times of oman - may 14, 2016

Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. | Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certifi ed Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

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British Airways

to launch direct

Muscat-London

fl ight in October

May 14, 2016 7 Sha’aban 1437 AH

SATURDAY

2870

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN

To the People, 1975

With regard to international relations, I am delighted to say that Oman today belongs to most international organisations and takes part in most international conferences, whether they are under the auspices of the United Nations or its specialised agencies, or under the auspices of Arab, Islamic or other international organisations.

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

>B5

STEP UP YOUR SUMMER BEAUTY REGIMEN

HM issues Royal Decrees

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sul-tan Qaboos bin Said issued two Royal Decrees as follows:

Royal Decree No. 27/2016 promulgates Law on Regulating the Work of Engineering Con-sultancy Offi ces.

Article (1) stipulates that the provisions of the Law on Regu-lating the Work of Engineering Consultancy Offi ces attached to this Decree shall be imple-mented.

Article (2) says that this De-cree shall be published in the Offi cial Gazette.

Royal Decree No. 28/2016 is-sues the Institute of Public Ad-ministration’s Bylaw.

Article (1) states that the by-law attached to this Decree shall be applied to the Institute of Public Administration. >A2

C O N S U L T A N C Y O F F I C E S

DUPLICATE PARTS CAN CAUSE FIRE IN VEHICLES

HASAN SHABAN AL [email protected]

MUSCAT: With the tempera-tures soaring, counterfeit car parts, which include electric ca-bles, can set one’s car on fi re, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) has warned motorists, as hot weather makes vehicles vulnerable to fi re.

“As temperature rises during summer months, loose cables, at-tached to the car’s headlights and

old wiring can cause sparks to burst,” said an ROP offi cial.

Heat is the main reason behind fi re in vehicles, which is the sec-ond most common cause for fi re in the Sultanate, according to an offi cial at the ROP.

He further said that poor main-tenance, negligence of safety in-structions and delaying servicing can also cause major fi res.

“To make a vehicle fi re-proof, check tyres before going out for

a long drive,” the ROP said, clari-fying that heat can be very haz-ardous when it comes to rubber-made materials.

“Driving a car for long hours without stopping may lead to overheating of engine and can cause a fi re,” he said, cautioning people who drive from Muscat to interiors during weekends.

The ROP stressed that chang-ing car-batteries periodically and keeping an eye on coolant leaks are a motorist’s responsibility.

“Drivers must take precau-tions regarding tyres, as soaring temperatures make blowouts more likely,” he said, adding that servicing a vehicle is the key to protecting it from fi res.

ROP has also called upon mo-torists in Oman to make sure a

fi re extinguisher is always avail-able and kept within their reach in vehicles.

“When putting out fi re us-ing an extinguisher, the person should be at least eight feet away from the fl ame,” the offi cer said.

According to the Directorate General of Meteorology and Air Navigation (DGMAN) tempera-tures have already reached 46 degrees Celsius in some places in Sur.

Summer is also said to be the deadliest season when it comes to traffi c accidents. July claimed 71 lives, while 67 people perished in August road crashes in 2015.

Most accidents occurred last year in June, resulting in 345 injuries and 46 deaths, said the ROP.

ROP has urged drivers to check coolants,

tyres and batteries regularly to prevent fi res

Body retrieved from Sur dam

FAHAD AL [email protected]

MUSCAT: Body of a man who drowned in Al Fulaij Dam in the wilayat of Sur was retrieved by the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PAC-DA), according to its offi cial so-cial media account.

The PACDA also managed to extinguish a fi re that broke out in a passenger bus in Dhofar. There was no causalities or in-juries in the incident.

A blaze at a farm in Al Khoudh area of Muscat was also extin-guished by PACDA.

P A C D A

Chess legend Anand to continue fi ght for the top slot

A. SESHAGIRI [email protected]

MUSCAT: Chess legend Viswa-nathan Anand, who is in Muscat on an invitation from the In-ternational Chess Academy of Oman and Zawawi Establish-ment’s Al Alawi Enterprises, spoke to Times Sport about the chess and the need to do more to popularise the game globally.

The fi ve-time world champi-on, known for his clear thinking and fi rm opinions, also spoke about the possibility of another Indian stepping into his shoes.

Reacting to some of the con-troversies, which were certainly not of his making, he also re-vealed the events that helped him develop from a child prod-igy to the world champion and how he intends to keep fi ghting to be on top for the sake of his fans. Anand said: “It’s not right to compare the players of diff er-ent generations. Chess is a game where one generation of players learn from their previous ones.”

See also >A12

B A T S F O R C H E S S

Viswanathan Anand.

Motorists should take special care during summer as poor maintenance coupled with high temperatures can set cars ablaze

Times News Service

MUSCAT: For the fi rst time in British Airways’ 43-year his-tory of fl ying to Oman, the UK carrier will be off ering direct services between the Muscat International Airport and Lon-don’s Heathrow Airport. From October 31, British Airways will start fl ights from the Omani capital to Terminal 5 at Lon-don’s Heathrow Airport, with-out any stop at Abu Dhabi . >A2

N O S T O P O V E R

OMANNaming violators

1The PACP said on Wednesday that naming companies does not fall

under its jurisdiction. >A2

INDIAKerala poll campaign

2With Kerala assembly poll slated for May 16, parties are sparing no

eff ort to reach out to voters. >A6

MARKETGlobal crude demand

3Opec kept forecasts for global oil supply and demand unchanged in its

last monthly assessment. >B1

T O P T H R E E I N S I D E S T O R I E SSafety experts advise use of special car seats for childrenERIK PRINS [email protected]

MUSCAT: Parents should think about the safety of their children and strap them in special car seats while transporting them, traffi c safety campaigners have told the Times of Oman (TOO).

Shaima Al Lawati, vice chair-person, Oman Road Safety As-sociation (ORSA), told TOO that a lot of parents underestimate the importance of child seats and more should be done to raise awareness among parents about the same.

She warned that mothers who hold their children while sitting in the front seat are risking the life of their child. “It’s very dan-gerous. God forbid, if a crash hap-pens, the mother’s arms will open

and the child will be thrown out of the car. In that case, the child could die,” she said.

Awareness campaignsAl Lawati said even when people are given free car seats during awareness campaigns, they hesi-tate using them.

“When we give car seats, peo-ple tend to give them to other

families, because they underesti-mate their usefulness. They need to appreciate these seats and un-derstand why they are using them and with a close follow-up, it’ll become a habit,” she said.

She explained that children below 11 years have to be seated in the back and those below six have to be strapped in a special seat designed for their age, add-ing that parents should not blame their children for not sitting in the back seat.

“It is our obligation as a parent to make them listen to us and put them in the back,” she said.

Daryle Hardie, chief executive offi cer (CEO) of Safety First, told TOO that although campaigns are helpful, fi nes are the only way people can be forced to use child seats. >A2

C H I L D R E N S A F E T Y

SEEKING SHADE TO ESCAPE HEATThough called the ‘Ship of the Desert’, these camels are also searching for a

shade to get some relief from the scorching heat. But as the trees are devoid of

foliage, they have no option but to bear the heat. Photo— Renu Singh

A3Beatingthe heat

A2 S AT U R DAY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

OMAN

‘Raise awareness on child seats’

“Safety First has been carrying out a lot of campaigns, giving away child seats to families. Yet, they have minimal success, without a law in place to punish people who do not abide,” he said.

Hardie pointed to other coun-tries where the use of child seats is compulsory by law. “As long as this is not the case in Oman, people cannot be punished for not using them. It only works if it hits people in their pockets,” he said. He also said that more needs to be done to encourage people to strap in their children while driving. “I do com-mend the ROP (Royal Oman Po-lice) for its traffi c safety eff orts, but I’d like to see them make this issue a focal point,” he said.

An offi cial from the ROP told TOO that it has been running cam-paigns to raise awareness about the issue, but that the problem lies with the law. “From time to time,

we run a campaign for the use of child seats. It was a strong cam-paign, but the problem is that the law does not specify this issue. The current Traffi c Law does not make the use of child seats compulsory. If they are not being used, it is not considered a violation,” he said.

He said that the law only consid-ers it a violation if safety require-ments are not applied during driv-ing. “It does not explicitly defi ne child seats. However, child seats have become a necessity,” he said.

According to the offi cial, the campaigns by ROP have led to “many” people starting to use child seats. “But if they know that the police will not punish them for not using child seats, they will not abide by it,” he said.

He also said data on the number of injuries or deaths caused by chil-dren not being strapped in car seats is unavailable.

Dr. Mohammed Al Zadjali, head of the Legal Committee at the Ma-jlis Al Shura, said the new Traffi c Law, which will include fi nes for failing to use child car seats, has been forwarded from the Majlis Al Shura to the Majlis Al Dawla (State Council) and from there it will sent to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for approval. “We are waiting for a Royal Decree. I expect that the law will be formulated shortly,” he said. Safety First CEO, Hardie said that despite the absence of fi nes, parents must install child seats in their car. “I would encourage people to buy good quality seats for their children. Then you’ll not have to worry about the safety of your children while driving. They will not be able to move around the car anymore and you can focus on driving. Oman cannot aff ord to have more deaths and injuries be-cause of this problem,” he added.

Q U A L I T Y S E A T S

< FROM

A1

HM’s Decrees

Article (2) instructs the Chairman of Board of Directors of the Insti-tute of Public Administration to issue the regulations and decisions necessary for the enforcement of the bylaw attached to this Decree. Till such a time, the laws and by-laws applied to units of the State’s Administrative Apparatus shall be enforced where no specifi c text in this bylaw applies and without prejudice to its provisions.

Article (3) states that Royal De-cree No. 42/90—on the Law on Regulating the Work of Engineer-ing Consultancy Offi ces—shall be cancelled, and so shall all that con-tradicts this Decree or its attached system or contravenes with their provisions. Article (4) says that this Decree shall be published in the Offi cial Gazette and enforced on its date of issue. -ONA

R O Y A L O R D E R

< FROM

A1

Direct fl ight to London

Travellers will be able to take ad-vantage of direct fl ights on a Boe-ing 777 aircraft in four cabins of travel—fi rst, club world (British Airways’ business cabin), World Traveller Plus and World Traveller (British Airways’ economy cabin).

Removing the Abu Dhabi stop-page from the service will reduce the journey time from nine hours and 45 minutes to seven hours and 15 minutes. British Airways is of-fering return fares from Muscat to London from OMR253, includ-ing all taxes and charges. “This is good move from British Airways as Oman Air recently introduced double daily non-stop fl ights to London,” said Abdullah Al Samsi, a regular traveller between Mus-cat and London. The new, direct Muscat to London fl ights are a far cry from the BOAC services, which debuted over four decades ago in November 1972.

L E S S T I M E

< FROM

A1

His Majesty sends cable of greetings

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of greetings to Horacio Cartes, President of the Republic of Paraguay on his country’s Na-tional Day. In his cable, His Maj-esty the Sultan has expressed his sincere greetings and wishes to the president and his coun-try’s people. —ONA

P A R A G U A Y

New rule for renewal of expat family resident card

Staff Reporter

MUSCAT: From Sunday on-wards, families accompanying expatriates and those who are on a temporary work visa in the Sultanate of Oman should visit the Directorate General of Civil Status to renew their resident cards, Royal Oman Police (ROP) said in a notice uploaded on its offi cial twitter handle.

As of now, there was no need for those on family joining visas to visit the Civil Status offi ce in person to get their resident cards renewed.

In August 2015, ROP had said that they will receive applica-tions from expatriates for the renewal of ID cards through the legally authorised persons.

R O P

‘Discover Oman’s Beauty’ drive launchedTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Ministry of Tour-ism has launched the ‘Discover Oman’s Beauty’ summer cam-paign in the Sultanate, which is targeted at locals and residents, and aims to promote domes-tic tourism by off ering exciting packages at competitive prices from leading local tour operators and hotels.

One of the aims of the tourism strategy is to establish Oman as a year-round tourist destination and, through this campaign, the Ministry wants to showcase the many tourism opportunities the country has to off er during the summer season, including moun-tain getaways, fun-fi lled water sports activities and an incred-ible array of cultural and heritage experiences.

The summer campaign packag-es include attractive off ers for ad-

venture tourism, such as trekking, hiking, and camping, in addition to marine activities, such as dol-phin and turtle watching, sailing, diving, and snorkelling.

The Ministry has launched a micro-site especially for the

campaign www.omansummer.com, which will run from May to September. Visitors and tourists can log on to the website to know more about the off ers and details of the participating tour opera-tors, in addition to the hashtags

on the Ministry’s pages on Face-book (TourismOman) and Twit-ter (@OmanTourism): #sum-merinOman

The campaign will commence with a three-day exhibition held at the Muscat City Centre, Seeb, in May where participating hotels and tour operators will showcase their packages and summer off ers.

This is the second edition of the summer campaign. The “Oman Summer 2015 campaign” in 2015 was highly successful and the Ministry aims to get an even bet-ter response in 2016, as this year’s campaign includes participation from tour operators, in addition to hotels.

Moreover, the campaign this year is targeted at both local and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) tourists, especially from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

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

WOOING TOURISTS: The summer campaign packages also include

attractive off ers for adventure tourism. –Supplied picture

‘Naming violators not in PACP’s jurisdiction’

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Amidst a public cam-paign to name and shame compa-nies responsible for supplying the market with spoiled food items, the Public Authority for Con-

sumer Protection (PACP) said in a statement posted on its Twitter account on Wednesday that nam-ing companies does not fall under its jurisdiction.

After the PACP raided a com-pany in Barka and seized 22 tonnes of rice deemed unfi t for consumption, people on social media had called for naming com-panies found to be in violation of the rules.

Nasra bint Sultan Al Habsiya, head of the Legal Department at PACP, said this does not fall in the jurisdiction of the PACP.

“Some may think that this nam-ing them (violators) is within the authority of the PACP, which was criticised for not revealing the names of the violators. We stress that the PACP works under legal

regulations in a country guided by the law and that the Authority as an executive and monitoring party cannot work outside the domain of this legal system,” she said.

She further stated that Article 44 of the Consumer Protection Law rules that in case of a con-viction, the court may publish a summary of the case in two

newspapers, one of which should be in Arabic.

“Only the courts are authorised to publish cases related to con-sumer protection. Announcing the names of those convicted is only possible after the fi nal con-viction,” she said.

Al Habsiya added that the pub-lication of names in newspapers and magazines before the issuing of court rulings and without per-mission from the respective court to do so is considered a violation of the Press and Publication Law.

“When such (information) is being published through social media, it is in violation of the anti-cybercrime law. The PACP adheres to applying the law while remaining in its jurisdiction,” she noted.

Issuing rulings

without permission

from the courts

is considered a

violation of the law

Only the courts are authorised to publish cases related to consumer protection. Announcing the names of those convicted is only possible after the fi nal conviction

Nasra bint Sultan Al Habsiya, head of the Legal Department at PACP

A3

OMANS AT U R DAY, M AY 14 , 2 0 1 6

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Beating the heatWith summer having arrived in the Sultanate with all its fury. Man,

bird and beast try to beat the heat in their own ways. Times of Oman

photographers Jun Estrada and Shabin E went around the town

clicking images. Here is a selection from what their cameras saw.

A4 S AT U R DAY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

REGION

Top Hezbollah commander killed in Damascus blast

BEIRUT: Hezbollah’s top mili-tary commander Mustafa Badred-dine has been killed in a blast at a base near Damascus airport, the Lebanese group said on Friday, one of the biggest blows to its leadership the organisation has ever sustained.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing and Hezbollah said it was still investigating the cause of the explosion. Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said the result of the investigation into Mustafa Badreddine’s kill-ing would be announced no later than Saturday morning.

“We will announce in detail the cause of the explosion and the party responsible for it,” he said, adding that there were clear indi-cations of who was behind the at-tack and the method used.

Speaking at Badreddine’s fu-neral, he also vowed that the group

would continue on the “path” of Badreddine. At least one Hezbol-lah fi gure blamed Israel, which has struck Hezbollah targets in Syria several times in the past since civil war started there in 2011. Israel declined to comment.

The US government believed Badreddine, 55, was in charge of Hezbollah’s military operations in Syria. He was a brother-in-law of Imad Moughniyah, Hezbollah’s long serving military commander, who was killed by a bomb planted in his car in Damascus in 2008 that Hezbollah blamed on Israel.

At least four prominent fi gures in Hezbollah have been killed

since January 2015. Hezbollah said an investigation was under-way into whether the explosion at the base was caused by an air strike, a missile attack or artillery bombardment. It did not say when he was killed. “This is an open war and we should not preempt the in-vestigation but certainly Israel is behind this,” said Nawar Al Saheli, a Hezbollah member of Lebanon’s parliament. “The resistance will carry out its duties at the appro-priate time.”

When asked by an interviewer on Israel Radio about possible Israeli involvement, cabinet min-ister Zeev Elkin, a confi dant of

Prime Minister Benjamin Netan-yahu, declined to comment.

Hezbollah, a political and mili-tary movement, is Lebanon’s most powerful group, having grown stronger since forcing Israel to end its 22-year occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000. The sides fought a 34-day war in 2006, their last major confl ict.

“We don’t know if Israel is responsible for this,” Yaakov Amidror, a former national secu-rity adviser to Netanyahu, told Is-rael’s Army Radio.

Announcing his death, Hezbol-lah quoted Badreddine as saying he would return from Syria vic-

torious or as a martyr. A photo released by the group showed him before his death, smiling and wearing a camoufl age baseball cap. His death sparked wide con-demnation from Lebanese politi-cal allies.

“His martyrdom is a big loss for the Lebanese in their fi ght against Israeli aggression and terrorism,” Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil told Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV in reference to Israel and miliant groups. “His loss will leave a vacuum but the lesson is to continue on the path that he chose -- resistance until victory is achieved.” — Reuters

The group said

an investigation

was underway

into whether the

explosion at the base

was caused by an

air strike, a missile

attack or artillery

bombardment

Female boxers punch through social taboos in SudanKHARTOUM: Sweat drips from Arafat Abkar’s brow as she dodg-es blows in an open-air arena in Khartoum’s searing summer heat. Wearing only shorts and a T-shirt, the 22-year-old draws crowds in a country where women’s boxing is a rare spectacle.

“When I train, more spectators watch because women’s boxing is new and unfamiliar in Sudan,” Ab-kar said proudly at the private Nile Club in the south of the city.

Sudan is ruled by laws which re-quire women to dress modestly. So, when she’s in the street, Abkar fol-lows the fashion by wearing loose, fl owing garments and covering her hair. In the ring, however, her bare head and defi ned muscles mark her out for criticism and ridicule. That is a price Abkar is willing to pay. “People mock women who box. They think it’s not feminine but they’re wrong... I don’t think this sport will stop me getting mar-ried. So far, we’ve faced no objec-tions from anyone, governmental or otherwise,” she said.

Most families are not so sup-

portive and another girl at the club said she boxed in secret as her fam-ily would object to her taking part in what they see as a man’s sport.

Women’s boxing was unheard of in Sudan until four years ago, when Sahar Mohamed took up the sport and represented her country at the All Africa Games last year. She was defeated on points in the Middleweight category by Yannick Azangue of Cameroon. Since then, the Sudan Amateur Boxing Fed-eration has sought to encourage women to join the sport despite social challenges. “Four years ago, I was the fi rst Sudanese girl to box and I faced big pressures from my family and people but I’ll continue as this is my life’s dream,” said Mo-hamed at a state-run youth centre in Khartoum, where she trains.

Nearby, two women were train-ing alongside men, shouting as they jumped from foot to foot and punched each other with worn gloves. The equipment is worn and basic, but the centre is busy, the atmosphere buzzing with young people practicing every-

thing from martial arts to soccer. “People watch satellite channels and look on the internet and that has changed the culture and given new courage to women in the past few years to pick up boxing gloves,” Mohamed Yousef, head of the Su-danese national boxing team, said.

“The Sudan Boxing Federation asked us put more emphasis on girls to encourage them to con-tinue in the sport.” Ali Al Aqraa, 78, a retired Sudanese boxing cham-pion and the fi rst to begin training women said a lack of funds, not en-thusiasm, was the biggest hurdle.

Abkar was Sudan’s weight-lifting champion and represented her country abroad before taking up boxing last year. She is one of four women on the boxing team at the Nile Club, where she trains three times a week. “What pushed me to box was watching American champion Laila Ali,” she said, re-ferring to the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. “As I train night and day her image is in my mind. I hope to become a world champion like her.” — Reuters

R A R E S P E C T A C L E

16 killed in northern Iraq attacksTIKRIT: Shooting and bomb at-tacks claimed by IS killed at least 16 people in northern Iraq on Friday, days after IS’s deadliest blasts so far this year in the capi-tal stirred public criticism of gov-ernment security measures.

Three gunmen opened fi re with machine guns around midnight at a cafe in the town of Balad where young men had gathered to start the weekend, police and hospital sources. At least 12 were killed and 25 wounded.

The assailants fl ed and hours later one of them set off his ex-plosive vest at a nearby vegetable market after police and militia members cornered him in a dis-used building and exchanged gun-fi re, security sources said. Four were killed and two critically wounded, medical sources added.

IS said in a statement distribut-ed online by supporters that three suicide attackers targeting mili-tiamen had detonated their ex-plosives, though security sources said they had only identifi ed one bomber. A Reuters witness saw the scorched body of a suspected assailant hanging upside down

from a post outside the cafe on Friday morning.

Residents said they had seized the man from a nearby house where he had fl ed following the attack. They said they had burned him alive after he confessed. An intelligence offi cial confi rmed this account. IS nearly overran Balad, 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, in 2014 and maintains a frontline around 40 km away.

Friday’s attackers had passed three police checkpoints before reaching their target, said police sources who declined to be iden-

tifi ed as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Security forces deployed throughout the town, fearing more attacks.

The intelligence offi cial said fi ghters from the powerful Badr Organisation raided a nearby house and detained 13 members of a family. There were reports of gunfi re in an adjacent orchard.

Iraqi authorities are facing scrutiny over security breaches that allowed suicide attackers to set off three bombs on Wednes-day in Baghdad, killing at least 80 people. — Reuters

I N S U R G E N C Y

US Treasury sanctions Libyan offi cial

WASHINGTON: The US Treas-ury Department on Friday sanc-tioned Aguila Saleh, the president of Libya’s internationally recog-nised parliament in Tobruk, over what US offi cials say is his blocking of the formation of a UN-backed government of national accord.

Saleh “is responsible for stalling political progress in Libya. Today’s action sends a clear message that the US Government will continue to target those who undermine the peace, security, and stability of Libya”, said John E. Smith, Acting OFAC Director.

BlockedThe Treasury Department’s ac-tion means that “all property and interests in property of Issa that are within the jurisdiction of the United States or in the control of US persons are blocked”. It added Americans were “generally pro-hibited” from carrying out trans-actions with him.

The statement said Saleh had repeatedly blocked votes by Lib-ya’s House of Representatives to support the North African coun-try’s political transition.

Libya has been in turmoil since the Western-backed uprising that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi fi ve years ago.

Two competing governments, one in Tripoli and the one in To-bruk, backed by armed factions, have struggled for control of the OPEC state since 2014.

A UN-backed unity govern-ment, designed to replace the rival administrations, arrived in Tripoli earlier this year and is attempting to assert authority over the whole country. The Treasury Depart-ment move follows a similar taken by the European Union in April against Saleh. — Reuters

‘ S T A L L I N G ’ P R O G R E S S

TOUGH TRAINING: Arafat Abkar, 22, warms up during boxing practice at Nile Club in Khartoum. When

I train, more spectators watch because women’s boxing is new and unfamiliar in Sudan, Abkar said

proudly at the private Nile Club in the south of the city. – Reuters

CONDOLENCES: Lebanese press report from outside where family members are receiving condolences for the death of top Hezbollah

commander Mustafa Badreddine in a southern suburb of Beirut on Friday.. – AFP

THE SITE OF ATTACK: Fighters gather at a cafe after an attack in

the town of Balad, Iraq, on Friday. – Reuters

A5

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Maharashtra passes law to ban village councils from ordering ‘social boycotts’MUMBAI: Western Indian state of Maharashtra state has become the fi rst in the country to ban vil-lage councils from imposing “so-cial boycotts” that ostracise in-dividuals or families for defying tradition.

Women and lower caste Dalits often bear the brunt of such judg-ments, passed as punishment for perceived misdeeds such as mar-rying between castes or dressing immodestly. The western Indian state last month passed the law against a decades-old practice of village panchayats, or councils, ordering social boycotts.

“The Act was required against the backdrop of atrocities infl ict-

ed on people in the name of tradi-tion, caste and community,” said Maharashtra Chief Minister Dev-endra Fadnavis. “It is necessary to prohibit social boycotts as a mat-ter of social reform in the interest of public welfare,” he said.

Under village council orders, individuals and families have been banished from the commu-nity, and denied access to temples, wells, markets and celebrations.

In some cases, panchayats have even branded women as witches, and ordered gang rapes or killings as punishment.

Maharashtra’s new law de-clares social boycotts a crime punishable by up to seven years in

prison, a fi ne of 500,000 ($7,500), or both. Human rights campaign-ers called for other Indian states to follow Maharashtra’s example.

“The law will help check caste crimes to some extent. It em-powers lower-caste people and it empowers human rights organi-sations, as it gives us a tool with which to fi ght against village pan-chayats,” said Irfan Engineer, di-rector of the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism in Mum-bai. “We need a similar law in the rest of the country, particularly in states where (unelected) khap panchayats are strong,” he said.

Khap panchayats are unelected village councils comprising men

of a particular clan or caste.While their power has dimin-

ished since 1992, when elected village councils were made man-datory, they remain powerful in socially conservative states in-cluding Haryana, Punjab, Rajas-than and parts of Uttar Pradesh.

India’s top court in 2011 de-scribed khap panchayats as “kan-garoo courts” that are entirely ille-gal. Maharashtra, home to several social reformers like B.R. Ambed-kar who fought against caste dis-crimination, in 2013 passed leg-islation criminalising practices related to black magic, human sacrifi ces, and other superstitious beliefs. -Thomson Reuters Foundation

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

Journalists shot dead in Bihar, Jharkhand

SIWAN/CHATRA: A senior journalist in Bihar and a TV chan-nel reporter in Jharkhand were shot dead by unidentifi ed gunmen, sparking protests by mediaper-sons and triggering a shutdown in the areas.

Rajdeo Ranjan, Siwan district bureau chief of Hindi daily Hin-dustan, was fi red at in Siwan dis-trict late on Friday evening when he was going on his motorcycle near the fruit market on Station Road under Town police station at around 7:45pm, Superintendent of Police Saurabh Kumar Sah said.

Ranjan, 45, died on the way to hospital, he added.

The SP said the motive behind the murder was yet to be ascer-tained. Ranjan has been writing for a long time against law-break-ers of the area.

In Jharkhand, Akhilesh Pratap Singh (35), a journalist of a news channel, was gunned down by unidentifi ed people at Dewaria in Chatra district, police said. Singh was attacked near panchayat sec-retariat of the village on Thursday night, a police offi cial said.

A bandh was observed in Chatra town in protest against the killing.

Reacting to the murder of the scribe in Siwan, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussaion said while Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Ku-mar is touring Varanasi, the fourth estate is “in danger” in his state.

