Times of Oman - February 3, 2016

Founded 1975 . Volume 40 No. | Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certifi ed Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

085010 1200106February 3, 2016 24 Rabi Al Thani 1437 AH

WEDNESDAY

293 40

On the occasion of the 29th National Day, 1999

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN

We urge the international community to work wholeheartedly to fi nd solutions to all problems that are distressing the world and endangering peace. These solutions must relieve the oppressed from tyranny, establish security and stability, harmony and co-operation among all nations; God will help us.

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

MORNING MINUTE

Airport taxis get monopoly on arrivals

ERIK PRINS FAHAD GHADANI [email protected] [email protected]

MUSCAT: Airport taxi drivers will soon have the monopoly they wished for as the Royal Oman Police (ROP) has started fi ning orange taxis for picking up pas-sengers on their turf, according to Salim Al Ghammari, a Municipal

Council member. The move came after several complaints from airport taxi drivers working full-time at the airport.

“This rule was there earlier without being enforced, but the authorities concerned are now imposing it now very strictly,” said Al Ghammari.

The orange taxi drivers can drop passengers at the airport but they are not allowed to pick them up from there.

“This is the only source of in-

come we have and it is not fair that orange taxi drivers compete with us,” said Abdullah Al Shibli, an airport taxi driver. He added that they have raised the issue with the authorities concerned.

“Orange taxis are working openly here. They even bargain with passengers inside the air-port,” he said.

An aviation expert told the Times of Oman that such issues should be considered in the light of the opening of the new ter-minal of Muscat International Airport. He added that traffi c to the airport should be given lim-ited access when entering the premises.

Hussein Al Rahbi, the owner of an orange taxi, said that orange taxis should always be given the chance to work at the airport, ei-ther to drop off passengers or to pick them up at arrival.

He added that passengers should have the chance to choose between an airport taxi and an or-ange taxi.>A6

Now orange and

white taxis can only

drop-off passengers

at the airport, picking

up will land them a

fi ne from the police

A5From waiter to owner of restaurants

FAHD RECEIVES UN CHIEFHis Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said,

Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers,

received in his offi ce on Tuesday Ban Ki-moon, Secre-

tary General of the United Nations. -ONA See also >A2

Omran to emulate Cape Town’s waterfront in OmanRAHUL [email protected]

MUSCAT: To give tourism a ma-jor boost, Oman Tourism Devel-opment Company (Omran) plans to emulate Cape Town’s charisma in its Mina Sultan Qaboos Water-front project.

The Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront in Cape Town has some of the amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Table Bay Har-bour, the City of Cape Town and the Table Mountain.

The V&A Waterfront attracts more than 23 million visitors every year.

Situated in South Africa’s oldest working harbour, the 300 acre area has been developed for mixed-use, with both residential and com-mercial real estate. “There are a lot of similarities between these two places so we are trying to create a similar thing here,” a senior offi cial from Omran said.

Salah Salim Al Ghazali, chief investment offi cer, Omran, said he will be fl ying to Cape Town very

soon. “A picture is worth a thou-sand words. Unless I show what we want, people will not believe it,” he said, at an event organised by the Oman Real Estate Association on Monday evening.

“The Victoria and Alfred Wa-terfront Project in Cape Town is an urban regeneration project that has successfully transformed the previously under-utilised part of the Port of Cape Town into the city’s premier tourist, retail, en-tertainment, commercial and resi-dential destination,” he said. >A6

M I N A S U L T A N Q A B O O S W A T E R F R O N T P R O J E C T

OMANIndian school student injured in accident

1A student of Indian School Seeb has been admitted to Khoula Hospital after a bus

accident on the campus.>A2

OMANTwo new hospitals start operations

2Two new hospitals have started operation in Dhofar in an eff ort to

provide better healthcare. >A6

MARKETConsultant to forecast power demand sought

3Oman fl oated a tender seeking proposals on power capacity to meet

future demand. >B1

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

AMAZING SIGHT: A fi le picture of the Cape Town waterfront.

A2 W E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

OMAN

Sayyid Fahd receives Czech Republic’s foreign ministerMUSCAT: His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Depu-ty Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers received in his of-fi ce yesterday Lubomir Zaoralek, Minister of Foreign Aff airs of the Czech Republic.

The guest conveyed the greet-ings of the leadership in his country along with best wishes to His Maj-esty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and his government continuous success.

After Sayyid Fahd welcomed the guest and his accompanying

delegation, the bilateral relations between the two friendly coun-tries and means of enhancing co-operation between them in several fi elds were reviewed. In addition a range of issues and current devel-opments in the regional and inter-national arenas were reviewed.

The Czech Republic’s Minister of Foreign Aff airs highlighted the importance of this visit at the level of exchanging visions on cement-ing joint cooperation between the two sides.

He affi rmed his country’s appre-ciation of the balanced policy being pursued by the Sultanate in its ties with countries around the world. He also commended outcomes of his meetings with offi cials, express-ing satisfaction over the march of the growing ties between the two countries, as well as the mutual keenness to promote them.

The meeting was attended by Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Aff airs. -ONA

D I P L O M A C Y

BOOSTING TIES: Sayyid Fahd welcomed the guest and his accompanying delegation and stressed the

need for enhancing cooperation in several fi elds. – ONA

No intention of altering dollar peg: CBO head

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Oman remains com-mitted to the peg of its rial cur-rency against the US dollar, the head of the central bank said on Tuesday, after the rial dropped to its lowest level in the forwards market for a decade.

One-year dollar/rial forwards - deals that will be settled in 12 months’ time - jumped on Mon-day as high as 1,500 points, their highest since 2006, according to a Reuters report. That implied the rial would depreciate about 4 per cent from its peg.

Forwards came down slightly to 1,400 points by Tuesday af-ternoon, but currency dealers said the market’s move this week showed some bankers were iden-tifying the Omani rial as the most vulnerable currency in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, the Reuters report added.

Posted defi citThe government of Oman posted a $11.7 billion defi cit last year and has forecast another sizeable defi cit this year despite spending

cuts. The plunge of the Brent oil price to near $30 a barrel, from around $100, 18 months ago has created some unease about all the Gulf Cooperation Council currencies. But the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait have hundreds of billions of dollars of overseas assets.

Saudi Arabia’s riyal has come under pressure in the forwards market but that pressure has eased since Riyadh warned banks not to speculate against its currency and threatened to mo-bilise its huge reserves against speculators.

Central Bank Executive Presi-

dent Hamood Sangour Al Zad-jali told Reuters on Tuesday that Oman had no intention of alter-ing its currency peg.

“Nothing changed. We are committed to the peg with the US dollar. The interest rate has not changed,” he said, adding that the rial’s weakness in the forwards market might be partly due to the strength of the US dol-lar globally. Keen to boost eco-nomic growth, the Omani central bank has so far resisted pressure to raise its offi cial interest rates in line with the US Federal Re-serve, which hiked rates by 0.25 percentage point in December.

Nothing changed.

We are committed

to the peg with

the US dollar. The

interest rate has

not changed, said

Central Bank of

Oman Executive

President Hamood

Sangour Al Zadjali

Second phase of Sharakah launched

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Public Private Part-nership Taskforce (Sharakah) cel-ebrated launch of its second phase of work at Al Wahat Club in Uthai-ba under the patronage of Sayyid Khalid bin Hilal Al Busaidi, Min-ister of the Diwan of Royal Court yesterday.

Acknowledging the role of participants in the fi rst phase of Sharakah’s work, the Minister of the Diwan of Royal Court thanked the members from the govern-ment and private sectors for their eff orts that led to the successful realisation of Sharakah’s objec-tives. He also welcomed the new members of the private sector and invited them to actively partici-pate in Sharakah and build on the achievements of the fi rst phase.

Concrete stepsHe pointed out that since it was launched, Sharakah has been taking concrete steps following His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s – May Allah Protect Him -direction to enhance the role of the private sector and its involve-ment in socio-economic develop-ment eff orts. He highlighted the signifi cance of the harmony and constructive dialogue between the representatives of the government and private sectors during the fi rst round of Sharakah’s work, which established a solid foundation for action. This resulted in launching of many initiatives that contribute to achieving the national priori-ties of partnership including, eco-nomic diversifi cation, job creation for Omanis, regional development, and building national capabilities.

Eff orts at all levelsHe stressed that the social and economic development process requires comprehensive and inte-grated eff orts at all levels through an organised participation process such as Sharakah, to achieve am-bitious national targets. He added that all nations seek to create cor-porate entities, legislation and sys-tems to support and activate the partnership between the govern-ment and private sectors with the aim to achieve and subsequently boost development.

D I W A N O F R O Y A L C O U R T

Student injured in Indian school bus accident in Seeb

Pilot voyage to Iran’s Chabahar operated

REJIMON K [email protected]

MUSCAT: A Class III student of Indian School Seeb has been ad-mitted to surgical department in Khoula Hospital following an ac-cident on the school campus on Sunday afternoon.

According to the parents, the child was dragged by a bus for around 1.5 meters as he was trying to enter bus and fell accidentally.

Dragged“His bag got tangled with the bus. He was dragged for a few meters. The driver was not aware of it. However, his brother ran to the front of the bus and alerted the driver who stopped the bus,” Abdul Latheef, father of the injured child, told Times of Oman.

The child has suff ered cracks on his pelvic bones and is facing diffi -culty in passing urine.

“It seems we are going through a tough time. While rushing to the hospital in ambulance, we had an-

other accident as the ambulance hit another vehicle and we were all thrown away from the seat inside the vehicle. The injured child got shaken too,” Latheef said.

RecoveringMeanwhile, an offi cial from the school said it was purely an acci-dent and the child is recovering.

Last Thursday, six people, in-cluding three Indian school Nizwa Class II students, a teacher and two Omani drivers lost their lives in an accident in Nizwa.

Another child from the same class in the school, is still undergo-ing treatment for his injuries.

MUSCAT: A pilot voyage from Sultan Qaboos Port to Chabahar Port in the Islamic Republic of Iran on board the ferryboat “Hor-muz” was operated by the Na-tional Ferries Company (NFC).

During the voyage, the NFC team comprising its chief execu-tive offi cer, engineers and techni-cians studied the marine features of the route from Sultan Qaboos Port to Chabahar Port.

Operational plans Mahdi bin Mohammed Al Ab-dawani, CEO of the NFC met with the Chairman of Chaba-har Free Commerce and Industry Zone.

The two sides reviewed the fu-ture operational plans for the fer-ries, the administrative and tech-nical requirements for operating Muscat – Chabahar route whose 150 nautical miles can be crossed in three and a half hours.

The two sides reviewed the re-quirements at Chabahar Port, the offi cial documents needed by the

Omani travellers to Chabahar.The Iranian side made a visual

presentation on the operational route of the port, the current and future commercial and tourism projects especially the port is the fi rst one on the Sea of Oman to-wards the Arabian Gulf.

Clear picture“The visit provided the company team with a clear picture about the facilities at the port and al-lowed us to review available ser-vices and facilities at the port, such as the arrival terminal, the domestic transport at the port, the parking lots and other fa-cilities, which ensure conveni-ence of travellers,” Al Abdawani further said.

He pointed out that the two sides will jointly draft the propos-als to operate this marine route and fi x its tariff .

The NFC has also operated pi-lot voyages to Bahman in Qeshm Island and Bahonar in Bandar Abbas. -ONA

T R A G E D Y

N F C I N I T I A T I V E

The child has suffered

cracks on his pelvic bones

and is facing difficulty

in passing urine

The visit provided the company team with a clear picture about the facilities at the port and allowed us to review available services and facilities at the port

Mahdi bin Mohammed Al Abdawani, CEO, NFC

Rial’s weakness in the forwards market might be

partly due to the strength of the US dollar globally

Hamood Sangour Al ZadjaliCBO executive president

A3W E D N E S DAY, F E B R UA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

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Fascinating fragrances of Oman

MOBIN MATHEW [email protected]

MUSCAT: Muscat Festival is a great platform for showcasing the essence of the country and it is also an opportunity to showcase Oma-ni fragrances to permeate the rest of the world.

At the entrance of the Heritage Village at the Al Amerat Park, visi-tors are welcomed with the tradi-tional fragrances of Oman and are treated to a variety of frankincense from across the world.

According to the traders, de-mand for this traditional Arab fra-grance is evoking a great response from people of diff erent regions.

“People are very keen to buy per-fumes and other items,” an Omani trader told the Times of Oman.

“I have been dealing with these products for more than two dec-ades and at the Muscat Festival from its very beginning,” said an-other trader at the Heritage Village.

“What is amazing for me is that more youngsters are getting fasci-nated with the smell of oud and at-

tar (Omani perfumes) and luckily we are having good business here,” she added.

Arab life is closely intertwined with the compelling fragrance of traditional ‘oud’ and ‘attar’ and it has been transferred from genera-tion to generation.

“I think we are very fond of oud and attar and they play a major role in our life; I think it is inevitable in our life,” Mohammed said.

Prices of varieties of oud and attar have being displayed at the Heritage Village in the Amerat Park. Oman has a long history and tradition of perfumes and oud. Agarwood is reputed to be the most expensive wood in the world.

“It really smells good and I think none of the branded perfumes can match this and I think I will lose all my money buying this,” Arran, a British tourist said.

Traditional Arab fragrances are in great

demand from people of diff erent regions

GOOD RESPONSE: Oman has a long history and tradition of perfumes and oud and is know the world over for its frankincense. – AR Rajkumar

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OMANW E D N E S DAY, F E B R UA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

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From waiter to arbiter of taste

HASAN SHABAN AL [email protected]

MUSCAT: Starting out as a wait-er, who also used to clean dishes in Australia’s coff ee shops, Omani chef Hamza Al Lawati has recently launched his second posh eatery in Shatti Al Qurum, where he blends Belgian cocoa with Melbourne’s diverse food and culture.

“I thought of introducing some-thing diff erent to impress foodies in Oman, fusion food, décor and a limited but yet varied menu were the magic words (that came to mind),” Al Lawati told the Times of Oman ahead of the grand opening of his restaurant in March.

The S&H Chocolate Lounge was fi rst opened four years ago as a small 80 square metre (sqm) coff ee shop, with both sweet and savory items, inspired by Theo-brama, an Australian brand.

The concept was initially de-veloped by Al Lawati, a lawyer by trade, and his brother Salman.

Al Lawati acquired knowledge of chocolates after taking courses from chocolatiers in Belgium. The

young entrepreneur then decided to fi ll the void in the local mar-ket with off erings of world class premium chocolates. “I invited more than 20 infl uential people following my soft opening and am planning to promote my business by inviting popular Omani social bloggers,” said Al Lawati, while talking about how networking has helped him attract more foodies.

While traditional forms of net-working are considered to be a ma-jor factor behind successful small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Sultanate, Al Lawati said so-cial media celebrities can provide a very strong platform for marketing.

Bigger and better The 260 sqm restaurant is the fi rst of its kind in the country to serve made-in-Oman praline truffl es, according to Al Lawati.

He cooks and supervises the

staff himself. To boost his busi-ness, Al Lawati was recently invit-ed to attend a B2B (Back-to-Busi-ness) event, the biggest business networking event in Oman.

Being organised by representa-tives of non-profi t business coun-cils in Oman, including the Oman American Business Centre, the British Business Forum, Austral-ian Business Group Oman and the European Business People Group, its objective is to bring the busi-ness community a great opportu-nity to reach small to large com-panies, meet new clients, potential business partners and possibly make new friends.

Oman’s SMEs are expected to be involved this time. Around 400 to 500 participants are expected to attend the networking event, which is an important platform as people can network with businesses ac-tive in diff erent communities. B2B will bring together fi rms working in sectors such as government, oil and gas, construction, transport, info-tech, hospitality, fi nance and more.

Hamza Al Lawati,

who acquired

knowledge of

chocolates from

chocolatiers in

Belgium, decided to

fi ll the void in the

local market with

off erings of world-

class chocolates

Latin American culinary delight coming to OmanTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Master Chef Bruno Andres Santa Cruz will be visit-ing Oman and will be at the Grand Hyatt Muscat’s John Barry Bar, where guests will be given an op-portunity to meet and cook with the Peruvian and sample some of his ‘ceviches’ ahead of the offi cial launch of the Back-2-Business (B2B) networking event.

“Peruvian Ceviche,” is a deli-cacy known to have originated in Peru, where chefs use only the freshest products and ingredients available within the season.

Currently working at the Hyatt Regency Istanbul in Turkey, Cruz is bringing the Latin American culinary craze to Oman for the fi rst time.

Exotic off eringsThe ceviches on the menu at the John Barry Bar will include sea-bass in tiger milk, yellow fi n tuna with mango and tumbo, octopus and black olives, scallops with pomegranate, and shrimps with orange and avocado.

A ceviche master class is slat-ed to take place on February 17, which will aim to provide guests

with an exclusive opportunity to learn the tricks of creating the perfect Peruvian dishes.

Looking forward“We are really looking forward to this remarkable experience. ‘Pe-ruvian Ceviche’ combines unique ingredients, such as limo chilli, ti-ger’s milk, and the aji verde spicy sauce,” said the Director of Food and Beverage, Dirk Holscher.

In addition, Chef Cruz will be fl ying in two days earlier to par-ticipate in the B2B event this year, which will take place on February 9 in the hotel gardens.

P E R U V I A N C E V I C H E

NEW CONCEPT: The restaurant is the fi rst of its kind in the country

to serve made-in-Oman praline truffl es, according to Hamza Al

Lawati. – OK Mohammed Ali



MUSCAT: Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al Rowas, Advi-sor to His Majesty the Sultan for Cultural Aff airs received in his offi ce on Tuesday Jef-frey Feltman, Undersecre-tary-General of the United Nations (UN) for Political Aff airs who is currently visit-ing the Sultanate.

The two sides reviewed the activities carried out by the UN, in addition to the region-al and international topics of common concern. -ONA

R E V I E W A C T I V I T I E S

Abdulaziz bin Moham-

med Al Rowas, Advisor to

His Majesty the Sultan for

Cultural Aff airs with UN

offi cial on Tuesday. -ONA

Advisor to HM receives UN offi cial

A6

OMANW E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

All helicopters are able to do both jobs. We are able to carry up to 2.2 tonnes on our medium helicopters. Anything heavier than that will need our heavy helicopters

Jamie Bowden, representing CHC

Canadian firm plans helicopter service in Oman

TARIQ AL HAREMI [email protected]

MUSCAT: Omani skies could po-tentially be fi lled with a lot more helicopters as CHC Helicopters Canada hopes to make a mark in the Sultanate’s industrial sector, mainly, by partnering up with Ali Al Aufi Trading Co. LLC.

CHC’s ambition is to start op-erations in Muscat and off er air transportation services depending on the Sultanate’s needs, such as Medevac (air ambulance), trans-porting passengers to oil fi elds and industrial zones, as well as starting VIP and tourism fl ights.

The Canadian company show-cased their services as part of the fi rst helicopter symposium held at the Public Authority for Civil Aviation.

Oman’s mountainous regions have a series of ongoing projects, such as in Jebel Akhdar and Je-bel Shams, so use of helicopters for transporting materials can cut time as trucks take more time climbing up mountains.

Since the CHC helicopters are more in tune with transport pas-sengers’ needs, Jamie Bowden, representing CHC, when asked

whether it is possible for the heli-copters to carry heavy loads, he aid, “All helicopters are able to do both jobs. We are able to carry up to 2.2 tonnes on our medium helicopters. Anything heavier than that will need our heavy helicopters.”

The main services CHC off ers is transportation to off shore oil and gas platforms. They plan to estab-lish their base operations in Mus-cat, Duqm and Salalah and provide Agusta Westland AW139 utility helicopters to support the energy and utility sector.

Omanisation planCHC has already drafted a plan to recruit Omanis as CHC pilots and crew members during the time it operates in the Sultanate.

The plan discussed involves an initial crew made up of expats, while Omanis will be trained dur-ing the fi rst year of operations. As of the second year, trained Omanis will be eligible for a co-pilot posi-tion, and that of a winch operator and wiremen.

“Just like any other aviation company, co-pilots need to rise

through the ranks to become a cap-tain,” explained Bowden.

“However, if we see that he is well suited for a captain’s job dur-ing the fi rst year, we will give it to him,” he added.

He also added that full Omanisa-tion can be achieved within three years “and likely within two.”

Omanisation is also based on the assumption of a developed Omani rotary wind experience through the armed forces.

“We will use Omani staff where at all possible,” said Bowden, add-ing that candidates should be fully prepared to serve a long term part-nership.

Bowden further explained that CHC mainly off ers services to the industrial and energy sectors, but it is possible to use their helicop-ters for tourism purposes.

He said if tourism was the case, they would need to provide a plat-form for operations in Zighy Bay in Mussandam as it is a hotspot for tourism.

Helicopters would be able to fl y from Muscat to Mussandam, land and fl y back.

CHC’s ambition is

to start operations

in Muscat and off er

air transportation

services depending

on Oman’s needs

NEW PLAYER: Transportation to off shore oil and gas platforms is

the main service off ered by CHC. – Supplied picture

Chances of Zika spreading to Oman low: Health ministryTimes News Service

MUSCAT: At present, the pos-sibility of the Zika viral disease spreading in the Sultanate is very low, Oman’s Ministry of Health (MoH), said in a statement.

The disease is still confi ned to the Americas and some adjacent islands, as travel is associated with sporadic cases reported in some other countries. So far, no local cases have been detected in any of the other continents.

The MoH is following closely the spread of the Zika virus in those countries.

Zika is a viral disease, caused by the Zika virus that is spread to peo-ple primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, the same mosquito that spreads Chikungu-nya and Dengue.

The Sultanate has competent public health expertise and epide-miological surveillance systems to detect and deal with such cases.

Health workers employed in health institutions, as well as in the central laboratory, have been trained to test for Chikungunya and Dengue. Arrangements have been made at the central public health laboratory for Zika testing.

The ministry has taken steps to prevent its spread: Such as alert-ing healthcare providers and the public about the disease, mode of transmission and prevention, providing diagnostic tests at the Central Public Health Laboratory, which is expected to arrive in the Sultanate in next few weeks.

It will also support mosquito control programmes, the poten-tial to control the insect vector and eliminate breeding areas by draining stagnant water pools or removing the water rafting, even if it is a small quantity, in the empty cans, tyres and containers of fl ow-

ers, etc. In 1952, the Zika virus was identifi ed in humans in Uganda and Tanzania.

Zika outbreakOutbreaks of the Zika viral disease have been reported for the fi rst time from the Pacifi c in 2007 and 2013, and recently in the Ameri-cas. In addition, a number of coun-tries reported the Zika virus in late January, saying it has reached 27 countries.

It is transmitted to human be-ings by the bite of the female Aede-saegypti mosquito when it sucks the blood of an infected patient.

Symptoms of the disease may include fever, skin rashes, conjunc-tives, muscle and joint pain, ma-laise and headache. These symp-toms are usually mild and last for several days. It requires no specifi c treatment and deaths are rare.

The World Health Organisa-tion (WHO) has declared that the recent Zika situation constitutes a Public Health Emergency of in-ternational concern. It also noted

that a marked increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) cases and foetus with microcephaly in most of the aff ected countries.

The WHO agreed that a causal relationship between Zika infec-tion during pregnancy and mi-crocephaly is strongly suspected, though not yet scientifi cally proven. Since there is no available vaccine or medicine for the Zika disease, the preventive measures require pregnant women to post-pone travel to infected countries for their safety, as well as for their baby’s safety.

In case of emergency travel, travellers should protect them-selves by avoiding mosquito bites by doing the following: wearing long-sleeved clothes that cover as much of the body as possible, us-ing insect repellents that can also be used by the pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers and us-ing permethrin treated clothes, including boots, pants, socks, tents and mosquito nets. One should also avoid sleeping outdoors.

K E E P I N G T A B S

GREATER VIGIL: Zika is a viral disease, caused by the Zika virus

that is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected

Aedes mosquitos. – Supplied picture

331 workers caught for violations

MUSCAT: In its weekly report, the joint inspection team of the Ministry of Manpower pointed out that the number of workers violating the Labour Law be-tween January 24 and January 30, stood at 331, including 276 commercial workers, 31 farm workers and 24 housemaids and their equivalents.

The inspection teams had caught 321 workers, including 130 absconding workers, 178 astray workers and 13 work-ers for other violations. The Governorate of Muscat saw the largest number of workers vio-lating the law at 168, followed by the Governorate of North Al Batinah with 56 workers found guilty of such violations.

Competent authorities at the ministry have initiated legal procedures against the guilty.

On the other hand, the Man-power Ministry statistics showed that (226) expatriate workers were deported for vio-lating provisions of the Labour Law and the ministerial deci-sions executing the law. -ONA

M I N I S T R Y O F M A N P O W E R

Two new hospitals begin operations in DhofarSALALAH: Two new hospitals started operation in the Governo-rate of Dhofar on Tuesday as part of the Ministry of Health’s eff orts to provide better health care to people.

The ministry began operation at the two new buildings of Madi-nat Al Haq Hospital in the Wilay-at of Taqah, as well as Tawi A’teer Hospital in the Wilayat of Mirbat.

The new hospitals’ operation

comes as part of the ministry’s drive to support and modernise the health institutions in the vari-ous governorates of the Sultanate.

The two new hospitals started receiving patients as the ministry has completed all the necessary arrangements to provide service to the patients with the fi rst day of opening the hospitals.

The two new buildings in-clude the basic diagnostic and

treatment, like clinics to patient-examination, laboratory ser-vices, radiology, pharmacy and dental clinics.

In addition to immunisation and care services for pregnant women, as well as providing equipped rooms for treatment and observation, there are in-pa-tient male and female wards, and fully equipped hall for delivery in both hospitals. -ONA

H E A L T H C A R E

‘Approval to full-time drivers only’

“Sometimes, we off er more fl ex-ible services than airport taxis”, he said.

Ali Abdullah, a resident of al-Khoudh, told the Times of Oman that this issue needs to be settled.

“The fi rst impression visi-tors to the Sultanate get from the country, are often the taxis”, he said. Settling this issue might save visitors from being ripped off , he added.

Suleiman Al Jardani, speaking on behalf of around 500 ‘orange’ taxi drivers, said that despite the ban, they are still able to drop off passengers at the airport.

“If I have a passenger from

Ruwi who wants to go to the air-port, I can still take him there, no problem,” he said.

New rateAbdullah Al Shaibli, speaking on behalf of the airport taxi driv-ers, said the new rate starts from OMR6 and 200 baisas per kilome-tre. He said that customers will be able to choose between a fi xed rate and the new rate, which has been implemented recently.

Municipal Council member Salim Al Ghammari told the Times of Oman that a new con-tract draft has been approved by the Municipal Council and it will

be referred to the Minister of Di-wan for the fi nal approval.

The new contract will be signed by the airport taxi drivers and the Oman Airport Management Company (OAMC), and will help solve “many issues” faced by Airport taxi drivers, including safety, insurance, driving times, Al Ghammari said, while adding that the contract will also have provision for a pension plan for the drivers.

He added that the contract will only allow taxi drivers who work full time and who do not work for government or private companies.

B A N O N O R A N G E T A X I S

< FROM

A1

‘Priority to local investors’Regarding investors for the pro-jects, he said Omran is primary looking for Omani investors. “We want the project to be developed by the Omanis, in Oman and for Oman,” he said, adding that he will look at investors from Gulf Cooperation Council countries only if they don’t fi nd Omani in-vestors. “Till now 35 investors have shown keen interest in our projects,” he added.

Sharing the success story of the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town,he said that Omran will supervise the development of the Mina Sul-tan Qaboos Waterfront Project, which will transform the Port Sultan Qaboos into a major tour-ism-based mixed-use waterfront destination.

He said that the size of the total investment of the company, in-cluding its partners, reached ap-proximately $8 billion.

He added that the biggest pro-jects being implemented by the company represented in the de-velopment of Sultan Qaboos Port and Al Irfan City Project.

Al Ghazali said that the infra-structure work of the fi rst phase of Al Irfan City Project was com-pleted.

He added that this phase in-clude Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, which is cur-rently being constructed, the commercial centre, Business Complex four 5 star hotels in-cluding JW Marriott, and 4-star Crowne Plaza hotel; both are cur-

rently under construction. He stressed that nearly 25 per cent of this stage was completed.

At the level of local and Gulf in-vestments, he explained that the investment companies expressed interest in investing in all the components of this stage.

The mixed-use waterfront of Sultan Qaboos Port is expected to become a major tourist desti-nation for Oman, off ering one of the region’s most authentic and historic waterfront promenades, while promoting the historic cen-turies-old Muttrah harbour.

The project will also provide a welcome boost to small business owners in Muscat and will gener-ate thousands of sustainable job opportunities. -With inputs from ONA

M I X E D - U S E W A T E R F R O N T

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MUSCAT: Molecular Nuclear Medicine (MNM) and Nuclear Accelerator Centre, stretching over 2,000 square metres was opened at the Royal Hospital in the presence of Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sa’eedi, Minis-ter of Health and health offi cials.

Nasr bin Hamoud Al Kindi, Secretary General of the Royal Court Aff airs patronised over the opening ceremony.

The centre, which is the fi rst of its kind in the Sultanate, com-prises of a nuclear accelerator, a laboratory, 8 injection rooms, isotope room and two rooms for molecular photography. -ONA

R O Y A L H O S P I T A L

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REGIONW E D N E S DAY, F E B R UA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

WASTE MISMANAGEMENT: Garbage is seen piled near residential buildings in Wadi Al Zayneh,

Chouf district, Lebanon. – Reuters

Syrian army threatens to encircle Aleppo as talks falter in Geneva

BEIRUT/AMMAN/GENEVA: A Syrian military off ensive backed by heavy Russian air strikes threatened to cut critical rebel supply lines into the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday while the warring sides said peace talks had not started despite a UN statement they had.

UN envoy Staff an de Mistura an-nounced the formal start on Mon-day of the fi rst attempt in two years to negotiate an end to a war that has killed 250,000 people, caused a refugee crisis in the region and Eu-rope and empowered IS militants. But both opposition and govern-ment representatives have since said the talks had not in fact begun and fi ghting on the ground raged on without constraint.

The opposition cancelled a meeting with de Mistura on Tues-day afternoon, and issued a state-ment condemning “a massive ac-celeration of Russian and regime military aggression on Aleppo and Homs”, calling it a threat to the po-litical process. Rebels described the assault north of Aleppo as the most intense yet. One commander said opposition-held areas of the divided city were at risk of being encircled entirely by the govern-ment and allied militia, appealing to foreign states that back the re-bels to send more weapons.

The main Syrian opposition council said after meeting de

Mistura on Monday it had not and would not negotiate unless the government stopped bombard-ing civilian areas, lifted blockades on besieged towns and released detainees. The head of the Syrian government delegation also de-nied talks had started after discus-sions with de Mistura on Tuesday.

Bashar Al Ja’afari said after two and a half hours of talks that the envoy had yet to provide an agenda or list of opposition participants. “The formalities are not yet ready,” he told reporters at the United Na-tions offi ce in Geneva.

He also said that if the opposi-tion “really cared” about the lives

of Syrians it should condemn the killing of more than 60 people on Sunday by IS bombers in a neigh-bourhood that is home to a shrine.

Fierce disagreementsA UN source said de Mistura had promised to present an opposi-tion delegation list by Wednesday. Its makeup is subject to fi erce disagreements among the regional and global powers that have been drawn into the confl ict.

The refugee crisis and spread of the militant IS group through large areas of Syria, and from there to Iraq, has injected a new urgency to resolve the fi ve-year-old Syria war.

But the chances of success, al-ways very slim, appear to be reced-ing ever more as the government, supported by Russian air strikes, advances against rebels, some of them US-backed, in several parts of western Syria where the coun-try’s main cities are located.

The attack north of Aleppo that began in recent days is the fi rst major government off ensive there since the start of Russian air strikes on September 30.

The area is strategic to both sides. It safeguards a rebel sup-ply route from Turkey into oppo-sition-held parts of the city and stands between government-held parts of western Aleppo and the villages of Nubul and Al Zahraa which are loyal to Damascus.

“The supply routes were not cut but there is heavy bombard-ment of them by the jets,” said a commander in the Levant Front rebel group who gave his name as Abu Yasine. “The Russian jets are trying to hit headquarters and cut supply routes.”

The Russian jets had been work-ing “night and day” for three days, he added, and reiterated the rebels’ long-held demand for anti-aircraft missiles to confront the assault.

“If there is no support, the re-gime could besiege the city of Aleppo and cut the road to the north,” said Abu Yasine, whose group is one of the rebel move-ments that have received military support from states opposed to As-sad, funnelled via Turkey.

Advancing government forces seized the village of Hardatnin some 10km (six miles) northwest of Aleppo, building on gains of

the previous day, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring body. Syrian state media also reported the ad-vance. Another rebel commander said he had sent reinforcements to the area. “We sent new fi ght-ers this morning, we sent heavier equipment there. It seems it will be a decisive battle in the north,” said Ahmed Al Seoud, head of a Free Syrian Army group known as Division 13. “We sent TOW mis-sile platforms. We sent everything there,” he told Reuters.

US-made TOW missiles, or guided anti-tank missiles, are the most potent weapon in the rebel arsenal and have been supplied to vetted rebel groups as part of a programme of military support overseen by the Central Intelli-gence Agency. But while they have helped rebels to slow advances on the ground, they are of little use against fi ghter bombers.

The Russian intervention has reversed the course of the war for Damascus, which suff ered a series of major defeats to rebels in west-ern Syria last year before Moscow deployed its air force as part of an alliance.

In an interview with Reuters, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Russian President Vladimir Putin was undermining international eff orts to end the war by bombing opponents of IS in an attempt to bolster Assad. “The Russians say let’s talk, and then they talk and they talk and they talk. The problem with the Rus-sians is while they are talking they are bombing, and they are support-ing Assad,” Hammond said. — Reuters

The opposition

cancelled a meeting

with UN envoy

Staff an de Mistura,

condemned ‘a

massive acceleration

of Russian and

regime military

aggression on

Aleppo and Homs’

Garbage crisis: Lebanon chokes on bad air, politicsBEIRUT: Lebanon’s government is so dysfunctional, Beirut stinks. And now it’s getting dangerous.

Six months ago, the authori-ties shut the main landfi ll site for garbage from the capital, without providing an alternative. Since then, rubbish collection has halt-ed and festering trash has piled up in the city streets, causing what researchers and campaigners now say is a public health emer-gency. Offi cials say they will re-solve the crisis by paying a foreign company to ship rubbish abroad, although even the minister in charge calls the plan “crazy”.

Activists say it is proof that a governing system, set up 25 years ago to share power among feud-ing sectarian groups and end a multi-sided civil war, has become so ineffi cient and corrupt that it is no longer capable of providing even basic services. “We are not asking for an impossible thing,” said Wadih Al Asmar, organiser of YouStink, a group formed last year to protest against the rub-bish crisis. “It’s obvious all coun-tries should have a strategic plan on waste management.”

Untreated, unmanaged rub-bish threatens the water supply, academics say. Hills of waste rise from makeshift dumps across the city and surrounding areas, in-cluding the banks of Beirut River just metres from where it meets the Mediterranean.

Garbage has been burnt, in-

cluding in the normally lovely forests around Beirut, fi lling the air with foul smoke that contains dangerous levels of pollutants.

As waste burns, carcinogens in the air increase by at least 2,300 per cent, and metals in-cluding lead and arsenic increase by 98-1,448 per cent, a study by the American University of Bei-rut and the Lebanese National Council for Scientifi c Research (CNRS) found. “In an almost closed area like Beirut with in-creasingly tall buildings, this leads to a kind of suff ocation,” CNRS secretary general Mouin Hamza told a news conference. “Burning waste is suicidal.”

The Lebanese system of gov-ernment stitched back together after the war carefully balances the interests of various groups. But the need for consensus in de-cision-making makes it easy for regional and community leaders to veto planning decisions.

And nobody wants a garbage dump in their backyard.

The government’s solution is a plan to pay a British fi rm to ship waste abroad.

“It’s a crazy solution in a coun-try of crazy people,” Agricul-ture Minister Akram Chehayeb, placed in charge of resolving the crisis, said on national television.

The plan would cost $193 per tonne to get rid of the waste, Che-hayeb told Reuters. That is more than a third more than the $140

a tonne Beirut’s waste manage-ment company Sukleen says it charged to clear away waste be-fore the landfi ll closed last year. Chehayeb expects 2,000-2,500 tonnes of rubbish a day to be shipped, which works out to up to $176 million a year.

