Latest news with #Bogdan
Observer
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Seeb clinch OVL title to secure historic treble
Muscat, May 6 Seeb Club clinched the 2024–2025 First Division Volleyball League title after a well-deserved victory over Salam Club, winning three sets to one in the final match held at the Sohar Sports Complex arena on Monday. The match saw a packed crowd of passionate fans from both sides, creating an electric and enthusiastic atmosphere. The final was held under the patronage of Mohammed al Kindi, Governor of North Al Batinah, and in the presence of Engineer Ibrahim al Muqbali, Chairman of the Oman Volleyball Association, along with several prominent sports figures. Seeb started the match strongly, opening the scoring early. Salam managed to equalise after a powerful serve from Seeb's professional player Bogdan, which went out of bounds. Seeb maintained the pressure, with Saud al Maamari scoring to regain the lead. However, another serving error by Bogdan allowed Salam to equalise again, adding to the early excitement of the match. Khamis al Jabri then added a third point for Seeb, but Pakistan's Murad Khan responded with an equaliser for Salam. The back-and-forth scoring continued with Seeb's professional player Artem giving his team the lead again, only for Waleed al Farsi of Salam to level the score at 4-4. The intense exchanges persisted, with Ahmed al Turabi scoring for Seeb before Salam responded again. Bogdan then scored two consecutive points to give Seeb the upper hand. Gradually, Seeb took control of the first set, widening the gap and eventually sealing it 25–16. In the second set, Salam mounted a strong comeback led by Bahraini professional Mohammed Yaqoob and teammate Abdullah al Shibli. Their organised team play earned them the set 25–23, leveling the match and raising the intensity of the contest. The third set was closely contested with long rallies and tactical exchanges. Both teams remained neck and neck, but Seeb ultimately prevailed 25–23 by capitalising on key moments with better focus. In the fourth set, Salam attempted to push the match to a decisive fifth set, opening the scoring through Ibrahim al Hashemi. However, Seeb quickly regained composure and surged ahead with standout performances by Artem and Saud al Maamari. They secured the set 25–19, sealing the championship title. BOGDAN BEST PLAYER With this win, Seeb completed a historic treble for the season adding the league title to their earlier triumphs in the Super Cup against Salam and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth Shield after defeating Majees. During the award ceremony, the Governor of North Al Batinah presented Seeb players with gold medals and handed the league shield to the team captain. Salam received silver medals, while Majees were awarded bronze medals. During the award ceremony, players who won the individual skill awards were also honoured. Abdullah al Muqbali from Seeb received the Best Libero award, while his teammate Adam al Jalboubi earned the Best Setter award. The Best Player in Position 3 award was shared between Saud al Maamari from Seeb and Khalid Nasser al Muqbali from Salam. The Best Player in Position 4 award was jointly awarded to Hilal al Muqbali from Majees and Adam al Jaradi from Salam. The Best Opposite Spiker in Position 2 award went to Aslon John from Al Bashayer. The individual awards concluded with Seeb's professional player Bogdan being crowned Most Complete Player of the League.
Observer
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Seventh title reaffirms Seeb's dominance in volleyball
MUSCAT: Seeb Club reaffirmed their dominance on the local volleyball scene by clinching the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth Volleyball Shield for the seventh consecutive time, following a deserved 3-0 victory over Majees in the final match held at the main hall of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher. Seeb players expressed their delight with the new achievement. Ahmed al Toubi credited the victory to a well-integrated system within the club, saying: 'Seven consecutive titles don't happen by chance — Seeb know how to make the difference.' Russian player Bogdan noted that the team had reached its peak performance and attributed the title to strong chemistry and hard work within the squad. Bogdan, who delivered a consistent performance in the final, remarked that the team had achieved "peak cohesion," emphasising that continuous work despite the pressure of matches led them to this level. Fellow Russian player Artem praised the development of the Omani league, describing the tournament as "full of challenges," and expressed his willingness to continue with the team if asked to stay. Head coach Jamal al Maamari stated that this was his ninth domestic title, praising the team's collective performance and focus. He added, 'The team has become a formidable force at the Gulf and Arab levels, and we aim to continue shining in the upcoming league final against Al Salam.' Sayyid Malik bin Shihab Al Said HH Sayyid Malik bin Shihab al Said, a board member of Seeb Club, congratulated the team on this well-earned achievement, calling it the natural result of years of continuous work and technical and administrative stability. 