UNESCO

The first book I read willingly was Bridget Jones’s Diary. I was 19. Up to that point, I hadn’t been much of a reader. I’d been more into football, or Baywatch, or Robin Budd in the year above – anything really. Given the choice between reading a book and staring at a wall, I would have plumped for the latter.

After finishing my A-levels, I worked in a barbecue restaurant in Portsmouth – which is where I found Bridget Jones. The book was lying around in the staffroom. I picked it up and read a few pages, and then a few more, and then a few more. It felt exciting. Like I’d met someone. Like I was suddenly in a relationship. Over the next few days, I remember cancelling nights out so I could go to bed and read. My mum thought I was depressed.

It hardly matters what book gets you going. For Jeanette Winterson, it was the Book of Deuteronomy. For David Nicholls, it was Tales from Moominvalley. What matters is that a book gets you going. Throughout my 20s, I worked as a carer, but I was always reading and scribbling on the side. I became a published author seven years ago. It’s not an overstatement to say that Bridget Jones changed my life. That books did.

So when I learned that 2026 was National Year of Reading (a UK-wide campaign intended to promote the importance and joy of reading) and that Rabat was to be this year’s Unesco World Book Capital (a rotating designation intended to promote the importance and joy of reading), I packed a few volumes and set off for Morocco’s capital. I was hoping for a cultural adventure, and perhaps a tagine, in this ancient seaside city perched scenically between Casablanca and Tangier.

Rabat was made the capital of Morocco in 1912, at the beginning of the turbulent 44-year period when the country found itself under the thumb of the French. The first thing I saw of the city was the New Town, or Ville Nouvelle, which was laid out in the 1920s à la française, meaning it looks nothing like the huge medieval medina that’s just up the road.

From the central train station, I proceeded to the solar-powered Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, where the permanent exhibition – Shifting Horizon(s) – does exactly what it says on the tin. Highlights include the abstract paintings of Mohamed Melehi and a provocative photograph by Lalla Essaydi. Part of a series called Bullet Revisited, the latter shows a woman covered head to toe in gold bullets, and is a powerful indictment of the violence women suffer.

I walked north to the medina, an irregular network of narrow streets lined with small shops flogging mint, slippers, strawberries and sabon beldi, a black soap made from the flesh and oil of olives. The medina was busy but calm. Not once was I asked to consider a carpet or sample a sardine. Indeed, I felt rather invisible. In this respect, the customer service was uncannily French.

I followed my nose to the Kasbah of the Oudayas, an enchanting district of low whitewashed houses. Built on high ground in view of the ocean, this former royal citadel was ideally placed to spot visitors on the horizon, and greet them appropriately.

After checking into a riad on Rue Bazou, I descended a flight of stone steps to the beach, a modest curve of sand where scores of people were playing football and volleyball. I crossed the cooling sand and climbed on to the breakwater to better observe a neon sun sink slowly seaward, as a lone surfer, way out in the offing, sought inch-perfect swell.

I took a pew at the beachside Relais Marin restaurant. I didn’t deliberate over the menu. Like casserole and paella, tagine is a dish in two senses; both the cooking vessel and the meal, on this occasion a confusion of lamb, almonds and prunes in a delicious gravy that, with time, had reduced to a bold, flavourful pesto, which I mopped up with chunks of khobz (Moroccan flatbread). I could have eaten another.

The next morning I went to the Cafe des Oudayas. Situated next to the Andalusian Gardens – a wonderful place full of orange and pomegranate trees – this alfresco cafe offers three things: mint tea, biscuits and an excellent vantage point.

As I eked out the tea, I watched a boy poised on the edge of a towering rock, 30 metres above the Bou Regreg river. Goaded by his friends, he meant to jump, but he hesitated for minutes in the intensifying sun. His dive, when it finally came, was a thing of beauty – a wide and graceful arc, shapely, immaculate, somewhat divine, almost unreal. The gallery held its breath until he re-emerged – to be met with disingenuous disdain. “La poule a attendu une éternité!” (The chicken waited for ever!) Lads, eh?

On a whim, I boarded an electric tuk-tuk, one of 60 in the city. I asked the driver to take me directly to the Chellah, a medieval necropolis that also houses what’s left of the Roman city of Sala Colonia, but, knowing best, the driver instead went out of his way to show off his home town, swinging by St Peter’s cathedral and a nightclub called Amnesia, where Morocco’s king is said to have boogied back when merely a prince.

