World Peace News: Top Stories

	Top Stories Israel and Palestinians set for face-to-face talks Israel hints Jerusalem compromise in peace talks US efforts in Palestinian-Israeli peace talks - factbbox

	Top Stories The Mother Divine Programme celebrates 29th anniversary United Kingdom: Advanced programmes in Transcendental Meditation offered around the country 'Spectacular' First Maharishi Gandharva Veda Festival for World Peace draws 700 in Holland, global online audience

	Top Stories Hamas leader rejects talks with Israel Jewish settler killings blight new Mideast talks US wasted billions in rebuilding Iraq
Positive Trends 10 Short Summaries of Top Stories Israel and Palestinians set for face-to-face talks 2 September 2010 - US President Barack Obama urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Wednesday not to let the chance for peace slip away, bringing them together for ceremonial handshakes at the White House on the eve of relaunching direct talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas shook hands and voiced commitment to the US-sponsored diplomatic drive, which sets a one-year target for reaching a peace deal on Palestinian statehood. Striking a conciliatory tone before dinner, Netanyahu called Abbas 'my partner in peace' and pledged to seek an end to the conflict 'once and for all'. (more) Israel hints Jerusalem compromise in peace talks 1 September 2010 - Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday the Jewish state would be willing to hand over parts of Jerusalem in peace talks with the Palestinians to be launched by US President Barack Obama. Defence Minister Ehud Barak's rare comments about the need to partition Jerusalem, which is at the heart of the conflict, could signal a softening of Netanyahu's long-stated refusal to divide the holy city in any final peace deal with Palestinians. (more) US efforts in Palestinian-Israeli peace talks - factbbox 1 September 2010 - The Obama administration is hosting Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Washington this week in an effort to restart direct Mideast peace negotiations after a 20-month hiatus. The following is an outline of the Obama administration's efforts to this point. (more) US President Obama: Time to turn the page in Iraq 1 September 2010 - President Barack Obama declared an end to the seven-year US combat mission in Iraq on Tuesday and promised recession-weary Americans 'my central responsibility' now is to repair the US economy. President Obama, who inherited the war from President George W Bush and is fighting another in Afghanistan, said he had fulfilled a 2008 campaign promise to end US combat operations in Iraq and declared the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for their security. (more) China seeks fresh nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea 28 August 2010 - China is lobbying neighbours to sign up to a road map for renewed nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea. The details of Beijing's plan for restarting stalled six-party nuclear talks came from a South Korean diplomatic source, who spoke on Saturday after discussion in Seoul with China's top envoy in the talks. (more) US President Obama says Iraq war is ending, his promise is kept 28 August 2010 - President Barack Obama said on Saturday Iraq could 'chart its own course' and told Americans the drawdown of US troops helped fulfill a promise he made during the 2008 Presidential campaign. President Obama declared in his weekly radio and Internet address that 'the war is ending' and pledged to take care of troops who are returning home. (more) North Korea tells former US President Carter wants to resume nuclear talks 27 August 2010 - North Korea's number two leader has told former US President Jimmy Carter that the reclusive state is committed to denuclearizing the peninsula and resuming six-way talks, the North's state news agency said on Friday. 'Kim Yong Nam expressed the will of the DPRK government for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the resumption of the six-party talks,' KCNA said, referring to the meeting. (more) US soldiers head home, hope Iraq on track 25 August 2010 - At the end of this month, the US military will hand over security fully to the Iraqi armed forces after a 7-1/2-year combat mission, cutting down to 50,000 soldiers who will assist their Iraqi counterparts but no longer lead the fight. Sergeant First Class James Bartels believes Iraq is improving despite incidences of violence. 