• UK: Fund to boost female and black physicist numbers
• UK: Billionaire David Harding's £100m gift to Cambridge University
• Stripes of wildflowers across farm fields could cut pesticide spraying

• UK: Transcendental Meditation featured in Daily Star's recommendations to reduce blood pressure
• Head of worldwide Transcendental Meditation organisation addresses International Yoga Day celebration, UK Parliament
• UK: Dr Charlotte Bech shares the secrets of stress-free living

• Wildfires rage across Britain after hottest winter day on record
• British start-up breeds high performance bugs for animal feed
• Hundreds of trafficked children go missing from UK care homes

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Positive Trends
Short Summaries of Top Stories

UK: Fund to boost female and black physicist numbers
19 March 2019 - The Institute of Physics is launching a bursary scheme to help female and black students to become physics researchers. The scheme is funded by one of the world's leading astronomers, Prof Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell. The discoverer of pulsars donated the [British pounds] 2.3 million she won as part of an international science award. The initial aim is to increase the number of female physics researchers in the UK from the current level of 22 percent to more than 30 percent in the next 10 years. (more)

UK: Billionaire David Harding's £100m gift to Cambridge University
5 February 2019 - A hedge fund billionaire has donated [British Pounds] 100m to Cambridge University. The donation from David Harding, via his foundation, is the biggest single gift made to a university in the UK by a British philanthropist. The money will fund postgraduate scholarships for more than 100 PhD students and be invested in attracting students from 'under-represented groups'. (more)

Stripes of wildflowers across farm fields could cut pesticide spraying
31 January 2019 - Long strips of bright wildflowers are being planted through crop fields to boost the natural predators of pests and potentially cut pesticide spraying. The strips were planted on 15 large arable farms in central and eastern England last autumn and will be monitored for five years, as part of a trial run by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH). (more)

The mistake that led to a British Pound 1.2bn business
28 January 2019 - The BBC [speaks] to Kristo Kaarmann, co-founder and chief executive of money transfer business TransferWise. Back in 2008, the then 28-year-old Estonian was working in London as a management consultant when he got a very chunky Christmas bonus of British Pound 10,000. ... 'So I paid my UK bank a British Pound 15 fee, and transferred the British Pound 10,000, and then a week later I saw that British Pound 500 less than I had expected had arrived in the Estonian account,' says Kristo. (more)

City bees: allotments and gardens can help arrest decline - UK study
14 January 2019 - Allotments, weedy corners, and fancy gardens are all urban havens for bees and other pollinators, a study has found. The first research to examine all types of land use in cities has identified pollinators' favourite places and flowers, many of which are often considered weeds. (more)

'Right to repair' gathers force
9 January 2019 - It is frustrating: you buy a new appliance then just after the warranty runs out, it gives up the ghost. But help is at hand, because citizens in the EU and parts of the USA will soon get a 'right to repair' -- of sorts. This consists of a series of proposals from European environment ministers to force manufacturers to make goods that last longer and are easier to mend. (more)

Scotland's first low emission zone begins in Glasgow
3 January 2019 - Scotland's first low emission zone began in Glasgow on Monday (30 December). Low emission (or clean air) zones set exhaust standards for vehicles in an area. In Glasgow 20 percent of city centre buses now have to meet the latest European standards. Low emission bus zones have worked well in city centres where they dominate local traffic ... (more)

Plastic bottle deposit scheme in UK proving hit with shoppers
2 January 2019 - Iceland was the first UK supermarket to install reverse vending machines installed to reduce littering in support of the government's proposed deposit return scheme in England, which expects retailers to be responsible for properly recycling the containers, and in line with its own efforts to reduce the impact of single-use plastics on the environment. (more)

Scotland's first low-emission zone launched in Glasgow
31 December 2018 - Scotland's first low-emission zone (LEZ) is being introduced in Glasgow. The first phase of the LEZ will set emission standards which must be met by 20 per cent of buses which pass through the city centre. It means local bus services must comply with European emissions standards. Phase two, applying to all vehicles entering the zone, is to be implemented in December 2022. Transport Secretary Michael Matheson described the development as as a 'milestone moment' and said the government was committed to introducing low emission zones into Scotland's four biggest cities by 2020. (more)

To lower blood pressure, exercise may be as good as medication
27 December 2018 - For people with high blood pressure, starting an exercise regimen may lower blood pressure by as much as taking medication would, a large analysis suggests. (more)

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Success of Maharishi's Programmes
Short Summaries of Top Stories

UK: Transcendental Meditation featured in Daily Star's recommendations to reduce blood pressure
17 September 2018 - One in four Brits suffers with high blood pressure, according to the UK's National Health Service. The Daily Star reports that a study led by Dr Robert Schneider, director of the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management in Iowa, USA, found that Transcendental Meditation reduces high blood pressure. TM is featured first in a discussion of research on lifestyle approaches to reducing blood pressure including meditation, yoga, exercise, and diet. (more)

