H.H. the Amir`s support for Syrian refugees praised

Transcription

The
Dipl mat
N
oting that Sweden can offer excellence within environmenttechnology; information technology and telecommunications;
education and health, the Swedish ambassador to Qatar, Her Excellency
Ewa Polano says that Sweden also places a strong emphasis on
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which is an area where Sweden
can make a difference "as we lead as an example, especially in human
rights." She adds that there are also endless possibilities in art, music,
film and sports.
250 Fils
Issue No 735
Established 1996
22 - 28 March, 2015
See Page 7
www.timeskuwait.com
H.H. the Amir's support for Syrian refugees praised
Recruitment of Indian
nurses to be regulated
Corruption, exploitation at the root of Indian
government’s decision to ban private agencies
from recruiting Indian nurses
Staff Report
I
n a major decision to weed out corruption and exploitation
of Indian nurses the government of India has restricted
the recruitment of Indian nurses to Kuwait for employment
through government run agencies only.
Indian ambassador H.E. Sunil Jain told The Times Kuwait
that government of India had taken a decision that effective 30
April, 2015, the recruitment of Indian nurses for employment
in Kuwait would be restricted through State-run recruiting
agencies, viz.,NORKA (Non-Resident Keralites’ Affairs
Department)-ROOTS and ODEPC (Overseas Development
and Employment Promotion Consultants Ltd), Kerala.
Henceforth, Indian nurses interested for overseas employment
in 18 countries, including Kuwait, would require emigration
clearance from Protector of Emigrants Offices in India.
Continued on Page 4
A
rab
League
officials
commended His Highness
the Amir Sheikh Sabah
Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's
relentless support for Syrian
refugees, clearly manifested in
his hosting of the third donors’
conference to help the Syrian
people, end of this month.
The officials hoped the
Third International Pledging
Conference for the Syrian people,
would contribute to providing
further assistance to some 12.5
million Syrian people and would
exceed what had been offered
by donors during the first and
second meetings, hosted by
Kuwait in 2013 and 2014.
Arab
League
Secretary
General
Nabil
Al-Araby
praised His Highness the
Amir's humanitarian endeavors
towards the Syrian people.
He said the Arab League’s
honoring of His Highness the
Amir last September, following
UN’s honoring of His Highness
Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad as
‘Humanitarian Leader’, was "an
evidence of the humanitarian
role of His Highness the Amir in
supporting the Syrian refugees."
Al-Araby said he would be
Assistant Secretary General for
Political Affairs, Fadhel Jawad,
said His Highness the Amir
was always at the fore to give
a hand to the Syrian refugees.
Commending preparations by
leading a delegation from the
League’s secretariat to the
March 31 donors’ conference,
also known as Kuwait III, and
would give a speech about
development in Syria, specially
the humanitarian side of it.
For his part, the Arab League
Kuwait for the upcoming donors'
meeting, Jawad said, “The State
of Kuwait plays a massive role
in the international humanitarian
affairs." He added that he
hoped all donor countries would
contribute to alleviating suffering
of the Syrian refugees. Director
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VIVA Kuwait
of the Arab League Health and
Humanitarian Aid Department,
Laila Najem, said Kuwait "is a
big partner of the international
community in addressing the
humanitarian conditions in Syria
and the region." She said that
90 percent of pledges made at
the second pledging conference
were honored. This commitment,
added
Najem,
underlined
importance of Arab League
Secretary General's proposal
on forming a group to follow up
implementation of the resolutions
of the donors' meetings.
Kuwait III is set to feature
participation of 78 countries
and more than 40 international
organizations. Kuwait hosted
the first and second donors'
conferences in 2013 and 2014.
Pledges in the first amounted
to US$1.5 billion while reaching
$2.4 billion in the second. Kuwait
pledged$300 million in the first
meeting and $800 million in the
second meeting.
Prepaid
2
Local
The Times Kuwait 22 - 28 March, 2015 timeskuwait.com
Turkish battleship docks in Shuwaikh port
T
urkish corvette TCG Buyukada
F-512 made a goodwill visit to
Kuwait last week as part of the
framework of friendly ties between
the two nations. The corvette
docked at Shuwaikh Port and a
defence exhibition showcasing
Turkey’s defence industry was
also held on the sidelines of the
battleship’s visit.
Turkish ambassador H.E. Murat
Tamer welcomed the invitees
which included defence personnel
from Kuwait as well diplomats and
media persons. He praised the
strong brotherly relations between
Turkey and Kuwait and expressed
gratitude to the Kuwait leadership
for their support and cooperation
in several fields. TCG Büyükada is
indigenously designed, developed
and built by the Tuzla Naval
Shipyard in Istanbul showcasing the
naval capability of Turkey.
A reception was held by the
commander on board the ship
which was attended by high ranking
dignitaries from the defence ministry
and also diplomats and media
persons.
Local
3
His Highness the Amir receives
credentials of Arab, foreign diplomats
H
is Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received
at Bayan Palace on Tuesday the new
Ambassadors of Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa,
Australia, Thailand, Sudan, and New Zealand to
Kuwait. The diplomats handed their credentials
during the occasion to His Highness the Amir. The
ceremony was attended by First Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh
Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy
Thank you
for sharing in our sorrow
I would like to thank everyone who
conveyed their condolences to my family
and me on the sad demise of my
Beloved father,
on 24 February, in India.
We deeply appreciate the thoughts,
compassion and prayers, expressed in
person or conveyed through heartfelt
messages, which were a great solace to us
during our period of grief.
Ashok & Mamta Kalra,
and the Mughal Mahal family
Minister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah
Al-Sabah, Assistant Undersecretary at the Amiri
Diwan Ibrahim Al-Shatti, Head of His Highness
the Amir’s Office Ahmad Al-Fahad, Advisor at
the Amiri Diwan Mohammad Abul-Hassan, Head
of Amiri Protocols Sheikh Khaled Al-Abdullah
Al-Nasser Al-Sabah, Head of Protocols at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Dhari AlAjran and Amiri Guard Commander Brigadier
Fahad Al-Zaid.
4
Local
Air India manager bids adieu to Kuwait
A
ir India country manager Ajai Sinha
and his wife Preeti Sinha bid adieu
to their friends and well-wishers
in a gala reception at the Crowne Plaza
Hotel on Friday. Mr. Sinha completed
a successful tenure in Kuwait having
improved the airlines services and
connections for the Indian community in
Kuwait.
During his tenure, Mr. Sinha earned
the trust and confidence of the airline
fraternity with his hard work and
dedication which helped to regain lost
market share.
Indian ambassador to Kuwait H.E. Sunil
Jain, in his farewell speech applauded
and congratulated Mr. Sinha for a job
well done and for his service to the airline
and the community. Hirak Mukhopadyay,
airport manager of Air India will be acting
country manager until the new manager
arrives to take charge.
Gulf Indian School
mourns demise of student
T
he funeral service
for
young
Gulf
Indian School student
Mariamol Mathew, who
died in a tragic accident
on 4th ring road in
Kuwait, was held on 12
March at the St Mary’s
Church in Pala, Kerala.
Mariamol was travelling
with her parents, who had finished
some last minute shopping and
were driving back home when
their tire burst and tragedy struck.
Her parents Anil Kumar
and Johncy Mathew
and siblings Melvin
and Manual survived
the crash and were
rushed to the hospital.
A student of Gulf Indian
School, Fahaheel, the
news of her demise was
deeply mourned and
the school management, staff and
students expressed their heartfelt
condolences to the bereaved
family.
Recruitment of Indian
nurses to be regulated
Continued from Page 1
The new procedure being
implemented
would
ensure
transparency
and
equitable
opportunity while protecting the
nurses from unscrupulous agencies
charging huge sums of money for
employment.
Detailing the procedure, the
Indian embassy in Kuwait explained
that foreign employers who sought to
recruit Indian nurses would have to
register from 30 April 2015 onwards
in the e-Migrate system, which is
being introduced by the Embassy, for
vetting by the Embassy. Thereafter,
foreign employers can raise demand
for Indian nurses on e-Migrate system
with the terms and conditions of their
employment.
On scrutiny of documents, the
attestation/approval would be done
by the Indian Embassy on-line basis.
This move has been welcomed
by several members of the Indian
community who have been pursuing
this issue to bring an end to the
present system of recruitment, where
nurses end up shelling almost
Publisher & Editor-In-Chief
Tareq Yousuf Al-Shumaimry
tareq@timeskuwait.com
Managing Editor
Reaven D’Souza
reaven@timeskuwait.com
KD10,000 (Rs20 Lakhs) to secure
employment overseas.
There are thousands of Indian
nurses working overseas and in the
past few years it has become a big
business for recruiting agents who
were following unethical recruitment
practices, creating unwanted misery
and mental agony for the nurses,
which was tantamount to human
trafficking.
The situation got out of control
when almost two years back the
Indian government under the previous
UPA 2 decided to scrap attestation
of employment documents thereby
opening a huge corruption nexus into
the recruitment of nurses. As part of
the recent pay-scale adjustment in
Kuwait, nurses’ salaries were raised
to attract better trained and qualified
nurses. However, recruiting agents
were quick to seize the opportunity
and charge huge sums of money for
employment in Kuwait under a higher
pay scale.
Several association members
commended Ambassador Jain’s
personal intervention in this issue that
brought about a positive conclusion.
P O Box 5141, Safat 13052, Kuwait
Tel : 24814404, 24810109
Fax : 24834815
Email : info@timeskuwait.com
Printed in: Arwa Universal Printing Press
Dimensions
5
GAF 9 juxtaposing technology and art
At the Global Art Forum (GAF), 2015, leading artists, curators, archivists, writers, researchers, historians, philosophers and filmmakers
gathered alongside new-era professionals such as technologists, entrepreneurship enablers and accelerators, media movers and shakers
to debate how technologies have transformed not only the way we work, but how we think, interact, learn and create.
Ghazal Praveen
T
on the museum's collaborative efforts with
Joumana Al Jabri, a data visualizing specialist on
social issues,in visualizing from 1920s-Palestine
to the present. Saleh also expressed her regret
at the "lack of networks, museums, trained staff,
the absence of a platform to exchange ideas, as
well as the safety and security issues involved
in transporting art that hinder in building up a
museum in Palestine.”
Joanne Lisinski, Head of Research at Mathaf:
Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, presented
a snapshot of her practice and role in arts heritage
and preservation in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and
Palestine. She elaborated on the museum's online
encyclopedia in English and Arabic that served as
a repository for people to look for bibliographies,
phonographs, books, videos and essays.
Staff Report
he GAF9, held in Kuwait at Dar al-Athar
al-Islamiyyah, on 14 and 15 March, was
presented by the Dubai Culture and Arts
Authority (Dubai Culture) and supported by Dubai
Design District (d3) and the Tamdeen Group in
association with Nuqat and Sultan Gallery.
The ninth edition of the forum, titled 'Download
Update?' was co-directed by media and
journalism entrepreneur, Turi Munthe and MiddleEast political, social and economic commentator
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, with Shumon Basar
serving as Director-at-Large. The two-day forum,
which was supplemented by special exhibitions
and events held around the city, highlighted the
theme of technologies and their impact on the
DISSEMINATE: MEDIA AND MESSAGE IN
20TH CENTURY KUWAIT
The debates then trailed the journey of the
multi-lingual histories of art, which he found while
overseeing numerous projects and research
initiatives in India.
Two of the founders of Nuqat, Hussa Al Humaidhi
and writer Liane Al Ghusain, speaking on
'Archiving as an Act of Love' traced Nuqat’s
inception that rose as a result of frustration in the
near total lack of Arab identity at artistic platforms.
They expressed their concern with documenting
and archiving the cultural production of the Middle-
world of art and culture. As a kaleidoscope of
technology's progress through time, it scanned
the past and present looking for the designed and
unintended effects of innovation.
