US: Peggy Stevens brings children from three religions together
24 September 2014 - Peggy Stevens is the founder of Kids4Peace Boston, the Boston chapter of Kids4Peace International. Begun in Jerusalem in 2002, the nonprofit group runs centres in several US cities. The Boston centre operates an interfaith summer exchange camp that brings together 12-year-olds of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths from Israel and the Palestinian territories with those from the Boston area to promote dialogue and leadership skill-building. (more)
US: 'Historic' drop in federal inmates comes as left and right find common ground
24 September 2014 - New federal and state policies that treat lawbreakers with a lighter touch have resulted in a 'historic' drop in the US prison population, United States Attorney General Eric Holder has announced. His package of policing and justice reforms is designed to divert nonviolent criminals away from prison and is seen as a rebuke of the so-called 1994 'crime bill', which expanded the list of felony crimes, pumped $10 billion into new prisons, and gave incentives to states to mass incarcerate even low level offenders. (more)
Annual Vegetarian Festival in Thailand
24 September 2014 - Many people in Thailand are starting to observe the annual Vegetarian Festival, when they do not take meat and vegetables are mainly used in food preparation. This year is special as the festival will be celebrated twice, marking the first time in 182 years. The first round of the festival starts on 24 September and will continue until 2 October. The second round is scheduled for 24 October to 1 November. Originally, the festival was observed in Chinese communities or among ethnic Chinese, or Thais of Chinese origin. Today, a large number of people, regardless of their origin and beliefs, join the celebration. Some people participate because vegetarian food is good for health. They believe that by consuming only meat-free meals for the period, they will cleanse their bodies and minds. (more)
Liberia signs 'transformational' deal to stem deforestation thanks to Norway
24 September 2014 - Liberia is to become the first nation in Africa to completely stop cutting down its trees in return for development aid. Norway will pay the impoverished West African country $150m (£91.4m) to stop deforestation by 2020. 'We hope Liberia will be able to cut emissions and reduce poverty at the same time,' said Jens Frolich Holte, a political adviser to the Norwegian government, speaking to the BBC on the sidelines of the UN climate summit in New York. (more)
Ending deforestation is smart policy: officials
24 September 2014 - Policies to end deforestation are essential for curbing climate change and can also support economic development, top government and business officials said. 'Putting a stop to deforestation is the smart thing to do,' Justine Greening, Britain's Secretary of State for International Development, told a panel discussion in New York on the eve of the UN Climate Summit. The meeting at the Ford Foundation assembled representatives of business, governments and indigenous people to call for an end to deforestation. (more)
Cambodia: Beyond Angkor -- how lasers revealed a lost city
24 September 2014 - Deep in the Cambodian jungle lie the remains of a vast medieval city, which was hidden for centuries. New archaeological techniques are now revealing its secrets -- including an elaborate network of temples and boulevards, and sophisticated engineering. These new discoveries have profoundly transformed our understanding of Angkor, the greatest medieval city on Earth. (more)
Canada: Montreal food bank seeks to add supermarkets as donors
24 September 2014 - In their first four months in a project to collect leftover food from supermarkets spearheaded by Moisson Montreal, Canada's largest food bank, five IGAs taking part collected 22 tonnes of food. That works out to roughly a tonne per supermarket per month that would have ended up as compost or rotting in landfills, producing global-warming methane. 'There is not really an additional cost, and boxes don't take up much space, so for us, it's perfect,' says operations manager Bruno Menard, the 40-year-old son of Louise Menard, who owns five IGAs. 'We get rid of stuff, we don't send it to landfills, so we reduce our costs (on dumping fees) and we help out the community.' (more)
US new home sales at six-year high; supply increases
24 September 2014 - Sales of new US single-family homes surged in August and hit their highest level in more than six years, offering confirmation that the housing recovery remains on course. The Commerce Department said on Wednesday sales jumped 18.0 per cent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 504,000 units. That was the highest level since May 2008 and marked the second straight month of gains. (more)
First-ever indigenous peoples' world conference concludes with focus on climate
24 September 2014 - With climate change taking centre stage at the United Nations, the first ever World Conference on Indigenous Peoples wrapped up on 23 September with a focus on Mother Earth and the future of the planet. 'Issues related to territory, our natural resources, territories, seas, rivers, are today like the soul of indigenous rights,' Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu told UNTV and UN Radio. Ms Menchu, an indigenous Guatemalan activist, said that for indigenous peoples this week's events are a sign of hope towards a 'full life and not just survival'. (more)
Ghana goes green with bamboo bikes
24 September 2014 - A young female social entrepreneur has vowed to bring change to the world -- one bamboo bike at a time. The 19-year-old employs about 30 girls to produce bikes in Ghana and has received numerous awards for her work. Winifred Selby is a young social entrepreneur who is determined to fight for a carbon-free and greener planet. She founded Ghana Bamboo Bikes in 2009 -- and her business model took off immediately. (more)
Mars mission opens India for space business
24 September 2014 - India celebrated putting a spacecraft into orbit around Mars on Wednesday, hoping the rare feat will show the world it is open for business in space exploration and inspire a new generation of homegrown scientists to help drive growth. More than half of the world's missions to Mars so far have failed. In proving it can pull off a complex space mission, India becomes one of the world's few reliable ferrymen to the stars. That can attract investors, commercial launch orders, and customers to hire Indian rockets and satellites for their scientific research. (more)