Chehayeb told Reuters the export of new and old waste by Britain’s Chinook Urban Min-ing would begin on February 28. But previous deadlines have repeatedly been missed, the fi -nance minister has criticised the programme’s cost, and anti-corruption and environmental campaign groups have raised con-cerns about the lack of transpar-ency in the tender process.

Chinook, which describes itself as Britain’s premier developer of technology to produce clean ener-gy by burning rubbish, confi rmed it has been awarded the contract. It would not disclose to Reuters what it will do with the Lebanese trash or where it will ship it.

Local media have quoted Nabil Jisr, head of the Council for De-velopment and Reconstruction, a government body, saying the rub-bish would be sent to Russia.

Six months is a long time in waste management: the area produced around 3,000 tonnes of refuse a day before the crisis, according to the company that collects it, meaning around half a million tonnes of untreated trash has had nowhere to go. — Reuters

W O R S E N I N G C O N D I T I O N S

ONGOING ASSAULT: Government forces chat near a tank three kilometres from the villages of Nabbul

and Zahra in Syria’s northern Aleppo province which have been under siege by the IS group for three

years on Tuesday. – Reuters

Hills of waste rise from makeshift dumps across the city and surrounding areas, including the banks of Beirut River just metres from where it meets the Mediterranean.

A8

INDIAW E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

Across the world, be it organisations like the World Bank or Credit agencies, if there is one country which they see as a bright spot of growth it is India

Narendra Modi, Prime minister

Pranab asks world to proscribe states sponsoring terrorismJAIPUR: President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday asked the world to proscribe nations that support or sponsor terrorism as an instrument of state policy.

Asserting there is no good or bad terrorism, Mukherjee termed it as a “cancer which must be operated out with a fi rm scalpel” and world, in one voice, reject all its manifes-tations, without distinction.

“It is imperative that the world in one voice rejects all manifesta-tions of terrorism, without dis-tinction, and proscribes States that support or sponsor terrorism as an instrument of State policy,” he said after inaugurating the sec-ond edition of counter-terrorism conference organised by the India Foundation in collaboration with government of Rajasthan.

Terming the 9/11 terror attack in the US as a watershed moment, the president said the country needs to carefully examine and learn lessons from the success and failures of counter terrorism strat-egies followed since then.

“From that single incident have fl owed most of the interventions in the counter terrorism sphere that

we see happening at the interna-tional level as also at the regional and domestic levels.

“Faced with the spectre of ter-rorism, the Western world has undertaken a lot in terms of strat-egy and tactics and has achieved results also. We need to carefully examine and learn lessons from the success and failure of these strategies,” he said.

The US had carried out an oper-ation to kill dreaded terrorist Osa-ma bin Laden, said to be behind the 2001 attack, in Pakistan, nearly ten years after the incident.

FocusMukherjee said the predominant focus has to be on the political management of terrorism. This includes addressing issues of ide-ology and dealing with countries that sponsor or support terror-ism. Mukherjee said as a nation we have to strengthen plurality so that it acts as bulwark against radical ideologies and thought processes.

“Fragmentation of civil soci-ety, rather than its consolidation, is not a wise strategy. The former course leads to radicalisation,

which thereafter leads to competi-tive violence. Think tanks and civil society organisations have a larger role to play in this process of social integration.”

Mukherjee said a pluralistic and inclusive society like India has long presented a model for multi-cultural living and it is for this rea-son that global terror outfi ts have not been able to fi nd traction in In-dia. The president said till the end of the 20th century, terrorism had regional or national connotations.

“With the emergence of fi rst Al-Qaeda and now IS, those bounda-ries have shattered. Non-state actors are trying to be the State themselves, spreading radical ideologies across societies, using technologies to the fullest extent to attract youth.

“In such a scenario mere po-litical and military strategies will not suffi ce. We need to take social, economic, religious and psycho-logical aspects into consideration,” Mukherjee said. The president said counter terrorism eff ort has to be more pointed, more focused, more objective and more professional.

“While doing so there will al-

ways be a dilemma of whether we are threatening individual liber-ties or human rights. We have, therefore, to be judicious in pro-tecting larger freedoms and demo-cratic values,” he said, suggesting concerted action to shut down the fi nancial networks that support and sustain terrorism.

Citing Paris and Pathankot ter-ror attack cases, Mukherjee said terrorism is undoubtedly the sin-gle gravest threat that humanity is facing today.

Global threat“Terrorism is a global threat which poses an unprecedented challenge to all nations. No cause can justify terrorist acts. It is imperative that the world acts in unison against terrorism, without political con-siderations.

“Therefore, there is a need to take a resolve to not justify terror-ist means whatever be the reason or the source,” he said. Peace is the primary objective of rational con-sciousness as well as a moral uni-verse. It is the foundation of civili-sation and a necessity for economic progress, Mukherjee said. - PTI

C O N F E R E N C E

ELATED: President Pranab Mukherjee with Chief Executive Offi cer

and Head of the Council of the Ministers of Afghanistan, Abdullah

Abdullah during the Counter Terrorism Conference 2016 in Jaipur

on Tuesday. - PTI

PM rules out scrapping quota for Dalits, attacks Congress

COIMBATORE: Ruling out scrapping reservation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a veiled attack on Congress saying a “campaign of lies” has been let loose on the is-sue of Dalits under a “deliberate conspiracy” to disintegrate the country.

“Earlier they tried to instigate farmers. That did not succeed.....now in the name of Dalits, lies are being spread. Wherever they go, whenever they go, they utter lies. They repeat the lies on top of their voice. A campaign of lies has been let loose to mislead and fool Dalits.

“It is a deliberate conspiracy to mislead people, make them fi ght against each other and to disinte-grate the country. They are feel-ing frustrated because power has been taken away from them.

“They always believed that they (Dalits) are their voters and now Modi is working for them. They fear what to do with Modi. They want to prevent Dalits from back-ing Modi,” he said.

Though he did not name any-one, the Prime Minister’s attack appeared to be directed against Congress and its Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who recently made two trips to Hyderabad University to join protests over the suicide of a Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula.

On Saturday, Rahul had ac-

cused Modi and RSS of trying to crush the spirit of students by im-posing “one idea from the top”.

CampaignThe public meeting was to kick-start BJP’s campaign for the up-coming Assembly elections in Ta-mil Nadu but Modi concentrated on national issues and made no reference at all to the state poli-tics. He said the Opposition was worried over the NDA govern-ment taking several steps to high-light the achievements of Dalit icon B. R.Ambedkar.

Utilising the occasion, the prime minister said “lies are also being spread that Modi is going to take away reservation from Dalits, OBCs, oppressed and the

depressed. Please listen to me carefully. Dalits should progress. I assure the nation that nobody can do away with reservation till the name of Dr B R Ambedkar re-mains alive.”

He listed various steps and ini-tiatives taken by his government in commemoration of Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary.

Modi underlined that unity, harmony and peace were essential for the country to progress.

He also attacked the Congress over stalling Rajya Sabha saying ever since “a tea seller” came to power at the Centre, the opposi-tion party has not been able to rec-oncile itself to the defeat and loss of power.

“In the last 19 months, there has

been no corruption charge against anyone. No scam. They are wor-ried ‘what can we do with Modi’.So they decided not to allow Rajya Sabha (to function).We will stall Modi. Several bills are pending there. What is this politics. Don’t damage the country,” he said in an apparent reference to the stalling of the GST bill by the Congress in the upper house.

The prime minister said in Lok Sabha the government was able to carry out its business and pass bills. When they came to power, the government decided to scrap 1,800 antiquated laws which were for the benefi t of poor.

Modi said the Lok Sabha has al-ready scrapped 700 laws but they are pending in Rajya Sabha.

What the Congress is doing is against the poor and deprived of the country.

He said the Lok Sabha has passed a bill to provide for higher bonus payment to poor labour but the Opposition did not allow it to be passed in the Rajya Sabha.

“But the government’s priority is to work for the welfare of Dalits, backwards, the oppressed and the depressed. From our side, we will not spare any eff orts,” Modi said.

On the economic progress of the country, Modi said the gov-ernment had put in place several reforms to push growth.

He said international bodies like the World Bank and IMF had projected India to be amongst the fastest growing large economy.

“Across the world, be it organi-sations like the World Bank or Credit agencies, if there is one country which they see as a bright spot of growth it is India”, the prime minister said. - PTI

Though he did not

name anyone, the

Prime Minister’s

attack appeared to

be directed against

Congress and its

Vice President, who

recently made two

trips to Hyderabad

University to join

protests over

the suicide of

a Dalit scholar

GARNERING SUPPORT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Tamil Nadu BJP chief Thamizhisai

Soundararajan, right, and other BJP leaders wave at a public meeting in Coimbatore on Tuesday. - PTI

Modi government takes potshots at UPA over rural job guarantee scheme

NEW DELHI: As Mahatma Gan-dhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act (MGNREGA) com-pleted 10 years, the NDA govern-ment on Tuesday claimed it has brought a “transformation” in the rural job guarantee scheme which was in a “pitiable” state under UPA due to frequent curtailing of funds.

Asserting that schemes are “not cast in stone” and their modifi ca-tion is required with the passage of time, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said MGNREGA under-went change under NDA and new initiatives were taken besides in-creasing the fund allocation to the scheme so that its benefi ts could reach the people in a better way.

“...tranformation has been brought in the implementation of this scheme. When a government scheme runs for many years, an attitude of indiff erence develops towards it. A kind of indiff erence towards it was growing by 2013-14 when the scheme has entered its seventh and eight years.

“When there was a change of government in 2014-15, there was a talk in and outside Parliament on whether the scheme will be

discontinued or its fund alloca-tion will be curtailed. But the new government not only took forward the scheme but also increased its fund,” Jaitley said, delivering his key note address at MGNREGA Sammelan here.

Rural Development Minister Chudhary Birender Singh said that in last 19 months, people availing the scheme have benefi ted in the true sense and were contended due to correct implementation of the scheme.

Minister of State for Rural De-velopment Sudarshan Bhagat said the condition of MGNREGA was “quite pitiable” in the beginning of the 2014-15 when UPA was in power and claimed that it was the NDA (National Democartic Alli-ance) government which gave the maximum funding for the scheme.

TransformationSingh said that the attraction which is now visible for scheme is due to its “transformation in last 18 months” of the NDA rule “which did not happen in last ten years”. He also lauded Modi gov-ernment for increasing the fund

allocation in MGNREGA from Rs33,000 crore to Rs36,977 crore.

The remarks by the Union Min-isters came on a day when Rahul Gandhi is in Andhra Pradesh to mark the completion of ten years of UPA’s fl agship rural job guaran-tee scheme, which was launched from there by the then prime min-ister Manmohan Singh and Con-gress President Sonia Gandhi in February 2006.

A political slugfest on the issue

has already begun.Congress, which had earlier

accused Modi government of try-ing to “dilute” MGNREGA, has taunted the government after it had hailed the measure as a “cause of national pride and celebration” on Monday.

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday mocked Prime Minister Nar-endra Modi saying his govern-ment’s praise of the MGNREGA is a “shining example” of Modi’s

“political wisdom” as he only had called the UPA’s job guarantee scheme a “living monument of Congress” failure.

“After calling NREGA ‘living monument of INC failure’ Govt now hails it as cause of ‘nat pride & celebration’ !Shining eg of Modiji’s pol wisdom”, the Congress Vice President said in a tweet.

The war of words on MGNRE-GA comes in the backdrop of Con-gress accusing the government of “appropriating” its icons” and “re-naming” its schemes.

Jaitley claimed that it is perhaps for the fi rst time that the actual ex-penditure of MGNREGA is much more than that was provisioned for the fi nancial year in the Budget.

There was perhaps not a time in last many years that there was no curtailment in the fund for schemes announced in the Budget, he said taking potshots at UPA (United Progressive Alliance). Under the scheme, people in rural areas are guaranteed 100 days of work. “Perhaps there was not one occasion in last few years that the allocation made in the Budget was not curtailed,” Jaitley said adding

this always led to curtailment in the planned expenditure, which ultimately aff ected development.

The budget cuts in MGNREGA when P. Chidambaram was the fi -nance minister in UPA had led the then Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh to write to him in 2013 that “huge cuts” proposed will “very severely aff ect these programmes particularly in states that need them the most”.

The scheme’s budgetary alloca-tion has increased from around Rs11,000 crore in 2006-07 to Rs40,000 crore in 2009-10, and had since remained consistent at around Rs 33,000 crore till 2013-14. Next year’s budget was Rs34,000 crore, which was raised to Rs34,699 crore in 2015-16.

Despite Prime Minister Nar-endra Modi’s jibe during the last Budget that MGNREGA was a “living monument” of the Con-gress-led UPA government’s fail-ures, the government had hiked the scheme’s allocation from Rs 34,000 crore to Rs34,699 crore, while promising to enhance the al-location by another Rs 5,000 crore if there was tax buoyancy. - PTI

M G N R E G A S A M M E L A N

MAKING A POINT: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addressing

the MGNREGA Sammelan 2016 in New Delhi on Tuesday. - PTI

PDP puts conditions for government formation

JAMMU: Indian-administered-Kashmir on Tuesday appeared to be headed for a longer spell of po-litical uncertainty with both allies PDP and BJP putting the onus of forming the next government on each other as their leaders met Governor N. N. Vohra who had stepped in to break the month-long impasse.

Vohra held consultations with PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who was accompanied by senior party colleague Muzaff ar Baig, after which he met BJP leaders, includ-ing former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, here to seek clar-ity on the issue of government formation. While Mehbooba did not spell out what she told Vohra over government formation, Singh said BJP will take any step only after PDP elects its Legislature Party leader and notifi es the Gov-ernor about it.

Emerging from the meeting, Mehbooba set certain conditions to ally BJP, including confi dence building measures (CBMs) by the Centre for peace and development of Jammu and Kashmir.

‘No diff erences’Insisting that there are “no diff er-ences” with BJP, she said Jammu and Kashmir is diff erent from oth-er states and needs a “good atmos-phere, space and a fi llip” if a new government is to be formed.

Talking to reporters, she said her late father Mufti Sayeed, with-out bothering about his “political career”, had aligned with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the hope that the Centre will bring out the state from the diffi -cult situation it is in. - PTI

J A M M U A N D K A S H M I R

A9

INDIAW E D N E S DAY, F E B R UA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

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India and Brunei to boost defence ties; sign 3 pacts

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: India and Brunei on Tuesday decided to boost defence ties by conducting joint military exer-cises as the two countries signed three agreements after Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari held talks with the top leadership here.

Ansari, on the fi rst high-level trip from India since the estab-lishment of diplomatic ties with resource-rich Brunei, witnessed the signing of the agreements in the fi eld of health, and youth and sports aff airs, besides defence.

In the defence sector, the two countries agreed for bilateral co-operation through exchange of visits at diff erent levels; exchange of experience, information, train-ing and trainers; conduct of joint military exercises, seminars and discussions; and cooperation be-tween the defence industries.

Cooperation in defence be-tween India and Brunei already exists in the form of naval ship

visits, training of senior military offi cers in staff colleges and ex-change of experience.

The framework agreement seeks to institutionalise this co-operation.

The agreements were reached on the second day of Ansari’s visit here at a ceremony also attended by Brunei’s Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Awang Halbi, Health Minister Haji Zulkarnain and Deputy Minister of Defence Abdul Aziz.

The agreement on health aims to establish cooperation by means of pooling technical, scientifi c, fi -nancial and human resources and to upgrade the healthcare, medi-cal education, research between the two countries.

The areas identifi ed for bi-lateral cooperation under the agreement are exchange of doc-

tors, other professionals and ex-perts; exchange of information on health; medical and health research development; regula-tions of pharmaceuticals, medi-cal devices and cosmetics and to promote business development in these areas; and health promotion and disease prevention.

FrameworkIn the fi eld of youth and sports aff airs, the agreement provides a framework for exchanges of sports persons and sports teams; facilitate the exchange of exper-tise in coaching, sports talent identifi cation, sports manage-ment and administration and ex-change of information in the fi eld of youth aff airs.

Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Aff airs was the signatory on India’s behalf in

Brunei. Ansari on Monday said India is exploring the possibil-ity of setting up a fertiliser plant in Brunei using the gas from the country, the fourth largest pro-ducer of LNG in the world.

“We buy about a million dollar worth of oil from Brunei. They don’t have much gas for us (ex-porting directly) because their gas is contracted out on a long-term basis. So we are exploring with them the possibility of using their gas locally for setting up a ferti-liser unit,” Ansari told reporters.

Brunei is the fourth largest pro-ducer of LNG in the world and among the largest gas exporters with 9 per cent share of the export market.

“Maybe we will discuss a little more. That should be a good prop-osition. We have already tried this formula in Oman where we man-

ufacture urea there and bring it to India. In terms of freight and all also it is cheaper,” he said.

More than 90 per cent of Bru-nei’s gas production is converted into LNG for exports with most of LNG taken up by South Korea.

Indian imports with Brunei in 2015 (up to October) stood at 642.79 million Brunei dollars while the exports fi gure was 29.86 million Brunei dollars.

Ansari said Brunei has been country coordinator for India with the ASEAN grouping for three years and “our experience has been very positive”. - PTI

In the defence

sector, the two

countries agreed for

bilateral cooperation

through exchange

of visits at diff erent

levels; exchange

of experience,

information, training

and trainers; conduct

of joint military

exercises

PARLEYS: Vice President Hamid Ansari with Sultan of Brunei, Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah at a meeting in Bandar

Seri Begawan, Brunei on Tuesday. - PTI

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Centre issues guidelines on Zika virusNEW DELHI: A day after WHO declared emergency over the “ex-plosive” spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the Centre on Tuesday issued detailed guide-lines for combating the disease, including a travel advisory that asks pregnant women to either defer or cancel their travel to the aff ected areas.

The health ministry said that all international airports and ports will display signage with in-

formation on the disease. Travellers will be asked to re-

port to customs if they are re-turning from aff ected countries and suff ering from febrile illness, it added.

Zika virus, which is carried by mosquito and suspected to cause serious birth defects, has aff ected countries in the Americas.

In its guidelines, the ministry said that while the disease has not been reported in India, the

mosquito which transmits Zika virus, namely Aedes aegypti, also transmits dengue virus, which is widely prevalent in the country.

The health ministry said the overall situation would be moni-tored by a ‘joint monitoring group’ under Director General of Health Services (DGHS) while the In-dian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) would identify the re-search priorities and take appro-priate action. - PTI

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

Rajnath Singh meets top clerics, seeks cooperation

NEW DELHI: Amidst increasing attempts by IS to lure Indians into its fold, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday held a meeting with top clerics and sought their cooperation to check the grow-ing tentacles of the dreaded group among Muslim youth.

The hour-long meeting, also attended by NSA Ajit Doval and senior Home Ministry offi cials, apprised the clerics about activi-ties of the terrorist group and its eff orts to attract Indian youth to its fold.

The home minister sought the cooperation of the clerics, who of-fered all help to the government in this regard, offi cial sources said.

The issues that were discussed included misuse of social media, sources of impetus that attract persons, specially youth, to IS, the growth of IS infl uence in India’s neighbourhood and the best possi-ble law enforcement response.

Those who attended the meet-ing include Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind’s Maulana Arshad Madani, Maulana Abdul Wahid Hussain Chisti of Ajmer Sharif, Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi of Jamiat Ahle Ha-dees, Tauqeer Raza Khan, Rafi q Warshiq, Shia leader Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawad Qalbe Jawaid, Kamal Farooqi, Mushafa Faruqi besides others.

The need for appropriate wel-fare schemes for minorities, social media strategies to be followed, es-pecially in the area of information technology were also discussed threadbare.

RemarksIn his remarks, the home minister said India’s traditions and family values will overcome such nefari-ous designs of terrorist groups and that while the traction that IS has got in India is extremely limited, and almost insignifi cant in com-parison to other countries, there is a need to keep up vigil on all fronts, and not let down the guard in any manner. - PTI

I S B I D T O L U R E I N D I A N S

A10

PAKISTAN W E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

Varsity administration

threatens resignation

CHARSADDA/PESHAWAR: In continuing criticism of the fact-fi nding committee’s report on the attack on Bacha Khan University, the varsity administration has threatened en masse resignations if any action is taken against the vice chancellor.

The question of why no one was taken to task or held responsible over the Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu prisons breaks was also raised by the registrar.

Report criticisedAll employees of the university have criticised the report issued by the investigation committee, said BKU Spokesperson Syed Khan Khalil on Monday.

He said this at a meeting held at the university where the VC, registrar, teachers and deans were present. They have decided to re-sign and shut down the university if the vice chancellor is taken to task over the January 20 attack claimed by Taliban, said Khalil.

Vice Chancellor Dr Fazalur

Rahim Marwat said it was the re-sponsibility of the government to provide security to educational in-stitutes and protect their citizens.

He added teachers, students and untrained guards cannot fi ght trained terrorists who are armed with heavy weapons. — Express Tribune

F A L L O U T O F T A L I B A N A T T A C K

Vice Chancellor Dr

Fazalur Rahim Marwat

said it was the

responsibility of the

government to provide

security to educational

institutes and protect

their citizens

DEMANDING RELEASE Protesters with placards rally in front of the Pakistani embassy in Manila’s fi nancial district of Makati on Tuesday. They are

calling for the release of Pakistani human rights activist and Fisherfolk Secretary General Saeed Baloch who was arrested on

January 16 by Pakistani paramilitary forces for allegedly fi nancing gang wars in Sindh provincial capital. — AFP

Two killed as PIA staff clash with security forces over privatisation

KARACHI: Pakistani security personnel on Tuesday clashed with marchers protesting govern-ment plans to privatise the ailing national airline, a skirmish that a hospital offi cial said killed at least two protesters and injured eight.

Protesters said paramilitary forces fi red after a confrontation as security forces tried to block the strikers nearing the airport in the southern economic hub of Karachi.

But a spokesman for the para-military Rangers force and a sen-ior police offi cer denied that any of their members had fi red.

The violence came as hundreds of airline employees held the latest of a months-long series of protests against the plans to privatise Paki-stan International Airlines (PIA).

Police used water cannons and

teargas to keep the crowd from approaching the city’s Jinnah In-ternational Airport before shots were fi red.

“They didn’t tell us they would be using force,” Suhail Baluch, chairman of PIA’s Joint Action

Committee, a grouping of unions, said of the fi rings.

“Firing straight at unarmed peo-ple is unacceptable.”

One man with a gunshot wound died during treatment and the body of another had been brought

for autopsy, Kaleem Shaikh, an of-fi cer of the city’s Jinnah Hospital, told Reuters, adding that the men were PIA employees at the protest.

Eight other injured protesters had also been admitted for treat-ment, he said.

Senior police offi cer Kamran Fazal told reporters at the scene that police did not open fi re.

Police had gathered bullet cas-ings from the scene to determine the weapons used, he said.

The Human Rights Com-

mission of Pakistan (HRCP) called for a “prompt and credible investigation”.

“Every citizen is entitled to the freedom of peaceful protest,” the group’s chairperson Zohra Yusuf said in a statement.

Despite the strike in Karachi and at PIA offi ces across Pakistan, fl ights suff ered no major disrup-tion on Tuesday.

Once a source of pride for Pakistan, fl ights of the loss-making carrier are now frequently cancelled and many of its aircraft have been cannibalised to keep others fl ying.

“Saving PIA means saving the country,” said Ali Hussain, one of the striking employees.”Tomorrow they will sell Pakistan.”

The government expressed “sadness and sympathy” for those killed or injured on Tuesday, but also warned against further protests.

“Creating problems for the pub-lic in the name of protest, creating blockages in the coming and going of passengers and destroying pub-lic property is not lawful,” an inte-rior ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday enacted legislation that eff ectively restricts the airline’s employees from striking for six months, the government said.

Those convicted of infringe-ments face prison terms of up to a year, and an unspecifi ed fi ne. — Reuters

Police used water

cannons and teargas

to keep the crowd

representing the

national airlines

from approaching

Karachi’s Jinnah

International

Airport before

shots were fi red

FURIOUS: Pakistani employees of Pakistan International Airlines shout slogans as police use a water cannon on them during a protest

near Karachi International Airport in Karachi on Tuesday. — AFP



Altaf exempted from police station visits during inquiryKARACHI: In a surprising turn of events, the Scotland Yard an-nounced on Monday that it was cancelling the bail of six men, in-cluding Muttahida Qaumi Move-ment (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain and two other party members, in a money-laundering case.

It also said that the six men were no longer required to report to the police.

Despite the cancellation of bail, a spokesperson for the London Metropolitan Police told The Ex-press Tribune that investigations into the allegations would con-tinue and further action would be taken as needed.

“Bail cancellation means that these men are not required to come to the police station any-more as they were required to do so earlier during their bail,” she explained.

The three other men whose bail had been cancelled include busi-nessmen Sarfaraz Merchant, and two individuals Yasin Haji and Latif Jiwa.

The move came just hours be-fore the MQM chief and party members Tariq Mir and Moham-med Anwar were due to appear at the South London police station on Tuesday (today) to seek exten-sions in their bail in connection with the money-laundering case dating back to July 2013.

According to a statement is-sued by the party, London police had notifi ed the MQM chief of the development on Monday.

“At the time of writing, there is insuffi cient evidence to bring a criminal charge against Altaf

Hussain and his colleagues,” the party quoted the police notifi ca-tion. “There is no need for any of you [Altaf, Mir, Anwar] to attend the police station. The bail condi-tions currently in place are there-fore removed.”

The party said Altaf had react-ed to the news with relief and reit-erated that he had no involvement in money-laundering.

Money-laundering investiga-tions had been launched after a

considerable amount of cash was discovered at Altaf’s residence and offi ce on December 6, 2012, during raids in connection with the investigation of the murder case of Dr Imran Farooq, a found-ing member of the MQM who was stabbed to death in London in September 2010.

Later, the MQM supremo was arrested on June 3, 2014, as part of the money-laundering investi-gation. However, he was released on bail four days later.

Since then, his bail had been extended fi ve times. — Express Tribune

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

Altaf Hussain

A11

ASIAW E D N E S DAY, F E B R UA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

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LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAY RUSHHuge queues outside Guangzhou railway station in Guangzhou, in southern China’s Guangdong province on Tuesday. Tens of

thousands of Lunar New Year travellers in China were stranded on Sunday at a station in Guangzhou, state media said, after

snow and ice elsewhere disrupted the world’s largest annual human migration. - AFP


ARTICLE, PHOTOS

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

Vice mayor of Chinese city to be prosecuted for corruption

BEIJING: A vice mayor in a key southeastern Chinese city will be prosecuted for graft after an in-vestigation found he engaged in “superstitious” activities, abused his power and took bribes, China’s main anti-graft watchdog said on Tuesday.

Li Dongliang, vice mayor of Xiamen, took gifts in exchange for help with promotions, covered up unspecifi ed personal issues, al-lowed family members to benefi t from his position and “participat-ed in superstitious activities”, the ruling Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline In-spection said.

He also had “abnormal relations with others”, it said, alluding to an extra-marital aff air. Such activity is banned for party offi cials, who are meant to be upstanding mem-bers of the community.

Party members are also not sup-posed to believe in “superstition” in offi cially atheist China.

The charge is frequently levelled at fallen offi cials as a way of fur-ther blackening their names. In a similar example, China’s powerful former public security chief Zhou Yongkang, who was jailed for life last year for corruption, was ac-cused of leaking undisclosed state secrets to a fortune teller. - Reuters

P O W E R A B U S E , B R I B E R Y

Chinese envoy in North Korea amid push for nuclear curbs

SEOUL: China’s envoy for the North Korean nuclear issue ar-rived in the capital, Pyongyang, on Tuesday, the North’s KCNA news agency reported, amid a push by the United States and South Korea for tougher sanctions on the North after its fourth nuclear test.

China’s Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Aff airs Wu Dawei was expected to hold dis-cussions with the North Koreans on the nuclear issue after his ar-rival there, Japan’s Kyodo news

agency reported from the North Korean capital.

Neither Kyodo nor KCNA gave further details. China’s foreign ministry did not have immediate comment. North Korea is believed to be making preparations for a

test launch of a long-range rocket, US offi cials have said, after activity at its test site was observed by sat-ellite. North Korea has said it has a sovereign right to pursue a space programme by launching rockets. But the United Nations see that

activity as a missile programme in disguise. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Monday that Wu met his US counterpart, Sung Kim, last week following US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Beijing.

Wu met his South Korean coun-terpart last month. Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last Wednesday agreed on the need for a signifi cant new UN Se-curity Council resolution against the North, but there were few signs of progress on agreeing on the de-tails. Wang rejected as “groundless speculation” remarks by US offi -cials that China, using its infl uence as the North’s main economic ben-efactor and political backer, could do more to press North Korea and must end “business as usual”.

China disapproves of the North’s nuclear programme and says it is making great eff orts to achieve denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula.

Pressure grew on China after the North detonated a nuclear device on January 6, calling it a successful hydrogen bomb test, although the claim was met with scepticism by US and South Korean offi cials and nuclear experts, who said the blast was too small for it to have been a full-fl edged hydrogen bomb.

North Korea is already under a wide array of international sanc-tions for its nuclear programme.

The US House of Representa-tives responded to the latest test with a vote last month to pass leg-islation that would broaden sanc-tions. - Reuters

North Korea is

believed to be making

preparations for

a test launch of a

long-range rocket,

US offi cials have

said, after activity

at its test site was

observed by satellite

UNDER PRESSURE: China’s Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Aff airs Wu Dawei, left, arrives

at Pyongyang’s international airport, in North Korea, on Tuesday. - Reuters/Kyodo

China defends law enforcers as US calls for clarity on booksellers disappearanceB E I J I N G / WA S H I N G T O N : China’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday its law enforcement of-fi cials would never do anything il-legal, especially not overseas, after the United States called on China to clarify the status of fi ve missing Hong Kong booksellers.

The booksellers, including Lee Bo, 65, a dual British and Chinese national and owner of a publisher and bookstore specialising in books critical of China’s Commu-nist Party leaders, are believed by many to have been abducted by mainland agents.

‘Deeply concerned’US State Department spokesman John Kirby told a regular news briefi ng on Monday the United States was “deeply concerned”, and the cases raised questions about China’s commitment to Hong Kong’s autonomy under a one country, two systems frame-work as well as about its respect for rights.

“We urge China to clarify the current status of all fi ve individu-

als and the circumstances sur-rounding their disappearances and to allow them to return to their homes,” Kirby said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Hong Kong’s autonomy was fully re-spected, and that as the territory

was China’s, no foreign offi cials had the right to interfere or off er “not really appropriate” comments about the place.

The British government is wait-ing for responses to its diplomatic requests for information and ac-cess to Lee, who disappeared from

Hong Kong on December 30.Lee’s wife visited him in a main-

land guesthouse on January 23 and issued a statement saying he was healthy and in good spirits, and that he was a witness in an in-vestigation.

Four other booksellers are be-lieved to be in mainland detention, including Swedish national Gui Minhai, who disappeared from the Thai resort town of Pattaya last October. Gui surfaced on Chi-nese state television last month, stating he had turned himself into Chinese authorities over a fatal drunken driving case more than a decade ago.

Asked whether China had kid-napped Gui in Thailand, Lu said Chinese law enforcers always abided by the law.

The disappearances have prompted fears that mainland au-thorities may be using shadowy tactics that erode the one country, two systems formula under which Hong Kong has been governed since its return to China from Brit-ish rule in 1997. - Reuters

A L L E G E D A B D U C T I O N

PROTEST: A demonstrator posts a portrait of Causeway Bay Books

shareholder Lee Bo and Mighty Current publishing house’s general

manager Lui Bo, right, during a protest to call for an investigation

behind the disappearance of fi ve staff members of a Hong Kong

publishing house and bookstore, during a protest outside the Chi-

nese liaison offi ce in Hong Kong, on January 3, 2016. - Reuters

Australian premier

weighs early elections

to break deadlock

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Tuesday raised the possibility of dissolving both houses of Parlia-ment and calling an early election to break a political deadlock that has stymied the government, offi -cials aware of the matter said.

Turnbull, who deposed former prime minister Tony Abbott in a party coup last year, told a private meeting of his Liberal Party that he expected the government to run a full term but had not ruled out a so-called double-dissolu-tion election. A double-disso-lution election is rarely used in Australia and allows for snap elections for all the seats in both houses to break an impasse.

“He said a double-dissolution was a live option, which would have to be weighed up,” one of-fi cial said, on condition of ano-nymity.

“Addressing the topic of tim-ing of the election, he said that we

can reasonably expect an elec-tion to be at the normal time in the August to October period, but that is not set in stone.”

A second government offi cial with knowledge of the briefi ng confi rmed the account. A spokes-man for Turnbull declined to comment on speculation about when the election will be held.

Attempts by Abbott to push his conservative agenda on en-titlement, higher education and industrial reforms through the divided upper house Senate were blocked by independent senators and the centre-left Labour Party, helping lead to his ouster.

Turnbull held out the possi-bility of dissolving parliament if the Senate refuses to pass a bill reinstating an industrial rela-tions watchdog disbanded by the Labour government of prime minister Julia Gillard, the Aus-tralian Broadcasting Corporation reported. - Reuters

D O U B L E - D I S S O L U T I O N

Travel ban fuels talk of constitutional challenge

NAYPYITAW/YANGON: The party of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi has instructed its law-makers not to leave the capital, rank-and-fi le members said, fuelling speculation of a legal bid to sidestep a clause in the constitution barring the de-mocracy champion from the presidency.

Eight new lawmakers from the National League for Democ-racy (NLD) said the party’s top governing body, the 15-strong Central Executive Committee (CEC), had told them to stay in Naypyitaw, where the NLD-dominated parliament began its fi ve-year term this week.

“We are not allowed to take any leave until the end of next week,” said a new NLD member who did not want to be identifi ed.

“One of the NLD CEC mem-bers said there may be some im-portant matters or emergency bills coming up next week.”

The directive has intensifi ed speculation among lawmakers that the party could table legis-lation to suspend the provision that prevents Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi from becoming president despite her thumping win in a historic election in No-vember. - Reuters

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Pakistan classrooms not a place for guns

Muhammad Hamid Zaman

In the backdrop of conversations on edu-cation, arming teachers and the national discourse on security, let us start with

three simple, but undeniable facts. First, we have a national education crisis of the grandest proportions. The manifestations of this crisis come in the form of millions of children out of school, lack of access to quality education for the masses and a frac-tured education system that is unable to produce graduates that society needs des-perately. Second, becoming a teacher in Pa-kistan is not the fi rst choice for most people. There are few, if any, incentives to become a teacher. Paltry salaries that are often de-layed by months, classrooms without re-sources, schools without leadership and no mechanism to professionally develop do not create a workforce that is motivated. Third, recent tragic incidents have made the ele-ment of security now an inescapable part of our education system.

Given these diff erent but interconnected realities of a broken education system that employs teachers who are overburdened, un-derpaid and rarely trained, the last thing we should go for is to arm them with guns in the classroom. Asking teachers who are barely able to do their jobs to now also be security guards is beyond unreasonable. It is danger-ous and morally wrong. Regardless of where one stands on gun control in the state, eve-ryone agrees that gun safety is an extremely serious business that requires training, years of experience and focus. Lacking that, even if there is no continuous external threat, tragic incidents with irreparable consequences can still occur. Self-infl icted fatal injuries make up the bulk of gun-related casualties around the world. On top of this, expecting teachers to fi ght trained terrorists is as absurd as it is sad. We also cannot deny that due to a vari-ety of reasons, including fi nancial and social strains, our teachers routinely get their frus-tration out on their students. The expression of this frustration often manifests in the form of unacceptable physical abuse. The last thing one would want in the hands of a

frustrated teacher is a loaded gun!Most importantly, in addition to the high

chance of tragic incidents, arming classroom teachers will negatively impact the learning environment that is meant to be comfort-ing, inclusive and focused on knowledge. A student, regardless of age, but particularly at a young age, needs an environment that ena-bles her or him to be curious, to engage and to enjoy the material discussed. Decades of research have demonstrated how learning environments infl uence and impact learn-ing, and the last thing one needs in a learn-ing environment is the constant reminder of fear and danger. Students look up to their teachers and should see them with a piece of chalk, a pen or a book, not a semi-automatic.

