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☆ UNESCO recommends adding Venice to list of world heritage sites in danger
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Gondoliers row their gondolas through the Venice Canal as the city prepares for the Redentore Festival celebrations in Venice, Italy, July 15, 2023. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri/File PhotoJuly 31 (Reuters) - UNESCO experts have recommended that Venice and its lagoon be added to its list of World Heritage in Danger as Italy is not doing enough to protect the city from the impact of climate change and mass tourism. UNESCO World Heritage Centre experts regularly review the state of the UN cultural agency's 1,157 World Heritage sites, and at a meeting in Riyadh in September, a committee of 21 UNESCO member states will review more than 200 sites and decide which to add to the danger list. Other sites recommended to be put on the danger list this year are the cities of Kyiv and Lviv in Ukraine. A spokesperson for the Venice municipality told Reuters the city "will carefully read the proposed decision published today by the Center for UNESCO's World Heritage Committee and will discuss it with the government".

Persons: Manuel Silvestri, Geert De Clercq, Augustin Turpin, Federica Urso, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, UNESCO, Heritage Centre, UN, Reuters, Center, World Heritage, Thomson Locations: Venice, Italy, Danger, Riyadh, Odessa, Ukraine, Timbuktu, Mali, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Kyiv, Lviv, Paris, Rome

Multiple sea drone attack carried out on Russian assets in Crimea and the Black Sea have grabbed recent headlines, with dramatic videos posted online. These sea drones are targeting the Russians in the Black Sea. “The speed of these drones exceeds any sea craft in the Black Sea region at the moment.”The speed and difficulties in detection may go some way to explaining how the drones that attacked the bridge traveled undetected in the dark across the Black Sea to the bridge. Especially since the Admiral Makarov was newly installed as the Black Sea flagship after the Moskva was famously sunk by Ukrainian forces in April 2022. Russia claimed it was responding to an area it says was housing sea drones.

Persons: Makarov, Putin, ”, menacingly, Admiral Makarov, “ Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, Boston Whaler, CNN, “, UNESCO, Heritage Locations: Ukraine, Boston, Crimean, Russia, Crimea, Kerch, Crimea’s Sevastopol, Sevastopol, Moskva, Russian

PARIS, July 29 (Reuters) - Booksellers along the river Seine say the Olympics threaten to erase a symbol of Paris, after they were told by local authorities that they will have to remove their stalls for the Summer Games opening ceremony in 2024 for security reasons. Paris 2024 organisers expect at least 600,000 people to attend the opening ceremony on the Seine, during which athletes and delegations will sail along the river. It will be the first time the public have free access to the opening ceremony, and not in a stadium. "This renovation is part of the Games' heritage and will help support the application to have the Seine booksellers recognised as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO," the authorities said. It was not clear whether the booksellers had been told they must move for the duration of the Games or only for the opening ceremony.

Persons: Paris, Jerome Callais, Albert Abid, Ardee Napolitano, Clotaire, Layli Foroudi, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Booksellers, Eiffel, Notre Dame, Paris, UNESCO, Thomson Locations: Paris, Seine

☆ Fire on car carrier ablaze off Dutch coast now less intense
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, July 28 (Reuters) - The fire which has been burning on a car carrier off the Dutch coast has lessened in intensity and salvagers have been able to board the ship to secure stronger tow lines, authorities said on Friday. Smoke rises as a fire broke out on the cargo ship Fremantle Highway, at sea on July 26, 2023. The Dutch coastguard said on its website on Thursday that the cause of the fire was unknown, but an emergency responder is heard in a recording released by Dutch broadcaster RTL saying, "The fire started in the battery of an electric car". An investigation has been launched by the Panama Maritime Authority and the Netherlands is assisting the inquiry, the Dutch Safety Board has said. The 199-metre (653-ft) Fremantle is drifting about 17 km from the northernmost Dutch coast, the coastguard said.

