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GOOD NEWS
Humanist Press Agency
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Http://www.umanisti.it/buonenuove/inglese/bnhomeen.htm
Issue No. 34, April 9, 2001.
* H E A D L I N E S * H E A D L I N E S *
SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

* Switzerland: Algeria First in the World to Designate Gueltas.
* USA: Virtual Rain, Electronic Storms: New Tools for Studying Climate and Weather Prediction.
* USA: Primary Investigative Pursuits for MODIS.
CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS
* Turkey: Two Million Turks Celebrate Newroz.
SOCIAL ACHIEVEMENTS
* Austria: UN Drug Report Sees Hope on Horizon. 
* Sweden: Sweden to cut Greenhouse emissions.
* New York/Geneva: AIDS Triple Therapy for Less than $1 a Day.
* India: Restoring Family Links for Earthquake Victims.

HUMANIST IN TODAY'S WORLD

* Spain: Extended Coverage for Madrid's "Radio Pueblo Nuevo"106.5.
NEWS * NEWS * NEWS * NEWS * NEWS *
SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

Algeria First in the World to Designate Gueltas.

Gland, Switzerland, February, 2001 
Edited By Rocio del Valle 

The Algerian government has recognized the benefits of sustainable freshwater and has designated ten desert wetland sites known as gueltas and oases, which total about 600,000 hectares--the largest block of wetlands to be conserved by a Mediterranean country--as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Thus, Algeria will be the first African country to designate oases, and the first country in the world to designate gueltas. Wetlands play a crucial role in the supply of freshwater. Acting as giant sponges, they absorb rainfall and slowly release it over time, while helping to purify water and control floods. "Responsible governments should already be planning to secure the water supply for future generations." said Denis Landenbergue, Wetlands Campaigner for WWF's. A total of 80 million hectares of wetlands are protected under Ramsar around the world. 
http://www.panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=2190
Virtual Rain, Electronic Storms: New Tools for Studying Climate and Weather Prediction.

USA, February 2001 
NASA | Edited By Rocio del Valle 

The seasonal climate model being developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, a virtual model by oceanographer Dr. Adamec, is designed to simulate complex climate systems in cyberspace using real-world sea surface temperature measurements to set its simulated weather patterns in motion. 
Accurate analysis of total soil moisture is a major tool for understanding the nature of overall seasonal change. 
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=4571
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/2001/200101254414.html 
http://nsipp.gsfc.nasa.gov/

By making nearly 200,000 daily measurements, the TOMS instrument, an Orbiting Ozone Observatory, can survey nearly the entire planet on a regular basis offering scientists a powerful tool for measuring and mapping ozone. 
http://toms.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Primary Investigative Pursuits for MODIS.

USA, February 2001 
NASA | Edited By Rocio del Valle 

The primary investigative pursuits for MODIS, Terra's Worldwide Biosphere Instrument, include the study of surface temperature (including fire detection), ocean sediment and phytoplankton concentrations, vegetation maps, pollution, snow cover, and more. 
http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov./ 

CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Two Million Turks Celebrate Newroz.

Turkey. March 21, 2001
UIKI (Kurdistan Information Office in Italy) | Edited and translated by Rocío del Valle

In Turkey, an immense crowd of up to two million people have participated in the biggest Newroz celebration (New Year, Rebirth and Liberation Celebration) in Kurdish history. This was the first time in many years that Turkish authorities allowed (under a limited schedule) this celebration. Nonetheless, in spite of such humiliating limitations and several provocations by police, the celebration has taken place largely without incident. Large crowds have celebrated Newroz in Kurdish and Turkish cities, as well as in places of exile, especially Germany, where the Kurds have been dispersed.
For more information: uiki.onlus@tin.it

SOCIAL ACHIEVEMENTS

UN Drug Report Sees Hope on Horizon. 

Federation selected as CIS pilot countries. 
http://www.undcp.org/press_release_2001-01-22_1.html
Vienna, Austria. February, 2001 
By Juha Uski | Edited by Rocío del Valle 

According to the UN's new World Drug Report, the global drug problem, often characterized as hopeless, is neither unstoppable nor irreversible. The World Drug Report 2000, the work of the Vienna-based UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, sees the most significant progress in the downward trend in production of the world's two main problem drugs: cocaine and heroin, with coca leaf and cocaine manufacture falling some 20 percent between 1992/93 and 1999, and with opium production dropping more than 17 percent in the past year alone. In conjunction with these trends, the main consumer markets have stabilized, or even experienced a decline in numbers.
Sweden to cut Greenhouse emissions 

Sweden, February , 2001
By Juha Uski | Edited by Rocío Valle 

Sweden's Environmental Minister, Kjell Larsson announced that his country, which currently holds the European Union presidency, would strive for tougher E.U. regulations on toxic chemicals and is already taking steps to ban chemicals that accumulate in the body. Larsson thinks the entire E.U. should adopt such a policy and stated that Sweden would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 2 percent below 1990 levels by 2010, even though the Kyoto treaty on climate change allows the country to increase its emissions by 4 percent. 
http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/scandinavia/01/24/ 
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9608 
http://www.gristmagazine.com
AIDS Triple Therapy for Less than $1 a Day.

New York/Geneva. February, 2001 
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) | Edited by Rocio del Valle

MSF has challenged the pharmaceutical industry to match generic prices and welcomed the announcement by generic drug manufacturer, Cipla, that it will sell its triple-combination therapy for AIDS to SMF for $350 per year per patient and to governments for $600. MSF requested that Cipla make the offer directly to governments and UN agencies. The offer brings the target price of 
$200 per year, presented in an MSF report at the international AIDS conference in Durban last July, almost within reach. The same combination would cost $10,400 in the US. 
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/pr/pr122.htm
Restoring Family Links for Earthquake Victims.
	
India. February, 2001
Lucis Trust Good News Agency | Edited by Rocío del Valle

After the earthquake in Gujarat, India, two weeks ago, the Indian Red Cross Society, supported by ICRC, set up a program allowing quake victims to communicate with their families in India and abroad. The worldwide Red Cross/Red Crescent network enables people outside India to request information about their relatives through their local National Societies. Since many people were displaced, inquiries from abroad may take longer. The Red Cross has assessed the needs of more than 30 villages. Messages have already been collected and sent through the American, British, and Canadian National Societies, as well as others in East Africa and the Gulf.
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/

HUMANIST IN TODAY'S WORLD

Extended Coverage for Madrid's "Radio Pueblo Nuevo"106.5.

Madrid, Spain. March 8, 2001.
Centro Humanista Pueblo Nuevo
mailto:africamn@terra.es
Buenas Nuevas Castellano | Edited by Rocio del Valle
The signal for "Radio Pueblo Nuevo" (106.5 Madrid) is stronger and coverage has been extended to he whole city of Madrid during March. We are extending our invitation to all organizations, associations, institutions, and persons interested in communicating with the city of Madrid to come by our Studio located at calle Berastegui, 6 (Metro Ascao) or to call us at telephone number 91 367 12 55.
GOOD NEWS
Humanist Press Agency
Publishes only news about social, scientific and cultural achievements and progress of humanity.
Issue No. 34, April 9, 2001.
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