The argument, made by many, including those in government, that our ground reali-ties require us to arm individual teachers is fundamentally fl awed. There is no debate over the fact that our security needs are com-plex and the need to provide safety to our educational institutions cannot be compro-mised. However, guaranteeing safety is the responsibility of state institutions that are trained in safeguarding life and freedom. Ex-pecting teachers to do what the state should do, but is unwilling or unable to do, is not only a sign of miserable failure, it is also the creation of a dangerous society where sanc-tity of an educational institution is no longer intact. Most importantly, it squarely plays into the hands of those who are bent on de-stroying our values and instil a sense of fear in the hearts and minds of everyone, most of all, the next generation. And that, we should be never ready to accept.

If our recent bloody history of intolerance tells us anything, it is that our impulsive, poorly thought-out and myopic policies on education have had a devastating eff ect. Let us not play any more dangerous games with places of learning. An educational institu-tion should always be a place of inspiration – a beacon for a better tomorrow and a sanc-tuary that celebrates our best ideas.

There should never be any space for ideas that destroy our most prized asset: Our fu-ture. - Express Tribune

Decision to operate budget airlines a timely choiceThis refers to the report ‘Budget airline to promote tourism in Oman’ (February 2). In this time of austerity the proposal to open up the sky for low-cost airlines in the Sultanate has quite a number of advan-

tages. As Oman Air is the only airline that operates within Oman, it would be ideal to have budget airlines entered the domestic sector as well in order to attract the busi-ness community and those who travel for leisure purposes. Obviously the services from low cost carriers will be diff erent. Economically, it is viable and will have a lot of infl uence, especially in the prevailing situations. As Duqm and Sohar airports are going to be fully operative very soon, hav-ing domestically operated budget airlines will always be an added attraction to the residents of the Sultanate. Meanwhile, it will also help in improving the frequency of travel to a number of business hubs in the region, and could avoid depending on commuting by road. It apparently helps reduce the risk of travelling. As the benefi ts being in multiple aspects, especially adding

up more job opportunities for the talented youth, the decision to start operating budget airlines is a timely choice and even promote the naturally blessed Oman’s potential to rest of the region and world. I hope it will take shape very soon.—Ramachandran Nair, Ruwi

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Seminar on side eff ects of medicines beginsMUSCAT: A seminar on monitoring side eff ects of drugs organized by the Ministry of Health in coordination with the International Drugs Monitoring Centre in Sweden, an affi liate to the World Health Organi-sation (WHO), began here yesterday. The seminar is meant to high-light the importance of monitoring and classifying drugs side eff ects and writing required reports about them to the concerned offi ce at the Directorate General of Pharmaceutical Aff airs and Drug Control.

1690: The fi rst paper money in America is issued in the Mas-sachusetts Bay Colony.

1917: A German submarine sinks the U.S. liner Housatonic off coast of Sicily. The United States severs diplomatic relations with Germany.

1954: Millions greet Queen Elizabeth in Sydney on her fi rst royal trip to Australia.

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No candidate has been a hopeless also-ran in the Iowa caucuses and

rebounded to come anywhere close to a presidential nomination, and there’s no reason to expect Rand

Paul, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie or Rick

Santorum to seriously contest the nomination after this point

JONATHAN BERNSTEIN

If the Zika crisis fi zzles, hindsight bias might lead people to criticize

health authorities for urging pregnant women not to travel to aff ected areas, and for funneling money into improving mosquito

control and vaccine development. But these are the right actions given

what’s currently known

FAYE FLAM

It’s easy to protect children by disregarding the rights of convicted

molesters. It’s much harder to draw constitutional lines in a

careful, principled way that doesn’t compromise privacy for the rest

of us by setting bad precedent. Here’s hoping the 7th Circuit takes

the case en banc, or that the US Supreme Court overturns it

NOAH FELDMAN

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

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

A33-year-old woman and her seven-month-old daughter miraculously escaped with only minor injuries in Argentina

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4 Oman’s Manpower Ministry forms committee to address workers’ demands


5 Sudden drop in temperature triggers multiple winter illnesses


1 Student injured in Indian school bus accident in Seeb


2 No major job cuts at Petroleum Development Oman this yeartimesofoman.com/Oman

3 Tax on fast foods, tobacco and soft drinks in Oman soon, says ministertimesofoman.com/Oman

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5 Budget airline to promote tourism in Oman


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WORLDW E D N E S DAY, F E B R UA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES: Health ministry personnel fumigate against the ‘Aedes aegypti’ mosquito, vector of the dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Monday. – AFP

The French drugmaker, Sanofi , has launched a project to develop a vaccine against Zika, the most decisive commitment yet by a major vaccine producer to fi ght the disease.

Africa and Asia vulnerable to Zika

GENEVA/SYDNEY: The Zika virus linked to a microcephaly outbreak in Latin America could spread to Africa and Asia, with the world’s highest birth rates, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned as it launched a global response unit against the new emergency.

The WHO on Monday declared an international public health emergency due to Zika’s link to thousands of recent birth defects in Brazil.

“We’ve now set up a global re-sponse unit which brings together all people across WHO, in head-quarters, in the regions, to deal with a formal response using all the lessons we’ve learned from the Ebola crisis,” said Anthony Cos-tello, WHO director for maternal, child and adolescent health.

Global concern“The reason it’s a global concern is that we are worried that this could also spread back to other areas of the world where the pop-ulation may not be immune,” he told a news conference in Geneva on Tuesday.

“And we know that the mos-quitos that carry Zika virus - if that association is confi rmed - are present... through Africa, parts of southern Europe and many parts of Asia, particularly South Asia...”

Good guidelinesCostello added the WHO was drafting “good guidelines” for pregnant women and muster-ing experts to work on a defini-tion of microcephaly including a standardised measurement of baby heads.

“We believe the association is guilty until proven innocent,” he said, referring to the connection drawn in Brazil between the Zika virus and microcephaly, a condi-tion where babies are born with abnormally small heads.

“Mass community engagement” in areas with the mosquitos and their breeding grounds, and rapid

development of diagnostic tools are essential to curbing the virus, as a vaccine may be years away, said Costello, a paediatrician.

Sanofi has launched a project to develop a vaccine against Zika, the most decisive commitment yet by a major vaccine producer to fi ght the disease.

The French drugmaker said on Tuesday its Sanofi Pasteur vac-

cines division would use its ex-pertise in developing vaccines for similar viruses such as yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and, most recently, dengue.

“Sanofi Pasteur is responding to the global call to action to develop a Zika vaccine given the disease’s rapid spread and possible medi-cal complications,” said Nicholas Jackson, research head of Sanofi

Pasteur, who is leading the new Zika vaccine project.

Two Australians were diag-nosed with the Zika virus after returning home from travels in the Caribbean, a state health service said on Tuesday, confi rming the fi rst cases of the mosquito-borne virus in the country this year.

Offi cials also said that mosqui-tos carrying the virus had been

detected at Sydney International Airport, but stressed that it was unlikely the virus would establish local transmission given the lack of large numbers of the Aedes Ae-gypti mosquitos.

The New South Wales (NSW) health department said the two Sydney residents were diagnosed with the Zika virus on Friday after returning to Australia from Haiti.

Formal diagnosis can take sev-eral weeks and the department did not disclose when the couple were tested. It said the pair had mild cas-es of the virus and had recovered. “It is very unlikely that Zika virus will establish local transmission in NSW as the mosquitos that spread the infection are not established here - although they are found in some parts of north Queensland,” Vicky Sheppeard, director of com-municable diseases at NSW Health, said in a statement.

InsecticidesEarlier on Tuesday, the Depart-ment of Agriculture said it was im-posing additional cabin spraying of insecticides on fl ights arriving into Sydney from Southeast Asia. The department said the step-up in procedures, which includes adding extra mosquito vector monitoring traps, followed the “recent detec-tion” of Aedes Aegypti mosquitos at Sydney airport.

“These measures are under-taken to prevent these mosquitoes establishing breeding populations in Australia, thereby preventing the potential for the local spread of these diseases,” the department said in a statement.

Queensland state in the north of the country is on high alert for any entry of the disease from Austral-ia’s Asian neighbours.

ThailandThailand public health ministry said that Thailand should not wor-ry about the Zika virus. Thailand is the worst-hit country in Southeast Asia, with an average of fi ve cases a year since 2012, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

Thailand has confi rmed one case of the virus this year.

In addition, last month, Taiwan reported one case of Zika infec-tion in a man from Thailand after he set off a temperature scanner at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport.

“Thais should not worry. Thai-land has no outbreak of this dis-ease,” the Ministry of Public Health said in a statement.

“We have asked everyone to monitor and prepare measures to look after this disease... Thais should not panic. Mostly if pa-tients get this disease they recov-er,” the ministry said.

Neighbouring Malaysia and Sin-gapore have said they are at high risk for the spread of Zika if the vi-rus is imported.

Thailand’s public health minis-try has said there was “no techni-cal evidence” of in-built immunity to Zika in Thailand.

“I ask you to have confi dence in Thailand’s surveillance system,” Amnuay Gajeena, director-general of the Disease Control Depart-ment, said in a statement.

The health ministry has asked members of the public to help eliminate mosquitos around their homes and in their communities and has advised those travelling back from Zika-aff ected areas to report any symptoms. — Reuters

World Health

Organisation sets

up global response

unit as Australia

reports two cases,

detects mosquitoes

at Sydney airport

DEADLY AFFECT: Guilherme Soares Amorim, 2, who was born with microcephaly, gets his head meas-

ured by his mother Germana Soares, at her house in Ipojuca, Brazil, on Monday. – Reuters

INSPECTION: Health agents, left and second right, and Brazilian soldiers conduct an inspection for the

‘Aedes aegypti’ mosquito as part of eff orts to prevent the spread of the Zika virus, along a street in Sao

Paulo, Brazil, on Monday. – Reuters

PREVENTING SPREAD: Municipal workers trim vegetation as part of

the eff orts to prevent the spread of the Zika virus vector, the Aedes

aegypti mosquito, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Monday. – Reuters


PHOTOS

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

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GLOBAL EYEW E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

LIBYA: A Libyan man performs stunts on a motorbike in the square of the eastern coastal city of Benghazi on Monday during a festival organised by the city’s Motorcycle Club and Arabian Horse club. — AFP

MEXICO: View of the Pico de Orizaba volcano at dawn, from the Izta-Popo National Park, in the Mexican state of Puebla, on Monday. — AFP

TURKEY: The sun sets behind Sisli business district, which comprises leading Turkish companies’ headquarters and popular shopping

malls, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday. — Reuters

JAPAN: Zookeepers capture a zookeeper dressed as zebra (bot-

tom) during a drill to practice what to do in the event of an animal

escape at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday. About 150

zookeepers participated in the annual drill. — AFP

PORTUGAL: Members of the Shanxi Folk Dance and Music Troupe

perform during their show at the Orient Museum in Lisbon, Portu-

gal, on Monday. — Reuters

COSTA RICA: Taxi drivers throw eggs to colleagues who are not

on strike during a protest of taxi drivers in Costa Rica’s capital

San Jose on Monday. — AFP

FRANCE: Clearance divers of the French Navy work to neutralise

shells from the second World War found under water off Mar-

seille, southern France on Tuesday. — AFP

A15

WORLDW E D N E S DAY, F E B R UA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

Iowa primary upends US politics as Cruz wins, Hillary scrapes through

DES MOINES (IOWA): Relish-ing victory in the fi rst Republi-can nominating contest of the US presidential election, Senator Ted Cruz called his defeat of Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses a trib-ute to “conservative grass roots.”

Cruz also said the result from Monday’s contest was a rebuke to what he called President Barack Obama’s liberal agenda and a win for “Judeo-Christian values.”

“This is the power of the con-servative grass roots,” the sena-tor from Texas told CNN on Tuesday.”One of the greatest lies that gets told on the airwaves over and over again is that this country has somehow embraced Barack Obama’s big government.

That’s not true. This is a center-right country.

This is a country built on Judeo-Christian values,” he said.

Cruz won the Republican Iowa caucuses with 28 per cent of the vote compared with 24 per cent for businessman Trump, whose aggressive and unorthodox cam-paign has been marked by con-troversies ranging from his calls to ban Muslims temporarily from entering the United States to his pledge to build a wall along the US-Mexican border.

Cruz, 45, was buoyed by evan-

gelical support at the launch of the nominating process to pick the parties’ candidates for the Novem-ber 8 election.

Get-out-the-vote eff ortHis strong get-out-the-vote eff ort helped counter the enthusiasm from large crowds that have shown up for Trump’s boisterous rallies.

A fi rst-term senator and fi s-cal conservative from the Tea Party movement that emerged on the right of the Republican Party six years ago, Cruz has pre-sented himself as a strong foreign policy hawk.

He vowed to “carpet bomb” the extremist IS group into oblivion in a speech in December in which said, “I don’t know if sand can glow in the dark but we are going to fi nd out.”

On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won by a razor-thin margin against US Senator Bernie Sanders of Ver-mont, the closest in Iowa Demo-cratic caucus history.

Clinton, 68, prevailed by only four delegates, according to party fi gures.

Sanders, 74, a self-described democratic socialist who has

strongly attacked Clinton’s cam-paign from the left, declared the result a virtual tie after he had trailed the former fi rst lady in opinion polls for months.

Now gone “I think the signifi cance is for folks who did not think Bernie Sanders could win, that we could compete against Hillary Clinton, I hope that thought is now gone,” Sanders told CNN.

For the Republicans, Marco Ru-bio, 44, a US senator from Florida, came in third with 23 per cent, making a stronger-than-expected

fi nish and establishing himself as the mainstream alternative to the two front-running rivals in the race to be the party’s presiden-tial nominee.

Latino voteThe son of Cuban immigrants, Ru-bio hopes to win back some of the Latino vote that the party has lost in recent years as it toughened its stance on immigration.

Iowans who supported Ru-bio at the caucuses said they re-sponded to his positive message and viewed him as the best can-didate to beat Clinton in the No-

vember election, should she be the Democratic nominee.

“People realised on the Repub-lican side that we cannot aff ord - this country cannot aff ord - to lose this election, and that I give the party the best chance not just to unify our party but to grow it,” Rubio told ABC’s “Good Morning America” show.

The Midwestern state of Iowa has held the fi rst nominating con-test in the country since the early 1970s, giving it extra weight in the electoral process that can translate into momentum for winning can-didates as they head into months of state-by-state battles.

Humbled TrumpAn uncharacteristically humbled Trump, 69, congratulated Cruz and said he still expected to win the Republican nomination.

Opinion polls show Trump lead-ing nationally and in New Hamp-shire, which holds the next nomi-nating contest next week.

“I’m just honoured,” Trump said.Usually a prolifi c user of Twitter,

where he has often issued scathing criticism of his rivals, Trump was silent on the social media site on Tuesday morning.

The 2016 election is shaping up to be the year of angry voters as disgruntled Americans worry about issues such as immigration, terrorism, income inequality and healthcare, fueling the campaigns of Trump, Sanders and Cruz.

Republican establishment can-didates more traditional than Ru-bio did not fare well in Iowa.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush took 2.8 per cent, Ohio Gov-ernor John Kasich took 1.9 per cent, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie took 1.8 per cent.

Two White House hopefuls, for-mer Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who had trouble gain-ing any traction in the Democratic race, and former Arkansas Gover-nor Mike Huckabee, a Republican, suspended their campaigns after doing badly in Iowa. — Reuters

Non-mainstream

Republican Ted Cruz

upsets Donald Trump

as democratic-

socialist Bernie

Sander loses out to

the former fi rst lady

by just four delegates

POWER OF GRASS ROOTS: Republican presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), joined by his wife Heidi Cruz, speaks at a caucus

night rally on Monday in Des Moines, Iowa. — Brendan Hoff man/Getty Images/AFP

Italy cracks down on smokers as tough law comes into eff ectROME: Tough anti-smoking laws came into eff ect in Italy on Tues-day, imposing large fi nes for sev-eral off ences and making it illegal to smoke in a car carrying children or pregnant women.

The laws require cigarette packs to carry stark pictures of people

who suff ered from the eff ects of smoking, including one of a wom-an coughing up blood and another of a man who died of a heart attack being zipped up in a body bag.

Those caught smoking in cars with children or pregnant women risk fi nes of up to 500 euros ($546).

Smoking will also be prohibited outdoors near schools and hospi-tals. Tobacconists caught selling cigarettes to minors risk fi nes of up to 3,000 euros or losing their license. Throwing cigarette butts on the pavement could cost an of-fender up to 300 euros. — Reuters

R I S K F I N E S

EU’s proposed plan includes all of Cameron demands CHIPPENHAM (UK)/BRUS-SELS: European Council Presi-dent Donald Tusk set out a plan on Tuesday for keeping Britain in the European Union to a mixed reception which underlined the challenges Prime Minister David Cameron faces convincing Brit-ons they should stay in the bloc.

Cameron mounted a strong defence of membership of the 28-nation bloc after Tusk re-leased details of his plan following weekend talks, though the British leader added that the EU was far from “perfect and unblemished”.

If the terms worked out with Tusk are accepted and some im-provements are made, Cameron said, they will off er the “best of both worlds” for Britain.

Cameron has promised a ref-erendum which could happen as early as June.

But with Eurosceptics brand-ing the talks “trivial” and some of Cameron’s allies questioning whether the package of meas-ures will be enough, a summit of EU leaders that is due to discuss the proposals on February 18-19 looks likely to be diffi cult.

“Sometimes people say to me if you weren’t in the European Union would you opt to join the European Union,” Cameron told reporters and workers at a manu-facturing plant in Chippenham, southwest England.

“Today I would give a very clear answer: If I could get these terms for British membership I sure would opt in to be a mem-ber of the European Union be-cause these are good terms and they are diff erent to what other countries have.”

Tusk’s draft text addresses all four areas where Cameron has demanded reform and offi cials claimed victory in winning con-cessions to stem migration and to boost British sovereignty.

Watered down demandsCameron rejected criticism that he had watered down his de-mands, saying improvements to the deal could be made.”This is

not a done deal yet, there is a lot more work to be done over these next couple of weeks,” he said.

Despite the prospect of further brinkmanship until the summit, fi nancial markets and some busi-ness leaders took heart that a deal now appeared more likely, easing some uncertainty.

Sterling jumped by almost half a US cent to $1.4425 after

the outline of the proposed deal was released.

Stuart Walker, director gen-eral of the Institute of Directors, a business organisation, welcomed Tusk’s proposals.

“The deal on the table is better than we expected,” he said in a statement.

Reformed EUCameron has spent months trying to get a deal so he can campaign to stay in a reformed EU at the ref-erendum he promised in 2013 to try to put to rest the divisive sub-ject of Europe that has dogged his Conservative Party for decades. The stakes are high.

The referendum will not only determine Britain’s future role in world trade and aff airs, but also shape the EU, which has strug-gled to maintain unity over mi-gration and fi nancial crises, by ripping away its second-largest economy and one of its two main military powers.

Offi cials were keen to show Cameron had won agreement with Tusk on two areas of the re-negotiation - on stopping EU leg-islation it opposes and on curbing migrants’ benefi ts. — Reuters

S P E C I A L D E A L

AGENDA: A letter sent by European Council President Donald

Tusk to European Union (EU) leaders after it was released to the

media, is seen in Brussels, Belgium February 2, 2016. Proposals

to protect Britain and other non-euro zone countries from deeper

euro zone integration do not grant London the right of veto over

decisions, Tusk told EU leaders in a letter on Tuesday. — Reuters

This is not a done deal

yet, there is a lot more

work to be done over

these next couple

of weeks

David CameronBritain’s Prime Minister

A16

WORLDW E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

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Nine migrants drowned off Seferihisar coast in Turkey

ISTANBUL/POLIKASTRO: Nine people, including two ba-bies, were found drowned off the coast of western Turkey on Tues-day after a boat carrying people to Greece partly capsized, the coast guard said.

The fi breglass vessel partially capsized before dawn off the coast of Seferihisar in Izmir province, close to the Greek Island of Sa-mos. Two people were rescued swimming to the shore, the Turk-ish coast guard said.

A crackdown on illegal crossing and the dangerous winter condi-tions have failed to deter tens of thousands from boarding fl imsy boats and attempting to cross the Mediterranean in the fi rst few weeks of the year.

TollMore than 360 people died in the Mediterranean in January includ-ing more than 100 over the fi nal weekend, the International Or-ganization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.

In January, 60 children died trying to get to Greece in this way, bringing the total number of mi-nors drowning on this route to 330 over the past fi ve months.

IOM said more than 67,000 had arrived in Greece and Italy, the vast majority in the former, compared with 5,000 in the same month in 2015.

Meanwhile, at least 80 buses packed with migrants, many of them women and children, were backed up short of the Greek bor-der with Macedonia on Tuesday, stranded by protests on either side of the frontier.

Taxi-drivers on the Macedo-nian side have blocked the railway line between the two countries, protesting over the fact that po-lice give priority fi rst to trains and buses to take the migrants north to Serbia en route to western Eu-rope. On the Greek side, farmers had parked dozens of tractors on the roadside leading to the bor-

der crossing at Idomeni, part of a protest over a planned pension reform by the Greek government to satisfy international creditors.

At least 80 buses stood on the Greek side. A camp at the fron-tier was at full capacity with some 700 people. “We’ve been here for a few days now,” said a Macedonian taxi-driver, who gave his name as Goran. “The railway is blocked, the aim is to get the authorities to talk to us about an agreement that will allow us to transport refugees to Tabanovce,” on Macedonia’s northern border with Serbia.

More than 1 million people fl ee-

ing poverty, war and repression in the Middle East, Asia and Africa reached Europe’s shores last year, most heading for Germany.

Temperatures in the Balkans, having dropped below freezing in January, were back up into the teens, easing the journey for a growing proportion of women and children.

“From one in 10 who were chil-dren, now we are looking at a sig-nifi cant proportion of women and children, up to 60 per cent,” Sarah Crowe, a spokeswoman for the UN children’s fund UNICEF, told a news briefi ng in Geneva.

Aid agencies and authorities erected tents along the route to the border, but many male migrants slept outside on the ground, light-ing camp fi res against the morn-ing chill. “It’s not possible to get all these people into tents,” said a ref-ugee who gave his name as Sardar and said he was from Iraq.

“There aren’t enough facili-ties so we spent the night on the ground.”

A police offi cial in Macedonia, who declined to be named, told Reuters: “We’re working on the problem. We hope it will be re-solved soon.” — Reuters

At least 80 busloads

of migrants stranded

on Greek border with

Macedonia due to

protests of farmers

and taxi drivers

Dutch police training eagles to disable drones

AMESTERDAM: Dutch po-lice puzzling over how to remove drones that pose a public safety threat are testing a way to get the job done in one fell swoop - with trained eagles.

“It’s a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem,” spokesman Dennis Janus of the country’s na-tional police said.

The idea arose because amateur use of drones has boomed and po-lice have begun to worry about un-licensed drones fl ying into off -lim-it spaces around airports or above public events such as politician’s appearances.

Possible solutions the Dutch po-lice have studied include shooting nets at the off ending drones, re-motely hacking them to seize their controls - or taking them out with birds of prey.

“People sometimes think it’s a hoax, but it’s proving very eff ective so far,” Janus said.

Showing off the technique in a video released by police, a four-propeller drone hovers in the middle of a warehouse, coloured lights fl ashing.

Released by her keeper, a white-tailed eagle glides straight toward the drone, clutches it easily in her talons - clack! - and drags it to the ground. Sjoerd Hoogendoorn of “Guard from Above”, the company working with police to develop the concept, said the birds must be trained to recognise the drones as prey. They are rewarded with a piece of meat after each successful foray. Their scaly talons are strong and tough enough to seize most consumer-grade drones without injury from the blades, he said.

“These birds are used to meet-ing resistance from animals they hunt in the wild, and they don’t seem to have much trouble with the drones,” he said.

The potential impact on the ani-mals’ welfare is subject of testing by an external scientifi c research institute. — Reuters

L O W - T E C H S O L U T I O N

FOR DANGEROUS JOURNEYS: Life jackets, inner tubes of tyres and woolie hats are on sale at a store, in Kumkapi district of Istanbul, on

Monday. More than 360 people died in the Mediterranean in January including more than 100 over the fi nal weekend. – AFP

MARKEWWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMW E D N E S DAY, F E B R UA RY 3, 2 0 1 6B

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S CA N T H I S Q R CO D E TO I N STA N T LY L AU N C H T H E V I D EO

Top stories in one minute with our new daily Digest

Muscat

5,192.00 - 20.08

- 0.31%

Dubai

2,980.36- 9.68

- 0.32%

Abu Dhabi

4,088.64- 17.73

- 0.43%

Saudi Arabia

5,874.19- 111.53

- 1.86%

Kuwait

5,132.86 + 25.71

+ 0.50%

Bahrain

1,189.66 + 6.00

+ 0.51%

Qatar

9,653.32+ 85.49

+ 0.09%

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

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

Euro ............................................ 2.35

Pound ............................................1.75

Indian Rs ............................. 175.62

Pak Rs ....................................267.95

Bangla Taka......................200.92* Rates are as of Feb. 2

Source: Bank Muscat

Indian Rs ...................................176.50

Pakistan Rs .............................272.30

Sri Lanka Rs ............................371.75

Bangla Taka........................... 203.20

Phil Peso ................................... 123.20

* Rates as of Feb. 2 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......14.45

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......13.95

Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ............135.50

Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) .............128.50

* Rates as of Feb. 2

Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

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

Oman Crude ............. (Spot) .........$30.31

Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) .........$29.81

Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$32.97

Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$29.26

N.Sea Brent ............... (Spot) ........$32.95

West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........$30.82

CRUDE OIL PRICE

Oman seeks consultant to forecast power demand

A E [email protected]

MUSCAT: Oman fl oated a ten-der on Tuesday,seeking proposals from international consultants to provide technical advisory ser-vices for competitive tendering to secure an economic expansion of power capacity to meet future demand in 2021 and beyond.

The consultant is expected to advice the Oman Power and Wa-ter Procurement (OPWP) Com-pany on how to expand capacity within the main interconnected area (MIS)—governorates of Muscat, Buraymi, Al Batinah North, Al Batinah South, Al Dakhiliyah, Al Sharqiyah North, Al Sharqiyah South and Al Dha-

hirah—which serve over 736,000 electricity customers.

This procurement will be by using the current established pro-cess and contract structure.

OPWP, a member of the Elec-tricity Holding Company (called Nama group), is responsible for procuring new electricity genera-tion capacity and water in Oman.

Oman’s average annual growth in power demand for the next fi ve years within the areas of main inter-connected system (MIS) is projected to grow by 10 per cent to 5,023 megawatt (MW) in 2020, according to a seven-year outlook for power demand released by OPWP a couple of years ago.

However, peak demand growth, under the demand forecast, is

expected to be about 11 per cent per annum, up from 4,455 MW in 2013 to 9,133 MW in 2020.

The consultancy’s tender doc-uments for technical advisory services will be available for pur-chase between February 2 and 11, while the last date of submission is March 2.

Within the Salalah region, which covers around 77,000 elec-tricity customers, peak demand is expected to grow at 10 per cent per year, from 420 MW in 2013 to 800 MW in 2020. However, the average demand is projected to grow from 282 MW in 2013 to 553 MW in 2020.

Consultant will advice the Oman Power

and Water Procurement Company on

how to expand capacity within the main

interconnected system areas, which serve

over 736,000 electricity customers

Times News Service

MUSCAT: A tender for selecting a company to provide supervisory con-sultancy services for the Ibri and Sohar independent power projects has also been fl oated by the Oman Power and Water Procurement (OPWP) Company. The con-sultant will provide project management and technical consultancy services during the construction phase, commissioning and testing of Ibri and Sohar independ-ent power projects.

Japan’s Mitsui and Co.-led consortium was awarded concession early last month to build these two power projects, which will have a combined capital expendi-ture of $2.3 billion.

The consortium will build two independent gas-fi red combined cycle power plants, with a combined generation capacity of 3,150 MW—a 1,450 MW project in Ibri and a 1,700 MW capac-ity unit in Sohar, which is called Sohar 3.

The mega power plants will supply approximately 30 per cent of the electric-ity that will be consumed in the Muscat area once the commercial operations are underway. The contract is expected to be signed this month, and Sohar-3 plans to start operations in January 2019, while the Ibri plant will commence power gen-eration in April 2019. Mitsui will operate the plants and sell power under a 15-year agreement with OPWP.

Project management tender for Ibri, Sohar IPPs fl oated

– Times fi le picture

Local plastic fi rms call for more government supportELHAM [email protected]

MUSCAT: Local plastic com-panies in Oman have called for more supportive measures by the government to help them expand their business and compete with imported products.

Azhar Hamoud Ahmed Al Hinai, deputy general man-ager, Bin Ahmed Enterprises, believes that more support can protect Omani companies, es-pecially small and medium en-terprises (SMEs).

Speaking to the Times of Oman at a recent exhibition, Al Hinai said competitors from outside Oman have been bringing their products to Oman and off ering them at a lower price.

They are ‘killing’ the market in Oman, he said, adding that customers would prefer to buy a cheaper product even if the price diff erence is minimal.

Bin Ahmed Enterprises is a leading manufacturer and suppli-er of plastic household products in the Middle East.

It off ers a wide range of plastic household products, including plastic buckets, plastic storage drums, plastic tubs and basins and plastic mugs.

It also off ers microwavable products, as well as containers that can keep food for a couple of hours without it losing its temperature.

Delivery Asked about other challenges fac-ing the company, Al Hinai said Bin Ahmed Enterprises is an old and established company and does not face any big challenges, but noted that it would be good if some issues related to drivers, who are important for delivery, are resolved.

There is a lack of knowledge among some Omanis and the company has been trying to edu-cate the staff that they have to work hard to stay in a job, he not-ed. Commenting on manpower regulations, the Omani business-

man said the government has to consider various aspects of any regulation before enforcing it as even a small change in the law may aff ect the whole manufac-turing sector.

Community’s support Asked about the community’s support for local products, Al Hi-nai said that more people are be-coming conscious about whether a product is made in Oman or not.

This support helps local com-panies and encourages them to enhance the quality of the prod-ucts, he noted.

He added that creativity, new designs and products give the company an edge over other fi rms.

Bin Ahmed Enterprises claims its plastic products are versatile and fl exible and are recognised for their great design, style, im-pact strength and clarity.

The company exports its prod-ucts to several parts of the world, including European and African markets, Al Hinai said, adding that the company plans to expand into more markets. In addition, Dasney Pereira, commercial pro-moter at Polythene and Plastic Production Co. believes that the community’s support for Omani products is there, but further gov-ernment support can help local companies reduce their prices so that nobody will go across the border to buy any item. > B4

S U P P O R T I V E M E A S U R E S

Azhar Hamoud Ahmed Al

Hinai, deputy general manager,

Bin Ahmed Enterprises.

— Ismail Al Farsi

Central bank issues OMR100m worth bonds

MUSCAT: Oman’s central bank has announced the new issue of government development bonds (GDB).

The size of the new issue is fi xed at OMR100 million with a maturity period of fi ve years and will carry a coupon rate of 3.5 per cent per annum.

The issue will be open for sub-scription on February 7 until Feb-ruary 14, 2016 while the auction

will be held on Tuesday, February 16, 2016.

The issue settlement date will be on Monday February 22, 2016. Interest on the new bonds will be paid semiannually on August 22 and February 22, every year until maturity date on February 22, 2021.

Investors may apply for these bonds through the competitive bidding process only. Investors

may submit bids through com-mercial licensed banks operating in the Sultanate of Oman.

Investors with applications of OMR1 million and above can, if they so wish submit to their bids directly to CBO after getting them endorsed from their banks. The 48th GDB issue is off ered to all investors, residents and non-residents (irrespective of their nationality). — ONA

D E V E L O P M E N T B O N D S

B2

MARKETW E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

Shell’s rating downgraded amid slump in oil pricesNEW YORK: Royal Dutch Shell had its debt rating cut to the low-est since Standard & Poor’s (S&P) began coverage in 1990, and down-grades of several other major Eu-ropean oil and gas companies will probably follow in coming weeks.

The long-term credit rating for the world’s third-largest oil producer by market value was reduced one level to A+, the fi fth-highest investment grade, from AA-, and was placed on watch for another possible reduction, the ratings agency said in a statement on Monday. S&P also assigned a negative outlook to BP, Eni, Rep-sol, Statoil and Total.

Oil has fallen more than 70 per cent since June 2014. The slump accelerated after Saudi Arabia

led the Organisation of Exporting Countries’ decision in November 2014 to maintain output and de-fend market share against higher-cost producers including United States shale drillers. Speculation that the downturn will be pro-

longed has increased as volatil-ity in Chinese markets bolstered concern that demand will drop in the world’s second biggest crude-consuming country.

S&P’s moves come after the rat-ings agency lowered its 2016 oil price assumption on January 12 for Brent crude by $15 a barrel to $40. The 52 per cent average price drop in 2015 will not be matched by most companies’ cost and spending reductions, S&P said.

Below guidelines“We now believe many major oil and gas companies’ current and prospective core debt coverage metrics are likely to remain below our rating guidelines for two or three years as the industry adjusts

to lower prices,” S&P analysts said in the report. Jonathan French, a spokesman for Shell, declined to comment. Oil producers lost more than $1.7 trillion in market value since crude prices began to slide. The spectre of shrinking cash fl ow prompted more than 240,000 job cuts as drillers canceled rig contracts, slashed dividends and walked away from their riskiest, most ambitious projects.

Chevron, the world’s largest oil producer by market value after Exxon Mobil, last week posted its fi rst quarterly loss in 13 years as crashing prices forced it to write down the value of its holdings. More red ink is expected this week as other large producers disclose results. – Bloomberg News

D E B T R A T I N G

Oil extends fall as US supply rises

HONG KONG: Oil dropped for a second day before weekly govern-ment data forecast to show United States crude stockpiles expanded further from a record, exacerbat-ing a global glut.

Futures decreased as much as 2.6 per cent in New York after slumping 6 per cent on Monday, erasing last week’s gain. Invento-ries probably rose by 3.75 million barrels through January 29, ac-cording to a survey before an En-ergy Information Administration report on Wednesday.

BP reported a 91 per cent de-cline in fourth-quarter earnings after Chevron on Friday reported its fi rst quarterly loss since 2002 amid the price rout.

Oil dips 16%“The pressure is mounting on pro-ducers and someone has to turn off the taps,” David Lennox, an analyst at Fat Prophets in Sydney, said by phone. “Actual signifi cant cuts to output are needed. There is still a surplus.”

Oil has lost about 16 per cent this year amid volatility in global markets, brimming US crude sup-plies and the outlook for increased exports from Iran after the remov-al of international sanctions.

Royal Dutch Shell had its debt rating cut to the lowest since Standard & Poor’s began cover-age in 1990, and investors in Asian producers should prepare for a wave of writedowns, according to Sanford C. Bernstein.

West Texas Intermediate for March delivery fell as much as 82 cents to $30.80 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $31.16. - Bloomberg News

C R U D E M A R K E T US companies tighten purse strings fearing slow growth

NEW YORK: A slump in capital spending that originated in the hard-hit energy sector appears to be spreading more widely across other United State industries.

Companies cutting or fl at-lin-ing their capital expenditures in 2016 outpace those that say they will increase spending by a factor of more than two to one, according to an analysis.

Companies in industries as diverse — and relatively strong — as healthcare, consumer goods and restaurants are among those tightening their belts in yet an-other sign that economic growth in 2016 may be anaemic.

For instance, McDonald’s, which saw its stock jump 26.1 per cent in 2015 and is trading at

record levels now, said it would keep capex fl at with 2015 at about $2 billion, the company’s lowest budget in more than fi ve years.

Less cash fl owDrugmaker Eli Lilly is holding its capex budget fl at and Verizon Communications said it plans to cut its budget from $17.8 billion, to between $17.2 and $17.7 billion.

“I think companies are going to be lean and mean and are going to keep the purse strings tight and only spend where absolutely nec-essary, because cash isn’t coming into them,” said Kim Forrest, sen-

ior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh.

Companies typically invest more when they feel confi dent that the economy is improving, so a downturn in capital spend-ing could portend further weak-ness ahead. That corporate cau-tion follows another expected decline in revenues in the fourth quarter and data show-ing US economic growth braked sharply in the quarter. To be sure, some well-heeled companies in healthy industries are bumping up their investments.

Medical technology company

Stryker expects to have capital ex-penditures as high as $450 million in 2016, up from $270 million in 2015. Facebook plans capital expen-ditures between $4 billion and $4.5 billion this year, up from $2.5 billion.

