Indian doctor cycling the world ‘overwhelmed’ by Saudi hospitality

Indian doctor cycling the world ‘overwhelmed’ by Saudi hospitality
Raj Phanden poses with Saudis who welcomed him in the Kingdom after he crossed the Qatar border on Dec. 9, 2023. (Raj Phanden)
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Updated 19 December 2023
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Indian doctor cycling the world ‘overwhelmed’ by Saudi hospitality

Indian doctor cycling the world ‘overwhelmed’ by Saudi hospitality
  • Raj Phanden has been traveling around the world for over 7 years
  • He documents his journey on the Cycle Baba channel on YouTube

NEW DELHI: Raj Phanden reached Saudi Arabia on his around-the-world bicycle trip 10 days ago and planned just a brief stay, but the hospitality he was met with made him extend his visit to explore the Kingdom.

An Ayurvedic doctor by profession, Phanden, 45, started his journey around the world in September 2016.

He wanted to find a new purpose in his life after losing both his parents that year and still mourning his wife who passed away a few years earlier.

He connected the bicycle journey with efforts to raise environmental awareness. He has already covered over 100,000 km and, according to his calculations, visited 102 countries in the past seven years.

“From my childhood, I have been conscious of the environment because I come from a family of farmers. When I became a doctor, I used to meet young patients suffering from asthma and other lung-related diseases caused by bad air and pollution,” Phanden told Arab News over the phone from Riyadh.

“The world tour has been liberating for me and helped me come out with my emotional trauma and identify myself with a larger goal to serve humanity.”

He financed the first months of his trip by selling off a piece of his ancestral land in Haryana state. Now, he runs the Cycle Baba channel on YouTube, which has over 670,000 subscribers and generates enough income for him to sustain the journey.




In this photo shared on social media on Dec. 14, 2023, Raj Phanden shows his bicycle next to a road sign on a highway in Saudi Arabia. (Raj Phanden)

Phanden reached Saudi Arabia from Qatar on Saturday, as part of the Gulf leg of his voyage.

“Before I entered Saudi Arabia, I was not sure what kind of reception I would receive, but in three days of my stay so far, I have been overwhelmed by the kind gestures coming from the locals,” he said, referring to the many occasions when people who saw him opening his tent or stopping to rest would offer him their homes to stay or would make sure he had enough food and water to continue his journey.

“The Kingdom is an eye opener for me, and the hospitality here has made me revise my plan and I want to stay here longer before I move to another destination … Saudi Arabia is one of the best places I have traveled so far. It’s a new experience and far exceeds my expectations. People are so nice.”

In the last seven years, Phanden has returned to India only twice.

The first time was in 2020, when COVID-19 lockdowns brought all travel to a halt, and the second time was last year, when he needed to undergo surgery and wanted it to be in his home country.

His next destinations after the Gulf region will be the North Pole and the South Pole, after which he plans to rest and write down his experiences so far.

“I will take a break for a few months in Europe and finish my book before moving to the next destination,” he said.

With 102 countries covered, more than half of Phanden’s journey is already behind him.

“I don’t know when I am going to return home, perhaps in 2030,” he said.

“I want to cover all the countries before returning to India.”


Red Cross urges states to recommit to international law

Updated 30 September 2024
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Red Cross urges states to recommit to international law

  • The ICRC is the caretaker of the Geneva Conventions which strives to act as a neutral intermediary in conflicts