DIGITIZE OR DISAPPEAR
In panel discussions, relating to the GAF's
theme of technologies, various researchers and
archivists discussed and shared practical and
conceptual ideas around digitization of archives
and artworks.
Open-floor discussions explored various
questions ranging from what forms archives can
take in the current technological milieu; how visual
art be re-imagined through archiving; and what
questions does one wants to ask of the future and
what shape will it give to the past.
The forum looked at different possibilities —
data-age, multi-perspective, virtual museums,
online curation, multi-faceted curatorial approach
to knowledge — that lie in the wake of new archival
initiatives in the Arab world and South-Asia,
reaching out to individuals and entities engaged
in or developing a project on digitizing material.
New-Delhi based Senior Researcher at Asia
Art Archives (AAA), Sabie Ahmed, presented
new ways of mapping various critics, curators,
art historians, artists and writers, their personal
archives, online bibliographic compilations of
East as part and parcel of its mission to stimulate
the creative economy. The session investigated
their focus on documenting knowledge by
'Practicing the Collective Approach'; data and
its perception, the process and the results of
collaboration using technology and their effect on
the community and economy.
Kristine Khouri, an independent researcher and
writer based in Beirut, Lebanon, looked at Sultan
Gallery's archive over the last forty years and
its efforts in introducing Arab artists to broader
audiences, and helping to establish a vital
dialogue among artists and institutions working
internationally. She presented her viewpoint on
disappearance of valuable work into thin air,
scarce information and how its recovery needs
time.
Ruba Saleh, Research and Collections Manager
at the Palestinian Museum, spoke at length on the
'Palestine Museum' project, and her research
interests: space and power, spatial barriers and
creativity, practices and policies, and informality
and conflict.
Emphasizing on the urgency to archive
prominent artworks from the region, she furthered
homegrown Al-Arabi magazine, from "being
the recipient of news" to being the "contributor
and exporter" and a pioneer in propounding the
ideology of Pan-Arabism. The magazine’s role in
creating a ripple-effect throughout the Arab world
through its focus mainly on culture, literature, art,
politics, society, and economics of the region and
its pulsation with the post-Arab Spring movement
were also highlighted.
Al-Qassemi, contextualized the role of AlArabi magazine alongside the impact of new
technologies, including print and television, on
the culture scene in Kuwait and the Gulf region,
through the voice of scholar, journalist, and the
former Editor-in-Chief Al-Arabi Magazine Dr.
Sulaiman Abrahim El-Askari.
Dr. El-Askari, spoke of how Kuwait expressed
itself 50 years ago and how Diwaniyas and radios
were then an essential medium of news. He also
elaborated on the pre-tech-era of Kuwait, he
spoke of the difference of dialect and how it had
the undertones of Swahili, Indian and Levantine
languages. He then highlighted that Al-Arabi
magazine and Kuwait media in general took a
"giant leap in the 1950-60s" as they became
a significant medium to connect neighboring
countries. The Kuwait media through its role
in accelerating creative expressions, attracted
Arabic literature and art from within and beyond
Kuwait – especially in the era when censorship
was not a hindrance to expression.
Continued on Page 13
6
Local
Indian embassy holds Indian food,
herbal and handicrafts exhibition
Madhuri Awale
T
Staff Writer
he Embassy of India, Kuwait,
in association with the Kuwait
Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (KCCI), organized a colorful
‘Indian Food, Herbal and Handicrafts
Exhibition’ at the KCCI Exhibition Hall
on Wednesday,18 March.
The exhibition was inaugurated
by Ambassador of India to Kuwait
H.E. Sunil Jain along with Abdul
Wahab M. Al-Wazzan, Second Vice
Chairman of the Kuwait Chamber
of Commerce and Industry.
Speaking on the occasion
Ambassador Jain expressed his
appreciation to KCCI for their
help in holding such an exhibition,
which helped display India’s
cultural diversity through its wide
range of products.
The exhibition, which featured
a wide range of Indian food items,
herbal beauty products and
traditional handicrafts, drew a large
crowd of citizens and residents.
Snacks from restaurants like
Thousands witness the launch
the Winners restaurant, Udupi
restaurant, Thakkar, all kinds of
Parle biscuits were available for
people to munch on while they
went around the exhibition. Spices
and pickles from companies like
MDH masala, Badshah masala
were also available.
Indian herbal products included
internationally renowned brands
such as Shahnaz Hussain and
Himalaya with their different kinds
of hair oils, face and body scrubs
and creams for various skin types.
A
beautiful
display
of
handicrafts from artistically colored
and shaped bowls to intricately
designed sarees and churidars
from Lu&Lu Hypermarket were
also on display.
ceremony of Indian Social Forum
T
he Indian Social Forum
(ISF), a new platform for the
Indian community in Kuwait,
was launched on 13 March at
the Integrated Indian School,
Abbasiya.
The
event
was
observed by thousands.
Mr.
Abdusalam,
Central
president of ISF introduced the
forum and its activities. He said
that the objective of creating a
new organization was to have
a common platform for all
members of the Indian community
regardless of language, region,
religion or profession. He said,
“We are optimistic that the Indian
Social Forum (ISF) will enhance
the all-round development of the
Indian community in Kuwait. In fact
the overwhelmingsupport from
the people belonging to different
Indian states and different walks
of life brought this objective into
reality.” He further said that the
forum’s main focus shall be on
the welfare of the weaker sections
among the expatriates and they
will takeactive part in identifying
the expat’s problems and will help
them resolve the issues through
various means including legal and
government channels.
In addition to the central and
state committee office bearers of
ISF, Shihabudeen TS, Secretary,
KIFF, Abdullah Ibrahim Khokar,
and President Adara Ithihadul
Bopara were on the dais.
The Event Coordinator and
ISF secretary Thayif Ahmed
concluded the program with vote
of thanks. Sameer Aman hosted
the program.
Diplomat
Sweden
Enhancing bilateral trade
By Erika Widén
The Times Kuwait correspondent
O
n 14 May, 2014, the Swedish
embassy opened in Qatar as
the country is experiencing
a dynamic social and economic
development. “It is important for
Sweden to be present to lead a political
dialogue and promote trade. Our
Trade Minister, Ewa Björling’s visit
7
Ambassador to Qatar.
Simultaneously, Qatar will soon
open its embassy in Stockholm, and
His Excellency Hamad bin Muhammed
Mubarak Nasser Al Khalifa will be
appointed as the Ambassador.
At present, in accordance to the
Swedish embassy’s records there are
approximately 470 Swedish citizens
residing in Doha, and around 4,000
in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The
to Doha, and the opening of the
Embassy of Sweden, emphasizes
the importance of our relations with
Qatar,” says Ewa Polano, Sweden’s
Since Her Excellency Polano was
appointed Ambassador in September
2014, she has built relations in the
triple-helix model including the Qatari
government, private businesses and
universities. “In addition to a strong
emphasize on Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR), which is on the
agenda at every meeting, and this is
an area where we believe Sweden
can make a difference as we lead
as an example, especially in human
rights.”
Ambassador Polano adds that
there is a diversity of trade and
positions held by Swedish citizens
residing in Qatar. For instance,
some work for Qatari entities like
Qatar Airways, Qatar Rail and Al
Jazeera, and in financial institutions
while others hold positions in private
organisations. In addition, Ericsson
Qatar has a Swedish Country Manager
and Qatar University has some
Swedish professors of Arab origin. “In
the medical field we have professors
and pharmaceutical managers and
rehabilitation medicine – looking
to employ Swedish professionals.
It would be right to say Swedes are
scattered in the government, private
and educational infrastructure of
Qatar.” Furthermore, Swedish exports
to Qatar are at US$260 million, mainly
consisting of iron ore, equipment for
electric power distribution, telecom
and vehicles. Qatar is currently
Sweden’s eighth largest trading
partner in the Middle-East. Whereas,
imports to Sweden from Qatar were
approximately US$73 million, mainly
compromising of fuel, which is a 55
percent growth in comparison to the
year before.
“Sweden can offer excellence
within
environment-technology;
information
technology
and
telecommunications; education and
health. Those are all areas where
Qatar is making extensive strategic
investments. There is room for trade
expansion – both ways. We are
looking into medicine and health,
CleanTech,
Networked
Society,
SymbioCity, infrastructure and food,”
adds Polano.
At present, the largest Swedish
company based in Qatar is Ericsson.
“Envac and ABB do business here as
does Volvo, Saab and H&M. No one
198
5
Dipl mat
can avoid the brand new IKEA store
in Doha,” highlights the ambassador.
The diplomat further adds how
Sweden has a lot to offer in many
areas of culture. “There are endless
possibilities within art, music and also
film. Qatar is promoting art as well as
sports – and also the Swedish sports
culture can share their experiences in
Qatar. In March this year we have 58
people coming with a youth team to
train at Aspire from Malmö FF (football
club).”
Despite being a brand new
embassy, and with limited manpower
among their main duties is to promote
organizations, and assist Swedish
companies interested to invest and or
be present in Doha. “Qatar is a country
with the highest per capita income in
the world. The development of the
country is growing at a rapid speed
in all areas. Many embassies were
established before we arrived and the
competition is fierce. Qatar’s slogan
is ‘Qatar deserves the best’ and we
believe Sweden can offer the best in
many areas,” concludes Polano.
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8
Food
A new culinary
Dining experience
Staff Report
A
new dining concept that combines with
tasty, healthy and fresh food, Vapiano,
serves some amazingly delicious cuisine
to guests who are looking for a fine dining Italian
experience.
Located in the Grand Avenues, on the first
floor, the restaurant has been widely frequented
since its opening last year in June.
Vapiano is not just about pizzas or pastas, but
about a concept of freshness. Everything about
Vapiano is related to freshness. From the basic
ingredients to live cooking freshness is ingrained
into the preparation so that the true taste of the
DINING
IN
meal is enjoyed. Vapiano Country Manager
Jason D’Souza, who has more than a decade of
experience in the food industry in Kuwait, revealed
that since their opening last June there has been
a steady growth in their customer visits. The new
concept has been received very positively and
plans are on for opening more branches in select
locations all over Kuwait.
The unique concept of ordering as you go
with a smart card and the meal prepared in front
of you gives guests total control over their meal
preferences. Whether its adding more cheese or
holding the tomatoes in your salad the choice and
control is with the guest.
Simple preparations with fresh ingredients can
go a long way in enhancing the taste and flavor
and that is exactly what the Vapiano experience
is about, revealed Jason. Symbolizing its name of
taking life easy and relaxed, and living healthier
and longer, Vapiano treats its guests in an
ambience of well being and a design reflecting an
olive tree.Trained chefs who have perfected the
art of preparation, boil, fry, stir, mix and serve all
in one go with amazing dexterity, giving the true
meaning to the term ‘what you see is what you eat.’
While the pastas are clearly outstandingly
delicious the pizzas are simply the best. The
secret to this is the dough which is made in house
as well as the sauces and so is fresh and perfect
at the time of serving.
What is interesting to note is that even the raw
pasta is made in house giving the right quality
that Vapiano insists about. By making the raw
ingredients themselves the Vapiano team controls
the quality and taste of the food, delivering
consistency meal after meal after meal.
While the menu is not an elaborate book of
dishes, everything from pasta, pizza, salad and
desserts indicate that even the dishes are selected
and fine tuned for the guests preferences.
To top up this culinary experience Vapiano is
priced so reasonably that guests do not have to
wait for an occasion to visit the restaurant.
For a complete list of featured restaurants, visit
http://www.timeskuwait.com/News_Dining In Kuwait
KUWAIT
Inspired by the elusive brown
tomato or kumato, which
arrives as a mix of brown,
green and red, the fusion
Italian establishment is named
after this unique tomato. Opt
for a Burrata from its classic
Italian menu, Italian fattoush
salad from its contemporary takes on classics, or even
fusion style tapas.
