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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”.

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.

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.

About 776 million adults, mostly women, are illiterate, and 75 million children are outside the schools system, the UN Secretary General stressed on the occasion of World Literacy Day, and went on to explain that only education allows individuals to exercise their rights as citizens and human beings. Mr. Ban called upon all to redouble the commitment to universal literacy.

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.”

Three of the member countries of NATO want to urgently detail a plan of retreat from Afghanistan; this comes after the latest strike against two tankers at the start of September – implicating the West in the death of civilians. A conference will be held between representatives of the three countries to arrange plans.

President Evo Morales visits Madrid in the next few days. Using this state visit, the Evo Welcoming Committee has organised a meeting with the President and thousands of Bolivians, Latin American immigrants and Spaniards, who will show their support for the Andean leader. This event takes place on Sunday 13, at 5pm, at the Cubierta de Leganés.

James Elder, an Australian national, was appointed spokesperson for the United Nations children’s fund (UNICEF) in July last year. He appeared regularly on television and radio news, as well as in print media, discussing the plight of children caught up in Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil war. He has now been accused by the government of doing propaganda in support of the LTTE.

A spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission says votes from 447 polling stations have been annulled due to fraud. The cancelled ballot papers could amount to as many as 200,000 votes. Partial results released today give sitting President Hamid Karzai 48.6 percent of the vote while his closest rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, 31.7 percent.

Peruvian President Alan García has been accused by the Executive Director of Peru’s Association for Human Rights (APRODEH), Miguel Jugo Viera, of trying to force the Police to use their weapons to repress popular protests. During 2009 Peru has been witness already to 52 cases of people assassinated in protests in the country.