Times of Oman - May 3, 2015

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HM sends greetingsMUSCAT: His Majesty Sul-tan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of greetings to President Bronislaw Komorowski of the Republic of Poland on his coun-try’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has ex-pressed his sincere greetings and wishes of good health and happiness to the president and his country’s people further progress and prosperity. —ONA

P O L A N D

New rule prohibits tobacco trade in all forms: OfficialRahul [email protected]

MUSCAT: Sale of chewing to-bacco in all its forms and brands is strictly prohibited in Oman, the Public Authority for Con-sumer Protection (PACP) has reiterated.

Speaking to the Times of Oman, a senior PACP official said that the law was enacted as chewing tobacco is extremely dangerous for health.

“Earlier, there were penalties for the possession of chewing to-bacco, but the new rule prohibits its trade in all forms,” he said.

The PACP will slap a fine of OMR400 on people flouting the ban and it will be doubled if the offence is repeated, according to a ministerial decision issued on April 23, 2015.

Medical experts have support-ed the ban on chewing tobacco, saying the substance is extreme-ly dangerous for health.

“Excessive use of tobacco can cause cancer of the mouth, tongue, cheek and throat,” warned Dr V C P Mohammed, specialist in Internal Medicine, at the Atlas Hospital in Ruwi.

He also said that initially it starts with irritation of the gums

followed by the colour of the gums changing.

“We counsel patients when they seek help. While some stop, others are not so determined and do not return. It is an addic-tion,” he said.

He also said that such a ban is essential throughout the world and he would certainly support it.

Doctors also said chewing tobacco could cause gum prob-lems, sensitivity in the mouth and oral cancer. “I have noticed that many people who chew to-bacco are also unable to concen-trate as it affects them mentally,” said a doctor. >A6

P A C P

REJIMON K [email protected] MUSCAT: “Don’t follow what I have done. You will regret it. Even though I may have my own rea-sons, it cannot be justified. I can’t say that I stayed away without seeing my family for two decades deliberately. I can only say that it happened so. There might be many reasons for you. But the moment you become undocumented, you have to leave the country at any cost. Leading a life of an undocu-mented migrant is horrible. The sufferings you have to undergo will be beyond your imagination.”

These are the words of Appu-kuttan, an Indian migrant worker, who came to the shores of Oman some 22 years ago and has never, returned to India.

For the first few years, life for Appukuttan was tolerable. But later, when he was caught in finan-cial problems, he had to struggle to push on. “I had been a rag picker for many years. And many a day I have

gone to bed without having even one meal. Sometimes, I wished that I could get at least one cup of tea,” Appukuttan told Times of Oman.

He has now registered at the In-dian embassy to fly home by mak-ing use of the amnesty announced by the Oman government.

Appukuttan had registered his name twice during past amnesty programmes. But, as he says, many reasons made him remain in Oman.

Dream shattered“Like many other migrants, I too came here, on July 7, 1993, look-ing for better earnings to support my family in India. But I feel that I am an unlucky person. Other than struggles and poverty, there is nothing to say. A few years after coming here, I was caught in the vicious circle of financial misman-agement. I lost everything,” Appu-kuttan said, while standing on the shores of Azaiba beach and looking out over the sea. Often he has cried, sitting there alone and thinking of his family on the other side.

“Now, my dream is to go back. I have even forgotten my children’s faces. When my mother passed away, I couldn’t go. I have not made anything out of my migrant life,” Appukuttan said.

The government amnesty pro-gramme begins today (May 3) and will continues until July 30, provid-ing a chance for undocumented and overstaying migrant workers to leave Oman without paying pen-alties for violating residential status rules.

“Some 10 years back, when my daughter’s marriage was fixed, I tried to go back. But unfortunately, I couldn’t,” Appukuttan revealed.

“Many have duped and exploit-ed me. Being an undocumented migrant worker, many refused to pay me after making me work. However, there are a few good people. It is with their help that I am pushing my days ahead. I am always thankful to them,” Appu-kuttan noted.

“When a person becomes an undocumented migrant worker, he does not have access to proper healthcare after he falls sick,” said Appukuttan.

Appukuttan, who’s been living in Oman for

the past 22 years, has never visited India in

this period. This time, as the amnesty was

announced, he’s desperate to fly back home

Oman helps Bangladeshis go home

REJIMON [email protected]

MUSCAT: In the latest human-itarian effort towards people fleeing from strife-torn Yemen, 13 Bangladeshis from Al Mukal-la region in Yemen were allowed to enter the Sultanate through Al Mazyunah border last Thurs-day and fly back home.

“All the 13 Bangladeshis left the same day for their home country. We coordinated with

Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs for their arrival in Oman,” said a senior official from the Bangladesh embassy in Muscat.

According to sources, all 13 were working in a fishing village in Al Mukalla. Two of them were from Sylhet and 11 were from Cox’s Bazar.

Oman has provided entry to nationals from 48 countries fleeing Yemen after the Saudi Arabia-led coalition started bombing the country. >A6

H U M A N I T A R I A N E F F O R T I N Y E M E N

Thirteen Bangladeshis were

evacuated from Yemen and sent

back home the same day.

OMANIllegal workers exploit loopholes

1 The amnesty for illegal workers without punishment makes a lot of

sense but government must look deeper into the problem. >A2

REGION52 civilians killed in air strikes in Syria

2US-led strikes targeting the IS group killed at least 52 civilians in

northern Syria. >A7

WORLDBritain’s Kate gives birth to princess

3Prince William’s wife Kate gave birth to a princess on Saturday to

cheers from well-wishers. >A16

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A3The Wave, Muriya launch water taxis

Do not follow my example: Illegal worker

>A6

A2 S U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

OMAN

The current amnesty for thousands of illegal workers to go home without

punishment makes a lot of sense but the government must look deeper into the per-sisting problem by tightening manpower loopholes and the country’s borders.

The illegal workers, most of whom are Asians and ac-cording to their embassies, number more than 50,000, are working without valid documents in various parts of the Sultanate. But this is not the first time the government is granting amnesty to such workers. In 2005, more than 40,000 went home voluntarily and about 60,000 in 2007.

The question one should ask is how they successfully abscond and stay out of the detecting network of the authorities? Not all of them escape their employers to work independently. Some of them come into the country illegally, through the borders and the sea.

Those who are registering with their embassies as illegal workers have absconded their employees and have expired working permits. Most of the embassies would tell you that workers who are in the coun-try with no papers at all, never turn up to declare themselves as aliens. So the real number of illegal workers in the coun-try will never be known.

Do absconding employees outnumber border crashers or is it the other way around?

Maritime patrollingThe real threat, it goes with-out saying, is from people who freely cross the borders, whether by land or sea, at will, and do the same thing when they want to go back home. Borders need to be tightened up and more money invested

in maritime patrolling. Be-tween the two, the open sea is much more difficult to control. This was highlighted by the visiting US State De-partment official. His country has pledged more support to Oman to combat illegal shipment.

What is the main concern to the Ministry of Manpower is the shipment of people who are destined to our shores, apart from drug smuggling and illegal cargoes. Illegal workers landing on the beach must have accomplices, both in the country and outside.

Therefore, tackling the problem of absconding work-

ers will not entirely solve the headache of the Ministry of Manpower. Both groups of workers are controlled by a network of skilful manipula-tors who are hugely profiting from the racket. Illegal work-ers are used as a commodity, either groups or individuals. The business is thriving and this is the reason why the gov-ernment could not crack it since 2005.

Think differentlyUnless, the authorities start to think differently, the problem will not get solved . Perhaps, Oman can emulate the suc-cess of Singapore, which has more expatriates than Oman. But they have contained the problem by encouraging whis-tle-blowers who are regularly uncovering the racketeers. Whistle-blowers can be both expatriates and nationals.

The second problem is that some companies, especially struggling ones, encourage illegal workers. They give employment to them to save costs like manpower fees, air fares, visa charges and sometimes even accom-modation. So, sending illegal workers home will not solve the problem. They will keep coming back. The government must crack its whip at the root of the problem.

Companies that employ illegal workers must be pun-ished with hefty fines.

Regular checks at the construction sites and even offices must be intensified. Otherwise the whole exercise will be self-defeating.

[email protected]

Need to look deeper into the problem of illegal workers

COMMENTARY

SALEH AL SHAIBANY

SUNDAYBEAT

Some companies, especially struggling ones, encourage illegal workers. They give employment to them to save costs like manpower fees, air fares, visa charges and even accommodation

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

We’re reusing the products and they last a very long time. ou can see here in Oman companies are moving to a modern look…and that’s what Desert River hasMaha Al Lamki, Owner and founder of the SME m co

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Students’ efforts in Shell Eco-Marathon wins kudosSARAH [email protected]

MUSCAT: Students from three Omani universities were rec-ognised by Shell Development Oman for their participation in the Shell Eco-Marathon 2015, a competition for stu-dents to design, build and test fuel-efficient cars.

Three teams from GUtech, the Caledonian College of Engineer-ing and Sultan Qaboos Univer-sity took part in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia which was held February 26 to March 1 in Manila, Philippines. Though not all the teams completed the required 10 laps to have their fuel-efficiency measured, they all learned a lot from the experience and had the honour of being the first teams to represent Oman in the event.

“I think each of you contributed in some way towards building a better energy future both in Oman and more broadly. I’d like to con-gratulate the teams themselves for their Eco-Marathon journeys and they way they showed up as representatives of Oman. A big thank you to the students for be-ing excellent ambassadors for Oman,” said Chris Breeze, Shell’s Country Chair in Oman.

He said the organisers in Ma-nila commented on the hospital-ity and enthusiasm demonstrated by the Omani teams, from the Omani helwa that was shared to the number of Omani flags visible on the streets of Manila where the competition took place.

Breeze also highlighted the achievements of GUtech’s Team Megalodon, who finished in fifth place in the diesel prototype car category. Their car drove the equivalent of nearly 143km on one litre of fuel.

Salim Nasser Al Aufi, undersec-retary for the Minister of Oil and Gas, who presented the students with certificates to acknowledge their participation in the Eco-Marathon, also congratulated the

teams on their accomplishments. He said the competition was an excellent way not only to let the student apply the practical engi-neering skills they have learned, but to teach them about entrepre-neurship and innovation.

“The fact that you’ve got your designed prototype [car] all the way to Manila to compete is far more important than the results you got. What’s you’ve learned over this journey is, believe me, something we’ve learned over many, many years,” Al Aufi com-mented, adding that the team-work, management and market-ing skills they had learned would benefit them greatly.

Before receiving their certifi-cates each of the teams each had the opportunity to make a pres-entation about their Shell Eco-marathon experience. They spoke about how they had designed their cars, the challenges they faced, the skills they acquired, and the results they achieved in Manila.

“What we wanted to do was set a benchmark for Oman, being one of the first teams,” said Moham-

med Omer, Gutech’s team leader.GUtech was successful, as they

were the first Omani team to pass the technical and safety inspec-tions, as well as the only one to complete 10 laps on the track and have their fuel-efficiency meas-ured. Their fifth-place finish was an achievement of which they were most proud.

“One year’s worth of work and many nights spent in the univer-sity finally paid off,” said Mobashir Kabir, who drove the GUtech car.

Omer added they also learned about a different culture and had the chance to make friends with students from many other countries. They were also able to exchange knowledge and ex-periences with the other teams, who were from universities in 16 other countries.

SQU’s Team Eco Wheel nearly completed the 10 laps but their car had electrical trouble on the ninth lap. Despite not complet-ing their goals, the team members also said they had learned a lot from the experience and hoped to compete again next year.

M A N I L A E V E N T

The Wave, Muriya start water taxis

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Connecting two of the Sultanate’s most sought-after des-tinations, The Wave, Muscat and Muriya Tourism Development have jointly introduced a water taxi service between Almouj Ma-rina at The Wave, Muscat and the Jebel Sifah Marina.

The new service offers passen-gers a unique opportunity to enjoy an hour and forty five minutes of

scenic and convenient boat trip between two of the Sultanate’s flagship Integrated Tourism Com-plexes (ITCs).

Hawazen Esber, Chief Execu-tive Officer at The Wave, Muscat, said, “This partnership demon-strates how ITCs in Oman can add value to their integrated tourism experience by working together in synergy. We are confident that the Water Taxi service will prove to be an invaluable addition to our leisure and lifestyle amenities and will set the foundation for more collaboration between The Wave, Muscat and Muriya.”

Ahmed Dabbous, Chief Execu-tive Officer of Muriya, added, “We strongly believe in the huge ben-efits to the society and the Sultan-ate from the cooperation between developers. It is never a zero sum game and the water taxi service is a clear example of that. We look forward to being joined by other developers so we can provide more stops and frequency for what is definitely a fun, scenic

and convenient ride to our Jebel Sifah destination.”

The water taxi starts from Al-mouj Marina, with a stop at the Marina Bandar Rowdha and a final stop at the Jebel Sifah marina.

The Wave, MuscatSpread along a 6 km stretch of Muscat’s coastline, this world-class Integrated Tourism Complex comprises a group of luxury villas, townhouses and apartments, com-mercial units, retail and dining fa-cilities and signature designed golf course, designed by Greg Norman.

Muriya DevelopmentMuriya was created in 2006 to stimulate external leisure invest-ment in Oman. Jebel Sifah, lo-cated 45 minutes from Muscat, is spread over 6.2 million sq m and is designed to include six world-class hotels, of which the Sifawy Boutique Hotel is operational. It also houses 100 per cent freehold residences, an 84-berth marina, marina town etc.

The new service

offers passengers an

hour and forty-five

minutes of scenic

boat journey

TOURISM ICONS: This combination picture of The Wave, Muscat and Muriya’s resort links the two

luxury resorts, which will now be connected by a boat ride.–TIMES OF OMAN

I’d like to congratulate the teams themselves for their Eco-Marathon journeys and they way they showed up as representatives of Oman

Chris BreezeShell’s Country Chair in Oman

A4 S U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

OMAN 3G and 4G mobile broadband and Wi-Fi networks

would get the benefit of ‘five bars everywhere’

coverage for Omantel customers through

Cisco Universal Small Cell Solutions

Rental outfit that combines glamour with eco objective

SARAH [email protected]

MUSCAT: Often branded events result in a lot waste, with banners, podiums and even chairs and ta-bles being thrown away after just one or two uses. But a new compa-ny in Muscat, Desert River, is hop-ing their sustainable yet trendy event rentals will help the envi-ronment and bring style to special functions.

Omani businesswoman Maha Al Lamki, owner and founder of the SME m co, has opened a fran-chise of the Dubai-based Desert River company in Oman with the

aim of providing event rentals that are both new and modern as well as reusable and recyclable. Desert River is m co’s fourth venture, joining m events, m media and m décor.

“It has style and it has sustain-ability if you look after the product. What’s nice about them for corpo-rate events is that you basically brand everything, and then take off the brands,” explained Al Lamki.

Richard Liddle, Operation Di-rector for m co, said rather than using roll-up banners which are printed for one event and then tossed in the bin, the Desert Riv-er products can have removable

brands and logos applied to their surfaces, so they can be used over and over again. Items like podi-ums, DJ bars, sectional bench seats, coffee tables, and decora-tive lights can all be temporarily branded according to the custom-ers’ needs.

“We’re finding that at events people will make a podium to do a speech from and that will go in the bin and then at the next event they’ll make a new one,” Liddle said, adding that the podiums they have are made of durable polyeth-ylene which can be lit from within.

Liddle said that they noticed more and more people in Oman

are becoming environmentally-conscious and they believed it was critical to do their part and devel-op a sustainable approach to their business.

“I think it even saves people money because before we used to manufacture everything new for every event. In this case we’re re-using the products and they last a very long time,” added Al Lamki.

Their events staff are also trained to look after the products carefully to ensure they are prop-erly cared for, from the transporta-tion, storage and cleaning, which will make them last longer, too.

Not only were Al Lamki and Lid-dle attracted to the green aspect of Desert River’s products, but they also liked the modern and trendy European designers the company buys its products from, added Lid-dle. The companies are all of a very high, international standard, and the items are made of recyclable materials, he explained.

“How can we give better qual-ity and new style? Desert River

was the answer for us. They have a wide range of products. You can see here in Oman companies are moving to a modern look…and that’s what Desert River has,” said Al Lamki.

With sleek, edgy furniture, a variety of unique lighting that has colours that can be changed by remote control, thus changing the mood of an event within seconds, and many other new products, Al Lamki said Desert River can bring something new to events in Oman.

“We want to give the ‘Wow’ fac-tor. That’s guaranteed with Desert River. Nobody else has it in Oman,” she said.

W A S T E C O N T R O L

STYLE WITH SUBSTANCE: Desert River, is hoping their sustainable yet trendy event rentals will help

the environment and bring style to special functions.–TIMES OF OMAN

I think it even saves people money because before we used to manufacture everything new for every event.

Maha Al LamkiOwner and founder of the SME m co


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

Omantel aims for small cell power

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Omantel has launched a trial project that sup-ports its growing base of custom-ers by deploying Cisco Universal Small Cell Solutions into its mo-bile network, said a top official of Cisco Oman.

Speaking to the Times of Oman, Iyad Alchammat, general manag-er, Cisco Oman, said that this trial enables “five bars everywhere” coverage for Omantel customers using voice and data services on mobile broadband (3G and 4G) and Wi-Fi networks.

“The small cell solutions are also optimising and monetising consumer and business services on mobile devices. All vertical sectors in Oman are set to benefit from the trial project, especially hospitals and public health facili-ties, malls and shopping complex-es, airports and transport hubs and sports venues, hotels and convention centres, in addition to large offices, towers, and high rise buildings, residential and in-home coverage, and remote and rural areas,” he said.

Regarding the latest solutions to optimise mobile and Wi-Fi networks, he said that mobile net-works have never mattered more, with global networked connec-tions set to grow from 13 billion currently to 20 billion by 2018.

“The Gulf region will post one of the world’s fastest mobile data traffic growth rates, increasing 11-fold by 2019,” he said.

“Much of the mobile data traf-fic growth will be indoors, under-scoring the importance of small cell technologies in service pro-vider mobile strategies. Our end-to-end small cell solutions, which accommodate all building types with full Wi-Fi integration, will provide world-class support to

Omantel and its customers well into the future,” he said.

Launched recently, the Cisco Mobility IQ analytics solutions combine data from Wi-Fi, 3G, and LTE network activity for real-time visibility into network, user, and business intelligence. Service providers, partners, and business customers can deliver new, valua-ble, differentiated mobile market-ing and managed services at new levels of network efficiency.

Regarding the exclusive in-sights on Oman’s ICT sector and the role of Cisco in transforming the country into Smart Oman, he said that Oman continues to be one of the best-connected coun-tries, ranking 5th in the Arab World in the World Economic Forum’s Networked Readiness Index 2015.

“As a result, the Sultanate is well-placed to leverage the

emerging era of the Internet of Everything – the inter-connec-tion of people, processes, places, and things – to further acceler-ate the pace of change with wide-spread connectivity. The biggest impact will be in the fields of government services, healthcare, education, and tourism and hos-pitality,” he said.

“At COMEX we are demon-strating the latest smart technol-ogy that can enhance produc-tivity, create value, and deliver citizen benefits – all in support of a ‘Smart Oman.’

“These include smart cities such as a remote car, crowd-based facial recognition, and digital sig-nage along with video collabora-tion in the workplace, data centre and Cloud innovations to support next-generation video and mobile services, and cyber security solu-tions,” he summed up.

Omantel has

launched a trial

project with Cisco

Universal Small

Cell Solutions to

strengthen its

network. Officials

said this would boost

‘Smart Oman’ concept

The Gulf region will post one of the world’s fastest mobile data traffic growth rates, increasing 11-fold by 2019. Much of the mobile data traffic growth will be indoors, underscoring the importance of small cell technologies in service provider mobile strategies.

Iyad AlchammatGeneral manager, Cisco Oman (right)

Stage set for fashion forum Times News Service

MUSCAT: Talented and upcom-ing Omani designers will get a chance to showcase their skills for the global market as Oman Inter-national Designers Forum begins today at the Grand Hormuz Hotel.

This high-heeled four-day af-fair will be attended by experts and fashion publicists including An-toine Salameh from Kuwait’s top international fashion house, and Labourjoisie, who will share his experience in fashion design and managing high fashion houses.

The forum is also presenting a number of international design-ers from Labourjoisie, including

Nadim Soudaiha, Elie Abou Mrad and Sharbel Azar. Additionally, participants will be able to attend workshops to discuss the latest trends in the fashion industry, share knowledge with newcomers, and encourage young and talented designers who are looking for a ca-reer in fashion design.

Hala Al Balushi, well-known Omani fashion designer and head of a fashion school who prides her-self on launching many sophisti-cated lines, said: “We are pleased to meet the youth who wish to take up fashion designing as a profes-sion. Those chosen will be fortu-nate to mingle with fashion gurus and receive industry insights.”

D E S I G N E R S W O R K S H O P

FASHION FEAST: The four-day

forum will be attended by ex-

perts and fashion publicists.

–File photo for illustrative purpose only

A5


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Germany seeks Omani tourists

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Southwest Germany is hoping for thousands of tour-ists, including medical tourists, to arrive from Oman, with the introduction of airberlin’s direct flights to Abu Dhabi.

In preparation, airberlin has begun working with OUA Travel, a leading travel agent in Oman.

“OUA Travel, in cooperation with their travel partner in Ger-many, TrEvSpo, will promote one of Europe’s leading holiday desti-nations. They are represented by the State Tourist Board of Baden-Wuerttemberg and its capital city Stuttgart, Stuttgart Airport and airberlin,” said a senior official of OUA Travel.

Etihad Airways’ partner, air-berlin, began offering daily flights between Stuttgart and Abu Dhabi on A320 aircraft in December 2014. “With excellent connec-tions from Muscat International Airport to Stuttgart, via Abu Dha-bi, we are confident that we will attract a large number of tourists from Oman,” said a senior official of airberlin, who was present at the launch.

Etihad has placed its EY code on the flights, as part of its code share agreement with airberlin, connecting the service with its global network. “Together, air-berlin and Etihad Airways now operates a large number of flights

per week from Germany to Abu Dhabi,” the official added.

Officials attending the confer-ence described Stuttgart as the perfect combination of culture and cars. “There are cars you drive and then there are cars you dream of. Stuttgart has both in abundance. Not only does the city build internationally renowned cars, but it also lives and breathes automotive history in a way that nowhere else does. Drivers’ dreams become reality when they visit Stuttgart,” said Andrea Mil-lich, Head of Marketing-Commu-nications, Stuttgart Airport.

Also, there is the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, which offers a striking journey through the history of the automobile — with audio guides for hard of hearing visitors and video guides in sign language. “It covers the history of the Mercedes-Benz brand and the brands associated with it, and we are sure that it will be a hit among Omanis,” officials said at the launch.

With excellent

connections from

Muscat to Stuttgart,

via Abu Dhabi, the

German state hopes to

attract more tourists

GLOBAL CONNECT: OUA Travel, in cooperation with their travel partner in Germany, TrEvSpo, will

promote one of Europe’s leading holiday destinations, the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg and its

capital city Stuttgart.

OCCI team heads for AnkaraMUSCAT: An Omani trade delegation will head to Turkey this week to visit Sodex Ankara (HVAC&R) Exhibition, which will begin on Tuesday.

Hamed bin Mohammed Zaman Al Raisi, Oman Chamber of Com-merce and Industry (OCCI) Board member and head of OCCI branch in Musandam, will head the dele-gation, which will comprise repre-

sentatives from 13 companies and institutions working in the areas of cooling devices, pumps, water treatment, insulation and other related fields.

Hamed bin Mohammed Zaman Al Raisi, said that this visit comes within the framework of OCCI’s initiatives and its work plan for the current year, especially on sending Omani trade delegations as part of

“Join Us to Improve initiative”. The visit also comes as part of

OCCI support for those institu-tions and companies to find poten-tial business partners, as well as the marketing of products and ser-vices in regional and global mar-kets. He noted that the delegation will be holding bilateral meetings with their counterparts partici-pating in Sodex Ankara 2015.–ONA

S O D E X A N K A R A 2 0 1 5

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It was a great opportunity for art enthusiasts who were able

to see the artistic representations of gorgeous destinations

and book their dream trip to their favourite destination

Sushmita Gupta, Mona Lisa Art Club’s President

Art exhibition aims to transform Muscat into cultural melting pot

Times News Service

MUSCAT: An amalgamation of a variety of art traditions were on display as paintings by noted and emerging artists presented creative concepts in different mediums.

‘Around The World With Art-ists,’ an exhibition by Mona Lisa Art Club, held recently at the Muscat City Centre Atrium, elic-ited a good response from the art enthusiasts in the city.

The exhibition showcased different kinds of works by 27

artists from Oman. The event was organised alongside Travel Point’s ‘Big Summer Sale’ promo-tion event.

“The response from art lovers was quite encouraging. The art collectors, professional and ama-teur artists, art students and curi-ous onlookers thronged our exhi-bition in large numbers over the weekend and appreciated the art-ists’ work that showcased differ-ent cultures, traditions and desti-nations from all over the world,” said Sushmita Gupta, president, Mona Lisa Art Club.

Artists from Mona Lisa Art Club presented some unique as-pects of the people, heritage and natural beauty of some of the most popular and exotic international destinations from their own per-spective and artistic interpreta-tion using various media.

Great opportunity “It was a great opportunity for art enthusiasts who were able to see the artistic representations of gorgeous destinations and book their dream trip to their favourite destination on a common plat-

form. We are thankful to Travel Point for their support in put-ting together this art exhibition,” added Sushmita.

A part of the American Wom-en’s Group, the Mona Lisa Art Club endeavours to promote art in Oman by providing a unique platform for the established and emerging women artists to share and present their creativity.

It is aimed at making a mean-ingful contribution towards transforming Muscat into a cul-tural hub and a melting pot for artists from all over the world.

M O N A L I S A A R T C L U B

Rich tributes paid to music maestro

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Rich tributes were paid to Ustad Khalid Anwar Jan, or Khalid Bhai, as he was fondly referred to, at a get-together here.

Having lived in Muscat for more than 30 years, he dedicated his life to music, and left a vast legacy of mentoring and inspiration.

At the get-together to “remem-ber Khalid Bhai, who passed away on April 5, 2015, at his hometown in Pakistan, his friends, students and family remembered the per-son who made an indelible differ-ence to their lives.

Born on August 27, 1934, in undivided India, he moved to Pa-kistan with his family after the Partition.

He used to listen to Indian classical music on the gramo-phone when he was young and Ustad Firoze Nizami Saheb and Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan were his inspirations.

He belonged to the Kirana gharana of which Roshanara Be-gum was one of the finest expo-nents and his favourite singer.

Khalid Bhai came to Oman to work in the Ministry of Electricity and Water Stores in the 1970s, and in his spare time he taught music.

His friend from way back then, Kanti Bhai Chawda says, “We were good friends. After work he would come over. I would play the tabla and he would sing till late at night. We did many programmes together. The first one was in 1977 with the Marathi Mitra Mandal. After that we performed in Dubai and gave several perfor-mances of morning and evening ragas in Muscat.”

He was extremely humble and rarely spoke about his accomplish-ments. However, an old friend, Chandrakant Marathe, says that when he went to his modest home he was surprised to see neatly ar-

ranged books on all kinds of sub-jects including philosophy, a vast collection of rare music record-ings, a sophisticated camera with many lenses as well as fitness equipment, because Khalid Bhai believed in keeping physically fit.

Gentleman“We will never have the pleasure of meeting a complete human be-ing like him. He was a man so gen-tle, so knowledgeable, so fit and so humble. He was embarrassed to even take his fees,” said Dr Ragini and Avirat Vaishnav.

During a meeting held in Muscat to honour his memory, another old

and dear friend, Shankar Shetty said that Khalid Bhai was a famil-iar sight on the roads of Muscat, as he would walk from one student’s house to another.

Shetty said that he would con-stantly be looking for Khalid Bhai so he could offer him a lift.

“He was a teacher of teachers, a music master of maestros and yet a child-like personality with so much love,” he said.

Padmini Atal, an old student, said that he was like a family member in their house.

Pure soul“He was a pure soul and never said an unkind word about anyone. His greatest joy came from improving the voice of his students. He would participate in all our joys and sor-rows and would never fail to wish us on Diwali - even after he re-turned to Pakistan,” said Padmini.

Vandana Verma, one of his old-est students, said that Khalid Bhai’s speciality was training the voice.

“The voice I have today is his gift to me. Though he has left us, he will always remain alive in our hearts through his music,” she said.

Singer Manjari, another one of his students, who went on to make a name for herself in the music in-dustry in India said, “Khalid sir has been an inspiration and strength to me. Every class used to be fresh and new and he used to spend hours on one raga till he was con-vinced I could sing it. I have never seen him angry. He is my guru, and

he will always remain a shining star in my life.”

For Manjari and her father Babu Rajendran, Khalid Bhai was not just a music teacher but a dearly loved family member.

The most fitting tribute was per-haps given by Anita Marathe, his old student.

Overwrought with emotion, she still sang a few lines of a raga that he had taught her. The way the notes vibrated at the correct pitch were perfect and with the “gamak” as he had taught her.

“Khalid Bhai would have been proud. Rest in peace,” said Anita.

Students remember himMeanwhile, students and associ-ates paid their tributes as well.

Jesreen Fazil said, “Khalid sir was a perfect example of a dedicat-ed teacher, and more than a teach-er he was like a family member. He will always live in our hearts.”

Sanjana Mohandoss said, “More than a guru, he was like one of our family. He was like one of those rare teachers in today’s world who did not stop a session looking at the clock. I feel lucky and privi-leged to have been his disciple. RIP Khalid sir.”

Narayanan Menon said, “We cannot believe that our beloved Khalid bhai is no more. I had a long association with him from 1974 as a colleague in Ericsson, till we left Muscat in 2010 . We pray to God Almighty that his soul rests in peace.”

Coming from

Kirana gharana,

Khalid Bhai came

to Oman to work

in the Ministry

of Electricity and

Water Stores in the

1970s, and taught

music in his

spare timeSOURCE OF INSPIRATION: Friends and students remembered Ustad Khalid Anwar Jan, who had made

an indelible imprint in their lives. Inset, Khalid Bhai – Supplied picture

CREATIVE CONCEPTS: ‘Around The World With Artists’ exhibition showcased the works of 27 artists from the Sultanate. – Supplied picture

OMAN JOINS NEPAL RELIEF EFFORTSThe National Search and Rescue Team of the Public

Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance left for

Kathmandu to participate in the relief and rescue

operation for the earthquake victims in Nepal. Led

by Lt.Col Salim bin Mubarak Al Araimi, Director of

Support and Rescue Department, the team comprises 40

members from the Royal Oman Police, PACDA and the

Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF). -ONA

Chewing tobacco is linked to oral cancer

Dr Ravi Kumar said there was a common misconception that chewing tobacco was a less harm-ful alternative to smoking.

“Technically there is no dif-ference between smoking and chewing tobacco, as the conse-

quences and the damage are the same. Chewing tobacco is linked to oral cancer, and to cancer of the tongue, lips and mouth,” he said.

“Gastroenteritis and problems of the oesophagus are also caused by the consumption of chewing

tobacco,” they said.

Anti-tobacco campaignThe anti-tobacco campaign in-volves presentations, counselling and medical help for tobacco us-ers to help them quit.

“Both chewing and smoking of tobacco is harmful to health. One causes tumours in the mouth and neck and the other in the lungs and causes heart disease. So, all types of tobacco should be avoided,” warned doctors.

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Refugees from Yemen

In all, until mid-April, Oman had received 2,695 refugees from Yemen. Oman is the only member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that has not taken part in the Saudi-led bombings.

On May 1, warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition struck a resi-dential district of the Yemeni capi-tal Sana’a overnight killing eight to 10 civilians, reported news agen-cies, quoting residents.

However, the Saba state news agency, controlled by the Houthi movement in charge of Sana’a, put the death toll in Sawan dis-trict at 20 and said more than

50 people had been wounded. It said casualties included woman and children.

Warplanes had also struck a military air base near the capital. Saba said medics had rushed to Sawan to rescue residents trapped under the rubble.

The strikes came days after jets bombed the runway to stop an Ira-nian plane with aid from landing. Damage to the airport has stopped delivery of aid, said officials.

In the southern port city of Aden, clashes continued between Houthi fighters and local rebels for control of the main airport.

W A R I N Y E M E N

Countdown begins

“How can we go to hospital with-out proper documents? When I fall sick, I leave everything in the Almighty’s hands. What else can I do? The Almighty might have decided that I will die only after seeing my family,” he said.

“It is He who has given me strength during all these strug-gles. Otherwise, I would have ended my life. Many times I have even thought of it,” said Appukut-tan, who is now counting his days to return and rejoin his family.

On April 27, the Ministry of Manpower uploaded a notice on its official Twitter account an-

nouncing amnesty dates for un-documented migrant workers.

At present, the rough esti-mates from the embassies of Asian countries reveal that around 50,000 workers might make use of this amnesty. A ma-jority of these workers are from Asian countries. According to these estimates, there are 40,000 undocumented Bangladeshi migrant workers and 5,000 Pa-kistani undocumented migrant workers. The estimates by Indian social workers say there are 3,000 undocumented Indian migrant workers in Oman.

U N D O C U M E N T E D I N D I A N

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REGIONS U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

The services still available in the country in terms of health,

water and food are quickly disappearing because fuel is no

longer being brought into the country

Johannes van der Klaauw, United Nations official

Seven children among 52 dead in Syria strikes

BEIRUT: US-led strikes target-ing the IS group killed at least 52 civilians in northern Syria, a monitor said on Saturday, but the Pentagon said it could not confirm the report.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor also reported 10 civilian deaths in a rocket strike Saturday in the northern city of Aleppo and said 40 others suffered respiratory problems in a pre-dawn chemi-cal attack further north in Idlib province. Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that US-led coalition strikes early Friday on the village of Bir-mahle in Aleppo province killed 52 civilians.

He said “seven children” were among the dead but that the toll could rise as 13 people were still trapped under rubble. Kurdish militiamen and Syrian rebel fight-ers were clashing with IS extrem-ists in a town roughly two kilome-tres (1 mile) away from Birmahle at the time of the strikes.

“Not a single IS fighter” was killed in the strikes on Birmah-le, said Abdel Rahman, adding that the village is inhabited by civilians only and that IS has no positions there. US Central Command spokesman Colonel Patrick Ryder told AFP there

was “no information to corrobo-rate allegations that coalition air strikes resulted in civilian casualties”. “Regardless, we take all allegations seriously and will look into them further,” he added.

News of the deaths come as Canadian Prime Minister Ste-phen Harper visited Iraq, days after lawmakers in Ottawa voted to expand their country’s con-tribution to the US-led coalition against the IS group militants.

Air strikes by the international coalition have supported Kurd-ish militias fighting IS in Aleppo province, most notably in the flashpoint border town of Kob-ane, which is near Birmahle.

Backed by the strikes, Kurdish fighters drove extremists out of Kobane in January.

A statement released on Fri-day by the coalition’s joint task force said it had conducted six air strikes near Kobane on IS tactical units. Prior to Friday’s strikes, the coalition’s raids had killed 66 civilians since it began attacking IS positions in Syria in

September 2014. In Aleppo, at least 10 civilians,

including three children, were killed in rebel rocket attacks Saturday on regime-controlled parts of the divided city. Dozens were seriously, said Abdel Rah-man who expected the death toll to rise. Syrian state television blamed “terrorists” for the rock-et attacks, which it said killed 12 people and wounded 45.

The attacks came despite the death on Friday night of a rebel commander known for launch-ing rockets and mortar rounds on regime-held parts of Aleppo.

Abdel Rahman said that Khaled Hayyani was killed by pro-regime snipers, and de-scribed him as a “dangerous man who was responsible for over 550 deaths, including 130 children, in 2014”. Also on Saturday, at least 40 civilians, including children, suffered respiratory problems in “chlorine gas attacks” on two rebel-held villages in north-western Idlib province, the Ob-servatory said. -AFP

US-led coalition

strikes early Friday

on the village of

Birmahle in Aleppo

province killed 52

civilians including

‘seven children’. The

toll could rise as 13

people were still

trapped under the

rubble

IMPROVISED SHELL: Free Syrian Army fighters fire a locally

made shell towards forces of president Bashar Al Assad, in the

old city of Aleppo, on Saturday. - Reuters

Humanitarian aid in Yemen hit by arms embargo: UND J I B O U T I / C O L O M B O /DUBAI: Key infrastructure in war-torn Yemen is on the verge of breaking down a United Nations official said on Saturday even as the US said it was working “very hard” to help negotiate a solu-tion through the UN amid an as-sertion by Iran that it will not let regional powers jeopardise its security interests in Yemen.

Water supplies, health services telecommunications as well as other key infrastructure are on the verge of breaking down due to a major fuel shortage, a UN of-ficial said on Saturday.

“The services still available in the country in terms of health, water and food are quickly disap-pearing because fuel is no longer being brought into the country,” Johannes van der Klaauw told AFP in Djibouti. The official said an arms embargo was also hav-ing an impact on the delivery of humanitarian supplies. “We have the ships which can dock into the ports, we have the aircraft. However the arms embargo has unintended consequences for humanitarian aid, “ he said.

Seeking to assure the world, US Secretary of State John Ker-ry said on Saturday the United

States was working “very hard” to help negotiate a solution to the crisis in war-torn Yemen through the United Nations. Speaking to reporters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Kerry said it was not inevitable that Yemen, the scene of Saudi-led air strikes on Houthi rebels, would become a failed state.

“I will not say yet that the ver-dict is in on what Yemen is go-ing to be because we are trying very hard, working with the UN, working with our friends in the region,” he said. His comments came in wake of the UN Security Council failure on Friday to back a Russian appeal for an immedi-ate ceasefire or humanitarian pauses in war-torn Yemen.

Meanwhile, in the strongest acknowledgement yet of Iranian involvement in the Arabian pen-insula, Tehran has asserted that it will not let regional powers jeopardise its security interests in Yemen, Tasnim news agency reported, quoting Iran’s deputy foreign minister.

“Others will not be allowed to put our shared security at risk with military adventures, “Hos-sein Amir Abdollahian said, ac-cording to the Iranian Tasnim news agency. -Agencies

W A R

Afghan team heads to Qatar for meeting with TalibanKABUL: An Afghan delegation left for Qatar on Saturday where they will hold two days of “open discussion” with Taliban repre-sentatives aimed at ending Af-ghanistan’s long war, according to an official.

“A 20-member Afghan del-egation, two from the High Peace Council, left to attend talks in Qa-tar on Sunday and Monday,” Abdul Hakim Mujahid, first deputy of the council, told AFP.

“It will be an open discussion, based on peace talks in Afghani-stan,” Mujahid said, adding that representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Taliban would be in attendance.

The High Peace Council was es-tablished by former Afghan presi-dent Karzai in 2010 to negotiate peace with the Taliban and other insurgent groups, but so far there has been very little progress.

The Taliban’s official spokes-man, Zabihullah Mujahid, con-firmed that an eight-strong Tali-ban delegation would attend the event, which is being organised by the Pugwash Council, a global or-ganisation that promotes dialogue to resolve conflicts.

Not peace talksHowever, the Taliban’s attend-ance “does not mean peace talks or negotiations at all,” the Taliban’s spokesman cautioned. Previous efforts to open dialogue with the Taliban have collapsed.

The group opened an office in Qatar in June 2013 as the first move towards a possible peace deal, but it shut a month later after enraging then-Afghan president Hamid Karzai by styling itself as the unofficial embassy of a govern-ment-in-exile.

Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Saturday it was hosting “reconcili-ation” talks to help try and deliver “security, peace and stability to the Afghan people”, in a statement to the Gulf nation’s state news agency.

The Taliban have denied ru-mours of having previously en-gaged in talks with the Afghan government and have always in-sisted that this would only happen if foreign forces withdraw uncon-ditionally from Afghanistan.

Last month the Taliban launched their spring offensive across Afghanistan, stepping up their attacks. -AFP

D I P L O M A C Y

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INDIAS U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

Rahul attacks Modi government on real estate bill, calls it pro-builder

NEW DELHI: Firing yet another salvo at Narendra Modi govern-ment, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed it had diluted provisions of Real Estate Regulatory Author-ity Bill making the legislation pro-builders from being pro-buyers.

After meeting several National Capital Region (NCR) flat buyers on Saturday, the Congress vice president, who has been attacking the Centre over land bill issue and the plight of farmers, said that he had learnt that it is not just farm-ers and tribals but also the middle class people that are “suppressed” on matters related to land.

Assuring home buyers that he would stand by them, Rahul said that it was due to lack of trans-parency, the buyers were left in a quandary.

“They are told that you will get the flat on a particular day but for years they don’t get the flat. They are told the super duper area of the flat would be so much but what is delivered is different,” he said.

The Congress vice president said that someone was promised that the flat will have a good view, but a few months after the flat was delivered, another building came

up and the view was blocked.He said the government was

trying to destroy the Bill which Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had brought to reg-ulate the real estate sector.

Dilution“Main dilution is that there was clear transparency. The carpet area that you sign is what would be given. They have diluted and from pro-buyer, made it pro-builder,” he said. Attacking the government, he said, “What it is doing against farmers and tribals, it is also doing against the middle class”.

“I have assured them that the way I stand with farmers and trib-als I stand with them also,” he told reporters. Saloni Paroothi, one of the home buyers who had met Ra-hul, said that she had booked a flat in Noida but the possession was now delayed by several years.

Explaining her problem, Pa-roothi said that she not only had to ensure payment of EMI, but also the rent of the house where she was living. “The builder is neither paying any penalty, nor is he listen-ing to us,” she said.

Other people who also had booked flats said that they were under tremendous pressure as they had put in their hard earned money in projects which were de-layed for several years.

OverturnedFormer Housing and Urban Pov-erty Alleviation (HUPA) minister and Congress leader Ajay Maken also attacked the BJP- led NDA government saying it had made “118 amendments” to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority Bill which had been brought by the earlier government.

He said the intention of the Bill

was to protect and support the buyers but the government had overturned it entirely through these amendments.

ConfusionMaken said that terms like carpet area were defined as ‘net usable area’ excluding walls to ensure buyers’ interest but this has been amended. He claimed another pro-vision related to delays had been amended to suit builders.

He said that as per the ear-lier Bill, builders could not make changes in the plan but now it has been added that “minor altera-tions” are permissible, while the term itself has not been defined leading to confusion.

Maken said the UPA had brought the bill in Rajya Sabha so that it does not lapse and Rahul Gandhi has now assured the buyers that he would fight for their cause. - PTI

Rahul Gandhi said

the government

was trying to

destroy the Bill

which Congress-led

United Progressive

Alliance had brought

to regulate the real

estate sector

Moga girl’s family not to perform last rites till Badals are booked

MOGA/CHANDIGARH: Three days after a teenage girl was mo-lested and pushed to her death from a moving bus in Punjab’s Moga district, her relatives have refused to perform her final rites till the time the proprietors of the company that owned the vehicle are booked.

Her father sought security for the family apprehending threat to their lives and claimed they were under political pressure to “hush up” the matter and go for a compromise.

“We are not going to cremate our daughter whose body has been kept in a mortuary until and unless justice is done to us by ini-tiating criminal case against the owner of the bus,” victim’s father Sukhdev Singh said.

He also sought a written as-surance from the authorities that no harm would be brought to the family.

Demand“We, including my son, should be given security cover because we are feeling threatened. A written assurance should be given under-taking responsibility in the event of any harm to any of our family members,” he told journalists.

He also stuck to his demand for registration of a case against Pun-jab Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal and

cancellation of road permits of Orbit Aviation, which owned the bus from which the deceased and her mother were thrown out after being molested, before the family performed her last rites.

The family had on Friday re-jected the government’s offer of a compensation of Rs2 million, a government job for her mother, her free treatment and holding tri-al of the case in a fast track court.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) activ-ists took out a march to protest against the incident again on Sat-urday and burnt effigies of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal.

AAP leader Jasraj Jassi, who contested the last Lok Sabha elections from Bathinda against Sukhbir’s wife and now Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, led the protest march that ter-minated at Moga Civil Hospital where the mother of the deceased is undergoing treatment.

