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SUNDAY, January 24, 2016 / 14 Rabi Al Thani 1437 AH timesofoman.com wtimesofoman.com facebook.com/timesofoman twitter.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

To the students of Sultan Qaboos University, 2000

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN

You, or some of you, may not remember that time when there were schools in tents. When we first set up the Ministry of Education we issued directives that every effort must be made to build schools as quickly as possible using all available facilities. Schools were indeed built with the greatest possible speed - taking into consideration the circumstances of that time - and that marked the start of the development of primary, then preparatory, then secondary education. We aimed to establish an educational system as fast as we could, because we knew that Knowledge is Light and light is the opposite of darkness.

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

‘Budget airline won’t affect Oman Air plans’

REJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Entry of low-cost air-line into Oman’s aviation market will not impede Oman Air’s ambi-tions, a top official from the airline has said.

“Oman Air has grown over the last year thanks to the competi-tion. The new entrant will not stop us in our ambitions,” Paul Gregorowitsch, Oman Air’s chief executive officer (CEO), said in

an exclusive email interview with the Times of Oman.

“We will continue on our jour-ney to become the best and await the initiatives of the new entrants with confidence,” Oman Air’s CEO added.

On Wednesday, the Muscat Na-tional Development and Invest-ment Company, Asas, was award-ed an air services operator licence by the Public Authority for Civil Aviation to establish Oman’s first low-cost carrier.

The new venture is expected

to fuel economic growth under-pinned by strong air traffic de-mand, which is expected to grow by 40 per cent by 2019.

While responding to a ques-tion on what steps would Oman Air initiate to avoid a price war, Gregorowitsch said that as the in-itiative of the new entrant is sup-ported by state investment funds, Oman Air will work together and share resources, such as the new simulator building, crew report-ing building, emergency response facilities and integrated opera-

tional control centre.“We see it as an opportunity to

grow the market and to provide extra guests to our growing inter-national network,” he said, adding that Oman Air is currently wait-ing to get more information about the low-cost airline’s routes and pricing point plans.

Commenting on why Oman Air didn’t launch a low-cost air-line, Gregorowitsch said the air-line launching a low-cost airline would be a diversion from its own brand position of being a full service airline and openly ques-tioned if a lower cost base could be obtained, based on the exist-ing labour laws in Oman and the lack of economic scale within a limited market.

During the announcement of the licence being awarded to the new low-cost airline, Khalid bin Hilal Al Yahmadi, CEO of Asas, had said that Asas’s aim would be to become one of the main de-velopment and investment arms for the government and pension funds in the country.

The low-cost airline’s CEO said that as the national budget airline, it would provide access to economical and efficient means of transport and further advance the aviation sector in the Sultanate of Oman. >A6

Oman Air will

share its resources

with the low-cost

carrier leading

to their optimum

utilisation in the

sector expected to

grow at 40%, said

Gregorowitsch

OMANEnforcement of ban on smoking

2A section of the public has called through social media that the recent

government decision on issues, such as a ban on smoking in enclosed areas and selling fish outside markets, should be enforced strictly. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries had banned vendors from selling fish outside the market premises earlier this year. >A5

OMANScience, tech pact to boost US-Oman ties

3The US Embassy in Muscat reaffirmed that the pact between the

United States and Oman on cooperation in the field of science and technology was a significant step forward. The pact would lead to expansion of cooperation in the field of science and technology for peaceful purposes, said the US ambassador. >A6

OMANHigh student dropout a cause for concern

1Thousands of students are dropping out from higher education every

year in Oman and the trend will have a negative impact on the government’s efforts to empower the private sector with an educated workforce. An average of 7,000 students drop out from the degree courses a year. The high dropout number is putting a financial pressure. >A2

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

JOINT EFFORT: Oman Air will work together with the new low-cost airline and share its infrastructure for better utilisation.

Share market losses to induce slowdownA. E. JAMESbusinesseditor@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A slowdown in eco-nomic activity in several sectors is expected with investors on the local bourse losing hundreds of millions of rials and the stock market plummeting to a seven-year low.

The investor community in general will spend less since there is a substantial (notional) loss in their portfolio invest-ments or financial assets.

“These are the times when people generally avoid luxury consumption due to the fact that they are not able to gener-ate income from short-term eq-

uity market investments,” said Kanaga Sundar, head of Research at Gulf Baader Capital Markets.

Liquidity crunchAlthough the actual loss will be felt when an investor sells his shares, the investor commu-nity in general faces a liquidity crunch, since they are unable to divest their equity shares.

Local and foreign investors on the Muscat Securities Mar-ket (notionally) lost OMR720 million in share value, when the market plunged by 539.22 points or almost 10 per cent since the beginning of the year (14 trading sessions) to close at 4,867 points on Thursday. >A6

P L U M M E T I N G M A R K E T

A2Sweet aroma of Omani halwa

A2 S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

OMAN

Thousands of stu-dents are dropping out from higher education every year in Oman

and the trend would have a negative impact on the govern-ment’s efforts to empower the private sector with an educated workforce.

An average of 7,000 students drop out from the degree courses a year. The high dropout number is putting a considerable financial pressure on the government’s scholar-ship system and takes away a potential knowledge pool from the private sector. There are also concerns about students who take longer to complete their courses or those who change institutions after going through academic difficulties.But whose fault is it?

Flaw in education systemThis is one flaw in Oman’s educational system that leads to be rectified urgently. On top of the list is the preparedness that would make students ready for specialised subjects. When they enrol in the founda-tion year, students have no idea which degree to pursue. Very

few schools have a career guid-ance system to advise them on the future. And the ones that have, are obviously ineffec-tive. In colleges and universi-ties, students are often left to their own devices to fend for themselves.

Again, they reach the dead end of the career guidance there. Universities do not link statistics of job availabilities with either the private or pub-lic sector.

When they are required to choose a speciality, they often have to do it ‘blindfolded’ and ‘walk the plank’ hoping there will be a soft landing at the end of it four years later.

Once they get in the first year of specialisation, they face another formidable challenge — some of them get in the tur-moil of dealing with the stress of coping with their studies. Colleges and universities do have counselling but either the ‘service’ is superficial or exists only in name. And again this is a ‘customer service’ based on commercial aspect, which may not connect deep enough with students.

Emotional turmoilYoung adults go through a series of emotional waves and they need someone who can sit on the passenger’s seat and watch how they drive through the highway of uncertainties. Sometimes they chose to drop out not because they are ‘stu-pid’ or don’t ‘work hard enough’ but someone is letting them down within the establishment of higher education. Some in-stitutions, whether in basic or advanced education, keep their students ill-informed about the offered courses. Another factor is that our intuitions do not clearly communicate with students the pathways and pro-gression routes. They ‘bump’ their way in and out in the

maze of syllabuses and some get seriously tangled up in the academic wilderness.

Breaking point They only realise that they chose the wrong course when they are halfway to graduation because all the time they were under pressure or simply could not find the right guidance or advice, either at school or when they are in the higher educa-tion level. When the stress level reaches a breaking point, they simply give up and drop out. This is the point where they realise that they enrolled in courses with misplaced conceptions or had very little interest in their content. The frightening thing is that the education system will deem them as failures. You don’t need statistics or an expert to tell you that these are students who will be more likely to develop serious mental health conditions.

Because the society sees them as outcasts, they are also prime candidates to experi-ment with drugs or engage in criminal activities.

Huge costSo the cost to the government will not only be to lose a vital part of human resources had they graduated or loss of mon-ey that educated them without success, but also to find them a solution to get them out of their problems. The costs of reha-bilitation can be profound and the one that the government will be reluctant to spend in the current economic situation. In conclusion, the blame must be shared both by the govern-ment and educational institu-tions. The academics must take responsibility for taking their jobs lightly in nurturing troubled students while the government for not effectively monitoring the system.

Higher education dropout rate is a cause for concern

C O M M E N T A R Y

SALEH AL SHAIBANY

SUNDAYBEAT

H AV E YOU R SAY AT T W I T T E R.CO M /T I M ES O F O M A N O R S CA N T H E CO D E TO I N STA N T LY P O ST YOU R T H O U G H TS .

Minimum wage set by Nepal for expat workers

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Nepalese government has fixed minimum basic salary and food allowances for unskilled and domestic workers at OMR120 in Oman, according to a statement issued by the Nepalese Embassy in Muscat.

“Those sponsors willing to re-cruit Nepalese workers through individual recruitment will also have to provide two way air tick-ets to workers and obtain their visas, free of cost,” it said in a written communiqué issued this month.

Welcoming this decision, Pres-ident of the Non-Resident Nepali Association, D B Chettri, said the embassy has also decided that only family members of those cur-rently working in Oman can apply for individual visas/employment contracts on behalf of relatives.

“However, in absence of these relatives in Oman, the embassy may attest such a document, if the following conditions are fulfilled, where a job seeker had already worked in Oman or a professional.

“Except for an unskilled work-ers, who found a job for himself in Oman through online appli-cations or interviews, and if the employment is provided by the

Oman government entity or dip-lomatic missions based in Oman, application for attestation can be submitted by relatives through authorised representatives.

“Companies that do not meet these requirements may contact any registered manpower agency in Nepal before they obtain a visa, and follow the procedures the same way as they would do for group recruitments,” he said.

Earlier, Nepal stopped issuing

labour permits to migrant work-ers whose air tickets and visa fees were not paid by prospective em-ployers in Oman.

This comes after the govern-ment of Nepal decided to send workers abroad for employment at no cost. “The decision provides that recruiting countries willing to recruit Nepalese workers will have to provide two way tickets to all workers and obtain their visas free of cost,” said Rojina Tamra-kar, chargé d’affaires of the Nepal Embassy in Muscat.

The official also noted that this rule applies to all Gulf countries, including Oman.

“The Government of Nepal, De-partment of Foreign Employment (DoFE), issues labour permits to Nepalese workers going to GCC countries and Malaysia for for-eign employment, only after en-suring the terms of free visa, free tickets (two way) and no other costs shall be deducted from the salaries of workers,” she said.

“Department of Foreign Em-ployment (DoFE) in Nepal can now issue labour permits to only those migrant workers whose ap-plications are attached with let-ters by employers ready to pay for their air tickets and visa fees. And these employers’ letters should be attested to by the Nepal Embas-sy,” she said.

The Embassy of Nepal in Mus-cat, in this context, requests companies to clearly put this provision in the demand letter to the submitted in the Embassy for attestation.

“They are also requested to mention in their agreement with the concerned manpower agen-cy in Nepal if any commission or service charges are being paid to manpower agencies in Nepal for recruitment purposes,” she remarked.

The Nepalese government has fixed the

minimum basic salary and food allowances

for employment of Nepalese unskilled and

domestic workers coming to GCC countries

including Oman at OMR120

COUNTRY WISE MINIMUM WAGES

Nepal: OMR120

India: OMR75

Bangladesh: OMR70

Ethiopia: OMR110

Philippines: OMR160

Working to spread sweet aroma of Omani halwa

TARIQ AL HAREMItariqh@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Visitors to the Na-seem Garden can savour the sweet taste of Oman during the Muscat Festival as a long time halwa maker has offered them the national delicacy during all the years the festival has been held.

Ahmad Al Riyami, owner of the Al Asala Factory for Omani Halwa, has been participating in the Muscat Festival since 2001 and has been selling halwa to the visitors ever since.

Apart from selling it, he and his team also showcase the art of making halwa by providing a plat-form where visitors are shown the process of making the delica-cy first-hand. “I’ve been working on making halwa for 15 years and we have been participating in all Muscat Festivals (held so far). We are continuous participants,” said Al Riyami.

A long line can be seen outside the stall, where visitors from vari-ous nationalities wait for their chance to purchase a fresh batch of halwa.

“I actually came to the festival specifically for this (halwa), it’s amazing,” said an expatriate visi-tor, who wanted to remain anony-mous. “We have a high standard of quality and taste so I can say with great pride that many come here for my halwa,” said the owner.

Compared with last year’s fes-tival, Al Riyami said there was the same level of activity at his stall, not more, adding that there had been abundant purchases from his stall. “We have several types of halwa, priced different-ly; some are OMR1 and some are OMR2,” he said, adding, “Some of our visitors take the standard quality, medium quality and ex-cellent quality halwas. Everyone has their own choice.”

O M A N P R I D E

SHOW-HOW: Apart from selling the Omani delicacy, Ahmad Al Riyami and his team also showcase

the art of making halwa by providing a platform where visitors are shown the process of making the

sweet first-hand. – Supplied photo

We have a high standard of quality and taste so

I can say with great pride that many come here

for my halwa

Ahmad Al Riyami Owner, Al Asala Factory for Omani Halwa

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Top-of-the-line British warship docks in Oman

ERIK PRINSerik@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: One of the most ad-vanced and powerful British war-ships anchored at the Port Sultan Qaboos in Muttrah yesterday, and will help bolster the United King-dom’s ties with the Sultanate, the Royal Navy said during a tour of the ship.

The HMS Defender D36, the fifth most powerful British Royal Navy Six Type 45 Destroyer, has just returned from operations in the Arabian Gulf, supporting French vessels attacking Daesh in Syria and Iraq, according to Sean Trevethan, weapons engineer at the HMS Defender.

“We are very happy to be here, after four months of being on op-erations. We’re very fortunate to have such good relations with Oman and to come into Muscat for a period of sustainment and to give the shipping team some rest and recuperation and to resupply it in order to continue with our operations,” he stated.

Trevethan added that the ship and its staff will stay anchored in Oman for five days to boost bilat-eral relations with the Sultanate. Omani military officials had vis-ited the ship yesterday for a dem-

onstration of the HMS Defender.According to Trevethan, the

HMS Defender is the first of such vessels to return to the Arabian Gulf within a year, as it is the sec-ond newest ship of the Navy, with a highly experienced staff and ad-vanced capabilities.

“We have made a promise to have one such ship in the Gulf all year round,” he said.

The HMS Defender, capable of carrying out a wide range of operations, including anti-piracy and anti-smuggling activities, disaster relief work and surveil-lance operations, as well as high intensity fighting, has the most advanced weaponry and radar systems available, Trevethan told the Times of Oman.

Highly capableLieutenant Tom Thicknesse, the ship’s Air Director, explained during a tour in the control room that the HMS Defender, due to its advanced radar systems, is capa-ble of tracking down suspicious aircraft, as well as other vessels, which pose a threat.

“We have highly experienced staff, who can take action if need-ed,” he stated.

Commanding Officer of the HMS Defender, Stephen Higham lauded the relationship that the United Kingdom has with Oman.

“Nobody understands the dy-namics in the Gulf region better than the Omanis,” Higham said, adding that he appreciated the

kindness and hospitality shown to him by the Omani government, whenever the Royal Navy an-chored its ships in Oman, before returning to operations.

“We are on constant opera-tions, working with French and American aircraft carriers, de-livering strikes against Daesh in Iraq and Syria. We cannot do that unless we have the support of our friends, particularly the Omanis.”

Higham stressed the need for maintaining a base in Oman to support operations in the region.

“This two billion dollar ship, with some of the most advanced and complex technology and ma-chinery afloat anywhere in the world, requires constant mainte-nance. We value Oman’s role as a base for sustaining our ships, as well as for sustaining the relation-ship with Oman,” Higham said.

He also told the Times of Oman that he sees great potential in the new port of Duqm as a base for hosting British ships.

“It’s important for us to always have flexibility. It makes sense to use Duqm as a sustainable base for our operations in the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Oman and the Gulf of Aden.

Higham said that after its cur-rent, second deployment, the HMS Defender will arrive in the United Kingdom in July for a pe-riod of extensive maintenance due to its complex equipment. The ship will be out of commis-sion for almost a year, he said.

Commanding

Officer of the HMS

Defender, Stephen

Higham lauded the

relationship that the

United Kingdom has

with Oman and said

that he appreciated

the kindness and

hospitality shown

to him by the

Omani government,

whenever the Royal

Navy anchored its

ships in Oman

BOOSTING BILATERAL TIES: The HMS Defender has the most

advanced weaponry and radar systems available. – Erik Prins

GCC FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET KERRYUS Secretary of State John Kerry held a meeting with foreign ministers of the Gulf Coopera-

tion Council (GCC) countries in Riyadh on Saturday. Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister

Responsible for Foreign Affairs, took part in the meeting which discussed GCC-US coopera-

tion in light of the decisions reached at the GCC-US Summit held at Camp David in May last

year. Issues related to developments in the region and the international efforts to combat

terrorism were also discussed. -ONA

Strays find well wishers in animal welfare activistsMOBIN MATHEW BLESSONmobinmathew@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: For Mariyam Al Bal-ushi, animals are like her own children. She is a dedicated core member of a welfare group for un-fortunate animals in Muscat.

She and her group, Tiger by the Tail, work to sterilise stray ani-mals, rescue those that are sick, injured or abandoned and find new homes for those they have rescued.

Al Balushi currently has around 56 cats and four dogs. She started helping stray animals in the year 2010 and is now spending more than OMR2,000 per month.

The welfare group Tiger by the Tail was founded by Jaison Mathai, an Indian expat to help stray animals in Muscat and to create awareness among the pub-lic about the welfare of animals.

“By joining this (Tiger by the Tail) group, I am getting more help from the people, who love animals like me and now I can share my ex-penses with them,” Al Balushi told the Times of Oman.

The group has eight core mem-

bers. Other members of the group are Julie Valters, Manjula Reddy, Nasra Ali, Nivya Crasto, Pushpa Negi, Sarojini P, and Siami Zohra. Among them are two doctors from the Capital Veterinary clinic.

According to the members, their group is an inspirational one for many that does so much for ani-mals in Oman.

Jaison Mathai, the founder of Tiger by the Tail, stated, “It’s a group that brings together people that want to help stray cats and dogs in Muscat. We work on with a trap-neuter-release (TNR) policy for cats and dogs.”

“This group is also active in res-cuing animals in distress, whether they are sick, injured, trapped or abandoned. We then spay/neu-ter them and we try to find them homes,” Mathai added.

According to him, finding a per-fect home for these animals is a major issue.

“Many people enjoy owning pets, but do not know about the re-sponsibilities that come with own-ing pets,” he added.

“Many of them don’t know what certain breeds need so they end up unhappy with their pets and give them away,” he added.

Members of the group also said that in order to help stray animals on the street, they needed support from the authorities.

“We desperately need more support or intervention from the authorities, and we hope that what we do makes a small differ-ence to these precious lives,” a group member said.

According to Al Balushi, there should be a government policy or law to make people aware against cruelty towards to animals.

T I G E R B Y T H E T A I L

Mariyam al Balushi and Jaison

Jaison Mathai with one of the

animals in their care. -AR Rajkumar

A4 S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

For detailed coverage log on to www.timesofoman.com

POPULAR HAUNT: Muscat Festival 2016 saw a large crowd

gathering in both Amerat Park and Naseem Garden on Thursday,

Friday and Saturday. The visitors enjoyed various activities including

traditional, cultural and entertainment shows. Here are some

glimpses of the extravaganza. - Photo courtesy Al Sihr for Art Production

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Crowds throng Muscat Festival

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Call for stricter enforcement of ban on smoking

FAHAD AL GHADANIfahadnews@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A section of the public has called, through social media, that the recent government deci-sion on issues, such as a ban on smoking in enclosed public areas and selling fish outside markets, should be enforced strictly.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries had banned ven-dors from selling fish outside the market premises earlier this year, while the Muscat Munici-pality had banned smoking in en-closed areas.

Ahmed Al Sawafi, a resident of Khuwair confirmed that individ-ual fish vendors were still selling fish in public areas, such as Khu-wair. “They are still selling it in front of the government officials. I wonder why the government has become silent on such violations,” said Al Sawafi.

He added that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries must not only depend on reports re-layed by the public, but also as-semble a team to follow up the practice of such decisions.

On the other hand, a national working in one of the big hotels in Muscat said the hotel he worked at had violated some of the re-

strictions enforced by the Muscat Municipality relating to smoking in closed areas.

“One of the regulations was to place an ashtray at a distance from the entrance and completely ban it inside enclosed spaces. At the hotel, the management had adhered to the Municipality di-rection for the first three months, but they later placed the ashtray back near the main entrance of the hotel,” said the national.

He added that due to his em-ployment in the hotel industry, he had noticed that some of the clubs still allowed smoking in some areas of enclosed pubs. Such hotels did not care about the rules, as their hours of opera-tion were usually late in the night and nobody from any govern-ment unit is expected to show up without notice.

A reliable source at the Muscat Municipality said the Municipal-ity represented by the Health Af-fairs Directorate always followed up on the implementation of its directives. “The directorate does not only rely on public reports, but carries out regular inspec-tions,” said the source.

He added that sometimes de-cisions are taken by joint teams from different government units and that the supervision of these inspections does not fall un-der the Municipality’s respon-sibilities, but other ministries or authorities.

The Muscat Municipality has been fining offenders OMR100 to OMR300 for violating the smok-ing ban.

Smoking is already banned on all public transport and in all en-closed areas, including govern-ment premises, health centres and hospitals, clinics and dispen-saries, educational institutions, industries, commercial centres and markets, restaurants and cof-fee shops and clubs.

Recently, the Muscat Mu-nicipal Council suggested it be-ing banned even in open public places. A member of the council told the Times of Oman that the decision was still under consid-eration by the concerned au-thorities and is expected to now cover the whole Sultanate, and not only Muscat.

Besides appeals issued through social

media for strict enforcement of ban on

smoking in enclosed areas, there have also

been demands to prevent vendors from

selling fish outside markets

Smoking is already banned on all public transport and in all enclosed areas and the Muscat Municipal Council has also suggested it being banned even in open public places

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OMANS U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

We should utilise this opportunity to

achieve economic diversification and

development of business

Marc J. Sievers, US ambassador to the Sultanate

Disposable income erodesThe overall impact of the plunge in market will be seen in slow-down of overall economic activi-ties,” said Hassan A, an Indian in-vestor, who has been investing on the Muscat bourse for more than a decade.

The disposable income (net income available for spending) of local investors from stock market gains has already eroded, which will percolate down re-sulting in an overall slowdown in the economy.

“When an investor gains from the market during a bull run, they realise the gain and go for luxury items, such as cars. With the mar-ket at record lows, I will not spend on luxury items,” added Hassan.

However, a section of investors reinvested in the market when they gained from their portfolio investment, which is also not hap-pening now. This had led to a fall in market liquidity.

Sundar said that as far as cor-porate entities (such as insur-ance and investment holding firms) are concerned, they will try to optimise their expenses to survive in this difficult economic environment.

Referring to the general trend in the local bourse, Sundar said people are trying to get out of the market since investments in

equity markets are liquid assets. “These are liquid assets, which can be realised quickly. The eq-uity market always acts as a lead indicator of economic perfor-mance. Other asset classes, such as real estate could be difficult to liquidate to generate liquidity.”

Right to sellA majority of local investors are holding their stocks on the ex-pectation that the market will recover during the second half of the year, when crude oil prices re-cover in global markets.

“I will hold the stocks until the market recovers,” said Hassan A. Hassan, who owns stocks of 10 companies, which will fetch him little higher than OMR10,000 at the present market price.

“However, my portfolio was worth around OMR80,000 when the market was its peak some-time in 2008,” he said, adding; “I have gained on several occasions when I sold stocks, which were bought during initial public offer-ings.” Hassan purchased shares from both primary issues and the secondary market. “I don’t know what is going to happen in the coming years.”

Suresh Kumar, head of re-search at Al Maha Financial Ser-vices, said an investor’s decision

to sell an investment portfolio currently depends on their mar-ket experience and the nature of investment.

“Some investors must have seen similar market cycles at least two times earlier. They are serious long-term investors,” said the market analyst.

“Long-term investors will capitalise on this opportunity since they get cheaper assets,” noted Sundar.

However, first time investors, who are not experienced (and look for quick returns), will get out of the market.

Echoing a similar view, K Mustafa, another investor, said he would also hold the shares. “I am not going to sell my shares immediately. I had incurred heavy losses during the last mar-ket crash, after the global finan-cial crisis,” noted Mustafa, who has investments in four com-panies —Galfar Engineering, Al Anwar Holding, Ooredoo Oman and Oman Cables.

“I had incurred heavy losses way back in 2009, after the major market crash. I have sold all my investment portfolios thereafter and never re-entered the market due to my bad experience,” said V T Saileshwaran, managing direc-tor of Apollo Hospital.

B E A R R U N

< FROM

A1

Drew Dudley to deliver lecture on leadership

Staff Reporter

MUSCAT: Drew Dudley, the for-mer coordinator of one of the larg-est university leadership develop-ment programmes in Canada, will be the TED (Technology, Enter-tainment and Design) Speaker at a Back-to-Business (B2B) Oman event on February 9, according to organisers.

B2B Oman is the largest net-working event in Oman, now in the third year, and will be held at the Grand Hyyat Garden from 7 pm till 10:30 pm.

“Drew Dudley nevertheless em-braces the idea that ‘leadership

cannot be taught. It can only be learned.’

This year he is giving talk on the theme of ‘Leadership,’” the organ-isers said.

Dudley has spoken before over 250,000 people on five continents, has been featured on The Huffing-ton Post, Radio America, Forbes.com, and TED.com, where his “TED talk” has been voted “one of the 15 most inspirational TED talks of all time” and viewed over 2.5 million times.

$5 millionHe has also helped raise over $5 million as the Founder or Chair-person of several organisations dedicated to supporting scholar-

ship funds, social entrepreneur-ship and charitable initiatives, including a record-breaking term as the National Chair of Canada’s largest fundraiser for post-sec-ondary students, “Shinerama: Stu-dents Fighting Cystic Fibrosis.”

TED is a global set of confer-ences run by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, under the slo-gan “Ideas Worth Spreading.”

It was founded in 1984 as a one-off event; the annual conference series began in 1990. TED’s early emphasis was technology and de-sign, consistent with its Silicon Valley origins, but it has since broadened its focus to include talks on many scientific, cultural, and academic topics.

Drew Dudley has

spoken before more

than 250,000 people

on five continents

and has been featured

on ‘The Huffington

Post’, Radio America,

Forbes.com,

and TED.com

ROP to auction unclaimed vehicles in Dhofar regionTARIQ AL HAREMI tariqh@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A bidding “war” is ex-pected to start next month as the Royal Oman Police (ROP) pre-pares to auction off unclaimed ve-hicles, which were detained at the Al Mazyouna Police Station in the Dhofar Governorate.

The ROP announced it will be-gin auctioning on Monday, Feb-ruary 8, vehicles which were im-pounded for violating traffic laws and unsettled fines.

Locals, residents and visitors from outside the Sultanate will be able to participate in the auction and those willing to take part will be able to inspect and appraise the vehicles from February 3 to 4 from 9am to 12pm at the Al Mazy-ouna Police Station.

According to the ROP, the im-pounded vehicles had violated traffic laws, which includes safety violations, and are held for not more than two weeks; during that time the owner must settle any fines or violations before the po-lice are able to release it.

If the vehicles are not claimed within six months from the allot-ted time of detainment, they are auctioned off.

There are several criteria un-der which vehicles are bound to be confiscated, according to the traffic law. Article 20 states, “Po-lice officers must stop any vehicle that doesn’t adhere to safety and security requirements or specifi-cations other than what is on the

registration. The vehicle must be sent to the directorate or the near-est police station for inspection.

“If the vehicle does not fulfil the specifications mentioned, the registration will be confiscat-ed, as well as its number plates, and will not be released until the violations for which the vehicle was stopped the first time have been cleared.”

It is also mentioned in Article 11 that the vehicle will be confis-cated if the number plate is dif-ferent than the one mentioned on the registration.

Article 43 also stated that the vehicle will be confiscated if the car contains any drawings, writ-ing, information or advertise-ment without prior approval from the ROP. However, any unsettled

fines from the previous owner must be settled by the new owner of the vehicle.

OMR50 fee In order to be eligible to enter the auction, participants must pay an OMR50 fee, which is re-fundable if the participant does not buy a car, but if the car is sold, it will be deducted from the car’s insurance; the winning bid must pay the full amount and cannot negotiate a lower price; and the buyer must pay a 3 per cent denotation.

The buyer must transfer the ve-hicle in not more than three days from the date of purchase; oth-erwise he would have to pay an OMR5 fee each day for seven days after the three day period lapses.

F E B R U A R Y 8

TIME FACTOR: If vehicles are not claimed within six months from

the allotted time of detainment, they are auctioned off.

Aviation sector growing“It will naturally complement our diverse projects that will soon go on stream, including our real es-tate and entertainment projects to maximise impact and generate sustainable returns. The constant growth of the aviation sector in the region is what drove us to ex-plore the sector and create value

for Oman,” he added.According to latest data avail-

able, air passenger traffic through the Muscat International Airport, until the end of November 2015, reflected an increase of 17 per cent to 9,321,617 passengers, while it rose by 21 per cent at the Salalah Airport, compared with the same

period in 2014. Data showed an 18 per cent increase in the num-ber of arrivals to 4,708,379, until November 2015, compared with 3,991,125 passengers for the same period in 2014. The number of departing passengers also rose by 16 per cent to 4,583,962, from 3,941,684 passengers a year ago.

A I R T R A F F I C

< FROM

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Science, tech pact to boost US-Oman ties: US envoyMUSCAT: The agreement signed by the United States and Oman on cooperation in the field of science and technology was a significant step forward, the US Embassy in Muscat reaffirmed.

The deal would lead to expan-sion of cooperation in the field of science and technology for peaceful purposes and for pro-viding further opportunities in exchange of views, information and skills, said Marc J. Sievers,

the US ambassador to the Sul-tanate in a statement.

The agreement was signed on Friday in Davos by Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, minister re-sponsible for Foreign Affairs and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

“We should utilise this op-portunity to achieve economic diversification and develop-ment of business,” he said, add-ing that the US would benefit through providing new research

and development of partnership with academic institutions in the Sultanate.

He said that the US has bilater-al agreements with the Sultanate and multi-party agreements with various countries in the fields of science and technology.

The agreement provides a mech-anism for research and develop-ment efforts and facilitates ex-change of scientific information among other aspects. —ONA

A G R E E M E N T I N D A V O S

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REGIONS U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

IRANIAN STUDENT SCALES FROZEN WATERFALLAn Iranian student of a climbing school uses ice-axes and crampons to scale a frozen waterfall on Friday in the village of Meygoon, 60km northeast of the capi-

tal Tehran in the Alborz mountain range. — AFP

‘US, Turkey ready for anti-IS military action’

ISTANBUL: US Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday that the United States and Turkey were prepared for a military solu-tion against IS extremists in Syria if a political settlement was not possible, amid uncertainty over scheduled peace talks.

The latest round of Syria peace talks are planned to begin on Mon-day in Geneva but were at risk of being delayed partly because of a dispute over who will comprise the opposition delegation.

“We do know it would better if we can reach a political solution but we are prepared. .., if that’s not possible, to have a military solu-tion to this operation in taking out Daesh (IS),” Biden said at a news conference after a meeting with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

A US official clarified that Biden

was talking about a military solu-tion to IS, not Syria as a whole.