GENEVA: The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross sounded the alarm over the blatant disregard shown for the Geneva Conventions in conflicts worldwide, in an interview published Sunday.
Mirjana Spoljaric called on countries to urgently recommit to respecting international law in an interview with Swiss daily Le Temps.
International humanitarian law (IHL) was being “systematically trampled underfoot by those who lead military operations,” she said.
She pointed to “the number of wounded and dead during the conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine,” which she said was “beyond our imagination.”
The ICRC is the caretaker of the Geneva Conventions which strives to act as a neutral intermediary in conflicts.
But it was finding its access to populations in need “increasingly constrained (and) instrumentalized,” said Spoljaric.
It is “indispensible to act now,” she said, in support of international humanitarian law — the function of which is to limit the effects of armed conflict and protect civilians.
On Friday the ICRC launched an initiative with six countries — Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and South Africa — in a bid to galvanizing political support for IHL.
The Geneva Conventions, adopted in 1949 in the wake of World War II, “embody humanity’s shared conscience, values that transcend borders and creeds,” they said in a joint statement.
“Yet, the suffering we witness today in armed conflicts around the world is proof that respect for and compliance with their most fundamental rules are not being upheld.”
The initiative will strive to develop concrete recommendations for ways to prevent IHL violations and promote increased protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, said the IHRC.
It is working toward a high-level international meeting in 2026 focused on how to “Uphold Humanity in War,” ICRC said.
“The current situation is extremely dangerous,” said Spoljaric. “The trauma created by ongoing conflicts risks haunting us for decades.”
She added: “The idea is not reinvent the Geneva Conventions, which remain solid legal texts, but to urge States to apply them.”
“Countries must make the implementation of IHL a political priority.”
 

 


US boosts air support and hikes troop readiness to deploy for Middle East

The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One as it flies over Washington, March 2, 2022. (AP file photo)
The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One as it flies over Washington, March 2, 2022. (AP file photo)
Updated 29 September 2024
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US boosts air support and hikes troop readiness to deploy for Middle East

The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One as it flies over Washington, March 2, 2022. (AP file photo)
  • Israel struck more targets in Lebanon on Sunday, pressing Hezbollah with new attacks after killing the group’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and a string of its other top commanders in an escalating military campaign

WASHINGTON: The US military said on Sunday it was increasing its air support capabilities in the Middle East and putting troops on a heightened readiness to deploy to the region as it warned Iran against expanding the ongoing conflict.
The announcement came two days after President Joe Biden directed the Pentagon to adjust US force posture in the Middle East amid intensifying concern that Israel’s killing of the leader of Iran-backed Hezbollah could prompt Tehran to retaliate.
“The US is determined to prevent Iran and Iranian-backed partners and proxies from exploiting the situation or expanding the conflict,” Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement.
He also cautioned that if Iran or groups Tehran backs “use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the US will take every necessary measure to defend our people.” The Pentagon statement offered few clues as to the size or scope of the new air deployment, saying only that “we will further reinforce our defensive air-support capabilities in the coming days.”
Israel struck more targets in Lebanon on Sunday, pressing Hezbollah with new attacks after killing the group’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and a string of its other top commanders in an escalating military campaign.
The strikes have dealt a stunning succession of blows to Hezbollah after almost a year of cross-border fire, killing much of its leadership and revealing gaping security holes.
However, it has also raised questions about Washington’s publicly declared goals of containing the conflict and safeguarding US personnel throughout the Middle East.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Sunday that the US was watching to see what Hezbollah does to try to fill its leadership vacuum “and is continuing to talk to the Israelis about what the right next steps are.”
The US State Department has yet to order an evacuation from Lebanon.
But last week, US officials told Reuters the Pentagon was sending a few dozen additional troops to Cyprus to help the military prepare for scenarios including an evacuation of Americans from Lebanon.
The Pentagon said US forces were being made ready to deploy if needed.
“(Austin) increased the readiness of additional US forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to respond to various contingencies,” Ryder said in a statement.