“This is not jungle raj. This is maha jungle raj...sad to know about his killing, Rajdeo was a fearless journalist,” he tweeted. - PTI

T R I G G E R I N G S H U T D O W N SC upholds defamation law contested by Rahul, Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Friday upheld the constitutional validity of the 156-year-old penal laws on defamation, saying “repu-tation of one cannot be allowed to be crucifi ed at the altar of the other’s right of free speech”.

The apex court rejected the pleas of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Min-ister Arvind Kejriwal, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and others to decriminalise the colonial-era

penal provisions and they will now have to face criminal defama-tion cases lodged against them.

Upholding the constitutional validity of sections 499 and 500 of the IPC, dealing with criminal defamation and punishment for it which entails up to two years imprisonment or fi ne or both, the court held that the right to free-dom of speech and expression is “absolutely sacrosanct” but “is not absolute.”

Freedom of speechThe bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C. Pant said the balance between the two rights — freedom of speech and right to reputation — needed to be struck and “reputation of one cannot be allowed to be crucifi ed at the altar of the other’s right of free speech”.

The judgement, delivered on a batch of 27 pleas, including those fi led by Rahul, Kejriwal and Swa-

my, said that they can now knock the doors of various High Courts to challenge the issuance of sum-mons by magisterial courts within eight weeks during which the in-terim protection and stay of crim-inal proceedings against them would remain in force.

The top court, which analysed the two penal provisions and sec-tion 199 of the Code of Criminal Procedure dealing with pros-ecution for defamation, did not agree with the contentions that criminalising defamation attacks freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19 (2) of the Constitution and there can-not be reasonable restriction on free speech.

However, it clarifi ed that since the off ence of criminal defama-tion has its own gravity, the magis-trates have to be extremely careful in issuing summons.

“As we declare the provisions to be constitutional, we observe that

it will be open to the petitioners to challenge the issue of summons before the High Court either un-der Article 226 of the Constitu-tion of India or Section 482 CrPC, as advised and seek appropriate relief and for the said purpose, we grant eight weeks time to the peti-tioners,” the bench said.

It also made it clear that if any of them has already approached the high court and also become unsuccessful before this court, he shall face trial and put forth his defence in accordance with the law.

While Swamy is facing three criminal defamation cases in Tamil Nadu fi led by the J. Jay-alalithaa government for allegedly making certain comments against her, Rahul has a case in Bhiwan-di in Maharashtra for allegedly blaming RSS for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Kejriwal is facing a number of defamation cases out which

criminal proceedings are stayed in four. The cases against him have been fi led by Union Minis-ters and BJP leaders Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Congress leader Kapil Sibal’s son Amit Sibal and by others.

VerdictAfter the pronouncement of the 268-page verdict in a packed court, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Congress Vice President, sought extension of the eight week stay on criminal proceedings till July 19 when the case will come up for hearing in the trial court.

After Sibal submitted that eight weeks period would not cover the protection for Gandhi, the bench said he can move the apex court in July and seek reliefs.

While dealing with the conten-tions, the bench held that the right to freedom of speech and expres-sion is “absolutely sacrosanct” but “is not absolute” and “is subject to imposition of reasonable restric-tions” and “it is diffi cult to come to a conclusion that the existence of criminal defamation is absolutely obnoxious to freedom of speech and expression.”

Holding that the legislature in its wisdom has not thought it ap-propriate to abolish criminality of defamation in the obtaining social climate, the bench brushed aside the contention that “the exist-ence of defamation as a criminal off ence has a chilling eff ect on the right to freedom of speech and ex-pression.” - PTI

The Supreme Court

rejected the pleas

of Rahul Gandhi,

Arvind Kejriwal,

Subramanian

Swamy and others

to decriminalise the

colonial-era penal

provisions and they

will now have to face

criminal defamation

cases lodged

against them

Upholding the constitutional validity of sections 499

and 500 of the IPC, dealing with criminal defamation

and punishment for it which entails upto two years

imprisonment or fine or both, the court held that

the right to freedom of speech and expression is

‘absolutely sacrosanct’ but ‘is not absolute’

Rawat rules out possibility of snap polls in UttarakhandNEW DELHI: Buoyed by his vic-tory in the fl oor test, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Friday ruled out possibility of snap polls saying his state cannot aff ord that, even as he asserted he would work with the Centre to initiate de-velopment while forgetting the past.

He also attacked Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for working with a “particular frame of mind of treating me like an accused” and said the agency’s credentials and impartiality are at stake in the case. He, however, said he would cooperate with the agency.

Rawat, who is in the capital since Thursday, met top Congress leaders including Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and Ambika Soni, party general secretary and in-charge of party in Uttarakhand.

He met Sonia on Thursday along with some of his Cabinet col-leagues. “I do not want to go in for fresh polls. Uttarakhand can’t af-ford that. In politics, it may be ad-visable to go for elections because right now there is a lot of sympa-thy. But sympathy is one thing, duty is another. The call of the duty is that I should focus on develop-ment to bring the state back on track. I will see the state’s interests fi rst,” he told reporters.

Challenge“There is an enormous challenge now to build the state from here. I can’t aff ord to antagonise anyone. We need the Centre’s support. I will again urge the Centre that let us forget on what has happened,” he said.

Rawat said he was keen to meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and strengthen federalism, while seeking his support and coopera-tion for Uttarakhand’s develop-ment to send across the message that the prime minister also cares for the hill state.

“I wish to meet the prime minis-ter around May 15/16. I am myself in a hurry. I am very keen. There are many pending issues. But right now we want that the message should go that prime minister cares about Uttarakhand also,” he said, seeking his cooperation in taking the state on path of development.

Questioning the Central Bureau of Investigation which is investi-gating a sting on him in winning support of Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) before the trust vote, he said he will cooperate with the investigating agency and his

party has also asked him to do so.“CBI is a premier investigating

agency constituted to deal with serious cases of corruption of na-tional importance. I have respect for CBI and I will cooperate with it on the sting probe. There is an advice from my party that I should cooperate with CBI.

“But CBI cannot work with that frame of mind of treating a law-abiding citizen as an accused. The credentials and impartiality of CBI are at stake,” he said.

On his ties with the Centre af-ter it dismissed his government, Rawat said, “We are a part of Un-ion of India in federal structure for strengthening federalism. To strengthen Indian democracy, Uttarakhand also wants to play its role. Allow us to play our own role,” he said. - PTI

V I C T O R Y I N F L O O R T E S T

ELATED: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, accompanied

by Cabinet colleagues, meeting with Congress President Sonia

Gandhi at 10 Janpath in New Delhi on Thursday. - PTI

A6

INDIAS AT U R DAY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

We will create history by returning to power. No government in the state’s history has achieved as much as we achieved in the last fi ve years. We are united like never before

Oommen Chandy, Kerala chief minister

Modi’s reforms seep to villages, but many challenges remainRAMPARA KISANA (Uttar Pradesh): For farmer Sompal Sin-gh, the light bulb that fl ickers out-side his mud hut home is a symbol of progress: the fi rst time electric-ity from the grid has reached his remote village since independence in 1947.

It is also a big deal for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has promised to provide electricity to every village before the end of 2018 and is trying to woo the huge rural population ahead of a key election in Uttar Pradesh state next year.

“The (electricity) supply is er-ratic but we are happy that there has been a start,” said Singh, a 37-year-old father of three, who employs a bullock to work the fi elds in Rampara Kisana, six hours’ drive east of New Delhi.

“We feel we have not been for-gotten.” As Modi approaches the halfway point of his fi ve-year ten-ure, the leader of the world’s big-gest democracy has not had it easy.

Key economic reforms are stalled, his “Make in India” push to turn the country into a manufac-turing powerhouse has fl oundered and sizeable minority groups blame him and his party for pushing a na-tionalist agenda at their expense.

ProgressYet his government has made pro-gress elsewhere, most notably in the power sector where change is reaching distressed rural commu-nities in Uttar Pradesh who will go a long way to deciding the outcome

of the 2017 ballot. It was the pros-pect of tangible change that voters chose in 2014, propelling Modi to a landslide election victory won on the bold promise that “the good days are coming” for 1.3 billion people and by tapping dreams of a more modern India. While many promises remain unrealised, pow-er reforms and the creation of tens of millions of new bank accounts have helped Modi maintain his popularity.

In a February poll for India To-day magazine, 40 per cent of re-spondents chose him as the best candidate to be next prime minis-ter, more than any other politician. Modi is personally stepping up pressure on ministers and bureau-crats to deliver results on every-thing from fi nancial inclusion to in-frastructure and electricity to jobs.

One senior government source said Modi warned individual ministers this month that he was personally monitoring the perfor-mance of each ministry to shake them into action, as his impatience with underperformance grows.

He is also expected to unveil a re-shuffl e of ministers within weeks, and underperformers could lose their jobs. Underlining the scale of his ambition, Modi has told power offi cials he wants to announce that every village has been electrifi ed at his next federal budget in early 2017, 18 months ahead of the origi-nal target, a senior offi cial said.

That would allow him to tell voters he had beaten his own tar-

get on a fl agship policy. “This government’s job is to focus its energies on development, to take it (electricity) to every home, not like the erstwhile years where if the power reached ... a few homes in the village the government thought the work was over,” Power Minister Piyush Goyal said in a recent interview.

Modi, 65, has plenty to boast about; economic growth outstrips China’s, foreign direct investment grew by a quarter in the 2015 fi -nancial year over the previous year and infl ation has nearly halved since 2013. Still, recent state elec-tion defeats punctured his aura

of invincibility, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seen ratings slip.

The India Today poll showed a BJP-led coalition would win 286 parliamentary seats if there had been an election in February from 336 in 2014. Key economic reforms on land and tax remain blocked in parliament, where the opposition controls the upper chamber, and two consecutive droughts hit rural India hard.

The government must also fi nd employment for around a million people joining the workforce every month, another major preoccupa-tion for Modi and his team.

At a cabinet meeting earlier this year, Modi assessed progress on some key infrastructure projects and asked ministers to focus on those that would sustain the most jobs, a close aide to Modi said. At the meeting, Modi gave the exam-ple of how kings would embark on large-scale construction projects to deal with drought and unem-ployment in times of crisis.

“Numerous new projects will have to be launched and creative ideas will have to be implemented, but we are yet to crack the code,” the aide said. The BJP has also been accused of undermining In-dia’s traditions of religious toler-ance by appealing to the major-ity community, a shift that worries the minority population estimated at around 170 million people.

“If growth doesn’t pick up, if job creation doesn’t pick up, that rest-lessness, that negative energy will manifest (itself ) in social tensions,” said Ajit Ranade, chief economist at industrial giant Aditya Birla Group. “The stakes are huge.”

Results in fi ve regional elections, four of them opposition strong-holds, are due on May 19. Of those, the BJP has set its sights on win-ning only the northeastern state of Assam. But it is Uttar Pradesh, India’s biggest electoral prize, that Modi must win in a state poll next year to sustain his hope of one day gaining full control of parliament and a second term in 2019.

That may explain why the rate of electrifi cation is highest in the

state, home to 200 million people including farmer Singh. Under an $11.4 billion scheme, more than 7,000 villages across the country were electrifi ed in the 2015/16 fi nancial year, the most since 2011/12, data from state-run Rural Electrifi cation Corp show.

That leaves 10,500 still uncon-nected, and is only a small percent-age of India’s 600,000 villages. Nor does an electrifi ed village mean everyone living there has power. But reaching people in some of the poorest, most remote areas blunts criticism that Modi has put the rising middle class before rural communities.

A new website monitors site visits to every village to assess pro-gress, and releases photographs of incomplete work with the names and phone numbers of the engi-neers in charge. Power reforms also aim to end blackouts that reg-ularly aff ect even the biggest cities, and to that end India has boosted coal output and cut the peak pow-er defi cit to 1.7 per cent in March from 5.4 per cent in mid-2014.

Solar energyThe government has also won pledges of billions of dollars in funding for a push into solar en-ergy and agreed a fi nancial re-structuring package for indebted utilities. Still, almost one in four Indians lives without electricity, long outages remain the norm and access to power depends on peo-ple’s ability to aff ord it. - Reuters

R U R A L E L E C T R I F I C A T I O N

GARNERING SUPPORT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses

an election rally at Thethakudi in Nagappatinam district in Tamil

Nadu on Wednesday. - PTI

NIA gives clean chit to Pragya, others in Malegaon blast case

MUMBAI: In a complete U-turn, the National Investigation Agency(NIA) on Friday dropped all charges against Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and fi ve others in the 2008 Malegaon blast case while charg-es under the stringent MCOCA law have been given up against all the other 10 accused including Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit.

During investigation, “suf-fi cient evidences have not been found against” Pragya Singh Thakur and fi ve others, the NIA said, adding it has submit-ted in the charge sheet “that the prosecution against them is not maintainable”.

DevelopmentFriday’s development in the case, in which seven people were killed in twin blasts when people were coming out of prayers during Ramadan in September 29, 2008.

There have been a lot of twists and turns in the probe into the

Malegaon blast which was de-scribed as a handiwork of people associated with the right wing groups. The case was investigated initially by Joint Commissioner of Mumbai’s ATS Hemant Karkare who was killed during the 26/11 Mumbai attack.

Before the NIA took over the case in 2011, Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) had booked 16 peo-ple but fi led charge sheets on Jan-

uary 20, 2009 and April 21, 2011 against 14 accused in a Mumbai court. Purohit and Pragya had moved several applications be-fore Bombay High Court and Supreme Court challenging the charge sheet and applicability of stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case.

Shiv Narayan Kalsangra, Shyam Bhavarlal Sahu, Praveen Takkalki,

Lokesh Sharma and Dhan Singh Choudhury are the other fi ve ac-cused against whom charges have been dropped besides Sadhvi.

The agency also said during in-vestigation that it has been estab-lished that no off ence is attracted in this case under the Maharash-tra Control of Crimes Act (MCO-CA), in which any statement given before a SP level offi cer is admis-sible as an evidence.

“In furtherance of same, the confessional statements recorded under provisions of MCOC Act by ATS Mumbai have not been relied up on by the NIA in submitting the present fi nal report,” the agency said in its charge sheet.

Lt Col Purohit and nine oth-ers will now be tried for charges including murder and conspiracy under the provisions of anti-ter-ror law UAPA, IPC, Arms Act and Explosives Substance Act.

Charge sheetDirector General of NIA Sharad Kumar told reporters on Friday there was no dilution in the case.

Asked about the stand taken by the agency in the past when it had opposed the bail plea of Sadhvi and others even in the Supreme Court, he said “till our investiga-tion was not complete, we had to go by the probe done by the ATS. Now that we have completed the investigations, we have submitted our fi nal report (charge sheet)”.

The charge sheet was on Friday submitted by public prosecutor Geeta Godambe before Special Judge S. D. Tekale here.

Special Public Prosecutor in the case Avinash Rasal said he was not informed about the fi ling of the charge sheet (by the NIA).

“I am hurt and I may resign from the case”, Rasal said.

The Congress attacked the NIA decision to drop charges against Sadhvi Praygya and fi ve others be-sides diluting the case against Lt Colonel and nine other accused.

Senior leader Digvijay Singh

said “as I had predicted BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have started the process of sav-ing the Sangh activists involved in terror cases.”

“Was the DG of NIA given ex-tension for this?” he asked.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju dismissed the allega-tion saying government does not interfere in the investigation by the agencies. “We allow agencies to work independently,” he said.

The NIA mentioned about the Court of Inquiry report of army against Purohit which claims that ATS offi cials had barged into his house and apparently “planted” RDX. However, the NIA has not come to its own conclusion about the claims made by the army in its inquiry report. The incident took place opposite ‘Shakeel Goods Transport Company’ between An-juman Chowk and Bhiku Chowk in Malegaon.

The blast took place by an im-provised explosive device fi tted in a LML Freedom motorcycle and the probe was handed over to the Maharashtra ATS which fi rst in-voked UAPA on October 18, 2008 and stringent MCOCA, a month later in the same year.

The NIA said the investigations in the case were delayed till April 2015 as the accused persons had fi led various petitions in higher courts, including the ones regard-ing applicability of MCOC Act.

However, after the Supreme Court adjudicated on them, the NIA fi led charge sheet against 10 people including Ramesh Shivaji Upadhyay, Sameer Sharad Kulkarni, Ajay Rahirkar, Rakesh Dhawde, Jagdish Chintaman Ma-hatre, Purohit, Sudhakar Dhar Dwevedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ramchandra Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange.

All of them have been booked under criminal conspiracy, mur-der and various provisions of Arms Act, UAPA and Explosives Substance Act. - PTI

During investigation,

‘suffi cient evidences

have not been found

against’ Pragya

Singh Thakur and

fi ve others, the NIA

said, adding it has

submitted in the

charge sheet ‘that

the prosecution

against them is not

maintainable’

RELIEF: Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur

before being produced in a court in connection with Sunil Joshi

murder case, in Bhopal. - PTI fi le photo

Parties reach out in last-leg campaigning for Kerala polls

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The heat is on in Kerala and the political parties are adding to it.

With the assembly election slated for May 16 (Monday) in the state, parties are sparing no eff ort to reach out to the voters in the last leg of campaigning.

Amid the election frenzy, the rival combinations of parties are claiming they will win the polls.

While the Left Democratic Front (LDF) believes history will repeat in the state and it will rout the ruling dispensation, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is certain it will over-come the anti-incumbency factor.

“There is disenchantment in the state against the UDF government, which is corrupt. We are confi dent that we will win over 100 seats in the 140-member assembly,” said opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

The mood is equally upbeat in the Congress-led UDF camp.

Chief Minister Oommen Chan-dy said: “We will create history by returning to power. No govern-ment in the state’s history has achieved as much as we achieved in the last fi ve years. We are united like never before.”

But as political observers here point out, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies could be the decisive factors in several as-sembly constituencies and make things diffi cult for both United Democratic Front and Left Demo-cratic Front. The BJP has never won a seat in the state. But the saf-fron outfi t is hopeful it will open its account this time. The party’s aspiration has been buoyed by its alliance with the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS).

In all, the BJP is contesting in 98 seats, the Congress in 87 seats and the CPI-M in 85 seats. There are 782 independent candidates. A to-tal of 1,203 contestants, including 109 women, are in the fray. - IANS

M A Y 1 6 E L E C T I O N

A7

PAKISTANS AT U R DAY, M AY 14 , 2 0 1 6

Request to form judicial commission declined

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali on Friday declined the federal gov-ernment’s plea to form a judicial commission to probe the Panama Papers leaks.

Announcing the decision, CJP Jamali said in order for a com-mission to be formed, a legislation will fi rst have to be passed by the parliament.

He further added that a judicial commission cannot be formed un-til the issue of terms of references (ToRs) is resolved.

“Formation of Commission of Inquiry under the Pakistan Com-mission of Inquiry Act 1956 (Act VI of 1956), looking to its limited scope, will result in the constitu-tion of a toothless Commission, which will serve no useful pur-pose, except giving bad name to it,” CJP Jamali wrote in the letter.

The government in April wrote a letter to the top court to constitute a commission to probe the Panama Papers leaks.

But the nation had to wait for a month for the court’s response as Supreme Court’s (SC) senior judge Justice Mian Saqib Nisar – who took oath as the acting chief justice – said the decision on the federal government’s request will be taken by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Ja-mali after his return from Turkey.

After two days of brainstorm-ing session, the opposition parties fi nally evolved with consensus on Tuesday the ToRs to probe into the foreign wealth of the Prime Minis-ter Nawaz Sharif ’s family and oth-ers in the backdrop of the Panama Papers leaks. — The Express Tribune

P A N A M A L E A K S P R O B E No ransom paid for release of son: Ex-premier Gilani

LAHORE: Former prime min-ister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday rejected reports circu-lating on social media regarding the release of his son Ali Haider Gilani after three years of deten-tion by Taliban.

“All people on social media are not our friends. There may be some other people on social me-dia who do not like us,” the for-mer premier said in response to a question whether ransom money was paid for the release of his son.

Speaking to reporters outside his Lahore residence, Gilani said his son was recovered after a suc-cessful military operation which was carried out by the US and Af-ghan forces on Afghanistan’s soil.

“There has been a military op-eration on a foreign country’s soil, leaving several Al Qaeda terrorists dead. This resulted in the release

of Ali Haider from Afghanistan.”The PPP leader once again

lauded the eff orts of US and Af-ghan forces for the safe recovery of his son. “The credit goes to the forces of United States and Afghanistan. I appreciate them. “Further, Gilani said he received several phone calls, congratulat-ing him over his son’s recovery. “US ambassador [to Pakistan] felicitated me over the phone and said he would have personally welcomed him [Haider] if he had arrived in Islamabad,” he said.

“Democratic candidate for US presidency Hillary Clinton also called me and said ‘we are fi ght-ing the war on terror and we have a partnership with Pakistan. If I get elected as US president I will invite you to the White House.’”

Hollywood off erIn response to a question regard-ing the recent Hollywood off er to Haider for making a fi lm on his three-year captivity, Gilani said: “It is up to Ali Haider to take a decision whether he wants to sup-

port this idea or to write a book.”Haider had arrived in Lahore

on Wednesday after he was res-cued during a counter-terror raid by US and Afghan forces in east-ern Afghanistan Tuesday. He was kidnapped by militants in the out-skirts of Multan on May 9, 2013, just two days before a bitterly con-tested national election in which he was campaigning.

Media reports have suggested that Haider has been approached by ‘Jurassic World’ director Ste-ven Spielberg for a fi lm on his

three years in captivity. “I would like to make a fi lm on the three years you spent in captivity and all that you experienced during that time,” Spielberg was quoted as telling Haider Gilani.

Earlier, addressing the me-dia on Thursday, Haider had refused to share any details about his time in the custody of militants, and said it was a long story which he would tell some other time. He added he also did not have plans to write a book at least for now. — The Express Tribune

All people on social

media are not our

friends. There may

be some other people

on social media

who do not like

us, said former

prime minister

Pakistan’s fi rst formula electric car enters US competitionKARACHI: Just a few days ago, National University of Science and Technology (NUST) made news as it was named among 150 best young universities in the world. The varsity certainly deserves its place in the list with its students having built Pakistan’s fi rst elec-tric powered formula racing car.

In a smashing ceremony at Pearl Continental hotel, Karachi on

Thursday, a team of undergradu-ate engineering students from Pa-kistan Navy Engineering College, a constituent college of NUST, unveiled a formula electric racing car which is entirely designed and manufactured in-house.

Not only that, they have been selected as the only team from Asia to take part in the FSAE Elec-tric competition in the electrical

category to be held in Lincoln, NE, USA this year from June 15 to June 18.

“It’s an amazing feeling and a great honour for all of us to be a part of the team and represent Pa-kistan at such a big stage,” Danial Thebo, who is part of the commu-nications and management team, told The Express Tribune.

He added that the car was made

in consideration with the rigor-ous standards laid out by SAE In-ternational and is set to compete with universities from all over the world.

The team is certainly geared up to put up a good show at the inter-national event after spending 16 months planning, researching and manufacturing the car.

“Bank Alfalah is on board with

us now as part of their rising tal-ent campaign and is sponsoring us to raise the green fl ag for the very fi rst time in USA,” Thebo said.

Another team from the same university called NUST Formula Student Team has also been se-lected for an international design competition in Germany.

The competition named For-mula Student Germany is part of

Formula SAE series and will be held from August 9-14, 2016.

“We are NUST FS Team, and we have been developing a combustion type race vehicle, every year for the past four years, and have been participating at FS UK earlier, and FS Germany later, as the only team from Pakistan,” Muhammad Umer, team manager, told The Express Tribune. — The Express Tribune

M A K I N G N E W S

Second LNG terminal contract to be awarded this monthISLAMABAD: Government will complete the process of awarding second LNG terminal contract to the successful bidder during the on-going month after the requi-site go-ahead from the board of directors.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Minister of Petroleum and Natu-ral Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said Pakistan LNG Ter-minals Limited’s (PLTL) board of directors was working on the second LNG terminal contract. “I hope the process of awarding con-tract to the successful bidder will be completed in May.”

The government is to award contract to the successful bidder in 10 days after board’s approval.

PLTL board of directors, in a meeting held on May 6, approved the fi nancial bid submitted by Pakistan GasPort Limited (con-sortium), which emerged as the lowest bidder for setting up the country’s second LNG import ter-minal at Port Qasim in Karachi.

Pakistan LNG Terminals

made the evaluation report pub-lic after a meeting of its board of directors. Bids were submitted by two parties, Pakistan Gas-Port Limited (consortium) and Akbar Associates (consortium), on February 26.

The former qualifi ed in the technical evaluation round, while the latter stood technically disqualifi ed.

The next step would be to sign an LNG Services Agreement (LSA). This agreement would be negotiated with the successful bidder. The National Account-ability Bureau (NAB) and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) have already given clearance to PLTL to award the contract in accordance with the law. — The Express Tribune

P O R T Q A S I M I N K A R A C H I

A team of undergraduate engineering students from Pakistan Navy Engineering College, a constituent college of National University of Science and Technology, unveiled a formula electric racing car which is entirely designed and manufactured in-house.

MAKING A POINT: Ali Haidar Gilani, centre, son of former Pakistani prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, left, speaks with media represent-

atives outside his residence in Lahore on Thursday, after he was freed from a years-long kidnapping ordeal. – AFP

BIDDERS: Bids were submitted for the second LNG terminal con-

tract by two parties, Pakistan GasPort Limited (consortium) and

Akbar Associates (consortium), on February 26. – AFP

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Essa bin Mohammed Al ZedjaliMohamed Issa Al ZadjaliAnees bin Essa Al Zedjali Ahmed Essa Al Zedjali

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Why renewables alone are not quite enoughAjay Mathur and Adair Turner

At the United Nations in New York on April 22, world leaders ratifi ed the global climate agreement reached in Paris last December.

One hundred ninety-fi ve countries, ranging from richest to poorest, have now agreed to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with the goal of not exceeding 1.5°C.

They have also committed to “intended nation-ally determined contributions” (INDCs) to limit or reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030. This is a major achievement, but it is far from suffi cient.

In fact, even if all INDC targets were achieved, the world would still be heading toward eventual warming of some 2.7-3.4°C above pre-industrial levels. To keep warming well below 2°C, emissions in 2030 must be more than 30 per cent below those envisaged in the INDCs.

This will be an enormous challenge, given the need for major strides in economic development over the same period. Before this century is over, we should seek to enable all the world’s people – probably more than ten billion by then – to achieve the standards of living currently enjoyed only by the wealthiest 10 per cent. That will require a huge increase in energy consumption. The average Afri-can, for example, today uses about one-tenth of the energy used by the average European. But by 2050, we must reduce energy-related emissions by 70 per cent from 2010 levels, with further cuts needed to achieve net zero emissions by 2060.

Meeting those objectives will require both an improvement in energy productivity (the amount of income produced per unit of energy consumed) of at least 3 per cent per year and the rapid de-carbonisation of energy supply, with the share of zero-carbon energy increasing by at least one per-centage point each year. This implies a massive ac-celeration of national eff orts. Over the last decade, energy productivity has grown by only 0.7 per cent annually, and the share of zero-carbon energy rose by only 0.1 percentage point per year.

Moreover, even if the INDCs were fully imple-mented, these annual growth rates would reach only 1.8 per cent and 0.4 percentage points, respec-tively. Impressive progress is already being made in one crucial area: electricity generation. Solar power costs have fallen 80 per cent since 2008. In some places, new supply contracts have set prices as low as $0.06 per kilowatt hour, making solar

power fully competitive with coal and natural gas.Between now and 2030, the INDCs indicate that

renewable-power capacity will grow four times faster than fossil-fuel capacity, with 70 per cent of this new renewables investment in emerging and developing economies.

