• Ukrainians sing 'Carol of the Bells' at Carnegie Hall, 100 years after its U.S. debut
• Ukrainian mathematician awarded prestigious Fields Medal
• For Ukraine's refugee children, schools promise a fresh start

• Ukraine: Women at-risk finding inner peace, resilience through Transcendental Meditation
• Global Peace Summit offers solutions to terrorism
• Global Peace Summit in Kiev - Conference report

• The latest Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa leaves 1 dead, many hurt and a cathedral badly damaged
• Ukraine war: Russian strikes on Odesa damage Orthodox cathedral
• Russia strikes Ukraine's critical port facilities in Odesa after halting grain deal

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Positive Trends
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Ukrainians sing 'Carol of the Bells' at Carnegie Hall, 100 years after its U.S. debut
7 December 2022 - Did you know that Carol of the Bells comes from Ukraine? Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych wrote Shchedryk in 1916, originally as a winter folk song. The Ukrainian National Chorus brought the carol to the U.S. a few years later, when they performed it during a concert at Carnegie Hall in October 1922. American composer Peter Wilhousky gave the song its English lyrics and title in 1936, creating the contemporary Christmas staple. Its Ukrainian roots have been largely buried -- until now. (more)

Ukrainian mathematician awarded prestigious Fields Medal
6 July 2022 - Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovska was named Tuesday [5 July] as one of four recipients of the prestigious Fields Medal, which is often described as the Nobel Prize in mathematics. The International Mathematical Union said Viazovska, who holds the chair in number theory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, was being honored for her research into geometric problems. (more)

For Ukraine's refugee children, schools promise a fresh start
24 March 2022 - From Ireland to Poland, countries are expanding classes, fast-tracking the registration of Ukrainian teachers, translating curriculums and offering online lessons to ensure children uprooted by the war in Ukraine do not lose out on education. (more)

Italy baker makes 'peace' bread, sweets for Ukraine refugees
19 March 2022 - A small bakery in northern Italy is trying to do its part to help Ukrainian refugees. Baker Matteo Cunsolo is making and selling 'peace bread' in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag, with proceeds going to a charitable fund helping refugees who cross into Italy or who are remaining in Ukraine. In addition, Cunsolo and area bakers have made 600 kilograms (1,325 pounds) of cookies to give out to young refugees. (more)

Airbnb has called upon European hosts to open homes to Ukrainian refugees, and they are responding
2 March 2022 - Days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Airbnb announced that it would offer free, short-term housing for up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees flooding into European countries. It is one of dozens of companies stepping up in the crisis. In a Twitter thread on Monday, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky wrote that 'We need help to meet this goal. The greatest need we have is for more people who can offer their homes in nearby countries, including Poland, Germany, Hungary, and Romania. ...' Within one day after the announcement, more than 25,000 people had visited the link for hosts, Airbnb told Forbes. (more)

Airbnb to house up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees
1 March 2022 - Home rental company Airbnb Inc said on Monday [28 February] its non-profit arm Airbnb.org would offer free, temporary housing for up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine. Chief Executive Brian Officer Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, the chairman of Airbnb.org, have sent letters to leaders of Poland, Romania, Germany, and Hungary offering help to house the refugees. The countries share borders with Ukraine. (more)

Ukrainian designer equips doctors for battling coronavirus
3 April 2020 - Ukrainian fashion designer Ivan Frolov has postponed work on his new collection and is making coveralls for doctors to meet a shortage of protective clothing during the coronavirus epidemic. Seamstresses are working ... to produce the coveralls made of a special fabric, known as spunbond, that is used for workwear. Frolov has made his patterns available online so anyone can download them and help with making the coveralls. (more)

Reviving Ukraine's rich wetlands
27 December 2019 - In the Danube delta, removing dams and bringing back native species have restored ecosystems. Rewilding Europe is working to enhance wetlands all over the continent, but especially here, in Europe's biggest wetland. Only 20 percent of the Danube Delta ecosystem lies within Ukraine, but thanks to the Endangered Landscapes Programme and a modest crowdfunding grant raised by Rewilding Europe in conjunction with the Dam Removal Europe initiative, Ukraine's portion is growing. (more)

