Off the rack: Reaching out

To donate one’s time for volunteer work in a field of one’s choice is not an idea that we particularly welcome. Of course, we have a million excuses for not volunteering: “I work full-time,” or, “My children are small,” are two very common justifications offered.

And yet, all of us know men and women who earn a living and raise families, yet manage to give time to educational, musical or cultural doings. Take SPELT, the umbrella organisation that has given recognition and respect, plus an internationally-acknowledged identity, to Pakistan’s English Language Teachers. And by symbiosis, to that vast and vastly-neglected community: the nation’s school-teachers. Volunteers play a big role in SPELT’s success, to the best of my knowledge. I don’t know how this organisation manages to attract a whole battalion of people who generously give their time and effort to take care of a million details of SPELT’s complex activities.

Volunteers are highly visible at the Aga Khan University and Hospital premises also, performing a large number of key functions. Credit must be given to members of the Aga Khan community for unstintedly donating their time and energy to their premier organisation.

Montreal World Partnership Walk campaign launches today

The Montreal branch of the national World Partnership Walk launched its annual campaign today.

Now in its 26th year, the Walk raises awareness and funds for international development initiatives in some of the world’s poorest communities, such as revitalizing rural economies in Asia and Africa, ensuring access to clean water and sanitation, and the education of women.

100 per cent of the funds raised go directly to the Walk’s development initiatives, which are implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC).

The projects touch on a variety of cross-cutting themes and often meet more than one AKFC priority, from culture to health care and the environment. AKFC works with the communities to empower them to help themselves improve their own lives and livelihoods, teaching them how to work their way out of extreme poverty and providing a spark of hope for a better future for their families. 

This year’s walk will take place in the Quays of the Old Port’s Place des Vestiges on June 6. Everyone is invited to contribute to the cause by raising funds or simply by walking the Walk. The day will be full of activities, including live entertainment and a kids’ corner, offering a fun and easy way to help make a difference.

The World Partnership Walk is held annually in nine cities across Canada. In 2009, the 25th edition of the Walk raised over $50 million thanks to the more than 40,000 participants.

Visit  http://www.worldpartnershipwalk.com/ for more information or to start raising funds.

Article: A Modern Global Nomad

Continuing the series on Pakistani achievers abroad, Newsline focuses on Hasan Khan, architect, author, head of the Aga Khan Foundation’s architectural activities world-wide and currently a professor at MIT.

By  Samina Ibrahim

When he was 11 years old, Hasanuddin Khan knew what he wanted to be – an architect.  Today Hasan has more than just made his mark as an architect.  He is currently a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as a professor at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island for Architecture and Historic Preservation.  Along the way Hasan helped set up the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Islamic Architecture and worked for the Aga Khan for 16 years, playing an integral role in the Aga Khan Foundation.  Hasan is internationally considered an expert on Islamic architecture with seven books published to his credit.

            When he was 16, Hasan left Pakistan for a small boarding school in England.  In 1966 he joined the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, “to pursue the only career that I had wanted since age eleven.  I vividly remembered my first day there when an Iranian friend, Farokh, and I turned up in identical, formal suits made in Karachi, when everyone else was in jeans.  We were the uncool!  While assimilating some urban sophistication, however, I never lost a certain naivety and sense of wonder.  There were a number of us in England from “back home” getting a “good education.”  We went to the UK in those days, not the USA; a hangover from the Empire).”

Cancer: The ‘magic bullet’ treatment

You have cancer,” your doctor politely tells you. Your heart skips a beat, you gasp for air and your ears start ringing, eyes become still and wet.

Your mind and emotions wrestle for control. Your world has come to an abrupt end.

Cancer, other chronic diseases — cardiovascular, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes — are responsible for more than 60 per cent of all deaths globally and are projected to account for two-thirds of all deaths globally in the next 25 years, according to the World Health Organisation.

Scientists in the past decade have made great advancement in nuclear medicine, and especially the use of a gamma camera, also know as positron emission tomography, or PET scanner.

Heritage Ottawa lecture: ‘Saving the Most Beautiful Room in the Nation’

The Rideau Street Convent Chapel was almost demolished in the 1970s. Today it is one of Canada’s architectural gems and a treasure of the National Gallery of Canada. 

Ottawa architectural historian Leslie Maitland will address these questions in a free public lecture on Thursday February 18 at 7 p.m. at the National Gallery of Canada auditorium, 380 Sussex Drive.

The lecture is the fifth annual Bob and Mary Anne Phillips Memorial Lecture presented by Heritage Ottawa.

