Tag Archives: opinion
Pedalling for diabetes
Pedalling for diabetes Asma Ali Zain / 6 September 2013 Three people from the UAE are pedalling across five countries in Europe for 13 days as part of a live observational study on diabetes. The tour is said to be the first of its kind live observational study that will answer important questions on diabetes and exercise as well as raise awareness and funds for the disease. Up to 36 riders from the world over — linked directly or indirectly with the condition — will be checked for the effects of multi-day endurance exercise on blood glucose levels. They will ride 2,100km with more than 22,000 metres of climbs to help demonstrate innovative solutions to the challenges of managing diabetes and enabling people to lead active lifestyles. Data from the ride is being captured using glucose monitors attached to the riders’ skin and transmitted to a research centre in the United Kingdom. The three participants from the UAE are part of a group of eight employees from Etisalat’s global operations who are taking part in the GSMA mHealth (mobile health) Grand Tour that took-off in Europe on Thursday. The UAE team is also representing Dubai Expo 2020. “The cycle tour is aimed at testing mobile technology and raising awareness of diabetes,” explained Stephen King from Etisalat while speaking to Khaleej Times from Brussels, Belgium. The group, led by Mobily’s Ali Al Shehri from Saudi Arabia represented ‘Team Etisalat’ at the starting blocks for the first stretch of the tour. By Thursday, 36-year-old Al Shehri had just headed east from Brussels, riding through Ardennes before crossing Luxemburg and meeting the Rhine near Saarbrucken, Germany. He was expected to hand over the pedals to colleagues from Tanzania and UAE who will take the team onto the next stage through the Black Forest and Alps mountains. Shehzad Ahmed and Mohammed Khairy along with Stephen will be taking over in the following stages until the tour ends in Barcelona on September 18. “The idea is also to raise awareness about mHealth or wellness applications that can be used through smart phones,” said Stephen. “This technology for managing diabetes could, at a later stage, be introduced in the UAE, as well,” explained Stephen. For the tour, Professor Mike Trenell from Newcastle University is working with people taking part in the tour, from elite athletes with Type 1 diabetes to people without diabetes. Volunteer riders are equipped with Garmin bike computers to track performance and a heart rate monitor to track heart rate throughout the tour. They have also been given state-of-the-art continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMs) to look at how blood sugar levels change in athletes with and without diabetes. Professor Mike and his team will explore how riding affects blood sugar levels during the day and at night; how different athletes manage their diabetes (insulin and glucose); how high-performance athletes with Type 1 diabetes manage their diabetes compared with non-competitive athletes with Type 1 diabetes and how people with diabetes can teach athletes without diabetes about how to prevent low blood sugar levels during a ride. At least 18.9 per cent of the UAE population are living with diabetes. The tour is supported by International Diabetes Federation European Region. asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
US says Russia holding UN Council ‘hostage’ on Syria
US says Russia holding UN Council ‘hostage’ on Syria (AFP) / 6 September 2013 The United States on Thursday accused Russia of holding the UN Security Council “hostage” over the Syria chemical weapons crisis. With the White House pushing Congress to approve military strikes on Syria, US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said she could see no way to seek Security Council approval for action against President Bashar Al Assad because of Russia’s blocking. Amid mounting tensions between Washington and Moscow, Power said Russia’s protection of Assad has put the whole Security Council system of handling international crises under strain. “Even in the wake of the flagrant shattering of the international norm against chemical weapons use, Russia continues to hold the council hostage and shirk its international responsibilities,” Power told reporters as Russia hosted US President Barack Obama at the Group of 20 summit. Power, who took over as US envoy to the United Nations one month ago, said the UN Security Council system, in which the five permanent members — Russia, the United States, China, France and Britain — can veto any resolution, had failed the Syrian people. “Instead the system has protected the prerogatives of Russia — the patron of a regime that has brazenly staged the world’s largest chemical weapons attack in a quarter century,” Power said. The envoy spoke after US officials briefed other UN members on evidence that Assad’s forces carried out an attack using banned poison sarin gas near Damascus on August 21. She said the evidence “overwhelmingly” points to an attack by Assad forces. The United States says more than 1,400 people died in the attack, which the Assad