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

085010 1200106March 17, 2016 8 Jumada Al Thani 1437 AH

THURSDAY

21 40

On the occasion of the 18th National Day, 1988

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN

We stress the need for co-operation between the oil-producing countries to re-stabilise the international oil market. We hope that this co-operation will be more eff ective than it has been in the past. It is important for the world economy and most particularly important for producers and consumers alike.

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

MORNING MINUTE

OMAN35 stranded workers repatriated to India

1Out of the 74 workers who were stranded in a company in Oman without food and

salary, 35 were repatriated on Tuesday night itself after the Indian embassy offi cials took up the case. The workers were employed by a construction company based in Muscata few months ago. >A5

WORLDTrump warns of ‘unrest’ if denied nomination

2United States Republican front-runner Donald Trump warned on

Wednesday of riots if he is denied the party’s presidential nomination after a string of primary election victories, raising the temperature even more in a heated White House race. >A14

BUSINESSOpec to discuss oil output freeze in April

3Oil producers from Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries

and beyond are fi nalising a plan to discuss freezing output at a meeting in Qatar in mid-April, the latest move in a campaign by fi nancially-stricken crude exporters to shift the dynamics of an over-supplied market. >B3

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

A4Omani singer Nadeem wows global festival

SHAHZAD RAZA/RAHUL DASshahzad@timesofoman.comrahuldas@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: One of Muscat’s best known beauty spots, the ‘former’ Oman Dive Centre, looks set for a new lease of life with Muscat Hills Group revealing ambitious plans for its future including a golf course and a boutique hotel.

Times of Oman revealed in 2015 how the site had been re-branded as the Muscat Hills Dive Centre after years as ODC. Now

Chairman and CEO of Muscat Hills Group, His Highness Sayyid Al Rawy Kais Al Said, has shed light on future plans for the ‘Mus-cat Hills Resort’.

‘Transition’ of the siteHis Highness said the group were in discussions with the Ministry of Tourism over the ‘transition’ of the site. Plans include a new res-taurant and beach club, a nine-hole golf course, 70 to 80 chalets, 25 villas for sale — subject to the acquisition of an Integrated

Tourism Complex licence — plus a boutique hotel.

Muscat Hills Resort“We are looking at what was for-merly known as the Oman Dive Centre (ODC) now as the Muscat Hills Resort. Currently we are opening a new F&B outlet and beach club which will be open to the public, that’s the fi rst stage and then of course there will be a development further which we plan to build a nine-hole par three golf course in the Dive Cen-tre,” said His Highness.

“The beach club should have its soft opening by April, the golf course to open by this time next year, and the hotel and the villas are still to come, a few years away. Nothing is offi cial, these are our plans.”

The dive centre has long been a popular spot for tourists and Muscat resident, currently fea-

turing 35 ‘barasti huts’ for tour-ists to stay in and the venue has staged events such as New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Nestled between the upcoming Saraya Bandar Jissah develop-ment, which will see hundreds of new residents move to the area and tourists visit two new fi ve-star hotels beginning next year, and the plush Barr Al Jissah re-sort across the bay that is home to the Shangri-la resort and spa, the Muscat Hills Group plans for the former ODC site will add to the area’s leisure and residen-tial boom.

Major renovation“At the moment, the whole place is undergoing construction; ma-jor renovation and reconstruc-tion work is taking place at the centre,” a source from Muscat Hills had said earlier to Times of Oman. >A7

Muscat Hills Group plans a new restaurant

and beach club, a nine-hole golf course,

chalets and villas for sale at the beauty spot

His Majesty congratulates Irish President

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Michael D. Higgins of Republic of Ireland on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty expressed his sincere congratulations and best wishes of good health and hap-piness to President Higgins and the Irish friendly people further progress and prosperity. — ONA

C A B L E

SCENIC SPOT: The beautiful bay at the former Oman Dive Centre for which Muscat Hills Group have plans.

A new dawn set for Oman beauty spot

Air passengers to pay OMR2 extra as airport taxREJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Outbound airline pas-sengers will have to pay OMR2 extra as tax for every travel from Oman airports from July 1, travel agents said, citing a notice issued by Oman Air.

According to the notice, there will be an increase in the ‘OM’ tax from OMR8 to OMR10 for inter-national passengers from Oman and moreover, there will be a new ‘OM’ tax on domestic fares within Oman, eff ective March 15.

“Eff ective from March 15, for

travel on and after July 1, 2016, international departure adult and children will have to pay OMR10 as tax,” the notice read.

For domestic travellers, for all airports from Oman, eff ective for tickets issued on and after March

15, and for travel on and after April 1, up to December 31, adult and children will have to pay OMR1 per sector and the return fare will be OMR2.

“For travel eff ective January 1, 2017 domestic departure for

adults and children will be OMR2 per sector and for return fare it will be OMR4,” the notice added.

Included in the ticketTravel agents said the increased amount will be included in the ticket itself.

“The air ticket issuing system itself will include the new tax when tickets are issued to the cli-ent,” the travel agents said.

In March 2015, the Oman Air-port Management Company had issued a circular stating that all in-ternational departing passengers will have to pay OMR8 and transit

passengers will have to pay OMR1 as new passenger charges.

According to the latest data available, total passenger traffi c (including transit and transfer passengers) passing through the Muscat International Airport, in-creased by 20 per cent to 1,021,929 passengers during January, com-pared with 851,588 passengers for the same period in 2015.

Data showed an increase in the arrival of passengers by 22 per cent to 517,473 during January this year, compared with 425,045 passengers for the same period in 2015.

F R O M J U L Y 1

28 families evacuated after fi re in buildingREJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

Muscat: Around 28 families were evacuated after a fi re broke out in a residential building lo-cated at Honda Road in Ruwi early morning on Wednesday, residents said.

“The fi re broke out in a fl at in the building after midnight. We were all clueless about what happened. It was a scary situa-tion. The fi re brigade was called and they had to work for more than two hours to contain the fi re,” residents said.

“A police team evacuated all of us. We had to stay in our friends’ room. We just returned to our fl at. Today we won’t be able to go to offi ce,” residents added. “Nobody was injured in the fi re,” residents said.

A fi re had also broken out in a residential building in Muttrah last week.

A Royal Oman Police (ROP) offi cial had said earlier that the fi re threat remains a major challenge for establishments in Oman.

“Unorganised and poorly marked storage of cables and fl ammable materials in any building raises the risk of dam-age by fi re,” Colonel Said Al Asmi, assistant general man-ager for Operations at ROP said.

Lack of proper safety pre-cautions at some hotels, ports, banks and other facilities in Oman can put them at risk of catching fi re, Al Asmi said, adding that instances of such fi res breaking out increased during summer due to high temperatures.

H O N D A R O A D I N R U W I

FIRE DOUSED: Fire broke out in a residential building. – Supplied pictures

Oman rules out currency devaluation rumours

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Oman’s central bank said that the country is still committed to peg the rial to the United States dollar and the value of the currency in the futures market did not change.

Responding to rumours in the market, Hamoud bin Sangour Al Zadjali, executive president of the Central Bank of Oman, stated that other Gulf states also refuted baseless rumours of de-valuation of Omani rial against other Gulf currencies.

Such reports are generated in light of the economic pressures that oil-producing countries currencies are facing due to de-cline in global oil prices since the middle of last year, he added.

“False and unverifi ed stories have been spreading around lately about the fl uctuating val-ue of the Omani currency, espe-cially on social media, prompt-ing the Central Bank of Oman to publish clarifi cations to the public,” the central bank chief said in the latest edition of the ‘Al Markazi’ magazine.

He also clarifi ed that inter-est rates in the Oman’s banking sector are determined by supply and demand forces in line with the principles on which the Om-ani economy is based, including market freedom.

The Central Bank of Oman has realised early on that the banking sector must be guided to increase lending towards productive sectors instead of focusing on personal loans that have negative impacts on the economy in general, he added.

The central bank has taken numerous measures including consecutive reduction of inter-est rate on personal loans and the latest action was in October 2013 where a circular was is-sued to all commercial banks in the Sultanate to reduce interest rate ceiling on personal loans from 7 per cent to 6 per cent per annum. >A7

C E N T R A L B A N K S T A T E M E N T

Was the total passenger traffi c passing through

the Muscat airport

1.02m

HM receives message >A7

A2 T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

OMAN

More seats in institutes reserved for children of Indian workers in Gulf

REJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: More seats have been reserved for Children of Indians Working in Gulf countries (CIWG) looking for admissions at premier Indian institutes through Direct Admission to Students Abroad (DASA) scheme, an Indian govern-ment circular says.

According the circular, a third of the 15 per cent seats at premier Indian institutes, such as institu-tions/university departments, approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), of-

fering technical courses leading to diploma, degree and post gradu-ate degrees in engineering and technology, architecture and town planning, pharmacy, applied arts, MBA and MCA, hotel manage-ment and catering technology, will be reserved for CIWG.

As per the data available on the AICTE website, there are 10,329 affi liated institutions across the country. These institutions to-gether have an intake capacity of 39,56,234, but the total enrolment in the 2015 to 2016 academic year is 20,97,889.

“There shall be one-third

reservation for Children of In-dian Workers in Gulf Countries (CIWG). However, any vacant seats out of the 1/3 category of CIWG shall be reverted to the quota of 2/3 meant for other cat-egories of DASA- 2016. Eligibility of CIWG will be same as that of NRIs,” the circular stated.

However, CIWG will have to pay fee at par with resident citizens and have to present proof of either parent working in a gulf country.

“Such a candidate has to make a payment of USD300 as regis-tration fee (non-refundable) and USD700 towards tuition fee for

one semester. Fee as that of resi-dent students will be applicable. Any change in the tuition fee from competent authority from time to time will be applicable to CIWG also,” the circular added.

Proof that either of the parent is working in a gulf country, such as the copy of the passport of the parent working in the gulf, copy of the parent’s visa and copy of par-ent’s work permit (If any) will be required while applying for the admission.

“It’s a commendable move from the government side. This at least assures a little more seats for the

children of Indian workers in Gulf countries,” Radhakrishna Kurup, a teacher at Indian School Darsait, said.

“The majority of the Indian workers in the Gulf cannot be placed under the so-called wealthy Non-Resident Indian category. When an ordinary Indian mi-grant is considered an NRI parent, then they have to shell out a huge amount to get an admission for their child under the NRI quota. Now, with seats being reserved for ordinary Indian workers’ children in Gulf, it is surely a blessing,” the teacher added.

Indian government

has also ordered that

the fee charged from

such students should

be at par with that

charged from resident

citizens of India

Muscat Film Festival comes out with names of artists to be fetedTimes News Service/ONA

MUSCAT: Muscat Film Festival management announced at a press conference on Wednesday the names of artists who will be hon-oured during the festival to be held from between March 21 to 25.

The announcement was made by Dr. Khalid Al Zadjali chairman of the Board of Omani Society for Cinema. The names of actors to be honoured are Yousef Al Balushi from Oman, Suad Abdullah from Kuwait, Sabir Sabri, Bousi, Karim Abdelaziz and late Noor Al Sharif from Egypt.

Six fi lms of Muscat Internation-al Film Festival will be screened at the Vox Cinemas at City Centre Muscat apart from hosting a large number of celebrities during the festival, the organisers said on Wednesday. This will be in collab-oration with the Oman Film Socie-ty (OFS) under the auspices of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture.

On March 22 and 23, these fi lms

will be screened at the Vox Cin-emas at City Centre Muscat.

The programme on 22 March begins with ‘Half The Sky’ by Mo-roccan fi lmmaker Abdelkader Lagtaa, drama fi lm ‘Silence of the Shepherd’ directed by Raad Mushatat and the Egyptian fi lm ‘Khanet Elyaly’ will close the day.

On 23 March, the evening opens with ‘Le Puits’, followed by Omani fi lm ‘Bent Almashta’ and will con-clude with a star studded evening

with celebrities invited to watch Egyptian fi lm ‘Cairo Time’.

Stars expected to attend include: Pussi; Mirvat Ameen; Samir Sabri; Karim Abdul Aziz; Madeleine Tabr; Asmahan Tawfi q; Haifaa Hussein; Jamaan Al Rouwai; Ja-mal Ghailan; Tariq Abdul Aziz; and Solaf Fawakherji.

An award ceremony will take place after the movie ‘Cairo Time’ to celebrate the lead actors, and will feature a special recognition to the late Nour Sharif.

Husam Al Mandhari, Senior Mall Manager at City Centre Mus-cat, said: “We are delighted to be part of Muscat International Film Festival which brings a diverse mix of cultures together through the medium of fi lm.

“Majid Al Futtaim plays a signif-icant role in supporting the growth and development of the Sultanate and Muscat International Film Festival gives us yet another plat-form to support the growth of crea-tive industries.”

M A R C H 2 1 T O 2 5

4th Oman Air Media Awards announced at ITB BerlinTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Oman Air has an-nounced the winners of the Oman Air Media Awards 2016. The awards celebrate the best of Ger-man and Swiss travel and aviation writing and recognise writers’ contributions over the past fi ve years to the success of Oman Air and the destination of Oman.

The winners in each of the four categories of the awards were announced at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show, on March 9.

They were each presented with a framed reproduction of their reports, a certifi cate and a presen-tation case of traditional Omani silverware. In addition, an overall winner was chosen and was pre-sented, along with two business class fl ights and fi ve-star accom-modation in Muscat.

The winners in the two maga-zine categories were Ina Volkmer and Tina Bremer, whilst Marko Roth won in the blogger cat-egory and Harald Schmidt won the online media award. Harald Schmidt was also named as the overall winner.

Presenting the awards, Oman Air Chief Executive Offi cer (CEO), Paul Gregorowitsch, said: “It has been an honour to host the Media Awards during ITB Berlin. They have enabled us to recog-nize both the exceptional talent at work within Germany‘s and Switzerland’s travel media, and the awe-inspiring source of in-spiration that Oman provides for journalists.”

“We would like to off er our sincere congratulations to each of the four winners: Ina, Tina Marko and Harald, who have all published outstanding print, on-line or video articles about Oman and we are delighted to recognise their work.”

“We would also like to thank the very many other journalists throughout the German-language media, who have helped raise awareness about Oman, celebrat-ed the many wonderful attrac-

tions that the country off ers to visitors, and set an extremely high standard in travel writing.

“This year’s Oman Air Media Awards come at a crucial time for the airline. We have currently embarked upon an ambitious ex-pansion programme that will see Oman Air’s fl eet increase in size to 70 aircraft by 2020. Over the last year, we have taken delivery of more Boeing 737 aircraft, and have unveiled the fi rst two of our iconic new Boeing 787 Dreamlin-ers. Oman Air’s expanded fl eet will enable us to introduce a wide range of new routes in our net-work, adding to the 50 destina-tions to which we already fl y.

Charms of Oman“As a result of our expansion, Oman Air will be able to introduce thousands travellers from around the world to the unique and au-thentic charms that Oman off ers to visitors.

“And many of those visitors will fi rst hear about Oman, and Oman Air, via the media.

“The Oman Air Media Awards are designed to recognise and ac-knowledge the very best of that media coverage. We look forward to reading the many articles that we know will be published about Oman over the next 12 months and to recognising future talent in

the years to come.” Each of the winning pieces

provided readers and viewers with a wealth of information about Oman and how to get there. Volkmer, writing for Laura maga-zine, brought the desert to life in a colourful article, which also fea-tured the food off ered at a Nizwa souk (market) and the warm hos-pitality of the Omani people.

Bremer’s feature, published in Swiss magazine Bolero, described the balance that the Sultanate of Oman successfully achieves between tradition and progress. It followed a road trip, which took one from the capital city of Muscat and the modernity of the Royal Opera House, to the rose gardens of Jabal Akhdar and on a romantic desert camp.

Hospitality was again the focus of Schmidt’s online feature for the reisestories.de travel web-site. Schmidt was invited to stay with an Omani oil worker and to experience life in the Sultanate. His article is rich in information about Oman, it history and cul-ture, whilst stressing the friend-liness and hospitality off ered by Omanis to their guests.

Roth’s winning entry in the Bloggers category of the awards was an outstanding fi lm about Oman, which was published on easywriters.de.

T R A V E L W R I T I N G

Mobile tourist

vehicles project

to be launched

SALALAH: Ministry of Tour-ism will launch next Sunday at Salalah port the mobile tourist vehicles project under the aus-pices of Abdullah bin Aqeel Al Ibrahim Acting Deputy Gover-nor of Dhofar.

Ministry of Tourism car-ried out the project with fund-ing from the Salalah Methanol Company and in cooperation with the Public Authority for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises ‘Riyada’, Al Raff d Fund and Salalah Port to support tourism initiatives and small and medium enter-prises (SMEs) that contribute to the development of tourist sites in the Sultanate and the provision of services needed by tourists and visitors to the governorate.

It is worth mentioning that the mobile tourist vehicles will be present at Salalah port dur-ing the cruise ship season and in a number of tourist sites during the Khareef season. — ONA

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

AWARDED: The winners in each of the four categories of the

awards were announced at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel

trade show, on March 9. – Supplied photo

Six films of Muscat

International Film

Festival will be screened

at the Vox Cinemas at

City Centre Muscat

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Oman delegation meets UN offi cial

GENEVA: A delegation from the National Human Rights Com-mission (NHRC), headed by Mo-hammed bin Abdullah Al Riyami, Chairman of the Commission met Kate Gilmore, Deputy High Com-missioner for Human Rights and Scheherazade Tajikistan Head of the UPR section in Geneva in the presence of a government del-egation headed by Abdullah bin

Nasser Al Rahbi, the Sultanate’s Ambassador and Permanent Rep-resentative to the United Nations.

The meeting aimed at enhanc-ing aspects of joint cooperation between the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and NHRC in the protection and promotion of human rights in the Sultanate, and to increase awareness of the importance of the universal pe-

riodic review mechanism by all competent authorities by high-lighting their roles with respect to the implementation of the recommendations approved by the Sultanate. The meeting also stressed the importance of coop-eration between all institutions concerned in Oman when draft-ing the action plan to implement the recommendations. — ONA

H I G H C O M M I S S I O N E R F O R H U M A N R I G H T S

A4 T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

OMAN $4bis the value of LNG

imported by South

Korea from Oman

Omani singer Nadeem wows global festival

DEEBA HASANdeeba@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Omani singer Nadeem Al Balushi was chosen by the Art of Living organisation to perform at World Culture Festival 2016, which was held on the banks of the Yamuna River in New Delhi, India from March 13 to 15.

The festival marked the 35th anniversary of the organisa-tion, which was started by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Nadeem was fi rst contacted by Kamal Khimji, head of the Art of Living organisation in Oman, about participating in the festi-val. “Kamal Khimji called me to discuss performing in a show at the Al Falaj Hotel to celebrate 35 years as a representative of Art of Living, and then she off ered me the chance to join the big celebra-tion, which she said would hap-pen in India, and said I would be representing Oman in India. I was very excited about the opportu-nity and agreed. I was also sup-ported by friends Hassan, Jagdip and Dipti in this.”

At the festival, Nadeem sang a song with two other singers from Jordan, who were supported by a chorus, and said that it was an ex-

perience of a lifetime. “I could only see the fi rst row in

the audience, after which it was hard to see because there were so many people. It was a very color-ful event, with an audience of thousands of people, including Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, himself. From the Middle East and the Arab world there were singers repre-senting Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, UAE and Morocco.”

Participants and audiences from 155 countries were present at the festival, which is said to have been attended by 3.5 million people from around the world, along with Indian Finance Minis-ter Arun Jaitley, Delhi Chief Min-ister Arvind Kejriwal and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh

Yadav. “The celebration continued for three days, and I performed on the second day. On the fi rst and third days I was in the audience, and it was great to see people from so many diff erent countries at the venue. It rained over the three days, except for when it was time for our show. We were blessed.”

Apart from Nadeem, there were two other Omanis in the chorus.

“I was amazed at the num-ber of people, and when I fi rst held the microphone there I was about to cry because I was so overwhelmed. I think there were about 200 performances from within India, itself.”

Nadeem also said he was de-lighted when he had the chance to take pictures with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. “After our performance I went back to the stage, and a security guard for Sri Sri asked me if I wanted to join them. I was happy about it, so when I met him we took lots of pictures,” recalled Nadeem.

After launching his album and music videos in India, Nadeem is now working on releasing two more videos this year, he added.

For Omani singer

Nadeem Al Balushi

performing at

the World Culture

Festival 2016, said

to have been

attended by 3.5

million people from

around the world,

was an experience

of a lifetime

AMAZING SHOW: Nadeem sang a song with two other singers

from Jordan, who were supported by a chorus that included two

other Omanis. – Supplied photo

Oman-South Korea tourism growing steadily: EnvoyMOBIN MATHEW BLESSONmobinmathew@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Tourism between Oman and the Republic of Korea is seeing steady growth, said the Am-bassador to Oman.

“There is growth in the tourism sector between Oman and Korea; more Korean people are interested in visiting Oman because of its natural beauty,” Republic of Ko-rea’s Ambassador to Oman, Kim Daesik told the Times of Oman on the sidelines of a tree planting ceremony at the new Korean Em-bassy construction site.

“Many Korean business people have been participating in the pro-cess of development of the Omani economy, and more will come in the future,” he added.

According to the Ambassador, Oman and Korea are enjoying an excellent relationship.

“Since 1974, our relations have developed to the great satisfaction of both peoples in every fi eld,” the Ambassador asserted.

Pointing out that South Korea is the number one country to import LNG from Oman; he said the an-nual worth of the imports is $4 bil-lion. “Omani people are very keen to appreciate Korean achieve-ments,” the Ambassador said.

He also confi rmed that the Em-bassy of the Republic of Korea will

soon start functioning inside the new building at the diplomatic quarter.

New building “Construction of the new build-ing will be completed within three months and we may be able to hold an opening ceremony and the building will remain here forever to mark our close and ever-grow-ing relations,” the Ambassador further said.

A tree planting ceremony was held by Governor Song from the North Jeolla Province of Korea to mark the occasion.

According to the Ambassador, Governor Song is in Oman to gar-ner Omani support for hosting the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, one of the cities in the North Jeolla Province in 2023.

“Governor Song’s regional gov-ernment is a participant in our new Embassy building project, under the name of the Korean style of North Jeolla province to pro-vide the project with fi nal touch, interior decoration with such tra-ditional beauty and elegance,” the Ambassador said.

“I am sure that after seeing the work done by Governor Song’s province, you will all agree with me that you and the people who will visit the province later will feel the essence of Korean aesthetic sense and beauty,” he added.

Ambassador Nasser bin Mo-hammed Al Busaidi, chief of Pro-tocol, Ministry of Foreign Aff airs; Ambassador Mohamed bin Ahmed Al Bulushi, chief of East Asia, Min-istry of Foreign Aff airs; Dr. Dato Haji Besar bin Haji Abu Bakar, Brunei’s ambassador and dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassa-dors of other friendly countries, as well as a number of offi cials at-tended the ceremony.

H O S P I T A L I T Y

There is growth in

the tourism sector

between Oman and

Korea; more Korean

people are interested in

visiting Oman because

of its natural beauty,

said South Korea’s

Ambassador to

Oman, Kim Daesik

HAPPY OCCASION: South Korea’s Embassy in Muscat will soon start functioning inside the new build-

ing at the diplomatic quarter, said the country’s Ambassador to Oman, Kim Daesik. – Supplied photo

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35 stranded Indian workers repatriated

REJIMON K reji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Out of the 74 Indian workers, who were stranded in a company in Oman without food and salary, 35 were repatriated on

Tuesday night after Indian em-bassy offi cials took up the case.

The Times of Oman had fi rst re-ported the story (http://timesofo-man.com/article/79457/Oman/More-than-60-expatriate-work-ers-on-strike-in-Omanof stranded

workers) on Tuesday afternoon.The workers, mainly from

North Indian states, were em-ployed by a construction compa-ny based in Muscat a few months ago. The workers were on strike alleging non-payment of salary and non-supply of food for the last few days.

“In all, there were 74 workers stranded in the camp. Out of that, 35 left on Tuesday night with the embassy’s help and 16 will leave tonight (via a Thursday morning fl ight) for India. The company of-fi cials have assured us that the

rest will be repatriated on March 22,” the stranded workers said.

Most of these workers came to Oman after paying between OMR300 and OMR500 to recruit-ment agencies back in India.

An offi cial from the company had said on Tuesday that they were planning to send back the workers to India.

According to a legal advisor, non-payment of salary is against Oman’s Labour Law and com-panies cannot breach the terms and conditions agreed to in the job contract.

The workers were on strike alleging

non-payment of salary

Indian Schools’ Board

meeting postponed

REJIMON K reji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A meeting to select the Chairman for the Indian schools’ Board of Directors has been post-poned to March 29, a top offi cial from the board said.

“Most probably the meeting to select the new Chairman for the board will be held on March 29,” Wilson George, the chairman of the current board said. A meeting was held last Monday to select the new Chairman; however, due to some issues it couldn’t be completed.

An existing board of director, who attended Monday’s meeting,

said some errors had taken place in the procedures for inducting a new member to the board and moreo-ver the board had failed to send let-ters to a promoter school seeking fresh nominations from them.

“There were some procedural errors in the appointment of the Indian School Muscat’s School Management Committee’s Presi-dent, who will automatically be-come a board member. The com-mittee, which had appointed him, had not followed all the rules. This had led to discontent among mem-bers and some had urged that elec-tions be held only after correcting this,” the board member said.

E D U C A T I O N

13th SAI–Times contest set to take off Times News Service

MUSCAT: The thirteenth SAI Group and Times of Oman’s ‘Spreading the Light Through Hu-man Values’ Essay Writing and Poster Making Competition is set to take off , and in the process kin-dle the thought process and crea-tivity of Omani school children.

The event, supported by Min-istry of Education, Oman, will be held on April 9 at Muscat, April 16 at Sohar, Ibri and Nizwa and April 23 at Sur, Salalah and Buraimi.

To ‘Inspire children to take on life in a value-based manner‘ is the purpose of this competi-tion, which is open to students of Omani Government and Private Schools – Arabic and Bilingual, as well as International and Special Education Schools.

The contest encourages origi-nality of ideas and expression, quality of content and depiction of human values. The suggested word limit for essays is 400 words for Group A and B and 700 words for Group C and D. The time limit is 90 minutes for essay writing

and 120 minutes for poster mak-ing. Essays are to be written in English.

Evaluations will be performed by a panel of three judges. All es-says will be judged based upon the relevance of their content, ef-fectiveness of conveying human values, presentation, neatness and language. The posters will be judged based upon their creativity.

Helping handA brief write-up for each topic that will provide a helping hand to the participating children can be downloaded at http://www.saivaluesoman.org/2016/SAI-Sample.pdf.

This is meant to off er some as-sistance to parents and teachers to discuss with or guide partici-pating children.

These hints can be developed or a new, but relevant approach to the topic is also welcome.

For further details, contact GSM: 95149226 or 92185310 or email: saitimesoman9@gmail.com or website www.saivalueso-man.org.

E S S A Y W R I T I N G A N D P O S T E R M A K I N G C O M P E T I T I O N

To ‘Inspire children to take on life in a value-based

manner‘ is the purpose of this competition, which

is open to students of Omani Government and

Private Schools – Arabic and Bilingual, as well as

International and Special Education Schools

A6

OMANT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

We are proud to see BDLU commencing its mandate and we are looking forward to its contribution to enriching the workplace environment at BankDhofar.

Abdul Hakeem Omar Al Ojaili, Acting CEO BankDhofar

BankDhofar establishes Labour Union, elects membersTimes News Service

MUSCAT: BankDhofar Labour Union (BDLU) has been offi cially established following the comple-tion of its members’ registration and the election of its board mem-bers. The General Assembly of the BankDhofar Labour Union had elected its board in July 2015 and was approved by the Ministry of Manpower in accordance with the Ministry’s Article No. 7 of the Min-isterial Decision No. 2012/570.

BankDhofar’s acting Chief Ex-ecutive Offi cer (CEO) Abdul Ha-keem Omar Al Ojaili hailed the es-tablishment of BDLU, reiterating the bank management’s support and commitment to facilitating

the union’s eff orts. “We are proud to see BDLU commencing its mandate and we are looking for-ward to its contribution to enrich-ing the workplace environment

at BankDhofar. The union will defi nitely play a positive role and will strengthen the communica-tion and interaction between the bank’s management and employ-

ees throughout all organisational levels,” he said.

Salim bin Alawi Al Gazali was elected as president of BDLU, Dr. Hamid Al Marjan as vice presi-

dent, Hadeel Mohammed Redha Hassan as secretary and Mubarak bin Hamed Al Hassani as treasur-er. Al Gazali elaborated on the es-tablishment of BDLU, its function and objectives.

“The union has been founded to safeguard the employees’ inter-ests and to improve the workplace environment. It is an independ-ent entity, fully run by its elected board members as per the laws and legislations of labour unions in the Sultanate. It will function as a common platform of com-munication between the bank’s management and employees in order to serve the mutual goals of both parties. We are committed to boosting the status of BankDhofar

staff socioeconomically, culturally and vocationally, and we will work in accordance with the framework of the General Federation of Oman Trade Unions and the rules and regulations the Ministry of Man-power,” he stated.

Management of the bank wel-comed the decision of establishing BDLU as the bank is committed to providing an inspiring workplace environment that encourages pro-ductivity and innovation. As part of its continuous eff orts to acceler-ate staff development and career growth, the bank off ers a host of training programmes that are spe-cially designed to suit the needs and requirements of each respec-tive employee.

B A N K D H O F A R L A B O U R U N I O N

ELECTED MEMBERS: The union has been founded to safeguard the employees’ interests and to im-

prove the workplace environment. — Supplied picture

Spotlight on medical tourism at health expo

DEEBA HASANdeeba@timesofoman.com

Muscat: Free medical consulta-tions with doctors and medical experts were off ered, along with free check-ups for eye ailments, diabetes and breast cancer at the international health expo that concluded on Tuesday.

Also, representatives of the hospitals off ered information on Ayurveda medicine, cosmetic surgery, dental services, skincare, spa and wellness services, ortho-pedic-knee and back care, and dis-abilities, among other ailments.

More than 50 hospitals and clinics took part in the ELAJ International Health and Medi-cal Treatment Expoat the Oman International Exhibition Centre (OIEC) between March 13 and 15.

Representatives were present from India, Thailand, Korea, Iran, Turkey, Germany, Ukraine, Cuba and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“Based on my experience, we see a minimum of 10 patients per month, but not all of them go through us, some just go directly, probably because of monetary issues. Most of the Omani pa-tients go to Thailand for medical treatments, then India, Iran and Germany, I believe,” said a rep-resentative from Steps Health Referral Offi ce, a medical agency based in Oman.

“For those patients who go through us, we assist them free of charge, off er consultations and help them with translators in the country. Most patients who travel have orthopedic ailments, or are car accident victims, as well as cancer and pediatric patients,” the representative added.

Dr. Abhishek Srivastav from the Sri Sri Ayurveda Clinic in Al Khu-wair, which off ers a holistic ap-proach to medical care, said more than 50 per cent of their patients are from Oman. “We get lots of pa-tients with back pain, obesity, and diabetes, as well as those patients who are very severe and need treatment for months and a prop-

er diet. We send them to India to our Sri Sri Ayurveda hospital in Bangalore. Over 50 per cent of our patients are Omanis, and the rest are expats,” said Dr. Srivastav.

“The majority of the patients from Oman go to India because the standards are high and it is also much cheaper for services. The main medical points in India are Delhi, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, and Chennai,” said Dr. Soumya Alikunju from Medical Coordination Services, a medical agency also based in Muscat.

It was reported in October 2015 that a large number of Oma-nis were regularly travelling to Germany for medical treatment.

During the same time last year, regulations were formulated by the Ministry of Health (MOH) for treatment of patients abroad, which was paid for by the minis-try, in which a team of fi ve doc-tors would examine patients before they looked for treatment outside Oman.

Previous statistics show that in 2012 alone, more than 60,000 Omanis visited Thailand for a va-riety of medical treatments, and this fi gure was expected to rise. About 3,500 patients visited India in 2012, it was reported.

In 2010, the Ministry of Health spent OMR1,693,825 to send pa-tients for treatment abroad.

Last December, Oman’s Min-istry of Health emphasised that visa rules needed to be followed by Omanis seeking healthcare in India, after 30 Omani citizens were denied entry at Chennai In-ternational Airport. It was added that anyone travelling for medi-cal care must have a medical visa, rather than a tourist visa. Indian authorities also told Oman that their rules are being strictly en-forced, and in the future no hospi-tal in India would accept overseas patients who entered the country-with tourist visas.

Earlier in 2014, Oman’s Minis-try of Health announced ‘Oman’s Health Vision 2050’, which in-cluded the establishment of 10,000 health centres to meet increasing demands arising from the country’s growing population.

More than 50

hospitals and clinics

took part in the

ELAJ International

Health and

Medical Treatment

Expoat the Oman

International

Exhibition Centre

(OIEC) between

March 13 and 15.

MAKING A POINT: Representatives were present from India, Thailand, Korea, Iran, Turkey, Germany,

Ukraine, Cuba and the United Arab Emirates. — Supplied picture

Forum discusses challenges to ‘information technology’Times News Service

MUSCAT: Oman Information Security Gathering (ISeG Oman 2016), organised by the Free and Open Source Software Society (FO3S) at Sultan Qaboos Uni-versity, opened at the university under the patronage of Dr Re-hma Al Mahrooqi, SQU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Research.

The gathering includes pres-entations and practical sessions about information technology. FO3S, functioning under the su-pervision of the Communication and Information Research Centre at SQU, organised this event as part of eff orts to spread aware-ness about security for informa-

tion systems in today’s high tech-nology environment.

Ensure securitySpeaking at the gathering, Prof. Hadj Bourdoucen, Director of CIRC, underscored the need to ensure security for information systems, as organisations are be-coming more dependent upon those systems.

“The public is increasingly concerned about the proper use of information, particularly per-sonal data. The threats to infor-mation systems from criminals are increasing. For organisations, information is an area of opera-tion that needs to be protected as part of their system of internal controls. As individuals, we usu-

ally hold sensitive personal in-formation on our home comput-ers and typically perform online functions, such as banking, shop-ping and social networking,thus sharing our sensitive information with others over the Internet,” Bourdoucen said.

“As more and more of this in-formation is stored and processed electronically and transmitted across company networks or the internet, the risk of unauthorised access increases and we are pre-sented with growing challenges of how best to protect it,” he added.

FO3S is organising this event in association with national or-ganisations, including ITA, TRA, and telecom companies Omantel and Ooredoo.

S U L T A N Q A B O O S U N I V E R S I T Y

The majority of the patients from Oman go to

India because the standards are high and it is also

much cheaper for services. The main medical

points in India are Delhi, Mumbai,

Coimbatore, Hyderabad, and Chennai

Dr. Soumya AlikunjuMedical Coordination Services, a medical agency based in Muscat

A7

OMANT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

Huge demand for real estate project in Oman

His Highness was speaking at the launch of the group’s new master-planned community The Boulevard project, a new down-town district featuring commer-cial and residential properties, shops and dining, at the expand-ing ITC close to Muscat Interna-tional Airport.

His Highness Sayyid Al Rawy Kais Al Said said that the drop in oil prices had not aff ected perfor-mance of the group.

“Integrated Tourism Complex (ITC) properties are doing good as many nationalities are com-ing in from all over the world,” he said.

Offi cials said that the demand for the ITC properties continued to be strong as people continued to invest in good properties.

“That is one of the reasons it is no wonder that the properties in Muscat Hills are well sought af-

ter with its magnifi cent backdrop and ITC status off ering freehold ownership to all purchasers, Om-anis, GCC nationals and expatri-ates alike.

Muscat Hills with its dis-tinct principle of ‘inclusive de-velopment,’ be it with a joint-development approach or with sub-developers’ participation, continues to contribute mean-ingfully towards real estate sec-tor in Oman,” offi cials added.