 


Nepal closes schools as deaths from heavy rains hit 151

Nepal closes schools as deaths from heavy rains hit 151
Updated 29 September 2024
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Nepal closes schools as deaths from heavy rains hit 151

Nepal closes schools as deaths from heavy rains hit 151
  • The floods brought traffic and normal activity to a standstill in the Katmandu valley, where 37 deaths were recorded
  • Authorities say students and parents face difficulties as university and school buildings damaged by rains need repair

KATMANDU: Nepal has shut schools for three days after landslides and floods triggered by two days of heavy rain across the Himalayan nation killed 151 people, with 56 missing, officials said on Sunday.
The floods brought traffic and normal activity to a standstill in the Katmandu valley, where 37 deaths were recorded in a region home to 4 million people and the capital.
Authorities said students and their parents faced difficulties as university and school buildings damaged by the rains needed repair.
“We have urged the concerned authorities to close schools in the affected areas for three days,” Lakshmi Bhattarai, a spokesperson for the education ministry, told Reuters.
Some parts of the capital reported rain of up to 322.2 mm (12.7 inches), pushing the level of its main Bagmati river up 2.2 m (7 ft) past the danger mark, experts said.
But there were some signs of respite on Sunday morning, with the rains easing in many places, said Govinda Jha, a weather forecaster in the capital.
“There may be some isolated showers, but heavy rains are unlikely,” he said.
Television images showed police rescuers in knee-high rubber boots using picks and shovels to clear away mud and retrieve 16 bodies of passengers from two buses swept away by a massive landslide at a site on the key route into Katmandu.
Weather officials in the capital blamed the rainstorms on a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal extending over parts of neighboring India close to Nepal.
Haphazard development amplifies climate change risks in Nepal, say climate scientists at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
“I’ve never before seen flooding on this scale in Katmandu,” said Arun Bhakta Shrestha, an environmental risk official at the center.
In a statement, it urged the government and city planners to “urgently” step up investment in, and plans for, infrastructure, such as underground stormwater and sewage systems, both of the “grey,” or engineered kind, and “green,” or nature-based type.
The impact of the rains was aggravated by poor drainage due to unplanned settlement and urbanization efforts, construction on floodplains, lack of areas for water retention, and encroachment on the Bagmati river, it added.
The level in the Koshi river in Nepal’s southeast has started to fall, however, said Ram Chandra Tiwari, the region’s top bureaucrat.
The river, which brings deadly floods to India’s eastern state of Bihar nearly every year, had been running above the danger mark at a level nearly three times normal, he said.


India’s oldest operating trams to disappear after 150 years of service

India’s oldest operating trams to disappear after 150 years of service
Updated 29 September 2024
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India’s oldest operating trams to disappear after 150 years of service

India’s oldest operating trams to disappear after 150 years of service
  • Kolkata is the only city in India still using tramway system
  • Protesting residents are appealing to high court to save it

NEW DELHI: Standing in the rain at the Shyam Bazar, Koushik Das joined another 500 residents of Kolkata trying to save an iconic piece of the city’s heritage: India’s oldest operating trams.

Introduced in 1873, during the days of the British Raj, when Kolkata was the center of colonial rule, trams were initially horse-drawn and then steam-powered. Electric ones took to the streets in 1900.

From Kolkata, they were brought to other major Indian cities, including Patna, Chennai, and Mumbai, but it is only in the capital of West Bengal where they are still in service.

“Nowhere in India do you have a tram service except in Kolkata, and we want to preserve and save it,” Das told Arab News.

“We will not allow the tram to be stopped in Kolkata. It will remain our heritage.”

The protest he was part of on Thursday came in reaction to last week’s announcement by Snehasis Chakraborty, the state transport minister, that trams would be removed from the streets of Kolkata to help decongest its traffic.

For Das and other tram users who have mobilized under his “Save Heritage, Save Tram” social media campaign, the announcement was a blow, as if someone was “trying to snatch” his identity.

“The tram is the identity of Bengal … We will launch a wider protest,” the 20-year-old journalism student said.

“We want the tram to run on all routes. It is economically viable for people and environmentally friendly.”

