• China 2010 GDP to grow more than 9 per cent - think-tank
• Japan firms to standardize electric car rechargers
• Portugal's top construction firm sees strong growth

• US: Washington, DC green real estate developer 'works smarter not harder'
• Transcendental Meditation helps retailing expert become 'balanced, thoughtful leader'
• Management consulting CEO: Transcendental Meditation brings more resilience to stress, inner and outer fulfilment

• Venezuelan officials take control of 2 sugar mills
• US: Minneapolis Grain Exchange lifts restriction on deliveries of GMO wheat
• India tribes fight mining firm in real-life Avatar

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Positive Trends
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

China 2010 GDP to grow more than 9 per cent - think-tank
15 March 2010 - China's economy is likely to expand more than 9 per cent this year, a government researcher said in remarks published on Monday. Lu Zhongyuan, deputy director of the Development Research Centre, a think-tank under the State Council, China's cabinet, said gross domestic product growth could top 10 per cent if the global economy enjoyed a much stronger recovery. (more)

Japan firms to standardize electric car rechargers
15 March 2010 - Top Japanese carmakers Toyota and Nissan helped set up a group to standardize fast-charge stations for electric cars on Monday in a bid to promote the spread of the zero-emission vehicles. Forming a common 'language' for fast-charging electric cars across various brands would save development costs for carmakers and ancillary industries, said the group, called CHAdeMO. (more)

Portugal's top construction firm sees strong growth
15 March 2010 - Portuguese builder Mota-Engil reported a 135 per cent jump in 2009 net profit to 71.7 million euros ($98.6 million). Mota, Portugal's top construction firm, said on Monday revenue had risen 14 per cent to 2.13 billion euros in 2009, boosted by strong growth in Portugal and Angola. For 2010, Mota said it sees mid single-digit revenue growth and stable margins in its construction business. (more)

The good news report from Canada, 25 February - 1 March 2010
15 March 2010 - The Canadian economy boomed back in the fourth quarter of last year, with real gross domestic product (GDP) growing at an annual rate of five per cent. Canadian consumer confidence rose in February on optimism about the economic recovery. International students are flocking to Canada in record numbers -- almost doubling in the last decade, and the University of British Columbia constructing one of world's greenest buildings. For details on these and other Canada news stories including the Olympic Games in Vancouver: (more)

UK: Fund firms tap ethical emerging market stock drive
15 March 2010 - Fund firms are creating sustainable investment emerging market equity strategies to meet pension fund demand for diversified portfolios with higher corporate governance standards. Demand for sustainable investing and ESG (environment, social, governance) strategies has risen as more institutional investors have signed up to the UN's Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI), which now has 199 asset-owners on board. (more)

Canada's unemployment rate drops
14 March 2010 - Canada's unemployment rate dropped in February as the economy gained 21,000 jobs. Economists had been expecting a gain of 15,000. Statistics Canada said full-time jobs rose by 60,000 in February while part-time jobs decreased. (more)

Emerging Markets: Russia's rouble rise; Ukraine ratings upped
14 March 2010 - Russia's rouble rose to its strongest levels in nearly 15 months on Friday, buoyed by firmer commodity prices, and Ukrainian risk premiums fell further after a credit ratings upgrade on its improving political outlook. Turkish markets edged up after a successful sovereign bond sale; Romanian shares hit 18-month highs while Hungarian shares rose to reach 22-month peaks. Czech shares firmed to their best levels in five weeks while Polish shares edged up to seven-week highs. (more)

Private equity firm Citadel invests $183 million in river ports - Egypt
14 March 2010 - Egyptian private equity firm Citadel Capital has invested 1 billion Egyptian pounds in three Nile river ports and wants to invest in two more in the country, the daily al-Mal reported on Sunday. The firm is also eyeing investments in Sudanese river ports. Egypt's transport minister was quoted as saying Egypt hopes to boost cargo transported via the Nile to 40 million tonnes within the next five years from 2.5 million tonnes currently. (more)

Russia's Alrosa eyes $1 billion diamond sales to India
14 March 2010 - Russian state diamond monopoly Alrosa plans to supply about $1 billion worth of unpolished stones to India this year, an Alrosa spokesman said on 11 March. Alrosa hopes to sign long-term supply deals with three Indian jewellery firms during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to India this week. Russia aims to more than double trade with India to $20 billion by 2015. India processes about seven in every 10 of the world's diamonds. Alrosa, which produces about a quarter of the world's rough diamonds, expects to bring in revenues of $3.3 billion this year. (more)

Sleepy India town wakes up to tourists, business
14 March 2010 - For tourists seeking a more peaceful vacation the perfect holiday lies in the sleepy beach town of Gokarna, some 125 kms (78 miles) from Goa, India's beach capital. Gokarna, on the shores of the Arabian Sea, has four famous beaches, and it would appear that these low-profile beaches on the India's western coast are stealing a number of tourists from its more famous neighbour Goa, as more and more foreigners look for the antithesis of their often busy city lives. While the town of holds religious significance for Hindus, the beaches draw people from all over the world. (more)