I N T E G R A T E D T O U R I S M C O M P L E X

< FROM

A1

No plans to raise ceiling imposed on rates

“Such measures and reductions are carried out upon periodical re-view by the board of governors to-wards the various issues that con-cern the banking sector including setting interest rates in general,” noted Al Zadjalil.

There was a decline in inter-est rates in the local banking sector in the recent past, as the likely average of interest rates on loans in Omani rial declined from 5.080 per cent in December 2014 to 4.762 per cent in December 2015. The decline in the inter-est rates was mainly attributed to the low risk level associated with personal loans.

“There are no plans to raise the ceiling imposed on interest rate on personal loans under the cur-rent conditions,” added the central bank chief.

Case of a hikeIn case of a hike in interest rates on deposits, which may lead to an increase in fi nancing costs on borrowers and in price levels, he said. “This will attract more cus-tomers to deposit their savings in commercial banks to benefi t from the return on increased fi xed deposit rates.”

In order to keep risk at a certain

manageable level in a manner that enhances safety indicators and so-lidity of fi nancial institutions and consolidating the stability of the fi nancial system while facilitat-ing fi nancial transactions in a way that benefi ts the economy and the country in general, precautionary directives and regulations on cred-it disclosure are currently applied to non-residents and funds depos-ited abroad. These were set forth and reviewed by the Central Bank

of Oman and completed through consultation with commercial banks that made valuable contri-butions in this respect.

Accordingly, CBO expects the Omani banking sector to continue its fructuous performance in the current year 2016 under the tight surveillance of the Central Bank of Oman besides enjoying comfort-able levels of liquidity and fi nan-cial solvency. This will qualify it to meet the needs of the private sec-

tor, which is anticipated to main-tain the growth momentum that enables it to play its leading role in the economic diversifi cation pro-cess in the Sultanate.

Meanwhile, Islamic banking op-erations which started three years ago are adding extra diversifi ca-tion and fl exibility to the Omani banking sector and contributing in the enhancement of all bank-ing indicators quantitatively and qualitatively.

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

Muscat Hills continues to

contribute meaningfully

towards real estate sector

in Oman, officials of

the company added

Such measures and reductions are carried out upon

periodical review by the board of governors towards

the various issues that concern the banking sector

including setting interest rates in general

Hamoud bin Sangour Al ZadjaliExecutive president of the Central Bank of Oman

< FROM

A1

State Council reviews Oman education sector

MUSCAT: A presentation on the outlook of the education sec-tor in Oman was made to the State Council by the education Council yesterday.

The presentation was made when the State Council hosted today the Education Council, in the presence of Dr. Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al Manthri, Chairman

of the State Council. The Educa-tion Council made a presentation about the outlook for the educa-tion sector in the Sultanate, and highlighted the national education strategy in the Sultanate 2040.

The presentation, given by a number of undersecretaries, aca-demics, included many working papers on a study about restruc-turing the education system, the National Education Strategy in the Sultanate 2040, philosophy of education document, in addition to providing a working paper on school education projects and im-prove schooling law.

The presentation also dealt

with working papers on the High-er Education Law, and a num-ber of performance indicators in higher education institutions, as well as the review of the national system for the management of the quality of higher education, in addition to a working paper dealt with the technical educa-tion and vocational training in the Sultanate.

Extensive discussions on vari-ous themes included in the na-tional education strategy in the Sultanate 2040 interrupted the presentation.

The presentation was followed by open discussion. -ONA

The Education Council made a presentation

about the outlook for the education sector in

the Sultanate, and highlighted the national

education strategy in the Sultanate 2040

His Majesty recieves written message from Emir of Kuwait

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a written message from Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jabir Al Sa-bah, Emir of the State of Kuwait related to the fraternal relations binding the two brotherly coun-tries and issues of concern to the two sides.

The message was received on behalf of His Majesty the Sultan by His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said when he re-ceived in his offi ce this evening Sheikh Mohammed Al Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Envoy of the Emir of Kuwait who conveyed greetings of Sheikh Sa-

bah to His Majesty, the Govern-ment and the Omani people.

The two sides exchanged cor-dial conversations and reviewed the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries.

The meeting was attended by Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi, Minister of Interior and Fahd Hajar Al Mutairi, Ambas-sador of the State of Kuwait to the Sultanate.

The guest paid a short visit to the Sultanate this evening.

He was received and seen off by Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi, Minister of Interior and the Kuwaiti Ambassador to the Sultanate. -ONA

C A B L E

RECEIVING MESSAGE: The message was received on behalf of

His Majesty the Sultan by His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin

Tariq Al Said when he received in his offi ce this evening Sheikh

Mohammed Al Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah, Deputy Prime Minis-

ter, Minister of Interior and Envoy of the Emir of Kuwait. – ONA

Oman, UK scientists discuss new directions in research Times News Service

MUSCAT: British Council, in as-sociation with the Department of Business Innovation and Skills and the UK Science and Innova-tion Network, organised the “Wa-ter and Energy Research Sympo-sium” at SQU to promote links between scientists from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and uni-versities in the UK,and carry out joint innovative research in the water and energy fi elds.

Noted research scientists, spe-cialising in the energy and water fi elds from SQU and seven UK uni-versities, attended the symposium and discussed ideas to open new directions in water and energy research.

Russ Dixon, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy, Oman, in his address, stressed

the need for innovations in en-ergy research for oil producing countries,such as Oman.

“The drop in oil price is a con-cern for the countries in this re-gion. It is imperative to develop more innovative technologies to conserve energy and tap alterna-tive energy sources. For arid re-gions, water is a crucial topic and conservation and sustainable use of water should receive enough at-tention,” he observed.

SQU initiativesDr. Shahid Al Balushi, expert from the International Relegations Of-fi ce at SQU, delivered a speech out-lining SQU initiatives to support research and capacity building. He elaborated on various research funding options available to scien-tists in SQU and the university’s research ties with foreign univer-

sities and research institutes. In her address, Dr. Malak Ham-

dan, Head of the UK’s Science and Innovation Network in the Gulf, stated that science and innovation are at the heart of the prospects of any nation.

“A country by its own cannot fi nd innovative solutions to the complex set of challenges that the world is facing today. This makes international collaboration be-tween scientists imperative”.

Dr. Hamdan said she hoped that ties between scientists from Oman and the UK would result in innova-tive solutions to address water and energy security challenges, along with climate change issues.

Constantine Demetriou, Direc-tor for Commercialisation at The Research Council (TRC), spoke about the start-up and venture capital landscape in Oman.

W A T E R A N D E N E R G Y R E S E A R C H

Arab chambers

session begins

MUSCAT: 120th Session of the board of the General Union of the Arab Chambers, hosted by the Sultanate represented by Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) started at Grand Hormuz Hotel yester-day under the chairmanship of Mohammed Weld Moham-med Mahmoud, Chairman of the General Union of the Arab Chambers and Chairman of Muritanian Chamber of Com-merce and Industry in the pres-ence of Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry and heads and members of the Arab chambers boards and unions.

Minister of Commerce and Industry said that the meeting will discuss a number of themes namely the implications of the oil price slump on the Arab countries. — ONA

1 2 0 T H S E S S I O N

A8

REGIONT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

European Union agrees for curbs on Libyan leaders

BRUSSELS: The European Union has agreed sanctions on three Libyan leaders who oppose a Western-backed unity govern-ment, clearing the way for travel bans and asset freezes to be im-posed in the next few days, diplo-mats said.

EU governments have been hesitating for months, fearful of derailing peace eff orts, but West-ern powers recognised a unity cabinet as Libya’s only legitimate government on Sunday, and are pushing for it to move to Tripoli and start work.

BreakthroughThe sanctions deal marks a break-through for France, which hopes the measures will help accelerate the formation of a government and avoid Libya slipping fully into the hands of IS militants.

“Sanctions have been agreed,” a senior EU diplomat told Reu-ters, saying that although the legal text to support the sanctions still needs to be drawn up, no govern-ment is expected to object to the proceedings.

The three men are Nouri Abu-sahmain, president of Libya’s General National Congress in Tripoli, one of two rival parlia-ments, Khalifa Al Ghwell, prime minister of the Tripoli govern-ment, and Aguila Saleh, the presi-dent of Libya’s internationally

recognised parliament in Tobruk.Ghwell repeated his opposition

to transfer powers to the unity government in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday.

French and Italian offi cials have been saying for more than a year that the political chaos and security vacuum in Libya is al-lowing hardliners to gain ground, spreading out from Tunisia.

DiscussionEU foreign ministers held a 90 minute discussion on Libya on Monday with UN special envoy for Libya, Martin Kobler, and some governments warned about the perils of inaction.

“We have four centres of power in practice and it turns out that the most eff ective one is the one created by IS, which is develop-ing its structures there,” Poland’s

Foreign Minister Witold Waszc-zykowski said following the meet-ing. EU foreign ministers in Janu-ary promised 100 million euros ($108 million) of immediate sup-port for Libya once a government is formed.

Meanwhile in Tunis the prime minister of Tripoli’s self-declared government has warned Libya’s UN-backed cabinet - based in Tunis - not to come to the capital, saying such a move would be ille-gal and suggesting ministers could face arrest. Two rival administra-tions within Libya are fi ghting for control, one in Tripoli, and one in the east, while the United Nations has brokered a deal for a national unity government meant to bring the sides together and end the confl ict.

Responding to a request by the UN-backed Presidential Coun-

cil and Western powers for an immediate transfer of power , Khalifa Al Ghwell told Reuters late on Tuesday he could not hand over authority to a government he said did not enjoy the support of Tripoli’s parliament, the General National Congress (GNC).

The US and major European powers recognised the unity cabi-net as Libya’s only legitimate gov-ernment on Sunday, and are push-ing for it to move to Tripoli and start work.

Ghwell, who leads a government appointed after armed brigades supporting the GNC won a battle for control of Tripoli in 2014 and reinstated it, said the UN-backed cabinet lacked the legitimacy to govern from the capital.

“If they want to enter Libya as individuals they are welcome, be-cause they are Libyans. We don’t

advise them to enter Libya as a government, as to do so would be a violation to the law, and they will be treated according to the law,” he said.

Some major armed brigades in western Libya and several dozen GNC members or former mem-bers have also pledged to support the new government.

But the Presidential Council and the unity cabinet it nomi-nated last month have faced op-position from hardliners both in Tripoli and in the east, where an internationally recognised rival government is based.

This month, three members of a security committee appointed to prepare for the unity govern-ment’s move were briefl y detained in Tripoli.

Ghwell said such decisions were taken by judicial authorities, but warned that members of the cabinet could face the same fate.

“We are a sovereign state and must secure our city and safe-guard the security of our people, and if they try to come illegally they will create a unforeseen con-sequences in Tripoli and we don’t agree with this,” he said.

Ghwell backs parallel talks be-tween members of the two gov-ernments in Libya, which he said were preparing an alternative plan for a political transition that he said would be presented in the next two weeks.

Eastern opposition to a transfer of power is centred on concerns over future military leadership among allies of powerful com-mander Khalifa Haftar, whose Libya National Army has been leading battles against militants.

In a statement condemning a recent attack by suspected IS militants, the eastern govern-ment on Wednesday urged Liby-ans to fully support the army and “not count on the international community, which is still delay-ing in its support for Libya’s le-gitimate institutions”. — Reuters

France, Britain

pushed for sanctions

on three men who

oppose a Western-

backed unity

government in Libya

Germany, France slam Israel for seizing land

BERLIN/PARIS: Germany and France on Wednesday criticised Israel’s decision to appropriate large tracts of land in the occupied West Bank, saying the move vio-lated international law and contra-dicted a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian confl ict.

Israeli Army Radio said on Tues-day the land was near the Dead Sea and the Palestinian city of Jericho.

Israel says it intends to keep large settlement blocs in any fu-ture peace agreement with the Pal-estinians. Palestinians, who seek to establish a state in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, fear Israeli settlement expansion will deny them a viable country.

“This decision sends a wrong signal at the wrong time,” the Ger-man Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Especially in the cur-rent tense situation, both parties in the Middle East confl ict are called on to take steps for a de-es-calation and to fi nd ways that lead to an urgently needed resumption of peace negotiations,” it said.

In Paris, Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said France was “extremely concerned” by the Israeli decision. “Settle-ments constitute a violation of international law and contradict commitments made by Israeli au-thorities in favour of a two-state solution,” the spokesman said.

Palestinians have cited Israeli settlement activity as one of the factors behind the collapse of US-brokered peace talks in 2014, and a surge of violence over the past fi ve months has dimmed hopes nego-tiations could be revived any time soon. Germany, which has forged close relations with Israel in the decades, has repeatedly criticised Israel for its settlement plans. “All people in Israel and Palestine have a right to live in peace and security. Only a clear political perspective for a sustainable two-state solu-tion can guarantee this in the long term,” the ministry said. — Reuters

C I T Y O F J E R I C H O

‘Russian withdrawal was no surprise to Assad’s government’GENEVA: Russia’s withdraw-al of forces from Syria was no surprise to Damascus, Bashar Ja’afari, head of the Syrian gov-ernment delegation at peace talks in Geneva, said on Wednesday.

More than fi ve months after they started air strikes to bol-ster President Bashar Al Assad, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that most Russian forces would leave, and almost half have already left, according to a Reu-ters calculation.

“The Russian decision to with-draw partially from Syria was taken jointly by a common de-cision, taken both by President Putin and President Assad. So it wasn’t a surprise for us,” Ja’afari told reporters.

He said Russia’s military in-volvement in Syria was a mat-ter that would be constantly re-viewed by both countries.

“The day they will leave or withdraw or redeploy their forc-es partially or totally, it will be done again and again and again through a joint Syrian-Russian coordination action.”

Ja’afari rejected talk of a fed-eral model for Syria, in response to a move by Syrian Kurds to an-nounce a federal structure of gov-ernment in Kurdish-controlled northern Syria. “What we talking about here is how keep the unity of Syria,” he said.

He also rejected a suggestion by the opposition High Negotia-tions Committee that the Geneva talks should move to a direct for-mat, saying nobody should have a monopoly on representing the opposition.

He described the HNC chief negotiator Mohammad Alloush as a terrorist, saying the rebel group he belongs to, and which controls large swathes of the be-sieged suburbs of Damascus, was responsible for the death of many innocent people.

“We will not engage with this terrorist in direct talks, with this terrorist in particular, and so there won’t be any direct talks

unless this terrorist apologises and also shaves off his beard,” Ja’afari said.

Ja’afari also said he had “useful and promising” talks with the UN deputy Syria envoy Ramzy Ezzel-din, noting that procedural issues had to be thrashed out before moving to an agenda that tackled divisive issues.

Ramzy said there had been “important progress” in the last few days and the reduction in violence on the ground had been refl ected in the attitude of the delegations at the talks.

He noted some common ground in papers submitted by the two parties but said impor-tant diff erences remained to be bridged.

Meanwhile, the Arab League welcomed Russia’s decision to withdraw its troops from Syria, saying on Wednesday the move would help UN-mediated talks to end the country’s war.

“The Russian announcement... represents a positive and im-portant step towards fostering eff orts... for the success of the Geneva negotiations taking place under the auspices of the United Nations and for stabilising the truce,” Arab League secretary-general Nabil Al Araby said in a statement. — Reuters

C O M M O N D E C I S I O N

CLASHES GO ON: Members of forces loyal to Libya’s eastern government sit in armed vehicles during

clashes with the Shura Council of Libyan Revolutionaries, an alliance of former anti-Gaddafi rebels

who have joined forces with hardline group Ansar Al Sharia, in Benghazi, Libya on Monday. – Reuters

MATTER OF REVIEW: Syrian

Ambassador to the United

Nations (UN) and Head of

the Government delegation

Bashar Al Jaafari in Geneva on

Wednesday. – AFP

A9

INDIAT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

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Ethics panel to probe bribery charges against TMC MPs

NEW DELHI: The bribery charges against Trinamool Con-gress members would be probed by the Lok Sabha’s Committee on Ethics, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan announced on Wednesday, assert-ing that the “very serious” allega-tions impacted the “very credibil-ity of Parliament”.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan made the announcement soon after the Question Hour, a day after BJP, Congress and CPI(M) came together in Parliament to at-tack the TMC members allegedly shown accepting bribe in a sting and demanded an inquiry.

Allegations“Certain acts of alleged unethical conduct on the part of some mem-bers of the House have been re-ported in the press and the matter was also raised by some members in the House on Tuesday.

“These allegations are very se-rious in nature and seek to impact

upon the very credibility of parlia-mentarians and Parliament as an institution and therefore need to be examined,” Mahajan observed as she asked the L. K. Advani-headed 15-member committee

for “examination, investigation and report”.

The Speaker’s decision is remi-niscent of a similar probe by a par-liamentary committee in the Lok Sabha and the Ethics Committee

probe in the Rajya Sabha in 2005 in the wake of the ‘cash-for-query’ scam, which had led to the termi-nation of membership of 11 MPs — 10 members from Lok Sabha and one from Rajya Sabha. Somnath

Chatterjee was the then Speaker.In the purported sting telecast a

few days back, fi ve TMC members from Lok Sabha — Saugata Roy, Sultan Ahmad, Suvendu Adhi-kari, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Prasoon Banerjee, and Mukul Roy from the Rajya Sabha, were alleg-edly shown accepting money from fi ctitious offi cials of a fi rm.

Members, including those from the TMC, heard in pin-drop si-lence as Mahajan made the an-nouncement. “Keeping in view the extreme gravity of the matter, I have in exercise of my powers un-der the provisions of Rule 233B of the Rules of Procedure and Con-duct of Business in the Lok Sabha decided to refer the matter to the Committee on Ethics for exami-nation, investigate and report,” she said.

However, Saugata Roy later strongly protested the decision, saying it was “unilateral and one-sided”.

If it becomes a practice, then anybody will do a sting against members and inquiry would be ordered on such “unverifi ed” con-tents, he contended. The sting re-lates to April 2014, he argued and suggested that it dates prior to the constitution of this Lok Sabha.

The Speaker, however, brushed aside his objections, saying such a probe by a parliamentary commit-tee had been ordered earlier too, an apparent reference to ‘cash-for-query’ scam. The TMC mem-ber also said he had full respect for Advani and added that the veteran BJP member will be fair.

Government had on Tuesday made a pitch for an inquiry, saying either the Speaker can order it or the government can go for it. The House had seen BJP, Congress and Left making a common cause to target the Trinamool Congress on the issue, even as Mamata Ba-nerjee’s party claimed that the charges were a political conspir-acy ahead of the West Bengal as-sembly polls. - PTI

Speaker Sumitra

Mahajan made the

announcement

a day after BJP,

Congress and CPI(M)

came together in

Parliament to attack

the TMC members

allegedly shown

accepting bribe in a

sting and demanded

an inquiry

Kingfi sher Airlines’ brand valuation under scannerNEW DELHI: Under fi re from multiple agencies, Vijay Mallya’s Kingfi sher Airlines now faces a probe by the Serious Fraud Inves-tigation Offi ce (SFIO) into its al-legedly ‘infl ated’ brand valuation of over Rs4,000 crore.

The government’s white-collar fraud detection agency is prob-ing whether such a high valua-tion was arrived at fraudulently to get more funds from banks and siphon off the additional money for purposes other than proposed investment in the airline.

Burdened under huge losses and liabilities, including to the lenders, the airline fi nally had to be grounded in late 2012.

While lenders have stepped up their eff orts to recover dues totalling over Rs 9,000 crore, the founder and main promoter

Mallya left the country earlier this month. While SFIO was already probing Kingfi sher for “fi nancial irregularities and fund diversion”, the agency has now also begun

looking into the high valuation secured by the airline as part of its overall investigation, sources said. In this regard, SFIO is also looking into the role of Grant Thornton LLP which had valued the brand.

Support investigationsWhen contacted, Grant Thornton India LLP said it stands by the brand valuation report of King-fi sher Airlines and was ready to provide all required information to appropriate authorities.

“We fully stand by our brand valuation report which we be-lieve was appropriate in the con-text of when it was done and the purpose for which it was done. Grant Thornton will obviously be pleased to off er all the informa-tion we have in connection with

the matter to the appropriate au-thorities, and support any investi-gations,” it said in a statement.

Besides SFIO, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are also probing issues related to massive loan default by Mallya and others.

Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India is also looking into alleged cases of insider trading and violations to listing regulations and corporate governance norms, among other lapses. Recently, the ED registered a money laundering case against Mallya and others based on a CBI FIR registered last year.

The agency is also investigating the overall fi nancial structure of Kingfi sher Airlines and will look into any payment of kickbacks. - PTI

S E R I O U S F R A U D I N V E S T I G A T I O N O F F I C E

Petrol, diesel prices raised

NEW DELHI: Petrol price was hiked on Wednesday by Rs3.07 a litre, reversing its 3-month de-clining trend, while diesel rates went up by Rs 1.90 per litre.

Petrol in Delhi will cost Rs59.68 per litre from mid-night On Wednesday as against Rs56.61 currently, said Indian Oil Corporation, the nation’s biggest fuel retailer.

Similarly, a litre of diesel will cost Rs48.33 compared with Rs46.43 a litre at present.

While the hike in petrol price turns the clock back on the de-clining trend since January, this is the third straight fortnightly increase in diesel rates.

Petrol price was last cut by Rs 3.02 from March 1 and Wednes-day’s hike has wiped off all of that. Diesel price on that day was hiked by Rs1.47. In fact, consumers are still to get all the benefi ts from the sharp drop in international oil prices to a dec-ade low as the government on fi ve occasions since November has raised excise duty on the two auto fuels. - PTI

I N D I A N O I L C O R P O R A T I O N

RUCKUS: Councillors clash in a melee after Congress and CPI(M) councillors of Kolkata Municipality

staged a protest over a TV channel’s ‘sting operation’ on TMC leaders in Kolkata on Wednesday. - PTI

KALCHINI (West Bengal): Facing the heat of a controver-sial sting operation, West Ben-gal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the Opposition parties have formed a “nexus” to malign the Trinamool Congress ahead of the state Assembly election.

Speaking at an election rally here, Mamata also said a “section of media” is with the

Opposition parties and she will “expose” them later.

“We have done a lot of devel-opmental work in the last four years. No other political party in the country has been able to usher in so much of develop-ment. But the Opposition parties can’t see that develop-ment. They are only campaign-ing to malign us,” Mamata told an election rally here.

“They have formed a nexus to malign the TMC. A section of media is also with them. I won’t name them now, but in future I’ll expose them,” she said. Mamata said she will seek justice from the people of Ben-gal. “We have full faith in them. The Opposition parties want to divide West Bengal. But as long as I am alive, I won’t let them do that,” she said. - PTI

Mamata slams Opposition over sting operation

Modi to join world leaders at Madame Tussauds

LONDON: Prime Minister Nar-endra Modi will join the ranks of prominent global leaders at Mad-ame Tussauds in London, Singa-pore, Hong Kong and Bangkok next month, the world famous wax mu-seum announced on Wednesday.

Describing him as a “hugely im-portant fi gure in world politics”, the museum said the Indian Prime Minister had given the museum’s team of artists and experts a sit-ting at his residence in New Delhi earlier this year.

“Madame Tussauds has crafted fi gures of very distinguished dig-nitaries from around the world - how could I regard myself worthy of being alongside them? But when I was informed that your decision had emanated from public opinion and public sentiment, I was com-forted,” Modi said in a statement to the museum.

“During my sitting, I observed the team carefully and was deeply impressed by its dedication, pro-fessionalism and skill. I have vis-ited Madame Tussauds three or four times and had the pleasure of getting myself photographed standing next to the fi gures of vari-ous dignitaries,” he said.

The wax fi gures at each of the museum’s locations around Eu-rope and Asia will be dressed in Modi’s “signature kurta” in cream with a jacket and he will be fea-tured in a traditional pose “making a namaste gesture”. - PTI

I N W A X

Narendra Modi

Burdened under huge

losses and liabilities,

including to the lenders,

the airline finally had to

be grounded in late 2012

A10

INDIA T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

Lok Sabha passes Aadhaarbill, rejects amendments

NEW DELHI: Parliamentary ap-proval was on Wednesday accord-ed to the Aadhaar bill with the Lok Sabha again passing the bill with-out any of the amendments sug-gested by the Rajya Sabha which had returned the bill after a heated discussion.

The Aadhaar (Targeted Deliv-ery of Financial and Other Subsi-dies, Benefi ts and Services) Bill, 2016 was passed by the Lok Sabha by voice vote after all the amend-ments were negated and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sought to allay the opposition’s apprehen-sions on the bill.

The Congress and other oppo-sition parties had made a strong pitch against the overall nature of the bill in the Rajya Sabha, where the government is in minority, and the bill was returned to the Lok Sabha with amendments.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha af-ter CPI-M member Mohammad Salim referred to the amendments approved by the upper house, Jaitley said one of these sought to replace the words “national secu-

rity” with “public safety and pub-lic emergency” but noted these phrases had not been defi ned in the constitution.

“Though I consider the wisdom of the upper house but I reject their amendments,” he added.

Limited powers The Aadhaar bill was brought as a money bill with respect to which the Rajya Sabha has limited pow-ers and cannot amend but only suggest amendments. The debate on the bill in the upper house saw a heated debate as opposition members questioned the decision to convert it into a money bill.

The government saw an em-

barrassing defeat in its eff orts to stop the amendments - the sec-ond time in this session. Earlier, the opposition forced an amend-ment in the motion of thanks to the president’s speech, even after Prime Minister Modi urged them to pass it unanimously.

The amendments passed on Wednesday included on enrol-ment under Aadhaar (clause 3), mandatory use for government services and subsidies (clause 7), disclosing information in the in-terest of national security (clause 33) and allowing private persons to use Aadhaar (clause 57). The opposition had recommended that Aadhaar be made voluntary,

disclosure of information should be permitted in the interest of public safety or public emergency, instead of national security, and the clause allowing private per-sons to use Aadhaar be deleted.

“I don’t have an Aadhaar num-ber and I don’t need one, because I am not a benefi ciary of subsidy, but tomorrow if I want a mobile connection, the guys say ‘Where is your Aadhaar number! You made it mandatory no!” said Congress member Jairam Ramesh, who had moved all the four amendments that were passed.

Jaitley, however, held that Aadhaar was not mandatory and where people don’t have it,

alternative documents will be prescribed, while the user would be predominantly the state government.

“Tomorrow if Tamil Nadu gov-ernment decides that people be-low a certain income would get some benefi ts then it is manda-tory if you want benefi ts,” he said, giving an example.

Assuring that there are provi-sions for ensuring privacy, he said that personal information of a person would be shared only on basis of his consent, and the “core biometric data” will not be shared even if there is consent.

“The only ground on which data can be shared is national security.

One authority will be created in Delhi,” he said, adding that the decision of that authority will be reviewed by an authority headed by the cabinet secretary.

On it being made a money bill, he said: “Article 110 decides what a money bill is. If money fl ows into consolidated fund of India and money fl ows out of consolidated fund of India, and a law yields with that matter it becomes a money bill.”

“Article 110(3) says clearly it is satisfaction of speaker of Lok Sabha that is fi nal...

Once the speaker satisfi es her-self and says I certify it is a money bill, it will be a money bill and no authority in the country can ques-tion that provision,” he said.

He also rejected Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury’s argument that government was being hasty in bringing the law as a fi ve-member bench of Supreme Court is look-ing into the Aadhaar case.

“Sub-judice an argument which is available when issues of indi-vidual culpability are pending in the court, you don’t prejudice a trial or hearing in a court by dis-cussing it in a parliamentary fo-rum,” he said, adding that if the government waited for matters in court, petitions would be fi led on other legislations as well. - IANS

The Aadhaar Bill

was passed by the

Lok Sabha by voice

vote after all the

amendments were

negated and Finance

Minister Arun

Jaitley sought to

allay the opposition’s

apprehensions

on the bill

PROTEST: Trinamool Congress MP’s protest at Parliament House on Aadhaar card issue in New Delhi

on Wednesday. - PTI

Court directions to bring records of

Smriti’s educational qualifications

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission and Delhi Univer-sity (DU) were on Wednesday di-rected by a court here to bring the documents related to records of educational qualifi cation of Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani against whom a complaint was fi led for al-legedly giving false information in affi davits to the poll panel.

Metropolitan Magistrate Har-vinder Singh noted that in pursu-ance to court’s earlier order, the representatives of the commis-sion and the university have not brought the complete documents on Wednesday and some addition-al papers were required in the case.

The court had on November 20 last year allowed the plea of the complainant seeking a direc-tion to the offi cials of EC and DU to bring records of Irani’s educa-tional qualifi cation after he said he was unable to place them be-fore the court. It, however, had declined the submission of com-plainant Ahmer Khan, a freelance writer, seeking direction to the

CBSE to bring Irani’s class 10th and 12th records.

The complainant had claimed in court that Irani had deliberate-ly given discrepant information about her educational qualifi ca-tion in affi davits fi led before the poll panel and not given any clari-fi cation despite concerns being raised on the issue.

Khan had alleged that Irani had knowingly furnished misleading information about her educa-tional qualifi cation in affi davits fi led before EC and that a candi-date deliberately giving incorrect

details can be punished under the provisions of IPC and under sec-tion 125A of Representation of the People Act (RPA). The court on June 24 last year had taken cognizance of the complaint which accused Irani of furnishing false information about her aca-demic qualifi cations in the affi -davits fi led before the EC in 2004, 2011 and 2014.

The complainant had earlier claimed in court that in her affi da-vit for April 2004 Lok Sabha polls, Irani had said she completed her BA in 1996 from DU (School of Correspondence), whereas in another affi davit of July 11, 2011 to contest Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat, she had said her highest educational qualifi ca-tion was B.Com Part I from the School of Correspondence, DU. The complaint also alleged that in the affi davit fi led for nomination of April 16, 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Amethi constituency, Irani said she had completed Bachelor of Commerce Part-I from School of Open Learning, DU. - PTI

F A L S E A F F I D A V I T S

Smriti Irani

Government ups the ante over JNU row

NEW DELHI: Opposition’s criti-cism of its handling of the Jawa-harlal Nehru University row notwithstanding, government on Wednesday said what happened at the prestigious university was “defi nitely an anti-national activ-ity”, which cannot be allowed.

As the fi rst half of the budg-et session came to an end on Wednesday, Parliamentary Aff airs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said it was good that issues like JNU row and Rohith Vemula’s suicide were debated in both Houses as it “exposed” many parties which had earlier adopted a “spit and run” strategy.

Claiming the government has given eff ective responses to all is-sues that the opposition raised, Naidu said, “JNU incident raised some serious issues. Universi-ties, the highest seats of learning, are supposed to be the breeding grounds for reason, responsibility and maturity instead of pioneering anti-national activities.

“This message has eff ectively gone out in the public domain as a result of some opposition parties seeking to make a political capital out of it.”

Opposition exposed“Clearly what was happening in JNU by people inspired by a par-ticular ideology, ultra-Left and separatist forces... is defi nitely an anti-national activity. Govern-ment cannot allow such thing. All these things are in public domain. Some people have a fancy. They have become zeroes. So they want to make heroes. All parties are thoroughly exposed,” he said.

Without naming Congress, he said that it was regrettable that a party, which has ruled the coun-try for such a long time, is putting up posters of those who shouted slogans in favour of Afzal Guru in poll-bound Assam.

Calling the suicide of a “bright scholar” Rohith Vemula in Hy-derabad Central University as “un-fortunate”, Naidu said the truth will come out. - PTI

C R I T I C I S M

Plan to invest $120b in airport infrastructure projects: PranabHYDERABAD: India is plan-ning to invest over $120 billion in the development of airport infra-structure and aviation navigation services over the next decade with the civil aviation sector poised for fast growth, said President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday.

Inaugurating India Aviation 2016 here, he said the sector is poised for a faster and sustain-able growth with the develop-ment of 100 smart cities; new economic corridors; more than 50 new airports and expansion of existing airports.

“The deeper air penetration to smaller cities; better connectiv-ity to northeastern part of India; higher disposable incomes of the middle class of India is expected to further propel the growth of Indi-

an civil aviation industry,” he said.Mukherjee noted that India reg-

istered a growth of 14 per cent in civil aviation sector during the last decade. With foreign direct invest-ment (FDI) in air transport during the last 15 years touched the mark of $570 million, he said India con-tinues to be a favourite destination for foreign investors in civil avia-tion sector.

The government has allowed FDI through the automatic route to the tune of 100 per cent in green fi eld airports; helicopter services and seaplanes; maintenance and repair organizations and fl ying training institutes.

He also pointed out that 49 percent FDI is allowed through the automatic route for domestic scheduled passenger airlines and

ground handling services.“The open sky policy; greater

focus on infrastructure develop-ment; liberal FDI norms; robust technical and engineering capa-bilities; assured supply of skilled workforce in information technol-ogy and communication network has opened the doors to global players. This will make India a manufacturing hub of aerospace industry,” he said.

Mukherjee said as India is at the threshold of taking a major leap in the aviation sector, this event is well timed and resonates well with the latest policy initiatives of ‘Make in India’, ‘Stand up India’ and ‘Start up India’.He called upon the global giants to seize this op-portunity and take lead to forge long-term partnerships.

He also noted Indian civil avia-tion market is growing at a rapid pace and now ranks ninth in the world. It is estimated that by 2020, India would be the third largest civil aviation market.

With a network of domestic and 85 international airlines connect-ing 40 countries, Indian airports handled passenger traffi c of 190 million persons in 2015.

“Yet India is one of the least pen-etrated air markets in the world with 0.04 trips per capita per an-num as compared to 0.3 percent of China and more than 2 in the USA,” he said. Stating that by 2020, the to-tal passenger traffi c in India is like-ly to touch 421 million, he urged the government and all stakeholders to leverage this tremendous business opportunity. - IANS

I N D I A A V I A T I O N 2 0 1 6

ELATED: President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates the fi fth edition

of the biennial India Aviation 2016 at Begumpet airport in Hy-

derabad on Wednesday. - PTI

A11

PAKISTANT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

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Apex court lifts travel ban on Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Su-preme Court on Wednesday or-dered the government to lift a travel ban on former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, paving the way for him to leave the country while awaiting trial for treason and oth-er charges.

The departure of Musharraf, who has faced a battery of court cases since returning home from self-imposed exile in 2013, would remove a source of friction be-tween the powerful army and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Then army chief Musharraf overthrew Sharif in a 1999 coup and ruled Pakistan until 2008 when he stepped down in the face of widespread opposition to his rule. Current military rulers are known to have disapproved of the legal action against their old boss, which stems from his suspension of the constitution and imposition of emergency rule in 2007, when he was trying to extend his hold on power.

Sharif ’s government had long declined to let Musharraf leave the country, saying it was a decision for the courts. A provincial court had ruled in 2014 that Musharraf be allowed to travel abroad but the federal government appealed that decision. On Wednesday, the Su-preme Court rejected that.

“Appeal is dismissed,” the court said in a short order. Musharraf pleaded not guilty to fi ve counts of treason in April 2014. — Reuters

A L L O W E D T O L E A V E

Pervez Musharraf

15 government employees killed in Peshawar blast

PESHAWAR: A bomb on a bus carrying government employees in the Pakistani city of Peshawar killed 15 people on Wednesday, offi cials said, and a militant group claimed responsibility, saying it was revenge for death sentences passed against extremists.

The attack took place on a main road after the bus picked up gov-ernment workers from districts surrounding Peshawar and was taking them to work in the city.

Senior police offi cial Moham-mad Kashif said 15 people were killed and 35 wounded. A hospi-tal offi cial said the death toll was likely to rise.

“It’s premature to comment about the nature of the blast but it appears that explosives were planted inside the bus,” Kashif said. “There were 40 to 50 people on the bus.”

Lashkar-e-Islam, a militant group allied with the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility, saying it was to avenge a military court’s sentencing of 13 militants to death on Tuesday.

Pakistani security forces

stepped up their fi ght against the Pakistani Taliban and allied militants along the border with Afghanistan after the massacre of 134 children at an army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014. Bomb attacks have fallen off since then as the militants have been squeezed into smaller pock-

ets of territory. However, militant groups remain able to launch spo-radic attacks on security forces and civilian targets.

