West African mediator opens talks with Mali rebels
20 May 2012 - West African bloc ECOWAS has opened talks with Mali's rebel groups, including fighters linked to al Qaeda, as part of its effort to restore constitutional rule in the country in the wake of its 22 March coup, Burkina Faso's foreign minister said. The talks are the first publicly acknowledged negotiations with the armed groups by the regional bloc since a mix of separatist rebels and Islamist gunmen took control of northern Mali following the coup in the capital. 'We have to ensure that all factions feel involved in the peace process ... it is better for them all to be present at negotiating table,' minister Djibril Bassole told journalists late on Thursday. (more)

Canada: Montreal throws its support behind southern Quebec greenbelt
20 May 2012 - Nearly five years after the plan was launched, the city of Montreal is throwing its support behind a project to protect the remaining wetlands and undeveloped lands in southern Quebec. The idea of the Parc Écologique de l'Archipel de Montreal (Montreal Archipelago Ecological Park) has been in the works since 2007, and already has the support of 99 municipalities, conservation and environmental groups, and the majority of federal and provincial political parties. (more)

US: On Endangered Species Day, stories of unparalleled success
20 May 2012 - No matter where you live in the United States, there's probably an animal or plant nearby that's been saved from winking out of existence by the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act, signed by President Nixon in 1973, has become America's strongest environmental law. It has saved 99 per cent of the 1,482 native species under its care from disappearing forever. (more)

South Africa: Government programme brings vibrancy in rural areas
20 May 2012 - In all the villages where the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) is currently being implemented, a sense of vibrancy is evident. According to the Rural Development and Land Reform Mid-Term Review, great strides have since been made and villagers are now fostering a spirit of unity and togetherness as a result of the CRDP. (more)

Canada: Urban farm near False Creek, Vancouver to grow organic produce
20 May 2012 - A parking lot is not exactly the place you might expect to see organic beans, bok choy and baby beets growing in abundance. But part of the empty lot on the former Expo lands on the north side of False Creek will become a two-acre urban farm, bursting with 40 varieties of fruits and vegetables, if all goes according to plan. It's the largest city farm attempted in Vancouver, and will be tended mostly by residents of the Downtown Eastside. (more)

US: California teens eat fewer calories in school
20 May 2012 - High school children in California, a state that limits the junk food sold in vending machines, eat fewer calories in school than children in states without such regulations, according to a new study. 'We were definitely pleased by the size of the differences, particularly for calories and sugar,' said Daniel Taber, the study's lead author and a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. (more)

Charles Rothschild: The UK banker who changed the world for good
20 May 2012 - Sometime in the early years of the 20th century, Charles Rothschild began to understand that the wildlife-rich places in the English countryside needed to be preserved. Eventually, it dawned on him that there could be a whole network of such protected sites across the country, and in May 1912 he convened a meeting at the British Museum of like-minded enthusiasts, all of them highly influential, which led to the formation of the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves (SPNR). (more)

Denmark aims for zero carbon with green energy policy
20 May 2012 - As energy saving awareness has grown, cities like Copenhagen and some of the nation's hundreds of islands are vying for the accolade of 'zero carbon' while Danes from across the social spectrum can tell you how much energy they use to the kilowatt. Low-energy houses are a growing trend across Denmark, which enforces strict efficiency standards on new building. (more)

Electric car network gets first test in Israel
20 May 2012 - Israeli entrepreneur Shai Agassi has begun rolling out the world's first nationwide electric car network. Dozens of electric cars have hit the road in Israel, the test site Agassi chose for his Better Place venture. Four stations where the cars can get a new dose of juice when their batteries run out are operating, and the plan is to ramp that number up within months. (more)

In an Egyptian orchestra, blind women shine
20 May 2012 - Egypt's Blind Girls Chamber Orchestra has performed on five continents in 24 countries. The assembly of white-veiled Egyptian women in matching black gowns first learn the songs by reading sheet music in Braille. Since it is impossible to read Braille and play an instrument at the same time, the musicians must memorize every note of every song. The orchestra was born out of the El Nour Wal Amal (Light and Hope) Association, a group founded in 1954 by women volunteers who sought to educate blind women and help them become independent women. (more)

Myanmar: New deal to end fighting with Shan rebels
20 May 2012 - A Myanmar negotiator says ethnic Shan rebels have agreed in a second round of talks to end fighting with army troops in the country's east, the latest reported deal between the new reformist government and various ethnic separatist movements. Negotiator Aung Min, who is also the country's railway minister, said he discussed enforcing a December cease-fire and eradicating drugs in eastern Myanmar in talks with Yawd Serk, leader of the Shan State Army (South). (more)

South Africa to host Nigerian counterpart
20 May 2012 - South Africa's Deputy President, Kgalema Motlanthe, will host the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mohammed Namadi Sambo, on the occasion of the 8th Session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) between South Africa and Nigeria. Motlanthe will host his Nigerian counterpart within the context of consolidating the African Agenda through the enhancing and deepening of the social and economic relations between South Africa and Nigeria said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). (more)

Thai Halal food industry attracts the Middle East
20 May 2012 - Greater business opportunities have been opened for the Thai halal food industry, which is recognized as one of Thailand's strengths in the agricultural sector. Cooperation in the halal food industry was a major topic of discussion during the recent visit of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to Bahrain and Qatar to strengthen economic partnership. (more)