'We have maintained the same coaching staff and core player lineup, which directly contributed to sustained high performance and positive results,' he said. 'This has been one of the most competitive seasons, especially among the top four teams.' He added, 'Our ambitions don't stop here we now aim to replicate this success in the league final against Al Salam. We know it will be a tough match, but we are confident in our team's ability to keep up the strong performance and win the title.' Seventh title reaffirms Seeb's dominance in volleyball FATIGUE On the other side, Majees coach Haithem al Waslati attributed the loss to physical fatigue after playing the semifinal less than 24 hours earlier. 'We weren't at our best mentally or physically, and now our focus shifts to the league,' he said a sentiment echoed by several players. Majees player Hilal al Maqbali pointed out that "match congestion, a short preparation window, and lack of cohesion" significantly impacted the team's performance — especially since a new professional player joined and a new coach took over just two days before the final. Adam al Jalboobi agreed, stating that 'the team had only one light training session, and the sudden coaching change affected our gameplay.' From the Oman Volleyball Association (OVA) side, Dr Salam al Toubi, OVA Vice-Chairman, described the championship as successful by all standards. 'We witnessed strong competition among 19 clubs, and the technical level this season was high thanks to the presence of foreign professionals,' he said. Aisha al Jabri, a board member of the federation, also praised the quality of the matches, noting that the involvement of professional players helped elevate the overall standard. She revealed that the OVA is currently studying mechanisms to better regulate the recruitment of foreign players in a way that benefits the sport in the long-term.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Local man to attend his 128th Bob Dylan concert
HUBBARD, Ohio (WKBN) — Anywhere you go in Cornel Bogdan's Hubbard home, there's a picture of Bob Dylan. It's what you'd expect from someone who on Saturday night will attend his 128th Dylan concert at Youngstown's Powers Auditorium. Bogdan saw his first Bob Dylan concert at 14 at the Richfield Colosseum in 1977. 'That's where my infatuation started because I love songwriters and after listening to Bob Dylan, there's nobody that equals him,' Bogdan favorite concert was in 1992 at Madison Square Garden. 'But it was the 30-year anniversary of Bob Dylan being with Columbia Records,' he said. Bogdan has met Dylan a couple of times briefly after concerts. He says it's the 6th time Dylan has played Youngstown. 'I mean, I went through all the born-again Christian shows too, where people would be yelling, 'Like a Rolling Stone,' and Bob would be going, 'Blasphemy!'' His most prized piece of Dylan memorabilia is a black guitar. Bogdan said for those seeing Dylan for the first time — it won't be a concert of Bob Dylan's greatest hits. 'And they think he's going to be standing there with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica rack and singing, 'Blowin' in the Wind,' and that ain't going to happen,' Bogdan said. Bogdan also has an opinion about what he thinks is Bob Dylan's best song. 'He wrote by far the greatest song in music history with 'Like a Rolling Stone.' It will never, ever be equaled.' Bogdan has spent 30 years at various radio stations around Youngstown. Currently, he works for Y-103 where he hosts a Sunday night show called Tangled Up in Blues — named after the Bob Dylan song 'Tangled Up in Blue.'Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Russia's largest military call-up whips up fear among young men
On April 1, Russia began a new conscription drive with the goal of enlisting 160,000 military-age men between 18 and 30. It is the largest such call-up since 2011, aiming to fulfil last year's presidential decree to boost the armed forces to 2.5 million personnel. And it is making Bogdan, a 21-year-old on the outskirts of Moscow, nervous. Some young men often try to avoid mandatory military service. But as Russia's war against Ukraine stands at a critical juncture, with the rival sides desperately attempting to appear triumphant amid peace talks, there is a particular urgency to the matter. 'I received a summons to be drafted in the spring of 2024, despite my hypertension. And by the autumn the police were searching to forcibly conscript me,' Bogdan told Al Jazeera, requesting to withhold his surname fearing reprisal. He is currently hiding from the authorities. 'I hope that I will be able to register for military service in Saint Petersburg, undergo a new medical examination there and receive a military [exception] due to hypertension. Because in Moscow and the Moscow region, no complaints and court hearings have yielded results. In Moscow, they do not allow me to undergo a new medical examination and want to enlist me according to my summons.' Rights advocates have warned that the cracks which one might have earlier been able to slip through are tightening, while being a conscript is increasingly risky. 