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WEDNESDAY, October 22, 2014 / 28 Dhul Hijja 1435 AH timesofoman.com wtimesofoman.com facebook.com/timesofoman twitter.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

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Private sector to be made more attractive for locals

FAHAD AL MUKRASHIfahad@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Reduced eligible age for pension, better health insur-ance facilities and legal status of contracts for private sector em-ployees could find a place in the amended Labour Law.

However, an increase in wag-es will not be a part of the new amendment. The amended La-bour Law with more privileges is likely to be ready by the beginning of next year. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri, Minister of Man-

power, confirmed that the new Labour Law would be announced soon, assuring that “it will bring stability in the private sector”. He made this statement after signing 13 agreements for training 392 Omanis on Monday.

Speaking to Times of Oman, Nabhan Al Batashi, president, Gen-eral Federation of Oman Trade Un-ions (GFOTU), said, “The Council of Ministers will soon send it to the Majlis Al Shura.”

Al Batashi said that among the

many amendments that the La-bour Law will focus on will be training, vacations, health insur-ance and status of women apart from legal status of contracts and protection of trade unions.

However, Al Batashi clarified, “amendments will not lead to rise in wages.”

A reduction in the eligible age for pension will also be included, confirmed Al Batashi.

The GFOTU, along with the Council of Ministers and the Min-istry of Manpower, are working to make social insurance in the private sector equal to that of the public sector.

Experts feel that the new amendments will make the pri-

vate sector more attractive for the national workforce and it could see a reduction in the resignations seen at present.

Mohammed Al Balushi, an em-ployee at a private sector compa-ny, hopes that the eligible age for pension will be reduced.

“It should be on par with the public sector workers,” he said.

Al Batashi pointed out that the new amendments would have more privileges for employees in the private sector. >A4

To be ready by next

year, the amended

Labour Law has

features aimed at

reducing the flight of

Omani workers from

the private sector

OMANNo need to ‘quit’ for public sector jobs

1 “It is now possible for private sector employees to apply for government

jobs without resigning from their current jobs,” said Talib Al Dhabari, head of media department, Ministry of Manpower. >A2

OMANMedical meet aims at best global expertise

2Harnessing the best of global medical expertise and knowledge on a

constantly evolving health care industry will be the focus of the MED2020 Forum. >A5

REGIONKurdish fighters weather IS storm

3Kurdish fighters in the battleground Syrian town of Kobane weathered

an onslaught by IS militants as they waited for promised reinforcements. Fighting continued in Kobane but appeared to have lessened. >A7

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

Source: General Federation of Oman Trade Unions Graphics

Workers’ opinion 500 Omanis were interviewed during the survey

of the national workforce is not satisfied with the salary they earn61%

found the private sector not atractive enough to work with59%

graduates prefer to work in the public sector

72%

expressed interest in entrepre-neurship

Omanis resigned from the private sector jobs between January, 2013

and May, 2014

13%

Workers’ strengthTotal private sector workers

1,767,067Omanis

215,052Expatriates

1,552,015

Higher education qualification

139,874 83,000Omanis

15,906Expatriates

123,968

Two-year visa ban ‘hits hiring of skilled personnel’

REJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: With the government stating unequivocally that there is no change in the two-year visa ban on expatriate workers leaving jobs before the end of their contracts without a no objection certificate (NOC), workers and companies alike have mostly reacted adverse-ly to the move.

“I had plans to switch my job

due to differences with my em-ployer. Now, I don’t have any op-tion until my contract expires,” said a worker from India, who wished to remain anonymous.

“Besides the uncertainty over what the regulation actu-ally means, the new legislation is causing significant difficulties,” said Tonia Gray, general manager of Competence HR, a human re-sources firm.

“We have already had several

candidates withdrawing from of-fers of employment as they do not want the uncertainty and the pos-sibility of having to leave Oman at the end of their two-year contract and not be allowed to return for two years!

Rule the hindrance“An example of this was a sen-ior manager with an expertise in banking operations who refused the offer because of the rule — a

significant loss to the bank and to Oman, as his experience is not available here,” added Tonia.

Not good business senseAccording to Tonia, the ban doesn’t make good business sense for Oman and further lim-its the personal freedom of the individual.

“If an employee is completely tied to a company for the period, his skill and experience are lost

to Oman and need to be replaced with a completely new person who will take time to settle and whose skills and abilities are un-known. This doesn’t make good business sense for Oman and fur-ther limits the personal freedom of the individual, which doesn’t sit well with me,” added Tonia.

Meanwhile, a company chair-man also said that they are hav-ing a tough time because of the visa ban. >A2

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

‘No plans to cut spending’

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

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OMANNo need to quit to apply for public sector jobs

FAHAD AL GHADANIfahadnews@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: In what is good news for Omanis, the government has decided that nationals working in the private sector can now apply for government jobs without quit-ting the current job.

“It is now possible for private sector employees to apply for gov-ernment jobs without resigning from their current jobs,” said Tal-ib Al Dhabari, head of media de-partment, Ministry of Manpower.

“As per the earlier rules, the private sector employee had to re-sign and wait for a year to be eligi-ble to apply for a government job,” clarified Talib.

Sheikh Al Bakri announced last Monday that the government has recently taken some measures that were aimed at restructuring the employment process in the public sector by allowing Omani private sector employees and job seekers to compete for vacancies in the public sector.

Al Dhabari explained that the

minister’s decision will be applica-ble for all governmental posts. The move is likely to encourage Oma-nis to take up jobs in the private sector without worrying about be-ing unable to join the government sector when a vacancy arises.

Al Dhabari also said that it was necessary to encourage job seek-ers to work in the private sector and provide experienced staff with the opportunity to compete for vacancies in the public sector without prejudice.

Private sector employees will be entitled to shift their entitle-ments and social insurance ben-efits when they move to govern-ment jobs.

“Private sector employees will be more qualified than new job seekers while applying for a gov-ernment post,” said Al Dhabari, while adding that many of the job seekers do not join the private sector as they fear their names will be not be shortlisted.

“One of the conditions for ap-plying to a government job was that the candidate must not work in any government or private sec-tor institution,” said Al Dhabari.

This precondition will not appli-cable anymore and it will push job seekers to join the private sector, he added.

Said Al Sadi, working in the gov-ernment sector, said that he had waited four years without trying for a job in the public sector.

“I had several chances in the pri-vate sector, but I did not join think-ing I will not get a job in the public sector again,” said Al Sadi. He also said that if he had joined the pri-vate sector, he could not be able to get his current government job. Al Dhabari also said that a large num-ber of private sector employees working in private companies are not registered in the Ministry of Manpower system.

“Such a situation leads to the exploitation of Omanis by pri-vate companies,” said Al Dhabari. Companies pay such employees very low salaries knowing very well that they cannot complain against them, he added.

The ministry always seeks to protect the employees’ rights in the private sector as well as look-ing at absorbing a bigger number of Omanis in that sector.

Earlier, Omani

private sector staff

had to resign and

wait for a year to be

eligible to apply for

a government job

Call to adopt a balanced approach“The government is aiming to promote Omanisation through this move. That is good, but at the same time the government should also consider all the risk factors we companies face. When a skilled and experienced em-ployee is banned from entering Oman because he does not have an NOC or has breached the con-tract with an earlier employer, the loss is ours,” said Anvwar Al Bal-ushi, chairman of Anvwar Asian Investment Group.

“It takes time and money to

train a fresher and get him ac-quainted with the local market. It will be the company’s loss,” said Anvwar while adding the Omani workers should be groomed to take up the challenge and replace the expatriate worker very soon.

The owner of a manpower re-cruiting agency said that the con-trols on employees are good but it should protect the interests of both parties.

“Sometimes, an employee may not be able to work with the pre-sent employer, and may have to

leave. However, because of the ban he cannot do so. So, he has to either suffer and continue or leave and face the ban. A balanced approach should be adopted,” said the owner of a manpower recruit-ment agency in Salalah.

A professor at a college said the ban would have an adverse impact on the Omani business and indus-trial sector.

“Human resource should be al-lowed to move freely from firm to firm. Employees look to switch companies only when they are

not well paid or not satisfied with their job. Now, because of the new rule, companies have to spend more on hiring employees and there will be a time lag in the recruitment and placement pro-cess,” said Dr Ayoob CP, depart-ment head of International Busi-ness Administration in Nizwa College of Applied Sciences.

A few days ago, a ban prevent-ing small and medium-size en-terprises from hiring expatriates was dropped by the Ministry of Manpower.

V I S A B A N

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The minister’s decision will be

applicable for all government

posts. -Times of Oman

Airport passenger traffic is up by 6%MUSCAT: Total passenger traffic through Muscat Inter-national Airport rose 6 per cent to 6,596,147 passengers until September 2014 compared to 6,224,480 passengers for the same period in 2013.

Latest Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) statistics show a 5 per cent rise in the arriv-als to 3,302,870 until September this year against 3,145,068 for the same period of the year 2013.

The number of departing pas-sengers also rose 7 per cent to 3,265,302 until September this year against 3,042,847 for the

same period in 2013. The increas-es in arrival and departure traffic into is attributed to the increase in the number of flights operated by existing airlines, such as Paki-stan International Airlines, Air India Express and Air Arabia.

CargoIn terms of air cargo traffic at Muscat International airport, Aviation Statistics indicate an in-crease in the total unloaded and loaded freight by 4 per cent, with total shipment (91,724 tonnes) compared to (89,071 tonnes) in the same period in 2013. -ONA

P A C A R E P O R T

14% is the increase in passengers at Salalah

Airport until September 2014 compared

to 2013 according to latest PACA data

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CONTAINED: A fire broke out

in a scrap yard in the Mab-

elah industrial area in Muscat

on Tuesday. The fire was put

out in time and no injuries

were reported. – Supplied picture

Timely action helps douse scrapyard fireStaff Reporter

MUSCAT: A fire broke out at a scrapyard in the Mabelah indus-trial area on Tuesday.

“The fire occurred at the scrap yard on 9th street in the indus-trial area. Timely action by the Public Authority of Civil De-fence and Ambulances (PACDA) controlled the fire,” said sources. Motorists driving along the road had witnessed smoke billowing from the scrap yard. Soon after, PACDA tweeted that the fire had been extinguished quickly with-out any injuries.

TweetPACDA officials also tweeted that a fire at a kindergarten school was put out without inju-ries at Liwa in the morning.

Last week, a fire broke out in a café near the Muscat City Centre in Seeb and was extin-guished by fire fighters from PACDA. The fire damaged three store rooms in the café. Two weeks ago, three expatriate workers at a labour camp were injured in a fire in Wattayah.

The fire broke out at around 1:30pm in the kitchen due to a gas leak from a cylinder. Six of the 10 cabins were gutted.

Nearly 100 people were there in the six cabins. While there were no casualties, the belong-ings of workers were gutted.

M A B E L A H I N C I D E N T

Oman to sign today pact

for first wind power plant

MUSCAT: The Sultanate, repre-sented by Rural Areas Electricity Company, will sign on Wednes-day an agreement to build the first wind power plant at a cost of $125 million in Harweel area in the Governorate of Dhofar with a capacity of 50 MW.

The project wil be executed

by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar). HH Sayyid Taimour bin Asaad Al Said, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jabir, Minister of State in the UAE and Chairman of Masdar and a number of officials from both sides wil be present at the signing ceremony. -ONA

R E N E W A B L E E N E R G Y

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OMAN

Now, access Omani history online

RAHUL DASrahuldas@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: For the first time, a new bilingual, online portal providing access to previously undigitised British Library archive materi-als relating to Oman’s history and Arabic science will be launched by the British Library Qatar Founda-tion Partnership, on Wednesday.

The project is digitising approx-imately 100 files related to Oman, which is about 20,000 pages.

Speaking to Times of Oman, Francis Owtram, Gulf History Specialist at the British Library said, “I am really pleased that the launch of the British Library Qatar Foundation Partnership’s portal – the Qatar Digital Library – is putting a number of historical documents relating to Oman on-line for the first time. This will be a fantastic resource for the research of Oman’s history and I would en-courage everyone to visit the web-site at www.qdl.qa.”

The portal will demonstrate sig-nificant influence of Arabic schol-ars in the fields of science, medi-cine, astronomy, mathematics and geography dating back to the 9th century. It will also explore the Gulf’s connections with Brit-ain and the wider world, revealing new insights into the British colo-nial and commercial activity in the region during the 19th century.

Several important documents from key periods in Omani history will be accessible online, mainly from the perspective of the Eng-lish East India Company and Brit-ish officials from that time.

The documents concentrate on relations with the British over po-

litical matters, trade and relation-ships with other European powers, such as France.

There is also a wide variety of materials giving detailed in-formation of the geography and mineral wealth of Oman-based on expeditions to remote regions, together with fascinating photo-graphs, such as those of the an-cient frankincense port at Khor Rori in Dhofar.

The project will also make avail-able recordings of Omani tradi-tional music and paintings, such as of Muscat’s historic harbour guarded by its two imposing forts.

The British Library has been working in partnership with the

Qatar Foundation and Qatar Na-tional Library over the last three years to develop the portal.

Although Oman has had to con-tend with a number of foreign oc-cupations, from the Persians to the Portuguese, Oman has a long his-tory as an independent state.

The portal will help teachers and academics to educate students about Arabic cultural heritage and the modern history of the Gulf.

This comes in the wake of new research has revealed that two out of three (69 per cent) second-ary school teachers do not believe enough is being done by secondary schools to educate children about Gulf history and Arabic cultural

heritage, while 41 per cent of aca-demics say more could be done at universities.

The portal provides contex-tual material to help teachers and students make the best use of the 500,000 digitised pages available.

This includes 475,000 pages from the India Office Records and 25,000 pages of medieval Arabic manuscripts.

The partnership’s research shows that teachers want to in-crease knowledge of Gulf history and contribution of Arab countries to global science not only to im-prove understanding of the region (71 per cent), but also to make fu-ture generations of students bet-ter equipped for globalisation (67 per cent) and to maintain the UK’s world-leading status in interna-tional cultural, social and political engagements (62 per cent).

Importantly, over half (52 per cent) of the teachers surveyed also thought that the UK would be made more economically com-petitive if knowledge of Gulf his-tory and Arabic heritage were increased.

Dr James Onley, senior lecturer in middle eastern history at Exeter University and editor of the Jour-nal of Arabian Studies, said, “The Qatar Digital Library contains the world’s largest digital collection of historical records on the Gulf Arab states and Iran. Its launch is a major milestone in the study of these countries.

“Now anyone can access the region’s fascinating past from anywhere. This easy access will enable scholars around the world to discover new things and write new histories that will expand, and ultimately transform, our under-standing of the region.”

According to the findings, the barriers cited for not teaching the

subjects at schools and universi-ties include lack of demand from students for the courses them-selves (56 per cent), lack of gov-ernment funding for new teach-ing materials (40 per cent), lack of understanding among policy mak-ers of the relevance and impact of Middle East and Arabic history on the UK (43 per cent), and lack of primary source materials to en-gage students (31 per cent) apart from a fewer number of examina-tion bodies able to test the subjects (31 per cent).

Fascinating insightsKeith Simpson, former parliamen-tary private secretary to the foreign secretary, said: “Digitising half a million pages is a vast undertak-ing and will provide fascinating in-sights into the Gulf’s connections with Britain and the wider world. This will be of particular interest to schools and universities.”

Roly Keating, chief executive of the British Library, said, “Previ-ously, you had to go to the British Library to retrieve an archive item. Now, with a click of a button, that barrier has been lifted and global research on the topic will progress more effectively than ever before. We now have free and open access to hundreds of thousands of manu-scripts, archives, maps, sound re-cordings and photographs from the region — all digitised in the high-est quality. This project converts stored knowledge at the Library to shared knowledge, globally.”

Dr Claudia Lux, project direc-tor of Qatar National Library, said, “The digitised materials will not only preserve the region’s heritage for future generations but will also deliver an unprecedented resource of huge benefit to everyone inter-ested in the region’s history, herit-age and culture.”

The portal will feature

significant influence

of Arabic scholars in

the fields of science,

medicine, astronomy,

mathematics and

geography dating

back to the

ninth century

FANTASTIC EFFORT: The project involves digitisation of approximately 100 files related to Oman,

which is about 20,000 pages. – Supplied picture

I am really pleased that the launch of the British Library Qatar Foundation

Partnership’s portal – the Qatar Digital Library – is putting a number of

historical documents relating to Oman online for the first time

Francis Owtram, Gulf History Specialist at the British Library

Majlis hashtag is a hit on TwitterFAHAD AL GHADANIfahadnews@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: The hashtag citizen aspiration (Tatalwat Muwatin), launched by the Majlis Al Shura, has spread quickly on Twitter.

The Majlis Al Shura urged citizens through its official Twit-ter account to participate in the hashtag.

The hashtag was created to en-courage citizens to discuss and express their opinion on various issues related to the council.

The site received tremendous response from citizens who tweeted on issues related to the powers of the Majlis Al Shura, which is a representative of the citizens. There were varied re-

actions from the public about the site. “The hashtag does not empower the Majlis Al Shura members but increases their re-sponsibility,” tweeted Hameed Al Balushi a broadcaster.

He also said that by opening a forum for the public to share their views, there would be more issues for the Majlis Al Shura to handle. “This will increase the pressure on them,” said Al Bal-ushi in his tweet.

Raise awarenessMaimuna Al Sulaimani, a law-yer, used the opportunity to raise awareness about the women’s rights in the private sector.

“It is time to introduce a legis-lation for reserving a certain per-centage of seats on the board of management for Omani women,” said Maimuna.

Combating monopoly, intro-ducing study majors in private colleges, creation of special

roads for truck movement and the need for a taxi meter system were the most important issues raised by citizens in response to the hashtag.

Good moveAbdullah Al Majali, vice chair-man of the Majlis Al Shura, said, “The public will represent the 85th member of the council.”

The Majlis Al Shura has 84 council members. Mohammed Al Busaidi, a member of the Ma-jlis Al Shura, tweeted that it was a good move by the media depart-ment to seek public opinion on issues of their interest.

“It is wonderful to have such great reactions from the public,” he tweeted.

S E E K S C I T I Z E N ’ S O P I N I O N

Public sector first choice

“The new amendments will attract more Omanis now because of the privileges it has,” said Al Batashi.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the GFOTU about job satisfac-tion in 2014, showed that 65 per cent of Omanis in the private sector are dissatisfied with the response of the Ministry of Manpower in solv-ing labour complaints.

A total 500 Omanis were inter-viewed during the survey.

The survey also revealed that 61 per cent of the national workforce is not satisfied with the salary they earn for the amount of work en-trusted to them. Another 59 per cent found the private sector a very dis-interesting place to work with.

It pointed out that 72 per cent of the Omani graduates passing out of universities prefer to work in the

public sector because of the better salary structure, special privileges and retirement plans.

The survey found that only 13 per cent of Omanis expressed interest in entrepreneurship.

The total strength of the work-ers in the private sector, as of May 2014, stood at 1,767,067 in 150,566 companies. Among those, the num-ber of Omanis was 215,052, while the number of expatriates stood at 1,552,015. The number of expatri-ates who have higher educational qualifications is 123,968 compared to 15,906 Omanis. 83,000 Omanis resigned from private sector jobs between January 2013 and May 2014. “The amendments will stop people from resigning from jobs in private sector because of better privileges,” said Juma Al Masalmi.

O M A N I W O R K F O R C E

The hashtag was created to encourage citizens to express their opinion on various issues

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Medical forum to focus on best global expertise

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Harnessing the best of global medical expertise and knowledge on a constantly evolv-ing health care industry will be the focus of the MED2020 Forum un-der the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Faisal bin Turki Al Said to be held on October 26 and 27, at the InterContinental Muscat.

A multi-disciplinary panel of experts from various fields of medicine and health care services will convene under the universal theme of ‘Transforming the Fu-ture of Medicine in the MENA region for Superior Health care Outcomes’, to discuss break-through treatment discoveries in the fields of cardiology, metabolic syndromes, blood disorders, anti-ageing and more.

“This forum is specifically de-signed, not only to share knowl-edge and discuss the new and ex-

citing innovations in medicine, but also to transform this knowledge and innovation into actionable programmes that could be eas-ily and rapidly implemented. The health of any population can be improved only through implemen-tation of exceptional health out-comes,” said Dr. Rabi F. Sulayman, organising committee chairman.

The educational objectives of the conference include reviewing latest advances in medicine, rec-ognising clinical skills of health care professionals and analysing and developing patient care out-comes through sharing best prac-tices and expertise along with ap-plying the shared knowledge into actionable programmes.

The event is open to all ranks of practitioners and personnel in the medicine and the health care industry, hospital administrative staff and patients. The Sultan-ate’s national telecommunica-tions provider, Omantel is a gold sponsor for the event and will provide live streaming of the fo-

rum to international audiences.“As the nation’s provider of

cutting-edge telecommunica-tion services, we are honoured to be part of MED2020 Forum, and play a distinct role in its goals to ‘transform the future of medi-cine’. Omantel’s live streaming of the entire event across the world will not only broadcast its mis-sion to international audiences, it will also define the growing importance of tele-medicine in global health care,” said Hamdan Moosa Al Harasi, general man-ager corporate affairs, at Omantel. A unique and integral compo-nent of the forum’s agenda will be tele-medicine or mobile health (mhealth), the newest buzzword in global health care following the advent and rise of smart phone technologies. The conference will take a detail and in-depth look into the sweeping changes affect-ing the global health care indus-try under mhealth, as it renders medical care more accessible and improves follow-ups.

The forum is organised by WJ Towell and Menacare and ac-credited by the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Sci-ence – Chicago Medical School. For more information, log on to www.med2020.org.

MED2020 Forum

will discuss

breakthrough

treatment

discoveries in the

fields of cardiology,

metabolic

syndromes, blood

disorders, anti-

ageing and more

CRUCIAL MEET: MED2020 Forum is to be held in Muscat under

the patronage of HH Sayyid Faisal bin Turki Al Said on October 26

and 27. – Ismail Al Farsi/Times of Oman

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Coming: A love tale for all time

SARAH MACDONALDsarah@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Giacomo Puccini’s third opera and his first success-ful one, Manon Lescaut, won over his critics with its passionate mu-sic and love story that forced the audience to feel emotions from the beginning to the end.

The Deutsche Oper Berlin’s production of Manon Lescaut, opens at the Royal Opera House Muscat on Thursday. Times of Oman spoke with the conductor, Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, and Chi-nese soprano, Hui He, who sings the title role of Manon, about the opera, which originally pre-miered in 1893.

“Manon Lescaut is a story about love. Love is one big emo-tion for all people in the world. I am a singer who loves big emo-tions, and I like to transfer this to the audience. If you think about love, you should come to see Manon Lescaut,” said Hui He.

Manon Lescaut is the story of a young woman, Manon, who falls in love with a student, Des Grieux, but leaves him because he’s poor. She becomes the mistress of an older, richer man, Geronte. Though Ger-onte is rich, he bores her, so she decides to go back to Des Grieux, but as she leaves, she is caught stealing jewels and is imprisoned. Des Grieux visits her in jail and learns she’ll be sent to the Louisi-ana frontier with other criminals. He decides to go with her, follow-ing his heart, but in Louisiana they end up destitute and not even their great love can save them.

“Manon is simple girl in the first act but in the second act, be-cause of the situation, she has a different personality. At the end she tells everybody that true love is forever,” said Hui He, adding that she fell in love with the role the first time she sang it.

At the beginning of the first act Manon is on her way to a convent to become a nun. She innocently falls in love with Des Grieux, but later, as many women do, falls for

the finer things in life like jewels and riches, Hui He explained.

“But she’s always a very pure girl in her heart. Even when she stays with Geronte, she loves Des Grieux. Her personality changed but inside she’s pure,” said the so-prano, renowned for her interpre-tations of Pucinni’s female roles. It’s a complicated role, one that re-quires both strong vocal skills and acting abilities, she said. The role of Manon took a lot of studying and character research, since she is a very Western role, unlike the Japanese Cio-Cio San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, an Eastern role Hui He relates to easily.

“But if someone asked me which opera I love the best, I would say Manon Lescaut. It’s so passionate and Manon is full of instincts so it’s a very touching role. Even her death is very touch-ing,” Hui He said, her face lighting up with excitement.

Good chemistryHui He said she and the tenor who sings the role of Des Grieux, Kamen Chanev, are very good at showing the chemistry and love on stage, too. In real life they have sung together often and are good friends, but on stage, they change completely, letting the emotions and characters take over.

Maestro Brignoli added that this cast, chorus and orchestra in particular then themselves to the emotional nature of Puccini’s mu-sic, so the audience won’t be able to resist feeling the love, betrayal, sadness that unfold on the stage.

The music complements the story perfectly because it is dra-matic and rich with emotion. Puc-cini was just 31 when he wrote it, and he took quite a chance with it,

since his previous opera was a fail-ure, and there was already a French version of Manon Lescaut by Jules Massenet, Brignoli explained.

“It was very courageous of him, and hard. We hear this strug-gle in the music because Puccini wanted to show a difference from Massenet. He wrote it in a more Italian style, more dramatic and exaggerated,” he said.

Brignoli described this music as being influenced by German composer Richard Wagner’s techniques of revisiting certain musical melodies and associating them with different characters, sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden. He noted that this was very interesting and revolution-ary for such a young composer at the time in Italy.

“It wasn’t like German music or French music, but there was a lot of research into the harmonies, the colours of the orchestra and how the instruments were used,” Brignoli added.

According to the conductor, it is as though Puccini is opening a window and letting the listeners or musicians into the music. It’s very open music that is easy to under-stand and it speaks to one’s soul.

“For a conductor it’s always hard to talk about emotion with words. Music doesn’t happen with words but with emotion. With Manon Lescaut there are very tragic mo-ments where you can really get into the music and live the tragedy. It really touches your heart and that’s beautiful,” he said.

Manon Lescaut will be per-formed Thursday, October 23 and Monday, October 27 at 7pm at the ROHM. For tickets visit www.rohmuscat.org.om or call 2440 3332.

Manon Lescaut is

the story of a young

woman, Manon, who

falls in love with a

student, Des Grieux,

but leaves him

because he’s poor

MASTERPIECE: A scene from Manon Lescaut. – Supplied photos

Hui He, who sings the title role in the opera.

Conductor, Roberto Rizzi Brignoli.

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Coinciding with Om-ani Women’s Day, celebrated on October 17, and as part of its ef-forts in providing information and statistical data related to the role and participation of women in the Sultanate, the National Centre for Statistic and Information (NCSI) recently published the report titled ‘Women & Men in Oman’.

The report is based on compa-rable data and research drawn from the previous two census’ in 2003 and 2010, and highlights the steady progress made by women in Oman. It arms policy and decision makers with necessary data to fur-ther upgrade the participation of Omani women in different fields.

The recently published six-chapter report, sheds light on a number of key issues related to laws and legislations, population trends and education and training achievements along with health and reproductive health, work and economy, and general social statistics. Featuring detailed data analysis and statistical research, the report aims to highlight the necessary actions required to fur-

ther narrow the gender gap, and to provide equal opportunities for both genders in the Sultanate.

It also highlights the impor-tant role played by Omani women across different fields since the re-naissance, and details the develop-ment in the participation and sta-tus of women in Oman during the last decade. On the economic side, women’s participation increased by 25 per cent in 2010 when com-pared with 18 per cent in 2003, and this growth is mirrored in the in-creased participation of women in the State Council in its fourth ses-sion (2007-2011) of 19.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, levels of literacy among women 15 years and above have dramatically improved, growing from 70.6 per cent in 2003 to 80.6 per cent in 2010. Addition-

ally, an increasing number of Om-ani women have been appointed to senior management positions in the public and private sectors, and are playing a significant role in shaping the future development of the sultanate.

Additionally, a number of legis-lative actions have been taken to improve the status of women in Oman, such as the signing of the “Elimination of Discrimination against Women” agreement (CE-DAW) in 2006, as well as a number of legal amendments which give women more rights towards ac-tively participating in all sectors. Moreover, women empowerment was included in the 7th develop-ment plan (2006-2010).

The report reveals that a number of amendments have been made regarding women’s rights which achieves equality between men and women, referring to the Basic Law of the State which was issued by Royal Decree (101/96) stating that equality is the basis of any develop-ment. Additionally, the report men-tions that different laws including Omani Labour Law and Civil Ser-vice Law do not discriminate be-tween women and men.

N S C I R E P O R T

Women's participationEconomic sector (%)20032010Literacy (%)20032010

1825

70.680.6

Source: National Centre for Statisticsand Information

80.6% was the level of literacy among women aged 15 years and above in 2010, a dramatic improvement from 70.6 per cent in 2003

Ministry in drive against ticks MUSCAT: The Ministry of Agri-culture and Fisheries carried out for the second day a number of campaigns in the governorates of North Al Batinah, South Al Bati-nah, Dhahirah and Dakhiliyah to eleminate the Hyalomma trunca-tum ticks.

The rest of the governorates will also be covered as part of the epi-demic survey plan and the chemi-cal combatting programme.

More than 25 teams are con-ducting the epidemic survey for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fe-ver (CCHF). The teams are con-

ducting physical examination of animals to ensure that they are free of Hyalomma truncatum ticks. At present, the drives target animal selling outlets. More than 7, 000 liters of Delta pesticide is being used with more provisions to en-sure covering all governorates.

C R I M E A N - C O N G O H E M O R R H A G I C F E V E R

Omani women’s literacy rate grows more than 10 per cent

A7

REGIONW E D N E S DAY, O C TO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4

Head of Iran’s Assembly of Experts diesTEHRAN: The chairman of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the cler-ics who appoint and can dismiss the country’s supreme leader, has died, four months after suffering a heart attack, state media reported on Tuesday.

Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani, 83, died of heart failure, the official Irna news agen-cy said, opening up a vacancy near the top of Iran’s power structure.

President Hassan Rouhani an-nounced two days of mourning for Kani, a former acting prime minis-ter and interior minister who took on the influential position in March 2011. Comprised of 86 religious figures elected by the people, the Assembly of Experts chooses the supreme leader and monitors his actions. However, Kani was absent from its conference last month, having fallen into a coma following his heart attack on June 4.

Kani was also the dean of Imam Sadegh University, a Tehran school of learning seen as a training ground for future leaders, and his body has been taken there so that students can pay their respects. The Assembly of Experts grants Iran’s supreme leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an indefi-nite term but it retains the power to sack him, if it sees fit. — AFP

H E A R T F A I L U R E Kurdish fighters weather IS onslaught in Kobane

MURSITPINAR: Kurdish fight-ers in the battleground Syrian town of Kobane weathered an on-slaught by IS group militants on Tuesday as they waited for prom-ised reinforcements.

Also on Tuesday, a monitor said that the US military airdrop of weapons meant for Kurdish fight-ers fell into the hands of militants near Kobane.

Fighting continued in Kobane but appeared to have lessened af-ter a fierce attack by IS fighters, including suicide bombers, late on Monday, witnesses and monitors said. IS forces based in the east of the town were exchanging fire with Kurdish militia in the west and there were reports of an ex-plosion, probably a car bomb, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

CrucialKobane has become a crucial symbolic battleground in the war against IS, which is fighting to extend areas under its control in Iraq and Syria.

Ankara announced on Monday that it would help Kurdish forces from Iraq to relieve Kobane’s be-leaguered defenders, in a major shift of policy that was swiftly welcomed by Washington.

Iraqi Kurdish officials have said

they will provide the training, al-though any forces sent will be Syr-ian Kurds. A local Kurdish official, Idris Nassen, said Kobane was relatively calm on Tuesday, add-ing that no reinforcements had yet arrived and they did not have “any idea” when they would.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mev-lut Cavusoglu confirmed that Kurdish fighters had yet to cross from Turkey to Kobane, telling

NTV television “the issue is still being discussed”.

The US administration has stepped up its commitment to Kobane in recent days, with Sec-retary of State John Kerry saying it would be “irresponsible” and “morally very difficult” not to help.

Three C-130 cargo aircraft carried out what the US military called “multiple” successful drops of supplies early on Monday, in-cluding arms provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq.

A US-led coalition has car-ried out more than 140 air strikes against IS targets around Kobane, but it was the first time it had de-

livered arms to the town’s defend-ers. Coalition aircraft carried out further strikes during the night, said the Britain-based Observa-tory, which has a wide network of sources inside Syria.

IS lost at least five of its mili-tants to air strikes on Monday and a further 12 in ground fighting, in-cluding two suicide bombers, the monitoring group said.

Five Kurdish fighters were also killed. The British govern-ment, which has joined coalition air strikes against IS in Iraq, said Tuesday it would deploy drones to conduct surveillance on the group in Syria. In spite of the Kobane op-

eration, US commanders said the top priority remains Iraq, where IS swept through much of the north and west of Baghdad in June, and both government and Kurdish forces are under pressure.

The militants attacked the Kurdish-controlled town of Qara Tapah on Monday, killing at least 10 people and prompting half of its population of 9,000 to flee.

“We are afraid IS will encircle us and turn this town into a sec-ond Amerli,” said one resident, re-ferring to a mainly Turkmen town further north which was besieged by IS for two months over the summer. — AFP

The US military

airdrop of weapons

meant for Kurdish

fighters fell into the

hands of militants

near Kobane,

said a monitor

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

PASSES AWAY: Ayatollah Mo-

hammad Reza Mahdavi Kani,

the chairman of Iran’s Assembly

of Experts, the clerics who ap-

point and can dismiss the coun-

try’s supreme leader, lying on a

hospital bed in this photo taken

on September 15, 2014. – AFP

BATTLEGROUND: Smoke rises over Syrian town of Kobani after an airstrike, as seen from the Mursitpinar crossing on the Turkish-Syri-

an border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, on Tuesday. – Reuters

The US military airdrop of weapons

meant for Kurdish fighters fell into

the hands of militants near Kobane

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

DON’T DROP DEAD DROP YOUR PHONE

A8

INDIAW E D N E S DAY, O CTO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 14

Khattar to be Haryana CM; oath on Sunday

CHANDIGARH: Manohar Lal Khattar, a low-profile organisa-tion man with active RSS back-ground and a non-Jat, was yes-terday chosen by the BJP to be its first chief minister of Haryana, a state dominated by Jat politics for long.

Sixty-year-old Khattar, the first Punjabi and a first-time MLA, was elected leader of the BJP Legisla-ture Party, two days after the party created history in Haryana storm-ing to power for the first time on its own in the state.

B. D. Sharma, Rao Birender Singh, B. D. Gupta and Bhajan Lal were the other non-Jat Chief Ministers of Haryana in five dec-ades of its existence.

The election came at a meet-ing of 47 newly-elected MLAs at the Chandigarh UT Guest House, Parliamentary Affairs Ministers Venkaiah Naidu and party Vice President Dinesh Sharma, who attended the meeting as central observers, told reporters.

Khattar, a bachelor, who once wanted to become a doctor, has al-most 40 years of active and dedicat-ed service to the Rashtriya Sway-amsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of State BJP chief Ram Bilas Sharma, the MLA from Mahendergarh, who was also a Chief Ministerial aspirant.

“In the meeting, Sharma pro-posed Khattar’s name and others including (MLAs) Capt Abhiman-

yu, Anil Vij, O. P. Dhankar (who were also CM aspirants), Kavita Jain and others supported it.

Unanimously chosen“Khattar was unanimously cho-sen as the leader of the Haryana BJP legislature party,” Naidu told the media.

Yesterday afternoon, accom-panied by a delegation compris-ing Naidu, Dinesh Sharma, party leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya, Jag-dish Mukhi, Anil Jain, Ram Bilas Sharma, Capt Abhimanyu, Khat-tar reached the Raj Bhawan and handed over a letter to Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki staking claim to form the next govern-ment. The Governor accepted the claim and invited Khattar to form the government. He will take oath on October 26.

In a departure from the past when oath ceremonies of the chief ministers were held at Chandi-garh, this time the function will be held at Tau Devi Lal stadium, Panchkula, in the morning.

The fact that the BJP fielded Khattar from Karnal, considered a rather safe seat for the party, had

given enough hints of its plans for the Punjabi leader.

“Khattar is our senior leader, organisation man, grassroot level leader. He has worked at different levels. He has worked in J and K, H.P., whereever the party has en-trusted him responsibility, he has delivered,” Naidu said.

He assured the people of Hary-ana that Centre will work shoul-der-to-shoulder with the next state government.

While party sources said that prominent Chief Ministerial as-pirants including Capt Abhiman-yu, Anil Vij, Ram Bilas Sharma, O. P. Dhankar were likely to get a Cabinet berth,

Naidu said the decision on who all will be inducted will be taken by Khattar in consultation with other colleagues.

The saffron party won 47 seats while the rest were shared by INLD 19, INC 15, HJC-BL two, one each of BSP and SAD and five Independents.

BSP, which is not part of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, how-ever, gave a letter of support to the BJP to the Governor. - PTI

The election came

at a meeting of 47

newly-elected MLAs

at the Chandigarh

UT Guest House

NEW RESPONSIBILITY: Haryana chief minister-designate Mano-

har Lal Khattar talking to media in Chandigarh on Tuesday. - PTI

NEW DELHI: The BJP continued to be in a dilemma on its strategy on government-formation in Maharashtra sending sig-nals to its estranged ally Shiv Sena that it was wel-come to join hands with it but on its terms even as the Shiv Sena appeared to be ready for talks.

At the same time, the BJP also sent signals that it has other options available for government-formation. On its part, Shiv Sena, which had breathed fire against BJP during the assembly poll campaign, has deputed two senior leaders for discussions with the BJP leadership, sources said.

The BJP deferred the visit of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was chosen as a central ob-server for election of the leader of BJP Legislature Party in Mumbai. He will now go after the Diwali.

In the midst of hectic consultations on govern-ment- formation, senior BJP leader from Maha-rashtra Vilas Mungan-tiwar gave a new twist to the leadership race by favouring Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for the post of chief minister. -PTI

BJP dilemma persists over Maharashtra government formation

EC proposes making paid

news an electoral offence

NEW DELHI: Seeking to provide a level-playing field for parties in elections, the Election Commis-sion has proposed making paid news an electoral offence to pro-vide a strong deterrent in a bid to stamp out the menace.

It also wants a ceiling on the campaign expenditure of politi-cal parties that is used as a ruse to pump in unlimited resources.

Chief Election Commissioner V. S. Sampath says that if paid news is made an electoral offence, then it will serve as a “deterrent” on those violating the law.

“Paid news is really a matter of serious concern for the Commis-sion...it is not an electoral offence.

We have proposed to the Law Ministry that paid news should be made an electoral offence,” Sam-path said.

Ground to take actionHe said once paid news is made an electoral offence, then it can be a ground to take action against the guilty candidate under election petition. The EC’s proposal in this regard to the government is pend-ing for two years.

“Action will be more deterrent. Action now is without backup of law,” he explained. He said politi-cal parties in various states the EC has visited have expressed concern over the issue of paid news. - PTI

P R O P O S A L T O L A W M I N I S T R Y

Khattar is our senior leader, organisation man, grassroot level leader.

He has worked at different levels. He has worked in J and K, H.P., where

ever the party has entrusted him responsibility, he has delivered

Venkaiah Naidu, Parliamentary affairs minister

A9

INDIAW E D N E S DAY, O C TO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4

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‘Disclosure of black money to hurt Congress’

NEW DELHI: On the back foot on black money issue, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday hit back at Congress saying the party will be embarrassed once the names of people holding illicit foreign accounts are made public.

“The names (of black money account holders) will be public shortly... I can assure you there is

no embarrassment I (BJP) will have when all the names are dis-closed. There is some embarrass-ment the Congress party will have because of those names,” he said.

Talking to NDTV, Jaitley said the names of those black money account holders against whom charges are filed by Indian au-thorities would be disclosed in

the court shortly. On the Congress accusing BJP of hypocrisy for its failure to disclose names, Jaitley said the Congress got it all wrong because media “completely mis-reported” the case.

“Media said we are not going to disclose it. Our case was we will disclose it as per the due process of law,” the minister said. He further said that India’s dou-ble taxation avoidance agreement with Germany only restrain dis-closure of names in media and not in court.

“No, it (tax avoidance treaty) did not prevent us from disclosing the names. It merely says disclose it to a court and don’t disclose it to the media. And when you disclose it to a court, it automatically gets carried into the media. That’s all we are saying,” Jaitley said. - PTI

On the Congress accusing BJP of hypocrisy

for its failure to disclose names, Jaitley

said the Congress got it all wrong because

media ‘completely misreported’ the case

Modi to spend Diwali with flood-hit people

NEW DELHI: In a special ges-ture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Indian-admin-istered-Kashmir on Diwali and spend time with flood-hit peo-ple there.

He made the announcement himself on his twitter account.

“Will be in Srinagar on Diwa-li, 23rd October and will spend the day with our sisters and brothers affected by the unfor-tunate flood,” Modi tweeted.

Kashmir was hit by unprec-edented floods last month in which widespread damage was caused. Modi has already an-nounced Rs100 billion for reha-bilitation of the state. -PTI

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

President gives nod to coal ordinanceNEW DELHI: The ordinance to auction coal blocks through an electronic platform got the Presi-dent’s approval yesterday, pav-ing the way for a “transparent” allocation process for mines to the private sector, even as trade unions and Left parties opposed the move.

The long-awaited “reforms” in the sector, a departure from the

existing practice of allocation by a screening committee mechanism, got the go-ahead from President Pranab Mukherjee, who promul-gated the ordinance cleared by the Union Cabinet yesterday.