That investment needs to be matched by accel-erated progress in battery technology, or by other tools to match electricity demand to intermittent supply. But there is no doubt that, by mid-century, the world can build a cost-eff ective zero-carbon electricity system. And yet zero-carbon power, though hugely important, is insuffi cient, because electricity currently accounts for only 20 per cent of global energy consumption. Broader changes to the global energy system are needed.

Road transport and aviation, which currently rely almost entirely on liquid fossil fuels, account for 30 per cent of total energy consumption. De-carbonisation of these activities will require either electrifi cation or the use of hydrogen or biofuels. This is certainly feasible, but it will take time.

Heating buildings is another area where major changes are needed. Here, the more widespread use of zero-carbon electricity, instead of fossil-fuel-based energy, could have a major impact. But there are also important opportunities to design and construct buildings and cities that are sub-stantially more energy-effi cient. With the world’s urban population expected to increase by 2.5 bil-lion by 2050, it is vital that we grasp them.

Energy use by heavy industry energy, however, presents challenges that are often ignored. Metals, chemicals, cement, and plastics are vital building blocks of the modern economy, and involve pro-cesses that cannot be easily electrifi ed. Decarboni-sation may instead require the application of car-bon capture and storage technologies, while newly designed building materials could reduce demand for carbon-intensive inputs. Given these challenges, fossil fuels will undoubtedly play a role in transport and heavy industry for some time to come, even as their role in electricity generation declines. And, even in electricity generation, emerging economies’ INDCs imply signifi cant new investments in coal or gas capacity. - Project Syndicate

< Scan this QR for full story onlineHope change in the Philippines will be for the better

Now that Rodrigo Duterte has been elected as the president of the Philippines, it is expected that he keep his promise of fi ghting crime, corruption and drug abuse. That is fi ne so long as the fi ght does

not degenerate into something like what happens in China. If Manila follows in the footsteps of Beijing, it will only worsen the human rights situation worldwide by gi-ving a sort of acceptance to such practices.— Zoe Gibbs, Qurum

It’s advantage BCCI once again with Manohar elected ICC bossShashank Manohar came back to head the BCCI and played his part in silencing the former boss Srinivasan, but has he served the cause of cleansing the Indian cricket board? Individuals sometimes become selfi sh and instead of serving the nation‘s cause or the game’s cause he has decided to move away cleverly to land the plum job. It’s safe to be away with the Justice Lodha Committee creating trouble for BCCI functions and also scrutinising the confl ict

of interest issues. Manohar escaped from all these by resigning and opting for the big post, which still gives him the advantage of bossing over BCCI without being the boss. — Kumar Keshav, Al Khuwair

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Khamis leaves for IranMUSCAT: Dr Khamis bin Mubarak Al Alawi, minister of regional municipalities and environment, yesterday left on a four-day offi cial visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Khamis is heading a delegation comprising environmental and wildlife aff airs experts from the Min-istry. The visit is at the invitation of the Iranian vice president and head of environment protection authority. The minister will discuss environmental coordination between the two countries, including protection of marine life which is of interest to both countries.

1935: A plebiscite in the Philippines ratifi es an independence agreement.

1940: Holland surrenders to Germany.

1961: A bus carrying black and white civil rights activists is bombed and burned in Alabama.

1973: The US space station Skylab is launched.

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Latin America could be on the verge of an epochal transformation.

Over the next few years, middle-income jobs – particularly in the services sector – are expected to

account for nearly all of the region’s employment growth. Forecasters

say that countries in the region could add 14-23 million well-paying

jobs through 2018

MARTIN C. SPICER

Why is there such a fuss about the hidden Panama accounts when a

serving secretary to the government can horde Rs730 million far away from that beautiful, picturesque country? Such brazen audacity in committing mega corruption

in Balochistan speaks volumes of Pakistan’s current moral crisis

TALAT MASOOD

The presumptive Republican nominee for president has spent the last several days scrambling to clarify his self-contradictory

statements on everything from tax reform and the minimum wage to

interest rates and the national debt. “I am allowed to change,” Donald Trump said responding to ABC’s

George Stephanopoulos’ question

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T O D A Y I N H I S T O R Y

Husband of murdered Indian nurse is under police custody.

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Mushatt Jones, centre. – Reuters File

Philippines policemen cheer new crime-buster president

MANILA: Police force in Manila is so underfunded that offi cers say they have to buy their own bul-lets and it is not uncommon for funeral service cars to give police-men a lift along to murder scenes because they have no vehicles of their own.

Enter Rodrigo Duterte, who won this week’s presidential election in the Philippines on a single-issue campaign of crushing crime, corruption and drug abuse. He has pledged to raise policing standards to the level of Davao, the once-lawless city in southern Mindanao, where he has been mayor for 22 years and the only one in the country that runs its own 911 emergency call service.

Duterte’s message, unpolished and peppered with profanities, tapped into popular alarm over a drug-fuelled jump in crime. In 2012 the United Nations said the Philippines had the highest rate of methamphetamine, or “shabu”, use in East Asia. The US State Department said 2.1 per cent of Flipinos aged 16 to 64 were using shabu, the main drug threat in the Philippines along with others.

Reported crimes in the Philip-

pines more than doubled from 319,441 cases in 2010, when Pres-ident Benigno Aquino took offi ce, to 675,816 last year, according to national police data. Roughly half of those were serious crimes, and rape cases jumped 120 per cent over this period. Police offi cials say the fi gures overstate the prob-lem because reporting of crimes has risen with the introduction of closed-circuit TV cameras in many urban areas and SMS mes-saging for fi ling complaints.

Still, Duterte says he intends to be a ‘dictator’ against forces of evil. He told Reuters on the campaign trail fi ve criminals should be killed a week and promised if he became president the fi sh in Manila Bay would grow fat on the bodies of all the “pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings” dumped there. Rights group say death squads have oper-ated with impunity in Davao, kill-

ing some 1,500 people since 1998. “Duterte Harry”, as he is known, denies ordering extrajudicial kill-ings, but he doesn’t condemn them. If the police station Reuters visited this week in the capital, Manila, is any measure, then Duterte has much to fi x.

Captain Rommel Anicete, chief of the Manila police district’s homicide division, told Reuters he and his men have been buying their own bullets since the 1990s.

They split the cost of getting two air-conditioners serviced and, while they do share a cou-ple of ageing computers, they are always short of paper for their printer and have no photocopier.

There aren’t enough police cars to go around and Anicete said one colleague uses a motorbike to do his policing duties, paying for fuel and repairs out of his own pocket.

The Philippines had one po-

lice offi cer for every 651 people in 2012, according to offi cial data. Its force is far more stretched across an archipelago than neighbour-ing Thailand with a 1:302 ratio and Malaysia with 1:267 in the same year. The government budg-eted 88.1 billion pesos ($1.89 bil-lion) for the police this year, up around 13 per cent from 2015. A senior police offi cial said it was still too little for the force of about 160,000 offi cers. “We lack patrol cars and secure radios,” said the offi cial, who declined to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

“We want to issue a gun for every police offi cer but those re-cruited after 2012 will have to wait a bit.”

Like other police offi cers ques-tioned for this story, he declined to say who he had voted for, but added: “Of course we like what we

have heard so far from him.”Duterte has promised to double

police pay, which for some offi cers is as low as 18,000 Pesos ($390) a month. Asked on Wednesday how the government will fund this, Duterte spokesman Peter Lavina said: “We will fi nd a way.”

He added that a new detach-ment to fi ght drug crime would be set up, and corrupt offi cers would be fi red from the force. Duterte also wants to set up command centres for security cameras in cities around the country that are modelled on a state-of-the-art crime reporting hub in Davao City.

Roderick Tan, a sergeant in the Manila Police District’s theft and robbery division, said he wel-comed Duterte’s assurances that he will shield the police from legal suits and the harassment of crimi-nals or suspects complaining of injuries. — Reuters

Rodrigo Duterte,

who won this week’s

presidential election

has pledged to raise

policing standards

to the level of Davao,

the once-lawless

city in southern

Mindanao

China charges ex-president Hu Jintao’s aide with graft

BEIJING: China’s state prosecu-tor on Friday formally charged a former senior aide to retired presi-dent Hu Jintao with taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power.

The ruling Communist Party announced an investigation into Ling Jihua in December 2014. He had been demoted in September 2012 from a ministerial-level job months after his son was killed in a crash involving a luxury sports car.

The charges are the latest devel-opment in a case that the party has said did major damage to its image.

Ling used his many high-rank-ing positions in government as a way to solicit bribes, seek favours for friends and illegally obtain state secrets, the prosecutor said, without specifying the nature of the secrets.

The circumstances were “ex-tremely serious”, the prosecutor added in a terse statement that was also read on state television.

Ling’s case was lodged at a court in the port city of Tianjin, not far from Beijing, meaning he will be tried there.

It has not been possible to reach Ling for comment.

The prosecutor said authorities had informed Ling about his rights in line with the law, questioned him and heard “opinions” from his lawyer. It was not clear who the lawyer is, or if he was appointed for Ling by the party.

Ling’s case presents a dilemma for the government, because of his close connection with former president Hu, President Xi Jin-ping’s predecessor.

A government spokesman de-nied last year that Hu was being implicated in the investigation and sources have told Reuters Hu ap-proved of it.

The formal charges pave the way for a criminal trial, but be-cause Ling is accused of stealing state secrets, the proceedings may be closed to the public. — Reuters

A B U S E O F P O W E R

Another bank attacked by malware: SWIFTNEW YORK/DHAKA: Investi-gators probing the cyber heist of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank connected it on Fri-day to the hack at Sony Corp’s fi lm studio in 2014, while global fi nan-cial network SWIFT disclosed a previously unreported attack on a commercial bank.

SWIFT did not say which com-mercial bank it was or whether it had lost money, but cyber-secu-rity fi rm BAE Systems said a Vi-etnamese bank, which it did not name, had been a target. It was not clear if they were referring to the same attack and there was no im-mediate comment from authori-ties in Hanoi. SWIFT, the linch-pin of the global fi nancial system, said forensic experts believed the second case showed that the Bangladesh heist was not a single occurrence, but part of a wider campaign targeting banks. In both cases, SWIFT said, insiders or cyber attackers had succeeded in penetrating the targeted banks’ systems, obtaining user creden-tials and submitting fraudulent SWIFT messages that correspond with transfers of money.

The cooperative has main-tained that its core messaging ser-vice has not been compromised. But confi rmation of a second at-tack on a bank will likely increase scrutiny on the security of a net-work used by 11,000 fi nancial in-stitutions globally.

In Bangladesh, cyber-security

experts hired by the central bank said in a report that hackers were still inside the bank’s network, monitoring the investigation into one of the biggest cyber heists in the world. Reuters reviewed parts of the report, but the source who shared the document declined to provide access to its full contents, saying the release of some details could hamper a multinational ef-fort to catch the criminals.

Asked about the report, a Bang-ladesh Bank spokesman said: “We have engaged forensic experts to investigate the whole thing, in-cluding this.” He did not elaborate.

Investigators have determined

that one team of hackers, dubbed Group Zero in the report, was responsible for the heist and re-mained inside the network. Group Zero may be seeking to monitor the ongoing cyber investigations or cause other damage, but is un-likely to be able to order fraudu-lent fund transfers, the investiga-tors wrote. Two other groups are also inside the bank’s network, which is linked to the SWIFT in-ternational transaction system, the report found. One of the two is a “nation-state actor” engaged in stealing information in at-tacks that are stealthy but “not known to be destructive”, it said.

A spokeswoman for SWIFT said she was unable to comment. The report said investigators knew lit-tle about a third group of hackers found inside the network, referred to as Group Two, except that they were using mostly commodity, or off -the-shelf, hacking tools.

The report, which was submit-ted earlier this month, did not fur-ther identify any of the groups.

BAE Systems, Europe’s largest weapons maker, which also has a large cyber-security business, said it had uncovered evidence linking malicious software used in the Bangladesh heist to the high-profi le attack on Sony’s Hol-

lywood studio in 2014 and other cases. “What initially looked to be an isolated incident at one Asian bank turned out to be part of a wider campaign,” BAE’s cyber-security team said in a report it released on Friday.

BAE also said it uncovered mal-ware that was recently used to target a Vietnamese commercial bank using fraudulent messages on the SWIFT money-transfer network. The malware operated “in a similar fashion” to the Bang-ladesh Bank hack, BAE said.

SWIFT also did not name the victim, and neither fi rm said whether any funds had been sto-len. Reuters was not able to inde-pendently confi rm the fi ndings of BAE’s determination about simi-larities between the Bangladesh and Sony attacks. The US govern-ment has blamed North Korea for the attack on Sony’s fi lm studio, a charge Pyongyang has rejected.

BAE’s head of threat intelli-gence, Adrian Nish, told Reuters that the company was only fo-cused on the technical evidence that links the attacks, not deter-mining who was behind them.

The report said the malware used against Bangladesh Bank exhibits “the same unique charac-teristics” as software used in “Op-eration Blockbuster”, a campaign documented by a coalition of se-curity fi rms that dates back to at least 2009 and includes the Sony hack. — Reuters

C Y B E R T H E F T

World’s oldest person dies in New York City, aged 116

NEW YORK: World’s oldest liv-ing person, 116-year-old Susannah Mushatt Jones, died on Thursday in New York City, a research group said. Jones’ death makes Emma Morano-Martinuzzi, a 116-year-old woman in Italy, the oldest liv-ing person, according to the Ger-ontology Research Group.

Jones, who was born in the south-ern US state of Alabama in 1899, was the daughter of sharecroppers and granddaughter of slaves.

After graduating from high school she moved north in 1922 to New Jersey and then New York, where she worked as a housekeep-er and childcare provider, accord-ing to Guinness World Records and the Vandalia Senior Center in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, where she lived. — Reuters

L O N G E S T L I V I N G

HIGH HOPES: Members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) stand guard beside their mobile patrol along a main street of metro Ma-

nila in the Philippines on Thursday. – Reuetrs

HACKED: The SWIFT logo is pictured in this photo illustration taken April 26, 2016. SWIFT did not

say which commercial bank it was or whether it had lost money, but cyber-security fi rm BAE Sys-

tems said a Vietnamese bank, which it did not name, had been a target. – Reuters File

A10

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Putin sees threat to Russia in Europe’s new missile shield

SOCHI: A ballistic missile de-fence shield which the United States has activated in Europe is a step to a new arms race, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, vowing to adjust budget spending to neutralise “emerging threats” to Russia.

The United States switched on the $800 million missile shield at a Soviet-era base in Romania on Thursday saying it was a defence against missiles from Iran and so-called rogue states.

BluntingBut, speaking to top defence and military industry offi cials, Pu-tin said the system was aimed at blunting Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

“This is not a defence system. This is part of US nuclear stra-tegic potential brought onto a periphery. In this case, Eastern Europe is such periphery,” Pu-tin said. “Until now, those taking

such decisions have lived in calm, fairly well-off and in safety. Now, as these elements of ballistic mis-sile defence are deployed, we are forced to think how to neutralise emerging threats to the Russian Federation,” he said.

Coupled with deployment in the Mediterranean of US ships carrying Aegis missiles and other missile shield elements in Poland, the site in Romania was “yet an-

other step to rock international security and start a new arms race”, he said.

Russia would not be drawn into this race. But it would continue re-arming its army and navy and spend the approved funds in a way that would “uphold the cur-rent strategic balance of forces”, he said. US Deputy Defence Sec-retary Robert Work said on Thurs-day that the shield would not be

used against any future Russian missile threat. Frank Rose, deputy US assistant secretary of state for arms control, warned at the time that Iran’s ballistic missiles could hit parts of Europe, including Ro-mania. Putin said the prospect of a nuclear threat from Iran should no longer be taken seriously and was being used by Washington as an excuse to develop its missile shield in Europe.

The full defensive umbrella, when complete in 2018 after fur-ther development in Poland, will stretch from Greenland to the Azores. It relies on radars to de-tect a ballistic missile launch into space. Sensors then measure the rocket’s trajectory and destroy it in space before it re-enters the earth’s atmosphere. The inter-ceptors can be fi red from ships or ground sites. — Reuters

This is not a defence

system. This is

part of US nuclear

strategic potential

brought onto a

periphery, said

Russian President

Vladimir Putin

HUGE BLAZE BREAKS OUT AT SPANISH TYRE DUMPA fi re rages at a tyre dump near a residential development in Sesena, south of Madrid, Spain, on Friday. Local media reports said the fi re, near the town of Se-

sena, is said to have begun at 2am (00:00 GMT). By daylight, plumes of smoke some 20 metres high could be seen at the tyre dump, one of Europe’s largest at

over 11 hectares. — Reuters

Eight soldiers, 22 militants killed in Turkey

D I YA R B A K I R / I STA N BU L : Eight Turkish soldiers and 22 Kurdish militants have been killed in clashes over the last two days, au-thorities said on Friday, as violence widened in the largely Kurdish southeast following two bombings.

Six soldiers were killed and eight were wounded in clashes with mil-itants in the southeastern Hakkari province near the border with Iraq on Friday, the military said.

Two more were killed in a sepa-rate incident when a helicopter crashed in Hakkari due to a tech-nical fault, the military said. Six PKK militants were also killed in an operation in that region.

In the nearby Siirt province, one militant was killed when security forces pursued vehicles attempt-ing to fl ee a security check, the local governor’s offi ce said. They found 200 kilogrammes of explo-sives in one of the vehicles.

On Thursday, 15 militants were killed in clashes in Sirnak prov-ince, the military said. The mili-tary has also carried out regular air strikes against PKK camps in mountainous northern Iraq. A total of 140 militants have been killed in such attacks between April 29 and May 10, broadcaster NTV said, citing the military. The widening violence follows two bombings on Thursday. — Reuters

S O U T H E A S T

Solar Impulse two plane reaches Tulsa

OKLAHOMA: An experimental airplane powered solely by energy from the sun has fl own from Arizo-na to Oklahoma on the eleventh leg of an historic bid by its pilots and developers to fl y around the globe without a drop of fuel.

The single-seat Solar Impulse 2 aircraft arrived at Tulsa Inter-national Airport in Oklahoma at 11:15 pm local time (0415GMT) on Thursday, 18 hours after leav-ing Phoenix Goodyear Airport, the project team said in a statement.

Swiss aviator Bertrand Piccard called the 1,000-mile (1,609 km) trip “a magical fl ight” on his Twit-ter account.

The long hours required for cov-ering relatively short distances showed how slowly the plane fl ies compared with conventional air-craft. With a wingspan exceeding that of a Boeing 747 but an ultra-light carbon-fi bre skin and overall weight of a car, the Solar Impulse cruises at speeds ranging from 34 to 62 miles per hour (55 to 100 kmh). The four engines of the pro-peller-driven aircraft are powered exclusively by energy collected from more than 17,000 solar cells built into its wings. Excess energy is stored in four batteries during daylight hours to keep the plane fl ying after dark.

The plane can climb to 28,000 feet (8,500 meters) but generally fl ies at lower altitudes at night to conserve energy.

Piccard and Andre Borschberg have been taking turns piloting the plane on each leg of the jour-ney, with Piccard at the controls for Thursday’s fl ight. Both men have trained to stay alert for long stretches of time by practicing meditation and hypnosis. — Reuters

O K L A H O M A

Personal data of Chinese elites purportedly leaked on TwitterBEIJING: The purported person-al details of a number of Chinese business moguls and poltically-connected elite have been posted to an anonymous Twitter account, an embarrassing leak for authori-ties that has raised concerns about the security of offi cial records.

The data disclosure, including national identifi cation numbers, birth dates and addresses, would be one of China’s highest profi le such public leaks of sensitive data if accurate.

Among those whose personal data was exposed were China’s richest man, Wang Jianlin, the chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, and Jack Ma, founder and execu-tive chairman of the Chinese tech giant, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, both of whom are known to be po-litically well-connected.

Reuters could not indepen-

dently confi rm the accuracy of the data exposed in a series of Twitter posts this week, published under the handle @shenfenzheng, which means “identity card” in Chinese.

However, Sima Nan, a television pundit and vocal backer of the rul-ing Chinese Communist Party, told Reuters that his personal identi-fi cation number was revealed be-fore the Twitter account became inaccessible.

“I am unclear about other peo-ple’s (information), but mine is indeed the content registered on my public security household reg-istration,” Sima said by telephone.

The New York Times said it had confi rmed the information for Ma, and Wang, and Wang’s wife and son, whose details were published along with those of many other Chinese elites.

An image of the supposed iden-

tity card for Fang Binxing, the head of a Chinese cyber security industry association, who is also known as the father of China’s in-ternet censorship mechanism, the so-called Great Firewall, was also published.

China’s Public Security Minis-try did not respond to a request for comment.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu

Kang, asked at a regular briefi ng if the data was genuine and who China thinks might be responsi-ble, said: “I have also noticed this report but we really don’t under-stand the relevant situation.”

Dalian Wanda declined to com-ment, and Alibaba did not respond to a request for comment. Fang Binxing could not be reached.

Sima said he had not been con-

tacted by authorities and that he was unclear about the possible motive. “You can’t rule out that somebody merely wants to dis-play that they have the capability to break into and steal internal in-formation from the public security system,” Sima said.

In China, paying for or dissemi-nating private information is a crime, though black market buying and selling of such data is consid-ered to be widespread in a country where corporate records and per-sonal connections can be opaque.

“Are you shocked by this in-formation? I hope it can arouse thinking among fellow compatri-ots. Personal privacy in China is basically worthless,” @shenfenz-heng said in one tweet, according to a cached version of the posts on the account.

Similar breaches of cyberse-

curity have become widespread in the West, with the US Offi ce of Personnel Management hav-ing disclosed that millions of fed-eral employees’ personal data was compromised in a cyber attacks.

Long accused by the United States of rampant cyber aggres-sion against foreign interests, China has also been grappling with a sharp rise in the number of hack-ing cases at home. In February, hackers attempted to access more than 20 million accounts at Aliba-ba’s Taobao e-commerce website.

Twitter could not be reached for comment, though the company says posting private information, such as personal identifi cation numbers, non-public phone num-bers, addresses and contact infor-mation, can be a violation of its rules for which accounts can be locked or suspended. — Reuters

R E V E A L E D

BONE OF CONTENTION: A view shows the command centre for the newly opened ballistic missile defence site at Deveselu air base,

Romania, on May 12, 2016. – Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea/via Reuters

Among those whose personal data was exposed

were China’s richest man, Wang Jianlin, the chairman

of Dalian Wanda Group, and Jack Ma, founder and

executive chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd

SPOR S

S AT U R DAY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

Royal Challengers take on Gujarat Lions in must-win IPL clashBENGALURU: Their backs against the wall, struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to outgun title-contenders, Guja-rat Lions in a must-win IPL clash to keep alive their play-off hopes, here on Saturday. Currently ly-

ing at a lowly sixth position in the points table, Bangalore needs to win their remaining four matches to possibly make the playoff s and Virat Kohli’s men will go full throt-tle to boost their confi dence.

The Royal Challengers will like

to forget their last game against defending champions Mumbai In-dians, who thumped them in their own backyard. A loss on Saturday, however, will shatter their dreams to make into the playoff s and as usual the onus will be on skipper

Kohli, who has come out blazing so far, putting the rivals on the mat.

He is donning the orange cap for having scored 568 runs, which in-cludes two tons and four half cen-turies. Besides the captain, RCB have also been relying heavily on

their star batsman AB de Villiers, who has amassed 409 runs in 10 matches so far in the tournament.

Meanwhile, IPL debutants Gu-jarat will be coming into the match after defeating the consistent Kol-kata Knight Riders with an eye to

jump to number one position in the points-table, where Sunrisers Hyderabad are perched for now.

However, they will also be wary about their signs of wilting at the business end of the tournament, and will like to come out of it. - PTI

P R E V I E W

Beleaguered Dhoni’s men look to derail KKR’s campaign

KOLKATA: Out of contention for a play-off berth, a brazen Rising Pune Supergiants will stand in the way of Kolkata Knight Riders’ revival when they clash in an Indian Pre-mier League T20 match here on Saturday. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side is the fi rst team to make an exit in the ninth edi-tion after they lost to Sunris-ers Hyderabad in their previ-ous match but left with three matches, the Supergiants will be keen to sign off on a high.

The Pune franchise is owned by a Kolkata businessman and they will make themselves feel at ‘home’ while a rejuvenated Knight Riders back after a fi ve-day break will be desperate to arrest their slide.

From occupying the pole po-sition midway into the season, KKR’s slide begun after their loss to Gujarat Lions and they have slipped to fourth place and are now in the danger of slip-ping out of top four.

One of the big factors that’s eluding KKR is Sunil Narine’s X-factor something that has contributed to their triumphs in 2012 and 2014 with the off -spinner claiming 74 wickets in four seasons.

Back after a remedial action, the ‘mystery’ spinner Narine has only managed six wickets from six outings at an economy of 7.34 as the batsmen are no more afraid to go for big hits against him.

Narine also missed KKR’s fi rst two matches because of his father’s demise and was nursing a fi nger injury to miss their last two matches, against Bangalore and Gujarat. — PTI

I P LStoinis, Vijay help Punjab ease past Mumbai Indians

VISAKHAPATNAM: Kings XI Punjab put the brakes on their summer of discontent as they notched up a convincing seven-wicket win over defending cham-pions Mumbai Indians in the In-dian Premier League (IPL) here on Friday.

Medium pacer Marcus Stoinis led the way with four wickets as a disciplined Kings XI Punjab restricted Mumbai Indians to a modest 124 for nine in the stipu-lated 20 overs.

Stoinis returned brilliant fi g-ures of 4/15 in his full quota of four overs after Mumbai Indians skip-per Rohit Sharma elected to bat.

In reply, Kings XI Punjab chased down the target of 125 with as many as three overs to spare.

Skipper Murali Vijay, by far the

struggling team’s best batsman in the ninth season of the cash-rich league, once again led from the front with an unbeaten 54 off 52 balls, while the improving Wrid-dhiman Saha compiled a brisk 56 off 40 deliveries.

Walking out to bat after the de-parture of Hashim Amla, Saha put on a match-winning partnership of 116 runs for the second wicket with Vijay to help KXIP register their fourth win in 11 outings. The duo consumed only 14.2 overs to stitch together the century stand.

Saha reached his half century off just 38 balls, lofting Jasprit Bum-rah over cover for a boundary. Vi-

jay followed suit, as he too reached his fi fty with a cut through the point region, an overthrow helping him to complete the second run and reach the landmark.

As Kings XI Punjab raced to-wards the victory target, Saha was bowled by Mitchell McClenaghan, which, however, did not matter in the end. Glenn Maxwell though failed to open his account.

Saha struck six boundaries and a six in his strokeful knock, while Vijay hit fi ve fours and cleared the fence.

While MI stayed at the fi fth position with 12 points, Kings XI Punjab moved a step up to be in seventh place with eight points.

Earlier, Mumbai Indians were off to a disastrous start, losing two wickets for just eight runs on the board within the third over of the innings.

