Chile's Ancient Mummies Added to UN Heritage List

Chinchorro mummies are displayed in Azapa's San Miguel Museum in Arica city, around 2051 km (1274 miles) north of Santiago, Chile, October 27, 2005. (REUTERS Photo)
Chinchorro mummies are displayed in Azapa's San Miguel Museum in Arica city, around 2051 km (1274 miles) north of Santiago, Chile, October 27, 2005. (REUTERS Photo)
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Chile's Ancient Mummies Added to UN Heritage List

Chinchorro mummies are displayed in Azapa's San Miguel Museum in Arica city, around 2051 km (1274 miles) north of Santiago, Chile, October 27, 2005. (REUTERS Photo)
Chinchorro mummies are displayed in Azapa's San Miguel Museum in Arica city, around 2051 km (1274 miles) north of Santiago, Chile, October 27, 2005. (REUTERS Photo)

Chile's Chinchorro mummies, the oldest in the world to have been purposefully preserved by humans, were added to UNESCO's World Heritage List this week.

The mummies, which were found in the north of Chile at the start of the 20th century, are more than 7,000 years old, meaning they pre-date the Egyptian mummies by two millennia.

The United Nations' cultural organization announced on Twitter that it had added the "settlement and artificial mummification of the Chinchorro culture" to its prestigious list during a virtual meeting chaired by China.

"UNESCO is validating on an international level, through different experts, that the settlements and artificial mummification of the Chinchorro culture has exceptional value, that it has a global importance," Chilean anthropologist Bernardo Arriaza told AFP.

The Chinchorro were fishers and hunter gatherers more than 7,000 years ago in an area where the desert and Pacific Ocean meet in what is today the south of Peru and north of Chile.

So far, more than 300 mummies have been found, including red, black and bandaged ones.

The mummification process consisted of removing the organs, intestines and tissue.

The skin was then ripped off the corpse and the body rebuilt using sticks and animal hair, while a thick head of black hair was sewn onto the scalp.

Finally the mummies were painted red or black using earth, pigments, manganese and iron oxide.

"These bodies are very finely made by specialists. There's a subtlety, a creativity by these first populations," added Arriaza, who is the director of the Chinchorro Center at the Tarapaca University in the city of Arica.

Why the Chichorro culture mummified their dead remains a mystery.

In 2005, Arriaza developed a theory that it could have been linked to high levels of arsenic poisoning in the water that could have produced premature births, miscarriages, underweight children and high infant mortality.

He suggested the mummification was "an emotional response from parents faced with these painful losses, so they painted them, dressed them up and every day this technique became more elaborate."



King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Contributes to Saudi Green Initiative’s Goals

CEO of the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority Eng. Maher bin Abdullah Al-Gothmi. (SPA)
CEO of the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority Eng. Maher bin Abdullah Al-Gothmi. (SPA)
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King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Contributes to Saudi Green Initiative’s Goals

CEO of the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority Eng. Maher bin Abdullah Al-Gothmi. (SPA)
CEO of the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority Eng. Maher bin Abdullah Al-Gothmi. (SPA)

The CEO of the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority, Eng. Maher bin Abdullah Al-Gothmi, described Saudi Green Initiative Day as a celebration of Saudi Arabia's achievements in the field of climate action and addressing various environmental challenges.
Al-Gothmi added that the event, which falls on March 27, is an opportunity to unify the efforts of Saudi society members and activate their role in building a sustainable future, the Saudi Press Agency said on Thursday.
"Thank God and under the guidance and follow-up of Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, the chairman of the board of directors of the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority, has succeeded in aligning its projects, initiatives, and outputs with the targets of the Saudi Green Initiative since its launch by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on March 27, 2021”, said Al-Gothmi.
This was achieved through integrated partnerships with government entities, the private sector, non-profit third-sector organizations, and particularly voluntary environmental associations, to ensure their sustainability for the current and future generations, he said.
The King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve is one of the seven reserves established by a royal decree. It is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and has an independent authority led by Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz.


