Breeding programs necessary in a time of biodiversity loss

DUBAI: There’s a scene roughly two-thirds of the way through “A Complete Unknown” when Bob Dylan (played by Timothée Chalamet) and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) sing “It Ain’t Me Babe” on stage at the Newport Folk Festival. It’s an extraordinary, electrifying performance — one that encapsulates the mesmerizing musical clarity and emotional power of this brilliant yet flawed biopic.

The opening quarter of James Mangold’s film is rich with such moments: a young, carefree Dylan singing “Song to Woody” for his hero Woody Guthrie; his first encounter with Baez at Gerde’s Folk City in 1961; the visible joy of Pete Seeger (played by Edward Norton) as Dylan performs “The Times They Are A-Changin’” at Newport in 1963; and the rapt attention of Seeger’s children as Dylan sings one morning in their family home. These scenes may play footloose and fancy-free with historical fact, but they brim with atmospheric splendor.

“A Complete Unknown” — co-written by Mangold and screenwriter Jay Cocks, and based on Elijah Wald’s book “Dylan Goes Electric!” — follows Dylan from his arrival in Greenwich Village in 1961 to his seismic performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. The latter, replete with a braying crowd and hostile projectiles, acts as the film’s explosive finale, as Dylan rejects the straitjacket of traditional acoustic folk in favor of electric experimentation.

Chalamet captivates as Dylan, capturing the singer-songwriter’s nonchalance and charisma, although the artist himself remains mostly a mystery. Sure, we see his ruffled hair, his quirky mannerisms, and his love of cigarettes, and Chalamet nails his distinctive, raspy, grittily raw voice, but Dylan the man is as doggedly elusive as ever. Outside of the musical set pieces, the songwriting, and a few intimate moments with Baez and his long-suffering girlfriend Sylvie (Elle Fanning, playing Dylan’s real-life partner Suze Rotolo), what remains is a moody, mumbling, and largely unpleasant artist grappling with the burden of celebrity.

That said, the movie’s faithful recreation of Greenwich Village and the New York folk scene of the early 1960s, its supporting performances — especially Norton’s Seeger and Barbaro’s Baez, and the addictive nature of the soundtrack not only make this a tribute to Dylan’s enduring influence, both as an artist and as a cultural icon, but a beautifully rendered period piece.

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain said on Thursday Islamabad was working to increase the number of skilled Pakistanis going for work to Saudi Arabia, his office said in a statement. 

Pakistanis are one of the largest migrant communities in Saudi Arabia, with an estimated 2.64 million working there as of 2023. Although 97 percent of them are blue-collar workers, there is a rising demand for skilled workers in the Kingdom as it moves to consolidate its economy on modern lines under the Vision 2030 program, a strategic development framework intended to cut reliance on oil. The plan is aimed at developing public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism.

Islamabad has been working on a new education policy to impart technical and other skills to at least a million youth per annum to export better trained human resource to Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, according to Pakistan’s education ministry.

“Efforts are being made to further increase the number of skilled workers,” Hussain was quoted as saying in a statement on Thursday after he attended the second Global Labour Conference being held in Saudi Arabia from Jan. 29-30. “Saudi Arabia values Pakistani workers and skilled professionals.”

“Hussain emphasized that Pakistan is committed to organizing and activating the labor market in collaboration with experts,” the statement added. 

On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Farooq visited the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) where he said the next two years would be crucial for Pakistan in expanding its presence in Saudi Arabia and capitalizing on “abundant opportunities” in the Kingdom’s construction, information technology, health care and hotels and hospitality sectors.

He stressed the need for Pakistan to impart better skills to its workforce so that they could secure gainful employment in the Kingdom. 

“If we do not claim our share immediately, it will be taken by competitors but to achieve this, Pakistan needs to focus on improving its workforce by imparting training as per Saudi requirements,” Farooq added.