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TUESDAY, September 29, 2015 / 15 Dhul Hijja 1436 AH timesofoman.com wtimesofoman.com facebook.com/timesofoman twitter.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com ISO 9001:2008 Certifi ed Company

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

HM receives Eid greetings

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received more cables of greetings on the blessed Eid Al Adha.

His Majesty the Sultan re-ceived cables from President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mo-hammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Command-er of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, Crown Prince of Kuwait, and Tammam Salam, Prime Minister of the Lebanese Republic. >A6

W O R L D L E A D E R S

OMAN’S ‘SUPERMOON’ PICTURE GOES VIRAL Located between the mountains in Muttrah Corniche, the picture of a swollen ‘supermoon’

bathed in blood-red light, which was captured by a Muscat-based photographer, has gone

viral online. - Picture: Hussain Al Bahrani Detailed report on >A6, 15

Family’s search for missing Haj pilgrim

FAHAD AL GHADANI/REJIMON K fahadnews@timesofoman.comreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: It is almost a week since Anwar Al Sinani, an Omani pilgrim went missing following the Haj stampede in Mecca, but his family is continuing to search

for him. Praying each time that it is not his body as they have been forced to look at more the 700 dead victims of the tragedy.

According to offi cial fi gures, the death toll of the stampede has been pegged at 769 dead, with 943 injured. In the hope that they can still fi nd Al Sinani alive, his family

has stayed in Mecca, verifying the bodies and looking for him among the injured.

“The news has aff ected the whole Bamah village in the wilayat of Quriyat,” said a relative of Al Si-nani. “We didn’t have a joyful Eid. We were praying for Anwar,” the relative added. Al Sinani had gone to perform Haj with his mother and sister.

“He went missing while accom-panying his sister for the stoning ritual. In the chaos that followed the stampede, he might have lost contact with his sister,” said the relative.

Al Sinani’s brother Saeed, along with his relatives are currently in Saudi Arabia, along with the Om-

ani Haj Mission offi cials, who are continuing to search for him.

“We know that it is a hard time for the whole family, but Saeed had to go through 769 dead bod-ies while searching for his missing brother,” said the relative.

The relative added that as Al Si-nani’s father is an old man, and had been unable to go to Saudi Arabia to join the search operation.

“Following the stampede, the organisers had rushed Al Sinani’s sister to the hospital as she was injured. But when they returned, they could not locate Anwar.

“The family also went to one of the hospitals to check on a man, who was said to be in coma,” said the relative. >A6

Relatives of missing Omani have so far seen

700 bodies of victims, praying each time it

is not their loved one. He remains missing

A16

Evidence of wateron Mars

OMANOman Air to get Dreamliner soon

1Oman Air will receive its fi rst Dreamliner in October and Salalah people will be

amongst the fi rst to see it. >A2

WORLD40 killed in air raid on Yemen wedding hall

2 At least 40 people were killed when a wedding hall in southwest Yemen was

bombarded on Monday. >A15

MARKETIslamic banks’ finances surge 78%

3Oman’s Islamic banks and window operations have shown a robust

growth of 78 per cent. >B1

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

UAE online visa lauded

REJIMON K reji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: People in Oman have welcomed the United Arab Emir-ates (UAE’s) decision to allow the submission of visitor visa applica-tions online.

Visa for a 90 day-visit to the UAE can now be obtained through the Ministry of Interior’s e-servic-es, either via the ministry website www.moi.gov.ae or through its smartphone app.

Quoting Major General Khalifa Al Khaiaili, acting assistant under-secretary of the Ministry of Inte-rior for Naturalisation, Residency and Ports Aff airs, The National reported that the move is aimed at reducing the time of applicants for entry permits, which require sponsorship from a citizen, resi-dent or investor. >A6

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OMAN

‘Riyada’, ‘Sharakah’ ink pact for SME developmentMUSCAT: In a big boost to SMEs development, the Public Authority for Small and Medium-sized Enter-prises Development ‘Riyada’ and Fund for the Development of Youth Projects Development ‘Sharakah’ on Monday signed a memorandum of cooperation aimed at supporting ‘Sharakah’ Forum.

The forum, which will be held on December 14, will highlight

the role of the media in the small and medium enterprises (SME) development.

Khalifa bin Said Al Abri, CEO of ‘Riyada’, signed the memorandum on behalf of ‘Riyada’ and by Abdul-lah bin Hamoud Al Jafi li, Director General of ‘Sharakah’ on behalf of ‘Sharakah’.

This year’s forum will discuss the role of various media chan-

nels in SME development, to help determine the best local and re-gional practices to take advantage of these facilities. It will provide the opportunity to connect with interested persons and decision-makers in the media and entrepre-neurship sectors.

Al Abri commended the role played by ‘Sharakah’ in SME de-velopment, saying that this Fo-

rum comes at the right time to discuss the role of media which is a major theme in SME develop-ment, as media plays a key role in dealing and discussing issues re-lated to the development of these institutions.

Abdullah bin Hamoud Al Jafi li pointed out that the second theme will focus on the role of the audio-visual media, like radio and tel-

evision channels. The third theme will touch on the electronic media and all types of social networking, saying that the fourth them will focus on the successful models of entrepreneurs who started media projects or SME projects in this area, adding that a number of of-fi cials from the Sultanate and the GCC countries will address the two-day forum. –ONA

I N D U S T R I A L G R O W T H

First Dreamliner to land in Salalah

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Oman Air will receive its fi rst state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on Octo-ber 25.

The residents of Salalah will be among the fi rst in the world to see the iconic aircraft in its distinc-tive Oman Air livery. Salalah’s enthusiasm for Oman Air’s prod-ucts and services has been a key element in the success of the air-line’s domestic network.

The state-of-the-art airliner will fl y from the Omani capital of Muscat to the southern city of Salalah following its delivery to Oman Air.

The fl ight will be hosted by members of Oman Air’s senior management team, and will carry VIPs, high-ranking government offi cials, dignitaries from public and private sector organisations, and media representatives.

During the one-and-a-half-hour fl ight, each guest will be amongst the fi rst to enjoy Oman Air’s outstanding Dreamliner pas-senger experience, prior to the air-craft entering scheduled service.

Following the special showcase fl ight, the Dreamliner will enter service on routes from Muscat to Europe and Saudi Arabia.

Oman Air’s Chief Operating Of-fi cer, Abdulrahaman Al-Busaidy said, “Oman Air’s fi rst Dreamlin-er taking to the skies and landing in Salalah will mark a momentous occasion in the airline history of Oman. We are immensely proud to be introducing the Dreamliner to our fl eet. We are also honoured to have the opportunity to show-case the aircraft to the people of Oman in advance of it entering scheduled service.

“We look forward to surpris-ing and delighting our customers when Oman Air’s fi rst Dream-

liner enters scheduled service on October 25.”

Al Busaidy added: “Once this excellent new aircraft starts to operate on routes to Europe and Saudi Arabia, it will provide the perfect environment in which to enjoy Oman Air’s unique hospi-tality, award-winning service and newly-designed, stylish interiors. From the start, we expect demand for seats to be very high, and we would encourage customers to book early at www.omanair.com.”

Oman Air’s new Dreamliner aircraft is one of six that have been ordered. Following delivery of the fi rst aircraft in October, a second Dreamliner aircraft will arrive in November 2015. Four more deliveries are expected be-tween 2016 and 2018.

The Boeing B787 Dreamliner is the fi rst commercial aircraft to utilise an airframe manufactured largely from carbon composites. The resulting reduction in weight means that the aircraft uses 20 per cent less fuel than similarly sized aircraft. It also off ers 40 percent more range, produces 20 percent fewer emissions and generates a 60 percent smaller noise footprint than other aircraft in its class.

Onboard, the aircraft also of-fers improved air quality and more natural light.

The state-of-the-art airliner will fl y from the

Omani capital of Muscat to the southern city

of Salalah following its delivery to Oman Air

LUXURY IN AIR: Oman Air’s new Dreamliner is one of six that have been ordered. Following delivery

of the fi rst aircraft in October, a second Dreamliner aircraft will arrive in November.–Supplied photo

Once this excellent new aircraft starts to operate on routes to Europe and Saudi Arabia, it will provide the perfect environment in which to enjoy Oman Air’s unique hospitality

Abdulrahaman Al Busaidy, Oman Air’s Chief Operating Offi cer

Douglas OHI celebrates landmark

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Oman-British joint venture construction company Douglas OHI has celebrated a milestone by recording 1 mil-lion safe man hours LTI- free (Lost Time Injury) during work performed at the Muscat City Centre Racetrack Expan-sion Project.

Reaching this mark indicates the high standards Douglas OHI demands for employees.

It also is proof of the special care the company provides its workers.

The philosophy of the com-pany is to put “health and safety fi rst”. General manager Aaron Hennessy emphasised this dur-ing a speech he delivered during the celebrations.

The event was designed to be interactive and involve the au-dience, who made this achieve-ment possible.

The company distributed prizes to those employees who showed dedication and devo-tion in their work, particularly in following HSE regulations. Prizes were also awarded to people who followed one of the four values OHI Douglas OHI promotes in their work environment: Do the right thing, Everyone has voice, Take pride in what you do, and Bring better to life.

S A F E T Y R E C O R D

Top UK offi cial to visit Oman

MUSCAT: Michael Fallon, UK Secretary of State for Defence, will arrive in the Sultanate this Wednesday on a two-day offi cial visit during which he will meet with Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib Al Busaidi, Minister Re-sponsible for Defence Aff airs.

The two sides will hold talks on a number of topics of con-cern to the two countries. – ONA

D I P L O M A C Y

Earthquake of 4.6 magnitude recorded in Salalah waters

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Ministry of Health advises post-Haj health precautions

TARIQ AL HAREMI tariqh@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Precautionary meas-ures must be taken if pilgrims returning from the annual Haj experience health issues, says the Ministry of Health.

Omani pilgrims have been ad-vised to consult a doctor imme-diately if they feel unwell to pro-tect themselves against various viruses.

More than two million people took part in Haj 1436 AH, with people participating from diff er-ent parts of the world that harbour contagious diseases.

The Department of Health Education and Awareness Pro-

grammes at the Ministry of Health (MoH) tweeted advice and preventative measures to be taken when returning home from per-forming the pilgrimage.

“After returning to the Sultan-ate, be sure to always wash your

hands with soap or use a sterilizer, and cover your mouth and nose with a napkin while you cough or sneeze,” advised the MoH, as re-turning pilgrims need to maintain personal hygiene to reduce the risk of transmitting diseases.

“Also avoid hugging and kiss-ing when greeting people,” they added.

According to ‘The Health Com-munication Program for Haj’ is-sued by the Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the most common diseases that pil-grims are vulnerable to include respiratory diseases — such as infl uenza, bronchitis and Coryza- a gastrointestinal diseases, food poisoning, dry eye, sun stroke and heat exhaustion.

Furthermore, the MoH advised returning pilgrims to visit health clinics if they experience severe respiratory infl ammations which are associated with shortness of breath, or a fever and coughing during the two weeks after they return. “Try and avoid direct con-tact with others and head to the nearest health establishment to be medically tested and treated,” warned the tweet sent by the De-partment of Health Education and Awareness programmes.

“If the same symptoms appear on someone the transmitter came into contact with, that person must visit the nearest health clin-ic,” they added.

Additional advice suggests that people must rest and take precau-tions when eating or drinking.

Omani pilgrims

have been advised

to consult a doctor

immediately if they

feel unwell to protect

themselves against

various viruses.

People must also rest

and take precautions

HAJ PILGRIMAGE: More than two million pilgrims took part in Haj this year.

Staff Reporter

MUSCAT: An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.6 on the Richter scale was recorded by an earth-quake monitoring station at 6:46pm in Oman on Sunday, an of-fi cial from the centre said.

“The epicentre of the earth-quake was far from Salalah and in the sea,” the offi cial added.

The epicentre of earthquake was 10.0 kilometres deep, accord-ing to the US Geological Survey.

Earlier on September 2, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 on the Richter scale was re-corded in Salalah’s waters.

In July, May and April, a series of earthquakes, with magnitudes ranging between 4.0 and 5.0 on the Richter scale, were recorded in the northern parts of Oman.

According to experts, the north-ern parts of the Sultanate are more prone to earthquakes.

Scientists, who have studied the seismic zones of the Sultanate, said that based upon calculations on how the earth’s plates shake in a given geographic area (Peak Ground Acceleration), the high-est probability of an earthquake occurring has been found in the northernmost city of Khasab.

N A T U R A L P H E N O M E N O N

‘DISCOVER OMAN’ SHOW HELD IN NEW ZEALANDThe Omani Students Association in Dunedin, New Zealand, organised an exhibition, ‘Dis-

cover Oman’, at the University of Otago. The exhibition included diff erent pavilions, such as

the Oman history, education in Oman, Islam and religious tolerance and tourism, besides

a pavilion for handicrafts. The exhibition aims at familiarising the New Zealand society

and residents with Oman, its people, history and its tourism attractions and civilisational

landmarks. — ONA

OCCI team to visit Turkey for trade talks

MUSCAT: Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) has completed all preparations for the visit of the trade delegation to the Repub-lic of Turkey from September 30 to October 3. The delegation includes more than 95 senior businessmen and representa-tives of companies operating in the Sultanate, as well as the media team.

Said bin Saleh Al Kiyoumi, Chairman of OCCI will head the delegation.

He said that the trade delega-tion to the Republic of Turkey is of special importance be-cause it is the largest delega-tion organised by OCCI, with approximately 100 offi cials.

The visit comes within the framework of the new ap-proach adopted by OCCI for such delegations for discussion of the possible prospects and opportunities for cooperation and partnerships. – ONA

C O M M E R C E

MUSCAT: To raise public awareness about the importance of maintaining heart health, the Ministry of Health, represent-ed by the Contagious Diseases Monitoring and Control Depart-ment, will collaborate with the Omani Heart Association and the World Health Organisation to organise World Heart Day on December 29 each year.

This will be done to warn people about the heart risks, especially considering that the number of people suff ering from heart problems is increasing ei-ther in developed or developing countries due to improper life-styles.

The World Heart Day will be marked to also familiarise people with the latest developments in

heart disease research.The World Heart Day event

will also involve sharing a num-ber of publications on heart, cer-ebrovascular accidents (CVA) and health policies that alleviate heart problems, such as quitting smoking, eating healthy food and exercising for at least 30 min-utes, which will be distributed among the public.– ONA

N A T I O N A L H E A L T H

HEALTH FIRST: The World Heart Day will also aim to familiarise people with the latest develop-

ments in heart disease research.–ONA

Oman to observe December 29 as World Heart Day every year

A4 T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

OMAN

Australian Instagram user pitches for Oman on World Tourism Day

TARIQ AL HAREMI tariqh@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Instagram users across the world participated in a fi rst-ever global Instagram Relay on World Tourism Day, celebrated on September 27 every year, with one user being hand-picked to explore and promote tourism in Oman.

Lauren Bath, Australia’s fi rst pro-fessional Instagram user and social media infl uencer, was one of the 10 social media infl uencers chosen to star in the HelloWorld Relay, which is took place in the Pacifi c, Austral-ia, Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, Af-rica and North and South America, and had Bath exploring and photo-graphing the Sultanate. “Oman has long been a bucket list destination for me, so when I started working with HelloWorld, it was one of the handful of destinations I begged to visit,” said Bath.

“When it became possible to have Oman as my Relay destina-tion, I was beyond thrilled,” she added. Venturing through iconic locations, such as Jebel Shams, the Bahla’s forts and pottery mak-ers Nizwa and Misfat, Lauren captured diff erent elements of the

Sultanate through her lens.“I really wanted to capture

Oman throughout the day, the peo-ple, the food and details,” said Bath on her account in Steller, a visual story telling application.

Starting with the western-most point of the Earth in Samoa at sun-rise and ending at sunset in the Cook Islands, the HelloWorld Relay told the story of the world over one full day through images taken by In-stagram users throughout the day.

Oman is currently being show-cased directly to Bath’s 432,000 Instagram followers, as well as HelloWorld’s social media and customer audiences and could inspire them to plan a holiday to Oman. “I swear I could be on Mars. Oman is so diff erent from any other destination I’ve been to. The mountains are so big, yet so bar-ren,” Bath said about Oman on her Instagram account.

Bath is currently staying in Oman and will continue to explore the Sultanate till October 1 with representatives from the Ministry of Tourism. Pictures of Oman can be found at Lauren Bath’s Insta-gram account: @laurenepbath, as well as the HelloWorld website.

Oman has long

been a bucket list

destination for me,

so when I started

working with

HelloWorld, it was

one of the handful

of destinations I

begged to visit,

said Lauren Bath

Survival rate improves for premature babies in the Sultanate: ResearchTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Oman has seen a sig-nifi cant increase in the rate of survival for extremely premature infants, new research indicated.

The study, published in the lat-est issue of the Sultan Qaboos Uni-versity Medical Journal (vol. 15, is-sue 3), investigated the outcome of infants born at 23 to 26 gestational weeks in Sultan Qaboos Univer-sity Hospital (SQUH).

The analysis revealed that of the 81 extremely premature infants born between 2006 and 2013, 49 had survived.

This meant that the overall sur-vival rate has increased to 60.5 per cent from 41 per cent, the rate reported earlier in a similar study carried out at SQUH between 1991 and 1998.

“These fi ndings are very encour-aging for us as they show that the survival of extremely premature infants is improving in Oman and that these survival rates are now comparable with those in West-ern and regional centres,” said Dr. Asad Rahman, the study’s fi rst author and a consultant at the Department of Child Health at SQUH.

He confi rmed that the fi ndings of study had been revealed at an important time as there has been no recent data available on the sur-vival rate for such infants.

“This study will help the medi-cal community in Oman and in the management of these small babies, in making decisions about their re-suscitation and in counselling the parents of these infants about pos-sible outcomes,” he added.

Rahman explained that the survival rate increase since the 1990s was likely due to the higher employment of experienced staff , new equipment in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at SQUH, continuous staff training and a strict policy about following standard protocols for the man-agement of pre-term infants.

The study also showed that ex-tremely premature infants were

more likely to survive if they were born in a hospital delivery room, weighed more than 700 grams at birth, were delivered at 25 gesta-tional weeks or later and had re-

ceived antenatal steroids.All of the babies in the study

were found to have short-term pulmonary/respiratory or eye conditions.

Although the increasing sur-vival rate was reassuring, Rahman expressed concern that surviving premature infants could still suff er from a variety of long-term health issues that would aff ect them later in life, including developmental delays, cerebral palsy, learning dis-abilities, repeated chest infections and problems with their hearing or vision.

For this reason, he called on hos-pitals in Oman to start a careful monitoring system of infants and children who are born at 26 gesta-tional weeks or earlier.

“We need a fully equipped neu-rodevelopment follow-up clinic that will be solely dedicated to sup-porting and following up on these survivors and off ering early inter-vention for the disabilities they might experience,” he stressed.

Rahman also recommended that more NICU beds be allocated and NICU staff assigned to ensure that the national rate of survival for extremely premature infants continues to improve.

H E A L T H C A R E

Oman to participate in US conference on economic freedomTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Oman will be repre-sented by the Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development (Ithraa), at the Economic Freedom of the World Network Conference, scheduled to be held in the Unit-ed States later this week.

The Sultanate of Oman will join countries from across the world to discuss the conference’s theme, “Which Way, America? Economic Freedom or the Road to Serfdom,” at the Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business in Dallas, Tex-as on October 2 and 3.

Led by Dr. Salem Ben Nasser Al Ismaily, chairman of Ithraa, the Omani delegation will also in-clude His Highness Sayyid Faisal Al Said, Ithraa’s newly-appointed Director General of Investment Promotion, and Azzan Al Bu-saidi, Ithraa’s director general of Planning & Studies.

High profi leThe high-profi le Dallas event will provide a forum for the analysis and discussion of the nature of economic freedom and its impli-cations. It is expected to foster the exchange and development of ideas concerning policies and programs of importance in a na-tional and international context.

Open to a variety of viewpoints and philosophies, conference at-tendees will include academics, corporate executives, non-profi t institutions and various govern-ment offi cials.

The conference’s theme this year has its roots in the Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek’s 1944 classic work, “The Road to Serfdom.”

Following the Great Depres-sion of the 1930s and Word War II, Hayek had off ered an alter-native to Keynesian econom-ics making arguments in favour of markets, while pointing out

the fl aws of central planning. “The Road to Serfdom” made

Hayek an intellectual hero among those who embraced the cause of economic freedom, including President Ronald Reagan and Britain’s Prime Minister Marga-ret Thatcher.

His Highness, Sayyid Faisal Al Said stated, “Today, as in the past, America possesses skilled workers, smart companies and creative entrepreneurs that drive innovation and create unprec-edented wealth. It is going to be interesting to hear how compa-nies in the United States and oth-er high-income countries have fl ourished in a business environ-ment that promotes and respects incentives to work, save, invest, innovate, start businesses and take risks.”

“I’m particularly looking for-ward to the debate on how we can restore the dynamism required by economies across the world to create jobs and raise living stand-ards. Shared prosperity is what we should be aiming for. Indeed, business and government must work together to create an ena-bling environment that unlocks opportunity and fosters growth for all,” he added.

G L O B A L E V E N T

IMPROVING FAST: The analysis revealed that of the 81 extremely premature infants born between

2006 and 2013, 49 had survived. This meant that the overall survival rate has increased to 60.5 per

cent from 41 per cent, the rate reported earlier.

Survival of extremely

premature infants is

improving in Oman

and these are now

comparable with

those in West

Dr. Asad RahmanConsultant at the Department of Child Health, SQUH

Ithraa Director General of

Investment Promotion HH

Sayyid Faisal Al Said

When it became possible

to have Oman as her Relay

destination, Lauren Bath was

thrilled. - Photo: Lauren Bath

FACETS OF A TOURIST HUB: Lauren Bath, Australia’s fi rst professional Instagram user and social media infl uencer, was one of the 10

social media infl uencers chosen to star in the HelloWorld Relay, which took place in the Pacifi c, Australia, Asia, the Arabian Peninsula,

Africa and North and South America, and had Bath exploring and photographing the Sultanate. - Photos: Times of Oman

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It is going to be interesting to hear how companies in the United States and other high-income countries have fl ourished in a business environment that promotes and respects incentives to work, save, invest, innovate, start businesses and take risks

HH Sayyid Faisal Al Said, Ithraa Director General of Investment Promotion

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Kerala plans health cover for all migrants

REJIMON K reji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Mandatory health in-surance coverage is currently un-der discussion for residents of the Indian state of Kerala, who plan to migrate abroad from the state, said a top offi cial from the depart-ment responsible for the welfare of Keralite migrants.

“We are currently discussing the premium modalities with the insurance companies. We are hopeful that we will be able to in-troduce a mandatory insurance plan for those who are migrat-ing abroad from the state,” Rani George, secretary of the Non-Resident Keralites’ Aff airs De-partment (Norka) and director of Norka-roots, said.

While some other countries, especially the Philippines, have introduced mandatory health in-surance coverage for its citizens migrating abroad, India does not

have any such plan. If Kerala’s proposal is approved, it would be-come the fi rst state in the country to have done so.

According to a 2014 survey, around 2.3 million Keralites live abroad, with a majority of them residing in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Migrant workers at risk “The lack of mandatory health in-surance coverage places migrant workers at risk in case they fall sick or meet with an accident in a foreign country. We have come across many cases in which mi-grants workers were tied up to their hospital bed because of a shortage of money and their in-ability to clear the medical bills. If the government implements this plan, it would be a blessing for migrant workers,” Shaji Sebas-

tin, a Muscat-based Indian social worker, stated.

According to Oman’s Labour law, health insurance coverage is not mandatory for expatriate and blue collar workers.

“It is not mandatory. However, according to the practice here, if a worker is admitted to a hospi-tal following an injury or illness, it is the employer’s responsibility to meet all the medical expenses even if the employee does not have insurance.

Moreover, it is also the em-ployer’s responsibility to pay for the repatriation of the mortal re-mains,” a legal advisor in Muscat said earlier.

Embarrassing situation Shameer PTK, another social worker, said the lack of manda-tory health insurance coverage is

a complicated and embarrassing situation. “The home country and the host country should come up with a solution,” Shameer added.

In addition to revealing the details of the mandatory health insurance plans, Norka Secre-tary, George also said the de-partment is planning to expand pre-migration skills training for Keralite women.

“We are coordinating with NGOs and other agencies to pro-vide pre-migration skills train-ing to women, who are willing to migrate. It will be expanded to include more areas,” the Norka Secretary added.

Many countries have started pre-migration skill enhancement programmes to equip their citi-zens with the necessary skills to deal with new challenges in a for-eign country.

If Kerala’s proposal

is approved, it would

become the fi rst state

in India to have done

so. According to a

2014 survey, around

2.3 million Keralites

live abroad, with

a majority of them

residing in the Gulf

Cooperation Council

(GCC) countriesIf Kerala’s proposal for mandatory health insurance coverage to all migrants is

approved, it would become the first state in India to have done so

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Muscat International Airport is being renovated and the Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC) has invited reputed companies to register with the tender board and bid for a “tenancy fi t-out management and supervision for new Muscat International Airport (TMFS).”

Participating companies must provide a bank guarantee, issued by a local registered bank for the sum of 1 per cent of the tender value, addressed to the Chairman of the Purchasing Committee, valid for 90 days from the date of submission of the tender.

“The tender fee will be OMR200,” an OAMC statement pointed out.

The distribution of documents will be carried out between Sep-tember 27 and October 15, be-tween 10am and 2pm, while the bids have to be submitted by November 12.

After the renovation is com-pleted, the new Muscat Inter-national Airport will have the

capacity to handle 12 million passengers annually. Further ex-pansions planned in three sub-sequent phases will ultimately boost the airport’s capacity to 24, 36 and 48 million passengers, as and when the demand arises.

Recently, a senior offi cial at the Director General of Civil Avia-tion Regulations’ offi ce said work at the Muscat International Air-port is progressing well and will be completed by next year.

“Only the terminal build-ing remains to be inaugurated, which will happen soon,” the offi cial said.

O A M C

After the renovation is

completed, the new Muscat

International Airport will

have the capacity to

handle 12 million

passengers every year

GOOD PROGRESS: Work at the Muscat International Airport is

progressing well and will be completed by next year. – File photo

Tenders invited for Muscat Airport renovation work

A6

OMANT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

A passionate photographer will not miss this moment. It was amazing and I felt happy to have captured it

Hussain Al Bharani, a professional photographer

Greetings

HM receives greetings from Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Ex-ecutive of Afghanistan, Dr. Nabil Al Araby, Secretary General of the Arab League and Iyad Amin Madani, Secretary-General of OIC. His Majesty has also re-ceived greetings cables on this happy occasion from their high-nesses, ministers, advisors, hon-ourable members of the State Council, members of the Majlis Al Shura, undersecretaries, Om-ani ambassadors abroad, ambas-sadors of Arab and Islamic coun-tries accredited to Oman.

In their cables, they expressed their sincere greetings and best wishes of good health, wellbeing and a long life to His Majesty the Sultan, praying to Allah the Al-mighty for the return of this and similar occasions on His Maj-esty for many years to come and the Omani people further pro-gress and prosperity under the wise leadership of His Majesty.

His Majesty the Sultan replied to the cables of well-wishers on this happy occasion, express-ing his thanks for their sincere greetings and best wishes, wish-ing them good health, happiness and a long life, praying to Allah the Almighty for the return of this blessed occasion on them and the Arab and Islamic Na-tions with blessings. -ONA

E I D A L A D H A

‘Supermoon’ picture goes viral onlineREJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Located between the mountains in Muttrah Corniche, the picture of a swollen ‘super-moon’ bathed in blood-red light and which was captured by a Muscat-based photographer, has gone viral online.

The picture was taken by Hus-sain Al Bharani, a professional photographer, during diff erent stages of a total eclipse in Oman on Monday at around 5:30am.

“Photography is my passion. I had prepared myself to capture this rare moment for the last two days,” Al Bharani told the Times of Oman.

“A passionate photographer will not miss this moment. It was amazing and I felt happy to have captured it,” Al Bharani, who is interested in photographing Muscat landmarks, said.

The picture was clicked by him at around 5:30am opposite

the Riyam Park in Muttrah with a Canon 7D Mark 2 and Canon 100-400mm lens.

The “supermoon” phenom-enon only takes place when a full lunar eclipse coincides with the moon’s closest approach to the Earth. Until Sunday night and Monday morning, these events had not occurred in unison for 33 years, and another 18 years will pass before we get to experience a “supermoon” eclipse again.

A “supermoon” happens when a full moon reaches the closest point to Earth in its orbit. At this point, the moon is only 225,000 miles from the Earth. That’s what makes the moon look about 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter in the sky.

A full lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon line up, with the Earth is placed between the moon and the sun, and the moon falls completely in the Earth’s shadow, which gives it a reddish tint.

M U T T R A H C O R N I C H E

UAE’s online visa system working

The UAE government also aims to cut the number of applicants coming to its centres by 80 per cent by 2018. “Allowing the ap-plication procedures online is a welcome move. It would be a blessing for people like us, who often travel to the UAE for busi-ness needs,” Mohammed Anvwar from Sohar said.

Travel agents in Muscat said that though they have not got any offi cial communication from the UAE government, they had learnt from their Dubai offi ces that the online visa system has begun operating.

“The online system is working. People are using it,” a travel agent said. Applicants for a long-term 90-day visitor visa, who are spon-sored by someone in the private

sector, will also need to attach a licence and eGate card.

Applicants sponsored by a UAE or GCC citizen must com-plete the e-form and attach pass-port copies of the sponsor and the person being sponsored, which should remain valid for a mini-mum of six months.

If the sponsor is a relative and a resident, the e-form should be accompanied by a copy of a cer-tifi ed marriage contract, or birth certifi cates for children, and a certifi ed tenancy contract or electricity bill, with a bank secu-rity deposit of Dh1,000, proof of health insurance, a passport copy of the sponsored person valid for a minimum of six months, and an eGate card with a copy of the sponsor’s passport.

W E L C O M E M O V E

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Top firm keen to help Oman in genetic tests

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADIelham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Blueprint Genetics (BpG), which provides state-of-the-art genetic diagnostics and high quality clinical interpreta-tion with the fastest lead times in the world, is exploring how it might cooperate with Oman.

BpG is a genetics company based in Helsinki and San Fran-cisco. It has a team of cardiolo-gists, geneticists, bioinforma-ticians, DNA biologists and business developers providing comprehensive genetic diag-nostics with next-generation se-quencing.

In its work, it uses a unique tar-geted sequencing technology.

Cost-effi ciencySpeaking to Times of Oman, Dmi-tri Ossipov, sales director at BpG, who participated in the 5th Oman Health Exhibition and Confer-ence in Muscat, said the com-pany off ers a range of services with notable cost-effi ciencies and high accuracy.

The services of BpG include

DNA extractions, sequencing, data analysis and interpretation, as well as validation and issuing geneticist statements.

BpG provides medical genetic diagnosis, mainly in the fi eld of cardiology, and uses the latest methods to identify the muta-tions responsible for diseases, Ossipov said. However, the com-pany’s services are not limited to cardiovascular disorders and include neurological tests, kidney diseases, immunology disorders, metabolic disorders and family member testing.

SamplesIf a doctor suspects that a patient has a genetic problem, they send blood, saliva or DNA samples to BpG, where the sequencing process takes place and a full medical report is issued to the doctor after an analysis, Ossipov explained.

BpG’s laboratory complies with international standards and re-ceives samples from all over the world, he said, adding, “So far, we have not received any sample from Oman, but hope to receive

samples in the future. We know that there is a need in Oman for this kind of testing.”

Ossipov noted that the turna-round time at BpG, from the ar-rival of a sample to the issuance of s statement, is 21 days, which is ‘the fastest all over the world’.

According to Ossipov, BpG of-fers an option for ‘express service’ for clinical cases, as well as where genetic information is needed faster than normal. In this pro-cess, the sample is prioritised in the sequencing phase and also in the analysis process.

In some cases, especially for newborns, it is a question of whether a baby will survive, so the doctor would need genetic di-agnostics as soon as possible, Os-sipov said, noting, “That is why we can do it in 10 days, or even faster sometimes.”

Importance of diagnosticsCommenting on the importance of genetic diagnostics, he said it helps doctors in the decision-making process and doctors then know whether a treatment proce-dure should be changed or family

members should be tested.“It (family member testing) is

important, especially for patients who have a mutation or have a child with a mutation and would like to have a second child because there is a high probability that he will also have a mutation,” Os-sipov explained.

In addition, he said that genetic diagnostics is important, given that medications are becoming more personalised and it is crucial to know whether a disease has a genetic background.

AccuracyOssipov said that BpG’s analysis is ‘very accurate’ due to the special techniques and equipment used.

“When we sequence a gene, we do not miss a nucleotide (a build-ing block of DNA). Sometimes, the problem during sequencing is that you can miss certain nucleo-tides and, therefore, you are never sure of the results. If you fi nd a mutation, it is okay; but if you do not fi nd one, what can you tell the patient? Maybe you missed it. But we have 100 per cent coverage,” he noted.

Blueprint Genetics

provides medical

genetic diagnosis,

mainly in the fi eld

of cardiology, and

uses the latest

methods to identify

the mutations

responsible

for diseasesSTATE-OF-THE-ART: Genetic diagnostics is important, given that medications are becoming more

personalised and it is crucial to know whether a disease has a genetic background. -Supplied photo

< FROM

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Search on

Times of Oman contacted Saeed, the brother, at 3.30 pm yesterday who confi rmed that the search was still on and that Anwar had not yet been found.

Meanwhile, quoting offi cials, a Shura member said that a special team has been formed to look for the missing pilgrim. “Still he is missing. I have learnt from offi cials that a special team has been formed to fi nd him. Offi cials in Muscat are coordi-nating with their counterparts in Riyadh,” Mohammed Al Bu-saidi, the Shura member from Bausher, said. The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Aff airs has warned public not to spread ru-mours on Anwar.

H A J P I L G R I M

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Opinion poll to judge quality of educationTimes News Service

MUSCAT: To judge the quality of education imparted at private academic institutions in the Sul-tanate, the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) will commence an opinion poll on Tuesday.

The one-week survey will ex-plore, among other things, the rea-sons as to why Omanis prefer pri-vate education, its availability and accessibility across the Sultanate and its academic standards.

The poll will also measure the public’s level of satisfaction with building quality and facilities pro-vided to the students, apart from an assessment of the tuition fees charged. The extent and eff ective-ness of parent-teacher interac-tions will also be evaluated.

The survey will focus on two segments: schools and higher edu-cation institutions, including col-leges and universities.

In the fi rst category, as many as 1,200 parents of private school students will be surveyed, while an equal number of students aged 18 years and above pursuing higher education will be covered in the second segment.

The poll will also include all the private educational institutions functioning across the 11 governo-rates of the Sultanate, and have an

error margin, not exceeding 3 per cent. The survey will use e-mails and telephones (both fi xed-line and mobile phones) as tools to help collect data quickly.

The survey questionnaire has been framed to suit the com-munication style of e-mails and telephones, in terms of ease of re-sponse, as well as the number and sequence of questions.

Contact details for parents have been collected from the Ministry of Education, while those of col-lege students have been sourced from the Ministry of Higher Education.

It is noteworthy that as per 2013 statistics, there were 1,042 gov-ernment schools and 468 private schools in the Sultanate. As for higher education, the number of government colleges and universi-ties was 26, while the private sector had 27 colleges and universities.

The education survey also re-fl ects the NCSI’s commitment towards enhancing statistical information among community members, as the authorized cen-tre mandated with the provision and dissemination of relevant data and as an agency tasked with de-veloping a culture of information exchange among people.

This statistical data will remain confi dential and will be used only for statistical purposes.

P R I V A T E A C A D E M I C I N S T I T U T I O N S

A7

REGIONT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

15 is the number of people in an attack on a

mosque used by members of a local security

force in southwest Saudi Arabia last month

Saudi forces kill two IS suspects

DUBAI: Two suspected IS group militants were killed and three were arrested by Saudi security forces in coordinated raids in the capital Riyadh and the eastern city of Dammam, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

The statement carried by state news agency SPA said the men be-longed to an IS group cell that was planning to carry out “an immi-nent terrorist act” and that one of the sites raided by the authorities was a bomb-making factory.

IS group has called on support-ers to carry out attacks in Saudi Arabia and string of deadly attacks by its followers has fuelled con-cerns about a growing threat of militancy in the kingdom.

Authorities said on Saturday they killed an 18-year-old suspect-ed member of the group and ar-rested his brother after the brothers abducted a cousin and fi lmed his ex-ecution, and killed three other peo-ple, in the country’s desert north-ern province of Ha’il. An IS suicide bomber killed at least 15 people in an attack on a mosque used by members of a local security force in southwest Saudi Arabia last month, and other bombings by the group in the kingdom and neighbouring Ku-wait killed dozens of worshippers this summer. — Reuters

The state news agency SPA said the men

belonged to an IS group cell that was

planning to carry out ‘an imminent terrorist

act’ and that one of the sites raided by the

authorities was a bomb-making factory

ON HIGH ALERT: IS group has called on supporters to carry out attacks in Saudi Arabia and a string of

deadly attacks by its followers has fuelled concerns about a growing threat of militancy in the king-

dom. – File Photograph

A8

INDIAT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

The present application is a device worked out by accused person so as to not only delay the present trial but also deviate the court from the case

R.S. Cheema, Special Public Prosecutor

India successfully launches Astrosat space observatory

SRIHARIKOTA (AP): Joining an elite group of nations, India on Monday successfully launched its fi rst space research observatory Astrosat that will help in a detailed understanding of the universe and also put into orbit six for-eign satellites including the fi rst from the US.

Taking another major step in its ambitious and low-cost space programme, ISRO’s trusted work-horse Polar Satellite Launch Ve-hicle (PSLV), in its 31st fl ight, injected Astrosat and the six co-passengers into orbit about 25 minutes after a perfect lift-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here.

Dubbed mini-HubbleLaunched in its maiden attempt, Astrosat, which includes a tel-escope that uses X-ray, has been dubbed as a mini-Hubble telescope launched by US’ NASA in 1990 and a one-stop shop for studying astro-nomical sources.

So far, only the US, Japan, Rus-

sia and Europe have launched a space observatory.

“Well done @isro. This is one more grand accomplishment for Indian science & our scientists,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is now on a visit to the US, said in a tweet.

Declaring the launch successful amid cheers from the assembled scientists, a beaming ISRO Chair-man A. S. Kiran Kumar said PSLV had put in an astronomy mission which is being looked at not only within the country but also glob-ally to bring in new information to scientifi c community.

“I congratulate the entire ISRO community for the wonderful job they have done,” he said address-ing the gathering at the Mission Control Centre.

Astrosat has reportedly cost $27 million to build.

It was for the fi rst time that In-dia launched US satellites —four in all — belonging to a San Francisco-based company, under an agree-ment signed with Antrix Corpora-tion Ltd, the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisa-tion (ISRO). With a lift-off mass of about 1,513kg, Astrosat was fi rst injected into a 650km orbit by PSLV-C30, followed by the other six satellites in the space of about three minutes.

International customer satel-lites that piggybacked the polar rocket were the LAPAN-A2 of Indonesia meant for maritime surveillance using Automatic Identifi cation System (AIS), and maritime monitoring nanosatel-

lite from Canada, NLS-14 (Ev9), which uses ‘next generation’ AIS.

The rocket, one of world’s most reliable launch vehicles which clocked its 31st successful mis-sion in a row on Monday, also car-ried four identical LEMUR nano satellites of a Spire Global Inc., San Fransisco, US, that were non-visual remote sensing satellites ‘focusing primarily on maritime intelligence through vessel track-ing via’ the AIS, ISRO said.

With this, a total of 51 satellites belonging to global customers from 20 countries, including Ger-many, France, Japan, Canada, UK, have been launched successfully by ISRO so far.

Post the successful injection of Astrosat into the orbit, Astrosat Project Director K. S. Sarma said it

was “healthy and doing well”.It has a mission life of fi ve years.“This satellite is very unique as

we have sophisticated and sensi-tive astronomical equipment”, he added.

