Region

New York – The UN General Assembly approved a budget of $5.15 billion for all its activities, including mostly humanitarian aid and peace missions, over the period of 2012-2013. Meanwhile, nuclear powers spend more than 90 billion dollars a year on atomic weapons. The U.S. alone spends over 50 billion dollars annually on this weapon of mass destruction.

New York – Two years have elapsed since the devastating earthquake destroyed a whole country—Haiti, killing over 200,000 people. Still, three quarters of the population earn less than two dollars a day, 70 per cent do not have stable jobs, more than half of children do not go to school, and the great majority –70 to 80 per cent– had no access to electricity.

Rome – Damaged crops combined with conflict and insecurity are threatening to leave some 2.5 million people in South Sudan – the world’s newest country – in critical conditions unless food assistance is provided immediately, the UN warns.

The first “Ambassador of Peace” art exhibition in this region was held December 25, 2011. The exhibition was designed in line with The Peace Pals International programme was developed in recent times to encourage youths, aged 5 to 16, to become peacemakers dedicated to living in the spirit of the words, “May Peace Prevail on Earth”

We reproduce here a Report by Telam, National News Agency of Argentina. The boost to the manufacturing of laptops in the productive pole of Tierra del Fuego province, the programme My PC and the rise of the national production of software paved the way for an increase in the connectivity access to almost 60 percent of the inhabitants of the country.

Speaking of the ‘network’, the model and the tool need to be distinguished. As a tool, the network has limitations (such as accessibility); as a model, it can inspire a reconceptualization of the politics in which and whereby information passes from any node to any node, without having to be filtered through the ‘middlemen’.

Fifteen years under house arrest has been used by Daw Suu to develop a spiritual way of life that is the core of her being. As others have observed, this is why she always talks of a ‘revolution of the spirit’. Her insistence on non-violence and non-confrontation, compassion and equality are not mere adjuncts to her political stance, they are part of her spiritual path.

Accused whistle-blower Pvt. Bradley Manning turned 24 Saturday. He spent his birthday in a pretrial military hearing that could ultimately lead to a sentence of life … or death. Manning stands accused of causing the largest leak of government secrets in United States history. More on Manning shortly. First, a reminder of what he is accused of leaking.

Here we give diffusion to a great song by Mark Lesseraux that has become also a good video produced and directed by Matthew Dimakos:
[http://youtu.be/-b9Bj72qzjg](http://youtu.be/-b9Bj72qzjg)

It is a synthesis of the new spirit that was manifested during 2011 and surely will develop with strenght in the new year to come, since it reflects deep hopes shared by the 99%.

After days of completing the prisoners swap deal between Hamas Movement and Israel resulting the release of 1027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli soldier Gila’ad Shalit, Israel has begun a new escalation against the Palestinian detainees in a clear
violation of their basic rights and an attempt to begin a new system purposes to increase prisoners’ suffering.