Playing in place of Parthiv Patel, Unmukt Chand could not make the rare opportunity count as he got out to a terrible shot, giving an easy catch at mid-on off the bowling of Mohit Sharma while trying to whip a length ball into the leg side.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indi-ans 124 for 9 (Stoinis 4-15, Sand-eep 2-11, Mohit 2-26) beat Kings XI Punjab 127 for 3 (Saha 56, Vi-jay 54 not out, McClenaghan 2-24) by seven wickets. - PTI

Skipper Murali Vijay,

by far the struggling

team’s best batsman

in the ninth season

of the cash-rich

league, once again

led from the front

with an unbeaten

54 off 52 balls,

while the improving

Wriddhiman Saha

compiled a brisk 56

off 40 deliveries

Rosberg back on top in practiceBARCELONA: Formula One world championship leader Nico Rosberg set the practice pace on Friday for a Spanish Grand Prix that could see the Mercedes driver celebrate his eighth win in a row. The German, who would become only the third driver to win the fi rst fi ve races of a season after compatriot Michael Schu-macher and Britain’s Nigel Man-sell if he triumphs on Sunday, led the way with a fastest time of one minute 23.922 seconds.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel had been fastest in the morning ses-sion in 1:23.951 and was fourth in the second session. Both were well inside Rosberg’s 2015 pole position time of 1:24.681.

Vettel’s team mate Kimi Raik-konen was second fastest in both sessions, 0.254 adrift of Rosberg in the afternoon, with three-times world champion Lewis Hamilton fourth in the morning but third after lunch.

Ferrari were the only ones us-ing the quicker, soft tyres in the morning, having opted for more sets than their rivals as they feel their car is better suited to them.

Hamilton is 43 points behind Rosberg in the standings after suff ering power unit failures in the last two race weekends that sent him to the back of the fi eld in China and to 10th on the start-

ing grid in Russia. Mercedes said they had changed the turbo and a part of the energy recovery sys-tem for Barcelona.

But limited time to change the design since the last race in Rus-sia meant they had just one exam-ple available and getting it ready in time had taken a “superhu-man” eff ort, the team said.

Dutch teenager Max Verstap-pen was sixth and eighth on his practice debut with Red Bull after leaving Toro Rosso in a swap with Russian Daniil Kvyat. Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo was quicker in both.

Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz was ahead of both Red Bulls in the af-ternoon. Spain’s Fernando Alon-so, twice the world champion, was 10th and seventh on another encouraging day for McLaren af-ter last year’s struggles. — Reuters

S P A N I S H G P

Samoura is

Fifa secretary

general

MEXICO CITY: Senegal’s Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura, a United Nations veteran, be-came the fi rst woman to be named as secretary general of soccer’s world governing body FIFA on Friday.

The 52-year-old, currently the U.N. Development Pro-gramme Resident Representa-tive in Nigeria, will be responsi-ble for the day-to-day running of FIFA which has been battered by corruption scandals over the past few years.

Her appointment was an-nounced at FIFA’s Congress by president Gianni Infantino, elected in February to lead the soccer federation out of the worst graft scandal in its history.

“Fatma is a woman with in-ternational experience and vi-sion who has worked on some of the most challenging issues of our time,” he said in a statement issued by FIFA.

“Importantly for FIFA, she also understands that transpar-ency and accountability are at the heart of any well-run and responsible organisation.

“It is essential for FIFA to incorporate fresh perspectives — from outside the traditional pool of football executives —as we continue to restore and re-build our organisation,” he add-ed. — Reuters

F I F A C O N G R E S S

Kumble stays

head, Dravid

made member

DUBAI: After Shashank Mano-har was elected as ICC Chair-man unopposed, former India captain Anil Kumble was on Fri-day re-appointed ICC Cricket Committee chairman for a sec-ond term of three years while his one-time team-mate and batting great Rahul Dravid was named member of the Cricket Committee panel.

Kumble will now continue to head the panel until 2018.

Meanwhile, Mahela Jaya-wardene was also appointed to the ICC Cricket Committee.

Dravid and Jayawardene have played 1,161 international matches between them from 1996 to 2015, and each has been appointed for a three-year term.

They will attend their fi rst meeting at Lord’s on May 31 and June 1, three weeks before the ICC Annual Conference takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland, the ICC said in a statement.

Tim May, has also been elect-ed by the current Test captains as current player representa-tive, replacing Laxman Sivara-makrishnan, who has complet-ed his three-year term.

Richard Kettleborough, three-time ICC Umpire of the Year, has been appointed as umpires’ representative in the committee and replaces Steve Davis, who retired last year. - PTI

I C C P O S T S

Nico Rosberg.

CAPTAIN’S KNOCK: Kings XI Punjab team captain and batsman Murali Vijay plays a shot during the

2016 Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket match against Mumbai Indians. – AFP

A12

SPORTSS AT U R DAY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

Chess is ‘right candidate’ to invest in individuals and get returns: Anand

MUSCAT: The fi ve-time world champion, known for his clear thinking (or clarity of thought!) and fi rm opinions, also spoke about the ‘need to do more’ to fur-ther popularise chess, on the pos-sibility of another Indian reaching same heights as he has done. While reluctantly reacting to some of the controversies, which were certainly not of his making, he also touched upon some of the events that helped him to develop from a child prodigy to the world champion and how he intends to keep fi ghting to be on top for the satisfaction his fans.

From Mayiladuthurai (Anand’s birthplace) to Madras (now Chennai) then via Manila (his early days as a player) to Madrid. Is there a connection, some magic with letter ‘M’? I haven’t thought about it. But since you have mentioned it, it’s worth thinking about! (smiles). But I should say the journey has been incredible. But let me also mention that I became a (India’s fi rst) Grandmaster in Coim-batore!

Now you are in Muscat, an-other ‘M’. Is this your fi rst visit to the Sultanate?(Chuckles) Yes this is my fi rst visit and I am delighted to be here.

It is here in Oman, Magnus Carlsen underwent a ‘secret’ training camp before the 2013 Chennai World Championship, which the Norwageian went on to win. Were you aware of this at that time?No. Not really. But these practices are normal in chess. The train-ing venues and training teams and partners, especially before

important championships, remain top secrets.

Your early playing days in Madras and Manila are well documented. But tell us about your association with Spanish couple Mauricio and Nieves Perea and how your stay in Spain helped you grow as a chess player?(A deep pause).. to think about it now and it is very strange. I was playing in a tournament there (Linares) and Mauricio Perea was one of the offi cials at the event. That’s how I came in touch with Mauricio, who by then was retired, and his wife Nieves, both of whom took instant liking to me and my chess. We went on to be-come like one family. That’s how I came to stay in Spain. My stay there really helped me to develop as a player and as a personality. To be based in Spain really helped me to train well and gave me the opportunity to take part in various tournaments.

Let’s talk more about 2013 World Championship. People like Garry Kasparov were very critical of you and your game, kind of playing mind games as if to favour Magnus Carlsen. In fact, Kasparov did the same before in 2012 as well. Is it always been like that... with Kasparov and others?I should say: yes. But it’s normal practice with some people. But I have not wasted too much time on that aspect.

But on the other hand there others, like Vladimir Kramnik who after that 2013 World Championship loss to Carlsen had advised you to keep play-

ing, and you went on to win the Candidates tournament to win the right to challenge Carlsen in 2015.It’s not that I have decided not to play the tournament. Though I should say Kramnik’s words came as a ‘fi nal touch’ in my decision to compete in the Candidates tour-nament. Of course, there are some good friends and especially, off the board, I hit off well with Kramnik.

Your success, starting with 1983 Asian championship to fi ve world titles, has inspired many Indians. There are many Indian Grandmasters now. But do you see anyone with the po-tential to be contenders for the world championship title?At this moment, I can clearly think of one name: (Pentala) Harikrishna. He is just 30, keeps learning and improving. Of course,

he will have to compete against players like (Fabiano) Caruana, (Hikaru) Nakamura and Anis Giri to mention just a few names. But he will surely be a contender in the future.

Can these young stars, with their knowledge acquired through modern training methods, including use of com-puters, be compared with the legends of your time or past generations?It’s not right to compare the play-ers of diff erent generations. Chess is a game where one generation of players learn from their previous ones. The next generation builds on the success of the present one. But defi nitely nowadays we got to see more and more, young and dynamic players.

Is the chess situation good, in general, all over the world. Though the governments are doing their bit, how important it is to invest in an individual or individual sport compared with the team sports like cricket in India or football in Gulf countries like Oman?Defi nitely governments are play-ing their role in development of chess. But it’s not right to talk about whether to invest in chess or in team sports be it cricket, football or any other discipline. Each sport needs support. But when you talk about investment, we should talk about returns. And I think chess is the right candidate to invest in and get the returns as well. Take the example of India, we won the bronze medal at the Olympiad (2014 in Norway) and the team championship at Asian champion-ship (last month in Abu Dhabi). To talk about Gulf countries, a lot of current and former players as well as coaches come here to work and share their knowledge. I think that is really helping chess in these countries. But there is always scope to do more.

Do you think FIDE is doing

enough to promote chess across the globe?(Smiles) As I said we can always do more in chess. The situation is defi nitely better than in the past.

Don’t you think some revo-lutionary changes to scoring system and playing format or to make the matches more ‘spectator friendly’ will go a long way to attract more play-ers and attention to chess?Already several experiments have taken place in chess. But what is important is the way the game is projected. Take for example football. It is successful not just because some committees decided on how to play and how to organise the matches. I think it is because of TV broadcasting. And what chess needs is not just the media coverage but good commentary. It is defi nitely better than say ten years ago, I should say hundred times better. But we still need proper commentary, to be able to get even people with mini-mum interest get involved with the game.

Let’s talk about a couple of controversies. What went through your mind when the Indian government raised your nationality issue (Anand spends most of him time Spain) when Hyderabad Uni-versity wanted to honour you with a doctorate?Frankly I didn’t feel dejected. But what made me feel strange at that time was the enquiry came from the home ministry, who have all my passport details.

About the debate over Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian award) which for the fi rst time was awarded to a sportsperson when government bestowed the honour on cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and how legends like you too deserve the same.I have never campaigned for an award. Nor I will do now. I am not even thinking about the issue.

For the fi rst time, in many years, you will not be compet-ing for the world title. There is also talk of you ‘slowing down’, especially in the rapid format. But your legions of fans are sure of you once again return-ing to the top of the world. Are you still motivated and deter-mined to get there?The slowing down factor can be attributed partially to age. But we also have to think of the kind of competition we have today. The players are getting better by the day and so is the competition. But in eight years, I have competed in six world championships. I am really proud of that and other achieve-ments. Of course, the fans and their support really keep me motivated. I will keep training and will keep fi ghting. — [email protected]

Chess is one sport that has not been accorded

the attention that it deserves, more so in

Gulf countries like Oman. But in recent

years attempts are being made, by both the

governments and the individual organisations,

to bring professionalism into the setup and

raise the profi le the game. A. Seshagiri Rao

catches up with Indian legend Vishwanathan

Anand, who is here on an invitation from

International Chess Academy of Oman and

Zawawi Establishment’s Al Alawi Enterprises,

to play a simultaneous exhibition match with

20 local talents and to promote the game, to

speak about the benefi ts of such attempts.

CANDID: Chess legend Vishwanathan Anand.

TAKING THEM ALL: Vishwanathan Anand playing against 20 qualifi ers simultaneously in an exhibi-

tion session at the Oman Avenues Mall on Friday. – JUN ESTRADA / Times of Oman

2ND NATIONAL KARATE COMPETITION HELDShotokan Karate Centre under the umbrella of Ahli-Sidab Club organised the

2nd National Karate Competition at the British School Muscat on recently. The

competition involved the participation of both Omani and Non-Omani referees.

There were about 470 students who participated in the competition both male

and female from diff erent nationalities and diff erent wilayats of Oman from 23

diff erent clubs. The competition was based on two events which involves ‘Kata’

(demonstration of fi ghting) and ‘Kumite’ (free fi ghting). The competition involved

both Kata and Kumite for both males and females of age groups starting from 4

years and above in diff erent categories. Chief guest Juma Al Mukaini, the adviser

of Oman National Committee for Education, Science and Culture, awarded the

students with medals and shields for all the referees, coaches, sponsors and

organizers and presented trophies for the the best clubs. Following, the chair-

man of Shotokan Karate Center Sensi Nawas Mokeri and the chief instructors

Sensi Yousuf Al Siyabi and Sensi Hilal Al Abdali presented a shield as a token of

appreciation to the chief guest. This competition was held under Oman Karate

Committee headed by General Abdul Malik Ghassan Al Masrooei. — Supplied photo

BMARKE

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMS AT U R DAY, M AY 14 , 2 0 1 6

‘BRITISH EXIT FROM EU WILL LEAD TO RECESSION’Bank of England (BoE) has said that Britain’s economy would slow sharply, and could even fall into recession, if the country voted to leave the European Union and said there were limits to what the bank could do about it. >B2

US retail sales rise most in a year during April

WASHINGTON: Sales at retail-ers jumped in April by the most in a year, indicating consumer spending will help the US econ-omy recover from an early-year slowdown.

Purchases climbed 1.3 per cent last month, the biggest gain since March 2015, after a 0.3 per cent March drop that was smaller than previously reported, Commerce Department fi gures showed on Friday in Washington. The me-dian forecast of economists sur-veyed by Bloomberg called for a 0.8 per cent gain.

Healthier household fi nances, refl ecting reduced borrowing and increased savings, mean consum-ers have the wherewithal to boost spending even as gasoline prices rise and job growth moderates. That can help shore up profi ts at retailers such as Macy’s Inc. after a disappointing start to 2016.

“This is all part and parcel of the consumption numbers com-ing more in line with the income numbers we’ve been seeing,” said

Jacob Oubina, senior US econo-mist at RBC Capital Markets LLC in New York.

“The breadth of this report was extremely constructive.”

Sales estimates in the Bloomb-erg survey ranged from gains of 0.2 per cent to 1.5 per cent. March’s reading was revised from a previously reported 0.4 per cent decrease.

Broad advanceEleven of 13 major retail catego-ries showed increases last month, indicating the advance was broad-based. Demand at auto dealers climbed by the most in a year and sales at grocery stores and online merchants were the strongest in almost two years.

Core sales, the fi gures that are used to calculate gross domestic product and which exclude such categories as autos, gasoline sta-tions and building materials, ad-vanced 0.9 per cent last month, the most since March 2014, after a revised 0.2 per cent increase in

March that was larger than previ-ously reported.

The report will probably prompt economists to boost forecasts for second-quarter consumer spend-ing and economic growth after a disappointing start to the year.

The household spending that makes up about 70 per cent of the economy is projected to advance at a 2.6 per cent annualised pace in the three months ended in June after a 1.9 per cent gain in the fi rst quarter, according to median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg before the retail sales data.

Car salesPurchases at auto dealers in-creased 3.2 per cent, reversing February’s drop and the biggest gain since March 2015.

The auto fi gures are in line with industry data. Sales of cars and light trucks climbed to a 17.3 mil-lion annualised rate last month, according to Ward’s Automotive Group fi gures. After a drop the

prior month, the April data bring sales more in line with the aver-age over the past year that showed cheaper fuel and low interest rates were drawing more Americans es-pecially to SUV and pickup truck purchases.

Retail sales excluding autos rose 0.8 per cent in April, also more than projected by econo-mists surveyed by Bloomberg.

The strong rebound in sales last month does suggest that this year’s early Easter holiday made it diffi cult for the government to ad-just the data for seasonal swings in demand.

Labour marketStill, rising fuel costs and moder-ating improvement in the labour market probably will put a ceil-ing on consumer spending gains. Gasoline prices have staged a re-bound from a steady eight-month plunge. The average cost of a regu-lar gallon of gas was at $2.20 as of May 11, compared with $1.70 in mid-February, according to data

from auto group AAA. Employers in April added the fewest work-ers to payrolls in seven months, while the unemployment rate held at 5 per cent.

At the same time, average hour-ly earnings climbed 0.3 per cent from the prior month after a 0.2 per cent advance. Worker pay rose 2.5 per cent over the 12 months ended in April after a 2.3 per cent gain a month earlier.

A bleaker outlook from Macy’s Inc. after the company reported weaker-than-expected fi rst-quar-ter revenue this week renewed concerns about the retail indus-try’s prospects this year. Macy’s slashed its profi t forecast for 2016, depressing stocks for other stores, including Wal-Mart Stores, Michael Kors Holdings and Ross Stores.

The dimmer projections from Macy’s are a lingering sign of weak mall traffi c and increased competition from within and outside the department-store category. — Bloomberg News

Purchases climbed

1.3 per cent last

month, the biggest

gain since March

2015, after a 0.3 per

cent March drop

that was smaller

than previously

reported, Commerce

Department fi gures

showed on Friday

in Washington ROBUST DEMAND: Purchases climbed 1.3 per cent last month, the biggest gain since March 2015, after a 0.3 per cent March drop that

was smaller than previously reported, Commerce Department fi gures showed on Friday. — Bloomberg fi le picture

No change in Opec’s global crude demand, supply outlook

LONDON: Opec kept forecasts for global oil supply and demand unchanged in its last monthly as-sessment before members meet to review the market.

The 13 nations of the Organisa-tion of Petroleum Exporting Coun-tries (Opec) pumped 32.44 million barrels a day in April, slightly less than will be required in the third quarter. Production rose as gains in Iran and Iraq compensated for losses in Nigeria and Kuwait. In-vestment by the global oil industry through 2018 will slump to less than half the amount spent from 2012 to 2014 following the col-lapse in prices, Opec said.

Oil prices have rebounded more than 75 per cent from the lows reached in February as US shale production falters, signaling that Saudi Arabia’s strategy to re-bal-ance oversupplied world markets is taking eff ect. Opec, which failed to complete an accord with non-members last month on capping output, has no current plans to re-vive supply limits when ministers meet on June 2, six delegates said on May 4.

“It is widely recognised that an adequate return on investment is needed to maintain production levels, as well as to allow for the growth,” the group’s Vienna-based research department said in the monthly report. “A return to bal-ance is a shared interest among consumers and producers alike.”

Opec production increased by 188,200 barrels a day last month to 32.44 million, according to the re-port. While the group’s supply has typically exceeded the required amount in recent months, April output is about 380,000 barrels a day below the 32.8 million that Opec estimates will be needed in the third quarter. That potential shortfall is a further indication the organisation’s policy is working.

Global oil demand will increase by 1.2 million barrels a day, or 1.3 per cent, this year to 94.18 million a day, according to the report. — Bloomberg News

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

European Union’s economic growth revised down slightly in fi rst quarterBRUSSELS: The euro-area econ-omy grew slightly less than ini-tially estimated in the fi rst quarter, though momentum was still the fastest in a year.

Led by a better-than-forecast performance by Germany, its larg-est economy, the euro region ex-panded 0.5 per cent in the three months through March. That compares with an initial estimate of 0.6 per cent. From a year ago, it grew 1.5 per cent.

“The headline number was slightly weaker than the estimate, but it’s a good number nonethe-less,” said Marco Valli, chief eu-ro-area economist at UniCredit Bank in Milan. “My feeling is there were some temporary factors that supported growth in the quarter, but the underlying trend is slightly softer.”

Expansion in Germany accel-erated to 0.7 per cent, the fastest pace in two years, beating the 0.6 per cent estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists. Italy grew 0.3 per cent and the Dutch economy 0.5 per cent. The Greek economy con-tracted 0.4 per cent for the same pe-riod. Germany has benefi ted from record-low unemployment that has supported consumer demand, while European Central Bank (ECB) stimulus is helping to drive a cyclical recovery in the euro area as a whole. But the divergence across the bloc highlights the challenge for the policy makers to boost uneven growth and revive an infl ation rate that’s fallen below zero again. ECB President Mario Draghi has said the outlook for growth remains “tilted to the downside.”

Among the euro-area data avail-able so far, Greece’s performance puts it as the worst performer in the fi rst quarter. Prime Minister

Alexis Tsipras said the expected conclusion of the latest bailout re-view will reduce uncertainty and help the country’s economy to start rebounding this year. The govern-ment expects more than 10 billion euros from bailout program tranch-es and European Union structural funds to be injected this year.

On the outlook for Germany, Joerg Kraemer, an economist at Commerzbank in Frankfurt, said growth may ease this quar-ter, though he still raised his fore-cast for 2016 to 1.5 per cent from 1.3 per cent.

“Factors arguing against a signif-icant rise in the underlying growth trend are weak demand from the emerging countries and decreasing

tailwind from euro depreciation in 2014,” he said in a note.

Incoming data backs the view that the pace of growth may be slackening. Industrial production slumped in both Germany and the euro zone in March, and business confi dence in the country deterio-rated last month.

East EU’s growth Growth in the EUropean Un-ion’s biggest eastern economies slowed more last quarter than economists expected, as house-hold spending failed to off set waning aid funds and weakening export demand.

The economies of Poland and Hungary unexpectedly contracted

from January to March compared with the previous three months and Slovakia’s expansion failed to match economists’ projections, according to fl ash estimates re-leased Friday by national statistics offi ces. Romania alone reported faster annual growth from Janu-ary to March as fi scal easing in an election year buoyed consumption. Economists see Czech growth data due on May 17 showing a slowdown to 2.6 per cent. Currencies were little changed. The fragile recovery in the EUro zone is forcing the east-ern EU nations to rely on domestic demand, rather than exports, to fuel their economies and continue catching up with their richer west-ern peers. — Bloomberg News

E C O N O M Y

Facebook at Work launched in Dubai based conglomerateDUBAI: A Dubai-based retail and hospitality conglomerate owned by an Indian-origin en-trepreneur has started using Facebook at Work to connect its 10,000 employees across diff er-ent departments in 11 countries.

Landmark Group’s move aims to encourage collaboration and greater cohesiveness at the work place through helping 10,000 employees communicate in real-time via the rich social media platform across 11 countries.

Facebook at Work allows em-ployees to connect easily with each other across departments and geographies — both from their desktop computers and from mobile devices using best-in-class Android and iPhone apps.

“Facebook at Work is a simple way for colleagues to communi-cate and share across time zones and global offi ces. We’re excited for Landmark to realise the ben-efi ts of Facebook at Work — with increased productivity and col-laboration across 10,000 employ-ees in 11 countries,” said Julien Codorniou, Director, Facebook at Work.

“Facebook at work is based on fi ve pillars — Newsfeed, groups, timeline or profi le, work chat and search. On top of this, there is security and analytics which is exclusive to this service,” said Codorniou for whom the biggest USPs are the fact that anyone who uses Facebook can use Fa-cebook at Work too, and that it is mobile fi rst.

Vipen Sethi, CEO, Landmark Group, said social media is cer-tainly the way forward in the cor-porate environment of tomorrow.

“For a large and diverse com-pany like ours, Facebook at Work is an ideal tool to encourage em-ployees to collaborate with one another more effi ciently and lead to faster and more decisive reso-lutions to daily operational chal-lenges. We are confi dent this solu-tion will signifi cantly improve our cohesiveness as a company and enhance productivity,” he said.

Facebook at Work was piloted in the organisation for over six months. During this time the Landmark team created and re-fi ned an administrative strategy to ensure that the platform serves the company’s end users and business goals. Employees’ per-sonal and professional profi les on Facebook at Work are kept com-pletely separate, with dedicated mobile apps for Work and Work Chat. The data shared on Face-book at Work is accessible only by eligible members of the Land-mark community. — PTI

C O N N E C T I N G W I T H E M P L O Y E E S

Julien Codorniou, Director,

Facebook at Work.

- Bloomberg fi le picture

GOOD SHOWING: Led by a better-than-forecast performance by Germany, its largest economy, the euro

region expanded 0.5 per cent in the three months through March. — Bloomberg fi le picture

B2

MARKETS AT U R DAY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

‘British exit from European Union will lead to recession’

LONDON: Bank of England (BoE) has said that Britain’s economy would slow sharply, and could even fall into recession, if the country voted to leave the Eu-ropean Union and said there were limits to what the bank could do about it.

In its starkest warning so far about the impact of an “Out” vote in the June 23 referendum, the central bank said sterling could fall sharply and unemployment would probably rise.

“In that scenario we would ex-pect a material slowing in growth, a notable rise in infl ation, a chal-lenging trade-off ,” BoE Governor Mark Carney told a news confer-ence. “Of course there’s a range of possible scenarios around those directions, which could possibly include a technical recession,” he said in response to questions from reporters.

Jitters about the referendum are already weighing on the econ-omy and the central bank trimmed its growth forecast for this year to 2.0 per cent from February’s esti-mate of 2.2 per cent, even if Brit-ain votes to stay in the EU.

Carney said there were limits to what the BoE could do in response to an “Out” vote. “Monetary policy cannot immediately off set all the eff ects of a shock,” he said.

Prime Minister David Cam-eron, who along with fi nance min-ister George Osborne, has tried to focus voters on what Brexit would mean for their incomes, said the central bank “couldn’t be more clear” that leaving the EU was a risk. Opinion polls suggest Brit-ish voters have been relatively resistant so far to warnings about the economic costs of Brexit, with voting intentions in many polls roughly evenly split.

But Carney’s comments ahead of Scotland’s 2014 referendum on the costs of independence were viewed as swaying some voters.

He is due to make a high-pro-fi le speech at London’s Mansion House a week before the vote, alongside Osborne, giving them another platform to speak about the dangers of Brexit.

Supporters of Brexit argue Brit-ain would benefi t from less EU regulation and could strike better overseas trade deals on its own.

Some have accused Carney of over-stepping the central bank’s line of political neutrality.

Sterling rose to a six-day high against the dollar after the Bank’s policymakers voted unanimously to keep interest rates on hold, pouring cold water on talk that at least one policymaker might vote for a cut. Gilts were little changed after the announcement.

The BoE said half of sterling’s nine per cent slide over the past six months was probably due to the referendum and said it could “depreciate further, perhaps sharply” after an “Out” vote.

Britain’s government and inter-national bodies have also warned against leaving the EU. The In-ternational Monetary Fund is ex-pected to weigh in again on Friday.

“Unwise words”Former fi nance minister Nor-

man Lamont, who served under Prime Minister John Major in the 1990s, said the BoE’s warnings of economic trouble after a vote to leave carried their own risks.

“The governor should be careful that he doesn’t cause a crisis,” he said. “If his unwise words become

self-fulfi lling, the responsibility will be ... the governor’s alone.”

Carney said it was the BoE’s duty to speak about the short-term economic risks of leaving the bloc.

The Bank cut its forecasts for growth in the next three years due to lower productivity and more caution from households about spending. It sees growth at 2.3 per cent next year and in 2018, down from 2.4 per cent and 2.5

per cent in February. These fore-casts worked on the assumption that Britain would vote to stay in the EU. The only concession made to the referendum was to assume that around half the slide in ster-ling over the past six months was temporary.

In two years’ time, infl ation is forecast to reach a fraction over its two per cent target, essentially unchanged from the forecast in February. — Reuters

In its starkest

warning so far about

the impact of an

“Out” vote in the

June 23 referendum,

Bank of England

said sterling could

fall sharply and

unemployment

would probably rise

Asian shares slip on Bank of Japan’s stimulus move

TOKYO: Asian shares fell on Fri-day after a rocky performance on Wall Street, while the yen nursed losses as traders wagered the Bank of Japan will add to its massive stimulus before too long.

Major US stock indexes closed mixed on Thursday, with the Nas-daq Composite down 0.49 per cent as Apple shares skidded to a two-year low on concerns about iPhone demand.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacifi c shares outside Japan fell one per cent, and was track for a weekly drop of the same magni-tude, its third straight week of de-clines. Hong Kong shares slipped 0.9 per cent, poised for a 1.9 per cent decline for the week.