'One thing I do know is the opinion of those who have been here the first time, the second time, the third time (is that) the changes are dramatic,' Bartels said. (more) Egypt President to attend Middle East talks launch 21 August 2010 - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has accepted an invitation by the United States to attend the launch of direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians that aim to reach a peace deal within 12 months, state media said. President Mubarak, whose country in 1979 became the first Arab state to sign a peace deal with Israel, and Jordanian King Abdullah were also invited. The talks will be the first direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians in 20 months. (more) Israel and Palestinians agree to direct peace talks 20 August 2010 - Israel and the Palestinians accepted on Friday an invitation by the United States and other powers to restart direct talks on 2 September in a modest step toward forging a deal within 12 months to create a Palestinian state and peacefully end one of the world's most intractable conflicts. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with President Barack Obama on 1 September, before formally resuming direct negotiations the following day at the State Department in Washington. (more)
Success of Maharishi's Programmes 10 Short Summaries of Top Stories The Mother Divine Programme celebrates 29th anniversary 31 August 2010 - The Mother Divine Programme celebrated the 29th anniversary of its founding in global ceremonies on 31 August. Inaugurated in 1981, the Mother Divine Programme is an advanced fulltime programme for ladies to deepen their experiences in Transcendental Meditation and the Transcendental Meditation-Sidhi Programme and enliven 24-hour bliss in daily life. In locations around the world, members of the programme are also fulfilling its purpose to radiate a powerful global influence of harmony and bliss in large, permanent coherence-creating groups of Yogic Flyers, and through inspiring the activities of the Global Mother Divine Organization in 192 countries. (more) United Kingdom: Advanced programmes in Transcendental Meditation offered around the country 31 August 2010 - People throughout England, Scotland, and Wales have recently been enjoying the opportunity to take advanced courses in Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's technologies of consciousness, thanks to Vedic experts from India who have been traveling around the UK teaching Advanced Techniques of Transcendental Meditation, Refresher courses in the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programme, and Maharishi Vedic Vibration Technology. (more) 'Spectacular' First Maharishi Gandharva Veda Festival for World Peace draws 700 in Holland, global online audience 29 August 2010 - Over 700 people attended the First Maharishi Gandharva Veda Festival for World Peace in MERU, Holland, in July. Many top international artists participated in the two-day festival of traditional Vedic music in the beautiful setting of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Peace Palace--with the artists performing on a floating platform, in a pond with coloured fountains, lighted Vedic arches, and ornaments, surrounded by gardens and forest. Audience members described the festival as 'a spectacular display of melodies, rhythms, and beats performed by the renowned Indian artists'. Both concerts have been archived for online viewing. (more) Global Mother Divine Organization established in Colombia 29 August 2010 - On behalf of the 22.5 million ladies of Colombia, leaders of the Global Mother Divine Organization in Colombia reported recently that the organization is now fully legally established in their country. In addition to the seat in the capital city of Bogota, there will also be a branch of GMDO high in the Andes Mountains, in the city of Bucaramanga. Leaders also expressed the resolution to quickly establish GMDO in every city and town of Colombia, and throughout the world. (more) Japan: Yogic Flyers describe increased happiness, clarity, quality of life 27 August 2010 - Twenty people from throughout Asia recently gathered at the Spiritual Centre of Japan for a coherence-creating World Peace Assembly of Yogic Flyers and a course for those learning the programme. Participants reported a wide variety of benefits including reduced stress, greater happiness, increased clarity, and more energy. (more) The Global Mother Divine Organization celebrates Full Moon Day of Protection, 24 August 26 August 2010 - On 24 August, the Global Mother Divine Organization's monthly global Full Moon webcast featured a special programme celebrating the day of protection in the Vedic calendar. Leaders of the organization explained its role to give protection to the world. They invited all ladies to participate in morning and evening practice of the Transcendental Meditation Programme and Yogic Flying, to create protection--coherence in mind and physiology--within themselves; and to establish coherence-creating groups of Yogic Flyers in every country to promote invincible peace, harmony, and prosperity for the whole world. (more) Global Country of World Peace celebrates unity of silence and dynamism in total Natural Law 25 August 2010 - On 24 August, the Global Country of World Peace celebrated the day of protection in the Vedic calendar, to enliven the unified state of silence and dynamism