The ordinance was warranted in the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s order quashing 214 coal blocks allocated to various com-panies since 1993 on the ground

that they were done in an illegal manner by an “ad-hoc and casual” approach “without application of mind”.

Industry bodies hailed govern-ment’s move and termed it as a step in the right direction.

“This is an important decision and highlights the Government’s seriousness to reform the coal sector. ... Through this move, the

government has arrested con-cerns pertaining to diminishing coal supplies,” FICCI President Sidharth Birla said in a statement.

“The air of uncertainty has been resolved and clear roadmap has been put forward. CII believes that quick decision-making by the government sends the right sig-nals,” CII Director General Chan-drajit Banerjee said. - PTI

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

A10

PAKISTAN W E D N E S DAY, O CTO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 14

Rs26b airport project in Gwadar approved

ISLAMABAD: Amid fears of fi-nancial embezzlement by civil aviation authorities in the execu-tion of projects, the government has conditionally cleared New Gwadar International Airport at a revised cost of Rs26.6 billion — which is three and a half times higher than the original price.

The clearance was given ‘in principle’ by the Central Devel-opment Working Party (CDWP) — the body having the mandate to approve up to Rs3 billion projects and recommend mega projects for the final approval of Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec).

The CDWP considered 14 pro-jects, having an accumulative cost of Rs214.8 billion. The projects ta-bled for the CDWP consideration included three schemes of Gwa-dar, valuing Rs37.5 billion and five projects of Pakistan Railways worth Rs79.2 billion.

But the body approved six schemes and cleared another two for final approval of Ecnec.

The total cost of these eight projects is Rs42.3 billion. Out of eight, as many as six were condi-tionally cleared, highlighting the

lack of proper homework by the relevant ministries.

Ecnec approved the New Gwa-dar International Airport Project in January 2010 at a cost of Rs7.7 billion. However, the project has been facing delays due to its cost and design. Till June this year, an amount of Rs803 million was spent on the project.

Strategic partnershipThe project came on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) government’s priority list fol-lowing a strategic partnership between Beijing and Islamabad under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Under the strategic partner-ship, China plans to use Pakistan’s Gwadar Port to develop its west-ern parts, which are subject to in-surgency and separatist activities due to its less developed status, according to defence experts.

Headed by Planning and Devel-opment Minister Ahsan Iqbal, the CDWP constituted a committee

to review the price of the project. CDWP members also objected over designing a mega airport at a location, where there is only couple of weekly international flights, according to an official who attended the meeting. The CDWP asked the Aviation Divi-sion to plan the project in phases so that the money could be saved, he added.

The CDWP chairman grilled the Aviation Division for increasing corruption and misuse of funds in projects, executed by the division. The Aviation Division could not stop massive embezzlements of funds in execution of new Islama-bad International Airport.

Aviation Division officials in-formed the CDWP that the Fed-eral Investigation Agency (FIA) after an inquiry identified eight to nine people responsible for the misuse of Islamabad airport. They told the CDWP that action would be taken against these officials.

Iqbal is said to have directed the Aviation Division that those offi-

cials who were involved in execu-tion of Islamabad airport should not be involved in the construc-tion of New Gwadar International Airport. Despite finding many faults in the project’s documents, the CDWP did not return the scheme for further scrutiny.

Vocational InstituteThe CDWP also approved in principle the Pak-China Techni-cal and Vocational Institute at Gwadar at an estimated cost of Rs984 million.

It conditionally recommended for the consideration of Ecnec, yet another project — upgrading of the existing medical facility from a 50-bed to 300-bed hospital, to be named the China-Pakistan Friendship Hospital Gwadar.

The total cost of the project is Rs9.7 billion.

Out of five schemes that Pa-kistan Railways tabled for the CDWP consideration, the body took up only one. - In exclusive arrange-

ment with The Express Tribune

Under the strategic

partnership,

China plans to use

Pakistan’s Gwadar

Port to develop

its western parts,

which are subject

to insurgency and

separatist activities

PRIORITY PROJECT: This photograph taken on February 12, 2013 shows the residential area of

Gwadar port in Gwadar. The project came on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government’s

priority list following a strategic partnership between Beijing and Islamabad under China-Pakistan

Economic Corridor. - AFP

ARY News suspended

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has sus-pended the licence of a fiercely anti-government television news channel, the state media regulator said, in a move criticised strongly by Amnesty International as po-litically motivated and unjustified.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said it had suspended ARY News, a private channel, for 15 days for air-ing a talk show which it said “ma-ligned” the court system.

“The authority also noted that the channel has chronic history of non-compliance of PEMRA Laws,” it said in a statement.

Amnesty said the suspension was politically motivated.

“ARY TV must be immediately allowed back on air. There is sim-

ply no justification for the Paki-stani authorities to silence sec-tions of the media solely because of their political leanings,” said Mustafa Qadri, Amnesty’s Paki-stan researcher.

The suspension comes at an uneasy time in Pakistan where the government has been under pressure following a long period of protests which some commenta-tors say were backed by the army keen to sideline Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

One of ARY’s leading journal-ists, Mubashir Luqman, has been particularly critical of Sharif ’s ad-ministration, making regular ac-cusations against the government and the judiciary on his popular show, Khara Sach. - Reuters

F O R 1 5 D A Y S

ARY TV must be immediately allowed back on air. There is

simply no justification for the Pakistani authorities to silence

sections of the media solely because of their political leanings

Mustafa Qadri, Amnesty’s Pakistan researcher

NO BREAKTHROUGH AS YET: Pro-democracy protesters watch a live transmission on a giant screen

of talks between Hong Kong authorities and pro-democracy protest leaders in the Admiralty district

of Hong Kong on Tuesday. – AFP

A11

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Hong Kong talks are inconclusive

HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s government held its first talks on Tuesday with pro-democra-cy protest leaders but made no breakthrough in their bid to end three weeks of disruptive mass rallies which have posed a major challenge to Beijing.

Student leaders faced off with government negotiators during the tense two-hour meeting in which both sides agreed on little

as the discussions were broadcast live to thousands of rapt democ-racy demonstrators camped out on the street.

The crunch talks came as the embattled leader of the semi-au-tonomous Chinese city extended a potential olive branch to protest-ers hours before the talks began, saying he was open to creating a more democratic committee to help choose his successor.

Government negotiators re-sponded positively to the meet-ing saying they hoped for further talks down the line.

But the students were notice-ably more muted, calling the gov-ernment “vague” in its commit-ment to finding a compromise and saying they would need to consult before agreeing to further nego-tiations. “The government played

tai chi for two hours,” student leader Lester Shum told crowds of cheering supporters late Tues-day. Several major intersections in the business hub have been paralysed since September 28 by mass rallies demanding free elections, in one of the biggest challenges to Beijing’s author-ity since the Tiananmen pro-de-mocracy protests of 1989.

Protesters are demanding Chi-na rescind its insistence that can-didates for the city’s next leader be vetted by a pro-Beijing com-mittee before standing for elec-tion in 2017 -- a proposal dubbed “fake democracy” by demonstra-tors. Protesters want the public to be able to nominate candidates but the city’s government has said China will never allow that.

Observers hope the talks, which were abruptly cancelled earlier this month and then resur-rected after recent outbreaks of violence between protesters and police, will help find some sort of compromise. — AFP

Student leaders faced

off with government

negotiators during

the tense meeting

in which both sides

agreed on little

Sudanese president to run for re-electionKHARTOUM: Sudanese Presi-dent Omar Al Bashir — in power since a 1989 — will stand for re-election in 2015 after being re-tained on Tuesday as leader of the ruling National Congress Party, a top aide said.

Bashir, the only sitting head of state wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), was re-elected as both leader and presi-dential candidate of the NCP at a party convention, said his chief as-sistant, Ibrahim Ghandour.

The 70-year-old career soldier took power in a coup, and there had been doubts about whether he would run again in the controver-sial election, slated for April.

Final decisionIn a March interview, Ghandour said Bashir “declared many times that he’s not willing to” stand again but that the final decision was with the party. Two knee operations over the summer also raised wor-ries over his health. But Bashir’s

name was put on the party’s short-list of five candidates and his tally in Tuesday’s vote was enough to rule out further voting, Ghandour said.

The other four nominees were all senior NCP officials seen as close to Bashir: Ghandour himself, senior member Nafie Ali Nafie, ex-vice president Ali Osman Taha and First Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh. — AFP

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Kate in good spirits, welcomes Tony Tan

LONDON: Prince William’s wife Kate on Tuesday made her first public appearance since her pregnancy was announced as she welcomed Singaporean President Tony Tan on his state visit to Britain.

Kate, who has been suffering from severe morning sickness, has not carried out any public duties since her second preg-nancy was announced on Sep-tember 8 and was last seen at a ceremony on August 5.

But the Duchess of Cam-bridge, 32, seemed in good spir-its as she and William, second in line to the throne, formally wel-comed Tan and his wife Mary to Britain at the Royal Garden Ho-tel in London.

Tan’s wife told Kate she was glad she could make the engage-ment and the duchess replied: “So am I. I’ve been looking for-ward to getting out of the house, that’s for sure.”

In lighter veinTan commented on the view of William and Kate’s Kensington Palace home and the duke joked: “You can probably see into our bedroom window which is a bit worrying—I wouldn’t look too closely.”

The duchess wore a grey coat and matching hat but there was little sign of her baby bump.

Kate is around 12 weeks preg-nant. She is due to give birth in April, Kensington Palace an-nounced Monday, adding that she continues to suffer severe morning sickness but her con-dition was steadily improving.

William and Kate then trav-elled with the president and his wife to the Horse Guards Parade ground, where Tan was greeted by Queen Elizabeth II at the cer-emonial welcome.

He reviewed a line of British soldiers in their scarlet tunics and black bearskin hats. — AFP

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T I M E S O F O M A NT I M E S O F O M A N A13A12

A spokesperson for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap), the Yemen-based

terrorist group best known for its expert bomb-makers, released a short statement on the subject of Syria and Iraq.

In it, he confirmed his group’s support for Isis and reaffirmed the need for all extremists in Syria and Iraq to “forget their differ-ences, bring an end to their in-

fighting” and tackle the “Crusader campaign together”.

He also called on “all those who can” to renew their attacks upon “the Americans, militarily and ec-onomically … because they are the leaders of the war and the founda-tion of this campaign.”

Until now, we have not seen anything from an Al Qaeda af-filiate officially stating its support for Isis. Certainly, some figures have expressed ambivalence to-wards the so-called caliphate, but that Aqap has released a message openly referring to members of the group as “its brothers” is very significant. Until today, the of-ficial Al Qaeda line on Isis was that they were renegade extrem-ists and the cause of great discord within Islam. This, it seems, is no longer the case.

That said, it’s important not to misinterpret this as an Aqap pledge of allegiance to Isis. The statement is careful to circum-navigate around giving such a pledge, which would mean Aqap’s total subordination to Isis’ leader, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. Instead,

it points towards a move from rhetorical enmity to co-existence and, perhaps one day, cooperation in a common cause.

Today’s statement is symptom-atic of a wider trend in global ex-tremism that has been galvanised by the anti-Isis coalition’s inter-vention. Because of it, extremists that were once at each other’s throats are being pushed back to-gether, old differences are being forgotten and rivalries ignored. Isis, it seems, is becoming less os-tracised by the day.

Certainly, there is still a long way to go before extremists groups like Ahrar Al Sham can forgive Isis for decapitating one of its leaders and killing another in a suicide operation, but the pos-sibility of reconciliation one day is back on the cards.

Before the air-strikes in Iraq and Syria, this was not the case. In fact, the ideological, military and political gulf between Isis and other groups was only seemed to widen. Now, though, the opposite seems to be happening — with ex-tremists all over the world slowly

pulling back together after Isis’ shock caliphate announcement.

Now, I am not trying to argue that military intervention against Isis is wrong. On the contrary, it is an absolute necessity in the short-term if we have any hope of rolling the group back. However, as I said earlier, this intervention must not be led by Western, predominantly Christian, states.

The perception that it is part of a modern-day “Crusade”, as it has predictably been spun by extrem-ist propagandists, is an immense-ly effective ideological weapon for Isis — it gives them perceived legitimacy, where they had none before.

As the counter-extremism think tank Quilliam has consis-tently said, since intervention against Isis became inevitable, Western nations must not be the ones at the helm of the anti-Isis coalition. It is imperative that Muslim states take up this re-sponsibility instead, for then and only then, will the extremists’ principal narrative be cleaved in two. - The Independent

TODAY IN HISTORY

OPINION POLL

741 Charles Martel of Gaul dies at Quiezy. His mayoral power is divided between his two sons, Pepin III and Carloman.

1836 Sam Houston sworn in as the first

president of the Republic of Texas. 1859 Spain declares war on the Moors in

Morocco.

1918 The cities of Baltimore and Washington run out of coffins during the “Spanish Inflenza” epidemic.

1964 Jean Paul Satre declines the Nobel Prize for Literature.

1966 The Soviet Union launches Luna 12 for orbit around the moon.

HEALTH PROTECTION CAMPAIGNMUSCAT: The Directorate General for Health Ser-vices in the governorate of Muscat yesterday, under the auspices of Mhammed bin Abdullah Al Busaidi, deputy wali of Muscat, celebrated the beginning of the health protection campaign in the wilayats of Muscat and Muttrah. Saud bint Sulaiman Al Lamky, director gener-al of health services, addressed the opening ceremony. The Sultanate, during the renaissance era, witnessed many changes on the health front, said Lamki.

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

We have no clue at this point how far Ebola could spread in the United States — and no reason for panic. But one dimension of the disease’s toll is clear.

It’s ravaging Americans’ already tenuous faith in the competence of our government and its bureau-cracies. Before President Obama’s election, we had Iraq, Katrina and the meltdown of banks suppos-edly under Washington’s watch.

Since he came along to tidy things up, we’ve had the staggeringly messy rollout of Obamacare, the damnable negligence of the Department of Veter-ans Affairs and the baffling somnambulism of the Secret Service. Although months of a raging Ebola epidemic in West Africa gave the Centres for Dis-ease Control and Prevention sufficient warning and ample time to get ready for any cases here, it was caught flat-footed, as its director, Tom Frie-den, is being forced bit by bit to acknowledge.

Weeks ago he assured us: “We are stopping Ebola in its tracks in this country.” Over recent days he updated that assessment, saying that “in retrospect, with 20/20 hindsight,” federal officials could and should have done more at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

President Obama made his own assurances and then corrections. He said back in mid-September that “in the unlikely event that someone with Eb-ola does reach our shores, we’ve taken new mea-sures so that we’re prepared here at home.”

Well, we weren’t wholly prepared, and the event was never unlikely: This country is a potent mag-net for travellers, with a proudly (and rightly) open posture toward the world.

People stream in all the time. And a federally funded study published in early September calcu-lated a nearly 20 per cent “probability of Ebola vi-rus disease case importation” within three weeks.

Within four, Thomas Duncan, the Liberian man who was initially (and inexplicably) turned away from the Dallas hospital, was at last admitted and treated for Ebola. After that screw-up by hospital officials, Frieden told us that the right protocols were in place. But it now appears that Duncan wasn’t immediately put in isolation; that nurses at-tending to him were confused about the proper use of protective garb; and that the clothing they wore may have left bits of skin exposed.

We’ve learnt of the CDC’s bizarrely permissive attitude toward the hospital workers who came

in contact with Duncan or his lab samples. While they should have been on restricted movement, one took flights — after first calling the CDC for a green light — from Texas to Ohio and back. Anoth-er boarded a cruise ship

This is bad, not because it means that a large number of Americans are at risk of infection but because it confirms the sloppiness of the very in-stitutions in which we place the most trust. It’s spreading the virus of cynicism.

And the CDC’s missteps have much different implications from the errors made by the Secret Service and by Veterans Affairs. Individual Ameri-cans don’t fear that the Secret Service’s lapses will endanger them personally, and many of them aren’t directly affected by the wrongdoing of hospitals for veterans. But they can imagine themselves on one of those flights or in some other closed space with an infected person. They feel vulnerable.

Because the Ebola response deepens doubt about the current government, it almost certainly hurts incumbents in the midterm elections and fa-vors change. That’s unhappy news for Democrats as they fight to retain control of the Senate, and by the end of last week, they were spooked. I heard that not only in my conversations with party strat-egists but also in the statements of Democratic candidates themselves.

With Ebola, Obama said almost two weeks ago that “we’re doing everything that we can” with an “all-hands-on-deck approach.”

But, more recently, he announced that there were additional hands to be put on deck and that we could and would do more. The shift fit his pat-tern: not getting worked up in the early stages, ral-lying in the later ones.

It’s more understandable in this case than in others, because when it comes to statements about public health, the line between adequately ex-pressed concern and a license for hysteria is thin and not easily determined. Still, he has to make Americans feel that he understands their alarm, no matter how irrational he deems it, and that they’re being leveled with, not talked down to, not handled. And he has a ways to go. Right now in this country there’s a crisis of confidence, and of competence, and that’s the fertile ground in which the Ebola terror flowers. That’s the backdrop for whatever steps Obama and Frieden take from here. With the right ones, they can go a long way toward calming people who are anxious not just about Ebola but about America. I don’t even want to think about the wrong ones. – The New York Times News Service

The virus of cynicism

This is bad, not because it means that a large number of Americans are at risk of infection but because it confirms the sloppiness of the very institutions in which we place the most trust. It’s spreading the virus of cynicism

Policymakers seem convinced that the time is not right for a meaningful initiative to address inequality of income, wealth, and opportunity. But waiting will only make the problem more difficult to resolve

There were quite a few disconnects at the recently concluded Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and

World Bank. Among the most striking was the disparity between participants’ interest in dis-cussions of inequality and the on-going lack of a formal action plan for governments to ad-dress it. This represents a profound failure of policy imagination — one that must urgently be addressed.

There is good reason for the spike in inter-est. While inequality has decreased across countries, it has increased within them, in the advanced and developing worlds alike.

The process has been driven by a combi-nation of secular and structural issues — in-cluding the changing nature of technological advancement, the rise of “winner-take-all” investment characteristics, and political sys-tems favouring the wealthy — and has been turbocharged by cyclical forces.

In the developed world, the problem is root-ed in unprecedented political polarisation, which has impeded comprehensive responses and placed an excessive policy burden on cen-tral banks. Though monetary authorities enjoy more political autonomy than other policy-making bodies, they lack the needed tools to address effectively the challenges that their countries face. In normal times, fiscal policy would support monetary policy, including by playing a redistributive role. But these are not normal times. With political gridlock blocking an appropriate fiscal response — after 2008, the United States Congress did not pass an an-nual budget, a basic component of responsible economic governance, for five years — cen-tral banks have been forced to bolster econo-mies artificially. To do so, they have relied on near-zero interest rates and unconventional measures like quantitative easing to stimulate growth and job creation.

Beyond being incomplete, this approach implicitly favours the wealthy, who hold a dis-proportionately large share of financial assets. Meanwhile, companies have become increas-ingly aggressive in their efforts to reduce their tax bills, including through so-called inver-sions, by which they move their headquarters to lower-tax jurisdictions.

As a result, most countries face a trio of in-equalities — of income, wealth, and opportu-nity — which, left unchecked, reinforce one another, with far-reaching consequences.

Indeed, beyond this trio’s moral, social, and political implications lies a serious economic

concern: instead of creating incentives for hard work and innovation, inequality begins to undermine economic dynamism, investment, employment, and prosperity.

Given that affluent households spend a smaller share of their incomes and wealth, greater inequality translates into lower overall consumption, thereby hindering the recovery of economies already burdened by inadequate aggregate demand.

Today’s high levels of inequality also impede the structural reforms needed to boost produc-tivity, while undermining efforts to address re-sidual pockets of excessive indebtedness. This is a dangerous combination that erodes social cohesion, political effectiveness, current GDP growth, and future economic potential.

That is why it is so disappointing that, de-spite heightened awareness of inequality, the IMF/World Bank meetings — a gathering of thousands of policymakers, private-sector participants, and journalists, which included seminars on inequality in advanced countries and developing regions alike — failed to make a consequential impact on the policy agenda.

Policymakers seem convinced that the time is not right for a meaningful initiative to ad-dress inequality of income, wealth, and oppor-tunity. But waiting will only make the problem more difficult to resolve. In fact, a number of steps can and should be taken to stem the rise in inequality. In the US, for example, sustained political determination would help to close massive loopholes in estate planning and in-heritance, as well as in household and corpo-rate taxation, that disproportionately benefit the wealthy. Likewise, there is scope for re-moving the antiquated practice of taxing hedge and private-equity funds’ “carried interest” at a preferential rate. The way home ownership is taxed and subsidised could be reformed more significantly, especially at the top price levels. And a strong case has been made for raising the minimum wage. To be sure, such measures will make only a dent in inequality, albeit an important and visible one. In order to deepen their impact, a more comprehensive macro-economic policy stance is needed.

It is time for heightened global attention to inequality to translate into concerted action. Some initiatives would tackle inequality di-rectly; others would defuse some of the forces that drive it. Together, they would go a long way toward mitigating a serious impediment to the economic and social wellbeing of cur-rent and future generations. – The Independent

World still faces inequalities of income, wealth opportunity

HISTORYNET.COMLetters, containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by mail (Times of Oman, P.O. Box 770, P.C. 112, Ruwi), by fax (24813153) or by e-mail (times@omantel.net.om)

Ex-Nazis paid millions in US Social Security

GraphicsGraphic News /Source: Associated Press

Since 1979, it has emerged that at least 38 suspected Nazi war criminals received millions of dollars in American Social Security payments in exchange for leaving the US and giving up their citizenship.

JakobDenzingerFormer guard at several Nazi camps, including Auschwitz, Poland. Fled to Germany from Ohioin 1989 after learning of denaturalization proceedings.

MartinHartmannFormer SS guardat Sachsenhausencamp on outskirtsof Berlin. Moved to Berlin from Arizona in 2007 before being stripped of US citizenship.

Arthur RudolphGerman rocket scientist invited to US for his technical skill. Accused of using slave labour to build V-2 rocket.

MartinBarteschFormer SS guard at Mauthausen concentration camp, Austria.

Wasyl LytwynServed in SS unit that took part in destruction of Warsaw Ghetto in 1943. Agreed to leave Chicago in 1995 after admitting he concealed his SS service. Lytwyn, 93, is believed to live in Ukraine

Peter MuellerFormer SS guardat Natzweilerconcentration camp, France. Left Illinoisto return to Germany in 1994. Mueller,90, now living inWorms, Germany

John AvdzejRegional mayorin occupied Belorussia, accused of aiding in arrest and execution of thousandsof Jews

LAST POLL RESULT

Do you think the non-oil sector can become the engine of Oman’s economic growth?

Do you think the two-year ban on expats’ return is in the best interest of business in Oman?

Visit timesofoman.com to cast your vote

Yes31.3%

No65.6%

Can't say3.1%

It was all on expected lines. BJP bagged Haryana on its own while it finished top

in Maharashtra pushing Con-gress to third position.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to concur with BJP leader Amit Shah’s observation that the results point to another step towards a ‘Congress-free In-dia’. Shah should have taken on board the X factor which is nothing but the way the people would be evaluating the saf-fron party’s governance in future. Even so, the party has every right to whoop it up.

Maharashtra is the financial capital of India and hence it can catalyse Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reform agen-da. Furthermore, corporate houses and foreign investors could rev up their investment drive in India.

A crucial caveat one might enter here is that the BJP governments in the states in question must not touch cor-ruption even with a barge pole. Remember, it was corruption and sloth that led to the deci-mation of the grand old party.

Congress may put the blame on the anti-incumbency fac-tor; but that is only partially true. In point of fact, the peo-ple badly wanted an end to 15 years (Maharashtra) and 10 years (Haryana) of corruption and ineptitude.

Was there a Modi wave as many in BJP would like to think? Surely not in Maha-rashtra where, with all the talk of the Modi magic, the party could not corral enough seats for a simple majority.

However, there is no deny-ing the fact that Modi’s stump speeches across the state had electrified the voters.

He was able to influence swathes of people, not least the swing voters.

In Haryana, the Modi magic was perhaps the principal fac-tor for the BJP victory. The party has managed to get a ma-jority on its own. Surely there were other local factors like caste and corruption as well.

Robert Vadra’s dubious land deal with industry ma-jor DLF, allegedly facilitated by ex-chief minister Bhupin-der Singh Hooda, was seen as symbolic of his government’s love for graft and favouritism. The deal, which was legalised in a hurry just before the elec-tion code of conduct was made public, spoke volumes about

the way the government func-tioned. The runner-up party, INLD, whose honchos Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala are languish-ing in jail for corruption. Both Chautala and Hooda are Jats by birth. Jats comprise over 20 per cent of the Haryana popu-lation. Chuatala’s INLD must have received overwhelming support from his caste. Hooda won his seat too but could not prevent his party, Congress, from being relegated to third position. The results indicate that non-Jats, as a combined force, voted for BJP hoping for good governance and perhaps a non-Jat CM.

In Maharashtra, post-poll affairs are being chewed over by all major parties. The peo-ple were fed up to the teeth with the Congress-NCP gov-ernment owing to a cavalcade of scams and spectacular sloth that it had got infected with. The Aadarsh flat scandal, in-volving former chief minister Ashok Chavan, drove the peo-ple to apoplexy, to say the least. Even ex-chief minister Mr. Clean Prithviraj Chavan could do precious little to mitigate the damage caused by it.

The haste shown by NCP in offering ‘unconditional’ support to a purported BJP government leaves all of us gobsmacked. Did NCP strike the wrong note? Was there a pre-poll quid-pro-quo deal be-tween BJP and NCP, as Prith-viraj Chavan alleges?

Or was it an unconditional offer by a party swamped by al-legations of corruption in the hope that BJP, as a ruling party at the centre, would go soft on its perceived misdeeds? What-ever, the offer has emboldened BJP to use NCP as a bargain-ing chip with its estranged ally, Shiv Sena, albeit obliquely.

NCP, it may be noted, is in a maelstrom of graft allega-tions including the irrigation scam in Maharashtra and the aviation scandal. It is a fact that the Congress-NCP tie-up has been under strain for long. True, all political parties have in them a streak of opportun-ism. But as regards NCP, its foundation itself is on the pil-lar of opportunism.

Should BJP invite NCP for a tie-up, the latter will cer-tainly jump at it. But there is fat chance of that happening. Modi, in his campaign speech-es, referred to it as a ‘Naturally Corrupt Party’. BJP knows full well that the people would certainly disapprove of such a coalition.

Without doubt, Shiv Sena is the naturally ally of BJP with which it has had 25 years of relationship. Even after snap-ping ties with Sena BJP let the Sena minister continue in the union cabinet.

The writer is a freelance con-tributor based in India. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman.

Saffron blooms, Congress wilts

Bombing will only make Isis stronger

RAGING EBOLA

The Malaysian government has increasingly employed the Se-dition Act, a British colonial era law, to intimidate and silence political opponents. The law criminalises speech uttered “to

excite disaffection” against the government and defines sedition so broadly that it is an invitation to authoritarian abuse. Prime Minis-ter Najib Razak had promised to repeal the act, but, since the general elections in May last year, his government has made full use of the law to hound his critics. While Najib’s ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, won 60 per cent of the parliamentary seats in the election, for the first time since independence in 1957, the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, won a 51 per cent majority of the popular vote.

The elections seem to have shaken the government enough for it to arrest and prosecute an array of politicians, journalists, academ-ics, students, religious leaders and civil society activists who did not advocate the overthrow of the government. For example, a senior op-position politician was charged with sedition for criticizing a decision by the appeals court in a statement to the news media. A local state assemblyman was charged for allegedly saying “damn, damn” about the government’s United Malays National Organisation to several as-semblymen. Since 2013, at least 14 people have been charged. Those found guilty can face up to three years in prison. Najib’s crackdown is a deplorable attack on free speech and a serious threat to democracy. He appeared to understand this danger when he promised to repeal the Sedition Act. He should do so immediately. – The New York Times News Service

Deplorable Sedition Act

When viewed against the statistics for other viral diseases like the 2009 flu pandemic that saw over 14,000 dead, or HIV AIDS that has killed between 1.4 and 1.9 million people,

most of them in African countries, to a current mortality of 4,546 out of 9,191 cases in West Africa — one might wonder about the current level of alarm regarding the Ebola virus. The answer lies in a combination of factors, like virulence, social mobility, the lack of an effective vaccine, poor health infrastructure in countries at the heart of the outbreak and a slow global response. Ebola has been known since the 1970s; it is not a mystery to science and the incidence hitherto has been so low as to not warrant the development of a vaccine by any of the major global pharmaceutical companies. New drugs take years to develop and need to have a market; otherwise, the cost of their development is not re-couped — and let it not be forgotten that the pharmaceutical compa-nies are in business to make a profit; they are not charities.

Thus far, no nation or entity has put even a tentative figure on the number of potential fatalities from the current outbreak of Ebola, and there is what comes close to low-level hysteria in the way it is some-times being reported around the world. Both the UK and the US in the last week have issued warnings to the international community that there is going to be a substantial loss of life in West Africa (so great as to have the potential to trigger state failure in the worst scenarios); and that the threat to the rest of the world was even greater than that in the African continent unless financial and medical responses to the outbreak were significantly intensified.

John Kerry, the US secretary of state, was almost apocalyptic in his vision, saying that Ebola could become a scourge like polio or HIV/AIDS. He cited the failure of the international community to raise the $1bn that the UN had called for and the limited response from coun-tries such as China and Russia as an underlying problem. $1 billion may seem like a considerable sum, but when viewed against the cost of the war in Afghanistan, which is currently put at $6.6 billion per month, it is little more than loose change.

As the world attempts to marshal its resources, what of Pakistan? Ebola may seem remote, but Pakistan has troops serving in UN peace-keeping missions in some of the countries affected, and there is a small but significant Pakistani workforce that travels to and fro to the home country from West Africa. The risk may be low, but it is impossible to ignore, and to do so will be dangerous. The Punjab Chief minister Shahbaz Sharif at a meeting on October 17 said that flights incoming from affected countries will be monitored and passengers screened. A representative of the WHO also briefed the meeting and a steering committee has been set up to determine national policy and response.

For now, this may be sufficient, but it has to be weighed against a background of a public health system that is broken in large parts of the country, has failed completely to contain poliomyelitis, measles and all the strains of hepatitis, and allowed TB to remain firmly em-bedded as a national killer. Were Ebola ever to enter Pakistan, it would find an environment highly conducive to its spread. We hope it never does. - The Express Tribune

Pakistan must not ignore Ebola threat

O O M M E N K U R U V I L L A

C H A R L I E W I N T E R

F R A N K B R U N I

Two-year ban on expats has good and bad sidesThis refers to the news story, Two-year visa ban to stay (October 21). It has its good and not-so-good points. Good in as far as keeping an employee for two years without risk of him jumping to a competitor after the expense of recruitment. Bad for the employees if the employer is not fair and rewards hard work. As an expat, I must remember I have a contract with the employer and have a duty to follow the contract. If I signed the contract I must have been happy to do so. The final choice is, of course, to leave Oman. My conclusion is that it is fair in as far as it gives security to the employer for his investment of recruitment costs.Paul SavageMuscat

Expats mustn’t be allowed to work beyond six yearsThis refers to the news story, Two-year visa ban to stay (Octo-ber 21). I hope it stays and strictly adhered to. I also recommend limiting the time that an expa-triate can work in Oman. For instance, work visas should be renewed only three times and no more — making it a maximum of stay of six years. After that work visa should not be renewed. In six years, the company must Omanise the position with a competent national. Mohammed Muscat

The rule should also apply to non-expat workers alsoThis refers to the news story, Two-year visa ban to stay (Oc-

tober 21). If the goal is to stop people jumping from company to company then the rule should apply to everyone and not just the expats. Not only is this law ridiculous, it also violates basic UN human rights laws whereby people should be entitled to free choice of employment.Nicholai GeorgiouMuscat

Two-year visa ban is in favour of employers onlyThis refers to the news story, Two-year visa ban to stay (Oc-tober 21). This visa ban doesn’t make any sense. They should make a law which would benefit both parties. I was thinking of shifting to another company and was looking for a better career after completing my two-year

contract. But how can I shift and look for a better future if this visa ban is still in effect, even if the ban said it would be possible if we have an NOC? Employers can turn us into working robots, where we would have no choice.Cai MimbisaMuscat

The ban will never make the employees slavesThis refers to the news story, Two-year visa ban to stay (October 21). It is a good decision. I guess they shouldn’t withdraw the two-year ban. It costs an employer to bring in an expat worker. I don’t subscribe to the views that this ban will reduce the employees into slaves of the employers. Sajeer Mohamed Muscat

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T I M E S O F O M A NT I M E S O F O M A N A13A12

A spokesperson for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap), the Yemen-based

terrorist group best known for its expert bomb-makers, released a short statement on the subject of Syria and Iraq.

In it, he confirmed his group’s support for Isis and reaffirmed the need for all extremists in Syria and Iraq to “forget their differ-ences, bring an end to their in-

fighting” and tackle the “Crusader campaign together”.

He also called on “all those who can” to renew their attacks upon “the Americans, militarily and ec-onomically … because they are the leaders of the war and the founda-tion of this campaign.”

Until now, we have not seen anything from an Al Qaeda af-filiate officially stating its support for Isis. Certainly, some figures have expressed ambivalence to-wards the so-called caliphate, but that Aqap has released a message openly referring to members of the group as “its brothers” is very significant. Until today, the of-ficial Al Qaeda line on Isis was that they were renegade extrem-ists and the cause of great discord within Islam. This, it seems, is no longer the case.

That said, it’s important not to misinterpret this as an Aqap pledge of allegiance to Isis. The statement is careful to circum-navigate around giving such a pledge, which would mean Aqap’s total subordination to Isis’ leader, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. Instead,

it points towards a move from rhetorical enmity to co-existence and, perhaps one day, cooperation in a common cause.

Today’s statement is symptom-atic of a wider trend in global ex-tremism that has been galvanised by the anti-Isis coalition’s inter-vention. Because of it, extremists that were once at each other’s throats are being pushed back to-gether, old differences are being forgotten and rivalries ignored. Isis, it seems, is becoming less os-tracised by the day.

Certainly, there is still a long way to go before extremists groups like Ahrar Al Sham can forgive Isis for decapitating one of its leaders and killing another in a suicide operation, but the pos-sibility of reconciliation one day is back on the cards.

Before the air-strikes in Iraq and Syria, this was not the case. In fact, the ideological, military and political gulf between Isis and other groups was only seemed to widen. Now, though, the opposite seems to be happening — with ex-tremists all over the world slowly

pulling back together after Isis’ shock caliphate announcement.

Now, I am not trying to argue that military intervention against Isis is wrong. On the contrary, it is an absolute necessity in the short-term if we have any hope of rolling the group back. However, as I said earlier, this intervention must not be led by Western, predominantly Christian, states.

The perception that it is part of a modern-day “Crusade”, as it has predictably been spun by extrem-ist propagandists, is an immense-ly effective ideological weapon for Isis — it gives them perceived legitimacy, where they had none before.

As the counter-extremism think tank Quilliam has consis-tently said, since intervention against Isis became inevitable, Western nations must not be the ones at the helm of the anti-Isis coalition. It is imperative that Muslim states take up this re-sponsibility instead, for then and only then, will the extremists’ principal narrative be cleaved in two. - The Independent

TODAY IN HISTORY

OPINION POLL

741 Charles Martel of Gaul dies at Quiezy. His mayoral power is divided between his two sons, Pepin III and Carloman.

1836 Sam Houston sworn in as the first

president of the Republic of Texas. 1859 Spain declares war on the Moors in

Morocco.

1918 The cities of Baltimore and Washington run out of coffins during the “Spanish Inflenza” epidemic.

1964 Jean Paul Satre declines the Nobel Prize for Literature.

1966 The Soviet Union launches Luna 12 for orbit around the moon.

HEALTH PROTECTION CAMPAIGNMUSCAT: The Directorate General for Health Ser-vices in the governorate of Muscat yesterday, under the auspices of Mhammed bin Abdullah Al Busaidi, deputy wali of Muscat, celebrated the beginning of the health protection campaign in the wilayats of Muscat and Muttrah. Saud bint Sulaiman Al Lamky, director gener-al of health services, addressed the opening ceremony. The Sultanate, during the renaissance era, witnessed many changes on the health front, said Lamki.

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

We have no clue at this point how far Ebola could spread in the United States — and no reason for panic. But one dimension of the disease’s toll is clear.

It’s ravaging Americans’ already tenuous faith in the competence of our government and its bureau-cracies. Before President Obama’s election, we had Iraq, Katrina and the meltdown of banks suppos-edly under Washington’s watch.

Since he came along to tidy things up, we’ve had the staggeringly messy rollout of Obamacare, the damnable negligence of the Department of Veter-ans Affairs and the baffling somnambulism of the Secret Service. Although months of a raging Ebola epidemic in West Africa gave the Centres for Dis-ease Control and Prevention sufficient warning and ample time to get ready for any cases here, it was caught flat-footed, as its director, Tom Frie-den, is being forced bit by bit to acknowledge.

Weeks ago he assured us: “We are stopping Ebola in its tracks in this country.” Over recent days he updated that assessment, saying that “in retrospect, with 20/20 hindsight,” federal officials could and should have done more at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

President Obama made his own assurances and then corrections. He said back in mid-September that “in the unlikely event that someone with Eb-ola does reach our shores, we’ve taken new mea-sures so that we’re prepared here at home.”

Well, we weren’t wholly prepared, and the event was never unlikely: This country is a potent mag-net for travellers, with a proudly (and rightly) open posture toward the world.

People stream in all the time. And a federally funded study published in early September calcu-lated a nearly 20 per cent “probability of Ebola vi-rus disease case importation” within three weeks.

Within four, Thomas Duncan, the Liberian man who was initially (and inexplicably) turned away from the Dallas hospital, was at last admitted and treated for Ebola. After that screw-up by hospital officials, Frieden told us that the right protocols were in place. But it now appears that Duncan wasn’t immediately put in isolation; that nurses at-tending to him were confused about the proper use of protective garb; and that the clothing they wore may have left bits of skin exposed.

We’ve learnt of the CDC’s bizarrely permissive attitude toward the hospital workers who came

in contact with Duncan or his lab samples. While they should have been on restricted movement, one took flights — after first calling the CDC for a green light — from Texas to Ohio and back. Anoth-er boarded a cruise ship

This is bad, not because it means that a large number of Americans are at risk of infection but because it confirms the sloppiness of the very in-stitutions in which we place the most trust. It’s spreading the virus of cynicism.

And the CDC’s missteps have much different implications from the errors made by the Secret Service and by Veterans Affairs. Individual Ameri-cans don’t fear that the Secret Service’s lapses will endanger them personally, and many of them aren’t directly affected by the wrongdoing of hospitals for veterans. But they can imagine themselves on one of those flights or in some other closed space with an infected person. They feel vulnerable.

Because the Ebola response deepens doubt about the current government, it almost certainly hurts incumbents in the midterm elections and fa-vors change. That’s unhappy news for Democrats as they fight to retain control of the Senate, and by the end of last week, they were spooked. I heard that not only in my conversations with party strat-egists but also in the statements of Democratic candidates themselves.

With Ebola, Obama said almost two weeks ago that “we’re doing everything that we can” with an “all-hands-on-deck approach.”

But, more recently, he announced that there were additional hands to be put on deck and that we could and would do more. The shift fit his pat-tern: not getting worked up in the early stages, ral-lying in the later ones.

It’s more understandable in this case than in others, because when it comes to statements about public health, the line between adequately ex-pressed concern and a license for hysteria is thin and not easily determined. Still, he has to make Americans feel that he understands their alarm, no matter how irrational he deems it, and that they’re being leveled with, not talked down to, not handled. And he has a ways to go. Right now in this country there’s a crisis of confidence, and of competence, and that’s the fertile ground in which the Ebola terror flowers. That’s the backdrop for whatever steps Obama and Frieden take from here. With the right ones, they can go a long way toward calming people who are anxious not just about Ebola but about America. I don’t even want to think about the wrong ones. – The New York Times News Service

The virus of cynicism

This is bad, not because it means that a large number of Americans are at risk of infection but because it confirms the sloppiness of the very institutions in which we place the most trust. It’s spreading the virus of cynicism

Policymakers seem convinced that the time is not right for a meaningful initiative to address inequality of income, wealth, and opportunity. But waiting will only make the problem more difficult to resolve

There were quite a few disconnects at the recently concluded Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and

World Bank. Among the most striking was the disparity between participants’ interest in dis-cussions of inequality and the on-going lack of a formal action plan for governments to ad-dress it. This represents a profound failure of policy imagination — one that must urgently be addressed.

There is good reason for the spike in inter-est. While inequality has decreased across countries, it has increased within them, in the advanced and developing worlds alike.

The process has been driven by a combi-nation of secular and structural issues — in-cluding the changing nature of technological advancement, the rise of “winner-take-all” investment characteristics, and political sys-tems favouring the wealthy — and has been turbocharged by cyclical forces.

In the developed world, the problem is root-ed in unprecedented political polarisation, which has impeded comprehensive responses and placed an excessive policy burden on cen-tral banks. Though monetary authorities enjoy more political autonomy than other policy-making bodies, they lack the needed tools to address effectively the challenges that their countries face. In normal times, fiscal policy would support monetary policy, including by playing a redistributive role. But these are not normal times. With political gridlock blocking an appropriate fiscal response — after 2008, the United States Congress did not pass an an-nual budget, a basic component of responsible economic governance, for five years — cen-tral banks have been forced to bolster econo-mies artificially. To do so, they have relied on near-zero interest rates and unconventional measures like quantitative easing to stimulate growth and job creation.

