Syria reopened a wing of the capital's famed antiquities museum on Sunday after six years of closure to protect its exhibits and visitors from rebel rocket fire in the civil war.

Officials swung open the large wooden door of the building in central Damascus for the first time since 2012.

On display were "some of the artefacts that used to be exhibited at the National Museum dating from the most historic periods, from prehistory to the Islamic era", antiquities official Ahmad Deeb said.

Authorities were working "to prepare the whole museum in the coming period" to be reopened, he said.

The Damascus museum, founded in 1920, was closed one year into the civil war as the then national head of antiquities took action to protect its artefacts from rebel rocket fire or shelling.

Its gardens, however, remained open to the public, even as rockets intermittently hit Damascus from the rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta, northeast of the capital.

Syria is home to more than 700 archeological sites, many of which have been destroyed, damaged or looted since the start of the war.

All warring sides have been accused of looting artifacts during the conflict, from both major archeological sites and the country's museums.

The most famous include the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO-listed heritage site overrun by the Islamic State group until the Russia-backed army retook it last year.

From 2012 onwards, the museums authority stored some 300,000 items and thousands of manuscripts from around the country at secret locations protected from fires, shelling and floods.

More than seven years into the conflict, President Bashar Assad's regime has secured the capital, after expelling rebels and jihadists from its outskirts earlier this year with Russian military support.

Assad's forces are now in control of around two-thirds of the country.

More than 360,000 people have been killed since the war started in March 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Syria reopened a wing of the capital's famed antiquities museum on Sunday after six years of closure to protect its exhibits and visitors from rebel rocket fire in the civil war.

Syria reopened a wing of the capital's famed antiquities museum on Sunday after six years of closure to protect its exhibits and visitors from rebel rocket fire in the civil war. Officials swung open the large wooden door of the building in central Damascus for the first time since 2012. On display were "some of the artefacts that used to be exhibited at the National Museum dating from the most historic periods, from prehistory to the Islamic era", antiquities official Ahmad Deeb said. Authorities were working "to prepare the whole museum in the coming period" to be reopened, he said. The Damascus museum, founded in 1920, was closed one year into the civil war as the then national head of antiquities took action to protect its artefacts from rebel rocket fire or shelling. Its gardens, however, remained open to the public, even as rockets intermittently hit Damascus from the rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta, northeast of the capital. Syria is home to more than 700 archeological sites, many of which have been destroyed, damaged or looted since the start of the war. All warring sides have been accused of looting artifacts during the conflict, from both major archeological sites and the country's museums. The most famous include the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO-listed heritage site overrun by the Islamic State group until the Russia-backed army retook it last year. From 2012 onwards, the museums authority stored some 300,000 items and thousands of manuscripts from around the country at secret locations protected from fires, shelling and floods. More than seven years into the conflict, President Bashar Assad's regime has secured the capital, after expelling rebels and jihadists from its outskirts earlier this year with Russian military support. Assad's forces are now in control of around two-thirds of the country. More than 360,000 people have been killed since the war started in March 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Syria reopens Damascus antiquities museum

Saudi Arabia admitted on Saturday that critic Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside its Istanbul consulate, but mystery surrounded the whereabouts of his body as Turkey kept up its investigation.

Amid mounting calls for an international probe into the death of the Washington Post journalist, Ankara vowed it would reveal all the details of its two-week inquiry.

Before dawn on Saturday, Riyadh announced that Khashoggi died during a "brawl" inside the consulate on October 2. Eighteen Saudis have been arrested in connection with his death and two top aides of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as three other intelligence agents, have been sacked.

A critic of the Gulf kingdom's powerful heir apparent, Khashoggi's disappearance had been shrouded in mystery and the growing international pressure has tipped Saudi Arabia into an international crisis.

Turkish officials have accused it of carrying out a state-sponsored killing and dismembering the body, which police have begun hunting for in an Istanbul forest.

In the latest version of events from Riyadh, Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said Khashoggi died after talks at the consulate degenerated into a physical altercation. He did not disclose the whereabouts of the journalist's body.

US President Donald Trump said he found the latest explanation credible despite continued scepticism from some US lawmakers, including Republicans.

The Saudi king also ordered the setting up of a ministerial body under the chairmanship of the crown prince to restructure the kingdom's intelligence agency and "define its powers precisely", Saudi state media said.

Key members of the crown prince's inner circle, deputy intelligence chief Ahmad al-Assiri and royal court media adviser Saud al-Qahtani, were sacked.&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia's Gulf ally, the United Arab Emirates, welcomed the moves by the king, as did Egypt.

But Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz tweeted that her heart was "full of sorrow" over the confirmation of his death. The couple had been due to marry this month.

Meanwhile, the UN chief, Britain's foreign ministry and media groups on Saturday called for the punishment of those who ordered and carried out Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing in Istanbul.

International reaction on Khashoggi's death

UN

"The Secretary-General stresses the need for a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr Khashoggi's death and full accountability for those responsible," Antonio Guterres's office said in a statement.

Britain

"We send our condolences to Jamal Khashoggi’s family after this confirmation of his death. We are considering the Saudi report and our next steps. As the Foreign Secretary has said, this was a terrible act and those responsible must be held to account," the foreign ministry said.

Germany 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel&nbsp;said those behind Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death must be brought to book and called for "transparency" from Riyadh.

"Those responsible must answer for their actions," Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a joint statement. "We expect transparency from Saudi Arabia on the circumstances of his death."

Reporters Without Borders

"Any attempt to get rid of the pressure on Saudi Arabia and to accept a compromise policy would result in giving a 'license to kill' to a Kingdom that puts in jail, lashes, kidnaps and even kills journalists who dare to investigate and launch debates," Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of the Paris-based media rights watchdog tweeted.

Turk-Arab Media Association

The Istanbul-based body, of which Khashoggi was a member, said it wanted all those involved in the plot -- right up to the highest rung -- to be punished.

"We demand that not only the 18 men but those who commanded (the killing) are punished," said Turan Kislakci, the head of the association, speaking outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

UNESCO

"The killing of Jamal Khashoggi reminds us of the need to fight for press freedom, which is essential to democracy. Accountability for these crimes is non-negotiable. I urge the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into this crime and bring its perpetrators to justice," UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay said.&nbsp;

Shielding crown prince

Meanwhile, the Saudi officials have roundly denied that King Salman's son, Prince Mohammed, had any involvement.

But one suspect identified by Turkey was said to be a frequent companion of the young heir to the throne, three others were linked to his security detail and a fifth is a high-level forensic specialist, according to The New York Times.

The decision to overhaul the intelligence apparatus and sack members of the crown prince's inner circle is designed to "distance the crown prince from the murder", said analysis firm Eurasia Group.

In Riyadh, preparations continued for an investment forum due to open on Tuesday despite high-profile international no-shows.

"I think that the transparency of the statement has made it clear that Saudi Arabia is a great and strong country and transparent in everything," said one Saudi citizen, Futayes Moqren, as he drank a coffee at a cafe.

In a recent off-the-record interview published posthumously by US magazine Newsweek, Khashoggi described the 33-year-old crown prince as "an old-fashioned tribal leader" but said he would have accepted an offer to work as his adviser.

"I'm not calling for the overthrow of the regime," the onetime royal insider said. "I'm just calling for reform of the regime."

Pro-government Turkish media have claimed that Khashoggi was tortured and decapitated by a Saudi hit squad, although Turkey has yet to release any official findings.

"Each successive narrative put out by the Saudis to explain what happened to Khashoggi has strained credulity," Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute in the United States, told AFP.

"Especially because the Saudis are still unable or unwilling to produce the one piece of evidence -- a body -- that could provide a definitive answer one way or the other."

Saudi Arabia admitted on Saturday that critic Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside its Istanbul consulate, but mystery surrounded the whereabouts of his body as Turkey kept up its investigation.

Saudi Arabia admitted on Saturday that critic Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside its Istanbul consulate, but mystery surrounded the whereabouts of his body as Turkey kept up its investigation. Amid mounting calls for an international probe into the death of the Washington Post journalist, Ankara vowed it would reveal all the details of its two-week inquiry. Before dawn on Saturday, Riyadh announced that Khashoggi died during a "brawl" inside the consulate on October 2. Eighteen Saudis have been arrested in connection with his death and two top aides of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as three other intelligence agents, have been sacked. A critic of the Gulf kingdom's powerful heir apparent, Khashoggi's disappearance had been shrouded in mystery and the growing international pressure has tipped Saudi Arabia into an international crisis. Turkish officials have accused it of carrying out a state-sponsored killing and dismembering the body, which police have begun hunting for in an Istanbul forest. In the latest version of events from Riyadh, Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said Khashoggi died after talks at the consulate degenerated into a physical altercation. He did not disclose the whereabouts of the journalist's body. US President Donald Trump said he found the latest explanation credible despite continued scepticism from some US lawmakers, including Republicans. The Saudi king also ordered the setting up of a ministerial body under the chairmanship of the crown prince to restructure the kingdom's intelligence agency and "define its powers precisely", Saudi state media said. Key members of the crown prince's inner circle, deputy intelligence chief Ahmad al-Assiri and royal court media adviser Saud al-Qahtani, were sacked. Saudi Arabia's Gulf ally, the United Arab Emirates, welcomed the moves by the king, as did Egypt. But Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz tweeted that her heart was "full of sorrow" over the confirmation of his death. The couple had been due to marry this month. Meanwhile, the UN chief, Britain's foreign ministry and media groups on Saturday called for the punishment of those who ordered and carried out Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing in Istanbul. International reaction on Khashoggi's death UN "The Secretary-General stresses the need for a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr Khashoggi's death and full accountability for those responsible," Antonio Guterres's office said in a statement. Britain "We send our condolences to Jamal Khashoggi’s family after this confirmation of his death. We are considering the Saudi report and our next steps. As the Foreign Secretary has said, this was a terrible act and those responsible must be held to account," the foreign ministry said. Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel said those behind Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death must be brought to book and called for "transparency" from Riyadh. "Those responsible must answer for their actions," Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a joint statement. "We expect transparency from Saudi Arabia on the circumstances of his death." Reporters Without Borders "Any attempt to get rid of the pressure on Saudi Arabia and to accept a compromise policy would result in giving a 'license to kill' to a Kingdom that puts in jail, lashes, kidnaps and even kills journalists who dare to investigate and launch debates," Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of the Paris-based media rights watchdog tweeted. Turk-Arab Media Association The Istanbul-based body, of which Khashoggi was a member, said it wanted all those involved in the plot -- right up to the highest rung -- to be punished. "We demand that not only the 18 men but those who commanded (the killing) are punished," said Turan Kislakci, the head of the association, speaking outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. UNESCO "The killing of Jamal Khashoggi reminds us of the need to fight for press freedom, which is essential to democracy. Accountability for these crimes is non-negotiable. I urge the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into this crime and bring its perpetrators to justice," UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay said. Shielding crown prince Meanwhile, the Saudi officials have roundly denied that King Salman's son, Prince Mohammed, had any involvement. But one suspect identified by Turkey was said to be a frequent companion of the young heir to the throne, three others were linked to his security detail and a fifth is a high-level forensic specialist, according to The New York Times. The decision to overhaul the intelligence apparatus and sack members of the crown prince's inner circle is designed to "distance the crown prince from the murder", said analysis firm Eurasia Group. In Riyadh, preparations continued for an investment forum due to open on Tuesday despite high-profile international no-shows. "I think that the transparency of the statement has made it clear that Saudi Arabia is a great and strong country and transparent in everything," said one Saudi citizen, Futayes Moqren, as he drank a coffee at a cafe. In a recent off-the-record interview published posthumously by US magazine Newsweek, Khashoggi described the 33-year-old crown prince as "an old-fashioned tribal leader" but said he would have accepted an offer to work as his adviser. "I'm not calling for the overthrow of the regime," the onetime royal insider said. "I'm just calling for reform of the regime." Pro-government Turkish media have claimed that Khashoggi was tortured and decapitated by a Saudi hit squad, although Turkey has yet to release any official findings. "Each successive narrative put out by the Saudis to explain what happened to Khashoggi has strained credulity," Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute in the United States, told AFP. "Especially because the Saudis are still unable or unwilling to produce the one piece of evidence -- a body -- that could provide a definitive answer one way or the other."

Khashoggi killing: Officials deny Bin Salman's involvement as calls mount for international probe

Disfigured by four decades of war, the Afghan capital Kabul offers few reminders of its former glory in Islamic art or religious tolerance but a rare exhibition of Mughal paintings is seeking to change that.

Dozens of enlarged reproductions of miniatures -- highly detailed paintings the size of a school notebook -- that were created in Kabul during the 16th century have gone on display in Babur Gardens, where the first Mughal emperor is buried among roses and pomegranate trees.

For American historian and Islamic art expert Michael Barry, the exhibition of more than 60 paintings is the culmination of a promise he made to himself while working in Kabul over the past decades.

"When I was standing in this garden, shattered under mortars and rockets in the 1990s (civil war), I swore to myself that one day I would bring back its glory," Barry told AFP recently during a tour of the display he curated.

"It's a way to restore the legitimate cultural pride of a country that has lost so much, to show what its ancestors were able to create and what they are still able to give to the world."

The original miniatures are held in private and institutional collections around the world and are so delicate they need to be kept in the dark most of the time, Barry said.

To enable ordinary Afghans to see the precious works and appreciate the richness of their country's artistic heritage, the American Institute of Afghan Studies ordered enlarged, high-resolution copies of the paintings on metal to be made in Paris.

"This imaginary museum restores in Kabul what made its glory," Barry said, as he walked around the hall of reproductions.

In the mid-16th century, several painters from the western city of Herat, where miniature painting had flourished under the Timurid empire, were invited to Kabul by Emperor Babur's son, Humayun.

The paintings created in Kabul gave birth to the Mughal art of India, Barry said.

Babur is one of the last Mughal gardens and has been described by UNESCO as "an outstanding example of a cultural landscape".

It was designed by Emperor Babur before he conquered northern India and it eventually became his final resting place.

The garden was devastated during the Afghan civil war in the 1990s but has since recovered with the help of the Aga Khan Foundation to become a popular place for young couples and family outings.

Barry hopes the exhibition will remind Afghans that their country once boasted "tremendous wealth of extraordinary opulence, extremely refined arts and... a policy of religious tolerance like no other in the world".

This tolerance was expressed in the proclamation of "Universal Peace" by the third Mughal emperor Akbar, who was deeply opposed to discrimination.

"Hindu generals and ministers served the emperor in equal rank with Muslims, both Sunni and Shiite," Barry said.

"The emperor was so interested in religion that he also invited Portuguese Jesuits from Goa to the court."

The exhibition also shows the connection between the Mughal dynasty and Renaissance Europe: golden halos flatter portraits of emperors while cherubs, chubby and frizzy, cling to powdery clouds.

The miniatures also show women's faces as symbols of spirituality -- a very different image to one of heavily veiled women seen in Afghanistan today.

The apparent harmony on display provides a stark contrast to the discord in 21st century Afghanistan, which is divided along ethnic lines and haunted by religious extremists such as the Islamic State group that are intolerant of other faiths.

Barry said he hoped the exhibition would send a positive message to ordinary Afghans.

"This symbolic art is a wonderful signal to today's Afghans about the role played by an empire known for its diversity, religious tolerance and profound philosophy."

Disfigured by four decades of war, the Afghan capital Kabul offers few reminders of its former glory in Islamic art or religious tolerance but a rare exhibition of Mughal paintings is seeking to change that

Disfigured by four decades of war, the Afghan capital Kabul offers few reminders of its former glory in Islamic art or religious tolerance but a rare exhibition of Mughal paintings is seeking to change that. Dozens of enlarged reproductions of miniatures -- highly detailed paintings the size of a school notebook -- that were created in Kabul during the 16th century have gone on display in Babur Gardens, where the first Mughal emperor is buried among roses and pomegranate trees. For American historian and Islamic art expert Michael Barry, the exhibition of more than 60 paintings is the culmination of a promise he made to himself while working in Kabul over the past decades. "When I was standing in this garden, shattered under mortars and rockets in the 1990s (civil war), I swore to myself that one day I would bring back its glory," Barry told AFP recently during a tour of the display he curated. "It's a way to restore the legitimate cultural pride of a country that has lost so much, to show what its ancestors were able to create and what they are still able to give to the world." The original miniatures are held in private and institutional collections around the world and are so delicate they need to be kept in the dark most of the time, Barry said. To enable ordinary Afghans to see the precious works and appreciate the richness of their country's artistic heritage, the American Institute of Afghan Studies ordered enlarged, high-resolution copies of the paintings on metal to be made in Paris. "This imaginary museum restores in Kabul what made its glory," Barry said, as he walked around the hall of reproductions. In the mid-16th century, several painters from the western city of Herat, where miniature painting had flourished under the Timurid empire, were invited to Kabul by Emperor Babur's son, Humayun. The paintings created in Kabul gave birth to the Mughal art of India, Barry said. Babur is one of the last Mughal gardens and has been described by UNESCO as "an outstanding example of a cultural landscape". It was designed by Emperor Babur before he conquered northern India and it eventually became his final resting place. The garden was devastated during the Afghan civil war in the 1990s but has since recovered with the help of the Aga Khan Foundation to become a popular place for young couples and family outings. Barry hopes the exhibition will remind Afghans that their country once boasted "tremendous wealth of extraordinary opulence, extremely refined arts and... a policy of religious tolerance like no other in the world". This tolerance was expressed in the proclamation of "Universal Peace" by the third Mughal emperor Akbar, who was deeply opposed to discrimination. "Hindu generals and ministers served the emperor in equal rank with Muslims, both Sunni and Shiite," Barry said. "The emperor was so interested in religion that he also invited Portuguese Jesuits from Goa to the court." The exhibition also shows the connection between the Mughal dynasty and Renaissance Europe: golden halos flatter portraits of emperors while cherubs, chubby and frizzy, cling to powdery clouds. The miniatures also show women's faces as symbols of spirituality -- a very different image to one of heavily veiled women seen in Afghanistan today. The apparent harmony on display provides a stark contrast to the discord in 21st century Afghanistan, which is divided along ethnic lines and haunted by religious extremists such as the Islamic State group that are intolerant of other faiths. Barry said he hoped the exhibition would send a positive message to ordinary Afghans. "This symbolic art is a wonderful signal to today's Afghans about the role played by an empire known for its diversity, religious tolerance and profound philosophy."

