World Peace News: Top Stories

	Top Stories Chad's President Deby visits Khartoum for talks to end proxy wars Chinese envoy in North Korea; two Koreas meet at border Northern Ireland peace process - timeline

	Top Stories Estonia: One per cent of population practises Transcendental Meditation - National coherence creates economic stability South Africa: Surge of interest in Transcendental Meditation after Johannesburg radio interview Creating peace and invincibility for America: Maharishi Vedic City, USA

	Top Stories British death toll in Afghanistan war matches Falklands India successfully tests nuclear-capable missile Afghan police commander part of bomb ring
Positive Trends 10 Short Summaries of Top Stories Chad's President Deby visits Khartoum for talks to end proxy wars 8 February 2010 - Chadian President Idriss Deby on Monday began a rare visit to Sudan, part of a rapprochement aimed at ending a proxy war between the two African neighbours. Sudan analysts say Darfur peace talks cannot succeed without a solution to the tense relations between Chad and Sudan. 'There will be serious discussions aimed at achieving a lasting solution to (these) issues,' Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor told reporters on Deby's arrival in Khartoum. (more) Chinese envoy in North Korea; two Koreas meet at border 8 February 2010 - A senior Chinese envoy was in North Korea on Monday on a mission to persuade North Korea to rejoin nuclear disarmament talks, reports said, while officials from the two Koreas met in the North to discuss restarting joint tour programmes. (more) Northern Ireland peace process - timeline 8 February 2010 - The Irish National Liberation Army, one of Northern Ireland's deadliest paramilitary groups, has dumped all its weapons in front of independent witnesses, the commission overseeing the province's disarmament process said on Monday. The following is a timeline since a 1998 peace deal. (more) Northern Ireland: Irish National Liberation Army dumps weapons 8 February 2010 - One of Northern Ireland's deadliest paramilitary groups has dumped all of its weapons in front of independent witnesses, the militants and the commission overseeing the province's disarmament process said on Monday. The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) said it had got rid of all its weapons and ammunition, four months after announcing an end to its armed struggle. (more) India, Pakistan talks seen good for Afghan efforts 7 February 2010 - An easing of tension between India and Pakistan should help US-led efforts to stabilize Afghanistan though no one is expecting any quick breakthrough between the nuclear-armed rivals. India has proposed the first high-level bilateral talks since it suspended a peace process with Pakistan after Pakistan-based militants attacked the Indian city of Mumbai in November 2008. Officials from the two countries are discussing an agenda and when and where to talk. (more) India, Pakistan officials meet to decide talks agenda 6 February 2010 - Indian and Pakistani officials met Friday to decide the agenda for high-level bilateral talks proposed by India over a year after the terror attacks on Mumbai. Indian officials said the meeting was constructive and they were waiting for Pakistan to get back with a date. They said India had offered open-ended talks on all outstanding issues affecting peace and security. (more) Protestants accept deal to save Northern Ireland government 6 February 2010 - The Prime ministers of Britain and Ireland unveiled a breakthrough agreement Friday that saves Northern Ireland's Catholic-Protestant unity government. Brown said the agreement was possible because of 'a new spirit of mutual cooperation and respect'. Sinn Fein welcomed the Protestants' decision. '(This lets us) proceed on the basis of equality, fairness, and partnership,' said Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. (more) Timeline of Northern Ireland unity government 6 February 2010 - From its foundation, Northern Ireland has struggled to win support from both sides of its community for a government. The two sides are the predominantly Protestant north and the mostly Catholic south, both with different views on staying within the UK. Here are some key dates in the struggle to forge a power-sharing coalition from 1921 to the present. (more) India offers to resume stalled talks with Pakistan 5 February 2010 - India has offered to resume bilateral talks with Pakistan that were halted after the deadly Mumbai terrorist attacks nearly 15 months ago, an official said Thursday. India proposed the resumption of discussions between the foreign secretaries on terrorism and other issues, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity citing the sensitivity of the matter. Pakistan welcomed the offer. (more) Senior Chinese envoy to visit North Korea 5 February 2010 - A senior Chinese Communist Party official will visit North Korea as early as Saturday, in what appears to be a move to press Pyongyang to return to nuclear disarmament talks, a South Korean news agency said on Friday. The North said separately it was releasing a US activist it had held since December, clearing an obstacle between North Korea and the United States that could have harmed negotiations. (more)
