Latest news with #Zaidi
Irish Examiner
16-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
'Women's health has just been ignored': Doctor calls for more research into women's health issues
Women's health has been ignored by researchers, and more studies are needed in wealthy and developing countries to tackle common problems, the Gates Foundation has found. Dr Anita Zaidi, president of the foundation's Gender Equality Division, has stressed the importance of new research findings to improve the health of women across the world. She highlighted how young Irish people can now get one HPV vaccine dose for protection against this virus instead of three vaccines, as was previously the case. The one-jab system followed on from Kenyan research — the KENSHE study — funded by the Gates Foundation, which was established by Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates in 2000 to enhance healthcare and reduce poverty across the world. Dr Zaidi urged governments to continue investing in research on women's health, even as some nations, including America and the UK, scale back. 'We have made so many advances in women's health, especially in R&D [research and development], so now not to have the funding available to scale them really bothers me,' she said. "From an R&D perspective, it's been one of the most neglected areas in global health. It's neglected not just in global health but also in rich countries. "Women's health has just been ignored.' Giving birth can carry high risks and she argued this area of healthcare needed more study. Guidelines for blood loss after pregnancy — post-partum haemorrhage — define 500ml in the first 24 hours as minor blood loss, including in Ireland. However, the World Health Organization says the evidence base for this is unclear. The foundation funded a project with 200,000 women to study this area. From the research came a new type of measuring cloth, costing the equivalent of 40 cents each. 'You put it under the mum, with a calibrated sleeve at the end of it so all the blood is captured in there,' said Dr Zaidi. 'And once they used that sheet and a bundled approach it was so impactful. There was a 60% decrease in severe post-partum haemorrhage.' Further improvements have followed. 'The other thing that they realised is the 500ml cut-off is too high, it should be 300ml,' she said. 'So now we know we should be treating post-partum haemorrhage when there's more than 300ml blood loss and we have to act quickly. If you could do that, you will save hundreds of thousands of women's lives.' She also described a tiny AI-enabled ultrasound probe which plugs into smartphones. This allows midwives in remote clinics to check babies efficiently. 'In Sudan, let's say, where one midwife may be taking care of 100 women, this helps you triage who really needs help the most,' Dr Zaidi said. Dr Anita Zaidi: 'Innovations give me optimism, there are so many simple innovations that can be life-changing for people around the world.' It is estimated to cost about 20 times less than a standard ultrasound and is described as 'a game-changer', although wider funding is needed. Endometriosis, malnutrition, and pre-eclampsia in pregnancy are also concerns. She noted the Irish Examiner's recent women's health survey drew attention to other gaps. 'Innovations give me optimism, there are so many simple innovations that can be life-changing for people around the world,' she said. The foundation has committed €316m annually from 2023 to 2027 to maternal, newborn, and child health. Then in May, Bill Gates pledged to give away 99% of his fortune over 20 years, saying the foundation will close in 2045. Dr Zaidi said: 'It's enough time if we plan for it in the right way, and this is why we wanted to give enough notice. 'For the many of the innovations I've been talking about, they can be done in the next 10 to 15 years, but some will need a hand-off.' Projects may need supports from government and private donors and she added: 'Who are the people who will step up and say 'the world really needs us'.' Ireland's development aid funding came to over €2.2bn, or 0.57%, of GNP last year. The United Nations target is for countries to reach 0.7% of gross national income. '[We are] appreciative of the commitment and leadership Ireland is showing for overseas assistance development, helping the poorest around the world and how they put women and girls as a very big priority,' Dr Zaidi said.