The décor – chic, sleek and geometric
inspired aesthetic – seems to be cozy
and futuristic at the same time.
Penne Al L’arrabbiata. Pumpkin
Rigatoni. Salted Chocolate Fondant.
Al Hamra Luxury Center, Kuwait City | 22270214
Instagram @Brown_Tomato
A traditional Kuwaiti restaurant that offers classic homestyle dishes. They are well-known for their tasty kebbeh,
cucumber yogurt salad, and traditional Kuwaiti breakfast
platters.
It combines the essence of Kuwaiti
heritage to a modern twist. The counter
recalls
old baqalas of
Kuwait
with
typical corrugated sheets
in the background and on
the ceiling. Bright and cheery colors
and accessories enhance the Café
Bazza experience.
Musakhan Tanoor.
The Cafe
has its
own sound
track, by singer Marwa Ben
Sghaier singing old Kuwaiti
tunes, which it sells for charity.
14 branches across Kuwait | 1860860
Their layout is a bit exotic and hipster-esque, with plastic see through
chairs, chandeliers and a cone
shaped funnel of mounted colored
macaroons that add to the ambience.
Cheesecake Red Velvet
Enjoy typical French desserts from its ‘Classic’ menu
available all the time or, go for its selected signature products.
It serves a wide selection and flavors of macaroons,
puddings, coffee, cheese omelet, pastas, salads, burgers
and sandwiches.
Arraya Shopping Center, Kuwait city / Saleh Shehab Resort, Julaia’a, U-turn 245
The Avenues – Phase II - 22997919, 22997920, 60062669 - www.facebook.com/chocolateandmacaroon
Interview
9
DICOE accreditation makes Images
Diagnostic Centre unique in region
Dr. Yahya Slaiman
Kuwait’s healthcare system is steadily proving to be on par with Western healthcare thanks to
the efforts of dedicated medical professionals such as Dr. Yahya Slaiman, who are committed to
ensuring the country has the latest technological equipment, and people capable of efficiently
using these advanced machines, to best serve patients in the country.
Christina Pinto
I
meet International guidelines, and this
ensures we maintain a high standard.
The ACR supervises quality in more than
3000 centers around the world. We are
pleased with the arrangement as this allows us the opportunity to provide high
quality care to our patients.
Staff Writer
mages Diagnostic Center receives the
designation of being the First Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence (DICOE) in the Middle East. The DICOE program, which represents the pinnacle of
medical imaging care, is an achievement
that recognizes the best-quality imaging
practices and diagnostic care. Dr. Yahya
Slaiman stressed that Images Diagnostic
Centre is committed to excellence in Patient Care which was why they received
the DICOE Accreditation from the American College of Radiology (ACR).
Dr. Slaiman is the Radiology Consultant and General Manager of Images
Diagnostic Centre, a leading radiology
and MRI center in Kuwait. In 1993, after
graduating from the Faculty of Medicine
in Toulouse, France in Radiological Diagnosis and Medical Imaging, he returned to Kuwait. Following a stint at a
local medical facility as head of department, he moved to his current position
with Images Diagnostic Centre.
He is a member at the French Institute
of Neuroradiology and member of the
Organizing Committee of European College of Angioplasty. The doctor met with
The Times Kuwait for an exclusive interview during which he spoke about the innovative radiological technologies in use
at the Centre, his future practice plans, as
well as the Centre’s recent accreditation
as a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence (DICOE) by the American College
of Radiology.
What is your response to the DICOE
accreditation?
We are very proud of this achievement; the DICOE accreditation is given
by American College of Radiology (ACR),
which is among the highest institutions in
America dedicated to empowering radiologists and radiological care around
the world. A four-man team from ACR,
comprising of a radiologist, radiographer,
physicist and lawyer, visited the Centre
last month and awarded us the accreditation after conducting an extensive examination of all aspects of our facility.
They examined in detail our policies
and procedures, the quality of our machines and images they generate, and
the level of customer service we provide.
It was only after this thorough assessment that they awarded us the DICOE accreditation. I would also like to add that an
additional requirement for receiving the
accreditation was that the facilities must
be accredited by the ACR in all modalities they provide, and in which the ACR
offers an accreditation program. Another
requirement is to participate in the Dose
Index Registry® and General Radiology
Improvement Database, as well as Image Wisely® and Image Gently. had to
be registered with ACR, of which we have
been a member since 2010. The DICOE
accreditation process is a very detailed
and difficult process and one gets it only
after three years. We are proud that our
Centre is the first facility in Kuwait, as
well as the first in the Middle-East, to be
awarded this distinction by ACR; the only
other accredited centers are in Europe
and in the Unites States.
How did Images Diagnostics earn the
ACR accreditation?
When they started the survey of our
Centre, aside from all other factors, the
main focus was on two factors: quality of
images and the patient safety. If a diagnostics center wants to protect patients,
it means using the high quality machines
with lowest radiation. We do the best examinations and procedures that we can
do with state-of-the-art machines, the
intention being to avoid inconveniencing our patients by having them repeat
certain procedures. For this to work we
have had to make the policies and procedures very strict and effective. We are
glad that doctors refer their patients to
us, and we thrive on patient satisfaction.
What does this accreditation mean to
the future or Images Diagnostics?
The accreditation encourages us
to take our practice to another level by
following international guidelines. Everything is changing fast in the world
and technologies are evolving; this accreditation will help us maintain latest
radiology and diagnostics standards.
The American College of Radiology also
supervises our progress; they request
that we send them regular reports and
stipulate indicators to maintain quality
and this is a relationship that will grow
between us. Our work will constantly
How important is radiology to healthcare?
Radiology plays a very important part;
it is the key for good treatment. However,
some patients don’t understand the importance, they think they can go to the
cheapest place to get the scans done
and it will be alright, but some radiologists are not qualified to read the radiology scan. Only a well-licensed and experienced radiologist can properly read
a scan. There is a chance that a poorly
educated radiologist may miss something in the scan and recommend the
wrong treatment or delay the diagnosis.
What are some of the innovative technologies employed at the Centre?
The most important thing to stay
ahead is to follow the latest guidelines
and update our machinery. We are planning to start a new MRI machine which
does amazing things for our patients. It is
called the 3 Tesla (3T) MRI Scan, and it is
a quiet, spacious machine that allows us
to look after the wellbeing and comfort of
our patients. The old MRI machines are
normally very noisy, and the examination
takes a long time. Moreover, it has limited
space and some patients feel uncomfortable in this machine. With the latest advanced machine, we can complete the
examination in a less time and since it
is bigger, there is enough space so the
patient feels more comfortable. The new
machine is dependable for detailed examinations and generating high quality
images.
The patients and their needs are paramount, there are times when we have to
do a lot of procedures, and we have to
think how it is not easy for patients to be
in a narrow closed space and subjected
to loud noise.
I have a good rapport with my patients, and we treat them well. We give
high importance to medical and non-
medical service. We want our patients
to feel comfortable, and we try to give a
special experience for them.
What can improve the radiology field
in Kuwait?
The biggest challenge is getting
good and experienced staff. We have
an international staff, from Arab, European and Middle Eastern countries, and
they contribute a lot to the overall functioning of this Centre. Moreover, a good
factor of education in Kuwait is that there
are continuous education facilities for
professionals to improve themselves.
Our challenge is for all of our staff to be
experienced and receive a continuous
education in the latest technological developments.
Images Diagnostics is the only hospital offering a stress cardiac MRI
scan, how does it benefit a patient?
The Stress cardiac MRI scan is very
beneficial to patients, and is easily available in advanced countries. This is the
machine of choice for a patient that
shows no detectable signs in regular
examinations but they express major issues like chest pains.
The easiest way to see if the problems originate from the heart is to examine the various areas of the heart in
a chemical stress situation. We check
to see if there is any blockages, cardiac
infractions and weakness in heart muscles and problems with heart contraction, observe the functions of the heart
and quality of the cardiac muscles.
Do you believe Kuwait can improve
its healthcare system?
The solution for better healthcare in
Kuwait is to work on a National healthcare program. We should have general
medical insurance for everyone so it is
affordable for people to get treatment
and have access to preventive medicine. I believe that the best way Kuwait
can resolve its issues with healthcare is
if there is an easily accessible national
health insurance scheme. This will also
lead to reducing rush at the free clinics
run by ministries and will increase the
quality of the private hospital sector.
10
I
Local
IDF hosts Dr. V. Mohan at KMA-IDF Oration Award event
ndian Doctors Forum (IDF),
Kuwait conducted the 6th
KMA-IDF Oration Award event
on 14 March at Regency hotel.
IDF selected Padmashri
Dr.V Mohan, a world renowned
diabetologist and Director of
Dr.V Mohan Diabetes specialties center, Chennai and
Director of Madras Diabetes
Research Foundation as the
recipient of the 6th KMA-IDF
Oration award.
Mr. Shubhashish Goldar,
Deputy Chief of Mission of Em-
bassy of India in his felicitation
speech addressed the burning issue of diabetes and heart
diseases in Indian population
in Kuwait and commended the
IDF for its community service.
Dr. Adel Al-Khader, Dean of
the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kuwait appreciated
the IDF for arranging such scientific activities and highlighted the problem of diabetes in
Kuwait.
Dr. Vinod Grover President
of IDF gave a brief account of
the academic and professional
achievements of Padmashri
Dr.V Mohan. The highlights of
Dr. V Mohan’s achievements
include gold medal in MD examination, establishment of 20
centers of diabetes care in India and abroad, establishment
of Madras Diabetes Research
Foundation, authorship of
more than 900 scientific articles and guest lectures on the
subject of diabetes in scores of
countries.
Dr.Waleed Al-Dahi Con-
sultant Endocrinologist of
Mubarak Hospital, Fellow Royal college of Canada and Joslin Diabetes Center Harvard
University USA gave an introduction to the oration subject
of diabetes from his rich experience in the field of diabetes
in Canada, US and Kuwait.
Then came the climax of
the event, Dr.V Mohan started
his 6th KMA-IDF oration talk
on the subject ‘Prevention of
diabetes is possible but we all
have to work together’. Quoting extensively from his studies he highlighted the steadily
increasing prevalence of diabetes among all social strata
in India as well as the role of
sedentary lifestyle and food
habits as important risk factors
for high prevalence of diabetes found in Indian immigrants
in US, Europe and the Middle
East. He also showed by his
studies how including simple
walking in their daily routine
could reduce prevalence of diabetes among the population.
His in-depth knowledge of diabetes, extensive field work and
publication of the findings of
his field work in the prestigious
international medical journals
made his Oration talk fascinating. The audience included
dignitaries, IDF members, high
ranking officials of the Ministry
of Health in Kuwait and eminent consultants of private and
government sectors.
Dr. Jaffer Ali Ismail the dynamic Secretary of the IDF
proposed a vote of thanks. The
program ended with a healthy
dinner served by Regency hotel.
Green International
to organize seminar
by Indian Business Consultant
G
reen International, a
leading project management company in Kuwait, has invited renowned
Indian business consultant,
Chandrasekar Pandyan, to
organize a special corporate
training session for their client in Kuwait. The company
announced that on the sidelines of the corporate training
program, Mr. Pandyan will
also be holding a free seminar for entrepreneurs and
managerial staff on the topic
of ‘Business Process Re-Engineering’.
The free seminar, which
is scheduled to be held in
Salmiya on 28 March, be-
City Centre to launch
‘Shop & Win 1001 Trolleys’ promotion
C
ity Centre, a major player in
Kuwait’s retail sector, is to hold a
‘Shop & Win 1001 Trolleys’ promotion
at all their outlets in Kuwait from 24
March to 5 April 2015. The promotion
optimizes the value of the City Centre
shopping experience by adding
excitement and fun at all four of its
outlets in Shuwaikh, Salmiya, Dajeej
and Jahra.