Persons: Miranda Murry, Daniel Leussink, Geert De Clercq, Marine Strauss, Anthony Deutsch, Tassilo Hummel, Philippa Fletcher, Leslie Adler Organizations: Panamanian, Fremantle Highway, Fremantle, Ship, Coastguard, REUTERS, K Line, Kawasaki, Dutch coastguard, RTL, Panama Maritime Authority, Dutch Safety, coastguard, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Coastguard Netherlands, Dutch, Netherlands, Fremantle, Germany, Egypt, Wadden, Denmark

☆ Carrier ablaze off Dutch coast carrying almost 500 electric cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, July 28 (Reuters) - The car carrier burning off the Dutch coast since Tuesday night is carrying nearly 500 electric vehicles, ship charter company "K" Line said on Friday, significantly more than the 25 initially reported by the coastguard. There were 3,783 vehicles on board, including 498 battery electric vehicles, a Tokyo-based spokesperson for K Line (Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha), which had chartered the vessel, said. He declined to say anything about the car brands, including whether or not it included any cars from Japanese manufacturers. An investigation has been launched by the Panama Maritime Authority and the Netherlands is assisting the inquiry, the Dutch Safety Board has said. The 199-metre (653 ft) Fremantle, which is still burning, is drifting about 17 km from the northernmost Dutch coast, the coastguard said.

Persons: Miranda Murry, Daniel Leussink, Marine Strauss, Anthony Deutsch, Tassilo Hummel, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: coastguard, Panamanian, Fremantle Highway, K Line, Kawasaki, RTL, Panama Maritime Authority, Dutch Safety, Fremantle, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Tokyo, Dutch, Netherlands, Germany, Egypt, Wadden, Denmark

☆ Opinion: Putin’s new target is a cultural and economic jewel
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Opinion Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Emergency service personnel clear a destroyed building near the Odesa Port after a Russian attack on Thursday, July 20. Late last week, Russian cruise missiles blasted the port and an overlooking bluff where the imposing Chinese consulate is located. The city in southern Ukraine is a key cultural center, and has long links with Russia. The attacks also coincide with Russia pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal that was keeping Ukrainian grain flowing to the world. Consider that East Africa, where the World Food Program says millions of people are experiencing unprecedented levels of food insecurity, is hugely dependent on Ukrainian grain.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, Odesa, Odesa CNN — It’s, Michael Bociurkiw Chrystia, It’s, I’m, Moscow, Odesa’s, Catherine II, “ I’ve, ” Oleksandra Kovalchuk, we’ve, ”, Oleksandr Gimanov, Laura Ballman, “, —, I’d, I’ve, Andrii Organizations: Atlantic Council, Organization for Security, Cooperation, CNN, Odesa CNN, National Fine Arts Museum, Getty, ”, Opera, Rockets, NATO, Patriot, Twitter, Food, UNESCO, Patriots Locations: Odesa, Europe, Canadian, Turkish, Iraqi, Ukraine’s Donetsk, Papua New Guinea, Ukraine, Miami, York, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Russian, That’s, Beijing, Lika, Soviet, AFP, of, New York City, Paris, “, Kyiv, Russia, Western Europe, Romania, East Africa

☆ Jill Biden Takes the 2024 Campaign to Paris in Another Overseas Appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Katie Rogers | More About Katie Rogers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At first glance, Jill Biden’s work on her trips overseas appears to be rooted in the traditional duties of first ladies: She has cheered on American Olympians in Tokyo, made a secret trip to Ukraine to meet with the country’s first lady and attended the royal wedding of the crown prince of Jordan. But in a host of speeches delivered overseas, including in Namibia and France, she has also used her platform for more political purposes, including making her case that President Biden has promoted democracy and revitalized global relationships strained by former President Donald J. Trump. In Paris on Tuesday, the first lady’s presence was a reminder, as the 2024 presidential campaign heats up, that Americans may again be choosing between the two men. Dr. Biden was there to deliver remarks for the official return of the United States to UNESCO, several years after the Trump administration pulled the country — and its funding — from the group. She was also there to deliver a White House message that Mr. Biden had united allies against what she called “Putin’s unjust war” in Ukraine.