Success of Maharishi's Programmes 10 Short Summaries of Top Stories Estonia: One per cent of population practises Transcendental Meditation - National coherence creates economic stability 7 February 2010 - In the 1990s, more than one per cent of the population of Estonia learned the Transcendental Meditation Programme. Evidence of positive trends in the country, created by the increased coherence in national consciousness, includes a recent report in the Financial Times that Estonia has weathered the global economic crisis very calmly and creatively, drawing renewed investment. (more) South Africa: Surge of interest in Transcendental Meditation after Johannesburg radio interview 4 February 2010 - A recent radio interview in South Africa has sparked great interest in the Transcendental Meditation Programme. The largest Maharishi Invincibility Centre in Johannesburg has had 150 enquiries from people interested in learning the technique. (more) Creating peace and invincibility for America: Maharishi Vedic City, USA 3 February 2010 - Two hundred more Maharishi Vedic Pandits in India are preparing to join the group in Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa, USA. This will bring the total closer to a new goal of 1,400 Pandits, the number needed to conduct more powerful peace-creating Vedic performances (Yagyas). In other news, arrangements have been made for organic farmers in Latin America to provide a year-round supply of vegetables for the Pandits; and affordable Vastu (Vedic architecture) condominiums and single family homes are now available in the city. (more) Global Mother Divine Organization active in more than 50 countries: Global achievements of 2009, goals for 2010 3 February 2010 - The Global Mother Divine Organization is now active in more than 50 countries. The year 2009 was 'a very bright year, full of achievements' for the worldwide organization, which is the ladies' wing of the Global Country of World Peace. Leaders recently presented inspiring reports from countries around the world, highlighting the past year's many achievements, as well as plans and resolutions for the coming year. (more) Turkey: Yogic Flyers inspired to create invincibility group for the nation 2 February 2010 - Twenty Yogic Flyers in Istanbul, Turkey recently returned from participating in the large Invincible America Assembly at Maharishi University of Management in the United States. They were recently inspired by Dr Howard Settle, whose foundation has been supporting the Assembly almost since its inception in July 2006, to found a similar group of 850 Yogic Flyers to create invincibility for their nation. (more) *Maharishi Vastu* architecture expands around the globe in 2009** 30 January 2010 - The greatest achievement in the rapidly growing global field of Vedic architecture, Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, in the past year was the start of construction of the first Vastu building designed to last for thousands of years to come. Maharishi Samadhi Smarak, a memorial of Total Knowledge inspired by the lifelong work of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, is now under construction at Prayag (Allahabad), India. Maharishi Towers of Invincibility are also under development in Holland, Argentina, and Bolivia. (more) *Maharishi Garden Cities - Vastu* communities - planned for Russia, United States, other countries** 29 January 2010 - Maharishi Garden Cities are planned in Russia, where a joint venture company has been formed with Russian architects and developers. Maharishi Garden Cities are also planned in Ohio and Massachusetts in the United States. Training of Vastu (Maharishi Vedic Architecture) Coordinators is in progress, for expansion of the Ministry of Architecture of the Global Country of World Peace in 70 countries. In the first on-line training course, 650 participants enrolled; 160 are now taking a second course. (more) India: Maharishi Vidya Mandir Schools group wins Distinguished Educational Institution Award 28 January 2010 - Maharishi Vidya Mandir Schools Group in India has been honoured with the Distinguished Educational Institutional Award for 2009, by the Federation of Educational Publishers in New Delhi. In other achievements, thousands of students, parents, and teachers from all 16 states of India took part in a special three-day Maharishi National Cultural Celebration. Awards