During the promotion period, the
lucky customer who arrives at the
checkout counter is chosen at regular
intervals and will be eligible to receive
the contents of their entire trolley free of
charge. Even if a customer misses on
the first attempt, they can try their luck
again as there are 1001 opportunities
during 13 days of the promotion.
Customers shopping at City
Centre can take advantage of its wide
selection of products and brands,
and find all essential household items
under one roof. The special promotion
will highlight City Centre as one of
the best venue for all consumer
requirements ranging from Grocery,
Garments, Household, Electronics,
Toys, and Cosmetics.
City Centre boasts of a distinctive
shopping experience with a wide
assortment of quality products from
major brands at competitive prices.
tween 6 and 9 in the evening,
could be beneficial to CEOs
and managers of companies.
One of India’s leading corporate consultants, Mr. Pandyan has been a business
mentor and adviser to over
50 top brands in the country.
With a ‘Certified Knowledge
Manager› certification from
the `International Knowledge
Management Institute› in
USA and over two decades
of industry experience in India and abroad, Mr. Pandyan
is an innovation and business evangelist.
His expertise spans across
business and technology
services,
business
analytics
and
research, as
well as in
initiatives
involving
systems,
processes
and infrastructure, to develop seamless competency
across the organization.
It is hoped that industries
and companies in Kuwait will
avail of this unique opportunity to attend and interact
with this distinguished business consultant during his
visit to the country.
Local
11
Oriental Insurance announces
lucky draw winners of 3rd Draw
MoI to launch long-term
security sweep on illegals
U
ndersecretary for Citizenship and Residency Affairs at the Ministry of Interior
Major General Sheikh Mazen Al-Jarrah said, “We’re about to launch a
continuous and long-term security crackdown against the violators of residency
law.” He reaffirmed that there is no place for residency law violators in the country,
and called on all violators to start amending their legal status in the coming weeks.
He noted all sectors of the Ministry will participate in the campaign within a unified
security plan designed to control and deport all violators of residence without hope
of returning to the country.
Church goers decry traffic police action in seizing cars
T
raffic officers recently impounded 95 cars of church goers, because they
parked their cars in ‘No Parking’ areas during the weekly Mass at the Catholic
Church in Kuwait City. Security sources reported the procedures followed by
the traffic police was in line with application of the law and to provide comfort
for those going to the place of worship, indicating they only impounded cars
that were blocking the road to make it easy for others to pass. Ministry of Interior
made clear that it is keen on enforcing the law and to allowing non-Muslims to
perform their religious rites smoothly.
Bill increases fine to KD5,000
for employment outside sponsorship
T
he parliamentary Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee on Sunday approved
eight draft bills including a bill to increase the maximum fine imposed on anyone
employing a person who is not under his sponsorship from KD3,000 to KD5,000.
Considering the political instability and financial corruption that the State of Kuwait
has been through in recent years, the authority carries a big burden of making sure
no suspicious financial activity goes unquestioned, he added. Al-Nusuf stressed
the citizens are also obligated to do their part by reporting suspicious activities,
affirming that the Constitution and the authority’s law will protect the wellbeing of
whistle blowers during and after investigations.
B
ader Al Mulla & Brothers Company
WLL (BMB), Chief Agents of
Oriental Insurance Company Limited
(OICL) announced three lucky
winners of the third and final draw for
the promotion of Motor Own Damage
Insurance policies. On 16 March, in
the presence of Ministry officials, the
draw was conducted at their office in
Sharq area. Avinash Wadhawan won
1st prize, Abraham Varghese won 2nd
prize and Sulaiman Al Failakawi won
3rd prize. The winners received gift
vouchers worth KD 1000, KD 500
and KD 250 respectively at the hands
of Agency Manager, Ravi Kumar
Raizada.
Oriental Insurance is a public sector
Government of India undertaking and
one of the largest general insurance
companies in India. Through their
Chief Agents in Kuwait, Bader Al
Mulla and Brothers, they offer most
extensive coverage’s to Kuwaiti and
expatriate population with reasonable
premium. They also provide Industries
with property all risk cover, vehicle
insurance cover, Marine transit
insurance cover, Health Insurance
cover and liability insurance cover.
FREE
HOME DELIVERY
Parents complain school fees hike
D
espite the ordinance of the Ministry of Education to cancel any increase in
the tuition fee for the school academic year 2015-2016 in private schools,
some of schools have reportedly asked for extra fees. According to sources,
some private schools sent a circular to parents applying to register their kids
in primary stage for the coming school year to pay what they described as
‘category fee’ though the charity education fund already pays all the basic fees
for some of them.
Health ministry orders HIV tests
T
he pre-marital medical tests have shown a growing number of HIV infections
among citizens and expatriates, said the Ministry of Health. Accordingly, the
Health Minister Dr. Ali Al-Obaidi issued a directive mandating all patients consulting
at gynecology, pregnancy departments and all sexually transmitted diseases
OPDs to undergo HIV tests as a condition to receive further medical care in various
hospitals and clinics.
Enjoy our delicious snacks and
desserts that will satisfy
your desire for sweets
Government o allow transfer of contract labor
T
he Manpower Public Authority is currently studying to allow laborers working
in government projects to transfer their visas to private companies. This
option helps utilize the workers’ services in major projects. The authority
is likely to require certain conditions to allow the transfer, such as the
presence of vacancies of the worker’s same job title at the destination
company, as well as a good salary and better contracts for the workers.
This will help fight visa trafficking, the sources said.
Private hospitals 'file fees' to be canceled
T
he file opening procedures, including the fees, in private sector hospitals and
clinics would be cancelled in Kuwait and all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
states, stated Dr. Mohammed Al-Khashti, Assistant Undersecretary for Private
Medical Services at the Ministry of Health (MoH). Khashti added that a GCC study
is in progress to put this new step into practice in order to reduce the burdens
patients seeking private medical care. Many complaints have been made in many
GCC states about variations in the ‘over-priced’ fees collected by some private
hospitals and clinics for opening files, which vary between KD1 and KD 100.
MoH to sign work contracts directly with nurses
C
hairman of the Kuwait Association of Nursing Bandar Nashmi Al-Enezi
has revealed that the Ministry of Health, in coordination with the Indian
Embassy and Assistant Undersecretary for Supportive Medical Services
Dr. Jamal Al-Harbi at the Ministry of Health, will sign work contracts
directly with nurses without the intervention of a third party. He added,
the association will cooperate with the ministry if any sort of interference is
found that will negatively affect the process of recruitment.
Outstanding food and great taste
We have
cabins
for families
Restaurants
Kuwait city - Mubarak Al Kabeer Street
Tel: 22456553 , 22476886
Salmiya - Hamad Al Mubarak Street
Tel: 25720788 , 25720799
Confectionerys
Jabriya - Block 3, Street 10
Qusor - Block 7, Street 14
Andalus - Block 6 , Street 4
Tel: 25333500, 25348484
Tel: 25425003,25429812
Tel: 24802961, 24802971
Farwaniya - Block 1, street 122
Jahra - Block 2, Behind Zamzam Market
Tel: 24757070,24758080
Tel: 24578992, 24578993, 50277799
www.orientalkuwait.com
12
Local
Kuwait Out & About
Things to do this week
22 March
Ongoing
SPRING FESTIVAL
Al-Ghanim Bilingual School brings its
spring festival. Entrance ticket KD1.
Al-Ghanim Bilingual School Block 6,
Al-Mutanabi St.
9am–4pm
25657822, 25644953 ext. 57
27 March
ROCK AND RAMBLE,
LIVE MUSIC CONCERT
28 March
DK Dance and Event group presents
Live Music Festival 2015 by Rimi
Tomy and Group with singers Nikhil
Raj, Sreenath and Pradeeb Babu.
Marina Hall – Abbasiya | 6pm
To book, call at 90039594, 97797921,
99586902, 99214764, 96620156
Get the latest on Kuwait art scene, plug-ins, new bands
and concerts; meet creative talents behind lenses and
palettes; find out what books are hot off the press and read
about the weekly breathers and weekenders, workshops
to drop in, the mood lifters, outdoor and sports events,
gastronomy, and much more all condensed into this
weekly shot of Out & About.
The winner from Kuwait will qualify for the
world finals in Austria.
Till 29 March
SIRBB Circuit, Shuwaikh Industrial Area 1
22274722 | www.sirbbcircuit.com
ART EXHIBITION
KART RACE
RED BULL KUWAIT
Set your fastest time at SIRBB track. The fastest
20 races will qualify to Kuwait finals on 2 April.
Al-Seef (meaning ‘water’s edge’) are works from the
Collection of Barjeel Art Foundation, curated by Suheyla
Takesh. The exhibition offers a window into several distinct
episodes of history, where proximity to water has either
shaped or played a significant role in the development of
a place.
Till 31 March
Contemporary Art Platform / Exhibition Space, 7pm to
9pm, 2492 5636, capkuwait.com
GCC, a collective based in the Arabian
Gulf, which takes its name from the English
abbreviation for the transnational, political and
economic union – Gulf Cooperation Council,
features a new exhibition inspired by nationstate branding campaigns. A Wonderful
World Under Construction imagines a
reality in which a government body provides
branding as an essential public service. The
exhibition serves as the launch for a fictional
Smartphone app; the detritus of a press
conference, including posters and promo
videos, remain in the gallery.
Till 2 April
Sultan Gallery – South Sabhan Block 8,
St. 105, Building 168 | 24714325/6 ext.111,
60970001
www.sultangallery.com
sultangallery1969@gmail.com
Sami
Mohammad:
A
Retrospective, the first indepth survey of over fifty years
of work by the pioneering
Kuwaiti sculptor, brings the
largest ever presentation of
his work. Curator, Abed Al
Kadiri, presents more than
120 pieces —many of which
have never been exhibited
before — including sculptures,
paintings, drawings, prints and
documents from the artist’s archive. This retrospective, held
in the country of the artist’s birth, pays homage to his long
and influential artistic journey.
Till 14 June
Contemporary Art Platform - Exhibition Space, 2nd floor,
Life Center (same building as Eureka and Midas), Industrial
Shuwaikh Block 2, St. 28
24925636 I www.capkuwait.com I info@capkuwait.com
28 March
Besides its permanent galleries,
featuring the private collection of
Sheikh Nasser Sabah al Ahmed al
Sabah, and his wife, DAI director
general and co-founder Sheikha
Hussah Sabah al Salem al Sabah,
the Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah
devotes its temporary spaces in
March to works by contemporary
Kuwaiti artists, including a video
program by Monira Al Qadiri,
titled JAYKAR: The Cheeky Video
Scene of the Gulf; plus exhibitions
by Ghadah
Alkandari, Amira
Behbehani, Farah Behbehani and
Mohammed Al Kouh.
Through March
Amricani Cultural Centre
22400992 | darmuseum.org.kw
27 March
X1 ENTERTAINMENT SHOW
Mark your calendars to celebrate the
anniversary of MadStand – the regional
creative entertainment productions –
in collaboration with Activate, for live
music, performance by DJ Madjam,
stand-up comedy and live sketches
performed.
Safir Hotel, Bneid Algar| 5:30pm
22274640
Book tickets at
www.madstand.org/booking
A LITTLE PRINCESS,
O
KUWAIT
ne World Youth Theatre, with
appearance by One World
Actors, presents the delightful ‘A
Little Princess’ from the children’s
book by Frances Hodgson Burnett
in aid of Bayt Abdullah Children’s
Hospice. The story goes as Sarah
Crewe arrives in England from
India and her life changes at Miss
Minchin’s Academy for Young
Ladies.