Two Pakistani employees of the US consulate in Peshawar and some soldiers were killed by a bomb while on a drug-eradication mission this month. — Reuters

Lashkar-e-Islam, a

militant group allied

with the Pakistani

Taliban, claimed

responsibility, saying

it was to avenge

a military court’s

sentencing of

13 militants to

death on Tuesday

CARNAGE: Pakistani security offi cials inspect a damaged bus after a bomb blast in Peshawar on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. - AFP

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INCONSOLABLE: Pakistani men comfort a mourner after the death

of a bomb victim at a hospital on Wednesday. — AFP

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Trump’s long time tango with RussiaJosh Rogin

When Donald Trump talks about his de-sire to have good relations between the US and Russia, it’s not a recent attrac-

tion. Trump’s attempts to expand his business and his brand there date back decades, and this history casts a shadow over his pro-Russian foreign policy. As a presidential candidate, he courts Putin’s favor, extending the charm off ensive intended to build the Trump real-estate empire.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if actually we could get along with Russia?” Trump asked at a recent Republican presidential debate. It’s a line he’s used in rallies as well. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have exchanged praise and Trump said he “would probably get along with him very well.”

Trump’s attraction to Russia seems to be mutual. There is a Russian-language website that collects Trump news and off ers sales of Trump books and products. There’s even a Trump 2016 Russian lan-guage mock campaign site. What Trump rarely talks about is his decades-long eff ort to do business in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia. Good US-Russian relations are potentially very lucrative for the Trump Organisation. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

In the 1980s, Trump was often seen on news shows off ering his services to negotiate with the Soviets. “Why don’t you negotiate the SALT talks for Reagan, Donald?” a man on the street once yelled at Trump, according to a 1990 profi le of Donald and Ivana Trump in Vanity Fair. In 1987, Trump traveled to Moscow and Leningrad to dis-cuss building hotels there. He even met with the Soviet ambassador to the US “It’s a totally interest-ing place,” Trump said at the time. “I think the So-viet Union is really making an eff ort to cooperate in the sense of dealing openly with other nations and in opening up the country.”

In a 1997 New Yorker profi le, Trump talked about his trips to Russia to explore having the Trump Organisation take part in skyscraper and hotel development projects in Moscow, includ-ing the reconstruction of the Moskva and Rossiya Hotels. “That’s a very big project; I think it’s the largest hotel in the world,” Trump told Russian politician Alexander Ivanovich Lebed at the time. “And we’re working with the local government, the mayor of Moscow and the mayor’s people. So far, they’ve been very responsive.”

Lebed, a former Russian presidential candidate, was eager to help Trump get established in the Russian market. “If Trump goes to Moscow, I think America will follow,” he told Trump.

Trump traveled to Russia in the 1990s with de-veloper Howard Lorber, whom Trump recently told the New York Times was one of his best friends. Lor-ber has “major investments” in Russia, according to Trump. Negotiations over the two hotels eventually fi zzled, but in 2008 the Trump Organisation was at it again, announcing it planned to build elite resi-dences and hotels in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi, and licence the Trump brand for other pro-jects. Donald Trump Jr., the candidate’s son, made the announcement in a speech at the 2008 “Real Estate in Russia” conference.

The younger Trump made over half a dozen trips to Russia on behalf of the Trump Organisation in the two years during which the US real estate mar-ket was collapsing during the Great Recession.

“The emerging world in general attributes such brand premium to real estate that we are looking all over the place, primarily Russia,” Trump Jr. told a Manhattan audience in September 2008. He said that while Russia was on the Trump Organisation’s “A-list” of emerging markets for investment, doing business there carried risks due to corruption and “because it is a question of who knows who, whose brother is paying off who, etc.”

Trump Sr.’s interest in Russian real estate de-velopment escalated in 2013. He met with Russian partners including developer Aras Agalarov to dis-cuss building a replica of his SoHo residential de-velopment project in Moscow. Trump’s other part-er in the SoHo deal was Alex Sapir, son of Georgian billionaire Tamir Sapir, a well-connected real es-tate developer in Russia. “The Russian market is attracted to me,” Trump told Real Estate Weekly. “I have a great relationship with many Russians, and almost all of the oligarchs were in the room.” That was also the year that Trump brought his Miss Universe pageant to Moscow.

Trump invited Putin to the event, although the Russian president ultimately didn’t attend. The event was held at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, which Agalarov owns. - Bloomberg View

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Obama has mastered the art of divide and rule I refer to the story Japan ruling party considers international arbi-tration over China dispute (March 16). Indeed, it is a pity to see the Asian countries falling into the trap set by United States. Washing-

ton’s policies have create an atmosphere whereby all age-old rivalries in Southeast Asia have come to the surface. Only a few years ago China and its neighbour-ing countries ties going along perfectly. However, in a bid to stem China’s rise and prolong America’s superpower status the South China Sea dispute was fanned by President Barack Obama’s socalled Asian pivot. It seems Obama has mastered the art of divide and rule. — Mehjabeen Sitara, Ruwi

Dynasty-based democracy leads to ineffi cient governance This refers to the news Philippine’s Poe favours easing foreign ownership in media, utilities (March 16). The case of Philip-pines is the same in many Asian countries. Take Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India

and South Korea, all have a dynasty-based democracy. Such a meth-od of governance is more or less a system run by oligarchs, which is exemplifi ed by Russia under President Vladimir Putin. — Gordon Goldstone, Wadi Kabir

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Busaidi presides over education, science meetMUSCAT: The Omani National Committee for Education and Sci-ence held its fi rst meeting of the year after the issue of Royal Decree No. 22/2001 on March 11, forming the general assembly of the Om-ani National Committee for Education, Culture and Sciences. The meeting was chaired by Sayyid Saud bin Ibrahim Al Busaidi, educa-tion minister who is also chairman of the committee. The meeting discussed several topics related to the Sultanate’s relations with the international, Arab and Islamic organisations’ relevant to education, culture and science and how to benefi t from these organizations expe-riences and fi nancial contributions.

1917: Russian Czar Nicholas II abdicates his throne.

1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson submits a $1 billion war on poverty program to Congress.

1984 Mozambique and South Africa sign a pact banning sup-port for one another’s internal foes.

1985: Newsman, Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut.

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Appreciating Pakistan’s Center of Excellence for Nuclear Security during his visit in March 2014, Director General International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano has remarked that ‘it is

very impressive that you organise the training in a very systemic and

operational manner’

WASEEM QUTAB

London’s future status as fi nancial capital of Europe is key factor in

debate about whether UK should leave EU. It would be a mistake for either side of the argument

to underestimate quite how aggressively London’s competitors

would attempt to wrest trading revenue away from the UK capital

MARK GILBERT

American Statistical Association came out this week with a statement outlining ways that scientists were using statistical tools incorrectly.

The association’s director, Ron Wasserstein, said the statement was prompted by concerns that misuse of statistics was contributing to a

proliferation of questionable results, especially in the social sciences

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Parts of Oman to witness rain later this week

MARCH 2001Scan this QR code to send letters to the Readers’ Forum, containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by e-mail (akhtar@timesofoman.com).

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1 More than 60 expatriate workers on strike in Oman

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2 Ancient Portuguese ship wreck discovered at island off the coast of Oman

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3 Rains likely in many parts of Sultanate

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4 Air strikes kill 41 civilians in Yemen’s northwestern province of Haja

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5 Red Bull F1 Showrun: Guess which racing legend is coming to Oman?

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1 Oman wins best Arabian tourist destination award at ITB Berlin

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2 ‘Increase in salary unlikely in Oman this year’timesofoman.com/Oman

3 Oman’s Public Authority for Electricity and Water announces hike in water tariff stimesofoman.com/Oman

4 28 families evacuated after fi re breaks out in residential building in Oman

timesofoman.com/Oman

5 Oman wins court case in US timesofoman.com/Oman

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North Korea sentences US student to 15 years in jail

SEOUL: North Korea’s Supreme Court sentenced American stu-dent Otto Frederick Warmbier, who was arrested while visiting the country, to 15 years of hard labour on Wednesday for crimes against the state.

Warmbier, a 21-year-old Uni-versity of Virginia student, was detained in January for trying to steal an item bearing a propagan-da slogan from his hotel in Pyong-yang, North Korean media said previously.

“The accused confessed to the serious off ense against the DPRK he had committed, pursuant to the US government’s hostile poli-cy toward it, in a bid to impair the

unity of its people after entering it as a tourist,” the state-controlled KCNA news agency reported, us-ing the acronym for the Demo-cratic People’s Republic of Korea.

CondemnedHuman Rights Watch condemned the sentence handed down to the student from Wyoming, Ohio.

Japan’s Kyodo news agency published a picture of Warm-bier being led from the court-room by two uniformed guards, with his head bowed, but visibly distressed.

“North Korea’s sentencing of

Otto Warmbier to 15 years hard labour for a college-style prank is outrageous and shocking, and should not be permitted to stand,” Phil Robertson, deputy director of HRW’s Asia division, said in an emailed statement.

Warmbier’s defence attorney said the gravity of his crime was such that he would not be able to pay even with his death but proposed to the court a sentence that is reduced from the prosecu-tion’s request of a life sentence, KCNA said.

Last month, Warmbier told a media conference in Pyongyang

that his crime was “very severe and pre-planned.”

He was at the end of a fi ve-day New Year’s group tour of North Korea when he was delayed at airport immigration before being taken away by offi cials, according to the tour operator that had ar-ranged the trip.

Warmbier’s sentencing comes as North Korea is increasingly isolated, with the UN Security Council imposing tough new reso-lutions earlier this month follow-ing the North’s January nuclear test and last month’s long-range rocket launch.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week said the North would soon test a nuclear warhead and ballistic missiles capable of car-rying nuclear warheads, in what would be a direct violation of UN resolutions backed by its chief ally, China.

Long historyNorth Korea has a long history of detaining foreigners and has used jailed Americans in the past to ex-tract high-profi le visits from the United States, with which it has no formal diplomatic relations.

North Korea is also holding a Korean-Canadian Christian pas-tor it sentenced to hard labour for life in December for subversion. The North is also holding a Ko-rean American and three South Korean nationals.

It has previously handed down lengthy sentences to foreigners before freeing them.

In 2014, North Korea released three detained Americans. For-mer governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who had previously travelled to North Korea, met the North’s ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday to press for the release of Warmbier, the New York Times reported.

“I urged the humanitarian re-lease of Otto, and they agreed to convey our request,” Richardson was quoted as saying.

While most tourists to North Korea are from China, roughly 6,000 Westerners visit annu-ally, though the United States and Canada advise against it. Most visitors are curious about life in the reclusive state and ignore crit-ics who say their dollars prop up a repressive regime. - Reuters

Otto Warmbier,

a 21-year-old

University of

Virginia student, was

detained in January

for trying to steal

an item bearing a

propaganda slogan

from his hotel in

Pyongyang, North

Korean media

said previouslyCONFESSED CRIME: Otto Frederick Warmbier, centre, a University of Virginia student who was de-

tained in North Korea since early January, is taken out of North Korea’s top court after being sen-

tenced, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by Kyodon Wednesday. - Reuters/Kyodo

Japan considers

international

arbitration over

China dispute

TOKYO: Japan’s ruling party urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government on Wednesday to consider seeking international arbitration over Beijing’s drilling activities in the disputed East Chi-na Sea, mirroring similar action by the Philippines.

Sino-Japanese ties have long been plagued by confl icting claims over a group of uninhabited East China Sea islets. Last year, Japan called on China to halt construc-tion of oil-and-gas exploration platforms in the East China Sea.

At the time, Tokyo accused Beijing of unilateral development despite a 2008 agreement to main-tain cooperation on resources de-velopment in the area, where no offi cial border between them has been drawn. China said then it had every right to drill in the East Chi-na Sea close to waters it disputes with Japan.

The Philippines has lodged a case with an arbitration court in The Hague about its dispute with China in the South China Sea. Chi-na reacted angrily and has pledged not to participate. Wednesday’s resolution by the Liberal Demo-cratic Party called on Abe’s govern-ment to fi rmly ask China for the prompt resumption of talks on the drilling issue, as well as to consider taking the case to an international arbitration court.

“If China shrugs off the request, some action must be taken,” Yoshi-aki Harada, head of an LDP panel on resources development in the East China Sea, told reporters. There has been no bilateral dialogue on resources development in the East China Sea in recent years despite repeated calls from Japan for re-suming such talks, he said. - Reuters

E A S T C H I N A S E A

Two Uighur militants killed in shootout

JAKARTA: Indonesian secu-rity forces have killed two eth-nic Uighur Chinese belonging to a militant network led by the country’s most wanted man, po-lice said on Wednesday.

Indonesia has launched an aggressive, military-backed, security campaign in the jun-gles of Sulawesi island as it battles the threat from grow-ing domestic support for the IS militant group.

Police said the men, part of China’s Uighur Muslim minori-ty, had joined Santoso, a militant in Poso in central Sulawesi, who is Indonesia’s most high-profi le backer of IS, and has been on the run for more than three years.

Tuesday’s shootout followed a challenge by security forces to a group of unknown men to identify themselves, during an operation to comb through a forested area of Poso, which is more than 1,600 km (994 miles) northeast of Jakarta, the capital.

“Based on testimony from an-other suspect we had arrested, those two were identifi ed as Uighurs,” said Central Sulawesi police spokesman Hari Suprap-to, adding that authorities had notifi ed the Chinese embassy in Jakarta. A Chinese embassy press offi cial declined a Reuters request for comment. - Reuters

I N D O N E S I A

Myanmar army chief endorses election of Suu Kyi’s presidentYANGON: Myanmar’s power-ful army chief congratulated in-coming president Htin Kyaw and pledged cooperation on Wednes-day, after the ally of Aung San Suu Kyi was elected as the country’s fi rst head of state with no military background in decades.

Suu Kyi led her National League for Democracy (NLD) to a land-slide election win in November, but a constitution drafted by the former junta bars her from the top offi ce. She has vowed to run the country anyway through a proxy president, and on Tuesday the NLD-dominated parliament elect-ed Htin Kyaw for the role.

He runs a charity founded by Suu Kyi and is a trusted member

of her inner circle. Relations be-tween the armed forces and Suu Kyi will defi ne the success of My-anmar’s most signifi cant break from military rule since the army seized power in 1962.

The armed forces hold a quar-ter of parliamentary seats and the constitutional right to nominate one of the three presidential candi-dates. The army candidate, retired general Myint Swe, was elected fi rst vice president on Tuesday.

“It is hereby announced that the Tatmadaw takes pride in U Htin Kyaw’s being elected as the President at the Second Union Parliament, and it will continue cooperating in every sectors for the emergence of peace, unity and

development,” the Offi ce of the Commander-in-Chief, Min Aung Hlaing, said in a Myanmar lan-guage post on Facebook.

Tatmadaw is the Myanmar lan-guage name for the military.

MessageMin Aung Hlaing, who at the time of the historic vote was at a sum-mit of Southeast Asian defence chiefs in Laos, issued the mes-sage several hours after the vote and long after outgoing President Thein Sein and representatives of other countries, including China and the United States, had extend-ed their congratulations.

In the run up to the vote, the military questioned the qualifi ca-

tions of both Htin Kyaw and an NLD candidate for vice president, Henry Van Thio, underscoring tensions that have risen as the two sides started working on the de-tails of the transfer of power.

Sources in Suu Kyi’s camp say she has grown increasingly frus-trated with military intransigence on issues ranging from amending the constitution to relatively mi-nor formalities such as the loca-tion of the handover of power.

NLD lawmakers also say the military’s choice of Myint Swe, who served the junta as head of the feared military intelligence and is on the US sanctions list, goes against the spirit of reconciliation Suu Kyi is seeking to foster. - Reuters

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

HISTORIC MOMENT: Workers load sacks of sand outside the Myan-

mar parliament (background) in the capital city of Naypyidaw on

Wednesday, a day after the presidential vote. Myanmar’s lawmak-

ers on March 15 elected Htin Kyaw, 69, a close aide and longtime

friend of Aung San Suu Kyi to become the country’s fi rst civilian

president in decades. - AFP

North Korea’s sentencing of Otto Warmbier to 15 years hard labour for a college-style prank is outrageous and shocking, and should not be permitted to stand

Phil Robertson, Deputy director of HRW’s Asia division

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Trump warns of unrest if denied party nomination

PALM BEACH (US): US Repub-lican front-runner Donald Trump warned on Wednesday of riots if he is denied the party’s presiden-tial nomination after a string of primary election victories, raising the temperature even more in a heated White House race.

The outspoken billionaire New York businessman scored big wins in primaries in Florida, Illi-nois and North Carolina on Tues-day, knocking out rival Marco Rubio and bringing him closer to the 1,237 convention delegates he needs to win the nomination.

But Trump lost the crucial state of Ohio and left the door open for those in the party trying to stop him from becoming the Re-publican nominee for the Novem-ber 8 election.

Trump might fall short of the majority required, enabling the party’s establishment to put for-ward another name at the July convention in Cleveland to for-mally pick its candidate.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Trump said the party could not deny him the nomina-tion should he fail to win enough delegates.

“I don’t think you can say that we don’t get it automatically. I think you’d have riots. I think

you’d have riots. I’m representing many, many millions of people.”

While the Republican race be-came mired deeper in turmoil, Hillary Clinton won victories in Florida, Illinois, Ohio and North Carolina on Tuesday that cast doubt on US Senator Bernie Sand-ers’ ability to overtake her for the Democratic Party’s nomination.

Incendiary rhetoricRepublican Party leaders are ap-palled at Trump’s incendiary rhetoric and believe his policy positions are out of step with core Republican sentiment, such as his vow to deport 11 million ille-gal immigrants, temporarily ban Muslims from the United States and build a wall along the border with Mexico.

Recent outbreaks of violence at Trump rallies have prompted President Barack Obama, a Dem-ocrat, and mainstream Republi-can fi gures to speak out against

the real estate magnate.In comments likely to raise

more concern in the Republican establishment about Trump’s lack of experience and temperament, the former reality TV show host said on Wednesday he was for the most part his own adviser on for-eign aff airs.

“I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain,” he told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show. “I know what I’m doing. ... My primary consultant is myself.”

Trump also pulled out of the next televised Republican presidential debate, scheduled for Monday.

The Republican establish-ment’s bid to stop Trump may have come too late as a fi eld of candidates that once included him and 16 party fi gures has dwin-dled to only three with Trump, 69, in command ahead of US Senator Ted Cruz, 45, and Ohio Governor

John Kasich, 63, who won Ohio’s Republican primary on Tuesday.

Trump’s closest national chal-lenger is Cruz, a Texan and fa-vorite of the conservative Tea Party, who is second to Trump in delegates but has struggled in states where conservative evan-gelical Christian voters, among Cruz’s biggest supporters, are not dominant.

Brokered conventionCruz too warned of severe reac-tions against an attempt to stage a “brokered convention” in Cleve-land and install a Republican can-didate supported by party leaders.

“There are many in the Wash-ington establishment that are having fevered dreams about a brokered convention, about a deadlocked convention where they parachute in an establish-ment candidate. ... I think that would be an absolute disaster. I think the people would quite

rightly revolt,” Cruz told CNN.US House of Representatives

Speaker Paul Ryan, a leading Re-publican, will not accept a nomi-nation to be a presidential can-didate, said his spokeswoman, AshLee Strong. Some party mem-bers have urged Ryan to step in.

“The speaker is grateful for the support, but he is not interested. He will not accept a nomination and believes our nominee should be someone who ran this year,” Strong said in an email to Reuters.

Kasich, a former investment banker, is the last establishment Republican presidential candi-date standing.

Trump now needs to win about half of the delegates still up for grabs in state-by-state nominat-ing contests. It is not an insur-mountable challenge, especially when factoring in winner-take-all states, like Arizona with 58 del-egates and New Jersey, which has 51 delegates. — Reuters

The billionaire New

York businessman

scored big wins

in primaries in

Florida, Illinois and

North Carolina on

Tuesday, knocking

out rival Marco Rubio

and bringing him

closer to the 1,237

convention delegates

he needs to win

the nomination

THREAT: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the media following victory in the Florida state primary on Tues-

day in West Palm Beach, Florida. - AFP

EU to tweak Turkey deal to make it legal as Cyprus issue casts shadow BRUSSELS: European Union of-fi cials added last-minute tweaks to a pact with Turkey to halt the fl ow of migrants into Europe in an eff ort to make it legally watertight, but a standoff with Cyprus could yet scupper any deal at a summit this week.

Under a tentative agreement reached last week, Ankara would take back all migrants and refu-gees who enter the EU from its shores or are detained in its ter-ritorial waters, in return for more money, faster visa-free travel for Turks and a speeding up of its slow-moving EU membership negotiations. For its part, the EU would admit one legal Syrian refu-gee directly from Turkey for each one trying to reach Europe by boat and taken back by Turkey from the Greek islands in a step meant to wreck the business model of peo-ple smugglers.

“We are certainly not giving Turkey a free ride,” European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said. Ankara would have to enact a raft of measures within six weeks if Turks were to get visa-free travel to the 26-na-tion Schengen area in June.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing hardest for the deal after suff ering heavy losses in regional elections on Sunday due to public anger over an un-controlled infl ux of more than 1 million migrants into Germany last year. Merkel told parliament in Berlin on the eve of the Brussels summit that no one should be “de-ceived” by a relative lull in arrivals since Austria and Balkan coun-tries shut their borders.

More than 43,000 migrants and refugees are bottled up in squalid conditions in Greece after Mac-

edonia closed its border, and more are arriving daily despite NATO’s Aegean sea patrols.

“The current easing that Germa-ny and some other member states are experiencing is one thing. The situation in Greece is the other, and it must be a big concern to us all because it is not without con-sequences for us all in Europe,” Merkel said. An agreement with Turkey would need to be followed by a deal among EU countries to accept quotas of refugees, she said, something several central Europe-an states have so far rejected.

European Council President Donald Tusk, who will chair the summit on Thursday and Friday, has drafted a set of principles to

overcome legal and political ob-jections to the deal, including an assurance against blanket mass returns of migrants.

“This will be a temporary and extraordinary measure which is necessary to end the human suff ering and restore public or-der,” a draft document seen by Reuters said.

Migrants arriving on Greek is-lands would be duly registered and entitled to apply for asylum in Greece, it said, and their appli-cations would be processed in ac-cordance with EU rules.

People returned to Turkey would be protected in line with in-ternational standards for refugees, even though Ankara applies the

Geneva Convention formally only to people fl eeing Europe.

However, Cyprus has made clear it is ready to veto any widening of EU accession talks with Turkey unless Ankara meets obligations to recognise its statehood by open-ing its ports and airports to Cypri-ot traffi c. Cyprus and Turkey have been at loggerheads since a 1974 Turkish invasion of the island.

Cyprus could also try to block visa liberalisation for Turks since the EU conditions include the principle of equal treatment of all member states. Nicosia does not have a veto on the visa issue, but it could fi nd allies among reluctant countries such as France, Spain and Austria. — Reuters

R E F U G E E I N F L U X

CRISIS MEET: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, centre, casts her ballot during a nominal vote at

the Bundestag on Wednesday in Berlin. Speaking on the eve of a crucial Brussels summit, Merkel had

made clear before that the EU would stand fi rm on civil rights in Turkey and that Ankara’s bid to even-

tually join the 28-nation club is “not on the agenda now”. - AFP/dpa/Michael Kappeler

Jolie visits Greece refugee camps to highlight plightPIRAEUS (GREECE): A day after visiting refugees in Leba-non’s Bekaa Valley, UN special envoy Angelina Jolie travelled to Greece on Wednesday to high-light the plight of war-fl eeing families stuck in the country.

Jolie visited the temporary of-fi ces of UN refugee agency UN-HCR at the main port of Piraeus near Athens, which has become a makeshift camp for some 4,000 refugees and migrants sleeping in tents on the docks.

Scores of onlookers stood out-side the agency’s offi ces to see the Hollywood actress, clapping and cheering when she appeared.

Jolie greeted children and asked the throng of reporters, cameramen and photographers to be more “thoughtful” as she tried to speak with them.

“I’m here to learn and speak

with you and the agencies and the government to learn what is hap-pening, ok?,” Jolie told one boy. “Try to stay strong.”

According to a UNHCR press release, Jolie is visiting Greece “to reinforce eff orts by UNHCR and the Greek government to step up the emergency response to the deteriorating humanitar-ian situation”. Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants are stuck in makeshift camps or re-ception centres in Greece, which has been struggling with the mass infl ux of migrants from the Middle East. — Reuters

G O O D W I L L A M B A S S A D O R

CONCERNED: UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie is

surrounded by media and migrants in the port of Piraeus during

a visit on Wednesday. — AFP

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Obama picks Garland for apex court

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama nominated vet-eran appellate court judge Mer-rick Garland to the US Supreme Court on Wednesday, setting up a potentially ferocious political showdown with Senate Republi-cans who have vowed to block any Obama nominee.

Considered a moderate, Gar-land, 63, is currently chief judge of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. He was picked to replace long-serving conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on February 13.

Speaking in the White House Rose Garden as his administra-tion girded for a fi ght, Obama urged Senate Republicans to con-sider the nomination, saying faith in the American justice system was at stake.

Senate confi rmation is required for any nominee to join the bench and Scalia’s sudden death set off an election-year fi ght well before Obama made his choice. — Reuters

V A C A N T S E A T

Merrick Garland

Iraq Air Force plane crashes, three missing

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi Air Force plane crashed on Wednesday northwest of the oil city of Kirkuk and its two pilots and a third mem-ber of the crew are missing, an Ira-qi military spokesman said.

The single turbo-propeller plane was on a ‘reconnaissance and com-bat mission’ over territory held by IS militants in northern Iraq, the spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, told Reuters.

An investigation is underway to determine whether the plane was shot down by militants or crashed because of a technical failure, he said. — Reuters

I S - H E L D T E R R I T O R Y

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WORLDT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

#METROSHUTDOWN: With the closing of the DC Metro commut-

ers had to adapt during the morning rush hours on Wednesday in

Washington, DC. – AFP

Denmark world’s happiest country

ROME: Denmark overtook Swit-zerland as the world’s happiest place, according to a report on Wednesday that urged nations re-gardless of wealth to tackle inequal-ity and protect the environment.

The report, prepared by the Sus-tainable Development Solutions

Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia Univer-sity, showed Syria, Afghanistan and eight sub-Saharan countries as the 10 least happy places on earth to live.

The top 10 this year were Den-mark, Switzerland, Iceland, Nor-way, Finland, Canada, Nether-lands, New Zealand, Australia, and

Sweden. Denmark was in third place last year, behind Switzerland and Iceland.

The bottom 10 were Madagas-car, Tanzania, Liberia, Guinea, Rwanda, Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi.

The United States came in at 13, the United Kingdom at 23, France at 32, and Italy at 50.

“There is a very strong message for my country, the United States, which is very rich, has gotten a lot richer over the last 50 years, but has gotten no happier,” said Pro-fessor Jeff rey Sachs, head of the SDSN and special advisor to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

While the diff erences between countries where people are happy and those where they are not could be scientifi cally measured, “we can understand why and do something about it,” Sachs, one of the report’s authors, told Reuters in an inter-view in Rome.

“The message for the United States is clear. For a society that just chases money, we are chasing the wrong things. Our social fabric is deteriorating, social trust is de-

teriorating, faith in government is deteriorating,” he said.

Aiming to “survey the scien-tifi c underpinnings of measur-ing and understanding subjective well-being”, the report, now in its fourth edition, ranks 157 countries by happiness levels using factors such as per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and healthy years of life expectancy. It also rates “having someone to count on in times of trouble” and freedom from corruption in government and business.

“When countries single-mind-edly pursue individual objectives, such as economic development to the neglect of social and envi-ronmental objectives, the results can be highly adverse for human

wellbeing, even dangerous for sur-vival,” it said.

“Many countries in recent years have achieved economic growth at the cost of sharply rising inequal-ity, entrenched social exclusion, and grave damage to the natural environment.”

The fi rst report was issued in 2012 to support a UN meeting on happiness and well-being. Five countries — Bhutan, Ecuador, Scotland, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela — now have ap-pointed Ministers of Happiness charged with promoting it as a goal of public policy.

The 2016 survey showed that three countries in particular, Ire-land, Iceland and Japan, were able to maintain their happiness levels despite external shocks such as the post-2007 economic crisis and the 2011 earthquake because of social support and solidarity.

Sachs pointed to Costa Rica, which came in 14th and ahead of many wealthier countries, as an example of a healthy, happy soci-ety although it is not an economic powerhouse. — Reuters

The 2016 survey

showed that

three countries in

particular, Ireland,

Iceland and Japan,

were able to maintain

their happiness

levels despite

external shocks

Commuters turn to bikes, buses amid subway shutdown in USWASHINGTON: Commut-ers in Washington, DC, packed the roads in cars and on bicycles and crowded buses to cope with a last-minute shutdown of the second-busiest US subway sys-tem for emergency safety checks.

The estimated 700,000 people who ride the Washington-area Metro system every weekday, including about a third of the re-gion’s federal workforce, were scrambling to get to work and around town on Wednesday while 600 underground cables are inspected.

Traffi c was heavier than usual on many major commuter ar-teries leading in from the Vir-ginia and Maryland suburbs, with roads including the George Washington Parkway clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffi c in the predawn hours. More cy-clists were visible on roadways than is typical for the late winter.

Jeanette Norton, who works at a Washington non-profi t organi-zation and lives in the inner sub-urb of Arlington, Virginia, turned to ride service Uber and left more than two hours early “to avoid the craziness.” Her normal commute by Metro is about 20 minutes.

“The traffi c wasn’t too bad, and there was no surge pricing,” Nor-ton said.

More than 60 people were lined up waiting for taxis at Un-ion Station, the Beaux Arts long-distance passenger rail hub a few blocks north of the Capitol.

Ted Cox, a 62-year-old immi-gration attorney from New York, was worried about making a court appointment in Arlington, Virginia, and then getting back to the station in time for his Amtrak train at noon EDT (1600 GMT).

“What kind of country are we in, that the nation’s capital can’t run a metro system?” he said. “It’s sort of on a par with the in-frastructure in the rest of the country. Hopefully this will get the attention of legislators to deal with infrastructure in general.”

US Representative Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat whose district includes Wash-ington commuter suburbs, called the shutdown “a gut punch to commuters”.

Some commuters took to Twitter to express frustration at delays and crowding on buses, making #MetroShutdown the top-trending hashtag in the Unit-ed States on Wednesday morn-ing. One user joked that the city should fl ood the subway tunnels to the level of the platforms and rely on Venetian gondolas rather than trains.

With cloudy skies and temper-atures approaching 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6°C), the morn-ing weather was conducive to cy-cling and walking, but forecast-ers warned of possible afternoon thunderstorms that could make for a messier trip home.

Transit offi cials in the US capi-tal announced the unprecedent-ed closure on Tuesday afternoon after a cable fi re this week caused delays. The Metro, which serves Washington and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs, shut down at midnight, its normal closing hour, and is scheduled to reopen at 5am on Thursday.

The closure of the 119-mile (230-km) subway system, which has been plagued by equipment breakdowns and fi res, will al-low safety offi cials to inspect the cables for worn-out casings, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority General Man-ager Paul Wiedefeld told a news conference.

The Offi ce of Personnel Man-agement, which oversees the fed-eral workforce, said government offi ces would remain open, but employees could take unsched-uled leave or work from home. Congress and most schools will be open. Local news radio station WTOP compared the situation to “a snow day without the snow.”

Some Metro riders said they welcomed the shutdown as an indication the system was getting serious about safety even though it would snarl their commutes.

“Washington Metro has be-come a problem child ... of US metro systems,” said Joe Schwi-eterman, a transportation pro-fessor at DePaul University in Chicago. “What was once the pride (of the US system) seems to be allowed to deteriorate to an embarrassing extent.” — Reuters

S A F E T Y C H E C K S

HEALTHY SOCIETY: In this April. 1, 2015 fi le photo, shows Tivoli in

Denmark. The United Nations on Wednesday, found Danes to be the

happiest people on Earth, in a study of 156 countries. – AP/PTI

The estimated 700,000 people who ride the Washington-area Metro system every weekday, scrambled to get to work and around town on Wednesday while 600 underground cables are inspected.

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Brazil’s Lula takes Cabinet post in bid to save Rousseff

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO: For-mer Brazilian president Luiz Ina-cio Lula da Silva will take over as chief of staff for his successor Dilma Rousseff in a bid to save her from impeachment, raising the prospect of a shift away from austerity measures to jumpstart a moribund economy.

The head of the government co-alition in the lower house of Con-gress, Jose Guimaraes, confi rmed the appointment on Twitter after a meeting of Rousseff , Lula and senior ministers on Wednesday morning. The move off ers Lula short-term protection from pros-ecutors who have charged him with money laundering and fraud, while his charisma and connec-tions could help Rousseff navigate a political crisis threatening to topple her government.

Lula’s return to government may also spell a change of eco-nomic tack, as he has openly criti-cised austerity eff orts and called for more public spending to end Brazil’s worst recession in dec-ades. Brazil’s central bank chief Alexandre Tombini may step down if Lula’s return brings a ma-jor economic policy shift, a senior member of the government’s eco-nomic team said on Wednesday,

asking not to be identifi ed. Brazil’s currency slid nearly 2 per cent on Wednesday and has lost almost 7 per cent this week as Dilma’s invi-tation to Lula raised expectations of a sharp policy swing.

Finance Minister Nelson Barbosa and other members of Rousseff ’s inner circle joined her early meeting with Lula, accord-ing to reporters at the Alvorada presidential residence.

Rousseff is trying to shore up her government against a storm of corruption allegations, drawing on Lula’s keen political instincts and deep relationships with Congress to avert an impeach-ment process.

Lula’s return to Brasilia on Tuesday was overshadowed by a barrage of fresh corruption ac-cusations by Senator Delcídio do Amaral, a close Workers’ Party

ally of the president until he was arrested last year. In plea bargain testimony, Amaral said Rouss-eff knew about a massive graft scheme at state-run oil company Petrobras and one of her minis-ters had tried to buy his silence.

Rousseff ’s popularity has been pummeled by Brazil’s worst eco-nomic downturn since the Great Depression and the sprawling two-year-old corruption investi-gation stemming from Petrobras.

More than a million people marched in demonstrations across Brazil on Sunday, calling for Rouss-eff ’s impeachment and applauding the graft probe that has turned up evidence of political kickbacks paid by Petrobras contractors. Once appointed, Lula can only be tried in the Supreme Court, plac-

ing him out of the reach of ongoing state and federal probes.

The Supreme Court will meet on Wednesday to decide on the rules of the impeachment process launched against Rousseff in De-cember by her political archen-emy in the lower chamber of Con-gress, Speaker Eduardo Cunha.

Cunha’s Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), the main partner in Rousseff ’s coal-tion, is moving closer to break-ing with a president they blame for ruining Brazil’s economy, but the party remains divided over her impeachment. Cunha said this week he plans to speed up the process with the appointment of an impeachment committee as soon as the Supreme Court sets the rules. — Reuters

Lula’s charisma

and connections

could help Brazilian

President Dilma

Rousseff navigate

a political crisis

threatening to topple

her government

Philippine’s Poe favours easing foreign ownership

MANILA: Grace Poe, frontrun-ner in the Philippines’ presiden-tial election campaign, said on Wednesday she favoured relaxing restrictions on foreign ownership in utilities and media as part of changes she would introduce in the constitution.

The May 9 election is being closely watched by investors who fear the political succession could derail average economic growth of more than 6 per cent a year and stall eff orts to crack down on corruption made under outgoing President Benigno Aquino, who is limited to one term. Poe, who is a senator, has campaigned on a pro-poor plat-form, promising to build on Aqui-no’s programmes of creating jobs and building infrastructure, which have helped propel one of Asia’s fastest growing economies.

Foreigners are barred from own-ing media companies in the Philip-pines and are restricted to 40 per cent ownership of public utilities.