'A year ago there was an age amendment, and now summons are issued to young people from 18-30 years old,' Ivan Chuviliaev, spokesman for the organisation Go By The Forest, which helps people escape the ranks, told Al Jazeera. Previously, the maximum age for conscription was 27. 'Now the decision of the draft board will be valid not until the end of the draft, but for a whole year. This means it won't be as easy to run away by simply not showing up when you receive the summons. [Another] major change is that they're revising the list of illnesses of those ineligible for military service,' Chuviliaev said. 'Those conditions they wouldn't accept before, they now accept. It's clear this is simply an artificial creation of chaos, so that doctors will simply stamp Category A fitness for everyone without bothering to dig through their papers. [Thirdly,] various sanctions will be imposed for failure to appear in response to a summons, such as a ban on taking out loans, a ban on opening an individual enterprise, a ban on leaving the country, and so on and so forth.' According to an open-source tally compiled by the BBC and independent Russian outlet Mediazona, more than 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since 2022 – a figure that frightens young men like Bogdan. While conscripts are not technically supposed to be deployed to the front lines, 'conscripts can be deployed in regions that border Ukraine, including the Belgorod and Kursk regions, and therefore can theoretically participate in combat operations in these regions', Oleg Ignatov, senior Russia analyst at Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera. 'Conscripts have been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian attacks in the border regions,' he said, adding, 'I have not seen any information that conscripts are being sent to the occupied territories' like Donetsk and Luhansk. Since the onset of the full-scale war in 2022, Russia's Kursk and Belgorod regions have come under bombardment and cross-border raids. 'If someone comes into contact with the Ministry of Defence, they will likely sooner or later find themselves in the midst of hostilities,' said Chuviliaev. 'Not to mention the fact that any conscript deployment, at any time, even without your own knowledge, can turn out to be a contract.' He pointed to a recent case in Russia's Chelyabinsk region in which the local prosecutor's office recognised that at least 13 conscripts had contracts signed on their behalf illegally and ordered their discharge. In that case, the commandant simply ignored the court's order. Mikhail Liberov, of the Conscientious Objectors' Movement, told Al Jazeera that while the likelihood of someone receiving a summons actually ending up in combat is 'less than one percent … any conscript can, at any time, under one or another form of duress, sign a contract, become a formal soldier and immediately be sent to that very hell'. 'Practice shows that even the prosecutor's office helps the actions of commanders to force [conscripts] into signing contracts illegally,' he continued. 'The prosecutor's office doesn't really care about protecting citizens' rights and does not file lawsuits in their interests. Sometimes signatures on conscripts' contracts are simply forged.' There are ways, lawful and otherwise, to evade military service. These include health grounds and unfitness to serve; court appeals; higher education; certain family circumstances; feigning mental or physical illness; going into hiding; leaving the country; or applying for alternative civil service. Politicians and members of certain professions – for example, in the military-industrial complex – are also exempt. 'Each of these deferrals requires you to take action – the draft board won't do it automatically,' Chuviliaev explained. 'You need to go [to the office], bring all the necessary documents, [or] draw up a power of attorney, preferably for relatives, so they can present those documents to the enlistment office and not the draftee themselves.' Liberov listed a number of other complications that might arise. '[Educational] deferrals are not available to everyone, and only postpone the problem – those who have completed a bachelor's and master's degree inevitably face the same problem at about 22 and 24 years old, respectively,' he said. 'Not everyone can afford to leave the country: often the lack of an overseas passport becomes an obstacle, the registration of which is mistakenly considered impossible without a military ID or a visit to the military registration and enlistment office.' Liberov said that while alternate civil service – for example, working in state-run services such as hospitals or libraries – is an option for conscientious objectors, whose religious or personal beliefs are incompatible with military service, in practice, the authorities refuse most such requests. Then, like Bogdan, there are those who simply go on the run. But in Moscow, it is useless to hide, warned Liberov. 'You can only stay at home', he said, given the Russian capital's 'total digitalisation and surveillance system.'