But even growth in information technology spending — which has been strong in recent years — ap-pears to be off its recent peaks, according to International Data Corporation analyst Stephen Minton. “US companies will in-crease their spending, but not by the rate it has been over the last two years,” he said.

Hardware spending in 2016 for

all US companies is expected to grow 3 per cent to about $133 bil-lion. Telecommunications and fi -nancial services companies — typ-ically among the biggest spenders on IT – are expected to have fl at to little growth in spending, he said.

Capital spendingAt least 43 companies plan to cut, or leave unchanged, their capi-tal spending levels in 2016, while about 20 are increasing, according to a review of Standard & Poor’s 500 companies that have given ex-plicit early guidance.

Not surprisingly, the collapse in capital spending by energy com-panies - which typically lead in capex - appears to be accelerating. This year marks the second round of big cuts for energy companies, which have had to sharply scale back spending because of the drop in oil prices since mid-2014.

A slew of energy names have announced capex cuts for 2016 in-cluding Hess, Anadarko Petrole-um, Halcon Resources, Noble En-ergy and Continental Resources.

The broad slump in commodi-ties prices has hit spending by materials companies, including DuPont, which is cutting capex from $1.4 billion to $1.1 billion, and industrials such as railroads Union Pacifi c and Norfolk South-ern, both of which slashed capital spending plans for 2016. - Reuters

Companies as

diverse as healthcare,

consumer goods

and restaurants

are among those

tightening their

belts in yet another

sign that economic

growth in 2016 may

be weak

WhatsApp crosses 1b usersNEW YORK: Mobile messaging app WhatsApp on Tuesday said it has crossed the one billion user milestone globally with the addi-tion of 100 million users in last fi ve months.

“As of today, one billion people are using WhatsApp. That’s near-ly one in seven people on Earth who use WhatsApp each month to stay in touch with their loved ones, their friends and their fam-ily,” WhatsApp said in a blogpost.

In February 2014, WhatsApp was acquired by social networking site Facebook, its biggest buyout till date, for a whopping $19 billion.

In a post on Facebook, What-sApp co-founder Jan Koum said 42 billion messages were sent, 1.6 billion photos and 250 million videos shared everyday on the platform. Also, there are one bil-lion groups on WhatsApp, he said.

Previously, WhatsApp has said its service has seen strong up-take, specially across developing nations such as Brazil, India and Russia. “In India, more photos are sent using WhatsApp than in any other country in the world. As one of WhatsApp’s largest countries, it’s no surprising that the second highest number of groups are here,” the company said.

LINE, Viber and HikeWhatsApp competes with mes-saging apps like LINE, Viber and Hike in India. Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg also congratu-lated Koum and his team.

WhatsApp’s community has

more than doubled since joining Facebook. We’ve added the ability for you to call loved ones far away. We’ve dropped the subscription fee and made WhatsApp com-pletely free. Next, we’re going to work to connect more people around the world and make it easier to communicate with busi-nesses,” he said.

Zuckerberg added that there are only a few services that con-

nect more than a billion people and this milestone is an impor-tant step towards connecting the entire world. Recently, What-sApp had said it will stop charg-ing $1 per year subscription fee to go completely free for its users across the world. Also, it will not introduce any third-party ads for monetisation and is going to ex-periment with new models to stay ad-free, it had added. - PTI

M E S S A G I N G A P P

CAUTIOUS MOVE: Drugmaker Eli Lilly is holding its capex budget fl at and Verizon Communications

said it plans to cut its budget from $17.8 billion to between $17.2 and $17.7 billion. – Bloomberg News


DOWNGRADED: Standard & Poor’s move comes after the ratings

agency lowered its 2016 oil price assumption on January 12 for

Brent crude at $40 per barrel. – Bloomberg News

Was the fall in oil prices since June 2014. The

slump accelerated after Saudi led the Opec

decision in November 2014 to maintain output

70%

MILESTONE: WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum said 42 billion

messages were sent, 1.6 billion photos and 250 million videos

shared everyday on the platform. - Bloomberg News

B3W E D N E S DAY, F E B R UA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

MARKET

Iran roadshow in Oman attract global investmentTimes News Service

MUSCAT: After decades of isola-tion from international markets due to sanctions, Iran is set to hold a roadshow in Oman on February 24 to showcase various invest-ment opportunities available in the country.

‘Iran Capital Market Roadshow’, which will take place at Ritz Carl-ton Al Bustan Palace, Muscat, will be addressed by senior representa-tives of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Aff airs, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Central Bank of Iran,

Tehran Stock Exchange and the Or-ganisation for Investment Econom-ic and Technical Assistance of Iran.

On the other hand, Iran’s pri-vate sector will be represented by a range of fi nancial entities includ-ing leading bankers and executives from Sina Bank, Sina Insurance, Sina Leasing, Behgozin Brokerage Company and Magellan Capital.

Speaking at an event in Teh-ran on Monday, Behzad Golkar, the chief executive offi cer of Sina Holding said: “Global investors are never going to see a country of this size and sophistication open

up again. Our Muscat roadshow will focus on a wide range of op-portunities available to investors interested in Iran, in particular our well-developed capital markets, as well as looking at the industries, sectors and asset classes likely to deliver the strongest returns in the longer term.”

Oil reserves“This is a genuinely unique oppor-tunity and the scale and intensity of international investor interest in our economy means that now is the time for serious investors to make

their moves,” he addedHolding the world’s fourth larg-

est oil reserves and the second largest stocks of natural gas, Iran is the region’s most diverse economy with an established capital mar-ket, a well-developed industrial base and a large population that generates a signifi cant demand for services such as telecommunica-tions and banking.

Gross domestic product in 2014 was around $437 billion, rank-ing it as the world’s 27th largest economy, ahead of nations such as Austria.

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

NEW OPPORTUNITIES: Muscat roadshow will focus on a wide range

of opportunities available to investors interested in Iran, in particular

Iran’s well-developed capital markets. – Bloomberg News

India’s central bank keeps interest rates unchanged

MUMBAI: India’s central bank left interest rates unchanged for a second straight meeting as it awaits details of the government’s budget later this month, providing support for a currency battered by China-led market turmoil.

Governor Raghuram Rajan kept the benchmark repurchase rate at 6.75 per cent, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The move was predicted by 42 of 44 economists in a survey, with two seeing a quarter- point cut.

“The Reserve Bank continues to be accommodative even as it leaves the policy rate unchanged

in this review, while awaiting further data on the development of infl ation,” Rajan said. Struc-tural reforms in the budget “that boost growth while controlling spending will create more space for monetary policy to support growth” and ensure infl ation hits the target of fi ve per cent in March 2017, he said.

The central bank chief is caught between a stock selloff that’s pushing the rupee toward a record low and an economy that’s show-ing mixed signs of strength. While falling oil prices give him space to join Indonesia and Japan in eas-ing further, lower rates may jeop-

ardize his infl ation target if the government reneges on its pledge to narrow the budget defi cit.

The benchmark stock index fl uctuated after the decision, sov-ereign bonds reversed gains and the rupee declined. The yield on the note due 2025 rose to 7.83 per cent as of 11:51am in Mumbai from 7.79 per cent on Monday.

“The probability of a rate change in April may have gone down a little bit because the infl a-tion forecast is still fi ve per cent,” said Indranil Pan, chief economist with IDFC. “To a certain extent, the cut will depend on the budget and on global currency move-

ments and its implications for do-mestic infl ation.”

While infl ation is expected to be around fi ve per cent by end-March 2017, planned pay increas-es for government employees “will impart upward momentum to this trajectory for a period of one to two years.”

The RBI will adjust the infl ation forecast when clarity emerges on the timing of implementation.

Growth “is expected to strengthen gradually, notwith-standing signifi cant headwinds.” Gross-value added growth for the 12 months ending March 2016 is kept unchanged at 7.4 per cent with a downside bias, and is pro-jected at 7.6 per cent for the fol-lowing 12 months.

The RBI separately announced steps to encourage the creation of start-ups. It proposed measures that would allow start-ups to tap foreign venture capital invest-ment and said it is considering allowing these companies to issue innovative instruments such as convertible notes to attract for-eign direct investment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is due to pre-sent its budget on February 29.

Rajan warned last week that de-viating from the fi scal consolida-tion path could increase the gov-ernment’s borrowing costs, both through a higher volume of bonds and a potential loss of credibility.

The Finance Ministry said last month it would stick with its fi s-cal defi cit target of 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product for the year starting April 1. Even so, Standard Chartered and Citi-group predict the government will raise the target to at least 3.7 per cent to pay for mandatory salary increases without cutting infra-structure spending.

The government won’t cut spending on development activi-ties, Finance Minister Arun Jait-ley said in New Delhi after Rajan’s decision. Private investment is still weak, he said.

A larger shortfall risks stoking infl ation, hindering Rajan’s eff orts to slow consumer-price gains to-ward his fi ve per cent target from 5.6 per cent in December. Most economists surveyed by Bloomb-erg last month foresaw just one 25-basis point cut for all of 2016, while swap traders are pricing in the possibility of a 50-point reduction. — Bloomberg News

Governor left key

rates unchanged for

a second straight

meeting as it awaits

details of the federal

budget, providing

support for a

currency battered by

China-led turmoil

Lafarge scraps $735m India cement deal

MUMBAI: Lafarge’s Indian unit has scrapped an agreement it signed last year to sell two of its cement units, prospective buyer Birla said in an exchange fi ling.

As part of global measures to comply with antitrust regulations when it was merging with Holcim, Lafarge had agreed in August to sell the two factories to the Kolk-ata-based conglomerate for a total enterprise value of Rs50 billion ($735 million).

Birla is part of India’s M. P. Birla group and markets jute, cotton yarns and fl ooring materials be-sides cement.

Lafarge “informed their in-ability to proceed with the agree-ment,” Birla said in an exchange fi ling in Mumbai on Tuesday. Af-ter consultation with lawyers, the company “has decided not to ac-cept their contention and is in the process of taking appropriate legal measures,” it said.

Vaijayanti Karande, a Mumbai-based spokeswoman for Lafarge, wasn’t available to comment.

The units in Jojobera in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand and Sonadih in Chhattisgarh have a total annual capacity of about 5.15 million tonnes and own ‘ad-equate reserves’ of limestone, the raw material used to make ce-ment, Birla said in August, adding it would fund the deal with some cash and incremental debt.

Birla shares have declined 15 per cent since the two agreed on the deal. - Bloomberg News

C O R P O R A T E

Dow Chemical posts robust profi t growth

HOUSTON: Dow Chemical, which agreed in December to a historic merger with DuPont, reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings after its plastics business gained from the drop in oil prices.

Profi t excluding some items was 93 cents, Midland, Michi-gan-based Dow said in a state-ment on Tuesday, exceeding the 69-cent average estimate of 19 analysts surveyed. Sales fell to $11.5 billion from $14.4 billion, exceeding the $11.2 billion aver-age estimate. Dow shares rose 5 per cent to $44.70 before the start of regular trading in New York.

Profi t from Dow’s plastics business, its largest unit, was a fourth-quarter record as it paid less for the oil it used as a raw material. Chairman and chief executive offi cer Andrew Liveris said in the statement that lower energy prices are a ‘net ben-efi t’ and will help Dow overcome “negative investment sentiment in other sectors.”

“Costs fell faster than prices,” Hassan Ahmed, an analyst at Alembic Global Advisors, who recommends buying Dow shares, said Monday in a telephone in-terview. “Polyethylene demand was far better than expected, par-ticularly in North America.”

Merger with DuPontAndrew Liveris agreed to merge with DuPont in the biggest chem-ical deal ever, combining the two largest US chemical makers. The merger will create a trio of busi-nesses focused on commodity chemicals, agricultural products and specialty materials. The ag-riculture business will be the world’s largest, surpassing Mon-santo and Syngenta in size.

Dow also said on December 11 it will buy Corning’s stake in their 72-year-old silicone joint venture, Dow Corning.

Dan Loeb, the activist investor wrote Dow’s board on December 12 asking that Liveris have no role in DowDuPont. - Bloomberg News

F O U R T H Q U A R T E R

IN A FIX: The central bank governor is caught between a stock

selloff that’s pushing the rupee toward a record low and an

economy that’s showing mixed signs of strength. – PTI




Don’t litter a beautiful

country like OMAN.

Ensure proper disposalof garbage.

B4

MARKETW E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

MUSCATSECURITIES MARKET

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2

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

OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 131,881 ............ 24,662..................... 25 ............0.187 ........... 0.187 ...........0.187 ............0.187 ............. 0.181 ............ 0.006 ............. 3.315 ................0.187 .............. 0.179...................0.185 ..................266,481,759 ........0.100

OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH ................................................39,435 ............ 98,588........................6 ........... 2.500 ...........2.500 ...........2.500 .......... 2.500 .............2.450 ........... 0.050 ............. 2.041 ................2.500 ............ 2.500...................0.000 ................ 238,642,988 .......1.000

OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER ................................................ 131,133 ............ 25,440......................17 ............0.194 ........... 0.194 ...........0.194 ........... 0.194 ............. 0.191 ............ 0.003 ..............1.571 .................0.194 ..............0.194...................0.197 .................. 130,928,161 ........0.100

OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................... 69,782 .............13,538........................4 ............0.194 ........... 0.194 ...........0.194 ........... 0.194 ............. 0.191 ............ 0.003 ..............1.571 .................0.194 ..............0.194...................0.197 ..................138,594,830........0.100

OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ...........................12,000 ................1,138........................2 ........... 0.095 ........... 0.095 ...........0.094........... 0.095 .............0.094 ............0.001 ............. 1.064 ................0.094..............0.094...................0.098.................... 5,590,106 ..........0.100

OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 370,000 ........... 46,250......................14 ............0.125 ........... 0.125 ...........0.125 ............0.125 ............. 0.124 ............0.001 ............. 0.806 ................0.125 .............. 0.123...................0.125 ................... 36,331,378 .........0.100

OM0000001087 ............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 255,207 ............48,745........................2 ............0.191 ........... 0.191 ............ 0.191 ............0.191 ............. 0.191 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................ 0.191 .............. 0.185...................0.199 ...................19,100,000 .........0.100

OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ....................... 815,620 ............97,874........................8 ............0.120 ........... 0.120 ...........0.120 ........... 0.120 .............0.120 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.120 ..............0.120...................0.130 ...................11,404,800 .........0.100

OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS ........................................................... 689,916.......... 209,714........................5 ........... 0.304 ...........0.306 ...........0.302........... 0.304 .............0.304 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.302............. 0.300...................0.306 ..................15,200,000 .........0.100

OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ................. 5,000 ............... 1,050........................ 1 ............0.210 ........... 0.210 ...........0.210 ........... 0.214 ............. 0.214 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.210 ............. 0.202...................0.210 .................... 7,184,290 ..........0.100

OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT .........................................................19,747 .............18,872........................7 ........... 0.956 ........... 0.956 ...........0.952........... 0.956 .............0.956 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.956 ............. 0.904...................0.956..................191,200,000........0.100

OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 1,077,131 ........ 107,713......................15 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.100 ...........0.100 ........... 0.100 .............0.100 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.100 ..............0.096...................0.100..................200,031,279........0.100

OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 1,921,051 ....... 868,315........................4 ........... 0.452 ........... 0.452 ...........0.452 ........... 0.452 .............0.452 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.452 ..............0.454...................0.490 .................249,893,462 .......0.100

OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY ...................................... 11,223 .............16,947........................2 ............1.510 ........... 1.510............ 1.510 ............1.510 ............. 1.510 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................ 1.510 ..............1.460................... 1.510 ..................135,447,000 ........0.100

OM0000003281 ............TAAGEER FINANCE ................................................. 393,296 ............51,128........................4 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.130 ........... 0.130 ............. 0.130............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.130 ..............0.130...................0.143 ...................32,966,700 .........0.100

OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 2,799,430 ...... 420,771................... 139 ............0.148 ........... 0.152 ...........0.148 ........... 0.150 ............. 0.150............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................ 0.151 ...............0.151...................0.152 ..................216,216,000 ........0.100

OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. ....................98,500 ...............5,546........................9 ............0.055 ........... 0.057 ...........0.055 ........... 0.056 .............0.056 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.057 ..............0.056...................0.057................... 16,238,916 .........0.100

OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER ....................................................................190 .....................65........................2 ........... 0.340 ...........0.340 ...........0.340 .......... 0.352 .............0.352 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.340............. 0.000...................0.340 .................. 77,795,520 .........0.100

OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 712,220 .........456,367..................... 68 ........... 0.640 ...........0.644 ...........0.640........... 0.640 .............0.640 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.640..............0.628...................0.640 .................416,604,307 .......0.100

OM0000004248 ...........SMN POWER HOLDING ............................................83,500 .............61,790........................4 ............0.740 ........... 0.740 ...........0.740 ........... 0.740 ............. 0.740 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.740 ............. 0.000...................0.740 ..................147,730,344 ........0.100

OM0000004669 ...........SHARQIYAH DESALINATION ......................................265 ................1,179........................ 1 ........... 4.450 ...........4.450 ...........4.450........... 4.650 .............4.650 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................4.450..............4.460...................4.590 ..................45,478,004 .........1.000

OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS .................................................... 2,466 .................. 927........................2 ............0.376 ........... 0.376 ...........0.376 ........... 0.380 .............0.380 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.376 ..............0.360...................0.378...................19,950,000 .........0.100

OM0000001509 ............DHOFAR INT.DEV.AND INV. HOLD. ................... 402,109 ..........159,193........................3 ........... 0.396 ........... 0.396 ...........0.394........... 0.396 .............0.398 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.503 ...............0.394............. 0.000...................0.394 ..................97,574,400 .........0.100

OM0000003141 ............ACWA POWER BARKA ............................................. 259,407 ......... 170,037........................5 ........... 0.624 ........... 0.656 ...........0.624........... 0.656 .............0.660 ...........-0.004 ........... -0.606 ...............0.656 ..............0.624...................0.660 ................ 104,960,000 .......0.100

OM0000001483 ............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 359,366 ............97,579..................... 20 ........... 0.273 ........... 0.273 ...........0.271 ........... 0.272 .............0.274 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.730 ...............0.271 ..............0.270...................0.272..................364,673,188 ........0.100

OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ..................................................... 2,065,229 ..... 247,867..................... 42 ............0.120 ........... 0.122 ...........0.120 ........... 0.120 ............. 0.121 ............-0.001 ........... -0.826 ...............0.122 ..............0.120...................0.122 ................... 37,291,793 .........0.100

OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 695,791 .............76,537........................2 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.110 ............0.110 ............. 0.111 ............-0.001 ........... -0.901 ...............0.110 ..............0.100................... 0.110 .................. 22,000,000 ........0.100

OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 802,936 ...... 1,148,605................... 105 ............1.450 ........... 1.450 ...........1.430 ........... 1.430 ............. 1.445............-0.015 ........... -1.038................1.430 .............. 1.425...................1.430 ................1,072,500,000 ......0.100

OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS .............. 57,657 .............15,379........................8 ........... 0.267 ........... 0.268 ...........0.265........... 0.267 .............0.270 ...........-0.003 ............ -1.111 ................0.268..............0.268...................0.269 ................... 5,607,000 ..........0.100

OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL ................................................39,011 ...............2,728........................8 ........... 0.069 ........... 0.071 ...........0.069........... 0.070 ............. 0.071............-0.001 ........... -1.408 ...............0.070..............0.070...................0.071 ...................12,250,000 .........0.100

OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING .............10,000 ..................920........................2 ........... 0.092 ........... 0.092 ...........0.092........... 0.092 .............0.094 ...........-0.002 ........... -2.128 ...............0.092..............0.090...................0.092 ...................8,280,000 ..........0.100

OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE .............. 755,834 ......... 134,532..................... 55 ............0.177 ........... 0.179 ...........0.177 ............0.178 ............. 0.182............-0.004 ........... -2.198 ...............0.177 .............. 0.177...................0.178 ...................35,600,000.........0.100

OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 2,583,091 ...1,103,646................... 216 ........... 0.424 ........... 0.430 ...........0.420........... 0.428 .............0.438 ...........-0.010 ........... -2.283 ...............0.426..............0.426...................0.428 ................ 980,900,072 .......0.100

OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 130,286 ............31,520........................6 ........... 0.245 ........... 0.245 ...........0.230........... 0.242 .............0.249 ...........-0.007 ............-2.811 ................0.242..............0.246...................0.250 .................373,824,308 .......0.100

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 1,824,270 ...... 291,899...................120 ............0.160 ........... 0.162 ...........0.156 ........... 0.160 ............. 0.165............-0.005 ........... -3.030 ...............0.160 ..............0.160................... 0.161 ...................24,012,000.........0.100

OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS .......................... 56,910 ............... 9,160..................... 10 ............0.164 ........... 0.164 ...........0.155 ............0.161 ............. 0.167............-0.006 ........... -3.593 ...............0.155 .............. 0.155...................0.160 ...................20,108,572 .........0.100

OM0000001962 ............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 128,497 ..............6,722........................5 ........... 0.052 ........... 0.053 ...........0.052........... 0.052 .............0.055 ...........-0.003 ........... -5.455 ...............0.053 ..............0.053...................0.055................... 10,771,872 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 19,809,387 ......6,072,943..............948 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......37........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................. 108,500 ...............7,151........................9 ........... 0.066 ........... 0.067 ...........0.065 ........... 0.066 .............0.064 ........... 0.002 ............. 3.125 ................0.067 ..............0.067...................0.069.................... 4,963,728 ..........0.100

OM0000001178 ............MUSCAT GASES .......................................................... 287,100...........237,717........................3 ........... 0.828 ........... 0.828 ...........0.820........... 0.828 .............0.828 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.820..............0.760...................0.800 ................. 24,840,000 ........0.100

OM0000001301 ............DHOFAR CATTLE FEED .......................................... 280,727 ........... 59,233........................2 ............0.211 ........... 0.211............ 0.211 ............0.211 ............. 0.211 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................ 0.211 .............. 0.215...................0.000 ..................16,247,000 .........0.100

OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS ............................................... 510,413 ......... 208,249........................3 ........... 0.408 ...........0.408 ...........0.408........... 0.408 .............0.408 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.408..............0.408...................0.000 ................. 64,260,000 ........0.100

OM0000001426 ............OMAN REFRESHMENT ............................................ 16,772 .............37,234........................3 ........... 2.220 ...........2.220 ...........2.220 .......... 2.220 .............2.220 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................2.220 ............ 2.200...................2.220 .................111,000,000 ........0.100

OM0000001590 ............MUSCAT FINANCE .................................................... 2,247,659 ......280,965........................6 ............0.125 ........... 0.126 ...........0.125 ............0.125 ............. 0.125............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.126 ..............0.122...................0.126 ...................31,452,309 .........0.100

OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE .............................. 12,441 ............... 1,369........................3 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.110 ............0.110 ............. 0.110 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.110 ..............0.102................... 0.110 ...................11,000,000 .........0.100

OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 3,086,263 ...... 441,301..................... 73 ............0.142 ........... 0.143 ...........0.142 ........... 0.143 ............. 0.143............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.143 .............. 0.143...................0.144 ..................209,152,009........0.100

OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 290,917 ............19,639......................18 ........... 0.069 ........... 0.069 ...........0.067 ........... 0.068 .............0.069 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.449 ...............0.068 ..............0.068...................0.069................. 102,000,000 .......0.100

OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ..................................................... 656,048 ............ 31,118......................14 ........... 0.047 ...........0.048 ...........0.047........... 0.047 .............0.048 ...........-0.001 ........... -2.083 ...............0.048..............0.048...................0.049 ................... 5,875,000 ..........0.100

OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 391,885.............23,513......................21 ........... 0.060 ...........0.060 ...........0.060........... 0.060 .............0.062 ...........-0.002 ........... -3.226 ...............0.060..............0.060...................0.061 ...................60,000,000 ........0.100

OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. .................. 270,000 .............. 7,554......................17 ........... 0.029 ........... 0.029 ...........0.027........... 0.028 .............0.029 ...........-0.001 ........... -3.448 ...............0.028..............0.028...................0.029 ...................2,380,000 ..........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 8,158,725 ...1,355,042................... 172 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......12........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS AND SUKUK MARKET ...................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ...................... 100,250 ............ 11,128........................3 ............0.111 ............0.111 ............ 0.111 ............0.111.............. 0.109 ........... 0.002 ............. 1.835 ................ 0.111 .............. 0.110...................0.220 .................. 33,605,151 .........0.100

OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 ................... 160,589 ............15,399........................6 ........... 0.095 ........... 0.096 ...........0.095 ........... 0.096 .............0.095 ............0.001 ............. 1.053 ................0.096 ..............0.096...................0.099....................31,119,515 ..........0.100

OM0000004867 ...........BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 ......................................... 696,889 ............71,780........................4 ............0.103 ........... 0.103 ...........0.103 ........... 0.103 ............. 0.103............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.103 ..............0.100................... 0.110 ...................32,923,196 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 957,728 ............ 98,307......................13 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

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

O M A N S T O C K S

INDICESIndex .................................................High .................Low ..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff %MSM30 Index ........................................5,210.50 ............... 5,175.21 ................... 5,192.00 ................... 5,212.07 ................-20.07 .................. -0.39Financial Index .................................... 6,430.28 .............. 6,353.20 ....................6,380.11 ...................6,434.39 ............... -54.28 .................. -0.84Industrial Index ....................................6,539.69 .............. 6,525.39 ...................6,528.20 ................... 6,538.14 .................. -9.94 .................. -0.15Services Index ...................................... 2,896.92 .............. 2,882.10 ................... 2,896.79 ...................2,886.62 .................. 10.17 ................... 0.35MSM SHARIAH INDEX....................... 815.36 ..................812.00 .......................812.42 ...................... 815.90 .................. -3.48 .................. -0.43

Trading SummaryVolume ................ Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up ............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded28,925,840 ................. 7,526,292 ..................1,133 ............... 15,535,052,709 .................. 9 ......................19 ....................24 .........................52

MSM index ends lower

MUSCAT: Foreign selling pres-sure and regional cues pushed the MSM30 Index down 0.39 per cent, to close at 5,192.00 points. The MSM Sharia Index ended at 812.42 points, down 0.43 per cent. Phoenix Power was the most active in terms of volume while Omantel led in turnover. Up 3.31 per cent, Ahli Bank was the top gainer while Al Madina Investment was the top loser, down 5.45 per cent.

A total number of 1,133 trades were executed on Tuesday, gener-ating turnover of OMR7.5 million with 28.9 million shares chang-ing hands. Out of 52 traded secu-rities, nine advanced, 19 declined and 24 remained unchanged. At the session close, Omani In-vestors remained net buyers for OMR128,000 while Foreign Investors stayed net sellers for OMR79,000 followed by GCC & Arab Investors for OMR49,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index reversed course to fi nish at 6,380.11 points, down 0.84 per cent. Ahli Bank and Gulf Investment Ser-

vices gained 3.31 per cent and 1.06 per cent respectively. Al Ma-dina Investments, Al Izz Bank, Al Anwar Holding, Bank Dhofar and Bank Muscat declined 5.45 per cent, 3.23 per cent, 3.03 per cent, 2.81 per cent and 2.28 per cent respectively.

Industrial Index retreatsIndustrial Index retreated 0.15 per cent to close at 6,528.20 points. Al Hassan Engineer-ing, up 3.13 per cent was the sole gainer. Al Jazeera Steel, Construction Materials, Oman Fisheries and Gulf Internation-al Chemicals declined 3.59 per cent, 3.45 per cent, 2.08 per cent and 1.11 per cent respectively.

Services Index closed with gain of 0.35 per cent at 2,896.79 points. Sembcorp Salalah, Al Batinah power, Al Suwadi Power and Renaissance Services gained 2.04 per cent, 1.57 per cent, 1.57 per cent and 0.81 per cent respec-tively. OIFC, Omantel and ACWA Power Barka declined 2.20 per cent, 1.04 per cent and 0.61 per cent respectively. — United Securities

As many as 1,133 trades were executed,

generating turnover of OMR7.5 million with

28.9 million shares changing hands

'Visa curbs

hit industry'

Polythene and Plastic Production Co. is a pioneer in manufacturing plastic-related products for vari-ous household, packaging and in-dustrial purposes.

It produces a broad range of products, including shopping bags, bakery bags, food bags, gar-bage bags, textile and garment bags, plant bags, polythene sheets, caution tapes for electrical, gas and water connections, stretch fi lm and binding straps for pack-ing of cartons, as well as dispos-able table sheets.

Driver issue Pereira pointed out that one of the manpower-related challenges that the company faces is the fact that some drivers leave without giving any notice in advance.

Echoing a similar view, Mariam Said Al Masroori, a debt controller at the company’s fi nance depart-ment, said if a driver does not show up for even two days, it means business loss for the company.

She also said some restrictions regarding the issuance of visas are aff ecting manufacturing activities and other things.

“Sometimes they give us two or three, but we need more,” Al Mas-roori further added.

Expansion Pereira said Polythene and Plastic Production Co. would be able to implement expansion plans if the regulations are relaxed and there are no barriers.

He added that there will be no point if there is a production plant and products are manufactured, but no driver will be available to deliver the products.

According to him, the company also has plans for exports, but is currently seeking to cover demand in the local market in various parts of Sultanate of Oman.

L O C A L P L A S T I C S F I R M S

– Times fi le picture

< FROM

B1BP's profi t falls on plunging crude prices, shares decline LONDON: BP reported a 91 per cent decline in fourth-quarter earnings after average crude oil prices dropped to the low-est in more than a decade. The company’s shares fell the most since August.

Profi t adjusted for one-time items and inventory changes to-taled $196 million, the London-based company said on Tuesday. That missed the $814.7 million average estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The net loss for the year was $6.5 billion, the most in at least 30 years.

While Chief Executive Offi cer Bob Dudley has trimmed billions of dollars of spending, cut thou-sands of jobs and deferred pro-jects in response to the plunge in crude prices, BP’s cash fl ow still doesn’t cover spending and dividends. The CEO said in an in-terview that he’s re-tooling BP to balance cash fl ows at below $60 a barrel. The slump has driven BP’s market value below $100 billion for the fi rst time since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010.

“It’s very disappointing,” Ahmed Ben Salem, oil and gas an-alyst at Oddo & Cie in Paris, said by phone. “We were expecting lower profi t from upstream, but not a loss. The dividend payout is probably safe for this year, but if oil stays around $30 then they would have to cut capex further.”

Profi t has been lower year-on-year for six consecutive quarters as oil prices tumbled. The aver-age price of benchmark Brent crude slumped 42 per cent in the fourth quarter from a year ear-lier to $44.69 a barrel, the lowest since 2004.

BP’s shares slumped as much as 7.8 per cent and traded at 338.65 pence as of 9:37am in

London, giving it a market val-ue of $90 billion. The stock has declined 3.6 per cent this year following last year’s 14 per cent retreat. It is still the third- best performer on the eight-mem-ber FTSE 350 Oil & Gas Pro-ducers Index.

PetroChina said last week it expects 2015 profi t to fall at least 60 per cent. Chevron on Friday reported its fi rst quarterly loss since 2002, while Royal Dutch Shell said last month that fourth-quarter profi t is likely to drop at least 42 per cent. The European oil major is scheduled to report full earnings on Thursday.

BP started cutting costs and selling assets following the 2010 oil spill. In October, it lowered its 2015 capital-spending forecast to about $19 billion after invest-

ing about $23 billion in 2014. The company said then it expects to spend $17 billion to $19 billion a year through 2017.

Job cutsBP, which earlier said it plans to reduce its oil and gas exploration and production workforce by 4,000 people this year, will also cut 3,000 jobs in downstream businesses by 2017.

The company’s adjusted loss from the upstream, which in-cludes oil and gas exploration and production, was $728 million in the quarter, compared with a profi t of $2.2 billion a year ear-lier. Earnings from downstream, made up of refi ning, chemicals and trading, were $1.2 billion, similar to a year earlier and 48 per cent lower than the preceding

quarter. The company expects refi ning margins in the fi rst quar-ter of 2016 to be lower than the previous three months. Refi ning countered declining profi t from crude oil and natural gas sales for much of 2015 as demand stayed high. A mild winter has curbed demand for some fuels including heating oil, narrowing margins and putting further pressure on companies such as BP and Shell.

The company’s ratio of net debt to equity jumped to 21.6 per cent at the end of 2015, an in-crease of almost fi ve percentage points from a year earlier. BP’s aim is to maintain the net debt ratio at about 20 per cent and for it to be above that level while oil prices remain weak, according to a statement.

“I’m very comfortable with 21 per cent net gearing right now,” CEO Dudley said in a Bloomberg television interview. “We’ll be fl exible around the gearing levels, we’ll see what oil prices do.”

The company’s debt level is rising and BP was among several major oil producers given a nega-tive credit outlook by Standard & Poor’s on Monday.

BP maintained its quarterly dividend at 10 cents a share and reiterated its commitment to sustain it throughout the down-turn. The company’s capital expenditure last year was $18.7 billion compared with about $23 billion the previous year. Barclays analyst Lydia Rainforth said the BP could reduce that fur-ther to $14 billion if oil stays at about $40 a barrel.

That would allow the company to balance its books by 2018 and still maintain dividend payouts to shareholders, she said.

— Bloomberg News

P E R F O R M A N C E

HIT HARD: British energy giant BP said on Tuesday that it

slumped into a vast loss in 2015, ravaged by the dramatic

collapse in oil prices. BP suff ered a loss after taxation of $6.48

billion (5.97 billion euros) last year, compared with a net profi t of

$3.78 billion in 2014, it said in a results statement. - AFP

Indian stocks decline; rupee slips further

MUMBAI: Indian stocks tum-bled the most in two weeks in late trade as investor attention turned to declines in global equities after the nation’s central bank Governor Raghuram Rajan left borrowing costs unchanged.

Tata Steel and Steel Author-ity of India, the largest producers, slumped the most in fi ve months, while Vedanta Ltd., a copper pro-ducer, paced losses among metal-makers. Oil & Natural Gas Corp. fell the most in four weeks.

The S&P BSE Sensex tumbled 1.2 per cent at the close in Mum-bai, with bulk of the losses com-ing after European equities began trading at about 1:30pm local time.

“There were no expectations on the rate cut by the RBI but what is happening on the global front is hurting our markets,” Nitasha Shankar, vice-president for eq-uity research at Yes Securities in Mumbai, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV India on Monday.

Rupee extends lossesThe rupee extended its loss for the second straight day, slipping by an-other 14 paise to 67.98 per dollar on sustained demand for the US currency from banks and import-ers amid a massive fall in equities as the Reserve Bank kept its key policy rate unchanged.

The domestic unit resumed slightly lower at 67.85 as against Monday’s closing level of 67.84 at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market and dropped further to 67.99 before fi nishing at 67.98 per dollar, showing a loss of 14 paise or 0.21 per cent.

The rupee dropped by 20 paise or 0.30 per cent in two days. It moved in a range of 67.7700 per dollar and 67.9950 per dollar dur-ing the day. — Agencies

I N D I A N M A R K E T S


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Kia’s futuristic SUV unveiled at auto show

MUSCAT: Kia Motors has un-veiled a cutting-edge vision for a full-size SUV at the North Ameri-can International Auto Show (NAIAS).

Elegant and sophisticated, the Kia ‘Telluride’ combines break-through technology, rugged beauty, and functionality in a full-size sport utility vehicle, says a press release.

In the words of a Kia afi cionado, “The new Telluride takes Kia’s de-sign language in a bold new direc-tion and suggests styling of a pos-sible future premium large SUV in the brand’s line-up. It also seems to be pushing the boundaries of technology with unique in-cabin health-and-wellness technology. In doing so, it gives us a thrilling

glimpse into the future…”The Telluride, a striking three-

row, seven-passenger, luxury SUV concept features a modern and upright shape, muscular stance, and state-of-the-art technology to care for its occupants. Purely conceptual, the Kia Telluride is based on an existing platform and reveals the brand’s interest in po-tentially off ering a premium SUV positioned above the current hot-selling Sorento.

“The Kia Telluride makes an aesthetic statement for the Kia brand as a bold, all-new luxury SUV with an abundance of ad-vanced technology, focusing par-ticular attention on the experi-ence and comfort of second-row occupants,” said Tom Kearns, chief designer. “Longer, wider and taller the Telluride allows us to envision what a full-size seven-passenger SUV from Kia could look like,” he added.