The Chellah – when I finally got there – did not disappoint. After doing a round of the picturesque ruins, I climbed to a gorgeous onsite cafe and ordered the couscous. Befitting tradition, the dish comprised a pyramid of seven vegetables, a moat of couscous, a jug of broth and some meaty treasure hidden within the veg. It was unmistakably bon.

If one requires beer in Rabat, one heads to Le Dhow, a bar and restaurant on a boat moored in the shadow of the kasbah. Sitting on the upper deck, I savoured an ice-cold pint while chatting with a British undergraduate studying at the Université Internationale de Rabat. I asked if she felt comfortable in the city. “It’s been fine,” she said. “Some men have said hello. One asked for a photo. To be honest, I’ve experienced a lot worse in Worcester.”

I’m just going to come out and say this – don’t go to Rabat because it’s this year’s World Book Capital. Despite my best efforts, the exact nature of the 300-plus events the city is purportedly going to run during its year as WBC remain a mystery to me. Instead, go to Rabat because it’s an excellent city. C’est simple.

On my final evening, I chanced on a humble bookshop in the medina – Bouquiniste El Azizi. Of the hundreds of preloved books assembled in the diminutive space, a dozen or so were in English. Among them was Bridget Jones’s Diary. I picked it up and read a few pages – and then left it for someone else to stumble on, and perhaps break their duck with.

On leaving the shop, I noticed a sign: Les livres prennent soin de nous. Books take care of us. The sentiment strikes me as the right note to finish on.

Ben Aitken is the author of Shitty Breaks: A Celebration of Unsung Cities, £9.99. To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply

AN AWARD-WINNING visitor attraction in the UK is at risk of closing.

The Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire – home to the UK’s largest telescope and several attractions for the last 70 years – could soon close.

According to the BBC, the attraction has lost its funding, which could mean that the attraction is forced to close, which scientists describe as “heartbreaking”.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site observatory features a number of telescopes that have been used to study galaxies and to train astronomers.

There are four pavilions in total to explore, including one that features a science exhibition.

Outside, visitors can then also venture around 35 acres of gardens including an arboretum, as well as picnic areas, ponds and a playground.

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The attraction has a number of cafes and a gift shop too.

General tickets cost £15 per adult and £10.50 per child.

In addition to this, there are a number of events that run at the observatory including shows such as The Great Solar System Adventure, where young space explorers can see the journey and life of stars.

Most shows cost from nothing to around £5 per person to watch.

And the site isn’t just used for science – it has also made an appearance in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as well as Doctor Who.

Unless funding can be found for the attraction, all scientific investigations are expected to stop at the observatory on April 1, 2028.

The observatory was first launched in 1945 and played a key role in the Cold War to monitor Soviet missiles.

The BBC added that the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) agency is expected to make a statement regarding the loss of the observatory’s annual £2.8million budget.

One recent visitor said: “We had a really lovely experience at Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement. It’s a fantastic place to visit with children.

“There is an indoor museum, activity room as well as playgrounds, so it works well even if the weather isn’t great.

“The Dome cinema was a real highlight — the film was excellent and very engaging.”

Ifugao, Philippines – At first light, the village of Batad begins to stir to life beneath the towering cliffs surrounding its amphitheatre-like rice terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Apu Penneng, an Ifugao elder who owns one of the village’s largest tracts of ricefields, struts with youthful confidence along a narrow and steep path in this highland community 1,100 metres (3,608ft) above sea level.

Dressed in a traditional loincloth, shawl and headgear, he is heading for the Tanig, an elaborate morning ritual before the harvest begins. At a courtyard next to rows of huts, dozens of village women also gather for the Bullogan chi Munbotoh, the procession to the harvest site.

Against the glow of the rising sun, the centuries-old terraces finally come in full view as if cascading from the sky. The fields of Tinawon rice grains, moist from the drizzle the night before, glimmer like morsels of gold ready for picking.

But the otherwise majestic landscape is punctuated by the sight of collapsed earth and boulders, right in the middle of the terraces.

In November last year, Super Typhoon Fung-wong triggered a landslide that killed two locals and demolished one of the centuries-old canals irrigating the rice paddies. About 2.2 hectares (5.4 acres) of rice fields were damaged, affecting 150 farmers.

“It was the worst we’ve seen here,” Apu Penneng calmly said, as he pointed to a deforested patch of land above the terraces. From afar, it looked like it had been slashed with a giant blade.

