- FRANCE 24

15/12/2011 - ICELAND - PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Iceland recognises Palestinian state

Iceland on Thursday became one of the first Western European nations to recognise the Palestinian state, marked in a formal ceremony in Reykyjavik. This comes two days after UNESCO in Paris raised the Palestinian flag for the fist time.

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13/12/2011 - FRANCE

Abbas attends raising of Palestinian flag at UNESCO

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas saw the Palestinian flag raised at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Tuesday following the decision to grant Palestine membership in October, a move that prompted the US and Israel to halt UNESCO funding.

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12/12/2011 - FRANCE

Palestinian flag to be raised at UNESCO

The Palestinian flag will be raised at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Tuesday, more than a month after its admission as a full member prompted the United States and Israel to suspend funding to the UN cultural agency.

07/12/2011 - TUNISIA

Saving Carthage's ruins

"Carthage must be destroyed!" These famous words from the Roman statesman Cato the Elder ring with irony in modern day Tunisia. Former President Ben Ali delisted the UNESCO heritage site so that his relatives could build plush properties on the site of the Roman ruins. Tunisia's new government has promised action to preserve them, but reconciling developers and archeologists is proving difficult.

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26/11/2011 - UNESCO

UNESCO adds 11 entries to 'intangible heritage' list

UNESCO added 11 new examples of the world's "intangible" cultural heritage in need of preservation to its list at talks on the Indonesian island of Bali on Friday. Entries included a form of weaving by Bedouin women and Indonesia's Saman dance.

10/11/2011 - UN

UNESCO operations halted after losing US funding

The UN cultural agency UNESCO has suspended all activities until the end of the year after losing US funding, its director said Thursday. The US and Israel pulled their funding in October after UNESCO voted to grant full member status to Palestine.

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10/11/2011 - KENYA

Looking to regain a paradise lost in Kenya's Lamu

Tourism has been badly hit in Kenya’s idyllic Lamu archipelago since the October 1 kidnapping of Frenchwoman Marie Dedieu. But now Lamu locals are looking to an upcoming cultural festival to revitalise the area.

05/11/2011 - THE INTERVIEW

Elias Sanbar, Palestinian Ambassador to UNESCO

Melissa Bell speaks to Elias Sanbar, Palestinian Ambassador to UNESCO. They discuss the future of Palestine following the historic vote at UNESCO admitting the Palestinians as full members.

04/11/2011 - THE WORLD THIS WEEK

G20: After Greece, Italy

The bar room brawl that is Greek politics spills over. But it wasn't all about Athens at the G20 Summit. There was Italy. Also, the fallout from Unesco recognizing a Palestinian state and what it means to be seven billion on this planet.

04/11/2011 - THE WEEK IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Syrian crackdown: can the Arab League peace deal hold?

Will Bashar al-Assad keep his promises? A day after the president's pledge to end the bloodshed, more people are gunned down in Syria. Also, Palestinians hope that their admission to UNESCO as full members will help protect their top cultural and religious sites. Finally, we take a look at a campaign to free Egypt's star blogger, Alaa Abdel-Fattah, who has been jailed by the ruling generals.