A Faster Spinning Earth May Cause Timekeepers to Subtract a Second from World Clocks

This image provided by NOAA/NASA In This May 31, 2018 satellite image shows the Earth's western hemisphere at 12:00 p.m. EDT on May 20, 2018, made by the new GOES-17 satellite, using the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument. (NOAA/NASA via AP, File)
This image provided by NOAA/NASA In This May 31, 2018 satellite image shows the Earth's western hemisphere at 12:00 p.m. EDT on May 20, 2018, made by the new GOES-17 satellite, using the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument. (NOAA/NASA via AP, File)
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A Faster Spinning Earth May Cause Timekeepers to Subtract a Second from World Clocks

This image provided by NOAA/NASA In This May 31, 2018 satellite image shows the Earth's western hemisphere at 12:00 p.m. EDT on May 20, 2018, made by the new GOES-17 satellite, using the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument. (NOAA/NASA via AP, File)
This image provided by NOAA/NASA In This May 31, 2018 satellite image shows the Earth's western hemisphere at 12:00 p.m. EDT on May 20, 2018, made by the new GOES-17 satellite, using the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument. (NOAA/NASA via AP, File)

Earth’s changing spin is threatening to toy with our sense of time, clocks and computerized society in an unprecedented way — but only for a second.

For the first time in history, world timekeepers may have to consider subtracting a second from our clocks in a few years because the planet is rotating a tad faster than it used to. Clocks may have to skip a second — called a "negative leap second" — around 2029, a study in the journal Nature said Wednesday.

"This is an unprecedented situation and a big deal," said study lead author Duncan Agnew, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. "It’s not a huge change in the Earth’s rotation that’s going to lead to some catastrophe or anything, but it is something notable. It’s yet another indication that we’re in a very unusual time."

Ice melting at both of Earth’s poles has been counteracting the planet's burst of speed and is likely to have delayed this global second of reckoning by about three years, Agnew said.

"We are headed toward a negative leap second," said Dennis McCarthy, retired director of time for the US Naval Observatory who wasn’t part of the study. "It’s a matter of when."

It’s a complicated situation that involves, physics, global power politics, climate change, technology and two types of time.

Earth takes about 24 hours to rotate, but the key word is about.

For thousands of years, the Earth has been generally slowing down, with the rate varying from time to time, said Agnew and Judah Levine, a physicist for the time and frequency division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The slowing is mostly caused by the effect of tides, which are caused by the pull of the moon, McCarthy said.

This didn’t matter until atomic clocks were adopted as the official time standard more than 55 years ago. Those didn’t slow.

That established two versions of time — astronomical and atomic — and they didn't match. Astronomical time fell behind atomic time by 2.5 milliseconds every day. That meant the atomic clock would say it’s midnight and to Earth it was midnight a fraction of a second later, Agnew said.

Those daily fractions of seconds added up to whole seconds every few years. Starting in 1972, international timekeepers decided to add a "leap second" in June or December for astronomical time to catch up to the atomic time, called Coordinated Universal Time or UTC. Instead of 11:59 and 59 seconds turning to midnight, there would be another second at 11:59 and 60 seconds. A negative leap second would go from 11:59 and 58 seconds directly to midnight, skipping 11:59:59.

Between 1972 and 2016, 27 separate leap seconds were added as Earth slowed. But the rate of slowing was tapering off.

"In 2016 or 2017 or maybe 2018, the slowdown rate had slowed down to the point that the Earth was actually speeding up," Levine said.

Earth’s speeding up because its hot liquid core — "a large ball of molten fluid" — acts in unpredictable ways, with eddies and flows that vary, Agnew said.

Agnew said the core has been triggering a speedup for about 50 years, but rapid melting of ice at the poles since 1990 masked that effect. Melting ice shifts Earth’s mass from the poles to the bulging center, which slows the rotation much like a spinning ice skater slows when extending their arms out to their sides, he said.

Without the effect of melting ice, Earth would need that negative leap second in 2026 instead of 2029, Agnew calculated.

For decades, astronomers had been keeping universal and astronomical time together with those handy little leap seconds. But computer system operators said those additions aren’t easy for all the precise technology the world now relies on. In 2012, some computer systems mishandled the leap second, causing problems for Reddit, Linux, Qantas Airlines and others, experts said.

"What is the need for this adjustment in time when it causes so many problems?" McCarthy said.

But Russia’s satellite system relies on astronomical time, so eliminating leap seconds would cause them problems, Agnew and McCarthy said. Astronomers and others wanted to keep the system that would add a leap second whenever the difference between atomic and astronomical time neared a second.

In 2022, the world’s timekeepers decided that starting in the 2030s they’d change the standards for inserting or deleting a leap second, making it much less likely.