Mughal exhibition in Kabul a reminder of the city's artistic glory

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed concern over the change of colour of the iconic Taj Mahal at Agra and said the monument had become yellowish earlier and was now turning brownish and greenish.

The apex court suggested that the Centre take the assistance of experts from India and abroad to first assess the damage and then take steps to restore the historic monument.

"We don't know whether you have or perhaps don't have the expertise. Even if you have the expertise, you are not utilising it. Or perhaps you don't care," a bench comprising Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said.

"Perhaps we need some expert organisation from outside India unless there is a decision that the Taj has to go," the bench said sarcastically, adding, "you can get experts from India as well as from outside."

The apex court perused the photographs placed before it by petitioner MC Mehta and asked Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, who was representing the government, as to why the colour of Taj Mahal has changed.

"First it was yellow and now it is becoming brown and green," the bench observed.

Nadkarni told the bench that the management of Taj Mahal has to be done by the Archaeological Survey of India.

The apex court fixed the matter for further hearing on May 9.

Environmentalist Mehta has filed the plea seeking protection of the Taj from the ill-effects of polluting gases and deforestation in and around the area.

The top court has been monitoring developments in the area to protect the historic monument, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal in 1631. The mausoleum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.&nbsp;

The apex court suggested that the Centre take the assistance of experts from India and abroad to first assess the damage and then take steps to restore the historic monument

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed concern over the change of colour of the iconic Taj Mahal at Agra and said the monument had become yellowish earlier and was now turning brownish and greenish. The apex court suggested that the Centre take the assistance of experts from India and abroad to first assess the damage and then take steps to restore the historic monument. "We don't know whether you have or perhaps don't have the expertise. Even if you have the expertise, you are not utilising it. Or perhaps you don't care," a bench comprising Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said. "Perhaps we need some expert organisation from outside India unless there is a decision that the Taj has to go," the bench said sarcastically, adding, "you can get experts from India as well as from outside." The apex court perused the photographs placed before it by petitioner MC Mehta and asked Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, who was representing the government, as to why the colour of Taj Mahal has changed. "First it was yellow and now it is becoming brown and green," the bench observed. Nadkarni told the bench that the management of Taj Mahal has to be done by the Archaeological Survey of India. The apex court fixed the matter for further hearing on May 9. Environmentalist Mehta has filed the plea seeking protection of the Taj from the ill-effects of polluting gases and deforestation in and around the area. The top court has been monitoring developments in the area to protect the historic monument, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal in 1631. The mausoleum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

First yellow... now brown and green: Supreme Court expresses concern over change in Taj Mahal's colour

By Mike Muller*

Each year UNESCO releases a World Water Assessment Report, a document that explores potential solutions to the globe’s water problems. The 2018 report will focus on nature based solutions.

The authors suggest that this approach will

address contemporary water management challenges across all sectors, and particularly regarding water for agriculture, sustainable cities, disaster risk reduction and improving water quality.

It would see the use of “ecosystem services” from the natural environment to provide water supplies and water purification. For example, some of the proposals in the report, with which I have been engaging since 2015, include relying on wetlands to store and purify water rather than building dams and treatment plants.

Although they are attractive, these nature-based solutions are not the ‘green bullet’ that will solve the world’s water problems. They can work in some places, but on the whole they face serious limitations. These include the fact that they often require lots of land and compete with farming and housing for space.

On top of this nature-based solutions may actually be harmful. They can reduce the amount of water available for human use and contribute to climate change. They may even fail during extreme droughts or floods.

Lastly, they simply cannot respond to the pace at which developing countries are growing and the water requirements and challenges that come with this. This means that nature-based approaches will do little to meet the African continent’s needs.

Lessons from Cape Town

Cape Town’s ongoing water crisis illustrates the problems. The South African city has tried “green” water management options these have not averted the current crisis.

Take the “Working for Water” programme. Established as a national Public Works Programme in 1995 its aim was to make more water available by cutting alien trees, which are said to consume a great deal of water. Hundreds of millions of rand have been spent around Cape Town as part of this programme. It’s created tens of thousands of short-term public works jobs – but provided no relief from the drought.

Another solution that is being implemented is to reuse some of the wastewater the city currently dumps into the sea. This has to be carefully purified. One way to do this would be to use natural purification in large sewage treatment ponds. But land is scarce and there is not nearly enough open space available. Instead, conventional mechanical treatment infrastructure will be needed.

Value in some contexts

This is not to say that nature-based solutions have no value – in the right context.

For instance, it makes sense to recharge the groundwater on which many communities depend if there is an opportunity to do so. This approach is being proposed in the report in place of new dams. In the US some states that have large “aquifers” do this regularly. They effectively manage underground storage in aquifers as a dam, pumping water in when they have surplus and extracting it again when they need it.

In Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, the local aquifer whose springs attracted German colonial settlers is now being used to provide additional storage to help the city to survive during its frequent droughts.

But, as the Windhoek case shows, even supposedly natural solutions need an infrastructure of pumps, pipelines, recharge wells and reservoirs. They also require large areas of the city to remain undeveloped so that the underground water is not polluted by people living above it.

So these “natural” methods remain an attractive option for smaller towns the challenge for larger cities is often their extensive land requirements.

Proponents of nature-based approaches also often fail to recognise their down-sides. Sustainable urban drainage, for instance, uses grassy areas and permeable pavements to slow the flow of storm water and allow it to soak into the soil. While some may recharge groundwater, much is lost to evaporation and so reduces the flow of water into rivers and dams.

In South Africa, only around 8% of rainfall actually reaches rivers and dams. Reducing that flow will actually reduce the amount of water available for use and increase water scarcity.

Similarly, while proponents of nature-based solutions make much of the ability of wetlands to store water and release a small and steady flow after a flood, they also lose large quantities of water through evaporation. 94% of the Okavango River, southern Africa’s third largest, is lost to evaporation in this way from Botswana’s Okavango swamps, as is half of the flow of the White Nile from the Sudd swamps of Southern Sudan.

Wetlands also aggravate the problems of climate change and accelerate global warming. They are the largest single emitters of methane, a potent greenhouse gas which is driving global warming. More methane is generated by wetlands than from all human sources – and this is expected to increase as the earth warms.

Large challenges

The real problem is that the nature-based approaches originated in the context of Europe and North America. These regions have already built many of the infrastructure systems they need, from dams and pipe networks to wastewater treatment works. They do not have Africa’s huge infrastructure deficit.

Rich country populations are static. With their basic needs now met, they seek to improve the quality of their environment. But developing countries face a completely different kind of challenge. As an example, by 2050 sub-Saharan Africa’s urban population is expected to increase by 720 million people while Europe’s will grow by just 36 million.

So, while some nature-based approaches may be relevant, the reality is that they will make only a small contribution to the large challenges that the developing world must address.&nbsp

*Mike Muller is a visiting adjunct Professor at University of the Witwatersrand

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The nature-based solutions are not the ‘green bullet’ that will solve the world’s water problems. They can work in some places, but on the whole, they face serious limitations

By Mike Muller* Each year UNESCO releases a World Water Assessment Report, a document that explores potential solutions to the globe’s water problems. The 2018 report will focus on nature based solutions. The authors suggest that this approach will address contemporary water management challenges across all sectors, and particularly regarding water for agriculture, sustainable cities, disaster risk reduction and improving water quality. It would see the use of “ecosystem services” from the natural environment to provide water supplies and water purification. For example, some of the proposals in the report, with which I have been engaging since 2015, include relying on wetlands to store and purify water rather than building dams and treatment plants. Although they are attractive, these nature-based solutions are not the ‘green bullet’ that will solve the world’s water problems. They can work in some places, but on the whole they face serious limitations. These include the fact that they often require lots of land and compete with farming and housing for space. On top of this nature-based solutions may actually be harmful. They can reduce the amount of water available for human use and contribute to climate change. They may even fail during extreme droughts or floods. Lastly, they simply cannot respond to the pace at which developing countries are growing and the water requirements and challenges that come with this. This means that nature-based approaches will do little to meet the African continent’s needs. Lessons from Cape Town Cape Town’s ongoing water crisis illustrates the problems. The South African city has tried “green” water management options these have not averted the current crisis. Take the “Working for Water” programme. Established as a national Public Works Programme in 1995 its aim was to make more water available by cutting alien trees, which are said to consume a great deal of water. Hundreds of millions of rand have been spent around Cape Town as part of this programme. It’s created tens of thousands of short-term public works jobs – but provided no relief from the drought. Another solution that is being implemented is to reuse some of the wastewater the city currently dumps into the sea. This has to be carefully purified. One way to do this would be to use natural purification in large sewage treatment ponds. But land is scarce and there is not nearly enough open space available. Instead, conventional mechanical treatment infrastructure will be needed. Value in some contexts This is not to say that nature-based solutions have no value – in the right context. For instance, it makes sense to recharge the groundwater on which many communities depend if there is an opportunity to do so. This approach is being proposed in the report in place of new dams. In the US some states that have large “aquifers” do this regularly. They effectively manage underground storage in aquifers as a dam, pumping water in when they have surplus and extracting it again when they need it. In Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, the local aquifer whose springs attracted German colonial settlers is now being used to provide additional storage to help the city to survive during its frequent droughts. But, as the Windhoek case shows, even supposedly natural solutions need an infrastructure of pumps, pipelines, recharge wells and reservoirs. They also require large areas of the city to remain undeveloped so that the underground water is not polluted by people living above it. So these “natural” methods remain an attractive option for smaller towns the challenge for larger cities is often their extensive land requirements. Proponents of nature-based approaches also often fail to recognise their down-sides. Sustainable urban drainage, for instance, uses grassy areas and permeable pavements to slow the flow of storm water and allow it to soak into the soil. While some may recharge groundwater, much is lost to evaporation and so reduces the flow of water into rivers and dams. In South Africa, only around 8% of rainfall actually reaches rivers and dams. Reducing that flow will actually reduce the amount of water available for use and increase water scarcity. Similarly, while proponents of nature-based solutions make much of the ability of wetlands to store water and release a small and steady flow after a flood, they also lose large quantities of water through evaporation. 94% of the Okavango River, southern Africa’s third largest, is lost to evaporation in this way from Botswana’s Okavango swamps, as is half of the flow of the White Nile from the Sudd swamps of Southern Sudan. Wetlands also aggravate the problems of climate change and accelerate global warming. They are the largest single emitters of methane, a potent greenhouse gas which is driving global warming. More methane is generated by wetlands than from all human sources – and this is expected to increase as the earth warms. Large challenges The real problem is that the nature-based approaches originated in the context of Europe and North America. These regions have already built many of the infrastructure systems they need, from dams and pipe networks to wastewater treatment works. They do not have Africa’s huge infrastructure deficit. Rich country populations are static. With their basic needs now met, they seek to improve the quality of their environment. But developing countries face a completely different kind of challenge. As an example, by 2050 sub-Saharan Africa’s urban population is expected to increase by 720 million people while Europe’s will grow by just 36 million. So, while some nature-based approaches may be relevant, the reality is that they will make only a small contribution to the large challenges that the developing world must address. *Mike Muller is a visiting adjunct Professor at University of the Witwatersrand (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why UNESCO's 'natural solutions' to water problems won't work in Africa

By Mike Muller*

Each year UNESCO releases a World Water Assessment Report, a document that explores potential solutions to the globe&rsquo;s water problems. The 2018 report will focus on nature based solutions.

The authors suggest that this approach will

address contemporary water management challenges across all sectors, and particularly regarding water for agriculture, sustainable cities, disaster risk reduction and improving water quality.

It would see the use of &ldquo;ecosystem services&rdquo; from the natural environment to provide water supplies and water purification. For example, some of the proposals in the report, with which I have been engaging since 2015, include relying on wetlands to store and purify water rather than building dams and treatment plants.

Although they are attractive, these nature based solutions are not the &lsquo;green bullet&rsquo; that will solve the world&rsquo;s water problems. They can work in some places, but on the whole they face serious limitations. These include the fact that they often require lots of land and compete with farming and housing for space.

On top of this nature based solutions may actually be harmful. They can reduce the amount of water available for human use and contribute to climate change. They may even fail during extreme droughts or floods.

Lastly, they simply cannot respond to the pace at which developing countries are growing and the water requirements and challenges that come with this. This means that nature-based approaches will do little to meet the African continent&rsquo;s needs.

Lessons from Cape Town

Cape Town&rsquo;s ongoing water crisis illustrates the problems. The South African city has tried &ldquo;green&rdquo; water management options; these have not averted the current crisis.

Take the &ldquo;Working for Water&rdquo; programme. Established as a national Public Works Programme in 1995 its aim was to make more water available by cutting alien trees, which are said to consume a great deal of water. Hundreds of millions of rand have been spent around Cape Town as part of this programme. It&rsquo;s created tens of thousands of short term public works jobs &ndash; but provided no relief from the drought.

Another solution that is being implemented is to reuse some of the wastewater the city currently dumps into the sea. This has to be carefully purified. One way to do this would be to use natural purification in large sewage treatment ponds. But land is scarce and there is not nearly enough open space available. Instead, conventional mechanical treatment infrastructure will be needed.

Value in some contexts

This is not to say that nature based solutions have no value &ndash; in the right context.

For instance, it makes sense to recharge the groundwater on which many communities depend if there is an opportunity to do so. This approach is being proposed in the report in place of new dams. In the US some states that have large &ldquo;aquifers&rdquo; do this regularly. They effectively manage underground storage in aquifers as a dam, pumping water in when they have surplus and extracting it again when they need it.

In Windhoek, Namibia&rsquo;s capital, the local aquifer whose springs attracted German colonial settlers is now being used to provide additional storage to help the city to survive during its frequent droughts.

But, as the Windhoek case shows, even supposedly natural solutions need an infrastructure of pumps, pipelines, recharge wells and reservoirs. They also require large areas of the city to remain undeveloped so that the underground water is not polluted by people living above it.

So these &ldquo;natural&rdquo; methods remain an attractive option for smaller towns; the challenge for larger cities is often their extensive land requirements.

Proponents of nature-based approaches also often fail to recognise their down-sides. Sustainable urban drainage, for instance, uses grassy areas and permeable pavements to slow the flow of storm water and allow it to soak into the soil. While some may recharge groundwater, much is lost to evaporation and so reduces the flow of water into rivers and dams.

In South Africa, only around 8% of rainfall actually reaches rivers and dams. Reducing that flow will actually reduce the amount of water available for use and increase water scarcity.

Similarly, while proponents of nature based solutions make much of the ability of wetlands to store water and release a small and steady flow after a flood, they also lose large quantities of water through evaporation. 94% of the Okavango River, southern Africa&rsquo;s third largest, is lost to evaporation in this way from Botswana&rsquo;s Okavango swamps, as is half of the flow of the White Nile from the Sudd swamps of Southern Sudan.

Wetlands also aggravate the problems of climate change and accelerate global warming. They are the largest single emitters of methane, a potent greenhouse gas which is driving global warming. More methane is generated by wetlands than from all human sources &ndash; and this is expected to increase as the earth warms.

Large challenges

The real problem is that the nature based approaches originated in the context of Europe and North America. These regions have already built many of the infrastructure systems they need, from dams and pipe networks to wastewater treatment works. They do not have Africa&rsquo;s huge infrastructure deficit.

