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

085010 1200106May 23, 2016 16 Sha’aban 1437 AH

MONDAY

40 78

We have continued to work in the closest co-operation and brotherly accord with the Arab League for the advancement of the Arab cause. This will ever remain a cornerstone of our national policy.

On the occasion of the 7th National Day, 1977

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

OMAN380kg fish seized

1A large quantity of fi sh unfi t for consumption has been confi scated. >A6

REGIONHunt on for black box

2Submarine deployed to hunt for crashed EgyptAir plane’s black box. >A8

SPORTSOman humble Nigeria

3Oman beat Nigeria by 181 runs in a WCL Division 5 match. >C1

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

A5Indian School Salalah students break past records

MORNING MINUTE

Staff Reporter

MUSCAT: A new mobile app for paying traffi c fi nes is being tested by Royal Oman Police. The app is still in development stage and limited trials have taken place within the traffi c department, a police spokesman confi rmed. “We are testing the app by choos-ing random individuals in the traffi c department and seeking their response,” he added.

R O Y A L O M A N P O L I C E

Trial scheme puts cameras inside restaurant kitchens and butchers

CCTV scheme to monitor hygiene, set to be rolled out to more in 2016

Turn to >A2

WE’RE WATCHING

SAYYID FAHD MEETS MANOHAR PARRIKARHis Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers yesterday received Manohar Parrikar, Minister of Defence of India and his accompanying delegation. >A6

Details of murders revealedStaff Reporter

MUSCAT: Five people have been arrested by the Royal Oman Po-lice in the two murder cases.

Colonel Aqeel bin Abdullah Al Ajmi, Director of Criminal Intel-ligence in South Al Batinah, said that two people had been arrest-ed for a murder in Saih Al A’jal in Wadi Al Ma’awel on May 16.

“Barka police received a report

about one missing citizen in Saih Al A’jal in Wadi Al Ma’awel. The police formed a team to start the investigation,” said Al Ajmi.

He said the body was found buried in the same area by citi-zens and the police force. The police report shows that the body had gunshot wounds The inves-tigation resulted in the arrest of two people.

In another murder case in Bar-

ka, the colonel said the probe be-gan after Barka Police received a report about a missing citizen.

“The investigation led to the arrest of a man who admitted his crime during the questioning,” said Al Ajmi. He added that the accused had entered the house of the deceased at night and killed him with a piece of wood and a sharp tool after a fi ght over fi nan-cial dispute. >A6

B A R K A

App for traffi c fi nes tested

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A2 M O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

OMANEducation is therefore a priority area within Oman Air’s comprehensive CSR programme

Khalid Abdulwahab Al Balushi, senior manager for government aff airs and head of CSR programme, Oman Air

Medical tests, vaccination a must ahead of Haj pilgrimageTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Citizens opting to go for Haj have been advised to undergo medical examination and vaccination ahead of the pil-grimage this year, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said.

In a statement, the MoH said medical examination and vac-cination can be conducted be-tween May 22 and June 4, 2016. “Persons who have received a text message approval from the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Aff airs should go to health insti-tutions,” it said.

The vaccinations which are re-quired include Quadra-vaccina-tion against meningococcal men-ingitis and seasonal Infl uenza.

“Quadra-vaccination against meningococcal meningitis pro-vides a three-year-immunity. Hence all those who have been administered the same vaccine in the last three years and hold rel-evant documents to prove this are exempted from this vaccine,” the statement said.

Regarding seasonal infl uenza vaccine, it said that the vaccine provides seasonal immunity and should be repeated annual-ly. “These vaccines are essential to enter the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as requested by the healthcare authorities there,” it

added. The requirements while visiting health institutions in-clude an identity card or pass-port for Omanis, a resident card for non-Omanis that should be completed as part of the proce-dures laid down by the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Aff airs.

“All pilgrims (going on pilgrim-age) this year must adhere to and comply with the above men-tioned instructions in order to prevent the spread of these pre-ventable diseases and to protect public health,” it added.

H E A L T H

These vaccines are essential

to enter the Kingdom of Saudi

Arabia as requested by the

healthcare authorities there.

Students fl y high with Oman AirTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Oman Air fl ew a del-egation of Omani students to the recently held Arabian Travel Market (ATM) at Dubai’s World Trade Centre, the airline said.

In an offi cial communiqué, Oman Air said the students of Oman Tourism College and the German University of Technol-ogy in Muscat were able to make the most of the event’s many sem-inars and conferences.

“In addition to listening to thought-provoking debates and research, market data, trends and case studies presented by lead-ing industry fi gures, the students were able to broaden their knowl-edge about the many global and

regional suppliers who exhibited at the ATM,” the statement said.

Social responsibilityQuoting Khalid Abdulwahab Al Balushi, senior manager for gov-ernment aff airs and head of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme at Oman Air, it said, “Oman Air recognises that education is one of the fun-damental building blocks of our nation’s future prosperity.

“Education is therefore a pri-ority area within Oman Air’s comprehensive CSR programme. This latest initiative has provided opportunities for students who would otherwise not have been able to participate in the Arabian Travel Market.”

A R A B I A N T R A V E L M A R K E T

Cameras in restaurants to help make sure your food is hygienic

FAHAD AL GHADANI REJIMON K fahadnews@timesofoman.com reji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Restaurants and fast-food joints in Oman have been placed under CCTV surveillance in an eff ort to protect the public from poor hygiene.

Eateries popular with tourists

already have a direct video link to ministry offi cials, who watch food being prepared in kitchens from the ministry HQ.

A senior ministry offi cial said all restaurants in the Sultanate would be covered by the end of 2016.

The ministry has installed cam-eras in the kitchens and storerooms of 10 ministry-approved restau-

rants, including tourist locations, fast food centres, butchers and slaughter houses as part of a trial.

Keeping a tab“By the end of this year, we will be installing more cameras in other restaurants. This is to keep a tab on food hygiene and safety. It is part of an initiative started three years ago,” Mansoor Al Hilal, the head of

slaughterhouse and meat produc-tion, said.

“We will be able to monitor the activities online. Warnings also can be issued online,” the offi cial said, adding that a fi ne will be im-posed if a violation is repeated for a third time.

According to Ahmed bin Ab-dullah Al Shehhi, Minister of Re-gional Municipalities and Water

Resources, the trial project can help reduce the number of food safety violations and improve the effi ciency and capacity of the health control departments in municipalities.

Confi dentialityThe minister added that the pro-ject enjoys full confi dentiality and comes under the Municipalities Regulation Law issued by Royal Decree No. 96/2000 as stated in Article 16 of the food safety Law promulgated by Royal Decree No. 84/2008 that regulators regulate all means of food transport and in-spection at any time.

Robert MacLean, principal at the National Hospitality Institute, said that this system will give a minimal cover for food safety is-sues but will leave many areas still needing to be covered.

“It is a brave eff ort to try to im-prove something like this through simple technology. However there are many issues to deal with in the safe storage, preparation, cooking and service of food to the public,” Robert said.

“Globally, there are cameras in food places often for security and general health and safety. Kitchens are hot steamy places where cameras are not often very

successful,” Robert said, adding that the Food Safety Academy at the NHI are in discussions with Muscat Municipality whereby food places will have to show evi-dence of staff training and inspec-tions before they can renew their food licences.

Aamir Ansari, a Muscat-based student who loves to dine outside, feels that the move to install cam-eras will help to catch food safety violators.

“This will help authorities to monitor properly and take appro-priate action against violators. Let this move be widened to all res-taurants so that we can enjoy the food with confi dence that it is pre-pared under hygienic conditions,” Aamir added.

CampaignRecently, as part of its campaign to protect the health and safety of consumers and residents, the authority had conducted raids at joints which were not only operat-ing without required permissions but also preparing food under un-hygienic conditions.

It had also cleared a number of areas along the seaside in Bausher where vendors were illegally sell-ing Omani grilled meat, known as mashakeek.

Cameras have

been installed in

the kitchens and

storerooms of 10

ministry-approved

restaurants, including

tourist locations, fast

food centres, butchers

and slaughter houses

as part of a trial

All restaurants

in the Sultanate

would be covered

by the end of 2016,

a senior official

of the Ministry

of Regional

Municipalities

and Water

Resources said

A3

OMANM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

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General infl ation in Oman lowest among GCC countries

MUSCAT: At 0.01 per cent, Oman registered the lowest rate of general infl ation among the Gulf Cooperation Council coun-tries in the month of March , ac-cording to the general infl ation index for the regional group.

For the group as a whole, the general infl ation fi gure regis-tered a rise of 1.8 per cent in the month of March 2016 against the same period last year.

The general infl ation index takes into account the prices of food and beverages, transport, restaurants and hotels, and to-bacco products but excludes housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels.

Saudi Arabia saw the highest infl ation rate with 4.3 per cent, followed by Bahrain and Qa-tar at 3.3 per cent each. Kuwait came next with 3.1 per cent fol-lowed by UAE with 1.4 per cent and the Sultanate 0.1 per cent for the same period.

Tobacco registered the high-est infl ation rate of 13.9 per cent while transport registered an increase of 2.4 per cent, food and beverages rose 1.3 per cent while restaurants and hotel group fell by 0.6 per cent.

The infl ation rate in food and beverages group has seen an in-crease in March 2016 against the same month last year in most GCC countries. The group saw a rise of 4.1 per cent in Ku-wait followed by Bahrain with 3.9 per cent, UAE with 2.7 per cent and Saudi Arabia with 0.6 per cent against a fall in Qatar by 5.4 per cent, UAE by 3.7 per cent and Oman by 0.4 per cent.

The transport group saw an increase for the same period in Bahrain by 13.1 per cent, fol-lowed by Saudi Arabia with 12.4 per cent, Qatar with 1.5 per cent, Oman with 1. 9 per cent and Kuwait by 1.4 per cent. -ONA

MARCH

T I M E S O F O M A NM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6 T I M E S O F O M A NA4

OMAN

Indian School Sur students excel at examinations

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Indian School Sur re-corded a hundred per cent pass ratio in the Class XII CBSE Exami-nations 2016.

Nidha Nourin stood fi rst with a total of 472 marks out of 500, fol-lowed by Aromal Ashok with 439 and Nufaila Sherin in the third place with 421. Out of the 16 stu-dents who appeared, 14 scored 60 per cent or above.

CongratulationsThe school management commit-tee’s president, Shajahahan, and Principal Narayanikutty congratu-lated the students and appreciated the eff ort put in by the teachers.

S U C C E S S Parents advised to remain friendly, not push too hard

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Parents should be friendly, supportive, and must not push their children too hard, a post result CBSE Counsellor said on Sunday.

Her comments came after the Central Board of Secondary Edu-cation (CBSE) was announced in the capital area on Saturday.

“The school results are not the last thing. There are a lot of op-

portunities which are coming up,” said Dr Sridevi P. Thashnath, Principal of Indian School Dar-sait, who was reappointed for the third consecutive year as the Post Result CBSE Counsellor to provide counselling services to students and their parents to overcome common psychological problems and fi eld general que-ries after the declaration of Class

X Class XII results. She also said the children should be respected and given some space.

“The last thing the parents should ever show is their anxiety regarding their children,” she said.

The Central Board of Second-ary Education, in a statement, said the counselling sessions will begin from May 21 and will last till June 4, 2016.

“These will be conducted from 12 noon to 4 pm. It is a voluntary, free of cost service that students of Indian schools across the Sul-tanate of Oman can avail off ,” the statement said.

The Central Board of Second-ary Education Counselling is an outreach programme which is carefully designed keeping the heterogeneity of students’ popula-

tion and its geographical spread. The CBSE’s tele-counselling

service is largely off ered by trained counsellors and princi-pals from within the CBSE affi li-ated schools located in India and outside India.

A total of 63 experts, including principals, trained counsellors from the CBSE-affi liated govern-ment and private schools and a few psychologists will be available for tele-counselling.

Out of these, 51 are from India and 12 from outside India, includ-ing Nepal, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Dammam), Oman, the UAE (Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah) and Kuwait.

This is the 19th consecutive year that the CBSE is providing counselling services to students and parents.

During this phase, counselling facility for diff erently-abled chil-dren has also been arranged to take care of the needs and anxi-eties of special children with re-gard to the exam result.

The students and parents who require assistance may reach the principal at 99432243 or is-doman@gmail.com from 12 noon to 4 pm.

The school results

are not the last thing.

There are a lot of

opportunities which

are coming up, said

a post result CBSE

Counsellor, Dr Sridevi

P. Thashnath

ADVICE: The Central Board of Secondary Education, in a statement, said the counselling sessions

will begin from May 21 and will last till June 4, 2016.

83% parents happy with private schools, shows NCSI surveyMUSCAT: In a survey on the qual-ity of education in private schools in the Sultanate the satisfaction in-dex of parents was 83 per cent, ac-cording to the National Centre for Statistics & Information (NCSI). The satisfaction index showed a score of 83 per cent in terms of assessment mechanisms and en-gagement with parents while the fi nancial costs of education scored 75 per cent.

The curriculum at private schools logged a satisfaction rate of 94 per cent, followed by safety of children at 93 per cent. Focus on moral and religious values and traditions, as well as support for children with special needs re-ceived a score of 91 per cent.

Among the lowest scores are the school buses and transport service, and the food off ered at the school café, with both scoring just 79 per cent. The satisfaction rate with regard to sports and games courts stood at 80 per cent. The progress report of students indicated a score of 88 per cent in terms of ease of comprehension, accurate assessment of students’ academic capabilities, and keen-ness of authorities to communi-cate the status to parents.

Organising seminars, events and other activities related to the curriculum and the extent to which parents are involved in such functions scored a satisfac-tion index of 71 per cent while school authorities’ initiative in encouraging parents to join school boards and accepting parents’ views and suggestions scored 80 per cent.

The level of satisfaction with respect to the costs of fi eld trips

and various activities stood at 85 per cent while cost of school uni-forms got a score of 84 per cent. Tuition fee showed a score of 59 per cent while transportation charges scored 61 per cent.

The results of the poll showed that 3 out of every 5 parents pre-ferred private schools to govern-ment schools because of better quality of education and curricu-lum. Quality of language train-ing came second at 22 per cent while proximity of residence to school was the reason for 18 per cent of parents to choose private schools.

Three out of every fi ve Omani students in private schools use school bus to go to school while 38% use private transportation (family/neighbour’s vehicles). A small percentage (2 per cent) go by foot or use a bicycle. Taxi ser-vice is used by 1 per cent.

The average distance between the student’s house and school is about 7.2 km, and 10 per cent of schools are located less than a kil-ometre away from their homes. The average annual cost of edu-cation per student in special edu-cation schools is OMR20,00 for secondary stage (post-primary) and OMR1,200 for in kindergar-ten and basic education, but the costs vary signifi cantly depend-ing on the school and nature of education.

As many as 29 per cent of the parents surveyed stressed on im-proving teachers’ competence, followed by a quarter of parents emphasising the importance of upgrading curriculum, so as to meet global standards and job market requirements. — ONA

S T A T I S T I C S

Results give Muladha school students reason to smileTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Indian School Mu-ladha students are happy with their Class XII results .

Ashisha Ann Saji topped in the Commerce stream, followed by Aloshys Alby and Gokul Pramod K P. Out of the 47 stu-dents who took the exam, 16 got distinction, 28 fi rst class and three high second class.

In Science stream, Umair Asif Siddiqui and Neelima Vi-nod came fi rst, followed by Baby Akter while Afreen Sofi and Binte Marium shared the third position with a score of 92.2 per cent. Out of the 33 stu-dents who appeared, 30 secured distinctions and three got high fi rst class with 71 per cent being the least marks scored, which speaks high about the reputa-tion of the school.

M A T T E R O F J O Y

T I M E S O F O M A N M O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6T I M E S O F O M A N A5

Indian School Sohar scripts yet another success storyTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Indian School Sohar witnessed yet another ecstatic day of academic accomplishment as its students scored 100 per cent result. The school’s pledge to stand out unrivalled in academ-ics echoed in this year’s glittering results.

In the Science Stream, Swap-nil Gupta, scoring an aggregate of 95.8 per cent, secured the fi rst position in the school. The sec-ond position was secured by Ance Mariya Benny with 95.6 per cent and the third was bagged by Rol-lin Fernandes who scored 95.2 per cent marks.

In the Commerce Stream, Jow-an M. Jomon scored 86 per cent to bag the top position, while Anju Babu came second with 85 per cent and Abel Jose secured the third place with 84 per cent.

Principal Sanchita Verma ob-served that the reverberating feat was largely owing to the deep commitment of the students.

G L I T T E R I N G R E S U L T S

Pupils of Indian School Salalah break previous marks recordsTimes News Service

MUSCAT: At Indian School Sala-lah two students - Rubin Jacob and Yusuf Ali - earned a perfect 100 in chemistry.

Further, both students broke the school’s previous records by scor-ing 97.8 per cent and 96.8 per cent, respectively, in class 12 CBSE board exams.

In the science stream, Rubin Ja-cob topped the school, followed by Yusuf Ali and Zaki Abdul Cassim. Out of 56 students who appeared in the exam, 46 received distinc-tion above 75 per cent while 10 se-cured marks between 60 per cent and 74 per cent.

In commerce, Shubha topped, followed by Mohammed Amir Hussainand Mubasher Tariq. Out of 69 students, 33 students received distinctions and 27 stu-dents earned scores between 60 and 74 in the commerce stream.

The highlights of the results in-cluded 18 students securing more than 90 per cent in aggregate.

P E R F E C T S C O R E

A6

OMANM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

In such intense conditions, climbers would wear specialist footwear, but we were not expecting it to be as intense, we tried the climb without such footwear and that made it harder for us to move

Mohammed Al Touqi, instructors from OBO

Fahd, Parrikar review bilateral relations, progress in all fi eldsMUSCAT: His Highness Sayy-id Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers yesterday received Manohar Parrikar, Min-ister of Defence of India and his accompanying delegation.

The Indian minister conveyed the greetings of the country’s leadership along with the best wishes of continuous success to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and his government, and the Omani people further progress and prosperity.

The leaders reviewed coopera-tion between the countries and their remarkable progress at all levels, in addition to reviewing the opportunities of investment in the two countries.

Expressing delight over his visit, Parrikar affi rmed that India highly esteems the Sultanate and its wise leadership for the achievements made, as well as its construc-tive role in cementing relations

of friendship and understanding among nations around the world. The Indian minister also com-mended the talks conducted with the offi cials in the Sultanate. He also expressed satisfaction over the outcomes of meetings on Om-

ani-Indian relations.The meeting was attended by

Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib Al Busaidi, Minister Responsible for Defence Aff airs and Indra Mani Pandey, Indian ambassador to the Sultanate. -ONA

E X P L O R E I N V E S T M E N T O P P O R T U N I T I E S

CEMENTING TIES: The Indian minister conveyed the greetings of

the country’s leadership along with the best wishes of continuous

success to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. – ONA

Oman team braves bad weather in Iran peak bid

DEEBA HASAN deeba@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A group of Oman-based climbers recently attempted to climb the 5,671 metres high Mount Damavand in Iran, but re-turned after they were only 671 metres away from the summit due to extreme weather conditions and safety reasons.

Seven climbers from the Out-ward Bound Oman (OBO), includ-ing six Omanis and one Moroccan, took up the challenge and recently attempted to climb Mount Dama-vand, the highest volcano in Asia and the tallest peak in the Middle East and West Asia.

After reaching 5,000 metres, however, the group had to turn back due to bad weather which brought strong winds and intense cold that kept them from reaching the summit.

To acclimatise themselves with

the Iranian terrain, the group had successfully climbed Mount Tochal, whose summit rises to 3,993 metres. They accomplished this with their own equipment and then set out to greater heights to Mount Damavand using mules to carry their bags.

Once the members reached 4,250 metres at Mount Damavand, they split and tried getting to the summit taking diff erent routes, but had to return at 5,000 metres.

The group left Muscat for Iran on May 13 and returned on May 20. Two instructors from Outward Bound Oman -- Mohammed Al Touqi and Sokayna El Hadad -- were part of the team of seven.

Like other parts of the world, Iran has had a long harsh win-ter and by mid-May, much of the snow is usually gone, but this year Damavand was covered in more snow than usual.

“In such intense conditions, climbers would wear specialist footwear, but because we were not expecting it to be as intense, we tried the climb without such foot-wear and that made it harder for us to move,” said Mohammed Al Touqi, one of the two instructors from OBO.

“The OBO was the only group to attempt to climb the summit that day. Others kept away due to

the weather. For safety reasons, it wasn’t possible to continue past 5,000 metres,” Sokayna El Hadad, the other instructor from OBO, said. The team greatly enjoyed their trip to Iran, and described the scenery and Tehran as stunning. Everybody achieved personal suc-cesses, many challenging them-selves more than ever before. They can all be proud that they con-quered Mount Tochal and were very close to the summit of Mount Damavand under extreme weather conditions.

“An ascent of Damavand em-bodies all that Outward Bound stands for. It is a non-technical mountain, but a climb requires participants to draw upon their inner resolve, initiative, physical fi tness and determination to suc-ceed,” said Mark Evans, General Manager of OBO.

After reaching 5,000

metres, the group

had to return due to

bad weather which

brought strong

winds and intense

cold that kept them

from reaching Mount

Damavand summit

BRAVE FEAT: Mount Damavand is the highest volcano in Asia and the tallest peak in the Middle East

and West Asia. – Supplied photo

Alawi to take part in Turkey Summit

MUSCAT: Delegated by His Maj-esty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, You-suf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minis-ter Responsible for Foreign Aff airs and his accompanying delegation left on Sunday for Istanbul to lead the Sultanate’s delegation taking part in the World Humanitarian Summit 2016 due to be hosted by Turkey during May 23 and May 24.

The summit is held under the aegis of the United Nations (UN). More than 70 heads of states, in-cluding many NGOs and civil so-ciety organisations will take part in the summit.The summit aims at developing a new strategy for humanitarian work in light of in-creasing disasters and crises being witnessed by the world.

The Sultanate will take part in the summit by a delegation com-prising representatives of Min-istry of Legal Aff airs, Ministry of Social Development, NHRC and Foreign Ministry. -ONA

H U M A N I T A R I A N S U M M I T

Fish unfi t for human consumption seizedStaff Reporter

MUSCAT: A large quantity of fi sh unfi t for consumption was seized by offi cials from Seeb Cen-tral Market, the Muscat Munici-pality tweeted on its offi cial twit-ter handle.

“380 kg of fi sh unfi t for hu-man consumption were seized by authorities last week,” the tweet read.

On March 30, as part of its ef-forts to ensure proper food safety standards, Muscat Municipality had seized more than 200kg of fi sh unfi t for consumption.

In another incident, the civic authority had seized 230kg of fi sh from Seeb Central Market.

According to recent govern-

ment statistics, until the end of January this year, 24,291 tonnes of fi sh were caught in Oman.

“The total sale value of the fi sh was OMR24 million approxi-mately,” the statistics revealed. In 2015, January it was OMR17 mil-lion approximately.

S E E B

Minimum capital need abolition to give SMEs a fi llipBABA UMARbabaumar@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Abolishing the re-quirement of OMR150,000 as minimum capital investment to start a business will help launch “hundreds” of new enterprises, according to experts.

Oman’s decision to abandon the minimum capital require-ment for investment in Oman is being hailed, with experts say-ing the decision will help expand small businesses, overhaul the economy and spur investments following the drop in oil prices.

“The decision will contribute to the healthy growth of SMEs (small and medium-sized en-terprises) because it will reduce the number of steps they must go through before starting a busi-ness in Oman. It’s a signifi cant step,” Khalid bin Al Safi Al Haribi, Deputy CEO for Operations, Ri-yada (Public Authority for SMEs Development) told the Times of Oman (TOO).

“It’s diffi cult to quantify but ac-cording to our estimates, it could infl uence hundreds of SMEs in a year,” he said.

Earlier on Saturday, the minis-try of commerce announced the decision to scrap the capital re-quirement threshold (currently OMR150,000) in a bid to attract more local and foreign investment in the Sultanate.

“It will increase the number of non-Omanis willing to invest in Oman. In the past, it was neces-sary to physically bring papers and evidence to prove the liquid-ity of your business. That rule has gone now,” he said.

Foreign investors will, however, continue to have a local partner with at least a 35 percent stake.

“It (the rule) is still there,” Al Haribi said.

“It’s a good decision,” said An-vwar Al Balushi, chairman of the Anvwar Asian Investment Group.

“This will encourage foreign-ers as well locals…This is just a

beginning. Also, any ministry con-nected with the commerce minis-try should also be fl exible as it will ensure a healthy environment for investment in Oman,” he said.

Others lauding the decision said Oman needs to move from resource economy to manufactur-ing and servicing industry.

“The decision will encour-age entrepreneurs who do not have much capital but have lots of ideas,” said an investment expert, who wished to remain anonymous.

“But Oman needs to move from being a resource-based economy to manufacturing and other services industries. This move should help in changing the economic structure. It has taken many years but it’s a move in (the) right direction,” he said.

He said Oman, in the future, also needs to do away with the ‘local partner’ clause.

“Sponsorship is a double edged sword. Doing away with it in the long term will benefi t. In the UAE, there are certain areas where you don’t need a local part-ner to invest,” he said, hastened to add, “It, however, also depends on the market.”

Members of the Oman Cham-ber of Commerce and Industry said the decision will help those who are serious about doing busi-ness in Oman but faced problems previously.

“The idea is to give much more confi dence to the private sector,” Ahmed Al Hooti of the OCCI told the Times of Oman.

He said having a local sponsor makes things easier for an expat investor.

“Logically, the local partner makes things easier. In many cases, we’ve found that people (expats) who start a business and have knowledge about the coun-try still face a lot of problems. We encourage them to have a local partner for logistic, marketing and management reasons,” Al Hooti added.

O M R 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 B A R

Call for training scheme to boost Omanisation

MUSCAT: Programmes for training and employment of na-tionals in the electricity and wa-ter sector were recommended at a meeting held to discuss the ministerial decision to increase Omanisation in the sector.

The Omanisation Joint Com-mittee of the electricity and wa-ter sector held the discussion at

the Ministry of Manpower after fi eld visits by members of its working team to relevant author-ities to get the initial information.

The project is expected to help increase the demand for the em-ployment of national manpower and raise the effi ciency of con-tractors working in the electric-ity and water sector. -ONA

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

Murders

“The probe shows that the fi ght was due to a money issue,” said Al Ajmi. He added the deceased was bound by electric cables and placed in the boot of the accused’s car. Two others in-volved in the crime who helped the accused bury the body at Hai Asim Beach in Barka were also arrested.

The fi ve accused admitted to their crimes and were referred to the Public Prosecution for further legal action.

B A R K A

< FROM

A1

Oman, India renew military cooperationMUSCAT: Oman and India signed the renewal of Memoran-dum of Understanding (MoU) related to military cooperation between the defence ministries of two countries yesterday.

An offi cial talks was held at Mu’askar Bait Al Falaj between Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib Al Busaidi, Minister Responsible for Defence Aff airs and Manohar Parrikar, Minister of Defence of India, who is currently visiting the Sultanate.

The talks session covered the existing military cooperation and exchanged views on a number of issues of common interest, as well as other issues to develop bi-lateral cooperation.

Air Vice-Marshall Matar bin Ali Al Ubaidani, Commander of the Royal Air Force of Oman and his Indian counterpart signed a protocol on air safety.

Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Khamis Al Raisi, Commander of

the Royal Navy of Oman signed an MoU with his Indian counter-part on marine security. Maj.Gen Hamad bin Sulaiman Al Hatmi, Assistant Inspector General of Police and Customs for Opera-tions and the Indian accredited Ambassador to the Sultanate signed an MoU on the prevention of navigation crime in the sea. -ONA

B O O S T T O T I E S

The signing ceremony.

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OMANM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

3 arrested over

theft of goats

MUSCAT: Three citizens were arrested on charges of stealing 122 goats in Batinah North. The police had received 22 com-plaints from public.

71 infi ltrators arrestedThe Royal Oman Police (ROP), in collaboration with other mili-tary and security departments, last week arrested 71 infi ltrators of diff erent nationalities several wilayats for entering the Sultan-ate illegally, ONA reported.

45 deportedThe ROP also deported 45 infi l-trators after taking the neces-sary legal actions against them according to the international relevant conventions.

CR IME

PDO celebrates graduation event

MUSCAT: Petroleum Develop-ment Oman (PDO) celebrated the graduation of its 100th sponsored PhD scholar at an offi cial cer-emony at the Ministry of Oil and Gas yesterday under the auspices of Eng. Salim bin Nasser Al Oufi , Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas.

PDO External Aff airs and Value Creation Director Abdul-Amir Abdul Hussein Al Ajmi hailed the ‘30 years of excellence in the higher education fi eld for

Oman’. He added: “We congratu-late all the successful scholars on these outstanding academic achievements”.

“PDO’s corporate vision is to be renowned and respected for the excellence of our people and the value we create for Oman and all our shareholders. And all those who have graduated are liv-ing embodiments of that vision, he said. Waleed bin Khamis Al

Busaidi entered the Company’s history books after successfully completing his Doctor of Phi-losophy postgraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at Cran-fi eld University in the United Kingdom (UK).

The university also awarded him the Lefebvre Prize for the “best outstanding thesis” at its School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing. -ONA

PDO celebrated the

graduation of its

100th sponsored

PhD scholar

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REGIONM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

Egypt said on Saturday the navy had found human remains, wreckage and the personal belongings of passengers fl oating in the Mediterranean about 290 km (180 miles) north of Alexandria. But no bodies have yet to emerge or be identifi ed. DNA tests are under way on the few remains that have so far been recovered.

Cairo deploys robot submarine in search for debris of EgyptAir jet

CAIRO: Egypt has sent a robot submarine to join the hunt for an EgyptAir plane which crashed in some of the deepest waters of the Mediterranean Sea with 66 people on board, President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi said on Sunday.

Ships and planes scouring the sea north of Alexandria have found body parts, personal belongings and debris from the Airbus 320, but are still trying to locate the black box recorders that could shed light on the cause of Thurs-day’s crash.

Sisi said that underwater equip-ment from Egypt’s off shore oil industry was being brought in to help the search. “They have a submarine that can reach 3,000 metres under water,” he said in a televised speech. “It moved today in the direction of the plane crash site because we are working hard to salvage the black boxes.”

30 daysAn oil ministry source said Sisi was referring to a robot submarine used mostly to maintain off shore oil rigs. It was not clear whether the vessel would be able to help locate the black boxes, or would be used in later stages of the op-eration. Air crash investigation experts say the search teams have around 30 days to listen for pings sent out once every second from beacons attached to the two black boxes. At this stage of the search they would typically use acoustic hydrophones, bringing in more ad-vanced robots later to scan the sea-bed and retrieve any objects once they have been found.

EgyptAir fl ight 804 from Paris to Cairo vanished off radar screens early on Thursday as it entered Egyptian airspace over the Medi-

terranean. The 10 crew and 56 pas-sengers included 30 Egyptian and 15 French nationals. French inves-tigators say that the plane sent a series of warnings indicating that smoke had been detected on board shortly before it disappeared.

The signals did not indicate what caused the smoke or fi re, and avia-tion experts have not ruled out ei-ther deliberate sabotage or a tech-nical fault, but they off ered early clues as to what unfolded in the

moments before the crash. “Until now all scenarios are possible,” Sisi said in his fi rst public remarks on the crash. “So please, it is very im-portant that we do not talk and say there is a specifi c scenario.”

The crash was the third blow since October to hit Egypt’s travel industry, still reeling from political unrest following the 2011 protests that ousted Hosni Mubarak.

A suspected IS bombing brought down a Russian airliner after it

took off from Sharm Al Sheikh air-port in late October, killing all 224 people on board, and an EgyptAir plane was hijacked in March by a man wearing a fake suicide belt.

EgyptAir has told relatives of the victims that recovering and iden-tifying bodies from the sea could take weeks, adding to the pain and uncertainty of grieving families.

An EgyptAir union appealed to Sisi to allow death certifi cates to be issued for the victims, to

avoid the usual fi ve-year delay in the case of missing people which leaves relatives in a legal limbo, in-cluding over pensions.

In his speech on Sunday, Sisi said the investigation would not be over quickly, but promised it would be transparent. “This could take a long time but no one can hide these things. As soon as the results are out, people will be informed,” he told ministers and parliamentar-ians in the port city of Damietta.

EgyptAir Chairman Safwat Moslem said the radius of the search zone was 40 nautical miles, but could be expanded. The radius is equivalent to an area of 5,000 square nautical miles (17,000 square km).

A European satellite spotted a 2 km-long oil slick in the Mediter-ranean, about 40 km (20 nautical miles) southeast of the aircraft’s last known position, the European Space Agency said. — Reuters

All scenarios

possible, said

Egyptian President

Abdel Fattah Al Sisi

in his fi rst public

remarks on the crash

Abu Dhabi’s state-linked fi rms lay off employeesABU DHABI: Thousands of lay-off s at state-linked companies in Abu Dhabi are a fresh sign the Gulf’s countries are hunkering down for a long period of auster-ity as low crude prices pressure their economies.

Since mid-2015, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Ara-bia, Qatar and other countries in the region have curbed spending on some construction projects and reduced energy subsidies to limit budget defi cits caused by cheap oil.

Now some governments are also starting to reduce staff at the companies they control, many of them in the energy industry, in order to ensure the fi rms are not a drain on state fi nances if oil pric-es stay low for several years.

Abu Dhabi’s National Oil Co (ADNOC), with around 55,000 staff , has cut hundreds of jobs in the last few months and will have reduced its workforce by at least 5,000 by the end of 2016, sources familiar with the matter told Re-uters. The reduction will occur across most of its 17 subsidiaries as part of a restructuring follow-ing a reshuffl e of the fi rm’s leader-ship this month, they said.

An ADNOC spokesman did not confi rm or deny the cuts but said: “In keeping with the entire oil and gas industry, ADNOC is con-stantly looking at ways to be more effi cient and more profi table, par-ticularly in the current market environment.”

Most diffi cult yearThe UAE’s oil and gas recruit-ment market is set for its most diffi cult year in over a decade in 2016, a report from recruiters Morgan McKinley said. “The oil and gas industry is still feeling the

pain, as was to be expected. Over-all redundancies have been on the increase,” said Trefor Murphy, managing director for the region.