were given to teachers and students who gave the best presentations. (more) The Global Capital of World Peace: Seat of the silent administration of total Natural Law 28 January 2010 - The Global Capital of World Peace in the Brahmasthan (geographic centre) of India was designed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as the seat from which the silent administration of total Natural Law will create invincible permanent peace for every nation and the world. Raja John Konhaus, Raja (Administrator) of the Global Country of World Peace for Japan and other countries, continued his recent address, showing photos of the campuses for Maharishi Vedic Pandits and Rajas at the Global Capital, and noted that courses are being developed for people who would like to study Maharishi's Vedic Science there, in the Land of the Veda. (more) United Arab Emirates: 'Ultimate sustainable energy solution - tapping human consciousness' finds warm response at World Future Energy Summit 28 January 2010 - Presentations on sustainability and natural health care--based on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's programmes for developing consciousness and ideal health--were warmly received at two recent conferences in the United Arab Emirates: the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, and a conference on Ayurvedic health care in Dubai. (more)
Flops 10 Short Summaries of Top Stories British death toll in Afghanistan war matches Falklands 8 February 2010 - A bomb killed two British soldiers in southern Afghanistan, the military said Monday, raising Britain's death toll to that of the Falklands war. The grim milestone followed a warning by British Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth that more casualties were likely as US, British, and Afghan troops prepare to launch an operation to clear Taliban insurgents from the town of Marjah in Helmand province. Britain is the largest contributor to NATO forces in Afghanistan after the US, with about 9,500 troops in the country. Meanwhile, officials said a district administrator in northwestern Afghanistan has been accused of militant links and corruption charges, the second senior Afghan official to be arrested in the past week. (more) India successfully tests nuclear-capable missile 8 February 2010 - India again successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable missile Sunday that can hit targets across much of Asia and the Middle East, a Defence Ministry press release said. It was the fourth test of the Agni III missile, the statement added. India's current arsenal of missiles is largely intended for confronting archrival Pakistan. The Agni III, in contrast, is India's longest-range missile, designed to reach 3,000 kilometers (1,900 miles) -- putting China's major cities well into range, as well as Middle Eastern targets. (more) Afghan police commander part of bomb ring 7 February 2010 - An Afghan police commander has been arrested as part of a ring that planted roadside bombs, NATO-led forces said on Sunday, a sign of the difficulty Western troops face in setting up Afghan security forces they can trust. Western troops are struggling to train an Afghan police force to eventually take over security in the country so they can withdraw, but acknowledge that the force is plagued by corruption, incompetence, and infiltration by insurgents. Many Afghans also complain about police corruption, one of the reasons that some have turned to the Taliban to provide law and order. President Hamid Karzai has promised to root out corruption, but prosecutions are extremely rare. (more) Battle to electrify Kandahar shows Afghan dilemma 7 February 2010 - About 90 factories sit vacant in the economic capital of southern Afghanistan. They could fight militants in a way no army could, employing thousands of people and giving them a reason to shun the Taliban. A lack of reliable electricity is what's keeping the factories silent and useless in the fight against insurgency. And it's the insurgency, in large part, that's keeping them that way. The dilemma is the same throughout Afghanistan's ungoverned south, where NATO is gearing up for a major offensive: Development is needed to wrest people away from militants, but fighting regularly thwarts such projects -- wasting millions in the process. The senior US civilian representative for the province has a computer printout on his office wall that makes the same point. It uses arrows to show security decreasing as support for insurgents increases, then proclaims: 'It's the electric power stupid'. (more) France allows warship sale to Russia 6 February 2010 - A Russian naval official says France will allow the sale of an advanced warship to Russia, the Interfax news agency reported Saturday. There was no immediate confirmation from Paris. Possessing a Mistral