The Saudi-backed Syrian oppo-sition ruled out even indirect ne-gotiations unless Damascus took steps including a halt to Russian air strikes.

Biden said he and Davutoglu also discussed how the two NATO allies could further support rebel forces fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

Saleh Muslim, co-chair of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), the main Kurdish political grouping in Syria, said on Friday the Syria peace talks would fail if Syrian Kurds are not represented.

While the United States draws a distinction between PYD, whose fighters it supports, and the out-lawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey, Davutoglu reit-erated the Turkish position that the PYD’s military wing is part of and supported by the PKK.

The PYD’s military wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG) has seized swathes of Syria from IS with the help of US-led strikes and declared it an autonomous admin-istration, to Ankara’s chagrin.

Davutoglu said on Saturday the YPG had become an increasing threat to Turkey.

Ankara has fought a decades-

long insurgency against Kurdish PKK separatists which in July reignited into a violent confronta-tion with Turkish security forces.

Biden strongly criticised the PKK which is designated a ter-rorist organisation by the United States, the European Union and Turkey. “ISIL (IS) is not the only existential threat the PKK is equally threat and we are aware of that,” Biden said.

“The PKK has shown no de-sire or inclination to do that (live in peace).It is a terrorist group plain and simple. And what they continue to do is absolutely outra-geous.” — Reuters

US Vice-President

Joe Biden is in

Turkey as the latest

round of Syria peace

talks are planned to

begin on Monday in

Geneva but were at

risk of being delayed

partly because

of a dispute over

who will comprise

the opposition

delegation

Pro-government air raids kill scores in Syrian provincesBEIRUT: Air raids killed scores of people over the past 24 hours in the provinces of Raqqa and Deir Al Zor in northern and east-ern Syria, which are mostly con-trolled by IS militants, a monitor-ing group said on Saturday.

Air strikes carried out by Rus-sian or Syrian warplanes killed at least 29 people in the town of Khasham near the city of Deir

Al Zor on Saturday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Hu-man Rights said.

Death toll 44The death toll in two other towns near Deir Al Zor reached 44, in strikes also carried out by Rus-sian or Syrian warplanes the day before, it said.

In Raqqa city, IS’ de facto capi-

tal in Syria, at least 32 people were killed.

Russian jets have been bomb-ing around Deir Al Zor as Syr-ian pro-government forces clash with IS fighters, who control most of the province. The group has besieged remaining government-held areas of the city since last March and last week launched new attacks. — Reuters

R U S S I A N O R S Y R I A N W A R P L A N E S

Tunisian PM vowsto keep democracy intact at all costsTUNIS: Tunisia’s prime minister said on Saturday that the country’s young democracy would be pre-served “whatever the cost” follow-ing four days of violent job protests and riots, and that it would take time to respond to young people’s economic demands.

An interior ministry spokesman said the situation was calm across most of the country, a day after authorities imposed a nationwide nighttime curfew.

The demonstrations that be-gan in the impoverished town of Kasserine on Tuesday and spread across the country are the most se-rious since the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Tunisia has been held up as a model for democratic progress since the 2011 revolution.

But there has been rising dis-

content over a lack of jobs and high living costs, especially in the coun-try’s interior.

The country is also facing a threat from extremist militants, who launched three major attacks last year and have been gaining strength in neighbouring Libya.

Destroy transitionPrime Minister Habib Essid told a news conference that he under-stood the demands of young Tu-nisians, but said people seeking to “destroy the democratic tran-sition” had taken advantage of the protests.

“I appeal for calm and for na-tional unity and complete security across the country to preserve our nascent democracy which is the only example of success in the re-gion,” he said. — Reuters

V I O L E N T P R O T E S T S

Palestinian girl, 13, shot dead by Israeli guardOCCUPIED JERUSALEM: A 13-year-old Palestinian girl was shot dead by an Israeli security guard she allegedly tried to stab at a settlement in the Occupied West Bank, Israeli police said on Saturday.

It was the latest fatality in an almost four-month-long surge of violence that has raised concern of wider escalation, a decade after the last Palestinian uprising subsided, and it followed two stabbings this week inside settlements carried out by Palestinian teenagers, ac-cording to Israeli authorities.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said initial investigations showed the teenager “had fought with her family and left her home with a knife and intending to die”.

The family of the teenager, Ruqayya Abu Eid, confirmed her death. Her mother, Reeda Abu Eid, said there had been no trouble be-fore her daughter left the family home, a tent in the Palestinian vil-lage Anata.

“Her father works in a farm and Ruqayya used to go to him.

I didn’t see her when she left so I expected she had gone to her fa-ther,” she said.”Ruqayya is a small girl, how could she stab someone?”

Since the start of October, Is-raeli forces have killed at least 149 Palestinians, 95 of them assailants allege Israeli authorities. — Reuters

A L L E G E D S T A B B I N G

JOINT STRATEGY: US Vice-President Joe Biden, left, and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu,

right, speak during their meeting at the presidential office, located in the Dolmabahce Palace in

Istanbul. - AFP/TURKISH PRIME MINISTER PRESS OFFICE/HAKAN GOKTEPE

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INDIAS U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

We respect what has been said by his own daughter. Netaji had

only one daughter and what she has said is in public domain and

the country must respect her sentiments because she has been

anguished by this deliberately created mischief and controversy

Anand Sharma, Congress spokesperson

Intolerance remains high, says noted poet VajpeyiJAIPUR: Noted writer and poet Ashok Vajpeyi on Saturday re-fused to take back the Sahitya Aka-demi award that he had returned stating that “intolerance levels re-main high” in the country.

“...Intolerance levels remain high and widespread. Look at what happened to a Dalit student driven to suicide. This is also intoler-ance,” Vajpeyi said on the sidelines of the ongoing Jaipur Literature festival here.

He had recently returned the D.Litt honour conferred to him by the Hyderabad Central University in protest against the “anti-Dalit” attitude of authorities.

Vajpeyi said although Prime Minister Narendra Modi had voiced his grief at Rohith Vemula’s suicide, he had underplayed the Dalit issue.

“The prime minister empha-sised the fact that a mother has lost a son but he underplayed the Dalit part of it. It must be a part of his (main) approach to the problem,” Vajpeyi said.

He also slammed the govern-ment on its “slow response” to the Hyderabad scholar’s suicide.

“I believe that this young Dalit scholar was driven to suicide. Now they are saying that there will be a judicial commission to look into

his death, which is good. But all belatedly. Why have you waited six days for this event to simmer?” Va-jpeyi said.

The Hindi poet was among the earliest of about 40 writers who had returned their awards in the past few months to the Sahitya Akademi in protest against the lit-erary body’s silence on the killing of writer M. M. Kalburgi.

“The Sahitya Akademi failed to rise up to the occasion. Belatedly, under pressure of so many writ-ers returning their awards the Akademi saw wisdom and took the courage to state that it is an autonomous body and condemned

all forms of violence particularly against authors,” he said.

“The Sahitya Akademi passed a resolution and wrote a letter to us stating that there was no policy of taking back awards. But in action, it is yet to prove that it is exercising that autonomy,” he said.

DisappointedThe writer said he is disappointed that some writers have relented and agreed to take back the awards they had returned.

“It saddens me that authors are taking back awards. I feel sad. But it is their choice, I didn’t ask them to give it up and I can’t ask them

not to take it back,” he said.Terming it as an “intolerance of

excellence,” Vajpeyi said that indi-viduals are being termed anti-na-tional for not being in agreement with the government.

“There is an intolerance of ex-cellence. You have all kinds of peo-ple who enjoy no respect among their peers heading national insti-tutions. That has not disappeared.

“There is intolerance of minori-ties not merely of religion or faith but also of ideas and belief. If you say that you don’t agree with the government then you’re termed anti-national. All these levels of in-tolerance remain,” he said. -PTI

J A I P U R L I T E R A T U R E F E S T I V A L

DEFIANT: Writer Ashok

Vajpeyi during ‘Ramchairtma-

nas’ session at the Jaipur Litera-

ture Festival at Diggi Palace in

Jaipur on Saturday. -PTI

100 files relating to Netaji Subhash Bose declassified

NEW DELHI: A hundred secret files, which could throw some light on the controversy over the disappearance of Subhash Chan-dra Bose, were made public by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Netaji’s 119th birth anniver-sary on Saturday.

The 100 files comprise over 16,600 pages of historic docu-ments, ranging from those of the British Raj to as late as 2013 (rpt 2013), an official said after the cer-emony at the National Archives of India (NAI) here in which the Prime Minister declassified the secret papers.

Also present at the ceremony were members of the Bose fam-ily and Union Ministers Mahesh Sharma and Babul Supriyo when the files were thrown open for public view.

In addition to the 100 files, the NAI plans to release digital copies of a set of 25 declassified files on Bose in the public domain every month. NAI also opened a dedi-cated website to store all the de-classified files related to Bose.

Modi and his ministerial col-

leagues went around glancing at the declassified files, spending over half an hour at the National Archives. He also spoke to the members of the Bose family.

The move came after Modi met

the family members of Netaji in October last year and announced that the government would de-classify the files relating to the leader whose disappearance 70 years ago remains a mystery.

While two commissions of in-quiry had concluded that Netaji had died in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945, a third probe panel, headed by Justice M. K. Mukherjee, had contested it and

suggested that Bose was alive af-ter that.

The controversy has also split members of the Bose family.

The first lot of 33 files were de-classified by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and handed over to the NAI on December 4 last year.

Subsequently, the Ministries of Home Affairs and External Af-fairs too initiated the process of declassification of files relating to Bose in their respective collection which were then transferred over to the NAI.

Chandra Kumar Bose, spokes-person of the Bose family and grand-nephew of Subhash Chan-dra Bose who was present at the ceremony, said “we welcome this step by the Prime Minister whole-heartedly. This is a day of trans-parency in India.”

However, he also said “we feel that certain very important files were destroyed during the Con-gress regime in order to hide the truth. We have documentary evi-dence to understand this. So we feel that the Indian government should take steps to ensure the re-lease of files lying in Russia, Ger-many, UK, USA.”

He said from whatever docu-ments “we could go through, there are only circumstantial evidence of the air crash but no conclusive evidence of the air crash.”

“Even in one of the letters that we saw here which was written by Lal Bahadur Shastri to Suresh Bose that there is no conclusive evidence about the air crash, only few circumstantial evidence,” Chandra Bose said. Netaji’s neph-ew Ardhendu Bose, who also at-tended the ceremony, said “the Bose family and the entire country has been waiting for this moment for the last seven decades. We feel these files would be able to throw some light on it.”

Declassification of the 100 files by the central government came four months after West Bengal government had released 64 se-cret Netaji files kept in its police and state government lockers. - PTI

The move came after

Modi met the family

members of Netaji in

October last year and

announced that the

government would

declassify the files

relating to the leader

whose disappearance

70 years ago remains

a mysteryWEB PORTAL LAUNCHED: Prime Minister Narendra Modi after launching a web portal during the

release of digital copies of one of the 100 declassified files related to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on

his 119th birth anniversary, in New Delhi on Saturday. - PTI

Students say PM’s remarks on Rohith’s suicide ‘insulting’, vow to step up stir

HYDERABAD: Terming as “in-sulting” Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi’s remarks over suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, agitating students of Hyderabad Central University on Saturday vowed to step up their stir and said the PM’s “inaction” reflected his “political interests”.

The students rejected an appeal by Minister of state for Human Resource Development Upendra Kushwaha who, on a visit to the city, asked them to call off their agi-tation and assured them of justice, a day after the Centre decided to set up a judicial commission to look into the suicide of Rohith following his suspension by the varsity.

Voicing “dissatisfaction” over remarks by Modi on Friday at a university in Lucknow, the Joint Action Council (JAC) spearhead-ing the stir asked if the prime minister would now take action against his ministers.

Condolence statement“It is highly insulting to have re-ceived a condolence statement from Prime Minister Narenda Modi. He has referred to Rohith Vemula as Bharat Mata’s son. Joint Action Committee for Social Justice condemns in the strongest

possible words, the appropriation of Rohith’s politics,” the JAC said in a statement.

“Rohith Vemula and the other socially boycotted stood always against the Hindutva and Manu-vadi politics which the BJP minis-ters proudly stand for,” it said.

“It is under the leadership of

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Police brutally lathicharged the protesting students, male po-lice officers manhandled women students and detained them. His complicity and inaction on the entire episode of events that un-folded in University of Hyderabad clearly reflects his political inter-

ests,” it alleged.The outfit asked if Modi will

“take action on the BJP ministers for the injustice meted out to Ro-hith Vemula and the other socially boycotted research scholars”.

Modi on Friday expressed grief over Rohith’s death saying he felt the pain.

“...when there is news that a youth of my country, Rohith, was forced to commit suicide, what his family must have gone through. Mother India has lost a son. There will be reasons, there will be poli-tics (surrounding it) but the fact remains that a mother has lost her son. I feel the pain very well,” a vis-ibly emotional Modi had said.

Hunger strikeMeanwhile, the hunger strike by seven students entered the fourth day on Saturday while their col-leagues continued other forms of protests. G. Prabhakar, one of the fasting students, said they would like to continue with the fast even as doctors expressed concern over their health.

“We want to continue (fast). Our demands not yet fulfilled. They say (PM) Modi talked in Lucknow yes-terday and a judicial committee is appointed and all. You appoint a judicial commission, no problem, but take action against people who actually caused this death,” he said.

“(Vice Chancellor) Appa Rao, primary accused, dismiss from VC post. (Union Ministers) Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, who wrote letters to university, arrest them. Without arresting, these (ju-

dicial commission, etc) don’t give us confidence,” Prabhakar said.

The JAC said, “After killing Ro-hit, Appa Rao has put these lives (of fasting students) in danger. JAC for Social Justice reiterates that students will intensify the ongoing struggle until all our five demands are met.”

The demands are removal of the VC, punishing those responsible for Rohith’s death, dropping the al-leged false cases against students and unconditional revocation of their suspension, giving employ-ment to a member of Rohith’s fam-ily and compensation of Rs5 mil-lion to his kin.

Kushwaha, speaking to report-ers on the sidelines of an event here, said that based on the report of the judicial commission set up to look into the matter, the HRD ministry will take necessary steps.

“From the ministry, a two-mem-ber fact-finding committee looked into the matter and gave its report.There were some shortcomings as per the report. Based on the report, a judicial commission was set up for further inquiry. The commis-sion will do its work and give re-port in three months. Based on it, the ministry will take necessary steps,” he said. - PTI

R E S E A R C H S C H O L A R

DEMANDING JUSTICE: Madhya Pradesh Congress Party workers hold a demonstration demanding

justice in the Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula’s suicide case, at Rajbhawan in Bhopal on Saturday. - PTI

Kerala minister resigns over bribery scamKOCHI: Kerala Excise Minis-ter K. Babu resigned on Saturday hours after a Thrissur court or-dered the Vigilance department to register an FIR against him in the bar bribery scam.

He is the second minister to quit the Congress-led Ommen Chandy government after then finance minister K. M. Mani of Kerala Con-gress (M) resigned in November last over the multi-crore scandal, giving jitters to the UDF Govern-ment in Kerala ahead of the com-ing assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference here, Babu said he had handed over his resignation to Chief Minister Ommen Chandy and was quitting on moral grounds even though no FIR had been registered against him as of now.

Earlier in the day, the Vigilance Court in Thrissur directed the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bu-reau to register a case against Babu over corruption charges against him in the scam.

Terming the Vigilance court verdict as “unnatural”, Babu said he would go ahead with legal pro-ceedings to prove his innocence.

In an apparent reference to the liquor policy of the UDF govern-ment to close down more than 700 bar hotels as part of its prohibition plan, he described himself as a ‘martyr’ for implementing a gov-ernment scheme for the welfare of the society.

He also claimed he was a ‘victim’ of conspiracy by bar owners who had incurred heavy loss and “who also got support of CPI(M).”

Babu alleged that some bar own-ers had met at the residence of a CPI(M) MLA’s house on the even-ing of December 15 in the “pres-ence of CPI-M state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan”.

“A conspiracy was hatched against me after over 730 bars were closed,” he said.

Working President of Kerala Bar Owners Association Biju Ramesh had alleged that Rs10 crore was given to Babu for renewal of li-cences of liquor bars. It was on his allegations that the Vigilance had filed a case against Mani. - PTI

M U L T I - C R O R E S C A N D A L

NEW DELHI: Congress on Saturday pitched for declassi-fying all files related to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, but said the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set about the task, raises doubts about his intentions.

“Congress has already said that it would like to see all files to be declassified because at-tempts are being made to raise a controversy and misguide people of the country through a mischievous political cam-paign”, party’s senior spokes-

man Anand Sharma claimed.Sharma’s remarks came on

a day when the Prime Minister made public digital copies of 100 secret files relating to Netaji on his 119th birth an-niversary, which could throw some light on the controversy over his death.

“The way the PM has car-ried this out raises doubts about intentions of Modi government, the nation needs to understand this”, Sharma told reporters here dismissing suggestions by some of Ne-

taji’s relatives that Congress had always tried to suppress truth about Bose. He said the Congress does not want to enter into any debate with any distant relative of Bose.

“We respect what has been said by his own daughter. Ne-taji had only one daughter and what she has said is in public domain and the country must respect her sentiments be-cause she has been anguished by this deliberately created mischief and controversy,” he claimed. - PTI

‘Manner of disclosing Bose files by PM raises doubts’

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INDIAS U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

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Ease of doing business a work in progress: FM

DAVOS: Confident of pushing GDP growth higher and continu-ing the reforms agenda, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Satur-day said one main reform which is still work in progress is ‘ease of doing business’ in India and steps are under way on that front.

Jaitley also said the political opposition is unlikely to obstruct the reform process, including on the direct and indirect tax re-forms, and he was hopeful about the Goods and Services Tax(GST) getting through as well which is

one of the few reforms that has been held up.

Ranking improvedHe said India’s ranking has im-proved on ease of doing business in the last one year, but more needs to be done on that front and necessary steps are being undertaken.

Speaking here at ‘The Global Economic Outlook’ session on the last day of the WEF Annual Meet-ing, Jaitley said GST remains very high on the government’s priority while the new bankruptcy law is another major reform measure, going ahead.

The panellists said India re-mains a bright spot in the global economy with a growth rate of over 7 per cent, the highest for any large economy.

To a question on whether all was going well for India and whether there were at all any problems, Jaitley said there are “quite a lot” still and one of the ba-sic problems remains that a large population still lives in poverty.

“To take them out of poverty, we need a sustained high level of growth for a long time. There is an increasing realisation in India that given some favourable con-ditions, we can grow at a much faster pace,” he said.

Besides global factors, Jaitley said, there have been two succes-sive bad monsoons which have

hurt rural demand and therefore, the growth rate.

“On global situation, oil price has been quite helpful, but shrink-age of exports has been an adver-sity,” he said.

Jaitley said the government has taken a number of steps and some more are in the pipeline, includ-ing some legislative reforms.

“If we get through with that, we can grow at a much faster pace in coming years.”

Asked about his high priority areas, the finance minister said, “I think what is extremely impor-tant is that all steps that the gov-ernment has taken have been in one direction. We have not made any mistake.

“States have also become very competitive and that is also a very good news for India.

“Also, it is only one or two leg-islation, including GST, that has been held up, but it is very high on our priority. The direct tax re-forms we are undertaking should not have any problems. We are also hopeful of the indirect tax reform. Then, we have new bank-ruptcy law.

“One main reform which is still work in progress is ease of doing business in India. We did not have a great track record on that, but our rankings have improved there also. Still, it remains a work in pro-gress and we will continue to take steps on that front,” he said. - PTI

Finance Minister

Arun Jaitley said

India’s ranking has

improved on ease

of doing business

in the last one year,

but more needs to

be done on that front

and necessary steps

are being undertaken

MAKING A POINT: India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, right, speaks as Britain’s Chancellor of the

Exchequer George Osborne sits next to him during a panel ‘The Global Economic Outlook’, at the

World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Saturday. - PTI/AP

Sushma Swaraj calls on Bahraini king, discusses bilateral relations

MANAMA: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday called on His Majesty Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, as they together watched India’s indigenously-developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft and Dhruv helicopters perform aerobatics at an interna-tional air show here.

Swaraj, who is here for a two-day visit to attend the first minis-terial meeting of the India-Arab League Cooperation Forum on Sunday, was received at the Bah-rain International airport by her Bahraini counterpart Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

In a break from tradition, the Bahraini king received her at the

Sakhir Airbase where the Bahrain International Air show was un-derway. King Hamad and Swaraj then together watched India’s Sarang Team with Dhruv helicop-ters and Light Combat Aircraft Tejas perform aerobatics.

On the sidelines of the air show, Swaraj and the King discussed an entire gamut of bilateral ties.

During their meeting, Swaraj recalled her visit to the country in 2014. Swaraj also visited the India pavilion at the air show where the scientists present gave the Min-ister a briefing on the Tejas LCA being showcased here.

The Tejas flight, the first at an international air show, was hailed by officials present here as a

“historic event”. The India-Arab League ministerial meeting on Sunday comes over a year after the two sides held their first Sen-ior Officials Meeting in New Delhi in November 2014.

A number of issues from ter-rorism, security are expected to be discussed.

India and Arab League are ex-pected to deliberate on the whole gamut of bilateral issues includ-ing trade and investment, energy and culture among others.

India’s trade with most of the Arab countries has grown stead-ily in the last few years.

The Gulf region accounts for over 60 per cent of India’s oil and gas requirement. - PTI

B O O S T I N G T I E S

KEY PARLEYS: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj talks with His Majesty Sheikh Hamad bin

Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, during a meeting in Bahrain on Saturday. - PTI

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PAKISTAN S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

GOING ROUND AND ROUND Pakistani children ride on a swing in a slum area of Peshawar on Friday. — AFP

Five militants linked to varsity attack arrested

RAWALPINDI: Director Gen-eral Inter-Services Public Rela-tions (ISPR) Lt General Asim Bajwa on Saturday said five of the terrorists and their facilitators involved in Charsadda attack have been caught and their iden-tities ascertained.

At least 22 people were killed as terrorists armed with ammu-nition and bombs targeted Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on January 20.

“These five terrorists have been identified as Riaz, Noorul-lah, Adil, Zia and Ibrahim,” Ba-jwa said while addressing a press conference.

Afghanistan“While Omar commanded the militants from Afghanistan dur-ing the attack, Adil, who had ear-lier worked as a mason in Bacha Khan University, receded to pro-vide information to the attackers.”

“A few days ago, Adil, a labourer,

was doing some masonry work in the university, where he made a map of the campus which he could explain to the rest of the as-sailants,” Bajwa said, adding, “Adil is also the one who helped the at-tackers figure out their way into the university.”

Ameen Rehman has also been

identified as one of the terrorists and his credentials confirmed with NADRA, Bajwa maintained.

“They were provided with arms and ammunition from Darra Adam Khel area.”

Bajwa reiterated that phone calls were made from Afghanistan to carry out the attack.

Investigation is still underway to confirm financial resources of terrorists, he added.

Prior to the press conference, army chief General Raheel Sharif chaired a special meeting during a visit to corps headquarters in Pe-shawar and reviewed the progress of investigation.

The army chief was also ap-prised about the operations in Federally Administered Tribal Areas, K-P, intelligence based operations (IBOs) and Pakistan-Afghanistan border management.

The meeting was attended by Corps Commander Peshawar, operation commanders, director general Inter-Services Intelli-gence (ISI), military intelligence (MI) military operations and ISPR. — Express Tribune

At least 22 people

were killed as

terrorists armed

with ammunition

and bombs

targeted Bacha

Khan University in

Charsadda, Khyber-

Pakhtunkhwa on

January 20

Dense fog disrupts air, ground traffic across countryISLAMABAD: As temperatures plummeted, thick fog blanketed Peshawar, Punjab and northern Sindh on Friday hampering out-door activities, particularly traffic and prompting flights to be can-celled or diverted to alternative airports.

With visibility low during the night and early morning, flights from the Bacha Khan Interna-tional Airport in Peshawar and the Benazir International Air-port in Rawalpindi suffered can-cellations while those arriving at these airports were diverted to Lahore, causing immense dif-ficulties for passengers.

In Rawalpindi, Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) Joint Director Pub-lic Relations Fariha Tahir said that due to low visibility in the early hours of the morning at the air-port, flights had been diverted to Lahore which has been conduct-ing landings in low visibility and foggy conditions thanks to its new Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT-III B facility.

“This facility is available on only two airports in South Asia (SA): one is in Lahore and the other is in New Delhi.”

She added that between 20-25 flights had been diverted to La-hore from Peshawar and Islama-bad though normal service at the two airports had resumed after mid-day.

Despite the increased air traffic in Lahore, the Allama Iqbal Inter-national Airport there continued to work as per routine.

“Due to the newly installed in-strument system, airplanes safely landed at the Lahore airport with-out any delays,” Kamran Malik, a spokesman for CAA said.

Motorists in Peshawar and in the twin cities were advised to ex-ercise caution and to adopt safety

measures to avert any mishap due to poor visibility conditions on the roads. According to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa meteorological department, visibility in Pesha-war and its adjoining areas had dropped to just 15 metres and af-fected the flow of traffic.

But when visibility dropped to five meters, the motorway was closed for traffic. However, it was later reopened with special pre-cautionary measures issued by the traffic police.

Several trains, which were due to arrive in Peshawar on Friday, were delayed by several hours in-cluding Khushal Express, Khyber Mail and Awami Express.

In Sindh, Nawabshah expe-rienced fog on Friday morning between 6 to 9am. Sukkur experi-enced mist in between the night of Thursday and Friday from 2am till noon. — Express Tribune

I M M E N S E D I F F I C U L T I E S

Russia and Pakistan to hold military exercisesRAWALPINDI: Russian ground forces will hold the first ever mili-tary exercises with Pakistan in 2016, Russian Army Command-er-in-Chief Oleg Salyukov an-nounced here on Friday, according to TASS news agency.

“As part of interaction with our foreign colleagues in 2016, we have scheduled seven joint exer-cises with the involvement of the relevant units of foreign states. The Army will hold the Russian-Vietnamese exercise and the first ever Russian-Pakistani special drills in mountainous terrain,” Salyukov said.

Further, he said that joint anti-terror command and staff exer-cises of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation will be held.

A meeting was held between the delegation which was led by Fo-min Alexander Vasilyevich, Direc-tor of Federal Service for Military – Technical Cooperation of the Russian Federation and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif at General Headquarters.

The focus of the discussion was on enhanced security and training cooperation measures to further expand joint military ties.

Vasilyevich acknowledged the achievements of Pakistan Army in its ongoing fight against terrorism and the measures taken for bring-ing regional peace and stability.— Express Tribune

S P E C I A L D R I L L S

VICTIMS OF TERROR: Relatives of 2014 Peshawar school attack victims meet with a student victim

of Bacha Khan University at a hospital in Charsadda on Thursday. — AFP

The rebels entered Mardan area of Khyber-

Pakhtunkhwa through Afghanistan’s Torkham border

and stayed in two houses, Director General Inter-

Services Public Relations Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa said

With visibility low during

the night and early

morning, flights from the

Bacha Khan International

Airport in Peshawar and

the Benazir International

Airport in Rawalpindi

suffered cancellations while

those arriving at these

airports were diverted to

Lahore, causing immense

difficulties for passengers

A11

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Australia seeks regional cooperation against terror

BANGKOK: Australia is seeking regional cooperation to fight the “menace” of violent extremism that will be with the region for some time, the country’s justice minister said on Saturday.

A deadly January 14 attack in Jakarta that killed eight people and an August bombing in Bang-kok that ripped through a popular shrine killing 20 people, most of them foreign tourists, have in-jected new urgency for regional counter-terrorism efforts.

“The region is subject to the same threats as the globe is and that is there is a malignant organi-sation that has established itself in the Middle East, IS, and they continue to export terror around the globe,” Australian Justice Minister Michael Keenan told Reuters in Bangkok during a visit with his Thai counterparts to dis-cuss security issues.

Keenan, who is also Counter-Terrorism Minister, said Austral-ia stood ready to share its exper-tise with regional governments.

“If we can make those relation-ships stronger then we should seek to do so because this men-ace is going to be with us for some time and the more we can do to collaborate, to address it, the safer our people will be.”

Jakarta’s gun and bomb attack was claimed by IS, the extremist group’s first assault on Indonesia.

Keenan said Australia has up-dated its travel warning for In-

donesia but has not changed the threat level which remains to “ex-ercise a high degree of caution”.

Jakarta has said it is working to stem the flow of Southeast Asian militants travelling to and from Syria and Iraq but police say the nation’s porous border makes it easy for people to be smuggled into Indonesia.

“We don’t want to change the open nature of our society.

We like the fact that this is a very busy region with people pass-ing through,” said Keenan.

“That’s why intelligence is very

important, sharing information about people who might be of con-cern,” he said.

On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turn-bull pledged to increase coopera-tion on counter-terrorism and the fight against IS.

Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its bat-tle against extremist militants in Iraq and Syria, has been on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown extremists.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister

Prawit Wongsuwan last week said Thailand has not found any evidence of IS extremist group activities in the country, follow-ing reports that IS sympathisers had crossed the Thai-Malaysia border to meet with southern re-ligious leaders.

Since 2004, insurgents have been battling for greater auton-omy in Thailand’s three Muslim dominated provinces where fight-ing between Thai security forces and Malay-Muslim separatists has killed more than 6,000 people. — Reuters

A deadly January

14 attack in Jakarta

that killed eight

people and an August

bombing in Bangkok

that ripped through a

popular shrine killing

20 people, most of

them foreign tourists,

have injected

new urgency for

regional counter-

terrorism efforts

ALERT: An Indonesian police officer holds a weapon as he stands guard inside Ratu Indah Mall in Makassar, South Sulawesi province, on

January 15, 2016. A deadly attack on January 14 in Jakarta killed eight people. - Reuters/Antara Foto file photo

North Korea detained US student over hotel incidentSEOUL: Otto Warmbier, the Amer-ican university student being held by North Korea, was detained be-fore boarding his flight to China over an unspecified incident that had taken place earlier in the trip at his hotel, his travel company told Reuters on Saturday.

North Korea’s official KCNA news agency said on Friday that Warmbier “was caught com-mitting a hostile act against the state”, which it said was “toler-ated and manipulated by the US government”.

Kept to himselfCharlotte Guttridge, a tour leader at Young Pioneer Tours and the only outside witness to Warmbi-er’s detention, said the 21-year-old University of Virginia student was not with other tourists when the events that appear to have prompt-ed his arrest occurred.

“What happened, happened at the hotel and my belief is that Otto kept it to himself out of hope it might go unnoticed,” Guttridge told Reuters.

Guttridge and colleagues at Young Pioneer Tours declined to share further details of exactly what had taken place, citing the safety of their client.

Warmbier had been staying at the Yanggakdo International Hotel when the incident that led to his arrest occurred.

