2017年4月1日 星期六

Toughing it out

Tributes to rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker


Gilbert Baker who created the rainbow flag as a symbol for the gay community, has died aged 65.

The San Francisco based artist initially designed an eight-colour flag in 1978 for the city's gay freedom day, the precursor to the modern pride parade.



from BBC News - World http://ift.tt/2otxacY

Venezuelan court backtracks on powers bid

Many feared dead in Indonesia landslide

Could planting trees save the world's largest river island?


A man has made it his life's mission to help save the world’s largest river island, Majuli, from erosion by planting trees.

Over several decades Jadav Payeng, known as the Forest Man of India, has turned a barren area into a forest larger than New York’s Central Park.

Frequent flooding of the Brahmaputra river is causing Majuli, located in India’s Assam state, to erode away.

Over the last 70 years it has shrunk by two-thirds and there are concerns it will be submerged in the next 20 years.

The tree roots help to bind the soil and soak up excess water reducing erosion from flooding and Mr Payeng believes natural methods will be more effective than following government flood prevention schemes.

BBC Travel Show’s Rajan Datar finds out more.

See more clips at the BBC Travel Show's website.

Read and watch more stories from India



from BBC News - World http://ift.tt/2mY408z

Venezuela moves to defuse Supreme Court powers dispute

ICYMI: It's not all Brexit this week


The stories you might have missed this week.



from BBC News - World http://ift.tt/2oJLJbl