

Contact 99792181

2 BHK in Bowsher. Contact

99792181

1 & 2 BHK in Ruwi. Contact 99792181

200 Sqr mtrs Showroom in CBD.

Contact 99792181

1 & 2 BHK in Wataya. Contact 99792181

100 & 180 Sqr mtrs offi ce space in

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6 BHK commercial Villa in Ghobra.

Contact 99792181

Spacious well maintained 2 BHK at

Rex Road from 1st February.

Contact 92227165

Flat for rent Ghubrah South, ground

fl oor fl at, 3 bedrooms, majlis,

family hall, RO 425/-.

Contact 94669711

2 BHK Pent House with split A/C

in all rooms, very spacious balcony

with sea & city view RO 350, 2 BHK

RO 340, Bldg #1619, Way #1322

adjacent to Indian Nursery Darsait.

Contact 99476728 / 99831047

1 BHK bedroom fl at in Wadi Kabir

neat Kuwaiti Mosque RO 200/-.

Contact 95094028

2 BR deluxe fl ats at Ghubrah and

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Contact 99885391 / 99354010

Shop & fl ats available.

Contact-24813822

Rent, new fl at Wadi Adai, 2 big

bedrooms, 1 big toilet, 1 big hall, 1 big

kitchen. Contact 99345137

1 / 3 BHK Flat Ghobrah, close to ISG

Way 4041, building 4390.

Contact 99319880

We have special villa in Bausher,

Al Muna, 5 bedrooms, rent RO 800/-.

Contact 99622885

1 BHK commercial, Darsait,

RO 225/-. Contact 97799175

Fully Equipped Restaurant / Indus-

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catering orders, CR & Labour Clear-

ance, Restaurant space and Outdoor

sitting area on Sale at Mawaleh

Call: 9906 4589

Offi ce space with cassette type A/C’s

with free internet at al Khuwair near

KM Hypermarket. Contact 99460330

2 BR fl ats with split A/C’s & internet

free & 2 BR fully furnished deluxe

fl ats available at Al Khuwair near

KM Hypermarket. Offi ce space 115

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A/C’s available at Al Khuwair near

KM Hypermarket.

Contact 99460330

1,2,3 BHK fl ats & Villas.

Contact 92144045

Separate Villa, Al Athaibah, 3 BHK,

hall, living room, maid rooms, A/C

split, family only, RO 600/-.

Contact 92479515

Villa, Al Khuwair 33, 4 BHK, living

room, split A/C, family only, RO

600/-Contact 92479515

Fully furnished one bedroom

penthouse Wadi Kabir behind Sana

Hassan, weekly RO.140/- Monthly

RO 350/- Contact – 99349990

6 bedroom villas at Al Ansab

(nr Express highway).

Contact 99199365

2 BHK fl at for rent RO.350/- at

Al Khuwair near Sultan Taimur

Mosque. Contact – 98893294

1 BHK residential fl at at Honda road.

2 BHK residential fl at opposite to

Al Nahdha hospital.

Contact – 93219590

1 BHK fl at Qurum RO.270/- with

split A/C. Contact – 99358589 /

95570288 /97079146

2 BHK fl at at Al Khuwair RO.370/-

with split A/C. Contact – 99358589 /

95570288 /97079146

OFFICES FOR RENT

Contact: 97377355 / 95530121, Email id: aaleem@ggcoman.com

- Premium offices to let a very good location on the main road very close to Zakher Mall, Al Khawiar. Business Center has offices with sizes of 50m2, 110m2, 180m2, 207m2, 230m2, 437m2.- Showroom also available at Business Center, Area 500m2 with central A/c. - Offices with Central Air-conditions, Security System with CCTV cameras, and Security presence in the building.

Contact - 92850717

FOR RENTBrand new 2BHK with split A/C near SQU round about

at Al Khoud, near to Muscat highway, building no. 4558/1,

way no. 5350.

2 Bedroom Spacious fl at for rent at

Al Khuwair 25 for OMR 400/- per

month . Contact: 99379988.

2 BHK available in Darsait, 1 B/R

and hall, 2 B/R and hall. Contact

99357586, 97500025, 97884787

DAILY GUIDET U E S D AY, J A N UA R Y 1 3 , 2 0 1 5 D3

FOR RENT

FOR RENT

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

2 BHK in Seeb RO.200/- Contact – 99455334

2 BHK Commercial Al Khuwair,

RO 375/-. Contact 97799175

If require fl ats for rent in Wadi

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Whatsapp or call – 99376454

3 offi ce spaces available in RUWI

FOR RENT 450 OMR & 500 OMR.

96986132

Villa, Al Ansab, 5 BHK, living room,

split A/C, family only. RO 550/-.

Contact 92479515

Luxury 2 bed room villa at Bausher-

AL Ansab Phase 3.Call. 99324456

Flat in Ghala, opposite Zubair,

2 BHK, living room, split A/C, family

only, RO 350/-. Contact 92479515

Fabulous A/C fl at Al Khoud, 3 rooms,

280 rials. Contact 99334699

2 single room fl ats available @ RO

160/- per month, including Electric-

ity & Water. Contact 99441798

New bldg 3 BR fl ats located at

Darsait, Muscat close to Kims Pvt

Hospital. Contact 92020004 /

99800838

Villas & fl ats & stores. Contact

99776071 / 99057348

6 shops in Maabela Industrial Area.

Each Shop OMR 400 Monthly.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Abu Adnan Tower - fl at for rent

available at Al Mabelah, 2 B/R,

1 hall, 2 toilets, 1 kitchen.

Contact 95566475 / 99654252

300 SQR mtrs Labor camp or Store

for Rent in Wadi Kabir.

Contact 99792181

BHK fl ats Muttrah near Oman House.

Contact 97007934 / 92629232

2 BR, 2 toilets, kitchen at

Al Mawaleh. Contact 99444786,

99747560

We have 1 BHK, 2 BHK, 3 BHK fl ats,

4, 5 bedrooms villa, open space offi c-

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Mumtaz, Wadi Kabir. All brand new

buildings & very aff ordable prices.

Contact 93782735 / 99208033

Flat for rent 2 bedrooms one hall in

South Al Hail. RO 270.

Contact 93221474

House in North Al Hail with 3 rooms,

Majlis & 3 toilets. Contact 99439568

2 BHK with A/C near ISM RO.325/-

1BHK Al Falaj without A/C RO.200/- 2 BHK with A/C near Kims hospital

RO.300/- Darsait commercial or residential with A/C RO.230/- Stu-dio at Al Falaj RO.170/-. 2 BHK with-

out A/C at Wadi Kabir RO.300/-

Contact - 92144045

300 Sqr mtrs store or labor camp

for Rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact -

99792181

For rent apartments: An apartment

in old Muscat at Oman Arab Bank’s

building. 3 bedrooms + 3 bathrooms,

dining room, living room and a

kitchen. Air conditioned apartments.

2 bedrooms + 2 bathrooms, living

room, dining room area and kitchen

in an excellent location in Al Khuwair

opposite the court of fi rst instance. For

further information call 97072976

Flats and shops. Contact 93009999

Studio fl at in Ruwi.Contact 99792181

Villa, ground fl oor in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99743569, 97004265

Restaurant about 250 SQM @

5/- SQM, heart of Ruwi Market in

Plaza Hotel for sale / rent. Contact

99326339 / 24833314

Shop for sale near ONTC bus

stand Ruwi near Sun City Hotel

on main road.Contact 99326339 /

24789801

Flats for Sale in Bowshar: OMR

35 Thousand 1 bedroom. OMR 45

Thousand 2 bedroom. Monthly

income 1 bedroom OMR 270 and 2

bedroom OMR 350. Tel: 99333479 or

95215360

2 BHK fl ats for rent behind Kims

Hospital. Contact 93161573 /

97769759

Penthouse near Sultan Centre

Al Amerat with 2 A/Cs.

Contact 99612270

3 bedroom furnished Execu-

tive Apartment @Al Khuwair 25,

2 BR fully furnished Executive

Apartment @Azaiba near Zubair

Showroom, 2 BR fully furnished

executive Apartment @Al Khuwair

33 near Zakher Mall. Please con-

tact : Atlas Real Estate & Rent A

Car LLC, 99249069 / 92888376 /

93201688,

email : info@alshahiintl.com

2 BHK fl at Muttrah / Mabelah.

Contact 95915154

Studio fl at Darsait. RO 150/-.

Contact 92144045

For rent (fl ats), 2 bedrooms

+hall+kitchen, location: South

Al Mawaleh. Contact 99870020

1 / 3 BHK Flat Ghobrah, close to ISG

Way 4041, building 4390.

Contact 99319880

Show room on the main road Saham

center total area 450 m sq. Contact:

99366558 / 99334226

Flats/villas owned by ROP pension

fund available for rent in Muscat.

Contact 99349526

Apartments in Al Khuwair new area

each apartment contains

(2 bedrooms + living room)

for RO 365. Contact 93181111

Industrial Land in Misfah.

