From the www.globalgoodnews.com news site, including Ayurveda news, national health news, Transcendental Meditation research news and news of global health trends, including organic agriculture, traditional medicine and natural health care.

  

 View 'Good News Archives' or find us on Facebook or Twitter

Current Good News

Canadian Prime Minister Harper makes first visit to China

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was welcomed by children bearing flowers at the Beijing airport when he arrived on Wednesday. The four-day trip, Harper's first to China, appears aimed at overcoming negative sentiment on both sides. Harper is to meet with both President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao for discussions on strengthening trade and overall ties. more

Global chip sales rise

Global semiconductor sales rose 5.1 per cent in October sequentially, spurred by strength across all regions as electronic equipment manufacturers boost production for the holiday season, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said. For the month, worldwide semiconductor sales rose to $21.7 billion from $20.6 billion in September. more

India: Economy may grow around 7 per cent in FY10 - adviser

 Asia's third-largest economy grew a better-than-expected 7.9 per cent in the fiscal second quarter after expanding 6.1 per cent in the June quarter, data on Monday showed. The robust growth of the economy in July-September indicated it could expand at around 7 per cent in 2009/10, top policy adviser C Rangarajan, chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, said on Tuesday. more

Morgan Stanley raises India's FY10 growth forecast

The economy may grow at 6.7 per cent in 2009/10, Morgan Stanley said in a report, raising its estimate from 6.4 per cent after data showed the economy grew at its fastest rate in 18 months in the September quarter. more

Philippines: Manila, Muslim rebels to resume peace talks next week

The Philippine government and the country's largest Muslim rebel group agreed on Wednesday to return to formal peace negotiations, hoping to end over four decades of armed conflict on the resource-rich southern island. Formal negotiations will begin on 8-9 December in Kuala Lumpur according to a joint statement from the chief negotiators of the two sides. more

US envoy going to North Korea, China expresses support for talks to succeed

China voiced hope Tuesday that a rare direct meeting between North Korean and American officials next week would result in Pyongyang returning to talks on dismantling its nuclear programme. President Barack Obama's special envoy, Stephen Bosworth, is to travel to Pyongyang next Tuesday to discuss restarting the six-nation talks, in the first one-on-one talks between Pyongyang and Washington since Obama took office in January. more

US: October pending home sales rise 3.7 per cent

The number of homebuyers who signed contracts to buy previously occupied homes rose for the ninth straight month as buyers rushed to take advantage of a tax credit for first-time owners before its original expiration at the end of November. The seasonally adjusted index of sales agreements was the highest reading since March 2006 and almost 32 per cent above a year ago. more

World Bank to loan India $1 billion to clean up Ganges

The World Bank will loan India $1 billion over the next five to seven years to clean up the Ganges, the holy river that is one of the world's most polluted, the country's environment minister said on Wednesday. The 2,510-kilometre-long river that runs from the western Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh, supports over 400 million of India's 1.1 billion population. more

Zimbabwe economy on mend, 7 per cent growth seen in 2010

 Zimbabwe's battered economy is on track to expand for the first time in a decade this year and to grow by 7 per cent in 2010 as key sectors such as agriculture and mining start to recover, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said on Wednesday. Biti said Zimbabwe's economy is expected to grow by a better-than-expected 4.7 per cent this year. more

Germany to post record rise in solar capacity

Germany will add a record of up to 3 gigawatt (GW) of photovoltaic capacity this year due to unexpectedly strong demand in the final months of 2009, the head of Germany's BSW solar industry association said on Monday. 'We're all surprised by how strongly demand is picking up now,' the BSW managing director said. more

Global survey lists top eco-friendly retailers

Eco-friendly managers and staff are the key to making a retailer go green, according to a study listing 15 of the world's top eco-friendly retailers in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. Using solar panels and geothermal heating for energy sources and creating 'eco ambassadors' to lead initiatives were some of the 'green' activities underway but a common thread was the involvement of staff and managers. more

India: October spices exports up 27 per cent to 41,585 tones

India's total spices exports in October of fiscal 2009/10 was up 27 per cent in volume terms led by a surge in exports of small cardamom, ginger, and turmeric among others, the Spices Board said on Thursday. Small cardamom exports rose to 200 tons in October 2009 from 50 tones in the same period a year earlier. Total exports climbed 9 per cent in value during the period. Export gains were capped by spices such as pepper, vanilla, fennel, and mint products. more