They then sat on a dharna.Chairman of the National Com-

mission for Scheduled Castes P L Punia visited the girl’s mother at the hospital to inquire about her condition and demanded cancel-lation of the permits of Orbit Avi-ation owned by the Badals.

He said a case should also be registered against the owners of

the company. “I don’t say a murder case

should be registered against them, but slapping a case of negligence is definitely in order,” Punia said.

In the midst of protests against the incident that sparked outrage, Punjab minister Surjit Singh Rakhra triggered a controversy when he said what happened was “God’s will”.

“Nobody can stop accidents. Whatever happens does so by God’s will. We can always meet with an accident. We will do more for the people....What has hap-pened is unfortunate. You cannot go against nature’s will,” he said.

As his remarks drew criticism, the minister said he had been misquoted by the media.

Rakhra said he had gone to a private college to inaugurate a girls’ hostel in Patiala on Friday.

“There it was proposed that girl’s colleges be opened in sur-rounding areas and measures be taken to prevent accidents as girls travel from far off areas. I said that we cannot stop all accidents. They (media) raised question about the Moga incident but I said I do not have any direct knowledge about the incident as I was not there.

“But they (media) presented my view in a twisted manner link-ing it with Moga incident which is quite unfortunate,” he said. - PTI

M O L E S T A T I O N C A S E

PROTEST RALLY: Congress workers holding a protest over farmer’s issues and Moga molestation

case at Dakoha Fatak Railway Crossing, in Jalandhar, on Saturday. - PTI

UPPING THE ANTE: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi meets representatives of organisations of

home and flat buyers in the Delhi-NCR region, at AICC office, in New Delhi, on Saturday. - PTI

Main dilution is that there was clear transparency. The

carpet area that you sign is what would be given. They

have diluted and from pro-buyer, made it pro-builder

Rahul Gandhi, Congress vice president

NEW DELHI: BJP hit back at Rahul Gandhi on Saturday for attacking the govern-ment over the real estate bill, saying politics is a serious matter and cannot be done through “rent a cause” or “tokenism”.

Accusing Rahul of raising an issue and then “vanish-ing”, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked whether he has visited hail-affected farm-ers in his own constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

BJP also took a dig at the Congress Vice President saying his knowledge on real estate comes from within the family and named his brother-in-law Robert Vadra.

“Politics and service to the nation are serious matters.

They cannot be done through ‘rent a cause’ and ‘tokenism’.You cannot just disappear for 56 days while Parliament is on. You come one day, raise an issue and then vanish,” Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

He said Rahul has the right to go anywhere and meet anyone, “but I have one question for him. Has Rahul Gandhi ever visited farmers in his own constituency Am-ethi, who have been affected by unseasonal rains and hail storm.”

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, “Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party are unfortunately giving mis-leading statements without checking the factual position.

“If they want, they can dis-cuss the merits and demerits of the bill in Parliament instead of misleading people outside.”

Defending the new bill, he said it has been brought forward after consultations with consumers, industry and experts and takes care of consumer interests.

BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra defended the Real Estate Regulatory Authority Bill and said Rahul’s knowl-edge of real estate probably comes from his brother-in-law Robert Vadra.

“Rahul Gandhi acquires his knowledge of real estate prob-ably from within his family — Robert Vadra and is speaking in favour of the fly-by-night operators,” he said. - PTI

BJP hits back at Rahul for attacking government

BJP also took a dig at Rahul Gandhi saying his knowledge on real estate comes from within the family and named his brother-in-law Robert Vadra

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INDIAS U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

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BJP shields PM from surprise attack by party ex-minister

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday came out strongly in defence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Arun Shourie’s attack on his government and said he was a “fair weather friend” and could be having a “grouse” over not get-ting positions.

The party and its leaders said the former union minister was

well off-the-mark in his criticism of the government on economic policies, social tensions and rela-tions with opposition parties in a television interview, calling it a “bit unkind” to Modi.

Indian Power Minister Piyush Goyal was strong in his criti-cism of Shourie saying “If some individuals probably have some grouse, they don’t get some posi-tions, and want to make issues out of non-issues, I think they are best to left to judge whether they are saying the right thing.

“This government has shown that with sincerity of purpose and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi, India is on the right path to growth.”

Fair weather friendGoyal said it was very surprising that Shourie was making state-ments without any basis on the coal auctions that the total auc-tion money of Rs.1.90 lakh crore would be realised from 29 mines through their life.

Commerce Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman said “Shourie as a scholar, a veteran journalist and as a political observer, has always had his views on matters. But I think this time, he has been a bit unkind to Modi.

“To talk that the government, particularly on the economic mat-ters, is direction-less, is well off the mark and it is highly disap-pointing,” Union Minister Nir-mala Sitharaman said.

BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra said this was not the first time Shourie has criticised the

BJP and went on to attack him instead, describing him as a “fair-weather friend”.

“There are many fair-weather friends. Friends who try to gate-crash into the party when the go-ing is good and they turn hostile when this attempt to gatecrash fails,” he said.

Pro active policy makingPatra said that due to the pro-active nature of policy making by the Modi government, India was marching ahead on all fronts — be it economic, employment or in fulfilling aspirations of the common man.

“Not only the international community is standing with the policies, not only the investors, but even the statistics say that the policies of this government are in keeping with the kind of promises that we had made during our elec-tion,” he said.

Shourie, a BJP minister in the Vajpayee Cabinet, has hit out at the Narendra Modi government, saying its economic policy was “direction less” while the social climate was causing “great anxi-ety” among the minorities.

The 73-year-old journalist-turned politician said the one-year rule of Modi was “good in parts”, his transformation as prime min-ister was good in foreign policy, but the promised turnaround in economy has not happened. - PTI

Shourie, a BJP

minister in the

Vajpayee Cabinet,

has hit out at the

Narendra Modi

government, saying

its economic policy

was ‘direction less’

while the social

climate was causing

‘great anxiety’ among

the minorities

To talk that the government, particularly on the economic matters, is direction-less, is well off the mark and it is highly disappointing

Nirmala SitharamanCommerce Minister

Indira Gandhi International Airport best in the world in its categoryNEW DELHI: Delhi’s Indira Gan-dhi International Airport (IGIA) has been adjudged the world’s best airport for the year 2014, under the category of handling 25 to 40 million passengers per annum, of-ficials said on Saturday.

Airports Council International (ACI) presented the Airport Ser-vice Quality (ASQ) award to IGIA at a ceremony of the ACI Asia-Pacific/World Annual General As-sembly on April 28 in Jordan.

“We are honoured to represent an Indian airport at a highly ac-claimed international forum as ACI. Our IGI Airport partners and employees have consistently delivered a memorable and dis-tinct experience to our customers, enabling us to achieve the coveted world number one position,” said I. Prabhakara Rao, CEO of Delhi In-ternational Airport Pvt. Limited, which manages IGIA.

The Delhi airport scored 4.90 on a scale of 5 points measured by 300 members of the ACI ASQ benchmarking programme. IGIA bettered its ranking from second position for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 to emerge on top in 2014.

ASQ is the key to understand-ing how to increase passenger satisfaction and improve business performance, said Angela Gittens, director general of ACI World.

As many as 40 million passen-gers used IGIA to reach 58 domes-tic and 62 international destina-tions in 2014-15. During the period, the average flight movements were 885 per day while 696,000 metric tonnes of cargo was handled.

IGIA hosts six domestic carri-ers, 56 international carriers and also has the capacity to handle the gigantic Airbus A380 aircraft.

Hub for leading airlinesThe airport serves as a hub for leading Indian airlines Air India, IndiGo, Vistara and SpiceJet. Del-hi International Airport Private is a joint venture between the GMR Group, Airports Authority of In-dia, Fraport and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad. The airport was developed under the public-private partnership mode with the man-date for DIAL to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the Delhi airport for 30 years. - IANS

H A N D L I N G P A S S E N G E R S

Former Delhi top cop denies saying Dawood wanted to surrenderNEW DELHI: Former Delhi Po-lice Commissioner Neeraj Kumar on Saturday denied reports attrib-uted to him that fugitive terrorist Dawood Ibrahim had negotiated surrender with him months after the 1993 Mumbai blasts and that the government of the day scut-tled the plans at the last moment.

Kumar, in an interview to a na-tional daily published on Satur-day, was quoted as saying Dawood, labelled by the US as Specially Designated Global Terrorist, had got in touch with him and want-ed to surrender but the plan was shelved by the government.

Kumar, a 1976 batch Indian Po-

lice Service officer who retired as Delhi police chief in 2013, said he had not given the interview.

Informal chat“It was an informal chat with the correspondent who is known to me for sometime. He has given the chat a slant which is both incor-rect and unfortunate.

“At no stage was D (Dawood) willing to surrender nor did any-one stop him from surrendering,” he said on Saturday.

Kumar, who probed the 1993 Mumbai serial blast cases when he was a DIG with CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), said,

“He (Dawood) did speak with me but that was to give his defence in connection with Mumbai serial blast cases.”

However, the denial flies in the face of his own comments at a book release function last month where he had made simi-lar claims while referring to Da-wood as a “certain gentleman” whom CBI had planned to “get at” with the help of “non-state actors” but the move was scuttled by his “political bosses”.

On April 17, Kumar had backed Indian Union Minister V. K. Singh when he said the Indian Army was capable of executing daring opera-

tions to avenge 26/11-like attacks by eliminating offshore criminals but certain “considerations” pre-vented it from doing so.

The duo was speaking at the launch of journalist-author S Hussain Zaidi’s book Mumbai Avengers, a fictional account of a covert operation by a retired In-dian Army officer to avenge the 26/11 attacks.

“When I was in the CBI for nine years at one time we had conceived a plan to get at a cer-tain gentleman in Pakistan. Eve-rything was done. At the last day we thought we would inform the political bosses or shall I say the

boss but he said no, we are not Pa-kistan, we are India,” he had said.

Kumar went on to say that the agency had also planned using “non-state” actors for the mission.

”All preparations went down the drain. Lot of money was in-vested. We had also planned the use of non-state actors as Paki-stan has been doing continuously,” he had said. - PTI

M U M B A I S E R I A L B L A S T A C C U S E D

HAVE YOUR SAY Send us your comments at facebook.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com [email protected]

Militant group’s chief shot dead in MeghalayaSHILLONG: The self-styled mil-itary chief of a militant outfit was killed in a gun battle with SWAT commandos in Meghalaya on Sat-urday, officials said.

The gunfight broke out be-tween the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and Garo outfit A’chik Matgrik Elite Force (AMEF) at Mandadagre area in

North Garo Hills district when the SWAT commandos raided their hideout. Jack Marak, the AMEF’s military wing chief, was killed on the spot, police said. - IANS

H I D E O U T R A I D

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PAKISTAN S U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

Try me for treason, but will not step down, says Altaf

KARACHI: Reacting to calls for a ban on his party and statements of pursuing legal action against him, Altaf Hussain said on Satur-day whoever seeks such actions against him should do so but he will not step down as Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief.

“If you want to initiate a case of treason against me or ban my party, you may,” Altaf said, in a tel-ephonic address.

“I won’t resign from my position as the party chief no matter what the circumstances,” the MQM chief added. “I will continue my struggle till my last breath.”

Bar on meGiving examples of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Im-ran Khan and former Jamaat-e-Islami leader Munawer Hasan’s speech against the army, Altaf said, “There are many leaders who hurled a lot of abuses at the armed forces, but only I am being target-ed for my speech.”

“I can see that efforts are being made to bar me from delivering speeches in the future,” he added.

Altaf’s statement comes a day

after, he apologised if his words had “hurt national security insti-tutions and patriotic people.”

The MQM further clarified their chief did not censure the armed forces and in fact applaud-ed the leadership of army chief General Raheel Sharif.

Altaf, while addressing his sup-porters via a telephonic address at the party headquarters in Kara-chi on late Thursday, referred to the 1971 surrender of the armed forces, using it to ask why the par-ty was labelled as traitors when some of its members sought ref-

uge in India after fleeing prosecu-tion in the aftermath of the 1992 operation against them.

His speech came after police official Malir Rao Anwar held a press conference on Thursday where he alleged that the MQM had ties with Indian spy agency RAW and presented two suspects who claimed they had ties with the MQM and had received weap-ons training in India.

Irresponsible commentsOn Friday, reacting to com-

ments made by the MQM chief, military spokesman Major Gen-eral Asim Bajwa said they were uncalled for and irresponsible.

In a tweet he called MQM chief’s speech “disgusting,” he said that reference to the army or its leadership while reacting to ar-rest of criminals with suspected links to political parties will not be tolerated.

Meanwhile, Express News re-ported, a condemnation resolution against Altaf was passed in Balo-chistan Assembly on Saturday.

The resolution was tabled by Balochistan Home Minister Sar-faraz Ahmed Bugti and was sup-ported by both government and political parties.

The resolution condemned Altaf Hussain’s speech against the army. — Express Tribune

I won’t resign from

my position as

the party chief no

matter what the

circumstances. I

will continue my

struggle till my

last breath, the

Muttahida Qaumi

Movement chief said

CONTROVERSY: Supporters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement celebrate the news that the party’s leader Altaf Hussain has been

released on bail following his arrest, during a protest in Karachi on June 7, 2014. — AFP file photo

MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s statement comes a day after, he apologised if his words had ‘hurt national security institutions and patriotic people’

Shortage of syringes endangers lives of newbornsISLAMABAD: In Pakistan, lives of a million newborn babies are at stake as federal Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) waits for the release of funding to procure more vaccines for the programme.

Currently federal EPI has BCG and Tetanus toxoid vaccine in stock for a few months, syringes used for the primary BCG vac-cination of newborns just for a few days and is short of funds to procure them to meet the need. BCG vaccine is administrated immediately after birth to pre-vent tuberculosis.

Acute shortageMeanwhile among other provinc-es Sindh is facing acute shortage of syringes used for the BCG vacci-nation for the last two months and

has requested the federal EPI to send the required amount but have yet to receive a response.

Additional Director EPI Sindh, Zahoor Baloch said that they are making all efforts to overcome the shortage of the syringes used for BCG vaccination by utilising avail-

able stock but it would not help for long.

“We have written a letter to the federal EPI to send the required amount of syringes but so far have not heard from them,” he said.

He said there are possibilities that in many districts many new-

born babies have not been vac-cinated against TB because of the unavailability of the syringes.

A senior official at EPI who wished not to be named said the reason behind this situation is negligence and ignorance of the government who remained fo-

cused on eradicating polio and have put this routine immunisa-tion on the back burner.

He said in the previous year the government had not procured 7% of the total required vaccines it had to, before the international partners supplied the remaining 93% vaccines.

“By doing this the government is playing with the lives of inno-cent children who are at an in-creased risk of losing their lives from vaccine-preventable dis-eases,” he said.

Meanwhile when contacted Mohammad Ayub Sheikh, Secre-tary Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coor-dination (NHSRC) said a revised request of EPI worth Rs26.9 bil-lion had been sent to ECNEC for approval. “The moment funds are

released, Pakistan will procure all the required vaccines,” he said.

He confirmed that currently fed-eral EPI is left with BCG and teta-nus toxoid vaccines only enough to last a few months and all the prov-inces are facing their shortage.

It is important to mention here that in a meeting of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) held on April 22 the Ministry of Health, Services and Regulations sought Rs1.9 billion more funds for procuring vac-cines that are not funded by the foreign donors. — Express Tribune

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

Additional Director Expanded Programme on Immunisation Sindh, Zahoor Baloch said that they are making all efforts to overcome the shortage of the syringes used for BCG vaccination by utilising available stock but it would not help for long


Diplomats based in Thailand refuse to cooperateISLAMABAD: Senior diplomats accused of sending convicted prisoners from Bangkok to Pa-kistan have refused to meet a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team despite their weeks-long attempt.

“Diplomats (in Pakistan’s Em-bassy in Bangkok) refused to co-operate with the FIA team. Three officials are accused of sending prisoners from Thailand to Pa-kistan illegally,” FIA’s Director General Akbar Khan Hoti said.

“We’ve summoned them again. They should cooperate with us,” he added.

The interior ministry locked horns with the ministry of for-eign affairs (MOFA) after the lat-ter refused to cooperate with the FIA over the issue of prisoners illegally sent to Pakistan without taking consent of the high-ups, officials said.

A number of high-profile Pa-kistani prisoners got reportedly extradited illegally from Thailand to Pakistan with the help of diplo-mats, federal as well as provincial authorities.

The FIA team summoned the deputy high commissioner, con-sular and accountant in Pakistan’s Embassy in Thailand last month. They were summoned soon af-ter Interior Minister Chaudhry

Nisar ordered an inquiry into the case for stopping enforcement on the agreements with other coun-tries for exchange of convicted criminals. The unusual decision has halted the transfer of around

3,000 convicted prisoners from 30 countries, interior ministry officials claimed.

The interior minister wanted results in such cases, a member of investigation team said.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said: “No one from MOFA is involved in any wrongdoing. We are clear about that. I will not comment about the rest.”

When asked about the involve-ment of diplomats, she said: “I have said what I had to say.”

Many prisoners who were in-volved in drugs, murders, loot-ing and other heinous crimes were being illegally brought from foreign countries and later set free in Pakistan, revealed Inte-rior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali last month.

Even the government of Britain, he said, put on hold one of its pris-oners’ exchange treaties but later resumed only after Islamabad as-sured London of its commitment.

About Burmese prisoner, he observed that the interior minis-try was shocked how a criminal, who was a Myanmarese citizen, was brought to Pakistan through illegal and fake Pakistani na-tional identity card and illegal and fake passport and later re-leased. — Express Tribune

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

ROW: This aerial picture taken on April 5, 2014 shows a general view of the skyline and the Chao

Phraya river passing through Bangkok. Many Pakistani prisoners who were involved in drugs,

murders, looting and other heinous crimes were being illegally brought from foreign countries and

later set free in Pakistan, revealed Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali last month. — AFP file photo

Airstrikes kill 44 militantsISLAMABAD: Airstrikes on Sat-urday killed at least 44 militants in the country’s lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, the mili-tary said, part of a massive opera-tion against the Taliban.

In Khyber district’s Tirah Val-ley where troops are battling Taliban militants and other ex-tremist groups, airstrikes killed 28 militants, the military said in a statement.

While in North Waziristan, an-other northwestern tribal district bordering Afghanistan and a Tali-ban stronghold, airstrikes killed 16 militants, it added.

The military began its latest offensive in Khyber in Octo-ber 2014 carrying out airstrikes and using artillery, mortars and ground troops.

The Tirah valley is considered a stronghold of Taliban and other militant groups.

The area is remote and off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to verify the army’s claims -- and the number and identity of those killed. — AFP

T I R A H V A L L E Y

Death warrant for Saulat Mirza issued for May 12KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court in Karachi re-issued on Sat-urday death warrants for Mutta-hida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) convicted worker Saulat Mirza for May 12, Express News reported.

The court ruled that Mirza is scheduled to hanged in Mach Jail at 5:30am.

Saturday’s ruling would be the third time that death warrants have been issued for Mirza. On March 19, the interior ministry granted a stay on Mirza’s execution.

“We have put on hold Saulat Mirza’s execution for 72 hours ow-ing to health concerns,” Nisar had apprised the National Assembly.

Video confessionHours before his execution, Mir-za made startling revelations and alleged in a supposed video confession that he killed former KESC Director Shahid Hamid on the directives of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain.

For a second time, upon request of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to President Mamnoon Hussain, Mirza’s hanging was delayed for 30 days to pave way for further investigations.

A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was also formed to probe into Mirza’s video confession. Be-sides repeating almost the same statement that Mirza revealed in his video link message, he gave some additional information and named three others imprisoned in different jails to be investi-gated, one of the members of the JIT said.

Murders in 1997Saulat Mirza, a target killer, was sentenced to death in 1999 on charges of murdering former man-aging director of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Shahid Hamid along with his driver Ashraf Brohi and guard Akbar Khan in July 1997 in Defence Housing Authority area of Karachi. — Express Tribune

T A R G E T K I L L I N G

The military began its latest offensive in Khyber in

October 2014 carrying out airstrikes and using artillery,

mortars and ground troops. The Tirah valley is considered

a stronghold of Taliban and other militant groups

A11

WORLDS U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5


WhatsNews

SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY INSTALL WHATSNEWS

Maldives democracy in danger, says Kerry after mass arrestsMALÉ: US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday that democracy was in danger in the Maldives as police made nearly 200 arrests at a protest over the jailing of the paradise islands’ for-mer president.

Police fired tear gas and baton-charged Friday night’s protest on the main island of Male, said wit-nesses to what was the biggest

show of support for Mohamed Nasheed since he was handed a 13-year term in March.

MDP top gun arrestedNasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said one of its top lieutenants were among those ar-rested, while the head of the larg-est extremist party in the nation was detained.

The streets of Male appeared to be calm on Saturday as police put the number of arrests at 193.

But while authorities defended their use of force to break up the protest, Kerry added his voice to the growing chorus of criticism of Pres-ident Abudulla Yameen’s regime.

“We see even now how regret-tably there are troubling signs that democracy is under threat

in the Maldives where the former president Nasheed has been im-prisoned without due process,” said Kerry.

‘Injustice’“This is an injustice that needs to be addressed soon,” he added on a visit to neighbouring Sri Lanka.

The MDP said 195 people had been arrested, accusing the secu-

rity forces of responding to what it called a peaceful protest “with tear gas, baton charges (and) stun grenades”.

“All key opposition figures are now under arrest,” party spokes-woman Shauna Aminath said.

“It was a brutal crackdown by the regime.” She said the party’s chairman Ali Waheed had been arrested along with Sheik Imran,

leader of the main Islamic Adhaal-ath Party, who was an organiser of Friday’s protest.

Government responseThe government responded in a statement by accusing the organ-isers of incitement, saying they had “called on all gathered to top-ple the government and confront the police”. - AFP

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T I M E S O F O M A NA12

More than 6,000 people have already been crushed to death. The devastation across one of the most romantic Himalayan na-tions is all pervading and human bodies are still

being dug out. The toll is expected to touch 10,000. Nepal has been reduced to a heap of rubble with its tourism potential being badly dented. The 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit the country on April 25 has also set off a frenzied turf war between two growing powers in Asia — India and China.

Within hours after the quake flattened Nepal, In-dia was all over its neighbour with aid, rescue work-ers, food, water and medical teams — its response to the disaster next door was instantaneous and alac-ritous but not entirely humanitarian. Perceptibly, the underlying bid was to extend its influence in a country where China in 2014 elbowed India out to become the largest foreign investor.

The pace with which New Delhi responded to the calamity in Nepal and its disaster management preparedness caught Beijing off-guard and sur-prised. India looked as if it was waiting ready in the wings for the tragedy to strike. Did the earth-quake send an advanced email to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

China, dwarfed in aid diplomacy, sought to compensate the loss saying it “was not compet-ing with India for influence through humanitarian relief supplies to Nepal. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei rejected the assertion in some quarters, that emergency aid by Beijing and New Delhi was carving divisions within Nepal.” On the contrary, he stressed on Beijing’s willingness to coordinate with India and work in harmony in its assistance efforts in Nepal.

This statement was indeed a fine example of per-fect diplomatic parlance and sooth saying but failed to conceal an overtone that is too obvious to all and sundry. The quake and its aftermath have exposed Asia’s deepening and widening geopolitical fault lines. Therefore, Nepal’s rejection of Taiwan’s offer of help came as no surprise. China may not have in-structed Kathmandu to refuse Taiwan’s offer but as J. Michael Cole, a Taipei-based senior fellow with the China Policy Institute, University of Notting-ham says, given the close ties between Kathmandu and China — and the heavy Chinese investment in Nepal in recent years — some Nepalese official(s) probably thought it was incumbent upon them to demonstrate how seriously they took their coun-try’s adherence to ‘one China’.

Washington Post reported citing vernacular Ne-pali media, Annapurna Post, Kathmandu’s refusal to let Indian rescue and aid teams to undertake any activity which would involve flying over Rasuwa district, which borders Tibet, or over Chinese air-space because Chinese government had expressed concerns about the Indian army’s growing relief

activities in districts that border China.I know I might sound cynic, yet the fact is the

calamity in Nepal has offered both India and Chi-na an opportunity to kick raise their influences in the landlocked Himalayan nation. Both the neigh-bours of Nepal are locked in a no-hold bar race to outsmart and out manoeuvre each other in their bids for a position.

For India, especially, it is one in a billion oppor-tunity to push out China from its position of advan-tage. Since past several years China’s influence and esteem in Nepal has been northward. Kathmandu’s reciprocation too has been more than deferen-tial. Nepal has been more than accommodating in “staunching the flow of Tibetan refugees travelling across the border and in controlling the political ac-tivities of Tibetans already in Nepal.”

India’s rapid response to the calamity next door is understandable and expected. It had been watch-ing China’s growing influences from the sidelines in 2008. India was, in fact, waiting for an appropri-ate diving board to take a plunge into Nepal since Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Kathmandu in 17 years in August last year.

Nepal, much to India’s dismay and frustra-tions, was still spinning away from India even af-ter Modi offered $1 billion in concessional loans and signing a host of bilateral agreements. Modi government is already worried over China’s $46 billion funding to Pakistan and it did not want an-other pocket of Beijing’s influence growing in yet another neighbourhood.

Even a minute delay in responding to the calamity in Nepal would have been a disaster for New Delhi.

Now, it is to be seen how far can India lever-age its advantage over China in its aid diplomacy. For too long India has ignored the strategic im-portance of Nepal; for too long India has taken this Himalayan nation for granted because it has shared historic, linguistic, cultural, ethnic and religious similarity with India; for too long India has remained smug and complacent about its neighbour next door; for too it has not taken seriously the undercurrent of an anti-India senti-ment brewing in the backyard of Nepal.

India bungled grievously in handling the situa-tion that following the collapse of monarchy in Ne-pal and let the country slip further into chaos and uncertainty. Modi government in India is now de-termined to make the corrections; It is determined not to let this opportunity slip through the fingers.

India’s objective in Nepal is in reality beyond hu-manitarianism. The aim is to win back the waning confidence of the Himalayan nation and to check mate Beijing as it did in Myanmar.

The author is the Opinion Editor of Times of Oman. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman. He can be reached at [email protected]

Quake exposes Asia’s widening fault lines

Nepal, much to India’s dismay and frustrations, was still spinning away from India even after Modi offered $1 billion in concessional loans. Modi government was already worried over China’s $46 billion funding to Pakistan and it does not want another pocket of Beijing’s influence growing in yet another neighbourhood

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

MATTER OF FACT

Public servants have different lines of responsibility to that of politicians. Politicians can and do say whatever they please or think they can get away with; public servants by contrast need

to be careful about what they say in public and err on the side of cir-cumspection when in a sensitive area. The SSP Malir, Rao Anwar, held a press conference on April 30 wherein he overstepped every line in the book, and caused a considerable disturbance by so doing. He made a number of allegations to the effect that members of the MQM had received training at the hands of the Indian intelligence agency RAW, and then went on to offer the opinion that the party should be banned. There can be little more calculated to stir trouble in Karachi than that. Trouble duly arrived in the form of a press conference by the MQM that refuted the allegations. This was followed by an emotional address to his supporters by the leader of the party who delivered re-marks that swiftly brought the ire of the Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) down on his head, saying they were uncalled for and irresponsible.

At the time of writing, the IG Sindh has suspended SSP Rao Anwar, and the DSP Port Qasim who was present at the press conference that sparked trouble was shot and killed in Gulshan-e-Hadeed, along with two other policemen. This unhappy chain of events should never have happened, and would not have happened had SSP Rao Anwar been more prudent.

The city of Karachi always has a low flashpoint, and it takes only the tiniest spark to start a fire, with death and destruction the inevitable result. Statements from political leaders need to be more circumspect, too, with the ISPR distinctly irritated to say the very least. We hope that steady hands are called to the tiller. A report earlier in the week said that violence had been reduced by 50 per cent in the city since the start of an operation to clean it up began in late 2013. Actions such as this take the city backwards, not forwards. - The Express Tribune

Ill-advised words

If people don’t think a brand of washing powder will get their clothes white, stamping the word “guaranteed” over the slogan “washes whiter” is unlikely to persuade them. Thus, David Cam-

eron’s promise of a law against tax rises is not just evidence of Con-servative desperation but of his failure to understand psychology. If the voters fear a Conservative government would put their taxes up, promising to pass a law is hardly going to reassure them. The promise makes no sense on its own terms. It is often said that no parliament can bind its successors. In fact, no parliament can bind itself either. If a majority of MPs pass a law, the same majority can repeal it the mo-ment they realise that it was a bad idea. We can save the Conservative Party time by pointing out that it is a bad idea now.

It is bad for two reasons. One is that it constrains decision-mak-ing in the future in ways that may be contrary to the national inter-est. There has already been too much of this, from both main parties. Cameron was pleased with his knock-out surprise in the last session of Prime Minister’s Questions, answering what Ed Miliband thought was a rhetorical question — would he rule out raising VAT? — with a simple “yes”. It won the moment, but it makes it harder to respond to future economic problems.

Labour has made a similar mistake, by promising to cut the deficit every year. That would not be sensible if there were to be another re-cession — an unpleasant and perhaps unlikely possibility, but one for which any responsible government should be prepared, as this week’s poor GDP figures reminded us. Ed Balls, if he were chancellor, would obviously rather break the promise than make the recession worse by cutting public spending at the wrong time. However, the other reason Conservative promise is a bad idea is that passing a law is no substi-tute for political will. Using legislation as a symbol of seriousness is an abuse of process and likely to be self-defeating. Simply trying to in-crease the cost of breaking election pledges, by making it more embar-rassing to do so, is likely to end in tears.

Indeed, Labour made exactly the same mistake as Cameron is now making, by legislating before the last election to cut the deficit every year. The law was later simply repealed by the Coalition, sparing blushes because the deficit went up slightly in one year in the middle of this parliament. The promise of symbolic legislation makes even less sense when everyone expects a hung parliament. It is part of the rhetorical cranking up of pre-election pledges — “red lines” and all the rest — in an attempt to increase their value in post-election negotia-tions. On that basis, parties will soon “operationalise” their manifes-tos, to use Michael Gove’s inventive language yesterday, by turning the whole document into draft laws to be haggled over in coalition nego-tiations. - The Independent

Tory promise not to raise taxes is foolish

D E B A S I S H M I T R A

Pluralism is fast becoming obsolete all across world Migration and Diaspora are creating new cultures and new rhetorics which are shaping the politics of nations and continents. Governments across the world are being pushed to revise their nation-building priorities. Globali-sation is the new threat — enemy image — to nations. Inclusiveness and pluralism are fast becoming things of the past. Immigrants and some historical minorities are perceived as burdens by socie-ties. The old myths about yielding influence in the financial world are being revived and the ‘multicul-turalism model’ is being ques-tioned. Nationalism, across the world, especially in Europe, has actually been growing for the past few years and all the more since 9/11. Pluralism and multicultural

societies are increasingly looked at more as banes. Extreme form of nationalism has been mounting where migrants and ethnic groups other than white Christians are seen as threats to national identity.Sandeep NairAl Ghubra

Ability to forget is indeed a divine blessing to mankindI have lost count of how many times I have cursed myself — could be a thousand times or even more. I don’t really remember and that is exactly why I have been cursing myself almost every day — my abysmally dismal memory. I am not joking. In fact, I am perhaps the only person under the sky who cannot remember anything, especially faces and names. But, to forget is divine and it is perhaps

the biggest ability that divinity has bestowed on mankind. We often say that time is the best healer. In-deed it is, for, with time we forget our pains, sorrow and agonies. It is our forgetfulness that gives us the impetus to start afresh and to look ahead in life. Clara BrownAzaiba

Europe’s economy looks in a sheer disarray todayAs a piece of art, a particular painting of Sir William Quiller was a masterpiece. Quiller had painted Napoleon on his way to exile on St Helena. But as a piece of political commentary, the painting was of immeasurable value. Contemporary European leaders banished Napoleon in the greater interest and stability of

the continent showing more than enough prudence in eliminating a peril that threatened an apoca-lypse worse than Armageddon. The forethought the European leaders then showed in saving the continent is sadly lacking among the breed today. Naivety is evi-dently the cause. Europe today is in a state of denial — afflicted and paralysed by Hamlet syndrome. It is still unable to decide emphati-cally what it ought to have decided much before — engineer an orderly exit of Greece from the eurozone because the leaders have failed to reorder the euro” by creating “a more economically sensible inner currency. Europe, we must admit, today looks completely in disarray with its markets increasingly refusing to adjust. Iqbal HussainMuscat

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

Baltimore, I’m going to tell you what happened, what is happening now and

what is going to happen.In an American city that has

been financially devastated and politically corrupt for decades a black man was taken into police custody. This happens fairly of-ten and isn’t deemed newswor-thy. Yet in the process of arrest-ing Freddie Gray, so much force was used that his spinal cord was severed, and within a week he died.

Gray made eye contact with the arresting officer: he was not under arrest, no charge had been filed. He was aggressively seized, arrested and searched. This also happens fairly often and isn’t deemed newsworthy. While be-ing placed in handcuffs, a knee was placed on the back of his neck. He was reportedly wrapped up like a pretzel. But such aggres-sion towards us are not at all new, nor are they newsworthy. The cameras don’t come when we get folded up into cars for no reason.

In our age of smartphones and social media the actions of police are now caught and spread rap-

idly online. So when Gray was in the hospital for a week following his violent arrest, his case was tacked onto the list of other re-cent acts of police brutality, and broadcast by those who cared.

And, still, nothing was too newsworthy. Not yet. Not for CNN. Then Freddie went ahead and died, and everything changed. As the word of protest spread, the Gray family asked for peace. The people obliged. No news.

There were multiple protests in the immediate aftermath of Gray’s funeral. They’re what have now come to be known as Baltimore’s “peaceful protests.” Turn the page, and here’s where things become newsworthy. This is the part where you start paying attention.

Because this is when a car was set on fire.

After Sunday we start to see the phrases “peaceful protest” and “riots.” We start to see the word “thugs.” A black mother sees her son protesting and grabs and hits him. She is praised for her motherhood. But this has a footnote. Because if we remove

the “riots” and the “peaceful pro-tests,” if we remove the “thug-gery” and “criminals” this black woman hitting her child would be called an animal.

To those that have been pro-testing. And rioting. And destroy-ing. You will be vilified, demon-ised and blamed for your own destruction. The ruin around you will be cast back among you.

Lives have been lost, but most people are angry about dam-aged property. How interesting, how curious: to focus on the mourners instead of on the per-son they mourn.

We shouldn’t be paying atten-tion when property is destroyed. We shouldn’t be paying attention when someone is shot and killed, or arrested and killed or tased and killed or disappeared. You shouldn’t be paying attention be-cause it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. But by then it’s too late.

“Humiliate people for long enough and a wildness bursts out of them,” writes Salman Rushdie. And Baltimore’s bursting now. And I stand by the humiliated. -

The Independent

TODAY IN HISTORY

OPINION POLL

495 Pope Gelasius asserts that his authority is superior to Emperor Enanstasius.

1568 French forces in Florida slaughter

hundreds of Spanish. 1859 France declares war on Austria.

1968 After three days of battle, the US Marines retake Dai Do complex in Vietnam, only to find the North Vietnamese have evacuated the area.

1979 Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman prime minister of Great Britain.

NEW GUIDE OF OMANI LAWS ISSUEDMUSCAT: The Ministry of Legal Affairs has issued a new guide of Omani laws. Ahmed bin Amour Al Sa’adi, director general of official gazette, stated that this guide includes two sections and one attach. The first section includes royal decrees, laws and decisions issued since the beginning of Renaissance up to the end of December 1999, while the attach in-cludes the royal decrees and resolutions of appoint-ment in general positions from 1972 to 1999. The guide will be useful to legal workers and researchers.

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

A measure of the heat the MQM is copping can be gauged from the fact that Hussain has increased the frequency of his telephonic address to party cadres

Altaf Hussain has landed himself in a soup. A biting tongue has come back to haunt the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)

supremo, who seems to have breached the red line with a sarcasm-dipped late Thursday night telephonic address to his supporters in Karachi from London.

Without naming the military but leaving little to imagination, Hussain lamented that “those who surrendered are called patriots while the founders of Pakistan are dubbed as traitors.”

As he launched into a stunning tirade, Hus-sain called his supporters to get commando-style training and be ready to take up arms before signing off with a warning to the ‘pow-ers-that-be’: “We shall see whose blood will be spilt in the Sindh river”.

Expectedly, it invited a strong reaction from the military whose spokesman, Major-General Asim Bajwa, in a departure from practice, even named Altaf Hussain on his twitter account.

“Altaf Hussain’s speech on TV tonight contain-ing remarks about Army & its leadership was un-called for and disgusting (sic),” he tweeted.

Calling the (MQM chief’s) remarks “a reaction to arrest of criminals, who may have links with any political party” that “won’t be tolerated”, Ba-jwa also said legal action would be taken against “the use of media to incite the people of Pakistan to rise against the state”.

By Friday, sure enough, the federal government lodged a written complaint with the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEM-RA) to take action against TV channels which had broadcast the “hate speech” that evoked “incite-ment against a national security institution” un-der Article 27 of the PEMRA Act.

In less than 24 hours, the usually sedate PEM-RA swung into action and obliged with the requi-site warning to the TV channels.

Predictably, Hussain apologized for the re-marks even if any feelings of remorse appeared slightly clumsy after the MQM had earlier denied that its leader had criticized the army at all.

Amid the outrage, most pundits wondered how the MQM chief shot himself in the foot and if he is not reading too much into the result of a bye-elec-tion that his party won in a hostile environment last month.

To be sure, bye-polls rarely evoke capital inter-est from voters when compared to the national run, but for the MQM, victory was nearly a given in a constituency that is home to its leader and serves as the party’s headquarters.

The unprecedented interest generated by

firebrand opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)’s decision to throw its hat in the ring is what gave the contest a prime time colour, leading to sometimes wild speculation of an improbable up-set, which proved in the end, to be unfounded.

In the last column, one had contextualized the dénouement of the verdict for the MQM. But there’s no doubt the party has its back against the wall after years of virtually remote-controlling the southern port city of Karachi from London.

The intensity of the military’s clean-up opera-tion gives the impression the security establish-ment has had enough of “political militancy” which has long held the megapolis hostage.

A measure of the heat the MQM is copping can be gauged from the fact that Hussain has in-creased the frequency of his telephonic address to party cadres.

In fact, after sweating the small stuff (bye-poll win), he felt so emboldened that he pitched a de-mand to make Karachi a separate province — an anathema to all the major league power players.

However, it is too early to suggest that the tide has turned just as it would be foolhardy to write the obituary of the party.

A case in point are the allegations of terror-ism levelled by a senior superintendent of po-lice (SSP) in Malir area of Karachi, who claimed on Thursday to have arrested persons linked to MQM involved in serious crime with incrimi-nating evidence. Before night fell however, the SSP was transferred by the Sindh police chief at the behest of the provincial government after the MQM launched a blitzkrieg of a rejoinder.

Regardless, the MQM has a lot of explaining to do concerning its own brand of politics — there is certainly no dearth of fundamental questions sur-rounding its approach and controversial conduct.

The MQM chief appears to be kicking classic survival instinct amongst his supporters; the re-emergence of the term mohajir (refugee) with a clarion call (Jaag Mohajir Jaag — Wake up, Mo-hajir, Wake up) so evident with the wall-chalking around the city ahead of the bye-poll points to this.

It is a dangerous game and in troubled times for both himself and the party, Hussain is well advised to tread with caution. It certainly does no service to the legion of MQM activists and sup-porters who needed wisdom at a time like this, not a new gauntlet thrown down at them that sounds so much like an own goal in football terms.

The author is a senior journalist based in Islamabad. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely his and not of Times of Oman.

Has the MQM chief bitten off more than he can chew?

HISTORYNET.COM

Will UK election affect sterling?

GraphicsGraphic News /Source: City Index, UK Investing Picture: Associated Press

During the 2010 general election campaign, which resulted in a hung parliament, the pound suffered from uncertainty as Labour and the Conservatives both negotiated a coalition with the Liberal Democrats

Value of the pound in dollars(during 2010 general election)

1.40

1.45

1.50

1.55

20 21 22 23 26 27

Trading days April 2010 May

28 29 30 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 14 17 18

May 6: Election. Labour are 68 seats short of majority, Tories are 20 seats short. Lab-Lib Dem coalition remains 11 seats short

Apr 26-May 18:Pip value declines 1,218,

equivalent to loss of $1,218 on £10,000 transaction. Pip is

measure of change of 1/100thof 1% or one basis point

May 11: Incumbent Prime Minister Gordon Brown (pictured) resigns and leaves Downing Street

May 13: Liberal Democrats announce coalition deal with Conservatives

1.4258

1.5476

LAST POLL RESULTDid the timely launch of rescue operations save the life of one of the three workers trapped under debris from rockfall?

Do you think that the health care facilities available in Oman are of international standards?

Visit timesofoman.com to cast your vote

Yes61.8%

No21.8%

Can't say16.4%

This Thursday the Brit-ish electorate go to the polls to elect a new gov-

ernment. Opinion polling con-sistently indicates the power of the two major British po-litical parties to be shattered, with neither Conservatives nor Labour commanding suf-ficient support to win an over-all parliamentary majority.

The only certainty is uncer-tainty. Political deals may have to be struck following the elec-tion result on Friday. Against this landscape the political leaders are establishing red lines, and setting out potential partnership preferences prior to the electorate making their final choice.

Observing British elections since 1970; this is the first na-tional election being fought through separate campaigns focussed on the country of the target electorate, rather than across a politically unified United Kingdom. One cam-paign directed at the English electorate and the other at the Scottish electorate.

Two countries form the union — Scotland and England. The Conservative campaign has damagingly, and perhaps dangerously, polarised on this fragile political union.

In contrast Cameron speak-ing in Scotland, during the Scottish ‘Independence’ refer-endum, pleaded with the Scots to “Lead the UK, not leave it.”

That the election is being fought by four major political parties; Conservative, Labour, Liberal-Democrat and Scot-tish National parties — across the two countries forming the union — is unquestionable.

Therefore any post-elec-tion government, offering political stability on a ‘Con-fidence and Supply’ basis, is likely to be formed from these political parties.

This is not to demean the electorates of Wales and Northern Ireland. The votes of the Welsh and Northern Irish electorate — for their minority parties — may prove of value beyond their number; along with those of the United Kingdom Inde-pendence Party — UKIP.

Balancing this uncertain outcome Britain has two con-stitutional safeguards; the Queen as constitutional head

of state, and a capable, inde-pendent, civil service appoint-ed and promoted on merit.

Perhaps the most realistic poll is the bookmakers’ figures: suggesting that Cameron’s Conservatives may win 278 Westminster parliamentary seats, Miliband’s Labour 267, Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party (SNP) 53, and Clegg’s Liberal — Democrats 26.

This is broadly consistent with the ICM/Guardian poll, of 25th April, with one excep-tion; the SNP polled 57 seats in this survey.

If proved correct the Con-servatives would be wiped out in Scotland. And Labour and the Liberal-Democrats would each only win a single Scottish Westminster seat.

The SNP are on target to hold the largest number of Scottish Westminster seats. This is the only certainty. As Tom Bradby of ITN put it “The SNP has been the story of the year and of the election.”

On the BBC the Liberal-Democrats ruled themselves out of a coalition with both the Conservative and Labour parties. This position was rapidly reversed two days later (28th April).

Applying the bookmakers figures the Liberal-Demo-crats, with less than half their current number of seats, may find it necessary to co-operate with Labour and the SNP to create a stable government.

Opinion polls indicate that the Conservatives would be unable to form a majority government.

The polling arithmetic does not favour them. Even with more seats than Labour they could only, at best, build a coalition of around 321 seats; falling short of a work-ing majority.

Should the Conservatives win the most seats, but have no overall majority, they could run a minority government.

This may prove difficult as the financial markets may prefer stable coalition govern-ment; particularly as Cameron could split the union, and re-move Britain from the EU.

Where the ICM/Guardian poll (20th April) is confirmed for England, and their Scot-tish poll proved correct (27th April); Labour with 271 and the SNP with 57 seats would jointly control 328 seats, pro-viding a working parliamen-tary majority.