Bayt Abdullah Children’s Hospice
Buy tickets from
alittleprincess@bacch.org
6-HOURS
ENDURANCE RACE
Reserve a booth or sign up for
your team for the first-time-inKuwait opportunity to experience
a 6-hour endurance race and
a thrilling carnival, brought by
Kartival.
9am–9pm | Call on 60097207
The 31st GCC Traffic Week,
runs under the slogan: ‘Your
Decision Decides Your Fate’, with
the participation of senior officials of
the General Department of Traffic,
includes a number of events related
to safety on roads. A number of field
visits by visiting GCC delegations
to some key traffic facilities aims
to raise people’s awareness about
traffic in order to find optimal
solutions to traffic problems.
Till 31 March
EXHIBITIONS
EARTH HOUR KUWAIT
Earth Hour, a worldwide movement
for the planet organized by the World
Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), held
worldwide annually encourages
individuals,
communities,
households and businesses to
turn off their non-essential lights
for an hour, from 8:30pm–9:30pm
on the last Saturday in March, as a
symbol for their commitment to the
planet. Use your power to change
climate change. Join the Earth
Hour Kuwait, which will feature live
music, environmental art, cultural
performances, graffiti and ecocrafts, as well as food.
KIPCO Tower, Khalid Bin Al Waleed
Street, Sharq, Kuwait City | 6pm
GCC TRAFFIC
WEEK IN KUWAIT
A LIFESTYLE EVENT WITH STYLE
28 March
‘ineedmyspace’, a lifestyle event with a twist, by American
University of Kuwait (AUK), ART Space you create and GET OUT
AUK Garden, 10am - 10pm
97775273 - 97473373
Viewpoint
EXCLUSIVE to
13
THE TIMES KUWAIT
Making space for China
Jim O’Neill
A former chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, is Chairman of the
Review on Antimicrobial
Resistance.
W
hen the United Kingdom announced
earlier this month that it had agreed
to become a founding member of the
China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
(AIIB), most of the headlines focused not on the
news itself, but on the friction the decision had
caused between the UK and the United States.
The White House issued a statement urging
the British government to “use its voice to push
for adoption of high standards.” And one senior
US administration official was quoted accusing
the UK of “constant accommodation of China,
which is not the best way to engage a rising
power.” In fact, it is the US that is advocating the
wrong approach.
The US would be wise to stop resisting the
fact that the world is changing. The US Congress
has yet to ratify a 2010 agreement providing
China and other large emerging economies
greater voting power in the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund. In the meantime,
the agreement has become obsolete; China’s
economy has nearly doubled in size since the
deal was struck.
[Ed: The AIIB was formed in October 2014
by a grouping of 21 countries led by China,
including India, Singapore and Thailand to
fund Asian energy, transport and infrastructure
projects. The finance ministers of France and
Germany confirmed on 17 March that they
would be applying for membership of AIIB. It is
believed Italy also intends to join.]
America’s reluctance – and that of
France, Germany, and Italy – to give the
emerging powers an appropriate voice in the
established international financial institutions is
counterproductive. It drives the creation of new
parallel institutions such as the AIIB and the
New Development Bank, founded in 2014 by the
BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China,
Continued from Page 5
and South Africa).
In the coming days, I will be visiting China
in my role as Chair of the British government’s
Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, and also
as a participant in the Boao Forum for Asia, an
event similar to the annual gathering of the World
Economic Forum in Davos. I hope to encourage
Chinese policymakers to make the fight against
antimicrobial resistance a priority when China
chairs the G-20 in 2016. And though I am not
the British ambassador, I will be happy to state
my belief that the UK government was wise to
join the AIIB, and that the US administration, in
voicing its opposition, was not.
China’s $10 trillion economy is bigger than
those of France, Germany, and Italy combined.
Even if its annual output growth slows to 7%,
the country will add some $700 billion to global
GDP this year. Japan would have to grow at
something like 14% to have that type of impact
on the world.
For anyone who wants to engage in global
trade, it is thus vital to identify what China wants.
In the case of the UK, this obviously includes
finance (as well as sports, music, fashion, and
perhaps health care). The UK is simply being
smart when it promotes its own interests by
cooperating with China.
One of the few positive consequences of the
2008 financial crisis was the elevation of the
G-20’s global role; in principle, it is a far more
representative forum for international leadership
than the G-7 ever was. There is, however, a
downside to the G-20’s emergence: the large
number of participants can make it difficult to
reach agreements and get things done.
A new G-7 needs to be created within the
G-20, thereby providing China with a degree
of influence that reflects its economic weight
and requires it to assume a commensurate
proportion of global responsibility. Space at
the table for China could be obtained if the
eurozone countries, signaling their commitment
to the common currency, agreed to surrender
their individual seats in exchange for one
representing the entire monetary union. The
US, too, would finally have to accept China’s
heightened global role.
Later this year, the IMF will recalibrate the
weights in its unit of account, the so-called
Special Drawing Rights, which comprises a
basket of currencies that currently includes
the US dollar, the euro, the British pound, and
the Japanese yen. According to almost every
economic and financial criterion, the SDR
basket should now include China’s renminbi.
The US would be wise to not oppose such a
move. Otherwise, it would risk accelerating the
decline of the established international financial
institutions.
Similarly, the US Congress should ratify
the agreed changes to the governance of the
IMF and the World Bank. By founding the AIIB
and the New Development Bank, China and
other emerging powers have signaled that
they will not wait for their voices to be better
heard. And decisions like that of the UK – and
France, Germany, and Italy – show that they
are not alone.
GAF 9 juxtaposing technology and art
NEGOTIATIONS AND
COLLABORATIONS:
REFLECTION FROM THE FIELD
Researcher
and
gender
politics
consultant, Dr. Al Anoud Sharekh then
moderated
a
discussion
between
psychologist May Al Dabbagh and artist
Manal Al Dowayan, on how reflecting upon
external circles, they explored their inner
cores with their project 'Voice (re) claimed'.
HERITAGE ENGINEERING: A
CONVERSATION WITH GCC
Critic, curator, editor, Murtaza Vali
moderated the conversation by GCC
Collective, a group of multi-media artist,
on "Heritage Engineering"; how active
heritage construction, which might not
be there, but is, very convincing. The
collective's essentialism on aspects such
as "contemporary conditions in the Gulf",
reflected on diplomacy as theatre which "just
comes in Gulf clothing" but is, as a matter of
fact, a truth that "exists everywhere."
POKE!
Joumana Al Jabri, in conversation with
Munthe, talked about shifting perspectives,
sensory media and Click-Through-Rates.
With her 'Visualizing Impact' (VI) visuals
and tech tools, Jabri spoke of visualization
to be more about storytelling and Munthe
considered it as a way "for the media to
suck out the responsibility out of people." In
their discussion on VI's project 'Visualizing
Palestine' she threw light on the tragic
situation of fishermen in Gaza, Palestine who
are not able to safely go out fishing. She then
showed, in relation to parks being uprooted
in New York, how many trees were uprooted
in Palestine to create a bus transport system.
THE ARAB TECHNOCRACY
Munthe, in conversation with Roland
Daher, who leads business development and
strategic alliances at Wamda, explored 'The
Arab technocracy', and why Daher believes
in the social impact of entrepreneurship and
strives to foster it in the Arab world.
They discussed in length about who is
doing what to whom in Arab technocracy
and for how much, as well as whose lives
were being changed and who owns the end
product. Munthe questioned Daher on tech's
capabilities as a great leveler, or if it tabled
as business – political and economic – as
usual.
With words such as "incubator", "enabler"
and "accelerator" describing Daher, he
traced "the so called" Arab technocracy:
from the cornerstone of a deal that turned
Maktoob Inc. into Yahoo!'s official arm in
the MENA region, to Talabat's acquisition
by Rocket Internet AG, and finally placed
Wamda as the third milestone in accelerating
entrepreneurship ecosystems across MENA.
Rather than mimicking the western world for
new ideas, he cited the overnight success
of Alibaba.
He spoke of the structural characteristic
quality, in terms of tech-entrepreneurship,
that he found would be particularly aiding
the technological growth of the Arab world,
especially of the Gulf. He called for a
beginning in collating and collaborating – in
terms of language and boundaries – rather
than acting as "22 individual countries of
the region competing to differentiate from
each other". "Loosening up" in terms of hiring
hindrances, "detaching" from permanent
tension between power and control, and
scaling out the apt market would add to
the success, he said. Daher also saw the
beginning of "internet penetration going
at par" as well as spoke appreciatively
of remarkable amounts of funding by the
governments in the region.
FOREVER PAPER: PUBLISHING GULF
LITERATURE TODAY
Writers Mai Al-Nakib and Lana Shamma,
in conversation with Kuwaiti writer and
journalist Taleb Alrefai, pointed out the
entangled conditions that the "globalized,
interconnected, and hyper-aware" presence
of being online describes the Gulf's reaction
to the dissemination of literary publications
to online platforms. While Doha-based
Shamma, left the question of publishing
Gulf literature works today being "Forever
Paper" to be a "maybe" phenomena, Mai
AlNakib, expressed her "non-optimistic"
views towards online presence which lead
to disappearance of "private time, quality,
memory, creative contemplation and
readers" themselves from the lives of people.
Shamma also pointed out that as opposed
to the very important, vibrant earlier form of
expression – 'Hakawati' for Arabics, which
used acrobats, storytellers, musicians, "the
Arabic e-book dilemma" puts many Arabic
readers into the dilemma of "payment,
language and privacy rights" issues.
I THINK I SPAM
Cecile B. Evans, whose work involves
"artificial intelligence, automation, and the
idea that in the future, maybe humans will be
augments to machines," in conversation with
Basar spoke of her creation – self robotic,
human intelligence, spam-bot – AGNES, the
use of holograms and digital mechanics, as
well as showed flicks of her current work –
the sequel to her recent film 'Hyperlinks or It
Didn't Happen'.
14
India
Why India urgently needs a GST tax structure
The legal and regulatory framework governing a free-market economy differs considerably from that of state-controlled markets. Basically,
under government control, economic activity is confined to only those permitted by the state; in a free-market economy, the state steps-in
only when corrective measures are needed to prevent a ‘market-failure’ or potential market-breakdown.
India to import Iraqi oil I
to fill strategic reserves
I
ndia is set to import eight million barrels of Iraqi oil to
fill its first strategic petroleum reserve (SPR), taking
advantage of cheap prices and lending some support to a
market suffering from oversupply.
India›s oil ministry instructed state refiners Indian Oil
Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd to each seek two
very large crude carriers (VLCC) of Basra oil for arrival in
May-June, totaling eight million barrels.
A committee of directors suggested Basra oil, as it suits
refineries on India›s east coast. This would be a one-off
purchase for the SPR as the stocks will be used only in
case of supply disruptions. India›s finance ministry has
provided 24 billion rupees from revised budget estimates
for the current fiscal year to fill the first SPR.
The world›s fourth biggest oil consumer, India last
month built its first underground SPR in Andhra Pradesh
with a capacity to hold 9.75 million barrels of oil. A total
of three SPRs in the south will hold more than 36 million
barrels of oil, enough to cover about 13 days› supply
for India in case of a supply disruption or extreme price
volatility. The two other SPRs, at Padur and Mangalore
in southern Karnataka state, will have a capacity of 29.3
million barrels and are expected to be ready by October.
ndia requires the legal and regulatory
frameworks for a market economy,
which involves among others the
repealing of old legacy laws and creating
state capacity to address market failures.
Among the reforms that the government
needs to concentrate on are: First, ensure
low inflation by putting in place a structure
for monetary policy, fiscal consolidation
and food market reforms. It must also
put public finances on a sustainable path
through tax reforms that require urgent
implementation of a Goods and Services
Tax (GST) as well as introduction of a
more predictable tax administration. Also
of importance in the implementation of
expenditure reforms that focus on public
goods, new designs for subsidy programs
and stricter mechanisms for accountability.