Tech companies such as Google and Amazon unilaterally instituted their own solutions to the leap second issue by gradually adding fractions of a second over a full day, Levine said.

"The fights are so serious because the stakes are so small," Levine said.

Then add in the "weird" effect of subtracting, not adding a leap second, Agnew said. It’s likely to be tougher to skip a second because software programs are designed to add, not subtract time, McCarthy said.

McCarthy said the trend toward needing a negative leap second is clear, but he thinks it’s more to do with the Earth becoming more round from geologic shifts from the end of the last ice age.

Three other outside scientists said Agnew's study makes sense, calling his evidence compelling.

But Levine doesn’t think a negative leap second will really be needed. He said the overall slowing trend from tides has been around for centuries and continues, but the shorter trends in Earth’s core come and go.

"This is not a process where the past is a good prediction of the future," Levine said. "Anyone who makes a long-term prediction on the future is on very, very shaky ground."


On its First Celebration... Saudi Green Initiative Enhances Planet Protection

The initiative seeks to protect the environment and improve the quality of life in the country. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The initiative seeks to protect the environment and improve the quality of life in the country. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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On its First Celebration... Saudi Green Initiative Enhances Planet Protection

The initiative seeks to protect the environment and improve the quality of life in the country. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The initiative seeks to protect the environment and improve the quality of life in the country. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

In line with a decision by the Saudi government, March 27 of each year has been designated as an official day to celebrate the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to chart a path for Saudi Arabia and the region in protecting the planet.

The initiative, launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in March 2021, oversees the implementation of a sustainable, long-term climate action plan that supports Saudi Arabia’s ambition to achieve the goal of zero neutrality by 2060 through the circular carbon economy, and accelerate transition towards a green economy.

The initiative embodies the vision of Prince Mohammed, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Green Saudi Arabia, to confront the challenges of climate change, improve the quality of life, protect the environment, and advance sustainable innovation for the benefit of future generations.

Leading role

Riyadh plays a pioneering role in reducing the effects of climate change and carbon emissions, given its rich resources and experience in managing global energy stability. According to experts and specialists, Saudi Arabia is qualified to lead a new era of climate action and contribute significantly to global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

During the meeting of Arab ministers concerned with climate affairs in Riyadh in October, Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman stressed that responding to the challenges of climate change was a shared responsibility.

He explained that each region has its own environment that requires different means and implementation mechanisms to deal with this challenge, emphasizing the importance of four axes, namely adaptation, mitigation, financing, and global effort.

The minister also underlined the vital role of young men and women in responding to the challenges of climate change, by developing solutions and innovations and participating actively in decision-making.

Consolidating interest

Abdul Rahman Al-Fadhli, the Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, said on his personal account on X that the Council of Ministers’ decision to designate March 27 as an annual day for the Saudi Green initiative represents a “consolidation of the leadership’s interest in environmental issues locally and internationally” and “supports the Kingdom’s approach to leading the green era, and ensuring a more sustainable future for the next generations.”

For his part, Majid Al-Hogail, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, said Saudi Arabia will continue “our journey to enhance the prosperity of our cities and raise the quality of life,” adding: “Our ambitions are great. We are always capable of achieving them.”

Many government agencies are expected to organize events to mark the Saudi Green Initiative Day and highlight their efforts in reducing carbon emissions, increasing afforestation and protecting land and marine areas.

The Ministry of Environment said that 43 afforestation projects have been launched as part of the Saudi Green initiative to achieve the goal of planting 10 billion trees inside Saudi Arabia, and 40 billion trees throughout the region, and rehabilitating degraded lands.

This will ultimately reduce carbon emissions around the world by 2.5 percent, the ministry told Asharq Al-Awsat.

77 different programs

Since the announcement of the Saudi Green Initiative, 77 different programs have been launched to support these goals and drive sustainable growth, with investments worth more than SAR700 billion.

Saudi Arabia has transformed its commitments into concrete actions by uniting the efforts of the government and private sectors and promoting opportunities for cooperation and innovation. It is also moving towards achieving its national climate ambitions and supporting global goals in this framework.

43 afforestation initiatives

The 43 afforestation initiatives aim to plant about 400 million trees by 2030.