Rich country populations are static. With their basic needs now met, they seek to improve the quality of their environment. But developing countries face a completely different kind of challenge. As an example, by 2050 sub-Saharan Africa&rsquo;s urban population is expected to increase by 720 million people while Europe&rsquo;s will grow by just 36 million.

So, while some nature-based approaches may be relevant, the reality is that they will make only a small contribution to the large challenges that the developing world must address.&nbsp;

*Mike Muller is a visiting adjunct Professor at University of the Witwatersrand

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The nature based solutions are not the ‘green bullet’ that will solve the world’s water problems. They can work in some places, but on the whole they face serious limitations.

By Mike Muller* Each year UNESCO releases a World Water Assessment Report, a document that explores potential solutions to the globe’s water problems. The 2018 report will focus on nature based solutions. The authors suggest that this approach will address contemporary water management challenges across all sectors, and particularly regarding water for agriculture, sustainable cities, disaster risk reduction and improving water quality. It would see the use of “ecosystem services” from the natural environment to provide water supplies and water purification. For example, some of the proposals in the report, with which I have been engaging since 2015, include relying on wetlands to store and purify water rather than building dams and treatment plants. Although they are attractive, these nature based solutions are not the ‘green bullet’ that will solve the world’s water problems. They can work in some places, but on the whole they face serious limitations. These include the fact that they often require lots of land and compete with farming and housing for space. On top of this nature based solutions may actually be harmful. They can reduce the amount of water available for human use and contribute to climate change. They may even fail during extreme droughts or floods. Lastly, they simply cannot respond to the pace at which developing countries are growing and the water requirements and challenges that come with this. This means that nature-based approaches will do little to meet the African continent’s needs. Lessons from Cape Town Cape Town’s ongoing water crisis illustrates the problems. The South African city has tried “green” water management options; these have not averted the current crisis. Take the “Working for Water” programme. Established as a national Public Works Programme in 1995 its aim was to make more water available by cutting alien trees, which are said to consume a great deal of water. Hundreds of millions of rand have been spent around Cape Town as part of this programme. It’s created tens of thousands of short term public works jobs – but provided no relief from the drought. Another solution that is being implemented is to reuse some of the wastewater the city currently dumps into the sea. This has to be carefully purified. One way to do this would be to use natural purification in large sewage treatment ponds. But land is scarce and there is not nearly enough open space available. Instead, conventional mechanical treatment infrastructure will be needed. Value in some contexts This is not to say that nature based solutions have no value – in the right context. For instance, it makes sense to recharge the groundwater on which many communities depend if there is an opportunity to do so. This approach is being proposed in the report in place of new dams. In the US some states that have large “aquifers” do this regularly. They effectively manage underground storage in aquifers as a dam, pumping water in when they have surplus and extracting it again when they need it. In Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, the local aquifer whose springs attracted German colonial settlers is now being used to provide additional storage to help the city to survive during its frequent droughts. But, as the Windhoek case shows, even supposedly natural solutions need an infrastructure of pumps, pipelines, recharge wells and reservoirs. They also require large areas of the city to remain undeveloped so that the underground water is not polluted by people living above it. So these “natural” methods remain an attractive option for smaller towns; the challenge for larger cities is often their extensive land requirements. Proponents of nature-based approaches also often fail to recognise their down-sides. Sustainable urban drainage, for instance, uses grassy areas and permeable pavements to slow the flow of storm water and allow it to soak into the soil. While some may recharge groundwater, much is lost to evaporation and so reduces the flow of water into rivers and dams. In South Africa, only around 8% of rainfall actually reaches rivers and dams. Reducing that flow will actually reduce the amount of water available for use and increase water scarcity. Similarly, while proponents of nature based solutions make much of the ability of wetlands to store water and release a small and steady flow after a flood, they also lose large quantities of water through evaporation. 94% of the Okavango River, southern Africa’s third largest, is lost to evaporation in this way from Botswana’s Okavango swamps, as is half of the flow of the White Nile from the Sudd swamps of Southern Sudan. Wetlands also aggravate the problems of climate change and accelerate global warming. They are the largest single emitters of methane, a potent greenhouse gas which is driving global warming. More methane is generated by wetlands than from all human sources – and this is expected to increase as the earth warms. Large challenges The real problem is that the nature based approaches originated in the context of Europe and North America. These regions have already built many of the infrastructure systems they need, from dams and pipe networks to wastewater treatment works. They do not have Africa’s huge infrastructure deficit. Rich country populations are static. With their basic needs now met, they seek to improve the quality of their environment. But developing countries face a completely different kind of challenge. As an example, by 2050 sub-Saharan Africa’s urban population is expected to increase by 720 million people while Europe’s will grow by just 36 million. So, while some nature-based approaches may be relevant, the reality is that they will make only a small contribution to the large challenges that the developing world must address. *Mike Muller is a visiting adjunct Professor at University of the Witwatersrand (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The Elephanta Island, home to the famous Elephanta Caves, finally gets electricity on Thursday, after a wait of 70 years.&nbsp;

A 7.5-km long undersea cable has finally brought electricity to the world-famous Gharapuri Isle, which houses the UNESCO World Heritage site Elephanta Caves, about 10-km from Mumbai, a top official said.&nbsp;

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Electricity connection made accessible to Elephanta Island after 70 years of Independence; a 7.5 km long undersea cable brought electricity to three villages- Raj Bander, Mora Bander &amp; Shet Bander <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Maharashtra?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Maharashtra</a> <a href="https://t.co/95SfooC7PD">pic.twitter.com/95SfooC7PD</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/966848220990078976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The project to electrify the island, thronged daily by thousands of Indian and foreign tourists, has cost a total of Rs 25 crore and was completed in 15 months.

&quot;Elephanta caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and yet it took so many years for electricity to reach the island,&quot; said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Gharapuri Island, a UNESCO recognized World Heritage Site, is an important tourist destination of the country.&nbsp;

It comes under the jurisdiction of Tourism Development Corporation, and earlier the electricity was supplied through the diesel generator on the island.&nbsp;

The project to electrify the island, thronged daily by thousands of Indian and foreign tourists, has cost a total of Rs 25 crore and was completed in 15 months

The Elephanta Island, home to the famous Elephanta Caves, finally gets electricity on Thursday, after a wait of 70 years. A 7.5-km long undersea cable has finally brought electricity to the world-famous Gharapuri Isle, which houses the UNESCO World Heritage site Elephanta Caves, about 10-km from Mumbai, a top official said. Electricity connection made accessible to Elephanta Island after 70 years of Independence; a 7.5 km long undersea cable brought electricity to three villages- Raj Bander, Mora Bander & Shet Bander #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/95SfooC7PD — ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2018 × The project to electrify the island, thronged daily by thousands of Indian and foreign tourists, has cost a total of Rs 25 crore and was completed in 15 months. "Elephanta caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and yet it took so many years for electricity to reach the island," said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Gharapuri Island, a UNESCO recognized World Heritage Site, is an important tourist destination of the country. It comes under the jurisdiction of Tourism Development Corporation, and earlier the electricity was supplied through the diesel generator on the island.

70 years after Independence power reaches Elephanta Caves 

A mound spotted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at a village in Sheikhpura district has yielded potsherds, perhaps dating back to 1000 BC. 
 
Potsherds are pieces of broken ceramic pot or other earthenware that have archaeological significance.

&quot;We visited the site yesterday and were thrilled to discover a number of potsherds which give a hint about the antiquity of the mound,&quot; Executive Director of the K P Jayaswal Research Institute, Bijoy Kumar Chaudhary, said yesterday.

The state-run institute, located in the Patna Museum building, research&nbsp;in the field of history and archaeology.

&quot;Black slip wares and black and red wares found at the site appear to be of a period around 1000 BC. We also found some red furnished ware that could date back to the Neolithic period,&quot; Chaudhary told PTI.

A team of archaeologists conducted preliminary explorations at Pharpar village in Ariyari block after getting a call from Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh.

The chief secretary, who was accompanying the chief minister during his visit to the village on Friday, telephoned Chaudhary after Kumar noticed the mound and observed that it looked like a site of historical and archaeological importance, he said.

The village is about 120 kilometers from the state capital.

The archaeologists also found some fragmented sculptures of Buddha, Lord Vishnu, and some female deities.

&quot;Fragmented sculptures had been found in the village earlier also when our institute was carrying out state-wide explorations. But the mound was overlooked at that time,&quot; Chaudhary said.

Preliminary exploration has established the archaeological significance of the spot, he said.

&quot;We now plan to conduct a comprehensive exploration which may yield many more artifacts and shed light on the historical significance of the obscure spot,&quot; Chaudhary said.

The spot was noticed by the chief minister on Friday when he was there on his &#39;Vikas Samiksha Yatra&#39;, to take stock of the development work carried out by his government.

Nitish Kumar is known for his interest in archaeology.

At his instance, a &quot;Bihar museum&quot; has been set up in the state capital, which was inaugurated a couple of months ago while museums across the state are being given a face-lift.

After the ancient Nalanda University got the UNESCO World Heritage status in 2016, Kumar is now making efforts to get the same tag for the cyclopean wall at Rajgir.

A cyclopean wall is constructed without mortar, using enormous blocks of stone.

The archaeologists also found some fragmented sculptures of Buddha, Lord Vishnu, and some female deities

A mound spotted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at a village in Sheikhpura district has yielded potsherds, perhaps dating back to 1000 BC. Potsherds are pieces of broken ceramic pot or other earthenware that have archaeological significance. "We visited the site yesterday and were thrilled to discover a number of potsherds which give a hint about the antiquity of the mound," Executive Director of the K P Jayaswal Research Institute, Bijoy Kumar Chaudhary, said yesterday. The state-run institute, located in the Patna Museum building, research in the field of history and archaeology. "Black slip wares and black and red wares found at the site appear to be of a period around 1000 BC. We also found some red furnished ware that could date back to the Neolithic period," Chaudhary told PTI. A team of archaeologists conducted preliminary explorations at Pharpar village in Ariyari block after getting a call from Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh. The chief secretary, who was accompanying the chief minister during his visit to the village on Friday, telephoned Chaudhary after Kumar noticed the mound and observed that it looked like a site of historical and archaeological importance, he said. The village is about 120 kilometers from the state capital. The archaeologists also found some fragmented sculptures of Buddha, Lord Vishnu, and some female deities. "Fragmented sculptures had been found in the village earlier also when our institute was carrying out state-wide explorations. But the mound was overlooked at that time," Chaudhary said. Preliminary exploration has established the archaeological significance of the spot, he said. "We now plan to conduct a comprehensive exploration which may yield many more artifacts and shed light on the historical significance of the obscure spot," Chaudhary said. The spot was noticed by the chief minister on Friday when he was there on his 'Vikas Samiksha Yatra', to take stock of the development work carried out by his government. Nitish Kumar is known for his interest in archaeology. At his instance, a "Bihar museum" has been set up in the state capital, which was inaugurated a couple of months ago while museums across the state are being given a face-lift. After the ancient Nalanda University got the UNESCO World Heritage status in 2016, Kumar is now making efforts to get the same tag for the cyclopean wall at Rajgir. A cyclopean wall is constructed without mortar, using enormous blocks of stone.

Mound found by Nitish yields 3000-year-old potsherds

UNESCO has described &#39;Kumbha Mela&#39; as India&#39;s &lsquo;Intangible Cultural Heritage&#39; on Friday.

The &#39;mela&#39; was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UN body. Kumbha Mela is one of the oldest and holiest congregations of pilgrims that takes places every 12 years and rotates between four holy&nbsp;sites of Hindu tradition - Allahabad, Ujjain, Nasik and Haridwar.

It was identified as one of the newest additions to the list this year among 33 others.

The list describes Kumbh Mela as &ldquo;the festival of the sacred Pitcher&rdquo; where pilgrims bathe or take a dip in a sacred river.&nbsp;

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Kumbh Mela just inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Congratulations, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IntangibleHeritage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IntangibleHeritage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/12COM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#12COM</a> 
 
?? <a href="https://t.co/Vt9a4zn4rl">https://t.co/Vt9a4zn4rl</a> <a href="https://t.co/fwIxbHmAg3">pic.twitter.com/fwIxbHmAg3</a>
&mdash; UNESCO (@UNESCO) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNESCO/status/938582497541029889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The decision was taken by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting in Jeju, South Korea.

Other additions to the list include Bangladesh&rsquo;s traditional art of Shital Pati weaving, which basically refers to the art form of weaving strips of green cane into a handcrafted mat, usually used for prayer purposes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UP Chief Minister&nbsp;Yogi Adityanath and MP Chief Minister&nbsp;Shivraj Singh Chouhan were some of the leaders who expressed their happiness on the occasion.&nbsp;

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A matter of immense joy and pride for India. <a href="https://t.co/eKBPUh2fMj">https://t.co/eKBPUh2fMj</a>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/939005472362807298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;Held every 12 years, it is not only the largest congregation of pilgrims but reflects our cultural diversity &amp; integrity,&quot; tweeted Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.&nbsp;

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It is matter of great pride that the auspicious <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KumbhMela?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KumbhMela</a> has been accorded with the status of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by <a href="https://twitter.com/UNESCO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNESCO</a>. Held every 12 years, it is not only the largest congregation of pilgrims but reflects our cultural diversity &amp; integrity. <a href="https://t.co/0LGhfxq8bp">https://t.co/0LGhfxq8bp</a>
&mdash; ShivrajSingh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChouhanShivraj/status/939054314500210688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Kumbh Mela, the largest spiritual gathering and a phenomenal depiction of the most complex &amp; colorful culture on the planet. -Sg <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IntangibleHeritage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IntangibleHeritage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/12COM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#12COM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/IndiaatUNESCO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IndiaatUNESCO</a> <a href="https://t.co/4HHTYQQj8H">https://t.co/4HHTYQQj8H</a>
&mdash; Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) <a href="https://twitter.com/SadhguruJV/status/939029613925171200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The list describes Kumbh Mela as ?the festival of the sacred Pitcher? where pilgrims bathe or take a dip in a sacred river

UNESCO has described 'Kumbha Mela' as India's ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage' on Friday. The 'mela' was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UN body. Kumbha Mela is one of the oldest and holiest congregations of pilgrims that takes places every 12 years and rotates between four holy sites of Hindu tradition - Allahabad, Ujjain, Nasik and Haridwar. It was identified as one of the newest additions to the list this year among 33 others. The list describes Kumbh Mela as “the festival of the sacred Pitcher” where pilgrims bathe or take a dip in a sacred river. Kumbh Mela just inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Congratulations, #India #IntangibleHeritage #12COM ?? https://t.co/Vt9a4zn4rl pic.twitter.com/fwIxbHmAg3 — UNESCO (@UNESCO) December 7, 2017 × The decision was taken by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting in Jeju, South Korea. Other additions to the list include Bangladesh’s traditional art of Shital Pati weaving, which basically refers to the art form of weaving strips of green cane into a handcrafted mat, usually used for prayer purposes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were some of the leaders who expressed their happiness on the occasion. A matter of immense joy and pride for India. https://t.co/eKBPUh2fMj — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 8, 2017 × "Held every 12 years, it is not only the largest congregation of pilgrims but reflects our cultural diversity & integrity," tweeted Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. It is matter of great pride that the auspicious #KumbhMela has been accorded with the status of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by @UNESCO. Held every 12 years, it is not only the largest congregation of pilgrims but reflects our cultural diversity & integrity. https://t.co/0LGhfxq8bp — ShivrajSingh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) December 8, 2017 × Kumbh Mela, the largest spiritual gathering and a phenomenal depiction of the most complex & colorful culture on the planet. -Sg #IntangibleHeritage #12COM @IndiaatUNESCO https://t.co/4HHTYQQj8H — Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) December 8, 2017 ×

Kumbh Mela declared India's 'Intangible Cultural Heritage' by UNESCO

The art of making Neapolitan pizza has won world heritage status, and joined UNESCO&#39;s list of &#39;intangible heritage&#39;, reports said on Thursday.&nbsp;

UNESCO has added the art of Naples &quot;pizzaiuoli,&quot; and congratulated Italy for their achievement and announced it on Twitter.&nbsp;

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The art of Neapolitan &#39;Pizzaiuolo&#39; just inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Congratulations, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Italy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Italy</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IntangibleHeritage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IntangibleHeritage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/12COM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#12COM</a><a href="https://t.co/z6xL98TZk4">https://t.co/z6xL98TZk4</a> <a href="https://t.co/HmANxOadG7">pic.twitter.com/HmANxOadG7</a>
&mdash; UNESCO (@UNESCO) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNESCO/status/938600413149913088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The art of &quot;pizzaiulio&quot; has apparently been handed down for centuries in Italy - was accepted for the world body&#39;s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Almost two million people signed the petition to support Naples&#39; application as they argued that the art of preparing and flipping the dough, topping it and then baking it in a wood-fired oven was a part of the country&#39;s cultural and gastronomic tradition.&nbsp;

In Rome, pizzeria owner Romano Fiore celebrated the decision. &quot;I am honoured like all Italians and Neapolitans are...pizza has centuries of history,&quot; Fiore&nbsp;said.