On Friday morning the fog shall evaporate as the result emerges. Coalition building may follow.

And to cite a long-gone Con-servative: “The people have willed it, therefore they must have it.”

The author is a freelance con-tributor based in Britain. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely his and not of Times of Oman.

British voters remain rather undecided

Why I stand by Baltimore’s rioters

G A R Y S M I T H

L I N D A C H AV E R S

KA M R A N R E H M AT

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GLOBAL EYES U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

ITALY: People visit the Italian pavilion at the Universal Exposition, Expo 2015, in Milan, Italy, on Saturday. The opening of Expo 2O15 on Friday was marred by violent clashes between police and dozens of

protesters opposed to Milan hosting the world fair. Thousands of visitors poured into the specially created Expo site on the edge of Milan. After months of concern about delays, partly linked to a corruption

scandal that hit the organisation last year, it appeared most of the key construction work for the Expo had been finished in the nick of time. — AFP

UNITED STATES: Protesters demonstrate for Freddie Gray on Friday at Union Square in New York. Baltimore, United States, prosecutors

on Friday charged six officers with multiple counts including second-degree murder and manslaughter in connection with the death of

Freddie Gray, who was injured on April 12 while in police custody. Gray died on April 19. — AFP

UNITED KINGDOM: Scottish independence supporters attempt to block Labour party supporters as they wait for the leader of Britain’s

opposition Labour party Ed Miliband to arrive at an election rally in Glasgow, United Kingdom, on Friday. — Reuters

UKRAINE: A woman cries during a gathering in front of the Trade

Union House in Odessa, southern Ukraine, on Saturday, in memory

of people who died in a fire at the Trade Union House in May 2014.

A deadly fire that erupted on May 2, 2014 at the Trade Union House

during clashes between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian groups left

42 people dead. — AFP

COLOMBIA: A riot policeman beats a demonstrator during a rally to

celebrate May Day, in Bogota, Colombia on Friday. — AFP

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: A member of the Environment ministry

team working to put out a forest fire near Constanza city, northwest

of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Friday. Several hectares

of land were burnt due to the forest fire, with no reports of deaths or

injuries, local authorities said. — Reuters



A15


Nepal search focus on distant areas nowKATHMANDU: One week on from an earthquake that killed more than 6,700 people, Nepal ruled out finding more survivors buried in the ruins of Kathmandu on Saturday despite relatives re-fusing to give up hope.

Two days after any signs of life had been detected among the mountains of rubble that litter the capital, the focus was shift-ing to reaching survivors in far-flung areas who have yet to receive relief supplies.

The UN children’s fund UNICEF warned of a race against time to avert an outbreak of dis-

ease among the 1.7 million young-sters estimated to be living in the worst-hit areas, with monsoon rains just a few weeks away.

Death and destructionThe 7.9 Richter magnitude quake wreaked a trail of death and de-struction when it erupted around midday last Saturday, reducing much of Kathmandu to rubble and even triggering a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest.

“It has already been one week since the disaster,” home ministry spokesman Laxmi Prasad Dhakal told AFP.

“We are trying our best in res-cue and relief work but now I don’t think that there is any possibility of survivors under the rubble.”

As well as updating the death toll to 6,621, Dhakal put the num-ber of injured at 14,023. More than 100 were also killed in India and China.

Multiple rescue teamsWhile multiple teams of rescuers from more than 20 countries have been using sniffer dogs and heat-seeking equipment to find survi-vors in the rubble, no one has been pulled out alive from the rubble

since Thursday evening. Never-theless, relatives of those missing have refused to abandon hope.

“I believe he must still be trapped and will be rescued alive,” said Suntali Tamang, whose hus-band Langte, 41, was believed to be in the same neighbourhood of Gongabu where the last survivors were found.

“I reached here three days ago after he went missing,” she told AFP after travelling to Kathman-du from the family’s home in the northeastern Dolakha district.

“He was the family’s breadwin-ner and I am praying for him to be

brought back safely.” With relief workers still to reach many areas, it is likely to be some time before authorities come up with a com-prehensive list of people missing but police said the task of compil-ing names had begun.

List of missingThe list so far only contained 204 names, national spokesman Kamal Singh Bam told AFP, as relatives had only just started approaching authorities.

“We have only just begun to draw up the list, the number will obviously go up,” he added. — AFP

Two days after the

last survivors had

been found in and

near Kathmandu, the

focus was shifting

to reaching survivors

in the far-flung areas



A16


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Britain rejoices as Catherine gives birth to baby girl

LONDON: Prince William’s wife Catherine gave birth to a baby girl on Saturday to cheers from a crowd of well-wishers outside the hospital as Britain celebrated the royal family’s new fourth in line to the throne.

The birth was announced to the world in a tweet from Kens-ington Palace, the couple’s Lon-don residence, and by a tradi-tional town-crier in a feathered tricorne hat ringing a bell on the steps of the clinic.

A proclamation signed by the royal doctors was also placed on a gilded easel in front of Bucking-ham Palace, where hundreds of onlookers crowded by the gates to witness the historic moment.

“Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a daughter at 8.34am,” the Kensington Palace

press office said. Mother and baby “are both doing well,” it said.

William was present for the birth and the princess weighed eight pounds and three ounces (3.7 kilos). A smiling William said he was “very happy” as he later emerged from the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital to be with their son Prince George in Kens-ington Palace.

Great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and other senior members of the royal family were informed before the formal an-nouncement and grandfather Prince Charles was said to be “ab-solutely delighted” at the news.

The queen wore a pink dress and shawl at a military parade she

attended in northern England lat-er on Saturday in apparent hom-age to the latest arrival.

Cameron delighted“I’m absolutely delighted,” Prime Minister David Cameron said, leading congratulations from around the country that included the message “It’s a Girl” scrolled on a display on top of London’s BT Tower.

Royal navy sailors on board HMS Lancaster sent a unique message of congratulations by lining up on the flight deck to spell out the word “sister”.

In Australia, which William and Kate visited last year, Prime Minister Tony Abbott sent a mes-sage saying his country “shares this young family’s joy”.

The baby was born less than three hours after Kate was ad-mitted to hospital at around 6.00 am, compared to the more than 10 hours of labour with George. — AFP

The birth was

announced to the

world in a tweet from

Kensington Palace,

the couple’s London

residence, and by

a traditional town-

crier in a feathered

tricorne hat ringing

a bell on the steps of

the clinic

VERY HAPPY: Britain’s Prince William returns with his son George

to the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, after the birth of his

daughter, in London, on Saturday. — Reuters



Writer Ruth Rendell no moreLONDON: Best-selling British crime writer Ruth Rendell, who wrote over 60 books in a career spanning five decades, died on Sat-urday at the age of 85.

Ruth -- who also wrote under the pseudonym Barbara Vine -- suffered a stroke in January and had been in a critical condition in hospital ever since.

She was described as “the last grande dame of the police thriller” after the death of her friend and fellow British crimewriting legend P.D. James last year.

Criminal mindRuth was best known for thrillers that delved into the criminal mind as well as the long-running televi-

sion series based on her work, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries.

Gail Rebuck, chair of her pub-lisher, Penguin Random House, described her as “an insightful and elegant observer of society, many of her award-winning thrillers and psychological murder mysteries highlighted the causes she cared so deeply about.” — AFP

O B I T U A R Y

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Netherlands seeks to boost bilateral trade with Oman

ELHAM [email protected]

MUSCAT: Transport, logistics, food security, water management, energy and infrastructure de-velopment are some of the areas where there is great potential for co-operation between Oman and the Netherlands, says the coun-try’s ambassador.

Education, high-tech safety and security solutions are other potential areas, Barbara Joziasse, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, told the Times of Oman in an interview.

The volume of trade between the two countries have seen ‘re-markable’ growth over the past years, but Joziasse believes that the Netherlands still has a lot to offer in terms of expertise and in-novative approach to help main-tain ‘sustainable’ and ‘mutually beneficial’ relations with Oman.

“We believe that growth of bi-lateral trade can by far outpace GDP growth of our countries,” she said, adding that ‘true part-nership’ is what Dutch compa-nies believe in. According to her, chemical products top the list of the Netherlands’s imports from Oman, while Dutch companies have been exporting machinery and products in the areas of trans-port, storage, communications,

manufacturing, construction and real estate to Oman.

The embassy’s main areas of focus include maritime, land, transport and logistics develop-ment, Joziasse said.

“A joint venture has been set up between the Omani govern-ment and the Port of Rotterdam Authority to develop a large-scale industrial port in Sohar,” she said, adding, “Most Dutch business in-vestment is in the oil industry, no-tably in Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) projects.”

Dutch construction and trans-port companies and dredging firms are also active in Oman such as in the port of Duqm pro-ject, new Muscat and Salalah airport projects and in statistics and logistics training, added the ambassador.

Future plans Asked about the future plans of the Netherlands with regard to co-operation with the Sultan-ate, Joziasse said that the visit by Lilianne Ploumen, minister of foreign trade and development cooperation of the Netherlands and a number of other Dutch of-ficials to Oman in April, helped the two countries gain a better understanding of potential areas of collaboration.

“The Dutch minister offered tailor-made training on logis-tics to Omani experts as well as training in the field of statistics and logistics to the director of the National Centre for Statistics and

Information,” she noted. In addi-tion, Joziasse said that there are currently around 10 Omani com-panies active in the Netherlands and more than 20 Dutch compa-nies active in Oman.

Joint ventures Commenting on the joint invest-ment companies between Oman and the Netherlands, she said that they are mainly active in the oil and gas sector (Petrogas), chemical industry (Octal) and trading (Oman Trading Interna-tional) as well as the maritime sector (Oceanco).

Apart from the joint venture in the industrial port in Sohar, Port of Salalah is partly owned by the Dutch company affiliate of Mae-rsk, added the ambassador.

An MoU on collaboration in the field of fisheries was also signed recently between the Dutch Ekofish Companhay and the Omani Al Jood Trading and Contracting Company in order to further develop sustainable fish-ing, fish processing and market-ing procedures in support of the Omani small and medium-sized fisheries sector, said Joziasse.

“In addition, in November 2014, the Dutch company Kop-pert Biological Systems in the Netherlands and Omani com-pany Hassad Agricultural Invest-ments LLC signed a joint venture agreement to encourage sustain-able farming practices and dis-seminate a culture of safe farm-ing methods that can support the food safety and food security initiatives of the government of Oman,” she noted.

Asked about the incentives that the Netherlands offers to foreign investors, the ambassador said that the country offers a strategic location in Europe, a competitive fiscal climate, a superior logistics and technology infrastructure, a conducive innovation environ-ment, an international business environment, a solid workforce and an attractive quality of life.

There is great

potential for co-

operation in energy,

infrastructure,

transport etc.,

says Netherlands

ambassador

Omantel’s revenue increases by 7.6% to OMR129.4 million Times News Service

MUSCAT: The net profits of Oman Telecommunications Com-pany (Omantel) in the first quarter of 2015 grew by OMR129.4 mil-lion, according to the company’s preliminary unaudited financial results announced for the quarter which ended March 31.

The group’s revenue recorded a growth of 7.6 per cent or OMR129.4 million compared with OMR120.2 million in the corresponding peri-od of 2014. Expenses for the period have increased by 11.7 per cent to OMR92.9 million from OMR83.1 million in 2014.

The group’s net profit increased

to OMR34.6 million as compared to OMR34.4 million in 2014. Net profit has been impacted by the losses incurred by its subsidiar-ies. However, the domestic perfor-mance continues to be impressive achieving a revenue growth of 8.4 per cent to OMR127.5 million as compared to OMR117.6 million in

the corresponding period of 2014. Domestic net profit increased by 5.1per cent to OMR35.9 million as compared to OMR34.2 million in the corresponding period of 2014.

The above results are unaudit-ed and subject to approval of the board of directors, which is sched-uled to meet on May 10, 2015.

2 0 1 5 F I R S T Q U A R T E R

BankDhofar’s net profit rises by 15% Times News Service

MUSCAT: BankDhofar record-ed a net profit of 15.26 per cent in the first quarter (Q1) of 2015, according to its financial results announced for the three-month period ended March 31, this year.

The bank showed a sustained growth of 19.07 per cent that reached OMR2.39 billion under net customer loans, advances and Islamic financing, compared to OMR2.01 billion achieved dur-ing Q1 last year.

To supplement this loan growth, the customer deposits grew by 21.08 per cent to reach OMR2.64 billion in the same pe-riod, compared to OMR2.18 bil-lion in Q1 of 2014.

Islamic financingThe net interest income and in-come from Islamic financing ac-tivities earned in the first quarter of 2015 was OMR20.47 million, showing a growth of 14.55 per cent from OMR17.87 million in the same period last year.

The total operating income, in-cluding the non-funded income such as fees and commissions, foreign exchange profit, invest-ment etc., also grew by 13.24 per cent to reach OMR26.80 million compared to OMR23.67 million in the first quarter of 2014.

The cost-to-income ratio also improved by 44.53 per cent in Q1

- 2015 compared to 45.89 per cent during the same period in 2014, reiterating BankDhofar’s fast revenue growth against the costs.

Loan impairmentNet provisions for loan impair-ment marginally increased to reach OMR1.27 million during Q1 - 2015 compared to OMR1.26 million in Q1 - 2014. Impairment of available-for-sale investments was OMR0.27 million from domestic equity market move-ments caused by the fluctuations in oil prices.

The net profits of the bank dur-ing Q1 - 2015 reached OMR11.78 million, while it was OMR10.22 million in the same period last year, showing an annual growth of 15.26 per cent.

Meanwhile, the earnings per share (EPS) in Q1 - 2015 stood at OMR0.031, compared to OMR0.027 in Q1 - 2014. > B3

P E R F O R M A N C E

Barbara Joziasse. — Supplied picture

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MARKETS U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

Oman’s GDP grew at 5.2% in nine months of 2014

MUSCAT: According to prelimi-nary data on national accounts, the Sultanate’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current prices increased by 5.2 per cent during the three quarters from January to September, of 2014 as com-pared to a growth of 2.6 per cent registered over the same period in 2013.

While nominal GDP emanating from the hydrocarbon sector reg-istered a marginal increase of 1.4 per cent that from non-hydrocar-bon activities witnessed a growth of 8.2 per cent from January to September, 2014.

The bulletin released by the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) pointed out that the balance of payments remained comfortable with both current account and overall position in surplus. The annual inflation rate measured by movement of the average CPI for the Sultanate stood at 0.56 per cent in January and Febru-ary 2015 over the same period in 2014. The total assets of com-mercial banks increased by 11.1 per cent, from OMR23.2 billion a year ago to OMR25.8 billion in February 2015.

Of the total assets, credit dis-bursement accounted for 67 per cent and increased by 11.4 per cent at the end of February 2015 to OMR17.1 billion.

Credit to the private sector in-creased by 11.2 per cent during the period to reach OMR14.8 billion at the end of February 2015.

Of the total credit to the pri-vate sector by the end of Febru-ary 2015, the share of the non-financial corporate sector stood at 47.5 per cent, closely followed by the household sector (mainly under personal loans) at 45.5 per cent, financial corporations at 4.8 per cent and other sectors the re-maining 2.1 per cent.

Overall investments of com-mercial banks in securities in-creased by 10.5 per cent to OMR3 billion at the end of February 2015, from OMR2.7 billion a year ago. Of total investments, CBO

CDs stood at OMR1.4 billion while investment in government development bonds (GDBs) stood at OMR669.3 million at the end of February 2015.

Investments in foreign secu-rities by commercial banks in-creased 12 per cent to OMR605.9 million in February 2015.

Aggregate deposits held with commercial banks registered a significant increase of 6.7 per cent to OMR17.6 billion in February 2015 as compared to OMR16.5 billion in the same period of 2014.

Government deposits in com-mercial banks increased six per cent to OMR5 billion. Deposits of public enterprises declined 11.5 per cent to OMR1 billion during the same period. Private sector deposits, which constituted 65 per cent of total deposits with commercial banks, increased 9.5 per cent to OMR11.4 billion in

February 2015 from OMR10.4 bil-lion a year ago.

Sector-wise, the share of house-holds was 49.3 per cent of the total private sector deposit base, fol-lowed by non-financial corpora-tions at 28.7 per cent, financial corporations at 19.7 per cent with other sectors at 2.3 per cent.

Islamic banking entities pro-vided financing to the extent of OMR1,133 million at the end of February 2015 as compared to OMR525.2 million a year ago.

Total deposits held with Is-lamic banks and windows also registered a significant increase of OMR682.4 million in February 2015 from OMR193.6 million out-standing at the end of February 2014. The total assets of Islamic banks and windows combined, amounted to OMR1429.8 million at the end of February 2015, which constituted about 5.3 per cent of

the banking system assets. Mon-etary management during the year continued to be faced with an abundance of bank liquidity and the primary focus of the CBO was to ensure appropriate levels of li-quidity in the banking system, so as to avoid internal and external imbalance.

At the end of February 2015, narrow money stock (M1) when measured on year-on-year basis, grew sharply by 9.2 per cent driv-en both by the increase in demand deposits by 11.1 per cent, as well as increase in currency with the public by 8.6 per cent.

Quasi-money (OMR savings and time deposits, certificates of deposits issued by commercial banks, margin deposits and for-eign currency denominated de-posits) witnessed a growth of 11.8 per cent from February 2014 to February 2105. — ONA

A bulletin released

by Central Bank of

Oman pointed out

that the balance of

payments remained

comfortable with

both current account

and overall position

in surplus

Forum set to highlight investment opportunities in SultanateMUSCAT: Al Roya Press and Publishing will organise on Mon-day the 4th version of “Al Roya Economic Forum, 2015” under the theme “Oman...Investment Op-portunities” at Shangri-La Bar al Jassa Resort.

Dr Ali bin Masoud Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and In-dustry will sponsor the opening of the Forum in the presence of a group of businessmen and inves-tors from the GCC countries and a number of Arab countries.

The Forum aims to strengthen the role of the press and the media in focusing on the development is-sues that are directly linked to the Omani society, as well as assisting in developing low-risk and multi-resolution economic strategies.

It also aims to draw the atten-tion of experts and investors to the economic opportunities available in the Sultanate, to discuss new horizons by a group of economists, experts and decision-makers from both inside and outside the Sul-tanate in order to develop new rising motivations that contribute to the advancement of the local economy, activating the role of the partnership between the public and private sectors to achieve sus-tainable development, the consoli-dation of the principle of develop-ment in the real economy without growth operations and to over-come the challenges and obstacles facing the private sector to find a real contribution to the economy of each community.

Number of CEOs, experts and academics will participate in the forum to discuss many themes aiming to highlight the various in-vestment opportunities in differ-ent sectors.

Various themes include oppor-tunities in investment sectors, in-vestment in the food industry in the Sultanate investment role of non-traditional banks. — ONA

A L R O Y A F O R U M 2 0 1 5

ROBUST GROWTH: Government deposits in commercial banks increased six per cent to OMR5 billion. — Times file picture

New share sales offer more opportunities for investorsMUSCAT: Presence of new of-ferings in the market represents an opportunity for investors to enter the Muscat Securities Mar-ket (MSM), a senior official said.

Abdullah bin Salim Al Salmi, Executive Chairman of the Capi-tal Market Authority (CMA) in a statement to ONA said that it is important to encourage indi-viduals to save and channel their funds in the appropriate invest-ment windows.

Financial securities market was found to strengthen this trend, especially since it helps the owners of medium-sized or small size savings, who are often unable to recruit those savings in specific investment fields due to the lack

of experience or a full-time or lack of adequate capital.

He said that the initial public offerings (IPOs) in turn contrib-ute to strengthening the market and improving the efficiency.

This in turn will revitalise the national economy in the coming years by strengthening its role as a window for the use of savings from various segments of society to fund economic projects and di-versify the economy.

Al Salmi pointed out that con-version of companies into joint stock to allow its founders liqui-date part of their assets in compa-nies offered to start new projects that would be eligible for pub-lic offering in the future, as the

public offering and listing on the market enable them find out the true value of their investments in these companies.

He confirmed that CMA is al-ways seeking to expand the inves-tor base by having a rewarding quota for small investors to con-tribute to the revitalisation of and trading in securities and to reduce as much as possible of institution-al investor control on the stock, who usually focuses on long-term investment without contributing to the liberation of stock and re-vitalisation of trading operations, adding that CMA is trying that the small investors have the priority and preference to take advantage of the market. — ONA

M U S C A T S E C U R I T I E S M A R K E T

Meeting to focus on constructionTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), operated by Amlak Holding, is hosting Project Qatar 2015, for the second consecutive year, from May 4-7.

Project Qatar, the 12th Inter-national Construction Tech-nology and Building Materials Exhibition, established as the most important exhibition for highlighting the latest products and service offering for Qatar’s rapidly expanding construction industry. QNCC is the ideal can-didate for hosting and organis-ing an event of this scale, not only in Qatar, but throughout the region, thanks to its massive size and wide area, as well as the state-of-the-art facility.

In addition to Project Qatar 2015, two concurrent events; Qatar Stone Tech 2015 and Heavy Max 2015, will take place at QNCC.

P R O J E C T Q A T A R

B3S U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

MARKETConstruction work at new Oman convention centre moves rapidly

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Construction is mov-ing rapidly at the Oman Con-vention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC), located within the Hay Al Irfan precinct and current-ly under development by the Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran).

The progress was witnessed firsthand by Dr Ali bin Masood Al Sunaidy, Chairman of Omran, Mr.

Usama bin Ali Al Khalili Omran Board Member and Eng. Wael Al Lawati, Omran Group CEO during an official site visit.

The OCEC Exhibition Halls, En-ergy Centre and multi-storey car park, known as Package Two of the development, are nearing comple-tion and scheduled for soft opening in first quarter 2016. Meanwhile, construction has also commenced on the highly anticipated Package Three, which will add one con-

vention hall, one auditorium, two ballrooms, a food court, meeting rooms and administrative areas to the development.

Package ThreeIn February 2015, Omran awarded the tender for Package Three to a joint venture between Shapoor-ji Pallonji Mideast and Oman Shapoorji Company, valued at OMR85 million.

During the course of the site

visit, the group reviewed all pack-ages in progress, including Pack-age Seven which includes the Crowne Plaza Hotel, and Package Four comprising the Marriott Ho-tel. Once completed, the two ho-tels will deliver 600 rooms out of a total of 1,000 hotel rooms planned for the entire OCEC development.

Commenting on the construc-tion progress during the visit, Al Sunaidy noted, “Today we have witnessed the commendable pro-

gress of the OCEC development. 50 per cent of the construction work in Package Two has already been completed, and we wait with anticipation for the opening in early next year. It is also deeply pleasing to see construction of Package Three underway, facili-ties that will bring the project to life through the addition of Con-vention Hall and the Auditorium, all designed for state of the art quality and energy efficiency.”

“OCEC plays a key role in the Government’s vision for the diver-sification of the national economy and stands as the centrepiece of Oman’s business development programme. The development will position the Sultanate as a ma-jor venue for regional and interna-tional events and in doing so, will increase Oman’s business tourism offerings and strengthen the sec-tor at large,” he added.

Al Sunaidy also praised the project’s safety record and recent achievement of 10 million man-hours without Lost Time Injury.

“The health and safety of our staff and workers is, as always, our top priority. Each day, over 4,000 staff and labourers work tirelessly to complete this project on sched-ule. It is our duty to ensure their wellbeing, and the achievement of

10 million man-hours without LTI is evidence of our commitment to health and safety,” he said

Omran CEO, Eng. Wael Al Lawa-ti noted, “OCEC will not only serve to boost Oman’s image and acces-sibility as a tourist destination, but will also generate a significant eco-nomic stimulus and ongoing rev-enue and in doing so, contribute to the further diversification of the national economy. OCEC is ex-pected to generate over OMR295 million in local spending during the development phases, and will create thousands of direct and in-direct employment opportunities for citizens.”

“As with all Omran projects, the Oman Convention and Exhibi-tion Centre has been designed ac-cording to the highest standards of environmental sustainability. All buildings within the develop-ment have been designed to meet the stringent Leadership in En-ergy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards for green building. Further, the development also adheres to Om-ran’s Local Development Invest-ment (LDI) policy, established to ensure that the Company’s pro-curement and supply-chain pro-cesses all favour local businesses and suppliers,” he added.

Progress at Oman

Convention and

Exhibition Centre

was seen firsthand

by Chairman of

Omran, Omran Board

Member and Omran

Group CEO, during an

official site visitFIRST-HAND INSPECTION: OCEC Exhibition Halls, Energy Centre and multi-storey car park, known as

Package Two of the development, are nearing completion and scheduled for soft opening in the first

quarter 2016. — Supplied picture

Forum to focus on $422b GCC rail, maritime projectsTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Projects worth an es-timated $422 billion will be com-pleted within the next five years in Gulf region’s transportation infrastructure in rail, road, and maritime projects, according to Fleming Gulf research.

With an aim to focus on the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC’s) integrated transport strategy NATRANS Arabia 2015 is piecing together a first-of-its-kind event.

“The event will discuss and showcase proven, deployed schemes, pioneering research and development solutions that are intended to solve real world problems which are criti-cal regional imperatives,” said Alex Heuff, Exhibition Director, NATRANS Arabia which takes place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) on October 19-21, 2015.

“By creating an event which covers the industry as a whole, NATRANS Arabia is set to deliv-er a unique networking platform for the region’s entire land and maritime transportation sector,” added Heuff

The conference-led exhibi-tion which is being held in part-nership with the UAE Federal Transportation Authority – Land

and Maritime and held under the patronage of Dr Abdulla Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Public Works and Chairman of the Fed-eral Transport Authority - Land and Marine, will highlight the UAE’s position within the region as a leading state in transport in-frastructure development.

NATRANS Arabia consists of three distinct conference streams, incorporating the re-gions established rail conference – the 6th Middle East Rail Oppor-tunities on the 19 – 20 October plus two dedicated one-day con-ferences, firstly addressing road issues on the 19th October and secondly addressing maritime is-sues on the 20th October.

During the 6th Middle East Rail Opportunities Summit, de-signs of nearly US$ 200 billion in network projects will be pre-sented, running from the Gulf

coast from Kuwait, through Saudi Arabia, to the UAE and Oman, with branches linking Bahrain and Qatar. These projects will be completed before the end of the first quarter 2016.

The Middle East Road Confer-ence will examine the progress of the region’s mega road project which is set to grow at a rapid pace over the next five years, val-ued at an estimated $32 billion.

The conference will also cover the international traffic manage-ment, (ITS), parking, road safety & maintenance of and transport infrastructure projects, such as multimodal systems and man-agement have helped decrease accidents and the use of ITS technology in road safety.

The third streamed seminar, Middle East Maritime Confer-ence, will take an in-depth look at the different investments in the maritime industry, which are expected to reach US$66 billion in the next three years, with the UAE contributing 30-35 per cent of the Middle East’s projected to-tal investment valued at $190 bil-lion over the next three years.

With the global significance of the Middle East’s ports and facili-ties is now more important than ever before and delegates will be presented with the latest industry developments.

N A T R A N S A R A B I A 2 0 1 5

Islamic window’s assets rise

To augment the sustained growth, the board of directors recommended raising addi-tional Tier 1 capital amounting to $300 million, along with the capital raised in the form of a rights issue of ordinary shares of up to OMR45 million. The bank is working on the neces-sary regulatory approvals.

Maisarah Islamic Banking Services (BankDhofar’s Islamic banking window) continues its success story and has reported good results for the first quar-ter of 2015. The Islamic win-dow’s total assets increased from OMR81.29 million in Q1 - 2014 to OMR185.55 million in Q1 - 2015, showing 128 per cent growth. The total financing has also grown by 195 per cent, from OMR50.46 million in Q1 - 2014 to reach OMR148.94 mil-lion this year.

Customer deposits raised by Maisarah have recorded growth, increasing from OMR4.57 mil-lion in Q1 - 2014 to OMR102.30 million in Q1 - 2015. Further-more, key profitability showed significant growth, as net fi-nancing income increased from OMR0.48 million during Q1 - 2014 to OMR1.18 million in the first three months of this year, recording a growth of 145.83 per cent.

B A N K D H O F A R

< FROM

B1

– Times file picture

B4

MARKETS U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

Oman’s electricity, water production record big jump

MUSCAT: Total production of the Sultanate in the electricity and water sector recorded a sig-nificant increase at the end of last February compared to the pro-duction recorded in the same period of 2014.

The Sultanate’s total produc-tion of electricity increased to more than 34,8000 GW logging an 18.6 per cent increase com-pared to the production recorded in 2014.

The same applies to the water sector in which the production ex-ceeded 52.1 million cubic metres, an increase of 12 per cent com-pared to the production recorded during the same period of 2014.

The latest statistics issued by the National Centre for Statis-tics and Information (NCSI) in-dicated that the Sultanate’s total production of electricity till the end of February 2014 reached 3,487.9 GW per hour as compared to 2940.7 GW per hour in the same period of 2014, an increase rate of 18.6 per cent.

The total electricity produc-tion in the Governorates of North and South Al Batinah, in addition to the Governorate of A’Dhahirah reached 1,748.4 GW per hour. It is the highest percentage recorded at the governorates’ level logging an increase of 19.4 per cent com-pared to 1,464.5 GW per hour dur-ing the same period in 2014.

The Governorates of North and South A’Sharqiyah recorded the biggest increase in produc-tion levels compared to the levels

recorded during 2014. The two governorates recorded a 125.1 per cent increase. The total produc-tion till last February reached 500.1 GW per hour compared to 222.2 GW per hour during the same period of 2014.

Governorate of MuscatThe total electricity production in the Governorate of Muscat reached 673 GW per hour with a decrease of 10.5 per cent com-pared to 751.8 GW per hour during the same period of 2014.

In the Governorate of Dhofar, the total electricity production recorded last February reached 377.6 GW per hour an increase of 7.5 per cent, compared to 351.1 GW per hour during the same pe-riod of 2014. The total electricity production in the Governorate of Musandam increased 18.8 per cent. It was recorded at 29.9 GW per hour last February compared to 25.1 GW per hour during the same period of 2014.

The total electricity pro-duction in the Governorate of A’Dakhiliyah reached 125.2 GW per hour compared to 95.4 GW per hour during the same period of 2014, an increase of 31.2 per cent.

In the Governorate of Al Wusta, the total electricity production in-creased 10.8 per cent at the end of last February. It was recorded at 33.9 GW per hour as compared to 30.6 GW per hour during the same period of 2014.

The net Omani electricity pro-duction till the end of last Febru-ary reached 3,318.4 GW per hour as compared to 2767.1 GW per hour during the same period of 2014, an increase of 19.9 per cent.

This production includes the procurements of Oman Power and Water Procurement Com-pany (OPWP) and the Rural Areas Electricity Company. The highest percentage of increase, at 128.2 per cent, was recorded in the governorates of North and South A’Sharqiyah. The net electricity production in the two governo-rates at the end of last February reached 498.2 GW per hour as compared to 218.3 GW per hour during the same period of 2014.

The biggest quantity of the elec-tricity net production was record-ed in the Governorates of North and South Al Batinah, in addition to the Governorate of A’Dhahirah. The net production recorded in these governorates at the end of

last February reached 1,627.2 GW per hour as compared to 1,362.7 GW per hour during the same pe-riod of 2014, an increase of 19.4 per cent.

The net electricity production in the Governorate of Muscat last February reached 654.2 GW per hour as compared to 724.2 GW per hour during the same period of 2014, a decrease of 9.7 per cent.

As for the Governorate of Dho-far, the net electricity production recorded last February reached 350.4 GW per hour as compared to 322.7 GW per hour in 2014, an increase of 8.6 per cent.

The net electricity production in the Governorate of Musandam logged an increase of 16.8 per cent. It reached 27.8 GW per hour at the end of last February as compared to 23.8 GW per hour during the same period of 2014.

The net electricity production in the Governorate of A’Dakhiliyah last February reached 124 GW per hour, a decrease of 31.1 per cent, as compared to 94.6 GW per hour during the same period of 2014.

The Governorate of Al Wusata has witnessed a significant in-crease of 75.5 per cent in the net electricity production recorded

last February. It produced 36.6 GW per hour as compared to 20.9 GW per hour during the same pe-riod of 2014.

On the other hand, the Sultan-ate’s production of water last Feb-ruary reached 52,117,300 cubic metres (cm), an increase of 12 per cent compared to 46,547,300cm during the same period in 2014.

The water production in the Governorate of Muscat decreased 5.3 per cent to reach 12,980,600cm compared to 13,714.200cm during the same period of 2014.

On the other hand, the water production in the Governorate of Dhofar recorded an increase of 9.4 per cent reaching 5,958.700cm compared to 5,448.600cm dur-ing the same period of 2014. The production of the other governo-rates at the end of last February reached 33.178 million cm, an increase of 21.2 per cent as com-pared to 27,384 million cm during the same period of 2014. — ONA

Sultanate’s total

production of

electricity increased

to more than 3,487.9

Giga Watts per hour

with an increase rate

of 18.6% compared

to the production

recorded in 2014

ROBUST DEMAND: The biggest quantity of the electricity net production was recorded in the governorates of North and South Al

Batinah, and the Governorate of A’Dhahirah. — Times file picture


Oman’s real estate market expects more activitiesMUSCAT: The Ministry of Housing has set targets for the implementation of plans and pro-grammes in the housing sector.

These include the development of housing services provided to citizens and the beneficiaries, and activating the role of the sector in the diversification of income through planning and land supply to meet the needs of vital sectors in various governorates and re-gions and continue to give land, housing aid and affordable loans to citizens of low-income and so-cial security families.

The ministry takes into ac-count a series of standards and principles in achieving these goals, which include population density, residential needs, social changes, and potential economic developments, as well as the hier-archy of residential communities and connected areas to each other in order to provide better services in the current and the next phase.

Housing projects occupy an im-portant position in the five-year development plans of the Sultan-ate, as investing in them leads to growth in GDP, and the real es-tate business whether in terms of renting, buying or selling of villas, private or commercial buildings, as well as investment in land, is among the most important activi-ties in the Omani economy.

Investment in the Sultanate’s real estate market has doubled since 2007, encouraged by the continued growth of the national economy, which amounted to 4.5 per cent annually. The growth, which started in 2011, came be-cause of the expansionist policy of the Ministry of Housing to include most of the citizens in the distribution of residential plots. The prices of the remaining

non-constructed land, built-up residential and commercial units correspond to the overall level of per capita income and the size of investment in this sector.

The price of all segments of real estate at the end of 2014 was not significantly different from what it was in 2013 and before. These are expected to remain stable during 2015 because the overall level of per capita income is not commensurate with the inflated real estate prices. Housing, be it bought or rented, is still unaf-fordable for most citizens, and is expected to remain stagnant with the average per capita income of residents in the Sultanate.

The private sector, which em-ploys more than 1.6 million ex-patriates, constructed residen-tial buildings, especially for the expatriate workforce. After the rise in prices, businessmen found that owing their own residential buildings was better than rent-ing the same for their expatriate workers.

Investment continues in the real estate sector. Since 2010 un-til the end of 2014, licences were

given for the construction of hun-dreds of residential buildings, some of which are still being built, which makes the supply of resi-dential real estate much greater than the demand, although quite a number of residential units planned for investment are still to be built.

The 42nd Statistical Year-book of 2015 noted that in 2012, 35,950 construction licences were issued, and in 2008, 13,113 licences were issued, while in 2009, 14,504 were issued. The numbers were increasing in 2010 and 2011, which shows that the construction of housing facilities have been rising, in response to the growing demand. After a 38.5 per cent rise in 2008, the figure jumped to 64.7 per cent in 2009.

During the global financial crisis, prices of most construc-tion-related material fell, which encouraged citizens who own plots of land to construct private housing or investment, and thus reduced demand for rented resi-dential units. Trading (buying and selling) did not see a remark-able development. — ONA

M I N I S T R Y O F H O U S I N G

BOOMING MARKET: Private sector, which employs more than 1.6

million expatriates, constructed residential buildings, especially

for the expatriate workforce. — Times file picture

Average room rates fall in Dubai but rise in Abu DhabiTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Four and five star ho-tels in Dubai saw average room rates (ARR) fall by 5.5 per cent to $380.85 in March, according to the latest data from HotStats.

Occupancy levels remained stable during the month at 88.8 per cent, however the reduction in ARR had a flow-on effect on revenue per available room (Rev-PAR) which fell by 4.8 per cent to $338.25.

A reduction in food and bev-erage revenues further reduced total revenue per available room (TRevPAR) which dropped by 8.9 per cent. Although operational ex-penses were marginally reduced, the lower overall revenues re-sulted in gross operating profit per available room (GOPPAR) falling by 7.8 per cent to $306.62.

Abu Dhabi hotelsConversely, hotels in the neigh-bouring Abu Dhabi recorded a 6.5 per cent growth in ARR to $167.62 as the market capitalised on strong visitor demand with hotels in the Emirate achieving an average oc-cupancy level of 83.9 per cent, an increase of 1.3 percentage points on the same period last year.

The strong rate performance boosted RevPAR levels and offset a reduction in food and beverage revenues, allowing TRevPAR to rise by 4.1 per cent to $287.50. As a result of stronger revenues, GOP-PAR levels increased by 2.2 per cent to $107.53.

Hotels in Beirut saw occupancy levels increase by 17.5 percentage points to 57.9 per cent as the city saw a rise in visitor numbers.

The growth in demand allowed hoteliers to yield higher ARR’s, which grew by 6.1 per cent to $143.77 and drove a significant in-crease in RevPAR of 52.0 per cent to $83.24. However, the increase in rooms revenue was not enough to reverse a large reduction in food and beverage demand.

Strengthening demand and higher ARR’s in four and five star hotels in Doha drove a 6.6 per cent rise in RevPAR to $185.95 in March. Doha’s increased attrac-tion as a regional tourist and tran-sit hub has resulted in a greater number of visitors to the country, which is having a positive impact on hotel performance.

H O T S T A T S S T U D Y

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Bank Nizwa hosts ‘Islamic Finance Knowledge Series’

MUSCAT: As part of its continu-ous efforts to raise awareness on Islamic finance and attract future leaders to benefit from the grow-ing industry, Bank Nizwa con-ducted a special session of its re-cently launched ‘Islamic Finance Knowledge Series’ in the wilyata of Nizwa, says a press release.

Attended by Sheikh Dr Khalifa bin Hamed Al Saadi, governor of Dakhiliyah and Sheikh Hamad bin Salim Al Aghbari, wali of Ni-zwa, the session was held at the University of Nizwa and led by Dr Jamil El Jaroudi, CEO of the bank, who spoke to the students

about the wide range of Sharia-compliant products and services and how they can utilise them to lead financially secure lifestyles .

“The ‘Islamic Finance Knowl-edge Series’ proved to be an ef-fective platform for spreading awareness of the many benefits this promising sector can pro-vide,” said Sheikh Dr Khalifa bin Hamed Al Saadi, governor of Dakhiliyah.

“I would like to thank Bank Ni-zwa for bringing this platform to the Wilayat of Nizwa and we look forward to seeing the future talent in Islamic finance be at the center

of excellence among other indus-tries and instrumental in driving overall economic development.”

“We are honored by the par-ticipation of Sheikh Dr Khalifa bin Hamed Al Saadi, governor of Dakhiliyah, and Sheikh Hamad bin Salim Al Aghbari, wali of Ni-zwa in the latest edition of the ‘Islamic Finance Knowledge Se-ries’,” said Dr Jamil El Jaroudi, CEO of Bank Nizwa.

“From city to city, wilayat to wilayat, governorate to governo-rate, our team will continue meet-ing with communities interested in learning about Islamic finance.

Through such sessions with stu-dents and more participation from government officials, the platform is introducing the indus-try to the general public and offer-ing a unique perspective to youth in particular, providing them with a chance to ask questions and get as much information as possible from our experts,” he added.

“Our ability to nurture local tal-ent will be the key determinant in charting the future path of Islamic finance in the Sultanate,” Dr El Jaroudi said.

With a plan to visit a number of locations from Shinas in the north

to Salalah in the south, Bank Ni-zwa has taken solid steps to estab-lish dialogue with communities across Oman. In March this year, the bank hit the road to spread awareness on the Islamic finance industry starting from Muscat. The bank’s team then met with the students of Sultan Qaboos University, Sohar University and Shinas College of Technology. Af-ter the University of Nizwa, next step for the ‘Islamic Finance Knowledge Series’ will be Dhofar University in a bid to benefit over 1,000 students from across the Sultanate by end of 2015.

Sheikh Dr Khalifa

bin Hamed Al

Saadi, governor

of Dakhiliyah and

Sheikh Hamad bin

Salim Al Aghbari,

wali of Nizwa,

attended the session

at University of Nizwa

NECC wins ISO awardMUSCAT: In its continued quest to improve the quality of construc-tion services provided to the cli-ents, National Engineering & Con-tracting Company recently won an accolade in terms of quality man-agement standards in line with the development, establishment and control of client quality system in the construction industry.

NECC has been awarded the ISO certification (ISO 9001:2008) for quality management system. This was after passing the exter-nal audit process conducted by DNV-GL, Dubai and accreted by DNV-GL Business Assurance B.V., Netherlands, says a press release.

Chairman of NECC Shaikh Aflah bin Hamed Al Rawahy stated that gaining this certificate was an important step forward in the company’s journey towards a sus-tainable construction business, which started in the early days of His Majesty’s Renaissance in 1971.

“We will ensure with all the re-sources we have to drive towards our business excellence and sus-tainability. Our goal is to create trust and confidence among our clients, with safety, responsibility and timely service improving our business performance,” he said.

ISO is a global assessment sys-tem used to classify the applicable standards, which require the per-formance of a professional service and high quality. Therefore, it is important to apply the standards of ISO, as it will reflect positively on the services provided to the clients.

Q U A L I T Y M A N A G E M E N T

LuLu Exchange CEO named in Forbes’list of top Indian leaders in Arab worldDUBAI: For the third year run-ning, Forbes Middle East revealed the much-awaited list of the top Indian leaders in the Arab world at a gala ceremony hosted recently at the Godolphin Ballroom at Jumei-rah Emirates Towers, Dubai.

The defining list recognises key Indian movers and shakers who have made their mark on Middle Eastern economies each year, in-cluding Adeeb Ahamed, CEO, Lulu International Exchange Group.

T. P. Seetharam, Indian ambas-sador to the UAE, attended the occasion as the guest of honour along with Dr Nasser bin Aqeel Al Tayyar, president of Arab Publish-er House, the publishers of Forbes Middle East, says a press release.

This year’s list was made up of luminaries from diversified sec-tors like retail, industrials, health-care, banking and finance, among others and divided into two cat-egories — top owners and top ex-ecutive management. Out of the 100 in the top owners list, 90 of

them were based out of the UAE. Retail dominated the awards list, followed by diversified companies and industrials, but luminaries from 18 other sectors were also honoured at the event.In recognition of his contribution in the banking and finance sector in the top owners’ category, Adeeb Ahamed, CEO, LuLu Internation-al Exchange Group, was honoured as one of the three awardees in his field. Under Adeeb’s stewardship,

LuLu International Exchange Group has achieved a number of firsts for the region.

Since taking on the role of the CEO of Lulu International Ex-change in 2009, he has led the six-year old company towards rapid growth. His efforts to reach out to his customers by creating a service oriented culture fo-cused on customer satisfaction and integrity eventually paid off and now the company operates in eight countries with over 100 global branches.

“It is an honour and privilege to be recognized among the top Indian leaders in the Arab world. The award will help me reassert my commitment to set manage-ment benchmark standards in the region’s financial industry,” said Adeeb Ahamed on the sidelines of receiving the award.

“Over the past few years, we have modified our organisational structure and business processes to embrace a more unified, cus-

tomer-centric business model and improve company perfor-mance. I don’t feel as though my contributions have been any greater than those of my incred-ible team of associates at LuLu In-ternational Exchange Group, who have been crucial in the growth of this company. Nevertheless, I thank Forbes Middle East for this recognition and dedicate it to all my associates at the organiza-tion,” he added.

