Latest news with #17th
Borneo Post
5 days ago
- Health
- Borneo Post
S'wak wants to protect biodiversity through proactive, enforceable systems — Len Talif
Len Talif (centre) with Unwin (second left), Abang Arabi (second right) and others at the symbolic launch of the 17th OVAG Workshop. — Photo via SFC Facebook KUCHING (July 21): The Sarawak government will continue to champion evidence-based policymaking and integrate conservation priorities into legislation, development frameworks and community planning to support wildlife conservation. Deputy Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh said Sarawak aims to protect, not just preserve, its biodiversity through proactive, inclusive and enforceable systems. 'In Sarawak, we believe that effective conservation cannot stand apart from policy. It must be part of broader governance—urban planning, sustainable land use and environmental stewardship,' he said at the 17th Orangutan Veterinary Advisory Group (OVAG) workshop held at a hotel here yesterday. Len Talif said habitat loss, emerging diseases, climate change and transboundary were the challenges Sarawak faces in wildlife conservation. Given this, he said workshops like OVAG were more than technical events since they are investments in human capital. 'By building the capacity of veterinarians, rangers and researchers through practical learning and peer exchange, OVAG is helping to build a regional ecosystem of expertise that can respond effectively to crises, conduct high-quality research, and lead change on the ground,' he said. With this, he said Sarawak takes pride in partnering with OVAG and the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) in this important initiative, adding that this partnership must go further. Len Talif added that Sarawak envisions long-term collaboration—joint research, conservation strategy development, training hubs and even field innovation centres—to support both orangutan welfare and broader wildlife health. Meanwhile, OVAG co-founder Steve Unwin said the group began with a simple but powerful idea that collaboration across borders and disciplines could elevate the care and conservation of orangutans, gibbons and other wildlife. Founded by passionate individuals who saw the need for a united health voice, he said OVAG has grown into a vibrant, global community of practice. 'Our community has grown from 30 participants in the first workshop in 2009, to over 400 now who had joined our workshop until this year's 17th event. 'We are more than a network—we are a family bound not just by technical expertise, but by a shared culture of care, respect and belonging. We celebrate our similarities, embrace our differences and recognise that together, we are mighty,' he said. Earlier, SFC general manager Abang Arabi Abang Aimran said their teams were in the field daily tracking, rescuing and rehabilitating orangutans from the rugged forests of Batang Ai to the critical habitats in Lanjak Entimau and Ulu Sebuyau. He pointed out that their efforts were only made possible through strong veterinary partnerships, be it treating injured orangutans, conducting routine checks or responding to disease threats. 'One of our goals is to empower young Sarawakians to lead in conservation science. Through OVAG's inclusive platform, they gain exposure, mentorship and the confidence to take on future challenges. 'Together, we are building not just skills but a regional community ready to face crises, protect wildlife and shape a better future,' he said. biodiversity Len Talif Salleh wildlife conservation
Borneo Post
5 days ago
- Health
- Borneo Post
Len Talif: S'wak wants to protect biodiversity through proactive, enforceable systems
Len Talif (centre) with Unwin (second left), Abang Arabi (second right) and others at the symbolic launch of the 17th OVAG Workshop. — Photo via SFC Facebook KUCHING (July 21): The Sarawak government will continue to champion evidence-based policymaking and integrate conservation priorities into legislation, development frameworks and community planning to support wildlife conservation. Deputy Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh said Sarawak aims to protect, not just preserve, its biodiversity through proactive, inclusive and enforceable systems. 'In Sarawak, we believe that effective conservation cannot stand apart from policy. It must be part of broader governance—urban planning, sustainable land use and environmental stewardship,' he said at the 17th Orangutan Veterinary Advisory Group (OVAG) workshop held at a hotel here yesterday. Len Talif said habitat loss, emerging diseases, climate change and transboundary were the challenges Sarawak faces in wildlife conservation. Given this, he said workshops like OVAG were more than technical events since they are investments in human capital. 'By building the capacity of veterinarians, rangers and researchers through practical learning and peer exchange, OVAG is helping to build a regional ecosystem of expertise that can respond effectively to crises, conduct high-quality research, and lead change on the ground,' he said. With this, he said Sarawak takes pride in partnering with OVAG and the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) in this important initiative, adding that this partnership must go further. Len Talif added that Sarawak envisions long-term collaboration—joint research, conservation strategy development, training hubs and even field innovation centres—to support both orangutan welfare and broader wildlife health. Meanwhile, OVAG co-founder Steve Unwin said the group began with a simple but powerful idea that collaboration across borders and disciplines could elevate the care and conservation of orangutans, gibbons and other wildlife. Founded by passionate individuals who saw the need for a united health voice, he said OVAG has grown into a vibrant, global community of practice. 'Our community has grown from 30 participants in the first workshop in 2009, to over 400 now who had joined our workshop until this year's 17th event. 'We are more than a network—we are a family bound not just by technical expertise, but by a shared culture of care, respect and belonging. We celebrate our similarities, embrace our differences and recognise that together, we are mighty,' he said. Earlier, SFC general manager Abang Arabi Abang Aimran said their teams were in the field daily tracking, rescuing and rehabilitating orangutans from the rugged forests of Batang Ai to the critical habitats in Lanjak Entimau and Ulu Sebuyau. He pointed out that their efforts were only made possible through strong veterinary partnerships, be it treating injured orangutans, conducting routine checks or responding to disease threats. 'One of our goals is to empower young Sarawakians to lead in conservation science. Through OVAG's inclusive platform, they gain exposure, mentorship and the confidence to take on future challenges. 'Together, we are building not just skills but a regional community ready to face crises, protect wildlife and shape a better future,' he said. biodiversity Len Talif Salleh wildlife conservation