Most layoff s at Abu Dhabi state fi rms are not in response to production cut-backs; the UAE has not reduced its oil output, and says it is proceeding with long-planned oil and gas develop-ment projects.

Nor do the layoff s mean Abu Dhabi is running out of money. With hundreds of billions of dol-lars in its sovereign wealth fund, the emirate could draw down its reserves to sustain current levels of spending for decades. But the government wants to minimise the speed of the draw-down as it looks ahead to the possibility of many years of low oil prices.

Last year, Abu Dhabi acted ahead of other Gulf countries in cutting domestic fuel and elec-tricity subsidies. Now it is apply-ing the same approach to state-

linked fi rms. Most cuts at state fi rms in Abu Dhabi and elsewhere involve foreign staff rather than locals, because governments want to limit unemployment among their citizens.

Nevertheless, the job losses are contributing to an economic slowdown in the region. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted Abu Dhabi’s gross domestic product growth will fall to 1.7 per cent this year from 4.4 per cent in 2015.

Companies cutting staff in Abu Dhabi include Abu Dhabi Nation-al Energy Co, which has reduced its workforce by a quarter since 2014. It has cut around a third of oil and gas jobs and 55 per cent of staff at its headquarters, it said this month after reporting a fi rst-quarter loss.

Earlier this year, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Rail, the federal government-owned entity build-ing a UAE rail network, said it cut 30 per cent of its staff in a restructuring. Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority laid off scores of people, mostly expatri-ates, sources said. Spokespeople for the authority did not return calls seeking comment.

National Petroleum Construc-tion Co, owned by Abu Dhabi’s state-owned industrial conglom-erate Senaat and one of the largest oilfi eld contractors in Abu Dhabi, is reviewing its manpower lev-els, chief executive Aqeel Madhi told Reuters.

Construction fi rm Arabtec, in which Abu Dhabi state fund Aabar Investments is the biggest shareholder, may include job cuts in its cost reduction programme, chairman Mohamed Al Rumaithi said last month, adding: “There’s some fat to be taken out.” — Reuters

A U S T E R I T Y T I G H T E N S

Last year, Abu Dhabi

acted ahead of other

Gulf countries in

cutting domestic

fuel and electricity

subsidies. Now it is

applying the same

approach to state-

linked firms

CAIRO: Amal sits in the lobby of a hotel staring out at Cairo airport. Face tight with exhaus-tion, eyes puff y.

She is hoping her daughter Samar Ezzedine, a stewardess aboard an EgyptAir fl ight that crashed into the Mediterranean on Thursday, will walk through the arrivals door.

“She doesn’t want to go home or move from the door,” Samar’s aunt, Mona, said. “She doesn’t want to believe it... I told her to switch off her phone, but she said, what if Samar calls?” The 27-year-old newlywed is among the 66 people thought to have been killed when in the crash.

Egypt said on Saturday the navy had found human remains, wreckage and the personal belongings of passengers fl oat-ing in the Mediterranean about 290 km (180 miles) north of Alexandria. But no bodies have yet to emerge or be identifi ed. DNA tests are under way on the few remains that have so far been recovered.

EgyptAir has put up the fami-lies of dead passengers and crew members in two hotels near Cairo’s airport but many have gone home to receive condo-lences for the loss of their loved ones. Dozens of people dressed in black fl ocked to a mosque in western Cairo on Saturday night to express condolences to the family of Ismail Chabana and his mother, Youmna Hamdy. Chatter fi lled the hall about

the causes of the crash. Tears rolled down mourners faces. “I really hope the plane exploded, it doesn’t matter if they are in shreds, as long as they did not suff er for a long time,” one woman said.

Chabna, an engineer in his late 20s, was in France for a wedding, Nesma Khatib, his friend and neighbour, said. He had recently gotten engaged. “I never thought this could happen to someone I know,” Khatib said. “I was just talking to him; I can’t believe he’s gone.”

French families have arrived in Cairo, but Egyptian offi cials are keeping them away from the media glare.

Marwa Hamdy, a mother of three, who was on a business trip in France, was another of those who on board the doomed fl ight. “My heart sank,” her cousin Sherine Abdel Hamid told Reuters by phone, describ-ing the fi rst moment she learnt the plane had crashed.

Hamdy was 42, her young-est son only nine years old. He fi nally understood on Friday that his mother would not come home. “He has been very quiet since,” her cousin said.

But back in the hotel lobby, Amal, is refusing to accept con-dolences. “She is missing, who hosts a funeral for a missing person?” she murmurs. — Reuters

Victims’ families struggle to accept loss, hoping against hope for return of loved ones

PAIN AND GRIEF: Relatives of the victims of the crashed EgyptAir fl ight MS804 react during an absentee funeral mass at the main

Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday. – Reuters

A9

INDIAM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

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6 Assam Rifl es personnel killed in Manipur ambush

IMPHAL: A Junior Commis-sioned Offi cer (JCO) and fi ve jawans of Assam Rifl es were on Sunday killed in an ambush by militants in Chandel district of Manipur near the Indo-Myanmar border.

An Assam Rifl es convoy was at-tacked by heavily armed militants around 1pm in Joupi Hengshi area of Chandel when the security personnel were returning after inspecting a landslide site in the interior tribal district, defence and police sources said.

The slain personnel belonged to 29 Assam Rifl es. It is suspected that two or more militant groups jointly carried out the attack.

More troops were rushed to the area and a massive search opera-tion is underway, they said.

The incident occurred near Joupi village within the limits of Molcham Police Station, a police offi cer said.

Last year, 18 army personnel were killed in the same district in an ambush by NSCN(K) militants.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday directed security forces to take “strongest possible action” against militants involved in kill-ing six Assam Rifl es personnel in Manipur. - PTI

M I L I T A N C Y Modi arrives in Iran to boost economic and cultural ties

TEHRAN: Prime Minister Nar-endra Modi on Tuesday arrived in Iran on a two-day visit, which will see India and the Gulf nation working on enhancing economic partnership that includes a possi-ble deal on developing the strate-gic Chabahar port.

“Reached Iran, a land with whom India shares civilisational ties. Hope to enhance economic partnership between our nations. I also hope my Iran visit further cements cultural and people-to-people ties between India and

Iran,” Modi tweeted. The fi rst In-dian Prime Minister to visit the Islamic nation in the last 15 years, Modi was received at the Meh-rabad International Airport here by Iran’s Finance and Economic Aff airs Minister Ali Tayyebnia, after which he left for a local Gu-rudwara to meet people of Indian origin here.

Formal talks with Iranian Pres-ident Hassan Rouhani are sched-uled for Monday morning after a ceremonial welcome for the prime minister.

Rouhani will also host a lunch

for him. Modi will also call on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatol-lah Ali Khamenei as well before his return. Ahead of his arrival, Modi in a series of tweets said, “Enhancing connectivity, trade, investments, energy partnership, culture and people to people con-tacts would be our priority.”

“My meetings with President Rouhani and Hon’ble Supreme Leader of Iran will provide an op-portunity to advance our strategic partnership,” the prime minister added. Besides signing a deal on development of Phase-1 of the

Chabahar port, India is looking at doubling oil imports from the Gulf nation, which a few years back was its second-biggest oil sup-plier, as well as making progress on getting rights to develop a giant gas fi eld in the energy-rich coun-try. India’s Road Transport, High-ways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari will also be present there for the signing of the agreement on Chabahar port.

Post-sanctions Iran has seen a fl urry of diplomatic and business activities with leaders from China to Korea courting Tehran.

In the run-up to Modi’s visit, Transport Minister Gadkari, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and External Aff airs Minister Su-shma Swaraj had visited Tehran.

Stating that he looked forward to the conclusion of the Chahba-har agreement during his visit, the prime minister said “India and Iran enjoy civilisational ties and have shared interest in the peace, security, stability and prosperity of the region.

Modi began his crucial two-day visit to the energy-rich nation by off ering his obeisance at the Iran capital city’s only functioning Gurdwara. He will also inaugurate an International Conference on ‘retrospect and prospect’ of India

and Iran relations. “I am looking forward to my visit to Iran today & tomorrow, at the invitation of President Rouhani,” he added. In an interview to Iran’s IRNA news agency before his arrival here, Modi said the two countries have “always focused to add strength to our relations, even during the diffi cult times.

In the current context, both countries can look to expand our cooperation in the fi elds of trade, technology, investment and infra-structure and energy security.”

Stating that India’s public and private sector fi rms were keen on investing in Iran, he said the sign-ing of agreement on development of Chabahar port will provide wider connectivity. Chabahar is a port in South-East Iran that will enable India to bypass Pakistan and open up a route to land-locked Afghanistan with which New Delhi has close security ties and economic interests.

“Lifting of the international sanctions against Iran has opened up immense opportunities for both the countries, especially in the economic sphere,” Modi said, adding India is keen to enhance its investment in the Gulf nation and also welcomes fl ow of capital and investments from there. - PTI

Besides signing

a deal on

development of

Phase-1 of the

Chabahar port,

India is looking at

doubling oil imports

from the Gulf nation

TETE-A TETE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Ali Tayebnia,

Iran’s Minister of Economic Aff airs and Finance after his arrival at

Mehrabad airport in Iran on Sunday. - PTI

Rawat asked to appear before CBI on sting probe

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Sun-day asked Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat to ap-pear before the agency on May 24 in connection with a probe into the sting operation involv-ing him. Rawat has been asked to appear on Tuesday, offi cial sources said.

The CBI had last week re-jected the Uttarakhand govern-ment’s notifi cation withdraw-ing the case related to the sting operation. The agency had said the notifi cation was rejected af-ter taking legal opinion, which said there was no ground for its withdrawal and it was “not le-gally tenable”.

The CBI will continue its preliminary inquiry into the episode that allegedly involved horse trading attempts to save the Rawat government.

CBI had registered a Prelimi-nary Enquiry (PE) on April 29 to probe the “sting operation” purportedly showing Rawat of-fering bribes to rebel Congress lawmakers to support him dur-ing a fl oor test in the Uttara-khand Assembly. - PTI

U T T A R A K H A N D

Harish Rawat

Five Indian Everest climbers missing

KATHMANDU: Five Indian climbers attempting to scale the world’s tallest peak, Mount Ev-erest in Nepal, have gone miss-ing, Nepal Police said on Sunday.

They were reported miss-ing since Saturday morning while attempting to climb the towering 8,848-metre-peak, said Solukhumbu District Su-perintendent of Police Madhav Prasad Budathoki. The Indian climbers went missing when they were at a height of 8,000 metres. The police offi cer said search and rescue eff orts were beaten back by bad weather. - IANS

N E P A L

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INDIA M O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

I look forward to giving every bit of myself to the responsibility. I am there for the benefi t of the country. I am here to give my best every day, each day. I am grateful for the government’s decision. They trusted me

Kiran Bedi, BJP leader

Naidu for forging alliances, says poll win victory of development agenda

NEW DELHI: As BJP reaped a rich electoral harvest in Assam after sewing up an alliance with regional parties, Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday in-dicated the party will go the whole hog fi rming up coalitions in states where it cannot win elections on its own in the future.

“Wherever there is a possibil-ity, you must fi rm up alliances, you must identify issues and then strategise accordingly,” Naidu said when asked what were the major takeaways from the recent assem-bly elections in four states and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

At the same time, he dismissed the view that Congress lost the Assam polls as it did not forge an alliance, saying only forming coalitions do not yield positive re-sults and that the performance of governments and leadership also count. He took a jibe at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had said that Congress lost Assam as it opted to go it all alone.

EndorsementClaiming that the election results were an “endorsement of Naren-dra Modi’s development agenda”, the BJP leader said the message from the assembly polls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam, besides Puducherry was that Congress is being marginal-ized while “BJP is becoming a pan India party”.

In an interview to PTI, Naidu dismissed the possibility of hard-line elements within the party getting strengthened in wake of

victory in Assam, where BJP had made infi ltration of Bangladeshi Muslims a major poll plank.

“There is suspicion in the mind of people that after the opponents have been cut to size, they (hard-liners) would create further trou-ble. That’s my counter. Why is this apprehension?

“Who organized it. Congress party had propped up Muslim League. It has given it credibility. It is continuing with the alliance with Muslim League in Kerala As-sembly. Communists also had an alliance with Muslim League.

“What is the government’s line. Unnecessary motives are being at-tributed and speculations are be-ing created and wrong propaganda

is being carried out,” he said.“What we have done in last two

years that you talk of hardline...Some people are trying to divert us. I tell them join our develop-ment task, we are busy. We have no time for other issues.

“We will pay undivided atten-tion to development. Our priority are development and good govern-ance,” he said.

Asked whether he agrees with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Ku-mar’s contention that Congress lost elections in Assam only be-cause it did not go for an alliance, Naidu reminded that the party lost in Kerala and West Bengal despite having alliances.

“It is (also) the question of per-

formance. Performance of Con-gress (governments) was bad both in Assam and Kerala. It was mired in corruption and could not deliver on promises. In Bengal, Congress and Communists came together but nothing happened.

“It’s not alliance alone, it’s your performance, your stand on issues, your approach, your leadership, your image all these things will count,” he said.

BJP has tasted victory for the fi rst time in Assam which had re-turned a Congress government thrice in a row under Tarun Gogoi.

Congress-led alliance was also dethroned by the Left in Kerala, while Congress-CPI(M) alliance in West Bengal and Congress-DMK alliance in Tamil Nadu had to eat humble pie.

Apart from winning Assam, BJP also bettered its performance in Kerala and West Bengal.

The Union Minister repeat-edly described the victory of BJP in Assam and increase in its vote share in Kerala and West Bengal as public endorsement of the “de-velopment agenda” of the Modi government.

As the Modi government com-pletes two years in offi ce, the union minister insisted a “change” was visible in overall atmosphere and things are looking up.

Under attack from the Opposi-tion, particularly the Congress, for allegedly doing “nothing” in two years, Naidu alluded to the corrup-tion cases during UPA and insisted that the NDA government has checked the menace. - PTI

J U S T C O N C L U D E D A S S E M B L Y P O L L S

ELATED: Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu described the victory

of BJP in Assam and increase in its vote share in Kerala and West

Bengal as public endorsement of the “development agenda” of the

Modi government. - PTI

NEW DELHI: The recent Assembly polls in four states and the Union Territory of Puducherry did not bring good news for over 3,500 in-dependent candidates as only nine of them could win.

Of those successful, the maximum six won from Kerala and one each from West Bengal, Assam and Pu-ducherry. None of the 1,566 independent candidates, the highest among the four states, could win from Tamil Nadu.

A total of 3,526 independ-ent candidates contested the Assembly polls. Of these, 782 were in Kerala, 711 in Assam, 371 in West Bengal and 96 in Puducherry, according to an analysis of Election Commis-sion’s data. Polls were held between April 4 and May 16 for a total of 822 constituen-cies in the four states — West Bengal (294), Tamil Nadu (232), Kerala (140), Assam (126) and of Puducherry (30).

As many as 8,873 candi-dates had contested the polls. The highest number of 3,776 were in Tamil Nadu, 1,961 in West Bengal, 1,581 in Assam,

1,203 in Kerala and 344 in Puducherry. Of the total of 761 women candidates, as many as 320 were in the fray in Tamil Nadu, 200 in West Bengal, 111 in Assam, 109 in Kerala and 21 in Puducherry.

In West Bengal, independ-ents secured 2.2 per cent of total vote share polling 1,184,047 votes, in Tamil Nadu 1.4 per cent (617,907 votes) and Kerala 5.3 per cent (1,066,995 votes).

In Assam, independent candidates had 11 per cent vote share (1,867, 532 votes) and in Puducherry 7.9 per cent (62,884 votes). There were 65,546,101 voters in West Bengal, 57,915,075 in Tamil Nadu and 25,608,720 in Kerala. The number of elec-tors was 19,866,496 in Assam and 927,034 in Puducherry.

In the last Assembly polls in these states in 2011, seven independent candidates had won. Of them two each were in West Bengal, Assam and Kerala, and one in Puduch-erry. None of the independ-ents had won in Tamil Nadu even then. - PTI

Only nine out of over 3,500 independents won polls

Sonowal meets Governor, stakes claim to form government in AssamGUWAHATI: BJP’s chief minis-terial candidate Sarbananda So-nowal on Sunday met Assam Gov-ernor P.B. Acharya here and staked claim to forming the next govern-ment by his party and its allies in the state.

The new government will be sworn in on Tuesday at the Vet-erinary College Ground at Khana-para. Sonowal was accompanied by senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ram Madhav, union minis-ter Thawar Chand Gehlot, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Atul Bora and Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) chief Hagrama Mo-hilary, among others.

Sonowal handed over to the Governor a list of 60 BJP legisla-tors who unanimously supported him as their leader in the house.

Similarly, the AGP and BPF leaders handed over letters of sup-port to the BJP to form the govern-ment. The combined strength of the BJP, AGP and BPF is 86 in the 126-member house.

Acharya later told the media that he had received the letters from the three parties regarding the formation of the new state government.

Earlier, newly-elected 60 BJP legislators held their fi rst formal meeting at a city hotel and unani-mously elected Sonowal as their leader. BJP leader and Jalukbari MLA Himanta Biswa Sarma, who quit the Congress in 2015 to join the party, proposed Sonowal’s for the post. Other legislators unani-mously supported him.

“The Assam people have not

only given a historic mandate to the BJP but also given lots of re-sponsibility. Everyone has to work together leaving aside petty and personal interests so that the peo-ple’s expectations can be fulfi lled,” Sonowal said in his address to the legislators after the meeting.

Sonowal said the BJP will take Assam to new heights of develop-ment in cooperation with its alli-ance partners.

He said he did not have any problem in working with senior AGP leader and former state chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.

The new BJP-led government in Assam will give top priority to fi nding a permanent solution to the problem of infi ltration of ille-gal migrants from Bangladesh into the north-eastern state, BJP lead-

er Sarbanand Sonowal has said.“The sealing of borders with

Bangladesh will get top priority,” Sonowal, said in an interview to ETV. He said the issue of “identity crisis” in Assam vis-a-vis bona fi de citizens of India and infi ltrators from Bangladesh was a matter of concern. However, infi ltration had come down “after an agreement with Bangladesh”, said a commu-nique from ETV citing Sonowal.

The focus of the new govern-ment will also be on maintaining law and order in the state and crea-tion of employment opportunities for the youth. The former union minister said his government will strive to “transform Assam” and insisted that the opposition Con-gress too will be involved in the developmental process. - IANS

S W E A R I N G I N O N T U E S D A Y

BJP delegation meets Pranab over rising violence in Kerala

NEW DELHI: Amping up its of-fensive against the Left Front in Kerala, a BJP delegation on Sunday met President Pranab Mukherjee over attacks on party workers allegedly by CPI(M) sup-porters and also questioned the si-lence of Congress, saying it is not good for democracy.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari told reporters after meeting the president that the Bharatiya Ja-nata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) work-ers were facing “atrocities” from CPI(M), which led the alliance that won the Assembly polls in the state. He alleged that police was not taking appropriate action.

“We have given the president details of these cases, including

photographs. Our worker Pramod was killed. Houses of more than 100 workers have been vandal-ised. Situation is not good. He has assured us that he will take appro-priate action.

“Unfortunately, UPA, Congress are keeping quiet. This is not good for democracy. Democracy is a battle of ideas and parties can-not grow by taking law into their hands. We hope that those having faith in democracy will condemn this violence,” he said.

Asked about Communist Party of India(Marxist)’s charge that BJP was misleading, he said de-tails of the incidents have been

submitted to Mukherjee. Besides Gadkari, the delegation includ-ed Union ministers J. P. Nadda, Nirmala Sitharaman and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, MPs Meenakshi Lekhi and M. J.Akbar and Ker-ala BJP President Kummanam Rajasekharan.

AccusedAttacking the Left Front, BJP chief Amit Shah had on Saturday accused it of “violating” the peo-ple’s mandate as his party said it will not sit quiet and fi ght on the streets if violence continues.

The delegation claimed that “enhanced presence” of the BJP in

the state, converting bipolar elec-tion to a visible tripolar, has given the Left parties a reason to scale the level of violence.

“There is the general apprehen-sion that the state may witness a large scale organised crusade by the Left front government to decimate the growing strength of BJP through violent means,” the memorandum submitted by the delegation said.

The delegation said this inci-dent in particular is one of the few cases of post election violence “unleashed by the incumbent LDF government”.

“There has been a history of

over 100 activists, ‘karyakartas’ of the BJP and the RSS, who have been brutally killed and many more injured and maimed for pur-suing their nationalist ideologi-cal commitment where majority of such cases of attack and kill-ing have proven to have been un-leashed by the Left front workers,” it alleged.

“Just prior to the election a BJP worker E. K.Biju, who was in an auto rickshaw carrying school children (all below the age of 10 years), was waylaid and attacked by CPM workers in Kannur dis-trict,” the memorandum said.

It claimed that several such cases in Kasaragod, Kannur, Kot-tayam and Chalakudy remain un-investigated.

Hitting back, CPI(M) blamed BJP and RSS for the violence in Kerala, alleging that their workers had attacked the victory proces-sions of Left leaders as the saff ron outfi ts were not willing to accept the people’s verdict.

“The CPI(M) very strongly con-demns the attacks and vandalism the BJP has organised. It is the BJP and RSS workers who started this bout of violence by attacking a victory procession,” party leader Sitaram Yechury alleged.

“This has happened across the state. The BJP is simply not will-ing to accept the democratic ver-dict of the people of Kerala,” he told reporters.

The Left party claimed that al-legations against its workers were “false” and BJP leadership was adopting a “hypocritical and dis-honest position” about what has happened in Kerala. - PTI

The delegation

claimed that

‘enhanced presence’

of the BJP in the

state, converting

bipolar election to a

visible tripolar, has

given the Left parties

a reason to scale

the level of violence

MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED: President Pranab Mukherjee meets a delegation of BJP leaders led by

Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport Highways & Shipping at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi

on Sunday. - PTI

Kiran Bedi appointed new LG of Puducherry

NEW DELHI: BJP leader and for-mer IPS offi cer Kiran Bedi was on Sunday appointed as Lieutenant Governor of the south Indian state of Puducherry, a post which was under the additional charge of Lt Governor of Andaman and Nico-bar Island for nearly two years.

A Rashtrapati Bhawan commu-nique said “the President has been pleased to appoint Kiran Bedi, to be the Lt. Governor of Puducherry with eff ect from the date she as-sumes charges of her offi ce.”

“I look forward to giving every bit of myself to the responsibility. I am there for the benefi t of the country. I am here to give my best every day, each day. I am grate-ful for the government’s decision. They trusted me,” said 66-year-old Bedi, who is the country’s fi rst woman IPS offi cer and who had led the BJP campaign for the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls without any success.

The appointment came three days after the Congress-DMK alli-ance won 17 seats in the 30-mem-ber state Assembly. - PTI

N E W R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y

REQUEST LETTER: Assam Chief Minister candidate Sarbananda

Sonowal along with alliance party BPF chief Hagrama Mhilari, left,

AGP president Atul Bora, third right, BJP leader Himanta Biswa

Sarma, second right, AGP vice president Keshab Mahantasecond

left, giving a letter for requesting formal Government to Assam

Govornor P. B. Achrya at Raj Bhawan in Guwahati on Sunday. - PTI

A11

PAKISTANM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

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the curve with

WhatsNews

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‘Panama Papers leak probe should be fi rst of Sharifs’

ISLAMABAD: Top representa-tives of the lawyers’ fraternity have demanded that the inves-tigation into Panamagate scan-dal should be started from the Sharif family.

The demand was made in a unanimous resolution adopted at a lawyers’ convention organised by the Supreme Court Bar Asso-ciation (SCBA) on Saturday. The resolution says the investigation should start from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his children, three of which, according to the Panama Papers, own off shore companies in a tax haven.

“[The proposed inquiry com-mission must] fi nd out if he [the prime minister] has invested or owned any off shore properties or some crime or wrongdoing has been done inclusive of the trail of money/funds and reconciliation with the declarations before the

Election Commission of Pakistan and income/wealth tax authori-ties from 1-1-1985 till date,” reads the resolution.

The legal community gave two-week time to the 12-member parliamentary panel to formulate the terms of reference (ToRs) for the commission with consensus. If the parliamentary panel fails to thrash out the ToRs within the

deadline, then the legal commu-nity will be ‘forced’ to take steps to have this matter of public interest concluded in a workable and ef-fective manner, it says.

Pakistan Bar Council Vice Chairman Farogh Nasim said if the parliamentary committee did not formulate ToRs within 15 days, the legal fraternity could use all options, including a street

movement as well as fi ling a peti-tion under Article 184(3).

The resolution says the inquiry should be restricted to parliamen-tarians and holders of public offi ce ‘as they have to conform’ to the requirements of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution, and not against businessmen or loan de-faulters, who have not been law-makers or holders of public offi ce.

It urges Chief Justice of Pa-kistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali to nominate two eminent judges, sitting or retired, of the Su-preme Court, and a legal expert of eminence as members of the commission.

The lawyers suggest the time period for completion of the in-vestigation should be two months extendable to a maximum of six months from the date of com-mencement of the investigation. “The commission shall cease to exist once it has fi nalised the in-vestigation. However, no member of the commission shall be re-moved until the commission ceas-es to exist when the investigation is fi nalised or when the period of six months has elapsed.”

The resolution says the com-mission should publish and shall make public its fi ndings and conclusions itself without any reference to the government of Pakistan. The hearings of the commission shall be open and transparent.

It recommends that the com-mission should have the power to constitute an international joint investigation team or teams and to seek cooperation from foreign agencies to provide information, documents, evidence and record from abroad. “[In this regard it may direct] the government of Pakistan to move the mutual le-gal assistance requests or other-wise request for cooperation and assistance in the investigation or issue letters derogatory in ac-cordance with the United Na-tions Convention Against Cor-ruption,” it says. — Express Tribune

The demand was

made in a unanimous

resolution adopted at

a lawyers’ convention

organised by the

Supreme Court

Bar Association

on Saturday

CONTROVERSY: The resolution says the investigation should start from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif

and his children, three of which, according to the Panama Papers, own off shore companies in a tax

haven. — AFP fi le photo

Hyderabad woman wins award for excellence in education

HYDERABAD: Mona Prakash Mahtani, a resident of Hyderabad, received the Commonwealth Youth Award for Excellence, 2016, in the fi eld of education.

The award was given at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London by Youth Aff airs director Katherine Ellis. The award is giv-en to young people under the age of 30 years who have signifi cantly contributed to social uplift.

Mahtani is the only Pakistani to receive this award in 2016. Some 17 young people from 53 Com-monwealth countries were se-lected for the award. Mahtani was earlier conferred United Nations Development Programme’s N-Peace award. Mona founded De-wan Farm School in her village, a primary school targeting poor and minority families. Since its estab-lishment, Dewan has expanded its annual attendance from three to 75 pupils. — Express Tribune

C O M M O N W E A L T H

Martial arts expert Bodla to train women in self-defenceKARACHI: Pakistan’s six-time Guinness World Record holder martial artist Ahmad Amin Bodla is working hard to incorporate martial arts in people’s lives, start-ing with a two-week self-defence training programme for women.

Bodla’s latest record was ap-proved by Guinness World Re-cords two days ago; he has now been inducted in the men’s list for the most martial arts kicks in three

minutes using one leg. He landed 801 kicks in August and only just received the recognition after the Guinness offi cials scrutinised the evidence of achieving the record.

Now Bodla feels that as a mar-tial artist, his next step is to make discipline more accessible to oth-ers and help them understand its benefi ts.

“Martial arts are not about pick-ing fi ghts, neither it’s just about

fl ying kicks,” Bodla told The Ex-press Tribune. “I feel it’s critical for every individual to be physical-ly fi t and to be acquainted with the basics of self-defence techniques at least.”

Bodla said he plans to start in-structing women fi rst, and is de-signing a two-week programme for self-defence training that will launch in August. He is also writ-ing a book regarding the subject.

Bodla, who is also a student at the University of Lahore, said his pilot classes will be held at his university and he is expecting 50 to 100 women in the opening sessions.

Meanwhile, the 23-year-old is also sharing his ideas with Ameri-can martial artists. “I’m in contact with diff erent martial artists who I’m friends with, as I want this programme to reach Karachi and

Islamabad as well. For Lahore, my university director has allowed me to start the training sessions later this year,” he added.

Bodla also emphasised that self-defence is a domain which people in Pakistan do not understand well. He said he has been testing most techniques for the last two months and found most of the commonly written text to be theo-retical and seldom applicable.

Meanwhile, most taekwondo or karate academies only teach the sport aspect of martial arts, which is generally taught in a controlled environment. — Express Tribune

S I X - T I M E G U I N N E S S W O R L D R E C O R D H O L D E R

Multilateral fund approves $5.68m for cleaner techISLAMABAD: The successful conversion of fi ve foam manufac-turing industries to cleaner tech-nologies has led the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol to approve US$5.68 million for the second phase.

The funding was approved by the fund’s executive committee two weeks ago.

It will help Pakistan reduce its consumption of hydro chloro-fl uorocarbons (HCFC) by 50 per cent in 2020, and with full imple-mentation of the plan, it will pre-vent the emissions equivalent of 685,000 tonnes of CO2.

Pakistan has successfully reduced use of various Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), including chlorofl uorocarbons (CFC) and carbon tetrachloride (CTC).

The Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) has been work-ing on the second phase-out pro-gramme of HCFCs since 2011.

“Pakistan has no indigenous production of HCFCs, but it im-ports ODS to meet the needs of domestic industries,” MoCC Me-dia and Communication Deputy Director Saleem Shaikh told The Express Tribune.

He said HCFCs were mostly used in refrigeration and air con-ditioning, along with polyure-thane foam manufacturing.

Phasing-out of HCFCsThe phasing-out of HCFCs from Pakistan is ascertained through Hydro chlorofl uorocarbon Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP). In the fi rst phase of the plan, the fi ve foam manufactur-ing industries were converted

to ozone friendly technology by 2015; and the MoCC mobilised international fi nancing for its implementation.

“The plan is very ambitious and will enable Pakistan to re-duce its consumption of HCFCs by 50% by 2020,” the Minis-try of Climate Change said in a statement.

Ministry source said that al-ternative technologies had been carefully selected to carry out the HCFC phase-out and to maxi-mize the climate benefi t. After successful completion of the fi rst phase last year, Ministry of Cli-mate Change prepared the phase two document in consultation with stakeholders.

The plan will be implemented by the government in collabo-ration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organi-sation (UNIDO) and the United Nations Environment Pro-gramme (UNEP). — Express Tribune

M O N T R E A L P R O T O C O L

The fund will help Pakistan

reduce its consumption of

hydro chlorofluorocarbons

(HCFC) by 50 per cent

in 2020, and with full

implementation of the

plan, it will prevent the

emissions equivalent of

685,000 tonnes of CO2

HONOUR: The award was given

to Mona Prakash Mahtani at the

Commonwealth Secretariat in

London by Youth Aff airs director

Katherine Ellis. — Express Tribune

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The greening of African technologyGraça Machel

Technological innovation off ers Africa huge possibilities. That is why I joined Africa’s movers and shakers last week at a meeting

of the World Economic Forum in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. We were there to discuss how the digital economy can propel the kind of radical change the continent needs.

At the same time, though, we had to think about some old tools that our ancestors passed down to us – namely, how to think for the long term and how to work together. These tools are a form of technology that we need to use now, so that future generations have a chance. Climate change is the ultimate test of whether we can use the old and new technologies to safeguard our children’s future.

Africans must take decisive action to combat the threat of global warming, by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and by helping one another to adapt to climate change. If we fail to make progress in these areas now, future generations will judge our inaction as expensive, unjust, and immoral.

Africa is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change. Yet it accounts for only 2.3 per cent of global CO2 emissions. That is partly because two-thirds of Africans – 621 million people – do not have access to electricity.

To meet the double challenge of climate change and this energy defi cit, African countries need to help themselves and one another. Developed coun-tries – the major contributors to global warming – must live up to the promises they made at the COP21 climate talks in Paris last December.

Alongside reacquainting ourselves with old-tech methods of thinking about the long run and work-ing together, new technology is essential if Africa is to cope with climate change. Innovations in bio-technology and farming methods are needed to deal with disease, pests, and drought.

New technology can also help Africa to leapfrog over dependence on fossil fuels and into a low-car-bon future.

The continent has a great opportunity to develop new low-carbon energy strategies that build resil-ience and support growth that benefi ts everyone, reducing poverty faster. We show how this can be done in the 2015 Africa Progress Report, “Power People Planet: Seizing Africa’s Energy and Climate Opportunities.”

Renewable sources will replace fossil fuels grad-ually. It cannot happen overnight. Africa needs a judicious and dynamic energy mix. Most of all, it needs much more energy, now: Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, excluding South Africa, currently gener-ates less electricity than Spain.

The state of education in Africa is one telling consequence of the continent’s energy crisis. I have worked in education most of my life, as a teacher and minister of education in Mozambique. Experi-ence has taught me that a country’s schools are the key to its success and prosperity. Yet in many Afri-can countries, 80 per cent of primary schools do not have electricity, severely compromising the quality of instruction.

Shortages of electricity also cost lives. Almost four in fi ve Africans rely for cooking on solid bio-mass, mainly wood and charcoal. As a result, more than 600,000 people die each year from household air pollution.

Effi cient cooking stoves would save them, liber-ate millions of girls and women from the chore of gathering fi rewood, and generate wide-ranging en-vironmental benefi ts.

The steps that Africa’s leaders need to take are clear. Long-term national interest must take prec-edence over short-term political goals, vested inter-ests, and political patronage.

African leaders need to root out graft, make the governance of energy utilities – some of which have been centers of corruption and ineffi ciency – more transparent, strengthen regulations, and increase public spending on energy infrastructure.

They also need to redirect the $21 billion spent in Africa on subsidies for loss-making utilities and electricity consumption – which mainly benefi t the rich – toward connection subsidies and renewable-energy investments that deliver energy to the poor. There is also a clear course of action for the leaders of major CO2-emitting countries.