“Within my fi rst month in offi ce, it will be part of the agenda, the eco-nomic amendments of our consti-tution,” Poe, 47, told a business fo-rum in Manila, referring to relaxing restrictions on foreign ownership in utilities and media. “Why not al-low more foreign ownership for as long as they employ Filipinos and there is also a technology transfer? I am not for land ownership but I am for media, for certain utilities, for academic institutions and also for the medical profession.”

The Supreme Court on March 8 ruled that Poe, who spent much of her life in the United States, was eligible to run for president, re-versing a decision by the election commission that disqualifi ed her on grounds that she failed to meet a 10-year residency requirement.

Poe also supported the lifting of a bank secrecy law as sena-tors launched an investigation on Tuesday into millions of dollars hackers stole from the Bangladesh central bank’s account. — Reuters

M E D I A , U T I L I T I E S

SAVIOUR: Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and President Dilma Rousseff in this fi le photograph. Lula’s return to gov-

ernment may also spell a change of economic tack, as he has openly criticised austerity eff orts and called for more public spending to

end Brazil’s worst recession in decades. – File photo

MARKEWWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6B

Muscat

5,308.10 + 12.22

+ 0.23%

Dubai

3,299.82- 22.01

- 0.66%

Abu Dhabi

4,344.34- 59.09

- 1.34%

Saudi Arabia

6,271.07+ 38.38

+ 0.62%

Kuwait

5,229.91- 13.88

- 0.22%

Bahrain

1,159.15 + 3.20

+ 0.28%

Qatar

10,291.00+ 91.42

+ 0.90%

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

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

Euro .............................................2.31

Pound ...........................................1.82

Indian Rs ............................. 174.64

Pak Rs .....................................267.31

Bangla Taka......................200.88* Rates are as of Mar. 16

Source: Bank Muscat

Indian Rs ................................... 174.55

Pakistan Rs ..............................271.52

Sri Lanka Rs ..................................N/A

Bangla Taka........................... 203.50

Phil Peso .................................... 121.24

* Rates as of Mar. 16 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) ....... 15.75

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) ........15.15

Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ............149.50

Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) .............140.25

* Rates as of Mar. 16

Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

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

Oman Crude ............. (Spot) ........$34.85

Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) ........$34.85

Murban Crude ........ (Spot) .........$37.82

Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$33.85

N.Sea Brent ............... (Spot) ........$39.30

West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........$36.87

CRUDE OIL PRICE

DIGEST VIDEO

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

New corporate governance code to help companiesTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Capital Market Au-thority’s new code of corporate governance, which will become eff ective from July 1, will im-mensely help the corporate sector, according to experts.

Addressing a seminar on ‘To-ward better governance,’ here on Wednesday, Sayyid Hamed Al Bu-saidi, executive director of Oman Centre for Governance and Sus-tainability, said that it is a power-ful tool for the corporate sector.

It will help the market watch-dog to further enhance transpar-ency, fairness, accountability and

responsibility of listed companies and their boards. It will help fam-ily-owned businesses to minimise the risk of market failure.

Al Busaidi said apart from listed fi rms, the Oman Centre for Gov-ernance and Sustainability off ers its services to state-owned compa-nies and family-owned businesses.

Listed companiesCorporate governance is a set of rules to ensure that the listed fi rms are governed in the most possible fair and ethical manner in an ap-parent move to protect the interest of all stakeholders.

The market regulator is aiming

at further strengthening trans-parency, investor confi dence and trust, which will help attract more foreign investment to the local stock market.

SeminarThe corporate governance semi-nar was organised by Deloitte in coordination with the Capital Market Authority (CMA). Abdul-la bin Salem Al Salmi, executive president of CMA, was the chief guest at the seminar.

Ahmed Al Qassabi, principal, Deloitte, also made a presentation on major highlights of the new cor-porate governance code.

N E W N O R M S

Eight firms vie for three water projects in Oman

A. E. JAMESbusinesseditor@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: As many as eight in-ternational companies have been pre-qualifi ed to bid for develop-ing independent water projects at Salalah, Shaqiyah and Duqm.

The Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), which oversees the procurement of all new electricity generation and water desalination capacity in the country, said that these fi rms comprise a consortium of Inter-national Company for Water and Power Projects, Veolia Middle East and Dhofar International Develop-ment and Investment; a consor-tium between Degremont Middle East and Itochu Corporation; GS Inima Environment, Hyfl ux, JGC

Corporation, Marubeni Corpora-tion, Sembcorp Utilities and Tec-nicas de Desalination de Aguas.

The companies are selected after a request for qualifi cation (RfQ) tender fl oated by the state-owned OPWP in December last year. Like other independent wa-ter projects, the successful bidder or bidders will secure a mandate for the development, fi nancing, design, engineering, construc-tion, ownership, operation and maintenance of one or more of

the independent water projects.

52.8 million MIGDThe three water schemes will to-gether add 52.8 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) of new capacity to the country’s rapidly expanding domestic water gen-eration capacity.

According to earlier reports, the proposed Salalah and Sharqiya desalination projects will have capacities of 22 MIGD and 17.6 MIDG, respectively.

Similarly, Duqm IWP will have a water desalination capacity of 13.2 MIGD. This is aimed at meet-ing the growing demand for water in diff erent regions.

To meet the growing demand for potable water in Oman, a com-mercial operation date for the plants is being targeted in early 2019 for Salalah independent wa-ter project and the second quarter of 2020 for Sharqiyah independ-ent water project.

Demand for potable water in

Oman’s northern region, which include Muscat governorate, is projected to grow by six per cent per annum in the next fi ve year horizon, from 238 million cubic metres in 2013 to 349 million cubic metres in 2020.

This compares to the previous seven-year forecasts in which av-erage annual growth was in the range of three to fi ve per cent, ac-cording to a seven-year outlook for power and water demand re-leased by OPWP last year.

Population growthA combination of population growth and industrial development, including tourism projects, is cited as a major reason for the growth in demand for potable water.

In Salalah, the water demand is projected to grow at eight per cent, and peak water demand to increase from 75,000 cubic me-tres per day in 2013 to 132,000 cu-bic metres per day in 2020.

The proposed Qurayyat inde-pendent water project, developed by a consortium of Singapore’s Hyfl ux and National Power and Water Company, is going to have a designed capacity of 44 MIGD of potable water. The Qurayyat project is scheduled to commence commercial operations by May 2017, under a 20-year water pur-chase agreement with OPWP.

These pre-qualifi ed

fi rms have been

selected after

a request for

qualifi cation tender

from OPWP for

developing water

projects at Salalah,

Shaqiyah and Duqm

Outlook for Saudi Arabian banks downgraded to negative

RIYADH: Moody’s Investors Service changed its outlook for Saudi Arabia’s banks to negative from stable on the expectation that bad loans will rise over the next 12 to 18 months because of low oil prices and a decline in government spending.

“Non-performing loans will rise to about 2.5 per cent of to-tal loans over the period, from a “very low average 1.4 per cent in September 2015,” Olivier Panis, a vice president at the ratings fi rm, said in a statement on Wednesday. Banks will also remain exposed to loan defaults owing to their “per-sistently high single-party expo-sures,” the analyst said.

Saudi Arabia’s economic growth will slow to 1.5 per cent in 2016 and 2 per cent in 2017, well below the 3.4 per cent growth es-timated for 2015 because of the impact of lower crude prices, ac-cording to Moody’s. Banks’ loan

growth will slow to between 3 per cent and 5 per cent in 2016, from 8 per cent in 2015 and 12 per cent the previous year, it said.

Still, capital buff ers of Saudi banks are likely to remain “solid,” with the sector’s average tangible common equity ratio remaining stable at about 15.7 percent at the end of 2016, compared to 15.4 per cent in September 2015, Moody’s said. Profi tability is also likely to remain strong because of the banks’ lean cost structures and zero corporate tax, it said.

Tightening liquidity“Tightening liquidity — as public-sector deposit infl ows and corpo-rate profi ts moderate — will likely expose banks to greater funding volatility in line with regional pressures,” Khalid Howladar, a senior credit offi cer based in Dubai, said in the report.

“However, we expect the lo-

cal impact to be manageable and funding structures to remain rela-tively stable thanks to a broad and growing depositor base.”

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia does not think more measures to boost liquidity are necessary after the kingdom eased rules on bank lending last month to stimulate growth, a central bank offi cial said, according to Al Riyadh newspaper.

Liquidity in Saudi Arabia is ‘very good; and has not reached a critical point that would require additional government intervention, said Ab-dulaziz Al Furaih, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency vice governor, according to the report.

“The current situation is very stable and reassuring and we don’t think that we have reached a stage that forces us to use other options,” Al Furaih was cited as telling the newspaper on the side-lines of a conference.

The Saudi Arabian Monetary

Agency told banks last month that they can lend the equivalent of 90 per cent of their deposits, up from an earlier limit of 85 percent. The world’s largest oil exporter is seeking to revive its economy and stimulate credit as the slump in oil revenue and government spend-ing strain the banking system. The three-month Saudi Arabia Inter-bank rate rose to 1.75 per cent in February, its highest in about sev-en years, according to data.

The change to loan-to-deposit ratio was a “minor amendment,” and the central bank has several options to face the liquidity short-age, Al Furaih said.

Net foreign assets held by the central bank declined by $115 billion last year as Saudi issued bonds and drew on reserves to plug its budget gap, yet remain among the highest in the world at more than $590 billion.

– Bloomberg News

C R E D I T R A T I N G

Galfar wins OMR115m PDO contract

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Galfar Engineering and Contracting Company said that the company has won a major contract to build Yabal Khuff pro-ject on plot project for Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).

Total project cost is estimated at OMR115 million and the duration of the contract is 51 months, ac-cording to a disclosure statement. The scope of work includes con-struction of new central processing facility in Yibal Khuff area, which include civil, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation works.

Shares surgeGalfar shares surged ahead by 3.28 per cent to 63 baisas amid 1.67 mil-lion shares changing hands.

Galfar, the largest contracting fi rm in Oman, has a healthy order book of around OMR665 million by end of December 2015, accord-ing to the fi nancial results.

“Several projects are seen to be in the pipeline and Galfar stands a good chance at winning some of them during the year 2016. The outlook to win additional projects is particularly promising in the oil and gas sector,” the company said in its annual report.

C O N S T R U C T I O N

TRANSPARENCY: The Capital Market Authority of the Sultanate is aiming at further strengthening

transparency, investor confi dence and trust, which will help attract more foreign investment to the

local bourse. - O. K. MOHAMMED ALI/Times of Oman

WATER CAPACITY: The three desalination projects in the Sultanate will together add 52.8 million

imperial gallons per day of new capacity to the country’s rapidly expanding domestic water

generation capacity. Picture is used for only illustrative purpose. - File picture

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

Non-performing loans

will rise to about 2.5 per

cent of total loans over

the period, from a very

low average of 1.4 per

cent in September 2015

Olivier PanisVice presidentMoody’s Investors Service

Bangladeshnames new central bankgovernor

DHAKA: Bangladesh named for-mer bureaucrat Fazle Kabir as central bank governor a day after his predecessor resigned following a $101 million cyber theft.

Kabir is currently chairman of state-run Sonali Bank. The notice of his appointment was e-mailed by A.F.M. Asaduzzaman, general manager at Bangladesh Bank

Kabir spent 34 years in the civil service, including as fi nance sec-retary, according to a biography on Sonali Bank’s website. His wife is a bureaucrat at the Ministry of Public Administration. They have a son who is studying for his Mas-ter’s in Business Administration at Dhaka University.

Atiur RahmanHe replaces Atiur Rahman, 64, who had served as Bangladesh Bank governor for seven years and was due to retire in August. Lauded for his eff orts at fi nancial inclusion, Rahman left the bank to take moral responsibility for fail-ing to inform the Finance Ministry quickly enough about the stolen funds. He has denied any wrong-doing. – Bloomberg News

C E N T R A L B A N K

OMAN CRUDE RISESOman Crude (May delivery) reached $35.68 per barrel, said Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME). A statement from DME added that the price of Oman Crude rose 43 cents from Tuesday’s rate, which was $35.25 per barrel. – ONA

B2

MARKETT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

MUSCATSECURITIES MARKET

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16

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

OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 4,304,298 ..... 559,559........................ 1 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.130 ........... 0.130 ............. 0.125............ 0.005 .............4.000 ................0.130 .............. 0.121...................0.130 ...................26,000,000 ........0.100

OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 1,673,842 ......105,000..................... 49 ........... 0.062 ........... 0.063 ...........0.061 ........... 0.063 ............. 0.061............ 0.002 ............. 3.279 ................0.061 .............. 0.061...................0.062 .................. 18,268,780 .........0.100

OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 568,886 ............87,059..................... 22 ............0.152 ........... 0.154 ...........0.152 ............0.153 ............. 0.149............ 0.004 ............. 2.685 ................0.153 ...............0.151...................0.153 ................. 220,540,320 .......0.100

OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE .............. 2,205,018 ......435,850..................... 65 ............0.196 ...........0.200 ...........0.196 ........... 0.198 ............. 0.195............ 0.003 ............. 1.538 ................0.198 .............. 0.198...................0.199 ...................39,600,000.........0.100

OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ..................................................... 876,680 ..........126,911......................12 ............0.143 ........... 0.145 ...........0.143 ............0.145 ............. 0.143............ 0.002 ............. 1.399 ................0.145 ..............0.144...................0.146 ...................45,060,916 .........0.100

OM0000004669 ...........SHARQIYAH DESALINATION ...................................1,350 ............... 6,414........................6 ............4.750 ........... 4.755 ...........4.750 ........... 4.750 .............4.685 ............0.065 ............. 1.387 ................4.755 .............. 4.755...................4.800 ..................46,456,026 .........1.000

OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ........................ 26,000 ...............4,805........................3 ............0.185 ........... 0.185 ...........0.184 ............0.185 ............. 0.184 ............0.001 ............. 0.543 ................0.184 .............. 0.183...................0.185 ................... 17,582,400 .........0.100

OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT .......................................................... 235,000 ......... 108,180........................3 ........... 0.458 ........... 0.464 ...........0.458 ........... 0.460 .............0.458 ........... 0.002 ............. 0.437 ................0.464..............0.464...................0.000 .................152,201,447 ........0.100

OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 225,000 ........... 58,950......................16 ........... 0.262 ...........0.262 ...........0.262........... 0.262 ............. 0.261.............0.001 ............. 0.383 ................0.262..............0.250...................0.262 .................404,718,879 ........0.100

OM0000001483 ............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 600,000 ..........157,827......................16 ........... 0.263 ...........0.264 ...........0.263........... 0.263 .............0.263 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.263..............0.263...................0.264 .................352,606,796 ........0.100

OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .......................................................................17,100 ...............8,268........................3 ........... 0.484 ........... 0.484 ...........0.480........... 0.484 .............0.484 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.480..............0.480...................0.490 .................267,585,035 ........0.100

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 432,000 ........... 72,998..................... 35 ............0.169 ........... 0.169 ...........0.168 ............0.169 ............. 0.169............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.169 .............. 0.168...................0.169 ...................25,362,675 .........0.100

OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................ 577,225.............76,776......................21 ............0.132 ........... 0.134 ...........0.132 ............0.133 ............. 0.133............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.133 ..............0.134...................0.135 ................... 16,611,429 .........0.100

OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ...........................................80 ...................152........................ 1 ........... 1.900 ........... 1.900 ...........1.900 ........... 1.900 .............1.900 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.900 ............. 0.000...................2.000 .................180,500,000 .......0.100

OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 137,524 ...........215,196......................18 ............1.570 ........... 1.570 ...........1.560 ............1.565 ............. 1.565 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.560 .............. 1.555...................1.560 ................ 1,173,750,000 ......0.100

OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 212,279 ......... 146,048......................13 ........... 0.688 ........... 0.688 ...........0.688 ........... 0.688 .............0.688 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.688 ..............0.684...................0.688..................447,849,630........0.100

OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL ............................................. 152,000 ............10,488........................7 ........... 0.069 ........... 0.069 ...........0.069........... 0.069 .............0.069 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.069 ..............0.068...................0.070...................12,075,000 .........0.100

OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS .............................................................60,336 .............17,942......................13 ........... 0.298 ........... 0.298 ...........0.295........... 0.297 .............0.298 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.336 ...............0.298..............0.295...................0.298 ..................14,850,000 .........0.100

OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 4,580,434 ..1,879,863................... 107 ............0.412 ........... 0.412 ...........0.408........... 0.410 ............. 0.412............-0.002 ........... -0.485 ...............0.408..............0.408...................0.410 ..................939,647,265 ........0.100

OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ................................................ 373,806 ..........150,351..................... 28 ........... 0.404 ...........0.404 ...........0.400 .......... 0.402 .............0.404 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.495 ...............0.400..............0.398...................0.400 ..................21,105,000 .........0.100

OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER ...................................................16,361 ...............3,256........................2 ............0.199 ........... 0.199 ...........0.199 ........... 0.199 .............0.200 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.500 ...............0.199 .............. 0.199...................0.200 .................134,302,599........0.100

OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .....................................................16,785 ...............3,340........................2 ............0.199 ........... 0.199 ...........0.199 ........... 0.199 .............0.200 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.500 ...............0.199 .............. 0.199...................0.200 .................142,166,862 ........0.100

OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK ......................................................................94,533 ............ 16,260........................8 ............0.172 ........... 0.172 ...........0.172 ............0.172 ............. 0.173 ............-0.001 ........... -0.578 ...............0.172 .............. 0.172...................0.177 ..................245,106,217 ........0.100

OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ...................................... 80,000 .............13,360........................3 ............0.167 ........... 0.167 ...........0.167 ............0.167 ............. 0.168............-0.001 ........... -0.595 ...............0.167 .............. 0.167...................0.170 ................... 48,538,721 .........0.100

OM0000001087 ............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ................................ 45,000 .............10,350........................2 ........... 0.230 ...........0.230 ...........0.230........... 0.230 .............0.234 ...........-0.004 ............-1.709 ................0.230..............0.230...................0.234 ..................23,000,000 ........0.100

OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............ 457,137 ...........142,191..................... 79 ............0.314 ........... 0.314 ...........0.310 ........... 0.312 .............0.322 ...........-0.010 ........... -3.106 ...............0.310 ..............0.310...................0.312 ....................6,552,000 ..........0.100

OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ............................................12,000 ...............3,480........................5 ........... 0.290 ...........0.290 ...........0.290 .......... 0.290 .............0.300 ...........-0.010 ........... -3.333 ...............0.290..............0.282...................0.290 .................. 17,749,239 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 17,980,674........ 4,420,873 ............540 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......27........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 5,187,562........357,012..................... 69 ........... 0.067 ........... 0.070 ...........0.067 ........... 0.069 .............0.066 ........... 0.003 ............. 4.545 ................0.070..............0.069...................0.070..................103,500,000 .......0.100

OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 4,356,300 .....243,726..................... 66 ............0.055 ........... 0.057 ...........0.055 ........... 0.056 .............0.055 ............0.001 ..............1.818.................0.056 ..............0.055...................0.056...................56,000,000.........0.100

OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ...................................................... 30,000 ............... 1,650........................6 ............0.055 ........... 0.055 ...........0.055 ........... 0.055 .............0.055 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.055 ..............0.054...................0.055....................6,875,000 ..........0.100

OM0000001590 ............MUSCAT FINANCE .................................................... 138,300 ............ 17,979........................4 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.130 ........... 0.130 ............. 0.130............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.130 ..............0.129...................0.130 ................... 32,710,401 .........0.100

OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................. 115,000 ...............6,900........................7 ........... 0.060 ...........0.060 ...........0.060........... 0.060 .............0.060 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.060..............0.059...................0.060 ................... 4,512,480 ..........0.100

OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE ..............................10,000 ............... 1,010........................ 1 ............0.101 ........... 0.101............0.101 ............0.101 ............. 0.101 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.101 ..............0.099...................0.103 ...................10,100,000 .........0.100

OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 104,078 ............ 15,091......................11 ............0.145 ........... 0.145 ...........0.145 ............0.145 ............. 0.146............-0.001 ........... -0.685 ...............0.145 ..............0.144...................0.146 ..................212,077,212 ........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 9,941,240 ......643,368................... 164 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 7........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS AND SUKUK MARKET ...................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 ....................... 9,492 .................. 854........................2 ........... 0.090 ...........0.090 ...........0.090........... 0.090 .............0.090 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.090..............0.090...................0.100................... 29,174,545 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: ...................................................................................... 9,492 .................. 854........................2 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. .........1........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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 ........................................ 5,310.13 ...............5,296.15 ................... 5,308.10 ...................5,295.88 ................. 12.22 ................... 0.23Financial Index .....................................6,515.34 .............. 6,484.92 ................... 6,513.20 ................... 6,475.81 ..................37.39 ................... 0.58Industrial Index ................................... 6,555.44 ...............6,548.79 ................... 6,549.05 ................... 6,547.32 .....................1.73 ................... 0.03Services Index .......................................3,036.72 .............. 3,029.42 ................... 3,029.46 ...................3,035.38 .................. -5.92 .................. -0.20MSM SHARIAH INDEX...................... 828.24 ..................824.63 ....................... 827.76 ...................... 824.78 ....................2.98 ................... 0.36

Trading SummaryVolume ................ Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up ............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded27,931,406 ................. 5,065,096 .....................706 ................16,301,013,136 .................11 ......................11 .................... 13 .........................35

MSM index ends higher

MUSCAT: Share prices on the Muscat Securities Market recov-ered on better support at lower levels. The MSM30 ended higher at 5,308.10 points, up by 0.23 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index gained 0.36 per cent to close at 827.76 points.

Bank Nizwa was the most ac-tive in terms of volume, while Bank Muscat led in terms of turnover. Bank Nizwa was the top gainer, up by 4.55 per cent, while Jazeira Services was the top loser, down 3.33 per cent on Wednesday.

As many as 706 trades were executed on Wednesday, generat-ing turnover of OMR5.1 million with 27.9 million shares chang-ing hands. Out of 35 traded secu-rities, 11 advanced, 11 declined and 13 remained unchanged. Omani investors stayed net buy-ers for OMR1.42 million, while foreign investors were net sell-ers for OMR809,000 followed by GCC and Arab investors for OMR619,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index closed at 6,513.20 points, up by 0.58 per cent. Bank Nizwa, Global Finan-cial Investment, Bank Sohar and Al Izz Islamic Bank increased by 4.55 per cent, 4 per cent, 2.69 per cent and 1.82 per cent, respective-ly. Ahli Bank, Bank Muscat and Oman United Insurance declined by 1.71 per cent, 0.58 per cent and 0.49 per cent, respectively.

Industrial Index increased by 0.03 per cent to close the session at 6,549.05 points. Galfar Engi-neering and Oman Cement in-creased by 3.28 per cent and 0.44 per cent, respectively. Gulf Inter-national Chemicals and Al Maha Ceramic declined by 3.11 per cent and 0.50 per cent, respectively.

Services Index decreased 0.20 per cent to close at 3,029.46 points. OIFC, Sharqiyah De-salination and Port Services increased by 1.54 per cent, 1.39 per cent and 0.54 per cent, re-

spectively. Al Jazeira Services, Renaissance Services, Al Suwadi Power and Al Batinah Power de-clined by 3.33 per cent, 0.60 per cent, 0.50 per cent and 0.50 per cent, respectively.

Emerging stocks fallDeveloping-nation currencies and stocks fell on Wednesday, paring their monthly gains, be-fore the Fed concludes its two-day meeting in Washington. South Africa’s rand led declines among peers and the nation’s bonds slumped amid a spat be-tween the police and the fi nance minister. The real fell for a third day as a former Brazilian leader facing criminal charges was said to join the president’s cabinet in principle. Egyptian stocks extended this week’s biggest rally worldwide after the biggest pound devaluation since 2003.

Emerging markets face the prospect that tightening mon-etary policy in the US will boost the dollar and spark a resumption of outfl ows that dragged them lower at the start of the year. Conversely, a signal from US pol-icy makers that they’re willing to wait longer before increasing in-terest rates may fuel gains.

“There appears to have been a lot of repositioning ahead of the Fed,” said Simon Quijano-Evans, the chief emerging-markets strat-egist at Commerzbank in London, who favours Russia, Indonesia and Colombia in local currency bonds. “It is essentially the story of a higher risk premium being re-quired if the Fed were to increase the cost of dollar funding.”

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index extended Tuesday’s drop, with seven of its 10 industry groups falling, and a gauge of 20 emerging currencies was headed for its biggest three-day loss since January. The MSCI measure fell 0.4 per cent to 787.72 in London.

- United Securities/Bloomberg News

Bank Nizwa was the top gainer, up by 4.55 per

cent, while Jazeira Services was the top loser,

down 3.33 per cent.

B3T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

MARKET

Meet to discuss on oil output freeze

DOHA: Oil producers from Or-ganisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and beyond are fi nalising a plan to discuss freez-ing output at a meeting in Qatar in mid-April, the latest move in a campaign by fi nancially-stricken crude exporters to shift the dynam-ics of an over-supplied market.

Prices have rallied more than

30 per cent since a mid-February proposal by Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela and Qatar in Febru-ary to cap oil output and reduce a worldwide surplus that had seen prices slump to 12-year low in Jan-uary. The summit in April would seek commitments from a wider range of producers both within and outside the Opec.

Qatar’s oil minister said that countries would meet in the na-tion’s capital Doha on April 17 without providing details of who would attend. Delegates from three members of the Opec said they hadn’t yet received an invitation and two people with knowledge of the matter said no date had been fi -naliaed. They asked not to be iden-tifi ed because the talks are private.

Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al Naimi and his Russian counterpart Alex-ander Novak, who represent the world’s largest exporters, will dis-cuss the meeting on Wednesday by phone, one person said.

The proposed freeze “put a fl oor under oil prices,” Qatari Oil Minis-ter Mohammad Al Sada said in an e-mailed statement on Wednesday.

“To date, around 15 Opec and non-Opec producers, accounting for about 73 per cent of global oil out-put, are supporting this initiative.”

Iran’s productionOil rallied after the Qatari state-ment, gaining as much 1.5 per cent to $39.33 a barrel in London.

There are reasons to be doubt-ful that the planned freeze can radically alter an oil market that’s fallen victim to a global fi ght for market share, causing stockpiles to rise to a record high. Most sig-nifi cantly, Iran is seeking to in-crease production after the end of economic sanctions and has said it won’t participate in any accord un-til its output has recovered.

Iran increased output by 187,800

barrels a day to 3.13 million a day in February, the biggest monthly gain since 1997, OPEC said in its monthly report on Monday. Brazil will also add more than 100,000 barrel of supply this year and has shown little interest in taking part.

“We will now see if Opec and Russia are able to freeze the bears in the oil market,” said Olivier Ja-kob, managing director at consult-ants Petromatrix.

“The signifi cance of the agree-ment is that it could remove the perception that Opec is fi ghting for market share.”

There have been other forces driving prices higher in recent weeks. Outages from Iraq and Ni-geria have disrupted more than 800,000 barrels a day of supply

and tightened the Brent market, according to Citigroup. And fall-ing drilling activity in the United States shale industry has seen ana-lysts raise forecasts for declines in North American production.

Shale productionOne key question is how fast shale production could come back if the Opec and some non-Opec pro-ducers succeed in driving prices higher. “It’s not surprising they’d be willing to agree to this because the outlook for further production increase was quite limited,” Jeff Currie, global head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs., said in an interview of Bloomberg Televi-sion. “You can’t’ operate a cartel the way you used to.” - Bloomberg News

Qatar’s oil minister said that countries would

meet in Doha on April 17. Oil producers are

fi nalising a plan to discuss freezing output

Deutsche Boerse, London exchange merger to create mega bourseLONDON: Deutsche Boerse and London Stock Exchange Group agreed to merge, a deal that would create a titan of European trading as long as rival suitors don’t up-end the agreement and regulators give it their blessing.

LSE’s equity holders will own 45.6 percent of the enlarged group, while Deutsche Boerse stockholders will get the remain-ing 54.4 percent, according to a

statement on Wednesday. The two companies announced on Feb. 23 that they were negotiat-ing a deal. The companies are val-ued at $30.5 billion.

“They’re being very, very care-ful to position this as a merger and a merger of equals,” said Scott Moeller, a professor of corporate fi nance at London’s Cass Business School and a for-mer investment banker. - Bloomberg

S T O C K E X C H A N G E

Egypt central bank mounting

war on dollar black market

CAIRO: Egypt’s central bank governor Tarek Amer is step-ping up the war on the black market for dollars, seeking to build confi dence in the Egyptian pound after the biggest devalua-tion since 2003.

Policy makers plan to pro-vide local lenders with $1.5 bil-lion in an exceptional sale on Wednesday to cover importers’ debt, taking the amount of hard currency injected this month alone to $2.4 billion — about fi ve times what it usually off ers to banks monthly.

Egypt’s economic recovery has been slowed by a foreign-currency shortage that has boosted black market demand for dollars. Authorities have said that narrowing the gap be-tween the offi cial and unregu-lated rates is essential to revive interest in Egypt’s debt and eq-uity markets, deserted by for-eign investors after the 2011 up-rising against former President Hosni Mubarak.

Foreign holdings of Egyptian T-bills fell to less than $50 mil-lion in 2015 from more than $10 billion almost fi ve years ago.

Psychological war“The central bank is playing a psychological war,” said Hany Farahat, senior economist at Cairo-based CI Capital Holding. “It is throwing liquidity in the face of the black market, mak-ing people trust that the central bank can deliver. This is the type of strategy needed for the black market to disappear.”

The pound traded at 9.567 per dollar on Tuesday in the black market according to three money changers in Cairo and Alexandria. One of the dealers said the rate was 9.25 a day ear-lier. The central bank on Mon-day devalued the currency by 13 percent to 8.85 and said it would adopt a more fl exible exchange rate to attract investments and shore up foreign reserves. The currency’s offi cial rate was un-changed at 8.95 to the dollar at 9:14 a.m. on Wednesday.

Investors cheerThe devaluation was welcomed by the International Monetary Fund as well as investors, who sent Egyptian stocks up 8.8 per-cent over two days.

Sovereign Eurobonds ma-turing in 2025 rallied again on Tuesday, with yields falling 18 basis points to 7.47 percent, for a 48-basis-points drop since the devaluation.

Egypt’s two biggest state-run banks, Banque Misr and the National Bank of Egypt, off ered certifi cates of deposits paying 15 per cent interest. - Bloomberg News

E C O N O M Y

offl oaded to other parts of the world. Rather than being at the periphery of the global economy, Central Asia will be at its core. And China’s form of authoritarian government will gain immense prestige, implying a large negative ef-fect on democracy worldwide.

But there are important reasons to question whether One Belt, One Road will succeed. Infrastructure-led growth has worked well in China up to now because the Chinese government could control the political environ-ment. This will not be the case abroad, where instability, confl ict, and corruption will interfere with Chinese plans.

Indeed, China has already found itself confronting angry stakeholders, nationalistic legislators, and fi ckle friends in places like Ecuador and Venezuela, where it already has massive investments.

This does not mean, how-ever, that the US and other Western governments should sit by complacently and wait for China to fail. The strategy of massive infrastructure development may have reached a limit inside China, and it may not work in foreign countries, but it is still critical to global growth.

The US used to build mas-sive dams and road networks back in the 1950s and 1960s, until such projects fell out of fashion. Today, the US has relatively little to off er devel-oping countries in this regard. President Barack Obama’s Power Africa initiative is a good one, but it has been slow to get off the ground; eff orts to build the Fort Liberté port in Haiti have been a fi asco.

The US should have be-come a founding member of the AIIB; it could yet join and move China toward greater compliance with interna-tional environmental, safety, and labor standards. At the same time, the US and other Western countries need to ask themselves why infrastruc-ture has become so diffi cult to build, not just in develop-ing countries but at home as well. Unless we do, we risk ceding the future of Eurasia and other important parts of the world to China and its development model. — FRANCIS

FUKUYAMA/Project Syndicate

But One Belt, One Road is diff erent: its purpose is to develop industrial capacity and consumer demand in countries outside of China. Rather than extracting raw materials, China is seeking to shift its heavy industry to less developed countries, making them richer and encouraging demand for Chinese products.

China’s development model is diff erent from the one currently fashionable in the West. It is based on mas-sive state-led investments in infrastructure — roads, ports, electricity, railways, and airports — that facilitate industrial development. American economists abjure this build-it-and-they-will-come path, owing to concerns about corruption and self-dealing when the state is so heavily involved. In recent years, by contrast, US and European develop-ment strategy has focused on large investments in public health, women’s empower-ment, support for global civil society, and anti-corruption measures.

Laudable as these West-ern goals are, no country has ever gotten rich by investing in them alone. Public health is an important background condition for sustained growth; but if a clinic lacks reliable electricity and clean water, or there are no good roads leading to it, it won’t do much good. China’s infrastructure-based strat-egy has worked remarkably well in China itself, and was an important component of the strategies pursued by other East Asian countries, from Japan to South Korea to Singapore.

The big question for the future of global politics is straightforward: Whose model will prevail? If One Belt, One Road meets Chinese planners’ expecta-tions, the whole of Eurasia, from Indonesia to Poland will be transformed in the coming generation. China’s model will blossom outside of China, raising incomes and thus demand for Chi-nese products to replace stagnating markets in other parts of the world. Pollut-ing industries, too, will be

As fi rst two months of 2016 got over, a historic contest is

underway over competing development models — that is, strategies to promote economic growth — between China, on the one hand, and the US and other Western countries on the other. Although this contest has been largely hidden from public view, the outcome will determine the fate of much of Eurasia for decades to come.

Most Westerners are aware that growth has slowed substantially in China, from over 10 per cent per year in recent decades to below seven per cent today (and possibly lower). The country’s leaders have not been sitting still in response, seeking to accelerate the shift from an export-oriented, environmentally damaging growth model based on heavy manufactur-ing to one based on domestic consumption and services.

But there is a large external dimension to China’s plans as well. In 2013, President Xi Jin-ping announced a massive initiative called “One Belt, One Road,” which would transform the economic core of Eurasia. The One Belt component consists of rail links from western China through Central Asia and thence to Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. The strangely named One Road component consists of ports and facilities to in-crease seaborne traffi c from East Asia and connect these countries to the One Belt, giving them a way to move their goods overland, rather than across two oceans, as they currently do.

The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which the US earlier this year refused to join, is designed, in part, to fi nance One Belt, One Road. But the project’s investment requirements will dwarf the resources of the proposed new institution.

Indeed, One Belt, One Road represents a strik-ing departure in Chinese policy. For the fi rst time, China is seeking to export its development model to other countries. Chinese companies, of course, have been hugely active throughout Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa in the past decade, invest-ing in commodities and extractive industries and the infrastructure needed to move them to China.

EXPORTING THE CHINESE MODEL

The One Belt component

consists of rail links

from western China

through Central Asia and

thence to Europe, the

Middle East, and South

Asia. The strangely

named One Road

component consists of

ports and facilities to

increase seaborne traffi c

from East Asia and

connect these countries

to the One Belt, giving

them a way to move their

goods overland, rather

than across two oceans,

as they currently do

B4

FEATURET H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

As fi rst two months of 2016 got over, a historic contest is

underway over competing development models — that is, strategies to promote economic growth — between China, on the one hand, and the US and other Western countries on the other. Although this contest has been largely hidden from public view, the outcome will determine the fate of much of Eurasia for decades to come.

Most Westerners are aware that growth has slowed substantially in China, from over 10 per cent per year in recent decades to below seven per cent today (and possibly lower). The country’s leaders have not been sitting still in response, seeking to accelerate the shift from an export-oriented, environmentally damaging growth model based on heavy manufactur-ing to one based on domestic consumption and services.

But there is a large external dimension to China’s plans as well. In 2013, President Xi Jin-ping announced a massive initiative called “One Belt, One Road,” which would transform the economic core of Eurasia. The One Belt component consists of rail links from western China through Central Asia and thence to Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. The strangely named One Road component consists of ports and facilities to in-crease seaborne traffi c from East Asia and connect these countries to the One Belt, giving them a way to move their goods overland, rather than across two oceans, as they currently do.

The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which the US earlier this year refused to join, is designed, in part, to fi nance One Belt, One Road. But the project’s investment requirements will dwarf the resources of the proposed new institution.