Chinese shares started the day in positive territory but quickly re-treated, with the CSI 300 down 0.2 per cent and the Shanghai Com-posite losing 0.1 per cent. They are on track to end the week lower, the former by 1.4 per cent and the lat-ter by 2.7 per cent, after being hit earlier in the week by fears that Beijing may begin to taper its stim-ulus plans due to concerns about excessive debt.

Investors are looking to April Chinese bank lending data later in the day, and industrial output, investment and retail sales data on Saturday to give them more clues on whether the economy’s pro-longed slump is bottoming out.

Japan’s Nikkei widened its slide to 1.1 per cent, after a brief spike at the open, but was still up 2.2 per cent for the week.

“Although investors remain cau-tious, they think Japanese stocks will eventually catch up with the strength in overseas stocks such as US shares,” said Isao Kubo, equity strategist at Nissay Asset Management. Shares of Nissan Motor Co rose 4.8 per cent, while Mitsubishi Motors Corp tumbled 4.7 per cent on Friday, after Nissan agreed to buy a 34 per cent stake in its smaller, scandal-hit rival on Thursday. — Reuters

S T O C K M A R K E T

Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England. - Bloomberg fi le picture

BERLIN: If Britain were to leave the European Union (EU), it could cost Germany up to 45 billion euros ($50 billion) by the end of 2017 as exports from Europe’s largest economy would likely be hit, a study by DZ Bank showed on Thursday.

Britain is counting down to a referendum on its member-ship of the European Union on June 23, with opinion polls showing voters are roughly evenly split.

“There’s a lot at stake for the German economy because Great Britain is one of its most important trading partners,” DZ Bank econo-mist Monika Boven said.

If Britons were to vote for leaving the EU, the German economy would start to feel the eff ects in the second half of this year, Boven said.

In that case, the German economy would grow by 1.4 per cent this year instead of DZ Bank’s current prediction of 1.8 per cent, and 0.5 per cent in 2017 versus 1.7 per

cent, the study showed.The German government

expects the economy to grow by 1.7 per cent this year and 1.5 per cent next year. It has not released separate growth estimates in case of a Brexit.

Given that Germany’s annual economic output is at least 3 trillion euros, DZ Bank estimates of what post-Brexit growth rates would look like would amount to economic output being around 45 billion euros lower by the end of 2017, the study showed.

“In our crisis scenario we’re even expecting a slight recession in Germany around the turn of the year,” Boven said.

Last year German ship-ments to the United King-dom surged by almost 13 per cent to just under 90 billion euros — the largest amount it has ever exported there. Germany only sold more goods to the United States and France. — Reuters

Brexit would cost German economy up to $50 billion

German economy powers ahead on higher state and household spendingBERLIN: Germany more than doubled its economic growth rate in the fi rst quarter as higher state and household spending more than off set a fall in exports, the Federal Statistics Offi ce said on Friday. The economy grew by 0.7 per cent, the highest quarterly rate since an identical reading in the fi rst quarter of 2014.

That beat the rate of 0.6 per cent registered across the euro zone, cementing Germany’s position as the bloc’s economic engine. A Reu-ters poll had forecast that fi gure for Germany alone.

Milder winter weather in Ger-many prompted a rise in invest-ment on construction and capital goods, the statistics offi ce said.

Private consumption has over-taken trade as the most important growth driver for the German economy, with record-low unem-ployment, low interest rates and higher wages pushing consum-ers to spend more. Also on Friday, Germany’s biggest trade union, IG Metall, said it agreed with employ-ers on a two-stage wage increase of 4.8 per cent over 21 months.

The quarterly growth rate easily beat the 0.3 per cent posted in the fi nal three months of 2015, though the unadjusted year on year fi gure of 1.3 per cent missed the Reuters consensus forecast of 1.5 per cent.

‘Spend more’The economy ministry said it ex-pected German growth to slow, a view shared by economists, who said the impact of weaker exports would eventually be felt as demand from emerging markets slows.

“Trade remains the problem child because of weakness in emerging markets,” said Sal. Op-

penheim economist Ulrike Kas-tens. Holger Sandte of Nordea added: “Growth will not remain so strong, but strong enough so em-ployment continues to rise.”

Economy Minister Sigmar Ga-briel said the government should increase investment on education, infrastructure and innovation, echoing calls by the International

Monetary Fund (IMF).“The German economy started

2016 on a good footing: industry posted an increase in production, employment is noticeably ris-ing, and higher income of private households is leading to higher private spending,” Gabriel said.

“Our task is to use this momen-tum to invest in education, modern infrastructure and innovation.”

But ING economist Carsten Brzeski said the strong data would provide more ammunition for Ger-man politicians to resist calls by the IMF and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and De-velopment (OECD) to reform the economy.

The IMF and OECD have urged Germany to boost investment, and reform its labour market and pen-sion system, while as the OECD called for tax reductions.

“The strong growth perfor-mance also shows what currently is the biggest risk for the German economy: complacency,” Brzeski said. “With growth driven by construction and consumption and a government which is reluc-tant to follow up on international advice to implement structural reforms, the German economy has almost started to resemble peripheral (euro zone) character-istics.” — Reuters

E C O N O M Y

ROBUST DEMAND: The economy grew by 0.7 per cent, the highest

quarterly rate since an identical reading in the fi rst quarter of

2014. - Bloomberg fi le picture

Malaysia’s economic growth eases furtherKUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s economy grew at the slowest pace in more than six years as exports weakened and private in-vestment eased, adding pressure on policy makers to boost growth amid an uneven global recovery.

Gross domestic product rose 4.2 per cent in the three months through March from a year ear-lier, after climbing 4.5 per cent in the previous quarter, the central bank said Friday. That compares with a 4 per cent median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey.

Rising costs are crimping busi-ness investment while govern-ment fi nances for the oil-export-ing nation have been hurt by the decline in crude prices over the past two years. The International Monetary Fund last month low-ered its forecast for global expan-sion this year and warned that a prolonged period of slow growth has raised stagnation risk. Ma-laysia’s central bank has kept its benchmark rate steady even as infl ation accelerated.

“The balance of risks in 2016 is skewed towards growth disap-pointment and fi scal slippage, with infl ation pressures of sec-ond-order concern,” said Weiwen Ng, an economist with Australia & New Zealand Banking Group in Singapore. “We see an overhang-ing risk of a policy rate cut if the

growth outlook deteriorates sig-nifi cantly.”

The ringgit fell 0.2 per cent to 4.0345 a dollar as of 2:55pm in Kuala Lumpur Friday. The Ma-laysian currency has declined about 3.3 per cent this quarter, the weakest performer in the Asia Pacifi c after outperform-ing all others in the fi rst three months of 2016.

Growth is expected to improve in the second half of this year, helped by higher civil servant wages and improved commodi-ties production from the dimin-ishing eff ect of El-Nino, Bank Negara Malaysia said on Friday.

The economy is on track to expand 4 per cent to 4.5 per cent this year as projected by the gov-ernment, Governor Muhammad Ibrahim said. Infl ation is fore-cast by the government to rise between 2.5 per cent and 3.5 per cent in 2016. Muhammad suc-ceeded Zeti Akhtar Aziz as cen-tral bank governor this month.

The central bank left inter-est rates unchanged for a 10th meeting in March as accelerat-ing infl ation reduced scope for a cut in borrowing costs. Earlier this year, Bank Negara Malaysia lowered the amount of cash that banks must set aside as reserves to boost funds in the fi nancial system. — Bloomberg News

E X P O R T S W E A K E N

B3S AT U R DAY, M AY 14 , 2 0 1 6

MARKET

Intel sells $2.75 billion of bonds to refi nance 2016 debt

NEW YORK: Intel sold $2.75 bil-lion of bonds on Thursday to refi -nance debt due this year and a por-tion of notes maturing in 2017.

The world’s biggest chipmaker issued debt three parts, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The longest portion was $1.25 bil-lion of 30-year notes yielding 1.55 percentage points above compara-ble government debt. That’s down from an initial off er of 1.7 percent-age points, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identifi ed because the information isn’t public. Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase managed the sale.

Credisights analysts Erin Ly-ons and Peter Boozan maintained their equivalent of a hold recom-mendation on Intel’s debt in a cli-ent note reviewing the off ering on Thursday. They recommended that investors looking for stable A-rated core holdings buy the bonds.

“Intel is one of the best-run sem-iconductor companies, and we like that management has maintained a conservative fi nancial profi le,” they wrote. “We believe the bonds are priced fairly and we do not ex-pect to see meaningful price appre-ciation.” S&P Global Ratings gave the bonds an A+ grade, according to a statement on Thursday.

Busy weekIntel is the latest US blue-chip company to off er notes in what’s poised to be second-busiest week for issuance this year. In its last multibillion-dollar deal, Intel sold $7 billion of bonds in July to fi -nance part of its $16.7 billion take-over of Altera Corp.

The company plans to repay its $1.5 billion of 1.95 per cent notes due in October and a portion of the $3 billion of 1.35 per cent bonds due next year. — Bloomberg News

D E B T R E F I N A N C I N G Ghosn eyes new salvage task with $2.2b Mitsubishi stake

TOKYO: Carlos Ghosn, the man who helped pull Nissan Motor back from the brink 16 years ago, is taking on a new salvage job: Mit-subishi Motors.

Nissan agreed to buy a 34 per cent stake in Mitsubishi Motors for about 237.4 billion yen ($2.2 billion), the automakers said on Thursday. The capital infusion could prove a crucial lifeline to Mitsubishi Motors, whose market value had fallen more than 40 per cent after saying it overstated the fuel economy of its minicars and had been improperly testing Ja-pan models since 1991.

The purchase will make Nis-san the top shareholder in Japan’s smallest automaker at a discount. Further collaboration between the two would deepen an existing partnership that already involves joint manufacturing and vehicle development — and represent an-other step toward a much-needed realignment of Japan’s crowded car industry.

“It’s a bargain deal for Nissan, though of course there are risks,” Koji Endo, an analyst with Ad-vanced Research Japan, said by phone. “This deal would create a win-win situation for all stake-holders including Mitsubishi group and the government, which wants to protect jobs.”

Dented reputationThe deal comes as Mitsubishi Mo-tors grapples with a serious hit to its reputation, declining sales and the potential for billions of dollars in costs from the scandal involv-ing the fuel mileage performance of four minicar models, two of which are supplied to Nissan. Af-ter suspending deliveries of the aff ected models for the last two weeks of April, Nissan reported a 51 per cent plunge in its monthly minicar sales.

“We obviously care about the viability of the company,” Ghosn, Nissan’s chief executive offi cer, said in an interview. If Mitsubi-shi Motors isn’t healthy, “we have

a problem. Then, we have no kei cars for the Japanese market.”

Ghosn, 62, already has a track record for shaking up Japan’s auto industry. Taking over as Nissan’s president in 2000, he brought the then-struggling company company back from the brink by breaking up its so-called keiretsu network of suppliers, shutting plants and leveraging an alliance with Renault.

Extending aidIn coming to Mitsubishi Mo-tors’ aid, the challenges ahead for Ghosn extend beyond getting minicars back on the market. The company has said nine more models may have been improperly tested in Japan, after initially dis-closing that it had overstated the fuel economy of its minicars by as much as 10 per cent.

Japan’s jam-packed auto in-dustry faces increasing outlays to compete in an era where electrifi -cation, autonomous-driving tech-nology and ride-sharing upstarts

are on the rise. “Since the auto industry is getting more and more competitive and requires new technologies, we knew we could not survive alone and were aware of the need to look for the partner sooner or later,” Mitsubishi Mo-tors Chairman Osamu Masuko said in an interview.

Masuko briefed the group com-panies on the partnership with Nissan, he said. “The Mitsubishi group is on the same page,” he said.

‘Right direction’After the deal is completed, Nis-san will wield veto power over major decisions at Mitsubishi Motors with its 34 per cent stake. The combined shareholding of Mitsubishi Group companies — Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group — will fall to 22.4 per cent from 34 per cent.

The Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance is “a move in the right direction,” said Mitsubishi Heavy spokesman Genki Ono. The company will wait

for the fraud investigation report and discuss the misconduct with other shareholders and take neces-sary measures, he said.

Mitsubishi said the deal is “for-ward looking,” while Mitsubishi UFJ said it views Nissan’s stake purchase “positively and expect this capital, business alliance to develop into something that solves the issues.”

Home to worldwide sales leader Toyota and other global players such as Honda Motor Co., Japan has twice as many automakers as car-loving Germany, which has three. In the far bigger US market, Ford Motor, General Motors and Tesla Motors are the only inde-pendent companies left.

Cracking AseanBuying part of Mitsubishi Mo-tors boosts Nissan’s exposure to Southeast Asian markets seen as strong longer-term bets for growth. Paced by Thailand-built Triton pickups and Pajero SUVs, Mitsubishi Motors sold twice as many vehicles in the region than in Japan during the fi scal year ended March 30.

The Philippines would be among the countries where Ni-ssan would benefi t most, said Kazuaki Funahashi, an analyst with researcher Fourin. Home to more than 100 million people, its car market is expected to expand. Mitsubishi Motors trails only Toyota Motor, while Nissan lags further behind.

Nissan’s purchase of the Mit-subishi Motors stake mirrors Toy-ota’s deal in January to acquire the remainder of its minicar-making affi liate Daihatsu Motor for about $3.2 billion in stock.

By 2020, Japan’s ranks of car-makers may shrink to no more than three company groups, driv-en by the rising costs of compet-ing to make cars cleaner, safer and more connected, Takaki Nakani-shi, an analyst at Jeff eries Group LLC, said after Toyota and Daihat-su announced their deal.

“It’s diffi cult for small and mid-sized carmakers to do everything on their own,” Yasuyuki Yoshina-ga, CEO of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., told reporters Thursday. The maker of Subaru vehicles has jointly developed sports cars and hybrids with Toyota. “We would like to value and maintain that re-lationship,” he said. — Bloomberg News

Nissan agreed to

buy a 34 per cent

stake in Mitsubishi

Motors for $2.2b, the

automakers said.

The capital infusion

could prove a crucial

lifeline to Mitsubishi,

whose market value

had fallen more than

40 per cent after

saying it overstated

the fuel economy

of its minicars and

had been improperly

testing Japan

models since 1991.

– Bloomberg fi le picture

STRATEGIC DEAL: Carlos Ghosn (left), Chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, with

Mitsubishi Motors Chairman and CEO Osamu Masuko at their joint news conference in Yokohama,

Japan, on Thursday. - Reuters

Symantec plans to slash 10% of staff WASHINGTON: Symantec Corp., the biggest maker of cyber-security software, said it’s cutting about 10 per cent of its workforce as it reorganises its business.

The company also said profi t excluding some costs in the fi s-cal fi rst quarter will be 24 cents to 26 cents a share on sales of $865 million to $895 million, Symantec said in a statement on Thursday.

That was mostly in line with the average analyst projection of 24 cents a share in profi t on $876.2 million in revenue, ac-cording to data compiled by Bloomberg. Those predictions were reduced last month when Symantec cut fourth-quarter forecasts.

Mountain View, California-based Symantec is navigating a major transition as it tries to re-capture momentum in the fast-growing market for protecting against computer hackers.

The company is seeking a re-placement for Michael Brown, who in a year and a half as chief executive offi cer oversaw a large-scale reorganisation, led by his January sale of Symantec’s Veri-tas data-storage division for $7.4 billion to Carlyle Group LP.

In addition to the employee cuts, Symantec said it expects to close some facilities and will incur costs of $230 million to $280 million related to the re-structuring.

The company, which declined to disclose the number of jobs to be eliminated, has more than 11,000 employees, according to its website.

The moves should result in a total reduction in annual spend-ing of about $400 million.

The company is now focused

solely on cyber-security, an in-dustry the company helped pio-neer with its Norton antivirus product but where it has fallen behind nimbler rivals such as Palo Alto Networks and FireEye.

Security experts have praised Symantec’s enormous reach — the company’s software protects more than 175 million comput-ers around the world — and new technologies for detecting advanced threats. But the com-pany’s challenge is convincing customers it has evolved be-yond its antivirus roots. Gartner Inc. projects worldwide sales of cyber-security technologies will surpass $83.6 billion this year, an increase of 8 per cent over 2015.

In its April 28 reorganisation announcement, the company said it was creating a new Of-fi ce of the President, and named Ajei Gopal to interim president during a search for a permanent CEO. Gopal is an operating part-ner at Silver Lake Management, which invested $500 million in Symantec in February, in what was widely seen as a move to boost shareholders’ confi dence by bringing on a respected tech-nology investment fi rm as an ad-viser, and giving it a seat on the board. — Bloomberg News

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

Apple invests $1 billion in Chinese ride-hailing service ‘Didi Chuxing’BEIJING: Apple said on Thurs-day it has invested $1 billion in Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing, a move that Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said would help the company better under-stand the critical Chinese market.

The tech giant’s rare invest-ment gives it a stake in two bur-geoning waves of technology — the sharing economy and car technol-ogy — as the iPhone business that propelled it to record profi tability shows signs of maturing.

Apple is trying to reinvigorate sales in China, where it has come under greater pressure from regu-lators, and Cook is traveling to the country this month.

The move aligns Apple with Uber Technologies Inc’s chief ri-val in China, as automakers and technology companies forge new alliances and make cross invest-ments. General Motors, for exam-ple, recently bought autonomous driving technology company Cruise Automation and has also taken a stake in US ride-sharing company Lyft.

Cook said in an interview that he saw opportunities for Apple and Didi Chuxing to collaborate in the future.

“We are making the investment for a number of strategic reasons, including a chance to learn more about certain segments of the Chi-na market,” he said. “Of course, we believe it will deliver a strong re-turn for our invested capital over time as well.” Didi Chuxing, for-merly known as Didi Kuaidi, said in a statement that the funding from Apple was the single largest investment it has ever received. The company, which previously raised several billion dollars, dominates the ride-sharing mar-

ket in China. The company said it completes more than 11 million rides a day, with more than 87 per cent of the market for private car-hailing in China.

‘Confi dence in China’Analysts say the deal off ers a glimpse of how Apple may diver-sify its business as sales of the iP-hone level off . Apple has empha-sised its burgeoning revenue from services such as Apple Music and mobile payment Apple Pay, a strategy that the ride-sharing investment appears to reinforce, said analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy.

“After all the hints about the service business and what they would like to do in the future, it’s all starting to fi t together,” he said.

Investors are eagerly watching to see whether Apple will enter

the automotive business. Apple has hired a wide range of automo-tive experts, and the company is exploring building a self-driving car, sources have told Reuters.

Apple reaps much higher mar-gins on the iPhone than most auto makers enjoy, but the invest-ment suggests that the tech giant is contemplating transportation services that could prove more lucrative, said Bob O’Donnell, an analyst with TECHnalysis Research.

“This investment shows they are thinking not just about cars but business models around transportation, and that is a very encouraging and interesting sign,” he said.

Cook said Apple remained fo-cused on the in-car experience with its CarPlay system, which links smartphones to vehicle info-

tainment systems. “That is what we do today in the car business, so we will have to see what the future holds,” he said. Although Apple’s sales in China have slumped amid slowing economic growth there, Cook stressed he remained confi -dent in the market.

“(The deal) refl ects our excite-ment about their growing busi-ness ... and also our continued confi dence in the long term in China’s economy,” Cook said.

Apple has enjoyed warmer re-lations with the Chinese govern-ment than some American tech companies, but regulators recent-ly shut down its online book and fi lm services, triggering concerns among investors. The true value of Apple’s investment in Didi might be in shoring up that rela-tionship, said analyst Ben Bajarin of Creative Strategies. — Reuters

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

CRITICAL MARKET: Cook said Apple remained focused on the in-car experience with its CarPlay sys-

tem, which links smartphones to vehicle infotainment systems. — Reuters

– Bloomberg fi le picture

B4

FEATURES AT U R DAY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

For decades, the rule of thumb in the retail indus-try was: If you build it, they

will come. In other words, more stores tend to equal higher sales. No longer.

Retailers are growing their store base by about two per cent each year, on average, but ac-companying sales increases are not keeping up, according to new research from Morgan Stanley analyst Simeon Gutman. The combination of slower in-store sales growth, an increase in less-profi table online sales, and steady spending on stores has made it harder for many retailers to main-tain healthy profi t margins. Stock prices are responding accordingly.

But closing stores isn't the an-swer — at least not yet. Despite the general consensus that the US is over-stored and recurring calls to shutter hundreds of stores across the country, Gutman argues re-tailers fi rst need simply to stop opening new ones. It's an argu-ment worth heeding.

The idea seems pretty obvious, but retailers are a slow-moving bunch. They remain addicted to the quick high new store open-ings provide, regardless of the long-term eff ects. Just look at the likes of Whole Foods, Macy's, and Walmart — all are struggling but still hope adding new stores will somehow be the magical antidote to their woes.

Plus, closing stores could mean permanently losing customers. That's because shoppers are often more lazy than loyal: Faced with the closure of the nearest location

of a retail chain, only about half of consumers would venture to a diff erent location, according to a Morgan Stanley survey of 600 con-sumers in late 2015. The other half would switch to a diff erent nearby retailer or go online — and in many cases, that means a visit to Ama-zon.com, not the retailer's website. So as long as a store isn't losing money, Gutman writes, it's prob-ably best to keep it open for now.

Instead, retailers should pret-ty much just stop opening new stores. Just kick the habit.

Take supplement retailer GNC, whose stock has sunk by 41 per cent this year and this week fl oated the idea of putting itself up for sale. As GNC's square foot-age has grown by four per cent over the past four years, its sales per square foot (stripping out any sales increase from e-commerce) has sunk by four per cent, Gutman notes. On the other side of the equation, Home Depot's square footage has grown by only 0.2 per cent over the past four years, but its sales per square foot (excluding e-commerce) have increased by 4.5 per cent, according to Gutman.

One way for investors to fi gure out which companies are follow-ing Home Depot's example and keeping a lid on unproductive store growth is by watching a com-pany's return on invested capital (ROIC), a metric Gutman fi gures has a 90 percent correlation with stock performance at the retailers he follows. The idea is that the bet-ter a retailer deploys its capital, the higher its stock price tends to go.

One notable company whose

ROIC is moving in the wrong di-rection is Walmart: While the world's biggest retailer has start-ed to decrease its US square foot-age growth after a building boom, it continues to build hundreds of stores a year. Walmart's ROIC decreased to 12.5 per cent in 2015 from 14.3 per cent in 2013, accord-ing to Bloomberg data. Compare that to the 27 per cent ROIC Home Depot booked last year. Gutman predicts Walmart will add 10 mil-lion square feet this year, nearly as much as the other 23 retailers he covers combined. All on the heels of Walmart's fi rst annual sales decline since it went public 45 years ago. Estimated store space Walmart will add in 2016 10 mil-lion square feet.

Declining ROIC is also worri-some for Dick's Sporting Goods, according to Gutman. He down-graded the company on Thurs-day to "underweight" from "equal weight," noting Dick's seven per cent increase in square footage from 2013 to 2015 and 1.5 per cent decline in sales per square foot (when excluding e-commerce sales) during that time. With Sport's Authority's bankruptcy and impending store closures, Dick's is eager to pick up some of its competitor's locations. That could help boost short-term sales, but comes with diminishing re-turns, as mounting competition squeezes specialty athletic gear retailers.

A better plan for Dick's and oth-er struggling retailers might be to focus on how to make their exist-ing stores better. — SHELLY BANJO

MELTING SALES AFFECT MUSHROOMING RETAIL STORESRetailers are growing

their store base by

about two per cent

each year, on average,

but accompanying

sales increases

are not keeping up,

according to new

research from Morgan

Stanley analyst

Simeon Gutman

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

FamilySECTIONB L I F E S T Y L E S AT U R DAY, M AY 14 , 2 0 1 6

Maintaining a Healthy (Natural) GlowWhile tanning beds off er a quick-fi x to achiev-ing a golden glow, they also cause exposure to damaging UV radiation which can cause pre-mature ageing as well as increase the risk of skin cancer. If you’d like a sun-kissed glow with-out the risk, consider using a sunless tanning product. Whether in the form of a lotion, spray or done as a professional service at a salon, sun-less tanning off ers a safe alternative to both tan-ning beds and sunbathing.

Ingrown HairsSwimsuit season often means shaving more frequently, which can result in painful and un-sightly ingrown hairs. These hairs grow out of the skin slightly and then curl back underneath the skin. To avoid ingrown hair, use a lubricat-ing shave gel followed by a sharp, single-blade razor. Shave in the direction of hair growth and avoid pulling the skin taut.

Sunburn It’s easy to get lost in the fun of the summer sun. Avoid sunburn by dressing in light layers and

using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. Remember, sunscreen generally stays at original strength for three years. If you do get sunburn, take a cool bath or apply a clean towel dampened with cool tap water. Then ap-ply moisturiser, aloe vera lotion or gel or a low-dose hydrocortisone cream.

BloatIce cream, hot dogs, and fried goodies can leave you feeling bloated and sluggish. Fight bloat by eating fresh foods grown locally, such as carrots, tomatoes, melons and berries. Want a healthier cool treat? Try freezing grapes for a no-guilt sweet dessert.

Cracked NailsPool chemicals, hot sun, gardening and building sand castles can all cause cracked nails. To protect nails, keep fi ngernails dry, clean and rub mois-turiser into the nail beds and cuticles. Consider applying a nail hardener to add a protective layer against summer elements. If brittle nails persist, ask your doctor about biotin, a nutritional supple-ment that may help strengthen weak fi ngernails.

Healthy, Hydrated SkinStaying hydrated is a summer must, but skin hydration isn’t as simple as drinking water. De-hydrated skin feels rough and loses elasticity. To maintain proper hydration, avoid prolonged exposure to dry air or chlorinated water. When bathing, use a gentle cleanser instead of soap and avoid using skin care products that contain alcohol. Moisturise immediately after cleans-ing. Also try incorporating antioxidant-rich foods into your diet such as spinach, blueber-ries or salmon.

AcneSunshine and heat can cause the body to sweat. This combo clogs pores and can lead to acne. Some chemical treatments can leave the skin more sun-sensitive, so natural treatments such as tea tree oil, azelaic acid and even green tea extract are a smart choice in reducing infl am-mation. Another potential cause for acne can be outdated cosmetics. Make sure the products you use are kept clean to avoid bacterial buildup and avoid using them past their expiration date — six months is a good rule of thumb.

Beautiful LegsSummer is the time most people prefer to wear shorts. This can be uncomfortable for some when faced with common leg woes such as spider veins and varicose veins. Several options are available to combat these issues which range from sclero-therapy and laser surgery, to more advanced tech-niques such as vein-stripping. To learn more, visit mayoclinic.org to fi nd out what treatment is best for you. — BPT

Step Up Your Summer Beauty Regimen While magazines make

summer beauty look

simple, in reality it’s

anything but. From

bloat to breakouts,

summer is wrought

with beauty challenges.

Here are eight of the

most common beauty

and health concerns

of summer.

