
-
Cuba looks to sun to solve its energy crisis
-
Experts warn 'AI-written' paper is latest spin on climate change denial
-
PSG eye becoming France's first 'Invincibles'
-
Late birdie burst lifts Ryder to Texas Open lead
-
Five potential Grand National fairytale endings
-
Trump purges national security team after meeting conspiracist
-
More work for McIlroy even with two wins before Masters
-
Trump hopeful of 'great' PGA-LIV golf merger
-
No.1 Scheffler goes for third Masters crown in four years
-
Where Trump's tariffs could hurt Americans' wallets
-
Trump says 'very close to a deal' on TikTok
-
Trump tariffs on Mexico: the good, the bad, the unknown
-
Postecoglou denies taunting Spurs fans in Chelsea defeat
-
Oscar-winning Palestinian director speaks at UN on Israeli settlements
-
With tariff war, Trump also reshapes how US treats allies
-
Fernandez fires Chelsea into fourth as pressure mounts on Postecoglou
-
South Korea court to decide impeached president's fate
-
Penguin memes take flight after Trump tariffs remote island
-
E.T., no home: Original model of movie alien doesn't sell at auction
-
Italy's Brignone has surgery on broken leg with Winter Olympics looming
-
Trump defiant as tariffs send world markets into panic
-
City officials vote to repair roof on home of MLB Rays
-
Rockets forward Brooks gets one-game NBA ban for technicals
-
Pentagon watchdog to probe defense chief over Signal chat row
-
US tariffs could push up inflation, slow growth: Fed official
-
New Bruce Springsteen music set for June 27 release
-
Tom Cruise pays tribute to Val Kilmer
-
Mexico president welcomes being left off Trump's tariffs list
-
Zuckerberg repeats Trump visits in bid to settle antitrust case
-
US fencer disqualified for not facing transgender rival
-
'Everyone worried' by Trump tariffs in France's champagne region
-
Italy's Brignone suffers broken leg with Winter Olympics looming
-
Iyer blitz powers Kolkata to big IPL win over Hyderabad
-
Russian soprano Netrebko to return to London's Royal Opera House
-
French creche worker gets 25 years for killing baby with drain cleaner
-
UK avoids worst US tariffs post-Brexit, but no celebrations
-
Canada imposing 25% tariff on some US auto imports
-
Ruud wants 'fair share' of Grand Slam revenue for players
-
Lesotho, Africa's 'kingdom in the sky' jolted by Trump
-
Trump's trade math baffles economists
-
Gaza heritage and destruction on display in Paris
-
'Unprecedented crisis' in Africa healthcare: report
-
Pogacar gunning for blood and thunder in Tour of Flanders
-
Macron calls for suspension of investment in US until tariffs clarified
-
Wall St leads rout as world reels from Trump tariffs
-
Mullins gets perfect National boost with remarkable four-timer
-
Trump tariffs hammer global stocks, dollar and oil
-
Authors hold London protest against Meta for 'stealing' work to train AI
-
Tate Modern gifted 'extraordinary' work by US artist Joan Mitchell
-
Mexico president welcomes being left off Trump's new tariffs list

Got to have faith: religion finds its moment at COP28
From meditation to spiritual guidance to indigenous hymns, the vibe in the "faith pavilion" at COP28 is a little different to elsewhere at the high-stakes UN climate talks in Dubai.
Orthodox priests rub shoulders with Emiratis in flowing white robes and Jewish rabbis in the quiet, air-conditioned calm of the pavilion, the first ever dedicated to religion at a COP conference.
Housed in a building of dark glass and geometric triangles, the pavilion offers a space for quiet reflection away from the frenetic diplomacy and flashy business shows that accompany the marathon climate negotiations.
It also offers something else sorely needed at COP -- unity and optimism.
"This testifies to the willingness to work together," Pope Francis said in a video message at the pavilion's inauguration on December 3 in a united call to action with senior Muslim cleric Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al Azhar.
"Today, the world needs alliances that are not against someone, but for the benefit of everyone."
Visitors joining daily "ritual relaxation" sessions or engaging with religious leaders in a lounge room are invited to consider the role of faith in addressing the challenge of global warming.
"For a fairer and more sustainable world, we trust and pray," one visitor wrote on a paper cut-out tree pinned alongside other messages of hope and solidarity to the pavilion wall.
- Spiritual crisis -
Organisers say more than 300 faith leaders from all major religions and traditional beliefs are expected to participate in the pavilion during the two-week-long conference being held in the glitzy Gulf city.
This is the first time in nearly 30 years of global climate talks that religion has been given its own venue, and the striking space has prime real estate in the buzzing heart of an enormous complex.
This COP is the largest ever and thousands of people walk by the pavilion every day, whether en route to meetings and expo shows, or to buy ice cream from a stall doing brisk trade out front.
The COP can be an overwhelming experience, and faith leaders hope attendees of all creeds embrace the pavilion as a respite from the haggling, heat, and anxiety over the planet's future.
Organisers say attendance at daily meditation sessions has so far been small but could uptick as negotiations toward a final climate deal intensify in the coming days.
On a recent day at the pavilion, Panamanian indigenous leader Jocabed Solano performed a spiritual song of her Guna people that extols respect and stewardship for the planet.
"It's not only the crisis of the climate, it's a crisis of the spirituality too," she told AFP after enrapturing audiences at the pavilion.
- Bridge the gap -
Behind the scenes, organisers say the pavilion is supporting progress toward an ambitious pact to limit global warming, that also ensures financial aid for the world's poorest on the frontlines of climate change.
Faith leaders are offering moral and pastoral services to diplomats working around the clock on the agreement, and for the first time have interfaith representatives attending the formal negotiation sessions.
"We want to bring that spiritual understanding to the decision-making process," Iyad Abumoghli, the director for Faith for Earth, an initiative within the UN Environment Programme, told AFP.
Panels at the pavilion have explored difficult themes including the climate-related loss of homeland, mining in Africa, and ethical investing, and speakers have included government ministers, academics and business leaders.
Faith leaders also issued an interfaith statement in support of reducing and eventually exiting fossil fuels -- a flashpoint issue at the conference overseen by an Emirati oil executive.
The pavilion seeks to foster trust -- a vital element at any COP -- between scientific and religious communities that haven't always seen eye-to-eye.
"I know it's all about science," Mohamed Bahr from the Muslim Council of Elders, told AFP. "But we're trying here to bridge the gap between science and faith."
A.Rodriguezv--AMWN