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The main subject at the summit was the installation of US bases in Colombia. Alvaro Uribe defended the decision to allow them in order to combat drug-trafficking, while President Correa pointed out that “Never before have we discussed foreign bases in South America, and we used to have them in Ecuador for example,” and he stressed the creation of “criteria and rules”.

In Australia we still fail to trust Aboriginal people to make critical decisions about their future. In Alice Springs we refuse to allow Aboriginal people to manage the promised new housing after two years of the Federal Government’s Intervention. The Intervention is the most ill considered Government policy inflicted on Aboriginal people since the Stolen Generation.

Renowned Columbian singer Juanes, winner of five Grammy awards, requested permission from the Cuban government to put on a concert for peace in September, along with other Latino artists such as Juan Luis Guerra, Silvio Rodríguez, and Spain’s Miguel Bosé. The idea has met with some resistance from vocal antihumanists based in Miami.

Minister of Education, Dr. Leonardo Garnier Rímolo, demonstrates his support endorsing and organizing activities in the file of education for the World March. Dr. Rímolo considers the the March to be of great interest to the country, “Education for Nonviolence”, especially the elements that can be incorporated in the Costa Rican curriculum, is very useful in this moment.

US State Department advisers have recommended the removal of former Honduran president Manuel Zelaya to be considered a coup. If the Secretary of State follows the advice, the step could cut off tens of millions of dollars. Foreign ministers agreed not to recognize the result of a presidential election set for November unless Mr Zelaya is first restored to power.

North and South Korea have reached an accord on restarting a reunion programme for families divided by the 1950-53 Korean War. The reunions, which begun in 2000, were shelved amid deteriorating relations since a conservative South Korean government took office in February 2008. The reunions will take place between 26 September and 1 October at a resort in North Korea.

Former President Jimmy Carter and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited the construction sites of the Israeli separation wall in the West Bank and criticized Israel’s settlements in the region. Carter and Tutu are both part of The Elders, an organization of former global leaders trying to pressure Israel and the Palestinians to relaunch peace talks.

At the summit of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) to be held in the city of Bariloche, Argentina, Evo Morales, the President of Bolivia, will propose a continental referendum on the establishment of US military bases in Colombia. In recent declarations he has called for a defence of the interests of Latin American peoples.

High school students of St. Paul College of Pasig City form and document human peace and nonviolence signs as part of their preparation to the World March for Peace and Nonviolence. This is an anticipation of the “Million Human Signs for Peace” campaign which officially starts on September 21 (International Day of Peace) promoted by Genevieve Kupang.

The commander of the UN-African Union peacekeeping force in the Sudanese region of Darfur, Rodolpho Adada, says the mission has been a success. He says there are no longer any major bloodbaths and the conflict has diminished. Mr Adada does not deny that the region is plagued by instability; however, he says that ordinary bandits are the major cause of the troubles.