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 GOOD NEWS
 Humanist Press Agency
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 Issue No 28, july 23, 2000.

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 EDITORIAL
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 Humanists are women and men of this century, of this time. They
 recognize the achievements of humanism throughout history, and
 find inspiration in the contributions of many  cultures, not only those
 that today occupy center stage. They are also men and women who
 recognize that this century and this millennium are drawing to a close,
 and their project is a new world. Humanists feel that their history is
 very long and that their future will be even longer. As optimists who
 believe in freedom and social progress, they fix their gaze on the
 future, while striving to overcome the general crisis of today...

Document of the humanist Movement.

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 * H E A D L I N E S * H E A D L I N E S *
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 SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

 * France: Genetic modification could help prevent malaria?
 * Russia: Russia's scientists protest the disrespect for science in Russia.
 * EE.UU.:Assumed "Speed Limit of the Universe" has been broken.
 * Russia:The first international crew to live on the International Space
 Station is ready to go.

 CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS

 * Finland: Ethnic Minorities Organize Cultural-Commercial Center.
 * Greece: Parthenon Marbles.

 SOCIAL ACHIEVEMENTS.

 * Spain: Refugees and Reconciliation. 
 * Spain: International Forum on Human Rights.
 * Sweden: Falungong Supporters Protest in Sweden.
 * Vatican: Pope appeals to leaders for change in prison practices.

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 NEWS  * NEWS * NEWS  * NEWS * NEWS *
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 SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS
 
 Genetic modification could help prevent malaria?.

 Paris, France, June 26, 2000
 (By Juha Uski)
 AFP

 European scientists have created the world's first genetically-modified
 mosquito, in what they believe may be a step towards eliminating
 malaria by introducing harmless versions of the insect into the wild.

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 The first international crew to live on the International Space
 Station is ready to go.

 Moscow, Russia, June 29
 Newsgroups
 (By: Juha Uski)

 The departure of the first US-Russian crew (one American and two Russians) to live
 on the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled for October 30, Russian space
 officials said on Monday. The Zvezda docking module will be launched from Kazakhstan.
 "All the queries that emerged during the tests have been ironed out," said Riumin,
 vice-president of space construction firm Energiya, on RTR state television.

 The international space station is a project which involves 16 countries, including the
 United States, Canada, Japan and Russia. The ISS will be a 100-meter long complex
 of more than 100 components weighing more than 450 tonnes. This giant station is
 due to remain in orbit until at least 2013. Currently it is comprised of two modules --
 the US-built Unity and the Russian module Zarya.

 --------

 Russia's scientists protest the disrespect for science in Russia.

 Moscow, Russia, July 4
 AFP
 (By: Juha Uski)

 On 4th of July Russia's scientists mounted a nationwide protest to the
 government, against low pay and shrinking research grants. In the streets
 of Moscow about 300 scientists demonstrated, and smaller groups of
 scientists joined the protest in other major Russian cities. The large
 international reputations of these academics often contrast sharply with
 their paltry post-Soviet wages, which are sometimes as low as 50 dollars a
 month. Before 1991 and the end of the Communist era, science funding
 represented seven percent of the overall Soviet budget, and contributed 2.5
 percent of the gross domestic product, compared to 0.25 percent nowadays,
 according to Vladimir Strakhov, director of Russia's Institute of Earth
 Sciences.

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 Assumed "Speed Limit of the Universe" has been broken.

 Princeton, USA, July 20th, 2000
 Source: AP
 (By: Juha Uski)

 Since Einstein's Theory on Relativity, developed nearly a century ago,
 physicists have believed there is nothing faster than light moving through
 a vacuum.
 It seems nowadays that not even this is absolute. In an experiment in
 Princeton, N.J., physicists sent a pulse of laser light through cesium vapor so
 quickly that it left the chamber before it had even finished entering. The
 pulse traveled 310 times the distance it would have covered if the chamber
 had been a vacuum. Even the sceptics wonder: "The interesting thing is
 how did they manage to produce light that looks exactly like something
 that didn't get there yet?"
 The results of the work by Lijun Wang, Alexander Kuzmich and Arthur
 Dogariu of NEC Institute were published in the journal Nature.

 CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS

 Ethnic Minorities Organize Cultural-Commercial Center.