China-based Young Pioneer Tours is a North Korea travel spe-cialist that describes itself on its website as “an adventure tour op-erator that provides ‘budget tours to destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from’”.

During his five-day New Year’s tour of North Korea, staff at Young Pioneer Tours said Warmbier had acted normally, and was keen to see daily life in one of the world’s most isolated countries, which is visited by around 6,000 Western tourists a year. Ten other US citi-zens were on the tour. — Reuters

H O S T I L E A C T C H A R G E S

PAPER BOARDS FUN Children play with paper boards at a kindergarten in Zouping, Shandong Province, China,

on last Tuesday, picture released on Saturday. — Reuters/China Daily

Malaysian protesters rally against proposed trade pactKUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of Malaysians protested against plans to join the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) on Saturday, just days before parliament is due to open a debate on the free trade pact.

Many of the demonstrators congregated in central Kuala Lumpur were from the opposi-tion Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), which fears that the South East Asian country could lose control of its economy if it en-ters the 12-nation pact with the United States.

Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government has argued that Ma-laysia, which relies on exports of commodities, minerals and electronics, cannot afford to stay out of a trade zone whose partici-pants account for 40 per cent of the global economy.

The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition’s parliamentary major-

ity should ensure the pact gets ap-proval, but Najib can ill-afford any increase in his unpopularity as he seeks to fend off a financial scan-dal at a state-owned fund.

Najib has denied any wrong-doing, and leaders of extremist

party PAS have been less critical than others over the controversy at the fund, 1Malaysia Devel-opment Berhad, and over how nearly $700 million came to be deposited into the prime minis-ter’s personal account.

In a bid to reassure ethnic Ma-lay action groups, International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed has said af-firmative action policies for the country’s ethnic majority would be safeguarded.

Critics have also argued that small and medium sized enter-prises - providing 65 percent of jobs - will be among the worst hit if the trade deal were to take ef-fect. “This is not a racial issue,” said Salahuddin Ayub, deputy president of Amanah, a party that splintered from PAS.

”When we talk about small and medium enterprises, everyone is affected.” — Reuters

T R A N S P A C I F I C P A R T N E R S H I P

Opponents fear the pact would compromise national interests and favour foreign multinational companies

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Rise in inequality hits Davos forumWinnie Byanyima

Sixty-two. That is how many of the world’s wealthiest people own as much as the poor-est 3.6 billion, down from 388 people in 2010.

This shocking figure has made the rounds at this week’s annual meeting of the World Economic Fo-rum (WEF) in Davos, as political and business lead-ers debate how to improve the state of the global economy. The question is whether the global elite attending Davos will take action to combat damag-ingly high (and growing) economic inequality.

World leaders have been worried about the rise in inequality for several years now; last September, they agreed to a Global Goal to reduce it. Yet the gap between the richest and the rest has continued to grow. This time last year, Oxfam predicted that the wealth of the top 1 per cent would overtake that of the rest of the population by 2016; that mile-stone was reached two months ahead of schedule.

The longer we wait to take action, the more seri-ous the consequences will be. Economic inequal-ity is a corrosive force that undermines economic growth, hampers the fight against poverty, and sparks social unrest. In 2012, the WEF’s global risk report highlighted severe income inequality as the single greatest threat to social and political stabil-ity. Oxfam estimates that, without strong efforts to tackle inequality, the much-heralded goal of eradi-cating extreme poverty by 2030 will be impossible to reach.The very real damage inequality does to people’s lives is evident across the globe. For exam-ple, garment workers in Myanmar told Oxfam that, even with overtime, they could not afford housing, food, and medicine. At the other end of the retail chain, the CEO’s of the clothing companies enjoy multimillion-dollar pay deals.

As World Bank President Jim Yong Kim noted last year, wealth is not trickling down; it is being sucked up by a powerful – and very small – minor-ity. And this is not a blip; it is hard-wired into our economies. Today’s global inequality crisis is the result of 30 years of unchecked deregulation, pri-vatization, financial secrecy, and globalization.

Large companies and wealthy individuals use their power and influence to capture and retain an ever-increasing share of the benefits of economic growth, while the poorest get by on a persistently shrinking piece of the pie. Over the last five years, the wealth of those richest 62 people on the planet

has increased by a staggering $542 billion, or 44 per cent, while the poorest 3.6 billion people have lost over a trillion dollars, or 41 per cent of their wealth. In this context, tackling inequality will require fundamental changes to the way we man-age our economies. Action must be taken to ensure that all workers receive a living wage; more pro-gressive tax systems must be introduced; govern-ments must increase spending on public services; policymaking must be more transparent; and fi-nancial regulations must be strengthened.

One particularly urgent step must be the elimi-nation of tax havens. By allowing super-wealthy corporations and individuals to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, tax havens are denying govern-ments revenue that could and should be spent on schools, health care, and other essential services. Almost a third of all African financial wealth – a total of $500 billion – was held offshore in tax havens in 2014, costing African countries an es-timated $14 billion per year in lost tax revenues. This is enough money to pay for health care that could save the lives of four million children on the continent and employ enough teachers to get every African child into school.

G-20 governments agreed on steps to curb tax dodging by multinational companies last year. But these measures largely ignore the problems posed by tax havens, and do little to help poor countries claim their fair share of taxes. With tax havens becoming an ever more common way of doing business – 109 of the WEF’s 118 partners have a presence in at least one tax haven – it’s time to put a stop to this practice.That is why I am pressing po-litical leaders, CEOs, and other participants at Da-vos this year to act. I’m asking wealthy individuals and business leaders to commit to bringing their money back onshore, and I will urge politicians to work together to agree on a robust new global ap-proach to end the era of tax havens.

After years of talk about income inequality, the WEF’s annual meeting should be a moment for action. Participants must recognize that helping the poorest get a foot on the ladder also means stopping the extremely wealthy from pulling it up behind them. If the men and women in Davos take strong action to address tax havens, 2016 can be a turning point, when we begin to create a new glob-al economy that works for the majority – not just the top 62. - Project Syndicate

Decision to increase salaries of government employees in Kerala has been taken with the elections in mind This refers to the report on the decision taken by the government of Kerala to increase salaries and benefits to employees and teachers in

the state. I wonder from where the govern-ment can find Rs7,222 crore to compensate the additional expenses. The decision is unethical in the present global scenario, as economies all over the world are being forced to take austerity measures to reduce the expenses. Kerala government decision clearly targets the middle class community. The government must think twice before taking such drastic steps, especially when it comes to creating additional expenses for the Indian state. Since Kerala is a state where not much of industry flourishes, and there’s no proper and regular income to compensate the overall expenditure, and it’s only the remittances from the overseas workers that the state banks upon, it should desist from such poll promises. In recent times, corruption has become rampant at all the levels, and there has been no justi-

fication to this hike in salaries and benefits for teachers and other government employees, who hardly value the state’s welfare. It’s a very unfortunate decision by the government and is only intended to benefit it politically in the upcoming assembly elections in the state.— Ramachandran Nair, Ruwi

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Regional forum on social security, pension beginsMUSCAT: Sayyid Abdullah bin Hamad Al Busaidi, president of the State Audit Institution, opened the fifth regional forum on social se-curity and pensions at the Grand Hayatt Muscat Hotel, here yesterday. The two-day forum has been organised by the Public Authority for Social Insurance (Pasi) in cooperation with the Mahanna Foundation and the British Actuaries Association. In his opening speech, Busaidi said the Omani government had recognised from the beginning of the Renaissance that human beings were both the means and the end of the development process. Consequently, it had instituted a range of social schemes including social insurance and pensions with the aim of providing protection for citizens and their families.

1915: The German cruiser Blücher is sunk by a British squad-ron in the Battle of Dogger Bank.

1965: Winston Churchill dies from a cerebral thrombosis at the age of 90.

1982: A draft of Air Force history reports that the United States secretly sprayed herbicides on Laos during the Vietnam War.

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The second such attack on an educational institute perhaps, calls

for rethinking the old paradigm. Pakistan has traced back the route

to safe havens militants enjoy in Afghanistan with General Sharif

speaking to the Afghan civilian and military leadership for cooperation.

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80 per cent of their energy from renewables.

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WORLDS U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

GUN CONTROL CAMPAIGN IN US A woman boards a bus in Los Angeles, United States, on Friday. A public awareness campaign, which debuted this week on some city buses, shows a young boy

pointing a handgun as if it were a toy, in an effort to remind residents about a city law, adopted last year, which requires guns be disabled or stored in a locked

container when kept at home. The ad reads: ‘Never let your gun get in the wrong hands’. — AFP

Taliban seek removal from UN blacklist before talks

DOHA: Afghanistan’s Taliban want to be removed from a UN blacklist before considering re-joining peace talks aimed at end-ing a 15-year civil war, a senior member said, as its political wing met activists at an unofficial forum in Qatar.

After months of worsening fight-ing, with the province of Helmand slipping out of government control and frequent suicide bombings in the capital, Afghanistan and its neighbours are trying to get trou-bled negotiations back on track.

Prospects of the Taliban, an in-creasingly strong presence on the battlefield since the withdrawal of most international troops in

2014, joining any talks had ap-peared slim.

But a Taliban member said that the group could participate if the UN Security Council cancelled a resolution freezing assets and lim-iting travel of senior figures.

“We conveyed them to first re-move us from the blacklist of the United Nations and allow us to freely travel around the world

and then we can think about hold-ing peace talks,” said the Taliban member, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Pakistan hosted the first formal talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in July 2015 but a second round was canceled after it emerged that Taliban lead-er Mullah Mohammad Mullah, who sanctioned the talks, had been dead for two years.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have since deterio-rated amid an upswing in fighting between the Taliban and Afghan forces. On Saturday morning, ac-tivists, former Afghan officials and Taliban representatives arrived at a hotel in downtown Doha for a two-day meeting on resolving the war organised by Pugwash Con-ferences on Science and World Af-fairs, a Nobel peace prize-winning crisis group.

“The meeting is providing us an opportunity to express our views about the future of Afghanistan,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, spokes-man for the Taliban which is itself riven by factional infighting.

The Afghan government did not send any serving officials but an adviser to the president, Mala-lai Shinwari, and the country’s

former interior minister, Umer Daudzai, were present.

Anwar Ahady, a former minister of finance taking part in the Doha talks, said the Taliban had not yet shown any willingness to engage in direct talks. “So far they have not proposed any concrete ideas about how to move forward.

Hopefully by tomorrow we will know if they want peace and if so what their conditions are,” Ahady told Reuters.

Even if the Taliban were to join the peace talks, those present would only represent part of the extremist militant movement fighting to top-ple the government in Kabul and restore it’s rule in place before it was ousted in 2001. Leadership di-visions could also impede progress, with some militant factions, such as a splinter group led by Mullah Mohammad Rasool Akhund, refus-ing to take part.

In 2010 Afghanistan said the United Nations had agreed to re-move some Taliban members who renounced ties to Al Qaeda from the UN blacklist on a “gradual” ba-sis to try and help Afghan efforts to engage some insurgents in talks.

The Afghan government sub-mitted a list of 20 names and five were removed from the list. — Reuters

Activists, former

Afghan officials

and Taliban

representatives

arrived at a hotel in

Doha on Saturday, for

a two-day meeting

organised by a Nobel

peace prize-winning

crisis group, to

resolve the war

1.5m Niger voters barred from casting ballots in pollsNIAMEY: Nearly a quarter of vot-ers in Niger — 1.5 million people — will be barred from casting their ballots in next month’s presiden-tial poll, the government said, after politicians failed to agree on a sys-tem to register them.

Tensions were already running high in the unstable West African state which is a key Western ally in the fight against extremist mili-tants across the Sahel region.

There was no immediate reac-tion from rights groups who regu-larly accuse the government of crackdowns on the opposition, or from electoral officials.

Around 1.5 million of Niger’s registered voters lack the documentation required to prove their identity, and the Independent National Electoral Commission had proposed a system whereby witnesses could vouch for them.

But politicians failed to approve it at a meeting on Friday.

“There was no consensus among the political class and therefore 1.5 million Nigeriens cannot exercise their right to vote on 21 February,” Alkassoum Indatou, spokesman for the presidential majority, said on state TV on Friday night.

The main opposition parties issued a statement confirming the impasse, without going into further details. — Reuters

I D E N T I T Y P A P E R S

Nuclear missile damaged by US airmenWASHINGTON: Maintenance errors by three US airmen dam-aged a nuclear-armed missile in its silo in Colorado in 2014, triggering an accident inves-tigation, the Air Force said on Friday.

The accident occurred in May 2014, to a Minuteman III inter-continental ballistic missile as-signed to the 90th Missile Wing in northern Colorado, the Air Force said in a statement.

The Associated Press first re-ported the incident.

The missile was damaged while the airmen were trouble-shooting a problem with a diag-nostic test, the Air Force said.

“The incident did not result in any injuries, prevent the Air Force from meeting its ICBM requirements, or create a haz-ard to public safety,” the Air Force said.

An investigation found that the maintenance team chief did not follow the technical guid-ance, the Air Force said.

The team chief and two of his airmen were decertified but returned to duty after being re-trained and certified, the state-ment said. — Reuters

N O I N J U R I E S

Cameron vows to pressure Maldives over NasheedLONDON: British Prime Min-ister David Cameron pledged on Saturday to apply pressure on the Maldives to improve the rule of law and free political prisoners after meeting the country’s for-mer president after his temporary release from jail.

Mohamed Nasheed, the Mal-dives’ first democratically elected president and his lawyer Amal Clooney met Cameron at Down-ing Street in London on Saturday after the former president gained permission to travel to Britain for surgery.

Cameron thankedThe Maldives gained independ-ence from the United Kingdom in the 1960s.

“Following his release from prison, Mr Nasheed thanked the prime minister for the role the UK had played by continuing to raise his case, including with oth-er countries,” a statement from Cameron’s office said.

Downing Street said the two

men had agreed that a Common-wealth meeting to be held in the Maldives next month would pro-vide an opportunity to press the Maldivian government to engage in “open political dialogue and free all remaining political pris-oners swiftly”.

“The Prime Minister told Mr Nasheed that the UK would con-tinue to raise concerns about the erosion of democracy and wider situation in the Maldives and it would also continue to discuss the situation with international partners,” it said. — Reuters

F R E E I N G P O L I T I C A L P R I S O N E R S

CONFLICT ZONE: Afghan police and security personnel inspect the

scene of a suicide attack on a bus that was transporting employees

of the attorney general’s office in Kabul on May 4, 2015. — AFP file photo

Mohamed Nasheed is serving a 13-year sentence on terrorism charges for the alleged abduction of a judge after a rapid trial last March which drew international criticismMohamed Nasheed

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CHINA COLD SNAPIce covers a window pane of a house in Binzhou, east China’s Shandong province on Saturday. Much of China shivered as a teeth-chattering cold snap broke decades-old records and snow fell in some parts for the first time in years, cancelling flights and forcing many indoors. — AFP

Poles rally over fears of ‘illiberal democracy’

WARSAW: Thousands of Poles marched through Warsaw on Sat-urday to protests against their new conservative government’s plan to increase its surveillance pow-ers, with some saying they feared Poland was following Hungary to-wards an “illiberal democracy.”

Since Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS) party took power in Novem-ber, its moves to take more control of the judiciary and the media have divided Poland and raised

alarm bells in the Europe Union, which has started investigating charges that Warsaw is under-mining democratic principles.

Waving Polish and European Union flags, the protesters de-manded that the Law and Jus-tice party withdraw its planned changes to the surveillance law.

“You’re supposed to listen, not listen in,” read one of the banners.

The proposed changes would expand the government’s access

to digital data and loosen the legal framework of using surveillance in law enforcement.

The ruling party, which scored a landmark election victory in Oc-tober, says it has to swiftly amend the bill in order to implement a constitutional court ruling.

“Our privacy, intimacy is un-der threat, we can be followed, watched over both in our homes, and online,” Mateusz Kijowski, one of the organisers, told the pro-

testers, who were peaceful.There were no figures available

on the size of the crowd.Critics say Poland’s new gov-

ernment is emulating Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban in trying to impose its political agen-da by undermining democratic checks and balances and limiting democratic freedoms.

Orban has locked horns with Hungary’s European partners for years, most recently over his hard line on the refugee crisis, one that PiS’ leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski has also embraced, at one point warning refugees could bring “parasites” into Europe.

Orban has also packed Hunga-ry’s constitutional court with can-didates backed by his party Fidesz since 2010.

Kaczynski’s overhaul of Po-land’s top court provoked mass protests and a strong backlash from the opposition. It also at-tracted condemnation from the European Union.

Earlier this week, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo told EU lawmakers that her government had not breached European or Polish laws with its changes to the constitutional court and by put-ting public media under its direct control. — Reuters

Waving Polish and

European Union

flags, the protesters

demanded that

the ruling Law

and Justice party

withdraw its planned

changes to the

surveillance law

New York’s former mayor Bloomberg may launch US presidential bidWASHINGTON: Michael Bloomb-erg, the billionaire former mayor of New York city, has told his aides to draw up plans for an in-dependent campaign for the US presidency, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Bloomberg has advised friends and associates that he would be willing to spend at least $1 bil-lion of his own money on a cam-paign for the November 2016 election, the Times said, citing sources briefed on the former mayor’s thinking.

Bloomberg, 73, has given him-self an early March deadline for entering the race, the Times re-ported, after commissioning a poll in December to see how he would fare against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the Republi-can and Democratic frontrun-ners. No independent has ever won a US presidential election.

But Bloomberg, who has close Wall Street ties and liberal social views, sees an opening for his candidacy if Republicans nomi-nate Trump or Texas Senator Ted Cruz and the Democrats nomi-nate Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the Times said.

Bloomberg, who has long pri-vately flirted with the idea of mounting a presidential run, served as mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013.

He switched his party affiliation from Republican to independent in 2007 and in recent years has spent millions on national cam-paigns to tighten US gun laws and reform immigration.

Result-oriented visionOne anonymous Bloomberg ad-viser told the Times the former mayor believes voters want “a non-ideological, bipartisan, re-sults-oriented vision” that has not been offered in the 2016 election cycle by either political party.

A well-financed presidential run by Bloomberg would likely disrupt the dynamics of the elec-tion, but the billionaire would face significant hurdles in a race that has been in full swing for nearly a year. Though no third-party candidate has ever claimed the White House, several previ-ous bids have affected the overall makeup of the race.

In 1992 Texas businessman Ross Perot ran as an independ-ent, a decision that some believe helped Democrat Bill Clinton defeat incumbent Republican George H. W.Bush. — Reuters

I N D E P E N D E N T C A N D I D A C Y

ALARMED: People take part in an anti-government rally in War-saw, Poland, on Saturday. — Reuters

Michael Bloomberg

sees an opening

for his candidacy if

Republicans nominate

Donald Trump or Ted

Cruz and Democrats

nominate Bernie

Sanders, ‘New York

Times’ said

Michael Bloomberg

Sri Lanka probing human kidney racketCOLOMBO: Sri Lanka has launched an investigation into al-legations that a group of surgeons ran a racket trading human kid-neys, the health ministry said on Saturday, two days after the au-thorities banned all kidney trans-plant surgery for foreigners.

The health ministry has ap-pointed a committee of five ex-

perts to run the investigation, it said in a statement.

Trading in human organs in il-legal in Sri Lanka.

On Thursday, Sri Lanka’s Health Minister Rajitha Sena-ratne said all kidney transplant surgery performed on foreigners had been suspended until an in-quiry was completed. — Reuters

G R O U P O F S U R G E O N S

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Six die as blizzard disrupts life along US east coast

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the sub-urbs of Washington, DC, on Sat-urday before moving on to Phila-delphia and New York, paralysing road, rail and airline travel along the US East Coast.

At least 10 states declared weath-er emergencies, aiming to get a han-dle on highways made impassable by the drifting snow and to shore up coastal areas where the bliz-zard conditions raised the danger of flooding.

High winds battered the region, reaching 70 miles per hour in Wallops Island, Virginia, late on Friday, said meteorologist Greg Gallina of the National Weath-er Service. High tides washed through the streets of Jersey

Shore towns, mixing with snow and pooling in driveways, tele-vised images showed.

Video footage on CNN showed water pouring into downtown Margate, New Jersey, near Atlan-tic City, an area still recovering from Superstorm Sandy three years ago. The heaviest snow was engulfing New York City on Sat-urday but was expected to ease by early afternoon, though not end until Sunday.

At least six people were killed in car crashes due to icy roads in North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee.

The worst appeared to be over for Washington, although mod-

erate snow was expected to keep falling until late Saturday, with the deepest accumulation of 23 inches recorded in Poolesville, Maryland, north of the nation’s capital.

“Records are getting close —we’re getting into the top five storms,” Gallina said.

Record stormsThe record high of 28 inches of snow in the nation’s capital was set in 1922 and the deepest recent snowfall was 17.8 inches in 2010.

Many stores were left with bare shelves as residents stocked up on food, water and beverages, prepar-ing to spend the weekend indoors.

The governors of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Dela-ware, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and the mayor of Wash-ington, declared states of emer-gency. Officials warned people not to drive. The storm developed along the Gulf Coast, dropping snow over Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky on Friday.

On the East Coast, warm, moist air from the Atlantic Ocean collid-ed with cold air to form the mas-sive winter system, meteorolo-gists said. The storm was forecast to move offshore in southern New England early next week.

Philadelphia and New York were

expected to get up to 18 inches of snow before the storm abated. Low-lying areas of New York and New Jersey might see flooding during high tides on Saturday and Sunday, officials said.

More than 4,200 US flights were cancelled on Saturday, most of them at airports in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, ac-cording to tracking website Flight Aware.com.

Amtrak modified service on train routes along its busy North-east Corridor and New Jersey Transit shut all bus, rail and light rail service early on Saturday and said it would restore service as “conditions permit.” - Reuters

At least 10 states

declared weather

emergencies, aiming

to get a handle on

highways made

impassable by the

drifting snow and

to shore up coastal

areas where the

blizzard conditions

raised the danger

of flooding

BITING COLD: A man and his two-year-old son shovel snow during a snowstorm in Washington on Saturday. A deadly blizzard with bone-chilling winds and potentially record-breaking snowfall slammed the eastern US on Saturday, as officials urged millions in the storm’s path to seek shelter — warning the worst is yet to come. - AFP

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ARTICLE, PHOTOSW W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M

‘Germany wants extension of Schengen border controls’

BERLIN: A group of European Union countries including Ger-many is pushing for an extension of border controls in the Schengen free-travel zone to help cope with Europe’s migration crisis, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported.

In a pre-released story, the Sun-day newspaper said Austria, Bel-gium, Sweden and Denmark were also among those pressing for the extension of the checks on select-ed Schengen borders.

The initiative will be discussed at a meeting of EU interior minis-ters in Amsterdam on Monday, the paper reported.

If successful, it would allow Ger-many to prolong its border controls, due to lapse in May, for a further 1-1/2 years.

More than one million people arrived in Europe last year, mostly fleeing war and poverty in the Mid-dle East and north Africa, and the numbers show little sign of falling.

Six Schengen members, includ-ing Germany and four other EU countries, have reinstated tempo-rary border checks in the passport-free area.

The 26-nation Schengen free travel area, a centrepiece of Euro-pean integration, is under pressure from the hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees trying to reach the most prosperous EU member states.

Many first arrive in Greece.Austrian Interior Minister Jo-

hanna Mikl-Leitner threatened Greece with suspension from the free-travel zone if it fails to do more to control immigration, a suggestion other EU governments, notably in Eastern Europe, have also made.

“If the government in Athens does not finally do more to secure the outer borders, then we will have to openly discuss a tempo-rary expulsion of Greece from the Schengen area,” she told Welt am Sonntag. “It is a myth that the Greek-Turkish border cannot be controlled.” - Reuters

M I G R A T I O N C R I S I S

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Iran, China set to increase trade to $600b in 10 years

DUBAI: Iran and China agreed to expand bilateral ties and increase trade to $600 billion in the next 10 years, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday during a visit to Tehran by Chinese President Xi Jin-ping. Xi is the second leader of a UN-Security Council member to visit Tehran after the nuclear deal Iran struck with world powers last year.

Russian President Vladimir Pu-tin visited Tehran in November.

Iran emerged from years of economic isolation this month when the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog ruled it had curbed its nuclear programme, clearing the way for the lifting of UN, US, and European Union sanctions.

“Iran and China have agreed to increase trade to $600 billion in the next 10 years,” Rouhani said at a news conference with Xi broad-cast live on state television.

“Iran and China have agreed on forming strategic relations (as) reflected in a 25-year comprehen-

sive document,” he said.Iran and China signed 17 ac-

cords on Saturday, including on cooperation in nuclear energy and a revival of the ancient Silk Road trade route, known in China as One Belt, One Road.

“China is still heavily depend-ent on Iran for its energy imports and Russia needs Iran in terms

of its new security architecture vision for the Middle East,” said Ellie Geranmayeh, policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Iran plays quite an in-tegral role for both China and Rus-sia’s interests within the region, much more than it does for the Europeans,” Geranmayeh said.

Xi was quoted as saying by Chi-

na’s Xinhua news agency: “The China-Iran friendship...has stood the test of the vicissitudes of the international landscape.”

The Chinese state-backed Glob-al Times newspaper said in an editorial on Saturday that China hoped to improve ties with Iran as part of its sweeping plan to rebuild trade links with Europe and Asia

and carve out new markets for its goods. “China is of course consid-ering its self interest in strength-ening cooperation with Iran, es-pecially at a time when China is in the midst of expending efforts to push forward the One Belt, One Road initiative, Iran is an impor-tant fulcrum,” the paper said. — Reuters

Iran and China

signed 17 accords on

Saturday, including

on cooperation in

nuclear energy and a

revival of the ancient

Silk Road trade route,

known in China as

One Belt, One Road

Mugabe back home after rumours of heart attackHARARE: Zimbabwean Presi-dent Robert Mugabe returned home late on Friday after a month-long holiday in the Far East, just over a week after the presidency dismissed rumours that Africa’s oldest president had suffered a heart attack and collapsed.

Mugabe, who turns 92 on Feb-ruary 21, is the only leader that the Southern African nation has ever known, and his health is being closely watched in and outside his ruling party, ZANU-PF.

The party is deeply divided over who will eventually succeed him.

The president was shown on the state television network, ZBC, arriving with his wife Grace and several security aides at Harare Airport, where he was met by one of his vice presidents, Emmerson Mnangagwa, cabinet ministers and security chiefs. Mugabe did not speak to journalists from ZBC or the state-owned press.

Fit as a fiddleReports about the declining health of Mugabe, who is showing signs of his advancing age, are common, but he likes to describe himself as “fit as a fiddle.” — Reuters

M O N T H - L O N G H O L I D A Y

Robert Mugabe

CEMENTING TIES: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, is seen in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, centre,

and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran on Saturday. — AFP/KHAMENEI.IR

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‘Occidental has no plans to exit Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar’

A E JAMESbusinesseditor@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Global energy giant Occidental Petroleum Corpora-tion is not planning to divest its assets in Oman and other two Gulf countries, said the company’s chief executive officer.

The US-based oil and gas firm never planned to exit Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar — three GCC

countries where the company has operations.

“There were some discussions in the media about selling our working interests in these coun-tries. We don’t want to do that either because these countries provide us cash flows,” Occiden-tal chief executive officer Vicki Hollub, told Times of Oman in an exclusive interview. “These are important part of our business

and part of our future (plan). We want to continue our operations in these areas.”

The US company, according to media reports, has a substantial portfolio of hydrocarbon assets in the Sultanate, which include Mukhaizna oil block. Occidental, which has been operating in Oman for more than three decades, is the single largest independent oil pro-ducer.

The Occidental chief said that almost two-and-a-half years ago her company’s chief executive of-ficer started an initiative to look at all of its activities across the globe to give priority for refocusing on core business activity. “In the Mid-dle East, our core areas are Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.”

“(However) we are exiting or at-tempting to exit from Iraq, Libya and Yemen. We have gone through a process established with the government for an exit process in Iraq, which is in process now. In

Yemen, some contracts are expir-ing. And we expect to be able to exit by the end of the year from Yemen. And in Libya, we have ceased our capital investments. Now we are maintaining operations as we go through a process of establishing

an exit strategy for Libya,” elabo-rated Hollub, who was on a short visit to Oman.

Hollub also said that her com-pany, in coordination with its partner Oman Oil Company and the Ministry of Oil and Gas, is working on ways to do things more efficiently and differently to bring down costs at a time oil prices have touched a 12-year low. “In Oman, we have a variety of po-tential projects to do. We will be continuing our activity levels one sort or another,” she explained.

Hollub said that the company has already invested over the years for drilling wells and creat-ing other facilities. “Over the past few years, we have installed bulk of the facilities. So, a lot of our facility construction is behind us.”

“So, currently in Mukhaizna and northern Oman, our cash cost for operation is such that we can con-tinue to produce with (the current) low oil prices,” added Hollub.

Asked whether the company plans to retrench workers in Oman due to sluggish oil prices, she said; “At this point, we do not expect a significant impact on our employees. In the United States, we have re-deployed engi-neers and scientists to the fields in place of contractors’ (employ-ees), which give them a broader experience and improve activi-ties because of the fact that these employees are more committed to add value for the company.” Oc-cidental also introduced early re-tirement plan for their employees in the United States.

“Our people resources are im-portant to us. So, over the course of time, what we are doing is develop-ing our employees, enabling them to do a variety of jobs.”

As many as 84 per cent of the company’s workforce in the Sul-tanate are Omanis, while more than 70 per cent if its management team is constituted by locals.

The US-based oil and gas firm never

planned to exit Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar,

the three GCC countries where the company

has operations, Occidental chief executive

officer Vicki Hollub said

Vicki Hollub. — Picture by Jun Estrada/

Times of Oman

Oman’s nominal GDP falls 14.2% in first half of 2015MUSCAT: Oman’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) fell 14.2 per cent during the first half of 2015, compared to the same pe-riod last year, due to lower crude oil prices in global markets and subdued global growth, according to the monthly report issued by the Central Bank of Oman (CBO).

The petroleum sector (in GDP) declined substantially, by 38.2 per cent, while the non-oil sector witnessed a modest growth of 3.7 per cent. Oman’s fiscal balance also shifted from surplus to defi-cit during the period, in the wake of the significant drop in crude oil prices. Also, inflation continued its downward trend, with the av-erage consumer price index (CPI) for the Sultanate at a mere 0.08 per cent during January-Novem-ber 2015, over the corresponding period in 2014.

Further, the current account balance also recorded a deficit during the first two quarters of 2015. However, the growth of monetary aggregates in the Sul-tanate continued its rising pat-tern, despite the decline in crude oil prices, which commenced in the second half of 2014.

