SRINAGAR, INDIA // Thousands of miles away from what has been the scene of world's longest, most expensive and broadly publicised presidential campaign, the people of Kashmir, with few exceptions, are already rejoicing over what they expected was the imminent victory of Barack Obama.
Separatists here found hope after Mr Obama said his administration would encourage India and Pakistan to solve the dispute over the Himalayan region so that Islamabad could better co-operate with the United States on Afghanistan. He told MSNBC in an interview last week: "We should? try to resolve the Kashmir crisis so that they [Pakistan] can stay focused not on India, but on the situation with those militants."
He was of the view the United States "should foster a better understanding between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that have fought wars over the decades-old Kashmir question in the past but are now engaged in a peace process".
Scenic Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, both of which claim it in its entirety. They have fought two of their three wars over it since independence from Britain in 1947. Thousands of people have been killed on the Indian side of the disputed region since 1989, when Muslim separatists revolted against New Delhi's rule. The rebellion was met with a tough Indian military campaign.
"We've always said that the international community has to play a role in Kashmir. The US in particular can facilitate India and Pakistan in arriving on an amicable solution. It is good to know that Barack Obama has kept himself abreast of the issue," said Kashmir's chief Muslim cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who heads Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, a separatist alliance.
Mr Mirwaiz added: "Barack Obama's statement acknowledges he considers Kashmir as being a dispute which needs to be resolved amicably in the interest of peace in the region. Well, he can pressurise both India and Pakistan to solve the dispute on Kashmir when he makes it to the White House as the 44th president of his country."
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the hardline leader of a Hurriyat Conference faction, who is known for his anti-US rhetoric and outbursts in public, particularly on the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, also welcomed Mr Obama's Kashmiri thesis - though with a rider. "What he has said is a welcome development, but I would like to remind him and everyone that while looking at Kashmir nobody should ignore its history."
Mr Geelani said Kashmir was not a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan "but involves the future of its 13 million people".
Mehbooba Mufti of the People's Democratic Party, which ruled the state with the Congress Party for nearly six years before the coalition collapsed this year after a row over the transfer of forest land to a Hindu shrine, said relations between India and Pakistan have improved with the revival of trade and the bus service over the Line of Control. "The peace process underway needs impetus and if US or any other country can extend help, they are welcome," he said.
But one local political analyst, Zarief Ahmed, said: "Obama wants Kashmir to be resolved not because he is at pains to do something to see an end to the miseries its people have been going through but to safeguard his own country's interests in the region. Otherwise, he would not have sought to link the issue of Kashmir with the Pakistan's partnership in fighting the anti-American forces in Afghanistan. In other words he wants to help towards resolving Kashmir in lieu of Islamabad's co-operation on war against terror."
Mr Obama's Kashmir thesis has caused some concern in India. C Raja Mohan, a veteran Indian journalist and political analyst, suggested New Delhi might have to act soon. "Given its vastly improved relations with the United States and Pakistan, India has no reason to press the panic buttons. Yet it should be quickly flagging its concerns with the foreign policy team of Senator Barack Obama should he be declared? president," Mr Mohan wrote in Indian Express.
Mr Mohan, also a professor at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, said that despite relentless pressure from Pakistan's former president, Pervez Musharraf, Mr Bush refused to inject the United States into the Indo-Pakistani conflict.
"By ending the traditional American meddling in Kashmir, Bush created the conditions for purposeful bilateral negotiations between New Delhi and Islamabad? India would not want Obama to disrupt this positive dynamic in the subcontinent," he said.
Indian analysts say New Delhi's problem with the Obama thesis lies in the "simplistic trade-off it sets ups between Kashmir and Afghanistan".
* The National
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
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THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
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The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Juvenile arthritis
Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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