OMAN’S LARGEST CIRCULATED WEEKLY — 46,760 COPIES
VOL 11 ISSUE 6 / JANUARY 25, 2018
SAVE THE TURTLES PG 14
THIS WEEK IN OMAN
TRULY INDIAN IN EVERY BITE
EXPERIENCING NORTH KOREA
ARE YOU RUINING YOUR STYLE?
Visit Indus at Royal Opera House for India’s best cuisines in Oman. While you treat your palates to some Indian delights, also be part of the Biryani Festival. PAGE 8
Amidst political unrest and restrictions, travelling to North Korea can be a lifetime experience for an avid traveller. PAGE 10
Fashion keeps changing but there are some things we do wrong all the time. Here are some handy tips for your fashion mistakes. PAGE 12
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Give us a shout with questions, comments, compliments, complaints, or just to say “Hi” Founder Essa bin Mohamed Al Zedjali Chairman Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali CEO Ahmed Essa Al Zedjali Editor Charles Lavery
charles@timesofoman.com
Features Editor Swati Dasgupta
swati@timesofoman.com
Research Editor Ashish Dubash ashishdubash@timesofoman.com
gautam@timesofoman.com
salim@timesofoman.com Associate Editors Salem Afifi Shruthi Nair shruthi@timesofoman.com
Copy Editor Gautam Bhargav Viswanathan Online Editor Christopher Isaac
christopher@timesofoman.com
Associate Art Director Waleed Rabin Graphics Editor Antonio Farach Design Editor Sahir K.M. Lead Designer Geri B. Sonny Designers Gregory Fernandez Photography MMG Photographers Chief Sales Officer Richard Pakenham
richard@timesofoman.com
Production Manager Shafi Shaik On The Cover Design by Geri B. Sonny For general inquiries or comments: HiWeekend@timesofoman.com
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What are you doing this weekend? Tweet us @HiWeekly_Oman; tag us in your weekend instagram photos @hiweekly_oman; or share with us on FB/hiweekly
VOLUME 11 ISSUE 6 JANUARY 25, 2018
THURSDAY 11.00am Shopping Carnival Visit the exhibition centre and shop to your heart’s content as there are some of the big brands along with some fantastic deals. The exhibition will run until January 28. Entry is free. Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, Muscat, Oman +968 2423 3800
26 27 FRIDAY
SATURDAY
6.00am Ride Around Town
9.00am Explore a Farmer’s Market
Are you a cycling enthusiast who loves to explore the city on two-wheels? Well, this is a trip you wouldn’t want to miss. Contact Raha Cycling for more details on packages. omancycling.om
Have you been to the fifth season of Souq es Sabt yet? If not pay a visit this week and check out the local produce, interesting designs and crafts, and of course some delicious food Al Mouj Muscat, Al Hail North, Seeb +968 2453 4400
Your calendar of the hottest events happening in Muscat this weekend
THE WEEKEND LINEUP
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YO U M I S S E D I T
THERE’S PLENTY OF NEWS THAT MADE WAVES ON SOCIAL MEDIA THIS WEEK. HERE’S WHAT PEOPLE WERE TUNING IN TO. COMPILED BY SHRUTHI NAIR & SALEM AFIFI GO TO TIMESOFOMAN.COM/HIWEEKLY FOR VIDEOS AND MORE
ED ENGAGED: The star has announced his engagement to childhood friend and long-time girlfriend Cherry Seaborn. timesofoman.com/hiweekend
TRENDING THIS WEEK WOMEN MARCH: Women gathered on the streets of London to march for a number of issues including equal payment for both genders. timesofoman.com/hiweekend
OSCARS 2018: The Academy Award nominations are finally announced. Is there a movie that was snubbed? timesofoman.com/hiweekend
TOP TRENDING VIDEOS: ‘How to make life interesting?’ An answer most people look forward to hearing. Here’s a clue. timesofoman.com/hiweekend
TRENDING MUSIC
CAMILA IS HERE The pop sensation and former member of girl band Fifth Harmony has released her debut album, and it’s making noise.