&quot;Victory!&quot; Maurizio Martina, Italy&#39;s minister for agriculture, food and forestry, wrote on Twitter. &quot;Another step towards the protection of Italy&#39;s food and wine heritage.&quot;

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L&rsquo;arte del pizzaiuolo napoletano &egrave; patrimonio culturale dell&rsquo;Umanit&agrave; Unesco. Vittoria! Identit&agrave; enogastronomica italiana sempre pi&ugrave; tutelata nel mondo <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pizzaUnesco?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#pizzaUnesco</a> <a href="https://t.co/MgQ5izZWbf">pic.twitter.com/MgQ5izZWbf</a>
&mdash; Maurizio Martina (@maumartina) <a href="https://twitter.com/maumartina/status/938599966917963776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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In a statement, Martina said the recognition came after a years-long campaign.

&quot;The art of the Neapolitan pizza-maker contains Italian know-how ... the especially traditional knowledge that has been transmitted from generation to generation,&quot; he said.

Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, a former agriculture minister who attended the proceedings in Jeju, said in a video posted on Twitter:

&quot;From South Korea to Naples, today is a day of great celebration. The art of cheerleading Neapolitan is intangible cultural heritage&quot;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pizzaUnesco?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#pizzaUnesco</a> Dalla Corea del Sud a Napoli, oggi &egrave; un giorno di grande festa. L&#39;Arte del pizzaiuolo napoletano &egrave; Patrimonio culturale immateriale dell&#39;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UNESCO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UNESCO</a>! <a href="https://t.co/VlVeMqu6ZI">pic.twitter.com/VlVeMqu6ZI</a>
&mdash; Pecoraro Scanio (@PecoraroScanio) <a href="https://twitter.com/PecoraroScanio/status/938699310463619072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Food culture already on the UNESCO list includes Turkish coffee culture and tradition, the gingerbread craft of northern Croatia and the traditional ancient Georgian method of Qvevri wine-making.

UNESCO accepted the art of Neapolitan "pizzaiuoli," or pizza makers, on the world body's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The art of making Neapolitan pizza has won world heritage status, and joined UNESCO's list of 'intangible heritage', reports said on Thursday. UNESCO has added the art of Naples "pizzaiuoli," and congratulated Italy for their achievement and announced it on Twitter. The art of Neapolitan 'Pizzaiuolo' just inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Congratulations, #Italy! #IntangibleHeritage #12COMhttps://t.co/z6xL98TZk4 pic.twitter.com/HmANxOadG7 — UNESCO (@UNESCO) December 7, 2017 × The art of "pizzaiulio" has apparently been handed down for centuries in Italy - was accepted for the world body's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Almost two million people signed the petition to support Naples' application as they argued that the art of preparing and flipping the dough, topping it and then baking it in a wood-fired oven was a part of the country's cultural and gastronomic tradition. In Rome, pizzeria owner Romano Fiore celebrated the decision. "I am honoured like all Italians and Neapolitans are...pizza has centuries of history," Fiore said. "Victory!" Maurizio Martina, Italy's minister for agriculture, food and forestry, wrote on Twitter. "Another step towards the protection of Italy's food and wine heritage." L’arte del pizzaiuolo napoletano è patrimonio culturale dell’Umanità Unesco. Vittoria! Identità enogastronomica italiana sempre più tutelata nel mondo #pizzaUnesco pic.twitter.com/MgQ5izZWbf — Maurizio Martina (@maumartina) December 7, 2017 × In a statement, Martina said the recognition came after a years-long campaign. "The art of the Neapolitan pizza-maker contains Italian know-how ... the especially traditional knowledge that has been transmitted from generation to generation," he said. Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, a former agriculture minister who attended the proceedings in Jeju, said in a video posted on Twitter: "From South Korea to Naples, today is a day of great celebration. The art of cheerleading Neapolitan is intangible cultural heritage" #pizzaUnesco Dalla Corea del Sud a Napoli, oggi è un giorno di grande festa. L'Arte del pizzaiuolo napoletano è Patrimonio culturale immateriale dell'#UNESCO! pic.twitter.com/VlVeMqu6ZI — Pecoraro Scanio (@PecoraroScanio) December 7, 2017 × Food culture already on the UNESCO list includes Turkish coffee culture and tradition, the gingerbread craft of northern Croatia and the traditional ancient Georgian method of Qvevri wine-making.

Watch: Neapolitan pizza gets UNESCO world heritage status

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today congratulated the people of Chennai for its inclusion in the list of UNESCO&#39;s Creative Cities Network for its rich musical tradition.

He also expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for hailing the city&#39;s inclusion in the list.

&quot;I am extremely happy to hear the news that United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has included Chennai in the Creative Cities Network. I extend my sincere gratitude to UNESCO in this regard,&quot; he said in a release.

Stating that it was a proud moment, Palaniswami congratulated the people and the musicians of Chennai.

The chief minister also wrote to the Prime Minister thanking him for extending greetings on the city achieving the feat.

&quot;Congratulations to the people of Chennai on the city&#39;s inclusion in the @UNESCO Creative Cities Network for its rich musical tradition. Chennai&#39;s contribution to our rich culture is precious. This is a proud moment for India: PM,&quot; the Prime Minister&#39;s Office tweeted.

Palaniswami, in a letter to Modi, recalled that UNESCO in 2004 had formed &#39;Creative Cities Network&#39; to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategy for sustainable development.

For its creativity and contribution to music, Chennai was recently included as one among the 64 cities chosen worldwide, taking the total number of such cities in the network to 180, he said.

The people of Chennai love music and it is a &quot;part of their culture and tradition&quot;, he added.

&quot;On behalf of the people of Chennai and on my own behalf, I thank you very much for congratulating the people of Chennai for this unique distinction&quot;, Palaniswami said.

Popular Tamil film icon Kamal Haasan also extended his greetings.

&quot;The recognition &amp; praise for Chennai from @UNESCO for music fans of Chennai is long overdue. We prefer praise from others. Our Honourable PM recognizing it affirms our hope that south will not diminish inspite of its detractors,&quot; he posted on Twitter.&nbsp;

Chennai has been included in UNESCO's Creative Cities Network for its musical tradition

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today congratulated the people of Chennai for its inclusion in the list of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network for its rich musical tradition. He also expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for hailing the city's inclusion in the list. "I am extremely happy to hear the news that United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has included Chennai in the Creative Cities Network. I extend my sincere gratitude to UNESCO in this regard," he said in a release. Stating that it was a proud moment, Palaniswami congratulated the people and the musicians of Chennai. The chief minister also wrote to the Prime Minister thanking him for extending greetings on the city achieving the feat. "Congratulations to the people of Chennai on the city's inclusion in the @UNESCO Creative Cities Network for its rich musical tradition. Chennai's contribution to our rich culture is precious. This is a proud moment for India: PM," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted. Palaniswami, in a letter to Modi, recalled that UNESCO in 2004 had formed 'Creative Cities Network' to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategy for sustainable development. For its creativity and contribution to music, Chennai was recently included as one among the 64 cities chosen worldwide, taking the total number of such cities in the network to 180, he said. The people of Chennai love music and it is a "part of their culture and tradition", he added. "On behalf of the people of Chennai and on my own behalf, I thank you very much for congratulating the people of Chennai for this unique distinction", Palaniswami said. Popular Tamil film icon Kamal Haasan also extended his greetings. "The recognition & praise for Chennai from @UNESCO for music fans of Chennai is long overdue. We prefer praise from others. Our Honourable PM recognizing it affirms our hope that south will not diminish inspite of its detractors," he posted on Twitter.

Tamil Nadu CM congratulates Chennai over UNESCO honour, thanks PM

Australia&#39;s world-famous Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, will be closed to climbers from 2019, its management board said on Wednesday, ending a decades-long campaign by Aborigines to protect their sacred monolith in the Northern Territory.

&#39;A board of eight traditional owners and four government officials voted unanimously to close the rock to climbers.&#39;&nbsp;said spokesperson.

&#39;The climb is a men&#39;s sacred area, the men have closed it.&#39;&nbsp;chairman Sammy Wilson added in a statement. &#39;It has cultural significance that includes certain restrictions.&#39;

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed 348-metre (1,142 ft) rock, known for its shifting red-ochre colours, is a top tourist drawcard, attracting around 300,000 visitors each year, despite its remote desert location near Alice Springs.

The traditional owners of Uluru, the Anangu people, have called for the climb to be closed since 1985, when the park was placed in indigenous hands.

The rock&#39;s board said in a report in 2010 that they would close the attraction to climbers if the proportion of visitors who tried to climb it dropped below 20 percent.

They took the matter to a vote on Wednesday after data showed the number of climbers had fallen below that threshold, from about three quarters throughout the 1990s to just 16.2 per cent between 2011 and 2015.

The ban will take effect on Oct. 26, 2019, exactly 34 years after Uluru was handed back to its traditional owners.

Australians are still the most common visitors to climb the rock, followed by the Japanese, according to Parks Australia.

The climb is closed about 77 percent of the time due to dangerous weather or cultural reasons.

There have been 36 confirmed fatalities at Uluru since records were first kept in the 1950s, with the most recent in 2010.

'A board of eight traditional owners and four government officials voted unanimously to close the rock to climbers,' said a spokesperson.

Australia's world-famous Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, will be closed to climbers from 2019, its management board said on Wednesday, ending a decades-long campaign by Aborigines to protect their sacred monolith in the Northern Territory. 'A board of eight traditional owners and four government officials voted unanimously to close the rock to climbers.' said spokesperson. 'The climb is a men's sacred area, the men have closed it.' chairman Sammy Wilson added in a statement. 'It has cultural significance that includes certain restrictions.' The UNESCO World Heritage-listed 348-metre (1,142 ft) rock, known for its shifting red-ochre colours, is a top tourist drawcard, attracting around 300,000 visitors each year, despite its remote desert location near Alice Springs. The traditional owners of Uluru, the Anangu people, have called for the climb to be closed since 1985, when the park was placed in indigenous hands. The rock's board said in a report in 2010 that they would close the attraction to climbers if the proportion of visitors who tried to climb it dropped below 20 percent. They took the matter to a vote on Wednesday after data showed the number of climbers had fallen below that threshold, from about three quarters throughout the 1990s to just 16.2 per cent between 2011 and 2015. The ban will take effect on Oct. 26, 2019, exactly 34 years after Uluru was handed back to its traditional owners. Australians are still the most common visitors to climb the rock, followed by the Japanese, according to Parks Australia. The climb is closed about 77 percent of the time due to dangerous weather or cultural reasons. There have been 36 confirmed fatalities at Uluru since records were first kept in the 1950s, with the most recent in 2010.

Australia's famed Uluru outback monolith to be closed to climbers

The United Nations&#39; cultural agency will elect a&nbsp;new&nbsp;chief&nbsp;on Friday, seeking someone who can revive&nbsp;UNESCO&#39;s fortunes&nbsp;after&nbsp;the United States and Israel pulled out.

Whoever gets the job will need to restore relevance to the agency whose mission to protect the world&#39;s cultural and natural heritage has been hobbled by regional rivalries and a lack of money.

After&nbsp;four days of secret balloting at&nbsp;UNESCO&#39;s Paris HQ, Qatar&#39;s former culture minister Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari qualified for the final vote, scheduled for Friday evening.

He will face off against either Moushira Khattab, an Egyptian diplomat and politician, or Audrey Azoulay, a former French culture minister, whichever woman wins a ballot on Friday&nbsp;afternoon.

&quot;More than ever&nbsp;UNESCO&nbsp;needs a project that rallies the member states, re-establishes trust and cuts through the political divisions for the sake of&nbsp;UNESCO,&quot; French foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne said ahead of the vote to replace Irina Bokova, a Bulgarian who has led the agency since 2009.

The United States is meant to provide a fifth of&nbsp;UNESCO&#39;s funding but had already been withholding that since 2011 when the body admitted Palestine as a full member. It announced its departure on Thursday accusing&nbsp;UNESCO&nbsp;of anti-Israeli bias. Israel itself followed.

&quot;Unfortunately, this venue has become politicised, undermining the work of&nbsp;UNESCO&nbsp;across its mandate. It&#39;s become a venue for anti-Israel bias, and unfortunately, we are taking the decision to withdraw from&nbsp;UNESCO&nbsp;at this time,&quot; US&nbsp;charge d&#39;affaires at&nbsp;UNESCO, Chris Hegadorn told Reuters.

With a Qatari and an Egyptian vying for the job, the election has been troubled by the standoff between Doha and several of its Arab neighbours that have severed diplomatic, trade and travel ties, accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism, something it denies.

The Qatari, Kawari, who has been subject of barbs from Egyptian officials over the last week and been subjected to online abuse said on Thursday night he was confident he would win and wanted to reunite the member states.

Whoever gets the job will need to restore relevance to the agency whose mission to protect the world's cultural and natural heritage has been hobbled by regional rivalries and a lack of money

The United Nations' cultural agency will elect a new chief on Friday, seeking someone who can revive UNESCO's fortunes after the United States and Israel pulled out. Whoever gets the job will need to restore relevance to the agency whose mission to protect the world's cultural and natural heritage has been hobbled by regional rivalries and a lack of money. After four days of secret balloting at UNESCO's Paris HQ, Qatar's former culture minister Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari qualified for the final vote, scheduled for Friday evening. He will face off against either Moushira Khattab, an Egyptian diplomat and politician, or Audrey Azoulay, a former French culture minister, whichever woman wins a ballot on Friday afternoon. "More than ever UNESCO needs a project that rallies the member states, re-establishes trust and cuts through the political divisions for the sake of UNESCO," French foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne said ahead of the vote to replace Irina Bokova, a Bulgarian who has led the agency since 2009. The United States is meant to provide a fifth of UNESCO's funding but had already been withholding that since 2011 when the body admitted Palestine as a full member. It announced its departure on Thursday accusing UNESCO of anti-Israeli bias. Israel itself followed. "Unfortunately, this venue has become politicised, undermining the work of UNESCO across its mandate. It's become a venue for anti-Israel bias, and unfortunately, we are taking the decision to withdraw from UNESCO at this time," US charge d'affaires at UNESCO, Chris Hegadorn told Reuters. With a Qatari and an Egyptian vying for the job, the election has been troubled by the standoff between Doha and several of its Arab neighbours that have severed diplomatic, trade and travel ties, accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism, something it denies. The Qatari, Kawari, who has been subject of barbs from Egyptian officials over the last week and been subjected to online abuse said on Thursday night he was confident he would win and wanted to reunite the member states.

UNESCO to pick new chief after US walkout

The United States announced on Thursday<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-officially-withdraws-from-punishing-paris-climate-pact-16340"> that it is withdrawing from the United Nations Scientific </a>and Cultural Organization UNESCO, accusing the body of &quot;anti-Israel bias.&quot;

&quot;The United States would be withdrawing from&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-believes-the-climate-is-changing-says-un-ambassador-nikki-haley-16401">UN&#39;s cultural and educational agency, effective</a> December 31,&quot; State Department said in a statement.

&quot;This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects US concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO,&quot; the State Department said.

&quot;The United States would seek to &quot;remain engaged ...as a non-member observer state in order to contribute US views, perspectives and expertise,&quot; the statement added.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington would establish an &quot;observer mission&quot; to replace its representation at the Paris-based agency.

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??OFFICIAL: UNESCO Director-General expresses profound regret at US decision to withdraw from UNESCO. <a href="https://t.co/KoOMd3Kl9H">https://t.co/KoOMd3Kl9H</a> <a href="https://t.co/Mj1BZXIOAF">https://t.co/Mj1BZXIOAF</a>
&mdash; UNESCO (@UNESCO) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNESCO/status/918472569329766400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The UNESCO chief&nbsp;expressed &#39;profound regret&rsquo; over US&#39; withdrawal.

&quot;I deeply regret the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from UNESCO,&quot; Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO said.

&quot;In 2011, when payment of membership contributions was suspended at the 36th session of the UNESCO General Conference, I said I was convinced UNESCO had never mattered as much for the United States, or the United States for UNESCO,&quot; UNESCO Director-General said in a statement.

&quot;Despite the withholding of funding, since 2011, we have deepened the partnership between the United States and UNESCO, which has never been so meaningful,&quot; Bokova said.

Paris-based UNESCO, which began work in 1946, is known for designating World Heritage sites such as the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria and the Grand Canyon National Park.

The United States had cancelled its substantial budget contribution to 58-member UNESCO in 2011 in protest at a decision to grant the Palestinians full membership.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington would establish an "observer mission" to replace its representation at the Paris-based agency.