The CBO report also pointed out that the total assets of con-ventional commercial banks increased by 15.1 per cent to OMR28.5 billion in November 2015, from OMR24.7 billion a year ago. Of these total assets, credit disbursements accounted for 64.6 per cent and increased by 9.3 per cent at the end of November 2015 to OMR18.4 billion. Credit to the private sector increased by 10.3 per cent to reach OMR16.2 billion at the end of November 2015. Of the total credit issued to the private sector as of the end of November 2015, the share of the non-financial corporate sec-tor stood at 46.8 per cent, closely followed by the household sector (mainly under personal loans) at 45.3 per cent, financial corpora-tions at 5.4 per cent and other sec-tors making up the remaining 2.5 per cent.

The CBO report also added that commercial banks’ overall invest-

ments in securities increased by 3.4 per cent to OMR2.9 billion, at the end of November 2015, from OMR2.8 billion a year ago.

Further, investment in Gov-ernment Development Bonds in-creased 79 per cent over the year to OMR831.5 million at the end of November 2015. Banks also in-vested OMR425.3 million in Gov-ernment Treasury Bills by the end of November 2015. Commercial bank investments in foreign secu-rities stood at OMR776.4 million in November 2015, registering an increase of 10.2 per cent over the year. The CBO report also pointed out that aggregate deposits held with conventional banks regis-tered an increase of 3.9 per cent to OMR18 billion in November 2015, from OMR17.3 billion a year ago. Government deposits with conventional banks increased by 0.8 per cent to OMR5.1 billion.

Deposits of public enterpris-es increased by 17.6 per cent to OMR1.1 billion during the same period. Private sector deposits, which constituted 64.7 per cent of total deposits with conventional banks, increased by 4.3 per cent to OMR11.6 billion in Novem-ber 2015 from OMR11.2 billion a year ago. Sector-wise, the share of households was 50.3 per cent of the total private sector deposit base, followed by nonfinancial corporations at 28.1 per cent, fi-nancial corporations at 18.8 per cent and other sectors at 2.8 per cent.

The CBO report added that Is-

lamic banking entities provided financing of OMR1.64 billion through November 2015, when compared to OMR1 billion a year ago. Total deposits held with Is-lamic banks and windows also registered a significant increase, to OMR1.5 billion in November 2015 from OMR0.5 billion out-standing at the end of November 2014. The total assets of Islamic banks and windows combined amounted to OMR2.2 billion, as of the end of November 2015, which constituted some 7.1 per cent of banking system assets.

The CBO report also said that the combined balance sheet of conventional and Islamic banks (other depository corporations) provides a complete overview of the financial intermediation tak-ing place in the banking system in the Sultanate. The total outstand-ing credit extended by the other depository corporations stood at OMR20 billion, as of the end of November 2015, a rise of 12.5 per cent over the level witnessed a year ago. Total deposits also reg-istered a significant growth of 9.2 per cent to OMR19.5 billion as of the end of November 2015.

Through November 2015, nar-row money stock (M1), when measured on a year-on-year basis, grew by 9.6 per cent to OMR5.4 billion. This rise was a result of an increase in currency with the public by 11.9 per cent, coupled with an increase in Omani Rial designated demand deposits of 8.9 per cent. — ONA

C E N T R A L B A N K O F O M A N R E P O R T

VITAL RESOURCE: Petroleum sector (in GDP) declined by 38.2%,

while the non-oil sector saw a modest growth of 3.7%. — ONA

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Bank Dhofar named Oman’s Best SME BankTimes News Service

MUSCAT: BankDhofar has been named ‘Best SME Bank in Oman’ by the London-based Global Busi-ness Outlook.

The awards are an independent programme that is marketed and ad-ministered by ‘Business Media Out-look’. It aims to recognise business excellence across all sectors and reward organisations that perform exceptionally well and stand out in their respective area of business.

Hussain Ali Al Lawati, assistant general manager and head of Busi-ness Banking at BankDhofar hailed the bank’s continuous efforts and ongoing commitment to support its small and medium enterprises (SME) customers across Oman.

“Our strategic plan is to support Omani entrepreneurs and to con-tribute to the growth and devel-opment of the SME sector in the Sultanate by understanding their requirements and meeting their needs. The SME sector’s require-

ments are very specific in nature and are different from other cor-porate and retail customers. Our team of skilled and experienced account managers understand the specific business needs of this sec-tor and they are dedicated to pro-vide timely and adequate services delivery to our SME customers,” Lawati said.

“It gives us great pleasure to start the year with such prestig-ious recognition from a highly esteemed global organisation. At

BankDhofar we aspire to be the best bank for customers across Oman, and will continue to offer innovative products and unique services that meet the needs of our customers,” he added.

Dedicated departmentWith the growing importance of small and medium enterprises to the development of the vibrant Omani economy, BankDhofar has embarked on a number of strategic initiatives to participate in further

development of SME sector in the Sultanate. The bank has a dedicat-ed Business Banking Department whose sole function is to cater to the needs and requirements of en-trepreneurs and SME owners.

“In order to serve our custom-ers in the best possible way, we observe the market and study the business trends that impact this sector, which helps us customise our products and services to ful-fil the needs and requirements of SMEs,” Al Lawati noted.

G L O B A L B U S I N E S S O U T L O O K

Gulf Plastic Industries offers to buy back shares MUSCAT: Majority shareholders of Gulf Plastic Industries have offered to buy back shares of minority shareholders (those who own 500 shares of less) at OMR2.350 per share, the compa-ny said in a filing to the Muscat Securities Market. This is done to convert the company from SAOG to SAOC. Those wishing to sell their shares should contact the Investment Management Group of the Oman Arab Bank, it said.

Oman Cables Industry board recommends cash dividend MUSCAT: Board of directors of Oman Cables Industry has rec-ommended a cash dividend of OMR0.090 per to be approved by the shareholders at the annual general meeting, the company said in a stock market filing. The board at its meeting on January 20, has approved the audited financial statements for the year ended December 2015 and has recommended for approval to the shareholders at the annual general meeting. The company’s net profit OMR18.5 million in 2015 compared to OMR 17.7 in 2014, a increase of 4.5 per cent. - Sales in 2015 declined by 6 per cent at OMR283.5 million compared to OMR303.1 million in 2014.

Oman Oil Marketing profit rises

MUSCAT: Oman Oil Marketing Company recorded a net profit of OMR12.21 million for the year ended December 2015, com-pared to OMR11.21 million in the same period last year, a rise of 9 per cent, the company said in a statement posted on the Muscat Securities Market website. The revenue rose 3 per cent in 2015 at OMR368.15 million a against OMR357.13 million in 2014, ac-cording to preliminary unaudited results. Earnings per share was 189 baisas compared to 174 baisas in 2014.- Times News Service

B R I E F S Bank Muscat wins Barclays STP award

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flag-ship financial services provider in the Sultanate, has won a prestig-ious straight through processing (STP) award from Barclays Bank in recognition of operational excel-lence in the field of British pound (GBP) payments processing.

The award recognised the bank’s exceptional quality of SWIFT messages on GBP payment, main-

taining an outstanding error-free rate for remittances of over 96 per cent. The award was based on evaluation of the quality and accu-racy of SWIFT payment messages routed through Barclays Bank. The bank’s central operations electron-ic payments department, Treas-ury back office and Global Trade Services department are handling fund transfer operations while the technical and security issues are handled by the Systems & Proce-dures department.

The ‘Recognition Award for

Outstanding Payment Systems in GBP’ highlighted the bank’s commitment to high standards of quality in meeting the stringent criteria for fund transfer. The bank’s exceptional quality in the delivery of commercial payments and transfers, facilitated by a state-of-the-art in-house payment architecture, which helps to con-sistently maintain high SWIFT standards for automated process-ing throughout the payment chain resulting in extremely high STP rates, was also acknowledged.

The Financial Institutions Group, reckoned as one of the leading FI teams in the region, has established more than 500 corre-spondent banking relationships across the world.

Barclays Bank is among Bank Muscat’s prominent correspond-ent bank for British Pound pay-ments. Representatives of Barclays Bank commended the operational teams involved in processing GBP payments at Bank Muscat for the error-free rate maintained con-sistently throughout the high volume of remittances processed during 2014.

A multi-award winning organi-sation, Bank Muscat’s STP per-formance has been consistently lauded by the international finan-cial and banking community for several years.

Barclays Bank award

recognised Omani

bank’s operational

excellence in the

field of British pound

payments processing

Comex 2016 from April 12MUSCAT: Comex 2016, the 26th edition of the IT, telecom, technology exhibition and con-ference, will start on April 12 at Oman International Exhibition Centre. The five-day event is or-ganised by Oman International Trade and Exhibitions.

The expo will include a pavil-ion on broadband and optical fibre and also include a platform for business sector as it will wit-ness trade meetings between customers, government sectors and exhibitors. - ONA

T E C H N O L O G Y E X P O

alizz islamic bank chief executive

officer bags GCC’s ‘Top CEO’ Award

Times News Service

MUSCAT: alizz islamic bank has said that its chief executive of-ficer Salaam Said Al Shaksy, was recently presented with the ‘Top CEO’ award by ‘Trends’ magazine and Insead Business School.

‘Top CEO Awards’ is a red car-pet awards ceremony celebrating and recognising achievements of the top 100 CEOs in the Gulf Co-operation Council countries. Or-ganised by ‘Trends’ magazine and the prestigious Insead Business School, the Top CEO Awards tar-get the region’s most influential decision makers. It is the only re-gional ranking based on the finan-cial statements of publicly listed companies. The awards celebrate the achievement of the region’s top players in the market, making

them the most credible and trans-parent in the region.

Al Shaksy is a member of Oman’s State Council and deputy head of its Economic Commit-tee. He is also a member of the board of directors of Oman Oil Company and chairman of its board Audit and Risk Commit-tee. His other appointments in-clude: member of the board and

board executive committee of Al Raff’d Fund; chairman of Oman’s Investment Stabilisation Fund; member of the advisory board at The College of Economics & Political Science, Sultan Qaboos University; and chairman of The Shaksy Group.

Al Shaksy is a graduate of Bos-ton University, the US, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (cum laude), a Mas-ters in Management Information Systems (Honours) and an MBA in Management of Financial Ser-vices (High Honours).

He has also completed the sen-ior executive programme from the London Business School, UK. Al Shaksy is the first Omani CEO of a fullfledged Islamic bank in Oman and has received a number of awards in banking.

H O N O U R

RECOGNITION: The award was based on evaluation of the qual-

ity and accuracy of SWIFT payment messages routed through

Barclays Bank. – Supplied photo

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

Hussain Ali Al Lawati.– Supplied photo

Salaam Said Al Shaksy

B4

MARKETS U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

New directory on building materials sector unveiledDOHA: Gulf Organisation for In-dustrial Consulting (GOIC) has unveiled a new publication “Build-ing Materials Industry Director in the GCC Countries” and Yemen.

In this regard, GOIC Secretary General Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al Aqeel said: “Building materials industry is a key sector in the GCC countries, for it is a pillar of devel-opment and progress.”

“The boom in Gulf was paralleled with the construction of several residential, industrial, commercial and leisure cities, in addition to infrastructure and public projects according to the different devel-opment plans of GCC countries,” he added.

This Directory is part of a series of specialised industrial directo-ries issued by GOIC to provide in-formation regarding the industrial sector, making the data accessible to the largest number of decision and policy makers, investors and researchers in this field, he said.

Building materials industry in-cludes manufacture of glass and glass products, refractory prod-ucts, clay building materials, por-celain and ceramic products, ce-ment, lime and plaster, articles of concrete, cement and plaster, cut-ting, shaping and finishing of stone and manufacture of other non-me-tallic mineral products. — ONA

C O N S T R U C T I O N I N D U S T R YFixed-telephone lines user base rises 15.9% in Oman

MUSCAT: Total number of fixed telephone lines, including post- and pre-paid, public, WLL, and ISDN channels in Oman reg-istered a growth of 15.9 per cent in 2015.

The fixed telephone line sub-scriber base stood at 434,932 by the end of 2015, against 375,196 registered at the end of 2014, ac-cording to data issued by the Na-tional Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

Meanwhile, there has been a 7.3 per cent rise in the number of mo-bile subscribers (post- and pre-paid) last year, with the number rising to 6,646,674 million, from over 6,194,169 million in 2014.

Among fixed lines, fixed pre-paid (card fixed) telephones wit-nessed the highest growth at 69.4 per cent, taking the total to 56,021, while post-paid connections rose by nearly 12.9 per cent to 325,083. WLL connections, however, fell

by 2.2 per cent to 1,771, while ISDN channels decreased 0.6 per cent to 45,256, last year.

Public pay telephonesThe Sultanate had a total of 6,801 public pay telephones last year, with no change in numbers, com-pared with the figures for 2014.

The post-paid mobile subscrib-er base increased by 10.7 per cent to 585,166, even as pre-paid mo-bile connections grew by 7.0 per

cent to over 6.06 million, NCSI data said.

Interestingly, last year, the number of internet subscribers surged 31 per cent to 236,004, primarily due to a 31.7 per cent growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers, which reached 233,233. However, dial-up internet subscriptions fell by 10.1 per cent to 2,771, compared with figures for 2014.

The NCSI data also showed

a growth of 12.5 per cent in the number of active mobile broad-band subscribers, pushing such subscriptions to over 3,253,949 million in 2015. Apart from this, national leased circuits logged a growth of 1.9 per cent, taking their number to 3,815.

The Governorate of Muscat had the highest number of main telephone lines at 213,105 by the end of 2015, reflecting a growth rate of 14.4 per cent, compared with 2014.

The Governorate of Dhofar took the second spot at 33,737, followed by the Governorate of North Al Batinah at 28,113. The Governo-rate of Al Wusta recorded the least number of main telephone lines at 1,891, even as it logged the highest growth of 65 per cent among the governorates.

Main telephone lines in the Governorate of South Al Batinah posted a growth of 20.6 per cent to 26,568, while the Governorate of South A’Sharqiyah saw an in-crease of 45.5 per cent to 7,794 lines last year, compared with the prior year.

The Governorate of North A’Sharqiyah recorded a growth of 19.5 per cent to 17,846 lines, while the Governorate of A’Dhahirah registered a 25.8 per cent jump in main telephone lines, taking the total number to 10,837. — ONA

Fixed telephone

line subscriber base

stood at 434,932

by the end of 2015,

against 375,196

registered at the end

of 2014, National

Centre for Statistics

and Information said

in its latest reportCLOSE SCRUTINY: There has been a 7.3 per cent increase in the number of mobile subscribers. — ONA

Saudi-based logistics company to build mega warehouse park in SoharMUSCAT: An agreement to build a major warehousing park within the Sohar free zone was signed by the Sohar Port and Freezone, with Warehousing Solutions, a newly es-tablished company from Saudi Ara-bia’s logistics provider Warehous-ing Projects and Logistics (WPL).

The signing marks the begin-ning of construction of WPL’s planned 50,000-square meter warehouse park in the Sohar Free Zone, of which a further 50,000 square metres (sqm) has been re-served for Phase II, taking the total size of the land lease agreement up to 100,000 sqm.

Warehousing Solutions will construct ready-to-build ware-houses, as well as bespoke ware-housing for other Sohar tenants on-site in the Free Zone. The new deal comes at just the right time. Throughput at Sohar Port in-creased dramatically over 2015, with an average of close to one mil-lion tonnes of cargo throughput a week recorded last year.

The new highway connecting Sohar directly to Saudi Arabia is due to open in the first quarter of 2016, and the first 200 kilometre segment of the GCC rail network in the Sultanate will start con-struction this year, linking Sohar to the border of the United Arab

Emirates (UAE) in the Governo-rate of Al Buraimi, with onward rail links to Abu Dhabi.

The signing took place at the Sohar annual business reception, which was held in Muscat. Sul-tan bin Salim Al Habsi, chairman of the Sohar Port and Free Zone, as well as Sohar Free zone chief executive officers (CEOs) Andre Toet and Jamal Aziz signed the agreement with WPL CEO Ab-dulaziz Mansoor Al Subaie. The signing ceremony was attended by VIPs and guests from the public and private sectors, as well as rep-resentatives from key diplomatic missions in the Sultanate.

Speaking after the signing cer-emony, Sohar Free Zone CEO Aziz, said: “We are delighted to

have signed this lease agreement with WPL’s new Omani company, Warehousing Solutions. The lo-gistics sector in the Sultanate is projected to grow beyond the $12 billion mark by 2017, and we have set out to make 2016 the “Year of Logistics,” to attract more 2PL and 3PL providers to Sohar. Long-term, thanks to our unique loca-tion, the logistics industry has the potential to surpass the hydrocar-bons sector as the nation’s eco-nomic mainstay.”

WPL’s CEO Al Subaie, summed up: “We’ve seen an active interest in warehousing and logistics devel-opment emerging in the Sultanate and our presence at Sohar expands our reach across the region to meet these demands. With its strategic

location as a logistics hub for the Gulf, the Sohar Free Zone will add to the value proposition we can of-fer to clients and logistics service providers. We look forward to coop-erating with the Free Zone’s One-Stop-Shop team to turn our latest expansion into reality.”

The WPL started in 2010 with a land bank of around 500,000 sqm situated in the industrial cities of Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah and Ma-dinah, with the development of pre-built warehouses for logistics ser-vices providers and other clients. It has expanded its portfolio into built-to-suit warehouses and warehous-ing design, through collaboration with an international consulting firm, complemented with third-par-ty logistics (3PL) services. — ONA

S O H A R F R E E Z O N E

LEASE AGREEMENT SIGNED: Warehousing Solutions will construct ready-to-build warehouses, as

well as bespoke warehousing for other Sohar tenants on-site in the Free Zone. — ONA

Times News Service

MUSCAT: The third IDF Oman - Interior Design, Décor and Fur-niture Exhibition will be held from 15–17 February, 2016.

Taking place at the Oman In-ternational Exhibition Centre in Seeb,which is organised by Al Nimr Expo and under the patron-age of the Ministry of Housing and Public Authority for Craft In-dustries, Sultanate of Oman.

Oman’s rapid progress in the construction and real estate sector has resulted in the launch of numerous commercial, resi-dential and tourism projects, creating a demand for inte-rior and outdoor design, décor and furnishings.

Latest in technologyThe key objective of the exhibi-tion is to display the latest in technology, usage of materials and innovative approaches to interior design, décor and fur-niture. IDF has helped meet the growing demand by bringing to-gether the leading companies in the industry under one roof.

In its third edition, IDF Oman will be showcasing accessories and art, bathroom, building ma-terial, carpets, commercial inte-riors and fit out, décor, flooring, furniture and furnishings, inte-rior design, kitchen, lightings,

luxury lifestyle, outdoor design and build, renovation, retail fit-out and eco building, surfaces and finishes, textiles, as well as Vastu and Feng Shui, to compli-ment the on-going construction of major infrastructure projects in the Sultanate, making the ex-hibition an‘exclusive emporium’.

IDF has already occupied 95 per cent of the exhibition space, and is set to host over 100 com-panies from across the globe, sur-passing the past two exhibitions.

Also, more than 35 compa-nies will be represented by Italy, which is managed by MEDINIT SRL for the third year.

The Diamond Sponsors for the exhibition are: Kny Design GmbH, Abu Yasseen Designs, andI-Factory. Platinum Sponsors are Décor Collezione / UdayKh-imji International LLC, Global Pyramid LLC, Better Homes, The Metal Engineeringand Fahmy Furniture LLC. Gold Sponsors are MAF and Partners, Al Hajiry Trading LLC, Swiss Open Air Concept and Serial Kolor.

Visitor Badge Sponsors are Chiller and Vivid Security. The event is also supported by Em-bassy of Italy Muscat, Paragon International, American Hard-wood Export Council, Egyptian Furniture Export Council, Asso-ciation of Professional Interior Designers, and AIA Middle East.

I D F O M A N

MAJOR EVENT: IDF has already occupied 95 per cent of the exhi-

bition space and is set to host over 100 companies. — Supplied picture

Expo to focus on design and decor

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Renault Oman launches ‘Muscat Festival Offer’

MUSCAT: Renault Oman from Suhail Bahwan Group announced its exclusive ‘Muscat Festival Of-fer’ on its sleek range of vehicles for customers which ends on Feb-ruary 13, says a press release.

Renault’s exclusive offer com-prises a plethora of benefits on most of its top selling models as well as its newly launched models last year.

Renault’s sedan segment com-prises a prestigious lineup of ve-hicles that includes the sleek Re-nault Fluence, the strikingly good looking Renault Safrane and the newly launched Renault Symbol and Renault Megane.

The SUV/Crossover range com-prises the Renault Duster, Renault Koleos and the all-new 2015 Re-nault Captur and lastly the re-cently launched LCV vehicle – the Renault Dokker Van.

Exclusive offers include The Renault Symbol 1.6l: Customers will be entitled to receive free regis-tration, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/30,000km (whichever comes first), free un-limited warranty period of up to six years, AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR500.

The Renault Megane 1.6l SE CVT: Customers will be entitled to receive free registration, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/30,000km (which-ever comes first), free unlimited warranty period of up to six years, AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR500.

The Renault Fluence 1.6l and

2.0l: Customers will be entitled to receive free registration, free periodic maintenance service up to two years / 30,000km (which-ever comes first), free unlimited warranty period of up to six years, AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR1,000.

Renault Safrane 2.0l, 2.5l and 3.5l: Customer benefits include free registration, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/30,000km (whichever comes first), free unlimited warranty pe-riod of up to six years, AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR1,000.

Renault Koleos 2.5l: Customers will be entitled to free registration, free unlimited warranty period of up to six years free registration, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/30,000km (which-ever comes first), AAA road side assistance card, and a cash gift of OMR1,000.

Renault Duster 2.0l PE and SE model (2 wheel drive & 4 wheel drive) attractions comprise free registration, free unlimited war-ranty period of up to six years, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/30,000km (which-ever comes first), AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR600.

The upbeat Renault Captur 1.2l Turbo PE, SE and LE models comes with free registration, free unlim-ited warranty period of up to six years, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/30,000km (whichever comes first), AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR750.

Renault Dokker LE 1.2l M/T model (with and without parti-tion) comes with free registra-tion, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/ 30,000km

(whichever comes first), AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR500.

The soulful Symbol The Renault Symbol is a status-enhancing yet affordable family sedan. Its modern design and at-tractive equipment package, com-bined with its low fuel consump-tion make the new Renault Symbol the perfect sedan for families look-ing for value for money along with status and style.

The mesmerising Megane The Megane hatch is equipped with dual side-impact sensors, which make it an incredibly ef-ficient option for any safety-con-scious Renault purchaser. With its unique aesthetic that turns heads at its sporty seduction, the 2016 Renault Megane 1.6 is a meeting place of practicality and passion for design.

The alluring Fluence The Renault Fluence offers more generous passenger space than oth-er vehicles in the same class. Interi-or measurements are highly impres-sive, with elbow room of 1,480mm in the front and 1,475mm at the rear.

The luxurious Safrane The Renault Safrane 3.5 V6 fitted with an automatic six-speed trans-mission comes equipped with the Carminat TomTom navigation system, a solution as efficient as it is easy to update and use, with the intuitive joystick.

The impressive Koleos The key highlights are the Renault Koleos reliability, with its power train of 2.5L engine, CVT trans-mission and 170 horse power is-sued from the Renault Nissan Al-

liance; added safety, with its six airbags; hill start assistance and hill slope control; ESP with Anti Slip Regulation; comfort, with its dual zone air-conditioning, leather interior and electric panoramic sunroof; advanced technology, with Bose sound system; digital media connectivity- USB and iPod docks; bluetooth capabilities, Renault key-less smart card; navigation assistance; 4WD differential lock, and roominess, with a segment-topping cabin space.

The amazing Duster The Renault Duster, a strong and reliable SUV with genuine off-road ability is versatile and combines a spacious interior with saloon-car comfort. The Duster’s compact footprint and high ground clear-ance ensures that it is meant for all kinds of roads.

The captivating CapturIt is a crossover packed with a turbocharged engine for those oc-casional bursts of controlled fun. The engine producing 120 BHP and 190 Nm of torque is mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

The new Dokker Van Spacious and impressive, the Re-nault Dokker Van aims to please, with an innate sense of practicality and versatility. It can take all kinds of loads, assisted by XL sliding side doors (more than 70 cm wide) and two asymmetrical rear doors meeting the challenges of trans-port and delivery with ingenuity and panache.

SBA is largely committed to sup-porting Renault Oman’s growth in the Sultanate through major emphasis on customer satisfac-tion and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman.

Renault’s exclusive

offer comprises a

plethora of benefits

on most of its top

selling models as well

as its newly launched

models last year

Nissan Pathfinder 3.5L: A family friendly SUVMUSCAT: The Nissan Path-finder 3.5L from the house of Su-hail Bahwan Automobiles offers a full complement of technology and features that offer auto en-thusiasts a perfect combination of perfect off-road capability (i-Auto 4WD system), dynamic design, class-leading comfort, a rewarding driving experience and unmatched interior comfort for a perfect family drive, says a press release.

SUV for the family The Nissan Pathfinder has trans-formed into a much more fam-ily-friendly SUV, with a roomy, modern interior, and handling characteristics and impressive power. The Pathfinder is no long-er the choice for those who need to venture off-road only.

With the introduction of the all-new fourth generation, not only does Pathfinder provide ca-pability with spacious seating for seven, and an intuitive 4 Wheel Drive System, but it also resets the standard for the segment with an unprecedented level of premium style, comfort, fuel economy and offer a comfortable experience for families.

Dynamic designAlong with reduced weight, Pathfinder’s new unibody plat-form provided the designers an opportunity to create the more aerodynamic exterior without compromising headroom or cargo capacity. Moving upscale in appearance, the new exterior styling presents a smart fusion of signature Nissan styling cues and dynamic strength.

The look is adventure-ready with wheel-oriented muscu-lar fenders and a strong, stable stance. The upper body features

an open cabin with large win-dows which can be complement-ed with an available Dual Pano-ramic Moonroof, to enhance the new Pathfinder’s open, airy inte-rior environment.

Class-leading comfort The new Pathfinder offers the comfort of a larger SUV with its flat floor enhancing interior packaging flexibility. The Path-finder’s unique versatility is ex-emplified in the design of the EZ Flex Seating System, giving 5.5 inches of sliding second row seat-ing travel while additionally pro-viding exceptional third row ac-cess even with a child safety seat remaining securely in place (on the passenger curb side). Path-finder’s quiet, comfortable inte-rior benefits from a wide range of available features, rich leather-appointed seating surfaces; ven-tilated, heated and cooled front seats; sliding second row seats and an advanced Bose Audio Sys-tem with 6 speakers.

Safety features Standard safety features on the Nissan Pathfinder 3.5L include antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags that cover all three rows of seats. Rear parking sensors and a rear view camera are standard on all. The vehicle also features a blind-spot warn-ing system and rear cross-traffic alert, while upper grades come with a more deluxe surround-view camera system.

SBA is largely committed to supporting Nissan’s growth in the Sultanate through major em-phasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class af-ter-sales services in Oman.

C L A S S - L E A D I N G C O M F O R T

ISC Kerala Wing plansto hold Youth Festival competitions in April MUSCAT: The Kerala Wing of the Indian Social Club Muscat has decided to hold its art and literary competitions for all age groups and they are open for all Indians resid-ing in the Sultanate.

The various competitions gaug-ing the participants’ talent in dance, music and literature will be held at various venues starting from first week of April 2016, says a press release.

The winners of the various competitions of the Youth Festi-val 2016 will be awarded trophies and certificates. Eminent panel of judges from India as well as Oman will choose the best performers in each category.

To encourage participants as a team from a school, Rolling Tro-phy will be awarded to the school that scores the maximum.

The participants will be in-formed about the dates of various items over telephone and the de-tails are also updated regularly on Kerala Wing website: www.isck-eralawing.org.

Painting, drawing and literary events like poem writing, essay writing short story writing in both English and Malayalam languages will be held separately at Indian Social Club Hall at Darsait.

Spot entries are available for these events.

This is the largest competi-tion in terms of participation and candidates from all parts of the Sultanate have entered, claimed the organisers.

The competitions are being held on the lines of the famed youth festivals held in Kerala and a high voltage contest is expected in all the sections — sub-juniors, jun-iors, seniors and adult.

The Kerala Wing of the Indian Social Club, founded in 2001, is a unique organisation in the socio-cultural scenario of Sultanate of Oman.

The organisation is an alert re-spondent to the expat community in Oman and is active in the hu-manitarian and socio-cultural ac-tivities in Oman.

A R T A N D L I T E R A R Y C O N T E S T

NBC inks pacts with Ibra Energy Services, Majan Health ServicesMUSCAT: With the aspiration to offer a premier platform for promising Omani entrepreneurs to develop their business ideas and advance them into growing and successful ventures, the Na-tional Business Centre (NBC) signed incubation agreements with Ibra Energy Services and Majan Health Services (MHS) in the presence of Malak Al Shaiba-ni, director general of NBC, says a press release.

Ibra Energy Services is an In-Country Value (ICV) initiative aiming to position itself as the leading energy solutions provid-er in Oman and the region. The company aspires to achieve its goals through its commitment to source out innovative technology from around the world. The team has extensive knowledge, experi-ence, and resources in the oil and gas sector in Oman, the region and internationally.

Eng. Mohsin Al Barwani, man-aging director of Ibra Energy Ser-vices, noted that the objectives of Ibra Energy Services include providing solutions to all the ma-jor oil operators in Oman, with

plans to provide products and services in the region; providing innovative solutions while uti-lising and encouraging local re-sources to continuously add ICV; and providing equipment, tools and machinery used in hydrocar-bon, chemical, solid waste man-agement, industrial, and environ-mental applications.

MHS is a one-stop occupa-tional medicine service provider and innovative medical solutions. MHS specialises in the diagno-sis, management and prevention of diseases and illnesses in the workplace. MHS is committed to reducing health care costs, in-creasing productivity, reducing absenteeism, enhancing employ-ee morale, attracting and retain-

ing high-quality employees and delivering a positive return on healthcare investment.

Dr Aisha Al Balushi, CEO of MHS says, “MHS provides unique mobile and on-site services cover-ing healthcare management and occupational medicine tailored packages that suits the needs of organisations needs of the O&G, marine, construction and aviation industries. MHS’s qualified oc-cupational physicians visit work-places and assess a range of work-related health issues. MHS offers a range of modular, flexible services. Weassist in the development and implementation of occupational health solutions and strategies that protect the health of your greatest asset - your workforce.”

S U P P O R T I N G E N T R E P R E N E U R S

Park Inn Muscat supports Oman Environment Day

MUSCAT: During the Oman Environment Day, Park Inn Muscat employees showed its support by taking the initiative to clean the hotel and the sur-roundings of its neighbouring buildings as part of responsible business activity.

The activity purpose is to maintain cleanliness of the vicin-ity of the hotel and for the staff to get involved and gain more knowledge in taking care of the environment, says a press release.

“We are dedicated to maintain what has been started. The hotel wants to further demonstrate to our employees, clients, suppliers and owners, the significance and importance of a strong group-wide environmental strategy,” said Rabih Zein, cluster general manager for Park Inn Muscat and Park Inn Duqm.