TRENDING MOVIE
12 STRONG Chris Hemsworth is back in a new flick that is making his hardcore fans in an anticipation mode. The film debuted in US already.
#popularhashtag
TRENDING FASHION
SAG AWARDS 2018 The award season is almost over. Till then, check out the dazzling kings and queens of film and TV, live on red carpet.
#Oscars #EdSheeran #WomenMarch
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DINING
Treat Yourself to Rich Indian Cuisine Stepping inside Indus at the Royal Opera House ( ROHM) transforms you into another world. The regal setting, the uplifting ambience, and the lavish spread of the best Indian cuisine is a veritable feast to the city’s food buffs. STORY ASHISH DUBASH • PHOTOS SHABIN E
I
t was a bright and chilly afternoon as we walked inside Indus with immense expectations having heard lots about this place. We were there to try the new menu prepared by celebrity Chef Shaikh Arif Ahmed. Chef Arif, who was the pioneer during the launch of Indus, is back after a brief hiatus owing to his undying love for the restaurant since its beginning. To begin with, we were served Virgin Amrudtini, a guava drink with roasted cumin and rock salt. It was refreshing and kind of set the mood for the rich food that was to follow. We started with Paneer Taipatai where fine layers of cottage cheese are stuffed with mixed vegetables, pomegranate seeds, dry nuts, fresh herbs and garnished with pomegranate sauce on top which enhanced the dish. It was followed by Phattar ka Gosht, a Hyderabadi style sliced mutton dish marinated with Indian spices and cooked over a stone. Murgh Malai Parche, chicken flavoured with cardamom, cheese and cream and topped with bell pepper and finished in a tandoor was very succulent and was oozing with cream. We also had Stuffed Barbeque Prawn, where prawns are marinated with BBQ sauce, and stuffed with bell pepper, cheese, cashew nuts and then grilled. The tiger prawns were huge and delicious. Zafrani Lobster, as the name suggests, is lobster marinated with saffron and cooked in tandoor. You can get the taste of saffron in every bite that you take. Hamour Patrani, which is very similar to patrani machi, a Parsi delicacy where fish is coated with coconut and mint chutney and wrapped in banana leaf and cooked in the tandoor. Mushroom Gahlawat were butter mushrooms sautéed with a delicious blend of spices and made into patties and served on a roti. The starters were so filling that it would have eclipsed the main course but fortunately it couldn’t as the food connoisseur in us looked forward to the royal treat.
The main course started with Indus’ signature dish Raan e Ulfat. It is baby lamb leg marinated with saffron, rose petals, and cooked in ghee. The lamb was cooked so well that one could see every strand of the meat. Palak Gosht followed where tiny mutton cubes were sautéed with chopped spinach and sizzled with garlic. If you do not have a palate for spinach like me, don’t make the mistake of skipping this dish. It’s delicious to the core. We also had Murgh Delhi Qorma where chicken is blended with homemade Qorma spices and cooked in rich and dry nut gravy. Methi Murgh, chicken is cooked with fresh fenugreek leaves and sautéed with a delicious brown gravy, was rich, creamy and had subtle flavours. These were served with Bagara Rice, that is seasoned basmati rice with Indian spices and cooked on dum. Rose Petal Paratha was something new I had tasted where you could get the aroma of the rose petal in each bite. We ended our meal with green apple jalebi where slices of green apple were batter fried and soaked in a saffron sugar syrup was a novel concept. It was truly a feast of tradition and spices that won’t set your system on fire, but at the same time pamper your senses. That’s not all. Ardent biryani lovers can have a real treat by attending the Indus Biryani Khazana Festival. Indulge in a variety of non-vegetarian and vegetarian biryani from across India. From Awadhi Biryani, Shajahani Biryani, and Gosht Bhori Biryani to vegetarian biryanis like Qubooli Biryani, Kathal Ki Biryani, and Narangi Biryani, enjoy a variety of flavours. The festival is on from January 25-31. —ashishdubash@timesofoman.com Location: First Floor, Opera Galleria, Royal Opera House Muscat Open from: 12-3:30; 6:30-11:30pm +968 2202 2888 (https://www.rohmuscat.org.om/en/opera-galleria/ mall-map)
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A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN
NORTH KOREA
STORY INDRANIL CHOWDHURI
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multitude of exasperations surface when speaking about North Korea. Planning a vacation there of shock and awe. A visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) does not materialise, at the drop of a hat. Their visa regulatory body is more intent on rejecting applications than granting. The accredited agent based in Beijing is Koryo Travels, and one needs to single window them, for visiting the Kingdom. Trips to DPRK needs sensitivity trainings, termed as pre-trip briefings, which could span a few hours to a day. The training was all about the dos and the don’ts, and at the end, we found that there was nothing much we could do there on our own as a tourist. Breach of ethics or divergence from set rules could be devastating with a probable unending stay in North Korea. Armed with paper stamped visas we checked in at Beijing airport. The Airlines was Air Koryo, an uneventful flight, and we