Contact 93009999

For rent shops and offi ces in

Al Mabela. Contact 99355330

New Villa for Rent Two fl oors

newly built villa in Maabillah, 8 Full-

fl edged Residential Area

6 Rooms, 8 Toilets, excellent fi nish-

ing spacious Kitchen, Big Dining

Rooms in Both Floors, Easy Access

to Muscat and Sohar using Maabil-

lah Bridge. Contact 92828303

Flats ground fl oor, 3 Rooms & AC,

kitchen, hall, in Al Mabaila South.

Contact 99377290

Dental clinic for sale in

Sohar. Contact immediately

99705760,92625962

23,886 Sq Mtrs Agriculture land

with water well in Al Salwa, Barka.

OMR 260 Thousand. Tel: 99333479

or 95215360

Well running pharmacy. Contact no . 93240949

3 fl oor commercial building in

Muttrah behind Police. Generating

income of OMR 18 Thousand annu-

ally. Neat and well maintained. Built

on 197 sq mtrs land. 2 tailor shops

on ground fl oor and 6 fl ats. OMR

207 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or

95215360

Mobile shop & store for sale with

stocks in Dhofar building Ruwi.

Contact 92239696 / 98001233

Used furniture bedroom sofa dining

A/Cs Majlis washing machine, table

keyboard, Expat leaving.

Contact 99353978

Building material shop for sale,

near Mars Hypermarket, Al Ghoubra.

Contact 93797343 / 99881647

Running establishment for sale, industrial license, marble & granite,

aluminum workshop, fully equipped

showroom. Serious buyers please

contact 99334540

2 B/ R Fully Furnished Executive

Apartment @ Al Khuwair 33 Near

Zaker Mall. 3 Bedroom Furnished

executive apartment @ Al Khuwair 25

5 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished villas

at Azaiba with servants, 3 Bedroom

Unfurnished Villa @ Mawalah South

Area 6 with Servant Quarter,

5 Bedroom Unfurnished Villa @

An Apartment that resembles a pent-

house has 2 rooms with 2 toilets,

living room & an elegant balcony.

Fully furnished, suited for families.

Final price RO.300/- Mabela 8 near

German University.

Contact 99888400

1 BHK with attached toilet & bath-

room behind Bank Muscat at

Wadi Kabir. Contact 99373290,

24815012

1 BHK at Ghobrah - Near Indian

School. Contact: 99014885

1 BHK & Single room in Wadi Kabir.

RO 180/-. Contact 99376454

Al Qurum heights Sea view.

Contact - 99249069 / 92888376/

93201688

2 BHK at Al Azaiba, Building No.5145

Way 4470. Contact 99224748,

99425665

2 BHK with A/C, commercial

Al Khuwair. Contact 92144045

Flat one bedroom at Al Khuwair 33,

owner. Contact 92800007

CONTD on pg 6

DAILY GUIDED4 T U E S D AY, J A N UA R Y 1 3 , 2 0 1 5

DOMESTIC HELP

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT

MEDICAL

MECH/ TECHNICAL

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

SIT. WANTED

Need cutter for Tailoring shop.

Contact 99825211

Required Housemaid for Indian fam-

ily, Visa will be provided.

Contact 94291473

DRIVER

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifi eds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

Chartered Accountant, 10+ yrs

experience, B.Com, CA, CIA. Imme-

diate availability. Audit, Finance.

Contact 94641805

Indian male, 25 yrs, 3 yrs experi-

ence, Diploma in foreign & Indian

accounting, Diploma in fi re & safety

eng, looking for suitable position in

Oman. Contact 96582370

Indian accountant with more than

30 years of experience in construc-

tion (fi nancial / cost accounting)

with experience in material manage-

ment ,HR and general administration

seek part time/full time assignment.

Ready to work any where in Oman.

Contact 98598099

Part time Accountant, up to fi naliza-

tion, looking for job after 5 pm (Loca-

tion prefer – Qurum to

Al Khoudh). Contact 92917574

Accountant B.Com & CIMA Part

qualifi ed, 8 yrs experience currently

in Sri Lanka. Contact +94777222392

or 91126314

Female Accountant with 4 years

experience in Oman seeking suitable

placement. Contact 98721909

ACCA, 24 yrs, female, looking for

a suitable position, Accounting/

Finance in a reputed fi rm.

Contact 91710657

Indian female, 29 yrs, MBA, HR, fi -

nance, international Business having

2 yrs experience, Oman expert Tally

Peach tree looking for part time/ full

time, well experience accounting.

Contact 95319660

Indian female, having 9 yrs experi-

ence in Administration & 4 yrs in

Accounts seeks suitable placement,

preference for the straight shift. Re-

lease available. Contact 92239617

Chartered Accountant & company

Secretary : currently in Oman, Indian

male, 34 yrs, 10 yrs experience in

Finance, accounting, consulting,

MIS looking for position in fi nance.

Release available. Contact 96731642

Indian Accountant: male, B.Com, 6

out of 10 yrs experience in Oman.

Having NOC & valid Oman D/L. Can

join immediately. Contact 95740191,

email : lashks@gmail.com

B.Com Graduate, 3 yrs experience

in Accounts, Indian male, looking

for accounts or suitable job. Contact

afsarsabith@yahoo.com, 93975526

Part time Accountant with 15 yrs

exp in Accounting, Auditing, Taxa-

tion Management. Contact 95857199

Indian male, 35, MBA with 8 yrs

experience, 2+ yrs in Admin & Ac-

counts and 5+ yrs in USA as Retail

Manager holding American Driving

License looking for suitable position.

Contact 91341786,

Email : mfasiuddin@gmail.com

Finance Manager, MBA (Finance)

with more than 20 yrs of experience

in GCC/India, involved in Construc-

tion Contracting, Manufacturing,

fully knowledgeable in Finance Gen-

eral and Management Accounting,

NOC available. Contact 93245973

Accounts part time works upto fi na-

lization & fi nalization works.

Contact 96247295

M.Com with MS Dynamics and

Tally, 8 yrs experienced Accountant

requires Accountant (Senior Ac-

countant) position (NOC available).

Contact 93687011

Indian, MBA, Graduate specialized

in Finance, Marketing with GCC, D/L

looking for good job opportunity.

Contact 93197431

Pakistani Male, 26 yrs, MS-Supply

Chain & Project Management, BS-

Finance & Business Administration,

+2 yrs experience in Trading Firm

responsible for Supply Chain &

Accounts. Skills including strong

operation managerial Communication

& interpersonal, fl uent in English, SAP

and EPM. Contact 94663827,

email : musadiqfayyaz@gmail.com

Finance Manager, CPA, with more

than 15 yrs. of experience in GCC.

Fully knowledgeable in Finance,

General & Management Accounting .

NOC available. Contact 96209331

Accountant / Auditor, Srilankan

male 27, having 3+ yrs experience

looking for suitable placement.

Contact 93556320

Accounts Finalization, Part Time

Accounting, Audit Preparation,

Internal Audit, Onsite Tally Training,

Onsite Training for Accountants, In-

ventory Management. #94669089,

email : ibfcoman@hotmail.com

ADMIN/HR

ENGINEERS

EDUCATION

TOUR / TRAVELS

MANAGER

Light Driver having own visa

looking for job as driver

Contact 92303692

Light Driver looking for job.

Contact 92787245

Driver with vehicle, Keralite.

Contact 94251067

Driver seeking job. # 99805236

Urgently required an experienced person in gliding, fi xing & instal-lation works at buildings, for a

well established advertisement

co.in Sohar. Send your CV to :

mohammed.tauseef2@gmail.com

younis.alshezawi@live.com,

Call : 96367342,95728453

Indian Male, qualifi ed ICWA, M.com

with 2years experience in accounts,

costing, auditing & SAP in reputed

listed companies, seeks suitable

placements. Mob: 94619453

Email: cmashahidkt@gmail.com.

Indian male MBA 32 yrs having

10 yrs of exp seeking suitable place-

ment in Admin/ HR/ Operations/

Coordination/ Logistics etc. Holding

valid Oman D/L .Contact - 99054786

Graduate Indian female having

5+ Years Oman experience in Ad-

min/Procurement/Logistics with

excellent computer skills(PGDCA).

Seeking suitable Placement.

NOC available.Contact:95382966

Indian male 32 years, B.A Tourism

& Travel Management. 2 and Half

years Dubai experience in Front

offi ce & reservation in a 3 star hotel

with good command over English &

Hindi, seeking placement in HR or

Admin. Contact - 9454 1041.

Indian male having NOC with 7 yrs

Oman experience in recruitment / on

boarding general admin. Immediate

joining. Contact 96684424

Indian female with 10 yrs of experi-

ence in HR/Banking/Operations

seeks a suitable placement. Can be

contacted on 98919015 or

sherianne.coelho@gmail.com

Indian female with excellent

communication skills, confi dent,

dedicated to work and enthusiastic.