B E I N G R E S P O N S I B L E

B6 S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

ROUND-UP2016 Toyota Avalon: Elegance reimagined

MUSCAT: The 2016 Toyota Av-alon is a world-class sedan with an elegant and refined design.

One of the most upscale cars in the class, the Toyota Avalon has an array of sophisticated touches that draw attention.

Beginning from the premium design alloy wheels and leading up to redesigned upper and lower front grille, the Avalon is adorned with redesigned bumpers with turn signals. Complimenting it are the eye-catching rear bumpers with chrome garnish. The newly designed rear combination lamps set these off. Overall, the newly re-designed and expressive front-fas-cia makes for the Avalon’s graceful presence, says a press release.

Avalon’s exterior lighting com-plements the design lines. The in-dustry-first Quadrabeam headlight cluster utilises a sleek and compact double-eye PES headlight design with two square glass condenser lenses that have been adopted for the low beams and offer outstand-ing lighting performance.

Indeed, there is a lot to love in the refined masterpiece by Toyota; about whom it is quoted that, “The Avalon is one of Toyota’s best of-ferings, with truly attractive styl-

ing, a high-quality interior, plenty of room and an immensely enjoy-able driving experience.”

The Avalon’s interior elaborates on the exterior’s elegant, refined theme to create a premium in-terior experience that combines high technology and artisanship with an artistic level of sculpted surfaces. This panel is covered in supple, hand-stitched premium soft-touch material with the seam adding some creative flair as it goes across the dash panel.

The driver is engaged by an Optitron-type combination meter, which produces a sharp, high qual-ity display and 3.5-inch Thin-film Transistor (TFT) colour multi-information display. Furthermore, the Avalon’s interior surfaces are finished in premium materials such as soft-touch materials for the dash panel, unique smoke chrome trim surrounding the centre panel, and high-quality glossy panel trim around the shifter. All of this atten-tion to detail to touch surfaces and subtle enhancements to texture and visual appeal are aimed at el-evating the overall interior experi-ence for driver and passengers.

The Avalon’s seats are available as 10-way power adjustable for the

driver’s seat, and 8-way adjust-ment for the front passenger seat. The driver’s seat incorporates a seat-cushion length extender; a four-way lumbar support is built into the driver’s seat and a two-way lumbar support for the pas-senger. An electric seat heater and seat ventilation system have been adopted to help enhance driver and passenger seat comfort.

The Avalon utilises a 3.5-litre, six-cylinder V6 engine that fea-tures Dual VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with intelligence) to help offer superior power and efficien-cy by optimising the intake and exhaust valve timings to increase engine performance across the en-tire range.

The Avalon features an auto-matic transmission that has been optimised for improved fuel econ-omy and performance. Steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters help activate fast & responsive shifts while keeping both hands on the wheel. The Avalon offers three drive modes: Eco, Normal & Sport.

The Avalon offers a long list of convenient, user-friendly technol-ogies as one would expect with the Toyota’s flagship sedan. The Av-alon features 7” navigation display

audio system with Bluetooth com-patibility rear camera display and operation of iPod and USB devices.

Toyota Avalon is equipped with a remote engine starter, which is a smart key system that locks and unlocks the front doors and ena-bles opening of the doors when the key is within a short distance of the door handle. The key’s trans-mitter also allows the engine to be started with the push of a button. The Avalon is equipped with a rear window power shade that blocks direct sun rays for the rear pas-sengers, the shade adopts an auto-down function when shifting into reverse. A lighter weight power sunroof design has been adopted to help reduce vehicle weight.

Avalon has a total of ten SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) airbags providing enhanced safety. It also features Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRAC), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake As-sist (BA).

All specifications listed above are standard Toyota equipment. Safety kit (fire extinguisher, warn-ing triangle, tyre pressure gauge and first aid kit) is a dealer in-stalled non Toyota item provided on Toyota models as standard equipment. The vehicle specifica-tions may change without prior notice. Pictures and colours may differ from actual specifications of the vehicles. For further details and to ascertain availability of stocks, please visit your nearest Toyota showroom.

In Oman, Toyota’s outstanding product quality is supported by the nationwide parts and service net-work of Saud Bahwan Automotive. No wonder then that today Toyota is one of the most trusted and well-known brands.

One of the most

upscale cars in the

class, Toyota Avalon

has an array of

sophisticated touches

that draw attention

Sharaf DG opens its new outlet in Sohar Safeer MallSOHAR: Sharaf DG, most pre-ferred electronics destination, recently opened its new outlet in Oman at Safeer Mall Sohar.

It was inaugurated by Saleh Al Hadabi, director general of Sohar Municipality, says a press release.

Exciting inaugural offers were also launched and grabbed by mall customers. Sharaf DG in Safeer Mall Sohar has been de-signed in accordance with the international standard highly fo-cused on sophistication and cus-tomer friendly environment. Its aim is to provide not only a life-style experience but certainly a destination where customers can find the widest range of brands in the region across the catego-ries like mobiles & smartphones, laptops & tablets, televisions & home theatre, home appliances & personal care, electricals, gam-ing, photography and much more.

“We are happy that our antici-pation is finally over and Sharaf DG has now officially opened its doors for our discerning custom-ers. This will certainly comple-ment our ever growing tenant portfolio and Safeer Mall Sohar as a hub for our electronic enthu-

siasts who look forward for best deals and great offers. We look forward with vigour to the pros-pect of an exciting year ahead for the mall in general,” commented Vijay Manwani, chief operating officer of Safeer Mall Sohar.

E L E C T R O N I C S S H O W R O O M

Sharaf DG in Safeer Mall Sohar has been designed in accordance with the international standard highly focused on sophistication and customer friendly environment

NDC gives away prizes to winners of Bahar Bonanza promotionMUSCAT: Attractive prizes were given away at the prize distribu-tion ceremony of National De-tergent Company (NDC)’s mega raffle promotion ‘Bahar Bonanza’, held recently on KM Hypermarket premises in Al Khuwair.

Prizes like Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Samsung Galaxy S6, Dell laptops and Samsung mobiles were handed over to the lucky win-ners by the officials of KM Trad-ing, NDC and Hamood Al Balushi, director of Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE). The two-month long promotion was made available in all major outlets

across Oman such as Lulu Hyper-market, Carrefour, Sultan Center, Mars Hypermarket, Karama, KM Trading, says a press release.

For purchase of NDC prod-ucts worth OMR3, a scratch and win card plus a raffle coupon was given to the consumer. For pur-chase worth OMR5, consumers re-ceived two scratch and win cards along with raffle coupons. 20,000 scratch and win prizes were hand-ed over during the promotion pe-riod. As an added attraction, 100 winners received a mobile phone worth OMR50 for collecting com-bination of alphabets ‘BA+HA+R’

in the coupons. Commenting on the promotion, V. Sundaresan, di-rector and CEO - NDC, said: “We continue to offer the best promo-tions and valuable prizes to our customers in appreciation of their continuous support and effective contributions as real partners in boosting NDC’s growth.

In keeping with the company’s tradition of providing only the finest rewards and benefits to its customers while continuing to of-fer world class products, NDC will come up with more such promo-tions this year for customers to win fabulous prizes.”

The NDC promotions are sup-ported by PEIE. Through its Ori-gin Oman campaign, PEIE pro-motes products manufactured in the Sultanate. The campaign cre-ates awareness and increases the visibility of Omani products while encouraging residents to buy Om-ani and avail of the quality services available in the country. Quality offerings from NDC include Bahar Fresh Blossom detergent powder, Bahar Enzymatic low foam deter-gent, Bahar Ultra Dish washing liquid, Bahar Fabric Softener, Ba-har Abaya, Bahar Clean disinfect-ant, Bahar Antiseptic and others.

M E G A R A F F L E

PLATINUM HOTEL AWARDS BEST EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTHThe Platinum Hotel in a brief ceremony awarded the hardworking staff of the hotel with the Best Employee of the Month

certificate and cash prize. This gesture from the management of the hotel is to boost and encourage the staff to excel in the

services to their esteemed clients. “In this challenging scenario of stiff competition the only additional benefit to the clients

is to offer exemplary services which of course is sourced out from their staff,” said a senior hotel official. — Supplied picture

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TAC customer endorses Geely Emgrand GT sedan

MUSCAT: Abdul Hakim from Salalah recently purchased the newly launched Geely Emgrand GT and he is highly pleased with his latest acquisition.

“Geely Emgrand GT is an excel-lent car. It is powerful yet smooth; sporty outside and luxury inside. All in all, a great car with a lot of high points including great perfor-mance, class-leading features and utmost comfort,” he said.

Geely Emgrand GT was launched in Oman two weeks back by Towell Auto Centre (TAC) and it has witnessed instant apprecia-tion. It is already a very popular car in the GCC as well as internation-ally, especially for its design and power, says a press release.

“There is no greater satisfaction for us than receiving a heartfelt appreciation from our customers and we are overwhelmed with the warm reception that the Emgrand GT has received in Oman. Our sole mission has always been to bring quality products and experiences for the automobile lovers in the country,” said a senior spokesper-son of TAC.

“By launching brands such as Geely, we have ensured our cus-tomers have access to high qual-ity, superior but cost-effective cars. The brand Geely has long ago changed the widely-held belief that products made in China are of in-ferior quality. In fact, the amazing Geely range has proved that China made cars can be equally reliable and outstanding performers, like their western counterparts. The new Geely Emgrand GT car takes the brand to another level with its added value elements that appeal to the customers’ rising expecta-tions. It unites a striking sporty exterior with a high-class luxury

interior while simultaneously en-hancing overall vehicle functional-ity and integrating state-of-the-art technologies with Chinese ele-ments”, the spokesperson added.

Artistic innovationThe Emgrand GT #Super Sedan is a four-door ‘fastback’ sedan with an aggressive profile, an overall length of 4956mm and wheelbase of 2850mm, giving an elegant and solid stance. It features an artistic innovation that borrows heavily from classical Chinese aesthetic needs and international styling philosophy. The distinctive side shoulder line arches over the front wheel and then sweeps cleanly around the vehicle’s length, com-bining a sense of speed with char-acter and elegance. The wide shoulder surface gives a strong and confident feel.

“The Geely Emgrand GT has been designed using the innova-tive KC Concept by veteran car de-signer Peter Horbury who oversaw design at various luxury automo-tive brands including Volvo before moving to Geely as design vice president. Under Horbury’s watch Geely Auto has established four global design centers in Shanghai, Barcelona, Los Angeles and Goth-enburg, Sweden where the next generation of Geely vehicles are

being designed. Geely Emgrand GT is one of them,” the spokesper-son adds. The headlights and grille of the Emgrand GT form a unified graphic, with the arched curve of the grille inspired by the distinc-tive profile of historic Chinese stone bridges. The graceful and modern interior design of the car reflects a mix of technology and quality. The steering wheel, door armrests and front control display have a lightweight and elegant appearance. The central console arches from the front to the rear passenger area. The seats are well-designed, floating on bridge-like supports and dressed in the style of Chinese clothing. Fine red wood, jade, traditional patterns and am-bient lighting works together to enhance the interior quality.

By bringing the Geely range to the Sultanate, TAC has rein-forced its commitment to provide high-quality products and ser-vices to its customers in Oman. Moreover, TAC is offering for first 3 years 24 hour AAA roadside as-sistance as added assurance and 3 years/100,000km warranty on purchase of Geely cars. With a net-work of 11 showrooms, 13 service outlets and 10 parts outlets spread across Oman, TAC is one of the leading automobile distributors in the region.

‘Geely Emgrand GT is

an excellent car. It is

powerful yet smooth;

sporty outside and

luxury inside,’ says

Abdul Hakim from

Salalah who recently

purchased the newly

launched Geely

Emgrand GT

Senior bariatric surgeon available for consultation at Apollo MuscatMUSCAT: Apollo Muscat, as-sociated to Apollo group of Hos-pitals in India — Asia’s largest group of Hospitals — has teamed up to deliver bariatric clinic ser-vices at Apollo Muscat.

Dr Ramen Goel, senior con-sultant laparoscopic and bariat-ric surgeon from India, will be offering his services at Apollo Muscat. Dr Ramen Goel is avail-able for consultation at Apollo Muscat today and tomorrow, says a press release.

Obesity is an increasingly common medical condition in which a person is overweight to the extent that there is a negative effect on health, reduced quality of life, and a lowered life expec-tancy. Obesity is no longer con-sidered a cosmetic issue that is caused by overeating and a lack of self-control.

The disease of obesity is ex-tremely costly not only in terms of economics, but also in terms of individual and societal health, longevity, and psychological well-being. Due to its progressive na-ture, obesity requires life-long treatment and control.

Dr Ramen Goel, a pioneer bariatric surgeon from Mumbai, India, who has operated on over 2,000 obese and diabetic patients from all over the world, is now

available for consultation and surgery at Apollo Muscat, asso-ciated to Apollo Group of Hospi-tals India. Dr Goel, who has per-formed India’s first gastric band, banded gastric bypass and mini lap surgery, has been accredited as India’s first Bariatric Surgeon of Excellence by Surgical Review Corporation, USA. Dr Goel is co-chief editor of a peer reviewed Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Research and has many published articles to his credit.

Saileswaran, managing direc-tor, Apollo Muscat, said: “With increasing exposure to western culture, lifestyle diseases - obe-sity, diabetes, and heart disease - are rapidly increasing. Though lifestyle modifications are nec-essary, a majority of people finds it difficult to lose or maintain weight or blood sugars.

“Bariatric or metabolic surgery has been accepted worldwide as the most effective treatment mo-dality for obesity and diabetes in selected patients.”

He also added, bariatric sur-gery has become extremely popu-lar all over the world considering its efficacy and safety. Leading politicians, businessmen and well informed people have un-dergone this surgery for better health and quality of life.

H E A L T H C A R E

Bank Sohar hosts blood donation driveMUSCAT: As a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Bank Sohar recently host-ed a special blood donation drive at its headquarters in MBD.

The donation event was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), in order to support and promote the healthy practice of donating blood and to positively contribute to the society and coun-try, says a press release.

Highlighting the importance of such initiatives Munira Ab-dulnabi Macki, GM – HR & Cor-porate Support at Bank Sohar, said: “Blood donation is con-sidered a noble practice and an integral part of supporting our community. Every drop of blood collected counts; not many people know that donating just one pint of blood can save up to three lives! The objective of the drive was to support Ministry of Health’s cause by creating awareness and embedding the idea of regularly donating blood due to the massive positive impact it can have in sav-ing people lives.”

The blood donation drive comes from Bank Sohar’s firm be-

lief that social responsibility is a common objective that should be shared by individuals and corpo-rates. The annual blood donation drive aims to support the efforts of the Ministry of Health and oth-er medical institutions in order to save lives.

It also helps create awareness and embed the idea of regularly donating blood due to the massive positive impact it can have in the community. In addition to saving lives and contributing to the bet-terment of the community, the practice of donating blood also re-

sults in donors receiving numer-ous health benefits.

These include prevention of toxic build-up in the blood; lower-ing of iron levels within the body, which in turn helps reduce the risk of heart diseases; and reduc-tion in blood pressure and blood glucose levels. Moreover, after having donated blood, the donor’s body also initiates the process of creating fresh blood.

Munira Abdulnabi Macki praised the high turnout from Bank Sohar employees who supported the drive: “This blood donation drive, among our many other initiatives, is an extension and proof of our unwavering commitment to the betterment of our community and it is always gratifying to see such support from our staff. We are truly proud of every employee that has donated blood during this drive, especially those that do so year after year.

“Their active participation clearly reflects an increase in awareness about the importance of donating blood, and also con-firms their commitment to saving lives,” she added.

S O C I A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y

Hyflux wins another contract in KSA

SINGAPORE: Hydrochem Saudi Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hyflux Group (Hyflux), has been awarded a contract by Snampro-getti Saudi Arabia Co Ltd, a sub-sidiary of Saipem S.p.A. (Saipem) to design, manufacture and supply a seawater reverse osmosis and sulphate removal facilities pack-age in Khurais, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The project value is approximately $50.4 million, says a press release.

“This win underscores Hy-flux’s growing presence in the Middle East region and our ex-pertise in designing high speci-fication plants for industrial

customers,” said Olivia Lum, Ex-ecutive Chairman and Group CEO of Hyflux.

The Khurais oil field, is located approximately 150km northeast of Riyadh. Italian group Saipem is the engineering and construc-tion contractor for the project to expand the daily production capacity at the Khurais Central Processing Facility by 300,000 barrels of oil from the current 1,200,000 barrels.

The contract is to be fulfilled over one year, and is expected to contribute to the financials of Hyflux for the financial year end-ing December 31, 2016.

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Swisstours opens new outlet at MQ

MUSCAT: Switzerland! The name invariably conjures up im-ages of unparalleled beauty and divine scenery.

Visiting Switzerland is on the bucket list of many travellers and Swisstours along with Khimji’s House of Travel announced spe-cial offers that can make this wish come true in 2016. A dedicated

Swisstours office was also opened in Madinat Qaboos (MQ), says a press release.

Speaking at the press briefing on the opening of their dedicated office at Madinat Qaboos, Toovey Abra-ham, CEO of Swisstours, said: “Our appointment of Khimji’s House of Travel as our General Sales Agent has brought us the success which

we had anticipated from a partner-ship with a company of such stand-ing and repute. With the new Swis-stours dedicated office at MQ and Khimji’s committed staff we hope to continue to promote Switzerland

as the year-round family destina-tion that it truly is.”

To kick-start 2016 and the sum-mer travel season Swisstours has initiated an exclusive offer especially for the Oman market

beginning with a free upgrade to first class rail travel on the most popular 4 and 7 night independ-ent packages that are inclusive of accommodation, rail travel and mountain excursions. A discount-ed price is on the offer, to see one the most popular mountain ex-cursion in Switzerland; Jungfrau-joch – Top of Europe. Jungfrau-joch offers visitors a high – Alpine wonderland of ice, snow and rock which one can admire from van-tage terraces.

Other than its world renowned scenic beauty, chocolates and cheese, in Switzerland a traveller can experience many superlatives like Europe’s highest railway sta-tion at Jungfraujoch, the world’s most photographed mountain in

the form of the Matterhorn, the world’s steepest cogwheel railway leading up to Mount Pilatus as well as the world’s first open Dou-ble Decker cable car going up the Stanserhorn mountain.

Speaking on the occasion, M. C. Jose, CEO Projects & Logistics Group at Khimji Ramdas said: “It is the expertise and attention to detail that makes the difference between an ordinary and an excellent holi-day. Our experienced staff is our greatest asset and the experience of them having visited Switzerland puts them in a position to give that right touch to every holiday itiner-ary that they prepare for our guests. Customers can call our toll-free number 80075000 to know more on Switzerland Holidays.”

Swisstours along with Khimji’s House of

Travel also announced special offers

on trips to Switzerland

New local courier service fills a niche in Oman market

MUSCAT: For the first time in Muscat, a local courier service has been introduced that will offer door-to-door delivery for corporate companies as well as individuals. Amal Couriers hopes to modernise same-day delivery at a minimal cost with the aim to easing off pressure for those who are busy or caught up or have yet to get their driving licence, says a press release.

With a tagline ‘Everything within Reach’, Amal Couriers will start out working with firms in the business services, retail sectors, food and grocery and healthcare as well as pick up documents that you may have left back or forgotten in the office.

On the other hand, Amal Sen-timents touches another chord wherein customers will be able to send out gifts on special occa-sions when they cannot be pre-sent personally, providing a per-sonal touch.

“Local courier service is a con-cept that is prevalent in other parts of the world. Going by the growth of the country over the years and the importance given to personal relations, it is an idea I feel that would do very well in Muscat. We hope to make it a

success in the capital and then in-troduce it in other parts of Oman as well,” explained Faisal A. Hus-sain, chief executive officer.

“Our belief is that the cus-tomers’ needs are of the utmost importance and we have an en-tire team committed to meeting those needs. The focus is to pro-vide high quality service that will take customer satisfaction to an-other level,” he added.

The company is committed to providing a high level of service that will only get better in the future. Initially the service can be accessed through website and phone, but subsequently, it hopes to introduce a mobile app with an advanced tracking system so that the customer has complete vis-ibility on every consignment and will know where these goods are at any given period of time.

The company is already in talks with established corporate com-panies and retail outlets to their delivery on regular basis and hopes to expand the base as the concept gains popularity.

Amal Couriers and Amal Sen-timents are being launched un-der the umbrella of the Best Solu-tions that will also be introducing Amal Business Services.

A M A L C O U R I E R S

Top executives unite

on common platform

MUSCAT: In a first ever get-together on a social media plat-form, top executives gathered at Opera Galleria for Insta8 Execu-tive, an event that had executives and entrepreneurs from varying fields share their experiences and thoughts.

One of the speakers at the well attended event was Sheikh Dr Abdul Aziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi from the royal family of Ajman. Referred by interesting names such as the Green Sheikh and ‘from polluter to protector’, he was interviewed by the CNN as an environmentalist. He spoke about his passion and how he loves to inspire young people as they can make a difference in their family, community and country, says a press release.

“A leader is not one who is right at the top; it is someone who can inspire people and take people along. Even a child can be a leader and lead by experience,” he said.

On the other hand, His High-ness Sayyid Tariq bin Shabib bin Taimur spoke on behalf of a large

corporation but feels there are lessons within that apply to every-one. While reaching out to young people starting new businesses or joining corporate companies, he said the ideal situation would be if one is fortunate enough to do what one really enjoys. Then, one will give it much more time and a lot will be done in less time.

For those new to the social media scene in Oman, Insta8 is when eight motivators speak for eight minutes in eight moments addressing topics within the in-stagram sphere. It is an informal gathering where people gather to network, share abilities and skills and most important, to follow and get followed.

Fahmi Al Ma’awali, Owner of Eventus, who created this plat-form, said Insta8 Executive took the platform to another level as it encompasses everyone who has to take decisions.

The event was supported by Op-era Galleria, Tamrah Oman, Grand Hyatt Muscat, Oman Air, Hassad and Sahtain – gourmet catering.

I N S T A 8 E V E N T

Gulf Air awarded at MEET ICT 2016MANAMA: Gulf Air was re-cently honoured, for the third consecutive year, at the sixth edition of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) conference ‘MEET ICT’ and the Bahrain International Technology Exhibition held in Bahrain recently. The airline’s Director of IT, Dr Jassim Haji, was awarded the ‘ICT Personal-ity Award – Private Sector’, says a press release.

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Father-in-law’s collapse sours Murray’s day in Melbourne

MELBOURNE: The Australian Open tennis championships were rocked late on Saturday when Andy Murray’s father-in-law Nigel Sears collapsed during a match at Rod Laver Arena, overshadowing the world No. 2’s advance to the fourth round.

Sears, the coach of former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, col-lapsed while watching the Serb’s third-round clash against Madison Keys, prompting medical staff to rush to the 58-year-old’s aid.

Adding to the surreal atmos-phere at Melbourne Park, Briton Murray was oblivious to the un-folding drama as he battled Portu-gal’s Joao Sousa in the neighbour-ing Margaret Court Arena.

Play was suspended for an hour at Rod Laver Arena, as Sears re-ceived treatment before being fitted with breathing apparatus and carried from the stadium on a stretcher. He was taken to hospital for further treatment and was be-ing examined by a cardiologist, or-ganisers said.

A teary-eyed Ivanovic was even-tually led back to centre court to continue her match against Keys and although the Serb fought hard she fell 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

“Obviously it was a tough

match,” Ivanovic said in a state-ment after declining post-match media commitments.

“I really wanted to win and have a chance to come back... Obviously a little bit disappointed.”

Murray, whose wife Kim Sears is due to give birth to their first child next month, completed a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over 32nd seed Sousa and was led straight from the court by an official rather than conduct the usual courtside interview.

In an unnerving coincidence, Ivanovic’s second round match was

also suspended after a spectator fell down the stairs at the same show court on Thursday. Murray also skipped the post-match media con-ference and the Scot’s only com-ment was confined to his match.

“It was tricky. I didn’t feel great,” he said in a statement. “It was good to get through that one.”

Medical emergencyThe medical emergency overshad-owed the action on day six which saw Spanish third seed Garbine Muguruza dumped out of the tour-

nament and Victoria Azarenka given a huge boost in her bid to win a third title at Melbourne Park.

The 2014 champion Stan Waw-rinka also reached the last 16, staying on track for a blockbuster semifinal against Murray.

Muguruza, rated one of the few women capable of threaten-ing champion Serena Williams, slumped out at the hands of un-seeded Czech Barbora Strycova, her 6-3, 6-2 loss punching a hole in the draw. With Romanian world No. 2 Simona Halep sent packing in the opening round, seventh seed Angelique Kerber remains the top woman in the draw’s lower half.

But the path to a dream final against Williams seems laid out for 14th seed Azarenka.

A succession of injuries over the past two years and a bout of depres-sion have slowed the Belarussian, who clinched back-to-back titles at Melbourne Park in 2012-13.

But her 6-1, 6-1 humiliation of Japanese qualifier Naomi Osaka was her eighth win in succession and further evidence the sleeping giant has awakened.

“I had a lot of changes and emo-tions from last year that I still didn’t know how to handle,” the 26-year-old said. “It changed my life... Start-ing to be happy and organised and disciplined off the court, it changed my life on the court, definitely.”

Wawrinka advancesFollowing Roger Federer’s 300th victory in Grand Slams on day five and Maria Sharapova’s 600th on tour, Wawrinka notched his 400th

career win with a triumph over Czech Lukas Rosol 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

The Swiss fourth seed has been battling a cold at Melbourne Park but his game was in rude health as he smashed 18 aces and 45 win-ners in the late afternoon sunshine at Rod Laver Arena.

“As long as I’m feeling good on the court, that’s the most impor-tant thing,” a raspy-voiced Waw-rinka said.

The 30-year-old Swiss must next weather the serving storm of dark horse Milos Raonic, who des-patched Canada’s Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 at the Margaret Court Arena. A quarterfinalist last year, 13th seed Raonic dedicated his win to victims of a school shooting in the remote Canadian town of La Loche, where four people were killed and a number injured on Friday.

“Stuff like this doesn’t happen much back home,” he told report-ers. “I’m sure not just in that small community but throughout Cana-da it was a lot of people that were sort of heartbroken over it.”

With a number of high seeds fall-ing by the wayside, doors opened for lesser lights to shine.

Among them, Australia-born Johanna Konta defeated Czech Denisa Allertova 6-2, 6-2 to be-come the first British woman into the last 16 at Melbourne Park in nearly 30 years. Zhang Shuai, the last Chinese player left in the sin-gles tournament, continued her fairytale run to reach the fourth round, having never previously been past the first round of a Grand Slam in 14 attempts. - Reuters

Adding to the

surreal atmosphere

at Melbourne Park,

Murray was oblivious

to the unfolding

drama as he battled

Portugal’s Joao Sousa

in the neighbouring

Margaret Court Arena

‘DIDN’T FEEL GREAT’: Britain’s Andy Murray walks off court after his victory over Portugal’s Joao Sousa on day six of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Saturday. – AFP

‘Aussie’ Konta wins over Melbourne Park crowdsMELBOURNE: Johanna Konta spurned the country of her birth to play tennis for Britain but the Syd-ney-born 24-year-old has enjoyed huge support from the Melbourne Park crowds during her run to the Australian Open fourth round.

After upsetting Venus Williams in her opening round match, Kon-ta said she had no intentions of switching allegiance back to Aus-tralia but there was no cold shoul-der from the crowd at Hisense Arena on Saturday.

Konta demolished 66th ranked Czech Denisa Allertova 6-2, 6-2,

making her the first British wom-an to reach the last 16 in Australia since Jo Durie in 1987.

“I have been amazed with how much support I’ve gotten, but I don’t know if that’s a British con-tingent here or if that’s from my Australian roots,” Johanna Konta told reporters.

“I’m just very grateful for all the people that do come out. Whether they are supporting me or the play-er I’m playing against, it’s always good to have a lot of people around. It brings good energy.”

The loss of locally born athletes

to other nations, particularly those who end up representing arch-rival Britain, is difficult for sports-obsessed Australia to swallow.

Switching nationalityKonta has been compared by lo-cal media to Laura Robson, who was born in Melbourne but ended up winning a mixed doubles silver medal for Team Great Britain at the London Games.

Australia, however, has also embraced foreign-born tennis players, with Muscovite Daria Gavrilova switching nationality

from Russia only weeks ago — just in time to help her adopted nation win the Hopman Cup and also make a run to the fourth round at Melbourne Park.

Other players with more tenu-ous links have been ‘adopted’, in-cluding Belgian four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters, who was affectionately known as ‘Aussie Kim’ due to her rela-tionship with local champion Lleyton Hewitt.

Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic was also embraced as ‘Aussie Ana’ after she became

involved with top local golfer Adam Scott. Though a resident of Australia until her teen years, Konta has sounded like an enthu-siastic tourist during her time in Melbourne and has raved about the country’s culinary delights.

“You guys need to eat passion fruit here. It’s unbelievable,” said Konta, who faces a tough match against Russian Ekaterina Ma-karvoa, a semifinalist last year, to reach the quarterfinals.

“And toast and chia pods. I don’t know how to say it, but, again, great.” - Reuters

T E N N I S

HUGE SUPPORT: Johanna Konta

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Cook steadies England after De Kock century

PRETORIA: England’s captain Alastair Cook posted his first half century of the series against South Africa with an unbeaten 67 as they finished on 138 for two, still 337 runs behind, at the close on the second day of the final Test on Saturday.

Cook and Joe Root (31 not out) added 60 for the third wicket at Centurion Park as England, who have won the series, look to get close to the hosts’ first-innings total of 475 on a pitch starting to show variable bounce.

Cook is 50 short of becoming the first England batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs. The touring side

had lost opener Alex Hales (15) cheaply before tea when he guid-ed a wide delivery from Kagiso Rabada to Dane Piedt at point for another soft dismissal.

Nick Compton (19) became Rabada’s second victim when he fell lbw to a delivery that never got more than a foot off the ground from good length. South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock earlier reached his maiden Test century with a fluent unbeaten 129 from 128 balls before running out of partners.

De Kock smashed 17 fours and two sixes in a mixture of finesse and a brutal attack on the bowling.

“It was alright. I got a bit lucky with one or two dropped catches but I’ll take it. Hundreds don’t

come around often,” De Kock told reporters. “I just play it as I see it. If it’s in my area I will try to hit it. That’s the way I play for my fran-chise and it’s no different here.”

England, after picking up the wickets of Temba Bavuma (35) and Rabada (0) early in the morn-ing session, the tourists may have expected to run through the South Africa tail. But a stand of 50 for the eighth wicket between De Kock and Kyle Abbott (16), and 82 for the ninth with Piedt (19), kept the England in the field until 40 min-utes before tea. Frustration for the touring side was exacerbated by dropped catches, including two off De Kock. England all-rounder Ben Stokes continued his fine tour

with bat and ball as he finished the South Africa innings with figures of four for 86.

