Across cities in the UK and Europe, a kite flying festival to mark a year since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban will raise awareness over the plight of Afghans fleeing the country in an “aerial act of solidarity”.
Organised by the producers behind the epic 8,000-kilometre European journey of the giant marionette, Little Amal, the Good Chance Theatre, the Fly With Me festival will also provide an opportunity to celebrate Afghan culture.
Spread across 15 locations in the UK and Europe on August 20, the festival includes storytelling and craft-making workshops featuring the country’s 800-year-old tradition of kite-flying alongside music, poetry and dance from Afghan artists and other community groups.
Feeling Afghan culture 'between our fingers'
British-Afghan kite maker, Sanjar Qiam, who developed Fly With Me, tells The National the festival is a chance for everyone to “feel between our fingers the strings that connect us to an incredible country”.
“In all cultures we have a way of formulating relationships and bonding with each other and engaging in crafts is one of the ways in Afghanistan where people socialise,” he says from his home in Brighton, where he set up a toy shop over a decade ago.
“It's something that you do with your little brother, little sister, with your neighbour, with your friend, with your uncle. It's a collective activity, it's a form of cultural art that brings everybody together. But it's also a craft and a sport, in a way. You build something very simple and then this simple thing does the amazing thing, which is flight.”
Mr Qiam wants to spread the meaningful joy that can be found with “some bamboo sticks and some paper material” across the UK.
Fly With Me, organised by Afghanaid, will raise funds for the development organisation's By Her Side match-funding campaign to support women in rural Afghan communities.
The London edition of the festival will take place on Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath and Mr Qiam will be there to teach people how to make and fly kites.
Life lessons from the 'magic of flight'
It’s a skill he has honed since he flew his uncle’s giant kite as a child, returning home with bloody hands from the pull of the strings.
“I was so excited but my grandmother wasn’t very happy with that.” he laughs.
Mr Qiam took his fascination to the UK when he moved there as an entrepreneur in 2011, taking 10,000 kites with him.
“I may have overestimated British enthusiasm,” he says.
He also didn’t take into account the enthusiasm of the UK’s Border Customs controllers who, while boring holes in the shipping crates to look at what was inside them, did the same with his kites.
Mr Qiam shrugs off the ruin of his merchandise, which he went on to painstakingly repair, with the same peaceful acceptance he adopts with kite-flying.
“The thing is, you can make a very good kite and it will look fantastic but it won't fly. And it's the magic of flight and you have to deal with that disappointment. You have to be gracious in dealing with frustrations,” he tells The National.
“I guess it's one of the reasons that it's so popular in Afghan culture — because it relates to things that are very in contrast, it flies but it's also very unreliable.
“There is a serendipity in flying a kite, but then we also fight the kite. It's this duality that is prominent in all aspects of our culture. There have been wars for many years but on the other hand Afghans are quite peaceful people as well.”
Mr Qiam first arrived in the UK to study for a master's degree in Scotland in 2008. He returned to Afghanistan the following year and ran his own media company in Kabul before deciding to return to England in 2011 when Nato countries first began discussing the withdrawal of troops and he felt the “writing was on the wall”.
Decades of conflict and foreign occupations have seared Afghanistan in people’s minds as a country of violence and pain. But Mr Qiam, who runs kite-making workshops across the UK, wants Fly With Me to “communicate the Afghan culture” that often gets lost in the noise of news.
However, there can be little escape from the harrowing headlines on Afghanistan, particularly about those desperately trying to escape life under Taliban rule and a devastating humanitarian crisis.
'Unfair treatment of Afghan refugees painful'
About 12,000 Afghan refugees have arrived in the UK since the fall of Kabul, but the avenues for others seeking shelter in Britain remain few and far between. Critics say the UK government is failing in its obligation to help Afghans they once worked with and have left behind.
“I think the right way to look at it is that the British government is mistreating, endangering and not protecting people who are escaping persecution, and they are perfectly capable of implementing a meaningful policy, which they have done for the Ukrainians, and we want similar programmes to be in place to protect Afghans who are running from a brutal, totalitarian regime. I think that's the message we've got to get out there,” says Mr Qiam.
While he does not want to “pit one group of victims against another” he says there is a disparity with the Government’s policy towards people fleeing Ukraine.
While British-Ukrainians can sponsor their family members to come to the UK, Mr Qiam, who is a British national, is unable to sponsor, his parents who are currently sheltering in Pakistan.
He says the government has failed to live up to its promises to help people fleeing Afghanistan.
The difference in treatment is “hurtful”, says Mr Qiam, and while he recognises there is no easy solution to the global refugee crisis “sometimes there is a simple solution to it”.
“Help create a diasporic community that is meaningful and tied to the culture and support them and that will counterbalance the Taliban, who will ultimately be just another page in history,” he says.
As he sees it, protecting Afghanistan’s bright capable minds now will ensure the country’s prosperity in the future when a post-Taliban era comes.
Two talented members of the exiled community who will be performing at the Fly With Me festival are Afghan actor, storyteller and director Elham Ehsas and Afghan musician Elaha Soroor.
While raising awareness on the plight of Afghanistan and its refugees are at the fore of the festival, Mr Qiam says the main aim of the day is “to play games and have a good time”.
“At the same time we are going to bond, say a few things, and share our joy and our pain. It’s a way to bring everybody together and to have fun,” he said.
Fly With Me takes place on August 20 in Brighton, Bradford, Dover, Folkestone, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Northamptonshire, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Berlin, Pas-de-Calais, Paris and Copenhagen.
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%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
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Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20trailblazers
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Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
West Indies v India - Third ODI
India 251-4 (50 overs)
Dhoni (78*), Rahane (72), Jadhav (40)
Cummins (2-56), Bishoo (1-38)
West Indies 158 (38.1 overs)
Mohammed (40), Powell (30), Hope (24)
Ashwin (3-28), Yadav (3-41), Pandya (2-32)
India won by 93 runs
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
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Pakistan 240 and 335
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Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
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Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
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Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
