Latest news with #Karama
Khaleej Times
5 hours ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Kiara Jewellery inaugurates latest store in Karama
Kiara Jewellery launched its latest showroom in Karama on Sunday. The event was headlined by Bollywood star Samantha Ruth Prabhu along with several influencers. The actress from The Family Man 2 and Citadel: Honey Bunny flew in to join forces with a homegrown brand, sharing the same as the owners' regard for femininity. Kiara's credits are attributed to Sonal and Ada Panday—the brilliant and incomparable mother-daughter duo. They took the vision and transformed it into a name that equaled anything fashionably fearless, yet gentle and intricate. With Karama as the latest addition, Kiara Jewellery planted another flagship destination of opulence and decadence in Dubai's style scene.
Khaleej Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Kiara Jewellery to open its seventh Store in Karama, Dubai
Kiara Jewellery, a major Dubai jeweller, is set to open its seventh branch on June 1 at Titanium Tower, Shop 5, Karama. Bollywood A-lister and star of The Family Man 2 and Citadel: Honey Bunny, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, will be present at the opening. She is unveiling something special on this day. The Karama location adds to Kiara Jewellery's remarkable streak, brought to life by Sonal and Ada Panday, a mother-daughter duo with a mission to enable women by means of their accessible design. Each store stays true to their promise of creating pieces that stand out in the most classic way possible. What started as a dream has now become a growing force across Dubai. All eyes are now on Titanium Tower in Karama, where jewellery lovers, media, and long-time patrons will gather for what promises to be an unforgettable night, steeped in celebrity and fanfare with Samantha Ruth Prabhu. The Kiara Jewellery launch on June 1st further establishes its stature as a brand reserved for those who uphold self-expression and empowerment.
Khaleej Times
22-05-2025
- Khaleej Times
How the Internet gave me more lasting friendships than real life
If memory serves me right, it was circa 1990 when I first bought a personal computer (PC). It was a Daewoo make, bought in instalments from Al Yousaf's stall at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (or Gitex), which started in 1981 at Dubai's World Trade Centre. Bill Gates's Microsoft Windows was still in its nascent stage, and my Korean buy was run on the operating system called MS-DOS, introduced in 1981. It was probably the first PC bought by a Khaleej Times employee, so friends and colleagues streamed into my Karama home to see how I played chess with the machine and wrote graphic programs to fire rockets on the grainy convex screen. When the UAE rolled out commercial Internet services in 1995, I quickly upgraded to a new computer run on Microsoft's Windows 95 that had features like the Start Menu, the Taskbar and the file manager application called Windows Explorer. It was then I got my personal email and web portal registered — services that have stayed with me till date. My multi-page webpage was designed by none other than yours truly with the help of AOL and Photoshop. All this was done in the hope that I could launch a computer-literate wifey to a better paying job that wasn't teaching. My PC stood up to my ambition but wifey didn't. The dream of making an Indra Nooyi in Dubai was nipped in the bud. Besides, Gates broke the fragile peace and harmony at home when he introduced us to 'private chat rooms', which wifey initially thought was like the notorious present-day 'massage parlour'. On her return from school midafternoon, when I was away in the newsroom, she would keep track of all the Katies, Carrys and Michals in my chat history. I was then like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, exploring new horizons of friendship with both genders in the online world. I learned to identify who was genuine and who wasn't, to call out scamsters, and stay clear of any lewd material. Simultaneously, I educated my kids about the pitfalls in the realms of digital sexuality. But when I look back at my digital journey, chatting was not as malignant as wifey thought. Some of my old online friends are still around, discussing how they cope with ageing and illnesses, manage retirement lives, handle investments, and manage tantrums. My digital friends are much more forever than the real-world ones. And that's in spite of the fact that I've met none of them. A few live as near as Karama and Jumeirah in Dubai, Al Ain in Abu Dhabi, and Kochi in India. We often talk on the phone, exchange sound bites, and even buy each other's books. Let me mention Malaika, Rajiv, Pappan, and Bablu here. Debates on topics as varied as breaking stories, films, politics, poetry, music, famine, and wars happen among us. Whenever the line between friendships is thought to be thinning to an invisible watermark, we are jolted back to reality. 'Sorries' are changed and accepted. And life goes on. Some take breaks extending to months — vacuums that are felt deep within and send us scurrying to check for every bit of information about the missing person. Then you breathe easy when he or she sends you gems like, 'Didn't really miss you because I kept revisiting your words', or 'Distance and silence keep us closer. Don't they?' They infallibly pain you, providentially provoke you, and shockingly surprise you — little memories that help when nothingness stares you in the face. Some would knock gently yet shut the door on your face fiercely; some would gatecrash like a troop of conquering warriors yet would stay on to serenade you to peace. Some would appear on your horizon like a rainbow and leave behind an instant kaleidoscope of emotions that last a lifetime. Their departures can agonise you to death. But then, like Bablu says, they have many more hearts to warm up. Some burst into our space like a wayward meteor, like this one who came calling the other day. 'Hi, Richard, are my travel plans ready?' 'I'm not Richard.' 'Oh my God. Maybe my cousin gave me the wrong number. I apologise for this mistake.' 'No issues. I guessed as much. Cheers.' 'Anyway, nice to meet you. My name is Elena, may I know your name?' After a few minutes of conversation, Elena said: 'Can I see you, I want to know who I am talking to.' 'Should be the other way around as you knocked on my door. Show your face first.' After several minutes of fights I send a caricature of mine, and she sends me an image. 'Why did you send a disappearing photo?' 'Because I am a girl.' 'I don't want to keep. Why should I?' 'Then why did you question me?' For the rest of the night, we fought like animals until she said: 'Thank you, I hope we will become good friends.' 'Time will tell. Good night,' I said. Fingers crossed. Bablu messaged the same night. Something I never wanted — nor expected. 'It was just a short time in your big little space. I am leaving like a thief with a large haul of memories. Not sure I will have time to peek back. I'm walking into a strange world out there; it's my parents' wish.' Strange are the ways of our digital existence as well as fellowmen. They become everything though they are unseen nobodies. Bablu's exit left me like an explorer that crash-landed on the far side of the Moon, with its battery draining as fast as a burning star.
