China offers India a 'handshake across the Himalayas'
20 May 2013 - India and China will study new ways to ease tensions on their ill-defined border after an army standoff in the Himalayas, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday on his first official foreign trip. The number two in the Chinese leadership offered New Delhi a 'handshake across the Himalayas'. At a joint news conference with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the two men appeared smiling and relaxed. India's Foreign Ministry said they got on well. China and India disagree about large areas of their 4,000 km (2,500 mile) border and fought a brief war 50 years ago. Li said he chose New Delhi as his first destination on his four-nation tour to show how important India is for China. (more)

Chinese, Indian leaders call for cooperation
20 May 2013 - The leaders of India and China played down their recent border dispute and other tensions Monday, pledging to work together for regional stability and the economic growth of the world's two most populous nations. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought Monday to focus on the opportunities for cooperation between their nations. Li is to visit Pakistan, Switzerland, and Germany after leaving India. (more)

Ireland: Ryanair keeps growing, reports record profits
20 May 2013 - Ryanair reported record profits Monday as Europe's largest budget airline expanded its route network across the continent and into North Africa. Ryanair's share price also surged to an all-time high after the Dublin-based carrier predicted it would enjoy similar, if not better, earnings in the coming year. During the year, Ryanair opened up new bases in Croatia, Greece, Morocco, the Netherlands, and Poland. (more)

Myanmar leader making landmark White House visit
20 May 2013 - Myanmar President Thein Sein on Monday becomes the first Myanmar President to be welcomed to the White House in almost 47 years, crowning a dramatic diplomatic rehabilitation for his nation after years of international isolation. President Sein arrived in Washington, DC Saturday, six months after President Obama made history with an unprecedented US presidential visit to the country also known as Burma. (more)

Shakespeare's sonnets come to life in new app
20 May 2013 - A new app launched on Monday aims to bring William Shakespeare's sonnets to the masses with the help of short films starring stage actors performing them in front of New York landmarks. The Sonnet Project is a free app for the iPhone and iPad that showcases the Shakespeare's poetry through films of up to two minutes and performances by award winning actors. Shakespeare's 154 sonnets were first published in 1609. (more)

US: Economists predict increase in consumer spending
20 May 2013 - US consumer spending is likely to pick up this year, while government spending declines at a faster rate, according to a survey of business economists. Tthey are more bullish on consumer spending and housing than they were three months ago, in part because of a more positive view about unemployment. The survey was released Monday by the National Association for Business Economics, which periodically surveys economists for banks, manufacturers, and universities. (more)

US: Electric car maker Tesla Motors has string of positive news
20 May 2013 - Tesla Motors Inc boosted the size of its convertible bond by 17 per cent to $525 million, the bulk of which will be used to repay the company's US Department of Energy loan, according to two market sources close to the situation. The maker of the Model S electric sedan was also able to secure more attractive terms for its bond offering than originally planned due to high demand from investors. This is the latest in a string of positive news for Tesla, which posted its first quarterly profit last week and got a near-perfect rating for the Model S from Consumer Reports magazine. (more)

US: Harvard's Nieman Foundation announces Class of 2014
20 May 2013 - The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University has announced its 24-member class of 2014. The group includes reporters, editors, columnists, and producers for print, broadcast, and online who work around the globe and across media platforms. Nieman Foundation Curator Ann Marie Lipinski says the 12 US and 12 international journalists are working to uphold the profession's highest standards while focused on innovations for radically shifting audiences, technologies, and business models. (more)

US: Small company stocks take the limelight
20 May 2013 - Small-company stocks were a bright spot at the start of the week for Wall Street. The Russell 2000, an index of small-company stocks, climbed above 1,000 points for the first time and ended higher Monday. Small stocks are doing well because they are more focused on the US, which is recovering, and are less exposed to recession-plagued Europe than the large international companies that make up the Dow and the S&P 500 index. The gains for the smaller companies are encouraging for the broader stock market because they show that investors are becoming more comfortable about the economy and investing in riskier assets, said Rob Lutts, Chief Investment Officer at Cabot Money Management. 'Having smaller stocks hit new highs means that the rally is broad,' Lutts said. 'It gives us a little more confidence that it's a good, sustainable rally that can hold together for a while.' (more)