Telluride’s front doors and rear-hinged back doors swing open 90 degrees in opposing di-

rections, creating an expansive and inviting portal into the pano-ramic interior space and reveal-ing a technological showcase.

Four beautiful black-leather captain’s seats appear to fl oat within the spacious cabin in front of a folded third-row bench. The large cabin allows the middle seats to recline nearly fl at and in-clude large foldaway footrests for sublime comfort.

All four seats include a series of precise diamond-cut openings in the seatback, each embedded with Smart Sensors to capture a pas-senger’s vital health information.

Once obtained, these vitals are displayed on the interior door panel screens, which then system-atically synchronize with a Light Emitted Rejuvenation (LER) sys-tem. The LER system utilises a massive, wing-shaped LED panel mounted beneath the oversized sunroof that displays a pattern of therapeutic light to treat ‘desyn-chronosis’ ( jetlag) and improve the passengers’ energy levels.

Another unique technology introduced in Telluride is Swipe Command – a thin, touch-sensi-tive, interactive band mounted to the second row centre console – which allows rear-seat passen-gers to quickly scroll and select desired media by simply swiping their hand. The selected media is then played either through the seven-speaker premium Harman Kardon audio system, or via a set of portable Harman Kardon head-phones that wirelessly charge when stowed in the console. Up front, a compartment in the cen-tre stack allows for wireless cell phone charging, and Kia’s fi rst use of 3D-printed components add a distinct, modern design element to the dashboard, door panels, and steering wheel.

With an innovative combina-tion of cutting-edge technolo-gies, the Telluride’s powertrain is a near-future, no-compromises propulsion system, off ering both power and effi ciency. While there are currently no plans to bring the Telluride to production, Kia has a history of delivering production vehicles that bear strong resem-blance to preceding concepts, and Kia’s large SUV is anything but a utopian fantasy.

Reliable International Automo-tive (RIA), the distributor for Kia in Oman provides a rewarding ownership experience for custom-ers. Excellent product attributes and unmatched facilities easily ensure their absolute satisfaction, every mile of the way.

Sophisticated and

elegant, the Kia

‘Telluride’ combines

breakthrough

technology,

rugged beauty and

functionality in a

full-size sport

utility vehicle

MoT hosts 'Stars of Oman’ travel agents from FranceMUSCAT: The Ministry of Tour-ism of the Sultanate of Oman recently hosted travel agents from France as a reward for suc-cessfully completing the online ‘The Stars of Oman’ training pro-gramme, giving them an opportu-nity to experience the Omani hos-pitality and get acquainted with the local culture.

Les Etoiles d’Oman (‘The Stars of Oman’) is an e-learning train-ing tool for travel agents and tour operators internationally, piloted in partnership with Oman Air. The programme aims to equip travel agents with knowledge about tourism in Oman and de-velop their skills such that they can better sell the destination. The programme was launched in France on the occasion of IFTM Top Résa Travel & Trade Exhibi-tion in 2014, says a press release.

Thirteen travel agents, who have completed the theory part of the module, were selected from

diff erent regions of France to discover the natural and cultural heritage of Oman on a six-night trip. The trip covered all the must visit places in Oman, including a trip to the beautiful village of Birkat Al Mawz, followed by a journey up the curvaceous road to reach Al Jabal Al Akhdar.

The visitors spent time in the villages of Saiq, Wadi Bani Habib (the village of the old houses) and Al Aynthat dot the landscape to get a spectacular view of the dra-matic peaks, gorges and wadis.

Some of the other to-do things on the itinerary included, a visit to Nizwa to see the famous Round Tower Fort and the souq; dune driving at Al Sharqiya sands; ex-ploring Sur and its various mes-merising beaches and wadis and gaining insights into the Omani history while in Salalah.

The travellers also got to enjoy an opera performance ‘Lucia Di Lammermoor by Gaetano Doni-

zetti’ at the Royal Opera House Muscat, visit to the exquisite Grand Mosque and discover what goes into the making of tradition-al frankincense.

Speaking about the initiative, Asma Al Hajry, deputy director general at International Tourism Promotions, said, “Seeing is be-lieving and we wanted our travel agents internationally to explore Oman and experience the hospi-tality of our warm people.

“We are sure our visitors are going back with tonnes of memo-ries, something they would love to share with their friends and clients. Such initiatives serve as a catalyst in bringing more tourists into the country.

“We are fortunate to count upon our partners Oman Air, Zahara tours, Grand Hyatt, Alila Jabal Ahkdar, Rotana Salalah, Shangri La, Al Bustan, Sahab Ho-tel, Sur Plaza and Crowne Plaza Salalah for their support.”

E - L E A R N I N G T R A I N I N G T O O L

seaPearls launches special Valentine’s Day campaignMUSCAT: Leading jewellery brand seaPearls aims to bring the sparkle of love with an enchant-ing ensemble of rare gold and diamond jewellery collection this Valentine’s Day. seaPearls’ cam-paign from February 1-14 allows customers to get a free gold coin on every purchase worth OMR300, says a press release.

Adding to the celebration, cus-tomers can take part in a unique contest where participants have to take a ‘Selfi e’ with their favour-ite seaPearls gold/diamond/pearl jewellery, post the picture on the offi cial Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/seapearlsjew-

elleryom and then share it with their friends and family. The per-son with the maximum ‘Likes’ on their picture will stand a chance to win a ‘You&Me’ diamond pendant from seaPearls.

P. A. Riyas, general manager of seaPearls Gold and Diamond Jewellery, said: “We at seaPearls strive for customer satisfaction and retention and we aim at off er-ing some of the best to our patrons. This season of love is a great oc-casion to spread and share hap-piness. We are delighted to add a touch of exclusivity to the cel-ebrations by off ering them daz-zling off ers making our customers’

celebration grand.” The You&Me diamond collection is inspired by the universal symbol of love and commitment. Each design in the collection is undeniably elegant, in-tertwined by an invisible thread of creativity, a certain charm, an inim-itable spirit that is embodied by the lovers across the world. The collec-tion consists of pendants, earrings, couple rings in 18-carat that traces the outline of love that is strong and daring. seaPearls as a brand spe-cialises in the combination of pre-cious and innovative materials and distinctive designs creating glam-orous and exciting styles that fuses classic and contemporary.

U N I Q U E C O N T E S T

Atana Hotels off er special rates for local residentsMUSCAT: Atana Hotels, Oman’s leading leisure hotel brand, is cel-ebrating the spirit of the New Year with special rates for local resi-dents of the Sultanate.

Launching the special package, Leon Salinel, the Corporate direc-tor (Sales & Marketing) at Dhiaff a - the company that manages Atana hotels at Musandam and Khasab, said: “As a completely Omani ven-ture, Atana Hotels Group always believes in giving back to the com-munity. It is keeping with this guiding principle that we have de-signed attractive special rates for the benefi t of local residents. Our esteemed guests can look forward to indulging in unparalleled luxury and comfort defi ned by authentic Omani culture, at fabulous rates.”

“We believe that this special off er from our side will help pro-mote domestic tourism to a great extent. Holidaying abroad could be a costly aff air, but there are lots of exciting places inside the Sultan-ate with great tourism potential. Off ers such as these will help boost local tourism to a great extent.

Signifi cant"It gains special signifi cance in the prevailing atmosphere of austerity engendered by slump in oil prices, when people think twice before embarking on their holiday travels abroad,” he added.

Dhiaff a manages Atana prop-erties at Khasab and Musandam, situated on the northern tip of the Musandam Peninsula, just 10 min-

utes from Khasab airport, and 2 hours from Dubai. It is 45 minutes and 5 hours from Muscat by fl ight and ferry respectively.

Atana Musandam features 110 elegantly furnished suites and duplexes that refl ect traditional Omani style. A strict non-alcohol policy and large individual units make Atana Musandam a family-oriented destination.

With 60 luxurious rooms, su-perb restaurants, a beautiful pool and state of the art meeting facility, Atana Khasab is a contemporary, licensed, waterfront leisure hotel that is versatile enough to cater to corporate clients. Guests can enjoy activities such as snorkelling, scu-ba diving, mountain safaris, dhow cruises and cultural sites visits.

S P E C I A L P A C K A G E

Two Al Seeb International School students complete paragliding solo fl ight course

MUSCAT: Two students from Al Seeb International School, Syed Ali Raza, Grade IX A stu-dent and Syed Haider Raza, Grade VII A student, have suc-cessfully completed paragliding solo fl ight course.

This is a fi rst not only for the school but also for Oman as an 11-year-old has managed to set a record for being the youngest paraglider in Oman. He managed to fl y from a height of 250 feet at Al Nahda Dunes, says a press release.

Earlier, the children had volun-teered to do the ground handling training on a beach in Seeb for two days, learning how to handle and control the glider.

Once the instructors were confi dent that they could handle themselves and the glider, they were taken to Al Nahda Dunes. From there they took their fi rst solo fl ight from a height of 250

feet. They took off one by one and stayed in the air for several minutes, before landing softly back down.

This gave the children a boost of confi dence that they can achieve anything as long as they set their mind to it.

Al Seeb International School provided the platform for the children by off ering various ac-tivities for the fi rst time in Oman.

The students have set an ex-ample for the youth of Oman to be more adventurous and not be afraid to try new sports.

This will also help tourism in Oman as it could become an air adventure destination be-cause Oman has a lot to off er in terms of climate, landscapes and friendly people.

Falcon Adventures trained the boys in making their fi rst solo fl ight in Oman.

C O N Q U E R I N G H E I G H T S

B6 W E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

ROUND-UP

Online ‘SUV Carnival’launched by Best Cars

MUSCAT: Without as much as stepping out of their homes, cus-tomers can now celebrate the ‘SUV Carnival’ with Best Cars.

According to a company spokes-person, “This is a wonderful op-portunity from Best Cars specially for all our SUV customers. We have launched an online activity named as the ‘Best Carnival’.”

Once a user clicks the ‘Best Carnival’ banner on the Best Cars website, it takes them to the

best deals currently available on SUVs. New arrivals are updated on a regular basis. There are a host of attractive deals on vari-ous models in the SUV segment, says a press release.

The smartly spruced and updat-ed Best Cars website ‘www.best-carsoman.com’ is a treat for the eyes and a very convenient way to search for a dream car. For exam-ple, without moving from the desk, a customer can surf for the re-quired vehicle, be it a PC, CV, 4WD, etc either brand-wise, model-wise, model year-wise or budget-wise. Furthermore, if one wants to sell a pre-owned vehicle, an easy form is provided, just fi ll and click send. Best Cars representative promptly contacts the customer.

www.bestcarsoman.com has been tastefully designed and fea-tures a logical, user friendly fl ow which naturally leads the cus-tomer to the information area of choice. Not only is the navigation extremely easy, the site is packed with updated information – a boon for buyers and sellers, alike.

“Once you decide, it is just a matter of driving down and mak-ing a deal – either to buy or to sell,” was the response from one of the fi rst customers who approached Best Cars through the website.

An added advantage for those who don’t immediately fi nd the car of choice is that once they register their requirements, they will get an alert through mail whenever the right vehicle becomes available.

Apart from the website, Best Cars has a landmark main show-room in Muscat, as well as 13 branches located across Oman. At any given point of time all over Oman, Best Cars off ers a choice from popular brands including Lexus, Toyota, Ford, Kia, Daihatsu, to name a few.

Models are prominently dis-played with price and features of every single vehicle - ready for test-drive and sale.

Best Cars also provides fi nanc-ing facilities for customers who want to purchase pre-owned vehi-cles on instalments.

Daily new arrivals are updated on ‘www.bestcarsoman.com’ on which a customer can log-in and view all details along with the ve-hicle’s photograph. Customers can also register their requirement and once the required model arrives, they promptly get the reply mail along with personalised, courte-ous services of the sales staff .

“All our cars are fully checked by our trained team of professional technicians, giving customers the confi dence that they are making a good investment.

“With these added benefi ts, it’s no wonder that more people are turning to Best Cars,” added the spokesperson.

“In short, buying a car at Best Cars off ers complete peace of mind. So just log in and make the right choice now.”

Once a user clicks

the ‘Best Carnival’

banner on the Best

Cars website, it

takes them to the

best deals currently

available on SUVs.

There are a host of

attractive deals on

various models in the

SUV segment

Caff é Vergnano 1882launches special Valentine’s Day off erMUSCAT: Caff é Vergnano, the globally famous coff ee chain known for its unmatched quality of coff ee brews, is off ering a spe-cial deal to all its guests.

Anyone ordering an exclusive hot chocolate will be getting one free chocolate drink for his or her Valentine. The promotion will run from February 7 till February 14, says a press release.

Caff é Vergnano was founded by Domenico Vergnano in 1882. Their fi rst outlet was in the me-dieval city of Chieri situated at the foot of the hills surrounding Turin in Italy. Subsequently their success in serving excellently brewed coff ee led to them spread-ing to all the major cities of Eu-rope and subsequently branching out to other major cities all across the world.

Caff é Vergnano is famous for serving the prestigious Arabica Coff ee. Vergnano Arabica is a product with a delicate fl avour and smooth aroma which is cre-ated by the low roasting of only the very best varieties of Arabica from Central and South America. The low roasting of Vergnano Ar-abica Espresso makes it perfectly balanced with a medium, round-ed fl avour and sweet aroma.

Today, Caff é Vergnano at As-sarain Complex adjacent to SPAR in the tranquil environs of Madi-nat Sultan Qaboos, Al Hail North

and Oman Avenues Mall has emerged as the preferred place of coff ee connoisseurs for intimate rendezvous, business tête-à-tête, or private musings, a place where one can sit back and savour the relaxed — yet contemporary — European ambience complete with WiFi connectivity and de-signer interiors.

C O F F E E C H A I N

Anyone ordering

an exclusive hot

chocolate will be

getting one free

chocolate drink for his

or her Valentine

Al Madina Takaful wins at MENAIR Insurance Awards

MUSCAT: Al Madina Takaful has become the recipient of yet anoth-er coveted award in the insurance industry in the Middle East.

The company was named ‘Oman Insurer of the Year’ at the MENAIR Insurance Awards 2016 held recently in Dubai. The awards are judged by an independent pan-el of experts and recognise excel-lence of companies and people in the industry, says a press release.

The award is one of the most reputed and respected recogni-tion in the industry. Al Madina Takaful was named finalist in three categories and won the Oman Insurer of the Year beating competition across both Takaful and conventional insurance seg-

ments in Oman. Al Madina also was the only

insurance company from Oman to be recognised at this year’s awards programme.

Speaking at the awards ceremo-ny, Gautam Datta, CEO, Al Madina Insurance Co., said: “Winning the Oman Insurer of the Year award is remarkable, as this the fi rst time we are being recognised in the larger insurance industry, beyond the Takaful segment we operate in. This is a milestone achievement for the organisation beating both local and regional players operat-ing in Oman, and comes at a time when the industry is facing tough challenges. It’s a great reward for the hard work and commitment

of our team, business partners and clients. A huge thank you to all.”

Speaking on the success, Usama Al Barwani, deputy CEO, Al Mad-ina Insurance Co. added: “It gives us immense pride to be chosen as Oman Insurer of the Year. This is a coveted platform, and we are excited to be chosen to represent the industry in this stature. It in-spires us further to meet and ex-ceed customer expectations and excel in the way we do business. We extend our thanks to all stake-holders, and the CMA for their continuous support.”

Earlier, the company bagged the General Takaful Company of the Year Award at the Middle East In-surance Industry Awards 2015.

‘ O M A N I N S U R E R O F T H E Y E A R ’

Malabar Gold unveils ‘Hearts of Love’ jewellery collection MUSCAT: Malabar Gold & Dia-monds launched a special edition of diamond studded jewellery col-lection named ‘Hearts of Love’ to celebrate the season of love.

Diamonds are a symbol of eter-nity and a timeless interpretation of love. As the demand for heart shaped jewellery boosts during this season of love, the jewellery chain launched an exclusive col-lection of heart shaped jewellery to cater to the customer demand, says a press release.

This stunningly romantic col-lection of diamond jewellery is a unique way to express your feel-ings, aff ection and togetherness. Each piece in this collection is

specially designed with an aura of love and is easily aff ordable.

Their spectacular piece of heart shaped 3 in 1 diamond pen-dant is a perfect gift to express true emotions to your loved ones. This pendant is available in dif-ferent colours like white gold, yel-low gold and rose gold at a special promotional price of OMR185.

Limited editionThey have also unveiled limited edition of twin-heart and triple- heart pendants sparkling with di-amonds ranging from OMR65 to OMR275. They are also off ering multiple number of amazing dia-mond jewellery sets to celebrate

this season and each set compris-es beautifully crafted pendant, pair of earrings and fi nger ring. These sets are available from the aff ordable price of OMR200.

To add more delight to this oc-casion, the customers can also avail a branded Esprit or Westar watch absolutely free with this limited edition jewellery.

Malabar Gold gives you the chance to give that special some-one a token of your love that she will cherish for the rest of her life. These promotional sets will be available at their outlets in UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Singapore & Ma-laysia until February 14.

V A L E N T I N E ’ S D A Y S P E C I A L

Suvarna crowned ISC, Salalah ‘Mrs Valentine’ SALALAH: The Ladies Wing of Indian Social Club Salalah cel-ebrated ‘Mrs Valentine’ fashion show recently. Ladies dressed in red wholeheartedly participated in large numbers and made the event memorable and colourful.

The event was judged by re-nowned personalities Vandana and Poonam Malhotra. The even-ing was fi lled with early bird lot-tery along with lots of interest-ing spot prizes. To add on to the celebration Anne and Shuba per-formed sizzling solo dances and entertained the audience, along with melodious voices of Tripti, Geeta and Pooja. The event was

anchored by Rachna Medappa as-sisted by Geeta and Shivani, says a press release.

However, much awaited even-ing concluded with the crowning of the winners. ‘Mrs Valentine’ title was won by Suvarna, the second runner-up was Manjari Sharma and the third runner-up was Sarla Ingle.

The crowning was done by Manpreet Singh, chairman In-dian Social Club, Salalah in the presence of other ISC, commit-tee members. Generous sponsor-ship by Malabar Gold, Al Raud, Manza Boutique, Rania, Kairath Al Janoob, Haridas Nancy and Sweets of Oman facilitated in or-ganising the event.

F A S H I O N S H O W

Nabil biscuit launches new range of innovative snacksMUSCAT: National Biscuit In-dustries Ltd, makers of the brand ‘Nabil’ range of biscuits and snacks, are pleased to usher in the new year with a double delight.

January saw the launch of ‘Na-bil Salaam’, a range of innovative snacks with fi ve diff erent com-bination of exciting fl avours and shapes such as the Nabil Twistz: Sour Cream & Onion, Nabil Shellz: Salad Snax, Nabil Grillz: Mexi-can Spicy, Nabil Ringz: Chilli and Salaam Wheelz: Ketchup, says a press release.

To further delight its patrons, Nabil biscuits has also announced the immensely rewarding Scratch ‘n’ Win contest. As a part of the pro-motion, consumers will fi nd scratch cards in the multipacks of Nabil Ghalia, Nabil Kuku and the newly launched Nabil Salaam range. The contest is on till March 31. Winners will be rewarded with as many as 20

iPhone 6, and a host of other excit-ing prizes like Sony PlayStation 4, gold coins, Sony PlayStation Vita, Samsung LED TV, etc.

Commenting on the occasion, Unnit Mankodi, head of Sales and

Marketing at National Biscuits said: “Most consumers have grown up eating Nabil biscuits and this is a homegrown and much loved brand. Nabil is proud to give back the love and patronage through the

introduction of such innovative and tasty snacking products like Nabil Salaam, as well as through such promotions as Scratch n Win. We urge the consumers to rush to their nearest outlet and buy the

multipacks of Ghalia/Kuku and Salaam to win the exciting prizes.”

National Biscuit has, for the past three decades, been producing a wide range of biscuits and snacks. Brand Nabil is exported every year

to over 40 countries worldwide. With the continued patronage of its loyal consumers, it has always maintained a number one position in the biscuit segment and is truly the pride of month.

P R O M O T I O N


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QUOTES

Greatness is sifted through the grind, therefore don’t

despise the hard work now for surely it will be worth it in

the end.

— Sanjo Jendayi

My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds

of people: those who do the work and those who take

the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there

was much less competition.

— Indira Gandhi

If your dream is a big dream, and if you want your life to

work on the high level that you say you do, there’s no

way around doing the work it takes to get you there.

— Joyce Chapman

alizz provides innovative personal finance solutions

MUSCAT: alizz Islamic bank con-tinues to provide innovative and Sharia compliant personal fi nance products that meet the require-ments and needs of its customers.

The personal fi nance portfolio of alizz Islamic bank consists of two segments, fi nancing of goods ‘Goods Murabaha’ and fi nancing of services ‘Services Ijarah’ which are based on the principle of ‘Ija-rah’, says a press release.

In the case of goods fi nancing the customer applies for funding for specifi c goods by providing a quotation price in the name of alizz Islamic bank from the mer-chant. The purchased item is then sold to the customer by Murabaha Sale Contract of deferred instal-

ment payments which consist of the original selling price (cost) plus an agreed profi t. Knowing the bank’s profi t mark-up and instal-ment at the time of signing the deal allows for immediate posses-sion and ownership of the goods. Customers can avail these com-petitively priced personal fi nance services for all their needs and requirements, be it acquisition of furniture, utilities, electrical ap-pliances, other household items and much more.

Through ‘Service Ijarah’ cus-tomers can acquire a variety of services at the most competitive prices. Here the bank has agree-ments with various service provid-ers, whereby the bank leases the services required by the customer directly from the provider and sub-leases it to the customer on the basis of ‘Ijarah’ helping them meet all their needs whether they

have to cover unexpected medical expenses, or secure the tuition fees for their children, or are preparing for marriage.

Moosa Al Jadidi, deputy direc-tor general and head of Retail Banking, said: “The personal fi -nance products of alizz Islamic bank have many advantages, fi rst and foremost is their availability for both Omanis and residents at competitive profi t rates through which a customer can buy any kind of Sharia compliant goods with fi -nancing of up to 100 per cent of the value of the goods. As part of the bank’s principle of transpar-ency the customer is informed of the cost, profi t margins and the total sale price before signing the

contract. Another key advantage is that this type of fi nancing only requires simple documentation and procedures and the approval process is quick and catered to the customer’s needs.”

Al Jadidi added: “alizz Islamic bank believes in enriching our customers’ lives and putting their needs fi rst and their service fore-most as part of our commitment towards excellence and leadership in the Islamic banking sector. The personal fi nance portfolio is a cru-cial component of this journey and we are always looking at avenues to enhance these services.”

alizz Islamic bank is one of the first dedicated Islamic banks in Oman.

The personal fi nance

portfolio of alizz

Islamic bank consists

of two segments,

fi nancing of goods

‘Goods Murabaha’ and

fi nancing of services

‘Services Ijarah’

The personal finance portfolio is a crucial component

of this journey and we are always looking at avenues

to enhance these services

Moosa Al JadidiDeputy director general and head of Retail Banking

Vision Auditing changes

its name to MGI Vision

Chartered Accountants

MUSCAT: Oman based assur-ance, tax and consulting fi rm Vision Auditing has changed its name to MGI Vision Chartered Accountants to refl ect its new status as a member firm of MGI Worldwide, a Top 20 ranked international network of in-dependent audit, tax, account-ing and consulting firms with some 5,000 professionals in over 300 locations around the world and also 12th the largest in the Middle East.

This change means that the fi rm can now provide a level of international expertise normally only found in very large account-ing fi rms but delivered with the same personal service and high level of partner involvement of a smaller fi rm, says a press release.

Abdul Majid Al Abri, partner at the fi rm, said: “We are very excit-ed about the potential possibili-ties not only for our fi rm but also for clients considering new busi-ness opportunities in the Middle East and beyond. It means we can continue to support them as they grow and that is of great benefi t.”

This change also demonstrates the fi rm’s commitment to provid-ing a quality service for their cli-ents. Al Abri continues, “By being part of a global network, our cli-ents are assured of adherence to international quality standards and that is refl ected in our new name. While a lot is being talked

about promoting local fi rms, in our sector, when it comes to hir-ing services, even government prefers international fi rms. With this development, we aim to up-grade ourselves to provide simi-lar quality assurance as of inter-national fi rms.”

MGI Vision Chartered Ac-countants can now off er clients a new world of opportunity.

Here are some of the benefi ts:• Support from a worldwide

team – more than 5,000 account-ing professionals

• Access to international ad-vice — at the end of the phone for tax, corporate and fi nancial mat-ters

• Potential to explore new op-portunities — within the Middle East and Worldwide

• Ability to speak to a specialist — from a pool of experts around the world.

N E W S T A T U S

B8

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Urban adventure gets even more exciting with all-new Subaru XV

MUSCAT: The new Subaru XV with its exciting looks, a confi dent stance and engaging driving expe-rience is all set to make your urban adventure even more exciting.

Restyled and recharged, the new Subaru XV blends function-ality and form — it captures and captivates instantly. At 220mm of ground clearance, the XV features serious off -roading and wading ca-pabilities. The excitement increas-es as you take the road less taken, or choose to create your own trail with this capable vehicle, says a press release.

The Subaru XV combines the high ground clearance of an SUV, with low centre of gravity and bal-ance of a sports sedan, and Sym-metrical AWD. Mated to the Subaru

Boxer engine for a near-perfect symmetrical layout, the Sym-metrical AWD delivers gratifying power with exceptional traction, providing balance and stability for total control in ever-shifting road conditions.

The horizontally opposed Boxer engine, with a fl at profi le, lends the powerplant and the whole car, a low centre of gravity and more balanced weight distribution, and signifi -cantly reduced vibration. The re-sult is a vehicle that gives you peace of mind and driving confi dence.

A bold new look backs up the XV’s lively performance,made clear by numerous visual refi ne-ments, including a stylish new grille, bumper and headlamps. The face of the XV has been updated, new headlights, wider grill, and bolder trim around the fog-lights, further accentuate the sporty stance of the XV.

The vibrant crossover gets a major facelift on the inside too, with defi ned interior panels, add-ed soft touch materials, and steer-ing with new switch gear that is easier to use and houses more practical functions.

The XV features many innova-tions to put the occupants at utter ease. The seats are thoughtfully designed for long-term comfort with supportive, vibration-ab-sorbing cushioning.

The centrally located touch-screen is a useful way to select your music. Simply connect the smartphone through Bluetooth or the USB systems for added ease, and choose the options right on the touchscreen.

With the ceiling-mounted mi-crophone added, the available Bluetooth hands-free system also automatically connects compat-ible mobile phones for convenient, handsfree talking. It also enables wireless audio streaming audio from the compatible Bluetooth de-vices and reading emails.

The high grade multi-function display shows all the needed info including time, temperature, self-check maintenance alerts, and

safety information such as Vehicle Dynamics Control monitoring.

Featuring more hand-free op-tions than ever before, the XV also has Voice Recognition and the op-tional Siri Eyes Free integration, allowing Apple users to link and make hands-free calls, play music, check emails and search the web.

To bring the entertainment alive, the XV features premium 6-speaker 180 watt audio system, with the speakers specially tuned for the XV’s acoustics, resulting in a rich sound that enraptures the senses. Two additional speakers are integrated into the instrument panel, further accentuating the mids and highs for a fuller sound.

The XV can carry fi ve passen-

gers and pack fi ve carry-on suit-cases at the same time. 60/40 split rear seats mean the Subaru XV has the versatility to hold a rear occu-pant and a bike at the same time. With 1,200 litres of cargo volume, a nearly square rear gate and fl at-folding rear seats, it’ll take on your latest urban or outdoor excursion with utter ease.

Drive it to the offi ce or have fun with the gravel on weekends,the Subaru XV is the most perfect part-ner for the urban jungle fl air, with great looks, high ground clearance, and proven Subaru AWD.

There’s little that can stop you from having a good time when you drive the Subaru XV. Daring and yet unassuming, the Subaru XV

is ready to take your life to new heights. The wait is just about to get over…Get ready

Tech specifi cations include: Models: 2.0i, 2.0i Premium Dimensions: L x W x H: 4,450

x1,780 x 1,615 mm Engine: Horizontally opposed,

4-cylinder, DOHC 16-valve petrol Capacity: 1,995 cc Max output: 110 kW (150 PS) /

6,200 rpm Max torque: 196 Nm (20.0kgfm)

/ 4,200 rpm Transmission: Lineartronic,

AWD

The features include: Fog lamps, roof-rails, power glass sunroof, HID headlamps with auto level, keyless access and push-button start, dual-zone automatic air-conditioning system, rear armrest with cup hold-ers, and Cruise control.

Subaru is a Japanese automotive brand founded in 1953, and head-quartered in Ebisu, Tokyo. Subaru cars are known for their boxer en-gine layout and the Symmetrical All Wheel Drive drive-train. Sub-aru also off ers turbocharged ver-sions of their passenger cars, such as the Impreza WRX and STI.

The OTE group is the offi cial representative of Subaru in Oman, having a country wide presence with 13 showrooms.

Restyled and

recharged, the new

Subaru XV blends

functionality and form

— it captures and

captivates instantly

Passage to India unveils Vadakkan Food Festival

MUSCAT: Passage to India (PTI) restaurant is organising a gastronomic journey into Kerala cuisine wherein a multitude of both non-vegetarian and veg-etarian dishes will be prepared that will give a glimpse into the diverse preparations across the 14 districts of the state.

There will be two live counters set up in the restaurant’s court-yard reminiscent of street stalls in Kerala, serving appam and stew and Malabari paratha, says a press release.

The menu has been carefully crafted by reputed Chef Nazeer-Ka, former head chef of Calicut Paragon Restaurant that has branches in Kerala and Dubai, who has been specially fl own in for the event. The preparations will incorporate famous naadan curries, green pepper fi sh and whole sardines with rice. For the health conscious food lovers, some of the fi sh preparations are

water grilled which makes for cholesterol free food.

Mouth-watering delicaciesOther mouth-watering delica-cies will include chicken, fi sh, lobster, mutton and vegetable preparations as well as Kerala-style biryani. There will be more than 50 dishes listed in a separate menu especially designed for the festival that concludes on Febru-ary 15. During this festival only the restaurant will be in service from 12pm - 4.30pm and 6.30pm -12am. The service staff will be dressed in traditional ‘mundus’ and all food will be prepared and served in authentic ‘chatty’ dishes especially brought in from Kerala to lend authenticity to the entire promotion.

“Passage to India has always at-tempted to provide an opportuni-ty for customers to enjoy authen-tic preparation of their favourite dishes. After the success of the

Punjabi food festival, we decided to take it a step ahead and provide the most popular preparations of Kerala in the ongoing food festival to cater to the huge presence of the Malayali community in Oman as well as introduce the food to others who have not had a chance to savour authentic Keralite food.

By the end of the year, we would be looking at getting another re-nowned chef for a Fusion Food Festival that will present another gastronomical feast,” Araj Mo-handas, PTI owner’s representa-tive, informed the media.

Passage to India, located in Wadi Adai, is renowned for high food quality complemented by the fi nest accompanying bever-age off erings. The restaurant prides itself on being a provider of fi ne Indian cuisine for residents of Oman as well as visitors for 15 years. Orders for parties and out-door catering services are also part of the portfolio.

T A S T E O F K E R A L A

AUTHENTIC KERALA CUISINE: The menu has been carefully crafted by reputed Chef NazeerKa,

former head chef of Calicut Paragon Restaurant that has branches in Kerala and Dubai, who has

been specially fl own in for the event. – A. R.Rajkumar/ TIMES OF OMAN

Dar Al Atta’a contest to showcase creative writing skills of studentsMUSCAT: Dar Al Atta’a Associa-tion launched the 10th session of its writing contest that comes as part of the activities carried out by ‘Let’s read’ programme sponsored by the association.

The contest aims to contrib-ute to the development of writing skills of school students between the ages of 11-18 years old, says a press release.

The competition gives the op-portunity to these students to show their talents in creative writing by presenting a story with a maximum number of 500 words where the events of the story take place in the Sultanate of Oman; the story must be accompanied by coloured images and can be presented in English or Arabic language to children between the ages of 5-7 years old.

The last date of accepting en-tries is March 31.

The Evaluation Committee will select the winners based on cer-tain grounds: The most important is that the story should contain an interesting character, the story must be of good context.

The narration must present in-teresting details of the events, the time, place and characters.

The work will also be judged on the language, putting in considera-tion the correct spelling and con-struction of the sentences.

In this regard, Mariam bint Issa

Al Zadjali, chairperson of Dar Al Atta Association said: “There is no doubt that the ‘Let’s read’ programme has a positive role in strengthening the human person-ality and opens the doors of knowl-edge and joy.

Encouraging children“And from this concept the as-sociation encourages children to read and write stories, and here I invite all children to contribute with their creations as they will be published and printed in a special book prepared for the publication of the winning stories, the invita-tion is open to all children in all public and private schools of the Sultanate between the ages of 11-18 years old.

“The association will award the winners in the ‘Grand Reading Festival’ during the month of May of this year.

1 0 T H E D I T I O N

KR continues to provide support for

educational infrastructure in Sumail

MUSCAT: The KR Group contin-ues to provide support for educa-tional infrastructure in the wilayat of Sumail as part of ongoing eff orts aimed at community development.

From the construction of porta-cabins to landscaping shades and donating smart TVs the company has been actively involved in as-sisting this town’s government schools in order to make Oman’s Dakhiliyah region become a mod-ern, self-sustaining microcosm, says a press release.

Commenting on the compa-ny’s initiatives, Nailesh Khimji, director, KR said: “At the KR Group we are passionate about community building and support. Over the years we have been reach-ing out to communities across

different regions in Oman by giving them the tools to become more self-reliant, progressive and self-sustaining. Our partner-ship with the wilayat of Sumail goes back many years where

we’ve been working with local au-thorities to improve educational infrastructure in the region.”

To date the KR Group has con-structed entrance shades for the Saih Al Rasiyat School, Sayja and Al Gaylah Schools. The last two were donated to children with special needs, wherein they shel-tered a garden called ‘challenging horses’ for the Sayja School which opened at the beginning of 2015.

The company also contributed porta-cabins for Sayja School and Saleh bin Al Mutawkil School last year. Additionally, KR donated 15 smart TVs to Al Gaylah Scool, Saih Al Rasiyat and Sumail Al Jadeeda schools. Each school received fi ve television sets to aid education of children with special needs.

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Al Amerat Challenge set for February 13

Sports Reporter

MUSCAT: Despite the reluctance of the sponsors to come out with full backing, Excellence Perfor-mance is all set to organise the third edition of Al Amerat Chal-lenge Race on February 13.

The organisers, after hosting a successful inaugural event in 2014, received the recognition from As-sociation of International Mara-thons and Distance Races (AIMS) for their second edition a year later.

That AIMS-sanctioned event attracted a lot of attention as well as well-known runners from across the world leading to the Challenge becoming a great suc-cess which in turn helped the or-ganisers to project the Sultanate as an ideal tourist destination.

But this time around, owing to slump in oil prices and the result-ant austerity measures, not many sponsors have come forward to support the event.

However, the organisers are de-termined to continue with their good work and do their bit in pro-moting Omani sports as well as the Sultanate as a tourist destination.

“We are very proud of what we have done so far... not just Al Amer-at Challenge but also other sporting events,” Excellence Performance chief Rashid Al Kindi said refer-ring to two other championships they launched last year, Oman Girls Cross Country Championship and Oman Skate Championships.

“Our endeavour has always been to provide opportunities for the Omani youth to practice sports

they love and to compete with the best in the world, to promote sports and healthy living as well as the Sultanate. So it is disappoint-ing not to get proper backing from the sponsors, especially after the second Challenge has been such a big success,” he said.

“Like last year, a lot of interna-tional runners from within the region and beyond have shown in-terest. But unfortunately we don’t have enough sponsorship to wel-come them,” he added.

“However, we don’t want it to be a one or two-year aff air. We are determined to take it further and

host it successfully for many years to come,” he said.

Huge interestHowever, Al Kindi also took the opportunity to thank those spon-sors who came forward to support this year’s event, saying ‘without them it would have been extremely diffi cult to organise the Challenge’.

This year Oman Cables Industry has come forward to be Gold Spon-sors while the list of Silver Spon-sors includes Zubair Automobile Company, Tanuf, Oman Riders and Al Safa Company.

Meanwhile, Excellence Perfor-mance chief said ‘there is no lack of interest from the runners’.

