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After having crossed more than 20 countries, the World March stopped over in Paris. On foot, by bus, by boat, to the cinema and finally to the Ministry of Defence, the international and Parisian Marchers, accompanied by the French spokesman Alain Ducq, made the 5 aims of this world campaign known, as well as their applicability to France.

The Manta and Montecristi Declaration, which emerged from the international event held in Ecuador in support of the passage of the Peace Boat, asks governments throughout the world for the abolition of nuclear arms, the dismantlement and recycling of foreign military bases, and the implementation of peace constitutions such as those that exist in Ecuador, Japan, and Costa Rica.

The YMCAs of Québec is happy to announce the names of the finalists for the 22nd annual Peace Medal ceremony. Exceptional individuals who have thought about peace, demonstrated it, and inspired it at the local, national, or international levels will have their contributions publicly recognized.  This year, 17 nominees are in the running in six different categories.

Coinciding with the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German capital hosts the 10th World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. Under the theme “Breaking Down New Walls for a World Without Violence,” speakers during the plenary session address the need to eliminate the ‘walls’ that still exist in today’s world.

This morning in Milan, sunny skies and over 3000 children and students from Lombardy welcomed the World March for Peace and Nonviolence with a celebratory parade, carrying thousands of blue balloons. Waiting for them on the stage in Piazza Duomo were Ivan Ramiro Cordoba, the celebrity footballer and supporter of the March, and Alessandro Cattelan of Radio 105.

Numerous volunteer organizers promoting the World March for Peace and Nonviolence arrived in Berlin from throughout Europe and the world to attend the Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. These World March promoters will participate in an international meeting, November 10 from 5 to 11 pm in beautiful Café-Restaurant *Kalkscheune*, at Johannisstraße 2, the city center of Berlin.

A novel idea favouring children has become a reality now that the Namibian Ministry of the Interior and Immigration has established an office in the maternity wing of Windhoek’s main public hospital. This initiative, supported by UNICEF, is designed to ensure that every child born in the hospital receives a birth certificate.

The Peruvian Government has sent four ministerial delegations to various South American countries to put into practice a proposal made by Alan Garcia, the President of Peru, at the last South American Union of Nations meeting. The Proposal is promoting a commitment to non-aggression, with the aim of ending the huge arms purchase in a continent seeking to eradicate poverty.

The city of Berlin commemorates the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Wall as guests, political leaders from throughout the European Union as well as the four allied powers that guarded the former divided city have already begun to arrive. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureates are also meeting at their 10th Summit which will take place at Berlin’s City Hall.

Since his arrival at the White House, Obama signaled that poor healthcare coverage in the USA was a major problem and insisted on pushing through his proposals. The historic vote in the House of Representatives was an unprecedented victory for the President, who had staked much of his political capital in the fight for healthcare reform.