The official spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture told Asharq Al-Awsat that these initiatives have contributed until the third quarter of 2023 to planting 43.9 million trees in various parts of Saudi Arabia, and reclaiming 94,000 hectares of degraded lands, achieving a 300 percent increase in production capacity to reduce carbon emissions, and more than 8 gigawatts in production capacity for renewable energy projects.

Biodiversity

In order to strengthen and enhance biological diversity, restore the local natural environment, and increase the percentage of protected areas to more than 30 percent of the total land area in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry said that work is underway to implement four initiatives that will contribute to increasing the percentage of protected terrestrial areas to more than 21 percent, and the percentage of marine protected areas to more than 26 percent by 2030.

Moreover, since the launch of the Saudi Green initiative, 1,669 endangered animals, such as the Arabian oryx, sand gazelle, and ibex, have been resettled in the Kingdom’s natural reserves, where they help enhance biodiversity.

Community participation

The initiative called on all members of Saudi society to participate in the activities of the first edition of the Saudi Green Initiative Day. The Ministry’s spokesman, Saleh bin Abdul Mohsen bin Dakhil, confirmed “a great demand by members of society to participate in the afforestation initiatives taking place in various parts of the country.”

He said that more than 150,000 volunteers have registered to participate in these projects over the past two years, adding that this number is expected to double.

Remote Sensing

With regards to new agricultural technologies that have been utilized within the framework of sustainable solutions that preserve the environment, the Ministry of Environment launched a program for remote sensing and artificial intelligence technologies to study the reality of vegetation areas and contribute to achieving afforestation goals.

Advanced technologies support tree planting efforts in hard-to-reach areas, by identifying suitable sites for planting them, studying the nature of the soil and plant species, and monitoring the movement of sand.


Australia Battles to Save Last 11 Wild ‘Earless Dragons’ 

This picture taken on March 25, 2024 shows a grassland earless dragon lizard at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve located on the outskirts of the Australian capital city of Canberra. (AFP)
This picture taken on March 25, 2024 shows a grassland earless dragon lizard at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve located on the outskirts of the Australian capital city of Canberra. (AFP)
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Australia Battles to Save Last 11 Wild ‘Earless Dragons’ 

This picture taken on March 25, 2024 shows a grassland earless dragon lizard at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve located on the outskirts of the Australian capital city of Canberra. (AFP)
This picture taken on March 25, 2024 shows a grassland earless dragon lizard at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve located on the outskirts of the Australian capital city of Canberra. (AFP)

Australia's grassland earless dragon is no bigger than a pinkie when it emerges from its shell, but the little lizard faces an enormous challenge in the years ahead: avoiding extinction.

As recently as 2019, scientists in Canberra counted hundreds of grassland earless dragons in the wild. This year, they found 11.

In other areas of the country, the lizard has not been seen for three decades.

The earless dragon -- which is light brown and has long white stripes down its body -- measures about 15 centimeters (the size of a US$1 bill) when fully grown.

It lacks an external ear opening and functional eardrum, hence the name.

Australia has four species of earless dragons. Three are critically endangered, the highest level of risk, while the fourth is endangered.

The critically endangered dragons will likely be extinct in the next 20 years without conservation efforts.

"If we properly manage their conservation, we can bring them back," said University of Canberra Professor Bernd Gruber, who is working to do just that.

Breeding programs

Australia is home to thousands of unique animals, including 1,130 species of reptiles that are found nowhere else in the world.

Climate change, invasive plants and animals, and habitat destruction -- such as the 2019 bushfires, which burned more than 19 million hectares (46 million acres) -- have pushed Australia's native species to the brink.

In the past 300 years, about 100 of Australia's unique flora and fauna species have been wiped off the planet.

To save the earless dragons there are several breeding programs under way across Australia, including a bio-secure facility in Canberra's bushlands, which Gruber is overseeing.

On shelves are dozens of tanks that house the lizards -- one to each container -- with a burrow, grass and heat lamps to keep them warm.

The biggest problem is matchmaking, with the territorial female lizards preferring to choose their mates.

This means that scientists must introduce different male lizards to the female until she approves.

If that was not hard enough, scientists must also use genetic analysis to determine which lizards are compatible together and ensure genetic diversity in their offspring.

At any one time, the breeding programs around Australia can have up to 90 earless dragons, which will eventually be released back into the wild.

At the moment, Gruber is looking after more than 20 small lizards that have just hatched. Scientists almost missed the tiny eggs until three weeks ago.