The United States announced on Thursday that it is withdrawing from the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO, accusing the body of "anti-Israel bias." "The United States would be withdrawing from UN's cultural and educational agency, effective December 31," State Department said in a statement. "This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects US concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO," the State Department said. "The United States would seek to "remain engaged ...as a non-member observer state in order to contribute US views, perspectives and expertise," the statement added. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington would establish an "observer mission" to replace its representation at the Paris-based agency. ??OFFICIAL: UNESCO Director-General expresses profound regret at US decision to withdraw from UNESCO. https://t.co/KoOMd3Kl9H https://t.co/Mj1BZXIOAF — UNESCO (@UNESCO) October 12, 2017 × The UNESCO chief expressed 'profound regret’ over US' withdrawal. "I deeply regret the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from UNESCO," Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO said. "In 2011, when payment of membership contributions was suspended at the 36th session of the UNESCO General Conference, I said I was convinced UNESCO had never mattered as much for the United States, or the United States for UNESCO," UNESCO Director-General said in a statement. "Despite the withholding of funding, since 2011, we have deepened the partnership between the United States and UNESCO, which has never been so meaningful," Bokova said. Paris-based UNESCO, which began work in 1946, is known for designating World Heritage sites such as the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria and the Grand Canyon National Park. The United States had cancelled its substantial budget contribution to 58-member UNESCO in 2011 in protest at a decision to grant the Palestinians full membership.

US withdraws from UNESCO over 'anti-Israel bias'

That India was once a flourishing country of various tribes can be substantiated from the diverse architectures of prehistoric megalithic monuments that dot the country from Kashmir in the north to Kerala down south, and from Manipur in the far east to Gujarat in the west. Despite this profuseness, the common man still remains oblivious of this major source of India&rsquo;s prehistory.

The term megaliths, having its origin in Greek etymology, is essentially a union of two Greek words of &#39;mega&#39; meaning large and &#39;lithos&#39;, suggesting stones.

Megaliths are burials of sorts of the deceased which the tribals across India had once raised, and continue to do after the death of their near ones. These are also commemorative stones which the tribals erect in the memory of their departed.

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<h5>Megaliths in India are the fascinating creations of the ancient Indians.</h5>
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Megaliths in India are the fascinating creations of the ancient Indians. It embraces a broad array of architecture, ranging from dolmens, menhirs, stone circles, and cairn circles among others. Also, excavations have revealed extensive burials patterns, such as sarcophagi, cist circles, pit circles, dolmenoid cists, cist within cist, urn burials, pot burials etc.

Excepting in a few states of India, ancient megaliths have been found all over. The peninsular part of South India accommodates a wide variety and a large density of these tombs. From Vidharbha in central India to Gujarat, M.P., Chhattisgarh and U.P., a wide array of megaliths are interspersed everywhere.&nbsp;

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Menhirs in Manipur. (Others)
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In Chhattisgarh and M.P., many tribes still pursue an uninterrupted megalithic burial tradition. Rajasthan too once housed very ancient megaliths but they are mostly destroyed. Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir come with abundant ancient megaliths too. Jharkhand has a very thick density of megaliths. Here the broad assortment of megalithic types is very alluring where several tribes still raise these monuments after death. Odisha has many ancient megalithic monuments and many tribes still build megaliths after death. The North-Eastern part of India is thoroughly megalithic. Here megalithic tribes still build megalithic tombs after death in memory of the departed.

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<h5>Tribals also erect menhirs in memory of significant incidents in their communities, families and villages.</h5>
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The tribes of different states have varied names for their megaliths. The megalithic tribes of Jharkhand as Mundas, Asurs, Oraons and the Hos call a menhir either a birdiri or a burudiri, whereas for them a dolmen is known as sasandiri. Every tribal village of the state comprises of a burial ground called hargarhi, harsali or jangarha in which the sasandiris or the birdiris are placed. A megalith is also called a pathalgadha in the state. In Chhattisgarh and M.P. the Korkus call their menhirs Mundas.&nbsp;

The memorial stones of both the Gonds and Bison-horn Marias are called Uraskal. The Gadabas of Orissa still erect menhirs as commemorative symbols for the deceased and also create stone circles which they call as sindibors. Dolmens in the Vidharbha region are called pandukal or pandukutti. Dolmens in the of Marayur region belong to the Iron Age and are called Valivadu or Muniyara.

In Central and South India, menhirs with names as varied as kaduvakal, virgal, birakal or virakal etc were once raised to honour the departed heroes of their communities. In Tamil Sangam literature menhirs are called nadukal.

Manimekalai, the great Tamil Buddhist epic by Chitalai Chathanar calls various burials to be &ldquo;cutovor&rdquo; and pit burials as totukulip or patuvor. The book also refers to dolmens as pantar- kal and urns burials as &ldquo;taliyar kavippor&rdquo;.

The Garos call their menhirs Kima whereas the Khasis have diverse names for their menhirs as Kinmou, Mounam, Moulaniti, Mongni or Moukni depending on the particular purposes for which they are raised where a dolmen for them is maokinthayi.

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<h5>It was the British who brought the megaliths of India to the limelight.</h5>
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However, the popular non-tribal names of menhirs are Birkhod, Birkol and Birakallu etc.

Tribals also erect menhirs in memory of significant incidents in their communities, families and villages. Menhirs are also set up as boundary stones of their villages. Modern research has revealed that several megaliths in the country as that of Vibhuthihalli, Hanamsagar, Nilurallu, Punkri Burwadih and Chano, like their European counterparts, have been made in accordance to astronomical orientations. These served as observatories of the transits of the sun and the moon, perhaps, to function as calendars of their communities.

Asota (Pakistan), Burjahom, Chokahatu, Katia Murbey, Karkabhat, Junapani, Brahmagiri, Maski and Hire Benekal are names of a few more megalithic sites of the country among the countless.

It was the British who brought the megaliths of India to the limelight. They were knowledgeable of megaliths since Britain is home to a vast number of these monuments. They were indeed surprised to find such a wide assortment of megaliths across all over India. Megalithic burials do find mention in Buddhist Tripataka and their other stories but very scantily in the Vedic corpus. However, as discussed above, there are references of various megalithic burials in the Dravidian Sangam literature.

Excavations of many megalithic burials have been conducted in several parts of India and the grave yields have been dated from Iron Age to the historical period. Excavation of megaliths has not been conducted in many of these monuments of the country, therefore, their fixed date has not been affirmed.&nbsp;

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<h5>India, despite being a treasure house of megaliths, does not hold the coveted World Heritage tag, as do Britain and Europe.</h5>
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Road building has destroyed many a megalith across the country. In such a course buried pots have been unearthed from several megalithic sites of the Pathalgadda region of Jharkhand. It has yielded chalcolithic remains that may push the dates of many megaliths of Jharkhand to the Chalcolithic era. The megaliths of Asota and Burjahom have been dated to the Neolithic era and their excavation has, surprisingly, revealed no grave remains.

Many megaliths in Junapani and that in M.P. too seem to be non-sepulchral in nature as their excavation has yielded no buried bodies.

India, despite being a treasure house of megaliths, does not hold the coveted World Heritage tag, as do Britain and Europe. Much to the happiness of the tribals in India, Hire Benekal could have been the first ever megalithic complex to receive this prestigious label. Chokahatu in Jharkhand, on the other hand, is not only an enormous site, spreading to a few acres of land that house over 8000 megaliths. The Munda tribals still erect their sasandiris here, making it the only megalithic site in India in use for over 2500 years. The continuous uninterrupted usage of the megalithic site for over two millennia makes Chokahatu an obvious claimant of the World Heritage Status.

Megaliths are not protected as heritage monuments in most states, and they are being destroyed constantly by the villagers in greed of buried treasure. Many who know nothing of megaliths, cart away menhirs to their homes, using them as drain covers or as washing stones by their wells.

Scholars have done little or nothing in promoting the significance of a megalith. Little does one know that India is one of the rare countries in the world where many tribes continue to practice megalith-making as a living heritage since archaic times. &nbsp;Thus, without megaliths, the prehistory of India remains incomplete.

The common man is still ignorant of these ancient monuments of the humankind. Fortunately, one observes that among the younger generation, there is a growing surge of curiosity and interest in megaliths.&nbsp;

Someday megaliths will certainly become a major source of our country&rsquo;s prehistory which will, indubitably, persuade scholars to rewrite the unknown chapter of our country&rsquo;s past.

Many who know nothing of megaliths, cart away 'menhirs' to their homes, using them as drain covers or as washing stones by their wells.

That India was once a flourishing country of various tribes can be substantiated from the diverse architectures of prehistoric megalithic monuments that dot the country from Kashmir in the north to Kerala down south, and from Manipur in the far east to Gujarat in the west. Despite this profuseness, the common man still remains oblivious of this major source of India’s prehistory. The term megaliths, having its origin in Greek etymology, is essentially a union of two Greek words of 'mega' meaning large and 'lithos', suggesting stones. Megaliths are burials of sorts of the deceased which the tribals across India had once raised, and continue to do after the death of their near ones. These are also commemorative stones which the tribals erect in the memory of their departed. Megaliths in India are the fascinating creations of the ancient Indians. × Megaliths in India are the fascinating creations of the ancient Indians. It embraces a broad array of architecture, ranging from dolmens, menhirs, stone circles, and cairn circles among others. Also, excavations have revealed extensive burials patterns, such as sarcophagi, cist circles, pit circles, dolmenoid cists, cist within cist, urn burials, pot burials etc. Excepting in a few states of India, ancient megaliths have been found all over. The peninsular part of South India accommodates a wide variety and a large density of these tombs. From Vidharbha in central India to Gujarat, M.P., Chhattisgarh and U.P., a wide array of megaliths are interspersed everywhere. Menhirs in Manipur. (Others) × In Chhattisgarh and M.P., many tribes still pursue an uninterrupted megalithic burial tradition. Rajasthan too once housed very ancient megaliths but they are mostly destroyed. Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir come with abundant ancient megaliths too. Jharkhand has a very thick density of megaliths. Here the broad assortment of megalithic types is very alluring where several tribes still raise these monuments after death. Odisha has many ancient megalithic monuments and many tribes still build megaliths after death. The North-Eastern part of India is thoroughly megalithic. Here megalithic tribes still build megalithic tombs after death in memory of the departed. Tribals also erect menhirs in memory of significant incidents in their communities, families and villages. × The tribes of different states have varied names for their megaliths. The megalithic tribes of Jharkhand as Mundas, Asurs, Oraons and the Hos call a menhir either a birdiri or a burudiri, whereas for them a dolmen is known as sasandiri. Every tribal village of the state comprises of a burial ground called hargarhi, harsali or jangarha in which the sasandiris or the birdiris are placed. A megalith is also called a pathalgadha in the state. In Chhattisgarh and M.P. the Korkus call their menhirs Mundas. The memorial stones of both the Gonds and Bison-horn Marias are called Uraskal. The Gadabas of Orissa still erect menhirs as commemorative symbols for the deceased and also create stone circles which they call as sindibors. Dolmens in the Vidharbha region are called pandukal or pandukutti. Dolmens in the of Marayur region belong to the Iron Age and are called Valivadu or Muniyara. In Central and South India, menhirs with names as varied as kaduvakal, virgal, birakal or virakal etc were once raised to honour the departed heroes of their communities. In Tamil Sangam literature menhirs are called nadukal. Manimekalai, the great Tamil Buddhist epic by Chitalai Chathanar calls various burials to be “cutovor” and pit burials as totukulip or patuvor. The book also refers to dolmens as pantar- kal and urns burials as “taliyar kavippor”. The Garos call their menhirs Kima whereas the Khasis have diverse names for their menhirs as Kinmou, Mounam, Moulaniti, Mongni or Moukni depending on the particular purposes for which they are raised where a dolmen for them is maokinthayi. It was the British who brought the megaliths of India to the limelight. × However, the popular non-tribal names of menhirs are Birkhod, Birkol and Birakallu etc. Tribals also erect menhirs in memory of significant incidents in their communities, families and villages. Menhirs are also set up as boundary stones of their villages. Modern research has revealed that several megaliths in the country as that of Vibhuthihalli, Hanamsagar, Nilurallu, Punkri Burwadih and Chano, like their European counterparts, have been made in accordance to astronomical orientations. These served as observatories of the transits of the sun and the moon, perhaps, to function as calendars of their communities. Asota (Pakistan), Burjahom, Chokahatu, Katia Murbey, Karkabhat, Junapani, Brahmagiri, Maski and Hire Benekal are names of a few more megalithic sites of the country among the countless. It was the British who brought the megaliths of India to the limelight. They were knowledgeable of megaliths since Britain is home to a vast number of these monuments. They were indeed surprised to find such a wide assortment of megaliths across all over India. Megalithic burials do find mention in Buddhist Tripataka and their other stories but very scantily in the Vedic corpus. However, as discussed above, there are references of various megalithic burials in the Dravidian Sangam literature. Excavations of many megalithic burials have been conducted in several parts of India and the grave yields have been dated from Iron Age to the historical period. Excavation of megaliths has not been conducted in many of these monuments of the country, therefore, their fixed date has not been affirmed. India, despite being a treasure house of megaliths, does not hold the coveted World Heritage tag, as do Britain and Europe. × Road building has destroyed many a megalith across the country. In such a course buried pots have been unearthed from several megalithic sites of the Pathalgadda region of Jharkhand. It has yielded chalcolithic remains that may push the dates of many megaliths of Jharkhand to the Chalcolithic era. The megaliths of Asota and Burjahom have been dated to the Neolithic era and their excavation has, surprisingly, revealed no grave remains. Many megaliths in Junapani and that in M.P. too seem to be non-sepulchral in nature as their excavation has yielded no buried bodies. India, despite being a treasure house of megaliths, does not hold the coveted World Heritage tag, as do Britain and Europe. Much to the happiness of the tribals in India, Hire Benekal could have been the first ever megalithic complex to receive this prestigious label. Chokahatu in Jharkhand, on the other hand, is not only an enormous site, spreading to a few acres of land that house over 8000 megaliths. The Munda tribals still erect their sasandiris here, making it the only megalithic site in India in use for over 2500 years. The continuous uninterrupted usage of the megalithic site for over two millennia makes Chokahatu an obvious claimant of the World Heritage Status. Megaliths are not protected as heritage monuments in most states, and they are being destroyed constantly by the villagers in greed of buried treasure. Many who know nothing of megaliths, cart away menhirs to their homes, using them as drain covers or as washing stones by their wells. Scholars have done little or nothing in promoting the significance of a megalith. Little does one know that India is one of the rare countries in the world where many tribes continue to practice megalith-making as a living heritage since archaic times. Thus, without megaliths, the prehistory of India remains incomplete. The common man is still ignorant of these ancient monuments of the humankind. Fortunately, one observes that among the younger generation, there is a growing surge of curiosity and interest in megaliths. Someday megaliths will certainly become a major source of our country’s prehistory which will, indubitably, persuade scholars to rewrite the unknown chapter of our country’s past.

Why Indian stone henges are not UNESCO heritage sites

Ahmedabad has been declared by UNESCO as a world heritage city.

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Just inscribed as <a href="https://twitter.com/UNESCO">@UNESCO</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldHeritage?src=hash">#WorldHeritage</a> Site: Historic City of Ahmadabad <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash">#India</a> <a href="https://t.co/ztbb8RIMiZ">https://t.co/ztbb8RIMiZ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/41whc?src=hash">#41whc</a> <a href="https://t.co/iRIMoQfAtK">pic.twitter.com/iRIMoQfAtK</a>
&mdash; UNESCO (@UNESCO) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNESCO/status/883718798464995328">July 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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It will be India&#39;s first world heritage city. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and BJP President Amit Shah hailed the move.

&quot;Thrilled to learn that Ahmedabad has been recognised as UNESCO World heritage city, first of its kind in India,&quot; Rupani tweeted.

Ahmedabad was in race along with Delhi and Mumbai.&nbsp;

The city had featured in UNESCO&#39;s tentative list of world heritage cities on March 31, 2011.

Ahmedabad is India's first city to feature in the list of world heritage cities

Ahmedabad has been declared by UNESCO as a world heritage city. Just inscribed as @UNESCO #WorldHeritage Site: Historic City of Ahmadabad #India https://t.co/ztbb8RIMiZ #41whc pic.twitter.com/iRIMoQfAtK — UNESCO (@UNESCO) July 8, 2017 × It will be India's first world heritage city. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and BJP President Amit Shah hailed the move. "Thrilled to learn that Ahmedabad has been recognised as UNESCO World heritage city, first of its kind in India," Rupani tweeted. Ahmedabad was in race along with Delhi and Mumbai. The city had featured in UNESCO's tentative list of world heritage cities on March 31, 2011.

Ahmedabad declared world heritage city by UNESCO

The United Nations&#39; cultural organization declared an ancient shrine in the occupied West Bank, that is revered by Muslims and Jews, a &quot;Palestinian World Heritage Site in Danger&quot; on Friday (July 7), angering Israel.