Read the complete article from Source

Article from Melbourne: The Man of Peace in the Land of War

Original Source: Aga Khan Film Blog

Ismaili Muslim students establish group, work for interfaith dialogue

For the small group of students trying to create the Ismaili Muslim Students Association, the third time’s the charm.

Since 2004, various students have unsuccessfully tried to start the association twice on campus.

Ismaili Muslims belong to the Shia doctrine of Islam. They practice Islam under the guide of a spiritual leader whom they call Imam, who they believe is the direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad. Ismailis are led by His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, called Mawlana Hazar Imam, a spiritual leader who preaches the Ismaili way of life.

In his teachings, the Aga Khan promotes sports and good health. This emphasis led to a collaboration between the Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board and UT students to form the group in November. On Wednesday, the association had its first meeting, drawing a crowd of about 80 students.

“There wasn’t proper communication [between Ismailis on campus],” said Rahim Lakhani, club president and finance junior. “There are 200 to 300 Ismailis on campus. People who attended the meeting said 65 to 75 percent of the faces were new to them. Our Ismaili brothers and sisters are there, we just don’t know them.”

Stem cell elimination offers ovarian cancer breakthrough

The medical profession has experienced much difficulty and frustration in detecting and treating ovarian cancer, but researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, Connecticut, believe they have made a major breakthrough. They say eliminating cancer stem cells (CSCs) within a tumor could hold the key to successful treatments.

“We found that stopping the expression of two genes — Lin28 and Oct4 — reduces ovarian cancer cell growth and survival,” said Yingqun Huang, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine.

The school reports that ovarian cancer has been challenging to treat because it tends to recur frequently and develop resistance to treatment.

Mason bees fly to the rescue of failing orchards

Many readers would already be familiar with Colony Collapse Disorder and the mysterious worldwide disappearance of honeybees. Everything from mites to viruses to electromagnetic radiation are suspected as its cause and it is potentially disastrous for crops that rely on the bees for pollination. Well, on a small scale at least, help is on the way – some fruit growers in North America are now turning to the indigenous mason bee as an orchard-pollinator. Not only are mason bees not affected by CCD, but they’re better at pollinating than honeybees, you need less of them, and they have a more laidback personality, meaning less of those nasty stings.

Mason bees occur naturally in the North American woodlands, where they are also known as blue orchard or Osmia bees. Because they’re fast fliers, and remain active in poor weather, they do a better job at pollination than the introduced European honeybees.

AKU: The doctor who wants to ‘do something substantial’ for Karachi

A polite and soft spoken person by nature, in his late 70s, Dr Bo Lindblad has been working in Karachi for the past 48 years. After getting married to a Pakistani lady of Kashmiri origin in 1962, the doctor made it a point to come to Karachi every year and started working in a private institution in order to ‘do something substantial rather than just hanging around’. He also worked in King Edward Medical College, Lahore, for about 18 years. He said the experience of working there was as inspiring. “I got a chance to work with brilliant students over there, who can teach anyone a word or two about hard work and diligence,” he said.

He thinks that he had the pleasure of working with one of the most dedicated and fabulous persons in Pakistan who knew exactly the pulse of the people they were working for, either in rural or urban areas. He specifically mentions Professor Fehmida Jalil, who died last year, and says that she was one of the most conscientious ladies he ever got the opportunity to work with. The doctor particularly talked about folic acid deficiency (folate deficiency) as he thought it is common in South Asia. He said folate deficiency occurs during pregnancy due to lack of folic acid in a person’s diet, and as its signs are often subtle it needs an effective screening mechanism for early diagnosis. The deficiency occurs, mostly, when the body of a person excretes more than its share of folic acid due to which the need for this vitamin increases, he added.

Dr Lindblad, who is also a Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the Aga Khan University Karachi, has done many researches in collaboration with his colleagues at Jinnah Postgraduate and Medical Centre (JPMC) and AKU to investigate the cause and occurrence of this deficiency in Stockholm, Lahore and Karachi. “Multiple pregnancies and malnutrition are among its most basic causes apart from others. It, as has been noticed in many cases, may lead to a growth retardation of the unborn,” he added.

With First Lady’s help, Syria wakes up to benefits of volunteerism

DAMASCUS // In the courtyard of the Al Safina school for the disabled in the Old City of Damascus, a noisy class is taking place: music therapy. The classes help the school’s pupils to improve their concentration skills, using drums and maracas to count from one to 10 and following instructions to play loudly or quietly, quickly or slowly.

