President Obama seeks end to perpetual US 'war on terror'
24 May 2013 - Twelve years after the 'war on terror' began, President Barack Obama wants to pull the United States back from some of the most controversial aspects of its global fight against Islamist militants. Pakistan said that it appreciated Obama's acknowledgement that force alone did not work, adding that the root causes of terrorism had to be addressed. After launching costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States is tiring of conflict. While combating terrorism is still a high priority for the White House, polls show by large margins that Americans' main concerns are the economy and domestic concerns such as healthcare. (more)

US President Obama lifts ban on Guantanamo transfers to Yemen
24 May 2013 - President Barack Obama is lifting his self-imposed ban on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen, where a leadership upheaval has improved the country's security. Lifting the ban is a step toward Obama's goal of closing the Navy-run prison in Cuba since nearly 100 of the 166 terrorist suspects held there are from Yemen and have had nowhere to go even if they had been cleared for transfer. (more)

Yemen welcomes Obama decision on Gitmo transfers
24 May 2013 - Yemen is welcoming President Barack Obama's decision to lift his ban on the transfer of Yemeni prisoners from the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In a statement released Thursday shortly after Obama announced the step, the Yemeni Embassy said it appreciated the switch. It said Yemen would work with the US to ensure the safe return of Yemeni detainees to Yemen and continue efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate them into society. (more)

Bees start to buck trend of decline in UK wildlife
24 May 2013 - It has been a mixed bag for wildlife this week. In a rare piece of good news for pollinators, a study has shown that, in Europe, wild insects and plants are bouncing back after decades of decline. The pollinator study, led by Bill Kunin of the University of Leeds, UK, found that the years between 1950 and 1989 saw drastic decreases in the richness of species in Belgium, the UK and the Netherlands. But since 1990, lost or new species have reappeared at sampled sites indicating that, for many, the decline has halted or even begun to reverse. (more)

China plans tougher quality standards for coal to tackle pollution
24 May 2013 - China may impose higher quality standards for imported and locally traded coal to cut air pollution, two sources said, in a move that could slash imports while boosting the fortunes of a faltering domestic industry. China's government, led by new leader Xi Jinping, has vowed to tackle the country's festering pollution crisis, which has become a flashpoint for growing protests in China. (more)

US: Solar Impulse plane sets new distance record on Dallas flight
24 May 2013 - A solar airplane that developers hope to eventually pilot around the globe landed safely on Thursday in Texas, completing the second and longest leg of an attempt to fly across the United States powered only by the sun. The spindly experimental aircraft, dubbed Solar Impulse, touched down at Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport shortly after 1 AM local time, logging 18 hours and 21 minutes in the air to cover 823 nautical miles (1,541 km) from Arizona. (more)

South Africa: New school restores human dignity
24 May 2013 - Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says eradicating mud schools and unsafe structures is one of many ways in which government strives to restore human dignity. Speaking at the official opening of a new school, Nobantu Primary School in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape on Wednesday, Motshekga said government was delivering sanitation and water facilities to schools that had never benefitted from these amenities. 'We will build an additional 200 schools, provide water to 873 and sanitation to 448 schools. Above this, we are working hard to provide electricity to 369 schools, meaning that your children will work on computers and connect with other children, anywhere in the world,' Motshekga said. (more)

Rebound in key sectors seen driving Kenya economy in 2013
24 May 2013 - Kenya's economy is expected to expand by about 6 per cent in 2013 thanks to a rebound in sectors such as manufacturing and financial services, officials said on Thursday. Optimism about the prospects for east Africa's biggest economy has risen since the country held a peaceful presidential poll in March. The Kenyan shilling has been largely stable against the dollar this year, gaining about 2 per cent, while inflation is well within the government's preferred range. (more)

Chile: A green prison named Hope
24 May 2013 - Chile ministers of environment and justice, María Ignacia Benítez and Patricia Perez, visited the Colina II prison to observe the evolution of the environmentally-friendly programme put in place by the inmates. Two greenhouses have been built. Using plastic bottles, inmates are growing various plants and vegetables, which are used by the prisoners for their own consumption. In addition, a wood-recycling workshop has been developed, allowing the inmates to make various types of furniture with recovered materials. The pieces are then sold and the money earned is shared with among the prisoners' families. (more)

US: Durable goods orders rise, point to factory resilience
24 May 2013 - Orders for long-lasting manufactured goods rose more than expected in April, a hopeful sign that a contraction in factory output could soon run its course. New orders for durable goods, which range from toasters to aircraft, increased 3.3 per cent last month, the Commerce Department said on Friday. The data was the latest to show the US economy showing surprising resilience in the face of harsh fiscal austerity measures enacted this year. (more)

Democratic Republic of Congo: In Goma, UN Secretary-General hails regional accord as 'best chance for peace in years'
24 May 2013 - Arriving on 23 May in restive eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged all the leaders of Africa's Great Lakes region to throw their support behind a recently-signed peace accord which aims to ensure security, as well as development, for the long-troubled country. 'We have the best chance in many years to bring peace and calm to the region,' the UN chief said in Goma, eastern DRC's main city. (more)

US Secretary of State meets Israelis, Palestinians in bid to revive talks
24 May 2013 - US Secretary of State John Kerry held separate talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials on Thursday and acknowledged there was considerable scepticism that the two sides would resume peace negotiations. Kerry met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for lunch in the West Bank city of Ramallah and returned to Jerusalem to see Shimon Peres, who holds Israel's largely ceremonial post of President. He will have breakfast on Friday with Netanyahu. Before their meeting on Thursday morning, Netanyahu said he wanted to restart peace talks. (more)

