• Chinese Premier visits India to boost ties
• Iran, world powers to resume nuclear talks
• UN's Ban stresses need for Israeli, Palestinian leaders to resume meaningful negotiations

• Three 'pillars of coherence' for the world: India, Latin America, USA
• Germany: British project's directors inspired by visit to Maharishi Peace Palace in Erfurt
• Germany: Maharishi Peace Palace in Erfurt transforms near and far environment - even in UK

• North Korea fires projectile into eastern waters
• Syria, Somalia are toughest places for aid workers - MSF
• Syrian war death toll rises to 82,000: opposition group

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Positive Trends
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Chinese Premier visits India to boost ties
19 May 2013 - Just weeks after a tense border standoff, China's new Premier visited India on Sunday on his first foreign trip as the neighbouring giants look to speed up efforts to settle a decades-old boundary dispute and boost economic ties. China says Premier Li Keqiang's choice of India for his first trip abroad since taking office in March shows the importance Beijing attaches to improving relations with New Delhi. (more)

Iran, world powers to resume nuclear talks
16 May 2013 - Iran's chief nuclear negotiator says Tehran and the six world powers will resume talks on its nuclear programme 'in the near future'. Saeed Jalili said Thursday that a new round of talks could take place either before or after elections in Iran next month. Jalili was speaking a day after he met with EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton in Istanbul to see if the sides had enough common grounds to restart negotiations. Jalili said: 'We discussed how we could bring the differing views closer to each other.' (more)

UN's Ban stresses need for Israeli, Palestinian leaders to resume meaningful negotiations
16 May 2013 - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in separate conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, stressed the need for the parties to create the conditions conducive to resuming meaningful negotiations, his spokesperson said on 16 May. 'The Secretary-General strongly encouraged the ongoing efforts towards the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and expressed his hope that they will lead to a substantial peace initiative soon,' Eduardo del Buey told reporters in New York. (more)

US Secretary of State and Russian Foreign Minister confident on Syria peace talks plan
15 May 2013 - US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday they believed they could pull off peace talks on Syria, here their nations back opposing sides. Last week Kerry and Lavrov announced plans to hold a peace conference now expected to take place in Geneva in June. Kerry and Lavrov, who met for an hour on Tuesday night on the sidelines of a meeting of the eight-nation Arctic Council, emphasized they were working in tandem on the Syria plan. (more)

Japanese Cabinet adviser arrives in North Korea
14 May 2013 - An adviser to Japan's Cabinet has arrived in North Korea amid a slight easing of tension on the Korean Peninsula after weeks of threats from the North aimed at Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo. The purpose of the trip Tuesday by Isao Iijima wasn't immediately known. Iijima was a senior aide to former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who met with late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2002 and 2004. (more)

Arab League welcomes US-Russia peace effort for Syria
9 May 2013 - The head of the Arab League on Thursday welcomed a new effort by Russia and the United States to seek a negotiated end to Syria's civil war and called on the Syrian government and opposition to participate. This Russian-American cooperation to work together and directly constitutes a significant and positive development,' Nabil Elaraby said in a statement. Moscow and Washington agreed this week to try to bring President Bashar al-Assad's government and his opponents to the negotiating table. (more)

China's Xi urges Netanyahu to restart peace talks
9 May 2013 - China's President Xi Jinping urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to restart peace talks with the Palestinians as soon as possible, days after he tried to convince Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to revive discussions. On Monday, Xi floated China's 'four-point proposal' for peace with Abbas, who was visiting China in the same week as Netanyahu. The moves by China come as the United States is engaged in a fresh diplomatic campaign to revive peace talks. (more)

China greets Israeli Prime Minister in Beijing
8 May 2013 - Chinese leaders have welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Beijing as China tries to bring its growing international influence to an area where it has had little impact -- the Middle East peace process. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met two days earlier with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads his people's efforts to achieve statehood. he near simultaneous visits of Abbas and Netanyahu underscore China's desire to play a greater role in the Middle East. (more)

US Secretary of State John Kerry to return for a new effort on Mideast peace
8 May 2013 - US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday he would depart in two weeks on another trip to the Middle East to push peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The former Massachusetts senator, who visited the region twice in March and again last month, has been trying to end a 4 1/2 year stalemate between the parties over issues ranging from Israeli settlement construction in disputed lands to Palestinian efforts to win statehood recognition at international bodies. (more)