“It was hard work, every time we got a wicket they seemed to get back in it,” Stokes said. “Too many chances went down as well, we re-ally let them off the hook.” - Reuters

Cook and Root

added 60 for the

third wicket as

England, who have

won the series, look

to get close to the

hosts’ first-innings

total of 475 on a pitch

starting to show

variable bounce

MAIDEN TON: South Africa’s Quinton de Kock celebrates after

completing his century during their fourth Test match against

England in Centurion on Saturday. – Reuters

South Africa 1st innings S. Cook b Woakes 115 D. Elgar c Taylor b Ali 20 H. Amla b Stokes 109 A. de Villiers c Root b Broad 0 J. Duminy lbw Ali 16 T. Bavuma c Bairstow b Broad 35 Q. de Kock (not out) 129 K. Rabada lbw Anderson 0 K. Abbott lbw Stokes 16 D. Piedt c Bairstow b Stokes 19 M. Morkel lbw Stokes 0 Extras (b-1, lb-11, w-4) 16 Total (all out, 132 overs) 475 Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-237, 3-238, 4-271, 5-273, 6-335, 7-336, 8-386, 9-468. Bowling: J. Anderson 30-6-91-1 (w-1); S. Broad 28-4-91-2 (w-2); M. Ali 25-5-104-2; C. Woakes 22-3-91-1 (w-1); B. Stokes 27-3-86-4.England 1st innings A. Cook (not out) 67 A. Hales c Piedt b Rabada 15 N. Compton lbw Rabada 19 J. Root (not out) 31 Extras (b-1, lb-4, w-1) 6 Total (2 wkts, 46 overs) 138 Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-78.Bowling: K. Abbott 11-5-17-0; K. Rabada 12-2-55-2 (w-1); D. Piedt 10-1-23-0; M. Morkel 11-2-29-0; D. Elgar 2-0-9-0.

S C O R E B O A R D

Lehmann in hospital

SYDNEY: Australia coach Dar-ren Lehmann has been taken to hospital suffering from deep vein thrombosis, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Saturday.

Lehmann, 45, reported a swol-len left calf to team medical staff before the fifth One-day Interna-tional against India in Sydney on Saturday and was sent for a scan.

He was admitted to hospital for observation overnight during the India innings and will receive treatment for the condition.

“Darren is stable but he has been advised not to fly in the short term and will therefore require a layoff before he can return to coaching,” CA’s chief medical officer John Or-chard said in a statement.

Lehmann’s wife Andrea was told

of the situation and the Australia players were informed after Sat-urday’s match which India won by six wickets to claim a consolation victory in a series they lost 4-1.

Di Venuto in chargeBatting coach Michael Di Venuto will take charge of the side for the three-match Twenty20 series against India starting on Tuesday in Adelaide.

“Our first thoughts and concerns are obviously with Darren and his family — health is more important than any cricket match,” Pat How-ard, CA’s executive general manag-er, said. “We will assess the situa-tion on the basis of medical advice and with Darren’s best interests in mind over the coming days.” - Reuters

C R I C K E T

FANJA RALLY TO HOLD AL AROUBA, AL NAHDA DEFEAT SAHAMEight-time title winners Fanja fought back to hold de-

fending champions to a 1-1 draw in week 15 action of the

Omantel Professional League at Seeb Stadium on Saturday.

Despite the draw, Al Arouba occupy the top place with 29

points while Fanja with 25 points are third behind Suwaiq

(26). Earlier at the same venue, Al Shabab edged Al Mu-

sannah 1-0. At Buraimi Sports Complex, Al Nahda defeated

Saham 3-1. On Friday, Suwaiq defeated Al Khabourah 1-0

while Muscat upset Al Nasr 2-1. Dhofar and Sohar were

involved in a 3-3 draw while Sur and Salalah played out a

1-1 draw. Dhofar are in fourth place with 24 points followed

by Sohar (23), Al Nasr (22), Al Musannah (21) and AlNahda

(20) in that order. — JUN ESTRADA/Times of Oman

C3

SPORTSS U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

Rishi Dhawan in for injured Kumar in Indian teamSYDNEY: Paceman Bhu-vneshwar Kumar will miss India’s three-match Twenty20 series in Australia with a thumb injury and will be replaced by all-rounder Rishi Dhawan, the country’s cricket board said on Saturday.

India also brought in Gur-keerat Singh Mann, part of their one-day side in Australia, as cover for Ajinkya Rahane, who split the webbing on his right hand while fielding in Wednes-day’s ODI defeat in Canberra.

In the same match, Kumar fractured the thumb in his left hand trying to stop a David Warner straight drive off his own bowling.

Adelaide will host the first Twenty20 international on Tuesday, followed by matches in Melbourne (January 29) and Sydney (January 31). - Reuters

T 2 0

REPLACEMENT: Rishi Dha-wan. – AFP

Chanderpaul retires from internationalsST. JOHN’S: West Indies bats-man Shivnarine Chanderpaul has officially retired from inter-national cricket, seven months after selectors opted to discard the veteran and push for a youth-oriented policy.

Chanderpaul, who was dumped before the home series against Australia last June, said at the time he felt he deserved the opportunity to play one final series despite a poor return in domestic cricket be-fore the squad was selected.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) thanked him for his con-tribution to their game.

“The WICB acknowledges the invaluable contribution Shiv has made to the game globally and we wish him all the best,” WICB President Dave Cameron said in a statement.

The 41-year-old made his Test debut against England in 1994 and went on to amass 11,867 runs at an average of 51.37 in his 164 Tests for the Caribbean side. His total is the seventh highest of all time, and he finished behind Brian Lara’s 11,953 as the second most prolific West Indian batsman.

He scored 30 Test centuries and 66 half centuries and had a high score of 203 not out.

He also scored 8,778 runs in 268 One-day Internationals at an agerage of 41.60.

Chanderpaul’s ungainly batting stance was at odds with cricket’s coaching manuals, but soft hands and a superb eye allowed him to

flick, dab and poke the ball into gaps in the field and quietly accu-mulate runs.

A low conversion rate of 50s to 100s early in his career was rec-tified after foot surgery removed some floating bone chips and al-lowed him to play without pain.

Chanderpaul’s calm demean-our held together an increasingly

brittle West Indies batting lineup after the retirement of Lara and many opposition teams targeted him as the key wicket.

While selectors continue to pursue their youth policy in a bid to rebuild the once powerful cricketing side, Chanderpaul was still playing domestic first class cricket earlier this week. - Reuters

C R I C K E T

‘INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTION’: Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Pandey’s maiden ODI century helps India avoid whitewash

SYDNEY: Manish Pandey struck his maiden one-day century in a high-scoring thriller to secure India a pride-salvaging six-wicket victory against Australia in the fifth and fi-nal ODI in Sydney on Saturday.

Staring at a series whitewash after four defeats, India rode Pan-dey’s scintillating 104 off 81 balls to chase down a 331-run victory target with two balls to spare.

Centuries from David Warner (122) and Mitchell Marsh (102) helped Australia post 330 for seven but Pandey’s knock in his only fourth one-dayer clinched the contest for India. India needed a strong start from their openers to stay on course to chase down such a big total and the visitors got just that from Shikhar Dhawan (78) and Rohit Sharma (99).

Dhawan posted his third succes-sive 50-plus score and Rohit fell agonisingly short of his third cen-

tury in the series as they raised 123 runs in 18.2 overs.

John Hastings dismissed Dha-wan and Virat Kohli (8) in quick successions to halt India’s pro-gress and Rohit left leaving India needing exactly 100 runs from 91 balls to win the contest.

With the required run-rate sky-rocketing and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (34) struggling to time the ball at the other end, Pandey’s crisp hitting left India needing 13 runs off the last over from Marsh. Marsh began with a wide and had his next hit out of the ground by Dhoni but the Indian captain fell immediately to inject fresh drama in the contest.

Pandey, however, was unfazed and he hit the next ball for a boundary to first complete his cen-tury and then scurried for two for the winning run. Earlier, Warner struck his fifth ODI century and Mitchell Marsh notched up his first to set up yet another runfest.

India’s much-maligned bowl-ers did well to reduce Australia to 117 for four in the 22nd over before Warner and Marsh combined to add 118 runs in 17.3 overs. For India, Jasprit Bumrah made an impressive debut, claiming two for 40. Pandey was adjudged man-of-the-match, while Rohit Sharma won the man-of-the-series award for the 441 runs he amassed in five matches. - Reuters

Staring at a series

whitewash after four

defeats, India rode

Pandey’s scintillating

104 off 81 balls to

chase down a 331-run

victory target with

two balls to spare

SERIES WIN: Australians celebrate after winning the ODI series against India in Sydney. – AP/PTI FINE TON: Manish Pandey. – AFP

AUSTRALIAA. Finch lbw I. Sharma 6 D. Warner c Jadeja b I. Sharma 122 S. Smith c R Sharma b Bumrah 28 G. Bailey c I. Sharma b R. Dhawan 6 S. Marsh run out 7 M. Marsh (not out) 102 M. Wade c Dhoni b U. Yadav 36 J. Faulkner b Bumrah 1 J. Hastings (not out) 2 Extras (b-4, lb-7, nb-1, w-8) 20 Total (7 wkts, 50 overs) 330 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-64, 3-78, 4-117, 5-235, 6-320, 7-323.Bowling: I. Sharma 10-0-60-2 (nb-1); U. Yadav 8-0-82-1 (w-1); J. Bumrah 10-0-40-2;

R. Dhawan 10-0-74-1 (w-4); R. Jadeja 10-0-46-0 (w-1); G. Mann 2-0-17-0.INDIAR. Sharma c Wade b Hastings 99 S. Dhawan c S. Marsh b Hastings 78 V. Kohli c Wade b Hastings 8 M. Pandey (not out) 104 M.S. Dhoni c Warner b M. Marsh 34 G. Mann not out 0 Extras (lb-3, w-5) 8Total (4 wkts, 49.4 overs) 331 Fall of wickets: 1-123, 2-134, 3-23, 4-325.Bowling: J. Hastings 10-1-61-3 (w-2); S. Bo-land 10-0-58-0; M. Marsh 9.4-0-77-1 (w-2); J. Faulkner 10-0-54-0; N. Lyon 8-0-58-0 (w-1); S. Smith 2-0-20-0.

S C O R E B O A R D

C4

SPORTSS U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

Khawar smashes ton as Enhance CT defeat Raha by 96 runsMUSCAT: Enhance CT defeated Raha CT by 96 runs in a Muscat Pharmacy and Stores-sponsored Premier Division match at the Min-istry of Sports Affairs Ground dur-ing the morning session on Friday.

Batting first, Enhance were all out for 248 in 47 overs. Khawar Ali top scored with a brilliant 100. Zeeshan Ahmed and Tariq Hus-sain claimed four and three wick-ets respectively for Raha CT.

In reply, Raha were bowled out for 152 in 36.5 overs. Akmal Shazad and Waseem Akthar scored 58 and 49 runs respectively. Fayaz Bhut claimed five wickets for Enhance.

Brief scores: Enhance CT 248 in 47 overs (Khawar Ali 100; Zeeshan Ahmed 4/47) bt Raha CT 152 in 36.5 overs (Ak-mal Shazad 58; Fayaz Bhut 5/38). Points: Enhance CT - 3, Raha CT – 0.

New Media beat HJB In a Khimji Ramdas-sponsored A Division match, New Media re-corded a 46-run win over HJB at the Municipality Ground I during the morning session on Friday.

Batting first, New Media put on 190 for seven in 30 overs with

Abdul Aziz top scoring with 54. Bharat Barmeda and Sayed Kazmi claimed four and three scalps each. In reply, HJB were bowled out for 144 in 26.1 overs. Khalid Manzoor and Imran Rajiv claimed three wickets each for New Media.

Brief scores: New Media 190 for 7 in 30 overs (Abdul Aziz 54; Bharath Barmeda 4/37) bt HJB 144 in 26.1 overs (Syed Mo-

hammed 28; Imran Rajiv 3/18). Points: New Media – 3, HJB – 0.

SARCO down HuwaeiIn a Raha Poly Products-spon-sored C Division, SARCO defeat-ed Huwaei by seven wickets at the Municipality Ground II during the morning session on Friday.

Batting first, Huwaei were

bowled out for 145 in 18.3 overs. Syad Mujjaba top scored with 38. Hafiz Muhammed claimed four wickets for SARCO. In reply, SARCO scored 146 for three in 15 overs. Akshath Dev top scored with an unbeaten 73.

Brief scores: Huwaei 145 in 18.3 overs (Syad Mujjaba 38; Hafiz Mu-hammed 4/19) lost to SARCO 146 for 3 in

15 overs (Akshath 73). Points: SARCO – 3, Huwaei - 0.

Bisya record winIn an Al Ansari Group of Compa-nies-sponsored B Division match, Bisya defeated Al Nahdha by 19 runs at the Municipality Ground I during the afternoon session on Friday.

Batting first, Bisya put on 184 for

nine in 18 overs. Adnan top scored with 65. Aqledas claimed three wickets for Al Nahdha. In reply, Al Nahdha were bowled out for 165 in 15.1 overs. Babar Malik top scored with 58. Adnan took four wickets.

Brief scores: Bisya 184 for 9 in 20 overs (Adnan 65; Aqledas 3/20) bt Al Nah-dha 165 in 15.1 overs (Babar Malik 58; Ad-nan 4/28). Points: Bisya – 2, Al Nahdha – 0.

O M A N C R I C K E T

A DIVISION: New Media pose for a group photo after their victory over HJB. – Supplied photoENHANCE STARS: Khawar Ali, right, and Fayaz Butt. – Supplied photo

MADRID: Barcelona leap-frogged Atletico Madrid to go top of La Liga after Lionel Messi’s acrobatic volley secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against tena-cious Malaga on Saturday.

Munir El Haddadi, deployed up front in place of the injured Neymar, fired Barca ahead in the second minute at the Rosaleda Stadium on the south coast after smart work from Luis Suarez.

However, the visitors were unable to exert their customary control and Malaga, whose re-lentless pressing unsettled the Spanish and European champi-ons, netted a deserved equaliser in the 32nd minute.

Javier Mascherano surren-dered possession in a dangerous area and the ball fell to midfielder Juanpi whose shot was deflected in off the former Liverpool player as he slid across to block.

Messi was back in the side after

sitting out Wednesday’s 2-1 King’s Cup triumph at Athletic Bilbao as a precaution but the FIFA Ballon d’Or winner was largely anony-mous in the first half.

Barca were much improved in the second period and took a 2-1 lead in the 51st minute when Messi cracked Adriano’s cross past keeper Carlos Kameni. Vis-iting keeper Claudio Bravo then did well to palm away a shot from Ignacio Camacho in the 73rd minute and Kameni denied Messi a second with a superb one-hand-ed save two minutes from time.

Barca are on 48 points, one ahead of Atletico before Diego Simeone’s side host seventh-placed Sevilla (32) on Sunday.

Real Madrid are four points adrift of Atletico in third place ahead of Sunday’s trip to Real Be-tis who are 15th on 21 points.

Qatar-owned Malaga are 12th on 24 points. - Reuters

L A L I G A

SUPERB STRIKE: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, right, celebrates after

scoring a goal during their La Liga match against Malaga CF at

La Rosaleda Stadium in Malaga on Saturday. – AFP

Leicester back on top, Liverpool win thriller

LONDON: Leicester City returned to winning ways and the top of the Premier League with a convincing 3-0 victory at home to Stoke City after Liverpool kick-started Satur-day’s action with an extraordinary 5-4 win at Norwich City.

With Arsenal playing Chelsea on Sunday, Leicester moved three points clear of the Gunners with 15 games remaining as Danny Drink-water, Jamie Vardy and Leonardo Ulloa scored to seal a first league win in five for Claudio Ranieri’s title chasers.

Liverpool had trailed 3-1 at Norwich City in the second half but fought back to level with goals from Jordan Henderson and Rob-erto Firmino before James Milner put them ahead.

Norwich defender Sebastian Bassong looked to have salvaged a point with a stoppage-time header before Adam Lallana decided the outcome of a roller-coaster game with Liverpool’s winner to move Juergen Klopp’s inconsistent side up to seventh.

Eight players were on the score-

sheet in only the fourth Premier League match to finish 5-4.

Fourth-placed Tottenham Hot-spur’s title push continued as they recovered from Jan Vertonghen’s own goal at Crystal Palace to win 3-1 — Harry Kane, Dele Alli, with a stunning volley, and Nacer Chadli scoring after halftime.

Leicester have 47 points, Arsenal 44 and Manchester City have 43

points. Spurs are on 42, five clear of Manchester United who suffered a 1-0 defeat by Southampton on an-other frustrating afternoon for the United faithful at Old Trafford.

Saints’ Charlie Austin scored in the 87th minute on his debut, prompting more loud boos aimed at under-pressure United manager Louis van Gaal from the home fans at the final whistle.

None of the sides at the bottom helped their causes.

Bottom club Aston Villa remain six poins adrift of the rest after a 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Al-bion, while the sides immediately above them also missed out on vic-tory. Sunderland, in 19th spot, drew 1-1 at home to Bournemouth while Newcastle United went down 2-1 at mid-table Watford. - Reuters

With Arsenal playing

Chelsea on Sunday,

Leicester moved

three points clear of

the Gunners with 15

games remaining

FACILE VICTORY: Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against

Stoke City during their Premier League game at King Power Stadium in Leicester on Saturday. – Reuters

Messi goal lifts Barca

to win over Malaga

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

HealthSECTIONC L I F E S T Y L E S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

Keeping your home spic and span is one way of ensur-ing that diseases stay away and good health abounds among all the family mem-

bers. Doctors say that there is no sub-stitute for hygiene at home as it is the key to good health. According to Dr Sreenivas Venkataraman, Internist, Al Hayat International Hospital, “hygiene at home begins with good housekeeping. All homes require regular cleaning, dry mopping followed by wet mopping with a disinfectant, at least once a day, or twice a day if possible. All bathrooms have to be cleaned everyday and disinfected every alternate day. It is also important to keep bathroom floors and surfaces dry because that prevents the growth and spread of bacteria.”

Microbiologist Professor Sally Bloom-field,  of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, says good hy-giene practices are the best ways to tackle antibiotic resistance. Good hygiene hab-its mean fewer infections, fewer patients needing antibiotics, and fewer  diseases, he asserts. Virologist John Oxford, chair-man of the Hygiene Council and Profes-sor of Virology at Barts and The London, says that people don’t think of the home as a source of infection. “Most people have no idea how critical the simple act of washing their hands is in preventing the spread of infection,” he observes in

an article on home hygiene published in NHS Choices.

In fact, there are some areas in every home which need attention every day to reduce the spread of germs. These include the living room, kitchen, and bathroom wherein cleaning routines have to be carried out daily, even twice a day, if needed. While all door knobs, handles, taps, and work surfaces must be frequently sanitised, utensils must be washed thoroughly with hot water and detergent before and after use.

It’s also a good idea to move the refrig-erator, freezer, and cooking range from its usual place and thoroughly clean behind them besides preventing cross-contam-ination inside the refrigerator by wiping up spills and disinfecting contaminated surfaces. To remove dust and disease-causing debris, regular vacuuming of car-pets and soft furnishings are necessary besides periodically washing carpets and drapes. Make sure to dry all surfaces to help prevent the growth of mould.

The kitchen is a source of all types of bacteria which can multiply into thou-sands within an hour, Dr Sreenivas said stressing on the importance of segregat-ing kitchen waste (as biodegradable and non-biodegradable) before rendering them to community bins. Work plat-forms and gas stove surfaces also need to be cleaned thoroughly with disinfect-ants before starting the preparation of

food to ensure that everything is clean and hygienic, he said adding that kitchen sponges need to be cleaned thoroughly after every use and replaced every week to avoid the spread of bacteria.

With regard to storage of food stuff, all perishables (fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and poultry) need to be washed properly and stored in separate containers in the proper section in the refrigerator. It is good to consume fish or meat within 24-48 hours, rather than stocking raw food for weeks. Also, all utensils, work sur-faces, and mixers and grinders, need to be cleaned thoroughly before and after use.

Two types of infections spread among members in the home, viral and bacterial. Viral infections concern the upper res-piratory tract (sore throat, cold, cough, congestion) and the patient needs to ob-serve good personal hygiene as well as wear face masks so that other members do not contract it. Bacterial infections which cause loose motions or vomiting can also be prevented by proper disinfec-tion control within the house, Dr Sreeni-vas explains.

Lastly, pets and children need to be kept away from the kitchen at all times. Those who have pets at home need to vaccinate them against diseases periodi-cally besides bathing or grooming them regularly to ensure proper hygiene at home, he adds.—hubert@timesofoman.com

However clean our homes look, germs can still be lurking in every nook and corner

causing several health problems. So let’s keep our homes clean for a healthy living.

Hygiene Standards for a Healthy HomeStory Hubert Vaz

FIND-IT-ALLC6 S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

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United Kingdom 24609000

United States 24643400

Yemen 24600815

PHARMACIES

Round the clock

Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24782666

Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi 24702542

Salalah 23291635;

Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra 24503585

Muscat Region

Apollo, Al Hamriya 24787766

Muscat, A Seeb Market 24421691

Muscat, Al Khuwair 24485740

Muscat, Al Hail South 24537080

Dhofar Region

Muscat, Al Nahdha Road,

Salalah 23291635

HOSPITALS

Al Amal Medical & Health Care

Centre 24485052

Atlas Hospital

Ruwi 24811743/

Ghubra 24504000

Al Musafir Specialised

Medical Clinic 24706453

Hatat Polyclinic LLC,

Ruwi 24563641

Azaiba 24499269

Sohar 2683006

Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2

Al Massaraat Clinic &

Laboratory 24566435

Al Makook Medical

Coordinance Centre 24499434

Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24787766, 24787780

Capital Polyclinic 24707549

Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic,

Ruwi 24799760/1/2

Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740

Ceregem National Raak 24485633

Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217

Elixir Health Centre 24565802

Emirates Medical Centre 24604540

1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274

Lifeline Hospital Salalah 23212340

International Medical

Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5

Kims Oman Hospital 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency 24760123

Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128

MBD 24799077

Al Khuwair 24478818

Magrabi Eye and

Ear Hospital 24568870

Muscat Private Hospital 24583600

Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment

Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666

Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000

AIRLINE OFFICES

Muscat Airport Flight information

(24 hours) 24519456/24519223

Aeroflot 24704455

Air Arabia 24700828

Air France 24562153

Air India 24799801

Air New Zealand 24700732

Biman Bangladesh Airlines 24701128

British Airways 24568777

Cathay Pacific 24789818

Egypt Air 24794113

Emirates Air 24404400

Ethiopian Airlines 24660313

Gulf Air 80072424

Indian 24791914

Iran Air 24787423

Japan Airlines 24704455

Jazeera Airways 23294848

Jet Airways 24787248

Kenya Airways 24660300

KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737

Kuwait Airways 24701262

LOT Polish Airlines 24796387

Lufthansa 24796692

Malaysian Airlines 24560796

Middle East Airlines 24796680

Oman Air 24531111

Pakistan International

Airlines 24792471

Qatar Airways 24771900

Qantas 24559941

Royal Jordanian 24796693

Saudi Arabian Airlines 24789485

Singapore Airlines 24791233

Shaheen Air 24816565

SriLankan Airlines 24784545

Swiss International

Airlines 24796692

Thai Airways 24705934

LISTINGS

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

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36)

15:00 Quriyat 16:30 Daily

15:00 Sur 18:00 Daily

15:00 Jaalan 19:30 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 Sohar 08:50 Daily

06:30 Buraimi 11:00 Daily

08:00 Buraimi 14:30 Daily via Ibri

13:00 Sohar 15:45 Daily

13:00 Buraimi 17:40 Daily

16.00 Sohar 18.35 Daily

16.00 Buraimi 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

17:30 Sinaw 20:50 Daily

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

14:30 Nizwa 16:50 Daily

14:30 Yanqul 19:30 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

08:00 Nizwa 10:20 Daily

08:00 Al Araqi 12:30 Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

07:30 Sur 12:00 Daily

14:30 Sur 18:45 Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62)

06:30 Fahud 10:30 Daily

06:30 Yibal 11:15 Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100)

07:00 Salalah 20:00 Daily

10:00 Marmul 20:30 Daily

10:00 Salalah 23:30 Daily

19:00 Salalah 07:40 Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

06:00 Marmul 16:50 Daily

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Dubai 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)

06:00 Sohar 08:30 Daily

06:00 Dubai 11:30 Daily

13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur

13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur

15:00 Sohar 17:35 Daily

15:00 Dubai 20:55 Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily

07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily

07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily

05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily

05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

07:00 Sohar 08:55 Daily

07:00 Ruwi 11:40 Daily

13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri

13:00 Sohar 14:55 Daily

13:00 Ruwi 17:40 Daily

13:00 Sohar 19:20 Daily

17:00 Ruwi 22:15 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

07:00 Ruwi 10:25 Daily

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

06:00 Nizwa 08:40 Daily

06:00 Ruwi 11:00 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

15:40 Nizwa 17:55 Daily

15:40 Ruwi 20:20 Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

06:00 Ruwi 10:45 Daily

14:30 Ruwi 19:00 Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily

12:30 Ruwi 17:30 Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)

07:00 Ruwi 19:50 Daily

10:00 Marmul 13:15 Daily

10:00 Ruwi 22:30 Daily

19:00 Ruwi 07:30 Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

06:00 Marmul 16:30 Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Salalah 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)

07:30 Sohar 10:50 Daily

07:30 Ruwi 13:40 Daily

13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri

13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri

15:30 Sohar 18:45 Daily

15:30 Ruwi 21:35 Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily

16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily

16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

@SALALAH @SUR

Dirty Grandpa (2D) (15+) (Comedy) Cast: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch10:30AM & 3:55PM

@SHATTI

The Boy (2D) (Horror | Thriller) (15+) Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans11:30 PM

Airlift - (Hindi) (Drama |History) (12+) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur6:20, 9:30PM

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

Our Brand Is Crisis: (Comedy / Drama)Cast: Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie 2.00, 4.00, 8.00 & 11.55PMCP No: 122 (PG)The Boy: (Horror / Thriller)Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, James Russell 4.00, 6.00, 10.00 & 11.55PM CP No: 123 (15+) Dirty Grandpa: (Comedy)Cast: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch2.00, 6.00 & 10.00PMCP No : 124 (15+) Ride Along 2: (Action / Comedy)Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 8.00PMCP No: 112 (15+)

STAR CINEMAFilm information 24791641 / 24786776Website: www.isurf.co.om

2 Countries (Mal) (Drama/Comedy) Cast: Dileep & Mamta Mohandas3:00, 6:30 & 9:30PM Cinema Main Rajani Murugan (Tamil) ( Com /Rom) Cast: Sivakarthikcyan & Keertht Suresh 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30PM Cinema - 2 Dictator (Telugu) (Action/ Comedy) Cast: Balakrishna & Anjali 3:45PM Cinema -3 & 6:45PM Cinema -4 Airlift (Hindi) (Act\ Thriller) Cast: Akshay Kumar & Nimrat Kaur 6:45 & 9:45PM Cinema- 3 Gethu (Tamil) (Com\ Drama) Cast: Udhanidhi & Amy Jackson 3:45 & 9:45PM Cinema -4

Programmes are subject to change

WEATHER

260

Maximum

160

Minimum

TEMPERATURE

30-75%RELATIVE HUMIDITY

Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 17 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

WITH LOVE

MOHD NIDALJanuary 24, 2012

ATHUL A.S. January 24, 2009

LIFESTYLEC7S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

ASK DR. GERRY

F A M I L Y A D V I C E

M O V E O F T H E W E E K

Dr Gerry D’Costa has an MD in psychiatry and a special interest in the areas of anxiety, depression, addiction, and children’s psychiatry. He has practised as a specialised psychiatristat Badr Al Samaa hospital in Ruwi for the last 9 years.Dr D’Costa offers advice and professional insights to the readers of Times of Oman. Send your queries to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

ALTERNATIVEMEDICINE

Someone is Taking a Special InterestDear Dr Gerry,I am a 17-year-old boy studying in Grade 12. Recently, I have noticed that one of my classmates has started taking special interest in me. She keeps coming to talk to me all the time and also calls me at home very often. I think she has fallen in love with me but I do not want to get into this as this year is crucial for my studies. How should I deal with this as there is no reason to be rude with her? She is a good friend and I want her to remain just that.— Vikas

Dear Vikas,I agree with you. This is a crucial for your studies and you really need to concentrate on them. Often teenagers get distracted in this crucial year and end up paying a heavy price. So how do we deal with her? She’s a friend and I understand you don’t want to be rude to her. I would suggest talking with her in general terms. Explain to her how this year is important for your future and you need to keep life simple. You need to focus on your studies and avoid any distractions. She’s in the same class and also needs to consider her goals. Hopefully she should get the hint. Remember concentrate on your dreams and work for them. Good luck my friend and all the best for the exams.

Dr. G

A romatherapy involves the use of natural oils extracted from flow-ers, leaves, stems, and roots of plants, for

enhancing and improving physi-cal and mental wellbeing. While the aroma from such natural oils, when inhaled, is said to soothe as well as stimulate the brain, the oils also have a therapeutic effect when absorbed by the skin and trans-ferred into the blood stream. The practice of using aromatic oils to induce wellbeing is thought to have roots in China but some also say that it originated in Greece. Hip-pocrates, the father of medicine, is believed to have treated people with aroma oils, using their therapeu-tic effects in many different ways. However, aromatherapy actually began gaining ground towards the mid-twentieth century when their efficacy was noticed when used to treat burn injuries.

Varied UseThe aromas of essential oils can be employed in different ways to induce wellbeing and healing. You

may add them to your bath water, use them for a massage or even in-hale their vapours when added to hot water or warmed up on a low candle flame. One may also add a few drops of essential oils to your favourite cream or lotion before application. Relief from pain can also be gained by applying a com-press with a washcloth dipped in warm water with a few drops of aromatic oils.

Essential OilsBergamot, a citrus-scented essen-tial oil extracted from the Citrus Beragamia tree, opens the heart chakra. Hence, it is used for uplift-ing the mind, and relieving anxiety, stress and depression.

Cedarwood, a woody-scented es-sential oil from the Juniperus Vir-giniana tree, is used as a calming agent and for easing respiratory problems or skin disorders.

Chamomile, extracted from the leaves of the flowering plant of the same name, is used not just a calm-ing agent, but also as an antibiotic, antiseptic, and antidepressant. It is often used to treat urinary tract

and digestive inflammation.Eucalyptus oil comes from the

Eucalyptus tree, native to Austral-ia. It is effective against respira-tory diseases as well as can be used to improve concentration.

Jasmine, extracted from the Jasminum grandiflorum, has been known to ease depression. It is also used for respiratory problems.

Lavender is one of the most pop-ular essential oils because of its healing properties against colds, flu and migraine.

