• Japan mulls talks with North Korea, surprising allies
• UN chief promotes education, gender empowerment during final day of Mozambique visit
• Germans, French eye plan to create jobs for young

• Belgium: Transcendental Meditation group established to create coherence, harmony for EU
• US Senator Harkin to deliver 2013 commencement address at Maharishi University of Management
• Coherence-creating conference of advanced meditators convenes in Brussels 'to support unity and stability in Europe' during EU summit

• Congo fighting persists as UN chief arrives
• Mexico cartel dominates, torches western state
• UN warns of 'mounting reports' of Syria chemical arms use

---

Positive Trends
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

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)

UN chief promotes education, gender empowerment during final day of Mozambique visit
23 May 2013 - On 21 May, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commended the Government and people of Mozambique for steady progress in political development, but urged greater efforts to overcome human rights challenges, including discrimination and violence against women, through education and awareness-raising. (more)

Germans, French eye plan to create jobs for young
22 May 2013 - Germany and France are preparing to launch a drive to combat the problem of high European youth unemployment, which officials in Berlin say will centre on trying to get business involved and make better use of already-pledged public money. Germany's labour minister, Ursula von der Leyen, said Wednesday that she and her French counterpart will meet in Paris next week along with the countries' finance ministers and European industry representatives to discuss the initiative. On 3 July, Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to host a meeting of the 27 European Union nations' labour ministers and national labour agency heads in Berlin. (more)

Thailand and Laos agree on the development of transport connectivity
21 May 2013 - Thailand and Laos have agreed to jointly develop transport connectivity, linking various countries in the region and between Thailand, Laos, and China. The issue was among major topics of discussion during the second Thai-Lao Joint Cabinet Retreat, held in Chiang Mai province on 19 May 2013. Among the transport connectivity projects discussed at the meeting was the construction of a railway, linking Nong Khai in northeastern Thailand and Thanaleng in Laos. The railway will serve as a linkage with the Chinese high-speed train system along the North-South Economic Corridor. Both Thailand and Laos agreed to promote regional tourism and shared the view that the ACMECS Single Visa would be a scheme to help boost tourism in the ASEAN region as a whole. Laos has shown intention to prepare for the adoption of the single visa. (more)

UK: Government launches Door-to-Door strategy to improve public transport
21 May 2013 - A new government scheme aims to make journeys cheaper and easier with 'joined-up transport'. Getting around is getting easier as bus and train services become better integrated, fares are simplified, and walking and cycling facilities are boosted. The government says 'joined-up transport' will enable door to door journeys to be made without cars. In Scotland some train fares are to be cut by up to 41 per cent as a new, simplified pricing structure is introduced on the train network. (more)

US President Obama urges Myanmar to stop violence against Muslims
21 May 2013 - President Barack Obama urged the President of Myanmar on Monday to halt violence against a Muslim minority but praised economic and political reforms in the formerly pariah nation that is emerging as a US ally. Reformist Myanmar President Thein Sein vowed to resolve ethnic conflicts and bring perpetrators to justice. Obama said the Myanmar leader had assured him that he intends to release more political prisoners and institutionalize political reforms that have already begun transforming the country and ending its estrangement from the West. (more)

China offers India a 'handshake across the Himalayas'
20 May 2013 - India and China will study new ways to ease tensions on their ill-defined border after an army standoff in the Himalayas, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday on his first official foreign trip. The number two in the Chinese leadership offered New Delhi a 'handshake across the Himalayas'. At a joint news conference with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the two men appeared smiling and relaxed. India's Foreign Ministry said they got on well. China and India disagree about large areas of their 4,000 km (2,500 mile) border and fought a brief war 50 years ago. Li said he chose New Delhi as his first destination on his four-nation tour to show how important India is for China. (more)

Chinese, Indian leaders call for cooperation
20 May 2013 - The leaders of India and China played down their recent border dispute and other tensions Monday, pledging to work together for regional stability and the economic growth of the world's two most populous nations. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought Monday to focus on the opportunities for cooperation between their nations. Li is to visit Pakistan, Switzerland, and Germany after leaving India. (more)

Myanmar leader making landmark White House visit
20 May 2013 - Myanmar President Thein Sein on Monday becomes the first Myanmar President to be welcomed to the White House in almost 47 years, crowning a dramatic diplomatic rehabilitation for his nation after years of international isolation. President Sein arrived in Washington, DC Saturday, six months after President Obama made history with an unprecedented US presidential visit to the country also known as Burma. (more)

Canada: Saskatchewan creates first new provincial park in nearly 20 years
19 May 2013 - Saskatchewan's newest provincial park is on the edge of the boreal forest, north of Prince Albert. Great Blue Heron Provincial Park covers more than 11,000 hectares and is the 35th protected park set aside by the government. It's near Anglin and Emma Lakes, just east of Prince Albert National Park, and is the first provincial park to be established in almost 20 years. (more)