Knowledge about ms offi ce. Has

6 years of experience in cus-

tomer service, telecommunication,

HR.Looking for immediate place-

ment. Contact # 97348819

Indian male, Graduate expert in ad-

min and purchase for 9 yrs holding

Omani D/L looking for suitable job.

Contact 99626821, NOC available.

Omani with 6 yrs experience as

PRO, 3 years Admin / Procurement

Offi cer, excellent English can travel

out of Oman, PDO D/L seeks job.

Contact 96996938

Indian female, MBA, HR 1 yr experi-

ence in India seeking suitable op-

portunity. Contact 99257214

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ARCHI./ DRAUGHTSMAN

Required Physiotherapist. Contact: 91453024

General practitioner Doctor is

required to work urgently in Dreams

Clinic at Al Khoudh and must be

resident in the Sultanate of Oman.

Please send your CV to the following

email: towershr70@gmail.com,

balushi70@gmail.com &

info@towersinternationalgroups.

com, Mobile 99882340,

Tel: 24545914

Dentist required to work urgently in

dreams clinic at Al Khoud and must

be resident in Sultanate of Oman.

Please send your CV to the following

email – towershr70@gmail.com /

balushi70@gmail.com /

info@towersinternationalgroups.com

Mobile – 99882340 / 24545914

DESIGNER

CATERING

AutoCAD Designer D/man 2D/3D/

Revit/Photoshop, experienced.

Contact : 97103168

Interior Designer, Gulf Exp, Auto-

CAD 2D/3D/ Corel draw.

Contact : 97103168

Indian male, 8 yrs GCC experience

in 3D & Architectural Designing

with D/L. Contact 97263199

Heavy duty drivers with GCC HD

Driving License. Send CV to

jobs@prestigeprojectsoman.com.

Call +968 92341826

Light duty driver with Marketing

knowledge. Send CV to jobs@pres-

tigeprojectsoman.com or call +968

92341826

Light duty driver for offi ce work.

Contact 92341826

Wanted driver. Contact 95112461

DRIVER

DRIVER

Required experienced Account-ant Tally, excellent English &

driving license. Contact –

omanlaw.om@gmail.com /

24497762 / 92192510

ADMIN

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Urgently required: Receptionist (Omani) - 01 no with 2-4 years

experience Marketing Executive - 01 no; with 5 years experience

(Location - Mawelah, Muscat) . PRO

-02 no with min 10-15 years expe-

rience (Location - Muscat & Sohar).

Interested candidates may send

CV to infoduqumoil@gmail.com

A leading foodstuff company

requires the following : Offi ce Coordinator – with experience in

related fi elds, female. Interested

candidates may send their

resumes at jobs.om@outlook.com

Construction Company requires female executive assistant, with

good computer and communica-

tion skills, advanced English,

fl uent Arabic. Please send your CV

harun.koyyar@adaliholding.com

One of the leading Business

Groups in Oman is looking for

the following person : Secretary (Male-Indian) – 1 No., min 5 yrs

of experience preferably in spare

parts & bearings. Please send your

CV to kumar@muscatsteel.com

A reputed 3 star hotel in Muscat requires qualifi ed Omani Nation-als for front offi ce, security and

food and beverage departments.

Interested candidates

please contact 99061335,

email : agm@hotelgoasis.com

Indian female, 25 yrs, bachelors of

businesses management, having

experience of 5 years as a fund/

fi nancial administration, on visit

visa,looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94662416

Apurwaverma@gmail.com

26 hrs Indian Accountant with

2 years experience, B.Com, seeking

suitable position, available immedi-

ately, contact No:9821 3292,

e-mail: Indite2faraaz@gmail.com

A leading Company in Oman look-

ing for – (1) Customer Care Service – male (1 no.), (2)Customer Care Service – female(1 no.), (3) Driver – (2 no.) Contact 97461515 / 99101733

Pentagon Oman a leading world-

wide logistics company with over 40 offi ces worldwide off ers a CAREER OPPORTUNITY for a Busi-ness Development Manager. A good

standard of written and Oral English

is a must. Candidates, preferably

Omani – and with experience, are

requested to email their CV to

sukumara@pfsoman.com and

pentagonoman@gmail.com

Urgently required Sales Managers & Sales Executives for the following

fi elds: 1) Information technology,

2) Gifts & promotion 3) Readymade

Garments & textile. Experience

required minimum 3 yrs & having

valid Oman Driving license.

Contact 99322373 ,

omanlightsmarketing@gmail.com,

alzahraexports@gmail.com

Required Salesman, Tailor, Barber. Contact 91114884

Leading Construction company

requires young purchase assistant

with Oman driving license.

Contact 99108425

ARCHITE. / INTERIOR

Omani Man looking for a job with

experience in HR/ Admin/

accounting. # 99767666

Indian Male 25 years B.Com hav-

ing 3 years of exp of Oman in Ac-

counts/Administration.Well versed

with computer knowledge looking

for suitable position. Immidi-

ately available. Contact:93207867

email: tambeazhar@gmail.com

Indian female, 25 yrs, B.Com with

computer Application, 1 yr experi-

ence as Accountant, looking for

suitable job. Contact 98847165

2-3 years experienced electrical

panel technician. Contact Mobile

No:93838449/98987386

Accountant with 5 yrs experi-

ence for Oman / UAE. The can-

didate should be able to manage

the Company’s A/C’s department

independently and capable to

handle / co-ordinate independently

with internal and external auditors.

Email : realconsco@gmail.com or

fax 24210016 or contact 99273774 /

99202278

Urgently required Senior Account-ant (exp. required minimum 5 yrs

having driving license), Assistant

Accountant (exp. req minimum

3 yrs). Contact 99322373 ,

omanlightsmarketing@gmail.com,

alzahraexports@gmail.com.

An Accountant with minimum 3 yrs

experience in managing fi nancial

records & administration functions

is required for an IT company in

Muscat. Send your CV with updates

photo to itmuscat2014@yahoo.com

Indian male, working Bakery

Pastry as Sr. Chef De Party, 15 yrs

experience in Oman, 10 yrs exp in

one of the 5 star Hotels,

still working, get release.

Contact 96460519, 99063817

Construction Company requires Civil Engineer with degree only with

10 yrs of local or GCC Experience.

Email : omaniantrad@gmail.com

Urgently required Biomedical Engineer with 5 yrs experience with

Laboratory Diagnostic instruments

for a Medical Diagnostic Company.

Candidate with Omani Driving

License preferred. Contact

imsllc@imsoman.net

We are looking for :- 1) Firefi ghting equipment Engineer / Technician, 2) Marketing Executive, 3) Crane Maintenance Technician. Email :

alsarooj@omantel.net.om

Urgently required Mechanic Supervisor (B.Tech in Mechanical

/ Automobile Engg) for a reputed

company in Muscat with min of 5 yrs

experience in Grader, Dozer etc with

GCC/Oman License. Those interested

may email CV along with certifi cates

to p.m@watcooman.com,

g.m@watcooman.com or

contact 99288717

Required urgently Civil Engineer with minimum 5 years experience

driving license must. If you interest-

ing send your CV on email:

Towershr70@gmail.com

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER (full

time) Responsibilities: To work with

architect, To provide of construction

issue documentation for a projects.

Desired candidate Profi le: min of

3-5 years experience in Structural

Design, Should be AutoCAD compe-

tent. Please send your CV to Email:

info@pak2pak.com Tel. 99196733,

99419766

We are looking for an Optometrist for an Optical with minimum

3 yrs experience.

Please contact 99340769 or

email : aeooman@gmail.com

Wanted MBBS Doctor, Staff Nurse and Lab Technician for a Clinic

in Capital Area. Please contact

93431024, send CV to

drasyanaseem@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING

SALES / MARKETING

Required (fast food restaurant), a part time marketing / Sales professional on commission basis

– 5 Nos. in Muscat. Forward CV to

fastfoodoman2014@gmail.com

Architect ( Autocad 3D / 3D Max

/ photoshop / presentation ) in a

reputed offi ce. Tel 24794481

fax 24794482

kamalismailconsultant@hotmail.com

Indian male, 32 years, M. Com.7 out

of 9 years experience in Oman in

Accounts/fi nance. Having NOC and

valid Oman D/L. Contact 98277143,

Email: anzarks@gmail.com

Accountant, 2 yrs experience (pur-

chasing, coordinator) with D/L and

NOC. Contact 94174403

Indian CA with 14 yrs exp. working

as Head of Finance Oman for US

MNC looking for job. Ph94047434

Indian Male, MBA 2 yrs experience

in Accounts, Admin & HR on visit

visa. Contact 92045306

Looking for outdoor salesman for heavy equipments.

Contact- 93292015, 99656542

Required an experienced person who has ideas to start a new business

in electrical fi eld or supply with mini-

mum cost. Contact 99426421

A well reputed Steel Fabrication & Machining Workshop Company in

Oman requires experienced Sales-man / Sales Engineer with Diploma

/ Degree Qualifi cation.

GSM 99228046

Email : oman518@gmail.com,

Salesman for Sales of Printing Press

supplies urgently required in Dubai.