Many other noted owners and founders were also honoured during the ceremony, including, Sunil Vaswani (diversified sec-tor), Mukesh Jagtiani (retail), B.R. Shetty (healthcare), Sunny Varkey (education) and PNC Menon (real estate and construction), among others. This year also saw a list for top executive management which included names like V Shankar (banking and finance), Sanjeev Chadha (food and beverage), San-jiv Kakkar (retail) and K. Rajaram (automobile), among others.

H O N O U R

Joyalukkas Exchange opens two new outlets DUBAI: Padma Shri awardee Jayaram inaugurated two new centres of Joyalukkas Exchange in Sharjah and Deira in presence of Joy Alukkas, chairman and MD, Joy-alukkas Group, Antony Jos, director, Joyalukkas Exchange, John Paul Joy Alukkas, executive director, Joy-alukkas Group, Sonia John Paul, di-rector, Joyalukkas Group and other dignitaries, says a press release.

“Joyalukkas Exchange stands for trust, convenience, best rates and innovative solutions and I am

proud to represent the favourite money exchange of millions of people,” said Jayaram.

“The two new Joyalukkas Ex-change centers will make it more convenient for UAE residents and we plan to add more soon so that we become accessible in every nook and corner of the UAE” stat-ed Joy Alukkas, chairman and MD, Joyalukkas Group. Padma Shri Jayaram later went to Kuwait to inaugurate more Joyalukkas Ex-change centers there.

E X P A N S I O N

Adeeb Ahamed. – Supplied photo

Ford’s powerful 2015 F-150 arrives in OmanMUSCAT: The powerful and bold Ford F-150 has made its way to Oman. All set to conquer the hearts of its fans, the all-new F-150 demonstrates Ford’s prod-uct excellence and innovation.

The F-150 5.0-liter V8 with twin independent variable cam-shaft timing has improved power and efficiency, delivering 385 horsepower and 387 lb.-ft. of torque. Smart engineering en-hancements such as a new long-runner intake manifold, revised intake cam duration and new pulse-separated exhaust mani-folds help raise towing capabil-ity to a maximum 11,100 pounds, says a press release.

The all-new F-150 features sev-eral innovative and smart tech-nologies, including smart trailer tow module with Dynamic Hitch Assist, Class-exclusive 360-de-gree camera with split-view dis-play, high-wattage outlets, LED spotlights, blind spot information system with cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping system, twin panel moonroof, stowable bed extender and more. In Oman, Ford vehicles are brought to you by Arabian Car Marketing Company.

The smart trailer tow module shows the driver which lights on a trailer connected to the truck

aren’t working, so the driver or a passenger doesn’t have to exit the vehicle and walk around the trail-er to discover lights are blown. Dynamic Hitch Assist is a new rearview camera feature that adds a dynamic line based on steering wheel angle in the display to help customers line up truck and trail-er without requiring a spotter or having to exit the vehicle.

The available 360-degree cam-era with split-view display uses four exterior cameras to give the driver a bird’s eye view of up to seven feet surrounding the F-150 to assist in parking, manoeuvring in tight spots and navigating nar-row roads and trails at low speeds.

The high-wattage outlets, 400-watt, 110-volt outlets in the cab allow drivers to easily charge corded tools, battery chargers or mobile devices on-site or while in transit. The LED spotlights on

sideview mirrors provide power-ful, durable and bright lighting around the truck exterior.

The blind spot information system with cross-traffic alert: Available BLIS uses radar sensors in the tail lamps to monitor areas that may not be visible to the driv-er. The sensors trigger a warning light in the side view mirrors to in-dicate another vehicle is in a blind spot if the driver is attempting to change lanes. These same sensors can detect a vehicle coming down an aisle when the driver is slowly backing out of a parking space.

The available lane-keeping is designed to help prevent a driver from drifting outside of the in-tended driving lane.

The system automatically de-tects the left- or right-hand road lane markings using a camera mounted between the windshield and interior rearview mirror. A vibration in the steering wheel is used to alert the driver. The system can also provide steering torque to help guide the vehicle back into the lane if needed.

The Ford F-150 is completely redesigned, with a high-strength, military-grade, aluminium-alloy body coupled with a high-strength steel frame, making it nearly 700 pounds lighter and more efficient.

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

Al Hayat Hospital holds Oman’s firstlive laparoscopic surgical workshop MUSCAT: Oman’s first day-long live audio-visual surgical work-shop on laparoscopic surgery was conducted successfully at Al Hayat International Hospital recently.

The main operating surgeon Dr. JS Rajkumar, senior consultant surgeon at Al Hayat, demonstrated a series of surgeries to the audi-ence of surgeons, physicians, and resident doctors from Royal Hos-pital, SQU Hospital, Armed Forces Medical Services, Atlas Hospital, KIMS, Badr Al Sama, Starcare, and MPH, says a press release.

Dr Rajkumar, present in the op-eration theatre, explained the sur-gical techniques and had a seam-less interaction with an audience of keen peers in the conference room, via a two-way audio and video link.

The proceedings were moder-ated by Dr Faisal Alam, head, De-partment of Surgery, Royal Hos-pital, Dr Taha Al Lawati, surgical oncologist, Royal Hospital, and Dr K.P. Raman.

Active participants included Dr Hind Khalifa Al Majrafi, Sr. Spe-cialist, Royal Hospital, Dr Badar Aflah Al Hadhrami, surgeon, Royal Hospital, and Dr. Riyaz Ahmed, Sr. consultant, Royal Hospital. Dr Raj-kumar demonstrated the mini gas-tric bypass surgery, the latest pro-cedure for the control of obesity and diabetes, sleeve gastrectomy, and inguinal hernia, all performed

laparoscopically (key-hole). The proceedings witnessed a

dynamic, interactive exchange between the surgeons and Dr. Ra-jkumar. “I am happy that Al Hayat management and Dr. Raman have taken this initiative, which I be-lieve is happening for the first time in Oman. Thanks are also due to the patients who consented for the live video, and the participat-ing doctors who made this event an important milestone in medical education in Oman,” he said.

Mini gastric bypass (MGB), a surgical technique introduced for the first time in Oman by Al Hayat a few months ago, not only results in weight reduction but also re-verses diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, with all the patients who had undergone this procedure reporting excellent alteration in

their metabolic profile. Their diabetes almost disap-

peared, enabling them to re-duce their medication, including statins. For people fearing bari-atric surgery complications, the MGB is an ideal ‘middle of the road’ surgical approach where the objective of correction of metabol-ic abnormalities is achieved with minimal risk of complication.

“The use of live surgery as a technique for the dissemination of surgical knowledge is widely practiced in western countries, as it facilitates an efficient way to demonstrate, explain and teach surgical techniques to an audience of peers. We are grateful to Mus-cat Pharmacy for their generos-ity in supporting and sponsoring this event.,” explained Dr Raman, Chairman, Al Hayat.

H E A L T H C A R E

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ROUND-UPAbrar enthralls Muscat audience with another stellar performance

MUSCAT: A huge crowd of thou-sands enjoyed the foot-tapping numbers of popular singer Abrarul Haq, who was the star of the musi-cal evening organised by Pakistan School Muscat (PSM at its newly-laid grassy ground. This was his second performance in Oman, the first being more than a decade ago at Sheraton Hotel.

Ayaz Hussain, ambassador of Pakistan to Oman, was the chief

guest. The event was also attended by PSM Board of directors, leading community members, embassy of-ficials, PSC officials, school man-agement, staff and students, says a press release.

Attaullah Niazi, senior prin-cipal, formally welcomed all the distinguished guests and the au-dience and conveyed his great de-light in being a part of this ‘food n fun ‘show that is organised to raise

funds for Pakistan School Muscat.Adnan Shahzad, Chairman

BoDs, extending his gratitude for the generous funds as a gesture of support for the noble cause. In his welcome note to audience, he

highlighted the sole purpose of organizing this mega event was to forge a path for the Pakistani stu-dents so that no Pakistani child remains without the best educa-tion in Oman.

During the event, items prepared by the students of special educa-tion classroom were auctioned to provide them more facilities. Later in the evening, Abrar ul Haq, enter-tained the huge audience of nearly

four thousand people with his hugely popular songs.

The excitement was doubled by the delectable Pakistani cuisine available at a variety of food stalls at the venue.

This was popular singer Abrarul Haq’s

second performance in Oman, the first being

more than a decade ago at Sheraton Hotel

Bank Sohar sponsors Innovative Forum for people with disabilityMUSCAT: As a part of its ongo-ing efforts towards contributing to the wellbeing of the commu-nity through its corporate social responsibility initiatives, Bank Sohar recently supported the 2nd Innovative Forum for People with Disability in Sohar by being the main sponsors of the event.

The event was organised by Oman Association for the Disa-bled at Sohar Plaza under the auspices of Dr Ali bin Abdullah Al Kalbani, a member of the Majlis Al Dawla, and witnessed an active participation from all segments of society. Representing Bank Sohar at the event was Rashid Al Maskry, chief branch manager of Sohar branch, says a press release.

The three-day forum focused on supporting creativity and talent of participants with disabilities through the presentation of their creations, which included paint-ings, sculptures, and ornaments among others, and attracting posi-tive feedback from visitors to the forum with regards to the prod-ucts and services presented.

The forum was also aimed at making the event interactive through various activities such as an exhibition, school visits and a panel discussion. The event con-cluded with a special closing cer-emony at the end of the final day

under the auspices of Sheikh Naif bin Hamood Al Mamary, assistant wali of Sohar.

Commenting on the bank’s sponsorship of the event, Mazin Mahmood Al Raisi, AGM & Head of Marketing and Publicity at Bank Sohar said, “Bank Sohar has always been at the forefront of supporting social initiatives. As a result, we are delighted to support initiatives such as these which aim to help foster communication and provide a supportive envi-ronment within which individu-als with special needs can freely showcase their talents and skills, and in turn better facilitate their integration into the community.”

Bank Sohar strives to ensure that its contributions are care-

fully planned and evaluated in order to diversify and reach out to the maximum number of people, especially those in most need of it, offering recipients positive sup-port to make a meaningful change. As a result, the bank’s CSR ini-tiatives have become central to its operational strategy.

Over the years it has extended its support to a broad range of charitable organisations as well as charitable programmes and events that have helped improve the lives of the disabled, orphans and the underprivileged across the Sultanate.

This has encompassed every-thing from direct donations, event sponsorships, essential equip-ment contributions and volunteer

programmes. The bank has also supported

various road safety and environ-ment awareness campaigns to raise awareness on such key top-ics within the country. Going for-ward, the bank plans to continue in its steadfast quest of philan-thropy with many more donations and charitable events planned for the current year and beyond.

The bank’s CSR efforts and initiatives earned it the ‘Golden Order of Merit in the field of CSR’ Award from UAE based Excel-lence Awards Academy earlier this year together with several others over the past years locally, regionally, and internationally. These awards include the ‘Green Campaign of the Year’ award at the ‘Oman Green Award 2014’, ‘Most Socially Responsible Bank Oman 2014’ by UK based Interna-tional Finance Magazine (IFM), and the distinguished Tatweej Academy’s ‘Golden Order of Mer-it in the field of CSR’ at the Tat-weej – Arab Leaders and Leading Organisations Grand Finale Cer-emony 2014 in UAE.

In total. Bank Sohar received local, regional and international awards in 2014; with acknowl-edgements varying from finan-cial excellence and growth to its unique products.

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

Renna Mobile stall attracts customers MUSCAT: In its continuous en-deavour to maintain a dedicated customer base, Renna Mobile, Oman and Middle East’s first mobile reseller, participated in COMEX 2015 which was held at the Oman International Exhibition.

Visitors at the exhibition en-joyed attractive offers from Ren-na Mobile where everyone got a chance to get a free Renna Mobile SIM card with 1 GB internet on purchase of any android device or tablet from other outlets par-ticipating at the exhibition, says a press release.

Raed Haddadin, CEO, Renna Mobile said, “Our focus is to pro-vide our customers with effective communication solutions that contribute to making their life convenient and easy. Visitors to the Renna Mobile stall at Comex 2015 had the opportunity to avail unique offers and learn more about our existing plans and future offerings too.”

With the aim to become the most cost-efficient mobile service provider in Oman; Renna Mobile provides fantastic prices and bril-liant customer service coupled with superb network coverage, of-fered through Omantel’s superior telecom network all across Oman, that allows one to enjoy the servic-es anytime and anywhere.

It is worth mentioning that Renna Mobile recharge cards and services are easily accessible by means of shopping kiosks and sev-eral other locations across Oman. Customers can also buy recharge online, by signing up and logging in to the customer-friendly website.

Renna Mobile also offers Oman’s most valuable data bun-dles with the best price/data ratio and International calling offers among all the mobile service pro-viders in Oman. The quality of the services provided by Renna mobile is credited with a strong and reli-able network across the sultanate.

C O M E X 2 0 1 5

Dr Abeer Ahmed joins

KIMS Oman Hospital

MUSCAT: As part of its efforts to provide the community with the best healthcare and medical services, KIMS Oman Hospital (KOH), a 50-bed hospital equipped with excellence in healthcare de-livery, has welcomed Dr Abeer Ahmed, senior specialist in Rheu-matology, as a member of its pro-fessional medical team at the hos-pital’s Rheumatology Department.

Dr Abeer Ahmed has earned her Bachelor of Medical Sciences & Surgery and Master Degree in Rheumatology and Rehabilitation in Egypt, MD, RCP(UK), and has more than 12 years of experience in Oman and Egypt. She has exten-sive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal and joint diseases (inflammatory, degenerative, vasculitis and meta-

bolic), including Rheumatic dis-eases during pregnancy as well as juvenile arthritis. She also has in-depth expertise in musculoskele-tal ultrasound evaluation and joint aspiration and injection. KOH chief operating officer Dr Hussam Akoum said: “I am very glad to wel-come Dr. Abeer to KOH family.”

R H E U M A T O L O G Y D E P A R T M E N T

Urwerk unveils new timepiece UR-105TA MUSCAT: Split between Geneva and Zurich, Urwerk is a byword for creative efficiency and ef-ficient creativity, thanks to the blend of the rigorous Swiss Ger-man and the Swiss French tradi-tional watchmaking culture.

Founded in 1997, Urwerk marked their start by introduc-ing their very first time piece at the Baselworld fair, an esteemed event to showcase the most ex-clusive watch and jewelry pieces in the world. And since then on, their creations have been making headlines, says a press release.

The newest addition to their ex-quisite collections is the UR-105 TA (TA for Turbine Automatic). As creative as they get, this wrist-watch isn’t round, has no hands and no tourbillion. It is said to be the watch that the team had the most fun in designing, the most pleasure in developing its mecha-nisms and the most satisfaction in

its hand finishing and assembly. Mistal, a part of the Ajit Khimji

group, brings to the Sultanate the best of timepieces and jewelries that are gloriously showcased protecting each piece’s individu-ality for their elite clientele. The UR-105 TA can be pre-ordered by interested parties through any of the Mistal branches.

Available in two classical ver-sions – All Black in titanium and steel, and RG in titanium and red gold, Urwerk has, for the first time also introduced the watch in more vibrant hues.

The UR-105 TA is a real watch-maker’s watch that explodes with creativity with a palette of zesty colors, thanks to Urwerk’s uncon-ventional chief designer Martin Frei. Also known as the Urwerk Knight, the UR-105 TA revisits Urwerk’s iconic satellite indica-tion, which has been an emblem-atic and instantly recognisable signature element of the brand for 18 years. Four satellites, each bearing three hour numerals, suc-cessively reveal themselves from under a sublime guilloche black cover in Peek as they parade past the minute rail to display the time.

Everything exudes precision and refinement, from the carrou-sel chassis to the dial, from the touches that are invisible to those on full display through the large sapphire crystal. Even the hidden Arcap satellite carrousel has been treated with ruthenium, then mi-

cro bead blasted to a finish meet-ing the very highest standards of haute horlogerie.

The UR-105 TA also embodies all the years of research invested into Urwerk’s wandering hour sat-ellites. Here, the ingenuity of the mechanism lies in the invisible carousel responsible for the op-eration of the satellite hours. The carousel operates precisely, si-lently, subtly and in harmony with the rest of the timepiece. There is virtually no friction and no jerking movement; just the ballet of satel-lites and the fluidity of the gears. The surface of the watch speaks of utmost finesse with perlage, bead-blasting, satin-finishing and beveled screw heads contribut-ing to the perfect aesthetics of a magnificent timepiece. Urwerk has reached a worldwide fame and has exclusive retailers that can carry its brand name with the same magnificence.

S W I S S P R E C I S I O N

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MEDC celebrates receiving, ISO and OHSAS certificates

MUSCAT: Muscat Electricity Distributing Company (MEDC), part of Nama Group, recently celebrated its achievement of In-tegrated Systems Management certificates, says a press release.

The certificates include the ISO certificate in environment and quality and the OHSAS certificate in safety management in the pres-ence of Manal Muhammad Al Ab-duwani, head of the Board of Di-rectors, and a group of CEOs and employees of Nama Group .

These certificates are proof

that MEDC meet international requirements in the mentioned areas and that it is committed to international standards in all its operations in order to provide the best and the finest services at both levels, internal (employee service) and external (customer service and relevant authorities).

Eng. Abdullah Saied Al Badri, company’s CEO, said: “These achievements are a testimony to completion of efforts made by the administration department to achieve a series of successes

at all levels to provide adequate servicefor the employees and cus-tomersin Muscat.”

“The company went through several stages and experiences to reach this success, which con-tained a lot of effort, time and fo-cus to achieve a healthy environ-ment and a safe culture,” he added.

It is worth mentioning that MEDC is a part of Nama Group companies which operates in the electricity distribution sector of Muscat governorate and is a fully owned by government of Oman.

Certificates include

the ISO certificate

in environment

and quality and the

OHSAS certificate in

safety management

ISM Charity Club initiates community service driveMUSCAT: Under the aegis of In-dian School Muscat Charity Club, a community service initiative was taken recently in a village, two kil-ometers away from Al Ansab.

Principal Srinivas K. Naidu along with a team of teachers from the Senior Section led the 30-member strong student vol-unteers in creating awareness on hygiene among the local villagers, says a press release.

Through a series of activities such as face painting, salad prep-aration and entertaining games, the team members tried to con-vey the spirit and message of hu-man betterment and education for all. The Charity Club, intend-ed to further a sense of recipro-cated responsibility towards the people around, demonstrated the methods and procedures in-volved in the proper use of hy-giene products for the advantage

of the villagers. The entire team could reach out

and gel well with the populace of the locality. Through various in-teractive intercessions the team members could transmit the im-portance of keeping oneself clean and sanitised. Gift hampers con-taining sanitation products were distributed to the villagers. The students occupied themselves in cleaning up the exceedingly lit-tered neighbourhood and thereaf-ter visited the fresh spring water sources in the close proximity un-der the care of Badriya.

After spending quality time in refreshing acts of charity, the team returned to the school with great contentment and worthy memo-ries. This unique drive was well organized by Joyson Cyril, Char-ity Club Coordinator and Aklary Sajindran, coordinator, clubs’ activities at ISM.

A W A R E N E S S C A M P A I G N

Volvo XC60 designed to enrich experienceMUSCAT: Your lifestyle says you need an SUV; your heart says you want a stylish, driver focused road car. If this is your dilemma, Volvo has designed the Volvo XC60 as your solution. It’s the perfect car for demanding drivers in search of ad-venture — both in town and beyond city limits, says a press release.

You can now get closer to this exciting car at the Muscat Grand Mall where it has been displayed prominently by the automotive division of Mohsin Haider Dar-wish. You can finish your shop-ping, eat to your heart’s content and, well satisfied in all respects, head over to the display of the 2015 model year Volvo XC60. Thanks to a whole range of im-provements both inside and out-side the car, this dynamic, refined and perfectly proportioned SUV has even got better.

Speaking about this initiative, David Aziz, CEO - Automotive Products, MHD, said, “Our Volvo showroom is in a prominent loca-tion in Azaiba, but we wanted to bring this exciting product closer to our discerning clientele. We

have accordingly put up this dis-play at the Muscat Grand Mall so that they can examine it at their convenience. Our sales team will also be available to answer all their queries & provide full details about the product.”

Customers will also be encour-aged to take a test drive on the Volvo XC60 to appreciate its su-perb handling. Thanks to its class leading chassis and corner trac-tion control, a system that makes cornering even more fun, it’s

every bit as nimble and agile as a ground hugging road car. But its ride height gives you a command-ing driving position and added confidence. Think of Volvo XC60 and take your driving experience to a new level.

T W O - I N - O N E S O L U T I O N

Sohar Aluminium conducts annual Fun RunMUSCAT: One of the most ea-gerly awaited events for Sohar Al-uminium employees, the annual Fun Run was held recently with a large number of participants. The Fun Run is held annually to pro-mote good health and encourage people to exercise to stay fit, says a press release.

The event, having two catego-ries: running and walking, saw healthy competition with good camaraderie amongst all the ath-letes and the winners in the vari-ous categories proudly carried home their trophies. The event was open for employees and their families making it a fun day for all

participants. Students and staff from Al Bati-

nah International School (ABIS) were also invited to participate in the Fun Run with separate cat-egories for children below the age of 16. The Fun Run has firmly es-tablished itself as an annual event on Sohar Aluminium’s calendar since 2011.

“The aim of this annual event, in particular, is to encourage em-ployees to improve their physical fitness by engaging them in an en-joyable activity. It is also impor-tant to spread awareness of the benefits of good health and an ac-tive lifestyle to our future genera-

tion and the involvement of ABIS students reinforces this message,” said Said Al Masoudi, CEO of So-har Aluminium.

Sohar Aluminium firmly be-lieves that people are its num-ber one priority and thus has a number of events and initiatives spread throughout the year focus-ing on its employees, their fami-lies and the wider community. This comes as a part of SA’s series of key stakeholder engagement events which were launched in high footfall locations in 2014.

These family oriented events give a personal face to the indus-try and constitute an excellent

platform for sharing the company values and communicating vi-tal messages such as “Keep your Hands & Fingers Safe” and “Anti-littering” with members of the surrounding community.

The ABIS was setup in 2008 by Sohar Aluminium to meet the growing demand for a quality international education for stu-dents in the Al Batinah Region. The students and staff regularly participate in various activities conducted by Sohar Aluminium.

Sohar Aluminium was formed in September 2004 to undertake a landmark Greenfield aluminium smelter project in Oman.

G E T - T O G E T H E R

Al Jadeed Exchange opens new branch in Al Sa’aadaSALALAH: Al Jadeed Exchange, one of the leading exchange com-panies in Oman, recently inau-gurated their 19th branch at Al Sa’ada, Salalah.

Jadid Bakhit Jadid Jaddad Al Khathiri, CEO of Al Jadeed Ex-change, inaugurated the new branch near HSBC Bank. Ahmed Jadid Bakhit bin Khathiri was the chief guest. B Rajan, genaral manager of Al Jadeed Exchange and Tuan Amit, manager Business Development and Marketing were

also present, says a press release.Al Jadeed Exchange has a 15-

year successful track record in the field of money exchange market of Oman. It is the flagship company in Al Jadeed Group of Companies.

Al Jadeed Exchange facilitates remittances to banks in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lan-ka, Philippines, Indonesia and Nepal and remittances through leading fast money products to anywhere in the world and ex-change of currencies.

E X P A N S I O N

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Insightful seminars set to broaden appeal of Oman Office Show 2015

MUSCAT: New product catego-ries, innovative solutions and, for the first time, themed seminars will enhance the appeal of this year’s Oman Office Show.

The annual event, widely rat-ed as the Sultanate’s exclusive showcase of the ideal office mi-

lieu, will take place at Oman In-ternational Exhibition Centre, Muscat from September 14 to 16, says a press release.

Now in its fourth year, this de-finitive trade show, focusing pri-marily on the design, décor and commercial interiors segments

of the office setting, has attracted the attention of regional and inter-national players. Encompassing office automation, enterprise solu-tions, as well as workspace plan-ning and design, this year’s edition is set to surpass previous instal-ments of the show in terms of ex-hibitor participation, segment rep-resentation, and B2B networking.

For the first time, the Oman Of-fice Show will feature a series of seminars spotlighting topics of vital interest to the seller and user communities.

Industry experts will take turns to offer useful insights on issues that have implications for con-sumer health, wellness, cost-sav-ings, productivity, best practice, and so on. Various presentations

will look at, among other things, the benefits associated with the use of ergonomic furniture, best practices in interior design, of-fice technology and automation trends, Big Data, CRM Systems, ERP Systems and Cloud systems, warehousing and inventory man-agement, and security technolo-gies for offices and warehouses.

B2B opportunities can be ex-plored during presentations on major upcoming projects involv-ing hotels and retail developments, hotels and hospitals, office and ministry and government build-ings. A distinguished roster of ar-chitects, consultants, project de-velopers and equipment suppliers has been lined up to offer their per-spectives during the 3-day event.

As a premium trade event, Oman Office Show will feature a comprehensive array of products and services targeted at the com-mercial sector. On display will be office automation and solutions, office supplies, office technology, workspace planning and design, floorings and wall coverings, decorative textiles, art and decor, print technology, interiors and de-sign, and more.

The growing popularity of the Oman Office Show is manifestly evident in the continued support extended by prominent profes-sional bodies and industry fo-rums. Backing the annual event for another year are the Associa-tion of Professional Interior De-signers (APID) and the Society of

British and International Design (SBID), both well-establishing professional grouping with a di-verse membership base. Their support underscores the inter-national appeal of the Oman Of-fice Show. Additionally, AHK German Industry and Commerce have also thrown their weight be-hind this year’s show in a further demonstration of the event’s pan-national appeal.

Organised by Global Exhibi-tions and Conferences, the event is targeted at consultants, archi-tects, interior designers, project managers, office managers, pro-curement heads, purchase man-agers, and professionals special-ising in commercial interiors and project design.

The annual event, widely rated as the Oman’s

exclusive showcase of the ideal office

milieu, will take place at Oman International

Exhibition Centre from September 14 to 16

Nama Group celebrates

10th anniversary in style

MUSCAT: Nama Group marked its 10th Anniversary on May 1 with a host of commemorative activi-ties and events across its eleven subsidiaries in the electricity sec-tor. The spirit of the celebration is linked to the success achieved in all areas of its operations; gen-eration, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity in Oman, says a press release.

The group initiated a re-brand-ing activity at the start of 2015 with a view to highlighting Nama brand that reflects its collective vision to ‘empower its human resources to deliver safe and sustainable elec-tricity solutions to its custom-ers’. With a view to strategising business performance goals, the group adopted five strategic pil-lars in 2012 covering human re-sources, customer service, asset management, health and safety and communication.

Being the cornerstone of the group’s vision, the customer ser-vice improvement programme is supported by the strong foun-dation of the human resources strategy which will provide an integrated approach to perfor-mance management driven to create a meritocracy.

In response to the latest innova-tions in the field of customer service around the world, the Group adopt-ed a holistic approach to utilize best practice to improve customer service in the electricity sector. To achieve this objective, the group embarked on developing their cus-tomer service operations by using the latest technological develop-ment in the areas of billing, meter reading and other related services.

The health and safety strategic programme focuses on the provi-sion of safe electricity solutions for customers through the adop-tion of international standards in work practices and operations, whilst the asset management stra-tegic programme introduces new systems and process that can sup-port the reduction of system losses through the improvements in the quality of the infrastructure and operational efficiencies.

M I L E S T O N E

Jotun unveils its ‘most beautiful paint ever’MUSCAT: Jotun, the region’s leading paint manufacturer, has unveiled its most beautiful paint innovation ever. Jotun knows that beautiful colours make beautiful homes and its latest innovation, Fenomastic My Home, features three new themes with an array of colours that are sure to take in-terior style and decor to a whole new level, says a press release.

Set to be Jotun’s most beauti-ful paint ever, the additions to the existing Fenomastic offering are based on extensive research and development ensuring home owners achieve colour precision for rich interiors.

The all-new Fenomastic My Home Rich Matt give walls a spruced up personality based on international trends. Rich Matt offers the best colour experience, providing the most accurate col-ours making strong colours look soft, deep colours look rich, un-derlining it as the perfect choice for creating beautiful homes and professional interior design pro-jects. The rich matt finish is a trend that is on the rise in terms of popularity, especially in the de-sign industry.

Speaking about the launch of Fenomastic My Home, Bjorn Skjelby, General Manager, Jo-tun Paints Oman, said: “We are

thrilled to introduce what we be-lieve is our most beautiful paint to the Middle East. Jotun has always been a brand that is dedicated to meeting the evolving design needs of customers. A key theme across the region is that custom-ers are constantly seeking ways to be on-trend in various aspects of their life, whether it’s their fash-ion style, or the furniture or walls in their homes.”

Fenomastic My Home features a range of colours that are part of Jotun’s Colour Trends for 2015. Each theme is crafted in sync with the latest trends around the world. Leading style experts worked alongside Lisbeth Larsen, Global Colour and Creative Di-rector at Jotun, to determine the three new colour themes that are part of the new product offering: A Place of Essence, A Place of Har-mony and A Place of Beauty each reflect the latest developments in

interior décor, art and style.“The Fenomastic My Home

innovation is the perfect balance of essence, harmony and beauty; three elements we believe are essential to homes. Each of the colour themes speak to a differ-ent kind of customer with a wide range of colours to choose from. We hope that our passion and commitment to continually en-hancing interior décor based on the latest trends from around the world is evident right through this collection,” said Larsen.

A Place of EssenceSerenity is key in this range and each shade transports customers to new places. A Place of Essence features relaxing shades of grey that are inspired by the fashion world’s daring colour pairings. It sees a timid black mixed with lu-minous yellow hues. The colour scale varies offering designers

and homeowners alike the chance to experiment and take risks.

A Place of HarmonyThis range introduces a fresh and uplifting take on monochromatic greens. The set features a distinc-tive palette made with soft neu-tral shades of sky blue and crisp white, floating into more coloured nuances, and leading up to dark watercolour hues of blue and teal.

A Place of BeautyFor those seeking a warm and comforting space, A Place of Beauty is the perfect choice. It fea-tures blush and rose tones that are inviting and ensure homeowners feel cosy within the walls of their home. A Place of Beauty keeps the atmosphere elevated and captures the luxury and comfort customers seek to come home to.

Tore Myrvang, Sales & Market-ing Manager, Jotun Paints Oman, said: “Fenomastic My Home is a result of years of research and development. Our team across the region has coordinated with the global team to ensure that the trends and the innovation is relevant to people in the region. We are proud to introduce the Fenomastic My Home offering to the Middle East, truly our most beautiful paint ever.”

I N N O V A T I O N

Lexus RC F to feature as

official safety car for V8

supercars touring series

MUSCAT: Lexus RC F is the fin-est example of what a 5.0 Litre engine coupe from a luxury auto-mobile manufacturer is capable of. The high powered performance RC F coupe is set to feature as V8 Supercars’ official Safety Car in 2015 as part of a new partner-ship between the Japanese luxury marque and V8 Supercars, Aus-tralia’s premier motorsport series.

A Lexus GS350 F Sport and an IS350 F Sport will also be on track as the championship’s of-ficial course and medical cars as part of the new agreement, says a press release.

The RC F, which is equipped with a 5.0-litre V8 that produces 471hp and 54.0 Kg.M Torque @ 4800-5600 rpm, will feature at each of the 15 V8 Supercars Championship events in 2015 alongside the GS 350 F Sport and IS 350 F Sport.

In Oman, every Lexus vehicle comes with special benefits and privileges such as 6 years unlim-ited extended mileage protection and Lexus Prestige Club Card that offers 24 hours on-road as-sistance from AAA.

Lexus Australia Chief Execu-tive Sean Hanley said the part-nership with V8 Supercars was a fitting match for the brand. “V8 Supercars is the world’s leading touring car series and our in-volvement as supplier of vehicles reflects the new energy in our brand and our dynamic model lines,” Hanley said. “This part-nership is also the perfect oppor-tunity to show Australian motor-sport fans the new RC F, which is just as suited to driving on a track as it is on the road.”

Based on the spectacular RC

coupe that debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show in November last year, the RC F is the world’s first front-engine, rear-wheel-drive car to make use of a Torque Vec-toring Differential for guaranteed levels of extraordinary handling and performance. Power is trans-ferred through a newly calibrated eight-speed transmission. It has wider wheels and tyres, an ac-tive rear wing, air scoops, cooling ducts and carbon fibre compo-nents all of which integrate to de-liver the best from Lexus in terms of ‘functional beauty’.

The RC F has an all-new 5.0-lit-er 32-valve V8 engine that pro-vides maximum power at higher engine revolutions than previous-ly possible. The engine is Lexus’ most powerful V8 engine, with 12 per cent more power than the IS F engine on which it is based.

The new RC F has a Lexus-first new mode with its Vehicle Dy-namic Integrated Management (VDIM) system. VDIM with sport mode is exclusive to F mod-els and the newly added EXPERT mode in VDIM OFF mode oper-ates to prevent the vehicle going into a spin. EXPERT extends the control parameters to deliver a high performance level suited to the RC F. Before being adopted on RC F, the new VDIM technol-ogy was refined through repeated testing on race cars.

L U X U R Y A U T O

Thai Airways moves office to Al QurumMUSCAT: Thai Airways has moved from its location in CBD area to Qurum, says a press re-lease from the airline. “We wish to inform our customers that we have moved to Al Rawaq build-ing, Suhail Bahan Group, oppo-site Qurum City Centre. For fur-ther enquiries, customers can contact us at 24654179-80, 95 and 96,” said Joseph Abi Hanna, district sales manager, Thai Air-ways International, Oman.

R E L O C A T I O N

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

SPOR SY O U R G A M E

SECTIONC S U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

FATMA EYES A DOUBLE CROWN IN GREECEOmani star Fatma Al Nabhani is eyeing a double crown after achieving doubles success at the ongoing $10,000 ITF Pro Circuit Heraklion tournament in Greece on Saturday. The Omani girl won the doubles title in the company of Spanish girl Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar. >C5

Tamim scores double century as Bangladesh draw Pakistan Test

KHULNA: Tamim Iqbal smashed Bangladesh’s highest Test score of 206 as the first Test against Pakistan petered out into a draw after another run feast in Khulna on Saturday.

The hosts made light of the 296-run deficit in the first innings as they posted a mammoth 555 for six in their second knock before the match was called off after tea on the fifth and final day.

The draw was a morale-booster for Bangladesh, who had lost all their eight previous Tests against Pakistan, ahead of the second and final match starting in Dhaka next Wednesday.

A stalemate was always on the cards on the heart-breaking pitch for bowlers at the Sheikh Abu Nas-er Stadium which produced 1,515 runs for the loss of just 26 wickets over the five days.

Bangladesh had made 332 in the first innings after electing to take first strike and Pakistan replied with 628 on the back of a double century from Mohammed Hafeez.

Rival captains Mushfiqur Ra-him of Bangladesh and Misbah-ul Haq of Pakistan both blamed the wicket for the high-scoring draw.

“It was difficult to take 20 wick-ets on this pitch,” said Rahim. “But I hope we will be able to do that in the next match. We will prepare well for it.”

Misbah said the pitch provided

no assistance to either the fast bowlers or the spinners.

“It was very slow which made it difficult for the bowlers,” he said. “The batsmen really enjoyed themselves in this Test.

“I thought with a lead of around 300, we could have put Bangladesh under pressure, but all credit to their batsmen, especially Tamim and Imrul, for saving the game.

“But we must do better in the field, both with our bowling and catching, if we are to win the sec-ond Test.”

The home team’s batting as-

sault left Pakistan still searching for their first win on the tour after being whitewashed 3-0 in the one-dayers and also losing the Twen-ty20 international.

The huge lead was wiped off by a record 312-run opening stand between left-handers Tamim and Imrul Kayes, which was Bangla-desh’s highest-ever partnership for any wicket.

“I am very pleased because whatever I had planned came off nicely,” said the 26-year-old Tamim. “I needed this innings as much as my team did. It was not going to be easy after we were 296 runs behind.

But we all played our role. It was a great team effort. We have done well in the one-dayers and now we are proving ourselves in the Tests also.”

Kayes was dismissed for 150 in the morning session, holing out in the deep against left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar after striking 16 boundaries and three sixes.

But Tamim continued unhin-dered as he moved into the 190s by striking leg-spinner Yasir Shah for two consecutive sixes before reaching 201 with a straight-driv-en six off seamer Junaid Khan.

That shot helped him surpass Rahim’s 200 against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2013, which was the pre-vious best Test score by a Bangla-deshi batsman.

Tamim hit 17 boundaries and seven sixes before he was stumped off Hafeez just before tea attempt-ing another big hit. But Pakistan’s misery in the field continued af-ter Tamim’s departure as star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan stepped in to hit an unbeaten 76.

Spinners Shah (none for 123) and Babar (one for 125) were the most expensive of the seven bowl-ers used by Pakistan to contain the flow of runs. - AFP

The hosts made light of the 296-run deficit in

the first innings as they posted a mammoth

555 for six in their second knock before the

match was called off after tea on the fifth day

Bangladesh 1st innings: 332 Pakistan 1st innings: 628 Bangladesh 2nd inningsTamim Iqbal st Sarfraz b Hafeez 206Imrul Kayes c sub b Zulfiqar 150Mominul Haque b Junaid 21Mohammed Mahmudullah lbw Junaid 40Shakib Al Hasan not out 76Mushfiqur Rahim lbw Hafeez 0Soumya Sarkar c Hafeez b Asad 33Shuvagata Hom not out 20Extras (lb-4, w-2, nb-3) 9Total (6 wkts, 136 overs) 555Fall of wickets: 1-312, 2-345, 3-399, 4-463, 5-464, 6-524.Bowling: Junaid 21-5-88-2 (nb-3, w-1), Zulfiqar 32-1-125-1, Hafeez 20-0-82-2, Wahab 20-3-75-0 (w-1), Yasir 30-2-123-0, Azhar 6-1-26-0, Asad 7-0-32-1.

S C O R E B O A R D

206runs from 448 balls

17 fours, 7 sixes

TAMIM IQBAL

Bahrain edge Oman at Asian beach handball tournamentMUSCAT: Bahrain overcame a battling Oman to defeat the hosts 10-4 via penalties on the second day of the Asian Beach Handball Championships at the Sultan Qa-boos Sports Complex on Saturday.Bahrain won the first session com-fortably at 22-12. But Oman fought their way back to take the second session at 19-14.

However, the hosts faltered in the shootout and failed to stop Bahrain winning the match.

Earlier in the match of the even-ing, Iran defeated Vietnam 10-7, 7-3. Later, Qatar defeated Pakistan 15-11, 22-20 for their second con-secutive victory.

On Friday, Oman kicked off the championship with a 2-0 (38-22) victory over Vietnam.

Also on the first day, Pakistan defeated Iran 2-0 (31-26) and Qa-tar defeated Bahrain 2-0 (44-37).

Thai girls winMeanwhile in the women’s com-

petition, Thailand defeated Turk-menistan 8-5 in shootout for their second victory in a row. The Thai girls won the first session 17-14 and but Turkmenistan won the

second 21-18 to take the match into the shootout. Chinese Taepei defeated Vietnam 14-11, 21-16.

The action resumes on Monday after a rest day.

C L O S E E N C O U N T E R

DOMINANT TEAM: A Qatari player, centre, takes aim at Pakistan goal during their Asian Beach

Handball Championship match at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on Saturday.

ACROBATIC TRY: Oman’s Ahmed Al Hinai, left, tries to score during

their match against Bahrain on Saturday.

Anderson treble has West Indies reeling

BRIDGETOWN: West Indies slumped to 37 for three in reply to England’s first innings total of 257 all out at lunch on the second day of the third Test at Kensington Oval on Saturday.

James Anderson, the last man out as England’s final three wickets added only 17 more runs to their overnight total, was again the tor-mentor of the Caribbean top-order.

He dispensed with both openers before adding the important scalp of second Test centurion Marlon Samuels in an outstanding open-ing spell of bowling.

It could have been even worse for the West Indies had Alastair Cook, England’s captain and batting cen-turion on the opening day, held on to straightforward chance at first slip offered by Darren Bravo before

he had scored off Stuart Broad. Bravo and fellow left-hander

Shivnarine Chanderpaul will re-sume the battle for home side in the afternoon on a pitch that appears to have much to assist England’s varied attack of seam and spin.

In getting the wicket of Cook for 105 off the last ball of day one, the West Indies carried that momentum with them into the second morning.

Jerome Taylor, wicketless on Friday, polished off the tail to fin-ish with three for 36.

First he had all-rounder Chris Jordan, playing in his native Bar-bados, caught down the leg-side by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and then bowled Broad and Anderson off successive deliveries to leave him-self on a hat-trick when he bowls his

first ball of the second innings.Left with just over an hour to the

lunch interval, West Indies started poorly with the local opening pair of Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope departing quickly to the de-spair of the home fans packed into the stands.

Anderson’s second ball of the innings was a perfect outswinger that peeled off Brathwaite’s bat for Jordan to take the catch at second slip before he had scored.

In his first Test innings, Hope edged his first delivery through the slips for a boundary.

But the debutant batsman was unable to cope with the wiles of Anderson, edging low to Cook who made no mistake in coming up with the catch millimetres from the ground. - Agencies

T H I R D T E S T

England 1st inningsA. Cook c Ramdin b Samuels 105J. Trott c Permaul b Gabriel 0G. Ballance b Holder 18I. Bell c&b Holder 0J. Root c Ramdin b Permaul 33M. Ali run out 58B. Stokes c Hope b Gabriel 22J. Buttler not out 3C. Jordan c Ramdin b Taylor 3S. Broad b Taylor 10J. Anderson b Taylor 0Extras (lb-1, w-1, nb-3) 5Total (all out , 96.3 overs) 257Fall of wickets: 0-1, 2-38, 3-38), 4-91, 5-189, 6-233, 7-240, 8-247, 9-257.Bowling: Taylor 18.3-8-36-3 (nb-3), Gabriel 15-3-47-2 (w-1), Holder 16-4-34-2, Samuels 27-5-53-1, Permaul 20-1-86-1.West Indies 1st innings (at lunch)K. Brathwaite c Jordan b Anderson 0S. Hope c Cook b Anderson 5D. Bravo not out 9M. Samuels lbw Anderson 9S. Chanderpaul not out 9Extras (b-4, lb-1) 5Total (3 wkts, 15 overs) 37Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-5, 3-21.Bowling: Anderson 6-4-4-3, Broad 5-1-20-0, Ali 2-1-2-0, Root 2-0-6-0.

S C O R E B O A R D

HAT-TRICK: England’s James Anderson celebrates taking the wick-

et of West Indies’ Marlon Samuels during their third Test match at

Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Saturday. – Reuters

C2

SPORTSS U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5


WhatsNews

SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY INSTALL WHATSNEWS

Mumbai look for revenge against Kings XI Punjab

MOHALI: Having notched up back-to-back victories with a win over Rajasthan Royals in their last game, Mumbai Indians will start as favourites when they take on laggards Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Sunday.

Playing at home on Friday night, Mumbai beat Rajasthan by eight runs, their third win in eight games, to keep their play-off hopes alive. They would now look to take revenge of their first leg loss to KXIP in Mumbai on April 12 when the two teams cross swords at the Punjab Cricket Association Sta-dium on Sunday.

KXIP, on the other hand, re-mained at the bottom of the league table with four points and have been inflicted with back-to-back crushing defeats. The home side have often made changes in their playing eleven without much gain. Their batting has been a let down in most of the matches.

Mumbai will look to fire on all cylinders right from the start un-like on Friday when they scored 61 in their last four overs, thanks to a late charge from Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard.

Mitchell McClenaghan and La-sith Malinga, who were the pick among the bowlers in Friday’s game against Rajasthan, will look to exploit the traditional bouncy nature of the Mohali tracks.

For Jalandhar-based Harbhajan Singh, who plays domestic cricket for Punjab, Mohali ground is a familiar territory and it will be in-

teresting to see whether he man-ages to have some local fans root-ing for him.

Mumbai have been looking for a stable opening combination. Par-thiv Patel has been opening in a few games with Lendl Simmons, but with just about 100 runs from six games to his credit, the diminu-tive Gujarat Ranji captain has not made the sort of impact the team’s think tank, led by chief coach Ricky Ponting, would have liked.

