• EU to exceed 2020 green energy target: forecasts
• Latvia: EU pays loan tranche, lauds policies
• South Africa, UK plan to double trade after recession

• Mayors at El Salvador congress enjoy presentation on Maharishi's programmes to alleviate violence and rehabilitate criminal offenders
• Maharishi University of Management honoured by visit of former President of Mozambique
• Nepal: Maharishi Vedic Pandits give traditional blessings to government leaders

• ICC prosecutor: Leaders fuelled Kenya violence
• Police clash with protesters as Greeks fight cuts
• US: Pharmaceutical group spent $6.3 million lobbying in Q4

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Positive Trends
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

EU to exceed 2020 green energy target: forecasts
11 March 2010 - New forecasts suggest the European Union will exceed its target of getting 20 per cent of its energy from renewable sources in 2020, the European Commission said Thursday. The latest national projections submitted by governments to the EU executive suggest the 27-nation bloc could reach an overall renewable share of 20.3 per cent by the end of the decade. (more)

Latvia: EU pays loan tranche, lauds policies
11 March 2010 - The European Union's executive agreed on Thursday to pay Latvia another tranche of loans under a bailout programme, saying the Baltic country was on track with austerity measures. Analysts and politicians say the worst is over for Latvia and other Baltic republics, which have faced serious economic contractions after the global crisis ended years of high, credit-fuelled growth. (more)

South Africa, UK plan to double trade after recession
11 March 2010 - South Africa and the United Kingdom aim to double the value of trade between the two countries over the next five years, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said on 11 March. This would take trade back to where it was before the global recession, he told a media briefing at Parliament, following Cabinet's fortnightly meeting on Wednesday. (more)

Zero tolerance for drugs says Gambia's President
11 March 2010 - Gambia's President said on 9 March he would not let his country become a haven for drug traffickers, many of whom have infiltrated other parts of coastal West Africa. 'I have zero tolerance for criminals. I have double-zero tolerance for drugs,' President Yahya Jammeh said on state television. Gambia, which is sandwiched between northern and southern Senegal, has been a rare example of stability in West Africa. (more)

Egypt's Mediterranean coast protected in reserve
10 March 2010 - Egypt wants visitors to discover its Mediterranean coast at a marine reserve being established near the border with Libya, the government said on 9 March. 'The goal is to protect endangered species ... and encourage ecotourism in the reserve area, putting it on the global ecotourism map,' Environment Minister Maged George said. (more)

US Justice Department set to hear seed industry complaints
10 March 2010 - Scrutiny of the US seed industry takes centre stage in the top corn-growing state of Iowa this week as the Justice Department probes complaints about alleged illegal restraint on development and sales of corn, soybeans, and other crops. The 12 March gathering is part of a government probe into allegations that large US seed companies, most notably Monsanto Co, have gained dominance of the US commercial seed market through unfair, and in some cases possibly illegal, practices. (more)

New climate partnership planned to protect forests - interview
9 March 2010 - Governments will seek a new climate partnership in 2010 to protect tropical forests with funds going through the United Nations, the World Bank, or bilateral channels, Norway said on Tuesday. 'The idea is to establish a partnership of everyone who wants to be included' in safeguarding forests, Environment Minister Erik Solheim told Reuters. French President Nicolas Sarkozy will open a one-day ministerial meeting on forests in Paris on 11 March with a follow-up hosted by Norway in May to spur talks on combating climate change after the UN's Copenhagen summit in December. (more)

Gabon centralizes taxes in bid to help business
8 March 2010 - Gabon has banned the levying of taxes by all agencies except by the central treasury in a bid to eradicate the plethora of local charges squeezing the margins of small businesses. It is the latest in a series of measures by new President Ali Bongo Odimba aimed at stimulating enterprise and weaning the Gabonese economy away from dwindling oil revenues. (more)

Viet Nam to get $790 mln climate change funding
8 March 2010 - Viet Nam has received $790 million in pledges from donor countries and international organizations to devise measures to curb carbon emissions, a state-run newspaper reported on Monday. The money for Viet Nam will target energy efficiency, renewable energy, and enhancements to rail systems in Hanoi and Ho Ch Minh City, among other areas. (more)

Mediator sees progress in Venezuela, Colombia spat
7 March 2010 - Colombia and Venezuela are making progress in negotiations to end a diplomatic dispute that has battered trade and unnerved the Andean region, said the Dominican Republic's President Leonel Fernandez, who is brokering talks. President Fernandez met with Colombia's foreign minister and trade representatives and said he would soon meet Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to try to negotiate direct talks with his Colombian counterpart, Alvaro Uribe. (more)

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

Mayors at El Salvador congress enjoy presentation on Maharishi's programmes to alleviate violence and rehabilitate criminal offenders
4 December 2009 - A large congress of mayors in San Salvador, El Salvador, 23-24 November, featured a presentation on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's programmes to improve every area of society. The presentation was given by Dr Pedro Ojeda, representing the Latin American Institute of Science, Technology, and Public Policy, who had been invited to address the congress. Mayors expressed particular interest in programmes for alleviating violence and rehabilitating criminal offenders, problems that plague the nation. (more)

Maharishi University of Management honoured by visit of former President of Mozambique
10 November 2009 - Joaquim Alberto Chissano, who was President of Mozambique from 1986-2005, recently addressed a celebration honouring him at Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA. President Chissano introduced the Transcendental Meditation Programme and Yogic Flying to the military in his country and ended the long-standing civil war. (more)

Nepal: Maharishi Vedic Pandits give traditional blessings to government leaders
8 November 2009 - A group of Maharishi Vedic Pandits, experts in the ancient Vedic Science brought to light and fully restored by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, presented traditional Vedic blessings recently to leading government officials in Nepal. Accompanying the Pandits was Dr Deepak Baskota, National Director of the Maharishi Vedic Foundation and the Global Country of World Peace for Nepal, who spoke about the goals and methodologies for bringing peace and prosperity to the nation. (more)

Honouring the parental role of Traditional Leaders: Traditional Leaders from the Amazon visit MERU, Holland
1 October 2009 - The Album of Events page of Global Good News is now featuring colourful photos of 'Honouring the parental role of Traditional Leaders: Traditional Leaders from the Amazon visit MERU, Holland'. During their visit, the leaders, in traditional dress, were welcomed in a beautiful celebration by leaders of the Global Country of World Peace. (more)

The beginning of indomitable progress for 'all the city halls and cities of Latin America': Dr Pedro Ojeda on mayors' summit
21 September 2009 - Dramatically increased receptivity to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's programmes for ideal administration--especially apparent at the recent major summit of Latin American mayors in Argentina--is one expression of the 'indomitable growth of consciousness' across the continent, said Dr Pedro Ojeda, National Director of Paraguay for the Global Country of World Peace. Another indicator of rising invincibility, he said, is the founding of the Latin American Institute of Science, Technology, and Public Policy, to present these programmes. (more)

Now is the time to approach government leaders in all countries: Mayor Robert Wynne
20 September 2009 - In speeches to the major summit of Latin American mayors in Argentina earlier this month, Mayor Ed Malloy of Fairfield, Iowa, USA, and Mayor Robert Wynne of neighbouring Maharishi Vedic City presented Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's programmes for ideal governmental administration. Mayor Wynne emphasized creating invincibility for each country and the whole Latin American continent through groups of Yogic Flyers, the basis for success in every area of individual and social life: 'Do the one thing by which all others are accomplished.' (more)

Maharishi's principles of administration find warm welcome at summit of 2,000 mayors, 6,000 administrators
16 September 2009 - The recent founding of the Latin American Institute of Science, Technology, and Public Policy was a natural outcome of the Latin American Association of Mayors' summit from 2 to 4 September in Argentina. Association members and guests were deeply inspired by presentations and knowledge provided by leaders of the Global Country of World Peace. (more)

