Tag Archives: united-kingdom
Declare rape in conflict zones a war crime: UAE
Declare rape in conflict zones a war crime: UAE (Wam) / 26 September 2013 Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday urged governments to stand together to support the UN initiative to combat sexual violence in conflict situations, including condemning this crime and prosecuting and punishing the perpetrators in accordance with international criminal law. Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed in talks with Ahmed Al Jarba, head of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday. Shaikh Abdullah pledged the UAE’s continued support to the Syrian people and their aspirations to restore security and stability in the country. — Wam The following is the full statement he made during a UN meeting on the “Initiative to combat sexual violence in conflict situations” on the occasion of the declaration of international commitment to end sexual violence in conflict situations, being held in association with the 68th session of the UN General Assembly: “I am pleased to begin my speech by expressing my sincere thanks to my colleague, William Hague, UK Foreign Secretary, for leading this initiative aimed at preventing sexual violence in all its forms. “A great effort has been exerted to unite the international community and strengthen its determination to tackle this crime, stripped of all the meanings of humanity. As I believe in the awfulness of this crime, and the necessity of the world consensus to clearly denounce it, so I agreed to be the “World Supporter” for this initiative. “We live in a world of increasing conflicts and wars, such as those in Syria, for example. The crimes of rape and other forms of sexual violence that occur during these conflicts are not a new phenomenon. They have been repeated throughout history as a means to degrade communities, humiliate opponents and destroy them. “We still remained committed with our partners from the international community to eliminate this barbarism. We can no longer accept that such crimes will be an inevitable result of conflicts in the 21st century. We have to refer very clearly to them as a war crime. “It is a crime from which millions of people are suffering, with the worst practices and techniques, as described by a Bosnian rape victim who said, “He took my life without killing me”. There is nothing worse than that. “To address this issue, we start to promote a sense of responsibility towards the elimination of these crimes, so as to ensure that the criminal justice system in the states in which conflicts arise between different parties has sufficient expertise and capabilities to enable it to deal effectively with these crimes. “I know that Zainab Bangura, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, has made unremitting efforts with a number of governments to help strengthen the police, military, and judicial capacities to address these issues. “Let me encourage you to continue these good efforts. I thank you for them. “We also need to make further efforts to strengthen the role of women and girls in all walks of life. I would like to emphasise that the UAE is a strong supporter of UN Women [the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women]. “The country provided an amount of two-and-a-half million dollars for UN Women in 2012 and recently committed to providing one-and-a-half million dollars in partnership with the United Kingdom in order to support the efforts of the Somali government in the fight against sexual violence during conflicts. “We look forward to strengthening the role played by UN Women under the leadership of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. The strengthening of the role and empowerment of women means ensuring that education is provided, as well as giving them the opportunity to invest their talents in the labour market and to participate in decision-making in government and business sectors. “There are no quick solutions in this regard, but we must do what we can, and the UAE will continue to support this important work. “Let me finish my speech by urging all governments to stand together to support this initiative and to speak with one voice to express our condemnation of this crime and our common resolve to prosecute and punish it in accordance with the law.” Continue reading
BlackBerry’s ‘next-level’ Z30 launched in Dubai
BlackBerry’s ‘next-level’ Z30 launched in Dubai Alvin R. Cabral / 24 September 2013 BlackBerry has launched its new all-touch Z30 smartphone in the Middle East on Monday, with the first units having been made available at its BlackBerry Store in The Dubai Mall late last night, as the Canadian handset maker looks to ride the momentum borne out of its latest suite of BlackBerry 10 OS-powered devices. After the exclusive launch, the Z30 will be available through BlackBerry’s partners beginning today. While the competition in the smartphone segment is getting tougher by the day, BlackBerry is “actually doing very well” especially in the Middle East, according to a top official, who pointed out that the firm is still enjoying consumers’ trust with its devices and services. “The Middle East is definitely one of our key growth markets… because people trust us and have utmost confidence in BlackBerry,” Mike Al Mefleh, senior director of Product Management and Platform – Software Services at BlackBerry, told Khaleej Times in an interview. “We laid out the foundation with our OS 10 devices and we took it to the next level.” He pointed out that BlackBerry provides important aspects in mobile computing — security, integrity, privacy and reliability — components that are critical especially in today’s fast-paced and broader world of mobile computing. “As a consumer you want your information available to you, and we provide that,” Al Mefleh said, pointing out that its flagship BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM, continues to enjoy the support of users especially here in the region. “Consumers enjoy BBM because it is very secure and very private, unlike other social media apps,” he said, adding that in the Middle East, BBM’s penetration rate is at 98 per cent, and even 99 per cent in some countries. New flagship Z30 Last week, BlackBerry — the former Research In Motion — released a statement from its Waterloo What’s new in the z30? BlackBerry has touted its new all-touch Z30 smartphone as its “biggest, fastest and most advanced”. Here’s the lowdown: BlackBerry Priority Hub — You can now learn what conversations