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

US: Washington, DC green real estate developer 'works smarter not harder'
6 March 2010 - Marnie Abramson is a principal and third-generation owner of The Tower Companies, the largest green real estate developer in the Washington, DC area. In 2008, Ms Abramson received the Women Who Mean Business award from the Washington Business Journal and was named one of the '35 most influential people under 35' by a prominent DC real estate publication. Transcendental Meditation has been a way for her 'to come back into myself' and to 'work smarter not harder'. (more)

Transcendental Meditation helps retailing expert become 'balanced, thoughtful leader'
5 March 2010 - Carole Couture has held senior management positions, including president, CEO, COO, and EVP, at many leading companies. A multi-channel retailer, she works with stores, catalogs and e-commerce, and has helped build several companies while also maintaining a wonderful family life. She feels Transcendental Meditation has greatly contributed to her success as a business leader, and her increasing ability to balance business and family. (more)

Management consulting CEO: Transcendental Meditation brings more resilience to stress, inner and outer fulfilment
4 March 2010 - Martha Batorski is CEO of a nationally recognized management consulting firm launched in 2003. For 25 years Ms Batorski has consulted across multiple industry sectors including government, electronics and high tech, healthcare, utilities, entertainment, retail, and financial services. Practising Transcendental Meditation since age 17, she continues to experience 'greater resilience to stress and more inner and outer fulfilment' through the technique. (more)

Success defined by 'the quiet stillness that hums in my heart': Consultant describes Transcendental Meditation benefits
3 March 2010 - Many leading women professionals are practising the Transcendental Meditation Programme. Jennifer Meyer began the technique in 1992 and has seen the power of its positive influence in both her personal and professional life ever since. (more)

Transcendental Meditation brings clarity, focus, energy to professional women: Financial services executive praises technique
1 March 2010 - Jannette Gordon is Vice President and Section Manager of a large financial services group. She has held other similar positions and has more than 23 years of securities experience. Ms Gordon has been practising the Transcendental Meditation Technique since 1979 and is featured in a new website for Transcendental Meditation and women professionals. (more)

US corporate executive: Transcendental Meditation makes him a better manager
9 February 2010 - The former vice-president of a major American auto company says that in business 'you are playing for high stakes, and there's a lot of pressure.' He relates how practising Transcendental Meditation enables him to go smoothly from one situation to the next, making level-headed decisions. (more)

Sweden: Offering Transcendental Meditation to benefit employees, students
3 January 2010 - Businesspeople at a company in Sweden now have the opportunity to learn and enjoy the Transcendental Meditation Programme with their company's support. Transcendental Meditation is also featured in a new book about business management. Interest in the technique is growing throughout the nation, and a large school is considering the programme for its students. (more)

Vietnam: Crowd of 350 attends Transcendental Meditation talk in Ho Chi Minh City
1 January 2010 - Three hundred fifty people recently attended an introductory presentation on Transcendental Meditation at a business leaders association in Ho Chi Minh City. (more)

Mauritius: Businesspeople enjoy Transcendental Meditation
28 December 2009 - Employees of a business in Mauritius are enjoying the benefits of the Transcendental Meditation Programme, thanks to the inspiration of a co-worker who is a long-time practitioner of the technique. (more)

Sustainable capitalism: Expert to present lectures at Maharishi University of Management
5 December 2009 - Dr John Ikerd, author of four books on sustainability, economics, and agriculture, will speak at Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA, as well as in the town of Fairfield. Dr Ikerd is a professor at the University of Missouri. Maharishi University of Management is renowned for its comprehensive approach to sustainability, including both BS and MBA degree programmes. (more)

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Flops
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Venezuelan officials take control of 2 sugar mills
10 March 2010 - Venezuela's government seized control of two sugar mills Tuesday and threatened to expropriate them, accusing managers of hoarding a basic good and violating the labour rights of employees. Commerce Minister Richard Canan said authorities were taking over management of the Santa Elena and Santa Clara mills in the central state of Portuguesa for 90 days 'to guarantee the operations of the mills, so our people don't go without sugar'. The government raised the price of sugar by 30 per cent Tuesday. Sugar -- one of dozens of foodstuffs subject to price controls -- has become scarce at some stores and supermarkets. Mr Canan threatened mill owners who fail to observe regulations with possible expropriation of the businesses. Jose Ricardo Alvarez, president of the National Federation of Sugar Growers, said Tuesday's sugar price increase would do little to help mill owners who are struggling to turn a profit due to price controls. (more)

US: Minneapolis Grain Exchange lifts restriction on deliveries of GMO wheat
6 March 2010 - The Minneapolis Grain Exchange said on Friday it would lift a rule that requires a delivery warehouse to deliver non-genetically modified wheat against MGEX futures, if requested by the party taking the wheat. The regional US grain exchange said the rule, in effect since 2004, would be eliminated starting with its March 2012 spring wheat futures contract. 'The commercial marketplace will sort through the issues, should transgenic wheat enter into the supply chain,' MGEX President and Chief Executive Mark Bagan said in a statement. (more)