Persons: Jill Biden’s, Jordan, Biden, Donald J, Dr, Trump Organizations: American, Trump, UNESCO Locations: Tokyo, Ukraine, Namibia, France, Paris, United States

☆ 'Unusual' numbers of a massive Russian missile built to sink aircraft carriers are hammering a port city in southern Ukraine, intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia is launching "unusual" numbers of carrier killer missiles, among others, at urban areas in southern Ukraine. The Kh-22 missile is inaccurate when used this way and exceptionally dangerous. The Tupelov Tu-22M supersonic bomber can carry up to three Kh-22 missiles, an anti-ship weapon that Russia has been using against Ukraine's urban areas. An aerial view of the damaged building after Russian missile attacks in Odessa, Ukraine on July 25, 2023. In an aerial view, the Transfiguration Cathedral heavily damaged by Russian missile on July 23, 2023 in Odesa, Ukraine.

Persons: Ercin, Zelenskyy, Yan Dobronosov, Viacheslav Onyshchenko, Yuriy Ihnat Organizations: Service, NATO, AS, Russian Defence Ministry, UNESCO, Heritage, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Russian, Workers, Command, Onyx, The New York Times, Intelligence Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Odesa, Wall, Silicon, Odessa, Odessa ., Russian, Dnipro, Ukrainian, Kremenchuk

☆ What are the Women’s World Cup armbands and why were they created?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Matt Foster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

What are the eight Women’s World Cup armbands? The eight different armbands each carry a “specific message” according to FIFA, falling under the governing body’s “Football Unites the World” campaign and in partnership with various United Nations’ agencies and the World Health Organization (WHO). During last year’s men’s World Cup in Qatar, a number of European captains withdrew from wearing an armband adorned with a heart striped in different colors as part of the “OneLove” campaign. England captain Millie Bright said she planned to wear three different armbands for each of her team’s group stage matches. “Nothing stopping Ali Riley from showing PRIDE at the World Cup this summer,” the website Women’s Sport Exchange tweeted.

Persons: Ali Riley, Steph Catley –, Sam Kerr, –, Qatar Bruno Fahy, Gianni Infantino, Millie Bright, ” Bright, ” Sarah Gregorius, “ You’ve, ’ ” Gregorius, Zealander Riley’s, Riley, Amanda Davies, ”, “, ” Ali Riley, Saeed Khan, Jennifer Garner, Angel City’s Organizations: CNN, New Zealand, Football Ferns, Inclusion, Australia, Indigenous Peoples, Ireland, FIFA, body’s “ Football, United Nations, World Health Organization, WHO, UN Human, Equality, UN, Peace –, UNHCR, UN Refugee Agency, Education, –, Cultural Organization, UNESCO, UN Women, Qatar, Getty, Football, “ Football, Reuters, “, FIFPRO, Zealander, Norway, Angel City FC, PRIDE, Exchange Locations: Norway, Sydney, Qatar, England, Netherlands, Germany, Eden, Auckland, AFP

CNN —Russian missiles badly damaged dozens of Ukrainian architectural landmarks, including a historic Orthodox cathedral in the southern port city of Odesa, sparking outrage and prompting President Volodymyr Zelensky to vow retaliation. “Russians deliberately aimed their missiles at the historic city center of Odesa, which is under the UNESCO protection. Some of the other cultural sites damaged include the House of Scientists and Zhvanetskyi Boulevard, Odesa’s Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said Sunday. Jae C. Hong/APThe cathedral lies in Odesa’s city center, which UNESCO named a World Heritage Site amid the threat of Russia’s invasion. “Missiles against peaceful cities, against residential buildings, a cathedral … There can be no excuse for Russian evil,” Zelensky said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Odesa –, Oleh Kiper, Hennadii Trukhanov, Jae C, Catherine the Great, Oleksandr Tkachenko, Maia Sandu, Russia’s, Oleksandr Gimanov, ”, Julia Gorodetska, I’ve, Odesa, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Serhii Smolientsev, Reuters “, Josep Borrell, Oleh Syniehubov, ” Syniehubov Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, Scientists, Zhvanetskyi, Ukrainian, Heritage, Getty, Command, Russian Ministry of Defense, “, Odesa, Reuters, Telegram . Civilian Locations: Russian, Odesa, Odesa’s, Soviet, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, AFP, Ukrainian, Kharkhiv, Dvorichna, Kharkiv, Chuhuiv, Kupyansk

