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Reggae music has found its groove on the United Nations' list of global cultural treasures.
UNESCO, the world body's cultural and scientific agency, added the music genre to its collection of "intangible cultural heritage" deemed worthy of protection and promotion on Thursday.
The musical style, which originated in Jamaica, joined a list of cultural traditions that includes the horsemanship of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, a Mongolian camel-coaxing ritual and Czech puppetry, and more than 300 other traditional practices that range from boat-building, pilgrimages and cooking.
The 1968 single "Do the Reggay" by Toots and the Maytals was the first popular song to use the name, and Bob Marley and his group the Wailers produced classic hits such as "No Woman, No Cry" and "Stir It Up".
Jamaica applied for reggae's inclusion on the list in September this year at a meeting of the UN agency on the island of Mauritius, where 40 proposals were under consideration.
"Reggae is uniquely Jamaican," said Olivia Grange, the Caribbean island nation's culture minister, before the vote. "It is a music that we have created that has penetrated all corners of the world."
A walk along the Way of Kings will lead you to places that history and coronation processions of Czech kings have walked and this trip will end in St Vitus’s Cathedral that is the final resting place of king Charles IV, Father of the Country.
Starting point: National Street 38 – offices of Bohemia Travel Service – Gray Line The Powder Gate – remains of Gothic fortification of the Old Town – Celetna Street – the Old Town Square, the oldest marketplace in Prague with the temple of Virgin Mary in Front of Cope of Heaven – the Old Town Hall and an astronomical ...
Tour and Guide; This tour is available in English, German, Russian, French, Spanish and Italian language.
Available: Daily; Departs at 1:30pm. Please arrive 15 minutes prior the tour.
Tour departs from Narodni Street 38, Prague.
Uber has begun accepting credit card payments again in India today, after it was forced by local legislation to switch to a mobile wallet payment system last November.
The new system follows the Reserve Bank of India’s guidelines, which prescribe mandatory two-factor authentication for use with credit cards when physical cards aren’t presented.
So if you use a credit card to pay for your next ride, you’ll also need to enter your online banking PIN or a one-time password generated and sent by your bank over SMS to complete the transaction.
The cab service has partnered with mobile payment processing company MobiKwik to offer this option, along with support for debit cards.
The feature is now available to Android users and will roll out to iOS in the coming weeks.
Uber recently began accepting cash payments for autorickshaw rides in New Delhi in April. It’s also testing the use of hard currency for all its services in Hyderabad, in a pilot that began in May.
Gilgit-Baltistan is one of the regions in High Asia that has historically attracted travellers, preachers, soldiers, traders and writers for more than two millennia. The accounts of these travellers are recorded in the shape of travelogues, folk tales, literature, and more than 40000 rock carvings found in the region.
In modern times, the increased connectivity of the region with the outside world has attracted different writers who have explored various facets of history, culture and society of Gilgit-Baltistan. Among the diverse milieu of writers, modern travel writers have played an important role in the representation of Gilgit-...
It results in depriving Gilgit-Baltistan of its historical connections with neighbouring regions and events in High Asia and makes the history of region subservient to the subjective definition of others.
The Silk Road was a network that encompassed diverse cultures, regions, ethnicities and religions. There was not only trade of goods, but also exchange of ideas, skills, cuisine, lifestyle and religions.
One of the examples of subjective pronouncements about the status of the region is the reiteration of the claim by some writers that historically the Silk Road did not exit in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Recently, a writer has published an article in an English daily where he claims to debunk the myth of the Silk Road. This article is in continuation of his articles published in English dailies since 2011, in which he rejected the idea that the classical Silk Road went through the region that is now Gilgit-Baltistan in...
This article is an ordinary attempt to debunk this subjective history that manifests orientalist mindset, which takes upon itself to define and represent “Others”, and rejects indigenous knowledge as oral rubbish.
There are thousands of names of ancient travellers and dates of travel inscribed on the thousands of rocks scattered from Haldikish in Hunza to Thalpan Das in Chilas. Irmtraud Stellrecht identifies primary and secondary routes nets between Central and South Asia in Gilgit, Hunza and Chitral. Among the secondary route-n...
Though the terrain of High Asia is harsh, it did not deter streams of caravans to traverse across Central and South Asia. The writings of travellers who travelled in the region almost one and half millennium ago bear testimony to connections of Gilgit, Hunza and Chitral with the Silk Road. Famous among these are descri...