Indeed, One Belt, One Road represents a strik-ing departure in Chinese policy. For the fi rst time, China is seeking to export its development model to other countries. Chinese companies, of course, have been hugely active throughout Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa in the past decade, invest-ing in commodities and extractive industries and the infrastructure needed to move them to China.

But One Belt, One Road is diff erent: its purpose is to develop industrial capacity and consumer demand in countries outside of China. Rather than extracting raw materials, China is seeking to shift its heavy industry to less developed countries, making them richer and encouraging demand for Chinese products.

China’s development model is diff erent from the one currently fashionable in the West. It is based on mas-sive state-led investments in infrastructure — roads, ports, electricity, railways, and airports — that facilitate industrial development. American economists abjure this build-it-and-they-will-come path, owing to concerns about corruption and self-dealing when the state is so heavily involved. In recent years, by contrast, US and European develop-ment strategy has focused on large investments in public health, women’s empower-ment, support for global civil society, and anti-corruption measures.

Laudable as these West-ern goals are, no country has ever gotten rich by investing in them alone. Public health is an important background condition for sustained growth; but if a clinic lacks reliable electricity and clean water, or there are no good roads leading to it, it won’t do much good. China’s infrastructure-based strat-egy has worked remarkably well in China itself, and was an important component of the strategies pursued by other East Asian countries, from Japan to South Korea to Singapore.

The big question for the future of global politics is straightforward: Whose model will prevail? If One Belt, One Road meets Chinese planners’ expecta-tions, the whole of Eurasia, from Indonesia to Poland will be transformed in the coming generation. China’s model will blossom outside of China, raising incomes and thus demand for Chi-nese products to replace stagnating markets in other parts of the world. Pollut-ing industries, too, will be

EXPORTING THE CHINESE MODEL

The One Belt component

consists of rail links

from western China

through Central Asia and

thence to Europe, the

Middle East, and South

Asia. The strangely

named One Road

component consists of

ports and facilities to

increase seaborne traffi c

from East Asia and

connect these countries

to the One Belt, giving

them a way to move their

goods overland, rather

than across two oceans,

as they currently do

offl oaded to other parts of the world. Rather than being at the periphery of the global economy, Central Asia will be at its core. And China’s form of authoritarian government will gain immense prestige, implying a large negative ef-fect on democracy worldwide.

But there are important reasons to question whether One Belt, One Road will succeed. Infrastructure-led growth has worked well in China up to now because the Chinese government could control the political environ-ment. This will not be the case abroad, where instability, confl ict, and corruption will interfere with Chinese plans.

Indeed, China has already found itself confronting angry stakeholders, nationalistic legislators, and fi ckle friends in places like Ecuador and Venezuela, where it already has massive investments.

This does not mean, how-ever, that the US and other Western governments should sit by complacently and wait for China to fail. The strategy of massive infrastructure development may have reached a limit inside China, and it may not work in foreign countries, but it is still critical to global growth.

The US used to build mas-sive dams and road networks back in the 1950s and 1960s, until such projects fell out of fashion. Today, the US has relatively little to off er devel-oping countries in this regard. President Barack Obama’s Power Africa initiative is a good one, but it has been slow to get off the ground; eff orts to build the Fort Liberté port in Haiti have been a fi asco.

The US should have be-come a founding member of the AIIB; it could yet join and move China toward greater compliance with interna-tional environmental, safety, and labor standards. At the same time, the US and other Western countries need to ask themselves why infrastruc-ture has become so diffi cult to build, not just in develop-ing countries but at home as well. Unless we do, we risk ceding the future of Eurasia and other important parts of the world to China and its development model. — FRANCIS

FUKUYAMA/Project Syndicate

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Malabar Gold introduces unique diamond pendants

MUSCAT: Mother’s Day is just around the corner and to celebrate this occasion, Malabar Gold & Dia-monds introduced four exclusive diamond pendants as a glittering tribute to the unspoken love of a mother, says a press release.

Mother’s Day is celebrated on March 21 every year to honour and commemorate the unconditional bond of motherhood. It reminds us

that motherhood cannot be taken for granted and this particular day gives us a unique opportunity to let her know just how special she truly is to you.

This Mother’s Day, make your mom feel unique by gifting her diamond pendant specially de-signed for the special occasion by Malabar Gold & Diamonds. Let your mom know how you feel and shower some love on her with the magnifi cent Mother’s Day collec-tion by Malabar Gold & Diamonds. Show her how much she is loved and appreciated by gifting an en-

twined pendant sparkling with brilliant diamonds, representing the unbreakable bond a mother and child share.

These special edition diamond pendants will surely touch her heart, bringing a sparkling smile on her face and adding that extra sparkle of love in her eyes. Cele-brate the true essence of her moth-erhood with this perfectly crafted pendant off ered at an aff ordable price of OMR85 to OMR120 in four designs and turn this occa-sion memorable. All pendants will come with the 18ct chain.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds is always at the forefront when it comes to promotions and festi-vals. The immaculate collection of Studs and Drops are available at its outlets in UAE, Oman, Kuwait, KSA, Singapore and Malaysia with its unique exchange off ers and buyback policies.

The jewellery chain off ers life-time free repair and maintenance service for all its products.

These diamond pendant sets will be available at all Malabar Gold & Diamonds showrooms in the GCC until stocks last.

This Mother’s Day,

make your mom feel

unique by gifting her

diamond pendant

specially designed for

the special occasion

by Malabar Gold

OAB picks February winners of Hassad Savings SchemeMUSCAT: Oman Arab Bank (OAB) announced the Hassad Savings Scheme winners for the month of February.

Initiated by the bank to inspire a culture of saving in the Sultan-ate, the 2016 Hassad scheme rewarded 11 lucky account hold-ers with more than OMR50,000 in cash prizes with one regional winner, Mohammed Al Balushi, walking away with OMR40,000. Held at the bank’s head offi ce, the monthly draw awarded fi ve cus-tomers in the child account cat-egory with OMR1,000 each and fi ve in the female only category with OMR1,500 each.

Fahd Amjad, general manager - Retail Banking at Oman Arab Bank, said: “I would like to con-gratulate February 2016 lucky customers for winning lucrative cash prizes by saving for their fu-ture. We have worked tirelessly to enhance the banking experi-ence and add value to the lives of the OAB family and Hassad Sav-ings Scheme is part and parcel of those eff orts. Our loyal customers from all ages and from across the country can now save more with this exciting product and stand a chance to win big.”

Unveiled in January to en-courage personal savings, the re-vamped Hassad Savings Scheme off ers customers from every seg-ment a once-in-a-lifetime op-portunity to win. As part of the draw, one regional, fi ve female, and fi ve children are chosen ran-domly every month to receive prizes ranging from OMR1,000 to OMR40,000.

The savings scheme will end the year with a mega draw of OMR50,000 for two winners. Elite Priority Banking custom-ers have not been forgotten and are eligible to win cash prizes valued at OMR100,000 in June and December. Additionally, the draw will also reward custom-ers on special occasions such as Eid Al Fitr, Oman Women’s Day, and National Day with a total of OMR58,000 up for grabs.

OAB has consistently ex-panded its reach as well as its products and services off ering to provide customers in the coun-try with a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions in retail banking, corporate and project fi nance, investment banking, trade fi nance and most recently, Islamic Banking.

L U C K Y W I N N E R S

New India Assurance modifi es its motor insurance policyMUSCAT: Incorporating the changes in the existing Unifi ed Mo-tor Policy, New India Assurance Company Limited has modifi ed its motor insurance policy as per the order of Capital Market Authority’s (CMA) vide Decision No.E/19/2016 dated February 3, 2016.

These changes came into eff ect from March 15. The new revised Unifi ed Motor Policy carries pro-visions for certain additional cov-ers to the insured which can be bought at an additional premium, if the customer opts for it, says a press release.

As per the CMA order, the fees for medical expenses charges will be applied at the rate of OMR3 per seat instead of OMR3 per vehicle. The revised Unifi ed Motor Policy off ers more benefi ts to the insured including reduction in excess payable to the insurer while on accident claims and no claim dis-counts in premium from 5 per cent onwards during renewal.

There are also certain changes in the defi nitions of policy word-ings and the revised proposal form and unifi ed motor policy wordings which will be in use with eff ect from March 15.

Dr K. P. Sebastian, chief operat-ing offi cer, stated that A.M. Best,

the USA based international Credit Ratings Agency has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of The New India Assurance Com-pany Ltd., the leading general in-surer of the Afro-Asian region. The revised credit rating was published in January 15, 2016. As per the re-vised credit rating New India As-surance enjoy the FSR, A-Excel-lent. Founded in 1899, A.M. Best Company is the world’s oldest and most authoritative insurance rat-ing and information source. A.M. Best’s Credit Rating assigned to an insurance company is an independ-ent opinion of an insurer’s fi nancial strength and ability to meet its on-going major fi nancial obligations. The rating is determined based on comprehensive and qualitative evaluation of a company’s balance sheet strength, operating perfor-mance and business profi le.

The company has presence in 28 countries spanning fi ve continents and has the largest number of spe-cialist and technically qualifi ed personnel at all levels of manage-ment who are empowered to un-derwrite and settle claims of high magnitude.

“Our organisation, which is a multinational since 1920 has been enjoying a solid capital-base, ex-

cellent liquidity and highest sol-vency margin since its inception. New India has been a pioneer in the promotion of customer satis-faction, and advocate of transpar-ency. We are proud to have been present in Oman since 1974. We have been one of the leading par-ticipants in promoting a strong in-surance section in the Sultanate,” Sebastian said.

“New India-Oman’s growth, since its entry in 1974, has been steady. For the last few years the company has enjoyed enormous support from its valued clients. The reputation of being one of the

most trusted customer friendly insurance companies in Oman has put ‘New India’ with an addi-tional responsibility to serve the Oman market in their insurance needs with our ever improving all round customer service. New India Assurance is in the fore-front of off ering unique insurance products and services.

"The wide range of insurance covers caters to project insur-ance, fi re (property) insurance, personal accident, household insurance, workmen compensa-tion, motor, marine, professional indemnity, public liability policy,

product liability, travel insurance and health insurance.

"‘Better Health’, a healthcare insurance programme for corpo-rate clients, is one among several attractive policies in its vast array of products and services. ‘Fam-ily Health’ – a medical insurance scheme adding portability facility to our existing customers by which our customers can continue with health insurance schemes back in India, upon their return. ‘New India’ constantly promote value-added products and services as it is its tradition to maintain customer satisfaction and value addition.”

“New India-Oman’ have a very good customer base – large, me-dium and small corporate clients as well as cash customers – which we have retained over these years. We build up good and strong rela-tionship and we intend to retain our reputation of being one of the most customer friendly insur-ance companies here in Oman. For about four decades of operation in Oman, ‘New India’ has carved out a reputation of not only being customer friendly, but also for be-ing trustworthy and stable in all aspects. Our customers trust us as much that it is through customers we get more customers,” he said.

Its operation network in the Sul-tanate includes branch offi ces in Ruwi, Seeb, Sohar, Avenues Mall Ghubra and sub-agency offi ces in various parts of Oman apart from Muscat (Hamriya) where the head offi ce of Oman operation is lo-cated. The company has been ag-gressively expanding its network in Oman.

“It has always been one of the key objectives of New India Oman to widen its operations in the Sultan-ate of Oman, and empower Omanis by providing them with adequate training in insurance services. This as an Indian Insurance major, we believe will not only help enhance Indo-Oman relations, but also strengthen the Omani workforce in a fast-changing insurance and fi -nancial sector scenario. New India Oman will further spread its wings across the country to expand its services network and off er the best possible insurance services to our customers,” he added.

“We have dedicated personnel to meet all requirements of our cus-tomers. In fact, New India Oman is a true blend of Omanis and Indians working together in harmony and cooperation. More than 60 per cent of New India Oman’s workforce is Omanis,” concluded Sebastian.

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

Platinum Records delights audience with spectacular shows at gala nightMUSCAT: Leading regional mu-sic entertainment company Plati-num Records, owned by MBC Group, delighted audiences with jaw-dropping performances led by its music artists in four con-secutive acts during its annual red carpet gala event, held at Meydan Sobha’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City – District One in Dubai recently.

The evening titled, ‘The Art of Performance’, presented by District One in partnership with Jaguar MENA was an evening to remember and set the tone for reshaping the future plans of Platinum Records as the leading regional music and entertain-ment company.

“‘The Art of Performance’ event was the biggest in Platinum Re-cords’ history in terms of both audio-visual and technical produc-tion, featuring 10 diff erent artists performing with over 70 musicians from Kiev, Bucharest and Beirut, 10 Khaleeji Iqaat, 20 international dancers and over 400 distinguished guests, including chairman and CEOs of top regional brands and companies, leading Arab artists, actors and celebrities, pan-Arab press, MBC Group management and TV personalities. Every per-former was introduced on stage by a diff erent guest presenter, includ-ing Platinum A&R composers, pro-ducers, lyricists as well as leading social media infl uencers and MBC programme hosts.

The stunning private venue in

the heart of Dubai at Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City – District One was brought to life, commencing with a grand red carpet media blitz, where celeb-rity appearances and interviews kicked off the night. MBC 4 for the fi rst time aired an unprecedented 90-minute live from the red carpet show presented by hit entertain-ment show, ET Bil Arabi at the event, which was viewed by mil-lions, covering all the celebrity ar-rivals and all the excitement with live coverage of the fashion, fl air, glitz and glamour.

Guests proceeded to the cocktail reception amidst luxury villas and mansions, where the red carpet arrivals were streamed on a large screen, giving all the VIP guests a front-row seat to see the stars prior to being seated for the show at District One’s Crystal Lagoon, where the Dubai skyline and Burj Khalifa set the stunning backdrop.

The show kicked off with Act 1, entitled Pop Extreme, led by Plati-num Moroccan artists Grini and

Jamila performing their 2015 hit singles and one new song each to be released this week exclusively on music streaming site, Anghami.

The Soloists, Act 2 featured a stunning performance by fa-mous Asmaa Lmnawar signing the legendary ‘J’en Ai Marre’, followed by a gorgeous classi-cal Khaliji fusion from Emi-rati singer/composer, Fayez Al Saeed as one of the A&R Team members of Platinum Records.

Act 3, The Diva showcased a dra-matic, powerful entrance by Ahlam with 20 international dancers stag-ing a military march choreography and performance, as part of her new music video recorded live from the concert, which was nothing short from ground breaking.

Act 4, Balkan Fusion witnessed a live performance by Platinum’s Lebanese A&R Producer/Com-poser, Michel Fadel, and the music director and lead maestro for the entire concert, with a grand perfor-mance with his Balkan band from Romania, with a medley of stun-

ning music from his debut album to be released by Platinum Records.

Taymoor Marmarchi, head of Platinum Records said during his speech: “Tonight is an example of how Arabic music can be pre-sented on a global scale; live per-formances each with a diff erent style, theme and unique show. I am proud and excited of the work that Platinum has achieved the past year, catapulting the record label as a leading music and enter-tainment brand in the region. Our roster of talent has become world class and there are so many excit-ing projects in the pipeline.”

Joseph Al-Sharif, vice president of Sales & Marketing at Meydan Sobha commented: “We are proud to host this exclusive Platinum Records Gala event at Moham-med Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City – District One.”

Salman Sultan, press media re-lations and social media manager at Jaguar Land Rover Mena, said: “The Art of Performance event was the fi rst demonstration of Jag-uar’s collaboration with Platinum Records and it was a true show-case of the best in art, creativity and performance. We are thrilled to have celebrated what the Art of Performance means through music, an art form which remains deeply intertwined with the cul-ture of the Middle East region. This was the fi rst in a series of ex-citing tie ups, and we look forward to developing our partnership with Platinum Records.”

‘ T H E A R T O F P E R F O R M A N C E ’

Lucky MasterCard GCC winners

receive all-expense-paid trip to

watch UEFA Champions League

DUBAI: Forty lucky Master-Card cardholders from the GCC won an all-expense-paid trip to London last month to watch the high-voltage clash between Ar-senal FC and FC Barcelona live at the Emirates Stadium in Lon-don, thanks to a UEFA Champi-ons League campaign organised jointly by MasterCard and Mc-Donald’s.

Launched last November to promote MasterCard’s cashless payment system now available in Oman, the campaign enabled McDonald’s customers using their MasterCard cards to enter into a raffl e to win a four-day Eu-rope trip for two to watch a UEFA Champions League RO16 con-test, says a press release.

The raffl e draw was held early this year and the winners re-ceived the chance to travel to London to watch the fi rst leg of the Round-of-16 tie between Ar-senal FC and FC Barcelona on February 23.

Their priceless experience in-cluded a private tour of the stadi-

um with England legend, Graeme Le Saux. The tour was followed by a private lunch and Q&A ses-sion with Le Saux.

Ali K. Daud, Development Li-censee and president of McDon-ald’s Oman, said: “In partnership with MasterCard, we at McDon-ald’s want to celebrate our cus-tomers’ loyalty and highlight how simple it has become for them to purchase their favourite meals. With so many of our customers having benefi ted from this exclu-sive opportunity to experience Europe’s biggest football compe-tition, we can confi dently say that winning never tasted so good!”

Raghav Prasad, general manag-er – Gulf Countries, MasterCard, said: “Football has a universal ac-ceptance, just like MasterCard, and the passion for the game here in the Arab world is just incred-ible. By partnering with McDon-ald’s for this unique promotion, MasterCard continues to off er our cardholders priceless experi-ences that connect with their in-terests and passion points.”

M C D O N A L D ' S P A R T N E R S

B6 T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

ROUND-UP

OPWP signs pact with Muscat Water for plants

Times News Service

MUSCAT: In order to establish the Quriyat and Aseelah tempo-rary desalination plants, Oman Power and Water Procurement (OPWP) Company, member of Nama Group, the sole procurer of power generation and water desalination capacity in the Sul-tanate, signed the water purchase agreement with Muscat Water at a cost of OMR9 million at InterCon-tinental Muscat.

The signing ceremony was held under the patronage of Moham-med bin Abdullah Al Mahrouqi, chairman of the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW). A number of dignitaries including government offi cials, as well as board of directors and representa-tives from the consortium and

electricity and water sector in the Sultanate attended the event.

The agreement was signed by Eng. Yaqoob bin Saif Al Kiyumi - chief operating offi cer of OPWP and on behalf of Muscat Water, Haitham Al Fannah, chief oper-ating offi cer of Al Sulaimi Group Holding inked the pact.

The scope of the project which will be located in Quriyat in Mus-cat governorate and Jalan Bani Bu Ali in Sharqiyah South governo-rate includes the design, construc-tion, ownership, operation and maintenance of a high effi ciency reverse osmosis desalination fa-cilities. The total potable water output of Quriyat plant is 8,000 m3 per day (1.76 million gallon per day) whereas total potable water output of Aseelah plant is 10,000 m3 per day (2.2 million gallon per day). The projects will be struc-tured as Independent Water Pro-jects (IWPs) with OPWP purchas-ing the potable water produced by the project under a Water Pur-chase Agreement.

Speaking at the event Eng. Naif bin Ali Al Abri, acting director of Projects Development at OPWP said that this project is part of tem-porary and urgent desalination water projects being developed by Oman Power and Water Procure-ment Company in coordination with the Public Authority for Elec-tricity and Water, to keep up with the growing demand for water in

the Sultanate of Oman.It is expected that this project

will contribute to creating job op-portunities for the national cadres and create contractual opportuni-ties for local business and enrich the Omani content through the award of the project to one of the national companies operating in this fi eld. Most of the project’s materials will be manufactured or procured locally through special-ised local companies. Omani tech-nical cadres will be contributing in the manufacturing of the plants in various engineering, technical and occupational safety fi elds.

OPWP started the procurement process to develop the project in June 2015 where fi ve companies participated in the tendering pro-cess. Bidders have competed in their technical and fi nancial bids, and through the evaluation and ne-gotiation process carried out by the company, the project was awarded to the consortium of AquaSwiss and Al Sulaimi Group Holding. Dr Manfred Reid, the head of Global Business Development from Aq-uaSwiss AG said, “We are happy and proud for obtaining the op-portunity to provide a technical solution to convert saline water into drinking water, serving the demands of thousands of people in the regions of Asselah and Quriyat, making their life safer and more comfortable. In this respect we understand this project not only

as a mere business, but also as a contribution to social responsibil-ity. We would like to thank OPWP for identifying this demand of fresh water in the region and for developing these projects for As-selah and Quriyat. Muscat Water is lucky to contribute its part, and once we can see the people from Asselah and Quriyat benefi ting from a stable and secure water supply we will see that we have ac-complished our mission.

Muscat Water is a coalition of the desalination experts, Aq-uaSwiss AG of Switzerland, with world’s leading desalination tech-nologies and Al Sulaimi Group Holding - a leading Omani Group with expertise in various engi-neering branches and specialises in seawater intakes, water net-work, water plants O&M services and fabrication for the water and oil industry.

Muscat Water aims to bring drinking and potable water at very competitive prices through the unique diff erentiating technolo-gies, to bring a high local Omani content, and to develop signifi cant in-country-value through the de-ployment of Omani manpower and local manufacturing capabilities in its projects. Thus OPWP and Muscat Water share the same mo-tive of meeting the growing need ofwater and creating more em-ployment opportunities within the country through the projects.

Oman Power and

Water Procurement

is set to establish

the Quriyat and

Aseelah temporary

desalination plants

Hormuz Grand hotel joins hands with Gailani Art RetreatMUSCAT: Hormuz Grand Hotel Muscat and Gailani Art Retreat have formed a strategic partner-ship that will see the restaurant venue as the new home for the monthly art retreats run by Mus-cat-based artist Ibrahim Gailani. This partnership goes into eff ect this March with the fi rst one be-ing held on March 19 at Hormuz Grand Hotel Muscat.

Hormuz Grand will become the third home of the art retreat that has progressed from humble beginnings of only fi ve attendees when it started in 2013, to now with over 600 attendees spread over 37 art retreats during the past three years in Muscat.

According to Gailani, the move to Hormuz Grand refl ects the progression of the retreat from what was initially thought of as just another art class. It is now a hub for creative activity. So part-nering with Hormuz Grand was a perfect collaboration as they are committed to fostering artists and the arts community in col-laboration with Gailani Art Re-treat. The Gailani Art Retreat is a creative getaway for people who even if they have never painted before, venture into self-discov-ery using painting and music.

“The reason for our success has been that we provide inclu-sive safe environment where creative souls can express with-

out judgment as we don’t focus on art education and criticism but positivity and encourage-ment of self-expression,” stated Huma, manager of the Retreat.

“The Hormuz Grand’s beauti-ful pool-side banqueting venue with both indoor and outdoor painting and meditation facil-ity with the serenity pool with beautifully landscaped greenery will only add to the participant’s experience of having a creative escape,” she added.

In addition, this new partner-ship aims to give a platform to emerging and established artists who come to the art-retreat. As part of this deal the art created at the retreats will be exhibited for sale at Hormuz Grand Hotel Muscat in an ongoing exhibition curated by Gailani.

In addition there will be a solo art exhibition of Gailani that will also be held at the venue, and Hormuz Grand will also host an art festival with local and inter-national artists in addition to works form the Art Retreat.

“We have been looking for cultural opportunities to add to the experience of our patrons and make Hormuz Grand Hotel Muscat not only a business and leisure destination but also an artistic one,” elaborated Christo-pher Pike, the general manager of Hormuz Grand.

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

Dubai Gold and Diamonds opens new outletMUSCAT: Dubai Gold and Dia-monds opened its second new showroom at Oman Avenues Mall in Bausher, recently.

Sheikh Ali bin Sulaiman bin Muhammad Alghabshi, director-general for employment licences, Ministry of Manpower, inaugu-rated the new showroom in the

presence of P. P. Muhammad Ali Haji, chairman Dubai Gold and Khalid Al Balushi, Benzeer, Basheer Ahammad, Sidique Has-san, the directors and other digni-taries, says a press release.

Dubai Gold and Diamonds has announced fabulous gifts and exciting off ers for the custom-

ers. There will be assured gifts for each and every purchases, 50 per cent special discount off er for diamond and polki purchases and free gold coin off er for the purchases of gold jewellery worth OMR200 and above and for the purchases of diamond polki worth OMR100 and above. It showcases

fabulous collections of jewellery of old tradition and most modern patterns that suit the require-ments of the customers.

Muhamed Ali Haji said that the jewellery is set to open new show-rooms at Barka, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Perinthalman-na, Manjeri of Kerala, India.

E X P A N S I O N

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Nissan Pathfinder Classic receives solid support from loyal customers

STAFF REPORTER

MUSCAT: In a recently conduct-ed survey within Oman, Nissan received positive feedback on its Nissan Pathfi nder Classic range from customers in diff erent sec-tors within Oman.

The selected customers are from professions that involve trav-elling to tough and diffi cult ter-rains within the Sultanate in their Pathfi nder.

Owner’s pride Ali Hussain Al Khalili, assistant manager - Transportation, Oman National Engineering & Invest-ment Co., a proud Nissan Path-fi nder owner was all praise for the powerful car.

“The mighty Pathfi nder off ers a magnifi cent drive on road and off . There is a lot of ground clearance and solid protection for vitals un-derneath. Low-range gearing is great for slower four-wheel-driv-ing, while the huge ground clear-ance makes it a formidable tool,” Al Khalili said

“We have to go for site visits al-most every week which are located at remote parts within Oman. The Pathfi nder has always off ered a

steady drive and is quite stable in all kinds of diffi cult terrain,” he continued.

“Just getting inside reinforces how big the Pathfi nder is. The side steps don’t only come in handy - for many, they will be necessary to make the ascent to the driver’s seat. Needless to say, you get a de-cent view,” he added.

“The broad collection of con-trols and buttons are well laid-out and storage areas are plentiful; the cabin is wide, too, something that helps with three people across the back and those in the middle row will be blessed with generous leg-room,” Al Khalili asserted.

According to Al Khalili, Nissan introduces schemes and off ers on a daily basis on its vehicles making it convenient for customers to buy vehicles at any time of the year.

“Nissan Pathfi nder Classic too comes with attractive insurance, registration and service options this month.” Speaking about its service Al Khalili said, “Nissan service is equally good; I have had no complaints so far. They are on-time and professional with delivery of vehicles.”

Unique off er Auto enthusiasts can now avail ex-citing benefi ts on the Nissan Path-fi nder Classic 4L that include cash gift up of OMR2,500, free registra-tion, six years unlimited mileage warranty and easy and convenient fi nancing options. Flexible EMI’s can also be tailor made for any individual requirement from in-house Auto Finance team.

Younis Sulaiman Mohammed Al Harrasi, Associate - Transpor-

tation, Mezoon Electricity Com-pany, Oman, another proud Nissan Pathfi nder owner commented, “I have been driving my Pathfi nder for the last 10 years and it has truly been the most ideal vehicle I have ever driven.

The vehicle has been tested through the most diffi cult terrains. If I ever have to recommend a vehi-cle to anyone, it will undoubtedly be the Pathfi nder Classic. It off ers safe, steady and an effi cient driv-ing experience.”

Classic features With a powerful V6 engine, the mighty vehicle lives up to its rep-utation as an authentic, rugged adventure vehicle. The vehicle has maintained an iconic exte-rior design, while also remaining fresh and dynamic; the exterior is

defi ned by its unique combination of sophistication and rugged, go-anywhere looks.

The classic interior design of the Pathfi nder stands for all that’s good in an SUV, and with a 20-plus-year legacy of being tough, stylish and innovative, the driver along with six fellow travellers will fi nd any trip an easy one.

The best stories are woven around unexpected challenges ac-cepted and conquered, opening the door to new experiences.

The desire to explore the Path-fi nder’s power and capabilities will drive you to seek out new places and tackle new terrain – ac-tively feeding the exhilaration and lasting pleasure that adventurous trips generate.

Now with a styled exterior and premium grade additions like the

Rearview Monitor, Cruise Control and Bluetooth hands-free phone system. Further with three rows and up to 64 seat confi gurations, the Pathfi nder Classic is there to practi-cally advance your adventures.

The Pathfi nder’s long list of standard safety features and equipment includes Nissan Ad-vanced Air Bag System (AABS), featuring dual-stage front sup-plemental air bags with seat belt sensors and a front occupant clas-sifi cation sensor; supplemental front seat-mounted side-impact air bags; and roof-mounted sup-plemental curtain air bags for im-proved side impact and rollover head protection for outboard oc-cupants in all three rows.

Nissan Oman strives to achieve pioneering success through its services and activities off ered to its valued customers. Through a relentless pursuit of excellence and adopting aggressive market-ing style with an emphasis on customer satisfaction, backing it up with strong after-sales service network across the Sultanate, Ni-ssan Oman has built a name on trust, superior customer services and value for money.

Nissan Oman boasts of a niche premium clientele comprising of leading corporate houses and busi-nesses, international businessmen and tourists visiting the Sultanate of Oman and thus, the promise of the Pathfi nder Classic is to allow a broad but discerning car buying audience and tourists visiting the city to ‘experience lavishness’.

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

Auto enthusiasts can

also avail exciting

benefi ts on the

Nissan Pathfi nder

Classic 4L

PROUD OWNERS: The selected customers from professions that involve travelling to tough and diffi cult terrains within the Sultanate

in their Pathfi nder give positive feedback on the Nissan range. – Shabin E./ TIMES OF OMAN

Zubair Corporation honours six outstanding students in NizwaMUSCAT: Six top achieving students of Grade XII from vari-ous schools in the Al Dakhiliyah Governorate were honoured by The Zubair Corporation in Ni-zwa at the Ministry of Education office recently. The act of honouring the top achievers is part of The Zubair Corporation’s strategy to recog-nise academic excellence among students, says a press release.

The Ministry of Education, rep-resented by Suleiman Al Salmi, head of the department, Ministry of Education, Nizwa was also pre-sent at the award giving ceremony.

The Zubair Corporation has been making sustained endeavours to contribute positively to society. The group’s community initiatives span key areas of education, health-care, sports and employability.

The group believes that the chil-dren of today are the future shap-ers and builders of the country. By supporting outstanding stu-dents today, The Zubair Corpora-tion hopes to nurture tomorrow’s achievers in all fi elds.

The Zubair Corporation’s strat-egy is based on the culture of in-novation and educational sup-port. This gesture forms part of the company’s corporate social responsibility plans – the objec-tive of which is to promote and celebrate excellence in education.

Congratulating the students on their achievement, Mohammed Al Hasani, chief communications offi cer, The Zubair Corporation said: “We are very proud of the students’ accomplishment, and

we are certain that they will all go on to reach even greater heights of achievement.”

Urging the students to continue to work extra hard, Al Hasani said: “You all are the future of this na-tion and the success of the country depends on your contribution.”

The Zubair Corporation will continue to support academic student achievers and encourage them to develop into profi cient individuals in a prolifi c local and global community.

Conveying his gratitude to teachers Al Hasani said: “You all play a constructive role in the stu-dents’ life journey. Teachers sup-port is essential for students to achieve excellence in life.”

Thanking The Zubair Corpora-tion, Al Salmi said: “As a company

enthusiastic about engaging with the community in a positive way, it is heartening that you are encour-aging students who will shape the future of the industry.”

Explaining further, Al Salmi added: “Through this gesture The Zubair Corporation encourages youths to embrace the challenges and changes ahead of them. We are grateful to them for rewarding stu-dents’ hard work and celebrating their talents.”

Saying that the Ministry of Education takes great pride in the achievements of the students Al Salmi said: “We will continue to focus on enabling students to de-velop their potential.” He advised students to make study plans and be focussed. He also urged parents to support their children.

The students who were hon-oured thanked The Zubair Corpo-ration. After accepting the honour, one of the students said: “We are thankful to The Zubair Corporation for this gesture. This encourage-ment means a lot to the students.”

Another student said, “We are delighted that The Zubair Cor-poration honoured us and we are sure that this honouring will go a long way in attracting more stu-dents to work hard and be toppers in the future.”

Another awardee thanked her teachers for all their help and sup-port throughout the years.

Stressing that achieving success was full of challenges, a topper said, “But it will prepare us for the future and we know that our hard work will pay us rich dividends.”

T O P A C H I E V E R S

Kims Oman conducts

yet another critical

surgery successfully

MUSCAT: Expert surgical staff at Kims Oman Hospital success-fully conducted the fi rst Vascular Access-A-V Fistula for a patient of Chronic Renal Failure (CRF), led by Dr Muhamed Mustafa Al-habash, senior consultant of Gen-eral and Laparoscopic Surgery, at the hospital’s general surgery and laparoscopic department, re-cently, says a press release.

This critical surgery is urgent-ly performed on CRF patients who need to undergo a regular kidney dialysis which is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood and is used primarily as an artifi cial replace-ment for lost kidney function.

During his many years of wide experience, Dr Alhabash has con-ducted more than 4,500 A–V Fis-tula similar surgeries, in addition to conducting advanced general surgery operations, laparoscopic operations, and renal transplan-tation surgery. He also has a spe-cial interest in arterio-venous fi s-tulas, grafts, as well as handling

their complications. Dr Hussam Akoum, chief op-

erating offi cer of KOH, said: “I would like to express my pride of our expert medical team, who indeed has the capability to treat and deal with the most serious and critical cases.”

“We provide the best and most advanced medical and surgical services. This was a milestone in the development of the fi eld of microsurgery at Kims Oman Hospital,” he added.

G E N E R A L S U R G E R Y & L A P A R O S C O P I C D E P A R T M E N T

I would like to express

my pride of our

expert medical team,

who indeed has the

capability to treat and

deal with the most

serious and critical

cases

Dr Hussam AkoumChief operating officer of Kims Oman

B8

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Bank Muscat conducts monthly prize draw

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the fl ag-ship fi nancial services provider in the Sultanate, celebrated al Mazyona monthly prize draw in the wilayat of Shinas in which customers, including Shababi ac-count holders across the region, won attractive prizes.

Sheikh Soud bin Abdullah Al Makhmari, member of State Council, picked the lucky winners at an event hosted by Al Watan Sports Team to celebrate the game of football, says a press release.

The monthly draw conducted at the event was aimed at customers maintaining a minimum balance of OMR1,000 who got a chance to win OMR10,000 each.

For every OMR1,000 balance,

customers are entitled to 10 win-ning chances. In all, 28 monthly prizes, are reserved for custom-ers covering all the regions. The more the balance, higher the winning chances.

The event also witnessed the Shababi monthly draw wherein youth customers who opened a Shababi account with just OMR10 got a chance to win OMR300 each. In all, 30 winners are rewarded every month in the youth category. Shababi account holders are also eligible for other al Mazyona priz-es by maintaining a minimum bal-ance of OMR100.

Reaching out with a powerful call for savings, Oman’s fl agship al Mazyona savings scheme includes high value prizes totaling OMR10

million for diff erent segments, in-cluding women, children, youth and high saving customers. Adding excitement to festivals and nation-al celebrations, the 2016 savings scheme also rewards customers with special prizes, besides aspi-rational prizes of OMR1 million at the end of year.

As on date, al Mazyona sav-ings scheme guaranteeing more for everyone to share is the big-gest prize money in Oman and the region with prizes ranging from OMR1,000 a week to OMR10,000 a month, OMR100,000 every quar-ter and OMR500,000 at the end of year. al Mazyona continues to be the only savings scheme to recog-nise and reward loyalty for cus-tomers based on their association

with the bank. A special prize draw off ering

OMR10,000 each for winners from 14 regions will be held in cel-ebration of Eid Al Adha in July. An exclusive draw for Zeinah women customers coinciding with Omani Women’s Day is another highlight in which 10 customers will be re-warded with OMR10,000 each. On the occasion of the National Day, a special draw will be held off ering OMR10,000 each for 10 winners.

Targetted at high savings cus-tomers, al Mazyona off ers prizes to asalah Priority Banking cus-tomers who have chances to win OMR50,000 monthly prizes, OMR250,000 quarterly prizes, and a jackpot OMR500,000 year-end prize.

Prizes reserved for al Jawhar Privilege Banking customers in-clude OMR25,000 monthly prizes and OMR50,000 quarterly prizes.