Must be knowledgeable about Print-

ing Presses and have a valid GCC

Driving License. Email CV to

sales@ies-oman.com

Highly reputed Perfume Company requires Omani Sales girl promoters. # 95663682, 92956876

India Accountant: Male, M com,

7 Yrs experience in Accounts up to

fi nalization, having knowledge of

ERP, Tally, seeks suitable place-

ment. Contact:93950138

Email: lijinrajan123@gmail.com

URGENTLY REQUIRED a leading

construction requires B.Tech

Electrical Engineers with 5-10 yrs Gulf experience.

Interested candidates who are willing to join immediately may

send their CV to hrdarabianmktg@gmail.com

ARCHITECT/DRAFTSMAN/SITE

ENGINEER: Indian, Male.5 Years’

Experience; In Edu Trust, and Com-

mercial Complexes.

Currently in Oman In Visit Visa

Cont. No.93957502 / 97899661

Civil Draughtsman, Indian Male,

23 yrs with 3yrs experience in Au-

toCAD 2D & 3D, MEP, HVAC, 3Ds Max

and Photoshop looking for suitable

position, presently in Muscat, Oman

on visit visa. Contact 91764358,

mohdsiraj02@yahoo.com

Required Teacher for ISWK stu-

dent studying in VII & III at Honda

Road Ruwi. Contact 99471699

Urgently required Ticketing Agent for travel Agency in Muscat mini-

mum one year experience.

Contact 95417255

An excellent company seeking

for experienced male Light Duty Driver to work in Salalah. Contact

92322588 / 99653350, email :

sadiq.fm@omantel.net.om

Urgently required light car drivers for a VIP service Company.

Preferred Philipino National.

Contact 98266319.

Email : lord.ofarts@yahoo.com

Good growing Company in Muscat is looking for 2 Heavy duty drivers. English language needed. Email :

yesterdaysun1@hotmail.com

Needed 2 drivers, off ering good

salary. Contact 99441798

DAILY GUIDET U E S D AY, J A N UA R Y 1 3 , 2 0 1 5 D5

DAILY GUIDESITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

ENGG. / TECHNICALDRIVER

Jordanian Civil Engineer with 4 yrs

experience in Construction Field (re-

lease available). Contact 95157199 /

92866288,

email : best66_pl@hotmail.com

B.Sc, Civil Engineer, over 19 yrs

experience in construction fi eld with

project management skills, seeks

suitable placement. NOC available &

can join immediately.

Contact 92198264,

Email : mdrana1970@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer, B.Tech 4

yrs MNC experience, installation

commissioning & on-site repairs

/ maintenance of heavy mechani-

cal equipment. Contact 93387867,

mamgain9806@rediff mail.com

B.E Production / Diploma Fab-

rication, 2 yrs experience valid

PDO permit holder visa expiry on

26/01/2015. Contact 94270360,

+91 9925140499,

pankajrathod1985@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer, Indian male,

seeking suitable job on visit visa.

Contact 99796730, 92031312, email

: pudsalamilup123@gmail.com

Indian male, B.E. Electrical Engineer

having 15 months experience in a

leading Indian Company, seeking

suitable placement. Now in Oman on

visit visa. Contact 92453891,

email : jestinjose007@gmail.com

Civil Engineer (Pakistani) holding

light and private light license of

Oman. Contact 95980506

Mechanical Engineer, 3+ yrs exp.

(2 yrs. in Oman) experience looking

for better prospects. NOC available.

Email : myopportunities2015@

gmail.com, 968 94403484

Civil Engineer, male, 25 yrs, 3 yrs

experience in site, CAD,3D, MS Pro-

ject, now in India, seeks job in Oman.

Contact 92887561,

jubincivileng@gmail.com

B.Tech Civil Engineer since 9 yrs

in Oman experienced in Project

coordination / Quantity surveying,

looking forward to work with con-

tractor/ consultants/client. Email:

mmali_03@yahoo.com,

Contact 93457995

26, female, B.Tech in Electronics &

biomedical engineering with 1 And

Half yrs experience in medical fi eld

is seeking suitable job openings.

Email : aswathiravirak@gmail.com,

ph : 94652908

B.E, Civil Engineer, 7 yrs experience

(3 in UAE & 4 in Pak), skilled – MS

word. Excel, AutoCAD.

Contact 98499008

Email : saadichan1331@gmail.com,

Civil Engineer, BE, 5 yrs experience,

minimum 2 yrs in Oman.

Contact : ansari_eruv@yahoo.co.in

Indian male, 25 yrs, Electrical &

electronics Engineer, 7.8 CGPA,

history of no backlogs, Zonal topper

in English Communication, with

Cambridge certifi cation, looking for

suitable position, 2 yrs experience.

Contact 93918271,

abhilileeeian89@gmail.com

MSc. UK Graduated Indian Male

26yrs Looking for Research As-

sistant Post. MSc. Agriculture For

Sustainable Development (UK)

B.tech. Biotechnology. Currently on

Visit Visa Email: nithinalex@gmail.

com Contact: +968 91709479

Mechanical Engineer, Indian male,

6 yrs exp (3 yrs in GCC) seeks suit-

able openings. Have valid GCC driv-

ing license. Email : msfebco@gmail.

com. Contact 91228398

HOSPITALITY

MEDICAL

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

MBA Graduate 10+ exp FMCG food

serv. Sales channel/ Branch Man-

ager. Contact - 99185205

Indian male Graduate with 20+

years of Administration, Operations

& Management experience in IT,

Oil & Gas & Hospitality Industry. 12

years in Oman with vast contacts,

very strong management, operation-

al, communication and interper-

sonal skills, can handle any size of

business and projects whether it’s in

initial stage or established. Can join

immediately. Local release available

on request. Contact: 9906 4589

Indian who has experience in inde-

pendently managing business is the

fi eld of maintenance, carpentry and

interior works looking for suitable

openings has been in Oman since 6

yrs valid Omani D/L.

Contact 93284862

MBA, male, 31 yrs, 5 yrs Production

management exp, 1 yr sales experi-

ence, 4 yrs admin & accounts exp.

strong IT team management skills,

immediately available for joining.

Contact 94670691,

ibrjhung@gmail.com

Indian male Graduate with 20+

years of Administration, Operations

& Management experience in IT,

Oil & Gas & Hospitality Industry. 12

years in Oman with vast contacts,

very strong management, operation-

al, communication and interper-

sonal skills, can handle any size of

business and projects whether it’s in

initial stage or established. Can join

immediately. Local release available

on request. Contact: 9906 4589

Qualifi ed Manager: (12+ yrs. Oman

Exp.) Vast knowledge in A/c & Admin,

Costing, Banking, Credit Control,

Insurance, International Purchase/

Logistics & Finance, With D/L

looking for suitable position.

Gsm: 93826090

Email: jskanchan01@gmail.com

Indian female with nine years of ex-

perience in 5 Star hotels as Assistant

Food & Beverage Manager looking

for a suitable placement in a reputed

Star hotel.Contact: 91219787

SALES / MARKETING

SECRETARIAL/OFFICE

Female 24 yrs Indian MBA and

IATA,1yr experience Ticketing &1.6yr

experience in Front offi ce looking

suitable jobs Travels, Admin& Front

offi ce .Oman on Family visa .

Contact 94614318

Indian female, well experienced

in secretarial, administration,

customer care & supervisory jobs.

5 years experience in Muscat.

Immediately available for joining.

Contact: 92139298

Telecommunication Engineer with

5 yrs experience in the Gulf.

Contact 95219822

Electrical Project Engineer, 4 yrs

experience OHL, Substations, Oil &

Gas fi eld, AutoCAD. D/L available.

Contact 95120225

Fabrication Engineering / Diploma

in Mechanical Engg. 17 yrs experi-

ence in Oman looking for suitable

placement, NOC available.

Contact 95426225, 93206605

Indian male, B.Tech (Electron-

ics & Electrical) working in Saudi

Arabia as Plant Manager for more

than 2 yrs, seeks suitable opening

in Oman. Contact +966593599187,

Email: noushadpm149@gmail.com.

Oman : 98875103, 99480523

Indian B.Tech Mechanical Engi-neer, 26 yrs, 4 yrs experience in

HVAC/MEP. Contact 94669629,

rajeevhpd15@yahoo.com

BSc Architectural Engineer,

7 yrs experience (6 yrs in Oman) site

work. Contact 99178218, 92579358,

email: ah.elnakash@yahoo.com

BE (Elec and Tele Engg), Experi-

enced as Application Engg, Certifi ed

in BMS SCADA Ph: 94037935/

97103168

Land Surveyor 10 yrs experience

on visit visa. Contact – 93522354 /

sibivarun89@gmail.com

Civil Engineer with 12 years Experi-

ence Looking For Job.

Contact 98162295

Sr. Site Supervisor (civil) since

March 2010 in Oman, looking for

better opportunity (rel. available).