"There is a sense of hope looking over them," he told AFP.

Habitat destruction

Despite the efforts of scientists, the lizards are contending with a shrinking habitat and a changing climate.

Australian Conservation Foundation campaigner Peta Bulling said the lizards only live in temperate grasslands, most of which have been destroyed by urban development.

Only 0.5 percent of grasslands present at the time of European colonization still exist.

Without the lizards, Australia's alpine grasslands could look vastly different.

"We don't understand everything the grassland earless dragons do in the ecosystem, but we can make guesses they play an important role in managing invertebrate populations. They live in burrows in the soil, so they are probably aerating the soil in different ways too," she told AFP.

Bulling said that while it was important to bring the lizard back, it was also vital to protect their habitats, without which the newly saved lizards would have nowhere to live.

"They are highly specialized to live in their habitat but they will not adapt quickly to change," she said.

Last year, scientists rediscovered a small number of another kind of earless dragons after 50 years in an area that is being kept secret for conservation reasons.

Resources are being poured into understanding just how big that population is and what can be done to protect it.


France, Brazil Announce $1.1 Billion Investment Plan for the Amazon 

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and French President Emmanuel Macron look at a tree canopy at the Combu Island, near Belem, Brazil, March 26, 2024. (Reuters)
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and French President Emmanuel Macron look at a tree canopy at the Combu Island, near Belem, Brazil, March 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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France, Brazil Announce $1.1 Billion Investment Plan for the Amazon 

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and French President Emmanuel Macron look at a tree canopy at the Combu Island, near Belem, Brazil, March 26, 2024. (Reuters)
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and French President Emmanuel Macron look at a tree canopy at the Combu Island, near Belem, Brazil, March 26, 2024. (Reuters)

The Brazilian and the French presidents on Tuesday announced a plan to invest 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in the Amazon, including parts of the rainforest in neighboring French Guiana.

The two countries' governments said in a joint statement the money will be spread over the next four years to protect the rainforest. It will be a collaboration of state-run Brazilian banks and France's investment agency. Private resources will also be welcomed, Brazil and France said.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are meeting this week to revive the relationship between the countries after years of frictions with former President Jair Bolsonaro, deepen cooperation to protect the rainforest and boost trade.

Macron started his three-day visit to Brazil in the Amazon city of Belem, where he met his long-time ally Lula. The French president then took a boat to the Combu island to meet with Indigenous leaders.

Both Macron and Lula saw a protest by Greenpeace Brazil with banners that read “No oil in the Amazon.” Brazil’s government has contemplated allowing the tapping of oil in a region close to the Para state, where Belem lies.

Lula said during a speech that Macron's visit is part of a global effort to beef up rainforest protections.

“We want to convince those who have already deforested that they need to contribute in an important way to countries that still have their forests to keep them standing,” Lula said in a speech next to the French president.

Macron's office prior said to the trip that a potential European trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur won’t be on the agenda. The French president is an opponent of such an agreement as long as South American producers don’t respect the same environment and health standards as Europeans, after farmers raised concerns during protests across France and Europe.

The French president decorated Indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire with the prestigious Legion of Honor medal for efforts at conserving the rainforest.

“You were in Europe and I promised to come here to your forest and be with your people in this forest that is coveted,” Macron told the Indigenous leader, according to French radio RFI. “President Lula and I have a common cause for one of our friends in this land that belongs to you.”

Lula and Macron will seek to “set a common course” to fight both climate change and poverty, Macron’s office said, as Brazil is to host the summit of the Group of 20 leading economies in Rio de Janeiro in November and UN climate talks in Belem next year.

On Wednesday, Macron and Lula will launch a diesel-powered submarine built in Brazil with French technology at the Itaguai shipyard outside Rio de Janeiro. The French president will then head to metropolis Sao Paulo to meet with Brazilian investors. On Thursday, the French president will head to Brasilia to again meet with Lula.


NCW Implements Three Major Initiatives in Saudi Green

The Center leads major initiatives within the Green Saudi Initiative - SPA
The Center leads major initiatives within the Green Saudi Initiative - SPA
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NCW Implements Three Major Initiatives in Saudi Green

The Center leads major initiatives within the Green Saudi Initiative - SPA
The Center leads major initiatives within the Green Saudi Initiative - SPA

The National Center for Wildlife (NCW) has implemented three main initiatives in "Saudi Green."