It is an established fact that Gilgit became the fulcrum of fight between Chinese and Tibetan states to control the Silk Road in the eighth century AD. Gilgit was called little Balur at that time. The queen of Gilgit was a Tibetan princess who got married to the king in 740. There are reports that many people from Balu...
The Silk Road was a network that encompassed diverse cultures, regions, ethnicities and religions. There was not only trade of goods like silk, gems, brass, leather, opium, slaves, perfumery, spices etc., but also exchange of ideas, skills, cuisine, lifestyle and religions. Among the variety of exchanges, the state of ...
German geographer, Ferdinand von Richthofen termed the whole gamut of activities and networks of trade routes the ‘Silk Road’. Perhaps it is because of the heterogeneity of activities and exchanges at the level of trade and culture that Peter Frankopan divides chapters of his recent book The Silk Roads: A New History o...
Among the array of goods and exchanges on the Silk Road, the writer cherrypicks only silk to reject the entire history spanning over more than 1700 years.
There are Chinese annals, which show a relative of Mir of Hunza delivering gold dust to the Chinese as a tribute. According to Irmtraud Stellrecht, “in reciprocity the number and quality of Chinese gifts were fixed.” According to Susan Whitfield the numbers of Chinese and Tibetan soldiers who fought the famous war of m...
Even the assertion of silk not being traded in Gilgit and Hunza does not hold true, if we analyse the folk tales, poetry, indigenous knowledge, culture, and more important agriculture, horticulture and livestock. In Brushashki and Shina languages raw silk is called chusi. The popular chusheay chapos (silk quilt) is mad...
Historically, mulberry tree played a crucial role in the settlement of new villages on barren lands in Gilgit-Baltistan. When the king of a principality wanted to irrigate a barren land and settle people there, the first thing people would do is to plant a sapling of mulberry tree for three reasons. First, it provides ...
It is probable that mulberry tree was imported from Eastern Turkistan. Old people in Hunza, Nagar and Gilgit still narrate how women used to tend silk worms to prepare silk yarn. Even if we surmise that those women from Kashgar settled in Gilgit and Hunza as brides, it still supports the claim that the region of Gilgit...
According to historical documents, this was the genesis of Karakoram Highway (KKH). If Aga Khan Cultural Services Pakistan has erected the signboards of the old Silk Road along KKH, it did so because it can feel the pulse of history.
In olden times, silver and iron were meager in the region. Scarcity of these metals compelled the people to rely on raw material and sometimes skills imported from Kashgar and other areas of Xinjiang the erstwhile Eastern Turkistan and Central Asia. Even today the utensils of households include old samawars from Easter...
For example, the first consignment of guns in Hunza was delivered from Central Asia. When the king of Hunza faced threats from British and Dogras, he hired the services of Adina Baig from Yarkand to make a cannon. Owing to scarcity of iron, the then Mir of Hunza ordered to collect every item made of iron from all over ...
The concept of culture not only encompasses humans but also covers animals as well. The kind of animals used in Gilgit and Hunza for travel and trade shows the nature of trade routes and commonalities with the Silk Road. Before the advent of road, packhorses, ponies, yak, camel and donkeys were used for trade on the Si...
This animal has become part of culture and agriculture of Gilgit. As a child I still remember caravans of Bactrian camels entering Gilgit city on Karakoram Highway in the early 1980s. With the increase in traffic on KKH, the Bactrian camel disappeared from the region. The former governor of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pir Karam ...
The purpose of highlighting examples from the domains of culture and livestock is to show that Gilgit-Baltistan was part of the historical Silk Road. Like other spheres of life, the Silk Road has also undergone many changes. Today, the KKH has been transformed into a corridor, but it is not the end of the Silk Road; ra...
It is high time to critically evaluate the knowledge about Gilgit-Baltistan that is produced either to serve the powers during colonial times or by impressionist ramblers who have assumed the charge of authority about the history of the region in the postcolonial period.
We are what we think. The collective cultural and historical memory testifies to the fact that the Silk Road did go through Gilgit-Baltistan.
A Well Researched and Scholarly article. Dr Ahmad Hasan Dani's research on the topic also substantiates this point of view.
A Well Researched and Scholarly article. Dr Ahmad Hasan Dani’s research on the topic also substantiates this point of view.
ISLAMABAD : The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Saturday condemned the move by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to mint billions of rupees from late filers and salaried class. The FBR is in habit of milking honest taxpayers to hide its inefficiency and corruption which should be noticed by the government, it said. The Ap...