 Oulu, Finland,  July 1, 2000 
 ETNICA crew
 (By: Juha Uski)
 
 In a small city close to the arctic circle, immigrants of different latitudes
 have developed common projects during the last few years.
 Earlier on, they organized sports activities and even an international
 conference about ethnic issues. Now they have opened a common
 commercial and cultural venture. ETNICA Art Gallery opened June 22, 2000, to 
 display the work of ethnic minority artists, along with  works of lesser 
 known Finnish artists. The first artist whose work is being featured is 
 Kamutaza Tembo from Zambia. Each day, Mr. Tembo will also demonstrate, for 
 the benefit of small children, the lost art of wire model building at the 
 Gallery. During the following, month ETNICA will expand its function: it will 
 also become a shopping centre, where immigrants of different countries can 
 display and sell their products directly to the Oulu public. The center also 
 houses a small cafeteria.

 --------

 Parthenon Marbles.
    
 Delos, Greece, July 1st.  2000
 Source:Melina Mercouri Foundation
 (By: Aristides Zinelis)
  
 The famous British Doctor Christopher Stockdale has covered 26 n. miles
 between Delos and Paros.  This swimming marathon has been organized by
 the "Melina  Mercouri Foundation" in order to sensitize public opinion, and
 for gathering money for the Foundation's goal which is to return  the Parthenon
 Marbles to Greece. 
 
 With his action Dr. Stockdale wants to manifest that this will honor the
 international community and the cultural heredity of Greece.  As a representative
 of the majority of British people, Dr. Stockdale feels that with this return of the
 Parthenon Marbles to its place of origin a great injustice can be restored.

 --------

 SOCIAL ACHIEVEMENTS

 Refugees and Reconciliation  
 
 Madrid, Spain, June 29, 2000
 (By: Jesus Sordo)
 Buenas Nuevas (Spanish Good Agency)
 
 An international forum will start today in Madrid which will deal with the present
 situation of refugees and the prosecution of those who violate their fundamental
 rights in  order to reach reconciliation and create the necessary conditions for a
 debate that may bring the parties involved closer together. The issue about
 Pinochet was presented as an exampe of what this forum intends to achieve.

 --------

 International Forum on Human Rights.

 Santiago de Compostela, Spain, June 29, 2000
 (By: Jesus Sordo)  
 Buenas Nuevas (Spanish Good News Agency)

 The Galician city of Santiago de Compostela is currently hosting meetings on 
 the respect of Human Rights, the right to self determination and the right to 
 humanitary interference. The framework for this dialogue is sponsored by 
 UNESCO and counts among its players the Secretary for Amnesty International, 
 Pierre Sane, the commissioner of Human Rights for the European Council and 
 other representatives of organizations working toward the compliance of Human 
 Rights. The aim of these meetings, which will extend until next year in 
 various European cities, is to solve the dilemmas regarding the fact that 
 countries that comprise the Security Council of the UN are the ones 
 benefitting the most from the sale of weapons to warring countries. 

 --------

 Falungong Supporters Protest in Sweden.

 Stockholm, Sweden, July 21, 2000
 Source: AFP
 (By: Juha Uski)

 Some 50 supporters of the Falungong Movement, banned in China just less
 than a year ago, held a demonstration late Thursday in the center of
 Stockholm, in order to present publicly their Movement and to draw
 attention to the Chinese authorities' schemes against members of the
 Movement.
 "Originally  Chinese authorities backed the Falungong Movement, whose
 aim is to improve people's lives morally and physically, but the Chinese
 authorities felt threatened when the number of people attached to the
 movement grew", the Nordic spokeswoman of the movement, Lilly Wang said.

 --------

 Pope appeals to leaders for change in prison practices.

 Vatican, July 1
 Agencies
 (By: Juha Uski)

 Pope John Paul II has appealed to world leaders to change prison practices
 and reduce sentences. In an appeal for governments to revoke laws which
 violate prisoners' dignity, fundamental rights and the free practice of
 religion, the pope said that if detainees are not helped their detention
 becomes "a mere act of social revenge."

 Pope John Paul also said "a change in mentality" towards prison conditions
 and reforms was needed. "The punitive method" is not the only way to combat
 delinquency, he went on, and Governments need to "make greater use of types
 of correction that do not rely on detention." John Paul II acknowledged
 that progress has been made to adapt the legal system to protect human
 dignity while seeking guarantees to maintain public order, but added: "A
 lot is still left to be done. ? In many countries prisons are overcrowded.
 Some have some amenities, in others conditions are very hard, not to say
 unworthy of human beings."

 ------------------------------------
 GOOD NEWS
 Humanist Press Agency
 -----------------------------------

 Publishes only news about social, scientific and cultural achievements and progress of humanity. 

 Issue No 28, july 23, 2000.

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