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The French government is being sued for failing to outlaw bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas.

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The French government has been formally asked by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) and Defense des Milieux Aquatiques (DMA) to address its noncompliance with EU and French regulations pertaining to bottom trawling, one of the most damaging fishing methods. These regulations are obviously broken by allowing this practice to continue in some of France's most biodiverse and endangered marine areas. The NGOs claim that this situation puts the long-term sustainability of the fisheries in jeopardy in addition to compromising the integrity of these places. Legal action will be taken in a French court if the government fails to appropriately respond to this formal request. The request specifically targets two maritime protected areas, Chausey and Bancs des Flandres, where bottom trawling is causing habitat destruction. A major factor in the decline of marine biodiversity is bottom trawling, which is the practice of dragging weighted nets across the seabed. It unintentionally captu

Ancient Kingdoms Festival is back in AlUla with a program focused on heritage.

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RIYADH: AlUla, the iconic center of the Incense Road, has announced that tickets for this year's Ancient Kingdoms Festival, which kicks off on November 7, are now available for purchase. The festival offers a range of unique experiences situated among historical landmarks. According to an official statement, the festival, which is presented by AlUla Moments, is back this year with an incredible lineup of daytime discoveries, action-packed exploration, and theatrical after-dark journeys that are inspired by the ancient stories of AlUla and are performed by some of the best immersive experience creators in the world. Among the participating heritage sites are the mudbrick maze of AlUla's Old Town, which is regarded as one of the best tourist villages in the world; Wadi Al-Naam, a breathtaking valley filled with famous rock art; and the Nabataean city of Hegra, which was named Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the events is the "Incense Road Experien

Increasing Mutual Understanding, Indonesia and Azerbaijan Reach a Diplomatic and Service Visa-Free Accord

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The United States' New York On Friday, September 27, 2024, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi met with Azerbaijan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov at the High-level Week of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, USA (27/9). The two foreign ministers signed the Diplomatic and Service Visa Free Agreement (PBVDD) between Russia and Azerbaijan to begin the meeting. "I believe that this agreement will enhance diplomatic relations and facilitate closer cooperation between the two countries... which will bring greater collaboration in the future," Retno stated. In a bilateral discussion at the UN headquarters in New York, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Bayramov referred to Indonesia as a crucial ally. Bayramov emphasized that Azerbaijan wants to keep up its highest level of bilateral cooperation with Indonesia. Additionally, the two foreign ministers decided to intensify their collaboration in a number of international cooperation pl

Saudi universities join King Salman academy for Arabic language test

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RIYADH: On Tuesday, the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language, in partnership with a number of Saudi universities, administered the Hamza Arabic language proficiency test for non-native speakers.  The academy strives to improve Arabic's standing internationally, encourage its use, and support the objectives of the Human Capacity Development Program under Vision 2030.  The computerized exam, which lasts 155 minutes and consists of 75 questions, evaluates non-native speakers in four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. It is designed to target Arabic language teachers and students at universities and educational institutions. Participating universities include Umm Al-Qura University, Islamic University of Madinah, King Abdulaziz University, King Faisal University, Taif University, Qassim University, and Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University.  By administering the Hamza test, the academy seeks to elevate Arabic’s scientific and global status, establish

Artists from Labuan Bajo and Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara, echo Harmony for the Pacific and Eastern Indonesia.

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Indonesia's Jakarta "Harmony for the Pacific: Connecting Indonesia and the Pacific through Culture and Shared Heritage" (HfP) is a cultural diplomacy and collaboration mission that will take place in Suva, Fiji and Indonesia from September 9–27, 2024. It is being organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek). A major component of Pacific Elevation's big goal, Harmony for the Pacific, is to improve ties between Indonesians and Pacific Islanders. The two (two) primary components of Harmony for the Pacific are art and cultural performances and artist residencies. From September 9–17, 2024, 24 music and dance artists from the Pacific (Fiji, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia) and Indonesia (Maluku, NTT, and Papua) participated in the first phase of the artist residency program in Labuan Bajo and Maumere. September 10, 2024 marked the opening of the firs

'Feisty' mountain bongo calf welcomed by zoo

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Because of a zoo's effective breeding program, an extremely endangered mountain bongo calf was welcomed. On September 4, the male baby bongo was born in Marwell Zoo, which is close to Winchester. He has been "extremely confident, energetic, and adventurous right from the start," according to keepers at the Hampshire zoo. There are only roughly 100 mountain bongos remaining in the wild because to factors like habitat loss, disease from domestic cattle, and poaching. The huge type of antelope is indigenous to highland forests in portions of Kenya. The newcomer "appears quite feisty and has been confidently exploring more and more of his habitat every day," according to animal keeper Rhiannon Wolff. "This calf is an essential component of the European Ex-situ Program and Breeding Program, which aims to ensure the survival of this species," she went on. At the moment, the calf spends most of his time in his bed stall, where his mother Jumapili comes to nur

The Emir of Qatar and the Saudi Interior Minister meet in Doha.

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  RIYADH: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz met on Thursday in Doha. King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's greetings and their hopes for further development and success for the Qatari government and people were sent forward by Prince Abdulaziz during the meeting. The two nations' security cooperation and bilateral ties were also discussed at the meeting, according to the Saudi Press Agency. Source arabnews.com

Princess Diana spent the entire day writing letters and "hated" her birthday.

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In 1997, Princess Diana lost her life in a vehicle accident in Paris. According to former staff members, Princess Diana never observed her birthday while she was alive. Paul Burrell claims that the late Princess of Wales "hated" her birthday. She spent the latter years of her life living alone in Kensington Palace. She detested her birthday, he says Closer Magazine. Whenever it was her birthday, she would declare, "I'm staying in, I'm not going out". Writing thank-you notes for all the gifts that kept coming in the door, she would sit at her desk. On the other hand, the Princess was proud to mark the special days of her two kids and made sure they had an amazing time. But those boys were spoiled rotten on William and Harry's birthdays, Burrell continues. They had all they could have wished. Diana would have been thrilled to celebrate Harry's 40th birthday and would have wished for the lads to atone for their transgressions. It would grieve the late