FIND-IT-ALLB6 S AT U R DAY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

Dhuhr 12.08pm

Asr 3.31pm

Maghrib 6.46pm

Isha 8.04pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 4.02am

PRAYER TIMINGS

ROYAL OMAN POLICE

Emergencies and inquiries: 9999

General Directorate of

Passport and Residence 24569603

Directorate General

of Customs 24521109

Traffic violations inquiries 24510228

Public Relations Admin 24560099

EMBASSIES IN OMAN

Afghanistan 24698 791/4

Algeria 24605 593

Bahrain 24 605 074/133

Bangladesh 24 698 660

Brazil 24640100

Brunei 24 603533

China 24 696782

Cyprus 24 699815

Egypt 24 600 982/411

France 24681 800

Germany 24835000

India 24684500

Indonesia 2469 1050

Iran 24 696 944/7

Iraq 24603642

Italy 24693727

Japan 24 601 028

Jordan 24692760/1/3

Kazakhstan 24 692418

Kenya 24 697664

South Korea 24 691490

Kuwait 24 699628

Lebanon 24 693208

Libya 24603466

Malaysia 24698329/643

Morocco 24696152/3

Nepal 24696177

Netherlands 24603706

Pakistan 24603439

Palestine 24601312

Philippines 24605335

Qatar 24 691 153/2/4

Russia 24602894

Saudi Arabia 24601705

Senegal 24694139

Somalia 24697977

South Africa 24647300

Spain 24691101

Sri Lanka 24697841/2

Sudan 24697875

Switzerland 24603267

Syria 24697904

Tanzania 24601 174

Thailand 24 602684/5

Tunisia 24603486

Turkey 24697050/1/2

UAE 24400000

United Kingdom 24609000

United States 24643400

Yemen 24600815

PHARMACIES (ROUND THE CLOCK)

Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24782666

Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi 24702542

Salalah 23291635;

Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra 24503585

Muscat Region

Apollo, Al Hamriya 24787766

Muscat, A Seeb Market 24421691

Muscat, Al Khuwair 24485740

Muscat, Al Hail South 24537080

Dhofar Region

Muscat, Al Nahdha Road,

Salalah 23291635

HOSPITALS

Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre

24485052

Atlas Hospital

Ruwi 24811743/

Ghubra 24504000

Al Musafir Specialised

Medical Clinic 24706453

Hatat Polyclinic LLC,

Ruwi 24563641

Azaiba 24499269

Sohar 2683006

Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2

Al Massaraat Clinic &

Laboratory 24566435

Al Makook Medical

Coordinance Centre 24499434

Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24787766, 24787780

Capital Polyclinic 24707549

Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic,

Ruwi 24799760/1/2

Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740

Ceregem National Raak 24485633

Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217

Elixir Health Centre 24565802

Emirates Medical Centre 24604540

1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274

Lifeline Hospital Salalah 23212340

International Medical

Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5

Kims Oman Hospital 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency 24760123

Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128

MBD 24799077

Al Khuwair 24478818

Magrabi Eye and

Ear Hospital 24568870

Muscat Private Hospital 24583600

Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment

Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666

Al Hayat International Hospital, Al Ghubra

22004000, 94267068/97049520

Al Hayat Clinic, Al Hail 22009455

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 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 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



TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)


SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Dubai 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)



13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur

13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur



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)



13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri





TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)


TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)



TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)



TO SUR (ROUTE 55)



TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily


TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)





TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)


DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)


TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)



13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri

13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri



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

CITY CINEMAContact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.netfacebook.com/citycinemaoman

SHATTIThe Angry Birds Movie - (3D) (Comedy) (U)Voice Overs: Peter Dinklage, Tituss Burgess3:45 & 7:45PMThe Angry Birds Movie - (3D) (Animation | Action |Comedy) (U) ARABIC5:45PMThe Trust - (2D) (Crime |Thriller ) (15+)Cast: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira3:45, 9:45 & 11:45PMTerm Life - (2D) (Crime | Drama) (15+)Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Jon Favreau9:45 & 11:30PMAll Roads Leads to Rome - (2D) (PG)Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Rosie Day6:00PMHepta: The Last Lecture - (2D) (Arabic| Drama | Romance) (PG12)Cast: Nelly Karim, Yasmin Raeis7:45PMCaptain America: Civil War – (PG) (3D)Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr.8:30 & 11:30PMThe Jungle Book - (3D) Family) (PG) 6:30PM

MUSCAT GRAND MALLThe Angry Birds Movie – 3D (U) Animation 12:00, 3:00, 6:45 PMGold Class : 6:30 PMCaptain America: Civil War– 3D (PG12) Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr.2:00, 7:00, 8:45, 11:30 PMGold Class : 3:30, 8:30, 11:15 PMJungle Book – 3D (PG) FamilyCast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley1:00, 5:00 PMThe Trust – 2D (15+) Crime | ThrillerCast: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira4:45, 11:45 PMTerm Life – 2D (15+) Crime | DramaCast: Hailee Steinfeld, Jon Favreau9:45 PM

PANORAMA MALLThe Angry Birds Movie - (3D) (Comedy) (U)3:15, 5:15, 7:15 & 9:15PMThe Angry Birds Movie - (3D) (Animation | Action |Comedy) (U) VIP LOUNGE6:45PMThe Trust - (2D) (Crime |Thriller ) (15+)Cast: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira3:30, 9:45 & 11:30PMThe Trust - (2D) (Crime |Thriller ) (15+) VIP LOUNGECast: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira3:45 & 11:30PMTerm Life - (2D) (Crime | Drama) (15+)Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Jon Favreau6:00 & 11:15PMThe Perfect Match - (2D) (Comedy) (12+)Cast: Terrence Jenkins, Cassie Ventura5:15PMCaptain America: Civil War – (PG) (Action | Adventure| Sci-Fi) (3D) VIP LOUNGECast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr.8:45PMCaptain America: Civil War – (PG) (Action) (4D) MX4D3:00, 5:45, 8:30 & 11:15PMCaptain America: Civil War – (PG) (Action) Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr.

3:15, 9:00 & 11:45PMThe Man Who Knew Infinity - (2D) (PG)Cast: Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons7:15PMThe Jungle Book - (3D) Drama| Family) (PG) Cast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley7:45PM

AZAIBA The Trust (2D) (Crime |Thriller) (15+) CP# Cast: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira5:15, 11:45 PMCaptain America: Civil War (3D) (Action ) Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr3:15, 11:30 PM (PG)The Angry Bird Movie (3D) (Animation ) (U) 3:15, 7:00 PMChakravyuh (Kannad) (2D) (Action) (PG) Cast: Puneeth Rajkumar, Rachita Ram6:00 PM24 (Tamil (2D) (Action) (PG12) Cast: Suriya Sivakumar , Nithya Menen7:30 PMThe Jungle Book (3D) (Family) (PG) 5:30 PMJacobinte Swargarajyam (Mal) (2D) (Drama) (PG) Cast: Nivin Pauly, Renji Panicker8:50 PM

Baaghi (Hindi) (2D) (Sports) (TBC) Cast: Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor3:00, 10:30 PMAzhar (Hindi) (2D) (Action) (PG) Cast: Nargis Fakhri, Emraan Hashmi3:30, 6:15, 8:45, 11:15 PM

RUWIScreen 1Azhar (2D) (Drama / Sport) –TBCCast : Emraan Hashmi, Prachi Desai3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM

Screen 2Baaghi (2D) (Action) –PGCast : Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor, Sudheer Babu, Paras Arora3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM

Screen 3Captain America: Civil War(2D) – PG12Cast : Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr3.45, 10.30 PMThe Jungle Book(2D) (Drama/ Family) –PGCast : Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray6.30, 8.30 PM

SURCaptain America : Civil War (3D) (Action ) 8:45 PM ( PG12 ) The Angry Birds Movie - (3D) ( Animation) 3:30, 7:30 PM ( U ) Term Life (Crime | Drama ) ( 15+ ) Cast : Hailee Steinfeld, Jon favreau5:15, 11:30 PMThe Trust (Crime | Thriller ) ( 15+ ) Cast : Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira3:45, 7:00, 11:45 PMAzhar ( Hindi | Sports | Drama ) (TBC) Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Nargis Fakhri9:15 PMJungle Book 3D ( Adventure ) ( PG )5:30 PM

SOHAR

Jungle Book – 3D (Drama, Family) (PG)Cast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley6:45PMBaaghi– 2D (Action) (PG)Cast: Shraddha Kapoor, Tiger Shroff3:45PMCaptain America: Civil War (Action)PGCast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr.3:30, 8:45, 11:30PM24 (Tamil) Action (PG12)Cast: Suriya Sivakumar, Nithya Menon8:15PMJacobinte Swargarajyam (Malyalam) PGCast: Nivin Pauly, Renji Panicker9:00 PMThe Trust (Crime | Thriller) 15+Cast: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreir3:30, 9:30, 11:45PMHepta: The Last Lecture (Arabic) PG12Cast: Nelly Karim, Yasmin Raeis, Ahmed7:00PMAzhar (Hindi| Sports | Drama) PG Cast: Nargis Fakhri, Emraan Hashmi11:15PMAll Roads Leads to Rome (Comedy) PGCast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Rosie Day5:15PMTerm Life (15+) (Action) 15+Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Vince Vaughn6:15, 11:30PM

BURAIMI

Captain America: Civil War PG(3D) (Action)Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr

3:45, 8:45 & 11:30 PMJungle Book PG (3D) (Adventure)6:45 PMThe Angry Birds Movie U (3D) (Animation) 3:30, 5:30 & 7:30 PM Term Life 15+ (Crime | Drama)Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn5:45 & 9:30 PMAzhar PG (Hindi)( Sports | Drama)Cast : Nargis Fakhri, Emraan Hashmi7:30 & 11:15 PM The Trust 15+ (Crime | Thriller)Cast: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira3:45, 10:00 & 11:45 PM

SALALAH

Captain America: Civil War (3D) (PG) Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr.1:00, 3:45, 8:30, 11:30PMJungle Book (3D) (PG) (Adventure | Drama) Cast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley2:45PMThe Angry Birds Movie (3D) (U) (English) Voice Overs: Peter Dinklage, Tituss Burgess12:45, 6:45PMThe Angry Birds Movie (3D) (U) (Arabic) 4:45PMThe Trust (2D) (15+) (Crime | Thriller) Cast: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira2:00, 6:45, 11:45PMTerm Life (2D) (15+) (Crime | Drama) Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Jon Favreau, Jonathan Banks3:45, 9:30PMThe Perfect Match (2D) (12+) (Comedy | Romance) Cast: Terrence Jenkins, Cassie Ventura, Paula Patton5:45PMHepta: The Last Lecture (2D) (PG12) (Arabic) (Drama | Romance)Cast: Nelly Karim, Yasmin Raeis, Ahmed Malek7:30PM Azhar (2D) (PG12) (Hindi) (Sports | Drama)Cast: Nargis Fakhri, Emraan Hashmi, Prachi Desai11:15PM Jacobinte Swargarajyam (2D) (PG) (Malayalam) (Drama)Cast: Nivin Pauly, Renji Panicker8:45PM

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

@SHATTI @ RUWI

The Trust - (2D) (Crime |Thriller ) (15+)Cast: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira3:45, 9:45 & 11:45PM

Azhar (2D) (Drama / Sport) –TBCCast : Emraan Hashmi, Prachi Desai3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM

BAHJA CINEMAFilm information 24540856 / Advance Booking

24540855

Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

The Trust - (2D) (Crime |Thriller ) (15+)Cast: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira4.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.55 p.m.CP No: 1119Term Life 15+ (Crime | Drama)Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn2.00, 6.00, 10.00 & 11.55 p.m.CP No: 1120 The Perfect Match (2D) (12+) (Comedy) Cast: Terrence Jenkins, Cassie Ventura, Paula Patton4.00 & 8.00 p.m.CP No : 1121 All Roads Leads to Rome (Comedy) (PG)Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Rosie Day2.00 & 6.00 p.m.CP No: 1122

STAR CINEMAFilm information 24791641 / 24786776

Website: www.isurf.co.om

Jacobinte Swargarajyam ( Mal) (Comedy) Cast : Nivin Pauly Renji Panicker & Lakshmi Ramakrishna 3-00, 6-30 & 10-00 pm Cinema Main 24 ( Tamil) (Action \ Thriller Cast: Suriya , Samantha & Nithhya Menon 3-30, 6-30 & 9-30 pm Cinema-2 Azhar ( Hindi) (Sports|Drama) Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Prachi Desai & Lara Dutta 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 pm Cinema -3 Kali ( Mal)Comedy\ Drama) Cast : Dulquar Salmaan & Sai Pallavi 3-45 & 9-45 pm Cinema -4 Manithan (Tamil) ( Comedy) Cast : Udhayanidhi Stalin & Hansika Motwani 6-45pm Cinema-4

Next Change : King Liar (Mal)

Programmes are subject to change

@ MGM

The Angry Birds Movie – 3D (U) AnimationVoice Overs: Peter Dinklage, Tituss Burgess12:00, 3:00, 6:45 PMGold Class : 6:30 PM

WEATHER

420

Maximum

350

Minimum

TEMPERATURE

55-25%RELATIVE HUMIDITY

Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 17 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to [email protected]

WITH LOVE

D.N.BHUVANSEH SAMVELMay 14, 2011

B7S AT U R DAY, M AY 14 , 2 0 1 6

ACROSS1 Luau strings 5 Time in office 9 — de plume 12 Grind down 13 Forearm bone 14 Floor 15 Does not include 17 Broke loose 19 Stick 21 Louts 22 Hammer target 25 River or mountain spirit 28 Moderated 30 Puts up 34 Swell (hyph.) 35 Prince Harry’s mom 36 Egyptian sun deity 37 Gasp of delight 38 Irksome 40 Become known 42 Liverpool lockups 44 Anthropologist Margaret — 45 Green Hornet’s valet 48 Perched on 50 Frightened 53 Nada 57 Went first 58 Greenish mineral 60 Jungle warning 61 Vega rocket org. 62 Chop — 63 Headphones, slangily

Crossword Puzzle

Q u e s t i o n s & A n s w e r s

It’s better not to argue with...

My parents

If I had treasures I would

hide them...Under my bed

One thing that puts me off ...

My annoying sister

One movie/book I can watch/

read over and over again...

The Ugly Truth (Wimpy Kid)

When I’m in doubt...I ask my dad

One person I would trade

places with (real or fi ctional)

Nobita

If I met an alien I would...

Learn their language

The best way to my heart is...

To talk to me politely

If I win a lottery...I would give half of to the poor and the other to my parents

The fi rst thing i no-tice in a person...

His dressing

If I have to describe myself

as a fl avour it would be...

Lemon

If I could go back in history, I would

like to meetThe Lord

Send your contributions to [email protected]. A good quality photo is compulsory. Lifestyle reserves the right to

publish the contributions.

ZAFEER BIN MUNAWAR

DOWN1 Roswell crasher 2 Basinger or Novak3 Yale athlete 4 Colonise 5 You, in Acapulco 6 Melancholy poem7 ER staffers 8 Rain slicker 9 Wine valley 10 Had debts 11 Docs prescribe them 16 Ariz. location

18 Need an aspirin 20 Deep blue 22 Without a mixer 23 Love, in Baja 24 Yucky 26 Least 27 Nanny’s vehicle 29 Millay or Ferber 31 Earth’s centre 32 Attire for Cato 33 Snakes do it 39 Borodin prince 41 Realm 43 Punch server

45 Curly cabbage 46 Frothy brews 47 Dramatic intro (hyph.) 49 Small amt. 51 Atlas abbr. 52 — de cologne 54 Hawaii’s Mauna — 55 Drag race participant 56 Many mins. 59 Pitcher — Young

AN

SWER

TO

PR

EVIO

US

PUZ

ZLE

One skill I would like to learn...

Swimming

Likes and dislike

1

“Keyboard.” 2

3 4

“Box.”

“TV remote.”

“Vacuum cleaner.”

4

“V l ”

NO!!

LIFESTYLE

Questions for quirky questions

1. It’s better not to argue with…

2. When I’m in doubt…

3. I go crazy when…

4. One thing that puts me off …

5. If I meet an alien…

6. If I win a lottery…

7. One person I would trade

places with…

8. If I had treasures I would

hide them in…

9. One movie/ book / I can

watch /read over and

over again…

10. One skill I would learn…

11. The best way to my

heart is…

12. If I have to describe myself

as a fl avour it would be …

13. The scariest thing that I

have done…

14. If I would go back to his-

tory I would like to meet …

The scariest thing that I have done...Went out alone at

3:30 (at night)

nions may bring a tear to your eye, but the humble onion has been food for deities and slaves alike. Valued for its fl avour and medicinal qualities, this staple of

the kitchen has a long and interesting history.The word “onion” is from the Latin word

“unio,” which means “single” or “one.” This is due to the fact the onion plant produces a single bulb, unlike garlic, which produces many small bulbs. Onions belong to the Allium genus and are closely related to garlic, leeks, chives, scallions and shallots. Onions and other Allium vegetables contain sulphu-ric compounds that give them a strong odour that sometimes irritates the eyes, causing tears.

One of the oldest foods known to people, onions probably originated in Asia, pos-sibly in Pakistan. It is likely that people were eating wild onions in prehistoric times.

Onions were fi rst cultivated about 5,000 years ago. Growing or gathering onions was easy to do, and the bulbs could be dried and eaten later. The four most common methods to cook onions are sautéed, caramelised, grilled and roasted.

There are many varieties of onion: red, yel-low, white and green. Some taste very strong, while others are mildly sweet.

Growing OnionsThe early pilgrims brought and planted onions when they arrived in North America, but Native Americans had been using wild onions long before that. Today, US farmers plant about 125,000 acres of onions each year and produce

about 6.2 billion pounds annually. More than 160 countries grow onions, and

many grow enough for export. It is estimated that more than 9.2 million acres of onions are harvested globally every year. Leading onion-producing countries are China, India, the United States, Turkey, and Pakistan.

Medicinal UsesOnions have been valued for their medicinal qualities for thousands of years. They have been used to treat colds, breathing problems, and

bacterial infections. Today, research shows that onions can have a positive eff ect

on health, lowering cholesterol, and reducing some cancer risks.

Interesting Facts Onions can be eaten raw,

cooked, fried, dried or roasted. Red onions are sometimes called

Spanish onions or salad onions. The average American eats about 20

pounds (7.4 kg) of onions yearly. Eating parsley or other herbs with high

amounts of chlorophyll can help get rid of onion breath. According to legend, the thickness of an

onion skin can help predict winter weather. Thin skins mean a mild winter, while thick skins predict a harsh one. To help avoid tears

when cutting onions, chill them fi rst and cut into the root end of the onion last. —[email protected]

FACT FILE

(Exploring History, Science, and Nature)

Winie Ariany

B8

LIFESTYLES AT U R DAY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

All the words below appear in the puzzle - horizontally, vertically,

diagonally, even backward. Find them and circle their letters.

The leftover word spells the Teleword.

How to playFill empty cells with the numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column and area.

Answer to previous puzzle

SOLUTION

R E N N I D M O C T I S U I T O Y K E R O D O E H T R I K S S G N I T E E M T E K A C C P E G S C L A S S M H H R H E S S E I L B Y D U O T E O A E Y L P M A B L D R R V O R V U E E M M P P M U A A L L I T G L E A A Y R O M E L W L T E N S H G C T E N B E A L E W L I G H A U E P E C L A R R I B N N G Z L H P T L I R B A N A E I I I A C U Y C E D I R B T D L H N T R H O M E M A K E R R L A E E A S T Y L I S H D O A I N S U O I T I R T U N S P G B

TelewordSudoku

Archetypal, Barbara, Beaver, Billingsley, Blue, Bride, Cake, Class, Dinner, Era, Gardening, High Heels,

Homemaker, Immaculate, Ladylike, Lectures, Lives, Magazines, Martha, Meetings, Monet, Moral, Mother,

Nutritious, Pearl, Peggy, Portable TV, Prep, Roses, School, Sitcom, Skirt, Social, Stylish, Suit, Theodore, Twin

Beds, Upper, Wally, Ward. Answer: Suburban

CLUE: THE ICONIC JUNE CLEAVER SOLUTION: 8 LETTERS

Art for the Ages Children’s Poetry

The Rhythm of Life

Abhijit Prasad NairGrade VIIIIndian School Al Wadi Kabir

As to the beats of heart we play,We err the beats we may.But to jingling back to rhythm is life,To the sharp criticisms like knife.

As we play seldom we may sigh,But in life there are bounds of shy.As the beats may break our heart,But in life you must heap them apart.

To the grief of life we fi nd a tune,A critical tune, a majestic queen.Through the taal of music, there is a shim-mer of light,For which to get in life, we must fi ght.

Do what you think is right,As you are the composer of your life, what-ever you might.See yourself in great height, As you fl y your life kite.

Abhinand Sudheer, Grade 5, IS Sohar Praise Chopde, Grade 4, ISG

Malavika P. Vinod, Grade 5, ISWK

Adithya Sainath, Grade 8, ISM

Send your contributions for Children’s Poetry to [email protected] V. Maheta, Grade 4, ISM

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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

C

C4 VACANCY CARGO C7

S AT U R D AY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

RENT C2

INVESTOR PARTNER REQUIRED

Please contact – 95213273Email:

muscatcoff [email protected]

For a successfully Catering Restaurant

Investor cum Partner is required.

Investor with fi xed returns also welcome.

*Tourist visa arranged

Email: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

C2 S AT U R D AY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

We have 2BHK fl ats for rent in

Azaiba near Sultan Center new

building 350/- OMR.

Contact: 93782735 / 99208033

We have 1BHK, 2 BHK fl ats for rent

in Ghala near Al Nahda towers. Con-

tact: 93782735 / 99208033

We have 2BHK fl ats in Ghubra.

Contact : 93782735 / 99208033

We have 1BHK, 2 BHK fl ats for rent

in Mabela 7 new building.

Contact: 93782735 / 99208033

3 Rooms, 2 Toilets Flat for Rent.

18 November Street. Near Mars

Hypermarket and The Chedi.

Ghobrah -Good for Commercial or

Residential use. OMR 295/- month.

Call 94477222

Deluxe 1 & 2 bedroom fl ats, ideal

for offi ce / residence at Qurum

near PDO. Contact: 97721313 /

95070421

1BHK near Medical Darsait R.O 170/-

Contact: 95076261

2 BR fl ats, 2 toilets, 1 kitchen &

1 sitting hall in Darsait, near ISM

School. Contact 99335689

1+2 BHK Ruwi, C.B.D & Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99024730

2+3 BHK Al Khuwair. Contact: 99024730

Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99376454

1000 sq mtrs industrial land for

rent in Ghala suitable for ware-

house workshop etc.

Contact 24700120 / 92584715

1 BHK and 2BHK Flats available

near Lulu Darsait (Main road, Opp. to

Min. of Defense). Contact : 93202733

Flat for rent : fl at available at Hamri-

ya & Wadi Kabir. Contact: 97380548

/ 99680499

2/3 B/R fl at in Al Khuwair.

Contact: 99776071 / 99057348

Flat for rent 2 bedrooms in Ruwi

Mumtaz area. Contact: 91409667 /

24291500

Flat in Al Bustan in Muscat, 3

rooms, 3 bathrooms, family hall,

kitchen, store, laundry with spilt

unit air condition 350/- O.R.

Contact : 98919037

Flat in Al Bustan in Muscat,

4 rooms, 3 bathrooms, family hall,

kitchen with spilt unit

air conditioner 400/- O.R.

Contact: 96228232 / 92776303

Flats for rent, rooms in

Al Khuwair. Contact: 93830111

2/3 BHK in Al Khuwair for rent.

Contact: 91155779

Flat for rent Al Hail North to the

Wave Muscat ground fl oor with

furniture the price RO 250/-.

Contact: 99353433

Ware house in Ghala for rent (400/

800/ 1200/ 3300 SQM).

Contact: 91155779

Hotel for investment. Contact: 91155779

Offi ce space for rent. Saravana

Bhavan Building.

Contact 91120552.

2BHK available Mumtaz area

Ruwi, Ghubra near Al Maha Hotel.

Contact: 99269751

New villa for rent Al Hail North

next to Ramez 2 minutes to main

road, 1 open sitting room, 3 family

hall, 1 dining room, kitchen with

store laundry, 4 bed rooms & 1

small room. Contact: 93387732

Flats, shops & store for rent in

MBD area Ruwi, Mumtaz area.

Contact: 97293708 / 92433127

Fully Furnished apartments in

Boucher (35). Contact 94051789 /

97201688

1 BHK fl at in Ruwi MBD for 220/-

available. Contact: 96491825

3 BHK fully furnish Villa in Qurum

heights. Contact 99792181

1BHK & Single Room Spacious

Flat Near Jibro Round About On

Main Road Tel:24815012

Mob:99373290

1BHK near Oman house behind

Khimji HO. Contact: 95865686

2 bedrooms fl at with hall, 2

bathrooms in Darsait near Muscat

Municipality. Contact: 92584715/

24700120

4 BHK Villa in Bowsher Heights.

Contact 99792181

2 BHK fl at in Ghobra 18 November

Street. Contact 99792181

Flat for rent 2 BHK 2 split A/C, 2

toilets, Wadi Kabir near Kuwaiti

Masjid. Contact – 97007934 /

92609232

2 BHK fl at in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99792181

150 + 180 + 200 Sqr mtrs offi ce in

Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181

2BHK spacious Flat Behind Bank

Muscat Wadi Kabir Tel:24815012

Mob:99373290

Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact 94051789 / 97201688

1BHK at Hamriya near Muscat

Pharmacy & 2 BHK at Mawaleh

near Mosque Sadiq Al Amin.

Contact: 99224748 / 99332297

Flats in Darsait. Contact

94051789 / 97201688

Flats in Wadi Kabir. Contact

94051789 / 97201688

Flats in Muttrah. Contact

94051789 / 97201688

Offi ces and Flats in Ghala.

Contact 94051789 / 97201688

2 BHK fl at at Ruwi Mumtaz area

RO 320/-. Contact: 99358589 /

97079146 / 95570288

Shops for rent in Ibra Main road

opposite technical college. Contact:

+968 93894290 / 99419496

Villa in Bousher consists of 5

rooms, 1 hall & living room.

Contact: 91153933

Villa in Al Khoud consists of 6

bedrooms, 1 sitting & living room.

Contact: 91153933

Villa in Al Ghubra consists of

5 bedrooms, 1 hall and living room.

Contact: 91153933

Room with 9 bathrooms in Boush-

er for rent. Contact: 91153933

Apartment in Al Khoudh consists

of 2 room & hall.Contact: 91153933

2 Bedroom centrally air condi-

tioned fl at in CBD prime location.

Contact: 24714625 / 94460790

Flat for rent near Royal Hospital.

Contact: 99346793

01 Bedroom in Darsait, 1,2,3

Bedroom fl ats at Al Khuwair.

Contact: 24707340 / 95282986 /

99472457

2 bed rooms fl at with hall,

2 bathrooms in Darsait near

Muscat Municipality.

Contact: 92584715/ 24700120

Two modern fully furnished & equipped offi ces available for rent

at Jasmine Complex Al Khuwair:1) 152 M2 with recepti on, 1 GM Offi ce, 2 meeti ng rooms, 26 working stati ons,

pantry, network connecti on.2) 132 M2 with recepti on, 7 offi ces,

6 working stati ons, 1 conference room, network connecti on.

Contact - 99469698

FOR RENTCommercial Space

Commercial Space For Rent in Al Khuwair. Ideal for Coff ee Shop / Restaurant / Offi ce Space / Showroom

27sqm / 68sqm / 128sqm

Contact: 96775026

Available at a prime locati on on Azaiba Service Road

(Previously Occupied by A’Saff a Foods) near Al Turky and Mazda showroom.