They need to put a proper price on their emis-sions by taxing them, instead of continuing to sub-sidize them by spending billions on fossil-fuel ex-ploration. G-20 countries must set a timetable for phasing out such subsidies.. - Project Syndicate

Scan this QR for full articleTraffi c fi nes app is really great

This refers to the report, Royal Oman Police trials new mobile app to pay traffi c fi nes (May 22). It’s a great app as one can check if any outstanding fi nes are there and can pay them online before any

international travel. No questions about it. — Quinton Thrussell , Muscat via Facebook

‘Ramadan Rage’ due to lack of patience not mental fatigueThis refers to the report, Time to put brakes on Ramadan death toll (May 22). I hope that the authorities will keep emphasising on this deadly topic time and again. However, in my humble opinion more often than not the accidents during Ramadan, specially during the summer season are not because of mental fatigue or lack of alertness but because of restlessness, lack of patience and irritability. In a hurry to reach home we forget to demonstrate self control and humility which is the basic essence of the fasting month of Ramadan. May Allah save us from the phenomenon of

“Ramadan Rage” and guide us to drive on road with patience and hu-mility to ensure the safety of all road users. — Mohammad Osama Rawat, Ruwi

T I M E S O F O M A NM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6A12

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Seminar on environmental awareness endsMUSCAT: A seminar on environmental awareness and prepara-tion for emergencies concluded here yesterday. The three-day event was organized by the Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources Ministry in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Directorate General of Civil Defence at the ROP, SQU, PDO and Occidental Oman Company. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Mahrami, deputy director general of en-vironmental aff airs, delivered a speech in which he hailed the invalu-able assistance off ered by the UNEP on the topic of the seminar.

1785: Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals.

1861: Pro-Union and pro-Confederate forces clash in western Virginia.

1934: Gangsters Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are killed by Texas Rangers.

1949: The Federal Republic of West Germany is proclaimed.

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Twitter, they largely fl ew blind, not knowing how the audience perceived their reports. Only a

very few readers took the trouble to write to newspapers or even

comment on news sites

LEONID BERSHIDSKY

The majority’s reading of the US federal statute doesn’t just make the felon deportable. It also takes away

the attorney general’s discretion to decide whether to order the

deportation. That is, the court’s ruling takes the crucial decision

away from the administrative apparatus and gives it to a judge

applying a mechanical rule

NOAH FELDMAN

On both right and left, this moment in American politics has a lot of talk

about supposedly failing policies, supposedly rigged systems and

supposedly intractable inequality. But the last quarter-century shows

major progress in reducing the most serious problem of all: Premature

death

CASS R. SUNSTEIN

F R O M O U R A R C H I V E S

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

Warehouse fi re in Misfa area of Al Ansab brings storage safety into question.

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ASIAM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

Thailand’s junta must speed up reform, says ousted YingluckBANGKOK: Two years to the day that Thailand’s army toppled the remnants of her government, former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra called on the junta to accelerate a return to democracy, and a poll showed Thais were no happier than before the coup.

In 2014, the military staged their 12th successful coup since the country became a constitu-tional monarchy in 1932, and kha-ki army uniforms replaced the yel-low and red shirts of the protesters that had paralysed Bangkok for months.

“It was the day that the people’s rights and freedom were taken away,” Yingluck said in a Face-

book post. “I can only hope that the NCPO ( junta) remembers what they promised to the people... I have growing concerns because today, people are suff ering from economic hardship, poverty and critical social issues including in-creasing drug use.”

A referendum on a junta-backed draft constitution is due on August 7, and the government has prom-ised an election in 2017. Yingluck is on trial in the Supreme Court on corruption charges stemming from a state rice subsidy scheme and faces up to a decade in jail if found guilty. A leader to replace her has yet to emerge, leaving the opposition struggling to mount a

campaign for a no vote to a con-stitution they say would enshrine military power for years.

Thailand’s divisive politics has gone underground due to a junta ban on political activity. The army has moved quickly to snuff out recent small anti-junta an anti-constitution protests in Bangkok. Critics say Prime Minister Pray-uth Chan-ocha’s national reconcil-iation process has made divisions worse by excluding supporters of Yingluck and her brother, former prime minister Thaksin.

“I would like to ask them (the junta) whether the reconcilia-tion process has been inclusive and if it’s going in the right di-

rection or not,” Yingluck said. Prayuth pledged to return hap-piness to Thai people, but a poll published on Sunday found that most felt no happier than before the coup. Some 43 per cent of re-spondents felt no happier and 18 per cent said they were less happy because of economic hardships, according to the poll by the Na-tional Institute of Development Administration.

Around 38 per cent said they were happier. A student group critical of the junta held low-key activities in Bangkok on Sunday to mark what they called two years of “a future that people didn’t choose”. - Reuters

R E T U R N T O D E M O C R A C Y

APPEAL: Former Thailand prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra on

Sunday called on the military junta to accelerate a return to democ-

racy. - Reuters fi le photo

Suu Kyi calls for ‘space’ to address plight of Rohingya

NAYPYITAW: Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi asked to be given “enough space” to address the plight of her country’s Rohingya Muslim population, as visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry pressed the Nobel laureate to pro-mote respect for human rights.

Some 125,000 Rohingya in My-anmar remain displaced and face severe travel restrictions in camps since fi ghting erupted in Rakhine

State between the country’s Bud-dhists and Muslims in 2012.

Thousands have fl ed perse-cution and poverty. The United States has long supported Suu Kyi’s role in championing demo-cratic change in Myanmar, but was surprised this month when she suggested to the new US am-bassador Scot Marciel to refrain from using the term Rohingya for the persecuted minority.

“Emotive terms make it very diffi cult for us to fi nd a peace-ful and sensible resolution to our problems,” Suu Kyi told reporters at a joint news conference with Kerry in Naypyitaw on Sunday.

“All that we are asking is that people should be aware of the dif-fi culties we are facing and to give us enough space to solve all our problems.” Kerry said he had dis-cussed the Rohingya issue with

Suu Kyi during their meeting, de-scribing it as “very sensitive” and “divisive.” “I know it arises strong passions here,” Kerry said.

“What is critical to focus on is solving the problem...which is im-proving the situation on the ground, to promote development, promote respect for human rights and ben-efi t all of those that live in Rakhine and throughout Myanmar.”

Last month hundreds of dem-

onstrators protested in front of the US Embassy in Yangon in ob-jection to the use of the term Ro-hingya in a statement issued by the embassy. Speaking out for the group would carry a political cost for Suu Kyi, who took on the newly created role of state counsellor in April following the fi rst-demo-cratically elected government in some fi ve decades.

The Rohingya are widely dis-liked in Myanmar, including by some within Suu Kyi’s party and its supporters. She risks losing sup-port by taking up the cause of the beleaguered minority. The Rohing-ya, most of whom live in apartheid-like conditions, are seen by many Myanmar Buddhists as illegal im-migrants from Bangladesh.

Ambassador Marciel has said he would keep using the term Ro-hingya because it is Washington’s policy to do so. “What we want to do is avoid any terms that just add fuel to the fi re,” Suu Kyi said in re-sponse to a question on her com-ments about the Rohingya.

“I wasn’t talking about one par-ticular term, I was talking about all the terms that are incendiary and which create greater divi-sions in the Rakhine and of course elsewhere too.” - Reuters

Some 125,000

Rohingya in

Myanmar remain

displaced and

face severe travel

restrictions in

camps since fi ghting

erupted in Rakhine

State in 2012JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE : Myanmar’s Myanmar Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, right, and

US Secretary of State John Kerry take part in a joint press conference following their meeting at the

Ministry of Foreign Aff airs in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw on Sunday. - AFP

Tajik leader strengthening grip on power in volatile regionALMATY: President Imomali Rakhmon seems set to strengthen his power by referendum on Sun-day as Tajikistan, on the front line against militancy and crime from neighbouring Afghanistan, sinks deeper into an economic crisis and simmering discontent.

Many of the hundreds of thou-sands of Tajiks working in reces-sion-hit Russia have been forced to return home, either because they lost their jobs or because their wages were no longer suffi cient following the Russian rouble’s devaluation.

There have been no major pub-

lic protests in the authoritarian state, but political tensions are on the rise. In September, general and former opposition fi ghter was killed in a gunfi ght with govern-ment forces after a failed attempt to seize power from Rakhmon.

Sunday’s referendum seeks the public vote on 41 constitutional amendments drafted by a loyal government. In power since 1994, Rakhmon wants to scrap the limit on presidential terms to prevent his current term ending in 2020 from being his last one.

The proposals would also lower the minimum age for presidential

candidates, allowing Rakhmon’s elder son Rustam, who runs the state fi nancial control agency, to run for offi ce if he chooses to do so.

Ban on religious partiesIn addition, Rakhmon wants a constitutional ban on religious parties to shore up a court shut-down of the opposition Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) last year.

Some of its leaders face life in jail on charges of plotting a coup. IRPT was a successor of the wing of an opposition bloc which fought Rakhmon’s government in a

bloody civil war in the 1990s.The crackdown on the party

marked a decisive break from the power-sharing agreement which ended the war. Bakhtiyor Khudoy-orzoda, head of Tajikistan’s Cen-tral Election Commission, said on Sunday that two-thirds of regis-tered voters had already cast their ballots by noon.

“In line with law, the referen-dum has been declared valid,” he told reporters. The commission plans to announce the preliminary results of the vote on Monday.

Tajikistan has never held an election judged free and fair by

Western observers. Rakhmon loy-alists dominated the latest vote in March 2015 while the opposi-tion failed to clear a fi ve-percent threshold needed to win seats for a party.

The peace in the 1990s civil war was hard won and any signs it could unravel would be viewed with deep concern in Moscow. There have been no notable pub-lic protests against Rakhmon. But the government of oil exporter Kazakhstan, the richest country in the region, has faced a wave of rallies amid public discontent over worsening living standards. - Reuters

R E F E R E N D U M

Sri Lanka fl oods toll reaches 82 as more bodies pulled outCOLOMBO: Rescuers pulled out more bodies from the muddy de-bris of disastrous landslide taking the toll to over 80 while 118 peo-ple remained missing on Sunday in fl oods triggered by the heavi-est rains in Sri Lanka in over a quarter century even as relief aid poured in from across the world, including India, for thousands of displaced people.

The heavy rains have pounded Sri Lanka since last weekend, triggering huge landslides that have buried some victims in up to 50 feet of mud. Sri Lankan army and other rescuers pulled out 13 more bodies late last night in the worst-hit district of Kegalle. The Disaster Management Centre said the death toll in the landslide has reached to 82 while 118 peo-ple are still missing.

Around 340,000 people have been displaced across the country in the fl oods and landslides, said Pradeep Kodippili, spokesman of the Disaster Management Centre.

The death toll is likely to go up as rescue teams reach some of the

worst-hit areas, authorities said. The national Disaster Manage-

ment Centre (DMC) said that 21 of Sri Lanka’s 25 districts have been badly aff ected due to the fl oods and landslide. The military said the search for the missing persons is on in Aranayake where 43 bodies have been pulled out from the debris.

“The sun was out this morning, yet the search operations were not easy,” Major General Sudan-tha Ranasinghe said.

Meanwhile, fl oodwaters were receding in the capital Colombo and in the Western province’s Kelaniya and Kaduwela areas.

International aid began ar-riving in Sri Lanka on Saturday, bringing help to lakhs of people driven from their homes by heavy rains and deadly landslides.

Various nations, including In-dia, Pakistan, Australia and Japan are bringing in aid supplies such as blankets, water-purifi cation tablets and drinking water. - PTI

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

Volcano spews hot clouds of ash, kills seven

JAKARTA: Seven people have died and two are in critical condi-tion after Mount Sinabung on Su-matra island erupted on Saturday, said an Indonesian disaster agency offi cial, adding that the army and police are still searching for survi-vors in the area.

The 2,460-metre (8,070 foot) tall volcano is among the coun-try’s most active. When Sinabung erupted in 2014, more than a dozen people were killed and thousands were evacuated. Before recent times, its last known eruption was four centuries ago.

Since a few years ago, the gov-ernment has imposed several red zones near Sinabung’s cra-ter, including the village of Gam-ber where the nine people were found, National Disaster Mitiga-tion Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement.

“It is not immediately clear how many people were in Gamber be-cause when the mountain spewed clouds of hot ash, there was not supposed to be any activity in the area,” Nugroho said on Sun-day. The volcano, about 1,900km northwest of Jakarta, is still spew-ing hot ashes as of Sunday, making it dangerous for search and rescue, according to BNPB. - Reuters

I N D O N E S I A

CASTING VOTE: Tajikistan’s

President Imomali Rakhmon

casts his ballot at a polling sta-

tion in Dushanbe on

Sunday. - AFP/STR

The volcano, about 1,900km northwest of Jakarta, is still spewing hot ashes as of Sunday, making it dangerous for search and rescue, according to BNPB.

INUNDATED: A Sri Lankan resident examines fl ood damaged

property in Kelaniya, on the outskirts of Colombo on Sunday. - AFP

A14

GLOBAL EYEM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

GEORGIA: Competitors head to the starting gate prior to the Sr Women K4 500m Final during Day Four of the 2016 Canoe Kayak Pan American Championships at the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue on Sunday in

Gainesville, Georgia, United States. — Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP

AUSTRALIA: Commuters drive through smoke haze from hazard reduction burns in Australia’s Blue Mountains region during sunset

on Sunday. Areas around Sydney experienced heavy smoke haze due to controlled back fi res across the region. — AFP

SOUTH KOREA: Dozens of citizens take part in Seoul’s “space-out” competition in which participants are required to sit idly without

talking, sleeping, eating, or using any electronic devices, at a riverside park in Seoul on Sunday. The competition has gained popularity

in South Korea since local artists organised the fi rst edition in Seoul in 2014 as a satire of modern life dominated by social media and

smartphones. — AFP

NORTH CAROLINA: Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Bass Pro Shops/

Tracker Chevrolet, and Kasey Kahne, driver of the #5 Drive Home

A Winner Chevrolet, have an on track incident during the NASCAR

Sprint Cup Series Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday in Charlotte,

North Carolina. — Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images/AFP

BELGIUM: Festival-goers take part in the Ducasse de Mons, or

Doudou, folklore festival on Sunday in Mons, Belgium. —AFP/BELGA/

ANTHONY DEHEZ

RUSSIA: A car drives along a steppe road near the village of Bazan-

daikha in Khakassia region, Siberia, Russia, on Saturday. — Reuters

VATICAN CITY: A couple take selfi es before the arrival of Pope

Francis in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sunday. — Reuters

A15

WORLDM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

Yildirim is new Turkish premier

ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan confi rmed Binali Yildirim, a close ally for two dec-ades and a co-founder of the ruling AK Party, as his new prime min-ister on Sunday, taking a big step

towards the stronger presidential powers he has long sought.

In a speech to AKP delegates who earlier elected him party leader at a special congress, Yildi-rim, transport minister for most of

the past decade and a half, left no doubt that he would prioritise the policies closest to Erdogan’s heart.

His main aim, he said, was to de-liver a new constitution and create an executive presidency, a change Erdogan says will bring stability to the NATO member state of 78 mil-lion, but which opponents fear will herald greater authoritarianism.

After winning the presidency in 2014 following more than a decade as prime minister, Erdogan was legally bound to renounce ties to the AKP and remain impartial. But he has retained strong infl uence over both the party he founded and the government, frequently host-ing cabinet meetings in his new palace. Yildirim, 60, said consti-tutional change was a necessity to

legitimise the existing situation, tacit acknowledgment that Er-dogan has extended the tradition-ally ceremonial role of the Turkish presidency. “The most important mission we have today is to legal-ise the de facto situation, to bring to an end this confusion by chang-ing the constitution,” he said. “The new constitution will be on an ex-ecutive presidential system.”

Yildirim was the sole candidate for party leader at the AKP con-gress, called after Ahmet Davutoglu announced he was stepping down as prime minister following weeks of public tension with Erdogan. Yildirim won all 1,405 of the valid votes. As if proof were needed of where power in the party lies, del-egates remained standing through

a message from Erdogan read out at the start of the congress. Yildirim vowed that, under his leadership, the AKP’s way would be “Erdogan’s way”. Justice Minister Bekir Bozd-ag said Erdogan was the party’s one leader. As transport minister, Yildi-rim was a driving force behind ma-jor infrastructure projects which were one of the pillars of the AKP’s electoral successes during its fi rst decade in power.

He has made clear he will pur-sue two of Erdogan’s biggest pri-orities - the executive presidency and the fi ght against militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the largely Kurd-ish southeast. “They are asking us when the anti-terror operations will end. I am announcing hereby

that operations will end when all our citizens are safe,” Yildirim said in an emotional speech.

“Operations will continue with-out pause until the bloody-handed terrorist organisation PKK ends its armed actions.”

Erdogan and his supporters see an executive presidency, akin to the system in the United States or France, as a guarantee against the fractious coalition politics that hampered the government in the 1990s. His opponents, including some sceptics within the AKP, say he is merely furthering his own ambition. “If they can succeed, this will be a transition period for the executive presidency,” journal-ist Abdulkadir Selvi, who is seen as close to AKP, told Reuters. — Reuters

Binali Yildirim, a close ally of Turkish

president for two decades and a co-founder

of the ruling AK Party, said his main aim was

to deliver a new constitution and create an

executive presidency

Iraq denies using liveammunition

BAGHDAD: Iraq denied on Sunday that its security forc-es had used live ammunition against protesters who broke into Baghdad’s heavily-fortifi ed Green Zone this week.

Sources from four hospitals and Baghdad’s central morgue said four protesters had been killed and 90 injured by gunshot wounds on Friday in the zone, which is in the centre of the capital and is home to parlia-ment, government offi ces and embassies. But Saad Al Hadithi, spokesman for Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi, said an initial investigation showed there had been only two deaths and no direct gunfi re. “There is no evi-dence that the two deaths were caused by direct gunfi re on the protesters, and there are no other cases,” he said in a speech broadcast on state television.

Hadithi suggested the dem-onstrations had been infi ltrated by gunmen. — Reuters

G R E E N Z O N E P R O T E S T

Binali Yildirim, a long-time ally of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s, replaces Ahmet Davutoglu, who said this month he would step down, following weeks of public tension with Erdogan.

A16

WORLDM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

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LEADING ‘IN’ CAMPAIGN: British Prime Minister David Cameron,

left, takes a drink as he speaks to an employee on a visit to a

supermarket in west London on Sunday. – AFP

Afghan Taliban top leader killed in US drone strike

KABUL/WASHINGTON: The United States has killed the leader of the Afghan Taliban in an air strike in a remote border area just inside Pakistan, Afghanistan said on Sunday, in an attack likely to dash any immediate prospect for peace talks.

The death of Mullah Akhtar Mansour could trigger a battle for succession and deepen frac-tures that emerged in the insur-gent movement after the death of its founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, was confi rmed last year, more than two years after he died.

Saturday’s strike, which US offi cials said was authorised by President Barack Obama and in-cluded multiple drones, showed the United States was prepared to go after the Taliban leadership in Pakistan.

It also underscored the belief among US commanders that un-der Mansour’s leadership, the Tal-iban have grown increasing close to militant groups like Al Qaeda, posing a direct threat to US se-curity. The United States has not confi rmed Mansour’s death but Afghan government chief Execu-

tive Abdullah Abdullah, and the country’s top intelligence agency, said he had been killed.

“Taliban leader Akhtar Man-sour was killed in a drone strike... His car was attacked in Dahl Ban-din,” Abdullah said in a post on Twitter, referring to a district in Pakistan’s Balochistan province just over the border with Afghani-

stan. Pakistan Foreign Ministry said US drone strike targeting Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mansour on Pakistani soil was a violation of sovereignty. US Sec-retary of State John Kerry said the United States had conducted a precision air strike that targeted Mansour “in a remote area of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border”.

Mansour posed a “continuing, imminent threat” to US personnel and Afghans, Kerry told a news conference while on a visit to My-anmar. “If people want to stand in the way of peace and continue to threaten and kill and blow people up, we have no recourse but to re-spond and I think we responded appropriately,” Kerry said.

With the report of Mansour’s death, attention has focused on his deputy, Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of a notorious network blamed for most big suicide at-tacks in Kabul. “Based purely on matters of hierarchy, he would be the favourite to succeed Man-sour,” said Michael Kugelman, a

senior associate at the Woodrow Wilson Institute think-tank.

Haqqani, appointed as number two after Mansour assumed con-trol of the Taliban last year, has generally been seen as opposed to negotiations. Eff orts to broker talks between the Afghan govern-ment and the Taliban had already stalled following a suicide attack in Kabul last month that killed 64 people and prompted President Ashraf Ghani to prioritise mili-tary operations over negotiations.

Ghani’s offi ce said on Sunday, Taliban who wanted to end blood-shed should return from “alien soil” and join peace eff orts.

Kerry said the leaders of both Pakistan and Afghanistan were notifi ed of the Saturday air strike but he declined to say if they were told before or after it had been car-ried out. He said he had spoken to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by telephone.

Pakistan has in the past de-nounced US strikes on its soil, calling them a violation of sov-ereignty, but US offi cials have said Pakistan has approved some strikes, in particular on militants fi ghting the Pakistani state.

Drones targeted Mansour and another combatant in a vehicle in a remote area of Balochistan, southwest of the town of Ahmad Wal, a US offi cial in Washington said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A Pakistani offi cial in the area said a car had been blown up and two unidentifi ed people had been killed. It was not clear how the vehicle was blown up and the two bodies had been taken to a hospital, said the offi cial, who de-clined to be identifi ed. — Reuters

Mullah Akhtar

Mansour was killed

in an air strike in a

remote border area

just inside Pakistan

Solar Impulse 2 lands in Dayton, Ohio

DAYTON: An experimental air-plane powered solely by energy from the sun landed in Ohio on Saturday night on the latest leg of its historic bid by pilots and developers to fl y around the globe without a drop of fuel.

The single-seat Solar Impulse 2 aircraft arrived in Dayton shortly before 10pm local time, some 17 hours after leaving Phoenix Good-year Airport, the project team said on its offi cial Twitter page. “People told the WrightBrothers & us what we wanted to achieve was impos-sible,” said Bertrand Piccard after landing. “They were wrong!” The locale was of special signifi cance to the pilots, as the home base to aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright. Amanda Wright Lane, a descendant of the brothers, neither of whom ever married, was on hand to welcome the fl ight.

With a wingspan exceeding that of a Boeing 747 but an ultra-light carbon-fi ber skin and overall weight of a car, the Solar Impulse cruises at speeds ranging from only 34 to 62 miles per hour (55 to 100 kph). The four engines of the propeller-driven aircraft are powered exclusively by energy col-lected 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 metres), but generally fl ies at lower altitudes at night to conserve energy. Piccard and An-dre Borschberg have been taking turns piloting the plane on each leg of the journey. Both have trained to stay alert for long stretches of time by practicing meditation and hyp-nosis. — Reuters

R O U N D - T H E - W O R L D

Brexit would drive up food prices, warns CameronLONDON: British Prime Minis-ter David Cameron warned vot-ers on Sunday that they would face higher grocery bills if the country decides to leave the Eu-ropean Union at a June 23 refer-endum, citing a potential drop in the value of sterling.

Cameron is leading the cam-paign to keep Britain inside the European Union ahead of the ref-erendum, the outcome of which will have far-reaching conse-quences for the country’s econo-my, its role in world trade and its global diplomatic status.

“Independent studies show that a vote to leave would hit the value of the pound, making im-ports more expensive and rais-ing prices in the shops,” Cameron said in a statement.

His comments mark a shift in campaign tactics by the ‘In’ side: a push to make explicit the link be-tween the macroeconomic risks that have dominated the Brexit debate so far, and their potential impact on Britons’ daily lives.

“This isn’t about dry econom-ics; this is about the economic security of hardworking families in Britain,” he said.

Short-term impactThe warning comes from a gov-ernment analysis of the short-term impact that a British exit would have on voters. It mod-elled a 12 per cent fall in the value of sterling, a fi gure it said was based on external impact assess-ments, and predicted the eff ect on prices after two years. The analysis said the average family’s weekly food and drink bill would

rise by almost 3 per cent, or £120 ($174.06) per year, and that cloth-ing and footwear costs would rise by 5 per cent, or £100 per year.

Andy Clarke, chief executive of supermarket chain Asda, said Brexit would cause uncertainty on prices, and restated that the fi rm wanted Britain to stay in the EU. However, the rival ‘Out’ cam-paign disputed the government analysis, saying that “protection-ist” EU policies pushed up prices.

“That’s okay for big business fat cats but it’s not good for Brit-ish families,” said Vote Leave Chief Executive Matthew Elliott.

Six out of the last seven polls published in the last week have shown the Remain campaign in the lead, and on Saturday two major bookmakers off ered the shortest odds to date on a vote to remain. Seeking to regain mo-mentum on Sunday, Vote Leave focused their campaigning on im-migration, one of the most emo-tive issues in the Brexit debate, warning that Britain would be exposed to security threats from Turkey if it ever joined the EU.

“If you’re going to ever expand the EU, you have to allow us to mitigate the security risk that comes with that,” defence min-ister Penny Mordaunt, a sup-porter of leaving the EU, told the BBC. “The referendum is our only chance to say ‘no, we disagree with that.” Cameron dismissed the idea that Turkey would join the bloc any time soon, joking that its current progress towards accession meant it wouldn’t be-come a member until the year 3000. — Reuters

F A R - R E A C H I N G C O N S E Q U E N C E S

BADLY-HIT: Pakistani local residents gathering around a destroyed vehicle hit by a drone strike in

which Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour was believed to be travelling in the remote town

of Ahmad Wal in Balochistan, around 160 kilometres west of Quetta. – AFP

MARKEWWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6B

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NORWAY’S INVESTMENTNorway’s sovereign fund may be forced to step up divestments of coal fi rms and could face a wider ban on investments in other fossil fuels. -Bloomberg News

Planned steel project in Sur ‘put on hold’

A E JAMESbusinesseditor@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A plan to build a 2.5 million-tonne per annum steel plant in Sur has been put on hold, in view of sluggish steel prices in global markets and the economic slowdown caused by the slack-ness in oil prices.

The company’s plan was to use direct reduction iron (DRI) and scrap metals on a certain propo-tion for the manufacturing pro-cess to annually produce 2.5 mil-lion tonnes of special steel and re-bars for both domestic con-sumption and exports.

“It is not taking off (now) be-cause of the recession. People are not investing in steel,” said P.T. Sivarajan, director of operations at Sun Metals, which was to build the factory.

‘Opportune time’“We are waiting for an opportune time and expecting the economy to recover and come back to nor-malcy,” he added.

Prices of both scrap metal and steel have fallen.

Sivarajan said that the com-pany has already returned the in-dustrial land, which was set aside for building the factory, to the

Public Establishment for Indus-trial Estate (PEIE).

An Indian group, which was the main promoter of Sun Metals, was planning to take a 30 per cent equity in the $400 million project and off er the remaining equity to local investors. However, the lo-cal investors are now interested in concentrating on their group’s business, rather than investing in this project.

Sivarajan also said that an ear-lier agreement withKorea-based Posco Engineering and Construc-tion for planning, engineering, procurement, construction, op-eration and maintenance services hasbeen suspended.

Another agreement, whichwas signed with Sojitz Corporation, Japan, for support of in-take, off -take and co-development, has also been scrapped.

The company has already returned the

industrial land, which was for building

the plant, to the Public Establishment for

Industrial Estate

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

Glasspoint’s solar project for PDO to be ready by end-2017MOBIN MATHEW BLESSONmobinmathew@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Glasspoint Solar, a leader in solar enhanced oil recov-ery (EOR), is planning to produce steam at the PDO’s Amal oilfi eld in southern Oman before the end of 2017, said the president and chief executive offi cer of the company.

“We are on track to produce the steam before the end of the next year; right now the construc-tion is head of the schedule,” Rod MacGregor told Times of Oman.

The project will harness the sun’s rays to produce steam, which will be used to extract heavy and viscous oil.

The project was awarded to Glasspoint by the Petroleum De-velopment Oman (PDO) in July last year. The project, which is named as Miraah, comes after the success of a pilot project in Amal.

According to MacGregor, Mi-raah will generate an average of 6,000 tonnes of solar steam daily for oil production.

Miraah will save 5.6 trillion British Thermal Units (BTUs) of natural gas each year, the amount of gas that could be used to provide residential electricity to the peo-ple in Oman.

The use of solar for oil recovery is a long-term strategy to develop

PDO’s viscous oil portfolio and re-duce consumption of natural gas.

Ben Bierman, chief operating of-fi cer of Glasspoint, also confi rmed that the project is on track and ahead of schedule.

“Right now everything is look-ing very good and we are two or three months ahead of the sched-ule and we hope we can beat that,” Bierman told Times of Oman.

“PDO did a great job preparing the land for us and we managed to get the land ahead of the schedule.”

The full-scale project will com-prise 36 glasshouses, built in suc-cession and commissioned in modules of four.

Upon completion, the total pro-ject area will span three-square kilometres, an area equivalent to more than 360 football pitches.

According to him, Glasspoint started the construction work in March this year.

MacGregor also said that Glasspoint is expecting more pro-jects in Oman and in the region.

“We hope for more projects in Oman and in the region,” he asserted.

“Usually other national compa-nies follow the steps of the PDO so we are hopeful that we will have more projects in the region,” he further added.

A M A L O I L F I E L D

Rod MacGregor. - Picture by O.K. Mohammed Ali/Times of Oman

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MARKETM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

First online e-platform forvocational training unveiled

Times News Service

MUSCAT: A fully integrated e-platform for vocational and professional training and inter-nationally approved specialised vocational certifi cations provided by Cloud Smart Learning (CSL) was launched here on Sunday.

The event was organised under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Dr. Fahad bin Al Julanda Al Said, assistant secretary gen-

eral for promotion Innovation and Development at the Research Council.

Abbass Al Hemaid Al Lawati, the innovator and founder of the first-of-its-kind establish-ment, explained that the main objective is to bridge the gap between job seekers and labour market requirements in the do-mestic market.

“CSL gives those who like to en-hance their skills and knowledge

an opportunity to join special-ised high-end vocational training courses, which will be interna-tionally credited and under the su-pervision of global teams with the high level of qualifi cations. The attendants will be granted gradua-tion certifi cations approved from international establishments. All the above will be fully available online via an advanced e-portal according to a programme that fi ts the fi nancial, work and life cir-

cumstances of the students,” said Al Lawati.

New conceptAccording to the CSL founder, the global job market gives priority to vocational qualifi cation and not the academic one. “We all know that most of the employees and job seekers wish to attain voca-tional and professional courses but at the same time they have obstacles in terms of work-life balance that hinder them. So, CSL was created to reduce time and place and remove all these obsta-cles, because all are online, from fi lling applications to doing tests and examinations.”

Speaking on the cost, Al Lawati affi rmed that the programme fees are very low, thanks to the fl exible

model adopted and the high oper-ating effi ciency due to online op-eration. For example, the fees for the fi rst diploma will be available for about OMR1,000. Moreover, the fees can be scheduled accord-ing to the units taught. To make thing easier to the students, there will be a package of facilitations for each unit; so that, the student can tailor his need according to his requirements and budget.

Live lectures Study programme include live lectures to be delivered on line by one of CSL experts; from any-where in the world and each stu-dent of the same group can attend the lectures while sitting at his own country.

Online assessmentAl Lawati explained that all tests and assessment processes throughout the programme are online, based on strict measures to have quality control in place. For example, the programme chooses automatically random samples of 30 per cent of researches submit-ted by the student. These samples will be discussed by the expert trainer to make sure that the stu-dent is the one who did the re-search by himself.

The main objective

of Cloud Smart

Learning is to bridge

the gap between job

seekers and labour

market requirements

in the domestic

market, founder of

the e-platform said

Apple’s Cook outlines his vision for India

NEW DELHI: Apple’s Tim Cook outlined his vision for his com-pany in India in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday where they also dis-cussed cybersecurity and data encryption.

“Cook shared Apple Inc.’s future plans for India,” according to a statement from the Indian govern-ment on Saturday. “He spoke of the possibilities of manufacturing and retailing in India.”

The Apple chief executive offi c-er on his fi rst trip to India opened a development center, dined with Indian celebrities and met corpo-rate executives. Cook’s four-day visit comes as Modi’s administra-tion reviews Apple’s application to open retail stores in the world’s second-largest mobile population.

Modi in a Twitter post on Sat-urday Cook after the Apple execu-tive launched an updated version of a mobile application named after the premier. Cook in return thanked Modi for a “Already look-ing forward to next visit to India,” he wrote on his Twitter account.

The men also discussed Modi’s initiatives for renewable energy, according to the statement.

Cook has left India and visited an Apple store in Dubai, according to pictures posted on his Twitter feed. — Bloomberg News

F U T U R E P L A N S

Greece braces for more austerity as EU-IMF disputeATHENS: Greek Prime Minis-ter Alexis Tsipras braces for yet another vote on additional aus-terity measures, as European creditors remain at loggerheads with the International Mon-etary Fund (IMF) about how much debt relief the country will get for its pain. Lawmakers in Athens are scheduled to vote on Sunday evening on an omni-bus bill that includes measures ranging from the taxation of diamond dust and coff ee to the transfer of thousands of real estate assets from the state to a new privatisation fund.

The debate will test the resil-ience of Tsipras’s three-seat par-liamentary majority, as euro-area states resist calls from the IMF to set less ambitious fi scal targets and hand Greece more generous debt relief.

Approval of the measures is one of the prior actions Greece has to fulfi ll to unlock the next tranche of emergency loans from the European Stability Mecha-nism, the currency bloc’s crisis-fi ghting fund. The Eurogroup of 19 fi nance ministers will convene Tuesday to assess the country’s compliance with its latest bailout agreement struck in the summer of 2015. A positive assessment is also a condition for the Euro-group to ease the servicing for over $225 billion of bailout loans handed to the country since 2010.

‘Fully committed’The Greek government is “fully committed’’ to implementing the measures in the program and has taken a “very constructive” approach in talks, which in turn should lead to a successful nego-tiation, Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem said in a Bloomberg Television interview on Friday. “On the basis of that confi dence, we’re now entering into a dis-cussion about debt relief,” Dijs-selbloem, who is also the fi nance minister of the Netherlands, said from the Group of Seven meeting

in Sendai, Japan. The Washing-ton-based IMF proposed that interest and principal payments on Greece’s European bailout loans be deferred until 2040, and that maturities on those loans will be extended to 2080, according to a document ob-tained by Bloomberg News.

