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At sea on ocean goals: India must lead to protect marine health interests
Shyam Saran
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Humanity is terrestrial, but its origins lie deep in the ocean. In 1967, when the world was negotiating the historic Law of the Sea, a Maltese diplomat, Arvid Prado said: 'The dark oceans were the womb of life; from the protecting oceans life emerged. We still bear in our bodies — in our blood, in the salty bitterness of our tears — the marks of this remote past.'
And the umbilical cord that ties us to the ocean is the stuff of life itself. The ocean generates half of the planet's oxygen. It absorbs 30 per cent of all carbon
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NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
2 Ghana Ministers Among 8 Killed In Helicopter Crash
Ghana's defence and environment ministers were killed in a military helicopter crash Wednesday, the presidency said, after the air force chopper carrying three crew and five passengers came down in a forest in the south. Television station Joy News broadcast cell phone footage from the crash scene showing smouldering wreckage in a heavily forested area earlier in the day, before it was revealed that ministers Edward Omane Boamah and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were among the dead. Boamah became President John Mahama's defence minister shortly after Mahama's swearing-in in January. Muhammed, 50, was serving as the minister of environment, science and technology. He had been scheduled to attend the UN talks currently underway in Geneva aimed at hammering out a landmark global treaty on combating the scourge of plastic pollution. Ghanaian media reported that the helicopter was on its way to an event on illegal mining -- a major environmental issue in the west African country. Everyone on board was killed in the accident in the southern Ashanti region, authorities said. "The president and government extend our condolences and sympathies to the families of our comrades and the servicemen who died in service to the country," said Mahama's chief of staff Julius Debrah. The Ghanaian Armed Forces said investigations had been launched to determine the cause of the crash of the Z9 helicopter. The military had reported earlier Wednesday that an air force helicopter had dropped off the radar after taking off from Accra just after 9:00 am local time (0900 GMT). It had been headed towards the town of Obuasi, northwest of the capital. - Ministers' challenges - Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Ghana's deputy national security coordinator and former agriculture minister, was also among the dead, along with Samuel Sarpong, vice chairman of Mahama's National Democratic Congress party. Boamah was leading Ghana's defence ministry at a time when jihadist activity across its northern border in Burkina Faso has become increasingly volatile. While Ghana has so far avoided a jihadist spillover from the Sahel -- unlike neighbours Togo and Benin -- observers have warned of increased arms trafficking and of militants from Burkina Faso crossing the porous border to use Ghana as a rear base. A medical doctor by training, Boamah's career in government included stints as communications minister during Mahama's previous 2012-2017 tenure. Before that, he was the deputy minister for environment. Muhammed, the environment minister, was at the helm as the country battles illegal, informal gold mining that has ravaged farmlands and contaminated water. "Galamsey", as the practice is locally known, has been threatening cocoa production in particular and became a major issue in the election that saw Mahama elected last year. The establishment earlier this year of the Ghana Gold Board and the banning of foreigners from the local gold trade were seen as the first concrete signs of a crackdown on the practice by the new administration. Muhammed was a "committed environmentalist" and "deeply respected" by peers in Africa and globally, said UNEP Executive director Inger Andersen in Geneva, in a statement. Only a few weeks ago the minister was elected to be a member of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Nairobi, said Andersen. Condolence messages also came from the ECOWAS and Africa Union chiefs. - Regional tensions - Boamah led a delegation to Ouagadougou in May as Ghana pursued increased diplomacy with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger -- all ruled by juntas who have broken with the west African regional bloc ECOWAS. He had been set to release a book titled "A Peaceful Man in an African Democracy", about former president John Atta Mills, who died in 2012. President Mahama suspended all his scheduled activities for the rest of the week and declared three days of mourning starting Thursday with all flags to be flown at half-mast, his office said. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Israel military chief opposes Netanyahu's Gaza takeover plan
Israel's military chief has pushed back against Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to seize areas of Gaza it doesn't already control, three Israeli officials said, as the prime minister faces increasing pressure over the war both at home and abroad. During a tense, three-hour meeting on Tuesday, Eyal Zamir (in pic), the military chief of staff, warned the prime minister that taking the rest of Gaza could trap the military in the territory, which it withdrew from two decades ago, and could lead to harm to the hostages being held there, the sources briefed on the meeting said. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program The Israeli military says it already controls 75% of Gaza after nearly two years of war, which began when militant group Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities in October 2023. It has repeatedly opposed imposing military rule, annexing the territory, and rebuilding Jewish settlements there - policies advocated by some government members. Netanyahu is under intense international pressure to reach a ceasefire in the coastal enclave, which has been reduced to rubble in the fighting. Most of the population of about 2 million has been displaced multiple times and aid groups say residents are on the verge of famine. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Orthopedic Knee Surgeon: Suffering From Pain After Age 50? Do This Every Morning Wellnee Undo The UN has called reports about a possible expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza "deeply alarming" if true. The military has at times avoided areas where intelligence suggested hostages were held and former captives have said their captors threatened to kill them if Israeli forces approached.
News18
8 hours ago
- News18
UN says Rwanda-backed rebels killed over 300 civilians in Congo in past month
Dakar, Aug 6 (AP) Rwanda-backed rebels killed at least 319 people over the past month in eastern Congo, the UN human rights chief said Wednesday, describing the toll as one of the largest documented in such attacks since the M23 rebels resurfaced in 2022. Citing firsthand accounts, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement that the rebels, backed by members of the Rwandan Defence Force, targeted four villages in North Kivu province's Rutshuru territory between July 9 and July 21. The continuing violence could threaten Qatar-led efforts to get Congo and the rebels to sign a permanent peace deal by the goal of August 18. One of the deal's conditions is the protection of civilians and safe return of millions of people displaced by the conflict. There was no immediate M23 comment. The M23 early this year seized two key cities in eastern Congo in a major escalation, with the help of neighbouring Rwandan forces. Congo has long been wracked by deadly conflict in its mineral-rich east, with more than 100 armed groups. The two sides on July 19 signed a declaration of principles in Qatar to end the fighting and commit to a comprehensive peace agreement that would include the restoration of state authorities in key eastern cities controlled by the insurgents. The new UN statement said deadly attacks occurred in the days following that signing. 'I am appalled by the attacks on civilians by the M23 and other armed groups" despite the declaration, the UN human rights chief said, calling for an immediate end to attacks on civilians. (AP) GRS GRS view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
