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The US Air Force is standing down its plan to launch a nuclear-capable missile on the United Nations International Day of Peace. It’s a very small step, but it is a step in the right direction. It’s possible that the Air Force planners didn’t know about the International Day of Peace or even that there is such a day.

Mayors for Peace is proud to announce that its membership has surpassed the 5000 mark, making Mayors for Peace not only the fastest growing association of local governments in the world, but also, by far the largest international, direct-membership association of local governments.

The instructions were simple. “Get up you fucking bastard”, “Get up you fucking ape” screamed the soldiers, followed by kicks and punches. Sometimes the blows came from multiple fists and boots. Getting up meant squatting, half leaning against a wall, arms pointing straight out. This is known as a stress position.

Heavy monsoon rain in southern Pakistan is hitting children and women worst of all. Over 2.5 million children have been affected by new severe floods, and around 1.5 million women of reproductive age are among the now over seven million victims.

Nonviolence is a beautiful theory but it doesn’t work in the real world, critics have long argued. It is—they maintain—passive, weak, utopian, naïve, unpatriotic, marginal, simplistic, and impractical. In spite of these widely-held assumptions, however, people around the planet go on building one nonviolent people-power movement after another.

Message from Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Jean-François Julliard

There are sufficient indicators to interpret that we have entered a new moment in international matters. What started in Tunisia and Egypt with the “Arab Spring” has extended to numerous countries on different continents: from the Outraged of Spain and Greece, to Chile where students are demanding free and good quality education through massive, non-violent demonstrations.

After more of 1200 Km walking, the popular marches will arrive to Paris.

The September 17 the indignant marches will come to Paris where they will join to the global protest day opposite the economic and financial system. Their road will continue to Bruselas where they will claim a participative, real, and direct democracy.

Mayraj Fahim’s field is local governance and he commented on 60 Minutes highlighting the apparent success of the Indian Institute of Technology whereas in reality it was the nation’s failure to do research that is glaringly obvious to him! This contradicts what was shown on that popular programme. He points out a higher reality.

It is a year now that Silo left us in his physical body, bequeathing us and everyone a valuable message of the way of active non-violence to take mankind into a benign and adventurous yet non-harming future. We give thanks to Silo this day and carry on the good work. We watch as the protagonists of an open future take to the streets.