---

Success of Maharishi's Programmes
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Belgium: Transcendental Meditation group established to create coherence, harmony for EU
2 May 2013 - In Brussels, Belgium, where many key institutions of the European Union are based, a group of advanced Transcendental Meditation practitioners dedicated to supporting unity and stability in Europe has been established nearby in two adjacent, dignified city-centre buildings. The group's purpose is to create through their daily meditation practice an influence of coherence and harmony in the collective consciousness of Europe--one of many initiatives of Maharishi's Invincible Defence programmes in Belgium and other countries around the world. (more)

US Senator Harkin to deliver 2013 commencement address at Maharishi University of Management
3 April 2013 - Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, who has served in the United States Senate since 1985 and in the House of Representatives from 1975-1985, will deliver the 2013 commencement address at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, on 25 May. Known for his strong interest in alternative medicine and sustainability, Senator Harkin has visited the MUM campus twice. In 2004, when he was working on health care legislation, he came to learn more about the university's prevention-oriented wellness programme and the National Institutes of Health-funded research in natural medicine. He also visited the new Sustainable Living Center last August.
 (more)

Coherence-creating conference of advanced meditators convenes in Brussels 'to support unity and stability in Europe' during EU summit
6 March 2013 - A four-day conference of advanced Transcendental Meditation practitioners is in progress in Brussels, Belgium--'to support unity and stability in Europe' during the current summit of European Union leaders, organizers said. Scientific research has found that large groups practising these advanced technologies of consciousness reduce social stress and create a measurable influence of coherence and harmony in the surroundings. Similar conferences held during EU summits last year had 'remarkable' effects, said Dr Stijn van den Bosch, director of the Transcendental Meditation programme in Belgium. The first was held in June during an important EU summit meeting about the financial crisis. 'Although expectations for a good outcome were very low, heads of state came to an agreement on the first day.' A news article commented, 'After 20 failed EU summits, here is finally one that has some good results.' (more)

Great Britain most powerful, positively influential nation in the world, newspaper reports
19 January 2013 - A recent article in The Independent newspaper in Great Britain reported that the country is now considered to be the most powerful nation in the world. But this power is distinct from the military power that dominated in the past. The article states, 'For the first time, Britain has beaten the US to the top spot in an annual survey of global soft power. Coined by a Harvard academic in 1990, the term describes how countries use attraction and persuasion, rather than coercion or payment, to change behaviour.' (more)

Can meditation change the world? 'Meditating president' Joaquim Chissano brought peace, prosperity to Mozambique - Psychology Today
10 December 2012 - A recent article in Psychology Today explores the case study of the 'meditating president', Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique. After the country's long, devastating civil war ended in 1992, 'Chissano treated the rebel forces who had been trying to overthrow his government with respect. . . . Rather than trying to crush the rebels, he began to work with them,' writes Steve Taylor. '[He] set about the task of establishing lasting peace by reducing poverty' and child mortality, and increasing primary education. 'Mozambique was brought back from the brink of self-destruction and has instead become one of Africa's most stable and peaceful countries.' Taylor asks, 'What was it that made Chissano so rational and compassionate as a leader? In 1992, he learned Transcendental Meditation.' (more)

Co-operation and environmental progress hallmarks of Canada's international reputation
29 November 2012 - In good news from Canada, the manufacturing sector is beginning to rely more heavily on clean and environmental technology. Also, Canada's international reputation is on the rise. Transcendental Meditation teachers in the country say that these and other positive trends reported in the news media are expressions of rising coherence in the collective consciousness of the nation, resulting from a 100 per cent increase in the number of people learning Transcendental Meditation in the past 18 months. (more)

David Lynch Foundation UK attends Global Impact conference
16 October 2012 - The David Lynch Foundation UK was recently invited to participate in a top-level discussion forum at the Houses of Parliament in London, sponsored by the Global Impact Institute, part of an initiative by the US State Department and other governments to promote positive social change and eliminate conflict and injustice in the world. Attending were 120 'movers and shakers' of the world, including representatives of the UN, the US and British governments, and other leaders of society. 'Everyone without exception was interested in Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's programmes,' commented Dr Peter Warburton, Chairman of Maharishi Foundation UK. 'We had the opportunity to let everyone know that whatever development programme is taking place in the world, without Transcendental Meditation to develop human resources, no project will be fully successful since the people will all be unchanged.' (more)