The double-your-salary scheme is another attraction of 2016 al Mazyona savings scheme. The scheme entitles customers main-taining a salary account with the bank to win a free bonus salary every month.

The prize scheme is open to all customers with a minimum monthly salary of OMR500.

For instance, a customer whose salary is OMR500 can win an ad-ditional salary prize of OMR500 whereas another customer whose salary is OMR3,000 can win back an equivalent bonus salary of OMR3,000 and so on. In all there will be 30 winners every month who will gain a bonus salary with al Mazyona savings account.

al Mazyona monthly

draw conducted

at the event held

in Shinas was

aimed at customers

maintaining a

minimum balance

of OMR1,000 who

got a chance to win

OMR10,000 each

PDO hosts delegation from State CouncilMUSCAT: For the fi rst time in its history, Petroleum Develop-ment Oman (PDO) hosted a del-egation from the State Council on an offi cial visit to its Mina Al Fahal headquarters on Tuesday.

The eminent group was led by Dr Yahya bin Mahfoodh Al Mantheri, chairman of the State Council, and included most of its 84 members. Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi , undersecretary at the Min-istry of Oil and Gas, was also in attendance, says a press release.

A senior PDO management team, headed by Raoul Restuc-ci, managing director, gave an overview of the company’s per-formance on a range of matters including health, safety and the environment, production, cost control and the creation of job and training opportunities for Omanis through its pioneering In-Country Value (ICV) and lean effi ciency programmes.

During the three-hour of-fi cial engagement, the guests visited PDO’s Bait Mina Al Fa-hal HQ building and the hi-tech Lekhwair and Qarn Alam Col-laborative Work Environment centres, which featured a live broadcast from the fi eld with coastal staff .

They also toured a small exhi-bition featuring some of PDO’s award-winning projects and challenges, including Harweel, which is one of the world’s big-gest miscible sour gas injection projects, Miraah, one of the larg-est solar energy ventures globally, and the Nimr reed beds, a pio-neering energy-effi cient wetland scheme to treat produced water from oil production.

There was a focus on how PDO had responded to the present low oil price environment and explanatory displays of oil sam-ples, fossils, rocks, equipment

and goods made by women on the company’s Banat Oman voca-tional training programme.

The visitors were also shown a fi lm giving a corporate overview of PDO and one outlining its Na-tional Objectives programme which has generated more than 20,000 employment, training and re-deployment opportunities for Omanis since 2011.

Al Mantheri praised PDO’s ef-forts on the economy, new tech-nology and in providing training and employment opportunities, saying: “As PDO is proud to serve Oman, we are also proud of PDO.”

Restucci said: “We are hon-oured to have welcomed the fi rst-ever delegation from the State Council to PDO. We com-municated some of our nota-ble achievements and strategic priorities, such as our determi-nation to support Omani busi-nesses and jobseekers, and also how we are adapting to the cur-rent tough economic challenges through greater effi ciency and value creation.

“We would like to thank our distinguished guests for their support for, and recognition of, the great work our staff and con-tractors are doing every day to support Oman. Such visits can only encourage our employees to even greater heights to support the country’s development un-der the visionary leadership of His Majesty the Sultan.”

The State Council visit is the latest in an extensive programme of engagement by PDO with a range of its key stakeholders. Last year, the Council of Ministers, led by Deputy Prime Minister His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, made a fi rst-ever visit to PDO, followed by a delegation of ministerial under-secretaries and senior offi cials.

F I R S T O F F I C I A L V I S I T

Don’t litter a beautiful

country like OMAN.

Ensure proper disposalof garbage.

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SECTIONC T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

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Afridi leads from front as Pakistan rout Bangladesh

KOLKATA: Stung by unwar-ranted criticism, Shahid Afridi gave a fi tting reply with a brilliant all-round performance guiding his team to a comprehensive 55-run win over Bangladesh in a group league encounter of the ICC World T20, here on Wednesday evening.

The Pakistan skipper led by ex-ample blasting 49 off only 19 balls with winners scoring a massive 201 for fi ve after opting to bat.

Afridi then bowled his super-fast leg-breaks to grab two for 27 in four overs to restrict Bangla-desh to 146 for six in their stipu-lated 20 overs on a batting friend-ly Eden Gardens track.

He deservingly got ‘man of the match’ award and also the victory was a sweet revenge for Pakistan, who were ousted from Asia Cup by Mashrafe Mortaza’s men only a couple of weeks ago.

Afridi very rarely plays ram-paging innnings these days but on Wednesday afternoon, he did show why he is known as ‘Boom Boom’ as balls disappeared thick and fast into stands.

He hit four sixes apart from equal number of boundaries and his innings was the diff erence be-tween 150 and 200.

Before Afridi’s carnage, Ahmed Shehzad (52 from 39 balls; 8x4s) and Mohammed Hafeez (64 from 42b; 7x4s, 2x6s) had laid the foun-dation with a 95-run partnership from 68 balls.

Afridi got the perfect platform as he took just one single to settle down before smashing Mortaza for consecutive boundaries and a six. Afridi was exquisite with his shot selection and had all the time to improvise as he raced to 25 from nine balls toying Bangladesh bowl-ers with ease on a fast outfi eld.

Such was his power that his mistimed shots went over bound-ary and the 25,000-plus present in stands mostly comprised die-hard Afridi fans.

Afridi’s blitzkrieg along with half centuries from Hafeez and Shehzad meant that their batting came to fore ahead of March 19 big match against traditional ri-vals India who will be looking for survival after their loss to New Zealand on Tuesday.

In reply, Bangladesh were in no way in the game and the fast and furious Mohammed Amir pro-vided the perfect start unsettling Soumya Sarkar’s off -stump in the third ball. - PTI

The Pakistan skipper

led by example

blasting 49 off just

19 balls with winners

scoring 201 for fi ve.

Afridi then grabbed

two for 27 to restrict

Bangladesh to 146

for six in 20 overs

PAKISTANSharjeel Khan b Arafat Sunny 18A. Shehzad c Mahmudullah b S. Rahman 52M. Hafeez c S. Sarkar b A. Sunny 64S. Afridi c Mahmudullah b T. Ahmed 49Umar Akmal c Shakib b Taskin 0Shoaib Malik (not out) 15Imad Wasim (not out) 0Extras (lb-1, w-1, nb-1) 3 Total (5 wkts; 20 overs) 201Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-121, 3-163, 4-175, 5-198.Bowling: Taskin Ahmed 4-0-32-2; Al Amin Hossain 3-0-43-0; Arafat Sunny 4-0-34-2; Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-39-0 (w-1); Mashrafe Mortaza 3-0-41-0 (nb-1); Sabbir Rahman 2-0-11-1.

BANGLADESHTamim Iqbal c I. Wasim b S. Afridi 24S. Sarkar b Mohammad Amir 0 Sabbir Rahman b Shahid Afridi 25Shakib Al Hasan (not out) 50Mahmudullah c Sharjeel b I. Wasim 4Mushfi qur Rahim c S. Ahmed b M. Amir 18M. Mithun c M. Amir b M. Irfan 2Mashrafe Mortaza (not out) 15Extras (lb-4, w-4) 8 Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 146Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-44, 3-58, 4-71, 5-110, 6-117.Bowling: M. Amir 4-0-27-2 (w-2); Moham-med Irfan 4-0-30-1 (w-1); Wahab Riaz 4-0-31-0; S. Afridi 4-0-27-2; Shoaib Malik 2-0-14-0 (w-2); Imad Wasim 2-0-13-1.

SCOREBOARD

SHAHIDAFRIDI

49from 19

balls

2for 27

Eden showers love on Afridi and his men

KOLKATA: Shahid Afridi may be in trouble back home for his “getting more love in In-dia” remark, but a half-fi lled but boisterous Eden Gardens on Wednesday seemed deter-mined to prove the Pakistani skipper’s assertions were not ill-founded as they lustily cheered each and every move of the Green Brigade in their World Twenty20 Group 2 en-counter against Bangladesh.

The maverick all-rounder, who was chided by his own peo-ple for his remarks, appeared to be the toast of the around 30,000 crowd right from the moment he walked out for the toss and much to their delight repaid the love with a blistering knock of 49 studded with eight hits to the boundary.

The stadium reverberated with chants of “Boom Boom Af-ridi” as the 36-year-old carted the bowlers to all parts of the ground, hitting four towering sixes and an equal number of boundaries.

There was a tinge of disap-pointment in the crowd after he missed his 50 with by one run, holing out in the deep.

Frustrated at the team’s per-formance and huge support for Pakistan, a Bangladeshi jour-nalist couldn’t help quipping, “It seems Kolkata has become Karachi”. - IANS

CR I CKET

C2

SPORTST H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

Stay ahead of

the curve with

WhatsNews

SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY INSTALL WHATSNEWS

For a people of a nation who have got addicted to Dhonispeak at post-match

presentation ceremonies, and for whom a game of cricket is not simply about the national team winning or losing but about how their visionary skipper gets in-spired/disgusted/upset/irritat-ed/philosophical by the happen-ings of the day, the defeat at the hands of the New Zealanders at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium at Nagpur was yicky.

Just a month ago when India failed to last the full quota of 20 overs while batting fi rst and were bundled out for just 101 runs in 18.5 overs by a second-string Sri Lankan team in the fi rst of the three-game T20 series played on a green wicket at Pune, MS Dhoni was happily looking at the positives his team could pick up

and quietly slip into their kits soon after the fi ve-wicket defeat.

The Indian batting failure, from top to bottom, at Pune was actually an opportunity to test everyone, even the No.11 bats-man, and to get a measure of the depth of the batting — or, that was how Dhoni saw it — but the Nag-pur disaster was an uninspiring matter of “a lack of adaptability” when “the batting let us down”.

Coming from a man famous for seeing positives even amid a mountain of ruins, this is no mat-ter for raising one’s thumb up, de-spite the good news coming from the skipper that his thumb that took a nasty blow from a Ravindra Jadeja turner that beat Mitchell Santner in the 13th over will be fi ne for the all-important match against Pakistan on Saturday.

Was it really a lack of “a bit of

adaptability” that did the Indi-ans in at Nagpur or is the matter more serious than how Dhoni sees or wants to put it?

Looking at the way a couple of top guns misfi ring regularly with the bat makes us think that the captain is either getting it sorely wrong or he’s desperately trying to put a spin on the ugly, grisly truth.

The dismissals of Shikhar Dha-wan and Suresh Raina had, in re-cent weeks, a disturbing pattern about them that raised concerns

about their failures to adapt to the demands of the day. The number of instances Dhawan getting out lbw going for sweeps or caught behind poking at balls outside his off -stump and Raina moving back and across and lobbing the ball to close-in fi elders for soft dis-missals are growing. If they don’t learn from their mistakes, what’s adaptability?

If Indian batsmen’s failure to adapt to the demands of a slow track was incredibly poor, what disturbed more was how the Indi-an regular spinners failed to get as much purchase from the pitch as the less-fancied visitors like Na-than McCullum, Mitchell Santner and Inderbir Singh Sodhi could.

Ravinchandran Ashwin and Jasdeja picked up just two wickets between them, leaking 58 runs in the process that ac-

counted for nearly half the New Zealand total. A target of 127 was within the reach of the Indians without having to raise the pulse rate of guys like Ashish Nehra or Jasprit Bumrah waiting for their turn, or no turn, in the dugout, but the art of the matter is about better performances from Ash-win and Jadeja on wickets ideal for their slow business.

It’s good to hear that the thumb “will be fi ne for the next match”. But is that enough for the battle against Pakistan at Eden Gar-dens? Maybe not.

At the moment, there are doubts about how a team that looked all thumbs against the little-known, not-so-hostile New Zealand bowlers could rediscov-er the courage to thumb their col-lective nose at Mohammed Amir and Wahab Riaz who have re-

venge as ringtone since the Mir-pur humiliation and pumped-up patriotism as theme song after Shahid Afridi’s attempt at win-ning Indian hearts upon landing in Kolkata misfi red.

Adaptability, for now, is about Rohit Sharma and Dhawan play-ing without the fear of Amir’s yorkers kissing their toes and setting up a robust platform for Virat Kohli to step in and do some loud, rowdy act against Samis and Irfans so Dhoni and Hardik Pandya could fl ex their muscle without fear.

The writer is a freelance con-tributor based in India. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not refl ect those of Times of Oman

Thumb up for Dhoni — but toe be or not toe be, that’s the questionC O M M E N T A R Y

Sri Lanka start title defence against hopeful Afghanistan

KOLKATA: Struggling Sri Lanka would hope to regain their touch as they launch their title defence against qualifi ers Afghanistan in the World Twenty20 at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.

Though the contest may turn out to be a cake walk for Sri Lanka, the unpredictability of the format al-ways keeps cricket buff s guessing.

What would give Afghanistan hope is the fact that Sri Lanka have

been struggling recently. They fi rst lost a series 1-2 in India last month and then surrendered to Bangla-desh and Pakistan in the Asia Cup.

The islanders’ tune-up for the ongoing tournament has also been disappointing, as they succumbed to both New Zealand and Pakistan in the warm-up games.

Adding to Sri Lanka’s concerns

is veteran pacer Lasith Malinga. The golden haired talisman has failed to live up to expectations in recent times and quit his post as captain just before the World T20. He is also nursing an injury in his left knee and might not be avail-able for the Afghanistan tie.

One cannot also deny the fact that Sri Lanka are yet to fi nd suit-

able replacements for players like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara who were instrumen-tal in winning them the trophy in Bangladesh two years ago.

But the islanders’ strength lies in their batting and the likes of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandi-mal would want to use the fi rst six overs at the fl at belter in Eden to pile on the runs and the pressure.

If they are able to post a decent total, the Lankans have the bowl-ing unit to defend it as well, even without Malinga.

No fl ukeAfghanistan’s entry to the tourna-ment is no fl uke. They have battled hard every time in the qualifi ers and have made it to every World T20 after 2010. The icing on the cake was when they made it to the 50-over World Cup in 2015, only two years after being handed the One-day International status.

The Afghans remained unbeat-en in the qualifi ers leading up to this tournament and were able to pull out some special performanc-es from the bag during it.

They fi rst beat Scotland where

their most trusted batsman Mo-hammed Shahzad struck a fl uent 61. And next they easily skipped past Hong Kong’s challenge, where Shahzad once again was instru-mental with a crucial 41. In the last game Afghanistan convincingly beat Zimbabwe by 59 runs to go unscathed in the main round.

But how will the players who learnt their cricket in refugee camps, in a war torn country cope with the likes of Dushmanta Cha-meera clocking 145 kmph con-stantly? They might not have the answer yet but on Thursday all eyes will be on the likes of captain Asghar Stanikzai and Shahzad who have had great runs with the bat in recent weeks.

Besides, Afghanistan have quite a bowling line-up of their own. It might not be the best in the busi-ness, but capable enough to do what it is meant to.

Besides the likes of pacers Shapoor Zadran and Dawlat Zadran, the trump card for the Af-ghans can be 17-year-old leg-spin-ner Rashid Khan.

This is also the fi rst time that the two sides are locking horns in a T20 International. - IANS

Though the contest

may turn out to be

a cake walk for Sri

Lanka, what would

give Afghanistan

hope is the fact that

Sri Lanka have been

struggling recently

MOST TRUSTED: Afghanistan’s Mohammed Shahzad.

Sri Lankans happy to be ‘underdogs’

KOLKATA: Happy to carry the tag of “underdogs”, defending World Twenty 20 champions Sri Lanka are not considering Afghanistan as minnows but are confi dent of starting their title defence on a winning note against the Asian side at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.

“Coming in as underdogs, it releases the pressure off the players. We haven’t done well in the recent past especially in the Asia Cup, but we are getting bet-ter with each game. We are very confi dent with our progress,” Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews told mediapersons here a day ahead of their opening group en-counter against Afghanistan.

“You can’t call Afghanistan as minnows. In the qualifying stages they beat their oppo-nents easily. We are taking them seriously because on a given day they can upset any team. We have to play really good cricket to beat them,” he said.

“When the last time we met, they played really well and we had to fi ght hard to defeat them,” said Mathews referring to their 2014 Asia Cup encounter which the Islanders won by 129 runs. - IANS

C H A M P I O N S

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SPORTST H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

ENGLANDJ. Roy c Badree b Russell 15A. Hales b Benn 28J. Root c Taylor b Russell 48J. Buttler c Brathwaite b Bravo 30E. Morgan (not out) 27B. Stokes lbw Bravo 15M. Ali run out 7Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-10) 12Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 182Did not bat: C. Jordan, A. Rashid, D. Willey, R. Topley Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-92, 3-114, 4-152, 5-175, 6-182.Bowling: J. Taylor 3-0-30-0 (w-3); S. Badree 4-0-34-0 (w-1); A. Russell 4-0-36-2 (w-1); D. Bravo 4-0-41-2 (w-1); S. Benn 3-0-23-1; C. Brathwaite 2-0-16-0.

WEST INDIESJ. Charles c Ali b Willey 0C. Gayle (not out) 100M. Samuels c Willey b Rashid 37D. Ramdin c Rashid b Ali 12D. Bravo c Hales b Topley 2A. Russell (not out) 16Extras (lb-4, w-10, nb-2) 16Total (4 wkts, 18.1 overs) 183To bat: Darren Sammy, Carlos Brathwaite, Samuel Badree, Jerome Taylor, Sulieman BennFall of wickets: 1-2, 2-57, 3-103, 4-113.Bowling: David Willey 3-0-33-1 (w-2); Reece Topley 2.1-0-22-1 (w-2); Chris Jordan 4-0-24-0 (w-4); Ben Stokes 3-0-42-0 (nb-2, w-2); Adil Rashid 2-0-20-1; Moeen Ali 4-0-38-1.

Gayle’s blows stun England

MUMBAI: Chris Gayle smashed the fi rst hundred of the sixth World Twenty20 to underline his reputation as cricket’s most de-structive batsman and powered West Indies to a six-wicket win over England in their Super 10 match on Wednesday.

The tall left-handed opener, who often polarises opinions with his antics off the fi eld, made mockery of a seemingly steep 183-run target in the Group One match, carrying West Indies to victory with 11 balls to spare on a hot and humid evening at the Wankhede Stadium.

Gayle’s century was his second in the format and he remained un-beaten on 100 off 48 balls with his

innings studded with 11 sixes and fi ve fours. Marlon Samuels (37) took the early lead of smashing the England bowling while Gayle took his time to settle down and the pair added 55 for the second wicket to lay down the foundation for a West Indies victory.

Period of worryIt was the sparse crowd at the stadium overlooking the Arabian Sea who were at risk once Gayle decided to open his arms and swat away everything that was in his zone over the boundary.

Both England spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali were at the receiving end of Gayle’s blitzkreig with the latter suff ering the igno-

miny of being hit for three con-secutive sixes in an over in which he gave away 22 runs.

Denesh Ramdin and Dwayne Bravo threw away their wickets in a brief period of worry for West Indies but England captain Eoin Morgan and his teammates could do little to stop the 36-year-old Gayle take apart their bowling.

Earlier, a measured 48 from Joe Root helped England to 182 for six after West Indies won the toss and opted to bowl on a green-tinged wicket.

Root, who hit three fours and two sixes in his 36-ball knock, and Alex Hales (28) added 55 for the second wicket for England.

Opener Jason Ray (15) and Hales broke the shackles in the third over as they added 18 runs against fast bowler Jerome Taylor after West Indies, the 2012 cham-pions, restricted them to fi ve runs in the fi rst two overs.

Jos Buttler (30) and Morgan (27 not out) provided the late fl ourish with the 2010 champions taking another 18 runs in their last over off paceman Bravo.

All-rounder Andre Russell, who dismissed both Roy and Root, and Bravo picked up two wickets each for West Indies. - Reuters

Gayle made mockery of a seemingly steep

183-run target set by England, carrying

West Indies to victory with 11 balls to

spare on a hot and humid evening

at the Wankhede Stadium

Vaughan tips West Indies to win World Twenty20 trophyDUBAI: Former England skip-per Michael Vaughan has tipped the West Indies to win the World T20 cricket tournament, despite hosts India being regarded as the favourites. Vaughan’s prediction came ahead of Wednesday’s match between West Indies and England in Mumbai.

“The team that doesn’t get men-tioned that much is the West In-dies,” said Vaughan.

“But if you look at their squad, eight of them are regular IPL play-ers; they’ve got a huge amount of power all the way down and bit of mystery about them as well.”

The West Indies, who dazzled the cricket world in 2012 to win the

T20 World Cup, also qualifi ed for the semifi nals in 2009 and 2014.

The England skipper says the number of T20 stars in the West Indies line-up makes them a dan-gerous side to play against.

“They’ve got a good leg-spinner in Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn as left arm, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Jason Holder, then you’ve got the Gayle force (Chris Gayle) at the top of the order and Marlon Samuels as well,” he said.

“They’ve got some real quality in that team and they look to me that on any given day they could have a run and they’ve won it before.”

The West Indies have been lan-

guishing at the bottom of the Test table in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) rankings.

However, they are entering the T20 World Cup as the number two team in the ICC rankings after a brief stint as number one, earlier this year.

“They seem to get life when they play T20, it’s like their bread and butter at the minute. The Tests are going in a diff erent fashion and they are having all sorts of fallouts with the administrators but as soon as they play T20, they have a bit of life,” Vaughan pointed out.

“If it’s not India (favourites and hosts), then I’ve got a funny feeling the West Indies might do it.” - IANS

P O W E R A N D M Y S T E R Y

100runs from 48 balls

5 fours, 11 sixes

CHRISGAYLE

Stanikzai thanks BCCI, hope to upset Sri Lanka

KOLKATA: Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai on Wednesday praised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for their support and added they are capa-ble of beating Sri Lanka in their World Twenty 20 opener.

The BCCI allowed Afghani-stan to practice at a ground in Greater Noida for their World T20 preparations. Afghanistan take on Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.

“There is lot of craze in Af-ghanistan. The people love this game (cricket). Back home they are very excited. They are fol-lowing us very closely. It is the No.1 game in the country. We ap-preciate and thank the BCCI for providing us with a home ground in Greater Noida, they have not only helped us have better infra-structure but they have proved the friendship,” Stanikzai said.

Asked if they think they can upset Sri Lanka, he said: “Last time we were very near to beating them in the World Cup in 2015. But (Mahela) Jayawardene, (Ku-mar) Sangakkara batted well and took the game away from us. But they are not there now, so we have good chance. Sri Lanka is the de-fending (champions), so we have good players who can change the game. We are looking forward to beating some big names.” - IANS

C R I C K E T

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SPORTST H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

Faisal, Hamed shine at Ras Al Khaimah Rally

MUSCAT: Oman rallyists Faisal Al Rashdi and Hamed Al Qasimi won the second and third places respectively in the Group N com-petition of the Ras Al Khaimah Rally during the last weekend.

According to information re-ceived here, the event, which is the

third round of the UAE National Rally Championship, saw Faisal Al Rashdi and co-pilot Waleed Al Rashdi clinch the second place while Hamed Al Qasimi and co-driver Mohammed Al Mazroui settled for the third place.

Interestingly, Fasail and Waleed also fi nished fourth in the fourth overall standings while Hamed and Mohamed were fi fth overall.

The event was won by Sheikh

Abdullah Al Qasimi in Ford Fiesta S2000 ahead of Rashid Al Kitbi in Ford S2000 and Sheikh Mohamed Al Qasmi in Subaru N12, the latter two fi nishing second and third re-spectively.

Faisal Al Rashidi completed the rally in total time of one hour, nine minutes and 44 seconds while Hamed Al Qasimi clocked 1:13:03 despite some drawbacks in the second stage, when both drivers

were jolted by punctures. Hamed lost more than seven minutes and Faisal lost fi ve minutes. However, the duo recovered well the remain-ing stages to fi nish second and third in their group.

With some family members and rally enthusiasts from back home, including Oman Automobile As-sociation offi cial Younis Al Balushi and rally driver Khalid Soomar, trav-elling to Ras Al Khaimah, the Omani teams had a memorable outing.

A delighted Faial Al Rasidi said: “We are happy to fi nish the rally in the second place in our group. Thanks to the organisers for all their eff ort and support to the Om-ani drivers.”

“We are looking forward for the fourth round in October in Shar-jah. Hopefully we will get better support from the sponsors and the government organisations.”

Hamed Al Qasimi, meanwhile, added: “Frankly that we need a lot of support from everyone in Oman as we represent the Sultanate in this championship. We spent a lot of money from our own pockets and it is diffi cult to understand why we don’t get any support from the government or private sector.”

Faisal Al Rashdi and

Hamed Al Qasimi not

only won the second

and third places

respectively in Group

B category of the

Ras Al Khaimah

Rally, but they also

fi nished fourth

and fi fth overall

COMMENDABLE SHOW: Oman’s Faisal Al Rashdi in action in the Ras Al Khaimah Rally. – Supplied photo

THIRD IN GROUP N: Oman’s Hamed Al Qasimi drivers during the

Ras Al Khaimah Rally. – Supplied photo

Ali Hameed eyes hat-trick at Oman Senior OpenMUSCAT: As the prestigious Oman Senior Open Golf Champi-onship approaches, Ali Hameed is hoping to make it three titles in a row when the competition tees off at the Ghala Golf Club on Saturday.

“Indeed, I see a hat-trick com-ing, especially considering how much I have improved my game,” a confi dent Ali said.

But at the same time, the vet-eran golfer is realistic enough to keep his fi ngers crossed, saying, “but then this is golf, anything can happen.”

Ali’s two consecutive wins makes him the obvious top con-tender for the trophy. He emerged champion back in 2014 with a gross score of 77 and then earned 82 in 2015 to take the trophy for the second time.

He feels the competition is get-ting better with every year.

“There are some good players out there and I am sure it will not be a walk in the park, and winning tournaments in this year was not so easy for me,” he said.

“So yes, there will be some tough challenges ahead but that’s the fun part of the game. I am confi dent about my capabilities. It’s good for me that I am fi t and fi ne when the tournament is ap-proaching,” added Ali.

Ali is all praise for the tourna-ment which is organised by the Oman Golf Committee (OGC) and supported by Bank Muscat and Omanline Institute.

Ali said: “With this tourna-

ment, the OGC gives veteran golf-ers in Oman a scope to showcase their talent. I am happy that I will be participating as the defending champion. I am excited and can’t wait for the action to begin.”

Ali is a regular in the golf cir-cuit even after his retirement from the National Golf team.

He said: “Playing for the national team is a matter of pride but then you have to give space to the jun-iors. But I am playing almost every day even after my retirement.

“I have just returned from Thailand where I have enhanced and elevated my game, but I be-lieve that there is always room for improvement. I would love to make it a third, I wish all partici-pants good luck and may the best young man win!”

Like Ali Hameed, Sachin Bawa is also on the verge of a hat-trick of his own having fi nished run-ner-up on the last two occasions.

Last year, he produced a gross score of 83, narrowly missing the title by a single stroke to Ali to settle for the men’s gross catego-ry runner-up prize, while in 2014 he had fi nished runner-up with a gross score of 80.

The OGC is done with the reg-istration process for the tourna-ment. The registration includes a T-shirt, sleeve of balls, a pass for the presentation ceremony, din-ner entry and prizes for the play-ers. One free practice round for the registered players will be provided before the tournament begins.

G O L F

CONFIDENT: Ali Hameed

Oman Air open Extreme Sailing Series with stunning showMUSCAT: Racing at Muttrah, Morgan Larson’s new look crew on Oman Air hit their straps in the fi rst few minutes of the opening race and swept to a fi ne victory.

After just a few day’s training in the new GC32, the team looked to have formed a strong and exciting bond which underpinned a second victory in the next race plus two further wins to post an emphatic score line of four wins in six races.

The breeze freshened to 16 knots before fading prompting Race Director Phil Lawrence to cancel the coastal race to Almouj which according to Larson, made for ‘some tight, challenging and fun’ racing in front of the crowds in Muttrah where Oman Air bowman Nasser Al Mashari lives.

“It was fantastic to sail in a new location here in Muscat, in front of the city,” Larson said.

“It was a great call by the race director as the conditions were great – it was tight, challenging and fun.

“Going into today, we weren’t that confi dent but everything came together. We need to build on

where we’re at now. It’s a long sea-son so for us, we need to just take the right steps without cutting any corners, and even if in the short term we don’t get it right, we need to for the long term.”

By the close of day one, Oman Air had established a seven-point lead over second placed SAP Ex-treme Sailing Team with Lan-dRover BAR, the new British team, mentored by former skipper of

2015 champions The Wave, Mus-cat Leigh McMillan taking third place with two outright wins.

For Al Mashari, scoring so many successes on home waters, in front of a crowd that included his broth-

er, made the day a special one. “We are very happy and proud

with what we achieved today and hopefully if we carry on like this and push a bit harder, we might be able to win in Muscat,” he said.

“It was our best day in the boat since we started training in Dubai. Everything went well to-day, but there is still a lot more we can do.

“It was fantastic to be racing right in front of Muttrah and es-pecially good to win the fi rst race and the last one. It made me feel very proud.”

The fl eet moves to the stadium race track off the Almouj Golf Course on Thursday with up to 20 more races still to come over the next three days.

A C T 1

GREAT START: Oman Air in action during the Act 1 of the Extreme Sailing Series on Wednesday. – Supplied photo

Oman Sail’s GC32 Oman Air

opened their 2016 Extreme

Sailing Series season with

a stunning display of

foiling putting them at the

top of the leaderboard

on the inaugural day

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

CultureSECTIONC L I F E S T Y L E T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

DR E AMW E AV E R

Story Asmaa Al Balushi

The experiences of our lives often teach us who we are and what is the real pur-pose of our existence. They may change our thinking,

our goals, and sometimes even the way we perceive life.

Muneera bint Salim Al Busaidi, a young girl in her 20s and a graduate in business administration, is an inspira-tion for many, for her virtue of giving and sharing. Making the less fortu-nate feel happy, lessening their pain and grief, Muneera puts forward a strong statement for the section which is more or less marginalised in our society — the juveniles.

Muneera herself had faced many challenges in life and have been through many pressures and psycho-

logical crisis at crucial points in her life. She recently lost her brother, whom she was closest to. Starting her career as a PR executive, she moved on to join the Ministry of So-cial Development as overseer at the Juvenile Home for Females. She felt she could be of immense help in un-derstanding the inmates and their fears, pressures and insecurities in a personal level.

“It was quite a challenge being an overseer. Unlike most of the other jobs, I had to deal with human beings, who were not mature, and could not decide the good and bad for them. I took my time, and gradually developed an in-timate bond with the children, as they began accepting me. Soon I was their elder sister,” said Muneera.

The group of overseers in the juvenile home organises several programmes for the juveniles including cultural activities, information technology courses, and teaching them school subjects. But Muneera had bigger plans for the children, and she always wondered how to keep them engaged during their free time. “I did not want them to sit idle. It is the emptiness that brings back the horrors. I wanted to somehow ensure that they are happily engaged in doing something produc-tive,” Muneera added.

It was then when she came across an artiste who was skilled in making frames, paintings, and other handicrafts.

Having an inclination for handi-crafts, especially the Omani accesso-ries, right from her childhood days she

herself took a training in accessory making and jewellery designing.

And that’s when she got the idea of taking this art to the juvenile home. She organised workshops on jewellery de-signing to teach the inmates. “I was sur-prised to fi nd their inclination towards learning the art. Through the workshop we discovered such talent and creativity among them that one could not have im-agined at all,” she said.

It was not just for the women, even male juveniles attended the workshop and involving in these activities help them relieve their stress and other psychological problems.

“I feel pure joy and contentment when-ever I am among them,” said Muneera.

Having worked with the juveniles and their problems it has been a

personal growth for Muneera. “Ear-lier I used to be very impatient. But spending time here has taught me the virtue of being patient and take respon-sibility. It is not just a job for me. Rather it is a unique experience of my life that has transformed me entirely, making me more social and teaching me to love, and be loved by sharing and caring”.

Muneera plans to harness the voca-tion and establish it as a full fl edged business, creating proper opportunities for the inmates, in near future.

