Counter-terrorism laws passed
The Australian government has new counter-terrorism powers following the passing of a bill aimed at cracking down on potential terrorists. The legislation will give unprecedented powers to police, allow terror suspects to be detained without charge for up to 14 days and impose a seven-year jail term for sedition. SBS

New laws to end riots
The New South Wales Government will pass new laws to stop racial violence such as that seen recently in the southern suburbs of Sydney. The new powers will allow police to lock down and take command of an area, search people and confiscate vehicles. ABC

Children in poverty "dangerously high"
At least 500,000 Australian children, or 11.6 per cent of Australians under the age of 18, are estimated to be living in poverty, according to a new report. T he report, which measures the state of Australia's most vulnerable children based on a number of indicators including their physical and mental health, housing and education, found those from disadvantaged families fared worse than others and the differences began at birth. The Age

Nobel Peace Prize for anti-nuclear chief
The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize says the world should work to make nuclear weapons as universally condemned as slavery or genocide. The International Atomic Energy Agency and its chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, shared the Peace Prize for their work in preventing the spread of nuclear arms and promoting the safe use of nuclear power. Reuters

Australia and Indonesia to resume military training
The Australian military will resume training with Indonesia's special Kopassus forces. Military cooperation ceased in 1999 when militia's, trained by Kopassus, c aused widespread destruction and killed East Timorese people following a vote for East Timor's independence from Indonesia. PM,ABC

Free trade is not fair trade for the poor
"The world's trade ministers meeting in Hong Kong this week carry with them much more than just the aspirations of their own vocal farm lobbies and exporters. The silent hopes of millions of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people will also rest on their shoulders.

Trade, when combined with more and better aid and debt relief, has an enormous role to play in making poverty history. A 1 per cent increase in developing countries' share of world exports could lift 128 million people out of poverty." Jack De Groot The Age

Celebrating Peace
A site focussing on educational resources to use with younger children including ideas for holding a Peace Festival, a Rights of the Child online game, an online art gallery, guidelines for running a Kindness Campaign and free activities for teachers to copy. Many of the activities are designated UNESCO projects for the International Decade for the Global Movement for a Culture of Peace.

www.celebratingpeace.com/index.html

The Mystery of the Three Kings
Who were the Three Wise Men of the Christmas story and how many of them were there really? This documentary looks at the journey of the Magi to Bethlehem, a story celebrated all over the world and one that is filled with mystery.

SBS TV, 3pm Sunday December 25, 2005

Peace on earth
Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be fair in thy judgement, and guarded in thy speech. Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness and a home to the stranger. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light to the feet of the erring. Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, a dew to the soil of the human heart and fruit upon the tree of humility.