UNESCO took the decision at a meeting in Krakow, Poland to declare Hebron and the two adjoined shrines at its heart - the Jewish Tomb of the Patriarchs and the Muslim Ibrahimi Mosque - as Palestinian.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was &quot;another delusional UNESCO decision&quot; and said that Israel would &quot;continue to guard the Cave of the Patriarchs, to ensure religious freedom for everybody and ... guard the truth.&quot;

Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank with a population of some 200,000. About 1,000 Israeli settlers live in the heart of the city and for years, it has been a place of religious friction between Muslims and Jews.

Jews believe that the Cave of the Patriarchs is where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives, are buried. Muslims, who, like Christians, also revere Abraham, built the Ibrahimi mosque, also known as the Sanctuary of Abraham, in the 14th century.

 
&nbsp;

Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the Israel-occupied West Bank with a population of around 200,000

The United Nations' cultural organization declared an ancient shrine in the occupied West Bank, that is revered by Muslims and Jews, a "Palestinian World Heritage Site in Danger" on Friday (July 7), angering Israel. UNESCO took the decision at a meeting in Krakow, Poland to declare Hebron and the two adjoined shrines at its heart - the Jewish Tomb of the Patriarchs and the Muslim Ibrahimi Mosque - as Palestinian. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was "another delusional UNESCO decision" and said that Israel would "continue to guard the Cave of the Patriarchs, to ensure religious freedom for everybody and ... guard the truth." Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank with a population of some 200,000. About 1,000 Israeli settlers live in the heart of the city and for years, it has been a place of religious friction between Muslims and Jews. Jews believe that the Cave of the Patriarchs is where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives, are buried. Muslims, who, like Christians, also revere Abraham, built the Ibrahimi mosque, also known as the Sanctuary of Abraham, in the 14th century.

UNESCO declares West Bank shrine as Palestinian, angering Israel

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) agreed&nbsp;Pakistan&#39;s proposal to include eight more sites to their list of World Heritage Sites.&nbsp;

The Department of Archaeology and Museums (DOAM) has prepared a tentative list of sites which include: Derawar Fort in Cholistan, Hingol Cultural Landscape in Balochistan, Nagarparkar Cultural Landscape in Sindh, Central Karakoram National Park and Deosai National Park in Gilgit-Baltistan, Ziarat Juniper Forest and Karez System Cultural Landscape in Balochistan and the Khewra Salt Range in Punjab.

Deputy director of DOAM, Tahir Saeed said &quot;Once UNESCO has approved, the next arduous task is to develop dossiers of all these sites - that could take up to two to three years for each site. Through the dossiers, Pakistan will prove to UNESCO its intended plans for how to best protect and manage these heritage sites, preservation and conservation programmes and ease of access and facilities for visitors from around the world. These are only some of the many other conditions set by UNESCO that will have to be met before the sites are added to the world heritage list,&quot; the Dawn reported.&nbsp;

Most of the sites and monuments are in a decrepit state, with rampant vandalism and encroachments, ANI reported.&nbsp;

In a recent case, five historical sites in Lahore were endangered as they stood in the path of the ongoing Orange line project&nbsp;

Recently, five sites of historical significance in Lahore were threatened because they stood in the way of the ongoing Orange Line metro project.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from ANI)

Pakistan has to present conservation and preservation programmes, facilities for visitors to UNESCO before the sites are added to the list

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) agreed Pakistan's proposal to include eight more sites to their list of World Heritage Sites. The Department of Archaeology and Museums (DOAM) has prepared a tentative list of sites which include: Derawar Fort in Cholistan, Hingol Cultural Landscape in Balochistan, Nagarparkar Cultural Landscape in Sindh, Central Karakoram National Park and Deosai National Park in Gilgit-Baltistan, Ziarat Juniper Forest and Karez System Cultural Landscape in Balochistan and the Khewra Salt Range in Punjab. Deputy director of DOAM, Tahir Saeed said "Once UNESCO has approved, the next arduous task is to develop dossiers of all these sites - that could take up to two to three years for each site. Through the dossiers, Pakistan will prove to UNESCO its intended plans for how to best protect and manage these heritage sites, preservation and conservation programmes and ease of access and facilities for visitors from around the world. These are only some of the many other conditions set by UNESCO that will have to be met before the sites are added to the world heritage list," the Dawn reported. Most of the sites and monuments are in a decrepit state, with rampant vandalism and encroachments, ANI reported. In a recent case, five historical sites in Lahore were endangered as they stood in the path of the ongoing Orange line project Recently, five sites of historical significance in Lahore were threatened because they stood in the way of the ongoing Orange Line metro project. (WION with inputs from ANI)

UNESCO accepts proposal to include Pakistan's eight historical sites to world heritage list

Warning that construction of a huge coal-fired power plant near the Sundarbans could pose a serious threat to the delicate ecosystem of the world&#39;s largest mangrove forest, the United Nations has urged Bangladesh to halt its construction.

&nbsp;

Pollution from &nbsp;$1.7-billion power plant would &quot;irreversibly damage&quot; the Sundarbans, the UN&#39;s culture and science agency UNESCO said, international news agency AFP reported.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The cluster of low-lying islands in the Bay of Bengal, spread across India and Bangladesh, is famous for its unique mangrove forests.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Scheduled to open in 2018, the planned 1,320 megawatt Rampal plant is a joint project between India and Bangladesh. It will be powered annually by nearly five million tons of coal transported by boat along the ecosystem&#39;s fragile waterways, according to AFP.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The plant would also discharge nearly 125,000 cubic metres a day of chemically-tainted water used to cool generators, according to design specifications.

&nbsp;

In its latest report published on Tuesday, UNESCO has said the plant&#39;s construction would result in &nbsp;&#39;substantial increase in shipping and dredging in the area&#39;.

&nbsp;

The report has recommended that the plant should&nbsp;be relocated &quot;to a more suitable location, where it would not impact negatively on the Sundarbans&quot;. It&#39;s pertinent to mention that the present site is just 14 kilometres (nine miles) north of the Sundarbans.

&nbsp;

Rejecting that the project is &#39;politically motivated&#39;, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier defended the project.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

However, several campaigners on Tuesday marched to the Indian embassy in Dhaka with a letter urging the Indian prime minister to scrap the project. According to the&nbsp;rights group, Avaaz Foundation, over&nbsp;&nbsp;800,000 people from all over the world have joined a campaign calling on the Exim Bank of India to pull funds from the project.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The state-owned Exim Bank of India has promised to provide over Rs 10,000 crore&nbsp;to the project, with&nbsp;70 per cent&nbsp;of its funding, and raises this money from major international banks including JPMorgan, Credit Agricole, and Deutsche Bank, Avaaz said in a press statement.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Luca Nicotra, Avaaz Senior Campaigner said: &ldquo;The Exim Bank of India and other big banks are dishing out billions for a crazy coal project next to a World Heritage Site, promoting dirty energy and ecological devastation. People from all over the world are telling them unless they pull their funds out fast they will be dealing in the deaths of the last Bengal Tigers.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)&nbsp;

Over?800,000 people from across the world have expressed concern over ?$1.7-billion power plant near Sunderbans, says Avaaz, a rights group

Warning that construction of a huge coal-fired power plant near the Sundarbans could pose a serious threat to the delicate ecosystem of the world's largest mangrove forest, the United Nations has urged Bangladesh to halt its construction. Pollution from $1.7-billion power plant would "irreversibly damage" the Sundarbans, the UN's culture and science agency UNESCO said, international news agency AFP reported. The cluster of low-lying islands in the Bay of Bengal, spread across India and Bangladesh, is famous for its unique mangrove forests. Scheduled to open in 2018, the planned 1,320 megawatt Rampal plant is a joint project between India and Bangladesh. It will be powered annually by nearly five million tons of coal transported by boat along the ecosystem's fragile waterways, according to AFP. The plant would also discharge nearly 125,000 cubic metres a day of chemically-tainted water used to cool generators, according to design specifications. In its latest report published on Tuesday, UNESCO has said the plant's construction would result in 'substantial increase in shipping and dredging in the area'. The report has recommended that the plant should be relocated "to a more suitable location, where it would not impact negatively on the Sundarbans". It's pertinent to mention that the present site is just 14 kilometres (nine miles) north of the Sundarbans. Rejecting that the project is 'politically motivated', Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier defended the project. However, several campaigners on Tuesday marched to the Indian embassy in Dhaka with a letter urging the Indian prime minister to scrap the project. According to the rights group, Avaaz Foundation, over 800,000 people from all over the world have joined a campaign calling on the Exim Bank of India to pull funds from the project. The state-owned Exim Bank of India has promised to provide over Rs 10,000 crore to the project, with 70 per cent of its funding, and raises this money from major international banks including JPMorgan, Credit Agricole, and Deutsche Bank, Avaaz said in a press statement. Luca Nicotra, Avaaz Senior Campaigner said: “The Exim Bank of India and other big banks are dishing out billions for a crazy coal project next to a World Heritage Site, promoting dirty energy and ecological devastation. People from all over the world are telling them unless they pull their funds out fast they will be dealing in the deaths of the last Bengal Tigers.” (WION with inputs from AFP)

UNESCO report over threat to Sunderbans prompts global outcry

Half a century ago, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared September 8 as the International Literacy Day. The aim was to emphasise the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. Over the years and across the globe, national governments, individuals and private organisations have harped on the significance of raising public awareness about the extraordinary value of written words. The ability to read and write, which some of us are so effortlessly introduced to by our families, is still a rare skill among 775 million adults worldwide, that is, one in five adults are still not literate and two-thirds of them are women.

Coming of books: Printing presses, mass literacy and inequities 
The persistence of high rate of illiteracy is astounding, particularly, because printed books over the past five&nbsp;hundred years or so have helped significantly to democratise knowledge acquisition. Ever since the arrival of movable-type printing in Europe in the fifteenth century, it very gradually liberated knowledge from the confines of the monasteries and made it accessible beyond the circle of the cultural elites. The concept of mass literacy is, thus, a very modern one; its evolution is tied not only to popularisation of democratic values but also to the technological innovation that took place in the domain of book printing.&nbsp;

As printed books reached the market in ever larger numbers, it opened up entire new possibilities about how one learnt. From then on, at least potentially, one could self-tutor without having to either join a religious establishment or even a university. Protestant religious leaders encouraged parents to gain education and pass on the knowledge to their offsprings through home tutoring. Public libraries sprang up, supplementing the private libraries of the rich and the powerful. Such accessible and cheap reading spaces encouraged private reading and studies. So, printing presses joined hands with universities and a growing body of teaching community to revolutionise the literacy-scape of Europe.

However, the progressive impact printing had on enhancing the mass literacy rate worldwide, particularly, in the global south had been repeatedly compromised by deep seated socio-economic inequities. Literacy rate varies by region; UNESCO reports that South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have the most illiterate people in the world. Literacy rates also vary based on sex, wealth, social status, and occupation. More men are literate than women, the wealthy can access schools easier than poor, farmers, labourers and artisans are historically known to suffer from illiteracy significantly more than the merchant communities. In countries with deep social divides, such as India, caste combines with class position to keep children of lower castes and Dalits out of schools.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Educate, agitate and organize&rdquo;: Education and social slavery 
BR Ambedkar, Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution of India and the undisputed leader of the Dalit community in India, consistently reiterated the transformative&nbsp;value of education. Critiquing British policy for restricting education to only members of the upper stratum of the Indian society, particularly the Brahmins, Ambedkar argued, &ldquo;Education is something which ought to be brought within the reach of everyone&rdquo;. Ambedkar shared educationist John Dewey&rsquo;s understanding that, education provides everyone, irrespective of the person&rsquo;s social and economic status, with the means to change the world and not merely to understand it.&nbsp;

Convinced, as was Dewey, that the forward march of democracy is crucially dependent on educating the people to help them understand social realities, Ambedkar emphasised that Dalits should forego no opportunities of getting educated. In a very moving message he called out, &ldquo;We may forego material benefits, but we cannot forego our rights and opportunities to reap the benefits of highest education to the fullest extent&rdquo;.&nbsp;

To realise his vision of an independent India in which there are educational opportunities for all, Ambedkar deliberately included Article 45 in the Directive Principles of State&nbsp;Policy:&nbsp;&ldquo;The state shall endeavour to provide, within a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years.&rdquo; Along with ensuring universal literacy, Ambedkar established the People&rsquo;s Education Society (PES) in 1946 to propagate higher education among the Dalits. He hoped that PES would serve the purpose of promoting intellectual, moral and social democracy beyond the narrow scope of literacy as a standard skill.&nbsp;

National Book Trust: Literacy as empowerment and its challenges 
Books have been vital to achieve literacy, not simply to enhance the use of skills and improve the quality of life and livelihood, but also as mean of empowerment. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India and an avid reader himself, understood the importance of reading to enhance the quality of national life. To ensure that citizens of India could get good quality books at inexpensive prices, he set up the National Book Trust of India (NBT) in 1957, within a decade after India&rsquo;s independence.&nbsp;

Nehru hoped to make NBT a bureaucracy-free structure which would be publishing for ordinary Indian citizens in both English and in the vernacular. NBT&rsquo;s primary goal has been to inculcate reading habit through publication of &ldquo;outstanding&rdquo; books of &ldquo;modern knowledge&rdquo; as well as literary work - both foreign and Indian. In many ways, the books published by NBT has helped readers, such as me, to interpret literacy as an empowering experience.&nbsp;The concept of literacy has evolved over the last 50 years and true to the spirit of Ambedkar and Nehru, NBT had been trying to publish works that would help us to understand and question the world as well as problematise social structures and the exercise of power.&nbsp;

But like all good dreams revolving around nation-building, NBT has recently floundered in the rocky terrain of ideological power politics. Keeping to the trend of the last few years, the management of NBT has recently decided not to reprint historian Bipan Chandra&rsquo;s Communalism-A Primer. Chandra was one of the foremost historians of India who passionately wrote about communalism, which he considered to be a scourge in the national history of the subcontinent. 
 
Having witnessed the devastating impact of Hindu-Muslim riots during the political partition of India, Chandra was deeply concerned about the impact communalism would have on secular fabric of independent India. He was thus a relentless critic of majoritarian politics, raising concerns at the alienation felt by minority communities in face of Hindu nationalism.

I called up the chairman of NBT, Baldeo Bhai Sharma, to seek a better understanding of the reasons behind taking Communalism out of circulation. Mr Sharma is a veteran editor who has in the past served as the editor of national weekly Panchjanya of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Sharma trivialised the incident as a &ldquo;routine&rdquo; procedure. He insisted that a review committee looked into it and Bipan Chandra&rsquo;s primer on communalism was one among many other books that have been discontinued. When I asked Mr Sharma what are the other books that did not make it to the press this year, he did not have an answer and dropped the call.

Without an official explanation from the NBT I turned to Prof Mridula Mukherjee, who had been Chandra&rsquo;s student and is a celebrated historian herself. She was, understandably, very shocked. She constantly asked how could NBT, being a public body, decide to stop reprinting a book without giving adequate explanation. She, however, at the same time laments that this has become the current trend in the literary world.

When asked why she thinks NBT decided to stop Chandra&rsquo;s book when there is no dearth of books on communalism in the Indian context, her explanation was that, unlike the others books whose main target audience are research scholars, the primer on communalism focused on ordinary people. Thus, the intellectual reach of the book was immeasurably larger than, say, a book such as Gyan Pandey&rsquo;s Construction of Communalism in Colonial North India.

Though the idea of communalism is complex, Chandra made sure it was expressed in the simplest of language, without any rhetoric or jargon. It was meant to explain to the common men, women, and youth of India the danger posed by communalism. Chandra was untiring in his exhortation that communalism - no matter how well it masquerades itself as nationalism - is at the end harmful for the unity and prosperity of the country. Prof Mridula Mukherjee posited that the present power in Delhi obviously did not like Chandra&rsquo;s exhortations and, hence, the decision to stop its republication.