In order for the Indian prime minister’s
call for “Make in India” to resonate with
international business community, the
country needs to put in frameworks that
create a business-friendly environment,
including changing the government’s
intervention in the market from one of
permitted until prohibited, to one of
prohibited unless permitted.
Providing an environment conducive
for investment, which is crucial for job
creation and economic growth, requires a
commitment to improving India’s longterm growth prospects. One component
in this approach is the GST, which the
government now says will be rolled out in
April 2016. The GST envisages creating a
single tax for goods and services across
the country.
For instance, Indian truck drivers, who
clock an average of 280km per day, are
well below their international counterparts
who clock on average 400km per day,
and far below American truck drivers
who cover over 700km per day. The
underperformance of Indian truckers has
less to do with bad roads and less fancy
trucks and more about prevailing archaic
laws. With more than 650 check posts in
the country and 11 categories of taxes on
the road transport sector, truck drivers in
India spend 60 percent of their time offroad pushing paper-work and negotiating
check posts.
need for many warehouses. Analysts
say the implementation of the Goods
and Services Tax (GST) could provide
the kind of productivity boost illustrated
above. GST aims to combine the large
number of taxes currently imposed by
the central and state governments into
a single tax, which could help create
a common Indian market facilitating
seamless movement of goods across
states and reducing the transaction cost
Since road traffic accounts for 60
percent of freight traffic in India, the
slow movement of trucks across states
leads to productivity loss. According to
a study by UBS Securities, the global
firm providing financial services, if
the distance covered goes up by 20
percent per day, Indian truck productivity
would improve by 12 percent. Higher
productivity would streamline the
supply chain, including cutting the
need for buffer stocks, reducing loss
of perishable goods and lessen, the
of businesses.
According to the National Council
of Applied Economic Research,
government›s tax revenue will increase
by about 0.2 percent because of GST
implementation, while GDP growth
could go up by 0.9-1.7 percent. Exports
will also get a boost as they are zerorated for taxes and also because the
fall in cost of manufactured goods and
services under GST will increase the
competitiveness of Indian goods and
services in the international market.
Indian man arrested for
forcing daughter to school
I
Private banks in India
to hike fees and fines
The new financial year will begin with a new set of charges
and higher penalties for customers of private banks.
M
ost large private banks, including
HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis
Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank, have
announced a hike in charges ahead of
the new rules kicking in April 1, for penalty
on non-maintenance of minimum average
balance in savings accounts.
Banks are also introducing charges to
nudge customers to use digital channels
and move away from physical instruments
such as cheques.
In November last year, RBI had asked
banks to impose from April 1 a penalty
which would be proportionate to the
shortfall in minimum balance. Banks
are also required to inform the account
holder through email or SMS of imminent
charges when the balance requirement is
breached. Thirdly, banks are barred from
creating negative balances by imposing
charges on the grounds that charges will
be deducted from future deposits.
Some banks have also doubled
charges for locker rentals and introduced
new charges for re-generation of PIN at
branches and for notes deposited in cashaccepting machines beyond one deposit
per month.
n rural India, where going to school is
still a distant dream for many girls, and
parents often think it is not necessary
to educate their daughters, a man has
been arrested for forcing his daughter to
attend school!
The incident comes at a time when
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
launched a huge campaign to educate
girls in India. India has a female literacy
rate of 64 percent, compared with 81
percent for
men.
The
40-year-old
man from
Mathura district in Uttar
Pradesh state
was arrested
after local
papers published images
of him driving his daughter to school
roped to the back seat of his motorcycle.
The man, a father of two sons and
three daughters, who works as a security-guard at a local school, said he tried
to coax his daughter to attend school by
offering her sweets and other gifts. But
the young girl was adamant on not attending school as she had a class-exam
for that day.
The zealous father, who spent a day
in the cells and was later released on
bail, said, "My daughter will not die if I
take her to school tied to my bike; but
she will surely die if she does not go to
school and learn."
Health
15
On World TB Day, 24 March, 2015, WHO is calling for new
commitments and new action in the global fight against
tuberculosis – one of the world’s top infectious killers.
World Tuberculosis Day, 2015
Antibiotics
Y
to stop or to not stop
ou have been taking antibiotics for a sore throat, but after
two days you feel better – except that the tablets make you
feel sick. So must you keep taking them? Traditional wisdom
is that failing to finish the course allows some bacteria to survive.
These will be the hardier ones that can resist the same antibiotic
should they meet it again. So for your own good, and that of
antibiotic resistance worldwide, you should keep taking the tablets.
But the article in the Medical Journal of Australia said there
is a common misconception that resistance will emerge if a
prescribed antibiotic course is not completed. They said that there
was minimal risk in stopping antibiotics if the signs and symptoms
of a mild infection had resolved.
Only for some conditions, such as tuberculosis or osteomyelitis,
and other deep-seated infections where symptoms could improve
even though the bacteria might still be flourishing, should patients
continue taking antibiotics until they have finished the course or
their doctor tells them otherwise. People who have problems with
their immune system should also stick to the doctor’s advice.
Antibiotics change the normal gut flora very quickly – wiping
out the indigenous, harmless bacteria and leaving the patient
susceptible to resistant bacteria. So for individual patients, the less
antibiotic they are exposed to, the better.
Doctors vary in the length of antibiotic regimes they prescribe,
with five-day courses for urinary tract infection still being used
even though the evidence shows that two to three days is sufficient
for an uncomplicated infection.
So if you are given an antibiotic, first ask your doctor if you really
need it, and then if you can stop taking it when you feel better.
T
he World Health Assembly, convened annually by
WHO at the UN Palais des Nations in Geneva, passed
a resolution in May 2014 approving with full support
the new post-2015 Global TB Strategy with its ambitious
targets.
The strategy aims to end the global TB epidemic, with
targets to reduce TB deaths by 95 percent and to cut new
cases by 90 percent between 2015 and 2035, and to ensure
that no family is burdened with catastrophic expenses due
to TB. It sets interim milestones for 2020, 2025, and 2030.
The resolution calls on governments to adapt and
implement the strategy with high-level commitment and
financing. It reinforces a focus within the strategy on serving
Men more
narcissistic
than women
A
new study on narcissism that analyzed decades of data
from almost half a million participants concludes that men
are more narcissistic than women.
Researchers from the University at Buffalo School of
Management in New York analyzed the gender differences
in narcissism across more than 300 “journal articles,
dissertations, manuscripts and technical manuals.” Overall,
the study took in 30 years of research and more than 475,000
Insufficient sleep increases blood
Chronic sleep deprivation can
increase night time blood pressure,
putting you at greater risk of heart
diseases, warns new research.
“For the first time, we demonstrated that
insufficient sleep causes increases in night time
blood pressure and dampens nocturnal blood
pressure dipping,” say researchers at Mayo Clinic
in the US. The results stemmed from a controlled
study that mimicked the sleep loss experienced
by many people. High blood pressure, particularly
during the night, is one of the major risk factors
associated with heart disease.
In this study, eight healthy normal weight
participants aged 19 to 36 participated in the
study followed by nine days of either sleep
restriction (four hours of sleep per night) or
normal sleep (nine hours of sleep per night),
and three days of recovery.
Twenty four blood pressure monitorings at
populations highly vulnerable to infection and poor health
care access, such as migrants. The strategy and resolution
will highlight the need to engage partners within the health
sector and beyond, such as in the fields of social protection,
labor, immigration and justice.
The resolution also requests the WHO Secretariat
to help Member States adapt and operationalize the
strategy, noting the importance of tackling the problem of
multidrug-resistant TB and promoting collaboration across
international borders. WHO will also monitor implementation
and evaluate progress towards the milestones and the 2035
targets. WHO’s ‘End TB Strategy’ envisions a world free of
TB with zero deaths, disease and suffering. It sets targets
and outlines actions for governments and partners to
provide patient-centered care, pursue policies and systems
that enable prevention and care, and drive research and
innovations needed to end the epidemic and eliminate TB.
On World TB Day 2015, WHO calls on governments,
affected communities, civil society organizations, healthcare providers, and international partners to join the drive
to roll out this strategy and to reach, treat and cure all those
who are ill today.
participants. In particular, the researchers focused on three
aspects of narcissism — Leadership/authority; Grandiose/
exhibitionism; Entitlement.
The widest gender gap in the study was found in
entitlement, suggesting that men are more likely than women
to exploit others and that they feel a greater entitlement to
certain privileges.
The second largest gender gap was in leadership/authority,
which led the researchers to note that men “exhibit more
assertiveness and desire for power” compared with women.
Previous research has found that personality differences
such as narcissism are related to gender stereotypes and
expectations. For instance, lead author Emily Grijalva, PhD,
assistant professor of organization and human resources,
notes the lack of women in senior roles of leadership could
be influenced by disparities in perceptions of femininity and
leadership.
Narcissism is problematic for both individuals and society.
Those who think they are already great do not try to improve
themselves. And narcissism is bad for society because
people who are only thinking of themselves and their own
interests are less helpful to others.
pressure at night
regular intervals were measured at each study
phase. During night time, in the sleep restriction
phase compared to normal sleep phase,
systolic and diastolic blood pressure averaged
115/64 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) versus
105/57 mm Hg respectively.
Furthermore, the expected fall in blood
pressure during the night was suppressed
when the people had inadequate sleep. They
also found that night time heart rate was higher
with sleep restriction than in normal sleep.
16
Beauty
Best colorless products for your
Dress up your
nude manicure
N
udes, pale pinks,
creamy whites, and
barely-there hues, yet
again, ranked in popularity
according to worldwide
fashionistas, proving that
the trend has yet to slow
down since it started to
appear on just about
everyone’s fingertips early
last year. What neutrals
lack in pizazz, they make
up for in versatility and
transition. Still, it is easy to
get bored with this shade, as it doesn’t have the same allure as a
ruby red polish. This color palette might be popular at the moment,
but there is no reason to get bored. Take a look at the tips below for
a few quick ways to not only dress up the nude manicure trend but
also to keep it looking its absolute best.
Go for a Half Moon: If you like nail art in its most subtle form, try
painting on a half-moon to your nude manicure. For instance,
paint your nails with a base coat before highlighting the semicircle shape at the bottom of the nail bed with a sheer, creamy
white. If you are worried about being unable to stay in the lines,
here is a quick trick; paint on the polish and then taking a clean,
angled brush dipped in polish remover, remove the color outside
of the lines. You can also use tape or a sticker if you are worried
about it getting messy.
Makeup Arsenal
From primers to powders to gels,
colorless makeup products are an
absolute necessity to have in your
makeup collection in order for your look
to be perfected and polished.
T
hey are essential for both prepping
and finishing off a makeup application
and are hassle-free, since the lack of color
allows for a less precise application–
perfect for those of us who are always in a
rush. Here are some must-have colorless
makeup products that you need in your
life right now.
Colorless powder: A truly translucent
powder is an absolute must-have for
your makeup stash. Just like a regular
powder, it works to set your makeup
so it stays in place. However, the fact
that it is colorless will ensure that your
foundation color doesn’t change upon
application or throughout the day.
Eyeshadow primer: Eyeshadow primers,
which most often dry clear but also
come in a variety of colors, are
essential for prolonging the wear of
your eyeshadows. Just a dab of this
colorless product and your shadows
will appear more vibrant, and if you
apply more smoothly,
the design will stay put
all day long.
Clear brow gel: For those
moments when our brows
just don’t want to cooperate,
brow gel is a lifesaver. Brow
gels come in a variety of styles–
clear, tinted, fibered. Swiping a bit of
a clear brow gel through your brows and
combing the hairs into place after filling
them in will pull your whole look together.
They are even perfect for the days when
you are feeling a bit lazy, but still want
to look polished. Applying some to bare
brows will make them appear fuller and
more defined.