Contact: 95215289, 99229263, 93221054

FURNISHED OFFICES FOR RENT

Contact: 95215289, 99229263, 93221054

COLD STORE ROOMS FOR RENT

Available at a prime locati on on azaiba service road

(previously occupied by A’Saff a Foods) near Al Turky and Mazda showroom

FLAT FOR RENTLocati on: Acacia - AL MOUJ.Area: 100 m2; Consisti ng of One Master BR, Study Room, Sitti ng ,

Balcony & Fully furnished Kitchen.Faciliti es: Swimming Pool &

Car Parking.Monthly Rent & Payment Method: Negoti able upon

viewing the property.

Call: 99 10 88 47 - 93 40 35 56

DAILY GUIDES AT U R D AY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6 C3

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

FOR RENT

New fl at 3 bedrooms, 3 toilets and

kitchen in South Al Mabella near

New Indian School.

Contact : 99757672

Offi ces & Showrooms in Al Khood.

Contact 94051789 / 97201688

Flats In Qurum. Contact 94051789

/ 97201688

2BHK split A/C 200/- Monthly

& 1BHK spilt A/C 150/- monthly

new building good location Barka

Market. contact 99342661

2BHK Big Size Flat Behind Bank

Muscat, Wadi Kabir. Near ISWK.

97826454, 24815012.

For rent and investment Land

industrial shops in Rusayl.

Contact: 99323957 / 95490842

Two bedrooms fl at in Al Ghobrah

near Oman Oil of 18 November Street.

OMR 330 Monthly. Contact 99333479

or 95215360 or 97509955.

Flats in Ghobrah. Contact

94051789 / 97201688

Shops / fl ats available in Honda

Road, Ruwi & Mabellah Indus-

trial area. Contact 24833972/

24833974/ 99367448

2BHK split A/C for rent Muttrah

near Oman House.

Contact: 97007934 / 92629232

Flat for rent in Al Khuwair 33.

Contact: 92277419

1 BHK fl at for rent R.O 180/-

Near Medical Darsait. # 24705742

2BHK split A/C for rent Muttrah

near Oman House.

Contact: 97007934 / 92629232

1BHK Studio fl at near Star Cinema

RO 180/-. Contact: 99358589 /

97079146 / 95570288

3 Bedroom well maintained fl at

(villa TYPE only 2 fl ats in villa) in

Al Khuwair, Behind Al Akhtam Res-

taurant Villa No 1841, Way No 3922

Block No 239. Contact: 99462980

Flat for rent in Ruwi, Mumtaz area 2

bedrooms. #24291500 / 91409667

Offi ce for rent in Mabela. Contact: 99355330

Flat for Rent 2 bed room Near ISM

muscat Indian Scoole Dar sate

Tel : 00 968 95158570

Flats, shops and store for rent in

Ruwi, MBD & Mumtaz. Contact:

97293708 / 92433127

Flat for rent in South Mabela.

Contact: 95331177 / 95230355

Furnished offi ce (61M2) for sale

/ rent Al Khuwair near Zawawi

Mosque. Contact: 95611569

02 BHK residential fl at opposite

to Al Nahdha hospital.

Contact: 99342733 /99795241

Four bedroom two fl oors luxurious

and spacious residential villa in

Al Hail North, near to the sea and

Oman oil. Each room has its own

bathroom. It has splits A/C’s and

shaded car park. OMR 750 month-

ly. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or

97509955

BUYING

Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299

Buying cars for cash.

Contact: 90202090

FOR HIRE

Crane trailer, hiab. Contact:

99354909

WANTED

LOST

IELTS Coaching (academic)

required nearby wadi Kabir area.

Please call on mobile or msg on

Whats up. Mobile no: 92927880/

99012165

MV SALE

Wanted Toyota Yaris 2010 or

2011, automatic white.

Contact: 99089441

Explorer 2010 with warranty,

registered 2011 Expatriate driven,

single owner no accidents excel-

lent condition, R.O 6800/-.

Contact: 92689529

Expats selling Toyota Corolla

Silver, 1.6 Automatic 2008 with

new tyres and manual window

excellent condition 2,09,000 km.

Contact: 99759162

Hyundai Elantra 1.8, 2001 fully

A/T 270000 km, 600/-.

Contact: 92531535

Hyundai Accent 1.6, 2014 model,

good condition. Contact : 95212017

NRI

INDIAN RAILWAYS

Ticket Reservation

Hotel & Bus Tickets

Star Travel92820665 / 24711734

Lands sale in Trichur Kerala.

Contact 91637137 /

91 9746573948

Offi ce with furniture in Darsait

for sale, rent per month R.O 260/-.

Contact: 91391343

Building in Al Khuwair at prime location for sale.

Contact: 91155779

Commercial /R land in Al Khuwair

for sale. Contact: 91155779

Ware house in W/K for Sale.

Contact: 91155779

Commercial /R land in Ghala

(Industrial area) for sale.

Contact: 91155779

Villa in Al Qurum / Azaiba/

Mawaleh for sale.

Contact: 91155779

Sale of Hitachi 220 Excavator

with breaker. Contact: 99207592

20 x40 containers. Contact: 99354909

Coff ee shop for sale in Al Khuwair

33. Contact: 92994415

10 Shops in ground fl oor of 8 fl oor

building in Bausher near Muscat

Private Hospital. Have income

of about 2,700 monthly. OMR

268 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or

95215360 or 97509955

6 Villas of six bedrooms each un-

der construction in one compound

in Bausher near Muscat Private

hospital. Prices range from 165

thousand to 179 thousand for each

villa. Each villa has three fl oors

and 369 sq mtrs build up area.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or

97509955

Working beauty parlour for sale

at Al Ghubra. Contact: 98178135

400 sq mtrs Commercial/Resi-

dential land in Mabela Phase 5

Block 2. OMR 165 Thousand.

Contact 99333479 or 95215360

or 97509955

Furnished sharing room for

executive bachelor or small family

near Mars Hypermarket Ghubrah.

Contact: 98851806

Sharing accommodation with

attached bathroom available for

family in villa in Mabela near

Nesto hypermarket split A/C

spacious rooms R.O 100/-.

Contact: 92689529

Well furnished sharing room for

Executive bachelor at Rex Road.

Contact: 92873832

Single room for bachelor at Ruwi

Opposite OC Center.

Contact: 99385287

1 BHK appartment for rent in

Al Khoud Shabiya near mazoon

mosque for rent (next to alkhoud

medical center and squ)

MOB: 93913224

Small old house for rent in

Ghobra. Contact: 97165972

Room for rent near Hamriya

roundabout for bachelor only.

Contact: 97443614

Single room sharing B/K at

Mumtaz area. Contact: 95212017

Single room available near

Darsait Lulu. Contact: 92120626

Room with attached bathroom for

working ladies in a fl at in M.B.D.

Contact: 99764307

Furnish bedroom with attach

bathroom for executive bachelor.

Contact: 97704794

Villa for rent in South Mabellah,

3 bedrooms, sitting room, family

Lounge, kitchen, three Toilets

Contact 92212212

between 10 AM to 5 PM.

Sharing Accommodation avail-

able for working ladies opposite

Al Nadhah Hospital. Preferably

Indians. Room with seperate toilet

and sharing kitchen.RO.90.

Contact 96524717

Furnished room attached bath

for Indian bachelor, Al-Falaj

Ruwi & lady Wadi Kabir near

Mars hypermarket. CONTACT

96202458/96761960

Room available in Mumtaz area

1 room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1

room, common bathroom. Interested

pleasecontact 92680041 Mr. Altaf

ACC. AVAILABLE

ACC. AVAILABLE

MATRIMONIAL

Sunni Muslim family seeks

proposal for their 24 year old

daughter from well settled Urdu

speaking Indian family. Pls call on

93521249 / 99374371

Invite alliance for Sunni Muslim

Urdu girl B.E, M.B.A 25 years 5.1”

fair, Tamil Nadu India.

Contact: 99502581

Parent of Thrissur based Hindu

Ezhava girl aged 20, Slim,Atham

star, Studying for B. Pharm seek-

ing alliance from well employed

Graduates, preferably in Engineer-

ing Contact :96425102

Indian male Roman Catholic 40yrs divorcee working in Muscat.

Seeks suitable alliance from

widow/ divorcee/ single.

Contact 96059801.

Malankara Catholic Male Nurse (28) from Thiruvalla working in

Nizwa Private Co. Alliance invites

parents/nurses working in Oman.

Contact 968 98267338,

0091 9287215726

GOOD NEWS

Ayurvedic treatment for joint

pain, backache, paralysis, mas-

sage, steambath, obesity, Spondy-

litis, Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic,

18 November Street, Azaiba.

Contact: 99639695 / 97397320

Ayurvedic treatment for

backache, paralysis, arthritis etc &

massage, All Season

(Vaidyaratnam). Contact:

24475280 / 95371664 /

92504980 www.siddhayur.com

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

Shops for rent at Musanna.

3 shutter (280sq mtrs) and one

shutter (40 sq mtrs) shops for

rent at prime location at Musanna,

main road side. Contact: +968

93797900, +968 96347070

Beach Flat in N. Cyprus, new,

furnished, ocean view, 1 Bdrm +

terrace http://abv-apt.weebly.com/

Contact 9208 9704

Laundry for sale Ruwi near Came-

lia. Contact: 92868123 / 92841089

Space for printing press available

at wadikabir with or without

machinery. Contact 99328430

A well running pharmacy for sale

at prime location.

Contact 99627621, 93240949

HD Scaff oldings, Shuttering

Jacks, Wooden Planks, Shuttering

wood assorted, Tower hoist (lift),

Concrete Mixer, Bending Machine,

Steel Fabrication Machinery

(Searing/Cutting, lathe & Welding)

including tools for immediate sale:

Contact 99273774/ 99202278

Shop for sale near Oman House,

Muttrah. Contact 99024362.

Single colorful Bed and Sofa

for Sale at Al Khuwair. Contact

92881849 /What`s up No 97290565

Urgent sale of steel scrap only

serious buyers kindly contact +968

96725423 for viewing the items.

Empty shop for sale in Ruwi near

Camelia. Contact: 92841089

Car accessories, upholstery, oil &

battery shop for sale in Seeb.

Contact: 92262284/96733523

Luxury Apartments in Boucher

(35). Contact 95056808 / 97201688

Steel Scrap materials for immediate

sale. Contact 99273774/ 99202278

Almost new beach/ garden

lounge chairs /bar stools/ counter.

Photos can be sent 95865457

Contact:95218665

REQUIRE25 CBM/HR

Batching plant on hire

for 9 months.

Lito Mulla has lost Bangladeshi

passport No. AA 4493811. Finder

please handover to ROP.

Mohammed Abdul has lost Bang-

ladeshi Passport No. AA 5794698.

Finder please handover to ROP

AVAILABLE

Op Manager- 9yrs exp Mech Engr

Contact 94641927

Party & Wedding equipment rent-

als. Full line, from Tables, Linen

& Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers,

Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chaf-

ing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large

Sound Systems and spectacular

lighting.

Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Cater-

ing and Croyden 9623 5555 for

Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.

com, E-mail: [email protected]

Brand new double bed room fl ats

with two and three toilets, split ac,

elevators available at Al Khoudh

next to Al koudh health center.

Contact 99022675

Warehouse at Wadikabir - total

area 3500 sqm - covered ware-

house (500sqm), offi ce, ac-

commodation (1000sqm), open

area (2000sqm) please contact:

99273774 - 99202278

Flat for rent 2 BHK 2 split A/C,

2 toilets, Wadi Kabir near Kuwaiti

Masjid. #97007934 / 92629232

1 Bed room, sharing K& T, R.O 100,

2 bedrooms , sharing K& T R.O

200/- in AL Khuwair. #95154331

Flat in Al Khuwair opp grand mall

4 room 3 toilet + hall kitchen in 3

fl oor 400. Contact 99420346

Flat for rent in South AlGhubrah

3 rooms, hall and 3 toilets, kitchen

rent 450/-. Contact: 99335580

Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan village. #93687466

Room with attached bathroom for

a family in Wadi Kabir.

Contact 97167857

Furnished apartment for rent,

two rooms, majlis, hall, kitchen.

Near Carrefour al-mawalah.

Contact 99336776

Sharing accommodation

near ISD. Contact: 99657340

Room available for Executive

bachelor at Al Hail.

Contact 96234708

Room with attached bathroom

and sharing kitchen available

for Executive bachelor or small

family at wadikabir

Contact 93049849

DAILY GUIDEC4 S AT U R D AY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANT-SIT. WANTED

Email: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

DRIVER

DRAFTSMAN

MISCELLANEOUS

Urgently required for a reputed Ready-mix Company, ‘Heavy Duty Drivers’ having valid Omani

Licence, with local release. GCC

licence holders also can apply, sub-

ject to local rules. Labour clearances

are ready for immediate employ-

ment. Contact with passport details,

copies of licence etc in person to

Mr. Mohd Aqueel – 99338619, Mr

Shamsuddin – 99274321

Wanted driver. Contact:

97165972

Urgently required Lab Tech, preferably Prometric cleared or with

MOH license for a Medical Center in

Ruwi. Contact 9522 0350,

Email: [email protected]

Urgent required Pharmacist with

MOH LIC to work in a Pharmacy.

Salary negotiable, good package.

Contact: 94870029

immediate appointment.

Dot Muscat Company LLC is look-ing for Optometrist. Contact us on:

[email protected]

Required Lab Technician, X- Ray Technician, Staff Nurses & Doctors. Contact: 99681325 Email:

[email protected]

Require a qualifi ed Nurse to take

care of an elderly female.

Contact: 99425200

Urgently required General Practi-tioner (Indian/ Bangladeshi), Omani

Receptionist (female) for a reputed

Medical Centre, Salalah.

Email : [email protected]

ENGINEER/MECHANIC.

ENGINEER/MECHANIC.

ARCHITECT

BEAUTICIAN

Required for a leading Engineering

Consultancy fi rm experienced Offi ce Secretary. Send CV to: mail@abdul-

lamukadam.com Fax: 24614398

CCTV & BURGULAR ALARM – TECHNICIAN : Urgently looking

for an Expatriate with minimum 5

years experience. Email your CV

with recent Photograph to :

[email protected]

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE

SALES / MARKETING

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

DOMESTIC HELPER

MEDICAL

MEDICAL

IT

Wanted loading & unloading people. Visa ready apply Indians

only. Contact:95451713

Indian male good experience in Ac-

counts, Admin and ERP Tally 9 look-

ing for a suitable job. NOC available.

Contact: 94834687

Accountant / Marketing, BBA, Tally,

Dip in logistics, can work on my cur-

rent visa. Contact 98269281

Financial Controller 23 years Oman

experience in fi nancial management

MOUs feasibility studies available.

Contact: 91302906

Chief Accountant well experi-

enced with reputed group available

for immediate joining.

Contact : 98803439 / 97413784.

Fresher 24, ACCA Affi liate, Ad-

vanced diploma in Accounting and

Business seeking suitable place-

ment in Accounts, Finance or Audit

with Oman driving license.

Contact - 92430152

Email - [email protected]

Accounts part time services,

available to handle all accounts up

to fi nalization on monthly basis.

Finalization and audit works.

Contact: 96247295

Indian female B.Com 4 years

experience in accounting experi-

ence in wings & knowledge of tally.

1 year experience in Oman seeking

suitable placement for accountant,

presently on family visa.

Contact: 92054531 / 93491124

Indian male MBA (F) with 6 years

of experience as an Accountant

profi ciency in various A/C software

& SAPFI seeking for suitable place-

ment. Contact: 95920740 Email:

[email protected]

28/male/MBA - fi nance/B.Com -

Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/

India experience looking for a suit-

able placement.Contact 90187483

[email protected]

Accountant Indian male with 7

years experience up to fi nalization

in tally & accounts receivable SAP

R/3, good knowledge of payroll

having Oman D/L, NOC.

Contact: 93733996

Email Id: [email protected]

Indian female M.Com with Oman

driving license having 10+ years ex-

perience in Accounts & Administra-

tion in Oman seeking suitable job,

NOC available. Contact: 91609799

Indian, Kerala Male B.COM & B.PE,

Currently on Visit Visa. Looking for

a suitable job in Accounts, Store

Keeper, Sales etc. Ready to join as

early as possible.

Contact :- 96988923

email:- [email protected]

Accountant 8Years Experience

with D/L and NOC.

Contact 97712084

Indian male 25 years ACCA fi nal-

ist with B.SC (Hons.) in account-

ing with experience in Tally with

Omani driving license looking for

suitable placement, release avail-

able. Contact : 92851056

Accountant Indian male B.Com

with 8 years experience in Oman

knowledge in tally ERP, SAP AX,

MIS up to fi nalization NOC avail-

able. Contact: 96989872 Email:

radhakrishnank2007@rediff mail.

com

36 years, male with M.Com

Finance having 15 yrs of insurance

& banking experience in India,

on visit visa for 15 Days seeks

suitable jobs. Contact 91159284 /

99429589

Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA

Finance and marketing with IT

skills, 7+ yrs of experience,

Looking for suitable placement.

contact 94879615,Email-

[email protected]

Accountant, Indian female, B.Com

Graduate 1 & half year experience

up to fi nalization in tally with

reporting knowledge, pursuing

ACCA, having valid GCC D/L.

Contact: 95373751

Required Shop Sales man + Hard-ware Technician for IT Company

with minimum 2 years experience.

Contact: 98825806 / 98825806,


Required gynecologist GEN: practitioner lady lab Technician and pharmacologist immediately

for a clinic in Suwaiq.

Contact: 95081010


Urgently required Housemaid for small Indian doctor family in

Al Khoud. Attractive Salary, Acc &

Visa Provided. Cont No.9522 0350

Required Gardener for part time job at Al Rabiat Qurum.

Contact 95890531

Require Employee for Saloon in

Al Amerat, should have experience.

Contact: 90600688

Indian male age 26, Accountant one

year experience in accounts

looking for suitable job. Contact -


Mobile: +968 9565 9415

Qualifi ed and experienced MBA

post graduate with proven work

exposure in Middle East & India,

having more than 5.5 years of rich

experience in accounts , project

coordination and administration

in (3.5 years UAE experience) oil

and gas projects is currently

looking for suitable job.

Contact 93953613,

[email protected]

Male Accountant M.Com (Accounts & fi nance) having

3 years experience in accounts

looking for suitable job on visit

visa. Contact: 94648575

IND female 12 years exp in

Banking, Insurance customer

service Secretarial skills analysis

communication, client handling,

coordination, Team handling,

qualifi cation, M.COM looking for

suitable position currently on visit

visa. Contact: 95166496

Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in

commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in ac-

counts/ fi nance fi eld. On visit visa.

Immediately available.

Contact 92836216 /

[email protected]

LOOKING FOR

ELECTRICIANRequired urgently

experienced Electricians with ITI Certifi cate.

Contact 99878180, [email protected]

Contact email- [email protected] &

[email protected]

REQUIRED Marketing manager/

Sales ExecutivesExperience in

Sales/Marketing of Building Materials(Sanitary wares &

Kitchens). Not less than 5 yrs expSound customer Base

Urgently required: Civil Drafts-man- with experience 5 years

experience in building and with

NOC for immediately join.

Interested candidates may call us

to our offi ce telephone:

00968-24696584/24696585 or

fax: 00968-24605955 or email us

to [email protected],

[email protected]

Sudanese Accountant, Alexandria

University Graduate bachelor of

commerce Diploma of Marketing

professional photographer worked

in PR and social media for 2 years

looking for a job in public relations

media, social media or marketing.

Contact: 96976240

Senior Accountant Indian male 10

years experience (8 yrs in Oman)

with D/L & NOC, Accounts upto

fi nalization. Contact: 99582979 /

97373853

Indian male M.Com, PGDCA, 10

years of experience in Oman as

Senior Finance Executive good ex-

perience in fi nance and accounts

looking for suitable placement

with reputed organizations.

Contact: 95392251

BBA fi nance 2 years experience as

Accountant 6 months experience

Assistant Marketing off er looking

for jobs in accounts and marketing.

Contact: 90291297

BBA fi nance fresh Graduate

knowledge of accounting balance

sheet income statement, tally,

advance, excel looking for jobs

accountant. Contact: 93150918

Part time Sr. Accountant with

19 yrs experience in Accounts,

fi nance, Audit Tax Management.

Contact: 95857199

Indian male , 29 B.com ICWA

(pursuing) 7 years experience

in accountant / audit with valid

Omani D/L seeking for suitable

placement, NOC available.

Contact: 94706954


Male B.Com Graduate Assist. Accountant with 2 years experi-

ence in Accounting administration.

Contact: 94736742

Accountant available with NOC,

7 years experience in Oman.

Ready to join immediately.

Contact 98263394

ACCA member with 6 yrs of experi-

ence in Oman looking for a suitable

job in fi nance. Contact: 99284193

Indian male qualifi cation MBA Fi-

nance Marketing experience 2 years

express visa seeking for placement,

presently on express visa.

Contact: 93991882

Architect female 5 years ex-

perience seeking job. Contact:

96146645, [email protected]

Required male or female offi ce assistance for a spare parts com-

pany, any national, experienced

not a must . Good salary packages

will off ered for suitable candidates

. Tel no +96824593148 , Email ID

:[email protected]

Juice cum ice-cream maker. Contact: 92841089

Required candidates for following

posts: Accountant, Storekeeper, Foreman Building Maintenance, Van-salesman (water), Helpers. Candidates with Omani driving

license preferred.

Contact 99273774/99202278

Indian Female, MBA-HR having

8+ experience in Administration/

HR, Customer Support, Offi ce

Coordinator with good Computer

skill, Now on Visit Visa,looking for

suitable position.

Contact: 90196235

Indian looking for customer ser-vice, purchase front offi ce Admin

5 years experience in UAE.

Contact: 91744032

URGENTLY REQUIRED

Cook/Commis III (Experience in International

& Asian Cuisine)Accountant

(Up to fi nalization)Cleaner/ Gardener (Driving Lic. preferred)


A Reputed Training Institute require

a CELTA qualified English

trainer with 3 years of experience.

Send your CV and other details to

prakash@profi toman.com

A well established Ready-mix Concrete Company needs an experienced ‘Maintenance Engineer’ to look after its multi-

facility workshop and supervise /

co-ordinate site wise operations.

Candidate must be a qualifi ed Me-

chanical Engineer with relevant

experience of handling a fl eet

of various brands and Concrete

batching plants and Pumps. For-

ward your CV with relevant data to

[email protected] /

Contacts: 99256757

Required GP doctor for running

clinic in Salalah. Contact 92732491 /

93129219, email :

[email protected]

Wanted Dentist with MOH license

for a clinic in Sur. Contact 95653810

GP doctor needed for reputed

clinic. Preferably with MOH license

or with Datafl ow & Paramatics

pass Contact: 95388934

Care Medical Centre Al Seeb

requires Gynecologist and General Practitioner. Mail CV to:[email protected]

Wanted Staff Nurse for

a dermatology clinic in Muscat .

Must have MOH license and NOC.

Attractive salary off ered. Email:

[email protected]

Required Salesman and Tailor. Contact: 96964767

Urgently required a ‘Purchase Manager’ to handle all the pro-

curements for a reputed Ready-

mix concrete Company, having its

branches all over Oman. The can-

didate should possess required

experience, product knowledge

and excellent communication

skills. Interested candidates may

send their CV to sndakshin@

gmail.com /Contact: 99256757

Dot Muscat Company LLC is look-

ing for Sales/Marketing associate. Contact : [email protected]

Wanted Staff with 3 years experi-

ence in Oman in real estate fi eld.

Contact: +968 95910186


Required marketing / PR manager

for a modern restaurant group in

Oman , profi cient in illustrator &

Photoshop charismatic , proactive ,

creative & fl exible excellent writing

/ Editing skills degree in relevant

area fl uent in English. Send CV to

[email protected]

Salesman required for electrical

equipments with driving license

& 5/7 years working experience.

Fax your C.V 24833043 (Jinan

Enterprises)

Lady Expat looking for full time

job with visa. Interested fi elds are

Admin, teaching, HR, back offi ce.

Contact: 91739424


Filipino HRD especialist / mate-

rial controller supervisor with 18

yrs experience looking for suit-

able job in Oman. Contact: (+968)

98037142 / (+968) 92659817

Young Omani male have experi-

ence 12 years as P.R.O, CLERK

Helper Supervisor Admin Supervi-

sor, H.R Manager have diploma in

H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license, looking

for H.R position or P.R.O part time

or full time. Contact: 95933288

ADMIN

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,


Required Candidate with Masters in Finance 3 Years experience

in accounting. Person should be

available in Oman for interview.

Preference will be given to the

candidates having knowledge in

Focus accounting software. Sub-

mit CV at [email protected]

ACCOUNTS & FINANCE

Required Indian Mason – 5 nos., eligibility (minimum 5 yrs experi-

ence in road construction fi eld).

Contact: 99882127


*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s

publication. * Subject to space availability

CANADA - Free ConsultancyFor Legal Job

For Hotel Staff , Construction Staff , Medical, Gas & Oil Staff

Free recruitment - free tickets, accommodation, work visa, contract for 2 (two) years.

Contact Number: 93392630Pls send CV on [email protected]


SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

EDUCATION/TRAINING

Female B. Ed English teacher, 7 yrs exp seeking suitable

placement. Contact : 99739415 /

92091528

Indian female Science Graduate

MBA, HR Worked as home tutor

Convent Educated currently on

visit visa, staying with husband

looking for school teaching job

English, Science KG – VI Std full

/ part time. Contact: 97205038


Indian female, MSc Physics, B.Ed,

5+ years experience in Oman seeks

suitable placement.

Contact: 93992958 / 96203570

Teacher Female , Phd in Chemis-

try having 3.5 yrs of Experience in

India. Staying here on Family Visa

& seeking for a suitable placement.

Contact – 99675828, Email -

[email protected]

DRIVER

DRIVER

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

Mechanical Engineer (Indian

male, 24 years) with three years

experience looking for suitable job.

Currently on visit visa, ready to join

immediately. Contact: 92175441


Civil Engineer, B.Tech, 6 yrs expe-

rience with Omani driving license,

local release available. Contact:

91693008

B.E Mechanical Engineer, age 24

with almost 1 year experience as

Production Shift Engineer, has

achieved training on HVAC En-

gineering design and has good

hands on software like AutoCAD

and HAP.Currently in Oman on a

visit visa, looking for a suitable

placement.Contact: 95065955

email: [email protected]

Senior Graduate Civil Engineer having 12 years construction ex-

perience in Oman seeking suitable

position in Civil contracting com-

pany. Sound technical knowledge

& managerial skills, well versed

in Oman construction standards

excellent commutation skills.

Contact: 98852797

Mechanical Engineer 28 years, 3

years experience 1 year in Oman

with NOC looking for suitable

placement. Contact: 94887665


Electrical & Electronics Engineer 1

year experience currently on visit

visa, available immediately.

Contact: 90654844 / 90491353


Civil Engineer experience 5 years

with Oman driving license.

Contact: 96319928

Indian male having 26 years

experience as Civil Supervisor in

buildings and road with 8 years ex-

perience in Oman seeking suitable

placement NOC & driving license

is available. Contact : 96108230


Indian male BE 2 yrs Indian site

experience and M.Tech 3 yrs In-

dian Structural design experience

looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 98334396

Mechanical Engineer 2 years

experience as HVAC design and

drafting MEP Engg.

