World Environment Day tomorrow sees the worldwide release of "the greatest green event ever," as its producers see it - a high-budget documentary from Yann Arthus-Bertrand to save the planet.
From New York's Central Park to the Champs de Mars in Paris, the French photographer known for the "Earth From The Air" books and "Seen From The Air" on television, is releasing the green-awareness movie "Home" in more than 100 countries simultaneously.
"More than a movie, 'Home' will be a major event," the producers said.
Shot from the air in a helicopter, the environmental documentary will be available across the globe June 5, mostly free of charge, in open-air spaces as well as theatres, TV, DVD, and the internet at www.youtube.com/homeproject.
"The idea is to explain what's happening to the planet by beginning at the beginning, by the miracle of life on Earth," the photographer-director said.
Kicking off with stunning aerial views of the Earth's natural wonders before focusing from the air on polluting factories, airfields and oil platforms, the message translated into more than a score of languages is "It's too late to be a pessimist".
"Although there's a general trend towards an awareness of ecological issues, concrete action is still too little, too slow," he says.
"In 200,000 years on Earth," adds the film, "humanity has upset the balance of the planet. Humanity has barely 10 years to reverse the trend."
The commentary, narrated by Glenn Close in English and Salma Hayek in Spanish, was submitted for editing to 2007 Nobel prizewinner Al Gore and Lester Brown, the US environmental guru.
It took almost three years to finalise the mega-movie, shot over 217 days in 54 countries, providing 488 hours of footage.
"We have the power to change so what are we waiting for?" it asks.
French movie mogul Luc Besson is distributing the 10-million-euro movie, a huge sum for a documentary put up by the French luxury consortium PPR headed by Francois-Henri Pinault.
* AFP
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What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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