Hindustan Times
05-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Review: Society Girl by Saba Imtiaz and Tooba Masood-Khan
In October 1970, Mustafa Zaidi, a high-ranking former bureaucrat and famous poet was found dead in his bedroom in Karachi. Shahnaz Gul, a beautiful young socialite lay unconscious on the floor. She was 26, he had been 40. Both were married with two children each, and had been having a very public affair. Scene of the crime: Karachi. Pakistan in the 1970s. (Marka/Universal Images Group via) At the time, Karachi was an exuberant city with a thriving nightlife, 'a bevy of eligible men, and more glamourous women than anyone could count.' Socialites dressed in sarees with short sleeveless blouses. There were parties, nightclubs hosting belly dancers and cabarets, and a whole lot of drinking. The Zaidi-Gul scandal shocked Pakistani society. It revealed the uninhibited excesses and the sordid underbelly of Karachi elite culture. 352pp, ₹595; Roli Books Zaidi had been 'an enforcer of the country's power structures' at a time when the 'Pakistani civil services were people who would not kowtow to politicians.' He was friends with the greatest Urdu poets of the time: Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Josh Malihabadi, Naseer Turabi. He had also published six collections of poetry (some of his most iconic poems were quite brazenly about Gul). Ordinary people could recite his verses from memory. Gul, with 'alabaster-like skin, perfect features, wavy hair,' was 'a woman whose beauty was so legendary that even 50 years after they had seen her, men could describe her skin, the way she blushed, the contours of her body...' The press couldn't get enough of the case. Reporters camped outside Gul's house following her and her husband's every move. Mainstream newspapers wrote about Zaidi and Gul's 'love sessions,' his stamina in bed, 'sex instruments' found in his so scandalous that 'newspapers were banned from the houses of 'respectable' families.' Meanwhile, Pakistan was imploding. The Zaidi-Gul story 'withstood war, the breakup of Pakistan, and a regime change,' write Pakistani journalists Saba Imtiaz and Tooba Masood-Khan in their meticulously researched, politically astute and very, very juicy book Society Girl: A Tale of Sex, Lies and Scandal, based on their popular 2022 podcast Notes on a Scandal. The scandal is so sensational, it wouldn't have needed much of a storyteller to tell it well. Imtiaz and Masood-Khan have built the narrative adeptly with thoroughness and sensitivity — and suspense. Intrigue starts from the epigraph, which consists of an impassioned, kind of feverish, verse from one of Zaidi's poems ('Countless were saved by the raging waves / But I, drowned by a longing met / Tell me. Do you see my blood on anyone? / The entire city has washed itself clean') followed by a stark statement from Gul during her trial in court in the case: My behaviour towards the deceased was never warm hence there was no question of it becoming cold. Throughout the book, this mind-boggling case is pieced together by juxtaposing the differing often outlandish accounts from newspaper archives, police and forensic reports, court documents, fresh interviews with people who remember. Small details are big hooks — and all of it is analysed. They go back to the roots of the story, the characters, Pakistan, and the changing times. They make sense of Zaidi's mental and emotional fragility as well as his history of obsessive love by looking at his unwilling move to Pakistan a few years after Partition. In Allahabad, Zaidi had been a rising poet, known as Tegh Allahabadi (his first collection of poetry was prefaced by Firaq Gorakhpuri). He was also madly in love with a girl on campus — Saroj Bala Saran, a great beauty, who would go on to become a judge at the Allahabad High Court. After he attempted suicide (for the second time), his brother took him to Lahore where Zaidi spent years mooning over Saran. How much did Partition and the involuntary move to Pakistan impact him? Zaidi, so vividly remembered in memory and the public domain, jumps off the page in colour. The darker his actions, the more complex and sympathetic a figure he becomes. 'Every year on Mustafa's death anniversary, the same images do the rounds... People forward long posts on Facebook, offering the same narrative, adding in new, unverifiable, fantastical details each time,' He's still remembered as a hero — the love struck troubled poet and altogether brilliant man, while 'Shahnaz has now been reduced to a stereotype of a femme fatale, and no one has ever attempted to show her treatment at the hands of the press and the state.' This is a modern retelling and the idea is to vindicate Gul, or at least present her side of the story. She's on the cover but is harder to profile. Much of her life is conjecture, she was remembered differently by different people, so Imtiaz and Masood-Khan show the many possibilities of who she was — and focus on what happened to her, what she had to endure, how she was seen, how she was spoken about. Co-author Saba Imtiaz (Courtesy Roli Books) After Zaidi's death, his demise, the affair, the evils of Karachi high society, even some kind of international smuggling ring was pinned on her. She was accused of tipping him over, for using and discarding him, of murder. Revenge porn was found in his house, but it only became more fodder to further shame Gul. The hundreds of copies of a vicious and sleazy pamphlet, with topless photos of Gul, calling her the 'Christine Keeler of Karachi' — a reference to the 1963 Profumo scandal in UK, which brought down the government when it was discovered that Christine Keeler, a young woman who had an affair with John Profumo, the British war secretary, was also involved with a