Tens of thousands take part in Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
24 September 2014 - Tens of thousands of volunteers from coast to coast fanned out along our shores Saturday 20 September to clean up Canada's waterways for the 21st annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. The event has come a long way since it was first organized by the Vancouver Aquarium in 1994 where a group of employees and volunteers decided to clean up a local beach in Stanley Park. In 2002, the cleanup emerged as a national program. The number of supporters has also grown over the years. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) became a partner of the environmental initiative in 2010. (more)
Tiger-3 digital radar: Australian innovation made from modified rugby posts attracts global attention
24 September 2014 - An innovative Australian digital radar built with a series of modified rugby goalposts is attracting worldwide attention. A consortium led by La Trobe University in Melbourne developed the Tiger-3 digital radar, which is 10 times more sensitive than any other research radar. Lead researcher Professor John Devlin said the radar would be used to study space weather, which has an impact on navigation and surveillance systems for shipping and aircraft, as well as for GPS systems. (more)
UK: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014: Pictures witnessing the mesmerizing beauty of night sky
24 September 2014 - The Royal Observatory Greenwich, in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine, have welcomed a record breaking number of entries for its 2014 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. The annual global search for the most beautiful and spectacular visions of the cosmos can span from striking pictures of vast galaxies millions of light years away to dramatic images of the night sky taken much closer to home. (more)
UN members endorse Indigenous Peoples rights
23 September 2014 - The UN General Assembly on Monday approved a resolution strengthening the rights of more than 370 million indigenous peoples worldwide who remain marginalized and impoverished seven years after the adoption of a UN declaration aimed at protecting the rights of native people. The Outcome Document was endorsed by consensus at the start of the first World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. (more)
Ukraine: Ceasefire being upheld on both sides
23 September 2014 - A ceasefire in east Ukraine is being upheld by both government troops and Russia-backed rebels, a senior Ukrainian official said Tuesday, in a first step toward enforcing a truce that has been riddled by repeated violations since it was imposed earlier this month. (more)
Kiev notes progress on eastern Ukraine ceasefire
23 September 2014 - Both government troops and pro-Russian rebels began withdrawing heavy artillery in the east of the country, Ukrainian officials said Monday, a significant step toward implementing an effective ceasefire in the region. Ukraine, Russia, and the Moscow-backed rebels last week signed an agreement to further the peace process by halting advances and pull back heavy artillery, creating a buffer zone between them. (more)
China factory index ticks up, easing growth fears
23 September 2014 - Growth in China's sprawling manufacturing industry unexpectedly ticked higher in September, according to a report Tuesday, easing concerns about the economy's recovery. (more)
German private sector expands in September, points to moderate third quarter growth - PMI
23 September 2014 - Germany's private sector grew for the 17th month running in September, a survey showed on Tuesday, suggesting Europe's largest economy has expanded in the third quarter after a surprise contraction in the second. Business activity in the services sector increased slightly more sharply than in August as new business continued to flow in, leading firms to take on new staff. (more)
Sturdy US factory, services data bolster growth picture
23 September 2014 - US manufacturing activity hovered at a near 4-1/2-year high in September and factory employment surged, supporting views of sturdy economic growth this quarter. The economic picture was further brightened by other data on Tuesday showing an acceleration in factory and services industry growth in some areas of the country. (more)
Sweden's IKEA to widen solar panel sales to eight new nations from UK
23 September 2014 - IKEA Group, the world's biggest furniture retailer, said on Monday that it will widen sales of home rooftop solar panels from Britain to eight other nations including the Netherlands and Switzerland. The Swedish company also said that plastic in its home furnishing products -- which it said range from washing up brushes to garden chairs -- would be made from recycled materials or from renewable sources such as wood by 2020. The company said it had installed 700,000 solar panels on its own buildings. (more)
UK households say incomes rising more quickly - Markit survey
23 September 2014 - British households saw their income from employment rise at the quickest pace in more than a year in August. The boost in earnings helped push the overall monthly Household Finance Index, compiled by financial data firm Markit, to its second-highest reading since the survey was launched in 2009. Salaries grew in both the public and private sectors for the first time since May. (more)
US: CalSTRS to nearly triple clean energy, technology investments
23 September 2014 - The California State Teachers' Retirement System pension fund plans to nearly triple its investments in clean energy and technology to $3.7 billion over the next five years in a push toward low-carbon investments, the fund said on Friday. CalSTRS, the second-largest US pension fund with more than $188 billion, currently has $1.4 billion invested in clean energy and technology. The public pension fund said the increase would apply to investments in stocks, bonds, private equity, and infrastructure. (more)
US: Plan to boost clean energy in the California desert released
23 September 2014 - California and the US government on Tuesday released an ambitious draft plan to combat climate change by accelerating the building of large renewable energy projects in the state's sun-soaked desert while setting aside millions of acres for conservation. The plan would also create a reserve of protected lands covering more than 22 million acres of desert land in Southern California.
|
Share prices are updated with a 15-minute delay. Data is not intended for trading purposes. 
