Faithful given message of peace
Archbishop Adrian Smith says the firestorm of racial hatred that consumed Chinatown and sent hundreds of Chinese fleeing the Solomons could have been far worse. "We lost buildings that can be replaced, but we did not lose people," he says. "Nobody attempted to use a firearm. Livelihoods were lost, not lives." He notes that after the last wave of civil disorder, which turned the Solomon Islands into a killing field, some 500 people remain missing, with bodies dumped in unmarked graves. The Age, 24th April 2006

World must do more to stop human trafficking: UN
The trafficking of people for sexual exploitation or forced labour affects virtually every region of the world, and governments should do more to reduce demand, protect victims and bring perpetrators to justice, the UN crime agency said in a new report. The Daily Times, 24th April 2006

Nepal: The battle for the roof of the world
After weeks of demonstrations, violence is escalating in the troubled mountain kingdom as protesters – rejecting the King's offer of democracy - are shot down in the streets. The Independent Online, 23rd April 2006

Bin Laden on tape, lashes out at the West
A new audiotape believed to be from Osama bin Laden urges militants to travel to Sudan to fight a proposed United Nations force for Darfur, and accuses the US and its European allies of waging "a Zionist-crusader war on Islam." International Herald Tribune, 24th April 2006

Sri Lankans hit by war, tsunami, flee new violence
Chelaiah Sunralachumi fled her home twice and lost her husband and two children in Sri Lanka 's two-decade civil war. Then, the 2004 tsunami devastated her refugee camp and she moved once again. Now, the 60-year-old woman is again heading back into the jungles of northeast Sri Lanka , fleeing new violence that is shattering relations between ethnic Sinhalese and Tamil communities and threatens the island's 2002 ceasefire. Reuters, 23rd April 2006

Nepal 's Crisis: Mobilising International Influence
As strikes and demonstrations across Nepal signal the approaching end of the king's direct rule, international actors must prepare for a transition and help start a peace process, according to the International Crisis Group. "Time is clearly running out for royal absolutism", says Rhoderick Chalmers, Deputy Director of Crisis Group's South Asia Project. "The people of Nepal should now decide the course of events, but the international community can help guard against the risks of a messy transition". International Crisis Group, 19th April 2006

The United Nations: It's your world
The United Nations is a unique international organisation of 191 sovereign States, representing virtually every country in the world. It was founded after the Second World War to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, and promote social progress, better living standards and human rights. Find out about the work of the UN.

http://www.un.org

UN Watch
UN Watch is a non-governmental organisation based in Geneva whose mandate is to monitor the performance of the United Nations by the yardstick of its own Charter. UN Watch participates actively at the UN as an accredited NGO and believes in the United Nations' mission on behalf of the international community to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" and provide for a more just world. We believe that even with its shortcomings, the UN remains an indispensable tool in bringing together diverse nations and cultures.

http://www.unwatch.org

Evo Morales
You may have heard of Fidel Castro and you may have heard about Hugo Chavez - now meet Evo Morales - the new kid on the socialist block in Latin America, and Bolivia 's first indigenous president. Morales' election victory in December last year was a landmark in the majority indigenous country which has long been ruled by a tiny white elite. If he has his way, Morales is set to completely transform Bolivia , and Latin America with it. He wants to rewrite the constitution to ensure a better deal for the poor, nationalise the gas and oil and devolve land to indigenous owners.

SBS TV - Dateline, Wednesday 26 th April, 8:30 pm (Repeated Thursday 27 th April & Monday 1 st May, 1:00 pm)

"Human security. is a child who did not die, a disease that did not spread, an ethnic violence that did not explode, a dissident who was not silenced. Human security is not a concern with weapon. It is a concern with human dignity." - Mahbub ul Haq, UN Development Program

"And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace." - James 3:18

http://peace.mennolink.org/resources/iraqaugust/

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