Thus, Chandra&rsquo;s book got withdrawn by the very organisation which was formed to serve the broader goals of literacy and, more importantly, for embodying the very essence of literacy which teaches you to question power.&nbsp;

Dr Mridula Mukherjee, who herself has served in the editorial board of NBT, repeatedly pointed out that &ldquo;never ever&rdquo; in the past has the publication house taken such an abrupt decision to withdraw a scholar&rsquo;s work. So she demands that NBT must have the honesty to come out with the &ldquo;real&rdquo; reason behind such a decision. She thinks, as a scholar, that Bipan Chandra&rsquo;s book cannot simply be dismissed as another textbook that is easily replaceable by another well-written one. The significance of Chandra&rsquo;s book lies in the fact that it taught ordinary Indians, with basic education, to recognise communalism and identify the negative stereotypes it creates in popular imagination.&nbsp;

On the World Literacy Day, we have to remind ourselves that each time we decide to ban, burn or refuse to publish a book, we defeat the very liberating principle of expanding literacy that we are supposed to uphold.&nbsp;

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Each time we ban, burn or refuse to publish a book, we defeat the very liberating principle of literacy

Half a century ago, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared September 8 as the International Literacy Day. The aim was to emphasise the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. Over the years and across the globe, national governments, individuals and private organisations have harped on the significance of raising public awareness about the extraordinary value of written words. The ability to read and write, which some of us are so effortlessly introduced to by our families, is still a rare skill among 775 million adults worldwide, that is, one in five adults are still not literate and two-thirds of them are women. Coming of books: Printing presses, mass literacy and inequities The persistence of high rate of illiteracy is astounding, particularly, because printed books over the past five hundred years or so have helped significantly to democratise knowledge acquisition. Ever since the arrival of movable-type printing in Europe in the fifteenth century, it very gradually liberated knowledge from the confines of the monasteries and made it accessible beyond the circle of the cultural elites. The concept of mass literacy is, thus, a very modern one; its evolution is tied not only to popularisation of democratic values but also to the technological innovation that took place in the domain of book printing. As printed books reached the market in ever larger numbers, it opened up entire new possibilities about how one learnt. From then on, at least potentially, one could self-tutor without having to either join a religious establishment or even a university. Protestant religious leaders encouraged parents to gain education and pass on the knowledge to their offsprings through home tutoring. Public libraries sprang up, supplementing the private libraries of the rich and the powerful. Such accessible and cheap reading spaces encouraged private reading and studies. So, printing presses joined hands with universities and a growing body of teaching community to revolutionise the literacy-scape of Europe. However, the progressive impact printing had on enhancing the mass literacy rate worldwide, particularly, in the global south had been repeatedly compromised by deep seated socio-economic inequities. Literacy rate varies by region; UNESCO reports that South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have the most illiterate people in the world. Literacy rates also vary based on sex, wealth, social status, and occupation. More men are literate than women, the wealthy can access schools easier than poor, farmers, labourers and artisans are historically known to suffer from illiteracy significantly more than the merchant communities. In countries with deep social divides, such as India, caste combines with class position to keep children of lower castes and Dalits out of schools. “Educate, agitate and organize”: Education and social slavery BR Ambedkar, Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution of India and the undisputed leader of the Dalit community in India, consistently reiterated the transformative value of education. Critiquing British policy for restricting education to only members of the upper stratum of the Indian society, particularly the Brahmins, Ambedkar argued, “Education is something which ought to be brought within the reach of everyone”. Ambedkar shared educationist John Dewey’s understanding that, education provides everyone, irrespective of the person’s social and economic status, with the means to change the world and not merely to understand it. Convinced, as was Dewey, that the forward march of democracy is crucially dependent on educating the people to help them understand social realities, Ambedkar emphasised that Dalits should forego no opportunities of getting educated. In a very moving message he called out, “We may forego material benefits, but we cannot forego our rights and opportunities to reap the benefits of highest education to the fullest extent”. To realise his vision of an independent India in which there are educational opportunities for all, Ambedkar deliberately included Article 45 in the Directive Principles of State Policy: “The state shall endeavour to provide, within a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years.” Along with ensuring universal literacy, Ambedkar established the People’s Education Society (PES) in 1946 to propagate higher education among the Dalits. He hoped that PES would serve the purpose of promoting intellectual, moral and social democracy beyond the narrow scope of literacy as a standard skill. National Book Trust: Literacy as empowerment and its challenges Books have been vital to achieve literacy, not simply to enhance the use of skills and improve the quality of life and livelihood, but also as mean of empowerment. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India and an avid reader himself, understood the importance of reading to enhance the quality of national life. To ensure that citizens of India could get good quality books at inexpensive prices, he set up the National Book Trust of India (NBT) in 1957, within a decade after India’s independence. Nehru hoped to make NBT a bureaucracy-free structure which would be publishing for ordinary Indian citizens in both English and in the vernacular. NBT’s primary goal has been to inculcate reading habit through publication of “outstanding” books of “modern knowledge” as well as literary work - both foreign and Indian. In many ways, the books published by NBT has helped readers, such as me, to interpret literacy as an empowering experience. The concept of literacy has evolved over the last 50 years and true to the spirit of Ambedkar and Nehru, NBT had been trying to publish works that would help us to understand and question the world as well as problematise social structures and the exercise of power. But like all good dreams revolving around nation-building, NBT has recently floundered in the rocky terrain of ideological power politics. Keeping to the trend of the last few years, the management of NBT has recently decided not to reprint historian Bipan Chandra’s Communalism-A Primer. Chandra was one of the foremost historians of India who passionately wrote about communalism, which he considered to be a scourge in the national history of the subcontinent. Having witnessed the devastating impact of Hindu-Muslim riots during the political partition of India, Chandra was deeply concerned about the impact communalism would have on secular fabric of independent India. He was thus a relentless critic of majoritarian politics, raising concerns at the alienation felt by minority communities in face of Hindu nationalism. I called up the chairman of NBT, Baldeo Bhai Sharma, to seek a better understanding of the reasons behind taking Communalism out of circulation. Mr Sharma is a veteran editor who has in the past served as the editor of national weekly Panchjanya of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Sharma trivialised the incident as a “routine” procedure. He insisted that a review committee looked into it and Bipan Chandra’s primer on communalism was one among many other books that have been discontinued. When I asked Mr Sharma what are the other books that did not make it to the press this year, he did not have an answer and dropped the call. Without an official explanation from the NBT I turned to Prof Mridula Mukherjee, who had been Chandra’s student and is a celebrated historian herself. She was, understandably, very shocked. She constantly asked how could NBT, being a public body, decide to stop reprinting a book without giving adequate explanation. She, however, at the same time laments that this has become the current trend in the literary world. When asked why she thinks NBT decided to stop Chandra’s book when there is no dearth of books on communalism in the Indian context, her explanation was that, unlike the others books whose main target audience are research scholars, the primer on communalism focused on ordinary people. Thus, the intellectual reach of the book was immeasurably larger than, say, a book such as Gyan Pandey’s Construction of Communalism in Colonial North India. Though the idea of communalism is complex, Chandra made sure it was expressed in the simplest of language, without any rhetoric or jargon. It was meant to explain to the common men, women, and youth of India the danger posed by communalism. Chandra was untiring in his exhortation that communalism - no matter how well it masquerades itself as nationalism - is at the end harmful for the unity and prosperity of the country. Prof Mridula Mukherjee posited that the present power in Delhi obviously did not like Chandra’s exhortations and, hence, the decision to stop its republication. Thus, Chandra’s book got withdrawn by the very organisation which was formed to serve the broader goals of literacy and, more importantly, for embodying the very essence of literacy which teaches you to question power. Dr Mridula Mukherjee, who herself has served in the editorial board of NBT, repeatedly pointed out that “never ever” in the past has the publication house taken such an abrupt decision to withdraw a scholar’s work. So she demands that NBT must have the honesty to come out with the “real” reason behind such a decision. She thinks, as a scholar, that Bipan Chandra’s book cannot simply be dismissed as another textbook that is easily replaceable by another well-written one. The significance of Chandra’s book lies in the fact that it taught ordinary Indians, with basic education, to recognise communalism and identify the negative stereotypes it creates in popular imagination. On the World Literacy Day, we have to remind ourselves that each time we decide to ban, burn or refuse to publish a book, we defeat the very liberating principle of expanding literacy that we are supposed to uphold.

Politics of knowledge: World literacy, banned books and power regimes

Not before 2050 can India be able to provide its children a full course of primary schooling, a UNESCO report said. 
 
The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report further said the country would achieve universal lower secondary education by 2060 and universal upper secondary education by 2085. 
 
The report said the existing education structure would have to be overhauled for the South Asian nation to meet its global education targets by 2030. 
 
?&quot;This means the country would be more than half a century late for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline,&quot; it added. 
 
The SDGs are a set of intergovernmental targets which aim to better the everyday life of millions of underprivileged people across the world. 
 
UNESCO last month stated there were 47 million children in the country who had dropped out of school. 
 
The Indian government has also published figures which states that six million children between the ages of 6 and 13 fall outside the country&#39;s education system.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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A report said the existing education structure would have to be overhauled for the country to meet its global education targets by 2030

Not before 2050 can India be able to provide its children a full course of primary schooling, a UNESCO report said. The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report further said the country would achieve universal lower secondary education by 2060 and universal upper secondary education by 2085. The report said the existing education structure would have to be overhauled for the South Asian nation to meet its global education targets by 2030. ?"This means the country would be more than half a century late for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline," it added. The SDGs are a set of intergovernmental targets which aim to better the everyday life of millions of underprivileged people across the world. UNESCO last month stated there were 47 million children in the country who had dropped out of school. The Indian government has also published figures which states that six million children between the ages of 6 and 13 fall outside the country's education system. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India can't achieve education targets before 2085: UNESCO

The Nepalese newspaper Kathmandu Post reported concerns among &nbsp;the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization &nbsp;(UNESCO) regarding the reconstruction of Ranipokhari, a historic artificial pond built in 1670 AD in the heart of Nepal&#39;s capital Kathmandu. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
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Its main building, Balgopaleswor Temple, which stands in the middle of the pond, was destroyed during the April 2015 earthquake. &nbsp; &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
UNESCO wrote a letter to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and the Department of Archaeology urging to halt the ongoing work, fearing that hurry and inappropriate techniques are undermining the final result. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;Since the very beginning of the reconstruction, UNESCO has stressed in meetings and letters addressed to the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and National Reconstruction Authority, the importance of changing bidding procedures for historical monuments,&rdquo; the UNESCO noted in its statement on Thursday.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The Kathmandu Post reported the letter to read that the international heritage conservation organisation is worried about awarding reconstruction works to the cheapest bidder, a practice which should not be used when it comes to restoring heritage buildings.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
UNESCO offered its full cooperation and technical expertise in managing the situation and identifying suitable solutions. They also urged the Department of Archaeology to take care of the &nbsp;post-quake reconstruction process.&nbsp; 
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&ldquo;We trust that the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and the Department of Archaeology will take concrete and effective steps to maintain and preserve the religious, cultural and historical significance of the Ranipokhari and the entire Kathmandu,&rdquo; stated UNESCO.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The international organisation is not the only actor worried about the heritage reconstruction. The website Nepali Time reported a student&#39;s protest in Kathmandu against the use of cement in Ranipokhari&#39;s rebuilding. Demonstrators were carrying placards reading &#39;Save our heritage&#39; and &#39;Save our identity&#39;.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
After natural disasters there is always a comprehensible hurry in reconstructing everything, a country needs ant want to go back to a normal life. This urgency applies particularly on damaged cultural heritage which represent a source of income for the local communities. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Historical buildings need special interventions and techniques though and these are normally expensive and not always fast.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Taking shortcuts could save some time, but this comes at the expenses of the beauty or of the stability of heritage with the only final result of affecting the touristic potential of a country.&nbsp; 
 
(WION)

They asked to halt Khatmandu's pond Ranipokhari restoration, urged Department of Archaeology to supervise all heritage-related works

The Nepalese newspaper Kathmandu Post reported concerns among the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) regarding the reconstruction of Ranipokhari, a historic artificial pond built in 1670 AD in the heart of Nepal's capital Kathmandu. Its main building, Balgopaleswor Temple, which stands in the middle of the pond, was destroyed during the April 2015 earthquake. UNESCO wrote a letter to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and the Department of Archaeology urging to halt the ongoing work, fearing that hurry and inappropriate techniques are undermining the final result. “Since the very beginning of the reconstruction, UNESCO has stressed in meetings and letters addressed to the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and National Reconstruction Authority, the importance of changing bidding procedures for historical monuments,” the UNESCO noted in its statement on Thursday. The Kathmandu Post reported the letter to read that the international heritage conservation organisation is worried about awarding reconstruction works to the cheapest bidder, a practice which should not be used when it comes to restoring heritage buildings. UNESCO offered its full cooperation and technical expertise in managing the situation and identifying suitable solutions. They also urged the Department of Archaeology to take care of the post-quake reconstruction process. “We trust that the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and the Department of Archaeology will take concrete and effective steps to maintain and preserve the religious, cultural and historical significance of the Ranipokhari and the entire Kathmandu,” stated UNESCO. The international organisation is not the only actor worried about the heritage reconstruction. The website Nepali Time reported a student's protest in Kathmandu against the use of cement in Ranipokhari's rebuilding. Demonstrators were carrying placards reading 'Save our heritage' and 'Save our identity'. After natural disasters there is always a comprehensible hurry in reconstructing everything, a country needs ant want to go back to a normal life. This urgency applies particularly on damaged cultural heritage which represent a source of income for the local communities. Historical buildings need special interventions and techniques though and these are normally expensive and not always fast. Taking shortcuts could save some time, but this comes at the expenses of the beauty or of the stability of heritage with the only final result of affecting the touristic potential of a country. (WION)

UNESCO expresses concern over Nepal post-quake reconstruction

The United Nations&#39;s cultural agency expressed concern Wednesday over the poor maintenance of a centuries-old cave temple in Sri Lanka, which risks being struck off the list of world heritage sites. 
 
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)director-general Irina Bokova said she raised the maintenance issue at the Golden Temple of Dambulla with local authorities during her visit to the island. 
 
The Sri Lankan government is bound by international treaty obligations to protect the cave monastery which is home to 2,000-year-old murals and 157 Buddha statues, she told reporters in Colombo at the end of her four-day visit. 
 
A team of experts who visited the site in central Sri Lanka last year found the site poorly maintained and warned that new constructions have affected its heritage value, she said. 
 
A Buddhist monk at the temple has been resisting Sri Lankan government efforts to take over the maintenance of the temple, but Bokova said it was the responsibility of the Sri Lankan state to ensure that the property was well preserved. 
 
&quot;When the World Heritage Committee discusses a report of protection and preservation, it is the responsibility of the government,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;We are talking about an international, legally binding document. The state party to the convention is the government of Sri Lanka.&quot; 
 
The cave temple is one of eight World Heritage sites in Sri Lanka and Bokova said she visited three of them. 
 
UN officials have expressed fears that the cave temple could be struck off the prestigious list of heritage sites unless immediate corrective action is taken to preserve frescoes and remove the new construction that has been added by resident monks. 
 
The first site to be removed from UNESCO&#39;s World Heritage List was the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman in 2007 after the government decided to reduce the size of the protected area by 90 percent -- in contravention of the heritage convention. 
 
The only other site to be removed was Germany&#39;s Dresden Elbe valley due to the building of a four-lane bridge in the heart of the cultural landscape which meant that the property failed to keep its &quot;outstanding universal value as inscribed. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

A Buddhist monk at the temple has been resisting Sri Lanka's maintenance efforts but UNESCO said the property should be well-preserved

The United Nations's cultural agency expressed concern Wednesday over the poor maintenance of a centuries-old cave temple in Sri Lanka, which risks being struck off the list of world heritage sites. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)director-general Irina Bokova said she raised the maintenance issue at the Golden Temple of Dambulla with local authorities during her visit to the island. The Sri Lankan government is bound by international treaty obligations to protect the cave monastery which is home to 2,000-year-old murals and 157 Buddha statues, she told reporters in Colombo at the end of her four-day visit. A team of experts who visited the site in central Sri Lanka last year found the site poorly maintained and warned that new constructions have affected its heritage value, she said. A Buddhist monk at the temple has been resisting Sri Lankan government efforts to take over the maintenance of the temple, but Bokova said it was the responsibility of the Sri Lankan state to ensure that the property was well preserved. "When the World Heritage Committee discusses a report of protection and preservation, it is the responsibility of the government," she said. "We are talking about an international, legally binding document. The state party to the convention is the government of Sri Lanka." The cave temple is one of eight World Heritage sites in Sri Lanka and Bokova said she visited three of them. UN officials have expressed fears that the cave temple could be struck off the prestigious list of heritage sites unless immediate corrective action is taken to preserve frescoes and remove the new construction that has been added by resident monks. The first site to be removed from UNESCO's World Heritage List was the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman in 2007 after the government decided to reduce the size of the protected area by 90 percent -- in contravention of the heritage convention. The only other site to be removed was Germany's Dresden Elbe valley due to the building of a four-lane bridge in the heart of the cultural landscape which meant that the property failed to keep its "outstanding universal value as inscribed. (AFP)

UN voices concern over maintenance of centuries-old cave temple in Sri Lanka

UNESCO has named Iraqi marshlands once ravaged by dictator Saddam Hussein as a World Heritage Site, a bright spot for a country where jihadists have repeatedly sought to wipe out history. 
 
The area named &quot;is made up of seven sites: three archaeological sites and four wetland marsh areas in southern Iraq,&quot; UNESCO said. 
&quot;The archaeological cities of Uruk and Ur and the Tell Eridu archaeological site form part of the remains of the Sumerian cities and settlements that developed in southern Mesopotamia between the 4th and the 3rd millennium BCE,&quot; it said. 
 