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In Damascus the Syrian Environmental Association (SEA) recently transformed a rubbish site into a botanical garden and arranges litter clean-ups. In Aleppo, the Aga Khan Foundation’s summer schools for children are run entirely by volunteers. Justin Davis Smith of Volunteering England, a volunteering development agency in the UK, said: “Volunteering isn’t a western concept, people have been helping each other across all countries, cultures and religions for thousands of years.”

Indeed, Syrians consider helping others and giving money to be central tenets of their religions – both Islam and Christianity. The past two years in particular have brought volunteerism to mainstream attention. Humanitarian disasters in the region have been an impetus. The 2006 Israeli war against Lebanon and the 2003 invasion of Iraq led to a flood of refugees into Syria. Signe Ejerskov, the former head of the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) programme in Syria, which recruited 70 young Syrians to work with the UN’s refugee agency, said it had a big effect.

Read the complete article from Source

Researchers’ work from Aga Khan University focuses on depression

“Depression among women is common in developing countries. Gender inequality can contribute to women’s risk for depression,” scientists in Karachi, Pakistan report.

“Lack of reproductive and sexual rights is an important marker of gender inequality and women do not have the freedom to express their reproductive and sexual needs in many parts of the world. Therefore we designed this study to determine the association of depression with lack of various reproductive rights and domestic violence among married women in Karachi, Pakistan. A case-control study with 152 cases and 152 controls, which included women 15-48 years, recruited from two teaching hospitals from 1(st) June 2007 through 31(st) August 2007. The SRQ was administered to all subjects. A cut off score of 8 was used to confirm cases of depression diagnosed by physicians, and to exclude cases of depression from the controls. Self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the risk factors. 61% of the cases and 43% of the controls were ever abused by spouse and the frequency of marital rape was 33% in cases and 13% in controls.

IIS: First Arabic Edition of ‘Uyun al-akhbar in collaboration with IFPO

This edition is primarily based on manuscripts from the IIS Library collections and forms part of the IIS’ Ismaili Texts and Translations Series. For the first time, the text has been critically edited by a team of Syrian and Egyptian Arabic scholars, coordinated by Dr Nader El-Bizri (IIS) and Dr Sarab Atassi-Khattab (IFPO).

The first volume of ‘Uyun al-akhbar, on the life of the Prophet Muhammad, is particularly valuable in reflecting Ismaili tradition. Similarly, Volumes Two and Three portray the Ismaili perspectives on Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (d. 661 CE) and his battles against his opponents.

The fourth volume covers the biographies of the early imams, from al-Hasan b. ‘Ali (d. 669 CE) and al-Husayn b. ‘Ali (d. 680 CE) until al-Husayn b. Ahmad, the last Ismaili imam of the dawr al-satr, or period of concealment.

The fifth volume deals with the initiation of the Ismaili da‘wa in Yemen and North Africa, and the establishment of the Fatimid state in 909 CE, with the reigns of the Fatimid Ismaili caliph-imams al-Mahdi (909–934 CE), al-Qa’im (934–946 CE) and al-Mansur (946–953 CE).

Read the complete article from Source

Knowledge Discovery Challenge sparks innovative solutions to address global development problems

For decades, refugees in the Hangu district of Pakistan have been plagued by socio-economic and health concerns, including high rates of maternal and infant mortality. Realising that such deaths were preventable, Anisa Shivji and her team — the Hangu Helpers — came up with a solution that involved training and supporting traditional community birth attendants, and supplying them with tools such as clean home delivery kits to be assembled by local women as a way to earn income.

The innovative proposal, which combined community self-reliance with improved access to health care professionals through mobile phone-based telemedicine, earned the team first place in the Knowledge Discovery Challenge, a competition that invited Ismailis in Canada to create solutions that would address important development issues around the world. The Challenge was a component of the Aga Khan Education Board for Canada’s Spark of Knowledge Golden Jubilee initiative, which explored the diverse historical traditions and values of Ismaili Muslims and the ways in which the Jamat and the Imamat have applied knowledge to facilitate social change.

Read the complete article from the Source

H.H The Aga Khan at 2010 Pan Africa Media Conference

Various African presidents and ex-presidents have confirmed their presence at the inaugural Pan African Media Conference that will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, 18 – 19 March 2010, to mark the Nation Media Group’s 50th anniversary.

The convention will also bring together renowned media, academicians and business executives from the United States of America, South Africa, Ghana and France.