It will have to be seen if the vis-iting team management would be tempted to ask skipper Rohit Sharma to revert to the opening slot to provide solid start right at the beginning.

The morale of the KXIP players would be low after they suffered a comprehensive 9-wicket defeat against Delhi Daredevils Friday. That came after the 97-run thrash-ing at the hands of Chennai Super Kings in Chennai. Playing their

first home game at Mohali on April 27, Kings XI had lost by 20 runs to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The home side’s batting, consid-ered their strength on paper, has failed miserably and last night it again touched a low with the side posting just 118 against Delhi.

The likes of Virender Sehwag, Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell have not managed to make the kind of impact they were expected to ahead of the tournament.

However, KXIP may do well to bring in Maxwell, who has not fea-tured in the last couple of games.

KXIP’s bowlers too have been a huge letdown with pace spear-head Mitchell Johnson being the biggest flop. Bringing in medium pacer Shardul Thakur to play his maiden game in pressure situation on Friday against Delhi also did not help the KXIP’s cause.

Barring pacer Sandeep Sharma and left-arm spinner Axar Pa-

tel, the KXIP bowling has never looked threatening.

Mumbai Indians (from): Rohit Sharma (capt), Ambati Rayudu, Ab-himanyu Mithun, Aditya Tare, Parthiv Patel, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Marchant de Lange, Pawan Suyal, Shreyas Gopal, Lendl Simmons, Prag-yan Ojha, Mitchell McClenaghan, Aiden Blizzard, Akshay Wakhare, Nit-ish Rana, Sidhesh Lad, Hardik Pandya, Jagadeesha Suchith, Unmukt Chand, Ben Hilfenhaus, Colin Munro and R Vinay Kumar.

Kings XI Punjab (from): George Bailey (capt), Anureet Singh, Parvin-der Awana, Rishi Dhawan, Yogesh Gol-walkar, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Beuran Hendricks, Mitchell Johnson, Karan-veer Singh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Max-well, David Miller, Nikhil Naik, Axar Patel, Thisara Perera, Wriddhiman Saha, Sandeep Sharma, Virender Se-hwag, Shivam Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Murali Vijay, Manan Vohra. - PTI

Mumbai, who beat

Rajasthan by eight

runs on Friday, now

look to take revenge

for their first leg loss

to KXIP in Mumbai on

April 12 when the two

teams cross swords

at the Punjab Cricket

Association Stadium

CONFIDENT LOT: Mumbai Indians players Lasith Malinga, second left, and Lendl Simmons, second

right, share a joke during a practice session. – PTI

Resurgent Daredevils

face off against Royals

MUMBAI: A resurgent Delhi Daredevils, who have risen up the league table after an inconsistent show in the early phase, will look to build a winning momentum when they take on Rajasthan Roy-als in their Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match at the Bra-bourne Stadium here on Sunday.

Daredevils drubbed Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets by riding on a splendid bowling display by comeback pacer Zaheer Khan and the tall Nathan Coulter-Nile at home on Friday.

Rajasthan, on the other hand, slumped to their third loss in their last five games (including two rain washout matches) with a eight-run defeat against Mum-bai Indians at the Wankhede Sta-dium last night.

Fortunes seemed to have shifted on the positive side for Delhi, who are now at fourth po-sition with their fourth win from eight games, after arresting their nine-match losing streak in the tournament history at the Feroz Shah Kotla against Mumbai on April 23.

They bounced back in style on Friday to demolish KXIP after suffering a humiliating nine-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the previous away game on April 29.

Key batsmen in Mumbai-born lad Shreyas Iyer (281 runs) and Karnataka Ranji cricketer Ma-yank Agarwal (202 runs) showed good nick with individual half centuries while opening the in-nings against KXIP to ensure that their brilliant bowling display did not go waste.

Fast bowlers Nathan Coulter-Nile (4 wickets) and Zaheer (2 wickets), who played his firsst competitive game in any format after a year’s absence, had laid the platform for the convincing win by restricting the strong Punjab bat-ting line-up at a mere 118 for eight.

With skipper Jean-Paul Duminy also in good nick with the bat (220 runs) and with his accurate off-spin bowling (eight wickets), the Daredevils have most bases covered though there is a worry over the lack of runs from Yuvraj Singh (124 runs in seven innings).

The leg-spin twins of Amit Mishra (eight wickets) and South African Imran Tahir (13 wickets) may provide the Daredevils with the cutting edge if the track at the

Cricket Club of India, Rajasthan’s second home venue of the season after Ahmedabad, offers some turn. Daredevils, thus, appear to hold some aces up their sleeves to avenge their defeat against Ra-jasthan who had won the first leg match in Delhi by three wickets on April 12.

Rajasthan, on the other hand, have had a dismal run after the Super-Over loss to KXIP in Ahmedabad on April 21 which ended their brilliant five-match initial winning phase.

Two subsequent away games — against Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore — were rain-hit that forced them to share points as well as upset their rhythm. They would hope that a change of home venue from Ahmedabad, where they had lost back-to-back games against KXIP and RCB before the washouts, will turn the tide in their favour.

They depend a lot on opener and man-in-form Ajinkya Ra-hane in batting with captain Shane Watson and his Australian teammate Steve Smith to follow. All three failed to fire on Friday against Mumbai but to their good fortune Sanju Samson found timely form with a brilliant knock of 76 to bring them on the doors of victory before losing the match.

In bowling, the recall of Tim Southee for Colin Morris for the last two games, and the inclusion for the first time in the season of Rusty Theron have not really spurred them to a better display.

Rajasthan are in second spot behind Chennai Super Kings and a win over the Daredevils would be a shot-in-the-arm for Rajasthan.

Rajasthan Royals (from): Shane Watson (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith, James Faulkner, Deepak Hooda, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Dhawal Kui-karni, Tim Southee, Stuart Binny, Chris Morris, Pravin Tambe, Abhishek Nayar, Pardeep Sahu, Rusty Theron, Dinesh Salunkhe, Vikramjit Malik, Rahul Te-watia, Rajat Bhatia, Sagar Trivedi, Dis-hant Yagnik and Ankit Sharma.

Delhi Daredevils (from): JP Duminy (capt), Yuvraj, Manoj Tiwary, Quinton De Kock, Imran Tahir, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Angelo Mathews, G. Sand-hu, Travis Head, Albie Morkel, Markus Stoinis, Kedar Jadhav, Mayank Agar-wal, Mohammed Shami, Amit Mishra, Jaidev Unadkat, Zaheer Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Saurabh Tiwary, Jayant Ya-dav, Shreyas Iyer, CM Gautam, Srikar Bharat, KK Jiyas, Domnic Joseph. - PTI

W I N N I N G M O M E N T U M

India hockey team clash with improved Japan in first TestBHUBANESWAR: The Indian hockey team is all geared up to take on Japan in what would be the first of the four-match Test series at the Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday, which is prepa-ration for the upcoming World League Semifinal to be held at Antwerp in June.

Following their third-place fin-ish in the recently concluded Sul-tan Azlan Shah Cup in April, India are looking to maintain their form and will try out new strategies in the bilateral series.

With an augmented 24-mem-ber squad, chief coach Paul van Ass will aim to utilise all the play-ers and use new team combina-tions in preparation for the big tournament next month.

“In present day in international hockey, you can’t take any team lightly. Once the Netherlands team lost a match against Ja-pan, just because they took them lightly and didn’t utilise their full strength,” said van Ass.

“Though they are ranked be-

low us, Japan are a good team and they have been improving in the right direction.

“They have a very strong forward line-up and speed is their key strength. With new South Korean coach Keonwook Kang, Japan have improved a lot in all areas.”

Knowing that Japan have a strong forward line and their players are skilful to add to their pace, India have started analysing and are working on various strat-egies to tackle them.

Bench strengthRanked world No. 9, India have more bench strength than their 16th ranked Asian opponents but the hosts are not taking any chances and will try and utilise their full squad.

The last time the two teams met was in the 2013 Asian Cham-pions Trophy in Japan when the hosts defeated India 2-1.

The Indian team management has called back a few young play-

ers, such as forward Lalit Upad-hyay, defender Yuvraj Walmiki and midfielder Pardeep Mor. On the other hand, Japan have come with their full strength in a 19-member squad.

“Being an Asian team, they are playing European style of hockey, which makes them a tough oppo-nent. We are glad they are here to play with us. We will play com-petitive hockey. I am hoping for a good start against them,” added van Ass.

After finishing sixth at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, Japan are also taking the series seriously as they are also preparing for their World League Semifinal to be held in Buenos Aires.

Japan will face the toughest teams of the world there and this series will give them ample op-portunities to test their skills.

However, they have not played against India too much in the last few years and, hence, don’t know much about the Indian team and their style of play. - IANS

G E A R E D U P

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Mandeep’s breathtaking knock helps RCB stun Knight Riders

BENGALURU: Talented Punjab batsman Mandeep Singh kept his cool under pressure as his breath-taking 18-ball 45 enabled Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pip Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets in a nerve-wracking Indian Premier League (IPL) en-counter, here on Saturday.

In a rain-hit tie reduced to 10-overs-per side, KKR scored 111 for 4 courtesy Andre Russell’s 17-ball-45 but it was Mandeep’s exhilarating effort that saw Virat Kohli’s boys romp home with two balls to spare.

Mandeep’s knock had four boundaries and three sixes with the last two maximums coming off successive deliveries from Andre Russell’s last over where RCB re-quired 13 runs.

With nine required off last four balls, Mandeep first made room to slash Russell for a six over point and then pulled over deep fine leg to finish off the match in style.

At the end of the eighth over, RCB required 26 from two with their Chris Gayle 21 off nine balls , Virat Kohli 34 off 20 balls along with AB de Villiers (2) back in the dug-out.

It was the fifth and sixth deliver-ies off the penultimate over bowled by Umesh Yadav that turned the match head on.

Mandeep played a delicate lap shot over short fine leg off the fifth delivery of ninth over while the next went for boundary through

vacant third man region. The vic-tory took RCB to nine points and fourth spot removing Delhi Dare-devils. It also kept them in the hunt for play-offs.

Earlier, it was another cracker of a knock from Andre Russell that enabled the Knights to post a more than competitive total as launched a furious assault on bowlers.

Once Gautam Gambhir (12) was out trying to clear Mandeep Singh at point off David Wiese, it was smart move by the team think-tank to promote Russell up the order.

Gambhir and Robin Uthappa got their team to a brisk start add-ing 33 for the first wicket and that

precisely was the platform that Russell needed.

The Jamaican all-rounder, who has had a good tournament so far picked up the profligate Varun Aar-on for some special treatment as he hit him for two sixes and a four in one of his over.

The first six was over deep mid-wicket and the second was straight into the sightscreen.

The next over bowled by leg-break bowler Yuzvendra Chahal saw him hitting two boundaries but the shot of the innings certainly was the square cut that bisected the point and cover fielder with precision.

Along with Uthappa, Russell

whacked the RCB bowlers for 38 runs in only three overs before Uthappa was holed out by Karthik off Chahal’s bowling.

When Russell hit Wiese for his third six, it seemed that he could break Harbhajan Singh’s record for the season of fastest 50 (off 19 balls) as he had reached 45 off 17 balls. However, a smart pick and throw from Dinesh Karthik saw him short of crease.

By then, Russell had done enough to prop up KKR’s score and the likes of Ryan ten Doeschate and Yusuf Pathan also had their share of a six each to take KKR to a respectable 111 for four. - PTI

In a rain-hit tie

reduced to 10-overs-

per side, KKR scored

111 for 4 courtesy

Andre Russell’s

17-ball-45 but it

was Mandeep’s

exhilarating effort

that saw Virat Kohli’s

boys romp home with

two balls to spare

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERSR. Uthappa c Karthik b Chahal 23G. Gambhir c Mandeep b Wiese 12Andre Russell run out 45Ryan ten Doeschate c de Villiers b Starc 12Yusuf Pathan not out 11Suryakumar Yadav not out 0Extras (w-4, lb-3, nb-1) 8Total (4 wkts, 10 overs) 111Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-71, 3-96, 4-102.Bowling: Mitchell Starc 2-0-15-1; Varun Aaron 2-0-29-0; Harshal Patel 2-0-22-0; David Wiese 2-0-20-1; Yuzvendra Chahal 2-0-22-1.ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALOREC. Gayle c Russell b Hogg 21Virat Kohli c Yadav b Russell 34AB de Villiers b Chawla 2Mandeep Singh (not out) 45David Wiese (not out) 9Extras (w-4) 4Total (3 wkts, 19.4 overs) 115Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-51, 3-81.Bowling: Pat Cummins 2-0-18-0; Umesh Yadav 2-0-31-0; Brad Hogg 2-0-23-1; Piyush Chawla 2-0-21-1; Andre Russell 1.4-0-22-1.

S C O R E B O A R D

BRILLIANT INNINGS: Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Mandeep Singh plays a shot during their IPL match against Kolkata Knights Riders in Bengaluru on Saturday. – PTI

Sunrisers Hyderabad stun Chennai Super KingsHYDERABAD: Riding on skipper David Warner’s whirlwind fifty and pacers’ good show, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 22 runs in Hyderabad on Saturday.

After posting a mammoth 192 for seven, Hyderabad restricted Chennai to 170 for six. Faf du Ples-sis scored 33. Put into bat, Warner (28-ball 61) and Shikhar Dhawan (37) stitched an 86-run opening stand to lay a solid foundation for a big SRH total.

Warner (378 runs from eight games) struck from the word go as the left-handed opener hit 11 fours and a six to register his fifth half century of the tournament and get the orange cap from Rajasthan Royals’ Ajinkya Rahane (339 from nine matches).

Off-spinner Suresh Raina (one for 29) though applied the brakes after getting the dangerous Aus-tralian batsman back in the hut as Warner mistimed a pull to deep backward square-leg.

New batsman Moises Henriques

(nine-ball 19) got a few lusty hits right away but his stay was short-lived after left-arm spinner Pawan Negi (one for 20) got him stumped on the last ball of the 10th over.

Dhawan did try to bring the in-nings back on track with Eoin Morgan (32 not out) getting a few

good strikes to the fence but the left-handed opener’s run out once again put SRH on the backfoot.

But a ‘light’ interruption — one of the floodlight towers went off — at the start of the 15th over delayed proceedings as players cooled their heels in their respective dug

outs. After the break, CSK bowl-ers tried to keep the run-rate in check and limit the SRH scoring in the final five overs but Morgan had other ideas.

Purple Cap holder Ashish Nehra (one for 31) though did clean up the dangerous-looking Naman Ojha (20) in the 17th over but Mor-gan did well to hit a four and two sixes in his 27-ball cameo.

Medium-pacer Mohit Sharma (none for 58), who opened the at-tack for CSK, was expensive in his quota of overs and especially came in at the wrong end of the stick when Morgan got SRH 15 runs in the penultimate over.

The England batsman though did get a reprieve when Brendon McCullum dropped a skier on the fifth ball of the 19 over.

And even though Dwayne Bravo (three for 25) got two wickets in the final over and ended the in-nings with Karn Sharma’s (4) scalp, the Sunrisers Hyderabad had managed 49 runs in the last 30 deliveries. - PTI

U P S E T

SUNRISERS HYDERABADD. Warner c Smith b Raina 61S. Dhawan run out 37MC Henriques st Dhoni b Negi 19E. Morgan not out 32N. Ojha b Nehra 20Ashish Reddy c Dhoni b Bravo 6GH Vihari c sub b Bravo 8KV Sharma c Jadeja b Bravo 4Extras (lb-1, w-3, nb-1) 5 Total (7 wkts; 20 overs) 192Fall of wickets: 1-86, 2-107, 3-131, 4-156, 5-163, 6-188, 7-192.Bowling: M. Sharma 4-0-58-0 (nb-1); A. Nehra 4-0-31-1; R. More 2-0-28-0 (w-1); S. Raina 4-0-29-1 (w-2); D. Bravo 4-0-25-3; P. Negi 2-0-20-1.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS D. Smith c Vihari b Henriques 21B. McCullum b B. Kumar 12S. Raina c Morgan b Henriques 23F. du Plessis run out 33MS Dhoni b Ashish Reddy 20P. Negi b B. Kumar 1 5D. Bravo not out 25R. Jadeja not out 14Extras (lb-3, w-4) 7 Total (6 wkts; 20 overs) 170Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-48, 3-68, 4-114, 5-114, 6-141.Bowling: T. Boult 4-0-44-0; B. Kumar 4-1-32-2 (w-1); P. Kumar 4-0-33-0 (w-2); MC Henriques 4-0-20-2 (w-1); KV Sharma 2-0-19-0; Ashish Reddy 2-0-19-1.

S C O R E B O A R D

WHIRLWIND FIFTY: David Warner. – PTI

Soosay dismisses ‘cover-up’ claimsMANAMA: Alex Soosay, gen-eral secretary of the Asian Foot-ball Confederation (AFC), has said that “fresh allegations” he ordered documents to be hid-den during a corruption probe were nothing new and had been dealt with a long time ago.

Malaysian Soosay said in an interview after the AFC’s Con-gress in the Bahraini capital that a story in the Malay Mail last Saturday that he tampered with or hid financial documents had been taken out of context.

The Malaysian paper said it had obtained a video interview from July 2012 in which AFC financial director Bryan Kuan Wee Hong told a Fifa investiga-tor Soosay had come to him to help cover up what had been go-ing on under disgraced former AFC President Mohamed bin Hammam.

The Qatari was banned from football for life by Fifa that year for his part in a bribery scandal and other repeated violations of Fifa’s code of ethics.

Soosay said: “As far as I am concerned, the case is closed. It was thoroughly done and dealt with and Bin Hammam was suspended.

“We know who the individual is who leaked the information. It is being dealt with.

“It’s completely, all of a sud-den taken out of context. It’s election fever.

“But there’s nothing to worry about, there’s no concern. It’s dealt with.”

“The truth is the case has been thoroughly investigated,” he added. - Reuters

F O O T B A L L

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Bank Muscat gifts green ground to Al Jazeera Team in Al Kamil

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flag-ship financial services provider in the Sultanate, handed over a green playground developed as part of the Green Sports initiative to Al Jazeera Team in the wilayat of Al Kamil W’al Wafi under the auspic-es of Sayyid Khalid bin Hamad Al Busaidi, Chairman of Oman Foot-ball Association. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries, senior bank officials and a large turn-out of football enthusiasts.

Congratulating Bank Muscat for the success achieved by the unique CSR programme, Sayyid Khalid said: “The Green Sports initiative complements government efforts in building a sporting nation by providing youth the required in-frastructure facilities.

“The initiative benefiting communities, especially youth, contributes to sustainable de-velopment and protection of the environment, thereby ensuring all-round development in Oman.”

The Green Sports initiative was launched by the bank in 2012 to

lay the foundation at the grass-root level for a sustainable sports infrastructure.

In a record time, the bank has achieved notable success in de-veloping green fields in all parts of the Sultanate, thus contributing to realising the sporting dreams of clubs and teams.

Till date in the first three years

of the programme, 34 sports clubs have been given support to green their playing fields.

Taya Bait Sabea, Senior Region-al Manager – South-East-Central Muscat & South Sharqiyah Re-gions, said: “The inauguration of the green playground in Al Kamil W’al Wafi endorses the bank’s commitment to support youth rep-

resenting the country’s future. We congratulate Al Jazeera Team for seizing the opportunity to green their playing field, thereby setting a fine example for other clubs and teams in Oman to promote Oman as a sporting nation.”

The bank’s Green Sports sup-port stems from its commitment to giving a helping hand to all de-

serving teams and clubs in Oman to green their playing fields. The bank recognises that local clubs wield immense influence on neighbourhood communities, es-pecially youth, hence clubs with modern infrastructure facilities can help raise sporting heroes for the country.

The funding criteria of the pro-

gramme, include that sports clubs/teams should have been in exist-ence for three years with a mini-mum membership of 300 youth from the local community.

Dr. Abdulaziz bin Rashid Al Hashmi representing Al Jazeera Team, said: “The Green Sports initiative has made vital contri-butions to create an environment encouraging Omani sports tal-ents. The unique initiative is a big support for the country’s youth and we are confident that many youngsters will benefit from this programme and become sporting heroes for the country.”

In 2015, the bank widened the scope of Green Sports initiative beyond greening of playgrounds. From this year, sports teams and clubs seeking Green Sports sup-port can choose from four options to either green their playgrounds with natural or synthetic turf, or avail support to affix flood lights or water desalination equipment to facilitate greening of fields in areas facing problems of water salinity. The move is aimed at providing wider representation to sports clubs and teams to build sustain-able sports infrastructure in all parts of the Sultanate.

True to its commitment to sup-porting varied sporting activities in the country, Bank Muscat re-mains at the forefront in offering the required encouragement to youth. As the nation’s leading fi-nancial institution, Bank Muscat aims to motivate and provide the required impetus for youth to ex-cel in all arenas and thereby con-tribute to the development and progress of Oman.

In a record time, the

bank has achieved

notable success in

developing green

fields in all parts of

the Sultanate

AISWARYA BAGS DOUBLE GOLD AT SCHOOLS ATHLETIC MEETAiswarya Lakshmi , a student of grade 10 at Indian School Al Seeb (ISAS),won two gold medals in the athletic championships

for private schools organised by the Ministry Sports of Affairs. According to a press release issued by the school, the

participants were from the regions all over Oman and there were 150 athletes who participated in the events. The event was

held at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. Aiswarya Lakshmi represented the Muscat region and participated in long jump and

relay events. She created a new record in long jump by clearing 4.65m. She was trained under the able guidance of Tony Thomas,

physical education teacher. This is yet another feather in the sports achievements of Indian School Al Seeb. — Supplied photo

Sanchez could miss start of next seasonLONDON: Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez could miss the start of next season’s Premier League campaign should Chile pro-gress to the latter stages of the Copa America, manager Arsene Wenger confirmed.

The tournament, being staged in Chile from June 11, ends on July 4 and the Premier League season begins on August 8.

This means Wenger, who likes to give players at least four weeks break during the close-season, faces the prospect of being without the 26-year-old. “That’s not good news be-cause they finish very late and if they go very far he will miss the start of the season,” Wenger told reporters.

The effervescent forward

will be available for selection for holders Arsenal in the FA Cup final against Aston Villa on May 30.

Sanchez has been one of Arse-nal’s most consistent perform-ers this season as the Gunners have reached a second successive FA Cup Final and have all but secured a spot in next season’s Champions League competition.

Sanchez, who has scored 14 Premier League goals since join-ing the club from Barcelona last year, was named in the Profes-sional Football Association’s (PFA) team of the season last week.

Goalkeeper David Ospina and defender Gabriel Paulista could also be affected depending on the success of Colombia and Brazil respectively. - Reuters

FOOTBALL

Rio Ferdinand bereaved

LONDON: The wife of former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand has died following a short battle with can-cer, he announced on Saturday.

“My soulmate slipped away last night,” the 36-year-old player said in a statement. “Rebecca, my wonder-ful wife, passed away peacefully af-ter a short battle with cancer at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.

“She was a fantastic, loving moth-er to our three beautiful children.

She will be missed as a wife, sister, aunt, daughter and granddaughter. She will live on in our memory, as a guide and inspiration.”

The couple married in 2009 when Ferdinand played for Man-chester United from 2002 to 2014.

“Everybody’s thoughts at #mufc are with Rio Ferdinand today, whose wife sadly passed away last night,” Manchester United said in a post on the club’s official Twitter account. - AFP

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The Wave, Oman Air aim for a good finish

MUSCAT: Oman Sail’s Extreme 40 skippers, Leigh McMillan on The Wave Muscat and Stevie Mor-rison on Oman Air, will be aiming to sprinkle some magic dust on the racetrack on Sunday after both teams experienced a challenging third day at the Extreme Sailing Series in Qingdao, China.

Two-time Extreme champion McMillan, who won the China events in 2012 and 2013, dropped one place in the rankings to third to sit 29 points adrift of leaders SAP, who were runners up in both Singapore and Muscat earlier this

year, with Red Bull one point be-hind them.

The Wave, Muscat’s day, which started with the Omani boat in second place on the leaderboard, proved to be a game of two halves, admitted double Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ayton and both ended in frustration.

“It was very tough,” she said. “The first half of the day, our starts were off, then the second half we were better on the starts but struggling for speed on the up-wind legs so we had quite a battle to get the boat round the course in

the best shape we could.”It was the form boat SAP who

once again led from the front, con-sistently finding the breeze and stepping on the gas.

“SAP are on fire at the moment – they are so quick,” Ayton said. “I have never seen a boat overtake us that fast before in my life. We are a bit frustrated that we were not faster today and not able to convert a good start into a first or a second.

“It’s the final day of racing to-morrow and we want a good day to end the event on a high going into Act 4 in Cardiff. We have a lot of races on Sunday and anything could happen. We will just have to wait and see.”

Omani bowman Nasser Al Mashari added: “The wind today was trickier and tougher than yes-terday which put some pressure on us. We tried to gain points and be consistent like other teams. We are hoping for a better perfor-mance tomorrow.”

Morrison and his crew on Oman Air also moved from fifth to sixth place and were recon-

ciled to pulling something spe-cial out of the bag on the last day to overcome the unpredictably rogue conditions in Fushan Bay with eyes set firmly on the double points race.

“It was disappointing for us to-day,” Morrison said. “The breeze was very light and tricky and we didn’t seem to be able to get on the right side of the wind shifts. Hope-fully tomorrow we can see an im-provement and move forward.”

But with one day of racing left, over the national holiday week-end in China, and with the Omani teams renowned for saving their best until last, the competition is poised for an exciting finale.

Each Act in the Extreme Sailing Series spans four days of elite-lev-el stadium racing in front of sail-ing fans and spectators. Earlier on Thursday, the global circuit an-nounced Oman Air as the Official Airline Partner.

China represents Oman Air’s 49th destination as part of the Sultanate’s national carrier’s plans to expand its network across the world.

Leigh McMillan on The Wave Muscat and

Stevie Morrison on Oman Air will be aiming

to sprinkle some magic dust on the racetrack

after both teams experienced a challenging

third day at the ESS in Qingdao

CHALLENGING DAY: A view of the teams taking part in the Extreme Sailing Series Act in Qingdao, China. – Supplied photo

Oman finish eighth in Davis Cup Group IV

MUSCAT: Oman finished eighth in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group IV competition in Bahrain on Saturday.

According to information re-ceived here, in a play-off for the seventh and eighth places, Oman were beaten 2-1 by Iraq.

In the first singles match, Ali Al

Mayahi defeated Oman’s Omar Al Balushi 6-1, 6-2 to give Iraq a 1-0 lead.

In the second sinlges match, Younis Al Rawahi pulled one back for Oman with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Kareem Al Mayahi.

However, in the deciding dou-bles rubber, Ali Al Mayahi and

Akram Al Saadi defeated Ahmed Al Barwani and Younis Al Rawahi 6-2, 6-3 to make sure Iraq took the seventh place.

The defeat left the Sultanate squad in the eighth, just one place above Kyrgyzstan in the nine-team competition.

In fact, Oman’s lone victory in

five-team Pool B came against Kyrgyzstan.

In other Pool B encounters, Oman were beaten by Singapore, the UAE and Bangladesh.

Pacific Oceania and Singapore, thanks to their all-win record, were promoted to Group III for the 2016 Davis Cup competition.

T E N N I S

Fatma eyes a double crown in Greece after doubles successMUSCAT: Omani star Fatma Al Nabhani is eyeing a double crown after achieving doubles success at the ongoing $10,000 ITF Pro Circuit Heraklion tournament in Greece on Saturday.

According to information re-ceived here, the Omani girl won the doubles title in the company of Spanish girl Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar after reaching the sin-gles summit clash.

In the doubles final, the eighth-seeded pair of Fatma and Cristina defeated fourth seeds Yoshimi Kawasaki of Japan and Diana Ne-greanu of Romania in straight sets 6-4, 6-1 to emerge the champions.

Earlier in the semifinals, Fatma and Cristina accounted for third seeded German duo of Tayisiya Morderger and Yana Morderger 6-2, 6-3.

In the singles competition, Fat-ma reached the final after defeat-ing her doubles partner Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar in a closely-contested semifinal. The Omani fifth seed, despite losing the first set, fought her way back to clinch the match 4-6, 7-5 (4), 6-2 and

with that a place in the final.In Sunday’s final, Fatma is

scheduled to face off against Ger-man seventh seed Tayisiya Mor-derger, who defeated Bulgarian seventh seed Julia Stamatova 6-0, 6-2 in the second semifinal.

Fatma is taking part in the sec-ond of back-t-back $10,000 ITF Pro Circuit Heraklion tourna-ment in Greece. In the first tour-nament, Fatma won the doubles second place in the company of India’s Sharrmadaa Baluu.

I T F P R O C I R C U I T

IN FINE FORM: Fatma Al Nabhani.

Memories more important than medals for Mourinho

LONDON: Jose Mourinho said it is memories rather than medals that motivate him as his Chelsea side sit on the brink of a first Pre-mier League title for five years.

Victory against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Sunday will secure Mourinho a third title at Chelsea after triumphs in 2005 and 2006 — but the 52-year-old said the imminent arrival of a 22nd trophy as manager does not drive him.

“I have replicas of every cup I won and I don’t care about the replicas or the medals,” Mourinho told reporters. “The meaning is the important thing.

“What stays forever is the feel-ing, the emotion, the memory of the moment. I have clear in my memory every one of these mo-ments I lived.”

Mourinho’s Chelsea have topped the table since Aug. 30 and have only tasted Premier League defeat twice in a relentless pursuit of a fourth title.

In recent weeks the champions elect have grinded out gritty wins against Queens Park Rangers, Manchester United and Leicester City whilst last weekend’s goalless draw against Arsenal was greet-ed by jubilant celebrations from Chelsea’s players and supporters.

Should Chelsea beat their Lon-don rivals on Sunday the eupho-ria of securing the title will only

be fleeting for Mourinho before the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ moves on and refocuses on the next challenge.

“Normally it’s a flash,” he added. “The moment finishes, the final or the game that gives you the league, and you have like a flash of the peo-ple you love most, the people who are with you, a little bit of the most important moments that lead to that trophy.

“It’s like a quick flash. And, with me, five minutes later, move on.”

Should Chelsea defeat Palace they will be granted a guard of honour by Liverpool in their next fixture, the Reds manager Brendan Rodgers said.

“Absolutely. This club is built on dignity, respect and class. So who-ever the champions, and wherever it is, that’s what you do,” he told re-porters. - Reuters

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Chelsea out to set seal on season of dominanceLONDON: Having seemingly been promised to them all season, the Premier League title will be within Chelsea’s grasp on Sunday when they host Crystal Palace needing three points to become champions.

While the free-flowing football of the autumn has faded, Chelsea have unquestionably been the season’s stand-out team and their corona-tion is now only a question of time.

It is five years since they last won the title and the circumstanc-es then were quite different, with a side steered by Carlo Ancelotti eviscerating Wigan Athletic 8-0 at Stamford Bridge on the cam-paign’s final day to set a new Pre-mier League scoring record of 103 goals in a season.

The current Chelsea team have faced accusations that they are ‘boring’ over the past few weeks, following a run of seven wins by a single-goal margin and three draws.

But as manager Jose Mourinho has pointed out, they have won more games (24), been beaten fewer times (twice) and kept more clean sheets (16) than any other team, while only reigning cham-pions Manchester City have out-scored them (70 to 68).

It has seen the League Cup-win-

ners open up a 13-point gap over closest rivals City and Arsenal and Mourinho now just wants his play-ers to finish the job.

“We need two or three points to be champions. Let’s say three to make sure we don’t depend on goal difference,” he told his pre-match press conference.

“We need a victory or we need three points with three draws. Ob-viously we want to finish as soon

as possible. If we can do it at home, better. If we can do it on Sunday, even better. That’s what we have in our minds.”

Twelve years on from Roman Abramovich’s purchase of the club, Chelsea continue to lag behind tra-ditional heavyweights Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal in terms of overall league titles won.

But while a fifth league crown would leave them still well short

of United’s record of 20, it would also be their 13th major trophy in 11 years, which no other English team can match.

Pardew wary of ‘emotion’ Mourinho has revealed that 19-goal top scorer Diego Costa will miss Sunday’s London derby due to ongoing hamstring problems and may not play again this season if Chelsea secure the title.

“We don’t need to rush,” ex-plained Mourinho, who won the league twice with Chelsea during his first stint at the club between 2004 and 2007. “We are trying to give the maximum stability for him to be stronger and stronger. If we don’t need (him), probably he won’t play again.”

Loic Remy is in contention to lead the line after overcoming a calf injury, while Thibaut Courtois will

hope to return in goal after sitting out Wednesday’s 3-1 win at Leices-ter City due to a minor hip com-plaint. There is little riding on the game for Palace, who are 12 points clear of the relegation zone in mid-table thanks to their superb burst of form following Alan Pardew’s ap-pointment as manager on January 2.

But after consecutive defeats at home to West Bromwich Albion and Hull City and with thorny fix-tures against United and Liverpool to follow, Pardew wants his players to rise to the occasion.

“We’ve got to try and produce a performance that doesn’t get car-ried away in the emotion of the day,” he said. “They will dominate possession and the two-thirds of the pitch that we have to defend, but we carry a threat.”

Pardew has doubts over strikers Marouane Chamakh and Fraizer Campbell, both of whom have hamstring injuries, but full-back Joel Ward could return after a shin problem.

Palace have not won at Stamford Bridge since March 1982, but their recent away form has been impres-sive, with a return of five wins, two draws and just one defeat from their last eight games on the road. - AFP

C O R O N A T I O N T I M E

LONDON: Veteran striker Didier Drogba is expecting a “crazy” Stamford Bridge atmos-phere when Chelsea attempt to clinch the Premier League title for the first time in five years with a win at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday.

The 37-year-old former Ivory Coast international is dreaming of an avalanche of goals against London rivals Palace, just like

2010 when Chelsea wrapped up the championship with an 8-0 home drubbing of Wigan Athletic. “I remember when we had to play Wigan to win the ti-tle, the atmosphere was crazy,” Drogba told the club’s in-house television channel. “I think Sunday is going to be the same and I hope we are going to score a lot of goals for the fans.

“It’s a derby as well. Crystal

Palace are going to come and show what they can do and try to disturb us but really I think Sunday has to be a blue day.”

Drogba was on the bench for much of this season until top scorer Diego Costa suffered a hamstring injury in a 3-2 victory at Hull City on March 22 and since then the Ivorian has featured regularly in the starting lineup.

“I can’t wait for Sunday,” he said. “We just want to win the league now, that’s the most important thing. Everybody is focused, everybody is waiting for Sunday to happen and to come quick because we really want to play that game.”

Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea have a 13-point lead at the top of the table with five matches left to play. - Reuters

Drogba can’t wait for ‘crazy’ Chelsea Sunday

Suarez hits hat-trick, Barca rout Cordoba

MADRID: Luis Suarez scored his first hat-trick for Barcelona as the Catalan giants crushed Cordoba 8-0 on Saturday to take another step towards La Liga title.

Cordoba, who haven’t won since January, held out for 42 minutes, but a four-goal blitz in 11 minutes either side of half-time ended their return to the top flight after just one season.

Ivan Rakitic smashed home the opener in style before Suarez add-ed the second with the final touch of the first-half.

Lionel Messi, Suarez and Gerard Pique all then headed home before Messi had the simplest of finishes to roll in his 40th league goal of the

season to move one ahead of Cris-tiano Ronaldo at the league’s top goalscorer.

Messi then allowed Neymar to convert from the penalty spot before Suarez completed his hat-trick two minutes from time. Vic-tory takes Barca five points clear of Real Madrid.

Cordoba could yet be handed a reprieve from relegation should Almeria lose their appeal against the deduction of three points for unpaid transfer fees, or Elche face sanctions for overdue debts to the tax authorities.

Despite Wednesday’s looming meeting with former Barca boss Pep Guardiola and German cham-

pions Bayern Munich in their Champions League semifinal, first-leg, Luis Enrique named his strongest available side.

Neymar wasted a great chance to get the visitors off to a flying start when he volleyed over from Alves’s cross. Cordoba missed a similar opening moments later as Florin Andone headed over Edimar’s dan-gerous ball in from the left.

Messi also uncharacteristi-cally passed up a great opportu-nity to open the scoring as he shot straight at Juan Carlos after bril-liantly dribbling past three defend-ers, whilst another Neymar mishit shot came back off the post.

However, it was only a matter of time before the league leaders made the breakthrough and they did so in style when Messi’s lovely cushioned pass picked out Rakitic and he crashed a shot into the roof of the net.

Suarez made it 2-0 just before the break when he latched onto a similar pass from Andres Iniesta to sneak the ball between Carlos’s legs.

The one way traffic continued af-

ter the break as Messi expertly nod-ded home Alves’s inch-perfect cross just a minute into the second-half.

Alves’s brilliant form in recent weeks has been unimpeded by on-going speculation over his future as he once more bombed to the right to cross for Suarez to head in his 23rd goal of the season.

Neymar’s off-day in front of goal continued when he sliced wide with just the keeper to beat from Suarez’s inviting pass.

However, Barca didn’t have to wait long for a fifth as Pique rose unchallenged to head in from Xa-vi’s corner 25 minutes from time.

Messi rolled home the sixth into an empty net thanks to unselfish play by Neymar and the four-time World Player of the Year returned the favour by allowing the Brazil-ian to slot home from the penalty spot after he had been felled by Adrian Gunino.

And Suarez rounded off the scor-ing by completing his first Barca hat-trick with a simple finish after Xavi’s blocked effort had left the helpless Carlos on the floor. - AFP

Suarez scored his first hat-trick for Barcelona

as the Catalan giants crushed Cordoba 8-0 to

take another step towards La Liga title

FIRST HAT-TRICK: Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring one of this three goals during their La Liga match against Cordoba CF at El Arcangel Stadium in Cordoba on Saturday. – AFP

Burnley, QPR slide to brink of relegationLONDON: Burnley and Queens Park Rangers were both left on the verge of relegation from the Premier League following an eventful day at the foot of the ta-ble on Saturday.

Bottom club Burnley, pro-moted last season, lost 1-0 at West Ham United, who prevailed through a 24th minute Mark No-ble penalty after visiting defend-er Michael Duff had been sent off for a foul on Cheikhou Kouyate.

Sean Dyche’s side are now eight points adrift of safety with only nine points still to play for and QPR are only a point better off fol-lowing a 2-1 defeat at Liverpool.

The game at Anfield took place against a sombre backdrop, with players from both teams sport-ing black armbands in tribute to Rebecca Ellison, wife of QPR de-fender Rio Ferdinand, who died of breast cancer on Friday night.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was targeted by a protest banner calling for his dismissal that was flown over the stadium by a small plane, but he saw his side take a 19th minute lead through Philippe Coutinho.

Leroy Fer equalised with a vol-ley from a Joey Barton corner in the 73rd minute, before Liver-pool captain Steven Gerrard saw a penalty saved by former Eng-land colleague Rob Green.

But the momentum swung back in the hosts’ favour when Nedum Onuoha was sent off for a second bookable offence and Gerrard atoned for his penalty blunder by heading home an 87th minute winner.

Sunderland moved in the oppo-site direction after Jordi Gomez scored two penalties in a 2-1 win at home to Southampton, who replied through Sadio Mane and had James Ward-Prowse sent off.

The victory left Dick Advo-caat’s side a point below fourth-bottom Leicester City with a game in hand.

Aston Villa likewise bolstered their chances of avoiding the drop as Christian Benteke took his tally to 11 goals in nine games with a brace in a 3-2 win over Everton.

Tom Cleverley also scored for Villa, with Romelu Lukaku and Phil Jagielka hitting back for Everton, as Tim Sherwood’s side

preserved their two-point cush-ion over the bottom three.

Leicester had earlier enhanced their survival hopes with a one-sided 3-0 home win over flatlin-ing Newcastle United.

Argentine striker Leonardo Ulloa put Leicester in front with a header after only 36 seconds at the King Power Stadium and skipper Wes Morgan made it 2-0 with another header in the 17th minute.

Ulloa added a third goal with a penalty early in the second half and Newcastle finished the game with nine men after defenders Mike Williamson and Daryl Jan-maat were both sent off for two bookable offences.

“We have to give our support-ers something to believe in,” said Leicester manager Nigel Pear-son, who hit the headlines for branding a journalist “an ostrich” after his side’s 3-1 loss to Chelsea on Wednesday.

“They (Newcastle) still have more points than us. They’ve still got work to do, but so do we.”

It was Leicester’s fifth win in six league games and took them to within a point of John Carver’s Newcastle, who have lost eighth consecutive league games.

Elsewhere, Jefferson Montero and Ki Sung-yeung scored late goals as Swansea City won 2-0 at home to Stoke City, who had Marc Wilson sent off.

Long-time leaders Chelsea will look to secure the title on Sunday when they host Crystal Palace needing three points to become champions. - AFP

E P L

Sean Dyche’s side are now eight points adrift of safety with only nine points still to play for and QPR are only a point better off following a 2-1 defeat at Liverpool

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMSECTIONC S U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5LIFE & STYLE

The Japanese designer Chitose Abe begins crafting a garment by ripping another one apart. She sometimes

starts with a leather biker jacket, a canvas military bomber or per-haps a wool car coat. In her hands, each is little more than a toile — a version of a garment in its infancy, something still being considered. Abe deconstructs it, lowering the waist or shifting the position of the shoulder or hacking off the entire back panel and replacing it with a block of shaggy teddy-bear fur.

Abe doesn’t sketch. That’s far too sedate an activity for someone who is unabashed in her desire to demolish and rebuild. Her philoso-phy is simple but daunting. “It’s about taking something familiar and making it into something un-familiar,” Abe says.

Her label is called Sacai, a play on her maiden name, Sakai, which rhymes with “sigh,” and her clothes — beautiful, delightful, bold — are the result of aesthetic grafting. From the front, a woman wearing one of her garments looks as though she’s slipped into a simple cotton shirt-dress, but the back view suggests that it’s actually an oversize sweat-shirt pulled low over a lace skirt. So is she wearing three pieces or two? Or just one? Abe enjoys tricking

the eye with clothes that make an observer strain to suss out the real-ity. Which begs the question — Why does it matter? The answer — Be-cause clothes provide a shorthand declaration of a person’s public identity. Abe makes understanding that identity a more complicated and engaging proposition.

Abe doesn’t indulge in these tricks because she’s an impish tease or a self-absorbed artist. She’s a focused and successful en-trepreneur who owns her compa-ny and answers only to herself. She is part of a grand lineage of Japan-born designers whose urbane, non-Western ideas wield global influ-ence. And she is a working mother, aiming to create clothes that make sense for a wide swath of women — who she hopes will slip into her garments “and feel powerful and comfortable and confident.”

Her work is born of a desire “to do something different and fun and not always elegant” — at least not in the traditional girly sense. “A lot of the pieces come from menswear,” Abe explains. “They’re things that have been spliced together.” There are activewear references, military flourishes, Yeti allusions and a hint of the rebellious flower child.

Her clothes, which range from $400 for a mixed-media T-shirt to well over $4,000 for a lace-pan-

eled coat, have found an audience among fashion aficionados, Wash-ington locals, Grammy-winning musicians and stylish women west of the Mississippi. Even first lady Michelle Obama has worn a Sacai belt. Abe’s work sells.

“People love the classic yet up-dated look. They love the quirki-ness,” says Nancy Pearlstein, own-er of Georgetown’s Relish. “And they love the ease of it.”

And the clothes work for a mul-titude of occasions. “These clothes have gone to the grocery store, to a board meeting, to a TED talk,” Chi-cago retailer Ikram Goldman says. “It runs the gamut.”

When the White House cele-brates Japan’s economy, history and culture with a state dinner in honour of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next week, fashion will be in the spotlight — not least because Obama typically chooses a gown with the honoured country in mind. Chitose Abe (pro-nounced Chee-TOH-say AH-bay and no relation to the prime min-ister) is one of dozens of Japanese designers who present their collec-tions in Paris, the fashion industry’s most international stage.