Ukrainian agriculture records large growth in exports, benefited by organic food sector
10 December 2018 - The Ukrainian agriculture sector has seen huge growth in the first 10 months of 2018. ...The growing agricultural sector has also benefited the development of the Ukrainian organic food sector, which only began to gain traction a decade ago when organic products started appearing on the shelves of Ukrainian shops. Since then, the internal organic market has bloomed. (more)

High demand for Ukrainian organic berries
29 November 2017 - Berries continue to gain in popularity amongst consumers around the world. Over the past decade, sales of berries have doubled, with forecasts for the next five years even more optimistic. Ukrainian suppliers are creating cooperatives in response, in order to become more and more competitive in the international market, especially in the EU. According to Ivan Kotyash from Ukrainian Fresh and Frozen Products (UFP), organic berries are even more interesting to producers, with demand at least two times as much as conventional. (more)

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Success of Maharishi's Programmes
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Ukraine: Women at-risk finding inner peace, resilience through Transcendental Meditation
12 June 2022 - The war in Ukraine is deeply dismaying front-page news in other countries, but horrifying, up-close and personal for people there. Everyone is vulnerable: the violence and fear cause shock, stress, confusion, and anxiety. Many women, however, are receiving tangible relief offered by Transcendental Meditation. Some have practised the technique for years; the director of TM for Women in Ukraine also quickly organized instruction for over 70 women, and continues to teach daily as more requests come. They describe the reduced stress and increased resilience resulting from the deep rest and inner peace they experience during TM practice: 'From the first lesson I felt that the stress was gone,' one commented. 'Thank you very much for my coming to life again at such a difficult time.' Another said: 'I felt relaxed, happy, relieved of stress.... I've finally slept well.' (more)

Global Peace Summit offers solutions to terrorism
2 July 2017 - Last month, the Global Union of Scientists for Peace (GUSP) hosted a Global Peace Summit in Kiev, Ukraine. The Summit, entitled SCIENCE AND PEACE: Proven Solutions to Violence and Global Conflict, explored cutting-edge, evidence-based approaches to preventing war, achieving national security, and promoting regional and global peace. One such approach is the Brain-Based Approach to Peace, which has been shown by extensive research to restore balanced neurological functioning and reduce individual and societal stress, through the widespread application of the Transcendental Meditation technique. Heads of state and other top government leaders presented striking examples of how the implementation of this approach put an end to decades of civil war and brought lasting societal peace and prosperity. The Summit drew more than 600 leading scientists, Nobel Laureates, foremost educators, and political and military leaders from 21 countries. (more)

Global Peace Summit in Kiev - Conference report
19 June 2017 - More than 600 scientists, Nobel Laureates, foremost educators, and political leaders from 21 countries converged in Kiev on 14-15 June to explore innovative solutions to the mounting problems of war and social conflict, and new approaches to national security and global peace. The global peace summit, entitled Science and Peace: Proven Solutions to Violence and Global Conflict, was hosted by the Global Union of Scientists for Peace. Renowned scientific, educational, political, cultural, and military leaders of Ukraine listened intently to presentations by former Presidents and other leading representatives of nations, who presented compelling evidence for successful solutions that have markedly reduced crime and terrorist incidents, or in some instances have lifted their countries out of civil war and restored peace and prosperity to their nations. (more)

Ukraine: Educators learn about the success of Consciousness-Based Education
25 July 2014 - A group of eight educators from Ukraine attended an international training course in Consciousness-Based Education at Maharishi European Research University (MERU) in the Netherlands. The Ukraine delegation was the largest group from any country participating in the training. Another group from Ukraine visited Maharishi University of Management in the USA. This and other news about growing interest in Consciousness-Based Education in Ukraine was reported at a recent conference in the Netherlands. (more)

US: Ukrainian delegation visits Maharishi School in Iowa
23 May 2014 - Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Iowa, USA, recently hosted a delegation from Ukraine. All of the six Ukrainians in the delegation practise Transcendental Meditation and hope the practice becomes widespread in their own country. Several commented on how much they liked nearby Maharishi Vedic City in particular because of the way the city was laid out according to Vedic principles and that the buildings were built according to Maharishi Vastu architectural designs. (more)