India agrees to some Chinese demands to end Himalaya standoff
7 May 2013 - India has agreed to a Chinese demand to demolish bunkers near their de facto border in the Himalayas, Indian military officials said, as part of a deal to end a standoff that threatened to scupper slowly improving relations. (more)

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

Three 'pillars of coherence' for the world: India, Latin America, USA
18 May 2013 - A recent review of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Invincible Defence programmes in many countries gave special recognition to three 'great pillars of coherence' for the world--India, Latin America, the United States. In each of these regions, very large groups daily practise Transcendental Meditation and its advanced techniques, reducing stress, violence, and conflict, and creating an influence of peace and harmony in the whole collective consciousness. India also has a special role as the seat of programmes for the creation of peace on a global scale. (more)

Germany: British project's directors inspired by visit to Maharishi Peace Palace in Erfurt
9 May 2013 - German and British coordinators for their countries' initiatives to build Maharishi Peace Palaces continued to describe a UK delegation's recent visit to the newly completed Peace Palace in Erfurt, Germany. The group from Maharishi Foundation UK included five project directors for the Peace Palace to be built at Maharishi Garden Village in Rendlesham, Suffolk, England. The British team was deeply impressed and inspired by the overall dignity and beauty of the Erfurt facility, which was designed according to Maharishi Vastu architecture. (more)

Germany: Maharishi Peace Palace in Erfurt transforms near and far environment - even in UK
7 May 2013 - Since it opened last October, the new Maharishi Peace Palace in Erfurt, Germany, has had many positive effects. Through courses offered there, people are gaining the benefits of Transcendental Meditation, and their daily practice spreads coherence and harmony in society. The beautiful and dignified, light-filled structure, designed according to Maharishi Vastu architecture, is transforming its neighbourhood, inspiring owners to upgrade nearby buildings. Its influence is even being felt in the UK--where the team leading the initiative to build a Maharishi Peace Palace in Rendlesham, Suffolk, England was inspired by a recent visit to Erfurt, and that project's rapid realization, to start their own construction as soon as possible. (more)

Transcendental Meditation revisited - an interview with Jack Forem
13 April 2013 - Linda Egenes interviews Jack Forem, author of Transcendental Meditation: The Essential Teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The new book is a revised and updated version of Mr Forem's original bestselling book about the Transcendental Meditation technique, which was published in 1973 and became a well-loved classic. (more)

Maharishi Peace Palace in Germany offers courses, lectures for general public
9 April 2013 - Many courses have already been held in the new Maharishi Peace Palace in Erfurt, Germany, according to Dr Eckart Stein, Peace Palace director, since its opening last October. These include courses on Transcendental Meditation and its advanced techniques, Maharishi Ayurveda pulse reading for good health, and classical Indian music featuring experts on the sitar and tabla. The Peace Palace also offers lectures for the general public, such as one by visiting American brain research expert Dr Fred Travis, on unique patterns of brain wave activity found in higher states of consciousness; and another by an expert Ayurvedic physician from the renowned Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre in Bad Ems, Germany. (more)

A Symphony of Silence celebrates the knowledge and programmes of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
6 April 2013 - A Symphony of Silence, the second book by George A. Ellis, is a luminous collection of interviews, articles, and stories about the teachings and practical programmes for the development of consciousness introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi--and their positive effects in the lives of artists, scientists, religious leaders, government officials, prison inmates, and individuals from all walks of life. (more)

Our Conscious Future: 'Visionary conference event' at Maharishi University of Management - 20 April
6 April 2013 - On 20 April, the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy at Maharishi University of Management will host a 'visionary conference event'--Our Conscious Future. The conference will involve 'brilliant minds (and hearts) presenting cutting-edge knowledge that can enrich one's life and change the world', organizers say. Renowned experts in many fields, including Dr Pamela Peeke, Father Gabriel Mejia, and Dr John Hagelin, will discuss how the latest advances in mind, body, and society are converging to create new paradigms for humankind. In the center of it all is a deeper understanding of consciousness. (more)

'Rapturous joy transcending any other': New essay about the Buddha
24 March 2013 - A new essay explores the teachings of the Buddha, who described a field beyond all relative values, uncreated and eternal--the transcendental field--and urged everyone to experience directly this 'inmost consciousness' and derive infinite benefit from it. Over 50 years ago Maharishi Mahesh Yogi came out from the Himalayas and began teaching a simple, natural effortless meditation technique from India's eternal Vedic tradition of knowledge: Transcendental Meditation, designed to enable every human being to dive deep within and experience the ocean of unbounded bliss--fulfilling the profound vision given by the Buddha of awakening the unbounded potential within. (more)