Contact 93061107

Nebosh Qualifi ed HSE 15 yrs exp

safety Engineer Military (Indian

Navy) background, valid Oman driv-

ing license. Contact – 97352324

Quantity Surveyor (Civil Building)

looking for Part time job Contact

no:-94391712 E-mail address-

inayathhussain@yahoo.com

Industrial Electrician with Oman

Driving license. Contact 96348016

Indian male, 26 yrs B-Tech (ECE)

with MBA in Marketing / HR looking

for a suitable placement. Currently

on visit visa valid up to 30 January

2015. Contact 93754428,

email : shijosirius709@gmail.com

Sudanese Civil Engineer, 10 yrs

experience 4 yrs in Oman in Govern-

ment Projects Supervision looking for

a job with D/L. Contact 96966790

Civil Engineer (Diploma) looking for

an urgent placement. #95200650

Civil Engineer (Fresher from NIT)

skilled in Autocad & Primavera,

holding oman D/L seeks suitable

placement. Contact -97309804,

Email-nizam.m5@hotmail.com

Diploma of Associate Civil Engi-

neering, Diploma of AutoCad, having

3.5 yrs experience, 2 yrs experience

of Oman in Building Construction,

valid transferrable ID Card.

Contact 94378581

BE Civil Engineer, 5 yrs experience.

NOC available. Contact 98970233

Diploma in Civil Engineer, 15 yrs

Oman experience (total 28 yrs) look-

ing for senior position with valid D/L,

NOC available. Contact 99013465

DAE (Civil) having 3.5 years Experi-

ence 2 years from Oman with driving

licences, seeking for suitable posi-

tion in Construction fi eld NOC and

release available Contact 96968554

mehranahmad26@yahoo.com

Mechanical Engineer, Gold Medalist,

B.Tech with 3.5 yrs experience in

Thermal Gas Power Plant in LDO, HFO

Pipeline Fabrication erection boiler

banker turbine. GSM: 97025338

Email : warisheyat329@gmail.com

Presently in Oman on visit visa.

M. Tech Electrical Eng. Female, now

in visit visa.

Contact +968-94654481.

B. Tech Civil Eng. 3 yrs exp in Oman

with driving license. Contact 93733627.

Mail id : joinvisam@gmail.com,

neethusprakash@gmail.com

Indian Male, IT Support Engineer,

2 yrs in Oman & 5 yrs Indian experi-

ence. Contact 97311847

Jordanian Engineer Electrical 7 yrs

exp. Consulting, site & shop drawing

works. Ready to join immediately.

Worked in UAE & Saudi Arabia.

Contact - 00971555594733

INFORMATION TECH

TOUR / TRAVELS

TECHNICIAN

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

Civil foreman maintenance D/L,

12 yrs in Oman, 2 yrs in Kuwait.

Contact 96405865, 99534138,

India - +91 7589248550,

+91 9464255409, email:

sukhwinder9@yahoo.com

3 Years experienced Administra-

tive Executive seeking for Virtual

Admin Opportunities. Can work for

6 hours/day from a virtual location

for 100 RO/month. Call: 95811820

Seeking job, BTech Instrumenta-

tion, 12 years experience Design,

FEED, Detailed engineering, Oil

& Gas, Instrumentation systems,

Oman Driving license.

Email :- wilfridsjacob@gmail.com

Mobile:- 00968 99048130

Graduate, Indian, having 6 yrs

experience in Sales with D/L, NOC

available. Contact 93410723

Graduate, Indian, having 6 yrs

experience in Sales with D/L, NOC

available. Contact 93410723

IT Technical Support Engineer, 3

yrs experience in Networking, spe-

cializing in DHCP,DNS,NTP etc also

Desktop level 3 helpdesk. jeni_per-

sonal@yahoo.co.uk 94525630

IT Engineer, Indian male, 25 yrs

having 3 yrs experience in Techni-

cal Support (IT) Networking, Sales

Marketing, looking for a job.

Email ID : abumohd3@gmail.com,

91687294

B.Tech IT, 1 yr experience pro-

gramming with asp.net visual

basic network certifi ed.

Contact 96748154

Indian Male 23 yrs – IT / Pre-

post Sales Consultant / Business

Analyst / Web Designing. 2 yrs.

exp. Languages-HTML5, WebRTC,

Java, CSS, C++, .Net, SQL, Oracle,

ERP-Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Looking for suitable job.

Contact: 98802504,

email:shrihari26@gmail.com

Indian male, 23 yrs, having

1 yr experience in IT hardware &

networking & 3 months in Oman,

currently on visit visa, qualifi ca-

tion B.Sc Electronics CCNA, MCITP,

RHCE. ph : 92089719 Email :

sujithvijayan119@gmail.com,

IT support Technician, B.Sc computer science, 1 yr

experience in Desktop support &

3 months experience as System

administrator, Indian male, 25 yrs.

Email : rameezkk@outlook.com,

Contact 94525218

MCA Graduate, Offi ce mgmt typing

speed 45-50 wpm, 5+ yrs of experi-

ence in UAE & India.

Contact 98762816

Indian Male M.Sc electronics,

having 7.5 years of experience in IT

Hardware and Networking, seeking

placement. Contact: 97202522

email: connectjinomjohn@yahoo.

com

B.Tech IT Professional, Indian

Male with 3 yrs of Exp. In System

Admin, IT Support, Networking,

Installing Active Directory, DHCP,

DNS,RAS, confi guring maintaining

and managing servers, confi gur-

ing cisco routers, Exp in handling

SQL database, With Valid Driving

Licence. Contact - 968 98863507

IT Prof, MCA having 6+ yrs exp,

seeks suitable position.

Contact 94543668

IT Professional, Indian male, B.Sc

Graduate with 4+ yrs Gulf (UAE)

good exp in System Administration,

IT Support, Server Desktop, laptop,

smartboard, datashow biometric,

CCTV, currently on visit visa.

# 98936548, vaseemj@yahoo.com

Sales & Marketing Indian male

MBA (marketing & sales) business

development experience at all levels

of management. Currently on visit

visa. Contact – 91272819

Indian, female, Pharmacist avail-

able with NOC and MOH License,

preferably in Muscat.

Contact 9439 1355.

Male 28, seven & half an year ex-

perience. Worked as maintenance

division co-ordinator, purchaser’s

assistant, and offi ce administra-

tion works. Valid driving license.

94454847

Mechanical Engineer with 10+

years experience currently on

visit visa looking for a Opera-

tion Manager/Branch Manager

position in reputed organizations.

Contact : 95757845

Senior Accounts Professional,

Indian Male, 35 years, M.Com,

MBA (Fin) 8 years in Oman, with

valid Oman DL and NOC available.

Capable to handle accounts up to

fi nalization. Contact 9602 3965.

Looking out for the post of Travel

coordinator/Senior travel Consult-

ant, 14 years (10 years in GCC

Countries) of experience in the

travel industry looking for a suit-

able placement.

Contact : 96328687.

An Indian driver with car looking

for part time job.

Contact - 91103909

Indian, Female, Pharmacist avail-

able with NOC and MOH License,

preferably in Muscat.

Contact 9439 1355.

Indian, 24 years, B.Tech with

Diploma in Sound Engineering &

Sound Recording seeking suitable

placement. Currently on Visit Visa.

Contact: 95615436. Email:

siddharthsadasiv@gmail.com

Indian Female-Tech Electrical,

from third best college, Govern-

ment Engineering College Tris-

sur. Fluent in English. Excellent

presentation skill.Engineering,

IT, teaching or account sector

job wanted. Contact -97724630 /

email: vyshnaparthan@gmail.com

IT supports 6 yrs experience,

male, Filipino Desktop Support,

Backup administrator, Wireless

Networking, server admin.

Contact - +96896126502

Indian male, 31 years of Rich

Oman experience in Multifunc-

tional Management, Admistration,

Business Development, Purchase

& Operations seeking suitable

Manager/Supervisory Position.

Visa transfer/ NOC Available.

GSM: 95036410

Filipino Accountant with 13 years

working experience in the fi eld of

accounting looking for a suitable

job in Muscat. Contact: 94547323

Well experienced MOH Licensed

Indian female staff nurse looking

for placement under contract with

Schools, Medical Centres, other

Institutions. Contact 98140024.

Phd – Management, specialization

in management, e-marketing and

online consumer behavior, 6 years

of academic and research experi-

ence. Indian lady GSM 97240687

& 93463439

Indian Male having 14 years of

experience in HR, Purchase Dept

having Oman Driving License

looking for a suitable position NOC

available. Email –

madhuvtk@gmail.com.

Contact: 99252635, 99239498

28 years Indian male with 7yrs of

experience in Accounts & Finance

up to fi nalisation in Construction

Oil & Gas and also in Manufactur-

ing industries with Oman D/L

seeking suitable placement.

Contact me on 97104364 .email:

moorthy_cbe@hotmail.com

Indian female MA. B.Ed. with One

year three months Teaching expe-

rience. Subject: English ,seeking

for a Better placement. Now work-

ing in Oman . Contact: -: 93961142,

92184408 Email:-

anoopkesavan78@gmail.com.