Electric carmaker Tesla pays off US loan
24 May 2013 - Electric carmaker Tesla Motors Inc on Wednesday paid off its US Department of Energy loan nine years earlier than required, using money raised last week in a stock and debt offering. The automaker said on Wednesday that it wired $451.8 million to repay the full loan with interest. 'I would like to thank the Department of Energy and the members of Congress and their staffs that worked hard to create the (Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing) programme, and particularly the American taxpayer from whom these funds originate,' Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said in a statement. 'I hope we did you proud.' (more)

Uruguay launches first BYD battery-electric buses; projecting 500 by 2015
24 May 2013 - Buquebus and CTS Auto S.A., in partnership with Chinese automaker BYD Ltd, introduced the first battery-electric 12-meter rapid transit bus in Uruguay and the region. The bus can be charged overnight, while the electricity pricing is lower. By 2015 it is expected that more than 500 BYD electric buses will be running on the streets and roads of Uruguay. (more)

US: New Jersey students to help Michelle Obama harvest garden
24 May 2013 - Schoolchildren from New Jersey shore communities battered by Superstorm Sandy will join Michelle Obama for a garden harvest next week. The White House says the First Lady will also be joined Tuesday by students who helped plant the crops last month. Mrs Obama planted the garden in 2009 to help launch her campaign against childhood obesity and to encourage healthier eating. (more)

Zimbabwe: President Mugabe signs constitution into law, paving way for vote
24 May 2013 - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe signed a new constitution into law on Wednesday, replacing a 33-year-old document forged in the dying days of British colonial rule and paving the way for an election later this year. A beaming Mugabe, flanked by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, his main political rival, and Deputy President Joice Mujuru signed multiple copies of the charter at State House in the capital to cheers and applause from aides. (more)

Organic cooperative proves that agriculture can prosper in Cuba
23 May 2013 - 'The people are the only thing that matters,' says agronomist Miguel Ángel Salcines, who then goes on to list a series of other 'secondary' factors that have turned Vivero Alamar, an urban farm on the outskirts of the Cuban capital, into a rare success story in the country's depressed agricultural sector. 'We offer flexible hours, relatively high wages, and professional upgrading, among other benefits that make the cooperative an attractive option. This is how we attract high quality human resources, who are crucial today in order to produce more organic food,' said Salcines, the president of Vivero Alamar, where production has been chemical-free since 2000. (more)

Beijing, China: 50,000 electric cars by 2015, 30,000 for private uses
23 May 2013 - Beijing plans to have 50,000 electric cars by 2015, 30,000 of which will be owned privately, the rest used as public transit, taxis, and other public uses, Legal Evening News reports. On Sunday, the first electric car rental service in Beijing opened in the Wudaokou area of the city as part of the Electric Beijing Partnership Plan, according to Caixin News, a financial news website. (more)

Scotland: Ministers approve plans for world's biggest wave farm in Western Isles
23 May 2013 - Ministers have approved plans for the world's largest commercial wave farm. Full consent has been given for a 40MW farm off the north-west coast of Lewis -- enough to power nearly 30,000 homes. Wave energy firm Aquamarine Power said it would begin installing its Oyster devices in the next few years, once grid infrastructure is put in place. Lang Banks, director of environmental charity WWF Scotland, hailed the move as a 'very welcome and timely boost for the wave power industry in Scotland'. (more)

Sunrise becomes first UK music festival to use renewable energy smart grid
23 May 2013 - Sunrise is set to become the first festival in the UK to be powered by a smart grid. The grid creates energy through solar panels and vegetable oil generators, using battery units to regulate power as and when it is needed. Organizers hope the system will significantly reduce the festival's energy consumption and believe it could revolutionize the way festivals are powered in future. The grid is part of a continued partnership with the Green Festival Alliance and forms a collaboration between energy companies including Greenheart Energy, Firefly Solar, and RPM Fuels. (more)

Oil saving win-win drives Saudi solar power boom - analysis
23 May 2013 - A slide in solar power costs and a surge in oil prices over the last few years has made solar power a win-win strategy for Saudi Arabia: saving billions of dollars of crude for export while making electricity at less than half the cost. Riyadh plans to install 41,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power over the next 20 years, but to date has built only 12 MW -- or less than even Britain installed in early May. (more)

Japan mulls talks with North Korea, surprising allies
23 May 2013 - Japan's government is looking into re-opening official talks with North Korea to resolve questions over the abductions of Japanese citizens decades ago. Chief Cabinet spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday that high-level talks with the North are possible if they would lead to a breakthrough on the abductions. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has indicated he is open to holding a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if such a breakthrough could be made. (more)

US home sales tick up to highest in 3 ½ years
23 May 2013 - Sales of previously occupied US homes ticked up last month to the highest level in three and a half years, helped by a jump in the number of houses for sale. The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that sales rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.97 million, up from 4.94 million in March. Home sales have risen 9.7 per cent in the past 12 months, evidence that the housing market is still improving. (more)

Thailand: Buddhist leaders urged to promote education
23 May 2013 - The Bangkok Declaration of the Tenth Anniversary Celebrations of the United Nations Day of Vesak calls on Buddhist leaders to strengthen their ongoing noble mission to promote education, as well as social and humanitarian development for sustainable world peace. The Bangkok Declaration was issued at the conclusion of the celebrations and meetings of Buddhist leaders and representatives from 87 countries in Thailand on 21-22 May 2013. (more)