would significantly increase the Russian military's capability to mount offensives. The prospect has alarmed some ex-Soviet countries, particularly Georgia and Estonia. The Mistral can anchor in coastal waters and deploy troops on land, a capacity the Russian navy now lacks. Russia's Navy Chief said that a ship like the Mistral would have allowed the Russian Navy to mount a much more efficient action in the Black Sea during the Georgia-Russia war. He said the French ship would take just 40 minutes to do the job that the Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels did in 26 hours. (more) Palestine's Hamas backtracks on missile apology 6 February 2010 - The Hamas government in Gaza tried to distance itself Saturday from a statement it made earlier this week in which it expressed regret for harming Israeli civilians in rocket attacks. The apology had signalled a rare deviation from Hamas' violent ideology, and the subsequent zigzag reflects the Islamic militants' conflicting objectives. Hamas likely came under domestic pressure after news of the apology became public, said Gaza analyst Naji Sharrab. 'They are addressing two different audiences,' Mr Sharrab said. The apology for the rockets was part of the Hamas government's response to a UN report that alleged both Hamas and Israel committed war crimes. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon refused to pass judgment on the reports. The UN Chief was criticized by human rights groups, which said he sidestepped his responsibility by avoiding judgment. (more) Palestine: Rivals slam Hamas for 'apology' to Israelis 6 February 2010 - Hamas's Palestinian rivals denounced the Islamist movement on Saturday for expressing regret over the deaths of Israeli civilians during the Gaza war a year ago. A spokesman for the Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was 'stunned' at the remark in a report to the United Nations this week and said Hamas should apologize rather to fellow Palestinians for deaths and injury caused when Hamas routed Fatah forces to seize control in Gaza in 2007. The division of the Palestinian territories between the rival parties Fatah and Hamas has hamstrung efforts to negotiate the establishment of a state alongside Israel. Hamas officials said on Friday that any expression of regret did not mark an abandonment of suicide bombing as a tactic, even if such attacks have been in abeyance in recent years. (more) Russia to lend post-war Sri Lanka $300 mln for arms 6 February 2010 - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa left on Saturday for Moscow, where he will sign a $300 million (192 million pound) loan to buy military equipment from Russia, despite an end to his country's quarter-century civil war. Russia, one of the main arms suppliers during the war apart from China and India, backed the Sri Lankan government on several occasions at the Geneva human rights council to head off a debate over the conduct of the war in Sri Lanka. The Russia deal comes after the former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka in July said the island nation had cancelled a $200 million purchase of arms from Pakistan and China after the end of its war with the Tamil Tigers. (more) Pakistan commercial hub Karachi gripped by violence - Factbox 5 February 2010 - A suspected suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed 12 Shi'ite Muslims in a crowded bus in Pakistan's commercial capital Friday, hospital and police officials said. Hours later, the hospital where some of the 40 wounded were being treated was hit by a huge explosion. A senior police official told Reuters that several hundred people were present at the scene of the second blast. Following are some facts about the city: (more) Pakistan: Twin blasts in Karachi 5 February 2010 - A suspected suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed 12 Shi'ites in Pakistan's commercial capital Friday, followed hours later by a blast at a hospital where the wounded were being treated which killed 13 people. The violence is bound to raise further questions about the effectiveness of security crackdowns on resilient al Qaeda-backed Taliban militants at a time when Washington is pushing Pakistan to help stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan. Pakistani Taliban have carried out waves of bombings at crowded markets and army and police facilities, killing hundreds of people since October in a bid to topple the pro-American government of unpopular President Asif Ali Zardari. Bombings in the home of Pakistan's stock exchange and main port could further discourage investors, who have watched the Taliban spread their violent campaign from strongholds in lawless areas near the Afghan border to major cities, including an attack on a mosque near the headquarters of the powerful military. (more)