He said that a part of the business community is in a position to agree to the unethical demands of FBR so that the institution can show enhanced revenue generation but the salaried class which is already reeling under inflation cannot bear this burden.
Masses are frequently told to become filer but when they trust the authorities and become a filer then they are cheated which is damaging the reputation of the government, he observed.
FBR is pressurizing taxpayers for additional revenue through different tactics which is like a witch-hunt that will widen the gulf between the taxpayers and the FBR, he warned.
Under the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, a secondary job means being hired for other regularly paid work under a separate employment agreement for a period of time, free from one's primary job. Secondary employment agreements may be entered into with an unlimited number of employers. An employee may have a secon...
First of all, it should be noted that the law does not prohibit foreigners from having secondary jobs. Indeed, under Article 13(1) of Federal Law No. 115-FZ, foreign citizens have the right to freely use their capabilities to work by choosing any type of occupation and profession, and to use their capabilities and asse...
Foreign citizens must hold a work permit in order to have a primary job as well as a secondary job. However, both primary and secondary jobs require a separate work permit even if the employee will be working for the same employer. It is important to remember that having a secondary job with the same employer is only p...
It is important to note that if a foreign citizen has a temporary residence permit in a certain region of Russia, he/she may work only in that region.
Often there are situations in practice where a foreigner who has received a temporary residence permit, say, for the Moscow region, has tried to find a job with a company in Moscow, which is prohibited by law. Therefore, an employer must check such information prior to hiring a foreign employee in order to avoid violat...
Secondary employment rules for foreign citizens holding visas are generally the same as for foreigners arriving on a visa-free basis, except for a single nuance related to a visa. Specifically, a foreigner may hold a visa from one employer only. Hence, an employee can end up having 2 work permits for each employer, but...
Consequently, in the event that, for example, the Federal Migration Service conducts an inspection at an employer's place of operation, and an employee has a secondary employment agreement with this employer, and the Federal Migration Service discovers that the employee's employment visa indicates a different entity fr...
It should also be noted that an employer is still required to notify state authorities when hiring a foreigner for a secondary job.
THE weather's taken a turn for the worse here in Britain but the Rich Kids of Instagram are escaping the rain and jetting off early on their summer holidays.
And there's no cramped easyJet flights or cheap Airbnbs for this lot.
Instead posts boast of them travelling in style on luxury yachts, private jets, speedy supercars and even floating hot tubs.
Some of the super-rich youngsters are lapping up the sunshine in Dubai and staying in Atlantis, The Palm where you can watch stingrays pass your bathtub thanks to the huge hotel aquarium.
Others have flown to the Caribbean to soak up the sun with Aruba's famous swimming pigs while another shot shows a girl wistfully wondering which of her yacht's many jet skis she should take out for a spin.
They've also been sharing casual breakfasts on the shores of Bora Bora and baths with a jungle view in Thailand... Jealous? Us?
But, proving they're just like the rest of us, the pampered youths have been using inflatable unicorn cup holders to hold their Moet champagne - as they nibble on mussels and seafood platters by the pool.
Others have been seeing the sights by boat in Italy, or enjoying the view with a couple of bottles of bubbly.
If you're heading off on hols, we've revealed how to make sure you look gorgeous this summer - with the perfect bikini for your body shape.
While Primark's summer range includes an £8 wicker beach bag and cute yellow T-shirt… and we want everything.
And this simple coin trick reveals exactly how much sunscreen you REALLY need.
A Japanese take on Americana was Marcus Wainwright's pre-fall point of view.
Indigos, patchwork denim, workwear, wrap kimono dresses, a quilted indigo jacket, blown-out black-and-white gingham board shorts and a cold shoulder top all traced back to Japan — Wainwright described the mood as “a twisted Japanese view of America.” The collection’s main print was a postcard-inspired palm tree and bea...
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill on Thursday got his man when he clinched a £12million swoop for England winger Stewart Downing.
A statement on Villa's official website said: "Villa have completed the signing of England international Stewart Downing. The four-year deal was finalised after the left-sided star agreed terms and passed a medical."
The statement continued: "Downing becomes Martin O'Neill's first summer signing and adds more quality to the manager's claret and blue squad."
Downing arrived at Villa's Bodymoor Heath training complex on crutches to discuss terms and undergo a medical as he continued his recovery from foot surgery, the legacy of his clash with new team-mate Stiliyan Petrov in the penultimate game of last season.