Head of worldwide Transcendental Meditation organisation addresses International Yoga Day celebration, UK Parliament
26 June 2018 - Dr Tony Nader, MD, PhD, MARR, addressed this week's celebration of International Yoga Day held in the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster, London. Dr Nader is a distinguished neuroscientist and the leader of the worldwide Transcendental Meditation organisation founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The celebration was hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Sciences. Dr Nader spoke on 'Yoga, consciousness and prevention' and presented the scientific basis of yoga, including scientific research on the benefits of yoga, of which Transcendental Meditation is a central aspect; and how the principles of yoga are found reflected in physics, physiology, and other areas of modern science. He presented published research showing the relevance of yoga for promoting health and preventing disease. (more)

UK: Dr Charlotte Bech shares the secrets of stress-free living
27 May 2018 - Dr Charlotte Bech, a Danish doctor, surgeon and expert on natural medicine - lecturing in the UK for National Stress Awareness Month - said that simple procedures, such as the right light, diet, oils, spices, mental and emotional training, yoga and meditation, have been shown to reduce stress, despite the demands of our frenetic, modern lives. 'The most important advice is to practise Transcendental Meditation (TM), which is probably the most effective method against stress as it is time-tested, is the most extensively researched and most widely-practised and is the simplest and most natural procedure for meditation,' she said. 'In just a few minutes, this technique activates the parasympathetic nervous system and transforms the physiology to a settled and stress-free state.' (more)

First ever neuroimaging study of people in the midst of Transcendental Meditation - British Psychological Society review
21 April 2018 - It is possible to pay attention effortlessly, your mind 'pulled by the inherent nature of the object of experience'. In fact, with practice, doing so can 'lead you to experience inner silence, tranquility, peace and transcendence'. That's according to a research team led by Michelle Mahone at the California School of Professional Psychology, who have published in Brain and Cognition what they describe as the first neuroimaging study of people in the midst of Transcendental Meditation (TM). (more)

Scotland: Transcendental Meditation for caregivers - 'The dynamic in the family has changed'
14 April 2018 - Caring for elderly relatives can be exhausting. Leaving the Scottish Civil Service to take care of his mother left Owen feeling tired and stressed. 'As a carer, Transcendental Meditation seemed like a good fit. It would help deal with the stress of the caring combined with the isolation.' He had tried other forms of meditation which required a bit of effort. 'TM was surprisingly easy,' he said. 'I was able to do it right away and I felt the benefits almost immediately. . . . When I meditate I feel calm and restful but not sleepy. [Afterward] I feel very refreshed and more alert and focused.' During the day Owen feels more aware and understanding of his mother's needs, and that his increased calm has had a relaxing and reassuring effect on both of his parents: 'The dynamic in the family has changed.' (more)

UK Parliament marks International Yoga Day - Prof Tony Nader, MD, PhD honoured with special award
16 July 2017 - The third International Yoga Day was celebrated in the House of Commons, Palace of Westminster, hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Indian Traditional Sciences, its Secretariat Amarjeet S Bhamra and the High Commission of India. The event on 10 July was designed to explore the value of introducing Yoga in the NHS (National Health Service). Chief Guest of the event, H.E. High Commissioner Y K Sinha paid tribute to the work of the APPG in introducing Yoga, Ayurveda and other disciplines into the mainstream of public life. Prof Tony Nader, MD, PhD, MARR, head of the worldwide Transcendental Meditation organization, was honoured with a special award, and presented five volumes of Scientific Research on the Transcendental Meditation Programme to Members of Parliament. In his keynote address Prof Nader explained that 'every one of us has within us, built into our very physiology, the essential quality of Yoga, which is unifying.' (more)

UK: Could Ayurveda be the cure for ailing National Health System?
1 July 2017 - As the UK's National Health Service (NHS) shoulders a growing financial burden, the ancient Indian tradition of Ayurveda is being promoted as a way to take the pressure off doctors while helping people keep good health. At the recent Second International Ayurveda Congress in London, Dr Rainer Picha, chairman of the International Maharishi Ayurveda Foundation in the Netherlands (one of three organizations that hosted the Congress), said: 'Modern medicine has become hugely expensive to support. Rather, we should be focused on the prevention of disease, which is much cheaper than curing diseases.' (more)

UK: SuperMind Peak Performance Programme - Transcendental Meditation for professionals
20 June 2017 - The SuperMind Peak Performance Programme, a division of the David Lynch Foundation UK, offers Transcendental Meditation to companies and organisations to help executives and employees overcome stress, promote health, and attain high levels of performance. (more)