“There are a lot of enquiries from various quarters, including students,” Al Kindi said.

“There will be some Oman na-tional athletes, from security ser-vices as well as students from both government and private schools participating in the run. We are expecting more than 1,300 partici-pants this year,” he added.

Like previous years, there will be the 9km main race for both men and women, and a 1.8km fun race.

The winners of main race will re-ceive $1,000 and a medal. The sec-ond and third placed runners will get medals as well as $800 and $500 respectively. Fourth place winner will get $250. The fi rst 100 fi nishers in fun race will receive medals.

Last year’s Challenge attracted runners from within the Gulf re-gion as well as those from far off countries like Tanzania, Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia, India and Iceland.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al Joud won the men’s title while Kenya’s Naomi Jepkosgei Maiyo triumphed in the women’s race.

Organisers of the Al

Amerat Challenge

Race, the fi rst AIMS-

sanctioned event to

be held in Oman, are

determined to make

the third edition

a grand success

Like last year, a lot of international runners have

shown interest. But unfortunately we don’t

have enough sponsorship to welcome them

Rashid Al KindiExcellence Performance chief

OFA plans four coaching coursesMUSCAT: The Oman Football Association (OFA) will organise four coaching courses in the com-ing days with an aim to develop coaches at the grassroots levels.

According to information re-ceived from the Sultanate’s soc-cer governing body, the courses to be organised in February and March, will benefi t grassroots coaches and teachers, coaches of football schools and academies as well as women coaches.

“These programmes are aimed at coaches working in Grassroots Football and Club Skill Develop-ment Academies and for women coaches and schoolteachers both in Grassroots Girls Football and Futsal. There will be no charge for any of these courses for OFA Clubs and their affi liated commu-nity clubs, as part of the OFA com-mitment to develop grassroots football,” an OFA statement said.

“These courses include Begin-ners Coaching Course, Goalkeep-ers Coaching Course and Physi-cal Fitness Course.”

The fi rst of these courses will be at the Seeb Centre from Febru-ary 7 to 10 under the supervision of Jamie Houchen, an UEFA/AFC Grassroots Expert and is open to community club coaches.

The course will help the coaches to ‘understand better the needs of young players, and to organise a series of practices and fun games that allow children to make their own decisions and be fully included within all sessions’.

“Limited places are available to coaches at community clubs, including those in Muscat, So-har, Suwaiq, Nizwa and Salalah. Successful coaches will then be invited to conduct OFA L’aeeb sessions within their community

clubs,” the statement added.

Development Workshop The fi rst part of a workshop titled ‘Academy Talented Player Devel-opment Workshop’, will be con-ducted by Torsten Spittler, the OFA Talent Development Expert, and OFA Technical Director Jim Selby on February 13 and 14 at Seeb Sports Centre.

The workshop is designed to support OFA Club Skills Devel-opment Academy Coaches who are currently training eight to 12 year old players. This workshop is compulsory for all coaches at OFA Club Skills Development Acad-emies to attend.

Courses for womenThe OFA will also organise two courses to help teachers at uni-versity and schools to upgrade their coaching knowledge in foot-ball and futsal.

The fi rst one OFA Youth Coaching Course will be held from February 14 to 17 while the second one Futsal Coaching Course is scheduled for Febru-ary 22 to 25. Both the courses will take place at GUtech University.

The OFA Technical Depart-ment will organise a beginners coaching course in Salalah from February 15 to 18. The course, which has attracted 30 partici-pants, will be conducted by Mo-hammed Ofait Al Hadhary.

Haroun Al Bartmani, an expe-rienced AFC and FIFA accred-ited coach and coaches instruc-tor, will conduct a goalkeepers trainers course from February 20 to 26. The fi tness course, which will be conducted from February 26 to March 1 by Dr. Mahmoud Bayat and Ricardo Silva.

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SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY INSTALL WHATSNEWS

India’s dominating performance in the just concluded T20

series with Australia and the manner in which its experienced players came to the party in the nerve tingling fi nal game makes it the favourites to win the ICC world T20 tournament which starts next month.

There was a sense of déjà vu when Yuvraj Singh making a comeback to the Indian team after almost 2 years struggled to put bat on ball but not for nothing has the ‘Yuvraj’ of Punjab been India’s man of the match on innumerable occasions in the past.

With 17 runs needed off six balls he put the issue to bed with a boundary and a six off the fi rst two balls took a single and left the fi nal fl ourish to another prodigious T20 talent Suresh Raina who scorched the winning hit to give Aus-tralia its fi rst comprehen-sive defeat in 141 years.

Chasing nearly 200 is never easy but the Indian openers got the team off to a fl ying start and showed once again if proof was needed that at the interna-tional level Shaun Tait does not scare anybody as the Aussie media likes to think.

If anything his extra pace is just what the batsmen are looking for to whip the ball around.

While Virat Kohli has been batting in a manner that is out of this world, Rohit Sharma also has been sweet talking the ball to the boundary and beyond.

Their partnerships in this series is what has taken

India to big totals.A batting performance

like India’s does tend to overshadow the bowlers eff orts but no praise can be too high for the way the Indian bowlers restricted the Australian batsmen in the fi rst two games.

The spinners came into their own and with Bumrah and Nehra keeping the lid at the start and then again at the end the runs were choked away.

In the fi nal game though there seemed to be diff erent approach which almost backfi red but for the bats-men coming to the rescue.

Bumrah bowling round the wicket from the fi rst ball to the left handed batsmen is a tactic that didn’t work and why it is being persisted with despite its continued failures is beyond understanding.

Then Jadeja bowling low full tosses which were gleefully deposited into the crowd by the power-ful Watson was another strategy that didn’t and will never work.

Still these are just minor hiccups in what has to be celebrated as one of the fi nest performances by an Indian team overseas.

As Dhoni said maybe a tweak or two to the squad for the ICC World T20 will do the trick and its a trick all Indian supporters are anx-iously waiting to see. - PMG

One of the fi nest performances by an Indian team overseas

C O M M E N T A R YTriumph Down Under has ‘given us extra edge’

NEW DELHI: Middle-order bats-man Suresh Raina, who played a pivotal role in India’s 3-0 clean-sweep over Australia in the recent three-match T20 series, feels the triumph has given the side an “ex-tra edge” going into next month’s World Twenty20 Championships.

Australia fi elded a second string side against India with top players like Steve Smith, David Warner and James Faulkner playing only one of the three matches.

Raina said irrespective of the strength of the opposition, India came out stronger from the series.

“Whichever opposition you play, it was important for us to beat Australia on their home turf. Also since we beat them 2-0, we are now the No.1 ranked T20 team in the world. The win was a testi-

mony that we prepared well. We will have an extra edge going into the World T20. Credit should be given to the captain and the sup-port staff ,” Raina told mediaper-sons at the unveiling of the Rajkot

IPL team ‘Gujarat Lions’.His match-winning unbeaten 49

in the third T20 International came while batting at No 4 while he has mostly placed at No.3 for Chennai Super Kings. “Batting up the or-

der in T20 is important as it helps you plan and execute your targets. I have played at No.3 for CSK but the team is almost set for the World T20s,” the UP left-hander stated. — PTI

Sursh Raina said

irrespective of the

strength of the

opposition,

India came out

NEW DELHI: India limited-overs specialist Suresh Raina is to captain the new Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise in Rajkot, the team announced on Tuesday, while confi rming Australian Brad Hodge as the side’s coach.

Pune and Rajkot were un-veiled as the new teams in the lucrative Twenty20 competi-tion in December, replacing Chennai and Rajasthan, who were handed two-year suspen-sions for their involvement in an illegal betting scandal.

“Suresh Raina is a remark-able player with an impeccable record in all formats of the game,” franchise owner Keshav

Bansal said in a statement, announcing the team would be called the Gujarat Lions.

“His extensive experience combined with his great

leadership skills will help us in putting together a winning strategy for the team.”

Having played for three IPL teams, Hodge is familiar with the popular tournament.

Back home, the 41-year-old captained Adelaide Strikers in this year’s Big Bash League (BBL), while also taking on an assistant coaching role.

“We fi nalised Brad Hodge as the team coach on the basis of his successful contribution to the Australian national team and his excellent stint in the IPL,” Bansal said.

“I am confi dent that our team will benefi t immensely from his guidance and mentor-ship.” - Reuters

Raina to captain Gujarat Lions, Hodge is coach

SET TO ROAR: Suresh Raina

and owner Keshav Bansal.

Sammy disappointed

by contract snub, but

committed to Windies

BRIDGETOWN: Twenty20 captain Darren Sammy has spo-ken of his disappointment at not being off ered a retainer contract by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).The former Test captain was one chopped from the 15-man list announced recently by the WICB for the period running from October 1 last year to Sep-tember 30, 2016, reports CMC.

“It’s the fi rst time in the last seven or eight years that I’ve not been given a retainer by the WICB. It’s quite disappointing, but cricket has not been about Darren Sammy, it’s for the West Indian people,” Sammy said.

“I am disappointed that I nev-er received a contract from the WICB, but it’s not my decision. I’ve played the two limited-overs formats for West Indies on a reg-

ular basis and performed the role I was asked. It’s very disappoint-ing, particularly as I am the T20 captain, but life goes on.”

Sammy has been a key fi gure in the West Indies cricket over the last fi ve years and played a signifi cant role in leading the Caribbean side to the capture of the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka four years ago.

The 32-year-old, who now campaigns extensively in the var-ious domestic T20 leagues across the globe, said he remained com-mitted to representing the West Indies in the shorter formats.

“I guess they (WICB) are more focused on Test cricket, which I’ve retired from, but I’m fully committed to the One-Day and Twenty20 format for West Indies if selected,” Sammy said. — IANS

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SPORTSW E D N E S DAY, F E B R UA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

Ensure proper disposal of garbage.

Don’t litter a beautiful country like OMAN.

India are Lara’s favourites to clinch World T20 crown

DUBAI: Batting legend Brian Lara has tipped India to win the Twenty20 World Cup but says the West Indies can be a threat if they can avoid the inconsistency that has plagued them in the past.

While the West Indies will be packed with all their internation-al stars after selecting a strong squad last week, Lara said India would enter the tournament with the edge because of home advan-tage, reports CMC.

“I think India will win in home conditions,” the former Test cap-tain said following an outing at the Abu Dhabi Invitational golf pro-am here on Monday.

“Their players know the pitches

and they’re playing good cricket against the best teams in the world at present in that version of the game. I would defi nitely give them top billing.”

“But I must talk about the West Indies. I hope they can pick the best possible team because if they do, every other nation will be wor-ried,” he added.

The West Indies have selected the core of the side which stunned hosts Sri Lanka in the fi nal of the

2012 Twenty20 World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

The squad will be led again by all-rounder Darren Sammy and includes the likes of global super-star Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell — all familiar faces in the major T20 leagues across the world.

Lara believes once the side can gel and play consistent cricket, they would be genuine contenders at the March 8 to April 3 tournament.

“Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo or Kieron Pollard, all these guys when they come together, there’s a cer-tain chemistry,” the 46-year-old pointed out.

“I can tell they want to be togeth-er and pull together.

“But on occasions, we know the West Indies can be very in-consistent. We can still have the best players and be out in the fi rst round. You never know with the West Indies.”

The West Indies have been drawn in Group 1 alongside Eng-land, South Africa and Sri Lanka, along with a yet-to-be-deter-mined qualifi er.

They will undergo a prepara-tion camp in Dubai later this month before fl ying to Kolkata for the two offi cial warm-ups against Australia and India. - IANS

Batting legend Brian

Lara also thinks the

West Indies, who will

be packed with all

their international

stars after selecting

a strong squad last

week, can be a threat

if they can avoid

the inconsistency

that has plagued

them in the past

I think India will win in home conditions. Their

players know the pitches and they’re playing

good cricket against the best teams in the world

at present in that version of the game. I would

definitely give them top billing

Brian LaraWest Indies batting legend

Bank Muscat Green Sports registration for 2016 endsMUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the pioneer of Corporate Social Re-sponsibility (CSR) in the banking sector in Oman, has concluded the registration phase of its an-nual Green Sports programme. The bank will shortlist teams who have met the required criteria for fi eld visits by a special commit-tee, leading to the fi nal selection of benefi ciaries.

Marking the fi fth year of the unique CSR initiative, the bank will support the development of 15 football fi elds in 2016 in line with the ‘Let’s Do More’ vi-sion and partnership to promote Oman as a sporting nation.

The Green Sports initiative launched by Bank Muscat in 2012 has gained momentum with a total of 49 teams across the Sul-tanate benefi ting from it till date, of whom 19 teams have received funding for natural or synthetic greening, desalination equip-ment, and fl oodlights.

The football fi elds developed

as part of the Green Sports initia-tive are also serving as a meeting place for children and youth to be engaged in gainful activities. The fi elds are used to host vari-ous activities such as Ramadhan nights, group weddings and other celebrations. Such community activities are helping children and youth develop strong positive character traits.

Bank Muscat is committed to

its ‘Let’s Do More’ vision for the economy, community and envi-ronment and is proud to have led the way in contributing to sus-tainable development in Oman with various initiatives. As the nation’s leading fi nancial institu-tion, Bank Muscat aims to pro-vide the momentum for youth to excel in all arenas and thereby contribute to the development and progress of Oman.

C S R I N I T I A T I V E

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SPORTSW E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

Fear of missing out drives English clubs’ spending

LONDON: Fear of missing out on English soccer’s biggest ever pay-day drove the Premier League’s relegation-threatened clubs on a spending spree in January, with Championship sides hoping for promotion also splashing the cash.

An analysis by business con-sultants Deloitte of the transfer window that closed on Monday showed that the six clubs at the bottom of the table accounted for more than half of all Premier

League spending. That £90 mil-lion ($130 million), out of an over-all fi gure of 175 million, compared to 20 million paid out by the bot-tom six in January 2015 when they made up less than 20 percent of the total.

Next season will see Premier League clubs share more televi-sion revenue than ever thanks to a record-breaking £5.1 billion deal with broadcasters Sky and BT that runs from 2016 to 2019.

That has increased the rewards of staying up while clubs battling for promotion have more of an in-centive to spend.

“This January’s spending has been driven in large part by clubs in the bottom half of the table,” said Dan Jones, a partner in De-loitte’s Sports Business Group.

“The promise of the new broad-cast deal for Premier League clubs from next season onwards and the threat of missing out through

relegation is contributing to clubs investing in an attempt to stay in the league.”

Spending by second-tier Cham-pionship clubs in the January transfer window was around £35 million, with promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough paying a reported nine million for Scotland striker Jordan Rhodes.

Clubs in the top six positions ac-counted for 70 percent of second tier spending.

No Premier League club re-ceived less than £64 million when the money was shared out last sea-son with Aston Villa, who narrow-ly avoided the drop in 17th place, taking 68.6 million.

Winners Chelsea received 99 million, according to Premier League fi gures.

Biggest spendersUnder the Premier League agree-ment, half of the UK broadcast revenue is split equally between the clubs with 25 percent paid in merit payments and the remain-der coming in ‘facility fees’ based on television exposure.

Newcastle United (18th), Nor-wich City (17th) and Watford (10th) were the Premier League’s biggest gross spenders in the win-dow and accounted for about 40 percent of the total.

Newcastle spent a reported 12 million on Tottenham Hotspur winger Andros Townsend and the same on Swansea City’s England midfi elder Jonjo Shelvey.

Sunderland (19th) made a clutch of signings while Bourne-mouth (16th) and Swansea City (15th) were busy, but Villa, last and seemingly doomed to relegation with 10 points between them and Norwich, spent nothing.

Deloitte’s said January also saw the highest ever total spend by Premier League clubs on players from overseas, the total of 110 mil-lion pounds comparing to 65 mil-lion in the same period last year.

The amount of business be-tween Premier League clubs fell, accounting for just 26 percent of gross spending. - Reuters

Six clubs at the

bottom of the table

accounted for more

than half of all

Premier League

spending. That £90

million, out of an

overall fi gure of 175

million, compared to

20m paid out by the

bottom six in January

2015 when they

made up less than 20

percent of the total

LONDON: Unsettled Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has held “positive” talks with interim manager Guus Hiddink about his future and said he was keen to stay at the club.

A source close to the player said last week that the 30-year-old centre-back feared he might miss out on this year’s European Cham-pionship if he was not playing more regularly.

The England vice-captain has played more than 170 games for Chelsea but has made only 12 league appear-ances this season as Kurt Zouma and John Terry have become preferred starters.

The frustration was such that the player, who signed a new four-year contract in

December, felt he might have to leave.

“I did have a good chat with him, he was very approachable and it was benefi cial, very posi-

tive. Obviously I want to be at the club,” Cahill said.

“I signed a four-year con-tract a couple of months ago so that shows I want to be here,” Cahill added.

“But ultimately, I feel like I need to play football matches. I’ve always been that way; it’s always been in my make-up to play a high percentage of games.

“I realise sometimes things go well, sometimes they don’t, but it’s very important for me to play football matches.”

Chelsea, who are 13th in the standings but unbeaten in nine games in all competitions, will look to continue their climb up the league when they face 10th-placed Watford on Wednesday. - Reuters

Cahill keen to stay at Chelsea after ‘positive’ talks

FIFA wants two-year ban for Korea’s Kang Soo-Il

ZURICH: FIFA has appealed for a ban on South Korean play-er, Kang Soo-Il, to be increased to two years, the second in-crease after he was banned for 15 games then six months for failing a doping test last year.

Kang apologised to fans and blamed a moustache-growing cream after he failed a test for the anabolic steroid methyltes-tosterone on June 11.

He was with the South Ko-rean national team at the time and was pulled from the squad immediately.

Soccer’s world governing body is under pressure to show it can police the game and offi -cials after a World Cup corrup-tion scandal involving bribes and kickbacks to sell media and marketing rights for soccer tournaments and matches.

The Korea Football Associa-tion (KFA) imposed a six-month ban on August 12 but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Tuesday that FIFA had appealed for more.

“In its appeal to the CAS, FIFA seeks to increase the play-er’s suspension to two years,” CAS said in a statement.

Two years is considered the standard sanction for uninten-tional doping under FIFA’s anti-doping regulations.

CAS will hold a hearing in Shanghai, China, on Friday.

Kang was initially handed a 15-game ban by the Korean league and his club, Jeju United, were given a warning for a lack of oversight. - Reuters

F O O T B A L L

Froome claims of warning UCI against mechanical dopingMELBOURNE: Two-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome has said he warned authorities about possible mechanical doping in cycling and wants them to inten-sify bike checks to catch off enders.

After decades of struggling to combat illegal drug use, cycling’s image suff ered a fresh blow on Sun-day when stewards at the world cy-clo-cross championships found an electric motor in Belgian teenager Femke Van den Driessche’s bike.

Den Driessche has maintained her innocence since the discov-ery but Briton Froome said he had heard whispers about mechanical doping before and shared them with the International Cycling Union (UCI).

“It’s a concern that I’ve had, something I’ve brought up with the UCI independent commis-sion when I sat down with them and said, ‘listen, from my point of view there are these rumours, it would be my advice that the UCI implements controls and meas-ure to start checking bikes more

regularly’,” Froome told reporters on Tuesday.

The UCI has promised to step up testing for motorised doping and Froome welcomed the decision.

“I think they are taking the threat seriously and hopefully this will mean that they only in-crease the number of checks that they do on the world tour level,” the Team Sky rider added.

On a personal level, the Kenya-born rider said he was happy to make his physiological data pub-lic to quash constant speculation about his improved performances in the last few years.

“I’ve been really happy with how that all turned out,” the 30-year-old Froome said ahead of the Herald Sun Tour in Victoria starting on Wednesday.

“I mean, people were asking for my data and, knowing that I have nothing to hide, obviously I went and did the tests and of-fered that data up publicly to eve-ryone and I’m really happy how that went down.

“I mean, not to say that every athlete should do the same thing but it’s everyone’s personal pre-rogative if they want to do the same or not.” - Reuters

C Y C L I N G

CONCERNED: Chris Froome

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LeisureSECTIONC L I F E S T Y L E W E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

For centuries Paris has been known as the La Ville Lumi-ère — City of Light — but on November

13, 2015 more than 120 fl ames of its greater luminescence were cruelly snuff ed out.

As shocking and tragic as those events were (we purpose-fully won’t recount in detail) Paris, and its people, were de-termined that their great city should shine on.

Their way of honouring those whose light had been taken from them? Refusing to alter their lifestyle, continuing to go about their lives with the same bon viveur and joy for life that has attracted millions of visitors to their city.

And so today, despite what is going on in the world, Paris remains a beacon for tourists, a place where life is venerated and celebrated.

In fact, perhaps because of all the horrible things happen-ing around the globe, maybe there has never been a better time, a more important time, for us as travellers to visit this city of wonders to be reminded that light can prevail even in the darkest of hours.

Somehow fi ttingly, defi antly, my hotel in Paris was just a minute’s walk from the Arc De Triomphe, that epic and iconic monument to sacrifi ce, bravery and the French way of life.

From the moment one arrives at the fi ve-star Sofi tel Arc De Triomphe the property neatly over-delivers on that French sense of style and sophistica-tion expected of Paris. It’s loca-tion, in 14 Rue Beaujon (impor-tant to ask taxi drivers for the street), is almost directly off the Champs Elysées and its ex-terior, which dates back to the 1800s (designed by Georges-Eugène Haussmann for archi-tecture buff s), grounds you im-mediately in the historic beauty that defi nes and dominates the wider city. It seems almost trivi-al to wax lyrical about the street in which it sits, but being tucked away in a snug little side street yet moments away from such a major tourist attraction gives the visitor the perfect ‘pied-à-terre’ in Paris.

For all its historic beauty from outside, the Sofi tel Arc De Triomphe is a picture of modern Parisian chic on the inside. The undoubted jewel in the hotel’s crown is its rooms. Wherever you travel in the world the com-mon elements which make up the classic fi ve-star hotel room are often not very diff erent. You’ve often got strong use of deep quality wood (to reinforce the feeling of luxury), some muted tones contrasted by equally deep furnishings, rich fabrics to again hammer home the ‘this is fi ve-star’ message.

However this is Paris, and Sofi tel go in a much more mem-orable and unique direction. Here clean white lines domi-nate the rooms fi xtures and fi t-tings, crisp white linen, a huge white sofa, the white pendant lamp, all off set with a sort of subdued-neon blue.

Totally unexpected perhaps, but this modernity perfectly off -sets the medieval architecture outside. It’s just oh so cool, and again is a refl ection of that joy of life that the French possess, em-bracing the unexpected.

To complete the juxtaposi-tion the hotel is staff ed by a tra-ditional liveried team possess-ing the calm air of competence and hospitality which fi ve-star properties aim to achieve worldwide.

Every time you step out you are reminded that hotel location can mean everything in Paris, and here within minutes you are on the Champs Elysées, to your right staring at the Arc, to your left the achingly-long prom-enade down into the city beck-ons, while ahead one can plough into the back streets to emerge 30 minutes later, crossing the Seine to reach the inspiring Eif-fel Tower.

While I’m not a huge fan of organised city bus tours, one of the fi rst things that will greet you when you emerge from your hotel’s side street is a number of offi cial stops for such services. Here in Paris this is actually not such as bad idea, so large and so grand is the city, a two-hour hop-on hop-off circular run through the main sights helps give you a sense of how to pri-oritise what you want to see and explore in however much time you have, and how ‘touristy’ you want to be.

If you do choose the bus tour you will inevitably end where you started by the Arc De Tri-omphe. In peak season trying to visit this landmark will be a crowded, queuing nightmare, however at this time of year you’ll fi nd fewer people and a hike up its ancient winding stairs to the summit is rewarded by some fi ne views (cue the clas-sic ‘I’m holding the Eiff el Tower in my hand’ picture).

A walk along the Champs Ely-sées whatever the weather or the season remains one of the simple joys of Paris, no matter however times you have visit-ed. The tree-lined promenade, populated by boutiques and outrageously-priced restau-rants, sweeps down from the Arc’s hill and provides a stroll of epic proportions if you have your walking shoes on.

Sticking pretty much to a straight line your feet can fi nd the stunning Le Palais de L’Élysée, the Place de la Con-corde with its statues and Egyp-tian obelisk, the picturesque 17th century Jardin des Tuiler-ies which leads through to the obigatory Louvre Museum (if only from the outside to take a photo of the infamous glass pyramid). If you’ve the energy, keep going and to your left you can fi nd the Le Centre Pompido, to your right the Cathédrale No-tre-Dame de Paris.

Rather continue to list at-tractions as this city possesses too many to name in one arti-cle, this writer will return to where he started, and that is on the importance of choosing to visit this astonishing city. There have always been reasons not to explore our world, sometimes it is too far, sometimes it is too ex-pensive, but fear, or indeed the fear of fear, should not stop you from travelling. The spirit that imbues this city will reinvigor-ate you and choosing to visit Paris is choosing life, it’s as sim-ple as that.—[email protected]

Visit sofi tel.com for more infor-mation about the Sofi tel Arc De Triomphe

Paris remains a beacon for

tourists, a place where life is

venerated and celebrated.

FIND-IT-ALLC6 W E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

Dhuhr 12.26pm

Asr 3.36pm

Maghrib 5.59pm

Isha 7.12pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 5.30am

PRAYER TIMINGS

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

SHATTIAlvin & the Chipmunks:The Road Chip (2D) (Animation ) (PG) Voice over: Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.2:30, 4:30, 6:30 PMAmerican Hero (2D) (Action) (15+) Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions2:45, 8:15, 11:45 PMRide Along 2 (2D) (Action) (15+) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter11:30 PMStandoff (2D) (Thriller) (12+) Cast: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne.5:00, 10:00, 11:30 PMConcussion (2D) (Biography) (12+) Cast: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks6:30, 8:45 PMSisters (2D) (Comedy) (18+) Cast: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph4:45 PMOcean 14 (Arabic) (2D) (Drama) (15+) Cast: Amr Mostafa Metwally, Nermine Maher.7:00 PMAirlift (2D) (Drama) (12+) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur9:00 PM

MUSCAT GRAND MALLThe Finest Hour - 3D (Action) PG12Cast: Christopher Whitelaw, Caleb Casey9:30 PMGold Class -11:00 PMConcussion (Biography | Drama | Sport) 12+Cast : Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks3:00& 9:15PMGold Class -8:45PMAlvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (Animation) PGVoice over : Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.12:00, 1:45, 3:30 & 7:15PMGold Class - 5:15PMAmerican Hero (Action | Sci-Fi) 15+Cast : Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions1:00,9:30 &11:30PM

Gold Class - 3:30,7:00 & 8:45PMBrooklyn (Drama) TBCCast : Saoirse Úna Ronan, Emory Isaac Cohen5:15PMRide Along 2 (Action | Comedy) 15+Cast : Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter7:30 &11:30PMThe Good Dinosaur-3D (Animation) U5:15PM

PANORAMA MALLThe Finest Hours 3D (Action, Drama)(PG12)Cast: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster9:15 PMAlvin & the Chipmunks – The Road Chip (MX4D)(PG)Voice over: Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.3:00, 5:00, 6:45, 8:45, 10:30PMAlvin & the Chipmunks – The Road Chip (2D)(PG)2:30, 5:15PMConcussion (Biography, Drama)( (2D)(12+)Cast: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks2:30, 7:00, 11:30 PMConcussion (12+)-VIP LOUNGE6:30 PMExposed (Drama)(2D)(12+)Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves.5:00, 9:15 PM

Exposed (Drama)(2D)(12+)-VIP LOUNGE11:00 PMAmerican Hero (Action, Comedy)(2D)(15+)Cast : Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions4:30, 7:00, 11:45 PMAmerican Hero (2D)(15+)-VIP LOUNGE3:30, 9:00PMAirlift (2D)(12+)Cast : Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur2:45, 6:15, 8:45, 11:15 PMThe Revenant (Adventure, Drama)(2D)(12+)Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy8:45PM

AZAIBA Saala Khadoos – 2D (12+) Drama/ Sport Cast: R Madhavan, Nasser, Radha Ravi2:30, 4:45, 7:00, 9:20, 11:30 PMAirlift – 2D (PG12) Drama/ History/ ThrillerCast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur.2:45, 4:40, 6:55, 9:10, 11:30 PMStandoff – 2D (12+) ThrillerCast: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne.3:15, 10:00, 11:45 PMAlvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip – 2D (PG) Animation Voice over: Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg. 2:45, 5:00 PMAmerican Hero – 2D (15+) Action| Comedy

Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions5:15, 11:45 PM2 Countries (Malaylam) – 2D (PG12) ComedyCast: Dilip, Mamta Mohandas, 7:00 PMAranmanai 2 (Tamil) – 2D (15+) Horror Cast: Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan. 6:45, 9:15 PM

RUWIScreen 1Airlift (Action / Thriller) –12+Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur3.30, 9.30 PMSaala Khadoos (Drama / Sports) –12+Cast: R.Madhavan, Nasser, Radha Ravi6.30 PMScreen 2Saala Khadoos (Drama / Sports) –12+Cast: R.Madhavan, Nasser, Radha Ravi4.00, 9.45 PMAirlift (Action / Thriller) –12+Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur6.45 PMScreen 3Wazir (Action / Thriller) – PG12Cast: Amitabh Bacchan, Farhan Akhtar3.45, 9.45 PMAranmanai 2 (Tamil) (Horror | Comedy) – 15+

Cast :Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan6.45 PM

SUR

American Hero ( Action) (15+) CP#Cast: Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions.9.55, 11.35PMAirlift - (Hindi)( Drama ) ( 12+ ) CP#Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur,7.40PMAranmanai 2 (Tamil) (Horror) (15+) CP #Cast: Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan7.40PMStandoff (Action | Thriller) ( 12+) CP#Cast : Laurence Fishburne, Thomas Jane10.05, 4.30, 6.10, 11.40PMAlvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip – 2D (Animation) ( PG) CP#Voice over : Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.4.30, 6.00PM

SOHARThe Fifth Wave - 2D (PG12) Adventure Cast : Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson4:30, 11:30 PMAirlift - 2D (12+) Drama | History | ThrillerCast : Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur8:45, 11:15 PM2 Countries- 2D (M) (PG) ComedyCast : Dilip, Mamta Mohandas6:45 PMAmerican Hero - 2D (15+) Action | Sci-FiCast : Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin, Bill Billions3:00, 7:00, 11:45 PMStandoff - 2D (12+) Thriller Cast : Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne2:45, 5:15, 9:45, 11:30 PMAlvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip - 2D (PG) AnimationVoice over : Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg.3:00, 5:00PMSisters - 2D (18+) ComedyCast : Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph5:00 PMSaala Khadoos - 2D (12+) Drama/ Sport Cast : R Madhavan, Nasser, Radha Ravi7:00 PMConcussion - 2D (12+) Biography | Drama Cast : Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks2:45 PMOcean 14 - 2D (Arb) (15+) DramaCast : Amr Mostafa Metwally, Nermine Maher6:45 PMAranmanai 2- 2D (T) (15+) Horror | ComedyCast : Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan8:45 PM

The Finest Hour - 3D (PG12) Action Cast: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster9:25 PM

BURAIMI

Standoff – 2D (Thriller) (12+)5:00, 7:00, 11:30PMExposed– 2D (Drama) (12+)3:45, 7:30PMAlvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip – 2D (Animation) (PG)3:15, 5:45, 8:45PMAmerican Hero – 2D (Action/Sci-Fi) (15+)3:15, 7:15, 9:30PMThe Finest Hours– 3D (Action) (PG12)11:30PMAirlift – 2D (Drama, History, Thriller) (12+)Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur5:00, 9:00, 11:15PMAranmanai 2– 2D (Horror/Comedy) (15+)Cast: Sidharth, Trisha Krishnan.8:45PM

SALALAH

The Finest Hours (3D) (PG12) (Action ) Cast: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster9:15/11:45PMStandoff (2D) (12+) (Thriller)2:00, 7:00, 11:55PMAmerican Hero (2D) (15+) (Action | Sci-Fi) 11:15AM, 3:45, 7:30PMRide Along 2 (2D) (15+) (Action | Comedy) 5:30PMExposed (2D) (12+) (Drama) 12:45, 4:50PMSisters (2D) (18+) (Comedy)11:45AM, 2:40PMConcussion (2D) (12+) (Biography) 2:45, 9:15PMAirlift (2D) (12+) (Drama, History, Thriller) 8:45, 11:15PM 2 Countries (2D) (PG12) (Malayalam) 8:40PM Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2D) (PG) ( Animation | Adventure | Comedy)11:00AM,1:00,5:15PMOcean 14 (2D) (TBC) (Arabic )(Drama) 6:45PM

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

ROYAL OMAN POLICE

Emergencies and inquiries: 9999

General Directorate of

Passport and Residence 24569603

Directorate General

of Customs 24521109

Traffic violations inquiries 24510228

Public Relations Admin 24560099

EMBASSIES IN OMAN

Afghanistan 24698 791/4

Algeria 24605 593

Bahrain 24 605 074/133

Bangladesh 24 698 660

Brazil 24640100

Brunei 24 603533

China 24 696782

Cyprus 24 699815

Egypt 24 600 982/411

France 24681 800

Germany 24835000

India 24684500

Indonesia 2469 1050

Iran 24 696 944/7

Iraq 24603642

Italy 24693727

Japan 24 601 028

Jordan 24692760/1/3

Kazakhstan 24 692418

Kenya 24 697664

South Korea 24 691490

Kuwait 24 699628

Lebanon 24 693208

Libya 24603466

Malaysia 24698329/643

Morocco 24696152/3

Nepal 24696177

Netherlands 24603706

Pakistan 24603439

Palestine 24601312

Philippines 24605335

Qatar 24 691 153/2/4

Russia 24602894

Saudi Arabia 24601705

Senegal 24694139

Somalia 24697977

South Africa 24647300

Spain 24691101

Sri Lanka 24697841/2

Sudan 24697875

Switzerland 24603267

Syria 24697904

Tanzania 24601 174

Thailand 24 602684/5

Tunisia 24603486

Turkey 24697050/1/2

UAE 24400000

United Kingdom 24609000

United States 24643400

Yemen 24600815

PHARMACIES

Round the clock

Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24782666

Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi 24702542

Salalah 23291635;

Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra 24503585

Muscat Region

Apollo, Al Hamriya 24787766

Muscat, A Seeb Market 24421691

Muscat, Al Khuwair 24485740

Muscat, Al Hail South 24537080

Dhofar Region

Muscat, Al Nahdha Road,

Salalah 23291635

HOSPITALS

Al Amal Medical & Health Care

Centre 24485052

Atlas Hospital

Ruwi 24811743/

Ghubra 24504000

Al Musafir Specialised

Medical Clinic 24706453

Hatat Polyclinic LLC,

Ruwi 24563641

Azaiba 24499269

Sohar 2683006

Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2

Al Massaraat Clinic &

Laboratory 24566435

Al Makook Medical

Coordinance Centre 24499434

Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24787766, 24787780

Capital Polyclinic 24707549

Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic,

Ruwi 24799760/1/2

Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740

Ceregem National Raak 24485633

Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217

Elixir Health Centre 24565802

Emirates Medical Centre 24604540

1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274

Lifeline Hospital Salalah 23212340

International Medical

Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5

Kims Oman Hospital 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency 24760123

Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128

MBD 24799077

Al Khuwair 24478818

Magrabi Eye and

Ear Hospital 24568870

Muscat Private Hospital 24583600

Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment

Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666

Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000

AIRLINE OFFICES

Muscat Airport Flight information

(24 hours) 24519456/24519223

Aeroflot 24704455

Air Arabia 24700828

Air France 24562153

Air India 24799801

Air New Zealand 24700732

Biman Bangladesh Airlines 24701128

British Airways 24568777

Cathay Pacific 24789818

Egypt Air 24794113

Emirates Air 24404400

Ethiopian Airlines 24660313

Gulf Air 80072424

Indian 24791914

Iran Air 24787423

Japan Airlines 24704455

Jazeera Airways 23294848

Jet Airways 24787248

Kenya Airways 24660300

KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737

Kuwait Airways 24701262

LOT Polish Airlines 24796387

Lufthansa 24796692

Malaysian Airlines 24560796

Middle East Airlines 24796680

Oman Air 24531111

Pakistan International

Airlines 24792471

Qatar Airways 24771900

Qantas 24559941

Royal Jordanian 24796693

Saudi Arabian Airlines 24789485

Singapore Airlines 24791233

Shaheen Air 24816565

SriLankan Airlines 24784545

Swiss International

Airlines 24796692

Thai Airways 24705934

LISTINGS

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36)

15:00 Quriyat 16:30 Daily

15:00 Sur 18:00 Daily

15:00 Jaalan 19:30 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 Sohar 08:50 Daily

06:30 Buraimi 11:00 Daily

08:00 Buraimi 14:30 Daily via Ibri


13:00 Buraimi 17:40 Daily

16.00 Sohar 18.35 Daily

16.00 Buraimi 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

17:30 Sinaw 20:50 Daily

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

14:30 Nizwa 16:50 Daily

14:30 Yanqul 19:30 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)


08:00 Al Araqi 12:30 Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

07:30 Sur 12:00 Daily

14:30 Sur 18:45 Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62)

06:30 Fahud 10:30 Daily

06:30 Yibal 11:15 Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100)

07:00 Salalah 20:00 Daily

10:00 Marmul 20:30 Daily



TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)


SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Dubai 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)



13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur

13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur



TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily

07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily

07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily

05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily

05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)



13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri





TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)


TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)



TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)



TO SUR (ROUTE 55)



TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily


TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)





TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)


DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)


TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)



13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri

13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri



FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily

16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily

16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

@MGM @SOHAR

Brooklyn (Drama) TBCCast : Saoirse Úna Ronan, Emory Isaac Cohen5:15PM

The Finest Hour - 3D (PG12) Action | Drama | History Cast: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster9:25 PM

BAHJA CINEMAFilm information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

Standoff: (Thriller)cast:: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne4.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.55 PM CP No: 138 (12+)Exposed: (Drama)Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves4.00., 10.00. & 11.55 PM CP NO: 139 (12+)Sisters: (Comedy)Cast : Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph2.00. & 6.00 PM. CP NO: 137 (18+)Ocean 14: (Arabic / Comedy)Cast : Omar Mustafa Metwally, Nirmen Maher2.00. & 6.00 PMCP NO: 140 (15+)Ride Along 2: (Action / Comedy)Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 8.00 PM CP NO: 112 (15+)

STAR CINEMAFilm information 24791641 / 24786776Website: www.isurf.co.om

2 Countries( Mal) ( Drama/Comedy) Cast : Dileep & Mamta Mohandas 3:00, 6:30 & 10:00 PM Cinema Main Irudhi Suttru ( Tamil) (Sports/Drama) Cast: R.Madhavan, Ritika Singh & Nassar 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30PM Cinema - 2 Aranmanai 2 (Tamil) (Horror/Comedy) Cast: Sidarth, Trisha & Hansika Motwani 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45PM Cinema -3 Airlift ( Hindi) ( Act/Thriller) Cast : Akshay Kumar & Nimrat Kaur 6:45 & 9:45PM Cinema- 4 Soggade Chinninayana ( Telugu) ( Drama/Comedy) Cast : Nagarjuna & Ramya Krishna 3:45PM Cinema -4NEXT CHANGE: ADI KAPYARE ( Mal) GHAYAL ONCE AGAIN ( HINDI), BANGALORE NAATKAL (TAMIL)Programmes are subject to change

WEATHER

250

Maximum

170

Minimum

TEMPERATURE

30-75%RELATIVE HUMIDITY

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

WITH LOVE

AAYUSH SANDESHFebruary 3, 2009

@BAHJA

Standoff: (Thriller)cast:: Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne4.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.55 PM CP No: 138 (12+)

LIFESTYLEC7W E D N E S DAY, F E B R UA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

I N T H E N E W S

Have you been able to capture the beauty of an off -the-beaten-path destination in Oman? Send your pictures with a caption & geo-locator to: [email protected]

Location: 22°27’52.5”N 59°23’21.1”E

Wonders of Wadi Musawi

Emirates has announced that it will start its fi rst non-stop service from Dubai to Auckland on 1 March 2016, bringing many of its 38 European destinations and cities within just one-stop range of New Zealand through direct connections in Dubai. The new service will be in addition to the award-winning airline’s existing fl ights, meaning that Emirates will then have fi ve ser-vices daily into New Zealand — three A380 double-decker ser-vices to Auckland via Australia, a daily Christchurch service with a Boeing 777-300ER, and the new non-stop service oper-ated with a Boeing 777-200LR.

