Latest news with #Safer
Wall Street Journal
6 days ago
- General
- Wall Street Journal
The Houthis and the U.N.'s Ship of Fools
Leave it to the United Nations to make a bad problem worse. Using donor funds from governments and companies, the U.N. bought a Very Large Crude Carrier, an oil tanker called the Yemen, for $55 million in 2023. The goal was noble. Off Yemen's Houthi-controlled Red Sea coast was a Floating Storage and Offloading vessel called the Safer, which was rusted and at risk of sinking. Inaction spelled potential environmental disaster, involving the release into the ocean of four times as much oil as the Exxon Valdez spill and up to $20 billion in cleanup costs. And so the U.N. sent the VLCC Yemen to empty the FSO Safer. Not everything went according to plan. Following the transfer of oil, the Yemen was supposed to be operated by Yemen's state oil company under the advisory oversight of the U.N. Development Program. In practice, the vessel serves as a floating fuel station for the Houthis. On paper, the U.N. transferred ownership to Yemen's internationally recognized government—but control is what matters, and the Houthis have it.
TimesLIVE
12-08-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
NSFAS vows action on student safety after sexual harassment report
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has pledged to implement stronger measures to protect students from sexual harassment and gender-based violence (GBV) in higher education after engagement with the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) on its latest findings. NSFAS met the CGE at its Cape Town offices on August 4 in a session led by higher education deputy minister Mimmy Gondwe. The meeting discussed the CGE's 'Gender transformation imperatives for higher education institutions 2024/2025" report, which assessed efforts by universities and TVET colleges to promote inclusivity, transformation and combat sexual harassment. The CGE warned that delays in allowance disbursements put students, particularly female and queer students, at greater risk, citing 'lack of safety at residences, sexual harassment and GBV' as potential consequences. It stressed the critical role NSFAS must play in addressing these challenges and called for sensitisation programmes in the post-education and training sector. 'GBV continues to be a national crisis. The CGE's reports on sexual harassment and GBV in higher education highlight this issue. It was therefore necessary to arrange a meeting between NSFAS and the CGE to address key findings, especially those concerning students' financial vulnerability,' said Gondwe. She added the department had already launched Safer Campuses, Safer Spaces outreach campaigns with partners including the CGE, Higher Health, the NPA, SAPS and NSFAS. The scheme acknowledges the link between late allowance payments and student vulnerability, saying 'timely disbursement of allowances is critical for protecting students from financial hardship and potential victimisation'. In 2025, NSFAS introduced a fixed disbursement schedule to make payment dates predictable. However, delays remain a concern, often caused by 'delayed verification processes, administrative bottlenecks or banking detail validations'. NSFAS said it is upgrading payment systems, streamlining processes and boosting staff capacity to speed up responses to problems. The organisation also committed to improving communication with students about payment deadlines and delays to 'reduce uncertainty and stress'. NSFAS said it would formally respond to the CGE's findings with specific action plans to address student vulnerabilities, which it said 'continue to perpetuate the exploitation of female and queer students'. The final report will be part of the joint higher education department submission to parliament in September.
CairoScene
23-07-2025
- General
- CairoScene
Kuwait Architecture Posters Revives Forgotten Landmarks in Print
Kuwait Architecture Posters Revives Forgotten Landmarks in Print Something about stumbling on Kuwait Architecture Posters' Instagram page feels like a portal to Kuwait's architectural golden age - think crisp lines, soft tones, and retro silhouettes that seem pulled straight from old blueprints. But looking closer, you will find the intricate work of Ahmed Safer, an architect and visual artist digitally preserving the country's forgotten landmarks. Safer's posters are the closest thing to architectural love letters, tributes to a post-oil boom Kuwait that once embraced Brutalism and Modernism with open arms. The exposed beige concrete, perfectly symmetrical facades, and pure geometry punctuated by just the right touch of Islamic motif. This was the Kuwait of the 1950s through the 1980s - a time of experimentation, optimism, and design clarity. 'This period is, in my opinion, the most significant in terms of architectural development and awareness in Kuwait," Safer explains. "It's only fair to honour and commemorate these buildings in a unique artistic and technical way - so people would proudly hang them on their walls.' Many of these buildings were once national symbols of ambition and are now being quietly demolished, sacrificed in favour of skyscrapers and glass towers. Kuwait Architecture Posters documents what's disappearing, and reframes the narrative around what's worth remembering. Safer's process is part detective work, part digital craft. It all starts with a building on his list, then it's time to hunt for images. Sometimes that means snapping photos himself, flying a drone over rooftops, or walking around the structure to capture every angle. If the building's already been demolished, he turns to old books and online archives to track down any image he can find. Once he's gathered enough, he pieces everything together and slowly brings the building back to life - redrawing it line by line, and adding colours, textures and shadows until it feels like time capsules, but also designs you'd actually want to frame. While most people can name the big Kuwaiti architectural icons - Kuwait Towers, Liberation Tower, Parliament and the Grand Mosque - Safer's work looks beyond the obvious. Some buildings hold a deeper resonance, not because they're famous, but because they tell forgotten stories. 