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

Quality Assurance Offi cer, ISO

Quality System Internal Auditor,

BSc Graduate, female 27,

with 4 years experience seeks

suitable placement.

Contact nipuni.d.silva@gmail.com

Microbiologist & Quality Assurance Executive, BSc Gradu-

ate, female, 27 with 4 yrs experi-

ence in food industry looking for a

suitable placement.

Email : nipuni.d.silva@gmail.com

Logistics Offi cer, Experience in

Store keeping. Contact : 99505934

BCA Gratuate, Indian male with

1yr of exp in System Admin, IT

Support, Network Admin and 1yr

exp as sales Executive.CCNA,MCSE

.looking for suitable job. contact no

+968-95938303

email- hafsalhs@gmail.com

IT Professional, 7 yrs exp in Sys-

tem Administration, IT Support,

Networking etc. currently on visit

visa. Contact 94064579,

email : preejes01@gmail.com

Indian female Pharmacist, 28 yrs

MOH license holder with 3 yrs expe-

rience seeking suitable placement.

Contact 94037178

Home nurse. Contact 99156191

Veterinary Doctor 4 years experi-

ence in Military Cattle farm, Pet

Animals & butchery, looking for a

suitable placement.

Contact: 97892349

Physiotherapist (BPT), Indian male,

4.5 yrs experience, looking for suit-

able job, available in Oman (Muscat)

on visit visa. Contact 92692143,

Email: asadshabeeh@yahoo.com

Indian male Pharmacist (B.Pharma) 5 1/2 years experience

in Oman seeking suitable placement

in Muscat. NOC from the present

employer available.

CONTACT +968 98525100

Indian Female, Dentist fresher look-

ing for suitable placement.

Contact 98857686,

email : drsumbulahmad@gmail.com

Lab Technician, Civil (8yrs Gulf

experience) looking for a suitable

job (NOC available)

Contact-93344378

Indian female Nurse, prometric

passed, 64%. Contact 97916986,

96146016, 22068598

MBA Finance, 6 yrs exp in Sales

& Marketing with Omani Driving

License seeks suitable placement.

Contact 94685706

Sri Lankan Salesman cum driver

with NOC. Contact 97265733

Indian male, Diploma in Automobile

& BBA, 8 yrs experience in Sales

looking for a job in Sales.

Contact 94480382

MBA Professional with Omani

Driving License seeking Sales or

Marketing job. Contact 94143154,

rinojnathen008@gmail.com

Indian male, 25yrs, MBA in HR/

Marketing.6yrs exp with MNC and

pharma. Presently in family visit

visa looking for suitable placements.

Contact no-94657379/ 96645182

Indian male, 7 yrs Gulf exp in Sales

(Indoor – Outdoor), looking for job.

Contact 99433816 / 93159202

15 years experience in Business

Development , marketing, purchase –

UAE & Oman-staff coordination, doc-

umentation, civil & technical mainte-

nance, -valid GCC license-looking for

working partnership or management

post. Contact:91568362 /

Email vpj555pem@gmail.com

Indian Male, MBA in Marketing and

Finance, 10 years’ Sales & Business

Development Experience with valid

D/L of Oman & UAE looking for a

suitable placement. NOC Available.

Contact: 93969961

e-mail abhilash.pvrk@gmail.com

Indian Male, 7 yrs experience in

building materials trading having

Oman D/L, immediate release avail-

able. Contact 98676713

18 yrs Oman experience in Building

Materials seeking suitable placement,

NOC available. Contact 93105775

Indian male, 22 yrs, BBM Gradu-

ate looking for suitable job in sales/

marketing, currently on visit visa.

Contact 91757222, email :

danishdani460@gmail.com

Housekeeping supervisor & outlet supervisor, currently working

in Damman Golden Tulip, seeks

placement in Oman as an outlet

supervisor. Well experience in

room service managed with 160

rooms with 4 star hotel.

Contact 94641320

Civil Engineer B Tech, Site Engineer

Experienced, Drafting on Visit Visa

Ph : 91642050

Sudanese Mechanical Engineer,

3 yrs experience as Sit Engineer,

HVAC System, and driving license,

easy to transfer immediately.

Contact 91135140

B.E Civil 5 yrs exp (2 yrs in India) 2

yrs Oman & 1 year in Qatar. Salary ex-

pected RO.500/- above. # 94412557

Looking Part time Job in HVAC-

93198128

Experienced female Electrical

Engineer.Contact 93800906

Indian male, Instrumentation

Technician with 3 yrs Diploma &

1 yr exp in Maintenance Dept,

seeks job. Call +971554275155

Instrument Technician (M.Sc

Instrumentation) with 2 yrs experi-

ence (1 yr Indian + 1 yr in SABIC

Petro Chemical Plant, Saudi Arabia),

currently available in Muscat on

visit visa looking for a suitable posi-

tion in Oman. Contact 97165988,

email : shabeer812@gmail.com

IATA Certifi ed experienced Indian

Lady looking for job. Currently on

visit. Contact 94613747, 91339846

Bangladeshi male driver, exp 12 yrs

looking for job in any company &

offi ce. Contact 99165961

Pakistani male light vehicle driver

with 1.5 yrs experience. #98219599

6 Years experience light duty driver.

Contact – 96736744

Indian driver need job with car.

Contact 91254539

Light vehicle driver available.

Contact 96756014 / 97938893

Light driver looking for job.

Contact 92791678

General Manager / working partner

20 years in Dubai adverting agency

experience. Contact 93031168

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

26,male, ACCA fi nalist, exp. upto

fi nalisation of accounts, statu-

tory and internal audit, expertise

in using tally and focus & oracle

software, have 2 years exp. in ac-

counts till fi nalisation and statu-

tory audit, seeking fi ll time / part

time job,GSM-97654769,email id-

abdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com

MBA & chemical Engineer having

20 yrs Purchase & Logistic

experience in Petrochemicals &

oil fi eld seeking jobs in Oman/

Abudhabi/ Qatar/ SA .#97813849

Indian male 22 Yrs, diploma in fi re

& safety, special Trainings com-

pleted from Cochin Port Trust Fire

Service & The Travancore-Cochin

Chemicals Ltd searching for a suit-

able placement, now on visit visa,

Contact No. 96722632

Indian Male 26 years B.Com

having 5years rich experience in

Accounts and Admin looking for

suitable placement.

Contact: 96897914340,

00919902200486, E mail:

sudhakaranchan06@gmail.com

Indian Male, 24 yrs, MBA in HR/

Marketing. More than 1 years

experienced in retail Banking (Axis

Bank) Presently in family visit in

Oman seeking for a suitable place-

ment.#99892082 / 997 43 709

26,male, ACCA fi nalist, have

professional experience up to fi na-

lization of accounts, statutory and

internal audit, expertise in using

tally and focus & oracle software,

2 years experience in accounts till

fi nalization, seeking job,

GSM-97654769,email id-

abdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com

Indian Male 26 years BCOM

having 5years rich experience

in Accounts and Admin looking

for suitable placement. Contact:

96897914340, 00919902200486,

E mail:

sudhakaranchan06@gmail.com

Operation Manager, Indian male,

30 yrs exp. In Front Offi ce Hotel

Industry with Omani driving

license seeks placement.NOC /

Release Available. #99799774

Indian Male, B.COM, ICWA, CMA

Australia, 24 years experience in

fi nance, costing, accounts, internal

audit. Valid Oman driving license.

NOC available. Can join immedi-

ately. Contact 97917136

Indian female M.A B.Ed. with One

year three months teaching experi-

ence. Subject: English seeking for

a better placement. Now working

in Oman #93961142, 92184408

Email:anoopkesavan78@gmail.com.

B.Sc. Computer science graduate

with CCNA certifi cation and also

with a working 2 years experience,

looking for a suitable position in

IT sector. #96892595819

Diploma in Civil engineering, male,

5 yrs experience in Oman, worked

as Site Engineer at Hyundai Engi-

neering & Construction Company.

Beximco Engg Const Company, PHP

Steel Mills Ltd seeking job urgently.

Contact 97140857

Indian male 27year B.Com gradu-

ate 2year experience in marketing.

Looking for good placement in any

fi eld, since from 4year in Oman.

Contact 98765838

Indian Male 23years B.E Electrical

and Electronics Engineering having

1 year experience in Admin, Electri-

cal Engineer, Electrical supervi-

sor and Project Engineer looking

for suitable placement. Contact :

+96899682689, +91 8136994996.

Email: thalus09@gmail.com

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EVERY FRIDAY 2.00PM ON INDIA’S KAIRALI PEOPLE TV

● Worldwide ● Air Ticket ● Car Rental ● Holiday Packages ● Hotel Reservations ● Travel Insurance

Call: 0096824790400, 0096898569830 Email: info@omanorienttravels.com

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANT-

EDSIT. WANTED

BUSINESS

Excellent investment, business and

earning opportunity in Sultanate

of Oman and other GCC countries.

