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Friday, January 9, 2026
TopicUNESCO

Topic: UNESCO

Diwali added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list

The decision was taken during a key meeting of UNESCO being hosted at the Red Fort in Delhi, the 20th session of the panel is underway from 8-13 December.

UNESCO opens a virtual museum of stolen artefacts. The goal is to empty it

There are three items from India on display—9th century sandstone sculptures of Nataraja and Brahma, and an undated stone sculpture of Bhairava.

After Chandigarh Admin opposes plan for new HC bldg, HC asks to see clearance to Lalit Hotel for same site

Gurugram: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Chandigarh Administration to produce documents of the environment clearance given to Hotel Lalit at...

Andaman proposes inclusion of 4 landmarks in UNESCO list of world heritage sites

Among the 4 landmarks are Barren Island, India's only active volcano, & Narcondam Island, home to rare Narcondam Hornbill bird.

Trump pulls US out of UNESCO again, reversing Biden-era decision to rejoin UN agency

The withdrawal will take effect in December 2026. White House says the US president made the decision because he believes the agency supports ‘woke, divisive cultural and social causes’.

Maratha Military Landscapes’ UNESCO tag is a win. Conservation must catch up

Spread across diverse geographical and physiographical terrains of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, these military establishments, Maratha Military Landscapes have become India’s 44th World Heritage Site.

UNESCO removes 3 sites in African continent from danger list

The sites taken off the danger list are the Rainforests of the Atsinanana in Madagascar, Abu Mena in Egypt, and the Old Town of Ghadamès in Libya.

A verandah for chief justice’s courtroom in Punjab & Haryana HC as SC finds no breach of UNESCO norms

SC dismissed appeals by Chandigarh administration, which had raised concerns over threat to Capitol Complex’s UNESCO World Heritage status, green belt designation of HC's parking area.

What is Al-Ayyala, the traditional performance that marked Trump’s ceremonial welcome in Abu Dhabi

The performance art holds deep cultural significance and was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014.

Critically endangered Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle reintroduced in Ganga

As part of government’s flagship programme of cleaning river Ganga & enhancing its biodiversity, 20 such turtles were released in UP's Haiderpur Wetland, UNESCO Ramsar site.

On Camera

Why Pinarayi Vijayan is going soft on an Ezhava leader’s anti-Muslim hate speech

Pinarayi Vijayan once called Vellappally Natesan, the general secretary of SNDP Yogam, Kerala’s Pravin Togadia. Now he is giving his hate speech a free pass.

500% tariffs ahead for India? Trump’s lined up a big bad Bill for countries buying Russian oil

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says bill will be 'well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent'.

2025: Pakistan’s deadliest year in over a decade

Islamabad-based think-tank PICSS's new report says Pakistan saw 'pronounced escalation' in violence last year, with 3,413 conflict-related deaths compared to 1,950 in previous year.

A year-end Mea Culpa in National Interest—The Army-Islam combo doesn’t kill democracy

Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a Mea Culpa. I’d deal with the most recent this week.