The conference, themed Media and the African Promise, is a collaboration of the Africa Media Initiative and the Nation Media Group (NMG) and will reflect on the African media’s past, present and prospects for the future against the challenges of a dynamic globalised environment, according to communication from Linus Gitahi, the chief executive officer of NMG.

“The forum will encourage contribution and development of robust policy related to the operation and development of media in Africa,” Gitahi says.

Aga Khan, the main proprietor of NMG under the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, is to be the guest of honour and is expected to launch a book branded; Birth of a Nation, The story of a newspaper in Kenya. Media awards to honour outstanding contributors to Africa’s media are also planned for the conference.

Source: Biz Community

Aga Khan University: Cultures without Borders

Special Lecture Series of Salman Ahmad

UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador, Junoon Band Member & Peace Activist

As a child, Salman Ahmad would listen eagerly to stories of India told by his maternal grandfather, who had come over to Pakistan during Partition. As an adult, he has risked his career to promote peace in the two countries.  After training as a doctor, he decided to test the waters of a musician’s life for a year before starting to practice medicine. “Up until the eighties, all the pop culture we had in Pakistan was Indian Bollywood music or Western music,” he explains. “I was thinking, ‘There’s such a huge history of music on the subcontinent, why don’t we have our own?’ I had a spiritual connection with music, and I wanted to express it.” Ten years later, Junoon had made history with its blend of rock and roll and spirituality.

He uses music as the most powerful expression of peace he can find. ‘Would it not be better for India and Pakistan to try and inspire each other in the areas of education, health and economic development?’ said Ahmad. “There is a gradual realization that South Asia cannot progress in economic and health terms if we don’t resolve our conflict.” “Poverty alleviation should be the number one priority. Most people in India and Pakistan are living day to day with the problems facing their immediate families. I have tried to address that communality through music and whenever I get a chance to speak in either country… It’s now up to both leaderships to listen to the loud voices for peace in the subcontinent and resolve all disputes.”

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Aga Khan University Auditorium

Programme
4:00 – 4:05 pm     Welcome address and introduction of the speaker
4:05 – 5:00 pm     Lecture by Salman Ahmad
5:00 – 5:25 pm     Question and answer session
5:25 – 5:30 pm     Vote of thanks
5:30 – 6:00 pm     Refreshments

More Details Contact The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan

ArchNet: Two Lectures on Islamic Art

Two Lectures on Islamic Art by Mr. Alnoor Merchant

Head Librarian and Keeper of the Special Collections The Institute of Ismaili Studies, LondonMonday, February 15, 2010 at 6:30 pm
The University of Texas at Arlington
Bluebonnet Room
701 S. Nedderman Drive
Arlington, TX 76019

And

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Baylor University
Tidwell Bible Building, Classroom 101
Waco, TX 76798

Source: ArchNet

Bridges that Unite exhibition presents special activities for International Development Week

Afghan musician performs free cultural events this weekend in Canada’s Capital Region 

OTTAWA, Feb- This weekend, in conjunction with the Bridges that Unite exhibition, Aga Khan Foundation Canada kicks off International Development Week with From Kabul to Ottawa, free public performances by renowned Afghan musician, Vaheed Kaacemy. 

Residents of the region are invited to discover Afghanistan through the lens of its rich and diverse musical traditions. Mr. Kaacemy’s two appearances – in Gatineau at the Canadian Museum of Civilization and in Ottawa at the Canada Science and Technology Museum – take place against the backdrop of International Development Week, an annual event highlighting the work of Canada’s development community.

From Kabul to Ottawa featuring Vaheed Kaacemy: 
Saturday, February 6, from 2:00-3:00 p.m., in conjunction with the Hidden Treasures exhibition, at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Northern Salon. 

Sunday, February 7, from 2:00-3:00 p.m., at the Canada Science and Technology Museum auditorium. 

Bridges that Unite continues: Global citizens of all ages are invited to learn more about Canada’s role in the world through film, photography, stories and activities, by visiting the Bridges that Unite exhibition on now at the Canada Science and Technology Museum until February 28. Visit www.bridgesthatunite.ca for more information.