landed at the spick and span Pyongyang International Airport. The journey of discovery began. With not much of traffic, save a couple of daily flights, the lines at immigration moved fast, since they have a detailed roster of all incoming passengers. The bottle-neck starts at customs. Laptops, hard discs, and cell phones are checked for content and we exited the customs for baggage. The entire group was then sub divided into smaller “manageable” groups of about 25. Transported to a hotel, which had been already sanitised as “for foreigners only”, our passports and the visa was taken away, with a verbal assurance to be returned when exiting. Immediately the rules swung into action. We were free inside the hotel, as there were no guests apart from us, but were barred from leaving the premises. Each group had two “minders” and they hung around ubiquitously. The television had only one channel, and that was entirely
From Muscat, one needs to fly to Beijing via Dubai, or Bangkok, which involves a total flying time of 11 hours. The Beijing – Pyongyang sector is one and half hours by flight.
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devoted to Kim Jong-un and his heroic exploits of taking the nation forward. North Korea runs two parallel mobile phone services. One is solely for the locals, the other one for foreigners, which are rarely available. The most amusing part being, that the two services are not compatible. A local SIM cannot call a foreign SIM, and vice versa. Compounded with the fact that there was no internet, we were totally isolated from the world at large. The next few days were going through the set tours, and it was hilarious. Heralded into a bus with tinted windows, number count every now and then, harried “minders” in perpetual stress, as if any one of us would defect from the group. We were not allowed to interact with locals as we got off the bus, and crossed streets to visit a museum or a place of tourist interest. Some did try, but the locals walked past, with a blank stare as if they never heard us. They have an archaic metro rail system. The carriages actually look like boxes and even in the train the interaction with locals were frowned upon. From every street corner, from every building, Kim II-sung, and Kim Jong-il, stare down at you. At the Mansudae Grand Monument, enormous bronze statues of the two past Presidents overlook the city. Right from arriving, we were told that photographs clicked would be subject to scrutiny. At random, the minders started checking the cameras for any objectionable pictures taken. The ground rules were not clearly defined, but their decision, irrevocable. The highlight of the trip was obviously the visit to the border —The DMZ. There was excitement within us. The minders were tensed and stressed to their end. Many a times, they repeated the number count. We were harshly instructed against trying to and make a dash across the border. Through many a check and repeated alerts, we reached DMZ. Just a narrow road demarcates the two Koreas, and security is on premium on either side. But then the fun started. We were taken to the roof of a building overlooking the border and the stone faced North Korean Guards, suddenly let go their composure and started making merry. We joined their circus, and there was bonhomie, selfie taking, and making friends. Life is absolutely regulated, and freedom of travel even within the country is restricted. One cannot visit the capital, if not staying within the city limits, and can come only if called. All holidays are spent by the locals, visiting the monuments of the leaders in national costumes, and paying obeisance. The minders told us it is “voluntary” and the citizens love their leaders, past and present so much, that every free time, is spent in their adulation. At the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the embalmed bodies of the father and grandfather of the present President have been kept. Formal dress complete with tie and jacket are a must and cameras are a strict no. The Palace itself is mammoth and the rooms inside are enormous. There are unending rooms where the gifts and medallions given to their departed leaders are on display. One needs to painstakingly walk in a file inspecting the hundreds of exhibits. As one enters the sanctum of the mausoleum, where the Presidents lie embalmed, each group is mysteriously joined by wailing women, who seem to appear out of nowhere. Their grief and tears are on categorical display as the visitors solemnly walk past them. Then they disappear as silently as they came in, and another group of women appear to put on display their heart felt grief. It is just another day in the office. A simple week-long visit opened our eyes to a possible world behind the screen. The shimmer of the façade was fragile enough for us to scratch. But at the end of the day, they were wonderful hosts. — HiWeekend@timesofoman.com
TRAVEL WITH NEEL Indranil Chowdhuri is based in Oman and an avid traveller who has completed foot printing in more than 100 countries.