“Juveniles are part of us, and we should not forget that every individ-ual is essential to build a healthy and self-suffi cient society. Let’s give them another chance. They deserve it by all means,” she concluded. —asmaa@timesofoman.com

FIND-IT-ALLC6 T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

Dhuhr 12.20pm

Asr 3.45pm

Maghrib 6.22pm

Isha 7.32pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 4.59am

PRAYER TIMINGS

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

SHATTIKung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (Animation) PGCast: Jack Black, Bryan Dustin Hoffman3:30, 5:30 & 7:30PMThe Wave (Action | Drama | Thriller) PG12Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen7:00PM & 9:45PMThe Witch (Horror | Mystery) 15+Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson11:45PMSolace (Crime | Drama | Mystery) 12+Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Xander Berkeley3:00PM, 9:30PM & 11:30PM Eye in the sky (Drama| Thriller | War) PG12Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman5:30PM The Divergent Series: Allegiant (Action| Adcenture| Sci-Fi) PG127:30PM Triple 9 (Action | Crime | Drama) 15+Cast: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor3:15, 9:15 & 11:30PM London Has Fallen (Action| Crime) PG125:00PM

MUSCAT GRAND MALLKung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (PG) Animation Voice Overs: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman12:45, 5:30, 7:30 PMGold Class – 6:45 PMKapoor and Sons – 2D (PG12) Hindi | DramaCast: Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Kapoor, Fawad Khan9:00 PMSolace – 2D (12+) Crime | Drama | MysteryCast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Colin Farrell9:30, 11:30 PMGold Class – 3:30,8:45, 11:00 PMThe Dressmaker – 2D (15+) DramaCast: Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth4:30 PMZootropolis – 3D (PG12) Animation | 12:15, 2:15 PMThe Divergent Series: Allegiant – 2D

(PG12) Action| Adcenture| Sci-Fi3:00 PMTriple 9 – 2D (15+) Action | Crime | Drama6:45, 11:45 PM

PANORAMA MALLLondon has Fallen(2D) (Action) (PG12)2:30 ,5:00 ,7:30 ,10:30 PMTriple 9 (2D) (Action, Crime)(15+)Cast : Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor9:15 ,11:30 PMTriple9 (2D) (Action, Crime)(15+)-VIP LOUNGE3:00 PMThe Divergent Series: Allegiant (2D) (Action, Adventure)(PG12)Cast : Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz 3:15 ,7:00 PMKung Fu Panda 3 (Action)(MX4D)(PG)Cast : Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman4:30 ,6:30 ,8:30 PMKung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (Animation)(PG)Voice Overs : Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman5:30 ,7:00 PMKung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (Animation, Action)(PG)-VIP LOUNGE7:15 PMSolace (2D) (Crime, Drama)(12+)Cast : Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Xander Berkeley

3:00 ,5:00 ,9:30 ,11:30 PMSolace (2D) (Crime, Drama)(12+)-VIP LOUNGE5:15 ,9:15 ,11:15 PMKapoor and Sons (2D) (Drama)(PG12)Cast : Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Fawad Khan9:00 PMEye in The Sky (2D) (Drama, Thriller)(PG12)Cast : Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman2:45 ,11:45 PM

AZAIBA Triple 9 (2D) (Action |Crime) (15+) 4:50, 9:30, 11:30 PMKung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (Animation) (PG) Voice Overs: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston3:00, 5:00, 7:00 PMThe Divergent Series-Allegiant (2D) (Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi) (PG12) Cast: Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz2:45, 11:45 PMJai Gangaajal (2D) (Hindi) (Action) (PG12) 3:30 PMKapoor and Sons (2D) (Hindi) (PG12) Cast: Alia Bhattm Siddhart Malhotra2:30, 5:05, 7:40, 10:15, 11:30 PMMaheshinte Prathikaaram (2D) (Mal) (Drama | Comedy) (PG12) Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir6:50, 9:15 PM

Pugazh (2D) (Tamil) (Action ) (PG) Cast: Jai, Surabhi Laxmi, RJ Balaji7:00, 9:00 PM

RUWIScreen 1Kapoor & Sons (Drama / Family) –PG12Cast :Sidharth Malhotra, Rishi Kapoor2.30, 5.30, 8.30, 11.30 PMScreen 2Kung Fu Panda 3 (2D) (Animation) –PGVoice overs: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman3.15, 5.15, 7.15 PMMaheshinte Prathikaaram (2D)– Mal- (Comedy / Family) –PG12Cast:Fahadh Faasil, Anusree 9.15 PMJai Gangajal (Action) –PG12Cast :Priyanka Chopra, Prakash Jha11.45 PMScreen 3Neerja (Action / Biography) –PG12Cast : Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi3.30, 9.15, 11.45 PMMaheshinte Prathikaaram (2D)– Mal-(Comedy / Family) –PG12Cast :Fahadh Faasil, Anusree, Soubin7.00 PM

SURThe Wave (Action | PG12) Cast : Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen2:45, 9:45 PMTriple 9 ( Action |Crime | Drama ) (15+) Cast: Casy Affleck, Kate Winslet6:10 PMEye in the Sky ( Drama ) (PG12) Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman4:15, 11:45 PMMaheshinte Parthikaaram (Mal) (PG12) Cast: Fahad Faasil, Soubin Shahir8:15 PMKung Fu Panda 3 (3D) ( Animation | Action | Sequel ) (PG) Voice Overs: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston2:30, 4:45, 6:30 PMEmeli ( Thriller ) ( 12+) Cast : Sarah Bolger, Carly Adams, Carl Bailey8:15 PMKapoor And Sons ( Drama ) ( PG12) Cast : Alia Bhatt, Siddharth Malhotra10:30 PM

SOHARLondon Has Fallen – 2D (Action) (PG12)3:30PMSolace – 2D (Crime | Drama | Mystery) (12+)Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Xander Berkeley2:30, 9:45, 11:45PMThe Wave – 2D (Action | Drama ) (PG12)Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen5:00, 9:15PMKung Fu Panda 3 – 2D (Animation) (PG)Voice Overs: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman4:45PMKung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (Animation) (PG)2:45, 6:45PMEmilie– 2D (Thriller) (12+)Cast: Sarah Bolger, Carly Adams, Carl Bailey5:00, 11:45PMEye in the Sky -2D (Drama| Thriller ) (PG12)Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman7:15, 11:30PMKapoor and Sons– 2D (Hindi) (PG12)9:00PMPugazh – 2D (Action| Thriller) (PG)Cast: Jai, Surabhi Laxmi, RJ Balaji7:15PMMaheshinte Prathikaaram– 2D (Comedy) (PG12)8:45PM

BURAIMIThe Witch (Horror | Mystery) (15+) Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson

5.45,11.45PMThe Wave (Action | Drama ( PG-12) Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen3.45, 9.30PMMaheshinte Prathikaaram(Mal) (Comedy) ( PG12 ) Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir7.30PMKung Fu Panda 3 (Action|) (PG) Voice Overs: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston3.15, 5.00, 7.00PMTriple 9 (Action | Crime | Drama) (15+) 5.15, 11.30PMKapoor & Sons (Hindi | Drama) (PG 12) Cast : Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Fawad Khan.9.00PMFrankenstein (Horror | Thriller) 18+ Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel3.30, 9.45PMEye in the Sky (Dramar) PG12 Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman7.30, 11.30 PM

SALALAH

Kung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (PG) (Animation) 11:05AM, 3:00, 4:45PMThe Wave (2D) (PG12) (Action | Thriller) Cast: Kristopher Jonner, Thomas Bo Larsen11:30AM, 3:30, 9:45PMFrankenstein (2D) (18+) (Horror | Thriller) Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel5:30PMLondon Has Fallen (2D) (PG12) (Action) 1:30PMTriple 9 (2D) (15+) (Action | Crime | Drama)1:15, 5:30, 11:30PMThe Witch (2D) (15+) (Horror | Mystery)Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson 10:05PMSolace (2D) (12+) (Crime | Drama | Mystery) Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Xander Berkeley11:15AM,3:30, 6:50, 11:45PMEye in the Sky (2D) (TBC) (Drama) Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul1:00, 11:55PMKapoor and Sons (2D) (PG12) (Drama) Cast: Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Fawad Khan8:45PMMaheshinte Prathikaaram (2D) (PG12) (Mal) (Comedy / Drama)Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir7:45PM Pugazh (2D) (PG12) (Action| Thriller) 7:15PM

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

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 Sohar 15:45 Daily

13:00 Buraimi 17:40 Daily

16.00 Sohar 18.35 Daily

16.00 Buraimi 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

17:30 Sinaw 20:50 Daily

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

14:30 Nizwa 16:50 Daily

14:30 Yanqul 19:30 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

08:00 Nizwa 10:20 Daily

08:00 Al Araqi 12:30 Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

07:30 Sur 12:00 Daily

14:30 Sur 18:45 Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62)

06:30 Fahud 10:30 Daily

06:30 Yibal 11:15 Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100)

07:00 Salalah 20:00 Daily

10:00 Marmul 20:30 Daily

10:00 Salalah 23:30 Daily

19:00 Salalah 07:40 Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

06:00 Marmul 16:50 Daily

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Dubai 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)

06:00 Sohar 08:30 Daily

06:00 Dubai 11:30 Daily

13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur

13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur

15:00 Sohar 17:35 Daily

15:00 Dubai 20:55 Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily

07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily

07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily

05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily

05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

07:00 Sohar 08:55 Daily

07:00 Ruwi 11:40 Daily

13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri

13:00 Sohar 14:55 Daily

13:00 Ruwi 17:40 Daily

13:00 Sohar 19:20 Daily

17:00 Ruwi 22:15 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

07:00 Ruwi 10:25 Daily

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

06:00 Nizwa 08:40 Daily

06:00 Ruwi 11:00 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

15:40 Nizwa 17:55 Daily

15:40 Ruwi 20:20 Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

06:00 Ruwi 10:45 Daily

14:30 Ruwi 19:00 Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily

12:30 Ruwi 17:30 Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)

07:00 Ruwi 19:50 Daily

10:00 Marmul 13:15 Daily

10:00 Ruwi 22:30 Daily

19:00 Ruwi 07:30 Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

06:00 Marmul 16:30 Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Salalah 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)

07:30 Sohar 10:50 Daily

07:30 Ruwi 13:40 Daily

13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri

13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri

15:30 Sohar 18:45 Daily

15:30 Ruwi 21:35 Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily

16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily

16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

@RUWI @SALALAH

Kapoor & Sons (Hindi | Drama) (PG 12) Cast : Fawad Khan, Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt2.30, 5.30, 8.30, 11.30 PM

The Wave – 2D (Action | Drama ) (PG12)Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen, Ane Dahl Torp11:30AM, 3:30, 9:45PM

BAHJA CINEMAFilm information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

The Wave (Action / Drama / Thriller)Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen4.00, 8.00, & 11.55 PM CP No: 371 (PG12)Frankenstein (Horror / Thriller)Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel.2.00, 6.00, & 10.00 PM CP No: 372 (18+)The Witch (Horror / Mystery)Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie1.00, 10.00, & 11.55 PM CP No: 373 (15+)Kapoor & Sons (Hindi / Comedy / Drama)Cast: Fawad Khan, Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt3.00 & 7.30 PM CP No: 374 (PG12)`London Has Fallen (Action / Crime / Thriller)Cast: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart 5.30 PM CP No: 351 (PG12)

STAR CINEMAFilm information 24791641 / 24786776

Website: www.isurf.co.om

Maheshinte Prathikaram (Mal) (Comedy) Cast: Fahad Faasil & Anusree 3:00, 6:30 & 10:00 PM Cinema Main Pugazh (Tamil) (Com\ Drama) Cast: Jai, Surabhi & R. J. Balaji 9:30 PM Cinema-2 From Friday: 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30 PM Cinema -2Action Hero Biju (Mal) (Act\ comedy) Cast: Nivin Pauly & Anu Emmanuel 3:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema -3Puthiya Niyamam (Mal) (Thriller) Cast: Mammotty & Nayantara 3:45 PM Cinema-4\ 6:45 PM Cinema-3 Kapoor & Sons (Hindi) (Drama\Rom) 6:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema -4 Kadhalum Kadhandhu Pogul (Tamill) (Comedy) (Only Thursday) Cast: Vijay Sethupathi & Madonna Sebastion 3:30 & 6:30 PM Cinema -2 Next Change: Rocky Handsome (Hindi ) Vettah ( Mal)

@MGM

Kung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (PG) Animation Voice Overs: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman12:45, 5:30, 7:30 PMGold Class – 6:45 PM

WEATHER

290

Maximum

250

Minimum

TEMPERATURE

80-45%RELATIVE HUMIDITY

Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 16 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and

parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to

extra@timesofoman.com

SHALINI PUNITHAN March 17, 2006

SUBHADEVI March 17, 2000

PREM MEHUL UDESHIMarch 17, 2014

WITH LOVE

LIFESTYLEC7T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

Two of Europe’s most es-tablished female artists have opened an exhibi-tion of their works at Sharjah Art Museum.

Considering Dynamics and the Forms of Chaos features more than 25 works by British and Canadian artist Angela Bulloch, ranging from large scale instal-lations and sculptures to mural paintings and sound pieces, and more than 60 paintings by Ger-man artist Maria Zerres.

The exhibition was offi cially in-augurated yesterday by HH Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasemi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Cor-poration. The opening was attend-ed by Sheikha Nawar bint Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, PR and Communications Offi cer at Sharjah Art Foundation, Manal Ataya, Director General of Shar-jah Museums Department, Ai-sha Deemas, Director of Execu-tive Aff airs at Sharjah Museums Department, the artists Maria

Zerres and Angela Bulloch, Cu-rators Amira Gad and Brigitte Schenk, and a number of distin-guished guests.

The exhibition stands out as be-ing the fi rst time either Zerres or Bulloch has exhibited in the UAE on such a scale, giving art lovers in the UAE and beyond, the opportu-nity to appreciate a diverse range of pieces by two internationally-acclaimed artists. Sharjah Art Museum has merged a wide selec-tion of their work into two parallel exhibitions framed under a single theme. The exhibition title refers to each artist’s representation of chaos and disorder through dif-ferent art forms and styles.

Manal Ataya, Director Gen-eral of SMD said: “Sharjah Art Museum is constantly seeking to expand the boundaries of our understanding and appreciation of art. We believe this exhibition will have a signifi cant impact on all our audiences from art stu-dents to the general public.”

Considering Dynamics and the Forms of Chaos refers to each artist’s interpretation of the no-tions of entropy through their re-spective visual style and artistic mediums. Entropy is commonly understood as a measure of dis-order. In contemporary art, since the late 1960s, it has emerged to refer to installations often as-sociated with representations of order, disorder and information, and their uniformity.

Maria Zerres is a German artist based in New York and Germany who began her studies in art at the Pedagogical University of Co-logne in 1981 and the following year moved to study at the Acade-my of Applied Arts in Vienna. She has featured in major solo presen-tations and exhibitions through-out the US and Europe, including the Venice Biennial.

Her collection of more than 60 paintings at Sharjah Art Muse-

um is curated by Brigitte Schenk (Galerie Brigitte Schenk, Germa-ny). The paintings display forms of disfi guration and strategies of abstraction. In her works, ideas of entropy appear through cha-otic brush strokes that result in a sense of uniformity.

Angela Bulloch is a British/Ca-nadian based in Berlin who works with sculpture, installation and sound. Educated at Goldsmiths’ College, London, she was nomi-nated for the Turner Prize in 1997 and featured in the 1988 Damien Hirst-organised Freeze exhibition.

Her selection of works at Con-sidering Dynamics and the Forms of Chaos is curated by Amira Gad (Serpentine Galleries, UK). Bull-och’s artistic practice can be per-ceived through the lens of an idea of entropy that is related to its ap-plication in information theory. Her series of Pixel Boxes, for ex-ample, code information that is ab-stracted into a visual representa-tion and then turned into a visually

aesthetic and harmonious instal-lation. Ataya said: “We encourage visitors to look beyond the aesthet-ics of the pieces to examine the art-ists’ similar use of technique and references to specifi c genres such as minimalism, conceptual, and abstract art.”

Alongside the exhibition will be a series of workshops start-ing from March 10 and running throughout the duration of the show. The workshops ‘Express Yourself ’ forms part of the mu-seum’s accessibility programme.

It includes a tour of the exhibi-tion followed by a workshop where participants are asked to express their feelings in response to Maria Zerres’ paintings. Prior booking is required.

A catalogue published by Stern-berg Press and the Sharjah Art Museum will be released along-side the exhibition. For more information sharjahmuseums.ae —lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Artworks by internationally-acclaimed artists Maria Zerres and Angela Bullochon display till May 31 at Sharjah Museum

Considering Dynamics and the Forms of Chaos

MUS I C

Peeyali Bhattacharya, a singer based in Muscat, has recently launched her fi rst musical album, Ebhabe Ki Phera Jaye. Peeyali is a gifted vocalist and has performed at various prestigious concerts in Oman, India, and Middle Eastern countries. She has hosted concerts to raise funds for The Cancer Association Oman and had the opportu-nity to sing with renowned singers from India. While the music for this album has been composed by Subrata Bhattacharya, a renowned tabla player who has taken Hindustani classical music all around the world, the lyrics are by Rajib Chakraborty.—lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Muscat-based singer releases musical album

LIFESTYLEC8 T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

Photos: Talib Al Wahaibialib Al Wahaibi

CRAFTSMENHAPPY TO CONTINUE THE LEGACYOmani craftsmen have an uncanny knack in making products

using diff erent parts of the palm tree, including Al Khaws (palm

leaves), the Zawr (palm branches stripped of their leaves), the palm

trunk, and the fi bre. Some of the popular products are Al Surood

and Al Makba (used to protect food from insects), and experienced

craftsmen say they are happy to continue the legacy.

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

T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

RENT D2

RENT RUWI

SPACIOUS -2 B H K

FLATS & 1 B H K

CBD: SHOWROOM &

OFFICE-Mezz.fl oor

Contact:24 70 30 60

*Tourist visa arranged

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifi eds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

D2 T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

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

Flat in Al Khuwair opp grand mall

4 room 3 toilet + hall kitchen in 3

fl oor 400. Contact 99420346

4 bedroom new villa Al Mawaleh

2 km to city center mall luxury

high end fi t outs, split A/C, full

kitchen fi tting all room with pri-

vate toilet. Contact: 99349990

2 bed rooms fl at with Hall, 2bath-

rooms in Darsait, near Muscat

Municipality. Contact: 24700120 /

92584715

1000 sq mtrs industrial land in

Ghala suitable for warehouse

workshop etc. Contact :24700120 /

92584715

For rent 1BHK at Al-Hamriya,

B-2397, Way-5935 near Muscat

Pharmacy. Contact: 9922478 /

99332297

Single bed room fl at behind Ger-

man Embassy near to Al-Nahdha

Hospital. Contact: 99203954

2 studio fl at for rent in Al Am-

erat, opp. ROP police station rent

150/- and 130/- each. Contact:

99350946

2 BR, 2 bath, a kitchen, a yard

, with AC, separate enterance,

AlKhuwair near ibis hotel. PDC. RO

250 .. Call 97056443

Commercial/ residential fl at for

rent in a new building. A ware-

house also available, location

Muttrah. For more details contact

– 99364735 / 95729711

Readymade offi ce space for rent

(240sm) in Bank Melli Iran Build-

ing, MBD area, Ruwi, opposite

Center point. Contact: 99011352

Furnished 2BHK near Indian

School Wadikabir from 1st May RO

250 with sale of household items

total RO700. Contact:92622506

Flats in Al Khuwair, Al Ghobrah,

Al Hail & Seeb. Contact: 92125648

/ 95250300 / 24182000

Villa in Seeb near the beach and

Dreams Resort. Contact: 92125648

/ 95250300

Flats in Wadi Kabeer, MBD, Dar-

sait, Hamriya & Sidab. Contact:

92125648 / 95250300/ 24182000

Villa in Al Khuwair. Contact:

92125648 / 95250300

Flat for rent in South AlGhubrah

3 rooms, hall and 3 toilets, kitchen

rent 450/-. Contact: 99335580

Flats, shops and basement in

MBD area and Honda road.

Contact: 92433127/96291778/

92589235/97293708

1 & 2 BHK Flat in Al.Khuwair.

Contact - 99792181

2 BHK fl at in Ghobrah.

Contact - 99792181

2 BHK fl at in Ruwi.

Contact - 99792181

Offi ce Space Available in Al Khu-

wair & CBD.Contact – 99792181

Double bed room fl at CBD area.

Contact: 97608564

2 Bedrooms, kitchen, toilet, car

park R.O 200/- & 1 bedroom,

kitchen, toilet R.O 130 in Al Khu-

wair. Contact: 95154331

2 BHK fl ats /offi ce & shops valu-

able in a new building at Honda

road .Contact: 91165807

2 BHK Flat in Wataya. #99792181

2 & 3 BHK Flat in Al Khuwair. Con-

tact 99792181

Staff Accommodation for Rent in

Al hail. Contact 99792181

3000 Sqr mtrs Store in Misfah.

Contact 99792181

Industrial land in misfah for near

Hal service & Al Awazi.950sq.M

with 3rooms,5 bathrooms,

boundary wall with 2 sides

road facing &large parking in

front.full or part area. Contact-

99364007/99454425

2 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished @

Al Khuwair 33 1 B/R Luxury Fully

Furnished @ Al Khuwair

5 B/R Fully Furnished villa @

Madinat Al Ilam 5 B/R Fully

Furnished villa @ Madinat Al

Ilam. For Daily, Weekly, monthly

or Yearly contract. Please Contact:

Atlas Real Estate & Rent a Car LLC

99249069 / 994617563/92888376

/ 24834888E mail: info@alshahiintl.

com

Open land + workshop + labour

camp in Ghala & Rusayl.

Contact – 99792181

Flat, 1 bedroom, kitchen, toilet in

AL Khuwair family bachelors

R.O 150/-. Contact: 95154331

1 Bed room, sharing K& T, R.O 100,

2 bedrooms , sharing K& T R.O

200/- in AL Khuwair. #95154331

Flat for rent 2 BHK 2 split A/C, 2

toilets, Wadi Kabir near Kuwaiti

Masjid. #97007934 / 92609232

Room Al khuwair 120 R.O

Contact: 97799175

Studio type in Qurum.

Contact: 92230462 -98273470

2 BHK in Wadikabir RO250.

Contact: 97799175/92144045

2 BHK in Ghobrah RO310.

Contact: 97799175/92144045

1.2BHK in Darsait .Contact:

97799175/92144045

Flats 2 bedroom Majlis, 2 toilet,

kitchen balcony near Indian school

Darsait new building rent R.O

275/-Contact: 99243059

Two bedrooms fl at in Al Ghob-

rah near Oman Oil of 18 Novem-

ber Street. OMR 330 Monthly.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or

97509955.

4 BHK villa in Qurum.

Contact: 97799175/92144045

2 BR fl ats with 2Baths Kitchen

Al Amerat Aster Hospital .

Contact: 99366142

Flats in Darsait. 94051789

- 97201688

02 BHK residential fl at opposite

to Al Nahdha hospital.

Contact: 99342733 /99795241

2BHK split A/C 200/- Monthly

& 1BHK spilt A/C 150/- monthly

new building good location Barka

Market. Contact: 99342661

Fully Furnished apartments in

Boucher (35). 94051789-97201688

Flats in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 94051789-97201688

Four bedroom two fl oors luxurious

and spacious residential villa in

Al Hail North, near to the sea and

Oman oil. Each room has its own

bathroom. It has splits A/C’s and

shaded car park. OMR 750 monthly.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or

97509955

New fl ats for rent at Al Ghobrah

near to atlas hospital the fl ats

includes 2 living room , 1hall ,

kitchen , toilets , air conditioned

room & high Quality fi nishing rent

per fl at is R.O 375/-. Interested

candidates please

Contact: 00968- 97093283

Warehouse at Wadikabir - total

area 3500 sqm - covered ware-

house (500sqm), offi ce,

accommodation (1000sqm), open

area (2000sqm) please

contact: 99273774 - 99202278

1BHK Flat with spilt A/C near

star cinema 210/-. Contact:

99358589/95570288 /97079146

Full furniture room for rent for

family monthly 200/- .

Contact: 99251975

Flat with two rooms with window

A/C, with toilets & car parking way

No: 1670 north Al Hail near Dosteen

restaurant 1KM Inside.

Contact: 99238334

3BHK in Qurum P.D.O high 350/-

Monthly. Contact: 99342661

Flats in Muttrah. Contact:

94051789-97201688

Offi ces in Ghala. Contact: 94051789-

97201688

Commercial fl ats of 3 & 2 BHK in Al

Ghobra North 18 Nov street RO.650/-

& 450/- Contact 91776665

WAREHOUSE AVAILABLE FOR RENT

IN BALADIA SANAYAH AMIRAT

(Floor area 600sqmtrs and mezzanine of 500sqmtrs)

1100sqmts fully cover warehouse

& staff accommodati onsPlease contact: G.S.M

99417229/92621039

3 Rooms, 2 Toilets Flat for Rent. 18

November Street. Near Mars Hyper-

market and The Chedi. Ghobrah -Good

for Commercial or Residential use.

OMR 295/- month. Call 94477222

Conditioned room with toilets in Al

Khuwair. #92620858 /92605500

Villa for rent in Al Hail South, con-

sist of 3 bed rooms for family only.

Contact: 99546777

2B/R with 3 toilets directly from

owner, near Dolphin Complex

Bausher. Contact 92158031

We have staff accommodation in

Bousher 30 to 40 people can stay.

Contact 93782735 / 99208033

We have 7BHK commercial villa

in Al Khuwair 33 for rent. Lift also

Available. Contact 93782735 /

99208033

We have 1BHK / 2BHK fl ats for rent

in Mabela7. #93782735 / 99208033

We have 2BHK fl ats for rent in

Ghubra, Ghala, Azaiba. Contact:

93782735 / 99208033

We have 5BHK villa in Qurum near

Mars Hypermarket for rent. Contact:

93782735 / 99208033

We have offi ce for rent in Ghubra

150 sqm. prime location main road.

Contact: 93782735 / 99208033

Flats for rent in Ghubra at good loca-

tion. 93782735 / 99208033

2 BHK fl at in Azaiba, near Sultan

Centre, 2 rooms, sitting hall, kitchen

& 3 bathrooms. Contact: 93782735 /

99208033

OFFICES FOR RENT AT AZAIBAPrime location on service road (previously occupied by A'Saffa Foods) near Al Turky and Mazda showroom.

- 2 BHK flat available directly from the owner, at Azaiba.

Contact: 99229263, 93221054, 95215289

2 BHK fully furnished fl at at Ruwi

MBD area. Contact – 93211557 /

24814853

OFFICE SPACES FOR RENT230 SQ. Mtr each

Ready to move in two offi ces for rent near Man Truck Showroom, Ghala

Contact - 99269841 / 92429917

DAILY GUIDET H U R S D AY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6 D3

FOR RENT FOR SALE

Offi ces & Showrooms in Mut-

trah. 94051789-97201688

Duplex villa in Qurum 29.

94051789-97201688

Offi ces & Showrooms in

Al Khoud.94051789-97201688

Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

94051789-97201688

For rent and investment Land

industrial shops in Rusayl.

Contact: 99323957 / 95490842

Flats in Qurum. Contact

94051789-97201688

1B/R apartment executive fully

furnished at AL Khuwair 33 & 5

B/R villa unfurnished at Madinat

Al Ilam & 5 B/R villa fur-

nished at Madinat Al Ilam.

Contact: Atlas Real Estate &

rent a car LLC -24834888/

99249069/92888376/94617563

Email: info@alshahiintl.com

Luxury villa of 5 BHK in Al

Khuwair 33 RO.650/- Contact –

91776665

Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Flats in WadiKabir. Contact - 94051789-97201688

600 M2 showroom or offi ce

in Bousher in front of Dolphin

complex. RO.3.5 per m2. Contact

91776665

Offi ces & Showrooms in Al Khoud. Contact 94051789-

97201688

Fully Furnished apartments in

Boucher (35) Contact- 94051789-

97201688

Brand new 4 BHK villa in Al Fai

compound Al Khoud. RO.475/-

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 Remal-

bowsher. RO.550/- Contact –

91776665

Mini Furnished Apartment in

Qurum. Contact 94051789-

97201688

Spacious 1 BHK fl at in Al Wat-

taya with all split A/C’s and park-

ing. RO.300/-Contact – 91776665

Offi ces & Showrooms in

Muttrah. Contact - 94051789-

97201688

Flats in Darsait. Contact -

94051789-97201688

Offi ces in Qurum opposite City

Center. Contact 94051789-

97201688

Duplex villa in Qurum 29.

Contact - 94051789- 97201688

ACC. AVAILABLE

ACC. AVAILABLE

Fully furnished 1BHK at Wadi-

kabir near Al Hassan RO275/

month available for 4 months from

01/04/2016 to 31/07/16. Contact:

92577929

ACC.WANTED

WANTED

CHANGE OF NAME

IELTS Coaching (academic)

required nearby wadi Kabir area.

Please call on mobile or

msg on Whats up.

Mobile no: 92927880/

99012165

We, Modha HetanKumar Jay-antilal (name of father as per the

passport, holder of Indian Pass-

port No. J9865189) and Modha Anishaben HetanKumar (name of

Mother as per the passport holder

of Indian Passport No. J9863575)

having permanent address in 2

VrijBhuvan Soc, Opp. Airport Nr. Vas-

uBhai Teachers House Porbandar

– 360577 Gujarat (complete postal

address in India) and presently

residing at the following address in

Muscat P.B. No. 491, PC No. 112, Sul-

tanate of Oman, hereby solemnly af-

fi rm and declare to change the name

of our child Miss Modha Aryashi Hetan (name as per present pass-

port), holder of Indian Passport No.

J9864146 date of issue 26.08.2011

issued at Ahmedabad. The name of

our child will be henceforth known as Modha Aryashi HetanKumar (new name) for all purposes. Any

objection towards change of name

of our minor child may please be

communicated to Embassy of India,

Muscat, Diplomatic Quarters, Al

Khuwair, P. Box No. 1727, Postal Code

112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman.

This is to inform anybody who con-

cerns about that Maraaya Al Ghail Trad. Limit. Part. company which

is registered under the commer-

cial registeration number 1136411

with Directorate General for Trade

& Industry is changing its name

to Maraaya Al Ghail LLC for all

purposes.

BUYING

Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299

Buying cars for cash.

Contact: 90202090

An excellent grade license with

various activities and ten clear-

ances (4 General Cooks, 4 waiters,

2 waitresses) is for sale. Serious

buyers send Email:

mohdhinai.mgp@gmail.com

Well running 30 yrs old irrigation

and agricultural showroom in Al

Ghubra with materials. Contact:

99310450

Zanzibari coff ee shop for rent or

sale in Barka Souq road, at Prime

location. Contact: 99814411

400 sq mtrs Commercial/Resi-

dential land in Mabela Phase 5

Block 2. OMR 165 Thousand.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or

97509955

A well running pharmacy for sale

at prime location.

Contact- 99627621, 93240949

Well established coff ee

shop / restaurant prime loca-

tion at AL Khoud. Contact:

92188777/98700760

Space for printing press available

at wadikabir with or without

machinery. Contact 99328430

Shop for sale near Oman House,

Muttrah. Contact 99024362.

Almost new beach/ garden lounge

chairs /bar stools/ counter. Photos

can be sent 95865457

Luxury Apartments in Bousher

(35). 95056808-97201688

Villas in Al Khoud. 95056808-

97201688

Steel Scrap materials for im-

mediate sale: contact 99273774/

99202278

Urgent sale of steel scrap only

serious buyers kindly contact

+968 96725423 for viewing the

items.

Single colorful Bed and Sofa

for Sale at Al Khuwair. Con-

tact 92881849 /What`s up No

97290565

HD Scaff oldings, Shuttering

Jacks, Wooden Planks, Shuttering

wood assorted, Tower hoist (lift),

Concrete Mixer, Bending Machine,

Steel Fabrication Machinery

(Searing/Cutting, lathe & Welding)

including tools for immediate sale:

Contact 99273774/ 99202278

Required single room for an

executive lady (non cooking) in

Darsait, Ruwi, Wadi Kabir.

Contact - 98591132

Accommodation required with

food for 1 month, bachelor for

March month. Preferably Al Ghob-

rah area. Contact: 99335742

220 M2 SHOWROOM

FOR SALE@ Sanaya/ Hospital

Road- SoharPLEASE CONTACT:

00968 - 9898 9532/ 2471 4325

info@paramountmuscat.com

FOR HIRE

Grader, roller, bobcat, JCB 3CX, JCB 4CX with breaker & water

tanker for rent. Contact:93218705 /

24478450

MV SALE

Toyota Yaris 2008 model, white,

color, automatic transmission,

expat driven km 140500. Call:

99104124

Toyota Rav 4 2012 RO 5500. Con-

tact: 93835318

Nissan path fi nder model 2012

R.O 5500. Contact : 97692959

Nissan Qashqai 2013 low mileage

30.000kms comprehensive insur-

ance UAE Oman valid till 2016 .

Contact: 96995430

Pickup for sale, model 2013,

diesel engine 4x4. contact

94194399

MATRIMONIAL

MATRIMONIAL

Christian RC boy 30/160 cm

fair, working as an Accountant

in a company Muscat, suitable

proposals solicited. Contact:

98788464

Ezhava girl 25yrs B. Tech work-

ing in MNC Shudajathakam from

Palakkad looking suitable alliance

Contact 99323085 / 99001726.

A Graduate Syrian Christian

Pentecostal boy, 27, working in

Oman as Store-in-Charge seeks

proposals from parents of suit-

able girl, preferably those work-

ing in Oman. Contact 92411983

40 Years male divorced, working

in Muscat seeks suitable propos-

als, Indian. Contact - 91346321

Malankara Catholic Male Nurse (28) from Thiruvalla working

in Nizwa Private Co. Alliance

invites parents/nurses working

in Oman.

Contact: 968 98267338,

0091 9287215726

MANPOWER

OFFICE SPACES FOR RENT230 SQ. Mtr each

Ready to move in two offi ces for rent near Man Truck Showroom, Ghala

Contact - 99269841 / 92429917

Furnished two rooms both at-

tached bath with common kitchen

in a new building with compound

in front & back side for single

bachelor or both rooms for a fam-

ily, Aint, Darsait.#99008069

1 BHK apartment for rent in

Al Khoud Shabiya near Ma-

zoon Mosque for rent. Contact :

93913224

Single room near Al Falaj Hotel.

Contact 99643845

Room with attached bathroom for

a family in Wadi Kabir. Contact

97167857

Room with kitchen available

at Ruwi. Contact 91214897 /

98049288

Spacious villa Al Ansab main

road, 8 rooms, 8 toilets & bath-

rooms, kitchen store. Con-

tact:96354553

Furnished offi ce for rent No. 503

at Business Center – Al Khuwair.

Contact: 24488833

Furnished bedroom with attached

bath and kitchen separate en-

trance for bachelor for RO 150 per

month all inclusive in a villa, opp.

Star Cinema.#99314807

Room with toilet for working lady.

Contact: 91450718

Furnished room attached bath for

Indian bachelor, Al-Falaj Ruwi &

lady Wadi Kabir near Mars

hypermarket. Contact:

96202458/96761960

Furnish bedroom with attach

bathroom for executive bachelor.

Contact: 97704794

Room with attached bathroom and

sharing kitchen available for

Executive bachelor or small family

at wadikabir Contact 93049849

Room available in Mumtaz area

1 room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1

room, common bathroom. Inter-

ested please #92680041 Mr. Altaf

Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan village. #93687466

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,

E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

DRIVING

NRI

2 Acres of land for sale in Tamil

Nadu, Tirunevelli District, Kon-

danagarm, near Suthamalli, 7 km

from Tirunelveli town, off Cher-

anmahadevi Road. Contact:0091

7358518439 / 92324126

Urgent sale semi furnished 2BHK

Kanakia properties opposite Cin-

emax Mira Road Mumbai contact

99009686

Flats villas land for sale in Pune

Contact: 95272138/918139098275

URGENTLY REQUIRED

New/ Used Tower

Cranes

Contact - +968 92695608

Email – constpurchase16@gmail.com

FOR RENTStore space in Al

Wattayah.Contact

99382489 / 99263443

FORRENT

One good flat of 2 BHK for res/comm purpose in Al-Khuwair plaza building, situated on the main road of Al-Khuwair.

Contact: 99 44 60 12

Indian male Roman Catholic 40yrs divorcee working in Muscat.

Seeks suitable alliance from widow/

divorcee/ single.

Contact: 96059801.

DAILY GUIDED4 T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANT-SIT. WANTED

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifi eds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

DRIVER

MEDICAL

SKILLED LABOUR

DRIVER

DRIVER

EDUCATION/TRAINING

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ADMIN

CATERING

ADMIN

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Required Cook 5 yrs exp in Oman

for family. Send CV fax: 24703854

or abuakram_omer69@hotmail.

com. Contact: 90140203

Urgently required Omani recep-

tionist for a trading company in

Muscat. Kindly send CV to email:

infooman@orchidinternational.ae

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 com-

merce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/

fi nance fi eld. On visit visa. Immedi-

ately available. Contact 92836216 /

muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com

DOMESTIC HELP

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Required Accounts Offi cer- en-

sure accurate processing of

revenue data into ERP systems

and invoicing module. Posting of

invoices to customer SAP portal

and delivery to customer offi ces

and interface with country man-

ager/ reporting to regional CEO.

Qualifi cations: BSc accounting.

Relevant experience & knowledge

on online accounting systems

especially the customer

SAP system. Submit CV to:

me-job@interwell.com

Accountant with gulf experience

in construction fi eld preferred with

Oman driving license. Interested

candidates send CV to:

Email: omanhari@yahoo.com

Gsm: 95892831/95197615

Urgently required an Filipino

Housemaid, interested people can

forward your bio-data to

careerhr1972@gmail.com

Housemaid required for full-time

for Indian family, Hindi/English

speaking CBD area Ruwi.

Contact: 96183093

Looking for a part-time cook-cum-housemaid in Azaiba.

Call 92450197.

MISCELLANEOUS

Required urgently experienced Civil Engineers having 2-3 years on

building construction jobs.

Contact: 99472795

Required Site Inspector (PRO) hav-

ing Omani D/L. Contact – 24291500

Email: hr16.careers@gmail.com

A construction company requires

Civil Engineer (degree holder) is

having minimum 7 yrs exp who

can independently handle the

site. Oman experience will be

plus point. Apply with bio data

to fax no: 24489096 or email:

tec_oman@hotmail.com. Contact:

99339661

Urgently required QA/QC Engi-

neer minimum exp 5yrs including

Gulf in fabrication tanks, vessels.

Certifi cate- CSWIP, NDT-L-2, ISO

Certifi cate – int. audit. Con-

tact:92746349. Email: mydeen@

mudest.com

Required Hydraulic Mechanical. Contact - 95251213

Civil Engineer with minimum 5/8

years experience with valid Oman

driving license. Contact Interested

candidates send CV to:

Email: omanhari@yahoo.com

Gsm: 95892831/95197615

Required candidates for following

posts: Accountant, Storekeeper, Foreman Building Maintenance, Van-salesman (water), Helpers. Candidates with Omani driving

license preferred.

Contact 99273774/99202278

Looking for driver with motorbike

licenses for resturant delivery , con-

tact 95048797

Looking for motor cycle license holders for FMCG merchandising

contact: 92312112

Required a expat driver with

Omani D/L. Contact –

91409668

Part or full time Driver Required

call us 91120552

ENGINEER/MECHANIC.

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 : omanproject2011@gmail.com

Wanted a Nurse for dental

clinic Seeb. Contact: 99722457 /

95706223

Urgently required female Gy-

necologist for a clinic at Samail.

Send CV: saemomar@gmail.com,

95498105

Wanted Nurse for a dental centre

in capital area. Interested may

contact – 93431024 or send CV to

– drasyanaseem@gmail.com

Wanted Staff Nurse for

a dermatology clinic in Muscat .

Must have MOH license and NOC.