☆ Wildfires in Greece: what you need to know about the island of Rhodes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ATHENS, July 23 (Reuters) - Following are some facts about the Greek island of Rhodes, facing wildfires that caused thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate this weekend. With a population of about 125,000 people, Rhodes is the ninth largest island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Lying to the southeast of the Greek mainland, it is one of the country's most popular islands for tourists, known for its sun-drenched beaches and historic sites. The old medieval town of Rhodes is home to a citadel, one of the finest examples of Gothic defensive architecture, and a well-preserved castle, the Palace of the Grand Master. In the southeast of the island, the small fishing village of Lindos attracts tourists with its hilltop medieval fortress and ancient acropolis.

Persons: Rhodes, Saint John, Angeliki, Frances Kerry Organizations: Knights, Crusaders, UNESCO, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Rhodes, Lindos

☆ A storied cathedral protected by the UN in Ukraine's key port city of Odesa has now been bombed twice — once by Putin and once by Stalin
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian missile strike clobbered a Ukrainian cathedral in Odesa, killing one and injuring 19. The strike in the port city of Odesa early Sunday morning left one dead and injured 19 others. Photos from Reuters showed the devastation in the Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi Cathedral — also known as the Transfiguration Cathedral — which is Odesa's largest church building. An interior view shows the Transfiguration Cathedral damaged during a Russian missile strike on Odesa, Ukraine. The destruction of the key port city is a tactic, according to Oleksiy Honcharenko, a Ukrainian MP from Odesa.

Persons: Joseph Stalin, Oleh Kiper, —, Nina Liashonok, Andriy Palchuk, Palchuk, Oleksiy, Odesa, Honcharenko, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy Organizations: Russian, UNESCO, Service, Ukrainian, Reuters, Guardian, Twitter, Odesa Locations: Ukrainian, Odesa, Soviet, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Preobrazhenskyi, Ukraine

"Tourism has been on the slow burner for decades in the Darien," said longtime Panamanian tour guide Rick Morales. Tourists and migrants rarely meet face to face; the routes are almost always separated by dozens of miles. Reuters GraphicsTrip advertising does not mention the humanitarian crisis. At the same time, it acknowledged a "catastrophic humanitarian crisis" in a separate part of the Darien due to migration. Travel Darien Panama is an Indigenous-owned tour operator that says on its website it aims to help fund schools and improve living conditions in their village.

Persons: Franca Ramirez, Ramirez, Rick Morales, Marco Wanske, Kisbel Garcia, Alejandra Peña, Luis Eguiluz, Lorri Krebs, Mark Fischer, Morales, Carmelita Cansari, Nina Van Maris, Van Maris, Daina Beth Solomon, Laura Gottesdiener, Elida Moreno, Stephen Eisenhammer, Claudia Parsons Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Pan, Organization for Migration, Reuters, Tourists, Reuters Graphics, Adventure Travel Trade Association . Social, REUTERS, UNESCO, Salem State University, Tourism Ministry, U.S ., U.S, U.S . State Department, Big, Maria, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Panamanian, Venezuela, Darien, Panama, Americas, United States, Mexico, Alaska, Argentina, Afghanistan, Africa, U.S, selfies, Ecuador, Haiti, Acandi, Colombia, Central America, Salem , Massachusetts, Greece, Texas, Travel Darien Panama, Luxembourg, Mexico City, Monterrey, Panama City, Maria Laguna

☆ Hong Kong's golfers gird up for battle as housing policy threatens famed course
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Miguel Angel Jimenez from Spain hits a shot on the 18th fairway during the final day of the Hong Kong Open Championship at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Hong Kong, China November 18, 2012. The rare measure drew criticism from NGOs who questioned whether the golf course would be redeveloped as planned by 2029. Three of these courses are in the Fanling golf course located close to the border with mainland China. "If you see the aggressiveness of the branding by other countries, Hong Kong is really under the gun. "The (Hong Kong) government absolutely should not allow populism and antagonism against the wealthy to spread," Tong said.