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ILL-FITS Ill-fitted clothes, no matter how fancy a brand it is, is going to make you look bad. But clothes aren’t the only thing that requires a good fit. Your shoes do too. If you’re going to be hobbling around on a pair of heels that is giving you a shoe-bite, you’re losing all the elegance, grace and poise you dreamed of exhibiting with those shoes in the first place.
1 SOCKS WITH CROCS Sure they rhyme, but that’s no excuse for wearing them together. Forget fashion, it defies logic. If you are wearing socks to keep warm, then why wear open-toed sandals? Despite how fashion rebels have tried to make this acceptable, it still remains as a major fashion faux pas; and it’s not going to change anytime soon.
DESIGNER CRAZE We all love designer labels (especially the ethical ones), and owning more than a couple in the closet is definitely a bliss. It’s all fine and dandy till here. The problem arises when one decides to flaunt them all at once. A designer belt, matched with a designer coat, matched with designer shoes, matched with a designer bag, matched with a designer… See just reading it out starts to sound annoying, imagine having to witness it. Stick with one or two designer items only and stop looking like you’re campaigning for the label. Antara Bose is a model turned fashion and beauty consultant. A popular blogger, anchor, and voice over artist, she maintains a deep connection with the local fashion industry and is passionate about discovering and celebrating aspiring talent as well as promoting animal rights. For fashion updates with a side of humour and sarcasm follow Antara on instagram @antarabose and on Facebook (Antara Bose)
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Yes, we know; fashion is dynamic, it’s personal, and it’s unique. But keeping all of that in mind, there are still certain things you can’t get away with. It’s a blunder alright, and no amount of justification claiming it to be the latest fad is going to cut it. So let’s list them down so we’re all spared from distasteful sights. STORY ANTARA BOSE
OVERLOADING ACCESSORIES Having too much bling, just draws attention to the whole lot of bling, and nothing else. In other words, it’s too blinding and painful to the eyes, and you, as an individual, will be completely lost behind all that bling; it’s like losing your identity. Ok, maybe that was a bit too melodramatic, but the point is, wearing a whole lot of accessories together reduces the impact of each and ends up looking cluttered. If in doubt, remember the golden rule here – look at the mirror before leavng the house and take off one accessory.
NAIL ENHANCEMENTS Nails are supposed to look, well, like nails. They aren’t supposed to look like an eagle’s talons, or like frosted cake, or an item from the jewellery case. As much as we all love nail art, it’s important to know when to stop. Manicures, a nice nail polish, and even a few stones and sprinkles of glitter are acceptable. Flowers, mirrors and any form of dangling objects qualify as ‘overboard’.
FAKE DESIGNERS There is absolutely nothing wrong in not wearing designer labels. There is, however, something really wrong about going for the fakes. So if a brand is a little over the budget, don’t buy a knock-off. Those actually familiar with designer brands will know exactly what to look out for in that fake bag claiming to be real. So spare yourself the embarrassment and protect your integrity.