Even though European coun-ter-proposals acknowledge that current Greek debt dynamics are unsustainable, they fall short of what the IMF wants, according to people familiar with the dis-cussions that took place between government offi cials over the past week. Instead, the euro area ex-pects Greece to maintain a budg-et surplus level which the IMF has said is a “far-fetched fantasy.”

Creditor quarrelIn the quarrel between creditors, Tsipras’s government has sided with the euro area, and the meas-ures being put to vote on Sunday assume that Greece will achieve a surplus before interest payments equal to 3.5 per cent of gross do-mestic product by 2018.

“Despite the fact the IMF has been pushing for debt relief for Greece, they are still perceived by the Greek public as austerity hawks,” Eurasia Group analyst Mujtaba Rahman said in a note to clients on May 19.

After legislating fi scal meas-ures equal to 1.7 per cent of Greek gross domestic product (GDP) last summer, coalition lawmak-ers are being asked to approve an-other three per cent of gross do-mestic product in tax hikes and pension cuts this month, as well as an additional two per cent of GDP in contingency measures, which will only be triggered if the country misses certain budget targets. Sunday’s package includes among others:

An increase in the standard sales tax rate to 24 per cent from 23 per cent, while the bill abol-ishes VAT discounts for some of the nation’s islands. — Bloomberg News

D E B T R E L I E F

Abbass Al Hemaid Al Lawati. — Supplied picture

All tests and assessment

processes throughout

the programme are on

line, based on strict

measures to ensure

quality control

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. — Bloomberg News

Cairn India CEO resigns

NEW DELHI: Cairn India said its chief executive of-fi cer Mayank Ashar resigned citing personal reasons, just a month after the nation’s largest private oil producer posted its biggest quarterly loss. Ashar will step down on June 5 and will be replaced by Chief Financial Offi cer Sudhir Mathur as interim head of the company, Cairn India said in a stock exchange fi ling on Friday. Ashar, who took charge in October 2014, oversaw the company amid the worst ever slide in oil prices and an ongoing pro-cess of merger with parent Vedanta. — Bloomberg News

P E R S O N A L R E A S O N S

B3M O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

MARKET

Bond and sukuk issues in the Gulf touch $119 billion

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Private fi rms and cen-tral banks in the Gulf region have issued bonds and sukuk worth $118.65 billion last year, a growth of 37.2 per cent over the previous year, according to Markaz, Ku-wait based think-tank institute.

A large part of the increase is attributable to the Saudi Arabian sovereign issuances, fi rst of such issuance since 2007.

The Central Bank Local Issu-ances are Fixed Income securi-

ties issued by GCC central banks in local currencies and with short maturities of less than one year for the purpose of regulating lev-els of domestic liquidity.

A total of $53.50 billion was raised by the GCC central banks, namely by the central banks of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman. The Central Bank of Ku-wait raised the highest amount with $23.35 billion, representing 43.64 per cent of the total amount through 65 issuances, followed by the Central Bank of Qatar, which raised a total of $15.12 billion, a reduction of 21.43 per cent from $19.24 billion raised in 2014.

Sukuk marketThe GCC bonds and Sukuk mar-ket is composed of bonds and sukuk issued by GCC sovereign and corporate entities for fi nanc-ing purposes and denominated in local and foreign currencies. A total of $65.15 billion was raised in the GCC bonds market in 2015, a growth of 82.40 per cent from $35.72 billion raised in 2014.

The report stated that a total of $44.38 billion was raised in the second half 2015, 113.58 per cent higher than $20.78 billion raised in the fi rsthalf of 2015, driven by new Saudi sovereign issuances which amounted to $30.65 billion.

Saudi Arabia was the leading issuer in 2015, raising $35.01 bil-lion through 15 issues and rep-resenting 53.73 per cent of the total value raised by the GCC is-

suers during the year. In terms of the frequency of issuances, UAE maintained its position as the dominant issuer with 149 issu-ances during 2015.

The UAE based issuers raised $18.52 billion during 2015, rep-resenting 28.42 per cent of the total value. Bahraini entities rep-resented 7.15 per cent of the total issuances, raising $4.66 billion through 7 issues. Qatari entities raised $2.04 billion while Omani entities raised $3.77 billion. Na-tional Bank of Kuwait was the only issuer from Kuwait.

The total value raised by corpo-rate entities declined by 17.51 per cent from $32.97 billion in 2014 to $27.20 billion in 2015. During 2015, sovereign issuances domi-nated the majority of the amount raised in the GCC bonds market, with $37.96 billion or 58.3 per cent of the total amount raised through 16 issues.

Saudi Arabia raised SAR115 billion ($30.65 billion). Bahrain issued a 10 year $1.10 billion bond priced at 7 per cent and a 5 year $1.15 billion bearing a coupon of 5.875 per cent.

The conventional issuances raised $55.59 billion, or 85.32 per cent of the total amount raised in GCC bonds and sukuk market during 2015.This was an increase of 109.79 per cent as compared to 2014. Sukuk issuances witnessed a modest growth of 3.71 per cent from $9.22 billion in 2014 to $9.56 billion in 2015.

Saudi Arabia was

the leading issuer,

raising $35.01 billion

through 15 issues,

and representing

53.73 per cent of the

total value raised by

the GCC issuers last

year. Oman-based

institutions raised

$3.77 billion.

KPMG seminar on UK’s property taxTimes News Service

MUSCAT: KPMG will be con-ducting a seminar on May 25, 2016 at Grand Hyatt to provide insights about the changes to the UK real estate tax laws, which are of relevance to investors from the Middle East who invest in UK real estate property.

The tax rules aff ecting UK property have undergone sub-stantial changes in the last three years. This has continued with the introduction of Capital Gains Tax for non-UK residents own-ing residential property in the UK, the levy of annual property tax on properties held through a corporate structure and changes in the stamp duty rates. All of these changes have made buying, owning and selling UK residen-tial property a complex tax issue and it is important that property owners are appropriately advised on the structuring and fi nancing of UK property ownership.

Ashok Hariharan, Partner and Head of Tax, Lower Gulf said, “KPMG seminaron the changes to the UK property tax laws will highlight both challenges and op-portunities in a real estate mar-ket which has historically been very popular with Middle East residents, whether for personal or investment purpose.The semi-nar will be delivered by an experi-enced team ofprofessionals from KPMG UK, Mike Walker and Mariam Moi. We expect our par-ticipants to take back some food for thought about how they hold and propose to invest into the UK real estate sphere.”

KPMG is a global network of professional fi rms providing Au-dit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 155 countries and have 174,000 people working in member fi rms around the world. In the Lower Gulf, comprising Oman and UAE, KPMG employs 850 professionals and operates from fi ve offi ces in the GCC.

R E A L E S T A T E T A X L A W S

B4

MARKETM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

MUSCATSECURITIES MARKET

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, MAY 22

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

OM0000001962 ............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 1,656,459 .......107,393.....................40 ........... 0.063 ........... 0.066 ...........0.063........... 0.065 .............0.063 ........... 0.002 ............. 3.175.................0.066 ..............0.066...................0.067...................13,464,840 .........0.100

OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ....................................................... 8,221 ...............3,567........................4 ........... 0.434 ........... 0.434 ...........0.422........... 0.434 .............0.428 ........... 0.006 ............. 1.402 ................0.422..............0.422...................0.434 ..................26,257,000 .........0.100

OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 334,000 .........252,920..................... 24 ............0.764 ........... 0.764 ...........0.748 ............0.756 ............. 0.748............ 0.008 ............. 1.070 ................0.748 .............. 0.748...................0.760 ..................492,113,838 ........0.100

OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ........................................................55,800 .............70,841..................... 10 ............1.260 ........... 1.270 ...........1.260 ........... 1.270 .............1.260 ............0.010 ............. 0.794 ................1.270 .............. 1.270...................1.290 ................. 254,000,000 .......0.100

OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER .................................................. 69,421 ............. 14,791........................7 ............0.212 ........... 0.214 ...........0.212 ........... 0.213 ............. 0.212 ............0.001 ............. 0.472 ................0.212 ..............0.212...................0.215 .................. 143,751,023 ........0.100

OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER ................................................... 50,000 .............10,792........................9 ............0.215 ........... 0.216 ...........0.215 ........... 0.216 ............. 0.215.............0.001 ............. 0.465 ................0.216 ............. 0.200...................0.216 .................. 154,311,769 ........0.100

OM0000001483 ............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN .................................. 50,200 ............. 13,051........................2 ........... 0.256 ...........0.260 ...........0.256........... 0.260 .............0.259 ............0.001 ............. 0.386 ................0.260..............0.256...................0.260 .................383,443,132 ........0.100

OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 278,794 .........450,038......................31 ............1.605 ........... 1.620 ...........1.605 ............1.615 ............. 1.610 ............ 0.005 ..............0.311................. 1.615 .............. 1.605...................1.640 ................ 1,211,250,000 ......0.100

OM0000001087 ............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ...................................... 300 .....................80........................ 1 ........... 0.265 ........... 0.265 ...........0.265........... 0.263 .............0.263 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.265 ............. 0.000...................0.265...................26,300,000 ........0.100

OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS .............................................................18,824 ............... 9,891........................6 ........... 0.524 ........... 0.526 ...........0.524........... 0.526 .............0.526 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.526 ..............0.520...................0.526...................28,930,000.........0.100

OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS .....................350 .....................84........................ 1 ........... 0.240 ...........0.240 ...........0.240 .......... 0.253 .............0.253 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.240 ............ 0.240...................0.249 ................... 8,493,577 ..........0.100

OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 187,007 ............ 20,537......................18 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.108 ............0.110 ............. 0.110 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.110 ..............0.109................... 0.110 ................. 220,034,407 .......0.100

OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 150,000 ........... 85,500........................3 ........... 0.570 ........... 0.570 ...........0.570 ........... 0.570 .............0.570 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.570 ..............0.550...................0.570................. 362,400,806 .......0.100

OM0000001889 ............SALALAH MILLS ............................................................. 5,000 ............... 7,375........................ 1 ............1.475 ........... 1.475............1.475 ............1.475 ............. 1.475 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.475 ..............1.440...................1.500 ................... 71,040,519 .........0.100

OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS .............. 43,143 .............10,784........................7 ........... 0.250 ...........0.250 ...........0.249........... 0.250 .............0.250 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.250..............0.249...................0.250 ...................5,250,000 ..........0.100

OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES .......................................... 258,800 ........... 59,942......................16 ........... 0.235 ........... 0.235 ...........0.230........... 0.232 .............0.232 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.230..............0.229...................0.230 .................. 14,199,391 .........0.100

OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ...................................10,000 ............ 18,600........................ 1 ............1.860 ........... 1.860 ...........1.860 ........... 1.860 ............. 1.860............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.860 ............. 0.000...................2.000 .................176,700,000 ........0.100

OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 264,686 ........... 66,042........................6 ........... 0.250 ...........0.250 ...........0.248........... 0.250 .............0.250 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.248..............0.248...................0.250 ................ 424,800,350 .......0.100

OM0000002572 ...........OMAN OIL MARKETING ..........................................10,000 ............ 18,800........................ 1 ............1.880 ........... 1.880 ...........1.880 ........... 1.880 ............. 1.880............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.880 .............. 1.700...................0.000 ................. 115,197,000 ........0.100

OM0000002846 ...........GULF INV. SER. PREF SHARES ..............................10,000 ............... 1,100........................2 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.110 ............0.110 ............. 0.110 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.110 .............. 0.110................... 0.116 ...................10,052,986 .........0.100

OM0000003000 ...........ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. ......... 5,000 ............... 7,700........................ 1 ............1.540 ........... 1.540 ...........1.540 ............1.545 ............. 1.545............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.540 .............. 1.535...................1.545 ..................106,605,000........0.100

OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 375,000 ............66,750........................6 ............0.178 ........... 0.178 ...........0.178 ............0.178 ............. 0.178 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.178 .............. 0.177...................0.178 ..................285,600,883 .......0.100

OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 415,597...........120,701..................... 26 ........... 0.282 ...........0.304 ...........0.282........... 0.290 ............. 0.291............-0.001 ........... -0.344 ...............0.300 .............0.292...................0.300 ..................84,288,796 .........0.100

OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................ 197,403 ............ 40,856..................... 26 ........... 0.206 ........... 0.210 ...........0.206 .......... 0.207 .............0.208 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.481................0.206............. 0.206...................0.207 ..................25,853,878 .........0.100

OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE ............... 22,050 ...............4,454........................4 ........... 0.202 ...........0.202 ...........0.202 .......... 0.202 .............0.203 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.493 ...............0.202 .............0.203...................0.207 ................. 40,400,000 ........0.100

OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 649,850 ......... 259,975...................120 ........... 0.400 ...........0.402 ...........0.400 .......... 0.400 .............0.402 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.498 ...............0.402............. 0.400...................0.402 .................998,500,103........0.100

OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 100,000 ........... 18,000........................2 ............0.180 ........... 0.180 ...........0.180 ........... 0.180 ............. 0.181 ............-0.001 ........... -0.552 ...............0.180 .............. 0.175...................0.180 ..................256,506,506 .......0.100

OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING .............14,045 .............. 2,008........................3 ............0.142 ........... 0.144 ...........0.142 ........... 0.143 ............. 0.144 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.694 ...............0.144 ..............0.144...................0.147 ...................12,870,000 .........0.100

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING.................................................84,632 .............18,960......................15 ........... 0.226 ...........0.226 ...........0.223........... 0.224 .............0.226 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.885 ...............0.225............. 0.224...................0.225 ..................33,616,800 .........0.100

OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL ............................................... 25,601 ............... 1,905........................5 ............0.075 ........... 0.075 ...........0.074 ........... 0.074 .............0.075 ...........-0.001 ............-1.333................0.074 ..............0.074...................0.076...................12,950,000 .........0.100

OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING .............58,037 ...............8,397......................13 ............0.146 ........... 0.146 ...........0.144 ............0.145 ............. 0.147............-0.002 ............-1.361 ................0.144 ..............0.144...................0.146 ....................17,671,875 .........0.100

OM0000003281 ............TAAGEER FINANCE ...................................................10,000 ...............1,300........................ 1 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.130 ........... 0.130 ............. 0.133............-0.003 ........... -2.256 ...............0.130 ...............0.131...................0.133 ...................32,966,700 .........0.100

OM0000002168 ............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ............................... 687,000 ..........181,845......................18 ........... 0.265 ........... 0.270 ...........0.263........... 0.265 .............0.273 ...........-0.008 ........... -2.930 ...............0.270..............0.265...................0.270 ..................78,496,626 .........0.100

OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 1,836,620 .......194,176..................... 72 ............0.108 ........... 0.108 ...........0.103 ........... 0.106 ............. 0.110 ............-0.004 ........... -3.636 ...............0.108 .............. 0.107...................0.108 ................... 30,737,948 .........0.100

OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER ..............................................................10,000 ............... 3,180........................4 ............0.318 ........... 0.318 ...........0.318 ............0.318 .............0.352 ...........-0.034 ........... -9.659 ...............0.318 ............. 0.000...................0.318 ................... 70,281,180 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 7,951,840...... 2,152,336 ................506 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......35........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. ....................26,097 .................. 852........................5 ........... 0.032 ........... 0.033 ...........0.032........... 0.033 .............0.033 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.033 ..............0.033...................0.034 ...................2,805,000 ..........0.100

OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES .............................................................100 ....................... 6........................ 1 ........... 0.063 ........... 0.063 ...........0.063........... 0.061 ............. 0.061............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.063 ..............0.062...................0.063.................... 7,625,000 ..........0.100

OM0000001806 ............MUSCAT NATIONAL HOLDING ..................................250 .................. 450........................ 1 ............1.800 ........... 1.800 ...........1.800 ........... 1.860 ............. 1.860............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.800 ............. 0.000...................1.800 ....................9,300,000 ..........1.000

OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 421,713 ............ 32,050..................... 25 ........... 0.076 ........... 0.076 ...........0.076 ........... 0.076 .............0.076 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.076 ..............0.076...................0.077..................114,000,000........0.100

OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK............................................... 80,000 ............... 4,611........................9 ........... 0.057 ........... 0.058 ...........0.057 ........... 0.058 .............0.058 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.058 ..............0.057...................0.058...................58,000,000 ........0.100

OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ........................................................95,593 .............14,655........................5 ............0.153 ........... 0.154 ...........0.153 ............0.153 ............. 0.154............-0.001 ........... -0.649 ...............0.154 .............. 0.154................... 0.155 ..................223,778,023 ........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 623,753............ 52,624..................... 46 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 6........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS AND SUKUK MARKET ...................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000003240 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES BONDS A .................. 16,668 ............... 1,967........................ 1 ............0.118 ........... 0.118............ 0.118 ............0.118 ............. 0.116 ............ 0.002 ............. 1.724 ................ 0.118 .............. 0.118...................0.000 ................... 3,241,235 ..........0.100

OM0000004867 ...........BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 ............................................. 3,450 .................. 366........................3 ............0.105 ........... 0.106 ...........0.105 ........... 0.106 ............. 0.106 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.106 ..............0.106................... 0.110 ...................33,882,124 .........0.100

OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 ........................1,154 ................... 111........................2 ........... 0.095 ........... 0.096 ...........0.095 ........... 0.096 .............0.096 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.096 ..............0.096...................0.099....................31,119,515 ..........0.100

.............................................SUM: ....................................................................................21,272 ...............2,443........................6 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 3........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

ISIN ......................................SECURITY NAME .................................................................. VOLUME ..... TURNOVER ............TRADES ......OPEN PRICE ......HIGH ............. LOW ........ CLOSE PR. ...PREV. CLOSE...DIFF (RO).........DIFF % ............. LAST PR .....LAST BID .............LAST OFFER ........MARKET CAP .PAR VALUE

O M A N S T O C K S

INDICESIndex .................................................High .................Low ..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff %MSM30 Index ........................................5,942.81 ...............5,927.44 ................... 5,931.09 ................... 5,931.00 ................. 0.090 ..................0.002Financial Index .....................................7,647.34 ............... 7,621.65 ....................7,624.78 ....................7,647.39 ................-22.61 .................. -0.30Industrial Index ....................................7,328.34 ...............7,286.82 ................... 7,294.52 ....................7,323.18 ................-28.66 .................. -0.39Services Index .......................................3,295.18 .............. 3,282.49 ...................3,282.49 ...................3,284.08 ...................-1.59 .................. -0.05MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................889.07 ...................885.71 .......................887.06 ...................... 886.10 ....................0.96 ................... 0.11

Trading SummaryVolume ................ Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up ............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded8,596,865.................... 2,207,403 .....................558 ................ 17,137,676,355 .................. 9 ......................14 .................... 21 .........................44

MSM index ends higher

MUSCAT: Shares on the Mus-cat Securities Market remained more or less intact amid list-less activity. The MSM30 Index remained unchanged to close at 5,931.09 points. The MSM Sharia Index increased by 0.11 per cent to end at 887.06 points. Galfar Engineering was most active in terms of volume, while Oman Telecommunications Company was the most active in terms of turnover. The top gainer was Al Madina Invest-ment, up by 3.17 per cent, while Sohar Power was the top loser, down by 9.66 per cent.

As many as 558 trades were executed on Sunday, generating turnover of OMR2.20 million with 8.6 million shares changing hands. Out of 44 traded securi-ties, 9 advanced, 14 declined and 21 remained unchanged. GCC and Arab investors were net buy-ers for OMR165,000 followed by Omani investors for OMR86,000 while foreign investors were net sellers for OMR251,000 worth of shares. Financial Index ended lower at 7,624.78 points, down by 0.30 per cent. Al Madina Invest-ment and National Bank of Oman increased by 3.17 per cent and 0.39 per cent, respectively.

Industrial Index declined by 0.39 per cent to close at 7,294.52 points. Voltamp Energy and Ray-sut Cement gained by 1.40 per cent and 0.79 per cent, respec-tively. Anwar Ceramic, Galfar Engineering and Jazeera Steel Product declined by 3.24 per cent, 2.93 per cent and 0.48 per cent, respectively.

Services Index closed at 3,282.48 points, marginally down by 0.05 per cent. Ooredoo Oman, Al Suwadi Power, Al Batinah Power and Oman Telecommu-nications increased by 1.07 per cent, 0.47 per cent, 0.47 per cent and 0.31 per cent, respectively. Sohar Power, OIFC and Renais-sance Services declined by 9.66

per cent, 0.49 per cent and 0.34 per cent, respectively.

Abu Dhabi plungesAbu Dhabi stocks posted their longest losing streak since Oc-tober amid a slump in trading across Gulf Arab equity mar-kets as investors held out for more than a $1 billion worth of rights issues.

The ADX General Index fell 1.1 per cent in a sixth-straight decline. Emirates Telecommu-nications Group Co., or Etisalat, the largest phone company in the Middle East, led the retreat with a 2.6 per cent drop. Trad-ers exchanged shares in about a third of companies on the gauge. The Bloomberg GCC 200 In-dex slipped for a third day, with volumes on the main gauges in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council languishing at less than half the 20-day average.

At least seven Gulf companies, including Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC and Dubai Parks & Resorts PJSC, plan share off erings that will raise a combined $1.1 billion.

“Investors are staying on the sidelines,” said Nabil Farhat, an Abu Dhabi-based partner at Al Fajr Securities.

“There are several rights issues going on, then you have Ramadan followed by summer, when li-quidity is seasonally weak. Then you have uncertainty over Fed-eral Reserve rate increases.”

Saudi bond saleSaudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index slipped 0.4 per cent at 1:52 p.m. in Riyadh, falling for a third day and taking its loss this year to 3.7 per cent. Saudi is preparing to sell its fi rst bonds in the interna-tional capital market as it seeks foreign fi nancing to plug its budg-et defi cit, and has invited banks to pitch for the deal, according to three people familiar with the plans. - United Securities/Bloomberg News

As many as 558 trades were executed on

Sunday, generating a turnover of OMR2.20

million with 8.6m shares changing hands

Fed policymakers queue up to speak on interest rate in the coming week LONDON: Investors will listen closely to a slew of US Federal Reserve policymakers in the com-ing week to gauge how soon they will raise interest rates, while European fi nance ministers look set to agree on more aid for cash-strapped Greece.

US policymakers were unex-pectedly upbeat about the pros-pects for an increase in rates, the minutes of their April meeting showed in the past week. That sent the dollar as well as US and European bond yields higher.

Fed speakers in the last few days have further strengthened the markets’ view that the cen-tral bank will tighten policy soon, leaving analysts to ponder wheth-er that move will come in June or July.“We still believe the Fed is more likely to continue wait-ing. But there is a considerable risk that a rate hike is imminent,” Commerzbank analysts said in a note to clients on Friday.

The main Fed speaker in the coming week will be Chair Janet Yellen, who appears at a panel event hosted by Harvard Univer-sity on Friday. Fed branch presi-dents including those from San Francisco, St. Louis, Dallas, Min-neapolis all speak earlier in the week. The key precondition for a rate hike that US policy-setters outlined in April was signs of eco-nomic growth picking up in the second quarter and of employ-ment and infl ation fi rming up, the minutes showed.

With no second-quarter GDP data due until the end of July, in-vestors are likely to focus in the coming week on the second esti-mate of US fi rst-quarter growth due out on Friday.

The consensus view of analysts in a preliminary poll by Reuters is for growth to be revised up to

0.9 per cent from the preliminary reading of 0.5 per cent.

“The data suggest that the US economy did not perform quite as poorly in Q1 as previously as-sumed,” Commerzbank said. “There is increasing evidence pointing to considerably stronger growth in Q2.”

One factor that could stay the Fed’s hand next month, however, is concern over any fallout from Britain’s referendum on June 23 on whether to remain in the Euro-pean Union.

So far British data has shown little sign of a ‘Brexit’ eff ect on economic activity. The break-down of fi rst-quarter GDP due on Thursday will be watched for any signs of an impact on busi-ness investment.

The Bank of Canada is widely expected to keep interest rates on hold on Wednesday despite a rise in the annual infl ation rate

in April. The bank has said infl a-tion is being infl uenced by tem-porary factors.

In Europe, where the European Central Bank has pledged to keep policy ultra-loose for a long time to come, Hungary is seen cutting interest rates on Tuesday.

Keeping Greece afl oatPreliminary purchasing manag-ers’ indexes for France, Germany and the euro zone due out on Monday morning are expected to show steady if not stellar growth in business activity.

The main focus in the shared-currency bloc in the coming week, however, will be on Tuesday’s Eu-rogroup meeting of fi nance min-isters, who are likely to agree on fresh aid to enable Greece to keep up with repayments to its credi-tors for the next few months.

They may also forge a tenta-tive and highly conditional plan to

help Athens reprofi le its debt bur-den to make it more sustainable, euro zone offi cials preparing for the talks said.

One key to the success of the talks is whether the euro zone can iron out its diff erences with the International Monetary Fund to ensure that the IMF then partici-pates in that plan.

The two have been struggling to agree on when to give Greece a break on its future massive debt repayments. The euro zone wants to postpone a fi nal decision on debt relief until 2018, while the IMF insists Greek debt repay-ment is unsustainable and inves-tors need clarity now. “Although fi nal agreement may not be forth-coming on Tuesday, we expect that they will signal a defi nite direction of travel to enable the IMF to come on board,” analysts at RBC Capital Markets said in a weekly note to investors. — Reuters

E C O N O M Y

Tata Motors in talks with partner to set up car unit in IranTEHRAN: India’s Tata Motors is in talks with a local manufacturer here to set up a joint venture for assembling its petrol cars in Iran as it looks to tap the fast grow-ing market that has just emerged from sanctions.

Tata Motors is talking to Iran Khodro Company for a joint ven-ture to assemble knocked down units of the petrol versions of its models, including the latest compact car Tiago, Bolt and Zest, which are powered by the compa-ny’s new Revotron petrol engines, sources said here.

Knocked down version of the cars will be imported and assem-bled at Iran Khodro’s manufactur-ing facility after adding local con-tents like tyres and batteries.

Khodro’s sales networkTata Motors will use Iran Khodro’s sales network to sell the cars.

The branding will be of Tata Motors and Iran Khodro will be just a contract manufacturer, they said, adding that Tata Motors will start assembling in Iran in less than two years.

Initially, Tata Motors is looking at one lakh cars a year, which will be gradually ramped up. Produc-tion at the factory, which may be located in suburban Tehran and Masad, is slated to begin by 2018.

Iran Khodro had earlier this year renewed partnership with French manufacturer PSA Peuge-ot Citroen.

Iran Khodro Company (public joint stock) was founded in Au-gust 1962. Starting with contract manufacturing of sedan ‘Paykan’ for British fi rm Rootes in 1966, it has manufactured for France’s Peugeot as well as Tondar 90 sedan

(Renault Logan). It manufactures several Chinese models now.

Peugeot had earlier this year signed a contract with Iran Khodro to start a joint venture that will make three new models.

Peugeot’s January 2016 deal marks its return to Iran after a four-year absence.

Iran Khodro, which is 14 per cent-owned by the Iranian govern-ment, was Peugeot’s former part-ner before the French company’s decision to shut down its opera-tions in 2012 in the wake of inter-national sanctions.

Before 2012, Peugeot would send parts, which then were as-sembled in Iranian plants. — PTI

J O I N T V E N T U R E

Janet Yellen, chairperson of the US Federal Reserve. - Bloomberg fi le picture

The branding will be of

Tata Motors and Iran

Khodro will be just a

contract manufacturer,

they said, adding that

Tata Motors will start

assembling in Iran in

less than two years.

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMSECTION

E- IMESTECH STUFF

BAPPLE PAY COMPETITOR DELAYS PRODUCTMerchant Customer Exchange (MCX), a mobile payments company started by major retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores, said it will eliminate 30 employees and postpone the national introduction of its highly publicised product, a would-be Apple Pay competitor. The staff cuts will aff ect about 40 per cent of MCX employees at the Waltham, Massachusetts-based start-up. — Bloomberg News

M O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

T E C H U P D A T E S

Twitter prohibits share option

repricing without consent

Cisco shares jump after forecast signals success

Google’s Android and Chrome

operating systems get closer

Twitter said it would pro-hibit without shareholder consent the repricing of stock options — including those given to employees by Chief Executive Of-fi cer Jack Dorsey last fall — in the event of a buyout or through an option ex-change program. The move is an eff ort to protect share-holders while retaining talent as Twitter’s stock price tumbles and Dorsey has brought on new board members and executives to give new life to the one-time tech darling. Dorsey handed over a third of his Twitter stock, amounting to about one per cent of the com-pany and valued at $200 million, in October when the stock was trading at about $30. “Mr. Dorsey and we believe our success is due to our highly talented employee base and that our future success depends on our ability to attract and retain high caliber people,” ac-cording to a letter to stockholders Friday signed by the company’s general counsel. Twitter has hired three new directors in the past two months, bolstering its leadership as the social media company confronts a slowdown in user growth. Earlier this year four mem-bers of the executive team left, including the product head and chief of engineering. Shareholders need to approve the 2016 eq-uity incentive plan at the annual meeting May 25 to allow Dorsey’s shares to be contributed and for the amendment to the proposal to take eff ect. — Bloomberg News

Cisco Systems shares jumped the most in three months af-ter quarterly sales and profi t forecasts exceeded analysts’ estimates, an early sign that it’s staying ahead of shifts in the networking industry that threaten its lucrative hardware business. Growth is being driv-en by newer units such as security and conferencing, divisions that Cisco has built up in recent years through acquisitions. The com-pany on Wednesday projected sales growth of as much as three per cent in the current period, while analysts had predicted revenue would decline. Fiscal third-quarter results also topped estimates. Chief Executive Offi cer Chuck Robbins is trying to accelerate growth by shifting the company’s off erings toward software-based networking, security and management products, which customers increasingly prefer because they’re less expensive and more adapt-able. Recent acquisitions such as Jasper Technologies, whose soft-ware allows companies to connect all sorts of electronic devices, and a new emphasis on security are helping make Cisco less de-pendent on its expensive, purpose-built hardware, especially as lackluster economic growth means corporate customers are reluc-tant to spend. “We’re in the early days of this transition, but I think we’ve proven in those businesses that we can actually make this transition, and we now have a plan under way to take that method-ology across the balance of our portfolio,” Robbins said in an inter-view on Thursday morning on “Bloomberg Go.” The company still has a long way to go to recast itself fully, and earnings are not where they should be, Robbins said on Wednesday — Bloomberg News

Google said its Android mo-bile app store will run on the Internet giant’s Chrome OS for personal computers, the latest sign of the two operating sys-tems slowly converging. Google Play, the Android app store, will roll out fi rst on three Chrome-book PCs running Chrome OS: the Asus Chromebook Flip, the Acer Chromebook R 11 and the latest Chromebook Pixel made by Google. Over time, the most-popular global app store will run on other existing Chromebooks and new PCs specifi cally designed for Play that Google is developing with hardware partners, the Moun-tain View, California-based company said on Thursday. Android apps like Microsoft’s Skype video calling service, will now work on Chromebooks, fi lling several gaps that made the computers less useful in the past. The move is the latest sign that Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., may eventually combine Android and Chrome OS into a single operating system. While the company has said it has no current plans to eliminate Chrome OS, a top Google executive addressed the subject on Thursday. — Bloomberg News

END CALLSAVE LIVES

A TIMES OF OMANHANDS-FREE DRIVING INITIATIVE

Next wave of computing a big challenge for Google

JACK CLARK

THE smartphone boom upended Google’s ad-vertising profi t engine and it took years for the Internet giant to

adjust to the new mobile world. The next wave of computing will be an even bigger challenge.

At Google’s I/O developer con-ference last week near its Silicon Valley headquarters, the company unveiled new technology that will rely less and less on physical de-vices with screens to deliver infor-mation and services to consumers. Google hopes these advances will capture the human attention its business depends upon, and then it can fi gure out how to make money later, one executive said.

Google Home will sit in liv-ing rooms sucking in voice-based queries and delivering verbal an-

swers from an artifi cially intel-ligent “Google assistant.” A jacket due out in 2017 with computing built into the yarn will respond to touches and swipes and give voice directions through ear phones con-nected to people’s phones. Project Soli will let people control comput-ers all around them through fi nger gestures in air. Even Google’s new-est smartphone design — Ara — is less of a device and more a frame that phone components will slot in and out of.

Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai describes this as “ambi-ent” computing that will surround consumers where ever they go. He sees it as one of the most impor-tant changes that will envelope the technology industry over the next decade. What is less clear is how Google will make money from this.

Google’s main AdWords search advertising business generates more than $40 billion a year in highly profi table revenue from text-based ads that pop up along-side search results shown on personal computer and smart-phone screens. When results are delivered by the company’s AI-powered assistant, the existing ad business won’t work.

“Where are the ‘good old’ Ad-Words ads if they succeed? They are nowhere. They are dead,” said Carlos Kirjner, an analyst at San-ford C. Bernstein. “If you thought mobile was a big transition for Google, buckle up.”

‘Fundamental change’When searches started happening on phones, Google had less screen space to show ads alongside its free, or organic, listings. This triggered soul-searching, questions from investors, a period of stock price stagnation and fi nally a thorough re-organisation of its search results and ads. Paid results now more often appear at the top of mobile search results and some ads have

become more like transactions where Google takes a cut of a book-ing fee, rather than a payment from a marketer for a click.

Ambient computingAmbient computing will force Google to embrace more new ways of making money, Kirjner said.

“Compared to this fundamental change in business model, prob-ably requiring that Google captures value from transactions and not from ads, mobile was just a minor, user interface tweak,” he wrote in a note to investors. Google will build its AI-based personal assistant fi rst and focus on ways to make money from this later, the company’s new chief of search and AI, John Gian-nandrea, said during his fi rst public remarks to a large developer audi-ence at I/O on Friday.

“We’re really focused right now on building something that users like to use,” he said, when asked about monetisation of the product. “Google has a long history of trying to build things that people fi nd use-ful and if they fi nd them useful and they use it at scale then we’ll fi gure out a way to kind of support that.”