Lemon is a favourite essential oil with numerous therapeutic quali-ties. It is used to improve concen-

tration, aid digestion, clear acne and soothe arthritis.

Sandalwood, easily recognised by its woody fragrance, helps to al-leviate chest pain. It is also used as a relaxing agent for tension relief.

Rose oil is powerful for treat-ing issues concerning females. It also helps in relieving depression, anxiety, digestion issues, heart problems and respiratory condi-tions like asthma.

Peppermint has a refreshing ef-fect and is widely used to enhance moods, sharpens focus, combats irritation, and alleviate symptoms of congestion.

Buy What Suits YouHere in Muscat one can purchase aroma oils in Muscat Pharmacy (+968 2481 4501) outlets, as well as at some departmental stores, and spas. Follow the instructions for use on each pack to gain the ben-efits right at home. Being comfort-able with the aroma of each es-sential oil is the first step towards treatment as every individual has a different choice with regard to aromas. —hubert@timesofoman.com

Aromatic HealingThe aromas

of essential oils can be

employed in different

ways to induce wellbeing

and healing

Muscles worked:

ERECTOR SPINAEGLUTEALS

HAMSTRINGSIf you’ve seen children play superman by lying flat on the floor or a table, now’s your chance

to make the most of this simple exercise. Lie straight on your stomach with outstretched arms

over your head and toes pointing backwards. Then slowly exhale as you lift your arms and

legs together slightly off the ground, keeping your face aligned with your spine. Then inhale

as you lower your hands and feet back to the starting position. Do a set of 10-12 repetitions.

Be a SupermanDo 3 sets, burn

25 CALORIES

Burn up to

100 CALORIESin 15 minutes

LIFESTYLEC8 S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

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

S U N D AY, J A N UA R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

RENT D2

*Tourist visa arranged

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

FOR RENT

D2 S U N D AY, J A N UA R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

1/2/3 BHK Flats & Showrooms at

3 Bedroom flat in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact 95755953 / 95555162

BHK apartment for rent in

Al Khuwair near Ibis Hotel.

Contact: 95124975

4 BHK with terrace near Raymond

Ruwi in market on road. Contact:

99056900/99354975

New flat in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact: 98185135

A big room available for Muslim

couple / small family executive

bachelor near Hamriya R/A rent

130/- OMR, including water /

Electricity. Contact: 99495131

Residential cum commercial

2BHK available in MBD at 280/-.

Contact: 96332793

Villa in Al Khoud for staff accom-

modation, like nurses or teachers

can accommodate. Rent RO.1200/-.

Contact - 91178282

Single room attach bath with

kitchen in Muscat 100/- R.O.

Contact: 95094028

Villa for rent in Al Khuwair.

Contact: 96571151

Flats two bed room for rent in

Al Khuwair. Contact: 96571151

1BHK near Indian school Darsait

Junior , 2 room , 2 bathroom ,

kitchen Monthly rent R.O 225/-.

Contact: 98320476/92459806 Room, toilet and sharing kitchen

for family near Azaiba Bank

Muscat. Contact: 96755127

1&2 BHK flat in Walja.

Contact: 98218279

1000 sqmtrs industrial land for

rent in Ghala suitable for

warehouse workshop etc.

Contact 24700120 / 92584715

1& 2 BHK flats for rent at Hamriya Wadi Adai, Al Khoud,

Mabela & shop at Al Khoud & land

line Contact: 24834644 GSM

93994401/02/03 3 lines

New flats for rent at Darsait near

to ministry of sports, Mumtaz area

the flats include 1 living room, 2

Bedroom, kitchen, 3 toilets every

room with split A/C & high Quality

finishing, rent per flat is R.O 340/-.

Interested candidates please

Contact: 00968- 92225523

2 bed rooms flat with hall, 2

bathrooms in Darsait near Muscat

Municipality. Contact: 92584715/

24700120

2BHK modern & spacious flats

with split AC for rent in Qurum

near PDO Gate No.2.

Contact: 94057023

2BHK new bldg for families

Al Khuwair 17/2. Contact: 91403136

Flat available in Muttrah Corniche

near Gold Souq (4 rooms, 2 bath-

rooms, 1 kitchen with balcony).

Contact: 24707088 / 91405015

3BHK flat for rent in Ghubra.

Contac: 99328070

1000 sqm industrial land with

compound well & two rooms at

Misfah. #99342733/ 99795241 Store / warehouse for rent 52 sqm

at Maabela Sinaiya.

Contact: 92454170

02 BHK Commercial / Residential

(with split AC) flat at Honda road.

Contact: 99342733 / 99795241

Flats shops & store for rent in

Ruwi, MBD area & Honda road.

Contact: 92589235/ 94579531

Flats for rent 2BHK, 1 BHK with

AC new building at Wadi Al Kabir

behind Muscat Bakery.

Contact: 92103604

02 BHK residential flat opposite to

Al Nadha hospital.

Contact : 99342733 /99795241

Flats shops & store for rent in

Ruwi MBD Honda road.

Contact: 92433127 / 97293708

Single bedroom flat behind

German Embassy near to Al Nah-

dha Hospital and single bedroom

flat near to Indian School

Al Ghubrah. Contact: 99203954

2BHK flats with split AC available

for rent at Al Khuwair 33.

Contact: 94057023

Flat for rent (Walja) Ruwi 2 rooms,

2 toilets & kitchen for enquiry.

Contact: 95464608 or 95464607

2 bedroom centrally air

conditioned flat in CBD, Central

Bank area. Contact: 24714625 /

99053493

2 BHK near Khamis shoes Honda

road Junction. Contact: 99737562

Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99376454

2BHK flat for rent Darsait near ISM.

Contact: 95158570 / 99102255

2 bedrooms, kitchen, toilet, car

park R.O 220/- & 1 bedroom,

kitchen, toilet R.O 140 in

Al Khuwair. Contact: 95154331

Big office for rent in CBD (Ruwi)

road ready to shifting with AC and

partitions. Contact: 92345250

DAILY GUIDES U N D AY, J A N UA R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 6 D3

ACC. AVAILABLE

FOR RENT

ACC. AVAILABLE

MV SALE

Tucson Automatic 2007 V – 6, net

R.O 1600/-. Contact: 99384640

Hummer H2 model 2006, 178000

km, Full options Number 1 Army

edition.OMR 7200. Contact

-99466773

Chaverlet Epica 2004 model

RO -700, for sale. Contact 92194205

BMW 318/ 2003 for sale.

Contact 96364990

FOR RENT2BHK,

3 washroom Flat with

Split Air Conditioners -

Near Lulu Darsait

CONTACT :

93202733

Furnished sharing accommoda-

tion in ruwi near O.K. Center for

non-cooking indian bachelor.

Contact - 98805474

FOR RENT

WANTED

BUILDING

FOR SALEMUMTAZ AREA

(NEAR RUWI HOTEL)

CONTACT - 99353931

Household items & furniture in

excellent condition for sale. Indian

expat leaving for good.

Contact Ravi : 93380408

Beauty Salon for urgent sale in

Azaiba prime location behind

Al Fardan building. With sponsor

and 1 staff and 1 ready visa clear-

ance. Call: 95318629 / 95169411

Restaurant items for sale.

Contact: 96772479 /98428507

Filling material for sale in

Muscat. Contact: 93299940

Villas in Al Khoud. Contact -

95056808-97201688

Luxury Apartments in Bousher

(35). Contact - 95056808-

97201688

Beauty parlor for sale in good

condition at Ghubra.

Contact: 98178135

Excavation contracts worth RO 2

million + Big Volvo Excavators &

2015 Astra 5 tippers for sale. Con-

tact: 99120532 / 98867530

Dental Lab for sale Seeb.

Contact: 99826435

Master Chef restaurant Al Hail for

sale 8 visas clearance available.

Contact: 91205000

3Ton Forklift, Special made for

Oman market, Japanese Isuze

C240 Engine, Cascade side shifter,

High amount exhaust, 3m lifting

height, Solid tyres, One year war-

ranty. Contact: 98883445

Restaurant & Coffee Shop for sale

in Ghala area. For details contact

99072003 / 99299712

FOR HIRE

Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299

Low bed Trailer (PDO – SPC)

available monthly / daily for Rent.

Contact: 96633970

IELTS Coaching (academic)

required nearby wadi Kabir area.

Please call on mobile or msg on

Whats up.

Mobile no: 92927880/99012165

Flats available for rent at Al

Ghubra. Contact 99876576 &

93656672

Brand new Twin Villas in

Mawaleh South 4BR; 2Halls;

External Kitchen and Maids room.

Contact: 99414106

Commercial / residential flats in a

new building for rent near Muttrah

Police Station residential 1BHK /

2BHK more details.

Contact: 99364735 / 95729711

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

Single bedroom flat behind

German Embassy, near Al Nahdha

Hospital. Contact 99203954

In a Luxury Buildingin Al Seeb MarketNear Police station

FLATS FOR RENT

Call:

99888007 - 99473500

Flat for rent in CBD area - Ruwi

Two rooms and a large hall•Office spaces for rent in Al Hail on

the main road On the same building

of Al Khamis Shoes at Al Hail

•2 bed room flats in Qurum 29 for

rent next to ABA New building

-split AC - Good location

Contact No: 96177505

Furnished room available for

executive bachelor in Ruwi area.

Contact: 99054542

Furnished room available with

attached bath & balcony near MBD.

Contact: 97636432

Room available for executive

bachelor in MBD with kitchen on

sharing basis. Contact: 96332793

New 1BHK fully furnished for

R.O 275/- at Wadi Kabir near

Al Hassan. Contact: 92577929

Hail Independent rooms RO 140/-

& 160/-. Contact 95529970

Furnished room at Hilat Al Saad

with TV, AC, fridge near main road.

Contact : 95714202

Couple or bachelor room in

Wadi Kabir. Contact: 91165580 /

95264549

Room available Walja. Contact :

95382651 / 95382650

Semi furnished spacious room

with attached washroom separate

entrance near Indian school

Al Ghobrah for non cooking

Executive Indian bachelor.

Contact: 95146361/92657598

Furnished bedrooms for Indian

Executives / couple at Al Ansab.

Contact: 96366282

Spacious semi furnished room

with separate bathroom for execu-

tive bachelor opposite OC centre

Ruwi. Call: 92273779

Furnished room with a/bathroom

in Al Khuwair33 for Indian Execu-

tive. Call: 95234062

Luxury flat for rent in Bareeq Al Shatti building

Spacious 2 BHK with sea view,

split A/Cs, fixed wardrobes,

kitchen appliance.

Near Opera Gallery.

Rent RO.900/- negotiable.

Contact - 94084335 / 96920789

Dialysis Machine(DBO7) - Available

10 Units for Sale .

Contact : 94306662 or

Email : ahdialysis1010@gmail.com

Furnished room & bath Darsait

R.O 140/-. Contact: 93289652

Single room for expat Indian

bachelors near Al Aktham restau-

rant Al khuwair for RO 120.

Water and electricity included.

Contact 98803261

Furnished room in new building

for working Muslim lady/

Muslim couple only. Location

AINT, Darsait. Contact - 99008069

Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan villeage.

Contact 93687466

Flats in Darsait. Contact - 94051789-97201688

Flats in WadiKabir. Contact - 94051789-97201688

Fully Furnished apartments in

Boucher (35)

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Flats in Muttrah. Contact - 94051789-97201688

Offices in Ghala. Contact - 94051789-97201688

Offices in Qurum opposite City

Center. Contact - 94051789-

97201688

Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Mini Furnished Apartment in

Qurum. Contact - 94051789-

97201688

Duplex villa in Qurum 29. Contact

- 94051789-97201688

Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

2BHK Sitting room, 3 bathrooms,

split AC big balcony 300/- R.O in

Wadi Kabeer. Contact: 99324402

Flat in Khoud near Mazoon

Mosque with 3 bedrooms, living

room, 3 toilets, RO 250/- with A/C.

Contact 95328147

Flats for rent in Muscat.

Contact: 99262605.

Flat for rent in Wadi Al Kabeer

near the Kuwaiti Mosque, for more

information. Contact: 99425958

Flat for Rent 1/2 BHK Flat at

Muttrah, near Oman flour mills,

10 min. from Corniche.Equipped

with split unit ACs, internet points,

free-to-air dish connection, CCTV

monitored, basement parking.

Rent RO.250/350 per month.

Contact:99229263; 93221054;

95215289

3 BHK flat near Darsait ID medical.

RO 420/- Contact – 99358589 /

97079146 / 95570288

ASHOK LEYLAND BUS

2 NOS

MODEL 2010 & MODEL 2012

SEATING 66,

GOOD CONDITION

TOYOTA INNOVA

MODEL 2011, 7 SEATER,

VERY GOOD CONDITION

FOR SALEP

CONTACT: 99413089

FOR RENT

2 BHK, 1 BHK fl ats

available in Al Khuwair,

Ruwi and CBD area.

Al Younis Trading

7 Cont. Est

Contact:

24707088 / 91405015

Apartment for rent in Muscat

Sidab beside road ground floor

3 bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms.

Guestroom, Kitchen & hall.

Contact: 99277377

1& 2 bedroom apartments avail-

able for rent at Ghubra near Grand

mall, 6 bedroom villas available

for rent Al Mouj (Wave) at Al Hail.

Contact: 99833747

Furnished offices in business

center behind Al Burj Hotel Ruwi

with all facilities included.

Contact: 99331181

Fully furnished deluxe villa

behind Khimji Mart Darsait.

Contact: 99331181

2 BHK Flats for rent Muttrah near

Oman house S/ AC.

Contact: 97007934 / 92629232

Profs/ Jack. Contact 93219378

1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-. Contact: 97799175 / 92144045

7 Bedrooms villa in Ghobrah

North. Contact - 96420432

600 SQT commercial flat for rent

opposite Oman flourmill Darsait

more details. Contact:91214849/

99364735

One flats for rent 2 bedroom

all with bath al Ghobrah north

near Indian school (hot burger

restaurant) Tel. 9976610

2 Room + hall & kitchen ,3 toilets

in Bareeq Al Shatti 750 RO.

Contact: 99314314

1,2 BHK Ghubra R.O 300/-, 325/-

& 350/-. Contact: 97799175

1BHK flat near Star Cinema 220/-

Contact 99358589 /95570288

Single BHK flat available

in Honda road Ruwi. Contact:

24833972/ 24833974/ 99367448

DAILY GUIDED4 S U N D AY, J A N UA R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANT-SIT.WANTED

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

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH

CATERING

SKILLED LABOR

MISCELLANEOUS

DRIVER

MEDICALACCOUNT. & FINANCE

IT

SECRETARIAL & OFFICESALES / MARKETING

Required female Accountant postgraduate in commerce

email: mailcv7@gmail.com

fax: 24784202

We are looking for Chief Financial Officer, Male 40- 45

years old, Bachelor of Science in

Accountancy with 5 - 15 yrs. of ex-

perience. Contact: +968 24702133

Email: admin-dept@daud.om

Required experienced Omani drivers for a reputed courier

company walk in interview on

25/1/2015. Please come with your

Bio – Data and 2 reference letters.

Contact: 99424407 for details

Heavy duty driver with valid

Oman Heavy Duty license, with

4 years experience. PDO License

holder preferred. Call: 99221683

Driver available with release.

Contact: 93885404

Wanted Driver. Contact: 91025698

Reputed Construction Company

require experienced light Vehicle Driver. Contact 95526871

Immediate Requirements for ex-perienced Tailors (Designer wears,

casual clothing). Please call for

interview 99471085

Looking for experienced construction laborers as a subcontractor for a villa

construction in Mawaleh.

Contact: 96203333

Well reputed Marble Company looking for

3 SALESMEN

Requires minimum 3 years experience

and valid Omani driving license.

Interested candidates please Fax your CV to 24601724 or

Email on saab2803@gmail.com

Contact -91262604Email: chillapalli76@gmail.com

Wanted female GP, female

Gynecologist, female Staff

Nurse, female X- Ray Technician

With MOH license for Al Saadi

Specialized Medical Centre

in Musanna.

Sales Ladies wanted for Ladies Boutique. Age: 20-35 yrs. Al

Khoudh. Call -91159905 Send CV

to sameer916@hotmail.com

Urgently required a man to work

in the studio shop inside, outdoor

and should know to get business

from outside.

Contact: 95097722

Required lady photographer for

studio. Contact: 99020458 Email:

mohdautocentre@gmail.com

DOMESTIC HELP

Looking for housemaid urgently clearance available good salary

yearly ticket. TEL 24446920 /

99238121, mail: ravi.ztc@omzest.com

Urgently required building Technician for inquiries.

Contact: 98111363

Civil Site Supervisor for telecom

tower projects across Oman. Send

CV to fyjo@spec-link.com or

call +968 9946 7227

Required Maintenance Techni-cian (male - 1) - should have

knowledge of new devices & 3

years Oman experience.

Contact: 94441111 Send CV to

email: gsheild9@gmail.com

Required male Omani / Filipino, 24 – 35 yrs as IT Coordinator. Fluent in

English, to handle all Web Designing

aspects, Mail Campaigns manage-

ment, Technical Support / Trouble-

shooting. Contact 91371231

Indian male, 28, Post Graduate, 6

years exp. in Oman in Sales and

Credit Control , with valid Oman D/L

looking for suitable placements.

NOC available. Ph: 9206 6523

Indian Accountant professional

with 3 years experience currently

on visit visa looking for suitable job

openings. Contact: 92390604

Email: sachinkokkatt@gmail.com

Indian male 28 MBA & M.Com

finance 5 yrs exp in Accounts &

finance. NOC available seeks suit-

able placement. #93939421

Email: baleeq.ams@gmail.com

Sales for a printing press What-sapp Only. Contact: 95955729 Required Salesman for Electronic

& mobile devices (male - 2) -

should have 3 years Oman experi-

ence. Contact: 94441111. Send CV

to email: gsheild9@gmail.com

Sales Executive required in

Muttrah, Muscat Oman experience &

driving license is must.

Contact: 91710453 / 24711695

Email: salesaetOman@gmail.com

Marketing Executive required for tyres & batteries.

Contact: 99020458 Email:

mohdautocentre@gmail.com

Urgently required Sales Execu-tive with experience in printing

press line with driving license.

Contact: 00968 95948142

Email: al_bpp@yahoo.com

Salesman require for building

material with driving license &

10 years working experience.

Fax your C.V 24833043.

(Mustafa Hardware Store)

An excellent Grade company requires experience Salesman

for indoor and outdoor with Oman

driving license. Mail your CV to

salesppeoman@gmail.com

Looking for Sales Executive for

a fiberglass Company in Oman.

Should have 5 yrs experience in

fiber glass / construction field.

Should have valid driving license.

Email : mfbarka1@omantel.net.om,

Contact: 00968 98634898

fax: 26881211

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Urgently required GP, Gynecolo-gist, Dentist, Staff Nurse, Lab Technician, Pharmacist, For a

medical centre in Muscat.

Email : ruwistar@hotmail.com.

Tel: 92603863

Urgently required Office Staff/ Manager for medical equipment

import office in Ruwi.

Email: ruwistar@hotmail.com,

Tel: 92603863

We require licensed General Practitioner, General dentist and male Asst. Pharmacist. Contact

93129219 or CV to

clinicrecruitment2015@gmail.com

Wanted Gynecologist, General Practitioner, Assistant Pharmacist for immediate appointment.

Contact 97884856/ mail CV to –

sarita_h23@yahoo.com

Wanted urgently lady Doctor GP or DGO for immediate appoint-

ment. Contact : 99310590

Email: tjmaluke@gmail.com

Wanted GP Doctor with MOH

license, job location in Muscat

with good salary and benefits.

Drop your cv at

0careerhr1972@gmail.com.

URGENTLY REQUIRED A LEADING TRADING AND CONTRACTING COMPANY IS

LOOKING FOR AN EFFICIENT

FEMALE SECRETARY WITH MINIMUM 5 YEARS EXPERIENCE.

SHE SHOULD BE FLUENT IN SPOKEN AND WRITTEN ENGLISH. MUST BE FULLY COVERSANT WITH WORD/EXCEL

PROGRAMMES AND BE PLEASANT/PRESENTABLE.

SALARY ETC….GOOD PACKAGE WIL BE NEGOTIATED FOR THE RIGHT PERSON.

FAX CV TO 24619102 OR E MAIL; artco@omantel.net.om

ARCHITECT

Indian male B.com accountant with

9 years ( 8 yr Oman) experience

seeking suitable placement

immediately ( NOC available ).

Contact: 98624850

Female Accountant Indian with

3 years exp in Oman looking for

suitable job. Contact: 98418533/

99338639

Accounting, B.Com, 2 yrs experi-

ence in India Tally ERP 9, Peach tree

accounting quick books, account-

ing SMACC busy advanced Excel

power point E-filing of statutory

return visa date 24.12.15, visit exp.

23.01.2015. Contact 90439594

Indian male (25) B.com 6 years

experience in accountant seeking

suitable placement accountant,

admin, sales visit visa.

Contact: 98437731

Email: faisadcpsy@gmail.com

Presently working as finance

accountant having 16 years ex-

perience in Oman with Oman D/L

looking for new placement NOC

available. Contact: 95060390

Finance & accounts 25 years

Oman experienced WHO can han-

dle accounts up to finalization job

costing, receivable payable age

wise analysis and timely follow-

ers with D/L & NOC.

Contact: 94070799

Indian Accountant well experi-

enced in construction accounts

(Financial and Cost) and also

administration and HR seek suit-

able placement (Full/Part time) in

Oman or UAE. Contact 98598099

Part time accounts qualified

experience accountant.

Contact: 91126314

Indian female 27 MBA Finance

with 4+ years exp in banking, ac-

counts exp in teaching field also

presently on visit visa.

Contact: 94735164 / 96591950

Sudanese National Bachelor of

Accounting 7 years experience

electronic accounting and audit-

ing. Contact: 94872045 Email:

hussainhassan1@hotmail.com

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with

13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in

manufacturing, trading & con-

tracting Cos, capable of handling

all accounting, finance, banking,

L/C, import, export & finalization

seeks placement. NOC Available.

Call+968-98932752,

mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com

Financial Accounting Manager having working experience 24

years looking job in construction

or manufacturing companies 8

years working in Muscat expect-

ing family status with good com-

pensation. Contact: 95919546.

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com

Finance-Indian with 7 years

experience in Finance & Accounts

up to finalization. Currently

employed in Oman. Having D/L &

NOC. Mob: 94122464, cammk13@

gmail.com

Part time Accountant with 15

yrs exp. in Accounts Finance, Tax

Audit Management.

Contact: 95857199

Sales Executive for Travels & Tourism:Experience not less than 3 years in one of the travels & Tourism, must

have a driving license.

Sales Executive for Car Rental:Experience not less than 4 years in one rent a car company, must

have a driving license.

Notes:

- You must determine which position did you applied for it as email subject

- Th e company will not see at any demand without subject.

A leading company in travels & tourism,

accredited by IATA requires:

Email: nrtvacancies@gmail.com

Experienced Secretary required for Ruwi office. Must have high

standard of competence in MS

Office suite and excellent Arabic

/ English communication skills.

Send CV and covering Email to

mj-co@omantel.net.om

Candidate must have a minimum 2 to 3 years’ experience in assembly,

installation, maintenance and repairs of automotive refrigeration,

air-conditioning systems and chiller units.

He should be well conversant in repair and troubleshooting of electrical

faults and experienced in using computerized diagnostic systems.

He should be ITI/DME (Auto) qualifi ed.

Auto Electrician cum A/c Mechanic for Workshop

Interested candidates email cv on

krauto@kr.om or contact on 99440518

We have a batch of skilled Omani candidates in Administration, HR,

Account & Reception ready to join diff erent companies in a month

We will also provide training for Omani candidates as per your need

like Cashier, Teller, HR, Admin, Sales, Stores, Customer service etc.,

FOR COMPANIES SEEKING OMANI EMPLOYEES

select the suitable candidates in consultation with your offi cials.

training the company will not incur any cost like salaries & training.

program.

requirement. Th e candidate will stay at least for a year without leaving the job.

For any queries contact us: 26862210, 93677745 & 93677795

Fax: 26861710 email: ojt@aifas.net, www.aifas.net

Chinese / Arab/ Grill, cooks. Contact: 95529970

Wanted experienced English

speaking Continental Cook

for reputed house in Qurum.

Contact 99466062

20+ years experience Architect

M.B.A 10 years Muscat experience

(local transfer) looking for job

opportunity. Contact: 91709408 /

92981814

Architect looking for freelance

work in (design plans and 3dmax).

Contact: 96041201

Architect, Indian Female with 04

years of work experience in Qatar,

Oman & India seeking suitable po-

sition. Email: shaazneen.s@gmail.

com, Contact No: 96635846

REQUIREDFIBER OPTIC

PROJECTS

MANAGER, should have GCC

experience 5-10 years

kindly send your CV to

oilndgasoman@gmail.com

28/male/MBA - finance/B.Com -

Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/

India experience looking for a

suitable placement.

shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com

Contact 90187483

Indian lady, bachelor degree in

Preparatory Programme (BPP) and

Bachelor of Commerce (BCom),

completed training course in MS

Word, Excel, Power Point and Out-

look from KTI looking for full time /

part time job opportunity in Oman.

Contact 92437568, 96795853,

Email: linda_navs@yahoo.com

Part-time accounting, tax report,

auditing & bank loan assistance.

Contact 91720465

Total 24 yrs exp. 15 years served Oman LLC SAOG, SAOC Con-

tracting, trading manufacturing

company as Finance Commercial

Manager looks after finance logis-

tics, procurement, ERP, oracle, tally

focus internal control implementa-

tion B.Com PGDBM, ICWA (Inter).

Contact: 91721545 / 95788723,

mail: manojpanda111@hotmail.com

Accounts & finance: 32 yrs Indian male (B.Com) having 7

years Oman experience Oman D/L

& NOC available, looking for suit-

able placement.Contact: 98093515

/ 97494322 email:

manusodharan83@gmail.com

Accounts part time services

available to handle all accounts up

to finalization, consulting & audit

works. Contact: 96247295

Female Accountant with 10 years

experience. 93726921

Accountant / account assistant,

BBA, M.Com, Tally, Peach tree on

valid visa in Oman. #98269281

Indian male, MBA (finance),

1 year experience in Oman having

Oman D/L and NOC on visit visa

looking for a suitable job.

Contact 94109375

Indian Male Accountant 10yrs

Exp. in OMAN Retail & Furni-

ture Co. (Release Available)

GSM.92564955

Indian male MBA finance 12 years

experience in Oman as Accounts

/ Admin manger, seeks suitable

placement on visit visa. Can join

immediately. Contact: 96055815

Email:shaikhussain111@gmail.com

ACCA with more than 1year ex-

perience in an audit firm looking

for a suitable position in accounts,

audit section in a company, having

Oman driving license. #98428098

Urgently required a lady to work

in the studio shop and must have

experience. Contact: 95097722

Urgently required for a reputed

company in Oman (Tyre, Battery

& Lubricant division) Sr. Execu-tives/Executive-5 nos (Sohar, Ni-

zwa & Muscat), Techno Commer-cial Professional-5nos, Driver (Omani)-1no. Required minimum

3-5 yrs experience in the same

field with market exposure hold-

ing valid Omani driving license

or GCC. Kindly fwd your CV’s to

ashwin@taasintl.org

Contact: (+968)93891700

Available Indian Graduate B.Com)

/ CA Final (Appeared) having 3

years practical Auditing & Ac-

counting Experience. Currently in

Oman on Visit Visa. #91418637

Accounting B.Com, 2 years

experience in Indian tally ERP9,

Peachtree, accounting, Quick-

Books accounting SMACC , busy

advanced excel PowerPoint E

filing of statutory return visit date

24/12/2015 visit exp 23/1/2015

DAILY GUIDES U N D AY, J A N UA R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 6 D5

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

DRIVER

ADMIN

CATERING

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

DOMESTIC HELP

DRIVER

Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp

looking job. Contact: 99531802

Sri Lanka (BSC) quantity surveyor, having 3 years GCC experience is

looking for a suitable placement 1

such as QS/ Contract administrator

for / estimator / project coordinator

has knowledge in Fidic and con-

struction standard available in visit

visa. Contact: 96301107 /94292198

Email: mailifaisfreed@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 8 years experience

Structural buildings marine. Avail-

able NOC release. Contact: 92451323.

Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com

Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp

seeks suitable position ina reputed

company. NOC available.

Contact – 96789711

Civil Engineer 8 years experience

in Oman as a project engineer for

governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912

Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian

male 24 years with 1+years Indian

experience,(Certified in Staad

Pro/ Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).

Looking for a Suitable position.

Available In Sultanate of Oman

(Muscat) on Visit Visa.

Contact: 92835952. E-mail:

mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com

Civil Engineer / QS engineer,

9 years experience in Oman free-

lance visa, searching for a suitable

job in Oman. Contact: 97299165

Sr.HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+ Di-

ploma Safety + NEBOSH+OSHA) over

10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release/Transfer

Letter (NOC) available), seeking suit-

able placement. Contact - 97061817,

Email:jayanammu1977@gmail.com

Highly experienced mechanical/

steel structural fabrication engineer

looking for suitable placement. NOC

available. Contact: 99860714,

hussain20173@gmail.com.

Networking Engineer having

10 years experience with 3 years in

Oman having valid driving license

and NOC, presently in Oman needs

immediate placement.

Contact - 95783383

10 years experience in Dubai &

Bangladeshi as a BSC Engineer on

structural designer & construction

having Dubai municipality approval

& driving license. Contact: 91206763

Future 008801758846027 Email:

engr.masud.civil.@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) In-

dian male, with good knowledge in

HVAC on visit visa looking for suit-

able placement. Contact: 90154793

Email: sangu.vazhoor@gmail.com

HSE & Fire Safety Engineer

4 years experience air port opera-

tional safety, power & chemical

industry. Contact: 94374241

Indian male 31, Mechanical Enggr

with 9+ year’s exp in Quality As-

surance / control presently on

visit visa. Contact: 94735164 /

96591950

Electrical Engineer B.Tech with

4 yrs experience in India available

on visit visa looking for suitable

placement. Contact: 94741401

Email: sobinthomask05@gmail.

com

Indian male electrical engineer

having 3 yrs exp in industrial

electrical machine maintenance &

data center facilities management

looking for suitable placement (NOC

available). Contact :99381733

Email : shihab4eee@gmail.com

Architect Engineer with 3 years

experience in Muscat looking for

a suitable job Contact: 91262904,

Email: saeedbakayeh@gmail.com

Indian female, BE in EEE having

3yrs exp in Software & 1 yr Experi-

ence in Marketing & Admin in

Muscat, looking for suitable

placement. Tel:93422434

Operating Engineer MBA holder 5

years experience in electroplating

and coating of metals. #94690325

Email: phahad.hashim@gmail.com

Indian male Diploma Civil En-

gineer have 1 yr. experience, on

visit visa looking for suitable job

(certificate attested).

