Tag Archives: opinion
Malala celebrates birthday with UN address
Malala celebrates birthday with UN address (Reuters) / 12 July 2013 In her first speech since the Taleban in Pakistan tried to kill her for advocating education for girls, Malala Yousafzai celebrated her 16th birthday on Friday at the United Nations, appealing for compulsory free schooling for all children. Wearing a pink head scarf, Yousafzai told U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and nearly 1,000 students from around the world attending a Youth Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York that education was the only way to improve lives. “Let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world. Education is the only solution,” she said. Yousafzai was shot in the head at close range by gunmen in October as she left school in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, northwest of the country’s capital Islamabad, after campaigning against the Islamist Taleban efforts to deny women education. She presented Ban with a petition signed by nearly 4 million people in support of 57 million children who are not able to go to school and demanding that world leaders fund new teachers, schools and books and end child labor, marriage and trafficking. U.N. Special Envoy for Global Education, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, said Friday’s event was not just a celebration of Malala’s birthday and her recovery, but of her vision. “Her dream that nothing, no political indifference, no government inaction, no intimidation, no threats, no assassin’s bullets should ever deny the right of every single child … to be able to go to school,” said Brown. Pakistan has 5 million children out of school, a number only surpassed by Nigeria, which has more than 10 million children out of school, according to U.N. cultural agency UNESCO. Most of those are girls. Islamist gunmen killed 27 students and a teacher on Saturday in a boarding school in northeast Nigeria. It was the deadliest of at least three attacks on schools in Nigeria since the military launched an offensive in May to try to crush Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram, whose nickname translates as “Western education is sinful” in the northern Hausa language. The Taleban claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt on Yousafzai, calling her efforts pro-Western. Two of her classmates were also wounded. Yousafzai was treated in Britain, where doctors mended parts of her skull with a titanium plate. Unable to safely return to Pakistan, she started at a school in Birmingham in March. Tehreek-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP), formed in 2007, is an umbrella group uniting various militant factions operating in Pakistan’s volatile northwestern tribal areas along the porous border with Afghanistan. Under Taleban rule in neighboring Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, women were forced to cover up and were banned from voting, most work and leaving their homes unless accompanied by a husband or male relative. Continue reading
Ramadan gift for a million kids
Ramadan gift for a million kids Muaz Shabandari / 11 July 2013 One million children around the world will become the beneficiaries of a new Ramadan campaign launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The initiative aims at collecting donations during the holy month of Ramadan to supply clothing to one million children. Calling on people to support the campaign, Shaikh Mohammed announced the initiative on Twitter. Tweeting with the hashtag #Dress1MillionNeedyChildren, he said: “Giving joy and support to 1 million children is our mission for this Ramadan. I invite everyone to be part of this campaign, and remember that the more we give, the more we get back.” Every Ramadan, Shaikh Mohammed announces a new charity campaign, in line with the tradition of giving and generosity of the people of UAE. Previous campaigns include the launch of Dubai Cares, Noor Dubai and the family village for orphans. “Giving is a deeply rooted value in our religion, and the UAE has built its foundation on that basis,” said Shaikh Mohammed in one of his tweets. This year’s campaign will be hosted in partnership with the UAE Red Crescent Authority and it will continue until September 19, which falls on UAE’s Humanitarian Work Day, and marks the 9th anniversary of the death of the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. On the occasion of the launch, Shaikh Mohammed emphasised: “The Holy Month of Ramadan represents an exceptional opportunity to celebrate the values of goodness, giving and cooperation, which increases the importance of launching social and charitable constructive initiatives during the month, especially those initiatives in which the people of the UAE can share and collaborate.” He added: “In the Emirates, we have a tradition of goodness, to extend a helping hand to disadvantaged groups in different parts of the world, especially the poor and needy, as well as disadvantaged children regardless of colour and race. The spirit of giving is a characteristic of Zayed’s sons and daughters, it is a culture which is deeply rooted in our community.” Commending the initiative, Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares said: “Philanthropic as he is, it is in the nature of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to always take the initiative when it comes to supporting those affected by harsh realities around the world.” He added: “It is no surprise that His Highness aims to reach out to the underprivileged, specifically addressing the need of one million children worldwide. This campaign encourages the entire UAE community to extend its support to those who are forced to make do with little in their lives, providing them with basic necessities and helping them maintain their dignity in the harsh environment they live in.” “It is a great campaign and the first beneficiaries of the initiative will be children at a refugee camp in Jordan supported by the UAE Red Crescent. We hope to reach the target in two weeks and help these children at the earliest,” said Mohammed Abdullah Alhaj Al Zaroni, Manager of the UAE Red Crescent’s Dubai branch. To support the campaign, send a message to 7040 (Dh40 for one child). To support four children, send a message to 7160 (Dh160). To support six children, send a message to 7240 (Dh240). To support 10 children, send a message to 7400 (Dh 400). Donations can also be made through bank transfers to the UAE Red Crescent. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (A/C number — 20000530), Dubai Islamic Bank (A/C number — 003-52051541-7001), Emirates Islamic Bank (A/C number — 0071679679-014). For more information on supporting the initiative, contact 800-RED (733) –muaz@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
DM releases 70,000 fingerlings into sea
DM releases 70,000 fingerlings into sea Staff Reporter / 11 July 2013 To preserve the marine environment, 70,000 baby fish have been released into the sea. Khalid Sulaitin, head of Environment Emergency Office, said, “70,000 fingerlings of Sobaity and Sha’am fishes were released in the Mamzar sea to preserve the environment and biodiversity.” Sulaitin explained that till about 30-35 years ago, there used to be a healthy population of fish in the waters at Al Mamzar but the new projects had endangered their lives. They were now working to fix that gap, and the releasing of these fishlings in the water was a step in that direction. Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality said that the civic body had chosen these two types of fish considering their rapid breeding — they lay eggs in less than six months and proliferate in a maximum period of six to nine months. Each egg of these fish contained two to three million larva, which meant it could quickly proliferate, feeding the marine environment with a large number of fish. As for the heat, Lootah said, “The summer does not pose a threat to them as they acclimatise with the water temperature and the depth of the water will be appropriate for them. They will be far from Al Mamzar Beach dedicated to marine and other games, which will allow it to reproduce without any risk.” He added that the municipality would cooperate with the Emirates Association for Fishermen to release approximately 150,000 to 200,000 fingerlings of different species of local and other fishes every year expecting a large amount of growth in fisheries. Sulaitin said he was in touch with Al Mubarak Fishes Co,, the company which donated these fish. Lootah urged the public to help in the preservation of the marine environment by supporting such eco-friendly projects. news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