&quot;The Ahwar of Southern Iraq - also known as the Iraqi Marshlands - are unique, as one of the worlds largest inland delta systems, in an extremely hot and arid environment,&quot; UNESCO said. Iraq has been seeking World Heritage status for the marshes since 2003, and its government hailed the move. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated the Iraqi people on UNESCOs decision, and thanked &quot;all those who contributed to this success&quot;. 
 
Abadi also said that culture in the country will continue &quot;despite the destruction and demolition of Iraqi heritage and antiquities by barbaric terrorist gangs&quot;. He was referring to Islamic State group&#39;s destruction of artefacts at the Mosul museum and the ancient cities of Nimrud and Hatra, the latter of which is a World Heritage Site. 
 
IS has sought to couch the destruction in religious terms, saying it was targeting idols, but that has not stopped it from selling artefacts to fund its operations. 
 
The marshlands once stretched across some 20,000 square kilometres, but they were devastated after Saddam ordered them drained in the 1990s to stop them being used as hideouts by Shiite guerrillas opposed to his regime.&nbsp;Many dams and canals ordered built by the dictator have now been demolished, allowing waters from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to flood back, fish and fowl to return and humans to settle once again. 
 
Dams farther upriver in Syria and Turkey still limit the flow of water into the marshes, and high levels of salinity have also been a problem in the south, killing fish and making the water undrinkable. 
 
(AFP)

The Ahwar of Southern Iraq are one of the world's largest inland delta systems. Iraq has been seeking World Heritage status since 2003

UNESCO has named Iraqi marshlands once ravaged by dictator Saddam Hussein as a World Heritage Site, a bright spot for a country where jihadists have repeatedly sought to wipe out history. The area named "is made up of seven sites: three archaeological sites and four wetland marsh areas in southern Iraq," UNESCO said. "The archaeological cities of Uruk and Ur and the Tell Eridu archaeological site form part of the remains of the Sumerian cities and settlements that developed in southern Mesopotamia between the 4th and the 3rd millennium BCE," it said. "The Ahwar of Southern Iraq - also known as the Iraqi Marshlands - are unique, as one of the worlds largest inland delta systems, in an extremely hot and arid environment," UNESCO said. Iraq has been seeking World Heritage status for the marshes since 2003, and its government hailed the move. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated the Iraqi people on UNESCOs decision, and thanked "all those who contributed to this success". Abadi also said that culture in the country will continue "despite the destruction and demolition of Iraqi heritage and antiquities by barbaric terrorist gangs". He was referring to Islamic State group's destruction of artefacts at the Mosul museum and the ancient cities of Nimrud and Hatra, the latter of which is a World Heritage Site. IS has sought to couch the destruction in religious terms, saying it was targeting idols, but that has not stopped it from selling artefacts to fund its operations. The marshlands once stretched across some 20,000 square kilometres, but they were devastated after Saddam ordered them drained in the 1990s to stop them being used as hideouts by Shiite guerrillas opposed to his regime. Many dams and canals ordered built by the dictator have now been demolished, allowing waters from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to flood back, fish and fowl to return and humans to settle once again. Dams farther upriver in Syria and Turkey still limit the flow of water into the marshes, and high levels of salinity have also been a problem in the south, killing fish and making the water undrinkable. (AFP)

UNESCO names Iraq marshlands a World Heritage Site

It may be on the UNESCO heritage list but global experts warn that the Mediterranean diet, prized for its health benefits, is losing so much ground to the fast-food culture that the decline may be irreversible. 
 
Rich in vegetables, fruits, cereals and extra virgin olive oil, the Mediterranean diet is based on a moderate consumption of fish, dairy products, eggs, red wine and a small amount of meat. 
 
Found to varying degrees in all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, it was named in 2010 in UNESCO&#39;s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list for seven countries, from Croatia to Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Portugal. 
 
But the diet, which the United Nations also praises for promoting hospitality, neighbourliness, intercultural dialogue and creativity, is going rapidly out of fashion. 
 
&quot;In Greece, it has decreased by 70 per cent over the last 30 years, in Spain 50 per cent,&quot; Lluis Serra-Majem, head of the International Foundation of Mediterranean Diet, said at a recent conference in Milan. 
 
The experts, from Israel to New Zealand to Sweden, explored ways to revive the diet, from making it appealing to teenagers, to persuading people to buy fresh and sometimes costlier food during a period of economic crisis. 
 
In Spain, celebrities like actress Penelope Cruz may add some glamour with their love of Mediterranean cuisine but even fewer people are enticed. 
 
Less than 15 per cent of the Spanish population still eats a Mediterranean diet, while 50 to 60 per cent do so occasionally. Between 20 to 30 per cent have ditched it altogether, Serra-Majem said. 
 
And it&#39;s the same in Greece, says Antonia Trichopoulou from the Hellenic Health Foundation. Unsurprisingly, over 65-year-olds are the best at eating traditional dishes, while the youngest generations have succumbed to the lure of fast food. 
 
&quot;The decline has various causes. We are witnessing a globalisation of eating habits, with (the spread of) the &#39;Western diet&#39;,&quot; said Serra-Majem, pointing a finger of blame at the growth of the tourism sector in particular. 
 
It has been more marked in coastal areas, particularly in Spain or on Italy&#39;s Adriatic coast. 
 
&quot;Uncontrolled tourism leads to high urbanisation and increased consumption of meat, refined flours and a reduction of the traditional diet,&quot; he said. 
 
Oranges in Ibiza 
 
The change in eating habits is having a significant impact on public health with the rise of obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes among populations previously known for their longevity. 
 
Seven in 10 Greek adults are now overweight or obese, and about 11 per cent have diabetes, according to Trichopoulou. 
 
The Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity could prevent many diabetes cases, said Serra-Majem. 
 
While some regions are doing better at resisting fast food - such as southern Italy and northern Africa - the race is on to find a way to slow or reverse the diet&#39;s decline, with the meeting in Milan just one such bid to save it. 
 
As well as the health fallout and associated medical costs, dropping the diet also has an impact on the environment since &quot;almost 25 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions come from food production,&quot; he said. 
 
It also puts at risk of extinction local skills and traditions such as harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry and conservation. 
 
Healthy eating has not fallen by the wayside completely: the Mediterranean diet is a hit with &quot;educated people and those who belong to higher social classes&quot; in Greece, Trichopoulou said. 
 
&quot;It is more related to a social problem and education than money, because vegetables and fruits are relatively cheap,&quot; she said, but people are cooking less and advertisements promote sugary or preserved products. 
 
What&#39;s needed is to encourage initiatives in local communities and find a way of selling sustainable tourism - including a return to local food production - even in mass tourism areas, says independent expert Florence Egal. 
 
In Spain&#39;s Balearic Islands, including the hugely popular Majorca and Ibiza, &quot;thousands of tourists eat at buffets in large hotels&quot;, while &quot;in the countryside orange trees are weighed down with unpicked fruit&quot;, which rots because imported oranges cost less. 
 
And she warns, as groves are abandoned and migration to cities increases, the Mediterranean diet takes one more step towards becoming a thing of the past. 
 
(AFP)

Experts from New Zealand to Sweden are exploring ways to revive the cuisine that is fast losing popularity

It may be on the UNESCO heritage list but global experts warn that the Mediterranean diet, prized for its health benefits, is losing so much ground to the fast-food culture that the decline may be irreversible. Rich in vegetables, fruits, cereals and extra virgin olive oil, the Mediterranean diet is based on a moderate consumption of fish, dairy products, eggs, red wine and a small amount of meat. Found to varying degrees in all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, it was named in 2010 in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list for seven countries, from Croatia to Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Portugal. But the diet, which the United Nations also praises for promoting hospitality, neighbourliness, intercultural dialogue and creativity, is going rapidly out of fashion. "In Greece, it has decreased by 70 per cent over the last 30 years, in Spain 50 per cent," Lluis Serra-Majem, head of the International Foundation of Mediterranean Diet, said at a recent conference in Milan. The experts, from Israel to New Zealand to Sweden, explored ways to revive the diet, from making it appealing to teenagers, to persuading people to buy fresh and sometimes costlier food during a period of economic crisis. In Spain, celebrities like actress Penelope Cruz may add some glamour with their love of Mediterranean cuisine but even fewer people are enticed. Less than 15 per cent of the Spanish population still eats a Mediterranean diet, while 50 to 60 per cent do so occasionally. Between 20 to 30 per cent have ditched it altogether, Serra-Majem said. And it's the same in Greece, says Antonia Trichopoulou from the Hellenic Health Foundation. Unsurprisingly, over 65-year-olds are the best at eating traditional dishes, while the youngest generations have succumbed to the lure of fast food. "The decline has various causes. We are witnessing a globalisation of eating habits, with (the spread of) the 'Western diet'," said Serra-Majem, pointing a finger of blame at the growth of the tourism sector in particular. It has been more marked in coastal areas, particularly in Spain or on Italy's Adriatic coast. "Uncontrolled tourism leads to high urbanisation and increased consumption of meat, refined flours and a reduction of the traditional diet," he said. Oranges in Ibiza The change in eating habits is having a significant impact on public health with the rise of obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes among populations previously known for their longevity. Seven in 10 Greek adults are now overweight or obese, and about 11 per cent have diabetes, according to Trichopoulou. The Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity could prevent many diabetes cases, said Serra-Majem. While some regions are doing better at resisting fast food - such as southern Italy and northern Africa - the race is on to find a way to slow or reverse the diet's decline, with the meeting in Milan just one such bid to save it. As well as the health fallout and associated medical costs, dropping the diet also has an impact on the environment since "almost 25 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions come from food production," he said. It also puts at risk of extinction local skills and traditions such as harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry and conservation. Healthy eating has not fallen by the wayside completely: the Mediterranean diet is a hit with "educated people and those who belong to higher social classes" in Greece, Trichopoulou said. "It is more related to a social problem and education than money, because vegetables and fruits are relatively cheap," she said, but people are cooking less and advertisements promote sugary or preserved products. What's needed is to encourage initiatives in local communities and find a way of selling sustainable tourism - including a return to local food production - even in mass tourism areas, says independent expert Florence Egal. In Spain's Balearic Islands, including the hugely popular Majorca and Ibiza, "thousands of tourists eat at buffets in large hotels", while "in the countryside orange trees are weighed down with unpicked fruit", which rots because imported oranges cost less. And she warns, as groves are abandoned and migration to cities increases, the Mediterranean diet takes one more step towards becoming a thing of the past. (AFP)

Global push to make Mediterranean diet sexy again

When Joseph Mul walks through his field of sweet-smelling Provence roses, the raw ingredients of Chanel N&deg;5, he follows in the footsteps of his great-grandfather who began growing flowers for perfume in 1840. 
 
Mul, 77, is continuing the tradition of one generation instructing the next in the secrets of floral cultivation by preparing to hand over his livelihood to son-in-law, Fabrice Bianchi. 
 
&quot;He was converted the day he married my daughter,&quot; said Mul. 
 
&quot;The apprenticeship is done &#39;in situ&#39; in the fields, it&#39;s a permanent exchange between our two generations, a transfer of know-how that allows us to manage the plants,&quot; said Bianchi as he picked a Provence rose, also known as a May rose. 
 
&quot;This rose was designed to appeal to the nostrils. Its smell is very balanced and velvety.&quot; 
 
It is this rich heritage that the flower growers in the south-east French town of Grasse, including Mul, a well-known figure in the industry, are now pushing to have recognised by the UN&#39;s cultural agency, UNESCO. 
 
They have been joined in their crusade by France&#39;s perfume makers as well as the companies responsible for processing their raw materials. 
 
Grasse, a town of around 50,000 people, has been associated with perfume since the 17th century under Louis XIV when the area&#39;s leather makers - there since the Middle Ages - began to create scented oil to fragrance their wares, particularly gloves. 
 
The sun king is rumoured to have used so much that the scent made him ill. 
 
Fields of flowers began to speckle the region as a result of the demand for floral oils. 
 
A property boom in the 1970s coupled with strong competition from cheaper overseas producers threatened the viability of Grasse&#39;s perfume industry. 
 
Despite the headwinds, Grasse has since reasserted its position at the forefront of global perfume manufacturing, hosting famous names like Robertet and Fragonard and employing as many as 3,000 people. 
 
Today perfumes are heavily associated with fashion and celebrities, a trend started by Coco Chanel&#39;s N&deg;5 in 1921. 
 
Since then perfumes have become a core part of a designer&#39;s franchise with the world&#39;s leading luxury company LVMH opening a perfume testing laboratory in Grasse in September. 
 
The base will develop the next generation of scents for Dior and Louis Vuitton and help secure Grasse&#39;s position as a global hub for perfume. 
 
Several other renowned perfumes come directly from factories in and around Grasse using both natural and synthetic ingredients from across the world. 
 
&quot;Such a concentration of know-how doesn&#39;t exist anywhere else in the world. It&#39;s here that you have to come to perfect a natural product,&quot; said Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud, the son and grandson of Grasse perfume makers and now a designer and &quot;nose&quot; for Louis Vuitton. 
 
He has joined the chorus calling for Grasse&#39;s centuries of perfume expertise to be added to UNESCO&#39;s list of &quot;intangible cultural heritage&quot; following France&#39;s application in March 2015. 
 
While France officially recognised the region&#39;s valuable perfume heritage in 2014, it could take years for the United Nations to do the same. 
 
It is hoped that Grasse&#39;s bid will promote the traditional oral teaching of perfume-making techniques. 
 
&quot;A very colourful language, unique to perfumers, allows us to communicate emotion very quickly. With my father I understand instantly,&quot; said Cavallier-Belletrud. 
 
&quot;A perfume is an idea and a collection of emotions that can be shared.&quot; 
 
Carole Biancalana, a fourth generation grower of flowers for perfume, said that it is vital that Grasse&#39;s heritage be recognised to celebrate its history and secure its future. 
 
&quot;It is important to help label our heritage, to attract young people into the profession, and to pay tribute to past generations,&quot; she said.

Grasse, a small town in France, has been associated with perfume since the 17th century

When Joseph Mul walks through his field of sweet-smelling Provence roses, the raw ingredients of Chanel N°5, he follows in the footsteps of his great-grandfather who began growing flowers for perfume in 1840. Mul, 77, is continuing the tradition of one generation instructing the next in the secrets of floral cultivation by preparing to hand over his livelihood to son-in-law, Fabrice Bianchi. "He was converted the day he married my daughter," said Mul. "The apprenticeship is done 'in situ' in the fields, it's a permanent exchange between our two generations, a transfer of know-how that allows us to manage the plants," said Bianchi as he picked a Provence rose, also known as a May rose. "This rose was designed to appeal to the nostrils. Its smell is very balanced and velvety." It is this rich heritage that the flower growers in the south-east French town of Grasse, including Mul, a well-known figure in the industry, are now pushing to have recognised by the UN's cultural agency, UNESCO. They have been joined in their crusade by France's perfume makers as well as the companies responsible for processing their raw materials. Grasse, a town of around 50,000 people, has been associated with perfume since the 17th century under Louis XIV when the area's leather makers - there since the Middle Ages - began to create scented oil to fragrance their wares, particularly gloves. The sun king is rumoured to have used so much that the scent made him ill. Fields of flowers began to speckle the region as a result of the demand for floral oils. A property boom in the 1970s coupled with strong competition from cheaper overseas producers threatened the viability of Grasse's perfume industry. Despite the headwinds, Grasse has since reasserted its position at the forefront of global perfume manufacturing, hosting famous names like Robertet and Fragonard and employing as many as 3,000 people. Today perfumes are heavily associated with fashion and celebrities, a trend started by Coco Chanel's N°5 in 1921. Since then perfumes have become a core part of a designer's franchise with the world's leading luxury company LVMH opening a perfume testing laboratory in Grasse in September. The base will develop the next generation of scents for Dior and Louis Vuitton and help secure Grasse's position as a global hub for perfume. Several other renowned perfumes come directly from factories in and around Grasse using both natural and synthetic ingredients from across the world. "Such a concentration of know-how doesn't exist anywhere else in the world. It's here that you have to come to perfect a natural product," said Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud, the son and grandson of Grasse perfume makers and now a designer and "nose" for Louis Vuitton. He has joined the chorus calling for Grasse's centuries of perfume expertise to be added to UNESCO's list of "intangible cultural heritage" following France's application in March 2015. While France officially recognised the region's valuable perfume heritage in 2014, it could take years for the United Nations to do the same. It is hoped that Grasse's bid will promote the traditional oral teaching of perfume-making techniques. "A very colourful language, unique to perfumers, allows us to communicate emotion very quickly. With my father I understand instantly," said Cavallier-Belletrud. "A perfume is an idea and a collection of emotions that can be shared." Carole Biancalana, a fourth generation grower of flowers for perfume, said that it is vital that Grasse's heritage be recognised to celebrate its history and secure its future. "It is important to help label our heritage, to attract young people into the profession, and to pay tribute to past generations," she said.

Perfumers in France campaign for UN recognition

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