India tribes fight mining firm in real-life Avatar
5 March 2010 - In India's impoverished but mineral-rich state of Orissa, hundreds of indigenous tribespeople are battling to stop London-listed Vedanta Resources Plc from extracting bauxite from what they say is their sacred mountain. NGOs like ActionAid say around 8,000 people will be affected by Vedanta's mining plans which have been stalled since 2005 due to legal wrangles over environmental and social concerns. Vedanta says it expects approval from authorities in the coming months. Since 2007, four international investors -- including the Church of England -- have sold off their stock in the company citing ethical concerns over the project. Last month, Britain's Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust sold its 1.9 million pound share, saying Vedanta was 'pushing industrialization to the detriment of the lives of local people'. (more)

Finnish dock workers begin strike halting cargo
4 March 2010 - Dock workers stopped handling cargo at Finnish ports on Thursday after labour contract negotiations broke down, leading to the closing of most of the country's foreign trade. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said he feared the long-term effects of the strike in the highly export dependent economy, adding that it is costing the country more than €100 million ($137 million) daily in lost earnings. 'This is a very serious situation. Our national economy is in recession and we need to participate in the budding global economic recovery,' Mr Vanhanen said. 'We didn't really need this homemade setback. We have enough problems as it is.' The Finnish economy shrank in the fourth quarter of last year, as the global downturn continued to hit the country. Finland's gross domestic product was down 5.1 per cent compared to the same period in 2008. In the full year, the Finnish economy shrank 7.6 per cent compared to 2008, its largest drop since 1918. (more)

Common weedkiller turns male frogs into females
2 March 2010 - Atrazine, one of the most commonly used and controversial weedkillers, can turn male frogs into females, researchers reported on Monday. The experiment is the first to show such complete effects of atrazine, which had been known to disrupt hormones and which is one of the chief suspects in the decline of amphibians such as frogs around the world. The European Union banned atrazine in 2004. More than a half million pounds (227 tonnes) of atrazine are precipitated in rainfall each year in the United States. Syngenta AG, one of several companies that makes atrazine, has long defended its safety. (more)

'Big Tobacco' still on the march, WHO warns
28 February 2010 - Developing countries are the new frontier for tobacco companies, which often target women and girls, and smoking rates remain high among poor people in affluent countries, World Health Organization said on Friday. Tobacco kills more than 5 million people a year from cardiovascular disease, cancers, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses, including about 600,000 from second-hand smoke, according to the United Nations agency. 'Most alarming of all, tobacco use is actually increasing in many developing countries. If Big Tobacco is in retreat in some parts of the world, it is on the march in others,' Dr Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, told a meeting to review implementation of a landmark tobacco treaty five years after it came into force. 'As we all know, the tobacco industry is ruthless, devious, rich, and powerful,' she said. (more)

Transport strikes lay bare Europe's malaise
23 February 2010 - With economic recovery barely there and talk of austerity spreading, many European workers are pushing back. French air traffic controllers walked off the job Tuesday just as Lufthansa pilots ended a strike and British Airways cabin crews voted to launch one of their own. Greek unions prepared to shut down much of their country Wednesday with wide-ranging strikes. These workers -- like those blockading the Athens stock market, and demonstrators angry at proposed delayed retirements in Spain -- fear for their hard-earned comforts as European governments and companies tighten belts to stay solvent. The walkouts are the latest signs of a broader unease about jobs and benefits, and what the future holds for a continent struggling to stay competitive on a global scale. (more)

UK: Jobless claimant count jumps to highest since 1997
18 February 2010 - The number of Britons claiming jobless benefit jumped unexpectedly in January and at its fastest rate in 6 months, raising fears that an improvement at the end of last year may have been little more than a blip. Figures from the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday showed claimant count unemployment rose by 23,500 last month, the biggest rise since last July. The rise wiped out the declines seen in the previous two months and took the total number of claimants to its highest since 1997, when the ruling Labour party came to power. (more)

UK: Imperial Tobacco to challenge vending ban
10 February 2010 - The country's biggest cigarette maker Imperial Tobacco Group Plc is to challenge the government by seek a judicial review of an impending ban on cigarette vending machines throughout Britain. The move to outlaw vending machines is due to take effect from October 2011 as part of the Health Act 2009 which aims to counter children buying cigarettes. Imperial, which controls around 45 per cent of the annual 45.5 billion cigarette market, says the ban is disproportionate and unnecessary. (more)

BASF gets Brazilian nod for soy, first GMO product
5 February 2010 - BASF, the world's largest chemicals group, won approval for the cultivation of a genetically modified (GM) soy variety in Brazil, its debut in the GM-seed market. A top executive said on Friday that the German company aims to win 10 to 20 per cent of the soy acreage in Brazil, the second-largest soy producer after the United States. Brazil gets about 60 per cent of its soy from genetically modified seeds sold mainly by Monsanto and DuPont's Pioneer. BASF also stands to benefit from increased demand for weed killers based on the compound imidazolinone, which the new soy breed is tolerant to. Embrapa and BASF are now seeking the approval for the GM-soy in key export markets such as China and the US. The next step to grow BASF's fledgling plant biotech business will be the introduction of drought-tolerant corn in the US in 2012, where it collaborates with Monsanto. (more)