It is dangerous to generalise based on national origin, and cer-tainly, Japanese designers who show collections to a global audi-ence offer a variety of sensibilities,

from the haute couture-influenced tailoring of Yohji Yamamoto to the street-inspired classicism of Un-dercover’s Jun Takahashi.

Yet as a group, Japanese design-ers bring a less trend-driven ap-proach to design. They offer a non-Western relationship to the female form, steering clear of overt Holly-wood appeal and provocation.

“The Japanese are very good at taking English classic tailoring and making it new and innovative, whether with the fabric or the de-sign. They do it in a fabulous way; no one can touch them,” Pearlstein says. “My eye is immediately drawn to it. I need that foundation of the past — otherwise (a design) just looks too way out.” Abe’s bomber jacket “is a very classic thing. She adds an underpin-ning that’s quilted. She uses colours that are saturated but understated,” as well as a cloud of fur attached to the collar, Pearlstein notes. “But, somehow, it all works.”

Japanese designers began showing their work in Paris in the 1950s. One of the earliest was Ha-nae Mori. Kenzo Takada made a name for himself in the 1970s with the vivid floral patterns in his Ken-zo brand, now owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton and designed by Americans Humberto Leon and Carol Lim. -Robin Givhan/The Washington Post

“A lot of the pieces come from menswear,” designer Chitose

Abe explains about her fall 2015 Sacai collection.

The Japanese designer enjoys tricking the eye,

attracting a double-take, with clothes that make

an observer strain to suss out the reality: Is that

skirt one piece or two?

A model wears a high-collared coat, part of the

Sacai collection.

Her collections offer a non-western relationship to the female form, one that largely steers clear of overt Hollywood appeal and provocation.

Fashion designer Chitose Abe wears one of the pieces in her fall 2015 Sacai collection. The petite Abe, 49, proves that her behemoth coats with insets of thick fur look as good on someone of modest height as they do on her models.

The collection of Chitose Abe of Sacai grew

when she brought her clothes to Paris in

2010. She put the clothes on the runway in

2012 and her reputation began to soar

FASHION THAT INTRIGUES

C8

EXTRAS U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO KNOW WHAT BOXING FANS IN OMAN PREDICTED

Discover where sports and showbiz heavy weights stand in the Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather — Manny ‘PacMan’ Pacquiao fight

Anthony Trollope, a 19th-century English author,

said, “Three hours a day will produce as much as a man ought to write.”

Not all authors would have agreed with that. Two who come to mind are Isaac Asimov and P.G. Wodehouse.

In this deal, though, declarer, in seven spades, has three choices at trick one after West leads the heart king. What are they, and which should he select?

This was a difficult bidding deal. South made what sounded to his partner like a help-suit

game-try. North, holding excellent diamonds and four spades, jumped to game.

Then South, out of ideas, used Blackwood with a void and finally guessed well to bid seven spades. (Users of textbook Roman Key Card Blackwood would have known that North had the diamond king, not the club king.)

The natural reaction is immediately to discard declarer’s club loser on dummy’s heart ace. But if South does that with this layout, he goes down one, falling foul to the unlucky 4-0 diamond break.

There are two other trick-one choices. Declarer can discard a diamond on the heart ace. Then, after drawing trumps, South can play three rounds of diamonds, ruff a diamond in his hand, return to dummy with a trump, and pitch his club loser on the 13th diamond. Alternatively, my pick —

Play low from the dummy, ruff in hand, draw trumps, and turn to diamonds. When South sees the 4-0 split, he will realise the necessity for the diamond discard on the heart ace.

— By Phillip Alder

C9

ENTERTAINMENT

South, is it this, that or the other?

B I G N A T E

B O R N L O S E R

M A R M A D U K E

A C E S O N B R I D G E

K I D S P O T H E A L T H C A P S U L EC R O S S W O R D

Answer to previous puzzle

WITH LOVE

S U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 16 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to [email protected]

ANOUSHKA BEBORTAMay 3

KAIVALYA SHENDEMay 3

N. PRAVACHANA JASMINEMay 3, 2005

ACROSS

1 Incite Rover 4 Stem-to-stern

timber 8 Ocean motion12 Khan of note13 Astronaut’s org.14 Purposes15 — de guerre16 Starlets, say18 Vinyl track20 Meat seasoning

mixture21 Slightly used car23 Ardent27 Den or burrow30 Naval off.32 Expert

33 Prior to34 Ultimate degree35 Bottle top36 Raja’s spouse38 — kwon do39 Helm position40 Cliff42 Stern opposite44 “When We Was —”46 Laundry-room item50 Protected with

plastic54 Woodland creature55 North-forty unit56 Tang57 FBI acronym58 Cook in a wok59 Grp.60 Gibson of

“Braveheart”

DOWN

1 Joined the chorus 2 Inventor — Sikorsky 3 Hunter’s wear 4 Untrustworthy one 5 Right of passage 6 Sixth sense 7 Cougar’s pad 8 It gets dunked (2

wds.) 9 Motel of yore10 Banned pesticide11 Winding curve17 Weep over19 “— to Billie Joe”22 Pub sign (2 wds.)

24 Beach scavenger25 Buffalo’s lake26 Rough-hewn27 Chervil or endive28 Vaccine type29 Waiter’s offering31 Frozen desserts37 More uncertain39 Floor41 Stadium filler43 Bygone45 Rum-soaked cake47 “Madam, I’m —”48 Rum’s partner49 Get better50 Refrain syllables51 Circus routine52 Hi-tech scan53 “Alas, — true ...”

C I N E M A S C H E D U L EC I N E M A S C H E D U L E

BAHJA CINEMA

STARS CINEMA

Film Information - 24540856 / Advance Booking - 24540855Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

For More Information 24789032, 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

Film information 24791641 / 24786776

FAST & FURIOUS 7 (Act/Crime ) Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, 11.55 pm, CP No : 819 ( 12+ )BARELY LETHAL ( Act / Adv) Cast: Samuel L.Jackson, Sophie Turner, Jamie King10.00 pm, CP No: 1077 ( 12+ )CYMBELINE (Drama) Cast: Ethan Hawke, Ed haris, Milla Jovovich 4.00 pm. CP No: 1076 (12+)SHE’S FUNNY THAT WAY (Com / Dr)Cast: Oven Wilson, Imogen Poots, Jennifer Aniston2.00 & 6.00 pm, CP No: 1121 (15+)MAY IN THE SUMMER (Dr / Ro) Cast: Hiam Abbas, James Garson Chick, Cherien Dabis 2.00, 6.00 & 8.00 pm. CP No: 1122 ( 12+ )LEMON TREE PASSAGE (Horror) Cast: Jessica Tovey, Nicholas Gun4.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.55 pm CP No : 1123 ( 15+ )

Oru Vadakkan Selfie (Mal) (Rom/ Com)Cast: Navin Pauly, Manjima, Aju 3:30 & 9:30 pm at Cinema Main, 6:45pm at Cinema 3 Uthama Villain (Tamil) (Rom/Com) Cast: Kamal Hassan, Jayram, Pooja Kumar and Urvashi 6:15 pm at Cinema Main; 3:45pm at Cinema 3, 9:30pm at Cinema 2 O Kadhal Kanmani (Tamil/Rom)Cast:Dulqar Salman & Nitya Menon3:45, 6:45 & 9:45pm at Cinema 4Ennum Eppozhom (Mal/Com)Cast: Mohanal, Manju Warrior, Lena9:45pm at Cinema 3Kanchana (Tamil) (Com/Horror)3:30, 6:30 pm Cinema 2Next change: Dohchay (Telugu)

Avengers Age Of Ultron (3D) (Action, Adventure)(PG12)Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo2:15, 6:10, 8:50, 11:30 pmAvengers Age Of Ultron (2D) (Action, Adventure)(PG12)Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans3:30 pmShe’s Funny That Way (Comedy) (15+)Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Esposito, Imogen Poots2:00, 6:45 pmFast & Furious 7 (Action, Crime) (12+)Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson6:45 pmTracers (Action)(12+)Cast: Taylor Lautner, Marie Avgeropoulos, Adam Rayner5:00, 11:45 pmLemon Tree Passage (Horror)(15+)Cast: Jessica Tovey, Nicholas Gunn, Pippa Black4:00, 11:45 pmGabbar Is Back (Action, Crime) (PG)Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, Kareena Kapoor9:15 pmUttama Villain (Comedy) (TBC)Cast: Kamal Haasan, Dr. K. Viswanath, K. Balachander8:30pm

Avengers Age Of Ultron(2D) PG12Cast : Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo10:00 amAvengers Age Of Ultron (3D) (PG12) Gold ClassCast : Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo1:15, 6:00, 8:35, 11:15 pmShe’s Funny That Way (15+)Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Esposito, Imogen Poots12:40, 2:15 pmLemon Tree Passage (15+)Cast: Jessica Tovey, Nicholas Gunn, Pippa Black2:30, 11:45 pmGabbar Is Back (PG) (Hindi)Cast : Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, Kareena Kapoor9:15 pmUttama Villain (Tamil) (Comedy) (TBC)Cast: Kamal Haasan, Dr. K. Viswanath, K. Balachander6:00 pm

Fast & Furious 7 (12+)Cast : Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson11:30 amAvengers Age Of Ultron (3D)PG12Cast : Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo4:00, 6:35, 9:10, 11:45 pm

SCREEN 1

Gabbar Is Back - Hindi (Action/Drama) – PGCast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, Kareena Kapoor, 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM

SCREEN 2

Avengers: Age of Ultron (3D)( Action, Adventure, Fantasy)– PG12Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM

Fast & Furious 7 - 2D (12+) Act/CriCas : Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne6:30 PMAvengers: Age of Ultron – 2D (PG12) Action |Adventure |Sci-Fi Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans03:40 pmAvengers: Age of Ultron – 3D (PG12) Action |Adventure |Sci-Fi 6:15, 8:50, 11:30 PMTracers - 2D (12+) ActionCast: Taylor Lautner, Marie Angelopoulos, 6:50, 11:45 PMShe’s Funny That Way -2D (15+) (Comedy)Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Esposito, Imogen Poots3:00, 5:00 PMMay in the Summer - 2D (12+) Com |DrCast: Hiam Abbass, James Garson Chick, Cherien Dabis2:30, 4:45 PMLemon Tree Passage – 2D (15+) Horror |Mystery | ThrillerCast: Jessica Tovey, Nicholas Gunn, Pippa Black3:00, 6:45, 11:45 PMOtt We Far - 2D (Arb) (PG12) ComCast: David Walliams, Pudsey, 4:30 PMOru Vadakkan Selfie - 2D (M)(PG) ComedyCast: Nivin Pauly, Aju Varghese, 9:00 PMGabbar is Back- 2D (TBC) (Act |Cri |Dra)

Avengers: Age of Ultron- 3D (PG12)Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo6:45, 9:15, 11:45 PMAvengers: Age of Ultron- 2D (PG12)3:15pmIn Fear (2D) (15+)Cast: Iain De Caestecker, Alice Englert, Allen Leech3:00, 5:25, 11:30 PMShe’s Funny That Way (2D) (15+)Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Esposito, Imogen Poots7:00 PMGabbar is Back (2D/PG)Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, Kareena Kapoor4:30, 8:45, 11:20 PMUttama Villain – Tamil ( Comedy/Drama)– PG12Cast: Kamal Haasan, Parvathy Nair, 2:45, 8:25 PMOru Vadakkan Selfie (2D) (PG)Cast: Nivin Pauly, Aju Varghese, Vineeth Sreenivasan

Avengers: Age of Ultron (3D) (Act | Adventure | Sci-Fi) (PG12) Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo6:30, 9:00, 11:30 PMAvengers: Age of Ultron (2D) (PG12) Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans,

Avengers :Age Of Ultron (3D)(PG12)(Action, Adventure,Sci-Fi) Cast: Robert Dwney Jr,Chris Evan2:45, 6:30, 9:00, 11:35pmAvengers :Age Of Ultron (2D)(Action) 10:45AM; (PG12)Tracers (2D)(12+) (Action) Cast: Taylor Lautner, Marie Avgeropoulos, Adam Rayner10:30AM, 7:00, 10:05PMFast & Furious 7 (2D) (12+) (Act/Crime) Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson; 12:10, 4:30PMShe’s Funny That Way (2D)(15+) (Comedy) Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Esposito, 1:00, 2:45, 5:15PMLemon Tree Passage (2D) (15+) (Hor ) Cast: Jessica Tovey, Nicholas Gunn 1:15, 5:00, 11:45PMGabbar is Back (2D)(PG) (Action/Crime) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, Kareena Kapoor10:45AM, 2:35, 11:20PMOru Vadakkan Selfie (2D)(PG) (Comedy) Cast: Nivin Pauly, Aju Varghese8:45PMUttama Villain (2D)(PG12)( Comedy) Cast: Kamal Haasan, Dr. K. Viswanath, K. Balachander7:00pm

Mark Ruffalo, 4:00PMGabbar is Back (Action ) (PG)Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K Haasan, Kareena Kapoor; 8:45 PMShe’s Funny That Way ( Com) (15+) Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Esposite, 4:15 PMOru Vadakkan Selfie (Malayam) (Comedy) (PG)Cast: Nivin Pauly, Aju Varghese, Vineeth6:05 PMUttama Villain (Tamil) (Comedy) Cast: Kamal Haasan, Dr. K. Viswanath, K. 11:15 PM

SCREEN 3Uttama Villain – Tamil

( Comedy/Drama)– PG12

Cast: Kamal Haasan, Parvathy Nair,

3.30, 6.35, 9.45 PM

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, Kareena Kapoor8:45, 11:15 PMUttama Villain – Tamil ( Comedy/Drama)– PG12Cast: Kamal Haasan, Parvathy Nair, 8:30 PM

C10

FIND-IT-ALLS U N DAY, M AY 3, 2 0 1 5

PHARMACIESRound the clockAl Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24783334; Appolo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24782666; Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24702542, Salalah: 23291635; Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra: 24503585Muscat RegionApollo, Al Hamriya. Tel: 24787766Muscat, A Seeb Market. Tel: 24421691Muscat, Al Khuwair. Tel: 24485740Muscat, Al Hail South. Tel: 24537080Dhofar RegionMuscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah. Tel: 23291635

HOSPITALSAl Amal Medical & Health Care Centre: 24485052Atlas Hospital: Ruwi: 24811743/ Ghubra: 24504000Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic: 24706453Hatat Polyclinic LLC,Ruwi: 24563641, Azaiba: 24499269, Sohar: 2683006Al Raffah Hospital: 24618900/1/2Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory: 24566435Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre: 24499434Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24787766, 24787780Capital Polyclinic: 24707549Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi: 24799760/1/2Capital Clinic, Seeb: 24420740Ceregem National Raak: 24485633Dr Harub’s Clinic: 24563217Elixir Health Centre: 24565802Emirates Medical Centre: 246045401st Chiropractic Centre: 24472274Hamdan Hospital: 23212340International Medical Centre LLC: 24794501/2/3/4/5Kims Oman Hospital: 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency: 24760123Lama Polyclinic, Sohar: 26751128, MBD: 24799077, Al Khuwair: 24478818Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital: 24568870Muscat Private Hospital: 24583600Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair: 24477666Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC: 22004000

ROYAL OMAN POLICEEmergencies and inquiries: 9999General Directorate of Passport and Residence: 24569603Directorate General of Customs: 24521109Traffic violations inquiries: 24510228Public Relations Admin: 24560099

ACCOMMODATIONAl Bahjah Hotel: 24424400Al Bustan Palace: 24764000 Al Khuwair Hotel Apartments: 24478171Al Madina Holiday Inn: 24596400Al Maha International Hotel: 24494949Al Fanar Hotel: 24712385Al Falaj Hotel: 24702311Al Qurum Resort: 24605945Azaiba Hotel Apartments: 24490979Beach Hotel: 24696601Bowshar Hotel: 24491105Coral Hotel Muscat: 24692121Crowne Plaza Muscat: 24660660Crystal Suites: 24826100Golden Tulip Seeb: 24510300Grand Hyatt Muscat: 24641234Haffa House Hotel: 24707207Hotel Muscat Holiday: 24487123InterContinental Muscat: 24680000Majan Continental Hotel: 24592900Marina Hotel: 24711711Midan Hotel Suites: 24499565Mina Hotel: 24711828Muttrah Hotel: 24798401

Nuzha Hotel Apartments: 24789199Oman Dive Centre: 24824240Park Inn: 24507888Qurum Beach House Hotel: 24564070Radisson Blu Hotel: 24487777Ramee Dream Resort Seeb: 24453399Ramee Guestline Hotel: 24564443Ruwi Hotel: 24704244Safeer Hotel Suites: 24691200Sheraton Oman Hotel: 24772772Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa: 24776666The Chedi Muscat: 24524400The Treasurebox Muscat Hotel: 24502570

AIRLINE OFFICESMuscat Airport Flight information (24 hours): 24519456/24519223Aeroflot: 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, Turkish Airlines: 24703033

MUSEUMSBait Al Baranda: Corniche (seafront opp fish market), Open from Saturday to Thursday 9am to 1pm and 4 to 6pmNatural History Museum: Al Khuwair, Tel: 24604957, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm; Thursday: 9am to 1pmMuseum of Omani Heritage: (former Omani Museum), Madinat Al Alam, Sat-Wed 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday - 9am to 1pm, Tel: 24600946Armed Forces Museum: Bait Al Falaj, Tel: 24312651, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm; Thurs 9-12pm and 3-6pm; Fri 9-11am and 3-6pm. Al Hoota Caves 24498258; Turtle Beach 96550606/96550707Children’s Science Museum: Shatti Al Qurum, Tel: 24605368, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pmOman-French Museum: near Muscat Police Station, Tel: 24736613, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm, Thurs: 9am to 1pmBait Al Zubair, Muscat: Tel: 24736688, Al Saidiya St., [email protected] from Sat to Thurs: 9:30am to 6pm.National Museum Ruwi: Tel: 24701289, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pmSohar Fort Museum: Tel: 26844758, Open from Saturday to Wed: 8 to 1:30pm Thurs: 9am to 1pmMuscat Gate Museum: at Al Bahri Road, Muscat open from Sat to Wed 8am to 2pm

PRAYER TIMINGS

W E A T H E R

Dhuhr 12.09pm

Asr 3.34pm

Maghrib 6.40pm

Isha 7.57pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 4.11am

Sunset 6:29pm

Sunrise (Tomorrow) 5:43am

High tide 2:58am 2:40pm

Low tide 9.29pm 8:23am

OMAN

Max 42Min 27

Max 36Min 25

Max 39Min 29

Max 41Min 23

Max 39Min 26Max 42

Min 24

Max 40Min 26

Max 32 Min 25

Hazy weather over the northern parts of the Sultanate and clear skies over the rest.

EXPECTED WIND: The wind will be northeasterly light to moderate during day becoming variable at night along the coastal areas of Oman Sea and along the coastal areas of Arabian Sea, the wind will be southerly to southeasterly light to moderate while it will be westerly to northwesterly light to moderate over rest of the Sultanate.

SEA STATE: Moderate ato rough along the Arabian Sea coastal areas

with a maximum wave height of 3.0 metres and slight along the rest of the coasts with a maximum wave height of 1.25 metres.

HORIZONTAL VISIBILITY: Moderate over most of the Sultanate.

THE NEXT 48 HOURS OUTLOOK: Chances of early morning low level clouds or fog patches along the coastal areas of Arabian Sea and oman Sea, the governorates of Al-Wusta and south Al-Sharqiya and the northern parts of Dhofar governorates.

Max Min

GULFAbu Dhabi 39 26Doha 38 27Dubai 39 28Kuwait 40 28Manama 32 27Riyadh 41 29

WORLDAthens 27 18Baghdad 36 21Beijing 23 9Berlin 19 13Boston 23 11Cairo 30 15Colombo 32 25Frankfurt 19 13Hong Kong 27 23Istanbul 19 12Johannesburg 24 10Kuala Lumpur 32 24Lisbon 18 18Paris 19 12Perth 19 12Singapore 32 27Tokyo 26 18Toronto 18 11

WORLD

Max 25Min 14

Max 39Min 24

Max 19Min 12

Max 38Min 25

Max 24Min 13

Max 22Min 17

Max 18Min 9

Max 34Min 25

SUNDAYFLT NO ARRIVALS FROM ETA WY406 CAIRO 0005WY648 KUWAIT 0005WY676 JEDDAH 0005WY672 MEDINA 0005WY682 RIYADH 0010WY914 SALALAH 0020WY916 SALALAH 0120WY910 SALALAH 0130TK774 ISTANBUL 01354H585 DACCA 0200NL669 SIALKOT 0200PK225 KARACHI 0210GF560 BAHRAIN 0325QR1132 DOHA 0345ET624 ADDIS ABABA 0350EK866 DUBAI 0350EY384 ABU DHABI 0400FZ041 DUBAI 0415WY114 FRANKFURT 05154H586 DOHA 0600CV732 LUXORE 0635WY658 BAHRAIN 0635WY638 ABU DHABI 0640WY902 SALALAH 0645WY326 KARACHI 0650WY644 KUWAIT 0650G9841 RAS AL KHAIMA 0655WY686 RIYADH 0655WY154 ZURICH 0700WY144 MALPENSA 0705WY692 DAMMAM 0715WY668 DOHA 0715WY674 JEDDAH 0735WY132 PARIS 0735WY102 LONDON HEATHROW 0740FZ043 DUBAI 0800WY602 DUBAI 0805NL768 LAHORE 0830WY272 JAIPUR 0830WY202 BOMBAY 0835WY3932 SOHAR 0840WY236 HYDERABAD 0900G9114 SHARJAH 0905WY282 BANGALORE 0910WY226 COCHIN 0920EK862 DUBAI 0930WY210 GOA 0935WY242 DELHI 0935WY212 TRIVANDRUM 0950WY252 MADRAS 0955IX549 TRIVANDRUM 0955QR1128 DOHA 1000IX817 MANGALORE 1010EY382 ABU DHABI 1010IX443 COCHIN 10209W530 TRIVANDRUM 1045WY3922 DUQUM OMAN 1045WY3302 MUKHAIZNA 1110WY604 DUBAI 1110WY918 KHASAB 1115GF562 BAHRAIN 1130FZ037 DUBAI 1140IX337 CALICUT 1155WY384 MALE 1210WY822 KUALA LUMPUR-SINGAPORE 1215WY818 BANGKOK 1220WY634 ABU DHABI 1220WY904 SALALAH 1230WY670 DOHA 1250WY324 KARACHI 1300WY332 KATHMANDU 1305WY652 BAHRAIN 1330WY606 DUBAI 1340KU677 KUWAIT 1405WY906 SALALAH 1440WY920 KHASAB 1445WY348 ISLAM ABBAD 1515FZ045 DUBAI 1535WY3304 MUKHAIZNA 1550WY344 LAHORE 1605QR1126 DOHA 1650WY204 BOMBAY 1655WY632 ABU DHABI 1710WY292 CALICUT 1710WY264 LUCKNOW 1740WY664 DOHA 1745EK864 DUBAI 1745WY246 DELHI 1750WY232 HYDERABAD 1750WY610 DUBAI 1800GF564 BAHRAIN 1810WY656 BAHRAIN 1820TG507 BANGKOK-KARACHI 1900G9116 SHARJAH 1905WY374 COLOMBO 1915WY646 KUWAIT 1920FZ047 DUBAI 1940WY908 SALALAH 2000WY614 DUBAI 2025WY848 JAKARTA 2035WY338 KATHMANDU 2040WY386 MALE 2045WY434 TEHRAN 2055FZ049 DUBAI 2100WY124 MUNICH 21059W534 COCHIN 2115AI973 DELHI 21256.00E+81 BOMBAY 2130WY254 MADRAS 2135BA073 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2140WY624 DUBAI 2150UL205 COLOMBO 2155AI907 MADRAS 2200WY312 CHITTAGONG 2210QR1134 DOHA 2225LX242 ZURICH-DUBAI 2225GF566 BAHRAIN 2240LH616 FRANKFURT-DOHA 2245EY388 ABU DHABI 2300WY414 AMMAN 2300WY910 SALALAH 23109W540 BOMBAY 2315AI985 BOMBAY 2325WY662 DOHA 2335WY654 BAHRAIN 2340WY636 ABU DHABI 2340WY928 SALALAH 2345WY816 BANGKOK 2350WY696 DAMMAM 2355WY612 DUBAI 2355

MONDAYFLT NO ARRIVALS FROM ETA

WY672 MEDINA 0005WY648 KUWAIT 0005WY406 CAIRO 0005WY676 JEDDAH 0005WY682 RIYADH 0010WY914 SALALAH 0020WY916 SALALAH 0120TK774 ISTANBUL 01354H583 DACCA 0200PK229 LAHORE 0215GF560 BAHRAIN 0325QR1132 DOHA 0345ET624 ADDIS ABABA 0350EK866 DUBAI 0350EY384 ABU DHABI 0400FZ041 DUBAI 0415WY114 FRANKFURT 0515WY658 BAHRAIN 0635WY638 ABU DHABI 0640WY902 SALALAH 0645WY644 KUWAIT 0650WY154 ZURICH 0700WY144 MALPENSA 0705WY668 DOHA 0715WY674 JEDDAH 0735WY102 LONDON HEATHROW 0740FZ043 DUBAI 0800WY422 BEIRUT 0805WY602 DUBAI 0805WY346 ISLAM ABBAD 0815WY342 LAHORE 0825WY272 JAIPUR 0830WY202 BOMBAY 0835WY236 HYDERABAD 0900G9114 SHARJAH 0905WY226 COCHIN 0920EK862 DUBAI 0930WY210 GOA 0935WY242 DELHI 0935WY212 TRIVANDRUM 0950WY252 MADRAS 0955QR1128 DOHA 1000EY382 ABU DHABI 1010WY844 MANILA 10209W530 TRIVANDRUM 1045WY604 DUBAI 1115WY918 KHASAB 1115WY3302 MUKHAIZNA 1120GF562 BAHRAIN 1130FZ037 DUBAI 1140WY372 COLOMBO 1140IX337 CALICUT 1155PA450 LAHORE 1215WY705 DARESSLAM-ZANZIBAR 1215WY822 KUALA LUMPUR-SINGAPORE 1215WY634 ABU DHABI 1220WY818 BANGKOK 1220WY904 SALALAH 1230WY670 DOHA 1250WY324 KARACHI 1300WY332 KATHMANDU 1305WY632 ABU DHABI 1335WY606 DUBAI 1340WY920 KHASAB 1445FZ045 DUBAI 1535WY3304 MUKHAIZNA 1550WY656 BAHRAIN 1635QR1126 DOHA 1650WY204 BOMBAY 1655WY292 CALICUT 1710WY264 LUCKNOW 1740WY664 DOHA 1745EK864 DUBAI 1745WY232 HYDERABAD 1750WY246 DELHI 1750WY254 MADRAS 1750WY284 BANGALORE 1750WY3922 DUQUM OMAN 1755WY610 DUBAI 1800GF564 BAHRAIN 1810G9116 SHARJAH 1905WY684 RIYADH 1915WY646 KUWAIT 1920FZ047 DUBAI 1940WY614 DUBAI 2025WY848 JAKARTA 2035WY338 KATHMANDU 2040WY434 TEHRAN 2055FZ049 DUBAI 2100KL441 AMSTERDAM-DOHA 2105AI977 BANGALORE-HYDERABAD 2105WY124 MUNICH 21054H561 DACCA 21159W534 COCHIN 2115AI973 DELHI 21256.00E+81 BOMBAY 2130BA073 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2140WY624 DUBAI 2150WY906 SALALAH 2155AI907 MADRAS 2200WY312 CHITTAGONG 2210QR1134 DOHA 2225LX242 ZURICH-DUBAI 2225GF566 BAHRAIN 2240LH616 FRANKFURT-DOHA 2245WY717 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 2250SG061 AHMEDABAD 2300EY388 ABU DHABI 2300WY910 SALALAH 23109W540 BOMBAY 2315WY908 SALALAH 2320AI985 BOMBAY 2325WY662 DOHA 2335WY654 BAHRAIN 2340WY636 ABU DHABI 2340WY928 SALALAH 2345WY816 BANGKOK 2350WY612 DUBAI 2355WY696 DAMMAM 2355

FLT NO DEPARTURES TO ETD AI986 BOMBAY 00209W539 BOMBAY 0020WY657 BAHRAIN 0055WY225 COCHIN 0105WY637 ABU DHABI 0105WY235 HYDERABAD 0110WY281 BANGALORE 0110WY211 TRIVANDRUM 0110WY685 RIYADH 0115WY201 BOMBAY 0115WY643 KUWAIT 0120WY251 MADRAS 0120WY271 JAIPUR 0135WY601 DUBAI 0145WY123 MUNICH 0200WY325 KARACHI 0210WY847 JAKARTA 0215WY241 DELHI 0215WY901 SALALAH 0215WY691 DAMMAM 0225WY667 DOHA 0225WY383 MALE 0230TK775 ISTANBUL 0230WY209 GOA 02554H585 DOHA 0300PK260 PESHAWAR 0310NL772 PESHAWAR 0330WY331 KATHMANDU 0350ET625 ADDIS ABABA 0450EK867 DUBAI 0450EY385 ABU DHABI 0500FZ042 DUBAI 0510QR1133 DOHA 0515WY3931 SOHAR 06354H586 DACCA 0700GF561 BAHRAIN 0715WY3921 DUQUM OMAN 0745G9842 RAS AL KHAIMA 0745WY903 SALALAH 0750WY603 DUBAI 0750WY3301 MUKHAIZNA 0800CV732 HONG KONG 0800WY917 KHASAB 0815WY347 ISLAM ABBAD 0830WY669 DOHA 0835WY323 KARACHI 0835FZ044 DUBAI 0845WY373 COLOMBO 0900WY815 BANGKOK 0905WY291 CALICUT 0915WY343 LAHORE 0915NL769 LAHORE 0930WY651 BAHRAIN 0935WY263 LUCKNOW 0940WY821 SINGAPORE-KUALA LUMPUR 0945WY843 MANILA 0955G9115 SHARJAH 0955WY231 HYDERABAD 1000WY605 DUBAI 1020WY905 SALALAH 1020WY203 BOMBAY 1025WY385 MALE 1040WY245 DELHI 1040EK863 DUBAI 1045IX554 TRIVANDRUM 1045WY337 KATHMANDU 1050QR1129 DOHA 1100IX818 MANGALORE 1100EY383 ABU DHABI 1105IX442 COCHIN 1120WY311 CHITTAGONG 11409W533 COCHIN 1145WY919 KHASAB 1145GF563 BAHRAIN 1215FZ038 DUBAI 1225WY3303 MUKHAIZNA 1230WY253 MADRAS 1255IX350 CALICUT 1255WY633 ABU DHABI 1300WY113 FRANKFURT 1320WY663 DOHA 1330WY631 ABU DHABI 1345WY143 MALPENSA 1350WY645 KUWAIT 1350WY655 BAHRAIN 1400WY101 LONDON HEATHROW 1400WY153 ZURICH 1420WY927 SALALAH 1430WY405 CAIRO 1440WY413 AMMAN 1440WY433 TEHRAN 1445WY609 DUBAI 1445KU678 ABU DHABI-KUWAIT 1505WY907 SALALAH 1540WY675 JEDDAH 1615FZ046 DUBAI 1620WY671 MEDINA 1705WY613 DUBAI 1710QR1127 DOHA 1750WY623 DUBAI 1840WY681 RIYADH 1840WY647 KUWAIT 1845WY909 SALALAH 1850GF565 BAHRAIN 1855EK865 DUBAI 1910WY695 DAMMAM 1915WY653 BAHRAIN 1920WY661 DOHA 1920G9117 SHARJAH 1955WY913 SALALAH 2000TG508 KARACHI-BANGKOK 2005WY635 ABU DHABI 2015FZ048 DUBAI 2025WY611 DUBAI 2035WY915 SALALAH 2100FZ050 DUBAI 2145WY421 BEIRUT 2215WY817 BANGKOK 22259W529 TRIVANDRUM 22306.00E+82 BOMBAY 2245AI908 MADRAS 2300UL206 COLOMBO 2305AI974 DELHI 2310WY705 DARESSLAM-ZANZIBAR 2310GF567 BAHRAIN 2325LX243 DUBAI-ZURICH 2325QR1135 DOHA 2330BA072 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 2330WY673 JEDDAH 2350EY381 ABU DHABI 2355LH617 DOHA-FRANKFURT 2355

FLT NO DEPARTURES TO ETD AI986 BOMBAY 00209W539 BOMBAY 0020WY657 BAHRAIN 0055WY225 COCHIN 0105WY637 ABU DHABI 0105WY211 TRIVANDRUM 0110WY235 HYDERABAD 0110WY201 BOMBAY 0115WY643 KUWAIT 0120WY345 ISLAM ABBAD 0125WY271 JAIPUR 0135WY341 LAHORE 0145WY601 DUBAI 0145WY371 COLOMBO 0155WY123 MUNICH 0200WY901 SALALAH 0215WY847 JAKARTA 0215WY241 DELHI 0215WY667 DOHA 0225TK775 ISTANBUL 0230WY209 GOA 02554H584 DACCA 0300PK226 KARACHI 0315WY331 KATHMANDU 0350EK867 DUBAI 0450ET625 ADDIS ABABA 0450EY385 ABU DHABI 0500FZ042 DUBAI 0510QR1133 DOHA 0515GF561 BAHRAIN 0715WY603 DUBAI 0750WY903 SALALAH 0750WY3301 MUKHAIZNA 0800WY917 KHASAB 0815WY323 KARACHI 0835WY669 DOHA 0835FZ044 DUBAI 0845WY633 ABU DHABI 0900WY815 BANGKOK 0905WY253 MADRAS 0915WY291 CALICUT 0915WY263 LUCKNOW 0940WY717 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 0940WY821 SINGAPORE-KUALA LUMPUR 0945G9115 SHARJAH 0955WY231 HYDERABAD 1000WY283 BANGALORE 1000WY631 ABU DHABI 1015WY605 DUBAI 1020WY203 BOMBAY 1025WY245 DELHI 1040EK863 DUBAI 1045WY337 KATHMANDU 1050QR1129 DOHA 1100EY383 ABU DHABI 1105WY311 CHITTAGONG 11409W533 COCHIN 1145WY919 KHASAB 1145GF563 BAHRAIN 1215WY655 BAHRAIN 1215FZ038 DUBAI 1225WY3303 MUKHAIZNA 1230IX350 CALICUT 1255PA451 LAHORE 1315WY113 FRANKFURT 1320WY663 DOHA 1330WY683 RIYADH 1335WY131 PARIS 1345WY645 KUWAIT 1350WY143 MALPENSA 1350WY101 LONDON HEATHROW 1400WY153 ZURICH 1420WY927 SALALAH 1430WY405 CAIRO 1440WY609 DUBAI 1445WY433 TEHRAN 1445WY3921 DUQUM OMAN 1455WY675 JEDDAH 1615FZ046 DUBAI 1620WY613 DUBAI 1710WY905 SALALAH 1735QR1127 DOHA 1750WY681 RIYADH 1840WY623 DUBAI 1840WY647 KUWAIT 1845WY909 SALALAH 1850GF565 BAHRAIN 1855WY907 SALALAH 1900EK865 DUBAI 1910WY695 DAMMAM 1915WY661 DOHA 1920WY653 BAHRAIN 1920G9117 SHARJAH 1955WY913 SALALAH 2000WY635 ABU DHABI 2015FZ048 DUBAI 2025WY611 DUBAI 2035WY411 AMMAN 2100WY915 SALALAH 2100FZ050 DUBAI 2145AI978 HYDERABAD-BANGALORE 22004H561 JEDDAH 2215KL442 DOHA-AMSTERDAM 2220WY817 BANGKOK 22259W529 TRIVANDRUM 22306.00E+82 BOMBAY 2245AI908 MADRAS 2300WY677 MEDINA 2310WY705 DARESSLAM-ZANZIBAR 2310AI974 DELHI 2310GF567 BAHRAIN 2325LX243 DUBAI-ZURICH 2325BA072 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 2330QR1135 DOHA 2330WY673 JEDDAH 2350LH617 DOHA-FRANKFURT 2355EY381 ABU DHABI 2355

A I R L I N E S

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (Route 36)Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 15:00 Quriyat 16:30 Daily15:00 Sur 18:00 Daily15:00 Jaalan 19:30 Daily

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (Route 36)Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41)06:30 Sohar 08:50 Daily06:30 Buraimi 11:00 Daily08:00 Buraimi 14:30 Daily via Ibri13:00 Sohar 15:45 Daily13:00 Buraimi 17:40 Daily 16.00 Sohar 18.35 Daily 16.00 Buraimi 20:20 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41)07:00 Sohar 08:55 Daily07:00 Ruwi 11:40 Daily13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri13:00 Sohar 14:55 Daily13:00 Ruwi 17:40 Daily 13:00 Sohar 19:20 Daily 17:00 Ruwi 22:15 Daily

TO SINAW (Route 52)17:30 Sinaw 20:50 Daily

TO SINAW (Route 52)07:00 Ruwi 10:25 Daily

To Yanqul (Route 54)14:30 Nizwa 16:50 Daily14:30 Yanqul 19:30 Daily

To Yanqul (Route 54)06:00 Nizwa 08:40 Daily06:00 Ruwi 11:00 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54)08:00 Nizwa 10:20 Daily08:00 Al Araqi 12:30 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54)15:40 Nizwa 17:55 Daily15:40 Ruwi 20:20 Daily

TO SUR (Route 55)07:30 Sur 12:00 Daily14:30 Sur 18:45 Daily

TO SUR (Route 55)06:00 Ruwi 10:45 Daily14:30 Ruwi 19:00 Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (Route 62)06:30 Fahud 10:30 Daily06:30 Yibal 11:15 Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (Route 62)12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily12:30 Ruwi 17:30 Daily

TO DUBAI (Route 201)06:00 Sohar 08:30 Daily06:00 Dubai 11:30 Daily13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur15:00 Sohar 17:35 Daily15:00 Dubai 20:55 Daily

TO DUBAI (Route 201)07:30 Sohar 10:50 Daily07:30 Ruwi 13:40 Daily13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri15:30 Sohar 18:45 Daily15:30 Ruwi 21:35 Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (Route 100)07:00 Salalah 20:00 Daily10:00 Marmul 20:30 Daily10:00 Salalah 23:30 Daily19:00 Salalah 07:40 Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (Route 100)07:00 Ruwi 19:50 Daily10:00 Marmul 13:15 Daily10:00 Ruwi 22:30 Daily19:00 Ruwi 07:30 Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101)06:00 Marmul 16:50 Daily

SALALAH TO DUBAI (Route 102)15:00 Dubai 07:00 Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101)06:00 Marmul 16:30 Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (Route 102)15:00 Salalah 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204)Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily 07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily 07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204)Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily 16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

LISTINGS

-www.met.gov.om

BORN today, you are likely to have enjoyed a lucky break while you were quite young, which allowed you to get a taste of the kind of success you truly want in life — or think you do. The truth is that you may, as a result of this early introduction to worldly reward, discover that it is not really all that it is touted to be. You may therefore subsequently seek a kind of contentment that is yours alone. Still, you understand full well that you must, in some way, be a contributing member of society, not merely a loner who does only what your instincts and desires instruct you to do. You will learn to do just that, and make your way quite well.

You are likely to see many things in life that you will never forget, things that help you shape your own future even as you focus on the present. The past is something that you will always learn from, but not something that will haunt you in any serious way; you know how to let bygones be bygones.

Also born on this date are: Dule Hill, actor; Bing Crosby, actor and singer; Frankie Valli, singer; Pete Seeger, singer-songwriter; Sugar Ray Robinson, boxer; Christina Hendricks, actress; Christopher Cross, singer; Doug Henning, magician; Niccolo Machiavelli, political philosopher; Mary Astor, actress.

Negative energy can only do you harm, in small but significant ways. Avoid those who habitually bring you down!

VIRGO [AUG. 23-SEPT. 22]

LIBRA [SEPT. 23-OCT. 22] LLLLLLLLLLLLLLL[S[S[S[S[[[S[[S[S[S[[S[S[SSS[SS[SSSS

SCORPIO [OCT. 23-NOV. 21] S[

SAGITTARIUS [NOV. 22-DEC. 21] S[[[[[[[[[[[[[[

AQUARIUS [JAN. 20-FEB. 18]

You can do a little more than you had anticipated, especially if you force yourself to make an early start.

You are feeling confident and capable. Getting a certain challenging task done shouldn’t really require any unusual effort.

You may need to spend a little more time examining the picture that looms before you. The future holds something rather complex.

Once all the pieces of a certain puzzle are made available to you, you will have to spend some time putting them all into place.

You can work with someone to come up with a schedule that benefits both of you, without requiring either to make any sort of sacrifice.

You’re facing something that is routine, and something that is not. Do what you can to front-load your day, leaving routine affairs until later.

Trust may be put to the test, but when another goes to bat for you and moves things along successfully, you’ll know where you stand.

PISCES [Feb. 19-March 20]

You’re expecting too much from yourself if you are planning to tackle everything on your own. Collaboration is necessary.

GEMINI [MAY 21-JUNE 20]

CANCER [JUNE 21-JULY 22]

LEO [JULY 23-AUG. 22]

CAPRICORN [DEC. 22-JAN 19]

Y O U R B I R T H D A Y

ARIES [March 21-APRIL 19]

TAURUS [APRIL 20-MAY 20]

Fatigue may be taking a toll on you. Take time to rest and to let things go. You can’t bear every burden yourself.

Much depends on having everything in its proper place. Confusion reigns if you neglect to map things out ahead of time.

The message you have been waiting for may not be anything new, but it contains a reminder that will be timely — and certainly helpful.

C11


Dark night is good for your health

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called insuffi-

cient sleep an epidemic. While we are finally paying attention to the importance of sleep, the need for dark is still mostly ignored.

That’s right. Dark. Your body needs it too.

Being exposed to regular pat-terns of light and dark regulates our circadian rhythm. Disruption of this rhythm may increase the risk of developing some health conditions including obesity, dia-betes and breast cancer.

Light regulates our sleep and wake patternsThe physiological processes that control the daily cycle of sleep and wake, hunger, activity levels, body temperature, melatonin level in the blood, and many other physi-ological traits are called the en-dogenous circadian rhythm.

On its own, the endogenous circadian rhythm is nearly, but not exactly, 24 hours. Our bodies rely on the Sun to reset this cycle and keep it at precisely 24 hours, the length of our days. The light – and the dark – are important sig-nals for the cycle. This circadian rhythm has developed over three billion years as life evolved on

Earth in the context of the Sun’s day/night cycle. It is built deeply into our genetic makeup.

During the night, in the dark, body temperature drops, me-tabolism slows, and the hormone melatonin rises dramatically. When the Sun comes up in the morning, melatonin has already started falling, and you wake up. This natural physiological tran-sition into and out of night is of ancient origin, and melatonin is crucial for the process to proceed as it should.

If you were to put someone in a dark cave with no time cues at all, the cycle will last about 24 hours, but not exactly. Without time cues like those from the Sun, eventually that person would become out of sync with people outside. In fact many profoundly blind people, who cannot perceive light, must cope with this de-synchronization in their daily lives.

What does your body do in the dark?Many things happen to our bod-ies during the dark. Levels of the hormone leptin, which helps con-trol hunger, go up. High levels of leptin mean we do not feel hungry while low levels make us hungry.

Why does leptin go up in the

dark? Since we evolved without artificial light at night, one theory holds that leptin goes up at night because it would be good to not be hungry during the night, rather than needing to forage in the dark and possibly get into trouble.

This fasting that should hap-pen every night, and why we call the first meal in the morn-ing “breakfast.” Experiments in human beings have shown that sleep disruption and turning on lights lowers leptin levels which makes people hungry in the middle of the night.

In the last decade or two it has become clear that the genes which control the endogenous

circadian rhythm (the “clock genes”) also control a large part of our entire genome including genes for metabolism (how we process the food we eat), DNA damage response (how we are protected from toxic chemicals and radiation), and cell cycle reg-ulation and hormone production (how our cells and tissues grow).

Light at night disrupts these processes. The changes that result from exposure to electric light at night have biological connections to disease and conditions that are common in the modern world to-day including obesity, diabetes, cancer and depression.