Persons: Miguel Angel Jimenez, Tyrone Siu, Hong Kong's, John Lee, Lee, Simon Yau, Sze Lai Shan, LIV Golf, Amr El Henawy, El Henawy, Ronny Tong, Tong, Clare Jim, Justin Fung, Anne Marie Roantree Organizations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong Golf Club, REUTERS, Hong, Urban Studies, Lingnan University of Hong, Development Bureau, Reuters, Town, Society of Community Organization, HIT, HONG, UNESCO, Pacific Cultural Heritage, Team, Thomson Locations: Spain, Hong Kong, China, Tyrone Siu HONG KONG, Lingnan University of Hong Kong, HONG KONG, Asia, Saudi

For decades, Copenhagen has been lauded for its design, its food, its dedication to sustainability, even the general good cheer of its residents. But this year, architecture is the focus after UNESCO named the city the World Capital of Architecture for 2023. What that means for visitors is a yearlong slate of events, exhibitions and tours of the city’s most innovative architectural projects. To maximize a trip, travelers this year need two companions. Because one thing that will never change is the Danes’ devotion to cycling, a true joy in a place as bike-friendly (and flat) as Copenhagen on these blissfully long summer days.

Persons: Danes Organizations: UNESCO, Danish Architecture Locations: Copenhagen

CNN —Ancient Buddhist murals and statues in caves along China’s Silk Road are under “direct threat” from extreme rainfall brought by climate change, researchers have found. Zhangye Cultural Heritage Administration/GreenpeaceThe report comes as China is conducting its fourth nationwide cultural heritage survey to log the state of the country’s historical artifacts. “The sites we looked at include some of the most well-funded, best-staffed cultural heritage sites in China. Li said Chinese officials and academics are increasingly aware of the threats of the climate crisis on the country’s cultural heritage sites. Unlike Dunhuang, many historical sites lack long-term monitoring data to research the impacts of climate change, Li said.

Persons: ”, Li Zhao, Li, we’re, they’re, ” Li, Tianlongshan grottoes Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, Heritage, Greenpeace, Greenpeace East Asia’s, Spikes, Heritage Administration, Dunhuang Academy Locations: Gansu, Greenpeace East, Greenpeace East Asia’s Beijing, Jinta, China, Shanxi, Jinci, Dunhuang

What is the Naadam festival? “Naadam means ‘games’ in the Mongolian language and it includes three main competitions, Mongolian wrestling, archery and horse racing,” he explains. The Naadam games took place virtually for two years, from 2020-2021, because of the pandemic. Kyodo/APIn addition to the major festivities held in Ulaanbaatar, there are Naadam games – of different scales – held across Mongolia in the countryside. A female archer strikes a pose at a small Naadam festival at the Three Camel Lodge in Mongolia's Gobi Desert in 2019.

Persons: Genghis Khan, Here’s, Naadam, It’s, ”, “ Naadam, Genghis, Barry Lewis, –, Yesunge, Tessa Chan, Alison Wright, David, Goliath, Wu Hong Organizations: CNN, Manly Games, Nomadic Expeditions, “, UNESCO, Intangible, Heritage, Humanity, South China Morning, Mongolian Government, Mongolian, Mongolia, Archery, Kyodo, AP, Archery Field, Shutterstock Locations: Mongolia, gers, Mongol, Ulaanbaatar, Uliastai, Western Mongolia, South, Mongolian, Australia, New Zealand, Ulaanbataar

☆ UN warns that implanting unregulated AI chips in your brain because could threaten your mental privacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The United Nations is warning about "potentially harmful" advances in neurotechnology. Some tech could allow AI to compromise a person's mental privacy, UNESCO officials said. "It's like putting neurotech on steroids," Mariagrazia Squicciarini, an economist from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, told the AFP. I didn't like it at all," Galvin, who eventually had the device removed, told UNESCO. It could threaten our rights to human dignity, freedom of thought and privacy," UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay said in June, when she proposed a "common ethical framework at the international level."