Beyond being incomplete, this approach implicitly favours the wealthy, who hold a dis-proportionately large share of financial assets. Meanwhile, companies have become increas-ingly aggressive in their efforts to reduce their tax bills, including through so-called inver-sions, by which they move their headquarters to lower-tax jurisdictions.

As a result, most countries face a trio of in-equalities — of income, wealth, and opportu-nity — which, left unchecked, reinforce one another, with far-reaching consequences.

Indeed, beyond this trio’s moral, social, and political implications lies a serious economic

concern: instead of creating incentives for hard work and innovation, inequality begins to undermine economic dynamism, investment, employment, and prosperity.

Given that affluent households spend a smaller share of their incomes and wealth, greater inequality translates into lower overall consumption, thereby hindering the recovery of economies already burdened by inadequate aggregate demand.

Today’s high levels of inequality also impede the structural reforms needed to boost produc-tivity, while undermining efforts to address re-sidual pockets of excessive indebtedness. This is a dangerous combination that erodes social cohesion, political effectiveness, current GDP growth, and future economic potential.

That is why it is so disappointing that, de-spite heightened awareness of inequality, the IMF/World Bank meetings — a gathering of thousands of policymakers, private-sector participants, and journalists, which included seminars on inequality in advanced countries and developing regions alike — failed to make a consequential impact on the policy agenda.

Policymakers seem convinced that the time is not right for a meaningful initiative to ad-dress inequality of income, wealth, and oppor-tunity. But waiting will only make the problem more difficult to resolve. In fact, a number of steps can and should be taken to stem the rise in inequality. In the US, for example, sustained political determination would help to close massive loopholes in estate planning and in-heritance, as well as in household and corpo-rate taxation, that disproportionately benefit the wealthy. Likewise, there is scope for re-moving the antiquated practice of taxing hedge and private-equity funds’ “carried interest” at a preferential rate. The way home ownership is taxed and subsidised could be reformed more significantly, especially at the top price levels. And a strong case has been made for raising the minimum wage. To be sure, such measures will make only a dent in inequality, albeit an important and visible one. In order to deepen their impact, a more comprehensive macro-economic policy stance is needed.

It is time for heightened global attention to inequality to translate into concerted action. Some initiatives would tackle inequality di-rectly; others would defuse some of the forces that drive it. Together, they would go a long way toward mitigating a serious impediment to the economic and social wellbeing of cur-rent and future generations. – The Independent

World still faces inequalities of income, wealth opportunity

HISTORYNET.COMLetters, containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by mail (Times of Oman, P.O. Box 770, P.C. 112, Ruwi), by fax (24813153) or by e-mail (times@omantel.net.om)

Ex-Nazis paid millions in US Social Security

GraphicsGraphic News /Source: Associated Press

Since 1979, it has emerged that at least 38 suspected Nazi war criminals received millions of dollars in American Social Security payments in exchange for leaving the US and giving up their citizenship.

JakobDenzingerFormer guard at several Nazi camps, including Auschwitz, Poland. Fled to Germany from Ohioin 1989 after learning of denaturalization proceedings.

MartinHartmannFormer SS guardat Sachsenhausencamp on outskirtsof Berlin. Moved to Berlin from Arizona in 2007 before being stripped of US citizenship.

Arthur RudolphGerman rocket scientist invited to US for his technical skill. Accused of using slave labour to build V-2 rocket.

MartinBarteschFormer SS guard at Mauthausen concentration camp, Austria.

Wasyl LytwynServed in SS unit that took part in destruction of Warsaw Ghetto in 1943. Agreed to leave Chicago in 1995 after admitting he concealed his SS service. Lytwyn, 93, is believed to live in Ukraine

Peter MuellerFormer SS guardat Natzweilerconcentration camp, France. Left Illinoisto return to Germany in 1994. Mueller,90, now living inWorms, Germany

John AvdzejRegional mayorin occupied Belorussia, accused of aiding in arrest and execution of thousandsof Jews

LAST POLL RESULT

Do you think the non-oil sector can become the engine of Oman’s economic growth?

Do you think the two-year ban on expats’ return is in the best interest of business in Oman?

Visit timesofoman.com to cast your vote

Yes31.3%

No65.6%

Can't say3.1%

It was all on expected lines. BJP bagged Haryana on its own while it finished top

in Maharashtra pushing Con-gress to third position.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to concur with BJP leader Amit Shah’s observation that the results point to another step towards a ‘Congress-free In-dia’. Shah should have taken on board the X factor which is nothing but the way the people would be evaluating the saf-fron party’s governance in future. Even so, the party has every right to whoop it up.

Maharashtra is the financial capital of India and hence it can catalyse Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reform agen-da. Furthermore, corporate houses and foreign investors could rev up their investment drive in India.

A crucial caveat one might enter here is that the BJP governments in the states in question must not touch cor-ruption even with a barge pole. Remember, it was corruption and sloth that led to the deci-mation of the grand old party.

Congress may put the blame on the anti-incumbency fac-tor; but that is only partially true. In point of fact, the peo-ple badly wanted an end to 15 years (Maharashtra) and 10 years (Haryana) of corruption and ineptitude.

Was there a Modi wave as many in BJP would like to think? Surely not in Maha-rashtra where, with all the talk of the Modi magic, the party could not corral enough seats for a simple majority.

However, there is no deny-ing the fact that Modi’s stump speeches across the state had electrified the voters.

He was able to influence swathes of people, not least the swing voters.

In Haryana, the Modi magic was perhaps the principal fac-tor for the BJP victory. The party has managed to get a ma-jority on its own. Surely there were other local factors like caste and corruption as well.

Robert Vadra’s dubious land deal with industry ma-jor DLF, allegedly facilitated by ex-chief minister Bhupin-der Singh Hooda, was seen as symbolic of his government’s love for graft and favouritism. The deal, which was legalised in a hurry just before the elec-tion code of conduct was made public, spoke volumes about

the way the government func-tioned. The runner-up party, INLD, whose honchos Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala are languish-ing in jail for corruption. Both Chautala and Hooda are Jats by birth. Jats comprise over 20 per cent of the Haryana popu-lation. Chuatala’s INLD must have received overwhelming support from his caste. Hooda won his seat too but could not prevent his party, Congress, from being relegated to third position. The results indicate that non-Jats, as a combined force, voted for BJP hoping for good governance and perhaps a non-Jat CM.

In Maharashtra, post-poll affairs are being chewed over by all major parties. The peo-ple were fed up to the teeth with the Congress-NCP gov-ernment owing to a cavalcade of scams and spectacular sloth that it had got infected with. The Aadarsh flat scandal, in-volving former chief minister Ashok Chavan, drove the peo-ple to apoplexy, to say the least. Even ex-chief minister Mr. Clean Prithviraj Chavan could do precious little to mitigate the damage caused by it.

The haste shown by NCP in offering ‘unconditional’ support to a purported BJP government leaves all of us gobsmacked. Did NCP strike the wrong note? Was there a pre-poll quid-pro-quo deal be-tween BJP and NCP, as Prith-viraj Chavan alleges?

Or was it an unconditional offer by a party swamped by al-legations of corruption in the hope that BJP, as a ruling party at the centre, would go soft on its perceived misdeeds? What-ever, the offer has emboldened BJP to use NCP as a bargain-ing chip with its estranged ally, Shiv Sena, albeit obliquely.

NCP, it may be noted, is in a maelstrom of graft allega-tions including the irrigation scam in Maharashtra and the aviation scandal. It is a fact that the Congress-NCP tie-up has been under strain for long. True, all political parties have in them a streak of opportun-ism. But as regards NCP, its foundation itself is on the pil-lar of opportunism.

Should BJP invite NCP for a tie-up, the latter will cer-tainly jump at it. But there is fat chance of that happening. Modi, in his campaign speech-es, referred to it as a ‘Naturally Corrupt Party’. BJP knows full well that the people would certainly disapprove of such a coalition.

Without doubt, Shiv Sena is the naturally ally of BJP with which it has had 25 years of relationship. Even after snap-ping ties with Sena BJP let the Sena minister continue in the union cabinet.

The writer is a freelance con-tributor based in India. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman.

Saffron blooms, Congress wilts

Bombing will only make Isis stronger

RAGING EBOLA

The Malaysian government has increasingly employed the Se-dition Act, a British colonial era law, to intimidate and silence political opponents. The law criminalises speech uttered “to

excite disaffection” against the government and defines sedition so broadly that it is an invitation to authoritarian abuse. Prime Minis-ter Najib Razak had promised to repeal the act, but, since the general elections in May last year, his government has made full use of the law to hound his critics. While Najib’s ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, won 60 per cent of the parliamentary seats in the election, for the first time since independence in 1957, the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, won a 51 per cent majority of the popular vote.

The elections seem to have shaken the government enough for it to arrest and prosecute an array of politicians, journalists, academ-ics, students, religious leaders and civil society activists who did not advocate the overthrow of the government. For example, a senior op-position politician was charged with sedition for criticizing a decision by the appeals court in a statement to the news media. A local state assemblyman was charged for allegedly saying “damn, damn” about the government’s United Malays National Organisation to several as-semblymen. Since 2013, at least 14 people have been charged. Those found guilty can face up to three years in prison. Najib’s crackdown is a deplorable attack on free speech and a serious threat to democracy. He appeared to understand this danger when he promised to repeal the Sedition Act. He should do so immediately. – The New York Times News Service

Deplorable Sedition Act

When viewed against the statistics for other viral diseases like the 2009 flu pandemic that saw over 14,000 dead, or HIV AIDS that has killed between 1.4 and 1.9 million people,

most of them in African countries, to a current mortality of 4,546 out of 9,191 cases in West Africa — one might wonder about the current level of alarm regarding the Ebola virus. The answer lies in a combination of factors, like virulence, social mobility, the lack of an effective vaccine, poor health infrastructure in countries at the heart of the outbreak and a slow global response. Ebola has been known since the 1970s; it is not a mystery to science and the incidence hitherto has been so low as to not warrant the development of a vaccine by any of the major global pharmaceutical companies. New drugs take years to develop and need to have a market; otherwise, the cost of their development is not re-couped — and let it not be forgotten that the pharmaceutical compa-nies are in business to make a profit; they are not charities.

Thus far, no nation or entity has put even a tentative figure on the number of potential fatalities from the current outbreak of Ebola, and there is what comes close to low-level hysteria in the way it is some-times being reported around the world. Both the UK and the US in the last week have issued warnings to the international community that there is going to be a substantial loss of life in West Africa (so great as to have the potential to trigger state failure in the worst scenarios); and that the threat to the rest of the world was even greater than that in the African continent unless financial and medical responses to the outbreak were significantly intensified.

John Kerry, the US secretary of state, was almost apocalyptic in his vision, saying that Ebola could become a scourge like polio or HIV/AIDS. He cited the failure of the international community to raise the $1bn that the UN had called for and the limited response from coun-tries such as China and Russia as an underlying problem. $1 billion may seem like a considerable sum, but when viewed against the cost of the war in Afghanistan, which is currently put at $6.6 billion per month, it is little more than loose change.

As the world attempts to marshal its resources, what of Pakistan? Ebola may seem remote, but Pakistan has troops serving in UN peace-keeping missions in some of the countries affected, and there is a small but significant Pakistani workforce that travels to and fro to the home country from West Africa. The risk may be low, but it is impossible to ignore, and to do so will be dangerous. The Punjab Chief minister Shahbaz Sharif at a meeting on October 17 said that flights incoming from affected countries will be monitored and passengers screened. A representative of the WHO also briefed the meeting and a steering committee has been set up to determine national policy and response.

For now, this may be sufficient, but it has to be weighed against a background of a public health system that is broken in large parts of the country, has failed completely to contain poliomyelitis, measles and all the strains of hepatitis, and allowed TB to remain firmly em-bedded as a national killer. Were Ebola ever to enter Pakistan, it would find an environment highly conducive to its spread. We hope it never does. - The Express Tribune

Pakistan must not ignore Ebola threat

O O M M E N K U R U V I L L A

C H A R L I E W I N T E R

F R A N K B R U N I

Two-year ban on expats has good and bad sidesThis refers to the news story, Two-year visa ban to stay (October 21). It has its good and not-so-good points. Good in as far as keeping an employee for two years without risk of him jumping to a competitor after the expense of recruitment. Bad for the employees if the employer is not fair and rewards hard work. As an expat, I must remember I have a contract with the employer and have a duty to follow the contract. If I signed the contract I must have been happy to do so. The final choice is, of course, to leave Oman. My conclusion is that it is fair in as far as it gives security to the employer for his investment of recruitment costs.Paul SavageMuscat

Expats mustn’t be allowed to work beyond six yearsThis refers to the news story, Two-year visa ban to stay (Octo-ber 21). I hope it stays and strictly adhered to. I also recommend limiting the time that an expa-triate can work in Oman. For instance, work visas should be renewed only three times and no more — making it a maximum of stay of six years. After that work visa should not be renewed. In six years, the company must Omanise the position with a competent national. Mohammed Muscat

The rule should also apply to non-expat workers alsoThis refers to the news story, Two-year visa ban to stay (Oc-

tober 21). If the goal is to stop people jumping from company to company then the rule should apply to everyone and not just the expats. Not only is this law ridiculous, it also violates basic UN human rights laws whereby people should be entitled to free choice of employment.Nicholai GeorgiouMuscat

Two-year visa ban is in favour of employers onlyThis refers to the news story, Two-year visa ban to stay (Oc-tober 21). This visa ban doesn’t make any sense. They should make a law which would benefit both parties. I was thinking of shifting to another company and was looking for a better career after completing my two-year

contract. But how can I shift and look for a better future if this visa ban is still in effect, even if the ban said it would be possible if we have an NOC? Employers can turn us into working robots, where we would have no choice.Cai MimbisaMuscat

The ban will never make the employees slavesThis refers to the news story, Two-year visa ban to stay (October 21). It is a good decision. I guess they shouldn’t withdraw the two-year ban. It costs an employer to bring in an expat worker. I don’t subscribe to the views that this ban will reduce the employees into slaves of the employers. Sajeer Mohamed Muscat

READERS’ FORUM

Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessityG. K. CHESTERTON

website: www.newindiaoman.com

NEW INDIA ASSURANCEProtect your cash and valuables through New India’s MONEY INSURANCE POLICY.

M O H A M E D A . E L E R I A N

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GLOBAL EYEW E D N E S DAY, O CTO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 14

NORTHWEST ENGLAND: Waves break over the sea wall at Blackpool seafront in stormy conditions brought about by the remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo in Blackpool, northwest England, on Tuesday. – AFP

TBILISI: A woman holds a metal mug during a rally against home

violence in families in front of the Government house in central

Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday. – AFP

MUMBAI: Customers shop for lanterns at a roadside Diwali market in Mumbai. Hindus decorate

their homes and places of worship with flowers and lights during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights,

which will be celebrated across the country on Thursday. – Reuters

LONDON: A group of fans take selfies around the new wax figure of British actor Benedict Cumberbatch

as it is unveiled at Madame Tussauds in central London on Tuesday. Dressed in a dark suit the figure

of Cumberbatch has been modelled to be ‘premiere ready’. – AFP

UKRAINE: A Ukrainian serviceman shoots from automatic grenade launcher on position near the village of Peski, next to the city of

Donetsk on Monday. Ukraine’s armed forces on Tuesday rejected allegations that they indiscriminately used banned ‘cluster bombs’ in

the six-month war against pro-Russian insurgents in the separatist east. – AFP

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WORLDW E D N E S DAY, O C TO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4

Total’s CEO killed as jet hits snow

MOSCOW/PARIS: Christophe de Margerie, the charismatic and outspoken chief executive of the French oil company Total, was killed when his private jet hit a snow plough as it was taking off from Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on Monday night.

His death leaves a void at the top of one of the world’s biggest listed oil firms at a difficult time

for the industry as oil prices fall and state-backed competitors keep them out of some of the best oil exploration territory.

De Margerie, 63, was a strong opponent of Western economic sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine, and had been attending a meeting on foreign investment with around 30 other foreign executives at Russian

Prime Minister Dmitry Medve-dev’s country residence in Gorki near Moscow.

The crash occurred around midnight Moscow time as his Dassault Falcon was taking off for Paris in poor visibility. The plane’s three crew were also killed, but television footage showed the snowplough driver seemingly un-hurt. — Reuters

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

Christophe de Margerie’s death leaves a void at the top of one

of the world’s biggest listed oil firms at a difficult time for the

industry as oil prices fall and state-backed competitors keep

them out of some of the best oil exploration territory

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JUSTICE DELIVERED: Paralympian Oscar Pistorius holds the hands of family members as he is

taken down to the holding cells after being sentenced to five years imprisonment for the culpable

homicide killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the high court in Pretoria, on Tuesday. – AFP

Pistorius gets five-year jail

PRETORIA: Olympic and Para-lympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius started his five-year jail sentence on Tuesday for killing his girl-friend Reeva Steenkamp, mark-ing the end of a trial that has gripped South Africa and millions around the world.

His uncle, Arnold Pistorius, in-dicated he would not appeal.

As judge Thokozile Masipa gave her decision on the 27-year-old’s culpable homicide convic-tion, Pistorius, whose downfall has been likened to that of Ameri-can football star O.J. Simpson, stood resolutely in the dock.

His only reaction was to wipe his eyes before two police officers led him to the holding cells be-neath the High Court in the heart of the South African capital.

Ninety minutes later, an ar-moured police vehicle carrying Pistorius — still dressed in dark suit, white shirt and black tie - left the building through a throng of reporters towards Pretoria Cen-tral Prison, where he is expected to serve his time.

Once the execution site for op-ponents of South Africa’s former white-minority government, the jail is now home to the country’s most hardened criminals, includ-ing the man known as “Prime Evil”, apartheid death squad lead-er Eugene de Kock.

Prisons officials said Pistorius, whose lower legs were ampu-tated when he was a baby, would be housed in a separate and secure hospital wing of the mas-sive complex.

In delivering her decision, 67-year-old Masipa stressed the difficulty of arriving at a decision that was “fair and just to society and to the accused”.

She also rebuffed suggestions that Pistorius — a wealthy and influential white man - might be able to secure preferential justice despite the “equality be-fore law” guarantee enshrined in the post-apartheid 1996 constitution. — Reuters

The Paralympic

sprinter’s only

reaction was to wipe

his eyes before two

police officers led

him to the cells

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NATIONAL BUSINESS CENTRE TO SUPPORT 2 COMPANIESIn line with its constant efforts to present a premier platform to support and promote Omani entrepreneurs, the National Business Centre (NBC) signed agreements with Al Salama Fire Engineering Consultancy and Abraj Mirbat Safety Services Company. >B2

Muscat

6,912.70+ 11.53

+ 0.17%

Dubai

4,441.88+ 64.47

+ 1.47%

Abu Dhabi

4,771.29+ 51.71

+ 1.10%

Saudi Arabia

10,088.52 +206.16

+ 2.09%

Kuwait

7,354.33- 30.94

- 0.42%

Bahrain

1,444.35- 1.13

- 0.08%

Qatar

13,076.41+ 113.74

+ 0.88%

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

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

Euro .............................................2.01

Pound ...........................................1.59

Indian Rs .............................158.96

Pak Rs ...................................263.02

Bangla Taka.......................198.37* Rates are as of Oct. 21

Source: BankMuscat

Indian Rs .................................. 159.00

Pakistan Rs ............................266.00

Sri Lanka Rs ...........................337.00

Bangla Taka...........................200.80

Phil Peso .................................... 115.95

* Rates as of Oct. 21 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......15.80

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......15.20

10 Tola Bar Muscat (OMR) ............. N/A

Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ............ 149.75

Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) ............ 142.00

10 Tola Bar Dubai (Dh) ..................... N/A

* Rates as of Oct. 20Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

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

Oman Crude ............. (Spot) ........$84.30

Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) ........ $82.70

Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$85.94

Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$85.64

Arabian Heavy ....... (Spot) ................N/A

N.Sea Brent ............... (Spot) ........$85.95

West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........$82.43

CRUDE OIL PRICE

Ensure proper disposal of garbage.

Don’t litter a beautiful country like OMAN.No plans to cut

expenditure, says Al Jashmi

A. E. JAMESbusinesseditor@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Oman will not cut gov-ernment expenditure next year, if the fall in oil prices does not get extended over a long period, said a top-level official at the Ministry of Finance here yesterday.

Oman Crude is trading at around $84 per barrel now, below the average crude price of $85 a barrel considered for estimating budget revenue this year. Oman, like its Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) neighbours, depends heav-ily on oil revenues that make up 83 per cent of its income.

“Currently, there is no inten-tion to phase out any project or delay (any project). Project expenditure will continue as planned in the Five-Year Devel-opment Plan,” Nasser bin Khamis Al Jashmi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Finance, told jour-nalists on the sidelines of Oman

Energy Forum 2014. Oman is building several mul-

ti-billion rial projects, which in-clude a 2,224-km long national railway, expressways, airports, seaports, sewage network and a refinery. “However, if the oil price continues to fall, we have to take certain measures to manage the situation,” he added.

Al Jashmi said that the gov-ernment is taking a cautious ap-proach while preparing the budg-et for next year.

He said Oman has safely man-aged to go through low oil price cycles in the past. So, depend-ing on the nature of the fall in oil prices (short-term or long–term), the government has to take some measures in terms of expenditure or improve non-oil revenues.

“We have to handle the situ-ation as we have been doing all these years. However, we have to apply certain measures if the situ-ation continues.” >B2

Project expenditure

will continue as

planned in the Five-

Year Development

Plan. Oman

depends heavily

on oil revenue that

makes up 83% of

government income

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Oman Oil Company (OOC), the country’s investment arm in the energy sector, is considering acquisi-tion of Occidental’s assets in Oman.

Although the com-pany has already started to gather data, it is yet to start a ‘meaning-ful negotiation’ with the United Stattes energy giant to finalise the acquisition price, Eng. Isam Al Zadjali, chief executive officer of OOC, told journalists on the sidelines of Oman Energy Forum 2014.

Al Zadjali said an ear-lier proposal for a joint regional move (of Oman, the UAE and Qatar) to buy the Middle East assets of Occidental has been scrapped.

“At this point of time, we are looking at all assets (in Oman),” he said; adding; “But they haven’t told us the assets they are going to sell. We are ready whenever Oc-cidental is ready.”

Oman Oil is eyeing Occidental’s local assets

Nasser bin Khamis Al Jashmi

B2

MARKETW E D N E S DAY, O CTO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 14

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Thai economy showing signs of stagnation, says ministerBANGKOK: Thailand’s economy is stagnating as a lack of confi-dence in the pace of a recovery discourages investment and con-sumption, finance minister Sommai Phasee said.

“It looks like stagnation,” Som-mai said by phone late on Mon-day, before leaving to attend a meeting of Asian finance ministers in Beijing.

“We have high liquidity in the country. But wealthy people are hesitant to invest as they are con-cerned that the economic recovery may drag on and become U-shaped instead of the V-shaped recovery expected earlier, while the poor

don’t have much money to spend or access to funding.”

Sommai was appointed by the junta that assumed power after a May 22 coup to help revive an economy that’s forecast to grow this year at the slowest pace since 2011, when floods inundated thou-sands of Thai factories. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha’s government is giving cash hand-outs to farmers and has pledged to accelerate budget spending to support growth.

“The government is going full speed to stimulate the economy,” Sommai said. “Still, we need to give some time for economic measures

to take effect. We expect to feel the full impact in the first quarter next year.” The baht (currency) climbed 0.1 per cent to 32.26 against the United States dollar. It is among the best gainers this year of 11 Asian currencies. The benchmark SET Index slipped 0.3 per cent.

Important junctureThe central bank, which held the benchmark interest rate for a fourth meeting in September, ex-pects that local spending will drive growth for the rest of the year and in 2015, spokesman Chirathep Senivongs Na Ayudhya told re-porters yesterday. - Bloomberg News

E C O N O M I C G R O W T H Agreements signed for aiding start-ups

Times News Service

MUSCAT: The National Busi-ness Centre (NBC) signed two agreements yesterday to incubate Al Salama Fire Engineering Con-sultancy and Abraj Mirbat Safety Services Company.

The agreements are in line with the constant efforts of the NBC, which is an initiative launched by the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE) at the Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) to offer promising Omani entre-preneurs a platform to develop

their business ideas and advance them into growing ventures.

Al Salama Fire Engineering Consultancy is one of the firms that are registered and approved by the civil defence and is special-ised in designing building to meet the requirements of Fire Hazard Prevention Department at the Di-rectorate General of Civil Defence along with NFPA codes which are used for life safety and protection of buildings from fire loss.

Abraj Mirbat Safety Services Company is formed from the merger of Abraj Mirbat Safety Services and Maxell Internation-al. The company has successfully

operated in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for the past 12 years, working on both small and large scale safety services, includ-ing H2S and air loop, firefighting, life boat, marine services, person-al protective equipment and other safety services.

Goals and tasksWith the business boom that is taking place in the local area and the desire to improve over-all profit margins, the company is planning to shift its target to Oman. This business plan will lay out the goals and tasks of the company to make this transition successful and create enough market shares to succeed in this highly competitive market.

The NBC will play an important role in counseling and guiding the two companies, and providing intensive training, coaching and mentoring with the aspiration of building entrepreneurial skills through a cutting-edge environ-ment that allows entrepreneurs to flourish, network, form part-nerships, and have access to business mentors.

The centre attempts to become the premier platform for Omani entrepreneurs by providing busi-ness development support, guid-ance, training and mentoring.

National Business

Centre inked two

agreements to

incubate Al Salama

Fire Engineering and

Abraj Mirbat Safety

Services

Projectionson trend in oil prices

“Currently, we are studying (the fall in) oil prices,” he added.

Al Jashmi noted that there are different projections from market analysts on the trend in oil prices – some reports suggest that the price will continue to fall, others indicate the price could settle between $80 and $90 per barrel, and other ana-lysts project the price could recover to $100 a barrel.

The average price of Oman Crude this year has been $105 per barrel and the country pro-duces around 945,000 barrels of oil per day.

Al Jashmi said the govern-ment has amassed ample sur-plus in the last few years when the oil prices were on the higher side and the money is being used for investment.

“We also use this fund to manage these types of cycles,” noted the undersecretary.

The government’s expendi-ture and revenue are esti-mated at OMR13.5 billion and OMR11.7 billion, respectively, leaving an anticipated deficit of OMR1.8 billion for 2014.

The deficit makes up 6 per cent of its Gross Domestic prod-uct (GDP) and 15 per cent of its total revenues expected to be OMR11.7 billion. Last year, Oman earned an average $116 per barrel from its oil produc-tion and wiped out its deficit.

E C O N O M Y

< FROM

B1

B3W E D N E S DAY, O C TO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4

MARKETGlobal firms eye infrastructure projects in Oman

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADIelham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Senior officials of the embassies, which are represent-ed at Infra Oman 2014, said that their countries can contribute a lot to infrastructure development in the Sultanate.

Oman’s infrastructure exhibi-tion, which has brought together over 200 local and international companies, began on Monday and concludes today at the Oman In-ternational Exhibition Centre.

One of the highlights of the ex-hibition is the United Kingdom pavilion, which features over 30 companies and nearly 50 del-egates involved in a wide range of business activities.

UK companies“We have 32 companies here this year. This is a record number. They bring with them a wealth of experience in different fields,” Alastair Long, British charge

d’affaires, told Times of Oman at the exhibition. “There are spe-cialists in security measures, in oil and gas and in some of the tra-ditional construction methods, and some of them are developing technologies that are world-lead-ing,” said Long. He also highlight-ed the significance of the upcom-ing Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) railway project and noted that British companies have a lot to contribute to the project.

According to the embassy, participating firms from the UK include Armstrong Fluid Tech-nology, Drywall Steel Sections, Inmarsat, Geoquip Worldwide, Coote Engineering, Forest City Export Services, Zaun Ltd and Wardsflex Limited.

Italian companies Paola Amadei, Italian ambas-sador to the Sultanate, said that Italian companies are highly qualified with ‘outstanding’ expe-rience and can play a great role in projects that the Sultanate plans to implement, including the rail-way project.

Italy’s main exports to Oman is machinery and Infra Oman provided a good opportunity for

Italian companies involved in in-frastructure development as well as material and equipment supply to show what they have to offer, she stated.

South Korean biddersIn addition, Han Sukwoo, South Korea’s commercial attaché, said that the participating companies are mainly active in the construc-tion field and safety bumpers.

According to him, there are 10 South Korean construction com-panies in Oman and hundreds of Korean firms are exporting their products to the country.

South Korea is in contention for a Project Management Con-sultant (PMC) contract for the Oman National Railway Project. Daewoo Industrial Company,

Isabel Parra, trade officer at Economic and Trade Office of the Spanish embassy, said there are more than 20 Spanish companies based in Oman, she said, adding that Spanish firms are bidding for the railway project PMC con-tract. Spain has a long history in infrastructure development and Spain’s high speed railway net-work is the second longest in the world, Parra said.

Senior officials of

the embassies which

have represented

at Infra Oman 2014,

said their countries

can contribute a lot

to infrastructure

development in the

Sultanate

BRITISH PAVILION: One of the highlights of the exhibition is the United Kingdom pavilion, which features more than 30 companies and nearly 50 delegates involved in a wide range of business activities. – HUSSEIN AL MUQBALI/Times of Oman

Oil and gas sector to play key role in Oman’s economy

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Oman’s oil and gas sector will have to play an in-creasingly prominent role in addressing some of the Sultan-ate’s most pressing challenges including creating greater In-Country Value (ICV), sup-porting the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and fostering innova-tion and human resource de-velopment as part of a broader strategy to transform the coun-try from a hydrocarbon-based economy into a sustainable, knowledge-based one.

With oil and gas production accounting for about half of Oman’s gross domestic product (GDP), the energy sector plays a crucial role in the Sultanate, not only as a source of government revenue but also as an employer of Omanis and a provider of knowhow and technology.

At this year’s Oman Energy Forum, held in Muscat yester-day, under the theme ‘Oman 2014: Global ambitions, critical local challenges’, local and inter-national oil and gas experts de-bated ways of tackling the chal-lenges Oman is confronted with.

At the same time, Oman will have to reassess future alloca-tions of its domestic hydrocar-bon resources.

E N E R G Y F O R U M

B4

MARKETW E D N E S DAY, O CTO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 14

MSM 30 in green zone

MUSCAT: The MSM 30 Index had its second positive session of the week, up by 0.17 per cent to close at 6,912.70 points. The MSM Shariah index also closed higher at 1,037.69 points, a rise of 0.14 per cent.

Oman & Emirates was the most active in terms of volume, while Bank Muscat was the most active in terms of turnover. Al Sharqia Investment was the top gainer, closing up by 8.33 per cent, while Construction Materi-als, which declined 1.96 per cent, lost the most.

Altogether 1,435 trades were executed during the day’s session generating a turnover of OMR6.7 million with more than 19.23 mil-lion shares changing hands. Out of 49 traded stocks, 21 advanced, 12 declined and 16 remained un-changed. Foreign investors re-mained net buyers to the tune of OMR751,000 followed by GCC & Arab investors at 396,000. Omani investors, who were net sellers, sold stocks amounting to OMR1.14 million.

The financial Index was the best performing index and closed at 8,300.38 points, up by 0.76 per cent. Al Sharqia Investment, DBIH, Golbal Finance & Invest-ments, Gulf Investment Ser-vices and Ahli Bank increased by 8.33%, 7.33 per cent, 2.70 per cent, 2.21 per cent and 1.90 per cent respectively. DIDIC, ONIC, Al Omaniya Finance and Al An-war Holding declined by 1.49 per cent, 1.17 per cent, 0.59 per cent and 0.39 per cent respectively.

Industrial Index declined by 0.18 per cent to close at 9,568.79 points. Al Hassan Engineering and Dhofar Cattlefeed increased by 2.68 per cent and 1.18 per cent respectively. Construction Ma-terials, Oman Fisheries, Raysut Cement and Oman Cables de-clined by 1.96 per cent, 1.28 per cent, 1.22 per cent and 0.21 per cent respectively.

Services Sector Index closed at 3,634.59 points, up by 0.23 per cent. National Gas, Port Servic-es, Al Batinah Power, Al Suwadi Power and Omantel increased by 3.96 per cent, 2.79 per cent, 1.69 per cent, 1.69 per cent and 0.62 per cent respectively. Sharqiya desalination and Al Maha Petro-leum declined by 0.90 per cent, and 0.20 per cent respectively. – United Securities.

Emerging stocks recoverMost emerging-market stocks rose for a third day as higher oil boosted equities in Russia and the Middle East and Gail India paced gains in utility shares. Rus-sian bonds climbed as the coun-try pulled a bond sale.

GMK Norilsk Nickel headed for the biggest advance since May in Moscow as its chief executive officer announced plans to dis-tribute excess cash to sharehold-ers. Saudi Arabian stocks gained for a third day. Gail jumped 4.8 per cent after India widened en-ergy-policy reforms.

The 10-year Russian yield fell three basis points to 9.8 per cent while the ruble rose versus the dollar as better-than-expected Chinese economic growth data boosted Brent. South Korea’s won reached a three-week high.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index climbed 0.1 per cent to 982.01 in London. Oil is paring its collapse into a bear market as banks including BNP Paribas and Bank of America predict the rout may be over. Russia and Ukraine are seeking to strike a temporary agreement today in a natural- gas pricing dispute.

“We could see some kind of stabilization in the oil price now from very low levels,” said Stanislava Pravdova, an emerg-ing-market analyst at Danske Bank. “We are seeing some relief from the pressures we have wit-nessed.”- United Securities/Bloomberg News

Al Sharqia Investment was the top gainer,

up by 8.33%, while Construction Materials,

which declined 1.96%, lost the most

MUSCATSECURITIES MARKET

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21

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

Security Name .................................................... Volume .....Turnover ... Trades ......... High .........Low ..........Close ......... Prev. .......... Diff. ............ Diff .............Last ..........Last ............ Last ................ Market Cap .........Par........................................................................................................................................................................................ Pr. ............ Close ........... RO ............... % .................Pr ..............Bid ............ Offer ............................................value

AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING .............240,530 ............. 40,650.............. 29 ............ 0.171 .......... 0.158 ............ 0.169 .............0.156 .............0.013 .............8.333 ..............0.171 .............0.171.............. 0.000 ............... 14,621,880.000 ......0.100NATIONAL GAS .................................................. 58,715 ............. 33,946...............21 ............0.608 ......... 0.558 ............ 0.578 .............0.556 ............ 0.022 ............. 3.957 ............. 0.608 ............ 0.600 ............. 0.608 ...............26,334,497.292 ......0.100PORT SERVICES CORPORATION .......................110,830 ............. 40,847.................5 ............0.370 ......... 0.330 ............0.368 .............0.358 ............ 0.010 ............. 2.793 ............. 0.370 ............ 0.370 ............. 0.380 ...............34,974,720.000 ......0.100GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 248,000 ..............28,165...............14 ............ 0.118 .......... 0.110 ............ 0.114 .............. 0.111 ............ 0.003 ............. 2.703 ..............0.114 ............ 0.110 ..............0.113 ..............22,800,000.000 ......0.100GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES .......................739,900 ............136,758.............. 62 ............ 0.188.......... 0.180 ............ 0.185..............0.181 ............ 0.004 .............2.210 ..............0.188 ............ 0.187 ..............0.188 ................10,885,995.145 ......0.100AHLI BANK ...................................................... 520,515 ............111,880.............. 57 ............0.225 ..........0.211 ............ 0.215..............0.211 ............ 0.004 ............. 1.896.............. 0.212 ............ 0.212 ..............0.215 .............278,529,791.860 ......0.100NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ..............................210,317 ............. 76,838...............10 ............0.370 ......... 0.362 ............0.366 ............ 0.360 ............ 0.006 ............. 1.667 .............. 0.370 ............ 0.370 ..............0.376 ............446,090,865.000 ......0.100DHOFAR CATTLE FEED ..................................... 35,050 ................6,029.................5 ............ 0.181 .......... 0.172 ............ 0.172..............0.170 ............ 0.002 ............. 1.176 ...............0.181 ............ 0.176 ..............0.178 .............. 13,244,000.000 ......0.100TAAGEER FINANCE ...........................................17,000 ................2,475.................4 ............ 0.146.......... 0.145 ............ 0.146 .............0.145 ............ 0.001 .............0.690 ............. 0.146 ............ 0.143 ..............0.147 ...............37,024,140.000 ......0.100OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ..................... 671,665 ....... 1,094,266............ 120 ............ 1.660...........1.615............. 1.630..............1.620 ............ 0.010 ............. 0.617 ...............1.660 ............ 1.660 ..............1.670 ........ 1,222,500,000.000 ......0.100OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING ...........4,107,540 ............676,115............ 215 ............ 0.169 .......... 0.160 ............ 0.165..............0.164 ............ 0.001 ............. 0.610...............0.168 ............ 0.167 ..............0.168 ...............20,109,375.000 ......0.100BANK DHOFAR ................................................ 534,180 ............187,763...............10 ............0.354 ......... 0.350 ............0.352 .............0.350 ............ 0.002 ............. 0.571 .............. 0.354 ............ 0.354 ............. 0.360 ............ 472,821,259.328 ......0.100OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE .............. 476,728 ........... 102,100.............. 32 ............ 0.217 .......... 0.210 ............ 0.214 .............0.213 ............ 0.001 .............0.469 ............. 0.216 ............ 0.216 ..............0.217 ..............42,800,000.000 ......0.100ACWA POWER BARKA ....................................... 24,365 .............. 17,933................. 1 ............ 0.736.......... 0.736 ............ 0.736 .............0.736 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............0.736 ............ 0.736 ..............0.740 ............. 117,760,000.000 ......0.100AL JAZEERA SERVICES ...................................... 25,000 ................9,000.................8 ............0.360 ......... 0.360 ............0.360 ............ 0.360 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.360 ............ 0.360 ..............0.370 ...............22,033,538.280 ......0.100AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................ 60,272 ................ 4,115............... 11 ............ 0.071 .......... 0.067 ............0.068 .............0.068 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............0.071 ............ 0.069 ..............0.071 ............... 14,086,294.112 ......0.100BANK MUSCAT .............................................1,910,168 ........1,337,222............ 136 ............0.704 ......... 0.700 ............0.700 .............0.700 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.704 ............ 0.700 ..............0.704 .......... 1,527,881,731.600 ......0.100BANK SOHAR ..................................................234,226 .............. 51,617.............. 23 ............0.224 ......... 0.220 ............0.220 ............ 0.220............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.220 ............ 0.218 ............. 0.220 ............ 251,680,000.000 ......0.100GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. ..................... 83,068 .............. 13,712...............17 ............ 0.170.......... 0.165 ............ 0.165..............0.165 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............0.166 ............ 0.166 ..............0.168 ............... 43,497,095.565 ......0.100HSBC BANK OMAN .......................................1,025,636 ........... 172,346.............. 26 ............ 0.170.......... 0.166 ............ 0.168 .............0.168 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............0.168 ............ 0.166 ..............0.168 ............ 336,052,548.720 ......0.100NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ................. 40,360 .............. 11,059.................4 ............0.274 ......... 0.274 ............0.274 .............0.274 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.274 ............0.260 ..............0.274 ..................9,198,577.300 ......0.100NAWRAS .......................................................... 157,189 ........... 103,945...............16 ............0.664 ......... 0.660 ............0.660 .............0.660 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.660 ............ 0.660 ..............0.664 .............429,623,191.800 ......0.100OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ........................... 300,301 ............120,781.............. 37 ............ 0.414.......... 0.402 ............0.402 ............ 0.402 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.402 ............0.404 ..............0.410 ..............40,200,000.000 ......0.100OMINVEST ........................................................ 17,269 .................7,013.................2 ............0.420 ......... 0.406 ............0.406 ............ 0.406 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.420 ............ 0.406 ............. 0.420 ..............136,717,658.000 ......0.100RENAISSANCE SERVICES ................................ 125,833 ............. 78,904...............18 ............0.628 ......... 0.620 ............0.628 .............0.628 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.620 ............ 0.620 ............. 0.624 ............... 177,155,317.112 ......0.100ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. ....... 200,402 ...........500,003.................8 ............2.495 ......... 2.495 ............2.495 ............ 2.500 ........... -0.005 ...........-0.200 ............ 2.495 ............ 2.250 ............. 2.490 .............172,155,000.000 ......0.100OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY ..................................33,374 ............. 79,830.................8 ............2.400 ......... 2.380 ............2.390 .............2.395 ........... -0.005 ...........-0.209 ............ 2.380 ............ 2.350 ............. 2.380 ............ 214,383,000.000 ......0.100AL ANWAR HOLDING ................................... 2,192,719 ............557,674............ 183 ............0.257 ......... 0.246 ............0.254 .............0.255 ............-0.001 ........... -0.392 ............ 0.257 ............ 0.256 ..............0.257 ............... 33,147,000.000 ......0.100AL OMANIYA FINANCIAL SER. .............................64,316 ..............21,610.................3 ............0.336 ......... 0.336 ............0.336 .............0.338 ........... -0.002 ........... -0.592 ............ 0.336 ............0.000 ..............0.336 ............... 77,172,052.272 ......0.100ONIC. HOLDING ............................................... 143,948 ............. 48,576...............19 ............0.338 ......... 0.336 ............0.338 ............ 0.342 ........... -0.004 ........... -1.170 ............. 0.338 ............ 0.334 ..............0.338 ................58,617,058.500 ......0.100RAYSUT CEMENT ............................................. 80,604 ........... 163,286...............14 ............2.050 ......... 2.025 ............2.025 ............ 2.050 ........... -0.025 ........... -1.220............. 2.050 ............ 2.050 ..............2.100 ........... 405,000,000.000 ......0.100DHOFAR INT.DEV.AND INV. HOLD. ........................ 50,000 ............. 26,440.................2 ............0.530 ......... 0.528 ............0.528 .............0.536 ........... -0.008 ........... -1.493 ............. 0.528 ............ 0.528 ............. 0.540 .............116,160,000.000 ......0.100SUM: ............................................................................... 14,740,020 ....... 5,862,895.........1,120 .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......................32.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ........................289,509 ............. 46,647.............. 48 ............ 0.165 .......... 0.147 ............ 0.161 ..............0.150 .............0.011 ............. 7.333 ...............0.165 ............ 0.165 ............. 0.000 .................4,830,000.000 ......0.100AL HASSAN ENGINEERING ..............................571,014 ............. 65,884.............. 38 ............ 0.119 ...........0.112 ............ 0.115 ..............0.112 ............ 0.003 .............2.679 ..............0.116 ............ 0.116...............0.117 .................8,648,920.000 ......0.100AL BATINAH POWER .................................... 1,621,887 ...........294,345.............. 86 ............ 0.183 .......... 0.180 ............ 0.181 ..............0.178 ............ 0.003 ............. 1.685 .............. 0.182 ............ 0.181...............0.182 .............122,154,624.830 ......0.100AL SUWADI POWER .........................................832,278 ............ 150,751.............. 69 ............ 0.182.......... 0.179 ............ 0.181 ..............0.178 ............ 0.003 ............. 1.685 .............. 0.182 ............ 0.181...............0.182 ............. 129,307,547.540 ......0.100BANK NIZWA .................................................... 39,000 ................3,440.................6 ............0.092 ......... 0.085 ............0.088 .............0.087 ............ 0.001 ............. 1.149 .............. 0.092 ............ 0.088 ............. 0.090 ............132,000,000.000 ......0.100SEMBCORP SALALAH ....................................... 49,276 ............111,364............... 11 ............2.260 ......... 2.260 ............2.260 .............2.255 ............ 0.005 .............0.222 ............. 2.260 ............2.260 ............. 2.295 ............. 215,733,260.700 ......1.000AL MADINA TAKAFUL .....................................206,454 ..............19,030...............15 ............0.094 ......... 0.092 ............0.092 .............0.092 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.093 ............ 0.093 ............. 0.094 ...............16,100,000.000 ......0.100OMAN AGRICULTURE DEV. ...................................... 300 ................... 435................. 1 ............ 1.450 .......... 1.450 ............ 1.450 .............1.450 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............1.450 ............ 1.450 ............. 0.000 ................. 1,595,000.000 ......1.000TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE ............................ 51,917 ................4,932.................7 ............0.095 ......... 0.095 ............0.095 .............0.095 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.095 ............ 0.093 ..............0.099 .................9,500,000.000 ......0.100SHARQIYAH DESALINATION ................................2,977 ..............13,099................. 1 ............4.400 ......... 4.400 ............4.400 ............ 4.440........... -0.040 ........... -0.901 ............. 4.400 ............4.400 ..............4.410 ...............28,688,633.600 ......1.000OMAN FISHERIES ..............................................66,180 ................5,088...............16 ............ 0.081.......... 0.075 ............0.077 .............0.078 ............-0.001 ........... -1.282 ............. 0.079 ............ 0.076 ..............0.079 .................9,625,000.000 ......0.100CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. ..................... 67,000 ................3,353.................6 ............0.052 ......... 0.049 ............0.050 .............0.051 ............-0.001 ........... -1.961 ............. 0.052 ............ 0.050 ..............0.052 .................4,250,000.000 ......0.100SUM: ...................................................................................3,797,792 ........... 718,367............304 .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......................12.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

THIRD MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... NATIONAL MINERAL WATER ............................. 4,000 ...................224.................4 ............0.056 ......... 0.056 ............0.056 .............0.056 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.056 ............ 0.050 ............. 0.060 ...................1,127,150.752 ......0.100SUM: ......................................................................................... 4,000 ...................224.................4 .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. .........................1.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS MARKET .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 .....................................355,960 ..............37,724.................2 ............0.106.......... 0.104 ............ 0.106 .............0.103 ............ 0.003 ............. 2.913.............. 0.106 ............ 0.104 ............. 0.000 ............... 33,882,123.550 ......0.100BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 .......................280,935 ..............29,779.................2 ............0.106.......... 0.105 ............ 0.106 .............0.105 ............ 0.001 .............0.952 ............. 0.105 ............ 0.105 ............. 0.000 ............... 32,091,405.766 ......0.100BANK MUSCAT SUBORDINATED BONDS ........... 50,000 ............. 53,250................. 1 ............ 1.065 .......... 1.065 ............ 1.065..............1.070 ........... -0.005 ........... -0.467..............1.065 ............ 1.060 ............. 0.000 ...............79,875,000.000 ......1.000BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5 ........................................8,000 ................... 839.................2 ............ 0.105.......... 0.100 ............ 0.105 .............0.107 ........... -0.002 ........... -1.869 ............. 0.105 ............ 0.090 ..............0.105 ..................7,507,500.000 ......0.100SUM: .....................................................................................694,895 ........... 121,592.................7 .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........................ 4.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

O M A N S T O C K S

INDICESIndex .................................................High .................Low ..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff %MSM30 Index ........................................6,914.14 .............. 6,894.67 ....................6,912.70 ................... 6,901.17 .................. 11.53 ................... 0.17Financial Index .................................... 8,300.38 .............. 8,205.28 ...................8,300.38 ....................8,237.74 ................. 62.64 ................... 0.76Industrial Index ....................................9,585.16 ...............9,567.37 ....................9,568.79 ................... 9,585.72 ................ -16.93 .................. -0.18Services Index ...................................... 3,634.59 ...............3,624.81 ................... 3,634.59 ................... 3,626.12 ....................8.47 ................... 0.23MSM SHARIAH INDEX.................... 1,037.69 ...............1,034.89 ....................1,037.69 ...................1,036.20 .................... 1.49 ................... 0.14

Trading SummaryVolume ................ Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up ............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded19,236,707 .................. 6,703,079 ..................1,435 ............... 14,953,129,974 ................ 21 ......................12 .................... 16 .........................49

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Nissan Patrol: The ‘hero of all terrain’

MUSCAT: Suhail Bahwan Auto-mobiles, the exclusive importers and distributors of Nissan vehi-cles, celebrate their 10 years of successful operations in Oman this year. To commemorate this occasion, Nissan has launched a series of irresistible offers on their sleek range of vehicles that comes with exclusive benefits, says a press release.

Known as the ‘Hero of all ter-rain’ – the 2014 Nissan Patrol now comes with irresistible benefits. With new stocks available across all the showrooms in the Sultan-ate, the vehicle is available with

free registration, free insurance (for Oman only), easy finance op-tions, periodic maintenance ser-vice for two years/ 35K (which-ever comes first) and extended warranty amount. Another major highlight of buying a Nissan Patrol is that customers will be eligible to get cashback of OMR250 too.

Meticulously engineered for over 60 years, the Patrol is Nissan’s flagship SUV model with a rich heritage and passionate following in the Middle East that dates back to the 1950s. With refreshed styl-ing enhancements of the region’s iconic SUV, the all-new Nissan Pa-trol adds more style to its already impressive ‘go anywhere’ versatil-ity, technology and comfort.

Nissan Patrol enhancementsThe all-new Nissan Patrol comes with a new front bumper and new vigorous and muscular front grille pattern with chrome. New 20” machining cut alloy wheels, LED headlamps with day time running light and pop-up headlamp washer with new LED rear combination lamp and roof rails add to the range of new features. The MY2014 Nis-san Patrol also possess a 3rd gen-eration Around View Monitor with parking assist display and Back-up Collision Intervention (BCI) which alerts the driver when a moving object is detected behind the vehicle when in reverse mode.

Patrol derives power-train effi-ciency equipped with 5-speed au-tomatic transmission with manual

mode introduced on the XE grade with a combination of leather/wood steering wheel. The MY2014 Nissan Patrol is now available with new exterior colours — grey metallic and pure white pearl — as well as a new Tan interior colour.

There is no shortage of comforts on board the new Nissan Patrol with all grades featuring an ar-ray of standard features including 8-way power driver’s seat, cruise control, 7-inch LCD screen, dual-zone climate control, 18-inch alloy wheels with full-size spare, side steps, front and rear parking sen-sors with rear view camera and keyless entry and start.

Leading performance The new Nissan Patrol features the world's first variable 4x4 mode select switch, which allows driv-ers to effortlessly switch between sand, on-road and rock drive modes. The Patrol is remarkably capable in sand mode, enabling safe driving options, quickly and skilfully, as compared to profes-sional rally drivers.

The Patrol also employs the world's first advanced hydrau-lic body motion control system (HBMC) with 4-wheel independ-ent suspension. Along with a new chassis and body frame, it gives the vehicle superb stability on rugged arid sandy terrain, while deliver-ing a comfortable ride in the city. The vehicle dynamic control auto-matically prevents the Patrol from sliding sideways on slippery road surfaces when changing lanes or negotiating a curve. The traction

control system senses when a front wheel slips and responds by instantly reducing throttle to help restore grip. Lastly the locking rear differential allows drivers to pull out of mud or loose sand easily by distributing torque evenly to the rear wheels.

The Patrol boasts of Power OVRM and body coloured with LED turn Lamps and puddle lamp. It also features front fog lamp, rear view camera, audio AM/ FM / CD / MP3 + Aux input + 6 speakers. The interiors feature leather steering and shift knob, driver seat –power with 8 ways - slide, lift (2 ways), re-cline, and lumber. It also has front dual airbags and rear diff lock (Std) + ISO fix, ABS, VDC, LSD, HAS, HDC and immobiliser.

Expression of luxury The vehicle is an expression of richly crafted luxury truly wor-thy of a flagship. If the unmistak-ably bold exterior design invites you with its powerful and modern lines, the super cockpit design of the well-appointed interior pro-vides drivers with a reinvigorat-ing driving atmosphere. Fine-tex-tured, soft leather seats are fitted with power and memory functions. Other luxurious features include Climate-controlled front seats, Power lift gate, Leather-wrapped, power tilt and telescoping steer-ing wheel with cruise, bluetooth hands-free phone system, audio system and navigation controls.

The upper vents for the front

seats are designed in a way that the steering wheel would not block the wind. However, the cur-tain vents are a totally revised cli-mate control system.

The system has several small but highly effective vents mounted in the ceiling above each side win-dow to blow a strong current of cool air down forming a curtain of air that acts as a barrier to heat penetrating the cabin.

World-class technologyThe class-leading Navigation sys-tem features a high-resolution WVGA 8-inch touch screen that displays the destination in com-pass mode. It also supports Ara-bic language and Qiblah compass. With the category’s first ‘Music Box’, valued customers can record up to 200-300 CDs of music or 2,900 songs. It connects to iPod, USB flash drive and other compat-ible devices. A Nissan first, the Off-road Monitor provides real-time information such as tire condi-tions - steer angle, slip, pressure - and compass, to ensure the driver is always in control.

The Nissan Intelligent Key® with a tap of a button allows un-locking the doors and trunk of the Nissan Patrol, while the keys stay inside a pocket or purse.

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.

With refreshed styling

enhancements of the

region’s iconic SUV,

the all-new

Nissan Patrol adds

more style to its

already impressive

‘go anywhere’

versatility, technology

and comfort

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

alizz bank celebrates Women's DayMUSCAT: alizz Islamic bank celebrated Omani Women’s Day, which falls on October 17 of each year, at its head office.

The celebration was attended by alizz staff in recognition of the role and effort of Oman’s women in shaping the success of the country, who are, as praised by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said as half of Oman’s potential.

A number of exciting activi-ties took place in the celebration including speeches by inspiring staff speakers to point out the con-tinuous participation of the Omani women in different fields. Token gifts of appreciation were also presented to the attendants, says a press release.

Maimuna Al Sulaimani, head of Legal Affairs at alizz Islamic bank gave an inspirational speech to the audience. Al Sulaimani shed light on the nature of work in the pri-vate sector and the improvements made to the employment regula-tions, particularly those related to Omanisation. She also highlighted the advantages of working in the private sector such as diversity and exposure to various cultures, and the challenges including the per-ception on the private sector. She concluded her speech with an aspi-ration for Omani women to be fur-ther trusted with a mandatory per-centage of representation in senior management and Board of Direc-tors of publicly listed companies.

In addition, Muna Al Khusaibi, Call Centre Supervisor talked about the pursuit of the objectives set to achieve the desired success. She emphasised the Omani wom-en's ability to overcome the chal-lenges and defeat the obstacles that may hold them back. Muna stressed that the challenges should not impede on women who are ca-pable to work and contribute.

On this occasion, Aisha Al Kharusi, assistant general manag-er of Marketing & Corporate Com-munications, said, “According to National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) Omani wom-en represent 49 per cent of the to-tal Omani population. alizz islamic bank believes our culture of diver-sity and inclusion makes us more effective in serving our custom-ers, developing our employees, and

strengthening our communities. We recognise the value that wom-en and men employees' individual differences and perspectives con-tribute to the success and growth of our organisation. Together we promote an environment that em-braces partnership, innovation and service for excellence.”

alizz Islamic bank is a young or-ganisation searching for new talent to join the ever growing dynamic team. With a strong commitment to customers and the commu-nity, the bank relies on competi-tive advantage embedded in the success of each of the employees. The bank employees come from diverse banking industries in and out of Oman and is highly valued for their contribution in setting up and building Oman's youngest full-fledged Islamic bank.

S P E C I A L O C C A S I O N

Indian Social Club to host fusion

music concert on October 24

MUSCAT: The Charity Wing of the Indian Social Club Muscat will be hosting a fusion night of Indian classical music and world music, says a press release.

The sparkling musical journey called 'Surawali' is presented by Minara, Khimji Ramdas and co-presented by Renaissance Ser-vices and will be held at the Oman Auditorium at Al Bustan, Ritz Carlton Hotel on Friday, October 24. Surawali brings together re-nowned artistes from India in a sparkling amalgamation of tradi-tional Indian classical music with contemporary world music.

The rich classical notes of the sitar, the tabla, the flute and the khanjeera punctuated with the pulsating energy of the gui-tar, bass, keyboard and drums will make the evening a one of a kind experience.

Purbayan Chatterjee is consid-ered one of the finest sitar players in Indian classical music. Sub-hankar Banerjee is one of India’s most remarkable tabla maestros. The Grammy nominee Shashank Subbu is the senior most flautist in South Indian classical music. Sankha Subhra Ghosh is a Bass guitarist and vocalist. Swamina-than Selvaganesh started learn-ing to play the khanjeera when he was just four years old and gave

his first performance in a concert at the young age of 12 accompany-ing his grandfather, the legendary Padmashri T. H. Vinayakram.

Gino Banks, the son of Louis Banks, India's legendary jazz pianist and composer, has played with Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia,

Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Shankar Ehsan Loy and many others.

Sanjoy Das, also known as Bapi, describes himself as a new age guitarist and has worked on over 50 recordings as a session’s artist. Indrajit Dey is a keyboardist and a music composer. His latest com-position is with Hariharan in an album called Ragamorphism.

The two graceful dancers who will bring alive the seamless fu-sion and add colour to the evening are Sheetal Kolwalkar, a Master’s in Kathak from Pune University and Kaveri Sageder, an Indian classical Kathak dancer, teacher and choreographer.

M U S I C A L N I G H T

Pizza Hut launches spiciest pizza ever MUSCAT: Pizza Hut, Oman’s fa-vourite pizza brand, has literally turned up the heat with its scorch-ing new Cheesy Jalapeño Stuffed Crust pizza, says a press release.

This is the spiciest pizza ever launched by Pizza Hut in Oman, and packs fiery jalapeño sliced peppers (green or red) inside a golden cheesy crust sprinkled with spicy nacho seasoning. The pizza centre has a chilli sauce base, with yummy toppings of the diner’s choice and more jalapeños sprin-kled on top. With this launch, Pizza Hut proves once again why it is the undisputed king of stuffed crust pizzas. Diners who can handle the heat may head to the nearest Pizza Hut outlet and enjoy the explosive burst of cheese and jalapeños

Over the years, Pizza Hut has wowed its customers and made family times more special by con-stantly innovating on its products. Today, the brand offers an incred-ible range of food options, from pizzas and pastas to starters, sal-ads, flatbreads, lasagne, mocktails, desserts and more. The menu has something for everyone. And when it comes to stuffed crust pizzas,

there is none to rival the sheer va-riety offered by Pizza Hut.

The Cheesy Jalapeño Stuffed Crust Pizza is available in large and medium sizes, and contains jalapeño peppers both inside its cheesy crust and as a topping. Din-ers can choose between red and green jalapeños.

Vivek Pande, CEO, Khimji Ram-das Lifestyle Group said, “Diners in this part of the world enjoy a dash of spice on their plates, and that was the reason behind the launch of the Cheesy Jalapeño Stuffed Crust pizza, our spiciest-ever pizza to date. It is a mouth-watering combination of three great things: jalapeños, cheese and the classic, wholesome goodness of Pizza Hut. I am sure people will find it truly irresistible.”

S T U F F E D C R U S T P I Z Z A

Toyota reveals C-HR concept at Paris Motor Show

PARIS: Toyota unveiled its C-HR Hybrid Compact Crossover con-cept car at the recent Paris Motor Show representing its vision of the future, a synthesis of 20 years of creativity.

Highlighting a new, dynamic design and an agile/engaging drive, the C-HR Hybrid Compact Crossover concept car is “Another tangible manifestation of Toyota’s new global vision thinking, first advocated by President Akio Toy-oda, says a press release.

It introduces a new version of the sophisticated full hybrid pow-ertrain technology that was first seen in the Prius and inspired by the Toyota 86, targets new levels of dynamism and agility, which stand out in a competitive market. The C-HR is all set to redefine the compact crossover segment and hints at a future design direction for Toyota vehicles,” feels Takay-uki Yoshitsugu, Chief Represent-ative, Middle East and North Af-rica Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation.

From a design perspective, the sculpted lower bodywork presents a precision-cut, faceted look, while the corners of the body shell have been cleanly shaved off, reducing overall mass and empha-

sizing the powerful flaring of the wheel arches. Viewed from every angle, the crossover concept has a broad, planted stance. The frontal styling displays a further devel-opment of Toyota’s current style language, but with new themes that hint at a future design direc-tion. The slim upper grille design has evolved in to a floating ‘wing’ graphic that flows seamlessly around the front corners of the vehicle to the apex of each wing. Within this wing shape, the head-lamps feature strong detailing, in-cluding a hi-tech, 3D treatment of the daytime running lights.

Adding emphasis to the corners of the vehicle further reinforces

the vehicle’s solid look. The large lower grille is flanked by strongly sculpted downward projections, underscored by a floating front spoiler. The faceted lower body, muscular wheel arches and an-gular rear shoulders are juxta-posed with a sleek cabin profile. The glasshouse is emphasised by a sweeping, uninterrupted exten-sion of the side glazing into the rear screen. This creates a slim, floating roofline, tipped with a spoiler. Its length is exaggerated by residual C-pillars which taper to needle points either side of the rear screen.

The floating roof has patterned openings that create a lively play

of light in the cabin. Seen from the rear, the sharply tapering glass-house emphasises the car’s broad, planted appearance. The rear end displays the same faceted treat-ment and corner detailing as the front of the vehicle, together with distinctive, aero-inspired floating light clusters. A dedicated wheel design reinforces the concept’s crossover credentials, with blade-style spokes.

The C-HR concept is built on a new platform and measures 4,350mm long, 1,850mm wide and 1,500mm high. A lower centre of gravity and greater structural rigidity will contribute to much improved driving dynamics.

A new, advanced full hybrid powertrain delivers an engaging driving experience that can deal with 21st century traffic condi-tions and delivers significantly improved fuel efficiency.

In Oman, Toyota is a household name...a part of people's lives.

On the one hand, Toyota of-fers enduring quality. On the other, nothing comes close to it in terms of value-retention. The unmatched, nationwide parts and service support of Saud Bahwan Group makes Toyota's pride of place a reality.

S O P H I S T I C A T I O N

B6 W E D N E S DAY, O CTO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 14

ROUND-UPBank Muscat widens reach to corporate banking customers

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flag-ship financial services provider in the Sultanate, hosted corporate customers in Dhofar and Batinah governorates as part of efforts aimed at proactively reaching out to customers’ requirements and expectations and charting the way forward for improvements in products, services and customer service. Two more focus group events are planned for the year catering to government and cor-porate customers in the capital

region, says a press release.The corporate banking ser-

vices recently received a major thrust aimed at further enhanc-ing convenience and adding value to services. Presently four exclu-sive corporate banking branches are operated by the bank across the Sultanate — CBD branch, Al Nahda Towers branch in Ghala, Al Tareef branch in Sohar and New Salalah branch.

As the leading bank in Oman, Bank Muscat caters to the needs of a wide range of corporate and government clients.

Aimed at accommodating the busy schedules of corporate and government customers and meet-ing their explicit needs, the exclu-sive branches serve the needs of

these vital segments.With the exclusive branches,

Bank Muscat has taken corpo-rate banking services to a new level in Oman. The facility re-flects the bank’s commitment to making banking convenient and customer-oriented. The branches reinforce the bank’s commit-ment to deliver superior financial services and enhance customer experience. Customer require-ments are constantly changing and Bank Muscat understands these needs and provides prompt and suitable solutions.

Over the past 32 years, Bank Muscat has achieved steady and significant growth to emerge as the leading financial institution in Oman. The bank has built strong

relationships with almost all the country’s corporate houses and government agencies, providing comprehensive and customised services. The bank has estab-lished an exclusive information facility (help desk) at the head of-fice to address the requirements of corporate and government cli-ents along with exclusive service desks in select branches.

High quality serviceAbdulnasir Al Raisi, AGM, Cor-porate Banking, said: “Bank Mus-cat is at the forefront of customer service excellence and strives to continually deliver high quality service. The bank deems service excellence, coupled with align-ing both product and service to

customer expectations, as a vi-tal means of achieving customer satisfaction and surpassing cus-tomer expectation. All Bank Mus-cat products and services have evolved over the years in line with specific customer require-ments, fulfilling their financial needs and aspirations.”

Bank Muscat has adopted a new line of customer care programme to ensure that the banking part-ner in Oman is always available to listen and more importantly respond to customer sugges-tions and needs in a more proac-tive way, rather than respond to service-related incidents. The bank recognises that the essence of customer service excellence is forming loyal relationships.

The corporate

banking services

recently received a

major thrust aimed

at further enhancing

convenience and

adding value to

services

RJ-Romain Jerome, Mistal to support ESOMUSCAT: In recognition of the importance of the Environment Society of Oman (ESO) mission, RJ-Romain Jerome, in partner-ship with Mistal, will donate $500 for every RJ watch sold, says a press release.

Hundred percent of the funds donated will be used to support the ESO work programme. To provide additional support to the ESO, RJ-Romain Jerome will donate a cus-tom made timepiece for the ESO’s annual fundraiser that will take place in spring 2015. RJ-Romain Jerome will dedicate a part of the profits from its sales to the ESO to ensure its future activities to continue its remarkable work in preserving the treasures of Oman.

The ESO mission is to educate and raise the awareness of envi-ronmental issues to the population of Oman. Its activities are targeted at the conservation of the environ-ment and to ensure that the natural heritage remains intact for future generations to enjoy. The organisa-tion actively promotes its mission through sponsored Omani educa-tional events, community outreach and scientific research to promote conservation, as well as interna-tional events, such as Earth Hour.

P A R T N E R S H I P

Bank Sohar conducts monthly draw in IbriIBRI: Emphasising that saving is rewarding with the Al Mumayaz Saving Scheme 2014, Bank Sohar recently conducted its monthly draw for the month of September at the Ibri Fort. The well attended event saw one lucky Bahla branch customer win OMR45,000 as well as five minors from various branches win OMR1,000 each as part of the dedicated children’s draw, says a press release.

The event was presided over by Sheikh Said bin Ali bin Hamed Al Naimi, deputy wali of Ibri who also conducted the draw to reveal the names of the OMR50,000 September month-ly draws, which saw the bank’s Bahla branch customer, Rashid Al Baimani win the monthly grand prize of OMR45,000; while five lucky minors; A. Al Majaly from Al Seeb branch, S. M. S. from Privilege Banking branch, Ayman Al Senaidi from Jaalan Bani Bu Ali branch, Noor Al Bal-ushi from Barka branch and Retaj Al Zaabi from Sohar branch won OMR1,000 each.

Representing the bank at the

event were R Narasimhan, DGM and head of Retail Banking, and Salim Khamis Al Maskari, Sen-ior AGM of Branches, together with other senior members of the bank and branch managers, who welcomed the chief guest and VIP customers.

Commenting on this occasion, Narasimhan said, “Customer sat-isfaction and instilling the habit of saving, as well as continuously rewarding those that do, has al-ways been the core objectives be-hind the development of the 2014 Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme. Through our hourly draws, week-ly, monthly and half yearly draws, we have seen an exceptionally large number of winners who have realised their dreams and aspirations. It has truly been an exciting year so far. Carrying this trend forward and with 285 lucky winners set to win in the fourth quarter of this year’s savings scheme as well as over half a mil-lion rials to be given away in just the year-end draws alone, we are confident the excitement levels will only rise further.”

L U C K Y W I N N E R

OAB sponsors HR conference MUSCAT: Oman Arab Bank (OAB) sponsored the human resources conference and the foundation for the future titled ‘Empowering Human Resourc-es’, which was held recently at Crowne Plaza Hotel Muscat and organised by Oman Establish-ment for Press, Publication and Advertising.

The opening ceremony was under the auspices of Sultan bin Salim bin Said Al Habsi, Sec-retary General of the Supreme Council for Planning and attend-

ed by a number of dignitaries and bank officials, says a press release.

Participation of Oman Arab Bank in this conference was through a number of staff from the human resources department and other departments at the bank. It is worth mentioning that the bank’s management focuses on and supports the development of human resources.

Ali Moosa, head of human re-sources at the bank commented, “Participation in this conference is an opportunity for many com-

panies to share their experiences. The conference is also an oppor-tunity to shed light on human resources and training which contribute to the progress and success of any organisation.

“On this basis, the bank’s man-agement gives utmost impor-tance to the training of cadres working in the bank in order to keep up with best practices and to live up to international stand-ards when it comes to quality of our services that we provide to our customers.”

E M P O W E R I N G H U M A N R E S O U R C E S

RECRUIT

A’Saffa launches Khayrat Chapli Beef Kebabs

MUSCAT: A’Saffa Foods — the Sultanate’s leading producers of poultry products has introduced a new line of food product to their Khayrat brand — Chapli Beef Ke-babs which comes in appetising and rich Pakistani flavours.

The launch of the new product is a step forward for the Khayrat brand to become one of the lead-ing brands in Oman and across the region — as it diversifies into new areas — building on the suc-cess of its already existing prod-ucts that use the best quality in-gredients that are healthy, tasty and 100 per cent pure and halal, says a press release.

Chapli kebabs are a traditional dish from the Pakistani cuisine and are a spicy recipe. It is one of the most popular street food snack or appetiser. The juicy combi-nations of the Chapli kebab are tempting and mouthwatering.

Sidhartha Lenka, head, Market-ing and Sales of A’Saffa Foods said, “We are proud to announce the launch of this new product from Khayrat. The Chapli kebabs have been produced using only the best quality ingredients and spices.”

P A K I S T A N I F L A V O U R

Top industry leaders support Oman Forum

MUSCAT: The upcoming Oman Forum 2014 will be held in asso-ciation with the Ministry of Man-power. The leading companies in Oman have partnered with Oman Forum 2014, the annual Arabic debate organised by leading Ara-bic business magazine Alam al-Iktisaad Wal A’mal (AIWA).

To be held on November 10, the forum is being organised in part-nership with Galfar Engineering & Contracting, Bank Muscat, Om-antel and MHD Group as strategic partners; Takaful Oman as Islam-ic Insurance Partner; Duqm Spe-cial Economic Zone Authority as associate partner; and Petroleum Development Oman, Jazeera Steel and Jindal Shadeed Iron & Steel as support partners, says a press release.

To be held at Grand Hyatt, the debate will involve the relevant

stakeholders of the economy and society, and aims at contributing to the decision making on criti-cal management and policy is-sues. Noted TV journalist Yusuf Al Hooti will moderate the panel discussions. Oman Forum would comprise two panels discussions. The first panel discussion would focus on the subject – ‘Job Crea-tion: The National Agenda’. The second panel discussion would de-bate on ‘Oman’s March on Islamic Banking, Finance & Insurance’.

Apart from the Ministry of Manpower, the forum is sup-ported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry, The Re-search Council and Sultan Qa-boos University. Apart from sen-ior bureaucrats from the relevant ministries, over 300 strong au-dience representing the senior-

and-middle level leadership of private sector companies with a combined market capital of over $28 billion are going to attend it.

“The primary objective behind Oman Forum has been to promote thought leadership and facilitate a live public discussion in Arabic on the challenges and opportuni-ties from the social and economic perspectives. In order to strength-en the collaboration between the relevant stakeholders i.e. govern-ment, Majlis Al Shura, civil socie-ty, business community, industry captains, educationists, workers, youth and society-at-large, Oman Forum brings their key repre-sentatives face-to-face to share their viewpoints to arrive at con-structive solutions towards build-ing a stronger nation and vibrant society,” said Khalfan Al Rahbi, Editor-in-Chief AIWA.

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The rewards of the journey far outweigh the risk of leaving the harbour. — Unknown

QUOTES

A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. — Theodore Roosevelt

If you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counsellor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius.— Jospeph Addison

Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us.— Dr. Dale Turner

Each of us has a fire in the heart for something. It’s our goal in life to find it and keep it.— Mary Lou Retton

How to finance your career reinvention!YOU want to reinvent, and emo-tionally you are ready to do so, but you just don’t know if you can af-ford to go ahead and do it.

To succeed at a career reinven-tion, you will need to consider the costs of preparing for a reinven-tion, the possible hidden costs of this reinvention, and how to work with the possibility of a reduced

salary in your new field.The most important factor in a

career reinvention is to realistical-ly prepare your financial outlook. Start by determining how much you could potentially earn in the first few years of your transition.

Don’t forget, salary isn’t the only factor that can affect your overall financial picture. Benefits such as

employer-paid life and disability insurance, flexible-spending ac-counts and employee stock-pur-chase plans can make a big differ-ence in your total compensation.

Next, look at the costs of work-ing with a career coach, and add those costs to those you will need to spend for training and profes-sional development.

Another hidden cost can be the expense of adding technology to make your transition. Determine what your needs will be, and re-member, if you are starting a busi-ness, you can reduce the impact of your purchases if they qualify as business expenses.

Medical insurance also is a very important factor. If you think

your coverage might be less in the new field, also consider moving up some of your elective visits and procedures while you are still employed.

Once you have reviewed the cost of making this transition, work on a backup plan. Collabo-rate with your career coach and/or your mentors to come up with

a backup plan you can execute in the event that your transition will take longer than expected.

One of the factors that greatly reduces tension for career chang-ers is building an emergency fund that is greater than the normally suggested three to six months of living expenses. – Randi S. Bussin/www.

quintcareers.com

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Audi R8 advanced driving experience used to reinforce focus on road safety

MUSCAT: As government entities ramp up road safety campaigns, Audi Oman joins the battle against traffic-related accidents. An Audi Advanced R8 driving experience training was recently offered to their staff, for which they were

specially flown in to the Dubai Au-todrome, says a press release.

“Following feedback from our staff we have decided to include an Audi Advanced driving experience training for them at periodic inter-vals. The course helps them fur-

ther familiarise themselves with our vehicles and become better, safer drivers. It is an exciting way to raise awareness for road safety, as well as keep our customers and

staff informed about the Audi driv-ing experience, so that they can in turn better educate our custom-ers,” said Ahmed Shariefi, general manager, Audi Oman.

Based at the Dubai Autodrome, the Audi driving experience focus-es on building solid fundamentals of driving from seating position to braking technique. Drivers are able to perform a variety of exer-cises, such as emergency braking and collision avoidance in safety, in order to improve their skills and reactions in emergency situa-tions. By practicing their skills in a controlled environment, drivers are better prepared to face the un-certainties of public roads.

Speaking on behalf of the team

that attended the training recently, Mohammed Awadh Al Mandhari, Sales Executive, Audi Oman said: “We were able to test the R8 to its limit at the training. It was a fas-cinating experience, as it helped us understand the Audi brand’s quattro stance.

“We look forward to attending more training courses of this na-ture in the future, as the experi-ence not only served as a refresh-er safe driving course, but also helped us connect with the brand we market.”

Audi has more than 25 years of experience in providing driver training. Aside from training cen-tres Germany, Finland, Sweden and Austria, the Audi driving expe-rience also has a permanent base at the Dubai Autodrome, UAE.

Audi has more than 25 years of experience in

providing driver training. Aside from training

centres Germany, Finland, Sweden and

Austria, the Audi driving experience also has

a permanent base at the Dubai Autodrome

Bank Muscat remains committed to women empowerment MUSCAT: Bank Muscat celebrat-ed the Omani Women’s Day with gusto in appreciation of women employees for their valuable con-tributions to the bank. A festive atmosphere prevailed at the head office and branches where women employees extended the hand of friendship and traditional Omani hospitality to colleagues and women customers, says a press release.

The celebrations attended by members of the Management team and senior bank officials ech-oed praise and appreciation to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for support to Omani women in all spheres, especially designating a day in honour of Omani woman and the excellent position they enjoy in society.

“As the nation’s leading bank, Bank Muscat is committed to sup-porting Omani women in devel-oping their skills and creating a sustainable future for the country. The bank’s support to women em-powerment, both internally and externally, go hand-in-hand with the progressive policies pursued on the directive of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. The bank firmly believes that the develop-ment of Oman significantly hing-es on the role played by women, alongside male counterparts, and that all required support must be extended to help them realise their full potential,” said AbdulRazak Ali Issa, chief executive.

“Bank Muscat is focused on of-fering women employees educa-tional, training and career growth opportunities. The bank acknowl-edges that education and training play a key role in women empow-erment. Besides offering excellent job opportunities for qualified women, the bank supports all ma-jor development programmes tar-geted at women.

“Women are assuming more responsibilities and senior posi-tions within the bank and their

contributions are significant to the bank’s success. The success stories of women employees prove that the bank will be embarking on a promising future and sustaining superior achievement throughout the coming years,” he added.

Bank Muscat enjoys the distinc-tion of being the best place to work and a great deal of this achieve-ment is owing to the healthy work-life balance maintained by employees, especially women em-ployees. The bank is committed to promoting the cherished Omani family values integral to the social development in Oman.

A cross-section of women em-ployees echoed appreciation to His Majesty for support to Omani women in all spheres. Radhiya Al Lawatiya, who has been working in Bank Muscat since 1994 and is currently holding the position of Regional Manager - Central Muscat branches, said that words were insufficient to express how proud she felt of the steps and initiatives undertaken by the wise leadership of His Majesty to sup-port Omani women.

“The Royal directive by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to desig-nate a day in appreciation of Om-ani woman is a clear evidence of His Majesty’s attention to Omani

women and the excellent position they enjoy in society,” she said.

Leadership roleRadhiya has been with Bank Mus-cat for the past 20 years and feels the bank has helped her to greatly improve her managerial and lead-ership skills by enrolling her in various training programmes. “The leadership role in Bank Mus-cat is very challenging, but the professional and friendly envi-ronment has helped me to tackle the challenges. My priority is to offer superior services to valued customers and enable the bank to sustain the growth momentum,” she added.

Sharifa Al Riyami, Buraimi Branch Manager, joined the bank in 2001. She is interested in work-ing in areas which need personal development to advance knowl-edge and skills in order to keep pace with new technologies and developments.

“The bank offers a healthy envi-ronment and all required support to achieve one’s career ambitions. The bank has helped me to ac-quire leadership skills and I hope to further develop these skills to make valuable contributions to the bank’s success and the country’s progress,” Sharifa said.

With women comprising a ma-jor customer segment, Bank Mus-cat offers unique products and services targeted at them. Offering banking excellence, Bank Muscat enriches women’s life at different levels. The Zeinah suite of prod-ucts and services is based on the premise that women prefer to use special banking services that pre-serve their privacy. Catering to the unique needs, Zeinah offers pri-vacy and a relaxed atmosphere for women at Bank Muscat branches.

In step with smarter strate-gies aimed at providing a distinct banking experience, Bank Muscat offers exclusive rewards and prize money for women in Al Mazyona Savings Scheme.

Al Wathbah, the bank’s SME department, has also launched various programmes aimed at skill development of women, especially women entrepreneurs.

The bank’s women empower-ment strategy is notable as 46 per cent of employees comprise women holding various positions, including senior management po-sitions. Bank Muscat is keen to develop its leadership pool from among young Omanis, thereby contributing to Oman’s future by investing in talent which is the real wealth of the nation.

O M A N I W O M E N ’ S D A Y

BankDhofar conducts

programme for branch

managers’ development

MUSCAT: A branch manager plays the role of an ambassa-dor for the bank, to customers and clients alike and in light of this, BankDhofar organised an assessment and development programme to focus on branch managers and regional managers, further highlighting their signifi-cant impact, says a press release.

“From an organisational per-spective, the branch manager plays a crucial role in managing front line staff which is directly reflected on customer service. It is therefore of strategic im-portance they continue in their roles as executors of the stra-tegic intent of BankDhofar through exemplary leadership skills towards their colleagues,” commented Nasser Al Bahan-tah, deputy general manager of Human Resources.

The bank takes keen interest in training these ambassadors, and over the past few years they have been extremely successful in their endeavours.

“We recognise that market dy-namics are continuously chang-ing and the ever-evolving trends call for continued focus on vari-ous areas including customer experience, people management, planning, business objectives and strategic thinking. Developing and empowering these branch managers is a top priority for us as they have heavily invested in BankDhofar’s growth and pro-

gress,” added Nasser. Initiatives like these have con-

tributed to the bank’s journey to becoming one of the best banks in the Gulf.

“We believe it’s extremely im-portant to invest in the develop-ment of our branch and regional managers. Our plan has been cre-ated based on precise assessment and execution to clearly identify the changing working environ-ment. These programmes help in training our team to work suc-cessfully and face the challenges posed by the industry and the market,” commented Moham-med Ahmed Al Mashani, Acting Head – Branch’s Network.

The bank conducted a worthy two-day Assessment Develop-ment Programme covering all branch managers and regional managers in four groups across Muscat, Sohar, Nizwa and Sala-lah, with each group made of 23-24 participants.

“As a branch manager we face many clients on a day-to-day ba-sis; programmes like these imbue us with the skills to perform bet-ter and face challenges with ease,” said Jokha Nasser Al Mugheiry, MBD’s Branch Manager.

The two-day programme in-cluded many activities and work-shops including group exercises and peer to peer evaluations, that aimed to understand, train and further develop the skills of their existing team.

I M P A R T I N G S K I L L S

MDT Watches, Mistal join hands to

showcase top timepieces in Oman

MUSCAT: Founded by Steven Holtzman, Maîtres du Temps, based on an entirely new horologi-cal concept, brings together teams of the world’s most talented master watchmakers and together with Mistal Boutique they would be showcasing exclusive and techni-cally exciting timepieces in Oman.

Steven Holtzman, Founder of MDT Watches and Walter Rigaba, Director and COO, met with the Oman media contingent to pro-mote the brand and share the fu-ture growth plans. Dharmesh A. Khimji, the managing director of Mistal Boutique was also present to meet and greet the media con-tingent, says a press release.

Maîtres du Temps is a pantheon in which today’s greatest master watchmakers collaborate on the most innovative horological pro-jects imaginable. MDT promotes, brings to the fore, and celebrates the watchmakers at the very pin-nacle of haute horlogerie, those who develop and craft the time-

pieces, those who influence and shape the watchmaking of today and tomorrow.

“We are both happy and proud to be associated with Mistal Bou-tique and we intend to take our re-lationship forward. We have now extending our presence in the Sul-tanate with our association with Mistal,” said Holtzman.

“At MDT we have been follow-ing a philosophy deeply rooted in tradition, heritage, innovation and the quest for unrivalled excellence in watchmaking. We continue our legacy with intricate movements,

the highest calibre of aesthet-ics, precision and craftsmanship. Owning a MDT timepiece is about sharing the passion and dedica-tion of some of the most celebrated independent watchmakers of our time,” he added.

Maîtres du Temps launched in 2008 with Chapter One by Chris-tophe Claret and Peter Speake-Marin, which features a world-first combination of tourbillon, mono-pusher column wheel chronograph, retrograde date, and retrograde GMT, as well as moon phase and day of the week on rollers.

A S S O C I A T I O N

GAC celebrates Women’s Day in style

MUSCAT: General Automotive Company (GAC), the official dis-tributors of Mitsubishi Vehicles in Oman, on the occasion of the Omani Women’s Day organised a special celebration for its female staff at the Mitsubishi Showroom in Azaiba, says a press release.

In accordance with the Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the 17th of Oc-tober has been set aside every year to recognise and honour the valuable contributions made by all women in Oman towards the social and economic development of the country. In commemora-tion of this day the management of GAC organised a special fun-filled program for its female staff members on Sunday, October 19.