'A New Proven Way to Create Peace in Ukraine' - article featuring Invincible Defence Technology republished worldwide
21 March 2014 - The English-language version of an article titled 'A New Proven Way to Create Peace in Ukraine' continues to be picked up and reprinted worldwide. Two recent publications are Iran Almanac and Palm Tree Reports (Sierra Leone)--where the lead article headline featured on the home page currently reads: 'GLOBAL PEACE WITHOUT DEADLY CONFLICTS: A New Proven Way to Create Peace in Ukraine'. The article describes the 'scientifically verified, military field-tested approach to reducing turmoil known as Invincible Defense Technology (IDT).' The article also features a photo with the caption, 'Military personnel in Latin America, Africa, and Asia practise group Transcendental Meditation to help protect their nations.' (more)

A new proven way to create peace in Ukraine
4 March 2014 - During the last two months, Ukrainians have witnessed a highly volatile political situation unfolding in their country. Tensions continue rising as Russia intervenes in Crimea. World leaders search for ways to prevent tensions from further escalating. What can be done to find a peaceful solution to this serious crisis? Mykola L Didukh, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and Dr David Leffler, PhD, Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Military Science in the USA, report that many countries around the world have shown growing interest in a novel but scientifically verified, militarily field-tested approach to reducing turmoil. Among military circles worldwide, this approach is known as Invincible Defense Technology (IDT). The military of Ukraine has the opportunity today through IDT to prevent further turmoil and to create national security, invincibility, and peace. But the time to act is now. (more)

Ukraine: Creating coherence and harmony in collective consciousness for peace and unity in the nation
3 March 2014 - At this critical time for Ukraine, when the country is going through a major transformation which opens unprecedented possibilities for unfolding its vast potential, an initiative has been started to enliven the evolutionary power of natural law in collective consciousness, to secure a smooth and peaceful transition into a new era of progress, happiness, and unity for the nation. The project aims to create a wave of positivity, coherence, and harmony in collective consciousness through the scientifically proven, practical application of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Vedic Science and Technology. Efforts are underway to quickly establish a group of 100 practitioners of Transcendental Meditation and the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programme, in Kiev. The long term objective is to expand this group to 700--the required number (about the square root of 1% of the population) to create the Maharishi Effect of coherence and peace for the entire nation of 46 million citizens. (more)

South Africa radio interviews Dr David Leffler about Invincible Defence Technology to reduce violence in Ukraine
22 February 2014 - As political turmoil erupted in violence earlier this week in Kiev, Ukraine, Dr David Leffler, Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Military Science, was interviewed on the Voice of the Cape radio show, based in Capetown, South Africa. In the indepth interview, host Shafiq Morton focused on Invincible Defence Technology (IDT), the topic of Dr Leffler's recent editorial, 'Proven strategy to prevent turmoil in Ukraine', which was published in a number of venues in Ukraine, the USA, Canada, and Asia. Dr Leffler described IDT as a highly effective approach which has been successfully implemented in countries in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, and which scientific research has shown to reduce social stress and violence, even in war-torn areas. (more)

Proven strategy to prevent turmoil in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Croatian Information Centre reports on Invincible Defence Technology
15 February 2014 - 'In the 1990s, Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered severe violence and conflict. Tensions have risen again. . . . If tensions continue rising, their resulting turmoil might further escalate into war yet again,' write Major General Kulwant Singh (Indian Army, retired) and Dr David Leffler in the Croatian Information Centre. The authors go on to say, 'Further unrest could be prevented if the military of Bosnia and Herzegovina acts now and implements a proven strategy. A new technology of defense is available that has been scientifically shown to prevent unrest, conflict and create peace by harnessing the deepest level of nature's functioning. . . . Among military circles worldwide it is known as Invincible Defence Technology (IDT).' Maj. Gen. Singh leads an international group of generals and defence experts that advocates Invincible Defence Technology. (more)

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Flops
Short Summaries of Top Stories

The latest Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa leaves 1 dead, many hurt and a cathedral badly damaged
23 July 2023 - Russia struck the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odesa again on Sunday [23 July], local officials said, keeping up a barrage of attacks that has damaged critical port infrastructure in southern Ukraine in the past week. At least one person was killed and 22 others wounded in the attack in the early hours. ...Russia has been launching persistent attacks on Odesa, a key hub for exporting grain, since Moscow canceled a landmark grain deal on Monday [17 July] amid Kyiv's grinding efforts to retake its occupied territories. (more)