Second International Ayurveda Congress held in London, 1-3 April
24 April 2017 - The Second International Ayurveda Congress, held in London 1-3 April, was organized by the All India Ayurvedic Congress, New Delhi, the International Academy of Ayurved, Pune and the International Maharishi AyurVeda Foundation, Netherlands. At the Congress, 300 delegates from 55 countries, including research scientists, doctors, and pharmacologists with expertise in Western and Ayurvedic medicine, discussed scientific evidence on preventing disease, promoting longevity and alleviating specific conditions with Ayurveda. The title of the Congress was: ''Ayurveda - The Pursuit of Health, Happiness and Long Life through Prevention-oriented Health Care''. (more)

Profile: Transcendental Meditation, the 'missing piece of the recovery puzzle'
12 April 2017 - Having overcome alcohol addiction through the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 12 step programme, an engineer in Glasgow, Scotland, found Transcendental Meditation to be the missing element in his recovery - allowing him to finally feel rested, and alleviating the high anxiety churning in his 'racing brain'. 'I would be anxious and fearful about something or someone or some event and I would do my TM practice and come out from it rested and full of energy,' he says. 'My ''great fears'' would have evaporated to the point where I had forgotten about what was giving me so much grief in the first place.' With TM, 'the energy of that anxious catastrophic ''racing brain'' is now channelled into creativity both in my personal and professional life.' (more)

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Flops
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Wildfires rage across Britain after hottest winter day on record
27 February 2019 - Firefighters battled a series of wildfires in Britain on Wednesday (27 February), including a large moorland blaze outside the northern English city of Manchester, as the country experienced its warmest winter weather on record. The fire comes after Britain recorded its warmest winter day with a temperature of 21.2 Celsius in Kew Gardens in London. (more)

British start-up breeds high performance bugs for animal feed
19 February 2019 - British start-up Beta Bugs is breeding high performance strains of black soldier fly for the insect feed sector, and is selecting traits like growth rate, protein content, fat composition, and even temperature tolerance according to clients' needs. The company breeds certain strains of fly, resulting in highly optimized insects. The feed is made from fly maggots. (more)

Hundreds of trafficked children go missing from UK care homes
19 December 2018 - Findings raise doubts about Britain's ability to care for vulnerable children at time when record number of suspected child slaves are being referred to government. A growing number of trafficked children in Britain are going missing from care homes, with some feared to be returning to their traffickers after being treated like criminals or illegal immigrants by authorities, two charities said on Wednesday (19 December). (more)

Labour abuses a 'risk worth taking' for fashion firms, UK lawmakers say
18 December 2018 - Fashion workers in Britain are being cheated of fair wages as lack of tough action make abuses 'a risk worth taking' for factory owners, lawmakers said on Tuesday (18 December). 'It's clear that modern slavery is happening in plain sight and potentially in garment factories in the UK,' said Mary Creagh, chair of the U.K. parliament's environmental audit committee, after a hearing about sustainability in fashion. Committee members said insufficient action was being taken against those committing labour abuses in Britain. (more)

It's official: Brexit deal will hurt the UK economy
28 November 2018 - It's official: The British government's plan for leaving the European Union will be bad for the economy. The government published a report Wednesday (28 November) that outlines the economic costs associated with a range of Brexit scenarios. The Bank of England followed later in the day with its own assessment. (more)

Scottish government identifies case of mad cow disease
18 October 2018 - Scotland's government said on Thursday (8 October) that a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, had been discovered on a farm in Aberdeenshire, the first in Britain since 2015. BSE was first detected in Britain in the late 1980s, spreading from there to other parts of Europe and ravaging cattle herds until the early 2000s. It has been linked to the brain-wasting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. (more)

UK life expectancy progress 'has stopped'
25 September 2018 - Life expectancy in the UK has stopped improving for the first time since 1982, when figures began. In some parts of the UK, life expectancy has even decreased. (more)

Scotland sets sights on slavery as more Vietnamese chase 'pot of gold'
19 September 2018 - Many young Vietnamese who make tortuous journeys to Britain through Russia and Europe often end up enslaved. After decades spent battling an influx of heroin, some of Scotland's top cops are now striving to get to grips with another troubling import -- modern-day slaves from Vietnam. Better known for its illicit trade in drugs than people, Scotland has set its sights on slavemasters and is stepping up efforts to stamp out the crime as it uncovers more victims. (more)

Even low levels of traffic pollution tied to heart damage
14 September 2018 - People exposed to even low levels of air pollution are more likely to develop structural changes in the heart that can be a precursor to heart failure, a UK study suggests. (more)

Survey finds rapid increase in number of UK vapers
13 September 2018 - An estimated 3.2 million people in Britain are now users of e-cigarettes, or vapes, compared with around 7.4 million who smoke tobacco cigarettes, according to data from a survey conducted by an anti-smoking charity. E-cigarettes have no tobacco, but contain nicotine-laced liquids that the user inhales in a vapor. (more)