Russian official — led the crime branch to investigate angles of 'smuggling, spying and sex.' Imtiaz's 2014 novel, Karachi, You're Killing Me!, a crime-comedy about a young reporter in Karachi looking for love, was adapted into the Sonakshi Sinha starrer Noor (2017) set in Mumbai. Society Girl is a naturally, gloriously cinematic book — true crime, love, obsession, sex, a period drama set in the lives of the rich and the beautiful. It also has an eerie resemblance to the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case, the blaming, shaming and arrest of his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and the nasty press coverage all while the pandemic enveloped the country and migrants walked hundreds of kilometers back home during lockdown. Society Girl shows how the Zaidi-Gul case underscored the chasm between East and West Pakistan. It may even have contributed as one of the final nails in the coffin of the relationship between the two parts of the country — it was a way to distract people from the political crisis unfolding. Imtiaz and Masood-Khan zoom out of the case to show the panorama of Pakistani polity and society in which it unfolded. Co-author Tooba Masood-Khan (Courtesy Roli Books) When Zaidi and Gul met in 1969, they write, Pakistan was on the cusp of change, revolution was in the air, and there was a sense of hope amongst its people. Anti-regime protests had brought down the decade-long regime of Ayub Khan. He was replaced by Yahya Khan — but it looked like military dictatorship was going to end, and the country was going to emerge as a democracy. Pakistan was going into its first election based on universal adult franchise. The charismatic Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had formed a new political party. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had emerged as a public hero in East Pakistan where also gaining momentum was the vision for a classless state and autonomy from the ruling elite of West Pakistan. Over a week after Gul's arrest, the deadly Cyclone Bhola hit the islands on the coastline of East Pakistan, killing more than 200,000 people. West Pakistan's media covered it as a minor event while devoting reams of newsprint to Zaidi-Gul — the book quotes a politician who then said, 'that the newspapers of West Pakistan were too busy in getting Shahnaz Gul's measurements – they didn't have a lot of space for East Pakistan.' Later, as the country went into the landmark election, the press continued to find ingenuous ways to keep the case coverage on its front pages — reporting that Gul ate home made food for the first time on the day and that she did not cast her vote on jail. While campaigning, Bhutto had even used the narrative linking Gul with the excesses of Pakistani leadership (especially Yahya Khan) and declared that he would not allow Gul to leave the country and, to a cheering crowd in election rally, that he would punish her for her crimes. That year, as Karachi prepared for New Year's eve, the wild most important night in the high society calendar, , Imtiaz and Masood-Khan write, 'It would perhaps be the last New Year's that Karachi spent so hedonistically. In later years, New Year's would bring bad news — war, the independence of Bangladesh and the breakup of Pakistan, the news that tens of thousands of soldiers were prisoners-of-war in India, the fact that the state had taken over several key industries in a campaign of nationalization, sounding a death knell to the wealth and prestige of many of the country's richest families. The nightlife, too, would eventually die out when Bhutto barred the sale of alcohol to Muslims. Soon, all that would be left of the elite's glory days would be their memories and legacy Sind Club memberships. But that night, as the drinks flowed, no one could imagine the nightmare on the horizon.' Saudamini Jain is an independent journalist. She lives in New Delhi.
New Indian Express
20-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Veteran journalist in Iran from Lucknow providentially 'escapes' an attack; many families in the city fear for stranded ones
LUCKNOW: With Israel intensifying missile strikes on Iran amid escalating tensions, families in Lucknow are having sleepless nights, fearing for their loved ones stranded in the war-hit nation. Recently, a veteran journalist, Raavish Zaidi, had a providential escape when an Israeli missile struck his news channel's headquarters -- just 20 seconds after he stepped out of the building. Sharing his agony, Raavish Zaidi's father, Amir Abbas Zaidi said his son could not attend his mother's last rites as she passed away just six days back in Lucknow. 'He is currently reporting from a war zone. Raavish has been in Iran for the last 15 years working as a TV journalist for the government news channel. Due to the ongoing conflict between Iran ad Israel, he could not come home,' says the worried father. 'I was continuously calling my son to inform him about his mother's demise, but the call wasn't connecting. Late in the evening, I somehow managed to speak to one of his friends. I was told that Israel had launched a missile attack on his news channel's office in Iran," said Zaidi. "The entire office was destroyed. The anchor had to leave the live show and run away. After hearing this, I was very anxious. However, later I was told that my son is safe. The next day, when I spoke to him, he told me that he had left the office just 20 seconds before the attack,' Zaidi added. Raavish Zaidi, currently working with the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN), survived a missile attack that struck his office in Iran during a live telecast. The anchor presenting the news was seen fleeing mid-broadcast, and the footage quickly went viral across social media platforms.