government, supported by Russia, has blamed on Syrian rebels. Since an uprising against Assad erupted in March 2011, Russia and China have vetoed three western-proposed resolutions that would have aimed to increase pressure on Assad, without imposing sanctions. The Russian president said this week he would be ready to consider Security Council action if he could be convinced that Assad forces staged the August 21 attack. Power said she did not believe Putin would budge however. “We have seen nothing in President Putin’s comments that suggest that there is an available path forward at the Security Council,” the US envoy said. The Obama administration is seeking approval from lawmakers for military strikes, which could be joined by France. Power’s comments reinforced Obama’s stance that he was ready to order strikes without UN approval. And she stressed US exasperation at the repeated blocking of Security Council resolutions and statements. The resolutions had been proposed hoping that “our common security and our common humanity might prevail,” she said. “Unfortunately, for the past two and half years the system devised in 1945 precisely to deal with threats of this nature did not work as it was supposed to. It has not protected peace and security for the hundreds of Syrian children who were gassed to death on August 21. It is not protecting the stability of the region.” She added: “To stand back would be to endanger not only international peace and security, not only US national security, but, we also believe, the very international system that we have been working these decades to build.” Continue reading
UAE makes steady progress on all global indices
UAE makes steady progress on all global indices Issac John / 5 September 2013 The UAE is making steady progress in terms of all global development indices issued by prestigious international corporations, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said on Wednesday. Commenting on the UAE’s enhanced ranking on in the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum for 2013-2014, Shaikh Mohammed said the nation is making steady progress under the leadership of the President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. In the latest WEF report, the UAE has advanced five positions in the total competitiveness of its economy in one year, from 25 th last year to the rank of 19 th this year out of 148 countries. Shaikh Mohammed said the UAE government is continually following up these indices issued by prestigious international corporations, “because retreat is not an option in our government.” “Thanks to the federal and local teams who are jointly working in line with a vision the term of which extends to the year 2021, as well as with agendas and plans that are continuously being revised and assessed as per our growing ambitions in all sectors,” Shaikh Mohammed added. “Our economy is continuously developing, and the indices for security and stability are the best globally. The welfare of our citizens is at the top of our priorities,” he said. On some key sub-indexes the UAE is among the top countries in the world. The WEF report lists 12 pillars of competitiveness as the driving factors explaining an economy’s growth potential and the UAE scores very high here. The ‘Basic Requirements’ rank of the UAE is five, with only Singapore, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Finland ahead on that scale. In ‘Infrastructure’ the UAE takes the 8 th spot and for ‘Macro-economic’ environment the Emirates is 12 th in the world. On the ‘Innovation and Sophistication’ scale the UAE is ranked 25 th in the world. For the fifth time in a row, Switzerland was named as the world’s most competitive economy, the only point of criticism being that the nation ought to improve university enrolment to become even more innovative. Singapore and Finland defended their positions at number two and three among the 148 countries analysed by the World Economic Forum, a Swiss non-profit foundation that aims to bring together business leaders and policy makers. Germany took fourth position in the WEF’s annual ranking of the world’s most competitive economies, just ahead of the US. US — the world’s largest economy — in fifth place for overall competitiveness, up from seventh last year. Among the biggest risers this year was Indonesia, which was able to climb 12 ranks to number 38. The WEF said the rapid progress was due to spending on infrastructure, a more efficient government and gains in the technology sector. India now ranks 60 th , continuing its downward trend that began in 2009. Moreover, the country has fared badly with respect to its Brics peers. Once ahead of Brazil and South Africa, it now trails them by several places and is behind China by a margin of 31 positions, while Russia (64 th ) has almost closed the gap. Some Middle East countries emerged as the biggest losers. Politically troubled Egypt, for instance, dropped 11 placed to 118, while Iran tumbled 16 ranks to come in at number 82 on the back of political instability and lack of financing in the sanctions-hit nation. issacjohn@khaleejtiems.com Continue reading