Thailand recognized for its role in promoting the rights of the disabled
19 May 2013 - Thailand has been recognized for its commitment to promoting the rights of persons with disabilities. The Thai government hosted a regional consultation of Asia-Pacific countries on 15-16 May 2013, when Thailand presented its report under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process in the Thai Braille version. This publication would enhance accessibility and engage the visually impaired in Thailand's UPR process. (more)

Universitas 21 ranking of national higher education systems 2013
19 May 2013 - Following on from the successful 2012 project, U21 has now published the 2013 Rankings report, which gives an overview of higher education systems across the world. The project aims to highlight the importance of creating a strong environment for higher education institutions to contribute to economic and cultural development, provide a high-quality experience for students and help institutions compete for overseas applicants. Overall, in the 2013 Universitas 21 Ranking of Higher Education Systems, the top five countries were found to be the United States, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and Denmark. (more)

UN human rights chief welcomes signing of Bangladesh work safety accord by major companies
19 May 2013 - The United Nations human rights chief has welcomed the decision of dozens of international companies to sign on to an fire-and-safety agreement in the aftermath of the deadly factory collapse in Bangladesh, while calling for additional actions to overhaul the entire garment sector. The companies that sign on have 45 days from the signing to develop and agree on an implementation plan to monitor their textile production in Bangladesh. Speaking on behalf of the Office of the High Commissioners for Human Rights (OHCHR), Mr Colville said measures taken so far may mark 'a turning point' in the history of Bangladesh's clothing industry but should only be a beginning. (more)

South Africa: Construction of MeerKat satellite dishes kicks off
19 May 2013 - The construction of the 64-dish MeerKat satellite dishes -- a precursor of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project -- had commenced, the Minister of Science and Technology Derek Hanekom said on Thursday. Government has injected R2 billion in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project over the next three years and Hanekom said the MeerKat would be completed by 2016. (more)

Canada: Quebec Premier Pauline Marois unveils 'ambitious' buy-local food policy
19 May 2013 - Schools, hospitals, day-care centres, and other government-financed institutions across the province will be enlisted to help boost Quebec's self-sufficiency in food from the current 33 per cent to 50 per cent, Quebec Premier Pauline Marois announced. The buy-local goal 'is ambitious, very ambitious,' Marois declared, accompanied by François Gendron, her Minister of Agriculture. (more)

Capannori, Italy is Europe's first Zero Waste town
19 May 2013 - Capannori, a rural town in the Italian province of Lucca, in Tuscany, boasts a proud history. Six years ago, it became a trendsetter and leader, not just in Italy but throughout all of Europe, as the continent's first Zero Waste town. Giorgio del Ghingaro, the mayor of Capannori (population 46,000), defines this trend as a 'cultural revolution' that began with rubbish and in time went much further. Since 2007, residents of Capannori have reduced their urban waste by 30 per cent as part of a Zero Waste strategy, which calls for the elimination of all superfluous waste -- anything that can be recycled -- by 2020. (more)

Canada: Saskatchewan creates first new provincial park in nearly 20 years
19 May 2013 - Saskatchewan's newest provincial park is on the edge of the boreal forest, north of Prince Albert. Great Blue Heron Provincial Park covers more than 11,000 hectares and is the 35th protected park set aside by the government. It's near Anglin and Emma Lakes, just east of Prince Albert National Park, and is the first provincial park to be established in almost 20 years. (more)