Irish Examiner
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Royal Portrush feeling the love from stars aiming to conquer it
Stars. Stars everywhere. Even practice days are awash with the game's greatest at an Open Championship. You just can't walk a fairway or pass the putting green without spying a world-class golfer this week. Some will inevitably dim and disappear before the weekend, but one seems guaranteed to shine, whatever the winner or the weather, because the love for the Dunluce Links course this first few days has been pouring in from all angles and accents. 'It's how the golf course flows,' said Robert MacIntyre. 'It's not so much the holes. It's not nine holes one way, nine holes the other way. There is everything on this golf course visually. It's obviously enclosed by the dunes either side. So you've got visuals off the tee.' Scottie Scheffler might have summed the place up best, the world number one putting it succinctly. "Interesting, fun and fair,' he explained. This is not a lengthy brute like Carnoustie. It's not as brutally challenging to play as a Royal County Down. The Dunluce is 7,381 yards of character playing to a par of 71, the surrounding dunes and spectacular Antrim coastline providing the backdrop on one end and the town of Portrush and its surrounds making for the wider canvas when you turn 180 degrees. It's spectacular. A prevailing west-to-northwest wind means that most of the holes play with a crosswind. Add in the 57 bunkers and the sort of undulating greens and false fronts that aren't everyday on a links setting and it makes for a challenging and changing test. Scheffler's observations centred around his experience of the bunkers here. These aren't like some links traps where two players can play the same shot, one can have a great lie while the other has to play out sideways with one leg perched on a ledge. Shane Lowry won here six years ago but he'd forgotten how well-bunkered the 18 holes actually are. Rory McIlroy went straight for the sand as well when asked for his perspective, and that cut to the heart of the mental gymnastics involved. 'It's like, okay, well, I can hit a 2-iron off the tee, but that brings this bunker into play. But then if I hit driver, it'll bring this bunker… So you have to take on the shot. You have to say, okay, I'm going to commit to hitting this shot and I just know I'm going to have to avoid… 'Like, some courses that we go to in the Open rota you can just take the bunkers out of play. You can lay up short of them or go beyond them. Here there's always one bunker or another bunker in play, so I think off the tee it provides a very, very good test.' McIlroy's other observation was on those 'slopey' greens and how much movement they manufacture. Most of his putts at the Renaissance in Scotland last week were right or left edge efforts. Here he's seeing two feet of break. The place has changed since its return to the Open rota. The major differences were the elimination of the old 17th and 18th before 2019 and their replacement with the new 7th and 8th that had been transferred over from the Valley Course next door. Jon Rahm, another fan of the Dunluce, has his regrets there. The Spaniard loved the old 17th in his amateur days and reckons his caddie Adam Hayes is sick of his reminisces on it already. But Rahm is still able to wax lyrical over the 4th and the 5th, the view of the coastline on the latter tee being a particular highlight. Redesigns don't always find favour, especially when they are tinkering with courses with such long histories. MacIntyre, who played here in Home Internationals back in the day, said that the changes made here are 'as good as it gets' in the modern game. 'So many golf courses try to trick it up. It's a par-5 and a par-4. Par-5, from tee shot hitting down, bunker on the right, heading back up the hill with a wind that's normally off the right. Then you got onto a little shelf, then you hit across the top of the hill. 'I just think the whole golf course is absolutely beautiful to the eye but it also plays absolutely brilliantly. You've got holes that you've got a chance, and then you've got holes that you just try to hang on.' PRINT ENDS HERE Added to all this are the usual vagaries of wind and links lies and tee times and the rest of it. Plenty of players will chuck out a predicted winning score ahead of tournaments but Lowry hadn't a clue what the needed mark will be come Sunday. That's a very good thing. What's remarkable when it comes to The Open is the long and illustrious list of American winners when links golf is a concept unique to Britain and Ireland. Three of the last four winners have been from the States. The other in that time was Australian. What that proves is that familiarity with links golf is no guarantee for success. It never has been nor will be. The variations in terms of possibilities are too many and the ask, especially at a course like Portrush, are too many and different. Sometimes from day to say and hole to hole. 'I think that's why this is an unbelievable venue,' said defending champion Xander Schauffele. 'It's everything. If you pick the correct club off the tee, you can maybe get away with a few loose drives, but then again, it's very lie-biased. 'Chipping is tricky. Greens are firm, and they're a little bit slower than what we played even last week. Thank goodness because, if they were faster, it would be even more difficult. Then putting: putting is always tricky with wind. 'There's some holes where the mounds cover the greens and some holes that are more exposed where the wind is going to affect the ball on the green. Whoever wins this week is an extremely well-rounded player.'