Regular tests can protect women from cervical cancer

Karachi, Pakistan, February 4, 2010: Three quarters of all cervical cancer cases occur in developing countries, primarily among younger women, yet awareness about this cancer is seriously lacking in these countries. On the occasion of World Cancer Day, doctors at Aga Khan University shared information about various cancers and spoke about their prevention and management. According to the World Health Organization, 30 per cent of cancers can be prevented through early detection. In the case of cervical cancer, early screening through a gynaecological examination – a pap smear – can be vital, according to Dr Aliya Aziz, Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH). Pap smear is a test that detects changes in the neck of the womb that may lead to cancer. “An initial pap smear should be performed once a girl turns 21 or within three years of marriage. Thereafter, it may be done once in two to three years or annually as advised by your doctor,” said Dr Aziz. She also talked about reducing the risk of gynaecological cancers by adopting a healthier diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and keeping fit. Speaking about cancer in children, Dr Zehra Fadoo, Consultant Paediatric Haematologist and Oncologist, AKUH, said, “We do not have numbers from Pakistan, but rough estimates show that nearly 8,000 to10,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year.”

Download: International Financial Reporting Standards – A Practical Guide

The complete International Financial Reporting Standards – A Practical Guide By Hennie Van Greuning is available for Download in Pdf Version.

The Book is available in Education Page>Academic Section

Music and Dance in the Pamir Mountains

The Aga Khan University, Nairobi:Plans to Introduce a Cancer Training Programme in the country

Nairobi — With about Sh300 million, Kenya can purchase a life-saving cancer machine for each of its eight provinces. Throw a few more millions and the country will be able to train specialists to operate the brachytherapy machine, which treats a majority of the killer cancers.

Currently, there are only two such machines — one at the New Nyanza Provincial General Hospital in Kisumu and the other at Kenyatta National Hospital. But it is only the one at KNH that is in continuous use because there are no trained personnel to operate the machine in Kisumu.

According to the Nyanza provincial director of medical services, Dr Ojwang’ Lusi, the Sh30 million equipment that can destroy early stage cancer cells is idle most of the time due to a lack of trained personnel. Acquired about a decade ago, it was only installed last year.

On the very rare occasions that it roars to life, it is because a team of medical experts from the KNH have travelled to Kisumu. A medical officer has since been posted to KNH for training. The vice-chairman of the Kenya Cancer Association, Mr David Makumi, said that apart from the treatment equipment, the country faced challenges with cancer screening.

Kenyans still dying of preventable cancers

Cancer, which the world is focusing on this Thursday, is almost a death sentence in the country and this need not be so. If caught early, most cancers can indeed be cured. But even before so, some of them are quite preventable. For example, it is emerging that most of cancers of the throat and mouth are as a result of alcohol intake, a lifestyle that can be moderated. About three quarters of oral cancers are thought to be caused by drinking alcohol and smoking.

However, for a cancer to be caught in good time and be managed, people have to acquire a healthcare seeking culture – there should be a good medical infrastructure including personnel and the care needs to be affordable. But, currently these prerequisites are absent.

Researchers from the Kenya Medical Research Institute, pored over death records for three years in Nairobi and found those with cancer were more likely to die than if they had any other affliction.

FEBRUARY 4: WORLD CANCER DAY

World Cancer Day is being observed today amidst slogans to eliminate the disease forever. Though such fervour is important to keep the morale of the society high, doctors believe that without a proper support system and planning, such slogans are useless and yield no results.

“Without concerted efforts and a persistent campaign, it is not possible at all to eliminate the recurring infections that continue to plague us,” says Dr Yasmeen Burghari, Professor of Pathology at Liaquat National Hospital.

Dr Burghari, while sharing data on the five-year study conducted by the Aga Khan University as well as by independent researches, says that in Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana and Quetta, the most prevalent of all the diseases has been breast cancer among females. According to the data chart, between 2003 and 2007, breast cancer rate has increased to 36 per cent among females.

“The list is quite long and the efforts too few. So many campaigns have started but very few of them are sustainable enough to reach a wide audience.” She says that breast cancer was considered a tragedy earlier but now because of awareness through TV channels people at least know what the disease basically is but stresses that effort on a government level is still needed.

Ghalib’s tomb getting historic makeover

In what could be an apt tribute to Delhi’s poetic icon Mirza Ghalib, his tomb – Mazar-e-Ghalib –in Nizamuddin, would soon reverberate with qawwalis, mushairas and mehfils.

This would be possible thanks to the redevelopment work carried out by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture at the Survey of India (ASI)-protected monument.

The tomb, which was lying in a sad state earlier, has undergone a sea change.

A hand-carved stone lattice screens separate the premises from the narrow street brimming with locals, vendors and beggars.

Neighbouring Mughal era Chausath Khamba, also an ASI-protected monument, too has been renovated as part of the project, that commenced early 2009.

