The survivors of the Dow Chemical’s 1984 disaster in Bhopal, India, through a nonviolent campaign, are walking 800 miles to reach Delhi in order to remind Prime Minister Singh that he promised them an “Empowered Commission on Bhopal.”  Determined to remain in Delhi until their needs are met, they hope that their presence will attest that their suffering has not ended and that their concrete requests for medical and environmental care in Bhopal are daily causes of pain, birth-defects, sicknesses, and on-going premature deaths; and the numbers continue to grow.

One of the group’s representatives shared that they already anticipate acts of direct violence– since the Prime Minister failed to keep his first promise in 2008 to establish the commission and instead has worked closely with other US owned nuclear corporations such as GE and Westinghouse Electric to protect them from liability within India’s borders,  over 70 people from the incident have been subject to arrests and assaults by police, including one 75 year old survivor.

26 December 2009

Dear President Mubarak,

We, representing 1,362 individuals from 43 countries arriving in Cairo to participate in the Gaza Freedom March, are pleading to the Egyptians and your reputation for hospitality. We are peacemakers. We have not come to Egypt to create trouble or cause conflict. On the contrary. We have come because we believe that all people — including the Palestinians of Gaza — should have access to the resources they need to live in dignity. We have gathered in Egypt because we believed that you would welcome and support our noble goal and help us reach Gaza through your land.

As individuals who believe in justice and human rights, we have spent our hard-earned, and sometimes scarce, resources to buy plane tickets, book hotel rooms and secure transportation only to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza living under a crushing Israeli blockade. We are doctors, lawyers, students, academics, poets and musicians. We are young and old. We are Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists and secular. We represent civil society groups in many countries who coordinated this large project with the civil society in Gaza. We have raised tens of thousands of dollars for medical aid, school supplies and winter clothing for the children of Gaza. But we realize that in addition to material aid, the Palestinians of Gaza need moral support. We came to offer that support on the difficult anniversary of an invasion that brought them so much suffering.

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Pulling an All-Nighter to Transform the UC by some students, workers and faculty of UC Berkeley.

On September 24th, called to direct action by university faculty, workers and students, thousands walked out of the classrooms, offices, and labs at the University of California, Berkeley. We stood shoulder-to-shoulder on Sproul Plaza, in numbers not seen for decades. Our message bears repeating: “Whose university? Our university!”

Now, in defense of our university, in defense of public education, and in defense of our community, we’re opening the doors—and opening the books! As the Daily Cal reported on Monday, many campus libraries are being forced to close on the weekends due to budget cuts. We aren’t only losing our study space; major staff layoffs across the UC system mean that people are also losing their jobs. These libraries are the symbolic heart of the university. And the university will simply not survive if its heart beats only six days a week.

In response to this attack on education we are calling a “study-in” On Friday, October 9, at 4:30 pm in the anthropology library in Kroeber Hall. On this crucial weekend before midterms, when the doors of many campus libraries are supposed to close, we will say NO! We will stay, we will keep the doors open—and we will study for our midterms.

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From Thaindian News:

Mumbai, May 10 (IANS) The Indo-Pak Soldiers Initiative for Peace (IPSI), a NGO formed by retired soldiers of Indian and Pakistani armies, started a three-day peace forum here Saturday. According to IPSI vice-president Tej Kaul, the aim of the peace forum is “to promote peace and harmony between two nations”.

Congress MP from Mumbai Priya Dutt, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah and several present and former ministers would participate in the forum, Kaul said.

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah will address the gathering and participate in the conference.

As part of the initiative, there will be a march Saturday evening from Chowpatty Beach in south Mumbai to Mani Bhavan, around two kilometres away. Mani Bhavan holds memorabilia of Mahatma Gandhi.

From Sunday, there will be several seminars based on current topics like globalisation and peace keeping, Kaul added.

Voices for Creative Nonviolence continues its resistance to the prolonged occupation of Iraq with its Seasons of Discontent: a Presidential Occupation Project (SODaPOP). For updates, visit their website.