The initiatives include expanding and integrating protected areas, assessing marine and coastal environments, rehabilitating affected areas, and ensuring their sustainable management.

According to SPA, the NCW has undertaken an initiative to propagate and resettle endangered species and restore their ecosystems.
The Center leads major initiatives within the Green Saudi Initiative, serving as a national umbrella for the Kingdom's wildlife sector. It works in tandem with other sectors to restore the Kingdom's ecosystems, enrich biodiversity, and achieve environmental balance and sustainability.
These programs contribute to enriching biodiversity and restoring ecosystems in the Kingdom.

The efforts are essential as organisms play a crucial role in the safety of food chains and in achieving environmental balance.


Saudi Media Oasis Nominated for WSIS Prizes 2024

Saudi Media Oasis Nominated for WSIS Prizes 2024
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Saudi Media Oasis Nominated for WSIS Prizes 2024

Saudi Media Oasis Nominated for WSIS Prizes 2024

The Media Oasis project, launched by the Saudi Ministry of Media, has been nominated for the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2024 Prizes.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) selected the project to represent Saudi Arabia in the government media sector category.

The nomination comes a year after the project’s launch in 2023, joining over a thousand global projects nominated for this year's prize.

Additionally, Media Oasis's nomination as the sole government representative from the Kingdom in the media sector category reflects the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Media and its partners from the government and private sectors.

These efforts have been evident in the Oasis's five local and international editions, highlighting the importance of joint work in showcasing the achievements of the Kingdom's major national transformation projects to the world.

The Media Oasis project has gained both local and international prominence, coinciding with the Kingdom's participation in several global events and hosting several international and regional conferences.

The first edition of the Oasis was held in conjunction with the 32nd Arab Summit in Jeddah on May 18-19, 2023. The second edition took place alongside the annual Grand Hajj Symposium on June 20-22, 2023. The third edition was held in New Delhi from September 9 to 11, 2023, coinciding with the Kingdom's participation in the G20 Leaders' Summit and the official visit of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to India.

The fourth edition occurred in Diriyah, Riyadh, from November 9 to 11, 2023, coinciding with the Kingdom's hosting of the Saudi-African Summit and the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit. The fifth edition was held in conjunction with the Kingdom's participation in the 173rd General Assembly meeting to determine the host country for Expo 2030.

Through Media Oasis, the ministry provides a dedicated and convenient space for local and international media outlets and journalists to carry out media coverage of official and significant events from the center of key national projects and cover events hosted by the Kingdom.

Media Oasis has attracted over 9,800 guests worldwide in its five editions. It has been covered by over 455 media outlets and attended by over 2,600 national and international journalists representing over 70 countries who published over 440 news articles. Additionally, over 380 presenters representing over 65 government entities participated in the event.


Indonesia Hunts Clues as Study Suggests Javan Tiger May Still Exist 

A Sumatran tiger growls at the Sumatra Tiger Rescue Center compound, inside the Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation (TWNC), near Bandar Lampung, the southern tip of Sumatra island, February 25, 2013. (Reuters)
A Sumatran tiger growls at the Sumatra Tiger Rescue Center compound, inside the Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation (TWNC), near Bandar Lampung, the southern tip of Sumatra island, February 25, 2013. (Reuters)
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Indonesia Hunts Clues as Study Suggests Javan Tiger May Still Exist 

A Sumatran tiger growls at the Sumatra Tiger Rescue Center compound, inside the Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation (TWNC), near Bandar Lampung, the southern tip of Sumatra island, February 25, 2013. (Reuters)
A Sumatran tiger growls at the Sumatra Tiger Rescue Center compound, inside the Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation (TWNC), near Bandar Lampung, the southern tip of Sumatra island, February 25, 2013. (Reuters)

Indonesia is hunting for more clues that the extinct Javan tiger may still exist in the wild, a government official said Tuesday, after a new study suggested links between a DNA-tested hair and the big cat.

The endemic Javan and Balinese tigers were wiped out in the 1980s and 1940s respectively, leaving only Sumatran tigers remaining in the archipelago nation.

Scientists from Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) along with conservationists discovered genetic traces of the Javan tiger in a single hair found near a West Java village in 2019, according to a study published by Cambridge University Press last week.

"The Environment and Forestry Ministry appreciates the research... there are several actions that we are doing and will do to respond to the results," Satyawan Pudyatmoko, head of conservation at the environment and forestry ministry, told AFP.