Commenting on the day’s cel-ebrations, Mark Tomlinson, the Group General Manager of Zubair Automotive Group said, “The im-portance of this day directly re-flects His Majesty’s and our own beliefs, of the critical role Omani women play in today’s landscape and the valuable contribution made to the country’s future pro-

gress, both in business and in so-ciety as a whole. Omani Women’s Day is therefore a time to honour all women in the Sultanate.”

At GAC, a large number of very significant roles are held by wom-en, each of them helping the com-pany and the Mitsubishi brand reach ever higher rungs of success year on year. Furthermore, in line with the group’s values, GAC en-deavours to ensure that both men and women are equally recog-nised, and that both genders enjoy the same opportunity to progress to fulfil their own aspirations. In fact, only recently, GAC appointed its first ever female branch manag-er. Backed by her phenomenal re-

sults and the success of her team, the management hopes to see even more women in higher positions in the company’s future.

“Whilst members of our fe-male staff work in different sec-tions of our business, in various locations across the country, it is clear to see that the women in our company are definitely skilled, empowered and confident, and it personally gives me great pride to be associated with such a tal-ented and well informed group,” added Mark.

The fun-filled day included var-ious activities including quizzes and games with instant prizes as well as a raffle draw.

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WATSON SAYS BEST YEARS AHEAD OF HIMNeverending injury concerns and a string of promising all-rounders in the wings have not dulled Shane Watson’s optimism of playing a leading role for Australia across all formats of cricket. >C3

De Villiers’s knock spurs South Africa

WELLINGTON: South Africa cruised to a six-wicket win over New Zealand in the first One-day International at Mount Maun-ganui yesterday, guided home by a captain’s knock from AB de Vil-liers. The Proteas ended their run chase at 236-4 in 48.1 overs, eas-ily overhauling the 231 target New Zealand set after losing the toss and being sent in to bat.

De Villiers top-scored for South Africa with 89, ably supported by JP Duminy (58), who combined with his skipper for a 139-run partnership when the Proteas were looking wobbly at 97-4.

Wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi’s gritty 99 was the standout perfor-mance for the Black Caps but he had little support apart from un-likely strike partner Trent Boult, with whom he set a New Zealand record 10th-wicket stand of 74.

The three-match series is es-sentially a World Cup warm-up for both sides as New Zealand pre-pares to co-host the tournament next year. However, South Africa could also overtake Australia as the world’s top ranked ODI team if they complete a 3-0 whitewash over the Black Caps, who are ranked seventh.

De Villiers said he was pleased with the side’s performance, aside from his bowlers’ failure to snuff out the dogged resistance of Ron-chi and Boult.

“We’ve got to finish big games of cricket, especially big games of cricket coming up, I’m thinking of World Cups and must wins,” he said. “In the World Cup, if you get teams to nine down you have to finish them off.”

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said he was pleased at his side’s fightback after losing early wickets and the return of vet-eran all rounder Dan Vettori after 15 months on the sidelines.

“There were some fighting qual-ities there but unfortunately the class of AB and JP towards the end meant we couldn’t win,” he said.

New Zealand, in their first ODI since January, looked rusty at the crease. They opened cautiously af-

ter losing the toss and being sent in to bat, with Jimmy Neesham wait-ing until the third over to score the first boundary.

The hosts slumped to 68-5 be-fore Ronchi and Tom Latham (29) set about rebuilding the innings, only for their 67-run partnership to end when wicketkeeper Quin-ton de Kock stumped Latham after he strayed from his crease pursu-ing a shot.

Ronchi continued to run out

of partners and New Zealand slumped to 156-9, with not much expected when Boult arrived at the crease boasting a previous ODI high score of five.

The paceman dug in, even managing a six off Morne Mor-kel, before the innings ended with South African bowlers Vernon Philander, Morkel, Imran Tahir and Ryan McLaren all taking two wickets apiece.

South Africa received a minor scare when Boult dismissed de Kock and Faf du Plessis cheaply but the rest of the attack struggled for wickets as New Zealand at-tempted to defend a modest total.

Renee Roussouw (26) and Hashim Amla (38) kept the runs ticking over but failed to capitalise after making good starts.

De Villiers then lived up to his ranking as the number one ODI batsman in the world, combining with Duminy to comfortably seal the victory.

The next match on Friday is also in Mount Maunganui, with the se-ries wrapping up in Hamilton Oc-tober 27. — Reuters

The Proteas ended

their run chase at

236-4 in 48.1 overs,

easily overhauling

the 231 target New

Zealand set after

losing the toss and

being sent in to bat

MATCH-WINNER: South Africa’s captain AB de Villiers bats his team to victory in the first One-day

International against New Zealand at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. – AFP

NEW ZEALANDM. Guptill c de Kock b Philander 5 Jimmy Neesham c de Kock b Philander 16 Dean Brownlie c de Kock b Tahir 24 Brendon McCullum c Tahir b Morkel 16 Tom Latham st de Kock b Duminy 29 Corey Anderson b Morkel 0 Luke Ronchi c de Kock b Steyn 99 Dan Vettori lbw Tahir 0 Nathan McCullum c de Kock b McLaren 6 Kyle Mills c Philander b McLaren 1 Trent Boult not out 21 Extras (lb-7, w-5, nb-1) 13 Total (all out, 45.1 overs) 230 Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Neesham), 2-35 (Gup-till), 3-68 (Brownlie), 4-68 (B.McCullum), 5-68 (Anderson), 6-133 (Latham), 7-134 (Vettori), 8-145 (N.McCullum), 9-156 (Mills), 10-230 (Ronchi) Bowling: Steyn 7.1-1-28-1, Philander

7-1-38-2, Morkel 8-1-39-2, Tahir 10-1-37-2, McLaren 8-0-59-2, Duminy 5-0-22-1 SOUTH AFRICA Quinton de Kock c Latham b Boult 9 Hashim Amla b Mills 38 Faf du Plessis c Ronchi b Boult 8 Rilee Rossouw c Brownlie b Anderson 26 AB de Villiers not out 89 JP Duminy not out 58 Extras (lb-3, w-4, nb-1) 8 Total (4 wickets; 48.1 overs) 236 Fall of wickets: 1-11 (de Kock), 2-30 (du Plessis), 3-73 (Roussouw), 4-97 (Amla) Bowling: Mills 8.1-0-47-1, Boult 10-2-40-2, Vettori 10-0-43-0, N.McCullum 10-0-45-0, Anderson 6-0-31-1, Neesham 4-0-27-0 Toss: South Africa Umpires: Chris Gaffaney and Rod Tucker TV umpire: Steve Davis (AUS) Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (SRI)

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Scotland surges into title contention at Ghala Valley OpenMUSCAT: Zane Scotland re-turned to familiar territory on the Mena Golf Tour, surging into title contention with a sizzling birdie burst on the back nine in the Ghala Valley Open yesterday.

A six-time winner on the tour, the 32-year-old Englishman, who opened with a 68, returned a solid 69 to move to seven-under, a good four shots ahead of a six-man group which included overnight leader Antonio Arjona Bueno of Spain, Shafiq Masih of Pakistan, James Yeoman of England, Fay-cal Serghni of Morocco, Juan Salcedo of Mexico and Carlos Balmaseda of Spain.

The English duo of Christo-pher Cannon and Jake Shepherd and Scotland’s Daniel Kay shared the eighth place a further shot adrift on two-under as six strokes separate the top 13 going into the final round.

Meanwhile, local amateur golf-er Ali Hameed Al Saleh came up with improved performance than the inaugural day. The Sultanate’s lone entrant, Ali, who shot a 12 over 84 on Wednesday, carded a second round 81 for a total of 165 to move from 80th place to 79th.

Starting the day one shot off the pace, Scotland made the turn at one-over, but found a great rhythm coming home with four birdies in his last holes highlight-ing his efforts. “I think I am fine with my driver. If I continue to play the way I am playing, I think I stand a good chance,” added Scotland, who is currently placed 11th on the Order of Merit.

It was the young English ama-

teur James Yeomans, who turned in the most impressive perfor-mance of the day, shooting his ca-reer best score, a 67, to move atop in his division on three-under, one ahead of Scotland’s Daniel Kay. If Yeomans produced the best score of the day, Kay took the honour of smashing the best shot of the day when he holed the 146-yard, par-3 second with a nine iron for the only ace of his career.

Morocco’s Faycal Serghini followed his first round 70 with a 71 to consolidate his position in the Mena Division for the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Founda-tion Award with his countryman Ahmed Marjane sitting alone in second at one over, five shots ahead of Younes El Hassani.

The cut was made at seven-over 151 with 49 professionals and 10 amateurs making it to the final round.

Leading scores after 2nd round (par 72): 137 – Zane Scotland (England) 68 69; 141 – Shafiq Masih (Pakistan) 69 72, James Yeomans (amateur-England) 74 67, Faycal Serghni (Morocco) 70 71, Antonio Arjona Bueno (Spain) 67 74, Juan Salcedo (Mexico) 72 69, Carlos Balmaseda (Spain) 71 70; 142 - Christopher Cannon (England) 72 70, Daniel Kay (Scotland) 72 70, Jake Shepherd (England) 73 69; 143 – Matthew Swales (England) 72 71, Sam Kiloh (Scot-land) 71 72, Chris Lloyd (England) 69 74; 144 – HP Bacher (Austria) 74 70; 145 – Ya-sin Ali (England) 73 72, Ahmed Marjane (Morocco) 73 72, Tylor Hogarty (South Africa) 76 69, Paul Doherty (Scotland) 73 72, Tony Ferrer (Spain) 74 71, Joe Heraty (England) 74 71, Sshley Rees (England) 74 71, Luke Joy (England) 75 70; Xavier Puig (Spain) 75 70.

M E N A T O U R G O L F

IN FAMILIAR TERRITORY: Zane Scotland played well to take the

lead at the Ghala Valley Open, which concludes today. – Supplied photo

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Aussies fret over selectionsDUBAI: Australia are fretting over the composition of their final XI as Michael Clarke and his men embark on their journey to re-claim the world number one rank-ing in the two-Test series against Pakistan starting today.

Australia will have to win both Tests in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to go one point clear of South Africa, who displaced them at the top in July, but there is still little clarity about the side who would walk out for the first match at the Dubai In-ternational Cricket Stadium.

There is some uncertainty about the opening partner-ship, with David Warner recov-ering from a groin injury and Chris Rogers failing twice in the tour match.

Team management, wary of the pitch, is also undecided over the make-up of the bowling attack.

Adding to woes, captain Clarke is low on match practice as he returns from a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the one day internationals in the leadup.

“Anything is possible, it re-ally is,” national selection panel

chairman Rod Marsh said on Cricket Australia’s website (www. cricket.com.au).

“There’s more than one spot to discuss I can promise you that, for a variety of reasons,” Marsh said.

“We haven’t even come close to saying this is what the XI will be.”

Alex Doolan’s century in the practice match against Pakistan A at Sharjah should secure his num-ber three position but Rogers’ scores of zero and three has the 37-year-old left-hander’s place under scrutiny.

Phillip Hughes could be the beneficiary, having cracked a sec-ond-innings half-century against the spinning and reversing ball in the match Pakistan A won by 153 runs.

Beset with problems of their own, the biggest being the ban on leading spinner Saeed Ajmal for bowling with an illegal action, Pakistan coach Waqar Younis be-lieves the tour match has exposed Australia’s fragility.

“It definitely has given us an edge or a boost,” the former fast bowler told reporters.

“They are a fine team, very pro-fessional side and do their things well but we have definitely seen some weaknesses and we are working on it and hopefully we will deliver the goods.”

On the positive side for Aus-tralia, paceman Peter Siddle has added muscle as well as pace to return stronger after being dropped in South Africa earlier this year.

With Ryan Harris still recov-ering from knee surgery, Siddle is set to join England tormentor Mitchell Johnson at the front line of the pace attack.

More intriguing is the possi-bility that selectors might opt for two specialist spinners — a rarity for Australia — which would hand left-armer Steven O’Keefe a long-awaited test debut alongside Na-than Lyon.

In Shane Watson’s absence, Australia are likely to blood the highly-fancied Mitchell Marsh, with coach Darren Lehmann de-termined to have an all-rounder to provide support for the bowlers in the heat of Dubai. — Reuters

W I T H E Y E O N T O P S P O T

Van Gaal believes United can win title

LONDON: Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal insists they can still overhaul Premier League leaders Chelsea despite there being a 10-point gap between the two sides.

Van Gaal’s team’s 2-2 draw at West Brom on Monday has left them further in need of a positive result against Jose Mourinho’s side on Sunday.

It promises to be the biggest test of the Dutchman’s Old Trafford reign yet with United still to have faced any of last season’s top four.

But the former Netherlands and Barcelona coach remains relaxed and claimed his team’s title hopes are not over just yet. “That’s possi-ble but difficult to say because then I am arrogant,” he said. “But I have done it a lot of times.”

Van Gaal insisted his team’s failure to defeat West Brom did not mean their prospects against the unbeaten leaders should be dismissed. “Now we have to play

Chelsea, but you cannot compare West Bromwich Albion with great respect,” he said.

“I think Chelsea and (second placed) Man City are another level. We have to see if we can beat them.

“I am already thinking it starts with the offensive and also how the attackers are defending. You could see that in their (West Brom) first goal.” United were forced to rely on Daley Blind’s 87th-minute equaliser to get a point in what was another reminder to van Gaal that his team remains very much a work in progress

West Brom had twice led through Stephane Sessegnon and Saido Berahino.

However, on each occasion they were pegged back with substitute Marouane Fellaini netting his first goal for the ‘Red Devils’ and Blind ensuring they at least stretched their unbeaten run to three match-es. Van Gaal rejected sugges-tions United should sacrifice flair for solidity.

“I don’t think that is the solu-tion,” said the 63-year-old.

“I get asked this question a lot. You are right, today two errors,

also in the past because I think we could have 8 points more.

“Then we are up there. But it is only a matter of time (until we get where we want to be). I believe in it. I think also football is made to be attractive for the fans and I think all of them enjoyed this as it was a great game.

“But it is two points lost. I think we were the better team and I am very disappointed by the result.

“We were two times behind but I don’t think West Bromwich Albion created too many chances.

“I have said to my players I can-not be happy. I am happy about our play style but not the result.”

As for Fellaini’s contribution, he added: “He was a very good sub-stitute I think, but until now he is always injured and we have to build him up.”

West Brom were excellent value for their point following a display which provided further evidence they are progressing under head coach Alan Irvine.

“The players are massively dis-appointed having put in such a performance and coming so close,” said Irvine, who took over the job in the close season.

Leading scorer Berahino made it seven for the campaign as he gave England manager Roy Hodgson another reminder of his talents.

“Saido is in great form. He de-serves what he is getting, his ap-plication has been really top class,” said Irvine.

“If he scores goals every week then he has a great chance (of a senior call) but Roy will decide when is the right time for him,” added the 56-year-old Scot. — AFP

It promises to be

the biggest test of

the Dutchman’s Old

Trafford reign yet

with United still to

have faced any of last

season’s top four

CONFIDENT: Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, right, and

assistant Ryan Giggs chat during a training session. – Reuters

Walsh quits as Indian hockey chief coachNEW DELHI: Terry Walsh, who guided the Indian men’s hockey team to the Asian Games gold after 16 years, yesterday resigned as the chief coach citing “diffi-culty in adjusting to the function-ing of the country’s bureaucratic system” but the Sports Authority of India (SAI) contended that the Australian was unhappy with the functioning of Hockey India (HI) rather than the nodal agency.

“I hereby tender my resigna-tion as the chief coach of the In-dian men’s hockey team as I am finding considerable difficulty adjusting to the decision-making style of the sporting bureaucracy in India which I believe, in the long term, is not in the best inter-ests of Indian hockey or its play-ers,” Walsh wrote in a letter to SAI director general Jiji Thomson.

However, Thomson was of the view that Walsh was anguished with the functioning of HI and not SAI. “Today, he (Walsh) made a visit to our office and met Su-dhir Setia, executive director (Teams) wherein he expressed his anguish regarding working in a suffocating atmosphere in the federation. We are totally una-ware of what happened in HI,” Thomson said in a statement.

The SAI director general also said that the Australian could have discussed with him the is-sues of concern before taking the decision. “If Walsh had any com-plaint about the functioning of SAI, he could have very well come and discussed it with us.”

Walsh, whose contract was till

the 2016 Rio Olympics, also cited personal reasons as one of the causes for quitting the post.

“I am not willing to continue with the constant time away from my family in Australia. My current commitment places too much stress on my personal life,” the 60-year-old said.

However, Walsh, who was contracted from October 2013, wished to be involved with In-dian hockey in the future.

“Over the recent 12-month pe-riod I have become particularly attached to the playing group. In future years I would enjoy the prospect of retaining some in-volvement with the team and In-dian hockey,” Walsh added.

Walsh’s resignation comes ahead of the prestigious eight-nation Champions Trophy, to be held December 6-14 at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Walsh becomes the third for-eign Indian hockey coach after Spaniard Jose Brasa and Mi-chael Nobbs to part ways with the team. — IANS

S U R P R I S E D E C I S I O N

UNHAPPY: Terry Walsh

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Trouble looms for Windies cricket

NEW DELHI: West Indies crick-et faces a potentially crippling fi-nancial crisis after a peeved India yesterday suspended future visits to the Caribbean following the abandonment last week of the tour to India.

The West Indies cut short their tour last on Friday because of an internal pay dispute, even though the fifth one-day international, a Twenty20 match and three Tests still remained to be played.

India retaliated by cancelling a tour scheduled for February and March 2016 to play three Tests,

five one-dayers and a Twenty20 international.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), one of the richest bodies in world cricket, also said it would “initiate legal proceedings” against the West Indies but gave no details.

“All bilateral tours between BCCI and the WICB (West Indies Cricket Board) stand suspended,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement on Tuesday.

India’s away tours usually gen-erate huge sponsorship money for the host nation due to the country’s

large cricket-viewing population. “The WICB is caught between the devil and the deep sea,” popular TV commentator Harsha Bhogle said. “If India don’t tour, they (WICB) won’t get the revenue needed to implement the agreement over which they had the dispute.”

Veteran Caribbean cricket jour-nalist Tony Cozier, writing on the Cricinfo website last week, warned that it would be disastrous for the Islands if India cancelled future tours.

“With its purchase of broadcast rights, ground perimeter adver-tising and sponsorship by its big corporations, India in the Carib-bean brings more revenue to the WICB than any other tour,” Coz-ier wrote.

India’s cricket chiefs had warned of “serious action” against the West Indies for abandoning their tour. Yesterday’s statement comes after the BCCI’s working committee held an emergency meeting in Hyderabad.

West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo had said before the start of the tour on October 8 that the

players had not accepted the pay-ment agreement signed on their behalf by the West Indies Players Association.

But the tourists took to the field for three one-dayers in Kochi, New Delhi and Dharamsala, while one match in Visakhapatnam was can-celled due to a severe storm on In-dia’s east coast.

The West Indies board blamed the players, saying it had warned the BCCI the tour was “under a cloud of uncertainty from the in-ception” as a result of “postula-tions” by the players.

The BCCI has already finalised a five-match One-day series against Sri Lanka to take place in India between November 1 and 15 to replace the cancelled West Indian tour. Cuttack, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad, which were orig-

inally due to host matches against the West Indies, will organise the Sri Lanka games, with Ranchi named as the fifth venue.

Patel said the BCCI “appreciat-ed the gesture” of their neighbour to agree to a hastily-arranged se-ries, which was reciprocated yes-terday by India who announced a tour of Sri Lanka in July-August next year. The BCCI statement did not mention the status of the West Indies players signed up for the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

But it was learnt later that the players will be allowed to play in the glamour event.

“There will be no sanction against the West Indies players and they will be allowed to play in the IPL,” Biswal told reporters af-ter a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) working commit-tee meeting here.

Bravo, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pol-lard and Sunil Narine are among the top West Indies cricketers who play in the glitzy T20 tournament.

But Patel had been quoted last week as saying “our problem is with the West Indies Cricket

Board and not their players”. Meanwhile, the BCCI will write

to the International Cricket Coun-cil (ICC) to apprise the world body about the conduct of the West In-dies Cricket Board (WICB), whose team cancelled the tour of India mid-way last week.

“We will write to the ICC in-forming them about the conduct of the WICB,” BCCI joint secre-tary Anurag Thakur said after a BCCI working committee meeting here yesterday.

Thakur, who is also the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Associ-ation (HPCA) president confirmed that BCCI will send a notice to the WICB to claim the financial and image-related damages it suffered following the Caribbean side call-ing off the tour after the fourth One-Day International (ODI) at Dharamsala.

“We will be sending a notice to WICB to claim damages which the BCCI suffered both finan-cially as well as loss of face and to inform them about our decision to suspend all bilateral tours,” Thakur said. — Agencies

Indian cricket board (BCCI) will write to the

International Cricket Council (ICC) to apprise

the world body about the conduct of the West

Indies Cricket Board (WICB), whose team

cancelled the tour of India mid-way last week

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

Watson says best years ahead of himMELBOURNE: Neverending injury concerns and a string of promising all-rounders in the wings have not dulled Shane Watson’s optimism of playing a leading role for Australia across all formats of cricket.

As Michael Clarke’s side have enjoyed success in the Middle East against Pakistan, Watson has spent time rehabilitating an unlucky ankle injury sustained after treading on a ball and then a calf strain.

The burly 33-year-old was named on Monday in Australia’s 13-man squad for three T20 matches against South Africa next month but breaking back into the test side may prove a more complex undertaking.

Youngster Mitchell Marsh is all but certain to make his test de-but against Pakistan in Dubai on Wednesday and the tall 23-year-old has a golden opportunity to make it hard for selectors to dis-lodge him. Though Watson’s body has failed him repeatedly and selectors are no longer willing to pick him on the strength of his batting or bowling alone, his self-belief remains as strong as ever.

“I feel like I’ve still got my best years in front of me,” Watson told Cricket Australia’s website.

“For everything that I’ve been through and learnt in every as-pect of my life — not just the cricket perspective — I feel like I’ve only got my best years in front of me, to be totally honest.

“Every time I get injured I learn a little bit more about my body. This three-four month break that I’ve had has just been a perfect time to really, really freshen up.

“It’s the most excited I reckon I’ve ever been to get out there and

play cricket, because I feel like I’m only going to get better, and hope-fully that’s the way it works out.”

Watson’s ability to break back into the test side seemingly at leisure after a team-disrupting injury has long been a puzzle for many cricket fans.

But Watson, who has played about half of the possible tests since his 2005 debut against Pa-kistan, has shown himself a born survivor and always found sup-port in the dressing room.

Even captain Clarke, who has admitted to a sometimes testy relationship with the Queens-lander, has backed him to play on.

“If Watto can get himself fit and healthy he’ll certainly play a lot more tests, one-day and Twenty20 cricket for Australia,” Clarke said last month.

Clarke, however, has also given Marsh a glowing endorsement, writing in his News Ltd. column on Tuesday the son of Geoff Marsh and brother of Shaun, both former test batsmen, was not only a good cricketer but also captaincy material. — Reuters

F O R G O T T E N M A N

OPTIMISTIC: Shane Watson

Dhoni rested, Kohli to lead

HYDERABAD: Captain Ma-hendra Singh Dhoni was today rested for the first three One-day Internationals against Sri Lanka next month and batting mainstay Virat Kohli will lead the side in his absence.

Bengal’s Wriddhiman Saha made a comeback to the na-tional side to take the place of Dhoni in the 15-member team picked by BCCI selection com-mittee for the first three of the five-match series which was hastily arranged after West In-dies abruptly cancelled its tour of India last week.

Ravichandran Ashwin too returned after being rested for the West Indies series in place of spinner Kuldeep Yadav while pacer Varun Aaron replaced in-jured Mohit Sharma.

Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the other player who has been left out from the squad that played against the West Indies.

Rohit Sharma, who has re-covered from an injury, has been named in the India ‘A’ team for the practice game against the visiting Sri Lankan team.

Kohli, as usual, will lead the batting in the middle-order and he will be supported by Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja and Saha. Af-ter a prolonged bad patch, Kohli roared back to form with an el-egant century in the fourth ODI against the West Indies.

The spin department will be manned by Ashwin, Jadeja, Amit Mishra and young Axar Patel.

Team: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ash-win, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Murali Vijay, Varun Aaron, Axar Patel. — PTI

I N D I A S Q U A D

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OAB Open: Juniors to kick start action

SPORTS REPORTER

MUSCAT: The OAB Open Ten-nis Championships, organised by the Sultanate’s tennis governing body Oman Tennis Association (OTA), will kick off at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex today.

The inaugural day’s action, which begins at 5.00 p.m., will comprise the junior boys compe-titions with as many as 14 match-es scheduled for the evening.

The tournament, originally known as Oman Open but renamed after roping in Oman Arab Bank (OAB) as the title sponsor, has at-tracted a record 260 entries this year compared 180 last edition.

The Sultanate’s best tennis known player Fatma Al Nabhani and her brother Mohammed Al Nabhani have been given the top seedings in the women’s and men’s singles respectively but they will be seen in action later in the 26-day tournament.

And as of now it is the juniors who will be in the limelight starting with the boys competitions today.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued yesterday OTA Chair-man Mutassim Al Zadjali said the championships is aimed at spreading the spirit of sportsman-ship and fairplay among the tennis

players across the Sultannate.“The OAB Open provides an

opportunity for the players to showcase their talent and expe-rience the competitive nature of the professional tennis. It also provides a platform for exchange of expertise in support of the de-velopment of tennis, which is in-creasingly becoming popular in the Sultanate,” he said.

“I am pleased with the support we have received for the tourna-ment. I would like to thank Oman Arab Bank for their generous sup-port for this competition. I would also like to thank our support sponsors Omantel and Pocari Sweat,” the OTA chief added.

Amin Al Husseini, CEO of Oman Arab Bank, said: “We are happy to be part of the champion-ships as tennis is a very popular sport in the Sultanate. Through our support for this competition we are contributing to the develop-ment of sports in the Sultanate in general and tennis in particular.”

Tournament Director Moham-

med bin Ibrahim Al Balushi said the OAB Open will help the local talents to improve their game.

“The players will gain in expe-rience of playing in a competitive atmosphere and surely emerge the better players at the end of the champioships,” Mohammed Al Balushi, who is also the general secretary of the OTA, said.

“The tournament will also help the OTA to identify and create a pool of talented players in differ-ent age groups who can be picked for the national team duties in the future,” he added.

Today’s fixtures: U-12 boys: Zaid Husseini vs Azzan Al Hajri; Emilio Olmo vs Ayvret Waveren; Jayin Singh vs Tyler Blake; Taisei Nishino vs Sabharish Ku-mar; Rahis Daud vs Sanskar Dubey; Jai-num Kothary vs David Abordo; Prithvi Raj vs Abdullah Al Raisi; Sai Adithya vs Ribhav Singh; Shlok Ail vs Vedanth Ram. U-14 boys: Ayaan Malhotra vs Joel Mathew; Tim Rutherford vs Susruth Sriram; Ethan Maclure vs Achuthan Prasad; Amaan Kazi vs Hassan Haider. U-18: Pashua Kothary vs Yash Tanna.

The inaugural

day’s action, which

begins at 5 p.m., will

comprise the junior

boys competitions

with as many as 14

matches scheduled

for the evening

MUSCAT: Oman’s ten-nis ace Fatma Al Nabhani reached the quarterfinals of the $25,000 ITF Pro Circuit Hamamatsu tournament in Japan yesterday.

The Omani girl and Montenegro partner Ana Veselinavic overcame a stiff challenge from Magdalena Frech of Poland and Crotian Iva Mekovec in their first round encounter.

Fatma and Ana, after losing the first on a tie-break, fought to back to down their rivals for a 6-7 (3), 6-4, 11-9 victory.

Fatma also competed in

the singles but her challeng-es ended in the first round.

The Omani came up against Dutch second seed Indy de Vroome, who proved too good for Fatma in her 6-0, 6-1 victory.

Fatma advances in Japan

Wozniacki stuns Sharapova in WTA Finals marathonSINGAPORE: A raging Caroline Wozniacki stunned Maria Shara-pova in a marathon three-setter at the WTA Finals yesterday despite mid-match outbursts over faulty stadium lighting and an errant line call.

The Dane edged a thrilling en-counter 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 in Singapore as she dented Shara-pova’s hopes of overtaking Ser-ena Williams to be crowned the yearend world No. 1.

“It was a great match, it’s al-ways tough to play the first time and get into the rhythm,” said the eighth seed. “I’m just so happy to be through.”

Wozniacki edged a tight first set before threatening to halt play

in the second when stadium spot-lights started sweeping the crowd during a point and shone in her eyes while serving.

She then blew up over a line call and lost the second set, before fi-nally clinching the match in three hours and 13 minutes — one of the longest of the season, and 16 min-utes short of the tournament re-cord. Wozniacki’s second straight win over Sharapova underlines her strong finish to a year which has had peaks as well as troughs, including her U.S. Open runner-up finish and break-up with golfer Rory McIlroy.

Sharapova needs to win her re-maining round robin matches and reach the final of the year-ending

tournament to have any chance of knocking Williams off the top spot in the season’s final rankings.

There was controversy dur-ing the match when Wozniacki stopped playing and raised her arms in disbelief when flashing stadium lights disrupted her con-centration. In a long exchange with the chair umpire, Wozniacki threatened to stop playing until the problem was fixed.

Wimbledon champion Pe-tra Kvitova went down 6-2, 6-3 to Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska in yesterday’s second match in White Group. The eight-player season finale, being played in Asia for the first time, concludes on Sunday. - AFP

TENN I S

Historic Indian club suspends games amid cash crunch

KOLKATA: Even as the glitzy Indian Super League grabs the spotlight, a 123-year-old football club in Kolkata has opted out of national tournaments this sea-son due to a financial crisis.

“We don’t have sponsors to support our team,” Moham-madan Sporting President Sul-tan Ahmed said. “Our first pri-ority is to bring in some money for the club.”

Sporting, which was founded in 1891, remains one of football-mad Kolkata’s three big clubs alongside Mohun Bagan and East Bengal and is a regular fix-ture on the national scene.

Sporting will not defend its title in the Durand Cup inter-club tournament this year or take part in the I-League where it was relegated to second divi-sion last year, Ahmed said.

“But please don’t believe re-ports that we are shutting down for ever,” he added. “We will use this time to find sponsors, im-prove our infrastructure and get ready for next season.”

Ahmed, a former government minister, said there were efforts to help his players and coaching staff secure temporary contracts with other teams. “I hope they get a chance to play on,” he said.

There was no official com-ment from the All-India Foot-ball Federation Sporting’s deci-sion to stay away this year.

Despite Sporting’s woes, the Indian Super League’s Kolkata-based franchise, Athletico Kol-kata — which is co-owned by former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly — has drawn a number of sponsors.

The 10-week-long ISL, which opened on October 12, is mod-elled on cricket’s Indian Pre-mier League. It is televised by Rupert Murdoch’s Star TV and backed by sports management giants IMG and Indian billion-aire Mukesh Ambani. — AFP

FOOTBALL

Bangalore team launched

BANGALORE: The Bangalore franchise team, owned by Air Asia Chief Executive Mittu Chandilya, was yesterday named Bangalore Raptors. The team will participate in the Champions Tennis League (CTL) which is scheduled to start on November 15.

The Raptors team includes Ve-nus Williams, Feliciano Lopez, Thomas Enqvist and Ramkumar

Ramanathan and will play match-es on November 17, 20, 21 and 24.

Speaking on behalf of CTL, Vi-jay Amritraj said: “We at Champi-ons Tennis League are delighted to welcome Bangalore Raptors.

“Bangalore has a rich history of tennis and the Raptors with their strong team will give the city’s fans a lot to cheer about,” the former In-ian Davis Cup player added. - IANS

TENN I S

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Ahmad confirms Middle East bid

MUSCAT: Successful interna-tional sportscar competitor Ah-mad Al Harthy will make a wel-come return to the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East for the upcoming 2014-2015 season with reigning champion team Al Nabooda Racing it was officially confirmed yesterday.

According to a press release is-sued yesterday, the 33-year-old Omani, who secured the runner-

up position in this year’s Avon Tyres British GT Championship and also dovetailed a front-run-ning programme in the pan-Euro-pean Blancpain Endurance Series with Aston Martin, will reunite with Porsche for the 12-round GT3 Cup Challenge having been approached by Dubai-based Al Nabooda to team with Austrian driver Clemens Schmid.

Muscat-based Ahmad is, of

course, no stranger to Porsche ma-chinery having won the Pro-Am 1 title in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship in 2012. He also went on to contest selected rounds of that year’s Middle East series

and claimed his maiden category victory at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi.

Having spent the past two years in the realms of endurance rac-ing where he has been contest-ing lengthy two, three, six and 24

hour contests, Ahmad will need to re-adapt to ‘sprint’ racing but the Omani is confident he will be back in the groove in no time at all.

“It’s great to be part of the Por-sche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East once again and fantastic to be part of such a successful team as Al Nabooda Racing,” he commented. “With my European season already completed we didn’t have any plans to race over the next few months, but this opportunity will give me more track time and experience. I am really looking forward to it.

“Having been approached by the team to race alongside Clemens (Schmid) is a real honour. He’s a top quality driver and I’m confident we can both secure some strong re-sults and help Al Nabooda achieve

its aim of winning the team cham-pionship for the third time.”

Al Nabooda Automobiles LLC is the authorised Porsche dealer in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

“I am very proud to be represent-ing Al Nabooda in the 2014-2015 season, the team has put faith in me to do a good job and my person-al intention is to go out there and try and take as many podiums as possible, and hopefully win some races too,” added Ahmad. “It’s an exciting development and a really fantastic opportunity to compete again in front of my loyal fans in the Middle East.”

Season six of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East will begin on November 14 and 15, at Bahrain International Circuit.

The 33-year-old Omani will reunite with

Porsche for the 12-round GT3 Cup Challenge

SET FOR ACTION: K. Rajaram, CEO, Al Nabooda Automobiles flanked

by team manager Vijay Rao, left, and Ahmad Al Harthy. – Supplied photo

Mendy magic wins it for Chennaiyin FC CHENNAI: Former Hull City wingback Bernard Mendy scored through a stunning bicycle kick as hosts Chennayin FC beat Kerala Blasters 2-1 in a Hero Indian Su-per League match here yesterday.

Chennayin FC now have two wins from as many matches while Kerala are at the bottom of the ta-ble having lost both their games in the inaugural tournament.

The Chennai outfit got the lead through their best player and Bra-zilian import Elano Blumer via a spot-kick while Scottish striker Iain Hume’s powerful volley from the close range brought the equaliser.

However it was the magical goal by Mendy in the 63rd minute that made even Sachin Ten-dulkar, clad in canary yellow Ker-

ala Blasters jersey, applaud while Amitabh Bachchan, co-owner Abhishek Bachchan and Tamil mega star Rajnikant erupted in joyous celebration.

It was an indirect free-kick tak-en by Elano that curled inside the box while East Bengal captain Har-manjot Singh Khabra headed it to-wards the edge of the six-yard box.

Mendy, sensing a chance im-mediately, swerved his body to take a brilliant bicycle kick which saw the veteran David James fail-ing to react at the suddenness and perfect execution.

The Frenchman, while playing for Hull City, had scored against Manchester United in a Premier-ship game in 2010 which Hull lost narrowly to the Red Devils by a

3-4 margin. It was a game that was dominated by the Chennai team playing in their navy blue jerseys. They enjoyed better ball possession and could have scored as early as the first minute when Abhishek Das put in a cross for Balwant Singh, whose header missed the target by a whisker.

It was in the 14th minute that East Bengal stopper Gurvinder Singh’s ill-timed tackle saw Das sprawling inside the penalty box. The referee pointed at the dreaded spot and Elano did not make any mistake in putting it past James.

For Blasters, the problem has been the slowness of a distinctly overweight Michael Chopra, who has clearly left his best days far behind. — PTI

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

BRILLIANT EFFORT: Chennaiyin FC player Bernard Mendy celebrates with teammates after scoring

a goal against Kerala Blasters FC during the Indian Super League 2014 in Chennai. – PTI

OSN brings live football action of ISLDUBAI: OSN, the region’s lead-ing pay-TV network, is now bringing to its subscribers the live action and excitement of the new Indian Super League football championship, which has generated tremendous fan-fare and excitement with the matches attended by their ce-lebrity team owners and fans.

The event has generated in-ternational interest with the participation of a number of marquee players including Ital-ian footballers Marco Mater-azzi and Alessandro Del Piero, Swedish player Freddie Ljun-gberg, England’s David James and France’s Nicolas Anelka, among others.

OSN is bringing all the live ac-tion of the Indian Super League matches featuring eight teams playing home/away matches through the final on December 20. All the 61matches will be broadcast between OSN Sports 1 HD and OSN Sports 4.

In the coming days, football fans can look forward to FC Goa taking on Atlético de Kolkata on October 23.

The Mumbai City FC vs North East United FC match is on October 24, and on October 25, Delhi Dynamos FC will play against Chennaiyin FC.

On October 26, join the ex-citement as FC Pune City will play against FC Goa.

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Amanvir triumphs

at first round of VW

PowerPlay series

MUSCAT: Amanvir won the first competition of the VW Pow-erPlay Championship series at Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club here recently.

According to a press issued by the club yesterday, John Salway won the second place and Danny Rowan took the third spot.

The series comprises eight competitions with the final two legs scheduled for May and Sep-tember in 2015 respectively.

According to the press state-ment, a stableford ‘ Order of Mer-it’ will be recorded and posted with the top 20 players on the order of merit playing off against each other. The eventual champi-on will be awarded with the float-ing trophy with his or her name engraved on it.

To qualify for the tournament and take their place amidst the top 20 players, the players will need to play in at least four of the

eight tournaments between Oc-tober 2014 and May 2015.

Steve Grey, National Sales Manager VW, said: “I was delight-ed at the turnout for our inaugu-ral PowerPlay tournament held at Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club. The standards of play were extremely high and some very competitive scores were posted.”

While congratulating the win-ners, he said: “The format of Powerplay and an Order of Merit structure for the eight qualify-ing tournaments will be sure to keep every competitor interested until the Grand Final in Septem-ber 2015.”

“VW agreed to work with Mus-cat Hills Golf & Country Club, as we share a joint passion to grow the game of golf in Oman, lead-ing to more people playing this wonderful sport. A sport of the people, sponsored by the car of the people.”

G O L FOman Sail youth teambag silver in Morocco

MUSCAT: Oman’s young sailing squad reached the Team Racing final of the 2014 International Op-timist Dinghy Association (IODA) African Championships in Moroc-co recently, setting a new bench-mark for Oman Sail’s Omantel Youth Programme co-sponsored by Oman Shipping Company.

In one of their most successful events to date, the six youngsters, representing four different sail-ing schools from across Oman, beat twelve other national teams from across Africa, Asia and Eu-rope before coming second to team Mozambique in the 2014 Optimist Team Racing Open African Cham-pionships (TRAC).

The participating team included Zakariya Al Wahaibi, Samiha Al Riyami, Laith Al Mahrouqi, Mar-wan Al Jabri, Salim Al Alawi and Saud Al Abri.

In the individual racing event

— 2014 the Optimist Individual African Championships (OAC), Marwan Al Jabri proved most comfortable in fresher winds, which were more demanding than the Omani sailors were used to, with Zakariya Al Wahaibi, Oman’s first ever Optimist Champion and Salim Al Alawi also showing poten-tial in the unfamiliar conditions.

And after winning the Team Racing silver medal, confidence was boosted across the squad to see improved final day perfor-mances from all the youngsters in the Individual event which fea-tured 73 sailors from 11 nations.

Al Jabri finished 24th, having moved up five places in the last few races, while Al Wahaibi was 28th and Al Alawi 39th which marked an improvement on previous years

for the Omantel Youth programme. “Our sailors were some of the

smallest and youngest in the fleet and of course they are used to light winds in Oman so the Team Racing silver medal was a very good result, the best so far for our Youth Programme,” said Rashid Al Kindi, Oman Sail’s National Team Manager.

“We have learned a lot about these young sailors at this event and all the lessons learned will be used when making plans for next year,” Abdulaziz Al Shidi, Oman Sail’s Youth Pathway Coach, added.

“We achieved our goal to finish in the top 50 per cent of the fleet and everyone was pleased to make the Team Racing final. Although the kids were very disappointed not to come away with gold, they picked

themselves up and came back fight-ing on the last day of individual rac-ing which was good to see.”

“It is a big deal for all of us to go to a different continent and come away with a medal so we have gained confidence that it is pos-sible to get a good result in these international competitions. We had four consecutive wins in four races so we are certainly seeing improvements,” he said.

The next challenge for the youngsters, all aged between 11 to 14 years, are the national rank-ing races in Al Musannah at the weekend. Then in November, Zaka-riya Al Wahabi, Salim Al Alawi and Samiha Al Riyami will represent Oman in the Optimist competition at the 2014 Asian Beach Games in Phuket, Thailand.

The six youngsters

beat 12 other national

teams before coming

second to team

Mozambique in the

2014 Optimist Team

Racing Open African

Championships

Ismail and Sami shock top seedsMUSCAT: The top two Omani seeds suffered shock defeats at the Villeroy & Boch + Hansgrohe Open Table Tennis Tournament organised by the Indian Social Club Muscat.