WEATHER INAPPROPRIATE It’s always a good idea to step out and feel the weather before getting ready. Wearing a hooded jacket on a sunny day is a fashion faux pas; just like wearing summer shorts and a tank top when the temperature drops. Not only will you be uncomfortable, but you’ll have people giggle (or sympathise, if they are nicer) at you when you walk past.
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TURTLES FACE UPHILL BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL S T O R Y M A Q S O O D M A N I YA R
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AS YOU WATCH THE GREEN SEA TURTLES EMERGE FROM THE SANDS AND CRAWL TOWARDS THE OCEAN TO HATCH NEAR THE BEACHES AT RAS AL JINZ, YOU MIGHT THINK THAT THE SPECIES ARE FLOURISHING AND ARE WITHOUT FEAR. HOWEVER, ON DELVING DEEPER, ONE FINDS THAT SOME OF THE SPECIES LIKE LOGGERHEAD, HAWKSBILL, GREEN, AND OLIVE RIDLEY ARE THREATENED OWING TO SEVERAL DISRUPTIVE HUMAN ACTIVITIES.
CLIMATE CHANGE Global warming has caused the polar ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise. This has led to flooding of the beaches and destruction of the turtle nests. Recently, a study found that about 99 per cent of hatchlings of a green sea turtle sub-population off the coast of the great barrier reef near Australia were females. Some scientists suspect that this feminisation might lead to extinction of the species. Moreover, experts have warned that global warming is causing disproportionately higher number of female turtles to be hatched worldwide. This is because warmer nests lead to male turtles being born while cooler ones yield female hatchlings. “Global warming is affecting the sexes of sea turtles all over the world. As the temperatures rise the temperature of the nests will rise too. The nests will produce males but at a lower rate. Over time there will be a huge reduction in population,” said Daniel Schneider, chief biologist at Quixote Curiosity. Andrew Willson, a marine biologist from 5 Oceans Environmental Services (5OES), an environmental consultancy and conservation organisation located in the Sultanate, said that there are multiple factors at play that affect extinction of turtles in the backdrop of climate change. “The issue of the turtle population not getting extinct is also related to the interplay between adaption and how robust the population is. If the population and its habitats are well managed with few impacts then you are giving the population every chance you can to survive. “What we don’t know is if the population will be able to adapt fast enough to the rate of changes currently experienced and projected for the future. We know that the turtles have been around for a couple of hundred million years and have survived through climate change before — but as far as we know the rate of change now is faster than previous events,” he said. “What conservation biologists are immediately concerned about are the population that are declining and have been considered endangered or critically endangered. These are going to be the population who would be at risk the most owing to climate change related threats and would require urgent attention,” he added.
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THE CLIMATE HAS CHANGED ON THIS PLANET MANY A TIMES IN THE LAST MILLIONS OF YEARS AND THE TURTLES HAVE ADAPTED AND SURVIVED. IT WILL HOWEVER MEAN A MASSIVE LOSS OF TURTLES BEFORE THEY RECOVER AND DURING THIS TIME THE FEW THAT ARE LEFT WILL STILL BE
BEACH EROSION Beach erosion owing to infrastructure development can lead to a loss in nesting habitat for turtles. Experts said that the best way to overcome the threat to turtles in Oman is to conserve the beaches. Andrew Willson said that protecting the diverse nesting habitats in the Sultanate was the best to counter the threat to turtles. Turtle nesting sites in Oman include beaches at Ras Al Jinz, Daymaniyats, Ras Al Hadd, Masirah, and Dhofar. Importantly, these are diverse nesting habitats with varying temperatures. Willson added that climate change induced natural calamities like cyclones can cause erosion of beaches. “Climate change is also linked to warming of sea surface temperatures. Higher temperatures are linked to increase cyclone and hurricane events. Cyclones such as those experienced in Oman can cause rapid erosion and loss of beach area, and significant loss of nests has been recorded during these events.
