Some of the recent editorials written by me for our newspaper The Gulf Today (posted for my records)
Anti-smoking
bill fails to fire
A long debated
anti-smoking bill aimed at putting youngsters off smoking has at last been
approved by European MPs. Unfortunately, the new measures fail to effectively
turn up the heat on increasingly-popular electronic cigarettes.
Among
the sweeping new regulations to curb smoking are limits on e-cigarettes, bigger
warnings on cigarette packs and a ban on menthol. However, the MPs have
rejected a European Commission proposal to treat electronic cigarettes as
medicinal products — a move that would have restricted their sale to
pharmacies.
E-cigarettes,
which are booming worldwide, will therefore continue to be available in tobacco
shops or specialist stores, but will be banned for sale to minors and no
advertising will be allowed. E-cigarette is an electronic inhaler meant to
simulate and substitute tobacco smoking.
Almost
700,000 Europeans die from tobacco-related illnesses each year, with associated
health costs running at more than 25 billion euros. According to the World
Health Organisation (WHO), tobacco kills nearly six million people each year
worldwide. More than five million of those deaths are the result of direct
tobacco use, while more than 600 000 are the result of non-smokers being
exposed to second-hand smoke. Unless action is taken, the annual death toll
could rise to more than eight million by 2030. Nearly 80 per cent of the
world’s one billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries.
Experts
have repeatedly suggested that hard-hitting anti-tobacco advertisements and
graphic pack warnings, especially those that include pictures, reduce the
number of children who begin smoking and increase the number of smokers who
quit. Graphic warnings can persuade smokers to protect the health of
non-smokers by smoking less inside the home and avoiding smoking near children.
The
UAE is among leading countries that have initiated serious and effective
measures to curb smoking. The UAE ratified the WHO Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control, the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of
WHO, in November 2005. The UAE anti-tobacco law was drafted by the Ministry of
Health in 2006. In December 2009, the UAE issued its own federal anti-tobacco
law.
While
the European measures to curb smoking are commendable, it is unfortunate that
certain important proposals have been watered down. For example, menthol
cigarettes will only be banned eight years after the law comes into effect. The
proposed new rules on labelling, ingredients and smokeless products also fall
short of demands by health campaigners for a total ban on company branding and
logos on packets.
Peace,
progress
held
hostage
Violence
and kidnappings may be a part of life in strife-torn Libya as the country struggles in its transition days, but kidnapping of a
Prime Minister tantamounts to taking things too far.
On
Thursday, former rebels on government payroll kidnapped Prime Minister Ali
Zeidan from the hotel where he stays in Tripoli. The government’s website initially stated that Zeidan had been taken
to “an unknown place for unknown reasons.” Fortunately, the captors released
him unharmed after a few hours.
The
incident reinforces the fact that Libya is deep in turmoil two years after the fall of Muammar Qadhafi, with
its central government and army struggling to control rival militias who have
turned the vast North African country into a safe haven. Also reflecting the
continuing deep insecurity, a car bomb exploded outside a building housing the
Swedish and Finnish consulates in Benghazi
on Friday. The Swedish and Finnish consulates are among the few foreign
diplomatic posts still operating in Benghazi.
Foreign
diplomats have been repeatedly targeted amid Libya’s continuous instability, particularly in Benghazi. Militants attacked an American diplomatic post last year. In January,
fighters opened fire on the car of the Italian consul in Benghazi. He was not hurt in the attack. In June 2012, the British ambassador’s
vehicle was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades, injuring two of his
bodyguards, as he visited the city.
As
recently as last week, a mob attacked the Russian Embassy in Tripoli, climbing
over its walls, pulling down a gate and firing in the air, prompting Moscow to
evacuate its diplomats and their families. The attack was sparked when a
Russian woman was arrested for allegedly killing a Libyan air force officer and
his mother.
Another
worrying factor in Libya,
as a recent United Nations report points out, is the widespread use of torture
in detention centres. The report, “Torture and Deaths in Detention in Libya,” says that abuse of detainees persists despite the government’s
efforts, and recommends swift action to transfer detainees held by armed
brigades to state control, as well as renewed efforts to build the capacity of
the criminal justice system.
The
deteriorating security situation and increasing violence is a matter of serious
concern for the international community. As the country struggles to establish
a democratic state and move forward in political transformation, Libyan parties
and people should work on a consensus about national priorities. The primary
goal should be to build a strong, stable country where the rule of law is
respected.