Al Jazeera
16-04-2025
- Health
- Al Jazeera
Russia's largest military call-up whips up fear among young men
On April 1, Russia began a new conscription drive with the goal of enlisting 160,000 military-age men between 18 and 30. It is the largest such call-up since 2011, aiming to fulfil last year's presidential decree to boost the armed forces to 2.5 million personnel. And it is making Bogdan, a 21-year-old on the outskirts of Moscow, nervous. Some young men often try to avoid mandatory military service. But as Russia's war against Ukraine stands at a critical juncture, with the rival sides desperately attempting to appear triumphant amid peace talks, there is a particular urgency to the matter. 'I received a summons to be drafted in the spring of 2024, despite my hypertension. And by the autumn the police were searching to forcibly conscript me,' Bogdan told Al Jazeera, requesting to withhold his surname fearing reprisal. He is currently hiding from the authorities. 'I hope that I will be able to register for military service in Saint Petersburg, undergo a new medical examination there and receive a military [exception] due to hypertension. Because in Moscow and the Moscow region, no complaints and court hearings have yielded results. In Moscow, they do not allow me to undergo a new medical examination and want to enlist me according to my summons.' Rights advocates have warned that the cracks which one might have earlier been able to slip through are tightening, while being a conscript is increasingly risky. 'A year ago there was an age amendment, and now summons are issued to young people from 18-30 years old,' Ivan Chuviliaev, spokesman for the organisation Go By The Forest, which helps people escape the ranks, told Al Jazeera. Previously, the maximum age for conscription was 27. 'Now the decision of the draft board will be valid not until the end of the draft, but for a whole year. This means it won't be as easy to run away by simply not showing up when you receive the summons. [Another] major change is that they're revising the list of illnesses of those ineligible for military service,' Chuviliaev said. 'Those conditions they wouldn't accept before, they now accept. It's clear this is simply an artificial creation of chaos, so that doctors will simply stamp Category A fitness for everyone without bothering to dig through their papers. [Thirdly,] various sanctions will be imposed for failure to appear in response to a summons, such as a ban on taking out loans, a ban on opening an individual enterprise, a ban on leaving the country, and so on and so forth.' According to an open-source tally compiled by the BBC and independent Russian outlet Mediazona, more than 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since 2022 – a figure that frightens young men like Bogdan. While conscripts are not technically supposed to be deployed to the front lines, 'conscripts can be deployed in regions that border Ukraine, including the Belgorod and Kursk regions, and therefore can theoretically participate in combat operations in these regions', Oleg Ignatov, senior Russia analyst at Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera. 'Conscripts have been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian attacks in the border regions,' he said, adding, 'I have not seen any information that conscripts are being sent to the occupied territories' like Donetsk and Luhansk. Since the onset of the full-scale war in 2022, Russia's Kursk and Belgorod regions have come under bombardment and cross-border raids. 'If someone comes into contact with the Ministry of Defence, they will likely sooner or later find themselves in the midst of hostilities,' said Chuviliaev. 'Not to mention the fact that any conscript deployment, at any time, even without your own knowledge, can turn out to be a contract.' He pointed to a recent case in Russia's Chelyabinsk region in which the local prosecutor's office recognised that at least 13 conscripts had contracts signed on their behalf illegally and ordered their discharge. In that case, the commandant simply ignored the court's order. Mikhail Liberov, of the Conscientious Objectors' Movement, told Al Jazeera that while the likelihood of someone receiving a summons actually ending up in combat is 'less than one percent … any conscript can, at any time, under one or another form of duress, sign a contract, become a formal soldier and immediately be sent to that very hell'. 'Practice shows that even the prosecutor's office helps the actions of commanders to force [conscripts] into signing contracts illegally,' he continued. 'The prosecutor's office doesn't really care about protecting citizens' rights and does not file lawsuits in their interests. Sometimes signatures on conscripts' contracts are simply forged.' There are ways, lawful and otherwise, to evade military service. These include health grounds and unfitness to serve; court appeals; higher education; certain family circumstances; feigning mental or physical illness; going into hiding; leaving the country; or applying for alternative civil service. Politicians and members of certain professions – for example, in the military-industrial complex – are also exempt. 'Each of these deferrals requires you to take action – the draft board won't do it automatically,' Chuviliaev explained. 'You need to go [to the office], bring all the necessary documents, [or] draw up a power of attorney, preferably for relatives, so they can present those documents to the enlistment office and not the draftee themselves.' Liberov listed a number of other complications that might arise. '[Educational] deferrals are not available to everyone, and only postpone the problem – those who have completed a bachelor's and master's degree inevitably face the same problem at about 22 and 24 years old, respectively,' he said. 'Not everyone can afford to leave the country: often the lack of an overseas passport becomes an obstacle, the registration of which is mistakenly considered impossible without a military ID or a visit to the military registration and enlistment office.' Liberov said that while alternate civil service – for example, working in state-run services such as hospitals or libraries – is an option for conscientious objectors, whose religious or personal beliefs are incompatible with military service, in practice, the authorities refuse most such requests. Then, like Bogdan, there are those who simply go on the run. But in Moscow, it is useless to hide, warned Liberov. 'You can only stay at home', he said, given the Russian capital's 'total digitalisation and surveillance system.'