In this archival photo, a tram car in Kolkata, India, is pulled by horses. (Facebook/Calcutta Tram Users Association)

Over the past few years, Kolkata’s tram network has been slowly disappearing. Only two routes remained in operation out of 37 in 2011. At the same time, the track has shrunk from 61 km to only 12, according to Calcutta Tram Users Association data.

The number of passengers has also dropped — tenfold to the current 7,000.

Dr. Debasish Bhattacharyya, a biochemist and the association’s founder, has been working to revive the heritage mode of transport over the past eight years.

“Calcuttans have been familiar with their tramway for the last 151 years. The city grew up along the tracks so that citizens could reach any point using the tramways. Because of the extreme usage of the people, the tramway has penetrated all aspects of the life and culture of the Bengalis,” he told Arab News.

“We do not view the tramways as a means of transport but rather a part of our soul. We inherited this asset from our ancestors. Thus, it is a living heritage of the city. It is a signature of the city, too.”

The state government plans to operate only a short single route: from Esplanade at the heart of the city, past some landmark monuments. It will end at Maidan, Kolkata’s largest urban park, offering a nostalgic experience, which the transport minister said would be a “pleasant and environment-friendly ride.”

But the environmental aspect is what motivates the protesting residents as well.

“Beyond its poetic beauty, we cannot ignore the usefulness of trams as the green, eco-friendly mass transport system,” said Sreeparna Sen, a banker and blogger.

“Kolkata is fortunate to have a wonderful intricate network of tram lines, which, if used tactically, will solve the transport problem and decrease the pollution. For every sane reason, trams should be preserved.”

In a last-ditch effort, protesters have appealed to the Kolkata High Court against the discontinuation of tram services and are waiting for its ruling. Until then, the state government also cannot proceed with dismantling the remaining tracks.

Kolkata’s tram system has outlived others by decades. In Mumbai and Delhi, trams stopped operations in the 1960s. In Chennai, in the early 1950s.

“It is a pocket-friendly means of transportation, it’s environment-friendly. Tram is the pride of Kolkata,” said Tarun Patra, a student involved in the Save Heritage, Save Tram campaign.

“We are waiting for the high court order on this issue. We want our voice to reach the high court, and the court should know the sentiments of the people.”


Activists protest escalating Mideast crisis outside UK base in Cyprus

Activists protest escalating Mideast crisis outside UK base in Cyprus
Updated 29 September 2024
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Activists protest escalating Mideast crisis outside UK base in Cyprus

Activists protest escalating Mideast crisis outside UK base in Cyprus
  • A couple of hundred people holding Palestinian and Cypriot flags peacefully protested outside the locked gates of the facility

AKROTIRI, Cyprus: Pro-Palestinian campaigners protested at the gates of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Sunday, accusing Britain of offering tacit support to Israel’s ongoing operations in Gaza and elsewhere.
Chanting “Out with the bases of death” a couple of hundred people holding Palestinian and Cypriot flags peacefully protested outside the locked gates of the facility, Britain’s largest in the Middle East.
Britain last week sent additional troops to Cyprus to be in position to assist any potential evacuation of nationals trapped in Lebanon, which is reeling from a barrage of Israeli air strikes which culminated in the killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday evening.
The UK has two military bases on Cyprus, a former British colony. RAF Akrotiri has been used in the past as a staging point for airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen in retaliation for attacks on Red Sea shipping that the Iran-backed group says is a response to the war in Gaza.
“This is an issue of independence and sovereignty for Cyprus,” said Peter Iosif, a member of the Cyprus Peace Council, an organizer of Sunday’s demonstration. “At this time it becomes even more obvious how the British bases are acting against the will of the Cyprus people,” he said.
In response to the protests, a British bases spokesperson said: “No RAF flights have transported lethal cargo to the Israeli Defense Forces.”
“In addition, it is standard practice for the UK Ministry of Defense to routinely authorize requests for (a) limited number of allies and partners to access the UK’s air bases. Such activity must be in line with UK policy for evacuation and humanitarian purposes only.”