Contact: 90150913

18 years experienced Indian

Civil Engineer (buildings) with

NOC looking for suitable positions.

Contact: 92855910


AutoCAD Draughtsman Indian

12 years experience Civil Infra-

structure, 9 years Gulf experience.

Contact: 93528255 Email:

[email protected]

Civil land surveyor with 6

years experience in construction

industry (4 years in Oman) basic

education BA + Civil Surveyor

Diploma looking for suitable posi-

tion. Contact: 96767070 Email:

[email protected]

Young Indian, Engineering in

Bio-technology, Bio-chemical and

Chemical, looking for a challenging

placement in Oman.

Contact 97607000. Email:

[email protected]

Pakistani male Diploma Civil

Engineer 4yrs exp in Oman bull-

ing & mega projects, valid license

Oman.Contact:98921022

Indian female, BE Electrical, 2 yrs

experienced. Contact 92051754,

[email protected]

MEDICAL

Indian female Dentist specialized

Endodontist looking for suitable

placement, prometric completed.

Contact: 96410448

Lady General Dentist available for

leave vacancy. Contact 92732491 /

93129219, email :

[email protected]

Sudanese female Medical Labo-

ratory specialist with M.S.C in

hematology, 3 years experience

seeking for suitable job.

Contact: 97996545

Qualified Certified Management Accountant (CMA-USA) and cost and

management accountant (ACMA-

India) with over 25 years experience in

Sultanate of Oman in finance, banking

and administration is seeking a suitable

placement. NOC available.

Contact -95986767

MANAGER

IT

Electrical Engineer having 8

years experience with valid driv-

ing license. Contact 91293519,


B.Sc Civil Engineer, MBA experi-

ence 5 years (15 months in Oman)

English & Arabic, driving license

looking for a suitable job.

Contact: 94162443

Indian male BE Mechanical Engi-

neering having 1 year experience

seeks suitable position available

in Oman on visit visa.

Contact: 96630091


Female MCA qualifi ed Software

manual testing Engineer with

5 years experience looking for

suitable position in Muscat on

family joining visa. Contact: 0091

9884095301 / 00968 94231305,


Sr. Electrical Engineer with17+ yrs

of exceptional exp in spear head-

ing strategic planning and project

management initiatives & execut-

ing various high rise residential

& commercial building as well as

roads and highway project with

profi ciency in installation, seeking

a challenging position in a dynamic

organization. Contact 96570891

Electrical Engineer Indian male

30 years, having 5 years of experi-

ence in industrial automation

& utility maintenance in Indian

(MRF Tyres) holding valid Oman

D/L. Contact: 92789995 Email:

[email protected]

Electrical Engineer experience 9

years in Oman. Contact: 98148034

Construction Machinery repairs

Engineer, 5 years, driving license,

Contact - 94001961

Indian male civil Engineering

Diploma holder, 31 years, 4 years

experience in Oman, 2 years in road

division looking for placement.

N.O.C available. Contact: 93298395

Electrical & Electronics Engr,

knows autocad & revit.

PH: 93837973

Architect Engineer bachelor

Sudanese 7 years experience in

building and construction and

design (AutoCAD – Archicad)

Contact: 95140464

Diploma in Civil Engineer with

5 yrs experience in Oman seeking

a suitable job N.O.C available.

Contact: 93630296 / 93264828

Indian 14 yrs exp SR MEP – Elect

Engg with NOC, searching suitable

job, in fi eld PMC, Fire consultants

, Testing & com, project supervi-

sion. Contact: 92437865


Indian 24 yrs exp SR civil Engg

with NOC, searching suitable job,

in any project Supervision.

Contact: 96602718

[email protected]

Indian female diploma

Architecture having 5 years exp in

Engineering consultancy in Oman

seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 96683293

AutoCAD Draughtsman Indian

male 8 years exp Civil, Interior,

precasting, GCC driving license.

Contact: 95685028


INDIAN MALE, MARKETING & HR SPECIALIST,

25 yrs, Master degree with 2 yrs of experience both HR & Marketi ng,

now on visiti ng visa. Contact 96972939 / 96096723

Email : [email protected], [email protected]

Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp

seeks suitable position ina reputed

company. NOC available.

Contact 96789711

Civil Engineer 8 years experience

Structural buildings marine.

Available NOC release.

Contact: 92451323.


Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in

designing, assembling, commission-

ing execution etc having valid GCC

license too looking for a suitable.

Contact: 00968-98052942 Email:

[email protected]

HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+Diploma

Safety+NEBOSH+OSHA) over

10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release Letter

(NOC) available), seeking suit-

able placement, Mob:97061817,

Email:[email protected]

Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian

male 24 years with 1+years Indian

experience,(Certifi ed 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:

[email protected]

Indian male 26 B.Tech Civil Engi-

neer 3 year’s 8 months Experience

at building construction. In Oman

2 year’s experience N.O.C available

seeking suitable placement

Contact : 97396269


Mechanical Engineer & Project Manager Sudanese 29 yrs, more than 3 yrs experience in Mining Company,

Profession:Producti on & manufacturing, safety, fi re fi ghti ng designing,

Engineering Management, sales – Muscat, Oman. Contact 968 93642704,


An Iraqi civil with more than

30 years experience in (Iraq and

G.C.C) looking for a job, (N.O.C)

available. Contact: 96561306


Indian male, Mechanical

Engineer having 1year experi-

ence, on visit visa looking for

suitable job. Contact:97416564,


Civil Engineer 8 years experience

in Oman as a project engineer for

governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912

An experienced Chartered Accountant

With over 25 years in varied industries, presently working with

a reputed group in Muscat, looking out for a suitable change.

Contact - 96491030

ADMIN

Indian male, 14+ yrs exp in MNC,

seeks placement in Admin, HR

Offi cer Coordination, reservations.

Contact: 91497410 / 95762646

With 15 years of Gulf experience

in HR / Admin / logistics looking

for suitable position. Fluent in

Arabic / English with D/L.

Contact: 95824598

Indian female Graduate over 6

years of experience in Admin,

Sales, operation support looking for

suitable job. Contact: 94231020

Indian male Post Graduate in HR

19 years (8 Years in Oman) well

experienced in HR / Admin in Oil &

Gas, Construction fi elds with Oman

D/L seeks suitable position. Release

/ NOC available. Contact 92854993.

Indian male post Graduate with

MBA health care management

London 3 years administration

experience seeking job.

Contact: 98232007, Email:

[email protected]

Indian female with nearly 10

years of Oman experience in

Administration and HR, seeking

suitable placement. NOC available.

Contact: 99242841

25 Male BBA, 5 years experience

Administration offi cer, accounts,

purchaser, NOC. Contact 91329571

Indian male, 20 years experience

in Oman as personal assistant /

offi ce manager / executive sec-

retary / administrator / business

development assistant looking for

a change. holding Omani driving

license. local release available.

Contact 99168054

MANAGER, CIPD HR With 13 years experience in GCC and Oman. Competent in Sales, Marketi ng, Business operati on

and administrati on. Interested employer please call

97728418

Sr. Sales & Marketing SpecialistIndian male, Diploma Engineer with BBA & 16 yrs experience in Oman, worked with MNC in retail (Telecom/ Lubricant sales) and with construction industry handling various products & subcontract projects. Holding valid Oman D/L, NOC available.

Contact 96960991, Email : [email protected]

Looking for job, light driver.

Contact: 95141473

Searching job for my P.S Driver.

Contact: 91068299

Looking for job light driver.

Contact: 94365229 / 95582571

Driver with car. Contact:

93346085

Driver light vehicle from

Bangladeshi 5 years experience

in Oman 24 years Omani driving

license looking for job.

Contact: 98591812

Indian light driver looking for job.

Contact: 99089441

Heavy duty driver, 4 yrs Oman

exp seeks placement.

Contact: 93916645

GCC driver 10 yrs exp.

Contact: 93722881

Looking for light driving job 4 yrs

exp. in Muscat speaking Hindi,

Arabic & English.

Contact: 92965920

Driver with light duty license, 10

yrs experience. Contact: 92742722

Looking for a job as light driver,

4 years experience in Oman.

Contact: 97311715

Family driver. Contact: 97196448

Procurement / Commercial (Im-

port & Export) activities, Experi-

enced 17 yrs as Deputy Manager

in SAP & MS-Offi ce, Male Indian,

seeks suitable placement on visit.

Contact: 94629788

Autocad works, free lancer / part

time, experienced, arch, MEP, struc-

tural. Contact : 97103168

Revit, Autocad D/man, expected

salary 200 OMR PH :92279784

Structure Draughtsman for road &

bridges with 10 years experience

looking for suitable job in Oman.

Contact: 95914879 / 91023774

Email: omerkhayam68@yahoo.

com

Architectural Draftsmen diploma

in construction technology with 6

years experience in drafting and

detailing as per British standard

in Oman with valid Omani license

looking for suitable opportunity

Noc available. Call 94375897.

Filipino Senior Revit/AutoCAD

Draftsman with 20 years profes-

sional experience is looking for

suitable job in Oman. Please Con-

tact: 96489798, (+974) 66653780.

7+ years experience Multimedia

& Software Developer currently

working in Microsoft seeking suit-

able job. Contact: 968 93936878

Indian Male, MCA Graduate, 15 yrs

exp in ERP, CSM Certifi ed, seeking

suitable role.NOC Available.

Contact : GSM : 90189284


Indian male, B.SC Comp Science,

CCNA, MCP, 8 yrs of exp in System

and Network Support on visit visa

seeking suitable positions.

Contact: 91751472

IT PM available 10+ years experi-

ence six sigma black belt certifi ed

diverse background U.S Citizen.

Contact: + 968 94699818

Sudanese IT Developer with 2 years

experience. Contact: 94360181

Indian female M.Sc Computer

Science seeking suitable placement

in Muscat area. Contact: 98660672

IT Support Engineer, Exp 3 years

in Oman 2 years in India.

Contact: 94672759

IT support MCSA Network

Virtualization 1 year exp.

Contact: 98207829

5 years of experience in the post

of Networking Engineer holding

(CCNA – MCITP) Very good in Ara-

bic & English valid driving license.

Contact: 99813988

B.Tech (IT) experience in Network-

ing server & desktop management

in corporate environment looking

for suitable placement.

Contact: 92954613

South Indian, North Indian Cook having 13 yrs experience in cook-

ing fi eld, now on visiting visa

seeking for suitable job. Contact:

94598934 / 94638875 Email:

[email protected]

CATERING

Bangladeshi 5 year experience in

Muscat, Oman all location, 3 years

experience U.S.A Dubai, can speak

Arabic, English & Hindi.

Contact: 99327665

Temporary light Driver. Contact:

94022005

Looking for driving job experience

4 years. Contact: 95776320

Experience driver looking for job.

Contact: 95113612

Light vehicle driver 6 years

in Oman. Contact: 94260369 /

94035746

Telecommunication Engineer 35 years experience with Omantel

company, Hindi , English & Arabic.

Contact: 91204243 / 94372096 /

99751612

Site Supervisor, Diploma in

Civil Engg (cert attested) knows

autocad revit, salary exp: 250

Ph : 92279784

Civil Engineer diploma 3 years

5 years experience in supply

chain (warehouse logistics) pro-

curement. Contact: 90644186

Electrical B.Sc Engineer Pa-

kistani male 24 years looking

for a job. Contact: 94049812 /

92958112

Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech)

Indian male with 1 year experience

looking for job, qualifi cation in

Qa-Qc, HVAC & piping engineering.

Contact 90510800, Email :

[email protected]

Indian male B-tech 8 years expe-

rience as senior electrical project

engineer / QC engineer on visit

visa seeks suitable placement.

Contact 94094543


Sudanese Civil Structure Engineer 3 years looking for job

in reputable company AutoCAD,

Etabs, Staad Pro Omani driving

license available.

Contact: 97906770

Indian male, Structural Engineer

looking for job in structural design

fi eld. Having 6 years of experience

in design fi eld. Residing in Muscat.

Contact: 91176187

[email protected]

SALES / MARKETING

The Business Development Man-ager, Iraqi, exp. 15 Years Inside and

outside Oman following activities:

construction(Very strong and quali-

fi ed to bringing business for civil

work Or any type of the construction

work for many million per year with

a good exp. in pricing and collect

payment and cash fl ow & marketing

projects & investments & tenders &

real estate. Contact :- 92385033

10 years ICT Business develop-

ment & project management exp

in Oman looking for suitable sen-

ior position. Contact: 98987654

Required Sales Executive / Mer-

chandiser for consumer products

with minimum 3 years experience

and with valid Omani driving

license. Apply with full details to

[email protected]

Fax : 24597945

Indian male MBA Marketing and

PGDM HR seeking job.

Contact: 97127799


4 years experience in computer

hardware & Sales B.Com discontin-

ued . Contact: 99859970 / 90996171

Building material purchaser. Contact: 99053510

35 years male, Lebanese holding

British passport, 10 years of expe-

rience in procurement, Omani Gov-

ernment tenders, setup marketing

plans & strategies, importing,

Organizing events, management,

have car, NOC available.

Contact 94123939


Indian male MBA Sales Market-

ing business development with

10 years of vast experience 5

years GCC 5 years India excellent

communication skills presently in

Oman on visit visa looking

for best opportunity.

Contact: 97946069

Email: faizanahmad2308@yahoo.

com

Indian Male, 26 M.Com with 4

yrs of Experience in Accounting

& Administration in a Financial

Company in India, seeks suitable

job, Currently in India.

Contact: India:-+918907212253

Akhil:-93626288, Email:

[email protected]

Indian male 26 years having 4.5

years of experience in Oman as

Sales & Marketing having Oman

D/L visa, NOC / Release available

seeking for suitable post.

Contact: 98843139

MBA Marketing, Executive Post,

Omani Driving License available,

14 years Experience in Multina-

tional Groups in Sales & Marketing.

Contact 91685048

MISCELLANEOUS

B. Tech Electronics with MBA in

Marketing management, 27, Indian

male, 3 years in oman, looking for

suitable placement.

Contact: 90638539

BS in Electrical Engineering, Experience: 5 years(Power Plants).

Contact: 92475206 Email:

[email protected]

Indian male, 28, post graduate,

6+ yrs exp in Oman in sales (back

offi ce) & credit control with valid

Oman D/L looking for suitable

placements. NOC available.

Contact: 92066 523

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE

Wanted Offi ce Assistant familiar

with computer skill for an offi ce

at Hail North. Contact 98693693

sms only.

Secretary / Coordinator Indian

male 42 yrs total 16+ yrs experi-

ence having valid Oman driving

license, release available.

Contact: 98358897

Lady Secretary / Sales Co-co-

ordinator 12 years experience in

Oman in reputed companies,

seek immediate Employment.

Call: 95244761

Filipino Female, having exp in

Shipping, Forwarding and Lo-

gistics/Customer Support/Offi ce

and HR Administration with good

Communication and Computer

Skills. Looking for suitable posi-

tion. Contact: 96542559

Indian Male more than 10 years

gulf experience in Offi ce / Sales

Coordinator, Admin, Secretarial

and purchase with good com-

puter skills. Holding Oman Driving

license. Looking for suitable place-

ment. Contact 99709336

Looking for part time job Secre-tarial / Data Entry / Documenta-

tion available every day after 5:00

pm Friday / Saturday full day area

preferred Ruwi/ CBD/ MBD /

Al Khuwair. Contact: 90414827

DAILY GUIDEC6 S AT U R D AY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

Email: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

MISCELLANEOUS

SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

SERVICESWe Provide Cleaners,

Offi ce boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc.

Al Mudakhir Nati onal Est. LLC Contact : 94277020

A/C Maintenance & Servicing,

Fridge, Washing machine & Dish

washer repairing, Painting & Clean-

ing services, Electrical & plumbing.

Contact 99447257 / 97014234 /

24504281

Service & maintenance of split &

window A/C. Contact: 95273713

We do building maintenance all

kind of works. Contact 99247663

Water proofi ng ABUQABAS-

Contact 99320217/24788722

Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont

Maintenance services electric,

plumbing and A/C. Contact:

96524904 /94285064

Pest control & Building cleaning all kinds of pest control building. Cleaning ti les /

Marble polishing monthly/ Yearly contracts available.

Contact: 98814733 /98814740 Al Husn Cleaning L.L.C

Pest control treatments, Ocean center LLC

Contact 99344723

House shifting. Contact

99708138

Marble crystallization & grinding, cleaning & carpet shampooing.

Ocean center LLC.

Contact 99344723

Marble crystallization & grinding, Ocean center LLC

Contact: 99344723

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile

polishing, pest control &

anti-termite treatment, general

cleaning painting,Plumbing,

Electrical, shifting. Contact Mun-

dhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C.

Contact: 24810137, 99450130

CCTV, Computer Services at best

price. Contact 91289330

Complete building maintenance

Midawa Trading Est.

Contact: 94614479

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance. Contact ABU QA-

BAS- 99320217 /24788722

CAD drawings Archi/ MEP CAD –

comply BIM. Contact: 91233975

House Shifting Packing. Contact: 99657644 / 98518013

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing,

Contact 99314807/24792998

Split & window A/c servicing &

maintenance. Contact 93769089 /

95323517

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of

your marble. contact 24793614/

99314807

Window & split unit A.C servicing

& repairing. Contact: 99557080

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

Split unit & window unit A.C

servicing & maintenance.

Contact: 96236476

Split unit & widow unit A.C servic-

ing & maintenance.

Contact: 95323517 / 93769089

SITUATION WANTEDEDUCATION/CLASSES/COMP./WEB.

Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English

class for Malayalam Speakers in Azaiba and Ruwi

• Learn in two months• Satisfaction guaranteed

Tel: 95244310

Wanted partner handover 20% to 30% running building Construction

Company. Contact: 97491117

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

MANPOWER

TRANSPORTATION

Picking and drop Al Khuwair

to Rusayl. Contact 91287470 /

98957524

Transportation available Ruwi to

Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909

Transportation. Contact:

95190627

Transportation required from

Qurum to WadiKabir at afternoon

only 1 PM. Contact - 99012165

Transportation. Contact 9508282

Transportation. Contact

92015894

DRIVING

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

SALES / MARKETING

13 years experienced Salesman

seeking job, holds valid Omani

driving license. NOC also available,

needs visa change urgently, expe-

rience in mobiles and electronics

sale. Contact: 97900338

Male Indian 36 years market-

ing Sales 12 years experience M.A

degree currently on visit visa ready

to join. Contact: 00968 94068878


4 years experienced Automobile

Marketing/Sales Manager of Indian

origin, 25yrs age on visiting visa

seeks suitable job in Oman.

Contact 95298876.

Pakistani male, Graduate over

9 years experience in Procure-

ment, Warehouse & Logistics,

looking for suitable placement

currently on visit visa.

Contact: 968 91257663 ,


Indian male 37 years MBA

graduate in marketing with 9yrs of

experience in UAE in fi eld of brand

promotions & marketing with UAE

D/L on a visit seeking suitable

position. Conatct 95792820

2 years Diploma Health and

Safety IOSH managing safely

OHS academy 48 hours Manager

level HABC fi re safety, bachelors

in Commerce and Post Graduate

Finance 3 years experience in

Construction & General Industry.

Contact 93107730

SCM / LOGISTICS/ PROCURE-

MENT - 25 Yrs exp - Indian Male

- Oil & Gas, Manufacturing Sector

- Having valid Oman D/L & NOC

available. Seeks Challenging sen-

ior position. GSM-94236414,

Email ID - [email protected]

Planning Engineer, BE Mech

Engg. Indian Female having total

11 yrs exp in oil & gas projects (8+

yrs in Gulf) with valid Oman D/L,

Seeks a Suitable job.

Contact: 92456003

Fresh B.Com Graduate in visit

visa looking for a job. Contact:

93518923 / 99075027.


Light Duty Driver, Fluent in

English, Arabic. Well knowledge of

Oman Areas looking for suitable

placement. Contact 97950869

Part- Time Accountant, well experi-

enced senior accountant ,capable of

doing all type of accounting works

up to fi nalization, Budgeting, Bank

fi nancing requirements, taxation

work etc available. # : 98803439

Indian/male (25)/ MBA/2 years

experience in channel sales and

distribution management. on visit

visa, available for immediate join-

ing. Contact: 96914068,


Admin Assistant. Having 5 years

experience in admin department

in reputed companies, presently

working in Muscat (NOC Available).

GSM. 00968-98404122, mail -

[email protected]

Import & Export professional,

Experienced as Asst. Commercial

Manager for 15 years, Profi cient in

MS offi ce, Male Indian, Seeks suita-

ble placement, on Visit, #95484684

Indian male, 33 yrs, MBA-HR

generalist with 10 yrs including

training of Omani nationals.NOC

possible .Seeking a suitable job.

Contact :[email protected],

94179499

Indian male, 40 Years, B. Com,

having 10 years experience in

Oman, Tally & ERP- looking for

suitable placement ( NOC and

Oman driving license available.

Contact +91 89 43 109897

Rajeev. [email protected]

Safety offi cer, 3 years of experi-

ence in safety certifi cations: BE

(electrical and electronics engi-

neering), NEBOSH, IOSH, DHSE,

fi rst aid. Contact +97474018995,

mail:[email protected],

skype:midhunmike

Looking for a part time accounting

& admin job. Contact 99196621.

Indian male, network cabling tech-

nician (19 years Gulf experience)

seeking for suitable placement.

NOC available. Contact : 0091-

8089909265 (India),

E mail: [email protected]

Indian male 26 years, Graduate in

BBM & having Diploma in Logistics

with 3 years of experience in

Banking and Accounts looking for

suitable placement. Contact : + 968

97166820/ +91 9895102356

Email :[email protected]

Indian/male(25)/MBA /2 years

experience in channel sales and

distribution management. on visit

visa. available for immediate join-

ing. Contact: 96914068,


Indian male,B.Com + Dip. Logistic

2year experience looking for a job

in Accounts/Logistics Field. Pres-

ently on Visit Visa # 93884951,


Electronics Technician , 4 Years

experience as Electronics service

engineer. Knowledge in all type of

Electronics items. Looking for suit-

able placement. GSM- 99105043

Indian male, 40 Years, B. Com,

having 10 years experience in

Oman, Tally & ERP- looking for

suitable placement ( NOC and

Oman driving license available)

Tel- +91 89 43 109897

Rajeev. [email protected]

Assistant Accountant - B.Com

Graduate with excellent overall

skills. 2 Years of experience. Ready

for immediate joining.

Contact: [email protected],

968-92049215

HSE Engineer,Indian male, 5.5

Plus years Experience in Oil & Gas

Working in Shclumberger

NEBOSH,IOSH, & NDT Certifi ed, M

Tech in HSE. CONTACT-

[email protected]

Mobile- +91 9867016808

Software Engineer with 5 + plus

years of experience in Infosys

ltd on visit visa seeking suit-

able vacancy in oman. Email :

steff [email protected] mob:

96896246205 / 96897032284

Indian male, 24 yrs, B. Com Gradu-

ate more than 1 year experienced

in accounts planning to come for a

family visit in oman seeking for a

suitable placement .

Contact : 99339544 / 99743709

Electrical & Electronics diploma

engineer Indian male 22 years,

2 years experience currently in

visit visa. Contact 93047707

[email protected]

IT professional, B.E. in IT, CCNA,

MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT, valid

Omani D/L seeking suitable place-

ment in IT/Network/Server sup-

port/Retail sales. # 91496939.

*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text,

should be done till 12.00 noon for next

day’s publication. * Subject to space availability


TOURS

TOURS

RENT A CAR

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP

specifi cation for monthly rent &

small car with driver.

Contact: 99839898

SITUATION WANTEDCARGO

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

Moon Travel L.L.CSaudi Arabian Government approved agent

Contact: Tariq Al Balushi - 99218069 Ahmed Maseehuddin - 99353611, O ce: 24790746/24706217

Umrah Package by Road & AirBus Departures- Apr 19, May 03, 17 & 31.2016

Ramadan Schedule - Jun 06, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26 & 30.2016

RENT A CARBest Rates for Saloon

Contact: 97869042 / 95730550

[email protected]

SITUATION WANT-

ED

BUSINESSSITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

Required partner investor to

build an apartment in Al Mobelah.

Contact: 99355330

WEB, ERP and Business Intel-

ligence (BI) creation and manage-

ment at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

Investment opportunity for

lucrative building and decorative

product. Contact: 99421513


Tender board registered Con-

struction Company for lease / run.

Contact: 92841089

Business Partner required for a

running insurance company.

Contact: 92821312

MISCELLANEOUS

Indian B-Com Graduate 1 year

Experience in market survey,

Valid Driving License, looking for

any suitable post. #92567020 /

96930392, [email protected]

Indian male, M. Com, 11 years

experience in the fi eld of account-

ancy and Stores. Good knowledge

in SAP, Tally, oracle, MS offi ce and

Excel seeks suitable placement.

Contact 92859733

Indian male, M.Com, 7 years

Oman experience in the fi eld of

accounts and valid oman driving

license & NOC . Good knowledge

in SAP, Tally, oracle, MS offi ce and

Excel seeks suitable placement.

Contact 92859733

Indian male 42, BE-Civil 13 years

experience in Road construction.

looking for suitable placement.

having valid Oman driving license.

Contact: 95225214, Email:

[email protected]

Indian Female on a visit visa hav-

ing master degree seeking suitable

placement in any fi eld, 1 ,5 year

experience in HR .

Contact 91467576.

Bachelor in Hotel Management

Having 13 years experience in

Catering Industry in all aspects of

Operations with D/L looking out

for a suitable placement.

Contact 90654826


Indian Female looking for a part

time opportunity (Graphic Design/

Teaching/Research Assistant/

Business Development/Admin-

istration) Contact: 95811820 or

[email protected]

Indian female 10 years exp as cook

in Oman. South Indian &

Gujarati special looking for job,

company or restaurant. #90559292

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com

Finance-Indian with 7 years expe-

rience in Finance & Accounts up

to fi nalization. Having D/L & NOC.

Mob:94122464,

[email protected]

Tea boy looking for job Name:

Man Bahadar Contact: 97859837

Indian Female, M.Sc Computer

Science, Seeking suitable place-

ment in Muscat Area.#98660672

Indian Female, 29 Yrs Age, M.Sc

Microbiology, looking for Job any

reputed organization / Hospitals,

seeks suitable position.

Contact : 95218424 / 9610 6604.

On Family Residence Visa.

IT professional, B.E. in IT, CCNA,

MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT, valid

Omani D/L seeking suitable place-

ment in IT/Network/Server sup-

port/Retail sales. #91496939.

Indian Male B-Com Graduate

1 year, experience in market sur-

vey, Valid Driving License,

looking for any suitable post.

Contact: 92567020 / 96930392

Indian male, M. Com with 3 yr

Oman Exp in Accounts with valid

NOC & D/L on Visit Visa, available to

join immediately . GSM :94744575

Indian Male 30 year GCC driving

license and past experience as

project coordinator looking for a

suitable position. Project Coordina-

tion, Sales Executive, Marketing

Executive or any other suitable

post. Contact number -97070427

C8 S AT U R D AY, M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDEEmail: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTEDDINING DELIGHTS

SITUATION WANTEDDINING DELIGHTS

times of oman - may 14, 2016

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