Astrosat will observe the uni-verse in optical,ultraviolet low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, while most other scientifi c satellites are capable of observing a narrow range of wavelength band.

It will send back data and study parts of the universe including black holes and the magnetic fi elds of stars.

Asked whether Monday’s launch was the Indian equivalent of the Hubble telescope of the US as reported in a section of the me-dia, Kumar said, “I do not think it is correct” to say so. Sarma said Astrosat cannot be compared with Hubble as it belongs to a diff erent class with huge lens.

“We have diff erent kind of fea-tures,” he said. Post the success-ful injection of Astrosat into the orbit, he said, it was “healthy and doing well”.

“This satellite is very unique as we have sophisticated and sensi-tive astronomical equipment,” As-trosat project director said.

Increasing contributionSarma and other scientists in-volved in the project said that stringent environment and clean-liness standards were followed to ensure there was no contamina-tion to the X-ray or the telescope.

Kumar expressed satisfaction that with the launch of Astrosat, Indian institutions were increas-ing their contribution to the space programme. In fact many students have been using data sent by Chan-drayaan-I for Ph.D thesis,he said. Offi cials said that data being sent by Astrosat for one year would be accessed by ISRO offi cials and then would be made public for those registered with the or-ganisation. - PTI

Taking another major

step in its ambitious

and low-cost space

programme, ISRO’s

trusted workhorse

Polar Satellite Launch

Vehicle (PSLV), in its

31st fl ight, injected

Astrosat and the

six co-passengers

into orbit

ONE MORE GRAND ACCOMPLISHMENT: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s PSLV C carry-

ing India’s multi wavelength space observatory Astrosat, lifts off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in

Sriharikota on Monday. - PTI

No evidence against Manmohan in coal scam

NEW DELHI: The CBI on Monday opposed in a special court the plea of ex-Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda seeking summons to former prime minister Manmohan Sin-gh and two others as additional accused in a coal scam case, say-ing the application was “devoid of any merits”.

Special Public Prosecutor R.S. Cheema told the court that the records of the case not even prima facie suggest that the then prime minister, who was also coal minister at that time, was part of any conspiracy in allocating a coal block to Jindal Group fi rms.

“The present application is a device worked out by accused person so as to not only delay the present trial but also devi-ate the court from the case,” Cheema told Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar.

He said that a comprehensive and complete probe has been conducted by CBI in the case and they do not fi nd any reason which would lead to summon-ing of the then prime minister as accused in the case.

“The records not even prima facie show anything to summon the then prime minister as ac-cused in the case. The evidence does not show any complic-ity on the part of the then prime minister in allocation of coal block,” Cheema said.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities in allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block to Jindal group fi rms — and Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt Ltd (GSIPL). Koda, who is one of the 15 accused in the case, had moved an application seeking to summon Singh and two others — Anand Swaroop, then Secre-tary (Energy), and Jai Shankar Tiwari, then Secretary (Mines and Geology) — as additional accused in the case. - PTI

C B I S P E C I A L C O U R T

Lalu Prasad’s caste remark triggers fresh war of words PATNA: Rashtriya Janata Dal President Lalu Prasad’s remark that the Bihar election is a fi ght between backward and forward castes has triggered a fresh war of words between the grand secular alliance and the NDA.

Kicking off his younger son Tejaswi Yadav’s election cam-paign from Raghopur Assembly constituency on Sunday, Lalu Prasad said the election was a fi ght between backward castes and forward castes and gave a clarion call to members of Yadav caste and OBCs to rally behind the secular alliance.

Prasad’s remark triggered ex-changes among rival political groupings. JD(U) spokesman Ajay Alok defended Prasad, say-ing he only meant to alert back-ward castes against the statement of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat who questioned the reservation policy.

The BJP-led NDA went ham-mer and tongs against Prasad’s comment.

Addressing an election rally at Arwal, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi slammed Prasad for the caste comment.

Affi rming that the NDA stood for development, he sarcastically said the quality roads that would be built by the future NDA gov-ernment would be used both by forward and backward castes.

Yadav caste leaders in NDA were more vociferous in their attack, with Union Minister of State Ramkripal Yadav reminding Prasad that “it is not Bihar of 1990 but Bihar of 2015”.

“Does Yadauvanshi mean you and your family?” asked Ramkri-pal Yadav as he castigated his for-mer mentor.

Leader of Opposition Nand Kishore Yadav slammed Prasad for “instigating” caste tension in view of a sure defeat.

“Today’s Yadav youths need computer education and lap-top and are no more interested in Prasad’s casteist appeal,” he observed.

Rashtriya Lok Samata Party chief Upendra Kushwaha assailed Prasad and said he was making

the provocative appeal “as part of his survival bid.” He claimed that Nitish Kumar, who has been an-nounced as grand secular alliance chief ministerialcandidate, was merely a “mask” and the force be-hind the alliance was Lalu Prasad whose casteist remarks make it clear which way they wish to take the state.

‘Hawabaazi’ will not workMeanwhile, sharpening its at-tack on the NDA for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “not fulfi lling the promises” made during the last general elections and said that “hawabaazi” (empty talk) will not work this time.

“Be it distribution of Rs 1.5-2.0 million to every citizen out of the black money that would come back to country, or be it the en-hanced MSP for farmers and jobs for youths, none of the promises made by Narendra Modi during Parliamentary election could see light of the day,” Kumar said.

He appealed to the masses not to “rely on the promises made by the Prime Minister anymore.”

“PM indulges in making empty promises.’Hawabaazi is baar na-hin chalega’ (Empty talks will not work this time),” Kumar said.

Addressing an election meet-

ing at Rosera seat in Samastipur district from where former state Congress President and ex-Bihar minister Ashok Ram is contesting, Kumar also high-lighted the unity among Grand Secular Alliance and mocked at the NDA grouping.

“While I, Lalu Prasad and Con-gress reached a solid understand-ing without much trouble and declared names of candidates jointly, NDA partners display-ing lack of unity are still fi ghting among themselves for seats and names of candidates,” Kumar said.

Addressing another election meeting at Bachwara in Be-gusarai, Kumar rejected the spe-cial package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore announced by the PM for Bihar.

“It’s like throwing dust in eyes,” he said and told the peo-ple that out of Rs1.25 lakh crore, Rs 1.08 lakh crore belonged to old schemes.

The Chief Minister dwelt on his vision document of Rs 2.70 lakh crore and sought support from the people to take the state forward. He also touched the is-sue raised by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat regarding reservation and cautioned people against by describing it as an “evil design”.Kumar also addressed rallies at Banka and Sultanpur in Bhagal-pur on Monday. - PTI

B I H A R P O L L S

UPBEAT: RJD chief Lalu Prasad speaks during a programme on

Bihar elections in Patna, recently. - PTI

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INDIAT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

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Modi and Obama agree to boost economic engagement

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met US President Barack Obama and discussed a host of issues, includ-ing stepping up economic engage-ment and climate change, during their third meeting in about a year.

Obama warmly received Modi by hugging him before their meet-ing, the third between them since May last year.

The meeting gave the two lead-ers an opportunity to build on the discussions they had in New Delhi in January when Obama travelled to India to attend the Republic Day Parade as its chief guest.

Modi arrived in the US last Wednesday on a six-day offi cial visit during which he travelled to Silicon Valley and met top IT CEOs of the region and also ad-dressed a meeting of some 18,000 Indian Americans in at the SAP Centre in San Jose.

They met last year during Modi’s US visit and then in Janu-ary earlier this year.

The Modi-Obama meeting comes close on the heels of the conclusion of the inaugural Stra-tegic and Commercial Dialogue between the US and India.

In the dialogue, India and the US on Monday agreed to deepen cooperation in fi ghting terrorism and asked Pakistan to bring to justice the 2008 Mumbai attack perpetrators.

Strengthening tiesAhead of the Obama-Modi meet-ing, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes had said, “We are deeply committed to strength-ening the US-Indian relationship, building our economic and com-mercial ties, advancing our po-litical and security cooperation in Asia and around the world.”

Rhodes said India was criti-

cal to a successful global eff ort to combat climate change and there-fore the issue was important in bi-lateral discussions.

“The two leaders will certainly address their shared vision of how to approach the upcoming meet-ings in Paris,” he had said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held separate bilateral meetings with his British counter-part David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande dur-ing which talks were held on key issues like terrorism, UNSC re-forms and climate change.

Modi held the bi-laterals soon after he arrived from his weekend trip to the Silicon Valley where he met several technology leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google’s newly-appointed Indian-origin CEO Sundar Pichai.

Modi’s fi rst engagement of the day soon after his arrival to the “city that never sleeps” was with Cameron.

The two leaders discussed bi-lateral and global issues such as terrorism, UN Security Council reforms and climate change.

In his second engagement of the

day, Modi met Hollande.UNSC reforms, terrorism, the

threat posed by IS and the up-coming Paris summit on climate change were among the issues discussed.

Both Britain and France have supported India’s candidature for a permanent seat at the UN Secu-rity Council.

During Modi’s bilateral with Hollande, they had a surprise visi-tor in Bill Gates, who was not pre-sent at the meeting Modi had with technology leaders in San Jose over the weekend.

External Aff airs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said Gates dropped by to meet the Prime Minister.

“Look who dropped by! Missed in Silicon Valley, the original tech entrepreneur @BillGates says hello to PM & President,” Exter-nal Aff airs Ministry Spokesper-son Vikas Swarup tweeted along with pictures of Modi, Hollande and Gates engaged in discussions.

The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, the largest private foundation in the world, has a sig-nifi cant presence in India. - PTI

The meeting gave

the two leaders an

opportunity to build

on the discussions

they had in New Delhi

in January when

Obama travelled to

India to attend the

Republic Day Parade

as the chief guest

PARLEYS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds bilateral talks with US President Barack Obama in New York on Monday. - PTI

NEW DELHI: Congress and BJP clashed over Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi’s remarks in the US with the opposition party accusing him of dragging the political narrative to the “gutter level” by trading barbs at it and Robert Vadra, and the ruling party retorting by target-ing Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

In a no-holds-barred attack, Congress said Modi needs “very serious counselling”.Congress senior spokesman Anand Sharma also sought an independent inquiry into organisation of public events for the prime minister during his foreign tours and the source of “millions of dollars” required for hosting them.

Hitting back, BJP said Congress has become the voice of “untruth, malice and utter frustration” and wondered if it had become “trapped in an inept leadership”. In his speech in San Jose, Modi made a veiled attack on UPA regime on corruption and took a swipe at Vadra, the Congress President’s son-in-law, saying there were allegations of politi-cians and their families making crores of rupees while his gov-ernment has no graft charge.

“In our country it doesn’t take much for allegations to come up against politicians...Someone made 50 crores, someone’s son made 250 crores, (someone’s) daughter

made 500 crores, (someone’s) damaad (son-in-law) made 1000 crores,”Modi said.

Engaged in theatricsReferring to Modi getting emotional and breaking down while talking about his mother, the Congress spokesman said, “true to his characteristic style, the PM once again engaged in theatrics, emotion and drama, making boastful claims”.

Sharma raised questions about Modi’s statements that he sold tea as a child and that his mother became an house-maid to look after him.

These claims about himself were “not correct”, Sharma said, adding in his childhood

Modi used to manage the coun-ter in his uncle’s canteen.

If Modi considered himself a powerful leader, then why has he not ensured that his mother stayed with him.

“Is it not the duty of a son to look after the well-being of his mother,” he said recalling that Modi was chief minister of Gujarat for 12 years and said then and even now he has not brought her to his home.

He did not also honour her by bringing her to his swear-ing-in ceremony as prime minister in New Delhi last year, Sharma added.

“So, stop crying outside. Do your duty as a son and bring her to your house”. - PTI

Modi needs ‘very serious counselling’, says Congress

Confi dent of

maintaining

fi scal defi cit at

3.9%: Jaitley

MUMBAI: Pitching for steps to strengthen ‘real economy’ of In-dia, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said he is confi dent of maintaining fi scal defi cit at 3.9 per cent in the current fi nancial year.

Jaitley also said that infl ation was under control and he is keen to better the country’s GDP growth rate from 7.3 per cent in the last fi scal. Speaking at an event here, the fi nance minister said, “Eu-phoria surrounding India can be strengthened if we continue on re-form path... Once the real economy strengthens, there will be exciting developments in corporate world and markets”. He said that integra-tion with global markets can also aff ect the Indian markets, “but our goal as policymakers is to concen-trate on the real sector”.

“Our ability to withstand chang-es is much stronger,” he said, while adding that the private sector in-vestments would take some time to revive as it had overexposed and built excess capacities.

“We need to have serious invest-ment in irrigation,” he added.

Talking about macroeconomic parameters, Jaitley said he was confi dent of maintaining 3.9 per cent fi scal defi cit in the current year 2015-16 and “extremely keen to better the 7.3 per cent growth of fi scal year 2014-15”.He said un-tangling tax issues of past was a big challenge but many of them have been resolved and hoped that “the obstructionists stopping GST will see some sense”.

E C O N O M Y

30 missing after

boat capsizes in

Assam river

CHAYGAON (Assam): At least 30 people were missing after a over-crowded mechanised boat with about 200 people on board cap-sized in the river Kolohi in Assam’s Kamrup (Rural) district on Mon-day, a senior district offi cial said.

Engine failureThe engine of the boat, which was travelling from Koraibeel to Gu-mifailed, stopped working mid-stream of the river and hit against the pillar of a bridge causing it to fl ip, Kamrup (rural) Deputy Com-missioner Vinod Kumar said.

As the boat capsized, the pas-sengers, who were travelling to witness a boat race nearby, fell into the river which was in spate.

While most of the passengers swam to safety, at least 30 were missing, Seshan said. - PTI

T R A G E D Y

‘Transparency more essential than

push for digitally connected India’

MUMBAI/GUWAHATI: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes a vigorous push for a digi-tally connected India, former CIC Shailesh Gandhi on Monday said it was the issue of transpar-ency over which he ought to do something fi rst in a time-bound manner to help realise his dream.

Gandhi also termed “Digital India” campaign, a pet project of the Modi Government, as “ex-pensive” and “with no real bene-fi ts”, as he stressed that only with transparency can there be hope of accountability.

The comments by the former Central Information Commis-sioner (CIC) came even as As-sam Chief Minister Tarun Go-goi attacked Modi for claiming credit for digitalisation, saying he had “inherited” an infrastruc-ture congenial for Information Technology(IT) and was deni-grating Jawaharlal Nehru who had laid the foundation for it.

It was the issue of transparen-cy over which Modi ought to do something in a time-bound man-ner fi rst, Gandhi said, adding that addressing this issue would “ultimately pave the way” for his dream coming true to bring “Dig-ital Governance” in the country.

“Digitisation involves scan-ning all earlier fi les and some-times even the fi les after they are closed. This has no real benefi t and is an expense exercise.

“Accountability to citizens

cannot be achieved unless trans-parency is built into our govern-ance as a default mode.”

Gandhi, who pronounced sev-eral landmark judgements in his four-year tenure (2008-2012) as CIC, said, “When a citizen goes to any offi ce for some work, he is often told that the relevant fi le is unavailable. If he pays a bribe it becomes available. A signifi cant percentage of corruption and in-effi ciency is a consequence of this method of keeping paper fi les.”

“If all work was done on com-puters and each day the default

mode was that it would be dis-played on the website, there could be a sea change in our governance. Only some information, which is thought to be exempt under the RTI Act, should not go on the web-site,” said the noted RTI activist. “If Parliament proceedings can be telecast live, there is no reason why our executive brand cannot function in a transparent manner. Only with transparency can there be hope of accountability.”

In a statement, Gogoi said Digital India has been made pos-sible because of the young Indi-ans who received training at the IITs and IIMs and credit must be given to them for their role in the IT revolutions in India.

Real contributionMoreover, former Prime Min-ister Rajiv Gandhi gave great importance to IT and had made real contribution in its revolu-tion in India, he said. “Modi is patting himself for the progress India has made in Information Technology, but he inherited an atmosphere and infrastructure congenial for IT from his prede-cessors and impact of Google and Facebook to India can also be at-tributed to the eff orts of young entrepreneurs,” Gogoi said.

Prime Minister Modi’s at-tempt to cash in the eff orts of the young technocrats would only expose his narrow political ag-grandisement, he said. - PTI

F O R M E R C I C

PM condolesdeath of Haj pilgrims

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the death of pilgrims in last week’s grisly stampede at Mina, the worst tragedy to hit the annual pilgrim-age in last 25 years.

“In connection with the Haj tragedy, the prime minister had written to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Sep-tember 25, expressing his deepest condolences,” Spokesperson in the External Aff airs Ministry Vikas Swarup tweeted.

As per Saudi authorities 769 people died in the stampede while around 930 pilgrims sustained injuries. Those killed in the stam-pede included 45 Indians.

The stampede broke out on Sep-tember 24 after two massive lines of pilgrims converged on each other from diff erent directions at an intersection close to the fi ve-storey Jamarat Bridge in Mina for symbolic stoning of the devil.

It was the second major acci-dent this year for pilgrims, after a construction crane collapsed on September 11 at Mecca’s Grand Mosque, killing over 100 people, including 11 Indians.

Saudi Arabia has already or-dered the formation of a commit-tee to probe the deadly incident during the fi ve-day pilgrimage in which around two million people from over 180 countries took part. From India, 150,000 pilgrims per-formed Haj. - PTI

T R A G E D Y

Gogoi said Digital

India has been made

possible because of

the young Indians who

received training at

the IITs and IIMs and

credit must be given

to them for their role

in the IT revolutions

in India

A10

PAKISTAN T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

BACK HOME: A woman, returning from Haj in Mecca, hugs her relative after arriving at the Benazir International Airport in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday. — Reuters

Toll of Pakistani pilgrims in Mina stampede hits 40

ISLAMABAD: The number of Pakistani pilgrims killed in Mina stampede has reached 40, where-as 33 are injured and 63 are said to be missing, Prime Minister’s focal person on the incident Dr Tariq Fazal has said.

The pilgrims were killed in a crush at Mina, outside the holy city of Mecca, where over two mil-lion people were performing the annual Haj pilgrimage.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Fazal said 40 bodies

of Pakistani pilgrims had been identifi ed, saying the death toll in the incident now stood at 1100.

He reiterated that all out eff orts were being made to locate the missing Pakistani pilgrims, saying Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi

Arabia was personally visiting all hospitals and mortuaries to fi nd out about them.

“PM’s secretariat has the list of all missing people, which will con-tact their families and keep them updated,” he said. “Pakistani em-

bassy has also uploaded pictures of all the pilgrims who lost their lives in the incident.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced Rs500,000 for the families of the deceased pilgrims and

Rs200,000 for those sustain-ing injuries, he added. The focal person also announced that the injured will be provided best pos-sible medical treatment in the country free of charge upon their return. — Express Tribune

Prime Minister

Nawaz Sharif

has announced

Rs500,000 for

the families of the

deceased pilgrims

and Rs200,000 for

those sustaining

injuries. The pilgrims

were killed in

a crush at Mina

PESHAWAR: A Pakistani teacher has described how he saved his wife from a deadly stampede in Saudi Arabia by pulling her from her wheel-chair as fellow haj pilgrims were trampled to death around them.

At least 769 people died in a crush of pilgrims near Mecca on Thursday when two large groups converged at a cross-roads, in the worst disaster to befall the annual event in a quarter of a century.

Alamzeb Khan, 48, and his wife, who was suff ering from a high fever, were almost killed when the crowd panicked, he told Reuters on Monday.

The stampede at Mina, where the couple had gone to throw stones at three pillars representing the devil, part of

the haj ritual, looked like the “day of judgment,” he told Reuters.

“To save their lives, some pil-grims trampled other pilgrims as if they were not human,” he said.

Two groups The crush began when two groups of pilgrims, some from Iran and some from Africa, crashed into each other, he said.

“The elderly, women and sick pilgrims were the fi rst to fall. They fell and were tram-pled by others,” he said. Khan fell too and injured his arm, but he battled against the crowd to grab his terrifi ed wife’s hands. The wheelchair had saved her from being pushed over, he said.

“I feared she had been crushed by the pilgrims, but luckily she survived. I imme-diately grabbed her out of the wheelchair and pushed her to the side. Then we started climbing the steel fence to save our lives,” he recalled.

“There was no one to help the others. Everybody was saving his or her own life. Within no time, there were human bodies lying upon each other. Those underneath were screaming in pain and crying for help but there was no one to help,” Khan said.

After they scaled the fence, the couple went to a nearby hospital, but it was overfl owing with casualties, he said. Some bodies remained on the ground for hours, he said.

Like many caught up in the

tragedy, he complained about a slow response from Pakistani offi cials. Scores of Pakistanis remain missing and at least 40 were killed.

“They didn’t answer our calls to the telephone numbers that they had given us to call during an emergency,” he said.

White shawlsOn Monday, Khan and his wife, wrapped in white shawls, were surrounded by sobbing rela-tives at Peshawar airport as the fi rst fl ights carrying victims of the tragedy arrived in Pakistan from Saudi Arabia.

“For two days we didn’t have any contact with them. We thought they are either dead or seriously injured,” said one relative, as Khan embraced his sons. — Reuters

Teacher battled against the crowd to save wheelchair-bound wife

GLOBAL CITIZEN HONOUR FOR ACTIVIST Syeda Ghulam Fatima, General Secretary, Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan, waves after receiving a Global Citizen

award during the Clinton Global Citizen award ceremony at the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting in New York, on Sun-

day. — Reuters

Artists say their aid plea being ignored

PESHAWAR: Although artists in the province submitted hundreds of applications for fi nancial aid to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Di-rectorate of Culture, many com-plained the authority turned a deaf ear to their requests.

“I know my appeal will not be heard; despite that I would request aid money be released for my col-leagues if it has been approved by senior offi cials,” Naeem Jan, an artist told The Express Tribune. “The government assured us three months ago that we would be com-pensated but no such amount has been released.”

Where do the funds go?Data for two years provided by the directorate under the Right to In-formation law reveals where funds have been directed.

Available with The Express Tribune, the data shows in 2015 as yet only two artists were provided fi nancial support. Folk artist Gulab Sher with Rs50,000 while Ruqaya, an artist, received Rs15,000.

In 2014, 11 artists were giv-en fi nancial assistance of up to Rs50,000 whereas in the same year, an individual identifi ed as Zainab, whose affi liation with the directorate has yet to be ascer-tained, was given aid twice in the period of a few months.

The directorate lacks a web-site where it can make such news public.

Promoting cultureApart from individuals, the money was also given to those organisa-tions which seem to have failed to play a signifi cant role in promot-ing culture or are strong entities to begin with.

For instance, in 2015, the In-saf Student Federation was given Rs100,000, Malik Saad Shaheed Trust was given Rs250,000 and Digital Youth Summit was pro-vided with Rs250,600. Also, Paki-stan Tehreek-e-Insaf MPA Sardar Suran Singh was given Rs1.5 mil-lion from the amount only meant to be used to promote cultural institutions and artists, although he has no known links with either the directorate or any cultural activities.

According to the data provided through the RTI request, PTI MPA Dina Naz was given Rs925,820 for holding an award ceremony in her constituency.

The money for the event was handed over even though the or-ganisers and relevant individu-als did not publish a tender in the newspaper.

Even the Peshawar Press Club got a share in the form of a dona-tion of Rs188,000.

Some money was released for the revival of culture. For instance, singer Bakhtiar Khattak was given Rs404,200 to arrange a cul-tural event but it is not known whether the funds were used to said end.

A senior artist, Mumtaz Ali, who is ailing, was given Rs300,000 while singer Hidayat-ullah had also been given the same amount. — Express Tribune

A P P L I C A T I O N S F O R F U N D S

More than 20 PML-N, PPP, workers join PTILAHORE/MULTAN: The Pa-kistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has intensifi ed its campaign for Na-tional Assembly seats NA-122 of Lahore, and NA-154 of Lodharan, by-polls and local government elections.

More than 20 Pakistan Mus-lim League-Nawaz (PML N), Pa-kistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) supporters joined the PTI on Sunday.

Those who joined the party in Lahore included Mian Ikhlaq Ahmed Guddu from the PML-Q. They made the announcement at a ceremony attended by PTI Punjab organiser Chaudhry Mu-hammad Sarwar and candidate for NA-122 Aleem Khan. Nazir Mughal, candidate for vice chair-man in UC 121, withdrew his can-didacy in favour of PTI’s Mehr Abdul Waheed.

Sarwar said that people from other parties joining the PTI in-

dicated that support for the PTI was increasing. He said the PTI had welcomed the 20 political workers after consultation with its leaders and workers.

Army deploymentSarwar demanded that the army be deployed at polling stations to ensure fair elections. “Otherwise, it will be diffi cult for us to accept by-poll results.”

Two former MNAs and two former ticket holders also an-nounced that they would support PTI’s Jahangir Tareen in the NA-154 elections. They were former PML-N MNAs Akhtar Kanju and Zawar Warraich, former ticket holder Ahmad Nawaz Joiya, for-mer MPA Qasim Khan Malaizai and former secretary to parlia-ment Tahir Malaizai.

Akhtar Kanju had been twice elected MNA from NA-155. Za-war Warraich had lost the 2013 general elections. — Express Tribune

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ASIAT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

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HAZE ENGULFS SINGAPORE The sun is seen through

a blanket of haze at the

Garden by the Bay in

Singapore on Monday.

Singapore has launched

legal action that could

lead to massive fi nes

against Indonesian

companies blamed for

farm and plantation fi res

spewing unhealthy levels

of air pollution over the

city-state. Five Indone-

sian companies including

multinational Asia Pulp

and Paper (APP) have

been served with legal

notices, according to a

Singapore government

statement issued late on

September 25. — AFP

Thai man hacks fi ve children to death

BANGKOK: A man with a history of mental illness hacked fi ve young children to death and stabbed a pregnant woman in a knife ram-page in northern Thailand, police said Monday.

The mass murder took place on Sunday afternoon in a village in Chai Prakarn district of Chiang Mai province.

“Five boys were killed by a mentally ill man using a chopping knife,” Police Lieutenant Colonel Sombut Kalasuk from Chai Pra-karn police told AFP.

“The wounds were to their necks and heads -- they were aged from fi ve months to eight years old,” he added.

Pictures widely shared on social media showed a scene of carnage, with the blood-soaked corpses of the children littering the house.

At least one of the children was related to the pregnant woman, who was taken to hospital suff er-ing from stab wounds but survived the ordeal. — AFP

K N I F E R A M P A G E

24 injured as ‘super-typhoon’ Dujuan pummels Taiwan

TAIPEI: Super-typhoon Dujuan battered Taiwan leaving 24 injured as torrential rain and fi erce winds hit on Monday evening, while Chi-na issued its top alert as the storm approached the mainland.

Dujuan struck the island’s northeastern tip earlier than ex-pected after picking up speed as it approached, with more than 7,000 people evacuated in advance.

Most of the 24 people hurt suf-fered minor injuries, the island’s Emergency Operation Center said, many of them hit by fl ying debris.

Without powerMore than 330,000 homes are without electricity after almost a million lost power at the height of the storm, the emergency cen-tre said. About 2,000 people were spending the night in temporary shelters. Waves crashed along the east coast and the capital Taipei was hit with wind and rain as the typhoon moved south.

At 9:00 pm (1300 GMT) Du-juan was 30 kilometres (19 miles) southeast of central Taichung city, the Central Weather Bureau said.

The bureau said “virtually the whole island” was at risk of severe wind and rain, with authorities warning downpours could trigger landslides. Dujuan made landfall

in the northern county of Yilan, where some areas have seen more than 700 millimetres (20 inches) of rain in the last 24 hours.

Panicked visitors to the island’s east -- many of whom had headed there for the Mid-Autumn Festi-val long weekend -- crammed onto trains before services were sus-pended. High-speed rail services in the west were also cancelled.

Authorities warned that coastal areas could be particularly dan-gerous as tides are aff ected by the current “supermoon” -- a rare as-trological event in which the moon appears brighter and larger.

This is because the moon has

reached its closest orbital point to Earth and therefore has a stronger gravitational pull than usual.

The storm intensifi ed as it ap-proached Taiwan, with gusts of 227 kilometres per hour.

LandfallIt slowed after making landfall and was expected to move past Taiwan by midnight. Schools and offi ces

will shut Tuesday and the stock market will also be closed.

Dujuan was graded a “strong typhoon” -- the top category -- by Taiwan’s weather bureau while other regional forecasters, includ-ing the Hong Kong Observatory, categorised it as a “super typhoon”.

China issued a red alert, its high-est, for Dujuan. Heavy rain and gales are set to hit parts of Fujian, Zhejiang and Shanghai, the offi cial Xinhua news agency quoted the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center as saying.

The centre instructed ships’ crews to return to harbour and residents to stay indoors.

Almost 3,000 people were evacuated Sunday from Taiwan’s Green Island and Orchid Island -- popular with visitors.

More than 4,000 were moved Monday ahead of the storm.

New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu said they were from vulnera-ble areas, including the hot springs town of Wulai just outside Taipei.

Aboriginal mountain communi-ties are particularly at risk during typhoons, often aff ected by fl ood-ing and mudslides. Wulai was hit hard by Typhoon Soudelor in Au-gust, with some residents unable to return home for weeks.

Shops and hotels have remained closed as roads and fl ood damage have yet to be fully repaired.

Very depressed“To be honest, we all feel very de-pressed. Any damage may further prolong the time needed for recon-struction,” Chou Chih-kang, a Wu-lai neighbourhood chief, told AFP.

By Monday night Wulai had already seen 600 mm of rain in 24 hours. The weather bureau warned that the “massive amount” of rubble on mountain slopes and riverbeds since Soudelor could lead to further damage.More than 24,000 troops were on standby for disaster relief and evacuations, with 100 shelters set up.

A concert by US rock band Bon Jovi due to take place in Taipei Monday was cancelled, while 241 international and 144 domestic fl ights were also pulled.

Ferry services and fl ights to out-lying islands were suspended.

Dujuan passed near the Japa-nese island of Ishigaki as it ap-proached Taiwan.

Around 100 domestic fl ights were cancelled in Japan, while 3,200 households lost power in Ishigaki and other islands, local media said. Typhoon Soudelor caused at least eight deaths in Tai-wan last month and killed 21 peo-ple in China. — AFP

Most of the 24 people

hurt suff ered minor

injuries, the island’s

Emergency Operation

Center said, many

of them hit by

fl ying debris

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DEADLY STORM: People hold their umbrellas while walking against strong winds caused by Typhoon

Dujuan in Taipei, Taiwan, on Monday. - Reuters

Maldives president escapes unhurt in boat blastMALÉ (MALDIVES): An explo-sion ripped through a speed boat carrying Maldives President Ab-dulla Yameen on Monday, injuring his wife and two others but leaving him unhurt.

It remains unclear what caused the explosion, which came at a time of heightened political ten-sions in the atoll nation after the controversial jailing of Yameen’s predecessor Mohamed Nasheed.

Unconfi rmed reports suggested the blast, which occurred as the tightly-guarded vessel docked in the capital island Male, came from the engine room below deck.

“The fi rst lady Fathimath Ibra-him, a senior protocol offi cer and a bodyguard of the president were hurt and taken to hospital,” said Mohamed Hussain Shareef, min-

ister at the President’s Offi ce.“The president was unhurt and

he escorted the fi rst lady to hos-pital where she is under observa-tion following a minor injury,” he told AFP.

The Maldives has launched an investigation into the incident and is seeking help from the United States and Australia to determine what happened.

Reporters had gathered at the presidential jetty to receive Ya-meen, who had landed a few min-utes earlier at the nearby Hulhule

airport after a visit to Saudi Arabia for the Haj pilgrimage.

State television footage showed the president being escorted off the boat and onto a police launch, while witnesses said they saw an ambulance rush to the jetty and authorities immediately cordoned off the area.

The Maldives is a popular up-market tourist destination, but its image has suff ered in recent years due to prolonged political unrest.

The country has come in for tough international criticism over the jailing of Nasheed for 13 years after conducting a rushed trial that the UN said was seriously fl awed.

The charge against Nasheed re-lates to the ordering of the arrest of an allegedly corrupt judge when he was still president in 2012. — AFP

C A U S E O F E X P L O S I O N N O T K N O W N

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LUCKY TO BE ALIVE: Offi cials carry an injured woman off the speed boat of Maldives President Abdulla

Yameen (not pictured) after an explosion onboard, in Male, Maldives on Monday. - Reuters

Taliban overrun Kunduz city

KUNDUZ (AFGHANISTAN): The Taliban Monday largely seized a major Afghan city, storming government com-pounds and sending panicked residents fl eeing, as the extrem-ists for the fi rst time breached a provincial capital since being ousted from power in 2001.

Fierce fi ghting raged in the northern city of Kunduz as ma-rauding insurgents freed hun-dreds of prisoners from the local jail, set government buildings on fi re and hoisted their trade-mark white fl ag over the homes of offi cials.

NATO missionThe Taliban’s incursion into Kunduz barely nine months af-ter the NATO combat mission ended marks a major psycholog-ical blow to the country’s West-ern-trained security forces.

“The Taliban have taken the city but our forces are still put-ting up resistance in some ar-eas,” Kunduz police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Hussaini told AFP, adding that promised re-inforcements from Kabul were awaited.

Scores of bodies littered the streets after hours of heavy fi ghting, Afghan media reported citing local residents, many of whom were making a hasty exit from Kunduz.

Many were fl eeing to the city’s main airport, which is still in government control, but some complained they were being turned away by se-curity forces.

The city was swarming with Taliban fi ghters racing police vehicles, who overran the gov-ernor’s compound and the local police headquarters.

The local headquarters of the National Directorate of Secu-rity, the country’s main intel-ligence agency, was set on fi re, a security offi cial told AFP on condition of anonymity. — AFP

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Tony Brenton

Meetings between heads of government have become commonplace. But Mon-day’s between Presidents Barack Obama

and Vladimir Putin was setsomething special.They have not met formally for nearly two and

a half years. The last encounter, planned, for Au-gust 2013, was brusquely cancelled by Obama because “there was nothing to talk about”. The main undiscussable issue was Syria. The United States wanted President Assad instantly out; Rus-sia feared chaos without him. The Ukraine crisis pushed the relationship further downhill. Russia, seeing a Western attack on its interests, responded by seizing Crimea and supporting separatist war in eastern Ukraine. The West retaliated with tough sanctions. Even co-operation to achieve this year’s Iran agreement (which needed Russian Security Council assent) did not lift the Obama/Putin chill.

So tomorrow’s meeting is a dramatic reversal. Already the two sides are spinning it diff erently. The Americans say the Russians were “desper-ate” for it, while the Russians say it was by mu-tual consent. And the Americans say it will be all about Obama taking Putin to task over Ukraine, while the Russians say the main item of business will be Syria.

In fact, behind the misleading briefi ngs, it is plainly the build-up of Russian troops in Syria that has precipitated the meeting. Western commenta-tors have off ered the normal range of fanciful ex-planations for this: to replace the fading US pres-ence in the region, or to put pressure on the Saudis over oil prices. The reality is simpler. As Putin says (and on this is to be believed), Russia’s overrid-ing aim is to block the rise of extremism which is a direct domestic threat to them in the Caucasus and elsewhere. They have seen the West bungle this, notably by the chaos left behind in Iraq and Libya. The West’s support for a moderate opposi-tion in Syria is a delusion (didn’t the responsible US general tell Congress a few days ago that that opposition had “four or fi ve” US-trained soldiers in the fi eld?). The only choice in Syria is between Assad and IS. Putin is bolstering the faltering As-sad to prevent IS inheriting Syria. And, he adds, the West, which is as threatened by IS as Russia, should join him.

Western policy does seem to be moving the way Putin wants. The US and (as of Friday) the UK, having spent years demanding Assad’s instant departure, now concede that he might stay on in

an “interim” capacity. The US Defence Secretary, after a year of refusing contact with his Russian opposite number, opened such contact last week in order to “deconfl ict” the two countries’ ac-tions on the ground. Whatever the obfuscations around tomorrow’s meeting, Syria will be a key part of the agenda.

Obama will also tackle Putin on Ukraine. But here, too, it looks as though the debate is moving in Russia’s direction. In February this year, when the Minsk II Peace Agreement was signed as the basis for a ceasefi re and political settlement, both the US and the UK were dismissive. The agreement, we quietly said, would rapidly collapse. Our policy remained to “change Putin’s calculus”, meaning to use sanctions to compel Russia to back down. But this has not worked. With all its imperfections, Minsk has in fact helped to end the fi ghting, and is still very much in play. And, while the sanctions have done some economic damage, they have not changed one jot Putin’s determination to retain Crimea and the whip hand in eastern Ukraine. On the contrary, they have cemented Russian pub-lic opinion fi rmly behind him. The avowed aim of sanctions has therefore quietly shifted to ensuring Russian observance of Minsk. When Obama says this to him tomorrow, Putin can only agree. He wants Minsk to work, too. He has got roughly what he wants in Ukraine and hopes now to get back to a more normal relationship with the West.

The Ukrainian crisis is not over. We are in for some rough moments this autumn.

The political provisions of Minsk will begin to fray as the two Ukrainian sides continue to refuse to talk to each other.

The offi cial report on the downing of the Malay-sian airliner, due next month, will almost certainly blame the rebels, and provoke a storm of further criticism of Russia. And the end-of-year deadline for closing the Russian/Ukrainian border will cer-tainly not be met. But the major players are now talking rather than shooting. While we are not yet out of the tunnel, we may well be approaching the exit ramp.

So is Russia on a roll? Sensible Russians will welcome their country’s foreign policy successes, but also have real worries. The danger of the Putin regime, unconstrained by public opinion or parlia-ment, overconfi dently blundering into some fur-ther foreign adventure is high.

Putin’s real nightmare is not Western sanctions but Goldman Sachs’ prediction that the oil price could fall to $20 a barrel. - The Independent

Rescue operation helped reduce stampede deathsThis refers to the news story, Climbed fence to avoid being crushed during Haj, says pilgrim, (September 27). This year’s holy pilgrim-age ended with a high number of casualties as people died in the stampede in Mina, near Mecca, during the ritual of the ‘stoning of the devil’. It was an extremely sad incident. The situation, as ex-

plained by the Indian Islamic scholar and Haj pilgrim, was heartbreaking. It could be one of the biggest human tragedies being reported at a holy place in recent times. Those who extended their assis-tance to rescue the injured pilgrims have done their part in the rescue operations and helped reducing the death toll and they deserve all praise for that. — Ramachandran Nair, Ruwi

Barcelona coach’s statement iscritical of Suarez and NeymarThis refers to the online story, Injured Messi ‘irreplaceable’ for Barca boss, (September 28). Barcelona coach Luis Enrique’s admission shows that the club is nothing without the Argen-tine great. This statement has actually degraded Luis Suarez and Neymar’s abilities. It seems that both these players, in the eyes of Enrique, are not at par with Messi. The Argentine’s performances for his country show that he is not a team player — as a footballer should be. I hope

this injury and the duration taken to recuperate will make him realise that he has lot more to do and should work with other team members in the right team spirit. — Nora Sadi, Muscat

T I M E S O F O M A NT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5A12

Russia sways West on Syria, Ukraine

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Guidance workshop on health researches beginsMUSCAT: A guidance workshop on health researches, organized by the Ministry of Health under the Sixth Five-Year Development Plan programmes, began here yesterday. The workshop aims at boosting health support system researches in the Sultanate. Mohammed bin Hassan bin Ali, undersec-retary for planning aff airs at the Ministry of Health, attended the opening ceremony.

1794: The Anglo-Russian-Austrian Alliance of St. Petersburg, which is directed against France, is signed. 1924: Three U.S. Army aircraft arrive in Seattle, Washington after completing a 22-day round-the-world fl ight.

1959: Explorer VI, the U.S. satellite, takes the fi rst video pic-tures of earth.

2008: SpaceX launches the fi rst private spacecraft, Falcon 1.