Little
Master’s
gargantuan
feats
Great
people add an “extra” to the “ordinary,” and become extraordinary. Boundaries
matter little to them. For “Little Master” Sachin Tendulkar, boundaries
were, in fact, a means to reach historic heights in the world of cricket.
Tendulkar,
who enthralled fans with a blizzard of runs knocking several records on the way
over a quarter of a century, has decided to call it quits from Test cricket.
His last Test will be against the West Indies at a yet-to-be
determined venue in India
from Nov.14-18. It is likely that Tendulkar’s 200th Test match will be held at
his home ground in Mumbai. The Eden Gardens in Kolkata is also a contender for hosting that historic match.
Considered
the greatest batsman in contemporary cricket, Tendulkar has the most runs
(15,837) and centuries (51) in Test cricket and was also the highest run-maker
(18,426) with a record 49 hundreds in the one-day game, which he stopped
playing last year. The married father-of-two, 40, has scored an unprecedented
100 international centuries, holds most coveted batting records except Don
Bradman’s career average high of 99.94, and won the World Cup with India in 2011.
Humility
has endeared Tendulkar to his fans. Former Australia captain Ricky
Ponting once said that he would probably be batting in a wheelchair if he
survived in world cricket as long as Sachin Tendulkar. The biggest compliment
to his batting also came from Bradman himself in 1999 when he said that
Tendulkar’s style of playing resembled his style.
That
Tendulkar is the first active cricketer to be nominated to the Indian Upper
House of Parliament may be known to many, but only a few may remember that
during a match in Sharjah, Australian spinner Shane Warne’s bowling was so
hammered by Tendulkar that the latter sportingly approached him with folded
hands to “stop hitting.”
In
1987 World Cup, the Little Master was the ball boy for the India-Zimbabwe
match. Interestingly, he still has with him 13 coins from his coach Ramakant
Achrekar. The challenge was he would win a coin if he would get through an
entire session of nets without being dismissed.
It
is true that the most prolific run-maker was struggling with form for the past
two years. There has also been intense pressure on him from different quarters
to make way for a younger player. He has decided to hang his boots, but there
is no doubt that Tendulkar has raised the bar high for future players.
Stability
need
of
the hour
There
seems to be no let-up in violence on the streets of Egypt. A series of attacks, that include the killing of five soldiers near
the Suez Canal city of Ismailia by gunmen, highlights the continuing insecurity gripping the country
since the last few months. Fighters in Sinai have killed more than 100 members
of the security forces since early July. A spate of bombings in south Sinai
resorts between 2004 and 2006 crippled the tourism industry, one of Egypt’s main earners.
The
lingering political uncertainty has been taking a toll on the country’s economy
and progress. President Mohammed Mursi was removed on July 3 after massive
protests against his government, which had come to power following a period of
military rule after Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office in 2011.
Police
have arrested more than 2,000 fighters and the military has sought to quell a
wave of militant attacks in north Sinai. But following several weeks of
relative calm, the violence in the past 48 hours in the capital and south
Sinai, which is dotted with tourist resorts, has shattered the appearance of
restored security.
Western
efforts at mediation between the military-installed government and Mursi
supporters had failed before the government decided to disperse their Cairo
protest camps on Aug.14. More than 1,000 people were killed in the operation
and ensuing days of clashes.
Further
confrontations are likely to shake Egypt this week. A political alliance has urged Egyptians to stage protests
against the army takeover and gather on Cairo’s
Tahrir Square on Friday. The Tahrir Square,
where the military had held celebrations to mark 40 years since the
Arab-Israeli war, is highly symbolic for protesters.
Last
month, a court banned the Brotherhood and froze its assets, pushing the group,
which had dominated elections held in Egypt after Mubarak’s fall in 2011, further into the cold.
The
renewed strife appears to be aimed at frustrating plans by the
military-installed government to move on three months after Mursi’s overthrow.
The interim government has sought to persuade investors and tourists to return
to the country.
The
militants are evidently attempting to prove that there cannot be stability
without them being part of the process. What needs to be understood is that
nothing can be achieved through gun and violence. The country is looking for
economic recovery and needs to be brought to normalcy fast. The clock is
ticking.