Creating peace in the Middle East with Transcendental Meditation: 'Not a matter of hope, we know how to do it'
21 March 2013 - Recently a leading newspaper in Israel, Yediot Ahronot, published an extended article by an Israeli journalist who attended the Third Annual Middle East World Peace Assembly in Turkey. The journalist, Moshe Ronen, wrote about the 150 participants from 13 countries who came to practise Transcendental Meditation and its advanced programmes together every day--a programme designed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to reduce violence and war, and create peace and harmony in the world. 'One thing is certain,' Mr Ronen wrote, 'the atmosphere here is good. ''There is no point in just sitting and hoping for peace to come between us,'' a member of the Lebanese delegation explains to me. ''Once it was like that, we were hoping and praying for peace. Today we know how to do it. It is all a matter of doing, not of hope.'' ' (more)

New Pope's request for 'truth, goodness, and beauty' in journalism reflects Global Good News purpose
16 March 2013 - When Pope Francis asked over 5,000 journalists to focus on 'truth, goodness, and beauty' in their work in a meeting at the Vatican on 16 March, his comments reflected the message of Global Good News--by reporting news of rising positivity, the world media can take the lead in creating an ideal society and showing that good news is even more newsworthy than bad news. His words also reflected a rising trend, propelled by the desire of many leading journalists, to report more good news. This new focus on 'solutions driven journalism' was the subject of a recent conference in London, 'Good News for the Media', which included a presentation by Global Good News editors. (more)

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Flops
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

North Korea fires projectile into eastern waters
19 May 2013 - North Korea fired a projectile into waters off its eastern coast Sunday, a day after launching three short-range missiles in the same area, officials said. North Korea routinely test-launches short-range missiles. But the latest launches came during a period of tentative diplomacy aimed at easing recent tension, including near-daily threats by North Korea to attack South Korea and the US earlier this year. North Korea protested annual joint military drills by Seoul and Washington and UN sanctions imposed over its February nuclear test. The Korean Peninsula officially remains in a state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. South Korea's Defence Ministry said Sunday it has deployed dozens of Israeli-made precision guided missiles on front-line islands near the disputed western sea boundary as part of an arms buildup begun after a North Korean artillery strike on one of the islands in 2010 killed four South Koreans. (more)

Syria, Somalia are toughest places for aid workers - MSF
13 May 2013 - Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the toughest places for aid workers, who not only struggle to reach vulnerable people due to conflict, but are also killed for being seen to help opposing groups, the head of medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said. The Geneva-headquartered agency has more than 30,000 staff working mainly as doctors, nurses, surgeons, and psychiatrists in around 70 countries where the impact of conflict, natural disasters, epidemics or poor healthcare has left a dire need for assistance. Unni Karunakara, MSF's international president, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation he believed the challenges faced by humanitarians, particularly health workers, were on the rise. 'The perception we have is that the challenges for aid workers are increasing. A lot of incidents happen in health facilities and centres and are targeted against vehicles such as ambulances,' he said. (more)

Syrian war death toll rises to 82,000: opposition group
12 May 2013 - At least 82,000 people have been killed and 12,500 others are missing after two years of civil war in Syria, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday. Most of the dead were killed by troops and militia loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and most of the missing are believed to have been detained by the government's secret police and other loyalists, the monitoring group said. 'The vast majority of civilian victims were killed by the regime. Killings in unofficial jails are commonplace, and the conditions under which prisoners are held are horrific,' said Rami Abdulrahman, the Observatory's president. (more)

Russian official says Syria conference not possible in May
11 May 2013 - A Russian official said on Saturday it would not be possible for an international conference aimed at bringing Syrian government and opposition envoys together for negotiations by the end of May. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had announced on Tuesday that Washington and Moscow would seek to organize a conference on Syria and expressed hope it could be held this month. (more)