New Zealand is world's least corrupt nation

New Zealand was last week named the world's least corrupt nation out of a list of 180 countries. The annual index by Transparency International ranked 180 countries on a scale of zero to 10 according to 13 independent surveys, with 10 being perceived as having low levels of corruption. New Zealand topped the table with a score of 9.4 after coming second last year. In second place was last year's leader, Denmark with 9.3. more

US existing home sales seen at highest since July 2007

Sales of existing US homes likely rose for a second consecutive month in October, reaching their highest since July 2007, according to a Reuters poll, as buyers scrambled to take advantage of greater affordability and a first-time home buyer tax credit. Existing home sales tally the number of previously constructed homes for which a sale closed during the month. more

US: October home sales rise 10.1 per cent from September

Home sales far exceeded expectations last month, surging to the highest level in 2½ years as first-time buyers rushed to take advantage of an expiring tax credit. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that home resales rose 10.1 per cent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.1 million in October, from a downwardly revised pace of 5.54 million in September. more

Virunga National Park, DRC: Baby gorillas to get new sanctuary in east Congo

Conservationists say Congolese schoolchildren will soon be able to take a closer look at orphaned baby mountain gorillas. Virunga National Park spokeswoman Samantha Newport says the park is building a sanctuary where schoolchildren and tourists can observe the 2½-year-old orphan gorillas from hidden platforms. more

Asian stocks hit 15-month highs 

Asian stocks rose to more than 15-month highs on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke repeated the central bank was likely to keep interest rates at very low levels for some time. Investors were also focused on US President Barack Obama's summit meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao later in the day. The MSCI index of Asia Pacific stocks traded outside Japan rose to 416.89 its highest level since late July last year. more

China's President Hu hails frank talks with US President Obama

Chinese President Hu Jintao said on Tuesday that he had agreed with US President Barack Obama to increase international cooperation, after 'frank, constructive, and fruitful' talks in Beijing. There are signs of revival, but still no firm recovery in the international financial situation, Hu said, adding that the two sides had reiterated commitments to increase dialogue on macroeconomic issues and resolve economic and trade frictions. more

Coalition group advocates electric cars for US

A coalition of energy companies, automakers, and shipping firms unveiled on Monday their cure for America's oil addiction -- electric vehicles. The group, the Electrification Coalition, aims to get 75 per cent of miles driven fueled by electricity by 2040, almost turning the gasoline pump into a historic roadside marker. more

South Korea targets 2020 emissions at 30 per cent below forecast

South Korea has set its voluntary 2020 emissions reduction target to a 30 per cent reduction from its forecast under a 'business as usual' scenario, the Presidential office said in a statement on Tuesday. South Korea's green investment plans are already among the most ambitious in Asia, with the government saying earlier this year it would pump $92.88 billion into environment-related industries over the next five years. more

The good news report from Canada

Canadian housing starts rose 5.4 per cent in October, a further sign that the housing sector is a cornerstone of the country's economic recovery. The Toronto stock market jumped 2.1 per cent Monday in a broad-based advance, to add to last week's gain of about 3 per cent. For details on these and other Canada news stories: more

US: Stocks leap to fresh 13-month closing highs

US stocks rose broadly on Monday, sending indexes to fresh 13-month closing highs, after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reinforced expectations that interest rates would stay low to spur growth. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 136.49 points, or 1.33 per cent, to 10,406.96. The Standard and Poor's 500 Index shot up 15.82 points, or 1.45 per cent, to 1,109.30 -- its first close above the psychologically important 1,100 level for the first time since October 2008. The benchmark S and P 500 is now up 64 per cent since the 12-year closing low of 9 March. more

Cultivating enlightenment, sustainability, and a stewardship ethic at Maharishi School

Through the students' experience of the home of all the Laws of Nature in their own pure consciousness, and creative exploration of the natural world, Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Fairfield, Iowa, USA, is developing future leaders, and environmental stewards. Dr Richard Beall, Principal of Maharishi School, describes the innovative environmental programmes. more

Indonesia: Students can create national invincibility

Hundreds of students in Bali are enjoying the benefits of the Transcendental Meditation Technique, and hundreds more may soon learn. more

Maharishi Light Therapy with Gems: Refinement of consciousness and balance in the physiology

Dr Rainer Picha, Minister of Health for the Global Country of World Peace, addressed the October graduation of the Maharishi Light Therapy with Gems Practitioner Training Course in MERU, Holland, commenting that the theme of the course is refinement of consciousness and balance in the physiology. Maharishi Light Therapy with Gems is one of the 40 approaches of Maharishi Ayur-Veda; at Maharishi Health Centers around the world, all these approaches will be integrated with modern medicine. more