Scotsman
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
One golf tournament, two wildly different experiences at Scottish Open
Grand Slam winner McIlroy draws huge crowds and heartfelt cheers Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Way out at the furthest reaches of the course here at The Renaissance Club, where the cooling breeze feels like the breath of heaven itself, golfing purists and scenery nuts alike bask in a scene straight out of the tourist's guide to paradise. Just a few thousand yards away, but half a world removed, a hot and sweaty audience of thrill seekers gather in a cranked-up stadium setting built for televised thrills. One golf tournament, two entirely contrasting experiences. Therein lies the beauty - the almost universal appeal, even - of the Genesis Scottish Open so firmly rooted in its East Lothian home. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It's often said that as much as 90 per cent of elite sport is just positioning. Put yourself in the right place, and the action will come to you. The thousands flocking to this glorious little corner of Scotland for a gathering of the game's greatest players should take that coaching point on board. Today's action was as spectacular as the sunshine baking this perfect stretch of coastline to a crispy golden brown. And there's plenty to be said for latching yourself onto a group and following the leaders/local heroes/perennial favourites. Finding the ideal viewing point in stunning scenery But sometimes you have to stop and smell the burger stalls. Or find a sweet spot to settle down, bask in the glory of a Scottish summer – and watch the world's very best golfers go by. Where to start? It's the same question asked by thousands upon thousands attending golf events every year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For every Road Hole ghoul who just can't get enough of the 17th at St Andrews, the most bloodthirsty not even attempting to hide their hope of witnessing a complete meltdown by some global superstar, there are at least as many Postage Stamp fan boys/girls who can't get enough of Troon's signature hole. Life would be very dull, indeed, if everyone had their same favourite spot. On arrival at the course neatly nestled between the traditional links meccas of Muirfield and North Berwick this morning, though, there was only one obvious choice. Slap on the sunscreen, top up the refillable water bottle – and shuffle on out to the back nine hugging the coast line. This is golf country. Especially the little nook where you can watch both the 12th and 14th holes, their greens separated by a few yards and three quarters of an ancient wall. There's a reason why Visit Scotland put their gigantic sign in the background of this area; it's one big advertorial for the home of golf. On a day when the Forth was as still as a mill pond and Fife seemed to shimmer in the sunshine, there was a small but eminently manageable crowd congregating here. Not just because the food and drink outlets are nearby, although the presence of a viewing platform branded in honour of a distillery was an attraction. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Walk a little further on – OK, a lot further on, given the conditions – and you reach the end of the earth, at least in terms of this tournament. Honestly, spending a little while just chilling by the 15th green is a pastime that should be prescribed on the NHS as an alternative to blood pressure medication. No beer-throwing antics for Scots galleries The same cannot be said, of course, of the alternative experience provided by tournament organisers in and around the sixth hole. The stadium hole, as it's now known. This is not the 16th at TPC Sawgrass. You won't see any of the beer-throwing antics that make the Phoenix Open's own stadium hole such an experience; at these prices, we Scots aren't going to spill a drop, never mind chuck a perfectly good pint away in a moment of madness. But the polite nature of galleries, at least before the happy hour kicked in, felt like a nice mix of the modern and traditional. Even if they did employ a genuinely funny hype man to get the crowd going, there was a feeling that the locals were there for the golf, first and foremost. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Now, granted, taking a seat in one of the stands at about half a smidgen after noon wasn't smart. Hot? Aye, definitely on the warm side of brutal. But the seats are great, the atmosphere is belting. Helped by Matt Fitzpatrick and Brian Harman stiffing a couple of tee shots and rolling in their birdie putts – the cue for a T-shirt giveaway with a twist, as an XL gent was cajoled into puling a medium-sized freebie over his substantial frame in a bit of good-humoured tomfoolery. Most were gathered in the heat of the midday sun to see just one man, of course. There wasn't much need for anyone to gee up the galleries when Rory McIlroy, having just birdied the fifth hole to get himself to eight under for the tournament, strode onto the tee of this tricky par-three. He didn't actually do much on the hole. Came up short with his tee shot, then got up and down from the fringe for a bog-standard three. Nothing to write home about. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But he was applauded with genuine warmth and affection as he left the arena. Not for what he'd done in a morning of impressive golf. Or even in deference to his status as a past champion here, Ryder Cup legend and all-round entertainer. For most of the people in the stands, this was the first time they've had a chance to show McIlroy the respect and adulation due a man who completed the career Grand Slam with his Masters victory back in April. One of only half a dozen men ever to complete the clean sweep of Major titles, he's an all-time great – and deserved to be roared along on his way here. Plenty chose to jump out of their seats and follow McIlroy. Others opted for a strategic drinks break before regrouping to support Scotland's own Bob MacIntyre, the biggest draw in the afternoon starters. And a few just plonked themselves down in a favourite spot – the 17th and 18th are always popular, for obvious reasons – and absorb the action in a more passive manner. Pick the right spot, and you never know what you might see.