The new service will bring New Zealand much closer than at present, with an estimated fl ight time of just under 16 hours from Dubai to New Zealand and 17 hours, 15 minutes in the other direction, cutting journey times by almost three hours each way. “Having just one stop on the long haul to New Zealand will make the journey quicker and more comfortable. This will be a boon

to many business people, tour-ists, expatriate New Zealanders and other travellers in Europe, parts of Africa and the Middle East,” said His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group. “Tourists, in particular, will now have more options – travelling to Auckland with a stopover in Australia on one of our three daily A380s, fl ying non-stop direct into Auckland, or fl ying to the South Island on our daily Christchurch service. New Zealand currently hosts about three million tourists a year and we want to do our part to cater for that fl ow.

Emirates goes non-stop Dubai-Auckland

Air Astana pact with Air France and KLMAir Astana and two of Europe’s leading airlines, Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, have deepened their cooperation by signing a codeshare agreement for fl ights between Astana and Paris operated by Air Astana. Eff ective for fl ights from March 11, 2016, this three times a week service will now carry the mar-keting code of both KLM Royal

Dutch Airlines and Air France. This agreement enables pas-sengers from across KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Air France worldwide networks to be able to purchase tickets and travel seamlessly to and from the Ka-zakh capital. To facilitate this closer cooperation and expect-ed growth in transfer traffi c, the airlines have also executed

baggage and passenger trans-fer agreements; and the op-erations of Air Astana fl ights at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport have been transferred from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2A, eff ective March 11, 2016 for more convenient connec-tions of passengers to the Air France — KLM network. [email protected]

LIFESTYLEC8 W E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 3, 2 0 1 6

The Garvault Hotel, ScotlandThe hotel, located between two huge private hunting reserves in the Scottish Highlands, overlooks Lock Rimsdale . Guests can trek, fi sh for salmon or trout or go bird-watching, then get warmed up around a traditional peat fi re.

WHERE TO GET LOST

Many travellers argue that if a place is easily

reached by a nonstop fl ight, it’s not worth

stopping there. The real pleasures lie after the

journey continues — another puddle jumper, a long drive,

or a hike. The best remote luxury lodges pull off remarkable

feats of style, service, and pleasure in the middle of nowhere,

here are a few that should be on every adventure traveller‘s

bucket list.

Bloomfi eld Lodge, Cairns AustraliaTo get to Bloomfi eld Lodge — located in the Daintree Rainforest and near the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland — one must charter a plane, drive a few hours through the Outback, and then cruise down a river. What makes it all worth it: the solitude, the hikes through rainforests, the desolate beaches, the fi shing, sailing, and the end of the day massages.

Jules Undersea Lodge, FloridaGuests take the plunge–literally. Scuba dive 21 feet to your room in the former underwater laboratory, and sip your favourite beverage and look out the window onto the undersea world.

The Beach House at Manafaru, MaldivesThis Indian Ocean joint is owned by the Waldorf Astoria, so it has some pretty high-end amenities, like a spa, infi nity pools, an art gallery and a handful of restaurants. But those desolate, powdery-white beaches are the real pull.

Desroches Island Resort, SeychellesSome 930 miles to the east of mainland Africa are the 115 islands that make up the Seychelles, where it’s always island time. Desroches is one of the newer resorts and it’s all luxury: satellite TV, spa, bar, and lavish rooms. Guests can play tennis, go cycling or surfi ng, or try their hands at some of the best bonefi shing in the world.

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

W E D N E S D AY, F E B R UA R Y 3 , 2 0 1 6

RENT D2

*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication.

* Subject to space availability

*Tourist visa arranged

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

FOR RENT

D2 W E D N E S D AY, F E B R UA R Y 3 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

FLATS FOR RENT

CONTACT : 93202733

1 BHK and 2BHK Flats with Split ACs - Opp. to MOD -

Near Lulu Darsait

Brand New 4-Bedroom Ground

Floor House for Rent in Al-Ansab

(Bousher) . Easy access to main

road. House is constructed with

high quality fi nishing and elegant

doors design. 4 Bedrooms with

in-situ bathrooms. Marble fl oor.

Specious kitchen. For rent @ 600

OMR/Month (Negotiable).

Please contact Mr. Ali 92755663.

2 Bedroom centrally air condi-

tioned fl at in CBD prime location.

Contact: 24714625 / 93527328

Flats for rent at Mawaleh near

Omantel main offi ce opposite Lulu

bandar comprises 3 rooms,

2 toilets and one kitchen OMR

250/- Per month.

Contact: 93131497 or 99203435

Two bedroom fl at in Al Ghubra

near Oman Oil of 18 Novem-

ber street. OMR 330 Monthly.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or

97509955.

One bedroom fl at with big balcony

in al Ghubra near Oman Oil of 18

November street. OMR 280 Month-

ly. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or

97509955

Villa is composed of 5 bedrooms

and sitting toilets and 5 living

room, kitchen and Seeb (North Al

Hail). Contact: 91130875

Flat with 3 bed rooms, sitting

room, dining room, store, kitchen,

3 toilets Al Ghubra, opposite Chedi

Hotel. Contact: 99321264

Luxury flat for rent in Bareeq Al Shatti buildingSpacious 2 BHK with sea view, split A/Cs, fixed wardrobes,

kitchen appliance. Near Opera Gallery.

Rent RO.900/- negotiable. Contact - 94084335 / 96920789

Contact : 24 70 30 60

FOR RENTRUWI :

Ware House - 630 M2SPACIOUS -2 B H K FLATS

NEAR AL FALAJ HOTEL:FURNISHED DELUXE

1 B/RM WITH 2 bathrooms,SPLIT A/C, BUILT IN

ARDROBRE, PRIVARE TERRACE.

Contact PersonMr.Mudassir :99314330

Mr.Joao Pereira: 99435952

RESTAURANT AVAILABLEFOR RENT

Of area 500 Sq mts with well equipped kitchen and dining facility on Ground Floor at

DARVESH Building, Near Royal Hospital.

Flat for rent in

CBD area - Ruwi

Two rooms and a large hall

•Office spaces for rent in Al Hail on

the main road On the same building

of Al Khamis Shoes at Al Hail

•2 bed room flats in Qurum 29 for

rent next to ABA New building

-split AC - Good location

Contact No: 96177505 We have staff accommodation in

Bowshar 30 to 40 people can stay

easily commercial building.

Contact: 93782735/ 99208033

We have 150 sqm offi ces in Ghu-

bra prime location already parti-

tion done rent 650/- O.R.

Contact: 93782735/ 99208033

We have 2 BHK fl ats, offi ce avail-

able in Ghala, Azaiba new building.

Contact: 93782735 / 99208033

We have 1 BHK, 2BHK fl ats for rent

in Mabela 7, 1BHK 175 RO, 2 BHK

200/- RO, new building.

Contact: 93782735 / 99208033

3 & 2 Bedroom Townhouse with

Swimming pool, free Wi-Fi for Rent

near British Council in Madinat Sultan

Qaboos. #92197959 / 92502497.

We have 2BHK fl at in Ghubra near

Indian School 325/- R.O

Contact: 93782735 / 99208033

We have shops for rent in Ghala.

Contact: 93782735 / 99208033

DAILY GUIDEW E D N E S D AY, F E B R UA R Y 3 , 2 0 1 6 D3

FOR RENT

FOR RENT

FOR RENT

1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-.

Contact: 92144045

2 BHK Ghubra R.O 300/-.

Contact: 92144045

1,2 BHK Darsait. Contact:

92144045

1BHK Wadi Kabir R.O 200/-.

Contact: 92144045

Flat in Hamriya. Contact

99341112

1000sqmtrs industrial land for

rent in Ghala suitable for

warehouse workshop etc.

Contact 24700120 / 92584715

FOR SALECommercial fl ats of 3 & 2 BHK

in Al Ghobra North 18 Nov street

RO.650/- & 450/- #91776665

600 M2 showroom or offi ce in

Bousher in front of Dolphin

complex. RO.3.5 per m2.

Contact – 91776665

Brand new 4 BHK villa in Al Fai

compound Al Khoud. RO.475/-

Contact – 91776665

Luxury villa of 5 BHK in

Al Khuwair 33 RO.650/-

Contact – 91776665

Villa of 3 BHK and sitting area in

Al Ghobra North. RO.525/-

Contact – 91776665

Luxury and brand new semi

furnished 2 BHK fl at in Remalbow-

sher. RO.550/- Contact – 91776665

Spacious 1 BHK fl at in Al Wattaya

with all split A/C’s and parking.

RO.300/-Contact – 91776665

Flats in Darsait. Contact - 94051789-97201688

Flats in WadiKabir. Contact - 94051789-97201688

Fully Furnished apartments in

Boucher (35)

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Offi ces in Qurum opposite City

Center. Contact - 94051789-

97201688

Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Offi ces & Showrooms in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-

97201688

Mini Furnished Apartment in

Qurum. Contact - 94051789-

97201688

Duplex villa in Qurum 29.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Offi ces & Showrooms in Al Khoud. Contact - 94051789-

97201688

1,2,3 BHK. Contact : 92144045

Shop / offi ce nr Oman house &

Khimji H.O Muttrah.

Contact: 99233116

Flat for rent in Wadi Al Kabir next

5 Al Hassan company, 2 bed room

& 3 toilets. Contact: 99210008

02 BHK Commercial / Residential

(with split AC) fl at at Honda road.

Contact: 99342733 / 99795241

STORE FOR RENT

500 sqm store with 200 sqft offi ce & 200 sqm

covered shed for rent at Mabella Ind No-11 on main road,

direct from owner. CONTACT - 99278002

Expat leaving household items

for sale, 3 ACS, fridge, gas cylinder,

5 computer tables & sofa bed and

other. Contact: 94412557

Used supermarket shelvings .

Contact: 97752395 / 97752395

3BHK fl at for rent / sale at

Dar Al Maha (Greater Muttrah).

Contact: 99321792

Running family restaurant for sale

/ rent in Wadi Kabir with party hall,

total capacity around 200 people

around 300 sq mtrs. # 95061994

Excavation contracts worth RO 2

million + Big Volvo Excavators &

2015 Astra 5 tippers for sale.

Contact: 99120532 / 98867530

Restaurant & Coff ee Shop for sale

in Ghala area. For details contact

99072003

Well running Ayurvedic clinic for

sale, Ruwi. Contact: 97312231

Well running restaurant with 100

mess for sale at Misfa.

Contact: 95212017 / 99608600

Porta cabin for sale in Misfa.

Contact: 99442438 / 96578799

Marble factory for sale location

Misfah. Contact: 98586828

Restaurant items for sale.

Contact: 96772479 /98428507

Supermarket for sale in Amerat

(5) for part-time workers does not

have required 35/000 retractable

negotiate. # 96656972 / 99719973

High quality Warehouses

for rent at Mizfa 550 sqm to 3400 sqm.

Contact 96046951 / 99332291

3 Bedroom fl at in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact 95755953 / 95555162

Family fl ats in Wadi AL Kabir, Ham-

riya, Muttrah, Al Khuwair, Ghubrah,

Bowshar, Al Hail North & Al Seeb.

Contact: 95250300 / 92125648

ACC. AVAILABLE

Furnished room available for

Executive bachelor in Ruwi area.

Contact: 99054542

Furnished room for an Indian in

Al-Khuwair33 - 95234062

USED VEHICLES FOR SALE1. Toyota Land Cruiser. Model 2008 in good running condition. Vehicle regularly serviced by authorized service dealer. 2. Hino 7T Tipper. Model 2010 regularly serviced and in running condition 3. Toyota Yaris. Model 2006 regularly serviced and in running condition Place of inspection: Barka. Last date of submitting the quotation: 4th February 2016

Interested buyers may please contact on Phone: 26883543, Mobile : 99440306

Four bedrooms villa in Al Athaiba

300 m away from Shell Petrol

Station in an excellent condition.

Contact: 97755586

Brand new deluxe fl ats located

near Seeb fl yover on the right hand

side the main road coming from the

Seeb palace round about, 2 bed-

rooms family, hall, kitchen, 3 toilets

& split unit. Contact: 97755586

New Deluxe 1, 2 BHK Flats in Darsait

near Indian School & Ruwi.

Contact: 99369081

2 BHK in MSQ opposite Al Fair with

split AC. Contact: 96708000

2 BHK in Bareeq Al Shatti with split

AC. Contact: 96708000

2 bed rooms fl at with hall,

2 bathrooms in Darsait near

Muscat Municipality.

Contact: 92584715 / 24700120

Available in Haima two shops

with 500 SQMTR work shop at

the back facing main road next to

Zawawi Service Centre. Contact :

99087329 / 96228586

1& 2 BHK fl ats for rent at Hamriya Wadi Adai, Al Khoud,

Mabela & shop at Al Khoud & land

line Contact: 24834644 GSM

93994401/02/03 3 lines

Villa 2 room, 1 sitting room, 1 lob-

by, 2 bathrooms at South Mawalleh

behind Discount Supermarket.

Contact: 92757673 / 99388138

Flat in Wadi Al Kabir 2 bedrooms, 1

living room, 1 family hall, kitchen & 3

bathrooms. Contact: 99277787

Flat for rent in Al Ansab 1, 2

rooms, living room, kitchen & A/C.

Contact: 91256340

Flats shops & store for rent in

Ruwi MBD Honda road.

Contact: 92433127 / 97293708

3 BHK fl at near Darsait ID medical.

RO 420/- Contact – 99358589 /

97079146 / 95570288

1000 sqm industrial land with

compound wall & two rooms at

Misfah. Contact: 99342733 /

99795241

Perfect 5 BHK villas in Azaiba

RO 800/-. Contact: 94232344

2BHK fl at at Darsait nearby Indian

School RO 290/-. Contact: 94232344

4 BHK villa in AL Khuwair RO 525.

Contact: 94232344

FOR RENT3 BHK @ Ghobrah -18th November St2 BHK @Bousher - Bousher ShabiaStudio Flat - Alkuwair 33Shop for Rent 156 SQM - Bousher Shabia

GSM: 99 014 885 / 92 871 744

QSR OUTLET FOR SALE

Capital Area in a well known Mall.

Interested buyers may contact

on 99077960 or 94306216

CONTRACT BUSES REQUIRED FOR TRANSPORTATION OF WORKMEN

Contact Number : 97970935, 94306683

One of the leading construction companies in Oman requires 65/30 seater buses on contract basis for transportation of their workmen from camps to various sites located in Muscat region. Th ose interested may please contact within one week from the date of this advertisement.

Single room attach bath with

kitchen in Muscat 100/- R.O.

Contact: 95094028

Villa for rent in Al Khuwair.

Contact: 96571151

02 BHK Residential fl at opposite

to Al Nahdha hospital.

Contact: 99342733 / 99795241

Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99376454

1BHK fl at near Star Cinema 220/-

Contact 99358589 /95570288

Flats shops & store for rent in

Ruwi, MBD area & Honda road.

Contact: 92589235/ 94579531

Flats two bed room for rent in

Al Khuwair. Contact: 96571151

New fl ats for rent at Darsait near

to ministry of sports, Mumtaz area

the fl ats include 1 living room, 2

Bedroom, kitchen, 3 toilets every

room with split A/C & high Quality

fi nishing, rent per fl at is R.O 340/-.

Interested candidates please

Contact: 00968- 92225523

3BHK fl at for rent in Ghubra.

Contac: 99328070

New fl at in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact: 98185135

2 bedrooms, kitchen, toilet, car

park R.O 220/- & 1 bedroom,

kitchen, toilet R.O 140 in

Al Khuwair. Contact: 95154331

Villa in Al Khoud for staff accom-

modation, like nurses or teachers

can accommodate 30 to 35 people.

Rent RO.1200/-.

Contact - 91178282

2BHK fl at for rent Darsait near ISM.

Contact: 95158570 / 99102255

CONTD ON PG 5

PDO APPROVED PORTABLE OFFICE FACILITIES ON SALE

Contact Person - S. Sundaram- 00968 93221934 - Viral Desai - 00968 93221397

PORTA CABIN OFFICE – 1200 SQ.M – 32 SECTIONS



PORTA CABIN OPEN HALL – 500 SQ.M – 14 SECTIONS

One / two B/R , RES / Comm

fl at near Bank Muscat Bausher

directly from owner.

Contact: 92158031

Offi ce for rent located in Prime

location of Azaiba Main Highway.

Contact: 92197959 / 92502497.

2 Bedrooms Flat for rent located

in Prime location of Al Khuwair.

Contact: 92197959 / 24527852.

1&2 BHK fl at in Walja.

Contact: 98218279

DAILY GUIDED4 W E D N E S D AY, F E B R UA R Y 3 , 2 0 1 6

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED


SITUATION WANT-SIT. WANTED

Email: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH

CATERING

BEAUTY

DRIVER

MEDICAL

MANAGER

MEDICAL

ADMIN

ARCHITECTURE

CATERING

ADMIN

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

SALES / MARKETING

Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp

looking job. Contact: 99531802

Required urgently a Legal Consultant/ Lawyer for reputed

law fi rm in Sohar, Muscat. Can-

didates should have 5-7 years

experience as a Legal Consultant/

Lawyer with good knowledge of

Computer & should be fl uent in

English both written & spoken.

Email C V to shejaanil66@gmail.

com or Contact 99153620

between 8am to 1pm & 2pm to

5.30 pm on Sunday to Thursday Indian male good experienced in

Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in

India & Oman, presently on visit

visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94834687

Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in

commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in ac-

counts/ fi nance fi eld. On visit visa.

Immediately available.

Contact – 92836216 /

[email protected]

Well reputed Marble Company looking for

3 SALESMEN Requires minimum 3 years experience

and valid Omani driving license. Interested candidates please

Fax your CV to 24601724 or Email on [email protected]

Contact -91262604Email: [email protected]

Wanted female GP, female Gynecologist, female Staff

Nurse, female X- Ray Technician With MOH license for Al Saadi

Specialized Medical Centre in Musanna.

DOMESTIC HELP

Urgently required House Boy for an Indian Business Family.

Call for Interview-99471085

Housemaid required for Keralite

family. Contact 95405033

Indian family urgently needs a full time Housemaid who knows

cooking. Should be skilled in

preparation of Non-Veg dishes.

Preferably from Hyderabad, India.

Company visa, good salary + bonus,

air –ticket for leave travel provided

by company. Contact 99349924

Small family looking for part time House maid. Contact: 96725168

Urgent Staff Requirement for a

Construction Company in Muscat

(QA/QC Engineer & Diesel

Mechanic) Cont. 93207116

Wanted: HEAD OF QA/QC & SALES ENGINEERS : Candidates with

Minimum 5-7 Years Experience in

one of the leading manufacturing

company in Sohar Industrial Area,

suitable candidates send their CV

to the below email :

[email protected]

Wanted A/C Technician with local

experience. Contact : 95779616

Require LAB TECHNICIAN ,The

desired candidate must be a gradu-

ate/diploma in Civil Engineering

with minimum experience of 3 to

5 years as Lab Technician having

Experience of testing construc-

tion materials on Building/ Road

projects. Send your CV to:

[email protected].

Indian male, 28, Post Graduate, 6

years exp. in Oman in Sales and

Credit Control , with valid Oman D/L

looking for suitable placements.

NOC available. Ph: 9206 6523

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Wanted General Practitioner and Lab Technician (Prometric

qualifi ed or willing to appear

for Prometric Exam, Preferably

female) are required for a poly-

clinic at Sohar Area. Interested are

requested to apply at:

[email protected]

Urgently required for a Medical Centre in Muscat & Salalah GP Doctor, Pediatrician (male / fe-

male) Gynecology, Nurses (male

/ female) with or without MOH

license, salary negotiable. Send

your CV : [email protected]

or contact 92681842

Wanted female Ayurvedic

therapist with or without

MOH. Contact: 97263637 /

93309131

Indian male MBA fi nance / market-

ing 34 yrs, 7 years experience in

India Accounts / Administration

/ offi ce jobs currently in Muscat

on family visa. Contact: 98104991

Email: [email protected]

Indian male 32 yrs having 8 years

experience in Oman looking for

suitable placement NOC & Oman

D/L available (release available if

required). Contact: 98093515

Part Time Accounting, Accounts

Finalization as per IFRS, Audit

Preparation, Cost Control and Man-

agement, Training for Accountants,

Internal Audit, Accounting System

for New Companies,

Contact: 96975454,

email:[email protected]

Indian male having good experience

in accounts and in accounting and in

accounting software’s ready to join

immediately #+91 9444965126

15 years experienced in fi nance &

treasury management CPA, CMA,

ACCA, MBA, qualifi ed Chartered

Accountant available for immediate

joining as head of fi nance, fi nancial

advisor, fi nanced consultant.

Contact: 94872345


Indian male - M Com and More than

5 year experience in Finance and Ac-

counting seeking suitable placement

immediately. Now in Oman on visit

visa. Contact:97724457 / 99886476

[email protected]

A young CA (ACA & ACCA qualifi ed)

with 4 years experience in one of top

audit fi rms in UK & KSA seeks suit-

able placement in Oman. Contact:

Kamran [email protected],

+44 7480 1196 74/ +968 93595050

Indian accountant professional

with 3 years experience currently

on visit visa looking for suitable

job openings. Contact: 92390604


M.Com & MBA fi nance Indian 10

years of experience in fi nance &

accounts up to fi nalization

currently available in Oman.

Contact: 90501642,


Indian male, B.Com with 6 years

experience as an Accountant,

looking for suitable placement.

Mob: 93903458 ,

Email : [email protected]

Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA

Finance and marketing with IT

skills, 7+ yrs of experience, Look-

ing for suitable placement.

Contact : 94879615,Email-

[email protected]

Presently working as Senior

Accountant having 16 years ex-

perience in Oman with Oman D/L

looking for new placement, NOC

available. Contact : 95060390

Indian having B.Com with Com-

puter application P.G diploma in

logistics and shipping manage-

ment knowledge in Tally, ERP9

having 3 years experience looking

for accounts or logistics job,

experience in FMCG company.

Contact: 98473905

Indian male ,34yrs B.com MBA

(Awaiting result), with 8 yrs

experience in accounts with

license looking for suitable posi-

tion. Immediate joining and NOC

available. Contact -97463145 or

[email protected]

Indian male, B.Com with 6 years

experience as an Accountant, look-

ing for suitable placement.

Mob: 93903458 ,Email :

[email protected]

Indian male 30 yrs, B. Com, 6

yrs accounts exp in East Africa &

1 yr exp in Oman, NOC available


Contact: 94613626


Indian female Accountant B.Com

P.G.D.C.A Tally 8 years exp in

Oman. Contact: 93726921

B. Com Diploma Computer 3 years

experience as an Accountant

Indian male (25) seeking place-

ment Accountant / Admin /

sales on visit visa.

Contact: 98437731


SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with

13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in

manufacturing, trading & contract-

ing Cos, capable of handling all

accounting, fi nance, banking, L/C,

import, export & fi nalization seeks

placement. NOC Available.

Call+968-98932752,

mail:[email protected]

Chinese / Arab/ Grill, Cooks. Contact: 95529970 28/male/MBA - fi nance/B.Com -

Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/

India experience looking for a

suitable placement. #90187483

[email protected]

Chief Accountant Indian male 44

years B.Com Graduate PGDVA total

13 years in GCC, 7 years in Oman &

knowledge in Tally, ERP9, Peachtree

MS Offi ce having NOC seeks place-

ment Contact: 97060826


Accountant MBA (fi nance) masters

(accounting) 2 yrs Exp looking for

suitable placement, having NOC &

valid D/L . Contact: 92491009,


Young 24, ACCA affi liate,

Advanced diploma in Accounting

and Business, seeking suitable

placement in Accounts, Finance or

audit With valid driving license.

Contact - 92430152,

Email - [email protected]

Part time Accountant, up to fi na-

lization, looking for job after 5pm

(location prefer – MSQ to

Al Hail). Contact: 95694737

Finance & Accounts Indian male

35 years B.Com MBA (F) 7 years

experience tally ERP9 with valid

D/L family visa.

Contact: 93257426 / 95230114


Indian male B.Com with 1 year

experience in Oman as Account

having driving license seeks

suitable placement.

Contact: 93415880 Email:

[email protected]

Part time accounts qualifi ed

experience accountant.

Contact: 91126314

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com

Finance-Indian with 7 years expe-

rience in Finance & Accounts up to

fi nalization. Currently employed

in Oman. Having D/L & NOC.

Mob: 94122464,


Indian male, MBA (fi nance), 1 year

experience in Oman having Oman

D/L and NOC on visit visa looking

for a suitable job. #94103975

Indian Male Accountant 10yrs

Exp. in OMAN Retail & Furni-

ture Co. (Release Available)

GSM.92564955

Beauty expert required to work

in Salon in Al Amerat.

Contact : 93336061

Required a Filipino private/Family Driver With Omani

driving license, Age 27-40.

Contact 94446669

Wanted Driver. Contact 91025698

Experienced Sales Executive

required for Restaurant Marketing.

Send CV : Deepak@jashnoman.

com, call 96500750

Employee marketing company

engaged in the design, promotion and advertising is required. Contact: 96656972 / 99719973

Urgently Required: Aluminum Doors & Windows Salesman with

an experience in aluminum prod-

ucts, MUST have Oman driving

license, and immediately join.

Apply, fax 00968–24605955,

emails [email protected],

[email protected]

.

Urgently Required Steel Fabri-cated Products Salesman with

an experience in steel fabrication,

MUST have Oman driving license,

and immediately join. Apply,

fax 00968–24605955, emails

[email protected],

[email protected]

Salesman for a printing press

Whatsapp Only. Contact: 95955729

1. General Practitioners (Male & Female) 2. Nurses (Male & Female) 3. X Ray Technician

Leading Medical Services Company in Oman is looking for the following staff :-

4. Lab Technician 5. Insurance Coordinators6. Omani Receptionist

Preference given to candidates in Oman with MOH/Oman prometric for medical openings. Interested candidates kindly forward your resume to

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected].

Contact :24613069 for further details.

Indian female 27 yrs with 5 yrs

HR /Admin experience seeking

suitable placement with valid

Oman driving license.

Contact: 98236033

Senior Management Executive

An Omani Road Construction Contracting

Company Seeks GM/ Senior Contract Manager.

Mail : [email protected]

GSM 94293031

REQUIRED PROJECT MANAGER

For an Infra/ Bldg project in Duqm/Oman

Graduate Engineer with 20+ years experience preferably

in Oman/ GCC with valid D/L and transferable visa,

computer literate.

Send CV to Email : [email protected]

Indian female diploma in archi-

tecture having 5 years of working

experience in Oman (Engg Consul-

tancy having valid Oman driving

license. Contact: 96683293

Required Manager who has

experience in printing press call

92673716 or send ur CV to

[email protected]

Indian female, M.Tech electron-

ics 6.5 IELTS experience as VLSI /

Electronics project trainer & institute

administration currently in family

visa. Contact: 90195131 /24551290


Indian male MBA 33yrs having 10

yrs of exp seeking full time suitable

placement in Administration/ HR/

Operations/ Coordination/ Logistics.

Holding valid D/L.

Contact - 99054786

Indian Gulf experienced in con-

struction site admin, HR and Store

keeping on visit visa seek suitable

placement. Contact 92196001

Omani, male, 20 yrs exp. in PR,

Admin etc. seeks suitable place-

ment. Contact 91221773

Looking for H.R Admin Assistant post or any related position, cur-

rently on visit visa, available for

immediate placement Qualifi ca-

tion MBA H.R. Contact: 94665450

Email:

[email protected]

Indian female PGDHRM MSW hav-

ing 5+ experience in HR Assistant

Administration customer support

good computer skill DOA, CIT Tally

now on family visit visa looking for

suitable position. Contact: 95352527

Indian female 25 years Graduates

in BBM (HR) currently on visit visa

looking for suitable job.

Contact: 92065248


young Omani male have experi-

ence 12 years as P.R.O , Clerk helper

supervisor Admin supervisor , H.R

Manager have diploma in H.S.E, IT

and P.D.O license looking for H.R

position or P.R.O license . Looking

for H.R position or P.R.O part time

or full time. Contact: 95933288

Indian male MBA- UK 18 yrs Gulf

exp in Administration/ HR & Public

relationship. Fluent in Arabic/

English with D/L. Looking for suit-

able position. Contact - 99897280

Indian female Graduate 7 years as

Secretary Offi ce Assistant Admin

seeks placement.

Contact: 99073789

Filipino male with 13 years HR

and Administration managerial

experience. MBA & CIPD holder.

Currently looking for job in Oman.

Interested employer

pls call 97728418.

Indian Female, MBA-HR having

8+ experience in Administration/

HR, Customer Support, Offi ce Coor-

dinator with good Computer skill,

Now on Visit Visa,looking for suit-

able position. Contact: 90196235

Indian female, Masters in HR,

having 4 + years Oman experience

in media management and HR,

looking for openings in HR, Educa-

tion, Admin, Corporate communi-

cations. Contact 98252030

URGENTLY REQUIREDA well reputed British Company in Oman,

looking for an experienced “CIVIL PROJECT MANAGER”

preferably for an Indian nationals having minimum 10 years’ experience as a Civil Project Manager for

commercial & residential buildings with B-tech/BE.Attractive salary for the right candidate,

Arab speaking will be a preference but not necessary.Only serious applicants, who hold above criteria in

related fi eld, may apply: [email protected]

Required X RAY Technician, Lab Technician, General Practitioner, Gynecology, Staff Nurses. Contact: 95133572


Wanted urgently lady Doctor GP or DGO for immediate appoint-

ment. Contact : 99310590


MISCELLANEOUS

Indian Female Accountant, now

in Oman on Visit Visa, looking for

suitable placement. #94250871.

Indian female 22 years 1 year ex-

perience in Secretary & Account-

ing, Tally, looking for suitable job

on visit visa. Contact: 97084473


Relationship Manager, Indian

male 28 yrs, BBA, MBA 5 year’s

exp, currently working in India

computer skilled. Contact: 0091

974710108 / 95071632

Part- Time Accountant, well ex-

perienced senior accountant ,do-

ing all type of accounting works,

Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact : 98803439

Indian male Executive Secretary

having vast experience in admin,

logistics & procurement well versed

with computer seeks suitable place-

ment. Contact : 99514286,


Sri Lankan Male, 23 years old with

3 years of Sales experience and

basic accounting knowledge (AAT

and Tally) Seeking for a suitable

position. Contact-94864296

Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA,

MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/ net-

working/ server, valid Omani D/L

seeking suitable placement in IT/

Network/Server support.

Contact 92607532

Indian, male, 28, BBM degree

holder. having 2 years experience.

1 year in banking industry & 1 year

in hotel industry. good accounts

knowledge also. seeking a suitable

job. # 94678590,

email: [email protected]

Indian female, 35 years, Bachelor

of Pharmacy (B. Pharm) with no

experience and BSc & MA seeking

suitable positions in pharmacy,

pharmacy stores, hospital, poly-

clinic & pharmaceutical compa-

nies. Contact 90236481

Indian male, 26 years, With 7

years of experience in Sales Field

in shipping company in “Dubai”

, looking for suitable placement.

Experienced working in safety

Marine equipment and well versed

with MS Offi ce.

Contact: 90182494

Sudanese male 31 years, 3 years

Diploma in electrical engineer , 6

years and 1year in Oman experi-

ence in building construction and

electrical plants, have oman drive

license. Contact No : 94549609

Well-qualifi ed Indian Female with

8 years of experience in Procure-

ment Supply Chain from reputed

Companies in Oman seeks place-

ment. Contact 91374217

Indian Male, 26 years, With

7 years of experience in Sales

Field in shipping company in

“Dubai” , looking for suitable

placement. Experienced working

in safety Marine equipment and

well versed with MS Offi ce.

Contact: 90182494,

[email protected]

Indian female accountant, now

in Oman on visit visa, looking for

suitable placement,

Contact 94250871.

Indian female 10 years exp as

cook in Oman . South Indian & Gu-

jarati special looking for part-time

job. Contact 96710189



DRIVER

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

DOMESTIC HELP

UPS Technician Electronics, Elec-

tronic technician, Solar power prod-

ucts 11 years experience in power

electronics looking for job Oman.

Contact: 99680821


Civil Engineer 8 years experience

Structural buildings marine. Availa-

ble NOC release. Contact: 92451323.