Latin American mayors' summit: 'The path to invincibility and enlightenment has been made clear'
15 September 2009 - The recent summit of several thousand members of the Latin American Association of Mayors, held in Argentina from 2 through 4 September 2009, was unprecedented--not only in opportunities extended to Global Country of World Peace leaders to present Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's programmes for ideal governmental administration. Those presentations also had a profound impact on attendees, generating a high level of enthusiasm. (more)

Latin American mayors' summit sparks unprecedented interest in Maharishi's programmes
13 September 2009 - At a major summit in Argentina from 2 to 4 September 2009, attended by several thousand members of the Latin American Association of Mayors, Global Country of World Peace leaders from North and South America presented the programmes of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for ideal governmental administration, which were enthusiastically received. (more)

Designed to promote government in accord with Natural Law: Vedic Architecture parliament building proposed for Vedic Siam
11 September 2009 - An innovative design proposal for Thailand's new parliament building not only incorporates many up-to-date 'green' and 'smart' features, but is based on principles of Maharishi Vedic Architecture -- to attune individual life with cosmic intelligence and promote governmental administration in accord with Natural Law. (more)

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Flops
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

ICC prosecutor: Leaders fuelled Kenya violence
11 March 2010 - Kenyan political leaders organized and financed post-election attacks against civilians in 2008, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor told judges on Wednesday, as they consider whether to launch an investigation. Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who asked judges last November to approve an investigation into the violence, said senior political and business leaders from Prime Minister Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and President Mwai Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU) were 'guided by political objectives to retain or gain power'. 'They utilized their personal, government, business, and tribal networks to commit the crimes,' Moreno-Ocampo said in a filing with pre-trial judges in The Hague. (more)

Police clash with protesters as Greeks fight cuts
11 March 2010 - Police clashed with stone-throwing youths in Athens on Thursday as tens of thousands of strikers protested against draconian cutbacks aimed at pulling Greece out of a debt crisis shaking the euro zone. In one central square hundreds of protesters hurled sticks and stones at riot police, who responded by baton-charging the crowd and firing several rounds of teargas. The clashes came after more than 20,000 protesters marched through Athens beating drums and chanting slogans such as 'Plutocrats must pay for the crisis'. Groups of anarchists threw petrol bombs, smashed shop windows, damaged cars, set garbage containers on fire, and hurled lumps of marble torn from steps of the Bank of Greece. The 4.8 billion euro (4.3 billion pound) package of cutbacks set by the government is viewed by many as hitting the wrong people in a country with widespread corruption and tax evasion. (more)

US: Pharmaceutical group spent $6.3 million lobbying in Q4
11 March 2010 - The pharmaceutical industry's main trade group spent $6.3 million in the fourth quarter lobbying Congress, the White House, and multiple government agencies on health care provisions and related issues, according to a quarterly disclosure report. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America include drug giants Pfizer Inc, Merck and Co, Johnson and Johnson, and more than two dozen other US and foreign companies. PhRMA lobbied on multiple aspects of the health care overhau. Besides Congress, PhRMA lobbied the Department of Health and Human Services and several of its agencies, including the FDA, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The trade group also lobbied the White House, Congressional Budget Office, Office of Management and Budget, Patent and Trademark Office, Federal Trade Commission, US Trade Representative, and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, and State. (more)

Greece warns of worse downturn as strikes loom
10 March 2010 - The Greek economy is set to shrink by more than expected this year, the government said on Wednesday, as it braced for nationwide strikes protesting its plans for bringing the country's budget deficit under control. Greece, grappling with a ballooning deficit and a 300 billion euro (272 billion pound) debt pile, told the European Union that 2010 gross domestic product (GDP) would 'most likely' shrink by more than the 0.3 per cent currently forecast. Another key concern among economists is whether the government has the will and the support it needs to deliver on its budget commitments. The ADEDY and GSEE unions have called a nationwide strike for Thursday, leaving flights grounded; boats docked; and ministries, tax offices, schools, and hospitals shut. In Athens, where tourist attractions such as the Acropolis are due to be shut, police said they were bracing for trouble after clashes with demonstrators last week. (more)