Attractive salary off ered. Email:

clinicvacancy2015@gmail.com

Required female Nurse, with

MOH license for private dental

clinic in Bowshar area, Muscat.

Contact: 92189807

GP doctor needed for reputed clin-

ic. Preferably with MOH license or

with Datafl ow & Paramatics pass

Contact: 95388934

Required gynecologist GEN: practitioner lady lab Technician and pharmacologist immediately

for a clinic in Suwaiq. contact

95081010 Email: umchealthcare@

gmail.com

Indian Mechanical Engineer with

28 years of industry experience

in Sales & Marketing, Materials

Management seeks suitable open-

ing. Presently working with Indian

conglomerate in Oman. Possess

valid driving license and SUV.

CONTACT:+968 95901425

Male Dip.Civil Engineer, having 20

yrs exp (building & road) looking for

suitable job. Contact: 94720782

Female B. Ed English teacher, 7 yrs

exp seeking suitable placement. Con-

tact : 99739415 / 92091528

Female Indian, M.Sc, Maths Teach-

ing experience College University

ready to join immediately. Contact

99835738

Indian female MSC,B.ED, MPHIL,

IELTS, currently on visit visa

seeks suitable placement. Contact:

96916534

Urgently required a Marketing Executive with 2 years experience

and driving license (GCC) for a re-

puted building material & electrical

showroom in Al Khoud.

Please send CV to –

startradingmuscat@gmail.com.

Contact - 94320909

SALES / MARKETING

SALES / MARKETING

TECHNICIAN

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN

AutoCAD Civil Draughtsman for

road, having 5 yrs experience work-

ing on X- Sec, L-Sec & alignment,

preparation of plan & profi le & cross

sections, preparation of structural

drawings, quantity estimation as

per drawing. Contact 94034544,

casper_c100@yahoo.com

Revit /Draughtsman experienced

expected salary 200. Contact :

92279784

AutoCAD Draughtsman seeking

job. Contact: 95516807

Indian Female, Bsc Fashion De-

signer with Oman driving Lisence,

looking for any good job.

Contact 98757582

Interior Designer Seeking suitable

job. On visit visa in Oman.

Contact - 92166130

Interior designer 3 years experi-

ence 1 year in Oman and 2 years

in Egypt, experience in interior

design, 3D max, AutoCAD,

Photoshop. Contact - 94762876

28/male/MBA - fi nance/B.Com -

Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/

India experience looking for a

suitable placement. # 90187483

shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com

Dynamic Indian Male Account-

ant with 9 Years Experience seeks

suitable placement. NOC available.

Contact: 96902860

MBA Indian National 26 years

old Having (06) years experience

in FSM Industry Catering and

Restaurant, As An Accountant and

fi nalization of all accounts related

works, Available to join immedi-

ately kindly contact on 98315449.

Male Accountant M.Com Accounts

& fi nance, 3 yrs exp in accounts

looking for suitable job on visit visa.

Contact: 95648575

Indian female MBA in fi nanc

currently on visit visa seeking

suitable placement in Accounts /

HR/Admin Contact: 92896110. E

mail: anoopodiyan@gmail.com

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTA famous Italian brand is seeking for female applications for the

position of “Counter Sales” which will be located in one of Muscat’s most popular malls.

Qualifi cation required:Fluent English speaking, Arabic speaking is preferred,

good communication skills, basic knowledge with computers.Experience required:

Minimum of 1 years of professional experience in salesCandidates are requested to send their CVs on recruit

nomination.sales@gmail.com

EDUCATION/TRAINING

We, the storm shield in the talented candidates for the below

positions (Indian only): Maintenance Technician (male -1) should have knowledge of new

mobile devices & 3 years Oman

experience Contact: 94441111

Send CV to

email: gshield9@gmail.com

Screen printer in Ruwi. Contact

92831131 / 97752162

The Egyptian school requires chemistry Teacher for IG, English, Science & mathemat-ics. Teacher’s application

should be submitted

by hand or by email –

egyptianschool98@gmail.com

/ 24603930

Indian male, M. Com with

3 yr Oman Exp in Accounts

with valid oman D/L, on

visit Visa, seeking suit-

able placement. GSM:94744575.

Email:sidharth673@gmail.com

Indian CA fi nalist, 7 yrs exp

having driving license with visa

looking for fi nance / accounts

position Email: rameesnm@gmail.

com, 98097009

B.Com Graduate, Indian male 24

yrs, 3 yrs exp in Oman looking for

Accounting, Sales, suitable jobs.

NOC Available. Contact:90615814.

Mail : adhilrahman.a@gmail.com

Fresher 24, ACCA Affi liate, Ad-

vanced diploma in Accounting

and Business seeking suitable

placement in Accounts, Finance or

Audit with Oman driving license.

Contact - 92430152

Email - raju.rd619@gmail.com

Purchase/Planning & Logistics Manager MBA (Finance), 14yrs.

Oman Exp. with D/L, NOC avail-

able, looking for suitable position.

Contact: 93826090 jskan-

chan01@gmail.com

ACCA member with 6 yrs of

experience in Oman looking for

a suitable job in fi nance. Contact

99284193

Indian female MBA in fi nance

currently on family visa seeking

suitable placement. Contact:

96471025

Female seeking suitable place-

ment in reputed Company, 5 yrs

experience in Oman. Skills : Tally,

EKP9, Sage ACC, PAC, ITIL, MS Of-

fi ce. Contact 95483804, sararow-

shan344@gmail.com

4 yrs experience in Oman han-

dling Accounts. NOC available,

strong communications. Contact

95187454, rowshan.rafi ul@gmail.

com

Indian male B.Com Graduate,

6 yrs exp in auditing, accounts

and marketing 3 yrs exp in Oman

with DL looking for suitable

placement. Contact :96146287,

mubarakamk@gmail.com

Indian male, 32 yrs, B.Com having

8 yrs Accounts experience in Oman,

looking for suitable placement (local

release + Oman D/L available). Con-

tact 97494322 / 98093515

Accountant Indian male 25 yrs

BBA with Tally, having 3 years of

exp. plus Hardware, Networking

seeking for suitable placement:

98201244

Indian male 22 yrs B.Com with one

year exp in accounting auditing

with good working knowledge in

tally erp-9 looking for a suitable

placement now on visit visa

Contact: 97189500

Indian male 25 years of age,

Bachelor degree in B.Com, seek-

ing suitable place in Oman, on

visit visa. Contact – 91240544 /

98016928

Indian female MBA Accountant, 8

yrs exp in accounts seeking suit-

able placement. Contact: 96117303

Indian female Accountant 8yrs

exp in Oman. Contact:93726921

Part time accountant, up to fi na-

lization of accounts looking for job

after 5 PM (location prefers – MSQ

– to AL Hail). Contact: 95694737

Jordanian, Senior accountant, 15 yrs experience in Oman fi nance

& accountant. Contact: 92881223

Indian male 28 yrs MBA fi nance/

marketing and graduate in com-

puter experience 3 yrs seeking

suitable job, now family visit visa.

Contact: 93195378

Email: faisalme.beg677@gmail.com

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with

13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in

manufacturing, trading & con-

tracting Cos, capable of handling

all accounting, fi nance, banking,

L/C, import, export & fi nalization

seeks placement. NOC Available.

Call+968-98932752,

mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com

Indian Male Accountant 10yrs

Exp. in OMAN Retail & Furniture Co.

(Release Available) #92564955

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com

Finance-Indian with 7 years experi-

ence in Finance & Accounts up to

fi nalization. Currently employed

in Oman. Having D/L & NOC.

#94122464,

Email: cammk13@gmail.com

Pakistani male light vehicle driver

looking for job. Contact: 99521033

REQUIREDFull time

Housemaid For a reputed

Omani household. Age group

between 30 to 35 years only.Please call 99342737 between 9 am to 6 pm only.

CATERING

Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp

looking job. Contact: 99531802

DOMESTIC HELP

Housemaid (overseas) Indian fam-

ily looking for job. contact

99531802

8 years of intensive Oman experi-

ence in procurement & supply

chain management looking for

suitable placement.#97755488

10 yrs experienced Omani PRO

looking for suitable position. Good

knowledge in HR Admin ROP, all

Ministries related aff airs. Contact:

99588154 / 93387833

MBA professional with 5 yrs exp

in the fi eld of HR , Administration,

Sales (Business Development)

and accounts, holding valid UAE

driving license on visit visa until

end of March. Contact: 91731542/

shanoj120@gmail.com

24 yrs, lady expat looking for

full time job with visa. Interested

fi elds are admin, back offi ce,

front-offi ce, reception. Contact:

96321431 or email: sharanya.

nair08991@gmail.com

Indian female BS, 2 yrs exp

looking for suitable position in

HR & Administration. Contact –

94656009

Urgently required Document

controller / material controller /

HR job 15yrs exp. D/L available plz

contact; 96777019/92386043

Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+

experience in Administration/HR,

Customer Support, Offi ce Coordina-

tor with good Computer skill, Now

on Visit Visa,looking for suitable

position. Contact: 90196235

Indian male MBA 33yrs having 10

yrs of exp seeking full time suit-

able placement in Administration/

HR/ Operations/ Coordination/

Logistics. Holding valid D/L.

Contact 99054786

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

Young Omani male have experi-

ence 12 years as P.R.O, CLERK

Helper Supervisor Admin Supervi-

sor, H.R Manager have diploma in

H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license, looking

for H.R position or P.R.O part time

or full time. Contact: 95933288

Filipino male with 13 years HR and

Administration managerial experi-

ence. MBA & CIPD holder. Currently

looking for job in Oman. Interested

employer Contact - 97728418.

Indian, 26 yrs , female , 5 yrs exp

in HR/ Admin with valid Oman

D/L seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98236033

Indian female, Masters in HR,

having 4 + years Oman experience

in media management and HR,

looking for openings in HR, Educa-

tion, Admin, Corporate communi-

cations. Contact 98252030

Bangladeshi male light driver look-

ing for job 3 yrs. experience. Contact:

94077119

Light Driver looking for work in

a family. Release ready. Contact

96693290

Experienced Indian Driver cum

Travel Coordinator, 20 yrs in Oman

looking for suitable job. Contact:

95113612 (NOC available).

Driver with car. Contact

95037759

Pakistani looking for job as

driver 4 yrs exp light duty. Con-

tact:97469730

Male 28 yrs looking for driver

job part time / full time. Contact :

97224035

Driver job wanted. Contact:

96393082

Light driver looking for job Oman

exp. Contact :95292621

Light driver with car 3 months exp.

Contact: 97118292

Light driver Indian 4yrs exp in

Oman having own car looking for

job, release available .

Contact: 93053917

Seeking driver job. Contact :

93499058

Pakistani driver with Elantra 2016

model car seeks job: 95873286

Pakistani light driver looking job

9 yrs exp in Oman.

Contact: 96048460

2 Years exp in driving, seeking

any job .Contact: 97460056

Seeking driver job with own car.

Contact: 98031620

Looking for job light duty driver

6 years experience NOC available.

Contact: 92381696

Bangladeshi male light driver

looking for job 3 exp.

Contact: 93254149

Indian light driver cum house

cleaner. Contact: 96255558

/99415443

Urgently required Sales Executives

(2 nos.) & Graphic Designer for sig-

nage / print media with minimum 1

to 2 yrs experience. Send CV at Email

: info.kkllc@gmail.com, 91275555

Require Salesman with D/L. E mail:

mailcv7@gmail.com

Required Sales staff 2 NOS Having

experience in Cosmetics Sales.

Send your updated CV to

james_kunju@yahoo.com

GSM 92683688

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

sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com,

sbeoman@yahoo.com

An Omani construction company located at Muscat looking for

Marketing executive with

GCC driving license & NOC

send C.V to kwk585@gmail.com

Required Sales Executive knowledge of building materi-

als.Full or part time. Contact:

99421513

Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA

Finance and marketing with IT

skills, 7+ yrs of experience,

Looking for suitable placement.

Contact : 94879615,Email-

sajan_chacko1981@yahoo.com

Chief Accountant 25 years expe-

rienced looking for part/full time

accountant job.

Contact: 95598477/98803439

Indian male 25 B.Com (graduate)

2 years experience as accountant

in country club India with ERP

oracle r12, tally knowledge. On visit

visa immediately available.

Email: shabi.hyd@gmail.com

Contact- 9042-1161

Indian female 25 yrs, MBA HR &

Marketing, with one and half years

experience as accountant and

6 months experience in teaching,

now on a visit visa, seeking suit-

able position. Contact: 99624044,

mail: np.neethu1@gmail.com.

DAILY GUIDET H U R S D AY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6 D5

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERIndian male 30 years, having 5 years

of experience in industrial automation and utility

maintenance in India (MRF Tyres), holding valid Oman D/L.

Contact - 92789995Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com

IT

Electrical Engineer, Indian male,

6 years industrial experience on

visit-visa, seeking job- ready for

any roles. Contact: 98750295

Email:bebala04@gmail.com

Building Site Supervisor working

in Oman since Mar 2010 with Oman

D/L looking for suitable placement

.contact:91507828

B.Tech electronics & Comm.Engg

with CCNA certifi ed with 2yrs exp.

Contact-99490930.

email; sujith8938@gmail.com

An Iraqi civil with more than 30

years experience in (Iraq and G.C.C)

looking for a job, (N.O.C) available.

Contact: 96561306

Email: iq.bgd.mnsr@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 11 yrs exp in con-

struction fi eld having Oman driving

license & NOC. Contact – 94194399 /

shiblyrock@gmail.com

Indian male 22, Chemical Engineer

residing in Oman looking for suitable

placement. Contact: 92379181

Engineer has 10 years local &

international experience in ready

mix concrete also in Oil & Gas fi eld

also in marketing & sales fi eld , has

Omani driving license. #92534098

Indian male, Mechanical

Engineer having 1year experi-

ence, on visit visa looking for

suitable job. Contact:97416564,

Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com

Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp

seeks suitable position ina reputed

company. NOC available. #96789711

Indian History graduate with diploma in Safety with

valid Oman Driving licence seeks suitable placement.

Contact-93361624, Email-dheerachpadikkala@gmail.com

HOSPITALITY

MISCELLANEOUS

Indian male Graduate hotel man-

agement 12 yrs exp operations &

sales oriented GCC driving license

and release available. #94525463

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

35 yrs vast experience in Sales,

Marketing, Advertisement & distri-

bution at Senior position in Oman.

NOC available. Contact 99868330

/ 99848831, rwahedi458@gmail.

com

EXPERT ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE For your BPR, guide fi nance &

HR & RM, advise product marketi ng & CRM, appraise IT system for reporti ng & communicati on. Contact: Tel - 96500729

k.profi toman@gmail.com

12 yrs exp with store incharge

purchasing having valid Om-

ani driving license. Contact:

99004638

Wanted job as an offi ce boy

or customer service. Contact:

94640906

Indian male 37 yrs X-Ray welder

7 yrs exp (ARC, TIG, ARGON,

Welding) seeking suitable job.

Contact: 91360190/98223683

B.Com Graduate with fi ve and half

yrs exp in Oman as a purchaser. NOC

available. Valid driving license. Look-

ing for suitable placement

Contact: 96772166

Graduate, computer literate, experi-

enced in sales, credit control,

accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suit-

able placement. Gsm 98805474

A lady entrepreneur with BF Tech

1st Class (Fashion Technology)

since 2006 in Kerala like to make

change for better. Specialized in

designing, Production Manage-

ment, Fashion Art, Grading, Surface

ornamentation, Garment Construc-

tion.

Email: prettyjinu08@gmail.com

Mobile: +919539397097.

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:fathimasha16@

gmail.com

Bangladeshi male, University

M.Com, Working as an Accountant

& Administrator in Oman; search-

ing better job. Phone: 94864966

Email: sunrisetoiqbal@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 8 years experience

in Oman as a project engineer for

governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912

Procurement Engineer (27 years

single male with Oman Driving Li-

cense) having 7 years experience

(UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in

MEP, Water, Electromechanical,

Instrumentation seeking suitable

placements. Contact 95852033,

mail: hemal1988@gmail.com

Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian

male 24 years with 1+years Indian

experience,(Certifi ed in Staad

Pro/ Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).

Looking for a Suitable position.

Available In Sultanate of Oman

(Muscat) on Visit Visa.

Contact: 92835952. E-mail:

mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com

Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in

designing, assembling, commis-

sioning execution etc having valid

GCC license too looking for a suit-

able. Contact: 00968-98052942

Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 8 years experience

Structural buildings marine. Availa-

ble NOC release. Contact: 92451323.

Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com

HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+Diploma

Safety+NEBOSH+OSHA) over

10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release Letter

(NOC) available), seeking suit-

able placement, Mob:97061817,

Email:jayanammu1977@gmail.com

10 yrs exp in procurement,

tenders, importing, marketing

and sales, organizing events.

Have car NOC available. Contact:

94123939

The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15

Years Inside and outside Oman

following activities: tenders& real

estate& construction & marketing

projects& investments & trans-

portation & Marine services&

companies management& develop

business. Contact: :- 92385033

General Manager MEP also man-

age civil, MBA, BE Electrical, 10

yrs exp in Oman valid D/L, release

available. Contact – 92447102

Indian male, with experience in

operations management, informa-

tion security, purchase & stores

mgmt, hold UAE driving license,

on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

#91904541

Email: naushers@yahoo.com

Production Manager 9 years

experience in Oman manufacture

and development factories .GRB.

GRC. GRG rubber molds and false

ceilings, fi berglass and executive

at site emadadly2000@yahoo.

com96149081

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

Pakistani Civil Foreman and PDO

civil permit holder looking for job

94768993

B Tech Mech, certifi cate attested,

exp in steel fabri. and autocad draft-

ing , salary -250 OMR. Contact :

96108187

Indian male 23 Mechanical Engi-

neer (B.E) residing in Oman looking

for suitable job. Contact: 98530806

/ 99362006

B.Sc Civil Engineer 27 yrs Oman

exp as project manager, struc-

tural engineer looking for suitable

placement. NOC/local transfer

available. Contact: 99349578.

Email:farooqatm@hotmail.com

BE Mechanical Engineer 6 yrs

exp, 1.5 yrs in Oman in piping and

structure construction work. Re-

lease available. Contact: 96115463.

Email: jijoraju085@yahoo.com

Indian male 35yrs BE - Engg 15 yrs

exp in UAE Site Manager looking for

job. Email : vinoj_1979@yahoo.co.in

Indian male, 29 yrs, B.Tech (EEE)

with 5+ yrs of experience from re-

puted fi rms in the fi eld of Electrical

Site Execution & Project Coordi-

nation in HL, LT for various EPC

Projects, now on visit, seeks suitable

placement in related industries.

Contact 92310762, email :

write2man@gmail.com

Male, NDT, QA/QC Supervision

Mechanical 10 yrs experience

seeks suitable placement.

Contact 96954202, Email :

nasirarain86@yahoo.com

Civil Engineers exp 4 yrs of

Pakistan in building work. Contact:

95135608

Diploma in Civil Engineering 13

yrs exp with valid Oman D/L, NOC

available. Contact : 99612163

Sr. Electrical Engineer with17+ yrs

of exceptional exp in spear head-

ing strategic planning and project

management initiatives & execut-

ing various high rise residential

& commercial building as well as

roads and highway project with

profi ciency in installation, seeking

a challenging position in a dynamic

organization. contact 96570891

Pakistani Civil Eng having 10 yrs

exp in consulting and building

fi eld looking for suitable job in

good running company with valid

driving license. Contact: 97425973

Indian male,24 yrs, Electronics

& Telecom, Graduate, Mumbai

University (2015 batch) looking for

entry level job in Engg.com hav-

ing good knowledge at telecom,

networking ,fi ber optic, Oraclellg-

SQL, PLSQL, now in Muscat on

3 months visit visa. Contact :

91868936 / 93101922. Email: sid-

diquiajmal42@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech)

looking for job. Contact:90623220

Electrical Design Engineer (MEP)

Indian male having 1.8 years of

experience in India. Available

on visit visa looking for suitable

placements. Contact: 92658569,

Email:mdraziuddin2@gmail.com

Indian female Project Engineer 15

yrs experience Project Management

quality data base management

data analytics marketing business

development having Omani driving

licenses seeks suitable placement

presently on family visa, having

Omani experience. #95783792

Network Engineer CCNA-MCSA

exp computer science with NOC.

Contact : 92346191

Indian Civil Engineer in UAE

seeking suitable placement in

Muscat-Contact 00968 99142171

Project Engineer 14 yrs exp of

project execution & operations,

all kinds Mech/civil and interior

decoration with license

Contact: 93260559

Sudanese Civil Engineer 4 years

experience –98093544

B.E Mechanical and diploma with

75%, age 28, 2yrs Hyundai Motor

and 3yrs in water treatment.

Contact - +91 9003612305.

prabugn28@gmil.com

Male 25 age M.B.A, HRM, BE

Automobile 3.4yrs exp production

engineering. # +91 9841873619/

vickey040890pt@gmail.com.

Electrical Engineer with 18 years

exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034

Email: shassalih66@gmail.com

MANAGER

MEDICAL

B.Tech Mechanical Engineer (In-

dian, 23yrs male) 1.5 yrs exp (IBM

India &Pvt Ltd & Zeuzer Engineers

(Pvt ltd) looking for suitable job.

Currently on visit visa

ready to join immediately

#93354092/990249660.

email:eapenbijoy92@gmail.com

Pakistani male Diploma Civil En-

gineer 4yrs exp in Oman bulling &

mega projects, valid license Oman.

contact:98921022

Mechanical Engineer having

Omani driving license and 2yrs

exp seeks suitable placement.

Email:malvindevachan@gmail.

com, Contact: 97411523

Project Engineer B.Sc Civil, 7.5 yrs

in Oman, need suitable placement,

NOC release available. contact

91129192

Sudanese Electrical Engineer, granted with distinction, hard-

working and can adapt to diff erent

work conditions. Contact: 98133281

Electrical & Electronics Engineer with 3 years GCC exp in sales, GCC

driving license. Seeking suitable

placement. Contact - 90301410

26 yrs Indian Male – B.Tech

(IT) - 6 yrs exp -sales & admin

-seeks suitable placement -

91848460 / 98304080; Email:

arun9895431989@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman

with license. Contact: 98975518

Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years

old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon)

Mining / Geotechnical Presently

in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.

Contact 91295802

acmfaslan123@gmail.com

Structural Engineer, 8 yrs expe-

rienced in fl at slab, post tensioned

& slab-beam multi story building

design & supervision with driving

license. Contact: 98256860

Mechanical Engineer M.Tech

2 years experience HVAC design

& site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD.

Contact: 90150913 Email:

mahmanmechengg@yahoo.im

Indian female civil engineer

B.Tech having 3 years experience

sound knowledge of software,

REVIT STAD PRO structural

detailing currently on family visa

seeks suitable placement contact

95345591

Civil Engineer (BE) having total

5 years experience in building

construction looking for a suitable

placement. D/L available

Contact 94450270

Indian Male, IT System Engi-

neer having 4 yrs of experi-

ence in system administration.

CCNA,MCSE, Linux. Looking for

suitable job.Contact :91272867

Indian female completed M.C.A

seeking for suitable jobs. Con-

tact: 91409481 / 97308719

ASP.NET WEB DEVELOPER , 3

YR EXP, PH : 97947921

INDIAN male, pursued bach-

elor’s of computer science

having experience in desktop

Engineer, looking for IT job,

on visit visa, seeking suitable

placement. Contact : 98784174

,email : abdulmoyeed@outlook.

com

Indian female, 30 yrs, B.Tech

& MBA(I.T), 6 yrs work exp in

India & Oman exp in telecom-

munications, confi guration

& installation of automated

solution systems seeking for

suitable placement. Contact :

92689823, jobymees2014@

gmail.com

Indian female, B.Tech gradu-

ate, with one and half years

experience as ‘web developer’

interested in web development

and has experience working in

HTML,CSS,Bootstrap, JavaS-

cript and Photoshop. Contact:

9592 7075 e-mail id:

mariarosejacob90@gmail.com

MSC (IT) male 32 age 4 yrs

networking system admin-

istrator. Seeking a suitable

placement +918608247110.

email:samad3301@gmail.com

Indian female, B.Tech gradu-

ate, with one and half years

experience as ‘web developer’

interested in web development

and has experience working in

HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaS-

cript and Photoshop.

Contact : 9592 7075, e-mail id:

mariarosejacob90@gmail.com

Omani 26(M) seeks placement,

6 yrs excellent experience

networking hardware software.

Contact: 95356166

SALES / MARKETING

Indian male 23 yeas BBM & Diplo-

ma in logistic. Looking for Indore/

Outdoor sales & marketing suitable

placement, currently in one month

visit visa. Contact: 93180270/

faizanmck@gmail.com

Indian M/39 confi dent Keralite,

Dubai Bank experience with Oman

driving license & NOC seeks suit-

able placement in sales & market-

ing / coordinator. #94742666

Indian male, B.Com worked in

Bahrain (4 years) and currently

working in Oman from last 4 years

in accounts and sales looking for

suitable placement. Valid Oman

license and NOC available. Contact

number : 9954 8543.

Indian male, B.Com with Valid GCC

Driving License 5-year experi-

ence in Sales. Good Arabic/English

Mob-96970027

Having more than 5 yrs exp in

sales indoor & outdoor with driv-

ing license. Contact – 90126776

An experienced sales & market-

ing person having several years

experience in GCC with valid D/L.

Looking for a suitable position.

Contact – 92124669

Sudanese B.Sc in business

administration, exp 8yrs in sales,

marketing & accounting. contact

96112453

Indian male with 6 yrs of GCC

exp in sales and service & 1 year

of exp in gym fi tness instructor.

Seeking job presently in Mus-

cat in family visit visa. Con-

tact: 90694335/ 99438360 or

email:sahildgreat99@yahoo.com

Bachelor Civil Engineer 6

Years in Oman experience Valid

Driving License seeks suitable

placement Phone 97619722

Email – golamrob@yahoo.com

Road and Construction Engi-neer with 5 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 97667113

Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work,

21+ years experience with Driv-

ing license. Contact: 95267113

Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com

7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in

the fi eld of Building Const. Oil &

Gas Seeking Job.94625598

Omani HSE supervisor. Email:

jeebal3000@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer with 3

Yrs experience in international

Oil & Gas company looking for

job Contacts: Tel: 90164236

Email:

mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com

Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs

experienced as AutoCAD civil

draftsman (2 yrs experience in

Oman) currently in Oman seeks

suitable. Contact 96789441

Email: simi5304@gmail.com

Indian Electrical Engineer

Btech, female 24 seeking job,

presently in oman having 2

year experience in design and

estimation of Ht &Lt projects.

Contact 968 97436557,

Mail id : sibinanoop1@gmail.

com

Sudanese Telecom Engineer, 5 years experience, 3 years

in Oman PMP certifi cate.

#93391008 Email: momen.

awadallam@gmail.com

Indian Male 23 years B.Tech

Civil having 2 years experi-

ence in quantity survey and

site management looking for

suitable placement. Contact:-

95042656

Staff Nurse (female) with MOH

license. Looking for opportunity in

Muscat. NOC / release letter avail-

able. Contact - 99433415.

Pharmacist have license and ex-

perience, looking for job in Sohar or

Buraimi. Contact- 93878153

Indian Bsc Female Nurse with

6.5 years exp, 4 years in KSA.

Passed Oman Pro Metric with 69%,

completed data fl ow. Presently in

Muscat in visit visa looking for a

suitable placement.

Contact 94744900, 94742834,

jincyalphonese@gmail.com

Male GP Doctor with NOC 6 yrs

experience in Oman for perm/locum

job. Contact : 97746074

An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license look-

ing for job. Contact 96436517

/97396088

SALES / MARKETING

4 Years of experience in Sales

with driving license. contact

90615235

MBA graduate having 6 years exp

in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with

PEPSI, India, having international

driving license permit seeks suit-

able placement. #: 95308167,

Email : samir.pag@gmail.com

Indian Male 28 MBA Marketing

with 4 years of experience in sales

with good communication skills

now available in Muscat on visit

visa. GSM 95840153 /

Mail akbarshareef786@gmail.com

Indian sales marketing profes-

sional highly experienced in busi-

ness development in ME India and

Africa seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 97897611

B.Com male 2 yrs experience in

sales Computer knowledge,

seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98371144

email: nabilnazar22@gmail.com

Indian male, MBA Marketing

having 2.5 years Sales experience

immediately looking for a suitable

position. Contact: 91415145,

Email: shariqs88@gmail.com

Male 38 yrs Graduate 07 years

experience indoor / outdoor

electronic fi eld with D/License &

NOC available (as per new rule).

Contact: 92453375

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE

Executive Secretary/ assistant Indian female 9 years experience in

Oman, Diploma in Business

management. Valid D/L.

Contact: 96684705

Lady Secretary / Sales Co-coordi-

nator 12 years experience in Oman

in reputed companies, seek imme-

diate Employment. Call: 95244761

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fi tter

gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192

Indian 26 yrs looking for fresh

sales /coordinator /admin/logis-

tics & travel air fare, air audit expe-

rience 8 yrs in India on visit visa

looking for suitable post. Contact:

94894170 / 95618311

Filipinas lady having exp in

ticketing and preservation, call

center, secretarial and real estate

is now looking for job please

call.94054080

Five years in travel fi eld B.Com.

IATA & pursuing MBA including

experience in the travel desk of

(ITC managed) fi ve star hotel,

looking for suitable position.

Contact 9470 5767, 9465 2485,

9536 4479

TOURS & TRAVEL

MISCELLANEOUS

B.Com Graduate with 4 year expe-

rience as an Accountant in Oman.

Also have Oman Driving License.

Best fl uency in English, Arabic,

Hindi & Malayalam, looking for

Job. Currently in Oman. Cont: +968

93943448, murshid4u@gmail.com

Indian Male,B.Com & Diploma

Logistics & supply chain man-

agement 2years experience

looking for job in Accounts/

logistics fi eld. Presently on Visit

Visa. Software knows MS offi ce

& Tally7.2 .MOBILE:93884951-

Email:mehreenraiz@gmail.com

HSE Engineer: 3.8 years experi-

ence in Oil & Gas. NEBOSH,IOSH,

& NDT Certifi ed, M Tech in

HSE,B Tech in Mechanical Engg.

CONTACT-krish.569@gmail.com,

Mobile- +91 9867016808

Looking for QHSE – Manager /

Asst. Manager job, Indian Male

– 39.Yrs, With 17.Yrs Experience

& NOC, NEBOSH – UK, MR – ISO

9001, 14001 & 18001, HSE Train-

ings, Audits, Pls Contact – haree.

krishnan9944@gmail.com

Manager with 12 yrs of exp in

sales & marketing & business

development, MBA Graduate with

valid driving license looking for a

suitable placement. NOC available.

Contact: 98125226

MBA Indian male 2 years experi-

ence in fi refi ghting & security sys-

tems sales & marketing. Seeking

suitable job. Contact – 90634050

DAILY GUIDED6 T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifi eds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTEDEDUCATION/CLASSES/COMPUTER/WEBSITE

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

Any time available transporta-

tion solution for house offi ce

shifting, TV fi xing, carpenter all

type of maintenance. Contact

Indian person : 95194801 /

96594592 Whatsapp

WEB, ERP and Business Intelli-

gence (BI) creation and man-

agement at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

LOST

Waris Ali Rahim Bakhsh has

lost Pakistani passport No. KG

854522. Finder please handover

to ROP

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

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing,

Contact 99314807/24792998

Water proofi ng ABUQABAS-

Contact 99320217/24788722

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

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

House shifting. Contact: 99708138

Pest control treatments, Ocean center LLC .

contact:99344723

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of

your marble. Contact 24793614/

99314807

A/C maintenance & servicing,

fridge, washing machine & dish

washer repairing, painting & clean-

ing services, electrical & plumbing.

Contact: 99447257 / 97014234 /

24504281

Marble crystallization & grinding, cleaning & carpet shampooing.

Ocean center LLC.

Contact:99344723

Split A/C servicing R.O 10 only.

Contact: 94217681 / 99210141

Building maintenance. Contact: 96173326

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

House shifting packing.

Contact: 99657644 / 98518013

Pest control & Building cleaning all kinds of pest control building. Cleaning ti les /

Marble polishing monthly/ Yearly contracts available.

Contact: 98814733 /98814740 Al Husn Cleaning L.L.C

Villa cleaning, shifting,

marble crystallization, tiles

polishing, shampooing sofa &

carpet. Modern Eastern Arms.

92145560

Sahal Al Wadi White Trad. Specialist in repairing of cold

store, chiller, A/C & refrigerator.

Contact – 94528546

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

Marble crystallization & grinding, Ocean center LLC .

Contact:99344723

*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done

till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication.

* Subject to space availability

SITUATION WANT-SIT. WANTED

SITUATION WANT-SIT. WANTED

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

Diploma(Electrical Engineering)

From Government polytechnic.Age

27years, 6 years Experiance in

Maintenance, troubleshooting and

managing and Technical in sub-

station as a Electrical Engineer.

Seek suitable placement. Contact

GSM- 92995899,(a.abbas31@

gmail.com)

INDIAN MALE, 26 years, BBA

graduate, seeks suitable position in

automotive spare parts, Have 3 year

experience. Phone no:96026400,

Bineeshpn@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineering 6 years

experience. Contact: 00968-

998907110091-9841867534

Email: sayed.fortuner88@gmail.

con

Bangladeshi male, University

MA, Working as Store In-charge

cum Logistic Manager in Mus-

cat; searching better job. Phone:

91997605, email: mohamednaz-

rulislam2@gmail.com

25 years, male B.Com and

insurance Graduate with 6 year

experience looking for an opening

in accounts, fi nance or operations

related only. Driving license and

NOC available. Contact- lilom-

mca@gmail.com and

95236312.

Civil Draftsman seeking job.

Contact-95516807

Admin Assistant, Having 5 years

experience in admin department

in reputed companies, presently

working in Muscat (NOC Avail-

able). GSM. 00968-98404122,

Email - panduru.jeevankumar@

gmail.com

Master’s in Petroleum Geology

looking for relevant job ready to

join ASAP, valid drivers license.

Email : mehdi.poorjahangiri@

gmail.com

IT/Telecom Manager, BE, MBA

13+ Years of experience, Valid

Driving License. Available imme-

diately. Phone: +91205211, Email:

ghulamqasimali@gmail.com

DAILY GUIDET H U R S D AY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6 D7

TOURS

TOURS

RENT A CAR

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO &

BP specifi cation for monthly rent

& small car with driver. Contact

99839898

SITUATION WANTEDCARGO

TRANSPORTATION

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

SITUATION WANT-

ED

BUSINESSSITUATION WANT-

ED

BUSINESS

ONE STOP SHOP BUSINESS SERVICES

Contact Saleh: 96723485

Public relation services (PRO), Formation new

companies, LLC companies, investor visa, business setup,

prepare business & companies accounts, legal

services, representing you and your company.

Transportation. Contact

91703829

Ruwi, Muttrah, Al Khuwair,

Muscat, Qurum, seek transporta-

tion. Contact: 91132238

Transportation. Contact

99508282 /93113534

Transportation. Contact 99508282

Transportation. Contact 92015894

Transportation available Ruwi to

Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909

Driver available with car. Contact:

96728056GOOD NEWS

Ayurvedic treatment for joint

pain, backache, paralysis, mas-

sage, steambath, obesity, spondy-

litis. Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic,

18 November Street, Azaiba.

Contact: 99639695 / 97397320

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know

more about Islam, please call:

99425598, 99250777, 99353988,

99253818, 99341395, and

99379133. For ladies: 99415818,

99321360, 99730723

Orvisit:www.islamfact.com

Ayurvedic treatment for backache,

paralysis, arthritis etc & mas-

sage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact:24475280 / 95371664 /

92504980 www.siddhayur.com

RENT A CARBest Rates for Saloon

Contact: 97869042 / 95730550

sales@modernreem.com

*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

D8 T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 1 7, 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDEEmail: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifi eds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTEDDINING DELIGHTS

SITUATION WANTEDDINING DELIGHTS