The National
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Eric's restaurant in Dubai to close Safa branch
Eric Lewis, owner of popular Goan restaurant Eric's in Dubai, has announced his Safa branch will close on June 16, after six years of being in service. In a heartfelt post on Instagram, delivered in his trademark tongue-in-cheek style, Lewis said: 'Although I don't look a day older, it is time to slow down and spend time with family.' Fans of Eric's excellent potato chops and pomfret rechaedo, need not fret too much, though, as Lewis confirmed Eric's will still have a presence in Dubai. 'I am not going anywhere.' The Karama branch, which launched in 2006, will remain open. Calling it the OG restaurant, and the heart and soul of Eric's, Lewis said: 'Karama is where it all began and now the branch will be its one and only home. I will finally get to see all of you in one place.' While the restaurant serves Mughlai and Indian-Chinese dishes, it is the Goan section of its menu that is worth sampling. The coastal Indian city is known for its flavourful seafood preparation, including dishes such as fried Bombay duck, pickled mackerel, crab xec-xec and traditional Goan prawn curry. Beef, while contentious in some parts of India, is a staple of Goan cuisine. Eric's has been serving Lewis's family recipe of beef croquettes and beef vindaloo since the Karama branch opened in 2006. While vegetarians are not exactly well catered for, the restaurant does serve a mean dal makhani and the aforementioned potato chops. For dessert, you cannot go wrong with the creme caramel.
Daily News Egypt
11-05-2025
- Health
- Daily News Egypt
Egypt marks 10 years of ‘Takaful and Karama' social protection programme
Egypt commemorated a decade of the 'Takaful and Karama' social protection initiative with a national celebration highlighting its impact on millions of vulnerable citizens and its evolving role in empowering communities. Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar described the programme's launch as a milestone in the government's efforts to support the country's most disadvantaged populations. He credited President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's vision and the Ministry of Social Solidarity's partnership with the World Bank for transforming the initiative into a regional model for integrated social protection. The celebration, held under the theme 'Social Protection: Lessons from the Past Shaping the Future,' was organized by the Ministry of Social Solidarity under the patronage of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. Distinguished attendees included former Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab, UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt Elena Panova, and British Ambassador to Cairo Gareth Bayley, along with high-level officials and international partners. Abdel Ghaffar highlighted the measurable impact of the Takaful programme, which links cash assistance to school attendance and regular health checkups. Since 2018, school attendance among beneficiaries has increased by 8%, and child vaccination rates have risen by 12%, according to official monitoring data. Meanwhile, the Karama programme has extended unconditional financial support to more than 1.39 million families, primarily targeting the elderly and persons with disabilities. 'This is a national declaration that no one in Egypt will be left behind,' Abdel Ghaffar affirmed. Together, Takaful and Karama now serve over 2.5 million families—benefiting more than 21 million citizens—making it one of the largest and most accurately targeted cash transfer programmes in the region, and arguably the most comprehensive in Egypt's modern history. The Minister also emphasized a strategic shift from protection to empowerment, and from welfare to productivity, with the goal of enabling beneficiaries to achieve greater self-reliance. He outlined the Health Ministry's contribution to improving outcomes among recipient families, noting a drop in under-five child mortality from 27.5 per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 22.3 in 2021, and a decrease in maternal mortality from 52 to 43 per 100,000 live births over the same period. He called for sustained cooperation among government ministries, the World Bank, and civil society to further integrate social protection with health care and economic opportunity—leveraging technology and community trust to drive sustainable transformation. These efforts, he added, align with Egypt's Vision 2030 and its long-term focus on human capital development. The event drew broad participation, including Stefan G. G. Jembert, World Bank Country Director for Egypt and Yemen; members of Egypt's Parliament and Senate; representatives from the National Alliance for Civil Development Work; NGOs; foreign entities operating in Egypt; and prominent public figures.
