In 2015 we celebrated the “International Year of Soils” and with good reason. Soil sustains all our agricultural and livestock food production, wood for fuel production, filters water so that we can drink it and fish can live in it. We also use it for construction - therefore it sustains our homes and infrastructure. As we approach the end of #IYS [...]

Mountains provide freshwater and biodiversity, and are a major source of food. By definition, they dominate their surroundings with towering height and protect valleys and their inhabitants. They play a critical part in moving the world towards sustainable economic growth and have a leading role as indicators of climate change. As we celebrate the International Mountain Day, see how much you [...]

10: EtymologyThe word pulse originates directly from the Latin puls meaning "thick gruel, porridge, mush.” 9: Pulses vs legumes, what’s the difference?The term "legume" refers to the plants whose fruit is enclosed in a pod. Pulses are a subgroup of the legume family, but the term “pulse” refers only to the dried seed. Dried beans, lentils and peas are the most commonly known and consumed types [...]

In 2016 we celebrated the International Year of Pulses and it is obvious why. Pulses are good for you, beneficial to farmers' livelihoods and have a positive impact on the environment. It is clear that even though dried beans, lentils and peas have been around for centuries, they will play a fundamental role in our sustainable future. Even though #IYP2016 has [...]

Autumn Ray's goal: 59 national parks before she turns 40 in four years

An independent survey finds that although NPS's annual budget is around $3 billion, Americans are willing to pay much more

Early conservation research and scientific expeditions laid the groundwork and helped to convince the public national parks were a good idea

These parks are less popular, but no less spectacular

For the first time, the indigenous community is allowed to gather the cherished plant on protected land

Some sites have closed completely, while others are making modifications to promote social distancing

The Internet Archive describes the downloadable collection of more than one million books as a library, but critics call it piracy

Coyotes, bears and more are enjoying areas usually reserved for crowds of human visitors

Items recovered include fossils, paintings, ancient coins, ceramics and jewelry

Catch the musical event, featuring Sting, Death Cab for Cutie front man Ben Gibbard and other artists, on YouTube tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern time

With Washington, D.C. COVID-19 state of emergency, Smithsonian officials say museums to close Saturday, March 14; events canceled through May 3

The 72-year-old animal was the third oldest in the North American population

The following is a guest post by Katherine Blood, Curator of Fine Prints, Prints & Photographs Division. As the Library of Congress marks its 220th year of serving the nation, the publication of a new guide tells two stories: how staff have for decades worked with art professionals to build the collections and how by […]

Using a cross-country sample of bank-dependent public fi rms we study the international spillovers of a change in banking regulation on corporate borrowing. For identi cation we examine how US rms' liabilities vis-a-vis banks, non-bank lenders and bond markets evolve after an increase in capital requirements implemented by the European Banking Authority (EBA) in 2011. We find that US firms experience a reduction in credit lines but not in term loans from EU banks.

This paper reviews post-crisis financial regulatory reforms, examines how they fit together and identifies open issues. Specifically, it takes stock of the salient new features of bank and CCP international standards within a unified analytical framework.

Recent literature has highlighted that international trade is mostly priced in a few key vehicle currencies, and is increasingly dominated by intermediate goods and global value chains (GVCs). Taking these features into account, this paper reexamines the business cycle dynamics of international trade and its relationship with monetary policy and exchange rates.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with Poets Laureate Tracy K. Smith and Robert Hass discussing the making of poetry, the position of Poet Laureate and their new books, "American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time" (edited by Smith) and "A Little Book on Form: An Exploration into the Formal Imagination of Poetry" (Hass), on the Poetry & Prose stage at the 2018 Festival.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with presidential scholar Annette Gordon-Reed discussing "The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family" on the Special Programs stage at the 2015 Festival.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with crime writer Patricia Cornwell discussing "Red Mist,” her 19th Kay Scarpetta novel, on the Fiction & Mystery stage at the 2012 Festival.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with young adult and fantasy author Leigh Bardugo discussing "Crooked Kingdom" on the Genre Fiction stage at the 2018 Festival. This post includes prompts for writing and thinking that young readers, families and teachers can use to explore the author and the author’s work—recommended for ages 13+.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussing "Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom" on the Main Stage at the 2017 Festival.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Colson Whitehead discussing "Zone One" on the Poetry & Prose stage at the 2012 Festival.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with historian Michael Beschloss discussing “Presidents of War” on the Main Stage at the 2019 Festival.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with crime and mystery writer Karin Slaughter discussing "Broken," part of her Will Trent series, on the Fiction & Mystery stage at the 2010 Festival.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with actor and author Neil Patrick Harris discussing "The Magic Misfits: The Minor Third." The event, part of the new year-long National Book Festival Presents series, took place in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium. This post includes prompts for writing and thinking that young readers, families and teachers can use to explore the author and the author’s work—recommended for ages 8+.

No global real estate market despite higher price synchronisation and growing role of international investors, central banks find (Press release, 18 February 2020)

Press release "Saudi G20 Presidency and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub invite global innovators to solve RegTech and SupTech challenges", 27 April 2020

Artists from Michigan and around the world are painting 50 murals in Flint to refocus the city's image on art rather than the lead-tainted water crisis.

Global cross-border bank claims continued to expand rapidly, growing at 9% year on year. As in previous quarters, the expansion was mainly due to claims on the non-bank sector, which grew at 12% year on year. The growth in claims on non-bank financial institutions was particularly strong (+17%). European banks' cross-border lending, which went through a prolonged contraction after the Great Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2007-09, has been expanding again since the start of 2018.

The annual growth rate of global cross-border bank claims fell to 6%, down from 9% at end-September 2019. The short-term share of foreign banks' claims, a key indicator of external vulnerability, is elevated for a number of borrowing emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs). Borrowers in EMDEs had untapped credit lines of $610 billion, or roughly 10% of the stock of global foreign claims on EMDEs at end-2019. Saudi Arabia joined the reporting population for the locational banking statistics (LBS) with data starting from Q4 2017, bringing the number of countries reporting these data to 48.

The formative moment for a new generation.

Introductory remarks by Mr Thomas Jordan, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank, at the Media News Conference of the Swiss National Bank, Berne, 25 March 2020.

Speech by Mr Mugur Isărescu, Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Bucharest, 29 April 2020.

As the NHL, NBA and MLB consider resuming play, the issue of international travel poses another hurdle for Canadian-based teams.

45 Chinese nationals in Nepal demand flights to go home, throw stones  Hindustan TimesView Full coverage on Google News

How Do American Indians Celebrate Mother's Day? | Smithsonian Voices | National Museum of the American Indian  Smithsonian.com

On this week's edition of Olympic Games Replay, CBC Sports showcases some of the big moments from Canada's journey through the women's soccer tournament at the Rio Olympics.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde says COVID-19 infection rates among First Nations people are undercounted as a result of failures in information sharing between federal, provincial and territorial governments.

Throughout the year Bus4Life provides encouragement to local pastors and OM teams in Eastern Europe, partnering with them to share the Gospel.

With proms cancelled across Canada, an online resource for kids called the Student Life Network has organized a national virtual prom.

The University of Alberta Pandas defeated the UNB Reds 10-2 in the U Sports women's curling final, while the Laurier Golden Hawks topped the Dalhousie Tigers 8-5 for the men's curling title in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba on Sunday.

Bank for International Settlements BIS Working Papers by David Cook and Nikhil Patel