In a world of ambient comput-ing, users could interact with fewer ads, but if Google has its way, those marketing messages will be better targeted and therefore more valu-able to advertisers, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Despite the early stage of the work, AI systems will blur the lines between Google’s free and paid results.

Even with the company’s new messaging service Allo, which will have the Google AI assistant deliv-ering answers and making book-ings in text streams, it’s unclear how ads or other paid-for informa-tion and services will be presented.

“What happens when Google’s assistant is asked to perform a spe-cifi c transaction?” Kirjner wrote. If the system successfully picks the

best counterpart for a consumer’s transaction, will it proceed even if that provider is not paying for the access? Or will the assistant off er a lesser counterpart that is paying for access without the user’s knowl-edge? “We are not smart enough to fi gure this one out,” Kirjner said.

“We do as a general rule clearly identify what is sponsored and what is organic,” Giannandrea said. Products like Google Home have not launched yet and Google is still working on how these services will work, he added.

That decision is partially be-cause of the early stage of Google’s AI eff orts. Despite decades of re-search and a larger focus in the last four years, the company is still grappling with “big unsolved” problems of computer science, like understanding language and dialog, Giannandrea said. That’s a long way from designing new ad formats and alternative business models.

Google’s AI technologyOne way to make money now is to deliver some of Google’s AI tech-nology as services to other compa-nies over the Internet. Earlier this year, Google did just that, off ering access to things like vision recogni-tion through its cloud computing business. It’s a high-volume, low-cost business with the company charging cents to fractions of a cent per AI-based prediction.

“It’s very important to us that our natural language APIs become part of our cloud platform and people experiment with it and help,” Gian-nandrea said. Google plans more of these AI cloud services, he added.

Still, Google will need more than cloud computing subscriptions to replace revenue and profi ts from text-based search ads. As the very concept of the “device” fades away, the company must fi nd new ways to make money from a business that is becoming increasingly invisible.

— Bloomberg News

At Google’s

I/O developer

conference, the

company unveiled

new technology that

will rely less and less

on physical devices

with screens to

deliver information

and services to

consumers

NEW PRODUCT: Mario Queiroz, vice president of product management for Google, holds a Google Home device while speaking during the

Google I/O Annual Developers’ Conference in Mountain View, California, US, recently. Google unveiled a new video calling application

named Duo that will compete with Apple’s FaceTime. — Bloomberg News

B6 M O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

ROUND-UP

SBA unveils Nissan 3S facility in Khasab

MUSCAT: As part of its network expansion plan in Oman, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA) has opened an exclusive 3S (sales, service and spare parts) facil-ity in Khasab, dedicated to Nis-san’s customers.

A trusted one-stop solution for Nissan patrons, the Khasab facil-ity is committed to off ering world-class sales, services and spare parts to its customers. Assuring every customer purchasing a Nissan ve-hicle of top class after sales service, SBA’s Khasab facility guarantees the advantage of factory trained

experts, says a press release.A senior offi cial of SBA said, “Ni-

ssan patrons always experience great service, professionalism and a personal touch whichever part of Oman they buy the vehicle from. We wanted to extend the facility to the customers in Khasab in the Musandam governorate. For every customer purchasing a Nissan ve-hicle, it is the beginning of a fulfi ll-ing experience as Nissan’s top class after sales service makes sure every customer is happy and satisfi ed.”

The offi cial added, “SBA is proud to announce that we have started operation in our brand new 3S fa-cility in Khasab. With the activa-tion of facility in Khasab, we have made our presence in Musandam governorate to serve our valued customers which is our commit-ment as part of network reach.”

The new facility has sales, ser-vice and spare parts available under one roof. To cater to the customer’s vehicle repair and maintenance re-quirement, the service workshop has 10 working bays.

After sales serviceEvery customer purchasing a vehi-cle can be assured that Nissan uses only genuine replacement parts at all times. Customers can expect consistency and support during af-ter sales service, which ascertains Nissan’s performance and resale value in the years to come.

Impressive vehicle line-upNissan has built up its reputation through innovative technology, and a broad product line-up. In Oman, people have increasingly opted for Nissan models because they come

with class leading features, great performance, ideally suited to the local conditions and off er great val-ue for money besides being among the safest cars on the road.

Nissan’s range of vehicles con-sists of sedans like Micra, Sunny, Sentra, Tiida, Altima and Max-ima; crossover model the Juke; SUV range of X-Trail, Pathfi nder and Patrol. Nissan’s LCV range includes Single Cab and the Dou-ble Cab Pickups, Navara, Patrol Pickup, Urvan 15-seater, panel van buses and Civilian with 26 seats and 30-seater variants.

Suhail Bahwan Automobiles is largely committed to support-ing Nissan’s growth in the Sul-tanate through major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman.

A trusted one-stop

solution for

Nissan patrons, the

Khasab facility is

committed to off ering

world-class sales,

services and spare

parts to its customers

Savills London property

exhibition ends today

MUSCAT: Savills, one of the world’s largest real estate fi rms with over 700 offi ces worldwide, launched a showcase of Lon-don Residential Property at the Grand Hyatt Muscat yesterday.

The exhibition which presents a diverse range of new prop-erty options for sale has been ar-ranged following strong interest levels in UK property seen from Oman over recent months.

Many Omani citizens and residents view London as a sec-ond home and before this sum-mer when many will be visiting, Savills felt it appropriate to bring to Oman a selection of develop-ments that would likely be of in-terest. These include apartments

at Southbank Tower, Alto at We-bley Park, Lillie Square at Earls Court and St Edmund’s Terrace near Regent’s Park.

The event which will end to-day has experienced high levels of attendees upon opening, of-fering the opportunity to speak directly with the developers and a specialist London team from Savills, who can assist in all mat-ters from the buying process to fi nancing options.

For buyers interested in pur-chasing prime UK property, the Savills team in Oman will provide a much requested co-ordinating point for those who will be visiting London over the summer months.

R E A L E S T A T E F I R M

Oman Insurance launches exclusive healthcare programme ‘LivFit’MUSCAT: Oman Insurance Company has launched LivFit, a wellness initiative to inspire healthy living.

The mission of the initiative is to develop and implement health programmes that raise awareness about various diseases, support early detection and encourage in-sured members’ physical and men-tal wellbeing, says a press release.

The launch of LivFit will help to bridge the gap between people’s health and wellbeing goals and the level of support and information available. Based on a research done by Oman Insurance Company and Bupa Global last year, 89% of UAE residents believe they could live a healthier life. Furthermore, nearly 40% of respondents claim they do not have suffi cient time to manage

their wellbeing and 58% of these respondents state work commit-ments are the main barrier to do-ing so. Despite this, 80 percent of respondents would like more in-formation about their health and wellbeing.

LivFit has been developed with the aim to raise awareness, create health literacy and organise health programmes to support a healthy

lifestyle and encourage well-being of healthcare members. The initia-tive from Oman Insurance is a tes-tament of its commitment to help clients manage the risks of every-day life by developing risk man-agement programs and innovative healthcare and wellness solutions.

Commenting on the initiative, Christos Adamantiadis, CEO of Oman Insurance Company, said

“LivFit will take us a step further into fulfi lling our strategic ob-jective of moving the insurance boundaries by redefi ning the scope of healthcare business from pro-tection to prevention.”

Dr Partha Panda, SVP Life and Health Claims at Oman Insur-ance Company said, “As part of the programme, we will work towards organiding programmes for our

clients to infl uence individual and organisational health practices. Already, we are sending monthly communication as well as special off ers to our healthcare members to support early detection and pre-vention of various diseases.”

With a commitment for con-stant improvement, Oman Insur-ance will endeavour to reach out to a greater number of individuals.

W E L L N E S S I N I T I A T I V E

Hublot showcases Baselworld 2016 novelties in Oman

MUSCAT: Timelessness fi nds its ultimate meaning in a Hublot time-piece. Creating the fi nest watches and wall-clocks since 1980, Hublot defi nes the ‘Art of Fusion’ philoso-phy in the luxury industry.

Moving forward to create the future at breathtaking speed, the Swiss watchmaker partnered with Mistal to bring its watches to Oman. In that context, Hublot and Mistal presented the brand’s Baselworld 2016 novelties to the press in Mus-cat recently at the Crowne Plaza, in the presence of Marco Tedeschi, regional director - Hublot Middle East and Africa and Dharmesh Ajit Khimji, managing director - Mistal, says a press release.

“It is a pleasure to be here as we have always received a posi-tive response from our customers in Oman; the country has a large number of watch enthusiasts who truly understand the concept of fi nesse. Our collaboration with

Mistal has helped us associate our brand with leading events locally and maintain our connection with our clients,” said Marco.

The event in Muscat was the last stop of Hublot’s road show in the region, and showcased eight of the new watches launched by Hublot at Baselworld this year. A watch brand that causes even the most discerning eyes to raise an appre-ciative brow, Hublot has received

much admiration among women and men alike. In line with the cel-ebration of 10 years of the All Black concept, the Big Bang Unico Sap-phire All Black was the star of the new collection, along with the Big Bang MECA-10 that boasts an in-novative skeleton dial construction revealing the detailed mechanics of its new manufacture movement HUB1201. With all the plates, ax-les, wheels and gear synchronised

in perfect harmony, this atypical design has a 10-day power reserve, further reinforcing the connection between man and machine.

“Hublot has created its mark in history as a luxury watchmaker dictating its own theory of fusion. The watches’ pure lines and care-ful selection of innovative mate-rials complement its unique and diff erent outlook of connecting the past to the future,” said Ajit Khim-ji. “As Hublot’s local partners, we are honoured to have Marco Tede-schi with us today as we present a fi ne collection of Hublot novelties for the very fi rst time in Oman.”

The Mistal boutique, a part of the Ajit Khimji Group, is a luxury watch and jewellery boutique that homes some of exclusive Hublot timepieces. The new showroom that was recently inaugurated is an epitome of timeless beauty and mirrors the same class, refi nement and novelty as the brands it holds.

L U X U R Y W A T C H M A K E R

Alcatrazz all set to rock May Queen BallMUSCAT: The May Queen Ball is back in town as a part of the Indian Social Club’s Goan Wing initiative which will be held on Friday, May 27 at the Civil Avia-tion Club, Seeb from 7pm to 1am.

Adding to the excitement of this year’s show is the presence of Alcatrazz, one of busiest and ac-claimed bands of Goa which has created a legend of its own over the last 23 years and has earned a rep-utation for exceptional musician-ship in India, says a press release.

The six-member team of gifted musicians has toured virtually every city in India, delivering gigs that have consistently won them acclaim from music lovers and the local media. Today, they are sought after corporate events

organisers tasked with putting together high-profi le shows for commercial launches. The band is powered by Cassian Fernandes (lead vocals), Patrick Silveira (drums and vocals), Cassius Fer-nandes (keyboards and vocals), Peter Faria (bass and vocals), Francis D’Souza (lead and vocals) and Sandra Franco (vocalist)

To add more excitement to the show Updesh Swar will be the comperer for the event and Dr Martin Dcosta, Dance sport champion will have the show rocking. It is also a night for ISC Goan wing to bring diff erent communities together. This dine and dance is open to Goans and guests from all other communi-ties and nationalities.

G O A N B A N D

BankDhofar recognised at OER Top 20 Awards

MUSCAT: Celebrating its resound-ing success and highlighting its con-tinuous support of nationwide busi-ness initiatives, BankDhofar has been recognised as one of the Sul-tanate’s most successful companies at the OER Business Summit.

The award was received by Ab-dul Hakeem Omar Al Ojaili, act-ing CEO of BankDhofar, during OER Business Summit and Top 20 Awards that was held at Grand Hy-att Muscat under the auspices of Dr Rasheed bin Al Safi Al Huraibi, chairman of Oman Tender Board and was attended by Ahmed Saleh Al Marhoon, director-general of Muscat Securities Market. The event brought together CEOs and senior executives from the top listed companies on Muscat Secu-rity Market, business leaders from privately owned and joint stock companies, as well as senior gov-ernment offi cials, invited guests and keynote speakers from region-al and international organisations.

Al Ojaili said: “We are very de-lighted to have been recognised among the top performing fi rms in

Oman. This reiterates BankDhofar’s commitment to excel and grow in all business areas, contribute to the de-velopment of the country’s economy and meet the aspirations of all inter-nal and external stakeholders.”

The OER Top 20 Awards is an annual event that aims to honour companies that excel in various fi nancial arenas like revenue and fi nancial performance, weight in the market and overall business growth. Every year, Oman’s 20 largest listed companies on MSM receive the coveted OER Top 20 awards, celebrating their success and excellence throughout the year.

“We at BankDhofar have di-rected all our eff orts and resources towards leading the Omani bank-ing industry in all business areas, working constantly to provide the best customer experience through creative fi nancial solutions, tai-lored products and innovative services. We have intensifi ed our eff ort to further expand our busi-ness operations and continued to follow best international banking practices,” added Al Ojaili.

H O N O U R

Haya Water marks Earth Day

MUSCAT: Haya Water organised an annual event on the occasion of Earth Day celebration at Bait Haya under the auspices of Eng. Hussein bin Hassan Abdul Hussain, CEO of Haya Water with the presence of a number of participating offi cials and Haya employees.

The ceremony included envi-ronmental informative exhibition which presented diff erent mes-sages about the importance of preserving the planet. In addition, some companies specialised in re-cycling displayed some models and methods that are used in the recy-cling process, says a press release.

Eng. Hussain spoke about the importance of this event say-ing: “The world’s celebration of Earth Day refl ects its attempts to preserve the earth and the envi-

ronment and to raise awareness about the importance of protect-ing it from natural and industrial pollutants. The world must re-member that what is happening now may have serious risks to the Earth and the environment.”

In the end, the CEO distributed certifi cates of appreciation to the participants. In addition, around 300 plants were distributed to staff during the event.

P R E S E R V I N G T H E P L A N E T

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Asian Banker recognises top BankDhofar offi cial

MUSCAT: In recognition of his signifi cant contributions in the de-velopment of the fi nancial sector in the Sultanate, Faisal Hamad Al Wahaibi, chief retail banking offi c-er - BankDhofar was recently hon-oured by The Asian Banker among leading practitioners in the region.

The List of Leading Practition-ers is a programme designed by The Asian Banker to identify, rec-ognise and mobilise those who are shaping the fi nancial services in-dustry in their respective markets on an on-going basis. These in-clude practitioners in the domes-tic as well as regional and global fronts whose work or infl uence

are relevant to the Asia Pacifi c and the other emerging regions, says a press release.

“Retail banking is a highly crea-tive and dynamic industry and this event aims to highlight people who are taking this industry forward by responding to new challenges brought on by liberalisation, tech-nology and changing customer be-haviour. It gives me a tremendous pleasure to be among top leaders in the retail banking business, and I would like to thank the or-ganisers of the event for their un-limited support and for providing a platform for market leaders to network and exchange expertise in

the industry,” he said.“This recognition wouldn’t have

been achieved without the thor-ough vision of BankDhofar board of directors and top management, as well as the collaborative eff orts of all BankDhofar family members who worked together to add value to the business. It would not be achieved either without the con-tinuous support of our customers in all parts of Oman,” he added.

Al Wahaibi has been at the helm

of retail banking since he joined BankDhofar in 2009, and he brings in an extensive experience of over 20 years across various functions in the banking and fi nance indus-try. Over the year, BankDhofar has led the banking industry in the Sultanate and has been recognised by local and international organi-sations for its leadership and com-mitment to contribute to the de-velopment of the banking industry in the Sultanate.

Faisal Hamad Al Wahaibi, chief retail banking

offi cer, BankDhofar, was recently honoured

by The Asian Banker from amongst leading

practitioners in the region

A’Saff a committed to food safety and consumer healthMUSCAT: The concept of social responsibility is embedded deep into the A’Saff a brand.

Setting new and improved standards every day, A’Saff a Foods confi rms compliance to specifi ed statutory requirements on quality management, bio secu-rity and food safety systems and hence enjoys successes at all lev-els of production of its products, says a press release.

The high standards of hygiene at the poultry farms ensure a healthy food component for con-sumers. For the birds, the com-pany takes into consideration the ethical concerns of their welfare. The birds are provided all food and water they need to keep them healthy and satisfi ed. They are kept at the farms such that they face no discomfort, pain, injury or disease.

Accreditation and certifi ca-tion by the leading TUV Nord for quality is a testimony to the quality management systems at A’Saff a Foods. It has also been awarded quality certifi cations such as HACCP certifi cation for food quality and hygiene systems, ISO 9001:2000 for total quality management systems and ISO 14001:2004 for environmental management systems.

The HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemi-cal, and physical hazards from raw material production, pro-curement and handling, to manu-facturing, distribution and con-sumption of the fi nished product.

ISO 9001:2000 for total quality management systems specifi es requirements for a quality man-agement system where an or-ganisation needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product that meets customer and applicable regulatory require-ments, andaims to enhance cus-tomer satisfaction through the ef-fective application of the system, including processes for continual improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable regula-tory requirements.

Lastly, ISO 14001:2004 for en-vironmental management sys-tems, it specifi es requirements for an environmental manage-ment system to enable an organi-sation to develop and implement a policy and objectives which take into account legal requirements and other requirements to which the organisation subscribes, and information about signifi cant environmental aspects. It applies to those environmental aspects that the organization identifi es as those which it can control and those which it can infl uence.

Having best-in-class technol-ogy and equipment at A’ Saff a’s

plant, the company and has im-plemented the same in all sec-tions of their farm management procedures, whilst strictly adher-ing to the highest biosecurity and hygiene standards, thereby en-suring that their chicken are free from any disease.

These standards cover a wide range of concerns, from feeding requirements to the amount of space each bird must be given, and are designed to improve the health and wellbeing of birds throughout their lives.

A’Saff a chickens are processed at the company’s state-of-the-art plant. The brand follows strict Is-lamic Sharia (Halal) procedures. Chilled chicken products are made available to the consum-ers within the shortest period of time. The frozen products also reach the outlets within a week of production thereby retaining their freshness, taste and fl avour.

“As with our core principles of following religious, healthy and ethical practices, the company prohibits use of chicken and ani-mal byproducts and substitutes for feeding the birds as happen in some other poultry companies,” said Sidhartha Lenka, head of Sales and Marketing,.

He explained that A’Saff a also has a highly trained on site medi-cal team at the Thumrait farms complex who monitor the health of the chickens daily to ensure they are kept free from disease, have the right balance of feed and water and ensuring the fi nal product to the consumer is al-ways safe and pure chicken meat.

“Just like the DNA in the hu-man body that distinguishes each of our personalities so is the DNA in A’Saff a Foods that dictates the A’Saff a Foods corporate philoso-phy - “Core Values of Healthy Food, Health and Happiness”. A’Saff a brand personality is a manifestation of the corporate DNA and is complemented by key back end process chains that include controlled and hygien-ic environment where A’Saff a chickens grow,” says Lenka.

I S O A N D H A C C P S Y S T E M S

Kia Oman YouTube channel wins silver at Oman TechMUSCAT: Kia Oman YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/kiaomanmuscat) has won silver at the recently held Oman Tech Award event under the aegis of ITA-Information Tech-nology Authority (e-oman).

“We are truly honoured to re-ceive the award, which recognises our commitment to reach ever closer to our customers – to serve them even better,” remarked the Kia spokesperson.

Underlining Kia’s dedication to customer satisfaction, the spokes-

person continued, “Kia winning the award is due to the popular-ity of Kia YouTube page, which in turn can perhaps be attrib-uted to its appealing design and interesting features.

“It is yet another product of Kia’s active commitment to pro-vide its customers with an “inter-esting and interactive way to re-late to their favourite Kia models,” feels an independent automotive expert. Kia Oman’s Youtube chan-nel has close to 400,000 views.”

Social media has revolutionised

the way people communicate and consume information.

Kia has been at the forefront of this revolution by using tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Google Plus to con-nect, interact and share with its fans as never before. As technology continues to advance and improve, Kia takes its enthusiasts’ along on an exciting journey.

Reliable International Auto-motive, the distributor for Kia in Oman provides a rewarding own-ership experience for customers.

R E C O G N I T I O N

Bank Sohar launches Instagram contestMUSCAT: Commemorating the recent launch of its new Road Safety Campaign, Bank Sohar has launched a special contest for all its followers on its Instagram page (www.instagram.com/bankso-harexcel). The contest, which be-gan on May 22, titled Road Safety, will see 10 winners share in a prize pool of OMR1,000.

Starting from May 22 till June 4, the bank’s followers on its Ins-tagram page are invited to look for the Bank Sohar Road Safety Jingle on the bank’s Instagram page or the bank’s YouTube page excelbankso-har. To enter the contest, followers need to post a video of a child re-

acting to the jingle mentioning @banksoharexcel in the post, with the hashtag BankSohar#. All en-tries will be entered into a comput-erised draw at the end of the com-petition period where 10 winners will each receive OMR100.

Commenting on the launch of the contest Munira Abdulnabi Macki, GM of HR and Corporate Support at Bank Sohar said, “Promoting road safety, both internally and amongst the community, has always been given great importance by the bank. With this jingle, we wanted to make something simple, catchy and easy for children to understand. We want them to take this all-important

message and spread it to their par-ents not to use mobile phone while driving. Given the popularity our Instagram page has garnered over the past three years, we felt it would be a great way for people to spread the message among the community while also being rewarded for doing so. As such, we encourage everyone to make the most of this competi-tion and we look forward to seeing all the entries.”

Bank Sohar has come a long way in getting closer to its cus-tomers and interacting with them on the popular social media plat-forms including Facebook, Insta-gram and Twitter.

R O A D S A F E T Y

The bank’s followers

on its Instagram page

are invited to look for

the Bank Sohar Road

Safety Jingle on the

bank’s Instagram page

or YouTube page

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al Mazyona gains momentum with high value prizes for Premier banking clients

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the fl ag-ship fi nancial services provider in the Sultanate, as part of its customer-centric strategy offers a distinct Premier banking ex-perience characterised by global banking solutions, exclusive benefits and rewards.

Elevating Premier banking ser-vice to unparalleled heights, the bank focuses on enriching custom-er experience with special banking facilities and services that meet their personalised needs, aspira-tions and goals, says a press release.

Notable among the exclusive rewards and benefi ts lined up for Premier banking customers are the high value al Mazyona month-

ly, quarterly and year-end prizes. The bank understands customer expectations as al Mazyona 2016 scheme off ering OMR10 million in prize money is an incredible in-centive for maintaining a healthy savings habit.

Premier customers of the bank - Private, asalah Priority and al Jawhar Privilege banking – are eligible to participate in all al Ma-zyona prize draws. The exclusive prizes earmarked for asalah Pri-ority banking customers include two monthly prizes of OMR50,000 each, two quarterly prizes of OMR250,000 each and the year-end jackpot prize of OMR500,000 for one customer. The bank also off ers special prizes to al Jawhar Privilege Banking customers, in-cluding two monthly prizes of OMR25,000 each and two quar-terly prizes of OMR50,000 each. To date, the fabulous high value prizes off ered to Premier banking clients are leaps and bounds above any similar schemes in Oman and the region. The upcoming al Ma-zyona monthly prize draw will be held in Sur on May 25.

The Sultanate’s fl agship saving

s scheme, al Mazyona, has gained momentum with the series of 2016 prize draws guaranteeing bigger and better winning chances for customers across the Sultanate. The bank recently celebrated the fi rst quarterly prize draw of al Ma-zyona savings scheme this year in which six customers covering all regions, including two from asalah Priority Banking and two from al Jawhar Privilege Bank-ing, won high value prizes totaling OMR800,000.

Abdulnasir Al Raisi, DGM – Pre-mier Banking, said: “Against the backdrop of the prevailing eco-nomic conditions, al Mazyona sus-tains and encourages a strong sav-ings culture in Oman. The exciting scheme, which refl ects the dreams and aspirations of citizens and res-idents, has a positive impact on the people and the nation.

“Marking a long-standing and strong relationship with clients, the Premier banking strategy is a step into the future banking in Oman, refl ecting the bank’s com-mitment to expand innovative services to clients and remain the nation’s bank of fi rst choice.”

Supporting customers to meet fi nancial aspirations during the past 24 years, al Mazyona reaches out with exciting rewards at an un-beatable frequency. Reckoned the savings scheme for the nation, al Mazyona has made dreams of in-numerable customers come true. The bank attaches great impor-tance to inculcating prudent sav-ings and spending habits and has tailored al Mazyona scheme with this objective in mind.

Al Raisi added: “Refl ecting the customer-centric vision of the bank, Premier banking is focused on providing personalised service catering to the complex fi nancial needs of clients. With a bouquet of exclusive off erings, the reward-ing al Mazyona experience distin-guishes Premier banking clients from competitors.”

al Mazyona savings scheme guaranteeing more for every-one to share is the biggest prize money in Oman and the region with regular prizes ranging from OMR1,000 a week to OMR10,000 a month and OMR100,000 every quarter, in addition to special and year-end prizes. The prize money

will be shared by more winners as customers from all regions are guaranteed to win.

Adding excitement to festivals and national celebrations, the 2016 savings scheme also rewards customers with special prizes, be-sides aspirational prizes of OMR1 million to be shared by two cus-tomers at the end of year.

A special prize draw off ering OMR10,000 each for winners from 14 regions will be held in cel-ebration of Eid Al Fitr in July. An exclusive draw for Zeinah women customers coinciding with Omani Women’s Day is another highlight in which 10 customers will be re-warded with OMR10,000 each. On the occasion of the National Day, a special draw will be held off ering OMR10,000 each for 10 winners.

EligibilityThe eligibility for al Mazyona prize draws is to maintain a minimum balance of OMR100 which entitles customers to win OMR1,000 every week. By maintaining a minimum balance of OMR1,000, customers are eligible to win the OMR10,000 monthly prize, OMR100,000 quar-

terly prize and the grand prize of OMR500,000 at the end of the year. For every OMR100 balance, customers get 1 chance to win – so with OMR1,000, they get 10 chances to win. The more the sav-ing, the better the chances to win.

al Mazyona continues to be the only savings scheme to recognise and reward loyalty for customers based on their association with the bank. For example, if a cus-tomer has been saving for 5 years, his chances of winning get multi-plied by 5 times and similarly if he has been maintaining al Mazyona savings account for 20 years, his chances get multiplied 20 times and so on. This benefi t is unique only to al Mazyona savings scheme holders and no other bank off ers this loyalty reward.

The double-your-salary scheme is another attraction of 2016 al Mazyona savings scheme which entitles customers maintaining a salary account with the bank to win a free bonus salary every month. In all, there will be 30 win-ners every month who will gain a bonus salary with al Mazyona savings account.

The upcoming al

Mazyona monthly

prize draw will be

held in Sur on May 25

Reflecting the customer-centric vision of the bank,

Premier banking is focused on providing personalised

service catering to the complex financial needs of

clients. With a bouquet of exclusive offerings, the

rewarding al Mazyona experience distinguishes

Premier banking clients from competitors

Abdulnasir Al RaisiDGM – Premier Banking

Hyundai appoints new head of Africa & Middle East regionMUSCAT: Carmaker Hyundai has appointed Mike Song as its new head of Africa and Middle East region in the second week of May. Based in the Dubai regional headquarters, Song will oversee operations throughout the Mena region, as well as Sub-Saharan Af-rica and the Canary Islands, says a press release.

“It is both an enormous chal-lenge and a great privilege to take on such an exciting role,” said Song. “Hyundai is a leader in pas-senger car sales in several markets in the region, with a committed network of distributors, and a growing number of satisfi ed cus-tomers. I look forward to playing a vital role in the company’s contin-ued success.”

Born in Korea in 1968, Song Joined Hyundai in 1993 after graduating from Seoul National University. He was executive co-ordinator for Sales and Market-ing in Canada from 2000 to 2005; worked within the Corporate Planning Division at Hyundai Global Headquarters from 2005 to 2009; and was sales coordinator for Hyundai Motor America from

2010 to 2014. Most recently, he has fi lled the role of Head of Asia-Pacifi c, Africa and Middle East Group, based in Korea.

He joins the Africa and Mid-dle East Regional Headquarters during an important period for the carmaker, with 2016 expected to include the launch of two sig-nifi cant new product lines: the introduction of Genesis as a stand-alone luxury brand, and the release of the IONIQ eco-friendly model. This will be the fi rst car to be of-fered with a choice of the three most popular alternative-fuel drivetrains, including full-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and full-electric.

Song will also work to drive Hyundai sales in what are diffi cult market conditions through much of the region.

“Looking at the road ahead, there is considerable uncertainty in many markets, from the impact of low oil prices in the GCC and other petroleum-producing countries, through to falling currencies in the two largest African markets – South Africa and Egypt,” said Song. “Hyundai is, however, in a strong position despite the challenges. We are recognised for high quality, and increasingly for advanced en-gineering and stylish design, but we also retain a reputation for value, both at the time of purchase and in terms of continuing ownership costs. People feel Hyundai is de-pendable, as well as desirable.”

Mike Song replaces Jin (James) Kim, who is returning to a senior management position in Korea.

OTE Group represents the brand Hyundai in the Sultanate of Oman. With a nationwide network of showrooms and service centres, OTE Group ensures that Hyundai customers are never far from get-ting high quality service.

N E W R O L E

Oman Air to support GCC New Age Banking Summit 2016MUSCAT: Oman Air, the award winning national carrier of the Sul-tanate of Oman, is supporting the GCC New Age Banking Summit 2016 as the offi cial airline partner.

To be held at the Crowne Plaza in Muscat today, the summit will be a unique platform for the banking and fi nance professionals to discuss the new developments in global bank-ing and debate on the focus areas for Omani banks, says a press release.

The event will host a line-up of expert regional and global indus-try speakers and help the audience gain expert insights on disrup-

tive technologies, global banking trends and new age customer needs, and an opportunity to net-work with industry peers and banking solution providers.

Mohammed Al Shikely, vice president - Marketing, Oman Air commented: “Oman Air is delight-ed to partner with the GCC New Age Banking Summit 2016. The summit is yet another opportunity to showcase the Sultanate as the perfect location to host such events, whilst promoting Oman as a unique destination surrounded with breathtaking typography, heritage,

culture and renowned hospitality, ready to welcome business, leisure and adventure seeking travellers.”

Welcoming Oman Air onboard as the partner, Alpana Roy, execu-tive vice president, UMS (the or-ganiser of the summit) said, “We are pleased to have Oman Air as our partner for the event. We are thank-ful to Oman Air for committing to provide the highest standards of comfort and service in true Omani hospitality tradition and culture to the banking and technology experts fl ying from all over the world to par-ticipate in this prestigious event.”

U N I Q U E P L A T F O R M

Muscat, Qurum City Centres continue

to off er exceptional customer service

MUSCAT: As part of the com-mitment to deliver unrivalled customer services and a world-class shopping experience, Majid Al Futtaim’s two leading lifestyle destinations in the Sultanate, City Centre Muscat and City Centre Qurum, have gone above and beyond to ensure that mall visitors are attended to by a re-sourceful and well-trained team of Omani representatives.

“We believe the key to deliver-ing great moments for our shop-pers is a strong customer service team that value and take pride in delivering an exceptional shop-ping experience. At Majid Al Fut-taim malls, the customer is our number one priority. We strive to exceed our visitors’ expecta-tions through ongoing innova-tion, training and continuous improvement of our service of-ferings,” said Husam Al Mand-hari, senior mall manager at City Centre Muscat.

In addition, Majid Al Futtaim is committed to the personal devel-opment of all its employees. The mall’s customer service teams are regularly trained in trouble-shooting from missing children incidents, to lost shoppers and attending to unwell visitors. City Centre malls’ customer service team will provide necessary as-sistance to visitors with a caring spirit, leaving each and every cus-tomer happy.

Munther, a City Centre Muscat shopper commented, “My wife and I were overwhelmed with the customer service team’s caring de-meanour. Our daughter was sepa-rated from us but they made such an eff ort to see that our daughter was brought safely back to us. We are eternally grateful for this act of sheer kindness and diligence.”

During another reported in-cident, a customer was reported looking unwell. The customer ser-vice team took the initiative to or-der a wheelchair and requested a member of the City Centre Muscat staff to escort the woman around the mall. The team took the extra step of making sure that she got

home safely by calling to follow up on the woman’s condition.

Sayyid Basim Al Busaidi said, “This kind of consideration is what I would have expected from doctors and close family and friends. The mere fact that this person was not only able to ob-serve my wife’s diffi culty upon entering City Centre Muscat, but also off ered support. The care that was provided is remarkable and speaks in itself with regards to the high level of customer ser-vice training and the wonderful personalities of the mall staff . This is the best customer service we’ve ever experienced.”

Watfa Humaid Al Harthy, Sen-

ior Mall Manager at City Centre Qurum commented, “It is excep-tional customer service stories like these that demonstrate our staff ’s commitment to visitors’ experience while at the mall. Cre-ating a safe and comfortable envi-ronment, fostering relationships and going the extra mile con-tribute towards creating great moments for everyone, every-day. Providing the best customer service and shopping experience is a constant endeavor within Majid Al Futtaim’s malls and one which requires thorough train-ing and innovative thinking. We look forward to getting to know our customers more!”

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Qatar confirmed as hosts of 23rd Gulf Cup tourneyMUSCAT: Qatar has been con-fi rmed as hosts of the 23rd Gulf Cup Football Championship.

A decision to this eff ect was taken during a meeting of the heads of the GCC national football associations in Doha on Saturday.

According to information re-ceived here, the GCC football chiefs have unanimously agreed to give the hosting rights to Qatar.

The 23rd edition of the Gulf region’s premier football cham-pionship was postponed twice in the past.

The championship was origi-nally scheduled to have been hosted in Iraqi city of Basra in February 2015 but the hosts pulled out due to fi nancial crisis.

The championship schedule was then changed to 2016 and later to 2017 with Kuwait select-ed as the hosts.

However, three-time hosts Ku-wait too had to withdraw follow-ing it’s suspension by world soc-cer body FIFA.

On Saturday, the GCC football chiefs put an end to all specula-tions by selecting Qatar as the hosts while also announcing the tentative schedule of the popular championship.