M O S T R E A DTIMESOFOMAN.COM

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

M O S T S H A R E DFACEBOOK.COM/TIMESOFOMAN

The Chinese are certain the US wants to contain and isolate

them, and sabotage the ruling Communist Party and its mixed

economic model whilethe US sees an assertive China

waging cyber- attacks on it’s public and private enterprises

bit.ly/uschinastrainedties

ALBERT HUNT

The Pakistan air base attack was a gruesome and tragic one. The

loss of precious, innocent lives is deplorable. A redeeming feature

was that the defenders of the facility were not found wanting in mounting a spontaneous and

eff ective responsebit.ly/pakistanbaseattacklessons

RUSTAM SHAH MOHMAND

If faced with a runaway victory by Donald Trump, or even a

convention in which he arrives controlling delegates, top

Republicans might get together and say, this is unacceptable. So we go off , and we create a new Republican Party as an

independent candidacybit.ly/woesstalkrepublicans

SAM TANENHAUS

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

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

Video shows immediate aftermath of deadly Mina crush..

SEPTEMBER 2000

Scan 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 mail (Times of Oman, P.O. Box 770, P.C. 112, Ruwi).

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1 Snapchat decision disappoints social media users in Oman

bit.ly/snapchatomandecision

2 Projects in Oman on track to surpass last year’s $14.8bbit.ly/omanprojectinvest

3 Contract signed to build Pakistan Embassy Complexbit.ly/buildpakistanembassy

4 Safety worries after Oman building collapse kills onebit.ly/omansafetyworries

5 Three khat smugglers arrested in Omanbit.ly/khatsmugglersarrested

1 Oman station records Salalah sea earthquakebit.ly/seaquakeoff salalah

2 Don’t leave your car engine running if stepping out: ROP tells motorists in Omanbit.ly/ropwarncarengine

3 Salalah to welcome Oman Air’s fi rst Dreamlinerbit.ly/omanairdreamliner

4 Indian envoy says he’ll look into workers’ concernsbit.ly/indiaenvoyaidworkers

5 Advance rent demands make things diffi cult for tenants in Omanbit.ly/demandrentinadvance

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GROSS ELECTRICITYPRODUCTION IN OMAN

From April to June 2015(in gigawatt per hour)

Source: National Centre for Statistics & Information

0

3,362.7 3,456.8

May JuneApril

2,796.4

A13

SPECIALT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

CAIRO: Egypt’s tourism industry, hit by years of political upheaval and militant violence, is expected to post moderate growth this year and hopes a global advertising campaign will revive the sector vital for economic recovery, the tourism minister said.

Last year, 9.9 million tourists visited Egypt, a far cry from the 14.7 million that visited in 2010, before a protest the following year triggered turmoil in the land of an-cient sites and sea resorts.

President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi has restored some stability since

the army toppled president Mo-hamed Morsi in 2013 following mass protests against his rule but not enough to persuade large num-bers of foreigners that it is safe to return.

Minister Hisham Zaazou ex-pects around 10 million tourists this year or slightly higher, one million less than the previous fore-cast of 11 million.

“From January until the end of August the rise was very little, barely 5 per cent,” he told Reuters in an interview.

“So if we move at the same rate

the numbers will be around 10 mil-lion... or slightly higher.”

Around 6.6 million tourists vis-ited so far this year, producing revenues of $4.6 billion, compared with 6.3 million in the same period last year, when $4.509 billion was generated. “I cannot say that the general climate is positive but the fi gures show that there is a modest improvement,” Zaazou said.

Zaazou expects tourism receipts to range between $7.5-8 billion by the end of the year. Receipts once peaked at $12.5 billion.

Tourism is a major source of hard currency in Egypt, where for-eign reserves have tumbled from $36 billion before the protest to $18 billion at the end of August.

Zaazou expects the tourism sec-tor to pick up next year with dou-ble digit growth in the number of tourists and revenues ranging be-tween $9-10 billion.

The rapid advance of IS militant -- a group seen as more extreme than Al Qaeda -- has worried gov-ernments across the region, in-

cluding in Egypt, a strategic US ally which has a peace treaty with Israel and controls the Suez Ca-nal waterway. Egyptian offi cials say authorities have made great progress in the battle against mili-tants and accuse Western media of exaggerating security threats.

Egypt has witnessed a rise in at-tacks on soldiers and police since then army chief Sisi toppled presi-dent Mohamed Morsi in 2013 after mass protests against his rule.

Sinai-based militants who sup-port the ultra-hardline IS group have killed hundreds, and have re-cently claimed attacks on Western targets, such as a bombing outside the Italian consulate in Cairo.

In a bid to restore confi dence, Egypt will launch a global adver-tising campaign in November.

“The focus has been on such

(negative) news even though we are sitting here, going to our work and dealing with the situation as if it is completely stable but this picture is not portrayed abroad,” Zaazou said.

“I believe that (changing per-ceptions) must be a priority at this stage because the current views on the situation in Egypt is not good, so we must work on that.”

Egyptian tourism has survived big setbacks in the past.

On November 17, 1997 militants descended on Queen Hatshep-sut’s temple near the Nile town of Luxor. In a short time they shot or hacked to death 58 tourists and four Egyptians.

The following January and Feb-ruary, visitor numbers were down almost 60 per cent from the previ-ous year. Yet the industry staged a remarkable comeback.

Last year, the bombing of a tour-ist bus in Sinai killed two South Koreans and an Egyptian, reviv-ing memories of an uprising in the 1990s that often targeted tourists

and took years for then president Hosni Mubarak to crush.

So far, militants have not car-ried out high-profi le attacks on tourists under Sisi. This month, Egyptian security forces mistak-enly bombed a convoy of Mexi-can tourists in the western desert while pursuing militants. Eight Mexicans and four Egyptians were killed. Zaazou said steps would be taken to ensure such incidents do not occur again.

The tourism minister said he would concentrate on Red Sea resorts which have managed to attract visitors despite the un-certainty since 2011. “I will focus on the bulk of tourist movement. While desert tourism is important, the highest fi gure for it was 350 thousand (people a year). Sharm El Sheikh, on the other hand, re-ceived more than 4 million tour-ists at some point, on its own,” he said. “I am going to work on every-thing related to those areas, from securing them and all else. I will focus on starting there.” — Reuters

Around 6.6 million tourists visited Egypt

this year, earning revenues of $4.6 billion,

compared with 6.3 million in the same period

last year, when $4.509 billion was generated

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT

ARTICLE, PHOTOS

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

Egypt’s Minister Hisham Zaazou expects around 10 million tourists this year or slightly higher, one million less than the previous forecast of 11 million.

GLOBAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN: Tourists visit the Giza pyramids, on the southern outskirts of the Egyptian capital, Cairo. – AFP

TOURIST ATTRACTION: Arab tourists look at the contents of a replica of King Tutankhamun’s tomb

at the Pharaonic Village. – Reuters

DECORATE SHIP: A fi sherman moves his boat in front of a decorate ship at the Pharaonic Village. – Reuters

Sunny days ahead or Egypt tourism

SCENES OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN LIFE: Arab tourists look on from a vessel at a statue at the Pharaonic

Village, where tourists can sail on barges down a network of canals and look at scenes of ancient

Egyptian life, in Cairo, Egypt. – Reuters

A14

GLOBAL EYET U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

CHINA: People watch fi reworks illuminate the sky above the skyline of the Lujiazui Financial District in Pudongin Shanghai during heavy rainfall on Monday. — AFP

IVORY COAST: Supporters of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara shout slogans upon his arrival in Gagnoa on Monday during his three-

day visit in the run-up to the October 25 polls. Ouattara is the favourite to win next month’s polls, which are seen as crucial to restoring

stability in the country after post-poll violence in 2010 and 2011 left more than 3,000 people dead. — AFP

MALTA: The Polish Air Force Orlik Aerobatic Team, fl ying PZL-130 Orlik aircraft, take part in a display during the Malta International

Airshow at Malta International Airport, outside Valletta, Malta, on Sunday. — Reuters

SOUTH AFRICA: Members of the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL)

hold placards after a bail hearing of Danish man Peter Frederiksen

was postponed at the Bloemfontein court on Monday. The Danish

gun store owner found with 21 pieces of female genitals stored in

his home freezer has been detained and will face charges of sexual

assault, intimidation and domestic violence, South African police

said last Monday. Police believe 58-year-old Frederiksen, who they

said is wanted in Denmark for illegal dealing in fi rearms, lured his

victims from neighbouring Lesotho, sedating the women before

performing illegal operations on them. — Reuters

TURKEY: Students takes pictures with their mobile phones as

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan (not pictured) makes a speech

during a ceremony to mark the start of the new school year at

Ahmet Sani Gezici Girls’ Imam Hatip School in Istanbul, Turkey, on

Monday. — Reuters

UNITED KINGDOM: An employee of Sotheby’s auction house poses

with The Cowdray Pearls, estimated at $4.5-7 million, during a

press preview in London on Monday, ahead of Sotheby’s ‘Mag-

nifi cent Jewels and Jadeite’ sale to take place in Hong Kong on

October 7. — AFP

A15

WORLDT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

Suspected air raid kills 40 at Yemen wedding

SANAA: At least 40 people were killed when a wedding hall in southwest Yemen was bombarded on Monday in a suspected Saudi-led coalition air strike, medics and witnesses said.

“The bodies of 31 people, includ-ing children, have been taken to a

hospital in Mokha,” said a medi-cal source, who later raised to 40 the death toll at the hall in the Red Sea city.

He said dozens of people were wounded, most of them seriously.

Witnesses reported that war-planes struck the wedding hall in Mokha, which is controlled by Houthi rebels. However, one resi-dent who requested anonymity said: “I didn’t hear any warplanes.”

There was no immediate com-ment from the Saudi-led Arab coa-lition, which launched an air war on the Houthi rebels in late March in support of embattled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

“This is a new crime that is added to the massacres commit-ted by the Saudi regime against the people of Yemen,” said the rebel-controlled Saba news agency, cit-ing offi cial statements protesting the bombing. Several coalition

air strikes have hit non-military facilities killings dozens of civil-ians over the past six months, prompting condemnation from rights groups. In late August, an air raid struck a bottled-water fac-tory in the northern province of Hajja, killing 17 civilians and 14 rebel fi ghters. Warplanes in July attacked the residences of em-ployees of a power plant in Mokha, killing 65 civilians, while a raid on a dairy plant in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida in April left 35 civilians dead.

The United Nations says nearly 4,900 people, including a vast number of civilians, have been killed in Yemen’s confl ict since late March.

In July, coalition-backed loyal-ist forces evicted the rebels from the southern city of Aden and four other provinces in the south. They have since set their sights on ad-

vancing on rebel-held Sanaa.On Monday, loyalist forces

backed by Saudi-led ground and air support attacked rebels near the ruins of the ancient Marib dam, east of Sanaa, an AFP cor-respondent reported. “We have attacked the Houthis from three fronts: north, south and the east,” said Marib province’s deputy gov-ernor, Abdul Wahed Al Gibli.

The head of police special forces in Marib, General Abdo Al Sayani, said 22 rebels had been killed since Sunday.

In the central city of Taez, two sisters and their grandmother were killed on Sunday in rebel bombing, the state news agency said. Yemen descended into chaos after the 2012 ouster of longtime strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, and security has broken down since Houthi militiamen swept into the capital unopposed last year. — AFP

Witnesses reported

that warplanes struck

the wedding hall

in Mokha, which is

controlled by Yemen’s

Houthi rebels

Swollen supermoon shines bright across the worldWASHINGTON: Skygazers were treated to a rare astronomi-cal event Monday when a swollen “supermoon” and lunar eclipse combined for the fi rst time in decades, showing Earth’s satel-lite bathed in blood-red light.

The celestial show, visible from the Americas, Europe, Af-rica, west Asia and the east Pa-cifi c, was the result of the sun, Earth and a larger-than-life, extra-bright moon lining up for just over an hour. Images from France, Argentina and the United States, among others, capture the progression of the lunar eclipse to a striking red fi nale.

In Brooklyn, New York, crowds of people gathered on plazas and sidewalks, gazing up at the sky and trying to take photos with their smartphones -- though in other cities, including Wash-ington, cloud cover hid much of the spectacle. While the phe-nomenon was not visible in any major Indian cities, stargazers equipped with telescopes were able to catch a glimpse of the eclipse in the country’s remote northeast. The event also led to speculation about an impending apocalypse among certain fol-lowers of the Mormon Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

FearThe fears are believed to have been stoked by a statement from Mormon author Julie Rowe, who regularly speaks to audiences about upcoming worldwide calamities.

Church offi cials were forced to issue a statement warning against panic, saying that while members should be “spiritually and physi-cally prepared for life’s ups and downs” they should avoid “being caught up in extreme eff orts to anticipate catastrophic events”. The “blood moon” — which so far has had no apocalyptic con-sequences — appeared in stages

across the planet as the satellite reached its closest orbital point to Earth, called perigee, while in its brightest phase.

The resulting “supermoon” ap-peared 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent larger than when at apo-gee, the farthest point -- which is about 31,000 miles (49,900 kil-ometers) from perigee.

Unusually, the Earth took posi-tion in a straight line between the moon and the sun, blotting out the direct sunlight that normally makes our satellite glow whitish-yellow. But some light still crept around the planet’s edges and was fi ltered through its atmos-phere, casting an eerie red light that creates the blood moon.

First-ever chanceFor people younger than 33, this was their fi rst-ever chance to see a “super blood moon”

The last, only the fi fth recorded since 1900, was in 1982, accord-ing to the NASA space agency, and the next will not be until 2033. On top of the wow factor, the event was also of great inter-est for researchers.

Over a 24-day cycle, the tem-perature on the surface of our satellite normally varies between highs of about 121 degrees Cel-sius (250 degrees Fahrenheit) in direct sunlight, and lows around minus 115 C in the dark.

These changes help research-ers study the composition of the crust, as rocks warm and cool slower than sand-like dust. But on Monday, the eclipse saw that temperature shift happens much faster, allowing scientists to make detailed observations of the moon’s uppermost surface. - AFP

F I R S T T I M E I N D E C A D E S

PLANNING STRATEGY: Colonel Abdullah bin Sahyan, centre, who commands the Saudi forces in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden, talks

to his soldiers in their base in Aden on Monday. – Reuters

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PHOTO GALLERYARTICLE, VIDEO,

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

The celestial show, visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, west Asia and the east Pacifi c, was the result of the sun, Earth and a larger-than-life, extra-bright moon lining up for just over an hour.

A16

WORLDT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

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Evidence of water flowing on Mars

CAPE CANAVERAL: Scientists have found the fi rst evidence that briny water may fl ow on the sur-face of Mars during the planet’s summer months, a paper pub-

lished on Monday showed.Although the source and the

chemistry of the water is un-known, the discovery could aff ect thinking about whether the planet that is most like Earth in the solar system could support present day microbial life.

Scientists developed a new tech-nique to analyze chemical maps of the Martian surface obtained by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Or-biter spacecraft.

They found telltale fi ngerprints of salts that form only in the pres-ence of water in narrow channels

cut into cliff walls throughout the planet’s equatorial region.

The slopes, fi rst reported in 2011, appear during the warm summer months on Mars, then vanish when the temperatures drop. Scientists suspected the streaks, known as recurring slope lineae, or RSL, were cut by fl owing water, but had previously been un-able to make the measurements.

“I thought there was no hope,” Lujendra Ojha, a graduate student at Georgia Institute of Technology and lead author of a paper in this week’s issue of the journal Nature Geoscience, said.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter makes its measurements during the hottest part of the Martian day, so scientists believed any traces of water, or fi ngerprints from hydrated minerals, would have evaporated.

Also, the chemical-sensing in-strument on the orbiting space-craft cannot home in on details as small as the narrow streaks, which typically are less than 16 feet (5 me-tres) wide. But Ojha and colleagues

created a computer program that could scrutinize individual pix-els. That data was then correlated with high-resolution images of the streaks. Scientists concentrated on the widest streaks and came up with a 100 per cent match between their locations and detections of hydrated salts.

“We’re not claiming that we found... evidence of liquid water. We found hydrated salts,” Ojha said.

Still, that was enough for NASA, which declared a “Mars mystery solved,” in a press advisory.

“It’s a little bit over-the-top an-nouncement by NASA,” Ojha said. “There’s so many mysteries to be solved about RSL.”

The discovery “confi rms that water is playing a role in these features,” added Alfred McEwen, a planetary scientist with the Uni-versity of Arizona.

“We don’t know that it’s coming from the subsurface. It could come from the atmosphere.”

Whatever the water’s source, the prospect of liquid water, even seasonally, raises the intriguing

prospect that Mars, which is pre-sumed to be a cold and dead planet, could support life today.

Much more information about the water’s chemistry, however, would be needed before scientists could make that assessment, McE-wen added.

“It’s not necessarily habitable just because it’s water — at least to terrestrial organisms,” he said.

NASA’s ongoing Mars rover Curiosity has found evidence that Mars had all the ingredients and suitable habitats for microbial life to exist at some point in its past.

Scientists have been trying to fi gure out how it transformed from a warm, wet and likely Earth-like planet early in its history into the cold, dry desert that exists today.

Billions of years ago, Mars, which lacks a protective, global magnetic fi eld, lost much of its at-mosphere. Several initiatives are under way to determine how much of the planet’s water was stripped away and how much remains locked in ice in underground res-ervoirs. - Reuters

Although the source

and the chemistry of

the water is unknown,

the discovery could

aff ect thinking about

whether the planet

that is most like Earth

in the solar system

could support present

day microbial life

MAJOR DISCOVERY: A handout image made available by NASA

on Sunday, shows the dark narrow streaks called recurring slope

lineae fl owing down the west facing slopes of Coprates Chasma in

the equatorial region of Mars. These dark streaks fl owing downhill

on warm Martian slopes have been inferred to be contemporary

fl owing liquid water on Mars. - AFP /NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Lebanese journalist fi ned for contempt in Hariri killing case

R I S K E X P O S I N G I D E N T I T I E S O F V I C T I M S

THE HAGUE: A journalist who ignored a court order to take down Internet videos that risked exposing the identities of wit-nesses in the case of Lebanese former prime minister Rafi k Al Hariri’s assassination was fi ned 10,000 euros on Monday.

Karma Al Khayat was convict-ed 10 days ago of failing to obey a court order to remove from the internet video interviews that risked exposing witnesses in the case against the fi ve suspects in the 2005 bomb blast that killed Hariri and 21 others.

She was acquitted of the more serious charge of publishing ma-terial exposing witnesses, but prosecutors had nonetheless asked for a one-year jail term and a $100,000-euro fi ne for the jour-nalist, saying she had shown “no remorse or regret”.

Khayat, who was not in court, has described her conviction as an attack on the free press.

“I sentence Khayat to a fi ne of 10,000 euros,” said judge Nicola Lettieri, adding that he would publish his reasoning in a sepa-rate, later fi ling. The defence team smiled and nodded after he read out the sentence.

“The heart, the core of the prosecution’s case has been com-

pletely rejected,” her defence lawyer Karim Khan told Reuters.

Earlier, he had told the court the single remaining conviction standing against her was a “less-er” off ence.

“Stripped down of the hyper-bole, what this case comes down to is a single fi nding of willful blindness to a court order,” he said in pleadings before the sen-tence was read out. Hariri and 21 others were killed in a waterfront bomb blast in 2005 that upset a fragile peace in Lebanon, drag-ging the country back to the brink of civil war. Five suspects have since been indicted for the kill-ing. They remain at large and are being tried in absentia. - Reuters

Rafi k Al Hariri

Anti-India protests erupt in Nepal as fuel rationing bitesKATHMANDU: Nepal’s cable federation said it would suspend Indian television channels and protesters marched in Kathman-du carrying an effi gy of India’s prime minister on Monday, ac-cusing their neighbour of impos-ing an economic blockade and meddling in internal politics.

Tension between the South Asian nations has spiked since Nepal adopted a new constitu-tion last week, upsetting south-ern minority groups who fear be-ing marginalised in a new federal structure.

More than 40 people have been killed in protests in the Himala-yan republic since August.

Indian oil trucks stopped crossing into Nepal because of protests in the south, prompting authorities to try to limit the use of cars and save fuel.

Nepal is almost totally de-pendent on India for overland supplies following earthquakes

in the spring that killed nearly 9,000 people and blocked cross-ings from China. India has been critical of Kathmandu for rush-ing through the constitution, de-spite opposition from minorities living close to the Indian border. On Monday, a few trucks carrying fuel, vegetables and building ma-terials started to cross the border into Nepal but hundreds more were waiting on the Indian side, a customs offi cial in Nepal said.

The Federation of Nepal Cable Television planned to suspend broadcasting of Indian channels in Nepal from 10 am on Tuesday, Sunil Kumar Lama, the organiza-tion’s general secretary, said on Monday.

“This is to protest against the blockade,” Lama said.

He declined to say how long the suspension would last. A rep-resentative of India’s Ministry of External Aff airs declined to com-ment on the new protests. - Reuters

E C O N O M I C B L O C K A D E

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Islamic banks’ finances surge 78% in Oman

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Oman’s Islamic banks and window operations have shown a robust growth of 78 per cent in fi nancing at OMR1,401.9 million for the fi rst seven months of 2015, from merely OMR786.5 million in the same period last year. Such robust growth in Islamic fi nance shows that Sharia-compliant banks are able to establish themselves in the market and able to overcome their teething problems.

Further, two Islamic banks and window operations of conven-tional banks have launched inno-

vative products to attract Omani customers, besides opening sev-eral branches in diff erent parts of the country.

Customer deposits soarTotal customer deposits held by Islamic institutions also shot up by 240.8 per cent to OMR1,203.5 million by the end of July 2015, from OMR353.1 million for the same period last year, accord-ing to the latest monthly bulletin released by the Central Bank of Oman (CBO).

There has been a considerable increase in the number of branch-es and assets held by these enti-ties. Islamic banks are opening up new segments and, thus, adding to the competitive environment, not only in terms of effi ciencies and innovations, but by also providing consumers the benefi t of choos-

ing between both conventional and Islamic banking products.

In Oman, two Islamic banks — Bank Nizwa and alizz islamic bank — along with the window operations of six conventional banks, have scores of branches across the country.

The total assets of Islamic banks and windows in the Su-latanate stood at OMR1,836.3 million at the end of July 2015, against OMR1,180.5 million for the same period of last year.

Islamic banking entities pro-vided fi nancing of OMR1,049.5 million as of the end of 2014, compared to OMR434.3 million one year earlier. Together, Islam-ic banks and windows brought down their combined net losses to OMROMR4.4 million last year, from a net loss of OMR13.86 mil-lion in the previous year.

Such robust growth

in Islamic fi nance

shows that Sharia-

compliant banks

are able to establish

themselves in the

market and able

to overcome their

teething problems

TWO DEDICATED ISLAMIC BANKS: Two Islamic banks — Bank

Nizwa and alizz islamic bank — and the window operations of six

conventional banks in Oman have scores of branches — File picture

Duqm launches campaign to woo Iranian investmentsTimes News Service

MUSCAT: A promotional cam-paign to attract investment from Iran started in Tehran on Monday.

This latest promotional cam-paign by Duqm Special Economic Zone Authority aims to boost awareness of the investment envi-ronment of Oman and to encour-age Iranian companies to invest in the Duqm Special Economic Zone.

The campaign includes several meetings with Iranian investors and businessmen to promote in-vestment opportunities in the Sultanate of Oman in general and the Duqm Special Economic Zone Authority in particular.

To kick start the promotional campaign before the Tehran Chamber of Commerce on Mon-day, Yahya bin Said bin Abdullah Al Jabri, chairman of the Spe-cial Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (Sezad), hailed the good standing relations between Sulat-

nate of Oman and Iran.Al Jabri commended the joint

eff orts by the Sulatnate of Oman and Iran to increase bilateral trade and encourage the investment promotion drive.

He also emphasised that the Duqm Special Economic Zone Au-thority welcomes Iranian invest-ments and is willing and able to provide all the supported needed for such investment enterprises.

He said that during the past few years, Oman succeeded in achiev-ing remarkable growth that boost-ed its economic ranking in the region. Several infrastructure pro-

jects were completed, while others are under construction now.

“The Sultanate is currently ex-erting persistent eff orts to diversi-fy sources of national income and encourage the creation of a strong and prosperous private sector, while focusing on creating an en-vironment conducive to attracting diff erent forms of investments,” Jabri further added.

Oman has worked hard in recent years to develop legislative frame-work to regulate foreign invest-ments in the Sultanate, which will help companies to achieve better returns on their investments.

P R O M O T I O N A L C A M P A I G N

MAKING A POINT: Latest promotional campaign by Duqm Special

Economic Zone Authority aims to boost awareness of the investment

environment of Oman. — Supplied picture

B2

MARKETT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

BP Oman cements ties with Injaz on training projects

Times News Service

MUSCAT: BP Oman and Injaz Oman have reinforced its col-laborative eff orts towards devel-oping the capabilities of aspiring students in Oman by forging a new agreement on several educa-tional programmes. This follows the successful implementation of a project that assisted in the en-trepreneurship skills training of 3,000 students last year.

Under the terms of the new agreement, Injaz Oman is to im-plement BP Oman’s educational projects, which are part of BP Oman’s Social Investment Pro-gramme — an initiative aimed at contributing to Oman’s In-Coun-try Value through educational and entrepreneurial initiatives, said a company release.

The agreement was signed by Yousuf Al Ojaili, BP Oman presi-dent on behalf of BP, and Shabib bin Mohammed Al Maamari, ex-

ecutive director of Injaz Oman. “Our commitment towards

the achievement of the goals we have set under the educational projects of our Social Investment Programme is unwavering,” said Al Ojaili. “Believing in the im-portance of early education and awareness, we aspire through our various initiatives at BP, espe-cially on education, to contribute towards the development and qualifi cation of the Omani youth.”

Baisa ProgrammeThe programmes covered by the agreement are the ‘Baisa Pro-gramme’ that will be delivered by Youth Vision, the ‘ECO College Chapters Programme’ by Envi-ronment Society of Oman (ESO), the ‘Sharakati Programme’ by In-jaz Oman, BP Young Adventurers by North Star, and the ‘Building Capacity Programme’ by Sas VR.

The Baisa Programme in-cludes 18 workshop sessions on

‘Planning and Financial Man-agement for the Youth’ around Oman targeting 720 participants (40 participants per workshop). In addition, the programme will have the 100 Youth Club, wherein 100 young male and female par-ticipants are to be selected and trained to become guides to their peers and forerunners on the sub-ject within their personal and pro-fessional lives.

The ECO College Chapters pro-ject specifi cally targets university and college students in Oman. It aims to raise awareness among the youth and encourage them to take the initiative to develop their own environmental activities that pos-itively impact the environment.

The ECO College Chapters Programme of ESO also aims to encourage the establishment of new ECO clubs and to work to-gether with existing ECO clubs in universities and colleges in six diff erent regions of the Sultanate.

These clubs would then support each other throughout the year and provide a venue and platform for exchanges of ideas and infor-mation on environmental issues and activities.

Sharikati ProgrammeUnder the Sharikati Programme, BP will sponsor a number of uni-versities and colleges from the Al Dakhiliyah and Al Dhahirah gov-ernorates that will participate in the Sharikati competition. The competition aims to promote the culture of innovation and entre-preneurship among students.

The objective of the programme is to motivate students to start their own business, with capital input and proper administrative, fi nancial and functional struc-tures. It will be held in the pres-ence of judges from the private sector and the winning teams will then compete in the Injaz al Arab regional competition.

The BP Young Adventurers programme involves taking young Omanis to camp at Fujairah in the UAE for an educational weekend adventure. At the camp, the young adventurers will go through train-ing and team building activities that aim to enhance leadership development skills. This will be implemented through a vari-ety of physical challenges such as climbing, raft building, kayaking and several other team building games. Each adventure training camp is facilitated by a team of older mentors which are named as ‘the BP Guardians’ who are previ-ous graduates of the programme.

The Building Capacity Pro-gramme by Sas VR involves the development of 3D learning ob-jectives for the Ministry of Edu-cation’s K-12 curriculum, the Ministry of Higher Education Applied Sciences Colleges, and the Ministry of Manpower for Vocational Institutions.

Such objectives are to be achieved by building the capacity of teachers, lecturers and trainers in providing instructional design competences in the development of 3D learning objects and e-learning contents.

They will then be grouped to-gether to develop about ten 3D learning objects within the pilot phase, which will take approxi-mately three months.

Injaz Oman is to

implement BP

Oman’s educational

projects, which are

part of BP Oman’s

Social Investment

Programme

Qatar plans to

invest $35b in

United States with

New York Offi ce

DUBAI: Qatar plans to invest $35 billion in the US over the next fi ve years as the world’s richest coun-try on a per capita basis diversifi es from Europe and Asia.

The Qatar Investment Author-ity, which helps manage the coun-try’s energy-generated wealth, opened an offi ce in New York to “better access new and existing in-vestment partners,” the sovereign fund said on Monday.

Qatar said in April that it planned to set up an offi ce for its sovereign wealth fund in New York as it scouts for deals in the US.

The Doha-based fund controls more than $250 billion, according to the Las Vegas-based Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, and has deployed the nation’s riches on assets ranging from British bank Barclays to Volkswagen, whose shares have slumped since the au-tomaker said it cheated on United States emissions rules.

American jobsThe Gulf nation will target “vari-ous sectors” of the United States economy, “creating many Ameri-can jobs,” Qatar’s ambassador to Washington, Mohammed Al Ku-wari, said in Twitter postings.

The fund “remains committed to its investments in Europe, Asia and the Middle East,” it said.

“With world economies, mar-kets and currencies often moving in diff erent cycles and rhythms, the importance of a globally diversifi ed investment portfolio is central to Qatar Investment Authority.”

The fund also said it planned to invest as much as $20 billion into Asia in next fi ve years. - Bloomberg News

I N V E S T M E N T

Omani fi gures in list of fi fty powerful Arab businessmenTimes News Service

MUSCAT: An American busi-ness magazine – Inc.com – has listed an Omani businessman, Qais Al Khonji, among 50 power-ful Arab businessmen.

The magazine said that Qais Al Khonji was recently named Social Entrepreneur of the Year Oman by Business Worldwide Magazine’ He has also received the Interna-tional Entrepreneur of the Year Oman Award.

As a powerful fi gure in both business and politics, he is known for encouraging entrepreneur-ship and has been instrumental in getting it included as a subject in the national school curriculum.

At just 37, Al Khonji is making a signifi cant diff erent in Oman as the owner of two companies — Qais United Enterprises Trad-ing and Genesis International. He has also been campaigning for an organised Angel Investment structure in Oman to provide fi -nance for business start-ups.

Rather than pursuing his fam-ily’s business, Al Khonji decided to go his own way at 32 and has proved that he can leverage his entrepreneurial spirit in just fi ve years to make a signifi cant diff er-ence in the Arab world.

His Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) laboratory services com-pany is the fi rst outsourcing com-pany to operate within the com-pany’s oil and gas industry, the

magazine said in its report.

Other businessmenOther leading businessmen, who have been listed by the maga-zine, include Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, who is known in the global banking, fi -nance, and investment and is es-timated to be worth $24.9 billion and Kharafi family from Kuwait and the Kanoo family of Bahrain.

A M E R I C A N M A G A Z I N E

Regulator to form board for corporate governance centreMUSCAT: Oman’s stock market watchdog Capital Market Au-thority (CMA) has decided to form a board for Oman Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability (OCCGS).

The decision was taken by Yahya bin Said Al Jabri, chair-man of the CMA. The board of the centre is chaired by Abdullah bin Salim Al Salmi, chief executive offi cer of CMA.

Board membersOther board members include Abdul Ghani bin Dawood Al Zed-jali, representative of the Central Bank of Oman (CBO); Moham-med bin Taqi Al Jamalani, rep-resentative of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI); Dr Said bin Mubarak Al Mahara-mi, academic from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU); Rashad bin Mohammed Al Zubair, chairman of Al Zubair Corporation; Talal bin Said Al Ma’ammari, chief ex-

ecutive offi cer of Omantel; Essam bin Saud Al Zedjali, chief execu-tive offi cer of Oman Oil Company (OOC); and Walid bin Khamis Al Hashar, group general manager of corporate services at Bank Muscat. – ONA

S E P A R A T E B O A R D

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS: The new agreement was signed by Yousuf Al Ojaili, BP Oman president on

behalf of BP, and Shabib bin Mohammed Al Maamari, executive director of Injaz Oman. - Supplied picture

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

AMERICAN MAGAZINE’S RECOGNITION American magazine

said that Qais Al Khonji was recently named Social Entrepreneur of the Year Oman by Business Worldwide Magazine. He has also received the International Entrepreneur of the Year Oman Award

Qais Al Khonji. – Supplied picture

Yahya bin Said Al Jabri, chair-

man of the Capital Market

Authority. – File picture

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI elham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Growth, matching in-ternational standards and risk man-agement are some of the key factors driving the export performance of Al Khoudh Steel Furniture Indus-trial Company - the largest steel fur-niture manufacturer in Oman.

Regarded as one of the leading steel furniture manufacturers in the Middle East, Al Khoudh Steel was set up at the Rusayl Industrial Estate in 1986 and has since been expanding its facilities and the scope of its activities.

“We started with import sub-stitution. At that time, the coun-try’s defence sector was growing and a large number of military beds were required. Oman was importing those beds so we de-cided to help reduce the imports and manufacture them here,” said Gautam Bose, general manager of Al Khoudh Steel.

Speaking to Times of Oman, Bose said that another require-ment of the defence sector at the time was steel furniture for the storage of fi les and documents, which are referred to as ‘sheet metal furniture’.

Therefore, the company contin-ued to broaden and diversify its range of products year after year and is currently manufacturing around 30 broad categories of products, featuring a wide varie-ty of colours, sizes and models, at its sprawling 18,000 square me-tres facility under two separate premises on the estate.

Product range Under its ‘HADID’ brand, Al Khoudh Steel is manufacturing beds, chairs, fi ling cabinets, cup-boards lockers and tables.

The company also has a divi-sion catering exclusively to the hospitality sector under the brand name ‘METAFURN’, which man-ufactures tables, chairs, all kinds of hotel trolley, space saver beds, centre fold beds, contract furni-ture of standard design and cus-tomised products.

In addition, Al Khoudh Steel’s ‘GO’ range of steel offi ce furni-ture, made according to British standards, features fi ling cabinets, cupboards, tambour cabinets, ac-cessories and lockers. “We always try to introduce new products and categories to cater to the require-ments of the market,” Said Al Hinai, managing director of the company, said.

Al Hinai added that the compa-ny’s quality products have attract-ed a high-profi le clientele within the country, including the defence, health and education ministries, clients in the health and hospitality sectors as well as a number of large private sector companies such as Larsen & Toubro, Bahwan, Galfar and many major furniture dealers.

Latest technology According to Bose, Al Khoudh Steel products are manufactured with the state-of-the-art tech-nologies and equipment such as

computer numerically controlled (CNC) fabrication machines and automatic powder coating line, which ensure faster and more modern manufacturing process with a higher quality.

In addition to catering to local needs, the company has carved out a place in international markets as well and is currently exporting its products to countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. It also has a subsidiary on Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai.

The Gulf countries, some Mid-dle Eastern countries such as Jordan, Commonwealth of Inde-pendent States (CIS) countries, a number of European states and some countries on the east coast of Africa are among Al Khoudh Steel’s export markets, the com-pany’s general manager explained.

Share of exports Al Khoudh Steel’s exports account for approximately two-thirds of Oman’s total annual steel furni-ture exports, which is estimated at around OMR3 million.

Bose attributes their success in exports to the eff orts of the com-pany as well as the concerned gov-ernment entities such as Ithraa, which attracts inward investment to Oman and promotes the Sultan-ate’s non-oil exports.

The new markets that Al Khoudh Steel is targeting include Libya, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, Bose said, adding that the cur-rent global market situation and the economic slowdown in many countries are a challenge to plans to venture into new markets.

Advantages According to the company’s offi -cials, there are a number of factors that make Al Khoudh Steel stand out from competitors.

“We are known for the high quality of our products, which we defi ne as delivering what we promise in terms of technical specifi cations such as dimen-sional tolerances, powder coating thickness, durability, aesthetic design, colour, user friendliness, safety and delivery,” Bose said.

“Also, we put special focus on customers’ requirements. We off er services for planning the layout of the furniture as well as selecting the colour and the overall décor. We also provide customised fur-niture and have options for quick delivery and delivery of small batches,” he added.

Throughout its 30-year jour-ney, Al Khoudh Steel has faced a number of challenges with regard to both the domestic and inter-national markets and has always sought to address them with eff ec-tive and timely strategies.

Workforce “Finding qualifi ed workers for managing the growth and imple-menting the strategy for growth was challenging when we wanted to expand our activities. We also faced some fi nancial challenges but could secure support from the funding organisations in

Oman,” Bose said. The company currently has 116

staff , including 41 Omanis, and holds regular training sessions in the fi elds of HR, manufactur-ing and marketing to enhance the skills of its employees.

Bose believes that the culture of encouraging professions that in-volve hard manual work and fac-tory shop-fl oor activities should improve with commensurate compensation because employ-ees with technical skills engaged in such activities is crucial for the development and self-suffi ciency of any organisation or country.

Local products Another attitude that he thinks

needs to be changed is the fact that local dealers in the private sector prefer to buy imported products even if the price diff erence is very small. “The culture of endorsing local products is yet to be estab-lished. Eff orts are being made but it will take time,” he said, adding that supporting local manufac-tures is in the national interest.

In addition, the manaaaging director explained that the com-pany would not compromise on the quality of its products.

“If we start to reduce the price, we have to reduce the quality,” he said. Bose added that there is still room for more local steel furni-ture manufacturers in Oman to substitute imports.

Export strategy With regard to the key factors driving the export performance of Al Khoudh Steel, Bose said that growth, matching interna-tional standards and risk man-agement form the basis of the company’s strategy to address the existing challenges.

“By risk management, I mean if the local market does not perform well, then we have an interna-tional market where we can take our products,” he said, adding, “We consider market opportunities for medium term whenever we want to enter a market.”

“We do not want to export one container for a month or two. We would like to continue the exports

for at least three to fi ve years,” Bose noted. He also said that the ‘nature of competition’ in a target market is another issue that the company always takes into account before expanding into new territory.

Al Khoudh Steel has won a number of awards for its perfor-mance, including His Majesty’s trophy for Excellence in Industry and the Oman Awards for Excel-lence for the best Small/Medium Enterprise in Oman.

*This article is part of a monthly series focusing on Oman’s non-oil products and services, prepared in cooperation with the Pubic Author-ity for Investment Promotion and Export Development (Ithraa)

B3T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

MARKET

Al Khoudh Steel Furniture aims to enhance exports far and wideAl Khoudh Steel continued to broaden

and diversify its range of products and

is currently manufacturing 30 broad

categories of products, featuring a wide

variety of colours, sizes and models.

The company has carved out a place in

international markets as well.

Said Al Hinai, managing director Gautam Bose, general manager

Mid-h as nde-ries, and

oast oudh com-ned.

ount s of

urni-ed at

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gov-hraa, ment ltan-

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offi -ctors tand

high hich t we nical men-ating hetic ness, . s on off er ut of cting écor.