Syria peace conference already hitting snags - Russia
11 May 2013 - Russia said on Saturday there was disagreement over who should represent the opposition in a Syrian peace process, only days after Moscow and Washington announced a joint effort to bring government and rebels to an international conference. The dispute bodes ill for a civil war in which more than 70,000 people, mostly civilians, have died, and that has left foreign powers looking increasingly helpless. A senior Kremlin official who attended talks on Friday between President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister David Cameron said it would be impossible to meet a target of holding the conference by the end of May. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing US officials, that Israel had told Washington that Syria had begun payments for a $900 million upgrade of its Russian-made air defences to the S-300 system, and an initial delivery was due within three months. (more)

Syria war could push Lebanon, Jordan into slump
9 May 2013 - The economic devastation of Syria's war could drive the economies of neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan into reverse, Syria's former deputy prime minister said on Thursday. Pointing to the sharp slowdown in Lebanon's economic growth since the start of Syria's conflict in 2011, from 7 per cent to barely 2 per cent, Abdallah al-Dardari said there was a direct link to the ever-deepening economic collapse in Syria. Jordan's economic growth had remained steadier, but was still affected by the Syrian turmoil and was below the level needed to provide enough jobs for its fast-growing population. The Syrian conflict 'has a very destabilising effect,' said Dardari, now chief economist for the regional United Nations body ESCWA. 'It is in the interest of the whole region for Syria to regain peace and quiet, and start rebuilding.' Every one percentage point of economic slowdown in Syria produced a 0.2 percentage point slowdown in Lebanon, he added. (more)

Up to 3,000 African peacekeepers killed in Somalia since 2007 - UN
9 May 2013 - As many as 3,000 African Union peacekeepers have been killed in Somalia in recent years in an attempt to end an Islamist insurgency and bring stability to the Horn of Africa nation, a senior UN official said on Thursday. The 17,700 strong African Union force began deploying to Somalia in 2007. It includes troops from Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Djibouti. 'Uganda, Burundi have paid a tremendous price,' he added. 'The Kenyan troops are, of course, also a large part of AMISOM.' By way of comparison, 3,096 UN peacekeepers have died since 1948, according to the website of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations. (more)

Communal clashes in Nigeria kill at least 39: police
5 May 2013 - Clashes between rival ethnic groups have killed at least 39 people in eastern Nigeria's Taraba state since they erupted on Friday, police said. Members of the Jukun were marching through the small commercial town of Wukari to a funeral when an argument broke out with local Hausa and Fulani youths, which quickly degenerated into pitched battles with guns and machetes. Attackers set fire to around 40 houses, police said. Taraba state is part of a volatile 'Middle Belt' where Nigeria's largely Christian south and mostly Muslim north meet. Violence often flares in the Middle Belt over land disputes between semi-nomadic, cattle-keeping communities such as the Fulani and settled farming peoples like the Jukun. (more)

Gunmen kidnap 12 mine clearance workers in southern Senegal
5 May 2013 - Gunmen suspected of belonging to a Senegalese separatist group abducted 12 employees of a South African mine clearance company in the West African nation's restive Casamance region, military and civilian officials said on Sunday. The workers, all Senegalese, were on their way to inspect a mine field that had been cleared of explosives when they were kidnapped on Friday by men believed to be members of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC). A civilian official in Ziguinchor said the team were employed by the South African de-mining firm Mechem. The 31-year-old separatist rebellion in Casamance is one of Africa's longest-running insurgencies. Though largely dormant, the conflict remains an unhealed blemish on Senegal's otherwise enviable reputation as the only country in mainland West Africa that has not suffered a coup or a civil war since independence. Various agencies have been working for several years to clear Casamance of landmines. (more)

North Korea sentences American to 15 years hard labour
2 May 2013 - North Korea sentenced an American citizen to 15 years of hard labour on Thursday for crimes against the state, prompting a US call for his amnesty in hopes of avoiding him becoming a bargaining chip between the two countries. Pyongyang has previously tried to use American prisoners as bargaining chips in talks with Washington. A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washington was not currently looking for an envoy to try to secure Bae's release as it sometimes has done. Bruce Klingner, a retired CIA North Korea analyst, dismissed the idea that Bae's release would trigger the renewal of long-stalled diplomacy. A North Korean defector said Bae will likely serve his sentence in a special facility for foreigners, not in one of the repressive state's forced labour camps. More than 200,000 people are incarcerated in these camps, beaten and starved, sometimes to death, according to human rights groups. 'If an American served jail together with North Korean inmates, which won't happen, he could tell them about capitalism or economic developments. That would be the biggest mistake for North Korea,' said Kwon, a North Korean sentenced to one of its camps for seven years until 2007. (more)