Tag Archives: lifestyle
UAE mulls plan to promote walking, cycling
UAE mulls plan to promote walking, cycling Asma Ali Zain / 25 February 2014 The plan would look into providing residents with more options to walk, cycle, exercise, provide easy access to sports facilities as well as educate them on the health benefits of physical activity. The UAE is working out a national plan to encourage its residents to get physically active, even if for 30 minutes a day. The plan would look into providing residents with more options to walk, cycle, exercise, provide easy access to sports facilities as well as educate them on the health benefits of physical activity in a safe environment. It would also address concerns on urban designs and infrastructure and introduce polices in schools. Also see the eight cycling and walking tracks to come up in Dubai by 2015 Policy makers have said that physical activity is critical for population health. Marking it as a public health priority, they said that lack of physical activity is the fourth leading risk factor for global deaths while at least 219,000 deaths occur annually in the region. Guided by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the UAE, along with other GCC countries, on Monday drew the first draft of a regional policy on physical activity at a high-level forum being held for the first time in the region. The regional draft will help the UAE government chalk out its own policies that, according to the UN General Assembly, should be in place by 2025. The countries have pledged to reduce physical inactivity by at least 10 per cent over the next four years. The UAE is part of a region where statistics show that over 50 per cent of women are physically inactive, an issue that has led to high rates of deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and heart diseases, discussed experts at the meeting. “We are developing a regional plan that will guide countries to develop their own policies by addressing challenges,” said Dr Ala Alwan, Regional Director of Eastern Mediterrenean Regional Office (Emro). “The main aim of this forum is to raise awareness on physical activity and the need to tackle the issue with participation of the society and other decision makers,” he explained. Different sectors such as urban planning, health, education, employment and transportation have been roped in to develop a comprehensive strategy. “We now need action on behaviour change through awareness raising and skills development,” he added. “Everybody has the right, and should be able to walk freely, and to have leisure sites and sports available and accessible, regardless of age, gender and culture,” said Dr Alwan. “Urban planning sectors should ensure that streets and parks are available for people to walk in and exercise safely. The education sector should ensure that physical education and activity are an integral part of the school curriculum. The transportation system should be easily accessible so that people rely less on their personal cars. Employers should provide employees with the opportunity to exercise at the worksite,” he added, urging governments to focus policies on these key factors. Several countries such as the UK, Australia and the US shared their experiences in implementing the laws that would enable PA. asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Catching the city’s dreams through the lens
Catching the city’s dreams through the lens 24 February 2014 Dubai-based shutterbug Daniel Cheong says about his escapades as a cityscape photographer and explains why light is the key ingredient for that ideal shot. He has scaled some of Dubai’s tallest skyscrapers to capture the ideal shot, and his image of Dubai’s downtown district emerging from the early morning fog caught the eyes of millions of people around the world. So what is it that makes amateur photographer, Daniel Cheong, tick? Dubai as seen through the lens of Cheong … The city gave him the perfect environment for creating the cityscape images he loves. — KT photos by Rahul Gajjar “It’s the adrenalin rush,” he tells Khaleej Times , before openly admitting he often sneaks onto the rooftops of high-rise buildings to freeze-frame Dubai in all its glory. “I do try to get permission from the building’s management first, but that only ever works out about five per cent of the time.” And on the rare occasions when he does get caught, Cheong says he just flashes a smile. “If they catch me in the act, I tell them straight. Give me access to your building and you can have the photos.” A compromise which usually works, he says. Just for fun Despite shooting more than 70,000 shots of 14,000 different cityscape scenes around the world, Cheong, whose images have garnered more than 10 million views on the photo-sharing site Flickr, says photography is still “just a hobby”. “I’m actually a technical manager for a mobile telecommunications brand here by day. Photography is just my passion.” Snapping his camera lens at different exposures, the self-proclaimed “tech geek” uses different exposures to emphasise the visual dynamism of the world’s modern architecture. He then takes to photoshop, and using a digital blending technique, creates “perfection in terms of the visuals”. “It’s a funny thing really. Because people who have seen my work often