Mozambique: 20th year since peace accord features visit from Maharishi University of Management president
7 October 2012 - On 4 October, Mozambique celebrated the 20th anniversary of the General Peace Agreement that ended its long civil war. Earlier this year, during a 14-country tour of Africa, Dr Bevan Morris, president of Maharishi University of Management, visited former Mozambican president Dr Joaquim Chissano. As the country's second president, President Chissano's governance and leadership have been given great credit for the rebuilding of its economy, infrastructure, and institutions. President Chissano and his family learned Transcendental Meditation in 1992 and he introduced it to his government leaders and widely among the military and the public. 'The result has been political peace and balance in nature in my country,' he said in 2001. (more)

Preparing to moderate presidential debate, senior CNN correspondent Candy Crowley uses TM to mitigate stress
4 October 2012 - Candy Crowley, CNN's chief political correspondent and acclaimed anchor of the 'State of the Union' Sunday programme, 'uses Transcendental Meditation to keep her head clear' while prepping for her role as moderator of the second major US presidential debate on 16 October, The New York Times reports. When the schedule of the presidential debates was announced in August, many press articles reporting this breaking news noted Ms Crowley's Transcendental Meditation practice. (more)

Belgium: From past experience, meditators in Brussels anticipate good effects for this week's EU summit
25 September 2012 - A conference of advanced meditators, convening later this week in Brussels, Belgium, anticipates that their group practice of Transcendental Meditation will create a coherent effect in the environment that supports the European Union summit 18-19 October, based on the success of a previous meditation conference. 'During the last EU summit in June, forty meditating participants gathered and the effect was tremendous,' said Stijn van den Bosch, director of the Transcendental Meditation programme in Belgium. 'Although expectations for the summit were low, the heads of state already came to an agreement on the first day of the meeting.' One newspaper noted that after 20 failed EU summits, that was one that finally produced some good results. (more)

---

Flops
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Congo fighting persists as UN chief arrives
22 May 2013 - M23 rebels fired two rockets into the eastern Congo city of Goma, killing one person and wounding four, officials said, in an apparent spillover from three days of fighting raging north of the city. The attack underscores the heightening tension in Congo and comes as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Congo's capital far to the west for a two-day visit. He is expected to visit Goma, where a new UN military brigade is being formed to attack rebel groups and bring stability to the mineral-rich region. The two rockets exploded in Goma's Ndosho neighbourhood, civilians were among the casualties. Congo, an enormous country the size of Western Europe, has endured decades of conflict, especially in its mineral-rich east. An investigation by UN experts found that Rwanda and Uganda have backed M23, which both governments deny. UN peacekeepers were widely criticised for failing to stop the rebel advance into Goma last November. (more)

Mexico cartel dominates, torches western state
22 May 2013 - The State of Michoacan is burning. A drug cartel that takes its name from an ancient monastic order has set fire to lumber yards, packing plants and passenger buses in a medieval-like reign of terror. The Knights Templar cartel is extorting protection payments from cattlemen, lime growers, and businesses such as butchers, prompting a backlash in the western agricultural states. The Mexican army was met with cheers when it arrived to fight the cartel on Monday night. Federal Interior Secretary Miguel Osorio Chong promised that the offensive this time would have better coordination, cooperation, and intelligence to be successful. But federal forces are up against a deeply rooted local mafia that, with at least a decade of state and local government tolerance, exerts almost governmental power. The last time the federal government truly went after the cartel, then known as La Familia, was in 2010. La Familia's leadership fell apart, but one branch of the cartel evolved into the Knights Templar, which has consolidated control. 'It's like a monster with a thousand arms, that wants to control everything, the way you live, the way you think,' said a young patrolman. 'You cut off one arm, it grows another.' (more)

UN warns of 'mounting reports' of Syria chemical arms use
22 May 2013 - The United Nations is receiving increasing reports of the use of chemical weapons in Syria's 2-year-old civil war as the violence escalates, a senior UN official said on Wednesday. A team of UN-led chemical weapons experts has been ready for more than a month to enter Syria to investigate the allegations, but has been held up by diplomatic wrangling and safety concerns. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Syria to give the experts unfettered access to investigate all alleged chemical arms incidents. But Assad's government only wants the UN team to probe the Aleppo attack, not Homs. UN diplomats say UN-Syria negotiations on access have reached a deadlock. A senior Western diplomat said on condition of anonymity that there have been 'new incidents' of chemical weapon use by Assad's government since April. He declined to elaborate. (more)

Guatemala's top court annuls Rios Montt genocide conviction
21 May 2013 - Guatemala's highest court on Monday overturned a genocide conviction against former dictator Efrain Rios Montt and reset his trial back to when a dispute broke out a month ago over who should hear the case. Rios Montt, 86, was found guilty on 10 May of overseeing the killings by the armed forces of at least 1,771 members of the Maya Ixil population during his 1982-83 rule. He was sentenced to 80 years in prison. However, in a ruling on Monday, the country's Constitutional Court ordered that all the proceedings be voided going back to 19 April. Ana Caba, an ethnic Ixil who survived the civil war after fleeing her home, was stunned by the Constitutional Court's decision. 'I'm distressed,' she told Reuters. 'I don't know what's happening. That's how this country is. The powerful people do what they want and we poor and indigenous are devalued. We don't get justice. Justice means nothing for us.' (more)