'The Al-Khalijia Complex and Behbehani Complex were once the tallest in Kuwait City," Safer adds. "They're not just beautiful - they reflect our growth, our ambition. That's worth learning about and appreciating.' His posters also tap into a kind of collective memory. 'Our generation grew up with these buildings. We remember going to them as kids. And now, seeing them forgotten or abandoned - it's painful. I want my work to bring back that emotional connection.' Safer explains. There may be room for the project to grow into books, murals, or even animation, but for now, Safer's focus remains on what he does best: drawing facades that once defined Kuwait's skyline with the kind of obsessive care only someone who truly loves these buildings could give. 'I want people to feel proud of Kuwait's architectural heritage," Safer says. "Proud enough to hang it in their homes. And maybe - just maybe - that pride will help protect what's left.'
LeMonde
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Nonprofit helps French festivals fight gender-based violence
To the music of Lucky Love, three volunteers walked the lawns of the We Love Green festival in the Bois de Vincennes in Paris, on Sunday, June 8. They were members of Safer, the only association dedicated to fighting sexual and gender-based violence present at this type of event. "We keep up constant prevention efforts so everyone can enjoy the moment without fear. Festival-goers know we're here, just in case," explained Siriane (those mentioned by their first names have requested anonymity), a 28-year-old volunteer wearing a branded vest to ensure visibility. Among the festival-goers, Nada, age 31, felt reassured just by seeing the Safer booth at the entrance: "Assaults at festivals are always on my mind, even if I try to focus on the party. I pay close attention to who comes near me, I watch my drink and I'm wary of crowds. I'm glad to know there's a place I can go if I don't feel safe."
The Sun
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Malaysia calls for urgent reforms of UN peacekeeping operations
BERLIN: Malaysia has called for bold and forward-looking reforms in the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping operations to ensure greater effectiveness and safety of personnel in the face of increasingly complex global challenges. Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that peacekeepers today face emerging challenges, adding that the dynamic geopolitical landscape underscores the importance of continued evolution in UN Peacekeeping. He said that in that context, Malaysia believes two key shifts are essential to advancing meaningful reform. 'Firstly, equipping our peacekeepers with technologically advanced equipment and weaponry is paramount. The strategic integration of cutting-edge technology into peacekeeping operations serves as a powerful deterrent against hostile entities. 'This integration will significantly enhance our forces' capability to respond swiftly and effectively to emerging threats in peacekeeping missions. A technologically empowered peacekeeping force not only projects strength and moral authority but also reinforces the collective resolve to uphold peace and security,' he said. Mohamed Khaled said this during his intervention for High-Level Session II - Peacekeeping Reform: More Effective and Safer Peacekeeping during the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 forum, held here today. He added that the UN must emphasise capacity-building more because, as a longstanding troop-contributing country, Malaysia strongly believes in the critical importance of training, particularly in areas that enhance interoperability, facilitate knowledge-sharing, and improve peacekeepers' overall safety and effectiveness. 'As missions grow more complex, it is imperative that we invest in training programmes that not only develop core operational competencies but also prepare personnel to integrate and utilise advanced technologies effectively. 'At the same time, we must ensure that our institutional frameworks and policies evolve in tandem with these technological developments. This includes revising operational doctrines, updating standard operating procedures, and establishing clear guidelines for the ethical and responsible use of emerging technologies,' he said. Mohamed Khaled emphasised that peacekeeping reform lies at the intersection of technology, training, and policy. 'By equipping our peacekeepers with modern tools, investing in comprehensive capacity-building, and ensuring our institutional frameworks remain agile and responsive, we can build a force that is not only operationally ready and effective but also guided by strong values and a deep sense of responsibility,' he said. The biannual forum brings together the country's top leaders and officials who support the security mission under the UN. Mohamed Khaled took the opportunity to voice his views and renew the country's commitment to supporting the global security effort.