Chinese Premier visits India to boost ties
19 May 2013 - Just weeks after a tense border standoff, China's new Premier visited India on Sunday on his first foreign trip as the neighbouring giants look to speed up efforts to settle a decades-old boundary dispute and boost economic ties. China says Premier Li Keqiang's choice of India for his first trip abroad since taking office in March shows the importance Beijing attaches to improving relations with New Delhi. (more)

Eight countries submit action plans to combat illegal trade in elephant ivory - UN
19 May 2013 - Eight countries identified as being the most affected by the illegal trade in elephant ivory have submitted national action plans to the United Nations-backed treaty for the conservation of endangered species containing measures to combat the scourge. The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) received plans from China, Kenya, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Uganda, Tanzania, and Viet Nam -- identified as primary source, transit and import countries affected by the illegal trade in ivory. (more)

Hong Kong launches first electric taxis
19 May 2013 - Hong Kong has introduced its first fleet of electric taxis in a bid to reduce the territory's high pollution levels. The cars have been rented by the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, which is testing them over the next six months. The idea of being environmentally-friendly is a global trend and the electric car is one good example,' said Wong Chung Keung, head of the association. (more)

Markham is Canada's most diverse community, according to Statistics Canada
19 May 2013 - Markham, Ontario is now Canada's most diverse community with the highest proportion of visible minorities than any other city, Statistics Canada's National Household Survey shows. A total of 72.3 per cent of the population comes from visible minorities. 'I do believe that we did a lot of things to accommodate new immigrants when they move to Markham,' said Regional Councillor Joe Li. 'We make them comfortable. We're the only municipality that hosts a national day for every community. When you walk into the city hall, you see the diverse workforce in the city and if you look at council you can see the diversity there, too.' (more)

Sea turtle comeback in a corner of the Caribbean
19 May 2013 - Giant leatherback turtles, some weighing half as much as a small car, drag themselves out of the ocean and up the sloping shore on the northeastern coast of Trinidad while villagers await wearing dimmed headlamps in the dark. The turtles are the focus of a thriving tourist trade, with people so devoted to them that they shoo birds away when the turtles first start out as tiny hatchlings scurrying to sea. The number of leatherbacks on this tropical beach has rebounded in spectacular fashion, with some 500 females nesting each night during the peak season in May and June, along the 800-meter-long (875-yard) beach. (more)

US President Obama seeks to cut Afghan war spending by 10 per cent
19 May 2013 - President Barack Obama on Friday trimmed his funding request for the war in Afghanistan and other overseas operations by 10 per cent, reflecting his plans to wind down the US presence in that country. The US chief executive has said he plans to draw down troops in Afghanistan after 2014 but has not specified by how much. (more)

US: Utility emissions down
19 May 2013 - According to a new report -- Benchmarking Air Emissions -- from Natural Resources Defence Council and major energy companies, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are 70 per cent and 72 per cent lower, respectively, than they were in 1990. Mercury is down 40 per cent since 2000, the first year that it was tracked. 'The electric power industry is moving to cleaner sources of energy, demonstrating that cleaner power generation is achievable,' said Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres, a co-sponsor of the report. 'Stronger regulations will reinforce those trends and stimulate further investment in low-carbon, low-risk resources like renewable power and energy efficiency.' (more)

US: Rising consumer demands aids organic industry sway
18 May 2013 - The organic food industry is gaining influence on Capitol Hill, prompted by its entry into traditional farm states and by increasing consumer demand. Representative Kurt Schrader of Oregon, a former organic farmer, offered an amendment to make it easier for organic companies to organize industry-wide promotional campaigns. The amendment was adopted. Representative Vicky Hartzler, a Missouri Republican who owns a farm equipment business and a corn and soybean farm, said she supported the amendment not only because helping organics is good for agriculture but because many of her constituents eat organic foods. The amendment would allow the organic industry to organize and pay for a unified industry promotional campaign called a 'check-off' that is facilitated by the Agriculture Department but is no cost to the government. (more)