Hans India
19-06-2025
- General
- Hans India
A father's fears, a son's fate and duty: Indian journalist in Iran survives bombing by seconds
Lucknow: Ameer Abbas Zaidi, a resident of Lucknow, is filled with emotions of gratitude as well as anxiety after learning that his son narrowly escaped a bombing in Iran — just seconds before the missile struck the building where he worked. Zaidi's son Ravish has been working with a news channel in Iran for the past 15 years. Based in one of the country's major cities, he has built his life there with his family. Tragically, his wife passed away on September 23 last year, after which Ravish had briefly returned to India before heading back to Iran. 'We tried contacting him, but couldn't get through,' Zaidi told IANS. 'Then a news channel reported that the building where he works was bombed. That's when we realised something terrible had happened.' The building attack coincided with the day of Ravish's mother's death anniversary, adding a deeper layer of emotional turmoil for the family. "As a father, my heart sank," said Zaidi. 'But later, Ravish told me that he had stepped out just seconds before the missile hit. He survived by pure luck. After the attack, he even went back inside to cover the news", he added. Zaidi said Ravish downplayed the dangers when they finally spoke. 'He told me, 'Humari kismat mein shahadat nahi thi, isliye bach gaye. Duty kar rahe hain (Martyrdom wasn't written in my fate, so I survived. I am doing my duty)." "Strangely, this attack happened on the same day when my wife died," said Zaidi. Despite the incident, Ravish has no plans to leave Iran. According to him, life in major Iranian cities continues normally. 'He said it doesn't feel like a war zone. People are calm, the country is beautiful, and Iranians are very hospitable,' Zaidi added. Airports in Iran remain closed amid rising regional tensions, limiting any possibilities of Ravish's immediate return. While the situation is volatile, Zaidi says he trusts his son's judgment but cannot help worrying. 'He's doing his duty. I'm proud of him — but as a father, I just want him safe.' With regional tensions showing no signs of easing, Zaidi's story is a poignant reminder of the human cost and personal bravery behind the headlines.
Business Recorder
16-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Transforming Business For People And Planet: IBA Karachi organises ‘4th International Conference 2025'
KARACHI: IBA Karachi's School of Business Studies (IBA-SBS) organizes the '4th International Conference 2025', themed 'Transforming Business for People and Planet', at the Main Campus. The event brought together esteemed academics, corporate leaders, researchers, and students from across the globe for critical dialogue around global economic uncertainty, climate challenges, and business innovation. In his inaugural remarks, Dr. S Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director, IBA Karachi, reflected on the complex geopolitical realities and ongoing economic crises shaping the global business environment. He emphasized the urgent need to recognize problems and collaborate on practical solutions, highlighting the role of academic platforms like this conference. Dr. Zaidi also stressed the importance of responsible corporate behavior, referencing climate change and corporate social responsibility (CSR) as urgent priorities. Dr. Abdullah Zafar Sheikh, Dean, IBA-SBS and Conference Chair, energized the audience with a quote from Steve Jobs: 'We are going to make a dent in this universe.' He emphasized that business excellence should not come at the cost of employee well-being. 'Fair wages, inclusive growth, and a balance between shareholders and stakeholders are key to sustainable business leadership,' he noted. Dr. Sheikh also proudly shared that over 250 global CEOs are IBA alumni, signifying IBA's longstanding influence in international business. Conference Convener, Dr. Aitzaz Ahsan Alias Sarang, opened the academic sessions by shedding light on the vulnerability of developing nations to climate change. He emphasized the urgency of adopting a green taxonomy to guide sustainable investments and policy frameworks. Dr. Aitzaz shared that 209 research paper submissions were received from over 55 universities, of which 80 percent were selected to be presented at the conference. The IBA-SBS 4th International Conference on 'Transforming Business for People and Planet' is a valuable platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and collaboration, bringing together thought leaders, practitioners, and policymakers. The first day of the conference featured a panel discussion on 'Pakistan's Critical Need for Climate Finance: Mobilizing the Private Sector,'; keynote addresses on 'Rising Above the Chaos: How Governance of Purpose-driven Organisations is THE Shared Leadership Agenda,' and 'Driving the Sustainability Transition: Legal, Policy and Corporate Innovations' and parallel technical sessions. The second day will continue with the last keynote address, technical sessions, followed by the closing ceremony. About IBA Karachi: IBA Karachi, Pakistan's leading and most prestigious institution of higher education, has nurtured generations of trailblazers, with 20,000+ alumni driving innovation and leading organizations across the globe. Equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, modern learning spaces, and cutting-edge facilities, IBA offers a world-class education that empowers students to shape the future. Committed to sustainability, IBA fosters an eco-conscious campus community, continuously reducing its carbon footprint through impactful green initiatives. With a rich legacy and an unwavering pursuit of progress, IBA continues to redefine education, leadership, and responsible innovation. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