Ukraine war: Russian strikes on Odesa damage Orthodox cathedral
23 July 2023 - At least one person has been killed and 19 more injured in fresh Russian missile strikes on the port city of Odesa, officials have said. Moscow has been launching near constant attacks on Odesa since it withdrew from a landmark grain deal on Monday [17 July]. ...A strike earlier this week destroyed some 60,000 tonnes of grain, officials said. Odesa is Ukraine's biggest port, and millions of tonnes of grain have been shipped from its docks under the terms of the deal. (more)

Russia strikes Ukraine's critical port facilities in Odesa after halting grain deal
19 July 2023 - Russia unleashed intense drone and missile attacks overnight Wednesday [19 July], damaging critical port infrastructure in southern Ukraine, including grain and oil terminals, and wounding at least 12 people, officials said. The bombardment crippled significant parts of export facilities in Odesa and nearby Chornomorsk and destroyed 60,000 tons of grain, according to Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry. (more)

Ukraine dam: Satellite images reveal Kakhovka canals drying up
22 June 2023 - One of Europe's largest reservoirs is drying up after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine. Satellite images, analyzed by BBC Verify, show four canal networks have become disconnected from the reservoir. The UN says drinking water supplies could be affected for more than 700,000 people, mostly in Russian-occupied areas. Experts say the loss of water from the canals would be critical for food production in the region. (more)

Ukraine's dam collapse is both a fast-moving disaster and a slow-moving ecological catastrophe
11 June 2023 - The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam was a fast-moving disaster that is swiftly evolving into a long-term environmental catastrophe affecting drinking water, food supplies, and ecosystems reaching into the Black Sea. The short-term dangers can be seen from outer space -- tens of thousands of parcels of land flooded, and more to come. Experts say the long-term consequences will be generational. (more)

Before-and-after satellite images show profound toll of Ukraine dam collapse
10 June 2023 - Before-and-after images of the area downstream from a dam that collapsed Tuesday [6 June] vividly show the extent of the devastation of a large, flooded swathe of southern Ukraine. ...Paired with exclusive drone footage of the Ukrainian dam and surrounding villages occupied by Russia, the before-and-after satellite images illustrate the profound changes wrought by the disaster. (more)

Ukrainians make desperate escape from floods after dam collapse as shelling echoes overhead
6 June 2023 - As shelling from Russia's war on Ukraine echoed overhead, dozens of evacuees on an island in the Dnieper River scurried onto the tops of military trucks or into rafts to flee rising floodwaters caused by a dam breach upstream. ...Officials said about 22,000 people live in areas at risk of flooding in Russian-controlled areas on the eastern side of the river, while 16,000 live in the most critical zone in Ukrainian-held territory on the western side -- areas like those evacuated on Tuesday. (more)

Fresh attacks on Kyiv after intense drone barrage
29 May 2023 - Russian missiles have hit Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, following two nights of heavy drone strikes. They were all reportedly shot down and there are no reports of casualties. Flaming debris from the intercepted missiles landed in residential areas in central Kyiv. Russia has launched 16 air attacks on the Ukrainian capital this month. The latest, however, was unusual because it took place during the day -- and seemed to be targeted at the city centre. (more)

Most Ukrainians left without power after new Russian strikes
23 November 2022 - Russia unleashed a new missile onslaught on Ukraine's battered energy grid Wednesday [23 November], robbing cities of power and some of water and public transport, too, compounding the hardship of winter for millions. The aerial mauling of power supplies also took nuclear plants and internet links offline and spilled blackouts into neighbor Moldova. (more)

Explainer: Ukrainian nuclear plant shelled: Here's what we know
21 November 2022 - Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control, was rocked by shelling on Sunday [20 November], drawing condemnation from the U.N. nuclear watchdog which said such attacks risked a major disaster. Repeated shelling of the plant in southern Ukraine has raised concern about the potential for a grave accident just 500 km (300 miles) from the site of the world's worst nuclear accident, the 1986 Chornobyl disaster. (more)