Looking for investors and sponsors

(Omani Nationals only). For meet-

ing and discussions please call on

91285860

Wanted dentist or investor to buy a

well-running dental clinic in Sohar

immediately. Contact 92625962,

95904234

We assist in new business set up

local sponsorship, real estate ser-

vices, assist in company formation

services. Contact - 93166088

MATRIMONIAL

ACC.WANTED

Keralite girl, 26 (180), BSC Nurse at

South America seeks suitable alli-

ance. Contact 94413100, 98335340

Proposals are invited from parents

of professionally qualifi ed Nair Boys

for 24 year old Upper Middle Class

Nair girl hail from Trivandrum, (171

cm, Star-Bharani) employed in a

reputed Company in Oman. Contact:

0968-9950 2593 /99798041.

(KM ID.2844689)

MANPOWER

ACC. AVAILABLE

Single furnished room in Ruwi.

Contact 24833609

Single room available for a work-

ing lady with separate bathroom

& sharing kitchen with a family @

Rex Road. Contact 95423572

Flat sharing, big two rooms, inde-

pendent bath near Al Falaj, semi

furnished quiet area, small family,

OMR 150, call 93218110

Single room for Executive bach-

elor near ISWK, Wadi Kabir.

Contact 92739154

Sharing accommodation for family

in Wadi Kabir. Contact 97167857

Sharing accommodation available

at Mumtaz area, Ruwi. #97612335

Independent room furnished

Executive at Wadi Kabir.

Contact 99336206

Furnished room in Wadi Kabir.

Contact 94012930

Accommodation available for

rent in SEEH AHMER FANJA near

Oman Oil, only 10 mtrs drive from

Rusayl industrial area, Please Call on

95200429 or 99224352

Room with A/C, furniture for ex-

pats at Al Khuwair. # 97004265 /

99689315

Room for Sri Lankan executive at

AL Khuwair. Contact – 96536307

Executive room at Mumtaz area.

Contact – 93103337 / 95212017

Single room with sharing kitchen

for Executive bachelor or working

lady, Ruwi, in front of Apollo Hospi-

tal. Contact 98232567 / 91673718

Room with separate toilet and WiFi,

Wadi Kabir near pencil building.

Contact 93416854

Room with separate entrance & A/C

in Al Khuwair near Rawasco for non-

cooking Indian Bachelor, rent RO

125/-. Contact 97201100, 95397442

Offi ce space near KFC, Al Khu-

wair, offi ce basement near Mars, Al

Ghubrah, double & single bedroom

fl at Al Ghubrah near Mars and Wadi

Kabir near Lulu. Contact 95755551 /

92222045

Furnished single room with

attached bathroom near Mars

Hypermarket, Al Ghubrah. Contact

97312111, RO 150/- per month

2 Bedroom fl at for offi ces with

furniture near Al Manaf Hotel, Ghala.

Contact 99525743, 99439705

Excellent 3 bedrooms , 2 sitting

rooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen & store

with A/C. 92817777

NRI

Land for sale, 13.2 cents prime

residential land near Perourkada

Junction on Vattiyoorkavu Road,

Trivandrum at 12L per cent.

Contact 92973928

Furnished house for sale near

Vattiyoorkavu, Thiruvananthapu-

ram, 5 cents, 220 SQ Ft. Contact

96099215 / 99016230

For Astrological consultation,

Jathakam. Contact: 99860435 /

97102599

Villa for sale 2200 sq ft in 8 cent.

Kottayam. Contact: 92652534

Genuine Ayurvedic treatments &

massage, Ayurvedic clinic at Al Khu-

wair. Contact 24478618 / 97263637

/93309131

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM.

If you would like to know more

about Islam, please call: 99425598,

96050000, 99353988, 99253818,

99341395, and 99379133. For ladies:

99415818, 99321360, 99730723

Orvisit: www.islamfact.com

Ayurvedic treatment for backache,

paralysis, arthritis etc & massage,

All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact 24475280 / 95371554 /

92504980 , www.siddhayur.com

Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain,

backache, paralysis, massage, steam

bath, obesity, spondylitis, ideal

care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November

Street, Azaiba. Contact 99639695 /

99117987

GOOD NEWS

Furnished single room with sepa-

rate bathroom near al meera hyper-

market, azaiba. Gsm 94288863

MBA with 1 yr experience, Indian

looking for job, salary 40000 INR.

Contact 96271935

Admin Executive, 31, Indian Male,

having 8+ years exp. in reputed

companies, seeking suitable

placement in any gulf region.

#+968 99276601 & 97693456.

muralimahdav77@gmail.com

Indian male, 26 yrs - MBA Gradu-

ate with 3 yrs of Experience in

Banking (Standard Chartered Bank

Scope International - Operations)

& Coff ee Vending Machine (Fresh

& Honest Cafe ltd - , Operations)

on Visit Visa seeks placement. Ph:

91267867,

Email: jai.ks1988@gmail.com

Tunisian women looking for

job, khnows english, frensh, Italian

and arabic. Contact: 91171838

28 year Indian male with

7yrs(5yrs in Oman) of experi-

ence in Accounts & Finance up

to fi nalisation in Construction Oil

& Gas and also in Manufacturing

industries with Oman D/L

seeking suitable placement.

Contact me on 97104364 email:

Moorthy_cbe@hotmail.com

Looking out for the post of Travel

coordinator/Senior travel Consult-

ant, 14 years (10 years in GCC

Countries) of experience in the

travel industry looking for a suit-

able placement. #96328687

Female dentist with MOH license

and release looking for a suitable

placement in Muscat, presently

residing in Muscat. ##99147426

Indian Female. B-Tech Electrical,

from third best college, Govern-

ment Engineering College Thris-

sur. Fluent in English. Excellent

presentation skill. Engineering,

IT, teaching or account sector job

wanted. GSM-97724630, email:

vyshnaparthan@gmail.com

Structural Engineer with 14 years

experience in structural design

and supervision fi elds with full

knowledge of structure design

programs, Omani D/L, seeking a

reputed engineering consultancy

offi ce vacancy Tel. 96248598.

Indian female dentist with 4 year experience.

Call Nazia 96488737

Manager Maintenance/Engi-

neering/Purchase, 31 yrs. exp. in

mechanical, electrical, electronics,

parts fabrication, purchase deptt,

oman exp. 5yrs, have NOC,

looking for job. Contact -

pkv2k3@yahoo.com, 99331289

Indian Male, 31 years of Rich

Oman experience in Multifunction-

al Management, Administration,

Business Development, Purchase

& Operations seeking suitable

Manager/Supervisory Position.

Visa transfer/NOC Available.

GSM: 95036410

Indian Male, B.COM, ICWA, CMA

Australia, 24 years experience in

fi nance, costing, accounts, internal

audit. Valid Oman driving license.

NOC available. Can join immedi-

ately. Contact 97917136

Post Graduate Engineer with

5+ years experience in Project

Planning & Management

currently on visit visa looking

for a Project Co-ordinator/Plan-

ning Engineer position in reputed

organizations.

Please contact (968) 96105079

Indian Female, IATA, BSc looking

for suitable placement.

Contact 95514305.

Email-jitureshmi@gmail.com

MECHANICAL ENGINEER (B

Tech), Indian Mail, with NDT

Level 2(ASNT), Autocad, Solid-

works, 2 year above experience

(as Mechanical Site Engineer and

Design Engineer), Seeking suitable

placement(on visit visa).

Contact: 91591548,

00919447300022,

Email: vishnu300022@gmail.com

Indian Female, Graduate having

good experience looking for suit-

able job. NOC available.

Contact 91774397

22 Indian Female, BCA (MCA),

4 Years’ Experience in Teaching,

Training & Management of Of-

fi ce and Computer Applications,

looking for suitable vacancy in

the fi eld of Teaching/IT/Offi ce

Management

Contact – 94540768, Email –

paipreethi01@gmail.com

3 Years experienced Administra-

tive Executive seeking for Virtual

Admin Opportunities. Can work for

6 hours/day from a virtual location

for 100 RO/month.

Call: 95811820

M.V.WANTED

Required Nissan Tida / Toyota

yaris / Suzuki swift / hyundai/Kia

hatchback car in good condition.

Contact 95405033

Single room or studio fl at required

in Ruwi area. Contact : 95405033

FOR SALE

BUYING/SELLING

Looking for purchase of Used Portable Compressor (350 CFM,

7 Bar Pressure) powered

with Diesel run Generator.

Kindly Contact 99014686 or

operation@khancogroup.com

Used household & offi ce furniture and

electronic items. Contact 99834373,

97102699

Looking for commercial lands for

sale in Al Ghobrah North (urgent

serious buyers, commercial lands in

al Ghobrah North (corners prime loca-

tion). Contact 91155779

AVAILABLE

Established Restaurant for rent

with sponsorship.

Contact 97628242

Household items on sale.

Contact 93833107

Running Workshop for Tiles /

Marble & Granite cutting & skirting

in Wadi Kabir for immediate sale.