The top seed and defending champion in the Omani singles Said Al Kharusi of Al Ittifaq Club and second seed Said Al Qarni of the same club were shown the door in the quarterfinal stage.

Ismail Al Suleimany of Nizwa masterminded the downfall of top seed Said Al Kharusi with a bril-liant combination of unorthodox defensive and attacking play to ne-gate Kharusi’s defensive ploy which he depends on to a large extent.

In a thrilling quarterfinal en-counter, Ismail dominated the rallies and gave nothing away as Kharusi struggled to cope with Is-mail’s moves.

Ismail Al Suleimani went on to create the first major upset of the tournament with a straight 11-6, 11-7, 11-6 victory to send the de-fending champion crashing out.

Sami Al Jabri of Fanja Club caused the second major upset

of the night when he sent second seed in the Omani singles, Said Al Qarni packing. It was a brilliant all-round game that enabled him to pull off the 11-8, 11-5, 111-7 de-feat of the second seeded Qarni.

Sami was spot on and converted every given scoring opportunity. Al Qarni gained a slight edge in the third game but Sami came up with extraordinary stuff to stun the second seed.

In earlier matches of the Omani singles, Ayman Al Farsi defeated Fahad Al Abri 11-6, 12-10, 11-6, Mansoor Al Wahaibi overcame Bilal Al Rashdi 12-10, 11-6, 11-9, Nooh Al Zadjali edged to a 12-10, 11-4, 12-10 win over Salim Al Mahrami, Said Al Kharusi beat Wael Al Siyabi 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 and Ismail Al Suleimani beat Yaqoub Al Amri 11-7, 11-3, 11-7.

Maher Al Jabri scored a hard-fought 11-5, 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9 over Bader Al Mahrizi, Abdul Salam Al Kind beat Yasser Musta-fa Sultan 11-6, 7-11, 11-3, 111-7, Said Al Qarni scored a 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 win over Ahmed Al Busaidi and Sami Al Jabri beat Al Julanda Al Kharusi 11-7, 13-11, 11-8.

In the second round, Ismail Al Suleimani defeated Ayman Al Farsi, 11-9, 11-8, 3-11, 12-10, An-war Al Balushi downed Fahad Al Abri 11-6, 11-7, 11-1.

Nooh Al Zadjali defeated Ma-her Al Jabri 11-9, 8-11, 14-12, 8-11, 12-10 and Sami Al Jabri entered the quarterfinal stage with a 11-3, 11-7, 11-6 victory over Abdul Salam Al Kindi.

I S C T A B L E T E N N I S

BRILLIANT ALL-ROUND GAME: Sami Al Jabri. – Supplied photo

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMSECTIONC W E D N E S DAY, O CTO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 14LIFE & STYLE

LEGENDARY

US FASHION DESIGNER

DIES AFTER LONG CANCER BATTLE

AGED 82

He dressed Michelle Obama. He was the friend of the Upper East Side ladies

of Manhattan, giving them the gowns they desired and charming them at the season’s social events. And he was also the doyen of the red carpet trusted by Hollywood even into the dotage of his career. And he was worn by the bride of George Clooney.

Yesterday morning, the fashion industry across the world held a long and warm farewell to Oscar de la Renta, who died on Monday at his home in Kent, Connecticut, at 82 years old. His wife, Annette de la Renta confirmed his death from complications from cancer. To those

not close to him, his passing will be a shock because his stock seemed to be at his peak.

Yet de la Renta, with his high, tanned forehead, had been bat-tling cancer for a decade. It never seemed to slow him. In New York, he was a fixture of the runway and the social circuit. When the Anna Wintour held her fashion galas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he and Annette were there. When Daphne Guinness showed her gowns and shows at the Fash-ion Institute in Manhattan, he was there.

Born in the Dominican Repub-lic and raised in Spain during the Franco era, de la Renta helped put

New York on the fashion map in the seventies and eighties, alongside Paris and Milan. And he never gave up striving to en-sure that his fashion house re-tained its relevance.

Prized designsAn alumnus of Cristobal Balen-ciaga and Elizabeth Arden be-fore he broke away and set up his own label in Manhattan in 1965, he would later tell the As-sociated Press, “I like light, col-our, luminosity. I like things full of colour and vibrant”.

Even as he ailed over the past decade, the business grew by 50 per cent to attain $150 million in

sales. It wasn’t just first ladies who chose his creations — aside from Mrs Obama, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush chose the designer for their husbands’ respective in-augural balls — but also stars Sa-rah Jessica Parker, Penelope Cruz and Amy Adams all went to the Oscars wearing Oscar de la Renta.

That he remained relevant to the end was his coup in taking into his trust perhaps the most prized bride of 2014. When Amal Alamuddin arrived for her Italian nuptials to the American actor George Clooney, the ivory tulle gown picked by the ceremony was an Oscar de la Renta. -David Usborne /The Independent

AGED 82

C8

EXTRAW E D N E S DAY, O CTO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 14

As the car zoomed past, its engine making an almighty racket, the schoolboy stood utterly transfixed. It was the early years of the

1920s and motoracing was a new and exciting sport.

Many years later, that little boy, now a man, would recall the colour-ful driver when he began to write a book about a very special car.

That car’s name was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the author was Ian Fleming. The he had seen at Brooklands, Surrey, was the very eccentric, and very wealthy playboy, Count Louis Zborowski. Now, some newly discovered footage dating from around 1924 shows the young Count in two 30-minute films that have ech-oes of early Hollywood with chases, a kidnap, a railway line and general high jinx.

The unique films of Zborowski emerged after Tim Jones, Senior Lecturer in Media, Art and De-sign at Canterbury Christ Church University appealed for footage of the local area and received work by the filmmaker Sydney Bligh’s family.

Starring Zborowski’s wife, Vio-let, a girlfriend, Pixie, his two dogs and an engineer, Clive Gallup, among others, the film is particu-larly precious as it provides the only image of the famous Higham Park estate railway line, a mile-long narrow gauge steam which Zborowski had built around the

estate for the sheer hell of it. The story of the Count, his madcap life and his tragic death aged just 29 will be in the spotlight and per-haps re-establish him as the early motor racing pioneer that he most certainly was.

“You had to be mad or ex-tremely brave to drive those cars, which were designed by rule of thumb, at such speed,” says Da-vid Paine who researched the family for 40 years for his book, The Zborowski Inheritance.

“He was a bit of a playboy and he married a chorus girl called Violet and they lived at Higham Park es-tate. He had no notion of the value of money and would spend it like it was going out of fashion. The film shows him with his slicked-back black hair, a moustache and with a cigarette — it is basically them having fun on his Estate.” Accord-ing to Tim Jones, the films are very “sophisticated” and a “spine-tingling” find.

Zborowski, was born in 1895. The son of the racing driver, Wil-liam Eliot Morris Zborowski and Margaret, a wealthy American heiress, the granddaughter of William Backhouse Astor, Sr and Margaret Rebecca Armstrong, part of the famous Astor family.

When Louis was eight, his fa-ther died in a car racing crash in 1903 in Nice, France. Margaret bought the Higham Park Estate near Canterbury, Kent which in-cluded a farm, 225 acres and 12

houses for Louis. She spent vast amounts of money on it before dy-ing of cancer in 1911 when Louis was 16. Overnight he became one of the richest under-21s in the world, inheriting not just Higham Park but property in the United States as well.

The young Count was obsessed with motor racing, both driving cars and building them (he would even build a fire engine for the locals and become captain of the fire brigade).

The young Zborowski was somewhat wild. He would blow up statuary on the estate, some of which would end up flying through the roof of his neighbour and it is said he had houses built on the es-tate only for them to be blown up for the entertainment of his guests.

He began racing with the help of his engineer Captain Clive Gallop and amassed an impressive fleet of English cars. Two of them were known as Chitty Bang Bang and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Names which would prove more than enough inspiration for Fleming.

According to Paine, who inter-viewed Clive Gallop, the names were not a nod to the noise they could make (although with aero-plane engines in them, one car would have sounded like six Har-ley-Davidson’s running all at once) but to “recreational” activities.

“During World War I when soldiers left the front they were given a chit and they could either

go to Brussels or France or come to England for a bang,” he said of the rather coarse perk. “Naming the cars after this was a joke, re-ally.” Zborowski’s ambition was to drive for Mercedes. In 1924 he got his wish and entered the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Sadly on the 44th lap he lost control of his car and was killed.

His wife, Violet went off to mar-ry the sewing machine business-man Paris Singer and eventually the Higham Park estate railway was dismantled.

As well as his Brooklands mem-ory, Fleming encountered a re-stored car from Zborowski’s fleet when he was driving near Sand-wich in Kent.

He waved over the driver, Pe-ter Harris Mayes, for a chat and it is said that after Peter revealed the history of the car that Flem-ing found the inspiration for Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, which he wrote when he was recovering from a heart attack aged 52. The book was published in October 1964, two months after his death, and went on to be adapted into the popular 1968 film.

There is a line in the novel when the character Commander Pott says to his children: “Never say ‘no’ to adventures. Always say ‘yes’, oth-erwise you’ll lead a very dull life.”

Those words could almost cer-tainly have served as the motto by which Count Zborowski lived his life. — Jane Clinton/The Daily Express

C H I T T Y C H I T T YB A N G B A N G

T H E E C C E N T R I C M I L L I O N A I R E W H O I N S P I R E D

The story

of the Count,

his madcap life

and his tragic

death aged just

29 will be in the

spotlight and

perhaps re-es-

tablish him as

the early motor

racing pioneer

that he most

certainly was

Zborowski,

FRAN Lebowitz said, “Food is an important part of a balanced diet.”

This week we are looking at deals in which North and South have to decide which of two suits to choose as trumps. In general, a balanced fit — one where North and South have the same number of cards in the suit — will be preferable to an unbalanced fit — in which one player has more cards than his partner.

In this deal, if the balanced diamond suit is trumps, declarer can arrange an extra ruffing trick after drawing trumps and discarding the spade eight from the dummy on his fifth club. In seven diamonds, South takes one spade, five diamonds, six clubs and one spade ruff in the North hand.

If the unbalanced suit is trumps, (here the 6-4 club fit), there is an inevitable spade loser. South can win only 12 tricks, not 13.

The auction itself was exciting. South opened one club, planning to bid diamonds twice to describe his distribution and strength. If West had immediately overcalled four hearts, it would have made life very tough for North-South. North could have bid five diamonds, but East would have increased the inconvenience by raising to five hearts.

In the actual sequence, once South knew about the double fit, he control-bid (cue-bid) five hearts to suggest a grand slam. And when North was happy to control-bid five spades, South jumped to seven diamonds.

— By Phillip Alder

C9

ENTERTAINMENT

The balanced fit or unbalanced fit?

B I G N A T E

B O R N L O S E R

M A R M A D U K E

A C E S O N B R I D G E

C I N E M A S C H E D U L E

K I D S P O T H E A L T H C A P S U L EC R O S S W O R D

Ans

wer

to p

revi

ous

puzz

le

WITH LOVE

Previous puzzle Solution

HOW TO PLAY Fill the empty cells with the numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column and area. — Seven Galaxies

S U D O K U

W E D N E S DAY, O C TO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4

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

JOE SEBY CHITTATTUKARAOctober 22, 2013

AHAANA ADARSH NAIROctober 23, 2008

AARON KISH MONISOctober 22, 2003

JONA ZACHARIAH KURIANOctober 24

ROSHNI RAMANANDA PRABHUOctober 23

AKSHAJ CHANDEROctober 23, 2008

NIKITHA RADHAKRISHNANOctober 22

tune)30 Lyric poem31 Term of respect32 NNW opposite37 Asserted39 Wrestler’s coup41 Canine comment43 Audio partner44 Noted limerick

maker

45 In that case (2 wds.)47 Garret48 Mark’s successor49 Cable car50 Allow51 Fleming of 007

novels52 Yale athlete53 Cohort of Boris and

Bela

ACROSS 1 Med. plan 4 Boorish fellow 8 Costa —12 Oater answer13 Sasquatch cousin14 Blissful spot15 “Quoth the raven”

poet16 Risky venture18 Customer, after the

sale20 Hoedown honeys21 Pat on23 — been a while24 Winery casks27 Transport for

Sinbad29 Little Joe’s bro33 Current meas.34 Want-ad letters35 Bad-mouth36 They hold the mayo38 So!39 Marquette’s title40 Beret cousin42 IV squared44 Fibber46 Mooring site50 Out in — —54 Not just mine

55 Soothe56 Lotion additive57 Monastic title58 Stepped on59 El — (ocean

current)60 Turkey or cat

DOWN 1 Shot, for short 2 Persian’s plaint 3 Unlock 4 Spandex fiber 5 Donne’s “done” 6 Tony-winner —

Hagen 7 Iceberg part 8 Go back over 9 Elvis, to some10 Business VIPs11 Picnic intruder17 Bilko’s rank19 Newspaper execs22 Freshwater fish23 Mountaineer’s aid

(2 wds.)24 — Mahal25 Ms. Thurman26 PBS relative28 “—! My Soul!”

(Little Richard

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Screen 1

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C10

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24 Hrs Emergency: 24760123Lama Polyclinic, Sohar: 26751128, MBD: 24799077, Al Khuwair: 24478818Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital: 24568870Muscat Private Hospital: 24583600Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair: 24477666Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC: 22004000

ROYAL OMAN POLICEEmergencies and inquiries: 9999General Directorate of Passport and Residence: 24569603Directorate General of Customs: 24521109Traffic violations inquiries: 24510228Public Relations Admin: 24560099

ACCOMMODATIONAl Bahjah Hotel: 24424400Al Bustan Palace: 24764000 Al Khuwair Hotel Apartments: 24478171Al Madina Holiday Inn: 24596400Al Maha International Hotel: 24494949Al Fanar Hotel: 24712385Al Falaj Hotel: 24702311Al Qurum Resort: 24605945Azaiba Hotel Apartments: 24490979Beach Hotel: 24696601Bowshar Hotel: 24491105Coral Hotel Muscat: 24692121Crowne Plaza Muscat: 24660660Crystal Suites: 24826100Golden Tulip Seeb: 24510300Grand Hyatt Muscat: 24641234Haffa House Hotel: 24707207Hotel Muscat Holiday: 24487123InterContinental Muscat: 24680000Majan Continental Hotel: 24592900Marina Hotel: 24711711Midan Hotel Suites: 24499565Mina Hotel: 24711828Muttrah Hotel: 24798401

Nuzha Hotel Apartments: 24789199Oman Dive Centre: 24824240Park Inn: 24507888Qurum Beach House Hotel: 24564070Radisson Blu Hotel: 24487777Ramee Dream Resort Seeb: 24453399Ramee Guestline Hotel: 24564443Ruwi Hotel: 24704244Safeer Hotel Suites: 24691200Sheraton Oman Hotel: 24772772Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa: 24776666The Chedi Muscat: 24524400The Treasurebox Muscat Hotel: 24502570

AIRLINE OFFICESMuscat Airport Flight information (24 hours): 24519456/24519223Aeroflot: 24704455, Air Arabia: 24700828, Air France: 24562153, Air India: 24799801, Air New Zealand: 24700732, Biman Bangladesh Airlines: 24701128, British Airways: 24568777, Cathay Pacific: 24789818, Egypt Air: 24794113, Emirates Air: 24404400, Ethiopian Airlines: 24660313, Gulf Air: 80072424, Indian: 24791914, Iran Air: 24787423, Japan Airlines: 24704455, Jazeera Airways: 23294848, Jet Airways: 24787248, Kenya Airways: 24660300, KML Royal Dutch Airlines: 24566737, Kuwait Airways: 24701262, LOT Polish Airlines: 24796387, Lufthansa: 24796692, Malaysian Airlines: 24560796, Middle East Airlines: 24796680, Oman Air: 24531111, Pakistan International Airlines: 24792471, Qatar Airways: 24771900, Qantas: 24559941, Royal Jordanian: 24796693, Saudi Arabian Airlines: 24789485, Singapore Airlines: 24791233, Shaheen Air: 24816565, SriLankan Airlines:

24784545, Swiss International Airlines: 24796692, Thai Airways: 24705934, Turkish Airlines: 24703033

MUSEUMSBait Al Baranda: Corniche (seafront opp fish market), Open from Saturday to Thursday 9am to 1pm and 4 to 6pmNatural History Museum: Al Khuwair, Tel: 24604957, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm; Thursday: 9am to 1pmMuseum of Omani Heritage: (former Omani Museum), Madinat Al Alam, Sat-Wed 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday - 9am to 1pm, Tel: 24600946Armed Forces Museum: Bait Al Falaj, Tel: 24312651, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm; Thurs 9-12pm and 3-6pm; Fri 9-11am and 3-6pm. Al Hoota Caves 24498258; Turtle Beach 96550606/96550707Children’s Science Museum: Shatti Al Qurum, Tel: 24605368, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pmOman-French Museum: near Muscat Police Station, Tel: 24736613, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm, Thurs: 9am to 1pmBait Al Zubair, Muscat: Tel: 24736688, Al Saidiya St., Muscatmuseum@baitalzubairmuseum.comOpen from Sat to Thurs: 9:30am to 6pm.National Museum Ruwi: Tel: 24701289, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pmSohar Fort Museum: Tel: 26844758, Open from Saturday to Wed: 8 to 1:30pm Thurs: 9am to 1pmMuscat Gate Museum: at Al Bahri Road, Muscat open from Sat to Wed 8am to 2pm

W E A T H E R

OMAN

Max 34Min 28

Max 32Min 25

Max 36Min 27

Max 38Min 25

Max 35Min 29Max 36

Min 21

Max 36Min 23

Max 31 Min 25

Mainly clear skies over the most of the Sultanate with chance of convective clouds development over Al-Hajar mountains during afternoon associated with isolated rains and occasional thundershower that may extend to the coast al areas of Oman Sea. Chance of early morning low level clouds or fog patches over south Al-Sharqiya, Al-Wusta and northern parts of Dhofar governorates.EXPECTED WIND: Along the coastal areas of Oman Sea wind will be northeasterly to easterly light to moderate during day becoming variable light at night and southeasterly light to moderate over rest of the Sultanate.SEA STATE: Moderate along western coast of Musandam with

maximum wave height of 2.0 metres and slight along the rest of Oman coast with maximum wave height of 1.25 metres.HORIZONTAL VISIBILITY: Good over most of the Sultanate becoming poor during fog and rain. THE NEXT 48 HOURS OUTLOOK: Clear to partly cloudy skies over the governorate of Musandam and Al-Hajar mountains with chance of isolated rain. Chances of late night to early morning low level clouds or fog patches over the coastal areas of Oman. Moderate to rough sea conditions along the western coast of Musandam governorate.

Max Min

GULFAbu Dhabi 36 28Doha 35 27Dubai 35 27Kuwait 29 15Manama 31 27Riyadh 32 21

WORLDAthens 24 19Baghdad 24 10Beijing 15 10Berlin 11 8Boston 14 11Cairo 28 20Colombo 30 25Frankfurt 10 6Hong Kong 31 23Istanbul 20 15Johannesburg 28 11Kuala Lumpur 32 24Lisbon 26 14Paris 14 8Perth 27 16Singapore 31 26Tokyo 20 13Toronto 12 5

WORLD

Max 15Min 8

Max 32Min 20

Max 14Min 9

Max 35Min 21

Max 28Min 19

Max 23Min 13

Max -3Min -8

Max 33Min 24

LISTINGS

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (Route 36)Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 15:00 Quriyat 16:30 Daily15:00 Sur 18:00 Daily15:00 Jaalan 19:30 Daily

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (Route 36)Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41)06:30 Sohar 08:50 Daily06:30 Buraimi 11:00 Daily08:00 Buraimi 14:30 Daily via Ibri13:00 Sohar 15:45 Daily13:00 Buraimi 17:40 Daily 16.00 Sohar 18.35 Daily 16.00 Buraimi 20:20 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41)07:00 Sohar 08:55 Daily07:00 Ruwi 11:40 Daily13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri13:00 Sohar 14:55 Daily13:00 Ruwi 17:40 Daily 13:00 Sohar 19:20 Daily 17:00 Ruwi 22:15 Daily

TO SINAW (Route 52)17:30 Sinaw 20:50 Daily

TO SINAW (Route 52)07:00 Ruwi 10:25 Daily

To Yanqul (Route 54)14:30 Nizwa 16:50 Daily14:30 Yanqul 19:30 Daily

To Yanqul (Route 54)06:00 Nizwa 08:40 Daily06:00 Ruwi 11:00 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54)08:00 Nizwa 10:20 Daily08:00 Al Araqi 12:30 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54)15:40 Nizwa 17:55 Daily15:40 Ruwi 20:20 Daily

TO SUR (Route 55)07:30 Sur 12:00 Daily14:30 Sur 18:45 Daily

TO SUR (Route 55)06:00 Ruwi 10:45 Daily14:30 Ruwi 19:00 Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (Route 62)06:30 Fahud 10:30 Daily06:30 Yibal 11:15 Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (Route 62)12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily12:30 Ruwi 17:30 Daily

TO DUBAI (Route 201)06:00 Sohar 08:30 Daily06:00 Dubai 11:30 Daily13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur15:00 Sohar 17:35 Daily15:00 Dubai 20:55 Daily

TO DUBAI (Route 201)07:30 Sohar 10:50 Daily07:30 Ruwi 13:40 Daily13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri15:30 Sohar 18:45 Daily15:30 Ruwi 21:35 Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (Route 100)07:00 Salalah 20:00 Daily10:00 Marmul 20:30 Daily10:00 Salalah 23:30 Daily19:00 Salalah 07:40 Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (Route 100)07:00 Ruwi 19:50 Daily10:00 Marmul 13:15 Daily10:00 Ruwi 22:30 Daily19:00 Ruwi 07:30 Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101)06:00 Marmul 16:50 Daily

SALALAH TO DUBAI (Route 102)15:00 Dubai 07:00 Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101)06:00 Marmul 16:30 Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (Route 102)15:00 Salalah 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204)Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily 07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily 07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204)Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily 16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

WEDNESDAYFLT NO ARRIVALS FROM ETA WY682 RIYADH  0005WY676 JEDDAH  0005WY636 ABU DHABI  0010WY924 SALALAH  0035WY824 KUALA LUMPUR  01054H585 DACCA  0115TK776 ISTANBUL-BAHRAIN  0205PK229 LAHORE  0215GF560 BAHRAIN  0320EY384 ABU DHABI  0340QR1132 DOHA  0345EK866 DUBAI  0355QR8550 DOHA  0620WY672 MEDINA  0635WY674 JEDDAH  0640FZ041 DUBAI  06454H586 DOHA  0645WY638 ABU DHABI  0650WY658 BAHRAIN  0650WY902 SALALAH  0655WY668 DOHA  0700WY692 DAMMAM  0705WY686 RIYADH  0705WY644 KUWAIT  0720WY102 LONDON HEATHROW  0740FZ043 DUBAI  0800WY602 DUBAI  0800WY274 JAIPUR  0820WY202 BOMBAY  0825NL768 LAHORE  0830WY342 LAHORE  0900G9114 SHARJAH  0915WY236 HYDERABAD  0925WY242 DELHI  0925WY252 MADRAS  0930EK862 DUBAI  0930WY226 COCHIN  0930WY346 ISLAM ABBAD  0930WY268 LUCKNOW  0935WY212 TRIVANDRUM  0935QR1128 DOHA  1000EY382 ABU DHABI  1010IX549 TRIVANDRUM  10209W530 TRIVANDRUM  1045WY3922 DUQUM OMAN  1055WY604 DUBAI  1100G9841 RAS AL KHAIMA  1120WY332 KATHMANDU  1130IX337 CALICUT  1155PA450 LAHORE  1215WY904 SALALAH  1225WY3302 MUKHAIZNA  1230WY826 KUALA LUMPUR  1245WY324 KARACHI  1300WY632 ABU DHABI  1320WY606 DUBAI  1330WY906 SALALAH  1440WY918 KHASAB  1440FZ045 DUBAI  1545WY656 BAHRAIN  1600QR1126 DOHA  1605WY204 BOMBAY  1645WY610 DUBAI  1710WY292 CALICUT  1710WY264 LUCKNOW  1725WY3304 MUKHAIZNA  1730WY254 MADRAS  1740WY246 DELHI  1740WY232 HYDERABAD  1740WY284 BANGALORE  1750WY664 DOHA  1750GF564 BAHRAIN  1810G9116 SHARJAH  1915WY434 TEHRAN  1930WY914 SALALAH  1930WY144 MALPENSA  1945WY614 DUBAI  2020WY152 ZURICH  2030FZ047 DUBAI  2050AI977 BANGALORE-HYDERABAD  2105WY312 CHITTAGONG  2110WY312 CHITTAGONG  21109W534 COCHIN  2115KL441 AMSTERDAM-DOHA  2115AI973 DELHI  21256.00E+81 BOMBAY  2130QR1130 DOHA  2140BA073 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI  2140WY624 DUBAI  2140WY914 SALALAH  2150UL205 COLOMBO  2155WY386 MALE  2155AI907 MADRAS  2200QR1134 DOHA  2225LH618 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI  2235LX242 ZURICH-DUBAI  2235GF566 BAHRAIN  2240EY388 ABU DHABI  2245WY124 MUNICH  2255WY414 AMMAN  2300WY116 FRANKFURT  2305AI985 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY  23109W540 BOMBAY  2315WY654 BAHRAIN  2335FZ049 DUBAI  2340WY662 DOHA  2340WY816 BANGKOK  2340WY612 DUBAI  2345WY717 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM  2345WY406 CAIRO  2345WY696 DAMMAM  2350WY648 KUWAIT  2355

THURSDAYFLT NO ARRIVALS FROM ETA

WY676 JEDDAH  0005WY682 RIYADH  0005WY636 ABU DHABI  0010WY924 SALALAH  0035BG021 DACCA-CHITTAGONG  0100WY928 SALALAH  01054H585 DACCA  0115TK774 ISTANBUL  0135PK225 KARACHI  0215GF560 BAHRAIN  0320EY384 ABU DHABI  0340QR1132 DOHA  0345ET624 ADDIS ABABA  0350EK866 DUBAI  0355MS930 CAIRO  0410FZ041 DUBAI  0510WY658 BAHRAIN  0600WY674 JEDDAH  06404H586 DOHA  0645WY638 ABU DHABI  0650WY902 SALALAH  0655WY668 DOHA  0700WY686 RIYADH  0705WY102 LONDON HEATHROW  0730WY602 DUBAI  0800FZ043 DUBAI  0800WY274 JAIPUR  0820WY202 BOMBAY  0825NL768 LAHORE  0830WY342 LAHORE  0900WY282 BANGALORE  0910WY346 ISLAM ABBAD  0915G9114 SHARJAH  0915WY242 DELHI  0925WY236 HYDERABAD  0925EK862 DUBAI  0930WY226 COCHIN  0930WY252 MADRAS  0930WY212 TRIVANDRUM  0935QR1128 DOHA  1000EY382 ABU DHABI  1010IX443 COCHIN  10309W530 TRIVANDRUM  1045WY604 DUBAI  1105G9841 RAS AL KHAIMA  1120WY372 COLOMBO  1130IX337 CALICUT  1155WY384 MALE  1200WY904 SALALAH  1225WY3302 MUKHAIZNA  1230WY826 KUALA LUMPUR  1245WY324 KARACHI  1300WY918 KHASAB  1300BG023 DACCA  1305WY818 BANGKOK  1310WY632 ABU DHABI  1315IX817 MANGALORE-ABU DHABI  1325WY606 DUBAI  1330WY434 TEHRAN  1340WY906 SALALAH  1425PK291 LAHORE-ISLAM ABBAD  1430FZ045 DUBAI  1545SV530 JEDDAH  1550WY908 SALALAH  1555QR1126 DOHA  1605WY204 BOMBAY  1645WY822 KUALA LUMPUR  1645WY292 CALICUT  1710WY3304 MUKHAIZNA  1730WY232 HYDERABAD  1740WY246 DELHI  1740WY254 MADRAS  1740GF564 BAHRAIN  1810TG507 BANGKOK-KARACHI  1900G9116 SHARJAH  1915WY914 SALALAH  1930WY664 DOHA-BAHRAIN  1930WY646 KUWAIT  1950WY614 DUBAI  2050FZ047 DUBAI  20509W534 COCHIN  2115KL441 AMSTERDAM-DOHA  2115AI973 DELHI  21256.00E+81 BOMBAY  2130BA073 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI  2140WY624 DUBAI  2140QR1130 DOHA  2140UL205 COLOMBO  2155AI907 MADRAS  2200QR1134 DOHA  2225LX242 ZURICH-DUBAI  2235LH618 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI  2235GF566 BAHRAIN  2240EY388 ABU DHABI  2245WY916 SALALAH  2245WY916 SALALAH  2245WY414 AMMAN  2300SG061 AHMEDABAD  2300AI985 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY  23109W540 BOMBAY  2315WY654 BAHRAIN  2335WY816 BANGKOK  2340WY662 DOHA  2340WY717 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM  2345WY612 DUBAI  2345WY696 DAMMAM  2350WY406 CAIRO  2355WY648 KUWAIT  2355

FLT NO DEPARTURES TO ETD BA072 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW  0001AI986 BOMBAY  00059W539 BOMBAY  0020FZ050 DUBAI  0045WY251 MADRAS  0110WY201 BOMBAY  0115WY211 TRIVANDRUM  0120WY225 COCHIN  0120WY685 RIYADH  0120WY273 JAIPUR  0145WY267 LUCKNOW  0150WY235 HYDERABAD  0155WY601 DUBAI  0155WY657 BAHRAIN  0200WY901 SALALAH  0200WY123 MUNICH  0205WY115 FRANKFURT  0205WY133 PARIS  0210WY151 ZURICH  0210WY643 KUWAIT  02104H585 DOHA  0215WY637 ABU DHABI  0220WY241 DELHI  0225WY691 DAMMAM  0235WY667 DOHA  0235WY143 MALPENSA  0235WY341 LAHORE  0240TK777 BAHRAIN-ISTANBUL  0255PK230 LAHORE  0315EK867 DUBAI  0500QR1133 DOHA  0515EY385 ABU DHABI  0525WY3921 DUQUM OMAN  0715FZ042 DUBAI  07304H586 DACCA  0745GF561 BAHRAIN  0745QR8551 DUBAI WORLD CENTRE-DOHA  0750WY3301 MUKHAIZNA  0800WY603 DUBAI  0800WY903 SALALAH  0820WY323 KARACHI  0840FZ044 DUBAI  0840WY253 MADRAS  0920WY345 ISLAM ABBAD  0920WY291 CALICUT  0930NL769 LAHORE  0930WY815 BANGKOK  0940WY917 KHASAB  0945G9115 SHARJAH  0955WY283 BANGALORE  1000WY231 HYDERABAD  1010WY905 SALALAH  1020WY203 BOMBAY  1025WY631 ABU DHABI  1030WY605 DUBAI  1030WY245 DELHI  1040WY311 CHITTAGONG  1040EK863 DUBAI  1045WY717 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM  1045QR1129 DOHA  1100IX554 TRIVANDRUM  1110EY383 ABU DHABI  1110WY917 KHASAB  11409W533 COCHIN  1145WY655 BAHRAIN  1200G9842 RAS AL KHAIMA  1210WY331 KATHMANDU  1235WY927 SALALAH  1240IX350 CALICUT  1255WY3303 MUKHAIZNA  1300PA451 LAHORE  1315WY433 TEHRAN  1330WY413 AMMAN  1345WY663 DOHA  1400WY101 LONDON HEATHROW  1400WY609 DUBAI  1405WY405 CAIRO  1440WY913 SALALAH  1525FZ046 DUBAI  1630WY675 JEDDAH  1645WY613 DUBAI  1715QR1127 DOHA  1750WY623 DUBAI  1805WY915 SALALAH  1840WY681 RIYADH  1840WY647 KUWAIT  1850GF565 BAHRAIN  1855WY695 DAMMAM  1930WY653 BAHRAIN  1935WY661 DOHA  1950G9117 SHARJAH  1955WY923 SALALAH  2030WY611 DUBAI  2045WY825 KUALA LUMPUR  2115WY635 ABU DHABI  2120FZ048 DUBAI  2135AI978 HYDERABAD-BANGALORE  22009W529 TRIVANDRUM  2230KL442 DOHA-AMSTERDAM  2230QR1131 DOHA  2240WY673 JEDDAH  22406.00E+82 BOMBAY  2245AI908 MADRAS  2300UL206 COLOMBO  2305AI974 DELHI  2310GF567 BAHRAIN  2325QR1135 DOHA  2330WY817 BANGKOK  2330LX243 DUBAI-ZURICH  2335EY381 ABU DHABI  2345LH619 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT  2355

FLT NO DEPARTURES TO ETD BA072 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW  0001AI986 BOMBAY  00059W539 BOMBAY  0020FZ050 DUBAI  0045WY811 BANGKOK  0100WY251 MADRAS  0110WY201 BOMBAY  0115WY281 BANGALORE  0120WY211 TRIVANDRUM  0120WY685 RIYADH  0120WY225 COCHIN  0120WY821 KUALA LUMPUR  0140WY371 COLOMBO  0145WY273 JAIPUR  0145WY601 DUBAI  0155WY235 HYDERABAD  0155WY901 SALALAH  0200WY657 BAHRAIN  02004H585 DOHA  0215WY637 ABU DHABI  0220WY241 DELHI  0225TK775 ISTANBUL  0230WY345 ISLAM ABBAD  0230BG022 CHITTAGONG-DACCA  0230WY667 DOHA  0235WY383 MALE  0235WY341 LAHORE  0240PK226 KARACHI  0315ET625 ADDIS ABABA  0450EK867 DUBAI  0500MS931 CAIRO  0510QR1133 DOHA  0515EY385 ABU DHABI  0525FZ042 DUBAI  0555WY433 TEHRAN  0740GF561 BAHRAIN  07454H586 DACCA  0745WY603 DUBAI  0800WY903 SALALAH  0830WY3301 MUKHAIZNA  0830FZ044 DUBAI  0840WY323 KARACHI  0840WY253 MADRAS  0920WY291 CALICUT  0930NL769 LAHORE  0930WY263 LUCKNOW  0935WY815 BANGKOK  0940G9115 SHARJAH  0955WY917 KHASAB  1000WY231 HYDERABAD  1010WY905 SALALAH  1020WY631 ABU DHABI  1020WY203 BOMBAY  1025WY605 DUBAI  1030WY311 CHITTAGONG  1040WY245 DELHI  1040EK863 DUBAI  1045WY717 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM  1045QR1129 DOHA  1100EY383 ABU DHABI  1110IX442 COCHIN  11259W533 COCHIN  1145WY907 SALALAH  1200G9842 RAS AL KHAIMA  1210WY331 KATHMANDU  1235IX350 CALICUT  1255WY925 SALALAH  1325WY3303 MUKHAIZNA  1330WY413 AMMAN  1345WY3921 DUQUM OMAN  1345WY113 FRANKFURT  1355WY101 LONDON HEATHROW  1400WY663 DOHA-BAHRAIN  1400IX818 MANGALORE  1415WY423 BEIRUT  1415BG024 CHITTAGONG  1420WY405 CAIRO  1440WY645 KUWAIT  1440WY927 SALALAH  1510WY913 SALALAH  1525PK292 ISLAM ABBAD  1530FZ046 DUBAI  1630WY675 JEDDAH  1645SV531 MEDINA-JEDDAH  1650QR1127 DOHA  1705WY613 DUBAI  1715WY623 DUBAI  1805WY681 RIYADH  1840WY915 SALALAH  1840WY647 KUWAIT  1850GF565 BAHRAIN  1855WY695 DAMMAM  1930WY653 BAHRAIN  1935WY661 DOHA  1950G9117 SHARJAH  1955TG508 KARACHI-BANGKOK  2005WY923 SALALAH  2030WY611 DUBAI  2045WY825 KUALA LUMPUR  2050WY635 ABU DHABI  2120FZ048 DUBAI  2135KL442 DOHA-AMSTERDAM  22309W529 TRIVANDRUM  2230WY817 BANGKOK  2240WY673 JEDDAH  2240QR1131 DOHA  22406.00E+82 BOMBAY  2245AI908 MADRAS  2300UL206 COLOMBO  2305AI974 DELHI  2310GF567 BAHRAIN  2325QR1135 DOHA  2330LX243 DUBAI-ZURICH  2335EY381 ABU DHABI  2345LH619 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT  2355

A I R L I N E S

—www.met.gov.om

PRAYER TIMINGS

Dhuhr 11.56am

Asr 3.14pm

Maghrib 5.41pm

Isha 6.51pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 4.51am

Sunset 5.36pm

Sunrise (Tomorrow) 6.07am

High tide 7:45am 8:26pm

Low tide 2:12pm 2:18am

BORN today, you are often a bit too wrapped up in what others think — about you, about what goes on in the world and about the world at large. Whether an issue is grand and significant or minute and forgettable, you always want to know what others are saying about it before you formulate your own opinions; this can often prove to be a double-edged sword. On one hand, you are able to fit in nicely at all times because you can mold your views — and perhaps even your character — to suit the situation and the crowd you’re with. On the other hand, you risk losing touch with your core, with your true self and with the currents that control your own individual thoughts and emotions.

You aren’t likely to find a lasting love until relatively late in life, though this certainly doesn’t mean that you’re destined to be alone through your early years. On the contrary, you’re likely to enjoy a great many trysts and affairs, and they are likely to be quite important to you at the time. You take love — and lust — quite seriously indeed.

Also born on this date are: Annette Funicello, actress; Sarah Bernhardt, actress; Catherine Deneuve, actress; Jeff Goldblum, actor; Tony Roberts, actor; Timothy Leary, psychologist; Brian Boitano, Olympic figure skater; Karl Jansky, physicist.

When you get your work done, you’re going to want to treat yourself to something special. The choices are quite intriguing.

VIRGO [AUG. 23-SEPT. 22]

LIBRA [SEPT. 23-OCT. 22] LLLLLLLLLLLLLLL[S[S[S[S[S[[S[S[S[S[S[S[S[S[S[SSSS[SSSSSS

SCORPIO [OCT. 23-NOV. 21] S[

SAGITTARIUS [NOV. 22-DEC. 21] S[[[[[[[[[[[[[

AQUARIUS [JAN. 20-FEB. 18]

You and a friend can put your heads together and come up with a plan that has others excited about what lies ahead.

You may need more rest at this time than you are used to giving yourself. The demands being made of you may be quite unusual.

You may get a sneak peak at something someone else is working on. Is what you see any reason for concern? That’s not likely.

A promise is made that changes everything, but you may not be able to believe, with your whole heart, what is offered.

Any errors you make today are sure to be unintentional. You are acting in good faith, and you want the best for everyone involved.

What happens in and around the home will be more important — and more urgent — than anything that happens at the workplace.

You have an ace in the hole, but you won’t know if it’s a card you can play until those around you lay down their bets.

PISCES [Feb. 19-March 20]

You may be remembering a good time you had with a friend who is currently on the outs for reasons you cannot really understand.

GEMINI [MAY 21-JUNE 20]

CANCER [JUNE 21-JULY 22]

LEO [JULY 23-AUG. 22]

CAPRICORN [DEC. 22-JAN 19]

Y O U R B I R T H D A Y

ARIES [March 21-APRIL 19]

TAURUS [APRIL 20-MAY 20]

Environmental influences may be pushing you in a certain direction at this time. Take care that you’re not giving up what you most value.

Be sure to pass messages along in a timely manner — and be sure, too, that the wording you use accurately conveys the proper tone!

Take care that you don’t get so caught up in another’s process that you forget to do for yourself the things you most need.

Will.i.am enters wearable’s fray

C11

EXTRAW E D N E S DAY, O C TO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4

It’s the brain that chooses high-calorie food for you

CHOOSING what you eat is not simply a mat-ter of taste. As you glance over a menu, your brain is making decisions based more on a food’s calorific content, a study showed. Earli-er studies found that children and adults tend to choose high-calorie food. “Our study sought to determine how people’s awareness of calo-

rific content influenced the brain areas known to be implicated in evaluating food options. We found that brain activity tracked the true calorific content of foods,” said Alain Dagher, neurologist at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill Uni-versity. Participants rated which foods they would like to con-sume and were asked to estimate the calorie content of each food. Surprisingly, they were poor at accurately judging the number of calories in the various foods, but their choices still centred on those foods with higher calorific content.

Heart attacks not connected to family historyYOUR LIFESTYLE choices and environment decide whether you will have a heart attack or not, not your genes, said a study. Re-searchers have found that heart attacks are not as connected to family history and genetics as thought. These findings may help those with a family history of coronary disease and diag-nosed with narrow coronaries realise that heart attacks are not inevitable. “Because coronary disease and heart attacks are so closely related, researchers had assumed they’re the same thing,” said Benjamin Horne from the Intermountain Medical Centre Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, US. “They thought that if someone had coronary disease, they would eventually have a heart attack. This finding may help people realise that, through their choices, they have greater control over whether they ultimately have a heart attack,” Horne added.

Depressed people also believe in brighter futureLIKE MOST adults, even depressed people believe in a brighter future, but for them this optimistic belief may not lead to bet-ter outcomes, found a research. Middle-aged adults who had a history of depression tended to evaluate their past and current lives in more negative terms than did adults without depression, but this negativity did not extend to their beliefs about the future, the findings showed. —IANS

H E A L T H N O T E S

On Wednesday, he unveiled Puls at the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco, a

“smartcuff” (or, as he called it, “a communication and sociali-zation device”) with a SIM card and a radio that is untethered to any phone but can, he said, make calls, send texts, post on Insta-gram, stream music, use Twitter and so on. With it, he pits him-self against his former employer Intel (he was the director of creative innovation from 2011 to 2012), Samsung and Apple.