visit the cities I capture, then get back to me saying I make it look more amazing than it really is. “I call it eye candy for the people.” The perfect environment With Dubai taking on the role of home for now, Cheong says it’s the perfect environment for creating the cityscape images he loves. And with many of his images published on social networking sites including Facebook and Flickr, it’s the perfect platform enabling his creativity to reach the masses. “My photos have been noticed by several magazines thanks to these sites. Some have even been featured in National Geographic (China), travelling magazines and airline brand publications.” Championing bright, provocative colouring in his works, the Mauritius-born photographer says it’s rare to find black and white shots in his photo collection. “I want to create that idealistic vision, and the excessive use of colour helps me achieve this.” So what’s the most important ingredient for a successful freeze-frame? According to Cheong, the camera and production equipment take a back seat when it comes to getting that right shot, describing light as “a photographers best friend”. Harsh lighting can destroy any photo, so the best time to shoot is before 8am or after 4pm he says. “It’s all about the lighting and composition. I don’t think it’s something you can learn. You either have the knack for it or you don’t.” See his works Cheong’s debut photo exhibition: ‘Dubai – Lights of Dreams’ is on display at Alliance Francaise in Oud Metha till February 26, and is showcasing 35 of his favourite Dubai stills. With prices ranging from an affordable Dh450 to Dh1,500, he says he’s happy keeping his passion his hobby for now. “It’s not about the money for me. I am happy in my job and I love doing my photography. It’s a form of escapism for me. If I turn it into my career at this point, I will have to branch out into the corporate market and I don’t want to do that.” So for now, Cheong says he’ll continue to juggle his work and hobby, despite a severe lack of sleep in the meantime. kelly@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Ukraine points west as US warns Russia against force
Ukraine points west as US warns Russia against force (Reuters) / 24 February 2014 US, Britain warn Russia against military intervention; acting president says European integration a top priority. Ukraine’s new interim president pledged to put the country back on course for European integration now Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovich had been ousted, while the United States warned Russia against sending in its forces. Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko (C) meets with US ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt (L) and head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Jan Tombinski in Kiev. -Reuters As rival neighbours east and west of the former Soviet republic said a power vacuum in Kiev must not lead to the country breaking apart, acting president Oleksander Turchinov said on Sunday that Ukraine’s new leadership wanted relations with Russia on a “new, equal and good-neighbourly footing that recognises and takes into account Ukraine’s European choice”. A day after Yanukovich fled to the Russian-speaking east following dozens of deaths during street protests aimed at toppling him, parliament named new speaker Turchinov as interim head of state. An ally of the ousted leader’s long jailed rival Yulia Tymoshenko, he aims to swear in a government by Tuesday that can provide authority until a presidential election on May 25. With battle-hardened, pro-Western protesters in control of central Kiev and determined to hold their leaders to account, lawmakers rushed through decisions to cement their power, display their rejection of rampant corruption and bring to book officials who ordered police to fire on Independence Square. But whoever takes charge as interim prime minister faces a huge challenge to satisfy popular expectations and will find an economy in deep crisis, even if the EU makes good on new offers of aid that may help make up for loans that Russia has frozen. Scuffles in Russian-speaking Crimea and some eastern cities between supporters of the new, pro-EU order in Kiev and those anxious to stay close to Moscow revived fears of separatism that a week earlier were focused on the west, where Ukrainian nationalists had disowned Yanukovich and proclaimed self-rule. President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, was asked on US television about the possibility of Russia sending troops to Ukraine, which President Vladimir Putin had hoped Yanukovich would keep closely allied to Moscow. “That would be a grave mistake,” Rice said. “It’s not in the interests of Ukraine or of Russia or of Europe or the United States to see a country split. It’s in nobody’s interest to see violence return and the situation escalate.” Yanukovich’s flight into hiding left Putin’s Ukraine policy in tatters, on a day he had hoped eyes would be on the grand finale to the Sochi Olympics. The Kremlin leader spoke on Sunday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose foreign minister had brokered a short-lived truce in Kiev on Friday. They agreed Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” must be maintained, Merkel’s spokesman said in a statement. British