The football chiefs have agreed for the tournament to be hosted in December 2017 to January 2018. But they have decided to announce the exact dates later after considering all the aspects, including the engagements of clubs as well as national teams of all participating teams.

New tournamentsDuring Doha meeting, the GCC

football also elected Qatar Football Association President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani has been elected chairman of the newly-formed federation of the Gulf Cup.

Meanwhile, Said Saud Al Mo-hannadi, Vice-President of QFA, the offi ce of the new body will be based in Doha.

Media reports also quoted him as saying that ‘an investment fi rm will market two high profi le events set to be launched by the new Gulf football body’.

“In addition to the hugely popular Gulf Cup, two new tour-naments will be added to the re-gional calendar. The next step would be to work on the rules and regulations of new events,” Al Mohannadi was quoted as saying.

The offi cials will reveal further information on the two tourna-ments in due course.

F O O T B A L L

The GCC football chiefs

took the decision

during a meeting in

Qatari capital of Doha

and the 23rd Gulf

Cup is scheduled for

December 2017

and January 2018

Oman humble Nigeria in 181-run victory

MUSCAT: Aamir Kaleem, Rajesh Ranpura and captain Ajay Lal-cheta played stellar roles as Oman humbled Nigeria in a massive 181-run victory in the ongoing ICC World Cricket League Division 5 competition in Jersey on Sunday.

According to information re-ceived here, Oman after being asked to bat fi rst overcame an early wobble before putting up 220 runs for the loss of six wickets in their quota of 50 overs thanks mainly to an unbeaten 78 runs by Aamir Kaleem.

In reply, Nigeria were bowled out for a paltry 39 runs. For Oman, pacer Rajesh Ranpura and Ajay Lalcheta claimed four wickets each while Munis Ansari and Zee-shan Maqsood bagged one each.

Oman’s rain-aff ected opening match against hosts Jersey ended

in a no result on Saturday but ac-cording to the International Crick-et Council the teams will play the match again on Monday, a rest day, from the beginning.

On Sunday, Duleep Mendis-coached Oman team began their innings rather shakily losing both openers Khawar Ali (14) and Zee-shan Maqsood (13) early.

Number three batsman Vaib-hav Wategaonkar (3) too departed soon leaving the score at 36 for three wickets.

Reliable all-rounder Jatinder Singh too followed suit after scor-ing just nine runs.

However, Noorul Riaz (39) and Aamir Kaleem studied the innings.

Later after the departure of Noorul, captain Ajay Lalcheta (44) helped in taking the total to re-spectability.

Nigeria’s chase never really took off as Munis Ansari removed open-er Ademola Onikoyi in the fourth over and then Ranpura routed the opposition with a three strikes in quick succession.

With Lalcheta too troubling the opposition with his left-arm spin, the Nigerians were bowled out for 39 runs.

In another match played on Sunday, Guernsey defeated Tanza-nia by eight wickets.

Brief scores: Tanzania 108/9 in 41 overs lost to Guernsey 109/2 26.1 overs.

Oman scored 220

runs for 6 in 50 overs

thanks mainly to an

unbeaten 78 runs

by Aamir Kaleem.

Then they bowled out

Nigeria for 39 runs

with Ranpura and

Lalcheta claiming

four wickets each OMANKhawar Ali run out 14Zeeshan Maqsood b Issac 13V. Wategaonkar c Ayannaike b Olympio 3Noorul Riaz b Oyede 39Jatinder Singh c Onwuzulike b Adedeji 9Aamir Kaleem not out 78Ajay Lalcheta run out 44Mehran Khan not out 1Extras (b-1, lb-3, w-12, nb-3) 19Total (6 wkts; 50 overs) 220Did not bat: R. Ranpura, S. Khadye, Sufyan Mehmood.Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-35, 3-36, 4-63, 5-116, 6-217.Bowling: C.N. Onwuzulike 7-0-45-0 (w-3); O. Issac 8-0-34-1 (nb-2); O.A. Olympio 7-1-19-1 (w-3); A. Abioye 3-0-15-0 (w-4); S. Adedeji 10-3-27-1; A. Oyede 10-0-46-1 (nb-1, w-2); A.P. Adegbola 5-0-30-0.

NIGERIAA. Onikoyi lbw Ansari 7SO Olayinka c&b Ranpura 4J. Ayannaike c Wategaonkar b Ranpura 7A.P. Adegbola c Jatinder Singh b Ranpura 2A. Oyede b Ranpura 5OJ Bejide lbw Lalcheta 7S. Adedeji st Khadye b Lalcheta 0CN Onwuzulike b Lalcheta 1OA Olympio st Khadye b Lalcheta 0O. Issac b Zeeshan Maqsood 1A. Abioye not out 0Extras (lb-2, w-3) 5 Total (all out; 23.5 overs) 39

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-13, 3-17, 4-28, 5-35, 6-35, 7-35, 8-36, 9-39.Bowling: R. Ranpura 10-3-18-4 (w-2); M. Ansari 5-1-12-1 (w-1); A. Lalcheta 6.5-4-7-4; Zeeshan Maqsood 2-2-0-1.

S C O R E B O A R D

STAR PERFORMERS: From left, captain Ajay Lalcheta, Rajesh Ranpura, and Aamir Kaleem.

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Spinners take Knight Riders into playoffs

KOLKATA: Sunil Narine and Kul-deep Yadav sizzled with the ball as two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) relied its spin attack to advance into the playoff s of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) with a 22-run win over Sun-risers Hyderabad on Sunday.

Defending 172-run target on a slow and turning Eden Gardens pitch, Narine (3/26) returned his best fi gures of the season and was ably supported by left-arm china-man Yadav (2/28) as Sunrisers could only muster 149 for eight.

Both KKR and Sunrisers fi nished their campaign on 16 points from 14 games, which was enough for both the teams to qualify for the playoff s.

Chasing a stiff 172 for win, Sun-risers started brightly with Shikhar Dhawan (51 off 30 balls) striking his fourth half century of the sea-son which was studded with four boundaries and three sixes.

Even though Sunrisers skipper David Warner (18) was cleaned up by Narine in the fourth over, Dhawan looked in ominous touch before young Yadav triggered the collapse dismissing the left-hand-ed batsman.

It was a master stroke from KKR captain Gautam Gambhir to bring the rookie chinaman spinner into the squad in place of Piyush Chawla as Yadav, who was playing his second match after a more than a month’s gap, did not disappoint.

With the asking rate creeping up

all the time, a well-set Dhawan de-parted immediately after complet-ing his fi fty while trying to sweep Yadav only to give a simple catch to Colin Munro at deep midwicket.

Four balls later, Naman Ojha (15) perished to Narine but Yuvraj Singh (19) kept Sunrisers in the hunt, smacking Yadav for two suc-cessive sixes in the next over.

Left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan (134) then cut short Yuvraj’s innings before Deepak Hooda was run out in the next over as Sunrsi-ers chase fell by thenway side.

Moises Henriques (11) became Narine’s third victim when he went through the Australian’s de-fence. Earlier, Yusuf Pathan struck his third half century of the ongo-ing IPL before some brilliant death bowling by Sunrisers Hyderabad restricted Kolkata Knight Riders to 171 for six.

Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Rid-ers 171/6 in 20 overs (Yusuf Pathan 52 n.o., Manish Pandey 48; Deepak Hooda 2/16) bt Sunrisers Hyderabad 149/8 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 51; Sunil Narine 3/26). - PTI

Both KKR and

Sunrisers fi nished

their campaign on

16 points from 14

games, which was

enough for both the

teams to qualify

for the playoff s

SPIN TRICK: Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine, right, celebrates with his teammates after dismissing

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner during their IPL match in Kolkata on Sunday. – AFP

BCCI’s new chief targets top rankings and transparencyNEW DELHI: Making India the top team in all formats of the game will be the priority for Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Anurag Thakur, the 41-year-old said after taking charge of the world’s rich-est cricket board on Sunday.

The top BCCI job, often called the most powerful position in cricket because of India’s fi nan-cial muscle in the sport, has been vacant since Shashank Manohar resigned this month to take over as chairman of the International Cricket Council.

The BCCI elected one of its youngest ever presidents in a meeting in Mumbai where the parliamentarian representing India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was the lone candidate for the post.

“Currently our team is number two in Tests and T20 and num-ber four in ODIs and in women’s cricket,” Thakur told reporters. “We will take every step whatev-er is possible to make India num-ber one in all four.”

Since this year’s World Twen-ty20 on home soil, the Indian team has been without a coach. Thakur said the board would ad-vertise the post and shortlist the applicants after June 10.

Often led by seasoned adminis-trators, the BCCI is perceived as an effi cient but opaque body run by industrialists and politicians.

Thakur said he was lucky to have learnt from three BCCI chiefs — Jagmohan Dalmiya, Narayan-swami Srinivasan and Manohar — who also headed the International

Cricket Council. He takes charge at a time when the board is under pressure from India’s top court to bring about change.

“We have introduced many reforms in the last 15 months...We will further strengthen it,” Thakur said. “Transparency, ac-countability and professionalism will be part of BCCI’s working.

“Nobody is perfect. Wherever there are issues, we’d try and rec-tify that. As the custodian of the country’s most popular sport, we’re aware of our responsibili-ties and we’ll fulfi l out duties.”

The board has earmarked one billion Indian rupees ($14.84 million) for a “green initiative” for new and existing stadiums, Thakur said. - Reuters

C R I C K E T

PRIORITIES: Anurag Thakur,

newly-elected BCCI president,

speaks during a news confer-

ence in Mumbai on Sunday.

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Conlan and Ng’eno triumph at MRR Summer Series

MUSCAT: Nick Conlan and Irene Ng’eno won the top honours in the men’s and women’s categories respectively in the third round of the Muscat Road Runners (MRR) Summer Series held held at ‘The village of the lost’ near Al Ansab.

The 5.4k route was extremely rocky and rough terrain and in-cluded boulder strewn wadi be-

fore the participants climbed up into the village. The rough terrain made it a tough race but Nick Con-lan emerged the overall winner in a time of 21:27. Edward Black took second place in 21:52 ahead of Mahmoud Seiam who clocked 22:26. Birgit Schultz was the fi rst women and 13th overall in 25:43.

Irene Ng’eno timed 26:58 to take

the top place in the women’s cate-gory. . Sally Hart fi nished second in 27:45 while Anne Menard settled for the third place in 31:48.

In the veterans men’s competi-tion, Karl D Street won the fi rst place in 24:46 followed by Dave Salt (25:32) and Sunil Deshpande (26:36) in that order.

In the veterans women’s race,

the top honours went to Birgit Schulz (25:43). Francesca Aub-Robinson (31:41) and Amanda Greenwood (33:53) fi nished in sec-ond and third respectively.

Meanwhile, James won the 3km junior race in a time of 17:44. Kiki took the second place in 20:23 and Lucy won the third place in 21:57.

The next race will organised on

June 1. For further details visit www.muscatroadrunners.com or www.facebook.com/pages/Mus-cat-Road-Runners.

Results: Men’s open: 1. Nick Conlan - 21:27; 2. Edward Black - 21:52; 3. Mahmoud Seiam - 22:26.

Women’s open: 1. Irene Ng’eno - 26:58; 2. Sally Hart - 27:45; 3. Anne Menard - 31:48.

Veterans men: 1. Karl D Street - 24:46; 2. Dave Salt - 25:32; 3. Sunil Deshpande - 26:36.

Veterans women: 1. Bir-git Schulz - 25:43; 2. Francesca Aub-Robinson - 31:41; 3. Amanda Greenwood - 33:53.

Super veterans: 1. Cesare Por-ta - 33:00; 2. Robert Borjal - 40:47; 3. Cor Huibers - 40:50.

T H I R D R O U N D

Pearson clocks 12.75

SYDNEY: Olympic 100 metres hurdles champion Sally Pearson has clocked an impressive 12.75 seconds in a time trial in her fi rst run-out since shattering her wrist in a fall at a Diamond League meet-ing last June. The 29-year-old Australian feared her lower left arm might have to be amputated after the injury in Rome and an old

Achilles problem further hampered her preparations for her title de-fence at the Rio de Janeiro Games.

Racing at a small local meet on the Gold Coast on Saturday, Pearson produced a time that, while well short of her personal best (12.28), would have been just outside the top 10 recorded in the world this year. - Reuters

O L Y M P I C C H A M P I O N

Oman Cancer Association to hold Chess FestMUSCAT: The Oman Cancer Association (OCA) will organise the Chess Fest 2016 on May 28 to raise funds for their Mobile Mam-mography Unit (MMU).

According to information re-ceived from the OCA on Sunday, the event will organised at the Al

Barza Hall of Muscat College in Bausher. The organisers are ex-pecting a total of 150 participants in various categories. The fest is open to all nationalities and age categories. The registration fee is OMR. 5, which will directly go to OCA’s MMU account.

The organisers will be giving away attractive prizes for the ‘top three positions followed by cat-egory winners and prize for the Best National Student’. The day-long event will start 9.00 a.m. and it will be offi cially inaugurated at 10.30 am by OCA’s President and

Chairperson Dr. Wahid Ali Said Al Kharusi. The Chess Fest is an ini-tiative of four interns studying in various colleges both in Oman and abroad. For further details email at ocachessfest.2016@outlook.com or call 96942720, 97778218, 91470058.

F U N D R A I S E R

RCB qualify for playoffs

RAIPUR: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) grabbed the last available spot in the Indian Pre-mier League (IPL) playoff s with a six-wicket win over Delhi Dare-devils as Virat Kohli continued with his superlative batting show by hitting a responsible 54-run knock on Sunday tonight.

It was the RCB bowlers that set up the easy win by restricting Daredevils to a modest 138 for eight with leg-break bowler Yuz-

vendra Chahal taking three wick-ets and Chris Gayle scalping two batsmen in a single over.

Quinton de Kock (60) hit a fi ght-ing half century but other Dare-devils batsmen struggled badly as the RCB bowlers straitjacketed them with a very disciplined ef-fort, albeit, on a pitch that off ered help to both pacers and spinners.

De Kock scored 60 off 52 balls with fi ve fours and a six while Chris Morris came up with a use-ful unbeaten cameo of 27 runs,

late in the innings. Surprisingly, despite it being a knockout clash and a playoff s berth at stake, many Daredevils batsmen did not show much urgency to score quickly.

RCB took control of match with smart bowling and overhauled down the target with 11 balls to spare as Kohli anchored the chase with his unbeaten 54-run knock.

His well-calculated innings came off 45 balls and had six shots to the fence. RCB lost Chris Gayle (1) and AB de Villiers (6) early in

the innings but inspirational skip-per Kohli ensured that his side capitalise on the good work done by the bowlers with his responsi-ble batting.

RCB survived fi ery spells from Morris and rival captain Zaheer Khan, who both tested Kohli and KL Rahul with their accuracy and speed. Rahul played a gem of a knock (38 off 23) as his quick scoring took pressure off Kohli.

They added 66 runs for the third wicket before Rahul found his stumps disturbed by Carlos Brathwaite. Soon Shane Watson too departed and RCB needed only 28 runs off fi ve overs.

Kohli steered the side to win in company of Stuart Binny, who scored 16 off 11 balls. With their fourth straight victory, RCB fi n-ished second in the table and will clash with table toppers Gujarat Lions in the fi rst Qualifi er on Tues-day in Bangalore. Third-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad face Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator on Wednesday in New Delhi.

Brief scores: Delhi Daredevils 138 for 8 in 20 overs (Q de Kock 60, C. Morris 27 n.o.; Y. Chahal 3/32, C. Gayle 2/11) lost to RCB 139 for 4 in 18.1 overs (V. Kohli 54 n.o., KL Rahul 38). - PTI

It was the RCB

bowlers that set

up the easy win by

restricting Daredevils

to a modest 138 for

eight with Chahal

taking three wickets

and Gayle two

CAPTAIN’S KNOCK: Captain Virat Kohli celebrates after guiding

Royal Challengers Bangalore to victory over Delhi Daredevils in

the Indian Premier League in Raipur on Sunday. – AFP

THRILLING WIN: Yamaha’s Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo cel-

ebrates on the podium after winning the Italian MotoGP Grand in

Mugello on Sunday. – AFP

C4

SPORTSM O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

Kyrgios lights up damp day at Roland Garros

PARIS: Australian Nick Kyrgios did his best to enliven a damp and dismal Parisian day with some eye-catching play and colourful language as the French Open be-gan without part of the usual fur-niture on Sunday.

The volatile 17th seed mainly let his racket do the talking during an impressive 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6), 6-4 defeat of Italian debutant Marco Cecchinato, although he did re-ceive a code violation for his lan-guage in the fi rst set.

Women’s 10th seed Petra Kvi-tova was another early starter and was nearly sent packing in the opening skirmish on Philippe Chatrier Court, the twice Wim-bledon champion coming within a game of defeat by Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic.

She eventually won 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 in two hours and 16 minutes watched by ticket holders wrapped up under colourful anoraks and with umbrellas at the ready.

Huge lines of fans formed out-side Roland Garros as security was visibly beefed up in light of last year’s terror attacks in the city, and once inside the historic grounds were hardly the idyllic setting for such a sporting highlight.

Three courts, numbers seven, nine and 11, which used to fl ank Chatrier, have been replaced by an enormous hole in the ground — the start of a controversial re-development that will included a new stadium court by 2020.

Leafi ng through their pro-grammes they will also have noticed Roger Federer absent from the men’s draw for the fi rst time since 1998 after the Swiss 17-time Grand Slam champion withdrew because of a nagging back injury.

Kyrgios, enjoying a consist-ent year which hints at a more level-headed approach to his ten-nis, was given a useful workout by Cecchinato but faced only one break point as he fi red down 17 aces on the damp Court One.

The 21-year-old, threatened with a ban last year after mak-ing lewd remarks about the girl-friend of defending champion Stan Wawrinka during a match in Canada, barked at a ballboy in the fi rst set and was warned by um-pire Carlos Ramos.

“A code violation for saying

towel loud?” Kyrgios said in a fi ery exchange with Ramos. “Now I’ve seen it all. ....are you kidding?”

Whenever he was threatened by a 23-year-old opponent playing his fi rst Grand Slam match, how-ever, he usually responded with a rasping winner.

Having edged the fi rst two sets in tight tiebreaks, he managed the

only break of serve in the match midway through the third set and eased to victory and a second round against Dutch lucky loser Igor Sijsling.

Kvitova, a semifi nalist in 2012, began confi dently in light drizzle that followed the torrential early-morning rain, but began to get bogged down on the damp clay.

Kovinic served for the match at 5-4 in the third set but Kvitova roused herself to rattle off three games in a row.

Home favourite Benoit Paire, one of 16 Frenchman to start in the main draw, produced a topsy-turvy display against Moldovan qualifi er Radu Albot before win-ning in fi ve sets. - Reuters

The volatile 17th

seed mainly let his

racket do the talking

during an impressive

7-6 (6), 7-6 (6), 6-4

defeat of Italian

debutant Marco

Cecchinato

PARIS: Life is rarely dull with Nick Kyrgios on court and the Australian found himself involved in more contro-versy when he was warned for shouting at a ball boy at the French Open on Sunday.

The volatile 21-year-old 17th seed was being made to battle hard by unheralded Italian Marco Cecchinato and briefl y lost his cool towards the end of the fi rst set before winning an entertaining fi rst-round clash .

When Kyrgios shouted “towel” to the ball boy, umpire Carlos Ramos deemed his tone to be overly aggressive, handing out a warning to which the Australian reacted in heated fashion.

“I thought it was a little bit rough. Obviously it was just his personal opinion on how he thought that I went about it, but, I mean, it is what it is,” Kyrgios, who was handed a

suspended ban last year after making smutty remarks about the girlfriend of Stan Waw-rinka while playing the Swiss in Canada.

Divides opinion“I think, you know, every time I get a towel from a ball kid I say thank you,” he added.

“Sometimes when you’re a bit frustrated you do, you know, not scream at them but you do get a little mad at them. I didn’t get mad at all. I just said it a little bit loud.”

Kyrgios’s on-court demean-our divides opinion.

Some think he adds spice to the men’s Tour, while others believe his behaviour goes over the line. Last year he was accused of “tanking” at Wimbledon in a match against Richard Gasquet when he appeared to stop trying in one game. In the same match he hugged a ball boy.

His matches are usually littered with expletives too, although he is not the only player guilty of that.

This year Kyrgios appears to be controlling his emotions and has shown great consist-ency, winning his fi rst ATP title in Marseille and reaching semifi nals in Miami, Dubai and Estoril, as well as a quar-terfi nal on clay in Madrid.

While Kyrgios did not criticise the umpire for Sun-day’s incident, a fairly minor one compared to previous escapades, he hinted that his behaviour on court is scruti-nised more than that of other top players.

Referring to Novak Djoko-vic’s run-in with the umpire at in the Rome fi nal last week when the Serb lost his cool over the slippery conditions, Kyrgios said: “If that was me that did that, it would be an absolute circus.” - Reuters

Kyrgios involved in ‘shouting’ row

MORE CONTROVERSY: Nick Kyrgios of Australia holds a towel during his fi rst round of the

French Open against Marco Cecchinato of Italy at Roland Garros in Paris on Sunday. – Reuters

Lorenzo seizes Italian title with last-lap moveMUGELLO: MotoGP world cham-pion Jorge Lorenzo won the Ital-ian Grand Prix on Sunday after a last-lap battle with fellow Spaniard Marc Marquez that remained on a knife-edge until the fi nal metres.

The Yamaha rider powered past as the chequered fl ag beckoned to win by a mere 0.019 of a second after Honda’s Marquez had earlier seized the lead in a wheel-to-wheel duel between the two.

Italian great Valentino Rossi,

Lorenzo’s teammate, started from pole position at the Mugello cir-cuit but retired on lap eight with smoke billowing out of his bike.

Italian Andrea Iannone fi nished in third place for Ducati, also set-ting a MotoGP top speed record of 354.9kph.

Lorenzo, in his fi nal season with Yamaha before replacing Iannone at Ducati, extended his champi-onship lead over Marquez to 10 points. - Reuters

M O T O G P

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

GearSECTIONC L I F E S T Y L E M O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

The biggest Lincoln just got better. It seems the A m e r i c a n s are fi nally picking up

the concept of effi ciency, adopt-ing the smaller turbo-installed engines – more effi cient and more powerful as well, compared to the age old V8 behemoths.

Taking lead in the transforma-tion is the leader of American automobile industry: Ford, re-placing the V8 on all its biggies with its exclusive 3.5 litre turbo-charged Eco-boost engines, as the iconic brand spruces its entire model line-up, including that of its sister concern — Lincoln.

Having undergone a major re-vamp in 2015, the third genera-tion Lincoln Navigator received a bold in-your-face styling with the revised front split-wing grille and headlight design; refreshed exte-rior design and a new interior with premium leather and wood trim; bigger wheels, and bigger power.

The front split-wing grille is quite minimised form what it used

to be earlier, and no longer is the dominant factor of its visual ap-peal. The visual tidings have now shifted their focus to the daytime LED lights, the power retracting running boards, revised rear fascia with an extended-over-the-whole LED light, and the super big 20- inch or the even bigger optional 22-inch wheels.

Inside huge swaths of real exotic Ziricote wood trim and lounge like leather seats engulf in posh com-fort. Once behind the wheel, we were mightily impressed with the super-awesome performance of the Eco-boost engine. The twin-turbo V6 performs much better than the ousted 5.4 litre V8, deliv-ering ample power even at lower rpms, with instant propulsion whenever demanded, across a wide powerband.

Churning out 380bhp, and a massive 650Nm torque (much more than the V8), the new engine transforms the Navigator from acceptable to aggressively quick. The almost 3,000 kilo leviathan propels from 0 to 100kmph in an amazing 6.2 seconds.

For its size, the Navigator feels

surprisingly easy to handle. The independent rear suspension lends the SUV a more planted feel on turns, though the steering re-sponse feels saggy at times. Large mirrors, high positioned seats, and a glassy cabin give the driver an expansive view, and the ride is smooth and hushed as expected in this league.

The SUV’s 4-wheel-drive sys-tem uses a 2-speed transfer case with electronic shift-on-the-fl y. In low range it switches the en-gine’s electronic throttle control to a special off -road calibration for more precise torque management in adverse conditions, like steep or slippery terrains. The system also features hill-descent control and hill-start assist.

Power is transmitted through a 6-speed automatic transmission with available manual shift mode. The 3-mode suspension dampen-ing allows the driver to choose be-tween Comfort, Normal and Sport settings. We found the ‘Sport’ mode quite to our liking with a sharper response. The ‘Comfort’ setting is a bit too soft, and not to say, ‘Normal’ is just normal.

Boasting of a long list of creature comforts as standard, the 2016 Navigator comes standard with front ventilated seats, 14 speaker, 600-watt THX II surround-sound audio system, navigation, dual-zone automatic climate control, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffi c alert, front and rear park-ing sensors, a rearview camera and the voice-command prompt SYNC 3 infotainment system with an 8-inch touch screen (re-placing the not so good MyLin-coln Touch). Optional features include a power moonroof and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system. The power-folding third row also allows increased luggage area, quick and easy.

The only thing seemingly awk-ward is the very puny odometer, which looks like it has been pulled right out from a Ford Fusion and fi tted onto the rolling giant. The tiny instrument cluster sits oddly, almost completely hidden behind the big steering wheel. The look of the metre console is also not-at-all-premium, resembling pretty much with that on a popular Chi-nese car (obviously the Chinese

having copied it, but it looks more fi tting with them only).

The 2016 Navigator also comes heavily loaded on the standard safety equipment, the 2016 Navi-gator comes with 4-wheel ABS, traction and stability control, 3 row airbags, and SYNC emergency alerts and communications. The highlight of the safety features is the much touted ‘MyKey’ function.

The teen-driver-oriented fea-ture enables limiting the speed and audio volume with a master fob. The latest Navigator also comes standard with post-colli-sion safety system, and remote antitheft alarm.

The trailer-sway control ef-fectively corrects and curbs the pendulum-like swing that a towed vehicle tends to induce. Lincoln also claims the best-in-class tow-ing capacity of up to 4,082 kilos.

The fi rst full-size luxury SUV introduced to Americans, the Navigator continues to be a force to contend with. Sit tight; we hear a totally in-and-out revamped full aluminium construction Naviga-tor is slated for a 2017 release.— faisal@timesofoman.com

BOTH WORLDS

Wrappingthe plushnessof a luxurious

sedan in afull sizer

SUV frame,the Lincoln

Navigator isthe defi nite

choice forthose having

appetite forthe traditional

AmericanSUVs.

THE BEST OF STORY FAISAL

MOHAMMED NAIM

PHOTOGRAPHY

SHABIN E, SUPPLIED

ENGINE

3.5-LITRE

TWIN-TURBOCHARGED

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—

PERFORMANCE

0-100KMPH – 6.2 SECONDS

—

TRANSMISSION

6-SPEED AUTOMATIC

WITH MANUAL SHIFT OPTION

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FUEL ECONOMY

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WEIGHT

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FIND-IT-ALLC6 M O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

Dhuhr 12.09pm

Asr 3.30pm

Maghrib 6.50pm

Isha 8.10pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 3.57am

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 Sohar 15:45 Daily

13:00 Buraimi 17:40 Daily

16.00 Sohar 18.35 Daily

16.00 Buraimi 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

17:30 Sinaw 20:50 Daily

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

14:30 Nizwa 16:50 Daily

14:30 Yanqul 19:30 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

08:00 Nizwa 10:20 Daily

08:00 Al Araqi 12:30 Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

07:30 Sur 12:00 Daily

14:30 Sur 18:45 Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62)

06:30 Fahud 10:30 Daily

06:30 Yibal 11:15 Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100)

07:00 Salalah 20:00 Daily

10:00 Marmul 20:30 Daily

10:00 Salalah 23:30 Daily

19:00 Salalah 07:40 Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

06:00 Marmul 16:50 Daily

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Dubai 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)

06:00 Sohar 08:30 Daily

06:00 Dubai 11:30 Daily

13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur

13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur

15:00 Sohar 17:35 Daily

15:00 Dubai 20:55 Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily

07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily

07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily

05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily

05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

07:00 Sohar 08:55 Daily

07:00 Ruwi 11:40 Daily

13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri

13:00 Sohar 14:55 Daily

13:00 Ruwi 17:40 Daily

13:00 Sohar 19:20 Daily

17:00 Ruwi 22:15 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

07:00 Ruwi 10:25 Daily

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

06:00 Nizwa 08:40 Daily

06:00 Ruwi 11:00 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

15:40 Nizwa 17:55 Daily

15:40 Ruwi 20:20 Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

06:00 Ruwi 10:45 Daily

14:30 Ruwi 19:00 Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily

12:30 Ruwi 17:30 Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)

07:00 Ruwi 19:50 Daily

10:00 Marmul 13:15 Daily

10:00 Ruwi 22:30 Daily

19:00 Ruwi 07:30 Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

06:00 Marmul 16:30 Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Salalah 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)

07:30 Sohar 10:50 Daily

07:30 Ruwi 13:40 Daily

13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri

13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri

15:30 Sohar 18:45 Daily

15:30 Ruwi 21:35 Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily

16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily

16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

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

SHATTIX-Men: Apocalypse (3D) (Action) (PG12)Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender3:30, 6:15, 9:00 & 11:45PMOur Kind of Traitor - (2D) (Thriller ) (15+)Cast: Ewan McGregor, Damian Lewis, Naomie Harris3:30, 9:30 & 11:30PMWyrmwood: Road of the Dead - (2D) (Comedy | Horror) (15+)Cast: Jay Gallagher, Bianca Bradley, Leon Burchill11:55PMCorrespondence - (2D) (Comedy) (12+)Cast: Olga Kurylenko, Jeremy Irons, Shauna Macdonald5:30PMHassan We Bo2loz - (2D) (Comedy) (12+) 7:30PM (Arabic)The Angry Birds Movie - (3D) (Animation) Voice Overs: Peter Dinklage, Tituss Burgess3:30 & 7:20PM (U)Captain America: Civil War - (PG) (Action) Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr9:15PM (3D)The Jungle Book - (3D) Drama| Family) (PG)Cast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley5:15PM

MUSCAT GRAND MALLX-Men: Apocalypse – 3D (PG12) Action Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender2:00, 8:45, 11:30 PMGold Class: 3:00, 5:45, 8:30, 11:15 PMOur Kind of Traitor – 2D (15+) ThrillerCast: Ewan McGregor, Damian Lewis4.30, 9.30, 11.45 PMRatchet and Clank – 3D (PG) Animation Cast: James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye2:30 PMJungle Book – 3D (PG) Drama| FamilyCast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley12:30, 4:45 PM

The Angry Birds Movie – 3D (U) Animation Voice Overs: Peter Dinklage, Tituss Burgess12:00, 6:45 PMCaptain America: Civil War– 3D (Action ) Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr6:45 PM (PG12)

PANORAMA MALLX-Men: Apocalypse (3D) (Action) (PG12)Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender3:30, 6:15, 9:00 & 11:45PMX-Men: Apocalypse (4D) (Action) MX4DCast: James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence3:15, 6:00, 8:45 & 11:30PM (PG12)X-Men: Apocalypse (3D) (Action) (PG12) VIP LOUNGE3:15, 6:00, 8:45 & 11:30PMOur Kind of Traitor - (2D) (Thriller ) (15+)Cast: Ewan McGregor, Damian Lewis3:30, 9:30 & 11:30PMThis Time - (2D) (Tagalog) (PG12)Cast: James Reid, Nadine Lustre7:30PMWyrmwood: Road of the Dead - (2D) (Comedy | Horror) (15+)Cast: Jay Gallagher, Bianca Bradey11:30PMThe Angry Birds Movie - (3D) (Animation) 3:00 & 6:45PM

Captain America: Civil War - (PG) (Action) 8:45PM (3D)Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr.The Man Who Knew Infinity - (2D) (PG)Cast: Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons5:30PMThe Jungle Book - (3D) Drama| Family) (PG)4:45PMCast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley

AZAIBA X-Men: Apocalypse (3D) (Action ) (PG12) Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender3:15, 9:00, 11:45 PMOur Kind of Traitor (2D) (Thriller) (15+) Cast: Ewan McGregor, Damian Lewis, Naomie3:45, 11:45 PMThe Angry Bird Movie (3D) (Action) (U) Voice Overs: Peter Dinklage, Tituss Burgess3:45 PMChakravyuh (Kannad) (2D) (Action (PG) Cast: Puneeth Rajkumar, Rachita Ram6:00 PMThe Jungle Book (3D) (Family) (PG) Cast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley5:45 PMKing Liar (Mal) (2D) (Comedy) (PG12) Cast: Dileep, Madonna Sebastian, Lal8:45 PM

Sarabjit (Hindi) (2D) (Drama) (PG12) Cast: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shiwani Saini, Randeep Hooda3:30, 6:15, 8:45, 11:15 PMAzhar (Hindi) (2D) (Action) (PG) Cast: Nargis Fakhri, Emraan Hashmi10:30 PMBrahmot Savam (Telugu) (2D) (Comedy) Cast: Mahesh Babu, Kajal Aggarwal, Tanikella6:00 PM (TBC)Maruthu (Tamil) (2D) (Action) (PG12) Cast: Vishal, Sri Divya, Radha Ravi7:45 PM

RUWIScreen 1Sarbjit(2D) (Drama ) –PG12Cast : Aishwarya Rai, Randeep Hooda3.30, 9.30 PMX-Men: Apocalypse (2D) (Action) PG12Cast : Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn6.30 PMScreen 2X-Men: Apocalypse (2D) (Action) –PG12Cast : Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn3.45, 9.45 PMSarbjit (2D) (Drama ) –PG126.45 PM

Screen 3Baaghi(2D) (Action) –PG 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM

SURX-Men : Apocalypse 3D (Crime ) ( PG12 ) Cast : James Mc Avoy, Michael Fassbender4:45, 9:15, 11:45 PMOur Kind of Traitor (Thriller ) (15+ ) Cast : Ewan Mc Gregor, Damian Lewis4:30, 9:00 PMKing Liar (Malayalam | Comedy ) (PG12) Cast : Dileep, Madonna11:00 PMThe Angry Birds Movie - (3D) ( Animation) Voice Overs: Peter Dinklage, Tituss Burgess 7:15 PM ( U ) Marudu ( Tamil | Action ) (PG12) Cast : Vishal, Sri Divya, Radha Ravi6:30 PM

SOHAR

X-Men: Apocalypse PG12 (3D) (Action)Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender3:15, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30PM Jungle Book PG (3D) (Adventure)Cast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley.5:00PMThe Angry Birds Movie U (3D)(Comedy)Voice Overs: Peter Dinklage, Tituss Burgess3:00, 7:00PMOur Kind of Traitor 15+ (Thriller)Cast: Ewan McGregor, Damian Lewis3:45, 9:15, 11:45PMSarbjit PG 12 (Hindi)(Biographical Drama)Cast : Shiwani Saini, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan11:15PMKing Liar PG12 (Malayalam) (Comedy)Cast: Dileep, Madonna Sebastian, Lal 9:00PMWyrmwood: Road of the Dead 15+ (Horror)Cast: Jay Gallagher, Bianca Bradey11:55PMCaptain America: Civil War 3D PG129:00PMCaptain America: Civil War 2D PG123:45PMMaruthu PG12(Tamil/Action/Romance) 6:15PMBrahmot Savam(Telugu/Comedy/Romance)Cast: Kajal Aggarwal, Mahesh Babu, Tanikella Bharani6:30PM

BURAIMI

Maruthu PG12 (Tamil) (Action / Romance)

Cast: Vishal Krishna, Sri Divya, Radha Ravi 6:30 PMX-Men: Apocalypse PG12 (3D) (Action)4:30, 8:45 & 11:30 PMJungle Book PG (3D) (Adventure)4:30 PMThe Angry Birds Movie U (3D)( Animation)Voice Overs: Peter Dinklage, Tituss Burgess, Jason Sudeikis6:45 PM Our Kind of Traitor 15+ (Thriller)Cast: Ewan McGregor, Damian Lewis, NaomieHarris4.45, 7.00 & 9.15 PMSarbjit PG 12 (Hindi)(Biographical drama)Cast : Shiwani Saini, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Randeep Hooda11.15 PMKing Liar PG12 (Malayalam) (Comedy)Cast: Dileep, Madonna Sebastian, Lal 9:00 PMWyrmwood: Road of the Dead (Comedy)Cast: Jay Gallagher, Bianca Bradey, Leon11:55 PM (15+)

SALALAH

X-Men: Apocalypse (3D) (PG12) (Action) Cast: James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence6:00, 8:45, 11:30PMX-Men: Apocalypse (2D) (PG12) (Action) Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender 1:00, 3:45PMCaptain America: Civil War (3D) (PG) (Action | Adventure| Sci-Fi) Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson3:15, 11:15PMThe Jungle Book (3D) (PG) (Adventure) Cast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley2:30PMThe Angry Birds Movie (3D) (U) (Animation) 12:30, 4:30PM (Eng)Voice Overs: Peter Dinklage, Tituss Burgess, Jason SudeikisOur Kind of Traitor (2D) (15+) (Thriller) Cast: Ewan McGregor, Damian Lewis, Naomie Harris1:15, 6:30, 11:55PMSarbjit (2D) (PG12) (Biographical Drama) Cast: Shiwani Saini, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan 8:30PMKing Liar (2D) (PG12) (Malayalam) (Comedy)9:00PM Maruthu (2D) (PG12) (Tamil) (Action )Cast: Vishal Krishna Reddy, Sri Divya, Radha6:15PM

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

@PANORAMA MALL @ AZAIBA

X-Men: Apocalypse (4D) (Action) MX4D (PG12)Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender Jennifer Lawrence3:15, 6:00, 8:45 & 11:30PM

Brahmot Savam (Telugu) (2D) (Comedy) Cast: Mahesh Babu, Kajal Aggarwal, Tanikella6:00 PM (TBC)

BAHJA CINEMAFilm information 24540856 / Advance Booking

24540855

Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

The Trust (Crime / Thriller)

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira

4.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.55 p.m.