Colorless lip liner: You are probably
thinking how it is possible for colorless
lip liner to actually exist. It does, and
it is very amazing. A colorless lip liner
primes your lips for lipstick application
and ‘defines’ the edges, preventing
color from bleeding. What you get is
longer lasting lipstick that goes on
smooth without the hassle of trying to
perfectly trace your lips with a colored
liner.
Makeup finishers: These products are
usually clear, lightweight, pressed
silicone gels that are applied with
a sponge in a patting motion. They
are perfect for mattifying your face,
reducing the appearance of pores,
prolonging the wear of foundation
and freshening up your makeup after
a long day.
Trendy tousled hair
Try a French Manicure: You can create a “modern French manicure”
by picking an extremely pale shade and painting it on top of your
nail without adding in a white tip. Your white free edge will act as
a subtle version of that classic exaggerated tip. However, if you
do want to try a white tip, you are going to want to keep it clean.
To do this, move very quickly with your sheer white polish over the
tip and brush from left to right. You will get a better line if you move
faster rather than slower.
The pressure is off with tousled hair—and that might be one of the top reasons this
style is so sought after. A little windblown, a bit beachy, these are the characteristics
you are looking for when getting your hair to a tousled state.
Stick on decorations: Those that want a little more glam without the
pain of removing glitter should reach for jewels or stick-on studs.
Paint on two coats of your desired shade and before the coats
completely dry, carefully add on a few studs using a toothpick or
an extremely thin paintbrush.
and twirl sections of your hair. The serum
will help change the shape of those
sections, giving them a little bend. It will
also help smooth out an excess of flyaways. Some fly-aways are fine, but with
too many, the messy look you are going
for gets unmanageable. Curl only sections
Create an Ombre Color Palette: Instead of picking just one nude
or light color, sponge on two or three neutral hues in an ombre
gradient, making sure to sponge with less lacquer in the areas
where they connect.
A
s contrary as this sounds, learning how
to mess up your hair in the right way,
is an acquired skill. After all, it is a look
you see on the red carpet at pretty much
every awards show—and you know there
is an expert hairstylist behind it. Learn
how to get the look for yourself with these
hairstyling tips below.
If blow-drying is a part of your routine
that you can’t break, make sure you’re
rough drying your hair. This will just speed
up the process of your hair drying without
changing the shape of the strand like blowdrying with a round brush does. Run your
hands through your hair while blow-drying
so that you’re separating your strands and
giving your hair ample volume.
Braiding your hair while it’s damp at
night and then sleeping on it works as well.
When you wake up, you can gently tease
so that the texture isn’t super silky.
Apply serum in your hands and twist
of your hair—not your entire head. Part
your hair as you want it and pick up small
sections of hair and curl them in opposite
directions. While the curls don’t have to
be completely uniformed, you will want to
make sure you are doing this evenly on
each side of your head. This will give you
that undone, deconstructed look.
If you are trying to take a curly do to
a tousled state, run your fingers through
the curls from root to tip to “undo” them
and then gently shake your hair to give it
movement. Spray in a setting spray to keep
the volume at its best. Scrunch your hair,
whether it is air-dried and natural or curly,
with a teeny, tiny amount of hair styling
serum, sea salt spray, texturizing spray,
hairspray, or even dry shampoo. A product
with a holding component will help keep
your hair in ‘scrunched’ position without it
falling flat. To transform super straight hair
to a messy, wavy hairstyle, use a wider
curling wand so that you don’t end up with
curly ringlets.
Dirty hair actually works better with
tousled hair. Try not to wash your hair day
of so that the natural oils in your hair can
help hold the waves. A little dry shampoo
at your roots will give you the lift you need.
While you are doing your makeup in the
morning, put your hair in a messy bun and
spritz it with texturizing spray. Take it down
before you leave the house and you will
have a look of tousled tresses and a whole
lot of volume.
Women
17
Awareness
is only half the story
M
others were everything for us when were
small... our lives revolved around her. We called
her for everything we needed;
we sought her protection from
all perceivable dangers. We
relied on her hand to lead
us outdoors; to kiss away
our wounds and to hug us to
sleep. She was the focal point
of our lives, the greatest human being in the world; divinity on earth. A mother is the
epitome of selfless sacrifice
and love.
Although, it is true that we
do not need a day to remember all that our mothers have
done for us, it does not hurt to
set aside at least one day in a
year to thank our mothers for
all that they have done for us
over the years.
Mother’s Day, or Mothering Sunday as it is sometimes
known in the UK, is celebrated
all over the world, but at different times of the year. In the
US, the annual celebration of
“moms” takes place on the second Sunday of May, but in Britain it is held on the fourth Sunday of Lent - 15 March this year.
Mother’s Day celebration in
its present form has its origins
in the US and was formalised
in 1914 by President Woodrow
Wilson following campaigns
by various women’s groups.
The origins of the British
date are a little more convo-
T
luted. Some believe that Mothering Sunday is derived from a
16th-century practice of visiting the ‘mother church’ - the
main church in the region - on
Laetare Sunday, the fourth
Sunday of Lent. Historically,
this was also a time when domestic servants were given
time off to visit their families.
Ex-communist
countries
usually celebrate the socialist
International Women’s Day on
8 March instead of the more
capitalist Mother ’s Day. The
day was used to celebrate
women’s economic, social
and political achievements.
Some countries celebrate
Mother’s Day on 21 March
on the occasion of the Vernal
Equinox and many others celebrate it on the second Sunday in May.
But no matter when Mother’s Day is celebrated or what
its origins, the day essentially celebrates motherhood
and all that it implies. It is the
perfect occasion to pamper
your mom with special gifts
and lots of love to show her
your gratitude. It is the time to
honor and cherish the special
bond of love that you and your
mother share. It is also a time
to make amends for not being
able to spend quality time with
her. So turn your wrongs right
by making all efforts to give
a perfect Mother’s Day gift to
your mother.
to interrupt.
here are a few common patterns
Reinforcement questions: Women
of talking that make a woman
often ask questions when they already
sound unsure of herself and can
know the answers. An astonishing 80
stand in the way of being seen as
percent of women say they prefer to
confident leaders.
ask questions even when they know
Many women are not even aware
the answer. Though such questions
that the words they choose can sound
are intended to get reinforcement from
weak to others. While they often use
their listener, they make the speaker
this self-effacing language to create
sound unsure.
a more collegial or collaborative
Using modifiers: Women frequently
atmosphere, it actually diminishes
them and ends up making them sound use modifiers that weaken their
tone. The worst kind are words
less like leaders.
such as “just”--as in “I’d just like to
Here are a few
say something.” They also use
patterns that make
Speaking
“a little bit,” as in “I’m a little bit
them sound unsure
habits that
concerned.”
of themselves.
Asking permission: weaken women’s Softer verbs: Women favor softer
verbs. They preface with: I think,
Women ask
leadership
I believe, I guess and other
permission to speak
softer qualifiers, rather
when there is no need
than outright say: I know
to. The notion that they are
or this is how it should
merely adding on to what
be done. Women
others have said - and
claim to be “not
asking whether the other
sure,” even when
person can even do
they are sure, and
so - casts the women
they weaken their
as a subordinate.
verbs even more
Women also tend
when they have to
to over apologize
ask someone to
when joining a
do something.
conversation; sorry
Women's issues
The ‘awareness’’- based solutions for problems facing women
generate a lot of chatter but very little genuine change. The last
year was full of online discussion of feminist issues, which help
inform the public and give voice to survivors. But raising awareness
is only half the story. In order to create an equal world for women,
there needs to be real policy change, and lots of it
S
ome of the tangible policy goals for the next
few decades of women’s advancement will be
tabled at the 59th Session of the Commission
on the Status of Women, which will be held at the
UN Headquarters in New York from 9 to 20 March.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the famous
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which
is considered as a roadmap for empowerment
of women and achieving gender equality. It was
during the Beijing Conference in 1995 that former
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was quoted as
having said that, “women’s rights are human rights,
and human rights are women’s rights.”
Here’s a brief look at some of the improvements
that have been made for women since the Beijing
Declaration.
Education: Since 1995, girls and boys worldwide
are enrolling in primary school at almost equal rates.
That is a huge step forward. The next step is secondary
school, where the gender gap widens again.
Maternal Mortality: In the last 25 years,
maternal mortality has dropped by 45 percent,
which means that half of the women who survive
childbirth today would not have made it in a
different time. But there is still more work to do
— 800 women a day die from basic pregnancy
complications, mostly in the developing world.
Water access: Water is an important issue for
women, since in many developing countries girls
are responsible for fetching water, a task so timeconsuming and difficult that it can keep them out
of school or put them in danger of being attacked.
Between 1990 and 2010, over 2 billion people
gained access to clean drinking water, relieving
the burden of water-fetching from girls. Still, in SubSaharan Africa, women spend 16 million hours per
day getting water.
Leadership: Since 1995, the number of women
serving in legislatures has nearly doubled — but
that still only translates to 22 percent of politicians
worldwide.
Obviously, there is still a lot of work to do, especially
when it comes to getting women into leadership
roles and stopping violence against women. But the
advances in health and education since 1995 have
been striking. It means we should take heart — even
if there is a lot more work to do, progress is possible.
The brief glimmers of progress that have been made
since the Beijing Declaration is evidence that when
we commit to global action for women, we actually
can move the needle toward greater gender equality.
What is needed now is more action.
Gender diversity
breeds better
corporate governance
P
ublic companies with more women on their boards
are less likely to be hit by scandals such as bribery,
fraud or shareholder battles, according to research from
index provider MSCI, which looked at more than 6,500
company boards globally.
The research found that boards with gender diversity
above and beyond regulatory mandates or market
norms had fewer instances of governance-related
scandals.
“There is a clear pattern between having higher than
mandated percentages of women on boards and fewer
governance-related controversies,” the report said.
Matt Moscardi, senior analyst at MSCI, said the
findings show a board with few or no women should
be a red flag to investors “actively looking to limit the
possibility of investment capital being subject to fraud
or corruption”.
The MSCI research was careful not to draw any
conclusions about women’s abilities and characteristics,
and instead suggested the number of women on a
board should be seen as “a single data point in a matrix
of progressive governance indicators”.
Anne Richards, chief investment officer of Aberdeen
Asset Management, Europe’s largest listed fund
company, said: “It’s not a surprise that more diverse
boards have fewer governance issues or scandals. I
don’t think this is because women are inherently more
‘moral’ than men. And it’s difficult to tease out cause
and effect — Are better companies more likely to
embrace diversity or does diverse leadership make for
better companies?
“What we can say with certainty is that gender
diversity is a good proxy for more general cognitive
diversity, and we know that cognitive diversity leads to
better problem solving and outcomes.”
Fiona Hathorn, managing director of Women on
Boards, a women’s business network, said of the
research: “It does not surprise me. A woman often
brings to the boardroom different perspectives and
insights, because she may well have been brought up in
different way to a man.
“As a consequence ... she is likely to ask different
questions and hear different things. Research suggests
that women do more due diligence, are more reflective
and take more measured risk decisions.”
18
Travel
Navroz
in Zoroastrian Empires
and beyond
On 21 March, Zoroastrians celebrate their New Year, Jamshed Navroz, welcoming the
spring season on the first day of the first month of the Zoroastrian calendar. They also
commemorate the day to honor the legendary king of Persia, Jamshed, who introduced the
solar calculation that determined the date when the sun would mark the beginning of the year.
H
ere is a list of some places where Nowroz, is
celebrated with fervor:
Afghanistan
Iran
The most important holiday in Iran, the festival's
preparations begin in the month Esfand, the last
month of winter in the Persian solar calendar.