The wreckage has been an unwelcome reminder for villagers of the destructive nature of extreme weather conditions, which have been increasing in frequency in recent years.

Batad was also struck with landslides in 2011, 2023 and 2025. With the emerging threat of this year’s Super El Nino, a climate phenomenon that increases global temperatures and drives more extreme weather and rainfall patterns, the Ifugao people worry about more damage to come.

Across the world, 80 percent of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites are facing climate-induced stress, according to an August 2025 study published in the scientific journal Nature.

The study found that UNESCO sites in low and middle-income countries receive the least conservation support, making them even more vulnerable to harsh climatic conditions. It added that in tropical monsoon areas, those conditions include record-breaking heatwaves, extended droughts and sudden drenching rainfall – much like what struck Batad in November 2025.

“Climate change is really aggravating the situation on the ground,” said lawyer Marlon Martin, head of the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMO).

For the rice terraces to stay intact and stable, the soil needs to maintain a certain level of moisture year-round. But because of recent bouts of dry spells, deep cracks have developed, making the terraces prone to erosion, said Martin.

“When sudden bursts of rain occur, the water would seep into the cracks too abruptly, resulting in erosion” and even soil collapse, he added, warning that the Super El Nino could only mean more trouble ahead.

According to Steve Baccay, head of Ifugao’s Provincial Agriculture and Environment Office, an equivalent of $500,000 is needed for the restoration work in Batad following last November’s landslide.

Since the disaster, Batad residents themselves have come together a few times to do voluntary communal work called bachang to fix the demolished irrigation canal.

The social welfare and labour departments have also extended emergency food and cash assistance to affected farmers. However, additional national government aid is unlikely until the next fiscal year.

Climate change is nothing new, and for centuries people in Ifugao have adapted to the changes using Indigenous engineering techniques to protect the terraces, said Martin. But for Batad to withstand more frequent and more extreme weather, national intervention is needed, he added.

For Batad village chief Romeo Heppog and his family, the rice terraces are not just a source of their livelihood, but part of their identity and their way of life.

Organising the annual rice harvest festival is his way of honouring their ancestors and renewing their “sacred oath” to preserve the terraces for the generations to come, he said.

At the Tanig pre-harvest sacred ritual, Heppog watches closely alongside Apu Penneng as Apu Buy-a Nadyug, Batad’s chief Indigenous priest known as Mumbaki, leads the harvest rituals, including the pouring and drinking of fresh rice wine.

Hunched on the ground next to a pair of wooden Bulul, which embody invisible spiritual beings of the Ifugaos, the octogenarian Apu Buy-a Nadyug recites verses seeking blessings and protection for the harvest.

With the help of another village elder, Apu Penneng then leads the slaughter of chickens as a symbolic offering to Ifugao ancestors and the spiritual beings.

In one of the final acts of the hour-long sacred ritual, Mumbaki Apu Buy-a Nadyug then scrutinises the guts of the chicken, and pronounces another year of “bountiful harvest”.

Apu Penneng and Heppog then lead the banging of gongs signifying merriment and the start of the joyful harvest.

For a moment, the worries of the villagers of Batad are drowned out by the loud rhythmic sound that has been passed from generation to generation.

Apu Penneng then proceeds to his ricefield for the harvest.  Amid the uncertainties for his community, his face beams with pride as he gazes at the panoramic view of Batad.

From a distance, the 2,702 metres (8,865ft) Mount Amuyao, the country’s 10th highest peak, towers over Batad, as if guarding it from the threats of nature.

“We will get through this,” said Apu Penneng.

AS EUROPEAN city breaks go, Vienna might not get much of a look-in between the likes of Venice and Valencia.

But the picturesque capital of Austria, which has centuries of history and is reachable in two hours, is having a moment.

Not only did Vienna host this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, it’s also been named the city with the best quality of life for three years running, with an abundance of cultural experiences and top cuisine.

WHY SHOULD I GO?

It is impossible not to be mesmerised by the sights, most notably St Stephen’s Cathedral.

The striking structure, which dates back to the 12th century, is in the city centre — a Unesco World Cultural Heritage site in itself — and climbing the South Tower’s 343 steps offers breathtaking views.

Vienna has much more than just museums and concerts, though.

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It is also home to the world’s oldest operating zoo, founded in 1752, where you’ll find 500 different species, including penguins and koalas.

THESE STREETS ARE MADE FOR WALKING?

The centre — where impressive sights include Heldenplatz — can be reached in around 20 minutes from Vienna Airport by train.

