Region

The canine march “Pets for Peace and Nonviolence” took place last Sunday September 14 in the district of Baruta in Caracas, Venezuela, with the aim of denouncing violence suffered by human beings as well as the other living beings on the planet. The activity was supported by the town district, veterinarian groups and social organizations.

So say “Grupo Cultural Aruko Wakía” from Costa Rica, a cultural group that seeks to transmit messages of universal convergence on diversity and tolerance among peoples through music. In their words: “to be a part of this world together with other creatures and peaceful beings and to fill this wonderful gift, our Planet Earth, with life”.

Iran has agreed to negotiate with six world powers about nuclear issues, but according to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tehran will not negotiate over its right to possessing “peaceful nuclear technology”. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi also said that Tehran will not negotiate about its “undeniable nuclear rights”.

According to the Brazilian Chancellor Celso Amorím, the recent agreement with France on the purchase of military aircraft also includes transfer of technology for the manufacture of such aircraft in Brazil. As a result of the agreement between Lula and Sarkozy, Brazil will buy 36 fighter-bombers, a sign that it is strengthening its military industrial capacity.

Poor families often want their children to work in order to earn money for the family. There are employers who like child labourers in the unskilled and semi-skilled sector as child labourers are cheap and work quickly. People in society from the top to the bottom are responsible for child labour, there must be a collective will power to stop child exploitation.

The WM spokesperson in Europe, Giorgio Schultze had a meeting with the “Nobel Peace Laureates”. The group will receive the World March Base Team in Berlin during the Summit that will take place on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. On this occasion, Silo has been invited to speak about the subject of “peace and nonviolence in the present moment”.

Last April, World March organizers and Meir Margalit, councilman of the Meretz´s political party, agreed to build in Jerusalem a square to celebrate the World March. In the center, a six meters “green dome” will protect from the sun and circular seats will allow the place to be a “meeting point”. The square will be located between a Jewish and an Arab neighborhoods.

Labour MP Martijn van Dam responded to remarks by US President Barack Obama that the number of nuclear arms in the world should be reduced. Two months ago the president signed an agreement with his Russian counterpart, Dmitri Medvedev, to work towards nuclear arms reduction. The governing Labour party thinks that the Netherlands can remove its nuclear devices from Dutch soil.

South American countries spent more than US$51billion dollars in defense in 2008, almost 30% more than last year, according to a study carried out by the Centro de Estudios Unión para la Nueva Mayoría. Military investment is to increase further following a recent military purchase and technology sharing agreement between France and Brazil.

With the upcoming special session of the UN Security Council on September 24 approaching, Abolition 2000 calls on world leaders, “to focus attention and promote tangible steps that would reduce the nuclear weapons danger, and move decisively toward a nuclear-weapon-free-world, based on the UN Secretary General’s five – point plan.”