CENSOR PERMIT NO : 1119 (15+)

Term Life (Crime / Drama)

Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn

4.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.55 p.m.

CENSOR PERMIT NO : 1120 (15+)

Correspondence (Drama / Romance)

Cast: Olga Kurylenko, Jeremy Irons, Shauna

2.00 & 6.00 p.m.

CENSOR PERMIT NO : 1125 (12+)

Ratchet & Clank (Animation)

Voice Overs: James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye,

Jim Ward

2.00 & 6.00 p.m.

CENSOR PERMIT NO : 1126 (PG)

STAR CINEMAFilm information 24791641 / 24786776

Website: www.isurf.co.om

King Liar ( Mal) (Comedy)

Cast : Dileep ,Siddique & Madonna Sebastian

9-30 pm Cinema Main; 3-30 & 6-30 pm

Cinema-2

Brahmotsavam (Telugu) ( Drama)

Cast : Mahesh Babu, Samantha & Kajal Agarwal

3-30 & 6-30 pm Cinema Main; 9-30 pm

Cinema-2

Marudhu (Tamil) ( Act)

Cast: Vishal & Sri Divya

3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 pm Cinema-4

Jacobinte Swargarajyam ( Mal) (Comedy\

Drama)

Cast: Nivin Pauly, Renji Panicker & Lakshmi

3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 pm Cinema -3

Programmes are subject to change

@SHATTI

Our Kind of Traitor - (2D) (Thriller ) (15+)Cast: Ewan McGregor, Damian Lewis, Naomie Harris3:30, 9:30 & 11:30PM

WEATHER

450

Maximum

340

Minimum

TEMPERATURE

60-15%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 extra@timesofoman.com

WITH LOVE

PRARTHANA ANILAL May 23, 2013

GARIMA GHOSHAL May 23, 2000

Merely ensuring that your ride is being serviced at regular intervals is just

not enough, especially when most of us opt for local garages to serve the purpose over authorised ones (to save a bit of the dough). Know-ing what your car needs and when, and assuring it gets just that is most important. Being an informed cus-tomer pays. Trust me.

Know a bit about your car. Be-ing clueless is not going to help you at all, when some greedy mechanic decides to milk you extra. You could start by going through the service manual that comes along with the car and stays just like new, even when you sell your wheels, after years of togetherness. It doesn’t take much time to go through it, and the rewards are many. The man-ual has detailed instructions about servicing and efficient upkeep of the car (don’t put it in your locker. Read it.)

Most important is to know which

components are to be inspected and which to be replaced on every ser-vice (remember each periodic ser-vice has diff erent checklist).

Your mechanic, either to make money, might end up changing all the basic components (plugs, oil, and air fi lter); or might end up changing none. They might sug-gest that the parts have still got enough life in them, due to lack of expertise or lack of motiva-tion to work. So, if you are well-informed, you won’t take any of that advices. You won’t end up just being a listener; rather you would command them actively. Don’t let yourself be fooled.

The best favour you could ex-tend to your beloved ride is to be patient and have it serviced in front of you (those few hours spent amidst the stench of spent oil and petrol will save you many a pre-cious ones afterwards). Rest as-sured you will not have to worry if the job was carried out well or not.

That said, the most important

part however, and one in which you could easily be deceived by mechan-ic, is the engine oil – the life-blood of your car engine. The life of your en-gine depends largely on the quality of the oil you put in it.

People typically don’t pay much attention to their oil – “oil is oil, right?” Wrong.

Engine oil plays a crucial role in the car engine. Without it, the parts wouldn’t be able to move freely, the seals would dry up and crack, and little bits of dirt and metal would clog the works. With-out engine oil, the whole combus-tion process would grind to a halt.

Most drivers only know the engine needs oil just like it needs gasoline; how much, what kind and how often to add it seems a mystery to them.

It is intimidating when you see those bottles of engine oil lined up along the shelves, each promising to keep your engine cleaner, improve your fuel effi-ciency, and more.

And every one of them has cryp-tic letters and numbers on the front. And most of us go by the me-chanic’s dictum, when it comes to

choosing one. Wrong again.Use only the grade of oil recom-

mended in the owner’s manual. It will usually have a designation such as 5W 30 or 10W 40 (or any other like SAE ratings). Those letters and numbers tell you what the oil’s viscosity rating is (some people call this as the oil’s weight). Viscosity is a measure of how easily the oil fl ows — is it thick or thin? Your engine would perform optimally only if the rec-ommended grade is used.

Remember, the mechanic might advise you that they are all the same, and there is no point in putting expensive oil in the car. Obliging to that is killing your ride. Strictly go with the car manual recommendation.

Also, pay attention to the quality part of the oil. A mineral based and

synthetic engine oil of the same grade might perform diff erently under varied conditions. Mostly, modern high performance cars come with a recommendation of synthetic oil, as mineral oils can-not withstand the high stress and friction of the components, espe-cially under high temperatures, resulting in loss of lubrication.

Mineral oil is less expensive than the synthetic oil, which is en-gineered to allow for more miles between oil changes, and has addi-tives to help keep the oil clean and functioning for longer durations.

It’s also more stable at higher and lower temperatures than mineral oil. Surprise your me-chanic next time you visit his workshop. He’s been in need of a service too since long. —faisal@timesofoman.com

LIFESTYLEC7M O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

CARE FOR YOUR CARYou love your car and you care for it – routinely

serviced, washed, and waxed. But how well do

you know your car? Are you sure your pride

ride was well serviced, and actually got

what it needed?

Story Faisal Mohammed Naim

LIFESTYLEC8 M O N DAY, M AY 2 3, 2 0 1 6

48% people will spend

researching or considering prior to a new car purchase.

fi nd the car buyingexperience funand interesting.

Likely to trust the opinion of a branded dealer website

Likely to trust the opinion of manufacturer websites

Likely to trust the opinion of independent research

Prefer to have their fi rst dealer interaction online

look at new & used

look at new only

look at used onlyaverage age of vehicle

80% of people

in their car research

39% of people research more than

at a time

Average amount of onlineresearch done prior to purchasing a car

Large

Luxury

Small

Mid-size

Mid-size truck

Minivan

Pickup

Crossover

PickThe PerfectRide

Source: Laslocksmith.com

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

CONNECT H E D A I LY G U I D E

D

D4 VACANCY CARGO D7

M O N D AY, M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

RENT D2

*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication.

* Subject to space availability

*Tourist visa arranged

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifi eds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

D2 M O N D AY, M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

Offi ce for rent in Al Ansab near

bank Muscat. Contact: 99466173

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

4 bedroom villa at Madinat Illam

Offi ce / 1 BHK Ruwi.

Contact: 95915154

1BHK Ghubra R.O 275/-.

Contact: 92144045

3BHK Al Khuwair R.O 375/-.

Contact: 92144045

1BHK Mumtaz R.O 225/-.

Contact: 92144045

1BHK Darsait R.O 225/-.

Contact: 92144045

Room Al Khuwair R.O 110/-.

Contact: 97799175

7 rooms villa at split AC 18th

November road Azaiba.

Contact: 99224748 / 99332297

Shop for rent at Wadi Kabir Indus-

trial area. Contact: 99888390

Flats for rent near Indian school in

Wadi Kabir. Contact 99777122

New fl ats Wadi Al Kabir.

Contact: 92130703

Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99376454

2 BHK at Mawaleh North, near

Sadiq Al Amin Mosque.

Contact: 99224748 / 99332297

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

For rent Gym & Health club for

rent in Al Khoud near Al Ruwad

International School.

Contact: 99447002 / 99352441

5 bedroom brand new villas for

rent in Al Khoud, near Al Ruwad

International School.

Contact: 99447002 / 99352441

Well maintained 2 bedrooms fl at

in CBD prime location.

Contact: 24714625 / 94460790

For rent New fl ats at Darsait Al

Sahail. Contact: 99777351

House in Darsait 3 rooms, kitchen,

1 bathroom with A/C.

Contact: 95522405

Flat for rent in Al Qurum,

3 rooms & hall. Contact: 91763660

Flat for rent in Al Khoud, 2 rooms

& hall. Contact: 917633665

Villa for rent in Al Ghubrah,

5 rooms, hall. Contact: 91763665

Villa for rent in Al Khoud, 6 rooms,

hall. Contact: 91763665

5 BHK Villa in Al Khuwair, for Staff

Accommodation.

Contact 99792181

2BHK Flat near Indian School,

Wadi Kabir. Contact: 91173997

/24714625

2 & 3 BHK Flat in Al Khuwair &

Ghubra. Contact 99792181

3000 Sqr mtrs compound land in

Misfah. Contact 99792181

1 bedroom family / bachelors in

Al Khuwair R.O 100/-.

Contact: 95154331

Flat for rent Al Hail North to the

Wave Muscat ground fl oor with

furniture the price RO 250/-.

Contact: 99353433

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

1 B/R Fully Furnished Luxury

Apartment @ Al Khuwair 33. 2 B/R

Fully Furnished Luxury Apartment

@ Al Khuwair 33. 4 B/R Unfur-

nished Apartment with attached

Split A/C @ Azaiba. Contact: Atlas

Real Estate & Rent A Car LLC :

99249069 / 94617563/ 99436312,

Email: info@alshahiintl.com

Flats in Wadi Kabir. Contact

94051789 / 97201688

Flats for rent, rooms in

Al Khuwair. Contact: 93830111

Flat for rent 2 bedrooms in Ruwi

Mumtaz area. Contact: 91409667 /

24291500

Ware house in Ghala for rent (400/

800/ 1200/ 3300 SQM).

Contact: 91155779

Hotel for investment. Contact: 91155779

2/3 BHK in Al Khuwair for rent.

Contact: 91155779

Flats, shops & store for rent in

MBD area Ruwi, Mumtaz area.

Contact: 97293708 / 92433127

Offi ces and Flats in Ghala.

Contact 94051789 / 97201688

Fully Furnished apartments in

Boucher (35). 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

Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact 94051789 / 97201688

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

2BHK split A/C 200/- Monthly

& 1BHK spilt A/C 150/- monthly

new building good location Barka

Market. contact 99342661

4 BHK Villa in Bowsher Heights.

Contact 99792181

1700 sqr mtrs open Land + small

store + garage for Rent in Ruwi.

Contact 99792181

Shop for rent good location main

road behind wholesale hyper mar-

ket Amerat space 11 MT long, 4 MT

Width. Contact: 92877449

Two bedrooms fl at in Al Ghobrah

near Oman Oil of 18 November

Street. OMR 330 Monthly.

Contact 99333479 or 95215360

or 97509955.

Villa in Al Khoud consists of

6 bedrooms, 1 sitting & living

room. Contact: 91153933

Flats in Ghobrah. Contact

94051789 / 97201688

Flats in Muttrah. Contact

94051789 / 97201688

Flat for rent in Al Khuwair 33.

Contact: 92277419

2 BHK fl at at Ruwi Mumtaz area

RO 320/-. Contact: 99358589 /

97079146 / 95570288

Villa in Bousher consists of 5

rooms, 1 hall & 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

Flat for rent near Royal Hospital.

Contact: 99346793

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

Just 2 OMR / Sqm, Showroom /

store for rent Ground fl oor & base-

ment, area - 1100 Sqm, location

Seh Al Ahmer, 20 km to Rusayl.

Contact: 97714433 / 93437982

Flats for rent at Just RO 160/- 2 Bed

room, hall, kitchen , 2 toilets, loca-

tion Seh Al Ahmer, 20 KM to Rusayl,

including AC & roof Garden.

Contact: 97714433 / 93437982

1BHK fl at in Ruwi for family.

Contact- 92947251

1BHK Flats for rent, behind Shera-

ton hotel in Ruwi, rent R.O 250/-

per month. Contact: 96051941

DAILY GUIDEM O N D AY, M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 6 D3

FOR SALE

FOR RENT

FOR RENT

2 bed rooms fl at with hall,

2 bathrooms in Darsait near

Muscat Municipality.

Contact: 92584715/ 24700120

Fully furnished offi ces in Ghala

main Street. Contact: 94300909

Offi ces & Showrooms in Al Khood.

Contact 94051789 / 97201688

Flats In Qurum. Contact 94051789 / 97201688

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

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

1BHK Studio fl at near Star Cinema

RO 180/-. Contact: 99358589 /

97079146 / 95570288

Flat for Rent 2 bed room Near ISM

muscat Indian Scoole Dar sate

Tel : 00 968 95158570

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

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. Contact: 97007934 /

92629232

1 Bed room, sharing K& T, R.O 100,

2 bedrooms , sharing K& T R.O

200/- in AL Khuwair.

Contact: 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

BUYING

Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299

Buying cars for cash.

Contact: 90202090

Full Furnished room with at-

tached bathroom near Star Cinema

for ex. Bachelor/lady. Contact

92886715 / 99782133

Room furnished attached for

Executives in Mumtaz area.

Contact: 99334770

Fully furnished two rooms im-

mediately available with equipped

kitchen n sharing bathroom in

N. Gubrah. Contact 95450250

Fully furnished beautiful one bed-

room fl at immediately available for

short or long term in Al khuwair 33

near technical roundabout,

Rent 400 RO. Contact 95450249

Fully furnished room with sea view

balcony, sharing equipped kitchen,

bathroom, washing machine, will

be available for Executive bachelor

(pref. Indian) from June 1st in N.

Azaiba. Contact 95450249

Independent room in Qurum

heights. Contact: 95529970

Room with attached bathroom for

a family in Wadi Kabir.

Contact 97167857

Spacious semi furnished room

with separate bathroom for execu-

tive bachelor Opp. O.C. Centre Ruwi

. Call : 90611670

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 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

ACC. AVAILABLE

ACC. AVAILABLE

Villa for sale in Mabela 6 rooms,

living room & hall.

Contact: 91763665

Dental chairs for sale sparingly

used dental units for sale.

Contact Mr. Ansari 92616343.

Kumar 99570284

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

Coff ee shop for sale in Al Khuwair

33. Contact: 92994415

Ladies beauty parlour for sale in

Wadi Kabir. Contact: 96392978 /

96700192

Dental clinic for immediate sale

doctor going abroad. Contact:

92882209 / 96373097

Coff ee shop for sale 7 visa avail-

able at Al Khuwair.

Contact: 98826793

2 Shops for sale at prime location

in Ghobra. Contact: 96381294

Bozlur

Building in Al Khuwair at prime

location for sale. Contact: 91155779

Commercial /R land in Al Khuwair

for sale. Contact: 91155779

Luxury Apartments in Boucher

(35). Contact 95056808 /

97201688

Shop for sale near Oman House,

Muttrah. Contact 99024362.

Ware house in W/K for Sale.

Contact: 91155779

Single colorful Bed and Sofa for Sale

at Al Khuwair. Contact 92881849 /

What`s up No 97290565

400 sq mtrs Commercial/Resi-

dential land in Mabela Phase 5

Block 2. OMR 165 Thousand.

Contact 99333479 or 95215360

or 97509955

Steel rack sets (Godown shelf’s).

Contact: 94521205

Commercial /R land in Ghala

(Industrial area) for sale.

Contact: 91155779

Villa in Al Qurum / Azaiba/

Mawaleh for sale. Contact: 91155779

Steel Scrap materials for im-

mediate sale. Contact 99273774/

99202278

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

Working beauty parlour for sale

at Al Ghubra. Contact: 98178135

Double Shutter 80 sq mtrs corner

textile shop in Seeb Souq for sale.

Contact 99326339

Space for printing press available

at wadikabir with or without

machinery. Contact 99328430

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

Urgent sale of steel scrap only

serious buyers kindly contact

+968 96725423 for viewing the

items.

Almost new beach/ garden

lounge chairs /bar stools/ counter.

Photos can be sent 95865457

INVESTOR PARTNER REQUIRED

Please contact – 95213273Email:

muscatcoff eeshop@gmail.com

For a successfully Catering Restaurant

Investor cum Partner is required.

Investor with fi xed returns also welcome.

*Classifi ed Advertisement space

booking with text,

should be done till 12.00 noon for

next day’s publication.

* Subject to space availability

ONE STOP SHOP BUSINESS SERVICES

Public Relation Service (PRO)Document Clearance,

Business setup, Formation new Companies,

LLC Companies, Investor Visa, Legal Services.

Contact Saleh: 96723485

Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan village.

Contact 93687466

Room available for family / bach-

elor opposite to o.K. Center, Ruwi.

Gsm 942-888-63

PORTA CABINS FOR SALE

Two Porta Cabins of Size 12mX3.6m and

11mX3.6m In good condition.

Contact Lal 99418657 or Vijay 24492813

99147207

Gopalan Gopinath has lost Indian

Passport No. F 4975350. Finder

please handover to ROP

Rajad Dann Das has lost Bangla-

deshi Passport No. AC 4424431.

Finder please handover to ROP

AVAILABLE

Party & Wedding equipment rent-

als. Full line, from Tables, Linen

& Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers,

Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware,

Chafi ng Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to

Large Sound Systems and spec-

tacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606

2222 for Catering and Croyden

9623 5555 for Sound & Light.

ww.tunesoman.com,

E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

NRI

Plot for sale in Mundur & Palakkal

Trichur District.

Contact: 00968 92376297

20 cent of Land at Irinjalakuda, Kallettumkara,

Trichur Dist besides road side for sale. Contact on

+968 93978378 / 0091 9947461230

Room with attached bathroom

and sharing kitchen available for

Executive bachelor or small family

at wadikabir Contact 93049849

Sharing accommodation

near ISD. Contact: 99657340

1 BHK for rent, Ideal for small fam-

ily or two bachelors, easy access to

main road with AC near Sheraton

hotel, CBD. Contact: 96444400

Villa for rent in South Mabellah,

3 bedrooms, sitting room, family

Lounge, kitchen, three Toilets

Contact 92212212

between 10 AM to 5 PM.

Room available for Executive

bachelor at Al Hail.

Contact 96234708

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 apartment for rent,

two rooms, majlis, hall, kitchen.

Near Carrefour al-mawalah.

Contact 99336776

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. Inter-

ested pleasecontact 92680041

Mr. Altaf

MV SALE

LOST

Prado 2007, manual 4-cylinder.

Contact: 99454425

Car for sale Mitsubishi Lancer,

2008 model, 1.3 CC.

Contact: 92815138

Diesel tanker 1600 gallon, Volvo

model 1987. Contact: 92836774

Nissan path fi nder, 2012 model.

Contact: 99467005

WANTED

IELTS Coaching (academic)

required nearby wadi Kabir area.

Please call on mobile or msg on

Whats up. Mobile no: 92927880/

99012165

MATRIMONIAL

Marriage proposal invited for

Urdu speaking Muslim girl, from

Chennai based family living in

Muscat. Seeking a Chennai based

boy, employed in Muscat,

Urdu speaking and from Muslim

family. Interested parties may

email their family bio data @

sirluj@yahoo.com or

Contact 91761223.

Seeking Alliance for Urdu Speak-

ing Beautiful, Intelligent and

religious girl aged 23. Pursuing

M.Tech, I.T. (Final) from Lucknow.

Looking for Sunni Deobandi boy

working in reputed fi rm. North

Indian Families preferred.

Interested families contact at

azizdr74@gmail.com

Indian male Roman Catholic 40yrs divorcee working in Muscat.

Seeks suitable alliance from

widow/ divorcee/ single.

Contact 96059801.

Sunni Muslim family seeks

proposal for their 24 year old

daughter from well settled Urdu

speaking Indian family. Pls call on

93521249 / 99374371

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

Malankara Catholic Male Nurse (28) from Thiruvalla working in

Nizwa Private Co. Alliance invites

parents/nurses working in Oman.

Contact 968 98267338,

0091 9287215726

DAILY GUIDED4 M O N D AY, M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifi eds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

DRIVER

MISCELLANEOUS

ENGINEER/MECHANIC.

ARCHITECT

BEAUTICIAN

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE

SALES / MARKETING

SALES / MARKETING

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

DOMESTIC HELPER

MEDICAL

MEDICAL

IT

Required Indian Mason – 5 nos., eligibility (minimum 5 yrs experi-

ence in road construction fi eld).

Contact: 99882127

Email: georgymv@yahoo.com

Chief Accountant well experi-

enced with reputed group available

for immediate joining.

Contact : 98803439 / 97413784.

MBA female looking for job in

accounting or in marketing or

Administration department having

1 year experience have knowledge

of Tally ERP9, MS Word.

Contact: 95916427 Email:

ritashivprasad111@gmail.com

Indian female with B.Com & CA

Inter having overall 12 years expe-

rience in accounting / fi nance fi eld,

now on visit visa.

Contact: 90651102

Part Time Accountant, up to fi na-

lization of accounts, looking for job

after 5 PM (location prefer MSQ to

Al Hail). Contact: 90935099

American Certifi ed Manager (6 sigma, CPPM) with MBA, PMP

trained having 10 years, UAE cross

functional experience in procure-

ment, projects management, sup-

ply chain, facilities & Administra-

tion with UAE D/L seeking suitable

placement. Contact: 90772927

Email: callshebin@gmail.com

MBA & BBA (Hons) fi nance &

having three years experience in

accounts & seeking suitable job on

visit visa, immediately joining. All

documents are attested and

verifi ed from Oman.

Contact: 00968 94044125

Omani female looking for job exp

in accounts date entry customer

service & PRO. Contact: 91161736

Indian male 43 yrs, M.Com –

Finance with 5 yrs experience in

Accounts in India, presently in

visiting visa looking for a suitable

placement. Contact: 93671785

Email: jeyan903@gmail.com

Qualifi ed CA & CS, CISA (pursu-

ing) Indian male 10 yrs managerial

experience, working in bank seek-

ing suitable placement open to any

GCC. Contact: 90788509

Email: kartirevy@gmail.com

Accountant Assistant BBA, exp,

Tally have 2 yr valid VISA

PH : 98269281

Young Indian male ACCA fi nalist

with B.Sc (Hons) in applied Ac-

counting with 3 years experience

& holding valid Omani driving li-

cense seeks immediate placement,

NOC available. Contact: 92851056

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 Accounts Executive, B.Com,

05 years experience in India, seek-

ing urgent job in Oman. Contact

919900077458, +968-98444359,

Email:syedtou23@gmail.com.

Part Time Accountant for Book

Keeping, Monthly Accounts &

Accounts Finalizing

Mob: 94073446

ACCA member with 6 yrs of

experience in Oman looking for a

suitable job in fi nance.

Contact: 99284193

Required Shop Sales man + Hard-ware Technician for IT Company

with minimum 2 years experience.

Contact: 98825806 / 98825806,

Email: info@rns-group.com

Wanted G.P Doctor, Pharmacist, Lab Technician and Staff Nurse for a running medical clinic near

Sohar area. Contact 95272672

Required Offi ce Assistant with

driving license present in Oman,

Electrical B.Tech with 5 years of

Oman experience & D/L electrical

with ITI Industrial & MEDC license.

Contact: 99454425

Wanted expatriate legal profes-

sional. Forward your CV to

lawfi rmfm@gmail.com

Required gynecologist GEN: practitioner lady lab Technician and pharmacologist immediately

for a clinic in Suwaiq.

Contact: 95081010

Email: umchealthcare@gmail.com

ADMIN

Required Offi ce Boy. Contact : 91120552

A full time living Housemaid required for an Indian family in

Ghobrah. Contact: 97335255

Require Employee for Saloon in

Al Amerat, should have experience.

Contact: 90600688

Part Time Accounting, Audit

Preparation, Internal Audit, Monthly

Reports, Accounting set up for new

companies, Project Report for Bank

Loan purposes. GSM : 96975454,

email: ibfc.gcc@gmail.com

Indian male good experience in

accounts, Admin & ERP, Tally 9 NOC

available looking for suitable job.

Contact: 94834687

Senior Accountant 5 years experi-

ence NOC available up to fi nalization

valid D/L. Contact: 96339599

Email: ahmedmohdkhan@gmail.com

Indian male 32 Chartered Account-

ant having 2 years Oman experience

looking for suitable placement in

fi nance & Audit fi elds.

Contact: 96357827

Email: ubaiskeeran@gmail.com

Indian Accountant with 15 yrs

experience / driving license 8 yrs in

Oman local release available.

Contact: 93477447

Email: s4svpai@gmail.com

Indian CA, male 34yrs and 14+

Yrs exp. in A/Cs, fi nance, auditing,

consultancy and knows SAPB1,Tally

ERP etc. , Oman D/L .Currently in

Oman. NOC available.

Please contact: 94704800,

Email: omanjobca@gmail.com.

Indian (Male) having 17+years

Experience in Trading & Healthcare

seeking senior Position in Accounts

(11 years GCC Experience )

currently on Resident Visa (NOC

Available ) and has a valid Omani

Driving Licence. Contact: 91335026;

skumartp@gmail.com

Indian male 26 years MBA experi-

ence in Accountant & Administration

in a MNC company currently on visit

visa ready to join.

Contact: +968 92194987

email: achal1989@hotmail.com

Indian male Accountant looking

for a suitable placement in Salalah.

More than 20 yrs experience in Ac-

counting job (upto the fi nalization of

Accounts), 8 yrs working experience

in Middle East in Dubai, Muscat &

Salalah. Contact 91325029.

Sri Lankan, Senior Accountant

with 6 Years experience, 2 years in

Oman, BBA, Reading MBA , CA Inter

Looking for Suitable Job, have Valid

Oman Driving License,

NOC Available. Contact 97250638

msmnaja@gmail.com

Indian male age 26, Accountant one

year experience in accounts

looking for suitable job. Contact -

Email: Anishkhan991867@gmail.Com

Mobile: +968 9565 9415

Contact email- rgeorge@omantd.com &

atalibus@omantd.com

REQUIRED Marketing manager/

Sales ExecutivesExperience in

Sales/Marketing of Building Materials(Sanitary wares &

Kitchens). Not less than 5 yrs expSound customer Base

Indian/MBA/male Chief Account-

ant 18Yrs Experience, MIS, C.Flow,

Budgeting, ERP, Cost accounting &

Liasing with auditors. NOC availa-

ble. Contact: 92254691/97826674

email: khader2305@gmail.com

Indian male 28 Accountant /

Senior Audit Associate ACCA

fi nalist Having 6 years experience

in accounting up to fi nalization

currently on visit visa.

Contact: 95193650 or 99078853

Indian male Chartered Accountant

with 2 years experience looking

for suitable placements. NOC avail-

able. Contact: 96357827 Email:

ubaiskeeran@gmail.com

Accountant 8Years Experience

with D/L and NOC.

Contact 97712084

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 - raju.rd619@gmail.com

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:

abdulhameed1527@gmail.com

Female Executive Secretary for

MD Indian / Philippine Minimum

5years experience in HR and other

administration work. Immediate

appointment & attractive package.

Send your CV with

passport size photo to

E-mail: dsjob913@gmail.com

Required candidates for following

posts: Accountant, Storekeeper, Foreman Building Maintenance, Van-salesman (water), Helpers. Candidates with Omani driving

license preferred.

Contact 99273774/99202278

Wanted Nurse for a dental centre at

Qurum. Interested candidates may

contact the below or

mail : drasyanaseem@gmail.com or

Contact 99458844

Urgently required GP, Gynecologist, Dentist, Staff Nurse, Lab Techni-cian, Pharmacist, for a medical

centre in Muscat.

Email ruwistar@hotmail.com.

Tel: 92603863

Urgently required Offi ce Staff /Manager for medical equipment

import offi ce in Ruwi.

email: ruwistar@hotmail.com.

Tel: 92603863

Required Lab Technician, X- Ray Technician, Staff Nurses & Doctors. Contact: 99681325 Email:

pmsunilkumar@hotmail.com

Require Freshers & experienced Receptionists, insurance under-

writers & marketing executives

with fl uency in English (Omani &

expatriates) apply to

insure@dotintl.com

Experienced Sales and Market-ing Executive required for Indian

restaurant, valid driving license

preferred. Email CV to

deepak@jashnoman.com

Required female person to work

at the retail shop/Marketing.

Please send your CV on e mail:

Zeyanaalharmaly@yahoo.com

Required Sales Merchandiser Age 21-30 status: Single, English

speaking, experience 2 years

minimum, Salary RO 300/-

(Accommodation+ transportation).

Contact: 93875654

Wanted an experienced Account-ant. Forward your CV to

ami.almoosa@gmail.com

ACCOUNTS & FINANCE

Required Omani Driver for a restau-

rant. Contact 95929911

Wanted a experience Driver for Capital and Interior work.

Gsm : 942-888-63

Wanted driver. Contact:

97165972

Care Medical Centre Al Seeb

requires Gynecologist and General Practitioner. Mail CV to:sarita_h23@yahoo.com

Sales person with 10 years expe-

rience in logistics sales. Attrac-

tive salary and incentive scheme.

Required for the fastest growing

logistics company in Oman.

Will be required to recruit and

develop a sales team.

Email: telljobs@gmail.com

Required marketing / PR manager

for a modern restaurant group in

Oman , profi cient in illustrator &

Photoshop charismatic , proac-

tive , creative & fl exible excellent

writing / Editing skills degree in

relevant area fl uent in English.

Send CV to

marketingpr2016@gmail.com

Civil Engineer, Mechanical Engi-neer, Interior Designer, Telecom Engineer, Finance Controller & Sales Manager with 3 to 5 years

of experience in Oman with driv-

ing license who can execute and

manage to get projects kindly.

Contact: gcpel16@gmail.com

with monthly expected salary.

Required for a leading Engineering

Consultancy fi rm experienced

Offi ce Secretary. Send CV to:

mail@abdullamukadam.com

Fax: 24614398

Accounts part time services,

available to handle all accounts up

to fi nalization on monthly basis.

Finalization and audit works.

Contact: 96247295

28/male/MBA - fi nance/B.Com -

Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/

India experience looking for a

suitable placement.

Contact 90187483

shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com

Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA

Finance and marketing with IT

skills, 7+ yrs of experience,

Looking for suitable placement.

contact 94879615,Email-

sajan_chacko1981@yahoo.com

Urgently required an Accountant

With minimum 3-5 years Oman / GCC experience for a reputed

Trading & Contracting Co. located in Azaiba.

Candidate must have Oman D/L & NOC.

Send your CV: info@styletrading.net

Fax: 244 95 411

Qualifi ed candidate with 20+ years of experience, able to manage group of companies. Job responsibility will be managing the company fi nances, plan fi nancial strategy, new investment opportunities,. new ventures, interact with banking offi cials and related.