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)

Nigeria urged to end impunity after village massacre
9 March 2010 - Nigeria must prosecute those behind a weekend massacre and address underlying issues of poverty and discrimination if it is to end a cycle of violence in the zone between its Muslim north and Christian south, rights groups and diplomats said. The raids were in apparent retaliation for four days of violence around Jos, the capital of Plateau state, in January which killed several hundred people, many of them in an attack on the mostly Muslim settlement of Kuru Karama. More than 300 people were arrested in January and about half of them were due to be sent to the capital Abuja for prosecution, but it is unclear how many actually faced justice. Local officials said many of those responsible for January's violence were the same people arrested but not prosecuted after similar unrest in November 2008. (more)

Israel weighing construction of nuclear power plant
8 March 2010 - Israel will this week unveil plans to produce nuclear-generated electricity, officials said on Monday, a move that could draw fresh international attention towards its assumed atomic arsenal. Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau told Reuters he will announce at an energy conference in Paris on Tuesday that Israel is officially looking into the possibility of building a nuclear power plant to diversify its energy sector. Landau said Israel, which generates electricity mostly using imported coal and local and imported natural gas, is capable of building a nuclear reactor. But it would prefer to work with other countries. Israeli officials have said the Jewish state hopes to have a functioning nuclear power plant by 2020 or 2025. (more)

Nuclear energy gets new French-driven boost
8 March 2010 - Poor countries need nuclear power, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday, urging rich lenders to help pay for a global nuclear expansion. His vision of nuclear reactors dotting the horizon won over international energy officials from India to Brussels and French executives eager to market their expertise abroad, all present at a Paris conference Monday. Some experts, however, say Sarkozy's push is opening the door to risks that deadly nuclear technology gets into the wrong hands, and warn consumers to pay attention to the staggering price tag of potential nuclear energy growth -- up to $3.9 trillion worldwide by 2050. Mycle Schneider, an independent researcher on France's nuclear industry, warned that costs of nuclear plants have been 'systematically underestimated' by governments worldwide for decades. (more)

Security tight after hundreds die in central Nigeria
8 March 2010 - Soldiers patrolled the central Nigerian city of Jos on Monday and aid workers tried to assess the death toll after attacks on outlying communities in which several hundred people were feared to have been killed. Acting President Goodluck Jonathan called an emergency meeting with all security service chiefs on Monday to discuss strategies to prevent clashes spreading to neighbouring states, Presidential sources said. Residents of three predominantly Christian settlements near Jos said Muslim herders from surrounding hills launched what appeared to be reprisal attacks in the early hours of Sunday following sectarian clashes which killed hundreds in January. Plateau state lies at the crossroads of Nigeria's Muslim north and Christian south and fierce competition for control of fertile farmlands between indigenous groups and settlers from the north have repeatedly triggered unrest over the past decade. (more)

UN sleuth says torture occurs in most countries
8 March 2010 - Torture is a reality in a majority of the world's countries but many governments refuse to let the United Nations investigate whether it is happening on their territory, the UN expert on the issue said on Monday. Austrian lawyer Manfred Nowak told the 47-member United Nations' Human Rights Council that it should pay special attention to torture but complained that many governments, including some on the council, blocked his investigations. In the vast majority of states, he said it happened either in isolated cases, in a more regular manner, or was widespread and systematic. He cited Equatorial Guinea, which he visited last year, as an example of the third. The major reason for the widespread practice was malfunctioning criminal justice systems, with confessions seen as prime evidence in many countries, (more)