He said those measures included setting up camera traps, inviting genetics experts to help authorities conduct further research and tests, and collecting community data.

"If, for example, it is proven that it still exists, it will certainly become a protected animal. It is the obligation of all parties, including the society, to participate in preserving their population," he said.

The tiger hair shared similarities with Sumatran and Bengal tigers but was distinct from other tiger sub-species, the researchers said.

The study said a local resident reported a Javan tiger sighting in 2019 at a plantation in a forest near Sukabumi city in West Java province.

A hair was taken from a fence where the big cat was alleged to have jumped, and footprints and claw marks were found, it said.

"Based on our in-depth interview with (resident) Ripi Yanur Fajar, who saw the tiger, we believe the hair is from a Javan tiger," read the study's abstract.

"Whether the Javan tiger still occurs in the wild needs to be confirmed with further genetic and field studies."

Muhammad Ali Imron, head of WWF Indonesia's Forest and Wildlife Program, told AFP he appreciated the researchers' efforts but said hair samples were "very limited" and needed to be confirmed with more samples and other genetic testing methods.

He also expressed concern the findings were made public because of "a risk" of alerting hunters.

The Javan tiger became extinct because of poaching and increasing conflict with humans, authorities say.

Sumatran tigers -- often targeted by poachers for their body parts -- are considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with fewer than 400 believed to be in the wild.


Father and Wife’s Illnesses Focus Attention on Future King, Prince William 

Britain's William, Prince of Wales, greets people outside Windsor Castle, following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in Windsor, Britain, September 10, 2022. (Reuters)
Britain's William, Prince of Wales, greets people outside Windsor Castle, following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in Windsor, Britain, September 10, 2022. (Reuters)
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Father and Wife’s Illnesses Focus Attention on Future King, Prince William 

Britain's William, Prince of Wales, greets people outside Windsor Castle, following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in Windsor, Britain, September 10, 2022. (Reuters)
Britain's William, Prince of Wales, greets people outside Windsor Castle, following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in Windsor, Britain, September 10, 2022. (Reuters)

With both his father King Charles and his wife Kate absent from public duties as they undergo treatment for cancer, Britain's Prince William has come under the media and public spotlight like never before.

As heir to the throne and as a son of the late Princess Diana, the 41-year-old is accustomed to the scrutiny that comes with being a British royal.

But his father and wife's absence from public life since mid-January has meant even greater attention has turned to the future King William V.

From the moment his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth, died in September 2022, he would have been all too aware of the "scary" reality of his destiny, said Anna Whitelock, history of the monarchy professor at London's City University.

"He knows he has to be ready to be king," she told Reuters.

"When (the king's) cancer diagnosis came, of course, I'm sure his first reaction was as a son, concern for his father. But there is also this big weight of responsibility that suddenly starts to kind of descend upon his shoulders. And I'm sure he's very, very aware of that."

William was at the center of some golden years for the royal family in the last decade with public celebrations and outpourings of support at his and Kate's wedding in 2011, the births of their three children, and milestones in the reign of his grandmother Elizabeth.

But the last few years also saw a high-profile fallout with Prince Harry, his younger brother's exit from royal duties along with wife Meghan, and their criticism of the institution. There was also the scandal over his uncle Prince Andrew's friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The death of Elizabeth and of her husband Philip the year before left the monarchy looking noticeably smaller, something brought into sharp relief by the current absence of Charles, 75, and Kate.

"He must be absolutely devastated and worried about his wife, about his children and about his father, on top of all the problems he's had with his brother," royal biographer Claudia Joseph said.

"I think it's very tough. But ... he's made of stern stuff. He's very stoic."

WILLIAM WILL 'STEP UP'

That contrasts with the view tabloid newspapers presented of "work-shy" William in 2017. But since then he has taken on more and more royal duties and won praise for championing causes including the environment and mental health.

"I'm sure when the time comes, Prince William will step up to the plate," said Robert Hardman, author of recent biography "Charles III".

"I mean, we saw how in the aftermath of the death of Elizabeth II - the longest lived, longest reigning monarch we've ever had - people thought, how do you follow that? Well, the answer is monarchy gets on with it."

While the role of monarch is meant to be as a non-political head of state, Whitelock said William would find it very difficult to spend his time as king just wearing robes and cutting ribbons. Many people would actually welcome "a more interventionist monarch," she added.