Top tip: take the standard local trains — costing €5.40 (£4.68) — rather than the more expensive CAT train (€14.90, or £12.92) which takes around the same length of time.

In general, the city is very walkable, with lots of flat terrain and pedestrianised areas.

For anything further afield, you can hop on the metro (single ticket €2.40, or £2.07), which even runs through the night on weekends.

If you want to see the sights at a gentle clip-clop, flag down one of the many Viennese horse-drawn ­carriages, known as Fiakers, with a 20-minute journey costing around €60 (£51.78).

ANYTHING FOR THE BUCKET LIST?

Browse the luxury brands of the Kohlmarkt shopping street until you get to the grand Michaelerplatz.

It is right beside here that you can visit the Spanish Riding School in the Hofburg to watch performances by their incredibly talented Lipizzaner breed of horses.

A short stroll away is the MuseumsQuartier, considered to be one of the largest arts and cultural complexes in the world — with the Leopold Museum (tickets €19, or £16.40) considered a highlight.

If you are in the mood for masterpieces, The Belvedere, the city’s Baroque palace complex, is home to Klimt’s iconic The Kiss painting (entry €23, or £19.85).

WHERE SHOULD I EAT?

A trip to Vienna isn’t complete without a wiener schnitzel — the breaded, pan-fried veal cutlet native to the city.

Order it alongside the locals at 160-year-old tavern Gmoakeller.

Further must-haves from the country’s cuisine are its desserts, and the most famous, the sachertorte chocolate cake and the apfelstrudel, can both be enjoyed at Cafe Demel.

A hearty breakfast can be enjoyed at Oefferl, which has a number of branches around the city and bakes fresh pretzels daily.

If you fancy a lighter bite, Bastis Sandwich Bar serves great subs and chicken wings and is close to the impressive Wien Museum of Vienna (free entry).

I FANCY A DRINK…

The coffee house culture in Vienna is so strong that it has been listed an “intangible cultural heritage” by Unesco — and there are numerous cosy spots around the city.

An espresso topped with whipped cream is a traditional caffeine fix here, but you’ll find plenty of other options on the menu at the historic Cafe Hawelka, which has been open since 1945 and was frequented by Andy Warhol.

For an afternoon beer or a glass of wine — including affordable Austrian options that are €5.30 (£4.57) a glass — you can’t go wrong with the terrace of Zum Schwarzen Kameel, especially if the weather is good.

For an evening cocktail, Chez Bernard’s rooftop has outstanding views.

WHERE SHOULD I STAY?

The Hoxton Vienna is within walking distance of the city’s main sights — particularly Belvedere and the scenic Stadtpark.

The hotel used to be the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, and its stylish but warm interiors still have mid-century modern design details throughout.

Guests also have exclusive use of the rooftop pool, which is the largest in the city.

There are also plenty of dining options on site, including the Bouvier restaurant with French ­elements on the menu, a Cuban- inspired rooftop bar called Cayo Coco and Salon Paradise, a speakeasy-style bar in the basement.

An international heritage body has recommended that Japan take further steps to adequately reflect the “whole history” of the Sado mine World Heritage site, linked to the wartime mobilization of Korean laborers, saying Tokyo’s related efforts remain insufficient.

The recommendation was included in a draft decision released Wednesday by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee following its review of a State of Conservation (SOC) report submitted by Japan late last year, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry.

When approving the inscription of the mine as a World Heritage site in July 2024, the committee recommended that Japan present the site’s “whole history” across all periods of mining activity.

South Korean foreign ministry officials said the “whole history” includes the period during which more than 1,500 Koreans were mobilized to work at the mine during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Once known for its gold production, the complex was later used to produce war supplies for the Japanese imperial army during World War II.

“The interpretation and presentation strategy of the whole history has shown some progress but remains to be fully developed,” the draft decision read.

“Further clarification is needed regarding how the interpretation and presentation strategy and facilities comprehensively address, at the site level, the whole history of the property throughout all periods of mining exploitation,” it noted.

The committee also recommended that Japan closely consult with relevant parties to improve its interpretation and exhibition strategy and ensure that the site’s whole history is fully presented, and submit a follow-up implementation report by December 2027.

The draft decision is scheduled to be discussed at the 48th committee session in the southeastern South Korean city of Busan next week. Unless objections are raised by member states, it is expected to be adopted by consensus.

“We view the decision as reflecting our consistent position that Japan’s implementation of the committee’s recommendations remains insufficient,” a foreign ministry official said.