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CONSERVATION EFFORTS Thankfully, there are multiple parties in Oman working to ensure that all four turtle species are protected. One such organisation is the Environment Society of Oman (ESO), which is a part of a collaborative effort to conserve turtles among other species. “ESO conducts awareness campaigns with local communities in turtle nesting areas. We aim to raise awareness on the impact of these human activities on the turtles and how these can be rectified to help protect and conserve these turtles. “The campaign focuses on communication with different stakeholders within the local communities. Some of our main government stakeholders include the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth as the sea turtles of Oman are a shared resource and joint responsibility for everyone to conserve,” ESO’s Yusra Jaffer said. Andrew Willson who has been working for Five Oceans Environmental Services in Oman for 10 years, said that there are concerns, but there is also hope to save the turtles in Oman, since some conservation programmes had worked out really well in the past, world over. “The threats are complex and compounding which makes studying the significance of threats (or impact on population) difficult and hard to pull apart where the issues are. “Globally some populations have seen fantastic recoveries in the last few decades as conservation measures have taken hold and become effective. These are the examples that prove conservation efforts are valuable and we still have a chance to reverse negative trends in populations at risk,” he added. Nicholas Pilcher, founder and executive director of Marine Research Foundation, and who has worked extensively on turtle conservation in the Middle East said that there is a hope that the turtles might survive this bout of climate change. “The climate has changed on this planet many a times in the last millions of years and the turtles have adapted and survived. It will however mean a massive loss of turtles before they recover and during this time the few that are left will still be. And these turtles nest all around the world, so while one local population might go extinct, it might not happen everywhere,” he said.
“If cyclones are increasing in frequency then this could have population level consequences. Other researchers are studying projected shifts in foraging areas using ecological modelling approaches. So there is a good deal of research now going into many aspects of climate change influencing sea turtle ecology,” he said. INGESTION OF PLASTIC Turtles ingesting plastic can be fatal. They mistake plastic bags for jelly fish, a common food for them. The marine litter can get stuck inside the animal’s digestive tract. “Our efforts are to raise awareness among the communities on the harm that plastic use can cause to the environment and how every individual can make a small change to contribute to this. We continually have awareness messages on our social media channels, our presentations, events, and activities,” said Yusra Jaffer, Public Relations Manager of Environment Society of Oman (ESO).
FISHING AND BOATING Turtles often become ‘bycatch’, that is to say that they get caught in nets meant for fishes, get entangled, and die. Moreover, they are also threatened by boat strikes, wherein vessels collide with turtles. “Apart from climate change and their ability to recover from it, turtles are threatened by bycatch in fishing operations, direct hunting, boat strikes, disease, and all kinds of other threats. These added threats could be the biggest issue,” Malaysia-based British marine biologist Nicholas Pilcher said. LIGHT POLLUTION Light pollution refers to the excessive lighting. This leads to turtle hatchlings getting confused, since they are wired to move towards the brightest source of light. Normally, that would be the sun or the moon. Artificial lighting offsets the equation.
ESO EFFORTS ON MASIRAH ISLAND ESO has been studying loggerhead sea turtles on the Island of Masirah since 2006. The findings have led to a population reassessment conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) leading to the designation of the Northwest Indian Ocean Loggerhead sub-population to be considered as critically endangered. ESO has also collects data and information on other sea turtle species nesting on the island including green, olive Ridley and hawksbill sea turtles. ESO has prepared emergency action plans to aid in the recovery of the populations of loggerhead turtles in Oman. However, its implementation needs to be a joint effort between government, private sector and community members. “Awareness campaigns within the local communities as well stakeholder engagement are ongoing. Continuing research also helps us to identify what threats to sea turtles and what we can do to address them,” ESO’s Yusra Jaffer said. —maqsood@timesofoman.com
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PADMAAVAT Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Padmaavat is a historical tale that goes back to 1303 AD medieval India. Padmavati, known for her exceptional beauty, was the queen of the Kingdom of Chittor, a prosperous kingdom in the north west of India. Alauddin Khilji, the second ruler of the Khilji dynasty, gets obsessed with the queen leading to a ďŹ erce battle between Alauddin Khilji and Maharawal Ratan Singh who has to defend his kingdom and the honour of his queen. Cast: Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor Running At: Vox Oman, City Cinemas
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OTHER RELEASES THIS WEEK
DONT KILL IT Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Kristina Klebe and Elissa Dowling
THE BREADWINNER Cast: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya and Noorin Gulamgaus
DEAD AWAKE Cast: Jocelin Donahue, Jesse Bradford and Jesse Borrego
An ageing demon hunter teams up with an FBI agent (Kristina Klebe) to defeat a supernatural menace that’s terrorising a small town in Mississippi. There’s just one catch: The malevolent entity has the ability to possess the person that kills it.