Hindustan Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Under India's presidency, we will work on redefining Brics, says Modi at summit
NEW DELHI: India's presidency of the Brics grouping next year will focus on building resilience and using innovation for sustainability while simultaneously giving priority to the issues of the Global South, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the Brics Summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. In this image via PMO on July 7, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends a session during the 17th annual BRICS Summit in Brazil. (PMO) Addressing a session of the summit devoted to the environment and global health, Modi said India will adopt a people-centric approach to redefine Brics and widen the agenda of the grouping, just as it had done while chairing the G20 in 2023. The session was attended by leaders of the 10 member states of Brics, including Brazil, China, Indonesia and South Africa, and representatives of partner countries. 'Under India's Brics chairmanship, we will work on redefining Brics. Brics will mean 'Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Sustainability',' he said, speaking in Hindi. 'Just as during our presidency, we gave breadth to the G20 and gave priority to issues of the Global South in the agenda, similarly, during our presidency of Brics, we will take this forum forward in the spirit of people-centricity and humanity first.' Modi's remarks came hours after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap additional tariffs on countries that align themselves with the policies of the Brics grouping. There was no official response from the Indian side to Trump's threat made in a social media post. 'Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy,' Trump said, without specifying which policies he was referring to. The leaders' declaration adopted at the Brics Summit on Sunday had — without directly referring to the US — said indiscriminate and unilateral tariffs are reducing global trade, disrupting supply chains and introducing uncertainty into international trade activities. The declaration had also condemned last month's military strikes against Iran. Modi emphasised the need for collective global action to tackle pressing issues such as sustainable development and climate transition and highlighted the steps taken by India during its G20 presidency to tackle such matters. 'During India's G20 presidency, we had emphasised sustainable development and reducing the North-South gap,' he said pointing to the Green Development Pact and the Green Credits Initiative. 'For India, climate justice is not an option but a moral duty. India believes that without technology transfer and affordable financing to countries in need, climate action will remain limited to climate talks.' Developed countries, Modi said, have a special responsibility in reducing the gap between climate ambition and financing. 'We have to take along all those countries which are facing food, fuel, fertiliser and financial crises due to various stresses…Sustainable and inclusive development of humanity is not possible without any kind of double standards,' he said. Modi said the health of the planet and humans are interconnected and India has increased cooperation with all countries with the motto of 'One Earth, One Health'. He offered to share India's expertise in areas such as the world's largest insurance scheme or Ayushman Bharat and digital health services. 'The Covid pandemic has taught us that viruses do not come with visas and solutions are not chosen based on passports. Common challenges can only be solved through joint efforts,' he said. The Brics leaders' statement on a partnership for elimination of socially determined diseases, issued on Monday, will provide new impetus to strengthen cooperation on health. Dammu Ravi, secretary (economic relations) in the external affairs ministry, told a media briefing that India's presidency of Brics will be an opportunity to press for the reform of global institutions such as the UN Security Council. 'This is what everybody is saying…that [the voice of the] Global South…should be amplified and adequately captured in the multilateral discourse and decision-making,' he said. India's presidency of Brics will also help put the issues of the Global South at the forefront of global discussions, Ravi said. 'We are already thinking about an agenda in terms of sustainability [and] resilience. These are again very important because in a disruptive world today, both in terms of trade…geopolitical tensions, the supply chain disruptions, you need to have resilience [and] sustainability,' he said. 'You will see a momentum and continuity in the way the Brics will evolve in terms of [taking] up the issues of the Global South,' Ravi said.