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B4

MARKETT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

MUSCATSECURITIES MARKET

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

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

OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE .......................................................27,500 ............... 3,705........................7 ............0.133 ........... 0.135 ...........0.133 ............0.135 ............. 0.132............ 0.003 ............. 2.273 ................0.135 .............. 0.132...................0.137 ...................41,953,267 .........0.100

OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 196,800 ............31,848..................... 26 ............0.162 ........... 0.163 ........... 0.161 ........... 0.162 ............. 0.160 ........... 0.002 ............. 1.250 ................ 0.161 .............. 0.161...................0.162 ................... 47,085,465 .........0.100

OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS .............. 12,150 ...............3,076........................5 ........... 0.254 ...........0.254 ...........0.253 ........... 0.253 ............. 0.251............ 0.002 ............. 0.797 ................0.253 ..............0.253...................0.255.................... 5,313,000 ..........0.100

OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS ................................................................8,412 .............. 2,540........................3 ........... 0.302 ...........0.302 ...........0.302........... 0.302 .............0.300 ........... 0.002 ............. 0.667 ................0.302..............0.302...................0.306 ..................15,100,000 .........0.100

OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 312,444 ......... 234,795..................... 34 ............0.748 ........... 0.752 ...........0.748 ........... 0.752 ............. 0.748............ 0.004 ............. 0.535 ................0.748 .............. 0.748...................0.752 ..................489,510,061 ........0.100

OM0000003141 ............ACWA POWER BARKA ............................................. 133,150 ...........109,716........................3 ........... 0.824 ...........0.824 ...........0.824........... 0.824 .............0.820 ........... 0.004 ............. 0.488 ................0.824.............. 0.748...................0.824 .................131,840,000 ........0.100

OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................. 350,100 ............74,571......................19 ............0.213 ........... 0.213 ...........0.213 ........... 0.213 ............. 0.212 ............0.001 ............. 0.472 ................0.213 ..............0.210...................0.213 ..................152,168,550 ........0.100

OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 1,713,868 ....... 895,573......................71 ........... 0.520 ........... 0.526 ...........0.520........... 0.522 .............0.520 ........... 0.002 ............. 0.385 ................0.526 ..............0.524...................0.526................ 1,196,331,396 ......0.100

OM0000004669 ...........SHARQIYAH DESALINATION ................................24,669 .......... 112,398..................... 27 ........... 4.560 ...........4.560 ...........4.555 ........... 4.555 .............4.550 ........... 0.005 ............. 0.110 ................4.560............. 4.540...................4.640 ..................44,548,884.........1.000

OM0000001087 ............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 258,595 ........... 59,482..................... 38 ........... 0.230 ........... 0.231 ...........0.230........... 0.230 .............0.230 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.230..............0.230...................0.235...................23,000,000 ........0.100

OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS .................2,800 .................. 605........................ 1 ............0.216 ........... 0.216 ...........0.216 ........... 0.218 ............. 0.218............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.216 ..............0.210...................0.216 .....................7,318,576 ..........0.100

OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE .................. 5,000 .................. 830........................ 1 ............0.166 ........... 0.166 ...........0.166 ........... 0.164 ............. 0.164............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.166 ..............0.164...................0.166 ...................32,800,000 ........0.100

OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING ...............2,000 ..................206........................ 1 ............0.103 ........... 0.103 ...........0.103 ............0.101 ............. 0.101 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.103 ..............0.100...................0.103 ................... 12,309,375 .........0.100

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 676,501........... 117,621..................... 79 ............0.175 ........... 0.175............0.172 ............0.174 ............. 0.174 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.172 .............. 0.172................... 0.174 ................... 26,113,050 .........0.100

OM0000001889 ............SALALAH MILLS ................................................................... 18 .....................27........................ 1 ............1.490 ........... 1.490 ...........1.490 ........... 1.490 ............. 1.490............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.490 ..............1.440...................1.490 ................... 71,762,965 .........0.100

OM0000001962 ............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 213,232 ............12,801........................7 ............0.061 ........... 0.061 ...........0.060........... 0.060 .............0.060 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.060..............0.060...................0.061 ...................12,429,083 .........0.100

OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK ..................................................................... 50,000 ...............9,900........................ 1 ............0.198 ........... 0.198 ...........0.198 ........... 0.198 ............. 0.198............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.198 ..............0.182...................0.198 .................. 282,157,157 ........0.100

OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ................................... 11,300 ............ 22,826........................6 ........... 2.020 ...........2.020 ...........2.020 .......... 2.020 .............2.020 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................2.020 ............ 2.000...................2.020 .................191,900,000........0.100

OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 423,200 ............ 39,781..................... 32 ........... 0.094 ...........0.094 ...........0.094........... 0.094 .............0.094 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.094..............0.093...................0.094 .................. 27,258,180 .........0.100

OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL ............................................. 175,340 ............15,094......................16 ........... 0.087 ........... 0.087 ...........0.085 ........... 0.086 .............0.086 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.085 ..............0.085...................0.086...................15,050,000 .........0.100

OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER ................................................ 250,100 ............53,271........................6 ............0.213 ........... 0.213 ...........0.213 ........... 0.213 ............. 0.213............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.213 ..............0.203...................0.210 .................. 143,751,023 ........0.100

OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 177,529 ..........286,698..................... 39 ............1.615 ............1.615 ............ 1.610 ............1.615 ............. 1.625 ............-0.010 ............-0.615................ 1.615 .............. 1.610...................1.620 ................ 1,211,250,000 ......0.100

OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 665,106 ......... 106,857..................... 26 ............0.161 ........... 0.161 ............0.160 ............0.161 ............. 0.162............-0.001 ............-0.617................0.160 .............. 0.158...................0.160 ..................232,071,840 .......0.100

OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 4,760,000...... 547,360........................2 ............0.111 ........... 0.115 ............ 0.111 ............0.111.............. 0.112 ............-0.001 ........... -0.893 ............... 0.115 ..............0.103................... 0.110 .................. 22,200,000 ........0.100

OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 354,500 ........... 38,409.....................44 ............0.108 ........... 0.110............0.108 ........... 0.108 ............. 0.109 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.917................0.109 ..............0.109................... 0.110 .................... 9,720,000 ..........0.100

OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 818,612 ............ 80,473..................... 46 ........... 0.098 ........... 0.099 ...........0.098........... 0.098 .............0.099 ...........-0.001 ............-1.010 ................0.099 ..............0.098...................0.099.................... 5,766,635 ..........0.100

OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ............................................ 41,780 .............16,963........................4 ........... 0.406 ...........0.406 ...........0.406........... 0.406 ............. 0.412............-0.006 ............-1.456................0.406............. 0.400...................0.406 ..................24,848,935 .........0.100

OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 194,696 ........... 95,433......................18 ........... 0.480 ...........0.500 ...........0.480........... 0.490 .............0.500 ...........-0.010 ........... -2.000 ...............0.500..............0.500...................0.504 ................ 270,902,205 .......0.100

OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION .........................12,000 ............... 1,608........................3 ............0.134 ........... 0.134 ...........0.134 ........... 0.134 ............. 0.138............-0.004 ........... -2.899 ...............0.134 ..............0.134...................0.138 ................... 12,735,360 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 11,871,402 ......2,974,466 ..............566 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......29........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000001301 ............DHOFAR CATTLE FEED ............................................12,048 ...............2,470........................ 1 ........... 0.205 ...........0.205 ...........0.205........... 0.205 .............0.200 ........... 0.005 .............2.500 ................0.205............. 0.202...................0.205 .................. 15,785,000 .........0.100

OM0000001053 ............OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING ............................................. 50 ..................... 16........................ 1 ........... 0.322 ...........0.322 ...........0.322........... 0.322 .............0.322 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.322............. 0.290...................0.322 ...................1,932,000 ..........1.000

OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ...................................................... 20,000 ...............1,020........................2 ............0.051 ........... 0.051 ...........0.051 ............0.051 ............. 0.051............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.051 .............. 0.051...................0.053....................6,375,000 ..........0.100

OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 260,296 ............16,164........................7 ........... 0.062 ........... 0.063 ...........0.062........... 0.062 .............0.062 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.062..............0.062...................0.063...................93,000,000 ........0.100

OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 482,561 ............ 71,861..................... 46 ............0.149 ........... 0.150 ...........0.148 ........... 0.149 ............. 0.149............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.149 .............. 0.149...................0.150 .................. 217,927,618 ........0.100

OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK............................................... 40,000 ...............2,697........................4 ........... 0.068 ........... 0.068 ...........0.067 ........... 0.067 .............0.068 ...........-0.001 ............-1.471 ................0.067 ..............0.067...................0.068...................67,000,000 .........0.100

OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING....................................10,000 .................. 860........................ 1 ........... 0.086 ........... 0.086 ...........0.086........... 0.086 .............0.088 ...........-0.002 ........... -2.273 ...............0.086 ..............0.086...................0.093.................... 6,467,888 ..........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 824,955 ........... 95,089..................... 62 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

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 ........................................5,779.06 ............... 5,761.70 .................... 5,767.77 ................... 5,775.03 .................. -7.26 .................. -0.13Financial Index ..................................... 6,911.78 .............. 6,864.45 ................... 6,883.57 ................... 6,907.05 ................-23.48 .................. -0.34Industrial Index ....................................7,348.36 ...............7,346.92 ....................7,347.84 ................... 7,348.53 .................. -0.69 .................. -0.01Services Index ...................................... 3,228.65 .............. 3,226.25 ................... 3,228.17 ...................3,226.25 .................... 1.92 ................... 0.06MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................906.77 ..................905.97 ...................... 905.98 ...................... 906.35 .................. -0.37 .................. -0.04

Trading SummaryVolume ................ Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up ............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded12,696,357 ................. 3,069,554 .....................628 ...............14,534,099,898 ................ 10 ..................... 10 .................... 16 .........................36

Index falls marginally

MUSCAT: Shares on the Mus-cat Securities Market remained weak, with the MSM30 Index closing at 5,767.77 points, down by 0.13 per cent. The MSM Sha-ria Index closed at 905.98 points, down by 0.04 per cent. Global Financial Investment was the most active in terms of volume, while Bank Muscat led in terms of turnover. Monday’s top gainer was Dhofar Cattlefeed, up by 2.50 per cent and Port Services, down by 2.90 per cent, was top loser.

10 shares advanceAs many as 628 trades were ex-ecuted during the trading session generating turnover of OMR3 million with over 12.6 million shares changing hands. Out of 36 traded securities, 10 advanced, 10 declined and 16 remained un-changed. Omani investors were net buyers for OMR52,000 while foreign investors were net sellers for OMR45,000 followed by GCC and Arab investors for OMR7,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index declined by 0.34 per cent to close at 6,883.57 points. Oman International Development and Investment

Company (Ominvest), United Finance and Bank Muscat gained by 2.27 per cent and 0.38 per cent, respectively. Ominvest, alizz islamic bank, Gulf Investment Services, Al Sharqia Investments and Global Financial Investment declined by 2 per cent, 1.47 per cent, 1.01 per cent, 0.92 per cent and 0.89 per cent, respectively.

Industrial Index remained fl at at 7,347.84 points, down margin-ally by 0.01 per cent. Dhofar Cat-tlefeed and Gulf International Chemicals increased by 2.50 per cent and 0.80 per cent, respec-tively. Al Hassan Engineering de-clined by 2.27 per cent to close at OMR0.086.

Services Index gained by 0.06 per cent to close at 3,228.17 points. Shares of Renaissance Services, National Gas, Ooredoo, ACWA Power and Al Suwadi Power increased by 1.25 per cent, 0.67 per cent, 0.53 per cent, 0.49 per cent and 0.47 per cent, re-spectively. Shares of Port Servic-es, Al Jazeera Services and Oman Telecommunications Company declined by 2.90 per cent, 1.46 per cent and 0.62 per cent, respec-tively. – United Securities

Monday’s top gainer was Dhofar Cattlefeed,

up by 2.50 per cent, and Port Services, down

by 2.90 per cent, was top loser

Muscat Securities Market. — Times fi le picture

Saudi Arabia withdraws $70b fund from marketsDUBAI: Saudi Arabia has with-drawn as much as $70 billion from global asset managers as Opec’s largest oil producer seeks to plug its budget defi cit after crude slumped, according to fi nancial services market intelligence com-pany Insight Discovery.

“Fund managers we’ve spoken to estimate SAMA has pulled out between $50 billion to $70 bil-lion from global asset managers over the past six months,” Nigel Sillitoe, chief executive offi cer of the Dubai-based fi rm, said by tel-ephone on Monday. “Saudi Arabia is withdrawing funds because it’s trying to cut its widening defi cit and it’s fi nancing the war in Yem-en,” he said, declining to name the fund managers.

Saudi Arabia is seeking to stem a decline in its fi nances after a 50 per cent drop in oil during the past 12 months. The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority’s (SAMA) reserves held in foreign securities have fallen about 10

per cent from a peak of $737 bil-lion in August 2014 to $661 bil-lion in July, according to data from the central bank.

“Foreign exchange reserve de-pletion, rather than accumula-tion, is the new reality for Saudi Arabia,” Jason Tuvey, Middle East economist at Capital Eco-nomics, said in an e-mailed note on Monday. “None of this should come as much surprise,” given

that Saudi Arabia has a current-account defi cit and faces sizeable capital outfl ows, he said.

Even at the current rate of depletion, foreign-exchange re-serves should last for at least an-other eight years, Tuvey said.

With income from oil ac-counting for about 90 per cent of revenue, Saudi Arabia’s budget defi cit may widen to 20 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year, according to the Inter-national Monetary Fund (IMF). SAMA also plans to raise between SR90 billion ($24 billion) and SR100 billion in bonds before the end of the year as it seeks to diver-sify its $752 billion economy, peo-ple familiar with the matter said in August.

Sillitoe said it’s diffi cult to de-termine when Saudi Arabia will “be back in the market to give new mandates” to fund managers.

The Financial Times previous-ly reported the news of the with-drawals. — Bloomberg News

G L O B A L A S S E T S

Sohar port takes part in key forum

Times News Service

MUSCAT: As relations between Iran and the west continue to improve, more than 350 interna-tional delegates from companies both inside and outside Iran met on Kish Island recently.

The event — fi rst Iranian Iron and Steel conference — discussed on opportunities to integrate the nation’s iron and steel industry.

“As a link-pin in the regional steel industry, Sohar Port and Freezone has a location second to none,” says Sohar Freezone Chief Executive Offi cer Jamal Aziz.

“Optimally placed between the markets of east and west, in an area of the world where demand for steel continues to grow, with our low utility prices and attrac-tive incentive packages, we off er an ideal environment for steel

manufacturers and steel fabrica-tion industries,” he added.

Which is perhaps why so many leading companies in the steel in-dustry have already established themselves in Sohar Port and Freezone.

These include Vale from Bra-zil; Inco from Turkey; Sohar Steel from Oman; and Jindal, Dunes, Cabrol, Metkore, and Indsil — all originally from India.

I R A N I A N I R O N A N D S T E E L C O N F E R E N C E

Saudi Arabia is seeking

to stem a decline in its

finances after a 50 per

cent drop in oil during

the past 12 months

B5T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

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Nissan Armada comes with exciting benefits

MUSCAT: Nissan from the house of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles has its ongoing seasonal off ers on the Nissan Armada that last till October 16.

Nissan has a heritage of show-casing some of the most amaz-ing benefi ts for its customers by introducing unique off ers on its prestigious line up of vehicles. In an eff ort to make Nissan vehicles aff ordable and accessible to all, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles has taken up this unique initiative, says a press release.

Unique off erAuto enthusiasts can now avail exciting benefi ts on the Nissan Armada that include cash gift of OMR1,000, free insurance (Oman only), free service for two years or 20,000km (periodic maintenance only), free registration, 6 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.

Interactive social mediaCustomers can also get unlimited access to Nissan’s prestigious ve-hicle line up at the comfort of their homes or offi ces. Simply visit Nis-san Oman’s Facebook page or send an SMS to get updated informa-tion on any of the vehicles from the house of Nissan.

Amazing Armada The Armada comes equipped with a standard 5.6-litre Endurance V8 engine rated at 320 horsepower and 54.3kg/m of torque, along with an advanced 5-speed automatic transmission, heavy-duty fully boxed ladder frame and comfort-able double-wishbone suspen-sion. Armada has a towing capac-ity of up to 4,000 pounds (when properly equipped). The vehicle is perfect for a big sized family and a perfect option for family getaways, off -road outings etc. Combining unbridled power, premium inte-rior comfort and a wide range of available technology, the Nissan Armada continues to stand out in the full-size SUV segment.

2015 enhancements Armada’s memory system allows drivers to save preferred driving

positions. Push a button on the Intelligent Key remote and it rec-ognises who is who, then moves the driver’s seat, the power ad-justable pedals, and outside mir-rors accordingly. The 3 climates in one; Armada’s dual-zone auto-matic temperature control (ATC) means each front passenger gets to choose diff erent temperatures, and rear passengers have their own controls too.

The Armada’s touch-screen technology gives drivers easy options;just tap the all-new touch screen, enter an address, intersec-tion, or even a phone number, and the Nissan Navigation System dis-plays the desired route on a con-ventional map or on the 3-D map. And the new lane-guidance fea-ture not only shows where to turn, but which lane to stay in. With key points of interest to choose from, drivers can get around like a local almost anywhere.

A newly available power 60/40 third row bench gets things mov-ing.With three rows of even more luxurious than before seating, room for eight with a second row bench, and an available power-folding third row bench, the up-grades are all around. And with 20

cubic feet of cargo space, it’s fun for eight and their gear.

Focus on safety and securityNissan conducts extensive virtual crash simulations and actual crash tests to develop the safety per-formance of its vehicles. And the knowledge we gain through this process helps make the Nissan you drive a safer vehicle for you and your passengers.

Armada’s safety features in-cludes Nissan Advanced Air Bag System with dual-stage front sup-plemental air bags with seat belt sensors and front occupant clas-sifi cation sensor; roof-mounted curtain supplemental air bags for side impact and rollover head protection for outboard positions in all three rows; front seat-mounted side-impact sup-plemental air bags; and front seat Active Head Restraints.

Entertainment options Drivers have an option to choose the Nissan DVD Entertainment System with a new, larger dual headrest 8” monitor with 2 head-phones. Answer by simply hooking up the camcorder, inserting a DVD, or connecting your MP3 player to the DVD player’s auxiliary inputs, and sources what you seek to see. When the Armada is parked, driv-ers can double the enjoyment with the same material displayed on the front LCD.

A premium Bose Sound System is custom-tuned just for this cabin. What could be better than 10 stra-tegically placed speakers and an in-dash 1DVD player. With sound so big, drivers will not want to step out of the vehicle at all.

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.

In an eff ort to make

Nissan vehicles

aff ordable and

accessible to all,

Suhail Bahwan

Automobiles has

taken up this unique

initiative, available

till October 16

Falcon Technical Services sponsors OFSEC 2015 expoMUSCAT: Falcon Technical Services was a diamond sponsor at OFSEC 2015, Oman fi re, safety and security exhibition.

ISO certifi ed companyFalcon Technical Services (FTS) is a Grade I and ISO 9001: 2008 certifi ed company working in ar-eas of fi re and life safety systems, security systems, perimeter protection systems, speed gates, bollards, gate barriers and road blockers, industrial warning systems, building management systems, industrial and com-mercial communications sys-tems, industrial and commercial automation systems, electro mechanical engineering, instru-mentation, power distribution monitoring and maintenance,

says a press release. FTS is a wholly owned subsidi-

ary of Seven Seas Petroleum and a group company of Seven Seas. FTS carries out design, supply, engineering, installation, inte-gration, testing, commissioning and maintenance of all the above ELV systems.

FTS is associated with world’s leading Brands like UTC Fire & Security, Distech Controls, Mag-netic Auto Controls, O&O, Boon Edam, Klonec–Klassic Solutions and Fire King.

FTS provides cutting edge and turnkey integrated solutions for oil and gas, military, civil defence, telecommunication, transportation, aviation, water treatment, electricity and water distribution.

F I R E , S A F E T Y E X H I B I T I O N

New Urwerk UR-106 Lotus watch now available for women at MistalMUSCAT: Urwerk, the award-winning Geneva-based watch brand, has created a reputation for itself by creating some of the world’s most unique, complex and highly technical watches.

The watchmakers have recent-ly applied their exclusive style to the feminine universe by unveil-ing the UR-106 Lotus collection. The Urwerk UR-106 Lotus is the fi rst watch that the brand has cre-ated specially for women, says a press release.

Speaking on the new UR-106 Lotus collection, Dharmesh A. Khimji, the managing director of Mistal, said “We are very happy to present the new Urwerk collec-tion to watch lovers in the Sultan-ate through Mistal. Urwerk has always been a distinguished brand and well-known for its horological excellence. All their collections are exceptional as they feature an original way of displaying and ap-preciating time.”

“With glittering gemstones

and soft curves, the new UR-106 Lotus collection for women is an incredible timepiece beyond stunning. The limited-edition watches of just 11 pieces come in two versions. This one-of-a-kind creation can be specially ordered and made available in Mistalupon request by anyone wishing to own it, he added.

The new Lotus watch epito-

mises the same creativity and complexity that URWERK has been known for since its founding in 1997 by Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei.

Urwerk has released the new collection keeping in mind all the remarkable women behind their success.

The Urwerk UR-106 Lotus was designed with the gorgeous lotus fl ower in mind, which not only rep-resents the beauty of women but also the complexity of the brand.

It will be available in two ver-sions, dark and light, each of them produced in just 11 pieces. Thus, in darkness and light, the UR-106 “Lotus” is a double watch.

Mistal boutique is the sole dis-tributor of Urwerk watches in Oman. A part of Ajit Khimji Group, Mistal showrooms at Sabco Com-mercial Centre, Qurum, and its fl agship store at Darsait showcase some of the latest, most luxurious brands of watches, jewellery and accessories in the world.

S T Y L E S T A T E M E N T

Bridgestone off ers easy payment

plans to Bank Muscat customers

MUSCAT: Customers with Bank Muscat credit cards can now avail an exclusive advantage of 12 months of interest free credit on purchase of Bridgestone tyres from Towell Auto Centre (TAC) worth OMR150 and above. The off er is given on the cash price of the tyres with the liberty to pay back in 12 month’s time. This scheme can be availed na-tionwide through any of the Tow-ell Auto Centre-Bridgestone Tyre Care Plus outlet, First Stop store, Truck Tyre Centre or Fleetpoint, says a press release. Marking customer interest as key, TAC has always been on the forefront of automotive aftercare. As sole distributors of world’s leading tyre brand Bridgestone, TAC has partnered with one of the leading banks in the Sultanate of Oman, Bank Muscat to make purchasing of the preferred tyre even easier.

“This association has been well received and appreciated

amongst customers,” said Oom-men John, AGM - Bridgestone Tyre Division at Towell Auto Centre. “We understand the cost related to replacing tyres. This tie-up is highly benefi cial for all our clients; whether it be the owners of private vehicles or those who manage entire fl eets and make all their purchases on a very regularly basis.”

The off er has been working well especially for those going for mid-size and upper segment vehicle tyres. The Bank Muscat Easy Payment Plan aids custom-ers to replace their old tyres with brand new Bridgestone tyres, without having to incur the ex-penses all at one go.

Perfect deal“With the costs split over 12 months, the related fi nances be-come signifi cantly easier to meet. It’s the perfect deal when my fam-ily and I want to change to a new set of tyres. We end up paying only

a very small amount every month,” said a customer who did not want to be named. “TAC has always come up with value for money deals on world class products.”

TAC as a valuable division of WJ Towell Group, has earned itself a loyal customer database due to their utmost dedication, perseverance and a strong sense of commitment. With a separate division exclusive to the sale and service of tyres, TAC is the proud distributor of the world’s leading tyre brand and maintains an ex-cellent record when it comes to quality and service levels.

With the latest addition of First Stop stores, Towell Auto Centre has expanded its network of Tyre Care Plus outlets dedicated to tyres and First Stop dedicated to autocare. TAC has a strong pres-ence all across the sultanate with presence in Barka, Musannah, Sohar, Saham, Bureimi, Bu Ali, Ibra, Sinaw, Ibri, Nizwa, Karsha, Sumail, Sur and Salalah.

P R O M O T I O N

Stage set for grand fi nale of ‘Muscat Icon’

MUSCAT: The stage is being set by Talent Hunters Oman for a high quality multilingual, multinational singing competition ‘Muscat Icon – Minara Singing Little Gems – 2015’ involving local talents (Oma-nis and all other nationalities).

The mega fi nale will be held on Friday, November 6 at Qurum Am-phitheatre. The clips of the com-petition will be telecast by a Indian TV channel, says a press release.

‘Talent Hunters Oman’ is a group

of dedicated people known for un-earthing the local talents, giving them a platform to perform and get them the recognition they deserve. The group also trains and grooms the local talents, with the objective to bring out the best in them.

Eighty children have registered for the auditions in Hindi category. Two marathon rounds of auditions were conducted. It was indeed very diffi cult to select 8 out of this large talented pool of singers.

The candidates selected for the grand fi nale (Hindi category) are as follows: Sreerag Menon, Shreeya Menon, Rose Dinto, Sreedevi Babu Menon, Sradha Prasannan, Vishu Vinod Nair, Ananya Prasad and S.A.S. Sanjeev. Some of their most popular and highly successful real-ity events are: Muscat Idol 2006, Muscat Idol – Little Gems 2007 & Muscat Idol – Teen Sensation 2008, Dance Muscat Dance 2009, Muscat Singing Icon 2012, Inter-

national Dance Festival 2013 and Khafeef Youth Icon – Singing 2014.

They have also conducted High Quality Musicals – Musical Jour-ney I – Black & White, Musical Journey II-Golden Greats, Musical Journey III – Mehfi l and Musical Journey IV – Romance. Founder and programme director Dr Sanjay Dalal has launched his own music album Chala Chala India. Free in-vitation can be had by contacting e-mail: sdalal1955@yahoo.com

T A L E N T H U N T E R S O M A N

Urdu funny debate contest held at PSMMUSCAT: An interesting inter-house Urdu debate was held in Pakistan School Muscat (PSM), recently. Atta ullah Niazi, the Senior Principal – Pakistan School System, attended the oc-casion as the chief guest.

The event was anchored by Atiya Ghani, while jury members included Munazza Ghafoor, Prin-cipal – Junior Branch, PSM and Sabir Hussain, senior teacher – PSM, says a press release.

The programme commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran by Hafi z Bilal Faisal.

Eight students represent-ing four houses of the school were selected for the debate in the preliminary round. Group 1 (Grade V – VIII ) comprised Hubab Javeid (Jinnah), Jawahir Ghafoor (Iqbal), Saleha Ghafoor (Johar) and Ayesha Asif (Sir Syed), whereas Group 2 (Grade IX – XII and S-I - A2) consisted of Soban Khan (Jinnah), Saima Siddique (Iqbal), Amal Binte Sal-eem (Johar) and Saba Shahzad (Sir Syed).

The topic for group 1 was ‘Uff ye Parhai' (Awe!!!!! Studying) and group 2 was to express their side-splitting views about “Hum Sa Ho Tou Samnay Aye (Matchless! We are)

The hilarious strokes along with playful intonation and be-fi tting body language left the audience bursting with laugh-ter. However, Saleha Ghafoor (Group 1) came out as the cy-nosure of the event with her tremendously put forth uproari-ous views while Soban Khan’s (Group 2) side of the picture also left the audience in splits.

On the individual basis in Group 1 Ayesha Asif, Hubab Javed and Saleeha Ghafoor re-spectively secured third, sec-ond and the fi rst position and in Group 2 Saba Shahzad stood on the third number, Amal Binte Saleem took the second lead and Soban Khan stood on the top rung. Over all, Jinnah House (Hubab Javeid and Soban Khan) were runners up while Johar House (Amal Binte Saleem and Saleha Ghafoor) stole the show.

The certifi cates and the tro-phies were given away by Sir Atta ullah Niazi, Hafeez (member BoDs) and Munazza Ghafoor.

Atta Ullah Niazi, in his note, commended the unveiling talent of the speakers and congratulat-ed the event management team to put up such an exuberant show.

Hence, the event ended with a photo session.

I N T E R - H O U S E C O M P E T I T I O N

B6 T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

ROUND-UP

Titan, Bahwan Electronics launch Sonata in Sultanate

MUSCAT: Titan, the fi fth largest watch manufacturer and retailer in the world, has announced the launch of its watch brand Sonata in Oman through Bahwan Elec-tronics, one of the well-known watches and electronics retailers in the country, who are the exclu-sive distributors of Titan in Oman.

Sonata is India’s largest-selling watch brand from Titan Company Limited, bearing the hallmark of trust from the house of Tatas.

Available at Bahwan Electron-ics’ showrooms as well as through a vast network of dealers and re-tailers across Oman, the Sonata brand of watches includes the iconic Ocean Series collection, the stunning Wedding collection and the innovative Shagun collection, says a press release.

Launching the Sonata brand at a dealers’ meet, Dwaraknath Mopuri, head of Sales, Middle East and Africa, Titan Company Lim-ited, said: “Titan is proud to have a growing and loyal customer base in the Middle East, especially in Oman. We are happy to introduce Sonata in Oman with Bahwan Electronics with whom we have decades of business relationship. The Sonata brand of watches is popular for their innovative at

pocket-friendly prices. We at Titan keep our customers at the heart of everything we do and we feel that it is only fi tting that we off er more, giving customers a larger product portfolio to choose from.”

Speaking on the occasion, Par-asuram Iyer, general manager Bahwan Electronics, said: “We are extremely happy to add So-nata brand to our existing range of Titan watches. Our journey with Titan Watches in the Sultanate of Oman began two decades ago and over the years, Bahwan Electron-ics has been working with our dealers and customers strength-ening ‘Brand Titan’ in Oman. I am thankful to every one for their con-tinued support.”

With a wide range of watches, Sonata has something for every-one — sporty watches for the ad-venture enthusiast, glamorous and fi nely crafted watches for special occasions and traditional “hand ornament” (haathphool) watches for weddings.

Sonata is India’s

largest-selling watch

brand from Titan

Company Limited,

bearing the hallmark

of trust from the

house of Tatas

Stylish new Nissan Sunny comes with attractive benefi tsMUSCAT: The Nissan Sunny from the house of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles now comes in a re-freshed appearance with subtle changes to the styling and the inclusion of new features in the cabin. As the best-selling vehi-cle for four years in a row in the highly competitive sub-compact segment, the Nissan Sunny could rest on its reputation for value, roominess and mid-size vehicle technology without a mid-size price. Yet the quest for constant improvement continues.

The Nissan Sunny received an extensive makeover that features new front and rear fascia, a range of interior refi nements, and new grade level and packaging con-tent. Along with a refreshed ex-terior and interior styling, the ve-hicle features standard Bluetooth Hands-free.

Unique benefi ts includeAuto enthusiasts can now avail exciting benefi ts on the 2016 Ni-ssan Sunny that includes cash gift of OMR500, free service for two years or 20,000km (periodic maintenance only), free registra-tion, six years unlimited mileage warranty and easy and conveni-ent fi nancing options. Flexible EMI’s can also be tailor made for any individual requirement from in-house Auto Finance team.

Customers can also get unlim-ited access to Nissan’s prestig-ious vehicle line up at the comfort of their homes or offi ces. Simply visit Nissan Oman’s Facebook page i.e http://www.facebook.com/Sbanissanoman or send an SMS to get updated information on any of the vehicles from the house of Nissan.

A refreshed exteriorMost prominent of the changes to the Sunny is the bold new front end treatment anchored by larg-er headlights, a more substan-tial looking fascia and standard chrome plating on the grille — all of which strengthen the Nissan stable mates — Sentra, Altima and Maxima.

Other exterior design elements include a fi xed roof antenna, available blacked-out B-pillars, chrome door handles and front fog lights.

Roomy, refi ned interiorFor Nissan Sunny again off ers fi ve-passenger practicality with a high degree of comfort and re-fi nement – the perfect combina-tion for commuting on weekdays, running errands on weekends and transporting family and friends all week long.

EnhancementsOther enhancements include a new centre stack shape, a revised meter display with white LED display (previously orange illu-mination colour) and a new, more substantial, steering wheel with standard audio and Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System con-trols. The Sunny features a wide AM/FM/CD audio system with standard auxiliary-in and Radio Data System (RDS), standard as-

sist grips, a passenger-side vanity mirror and new seat fabric.

The Sunny also adds an outside temperature display, USB/iPod controls, upgraded fabric head-liner, map light with key-linked illuminated entry and silver fi n-ishers on the centre instrument panel cluster. SL models include Nissan Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition and an AM/FM/CD/USB-iPod audio system with 5.0-inch display and NissanCon-nectSM with Mobile Apps.

Interior featuresOther available interior features include trip computer with outside temperature display, power windows with driver’s one-touch down, speed-sens-ing auto door locks and remote trunk release lever.

The NissanConnectSM with Navigation and Mobile Apps system, which is off ered as part of the SL Technology Package, includes a 5.8-inch color touch-screen display, Nissan Voice Recognition for audio and navi-gation, SiriusXM Traffi c and SiriusXM Travel Link (SiriusXM subscription required, sold sepa-rately). Available apps include Facebook, Pandora, iHeartRadio and Google Search.

The NissanConnect uses hands-free technology, smart-phone, and the Nissan’s display screen to help customers stay in touch with the outside world from inside their vehicle.

It’s loaded with features and compatibility with a growing list of apps that allows customers play music, keep tabs on social network, and navigate any city like a local.

Once logged in, customers have to connect to Nissan through bluetooth or the USB port. The Quick Start Guide helps to select from a list of supported apps, and NissanConnect automatically in-stals them.

All Sunnys continue to pro-vide a roomy interior volume of 90.2 cubic feet, with more rear legroom than many mid-size se-dans. Trunk volume measures 14.9 cubic feet.

The trunk design itself focuses on useable space, taking into con-sideration everything from the size of the hinges to the shape of the sidewalls. Other available in-terior features include trip com-puter with outside temperature display, power windows with driver’s one-touch down, speed-sensing auto door locks and re-mote trunk release lever.

World-class servicesSuhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA) is largely committed to supporting Nissan’s growth in the Sultanate through major em-phasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class af-ter-sales services in Oman.

With a national network of more than 19 showrooms, 22 ser-vice centres and 35 parts outlets, SBA has further built upon its legacy of trust, excellent custom-er service and providing value for money to each of its customers.

N E W F E A T U R E S

Khimji’s Watches showcases Happy Hearts collection from ChopardMUSCAT: Khimji’s Watches, the home of luxury in Oman, is now showcasing the classic yet stylish Happy Hearts collection from Chopard.

In 2015, the Geneva-based com-pany has revisited this collection by approaching it from a whole diff erent angle.

Throughout the Happy Hearts jewellery collection, the tra-ditionally openwork hearts now welcome ‘solid’ turquoise, onyx or mother-of-pearl hearts placed along slim white or rose gold chains. These series of col-ourful, openwork hearts are also interspersed with tiny hearts housing moving diamonds, says a press release.

In these gently undulating jew-ellery creations, an appealing sense of lightness mingles with a

carefree spirit and infi nite tender-ness. The mobile nature of the dia-monds together with the random arrangement of the motifs give rise to a line exuding an aura of chic and exquisite femininity.

Vivid or subtle depending on the choice of gemstone, the use of colour expresses a decidedly

modern mindset.Happy Hearts are heirs to a

longstanding tradition at Chopard, of which the fi nest hours have long since been marked by Happy Dia-monds. Inspired by sunrays glint-ing on the drops of a waterfall, they swiftly established themselves as a brand signature and have consist-

ently revealed their iconic, spirited character through countless dif-ferent variations.

After adorning watches with their whirling, playful and joyful touch, they have naturally found their way into jewellery.

These emblems of the Geneva-based manufacturer deploy an ethereal grace in expressing their subtle charms through a collec-tion that is destined to become a classic. Composed of long sau-toir necklaces, earrings and sup-ple bracelets, the collection also welcomes a new shape: A bangle bracelet of which the two ends — one colourful heart and another enclosing a moving diamond — face each other in an elegant pas de deux that is every bit as mod-ern, playful and airy as the entire new collection.

S T Y L I S H C O L L E C T I O N

Zahara Travel comes to The WalkMUSCAT: Leading destination and leisure management special-ist Zahara Travel Group has set up shop in one of Muscat’s trendiest locations – The Walk, the retail and commercial hub of Al Mouj Muscat (previously known as The Wave Muscat).

The new outlet is in line with the company’s broader strategy to establish a presence in upscale neighbourhoods and communities that are typically home to many of its discerning and discriminating customers, says a press release.

Conceived as a one-stop hub, the outlet at The Walk is equipped and manned to deliver a wide ar-ray of the Zahara Travel Group’s well-acclaimed travel, tourism, leisure and hospitality off erings. Servicing are professional staff representing international brands Avis rent-a-car and DHL courier services. Both franchises, part of a reputable portfolio of marquee brands, operate under the um-brella of the Zahara Travel Group in the Sultanate.

Fronting the premises are Zaha-ra Holidays, best-known for their creative, professionally managed holiday packages catering to fami-lies, couples and singles alike with honest pricing.

Holding a pride of place is a more recent addition to the Zahara Trav-el portfolio — The View, the fi rst eco-luxe retreat of its kind in the Sultanate nestled in breath-taking mountains in Al Hamra wilayat.

“It’s all about convenience and service,” says Gautam Broota, CEO – Zahara Travel Group. “We have a substantial client base in communities like Almouj Muscat, which is undoubtedly the most prestigious of Oman’s lifestyle

destinations. By setting up a presence in their

midst and being available on week-ends as well, we are taking conven-ience and our service delivery to a new level.

The new outlet is within reach to people not only in Almouj Mus-cat but also areas around such as Al Hail, Seeb, Rusayl etc.”

The new outlet will be open from 10am to 10pm all seven days of the week.

B E T T E R S E R V I C E

ISWK masters CBSE quiz

MUSCAT: Indian School Al Wadi Al Kabir (ISWK) added one more feather on its cap.

Sabareenath Madhusuoo-thanan, a Grade XI student from the science stream of ISWK, is one among only 12 winners se-lected from all the participants of CBSE Aavishkar (Discovery) online quiz conducted in the CBSE affi liated schools across the globe for the month of Au-gust, says a press release.

ISWK is the only school to achieve this honour among all the CBSE affi liated schools overseas. Based on the perfor-mance of the participants in the online quiz, winners are chosen for the cash award.

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Top J. D. Power award for Kia Grand Carnival

MUSCAT: If big cars that com-fortably ferry your family have remained your wish then the Kia Grand Carnival, is the answer. It provides the practicality and the ability to do almost anything you’d expect from a car making it a pop-ular choice for customers around the world.

Recently the 2015 Grand Car-nival has even been honoured with the J.D. Power Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) award in the Minivan segment.

This individual model accolade follows on the heels of Kia’s ascen-sion in the 2015 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS), in which the brand placed second among all nameplates (or “brands”) and re-ceived the highest score among non-luxury nameplates.

All new for the 2015 model year, the Grand Carnival is set-

ting a blistering sales pace with a 476-percent increase from mid-year reporting in 2014.

“The redesign of Grand Carnival which completes Kia’s design-led transformation under the direc-tion of Chief Design Offi cer Pe-ter Schreyer, is an extraordinary success story for the Kia brand,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president of Product Planning, Kia Motors America (KMA).

“Customers want vehicles they’re proud to drive, and Grand Carnival’s superior combination of a strong, confi dent design, ad-vanced safety features, and premi-um amenities, is revolutionising the minivan segment. Earning top honours in the J.D. Power APEAL study is affi rmation from our cus-tomers of the new Grand Carni-val’s appeal and desirability.”

The J.D. Power APEAL study measures new-vehicle owners’ overall satisfaction with their vehicles in the first 90 days of ownership. The results are di-vided into 10 categories and weighted accordingly: exterior, interior, storage, audio, seats, heating and ventilation, driving dynamics, powertrain, visibility, and fuel economy

The Grand Carnival is a unique

combination of a sedan and an MPV. The balance of comfort and practicality in the Grand Carnival brings with it unexpected sur-prises. There are plenty of added values that create the ambience of a premium MPV.

Thoroughly upgraded from the previous generation, the all-new Grand Carnival boasts an enhanced design inside and out, along with greatly improved use of space and convenience features that can compete with those of high-end sedans.

Its comprehensive safety fea-tures and elegant style have help garner some impressive accolades like the NHTSA Overall 5-Star Crash Safety Rating, 2015 Auto-bytel Minivan of the Year title and 2015 IIHS Top Safety Pick.

Named the Best New Car De-sign at the 2014 New York Auto Show, the Grand Carnival’s overall design improvement lies mainly in creating a more modern look with a powerful front end, clean side profi le and voluminous body. Inside, stand-up seats make fold-ing the second row upright easier, while the third row glides under the fl oor, providing ample space without removing any seats.

The smart tailgate, dual sun-

roof and power-sliding anti-pinch doors that stop upon detection of an approaching object by built-in sensors are just few examples of many premium features equipped in the luxurious Grand Carnival.

The Grand Carnival features an advanced safety system, both pas-sive and active, to ensure the best protection on the road. Extended use of advanced high strength steel and patented technologies have signifi cantly improved not only impact resistance but also torsion-al rigidity and performance thanks to weight reduction and collision structure redesign.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC), one of Grand Carnival’s many intuitive systems, will help you take better control of the ve-hicle. ESC actively controls the brake pressure of each wheel and engine output after recogniz-ing dangerous driving situations such as sudden turns, accelera-tion and braking.

The all-new Grand Carnival of-fers the perfect balance of power and refi nement, comparable to that off ered in premium sedans. Its high-endurance gasoline pow-ertrain delivers 276 horsepower and an exceptionally quiet, smooth drive. Engineered with a high per-formance damper (HPD), added rear strut reinforcement, and a high-strength chassis for better handling and aerodynamics, the Kia Carnival will be an excellent choice for those who are in search of premium class, large space and safety – all at once.

Vehicles specifi cations are sub-ject to change without notice. Ve-hicles may also some include deal-er installed accessories. Pictures and colours are indicative. For further details, please visit your nearest Kia showroom. Kia mod-els have also been equipped with some local accessories to enhance their looks, feel and functionality. Customers are welcome to get the full details of these local fi tments, by visiting the showroom.

This individual

model accolade

follows on the heels

of Kia’s ascension in

the 2015 J.D. Power

Initial Quality Study,

in which the brand

placed second among

all nameplates

(or “brands”) and

received the highest

score among non-

luxury nameplates

Pizza Hut conducts internal training for its employees

MUSCAT: As a part of its ongo-ing employee development ini-tiatives, Pizza Hut organised an intensive internal training and development programme for its national cadre. The workshop was conducted at Pizza Hut Al Hail for employees from across Pizza Hut Oman.

Sulaiman Rashid Al Hosni and Salim Saleh Al Balushi from the Pizza Hut Human Resource and Operations team showcased the basic standards and best prac-tices in both Food Safety and Customer Service to the new recruits. The teaching duo drew on their combined experience of over 17 years to deliver an inter-active training programme that was followed by a Q&A session, says a press release.

Commenting on the initiative, Abeer Khalfan Mubarak Al Si-yabi, one of the participants, said: “This workshop was both thought provoking and complementary to our immediate Team goals. We will surely use the expert advice in our daily activities.”

“Understanding the basics of food safety and customer ser-vice are critical success factors

to Pizza Hut. Our endeavour is to encourage our employees to ex-cel in maintaining hygiene levels and bring about a delightful cus-tomer experience,” said Vivek Pande, CEO, Lifestyle Group, Khimji Ramdas.

Yogesh Shah, general manager, Pizza Hut Oman said, “Through our structured in-house train-ing programmes and continuous monitoring systems we aim to maintain the highest standards of customer care.”

At Pizza Hut Oman, it’s all about delight in every bite. Creat-ing awareness through training and establishing process controls is pivotal to the delight customers with the best in class service.

Salim Saleh Mohamed Al Bal-ushi, assistant manager, Opera-tions of Pizza Hut Oman said, “Basic food safety and customer service are the main areas in our business. Such initiatives go a long way in creating the necessary check points and awareness among staff to ex-ceed customer expectation and give them much needed impe-tus to maintain hygiene levels at the kitchen as well.”

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

Orpic to sponsor People ConferenceMUSCAT: Oman Oil Refi nery and Petroleum Industry Com-pany (Orpic), will be sponsoring the People Conference to discuss global trends in leadership and human resources management at the Al Bustan Ritz Carlton Hotel, Muscat today.

The conference will bring into fore key ideologies and changes witnessed in the HR domain along with leading trends that are currently in practice, says a press release.

Musab Al Mahruqi, CEO, Orpic, expressed the importance of such events in supporting leaders har-ness the potential of people. He said, “We all have an important role to play in the development of our people, company and our blessed nation, and Orpic is hon-oured to host the People Confer-ence. In this global economy, HR function has taken on a greater role - not just in terms of recruit-ing the right people but also in terms of retaining and motivating

them to perform and exceed ex-pectations. We at Orpic, recognise our role in providing opportuni-ties to all employees especially with our growth projects moving forward on track.

Innovative solutions“The People Conference, which is attracting speakers across the board, will help leaders learn more about the innovative solu-tions needed to succeed in today’s competitive and challenging busi-

ness environment.”Orpic is one of the region’s fast-

est growing businesses, with the workforce set to double over the next three years, as the size of the business triples, and the forecast-ed profi t quadruples. Currently employing more than 1,600 people, 73 per cent of whom are nationals; Orpic has a number of success sto-ries and development programmes that recognise the necessary lead-ership and expertise, crucial to run a successful operation.

B E S T P R A C T I C E S

Chunlan ACs set to storm Oman marketMUSCAT: With amazing fea-tures such as eff ortless cooling and super silence, along with at-tractive pricing, the Chunlan se-ries of air-conditioners — brought to Oman by Oman Modern Elec-tronics — is all set to conquer the Sultanate’s thriving market for cooling equipment.

A shining model of Chinese in-novation, the ISO 9001-certifi ed Chunlan air-cons are manufac-tured by China’s leading business group Jiangsu Chunlan Refrigera-tion Equipment Co. Recognised as the topmost AC brand in China, Chunlan comes with state-of-the-art eff ortless cooling technology de-veloped at Chunlan’s R&D division to achieve maximum cooling in the

shortest time, says a press release. “Chunlan range of air-condi-

tioners including split, window, fl oor-standing and cassette mod-els bring about amazing cooling eff ect irrespective of the mercury

level outside, and are capable of cooling large spaces easily as they come with a 1150mm-wide indoor unit,” said Rajeev Sharma, GM at Oman Modern Electronics.

“Another remarkable feature is

the low noise level of the indoor unit, which is an unbelievably low 45dB. You just feel the chill, in a comfortably silent ambience. The Chunlan brand has a record of highest reliability as well,” he said.

“We have added the Chunlan brand to our portfolio in line with our commitment to bring the best of products to the people of Oman,” he concluded.

With an operational history spanning more than four decades, Oman Modern Electronics is one of Oman’s most trusted electron-ics company. It has showrooms in Ruwi central, Ruwi High Street, Salalah, Sur and Sohar, and ser-vice centres in Darsait, Salalah and Sohar.

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Sharia Board of Meethaq reviews branch operations

MUSCAT: The Sharia Supervi-sory Board of Meethaq Islamic Banking from Bank Muscat visited the Meethaq branch in Al Qurum as part of the strategy to review branch operations.

Sheikh Dr Ali Qaradaghi, chair-

man, and the board members Sheikh Essam Muhammad Ishaq, Sheikh Majid Al Kindi and Abdulqader Thomas visited the branch along with Sulaiman Al Harthy, group gen-eral manager – Islamic Banking.

The Sharia board members in-teracted with the branch staff to evaluate important operational aspects and discussed Meethaq activities and strategy for branch operations in the coming period, says a press release.

“As the pioneer of Islamic bank-ing in Oman, Meethaq is proud to expand branch operations across

the Sultanate and thereby off er world-class Islamic banking expe-rience to customers.

“The banking sector in Oman is witnessing the consolida-tion of Islamic banking and the state-of-the-art branch network refl ects Meethaq’s focus to rede-fi ne Islamic banking operations in Oman. The new branch is de-signed to create a unique ambi-ence and banking environment in line with the Meethaq brand values of true partnership, trans-parency and trust. Meethaq plans to expand the branch network

as well as launch new products and services to complement the unique Islamic banking experi-ence,” said Sulaiman Al Harthy

Meethaq, as part of continuous endeavour to provide world class services through the latest tech-nology and innovation, recently upgraded its core banking system, resulting in a host of cutting edge and fi rst-of-its-kind Islamic bank-ing services covering ATM/CDM, debit card and mobile banking for Meethaq customers.

Meethaq now functions on iMal core banking system.

The Sharia board

members interacted

with the branch staff

to evaluate important

operational aspects

and discussed

Meethaq activities

and strategy for

branch operations in

the coming period Lulu Exchange opens

branch in Seychelles

VICTORIA: Lulu Exchange Limited, a leading global remit-tance and foreign exchange brand, recently commenced operations of its fi rst branch in Seychelles in Victoria.

The branch was inaugurated by Sanjay Panda, High Commis-sioner of India to Republic of Sey-chelles in the presence of Adeeb Ahamed, director, Lulu Exchange Limited, senior management of Lulu International Exchange and other dignitaries.

Speaking on the occasion, Adeeb Ahamed, who is also the managing director of Asia Ex-press Exchange, said: “We are very pleased to open our very fi rst branch in Seychelles.

“This is the ninth country of our presence, and it indeed is a moment of pride since this comes right behind us celebrat-ing our sixth anniversary.

“We had started out with a single branch in 2009, and today with this opening we have 110 outlets globally.”

“We have always received a warm welcome in every country of operation, from customers, citizens and regulators alike and Seychelles is no diff erent. This beautiful island nation is a sig-

nifi cant market for us and we believe our entry into this coun-try will enable us to strengthen our global position as the most preferred remittance and for-eign exchange company,” added Adeeb Ahamed.

Lulu Exchange Limited has partnered with internationally renowned and trusted money transfer service providers to guarantee that its customers’ money reaches its destination in the fastest and the most secure way possible.

The exchange house also of-fers the best exchange rates in the market and is known for its high standards of customer care.

“At Lulu Exchange Limited, we facilitate fi nancial transaction services that are secure, instant and compliant through state-of-the-art systems that deliver fl ex-ibility, reliability, and transpar-ency. We are committed to fair business practices and are fully compliant with global anti-mon-ey laundering protocols.

“It is also our high calibre workforce backed by training and the latest technologies that helps us deliver the highest standards of customer satisfaction,” added Adeeb Ahamed.

E X P A N S I O N

Indian envoy meets community in SalalahSALALAH: During his fi rst tour of Salalah, Indra Mani Pandey, Indian Ambassador to Oman, met the members of the Indian Social Club and the Indian community here recently.

The Indian Social Club conduct-ed the ambassador’s interactive evening with the Indian communi-ty at Sultan Qaboos Multipurpose Hall on the ISC premises. In his welcome address, Chairman Man-preet Singh hailed the ambassador for his initiative in meeting the community to know their prob-lems and off ering help to resolve them, says a press release.

Dr Khadernawaz Khan, ISC general secretary, said that the ambassador’s fi rst visit to Salalah with a view to meeting the Indian community was laudable and

aimed at helping Indians to be a part of Oman’s development.

Expressing his happiness at coming to Salalah and meeting the people, Indra Mani Pandey said that Omanis knew about In-dia through the good work of In-dians and that the Indians were

the key players in developing and strengthening the bond between the two countries.

He assured the community that he would do his best to re-solve the issues, if any, of the In-dian community in Salalah. He personally met and interacted

with all the community mem-bers instantly earning the title of “People’s Ambassador”.

He was accompanied by Hari-haran, Defence Attache, at the embassy. Vinay Kumar, joint gen-eral secretary, presented the vote of thanks.

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

Ooredoo completes national fi bre backbone across OmanMUSCAT: Providing cutting edge telecommunications infrastruc-ture in the Sultanate, Ooredoo has announced the completion of its national fi bre backbone, span-ning almost 5,500km across the country. Providing high speed re-liable connectivity, the company has established an independent national infrastructure to bring cutting-edge speed and services to customers and businesses coun-trywide, says a press release.

“The conclusion of this major project signifi es the dawn of a new era in Oman’s telecommunications, one where we are able to keep up-to-date with emerging technologies from around the world, and deliver a host of socioeconomic benefi ts that supports human growth and His Majesty’s vision for the coun-try,” said Greg Young, CEO of Oore-doo. “It is not only about having the technology available, but the opportunities that a superfast net-work aff ords. Our aim is to inspire human growth and support every-thing from government, businesses and SMEs to schools, associations and charities, through the use of digital initiatives.”

Young went on to say, “This is not simply an upgrade to legacy

technology, it is an entirely new and unparalleled network develop-ment. We are no longer dependent on using the fi bre or transmission from other operators and can sin-gle-handedly ensure that we are able to avoid network outages or in-terruptions to service, which could impact the country signifi cantly. Oman is no longer dependent on just a single fi bre network and this will bring huge benefi ts to the coun-try in terms of security, depend-ability and attractiveness to foreign investors as well as government organisations and established busi-nesses. We know how important it is to future-proof our network and also safeguard national interests as well as protect local communities and the economy.”

The company’s investment on network modernisation to date

totals OMR124 million and covers 99% of the population and there is more to come.

With this national fi bre back-bone completion, Ooredoo is providing a robust, cost-eff ective data highway, which connects all regions of Oman to allow custom-ers and businesses to stay con-nected to each other and to the internet. The backbone comple-ments Ooredoo’s international submarine fi bre optic links and the Ooredoo Oman Superfast Fi-bre to consumers, as well as their diverse range of solutions for con-necting businesses; from SMEs to multinational companies.

As a fully licensed total commu-nications provider, Ooredoo serves all sectors countrywide, from the general public, to government, the private sector, retail, and education.

H I G H S P E E D C O N N E C T I V I T Y

KR furniture division gets a new

dimension with manager Bushra

MUSCAT: Khimji’s Offi ce Fur-niture Division has helped its clientele make their workplaces smarter and more intelligent over the last four decades. It off ers fur-nishing that establishes each in-dividual’s work area as their own arena of performance — an exten-sion of one’s personality.

Ensuring that customers choose the right furniture for their offi ces is the showroom’s ef-fi cient manager Bushra Khalfan Said Al Akhzami. Appointed as head of stock control, customer service and quality in-charge, Bushra exemplifi es the compa-ny’s commitment to providing top quality and prompt customer ser-vice. Her key strengths, she says, are ‘team leadership, customer service skills and the ability to learn quickly’. As a result she can successfully accomplish tasks such as the company’s elaborate stocking programme devised to meet increasing demands of the retail market, says a press release.

Bushra also represents one of the company’s core ideologies which is its investment in people. “What I truly love about working at the KR Infra Group is the fami-ly-like atmosphere that is present. Also, the company really cares about the welfare about its em-ployees and our performance on the job. It supports the employee in every aspect especially in train-ing and development,” she says.

As part of KR Infra, the infra-structure division of Khimji Ram-das, Khimji’s Offi ce Furniture are pioneers in workplace furnish-ing and interiors with an eclectic and exclusive choice of furniture sourced from all over the world.

Bushra’s strengths as a leader are a refl ection of how Khimji’s Offi ce Furniture prefers to do business — competently, compet-itively and with a creative edge. The showroom is recognised for its ability to provide complete and comprehensive solutions, deploy-ing an expert installation team to

meet growing demand. It draws on assistance from an expert line-up of architects, interior design-ers and engineers to keep ideas fresh and futuristic.

Prompt after sales support is another core value addition that sets Khimji’s Offi ce Furniture apart from the competition.

The company’s new showroom in Ghala boasts a spacious 2,000-sq metre show space for an un-paralleled collection of executive furniture that brings productivity and effi ciency into the workplace. For customers to truly experience what constitutes superior quality offi ce furniture, they need only step into the showroom and taken in the sheer variety of its off ering.

From offi ce seating, to execu-tive desks and workstations, partitions, reception furniture, steel furniture and a wide range of offi ce storage products, Kh-imji’s Offi ce Furniture guaran-tees variety, uniqueness and world class quality.

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

INAUGURATION: Sanjay Panda, High Commissioner of India

to Republic of Seychelles, inaugurates the fi rst branch of Lulu

Exchange Limited in Seychelles along with Adeeb Ahamed,

director, Lulu Exchange Limited, and other dignitaries. — Supplied photo

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

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STEWS AROUND THE WORLD

Iker Casillas to set Champions League record against Chelsea

> C3

Proteas to bank on IPL skills for India tour >C7

LISBON: Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas is set to break the Cham-pions League appearance record when Chelsea manager Jose Mour-inho makes his latest return to the Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday.

The pair had a diffi cult rela-tionship during Mourinho’s three years at Real Madrid, but after the Portugese left, Casillas cap-tained the team to victory over neighbours Atletico Madrid in the 2014 fi nal, earning his third winner’s medal.

He played his 151st match in the competition as Porto, who he joined in July, drew their opening Group G match 2-2 away to Dy-namo Kiev.

That equalled the record set by former Barcelona midfi elder Xavi, and Casillas is on the verge of breaking it.

Both teams go into the game af-ter dropping points in 2-2 draws away to lowly opposition at the weekend.

Porto were held by Moreirense on Friday night and suff ered inju-ries to two players.

Algerian midfi elder Yacine Bra-himi, who scored fi ve goals in nine Champions League games last season, hurt his right knee and was replaced at halftime.

Centre-back Maicon ended the match with a sprained ankle and is among several players that coach Julen Lopetegui said will have to be assessed ahead of the game.

Defender Ivan Marcano is avail-able after suspension and Lo-petegui will be back on the touch-line after being banned for the match in Kiev.

Despite only drawing with Moreirense, the coach said he was happy with the way his team played, while admitting that Por-to’s inability to take their chances

ultimately cost them victory.They remain top of the table on

goal diff erence from Sporting Lis-bon and are unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions.

Chelsea’s comfortable 4-0 win at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv on Matchday One was a welcome res-pite after two successive Premier League defeats.

They subsequently beat Arsenal 2-0 but on Saturday were held 2-2 at Newcastle United, only salvag-ing a draw with two goals in the last 11 minutes from Brazilians Ramires and Willian.

Mourinho rated their fi rst half performance “minus one out of ten” after a game that left the Eng-lish champions 15th in the table.

Spanish international striker Diego Costa, serving a domes-tic suspension, will be available in Porto, where Jos Mourinho became a hero by leading the Dragons to 2004 Champions League success.

He has taken Chelsea there twice before in the competition, losing 2-1 later that year and drawing 1-1 in 2007, while they won 1-0 under Carlo Ancelotti in 2009. - Reuters

Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas

played his 151st match in the competition

as Porto, who he joined in July, drew their

opening Group G match 2-2 away to Dynamo

Kiev. That equalled the record set by former

Barcelona midfi elder Xavi, and Casillas is

on the verge of breaking it

Champions League 2015-16

Sources: UEFA, Infostrada Sports

MATCH DAY 1: September 29 Head-to-head W D L

GROUP EBarcelona ESPLeverkusen GERBATE Borisov BLRRoma ITA

GROUP FBayern GERZagreb CROArsenal ENGOlympiacos GRE

GROUP GMaccabi ISRDynamo Kyiv UKRPorto PORChelsea ENG

GROUP HLyon FRAValencia ESPZenit RUSGent BEL

3110

3300

3110

3110

300

-3

31

-1-3

400

-4

100

-1

Lev’kusenBarcelonaRomaBATE

Standings PtsGD

BayernZagrebArsenalOlympiacos

ChelseaPortoKyivMaccabi

ZenitLyonGentValencia

Firstmeeting

Firstmeeting

5 1 2

3 0 3

0 1 1

1 1 4

0 2 0

0 0 2

MANAGERIAL EXPERIENCEMatches in Champions League

Alex Ferguson

Arsene Wenger

Carlo Ancelotti

Jose Mourinho

Mircea Lucescu

Titles: ‘99, ‘08

‘03, ‘07, ‘14

’04, ‘10 142

122

163190

98

AWAY DAYSChelsea were undefeated in Europe lastseason – losing out to PSG onlyon away goals

Away record inChampions League

Jose MourinhoChelsea manager After turbulent start to season with backroom disharmony and key players struggling to find form, Mourinho returns to Porto, with whom he won his first Champions League title in 2004

Graphic News /

MATCH DAY 2: September 30

GROUP AShakhtar UKRPSG FRAMalmo SWEReal Madrid ESP

GROUP BMan Utd ENGWolfsburg GERCSKA Moscow RUSPSV NED

GROUP CAstana KAZGalatasaray TURAtletico ESPBenfica POR

GROUP DM’gladbach GERMan City ENGJuventus ITASevilla ESP

3300

3300

3300

3300

42

-2-4

11

-1-1

22

-2-2

31

-1-3

RealPSGMalmoShakhtar

Standings PtsGD

PSVWolfsburgMan UtdCSKA

AtleticoBenficaGal’sarayAstana

SevillaJuventusMan CityM’gladbach

Firstmeeting

Firstmeeting

Firstmeeting

Firstmeeting

Firstmeeting

0 0 2

2 0 0

1 1 0

ITALIAN INFLUENCEJuventus, closing in on rival Milan’s victoriesin competition, face 2015 Europa Leaguewinners Sevilla

Milan

Juventus

Inter

Roma

Lazio

Win ratio: 45%

47%

48%

BEST OF ENEMIESJuventus faced Spanish opposition fivetimes last season, including semi-final winover Real Madrid

Home against Spanish team

Alvaro MorataJuventus striker scored in 2015 Champions League final and hit superb winning goal against Man City in opening game of this season

5126

7174

17Wins in

Champions League

36%

39%

L22W26

D22

L2

W13

D7

Graphics

BERLIN: Dinamo Zagreb will have to fi nd a way to stop free-scoring machine Robert Le-wandowski when they travel to in-form Bayern Munich in their second Champions League Group F fi xture on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola’s Bayern team are enjoying a nine-game win-ning run in all competitions with Lewandowski currently proving unstoppable.

Lewandowski has struck seven goals in the last week, fi ve in an incredible nine minutes against VfL Wolfsburg and two more against Mainz 05 on Saturday as Bayern tightened their grip on top spot in the Bundesliga.

Dinamo left back Josip Piv-

aric said he hoped Lewandows-ki had run out of ammunition after his sensational run.

“I hope he’s got nothing left,” he joked. We will do everything we can to make it diffi cult for Bayern. They are one of the best teams in the world but we hope that they have a bad day and we have a great one.”

Lewandowski’s scoring prow-ess is not the only danger for Dinamo with Douglas Costa’s dizzying runs down the left wing having split open every defence this season. “Until now we are very satisfi ed, we have maximum points,” said Sammer.

“But if we draw against Di-namo and lose against Dortmund then everyone will be asking

why we have messed up our season start.”

While Bayern began with victory against Olympiakos earlier this month, Dinamo will

be buoyed by their opening win over Arsenal. The Croatians will head into the clash after beating Osijek 4-1 on Saturday to stay top of the Croatian fi rst division.

Coach Zoran Mamic rested several players but the second-string outfi t produced an impres-sive performance, particularly reserve striker Armin Hodzic who scored twice.

Manchester United reject Angelo Henriquez also netted and their good form will have left Mamic pondering who to fi eld up front.

“The team played very well and the important thing is that we avoided any new injuries on a rain-soaked surface,” Mamic said. — Reuters

Dinamo Zagreb face daunting task of stopping Lewandowski

ON VERGE: Iker Casillas is on

verge of breaking Xavi’s record.

DANGER MAN: Robert Lewan-

dowski of Bayern Munich.

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Hosts Bangladesh pledges top security for touring AustraliansDHAKA: Bangladesh promised Monday to provide the Australian cricket team with the highest level of security, saying it was shocked they were considering cancelling a tour on fears militants could tar-get Australians.

After meeting Cricket Australia (CA) offi cials in Dhaka, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the Aussies would get security usually reserved for visiting heads of state if they went ahead with the tour starting this week.

“The highest security protocol will be provided for the Australian cricket team,” Khan told reporters.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan said the Australian foreign ministry’s ad-vice to delay the team’s departure on Sunday “has shocked me”.

“This is very disappointing for us. There is no risk for them in Bangla-desh,” Hassan told reporters.

Australia are now booked on a fl ight to Bangladesh late Tuesday but will await security briefi ngs

over fears militants could tar-get Australians before deciding whether to go ahead.

CA’s anti-corruption and secu-rity manager Sean Carroll and two other Australian offi cials met top security and intelligence fi gures in Dhaka on Monday, along with home minister Khan and BCB

chief Hassan, Dhaka cricket offi -cials said.

Sunday’s planned departure was blocked after the foreign af-fairs ministry in Canberra warned that “militants may be planning to target Australian interests”.

“This is not one of the ones you want to get wrong,” Australia’s

team performance manager Pat Howard said Monday.

“Today is a big day, we have a lot of meetings, a lot of people on the ground. We want to make sure we are not under-reacting, but also not over-reacting.”

“The advice we got was pretty direct against Australians and we want to make sure we’re doing our due diligence.

“We’ve bought ourselves 72 hours, but Cricket Australia is not going to put the players at risk.”

He added that there was no spe-cifi c threat against the Australian side. Minister Khan on Sunday rejected as “groundless” any se-curity threat to the tourists and said he hoped the games would go ahead.

Bangladesh are scheduled to host Australia for the fi rst Test from October 9-13 in Chittagong and the second from October 17-21 in Dhaka. A three-day warm-up match was set to start on October 3 in Fatullah. - AFP

CR I CKET

The highest security protocol will be provided

for the Australian cricket team

Asaduzzaman KhanBangladesh Home Minister

Blatter ‘will stay president’

LAUSANNE: Sepp Blatter in-sisted on Monday that he would stay on as the body’s president, his lawyer said, as UEFA chief Michel Platini revealed a payment made to him from Blatter had been “fully declared” to authorities.

The head of world football’s gov-erning body said he would remain in his position while cooperating with criminal proceedings opened against him by Swiss prosecutors.

He also defended a payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.05 million, 1.8 million euros) made in 2011 to Platini, which investiga-tors say may have been “disloyal” to FIFA.

“President Blatter spoke to FIFA staff today and informed the staff that he was cooperating with the au-thorities, reiterated that he had done nothing illegal or improper and stat-ed that he would remain as president of FIFA,” Blatter’s US-based lawyer Richard Cullen said in a statement.

In a meeting with Swiss inves-tigators on Friday, Blatter said the payments to Platini were “valid compensation and nothing more and were properly accounted for within FIFA”, said Cullen, who is based in the US state of Virginia.

The Swiss attorney general, who announced the proceed-ings against Blatter on Friday, has raised questions about the pay-ment to Platini, which Platini said was in exchange for work done nearly a decade earlier.

Platini has been questioned by Swiss investigators, but has not been named as the subject of crim-inal proceedings. In a statement to UEFA member associations, seen by AFP, Platini said the payment had been “fully declared by me to the authorities, in accordance with Swiss law”.

He added that he had spoken with Swiss authorities as part of the investigation and had request-ed to be heard by the FIFA ethics

committee. “I was interviewed by the Swiss authorities about this matter last Friday, not as a person accused of any wrongdoing, but simply in my capacity as a person providing information,” added the Frenchman, who is a candidate to succeed Blatter in charge of FIFA.

“Furthermore, I have today written to the Ethics Committee of FIFA to request that I may come forward and provide whatever ad-ditional information may be need-ed in order to clear this matter up.”

Swiss agents searched FIFA’s offi ces in Zurich on Friday, forcing the cancellation of a press confer-ence where Blatter was supposed to have addressed a range of crises surrounding world football.

Central to the Swiss investiga-tion is the 2005 sale of World Cup television rights to the Caribbean Football Union, then run by Blat-ter’s former ally Jack Warner, a deal which had allegedly been “un-favourable for FIFA”.

Swiss raidSince the explosive indictments and arrests of international soccer offi cials in May, FIFA President Sepp Blatter — previously a prolif-ic traveler — had only once left his home base of Switzerland.

In the end, he wasn’t even safe in his own offi ce. On Friday morn-ing, staff from the Swiss Attorney General’s Offi ce (OAG) arrived at FIFA’s headquarters building high in the hills above Zurich.

According to a person with knowledge of Friday’s events, the team of around 15 offi cials, includ-ing prosecutors and Swiss police, arrived to search Blatter’s offi ce while he was attending a meeting of FIFA’s ruling executive commit-tee. The offi cials seized unspeci-fi ed data, the OAG said.

The prosecutors waited until the meeting had ended before ap-proaching the 79-year-old FIFA

boss and taking him quietly to a conference room near his offi ce, where they told him he was under a criminal probe and interviewed him for several hours.

Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber was not present and a sen-ior deputy led the questioning, the source said.

Although Blatter was not ex-pecting the raid, some within FIFA had been told something was com-ing, a FIFA source said.

While a group of around 150 re-porters was told that a scheduled news conference from Blatter had been canceled, Lauber’s offi ce was preparing a statement.

That came in the form of a press release from the OAG announcing that they had opened “criminal proceedings” against Blatter on “suspicion of criminal misman-agement as well as - alternatively -

on suspicion of misappropriation”.The raid marked a new chapter

in the FIFA scandal that began in May when 14 soccer offi cials and sports marketing executives were indicted in the United States on bribery, money laundering and wire fraud charges.

A Swiss national who has run soccer’s powerful governing body for the past 17 years, Blatter has now for the fi rst time become the focus of a criminal investigation.

Blatter, who announced in June he would step down next Febru-ary, has denied wrongdoing and his U.S. attorney said he was coop-erating with the Swiss probe. He has not been charged with a crime in Switzerland and is not facing charges in the United States.

A few hours after the raid, Blatter was spotted by a Reuters photogra-pher at work inside an offi ce in the FIFA headquarters, giving a mislead-ing impression of business as usual.

The OAG may have been spurred into action by the publica-tion on Sept. 11 by Swiss television of a 2005 contract between FIFA and the Caribbean Football Union.

SFR, a Swiss TV channel, broadcast a page from the con-tract which it said showed Blatter in 2005 awarded for a low price of $600,000 lucrative TV rights to the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), which was headed by for-mer FIFA vice-president Jack Warner. Warner, who was among several former and current FIFA offi cials named in the U.S. indict-ment, transferred the rights to his own company and then resold them in a deal worth between $15 million and $20 million.

Lawyers surprisedUntil last week, all the charges against FIFA and soccer market-ing offi cials had come from the United States, which has expan-sive and extraterritorial anti-rack-eteering laws.

But the Swiss authorities had made clear they were investigating money laundering and “disloyal management” by persons con-nected to FIFA, as well as possible irregularities in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup awards.

Lauber recently disclosed that his offi ce now had collected evi-dence of 121 suspicious bank ac-counts or transactions and 11 tera-bytes of data, including data seized from the offi ces of both Blatter and FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke, who was placed on leave this month after allegations of wrongdoing. Blatter’s legal team had tried just days earlier to calm the waters over the Warner con-tract, and thought they had done so, according to a source briefed on meetings in Zurich.

His personal lawyers had traveled to Zurich and met with FIFA offi cials, who were conduct-ing their own review of the con-tract, and went over the relevant documents, the source said.

After the meeting, Blatter’s law-yers came away confi dent that the contract was carried out according to normal procedures, and so Lau-ber’s announcement took them by surprise, the source said.

Reuters acquired a letter on FIFA letterhead to the CFU dated July 25, 2011, signed by Valcke, in which he canceled the contract that Blatter signed with the CFU.

The letter noted that FIFA had not received a penny under a clause of the deal which allocated to it 50 percent of media and sponsorship revenues. Valcke’s letter was sent out six years after the contract was originally signed. The Swiss attorney general’s press release said that the CFU contract deal is key to its criminal investigation. It said it showed that Blatter signed a contract that was “unfavorable for FIFA,” adding there was a sus-picion that Blatter “violated his fi duciary duties and acted against the interest of FIFA.”

A key question in the Swiss in-vestigation is expected to be why Blatter or FIFA staff did not can-cel the contract sooner. Blatter’s lawyers say the CFU contract was properly prepared and negotiated by the appropriate FIFA staff . A lawyer for Valcke decline to com-ment on reasons for the delay.

The OAG statement also said Blat-ter was suspected of a “disloyal pay-ment” of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.05 million) to Michel Platini, the former French midfield soccer star who runs European soccer body UEFA.

Blatter’s Swiss legal team will handle whatever emerges from the OAG investigation. Blatter’s lead Swiss lawyer Lorenz Erni is regarded as one of the country’s top defense counsels on fi nancial crime cases, legal sources say. Blat-ter has no obligation to make any statement, and can invoke his rights similar to the Fifth Amendment under the U.S. Constitution that protects against self-incrimination, said Peter Cosandey, a Zurich-based lawyer who is not involved in FIFA-related cases.. - AFP, Reuters

The head of world football’s governing body

said he would remain in his position while

cooperating with criminal proceedings

opened against him by Swiss prosecutors

Payments to Platini were

valid compensation and

nothing more and were

properly accounted

for within FIFA

Sepp BlatterFIFA president

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South Africans bank on IPL skills

NEW DELHI: South Africa hope their players’ experience in the In-dian Premier League will enable them to turn the tables on their hosts at the start of a gruelling 10-week tour of India, coach Russell Domingo said on Monday.

The tourists are due to play three Twenty20 internationals and fi ve one-day matches up until October 25, before starting a four-Test series on November 5.

Ten members of their Twenty20 squad turn out for various fran-chises in the glitzy cash-rich IPL,

and Domingo said that will ben-efi t his wards. “We are fortunate to have quite a few players who know Indian conditions because of the IPL,” Domingo told reporters in New Delhi. “They understand what is required to play in these conditions.

“We expect tough and uncom-promising cricket during the tour. That is also how we play. The play-

ers are used to tough places.“South Africa is not for sissies.

We enjoy diff erent cultures. We enjoy meeting and mixing with new and diff erent people.”

South Africa have separate cap-tains for all three formats, with Faf du Plessis leading them in Twen-ty20 cricket, AB de Villiers in one-day internationals and Hashim Amla in Tests. Du Plessis insisted

the arrangement worked perfectly for the Proteas.

“The three of us play all formats and when one is not the captain, we can enjoy cricket without the ex-tra responsibility. This way we are always fresh. It has worked really well for us. It’s never been an is-sue, we continue to learn from each other and support each other.”

The three captains are among

only six players who are part of all three squads, the others being all-rounder JP Duminy, leg-spinner Imran Tahir and 20-year-old fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.

Domingo justifi ed the decision to rest pace spearheads Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel from the Twen-ty20 games to keep them fresh for the one-dayers and the Tests.

“It is going to be a long tour and

we have to decide how to manage our players,” the coach said. “It is tough to be practising day in and day out. And at the same time it off ers an opportunity to develop younger players. “It is a win-win situation for us because it allows us to look at options and keep play-ers fresh at the same time.”

The tourists will play a practice Twenty20 match in New Delhi on Tuesday before travelling to Dhar-amsala for the fi rst T20 interna-tional on Friday.

Touring squads:T20 squad: Faf du Plessis

(capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Marchant de Lange, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Eddie Leie, David Miller, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Albie Mor-kel, Khaya Zondo.

ODI squad: AB de Villiers (capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Khaya Zondo, Dale Steyn.

Test squad: Hashim Amla (capt), AB de Villiers, Temba Bavuma, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Simon Harmer, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Stiaan van Zyl, Dane Vilas. - AFP

The tourists

are due to play

three Twenty20

internationals and

fi ve one-day matches

up until October 25,

before starting a

four-Test series

on November 5

Series 2015India vs South Africa

PTI / Graphics

1st T20IDharamsala

5:30 PM

Friday2

2nd T20ICuttack5:30 PM

Monday5

3rd T20IKolkata5:30 PM

Thursday8

1st ODIKanpur7:30 AM

Sunday11

2nd ODIIndore

12:00 PM

Wednesday14

3rd ODIRajkot

12:00 PM

Sunday18

4th ODIChennai

12:00 PM

Thursday22

5th ODIMumbai

12:00 PM

Sunday25

1st TestMohali

8:00 AM

Thursday5

2nd TestBangalore8:00 AM

Saturday14

3rd TestNagpur

8:00 AM

Wednesday25

4th TestDelhi

8:00 AM

Thursday3

November 2015 December 2015

October 2015Oman Standard Time

AT PRACTICE: South African T20 Team during their practice session at Palam cricket Ground in New Delhi on Monday. – PTI

CONFIDENT DUO: South African team coach Russell Domingo, left, speaks as T20 captain Faf Du Plessis looks on during a press confer-

ence in New Delhi. South Africa are on a 72-day tour of India during which they play three T-20, fi ve One-Day International (ODI) and

four Test matches. – AFP

Dhawan’s 150 fl attens Bangladesh ABANGALORE: Skipper Shikhar Dhawan hit a strokeful 150 to help India A declare their fi rst innings on 411 for fi ve to notch up a mas-sive lead against Bangladesh A on Day 2 of the unoffi cial cricket Test, here on Monday.

Getting behind a 183-run defi -cit, Bangladesh A were 36 for two when bad light ended the day’s play. They still trail by 147 runs with skipper Mominul Haque (9) and Liton Das (7) at the crease.

India A pace spearhead Ishwar Pandey (1-4) and off -spinner Jayant Yadav (1-8) shared a wicket each.

Earlier, starting on their over-night score of 161 for one in re-sponse to the visitors’ eff ort of 228, the home side not only saw a crushing knock from Dhawan but also fi ne fi fties from Karun Nair (71) and Vijay Shankar (86).

The visitors heaved a huge sigh of relief when Saqlain Sajib (1-121) trapped Dhawan LBW just af-ter reaching 150 runs but Nair and Shankar ensured that the Bangla-deshi bowlers have a hard time at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Ishwar, bowling along with Ab-himanyu Mithun (0-21), provided an immediate breakthrough with the new ball.

In the third over, Anamul Haque (0) played a loose shot, giv-ing a catch to Nair off Ishwar.

Soumya Sarkar (19) put on 17 runs for the second wicket with Haque before Yadav dismissed him. But the spotlight remained on Dhawan, who proved his form and fi tness in style ahead of the

South Africa series, striking 18 fours and three sixes in his 146-ball knock.

The left-hander was racing against time to get fi t before the all-important series after getting injured in the fi rst Test in Galle in Sri Lanka. He missed the next two Tests but the Delhi-born player has come out all guns blazing in this

match. Dhawan also led by example after stitching a 153-run opening stand on Day 1. Nair on Monday got along with Shankar to manage 108 runs for the fourth wicket.

Later wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha (25 not out) also stuck around with Shankar to stitch a 71-run fi fth-wicket stand.

Leg-spinner Jubair Hossain

bagged two wickets after getting the all-important scalps of Nair and Shankar.

But the visitors stare at defeat as India A will now be looking to pick the remaining eight wickets on the third and fi nal day’s play and pour water on the rivals’ con-fi dence ahead of their home series against Australia. - PTI

C R I C K E T

ON TOP: India A bowler Ishwar Pandey celebrates with teammates the wicket of Anamul Haque on

Day Two of the three-day match against Bangladesh A at Chinnaswamy Stadium. – PTI

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Oman gearing up to host Asian Bench Press ChampionshipsMUSCAT: The Sultanate will be hosting over 200 delegates from across the continent as Oman is gearing up to host a successful Asian Bench Press Champion-ships from Wednesday.

The week-long championships, sanctioned by Asian Powerlifting Federation, will be organised at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex by Oman Committee for Powerlifting under the agis of the Ministry of Sports Aff airs.

Athletes from as many as 12 na-tions, including hosts Oman, will be competing in diff erent categories.

Besides the hosts, the other par-ticipating nations are Japan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Mongolia, Lebanon, the UAE and Kuwait.

The Organising Committee of

the championships met here re-cently under the chairmanship of Said Al Ghabshi and revealed Oman’s readiness to host a suc-cessful event. The committee comprises Saud Al Khanjari, who is also the Tournament Director, Saif Al Shibli, Yousuf Al Hassani and Mohammed Al Niyadi.

In his remarks, Said Al Ghabshi said: “We are confi dent of organis-

ing a successful championships.”“We also have high expectations

on our athletes. We are hoping they will do well and won some medals for the country,” he added.

The Asian event comprises both men’s and women’s champion-ships. The men’s competitions include open, sub-juniors, juniors and masters categories.

The women’s competitions will

be held in open, sub-junior, juniors and masters categories.

Some of the athletes who will be representing the Sultanate in the open category are Abdulmajeed Al Battashi (-59kg), Yahya Al Kiyumi, Khalifa Al Jamahi (both in -66kg), Aiman Al Hasani (-74kg), Yousuf Al Hasani (- 83kg), Nabil Al Mu-harrami (-93kg), Aidh Al Mandha-ri (+120kg), Alkhattab Awlad Tha-ni (-74kg), Nabras Awlad Thani, Mohammed Aulad Thani (both in -83kg), Fahad Al Nabadi (-105kg), Idrees Al Ubaidani (+120kg).

In the junior category, the Oma-nis who will be in action are Omar Al Zakwani (-74kg), Mazin Al Khusaibi, Omar Al Hasani (both in -83kg), Salim Aulad Thani (-93kg), Musaab Al Farsi (-105kg) and Qais Al Hasni (-120 kg).

