North America

UN Security Council members have agreed on a new round of sanctions in response to North Korea’s recent nuclear test and missile launches. The new measures include asking countries to inspect North Korean vessels carrying suspicious cargo and requiring them to deny the vessels fuel. The US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, praised the agreement.

The White House said Monday that Obama and Netanyahu had “constructive” talks by phone ahead of the prime minister’s speech on the Middle East peace process next week.

Although the cold war ended some 20 years ago, Obama is the first U.S. president to commit to making significant changes in U.S. nuclear weapons policy to reflect new global realities.

Montreal, May 28, 2009 – In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s Bed-In, the organizing committee of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence has organized the launch of Bed-In activities throughout the world at the Montreal Fine Arts Museum.

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously condemned North Korea for carrying out an underground nuclear test Monday.

Pressenza announces Noam Chomsky, whom The New York Times Book Review has called “arguably the most important intellectual alive,” as a new featured columnist. In his inaugural article, the professor at the MIT and author of over a 100 books comments on the use of torture by the Bush administration to obtain evidence proving the connection between Al-Qaeda and Iraq within the greater historical context.

A joint American-Russian commission has concluded the proposed US missile defense system in Eastern Europe would be ineffective against the types of Iranian missiles it would purportedly aim to stop.

On May 15th, 15.000 youths walked in solidarity to express their civic involvement in the streets of Montreal, Canada. This event was organized by Club 2/3, the youth division of Oxfam Quebec. These young people walked in support of the populations in the poorest countries and of environmental issues. They are aware that individual and collective actions have a positive impact on their future and on future generations.

More than 2000 representatives of indigenous villages and communities from around the world are attending the Forum for Indigenous Affairs held at the U.N. headquarters in New York City.

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, welcomed on Wednesday, Rafael de la Rubia, spokesperson for the World March for Peace and Nonviolence in a meeting focused on the upcoming OAS General Assembly , June 2-3 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.