Persons: Gabriela Ramos, Ramos, Antonio Guterres, Hannah Galvin, Galvin, " Galvin, Squicciarini, Audrey Azoulay Organizations: UNESCO, UN, Morning, United Nations, Agence France, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, AFP Locations: neurotechnology

[1/2] A participant applies rainbow coloured facepaint before a 5.17 km run to mark International Day Against Homophobia in a park in Beijing, China, May 17, 2018. Thirteen diplomats from nine Western and Asian delegations said that the challenges they face when arranging events about gender equality and LGBT issues, or broader cultural activities, showed how China's red lines have shifted. Some recent Chinese actions around foreign missions drew widespread attention, including a warning from authorities aimed at embassies displaying Ukraine flags. Three diplomats told Reuters the incident had made them more careful about meeting with civil society figures. "A case could be made that the intentional disruption of embassy activities violates one or the other of these provisions, if not both," he said.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Xi, Guy Saint, Jacques, Peter Stano, Yaqiu Wang, Wang, Yu Wensheng, Xu Yan, Joseph Klingler, Foley Hoag, Laurie Chen, Yew Lun Tian, Brenda Goh, Engen Tham, David Crawshaw Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, China's Foreign Ministry, Vienna Convention, Diplomatic Relations, of Public Security, Europe, UNESCO, United Nations, Coordinator's, Beijing LGBT Center, Human Rights Watch, Police, European Union, EU, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, SHANGHAI, Canada, Vienna, Ukraine, Western, Joseph Klingler , Washington, Shanghai

☆ At Peru temple site, archaeologists explore 3,000-year-old 'condor's passageway'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Carlos Valdez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANCASH, Peru, July 12 (Reuters) - Archaeologists working in Peru have uncovered a 3,000-year-old sealed corridor dubbed "the condor's passageway" that likely leads to other chambers inside what was once a massive temple complex pertaining to the ancient Chavin culture. Located around 190 miles (306 km) northeast of Lima, the Chavin de Huantar archeological site is among the culture's most important centers, thriving from around 1,500-550 B.C. The temple complex features terraces as well as a network of passageways, which have only recently been discovered. Rick, a Stanford University archeologist, has said much of the temple complex remains to be excavated. The United Nations' educational, scientific and cultural arm UNESCO declared Chavin de Huantar a world heritage site in 1985.

Persons: John Rick, Rick, Chavin, Carlos Valdez, Marion Giraldo, David Alire Garcia, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Reuters, Stanford University, Rick's, United Nations, UNESCO, Thomson Locations: ANCASH, Peru, Lima, Peruvian

☆ Women’s World Cup teams permitted to wear armbands that highlight ‘social causes’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Amanda Davies | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —World soccer governing body FIFA will allow a variety of different armbands that highlight “a range of social causes” to be worn at the upcoming Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the organization said Friday. “FIFA, in partnership with several United Nations agencies, will use the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ to highlight a range of social causes, selected following extensive consultation with stakeholders including players and the 32 participating member associations,” FIFA said in a statement. “But football does even more than that – it can shine the spotlight on very important causes in our society. Several European teams were set to participate in the “OneLove” campaign to promote inclusion and oppose discrimination, but those countries were prevented by FIFA from doing so. There is no explicit mention of LGBTQ rights in Women’s World Cup armbands, beyond the “themes” of “gender equality” and “inclusion.”The Women’s World Cup is scheduled to be played from July 20 to August 20 with the opening game taking place in Auckland when co-hosts New Zealand play Norway.