C O N T I N E N T A L E V E N T

IN READINESS: The Organising Committee of the Asian Bench

Press Championships is hoping to host a successful event.

The week-long championships, sanctioned by Asian

Powerlifting Federation, will be organised at the Sultan

Qaboos Sports Complex from September 30 to October 6

‘OGC Development Squad make impressive progress’

MUSCAT: Budding Omani tal-ents, who are the members of the Oman Golf Committee (OGC) Development Squad, are making impressive progress, according to their coach Milo Breitenwisher.

Milo, a PGA Pro who has been handed over the reins of the De-velopment Squad by the OGC, has recently submitted an assessment report on the players’ progress to the Sultanate’s golf governing body.

Breitenwisher assessed all the players individually and in his re-port included his comments on each individual while mentioning the players’ progress levels.

“The number of players in the Development Squad has increased

this year. We now have some very talented players training with us,” said Breitenwisher.

“Some of them are very dedicat-ed and attend practice regularly. Several others are talented but they need to regularise their prac-tice, which is a challenge for me,” he said. “My message to the play-ers has always been — if you want

to be a successful golfer, you will have to be talented and at the same time you need a lot of dedication. There’s no short cut to success.”

To pursue its mission to profes-sionalise the sport in the country, Golf Oman, as the OGC is also known, has started a year-round project aimed at training promis-ing junior Omani boys and girls

and turning them into future champions. The year-long training programme began two years ago and is the OGC’s prime focus.

The players in the development squad are aged between seven to 16 years and are undergoing training weekly on the lush green course of the Ghala Golf Club.

The players are pooled into

three groups based on their skill levels - Novice, Intermediate and Advanced.

Some of these players will pro-gress to the next level, the OGC’s Elite Squad — and in a year’s time, they will eventually break onto the Oman national team.

“Here we have some players who can be picked up for the junior na-tional team in future if they want to continue in the same pace,” Bre-itenwisher added.

The PGA Pro coach is particu-larly impressed with two players Ayman Al Busaidi and Ahmed Al Wahaibi.

“Ahmed is a very cute little boy, who is not happy with his swing result if the ball doesn’t go at least 100 yards. He is just seven and al-ways wants to become No. 1 in all disciplines which is good. He al-ready has a good idea about swing, but we just need to help him settle in a little more so that he can focus more on his technique.”

“Ayman is also very talented with a lot of dedication. He’s a diligent boy. His parents are also very supportive. He is close to get a handicap soon. He can make it to the junior national team,” the coach added.

OGC Chairman Mundhir Al Barwani believes catching the players young is the right formula to feed the senior national team.

He opined: “We received the report from the coach and we will assess it. We are constantly moni-toring the Development Squad. We need a steady supply of young play-ers coming through a professional system. Which is why we formed this Development Squad.”

Milo Breitenwisher,

a PGA Pro who has

been handed over

the reins of the

Development Squad

by the OGC, has

recently submitted an

assessment report on

the players’ progress

to the Sultanate’s

golf governing body

IMPRESSED: Coach Milo Breitenwisher watches as the members of the Development Squad practice

their swing at the Ghala Golf Club. – Supplied photo

Squash ‘devastated’ by Olympic snubTOKYO: The head of the World Squash Federation (WSF) said he was devastated for the sport’s millions of followers after squash was again overlooked for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Squash was among eight sports short-listed for possible inclusion at the 2020 Olympics but failed to make the fi nal list of fi ve sports, recommended by Tokyo’s organ-isers on Monday.

The fi ve proposed for the 2020 Summer Games were baseball/softball, karate, skateboard, sports climbing and surfi ng. Squash, bowling and wushu all missed out. The International Olympic Com-mittee will make the fi nal decision next year on which sports will be accepted for Tokyo, choosing from the fi ve that were recommended.

“I don’t believe we could have done more to get our message across to both the Tokyo 2020 Games hosts and the IOC how Squash could bring something special as an addition to the Programme,” WSF President Narayana Ramachan-dran said in a statement.

“I know I speak on behalf of the millions of squash players around the world for whom the opportu-nity of seeing their sport partici-pate in the Olympics has been an absolute priority — and, like me, they will be heartbroken.”

Squash, played in more than 185 countries, was one of three sports short-listed for full inclu-sion at the Tokyo Olympics when the IOC voted on the programme at its 125th Session in Buenos Aires two years ago.

Wrestling won that vote for in-clusion ahead of baseball/softball and squash but the losers were thrown a lifeline when the IOC later decided that future Olym-pic host cities could select extra sports they wanted to see contest-ed at the Games.

“However, this is not the end for squash,” added Ramachandran.

“Our sport, played by vast numbers week in and week out, fl ourishes at every level from recreational to events around the world,” he added.

“We will go from strength to strength while we continue to tar-get participation at a future date in the Games.”

Squash has made great strides in modernising the sport, with the Professional Squash Association

(PSA) taking the game to iconic venues such as New York City’s Grand Central Station.

Alex Gough, the PSA chief exec-utive, said the latest setback should not detract from its success.

“The Olympic Games should be the pinnacle of any athlete’s career and inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Games would be a defi n-ing moment for squash and our athletes and to know that dream is once again out of reach is natu-rally a diffi cult proposition for the sport,” Gough said in a statement.

“But I feel we can take a lot of positives from the huge ground we have made over the last dec-ade — transitioning into a bour-geoning global sport that is now broadcast in almost 100 countries worldwide.” - Reuters

H E A R T B R O K E N

Lisicki to miss rest of the season with injury

BERLIN: Germany star player Sabine Lisicki confi rmed on Monday she expects to miss the rest of the 2015 season as she continues to struggle with a knee injury.

“We have tried everything, but my knee isn’t ready,” the 2013 Wimbledon fi nalist wrote on her Facebook page.

“The current state of play is that I won’t play any more tour-naments this season.”

Lisicki had complained of pain in her knee during the early rounds of the US Open earlier this month before her last-16 exit to Romania’s Simona Halep.

‘I will be back’She has been treated by famous Munich-based doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt, who looks after the German football team and athletics stars, including Usain Bolt.

“The doctors, my team and I have all worked hard to get me back fi t as soon as possible and I will be back by the start of the new season at the latest,” Li-sicki added.

It has been a disappointing season for the German who reached the semifi nals of Indian Wells in March and also made the last four at the Birmingham tournament in June.

She went out of the Austral-ian Open in the fi rst round and reached the third round of Ro-land Garros and Wimbledon, which has left her 28th in the world rankings from a high of 12th in May 2012. - AFP

T E N N I S

HUGE CHALLENGE: Oman under-23 national football team. – JUN ESTRADA/Times of Oman

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Oman U-23 team to take part in WAFF tourney

MUSCAT: The Sultanate’s un-der-23 football team will leave for Qatar on Wednesday to participate in the inaugural Under-23 West Asia Football Federation (WAFF) Championship.

The tournament is scheduled to be organised in the Qatari capi-tal of Doha from September 30 to October 14.

The inaugural event has attract-ed ten teams and they are divided into three groups.

Oman are placed in Group C along with arch-rivals the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Syria.

Group A comprises four teams - hosts Qatar, Jordan, Palestine and Yemen while Group B consists of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iran.

Hamad Al Azzani-coached Omanis are scheduled to begin their campaign with a tough match against the UAE on October 4 and they will complete their group engagements on October 7 with a match against Syria.

The top team from each group as well as the best second-placed team will advance to the semifi -nals, which will be played on Oc-tober 10. The fi nal and the third-place playoff will take place on October 14.

Win over PalestineAs part of their preparations for the championship, Oman played a friendly match against visiting Palestine at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on Sunday with Hamad Al Azzani’s boys recording a 2-0 victory.

On Monday, Al Azzani an-nounced a 23-player list for the

West Asia championship, includ-ing Al Munther Al Alawi and Ahmed Al Siyabi, the goal scorers against Palestine.

The team includes Ahmed Al Rawahi, Hasan Al Saadi, Mo-hamed Al Rawahi, Nader Awadh, Yaseen Al Sheyadi, Mahmood Ma-brook, Al Munther Al Alawi, Omar Al Malki, Marwan Teib, Ahmed Al Siyabi, Amjad Al Harthi, Da-wood Al Kahhali, Khalid Al Hama-dani, Jameel Al Yahmadi, Muath Al Khaldi, Mohanned Al Hasni, Hatem Al Rushdi, Abdullah Fawaz, Thani Al Rushidi, Azzan Al Tamta-mi, Yousef Al Mukhaini, Bilal Al Balushi and Omar Al Fazari.

Groups: Group A: Qatar, Jor-dan, Palestine, Yemen. Group B: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain. Group C: Oman, Syria, UAE.

Fixtures: Sept. 30: Qatar vs Pal-estine; Jordan vs Yemen. Oct. 1: Iran vs Bahrain; UAE vs Syria. Oct. 2: Rest day. Oct. 3: Qatar vs Jordan; Palestine vs Yemen. Oct. 4: Iran vs KSA; UAE vs Oman. Oct. 5: Rest day. Oct. 6: Qatar vs Yemen; Jordan vs Palestine. Oct. 7: KSA vs Bahrain; Oman vs Syria. Oct. 8 & 9: Rest days. Oct. 10: Semifi nal 1: Winners Group A vs Best runners-up; Semifi nal 2: Winners Group B vs Winners Group C. Oct. 11, 12, & 13: Rest days. Oct. 14: third-place play-off and fi nal.

Coach Hamad

Al Azzani has

announced a

23-member

Omani team for

the inaugural

championship, which

has attracted ten

teams from across

the west Asian region

FRIENDLY WIN: Action from a friendly match between Oman and Palestine played at the Sultan

Qaboos Sports Complex on Sunday. – JUN ESTRADA/Times of Oman

Ashpruha completes a double at ISC badminton tourneyMUSCAT: Ashpruha Patnaik has claimed a double crown at the National Bank of Oman-spon-sored Annual Badminton Tour-nament organised by the Indian Social Club (ISC) Muscat.

Ashpruha, who clinched the girls under-13 singles title a few days ago, climbed one notch high-er and won the girls under-15 sin-gles title for a double.

In the girls’ under-15 singles fi nal, Ashpruha was in a class of her own as she went on the demolition trail to hand Gayathri Krishna a 21-7, 21-12 defeat to claim her second title of the tour-nament and announced her ar-rival in the bigger league.

Thirteen-year-old Ashpruha showed no signs of nerves and used lobs and brilliant place-ments to disturb Gayathri’s rhythm. After seven-all in the fi rst game, Ashpruha clev-erly gained the upperhand and reeled off the next 13 points and wrapped up the game.

Gayathri put up some resist-ance until six-all in the second game but fell victim to some brilliant play by Ashpruha who continued the onslaught and gave nothing away on the way to clinching the under-15 title.

Tarun Jayadeven will take on Prayag Mohanty in the fi nal of the boys under-15 singles.

In a thrilling semifi nal, Tarun upset fourth seed Milind Naitha-ni 21-16, 22-20 and Prayag booked his berth in the summit clash after downing Sanjay Ven-kat in two well-contested games 21-18, 21-18.

The second-seeded team of Ghafoor and Sudhin advanced to the second round of the open men’s doubles event after a bril-liant 21-11, 21-6 win over Shaji Varghese and Sreekumar.

In other fi rst round matches of the same event, Yogesh Narula and Babu Said marched ahead with a 21-7, 21-13 demolition of Harish PC and S. Christopher, Shivadas and Sajeev faced some resistance in the fi rst game be-fore defeating Sitaram S. And Ramesh Gupta 21-17, 21-9.

The duo of Vinod Abraham and Sony were too strong for Prakash Mohanty Mohamad Ri-zwan whom they handed a 21-3, 21-8 drubbing, Sunil Kumar and Shaiju had no diffi culty in posting a convincing 21-7, 21-9 win over Zakariya KO and Anvish and In-dran and Das showed good team-work in their 21-11, 21-7 victory over Sayed KO and Mohamad Rafeeque. Seasoned campaign-ers Mathew Thomas and Biju Pe-ter advanced to the second round with a fi ne 21-8, 21-16 victory over S. Satpathy and VM Jaideep.

F I N E S H O W

FINALISTS: Ashpruha Patnaik, left, and Gayathri Krishna

Sharapova’s comeback cut short by new injuryWUHAN: Maria Sharapova’s comeback from a leg injury lasted less than three sets on Monday before she retired with a left arm problem against unseeded Bar-bora Strycova at the Wuhan Open.

The world No. 3 had been out with a persistent leg injury since July, when she lost a Wimbledon semifi nal to Serena Williams, and pulled out of three events includ-ing the US Open.

But the Russian’s long-awaited return proved short-lived as she was pushed to two tie-breaks by the Czech Republic’s Strycova be-fore withdrawing when 2-1 up in the third.

Sharapova’s retirement leaves a question mark over the rest of her season with only one big tour-nament, the China Open, left be-fore the year-ending WTA Finals in Singapore.

She had pulled out of a WTA event in Toronto and the Cin-cinnati Masters hoping to be ready for the US Open, but was also forced to withdraw from the

year’s fi nal Grand Slam tourna-ment. “Obviously I took a large amount of time to get back to a level where I can come to a tour-nament, which is very important,”

Sharapova said on Saturday as she arrived in Wuhan.

“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t healthy and ready to compete,” she added. - AFP

T E N N I S

RETURN SHORT-LIVED: Maria Sharapova

Barcelona’s Mascherano charged with tax fraud

BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Argentina international Javier Mascherano has been charged with two counts of defrauding the Spanish tax authorities of a total of more than 1.5 million euros ($1.67 million), the public pros-ecutor said on Monday.

Mascherano, who joined Barca from English club Liverpool in Au-gust 2010, is alleged to have sought to conceal earnings from his image rights by using companies set up in the United States and Portugal, the prosecutor’s offi ce said.

The 31-year-old is accused of defrauding the authorities of

587,822.01 euros ($656,420.84) in 2011 and 968,907.76 in 2012, they added.

Mascherano, who made no im-mediate public comment on the charges, this month paid the mon-ey owed plus almost 200,000 eu-ros interest, the offi ce said, and lo-cal media reported this could work in his favour if he is found guilty.

Barca did not immediately re-spond to a request for comment.

Mascherano is the latest high-profi le soccer player to be ac-cused of tax fraud following the likes of his Barcelona and Argen-tina team mate Lionel Messi.

E A R N I N G S C O N C E A L E D

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Fractured jaw forces de Villiers to end Springbok careerNEWCASTLE: South Africa cap-tain Jean de Villiers has ended his international career after a frac-tured jaw ruled him out of the rest of the Rugby World Cup.

The 34-year-old centre has 109 caps, the fourth highest in South African rugby, and has captained them 37 times.

“It’s never nice getting injured and knowing that I’ve played my last game for South Africa. It’s quite sad,” de Villiers told a press conference.

De Villiers suff ered the latest of a series of injury blows that have blighted his international career in South Africa’s 46-6 win over Sa-moa on Saturday.

“As I got replaced and I was run-ning off , I knew it was my last,” he added. “I won’t get this opportu-nity again. Having played for the Springboks for 13 years now, you’ve been through so much, you’ve made so many good friends, you’ve

seen so many good things, you nev-er think that it would end like this.”

De Villiers said he broke the news to teammates on Saturday night and will return to South Afri-ca on Monday for probable surgery on his jaw.

Springbok warrior “It’s happened now and I’m very grateful for the time that I’ve had in the Springbok jersey and I wish the team the very best.

“I told them last night, as a for-mer Springbok now, I wish them the very best and I’m supporter number one now.”

South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer hailed de Villiers as “a warrior” and one of the country’s greatest players.

“The way in which he never gave up fi ghting to overcome his last serious knee injury reminded me again how much of a warrior he is and how highly he regarded

the Springbok jersey,” said Meyer, whose own position remains un-der threat after South Africa’s de-feat by unheralded Japan at this World Cup. “He will go down as one of the greatest Springboks ever and in my eyes he is probably one of the best captains in the his-tory of world rugby, who always put the team fi rst and gave his time for any player, young or old with-out ever changing who he is.

“To see the emotions in the team room when he said his good byes to his teammates made me real-ise how well-liked he is, by every person in this squad, but also most other people in the world-wide rugby fraternity.”

All Blacks hooker Keven Meal-amu said: “I feel disappointed for him. I understand how hard he worked to get back in time for the Rugby World Cup. I really feel for the guy, he’s going to be sorely missed in that team.”

Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula speaking after de Villiers was ruled out of the World Cup but prior to his Test retirement hailed him as an inspirational leader and patriot.

“He was a soldier that was in-jured on duty trying to do better for his country, his family and eve-rybody,” said the Minister.

Despite being considered one of the world’s best centres, injuries have repeatedly stopped de Vil-liers tasting success on the World Cup stage.

He barely made this World Cup after returning from a long lay-off from a serious knee injury suff ered against Wales in November.

And Saturday was the second time in two months that de Villiers has broken his jaw. He snapped the other side of his jaw in South Africa’s historic home defeat by Argentina in August.

De Villiers missed the 2003 World Cup because of a shoulder

injury which he sustained on his return from a serious knee injury he suff ered just seven minutes into his Test debut in 2002.

In 2007 he injured his biceps in the fi rst game and missed the rest of the tournament which South Africa won.

De Villiers and Meyer have faced fi erce criticism at this World Cup, where South Africa lost their opening Pool B match 34-32 to Japan.

De Villiers said he had just ex-perienced probably “the toughest week of my rugby career.” But he still believed South Africa could win the World Cup for the third time. “We’ve still got a massive game this weekend (against Scot-land) and certainly I don’t want the guys to feel sorry for me.

“It’s about getting the team right and getting the same attitude that we had yesterday and getting a good win against Scotland.” - AFP

R U G B Y

TOUGHEST WEEK: Jean de Vil-

liers.

Forget England and bring on Fiji: Wales

CARDIFF: Wales heroics against England were quickly consigned to yesterday’s news by assistant coach Shaun Edwards as they swiftly turned their attention to avoiding a slip up against Fiji on Thursday.

“Obviously we’ve put ourselves in a good position but the job’s only half done. We’re fully aware of that,” Edwards said, drawing a line under the momentous 28-25 victory.

Throughout the principality, ecstatic Wales fans continued to celebrate the day after Dan Big-gar’s 23 points with the boot and a Gareth Davies try shocked the World Cup hosts.

But for Edwards and the Welsh squad there was only a quick cel-ebration on the bus ride from Lon-don back to Cardiff immediately after the game before switching on again to a World Cup that has fi ve weeks to run.

Wales now have two wins from two games but are not assured of being one of the two sides to quali-fy from the tough Pool A.

Australia are also unbeaten after two matches, but still have England (one from two) and Wales to play, while winless Fiji have shown the potential to be spoilers in a pool that may eventually be de-cided on bonus points.

“If we don’t get the job done on Thursday against Fiji, or even if we do get the job done we’re still not defi nitely through,” Edwards said.

“We’re very very aware of the fact we didn’t go into this competi-tion after the bitterness from 2011 just to beat England. We came to go as far as we can.”

Wales remain haunted by the outcome of their campaign in the last World Cup which ended with a 9-8 loss to France in the semifi nals when they played 60 minutes with 14 men after skipper Sam Warbur-ton was red-carded.

It was Wales second visit to the semifi nals after 1987, when they were beaten by New Zealand, but they have never made the fi nal.

This latest campaign was rocked by injuries before the tournament started and three more players — Liam Williams, Hallam Amos and

Scott Williams — were seriously injured in the England clash.

But despite the short fi ve-day break before the Fiji game, Ed-wards said the need to bank cru-cial points in the so-called ‘pool of death’ meant they could not rest star players.

“When you get some momen-tum you want to keep that mo-mentum going,” he said. “We do have quite a long turnaround af-ter the Fiji game to Australia so the boys will get rested up next week. So we’ll be putting a pretty

strong team out against Fiji.I’ve been incredibly impressed by Fiji. Against Australia they conceded three tries and two of them were from mauls so they went 80 min-utes and conceded only one open-fi eld try against an Australian team who were fully loaded with all their best players.

“Another thing that impressed me massively was Fiji when they played England was the scrum. They scrummed very, very well and we’re fully aware we’ve got our hands full on Thursday. - AFP

For Edwards and

the Welsh squad

there was only a

quick celebration

on the bus ride from

London back to

Cardiff immediately

after the game before

switching on again to

a World Cup that has

fi ve weeks to run

JOB HALF DONE: Wales’ assistant coach Shaun Edwards attends press conference in Cardiff . – AFP

CARDIFF: Wales epic World Cup win over England has come at a huge price with backs Scott Williams and Hallam Amos forced out of the tournament through injury, the team management said on Monday.

They have been replaced by utility back James Hook, a member of the squad that reached the 2011 World Cup semifi nals, and fl y-half Gareth Anscombe.

“Scott Williams (knee) and Amos (shoulder) have sustained injuries that will preclude them from taking fur-ther part in the tournament,” the team statement said.

Liam Williams, who was concussed in the 28-25 victory, will not be considered for Wales’ next match against Fiji in Cardiff on Thursday but may be considered for their fi nal pool A game against Australia.

The departures of Amos and

Williams are just the latest loss of key personnel to hit the Wales camp.

They lost fullback Leigh Halfpenny and scrum-half Rhys Webb to injury before the World Cup started, centre Cory Allen was sidelined after their opening 54-9 win over Uru-guay while Jonathan Davies was ruled out earlier this year after suff ering a serious injury playing for his French club Clermont. - AFP

Welsh duo Amos, Williams out of World Cup

Tonga take aim at Namibia in race for third placeEXETER: Tonga face Namibia on Tuesday with their aim reset on fi nishing third in Pool C to seal automatic qualifi cation for the 2019 World Cup while the south-ern Africans will simply be after a fi rst-ever win.

Tonga went down to a shock 17-10 defeat by Georgia in their opening match, throwing the scrap for third place wide open behind heavyweights New Zea-land and Argentina.

While Tonga mathematically remain in the hunt for second place, they have still to play the All Blacks and the Pumas, who fi nish up their pool campaign against Namibia.

Namibia have made eight changes to the starting line-up that lost 58-14 to New Zealand last week.

Indefatigable Saracens fl anker Jacques Burger will captain the side coached by Welshman Phil Davies to make his 10th World Cup appearance, which leaves him one shy of the team record of 11 held by Hugo Horn.

Tonga, an ever-present at the World Cup bar one absence in 1991, have nine changes, coach Mana Otai explaining that de-cision by pointing to the short timespan between the next games.

“There’s always been a plan about how we take on these four games and take into considera-tion the two four-day turnarounds in the upcoming two games, but having said that, we also take into consideration now the situation that we’re in,” Otai said.

“We haven’t had success in

the last game against Georgia, so we’re making sure that we address this game fi rst and fore-most, hence the changes. This is the team that we believe is going to do the job in the game coming up against Namibia.

“On the day we’ve got to be pre-pared, regardless of who we’re playing and I think we learned our lessons from Georgia.”

Otai warned that their favour-ites’ tag would count for noth-ing following England’s 28-25 defeat by Wales.

“It could have been either one’s game, but if you look at the build-up to it, I think the favourites were England — we’re in the same dilemma (being favourites)... It highlighted that at the World Cup anything could happen.”

Namibia coach Davies warned that his team faced a tough test against the South Sea islanders.

“The Tongans have had a good rest. There will be a lot of emotion fl ying around their team and they will be very physical,” the former Llanelli and Wales forward said. “They are number 11 in the world and we are number 20. That’s a huge diff erence, so it will be a mas-sive, massive challenge for us.”

Davies said many positives could be taken from their defeat by champions New Zealand.

“There was inevitable excite-ment about our performance but this is a level-headed group,” Davies said.

“I was pleased with the per-formance but a bit disappointed that we didn’t impose ourselves a bit earlier.” - AFP

P O O L C

Scotland lock Gilchrist

ruled out of World Cup

LONDON: Scotland lock Grant Gilchrist has been ruled out of the World Cup due to a groin in-jury, Scottish Rugby Union said on Monday.

The 25-year-old suff ered the injury during the 39-16 victory over the United States on Sunday which put the Scots top of Pool B.

“He’s worked so hard to get fi t. When we started off in June he was 12 months behind every-one else, so for him to get where

he got to and playing as well was an achievement in itself. To get shot down like that, we all feel for him,” Scotland assistant coach Duncan Hodge told reporters.

Gilchrist broke his arm play-ing for his club Edinburgh in Oc-tober last year having just been made Scotland captain by coach Vern Cotter. He missed the rest of the season.

Scotland next play South Africa in Newcastle on Saturday. - Reuters

I N J U R E D

Shawarma Unfolded

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

DiningSECTIONC L I F E STY L E T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

Shawarma is a popular sandwich found in the Mid-dle East. In a sha-warma the meat is marinated in

a blend of spices like pepper, cardamom, chopped garlic, and lime juice and then slow cooked for hours for the ‘melt in mouth’ fl avour. It is then served either wrapped in pita bread or on a plate with sauces.

Shawarma is made and served fresh and cannot be

pre-packed or reheated. Due to unavailability of traditional roasters at home, shawarma has typically remained a dish found on the roadside eater-ies. However with this recipe, you can bring the beautiful fl avours of chicken shawarma home without such roasters.

And to give a twist to its taste I am going to serve it with baked potato chips, in-stead of the regular fries. So let’s get in a mood for some pita bites.

B Y P A L L A V I N I G A MP H O T O S A . R . R A J K U M A R

LIFESTYLEC8 T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

PallaviNigam

Pallavi Nigam completed her

culinary education at ICIF in Italy

and worked as a chef for Grand

Hyatt, Mumbai. She is now based

in Muscat where she writes recipes

and takes cooking classes.

Contact her:

pallavi_nigam@hotmail.com

twitter @pallavizza

pallavizza.com

The fi rst lesson on cooking starts with boiling

eggs. While making hardboiled eggs is the

easiest thing to do there are a few common

mistakes we often make.

Make a Perfect Hardboiled Egg

1 If the vessel is small and the eggs are all crammed up in the pot then while boiling the eggs will not get cooked evenly and might crack in the process. Remember to have them in a single layer and not to put them on top of each other.

2 Don’t put the eggs straight into the boiling water. Both water and eggs should be at room temperature. Boil them at same temperature and pre-vent them from cracking.

3 At times we put eggs for boiling and leave it till the water dries. The yolk of overcooked hard-boiled eggs

turns greyish and becomes rubbery. It takes almost 10 minutes to have a perfect hard-boiled egg. Don’t boil them for a longer time.

4 As soon as the eggs get boiled drain the hot water and add cold water to it. This helps separate the egg shells easily making it easy to peel.

Struggling with a kitchen

calamity of your own? Want advice?

Share your horror stories and your

cooking tips with

swati@timesofoman.com

KITCHENCALAMITIES

SHAWARMA CHICKEN

IngredientsFor Four Wraps:• 300g chicken breast For Marination:• 150g plain yoghurt • 2tsp freshly ground

cardamom• 2tbsp chopped garlic • 1tbsp lime juice • Salt and pepperOther Ingredients:• 4 pita bread • Chopped onion • Chopped parsley• Hummus

Preparation• Place the chicken breast

between two cling fi lms and beat to make it thin. Marinate with all the above ingredients and sauté in pan with hot oil, till cooked.

GARLICKY TAHINI SAUCE

Ingredients• 1/2 cup greek yoghurt• 2tbsp tahini• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice• 1/4tsp salt• 1 garlic clove mince

Preparation• In a blender place all the in-

gredients together and blend till everything is combined.

BAKED POTATO CHIPS

Ingredients• 750g potatoes • 1tbsp of oil• Salt and pepper

Preparation• Wash and dry the potatoes,

then cut in 1cm thick sticks.Blanch in a large pan of boil-ing water for 3-4 minutes. Then drain well.• Spread the potatoes on a

roasting tray, drizzle the oil, sprinkle salt and pepper. Mix with hands.

• Then roast for 15- 20 minutes.

• Turn them in between once.• To serve, wrap the chicken

in grilled pita bread, top with baked potato chips, the spe-cial sauce, chopped onion, parsley, and hummus.

Exotic Flavours at Chinese Fest

Mooncakes, a tasty treat often given as a gift during China’s annual Mid-Autumn Festival, are being made with new and interesting fl avours.Chocolate, coff ee, and yoghurt are among the new fl avours, Xinhua news agency reported. Lotus seed paste, sweet bean paste, jujube paste, and fi ve kernel are the traditional fi llings, along with the more recent additions of taro paste, pineapple, and du-rian. The new “exotic” fl a-vours refl ect a wider shift in the tastes and demands of customers, especially “foodies” or those with a taste for western cuisine, sources said. Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University, said these new additions were not a threat to traditional mooncakes.According to online shopping site taobao.com, traditional Cantonese-style mooncakes remain the top item sold by renowned bakery Daoxiangcun, which, this year, has sold more than 400,000 sets na-tionwide. Chocolate-fi lled mooncakes have raked up sales of about 80,000 sets, according to Taobao. The appearance of mooncakes has also changed over the years in response to competition and the need to “stand out”.

Flavoured Coconut Milk Launched in Kerala, India

State-run Coconut Development Board (CDB) in Kerala, India launched fl avoured coconut milk in pistachio, rose and choco-late fl avours. The CDB said coconut milk was lactose-free unlike regular milk.It announced that other fl avours like coff ee and almond would be launched soon. The fl avoured milk has been developed by the CDB Institute of Technol-ogy in Aluva and will be available in attractive glass bottles, tetrapacks and pet bottles. In a statement issued, the CDB said co-conut milk was a healthy, vegan and environment-friendly alternative to dairy milk, and has several nutritional advantages and serves as a superior source of essential nutrients. This new product has also been identifi ed as a rich source of iron and copper and is low in sugar. -IANS

BR I E FS

Phot

o: A

.R. R

ajku

mar

Kerala’s Favourite Stew

Stews Around The World

LIFESTYLEC9T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

Irish Lamb Stew

Irish stew is prepared with lamb or beef

plus root vegetables like potatoes, onions, carrots, turnips, and

a bouquet of fresh herbs (parsley, thyme,

bay leaf ) for fl avour. The gravy (broth

without the froth) is thickened with a roux made of fl our

and butter. Chopped parsley, a dash of

Worcestershire sauce, and crushed pepper

is added for fl avour.

Korean Jjigae

Koreans prepare stew in a variety

of ways and every kitchen has its own

recipe. However, the most popular

communal Korean stew is made with

whatever’s in season, be it meat, seafood or vegetables. The broth of meat and veggies, often seasoned with

fermented chilli paste and served piping hot,

is a staple in most Korean homes.

Philippines Beef Stew

In the Philippines, stew is commonly

made with tender beef along with carrots,

potatoes, onions and seasoned with

paprika, black pepper, and garlic. Diluted

corn starch is often used to thicken

the broth.

Spanish Marmitako

In Spain, Marmitako was a traditionally

prepared tuna stew, eaten by fi shermen

during fi shing expeditions in the

Cantabrian Sea. Current day recipes include ingredients

like potatoes, onions, peppers, and

tomatoes, while Asian infl uences bring in

chilli and ginger, as well.

Moroccan Tajine

This spicy Moroccan stew has been

named so because of the earthen pot it is cooked in. It is

typically made with meat (beef or lamb),

vegetables, olives, and fruits like plums, dates, which render an offb eat sweet and

sour taste to the stew.

Hungarian Goulash

The goulash dates back to the 9th century, even

before Hungary was established. This

stew, traditionally made with calf muscle

and vegetables and seasoned with

paprika, is now the country’s national dish.

Vietnamese Bo Kho

In Vietnam, beef stew is known as Bo Kho and is typically

prepared in a clay pot. The stew is fl avoured

with a sweet sauce and a pungent fi sh sauce. Modern day

Bo Kho has had many variations and

includes carrots, potatoes, and spices

like star anise.

American Beef Stew

Pieces of lean meat are coated in fl our

before being sautéed in oil and boiled for about 3-4 hours on

slow fi re, with carrots, potatoes, green beans,

and celery added halfway. The broth is seasoned with herbs.

Fresh lemon juice, crushed black pepper,

dried oregano, and diced tomatoes are added for a

tangy taste.

In the southern state of Kerala in India, stews are made in a variety of ways,

especially with mutton along with vegetables, and eaten with rice, appams,

paranthas, or freshly baked bread. The two key ingredients, however, in all the

recipes are coconut milk and curry leaves. Here’s one popular mutton stew, with

a coconut milk base, resembling moonlight in an earthen pot. By Hubert Vaz

Phot

o: A

li Ja

ni

KERALA MUTTON STEW

Ingredients• • 750g mutton• • 3 small sticks of cinnamon• • 4 cardamoms• • 5 cloves• • 2 tbsp cooking oil• • 1 small onion, sliced• • 5-6 curry leaves• • Blend: 6 green chillies, 2 inch

piece ginger, and 8-10 cashew nuts with a little water into a smooth paste.

• • Juice of one medium sized lemon• • Salt to taste• • 2 cups (400ml) thick

coconut milk• • Two medium-sized potatoes

boiled and cut into four pieces

• • Two medium-sized carrots, cut into one-cm thick circles, and steamed for 2-3 minutes

• • 1/2 tsp freshly powdered black pepper

Preparation• • Boil mutton with 4-5 cups

of water, half tsp salt, cloves, cardamoms, and cinnamon on slow fi re until cooked but fi rm enough. Strain out the spices and separate the stock and pieces of mutton.

• • In a wide mouthed pan (prefer-ably earthen pot), heat the oil, add the sliced onion and fry till golden. Now add the curry leaves followed by the blended puree of ginger, green chillies, and cashew

nuts and cook for 2-3 minutes on slow fi re.

• • Slightly increase the fl ame and add the mutton stock (with the spices strained out) and lemon juice, and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.

• • Reduce fl ame and add the two cups of coconut milk, the mutton pieces, and potato and carrot pieces.

• • Add the pepper powder, stir slowly, and continue cooking on very slow fi re for 10-15 minutes with a lid on.

Expert tip: Never increase the fl ame after adding the coconut milk to prevent the gravy from curdling up.

FIND-IT-ALLC10 T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

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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

Hamdan Hospital 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

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

SHATTI

Sicario (Action, Crime)(12+)(2D)Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro12:00 pm /07:00 pm /09:30 pm /11:55 pm The Visit (Comedy, Horror) (15+)Cast : Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould2:30 pm /11:45 pmThe Intern (Comedy)(PG12)Cast : Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro12:15 pm /03:45 pm /07:45 pmHotel Transylvania 2 (Animation)(3D)PGCast : Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg12:15 pm /06:00 pmHotel Transylvania 2 (Animation) (3D)PG2:00 pmPay The Ghost (Horror,Thriller) (15+)Cast : Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Alex Mallari Jr.5:00 pm /10:00 pm /11:45 pmThe Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (Action) Cast : Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario4:30 pm /09:15 pm (PG12)(3D)Everest (Adventure, Drama)(PG)(3D/IMAX)Cast : Jason Clarke, Ang Phula Sherpa 2:30 pm /07:00 pmEverest (Adventure, Drama)(PG)(2D)7:00 pm

MUSCAT GRAND MALL

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials: 3D (Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller) (PG12)Cast: Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie03:15, 11:45 PMGold Class: 06:30 PMSicario (Action, Crime, Drama) (12+)Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro12:15, 07:45, 11:55 PMGold Class: 02:00, 09:00, 11:15 PM Moomins on the Riviera : 2D (Animation) Cast: Maria Sid, Mats Langbacka (PG)10:00 AM, 1:30 PMEverest : 3D (Adventure, Drama, Thriller) (PG)

Cast : Jason Clarke, Ang Phula Sherpa 4:45 PMHotel Transylvania-2 : 3D (Animation) (PG)10:00, 11:45 AM, 02:30 PMGold Class: 12:15 PMCalendar Girls (Hindi) : 2D (Drama) (15+)Cast : Akanksha Puri, Ruhi Singh, Kyra Dutt9:30 PMPay the Ghost : 2D (Horror, Thriller ) (15+)Cast : Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies 5:45, 10:00 PMThe Intern: 2D (Comedy ) (PG12)Cast : Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro7:00 PM; Gold Class: 04:15 PM

AZAIBA

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials – 3D (PG12) Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller Cast - Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie4:30, 11:55 PMEverest – 3D (PG) Adventure, Drama, ThrillerCast - Jason Clarke, Ang Phula Sherpa 2:15, 11:30 PMSicario – 2D (12+) Action, Crime, Drama Cast – Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin4:00, 06:15, 10:45 PMPay The Ghost - 2D (15+) Horror, Thriller

Cast – Nicolas Cage, Sarah Callies, Veronica2:15, 11:45 PMHotel Transsylvania 2 – 2D (PG) Animation, Cast – Selena Gomez, Adam Sandler2:00 PMHotel Transsylvania 2 – 3D (PG) Animation 3:30, 05:10 PMKis Kisko Pyaar Karoon – 2D (PG) Cast: Kapil Sharma. Elli Avram, Simran Kaur2:00, 06:45, 09:15 PM (Romantic)Calendar Girls – 2D (TBC) Hindi, DramaCast: Kyra Dutt, Akanksha Puri, Avani Modi 6:45, 09:00 PMKunji Ramayanam – 2D (PG) Comedy Cast: Vineeth Shrinivasan, Aju Verghese4:30, 09:30 PMTrisha Illana Nayanthara - 2D (PG) Comedy Cast: GV Prakash Kumar, Anandhi7:00 PM

RUWI

Screen 1Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon (Comedy) – PGCast: Kapil Sharma, Elli Avram, Simran Kaur Mundi, Manjari Phadnis, Arbaaz Khan3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PMScreen 2

Jawani Phir Nahi Aani (Comedy) – 12+Cast: Humayun Saeed, Javed Sheikh, Mehwish Hayat 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM Screen 3Calendar Girls (Drama) – 15+Cast: Akanksha Puri, Avani Modi, Kyra Dutt, Ruhi Singh, Satarupa Pyn, Suhel Seth, Ronit Roy3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM

SOHAR

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials - 3D (PG12) Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller Cast : Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario4:30, 11:45 PMPay the Ghost - 2D (15+)Horror | ThrillerCast : Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies 2:45, 10:00, 11:55 PMAhwak - 2D (Arb) (TBC) Drama6:45 PMThe Intern - 2D (PG12) ComedyCast: Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro12:30, 04:30 , 07:20 PMHotel Transsylvania 2 - 2D (PG) Animation| 2:45 PM

Hotel Transsylvania 2 - 3D (PG) Animation| 01:00, 05:45 PMSicario - 2D (12+) Action|Crime| DramaCast : Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin12:30, 02:45, 07:00, 09:15, 11:30 PMKis Kisko Pyaar Karoon - 2D (PG) ComedyCast : Kapil Sharma, Elli Avram, Simran Kaur12:15 , 07:30 , 11:15 PMCalendar Girls- 2D (TBC) DramaCast : Akanksha Puri, Ruhi Singh, Kyra Dutt03:00, 9:30 PMKunji Ramayanam - 2D (M) (PG) ComedyCast : Vineeth Sreenivasan, Aju Varghese9:00 PMTrisha Illana Nayanthara- 2D (T) Romantic Cast : G. V. Prakash Kumar, Anandhi, Manisha5:00 PM (PG)

BURAIMI

Sicario 2D (Action, Drama, Crime) (12+)7:00, 9:15, 11:30PMMaze Runner: The Scroch Trails - 3D4:45, 11:30PM (Action, Sci-FI, Thriller) (PG12)Everest – 3D (Adventure) (PG)4:30PMHotel Transylvania 2 – 3D (Animation) (PG)4:30, 6:15PM

Pay the Ghost – 2D (Horror, Thriller) (15+)10:00, 11:55PMTale of Tales – 2D (Fantasy, Romance) (12+)Cast: Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel6:45PMKiss Kisko Pyaar Karoo– 2D (Romantic) 9:15PM (PG)Kunji Ramayanam – 2D (Comedy) (PG)8:00PM

SUR

Sicario (Action | Crime | Drama) (12+) 4:45, 07:00, 11:45 PMMaze Runner : the Scorch Trails (3D) (Action) 8:15 PM (PG12)Hotel Transylvania (3D) (Animation) (PG) 4:15 PMKunji Ramayanam (Mal)(Family) (PG) 10:45 PMKis Kisko Pyaar Karoon (Hindi) (Romance) 9:15 PM (PG)Everest (3D) (Adventure ) (PG) 6:00 PM

SALALAH

Pay the Ghost (2D) (15+) (Horror/Thriller) 12:30/10:10/11:55PMEverest (3D) (PG) (Adventure2:15PMHotel Transylvania 2 (3D)(PG) (Animation) 10:00AM/02:00/3:45PMSicario (2D) (12+) (Action/Crime/Drama) 10:15AM/07:00/09:15/ 11:45 PMThe Intern (2D) (PG12) (Comedy) 11:45AM/5:30PMMaze Runner: The Scorch Trials (3D) 4:30/11:30PM (PG12) Kiss Kisko Pyaar Karoo (2D) (PG) 10:45AM/ 07:45PMThe Visit (2D) (15+) (Fantasy/Romance) 1:15/ 10:00PMAhwak (2D) (PG12) (Arabic) (Comedy) Cast: Tamer Hosny, Ghada Adel, Mahmoud5:30PMTale of Tales (2D) (12+)( Fantasy/Romance) 3:00PMKunju Ramayanam (2D) (PG) (Mal)(Comedy) 7:45PM

BAHJA CINEMAFilm information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

The Visit (Comedy/Horror) Cast: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan12.00, 2.15, 6.15 & 10.00 p.m.CP No: 2445 ( 15+)Pay The Ghost (Thriller) Cast: Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Alex Mallari Jr.8.00, 10.15 & 11.55 pmCP No: 2446 (15+)The Intern (Comedy ) Cast: Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro, Nat Wolff12.00, 1.45 & 8.00 pmCP No: 2447 ( PG 12)Ahwak (Arabic) (Comedy) Cast: Tamer Housney, Ghada Adel, Mahmoud Heimeida, Amal Rizki5.45 pmCP No: 2451 (PG 12)Everest (Adventure/Drama/Thriller)Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Elizebeth Debicki, Keira Knightly4.00 pmCP No: 2434 (PG)The Deadlands (Action) Cast: James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare, Te kohe Tuhaka4:00, 11.55 pmCP No: 2435 (15+)

STAR CINEMAFilm information 24791641 / 24786776Website: www.isurf.co.omKunji Ramayanam (Mal) (Dram/Com) 3-30, 6-30 & 9-30 Pm At Cinema MainCast: Vineet Srinivasan, Aju VargeesTrisha Illana Nayanthara (Tamil) (Act/Com) 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 Pm Cinema-3Cast: G.v Prakash Kumar, AnandiSubramanyam (Telugu) (Act/Rom)3-30 & 6-30 Pm Cinema-2Maya (Tamil) (Horror) 6-45 Pm At Cinema-4 ; 9-30 Cinema -2 Utopiayile Rjavu (Mal) (Drama/Com) 3-45 & 9-45 Pm At Cinema-4NEXT CHANGE: Pulli (Tamil) Rajni Murugan (Tamil) Singh Is Bling (Hindi) Programmes are subject to change

@MGM @RUWI

SICARIO(Action, Crime) (12+)Cast : Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del ToroTimings : 12:15, 7:45, 11:55 PMGold Class: 2:00, 9:00, 11:15 PM

@SHATTI

THE INTERN (Comedy) (PG12)Cast : Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro, Rene RussoTimings : 12:15, 3:45, 7:45 pm

@SOHAR

KIS KISKO PYAAR KAROON - 2D (PG) Cast: Kapil Sharma, Elli Avram, Simran Kaur Mundi, Manjari Phadnis, Arbaaz KhanTimings : 12:15, 7:30, 11:15 PM

CALENDAR GIRLS (DRAMA) – 15+Cast: Akanksha Puri, Avani Modi, Kyra Dutt, Ruhi Singh, Satarupa Pyn, Suhel Seth, Ronit RoyTimings: 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM

WEATHER

350

Maximum

270

Minimum

TEMPERATURE

40-90%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

ZOYA MUJAHID SURVE September 29, 2012

ANSHUKSeptember 28, 2011

NEHAN AHMED K.September 29, 2011

WITH LOVE

The Chinese city of Zhangjiajie in Hunan province on Thursday kick-started its endangered giant salamander eating festival with foodies attending the event from all across the country. “Drink gi-ant salamander tea and live long!” one peddler was shouting as he hawked tea and noodles made from pulverised giant salaman-ders, which can live for 200 years, Xinhua news agency reported.