Vice President Hamid Ansari visited the mazar on Tuesday with his wife Salma and offered floral tributes at the poet’s tomb. He also took a stroll around the Chausath Khamba monument.

New breed of social entrepreneurs foster ethical enterprise

The notion that enterprise should be conscious of its impact on society rather than focusing exclusively on the pursuit of profit, has long been part of the Muslim ethic. It is also an increasingly visible trend in business: the idea of producing a measurable social, as well as an economic return on investment. Rather than exclusively seeking to maximise shareholder value, social enterprises are businesses with a set of community or environmental goals. These objectives, from providing employment to those who might not otherwise have a chance, or generating renewable energy, may be accompanied by unconventional ownership and decision-making structures. Examples of social enterprises in the United Kingdom include the co-operative, worker-owned model pioneered by John Lewis, or the charitable foundation that controls Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant.

“Islam, therefore, guides man not only in his spiritual relationship with God, it also guides man in his relationship with his fellow men and his relationship with the material world around him. It encourages enterprise, but warns that enterprise, without a social conscience, is not acceptable. It is in this respect, where Islam’s message applies to all aspects of man’s life, that he will be judged not just on what he does but the manner in which he does it.”
— Mawlana Hazar Imam at the opening of the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby, 26 July 1982

Social enterprise is not a new concept, but it is increasingly seen by many as the business model for the 21st century. This is partly because, in a tough economic climate, a broadening of horizons helps social entrepreneurs to see opportunities where others might see problems.

Read the complete article from Source

One kilometer high Nakheel Tower to become world’s tallest building

It looks like Dubai is running out of countries to compete with in the architectural stakes, so they’ve started outdoing themselves. State-owned builder Nakheel has unveiled plans to build what would be the world’s tallest building before the Gulf city state’s previous claimant to the title, the Burj Dubai Tower, has even finished construction. Nakheel plans to build a tower measuring over 1 kilometer (0.62 miles), high in an area between two of the city’s artificial palm shaped islands which the company also created. Nakheel has not revealed the exact height or cost of the tower but said it would have “more than 200 floors” and be part of “a multi-billion pound development”, which includes a man made inland harbor and 40 additional towers ranging from 20 to 90 floors high.

The Nakheel Tower will take more than a decade to complete and will be composed of four separate towers joined at various levels and centered on an open atrium.

International Global Zero Summit Against Nuclear Weapons – Photographs

Aga Khan University, Karachi selects Polycom Services

Aims to increase communications between international campuses and institutions, reduce travel costs

Karachi, Pakistan, 3 February 2009: Aga Khan University (AKU) has acquired FVC Polycom’s video and audio conferencing solutions at its facility in Karachi to increase communications between its campuses and with partner institutions around the world. AKU is an international university spread over eight countries – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Syria and Egypt – and three continents, with a pivotal place in the Aga Khan Development Network which brings together a number of development agencies, institutions and programmes that work primarily in Asia and Africa.

AKU was in search of a high definition (HD) video and audio conferencing solution that would not only suit a small conference room / board room environment but also integrate audio visual capabilities. After evaluating several competitive options, AKU settled on Polycom’s HDX8000 system in one room with a Polycom HDX9000 system in another. AKU already has a pair of 5000 series systems installed – one in its offices in Karachi and another in FMIC (French Medical Institute for Children) in Kabul. AKU also has two Polycom i970 systems on hand.

Aga Khan University: World Cancer Day 2010

World Cancer Day 2010
Cancer can be prevented

More than 30 per cent of cancer could be prevented by modifying or avoiding key risk factors. There is extensive knowledge available about the causes and interventions to prevent and manage cancer. This can be done by implementing evidence-based strategies, early detection and better management of patients.

Celebrating World Cancer Day, Aga Khan University has arranged lectures on:

Cancer in Pakistan by Dr Nehal Masood, Consultant Oncologist and Haematologist;

Tobacco Control, A Key to Success in Cancer Prevention by Dr Javaid Khan, Consultant Chest Physician;

Prevention, Screening and Early Detection of Gynaecological Cancers: A Pakistani Perspective by Dr Aaliya Aziz, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist;

Head and Neck Cancer Risk Factors and Management by Dr Mubashir Ikram, Consultant ENT Surgeon;

Warning Signs of Cancer in Children by Dr Zehra Fadoo, Consultant Paediatric Oncologist and Haematologist.

Date:     February 4, 2010
Time:   4:00-5:30pm
Venue: AKU Auditorium, Stadium Road Campus, Karachi 

For more information please contact www.aku.edu