Contact 99105492

A newly opened Barber Shop for

sale at upcoming industrial zone

in Misfah. Expat leaving Oman.

Genuine buyers call 93833107

(Sale Price Negotiable)

Beauty parlour for sale Ghala

Al Ansab near Al Maha petrol pump.

Contact – 92540355 / 97748706

Offi ce for sale at Al Khuwair with

furniture, more than 700 sqm good

condition. Contact – 99055571

Workshop for sale near Misfah

behind Kanco with good fabrica-

tion shed electricity 1150 sqm area.

Contact – 98951026

Port cabins – New & refurnished

Porta cabin for sale and rent.

Contact 96723468

Sale!, all household items, like

fridge, freezer, cooking range, wash-

ing machine, window/split A/Cs,

LCD TV, Laptop, tab and many more

for attractive prices. Location : near

Toyota service Center, Honda Road.

Contact - 97048983, 95293643

Restaurant for leasing/sale in

Al Hail. Contact 94148970,

94148972, 97820877

Darsait Business Offi ce furniture,

Isuzu 4 ton brand new. # 91391363

Running Electrical Building

Material Shop for sale in Muscat.

Contact 95330905

AVAILABLE

Party & Wedding equipment rent-

als. Full line, from Tables, Linen

& Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers,

Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chaf-

ing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large

Sound Systems and spectacular

lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for

Catering and Croyden 9623 5555

for Sound & Light. www.tunesoman.

com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

DAILY GUIDET U E S D AY, J A N UA R Y 1 3 , 2 0 1 5 D7

DAILY GUIDE

SITUATION WANTEDCARGO

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with

Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine

Tours # 98029602, 92808636

TOURS

TOURSRENT A CAR

DRIVING

M.V. FOR SALE

Tucson V-6, 2007, automatic

RO 2500/-. Contact 99384640

Expat Prado VX6, model 2008,

excellent condition, 2 fuel tanks, 180

ltrs, cool box, leather seats, 122500

kms, last Toyota Service in Jan

2015. Contact 99435226

Pajero 3.8 v6 full option, 2008

model expat driven single owner, ex-

cellent condition, accident free, 217k.

Contact - 92590781

Lexus GS300, 2006.

Contact 93218349

Mitusbishi ASX white colour,

1.5 yrs old, excellent condition,

RO 5900/- fi nal. Contact 95278815

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation. Contact 99542393

Transportation. Contact 93405941

Transportation. Contact 98178135

Transportation available.

Contact 95570429

Pick & drop anytime in al Khuwair.

Contact 99764307

Transportation. Contact 98505294

Transportation. Contact 91379976

Transportation with car & driver.

(VIP’s only). Contact 95040768

Transportation. Contact 93425167

Pick & Drop any time. # 97014786

Transportation. Contact 99664703

Transportation available 99159277

Transportation. Contact 96538078

Transportation Available

Contact 97180655

Prado 2012. Contact 99336093

UM Aisha Trading Ladies Beauty

Saloon, Al Wadi Kabir main road,

Al Hassan Complex near top up

supermarket. Contact 95241147/

96700192

Hyundai Elantra white 2010 model

full auto. Contact - 95212017

FOR HIRE

TRUCK FOR HIREIsuzu 10 ton cargo body truck

(2012 FVR) with UAE experienced driver

available for long term / short term rent.

Contact: 95346950

Running truck wash for rent in

Ouhi Sunia Sohar. Serious people

can. Contact on 97864747

50 seater bus with PDO specifi ca-

tion for rent or lease. # 99839898

*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00

noon for next day’s publication.

* Subject to space availability

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

D8 T U E S D AY, J A N UA R Y 1 3 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

LOST

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

SITUATION WANT-SERVICES

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing,

Contact 99314807/24792998

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your

marble. # 24793614/ 99314807

Cheapest Prices, all types win-

dow, curtains and blind.

Contact 99539521

Computer service/ AMC/ Net-

working. Contact 93552434

Pest Control Treatments!!! Termites! Cockroaches! Bedbugs!

Ocean Centre LLC. #99344723

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance. Contact ABU QA-

BAS- 99320217 /24788722

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance. Contact ABU QA-

BAS- 99320217 /24788722

Door to Door Computers repair

specialist laptop software Website

cartridges. Contact 99199376

A.M Trading Pest control.Contact 99067923

Split & window A/C servicing &

maintenance. Contact 93769089

Carpet & Sofa Shampooing.

Ocean Centre LLC. # 99884591

Maintenance – 1) A/C Mainte-

nance, 2)fridge, washing machine

& dish washer repairing, 3)paint-

ing & cleaning services, 4)electri-

cal & plumbing carpentry work.

# 99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281

GULF INTERNATIONAL LLC

all kind of pest control.

Contact 92326955

Window & split unit AC servicing &

maintenance. Contact 96236476

For All Your Maintenance Solu-

tions, A/c Servicing & Fixing,

Painting, Cleaning, Electric. Contact

99002390

Carpet & sofa cleaning, house clean-

ing. Contact 99542979 / 98855815

For All Your Maintenance Solutions,

A/c Servicing & Fixing, Painting,

Cleaning, Electric. # 99002390

Water proofi ng ABUQABAS-

Contact 99320217/24788722

Window & split unit A/C servicing &

maintenance. Contact 96236476

Civil Maintenance, Painting Elec-

tric, Plumbing, Decor, Tile Fixing,

Lecithin Copra Board fl at stifl ing ,

Carpet Cleaning and A/C Servic-

ing. Contact 97897831 (Indian

keralite)

For all your maintenance needs

including, Painting, Plumbing,

Electricity, Laying of Interlock

Tiles, Marbles etc. Tel: 99383574

Mr. Chandran

CLASSES

WEBSITE

WEB, ERP and Business Intelli-

gence (BI) creation and man-

agement at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

COMPUTER

Al Manar Vocational pleased to an-

nounce at vocational short and long

term courses in tailoring, cooking

and internal design. Contact us now :

24698070 or 91144335

Split & window AC servicing and

repairing. Contact 99557080

Civil maintenance, electrical & plumb-

ing work. # 99557080, 96236476

Building Caretaker, Gulf Expe-

rienced, knows Arabic, Hindi

English Ph : 94304348

PRO services. Contact 99368907

Fast & Right Way - For all PR relat-

ed works – permanent Visa stamp-

ing, family visiting visa holders,

clients contacts – with NOC letter

with signed & sealed photocopy

documents . # 91568362

Catering services We do industrial

catering service, Canteen/ mess,

3 times packed meals,

and all types of catering events.

Contact 92188777/99249899

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. # 24810137,

99450130

For HT cable jointing and

termination works 33KV/11KV.

Contact 99056438 /

Email: npgoman@gmail.com

Painting Interlock plumbing

maintenance. Contact 92142319

*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text,

should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication.

* Subject to space availability

SITUATION WANT-SERVICES

We, Gurudath Narashiv Shenoy (name of father as per the pass-

port, holder of Indian Passport No.

K8458983) and Mamata Gurudath

Shenoy (name of mother as per the

passport, holder of Indian Passport

No. G7948805) having permanent

address in Loyala Msg Co-op Scty,

bldg No 2- fl at 3, Ambaji, Fatorda

– Goa (complete postal address in

India) and presently residing at

the following address in Ruwi, P.B.

No 880, P.C. No 112, Sultanate of

Oman, hereby solemnly affi rm and

declare to change the name of our

child Miss Sumathi Shenoy (name

as per present passport), holder

of Indian Passport No. J1166928,

date of issue 18/04/2010 issued at

Muscat. The name of our child will

be henceforth known as Sumati

Gurudath Shenoy (new name)

for all purposes. Any objection

towards change of name of our mi-

nor child may please be communi-

cated to Embassy of India, Muscat,

Diplomatic Quarters, Al Khuwair,

P.B.No 1727, Postal Code 112, Ruwi,

Sultanate of Oman.

Akram Hossain has lost Bangla-

deshi Passport No. BA0149909.

Finder please handover to ROP

Upendra singh has lost Indian

Passport No. G6752809. Finder

please handover to ROP

I, Benedicta Jenitha Martin (holder of Indian Passport No.

K2074684) daughter of Alban

John Martin having permanent ad-

dress in Kanchigara House, Pernal

Post, SK 574116 (complete postal

address in India) and presently

residing in Al Khuwair, Way No

3928, House No. 2430 (complete

postal address in Oman) intend to

change my name from Benedicta

Jenitha Martin (old name) to

Jenitha Benedicta (given name)

Martin Lasrado (surname) (new

name) for all practical purposes.

Any objection towards my name

change may please be communi-

cated to Embassy of India, Muscat,

Diplomatic Quarters, Al Khuwair,

P.B.No 1727, Postal Code 112, Ruwi,

Sultanate of Oman.

Waterproofi ng, light weight Screed,

Antitermite and MS Fabrication.

Contact 92888337

Electrical Plumbing Painting

Contract and Maintenance.

Contact 98456535

House shifting transport. Contact

99657644, 98518013