“I worked with Michael Jack-son and Prince, but that didn’t stop me from making music my way,” he said on the phone from California. “But making music just to sell more music doesn’t interest me anymore. This is where I want to be creative now.”

The cuff is about the same size as the Mica by Intel and the Samsung Gear S, though when asked to describe it, the creator said it was “slightly smaller than the Chanel Maltese cuff,” which may give you an idea of where his ambitions lie. Indeed, it will come in both a coloured plastic version, which has a pretty Star Trek look, and a “gold and dia-mond” version.

Like the Intel and Samsung cuffs, Puls has a curved screen, and like Intel’s offering, it is not dependent on any other device. It will cost “less than a smartphone” — presumably, that’s the plastic version, not the diamond one — though Will.i.am declined to give an exact price. The aim is to have it in stores like AT&T and select fashion retailers by the holidays.

Will.i.am has been developing Puls for the last two and a half years via his company i.am+. He now has 50 employees, in-cluding about 30 engineers. He declined to specify how much he has invested in the project, other than to say it was his “big-gest investment by far, ever.” (To put this in context: He was a founder of Beats by Dre, the audio technology giant.) His partners include AT&T in the United States and O2 in Britain, as well as Salesforce.

As to why he wanted to embark on this new stage, he said, “It’s a

calling and an obligation.” The calling part has to do, he said, with the fact that, “In my world, tech companies come to celebri-ties and ask them to endorse a product, and pay a lot of money for that, but you don’t own any equity in the actual good.”

“I didn’t want to play that game anymore,” he said.

As for the obligation: “For three years, I’ve been going around to inner cities saying computer science is the way out. But people from the hood have never made platforms and oper-ating systems. This shows them someone has. It gives them a model.” Will.i.am grew up in the hardscrabble Los Angeles neigh-bourhood of Boyle Heights.

He said he was not concerned about being taken seriously by Silicon Valley. “It’s not about me being a rock star,” he said. “The device is the rock star.”

Certainly, he had the best an-swer I’ve yet heard as to why the wrist is the first piece of the body to be colonised by technology. “From Dick Tracy to Inspector Gadget to Star Wars, we’ve been told for years that that’s where it is supposed to be,” he said. “It’s pop-culture conditioning.”

Besides, he pointed out, he was not stopping at the wrist. He is also making a so-called ecosys-tem of wearables, including a backpack for music streaming, a jacket that can charge the cuff (its battery life is seven to eight hours) and shoe insoles that, in conjunction with the cuff, can be used to measure fitness.

“I am continuing the conversa-tion,” he said in our phone call — though at that point, just before he hung up to go onstage, he was talking metaphorically. – Vanessa

Friedman/The New York Times News Service

The Black Eyed Peas

frontman, producer

and impresario, has

a new band — it

goes on your wrist

C12

EXTRAW E D N E S DAY, O CTO B E R 2 2 , 2 0 14

Hundreds of train carriages dot the landscape, their locomotives over-grown with shrubs

and trees. Green paint peels off the rusting metal frames, the bricks of the buildings that used to shelter them crumbling. Shattered roof tiles now cover its once humming factory floor.

The train station at Rayak was once home to the Arab world’s first rail line and a flourishing train fac-tory. The abandoned site remains a symbol of Lebanon’s illustrious railway history, and a reminder of its present.

The first train from Beirut to Damascus, in 1895, took nine hours to cover the 90 miles. A line to Aleppo was finished in 1909. Track was added throughout the 20th century, linking Beirut to Saudi Arabia through the Hijaz line and Istanbul through Aleppo. The allied forces added a line link-ing Haifa, Beirut and Tripoli dur-ing the Second World War. But fol-lowing the outbreak of Lebanon’s civil war in 1975 the railways were thrown into disarray, and passen-

ger services came to a complete standstill two years later.

Older Lebanese are nostalgic for the days when one could travel all the way to Paris by rail. Hay-ssam Bourji, 60, still remembers the sound of the trains passing by. “I used to ride the trains to Syria and back, just for fun. I would sit on top of the carriage,” he says. He has come to Rayak to show his two grandsons that a railway used to exist in Lebanon.

Visiting the station has only been possible since 2005; un-der the Syrian occupation it was used as a military base. The most valuable equipment was transferred to the Syrian railway museum at Qadam, and much of it was destroyed when the depot was bombed during the Syrian conflict.

Lebanon hasn’t seen a train on its tracks since the last service, shuttling cement to the capital, ceased to run in 1997. Yet the Train and Public Transport min-istry still employs 370 people. More than 120 are bus drivers, but many of the remainder fill their days guarding various abandoned

sites. Over time, development has encroached on the 90,000 hectares the ministry owns, with construction sites and billboards springing up on top of the railway all down the coast.

In a bid to supplement its $808 million budget, the ministry has also sold trains for scrap and is-sued licences for the private use of stations. Several have been turned into bars. Train station, a pop-up nightclub which was last sum-mer’s biggest opening in Beirut, saw the old Mar Mikhael station converted into an outdoor bar, complete with DJ spinning tunes from a locomotive.

Such modern use horrifies Eli-as Maalouf, the founder of Train Train, an NGO which aims to revive the crumbling rail network. “They welded projectors and fans on to the trains. It’s an insult to our herit-age!” he exclaims. “That locomotive is one of five left in the world.”

Maalouf has been trying to re-launch the line between the coast cities of Byblos and Batroun, to show the feasibility of having trains running again. “We need a success story,” he says. The pro-

ject, with a budget of $695 mil-lion, should take only a matter of months to complete, but Maalouf is still waiting for the green light from the Lebanese government.

Reviving the train line would relieve Lebanon’s heavily congest-ed roads; the country’s very limit-ed forms of public transport force Lebanese to rely largely on their own vehicles, private minivans and shared taxis to get around.

The EU’s European Investment Bank is funding a feasibility study into re-opening the Beirut-Tripoli line, the results of which should be published in 2016.

The dream is not a new one; every few years an initiative pops up. In 2002, a joint Syrian-Leba-nese initiative went as far as buy-ing new rails. As with previous ef-forts, the plan failed due to a lack of funding and political wrangling, and the rails lie unused in storage.

Yet Maalouf and other train en-thusiast still believe there’s a fu-ture for rail in Lebanon. “We have to show people that if we had rail-ways 120 years ago, we can have them again now,” he says.— Fernande van Tets/The Independent

Lebanon hasn’t seen a train on its tracks since the last service,shuttling cement to the capital, ceased to run in 1997

Sonakshi set to make movies with brothers

ACTRESS Sonakshi Sinha is ready to produce films with her older twin brothers Luv and Kussh. She earlier said she will directly or indirectly be a part of the family produc-tion house and now Kussh has shared the name of the company. “Sonakshi, Luv and I are happy to announce the formation of our production company — Kratos Entertainment,” he tweeted on Tuesday.With this decision, Sonak-shi joins the list of young actors-cum producers like Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor. Her forthcoming acting pro-jects are Action Jackson, Tevar and Lingaa.

No arty film with Salman, says Govinda

ACTOR Govinda refused to do a film, the remake of superhit Marathi movie Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho, offered by friend Sal-man Khan. He says he isn’t interested in doing “arty film” with the superstar. The Haseena Maan Jaaye-gi star said that Salman is a “dear friend” and when the superstar approached him with the script, he was “not excited” about it. “I didn’t like it. Later, Salman said he will make a few changes in the script and came to me again with it, but again it didn’t interest me. I thought it’s a very arty film and I don’t want to do an arty film at least with Salman Khan.” Talking about his bonding with Salman, he said: “We had a great time shooting together for Partner. We are almost the same.”

Shabana Azmi contemplates short haircut

IT SEEMS like veteran actress Shabana Azmi, who once went bald for Deepa Mehta’s Water, is toying with the idea of cutting her hair short again. And she’s turned to her Twitter fans for suggestions! “Should I cut my hair short again,” the 64-year-old tweeted on Monday. The acclaimed actress and social activist also posted a photograph of herself sporting short locks, to help her fans decide which style suits her best.

Policeman rescues Ashish Vidyarthi from drowning ACTOR Ashish Vid-yarthi suffered a mishap on the sets of his film Bollywood Diary when he nearly drowned in the river before being rescued by a policeman. The incident occurred when the 52-year-old actor was doing a scene in river Shivnath and the current swept Vidyarthi and he started drown-ing. On seeing the actor’s plight, constable Vikash Singh, who was present on the site, jumped into the river and pulled Vidyarthi out. —IANS

BOLLYWOODALL ABOARDLEBANON EXPRESS

Reviving the train line would relieve Lebanon’s heavily congested roads; the country’s very limited forms of public transport force Lebanese to rely largely on their own vehicles, private minivans and shared taxis to get around

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

CONNECT H E D A I LY G U I D E

D

D4 VACANCY CARGO D7

W E D N E S D AY, O C T O B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4

RENT D2

DAILY GUIDE Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

100+140+180+200 sq mtrs for rent in

Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181

2 BHK beautiful flat with split AC

available for rent at Qurum near PDO

Gate No-2. Contact 94057023

Excellent flat for rent in Ruwi,

Mumtaz Area and Al-Hail South.

Contact 98051159

Flat for rent in al Amerat.

Contact 99209264

Flat in Bousher with 3 rooms, living

room RO 400 net, house in Sadab

with 3 room living room

RO 250. Contact 99131232

1,2,3 BHK Flats & Villas.

Contact 97799175

Villas for rent. Contact 97799175

Room Al Khuwair RO 110/-.

Contact 99799175

2 BHK with AC Mumtaz Area

RO 325/- Contact 92144045

2 BHK without AC Azaiba RO 300/-.

Contact 92144045

3 BHK with AC Al Khuwair

RO 500/-. Contact 92144045

2 BHK Wadi Kabir RO 300/-.

Contact 92144045

1 BHK Darsait RO 225/-. Contact

92144045

2 BHK with AC Darsait RO 325/-.

Contact 92144045

Studio Apartment Madinat Qaboos,

RO 235 including W+ E, 4 BHK apart-

ment in Wattayah, RO 450. Villas for

rent. Contact 95178930

2 BHK in Ghubra with A/C, RO 325/-.

Contact 97799175

Villa for family in Qurum near

beach. Friendly and clean neighbor-

hood RO.600/-. 3 Bedrooms, 2 sitting

rooms, dining room, backyard &

shaded car parking. Close to Qurum

Park, fun zone center, cafes and nice

restaurants. Contact - 96185731

FOR RENT, flat in new building near

wadi adai flyover. 1BHK flat , two

toilets, split unit a/c in both rooms.

Rent R.O. 180/= . Contact: 99360998.

Bachelor villa at Al Ansab.

Contact 98458542

For rent 1 BHK at Al Khodh

commercial area. Contact 99332297,

99224748

Flat for rent 2 BHK split A/C near

Oman House Muttrah. Contact

97007934 / 92629232

4 Bedroom flat in Ruwi, 400 Riyals.

And shop for Rent in Ruwi,

300 Riyals. Contact 99009854

Showroom with Mezzanine Floor,

area approx. 310 SQM at Qurum

Prime location for immediate lease.

Ideal for exotic jewellery etc.

Contact 24714625 / 93231434

2 BHK with 3 bathrooms oppo-

site Muscat Pharmacy. Contact

99885169, 99357660

D2 W E D N E S D AY, O C T O B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4

Brand new studio flat in Al Hail with

utilities. Contact 92817777

For rent flat single room near Indian

School, bathroom, living room in

Wadi Kabir. Contact 99446534

Rooms available near Qurum Park

with separate bathroom for family

and bachelor. Contact 99664703

Warehouse space for rent about

2000 mtr available at Al Khuwair

area from November 2014.

Contact 91408803.

Email : yahtas.k@hotmail.com

1 BHK flat in Wadi Kabir.

Contact 99277787

For rent flat and showroom,

Al Azaiba, Ghala, Ghubrah, al

Khuwair-33 and Mabelah. Contact

93651633, 24485240, 24485241

Flat in Amerat, 4 rooms, 3 bathroom

with accessories.

Contact 95522405

Al Khuwair office space 70 SQM.

Contact 99024730

2 BHK Flat in Alkhuwair.

Contact 99792181

2 BHK Flat in Mumtaz Area.

Contact 99792181

2 BHK Flat in Rex Road.

Contact 99792181

2 BHK Flat in Hamriya.

Contact 99792181

2 BHK Flat in Ruwi. Contact

99792181

1 BHK Flat in Ghobra. Contact

99792181

Room for rent in Ruwi.

Contact 95372192

Large flat of 2 bedrooms, hall & 3

bathrooms with split A/C’s in Al

Ghobra North 18 Nov Street RO.360.

Contact - 93191111

Flat in Bausher for rent. Well

maintained, 2 bedroom, 3 bathroom,

sitting room with split AC.

Contact 99348493, 99337587,

93200424

8 Rooms villa in Al Khuwair for rent

opp. Rawasco, way 4104, villa 341.

Contact - 99361589

Villa for rent North Al Hail 3 rooms,

2 toilet, A/C 4 & kitchen. RO 350/-.

Contact 92116353 / 99037989

Building with four flats near Pizza

Hut Mawaleh. Contact 99044164

1,000 sq mtrs industrial land in

Misfah Industrial area near to Khan-

co. OMR 1,500 Monthly. Electricity

and Boundary wall will be provided.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

2 floor building, each floor has 4

apartment with 3 rooms, 2 bath-

rooms, 5 shops, 4 stores & 400 me-

ter underground space suitable for

sport halls. Location Al Mabella 8,

behind Gulf College.

Contact 99192999

1 & 2 bedroom flats available for

rent at Ghubrah near Grand Mall,

close to Atlas Hospital next to

Diwan’s Office. Contact 24562526 ,

99833747

Land and Shops in Rusayl.

Contact 99323957, 95490842,

fax : 24452534

Flat for rent in Wadi Kabir.

Contact 99383569

Office space available for rent near

MSQ. Contact 92888063

BHK Flat at Old Muscat.

Contact: 91393005

1 BHK Wadi Kabir. Contact

99024730

1&2 BHK Darsait. Contact 99024730

Flat for rent in Mumtaz.

Contact 99331947, 98934500

Showroom & store at Honda Road.

Contact 98087644

Flat for rent opposite Gharnata

Shoes, Ruwi. Contact 99358331,

99218484

Flat one bedroom in Wadi Kabir

with split AC. Contact 99313274

1 BHK flat in Wadi Kabir. RO 215/-.

Contact 99358589

2 BHK flat - near Kuwaiti Mosque,

Wadi Kabir. Contact 24816774 /

97608564

Small house for rent at Ghubrah.

Contact 95032152

For rent one room with kitchen, bath,

small hall in Sidab.

Contact 93233440

3 BHK Villa, 2 hall, 3 toilets, AC inde-

pendent. RO 650/-. in South Ghubra.

Contact 92144045

1 BHK flat near Star Cinema, Ruwi.

RO 240/-. Contact 97079146 /

95570288

5 Bedroom Villas at Al Ansab

(Near express highway).

Contact 99199365

Flats in Darsait, 2 and 3 rooms,

price RO 250, RO 300. Contact

99357586, 97500025, 97884787

Small office for rent in Azaiba North.

Contact 92294409

We have 1 BHK Ghubrah, 2 BHK

Ruwi, Mumtaz, Rex Road and Darsait,

2 BHK in Ghala, 1 BHK in Ghala, 2

BHK full furnished flat in Ghala, 1

BHK & 2 BHK offices in Ghala and full

furnished offices in Ghala, 20 SQM,

25 SQM, 5 BHK villa in Ghubrah,

2 BHK flat in Qurum.

Contact 93782735 / 99208033

Deluxe 3 BHK & Villa at Al Ansab.

Contact 98458542

Flats Shops Basement location Ruwi

MBD area, Honda road Mumtaz area.

Contact 97331431 / 92433127

3 BHK Flat Ghubra close to ISG Way

4041, Building 4390.

Contact 99319880

I BHK Flat Wadi Kabir. RO 180/-.

Contact 99376454

Flat for rent in Ruwi, Mumtaz

Area and Al-Hail South. Contact

91409778

Villa for rent in Muscat 6 rooms.

Contact 96116767

Furnished / unfurnished apart-

ments available for rent on long

term /short term basis, near Vacha’s

hypermarket in Ghala. Contact :

97677211

3BHK flat Ghubra close to ISG Way

4041, Building 4390.

Contact 99319880

2 Bedrooms surface house, 1 Fam-

ily Hall, 1 Bathroom, kitchen, full

furnished. For rent (Al Khuwair 33)

Contact: 99315515

2 BR, 2 toilets, kitchen at

Al Mawaleh. Contact 99444786 /

99747560

2 BHK with A/Cs Mutrah behind

Oman house. Contact 99896838

3 rooms, 3 bath & Kitchen Oman

House Muttrah. Contact 99319149

5 Rooms, main living room + Wom-

en living room+2 halls, 6 toilets,

kitchen in Azaiba near Al Fair

800 RO. Contact 99888873

For rent Flat 2 bedroom attach

bathroom opp Ruwi police station

Ruwi. Contact 99311209/ 99013580

DAILY GUIDEW E D N E S D AY, O C T O B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4 D3

AVAILABLE NOTICE

Established Restaurant for rent

with sponsorship. Cell # 97628242

Party & Wedding equipment rent-

als. Full line, from Tables, Linen

& Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers,

Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chaf-

ing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large

Sound Systems and spectacular

lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for

Catering and

Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound &

Light. www.tunesoman.com,

E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

Running Optical Shop for sale with-

out Opticals, good located in

Al Khoudh – 6. Contact 98545994

1100 SQM of Industrial Shed with

built-in Offices in Rusayl Industrial

Estate for immediate lease.

Contact 99263196 /

Email: abcon@omantel.net.om

Shop for sale behind ROP building.

Honda Road, Ruwi.

Contact 92130636

Electrical & Building Material Shop

in Muscat for sale.

Contact 95330905

For sale 8000 GLO Water Tanker

new. Contact 92906773

A purpose built, profitable restau-

rant at a prime location in Mabellah

Industrial Area offering Pakistani

cuisine since 2+ years is avail-

able for immediate sale. Interested

parties may contact Faisal Khan at

mobile : +968-99059013 for more

details and site visit.

Machines for sale : Volvo drum

truck 16 ton model : 2005 & 25 ton

AWM Crane model : 2008.

Contact 99207592 & 99882570.

Fax : 24593333

Lady Beauty saloon. Contact

97786792, 96644372

Shop for sale in Seeb near Bank

Muscat. Contact 99828343

Twin villa for sale at Khuwair 33.

Both for 185 thousand, negotiable.

Tel: 99414767

Autoclave (Class B), Examination

coaches (Medical Clinic), Split A/Cs,

Chairs etc. for sale. # 95293535

Vegetable shop for sale in Wadi

kabir, Cont : 92786449

Municipality approved restaurant

for sale or lease with few equip-

ment’s opposite to Sohar university

at main road. Pls call 99412020

Jotun Paint Shop Building Materials

for sale at honda Road. #99421228

If you have any properties /

Inquiries. Contact us

gk@goldenkeyreal-estate.com .

Tel 24505072/ 91155779

Fax 24507045

Restaurant for sale. Contact

95901870

Flats For Sale in Boushar: OMR

35 Thousand 1 bedroom. OMR 45

Thousand 2 bedroom. Monthly

income 1 bedroom OMR 270 and 2

bedroom OMR 350. Tel: 99333479 or

95215360

New Villas in (Al Ghobra/ Al Khoudh

/ Al Mabella). Contact 24505072/

91155779 Fax 24507045

Logistic Company with new equip-

ments, contracts sale. Contact

99438523 / 94252527

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

FOR RENT

BUYING/SELLING

ACC. AVAILABLE

ACC. AVAILABLE

CHANGE OF NAMELOST

Restaurant in a running and excellent

condition, ample parking space with a

capacity of 55 seating and a party hall

for sale. Contact - 99343735

We are dealing with sale of all beauty

salon equipments, furnitures & cos-

metics. # 942 888 61 / 942 888 63

Semi furnished room with Separate

T&B Split AC Wifi pref Filipino or non

cooking bachelor lady in Boushar

near Rehab Hotel RO.145/mo incl

W&E. Contact 99058225

Fully furnished bathroom attached

room in Darsait, sharing kitchen

RO 170/-. Contact 94052928

Furnished single / sharing room

for Executive Bachelor at Rex Road.

Contact 92873832

Full furnished room available in

Al Amerat for lady or couple.

Contact 95628927

Independent rooms in Qurum / Hail.

Contact 95529970

Room with attached bath and

Kitchen in Ghala near Galfar office

for family or executives.

Contact 99743709

Sharing accommodation in W/K for

a family. Contact 97167857

Sharing accommodation for a fam-

ily in W/K. Contact 97167857

Fully furnished room with separate

toilet, equipped kitchen and big

terrace available for executive

bachelor from Nov.1s tin N. Gubrah.

Contact-- 95450250

Furnished single room with

bathroom, Al Khuwair area only for

ladies. Contact 96059431

Room for rent in Al Khuwair near Ibis

Hotel. RO 110. Contact 95124975

Sharing accommodation in Wadi

Kabir, vegetarian family / bachelor.

Contact 99877845

Looking for purchase of Used Portable Compressor (350 CFM,

7 Bar Pressure) powered with Diesel

run Generator. Kindly contact :

99014686 or

operation@khancogroup.com

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00

noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space

availability

Expat leaving Oman has house

hold items and furniture for sale.

Contact 96964756.

M.V. FOR SALE

Toyota Yaris auto 2009, 142k,

R.O 2500. Contact 93289652

Toyota Innova, 2010 model, manual

gear. Contact +96892187371

Mitsubishi Canter 2006 (3 Ton),

double cabin with 1.5 Ton (Hiab),

Toyota Hilux pickup 2007, double

cabin with PDO roll bar.

Contact 92824289, 99229740

Ford focus full options, 2010, 8100

kms, expat lady driven, excellent

condition and all tyres changed

recently for immediate sale. Fixed

price OMR 3000. Contact 99421138

PROTON GEN 2 FOR SALE: Manual

Gear. Good condition. Single owner.

Silver colour. 1st registered August

2009. Full insurance till August

2015. Price OMR 1,680.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Mitsubishi EX GT with spoiler 2009

66000 km dealer maintained.

Contact 92398644

For sale – Camry 2011, Mazda 6

2006, Lancer 2010, Civic 1996.

Contact 96408433/ 93806625

2010 Model, APV Suzuki for sale.

Contact 93953237

Flats, shops basements, location,

Ruwi MBD area, Honda road, Qurum.

Contact 96942749 / 97293708

Big Villa at Bowshar 8 rooms,

8 bathrooms, kitchen, maid room &

Majlis. Contact 91183117

I, Allaudeen Shahul Hameed (name

exactly as in present passport) son of

Mohamed Gani Shahul Hameed pres-

ently residing in Oman P.B. No 657, P.C.

No 611, Sultanate of Oman and having

permanent address in India (as per

present passport), holder of Indian

Passport No. J3757408 date of issue

27.09.2010 place of issue Muscat

hereby solemnly affirm and declare

that Allaudeen Gulsam Beevi (name

of my wife appearing as my passport)

and the name of my wife Kulsam

Bevee Allaudeen appearing as per

her Indian Passport No. K4249985

are the same individuals and not two

different individuals.

I, Mr. Akshay Rajan Pawar (holder

of Indian Passport No. G2305207)

s/o Mr. Rajan having permanent

residence in 103, Dattachaya, Juvekar

Marg, Friends Colony Bhandup (E) 42,

Mumbai- 42 (complete postal address

in India) and presently residing in

Way No 1922, Bld No 1732, Flat no 23,

Darsait, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

(complete postal address in Oman)

intend to marry Ms Urmila Mandar

Kawade (holder of Indian Passport

bearing No. F 3045227) d/o Mr. Man-

dar Daji Kawade in Embassy of India,

Muscat. I swear that I am marrying

her at my own free will AND not under

any duress and intimidation. Any

objection towards this marriage may

please be communicated to Embassy

of India, Muscat, Diplomatic Quarters,

Al Khuwair, P.B. No 1727, Postal Code

112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman within

30 (thirty) days of publication of this

newspaper advertisement.

Barun Kumar has lost Bangladeshi

Passport No. A0346317. Finder

please handover to ROP

Emis Nuraeni Bt Nurwahid Rakim

has lost Indonesian Passport No.

AS396339. Finder please handover

to ROP

Mohammad Joynal Abedin has

lost Bangladeshi Passport No.

AC5095694. Finder please handover

to ROP

Sayd Noran Shah Said has lost

Pakistani Passport No. AX5144712.

Finder please handover to ROP

Single room + bath for bachelor or

family at Darsait. Contact 92116197

1 BR accommodation available

at Rex road, suitable for bachelors.

Contact 99889590

Executive room attached bath,

Mumtaz Area. Contact 93103337

Rooms with separate toilets near

Sana, Pencil Building and Kuwaiti

Masjid at Wadi Kabir.

Contact 94012930

One bedroom, hall, toilet, kitchen

available for South Indian family in

Al Ghubrah (near Lake Park).

Contact 99209160

DAILY GUIDED4 W E D N E S D AY, O C T O B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4

DAILY GUIDE

DOMESTIC HELP

DRIVER

EDUCATION

ADMIN

BEAUTY

SKILLED / UN SKILLED

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT

MEDICAL

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANTEDSIT. WANTED

Required a cook. Contact 99209264

Housemaid require for an Indian

family at Ghubrah (full time stay).

Contact 98622766

We need helper for spare parts

shop in Mabelah, salary RO 120/-,

accommodation, visa every two

years, air ticket to and back home.

Contact 99157377 /

Email : rublesn@gmail.com

Indian Muslim Cook for Omani

family. Contact 95555426

ADMIN/HR

ADMIN/HR

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

DRAUGHTSMAN

DESIGNER

DRIVER

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

Draughtsman, 2D & 3D (DCSE) with

2 years experience for any vacancy.

Contact 91781227

Autocad d man experienced (arch /

str) revit, 3dmax, Photoshop.

Contact : 93837973

Architectural & Structural

Draughtsman in Oman,

4 years experience.

Contact 95725787

AutoCAD Draughtsman looking for

suitable placement.

Contact 94196735

ENGINEERS/TECH..

ENGINEERS/TECH..

Light driver – urgently require

Driver with salesman, visa required.

Contact 91291108

Experienced driver with car is look-

ing for a job. Contact 92481082

Indian driver, 2 years experience

seeking placement.

Contact 92594539

Experienced light driver available.

Contact 99775728

Indian L/D. Driver, 2 years exp.

Contact 98783139

Experienced Light Driver available.

Contact 95076476

Indian male (Keralite), 30 years

having 5 years Gulf experience look-

ing for driving suitable job.

Contact 96501773, 93220619

Light driver urgently looking for

driver with office boy job, family,

personal driver. NOC ready. Visa

required. Contact 91291108

Bangladeshi male having 2 yrs exp

in Light Vehicle Driving.

Contact 98487511

Light driver with 1 yr experience

seeks suitable placement.

Contact 96342684

2 yrs experience. Release available

& seeking job in any company for

light driver. Contact 93966254 /

95151738

Crane Operator, 1 yr exp in

India. Now on visit visa. Contact

91484580, 95091177.

Email – arunchettayies@gmail.com

Required Indian driver. Contact

99209264

Required light duty driver for a

construction company. Contact

99760596 / npgpartner@gmail.com

Required Indian light driver. Salary

RO 175 + Accommodation.

Contact 99454425

A leading Business Group in Oman urgently require a driver (Light

Commercial Vehicle) to be based at

their Head Office in Muscat.

Contact 99428552

Wanted driver. Contact 97469823

Risk & Compliance Manager with

10 years experience in International

Bank, currently in Muscat looking for

suitable opportunity.

Contact 91252808.

Email : sudigowda@gmail.com

Sr. Accountant M.Com (Finance), 14

years experience (1 year in Oman)

in finance & Accts. NOC available im-

mediate joining. Contact 92404608.

Email : jin_75@rediffmail.com

Indian Male: B.COM, 4 years experi-

ence in Accounts, in Manufactur-

ing Co Oman, Working Knowledge

With Tally ERP- With Oman valid

D/L,Presently working in Muscat

NOC Available Looking for Suitable

position in Reputed Company,

Contact; 95745287 and Email:

raiforeveryone@rediffmail.com

Indian male, MBA Finance, 6 plus

years experience in Accounting and

Finance (specialized in Oil & Gas),

inclusive of 2 years in Oman. Now on

visit visa. Contact 94327063.

Email : shabab016@yahoo.com

Fresh Graduate Accountant from

Majan College, B.Sc in BA and Ac-

counting looking for a suitable job.

Contact 96132149

Senior Position for CA with 24 years

of experience: Managing Finance, Ac-

counts, Audit, Bank Loans, Budgeting,

Business planning, Strategy, Opera-

tions management of SAOG, group of

companies. Mobile 91799262

Indian male, 24 yrs with 3 yrs ac-

counting exp. in Oman, 2 yrs in con-

struction & block factory in accounts,

with valid Oman D/L, seeks suitable

placement. Also interested working in

sales or purchase. Contact 96059201

Indian male, 20 years of experi-

ence in Accounts looking for suitable

post, having GCC license. Contact

97100546, +91- 9744370818

M.Com, MBA having 7+ yrs of experi-

ence in Accounts looking for suitable

change. NOC available. #91006072

Srilankan male, 29 yrs, Graduate

in B.Com, 8 yrs experience in Qatar

working knowledge with Tally, MS

Office, Chartered Accounts, Auditing

seeking suitable placement. Contact

93351256 / 95440714. Email:

buddikasamarasinghe14@gmail.com

Chartered Accountant with 10 yrs

of Gulf & MNC experience, in depth

knowledge in Financial statements

including consolidation, treasury, MIS,

AR/AP, Insurance, Taxation, Payroll

etc looking for Senior position in

finance, NOC available.

Email : prds1406@gmail.com.

Contact : 96293649

Indian male, MBA Finance, HR having

7 years experience in Insurance, Ac-

counts, Banking looking for a suitable

position. Contact 99070238.

Email : irfan.naser8@gmail.com

32 years Pakistani MBA (Manage-

ment and Finance) from a reputed UK

University with 5+ years experience

in Accounts and Managerial positions

(in UK) seeks a suitable job.

Contact 95658916

UK qualified, MBA finance with

6 years experience in Accounts &

Finance up to finalization. D/L and

NOC available. Contact 91266101

Accountant 10 years Oman exp,

M.Com, upto finalization available for

part time works, timing 2 pm to 6 pm.

Contact 96247295

Part Time Accounting, Accounts

Finalization, Internal Audit, Onsite

Tally Training, Onsite Training for

Accountants, Inventory Management,

MIS Reports, Feasibility Study and

Project Reports. Contact : 96975454,

email : ibfcoman@hotmail.com

Part time Accountant with 19 yrs

exp in Accounting Management.

Contact 95857199

MBA Finance, Indian female, 2 years

of Accounting experience. Seeking

suitable placement. GSM: 91586771

Email: jibzv@yahoo.co.in ,

Indian Male, 34, B.Com & CA inter-

mediate, over 14 years experience

(7 years in Oman). Expertise, Ac-

counts finalizations, MIS, Budgeting

and Audit functions with Oman D/L.

NOC available looking for suitable

Accounts Managerial Positions.

Contact 99169501

Required female accountant postgraduate in commerce

email: mailcv7@gmail.com

Leading construction company requires document controller with

4-6 yrs experience. Send your CV :

hrmuscat.2014@hotmail.com

SALES / MARKETING

SALES / MARKETING

Sr. Procurement and logistics Ex-ecutive with 8 years experience (in

middle east), in Oil and gas as well as

Industrial projects and an overall 16

years of total job experience together

in India and Qatar is on the lookout

for a suitable placement. Valid GCC

driving license. Contact: 91750084

Require Salesman for gift shop with

release letter. Mail CV & ID copy to

desertprincellc@yahoo.com

Required outdoor salesman with

D/L. email: mailcv7@gmail.com

Best Lube Trading LLC Oil Trading Co have situation vacant for Sales Executive & Accountant/ Store Keeper position one number. The de-

sire candidate should have Oman D/L

with Oman experience and required

on urgent basis for Oil company.

Please post CVs on

mushtaq@bestlubes.com.

Contact 00968-24467177

Required Salesman for household

and Industrial Chemical Manufactur-

ing & Trading Company with mini-

mum 5 years experience and valid

Omani Driving License. Apply with

full details to fax : 24597945

scorpion@alhosnigroup.com

Work on very good commission basis in Sales in Muscat & Salalah

only for expats. Contact 92760281

Salesman cum Merchandiser urgently required for a reputed FMCG

Company engaged in manufacturing

and trading in Oman. Candidate must

have minimum 4-5 years experi-

ence in the similar field and valid

Omani Driving license. Interested

candidates may send in their CV to

sunnex3@gmail.com

WANTED a full time lady recep-tionist with good communication

skills in English, pleasant, joyful and

understanding personality.

Preferably Omani nationals

experienced in accounting.

Email- info@alharubmedical.com

Omani required for PRO, Sales & debt collector. Please call

99855604 / 99855784

Maintenance services company

with operations across GCC require

Admin/Document Control assistant

for Oman office Muscat based. Fluent

in English. Graduate in Business

3 years experience preferably in

engineering/mechanical services

environment and Familiar with ISO

9001 protocols. Please apply with

full CV to r.halili@pretect.com

Indian female, 22 years, B.Com

seeks suitable placement currently

on visit visa. Contact 94514154

Omani female, 3 yrs exp in Ac-

counts & 7 months exp in shipping,

3 yrs exp in Secretary job, knowl-

edge in Computer with Oman D/L.

Contact 94252699

Over 15 years Oman experienced

Indian female Manager/Accounts

and Admn/Secretary.

Contact 96025193

Accountant 8 years experience in

Oman seeking prime job.

Contact 99867456

MBA Finance with experience of 6

years in Accounts and Finance. NOC

available. Contact 91157870

Indian female Senior Accountant

with 10 years experience in Ac-

counts, Finance, Audit & Tax Man-

agement. Contact 96263157

Indian female, 23, M.Com with 2.5

yrs experience in back office & ac-

counts seeks for suitable placement.

Contact 95995743 / 95995735

Email : deepthi.prasannan23@

rediffmail.com.

Indian male age 30 having

10 yrs experience in Finance &

Accounts seeking suitable place-

ment. mob.93675399

CFA, MBA (Finance), 7 yrs in cor-

porate finance & accounting with

Thomson Reuters, Accenture & OPL.

Financial statement preparation,

forecasting, budgeting, SAP & US-

GAAP. Contact 96545382,

daisonpjacob@gmail.com

Experienced Indian or Nepali beau-tician, over 30 yrs.

Contact 99467033 / 91162480

Fire and Safety Company required

certified, 1. Electrician for fire con-

trol panel and fire fighting system. 2.Pipe fitter for fire fighting system

and gas installation. Oman experi-

ence with NOC and Driving license

preferable. Send CV with expected

salary to joboman1014@gmail.com

Required experienced part time Quantity Surveyors (Civil & MEP)

who can work from their home for

Consultancy Office. Send CV to

mmali_03@yahoo.com.

Contact : 93457995

Mechanical Engineer with min

(2 yrs) experience in HVAC & female

Office Secretary with Computer

Knowledge, may apply with details

to nationalhvac.mep@gmail.com,

Fax : 24799442

Urgently required Lab Techni-cian either Locum (3 months) or

permanent for a hospital in Muscat.

wanted the following : Gynecologist

(female), Embryologist (Muslim),

Nephrologists, Nursing Superin-

tendant (female), Nurse (female with

MOH license), Dialysis Nurses,

all other medical specialist /

consultants. Email CV :

vacancyahh@gmail.com

Required Pharmacist and female G.P for a new clinic in Salalah.

Contact 97413418, 93129219. Email :

careclinicsalalah@gmail.com

Wanted Gynecologist & Dentist (male or female) with MOH license

of 3 years experience for reputed

medical centre in Seeb.

Email : rttfravi@yahoo.com,

hr_almanasar@yahoo.com.

Contact 99062817/ 91274373

Gyecology specialist or junior

specialist wanted to work at private

clinic with good payment.

Contact 94220240

MOH Licensed Staff Nurse required

urgently for Al Isaaf Medical Com-

plex, Salalah. Contact 92728472,

99692465.

Email : alisafmedical@yahoo.com

Required Dentist. Call: 91290034

Email: dentaclinc04@gmail.com

Indian male MBA 32 yrs having 10

yrs of exp seeking suitable place-

ment in Admin/ HR/ Operations/

Coordination/ Logistics etc.

Holding valid Oman D/L

Contact - 99054786

Indian male, MBA 23 years having

1 year of exp seeking suitable place-

ment in Admin/ HR/ Marketing/ Co-

ordinator/ Logistic etc. #97014369.

Email : riyasrayhan@gmail.com

Young Omani male have experience

10 years as P.R.O , CLERK, helper

supervisor, admin supervisor, H.R

Manager have diploma in H.S.E , IT ,

and P.D.O license looking for H.R po-

sition or P.R.O part time or full time.

Contact 95933288

MBA, 30 yrs male, Indian fresher

seeks suitable post in HR, Supervi-

sor, Admin. Contact 96329315

3 years experience in Administra-

tion, Sales/Marketing Manager hav-

ing Omani Driving License.

Contact 96041816

Required Teachers for English,

Physics & Art. Only eligible candi-

date with the required experience

and qualification may apply within

a week’s time at

applyigcse@gmail.com

Required experienced Montessori Teacher, qualification : B.A; B.Ed or

Montessori. Call 24705605

from 8 am to 1 pm

Senior Interior Designer having

15 years Gulf experience in office,

hospitality & showroom design

seeking suitable placement.

Contact 94181178

A well reputed Fire Fighting Engi-

neering Company urgently requires Carpenters & Fire Door experi-enced carpenters. Contact 92888361.

Email : hraset2012@gmail.com

Required experienced Civil Fore-man / Charge hand with driving

license. Contact 99760596 /

npgpartner@gmail.com

Required urgent for Qatar Op-erators, Dumper (Basic QR 1600), Roller (Basic QR 1600), Excavator (Basic QR 1800), Grader (QR 1800 ),

Dozer (QR 1800 -2000) + Free Food

+ Accommodation + Joining Ticket,

Send CV to - oa@skcmanagement.

com / vhabbas@gmail.com / 0091

9650112346 OR 00968 99592551

Required Tailor. Contact 96964767

Light Driver, looking for job.

Contact 96930922

Light driver seeking job.

Contact 96771598

Civil Engineer with 3 yrs Gulf expe-

rience with Driving License. Send CV

by mail to : agemancont@gmail.com.

Contact 98015925, 95049910

Required mobile technician for Samsung, Iphone and other

Smartphones. Contact 97613774

Looking for a well experienced

and competent executive prefer-

ably an Engineer with Finance

Background on part-time basis to

work on our Industrial and Ser-

vices Projects i.e feasibility study

& project profiles. Please respond

to althariyat1@gmail.com

Leading construction company

requires Quantity Surveyor (QS) preferably Srilankan Nationality

with minimum 8 to 10 years expe-

rience. Send your CV to

hrmuscat.2014@hotmail.com

Required experienced marketing & sales person for HVAC Company,

may apply with details to

nationalhvac.mep@gmail.com,

fax : 24799442

Exciting openings in Advertising/Media Sales, Graphic and Web Design. Email : anju@interacoman.

com

Required energetic business de-velopment executives with 2-3 yrs

experience in consumer adhesive or

related segment. Eligible candidates

with valid D/L please mail resume

to omanvacancy2@gmail.com

A leading Oil & Gas Company is looking for Sales Engineer with

2 yrs exp, excellent in Marketing,

Sales and Technical Background.

Valid Omani Driving License.

Contact 99061232.

Email : gd.jobs797@gmail.com

Indian female, 25 yrs, HR, MBA,

Marketing having 2 yrs experience,

residing in Wadi Kabir. # 91208916

Experience PRO Oman Male, 36

Yrs, 16 yrs experience in PRO/ HR &

Administration, Prefect English lan-

guage speaking & writing with D/L,

Seeks suitable placement, Can join

immediate. Contact 91221773

MBA with 9 years of experience

in HR, Training, Admin & Business

Development able to speak Arabic

and English looking for placement.

Contact 96730659

Indian male 39 yrs 3+yrs overseas

experience as technical admin in

maintenance & service field, cur-

rently under visit visa till 06 Nov,

seeks suitable placement in Admin/

HR/Operations/Coordination.

Contact 97094564

email: jmvpushpagiri@gmail.com

Omani female with 9 yrs exp look-

ing for PRO job with Oman D/L.

Contact 97917333

Male, 27 years with MBA in HR/

MKT having 2 years exp in respec-

tive field looking for suitable

placement in leading organization.

Contact 91705051

DAILY GUIDEW E D N E S D AY, O C T O B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4 D5

DAILY GUIDESITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

SALES / MARKETING

INFORMATION TECH

INFORMATION TECH

EDUCATION

HOSPITALITY

ENGG. / TECHNICALENGG. / TECHNICAL

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

MEDICAL

Female homoeopathic doctor, ,prometric passed, seeks suitable

position. Contact:93780029

Registered female Staff Nurse with

7 years of experience (Worked 4

Years in SAUDI MOH& 3 years in In-

dia) on visit visa seeking for a nurs-

ing job in Muscat. GSM: 96521985

Pharmacist, D. Pharm, 3 yrs expe-

rienced, prometric exam passed, on

family visa. Contact: 94523106

Indian female Dentist, MOH license

holder, with an experience of 6 yrs,

looking for a suitable opportunity.