The Santa of Parsis:
Hajji Firuz or, Khwaja
Piruz
or, Baba
Nowroz (Father
or
Grandfather of the
New Year), is the
traditional herald of
Nowruz, who oversees
celebrations for the
New Year, perhaps
as a remnant of the
ancient
Zoroastrian
fire-keeper. His face
is
painted
black
(black is an ancient
Persian symbol of
good luck) and wears
a red costume. Then
he sings and dances through the streets with
tambourines and trumpets spreading good cheer
and heralds the coming of the New Year.
Food First: The part
of the celebration that
preoccupies
many
of those who celebrate
Nowroz is what goes
on the table. The most
important thing is
sumalyak,
a sweet
dish made especially
for Nowroz and the
‘haft-sin’, an ancient tradition of setting the table
with seven items beginning with the letter "sin" in the
Persian alphabet. In Iran, where the tradition of haftsin is widespread, goldfish merchants prepare for a
peak in sales around Nowroz every year.
Pakistan and India
What is little known is that
Afghans share not only an
ancient culture with Iranians,
but also the language of
Farsi. Nowroz, also known as
Farmer's Day in Afghanistan,
is celebrated widely, in
Afghanistan, as an observance
that usually last two weeks.
Among various traditions and
customs, the most important
ones are:
Guli Surkh festival,
which literally means 'Red
Flower Festival' (referring to
red Tulip flowers) is the principal
festival for Nowroz. Celebrated
during the first 40 days of the
year, when the Tulip flowers grow
in the green plains and over the
hills surrounding the city, people
from all over the country travel
to Mazari Sharif to attend the
Nawroz festivals.
Various activities and customs
are performed during the Guli
Surkh festival, including the flag
raising ceremony by high-ranking
government officials, Jahenda
Bala event, horse-riding and
national sport of Afghanistan
Buzkashi games (literally "goat
dragging" in Persian.)
Sightseeing to Cercis fields:
The citizens of Kabul go to
Istalif, Charikar, or other green
places around where the
Cercis flowers grow. They go for
picnic with their families during
the first 2 weeks of New Year.
Jashn-e Dehqan means 'The
Festival of Farmers'. It is
celebrated in the first day of year,
in which the farmers walk in the
cities as a sign of encouragement
for the agricultural productions.
In recent years, this activity
is being performed only in
Kabul and other major cities,
in which the mayor and other
high governmental personalities
participate for watching and
observing.
Kampirak: Like 'Haji Nowruz'
in Iran, Kampirak is an old
bearded man wearing colorful
clothes with a long hat and
rosary who symbolizes
beneficence and the power
of nature over the forces of
winter. He and his retinue pass
village by village distributing
gathered charities among
people and do his shows like
reciting poems. The tradition is
observed in central provinces
specially Bamyan and
Daykundi.
Azerbaijan
Usually preparation for Novruz begins a month
prior to the festival in Azerbaijan. Each Tuesday of
the 4 weeks are devoted to one of the four elements
– water, fire, earth and wind – and celebrated.
table is khoncha, a big silver or copper tray in the
centre and candles and dyed eggs by the number
of family members around it. The table should be
set, at least, with seven dishes.
Fire-jumping: As a tribute to ancient fireworshiping every Tuesday during four weeks
before the holiday kids jump over small bonfires
and candles are lit. On the holiday eve the graves
of relatives are visited and tended.
The luck of seven: The decoration of the festive
On the last Tuesday prior to Novruz, according
to old traditions children slip around to their
neighbors' homes and apartments, knock at their
doors, and leave their caps or little basket on the
thresholds all the while hiding nearby waiting for
candies, pastries and nuts.
Uzbekistan
Tajikistan
Folk festivals in the
villages of Uzbekistan
are
especially
interesting
where
traditional
sport
competition
kupkari,
wrestling of dzhigits,
equestrian competitions
are arranged, as well
as folk fairs, where you
can buy everything
from souvenirs to national baked foods. The best
place to observe Navroz is Chilpak, the so-called
Zoroastrian Tower of Silence, located on the banks
of the Amu Darya 285 miles northwest of Bukhara.
In Darbant, participation in local Navroz-Bayram;
watch Buzkashi game and local folk show and have
local traditional meal palov-osh.
Though the festival was
initially celebrated by the
Iranian people in Greater
Iran, Caucasus and Central
Asia, it is now observed
mainly in other parts of
the world. Now, registered
on the UNESCO’s ‘List
of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity’,
Jamshed Navroz is
declared a public holiday
in Iran, Afghanistan,
Tajikistan, Iraqi Kurdistan,
Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,
Kashmir and Kyrgyzstan.
It is also celebrated in
the Indian Subcontinent,
Turkey, South-Asia,
Northwestern China and
the Crimea, and by some
ethnic groups in Albania,
Bosnia, Serbia and the
Republic of Macedonia.
The tiny land-locked hilly nation of Tajikistan – often
known as the roof of the world, was once a hub of
the ancient silk route, which allowed it to assimilate
Persian, Islamic, Chinese and Russian influences and
develop a distinct culture of its own.
Central to the festival is the traditional preparation
of ‘samanak’ – a sweet paste made from germinated
wheat. Women in Tajikistan cook the ceremonial
‘samanak’, a component of the ritual ‘haft-sin’ platter,
during Navroz. They stir the pot of wheat throughout
the day so that the sweet porridge does not coagulate
as they sing a ditty, ‘samanak is boiling and we are
clapping; others are asleep’. In a Tadjik household,
the owner of a house or his elder sons must prepare
fried shish kebab and a sweet pilaf made of rice and
other cereals. These dishes symbolize the wish for
the coming year to be as "sweet" and happy.
South Turkey
Churshama Kulla is the tradition where people
jump over the fire. It is celebrated as a national
emblem in Kurdistan.
The word 'Newroz' is Kurdish for 'Nowruz'.
The Kurds celebrate this feast between 18
till 21 March. It is one of the few ‘people's
celebrations’ that has survived and predates all
the major religious festivals. In recent years the
Newroz celebration gathers around one million
participants in Diyarbakir, the biggest city of the
Kurdish dominated Southeastern Turkey.
The holiday is considered by Kurds to be the
single most important holiday of every year. With
this festival Kurds gather into fairgrounds mostly
outside cities to welcome spring by lighting fire
and dancing around it.
Kurds in Istanbul celebrate Newroz through
coming together and showing their cultural unity.
Nowruz is celebrated by Parsis
in Pakistan and India, who
celebrate the spring break
as Jamshed-i Nouroz, with New
Year's Day then being celebrated
in July–August as Pateti '(day)
of penitence’. Jamshed Navroz
celebrations can be prominently
noticed in western part of India
where the Parsi community is
more prevalent.
Auspicious symbols: Parsi
residences are adorned with
garlands of roses and jasmines,
symbolic stars, butterflies, birds
and fishes, and Parsees wear
gold and silver kustis and caps,
during this time of the year.
Agiary or Fire Temple:
Special thanksgiving prayers,
known as Jashan, are held and
sandalwood is offered to the
Holy Fire at the Agiary or Fire
Temple.
The luck of Seven: The number
seven, which symbolizes the
seven elements of life, namely,
fire, earth, water, air, plants,
animals and humans, has
been regarded magical and
significant for the Zoroastrians.
The traditional table setting of
Jamshed Navroz includes seven
specific items beginning with
the letter ‘S’, known as 'Haft Sin',
that signify life, health, wealth,
abundance, love, patience and
purity.
The Kashmiris in India celebrate
Navroz as Navreh, on a date
which usually falls between midMarch and mid-April.
Thal Bharun, meaning 'filling
the platter', is a major Navreh
tradition similar to the Iranian
Haft Sin. The tray or platter
generally include wheat or rice
– a
sweet pudding made
from
milk
and
cereal,
fruits,
walnuts, rosewater,
a coin (sikkeh), a pen, an
ink-holder,
a mirror (for
introspection, purity of thought
and honesty), and a lit diya or
clay lamp (representing the
Light of the Truth).
Education
19
Learn
to Code,
Code to Learn
Nurturing Character
C
oding (computer programming) is an
extension of writing. The ability to code allows
you to ‘write’ new types of things – interactive
stories, games, animations, and simulations.
And, as with traditional writing, there are powerful
reasons for everyone to learn to code.
The recent surge of interest in learning to code,
reflected in sites like codecademy.com and code.
org, has focused especially on job and career
opportunities. It is easy to understand why: the
number of jobs for programmers and computer
scientists is growing rapidly, with demand far
outpacing supply. But we see much deeper
and broader reasons for learning to code. In the
process of learning to code, people learn many
other things. They are not just learning to code,
they are coding to learn.
In addition to learning mathematical and
computational ideas (such as variables and
conditionals), they are also learning strategies
for solving problems, designing projects, and
communicating ideas. These skills useful not
just for computer scientists but for everyone,
regardless of age, background, interests, or
occupation.
People are amazed with the diversity and
creativity of the projects with which they can work.
Take a look at the Scratch website and you will find
animated stories, virtual tours, science simulations,
public-service announcements, multimedia art
projects, dress-up games, paint editors, and even
interactive tutorials and newsletters.
It is always exciting to watch what young
people are creating and learning with their talent.
But this is just the beginning. People should be
aware that new features and capabilities are not
enough. The biggest challenges for the future are
not technological but cultural and educational.
Ultimately, what is needed is a shift in mindsets,
so that people begin to see coding not only
as a pathway to good jobs, but as a
new form of expression and a
new context for learning.
in Schools
In a society where from the onset we scaffold children with praise and reward whether they have had
success or not, we have skewed the meaning of accomplishment. We are not teaching them about the
effort it takes to be triumphant. We are not nurturing the character strengths needed to be successful
in all areas of their lives, not just education.
C
haracter is essential to
the way in which we deal
with situations that occur
in our lives. It identifies whether
we easily give up in challenging
situations, or whether we plough
through head first. It defines
us, and how we approach life.
For this reason schools and
educators should make it a
point to promote the teaching
of character to not only create
positive classrooms, but also to
instill a growth mindset in their
students.
There is a strong link
between the emotional state of
mind and the academic, that
is to say, the cognitive skills
such as learning a language,
mathematical formulae, etc are
complimented by our noncognitive skills, i.e. our character
strengths. For example, a child
who is optimistic, can persevere
and has a modicum of selfcontrol will be able to take on
a mathematics challenge more
effectively than a child who
is not able to identify those
character strengths (noncognitive skills) within himself. It
is important to understand that
character strengths are a part
Step 3:
Organize a teamwork activity.
Discuss and recap the
character strengths needed to
complete the task successfully.
Have a one-to-one discussion
with each student to evaluate the
highs and lows of the teamwork
activity. of who we are and therefore we
can identify, reveal, elicit and
nurture them within ourselves.
The challenge for educators
remains on creating an effective
way in which to nurture the
right set of character strengths
in schools. The following is a
breakdown of how to teach
students who are not particularly
good when working in a team
with others. The idea is to give
the student a chance to develop
and nurture the character
strengths needed to be able to
accomplish team work tasks:
Step 1:
Identify the character
strengths required to work well
with a team.
Identify when you have used
these strengths in a good way in
other areas of your life.
Identify how you can make
use of those examples and fit
them into the task at hand.
Step 2:
Encourage the student
by praising effort made, and
character strengths used for
displaying good teamwork in a
monitored teamwork session.
Encourage students to praise
each other for their combined
efforts for a successful team
building session.
It is important to note that
the third step is a plenary step
which enables students and
teachers to bring their learning
into a self-reflective zone thus
allowing ownership for any
successes as well as areas for
improvement in the future.
Fundamentally, if educators
and educational institutes take
the time to incorporate a well
thought out and planned system
of teaching character in schools
they can create a combination
of students who are optimistic,
take time to make an effort to
succeed and possibly more
conscientious of the world
around them. This is in contrast
to the youth today who is in
constant need of attention and
praise whether there has been a
conscious use of effort or not on
their part.

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