of total Natural Law and promote enlightenment for every individual and invincible peace and progress for the world. The celebration took place in MERU, Holland and at the Global Capital of World Peace in the centre of India. (more) Drought, fires ease in Russia following extended practise of Maharishi's technologies of consciousness 24 August 2010 - Extended practice of Transcendental Meditation and the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programme by groups of people in Russia contributed to alleviating the recent extreme heat, drought, and fires in Moscow, said a leader of the Global Country of World Peace: functioning from the level of their own Transcendental Consciousness, their group practice enlivened the field of total Natural Law, bringing the refreshing influence of rain to the whole area. (more) The Global Mother Divine Organization Full Moon celebration - live webcast, 24 August 23 August 2010 - The Global Mother Divine Organization will hold its monthly global Full Moon celebration with a live webcast on 24 August, featuring a rich programme of news, knowledge, inspiration, and entertainment. (more) World news indicating rising coherence in collective consciousness 16 August 2010 - 'Recent news from around the world indicates rising world consciousness and life increasingly in harmony with Natural Law,' commented Dr Peter Swan, Minister of Communication for the Global Country of World Peace, recently. Large groups of Yogic Flyers in the Invincible America Assembly, and in schools and the military in Latin America, as well as Maharishi Vedic Pandits in India, 'are creating a powerful wave of coherence in the collective consciousness that is sweeping the world onto a higher quality of life,' he said. (more)
Flops 10 Short Summaries of Top Stories Hamas leader rejects talks with Israel 1 September 2010 - The top Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip rejected compromise with Israel in a fiery speech Wednesday, a day after gunmen killed four Israelis in a strong reminder that the Islamic militant group cannot be ignored in any Mideast deal. In a swift response to the shooting, Abbas' forces rounded up 250 low and midlevel Hamas supporters throughout the West Bank in what the group said was the largest sweep in recent memory. Hamas officials called the roundup arbitrary and an act of treason. Chances for a peace deal between Israel and Palestine appear slim, both because Abbas and Netanyahu are far apart on key issues, and because Hamas is increasingly entrenched in Gaza. (more) Jewish settler killings blight new Mideast talks 1 September 2010 - The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas claimed responsibility for killing four Jewish settlers in the West Bank in an attack that blighted a Middle East peace summit before it even began in Washington Wednesday. Declaring war on the talks promoted by US President Barack Obama as he prepared to host a White House banquet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, the Hamas militants -- backed by Iran -- said Tuesday's killings were just the first phase. Tuesday's attack was the most lethal in the West Bank in four years, the army said. In a Palestinian uprising from 2000 to 2007, some 540 Israelis were killed in suicide bomb attacks and more than 4,000 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces. Hamas spokesman Aub-Zuhri said Tuesday's attack was proof 'of a failure of security coordination' between Israel and the Palestinians.' (more) US wasted billions in rebuilding Iraq 30 August 2010 - As the US draws down in Iraq, it is leaving behind hundreds of abandoned or incomplete projects. More than $5 billion in American taxpayer funds has been wasted -- more than 10 per cent of the some $50 billion the US has spent on reconstruction in Iraq, according to audits from a US watchdog agency. That amount is likely an underestimate, based on an analysis of more than 300 reports by auditors with the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction. And it does not take into account security costs, which have run almost 17 per cent for some projects. Among the most egregious examples of this waste, a $40 million prison sits in the desert north of Baghdad, empty. A $165 million children's hospital goes unused in the south. A $100 million waste water treatment system in Fallujah has cost three times more than projected, yet sewage still runs through the streets. (more) Afghanistan: Toll from base raids rises 29 August 2010 - Despite the presence of almost 150,000 foreign troops, violence across Afghanistan is at its worst since the Taliban were ousted by US-backed Afghan forces in late 2001. The NATO-led force in Afghanistan said on Sunday more than 30 insurgents, including at least 13 suicide bombers, were killed when foreign and Afghan troops repelled al Qaeda-linked fighters who attacked two bases. Insurgents have launched increasingly brazen attacks around the country in a bid to topple the government and force foreign troops to leave. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Sunday four more of its troops had been killed, taking to seven the number killed in the last two days in the south and east. An ISAF spokesman said all seven were Americans. At least 2,040 foreign troops have been killed since the war began, more than 60 per cent of them Americans, according to website www.iCasualties.org and figures compiled by Reuters. Of those, at least 252 have died in the last three months. Civilians have borne the brunt of the fighting, with thousands of ordinary Afghans killed as they are caught in the crossfire. According to a United Nations report, civilian deaths were up by 31 per cent in the first six months of this year. (more) Campaign workers killed as Afghan violence spreads 29 August 2010 - Gunmen killed five campaign workers for a candidate in Afghanistan's parliamentary election next month, officials said on Sunday, another sign of rising insecurity as Washington prepares to review its war strategy. The deaths of the five -- from a group of 10 kidnapped in western Herat province -- were confirmed only hours after a candidate in the 18 September poll from the same area, Haji Abdul Manan, was shot dead as he walked to a mosque to pray. Manan was the fourth candidate to be killed. The election will be a litmus test of stability in Afghanistan, where violence is at its worst since the Taliban were ousted in 2001 despite the presence of almost 150,000 foreign troops supporting about 300,000 Afghan security forces. (more) Factbox: Security developments in Afghanistan, 29 August 29 August 2010 - Despite the presence of almost 150,000 foreign troops, violence across Afghanistan is at its worst since the Taliban were ousted by US-backed Afghan forces in late 2001. Following are security developments in Afghanistan at 1600 GMT on Sunday. (more) Yemen: Gun culture takes its toll on children 29 August 2010 - Misuse of firearms is a commonplace phenomenon in Yemen where many citizens keep weapons at home, particularly in rural areas, and gun culture is deeply rooted in Yemeni society. According to Abdul-Rahman al-Marwani, chairman of Dar Al-Salam Organization, a local NGO tackling the culture of violence, at least 1,200 individuals annually become victims of gun misuse -- both deaths and injuries. Accidentally taking the life of a brother, sister, or a friend -- or just witnessing the incident -- can be deeply traumatizing. Many Yemeni children who accidentally killed their loved ones while playing with guns kept at home, flee immediately after the incident fearing punishment from their fathers. They become separated from their families and drop out of school. According to Derek Miller, author of a small arms survey in Yemen in May 2003, in contemporary Yemen small arms are regularly carried by males from the age of 15. (more) Yemen: Security developments factbox 29 August 2010 - Yemen is trying to quell a resurgent regional arm of al Qaeda which has increased attacks on Western and regional targets in the poverty-stricken Arabian Peninsula state which is next door to oil giant Saudi Arabia. It faces pressure to resolve domestic conflicts consuming its resources, including cementing a truce with Shi'ite rebels to end a civil war in the north that has raged on and off since 2004, and ending a separatist insurrection in the south. Following are recent security developments in Yemen. (more) Kashmir visa row stokes India, China tensions 27 August 2010 - India has protested to China after Beijing refused a visa to an Indian army general from the disputed Kashmir region, the latest diplomatic spat between two Asian giants jostling for global influence and resources. A defence ministry source and some local media said defence ties, which have so far been limited to visits by military officials and the occasional exercises, were suspended, but the Indian government did not confirm this. Distrust between the two economic powerhouses dates back to a 1962 border war, partly over the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh state which China claims in full. China's support for India's arch enemy Pakistan, which backs the Kashmir separatists and also claims the region in full, has not helped defuse tensions. (more) Prospects bleak for peace deal - Israel's Lieberman 26 August 2010 - Israel and the Palestinians have virtually no chance of reaching a peace deal within the one-year target set by the United States, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Wednesday. The negotiations could swiftly hit a bump on 26 September, when a 10-month limited Israeli moratorium on new housing starts in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank expires. Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a 1967 war and has settled some 500,000 Jews in the two areas, where 2.5 million Palestinians live. Palestinians fear the settlements will deny them a viable state. (more)