Other sellers boasted snacks capable of increasing pregnan-cy rates. The festival will host a chef competition during which they will demonstrate the most scrumptious ways of cooking the amphibian.

Giant salamanders, the world’s largest existing amphibian, is placed under state protection in China, but the country’s wildlife protection law allows consump-tion of the second generations of those born and raised in captivity. Due to health benefi ts, the meat

of this amphibian comes at exor-bitant prices. In Guangdong prov-ince, a giant salamander dish can cost more than 5,000 yuan ($780).

Zhangjiajie, known for its sce-nic mountains and being “Chi-na’s home to giant salamanders,” has 108 companies licensed for rearing such animals and 85 others engaged in related food

processing or dining.Local offi cials said all sala-

mander meat used is from legal farms. “Giant salamander farm-ing, which requires clean water, actually drives locals to protect the environment,” said Liu Qun, a senior city offi cial.

“The industry also helps lift locals out of poverty.” -IANS

LIFESTYLEC11T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

KNOW

YOUR SPICE

Coriander SeedsWHAT’S IT?Coriander seeds are an impor-tant spice and known for its fra-grant fl avours. They are available throughout the year and are used as seeds or in powdered form. It has a lemony fl avour and is used mostly in Indian curries.

HISTORYCoriander is one of the oldest of herbs and spices. It is native to regions spanning from southern Europe and northern Africa to southwestern Asia. The fruit of the coriander plant contains two seeds which, when dried, are the portions used as the dried spice.

CULINARY USESRoasted coriander seeds when powdered gives a good fl avour when added to curries. This is an important ingredient in Indian spice mixtures like garam masala, sambhar powder, curry powder, and more. It is also used in pickling vegetables. In Germany and South Africa the seeds are used while making sausages. It is also added to soups and broths.

SELECT & STORESelect seeds that are clean, dried, and having a good aroma. Don’t buy seeds that are black. For co-riander powder, try to use freshly ground powder as stored corian-der powder loses its fl avour very quickly. Store it in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark and dry place. Coriander seeds remain fresh for almost a year. swati@timesofoman.com

China’s salamander eating festival kicks off

F O O D N O T E

LIFESTYLEC12 T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

CAULIFLOWERThis versatile vegetable can be used in many new ways in a wide range of dishes.

Found in white, green, orange, and purple, caulifl ower can be roasted, mashed, pickled, sauteed, and pureed. What more can we ask for?

ROAST IT Toss caulifl ower fl orets in olive

oil, salt, and pepper. Lay the fl orets on a baking sheet and

roast at 200 degrees C for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

1

4 5PUREE IT

Take pureed caulifl ower and substitute it for cream in soups

for a healthy option.

MASH ITSteam the fl orets until tender.

Then puree with milk, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper to

taste. Can be served with chick-en roast or grilled meat.

2 3PICKLE IT

Pickle caulifl ower fl orets in a vinegar brine. Add hot peppers

for a spicy fl avour.

DIP ITBlend roasted caulifl ower with yoghurt. Add paprika and garlic

powder to make a healthy dip. Chill for an hour and serve with

fresh veggies.

ONE

INGREDIENT

FIVE WAYS

NGREDIENT

FIVFIVFIVFFI E WE WE WEAYS

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 D8

T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

RENT D2

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon

for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

New 1/2 B/R RES/ Comm.

flats near Medical College Bausher

directly from owner. contact:

92158031

2BHK flats & shops available for rent

at Honda road in a brand new build-

ing (dish & split A/C provided in

flats). Contact: 91165807 / 92976611

Shops for rent at City Seasons hotel

Al Khuwair. Contact: 24394800

Small office space for rent near

Ruwi Mosque & Badr Hospital. Con-

tact : 99512270

Flat for rent in Wadi Kabir near

Indian Primary School 2B and 1k.

Contact : 92222922

Flats for rent near Indian School in

Wadi Kabir. Contact 99777122

Single room available for Ex-

ecutive bachelor near Zakhar mall

behind Kamat Restaurant. contact

94271085

Villas and flats for rent. Contact: 99120014.

www.dreamhomesoman.com

Deluxe 3 BHK Penthouse with Seaview,

ideal for office / residence at Qu-

rum near PDO. contact 9772 1313 /

95070421

For rent : showroom / storage space

available (area 290 SQM, 6M height)

facing Al Mina street, Jibroo.

Contact: 99360631 / 96760819

Villa in Bausher 36 for Rent :

Mordent design, Mordent decora-

tions with spot lights, 4 bedrooms,

6 balconies, Kitchen, Store, 6 toilets,

full marble, full split unit. contact

94009600

New Building in Mutrah, 2 B/D

Room Flat + Setting Room,3 Baths+

Kitchen with split unit Ac’s. Behind

Khimiji’s main office/opposite to

Oman House Call 99419712

Wadi Kabir, 2 Bed Room Flat with

sitting Room, 2 Bath Rooms+ Kitch-

en. Opposite to Kuwaiti Mosque.

Close to Indian school.

Call 99419712/99261628

Twin villa with basement for rent

AL Khuwair 25. Contact: 99359988 House for rent 4BR family hall,

fitting room, dining room, kitchen,

store with A/C & satellite reception

at Mawaleh south , behind Sultan

discount center rent R.O 550/-.

Contact: 93653311

600 SQT commercial flat for rent

opposite Oman flourmill Darsait

more details. Contact: 91214849/

99364735

D2 T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

1bedroom attached, toilet & kitchen

in AL Khuwair R.O 140/-. #95154331

3BHK , 3bathrooms , 2balconys

NRAL Hassan W/ Kabir R.O 320/-.

Contact: 99384640

2BHK close to Indian School Kin-

dergarten Wadi Kabir R.O 300/-.

Contact: 99476728 / 98484415

1BHK R.O 225/- close to Indian

Nursery, Darsait. Contact: 99476728

/ 98484415

Flat for rent in Wadi Kabeer (2 bed-

rooms, 1 Majlis, 3 toilets, 1 Kitchen &

hall. Contact: 95562646

Villa for rent in Wadi Kabeer. Con-

tact: 95562646 / 94059333

Fully furnished luxury 2 bedroom

flat for rent at Ghala for short or long

term basis. # 99886386/ 99881653

1, 2 BHK in Azaiba. Contact:

99385835 / 99428143

Big room bathroom attached with

kitchen near Riyam Park Muscat RO

100. Contact: 95094028

1000 sq mtrs Industrial land in Gha-

la suitable for ware house workshop

etc. Contact: 24700120 / 92584715

2bed room flat at Al Khoudh

Commercial Street Souq. Contact:

99224748 / 99332297 One Bed room flat with full furniture

available at ruwi high street, Rent

RO 200. Furniture cost RO 350. Con-

tact 99445675.

3500 sqr mtrs open Industrial land

for rent in Rusail. Contact 99792181

1000 sqr mtrs store in Mabela in-

dustrial area. Contact 99792181

New 1 & @2 Bhk Flat in CBD opposit

Al maya supermarket. #99792181

1 BHK flat in Ruwi ( Honda Road).

Contact 99792181

2 BHK Flat in Al Khuwair. Contact

99792181

02 BHK Commercial / residential

(with Split A/C) flat at Honda road.

Contact : 99342733 / 99795241

2 BHK residential flat opposite

to AL Nadha Hospital. Contact :

99342733 / 99795241

500/1000 sqm industrial land with

compound wall at Misfah behind

Oman Oil filling Station. Contact :

99342733 / 99795241

New deluxe villas at Madinat Qa-

boos. Contact: 99369081

1,2 BHK flats in Wadi Al Kabeer.

Contact: 99369081

Furnished room for rent at

Al Khuwair R.O 225/- for family only.

Contact: 99251975

VILLA IN AZAIBA – Four Bed Room

Villa, near Well Roundabout &

Umm Al Qura Mosque. Available

for sharing also. Call 92887809 /

98048207.

Villa for rent - Al Seeb/Al Mawelah

- Block 5 - 4 bedrooms with attached

bathrooms , Majlis, 2 halls, kitchen

and storeroom.

split Ac and carpark - Contact

99564616 / 99498448

Fully Furnished 2BHK Apartments

available at Bareeq Al Shatti.

Contact 92888063

2BHK with split AC near PDO Gate

No.2 Qurum available for immediate

renting. Contact : 94057023

2 BHK with split AC Al Khuwair -33

for residential & commercial use.

Contact : 94057023

Rooms for rent in Al Khuwair near

Ibis Hotel with AC.

Contact: 95124975

Two shops in Muttrah Souq, for

rent more details please contact:

91214849 / 99364735

New flats for rent in Darsait

Al Sahal. Contact: 99777351

Flats, shops for rent in Ruwi, MBD &

Mumtaz area. Contact

97293708

3BHK flat Darsait Near I.D card Med-

ical 450/- R.O. Contact: 99358589 /

95570288

1& 2 BHK flats for rent at Wadi

Kabir, Wadi Adai, Hamriya, Al Khoud

and Mabela and shop at Al Khoud

land line. Contact : 24834644

GSM 93994401/ 02/ 03, 3 lines

Available furnished meeting hall for

seminars on a hourly, daily,

monthly, yearly basis.

please contact 93203773 :

Email: mbdeast@gmail.com

Villa for rent: 6 bed rooms, 1 sitting

room, 2 halls, 1 kitchen and 1 pantry.

Al Mawaleh South phase 3 close to

Al Sahwah roundabout, first line

behind Amwag perfume factory.

Contact - 99360366

Shops for rent in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact: 99888390

2BHK, 2 Baths, Split A/C, Wadi ka-

beer towards Al bustan, Near Indian

Elementary School.

Contact 99441193, 93004802

Spacious 2BHK with attached

bathroom near Lulu Wadikabir. Rent

– OMR 280/=. Contact 98759576 or

95822833

2 bedroom villa in Sidab.

Contact: 95755953 / 95555162

1BHK Ruwi & 3BHK Bosher. Contact: 99024730

2BHK new Amerat with AC 230/-

R.O. Contact: 99024730

2BHK close to Indian school kinder-

garten Wadi Kabir R.O 320/-, 1BHK

R.O 250/-. #99476728 / 98484415

Villa for rent in Al Khuwair 33, 8

bedrooms & 5 bathrooms with park-

ing area near Taimur Mosque.

Contact: 99366624

1BHK flats available for rent in CBD

area. Contact: 98116480

Flat for rent in Hamriya. #99341112

3BHK well maintained flat (villa

type) G. floor split A/C separate

entrance, parking, and compound

available in Al Khuwair behind

Sagar Polyclinic Way no. 3922,

Block 239, Villa No. 1839.

Contact: 99253125

Flat for rent, 2 bedrooms, 1 sitting

room, 3 toilets next to

Al Hassan Company in W/K.

Contact: 99210008

2 BHK flat in Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181

3 & 4 BHK villa in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99792181

100 & 700 sqr mtrs office space in

Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181

2 BHK flat in Rex Road (Ruwi).

Contact 99792181

Room Al Khuwair R.O 120/-.

Contact : 97799175

1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-.

Contact: 97799175

1,2 BHK Darsait. Contact :

97799175

2BHK Ghubra RO 325/-.

Contact: 97799175

1BHK Ghubra R.O 275/-.

Contact : 97799175

2 BHK Wadi Kabeer R.O 300/-.

Contact : 97799175

Commercial cum residential new

building looking for one company,

location Muttrah near Police Station.

For more details contact: 99364735

/ 95729711

Twin villa 6BR hall, kitchen at

Al Ansab-2. Contact: 99747560 /

99444786

Room with A.C at AL Khuwair

R.O 120/-. Contact: 97799175

1BHK flat with A/C AL Khuwair

250/- R.O. #99358589 / 95570288

New flats for rent in Darsait,

Al Sahal. # 99311525

Two shops in Muttrah Souq, for rent

more details pleas.

Contact: 91214849 / 95729711

Flat and show room for rent

Al Khuwair 33, Al Ghubrah, Darsait

and Jibroo. Contact: 24485240 /

24485241 / 93651633 / 92109563

1 & 2 bedroom flats available for

rent in wadi-kabir (opp: pencil bldg),

ideal for company staff / families -

bulk corporate deal possible.

Contact: 97677170

DAILY GUIDET U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5 D3

Used Fabrication machinery for sale

: Fabrication machinery and tools

in excellent condition for immediate

sale. Contact 94652485/ 99273774/

99202278

Shop for sale in CBD area prime lo-

cation G. Floor + mezzanine low rent.

Contact: 90112434

Used air condition. Contact :

97093793

Building material shop for sale at

Misfah near Oman Cement factory.

Contact : 99617464 / 95961577

Computer training centre for sale.

contact 94412557

Ladies parlor for sale at Ansab.

Contact: 98806430

Ice Cream & juices shop in Ruwi good

location for sale suitable for beauty

parlor also. Contact: 92150455

Shop for sale at Ruwi High street

inside. Contact 96023492

For sale land in Amerat 3000 Sq.mt

with petrol pump permission.

Contact 99323957 / 92702891

FOR SALE

Room for rent available in a flat for

Executive bachelor at Azaiba behind

AL Meera Market with attached bath

with cot & A/c, rent RO 175/- per

month including water & Electricity.

Contact 96404166 / 97433992

Two bed rooms with 2 toilets and

sharing, Kitchen available near Al

Falaj hotel. Contact: 90269652

ACC. AVAILABLE

ACC. AVAILABLE

UNIVERSAL SCRAP BUYERS AT

AMAZING PRICESConvert ANY type of Scrap into Money by selling us the scrapGreat prices are guaranteed

for our clients!Call this number now for

urgent response - 96059470

*Kindly note that the scrap should be 50 tons onwards

AFFORDABLE QUALIFIED STAFF AVAILABLE:

Hurry and call this number now! 95967902

Our professionals give YOU:

CLASSY, CREATIVE AND AFFORDABLE INTERIOR DESIGN

Hurry now and call this number 91494149

SITUATION WANT-ED

M.V. FOR SALE

Toyota YARIS. Model 2008. KM

69000. Expat driven, All services

at Toyota. Very clean. Rate: 2900.

Contact 99445675.

Mitsubishi 10 ton Truck 2006

model company body, registra-

tion valid till May 2016 for sale.

Contact: 95150329

Toyota Yaris (Hatchback) - White,

2008, fully automatic, Expat used.

9206 6523

Mitsubishi Pajero 2006 model

Automatic, 1,22,000 km, insur-

ance + registration valid till August

2016 black, well serviced, good

condition, OMR 2,800/-.

Contact: 94515102

Lexus GX 460, 2013.

Contact : 99336093

Kia Cerato 2014 Model for sale

1300 kms Under agency

warrenty and service.

Contact: 99634841

AVAILABLE

Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirt-

ing, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery,

Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes,

Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Sys-

tems and spectacular lighting. Call

Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and

Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light.

ww.tunesoman.com,

E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

FOR HIRE

Trailor with driver for hire. Contact:

92303774

Bobcat Grader and roller for rent.

Contact: 94584688

Volvo 12 Ton Truck for monthly

rent. Contact: 98713900

*Classified Advertisement space

booking with text, should be done

till 12.00 noon for next day’s

publication. * Subject to space

availability

NRI

Plot for sale 10 cent plot facing the

lake for sale in Kollam town, 2 km

away from Mulangadakam temple.

Please contact: 00968 91271516

Old Goan Portuguese house for sale

location Parra Bardez North Goa

build-up area 150 sq mtr Total area

400 sq mtr price 1.85 CR negotiable

India. Contact: 919225903788 Oman.

Contact: 93277007 (call after 7 pm)

Brand new 3 bedroom flat in Ernaku-

lam Vytila Bus terminal, 1500 sq ft,

ready to occupy. Contact 96947652

Vegetable & fruit counter in grocery

store in Saham available. Contact:

93006562 / 99417418

MATRIMONIALRC, Keralite ( Kottayam) male,

27 yrs, Civil Engineer, working in

Muscat from decent family looking

for suitable alliance.

Contact : 95035953

31 years RC boy, M. Com MBA - work-

ing in Sohar - Seeks alliance from

Christian families -

Contact 94219830

Seeking alliance for our son from

Muslim families. Interested families

Contact: 99889590

GOOD NEWS

Genuine Ayurvedic treatments &

massage, Ayurvedic clinic at

Al Khuwair. Contact: 24478618 /

97263637 / 93309131

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 massage backache,

joint pain, neck pain etc.

Contact 98254909

Ayurvedic treatment for backache,

paralysis, arthritis etc & massage,

All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact

24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980

www.siddhayur.com

Ayurvedic Treatment for joint

pain, backache, paralysis, massage,

steam bath, obesity, spondylitis ,

IDEAL CARE Ayurvedic Clinic,

18 November Street, Azaiba

Contact: 99639695 / 98342990

Rafaqat Ali has lost Pakistani

passport No WW 1790971. Finder

please handover to ROP.

LOST

Want regular financing for profitable

small projects. Contact : 92162623

SITUATION WANT-ED

BUSINESS

SITUATION WANT-ED

BUSINESS

CLASSES

DRIVING COMPUTER

Furnished room available in Ruwi

for bachelor. Contact: 93086584

2BHK available for office Ghubra.

Contact: 99269751

Single exclusive room available

for Executive bachelor furnished

separate toilet, kitchen sharing Wadi

Kabir behind Golden Oasis hotel.

Contact: 99335145

Single room, bath Darsait R.O 140/-.

Contact: 93289652

Sharing accommodation for Indian

family Ruwi high street. Contact :

99895616

Large room furnished sep / entrance

Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99336206

A big room in available near Ham-

riya R/A for Muslim couple / small

family / Executive bachelor rent

150/- per month including W+ E.

Contact: 99495131

3 BHK Fully Furnished Villa for

(Family or executive bachelors) at

South Al Mawaleh (Behind Seeb

City Center). Gsm 92494923

Room for rent with sharing

bathroom & kitchen at Al Khuwair,

behind Golden Spoon Restaurant.

Contact 92994415

Semi furnished separate room for

non-cooking Asian bachelor, behind

Shell filling station, Ghubra round

about. Contact: 94263390

Furnished room (for Ladies)with

attached bath separate entrance in

Mabela. Contact :99634841

Required investors for different

projects. Contact: 99674870

We will register LLC trade license

for foreign investors and do all

actions. Contact: 92833566

NOTICEJenaah Al Naser Al Dhaabi for Trad

ASSO company which is recorded

under the commercial register

number 1040887 in the treading

& industry Al Batinah is going to

change its legaly shape from ASSO

company to Joint company And in

accordance with Article 13 of the

Commercial Companies Law No.

4/74 . And change name to Taaj

Soahr Al Momayaz for consturution

joint company . This is to inform any

body who concerns about that to 2

months from the date publishing

this advertising.

Declaration of converting the legal form Radiance Trading and Con-

tracting solidarity announces useful

commercial register images under

number (1019903) It’s in the process

of converting the form of a company

of solidarity to the limited company

liarits in accordance with Article 13

bis 2 of the commercial companies

law No. 74/4 , as amended , and

modify its trade name to Radiance

Modern Trading & Contracting LCC

and therefore all of his objection to

that he has to submit the reasons

for his objection to the department

of Trade and Industry South Eastern

province within two months from

the date of publication of this an-

nouncement.

CATERING

DAILY GUIDED4 T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DESIGNER

DOMESTIC HELP

DRAUGHTSMAN

DRAUGHTSMAN

EDUCATION

EDUCATION

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH

ADMIN

ACCOUNTANT

BEAUTICIAN

DRIVER

MEDICAL

SKILLED LABOR

MANAGER

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANT-SIT. WANTED

SITUATION WANT-SIT. WANTED

SALES / MARKETING

SALES / MARKETING

ADMIN

DRIVER

ARCHITECT

Required heavy duty truck driver

holding Omani driving license w/ 5

years experience please #92001111

Driver with Oman driving licence

needed. Visa available. #94288863

Looking for an experienced house driver for an Omani family. Interested

candidates may Contact:

96203333

Urgently required a Indian Diploma

Civil Engineer with 1-2 years of

experience and should valid G.C.C

driving license. Email: smtcoman@

gmail.com

Urgently Required: MEP Engineer-

Degree holder and with 7 years

experience in building construction,

MUST have NOC and immediately

join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955,

emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com,

sbeoman@yahoo.com

Biomedical Engineer is required, preferably with Oman exp.

Contact: 99337840

Reputed metal fabrication company

seeks fabrication supervisor, structural steel fabricator, Machine maintenance Technician and Electrician. Contact: 99102383

Email: hr@khancogroup.com

A Mechanical Engineer with sales-

manship experience of 5 years &

above preferable with Oman drivers

license and NOC. Please forward

your CV to almaadhi.trd@gmail.com

Housemaid (exp 20 years)

looking for English, family.

Contact: 99564133 / 96534195

MISCELLANEOUS

Required Salesman, Store keeper,

Private driver, preferably with good

experience and communication

skills. Contact: 91408759 Email:

hanaa.alritaj@gmail.com

A leading Construction Company in Muscat urgently requires the

following candidates: - 1) Electrome-chanical Supervisors 2) Electrical Foreman 3) Plumbing foreman 4) Electricians 5) Plumbers. Send CV : hr.azatllc@gmail.com

or call 99344279

Building material Salesman, Electrician cum Plumber & C.C.T.V Technician. Contact: 99383044

Fresher 24 years B.Com Gradu-

ate, Tally 7.2 & ERP9, looking for a

suitable placements in Accounts.

Contact: 97219505

Part Time Accounting, Accounts

Finalization, Audit Preparation,

Internal Audit, Accounting System

for New Companies, Contact:

96975454, email :ibfc.gcc@gmail.

com

Indian male, 34 years MBA finance,

having 9 years experience, looking

for suitable placement presently on

visit visa. Contact: 92914869 Email:

noblev1982@gmail.com

Indian female 28 years M.Com,

Accountant having 6 years experi-

ence in Accounts, finalization, Tally

currently on visit visa. Contact :

95595083 Email: merlinfer-

nandes16@yahoo.in

Part time accountant, senior ac-

countant, doing all type of ac-

counting works, up to finalization.

contact.95254864

Indian male 23 yrs B.com having

3 yrs accounts exp in India looking

for suitable placement presently

on visit visa. Contact :94131842 /

93516968, Email: jithujithin05@

gmail.com

Part time Accountant, up to fina-

lization, looking for job after 5 pm

(location prefer – MSQ to AL Hail).

Contact: 95694737

Srilankan male, 5 years experi-

ence, presently working in Oman as

a Senior Accountant. NOC available.

seeking suitable opportunities.

Contact 00968 95522109

ACCA finalist, Recent B.Com Gradu-

ate, Indian female, looking for full

time employment in Accounting

and Audit. +968 96964379,

sangeethaumesh5@gmail.com

Wanted urgently need two Tailors who can make curtains. Contact:

98962888

A private School looking for an Eng-

lish teacher, preferable (Philipino

- Jordanian) Nationality for more

information. Contact: 98982088

Cooks & helpers for café. Contact: 95529970

Restaurant Staff urgently required Tandoor roti maker, waiter/ helper

required in restaurant in Saham.

Contact : 98029701 / 95821905

Required Catering Supervisor, Chef, Asst. Cook & Chapathi makers for a catering Company in

interior area. Apply with NOC.

SMS : 99242984

Sales Incharge 5 years experience

(Oman) language English, Arabic.

Contact: 24566813 Email: hammad-

hassan5786@gmail.com

Sales man (Dairy) 2 years exp as a

Sales man with FMCG in GCC , Loca-

tion Muscat, Barka, Khaboura , Ibri,

Izki & Al Kamil, key skills Salesman

(Dairy) & Sales (Dairy) / business

development. Contact: Ahmed

Al Salami 96929227 Telephone:

26940215 Fax: 24811565 Email:

ahmed.alsalmiy@unikai.com

Looking for a Staff has experi-

ence in Oman in real estate and real

estate valuation. Interested Contact:

mobile: 99109094

Email: aburashid94dd@gmail.com

Indian Mechanical Engineer, 30, having 8yrs of UAE Sales/Busi-

ness Development. experience in

Electromechanical and Irrigation

sectors. Contact no- +971558763220

email id-sangowri@outlook.com

Driver looking for job. Contact:

92303744

Light driver Pakistani age 24 years.

Contact: 97106232

Indian driver with experience in

Oman. Contact: 96255558

Looking for driver job. Contact:

93650209

Bangladesh 24 years, 2 years expe-

rience. Contact: 97806144

Light driver with car Hyundai

Accent 2016. Contact : 94039796

Bangladeshi light driver (AG) 48)

expe, 14 years, need job & visa have

release paper transpire. #99165961

Driver. Contact: 95084826

Pakistani male light vehicle driver

looking for job. Contact: 96474528 Driver with car. Contact :91452930

Wanted driver. Contact 95112461

Car with driver or without cat

specially Companies.

Contact 97943750 / 97408900

Driver job wanted. #99343782

Light duty driver 5 years exp in

Oman. Contact: 92602182Required Sales Manager for a hotel

supply company with minimum

5 years experience. #92035162

Senior Architect, Indian male

15yrs exp. having DL& NOC, Look-

ing for suitable position.

Contact: 97239313 Email:

abdul_muq2000@yahoo.co.uk

Automobile Engnr Indian with 7 yrs

experience 2 yrs Toyota and 5 yrs

Jaguar corporate experience looking

for suitable job in Oman. Contact im-

mediately: 93709706 currently on

visit visa for 10 days only

Civil Engineer Pakistani 12+2 years

Oman experience D/L required

placement. Contact: 94392616

Building site supervisor, since

March 2010 in Oman with Omani

D/L looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 93061107

Mechanical Engineer (UK ) 28

years, male looking for suitable

placement with valid Oman driving

license having 3.5 years experience

in Oman NOC available. Contact 968

97612297 immediate availability.

Email: ymirza11@caledonian.ac.uk

Omani Receptionist required recep-

tionist, well presented with excellent

communications skills and telephone

manner, fluent in Arabic and English

required for Ruwi office. Candidates

should be familiar with MS English

and Arabic office suite. Send CV and

covering email to

mj-co@omantel.net.om

Wanted Accountant for an insurance

brokerage office. Interested please

send CV on fax: 24601729

CATERING

Indian cook, Tandoori cook experi-ence in Indian looking for a cook job

in hotel, Restaurant. The candidate is

in India (brother). Contact: 98744307

Mechatronics (Electrical, Mechani-

cal) Engineer, 3 years of experi-

ence. Contact: 91234024 Email:

ammar.r.elerris@gmail.com

BE (Civil) Indian male with 20 years

experience with reputed consul-

tancy companies & working for one

of the prestigious project of Muscat

since 2008 seeks suitable position.

Contact: 92511428, Email: manoj_

t2000@yahoo.com

Mechanical Engineer, 24 having

knowledge in HVAC looking for suit-

able placement. Contact: 95434381

Email: shuhaibusman313@gmail.

com

Agriculture Engineer Egyptian in

Oman available till 10th Oct experi-

ence 5 years. Contact: 90155723

Sudanese Telecom Engineer 5 years experience in Oman.

Contact: 93391008

M.Tech BE civil 9 yrs experience

Project Management Indian male

(34 yrs) with NOC seeks suitable

in construction industry. Contact

: 99156291 / 95281545 (What-

sapp) 00919579666999 Email:

kashidss@gmail.com

HSE Engineer (Indian, 26 yrs),

B.Tech Mechanical, Nebosh, 5 yrs

experience in oil & gas construction.

Contact 94616721

Young Electrical Engineer looking

for suitable placement. Having spe-

cialization in electronics.

Contact 99227861

Project Manager (Interior fitouts dé-

cor & MEP) B.E. Arch having 8 years

experience looking for a suitable

position in a reputed company.

Local release is available.

Contact: 91528851

B.E Arch with 8 years experience

as 2 Project Manager in Interior fi-

touts décor & MEP works looking for

suitable. Local release is available.

Contact: 91528851

Indian male diploma in Civil Engi-neering with 20 years experience

in interior fitout with valid driving

license NOC and local release avail-

able. Contact: 98048410

Professional Civil Engineer 25 yrs

experience with N.O.C Management

and Supervision with D/L.

Contact: 97290338

Bangladeshi Diploma Civil Engi-

neer 3 years experience in Bangla-

desh 2 years in Oman.

Contact: 93796905 / 97319361

Civil Engg, B.Tech fresher Indian

male currently on visit visa seeks

suitable placement. #91702450

Email: tijoct2015@hotmail.com

Civil Engineer, Indian M 29 5yrs exp.

having DL & NOC Looking for suitable

position. Contact: 94576233

Email: suhailmullah@gmail.com

Since March 2010 in Oman as a

building Construction Site supervi-

sor with Oman D/L looking for

suitable placement or small Omani

Construction Co. Contact

93061107

Degree Engineer Civil, 6 years expe-

rience Oman D/L, N.O.C available for

a suitable position.

Contact: 93523507 / 95961336

Urgently required experienced Beautician. Contact 96616731 or

send CV to pbm.ibra@gmail.com

A leading Construction Company in Muscat urgently requires Draughtsman (Civil).

Send CV : hr.azatllc@gmail.com or

call 99344279

Wanted a Lab Technician with valid

M.O.H license and N.O.C to work in

a polyclinic. Salary R.O 450/- per

month (package).Contact: 96493058

(2 pm to 4 pm).

Email: ap_sdsudhi@yahoo.com

Required Graphic Designer (mini-

mum 2 years experience) Client Ser-

vice Executive with Omani license

(minimum 2 years experience) visa

available. Contact: 96727631 send

CV to dollydhian@gmail.com

Indian Civil Auto cad Draftsman looking suitable placement 5 years

experience. Contact: 97465102

Urgently needed female Dermatologist with minimum 5 yrs

experience. Send CV :

elixirhealthcenter@yahoo.com

P.S. details of salary and benefits will

be sent after submitting the CV

Looking for pharmacist with a valid

MOH license to work in Bidbid. Send

CV to abumustafaclinic@gmail.com

Required urgently General Physi-cian Gynecology, Pharmacist, LAB Technicians staff nurse. Contact: 95133572

Email: kunoozghala@gmail.com

Wanted Nurse for dental centre in Mawaleh South & Qurum.

Contact 93431024,

Email : drasyanaseem@gmail.com

Required Pharmacies with license,

needed for clinic in Al Khoudh ,

Contact :+968 97696502 , mail CV to

towershr70@gmail.com

Indian male BBA Graduate 12 years

experience in Administration level

15 months exp in Oman having NOC

available looking for suitable place-

ment. Contact : 91458388

Indian female 24 years BE Elec-

tronics now in Oman visiting visa

searching job for any Administra-

tive Sectors telecommunicat-

ing, banking, teaching. Contact:

95935867 / 99536948 Email:

anjujose011@gmail.com

Indian Female MBA, 3 years expe-

rience in Admin MIS, family Visa.

#98234427, jkjsmith01@gmail.com

14 years of gulf experience in HR /

Admin & logistics fluent in Arabic

/ English with D/L looking for suit-

able position. Contact: 95824598

Indian male 25 years MBA

(HR) Now in Oman visiting visa

searching job for Administration,

HR Customer relation. Contact:

90196322 / 91049868 Email: nith-

invarghese19@gmail.com

Indian 17 yrs experience in Admin

and have knowledge in Accounting

seeks job. Have driving license and

release. Contact : 99573353

Indian 24 years BCA MCITP having

2 years exp as system administra-

tor looking suitable job. contact

94170892

Filipina, 10 yrs experience in

Fashion Retail, Shipment, Logistics,

Inventory, Warehouse Control and

Store Management is seeking

employment. Call +971565833126

or 97728418.

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

Post Graduate researcher required. Contact 99229700

A well – known private School require English, Mathematics, Science, Computer and KG Teachers. Contact: 96910649

Email: staffing.oman@gmail.com

Marketing Manager with Oman

experience & driving license.

Contact: 95766844

Looking for qualified, good commu-

nication and computer skills candi-

date with experience for position of : Sales Manager to work in high-end

window tinting business. Minimum

academic requirements: bachelor’s

degree and own a driving license.

Kindly email your CV to

abdullah.alhinai86@gmail.com

Required experienced Sales / Marketing Executives having light

license. Send your CV

ocean@omantel.net.om

Required Sales Executive for

Stationery Company with Oman

driving license. Send

Email: mipartjob@gmail.com

Sales Executive : required urgently

for an established Printing Press.

Minimum 3 years relevant experi-

ence and working knowledge of

printing process is expected.

Contact 99354681

Accounting B.Com male Diploma

in computerized professional Ac-

counting, professional & manual

accounting, 25 yrs, Indian, 25

yrs, Keralite, India. Contact:

0091 9746838659

Email: jijesh567@gmail.com

Finance Manager 26 years experi-

ence including 22 years Oman with

NOC. # 91302906 / 91335205

Accountant Indian female on

visit visa, degree B.Com exp Tally

ERP-9 finalization of Accounts, Tax

Accounting, Stock maintenance,

pay roll, etc. Contact : 91551164 /

91175456, mk.jothipriya@gmail.

com

Chief Accountant, 12 years Oman

experience looking for suitable

position. Contact: 99513082

Accountant with 8 years U.A.E

experience, on visit visa, looking for

a job. Contact : 96166512

Senior Accountant 10 years experi-

ence, looking for accounts parttime

works and finalization works.

Contact: 96247295

Accountant 7 Years Experience

with D/L and NOC. #97712084

25 yrs female Indian with B.Com

MBA looking out for a job in finance

/ marketing / HR field with a work

experience of 1 year, 3 months at

Bank Muscat & 7 months at India.

Contact: 94657403 / 95537261

Jordanian Accountant (ACPA) with

more than 15 yrs experience in Oman

(Accounts, Purchase & finance.

Contact: 92881223

Email: kamal_sarhan@yahoo.com

Indian male, 27years, MCom,

having 2years experience in

Accounts looking for suitable posi-

tion. Presently on visit visa.

Contact 93455055|

gibingeorge88@gmail.com

HOSPITALITY

DAILY GUIDET U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5 D5

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

MEDICAL

IT

IT

SALES / MARKETING

SALES / MARKETING

MISCELLANEOUS

SECRETARIAL & OFIC.

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

Omani female Arabic and English

speaking searching for job. Contact

92387170

TIG+ARC welder Indian with 16yrs

middle est. exp in copper nickel.

Diplex, inconel, S.S, CS Now on visit

visa seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 96502282.

Email manuangola88@gmail.com

Project Manager (B.E. Arch) in

Interior décor fit outs & MEP having

8 years experience looking for a

suitable post in a reputed firm. NOC

is available. Contact: 91528851

Sudanese procurement Manager three years experience in Oman.

Contact: 93391008

Senior Manager Indian, 30 years in

FMCG Business in Oman looking for

better opportunity at management

level. Contact 99231513

22 years B.Com Graduate having

experience in trading of car accesso-

ries and also with valid GCC driving

license looking for a suitable job.

Contact 98504698

Dynamic result oriented hospitality

professional with 20 years of inter-

national exp. MBA in Hotel Manage-

ment, specializing in Hotel/Restau-

rant start ups, concepts & Franchise

development with proven records.

Seeking for Challenging positions

in reputed groups as GM/COO/CEO/

Business Head. (NOC available)

Contact : 96059470

Indian male Nurse, prometric

passed seeks suitable placement.

Contact 97284508I

33 years, Indian male Dentist hav-

ing 7 years of experience with MOH

license is seeking suitable place-

ment. Contact: 91559265

Email: praveengp_82@yahoo.com

A GNM Nurse seeking suitable

placement in Hospital or clinic

having 11 yrs experience in Oman.

Contact 98766167, can ready to

work temporary or permanent.