Foreign Secretary William Hague was asked if Russia might “send in the tanks” to defend its interests among ethnic Russians in the east and on the Crimea peninsula, where Moscow bases its Black Sea Fleet: “It would really not be in the interests of Russia to do any such thing,” he told the BBC. Earlier this month, a Kremlin aide warned that Moscow could intervene and accused Washington of breaching their 1994 treaty under which Russia removed Soviet nuclear weapons from Ukraine. It is unlikely the United States and its allies in Nato would risk an outright military confrontation with Russia but such rhetoric, laden with echoes of the Cold War, underlines the high stakes in Ukraine, whose 46 million people and sprawling territory are caught in a geopolitical tug of war. EU officials offered financial aid to a new government and to revive a trade deal that Yanukovich spurned under Russian pressure in November, sparking the protests that drove him from office after 82 deaths last week, many from police sniper fire. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will travel to Ukraine on Monday to discuss economic help, the EU said. The United States has also promised help. But budgets are tight in the EU and Washington, and international creditors like the IMF may remain wary of Yanukovich’s opponents, whose years in government before him were no economic success story. However, concern about instability and a popular desire to be seen backing what looks to Western voters like a democratic movement threatened by Russian diktat may loosen purse strings – at least to tide Ukraine over until after the elections. In Russia, where Putin hoped to count on Ukraine as a key element in a union of ex-Soviet states and might also fear the Kiev uprising could inspire his own opponents, the finance minister said the next tranche of a $15-billion loan package agreed in December would not be paid, at least before a new government is formed. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to his office, told US Secretary of State John Kerry the opposition had “seized power” by force by ignoring the EU-brokered truce on Friday that left Yanukovich in office for the time being. Lavrov said that power-sharing agreement should be revived. However, even lawmakers from Yanukovich’s own party voted for his removal on Saturday and issued a statement blaming him and his entourage for the crisis. Business “oligarchs” – rich from control of ex-Soviet assets – also distanced themselves from a man long seen as their representative in the presidency. In a mark of passions dividing Ukrainians along a historic faultline between Russian and Ukrainian cultures, local television in Kerch, in eastern Crimea, showed a crowd hauling down the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag in front of the town hall and hoisting the white, blue and red Russian tricolour. Yanukovich, whose whereabouts remain unclear but who may be in his home city of Donetsk near the Russian border, accused opponents of a Nazi-style coup and said he remained in power. In a hectic round of voting in parliament, lawmakers rushed in some crowd-pleasing measures against the ousted administration, conscious that those still occupying Independence Square – or the Maidan – remain deeply suspicious of the political class. They stripped Yanukovich of his abandoned country home near Kiev. Its brash opulence, complete with ostrich farm and hot tubs, was put on display within hours and fuelled demands that the rough-hewn former petty criminal from the eastern coalfields be held to account for stealing taxpayer billions. Several officials and ministers were singled out for being removed from office, among them an education minister accused of promoting a Russian view of Ukrainian history. Parliament-appointed security officials announced legal moves against members of the ousted administration and those responsible for police attacks on the Maidan last week. Newly appointed speaker Oleksander Turchinov, now acting president, said a government should be in place by Tuesday. His ally, Tymoshenko, defeated by Yanukovich in a 2010 presidential election and later jailed for corruption, ruled herself out as interim premier. Freed from a prison hospital on Saturday after more than two years in jail, she may want time to recover and build support before running for the presidency. As prime minister following the largely peaceful Orange Revolution of 2004-05, which overturned a first presidential victory by Yanukovich, Tymoshenko disappointed many in Ukraine who had hoped for an end to the corruption and failed economic policies that marked the aftermath of Soviet communism. “In these days the most important thing is to form a functioning government,” said Vitaly Klitschko, a former world boxing champion and also a possible presidential contender. “We have to take very important steps in order to ensure the survival of the economy, which is in a very bad shape,” he told a news conference. He denied there had been a coup. “Parliament is the last legal official institution in Ukraine,” he said. “Nobody knows where the president of Ukraine is. We tried to find him all day yesterday. His location is unknown. He left the country without a president.” For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
