Solar-Powered Water Pumps Struggle to See the Light

When twenty-nine-year-old Kartik Wahi graduated from the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, Illinois in 2010, he wasted no time in returning to India to self-finance a start-up company to market solar-powered irrigation pumps.

Digging for Water, But Striking Oil

The volatile politics of the Middle East have long been dominated by the fluctuating fortunes of a single commodity: oil.

Latest U.S. Poll Shows U.N. in Favourable Light

The majority of registered U.S. voters have favourable opinions of the U.N., according to polling data released  by the Better World Campaign (BWC).

Challenges Dog Community Radio, Finally on Air in El Salvador

For the first time in El Salvador, a community radio is broadcasting under its own licence. The struggle continues, however, for legislative change that will give these kinds of broadcasters more airspace. After years of challenges, Radio Mangle finally began broadcasting this week to over 200 communities in the area known as Bajo Lempa, in the municipality of Jiquilisco, in the south of the province of Usulután.

Swedish Telekom Graft Probe Makes Twist Toward Karimova

Newly released documents appear to make a connection between executives from a Swedish company accused of bribing its way into Uzbekistan’s telecoms market and Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the country’s strongman, Islam Karimov.

Students Score with Future Energy Prize

Innovative high schools in Mexico, Britain, Tanzania and Abu Dhabi that aim to power classrooms with solar, biogas, wind and other sustainable energy sources were among the winners of the 2013 Zayed Future Energy Prize, held at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. 

Rich in Hydrocarbons, Building a Clean Energy Future

With Abu Dhabi holding the world's fifth largest oil reserve and sixth largest gas reserve - enough hydrocarbons to last another hundred years - one might wonder why the emirate has jumped into the global fray of renewable energy and clean technologies. 

New Push in U.S. for Tougher Sanctions, War Threats Against Iran

Four U.S. non-proliferation specialists are urging the Obama administration to impose tougher economic sanctions against Iran and issue more explicit threats to destroy its nuclear programme by military means.

National Legislation Key to Combating Climate Change

A majority of major economies have made significant progress in addressing climate change, with countries like South Korea and China taking aggressive action so they can benefit from energy- and resource-efficient economies, a new report released Monday found.

From Sports Cars to Bottled River Water, Japan Goes Green

Boasting a yellow two-person convertible run on hydrogen gas and free bottles of Tokyo tap water, the Japanese pavilion at the Water and Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi seemed to pull the most crowds. It was also a sign of the growing interest of Japanese companies in the United Arab Emirates’ capital city, a promising emerging market. 

Mideast Energy Crisis Looks For Light at the End of the Tunnel

When Jordan's Queen Rania Al Abdullah took the podium to address world political and business leaders at a back-to-back energy and water summit here, she said she was representing a country that relies on imports for over 90 percent of its energy needs.

Kurdish Rights Back in Focus in Turkey

After over a year without accountability for a Turkish aerial bombing that killed 34 Kurdish men and boys, Turkey has come under heavy criticism for what many say is a widespread culture of impunity, especially when it comes to the treatment of its Kurdish citizens.

Power and Empowerment

The frustrated energies of Arab youth that burst on to the streets over the past two years will need energy by way of electricity to calm them, Queen Rania of Jordan said at the launch of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week on Tuesday. 

Lounge Greenly

The centre table in the lounge is made of pine used for making crates. What's better, it's certified by the Forest Stewardship Council that promotes responsible management of the world's forests. The glass candle stand on that table and the vases around the room are made of recycled glass; the sofa filling is washed grain stack. The French window looking out on to the patio is well insulated yet allows a great deal of daylight in. It's a happy place to lounge around. 

Syrian Refugees Face Storms With Cardboard

Zuhur al-Khalaf is eight months pregnant and lives in a one-room shack in northern Lebanon with her husband and five children. The cloth walls and cardboard roof have become sodden and musty after heavy storms this past week, and two of the children are suffering from fevers and chest infections.

Despite Immigration Reform, Travel Still Tricky for Cubans

Maria Lourdes, a Cuban, has two passports, one from the island and another from Spain, but until now traveling was only a dream.

Mexico Tearing Its Hair Out Over Mercury

The Coatzacoalcos river basin in southern Mexico is so polluted that you can sense the mercury in the air, feel it and breathe it, and the population living in the area is only too aware of its undesirable neighbours: refineries and petrochemical complexes that emit this toxic element into the air and water.

U.S. Prepares Support for French Military Intervention in Mali

U.S. Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta has applauded France's surprise airstrikes on Islamist rebels in northern Mali that began late last week and continued over the weekend.

Hugo Chavez and Colombia’s Peace

Colombia has suffered an internal armed conflict for so many decades that it almost amounts to a "forgotten crisis" for external donors. But the president of neighbouring Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is well aware of the conflict, and understands that it destabilises Latin America, where centre-left governments proliferate.

Mexico Tearing Its Hair Out Over Mercury

The Coatzacoalcos river basin in southern Mexico is so polluted that you can sense the mercury in the air, feel it and breathe it, and the population living in the area is only too aware of its undesirable neighbours: refineries and petrochemical complexes that emit this toxic element into the air and water.

To Save the U.S. Economy, Lift the Bottom

The problem of the U.S. economy lies much deeper than the fiscal cliff. Wise people--Robert Borosage, Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz--see neither the fiscal deficit nor the U.S. debt as the key problems, but the lack of growth.