Indian male Electrical Engineer with MBA (Mktg) having 4 and

half years experience in technical

commercial and marketing fi elds

with valid GCC D/L, NOC available

seeking placement.

Contact: + 968 96547828


Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) with

2 and half years experience Indian

male 24 years in visit visa. Contact:

96620482 / + 91 9605423272


Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp

seeks suitable position ina reputed

company. NOC available.

Contact – 96789711


in Oman as a project engineer for

governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912

Indian male 23 years PG diploma

in Petroleum Engineering & B.Tech

in Mechanical Engineering seek-

ing employment as Entry level

fi eld engineer.

Contact: 95084905 / 95880127


MEP Engineer 5 years exp in Gulf

driving license NOC.

Contact: 97838220

Indian female diploma in tool

& die making with 1 1/2 years

experience looking for suitable

job. Contact : 94743992 Email:

[email protected]

Mechanical Engineer , having 10

years experience in QMD (pip-

ing, steel structure, static & rotary

equipments) ASNT-L-II ( UT/

RT/PT/DPT) & Visual inspection,

material inspection, fi nalization

of handing over documents, avail-

able on visit visa & ready to join

immediately. Contact: 95415062 /

92838396

Indian male, 41 yrs, BE (Elect) +

MBA, 20 yrs exp. in construction

projects & engineering mainte-

nance (M&E) of which more than

12 yrs in Oman. Looking for senior

/ suitable position. NOC available

from current employer.

Contact 92393403 or

[email protected]

Electrical Engineer B.Tech with

4 yrs experience in India available

on visit visa looking for suitable

placement. Contact: 94741401 /

97239852 Email:

[email protected]

Indian male 5 years experience in

piping (Site Engineer / Supervisor)

Indian and Oman (PDO Project) &

looking for suitable post currently

on visiting visa, NOC available.


[email protected]

Indian male diploma in Mechani-

cal Engineering have 12 years

experience in oil and gas in GCC on

visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact: 92932763


Male 38 yrs Graduate 07 years

experience indoor / outdoor

electronic fi eld with D/License &

NOC available (as per new rule).

Contact: 92453375

Indian male 23 years Mechanical

Engineer, 1 year experience family

visit, seeking placement.

Contact: 94203042

Mechanical Engineer with QA QC experience.


Networking Engineer having 10

years experience with 3 years in

Oman having valid driving license

and NOC, presently in Oman needs

immediate placement.

Contact - 95783383

Electrical Engineer Indian (29) ,

7 years exp in Oman, 33KV, 11 KV

Finance / Project/Program Manager ProfessionalQualifi cati ons : MBA, PMP, Six Sigma Country Exposure Canada & Middle East, Industry any (experienced in Banks (Islamic) Telecom Transport

Nati onality Canadian, In Person Interview on Sundays

Contact: 97203531, +923042955747

Civil AutoCAD Draughts man 5 years experience on visit visa.


[email protected]

A lady entrepreneur with BF Tech

1st Class (Fashion Technology)

since 2006 in Kerala like to make

change for better. Specialized in

designing, Production

Management, Fashion Art,

Grading, Surface ornamentation,

Garment Construction.


Mobile: +919539397097.

25 years male BA. English , Quali-

fi ed as mast in digital animation

having 5 yrs ex in character

animation specialized Auto Desk

mago and motion building

software knowledge,

seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 97917357

Looking full time job. Contact:

99153378

projects in MZEC & MEDC having

CEP 1 & NOC with D/L.

Contact: 99822373

Civil Engineer with 8 yrs exp in

construction having license and

NOC. Contact: 97986606

Telecom Engineer Sudanese on

visit visa have 1 year experience

in installation and have diploma

in Tally ERP & excel and one year

experience. Contact: 91991215

Indian female Computer Science

Engineer having two years experi-

ence in teaching and programming

C .CCP Java VB HTML, Sql, Php

currently on visit visa seeks suit-

able placement. Contact: 91168733

Aeronautical Engineer with MBA in

Operations Management having 4

yrs experience in reputed Aviation &

Oil Companies, now on visit.

Contact 91864047 / 92791625

B.E .Mechanical Engineer Indian

over 4 yrs of exp in HVAC design

auto cad drafting on visit visa .

Contact 90305596. Email:

[email protected]

Indian Electrical Engineer Btech,

female 24 seeking job, presently

in oman having 2 year experience

in design and estimation of Ht &Lt

projects. Contact 968 97436557,

Mail id : [email protected]

Civil Engineer / QS engineer,

9 years experience in Oman free-

lance visa, searching for a suitable

job in Oman. Contact: 97299165

Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work,

21+ years experience with Driving



7 years teaching experience in

Political Science at University level,

5 years experience as Intellectual

property lawer 20 years experi-

ence of Arabic / English visa versa ,

translation / interpretation / Editing

, 20 years of experience in manage-

ment, Tri lingual (Arabic / English /

French) Contact : 92175153

Indian female civil engineer

B.Tech having 3 years experience

sound knowledge of software,

REVIT STAD PRO structural detail-

ing currently on family visa seeks

suitable placement.

Contact: 95345591

B.Tech Civil, 25 yrs female, 3 yrs

exp in qty survey have valid GCC


Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 97667113

Sudanese Civil Structure En-gineer, 3 years experience with

residence and Omani license, good

at AutoCAD Etabs Staad.

Pro looking for suitable job.

Contact: 97906770

Sr.HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+ Diplo-

ma Safety + NEBOSH+OSHA) over

10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release/Transfer

Letter (NOC) available),


Contact - 97061817, Email:

[email protected]

SPECIALIST AVAILABLE FOR EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN TERM

OF RESTRUCTURING ALL MODULES OF BUSINESS WITH 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, MANUFACTURING,

TRADING, APPLICATIONS, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. CONTACT – 93343251 /

profi toman@ gmail.com

EXPERIENCED TEAM TO PROVIDE TECHNO- COMMERCIAL BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, FEASIBILITY, ERP WITH BI TOOLS, ADVISE ON FINANCIAL, HR,

RISK GENERAL MANAGEMENT, GUIDE STARTUPS RESTRUCTURING,

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. Contact – 96500729

Email: k.profi toman@ gmail.com

EDUCATION

Looking for part time tutoring on

Mathematical & Statistics.

Contact: 99229700

Indian : female – MBA in foreign

trade ,BE Computer Science, sap

trained bi/bw with one year expe-

rience seeking for job.

Contact 90228586

email:[email protected]

teaching also preferred.

Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian

male 24 years with 1+years Indian

experience,(Certifi ed in Staad Pro/

Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).Look-

ing for a Suitable position. Avail-

able In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat)

on Visit Visa.

Contact: 92835952. E-mail:

[email protected]

Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in

designing, assembling, commis-

sioning execution etc having valid

GCC license too looking for a suit-

able. Contact: 00968-98052942



in construction having driving

license & NOC. Contact: 94194399


Indian male 26 yrs BE- Me-chanical Engineering, CSWIP 3.1

certifi ed welding inspector + ASNT

level in UT, RT, MPT, LPT with 3.5

yrs experience in QC Inspector-

Welding. Looking for a suitable job.

E-mail: [email protected]

Civil Engineer 3 years diploma

holder having 7 years experience,

building construction & oil & gas

fi eld with driving license.

Contact: 93294965

Diploma in Electronics, 2 years

exp in telecommunication.


telecommunicationvishnumadhull

@gmail.com

HSE & Fire Safety Engineer

4 years experience air port opera-

tional safety, power & chemical

industry. Contact: 94374241

10 years experience in Dubai

& Bangladeshi as a BSC En-

gineer on structural designer

& construction having Dubai

municipality approval & driving

license. Contact: 91206763 Future

008801758846027 Email:

[email protected]

Civil Engineer (Diploma) having

11 years experience in building

construction, looking for a suitable

placement , having Oman driving

license. Noc available.

Contact: 95075365


Electrical Engineer with 18 years

exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034


7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in

the fi eld of Building Const. Oil &

Gas Seeking Job.94625598

Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs expe-

rienced as AutoCAD civil drafts-

man (2 yrs experience in Oman)

currently in Oman seeks suitable.

Contact 96789441


Indian male Diploma Civil En-

gineer have 1 yr. experience, on

visit visa looking for suitable job

(certifi cate attested).

Contact: 92667406 / 99210411,


Indian Male 23 years B.Tech

Civil having 2 years experience in

quantity survey and site manage-

ment looking for suitable place-

ment. Contact:- 95042656

Sudanese Structure Civil Engi-

neer 2 years experience resident

Omani license. Contact: 94393880

Need job for experienced mason,

electrician & welder.

Contact: 93015630

M.Tech in Manufacturing Engi-

neering with 2 years of experi-

ence, on visiting visa looking for a

suitable job. Contact: 91417949


Civil Engineer (BE) having total

5 years experience in building

construction looking for a suitable

placement. D/L available

Contact# 94450270

Mechanical Engineer M.Tech

2 years experience HVAC design

& site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD.


[email protected]

HOSPITALITY

Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants

Dynamic result oriented hospital-

ity professional with 20 years of

international exp. MBA in Hotel

Management, specializing in

Hotel/Restaurant start ups, con-

cepts & Franchise development

with proven records. Seeking for

Challenging positions in reputed

groups as GM/COO/CEO/Business

Head. (NOC available)

Contact: 96059470

Civil Engineer 6 years experience,

4 years in Oman, driving license

available. Contact 92553263

Electrical Testing Engineer (B.Tech)

having 7 yrs Gulf experience exper-

tise in testing pre-commissioning

commissioning of electrical

systems, currently on visit visa

seeks suitable job in Muscat.

Contact: 90188231

Mechanical Engineer male 26 yrs,

with 4 yrs of experience in manu-

facturing oil & gas retail, brand pro-

moting, marketing, logistics having

valid Omani D/L seeking for a suit-

able placement. Contact: 97098676


Indian male, Mechanical

Engineer having 1year experi-

ence, on visit visa looking for

suitable job. Contact:97416564,

Email:[email protected]

Procurement Engineer (27 years

single male with Oman Driving Li-

cense) having 7 years experience

(UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in

MEP, Water, Electromechanical,

Instrumentation seeking suitable

placements. Contact 95852033,

mail: [email protected]

IT

IT

MEDICAL

Female Nurse Indian, total 15 yrs

experience, 6 yrs in KSA, promet-

ric passed with 66% ready to join

immediately. Contact: 95525004 /

98146565

Indian lady Pediatrician avail-

able immediately, Oman prometric

exam (>60%) passed Indian Kerala

lady pediatrician available

immediately for appointment.

now available in Muscat.MOBILE

NO. 96276347, 94769455 EMAIL :

[email protected]

Indian male GP Doctor looking for

suitable post. Datafl ow & promet-

ric completed. Contact: 90377433

An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license look-

ing for job. Contact 96436517

/97396088

Experienced Light Duty Driver,

Fluent in English, Arabic Well

knowledge of Oman Areas

Seeking Suitable placement

Contact 97950869

Light driver need job knows

Arabic & Hindi.

Contact: 95145988

Looking for job driver K.S.A

7 years Oman, 5 yrs, education

S.SC. Contact: 93940319

Light duty driver looking for job,

5 years exp. Contact: 97170619

Indian Keralite male 25 yrs, light

driver looking for job.

Contact: 91616786

Light duty driver looking for job.

Contact : 95827886

Indian light driver having 2 years

experience in Oman knowing

language English, Hindi & Arabic,

seeks job. Contact: 97366822

Looking job L.T.V with car,

without car. Contact: 94436276

Driver, 5 years experience in

Oman looking for job.

Contact : +968 99139890

Bangladeshi male 31 years, Driver

fresh currently in Muscat.

Contact: 97118292

Driver with car, full time / part

time job. Contact: 96320385

Driver with land cruiser,

Indian seeks placement.

Contact: 99725003

Bangladeshi driver want job.

Contact: 93822195

Omani male need driver job for

part time. Contact: 92296607

Light duty driver experience 4

years suitable job. Can speak Eng-

lish, Arabic & Hindi.

Contact 98393692

Driver with car looking for job or

part time. Contact: 96023492

Light driver need job knows

English, Hindi & Arabic.

Contact: 92820309

Job for driving. Contact:

98982410

27 years, 1 year experience,

with D/L. Contact: 97369716

Light driver Ruwi. Contact:

95779594

Pakistani male light driver 10 yrs

in UAE & 1 yr in Oman.

Contact: 93709393

Driver (light & heavy duty) valid

gulf /Indian) looking job.

Contact: 95175192

Driver with new car looking for

job.contact: 95873286

MANAGER

Procurement Manager / Commer-

cial Manager / G.M Indian male

having 26 years of experience in

Import, procurement, logistics,

Commercial activities, Warehousing,

TRD & Sales. Contact: 90502724


Offi ce Manager / personal Assistant

with extensive experience in overall

admin, commercial activities, pur-

chase, accounts with driving license

seeks suitable change. Local release

available. Contact 99168054

Safety Manager B.Tech (safety &

fi re) M. Sc 8 years experience Indi-

an 31 years presently occupied on

notice period available with clean

NOC, holds Oman driving license &

owns car. Contact: 94616721


Camp Supervising 6 years looking

for a good job. Contact: 98178804 /

96703816

Stone Incharge / Store keeper 8

years experience in Oman, NOC

& release is available looking for

good job. Contact: 98178804 /

96703816

Indian female having 17 years of

Dubai work experience in Business

Process Management & Quality As-

surance (ISO 9001) is looking for

job in Muscat (Full time/Part time/

Consultant). Experienced in devel-

oping, training & implementation

of business process documenta-

tion, leading the organization to

ISO 9001 certifi cation, Quality

Audits and Business process

improvements & controls.

Contact: 97903127. Email :

[email protected]

The Business Development Man-

ager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years

Inside and outside Oman follow-

ing activities: construction(Very

strong and qualifi ed to bringing

business for civil work Or any

type of the construction work for

many million per year with a good

experience in pricing and collect

payment and cash management of

the company & marketing projects

& investments& tenders & real

estate. Contact 92385033

MBA (marketing) with 17 years

experience in freight forwarding/

logistics industry in GCC & Oman.

Presently working as branch

manager in Muscat. Looking for a

suitable position. Release and NOC

available. Contact: 99856331

The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years

Inside and outside Oman following

activities: tenders& real estate&

construction & marketing projects&

investments & transportation & Ma-

rine services& companies manage-

ment& develop business.

Contact :- 92385033

Indian male, with experience in

operations management, informa-

tion security, purchase & stores

mgmt, hold UAE driving license,

on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact 91904541


Indian male 3 years experience

in IT as Linux Administrator and

1 year experience in Amazon

EC2, cloud at Wipro technologies

Bangalore looking for a suitable

placement. Contact: 92889678


Indian Male, IT System Engi-

neer having 4 yrs of experience in

system administration.CCNA,MCSE,

Linux. Looking for suitable job.

Contact :91272867

Sudanese Male 29 yrs B.Sc Com-

puter Science, diploma computer

engineering 6 yrs. experience , DBA

oracle PL-SQL, Oracle SQL devel-

oper, MS sql-server ,visual studio

vb, network ,driver license Oman.

Email: [email protected] ,

Mob: 91415886

Network Engineer degree Com-

puter Science CCNA, MCSA expe-

rience NOC. Content: 92346191

Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years

in Oman experience Valid Driving

License seeks suitable placement

Phone 97619722

Email – [email protected]

Syrian Civil Engineer graduated

2012, 1 year experience in Oman.

Contact: 92967785

Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs

experience in international Oil

& Gas company looking for job

Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email:

[email protected]

Electrical Engineer: Indian male,

30 yrs having 5 yrs of experience

in industrial automation & utility

maintenance in India (MRF tyres),

holding valid Oman D/L.

Contact 92789995, email :

[email protected]

Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman

with license. Contact: 98975518

Sudanese Architectural Engineer

2 years experience in Oman, Revit,

AutoCAD 3Ds max Archicad looking

for suitable job. Contact: 94722356


Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years

old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon)

Mining / Geotechnical Presently

in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.

Contact 91295802 /

[email protected]

Sudanese Telecom Engineer, 5 years experience, 3 years in

Oman PMP certifi cate.


[email protected]

Diploma Engineer (Civil) looking

for job 7 years experience in Oman.

Contact: 93017821


Structural buildings marine. Availa-

ble NOC release. Contact: 92451323.


Indian female (B.Tech/ Mechani-

cal Engineering) 4 yrs Oman ex-

perience in project coordination in

water, sewerage and infrastructure

sector , Having valid Omani D/L


Local release available.

Contact: 95297449

B.Tech Chartered Electrical

Engineer, AMIEI with 5 years of

experience in electrical power

transmission and distribution in

industrial, residential & com-

mercial sectors. Expertise in

load designing BOQ, Estimations,

transformer and switchgear

selections. Leadership skills in

project execution & management.

Contact: 94638744


Indian male, MCA, 15 years

experience in Oracle, developer,

Orion Sage ERP, 5 years in Oman

working as IT In charge, with NOC

release and transferable visa.

Contact: 95398567,


Hardware & networking, 2 years

exp. Contact: 96244031

Sudanese Network Administra-

tor 1 year experience with (MCSA,

CCNA, CCNP) have valid driving


DAILY GUIDED6 W E D N E S D AY, F E B R UA R Y 3 , 2 0 1 6

Email: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624



Indian male 32, MBA (Marketing &

Finance) with 10 years experience in

Marketing of Banking Products & In-

surance Industry. Seeking for a Job in

Oman. Contact: 93576980, 97750460


Indian sales marketing professional

highly experienced in business

development in ME India and Africa

seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 97897611

Indian female, MBA in Garment

Manufacturing Technology, having

over 8years exp in Merchandising &

Marketing, worked for brands Zara,

H&M, DKNY, Even & Odd, Soya Con-

cept & many more, now on family

visa looking for a suitable position.

Pls contact: 95604511.


A dynamic professional, Female,

with 8 years of experience in

PURCHASE,SALES COORDINATION

,OFFICE ASSISTANT, residing in

Oman with valid NOC from current

company,looking for a suitable job,

Ready to join Immediately”.

Contact:[email protected]

Phone:- 94157662

MBA with 18 years of experience

in Procurement, 2 years in Sohar,

Oman driving license, looking for

suitable position.M:94047501,

[email protected]

Indian male plumbing sanitary

ware & building materials experi-

ence in outdoor sales (9 years)

with valid D/L UAE.

Contact: 98723456

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE

Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fi tter

gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192

TECHNICIAN /MECH.

TOURS/TRAVELS

Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years

experience preferably in water

sector and having valid driving

license call Ph:+968 99450811

Send CV to [email protected]

SITUATION WANT-

ED

BUSINESS

Indian male 26, on vist visa, 2+

yrs of experience with UAE D/L,

IATA-FIATA,BBA looking for any

suitable job. Contact 91324567

SIT.WANTED

Pakistani Male having 6 years

Experience Valid Omani Driving

license working as a Transport

Manager looking for a suitable

position. salary is negotiable.

mail: [email protected],

Mob: +96893363316 / 94202746

Indian male 25 yrs, MBA (Finance,

Marketing), Overall 2 yrs exp in Ac-

counts/Finance fi eld, On Visit Visa.

Immediately available.

Contact - 92989197/94786544.

[email protected]

Bangladeshi Male, University

MA, Working as Store keeper in

Muscat; searching better job.

Phone:91997605, email:

[email protected]


M.Com.Working as an Administrator

cum Accountant in Oman; searching

better job. Phone:94864966, email:

[email protected]

Indian Male, 26 years, With 7

years of experience in Sales Field

in shipping company in “Dubai”

, looking for suitable placement.

Experienced working in safety

Marine equipment and well versed

with MS Offi ce. Contact: 90182494,

[email protected]

IT professional, B.E. in IT, CCNA,

MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/

networking/server support, valid

Omani D/L seeking suitable place-

ment in IT/Network/Server support.

Contact 92607532.

Light Driver looking for job.

Contact:99594946

Sudanese Mechanical Engineer

26 years old (male) with 4 years

experience as Mechanical engineer

, Sales engineer and Call center

agent seeking suitable placement.

Contact: +968.90644235


M.Com Working as an Administrator

cum Accountant in Oman; searching

better job. Phone:94864966,


MBA - (F), M.Com, B.COM. Indian fe-

male having knowledge of accounts

with Tally looking for part time or

full time job. Presently on family

visa. Contact :- 91892264.

Email:- [email protected]


MA, Working as Sales administra-

tor in Oman; searching better job.

Phone:91997605, email:

[email protected]

9 yrs exp Site Engineer in Civil &

Shade Structure. 2d, 3d draughts-

man (holding Oman driving license)

seeking job. Contact : 90139903

Light Duty Driver Professional,

Indian male having 5 years of

experience with valid Oman driving

licence.NOC Available.

Contact 91652481

Purchase Executive Professional,

Indian male having 6 Years of

Experience in Oman Having Valid

Driving Licence working as a Pur-

chase offi cer, Looking for a suitable

Position, NOC/LR Available.

Contact: 95132564/96456071,


Indian Female, BE Electronics and

Communication, having oman ex-

perience looking for full time or part

time job. Ready to join immediately,

currently on family visa.

Contact : 92115948 / 99327912

Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA,

MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/net-

working/server, valid Omani D/L

seeking suitable placement in IT/

Network/Server support.

Contact 92607532

Indian male 34 Yrs., Dual MBA

Finance and marketing With

IT skills, 7+ yrs. of experience,


Contact: 94879615, Email-

[email protected]

AVAILABLE

Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirt-

ing, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery,

Crockery, Glassware, Chafi ng Dishes,

Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound

Systems and spectacular lighting.

Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering

and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound &

Light. ww.tunesoman.com,


SALES / MARKETING

SALES / MARKETING

22, Indian BBA graduate, 1 year

experience, presently on visit visa,


Contact 91881053

Highly experienced mechanical/

steel structural fabrication engineer

looking for suitable placement. NOC

available. Contact: 99860714,

[email protected].

B.Com 5yrs experience good

command on tally, Excel sheet on

family visa. Contact: 98002428


B.TEC ( IT) . 24 years, 2 Years of

experience in technical support,

software development, networking,

troubleshooting and managing.

seek suitable placement.

Contact GSM- 98184170

Electronics service Technician , 4 Years experience as Electronics

service engineer. Knowledge in all

type of Electronics items. Looking for

suitable placement. GSM- 99105043

Searching a land surveyor job

fully know latest instrument of

Survey GPS and Total station two

year OMAN experience.NOC Avail-

able. Contact +96894144052,

Email- wasifnaz [email protected]

Part- Time Accountant, well expe-

rience senior accountant ,doing all

type of accounting works, Finaliza-

tion, Budgeting available.

Contact 98803439

Indian male experienced material

segregation with D/L seeks suita-

ble placement. Contact: 92715032

Email: santhoshgeorge99@gmail.

com

Indian male 26 years (MBA Fi-

nance) seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 92715032


D.M.E, Indian, 12 yrs experience in

Oman, in Project Estimation, Execu-

tion, Quality & marketing working

as Estimation Engineer in acid &

water tanker, semi trailor company,

with havin driving license & will get

NOC, seeks suitable job in Oman.

Contact 98968495.

Indian male, 26 years, With 7 years

of experience in Sales Field in ship-

ping company in “Dubai” , looking

for suitable placement. Experienced

working in safety Marine equip-

ment and well versed with MS

Offi ce. Contact: 90182494,

[email protected]

Senior Accountant Indian male

35 Years with 13 Years of Ex-

perience (7 years in Oman) in

Accounts & Finance having valid

Omani Driving License. Looking

for job in GCC Countries.

Contact: 96001918

Indian male 25 yrs, MBA in mar-

keting on visit looking for a job in

Sales and Marketing.

Contact 91270215


Indian male M. Com 10 years of

experience looking for Part time

Job can do fi nalization #97433387

or [email protected]

Indian male 25yr B. Com 4

years experience in trading and

contracting fi eld in India looking

for suitable accountant vacancies.

Please contact 96155921 or

[email protected]

Indian male looking job part time

driver. Contact: 93884951

Indian male BE, (ECE) 18 months

experience in Telecom Sector as

installation and Commissioning

Engineer, troubleshooting

the bts, 3G and LTE equipments cur-

rently on visit. Contact: 95183497


27,male,ACCA fi nalist, have

professional experience up to fi na-

lization of accounts, statutory and

internal audit, expertise in using

tally, focus and oracle software,

have 3.5 years experience in ac-

counts till fi nalization ,seeking for

permanent replacement in senior

position, GSM-91324962,

[email protected]

Chief Accountant , 7 years experi-

enced (out of 25 years experience

in accounts) worked in reputed

group companies. Currently procur-

ing MBA fi nance and having Omani

Driving License seeks suitable

openings from reputed companies.

Contact : 95598477 / 98803439

Female 5 years experienced Oman

as Senior Accountant. SKILLS :

ERP9, MS OFFICE, SAGE, ACCPAC.

GSM # 95483804 / 9986 8330.

MAIL : [email protected]

Indian male 25 yrs, MBA

(Finance, Marketing), Overall 2 yrs

exp in Accounts/Finance fi eld, On

Visit Visa. Immediately available.

Contact – 92989197 / 94786544.

mail: [email protected].

Bangladeshi male, University MA,

working as administrator in Oman;

searching better job.

Contact 91997605

[email protected]

Indian male having 6 Years of

Experience in Oman Having Valid

Driving License working as a

Purchase offi cer, looking for a

suitable Position, NOC Available.

Contact: 95132564 / 96456071,

E-mail:[email protected]

Indian Male, pursuing ACCA with

knowledge in C++, Java looking for

accounting job.

Contact 94743462.


Indian, Keralite seeks cleaning

job part time. Contact: 90169048

HR Manual, Employee Hand-

book, Recruitment, Training, HR

Consultancy. Are you looking for

freelancer HR professional? Please

contact on 97914669

Indian male diploma in logistics

management looking for an open-

ing, presently in Oman on visit

visa. Contact: 93373421

Indian male, MBA Marketing hav-

ing 9 years’ experience in India

in marketing is seeking suitable

placement. Currently in Muscat on

business visa. Contact: 92417523

Indian male 28 yrs having 6 years

experience in Oman in Sales &

Marketing & Offi ce Administration,

looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 99142314

Indian male, BBM, MBA, having

3 years experience in Sales looking

for suitable job. Contact: 92796046

Indian male B. Pharm 15 years

sales experience MOH Pharmacist

license driving license looking

for opportunities in Pharmacy or

Sales and marketing can get NOC.

Contact: 99694865

Indian male 26, with more than

4 years experience in Sales and

Marketing having valid GCC

license on visit visa seeks suitable

position. Contact: 92423161

MBA graduate having 6 years exp

in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with

PEPSI, India, having international

driving license permit seeks suitable

placement. Contact : 95308167,


Indian male, Graduate, 9 yrs expe-

rience in FMCG – UAE, valid GCC

driving license on visit seeks

suitable position. Contact

92419491 / 94881950,


27 years old male MBA Gradu-

ate having 1.5 years experience

in Marketing seeking for good

opportunities in sales & marketing.

Contact: 90572132


MBA Indian male 2.5 yrs exp

in marketing & sales presently

on visit visa seeking immediate

placement. contact :91725539.

Email: suhailahmad1489@gmail.

com

Indian male, MBA Marketing

having 2.5 years Sales experience

immediately looking for a suitable

position. Contact: 91415145,


B.Com male 2 yrs experience in

sales Computer knowledge,


Contact: 98371144


A dynamic professional, female,

with 8 years of experience in PUR-

CHASE, SALES COORDINATION ,

OFFICE ASSISTANT, residing in

Oman with valid NOC from current

company, looking for a suitable

job, Ready to join Immediately.

Contact:- [email protected],

Phone:- 94157662

Marketing exceutive BBA, MCOM,

Tally, exp in accouting (can con-

tinue in current visa) ph : 98269281

MISCELLANEOUS

BE Mechanical Engineer / MBA

Indian male 25 yrs, currently

working in Qatar skills MEP de-

signing surveying, Oracle, Auto-

CAD, SAP. Contact: 97474470866

& C/O in Oman 95071632

Indian male, 23 years PG diploma

in Petroleum Engineering and

B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering

holding UAE driving license seeks

suitable placement.

Contact: 95880127 / 95084905


Indian Female, Master of Technol-

ogy (M.Tech) in Electronics &

Communication Engineering,

currently in Muscat with Family

Visa,1+ year experience in Teach-

ing seeks suitable placement in

Muscat. Contact 96209509

B.TECH ( IT) . 24 years, 2 Years of

experience in technical support,

software development, network-

ing, troubleshooting and manag-

ing, seeks suitable placement.

Contact GSM- 98184170

Indian Male 4 years experience

Chef. Indian, Chinese Cuisine seek

suitable placement.

Contact: 99883019

Bangladeshi Male, University MA,

5 years experience in IT sales &

marketing working as sales coor-

dinator in Oman; searching better

job. Phone: 91997605, email:

[email protected]

Indian Male 28yr age having

7year gulf+ Indian experience in

HR/Admin fi eld, looking for

suitable placement.

Contact:97914340,


A dynamic professional, female,MBA,8 yrs MNC exp in

Purchase, Secretary, Sales Coordi-

nation, Offi ce Assistant, Logistics,

Petty Cash, Stock, Dispatch, Project

management, Documentation,

residing in oman with valid NOC

from current company, looking for

suitable job, ready to join immedi-

ately. Email- [email protected],

Contact - phone:-94157662

MISCELLANEOUS

A Filipina lady having experience

in call center, airline booking and

reservations, secretarial and real

estate is now looking for a job in

any fi elds. Contact: 93839304

Filipina lady very urgently look-

ing job only in boutique, release

available ready to join immediately.

Contact: 97122152 / 91240759

10 years experience in Oman in

logistics / purchase have Oman

D/L looking for suitable placement.

Contact- 96410767


Indian female on visit MBA

(International Business- Market-

ing & Logistics), BE (Computers &

Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/

BW with 1 year experience

seeking for job Contact: 90228586

Email:[email protected]

Graduate, computer literate,

experienced in sales, credit

control, accounts, Omani D/L ,

seeks suitable placement.

Gsm 98805474

Looking for job with car education

O level exp 6 yrs English, Arabic &

Hindi. Contact : 99640986

Indian Female, 24 Years - MSc

Biotechnology. Worked in Inter-

national Crops Research Institute

For The Semi Arid Tropics for pro-

ject work as trainee. Looking for

suitable job. Mobile: 92619048,


MEDICAL

Indian female BDS with MOH

license looking for job.

Contact 95347894


TOURS

TOURS

RENT A CAR

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP

specifi cation for monthly rent &

small car with driver.

Contact: 99839898

SITUATION WANT-

ED

TOURS

SITUATION WANTEDCARGO

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation.Contact: 99099714

Transportation Al Khuwair.

Contact: 92711421

Transportation available Ruwi to

Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909

Transportation. Contact 92015894

DRIVING

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with

Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain

Marine Tours contact 98029602,

92808636

We arrange tours & accommoda-

tion at all the beautiful places in

Oman. Contact 99839898

Flats for sale Kerala Trichur fully

furnished 3BHK fl at 1575 sq ft ready

to occupy & ready & occupy fl at,

3BHK 1600 sq ft 1No , 3 BHK 1200

sq ft 1No. at heart of Trichur N.H road

frontage. Contac: 99073124

Located about 1/2 km behind

Cherplasseri town bus stand (Palak-

kad) 8 cents or 16 cents of residen-

tial plot for sale @ 3 lakh per cent.

Contact 97375638.

One bedroom fl at in Guruvayoor

Kerala, 2 minutes walk to Guruvay-

oor temple direct owner.

Contact: 00968 99466800

NRI

MV SALE

Hyundai Santafe 2010 model, 2.7

litres, Black Colour, Expat driven,

well maintained, 86000 kms.

Contact - 93304439.

Hiace Toyota van for sale, model

2010. Contact: 94203204

BUYING

MANPOWER

Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299

Buying cars for cash.

Contact: 90202090

WANTED

IELTS Coaching (academic) required nearby wadi Kabir area. Please call

on mobile or msg on Whats up. Mobile no: 92927880/99012165

ACC. AVAILABLE

Room with kitchen, bath avail-

able in Ruwi for a couple or single

working lady. Contact: 91450718 /

91429608

Accommodation available at

Al Hail Keralite family only.

Contact: 96234708

Big room, attached bathroom,

inbuilt cuboard, next to Sagar

polyclinic Al Khuwair, available

from Feb 7. Contact-97311413

Furnished bedroom with at-

tached bath and kitchen, separate

entrance available for Executive

bachelor for R.O 150/- per month

all inclusive in a villa OPP star

cinema. Contact: 99314807

Hail Independent rooms RO 140/-

& 160/-. Contact 95529970

A big room available for Muslim

couple / small family executive

bachelor near Hamriya R/A rent

130/- OMR, including water /

Electricity. Contact: 99495131

2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sitting

room, hall, kitchen with parking

space for rent in Mawalah, behind

City Centre. Contact 93930352

Fully furnished room with attached

bath for Executive bachelor behind

Al Meera Hyper market, Azaiba

150/- R.O. Contact: 99455735

Ghubra. Beautiful Room. Indian

Lady/Couple/Bachelor. Non-cook-

ing, Vegetarians. Contact 99283938

Spacious semi furnished room

with separate bathroom for execu-

tive bachelor opposite OC centre

Ruwi. Call: 92273779

Room available in Mumtaz area 1

room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1 room,

common bathroom. Interested

please Contact: 92680041 Mr. Altaf

GOOD NEWS

GOOD NEWS

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to

know more about Islam, please

call: 99425598, 99250777,

99353988, 99253818, 99341395,

and 99379133. For ladies:

99415818, 99321360, 99730723

Orvisit:www.islamfact.com

Genuine Ayurvedic treatments

& massage, Ayurvedic clinic at

AL Khuwair. Contact: 24478618 /

97263637 / 93309131

Ayurvedic treatment for backache,

paralysis, arthritis etc & massage,

All Season (Vaidyaratnam).Contact:

24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980

www.siddhayur.com

D8 W E D N E S D AY, F E B R UA R Y 3 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDEEmail: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

SERVICESWe Provide Cleaners,

Offi ce boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc.

Al Mudakhir Nati onal Est. LLC Contact : 94277020

Split & window A/c servicing &

maintenance. Contact 93769089 /

95323517

Building maintenance. Contact: 96173326

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of

your marble.Contact 24793614/

99314807

SITUATION WANTEDEDUCATION/CLASSES/TRAINING/COMPUTER/WEBSITE

Classes for Spoken EnglishTOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT

Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed

IELTS PREPARATION Target Band 8.0

EAGLES INSTITUTE92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: [email protected]

Karate and self defense classes

at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per

month twice a week Monday and

Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM.

CONTACT 98294551

Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English

class for Malayalam Speakers in Azaiba and Ruwi

• Learn in two months• Satisfaction guaranteed

Tel: 95244310

WEB, ERP and Business Intelli-

gence (BI) creation and man-

agement at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

LEGAL SERVICEAn Indian lawyer Provides all legal

services in company matt ers. Labour issues, contracts, agreements, LLC formati on, legal help for starti ng new business in Oman, Civil, criminal

cases,.service issues.Ibrahim Al Massalhi.legal consultancy

Sarafudheen, LLB, MBA,Legal Advisor

Muscat. GSM: 97351649

FURNITURE SHIFTINGMaintenance,

Dismantling, Packing, Shifting & Fixing furniture with expert technicians.Contact: 99041337

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing,

Contact 99314807/24792998

Water proofi ng ABUQABAS-

Contact 99320217/24788722

Cleaning services sofa, carpet,

shampoo old house or new house.

Contact: 92179395LOST

SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

A/C maintenance & servicing,

fridge, washing machine & dish

washer repairing, painting &

cleaning services, electrical &

plumbing. Contact: 99447257 /

97014234 / 24504281

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont

Maintenance services electric,

plumbing and A/C.

Contact: 96524904 / 94285064

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS-

99320217 /24788722

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile

polishing, pest control & anti-ter-

mite treatment, general cleaning

painting,Plumbing, Electrical,

shifting. Contact Mundhir

Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C.

Contact: 24810137, 99450130

It is notifi ed for the information that my original qualifying exami-

nation certifi cate secondary Ex-

amination of the year 2012-14 and

roll No. 8117277 issued by CBSE

has been actually lost. Name Meera

Ravichandran D/O of Ravichandran

Bahwan Building Materials PB 169,

PC 100 Muscat S. Of Oman.

Documents

Times of Oman - February 3, 2016