Indian male, MSc, MPhil, BEd

Chemistry,2 Yrs Teaching experi-

ence and having experience in

lab analyst, currently on visit visa,

seeks suitable post. #90208673

Filipino (male) 37yrs. old hav-

ing 8 years experience in

operation(shiping&logistics)

currently on visit visa looking for a

suitable job GSM:97121525

TOURS & TRAVELSFive years experience in Travel

field ,BCom., IATA & pursuing MBA,

Presently working in the Travel

Desk of (ITC managed) Five Star

Hotel in India, looking for a suitable

position in the Middleeast.

pls contact 9470 5767

Oracle ADF Developer, Msc (IT),

2 yrs of Experience in Software

Development (Oracle ADF, sql, pl/sql),

Oracle OCA & SQL Expert, Currently

on visit visa. # +968 93755858 /

92141644 Email :

shiralkarmuzammil@yahoo.com

Software Programmer, 6 yrs exp in

software development (Java, PL/SQL

Unix) on visit visa. #99487493

SAP BW Analyst : Indian male, 26

yrs, B.Tech (CS & E) from ASET, New

Delhi, worked as a Business

Analyst in Software Industry.

Contact 98008127 / 92878708,

vaisakh.bhaskar@gmail.com

Well experienced management

finance specialist having 18 years

experience available for placement.

Contact.95602518

23, Male, ACCA Affiliate, OBU Bsc,

2.5 years of experience in audit and

finance in Big 6 Firms, Looking for

permanent placement in similar

field. Release NOC available. Contact:

#95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com

22, Male, Indian, BBA (Marketing),1

year experience in India, Looking

for suitable placement in Sales and

Marketing. #91897046, azzamsid-

dique1@gmail.com

Indian Male,27,ACCA Part

Qualified,B.COM with 7+ yrs exp in

receivables and credit control in

Oman looking for suitable place-

ments. NOC available. Contact

9657 4343.

Indian Female, Science Graduate, 3

years Experience in Teaching back

home. Looking for a suitable job op-

portunity as a teacher, in Schools in

Muscat Region. Contact : 96431456

/ 95704814

Indian Male, 25, Chartered Ac-

countant, working with ICICI Bank

India. On a Visit Visa in Oman.

Staying with parents at Azaiba. Ph:

24492638. Email: shyamal008@

gmail.com

Looking for a suitable job as Jr.

Accountant/ Jr. Administration in

a reputed company. NOC Available.

GSM # 93004738.

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, 8 years ex-

perience ,Oman driving licence,Noc

available. Seek Suitable opportunity.

GSM- 98184170

ACCOUNTANT, Male, 8 years experi-

ence, presently working in Oman as

a Senior Accountant with oman Driv-

ing license. NOC available, seek suit-

able opportunity. GSM: 97705854

Syrian male 3yrs. exp in IT support,

Networking, Security systems, Serv-

er support, IT sales and marketing.

Valid Omani D/L seeking suitable

placement. Contact 91033395

Indian female, MBA, 25yrs Having

4yrears of experience in MNC, hands

of experiences in recruitment and

administration, flexible for any suit-

able job placements currently in

visting visa. Contact Tel : 98864639

Email : neethuvijayan06@gmail.com

Indian Male, 26 Yrs, Business

Management, 6 years in Oman.

Knowledge of MS Office and Arabic

Language. Seeks suitable position.

Contact 93931935

Indian Mechanical Engineer, 30, having 8yrs of UAE Sales/Busi-

ness Development. experience in

Electromechanical and Irrigation

sectors. Contact no- +971558763220

email id-sangowri@outlook.com

Indian male, with finance and Law

degree, having more than 25 years

of experience in Finance/ Accounts /

Audit (5 years of Oman experience)

seeks suitable placement. NOC avail-

able. Contact: 98421619.

E-mail: talemadhamu@yahoo.com.

Indian male Executive Secretary

having vast experience in admin,

logistics & procurement well versed

with computer seeks suitable place-

ment. Contact : 99514286

Pakistan Male: 24 years,M.Com

Finance having 2.5 year experience

as a accountant & marketing execu-

tive looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 97670816,

E.mail: naeem.ahsan68@gmail.com

Indian female with MBA in finance

seeking immediate placement.

Contact: 968-93316493

Civil Engineer B.Sc -6 years experi-

ence with constructions companies

- 1 years in Oman - qualified as Site

Engineer & Planning Engineer .

Contact+968-94682217

ACCOUNTANT: Indian male 25 hav-

ing 4 years experience in accounting

& having well knowledge in tally.

Contact:968094535881,

0091 9037622048,

Email: vishnuraj889@gmail.com

31 year Indian male PG in HR ,with 5

yrs Professional experience in HR in

Construction Oil & Gas Oman seek-

ing for a suitable placement. Kindly

contact me on 93488914, email-

Kaarthickshankar@gmail.com

Sudanese/26/Bsc Computer Sci-

ence /3 years exp/skills Excellent

knowledge in operating systems

and maintaining computers Java

Programmer Web Developer Linux

SMS solutions Android developer/

email khalid.omx@gmail.com/con-

tact no 944958080 and 99758186.

Civil Autocad Draughtsman part

time work for job mob :96023726

Chemical Engineer Indian 2 years

of experience in production field

Contact: 91247222

Email:sahadpoonchola@gmail.com

Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA,

MCSA,MCSE, 2.5 yrs + exp. in IT sup-

port, networking and server support

valid Omani D/L seeking suitable

placement in IT/Network/Server

support. Contact 92607532

Indian B.E Computer Science graduate

2012 passout. 1 .5 yrs exp. in Account-

ing. Having good communication skills

and mindset to work in a team. Having

NIIT certificate in Diploma in Java

Technology. # 97767894

Email: jinsonjacobjohn@gmail.com

Indian male 24 YEARS, B.Tech (Elec-

trical & Electronics), having 2 yrs.

exp as Electrical Site Engineer. Done

IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications,

seeking for suitable placement in any

related industries.

Contact 98045482,

Email: mastanshaik1008@gmail.com

Indian male, 24 years, HSE Engineer

having 2 years of Indian experience.

Done IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifica-

tions, seeking for suitable placement

in any related industries.

Contact 98045482

27, male, ACCA finalist, have pro-

fessional experience up to finaliza-

tion of Accounts, Statutory and in-

ternal audit, expertise in using tally

and focus & Oracle Software, have

3.5 years experience in accounts till

finalization, seeking for permanent

replacement ,GSM-97654769,email

id-abdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com

M. Tech VLSI design, B. tech Elec-

tronics and instrumentation, Indian

female,3 years teaching experience

for graduation level students,

seeking suitable placements .

Ph:00968 92904155.

email-achusooraj@gmail.com

Indian male 22yr BBA with LOGIS-

TIC Diploma, exp in tally and data

entry seeking in suitable placement.

Contact; 90151739

email shakeeb.mp280gmail.com

Mechanical Draftsman, Indian male

27, Diploma in Mechanical Engineer-

ing having 7 years of experience

in Auto CAD looking for a suitable

placement. Contact : 97351786 /

96143708 E-mail :

mohammednazeer07@gmail.com

Indian male Oman 8 yrs exp look-

ing for any suitable vacancy for

accountant / Asst. Accountant office

admin local release available.

Contact : 98492752 Email:

atiduehzidve@rediffmail.com

ACCA Affiliate, OBU Degree, 2.5

years experience in audit and

finance in Big6 firm, Looking for

permanent placement. NOC release

available. Contact: #95140445,

a.saran891@gmail.com

B.Tech EEE with 4+ years experi-

ence in the field of it, networking,

ex-tonics etc. presently working in

Amazon India development centre as

a content quality associate seeking

for suitable jobs in Oman. Contact :

+91 9940514005, 93116402

email: mail2nbn@gmail.com

MBA Finance with more than five

years of experience in Finance &

Accounts including GCC, looking for

a suitable opening. Having UAE driv-

ing license. Contact no..91391802.

Senior Accountant. 8 Years experi-

ence. NOC available. Oman driving

license. Seek suitable opportunity.

GSM- 98184170

B.E Mechanical Engineer with 2

years’ experience in HVAC field on

visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact: 93442296

Email Id: sal201091@gmail.com.

MBA (F) B.COM Indian female

having knowledge of accounts with

Tally looking for full or part time

job. Presently on family visit visa.

Contact: - 96259171. Email: -

bhumicapandya@gmail.com

Indian Male, MBA, Talented

management expert having 6 year

experience at U.A.E, India and Oman

in luxury goods and Retail. Seeking

suitable openings in related or same

field. Contact:92700670

Email: jobcareer44@gmail.com

MBA Finance with more than five

years of experience in Finance & Ac-

counts including GCC, looking for a

suitable opening. Having UAE driv-

ing license. Contact no..91391802

Indian 26M, B. Tech Computer Sci-

ence graduate, 3 years exp in India,

looking for suitable job in Muscat.

Contact : 93125669,

Email : amritrajGT18@gmail.com

Indian Male Nurse with Moh

licence & Noc seeking a job with

Family Status gsm:95817579.

E.mail:vasudevanv2005@gmail.com

Part- Time Accountant, well experi-

ence senior accountant ,doing all

type of accounting works,

Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact 98803439

Sudanese/Bsc IT/26/2 years expe-

rience/excellent Eng-Arb speaking/

Omani driving license/96387227/

henrykarrar@gmail.com

MBA - (F), M.Com, B.COM. Indian

female having knowledge of accounts

with Tally looking for part time or full

time job. Presently on family visa.

Contact- 91892264.

mail: yv.dixit@yahoo.com

Indian male Accountant, 12 years

experience, looking for a full time

or part time job, experience in tally

also. Contact 98983122

Pakistani, Male, Pak, Exp 14 Years

in IT Trainer / Computer Teacher,

looking for a better position in

Oman, already working in Prestig-

ious Construction Company.

Contact 95983711.

Join.mtmali@gmail.com

Indian Male (Diploma in electronics

Engineering and CCNA.) having 9

years of experience in Networking, 5

years’ experience in Oman. Looking

for a suitable Placement. NOC avail-

able. GSM- 93787098,

Email –anishktr@gmail.com

INDIAN MALE 24 YEARS,B. Tech

(Electrical & Electronic).Having 2

years experience as Electrical Site

Engineer in Constructions. Done

IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications.

Seeking for suitable placement

in constructions or in any related

industries. Contact no: 98045482,

Email: shannu.hse@gmail.com

Indian male more than 10 years

gulf experience in Office / Sales

Coordinator, Admin, Secretarial and

purchase with good computer skills.

Having Driving license and NOC

available, looking for suitable place-

ment. Contact 90135063

Tunisian shoes designer wuth

40years expereince in designing

and manifacturing loocking for a job

in a related field contact : 97816917

Indian Male, 28, B.Com, 6+ yrs exp in

Accounts, 2 yrs in Oman with Valid

Oman D/L, NOC available.#9719 4864

Indian male post graduate.2 years

experience in sales. currently in

oman on visit visa.seeks suitable

placement.Gsm 92388346

Civil site coordinator, Diploma,

Male 25, now present in Oman,

Seeking job in Oman. contact

92875345, jubincivileng@gmail.

com

Male Indian 27, working as finance

analyst having two years Oman ex-

perience with Driving license looking

for suitable position. Mob: 98097009,

rameesnm@gmail.com

FRESH - B.Com Graduate on Family

Visa, looking for any suitable Job.

Contact : 92567020 / 95322175,

Email: shwayanad@gmail.com

Admin Executive, Indian Female

having 10 years Gulf experience

in seeking suitable placement cur-

rently working in Muscat.

Email: meenafajar@yahoo.com,

Mobile 0096893211402

Indian female MBA Finance cur-

rently on visit visa seeks immediate

placement. Phone: 968-98430089

Indian male,27, IT/Telecom Engi-

neer, 2 yrs exp in Oman, with valid

Oman D/L, NOC Available. contact

93938727

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

Egyptian very good marketing and

sales skills experience 10 years in

tourism. Contact :

90155723

Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+

experience in Administration/HR,

Customer Support, Office Coordina-

tor with good Computer skill, now

on Visit Visa ,looking for suitable

position. Contact: 90196235

29 years Indian female (MBA-

Finance) with 4 yrs experience in

Accounts, seeking suitable place-

ment in Accounts/Admin/HR. NOC

available. Contact:96141283

ACCOUNTANT: Indian male 25

having 4years experience in ac-

counting & having well knowledge in

tally. Contact:968 094535881, 0091

9037622048. Email: vishnuraj889@

gmail.com

ACCA finalist, Recent B.Com Gradu-

ate, Indian Female, looking for full

time employment in Accounting and

Audit. Contact +96896964379,

sangeethaumesh5@gmail.com

Admin, having 10+ years experience

in Admin/HR/Logistics/Time Keeper,

in reputed companies. Presently work-

ing in Muscat. Contact- 94369965

,mail - satya1528@gmail.com

Indian male, 23 yrs, B.E in Mechanical post Graduation Diploma

in piping Engineering, seeking job in

relevant field. Contact : 94786570

Email: asim.hajwani6@gmail.com

Indian 22 years male, Mechanical

Engineer, B.Tech has done intern-

ships, born and brought up in Oman

with Omani driving license, seeking

suitable jobs. # 92791637 Email:

ashwinsureshkotturethu@gmail.com

Indian male BE civil project Engi-

neer 15 years Oman experience in

building projects with valid D/L NOC

available. Contact: 92178471

B.Tech civil project coordinator

5 years experience of with different

ministry projects NOC available.

Contact: 94194393

Indian male software Engineer 2

years experience knowledge of Java

.NET C# ASP.Net. Contact: 99210940

working in techno park Indian

Trivandrum

BE Electrical Engineer 8 years

experience 4 years in Oman with

Oman driving license. #96942032

Civil Engineer (Diploma) seeking for

placement. Contact: 95200650

Civil Engineer (diploma) 3.5 yrs exp,

seeking for placement. #95200650

Indian Mechanical Engineer 31 yrs, 8+ experience in sales & Bus.

Dev, having Oman driving license

& NOC. Contact: 97116858 Email:

menonamit1984@gmail.com

Electrician 3 years experience in

Building lines in Oman and other

related experience also. NOC avail-

able. Stay till 29.09.2015. Contact:

94057129 / 95964419 Email:

raheemdadbaloch@hotmail.com

Electrical Eng. Degree (MEP) need suit-

able job of construction 12 yrs exp.

Email: mohd.ateeq.khan@gmail.com

C-SWIP 3.1 ASNT level 2 QC Mech.

Engr 5+ yrs exp Indian male 26 seeks

placement. Contact : 91823331

Email: kannasekhar46@gmail.com

Electrical and Electronics Engineer with one year experience and GCC

licence holder seeking a job

mail – shyjalpk@gmail.com

SUPERVISOR: Indian male site

supervisor (AIR CONDITIONING)

25 years of experience with valid Oman

Driving license, seeking suitable place-

ment. Contact: 97498809, 93391910

Email: hilariankj@gmail.com

Engineer with 3 yrs experience in

Indian in MEP, HVAC& mechanical

maintained field on visit visa looking

for suitable job. Contact 99191535

Email: fareed029@gmail.com

Btech computer science graduate

2015 passout.. Android application

marketing.. Having good communi-

cation skills and mindset to work in

a team. Contact 91024385

Indian male BE Mechanical currently on 2 yrs free visa with NOC

& local release. Looking for suitable

job in Muscat. Contact – 90296975 /

ali.syedausaf@gmail.com

Indian BE (MECH) aviation BE degree

diploma in material quality manage-

ment 17 years Navy aviation 13 years

construction purchase stores profes-

sional on visit.

Contact: 90205082 /98796982

Indian male 25 years MCA, CCNA

Certified MCSE2012 having 16

months experience in network and

system administration looking

for suitable placement. Contact

97703253 / 92365310 Email:

albinmperakkattu@gmail.com

Software Engineer, 6 yrs exp in

software projects & development

(Java,PL/SQL Unix) on visit visa.

Contact: 99487493

Indian male, 29 yrs, B. Eng in CS,

CCNP, JNCIA, MCSA, MCITP, ISO/

IEC27002, 8 yrs exp in IT, Network-

ing and Server support. #98285401

Email: maneshm3@gmail.com

Indian 24 years BCA MCITP having

2 years exp as System Administra-

tor looking suitable job. #94170892

BE, ECE Mumbai university skills

in C, C++, windows, linux, controller

and processor RTOS, Electronics,

Networking, 6 months experience in

embedded software seeks place-

ment. Contact : 917774864736

Email: sadatbtisekar@gmail.com

CCNA MCITP Network support/ Net-

work technician with 2 yrs experi-

ence Indian male having bachelors

degree on visit visa. #93080871,

email :sean.f.peters@outlook.com

Filipino lady looking for Reception-

ist Sales girl having good experience

in Muscat. NOC will be available

ready to join immediately. Contact:

92664896 / 91107941. After October

1st week. Contact: + 639759460269

BBA Graduate with 3 years experi-

ence in Sales & Marketing valid

Omani D/L looking for job. Contact:

97378073 Email: samaanmoham-

med@gmail.com

Indian male MBA having 4 yrs Gulf

experience in logistics and Counter

Sales currently on visit visa and

looking for suitable job.#96695541

Looking for Driver & Salesman

vacancy 10 years Oman experience

Oman license holding. #98234893

Indian male 30 yrs, B. Sc food

science and quality control 7

years experience in G.C.C 3 years

experience in laboratory related jobs,

valid Oman driving license. Contact:

93405643

Wanted salesman job, with driving

license. Have exp. ins selling goods,

experience in shops special experi-

ence in car parts seeking any job

related to selling. Contact: 94162434

Indian male 35 years BBM, diploma

in A/C, 5 years experience as Sales

Executive in Oman with valid D/L

and NOC seeking suitable placement

in Muscat area. Contact : 92683606

Email: abhi.abrahm09@gmail.com

MBA Graduate having 23 yrs of

experience as Sales Manager in

building materials trading looking

for a suitable opportunity, release

available. Contact 92106768,

Email : suvimasri@gmail.com

Business intelligence / Global Mar-

keting management specialist with

9 years of experience developing

brand value & managing overall pro-

jects to achieve business objectives

seeking suitable position on family

visit. Contact: 91902154

MBA 15 years experience in Sales &

Marketing in telecom, FMCG, pres-

ently in India C/O Saif Kazi.

Contact : 99625957

Email Id: a_kazi123@yahoo.co.in

Indian male 25 yrs BBM Graduate

3 yrs of experience Sales / Market-

ing in Oman looking in suitable

placement. Contact : 93185316

Email: karsh794@gmail.com

Indian male . 14 yrs experience in

maintenance & Supervisor in hotel

field ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical &

Plumber ) N O C available mob : 95

25 36 40 . email = hareeshma24@

yahoo.com

Indian male B.Eng. in

IT,CCNA,MCSA,MCSE, 2.5 yrs + exp.

in IT support, networking and server

support valid Omani D/L seeking

suitable placement in IT/Network/

Server support. Contact

92607532

ACCA Affiliate, Indian Male, Fresher,

looking for full time employment

in Tax and Audit.+968 91291520,

shahidazeez5@gmail.com

Indian Male, 24 years old recently

completed M.Tech in Offshore Struc-

tures from NIT Calicut, looking for

suitable position. Contact : +91 9833

2485 68, Email: shihabpatel91@

gmail.com

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

D6 T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

SITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANTED

SIT.WANTED

Female MBA gold medalist, with

computer proficiency, Oman driving

license looking for job opportunity

in event management companies in

Muscat. Ph : 99012949

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, Indian

male,29 years.8 years experience

.Presently working in Oman as a

Senior Accountant with oman Driv-

ing license. NOC available. Seek suit-

able opportunity. GSM: 97705854

Two year experience in Oman,

experience in sales, purchase and

system admin, Having GCC license.

Contact number 97475860,

Yadhukrishnan08@gmail.com

Indian Male, 32 yrs, MBA-HR, Train-

er & Faculty worked on Omanisation

& nationals development activities

with 10 yrs of experience seeking

suitable job. Contact : 93891401

saiprasad_18@yahoo.com

Sudanese 29 male (Bsc computer

science,diploma computer engineer-

ing), 6 yrs. experience dba oracle pl-

sql , ms sql-server ,ms visual studio

vba,network Omani Driver licence

language English, Arabic

Tel: 91415886

Piping Design Engineer, Indian

male 27, looking for suitable place-

ment in Piping Design & Engineer-

ing. Having 7 years of experience in

AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS

(11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact :

97351786 / 96143708/97357143

Indian female, 24yrs, M.COM (Ac-

counts) having 3 yrs experience

in Accounts, HR, Administration,

Customer Service. Good Computer

Proficiency seeking Suitable Posi-

tion. Visa Transfer/NOC Available.

Contact: 99654913

Diploma in civil engineering having

an experience 24years (20years

in Oman) experience in Estimator

/ quantity surveyor looking for a

suitable placement, willing to join

immediately Contact : 96328687

Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA,

MCSA, MCSE, 2yrs + exp. in IT sup-

port, networking and server support

valid Omani D/L seeking suitable

placement in IT/Network/Server

support. Contact 92607532

Indian male, 14 yrs Experience in

Maintenance & Supervisor in hotel field

( Electrical. Ac Mechanical & Plumber )

N O C available #95253640 .

email = hareeshma24@yahoo.com

ME Civil- structural Engineer, 8 Years Structural engineer ex-

perience, Looking for Structural

Designer, supervisor or site engineer

Position. Iranian male. #93696929,

Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com

Indian Male 26 years MCA, MCSE

2012 certified, Microsoft Exchange

Server Administration, having 1 year

experience in IT/System Administra-

tion looking for suitable placement.

Contact Mob : 00968 92745708

Email: nabeelmmkty@gmail.com,

Light duty driver, Young and honest.

Can speak Arabic, Hindi and under-

stand English. Release available.

Ph.92854775 / 93487450

Indian female with MBA on visit

visa seeking immediate placement.

Contact - 968-93316493

27,male,ACCA finalist, have profes-

sional experience upto finalization

of accounts, statutory and internal

audit, expertise in using tally and

focus & oracle software, have 3.5

years experience in accounts till

finalization and statutory audit,

seeking for permanent replacement

,GSM-97654769,email id-

abdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com

Sudanese male, 31 years, have 3

year Diploma in electrical engineer

, 6 year experience in construction

and electrical production plant .

Mobile No ; +96894549609

Indian male, B.com, MBA, having

5 years experience (3 years in U.A.E)

is currently seeking suitable op-

portunities within finance/accounts/

admin dept.Contact:93953613,

allen.mathew83@gmail.com

B.Com graduate, 11 years experi-

ence in Accounts, 9 years Oman

experience , Oman valid driving

license, looking for suitable post.

Mob:92758404 NOC Available.

Indian male 27 years B.E & MS Me-

chanical Engineer working in Delhi

for last 4 years inJcb India pvt. ltd.,

seeks placement in Oman.

Contact: 93393768

Driver looking for job exp 2 yrs.

Contact: 98522914

Indian female B. Com MBA finance

,5 years experience in oman as an

account seeking suitable placement.

Contact 99044292

Indian Male 22 Years , Graduation

In Electronics Seeking Jobs In Su-

pervisory , Sales & Sales Co-ordina-

tion Fields , Good Communication

Skill Contact 96141317,

E-mail: akhilek5@gmail.com

DIPLOMA+B.E.(CIVIL ENGINEER),

Indian, 4 years of experience, cur-

rently on visit visa; Seeking Right

Position. GSM:91570703.

Indian male 23 years Graduate,

working as a sales coordinator cum

purchase & office coordination 2 yrs

in oman Having oman license & NOC

looking for suitable job in Muscat

Email:yadhukrishnan08@gmail.com,

GSM:97475860

ME. Civil Engineer, Structural

Designer, 3 Years Structural Design,

6 Years Str. Engineer Experience,

Looking For Structural Designer Po-

sition. Iranian Male. #93696929,

Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com

Male Graphic designer cum anima-

tion, non linear editing VFX, seeking

suitable position.

Contact: 97792661 / 96229406

B-tech Electrical Engineer with

more than 2 years of experience in

erection and designing of HT and LT

electrical systems. Seeking for

suitable job in Muscat. #98269366.

Email: sijincleetus@gmail.com

Indian Female BSC nurse with 8+

years of experience including 3

years of GCC exp. Oman Prometric

passed with 57 %. Currently in Oman.

Contact : 98034384

Data Entry operator cum Buyer,

Indian male,26years.BA, Computer

proficiency :Operating system (Win-

dows 2000xp & Windows7) E plus

and Tally ERP9, 4 yrs Experience in

Oman seeks suitable placements.

Mob: 95360255

Senior Accounts Professional,

Indian Male, 36 years, M.Com, MBA

(Fin) 9 years in Oman, with valid

Oman DL and NOC available. Capable

to handle accounts up to finalization.

Contact 9602 3965.

Driver 5 years exp know English,

Arabic,& Hindi Education B.A.

Contact : 91615715 / 99512270

Indian Male 24 years, Looking for a

Suitable Job in Telecom / Network-

ing, 1 year sales experience. M. Sc.

Communications Engineering &

Valid Driving license. Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com

Indian lady 30 years Graduate hav-

ing work experience in India and

Oman looking for Admin or any other

suitable job. Contact : 95676957

Indian male, 39 yrs, MSC Computer

Science 10 years experience IT sup-

port, FMS Engineer, bank experience

looking for suitable job. #94276449

Indian, presently on visit visa

in Salalah looking for job B.com

failed UAE experience in accounts,

commercial Admin & warehouse.

Contact: 92754071 /93346931

Email: sathyanathanuk@gmail.com

MBA (Marketing /HR) with 45 years

exp in business development and

marketing, having valid Oman driv-

ing license seeks suitable placement

currently available on family visa.

Contact 97618033

Email: vjgeorge12@gmail.com

Indian, male, 41 years, CA Inter,

Persuing CA final. Now on express

visa. 7 years of Experience in OMAN

as Finance and Accounts Manager in

Trading , Construction and Firefight-

ing industry. 21 Years of exp. seeking

suitable Managerial positions. No

visa issues. Immediate joining.

Contact 98469311

Email:sebin30@yahoo.co.in

Indian male 63 years have 30 years

Muscat experience all office work

sales business development insurance

administration accounts with Oman

driving license. Contact 99249412

Indian female LLB (Advocate) 2

years experience looking for suitable

post legal advisor company secretary

etc. # 93343190 / 94476387

Email: shafu1019@gmail.com

Indian Female Accountant, CA Final

(Group I cleared), 5+ year’s experi-

ence in the field of Accounts, Audit

and Financial ERPs. Currently avail-

able in Muscat and seeking suitable

job opportunities.Ph:94704800

email id: vinithsavith@gmail.com

B.E (IT) 1 year exp complete school-

ing in Muscat needs job in software

/ net working / java/ WEB design or

marketing. #97136248 / 99313821

Indian female, B.Sc, PGDCA, cur-

rently on family joining visa, 2 years

working experience in oman as

customer care / sales co-ordinator,

immediate joining seeks suitable

placements. Contact no. (968)

95573205 / 95949230 / 95800792

Indian male 22 years ACCA affiliate ,

BSc, Graduate in applied accounting 2

months working experience seeking

suitable placement in Finance / Ac-

counts / audit immediately. Contact:

97378607 / 92558734

B-tech Electrical Engineer with more

than 2 years of experience in erection

and designing of HT and LT electrical

systems. Seeking for suitable job in

Muscat. Contact: 98269366.

Email: sijincleetus@gmail.com

Project Manager / Senior Engi-

neer, Indian Male BE Civil, 21yrs

experienced including Oman looking

for the Job Contact +918939295181

Email I’D 58031_bala@yahoo.co.in

Indian male 26 , graduate in me-

chanical engineering having 2 years

experience in fabrication production

filed in India, looking for a suitable

job. mobile: +968-91384621

EMAIL : rmekhil@hotmail.com

Sr. Sales Executive, Indian Male,

Holding Valid Oman DL. Total experi-

ence in Oman of 15 years with 4 years

Rent a Car Co. experience. Looking

for Opportunities in any Industry for

similar sales role. # 95703233

email id “khetani_r@yahoo.com

29 years Indian female (MBA-

Finance) with 4+yrs experience

(Oman) in Accounts, seeking suit-

able placement in Accounts/Admin.

Contact:96141283

INDIAN MALE 23 YEARS,B. Tech

(Electrical & Electronic). Done IOSH

& NEBOSH- IGC certifications. Look-

ing for HSE engineer job in Oil Gas

Sector, constructions or in any re-

lated industries. Contact 98045482

Indian male. M.com holder with two

year working experience as an ac-

countant in India. Now at Muscat on

visiting visa. Seeks suitable place-

ment. Gsm:96947500,99463120,

:mohamedshafikk5@gmail.com

ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29

years.8 years experience .Presently

working in Oman as a Senior Ac-

countant with oman Driving license.

NOC available seek suitable opportu-

nity. GSM: 97705854

Civil site coordinator, Diploma,

Male 25, now present in Oman, Seek-

ing job in Oman. Contact 92887561,

jubincivileng@gmail.com

B-tech Electrical engineer with more

than 2 years of experience in erection

and designing of HT and LT electri-

cal systems. Seeking for suitable

job in Muscat. Contact:98269366.

Email:sijincleetus@gmail.com

Indian Female B.Sc., B.Ed.(Maths),

M.C.A residing in Al-Ghubra seek-

ing a teaching position as a Math

Teacher GSM.- 94231633

Female, Indian, 35 Yrs- house maid

available for Full/Part time work in

Muscat. contact- 96754303.

Indian male, ERP Functional Con-

sultant (SCM, MM, HRMS), Seeks

employment.Contact: 98478928,

Email: anand.desai2408@gmail.com

Indian male , 14 yrs Experience in

maintenance & Supervisor in otel

field ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical &

Plumber ) N O C available#95253640

email hareeshma24@yahoo.com

Piping Design Engineer, Indian

male 27, looking for suitable place-

ment in Piping Design & Engineer-

ing. Having 7 years of experience in

AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS

(11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact :

97351786 / 96143708, Email :

mohammednazeer07@gmail.com

Indian male 28YRS, 7Years exp. in

Architectural & structural Draughts-

man & 3d visualization, looking for a

suitable Post GSM: +971551965944.

Email:aboosufiyan@gmail.com

MOH Indian Dentist 10 years experi-

ence in Oman. Can speak Arabic, has

driving license. Contact

98995321 or

ventureoman007@gmail.com

Having 9+ years exp. in Adminis-

tration & HR in reputed companies.

Presently working in Muscat and

seeking for suitable placement.

Contact No.: 97693456. Email :

muralimahdav77@gmail.com

Omani , female, have diploma in

quantity survey, bachelor in Constitu-

tion management, seeking situated

placement at Sohar. Tel 94454180,

Mail nhlmct@yahoo.com

ACCOUNTANT, Indian male, 29

years.8 years experience .Presently

working in Oman as a Senior Ac-

countant with oman Driving license.

NOC available. Seek suitable oppor-

tunity. GSM: 98184170

DAILY GUIDET U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5 D7

SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

Split & widow unit A.C servicing &

repairing. Contact: 99557080

Split & window unit A.C servicing

& maintenance.

Contact: 96236476

Window & split unit A.C servicing

& maintenance.

Contact: 93769089 / 95323517

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet

& sofa shampooing, Contact

99314807/24792998

House shifting & packing. Contact: 99657644 /98518013

General cleaning &

Shampooing. Ocean Center LLC.

Contact: 99344723/99357908

Water proofing ABUQABAS-

Contact 99320217/24788722

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your

marble. #24793614/ 99314807

Air condition maintenance instal-

lation window AC, split a/c, ducted

AC and package type units.

Contact: 98667326

Window & split unit A.C ser-

vicing & maintenance. Contact

93769089 / 95323517

Used house & office furniture

& electronic items. Contact:

99834373 / 96642500

Pest Control Treatments, Cockroaches, Ants, Rodents &

Termites, Ocean Center LLC.

Contact: 99344723/ 99357908

Supply fixing Wallpapers,

all carpets. #99834373 /

96642500

One stop shop business services : Public Relation (PRO) formation new

companies, LLC companies, Investor

visa, business setup, prepare busi-

nesses & companies accounts, legal

services, representing you and your

company. #Saleh : 96723485

WEBSITE

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at

rock bottom price. Contact: http//webviewoman

SIT.WANTED

SIT.WANTED

SIT.WANTED

Indian male Nurse 5 years ICU

experience prometric 63% and BLS,

ACLS puss, looking for suitable job

currently on visit visa.

Contact: 93894049 Email:

basilbabybasilbaby@gmail.com

Indian male 29 years B.Tech & MBA

with 1.2 years experience in Oman

as Electronic Engineer seeking for a

suitable job. Contact:

92085082 Email: suhailece.61@

gmail.com

BE Civil Engineer with 11 years of

experience in building construc-

tion with valid Oman DL, looking for

suitable placement, NOC available.

Please contact 91329910

Indian female, B.Sc, PGDCA, cur-

rently on family joining visa, 2 years

working experience in oman as

customer care / sales co-ordinator.

immediate joining seeks

suitable placements. contact no.

(968) 95573205 /95949230/

95800792

Indian Male, 25, C.A., 2 years experi-

ence as Credit Manager with ICICI

Bank India on Visit Visa. Staying

with parents at Azaibah.

Ph: 24492638. Email:

shyamal008@gmail.com

27,male, ACCA finalist, have profes-

sional experience upto finalisation

of accounts, statutory and internal

audit, expertise in using tally and

focus & oracle softaware, have 3.5

years experience in accounts till

finalisation and statutory audit,

seeking for permanent replacement

GSM-97654769, email id-

abdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com

Indian Male, 29, 9 years exp in

Sales in Oman (Buraimi) with valid

D/L looking for suitable placements,

NOC available .Ph: 9360 1947

INDIAN MALE 23 YEARS, B. Tech

(Electrical & Electronic) having

4 years working experience as an

Electrical site Engineer. Looking for

suitable job in Oil Gas Sector or in re-

lated industries. Contact 98045482

Indian Female, M.Com & MBA with

1.5 years of experience in Reinsur-

ance Treaty seeking a good job

opportunity in Insurance & Reinsur-

ance Accounts or General Accounts.

Contact: +968 91920189, Email:

neethumano.manohar@gmail.com

CCNA MCITP network support / net-

work technician with 2 years experi-

ence Indian male having bachelors

degree on visit visa. #93080871

sean.f.peters@outlook.com

8 yrs exp 2d, 3d draughtsman

(HOLDING OMANI DRIVING LICENSE)

seeking job. Contact : 93790601

ME. Civil Engineer, Structural

Designer, 3 Years Structural Design,

6 Years Str Supervising Experience,

Looking For Structural Designer Posi-

tion. Iranian Male. # 93696929

Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com

BSC Female Nurse having 8 years of

experience ( 3 years in gulf). Promet-

ric passed - 57%. Currently in Oman.

Contact : 98034384

ACCOUNTANT, Male, 8 years expe-

rience .Presently working in Oman

as a Senior Accountant with Oman

Driving license. NOC available seeks

suitable opportunity. GSM: 98184170

ACCOUNTANT, M.Com holder with

2 year working experience as an ac-

countant in Kerela-India, seeks suit-

able placement. GSM NO:96947500,

9 9463120, mail:

mohamedshafikk5@gmail.com

Indian Male 22 Years, Graduation In

Electronics Seeking Jobs In Supervi-

sory , Sales & Sales Co-ordination

Fields , Good Communication Skill

Contact 96141317,

E-mail: akhilek5@gmail.com

Sudanese.male 32 years.B.SC

mechanical engineer.7years

experience.5 years experiance in

Gulf.working now in water pipeline

projects.fluent Arabic and English.

have Omani driving license.looking

for good opportunity TEl:91117089

Filipino (male), 37 yrs. old, having

8yrs. experience in Operation (Ship-

ping & Logistics) currently on visit

visa looking for suitable job.

GSM: 97121525

Chartered Accountant with 7 years

of post qualification experience,

seeking challenging job opportunity.

Experience in auditing/accounts &

finance/taxation/IFRS, etc.

GSM +968 95763680

Indian Female Interior Designer, 4.5

yrs experience, seeking immediate

mid-senior level position with firm

having lady clearance. NOC Avail-

able. Contact 93033072

Indian Male 22 years, ACCA Af-

filiate with B..Sc. Degree in Applied

Accounting having three months

working experience seeking suitable

placement in Finance / Accounts /

Audit. Holding valid Oman D/L.

Contact 97378607 / 92558734

Indian female Nurse, Prometric

passed 64%, 5 years of experience,

MOH licensed, presently working in

Oman seeking a suitable placement

in reputed Hospitals, NOC available.

Contact: 98329941,

Email: ancyanish2011@gmail.com.

Female from India -MA. B.Ed. with

One year three months Teaching

experience. English seeking for a

urgent better placement, Now work-

ing in Oman. #93961142, 92184408

Email:-anoopkesavan78@gmail.com.

Driver with car seeking suitable

post. Contact : 916602662

Video Editor 29 years Indian male

with 8 years experience on visit visa

looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 91275969 /

leomoorkoth@gmail.com

Syrian male 3yrs. exp in IT support,

Networking, Security systems, Serv-

er support, IT sales and marketing.

Valid Omani D/L seeking suitable

placement. Contact 91033395

8 yrs exp 2d, 3d Draughtsman (HOLDING OMANI DRIVING

LICENSE) seeking job.

Contact 97449630

Indian male MBA + TALLY , 29 years

& 7years experience in Administra-

tion and Manager level in Reputed

companies, Seeking suitable place-

ment. Contact 96297709 /

+91 9066130371,

Email: jomonjohnm9@gmail.com

Accountant 7 years experience

with D/L and NOC. #97712084

Indian Male 24 years, Looking for

a Suitable Job in Telecom / Net-

working. 1 year sales experience.

MSc. Communications Engineer-

ing & Valid Driving license.

Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com

Finance Manager / Chief Ac-

countant / Audit Manager, C.A ,

MBA ,ACCA , CPA..15years in GULF

, Expert in Banking ,Financing,

Profit Maximizations , Admin &

Management, Business Develop-

ments , ERPs Software’s, Audit Exp.

with Big 5 , NOC & Driving License

Call 94403270 or 94504505

29 years Indian female (MBA-

Finance) with 4+yrs experience

(Oman) in Accounts is seeking

suitable placement in Accounts/

Admin. Contact:96141283.

MEP Quantity Surveyor-Estima-

tion-Project, 10 Years Experience

(3 years in Oman). Having NOC &

Oman D/L. Looking for suitable job,

Contact – 98291626

ACCOUNTANT, Indian Male, 25

years old, 5 years Experience (2

years in Oman & 3 years in India)

Presently working in Oman. Going

exit on this week with NOC.

Seeking suitable opportunities.

GSM : 97018783

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, Indian

male,29 years.8 years experience

.Presently working in Oman as

a Senior Accountant with oman

Driving license. NOC available.

Seek suitable opportunity. GSM:

97705854

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till

12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile pol-

ishing, pest control & anti-termite

treatment, general cleaning paint-

ing, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting.

Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading.

L.L.C. contact 24810137, 99450130

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS-

99320217 /24788722

Indian male Auto cad Draughtsman

(civil) 8 years experience seeking for

part time job. contact 99070584,

Email: remluvp@gmail.com

Indian male 27, looking for suitable

placement in Piping Design & Engi-

neering, having 7 years of experience

in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS

(11.6 Version), CAESAR ll. Contact :

97351786 / 96143708, E-mail :

mohammednazeer07@gmail.com

Indian male having 14years of

experience in HR, Purchase Dept,

having Oman driving license

looking for a suitable position at

Salalah. Noc available.

Contact : 91182907

Mail: Madhuvtk@ gmail.com

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT Indian male

55 years. 30 Years experience, pres-

ently working in Oman as a Senior

Accountant last 10 years. NOC avail-

able, seek suitable opportunity. GSM

99685800. Email:- sanatoman@

gmail.com

Female, BE(hons) Systems Admin-

istration, 2 years teaching experi-

ence. Seeking suitable placement in

Higher Education/Training industry.

Email: sadia_fatima@hotmail.com

Contact:96447091

MANPOWER

Leading manpower agency to hire Recruiter from India housemaids. Contact: 99226093,

Email: fesalwardi48@gmail.com

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation. #98505294

Transportation in Muscat.

Contact: 95530908

Transportation for saloon car&

delivery van. Contact : 95530908

Transportation. Contact 99508282

Transportation available. Contact -955 70 429

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

D8 T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

RENT A CAR

RENT A CAR

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise

with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain

Marine Tours Contact- 98029602,

92808636

TOURS

SITUATION WANTEDCARGO

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SITUATION WANTEDCARGO