Contact: 92667406 / 99210411,

Email : manojgvh@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) with

2 and half years experience Indian

male 24 years in visit visa. Contact:

96620482 / + 91 9605423272

Email: bijumonps@gmail.com

B.Tech (IT) Indian Male 2 years

Oman experience in I.T & Network-

ing, holding Oman Driving License,

presently on employment visa,

seeks for a suitable placement.

Ready to join immediately. NOC

available. Contact: 92462578

Electrical & Instrumentation

Engineer, Gulf Experience, 3 Year,

Immediately available.Contact-

95691800

Email: fasalf@gmail.com

Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in

designing, assembling, commis-

sioning execution etc having valid

GCC license too looking for a suit-

able. Contact: 00968-98052942

Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 11 years experience

in construction having driving

license & NOC. Contact: 94194399

Email: shiblyrock@gmail.com

Procurement Engineer (27 years

Single Male with Oman Driving Li-

cense) having 7 years experience

(UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in

MEP, Water, Electro-mechanical,

Instrumentation seeking suitable

placements. (Contact 95852033,

hemal1988@gmail.com

Sudanese Telecom Engineer, 5 years experience, 3 years in

Oman PMP certificate.

Contact: 93391008 Email:

momen.awadallam@gmail.com

Sudanese Structure Civil Engi-

neer 2 years experience resident

Omani license. Contact: 94393880

Bangladeshi male Diploma in Civ-

il Engineer with D/L 5 years exp, 4

years in Oman has exp. in building

construction seeking a suitable

placement. Contact: 96732988

Electrical Engineer Indian (29) ,

7 years exp in Oman, 33KV, 11 KV

projects in MZEC & MEDC having

CEP 1 & NOC with D/L.

Contact: 99822373

Need job for experienced mason,

electrician & welder.

Contact: 93015630

Telecom Engineer and HSE

Advisor with 6 years experience

in Oman with PDO requirement,

fluent in Arabic and English with

valid driving license searching for

job. Contact: 96355678

16+ yrs of Techno commercial ex-

perience in ELV systems seeking

suitable position in mid manage-

ment level. Local release avail-

able. Contact: 98143907 Email:

mazher2005@yahoo.com

M.Tech in Manufacturing Engi-

neering with 2 years of experi-

ence, on visiting visa looking for

a suitable job. Contact: 91417949

Email: dannyrangde@gmail.com

BE Mech specialization welding

technology 11 yrs quality cont

Engineer by Steel Cons EPL

Installation desalination plant

(Gulf). Contact: 96603299

Electrical Engineer: Indian male,

30 yrs having 5 yrs of experience

in industrial automation & utility

maintenance in India (MRF tyres),

holding valid Oman D/L.

Contact 92789995, email :

akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com

Instrument Engineer B.Tech

Indian male, 24 yrs, 1 yrs experi-

ence in reputed oil & gas compa-

nies, currently on visit visa, seeks

suitable job. Contact: 92007218

Email: ahmed0515@gmail.com

7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in

the field of Building Const. Oil &

Gas Seeking Job.94625598

Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 97667113

Indian Male 23 years B.Tech

Civil having 2 years experience in

quantity survey and site manage-

ment looking for suitable place-

ment. Contact:- 95042656

Interior designer Indian male

with 4 years experience / 3Ds

Max, AutoCAD .Now on visit visa

seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 94886507

Email: vizhue07@gmail.com

25 years male BA. English , Quali-

fied as mast in digital animation

having 5 yrs ex in character

animation specialized Auto Desk

mago and motion building soft-

ware knowledge, seeking suitable

placement. Contact: 97917357

Indian male good experienced in

Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in

India & Oman, presently on visit

visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94834687

Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in

commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in ac-

counts/ finance field. On visit visa.

Immediately available.

Contact – 92836216 /

muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com

Looking full time job.

Contact: 99153378

Civil Engineer (Diploma) having

11 years experience in building

construction, looking for a suitable

placement , having Oman driving

license. Noc available.

Contact: 95075365

Email: azharraaz@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman

with license. Contact: 98975518

Indian female civil engineer B.Tech

having 3 years experience sound

knowledge of software, REVIT STAD

PRO structural detailing currently

on family visa seeks suitable place-

ment. Contact: 95345591

Civil Engineer diploma holder

having 7 years experience of Site

Engineer with valid Omani D/L

looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 93294965 Email:

hamza.nazeer717@gmail.com

Indian Electrical Engineer Btech,

female 24 seeking job, presently

in oman having 2 year experience

in design and estimation of Ht &Lt

projects. Contact 968 97436557,

Mail id : sibinanoop1@gmail.com

Diploma in Electronics, 2 years

exp in telecommunication.

Contact: 94519571 Email:

telecommunicationvishnumadhull

@gmail.com

Civil Engineer (BE) having total

5 years experience in building

construction looking for a suitable

placement. D/L available

Contact# 94450270

Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work,

21+ years experience with Driving

license. Contact: 95267113

Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer M.Tech

2 years experience HVAC design

& site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD.

Contact: 90150913 Email:

mahmanmechengg@yahoo.im

Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years

in Oman experience Valid Driving

License seeks suitable placement

Phone 97619722

Email – golamrob@yahoo.com

Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs

experience in international Oil

& Gas company looking for job

Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email:

mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com

E

ACCOUNTANT W

(working in Oman since Jan

2013) is looking for a change.

Experienced in all aspect of

accounting up to fi nalization

of accounts. Also experienced

in Insurance underwriting and

claim settlement.

NOC will be available

Contact: 95503646

EDUCATION

Indian female masters in comput-

er science and Engineering B.Tech

in information technology , M.B.A

( Systems) 3 years experience

teaching in college , having good

knowledge in C++ , java oracle now

on visit visa looking for openings

in Educational institutions.

Contact: 91812419/96935426

Email: anorelindhinesh@gmail.com

Transmission Cable Technician / Cable Splicer: Saudi Aramco &

Saudi Electricity Co License Holder.

Experience 5yrs, Age 29yrs, Nation-

ality Pakistani: KSA Valid Driving

License. Immediately Available.

Contact: 92850409

Email: usman0083@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer male 26 yrs,

with 4 yrs of experience in manu-

facturing oil & gas retail, brand pro-

moting, marketing, logistics having

valid Omani D/L seeking for

a suitable placement.

Contact: 97098676

Email: ja237le@gmail.com

Chemical Engineer MBA holder ITC

certified in supply chain manage-

ment, ERP familiar 5 years experi-

ence. Contact: 94690325 Email:

phahad.hashim@gmail.com

5 years of experience in Business

Analyst & Product Management with

Engineering in ECE on visit visa

Contact: 91374247

Indian male, Mechanical

Engineer having 1year experi-

ence, on visit visa looking for

suitable job. Contact:97416564,

Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com

Procurement Engineer (27 years

single male with Oman Driving Li-

cense) having 7 years experience

(UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in

MEP, Water, Electromechanical,

Instrumentation seeking suitable

placements. Contact 95852033,

mail: hemal1988@gmail.com

Project Civil Engineer, BSc,

6 years experience in Oman, build-

ing construction Fluent Arabic,

English and good Hindi Release and

NOC Available). Tel: 97858589

Experienced Light Duty Driver,

Fluent in English, Arabic Well

knowledge of Oman Areas

Seeking Suitable placement

Contact 97950869

Light driver need job knows

English, Hindi & Arabic.

Contact: 92820309

Light driver need job 4 years exp

English & Arabia speaking.

Contact: 94208089

Job for driving. Contact: 98982410

27 years, 1 year experience,

with D/L. Contact: 97369716

Indian young smart driver 5

years Oman exp speaking English

Arabic, Hindi looking for job.

Contact: 94524433

Pakistani male light driver 10 yrs

in UAE & 1 yr in Oman.

Contact: 93709393

Light driver Ruwi.

Contact: 95779594

Having Oman D/L seeking

suitable placement of driver.

Contact: 92789805

Light Driver, 4 yrs exp in Oman.

Contact: 94608755

Looking for driver job 3 years

Oman experience. Contact:

98244078 / 93798802

Driver with car available

for part time job.

Contact: 96320385

Driver 2 years job visa Indian

male (31 yrs). Contact: 96525311

Light driver Indian 4 yrs exp in

Oman having own car need job.

NOC available. Contact: 93053917

Bangladeshi male light driver

exp 14 years need job and visa

transfer, release paper available.

Contact: 99165961

Driver (light & heavy duty) valid

gulf /Indian) looking job.

Contact: 95175192

Sudanese Architectural Engineer

2 years experience in Oman, Revit,

AutoCAD 3Ds max Archicad look-

ing for suitable job.

Contact: 94722356

Email: maya40999@hotmail.com

Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years

old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon)

Mining / Geotechnical Presently

in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.

Contact 91295802 /

acmfaslan123@gmail.com

Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs expe-

rienced as AutoCAD civil drafts-

man (2 yrs experience in Oman)

currently in Oman seeks suitable.

Contact 96789441

Email: simi5304@gmail.com

Electrical Engineer with 18 years

exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034

Email: shassalih66@gmail.com

HOSPITALITY

Indian male B.A Degree & diploma

in hotel management with 16

years experience as restaurant &

catering manager in Oman & Saudi

with V/L Oman D/L seeks suitable

placement. Contact: 92100141

Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants

Dynamic result oriented hospital-

ity professional with 20 years of

international exp. MBA in Hotel

Management, specializing in

Hotel/Restaurant start ups, con-

cepts & Franchise development

with proven records. Seeking for

Challenging positions in reputed

groups as GM/COO/CEO/Business

Head. (NOC available)

Contact: 96059470

Indian male B.E ECE 25 yrs with

2 years experience in Networking

MCITP CISCO certified AutoCAD

searching for suitable placement.

Contact: 90189537

Indian male (29) MCA Post Gradu-

ate 4.6 years experienced skilled in

System and Network administra-

tion seeking job in IT sector now

on visiting visa.

Contact: 92805363 Email:

anukkuttan1986@gmail.com

Indian male 26 years with BBA,

tally and hard ware networking,

having 3 years of experience as an

accountant, seeking for suitable

placement. Contact: 98201244

5yrs experience in software

and 1yr in admin, looking for a

part-time or work from home jobs

Contact: 91711326

Indian male (28) MCA 6 yrs ex-

perienced Oracle 10g, 6I, PL / SQL

forms / reports seeking job in IT

sector now on visit visa.

Contact: 91475059

Email: maridurai19@yahoo.com

Software Engineering Graduate,

2 years IT Sales Experience, D/L +

NOC, Contact: 94464786

Sudanese Network Administra-

tor 1 year experience with (MCSA,

CCNA, CCNP) have valid driving

license. Contact: 92394485

Network Engineer degree Com-

puter Science CCNA, MCSA experi-

ence NOC. Content: 92346191

Indian male 26 years BSC IT with

4 years experience currently on

visit visa looking for IT support

job knowledge of networking,

programming languages, windows

/ Linux environment. Contact:

+968 95369856 / 24781651 Email:

mark.tony.alphonso@hotmail.com

Dynamics AX 2009 / 2012 R2/

R3 Microsoft certified professional

MCA & BCA Having 15 yrs of total

exp & 6 yrs of relevant exp seeking

for suitable position. NOC is avail-

able. Contact: 93469493

Email: axcertprof@gmail.com

Indian male 27 yrs Master in

Computer applications currently

in Muscat with Oman driving L/C

seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 93191800

Email: vijilraj60@gmail.com

Indian Male, IT System Engineer

having 4 yrs of experience in sys-

tem administration.CCNA,MCSE,

Linux. Looking for suitable job.

Contact :91272867

10 years Oman experience ICT

Sector, capable of handling large

accounts, looking for suitable

Senior Executive position.

Contact: 98987654

Indian female MCA Graduate,

holding valid driving license seek-

ing suitable placement.

Contact: 99466062

B.Tech (IT) Indian Male 2 years

Oman experience in I.T & Network-

ing, holding Oman Driving License,

presently on employment visa,

seeks for a suitable placement.

Ready to join immediately.

NOC available.

Contact: 92462578

IT

Indian female, M.Tech electron-

ics 6.5 IELTS experience as VLSI /

Electronics project trainer & institute

administration currently in family

visa. Contact: 90195131 /24551290

Email: chinj.89@gmail.com

Indian female Graduate over 6

years experience in Admin opera-

tions business support excellent

MS Office skills looking for suitable

job. Contact: 94231020

Indian Female MBA, 3 Year expe-

rience in Admin MIS, Family Visa.

Contact 98234427,

jkjsmith01@gmail.com

young Omani male have experi-

ence 12 years as P.R.O , Clerk helper

supervisor Admin supervisor , H.R

Manager have diploma in H.S.E, IT

and P.D.O license looking for H.R

position or P.R.O license . Looking

for H.R position or P.R.O part time

or full time. Contact: 95933288

Indian having more than 10

years experience (7 years in UAE)

as project secretary, document

controller, site administrator, site

store keeper on visit seek suitable

placement. Contact 92196001

14 years of Gulf experience in HR/

Admin & logistics fluent in Arabic

& English with D/L looking for

suitable position, NOC available.

Contact: 95824598

Indian male MBA- UK 18 yrs Gulf

exp in Administration/ HR & Public

relationship. Fluent in Arabic/

English with D/L. Looking for suit-

able position. Contact - 99897280

Filipino male with 13 years HR and

Administration managerial experi-

ence. MBA & CIPD holder. Currently

looking for job in Oman. Interested

employer pls call 97728418.

Indian male seeking office driver

cum admin job having NOC and 5

years experience with valid Oman

driving license. Contact: 97942787

Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+

experience in Administration/HR,

Customer Support, Office Coordina-

tor with good Computer skill, Now

on Visit Visa,looking for suitable

position. Contact: 90196235

Indian female 29 MBA (HR) BSc

Oman & India, 3 years exp in

Admin & HR seeks suitable place-

ment. Contact: 95619537

Indian female 27 yrs with 5 yrs HR

/Admin experience seeking suitable

placement with valid Oman driving

license. Contact: 98236033

Indian female, Masters in HR,

having 4 + years Oman experience

in media management and HR,

looking for openings in HR, Educa-

tion, Admin, Corporate communi-

cations. Contact 98252030

Driver with new car looking for

job.contact: 95873286

Light driver looking for job.

Contact: 95219183

Logistics All rounder Indian male

23 years experience administra-

tion material management, supply

chain, warehouse, purchase, mar-

keting, inventory, accounting, Oman

D/L. NOC available.

Contact: 95980115

25 years experienced Supervi-

sor in plumbing & firefighting

available, NOC & driving license.

Contact: 95703680

MANAGER

DAILY GUIDED6 S U N D AY, J A N UA R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

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

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know

more about Islam, please call:

99425598, 99250777, 99353988,

99253818, 99341395, and

99379133. For ladies: 99415818,

99321360, 99730723

Orvisit:www.islamfact.com

Ayurvedic treatment for back-

ache, paralysis, arthritis etc

& massage, All Season (Vaid-

yaratnam). Contact 24475280 /

95371664 / 92504980

www.siddhayur.com

GOOD NEWS

LOGISTICS

More than 8 years of gulf experi-

ence & qualified executive in Air

freight & Sea freight, proven work

experience in logistics coordina-

tion, shipment, export and import

Coordination, cross shipments

and client relation etc. Contact:

95149624 / 0097150-3462492

Bangladeshi male, University MA,

working as administrator in Oman;

searching better job.

Phone: 91997605 Email:

mohamednazrulislam2@gmail.

com

Indian male looking job part time

driver. Contact: 93884951

Indian male BE, (ECE) 18 months

experience in Telecom Sector as

installation and Commissioning

Engineer, troubleshooting the bts,

3G and LTE equipments currently

on visit. Contact: 95183497

Email: v.karthi984@gmail.com

BE Mechanical Engineer / MBA

Indian male 25 yrs, currently

working in Qatar skills MEP de-

signing surveying, Oracle, Auto-

CAD, SAP. Contact: 97474470866

& C/O in Oman 95071632

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

MEDICAL

Male nurse MOH licensed having

NOC completed BLS, ACLS total 6

yrs exp seeking suitable job, join

at anytime . Contact : 91322744

An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license look-

ing for job. Contact: 96436517

/97396088

MANAGER

Indian Female, 24 Years - MSc

Biotechnology. Worked in Interna-

tional Crops Research Institute For

The Semi Arid Tropics for project

work as trainee. Looking for suit-

able job. Mobile: 92619048,

Email: anusreeg1991@gmail.com

Indian male having experience

more than 13 yrs, 4 years in Oman

as Store keeper, Procurement in

reputed company looking suitable

placement release available.

Contact: 92245926 Email:

mohammedbasheer700@gmail.com

Indian male 25, On Visit Visa MBA

(HR & Marketing) experienced in

Sales, Looking for Suitable Position,

Contact 92788018,

shinemoncherian@gmail.com

10 years experience in Oman in

logistics / purchase have Oman

D/L looking for suitable placement.

Contact- 96410767

Email: harishkts@yahoo.com

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

SALES / MARKETING

SALES / MARKETING

South Indian hold 12 years Omani

residency – B.E, MBA, PGDM, MCIM,

result oriented self starter - Techno

commercial Executive 15 years core

experience in business develop-

ment/ marketing oil & gas (all

streams) & manufacturing. seek-

ing suitable placement. Contact

99277816/ myakram@hotmail.com

B.Sc Graduate with 4.4 years work

experience in Sales, Marketing and

Business Development looking for a

job. Currently in Oman and ready to

join immediately.

Contact : 00968-95096284

Indian marketing & sales profes-

sional for automobile, hotel &

retail with over 7 years experience

Indian & us on visit & seeking

change/ suitable placement.

Contact: 99454425

Email: qamest@omantel.net.om

Looking for immediate sales and

marketing 3 years GCC experience

with valid driving license now on

visit visa till Feb 12.

Contact: 99642611

Email: kashif_iam@yahoo.com

Indian male 29 yrs having 6 years

Oman experience in hotel industry

& sales looking for a suitable

placement. NOC available having

Oman driving license. #91059015

Email: nidhin.lal86@gmail.com

Indian male with more than 15

years experience in construc-

tion, agriculture, industrial tools,

air coolers & personal protective

equipments looking for suitable

position in sales & marketing valid

Oman D/L. Contact: 92406527

Indian male 26, with more than

4 years experience in Sales and

Marketing having valid GCC

license on visit visa seeks suitable

position. Contact: 92423161

PG diploma in Strategic Manage-

ment having two years experience

in Marketing and Management

currently on visit visa seeking for

suitable job. Contact : 93406821

Email: sayeedminhaj@gmail.com

Indian male Sales Engineer 18

years experience (pneumatics,

electric, air compressor, garage

equipments etc) including 5 years

Gulf experience currently employed

in Oman with D/L looking for suit-

able position, NOC available.

Contact 94425942 Email:

kishorekumar.naik@yahoo.in

BBA graduate /Valid Omani li-

cense/2 year experience/ Preferred

role Marketing / Sales / Business

development Executive.

Contact-94122944,

raashidjabir@protonmail.ch

Indian male B.Sc Chemistry Grad-

uate 6 years experience in India

seeking suitable placement willing

to work in any field currently on

visiting visa. Contact: 94855667 /

92255983

Pakistani male three years experi-

ence in Oman speaks excellent

English, earlier worked as English

speaking tourist guide.

Contact : 99120956

Indian 16 yrs sales / marketing

all Oman experience, on visit visa

with D/L. Contact: 90205082

B.Tech Electronics Indian male

experience in Technical & market-

ing 2 years Oman driving license.

Contact: 98627362 , email :

shah9746099350@gmail.com

MBA Graduate (Indian) 2 years

experience in Auto sales & mar-

keting looking for suitable job in

automatic industry.

Contact: 94676974

Email: dabdulmuqsit@gmail.com

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter

gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192

TECHNICIAN /MECH.

Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years

experience preferably in water

sector and having valid driving

license call Ph:+968 99450811

Send CV to shiju@spec-link.com

34 yrs, Indian male 7 years sales

& marketing exp have valid D/L.

Contact: 99869456

MBA graduate having 6 years exp

in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with

PEPSI, India, having international

driving license permit seeks suitable

placement. Cont : 95308167,

Email : samir.pag@gmail.com

Sales Coordinator, BBA MBA

(pursuing) tally on valid visa in

Oman. Contact : 98269281

Assistant Purchase Manager expe-

rience 9 years at Oman in Construc-

tion Company skills driving license.

Contact: 98894178

Email: amerfawzy2000@yahoo.com

Indian male, MBA Marketing

having 2.5 years Sales experience

immediately looking for a suitable

position. Contact: 91415145,

Email: shariqs88@gmail.com

Indian female M.Sc in computer

application, having experience in

Muscat looking for suitable place-

ment available to join immediately.

Contact: 94591608

Sales & Marketing Executive MBA

with 3 years experience in sales

looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 91345727.

Indian female (M.Tech in Power

system) having Gulf experience

seeking suitable placement in

Oman, now in family visa.

Contact: 94306164 / 91001194

5 years experience in Sales

currently looking for a placement.

Contact: 93458869

30 yr old experienced available

with NOC & Oman driving license

6+years experience in chemicals

Industry. Contact: 96675065

B.Com male 2 yrs experience in

sales Computer knowledge,

seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98371144

email: nabilnazar22@gmail.com

The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years

Inside and outside Oman following

activities: tenders& real estate&

construction & marketing projects&

investments & transportation &

Marine services& companies man-

agement& develop business.

Contact :- 92385033

The Business Development Man-

ager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years

Inside and outside Oman follow-

ing activities: construction(Very

strong and qualified to bringing

business for civil work Or any

type of the construction work for

many million per year with a good

experience in pricing and collect

payment and cash management of

the company & marketing projects

& investments& tenders & real

estate. Contact 92385033

Indian male, with experience in

operations management, informa-

tion security, purchase & stores

mgmt, hold UAE driving license,

on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact 91904541

Email: naushers@yahoo.com

MBA (marketing) with 17 years

experience in freight forwarding/

logistics industry in GCC & Oman.

Presently working as branch

manager in Muscat. Looking for

a suitable position. Release and

NOC available. Contact: 99856331

Female business graduate from UK

with four years corporate in procure-

ment purchasing expediting logistics

and supply chains in UAE Seeks suit-

able placement. Contact: 99581399

Indian female on visit MBA

(International Business- Market-

ing & Logistics), BE (Computers &

Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/

BW with 1 year experience seek-

ing for job Contact: 90228586

Email:fathimasha16@gmail.com

Graduate, computer literate, expe-

rienced in sales, credit control, ac-

counts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable

placement. Gsm 98805474

Indian male 25 yrs, MBA in mar-

keting on visit looking for a job in

Sales and Marketing.

Contact: 91270215 Email:

nibuvarughese13@gmail.com

Indian male, 23 years PG diploma

in Petroleum Engineering and

B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering

holding UAE driving license seeks

suitable placement.

Contact: 95880127 / 95084905

Email: vijith2573459@gmial.com

Indian male 25 yrs, MBA

(Finance, Marketing), Overall 2 yrs

exp in Accounts/Finance field, On

Visit Visa. Immediately available.

Contact – 92989197 / 94786544.

mail: abdulqhizer2004@gmail.com.

HR Manual, Employee Hand-

book, Recruitment, Training, HR

Consultancy. Are you looking

for freelancer HR professional?

Please contact on 97914669

Indian Female, Master of Tech-

nology (M.Tech) in Electronics

& Communication Engineering,

currently in Muscat with Family

Visa,1+ year experience in Teach-

ing seeks suitable placement in

Muscat. Contact 96209509

27,male,ACCA finalist, have pro-

fessional experience up to finali-

zation of accounts, statutory and

internal audit, expertise in using

tally, focus and oracle software,

have 3.5 years experience in ac-

counts till finalization ,seeking for

permanent replacement in senior

position,GSM-91324962,email id :

abdullah.nooralam@gmail.com

B.TECH ( IT) . 24 years, 2 Years of

experience in technical support,

software development, network-

ing, troubleshooting and manag-

ing, seeks suitable placement.

Contact GSM- 98184170

Indian Male 4 years experience

Chef. Indian, Chinese Cuisine seek

suitable placement. # 99883019

Chief Accountant , 7 years

experienced (out of 25 years

experience in accounts) worked

in reputed group companies. Cur-

rently procuring MBA finance and

having Omani Driving License

seeks suitable openings from

reputed companies.

Contact : 95598477 / 98803439

Indian male having 6 Years of

Experience in Oman Having Valid

Driving License working as a

Purchase officer, looking for a

suitable Position, NOC Available.

Contact: 95132564 / 96456071,

E-mail:naji1988@gmail.com

Indian female 22 years 1 year ex-

perience in Secretary & Account-

ing, Tally, looking for suitable job

on visit visa. Contact: 97084473

Email: jumihasin10@gamil.com

Relationship Manager, Indian

male 28 yrs, BBA, MBA 5 year’s

exp, currently working in India

computer skilled. Contact: 0091

974710108 / 95071632

Bangladeshi Male, University

MA, 5 years experience in IT sales

& marketing working as sales co-

ordinator in Oman; searching bet-

ter job. Phone: 91997605, email:

mohamednazrulislam2@gmail.

com

Indian, Keralite seeks cleaning

job part time. Contact: 90169048

Indian Male 28yr age having

7year gulf+ Indian experience in

HR/Admin field, looking for suita-

ble placement. Contact:97914340,

Email: rajkv3086@gmail.com

Part- Time Accountant, well ex-

perienced senior accountant ,do-

ing all type of accounting works,

Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact : 98803439

Indian male Executive Secretary

having vast experience in admin,

logistics & procurement well versed

with computer seeks suitable place-

ment. Contact : 99514286,

Email : azimmohd@yahoo.co.in

Sri Lankan Male, 23 years old

with 3 years of Sales experience

and basic accounting knowledge

(AAT and Tally) Seeking for

a suitable position.

Contact-94864296

Indian, male, 28, BBM degree

holder. having 2 years experience.

1 year in banking industry & 1 year

in hotel industry. good accounts

knowledge also. seeking a suitable

job. Contact# 94678590, email:

awesh.khokar@gmail.com

Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA,

MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/ net-

working/ server, valid Omani D/L

seeking suitable placement in IT/

Network/Server support.

Contact 92607532

Indian female, 35 years, Bachelor

of Pharmacy (B. Pharm) with no

experience and BSc & MA seeking

suitable positions in pharmacy,

pharmacy stores, hospital, poly-

clinic & pharmaceutical compa-

nies. Contact 90236481

Indian male, 26 years, With 7 years

of experience in Sales Field in ship-

ping company in “Dubai” , looking

for suitable placement. Experienced

working in safety Marine equip-

ment and well versed with MS

Office. Contact: 90182494

Indian Female Accountant, now

in Oman on Visit Visa, looking for

suitable placement.

Contact 94250871.

Sudanese male 31 years, 3 years

Diploma in electrical engineer , 6

years and 1year in Oman experi-

ence in building construction and

electrical plants, have oman drive

license. Contact No : 94549609

Chief Accountant , 7 years

experienced ( out of 25 years

experience in accounts) worked

in reputed group companies. Cur-

rently procuring MBA finance and

having Omani Driving License

seeks suitable openings from

reputed companies.

Indian Male, pursuing ACCA with

knowledge in C++, Java looking for

accounting job.

Contact 94743462.

Email: zabinbashu@gmail.com

Well-qualified Indian Female with

8 years of experience in Procure-

ment Supply Chain from reputed

Companies in Oman seeks place-

ment. Contact 91374217

DAILY GUIDES U N D AY, J A N UA R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 6 D7

TOURS

TOURS

RENT A CAR

Silver car, car rental at good rate.

Contact: 96166155/93530540

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP

specification for monthly rent &

small car with driver.

Contact: 99839898

SITUATION WANT-ED

TOURS

SITUATION WANTEDCARGO

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation.Contact: 99099714

Transportation Al Khuwair.

Contact: 92711421

Transportation. Contact:

91310107

Transportation available Ruwi to

Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909

Transportation. Contact:

99664703

Transportation. Contact

96173326

Transportation. Contact

94510847

Transportation Contact:

99077395

Transportation taxi mini bus.

Contact: 93091106

DRIVING

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with

Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain

Marine Tours contact 98029602,

92808636

We arrange tours & accommoda-

tion at all the beautiful places in

Oman. Contact 99839898

Plot for sale Shadnagar Munici-

pality, Mahboob Nagar District,

walk able distance to existing

colonies, national highway and ba-

sic amenities at reasonable price.

Contact – 0091 8686631669

1100 Sqft Property for sale

opposite to SP Fort Hospital,

Trivandrum. Contact 91254791, 91

8893226226

3 bedroom flat for sale Kerala,

EKM, Palarivattom. Contact: 00968

95993089/ 0091 9446845999/

0091 4842422700 Jimmy

Plot, propeties for sale in

prime location in pune Contact

95272138, (+918390982975)

MATRIMONIAL

NRI

MATRIMONIAL

Menon / Nair boy 30 years, look-

ing for a girl, preferred from Otta-

palam area. Contact: 99505473

Hindu nair age 64, looking for a

suitable girl. # 0091 755900189

Nair boy 27 years Keralite work-

ing in Canada looking for qualified

girl. Contact: 99361442

D8 S U N D AY, J A N UA R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

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

SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

Pest Control Treatments. Ocean Center LLC.

Contact: 99344723

Cleaning & Carpet Shampooing, Ocean Center LLC.

Contact: 99344723

Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont

Maintenance services electric,

plumbing and A/C.

Contact: 96524904 / 94285064

A/C maintenance & servicing,

fridge, washing machine & dish

washer repairing, painting &

cleaning services, electrical &

plumbing. Contact: 99447257 /

97014234 / 24504281

Water proofing ABUQABAS-

Contact 99320217/24788722

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile

polishing, pest control & anti-ter-

mite treatment, general cleaning

painting,Plumbing, Electrical,

shifting. Contact Mundhir

Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C.

Contact: 24810137, 99450130

We are providing services like

Accounts, Auditing, Tax Reports,

Feasibility Study, Bank Loan

Assistance & L L C Registration

ASAS AUDIT & CONSULTANCY

Contact at 91720465/94319719

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of

your marble.Contact 24793614/

99314807

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing,

Contact 99314807/24792998

Split & window A/c servicing &

maintenance. Contact: 93769089 /

95323517

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance. Contact ABU QA-

BAS- 99320217 /24788722

SITUATION WANTEDEDUCATION/CLASSES/TRAINING/COMPUTER/WEBSITE

Classes for Spoken EnglishTOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT

Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed

IELTS PREPARATION Target Band 8.0

EAGLES INSTITUTE92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: engominst@gmail.com

Karate and self defense classes

at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per

month twice a week Monday and

Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM.

CONTACT 98294551

Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English

class for Malayalam Speakers in Azaiba and Ruwi

earn in two monthstion guaranteed

Tel: 95244310

WEB, ERP and Business Intelli-

gence (BI) creation and man-

agement at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

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