Persons: ”, “, Gianni Infantino, Hadja Lahbib, Nancy Faeser – Organizations: CNN, FIFA, “ FIFA, United Nations, ” FIFA, Football, Inclusion, UN Human, Indigenous Peoples, Equality, UN, Peace –, UNHCR, UN Refugee Agency, Education, –, Cultural Organization, UNESCO, UN Women, World Health Organization, WHO, Qatar –, Belgian Foreign Affairs, German, New Zealand Locations: Australia, New Zealand, Qatar, Infantino, Auckland, Norway

☆ Ancient Roman Pantheon to start charging entry from Monday
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] People queue to enter Pantheon, one of the ancient world's best preserved monuments which from July will start charging visitors an entry fee in Rome, Italy, June 30, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneROME, June 30 (Reuters) - Visitors to Rome's Pantheon, one of the ancient world's best preserved monuments, will have to pay a 5 euro ($5.45) entrance fee from Monday, Italy's tourism ministry has said. It remains the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome and has a circular skylight at its crown. The building survived the Barbarian attacks on Rome and was transformed into a Christian church in 609. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)Reporting by Cristiano Corvino; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Guglielmo Mangiapane ROME, Emperor Hadrian, Karsten Kohler, Cristiano Corvino, Crispian Balmer, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, UNESCO, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy

☆ UNESCO member countries ready to welcome US back to organisation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The member states will make their decision at an extraordinary session on Thursday and Friday. "This comes after a lot of work to persuade, educate and explain on the current realities of UNESCO," Azoulay, who is French, told reporters, adding that she had personally lobbied U.S. lawmakers for several months. At this stage there are no negotiations for its return, Azoulay said. Its return to UNESCO was enabled after a waiver from the U.S. Congress earlier this year. Azoulay said China had responded at UNESCO to the potential U.S. return by saying it should be constructive and not oppose one state.

Persons: Donald Trump, Audrey Azoulay, Washington's, Azoulay, John Irish, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Trump, PARIS, United Nations, U.S . State Department, UNESCO, Reuters, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, U.S, Congress, Thomson Locations: States, US, United States, Israel, Paris, U.S, Timbuktu, Jerusalem, Washington, Palestine, China

☆ 'Pizza' painting found in ancient Roman ruins of Pompeii
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, June 27 (Reuters) - A fresco that depicts what might be an ancestor of the Italian pizza has been found on the wall of an house in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, Italy's Culture Ministry said on Tuesday. While it cannot technically be considered a pizza, since it lacks classic ingredients such as tomato and mozzarella, what was found in Pompeii "may be a distant relative of the modern dish", according to a statement. Pompeii, destroyed by an eruption of the Mount Vesuvius volcano nearly 2,000 years ago, is only about 23 km away from Naples, the modern-day home of the Italian pizza, a UNESCO-protected food. The fresco was discovered in the hall of a house that had a bakery attached to it, which was partly excavated in the 19th century and where digging resumed in January, the culture ministry said. ($1 = 0.9142 euros)Reporting by Cristina Carlevaro, editing by Alvise Armellini and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Cristina Carlevaro, Alvise Armellini, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Culture Ministry, UNESCO, EU, Thomson Locations: Naples

☆ North Korea says U.S. has 'sinister intention' in rejoining UNESCO
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, June 27 (Reuters) - North Korea criticised on Tuesday the U.S. plan to rejoin the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO as a "sinister" move to use an international organisation for the purpose of "realizing the strategy for hegemony". The Paris-based U.N. agency announced this month the United States intended to rejoin in July, calling it an "act of confidence in UNESCO and in multilateralism". "Clear is the sinister intention of the U.S. hastening the reentry into the organization ... The U.S. has an inglorious background of having withdrawn not only from UNESCO but also from WHO, the UN Human Rights Council and other international organizations," a statement released by North Korea's permanent mission to UNESCO said. The United States initially joined UNESCO at its founding in 1945 but withdrew in 1984 in protest against alleged financial mismanagement and perceived anti-U.S. bias before returning in 2003.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump's, Jack Kim, Ed Osmond Organizations: UNESCO, Wall Street, WHO, UN Human Rights, North, World Health Organization, United, U.S, Trump, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Paris, United States, multilateralism, U.S, Israel, Korea

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