US: This New Jersey organic farm is really growing
20 May 2012 - Organic farmer Jaime Alvarez would rather grow an ugly tomato that tastes like heaven than a photogenic fruit that tastes like wax. This summer -- his second year running Beach Plum Farm in Cape May, New Jersey -- Alvarez will grow about 11,000 pounds of less-than-lovely tomatoes, along with a bumper crop of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. It's all in keeping with the farm-to-table or 'locavore' movement, which holds that the best food is food that's grown locally, and not transported over long distances, which can require artificial methods of preservation. (more)

Netherland's Nature and More sowing seeds for bees
19 May 2012 - More than a thousand Dutch cyclists are currently transforming a 1000 kilometre long bicycle trail into a 'bee trail', by sowing organic flower seeds; 23 German organic wholesalers and retailers are distributing 280,000 bags of flower seeds with their organic products; the Youth Initiative Program in Sweden created a flowering meadow as well as a short YouTube video featuring buzzing students. All these activities, large and small, are part of the international 'Bees Love Organic' campaign that was recently launched by Nature and More, a Dutch-based international distributor of organic fruits and vegetables with an estimated 100 Million USD turnover. (more)

US jobless rates dive in April
19 May 2012 - Jobless rates in all but two US states dropped in April from a year before. Compared with March, jobless rates fell in 37 states and the District of Columbia, rose in five, and were unchanged in eight states. North Dakota again notched the lowest rate, 3 per cent. And while Nevada continued to hold the highest jobless rate in the nation last month, at 11.7 per cent, the rate was much lower than the 13.6 per cent in April 2011. (more)

Somalia: Mogadishu on the up
19 May 2012 - People are returning to Mogadishu, Somalia's capital city, and reconstruction is under way. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 3,800 people returned to Mogadishu in March alone. International NGO and diplomatic missions are also coming back -- according to a UN source, Britain has already identified the plot for its permanent diplomatic base on the airport compound. (more)

Canada has best two-month jobs gain in 30 years as 58,200 added in April
19 May 2012 - Canada booked its best two-month employment gain in three decades with news that the economy churned out 58,200 new jobs in April, the strongest signal in some time the economic recovery may be coming out of a mid-winter stall. The report was far stronger than anyone anticipated with Canadians able to find net new jobs in seven provinces across the country, many full-time and in the high-paying manufacturing, construction, and resource industries. (more)

China: Healthier approach develops organically
19 May 2012 - Li Xiaoxue, 32, the vice general manager of Organic Farm, a company with six farms across China and about 600 employees, talks about the organic food industry and the career opportunities it offers young Chinese people. 'This business is really different from other general agriculture businesses.' he said. 'The organic food is ... really healthy and the other reason for us working here is that it's quite a missionary job to do. You're delivering something which other people really need for their health or for environmental protection. It's meaningful.' (more)

Sweden: Volvo Group emphasizes need for sustainable solutions to reduce environmental footprint
19 May 2012 - In an effort to encourage dialogue and action and to continue in its commitment toward reducing its environmental impact, the Volvo Group -- headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden -- recently hosted two sustainability-related seminars during the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Miami, Florida, USA. The Volvo Group's vision is to become the world leader in sustainable transport solutions by continuously introducing safer and more efficient products and pioneering solutions. Part of Volvo Group's sustainability commitment includes raising awareness about environmental issues. (more)

US: Los Angeles, California plans pilot of Siemens eHighway
19 May 2012 - Siemens International envisions trucks attached to overhead electric trolley-like wires travelling peacefully down an 'eHighway' in a separate lane from other vehicles. Besides the benefits of reduced fossil fuel use and emissions, and reduced pollutant load in residential and agricultural areas, the system is easy to integrate into existing highways and infrastructures. Trucks will also be much quieter. (more)

Buddhist leaders from 85 countries to Join Buddhajayanti in Thailand
19 May 2012 - Buddhist leaders from all over the world will join the ninth International Buddhist Conference on the United Nations Day of Vesak in Thailand. The conference is part of celebrations for the 2,600th anniversary of the enlightenment of the Buddha, or Buddhajayanti, the biggest Buddhist event of the year. In celebration of the world Visakha Puja Day 2012 and Buddhajayanti, Thailand will hold a Buddhism Week at Sanam Luang ceremonial ground in Bangkok from 29 May to 4 June. (more)

US: Hawaii first state to ban plastic bags at checkout
19 May 2012 - By now, it's hardly news when a city bans plastic bags at checkout counters -- but an entire state? That's happened in Hawaii, where Honolulu County has joined the state's three other counties to give Hawaii a first-in-the-nation title. 'This is groundbreaking. By signing this environmentally friendly bill, Honolulu joined our neighbour island counties,' said Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle. 'Hawaii has become the only state in the United States where every county has plastic bag legislation.' (more)

Iraq: Prime Minister al-Maliki, in charm offensive, invites scholars to Baghdad
19 May 2012 - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, concerned by his portrayal in US media as an autocratic leader intent on consolidating power, has invited several influential Washington scholars to Baghdad to meet his team next week. The rare invitation was extended to Kenneth Pollack of the Brookings Institution, Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institution, and Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group, Reuters has learned. (more)