Contact 94046651 or

prachiarekar24@gmail.com

Indian Male GP with MOH License

and NOC, having 10 years of excel-

lent hands on experience in Oman

with corporate culture.

Contact 98140024

Email: drgpoman@yahoo.com

Nursing caregiver, qualified Nurse/

Asst. Nurse (male/ female) medical

staff seeks placement for Hospital/

clinic. Contact 92989109 (Oman),

0091 – 9555427742 (India),

medicoport@gmail.com

Indian Female MSc Biotechnology,

4 years experience in Confectionary

and Medical Diagnostic Field seek-

ing suitable placements.

Email : deepaob@gmail.com.

Contact 99842240 / 99174286

Yoga Instructor, skilled experienced

Indian male now available in Oman

till 8th November seeks suitable

post. Contact 95991788

Indian male, 29 yrs, B.A English &

MSW with 5 years exp in develop-

ment field including hospital &

school social work, office admin,

projects, public relations, network-

ing and teaching seek suitable posi-

tions. Fluent in English (IELTS 7.5)

Contact 94150354.

Email : jobinmsw84@gmail.com

Indian male, BBM (Bachelor of

Business Management) looking for a

suitable job, ready to join immedi-

ately, currently in Oman under visit

visa. Contact 99354090. Email :

p.narayanan@kr.om

Procurement, Inventory and Supply

Chain, 20 yrs experience for Civil,

Electrical and Electromechanical

in Oman with valid D/L looking for

suitable placement. NOC/Release

available. Contact 00968-97194905.

General Manager/working partner

20 years advertising agency experi-

ence. Contact 93031168

Indian female post graduate look-

ing for suitable job in commercial/

admin/hr/customer relation (1 year

exp). Contact :97792820,

pnjli.1991@gmail.com

36 years, Indian male, MBA, 15

years experience in Life, Health, Mo-

tor Insurance seeking opportunity

in Bank assurance ERP Consulting.

Presently in Muscat.

Interested only in full time work.

Contact 96269494. Email :

sailesht78@gmail.com

An Indian national having 20 years

of experience in various office ac-

tivities at Middle Managerial Level

seeking suitable placement. Contact

93689602 / 95584606

27 Years Pakistani male in (Crimi-

nology having 4 years experience in

security and management seeking

suitable placement as security of-

ficer. Contact 99191701

Email : crimekiller371@yahoo.com

Sudanese Electrical Engineer, Bsc.

Degree with more than 8 Years Ex-

perience in Projects Field available

on Visit Visa 96160749`,

Email : youssifosman@yahoo.com

6 years experienced, NET WEB DE-

VELOPER (Software Engineer) avail-

able in Oman on visit visa & looking

for opportunity. Contact 91125896

Civil Engineer, Indian male with 5

yrs experience in building looking

for immediate opportunity.

Contact 99126087

Civil Engineer with 8 years experi-

ence and valid Omani D/L looking

for suitable placement. Ready to join

immediately. Contact 95326194 /

99525367

Civil Engineer (Diploma), 5 yrs

experience with Omani D/L on visa.

NOC available. Contact 93091214 /

99030342

Indian Female, 22 years BE Elec-

tronics and Communications, fresh

graduate currently seeking for a

suitable job. Contact 93647104,

98163767. Email :

marwa.shirin786@gmail.com

BE Civil Engineer, fresh graduate,

male 24 yrs, Indian looking for a

suitable placement.

Contact 95117509

Civil Engineer - B.Tech- 12 years

experience in Gulf seeks placement.

Contact 97930786

D.A.E Civil Engineer having 3 years

experience in Road Surveyor +

Quantity Survey of road + building

construction + AutoCAD 2D & 3D

and Engle point seeking for suitable

placement. Contact 96744258,

98780156

8 yrs experience Site Engineer with

license seeking job.

Contact 97449630

BSc Mechanical Engineer, 6 years

experience Master of Project Man-

agement (USA), energy graduated

study. Contact 99487902. Email :

mohammedyousif37@yahoo.com

Chemical/ Petrochemical Engineer,

Omani, 26, having bachelor of engi-

neering from UON, seeking opening.

Contact :- 95608345

MEP Engineer (HVAC) with 2 years

experience. Now in Oman on visit.

Seeking suitable placement.

GSM: 91744764

email:zaidjma@hotmail.com

Indian male, Civil Engineer (BE),

2 yrs experience in India, having

knowledge in Primavera, AutoCAD

etc. Contact 98639039

Civil Engineer, Indian female, 2 yrs

experience as Quantity Surveyor,

also in Primavera, AutoCAD.

Contact 91690345

Fresh Graduate in Mechanical En-

gineering looking for a suitable job.

Graduated in July 2014 with Valid

D/L. Contact 97839918

Indian male (23), Diploma in Com-

puter Engineering, 1.5 years experi-

ence in leading IT Company in India.

IT skills including Web Design and

Development, computer Hardware

Maintenance and BPO. Looking for a

suitable placement,

currently on visit visa.

Email : midhunbabu98@gmail.com.

Contact 92689778, 92150123

Indian male, 27 years, B.E (Electron-

ics and Communication Engineer-

ing) having 5 years experience in

Security systems (CCTV, ACS, Fire

Alarm System and Networking) suit-

able post in construction/ manu-

facturing/ production/maintenance

departments. Currently on visit visa.

Contact 97784627, 93728674. Email

: tkpradeepseema123@gmail.com

Indian female, 22 year old, Msc

Microbiology, One year experience,

seek suitable vacancies. Contact no.

95466271

Indian Female,B.Sc Chemistry,

experience as Chemist 2years.

GSM: 92007276,

email: mtsiju@gmail.com

MSc. Chemistry Teacher (5 y EXP.)

Pakistani female looking for a job in

School/college 96580101

Physical Science/Mathematics female teacher with 6 years Indian

experience, seeking a position in a

reputed school/Institution. QUALI-

FICATION: B.Sc (Mathematics, Elec-

tronics & computer science), B.Ed

(Mathematics & English). Contact:

Kamaal. GSM: 94300026, Email:

tahaniyath.sultana@gmail.com

Indian male, MSc Bed. Looking

for teaching job in Science. Email

: wilsonvarghese1@gmail.com.

Contact 91344706. Now in Muscat

on visit visa.

MANAGER/ SUPER

Indian 24 yrs experienced MEP

Construction Manager seeks suit-

able placement. Contact 92576680

Email : nediyathalikkal@gmail.com

Indian male, 18 yrs experience in

cathering as Purchase Executive

Project Supervisor & Warehouse

incharge in Saudi Arabia, language

known Arabic, English & Hindi hold-

ing valid D/L. Contact 96304501.

Email : dheen@gmail.com

Purchase & Logistics Manager - (12

+ yrs Exp. in Oman) With D/L, look-

ing for suitable position.

Contact: jskanchan01@gmail.com ,

Gsm: 93826090

Mechanical Supervisor or Mechan-

ical Technician in General Industrial

Machineries, 14 years experience in

Mechanical Maintenance errection.

Preference is near Ghala or Muscat

area. Contact 91327881

Mechanical Engineer Diploma, 26

male with 2.5 years experience in

India having experience in Quality

Control and Auto Mobile Industries

on visit seeking for a suitable oppor-

tunities in Mechanical field.

Contact 98215077

Indian male, Engineer (BE in E&C,

MBA in HR) with 5 years profes-

sional/admin experience, highly

talented, looking for a suitable place-

ment in a reputed company.

Contact 91387463.

Email : i.career543@gmail.com

Diploma in Electronics Engineering

with 5 years experience in Oman

as Customer Service Coordinator,

Inventory Control and Indoor Sales

Executive seeks suitable job. Speaks

Arabic, English & Hindi.

Contact 95681406.

Email nizampu@yahoo.co.in

BE EEE (B.TECH).24 Years male.

2 Yrs exp. In supervisory role in elec-

trical maintenance.Looking for suit-

able placement. Contact 93415537

or 00919597016055

Sudanese Mechanical Engineer, male, 5 yrs experience looking for

job in Oman. Contact 91762602

Indian Male, Civil Engineering

Degree with 0.5 years of experience

as Site Engineer is looking for job.

Contact 98247618, 99775118

BE Electronics and Instrumenta-

tion Engineer having experience

in Commissioning Installation and

Maintenance in different kinds of

equipments and instruments and

also in Petro-Chemical plants.

About 2 years experience.

Contact 91792114

M.Tech Computer Science and

Engineering having 3+ years of

experience in Software Development

in JAVA J2SE, J2EE. Technologies

like JDBC Serlets JSP Struts Spring

& JSF Hibernate web services.

Email : dakepremsagar@gmail.com

Electrical Mechanical Engineer searching for a job.

Contact 98246222 / 97644542

B. Tech Civil Engineer having

9 years of experience in Construc-

tion of buildings & roads in Oman

looking for suitable job in Engineer-

ing Consultancy.

Contact 91078499

Architect Engineer (28) male, B.Sc

Degree, 6 years experience in Con-

struction work, AutoCAD, ArchiCAD,

3D Max, Art Lantis.

Contact 94370767, 94103445

Mechanical Engineer (CSWIP3.1

Level II), Indian male, 28 yrs with

5 yrs experience in Steel Structural

Construction seeks suitable jobs.

Email : nikhilhai@gmail.com.

Contact 91078780

Electrical Engineer, Indian, 2.5

years experience at Thermal Plant,

(erection and commissioning). Now

in Oman on visit seeking suitable

job. Contact 95836714.

Email – sarat.thalappil@gmail.com

Srilankan B.Tech Quantity Surveyor

with 6 years exp (3 yrs GCC) looking

for a suitable placement with NOC.

Contact 98357512.

Email : lebbeah@yahoo.com

Mechatronics Industrial Engineer,

Indian 29 yrs with MBA in Industrial

Mgmt. 10 yrs experience in Mainte-

nance & Automation PLC Pneu-

matics seeks suitable placement.

Contact 99228658.

Email : badri.vr@gmail.com

Civil Engineer with 5 years experi-

ence in various fields supervision,

design and geotechnical with Oman

License. Contact 97261086

Mechanical Engineer (B.E) -

4yrs exp in manufacturing / produc-

tion seeking placement.

Contact : 93694953 ;

Email: alvinfxr@gmail.com

Indian female having around 6

years exp, Masters in Quality Man-

agement & B.E. (Info Science) look-

ing for any office based jobs around

Seeb, Ghala & Rusayl.

Contact 96503224

Indian male Diploma in Mechani-

cal Fitter (Marine) having 3 years

experience seeking suitable place-

ment. Contact 93435399, 97858235.

Email : kannanvl007@gmail.com,

vipindas2003@gmail.com

Indian female (25), M.Tech

(Electronics/VLSI) seeking place-

ment in Electronics/ Education

(Teaching)/ Admin.

Contact 91712140 / 93937141.

Email : chinj.89@gmail.com

Bsc computer-science gradu-

ate, MCSE certified & diploma in

.netframework, Java, SQL, UML,

ASP.NET with good experience as

computer technician, seeking for

suitable position in IT & sales.

Mob: 95853895

Email: shy898685@gmail.com

Indian male, Graduate, CCTV, CCNA,

Networking, MS Office, 2 yrs experi-

ence. Contact 98129846

Mechanical Engineer,(BTech in

Mechanical) with Certified quality

controller - NDT level 2 qualified as

per ASNT - SNT-TC-I A, with

1 & half yr exp. as quality control

engineer, presnetly in India seeks

suitable placement Cont : 95405033

suhylehameed@gmail.com

Control and System Engineer

searching for a job.

Contact 97644542

Indian male B. Tech in Mechanical

Engineering and Graduate in MBA,

NOC available in Oman on visit visa

seeking suitable placement.

Contact 92551673,

Email : arunadur87@gmail.com

HSE Advisor, NEBOSH IGC on work-

ing visa, having 3 year experience

of Power Plants and Mega Projects

in Oman. Contact 91756025.

Email : chakon810@yahoo.com

Electrical Engineer, 3 years ex-

perience Omani Driving License,

English reading, speaking & writing,

work as Project Engineer for Pri-

mary Substation Overhead lines.

Contact 94372096

Biomedical Engineer with driving

license, 1 year experience willing to

work out in the field, perfect English

language speaking, writing.

Contact 95902585

Electrical Engineer, Indian, 2.5

years experience at Thermal Plant,

(erection and commissioning). Now

in Oman on visit seeking suitable

job. Contact 95836714.

Email – sarat.thalappil@gmail.com

B.Tech holder with 4 years experi-

ence having good knowledge in

AutoCad 2D & 3D (Civil/Mechanical/

Electrical), PDMS and CATIA VS.

Currently on visit visa.

Contact 91475672.

Email : remisashraf@gmail.com

Indian Male, 26 yrs, graduate

in hospitality science, with New

Zealand business diploma and previ-

ous Oman experience in Customer

service seeks suitable placement in

hospitality/salesmarketing/ logis-

tics/ admin. Contact 91383167

Female 21 yrs, Tally 1 year experi-

ence, looking for visa.

Contact 95330720

Male 22 Housekeeping front office

Hotel management degree course.

Contact 96732520

Civil Engineer 8 years Exp (2 in

Angola with DAR AL HANDASAH, 4

months in Oman) as a site engineer.

He holds a Diploma in project man-

agement, fluent in English & Arabic.

Contact: 99170315

SALES / MARKETING

Indian male 32 Years 6 years expe-

rience in Building material outdoor

Sales with valid Oman D/L.

Contact 97462080

Indian male, 22 yrs, MBA(HR) BCA

looking for suitable position. Pre-

ferred Admin, Accounts, HR, Sales,

Purchase Co-ordinator.

Contact 94512430

Indian male, MBA Having experi-

ence in Accounts, looking for suit-

able job. Contact 92045306

Accountant 4 years Exp (2 in UAE)

as a Business Developer & HR. CMA

holder, Fluent in English & Arabic.

Contact: 93447760

SKILLED/UN SKILLED

Indian male, 28 yrs, BBA completed,

8 yrs experience in retail & market-

ing, now available in Oman till 28th

October seeks suitable post.

Contact 97146962 / 96440219

Indian male, MSc, 4 years experi-

ence in India in Sales and Admin,

now in Muscat on visit visa. Email

wilsonvarghese1@gmail.com.

Contact 91344706

Indian female, 32 yrs, MBA (Mar-

keting), holding Omani D/L seeks

suitable placement.

Contact 95041134.

Email : divya.vini@gmail.com

Indian male, 15 years experience

in Sales & Marketing dealing with

Building Materials, construction

equipments, industrial tools auto-

mobile, cleaning and agricultural

equipments seeking suitable posi-

tion with Oman D/L. NOC available.

Contact 92406527

28 yrs, Indian male, Technical

Sales Engineer, MENG (Canada),

4 years plus Oman market experi-

ence with leading brand looks for

suitable opening. Contact 93985140,

91692126

Indian male, 19 yrs of qualitative

experience in FMCG with multina-

tional company in Oman.

Expert in Sales/Merchandising/

Trainings seeking job in

Sales/Managerial field.

Contact 92155261

24 years Pakistani male having 3

years experience in Pre Sales and

Distribution / Marketing of FMCG

products is looking for a job.

Contact 96955096

Indian female, Software tester with

5 years experience in Oracle and

Wipro Technologies Indian having

knowledge in SQL and Dataware

House looking for suitable job.

Contact 98605362.

Email : suma.s2t3@gmail.com

HSE Professional, 12 years experi-

ence in GCC with valid GCC Driving

license with NEBOSH DIP, NEBOSH

IGC, OPAL competence card, IOSH

Graduation in Industrial Safety.

Contact 96230916

IT Technical Support, 33 years

male, Bachelors Degree in IT and

Computer Science, 8 years expe-

rience in troubleshooting PC’s,

network configuration, maintenance

[hardware, software], website de-

signing and administration. Contact

94197650 / 95072166.

Email : babo877885@hotmail.com

Indian male, 13 years of experience

in Software Industry looking for suit-

able job now on visit.

Contact 99094428

Indian Male 23yrs, BBM With 2.5

yrs of exp. in Sales & Marketing.

Looking for a suitable placement in

sales & Marketing/Counter sales,

Store keeper or Supervisor.

Contact 92092248

Welder cum fabricator tig, 3g 6g ,

gulf experienced, PH : 93837973

Indian male, MBA, 6 years of experi-

ence looking for suitable placement

in Marketing and Sales.

Contact 91780948

Indian male, MBA (Marketing) hav-

ing more than 3 years experience in

Marketing & Sales, currently on visit

visa seeking suitable placement.

Contact 96301626.

Email : georgekutti1@gmail.com

MBA with 15+ years of experience

in Senior/Middle Level Mgt in India

and GCC with various MNC’s is on

family visit looking for a suitable

opening. Contact 97330734

Indian Male, 28 yrs, having 5

years experience in FMCG Sales in

visit visa, Looking for any suitable

jobs in Oman. Contact 98531486/

98988824

Indian Male, MBA in Marketing and

Finance, 10 years’ Sales & Business

Development Experience with valid

D/L of Oman & UAE looking for a

suitable placement. NOC Available.

Contact: 93969961

e-mail abhilash.pvrk@gmail.com

Indian male Graduate looking for job

in Sales/Admin, having experience

of 15 years. Currently on visit visa in

Oman upto 30th November.

Contact 97287485

Urgent Indian 37, indoor, outdoor 13

years Sales experience having NOC

with D/L. Contact 99646321

MBA Post Graduate, male seek-

ing immediate placement having 3

years experience in Product based

Technical Support / Sales and Mar-

keting. Contact 95874315

Pakistani male, 30 years looking

for a suitable position in Market-

ing/ Sales having 8 years relevant

experience, Graduate in Business

Administration with fluent English

in Muscat on visit visa.

Contact 96528508

Indian Commerce Graduate from

Symbiosis Pune 23 years with

Omani Driving License and 2 years

Marketing experience brought up

and studied in Muscat seeks suit-

able employment. Contact 97431634

or 92803060

I have release and want job in any

company. Contact 95151738

Sales/ Marketing / customer

service release / NOC available UK

+ Oman experience valid Oman D/L,

excellent communication & organ-

izing skills, can join immediately,

Email : plavon_ctg@yahoo.com,

gsm 92342060 / 96761225

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

D6 W E D N E S D AY, O C T O B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

MISCELLANEOUS

Female staff nurse with Oman

Prometric passed, seeking suitable

placement, currently on visit visa.

Contact 97803046

Electronics Engineer, experience in

Siemens Scada PLC. On visit.

Looking for suitable job.

Contact: 96271586

Indian Female 30yrs, MCA, working

as Computer Teacher in India & Mal-

dives looking for Job in Oman now

on Visit Visa, CTC No.

Mob 95083454,

E-mail.shibupazhoor@gmail.com.

Indian male Commerce Graduate

with 8 years experience in stores

and logistic, fluent English currently

in Muscat on visit visa till November

17th 2014.seeking for suitable place-

ment. Contact 99849247.

E mail - pankaj.bhagat@galfar.com,

harshadbg@yahoo.co.in

Indian male graduate 17 years ex-

perience in fmcg sales distribution

with valid driving license seeking

suitable placement

Contact.92090949

8 yrs exp 2d, 3d draughtsman

(HOLDING OMANI DRIVING LICENSE)

seeking job. Contact : 97449630

Young male, 22 years, B. Arch.

graduate with 7 months training

experience, seeks suitable entry-

level position in an architecture

firm or architecture and engineer-

ing consultancy. Currently on visit

visa, ready to join immediately. #

91265929

Email: jay.kay.92@gmail.com

Indian male Commerce graduate

with 8 years experience in stores

and logistic, working knowledge in

SAP & ERP, fluent English, currently

in Muscat on visit visa till 17th

November 2014, seeking for Suitable

placement Contact no 99849247

email - pbhagat795@gmail.com,

harshadbg@yahoo.co.in

Diploma in civil engineering having

an experience 23 years (19 years

in Oman) experience in Estimator /

quantity surveyor looking for a

suitable placement, willing to join

immediately Contact : 96328687.

Filipino Female photographer/ graphic designer / receptionist

looking for suitable job in Muscat.

Contact: +971 563749414

26 years Indian male with MBA &

PGDFM, Total 3.2 years experience in

administration and accounts .seek-

ing suitable placement in Muscat,

having Oman valid driving license.

Contact :93359371.

MBA Finance, 5 Years’ experience in

Accounts, Finance & Administration ,

with Valid UAE D/L

Contact 96970930

Indian male, 24 yrs, MBA in HR/

Marketing. More than 1 years experi-

enced in retail Banking (Axis Bank)

Presently in family visit in Oman

seeking for a suitable placement

Contact : 99892082 / 997 43 709

Indian female having ten years ex-

perience as cook. South Indian, Guja-

rathi special. Contact:: 94224512

A female with a B.Sc Business

Management Degree, specialized in

Human Resource Management cur-

rently living in Sri Lanka seeking for

a suitable position in Oman.

# 9801 1529

PDO Approved - Indian Male PMP,

CIPS, PGDBA, DME, Oil & Gas/Con-

struction with 18+ Yrs. in Contracts,

Procurement, Operations, Project

with valid Oman-PDO D/L seeking

job - Contact 92560287

INDIAN, B.E. MECHANICAL ENGI-

NEER, 2 yrs job experience in Oman

in pipeline field, fluent in English,

Gujarati, Hindi and Marathi, with

valid oman driving license (light),

searching for a new job.

Contact no-+968 92745691

Indian, Female, Pharmacist avail-

able with MOH License, preferably in

Muscat. Contact 9439 1355.

Indian 34M with 14 years experi-

ence in Business development /

Sales / Marketing looking for chal-

lenging role. Contact 9367 8885

Mail: nairsatish@yahoo.com

Indian male having 5 Years of Expe-

rience in Oman Having Valid Driving

License working as a purchase of-

ficer ,Looking for a suitable Position,

Contact: 95132564/96456071

E-mail:naji1988@gmail.com

Indian Male, 23, MBA in Marketing.

More than 1 years experienced in the

Axis Bank Presently in family visit in

Oman Looking for a suitable vacancy

Contact : 997 43 709

Indian male with over 19 years of

qualitative experience in Automo-

bile field, expert in providing techni-

cal advice on repairs and servicing

seeks jobs in sales/ service in ma-

negerial capacity. #91-7736048460.

yamaharajesh@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANTED

Indian male, 24 years MA Sociol-

ogy (Social science) B-Ed. 2year

experience in teaching, currently

on visit seeking suitable placement.

Contact 91632006, 91397505

Email- abdulnisar.kv@gmail.com

Indian Male, MBA Finance, 1.5

years’ experience in Operations and

Customer Service. In Muscat on

Visit Visa till 14th Nov.

Contact: 93755852, Email:

sanjeevsuresh1988@gmail.com

Indian male having 10 years of

experience in Oman having Valid

Omani Driving license working in

Purchase Dept looking for a suit-

able position. Salary is negotiable.

obarla313@gmail.com

Mob: 94304324/92654817

Indian Male, 24 years old on visit

visa, 3 years Diploma in Civil Engi-

neering, 3 yrs experience.

Contact 98515106

Communication Manager, pleasing

personality, strong English skills,

highly qualified, Oman experience

in Corporate, Organizational &

Marketing Communication, Busi-

ness Development, Marketing Press

Relations, Ads, Campaigns, CSR

Programs. NOC. Contact 98179887

Senior Sales & Marketing special-

ist with 14 years of experience

and proven track record in Muscat

looking for a suitable placement in

a reputed Company. Indian Male,

38 years (Electronics Engineer)

preferred industry (Electronics /

Electrical / Electro Mechanical) hav-

ing good exposure in access Control

& Automation systems, Lighting &

Electrical accessories etc.

Contact 92208744.

Email : ebpadmakumar@yahoo.com

NDT ASNT Level II (RT,UT,PT,MPT)

Technician having 3 & half yr ex-

perience, seeks suitable placement.

Currently on visit visa.

Contact : 94514454,

ranjithrt1988@gmail.com

Indian male 24: Looking for job

in admin /sale/office/customer

service/maintenance etc. Currently

on family visit. Contact:94514201,

email id:

javeedbasha321@gmail.com

28year Indian female (MBA-

Finance) with 3+yrs experience

(Oman) in Accounts is seeking suit-

able placement in Accounts/Admin.

Contact:96141283.

M.Com Graduate seeking suitable

placement. Contact 99363721

Indian Male, 24 yrs on visit visa,

3 yrs Diploma in civil Engineering,

3 yrs experience. Contact 98515106

23,male, ACCA finalist-last paper

left, 2 years of accounts, external &

internal audit and feasibility study

experience in Audit Firm, looking for

permanent replacement,

Contact: 95140445

email address:afraz_8@yahoo.com

Indian male, age 27, having 6 years

experience in finance & accounts,

seeking suitable jobs.

Ph: 92902651

Young male, 22 years, B. Arch. gradu-

ate with 7 months training experience,

seeks suitable entry-level position

in an architecture firm or architec-

ture and engineering consultancy.

Currently on visit visa, ready to join

immediately. Phone no. 91265929

Email: jay.kay.92@gmail.com

Indian Male, Purchase/Procurement

Officer with 16 years experience,

presently working in UAE,

seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 00 971 55 3390 467

Mail: nair1962@gmail.com

Post graduate in hospitality and

tourism, Indian ,male 26 , looking

suitable placement ,in Muscat on

visiting visa contact 98861272

CIVIL ENGINEER (Diploma) Male

25, 3 years experience in site, CAD,

3d, MS Project, seeking job in

Oman.#92887561,

jubincivileng@gmail.com

Diploma in Civil Engineering, site

engineer with Auto Cad (Civil &

MEP), Total Station, Theodolite,

Dumpy level, etc., having 4 years ex-

perience in Oman with Omani LMV

Driving License, Seeking suitable

chances. Contact:-

0091 9744851943(India),

00968 99416057(Oman)

Female Dentist with MOH li-

cense, 4 years experience look-

ing for work as dentist in Muscat.

Contact 91268110/99884299 or

+639274302729

Indian Female Lawyer 36 yrs hav-

ing 10 yrs experience presently in

Oman seeks suitable placement in

Legal field/HR/Admin

Contact-94436960

Email: famidakhan123@gmail.com

B.E(Civil), Indian male with 1 year

of experience, on visit visa seeking

for a suitable job. Contact 91231972,

Email : azizdaudi110@gmail.com

Indian Male 25, Office Administra-

tor/Assistant, 2 years experience in

Oman, Well versed with Computer

operation and basic knowledge

in Computer Software and Hard-

ware, seeks immediate change.

NOC available. Contact: 94024096

Eamil:ajitvinu19894u@gmail.com

Female Candidate: Having

experience (ISRO) in Administration

(seeking suitable opportunities &

presently in Oman Mob:97239854,

Mail:asherlalitha@yahoo.com

Female/29 yrs old/MSC Biotechnol-

ogy& pursuing Phd /4 yrs total exp/

Seeking for a suitable placement/

Contact No :- 95925881

Indian Female 23, BE Electronics

and Communication, First Class with

distinction, C,C++,VHDL. Currently on

family visa, looking for suitable place-

ment in electronics division or associ-

ated areas. Contact : 98952340

Indian Male, 39, graduate 17 years

experience in FMCG sales and

marketing Managerial and supervi-

sor level. With driving license also

know all over Oman include Mazira

Island and Casabu, looking for better

Opportunities -Mob-92090949

Indian Male seeking a job in Sales

& Marketing, 11 years experience

proven experience as a dynamic

candidate with excellent Manage-

rial & Communication skills. Cur-

rently on visit Contact 99363159,

94093154 joyjohn_hhh@yahoo.com

8 yrs exp 2d, 3d draughtsman cum

site supervisor (HOLDING OMANI

DRIVING LICENSE) seeking job.

Contact : 93790601

Finance Manager/Administrator,

Male 40, MBA-Finance & Marketing,

with over 20 years’ experience in

large multinational organizations.

Excellent project management skills.

Seeking to continue career at Senior

level. Contact: 97436065. Email:

miratifalinaqvi@hotmail.com

Electronic Engineer, 23, looking for

suitable placement.

Contact: 96271586

Printing professional, having 20

yrs experience in Gulf / Africa with

NOC seeks suitable placement.

Contact 95427923,

Email : ashchana@yahoo.co.in

Part- time accountant available.

Contact ; 98803439

Indian Male looking for job in mar-

keting/sales/operations with 10yrs

experience as a dynamic candidate,

with excellent communication skills.

Please contact 93506291.

Indian Female, B.Sc Maths Resid-

ing in Al-Ghubra, having 2 years of

experience in teaching. Looking for

school. Ph. 94231633

Senior Accounts Professional, Indi-

an Male, 35 years, M.Com, MBA (Fin)

8 years in Oman, with valid Oman

DL and NOC available. Capable to

handle accounts up to finalization.

Contact 9602 3965.

Sudanese.male 31years.B.SC Me-

chanical Engineer.5years experi-

ence, working now in water pipeline

project, fluent Arabic and English,

have Omani driving .looking license,

looking for good opportunity

TEl: 91117089

Indian Male having 10 years of

Experience in Oman having Valid

Omani Driving license working in

Purchase Dept looking for a suitable

position. salary is negotiable.

obarla313@gmail.com

Mob: 94304324

Microbiologist having 13 years

experience in Pharmaceutical/Food

Beverage Quality Assurance. on

FAMILY VISA. Currently search-

ing a suitable Job in Oman. e-mail:

jobairh@yahoo.com , Mobile in

Oman: +96892068377

Indian Male PMP, CIPS, PGDBA,

DME, Oil & Gas with 18+ Yrs. in

Contracts, Procurement, Operations,

Project, seeking job -

Contact 92560287

Bangladeshi Male, Seeking Office

Boy position in Oman.

Contact 97451456

Indian Female 25 yrs, Bsc.(Physics)

Bed. 2 Yrs experience in teaching,

currently on visit

seeking suitable placement .

Contact 98217776 Email:

haleenahabeeb007@gmail.com

Indian male MBA (HR& FIN) exp one

year as HR, EXP now we have visit

visa, looking opportunity in Admin

–HR/ hospitality / purchase, seeking

suitable placement as soon as pos-

sible. Contact 93662430

Email: smsalmanamu@gmail.com

M. Com/PGDCA having 15 years

of experience in Oman, looking

for a new placement in the field of

Accounts and administration. NOC

available. Contact : 92425421 /

Email: latheef99@gmail.com.

Sr. Accountant M.Com (Finance) 14

years experience (1 year in Oman) in

finance & Accounts. NOC available.

Contact 92404608.

Email : jin_75@rediffmail.com

Draughtsman 10 years experience

in Oil/ Gas, looking for suitable job

immediate joining NOC available.

Contact 968 98628657

Email rizdhanse@gmail.com

Indian male, 26 Years. AutoCAD

M.E.P. Draftsman (Plumbing &

mechanical) having 4 years Oman

experience. Presently working in a

reputed company in Oman. Seeks

suitable placement.

Contact 97351786 / 96143708.

7 Yrs exp Driver Keralite.

Contact 93412587

Pakistani driver looking for a job.

Contact 99805236

Sudanese Mechanical Engineer, 5 years experience looking for a job

in Oman, male. Contact 91762602

Indian female BE Electrical & Elec-

tronics with 2.8 years of Experience

in Software Company. Presently in

Muscat on Residence Visa, seeking

suitable Placement. Ready to join

immediately. Contact : 93422434,

roshni.revankar@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 12 years experience

GCC with valid D/L in Oman.

NOC available. Contact 91531213

BE Civil Engineer, fresh graduate,

male 24 yrs, Indian looking for a

suitable placement.

Contact 95117509

Indian male, 23, Mechanical

Engineer looking for suitable job

vacancies. Contact 91623313 Email :

shuhaibusman313@gmail.com

Indian male, Diploma in Civil Engi-

neering having 17 years experience

in India & 5 months experience in

UAE, now available in Oman in visit-

ing visa seeking suitable placement

GSM- 93097757,

e-mail :kamalraj75@gmail.com

Electrical Engineer with 7 years

experience. Looking immediate

placementPh# 91293519

Indian male B.tech Mechanical

Engineer with 3years experiance

looking for suitable job. Currently

on visit visa. Mob:96268488

ali.syedausaf@gmail.com

B.Tech Mechanical. Indian male

with 1 year experience in Oman

looking for suitable job. NOC avail-

able. Contact: 96542340.

Email: athisays@gmail.com

Indian Male B.E & MBA, 20 yrs expe-

rience in Civil construction including

7 yrs in Oman, Looking for project

manager (Civil) readily available with

NOC. Contact 97906977,

Email : gbs303@gmail.com

Indian male, B.Tech (Mech), 15 yrs

experience, in Oman more than 3

yrs in Manufacturing Industry with

valid Oman D/L. Exposure in Op-

erations, Quality Management and

Admin seeks suitable placement.

NOC available, can join immediately.

Contact 91301625.

DAILY GUIDEW E D N E S D AY, O C T O B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4 D7

DAILY GUIDESITUATION WANTEDCARGO

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with

Buffet, & Land Tours

Al- Ainain Marine Tours Contact-

98029602, 92808636

TOURS

TOURS

RENT A CAR

FOR HIRE

TRUCK FOR HIREIsuzu 10 ton cargo body truck

(2012 FVR) with UAE experienced driver

available for long term / short term rent.

Contact: 95346950

Cuplock System Scaffolding. Contact 99828343

We provide all heavy duty equip-

ment, tractor & trailers & all type

of trucks. Contact 97722507

Running truck wash for rent in

Ouhi Sunia Sohar. Serious people

can. Contact on 97864747

50 seater bus with PDO specifica-

tion for rent or lease. #99839898

SIT. WANTED

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation available. Contact

91062110

Transport. Contact 99664703

Transportation available from

Muttrah to Rusay1 and back.

Contact 93502627

Transportation. Contact 99508282

Transportation for women only

from Muscat area only. Contact

97007934 / 92629232

Transportation. Contact 93405941

Transportation. Contact 94087276

Transportation. Contact 98698909

Transportation. Contact 96538078

Transportation. Contact: 97897833

Transportation Available #97180655

28 year Indian female (MBA) with

3+yrs experience (oman) in Accounts

is seeking suitable placement in Ac-

counts/Admin. # 96141283

MEP Project Manager Engineering

Degree holder with 16 years of expe-

rience in Engineering, Contracting

and Execution of Building, Infra-

structure and Industrial Construc-

tion seeks suitable job. Valid D/L,

NOC available Contact 95689623

GOOD NEWS

Genuine Ayurvedic treatments

& massage, ayurvedic clinic at

Al Khuwair. Contact 24478618 /

97263637/ 93309131

Ayurvedic treatment for backache,

paralysis, arthritis etc & massage,

All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact 24475280 / 95371554 /

92504980 , www.siddhayur.com

Ayurvedic treatment for joint

pain, backache, paralysis massage,

steambath, obesity, spondylitis,

IDEAL CARE Ayuvedic Clinic,

18 November Street Azaiba.

Contact 99639695

BUSINESS

Increase your income on commis-

sion basis with our landscaping &

gardening services provided for big,

small projects &

maintenance contracts.

Contact +968 99242207 Email:

bestgardens.om@gmail.com

GOOD NEWS

NRI

One acre land suitable for build-

ing mall, villa, apartment, school,

farm house etc available for im-

mediate sale, 10 kms from Mysore

City Centre on Manandavady

Road-Direct selling from owner.

Contact 0091-8453205303

Flat for Sale - 1 No. 3 bedroom/

2 bedrooms flat for sale in a 3

storied building with lift facility,

800 meters from Lulu, Cochin, 300

meters from NH 47 at Edapally.

Contact 99322165

Great Investment opportunity

with guaranteed recurring returns.

Two prominently positioned

showrooms on Munnar Cochin

National Highway at Adimali North

1.5 Crore for 1.4 Crore for immedi-

ate sale. Serious buyers please

contact

adimalyshowrooms@gmail.com

A 3 BHK new flat, Price – 70

Lakhs, fetching 17,000 rent P.M. ,

available for sale in Indirapuram

(Ghaziabad). Contact: 99353384

Looking for an experienced A/R

conditioner and deep freezer Tech-

nician to independently handle

a running refrigeration service

center in Kannur Kerala. Attractive

terms offered. Please send CV to

vfixenterprise@gmail.com

For Astrological consultation, Jathakam. Contact# 99860435 /

97102599

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. *

Subject to space availability

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know

more about Islam, please call:

99425598, 96050000, 99353988,

99253818, 99341395, and

99379133. For ladies: 99415818,

99321360, 99730723

Orvisit: www.islamfact.com

MANPOWER

Housemaid , driver/operator (heavy & light Gulf D/L), house boy, cleaner, all skilled and unskilled cat-

egories process, (embassy agreement

and immigration). Contact 95175192,

EMAIL. oman.manpower@yahoo.com

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

D8 W E D N E S D AY, O C T O B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

CLASSES

WEBSITE

WEB, ERP and Business Intelli-

gence (BI) creation and man-

agement at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

COMPUTER

SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

GULF INTERNATIONAL LLC

all kind of pest control.#

92326955

We assist Buying / Selling / Renting

/ Empty Plots, Villa, Buildings, Open

Lands, Warehouses, Industrial Lands

on long and short term lease & Man-

agement of Properties. Kindly fax

us or email copy of your kurki with

contact details. Fax No . 24533348,

Email : info@goldenlllc.com

House Shifting. Contact 99708138

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing,

Contact 99314807/24792998

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your

marble. Contact 24793614/

99314807

Services for contract for all mainte-

nance works like painting, plumbing,

electrical, tiles, construction of shed

and netting for ceiling etc.

Contact 98518983

For All Your Maintenance Solutions,

A/c Servicing & Fixing, Painting,

Cleaning, Electric.

Contact No. 99002390

For all your maintenance needs in-

cluding, Painting, Plumbing, Electric-

ity, Laying of Interlock Tiles, Marbles

etc. Tel: 99383574 Mr Chandran

Building, Contract, Maintenance,

Cleaning, Loading, Décor, Electri-

cal, Import. Contact 93978720

Civil Maintenance, Painting Elec-

tric, Plumbing, Decor, Tile Fixing,

Lecithin Copra Board flat stifling ,

Carpet Cleaning and A/C Servicing.

Contact 97897831 (Indian keralite)

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance. Contact ABU QA-

BAS- 99320217 /24788722

Split & window A/C servicing &

repairing. Contact 99557080

A.M Trading Pest control. Contact 99067923

Pest Control Treatments, termites,

Cockroaches & Rodents. Ocean

Center LLC 99344723

Painting Interlock plumbing

maintenance. Contact 92142319

For HT cable jointing and

termination works 33KV/11KV.

Contact 99056438 /

Email: npgoman@gmail.com

Water proofing ABUQABAS-

Contact 99320217/24788722

Door to Door Computers repair

specialist laptop software

Website cartridges.

Contact 99199376

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance. Contact ABU QA-

BAS- 99320217 /24788722

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile

polishing, pest control & anti-ter-

mite treatment, general cleaning

painting, Plumbing, Electrical,

shifting. Contact Mundhir

Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. #

24810137, 99450130

Cleaning service, carpet and sofa

shampooing, marble restoration and

polishing, pest control, fogging ser-

vice. Contact 99448057 / 95401996

Learn Driving from professional

instructors. Contact 94022250

Learn driving automatic from

scratch. Contact 98599675

DRIVING

SERVICES

Civil maintenance, Electrical &

Plumbing work. Contact 99557080 /

96236476

Truck body making, Misfah

Industrial Area. Contact 92326955.

BRIDGE GULFA LLC

Civil maintenance, Electrical &

Plumbing work. Contact 99557080 /

96236476

Electrical Plumbing Painting

Contract and Maintenance.

Contact 98456535

Waterproofing, light weight Screed,

Antitermite and MS Fabrication.

Contact 92888337

Waterproofing, light weight Screed,

Antitermite and MS Fabrication.

Contact 92888337

Catering services We do industrial

catering service, Canteen/ mess,

3 times packed meals,

and all types of catering events.

Contact 92188777/

99249899

Window & split unit A/C servicing

& maintenance. Contact 96236476

Carpet & Sofa Shampooing services.

Ocean Center LLC 92682970

MATRIMONIAL

31 yrs, girl, B.Sc MLT, MBA working

in Muscat invite proposals from

professionally qualified & well

educated boys from Syrian Christian

Pentacoastal / born again family.

Contact +968-96437737

Keralite RC girl 5/2 GNM Nurse,

27 seeks suitable alliance.

Contact 98335340

Bismillah - Marriage proposal

invited for a Sunni Muslim girl

belongs to Hyderabad -India and

working in Ministry of Health oman.

Please send details on :

sultanasyeda97@gmail.com

Alliance invited from parents of

working girls in Muscat for a young

Kerala boy, fair, good looking

(H-164 cm) working as

Draughtsman in Muscat.

Contact 93033079.

Mail : rajish.kongattu@gmail.com

Suitable alliance invited from

professionally qualified boys for

Christian Jacobite girl, B.Tech 25

years, 162 cm presently working in

Kerala hailing from Ernakulam.

Contact 99808584,

0091 9447140806

Mangalore Sunni Muslim, seek-

ing suitable bride (preferably from

Dakshina Kannada) for their son

working as Logistics Manager.

Contact 92198085

Split & window A/C servicing &

maintenance.Contact 93769089