As the Obama administration rethinks its strategy for South Asian engagement, and Senator John Kerry assumes his duties as Secretary of State, a more "naturalized" approach to diplomacy should be considered. Despite their many differences, South Asia's acrimonious nations are tied together by ecological factors which can provide fertile ground for regional cooperation, thereby building trust in other areas and reducing chances of greater conflict.

The American Embassy in Nigeria has offered to join the Evergreen initiative which FCMB commenced in Katsina State since 2010 in Partnership with Students In Free Enterprise (an NGO present in universities across the world) and the Service to Humanity Foundation (an NGO founded by Her Excellency, Fatima Ibrahim Shema, First Lady of Katsina state).

Both Jerusalem and Haifa will be sending delegations to an October 31 event in Assisi, Italy, which will celebrate the launch of a global network aimed at promoting environmentally- sustainable pilgrimages among the world’s major religious sites.

In its quest to map the entire planet, Google has started in on the world’s largest tropical rainforest. The tech giant plans to work with Amazonas Sustainable Foundation, a non-profit that works to conserve the forest and improve the livelihood of communities who live there. The hope is that it will help outsiders better understand the scope and the importance of the world’s largest tropical rainforest.

The world's second-largest restaurant chain announced a venture with a local company in the United Arab Emirates that will lower McDonald's carbon footprint by converting its frying oil into biodiesel. It is the first time that a company in the oil-rich Middle East has used biodiesel to power vehicles on this scale

Germany and China are planning a big expansion of joint research and investment in green technologies, including production of electric cars in China and development of carbon-capture systems. A series of business and inter-governmental agreements were signed between the world’s two largest exporters in Berlin on Tuesday.

APDS Blogger: Mark Preston