A headstrong young girl, Parvana, in Afghanistan disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family. After the wrongful arrest of her father, Parvana cuts off her hair and dresses like a boy to support her family. She soon discovers a new world of freedom and danger and embarks on an epic quest to find her father and reunite her family.
Kate Bowman is a social worker who is investigating a series of mysterious deaths. Kate is approached by an unorthodox doctor who warns of an evil entity that haunts people in their sleep. She brushes aside his admonition, but when a terrifying entity begins to haunt Kate’s friends and loved ones, she must fight to stay awake to stop the nightmare she’s unleashed.
MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE Cast: Rosa Salazar, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Dylan O’Brien
KICKBOXER: RETALIATION Cast: Alain Moussi, Christopher Lambert and JeanClaude Van Damme
ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams and Christopher Plummer
Young hero Thomas embarks on a mission to find a cure for a deadly disease known as the “Flare”. He leads some escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary Last City, a WCKD-controlled labyrinth that may turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. Anyone who makes it out alive will get answers to the questions that the Gladers have been asking since they arrived in the maze.
One year after the events of “Kickboxer: Vengeance”, Kurt Sloan has vowed never to return to Thailand. However, while gearing up for a MMA title shot, he finds himself sedated and forced back into Thailand, this time in prison. He is there because the ones responsible want him to face a 6’8” 400 lbs. beast named Mongkut and in return for the fight, Kurt will get two million dollars and his freedom back.
From STX Entertainment and the highly acclaimed director Ridley Scott, comes a film based on true events that follows the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother Gail (Michelle Williams) to convince his billionaire grandfather (Christopher Plummer) to pay the ransom.
COMING SOON THE SHAPE OF WATER Cast: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon
PHANTOM THREAD Cast: Vicky Krieps, Daniel Day-Lewis and Lesley Manville
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Indian School Seeb students lifted the prestigious Ambassador’s Cup defeating Indian School Mabela during the Republic Day of India Hockey Festival organised by Friends of Naqvi Group and Team Coorg under the patronage of the Indian Embassy. Indian School Seeb students mesmerised the audience with their spectacular dance at the Global Art and Culture Festival held at Caledonian College.
Elections for the Board of Directors of Indian Schools in Oman was held at Indian School Muscat.
IN FOCUS DO YOU WANT TO BE IN FOCUS? SHARE YOUR PICTURES WITH US ON FACEBOOK.COM/HIWEEKLY
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NBO celebrated winners of the OMR 500,000 Al Kanz mega draw.
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‘Padmatheertham 2018’, a cultural extravaganza, was held at Al Falaj Hotel. – Photos: Purushothaman K.
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SUDOKU
HOW TO PLAY Fill empty cells with the numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column, and area.
Level | Moderate
Level | Easy
6 3
8 5
6
4
7
1
8
5 4
1
2
4
5
7
8
3
9
7
6
3
8
7
5
7
6 2
4 4
1
4
THIS WEEK’S SOLUTIONS Easy
8 9
6
2
4 5
1
8
3
9
1 9
7 2
9
5 8 4 1
9
1
8
Level | Difficult
6
2
8 3
5
5
2
7
8
6
Medium
3 1
4
6
2 5
1
6
9
9
6
1
3
7
2
4
5
6
4
7 9
5
5
9 7
3 Difficult
7
VOLUME 10 ISSUE 78 J U LY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7
HI WEEKLY
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