and what people are important to you making it fast and easy to find the messages and information you need. BBM now in any app and message previews everywhere — You can now get a preview of any message as it arrives in whatever app you’re using, and immediately dismiss it or tap it to read the full content and respond. Stereo audio and BlackBerry Natural Sound — The Z30 smartphone comes with stereo speakers that immerse you in your sounds, and makes conversations look like it’s face-to-face. New antennae technology — A new-generation antennae technology dynamically tunes reception to give better connectivity in low-signal areas. headquarters that it would be launching its Z30 smartphone this week in the Middle East and the United Kingdom, with other regions to follow soon. It comes after the company released its new devices running the latest BlackBerry 10 OS — the all-touch Z10 and the touch-and-type Q10 and Q5. Most recently, it unveiled the 9720 that runs on OS 7. The Z30 will be its “biggest, fastest and most advanced” smartphone to date, featuring BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2, a five-inch Super Amoled display, a 1.7GHz processor with quad-core graphics and the largest battery — 2880mAh — yet on a BlackBerry device. It has four stereo speakers with BlackBerry Natural Sound, a new-generation BlackBerry Paratek Antennae that gives faster data transfers and many other features. Demonstrating the Z30, Al Mefleh says that the company continues to highlight its BlackBerry Hub — the “centre of communications” — on the phone, which has been well-received by users. Enhanced as the BlackBerry Priority Hub, it is now able to list the most important messages and collects priority messages. It also has a new attachment button to save time when sending files. He said that the BlackBerry Hub — as it has always been — is a “shift and transformation in making life easier for users”. A new notification feature has also been added on the Z30; for example, a message can be read and replied to while browsing, without closing the latter. This feature can also be disabled for privacy reasons. And good news for those considering a BlackBerry for their next phone: Al Mefleh confirmed that the Z30 will now be able to run more apps based on Google’s Android operating system, a welcome development in the cross-platform arena. He added that the number of apps available for the OS 10 on the BlackBerry AppWorld site is now up from an initial 50,000 to 140,000, meaning that users have a broader choice — and more reasons to get themselves a BlackBerry. Its typing and browsing feature was touted by Al Mefleh, calling it “the best typing and browsing experience… we keep improving and mastering this”. He says that continuing to improve user experience on a smartphone “is the future; we continue to make life easier and simpler”. “We have enjoyed the success of the BlackBerry OS 10. Since we introduced it, we have seen that… people have liked what we’ve given them.” Al Mefleh was confident that the Z30 — selling for Dh2,499 — will be met positively by consumers. And when asked on what other devices are to be launched in 2013, he reiterated an earlier announcement this year that BlackBerry was slated to roll out six new ones. “You know what we’ve launched; you do the math,” he said candidly. – alvin@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
UAE a popular migrant destination: UN report
UAE a popular migrant destination: UN report Staff Reporter / 13 September 2013 The United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom have something in common. Both countries accommodate 7.8 million migrants each, according to a UN report that was released on Wednesday. Delegates all ears at the the Global Citizen Forum in Dubai on Thursday. — KT photo by Shihab The report supported the fact that more people than ever are living away from their native land. It also stated that the Gulf oil states are perceived as one of the most attractive spots to migrate to. Coinciding with the release of this report, at the Global Citizen Forum in Dubai, 150 key industry professionals and delegates addressed issues on immigration and global citizenship. Joseph Ghossoub, CEO, Menacom Group, spoke at the forum on why, he, the 25th most powerful Arab, needed a second citizenship. Ghossoub said global citizenship here in the UAE improved his life and helped him to excel in his business. “Regardless of how influential you are in the world, we all have to abide by the rules,” he said. Shweta Iyer Bhatnagar, a 32-year-old employee of a PR company, said she moved to Dubai from Chennai four years ago “to escape to a safe place where the family is less interfering”. Sukhmani said work was monotnous back home and her family was pressuring her to get married, but she wanted to move away. “I craved independence — Dubai and the UAE is so safe for women, but also I wanted to earn so the tax-free life is the real lure.” Now, at a self-confessed “better place in her life”, Sukhmani said she has managed to save enough to deposit a downpayment for a 2-BHK flat in India. Having got married last year, her five-year plan is to raise a child here and “eventually, yes, go back home”. Vergie Castillo, a 43-year old mother of four, said she came to Dubai 12 years ago for “opportunities for my children”. Vergie works in a hair-dressing saloon. On her days off, she does the housework in two apartments to earn more money. As a widow and sole provider for her children, she feels she doesn’t have the option to go back home. Once a year, in November, she goes to the Philippines. What keeps her going is that all four of her children have been provided for. She is waiting for her eldest, her son is 18, to start earning after college, and then she might quit one of her jobs here. The UN report said nearly two-thirds of all international migrants live in Europe and Asia, with Europe hosting 72 million and Asia 71 million in 2013. In what is no surprise, the United States came out as the host of the largest number, 45.8 million, and it gained the largest number of international migrants between 1990 and 2013 — nearly 23 million, which is equal to one million additional migrants per year. Russia was second with 11 million international migrants, followed by Germany with 9.8 million, Saudi Arabia with 9.1 million, the UAE and the UK with 7.8 million, France with 7.4 million, Canada with 7.3 million, and Australia and Spain with 6.5 million, it said. news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