Today most people do not get enough sleep. The US Centres for Disease Control and Preven-tion (CDC) has called insufficient sleep an epidemic. While we are finally paying attention to the importance of sleep, the need for dark is still mostly ignored.

That’s right. Dark. Your body needs it too.

Being exposed to regular pat-terns of light and dark regulates our circadian rhythm. Disruption of this rhythm may increase the risk of developing some health conditions including obesity, diabetes and breast cancer. -Richard

Stevens/The Independent

Experiments in human beings have shown that sleep disruption and turning on lights lowers leptin levels which makes people hungry in the middle of the night

Too little light in the day, and not enough darkness at night — how our sleep patterns are

changing for the worse

Ocean fronts boost fishery production, improve climate

RESEARCH

CHILDREN WHO display higher levels of inattention at the age of seven are at risk of worse academic outcomes in their sec-ondary examinations, research by an Indian-origin professor in Britain says.

The findings have significant implications for parents, teach-ers and clinicians. Researchers at the Universities of Notting-ham and Bristol studied more than 11,000 children as part of the research. “Teachers and parents should be aware of the long-term academic impact of behaviours such as inattention and distractibility,” said Kapil Sayal, professor of child and ado-lescent psychiatry at University of Nottingham.

“The impact applies across the whole spectrum of scores at the population level,” Sayal noted. “Prevention and interven-tion strategies are key and, in the teenage years, could include teaching students time-manage-ment and organisational skills, minimising distractions and

helping them to prioritise their work and revision,” Sayal noted.

Parents and teachers com-pleted detailed questionnaires when the children were seven-year-old to assess a variety of dif-ferent behaviours. Some of these behaviours include inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity and oppositional/defiant problems.

This information was com-pared with the children’s aca-demic achievements by looking at their secondary examination results at age 16.

For every one-point increase in inattention symptoms at age seven, across the whole sample, there was a two to three point reduction in secondary examina-tion scores at age 16. With each one-point increase in inatten-tion symptoms increased the risk of worse academic outcomes across the full range of inatten-tion scores in the sample.

The study appeared in the Journal of the American Acad-emy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. -IANS

STUDY

Childhood inattention is linked to poor grades later

OCEAN FRONTS separate regions of warm and cool wa-ter as well as salt and fresh wa-ter — can help increase fishery production in the ocean, a new study says. Fronts can be incorporated into current climate and fisheries models to account for small-scale in-teractions in fishery produc-tion and cycling of elements such as carbon and nitrogen in the ocean. By applying a fundamental technique from fluid dynamics to an ecosys-tem model, researchers found that fronts increase total eco-system biomass, among other things. “The biological effects have not been looked at before, just the physics, so no one has really tried to incorporate this method into large ecosystem models,” said Brock Woodson, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia. Wood-

son focused on ocean fronts because their flow patterns create convergent zones that aggregate food and resources in the ocean. The more pro-duction there is, the more that can be taken out of the ocean without having the biomass negatively affected, or go down. This study incorporated fronts into past models, show-ing how they channel nutrients in the system, aggregating food for important fishes and ma-rine mammals. Although over-fishing is something to be cau-tious and aware of, ocean fronts give these species the ability to survive and thrive because of the nutrients they provide. “Fronts cascade up the system and fishing cascades down the system,” Woodson noted. The study appeared in the Pro-ceedings of the National Acad-emy of Sciences. -IANS

C12


Where is the line between emphasising the positive and embellishments that warp the truth in a resume?

The arty resumeI work in marketing for a

company that owns several brands. Most are not well known, but one is widely recognised. That happens

to be the one I do the most work on. I am currently job-hunting, and I usually put the name of the parent company on my résumé. After all, that’s the business that I technically work for. But would it be out of line to list the name of the recognisable brand that is the focus of the vast majority of my attention? I think it would stand out more, and maybe it would reflect better on me to be associated with the well-known brand. My intent is not to be mis-leading, just to get attention from prospective employers, said an job hunter from Vermont, US.

On some level, every résumé is a sort of pitch, maybe even a per-formance. In fact, it’s one that can, and probably should, be tweaked for each potential audience.

Obviously, that doesn’t mean you should ever include outright falsehoods: If you were an entry-level employee at Acme, don’t claim to have been a manager at A-1. But if you really did focus mostly on, say, the Fleet-Foot Jet-Propelled Tennis Shoes line, it seems fair to highlight that as the heading of a past-employment entry — so long as the entry goes on to detail that this product is a division of the conglomerate Acme (or whatever the real-world specifics may be).

In doing this, you’re not chang-ing any facts, just their order. And that gets us to the larger issue this

question raises: Just how rigidly honest does a résumé need to be? Where is the line between empha-sizing the positive and embellish-ments that warp the truth?

One simple gut check is to im-agine your response if an inter-viewer zeros in on the item you’re concerned about. If you’re basi-cally just hoping not to be asked about it, you’ve got a problem. But if you can explain that the word-ing you’ve chosen most clearly expresses your real background, experience and skills, you’re fine.

A second exercise — Consider

the specific target audience. It’s possible that some potential em-ployers would not only be per-fectly familiar with Acme but also more impressed by it (and the multibrand experience it implies). The point is, a résu-mé isn’t carved in stone. The specifics you choose to high-light or play down may vary according the particular posi-tion you’re seeking, and even on whom you expect to actually see your résumé.

Speaking of which, one last ca-veat is in order here. Depending

on the job and the field, any given résumé these days may get its first read from a machine. Many firms now use applicant-track-ing software that scans résumés for keywords as a first step in winnowing the candidate field. That’s another reason that regu-lar résumé tweaking for each in-tended audience (to echo crucial phrases from a job listing, for in-stance) can be a wise move.

Just as for human readers, the goal in crafting a résumé for screening software is to stick with the facts that capture your skills, and to present them in the way that’s most likely to grab attention — a person’s or otherwise.

Quashing the lunch cliqueIn answering a reader’s recent question about a manager who lunches daily with the same clique of employees, your response was es-sentially to ignore unprofessional, rude, childish and exclusionary of-fice behaviour. This amounts to ad-vising, “Don’t mind the bully; some-day maybe he’ll stop.”

We say ask the manager’s boss if this is considered acceptable behaviour. If nothing is done, then move on — perhaps to a healthier office environment. — T. Macdon-ald and K.A. Wildauer, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania

A: I still think that trying to build relationships with col-leagues is more productive in the long run than appealing to higher-ups when it comes to stamping out a lunch club. But given that I was also critical of the clique-leading manager, this alternative strategy

is worth consideration.Let’s say it’s true that the lunch-

ers’ behaviour is as corrosive as described here. Before going over the boss’s head — in effect to ac-cuse him or her of playing favour-ites and alienating everyone else in the process — make sure you’re not just speaking for yourself.

If the lunch clique is sparking widespread resentment, that’s a more compelling issue than indi-vidual irritation about, for exam-ple, a clique member getting the promotion you wanted.

In particular, I endorse this reader’s suggestion to approach this as a question for upper man-agement rather than a flat-out complaint. Merely telling on a supervisor behind his or her back is risky. So position the conversa-tion as seeking counsel about an issue that top managers might be unaware of - and could be a cause of general workplace discontent.

Of course, even if the lunch clique is quashed, that’s no guar-antee that the result will be a new-ly egalitarian workplace where your career will flourish as never before. Office politics aren’t a rare manifestation of a profoundly dysfunctional work culture — they’re a natural extension of the way humans who spend a lot of time together are bound to behave.

So by all means, don’t shrink from calling out practices that seem harmful and unjust. But over time, you’ll still have to put effort into courting allies who recognize and appreciate your skills, not just challenging those who don’t. --Rob Walker/The New York Times News Service

SRK was more handsome than AbRam, says sister SUPERSTAR Shah Rukh Khan drew a comparison between his childhood image and that of his youngest son AbRam. But according to his sister Shehnaz, SRK was “more handsome” as a baby. “Sisters r so sweet. I asked mine if she remembers if I looked like lil AbRam. She said “NOO!!U were very handsome” haha,” the 49-year-old tweeted on Friday. Shah Rukh intro-duced AbRam to Kolkata when the star father was in the city earlier this month to cheer for his cricket team, the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Lara Dutta looks forward to team up with Akshay

ACTOR -PRODUCER Lara Dutta is excited to start working in Singh Is Bliing not only because of the script, but it’s lead actor Akshay Kumar. “Super excited to start Singh is Bliing tomorrow with @akshaykumar! I’ve lost count of our movies together :). #friendphi-losopherguide,” Lara tweeted on Friday. Sharing screen space with Akshay holds a special place in Lara’s heart as she was paired with the Khiladi Kumar in her debut film Andaaz in 2003. The sequel of the 2008 blockbuster Singh Is King will add to her long list.

Siddhanth Kapoor injured during shoot

ACTOR Siddhanth Kapoor, who will be seen vrooming around on a pink scooter in his next film Bombairiya, met with an accident while shooting for a chase sequence. The actor went ahead to complete the scene and says that the incident brought him closer to his reel charac-ter. “Accidents happen on sets all the time. The scooter is an extension of my character in the film and this accident has actu-ally managed to forge a real relationship between me and my ride,” Sid-dhanth said. -IANS

BOLLYWOOD

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

CONNECT H E D A I LY G U I D E

D

D4 VACANCY CARGO D7

S U N D AY, M AY 3 , 2 0 1 5

RENT D2

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

FOR RENT

500 Square meters workshops,

ready to use, with electricity

& shaded work space, ideal for

vehicle repairs , welding and other

small industrial units, Misfah

industrial area block 2 near Baladi-

yah Camp. Contact 94030816

Deluxe 1, 2 BHK flats in Dar-

sait, AL Khuwair 1deal for office

& residence.contact 99369081

/99142314

2BHK with split AC in W. K behind

Sana Fashion. contact 96708000

1BHK flat near star cinema with

split A/C 230/- O.R. Contact -

99358589/ 97079146/

95570288

Studio flat Wadi Kabeer 160/-O.R.

Contact - 99358589 / 97079146/

95570288

New flat at Wadi Kabir near Indian

school 1bedroom + 1 sitting, 2 at-

tached bathrooms and big kitchen.

Contact 98011224

Covered space available near Mis-

fah INDL, NCPT 100sq, mtr, ideal

for ware house. Contact 93965831

Fully furnished school for rent,

with license or not and 1BHK near

Al Fair super market Al Khoud Souq.

Contact 95490049/91290464

2 BHK Muttrah behind Oman

house. Contact 95915154

Flat for rent in Ruwi 3 BHK spa-

cious semi furnished flat , with

dining room, 3 toilets split & win-

dow A/Cs fridge , cooking range &

fully automatic washing machine.

Contact 91174070

Furnished flats for rent in Al

Buraimi, daily, weekly, monthly.

Contact 97819981 / 93593336

2BHK available Ghubra near

Indian School, 1BHK Mumtaz Ruwi.

Contact 99269751

2 BHK spacious flat for rent in Al

Khuwair prime location.contact

99262279

Shop & workshop for rent opp.

gmc showroom Al Gubrah. Contact

Vekariya 99252176

Al Hail villa for rent. suitable for

family or staff accommodation,

near Dosteen Hotel RO 600 /- per

month. Contact 94439250.

New furnished flat at Amerat3B-

HK, 3Toilets RO230 pm.#95113797

1 Bedroom bachelors, sharing K &

T in Al Khuwair R.O 100/-. contact

95154331

Furnished A/C Office for rent in

MBD with Meeting Room and other

facilities. Rent R.O.200/ per month.

Contact: 99232271/99624180.

Bath attached room for rent Al

Khuwair. Contact 99743569

Furnished room attached bath for

Indian bachelor - Al Falaj area &

for lady at Wadi Kabir (al Maya) -

95941515.

2 & 3 BHK flat in Al Khuwair. Con-

tact - 99792181

D2 S U N D AY, M AY 3 , 2 0 1 5

4 BHK villa in Madinat Ilham.

Contact - 99792181

2 BHK flat in Bowshar. contact

99792181

3 BHK flat in Azaiba. contact

99792181

2 BHK in Al Khuwair 33.contact

99792181

2BHK 3 toilets Mumtaz Ruwi, in

building cinema and gym, card

excess, 425omr contact 97707007

2 B/R Apartment Luxury Fully

Furnished @ Azaiba Near Zubair

Showroom. 2 B/R Apartment Executive Fully Furnished @ Al

Khuwair 33. 1 B/R Apartment

Executive Fully Furnished @ Al

Khuwair 33. 3 B/R Apartment

Executive Fully Furnished @ Al

Khuwair 25. 5 B/R Villa - Fully

Furnished at Madinat Al Ilam.

Contact - Atlas Real Estate & Rent

A Car LLC / 24783341- 24834888/

99249069 / 92888376/ 93201688

Email: [email protected]

2BHK flat available for rent,

near Hamriya roundabout con-

tact-99366191

Flats and villa for rent in North

Ghubra, the first line on 18 Novem-

ber Street opposite of chedi hotel

suitable for offices. #96130361

Room main road, Al Khuwair R.O

110/-. Contact 97799175

New 3 bedroom flats split AC,

attached toilets available behind

Kims Oman Hospital. contact

95225662

Shop for rent Misk house bldg

Walja area near Honda road. Con-

tact 99312674 / 96917934

3000 sq mtrs Industrial landß,

in Barka Sanaiya, with electricity

400KW, shed, staff accommoda-

tion and office. Ready to start any

kind of factory. Contact 99384255.

Flat for rent at Al- Khuwair 33/1, 3

Bedrooms, Dining room, Family hall,

3 Bathrooms, Kitchen with store

with split A/C units. #99315515

Office size 160 Sq.M. available in

Jasmine Towers Al Khuwair @ OMR

- 7/- per Sq. M. Please#99335093

1BHK R.O 250, Bldg # 1619 Way #

1322 adjacent to Indian Nurs-

ery Darsait.contact 99476728 /

24705453

Villa in Al Khuwair and Seeb.

Contact 95250300/ 99119699 /

92125648

Industrial land for rent in Wadi

Kabir 7000 Sq mtrs. #99354340

2BHK with A/C Al Khuwair 325/-.

Contact 99358589/95570288

Labour camp for Rent in Wadi

Kabir. Contact 99797422

Family flats in Wadi Kabir, MBD,

Ruwi, Muttrah, AL Khuwair, Al

Hail and Seeb. Contact 96055889

/95250300 / 92125648

Flat No3 first floor AL Khuwair 33

may no 4712 H. 866. Contact Awad

: 95525509 /Ahmed : 99486805

Room with attached bathroom

AL Khuwair 33 area. contact

96059431

Villa for rent in Al Khuwair 33,

8 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms with

parking area near Tuimur Mosque.

Contact 99366624

Big room attach bathroom Sep:

kitchen Wadi Kabeer nr Kuwaiti

mosque OMR 125/-. #95094028

Villa for rent with 4 bedroom at

Al Khodh, Rent 750/-RO.#92888115

Flat at Darsait. contact 99326879

One BHK flat for rent in Ghobra

with attach and common bath-

room. For Indian family. contact

- 92322096

1 Bedroom flat in Azaiba. Contact

99385835/99428143

3 Office space available between

120-142 sqm, with data cable,

pantry, cassette AC, parking, @ RO.

5/- per/sqm. At Jibroo Muttrah. 2

BHK flat at Azaiba, behind Al Meera

Hypermarket. RO. 330/-.Contact:

93221054, 99229263, 95215289

Flat 1BHK for rent, OPP. Abu

Haroon furniture, bldg No 1057,

Way 5917, Hamriya, Rent 170/-P.M.

Contact 99350946

For rent flats, shops, villas in Al

Hail, Mawalih, Ruwi, Khuwair,

special prices, fast service. Contact

98588240 / 24487033

Flats shops and store for rent

in MBD area, Honda rood and

Rex Road. Contact 92433127 /

97293708/ 95150632

1 / 3 BHK Flat Ghobrah, close

to ISG Way 4041, building 4390

#99319880

Ghubra near Al Maha hotel &

Indian school (2BHK with 5 split

ac units). contact 94652485/

99273774 / 99202278

Flat for rent 1 & 2 bedroom avail-

able behind Zaker Mall Al Khuwair.

Contact - 99530405

1BHK with A/C Al Khuwair 225/-.

#99358589/ 97079146/ 95570288

250 Sqr mtrs office space in CBD.

Contact 99792181

1 Bhk flat in Near Cornich (mutrah).

Contact 99792181

1 Bhk Flat in Ghobra.#99792181

New one B/R directly from owner

Behind Bank Muscat Bausher.

#92158031

1BHK with A/C in Ghubra 250/-

R.O. Contact 97799175

2BHK at Azaiba, 2 bedrooms, 1

hall, dining, 3 bath rooms. Contact

99224748 / 99425665

2BHK at Honda road, 2 bedrooms,

1 hall, 2 bath rooms. Contact

99224748 / 99332297

Flat for rent 2 bedroom +1sitting

room + 3 bathroom + 1 kitchen with

store + store room in Ruwi-Mumtaz

area 95135445

1BHK with A/C near star cinema

250/-. Contact 970790146/

99358589/95570288

New 2B/R flats with split unit D/C

& free Internet & office space availa-

ble at Al Khuwair near Mustafa Sul-

tan Philips showroom. #99460330

Spacious Ground floor 3 BHK, flat

with, 3 toilets in Wadi Kabir, AL Has-

san R.O 325/-. Contact 92622506

One room with bath at Al Khuwair.

Contact 99382008

2BHK near medical Darsait R.O

260/-. Contact 98748925

Big flat in Al Khuwair 33, 3 bed-

rooms, 3 bathrooms, sitting, dining,

family lounge, kitchen, store with

A/C, rent 550, 000/- OMR. Contact

97278169

For rent 3 industrial land. Contact

92702891/ 95490842

1,000 sq mtrs industrial land in

Misfah Industrial area near to Khan-

co. OMR 1,500 Monthly. Electricity

and boundary wall will be provided.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

4 BHK with 4 bathrooms near

Darsait municipality. Rent RO 550/-.

Cont. 92883288

4 flats for rent at Sidab Opp. Petrol

pump each flat consist of 2BR, 1

STRM, 2 toilets, rent each flat R.O

250/- P. M 12 Cheques monthly off

comm. 5% for one year agreement.

Contact Abdullah 99445880

2 BHK + 3 bathrooms + balcony near

MCT Bakery Wadi Kabir. Contact

99357660 / 96453506

Spacious 2 BR flat in MBD.

#99713489

Flat for rent 3bedroom, 2 toilets

in Mobillah front of Palm project

near Nesto Hyper market. Contact

96034110 / 92773350

FOR RENT

DAILY GUIDES U N D AY, M AY 3 , 2 0 1 5 D3

ACC. AVAILABLE

ACC. AVAILABLE

ACC. WANTED

Wanted a family sharing accom-

modation for Keralite in Ruwi area.

Please contact: 92558541

Sohar, 2/3, B/R, flat /villa, re-

quired. Contact 93031168

Near Ghala / azaiba, require shar-

ing accommodation for executive

bachelor contact : 99138352

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

BUSINESS

Local company based in Ghala

requires business development Man-

ager with good experience and driv-

ing license.#99166930 / 93782735

A construction company since

2008 with 40 employees is look-

ing for a construction engineer as

business partner. #99373727

Required business Researcher.

contact 99229700 Email: kjaaraimi@

hotmail.com

Business consultant, feasibility study.

Contact 99229700

We have some companies for rent with

the following activities: press publishing

& advertising, information consul-

tancy, organizing event management

& conference, real estate, landscaping,

maintenance etc contact 93946622 /

91408005

Residential land for sale 21000

sqm, best for housing complex at Al

Harm – Barka, opp to Khimji logistic.

Contact 99438397

2BHK Flats for families at Azaiba

next to Al Meera Hyper Market.

Contact : 96457757

2 BHK & studio flat at Darsait 1SM.

Contact 99024730

Flats/villas owned by ROP pension

fund available for rent in Muscat.

Contact 99349526

Spacious 2 BHK flats in Ruwi MBD

area only on 350/- OMR.Contact –

95122188 / 96441499

AVAILABLE

Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirt-

ing, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery,

Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes,

Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Sys-

tems and spectacular lighting. Call

Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and

Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light.

www.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@

tunesoman.com

BUYING / SELLING

Used household & office furniture and electronic items. #99834373,

97102699

Building of 2floors in Al Hail, each

3Bedrooms, 3bathrooms, Sit-

ting room, lounge, kitchen, store

92817777

Two spacious rooms with balcony,

separate toilet, for Executive non

cooking bachelor Rex Road Ruwi.

Contact 92183404

Single room with A/C separate toilet

at AL Hail highway side, shell pump.

Contact 94611224

Fully furnished single room with all

amenities available behind Sheraton.

Contact 92162623

Sharing accommodation available

Wadi Kabir attached room with shar-

ing, kitchen. Contact 96575016

Spacious master bedroom attached

Bath, balcony for rent near MBD.

Contact 92600922

Single room available in Qurum from

1/May/2015 for exe male female.

Contact 92988746

1B/R available for bachelors in

REX ROAD, Ruwi. contact 99889590

Bed sharing for Keralite bachelor

close to Majan intercontinental hotel,

Ghala. Contact 98001451

2Bedrooms flat in Al Hail with utili-

ties 92817777

Furnished room with bath at AL

Khuwair for non- cooking bachelor.

Contact 95875735

Semi furnished room with attach

bath for non cooking Ex. bachelor in

South Al Hail near Nissan Show-

room. Contact 98343250

Single room for Executive bachelor

near Al Falaj Hotel. #99643845

Sharing acc. Available in Mut-

trah behind Oman house.contact

99354340

Sharing family accommodation in

Wadi Kabir. Contact 99335057

Used Furniture of Ready made

showroom for Sale.contact

24704370, 99798452 (Ashwin)

Port cabin new & refurbished –

porta cabin for sale & rent. contact

96723468 / 97775501 / 97775502

A Building in CBD opposite to the

central bank of 3100 Sq mtr built up

area of expected rent of 205 K per

annum for 1 million 350 thousands.

Contact 95330200

The used household items like

Refrigerator, Washing Machine, Sofa

Set, Dining Table & Chairs and other

items are available for disposal on

“as is where is basis”. Interested

parties are requested to contact GSM

95475591 for further details.

Used supermarket shelvings (Gan-

dolas), tube light fittings, window

A/C. Contact 97752395

Barber shop for sale in Al Khuwair

good running business & located

in main location, location near AL

Aktham restaurant. Contact:

+968-99616650

2,560 sq mtrs industrial land in

Wadi Kabir. First line on way to Al

Bustan hotel. Possible to make petrol

station or hotel. OMR 1 Million. Tel:

99333479 or 95215360

5 Flats of 1 bedroom for Sale in

Bousher: OMR 35 Thousand each.

Monthly income OMR 270 Tel:

99333479 or 95215360

2 residential Lands together, one

610 and the other 600 sq mtrs, in

Al Haram on way to Barka. OMR 49

Thousand both. Tel: 99333479 or

95215360

3 floor commercial building in

Muttrah behind Police. Generating

income of OMR 18 Thousand annu-

ally. Neat and well maintained. Built

on 197 sq mtrs land. 2 tailor shops

on ground floor and 6 flats. OMR

207 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or

95215360

23,886 Sq Mtrs Agriculture land

with water well in Al Salwa, Barka.

OMR 260 Thousand. Tel: 99333479

or 95215360

558 Sq mtrs residential land in

Barka (Al Jenainah) near Lulu and

near to school. OMR 32 Thousand.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Expat leaving used furniture, elec-

tronics, A/Cs and many other things.

Contact 99556962 Pic On Whatsapp.

Beauty parlour for sale. Serious buy-

ers. Contact 99609265

Shop for sale Al Khoudh. contact

92820541

For running beauty saloon for sale.

Contact 97786792 / 96914627

Coffee shop for sale in North

Al Ghobrah. Contact 95256009

A building in CBD opposite to the

central bank of 3100sqmtr built up

area of experienced rent of 205000

per annum for 1 million 350Thou-

sands. Contact 95330200

Restaurant for sale Al Hail North.

Contact 94148970 / 94148972

Restaurant for sale well running

with open area and good parking

area. 3 new clearance also in Wadi

Kabeer near Mars hyper market.

Contact 99656863

3 Bedrooms, with spacious hall &

3 bathrooms near ISM, Darsait

from 1st April 2015. Gsm 94288861

Accommodation available for South

Indian family, one bedroom with

attached toilet, kitchen, hall in a villa,

Al Ghubrah. Contact 99209160

Room for rent in flat for bachelor /

bachelors near ISWK primary wing,

Way 6930 rent 100 OMR

per month. Contact 97687055 /

98001645

DRIVINGCLASSES

GOOD NEWSAyurvedic treatment for backache,

paralysis, arthritis etc & massage,

All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact

24475280 / 95371554 / 92504980

www.siddhayur.com

Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain,

backache, paralysis massage, steam

bath, obesity, spondylitis IDEAL ,

CARE Ayurvedic Clinic 18 November

street, Azaiba.#99639695 / 99117987

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT IS-LAM. If you would like to know more

about Islam, please call: 99425598,

96050000, 99353988, 99253818,

99341395, and 99379133. For ladies:

99415818, 99321360, 99730723

Orvisit: www.islamfact.com

Varkey s Saloon & SPA offers Summer

discount on Hamam Spa, pedicure &

manicure massages with steam bath,

Jacuzzi, facial treatments.#92935679

Taimour Ayurvedic Clinic, Ruwi

offers genuine & effective treatment

for back pain, paralysis, cervical

and lumbar spondylitis, osteoarthri-

tis, joint pains, sinusitis, migraine,

allergic problems, varicose vein and

all other health related problems.

Kerala massage and rejuvena-

tion package available. For details

please#92197920/ 24799689

CHANGE OF NAMEI Antony Valiakoyilkal Antony (holder of Indian Passport No. F6652404) son

of Antony Koickal Chandy having permanent residence in India, Valiakoyilkal,

No. 10, Jade Garden Villas, Peyad, Trivandrum, Kerala – 095573 and presently

residing in Sultanate of Oman, Ghala, P.O. Box 533, PC - 100, Muscat, Oman

(complete postal address in Oman) intend to change my name from Antony Valiakoiyilkal Antony (old name) to Antony Koickal Antony (given name)

(new name) for all practical purpose. Any objection towards my name change

may please be communicated to Embassy of India, Muscat, Diplomatic Quar-

ters, Al Khuwair, P. Box No. 1727, PC 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman.

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation. contact 94087276

Transportation. #98178135

Pick & drop anytime in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99764307

Transportation. Contact

99664703

Transport to ISWK. E93172589

Pick & Drop any time.contact

97014786

MATRIMONIAL

Wanted Groom- Alliance invited from a

middle class Hindu Nair girl 20 years,

5.5 H/ 45 kgs/ Thiruvathira/ BBA.

Currently staying with family in Oman.

Contact – 96283490 / 95273175 /

Email – [email protected]

We are Muslim family seeking alli-

ance for our son interested families.

Contact 97664009

COMPUTER

DAILY GUIDED4 S U N D AY, M AY 3 , 2 0 1 5

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT

MEDICAL

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

CATERING

ARCHITECT

ADMIN

BEAUTICIAN

SALES / MARKETING

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

Shawarma /BBQ/Tandoor /helper wanted. Contact 95529970

Wanted 2 waiters, 3 cleaners, 1

driver & 3 cooks all rounder. Contact

95356276

Urgently required a SERVICE

ENGINEER with B.Tech or Diploma

for a heavy equipment trading firm.

Applicants should have 3-5 years

experience. Apply to

[email protected]

Young experienced English speak-

ing telephone operator wanted.

Contact 99466062

SITUATION WANTEDSIT. WANTED

SITUATION WANT-ED

SIT. WANTED

General Practitioner, Dentist and

Pharmacist with MOH license and

NOC required for a reputed Spe-

cialised center in Muscat forward

your CV to [email protected]

or fax to 24571119

Wanted MOH Oman Licensed or Pro-

metric passed General Practitioner &

Staff Nurse with 60% or above score

are required for a polyclinic at Falaj

Al Qabail. Interested are requested

to apply at: [email protected].

Wanted staff nurse to work as locum

for a period of three months with

immediate effect.

Wanted Nurse for polyclinic in

Mabella South ph 97339965

Urgently required qualified two

male home Nurses. Email:

[email protected]

Required Nurse for a clinic in

Al Buraimi, S. Of. Oman. Contact

00968 92737149 CV to

[email protected]

Immediate placement ( with or

without MOH) A. Pharmacist - 3

nosB. Asst.pharmacist - 2 nos

#Tel.99338219 , 93240949

Urgently required, general practi-

tioner (Male), gynecologist, pedia-

trician, LAB, technician, Philippine,

nurses, marketing executive for

a reputed medical center Salalah.


Urgently required Staff Nurse,

Pharmacist and endodontist Fe-

male Staff nurse, Pharmacist and

endodntist with MOH License/Pro-

metric exam passed with 60% and

above#24780088, 97374459

Email : [email protected]

Wanted female Gynecologist,

female Staff Nurse -2 no, Dentist,

Dental Technician with MOH

license for Al Saadi specialized

Medical Centre in Mussana.con-

tact 92025033

Urgently required an Architect

with experience. Contact email:

[email protected]

Female beautician required. Con-

tact 94050001

Accountant, Indian male 10 years

experience, 6 years in Oman with

Oman driving license, seeking

suitable job. Contact 96012973

Sri Lankan, male (28 yrs), 8 years

experience in banking and finance

/ Administration sector seeks a

suitable post presently on family

visit visa. Contact 91321872 and

99279468 (family).

Indian male 26 Years, MBA Finance

with 3 years experience in Account-

ing Field, on visit visa, looking for

an opening - contact 96435141

MBA Graduate with 6 yrs exp in

finance/accounts/ auditing. Spe-

cialized in accounts payable dept,

Oracle app user, proficient in Sap

(fico) end user & tally 9.0. lean &six

sigma certified trainer on visit visa.

Contact – 91967213 / 99064780

Senior Accountant Indian male 43

years B.Com Graduate + DCA. Total

15 years exp, 7 years in Oman, 4

years in Bahrain knowledge in tally

9, Peachtree & MS Office having

NOC, seeks placement. #97060826


Indian male 22 yrs B. Com Graduate 1

year exp in Accounts, currently on visit

visa. Looking for suitable job. #94341848

/ Email – [email protected]

Finance / Accounts Manager 12 years

experience at senior position in lead-

ing companies 9 years in Oman CPA

– USA& modern accounting certificate

from AUC. Contact 99139926

Indian male with total 5 year

experience (2 years experience in

Accountant cum sales co ordinator

in a FMCG Company in Oman) in ac-

counts field and NOC available

Looking for suitable job #92130188

Indian male 35 , B.com /MBA

having 5 yrs experience in Oman ,

in accounting , auditing , taxation ,

accounts receivables, payables , up

to finalization , knowledge in tally

and other oracle packages. NOC

available. Contact 93240480

MBA (international business) from

London, 4 years of UK experience in

banking operational, looking for suit-

able position. Contact 91710075

B.E /MBA fresher looking for suit-

able positions in IT finance and

Administration visit visa valid up to

18/05/2015.#94384120/99867536


Pakistani male 27 years, MBA finance,

4 years experience in finance / ac-

counts & procurement on tier 1 ERP

oracle EBS ( RIZ) . Looking for suitable

position for long term relation. Avail-

able in Oman or visit visa.#95830415

ACCA affiliate & B.Com hons with

NOC, morc than 5 years of experience

in accounting & finance looking for

a suitable job car join immediately.

Contact 97012146

Masters Criminology with experi-

ence of 1.5 years in Litigation & Re-

covery department with Standard

Chartered Bank in Karachi is look-

ing for a job. Contact # 94677814

Indian male management (bank-

ing & finance) worked with mul-

tinational bank skill in MS Office

SQL etc. Contac 94693310

MBA Graduate specialized in

finance with one years experi-

ence seeking placement.contact

96725204 Email: ameen.1915@

gmail.com

MBA (finance) Indian female currently

under family visa B/B in Muscat. BBA,

MBA studied in Muscat (Birla) 2 years

experience in Oman, having Oman D/L.

Contact 96504080

Indian male MBA having more

than 5 years experience in Indian

automotive finance construction

having valid UAE, D/L currently

on visit visa seeking suitable job.

Contact 96787992 Email: reeyaso-

[email protected]

Indian male 25 years with 3 years

experience having MBA, degree

on visit visa, seeking suitable

placement in accounting. Contact

98822072/91689977

Part- time Accounting 15 yrs quali-

fied experience Chief Accountant,

finalization, auditing, consultancy.

Contact 96759385

ADMIN/HR

A reputed media advertising &

publishing company looking for

female Sales Executives. Send CV to

[email protected] or #91408005

Required Salesman for a press

and preferably if he has valid driv-

ing license. Kingdom of Creative

Press. Contact 99520777 Email:

[email protected]

Urgently required Omani person

(English knowledge) with valid

Oman driving license for delivery

purpose of children’s English

educational product. #99452215

Requires a Sales and Marketing

person (Female) for Home linen

Company with minimum experi-

ence. Please send your CV on e-

mail [email protected]

A leading Marble & Granite Trad-

ing company looking for Experi-

enced Sr. Sales Executive with D/L.

Send CV with details : jskan-

[email protected] immediately.

A REPUTED TRADING & CON-

TRACTING CO. requires urgently

sales Executive (male) having at

least 3 years experience of build-

ing material products specially in

paints in Oman, with valid driving

license. Send CV through Fax

24495411 or email:

[email protected]

Wanted young and energetic

sales executive having Oman work

experience good communication

skill and valid D/L. Email: info@

mwpoman.net

Media company need for salesman

having drive license + car. Contact

94216866 /94221420 Email:

[email protected]

Required IT, sales / marketing

executive driving license Oman 3-5

years experience. contact 99329216


Experience Sales Executive

required - for leading building

materials company. Please email

CV to [email protected]

Urgently needed Senior Marketing

Executive for modular kitchens de-

partment (male only) for a leading

building materials trading company,

Graduates with 5 to 7 years relevant

experience and D/L only. Email CV

to [email protected]

Software company looking for

Telesales Executives – Female, with

minimum 2 years of experience. Suit-

able candidates can send their resume


Wanted Salesman with driving

licence and car. Gsm : 98805474 or

email id: [email protected]

A leading Building Materials dis-

tributor seeks Outdoor Salesman (2

Nos) with Valid Omani D/L, 5 years

of Oman experience, & proficient in

English, Arabic and Hindi. Candi-

dates with local release may forward

your resume to [email protected]

ENGI./ELECT./TECH..

Need one Auto Electrician qualifi-

cation must Diploma or ITI. Contact

98983951 / 98668697 or send CV

[email protected]

Sales Executive for IT Firm. Di-

ploma in Computers 3 years Oman

experience & D/L. Email: admin@

enetstorage.com

Looking for civil engineer with

Diploma from India, Pakistan

Indonesia or any of these Southern

Asia countries to work with small

company in Ibri, Oman.contact

99251428 email: almarshoudi4@

gmail.com

Indian Civil Diploma. 3-5yr Oman

Exp with DL: [email protected]

TOURS

Wanted an experienced person in

reservations and ticketing using

airlines Sabre system for a new

travel agency; please send your CV


SECRETARIAL & OFFICE

Required Office Assistant

160+25+Acc, Contact 99454425

Required Sales man - 1 Person Quali-

fication. Gulf Experienced - Minimum

5 Years with Oman Driving Licence

Language - English Education:- Any

Degree Further Contact :Mr. Abdul Ha-

meed Nashabat - Mobile No: 97414307

and -92807399 [email protected]

Master in economics having

9 years banking experience in

finance, operations and audit with

Bank Al falah Pakistan, looking

for suitable job. Contact 91960412

[email protected]

Indian CA,( Finance Manager )

More than 8 Yrs Exp ( Oman, UAE,

India) in Accounts, Audit, Finance,

seeking suitable senior position in

Muscat, Can Join Immediately, NOC

Available , Contact casmart007@

gmail.com/98707434

Part time Accountant with 15 years

experience in accounts, finance

tax, audit management. contact

95857199

Indian male 28 years MBA finance

experience in accounts / finance

and knowledge in SAP, FICO & tally ,

seeking suitable placement on visit

visa. Contact 97409606 Email:

[email protected]

M.Com, CA (article ship), 15 years

Gulf experience looking for suitable

position in finance & accounts, visit

visa valid up to 10/07/2015 Contact

97135855 / 94097305 Email:

[email protected]

India Accountant: Male, M com,

7 Yrs experience in Accounts up to

finalization, having knowledge of

ERP, Tally, seeks suitable placment.

contact 93950138 Email:

[email protected]

Indian male, 32 years, M. Com.

7 out of 9 years experience in Oman

in Accounts/finance. Having NOC

and valid Oman D/L.

contact 98277143,


Professional Accountant Finance

Manager, Chartered Accountant,

15 years experience in ERPs,

MS office. Contact 96264969

Finance Manager, CPA, with more

than 15 yrs. of experience in GCC.

Fully knowledgeable in Finance,

General & Management Accounting .

NOC available. Contact 96209331

DRIVER

CATERING

DESIGNER

DESIGNER

AUTO CAD

ARCHITECTURE

HOSPITALITY

Your Bangladeshi male 26 know-

ing coffee shop work as waiter or

sandwich maker or juice maker,

presently in Bangladesh if any

employer need. Contact with his

brother 92278538

Interior Designer Syrian National-

ity one year experience in design.

Contact 95246737 Email:

[email protected]

Indian male draft man, 3 D visual-

iser, 18 month experience in Oman

driving license. Contact 96285891

/ 98414107 Email: prasadvv4u@

gmail.com

Indian male 25 years diploma

Auto CAD draughtsman inte-

rior design 5 years exp here on

visit visa looking for job. Con-

tact98360268/99881264

Architect - Female, Indian. 8 years

of total experience (6 years in Oman),

looking for suitable placement. GSM:

95230293. email: dhanooty@gmail.

com

Indian male 18 yrs hotel experience

Dubai procurement logistics stores

suitable position NOC available.

Contact + 968 96573591 Email:

[email protected]

Indian male, 30 yrs, MSW, total 6.7

yrs experience 2.5 yrs in Qatar as

Welfare and Recreation Coordina-

tor with an MNC seeking suitable

man management jobs in top –

notch hotel / restaurants, Labour

camps etc . Contact 97460880


Looking for job light duty driver

and office boy experience 2 years.

Contact 95789583

Driver looking for job. Contact

99748264

Indian male looking for driver job.

Contact 93051674

Light Vehicle Driver requires job

in any transportation / private co.

Contact 96015617

Driver with car. Contact

91452930

Driver looking for job. contact

94435912

Light duty driver 2 years experi-

ence in Oman looking for job. contact

93131542

Driver looking for job. contact

92137431

Driver with 6 years experience

looking for job. contact 99280685 /

99120956

Light duty driver looking job

experience 4years Oman. contact

96088707

Indian male 24 years, Mechanical

Engineer,pdms.1 yr experience in

pipeline,16years in oman seeking

immediate placement #95775742

B.E (Mechanical), Indian male 8

years experience (HVAC – 4 years,

operation / production / mainte-

nance, 4 years) looking suitable

position. Contact 96696190 Email:

[email protected]

B.Tech mechanical Engineer + QAQC,

NDT (level-2) done hvac course and

work at HVACs project Engineer

seeks job with a year of exp on visit.

Contact 98235575 Email: sajinclem-

[email protected]

Indian male 2+yrs oman exp in HR.

joing immediatly. release available.

Contact :93671437

Omani experience in the legal,

administrative, public relations,

education. Contact 97243393


Female Expat, 10 yrs exp in

Oman with valid driving License

as a project co ordinator, tenders

documentation, Admin & HR.NOC

available, looking for suitable job.

Tel no.93285538.

Email:[email protected]

Over 15 years of gulf experience

in Admin /HR /Logistics, fluent in

Arabic & English with D/L look-

ing for suitable position. Contact

95824598

Indian Male 25 years, BBM (MBA),

2+yrs exp. in Administration/

Finance on visit visa seeking suit-

able position. #92726769

Indian female graduate 7 years

work experience admin operation

retail customer service looking for

suitable job. Contact 94231020

B.A graduate with 8 years experi-

ence (2 years in Oman) in admin

/ business development and sus-

tainably (green buildings) on visit

visa. Contact 91626216

Indian male 26 yrs MBA/HR Gradu-

ate 1 year’s exp in Administration

seeking placement. #99151280

ADMIN/HR

EDUCATION

Indian female B.Ed M.SC Organic

Chemistry 3 years experience

looking for suitable job. Contact

91006851

Indian female M.A, B. Ed profession-

ally qualified currently on visit visa,

seeks suitable placement in the field

of education. Contact 96753257

Email: sreechitrarmohan2@gmail.

com

Indian female 32 yrs, BSc, MCA , 3+

years teaching experience in India

and 3 yrs exp in technical side

in Muscat, Oman seeks suitable

placement in teaching. Contact

96124929

Bioinformatics Lecturer: Master

Degree, 5+ years experience from

FRANCE & INDIA as a Lecturer

in Bioinformatics and Research,

looking for suitable position.

Indian, Male on visit visa, contact

98898781/ [email protected]

B.Ed & BCA Indian female with 5 yrs exp

in teaching primary section in Dubai cur-

rently looking for appropriate placement in

teaching. Email: [email protected]

contact: 97384206

Civil Engineer 25 years Indian 2

years experience in Oman with valid

GCC D/L, NOC available. contact

96732869 Email:

[email protected]

Sudanese male BSC electronic

Engineer 2 years experience in GSM,

10 years experience in oil industry

(Drilling & Measurements).contact

91198104 Emails: Husseintalat@

hotmail.com

Sudanese BSC industrial Engineer

experience 4 yrs in QA /QC and 8 yrs

in production. Contact 94041960


/ [email protected]

DOMESTIC HELPER

Lady from Mumbai available for

household work only in Al Khuwair.

Contact 95896415

Housemaid (overseas, Goa and

Mangalore) Looking job Indian

family only. Contact-99531802

House maid looking for full time

job Sri Lankan. Contact

99865938

Required urgently qualified

and skilled candidates for below

jobs: A/C technician with GCC

driving license, duct fabricator,

accountant, HR Manger. Lotus

golden international LLC. Contact

97087835/97087845

Wanted for immediate appoint-

ment HSE officers - degree in

safety engineering, Electrical site

engineers- degree in electrical en-

gineering, linemen class C- trans-

mission – basic qualification. Gulf

exp is preferred for all posts. Apply

with bio data to – hr_oman1@

yahoo.com immediately

MISCELLANEOUS

Female 26, 3 yrs exp in HR &

Admin, with Oman D/L, looking for a

suitable opening. Contact 98236033

Indian female, MBA with 3 years

of experience in admin MIS,family

visa. Contact 98234427 Email:

[email protected]

Indian male MBA, HR& Market-

ing experience in multifunctional

management business develop-

ment marketing /HR experience in

Oman & Dubai with valid Oman &

UAE D/L seeking suitable opportu-

nity. Contact 96052953

Indian female with 10 yrs of experi-

ence in HR/Banking/Operations

seeks a suitable placement. Can be

contacted on 98919015 or

[email protected]

Indian Female 34 yrs, currently

under family visa, B.Com, seeking

placement as accounts assistant, HR

or suitable position. 99199710

B.A Graduate with 6.5 yrs of exp in

Administration Presently working as

Admin (Operations) looking for suit-

able position. Contact 93075375

Female architect bachelor, 4 yrs

experience (internal & external

design, project coordinate, office

management) with valid Oman D/L

NOC available. Contact 94348074

5 years of experience as a Graph-

ics designer with valid driving

license in Oman qualification B.A

degree. Contact 91452730 Email:

[email protected]

MANAGER/SUPERVISOR

Urgently require a foreman with

Omani driving license to handle plants

nursery and do marketing of

agricultural items. Contact:

93831805, Email:

[email protected]


DAILY GUIDESITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

Expatriate male MBA marketing

and engineering working in Oman

having valid D/L available to join

immediately with NOC and release.

Contact 94553097

Indian male 25 B.Tech ( IT) Engineer

3 years experience in networking

(MCSE- CCNA) certified currently

on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact 91006851

Indian male 25 diploma Civil

Engineer 6 years experience in

India looking for suitable placement.