“We will continue to work closely with the UNESCO Secretariat and relevant countries to ensure that Japan faithfully implements the committee’s decisions and the commitments it made at the time of the site’s inscription,” the official added.

Japan has held annual memorial ceremonies for workers at the mine as part of commitments made during the inscription process. South Korea, however, has declined to attend the Japan-hosted event for two consecutive years, noting the ceremony failed to adequately reflect the site’s whole history, including the forced mobilization of Korean laborers.

Seoul has instead held separate memorial services each year near the mine site with the bereaved family members of the forced laborers.

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June 19 (Asia Today) — Former North Korean diplomats have alleged that a North Korean education specialist affiliated with UNESCO and being considered as a speaker at an international forum in South Korea may be connected to Pyongyang’s intelligence apparatus.

Jang Kwang-chol is under consideration to participate by video in a session titled “UNESCO and the Future of Education: Challenges and Prospects” at the 21st Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, according to forum organizers.

The forum, jointly hosted by South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, the Jeju provincial government and other organizations, is scheduled to take place from Wednesday through June 26 at Haevichi Hotel & Resort Jeju and Jeju Stone Park.

The former diplomats’ allegations regarding Jang could not be independently verified. Neither UNESCO nor the North Korean government was quoted as responding to the claims.

Several former North Korean diplomats said Pyongyang selects Foreign Ministry officials for assignments at United Nations agencies to secure international assistance, collect information about foreign governments and South Korea and earn foreign currency.

They alleged that officials selected for such work sometimes receive fabricated or altered professional backgrounds tailored to the agency where they will serve.

Before deployment, the officials may formally transfer their affiliation to an intelligence organization such as North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, the former diplomats claimed. Such an arrangement, they said, allows the officials to operate with greater independence than ordinary North Korean diplomats.

UNESCO materials identify Jang as an education specialist who earned a doctorate in education from Kim Hyong Jik University of Education and previously worked for North Korea’s Education Ministry.

The former diplomats alleged that at least part of that professional background could serve as a cover for intelligence-gathering duties.

Ko Young-hwan, a former first secretary at the North Korean Embassy in the Republic of Congo, told Asia Today that North Korea has frequently dispatched what it calls international civil servants to U.N. organizations.

“When they were sent abroad in the past, their affiliations were transferred to organizations under the Workers’ Party, such as the United Front Department or the External Information Investigation Department, also known as Office 35,” Ko said.

“After those organizations were consolidated, I understand that their affiliations were transferred to the Reconnaissance General Bureau.”

Ko, who later headed South Korea’s National Institute for Unification Education, said he believed Jang could fall into that category.

North Korea created the Reconnaissance General Bureau in 2009 by combining intelligence and operational units that had previously been divided among the Workers’ Party and the military.

South Korean authorities have described the bureau as North Korea’s principal organization for overseas intelligence collection, cyber operations and clandestine activities.

Former North Korean diplomats also said officials assigned to international organizations operate with fewer restrictions than diplomats posted to embassies.

Ko recalled an official who worked at UNESCO headquarters in Paris while he was serving in the North Korean Foreign Ministry.

“He attended a weekly self-criticism session at the embassy only once a week and did not have to report unless something unusual occurred,” Ko said.

Ryu Hyun-woo, a former acting North Korean ambassador to Kuwait, said such officials can operate independently under special circumstances.

“They are diplomats who act alone in exceptional situations,” Ryu said. “I understand that they receive separate, specialized training before being dispatched.”

The Jeju Forum’s organizers said education innovation is one of this year’s major themes and that Jang is being considered because he is a UNESCO-affiliated official suited to the education session.

The organizers have not publicly suggested that his proposed participation is connected to intelligence activity.

Some observers, however, have interpreted the invitation as a possible attempt to reopen communication with North Korea amid strained inter-Korean relations.

The outreach comes after the Jeju provincial government provided North Korea with about 160 million won ($116,000) worth of agricultural and medical supplies, including hallabong citrus seedlings, chemicals used to combat pine wilt disease and kidney dialysis equipment.

The provincial government’s North Korea assistance program has also drawn scrutiny following reports that Jeju Gov. Oh Young-hun had contact with Ri Ho-nam, a former counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing who has been identified by South Korean sources as an operative involved in inter-Korean affairs.

No evidence was presented in the article showing that Jang had engaged in espionage or other illegal activity in connection with the Jeju Forum.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260619010006871