Mexican town besieged by drug cartel worries the army may not be enough to help
21 May 2013 - Residents of a western Mexico area who endured months besieged by a drug cartel cheered the arrival of hundreds of Mexican soldiers Monday. The town's supplies had been blocked after the Knights Templars cartel declared war on the hamlet. The cartel dominates much of the state, demanding extortion payments from businessmen and storeowners, and even low-wage workers. The idea that troops might come in and seize a town's weapons, or stay only a few weeks, worried people throughout the crime-ridden area. So in town after town along the main highway through Michoacan's hot lowlands known as the Tierra Caliente, self-defense squads welcomed the army's arrival, but vowed to keep their guns. Rafael Garcia Zamora, mayor of Comoalacan, said residents welcomed the arrival of troops, but worried the force might soon leave again and expose the town to the cartel's wrath. 'The government should have mobilized the army to do this 10 or 12 years ago,' he said. (more)

Attacks kill 95 in Iraq, hint of Syrian spillover
20 May 2013 - Iraq's wave of bloodshed sharply escalated Monday with more than a dozen car bombings across the country, part of attacks that killed at least 95 people and brought echoes of past sectarian carnage and fears of a dangerous spillover from Syria's civil war next door. The latest spiral of violence -- which has claimed more than 240 lives in the past week -- carries the hallmarks of the two sides that brought nearly nonstop chaos to Iraq for years: Sunni insurgents, including al-Qaida's branch in Iraq, and Shiite militias defending their newfound power after Saddam Hussein's fall. But the widening shadow and regional brinksmanship from Syria's conflict now increasingly threaten to feed into Iraq's sectarian strife, heightening concerns that Iraq could be turning toward civil war. (more)

Deadliest attacks in Iraq since US troop pullout
20 May 2013 - Here is a look at the deadliest attacks in Iraq since the withdrawal of US troops on 18 December 2011: (more)

Australia: Anger as green projects slashed, funds diverted to help cattle exports
18 May 2013 - Australia has all but dumped $75 million worth of projects regrowing forests in the developing world and shelved a $100 million forest carbon partnership with Indonesia, while millions of dollars in foreign aid will be channelled into the live cattle export trade, sparking claims that aid money is being misused to help the embattled industry. (more)

Politics, bribery charges swirl around Ugandan oil
18 May 2013 - Uganda (AP) - Even before the first drops flow, Uganda's oil sector is beset by bribery allegations against officials, tax-related cases abroad that cost the government millions in legal fees, and the alleged interference of a president whose firm control of the sector worries transparency campaigners. Uganda, which has confirmed oil deposits of about 3.5 billion barrels, wants to extract at least 1.2 billion barrels over the next three decades. That figure could rise when more oil blocks are put up for exploration later this year, potentially making Uganda one of Africa's top oil producers. But some experts and analysts worry that the country got off to a false start and remains too politically unstable to avoid some of the mistakes made by other oil-rich but otherwise poor countries. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has reserved for himself the right to have the final say before any deals are signed with oil companies, saying that policy is to ensure the country's interests are always protected. But some critics say the president's close involvement is unhelpful to a country that needs to focus on building credible, transparent institutions to manage its oil wealth whether or not Museveni is around. (more)

US: Victims say Marines failed to safeguard water supply at camp Lejeune
18 May 2013 - A simple test could have alerted officials that the drinking water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated, long before authorities determined that as many as a million Marines and their families were exposed to a witch's brew of cancer-causing chemicals. But no one responsible for the lab at the base can recall that the procedure -- mandated by the Navy -- was ever conducted. The US Marine Corps maintains that the carbon chloroform extract (CCE) test would not have uncovered the carcinogens that fouled the southeastern North Carolina base's water system from at least the mid-1950s until wells were capped in the mid-1980s. But experts say even this 'relatively primitive' test -- required by Navy health directives as early as 1963 -- would have told officials that something was terribly wrong beneath Lejeune's sandy soil. A just-released study from the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry cited a February 1985 level for trichloroethylene of 18,900 parts per billion in one Lejeune drinking water well -- nearly 4,000 times today's maximum allowed limit of 5 ppb. Given those kinds of numbers, environmental engineer Marco Kaltofen said even a testing method as inadequate as CCE should have raised some red flags with a 'careful analyst.' 'That's knock-your-socks-off level -- even back then,' said Kaltofen, who worked on the infamous Love Canal case in upstate New York, where drums of buried chemical waste leaked toxins into a local water system. 'You could have smelled it.' (more)