Contact 96750429

Indian / male B. E / B. Tech Civil /

Site Engineer 3 years D.L. NOC avail-

able. Contact 93883136

Iraqi Civil Engineer with more than

25 years experience in (Iraq ,U.A.E.

and Oman) looking for a job, (N.O.C.)

is available. Contact 94043735,

[email protected]

Omani 9 years as PRO & 8 years

safely HSE Officer with PDO, D/L

seek good job. Contact 96996938

Land Surveyor Indian 2.7 years ex-

perience seeking suitable placement.

Contact 95141554 /91977142

Indian female 23: young Engineer-

ing Graduate looking for assistant

executive, purchase executive, sales

co-ordination, social network brand-

ing or web design and development

jobs. Call: 97062261

Network / system Engineer B.E

/ ECE + CCNA & Ms certifiedwith

4+ yrs exp looking for a job. cur-

rently in Oman on visit visa.contact :

92589502 Email :

[email protected]

Indian, M 25 yrs BE mechanical

3 yrs exp in Oil & Gas now on visit

visa. Contact 96487013 Email: ri-

[email protected]

Electronics & Communication Engineer with 14 yrs exp (10+ yrs

Oman) experienced in sales & mar-

keting of extra low voltage systems

(CCTV, Structured Cabling, PA

system, access control etc. Contact

99771815 Email: teledata1978@

rediffmail.com

Diploma in Civil Engineering 9 years

experience 7 years in Oman 2 years

in home country having valid Omani

D/L, seeking a suitable placement.

Contact 97430353

Sudanese fresh Graduate with a

degree in Mechatronics Engineer-

ing from Malaysia fluent in Arabic

(Native), English (IELTS 7.5) and

intermediate in German. #95667610

Fresh Graduate holder of bachelor

degree in mechatronics Engineering

from Malaysia, Sudanese holder of a

valid driving license, fluent in Arabic

and English. Contact 96322507

Civil Engineer 8 years experience

estimating and costing good knowl-

edge stabling B.O.Q.S. #97468213

B.Tech, instrumentation Engineer,

Indian male with 4 yr experience in

EPC and Sales / 2 yr Oman experi-

ence having valid Oman driving

license. Contact 94145460 Email:

[email protected]

Management professional with

25+ years of gulf ( UAE) experience

in operations inventory manage-

ment supply chain warehouse

management with SAP , SBO

experience seeking opportunity in

Oil & Gas FMCG industrial automo-

bile construction industry. Contact

97100682 Email: m367.kareem@

gmail.com

BSc Electronics, C.C.T.V, Electronic

Welding Mech. Contact 99803912 /

97364750 Email: bijumonjk1@gmail.

com

IT

BE Civil 35 yrs experience with con-

sultant seeking senior level position

in project management with client

consultant structural Engineering

background NOC available. contact

95455681 Email: sm_comp@hot-

mail.com

Electrical engineer (construction)

diploma with 11 years experience ( 2

years GCC + 9 years Indian job

seeking from India. Contact

0091-994309844 Email:

[email protected]

B.Tech biomedical Engineering hav-

ing Omani driving license. Contact

91352248

Civil Engineer ( B.Tech) Indian

female, 2 years experience as Q.S in

Oman, knows primavera (P6), Au-

toCAD etc seeks placement. contact

93911895

Quantity surveyor (diploma civil) 2

yrs exp in Oman seeks job on work

visa or free lanner. #96936793

Project (Electrical) Engineer with

BE 10 years of experience (8 years

in Oman).Driving license and NOC

available. Looking for job. GSM-

92197288

Civil Engineer Female, 3 yrs experi-

ence in structural design, on visit

visa seeking suitable placement.

#99195433

Indian Engineer B.Tech & diploma

in instrumentation & control having

one & half years experience seeking

for suitable post. Contact 98873416


Male civil Engineer 6yrs experience

4 yrs in Oman (B.B.S and steel shop

drawing prepare, M.Q.C sit manage-

ment, D, W, M report) with valid

Oman D/L NOC available. contact

99870370

B.Sc Mechanical Engineering,

17 yrs exp in Oman, 30 yrs exp in

production management, erection

and maintenance of refineries, stock

piling equipments, belt convoying

systems structures, power trans-

mission equipments gear boxes

- #98214442; Email: mohusak@

gmail.com

Diploma in electronics & Telecom,

Engineering with 5 years experience

in Engineering & sales, marketing.

Contact 95932219

Indian female, B.Tech biotechnol-ogy with strong computer skills

and 2 years experience as associate

research analyst (Media Monitoring)

in Nasdaq Oman seeking growth

oriented jobs. Contact 92044603

/918056169148 or

[email protected].

Indian male, Diploma in Mechanical

Engineering having 13 yrs experi-

ence in Oman as Estimation / Project

Engineer in the fields of storage tanks

structures, pressure vessels etc seeks

suitable placement. #95656871.


Education +2 Diploma Mechanical

Engineering skills 2 C (Non destruc-

tive testing) experience 1 year 6

months company GB Engineering

Pvt Ltd S.D Engineering pvt ltd. Posi-

tion Production Engineer, Production

Supervisor. Contact 99799237

Civil Engineer (B.E) having 5 years

experience in building construction,

looking for suitable placement, valid

D/L available. Contact 91253392

Indian female Electronics and Com-

munication, 2 years experience, 27

yrs. Contact 93190373

Indian male Instrumentation Engi-

neer having 2 years experience in

process instruments, seeks suitable

placement. Contact 95954385

An electrical Engineer had two

years experience as a project Engi-

neer good experience in electrical

installations electrical tests and

computer skills. Contact 96209298

Electrical electronics Engineering

8 month experience in India came

for visit visa urgently seeks. contact

94087414 /91575300 E mail:

[email protected]

Electrical and Electronics Engineer

(BE) 1+ year of experience now on

visit visa seeking suitable opportu-

nities Email: [email protected]

Contact 99254469

25 yrs (f) B.Tech (Civil) 2 yrs in

Oman (QS & Tendering) Estimation.

Contact 91228615

Indian Male, IT Support Engineer,

2 yrs in Oman & 5 yrs Indian experi-

ence. Contact 97311847

MISCELLANEOUS

MEDICAL

Lab Technician, Civil (8yrs Gulf ex-

perience) looking for a suitable job

(NOC available) Contact-93344378

Well experienced MOH Licensed

Indian GP Doctor looking for lo-

cum / permanent position in the

Capital area. Contact 98140024

email:[email protected]

Doctors available for immediate

placement Internist MBBS, MD with

Oman MOH license with NOC and

release and a lady Paediatrician.

Available immediately.#96276347

[email protected]

GNM male Nurse, 30 yrs with 8

years of experience in ICCU, TCVS &

emergency with prometric passed

(with Gulf experience). Contact

93907230 / 93806822

Indian female, 24 yrs, B.Tech

Engineer excellent academic

qualification 2 yrs experience at

IBM India, SAP- ABAP, currently

under dependent visa, looking

for suitable placement. Contact

99450960 Email: sajyodine@

gmail.com

Indian male, mechanical Engi-

neering, two years experience in

fabrication and erection of heavy

structures as a project Engineer

now on visiting visa seek suitable

placement. Contact 92151818 Email:

[email protected]

Indian male, B.E ( computer science

engineer), MBA (finance), OCA certi-

fied, having 5 years of experience

in oracle Dba/ oracle apps Dba,

seeks a suitable position in the field

of IT. Contact: 96212062 email:

[email protected]

Indian male graduated with over 8

yrs exp in Oman in purchase logis-

tics exports & imports having Oman

D/L seeking placement. Ready to

joining immediately NOC providing

.contact:96247344

Indian Graduate (32) computer lit-

erate seeks any official job presently

on visit visa. 95697715

Indian male 26 yrs PGDM, B.com,

2yrs exp. Contact 91694170

Indian Female, BE in EEE having

3 yrs exp in IT Industry & experi-

ence in Admin in Muscat, looking for

suitable placement. Available to Join

Immediately. Contact 93422434

Storekeeper, 26 yrs, Gulf experi-

ence 4 yrs in Oman company release

available. Contact 97657823 Email:

[email protected]

Indian male 36 years with visit visa

having 16 years experience in train-

ing (soft skills) Admin marketing

looking for a suitable job. Contact

99644501 / 96974356

SALES / MARKETING

Indian male B.com 24 years, 2 years

experience in sales operations in In-

dian on visit visa. Contact 97032977

Indian male 24 years, B.Com + ACCA

level 1 on visit visa seeking for suit-

able job. Contact 91883811

Sales & marketing professional

with 14 years exp in Oman market

seeking for a suitable placement.

Immediate release available (NOC).

Contact 92679055

Egyptian male 11 years in five

stars international hotels manage-

ment sales marketing D/L available

residency visa. Contact 93577497


Graduate Indian male 25 with Good

communication skill looking for suit-

able placemen in sales or marketing

field in a reputed organization. con-

tact 98558648 Email: risham54@

gmail.com

Pakistani male 34 yrs Intermedi-

ate 2 yrs exp in sales & marketing

in Oman. Looking for suitable job.

Contact - 92146864

Indian male- 26 yrs - MBA (Market-

ing) - 2 yrs exp in sales & mktg-

seeks suitable placement - on visit

visa - contact 96436686

Purchasing Officer 26 yrs Gulf expe-

rience 4 yrs in Oman company release

available. Contact 99103269 Email:

rusaikmzm_2009 @yahoo.com

13 years experienced in Sales of

Industrial, Automotive & hydraulics

of Parker is now available in Muscat

looking for suitable opportunity.

Contact 00968 97032761

Indian male having more than 17

years experience in Sales Purchas-

ing and Administration department

in Saudi Arabia having transferable

driving license seeking suitable

placement. Contact 94260129 Email:

[email protected]

Indian male 29 yrs MBA with 9 yrs

exp in business development, sales

looking for suitable opening.contact

96731462

Seven-years Oman experienced

Indian sales and marketing person,

28, with driving license; fluent Ara-

bic and Hindi; knowledge of English

seeks immediate placement. NOC

available. Contact: 95803430.

Sri Lankan male 28 yrs old complet-

ed degree business with marketing

in UK having experience in business

operations, Hospitality management

and IT products & solutions on visit

visa. Contact : 93592653

Indian male 45+ yrs , 20 yrs exp as

sales supervisor in India looking for

indoor sales /stores /cashier or any

suitable placement can speak Hindi

, English, Malayalam, Tamil, kannada

can join immediately on visit visa.

Contact 93086105/33016546

Indian 45 years Sales Manager for

European Modular kitchen & furni-

ture. Contact 92284856

Indian male Graduate 9+ years

experience in hardcore sales & cus-

tomer - service & documentation in

various industries (shipping, Bank-

ing, Building Materials) (PPE) from

G.C.C, India valid Oman D/L on visit

visa looking for better opportunity in

Oman. Contact 97132606

Indian male MBA 7 years experi-

ence in Hospitality industry, opera-

tion, sales & marketing looking for

suitable vacancy. contact 92115860

Email [email protected]

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

Looking for senior management

position C- level leader with more

than three decades of achievements

in multi industry environment of

manufacturing, trading, application,

restructuring. NOC available. Contact

93343251 Email: shantiappa@gmail.

com / [email protected]

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

Indian male 22 yrs fresher BCA

young and energetic seeking good op-

portunites contact 00919567722270

Indian female B.Tech in computer

science specialization web design &

PHP development.#92725547

IT works, IT maintenance (OFC ca-

ble splicing) data cable CCTV, works,

5 years, GCC 3 years India job seek-

ing from Indian.#0091-9751761084


Indian female 25 yrs - Software

Engineer (ME-Comp.Sc)-5 yrs exp-

looking for suitable opening-contact

-96745422; Email: sruthi.k38@

gmail.com

Network system Engineer B.E /

ECE + CCNA & Ms certified with

4+ yrs exp looking for a job. Cur-

rently in Oman on visit visa. Contact:

92589502 Email: jegaanscareer@

gamil.com

IT System Support Engineer,28

Years, Indian male,7.8 years experi-

ence,3 years from Oman, NOC avail-

able, having driving license, ready to

join immediately, Mob : 93551182,E-

mail: [email protected]

IT Network and Security Engineer

with a master degree, CISCO and

Linux red hat certified seeking a

suitable job in a good company.

Contact 99818601

Diploma holder and 1 year experi-

ence in Computer hardware and net-

working seeking suitable placement.

Contact 95249087

Well reputed Kitchen Fabrication

company urgently required Light

Driver, Draftsman & Site Supervisor

with fluent English & Arabic speak-

ing with Oman valid driving license.

May Contact: 94106361 E-mail:

[email protected]

Joinery & Interior Manager seeking

opportunities Indian male 10 years

industry experienced, excellent

knowledge in technical line, produc-

tion, materials and machinery. Good

experience in business strategy,

well experience in factory set-

ting up. Contact 93974701 Email:

[email protected]

Store manager 6 years experience

in Oman (BCS) good knowledge of

ERP seeking placement. Contact

95197303

Media/Brand Manager 20 years

Gulf exp. in Media Advertising In-

dustry. Contact 93031168

Indian male 21 Diploma in Mechani-

cal Eng with HVAC certified having 6

yrsexp and seeking job in HVAC field

as a supervisor. Currently on visit

visa.#92835952/ 92734863

Indian Female: MCA, 3 Years Exp. as

Asst. Professor, Specialization in C #

(sharp).net, Data Comm.& Network-

ing, Knowledge about Web Develop-

ment, ASP.Net, Oracle, SQL,VB.net.

Seek Immediate Placement. Now on

Visit Visa.9588 7051

[email protected]

Indian female, B.Com. Knowledge

of MS Office &Tally, 4yrs experience

in accounting & admin dept. looking

for good placement in any field.

Contact.98928220

Indian male, 28 years, 7 years

experience in transporting & heavy

equipment renting company. Having

Omani driving license seeks suitable

positions. Contact 94410485

Sudanese/Bsc IT/26/2 years experi-

ence/excellent Eng-Arb speaking/

Omani driving license/96387227/

[email protected]

Sudanese / 29 years old / Bsc

English language and Translation / 3

years experience in Oman teaching

& translation / have driving license.

94211377. [email protected]

Indian Male 27, Piping Design

Engineer looking for suitable place-

ment in Piping Design & Engineer-

ing. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6

Version),CAESAR ll, AutoCAD. Con-

tact : 97351786 / 96143708, E-mail :

[email protected]

Indian female B.Com graduate,

4years experience in accounts & ad-

ministration department looking for

suitable placement. #98928220

Mechanical Engineer B.E fresher(

QA, QC , Piping & NDT + 1 month

practical training in production & oil

field) seeking immediate placement

currently on visit visa. Contact –

0096896107833, Email -

[email protected]

Civil Autocad draughtsman looking

for part time job. Mobile: 95218737

Indian Male 33 looking for Scaffold-

ing Supervisor vacancy in Oil & Gas

field in Oman. Having 5 years experi-

ence in CCC Qatar and 3 years in

Saudi” contact fysal.nellaya@gmail.

com or 96155921

23 yrs old Pakistani bachelor in

accounts and marketing 3.5 yrsexp

2 yrsexp in Oman, looking for a job.

Contact- 99374062

Well experienced hair dresser/

beautician required, visa available.

Contact – 96524717

Sharing accommodation available

for ladies opposite Al Nahda hospital.

Contact - 96524717

Indian male, 34 yrs, ca inter pass,

with 14 yrs experience, is seeking

suitable placement, currently on

visit visa & ready to join immediate-

ly. Contact: 95585069 or 95630747

26 years Indian male with MBA &

PGDFM, Total 3.8 years experience

in Administration, seeking suit-

able placement in any gulf region.

Holding Oman valid driving license.

Contact :93359371

Indian female 25 yrs MBA finance

currently on visit visa seeks immedi-

ate placement. # +(968) 9843 0089

Indian Male 58yrs, Oman experi-

ence 31yrs in Multifunctional Man-

agement, Administration, Business

Development, Purchase & Opera-

tions, seeking suitable Manager/

Supervisory Position. Visa transfer/

NOC Available. GSM: 95036410

Indian male 27 years, MBA, hav-

ing more than 5 yrs experience in

sales and marketing, looking for

suitable job. Contact no.99224057,

+919824823734

Indian male 21 IT Engineer Net-

working & Computer hardware

course 01 yr experience currently

on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact 96036273, E mail

[email protected]

Sales/ Marketing Executive : 35 years old Indian male, MBA,

having experiences in UAE and

India in sales and marketing field,

presently on visit visa, looking

for a suitable job in Salalah or in

Oman.#91233648

Indian male, 14 yrs Experience in

Maintenance & Supervisor in hotel

field ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical &

Plumber ) N O C available mob :

95 25 36 40 . email =

[email protected]

Part- Time Accountant, well versed

with all accounting, Finaliza-

tion, Budgeting available.contact

98803439

ACCA affiliate,male,2.5 years experi-

ence in an audit firm in Finance &

Audit, looking for suitable immedi-

ate placement. Release available.

Contact 95140445, a.saran891@

gmail.com

Indian female MBA finance cur-

rently on visit visa seeks immediate

placement.#+(968) 9843 0089

ACCA affiliate, male, 23, 2.5years

of vast experience in finance &

audit in audit firm,seeking suit-

able placement immediately. Con-

tact+96895140445,

[email protected]

30 years Indian male with hotel

management degree, 02 years

experience in F&B service at five

star hotel in Dubai and 05 years

in American 6 star cruiseliner as

Butler . Currently in Muscat on visit


Indian Female looking for an Intern-

ship or Part time opportunity in any

Interior Design, Architectural or

Design Firm . Contact 95811820

Male - B.E Mechanical Engineer

fresher( QA, QC , Piping & NDT + 1

month practical training in produc-

tion & oil field ) seeking immediate

placement currently on visit visa.

Contact - 0096896107833 Email -

[email protected]

Senior Accounts Professional,

Indian Male, 35 years, M.Com, MBA

(Fin) 8 years in Oman, with valid

Oman DL and NOC available. Capable

to handle accounts up to finalization.

Contact 9602 3965.

25yrs experienced indian market-

ing mangr seeking suitable position.

.presently working as a General

Manager one of the leading Hyper

Market Group in Oman.valid omani

driving licence. Release available .

contact number.92205026.

[email protected]

Indian male executive secretary

having vast experience in admin,

logistics & procurement well versed

with computer seeks suitable place-

ment. Contact : 99514286

Indian female, B.Com graduate, 2

years experience in admin depart-

ment looking for a suitable place-

ment. Contact 92531929

Young male, 22 years, B. Arch. Gradu-

ate with 12 months training experience,

seeks suitable entry-level position in

an architecture firm or architecture

and engineering consultancy. Currently

on visit visa, ready to join immedi-

ately. Phone no. 92488990 Email: jay.

[email protected]

Indian Male, B.Tech Mechanical

Engg 29 Yrs old,4 year experi-

ence,2.5 year experience as Lifting

Inspection Engineer in Qatar. Look-

ing for suitable placement. NOC

available. Contact No.93269839,


Diploma in Fire and Safety Engi-

neering, Completed IOSH and have

PDO passport. Having experience

of 3.5 years as Safety Advisor in

Oman. Have valid Omani driving

license. For further information

please contact me on 96896176872,

9689808527



field (Electrical . Ac Mechanical &

Plumber). N O C available #25 36 40

Indian female,available on visit

visa,knowledge in AutoCAD 2012,Re-

vit 2012,Adobe photoshop C3, Google

sketchup,seeking suitable position.

Email:[email protected].

Indian male experience in electrical

and plumbing looking for a suitable

position. Contact 92282845

Indian female Looking for an Ac-

counts part time job, preferred to

do from home. Well versed with

TALLY , Accounting software. contact

95482970.

Electrical Engineer: Indian male 29

years having 5 years of experience

in industrial automation and utility

maintenance in India (MRF Tyres)

seeking suitable placement. Contact

92789995 Email:

[email protected]

Electrical Eng. Degree (MEP) need

suitable job of construction 12 yrs exp.


SECRETARIAL/OFFICE

Indian male more than 10 years

Gulf experience in Office / Sales

Coordinator, Admin (employees visa

processes), Secretarial and purchase

coordination with good computer

skills. Having Driving license and

NOC available. Looking for suitable

placement. Contact 99709336

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

Email: [email protected] GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624


D6 S U N D AY, M AY 3 , 2 0 1 5

Results-oriented professional, 11 years Oman exp in reputed

companies handling Administra-

tion, Operations, General Manage-

ment, International Procurement,

Credit, Business Dev, etc seeks role

in MNCs/Reputed Companies/

International Organizations. Quick

Joining, Release. # 98179887

Professional Manager, highly

qualified, quality communica-

tion & English, excellent 11 years

Oman exp in EPC/Media/Services/

Healthcare industries handling

important portfolios, seeks Senior

Role in reputed companies. Im-

mediately available, NOC. contact

98179887

Pakistani Male having 6 years

experience Valid Omani Driv-

ing license working as a Mobile

Crusher Incharge looking for a

suitable position. salary is nego-

tiable. Email : umar_um44@yahoo.

com Mob: +96895133167

Indian Male, B.Tech IT Engineer. 10 yrs experience as Computer

Teacher & Project Manager. Good

Knowledge on Computer.

Looking for suitable position.

currently on Visit Visa.

Contact: 93120348, 97068258.

[email protected]

Civil Draughtsman expecting

parttime job (quantity as per

specification and infrastructure

jobs. Contact 95914642

Indian female 25 years MBA

finance currently on visit visa

seeks immediate placement.

Contact: +(968) 9843 0089 /

(968) 97851940


finance currently on visit visa.

Seeks immediate placement.

Contact: +(968) 9843 0089

Indian Female MA. B.Ed. with

One year three months Teaching

experience, English seeking for a

Better placement. Now working

in Oman.#93961142, 92184408

Email:[email protected]

24 year Indian Chartered

Accountant male with 3yrs of ex-

perience is seeking suitable place-

ment in Muscat, currently on visit

visa & ready to join immediately.

Contact him on 98201476 or email

at [email protected]

Indian male, 29 yrs, MBA in

Marketing, 6 yrs exp. in Market-

ing/ Sales presently on family visa

seeks suitable placement. Contact

92345569, Email : tapankumaru-

[email protected]

Tunisian women looking for

job, knows english, frensh, Italian

and arabic. Contact: 91171838

Indian Accounts / Audit assistant

with 2 years of experience currently

on a visit visa looking for suitable job

openings.# 94677338, 97041086


Indian Male, 27 yrs MBA (Fin),

SAP, 4 Yrs Exp in Finance Seeking

Suitable Job with a Reputed Firm

Currently on Visit Visa #92481230

A Fresh ACCA Affiliate, Pakistani

male, 24 yrs, open for positions of

Accounts, Audit and finance.

Contact : 94541539

email: [email protected]

Indian female with 10 yrs of experi-

ence in HR/Banking/Operations

seeks a suitable placement. Can be

contact on 98919015 or

[email protected]

Indian female MBA finance cur-

rently on visit visa, seeks immediate

placement# +(968) 9843 0089

Omani mechanical engineer, has

3 years experience ,has HSE, H2S,

Riggers/Banks men Permit, Drawing

/ cad, SCBA, Safety Leadership and

Initial Fire Response Courses. good

with computer and English language

looking for suitable job. Contact

99224319-98454500

Sudanese/Diploma/Electronics

Engineering Communication/Optical

Fiber Cable/Installation and Survey

new towers/Experience 3 years.

Contact 00968 95932219

Indian Male 25 B-Tech(IT)

Engineer 3 years experience in

Networking(MCSE,CCNA-CER-

TIFIED)currently on visit visa

looking for suitable job. Contact no:

99570776

Indian female, B. Ed-M. Sc organic

chemistry 3years Experience look-

ing for suitable job #99570776

7 Years successful experience.

Accountant, Indian male, 29 years.

Presently working in Oman as a Sen-

ior Accountant with Oman Driving

license seek suitable opportunity.

GSM: 97705854

Indian female, B.SC, PGDCA cur-

rently on family joining visa. Two

years working experience in Oman

as customer care / sales coordinator.

Immediate joining seeks suitable

placements. Contact no. (968)

95573205 /95949230/ 95800792

Indian Pune based 29 years looking

for job in Travel industry or any good

company as a front office reception.


Indian female, B.Com. knowledge of

Ms. Office & Tally, 4yrs experience

in A/Cing & admin dept .looking for

good placement in any field. Con-

tact.98928220

Accountant, Indian Male 24 , 2

Years successful experience in

Oman with Oman Driving License.

NOC Available seek a suitable op-

portunity. GSM : 9340 9315

An Indian expatriate female, Gradu-

ate with TEFL certificate seeks suita-

ble openings with Language centres

or schools. Email : write2nishanair@

gmail.com, Contact : 97216963

Indian Female, MBA with 2.5

years of experience in Marketing

seeking a suitable placement in

sales/media/administration. Have

Oman experience & valid driving

license.#92460623

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

ACCA finalist and BSc from Oxford

Brookes University UK, having 18

months working experience, cur-

rently in Muscat on visit, seeking

immediate and suitable position.

Contact : 95375282

Indian male MBA 32 yrs having

10 yrs of exp seeking suitable place-

ment in Admin/ HR/ Operations/ Coor-

dination/ Logistics etc. Holding valid

Oman D/L .Contact - 99054786

Indian female, well experienced in

secretarial, administration, customer

care & supervisory jobs. 5 years expe-

rience in Muscat. Immediately avail-

able for joining. contact 92139298

22 years of experience in Multina-

tional Companies & reputed firms

in Financial Management, Project

Management, Budgeting and Cost

control, seeking a strategic Finan-

cial/Management Accounting role in

a dynamic organization .

Contact : +971-506178139,

[email protected]

M.Tech Civil (structure) with 3 yrs

experience looking for a suitable job

with reputed consultants or contract-

ing companies. #93137035,


Generator maintenance in charge

with 4 yrs experience with

Cummins, caterpillar, kirloskar

and voltas. Contact - email:

[email protected]

Experienced female Electrical

Engineer. Contact 93800906

Aircraft Maintenance Technician with one year experience seeks suit-

able placement. Contact

[email protected]

Sudanese Mechanical Engineer 11 years exp in oil & gas industry.

Contact - 95928035

Telecom Engineer with 4.5 years

Oman experience looking for a suit-

able opportunity, interested even in

Marketing also. Possess valid Oman

driving license. Contact 94145460

Civil Engineer with 12 years Experi-

ence Looking For Job.#98162295

DAE (Civil) having 3.5 years Experi-

ence 2 years from Oman with driving

licences, seeking for suitable position

in Construction field NOC and release

available . Contact 96968554 Email:

[email protected]

24 years Indian female diploma

in computer science and

engineering now on visit visa seek

suitable placement.

Contact 96314974/99107369

B.Tech Mechanical Engineer (Automobile)&Diploma in QC with

2yrs experience in oil & gas company

seek suitable placement job currently

on Visit Visa.#.96071081, 99214308 ,


Diploma of Associate Civil Engineer-

ing, Diploma of AutoCad, having 3.5

yrs experience, 2 yrs experience of

Oman in Building Construction, valid

transferrable ID Card. #94378581

Indian male, 26 yrs B-Tech (ECE)

with MBA in Marketing / HR looking

for a suitable placement. Currently

on visit visa valid up to 30 January

2015. Contact 93754428,

email : [email protected]

B.com doing CA Accounts/ office

job male now working in Oman Noc,

release available. Contact 92715465


Indian female (Aviation and hospi-

tality management) with excellent

communication skill, confident,

dedicated to works and enthusias-

tic and 1 year experience in admin

department looking for immediate

placement . Contact 93351256 email

: [email protected]

Accounting up to finalization, audit-

ing & contact for tally ERP software

Contact– 91720465

Hardware specialist B.Tech

M.Tech electronics with 10 years

experience seeks suitable oppor-

tunities in reputed organizations.

Contact 91289459


IT Prof, MCA having 6+ yrs exp,

seeks suitable position. #94543668

B.Tech IT Professional, Indian

Male with 3 yrs of Exp. In System

Admin, IT Support, Networking,

Installing Active Directory, DHCP,

DNS,RAS, configuring maintaining

and managing servers, configur-

ing cisco routers, Exp in handling

SQL database, With Valid Driving

Licence. Contact -968 98863507

Indian male Graduate (BSc. IT) 25

years new on visit visa in Muscat.

1 year experience in Accounts looking

for suitable position. #95752827


Female pharmacist with 3 years ex-

perience and MOH license currently

in Oman, #92455124

Indian male 25 B.Tech (IT) Engineer

2.5 yrs exp in hardware networking.

Currently on visit visa looking for

suitable job. Contact – 94359564

Indian female with nine years of

experience in 5 Star hotels as

Assistant Food & Beverage Manager

looking for a suitable placement in a

reputed Star hotel. Contact: 91219787

Medical- Indian female, 27 yrs,

masters in hospital administra-

tion, fellowship in HTA studied in a

super specialty medical sciences

and research center in India and

done project in an established

hospital in sultanate of Oman.

Contact 93200827, 91026506

Welder, 3G, 6G, TIG, Exp in Fabri-

cation , Gulf Exp Ph : 97103168

Indian Male, MBA 2 yrs experience

in Accounts, Admin & HR on visit


1 year experience in teaching all

subject to KG classes, currently

working as a teacher in Oman,

seeking suitable placement, Fam-

ily visa. #92178304 / 99036256

Care taker, Gulf Exp knows Hindi,

Arabic Ph: 94238840

Logistics Officer, Experience in

Store keeping. Contact : 99505934

Keralite Bachelor professional

building designer with AutoCAD,

3D Max & Accounts. #96535497,

email : [email protected]

Light driver looking for job. #92791678

Indian cook, Tandoori cook, male, 32 yrs, having 4 yrs of experi-

ence in Muscat in India, looking

for a cook job in Hotel. Contact

93753523 / 98744307 / 92175119

Young Indian male with 5 years

Muscat experience in admin, purchase

& Masters from UK seeks placement.

Possess driving license. #94400671

Pakistani male, 25 yrs, MBA

Finance, 1.6 yrs exp in Accounts

seeking placement in Accounts,

Administration or Business Manage-

ment. # 92651927 / 94250149

Indian Male, 25 yrs currently in

Oman on visit looking for suitable

vacancies in accounts, B.Com com-

pleted 1 yr experience.#92024380

Indian male, 15 years experience

in managing department stores, in

Karnataka, India, looking for place-

ment.#93086105 or 99016546

Light driver looking for job.

Contact 91376612

LV Driver- 2 yrs Exp-know

English- Contact 95292064

Female with MBA finance, financial

and tax professional four and half

years of experience seeks suitable

opportunities in reputed organiza-

tions. Contact- 99792457


Indian male- B.Com/B.Ed/15 years

Exp – 5 in Oman, seeks job in

Accts/Sales/Logistics have NOC

and Oman D/L with car.

#92919625/93511425/ 93424828;

Email- [email protected]

Accountant: a well experienced

Indian male, M.Com, more than 20

years experience in accounting field

(GCC & India), looking for job

as accountant or accounts

manager in oman. presently

working in India and ready to join

immediately.

Contact :99087175

B.Com India. Languages : Eng-

lish, Hindi & Malayalam. contact

92954613

Indian male 26 years, with 4 years

experience in accounts and adminis-

tration looking for suitable place-

ment. Contact 93008891

Indian male, B.Com, Accountant

– 6yrs exp in Oman, NOC available-

Ready to join.contact: 98162671 ;


Experienced Housemaid available

to look after elderly persons. On

visit visa (Goan-Ind).#98238579

23,male,ACCA affiliate,2.5 years of

experience in Finance and Audit in

an audit firm ,looking for permanent

replacement. Contact +96895140445,

[email protected]

2 years experienced B.Com

graduate looking for a Job in

Accounts/Sales. Now on visit

visa.#98546162.

Indian Male 29 yrs, having 7year

India + Gulf experience in Procure-

ment Engineer, looking for suitable

placements. # 96035370,


Indian male, 14 yrs experience in

maintenance & Supervisor in hotel

field (Electrical, Ac Mechanical &

Plumber). NOC available.

Contact : 95253640

Diploma in Fire and Safety

Engineering, having 3.5 years of

experience as an Safety Advisor.

Having PDO PASSPORT and IOSH.

Have valid Omani driving license

is looking for job. Contact number

968 96176872, 968 9808527.

Indian male, 22 years, B.com

graduate, Knowledge of Tally

ERP9, MS Excel & MS word.

Currently in Oman on visit visa,

looking for suitable placement.

#99894250,


3 years experience B. Pham Phar-

macist, Passed Pometric written

exam, require suitable post.# 9561

3245 E.mail:[email protected]

Indian, male, Business Manage-

ment graduate with 10 years UAE

experience in supervisory/ ad-

ministration position in Electronic

Card Personalisation projects,

seeks jobs in banking/ financial

sector. Contact: 00971505250274/

[email protected]

Indian male, 14 yrs experience

in maintenance & Supervisor in

hotel ( Electrical, Ac Mechanical &

Plumber). Contact 95253640

B.tech Mechanical Engineer,

Keralite bachelor with B.tech

looking for job in Oman with three

year of experience on visiting Visa.

Contact no.-0096891296354,

[email protected]

Indian Male 25yrs, having 3year In-

dian experience in Accountant Ship-

ping Company, looking for suitable

placement. #919632529484,Email:

[email protected]


exp. Valid Omani Driving license

working as a Logistic Officer look-

ing for a suitable position.

Salary is negotiable. Email :

naveedmuhammad037@gmail.

com, Mob: +96893363316

Mechanical Engineer, Gulf Exp

in Design and Manufacturing Ph:

97097688

OPTOMETRIST, 27 years Indian

female, 3 years experience looking

for suitable placement in Muscat.

Contact: 92066532 Email:

[email protected]


finance currently on visit visa

seeks immediate placement.

Contact: +(968) 93316493

Civil Engineer Indian with 12years

experience in building construc-

tion having valid driving license.

[email protected],

91305025 /93839731

Part- Time Accountant, well

versed with all accounting, Finali-

zation, Budgeting available

Contact : 98803439

24 year Indian Chartered

Accountant male with 3yrs of ex-

perience is seeking suitable place-

ment in Muscat, currently on visit

visa & ready to join immediately.

Contact him on 98201476 or email

at [email protected]

Indian Male 26 Years, having 2

year experience in accounting field

Looking for suitable placement.

Currently working in Oman. NOC

available, immediate joining. #

94282980, Email: shirasvelliyath@

gmail.com

Indian male, 14 yrs Experience

in Maintenance & Supervisor in

hotel (Electrical, Ac Mechanical &

Plumber ) mob : 95253640


experience Valid Omani Driving li-

cense working as a Logistic Officer

looking for a suitable position.

salary is negotiable.

[email protected]

#93363316 /94202746

Indian Male, 58 years, Oman expe-

rience in Multifunctional Manage-

ment, Administration, Business

Development, Purchase & Opera-

tions seeking suitable Manager/

Supervisory Position.Visa transfer/

NOC Available. GSM: 95036410



field (Electrical, Ac Mechanical &

Plumber) N O C available. #95253640

Female B. Sc Maths, B. Tech, Comput-

er science CCNA, RHCE, MCP 7 years

experience. Email : devi2571997@

gmail.com presently in India

Indian male- 32, 6 years’ experience

in store incharge in Africa seeks

suitable job, contact 97385874

Indian ,Male 43,CA/ISA, Experience

in Retail, NBFC, Logistics, Banking,

Automobile, Investment and Facility

Management seeking for a change.

Valid D/L. Release available. Contact:

[email protected]

Indian Male, B.Tech Mechanical Engg

29 Yrs old, 4 year experience, 2.5

year experience as Lifting Inspection

Engineer in Qatar. Looking for suitable

placement. NOC available#93269839/


Indian Male- 29 BCA & Diploma, IT

document controller & database.8

years’ experience in India seeks suit-

able job. Contact: 97385864

Indian female, B.Sc, PGDCA currently

on family joining visa. immedi-

ate joining seeks suitable place-

ments. contact no. (968) 95573205

/95949230/ 95800792

Indian female having 10 years as

cook looking for part time job, expert

in gujarati & south indian food..

contact 96733187

Female Junior Architect Graduated

from School of Planning & Archi-

tecture, Vijayawada. Excellence

in Autocad, Sketching & Model-

ling. Motivated, Hardworking and

Result Oriented. Internship - KHAM

Designs, Bangalore.Presently with

Atulya Architects & Associates.

Email saatvika.frozenmusic@gmail.

com Contact 00968-94057427

Electronics System Eng. UK Gradu-

ate. Indian Female with relevant work

experience. Eng. Analysis, Instru-

mentation and Control, Power & Heat,

Electrical & Fluid, Drives & Actuators

etc. Looking for an entry level position.

Email [email protected]. con-

tact 97848075, +91-8105413827

Indian Female- MCA:-3 years

Teaching exp. in IT. Seeking immedi-

ate placement in Teaching in IT or in

Management like Customer Service

Executive, Front Desk, HR/Admin

Executive. Contact 9588 7051 , ash-

[email protected]


DAILY GUIDESITUATION WANTEDCARGO

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise

with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain

Marine Tours Contact- 98029602,

92808636

RENT A CAR

RENT A CAR

TOURS



D8 S U N D AY, M AY 3 , 2 0 1 5





SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Car-

pet & sofa shampooing, Contact

99314807/24792998

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of

your marble.contact 24793614/

99314807

WINDOW & SPLIT unit A.C servic-

ing & repairing. contact 99557080

SPLIT & WINDOW A.C servicing &

maintenance. contact

96236476

SPLIT & WINDOW A.C servicing &

maintenance.contact 93769089 /

95323517

We do building maintenance all

kind of works. Contact 99247663

Learn driving with professional

only automatic. Contact 94022250

A/C maintenance & servicing.

Fridge, washing machine & dish

washer repairing. Painting & clean-

ing services & electrical & plumb-

ing. Contact 99447257/97014234/

24504281

Sewage remove tanker sewage

tank cleaning & block remove all

maintenance sewage tanks. Con-

tact 97412505 / 98852238

Professional web graphic design-ing, updates, video editing. mobile

applications, computer softwares

very affordable for limited time.

Contact 97276004

Electric, Plumbing, painting & all

kinds of building maintenance.

Contact 93896787 / 97924862

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance.#ABU QABAS-

99320217 /24788722

Repairing and services of split,

cassette, stand A.C, Window A/C.

Contact 99540621 / 97145652

House shifting. #99708138

House shifting packing. Contact 99657644/ 98518013

WEBSITE

A/C maintenance split A/C servic-

ing. RO. 10 only. contact 94217681/

99210141

MANPOWER

SITUATION WANTEDSIT. WANTED

SITUATION WANT-ED

SIT. WANTED

Housemaid, driver, house boy,

electrician, plumber, a/c me-

chanic, Mason, carpenter, helper

skilled and unskilled categories.

All agreement service from India,

Sri Lanka, and Philippine. Con-

tact Al Aidi manpower. Contact

- 95175192 & 99531802 email -

[email protected]

CANADIAN MANPOWER CO.

based in Oman Recruitment for

legal jobs - Hotel staff ,Construc-

tion staff, Medical staff ,Gas & Oil

Free consultancy, 2 years contract,

work visa, free tickets, accommo-

dation, social & medical ins. Con-

tact us on 93392630 , pls send CV


Water proofing ABUQABAS-

Contact 99320217/

24788722

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile

polishing, pest control & anti-

termite treatment, general clean-

ing painting, Plumbing, Electri-

cal, shifting. Contact Mundhir

Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C.

contact 24810137, 99450130

Split & window A.C servicing &

maintenance. Contact 93769089

/ 95323517

WEB, ERP and Business Intel-

ligence (BI) creation and

management at rock

bottom price. Contact:

http//webviewoman

NRI

L.L.C upgrade and formation of foreign

investor company.#95586937

6.5 cents north & east faced prime

plot for sale at Coimbatore – gated

community. Most of the plot own-

ers are NRIs. Contact 95277505

Luxurious 4 B/R villa (BUA 3600sq.

ft, 4 floors, 3 Livings, 4 bathrooms,

maid’s room with separate bathroom

& a car park) for sale at JP Nagar,

Bangalore. Asking Price: INR 2.75 Cr.

Contact Ph: 97903127. Email: ravi-

[email protected]

For sale 3BHK 1205’ builtup at

Goregaon Mumbai. +96899850753

2pm – 4pm.

M.V. FOR SALE

M.V. FOR SALE

Nissan Sunny 2007, 1.6, automatic,

good condition km 1,48000. contact

99781671

Mercedes delivery van 2002. Con-

tact 99755644

Hyundai Elantra model 2015 km

37712, 1.6 cc, 10 months used, price

4650. Contact 99170202

2 Prime Movers Man 2008 with 40 ton

petrol tank each working at the moment

in Al Maha. Price OMR 35 Thousand

each. contact 97000155 or 92688692

Land Cruiser 2012. #99336093

Toyota Yaris 2008, 1.5 cc Automatic,

White, 84,000 k.m, accident free,

well maintained & sparingly used by

diplomat. All services done through

Toyota. Contact 24684512/13.

Toyota Camry 2010, 55000km

full option white colour. contact

99738373

Mazda 3 model KMS 140,000 fully

automatic single driven company

maintained. Contact 92302159

Pakistani male, 25 yrs, MBA

Finance, 1.6 yrs exp in Accounts

seeking placement in Accounts,

Administration or Business

Management.contact 92651927 /

94250149

Sudanese/ 23 yrs old/ Bachelor

degree is software ENG./ Sudan Uni-

versity of Science and Technology/ 1

to 2 years experiences/ 95527435 or

99385542


Experience Valid Omani Driving li-

cense working as a Logistic Officer

looking for a suitable position. sal-

ary is negotiable. Email :

[email protected]

Mob: +968 93363316/ 94202746

Diploma in Fire and Safety Engi-

neering. Completed IOSH. Has PDO

PASSPORT also. Currently working

as Safety Advisor for past 3.5

years in Carillion Alawi. Have valid

Omani driving license. For further

information please contact me at

96896176872,9689808527.



Seeks immediate placement.

Contact: +(968) 9843 0089, +(968)

97851940

Indian Male, B.Com Graduate, 23,

with experience in Sales looking

for suitable placements. Ph:

9837 1144

Indian Male, BBM, with experience

in Sales & Accounts on visit visa

looking for a suitable job.contact

98797898.

Indian Male, Accountant, 2 years

experience in Accounts, Supply

Chain Management, Oil Account-

ing and expertise in using ERP

softwares.Looking for suitable

placement.Contact no: 96534120.

Email:

[email protected]

indian male, 11 years exp. in ac-

counting, knowledge in tally also.

looking for a part time job. contact

98983122

Indian female, B.Com. knowledge

of Ms. Office & Tally, 4yrs experi-

ence in A/Cing & admin dept. look-

ing for good placement in any field.

Contact. 98928220

Accountant, Indian Male 24 , 2

Years successful experience in

Oman with Oman Driving Licence .

NOC Available. Seek a suitable op-

portunity. GSM : 9340 9315

3 year experienced male seeking

job related to safety. M. Tech in

HSE. Nebosh, iosh certified. Ph:

94653264



Seeks immediate placement. Con-

tact: +(968) 9843 0089 / +(968)

97851940

Senior Accounts Professional, Indian

Male, 35 years, M.Com, MBA (Fin)

8 years in Oman, with valid Oman

DL and NOC available. Capable to

handle accounts up to finalization.

contact 9602 3965.

12 Years of experience as a store

keeper with valid driving license

in Oman. Looking for suitable

placement. Qualification : Diploma

in Civil. Contact details:

+968 96147340. E-mail id:

[email protected]

24 year Indian Chartered Ac-

countant male with 3yrs of experi-

ence is seeking suitable placement

in Muscat, currently on visit visa &

ready to join immediately. Kindly

contact him on 98201476

or email at lokeshkaluri@ gmail.

com

MAZDA CX9 39000KM 2012 Grey

Color No.1 FULL OPTION for sale.

Contact 99752695

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text,

should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication.

* Subject to space availability

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Times of Oman - May 3, 2015

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