Fresh momentum to High Seas Treaty
The conference, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, was the third in a series of global efforts to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 which is about Life Below Water and aims to conserve and sustainably manage our oceans.
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Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Catholics call for environmental action at Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue
Catholics call for environmental action at Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue (Picture credit: AP) RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian Catholic worshippers laid down an eco-friendly carpet in front of the world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday and called for the protection of the environment ahead of UN climate talks in the Amazon. Tapestries are a fixture of the Corpus Christi religious feast when Catholics celebrate what they believe is the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. This year, the colourful carpet was made from approximately 460 kilos (1,014 pounds) of recycled plastic caps . Over the past few years the Christ the Redeemer sanctuary has increasingly used the attention the iconic statue generates to spotlight environmental concerns. "These caps could be polluting the environment. Today they're here as a carpet," said Marcos Martins, environmental manager and educator at the sanctuary. "It's the circular economy: we take the material, we're reusing it here and then we're going to reuse it again with an exhibition." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Just after daybreak and before the first flock of tourists arrived on Thursday, Cardinal Orani Joao Tempesta led celebrations at the site overlooking Guanabara Bay and Rio's famed Sugarloaf mountain. The caps are "a good reminder of our co-responsibility with ecology, of our concern for the environment, which are very characteristic of Christ the Redeemer," Rio's archbishop told journalists. Thursday's celebration also paid homage to the late Pope Francis and his Laudato Si', a landmark environmental encyclical in which he cast care for the environment in stark moral terms. In the papal letter, Francis called for a bold cultural revolution to correct what he said was a "structurally perverse" economic system in which the rich exploited the poor, turning Earth into a pile of "filth" in the process. "The COP30 is coming up and we've just had the U.N. Ocean Conference. Nothing makes more sense than Christ being a great spokesperson for this issue," said Carlos Lins, the sanctuary's marketing director. Earlier this month, the sanctuary held workshops, discussion groups and actions focusing on environmental preservation. The statue, perched on the Corcovado mountain, is itself located in the Tijuca National Park . Brazil has been hit by a series of environmental disasters in recent years, including severe droughts in the Amazon, wildfires in the Pantanal and flooding in the south. This week, heavy rains killed at least two people in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul, just over a year after it was hit by the worst flooding on record. Scientists say extreme weather is happening more frequently due to human-caused climate change.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Nearly one in every four persons in India incorporating yoga, reveals Ayush ministry survey
National Cadet Corps cadets practice Yoga ahead of International Day of Yoga in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) NEW DELHI: India has been holding yoga events every year on June 21 since 2014, when UN adopted India's resolution to mark the day as International Day of Yoga (IDY). Celebrating IDY was first proposed by PM Narendra Modi at the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. Highlighting yoga's universal appeal, he suggested the Summer Solstice - June 21 - as the appropriate day for the purpose. With 177 UN member states co-sponsoring the resolution, the proposal received overwhelming support, with IDY being first celebrated in 2015. A survey commissioned by Ministry of Ayush has found that this exercise has led to nearly one in every four persons in India incorporating yoga - which includes asana sequences, breath control exercises and meditation - into their lifestyle. While 11% of the respondents - 30,084 people from across the country - said they practise yoga daily, 13% said they do it sometimes. However, 75% of people still don't practise yoga. To encourage such people, the survey report suggests complementing high-visibility flagship events such as IDY with grassroots mobilisation, digital platforms, and institutional partnerships. One of the moves by govt in this direction is a plan to upgrade existing parks in various panchayats (rural) and municipalities (urban) into Yoga parks where people can practise yoga every day. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo The Ayush ministry report also calls for embedding yoga instruction within school and university wellness programmes to foster early habit formation among young adults (18-24 years). The middle-aged groups can benefit from flexible work arrangements and digital access, which offer opportunities to scale virtual and office-based yoga interventions and convert occasional participants into consistent practitioners, the researchers suggest. They highlighted that nearly 17% of the elderly - the highest of any age group - practise yoga regularly. "The elderly people recognise the benefits of yoga, but they face barriers in including the practice in their daily lives. To address this, senior citizens-focused modules-such as chair-based asanas, balance exercises, and guided breathwork- should be delivered through community health centres and assisted-living facilities, ensuring that older adults can safely and confidently integrate yoga into their daily routines," said Raghvendra Rao, director of Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN). He also stressed the need for more yoga trainers and accessibility to yoga classes, offline or through digital mode. Subhash Giri, professor of medicine at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital, stressed that yoga provides numerous physical, mental, emotional, and long-term health benefits. Saima Wazed, regional director of WHO Southeast Asia said: "The benefits of yoga are well-documented. Studies have shown that 77% of people report feeling physically stronger after practising yoga regularly; 82% of patients with chronic inflammation experienced a nearly 50% reduction in symptoms after just six weeks of daily yoga. A study by Harvard Medical School found 60% of participants with depression experienced a significant reduction in symptoms after practising yoga twice a week for eight weeks".
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
World Refugee Day 2025: Date, theme, history, significance — all you need to know
World Refugee Day 2025 Date, History, and Theme: World Refugee Day is a global observance established by the United Nations, dedicated to honouring the strength and resilience of refugees worldwide. This day also emphasises the importance of advocating for their rights. According to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention, refugees are 'individuals who fled their home and country due to 'a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion'. This day was first observed globally on 20 June 2001, to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees. Formerly known as Africa Refugee Day, it was changed to this day when the United Nations General Assembly declared it an international day in December 2000. World Refugee Day falls on Friday, 20 June 2025, this year. It will focus on the theme 'Solidarity with Refugees,' a call for action to move beyond mere words and take meaningful actions to support them. According to the UN, every minute, 20 people leave everything to flee conflict, persecution, or terror, and World Refugee Day serves as an opportunity to build empathy and understanding for their predicament, as well as to recognise their resilience in reconstructing their lives. Together, we can fight for their right to safety, get support for their economic and social inclusion, and lobby for solutions to their problems. Every person has the right to seek safety. 💙 Whoever they are. 💙 Wherever they come from. 💙 Whenever they are forced to flee. This #WorldRefugeeDay — and every day — we stand with all refugees, everywhere. — UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) June 17, 2025