He is expected to have a screw removed from the fractured bone in September and may not be available to play until October at the earliest.
However, O'Neill moved swiftly to head off the competition amid a feeling that some potential buyers might wait until January.
Downing said: "As soon as I spoke to the manager at the training ground, I wanted to play for Villa and I wanted to play for him. He has great ambition and wants to build a good squad to take the club forward. I want to be part of that.
"As an outsider looking in, it was obvious that Villa were a club on the up. You can see a chairman and manager who want to build great things.
"They have done that over the past few seasons, particularly by finishing sixth last time around, which was great. But once you get here and see the stadium, the training ground, the people behind the scenes and the manager with his ambition and hopes for the future, it's even better than you realised."
Los Angeles band Flaamingos has already gotten a decent amount of attention for its forthcoming record, Flaamingos. The Fader and Stereogum have written up the record’s first two singles, and now The A.V. Club is premiering the third. “She’s Never Satisfied” is below, as is the band’s slate of upcoming tour dates with ...
Flaamingos is out Aug. 27 and is available for pre-order on iTunes now.
IN real estate, the mantra is Location, Location, Location. In governance, it ought to be Context, Context, Context. But while we have grasped the first, our appreciation of the second is deficient because we emulate first-world practices without sufficient appreciation of our conditions.
Take poverty alleviation as an example. In countries where 80 per cent of the population is affluent and 20pc in distress, there are many ways of addressing the situation using transfer payments. Reverse the percentages and all those remedies become financially infeasible. The surplus does not exist to sustain them. Co...
Apply the same analogy to governance. In countries where 80pc of public servants are law abiding and 20pc otherwise, there are a certain number of ways available to ensure accountability without derailing the system. Reverse the percentages and none of those ways are likely to yield the desired results without unintend...
Ordinary folk base their choice on pragmatic considerations.
Let’s put this to the test and ask on oath all holders of public offices in Pakistan to raise their hands if they believe they are honest as determined by the limited criterion on which the prime minister has been disqualified, ie for not declaring an income that was due but not received. Then add, as one should, the c...
How many do we expect standing at the end of the day and do we really believe we can run federal and local governments and public agencies with this number of individuals? If we don’t, we have to admit that attempting to eliminate dishonesty via a top-down approach may not be seen as practical and could even be interpr...
That brings us to the crux of the contextual issue. In countries where 80pc of public servants are unlikely to withstand scrutiny, who shall guard the guardians? Giving discretionary powers to some state agents like inspectors, regulators and policemen to apprehend violators will only end with endless side deals in whi...
Is it any wonder that the kinds of accountability agencies that deliver in rich countries end up being used to harass and nab political and business opponents in poor ones? At the worst of times, the guardians end up striking deals, proclaiming amnesties, and forgiving each other. At the best of times, one or the other...
It is hard to conceive that the intelligentsia applauding the elimination of corruption in such a partisan and bloodthirsty manner does not see that it makes no structural difference whatsoever. In this regard, the understanding of common people is much more sophisticated. They are under no illusion that any of their p...
Given their appreciation of the context in which it is virtually impossible for an upright individual to be elected, what then is the criterion they employ to choose their representatives? Very simply, they base their choice on the pragmatic consideration of which thief or set of thieves is going to deliver more for th...
This argument is not to suggest that nothing should be done about corruption, only that the way we, as a nation, are going about it is at best foolish and at worst dishonest. We need to find structural remedies for structural problems and these can only be sought in the intelligent reformulation of constitutional and b...
None of these would be possible unless we pay attention to the context in which we exist and operate.
Frankly speaking, reform is not possible under dynasties.
Such a wonderful article. But for a nation in denial; nothing could happen unless we make sacrifices for the greater good.
Excellent write up.structural remedies for structural problems..
Come again? What did Missouri’s frustrated state auditor say?
What will be on the ballot in November? That question in Missouri just gets murkier and murkier.
The wrangling over petitions to put various issues on the ballot got so contentious this week that a moment of political candor spilled into the open.
Consider the position of State Auditor Tom Schweich. In addition to checking up on whether various state agencies and local governments are following the law and spending tax money wisely, the auditor’s office has to assess each initiative petition floating around the state – there are dozens this year – to see how eac...
Schweich has been batted back and forth like a pingpong ball this spring, with different rulings from different judges, including one ruling now being appealed that the law ordering the estimates is unconstitutional. Lawyers for the special interests wanting to end the state income tax argued against that authority, to...

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