Interested candidates may mail their resume on omanjobsdcg@gmail.com

URGENTLY REQUIREDFINANCE MANAGER

REQUIRED URGENTLYAn experienced Cold Store Technician

For a well-established Muscat based Frozen Foods Distribution Company.

Must have sound knowledge of cold room installation/ maintenance and air conditioning

maintenance experience.Applications may be mailed to the HR Manager:

nationalcoldstores@gmail.com

Junior Accountant available

(ACCA). Contact: 99854384 Email:

syedimtiaz1234@gmail.com

Accountant available with NOC,

7 years experience in Oman.

Ready to join immediately.

Contact 98263394

ARCHITECT, Indian Female with

4 years experience in Oman, well

versed in related softwares, seeks

suitable placement. Contact

email: samarch0409@gmail.com

GSM 96207476

Architect looking for a private &

freelance work in design & mod-

eling in 3ds max & architecture.

Contact: 96041201

Architect female 5 years experience

seeking job. Contact: 96146645,

Email: anjuovil@gmail.com

Contact - PH: 99337945, 95073506, 24544798Email: skill.mct@gmail.com

URGENTLY REQUIRED1. Electrician: Preferably with Electrician license in Oman with minimum 3 years of experience, urgently required full ti me for a reputed Constructi on Company (Driving license holders may have more preference)

Oman licensed GP doctor & Nurse required for a polyclinic in Sohar.

Remuneration to be best in the fi eld.

Contact : 93828382 / 93678494,

Email: alshifamodern@gmail.com

Wanted Staff Nurse for

a dermatology clinic in Muscat .

Must have MOH license and NOC.

Attractive salary off ered. Email:

clinicvacancy2015@gmail.com

GP doctor needed for reputed clin-

ic. Preferably with MOH license or

with Datafl ow & Paramatics pass

Contact: 95388934

Require a qualifi ed Nurse to take

care of an elderly female.

Contact: 99425200

Required smart, young, dynamic Sales & Marketing Executive having 2-3 years sales experi-

ence for a reputed manufacturing

company in Oman, Experience

in building materials is an added

advantage. Omani Driving Li-

cense and NOC is a must. Attrac-

tive remuneration package.

Apply with photograph to

E-mail: salesjobds@gmail.com

Required fresh Graduate in Sales / marketing with valid D/L. Send

CV on Email : citycom213@gmail.com

Required smart, young, dynamic Sales & Marketing Executive having 2-3 years sales experi-

ence for a reputed manufacturing

company in Oman, having its

Head Offi ce in Ruwi. Experi-

ence in building materials is an

added advantage. Omani Driving

License and NOC is a must.

Attractive remuneration package.

Apply with photograph to

E-mail: salesjobds@gmail.com

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-allen.mathew83@gmail.com

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 /

muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com

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: thmsb182@gmail.com

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. Look-

ing for a suitable job in Accounts,

Store Keeper, Sales etc. Ready to

join as early as possible.

Contact: 96988923

email:- sajith3969@gmail.com

Senior Accountant Indian male

10 years experience (8 yrs in

Oman) with D/L & NOC, Accounts

upto fi nalization.

Contact: 99582979 / 97373853

Sudanese accountant holding

BSC, CIB 8 Post Graduate Diploma

in fi nancial management with

Banking experience in projects

fi nance. Contact: 99061339

Indian, 20 years experience

in Oman as Personal Assistant

/ Offi ce Manager / Executive

Secretary / Senior Administrator /

Business Development Asst. seeks

job change. Release available.

Contact 99168054.

Dynamic Indian male with 5

years Oman & Indian experience in

Administration, purchase, market-

ing with valid Oman driving license

seeks placement, also a certifi ed

SAP SD. Contact: 93846053

Filipino HRD especialist / mate-

rial controller supervisor with

18 yrs experience looking for

suitable job in Oman. Contact: (+968)

98037142 / (+968) 92659817

Indian female with nearly

10 years of Oman experience in

Administration and HR, seeking

suitable placement. NOC available.

Contact: 99242841

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

DAILY GUIDEM O N D AY, M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 6 D5

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

DRIVER

EDUCATION/TRAINING

Female B. Ed English teacher, 7 yrs exp seeking suitable

placement. Contact : 99739415 /

92091528

Indian, Kerala Male B.PE & B.COM

,13 yrs of exp as Sports Teacher.

Currently on Visit Visa, looking for

a suitable job in Schools & Institu-

tions etc. Ready to join as early as

possible. cont:- 93301023

email:- sajith3969@gmail.com

Indian female, MSc Physics, B.Ed,

5+ years experience in Oman seeks

suitable placement.

Contact: 93992958 / 96203570

ADMIN

DRIVER

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

Indian Graduate Civil Engineer

having over 19 years Gulf experi-

ence in contracting consultancy

fi rms seek immediate employ-

ment. NOC available. Contact:

93251306 / 99446786

Diploma Engineering Instrumen-

tation Technician, 2 years experi-

ence skills calibration & instal-

lation etc. Contact: 98963344 /

96946408

Email: anfeeranfu4@gmail.com

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: mjs.jazeb@gmail.com

Project Manager Electrical with 6

years experience with EHV & MV

substation projects. NOC available.

Contact 91398559

Electrical Engineer with 16 years

experience in switchgear / trans-

former / over head lines & trading,

looking for sales / procurement &

project planning & Execution with

NOC & D/L. Contact: 95994727

Email: qurm340@gmail.com

Diploma in Civil Engineer (11 years Gulf experience +7 years

India experience) Building struc-

ture & fi nishing work NOC avail-

able. Contact: 90458201

Email: siva6467@yahoo.com

Civil Engineer (Indian male) 5

years experience in Oman with

valid Omani driving license & NOC

looking for suitable opportunity.

Contact: 93101283

Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech)

Indian male with 1 year experience

looking for job, qualifi cation in

QA- QC, HVAC & piping engineer-

ing. Contact: 90510800 Email:

muhammedjaseem07@gmail.com

Worked as Electrical & Instru-

mentation Maintenance Engineer

with Global Gypsum Board Co.

LLC, Salalah (3 years) having valid

Oman driving license looking for a

new job urgently.

Contact: 93363104

Civil Engineer B.E 6 years experi-

ence with Omani driving license.

Contact: 95964048 / 99554461

Email: adnan002@yahoo.com

Computer Hardware & Network-

ing Engineer Egyptian Bachelor of

Engineering in computer &

networking from Middle East

College looking for a job on family

visa. Contact: 97764264

IT

Indian male, Instrumentation

Engineer with M.Tech in Chemi-

cal process control seeking for

suitable job position, presently in

Oman for visit. Contact: 98352288

Indian male 23 years Electron-

ics and Communication Engineer

B.Tech & Technical Diploma look-

ing for suitable position. Contact:

94804100, sulthank@live.com

Mechanical Engineer 28 years,

experience 1 year in Oman with

NOC looking for suitable place-

ment. Contact 94887665

Email: mechatron_mt@yahoo.com

B.E Mechanical Engineer, age

33 with 6+ years experience in

GCC in MEP building construc-

tion fi eld (execution and design

of HVAC,fi refi ghting,plumbing),

with D/L, NOC available

96978380;prajithks@gmail.com

Civil & MEP Sub contractor we

are doing all types of civil electri-

cal & plumbing works. Contact:

98040451 /94109760

Auto CAD Drawings & program

chart we are doing all types of

civil, electrical, plumbing shop

drawings & program chart for

approval. Contact: 98040451/

94109760

Electrical Engineer Indian male

30 years having 5 years of experi-

ence in industrial automation &

utility maintenance in India,

holding valid Oman D/L.

Contact: 92789995 mail:

akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com

Civil Engineer B.Tech 2 years ex-

perience on visit seeks immediate

placement. Contact: 98233199

DIP Mechanical Engineer tool &

die, CAD course Pro Engineering

ROPE Access level 1 experience

3 years in Hyundai Motor Chennai.

Contact: 93550661

Email: feroz1391@gmail.com

B.Tech in Electrical & Electronics

Engineering experience 3 years

in central industries Ltd Chennai

as Project Engineer in oil & gas

industry in installation Erection,

commissioning & maintaining

terminal Automation system.

Contact: 93550661

Email: rashiqrahuman@yahoo.in

B.Sc Civil Engineer, MBA experi-

ence 5 years (15 months in Oman)

English & Arabic, driving license

looking for a suitable job.

Contact: 94162443

Electronic and instrumentation B.Tech Indian male 04 years with

2 years Indian experience looking

for suitable position available in

Oman on visit visa.

Contact: 91228010

Indian male BE Mechanical with

11 years experience in Automo-

tive engineering and Industrial

maintenance in Oman. With valid

driving license seeks suitable job.

On release in Oman. 92880593

Indian 24 yrs exp SR civil Engg

with NOC, searching suitable job,

in any project Supervision.

Contact: 96602718

mishteyaqh@yahoo.co.in

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 : lijubn@gmail.com, jerrin007@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer, 05 years Ex-

perience, India. #+968-98444359.

Seeking urgent job in Oman.

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.

Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com

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:

azamjeelani78@gmail.com

HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+Diploma

Safety+NEBOSH+OSHA) over

10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release Letter

(NOC) available), seeking suit-

able placement, Mob:97061817,

Email:jayanammu1977@gmail.com

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:

mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com

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

Email : usmanshaik42@gmail.com

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

Email: iq.bgd.mnsr@gmail.com

Indian male, Mechanical

Engineer having 1year experi-

ence, on visit visa looking for

suitable job. Contact:97416564,

Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com

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,

Email : mohamedfdl87@gmail.com

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

With 15 years of Gulf experience

in HR / Admin / logistics looking

for suitable position. Fluent in

Arabic / English with D/L.

Contact: 95824598

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 Female, MBA-HR having 8+

experience in Administration/HR,

Customer Support, Offi ce Coordina-

tor with good Computer skill, Now

on Visit Visa,looking for suitable

position. Contact: 90196235

Indian female BE (EC) with 2 years

HR /IT/ Admin experience looking

suitable placement now in visit visa.

Contact: 93263169

Receptionist (BSC Hotel Man-

agement) Indian male 26 years

experience in Taj, Ramada, Crowne

Plaza looking for position, now

in Oman (Salalah) on visit visa.

Contact: 99780896

Indian female MBA (HR) 4 yrs exp

in HR & Admin in India & Oman

looking suitable placement.

Contact: 95619537

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 : sunap1968@gmail.com

Filipino Cabin steward / Linen

vallet is looking for suitable job in

Oman. Contact: +968 91065438 or

email: blonglive@gmail.com

CATERING

Looking for a full time driver with

valid Omani license.

Contact: 95454033

Looking for weekly light driving

job, experience 5 years.

Contact: 92640278

Light driver. Contact: 99775728

Looking for driving job experi-

ence 5 years, Pakistani.

Contact: 96046242 / 93804176

3 years experience looking for job.

Contact: 96457875

Driver want job. Contact:

93822195

Light vehicle driver. Contact:

95891087

Driver with Car. Contact: 95892363

Light duty driver Pakistani more

than 3 yrs exp seeks placement.

Contac: 97732728

Light driver with 6 years experi-

ence looking for job.

Contact: 92617293

Driver looking for job.

Contact: 96371945 / 94575111

Light duty driver 2 yrs exp.

Contact: 96393805

Light duty driver, vehicle license

of Oman, can drive Commercial

vehicle wants job.

Contact: 95980506

Driver with car 3 years experi-

ence looking for job.

Contact: 92041902

Driver with car. Contact: 93346085

Family driver. Contact:

97196448

Diploma Civil Engineer (8 years

Exp.) with driving license.

Contact 92429006,

francisprem123@gmail.com

Sudanese Civil Engineer 6 years experience in Oman.

Contact: 95212902

Civil Engineer 6 years experience.

Contact: 90183630

Electrical & Electronics Engineer

1 year experience currently on

visit visa, available immediately.

Contact: 90654844 / 90491353

Email: feyizmohamed@gmail.com

Telecommunication Engineer res-

ident in the Sultanate, Sudanese

Nationality. Contact : 95000024

Civil Diploma Engineer cum

quantity Survey male 7 years

experience in Oman valid Oman

D/L. Contact: 93356736 Email:

jaleelvanimalkp@gmail.com

Indian male QC inspector

diploma in Instrumentation,

6 yrs experience in Gulf.

Contact: 968 95930978

Email Id: savioaj@gmail.com

Automobile Mechanic ITI 3 years

experience marine mechanical

fi tter 2 yrs experience.

Contact: 93674847

Site Supervisor, Diploma in

Civil Engg (cert attested) knows

autocad revit, salary exp: 250

Ph : 92279784

BE Civil Engg having 10 years

Oman exp looking for a suitable job

presently in India. NOC available.

Contact: 0091 9963320768

Mechanical Engineer 2 years ex-

perience as HVAC design and draft-

ing MEP Engg. Contact: 90150913

Young Indian, Engineering in

Bio-technology, Bio-chemical and

Chemical, looking for a challeng-

ing placement in Oman.

Contact 97607000. Email:

sivasankarjayakumar@gmail.com

Electrical & Electronics Engr,

knows autocad & revit.

PH: 93837973

Construction Machinery repairs

Engineer, 5 years, driving license,

Contact - 94001961

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

syam036@gmail.com

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

Indian 14 yrs exp SR MEP – Elect

Engg with NOC, searching suitable

job, in fi eld PMC, Fire consultants ,

Testing & com, project supervision.

Contact: 92437865

Email: maimran.mtech@live.com

Filipino I.T. with 5 years experience

looking for suitable job in Oman.

Contact: +968 91183514 or email

delarama_ryan_t@yahoo.c om

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.

Revit, Autocad D/man, expected

salary 200 OMR PH :92279784

Filipino Senior Revit/AutoCAD

Draftsman with 20 years profes-

sional experience is looking for

suitable job in Oman. Please Con-

tact: 96489798, (+974) 66653780.

License light heavy duty, PDO license experience 8 years

mechanical experience vehicle.

Contact: 92091528

Light driver / Salesman fl uent in

English, Arabic well knowledge of

Muscat Areas. Contact: 97950869

Bangladeshi driver looking for job.

Contact: 97418036

Driver with light duty license,

10 yrs experience.

Contact: 92742722

Indian male B-tech 8 years expe-

rience as senior electrical project

engineer / QC engineer on visit

visa seeks suitable placement.

Contact 94094543

Email: anwar425@gmail.com

Pakistani male Diploma Civil

Engineer 4yrs exp in Oman bull-

ing & mega projects, valid license

Oman.Contact:98921022

Civil Engineer 8 years experience

in Oman as a project engineer for

governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912

Indian male 3 years experience in IT

as Linux Administrator& 1 year expe-

rience in Amazon EC2 Cloud at Wipro

Technologies Bangalore seeking for a

suitable placement. Contact: 92889678

Email: amalpathikal@gmail.com

Indian Male, MCA Graduate, 15 yrs

exp in ERP, CSM Certifi ed, seeking

suitable role.NOC Available.

Contact : GSM : 90189284

Email: meetlibran@gmail.com

IT Support Engineer, Exp 3 years

in Oman 2 years in India.

Contact: 94672759

System IT Engineer with Linux &

UNIX System Administration skills

transferable visa. Contact: 99109332

Omani 26(m) seeks placement

6 yrs experience IT specialist.

Contact: 99025044

Indian female M.Sc Computer

Science seeking suitable placement

in Muscat area. Contact: 98660672

Indian female M.Sc Biotechnolo-

gy, 3 years experience seeking for

suitable position, part / full fl exi-

ble for research, teaching business

development IT hospitals.

Contact: 94710931

Email: skystars.hm@gmail.com

MANAGER

Young Dynamic MBA Post-Grad

with 2 yrs exp as Procurement

offi cer at Muscat & 3 yrs exp &

Marketing-Interior construction

in India with NOC and Driving

License. No# 98238260

Workshop Manager having 30

years gulf and abroad experience

in plants & machineries, heavy

duty trucks, readymix batching

plants & crushers, water well drill

rigs, rock blasting machineries etc.

kindly contact @ 97145088.

MEDICAL

Indian female dentist (BDS) look-

ing for suitable post prometric &

datafl ow completed.

Contact: 90377433

D- Pharm Pharmacist 17 years

experience Ayurvedic Panchakar-

ma Masseur’s 3 years experience.

Contact: 93672452

General Dentist with NOC, 5 years

experience seeking for suitable

job. Contact: 98956747 /

91159996 (Brother)

Email: dramjad32t@gmail.com

Licensed Pharmacist with experi-

ence want job in Buraimi or Sohar.

Contact 93608698

Indian female Dentist specialized

Endodontist looking for suitable

placement, prometric completed.

Contact: 96410448

Advertising media manager

trading, M.Com with 20 years GCC

experience in ATL+ BTL Brandy.

Contact: 93031168

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

BS in Electrical Engineering, Experience: 5 years(Power Plants).

Contact: 92475206 Email:

zahaibzafar007@gmail.com

Indian male 34 yrs in Oman on

visit visa seeks suitable place-

ment. Contact: 97702082

5 years experienced (Front offi ce &

Banking), Indian Male (28 years. Ho-

tel Management graduate), search-

ing for suitable position. English,

Hindi, Malayalam, Arabic fl uent.

Noc available. Contact:91383167

SALES / MARKETING

Indian male, 5 years building

material sales experience in Oman

Seeking for placement.

Contact 90655903

10 years ICT Business develop-

ment & project management exp

in Oman looking for suitable sen-

ior position. Contact: 98987654

Marketing, BBA, Dip in Logistics

Mgmt, on 2 yrs free visa.

Contact : 98269281

Indian Male 22 years, Having

experience in indoor sales/site

supervisor Looking for suitable

Placement.GSM: 97435306.

Email: zuhebnakhwa94@gmail.com

Indian male Graduate with 18

years of Marketing experience

presently in Oman on family visit

visa, looking for best opportunity.

Contact: 96168687

Email: dhibupaul@gmail.com

Graduate looking for suitable

replacement. NOC available. Ex-

perience in Oman 15 + years. Field

: Executive - Sales & Marketing /

Executive Secretary.

Contact : 95798149

35 years male, Lebanese holding

British passport, 10 years of experi-

ence in procurement, Omani Gov-

ernment tenders, setup marketing

plans & strategies, importing, Organ-

izing events, management, have car,

NOC available. Contact 94123939

Email: 002015r@gmail.com

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

mail: faizanahmad2308@yahoo.com

Indian male BBA & aviation cur-

rently on visit looking for suitable

job in logistics, travels, sales etc.

Contact: 91350188

Email: farsheennaseer@gmail.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:

Sumeshpsmkr1989@gmail.com

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

Indian male Graduate with 18

years of marketing exp, presently

in Oman on family visit visa, look-

ing for best opportunity. Contact –

96168687 / dhibupaul@gmail.com

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE

Lady Secretary / Sales Co-co-

ordinator 12 years experience in

Oman in reputed companies,

seek immediate Employment.

Call: 95244761

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

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

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

lacements. NOC available.

Contact: 92066 523

DAILY GUIDED6 M O N D AY, M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifi eds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

MISCELLANEOUS

B.E. (Mechanical) 12years indus-

trial sales one year Muscat experi-

ence, Presently in India,

Immediately ready to join.

Contact :917338899372 , email id :

ganesh2008sep@gmail.com

Indian Male Accountant. Com-

pleted MBA with 1 year experience,

good working knowledge in Tally

& Excel. Searching for suitable

job. Email : jovin8910@gmail.

com, Contact : 919715874548 ,

918015907437

Indian male electrician(EEE ).

Two years good working experi-

ence searching for

suitable job. Gmail antonyajin15@

gmail.com, Name; Antony Ajin.G

: Contact; 918148336160 /

918300136160

Male, 23, with experience in UAE

& India, looking for job in sales /

marketing. Contact: 94032041

Electrical & Electronics diploma

Engineer Indian male 23 years,

2 years experience in Electrical

fi eld/good experience in Electron-

ics MCU projects currently in

visit visa please do not hesitate to

#93047707 adilm89@gmail.com

Indian male Diploma in Electron-

ics, having 3 years of experience

in the hardware and networking

fi eld, also worked in construction

company Mabela for 6 months

as supervisor, trying to get driving

license. Contact: - +96897017866.

Mechanical Engineer, Indian,

Male,5 years experience in GCC &

India, looking for permanent place-

ment in Oman. NOC Release Avail-

able. Contact: 00968-95140445;

noorullahanas@gmail.com

Indian female (27 yrs)

MBA(IT),BCA,CCNA.2year

experience in IT operations in

Oman. Graduated from Oman

with good analytical, commu-

nicating & programming skills,

presented in international con-

ference, seeking suitable posi-

tions.contact:93672143.e-mail

id:fathima.shoukath@gmail.com

Indian Female seeking a job in

Back Offi ce and Accountancy,

8+ years proven experience as a

dynamic candidate with excellent

Excel & Communication skills.

Quick learner and Team player.

Currently on Family Visa.

Contact 94093154, 91746890,

Email: joyjohn_hhh@yahoo.com

Sri Lankan Male, 31 years. 6 years

experience as an Accounts Execu-

tive, (Languages can speak Urdu/

Arabic, English written & spoken) .

Contacts: 99782930/

lalindra1st@yahoo.com

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-krish.569@gmail.

com Mobile- +91 9867016808

Sri Lankan Male, 31 years. 6 years

experience as an Accounts Execu-

tive, (Languages can speak Urdu/

Arabic, English written & spoken).

Contact 99782930/

lalindra1st@yahoo.com

Indian male with 10+ years of

working experience (security solu-

tions, event management) on visit

visa seeks suitable placement.

Contact – 97945269,

hkkrishna@gmail.com

Indian male Network Cabling Tech-

nician (19-years gulf experience)

seeking for suitable placement. mo-

bile no: 0091-8089909265 (India),

email: mohithavp@gmail.com

MANPOWER

Senior accountant ,NOC avail-

able, more than 5 years exp., born

& bought up in Oman, Accounting

upto fi nalization, computer skills

tally9, Sage ERP accpac 500(6.0A),

Vcams , Audit ,valid Oman D/L,

languages known English ,Arabic,

Hindi. can join immediately. Tel:

(+968) 96339599, mail-ahmed-

mohdkhan@gmail.com

Business Management Gradu-

ate with 12 years of experience

in Oman, Worked with catering,

medical, IT groups seeks suitable

placement in Finance/purchase/

insurance sector, NOC Available.

Email, saima.gangawali@gmail.

com, Mob 94258301

Indian Male, 24 yrs, looking for

any type of job, qualifi cation is

Diploma in Electronics with 3 years

of experience in the hardware an

networking fi eld an also worked in

construction company Mabelah for

6 months as supervisor,

having valid D/L.

Contact : - +96897017866.

BS in Electrical engineering,

experience : 6 years in electrical

installation and maintenance

Contact : 99817032,

Email : engmmg24@yahoo.com

2 years Diploma Health and Safety

IOSH managing safely OHS acad-

emy 48 hours Manager level HABC

fi re safety, bachelors in Commerce

and Post Graduate Finance 3 years

experience in Construction &

General Industry. Contact 93107730

33 year old Filipina with experi-

ence in Tele performance, Manila

call centre, now working as Wait-

ress in Qatar seeking suitable post.

Local contact 99022484

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 - jayamurli@gmail.com

Indian male 30 yrs, holding valid

driving license, having 5 years of

experience in sales, looking for

suitable position.

Contact # 90552942/94355626

Petrochemicals Specialist, Chemi-

cal, MBA 18 YEARS EXPERIENC IN

OIL FIELDS COM, RAW MATERIAL ,

polymer, SPACIALISED IN Procure-

ment /COMMECIAL/ PURCHASE

/ LOGISTICS / SCM/Planning &

sound knowledge of technical

requirement for any manufacture

plant Forecasting, Distribution,

Vendors Development, LC opening/

establishment coordination with

NOC available. Contact:97813849

Highly experienced mechanical/

steel structural fabrication engi-

neer looking for suitable place-

ment. NOC available.# 99860714,

hussain20173@gmail.com.

Indian Male 28 years, Mechani-

cal Engineer (Diploma) with 2

years’ exp., Automobile ITI NCVT,

CSWIP-BGAS Painting QC Grade-2,

NDT Level-2, ISO Lead Auditor

QA (IRCA), Piping QC & Isometric

Drawings, WPS & WPQR, available

on Visit Visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact: 90653733,

libinthomaslt@gmail.com

Light Duty Driver, Fluent in

English, Arabic. Well knowledge of

Oman Areas looking for suitable

placement. Contact 97950869

IT Administrator with 6 yrs of GCC

experience, now in Dubai (visit

visa).seeking suitable placement in

UAE. Contact :00971-565598176,

email:aneeshngr@gmail.com

SIT.WANTED

SIT.WANTED

Professional driver looking for an

offi ce job. Contact: 93645115

Civil Engineer (Indian male)

with 5 years experience in Oman

and having a valid Oman driving

license and NOC looking for a suit-

able opportunity. GSM: 93101283

Email: ajeshcyril@gmail.com

Indian Male: 23yrs, MBA in Market-

ing from UK (United Kingdom), look-

ing for a job, currently in Muscat in

visit. No: 97210361 / 95357513,

Email: sharanshetty3@gmail.com

Indian male, 28 years, 4 years

experience in accountants in

fi elds, hospital, printing press &

constructional seeking for suitable

job in accounts or administrations

on visit visa. Contact: 93460277

Email: shineraj786@gmail.com

Male secretary 22years experi-

ence in gulf countries seek imme-

diate employment NOC available.

Contact: 98502538

Email: wilsnrpaul2009@yahoo.in

Indian male, 33 yrs, on visit visa

having 15 years of printing offi ce

technology now working in Malay-

alam Manoroma daily seeking for

the suitable job.

Contact: 90657476 / 95404460

Architect Engineer seeking for

suitable job, 8 years experience.

GSM : 96075000, Email :

haytham_201046@yahoo.com

B.E(Mechanical) 12years in-

dustrial sales one year Muscat

experience ,Presently in India

,Immediately ready to join ,Mobile

no :917338899372 , email id :

ganesh2008sep@gmail.com

Electrical & Electronics diploma

engineer Indian male 22 years,

2 years experience currently in

visit visa. Contact 93047707

adilm89@gmail.com

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

Indian Male 48 Yrs with over 25

Years Oman experience in Sales &

Marketing with NOC & valid Oman

D/L Also Fluency in Arabic, seeks

suitable placement. Contact no.:

92210661/99224057

B.S.C in Electrical Engineering,

Experience: 5 Years (Power Plant).

Contact: 92475206

Email: zahaibzafar007@gmail.com

Fresh B.Com Graduate in visit

visa looking for a job. Contact:

93518923 / 99075027.

email: sheikcok@yahoo.com

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 (Vaid-

yaratnam). 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

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

Admin Assistant. Having 5 years

experience in admin department in

reputed companies, presently work-

ing in Muscat (NOC Available).

GSM. 00968-98404122, mail -

panduru.jeevankumar@gmail.com

Import & Export professional, Expe-

rienced as Asst. Commercial Man-

ager for 15 years, Profi cient in MS

offi ce, Male Indian, Seeks suitable

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 :saiprasad_18@yahoo.com,

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. 252002@gmail.com

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

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:midhunmich@gmail.com,

skype:midhunmike

Indian male, network cabling

technician (19 years Gulf experi-

ence) seeking for suitable place-

ment. NOC available. Contact :

0091-8089909265 (India),

E mail: mohithavp@gmail.com

Indian male,B.Com + Dip. Logistic

2year experience looking for a job

in Accounts/Logistics Field. Pres-

ently on Visit Visa

Contact 93884951,

Email:mehreenraiz@gmail.com

Electronics Technician , 4 Years

experience as Electronics service

engineer. Knowledge in all type of

Electronics items. Looking for suit-

able placement. GSM- 99105043

IT professional, B.E. in IT, CCNA,

MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT,

valid Omani D/L seeking suitable

placement in IT/Network/Server

support/Retail sales.

Contact 91496939.

Looking for a part time accounting

& admin job. Contact 99196621.

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. 252002@gmail.com

Assistant Accountant - B.Com

Graduate with excellent overall

skills. 2 Years of experience. Ready

for immediate joining.

Contact: sharonravi00@gmail.com,

968-92049215

Software Engineer with 5 + plus

years of experience in Infosys

ltd on visit visa seeking suit-

able vacancy in oman. Email :

steff yraphel@gmail.com 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

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 26 years, Graduate in

BBM & having Diploma in Logis-

tics with 3 years of experience in

Banking and Accounts looking for

suitable placement. Contact :

+ 968 97166820/ +91 9895102356

Email :afsalrahman1989@gmail.

com

Indian Female looking for a part

time opportunity (Graphic Design/

Teaching/Research Assistant/

Business Development/Admin-

istration) Contact: 95811820 or

sankarikm06@gmail.com

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com

Finance-Indian with 7 years expe-

rience in Finance & Accounts up

to fi nalization. Having D/L & NOC.

Mob:94122464,

caammk13@gmail.com

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.

Indian female 10 years exp as cook

in Oman. South Indian &

Gujarati special looking for job,

company or restaurant.

Contact 90559292

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 30 year GCC driving

license and past experience as

project coordinator looking for a

suitable position. Project Coordi-

nation, Sales Executive, Marketing

Executive or any other suitable

post. Contact number -97070427

Indian B-Com Graduate 1 year

Experience in market survey,

Valid Driving License,

looking for any suitable post.

Contact :92567020 / 96930392,

shwayanad@gmail.com

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. # 92859733

Indian male 42, BE-Civil 13 years

experience in Road construction.

looking for suitable placement.

having valid Oman driving license.

Contact: 95225214, Email:

Sudheerrokkala73@gmail.com

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

Email: mailingsaikiran@gmail.com

Indian with 3 years for experience

in sales and marketing fl uency in

English, Arabic, Hindi, Tamil and

Malayalam looking for suitable job.

Also hold valid Driving License,

currently in oman Mob : 93451439

Indian male network cabling tech-

nician (19-years Gulf experience)

seeking for suitable placement.

Contact 0091-8089909265 (India),

Email: mohithavp@gmail.com

Safety Offi cer 3 years of expe-

rience in safety certifi cations:

BE (Electrical and Electronics

Engineering),NEBOSH, OSH, DHSE,

fi rst aid. Contact +97474018995,

email:midhunmich@gmail.com

skype:midhunmike

Indian female, MBA, Diploma in

Aviation & Hospitality mgt (IATA),

having 4 yrs of exp, on family visa

seeks job in Oman.

Contact-9910 4529, 95679557,

e-mail-jkramya91@gmail.com

27 years old Indian male looking

hospitality jobs in Hotel. Experience

in customer service, front desk,

housekeeping supervisor, captain,

cashier,guest relation manager.

Contact. +968-90351742 Email.

samubaid6@gmail.com

NOC available, Indian Male - MBA

(HR) and B.E (E.I.E) with total 9

years of experience in HR & Admin

and Business Development (3 yrs

of Gulf exp.) can join immediately -

Contact 91240251 /

kvaradhan@hotmail.com

DAILY GUIDEM O N D AY, M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 6 D7

TOURS

TOURS

RENT A CAR

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP

specifi cation for monthly rent &

small car with driver.

Contact: 99839898

SITUATION 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

RENT A CARBest Rates for Saloon

Contact: 97869042 / 95730550

sales@modernreem.com

DRIVING

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation available Ruwi to

Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909

Transportation. Contact:94510847

Transportation. Contact:95190627

Transportation. Contact 9508282

Transportation. Contact

92015894

Transportation requiredfrom Qurum to WadiKabir at

afternoon only 1 PM.

Contact - 99012165

SITUATION WANT-

ED

BUSINESS

SITUATION WANT-

ED

BUSINESS

SITUATION WANT-

ED

BUSINESS

Need investor for pure Veg. Coff ee

shop, Al Khuwair.

Contact: 99437869

WEB, ERP and Business Intel-

ligence (BI) creation and manage-

ment at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

Want to market a product.

Contact: 92162623

IT Consultancy division available

interested person to handle the

above division can

Contact: 92162623

Coff ee shop for sale 7 visa avail-

able at Al Khuwair.

Contact 98826793

Required partner investor to

build an apartment in Al Mobelah.

Contact: 99355330

Investment opportunity for

lucrative building and decorative

product. Contact: 99421513

Email: borderlineomn@gmail.com

D8 M O N D AY, M AY 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDEEmail: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifi eds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

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

Regular container transportation

from Sohar sport to anywhere in

Muscat area OMR 100 per con-

tainer. Contact: 93731363

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

Marble crystallization & grinding, Ocean center LLC

Contact: 99344723

A/C servicing maintenance.

Contact: 92279370

House shifting. Contact 99708138

CAD drawings Archi/ MEP CAD –

comply BIM. Contact: 91233975

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing,

Contact 99314807/24792998

Window & split unit A.C servicing

& repairing. Contact: 99557080

Split & window A/c servicing &

maintenance. Contact 93769089 /

95323517

Split unit & widow unit A.C servic-

ing & maintenance.

Contact: 95323517 / 93769089

Split unit & window unit A.C

servicing & maintenance.

Contact: 96236476

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

Water proofi ng ABUQABAS-

Contact 99320217/24788722

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

Pest control treatments, Ocean center LLC

Contact 99344723

Marble crystallization & grinding, cleaning & carpet shampooing.

Ocean center LLC.

Contact 99344723

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance. Contact ABU QA-

BAS- 99320217 /24788722

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of

your marble. Contact 24793614/

99314807

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

Coming soon in Muscat for Omani & Expatriate Students Hospital Ser-

vice course (Mandatory 1700 hrs) enhanced International Accreditation

& certifi cate options form Hussein Technical Training Al Khodh & Sohar

branch locations 1st Batch from 1st August’16. Web: www.httiomn.com /

Email: careers@goldenapplete.com / Contact: (Whatsapp)

+968 96412252 (Mobile) + 968 93287717 / +968 96412251

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

SITUATION WANT-SERVICES

SITUATION WANT-SERVICES

Cleaning services, Sofa, carpet,

shampoo old house or new house.

Contact: 92179395

Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont

Maintenance services electric,

plumbing and A/C. Contact:

96524904 /94285064

House Shifting Packing. Contact: 99657644 / 98518013