Europe

Joint Statement Humanitarian Dimensions of Nuclear Disarmament, 16 Countries – First Session of Preparatory Committee for 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: Austria, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Holy See, Egypt, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, South Africa, Switzerland.

Plans to install surface-to-air missiles on the rooftops of buildings within 2 miles of London’s Olympic Stadium with 10 troops to operate them have been met with anger and disbelief by the buildings’ dwellers. The city prepares for a £1 billion full blown police and military alert to respond to possible terrorist attacks. Some pensioners refusing to pay the London-wide levy

Many may feel satisfied to see the most ruthless media mogul of our times apologising for illegal activities such as hacking into private conversations, not just of the rich and famous, but also of murder victims’ relatives, just to sell more papers. He is not apologising, however, for the manipulation of the people to favour this or that politician, nor are the politicians.

Tens of thousands of people across all Spain protested in the streets against the new education and health care spending cuts proposed by the government, as the country faces its second recession in three years.
Mariano Rajoy, announced recently a new proposal of tax hikes to come into effect during next year saying that “Spain needs deep structural change, not makeup.”

By Christoph Dreier, (WSWS*)

The Greek elections on 6 May will be contested by the greatest number of parties in any vote since the end of the military dictatorship in 1974. Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that 32 of 36 registered organizations are permitted to participate. But despite the many parties on the ballot, workers have no voice in this election.

by Ter Garcia

The 15M movement in Spain has faced repression from the very beginning: 24 young people were arrested and beaten by police in the demonstrations organized by Democracia Real Ya on May 15 last year, which is a large part of why several dozen people decided to camp that night in Sol square, turning the demonstration into an encampment.

International humanist organisation World without Wars and Violence will be present at the upcoming NPT Preparatory Committee that will take place from 30 April to 11 May 2012 in Vienna, Austria. The PrepCom and related civil society events will be attended by members of World without Wars and Violence from the Czech Republic.

Even Medusa had another side. The much reviled gorgon was often present on capitals and freezes of ancient Greece temples to protect them from harm. As Syria heats up threatening to be the trigger for an all out conflict in the Middle East the complexity of the forces at play demands a careful analysis, difficult as it may be because of the vociferous propaganda from all sides.

Dear Friends, I write to let you know that I have decided not to attend the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates on 23rd-25th April, 2012, in Chicago, USA – writes Mairead Maguire of Peace People, Northern Ireland, rejecting the US State Department, NATO and the Chicago Agenda. “I do not agree with many of the policies of the US State Department.”

Dr Volker Jung, President, Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau, welcomes the co-operation between his church and the Green Crescent organisation and says that it is part of Evangelical understanding of the Christian faith that Protestants should be open to others. Pressenza retells his Internet posted story – copyright © Qantara.de 2012.