"I think it's going to be really interesting over the next few years to see whether people are ready for that or whether there is a kind of line which he ends up having to be very clear that he doesn't cross."

The prince has not been shy to speak his mind and criticize world leaders over the environment. In February, he voiced concern over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, saying too many people had been killed: an unusually direct intervention from a British royal.

"I think the royal family has to modernize and develop as it goes along and it has to stay relevant," William said in 2016, when asked by the BBC about his future as king.

"That's the challenge for me is how do I make the royal family relevant in the next 20 years' time, and it could be 40 years' time, it could be 60 years' time and I have no idea when that's going to be. I hope that's something that I can do."


Swiss Chocolatiers Bank on the Easter Bunny as Cocoa Costs Soar

Unwilling to risk their reputation for quality, Swiss chocolate makers are likely to offer a greater variety of products at different price points © Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
Unwilling to risk their reputation for quality, Swiss chocolate makers are likely to offer a greater variety of products at different price points © Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
TT

Swiss Chocolatiers Bank on the Easter Bunny as Cocoa Costs Soar

Unwilling to risk their reputation for quality, Swiss chocolate makers are likely to offer a greater variety of products at different price points © Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
Unwilling to risk their reputation for quality, Swiss chocolate makers are likely to offer a greater variety of products at different price points © Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

Swiss chocolatiers have a battle on their hands as Easter rolls around, with surging cocoa prices sending their costs soaring and consumers cutting back as inflation hits their pockets.

Cocoa was breaking records last week, coming close to $9,000 per tonne in New York and topping £7,000 ($8,850) in London, which will force chocolate makers to hike their prices even though they have little room for manoeuvre.

Earlier this month Lindt & Sprungli warned that its prices would be going up again in 2024 and 2025, having already been raised by 10.1 percent on average last year.

They are banking on their higher margin products like pralines -- not to mention their chocolate Easter bunnies -- to absorb the shock.

The surge in cocoa costs, which comes on top of high sugar prices, "increases the challenges for Swiss chocolate", Thomas Juch, spokesman for Chocosuisse, the sector's employers' federation, told AFP.

The cocoa price hike is happening against a "context of increased price sensitivity" on the part of consumers, and is currently partly being borne by the manufacturers who "cannot fully pass on this increase in retail prices", he said.

This is because prices are adjusted at intervals during negotiations with the supermarket chains and are not changing continuously, said Juch.

Recipe for trouble

And per capita annual consumption in Switzerland -- the world's largest consumer of chocolate -- fell by one percent, to 10.9 kilogrammes.

Cocoa prices increased almost 70 percent in New York and almost 90 percent in London in 2023 following poor harvests in the leading producers Ivory Coast and Ghana, due to heavy rains, a cocoa pod disease outbreak and then drought.

However, cocoa prices have doubled again since January.

One solution the food industry regularly turns to when raw material costs explode is to alter the recipe.

But Nestle chief executive Mark Schneider said that was not on the cards, with consumers having clear expectations for their favourite products.

"Tinkering now with the recipes and flavour profiles, simply because the input costs for cocoa has gone up, in my opinion would be a mistake," he said during the group's annual results announcement.

Jessica Herschkowitz, spokeswoman for Camille Bloch, which makes Ragusa chocolate, put it succinctly.

"Recipes are sacred," she said.

The other industry solution is to come up with new products -- Ragusa itself being a well-known historical example.

In 1942, Bloch, who was struggling to import cocoa beans into Switzerland due to the disruption in international trade during World War II, created a new bar using the hazelnuts which he could source in abundance.

But for now, "we will have to go through with price increases like all the other chocolatiers", said Herschkowitz.

The family business has "done everything to avoid price increases", she told AFP, notably by waiting as long as possible "before placing our new orders".

But the rise in cocoa prices is such that "we have no other options", she said.

According to Jean-Philippe Bertschy, an analyst with Swiss investment managers Vontobel, Swiss chocolatiers cannot compromise on quality, "even if certain foreign groups are less careful".

Lindt, for example, makes no compromises because "quality is the basis of its success", he told AFP.

While presenting his group's annual results, Lindt and Sprungli chief executive Adalbert Lechner said the company's answer was to ensure there is "a product for every budget", like its classic Easter bunny, which comes in six sizes ranging from 10 grams to one kilogram.