. | . |
Macron backs heritage bid of remote Polynesian islands by AFP Staff Writers Atuona, French Polynesia (AFP) July 26, 2021 French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday backed a bid by the Marquesas Islands to gain UNESCO world heritage status. Macron, the first head of state to visit the remote archipelago in French Polynesia, was greeted by a traditional ceremony of 600 dancers and musicians from its six islands. He was the only person at the gathering wearing a suit -- with everybody else clad in costumes made of leaves from the local auti plant -- as he addressed a crowd from onboard a traditional Polynesian double-hulled canoe. "This nature and this culture is our treasure," Macron said. "This is why I will fight alongside you for the Marquesas to get the Unesco classification." The UN cultural body awards world heritage status to sites judged to be of special universal value to humanity. Top heritage sites include the Great Wall of China, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Machu Picchu in Peru and the Acropolis in Greece. Marquesa Islands authorities have been campaigning for years to get the archipelago's unique combination of "nature and culture" recognised. "We may just be a group of small rocks in the Pacific, but we have riches that deserve to become part of the world's heritage," Polynesian culture minister Heremoana Maamaatuaiahutapu said. Macron is on his first official trip to French Polynesia, mostly dedicated to discussing the French overseas territory's strategic role, the legacy of nuclear tests and rising seas due to global warming. The trip is seen as a chance for Macron to highlight the extent of France's global footprint through its overseas territories, which extend from the Pacific to the Caribbean to Latin America and the Indian Ocean. The Pacific is of particular strategic importance in the context of China's rising power.
La Nina climate cycle over: UN Geneva (AFP) June 1, 2021 The weather phenomenon La Nina has ended its latest cycle, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said Tuesday, predicting warmer temperatures would follow in the northern hemisphere. La Nina refers to the large-scale cooling of surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, occurring every two to seven years. The effect has widespread impacts on weather around the world - typically the opposite impacts to the El Nino phenomenon, which has a warming influence on g ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |