In our blog this week, Grace Buckley of the J&P Commission offers a thoughtful view of a recently attended event entitled “Invest in Peace”  featuring two parents who have lost children in the conflict in Israel/Palestine

Pope Francis openly condemns possession of nuclear weapons and moves away from church’s acceptance of deterrence reports PAX.

The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, has issued a statement on an upcoming conference on nuclear disarmament. "The Holy Father is working with determination to promote the conditions necessary for a world without nuclear arms," Burke said in a statement on Wednesday. The Director of the Holy See noted that Pope Francis "expressed his resolve in this matter earlier this year, in a 'Message' addressed to the United Nations Conference 'To Negotiate a Legally-Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Towards Their Total Elimination.

Text of Statement

Pax Christi resources

Sam Walton and Rev Daniel Woodhouse have been acquitted today after breaking-in to BAE Systems factory to 'disarm' Typhoon fighter jets. These jets are being used by Saudi-led forces in the ongoing bombardment of Yemen. The UK has licensed £3.8 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since the bombing began in March 2015.

Independent Catholic News

 

The Guardian reports that British sales of military equipment to Saudi Arabia topped £1.1bn in the first half of his year.

Campaign Against the Arms Trade :  Stop Arming Saudi Arabia

In his Twitter message on 26th September, Pope Francis said: 'Let us commit ourselves to a world without nuclear weapons by implementing the Non-Proliferation Treaty to abolish these weapons of death.' Meanwhile in New York, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States addressed the United Nations General Assembly, urging governments to do more to prevent wars, protect human dignity and work for a nuclear-free world.

Read more

On a day in which Pope Francis tweeted: 'I appeal for peace and disarmament: in this world wounded by violence, we need fraternity among peoples' - the Holy See became one of the first entities to sign and ratify a new treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. The treaty was signed by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, for the Holy See, and in the name of and on behalf of Vatican City State.

Read the article.

As the United Nations open the historic Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty for signatures, church leaders in the UK have signed an open-letter, coordinated by Christian CND, calling for the government to sign up.

Read the letter

Several blockades and actions took place against the DSEI arms fair at the Excel Centre in East London last week.

CAAT

Christians arrested as thousands protest against the DSEI arms fair

No Faith in War

Protesters begin efforts to disrupt Britain's biggest arms fair

Prayers and actions from Pax Christi

 

The Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) Arms Fair takes place in London 11th-15th September, 2017. 

Pax Christi's website offers resources for prayer and reflection.

Day of Peace to Stop the Arms Fair

Silent Vigil to Stop the Arms Fair

 

 

Religious leaders have met in Japan to pray for peace in the world and as a response to Pope Francis asking them to foster dialogue, friendship and peace.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons have produced a pledge which they are asking all politicians to sign for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

The Independent Catholic News reports on Trident Ploughshares campaigner Angie Zelter's appeal on bail conditions. The case arises from her participation in a blockade of the nuclear warhead store at Coulport on Loch Long.

Read the Independent Catholic News report on the first Scottish Nonviolence Conference at Kinnoul, Perth 14th-16th July 2017. 

The conference was organised by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (England and Scotland) Justice and Peace Scotland and the Church of Scotland. Participants came from groups including the Scottish Episcopalian Church, Quakers, Methodists, Pax Christi, Catholic Church in Scotland, and the Conforti Institute.

Watch the videos of both speakers talks at the link below https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUKmIIIRRX_YRS_PlNBAr2A

Justitia et Pax Europa, Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissions and the Committee on International Justice and Peace for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have relased a joint statement on nuclear disarmament - Seeking Human Security.  

Sir Vincent Fean on the Israel/Palestine issue.

Pope Francis has appealed for prayers and international participation in the 'One Minute for Peace' initiative to be held Thursday, 8 June, at 1pm Rome time.

In his latest video message which you can see here, Pope Francis describes as "An absurd contradiction"  those who speak of peace yet promote the arms trade which victimises so many innocent people.

 

 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is calling on Christians worldwide to join in prayer for just peace in the Holy Land by taking part in a Pentecost prayer service.

Win a place at Scotland's Nonviolence Conference

Are you aged between 18-25 years old and interested in nonviolence?  If so,  Justice and Peace Scotland are providing a funded place at the Scottish Nonviolence Conference - 'Reclaiming Gospel Nonviolence'.  The conference will take place at St Mary's Monastery, Kinnoul, Perth from 14-16th July 2017.  For more information on the conference and details of how to enter our competition.

Discussion Guide from the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council

In the 50th Message for the World Day of Peace, Pope Francis issued an uncompromising call for nonviolence as a means to secure justice and peace in the world. He reminds us of the clear words and courageous actions of his predecessors and of many individuals, Christian and non-Christian, who have striven for justice through ‘the sense and love of peace founded upon truth, justice, freedom and love’, to quote St John XXIII.

The Australian Catholic Social Justice Council have prduced a guide to the document.

A week ago the Ministry of Defence proudly announced that the UK is "stepping up across the globe: the fifth largest defence budget in the world and largest in Europe, rising by around £1Bn a year" How will this promote sustainable security with research and investment into those things that will keep us truly safe?

Nuclear Weapons Incidents and Weapons Accidents in the United Kingdom

 

A new report by Peter Burt for the Nuclear Information Service, published  February 2017, discussing the accident record of the UK's nuclear weapons programme over its 65 year history. It looks across the full scope of the programme, describing the most significant incidents in detail.

Review of the Report      Full Report

The complete elimination of nuclear weapons is "a moral and humanitarian imperative", says Pope Francis.

On August 6 1945, when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, I was an 11 year-old girl, 5th grader of a primary school.

Glasgow Churches Together have responded to the terrorist attack in London by producing a prayer service.

Access on GCT website

In 2 weeks time, Monday 27th March 2017  The UN will meet in New York to discuss a Nuclear Ban Treaty.  Watch this powerful film depicting each nuclear explosion since 1945 and watch our website for further information and ways to get involved.

Pax Christi has isues a statement on the forthcoming negotiations on banning nuclear weapons.

Statement here

Further informaton from Pax Christi

Week of Action

The United Nations negotiations in 2017 for a Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty, supported by a huge majority of the world’s governments start in March in New York. 
ICAN calls for a global Week of Action from 10th to 17th February.

Details on Scrap Trident website

And an interesting take on a serious subject : Global ban on nuclear weapons explained in Scots

In our blog, Pat Gaffney, General Secretary of Pax Christi UK, describes a new peace initiative

Negotiations for a Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty start in March at The United Nations meeting in New York. The Ban is supported by most member states – but not the UK. 

The International Campiagn to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has called for a Worldwide Week of Action from 10th to 17th Feb.

CND is calling on the UK government to play a constructive role in the negotiations and has called a lobby of MPs to give you the chance to persuade your member of Parliament. Lobby your MP

 

The Bishops' annual visit to Holy Land, 14-19 January, promoted dialogue and the building of bridges on the 50th anniversary of occupation.

The photo shows Bishop William Nolan of Galloway, the President of Justice and Peace Scotland, at the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza

Further information and final communique

 

Pax Christi International is looking for Young Peace Journalists to give a voice to people seeking refuge.

Further Information

The World Day of Peace is 1st January, 2017. 

 

• Pope Francis's message
• Resources from Pax Christi to help you mark the day. 

 

The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative gathered in Rome on 19th December to reflect on and discuss the Holy Father's 2017 World Day of Peace message Nonviolence: A style of politics for peace. The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative grew out of the landmark April 2016 Nonviolence and Just Peace conference, co-sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Pax Christi International, and is focused on affirming the vision and practice of active nonviolence at the heart of the Catholic Church.

More on the December meeting

More on the Catholic Non Violence Initiative

Justice and Peace Scotland wishes everyone a happy and holy Christmas

 

The Justice and Peace Office will close on Thursday 22nd December, 2016, and re-open on Wednesday 4th January, 2017

 

The Justice and Peace Office will close on Thursday 22nd December, 2016, and reopen on 4th January, 2017

Pope Francis calls on those who hold public office on the national and international levels to cultivate a nonviolent style in their consciences and in the exercise of their duties. Speaking to the group of diplomats, the Pope dedicated his talk to nonviolence as a “style of politics for peace” – the subject of his message for the World Day of Peace.

Full text of address

Earlier this week, the Vatican released the text for the World Day of Peace message, to be delivered by Pope Francis on 1 January 2017, the World Day of Peace. The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, a project of Pax Christi International, played a central role in suggesting the theme of the message--active nonviolence--as well as consulting on the content. 

Further information is avaiable on the The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative website

In his message “Nonviolence: A style of politics for peace,” for the 50th World Day of Peace, celebrated each year on 1 January, Pope Francis urges people everywhere to practice active nonviolence and notes that the “decisive and consistent practice of nonviolence has produced impressive results.”

Further information

Full letter.

New initiative from Pax Christi

 

Pax Christi International recently convened a team of 10 young people from all over the world, to train to become peace journalists and report about the lives of refugees and asylum seekers. The training and discussions took place exclusively online. Following their training, each team member interviewed a person in their hometown or area who had to flee their home country.

Details on the Pax Christi website.

Please ask your MP to sign this EDM
That this House notes with sadness the passing of Mr John Ainslie, the co-ordinator for the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), on Friday 21 October 2016; recognises that he was a fervent peace advocate and was an influential voice in championing nuclear disarmament; agrees that Mr Ainslie was a leading expert on nuclear issues; highlights the tremendous contribution he made to the Scottish CND, to the movement against nuclear weapons in the UK, and to the wider political community in Scotland; and offers his family and friends deepest condolences through this very difficult time.

The people of Syria are suffering. Countless thousands have been killed. Millions more have been forced to flee their homes. Across the world, Catholics and Christians from other traditions are invited to hold vigils on 31 October as part of a global day of prayer for peace called by Pope Francis while he is visiting the Lutheran church in Sweden.

On this UN Day of Action for Peace in Syria, Pax Christi International join all friends of peace around the world in calling the international community: 1. To immediately halt all aerial attacks on Aleppo and to expedite medical evacuations and unimpeded humanitarian access. Simultaneously efforts must be encouraged to restore a nationwide ceasefire with strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. 

You Tube documentary on WW1 Conscientious Objectors
This short film tells the story of an almost forgotten gathering of Conscientious Objectors in World War One at the old Quaker HQ, Devonshire House in Bishopsgate.  They represented a small minority who defied the 1916 Military Service Act - the law that introduced Conscription to Britain for the first time.

A new campaign briefing from Drone Campaign Network calls for renewed push to challenge the growing use of armed drones.

'We do not stop war by starting another war'
Pope Francis is giving "very strong recognition" to a landmark conference held at the Vatican last spring that called on the global Catholic church to reject its long-held teachings on just war theory, Cardinal Peter Turkson has said. (National Catholic Reporter)

Ten situations deteriorated in August 16 according to the latest CrisisWatch report. Deteriorated Situations:  CAR, DR Congo, Zimbabwe, Mali, Korean Peninsula, Kashmir, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Syria, Libya

This is an introductory webinar about a ground-shifting conference on the topic of Gospel nonviolence and just peace, which was held in Rome this past April 2016. The Vatican's Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace was a co-sponsor of the conference.

Nuclear Information Service research manager David Cullen examines the politics behind recent developments in the progress towards a nuclear weapon ban at the UN.

UK-made weapons are being used in Saudi Arabia's devastating bombing in Yemen, and the government continues to license further arms exports – despite overwhelming evidence of repeated breaches of international humanitarian law.

Pope Francis will take part in the final meeting of the World Day of Prayer for Peace when he travels to Assisi on Tuesday, 20 September. The World Day of Prayer for Peace concludes a 3-day event organized by the Sant’Egidio Community entitled this year “Thirst of Peace. Religions and Cultures in Dialogue”. It will see the participation of over 450 religious leaders of different faiths gathered to pray for peace and strengthen dialogue in the spirit of Assisi.

Glasgow and Edinburgh 14th September
Pat Gaffney, Secretary General of Pax Christi, will be visiting Scotland on Wednesday 14 September. Pat recently attended a conference in Rome on Non-violence and Just Peace, which delivered an appeal to the Church to re-commit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence. Pat will be speaking at three meetings.

Please ask your MP to sign this EDM
That this House is aware of UN estimates that approximately 17,000 children in our world are forced to flee their homes everyday due to wars, in the process experiencing haphazard and dangerous refuge, often having to miss out on their schooling, social welfare and health needs;

Nine Situations Deteriorated in August 16: Central African Republic, Gabon, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, Syria, Yemen. Improved Situations: Philippines, Colombia

In 2015 dozens of peace organisations from across the globe signed the Peace & Planet call to action. They aimed to put pressure on delegates sent to New York to review the implementation of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at the United Nations. (CND)

As we approach the 71st anniversaries of the tragedies at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Pax Christi International offers the following resources for prayerful reflection, study and action to commemorate those days and to work toward a world free of nuclear weapons.

Join your local Hiroshima & Nagasaki Memorials

Five situations deteriorated in June 16: Central African Republic, Niger, Nigeria, South Sudan, Turkey. Improved Situations: Colombia 

In his message for a new campaign promoting peace in Syria, Pope Francis called out world leaders who speak of ending the conflict, but at the same time fund the war through the sale of arms.  'While the people suffer, incredible quantities of money are being spent to supply weapons to fighters,' the Pope said in his video message, published July 5.  (Elise Harris, Catholic News Agency)

Deteriorated Situations: Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Turkey, Venezuela.  Improved Situations: None

An influential committee of Parliamentarians has today (10 May 2016) called on the British Government to “urgently” clarify its legal position on drone strikes, warning that its policy “may expose…Ministers to the risk of criminal prosecution for murder.” (Ekklesia)

Some younger Catholics may never have heard of Fr Daniel Berrigan who died on 30 April at the age of 94. This news will bring back a flood of memories especially for those who experienced the peace movement of the Vietnam era. Both he and his brother Philip were heroes to many, and well known worldwide as Catholic radicals. In Dan's case also as a university teacher, significant author and poet.

Deteriorated Situations: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Gambia, Iraq, Macedonia, Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan), Republic of Congo, Syria. April saw fighting escalate again in Syria and Afghanistan, and erupt in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenian-backed separatists and Azerbaijani forces.

Apparently unlawful attacks by government and armed groups around Aleppo in Syria have killed at least 89 civilians since April 22, 2016. Despite the rising casualties, Western leaders meeting in Hannover, Germany, on April 25 missed an opportunity to focus on the need to protect civilians in Syria. (Human Rights Watch)

A violent escalation in hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh has resulted in casualties and warnings of 'large-scale war'.  Nagorno-Karabakh, roughly translated as 'mountainous black garden', is a landlocked region that became part of Azerbaijan in the 1920s. While media attention is focused on conflicts elsewhere, this is in danger of becoming the unnoticed war brewing on Europe's doorstep. (Ekklesia)

To mark the 20th anniversary of the historic Seeds of Hope Ploughshares action, Peace News Press has just published Andrea Needham's book, The Hammer Blow, the gripping inside account of how ten women disarmed a warplane bound for genocide in East Timor and were acquitted by a jury  

Conscience, the peace building NGO, is supporting the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) this year (18 April 2016) by raising awareness of the £1.7 trillion spent by governments on war. (Ekklesia)

Eight Deteriorated Situations in March 2016:  Belgium, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Libya, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Western Sahara

Ask Your MSPs to Sign Motion

A motion calling on Scottish Parliament to recognise International Conscientious Objectors’ Day, 15 May, has been lodged by Alison Johnstone MSP. Ask your MSP and your list MSPs to sign the Motion S4M-15865.

CAAT has begun formal legal action in the High Court to challenge the UK government’s continued licensing of arms exports to Saudi Arabia. The focus of their case is Saudi Arabia’s use of UK arms in Yemen. The Saudi-led attacks – using UK-made warplanes and UK-made bombs – have hit refugee camps, schools, hospitals, a wedding and aid facilities. More than 2,000 children have been killed or injured in the fighting. There is overwhelming evidence these attacks have repeatedly breached international humanitarian law.

URGENT CAAT email Action
The evidence of Saudi Arabia's war crimes in Yemen – bombing schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure – keeps growing. Yet the UK and other European countries are still supplying the weapons Saudi Arabia needs to carry out these atrocities. The UK has licensed an astounding £2.8 billion of weapons to Saudi Arabia in the six months after the bombing started.

Increasingly complex and widening conflicts have taken a huge toll on children in much of the Middle East in 2015, with parts of Africa and Asia facing protracted and relapsing wars that show no signs of abating, a senior United Nations child rights official said Monday 15th February 2016. Describing in her annual report to the UN Human Rights Council how extreme violence affected countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Syria, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, stressed that groups perpetrating extreme violence particularly targeted children.

Global Call for Acts of Solidarity and Days of Prayer and Fasting for Syria. In solidarity of all victims of this brutal war 15 March 2016: 5 years since the start of the protests. Pax Christi International is calling on our Global Network and all people of good will to organise acts of solidarity and days of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria between 15 and 20 March 2016. We call on individuals and organisations to show solidarity with refugees and victims of war and violence and create signs of hope that peace can come again in Syria.

Deteriorated Situations: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Korean Peninsula, Yemen

The Holy Land Coordination visit to Palestine saw delegation of bishops join Palestinian Christians fighting against a barrier that divides their land. Bishop William Nolan of Galloway was part of an international delegation turned away from a disputed site in the Holy Land by border police this week. A group of 12 bishops from Europe, South Africa and North America visited the Cremisan Valley on Monday as part of the Holy Land Coordination. (Scottish Catholic Observer)

5 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in December 2015, according to CrisisWatch 149. Deteriorated Situations: Afghanistan, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Niger

The number of babies born in conflict zones increased by more than 125,000 this year to 16.6 million compared with last year, according to the United Nations. The figure translates to one in eight of all births worldwide in 2015, according to data released by UNICEF. "Can there be a worse start in life?" said Anthony Lake, UNICEF's executive director.

The UK Government is breaking national, EU and international law and policy by supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia in the context of its military intervention and bombing campaign in Yemen according to an analysis by eminent international law experts commissioned by Amnesty International and Saferworld, both members of the Control Arms coalition. (Ekklesia)

Eight actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and two improved in November 2015, according to CrisisWatch 148. Deteriorated Situations: Bangladesh, France, Kosovo, Lebanon, Nepal, Syria, Turkey, Venezuela

Vigil's Monday 30th November
Don't Bomb Syria: Edinburgh Rally, 5 - 7pm. Monday 30 Nov,East End of Princes St. Glasgow Vigil Venue to be confirmed. Vigil in Biggar. There may be other venues

'Two years ago the UK parliament was asked to approve bombing government forces in Syria. the proposal was defeated. Shortly, Parliament may well be asked again (but only if a majority is assured) this time to bomb anti Syrian government forces. The reason given seems to be: Well, all our chums are bombing, so the only responsible course is for us to join in. UK Quakers have produced a profoundly useful response to this vacuous violence. It merits close consideration.'

Deteriorated Situations: Central African Republic, Israel/Palestine, Macedonia, Republic of Congo, South China Sea, Turkey. As armed conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere continued to inflict much suffering and instability around the world, the heads of the UN and International Committee of the Red Cross issued an unprecedented joint warning about the impact of today’s conflicts on civilians and called on states to redouble their efforts to find sustainable solutions to conflicts

Pax Christi International is deeply distressed at the scenes of escalating violence in Palestine & Israel. Pax Christi International has worked for many years with Palestinian and Israeli human rights and peace organizations to support their work for a just peace in the Middle East based on human rights. Around the world our members and partners are praying for all those whose lives are being destroyed by violence. We are convinced that nonviolent, legal and political solutions are the only way to stop the violence.

10 Actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and 3 improved in September 2015, according to CrisesWatch 146. Deteriorated Situations: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Somalia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Yemen. Conflict Risk Alerts: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic

9 Actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and 3 improved in August 2015, according to CrisisWatch 145. Deteriorated Situations: Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Colombia/Venezuela, Guatemala, Kashmir, Lebanon, Nepal, Yemen

Parliament is now in recess, but your MP might be able to sign the motion electronically, or can sign it when Parliament resumes.  Early Day Motion (EDM) 152 calls on the government, as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, to investigate the ethical issues associated with the use of armed drones and specifically calls on the Government “to devise and disclose a distinct and overarching policy on the use of British military drones as part of British defence strategy.”

The Day of Prayer against the arms trade is taking place on Sunday 13 September; just a few days before one of the world's largest arms fairs is due to take place in London. A pack is available, which includes ideas for events and actions, bible readings, hymns and prayers. "For Christians, turning swords into ploughshares is not just a biblical injunction but an inspiration to our modern world to act against war and those who wage it".  Alun Morinan, Christian Network Co-ordinator 2005-2010

Deteriorated Situations: Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Kashmir, Turkey, Yemen. July saw a worsening of the situation in Yemen, where nearly 2,000 civilians have been killed since the war started in March, while in Turkey a dramatic escalation in violence led to the collapse of the state's two-year-old ceasefire with Kurdish insurgents

21 events will take place across Scotland to mark the 70th anniversary of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by atomic bombs. They will be held in Aberdeen, Anstruther, Ayr, Coatbridge, Dunbar, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Helensburgh, Irvine, Kilmarnock, Paisley, Rutherglen and Stirling.  (From Scottish CND)

8 July/2015 marks a year since Israel launched Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, a conflict that lasted 51 days, claimed 2,251 lives, including the lives of 551 children, displaced more than half a million people, and destroyed 77 health facilities and 261 schools. Each day, an average of 680 tank and artillery shells pummelled the densely populated areas of Gaza, leaving barely anywhere safe. Although the report recognises that Israel issued warnings to people to evacuate, there was often nowhere for them to evacuate to and no means of escaping the conflict zone. (House of Commons: 8 July 201

Deteriorated Situations: Afghanistan, Chad, Kuwait, Myanmar, Tunisia. Extremist violence again dominated the month, with deadly attacks hitting Tunisia, Kuwait and Chad, while in Afghanistan the Taliban made further territorial gains and launched an unprecedented number of attacks.

Almost 60 million people worldwide were forcibly uprooted by conflict and persecution at the end of last year, the highest ever recorded number, the U.N. refugee agency said on Thursday, warning that the situation could deteriorate further. More than half the displaced from crises including Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia were children, UNHCR said in its annual Global Trends Report. (Joseph D'Urso, Thomson Reuters Foundation)

10 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and 2 improved in May 2015, according to CrisisWatch N°142.  Deteriorated Situations: Afghanistan, Burundi, Colombia, Korean Peninsula, Macedonia, Pakistan, South China Sea, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Yemen

Millions of people are in need of a greater assistance across Iraq, says Stephen O’Brien, the new Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, following a two-day visit to the strife-torn country. “It’s imperative at this critical time we do more to mitigate the suffering of the Iraqi people. Much has been done, but the needs continue to increase and more is needed,” stated Mr. O’Brien, who assumed his post as UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the beginning of June. (Ekklesia)

8 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and one improved in April 2015, according to CrisisWatch N°141. Deteriorated Situations: Burundi, Chad, Colombia, Kashmir, Nepal, South Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen

In sourcing resources coming from conflict-affected or high-risk areas, European businesses are at risk of fuelling violence to the detriment of human rights, peace and development. In this way, “blood minerals” find their way into our computers, our telephones, our cars.

Military Investment is still a Significant Global Problem
On this Global Day of Action on Military Spending, 13 April 2015, Pax Christi International expresses deep concern about the scandal of excessive military spending in a world where human and ecological well-being are in dire need of investment. Figures recently published by SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, estimate world military expenditures in real terms for 2014 at roughly $ 1.8 trillion, a significant increase from the already shocking $ 1.75 trillion spent in 2013.

3 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and 4 improved in March 2015, according to CrisisWatch N°140.  Deteriorated Situations: Burundi, South Sudan, Yemen. Improved Situations: Colombia, Guinea-Bissau, Myanmar, Nigeria

Last month the arms industry held a £246/head dinner. Over 40 MPs from across the three main political parties attended to 'network' with hundreds of arms company representatives. CAAT interrupted the dinner to highlight the scandal of spending billions on war while the basic needs of millions of people in this country are not being met. Can you help make sure all MPs get this message?

8 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in February 2015, according to CrisisWatch N°139. Deteriorated Situations: Libya, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen

Ending the War and Saving Lives must be Top Priority
Syria’s popular uprising started in the city of Dara in March 2011. The merciless actions of the Syrian Government – whose campaign of violent repression against what were originally peaceful protesters began four long years ago – have now morphed into wave upon wave of pitiless assaults by all sides. The Syrian conflict has killed well in excess of 200.000 people, and continues to kill more every day. It has involved the torture and ill-treatment of countless others; forced millions to flee; and deprived even more of the basic conditions for a decent life, including the rights to education, food, healthcare and housing.

8 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in February 2015, according to CrisisWatch N°139.  Deteriorated Situations: Libya, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen

Newly elected minister for refugees and repatriation Mr. Hussain Alami Balkhi has now written to all countries to stop all repatriation and forced expulsions to Afghanistan. In an audio interview the Minister urges all the deporting countries to halt deportations to Afghanistan. The ministers says; situation in Afghanistan was getting better after 2011 that is why MOUs were signed with some European countries including Norway to return those Afghans back to Afghanistan who are coming from safe provinces and they are able to return back to their own provinces. In the MOU it was clearly stated that those refugees who are coming from dangerous provinces won't be returned. It was also agreed in the MOU that women and children won't be returned back to Afghanistan.

"The conflict took an extreme toll on civilians in 2014. Mortars, IEDs, gunfire and other explosives destroyed human life, stole limbs and ruined lives at unprecedented levels. The thousands of Afghan children, women and men killed and injured in 2014 attest to failures to protect civilians from harm. All parties must uphold the values they claim to defend and make protecting civilians their first priority."

8 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and 1 improved in January 2015, according to CrisisWatch N°138. Deteriorated Situations: Bangladesh, Lebanon, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen

An international group of bishops spent their first day in the Holy Land yesterday, in Gaza, where they saw at first hand the impact of last summer's conflict which claimed the lives of more than 2,100 Palestinians, including 504 children,  and 70 Israelis. Much of the densely-populated territory, which is only 25 miles long and seven miles wide at its broadest point, was repeatedly bombed.

A bomb strapped to a girl aged around 10 years old exploded in a busy market place in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Saturday 10 Jan, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 20, security sources said. "The explosive devices were wrapped around her body and the girl looked no more than 10 years old," a police source said. (Reuters Foundation, 10/01/15)

The UK government is facing calls for the publication of the Chilcot report into the causes of the war in Iraq as a matter of urgency before the general election on 7 May 2015. Disarmament advocates and politicians - including the Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament - have repeatedly made this call, which was renewed as a demand at Westminster. (Ekklesia)

1.5 billion people (about one quarter of the world's population) continue to live in fear of violence. War, characterised by formal peace agreements and U.N. peacekeeping operations, is being replaced by insecurity caused by urban and cross-border crime, such as drugs, human trafficking and gun trade. According to the report, such violence poses one of the biggest threats to development in the 21st century. Experts are warning of a new epidemic caused by a rise in the number of 'fragile cities' in the world - spaces where violence is flourishing and creating humanitarian crises on par with war zones. (Phil Champain, TRF, 08/12/14)

Ten ways we had an impact on the arms trade in 2014
Take CAAT's whistle stop tour of some of the amazing things that you have helped achieve this year. In 2014, the UK's shameful role in arming countries involved in conflict and human rights abuses has been all too apparent. In July, Israel launched its ground offensive in Gaza and the Malaysian airlines passenger jet was shot down in Ukraine. In the same week, Israeli, Russian and Ukrainian weapons companies touted for sales alongside each other at Farnborough International arms fair.

Five months after the start of World War I, along the Western Front, where already hundreds of thousands of soldiers from throughout Europe, India, Australia, and Canada had lost their lives, so-called enemies ventured from their trenches to talk with each other, retrieve corpses, share gifts from home, tell jokes, sing songs, and kick around make-shift footballs.  The Scottish peace movement are gathering in Glasgow on Christmas Eve at 1:30 pm to remember the Christmas truce of 1914. Assemble at Dewar's statue in Glasgow city centre.

Open Bethlehem + director Q&As
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness. Armed with her camera and a dilapidated family car that keeps breaking down, Bethlehem-born Leila Sansour returns to her childhood home to make a deeply personal film about a legendary town in crisis. 11- 14th Dec

4 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and one improved in October 2014, according to CrisisWatch N°136. Deteriorated Situations: Afghanistan, Colombia, Egypt, Kenya

Please ask your MP to sign this EDM
That the Amendment, done at Washington on 22 July 2014, to the Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the government of the United States of America for Cooperation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defense Purposes (Cm. 8947), a copy of which was laid before this House on 16 October 2014, should not be ratified

8 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in October 2014, according to CrisisWatch N°135. Burkina Faso; Central African Republic; Yemen; Lebanon; Venezuela; Mexico; Kasmir. Iraq

Please ask your MP to sign this EDM
John McDonnell MP has produced an Early Day Motion calling on MPs to support a tax shift away from military activity towards non-military conflict resolution. Get your MP to back EDM 350 - so we can all have the opportunity to pay for peace

War is rather like alcohol—it goes to people’s heads. Not long ago the House of Commons had an emergency debate about IS, the Muslim terror group which has taken large parts of Iraq and Syria. Over 500 MPs voted for bombing. Only just over 40 voted ‘No’. Pope Francis’s wise words were not noticed or heeded. Take the issue to the UN Security Council, said he, and let the UN find ways of dealing with IS. The UN has been marginalised for years by major powers adopting military solutions. Military solutions look like a quick fix but usually make matters worse. (Bruce Kent, NJPN Universe column)

This month UK-made tear gas was turned on democracy protesters in Hong Kong, but the government has not stopped the sales From Israel to Hong Kong, the UK's arms export controls system is broken. We have to change the game. The government's own rules state that it should not allow weapons to be sold where there is a significant risk that they might be used for internal repression or in violation of international humanitarian law.

4 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in September 2014, according to CrisisWatch N°134. Deteriorated Situations: Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen

Legislation will enter into force within months
David Grimason, whose son was killed by a gunman with an illegal weapon, has strongly welcomed news that today 50 states will have ratified the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). It means the global Treaty will enter into international law before the end of the year. A group of states will jointly announce they have ratified the Treaty at an event at the United Nations in New York - taking it beyond the 50 required to enter into force. (Sara Cowan, Oxfam Scotland)

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin signed the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) as part of his visit to the opening of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Control Arms welcomes Ukraine joining the Treaty and urges them to begin the ratification process as soon as possible. The ATT, once ratified and implemented, will reduce the flow of weapons into – as well as out of – the country, which will ultimately help make Ukraine a safer place.

The use of unmanned drones to launch so-called ‘risk free’ attacks in remote areas of the world has rocketed over the past decade. While manufacturers and operators insist that drones are precise and pinpoint accurate, researchers have documented hundreds of civilians deaths in drone strikes – and there are likely to be many more.

12 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in August 2014, according to CrisisWatch N°133. Deteriorated Situations: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Kashmir, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen

Brake failures, vehicle breakdowns, false alarms, and map-reading errors are among dozens of safety incidents which have plagued convoys carrying nuclear weapons and military special nuclear materials on Britain's roads over the last seven years, according to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act.  (Nuclear Information Service)

To mark three weeks since the Israeli military incursion into Gaza began, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is asking supporters around the world to send postcards to the UN General Secretary, Ban Ki Moon, telling him the world is watching what he does in forging a lasting peace. The action is in solidarity with the people of Gaza and in particular the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU).

The tragedy of war and the horrendous suffering of the Syrian people continue without respite. Pax Christi International believes that this armed confrontation – which continues to destabilize the region affecting mostly civilians – can be stopped if the international community focuses on promoting serious political negotiations and discourages violence in all its forms.

As lives continue to be torn apart in Gaza, it seems likely that UK arms exports have played a direct role in Israel's attacks. In 2009, David Miliband, then Foreign Secretary, confirmed that Israeli weapons used in Gaza in the 2008-9 conflict 'almost certainly'" contained UK-supplied components. Yet the UK has approved over £47 million in arms sales to Israel since then – and spends millions on buying its 'battle-tested' weapons exports.

7 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in July 2014, according to CrisisWatch N°132. Deteriorated Situations: Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan

Since early July, hundreds of innocent civilians – many of them children – have been killed in Gaza. Over 7,500 homes destroyed by bombs, shells and rocket fire. Refugee camps, hospitals, schools, and places of worship have been hit. Many people have no electricity, no running water, no doctors. These people need help, so SCIAF have launched an emergency Conflict Appeal.

Sexual Violence Beyond the Conflict Zone

Often dubbed the 'rape capital of the world', the Democratic Republic of Congo has seen an alarming increase in rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war since the conflict in the early 1990's, and remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman.  But new research published by Freedom from Torture shows that persecutory rape, including gang rape and multiple rape, is also being used routinely by state officials in the DRC to punish politically active women, in the country's capital Kinshasa and other regions outside the armed conflict region.

A convoy of more than 20 military vehicles drove through the centre of Glasgow on the M74 shortly after midnight on the 10th of July.. The convoy included four special lorries which transport Trident nuclear bombs. The convoy was stopped for one hour near Loch Lomond by protestors from Faslane Peace Camp. One climbed on top of a nuclear transporter. Four peace campers were arrested.

The violence in Iraq is hastening the end of nearly 2,000 years of Christianity there as the few remaining faithful flee Islamic State militants, archbishops from Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk said on Wednesday. War and sectarian conflict have shrunk Iraq's Christian population to about 400,000 from 1.5 million before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, and now even those who stayed are leaving for Turkey, Lebanon and western Europe, the prelates said on a visit to Brussels seeking European Union help to protect their flocks.

6 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in June 2014. Deteriorated Situations: Iraq, Kenya, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Yemen

Congolese soldiers march through the night, but not towards battle. In the dark, they are hunting for women who have fled their homes in Minova to hide in the bushes. The women know that if they are seen, they will be raped and maybe killed. The army has been ordered to retreat to the town, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Its young soldiers, 2,000 of them, fire gunshots in the air. The commander gives an order. "Go and rape women," he says. The soldiers obey. (Kitty Knowles , Chiara Rimella, Indpendent, 08/06/14)

Please ask your MP to sign this EDM
That this House notes that Israeli forces continue to use excessive force including live ammunition and rubber coated metal bullets on unarmed protestors, including children and that 1,400 people have been killed in this way since 2000; further notes the lack of transparency in the investigation of such incidents; acknowledges the excellent work that Defence for Children International Palestine do in increasing awareness of these deaths;

In June 1914, 100 years ago, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand became the spark that set off the bloody carnage of World War One. In June 2014 women and men are gathering in Sarajevo for an International Peace Event. All the people gathering in the ancient city this week-end are working for a world where national and international disputes are resolved through mediation and negotiation rather than by violence

5 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and two improved in April 2014, according to CrisisWatch N°130.  Deteriorated Situations Kenya, Libya, South China Sea, Thailand, Yemen.

Remembering & in solidarity with all who have refused to take part in wars past & present. Reading the names of WW1 COs, Recollections from WW2 COs and family of WW1 COs. Protest in Harmony. Penny Stone. Bring poems, songs, reflections. Organised by EP&JC and Fellowship of Reconciliation Scotland. Thursday 15 May, 4:00 – 6:00pm. The Mound, by the National Gallery.

4 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and one improved in April 2014, according to Crisis Watch N°129. Deteriorated Situations: Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Ukraine 

APRODEV and CIDSE, two influential church-related development networks, have condemned the forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank, which they say is "uprooting any chance of a just peace".  They urge the European Union (EU) to address systematically issues of property destruction and forced displacements, to protect the rights of Palestinians. (Ekklesia)

Archbishop Tartagalia was amongst the speakers at the Easter Witness for Peace at Faslane on 12 April 2014. This is organised every year by Scottish Christians against Nuclear Weapons. There was a good representation of Justice and Peace activists. The Archbishop reminded us of the Scottish Catholic Bishops consistent record of opposition to nuclear weapons.

Since the start of 2014, more than 1,500 people have been killed in north-eastern Nigeria. People are living in a climate of fear and insecurity, vulnerable to attack from Islamist armed group Boko Haram on the one hand and facing human rights violations at the hands of the very state security forces which should be protecting them. In light of this context, the ongoing intensity of the confrontation and the organisation of the clashing actors, Amnesty International considers the situation to be a non-international armed conflict.

Please ask your MP to sign this EDM. That this House welcomes the European Parliament's resolution of 27 February 2014 that calls on member states to oppose the practice of extrajudicial targeted killing through use of armed drones outside the framework of international law; calls on member states to ensure they do not facilitate such killings by other states; further calls on member states to promote greater transparency and accountability on the part of all states using armed drones

10 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and one improved in February 2014, according to CrisisWatch N°127. Deteriorated Situations: Burundi, Central African Republic, Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria, Thailand, Ukraine, Venezuela, Syria, Libya

A recent report from the Nuclear Education Trust has concluded that ‘for now and foreseeable future [there is] no nuclear threat to UK’. The report has taken evidence from a wide range of senior establishment figures in politics and the military. There is an urgent need for a wider and more informed public and Parliamentary debate on nuclear weapons – and especially whether they do or do not contribute to UK's security. It also questions the legality of current plans to upgrade Trident.

12 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and two improved in Janary 2014, according to CrisisWatch N°126. Deteriorated Situations: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan), South Sudan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Ukraine.

According to a new report released on Saturday by the United Nations,  which also found that it was the worst year since 2009 in terms of the number of women and children killed or injured as a result of conflict-related violence. The 2013 Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, produced by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), recorded a total of 8,615 civilian casualties with 2,959 civilian deaths and 5,656 injured last year. The figures mark a 7 per cent increase in deaths and a 17 per cent increase in injuries as compared to 2012, the Mission said in a news release. Since 2009, the armed conflict has claimed the lives of 14,064 Afghan civilians and injured thousands more

In the early hours of Wed 29 Jan a 19-vehicle military convoy drove through Glasgow on the M74. It was transporting nuclear weapons from the Atomic Weapons Establishment Burghfield in Berkshire to the nuclear weapons' store at Coulport on Loch Long. It arrived at Coulport at 1.25 am. MSPs condemn transport of nuclear warheads through Scotland. NEW Twenty five Members of the Scottish Parliament have supported a motion condemning the transport of nuclear weapons through Scotland after a nuclear warhead convoy was spotted travelling along the M74 motorway earlier this week

In remarks made after a Mass to mark World Peace Day, marked by Catholics at the beginning of the New Year, Pope Francis said that peace is rooted in the strength of humility. "Peace requires the force of meekness, the non-violent strength of truth and of love," he stressed, congratulating a range of church-related agencies, including Pax Christi.

11 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in December 2013, according to CrisisWatch N°125, Deteriorated Situations: Bangladesh: , CAR. China/Japan, DR Congo, Egypt, Korean Peninsula, Lebanon, North Caucaus (Russia), South Sudan, Thailand, Yemen

Six actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and two improved in November 2013, according to CrisisWatch N°121. Deteriorated Situations: Bangladesh, Central African Republic, China/Japan, Lebanon, Thailand, Yemen

The UK government’s military research and development (R&D) spending is heavily focused on offensive weapons systems, which do not tackle the main threats to our security, says a report published on 30 September 2013 by Scientist for global responsibility

In the same week that US Secretary of State John Kerry has been visiting the Holy Land in an effort to broker peace talks between Israel and Palestine,  bulldozers of the Jerusalem Municipality, accompanied by Israeli Security forces, demolished a house belonging to the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Mgr Foud Twai. The residential property on the Jerusalem-Hebron road, near the northern checkpoint number 300 was home to a family of 14 people.

This week is the anniversary of exercise 'Able Archer 83' – a NATO nuclear exercise which took place at the height of the Cold War in 1983 and was interpreted by the Soviet Union as preparation for a surprise nuclear attack.  Able Archer is considered by many to be the closest that the world has come to an accidental nuclear war since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

3 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in October 2013, according to the new issue of Crisis Watch. Deteriorated Situations:  Bangladesh, Kashmir, Mozambique

Looking at our current situation, I wonder if we have learnt the lessons of Pacem in terris, I ask myself whether the words 'justice' and 'solidarity' exist only in our dictionary, or if we indeed all work towards making them a reality," said the Pope, in an address to participants in the meeting promoted by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to commemorate 50 years since the publication of the encyclical Pacem in Terris (Justice Magazine)

Various events are organised for this third annual Week of Action on drones to promote understanding and resistance to the growing use of drones and remote warfare. There will be a stall in central Glasgow on Saturday 5th October. And Edinburgh University drops drone firm investments

4 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in September 2013, according to the new issue of Crisis Watch. Deteriorated Situations: Central African Republic, Kenya, Philippines, Sudan

That this House notes that the arms export priority markets for the UK Trade and Investment's Defence and Security Organisation in 2013-14 included Libya, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; further notes that the UK hosts one of the world's largest arms shows, Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEi); agrees with the Committees on Arms Export Controls, in its report on Scrutiny of Arms Exports and Arms Controls, HC 205, published on 17 July 2013, that the Government would do well to acknowledge that there is an inherent conflict between strongly promoting arms exports to authoritarian regimes whilst strongly criticising their lack of human rights at the same time rather than claiming, as the Government continues to do, that these two policies are mutually reinforcing; is appalled that the Russian State Technology Corporation, Rostec, one of the main arms suppliers to President al-Assad of Syria, is exhibiting at DSEi 2013; and calls on the Government to end the promotion and export of military equipment to all authoritarian regimes.

Five Christians, including a Methodist minister, are to face trial after peacefully blocking one of the entrances to the London arms fair on Tuesday (10 September 2013). The five, none of whom had been arrested before, will appear in Thames Magistrates Court at 9.30am on Tuesday 24 September, charged with aggravated trespass. They were part of a group of seven Christians who held up travel to the arms fair for around forty-five minutes by kneeling and praying in one of the exits from Custom House DLR station, which leads to the Excel Centre, where DSEi is held. Supporters stood nearby with a banner reading "This is a dead end. There is another way." (Ekklesia)

Millions continue to be affected by the raging conflict in Syria as Pope Francis calls for a worldwide day of fasting and prayers for peace for September 7th. The Syrian civil war has rumbled on for over 2 years now. The most recent estimates suggest that 100,000 people have died and 3 million have been forced to flee their homes. 2 million people have been left homeless, in refugee camps or living in overcrowded housing in neighbouring Jordan and Lebanon. An estimated 560,000 Syrians have fled to Jordan, a country with a population only slightly bigger than Scotland. SCIAF has been working with our partner, Caritas Jordan, to deliver emergency aid to Syrian refugees and the vulnerable Jordanians affected by the increasing demand for resources in Jordan. Through Caritas Jordan, SCIAF has helped to provide food, water, shelter, soap, blankets, heaters and medical care.

The UK government is condemning violence in Syria, just days before inviting other brutal dictators to shop for weapons at a massive arms fair in London. Despite having threatened military action against Assad, it will still host his weapons suppliers at the arms fair. Next Thursday, as arms dealers from around the world make more deadly deals in London, MPs will debate the role of UK Trade and Investment, the government's trade promotion body. Can you ask your MP to help challenge its role in pushing arms sales? Please ask your MP to attend the debate and speak out against UKTI's role in pushing arms sales. CAAT have prepared a short briefing, available here.

Saturday 14 September 10am - 3pm.
Justice & Peace and SCIAF are sponsoring a tour of Scotland by John Dear in September. John Dear SJ, author and international peace activist preaches the gospel of nonviolence and has practiced what he preaches as former Director of The Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Red Cross Chaplain to the families affected by the 9/11 tragedy, on peace delegations to Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine Israel. He has been arrested on peaceful protests many times and spent substantial time in prison with Philip Berrigan for hammering on an F15 nuclear fighter bomber in an effort to beat swords into plowshares, according to the biblical vision of the prophet Isaiah. No need to book for this conference, just turn up on the day, additional tour dates can be found on the diary page.

More than a hundred thousand people gathered in St Peter's Square on Saturday 7 September in response to Pope Francis' appeal for a day of fasting and prayer for peace in the light of the dramatic circumstances which have engulfed Syria. Last Sunday, he declared 7 September a day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace in Syria and throughout the world. The response to his request was global, with religious leaders from the Middle East and all around the world - including the Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badreddin Hassou, the spiritual leader of Sunni Islam in Syria - welcoming the initiative. (Zenit)

The Summer Witness for Peace 2013 will take place at the gate of Faslane Trident base from 12 noon on Saturday 7th September. This will be an opportunity to meet together and to witness to our common faith in Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and to underline our belief that nuclear weapons are immoral and they should not be maintained or renewed. There will be a short act of worship with singing, prayers for peace, followed by a picnic. Bring food to share. Tea, coffee and juice will be provided. Speakers include: Bishop Joe Toal, Rev Sally Fulton (Church of Scotland). Short statements against nuclear weapons from a range of churches will be read out. Music by the Wild Goose Resource Group.
 

10 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and nine improved in August 2013, according to CrisisWatch N°121. Deteriorated Situations: Central African Republic, DR Congo, Egypt, Iraq, Kashmir, Lebanon, Libya, Rwanda, Syria, Yemen

The President of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference has urged “careful analysis and consideration” of the current situation in Syria and Western considerations of military intervention. Germany has already said that it will not take part in any US-led strike against Syria, making its situation clear ahead of the recent UK parliamentary vote along the same lines. (Source Ekklesia)

There are so many conflicts in this world which cause me great suffering and worry, but in these days my heart is deeply wounded in particular by what is happening in Syria and anguished by the dramatic developments which are looming. I appeal strongly for peace, an appeal which arises from deep within me. How much suffering, how much devastation, how much pain has the use of arms carried in its wake in that martyred country, especially among civilians and the unarmed! I think of many children who will not see the light of the future! With utmost firmness I condemn the use of chemical weapons: I tell you that those terrible images from recent days are burned into my mind and heart. There is a judgment of God and of history upon our actions which are inescapable! Never has the use of violence brought peace in its wake. War begets war, violence begets violence.

Dialogue is the only way towards an end of the violence in Syria

Pax Christi International is deeply concerned about the latest events in Syria. While we unequivocally condemn the use of chemical weapons, regardless of who perpetrated the attack, Pax Christi pleads with the nations of the world to recognize the responsibility and authority of the UN Security Council to address this egregious violation of international law and morality and to work with the United Nations to protect - without escalating the violence - the Syrian people. This should be done through urgent diplomatic efforts to stop immediately the flow of arms to both sides and to all militant groups and to bring all stakeholders in the conflict to the negotiating table.  Many states have helped fuel the armed conflict in Syria by sending weapons to the region; now it is time for the International community to cooperate fully on an arms embargo and to unequivocally back dialogue that alone can end the horrific violence.

 

Holy Cross parish, Croy - 29 August at 7pm
A 'reflection' on the end of nuclear testing, Holy Cross Chapel, Croy, 7pm The reflection on the 29th August is the date marks the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. The reflection will take the format of religious and secular readings, prayers and live music with a mix of reflective hymns/songs and instrumental pieces. This event is open to all.

The UK government has said it is deeply concerned at events in Cairo, calling for restraint and dialogue. But actions speak louder than words – and the government still hasn't announced an embargo on arms sales to Egypt. In fact, the UK has never stopped selling arms to Egypt. It didn't stop selling arms when Egypt was ruled by a brutal dictator and nor did it stop after the deaths of hundreds of protesters following his removal. Instead Cameron went on his democracy tour to Egypt – where he was accompanied by eight arms company representatives. The UK still approved arms sales after the military coup – and revoked just five licences after dozens were massacred at a sit-in in July.  F O Minister Alistair Burt told Newsnight that the government is on the side of the Egyptian people. If that's true, then it needs to stop the arms sales – all of them. Email the Foreign Secretary today to tell him that actions speak louder than words: we need an embargo on arms to Egypt and we need it now. Egypt must not be invited to the London arms fair in September.

 

to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention Meeting of Experts: 12-16 August 2013, Geneva
Pax Christi International delivered a statement at the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention Meeting of Experts which takes place in Geneva from 12 to 16 August 2013. The statement entitled “Standardise Biosecurity” focuses on the three standing agenda items (1) cooperation and assistance; (2) developments in the field of science and technology related to the Convention; (3) strengthening national implementation; as well as on the biennial item of how to enable fuller participation in the Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs). Trevor Griffiths, delegate of Pax Christi International at the United Nations in Geneva, presented the statement on 12 August 2013. Read the statement in full 

A committee of MPs have condemned the government for allowing more than £12 billion of "strategic goods" to be exported to human rights abusing states, such as Saudi Arabia, Israel and Sri Lanka. Their report found 3000 export licences have been issued to countries which the government has itself identified as having the most serious human rights concerns. This is really important. CAAT have spent years exposing the government's shocking record on arming repressive states. Now influential MPs – including a former Conservative Defence Minister – have looked at the facts and are making the same arguments. Please help us use this opportunity to reach your MP too.

Violence against civilians has risen by almost a quarter in Afghanistan as international forces hand security to Afghans, the United Nations said in a report on Wednesday, with insurgents striking in areas where troops have already left.  The report, presented by the Human Rights Director for the U.N. in Afghanistan, said the number of dead and injured civilians had increased by 23 per cent in the first six months of 2013, compared to the same period last year.  Women and children are increasingly the victims of the 12-year-old war, the report said, noting a 30 per cent leap in the number of children killed. The total civilian death toll stood at more than 1,300, with 2,533 reported injuries. (Alert Net, 31/07/13)   

6 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in July 2013, according to the new issue of Crisis Watch 120. Deteriorated Situations: Bangladesh, DR Congo, Egypt, Iraq, South Sudan, Tunisia

Hiroshima commemoration, 6 August, Edinburgh CND annual Hiroshima commemoration at the Mound 6:00 - 7:00pm, Bring candles, songs, poems, banners,  friends or just yourself.  6th August, Glasgow meet at the gates of Botanic Gardens (Queen Margaret Drive) at 6.30pm, visit the peace tree in that park, then walk on the pavement with peace flags to the peace tree in Kelvingrove Park (grounds of Art Galleries) for a short meeting and a song. Scottish CND Peace Cruise. On 9th Aug (Nagasaki anniversary) SCND is inviting you to join a 2h cruise on Clyde (Second Snark Vessel). Enjoy some live music and find out the latest SCND news and events. Assemble: Outside Glasgow Science Centre, 18.30, Departing: 19.00 Returning: 21.00. Book you place in advance. Only 45 places available! Ticket: £15/person.  To book contact Flavia, SCND 0141 357 1529  flavia@banthebomb.org

8 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in June 2012, according to the new issue of Crisis Watch.  Deteriorated Situations: Egypt, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan), Somalia, Syria

With the government's Trident Alternatives Review being recently published, CND have launched a new report,  'The Real Alternative: What the government's Trident Alternatives Review isn't telling you', was launched by CND's Kate Hudson who was joined by Labour MPs Joan Ruddock and Jeremy Corbyn, Lib Dem Tessa Munt and the SNP's Angus Robertson. The report finds that, ‘The government’s failure to consider non-replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system is an abdication of responsibility’ and says, ‘Non-replacement is a credible option, which offers serious strategic and economic benefits’.  CND argue the government should disarm rather than replace Trident.

Accused of shoring up regime threatened by Arab Spring - Vince Cable’s Business Department has backed £2 billion of loans to the dictatorship in Oman to buy Typhoon fighter aircraft. The absolute monarchy in Oman has strict repressions on human rights; any dissent faces harsh repression and the legal system is highly personalised with limited due process. The revelations come in UK Export Finance’s annual report, part of the Department for Business which backs loans for overseas buyers of UK Exports, (released 20 June 2013). Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, has claimed Britain is 'a beacon for human rights' around the world. That claim rings hollow when his own Business Minister is facilitating future human rights abuses and turning a blind eye to past ones. Tell Nick Clegg: 'Don't break your party's promise to drop dictator debts'

The Government's Trident Alternatives Review is due to be published shortly. David Cameron has recently announced his support for Trident, once again exposing the differences within the Coalition. Parliament is expected to vote on Trident replacement in 2016. The Government Review, while increasing discussion about Trident, has not included the option of nuclear disarmament. CND will launch its own Real Alternative Review to advocate scrapping Trident and not replacing it.  But before then, they need you to keep up the pressure by taking action. Ask your MP to sign EDM 150 Trident Replacement. Before the Queen's Speech, and thanks to CND supporters lobbying them, 97 MPs added their name to a call to cancel Trident replacement. The same motion has now been relaunched. MPs can sign once again, so we need you to write in again to push that well over 100 MPs.  Find you MP here

In 1986, there were 70,000 nuclear weapons on Earth. Today, there are 17,000. That’s more than 75% of the world’s nuclear stockpiles eliminated, and a symbol of hope. Presidents Obama and Putin – who together oversee more than 95% of the world’s nuclear weapons –meet on the side of the G-8 Summit to discuss further cuts to the massive U.S.-Russian Cold War stockpiles. It’s a critical decision point and a tremendous moment that can lead us on the path to global zero. You can help build this momentum by signing the petition

 

 The United Nations human rights chief today (27 May 2013) urged the international community to stop the escalating bloodshed and suffering in Syria, stressing it has become “an intolerable affront to the human conscience.”  Addressing the 23rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay emphasized that countries cannot continue to ignore the plea of civilians who are in dire need of protection and assistance.

A film made by Pax Christi that suggests how we could invest in people and their needs rather than in war and conflict

Give Peace a Budget : Seven ways to spend $1.7 trillion dollars was launched on Monday (15 April)at a meeting at the House of Commons.  You can see the video on You Tube here.  It is also available in DVD format with a simple discussion guide for use with groups, parishes or schools for £5.00 plus postage. The film has both an education and a campaignng function.  Read a report of the House of Commons meeting and the key points made by speakers: Kate Hudson, CND, John Hilary, War on Want, Anne Marie iielly, CAAT and Bruce Kent here

 

7 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and two improved in April 2013, according to CrisisWatch.  Deteriorated Situations: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Venezuela

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the security situation remains volatile in the so-called "Triangle of Death" - the area between the towns of Pweto, Mitwaba and Manono, in the Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). According to WFP Spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs, deteriorating humanitarian conditions and ongoing attacks from Mai Mai fighters have forced more than 200,000 people to flee their homes since April. "Inside this triangle, because of attacks of armed groups, the population have left and they have taken refuge in the three cities," she said, adding that the constant attacks, lootings, rapes had first sent the population fleeing into the bush. They then took refuge in the cities, where the World Food Programme is assisting them with food rations and humanitarian assistance. Reliefweb, 03/05/13

The number of people internally displaced by armed conflict, violence and human rights violations at the end of 2012 was 28.8 million, an increase of 2.4 million people on the previous year and the highest global figure ever reported by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). Over 6.5 million people were newly displaced inside their home countries in 2012, almost twice as many as the year before. Because these people have not crossed a border, they are not refugees and do not benefit from international protection. ''Much of the spike in the number of internally displaced people worldwide was due to the 2.4 million people displaced by the crisis within Syria by the end of 2012,'' said Kate Halff, Director of IDMC.

Hundreds of people from across the UK, France and as far away as New Zealand converged on Faslane Naval Base, homeport to Trident, at 7 a.m. on Monday 15 April, blocking all three of its gates and shutting down access, bringing traffic on all roads into the nuclear weapons base to a halt for 3 hours.

 

In 2011, global military spending surged to US $1.74 trillion. Given the numerous crises facing the planet — economic, environmental, health, diplomatic — it is imperative that we create a global movement to shift this money to human needs. We know that there are thousands of organizations and millions of individuals who support this point of view – what is needed is to begin a serious mobilizing effort to make it visible. A Global Day of Action on Military Spending is being organised each year in April to coincide with the release of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) annual figures on world military expenditures.

The vote for the first ever global treaty to regulate the international arms trade marks ‘an incredible moment’ signalling the dawn of a new era. The Control Arms coalition says the landmark vote sends a clear signal to gunrunners and human rights abusers that their time is up. After six years of diplomatic negotiations, and more than 10 years of campaigning from civil society, governments at the United Nations voted for the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) by a resounding majority (154 votes YES – 3 votes NO, 23 Abstentions). The treaty enshrines in new international law a set of clear rules for all global transfers of weapons and ammunitions. The vote at the UN General Assembly was held just five days after Iran, North Korea and Syria blocked the Treaty’s adoption by consensus in a nail-biting session on the last day of the Final Conference on the ATT.

There are three main arguments against Trident. One is the growing acceptance among senior ex-military types that it has no strategic relevance to Britain’s war machine and that its retention and likely renewal is more about having some spectacular macho bling to dazzle on the world stage. While that argument has significance and cogency among the political elites, it does not have huge popular force in a Scotland largely and rightly alienated from the whole of the UK war-making adventure.

Since early in 2010, that the cornerstone of the coalition government’s deficit reduction plan was radical and savage cuts to welfare spending. After announcing initial plans to reduce the benefits bill by £18 billion per year by 2014-15, they have ramped up the anti-welfare rhetoric further this year with the announcement that a further £10 billion is to be cut with a new round of reforms from 2017. What is absent from the government’s announcements on welfare ‘reform’ so far, however, is an analysis of just who it is that stands to lose and how exactly that loss will affect them. To some extent, the sheer complexity of the welfare system has assisted the government in hiding the cumulative impact of the changes.

7 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and two improved in March 2013, according to CrisisWatch. Deteriorated Situations: Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Myanmar, North Korea, Syria

The Final Conference has opened at the United Nations to a packed room and high expectations. Several delegations have sent their Foreign Ministers to attend the opening of the negotiations. During his opening statement, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon remarked “We owe this treaty to all the innocent victims of armed conflict and violence” and reminded representatives and negotiators that [they] are here to “strengthen and conclude the work that has been done in earnest since the beginning of the ATT process in 2006.”

The Scottish Parliament is holding a debate on Trident at 2 pm on Wednesday 20 March. The motion will be presented by the Scottish Government and there will be a vote at 5 pm, see Agenda for 20 March: Please contact your MSPs and encourage them to oppose Trident. On the day when the Scottish parliament is discussing nuclear weapons, the House of Commons will be hearing George Osborne announce his budget for the year. Please encourage MSPs to say that Trident should be cut, not welfare or public services.

8 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in February 2013, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch 115. Deteriorated Situations: Bangladesh, Guinea, Lebanon, North Korea, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Zimbabwe

Organised by Scottish Clergy Against Nuclear Weapons
The Easter Witness for Peace 2013 will take place at the gate of Faslane Trident base from 12 noon on Saturday 23 March. This will be an opportunity to meet together and to witness to our common faith in Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and to underline our belief that nuclear weapons are immoral and they should not be maintained or renewed. There will be a short act of worship with singing, prayers for peace, followed by a picnic. Bring food to share. Tea, coffee and juice will be provided. Speakers: Rev Sally Fulton (Church of Scotland), Bishop Joe Toal (Catholic Church) and Bruce Kent (Vice President, CND).  Short statements against nuclear weapons from a range of churches will be read out. Music by the Wild Goose Resource Group.

That this House calls on the Government to recognise the dire water situation faced by Palestinians in Gaza; notes reports by both the World Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme that found the water crisis in Gaza to be critical and potentially irreversible by 2020; recognises that Gaza is almost completely dependent on a coastal aquifer but that low levels of rainfall have left it filled with inconsumable sea water; expresses concern that Israeli occupation policies in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip mean that essential access to consumable water supplies by Palestinians is hampered; and calls on the Government to lobby its counterparts in Israel to ensure adequate water sources and supplies are restored.

Small arms weaponry, ammunition and various other military equipment were among millions of pounds' worth of goods exported last year from Britain to Sri Lanka under licences for arms and other closely regulated exports. Sri Lanka is listed by the Foreign Office as a 'country of concern' because of its human rights record. In a December update, the Foreign Office also said the human rights situation there had been marked by negative developments over the last three months.
(Ben Quinn, guardian.co.uk, Monday 18 February 2013)  

Sudan, Turkey/PKK, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mali, Nigeria, DR Congo, Kenya, Syria and Lebanon. Every year, around the world, old conflicts worsen, new ones emerge and, occasionally, some situations improve. There is no shortage of storm clouds looming over 2013: Once again, hotspots old and new will present a challenge to the security of people across the globe.

Public meeting
Disarm Now Plowshares Priest Bill ‘Bix’ Bichsel SJ With Leonna O’Neill of Faslane Peace Camp, St John’s Church Hall, West End of Princes St, Edinburgh. 4:45pm. Friday 21 December. Followed by Peace and Justice Centre Christmas Party 6:15 – 7:30pm www.peaceandjustice.org.uk 0131-229-0993

The Afghan crisis, now well into its fourth decade, has many layers. The military and political dimensions of the crisis grab the headlines. But the structural violence and poor governance that underpin it-grinding poverty, rampant abuse of power, criminalized economy, parlous condition of women and girls, poor access to health and other services-receives much less attention. This report focuses on the lives and vulnerabilities of those affected by the crisis.  Reliefweb: Humanitarianism in Uncertain Times

2 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in November 2012, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch.  Deteriorated Situations:  DR Congo, Egypt

On Wednesday 5th December, George Osborne is expected to announce further spending cuts with his Autumn Statement. But one thing we know he isn't planning to cut is Trident. Funding the Trident nuclear weapons system and its replacement comes at the cost of key services and facilities across the economy - up to £100 billion over its lifetime. With the nation's media watching the Autumn Statement - make sure our message is getting through - tell George Osborne what he should cut.

African Catholic Church leaders who met in Kinshasa recently say that escalating violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo is causing a major humanitarian tragedy. Presidents of Bishops' Conferences and Bishop-Presidents of national Caritas organisations from 34 countries in Africa signed a statement condemning the conflict, which saw the city of Goma fall to 'M23' rebels on 20 November. (Ekklesia)

The Scottish Catholic Justice and Peace Commission with the approval of its President, Bishop Moran and the approval of Cardinal O'Brien and Archbishop Tartaglia, President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, joins in the wider call for a Day of Prayer for Peace in the Middle East on 4 December. This is the feast of St John of Damascus (676-749), who lived and worked under the early Muslim Caliphate which had its capital in Damascus.

Finland was scheduled to host a conference in December of this year on behalf of the United Nations, with the goal of making progress towards a WMD-free zone in the Middle East. The efforts to convene this conference have been breaking down and now it appears that it could be postponed. Now it is more important than ever to get your MP to sign Early Day Motion 273.

Here is an article by Uri Avnery, an Israeli writer and founder of the Gush Shalom peace movement, now aged 89.  He writes regularly on peace/war in Israel- Palestine; and here gives a balanced account of the futile conflict between the governments of Israel and Gaza; and some suggestions for an acceptable way out.’ 

 

The prime minister has chosen about the worse possible time to flog jets to the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia - Guardian editorial, 5 Nov 2012.
Former Defence Minister Peter Luff on UK arms exports to the Middle East: "I'm not condoning human rights abuses, of course not, but sometimes you have to be pragmatic." Arab Spring jitters complicate British-Gulf ties - Reuters

Palestinian and Israeli peace groups have sharply criticised Israel's government following the demolition of a peace centre on the edge of Jerusalem. The Beit Arabiya Peace Centre, built by Palestinians, Israelis and international volunteers, was demolished by the Israeli army in the early hours of Thursday 1 November. It was the sixth time it had been destroyed.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament condemned Defence Secretary Philip Hammond's announcement of a further £350m spending on Trident replacement, ahead of a parliamentary decision in 2016. It also criticised the government's 'shabby attempt to intervene in the Scottish independence debate' just days after the Scottish Affairs Committee called on the government to consider the implications of potential Scottish independence for Trident.

4 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated ands none improved in October 2012, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch. Deteriorated Situations: Guinea-Bissau, Lebanon, North Korea, Myanmar

That this House welcomes the new All Party Parliamentary Group on Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles; notes that the use of drones by the UK, in Afghanistan and elsewhere, is an issue of concern; draws attention to allegations that the UK is sharing information with other states for the purposes of targeted killings using drones; further notes the human rights questions which arise from the direct and indirect use of drones by the UK; further notes the need for increased  transparency and accountability on this use; and calls on the Government to work with the All Party Parliamentary Group on this issue.

The Scottish Affairs Committee published a report on the 25th October which points out that Scottish independence could lead to nuclear disarmament for Britain. It also says that Scottish CND's timetable for disarming Trident is realistic.

To mark the sixtieth anniversary of the first UK atomic test explosion – ‘Operation Hurricane’ at the Monte Bello islands off the north-west coast of Australia in October 1952 - Nuclear Information Service has prepared an interactive timeline showing the history of the United Kingdom’s nuclear weapons programme. The timeline shows the importance of key events in the British nuclear weapons programme – both political and technical – from World War Two, when the UK first commenced research into atomic weapons, looking forward to the forthcoming decision on whether to replace Trident which will be taken after the next election. It also shows how international events have influenced the UK's nuclear programme over six decades.

Scottish CND is hosting a meeting on the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis when the world stood on the brink of nuclear war. They have also produced a new briefing on the crisis and the implications for Scotland. (http://bit.ly/R9vE9l). 10 am to 1 pm Saturday 27 October, Wellington Church Hall, 77 Southpark Avenue, Hillhead, Glasgow, G12 8LE (next to SCND office). Speakers: John Ainslie (Scottish CND) and Kath Campbell (Scottish Cuba Solidarity Campaign). Plus short films. The meeting is free and open to all.

 

The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) welcomed the report of the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC), on its overview of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) human rights work in 2011. CAAT has consistently focused attention on UK arms sales to the repressive regimes in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Libya. While the report examines important questions and made recommendations on all three countries, CAAT feel that their impact will be limited.

Two of the biggest recipients of British aid in Africa have broken a United Nations arms embargo by supplying rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo with weapons and ammunition, a Security Council investigation found last night. Ask your MP to sign EDM 597: Rwandan Proxy Wars In Congo

Over the past few years we've had countless examples of the nexus that binds politicians, civil servants, the arms trade and despotism (The Independent 14/10/2012)

The United Nations and its partners stressed that stronger actions and commitment are needed from world leaders to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and to secure justice for survivors of gender-based crimes. "In conflict zones, women are disproportionately affected by sexual and gender-based violence, forced displacement, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and rights violations," said the Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women), Michelle Bachelet.  (Reliefweb)

4 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and none improved in September 2012, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch. Deteriorated Situations: China/Japan, Mali, Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan), Syria

The UK government has spent millions of pounds on training military, police and security personnel from oppressive regimes that have arms embargoes in place.  In the last five years, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have received from the UK government £2.4m between them in training and support for military and defence personnel. (Guardian)

Drones: the West's New Terror Campaign - The CIA's Predator drones are bringing to Pakistan the same horror that Hitler's doodlebugs inflicted on London. Until now, the most heated dispute has revolved around how many drone victims in the Pakistan border region are dangerous extremists, and how many children, women or men with no connection to any terrorist group. Living Under Drones, a new report from Stanford and New York universities. (Clive Stafford Smith,The Guardian, 25 /09/12)

The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date. It was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly

 

Three Catholic peace activists were found guilty of criminal damage on Monday 3rd Sept, at Hammersmith Magistrates' Court. Ray Towey (aged 68) Henrietta Cullinan (aged 50) and Katrina Alton (aged 44) had been charged following their peace witness at the Ministry of Defence during Holy Week 2012. In a challenge to the UK's nuclear weapons policy, they marked the building with charcoal using the words "Trident Crucifies the Poor" and "Disarm Trident", and drew simple crosses. ( Ekklesia)

7 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated ands none improved in August 2012, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch. Deteriorated Situations: Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Lebanon, India (non-Kashmir), Syria, Tunisia, Turkey

That God is a God of just-peace not violence is the revelation of Christ and the real truth of Christianity, two leading church figures have said. The comments came as part of a conversation entitled 'The Spirituality and Practice of Peace in a World of War', held at St John's Episcopal Church in Edinburgh on 22 August 2012. The participants were Fr John Dear, a Catholic priest and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and the Rev Kathy Galloway, head of Christian Aid Scotland and a former leader of the Iona Community.  (Ekklesia) 

Andrew Feinstein, the Guardian on facebook 16 Aug 2012
The arms trade accounts for about 40% of corruption in all world trade. 'National security' is not a good enough defence. News that the Serious Fraud Office is investigating allegations of corruption in a deal between the UK government, GPT Special Project Management (a subsidiary of the arms company EADS), and Saudi Arabia is to be welcomed.

Kathy Galloway and Fr. John Dear, SJ. A Festival of Spirituality and Peace Conversation. 22 August 6:30 - 7:30pm. St John’s Church, Edinburgh
Nobel Peace Prize nominee John Dear SJ, an internationally recognised teacher of nonviolence will speak with Kathy Galloway, head of Christian Aid and former leader of the Iona Community. Both are authors of numerous books and faith-based activists for peace and justice. They will speak about the practice of peacemaking in a world addicted to war and weaponry, and the gospel call for transformation of our militaristic culture. Further information from the Peace and Justice Centre 0131 229 0993 or email: contact@peaceandjustice.org.uk Tickets: £8.50 / £6.50 concession.

Did you know that 60 percent of all violent deaths are due to small arms and light weapons? Small arms, such as revolvers, assault rifles and light machine guns, and ammunition represent a $8.5 billion industry. Google Ideas have created an amazing interactive data visualization of global small arms and ammunition trade to better understand and map the global arms trade.

Both sides fighting in Aleppo may be held criminally accountable for their failures to protect the civilian population, says Amnesty International as the organisation released new satellite images showing the extent of heavy weapon use in the city.  The satellite images - from Aleppo and the surrounding area - show an increased use of heavy weaponry, including near residential areas. Amnesty said they raise urgent concerns over the assault on the beleaguered Syrian city. (Source Ekklesia) 

Killing, kidnapping, rape and displacement increases dramatically across two provinces. Millions of people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are now at the mercy of militias as the country's long-running conflict descends into widespread lawlessness with killing, kidnapping and abuse against the population at alarming levels, Oxfam warned. Rebel groups have taken control of vast swathes of the east, Oxfam said today, leaving a terrifying absence of state authority and security. Close to half a million people have fled their homes in the past four months and a humanitarian crisis has descended into "catastrophe".  Reliefweb, 07/08/12

5 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated ands none improved in July 2012, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch. Deteriorated Situations: India (non-Kashmir), Madagascar ,Mali, Syria, Tajikistan. Download the full report: CrisisWatch N°108 http://www.crisisgroup.org/ ~/media/Files/ CrisisWatch/2012/cw108

5 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated ands none improved in July 2012, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch. Deteriorated Situations: India (non-Kashmir), Madagascar ,Mali, Syria, Tajikistan. Download the full report: CrisisWatch N°108

Hiroshima - Anniversary of Atomic Bomb. Hiroshima Day commemorates 6 August 1945, the day when an atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, followed a few days later by another dropped on the city of Nagasaki. Events will be held across Scotland to mark the anniversary of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki visit Scottish CND to find details

The fight to end the illegal and irresponsible arms trade goes on after delegates at the United Nations failed to reach consensus and agree an Arms Trade Treaty.  The lack of agreement on a final text was disappointing but not the end of the story. In spite of the lack of agreement, momentum is gathering for an international and legally-binding treaty to bring the arms trade under control. Governments now have a second chance to make the treaty a reality by taking the text forward to the General Assembly, in the Autumn. To follow the UN negotiations through tracking of State's positions, blogs and analysis click here. 

2,000 people are killed EVERY DAY from arms. We need a bulletproof ATT that can help change that.
24 July, New York the first draft of the Arms Trade Treaty finally arrived. Unfortunately, while there were some points to celebrate, the text reflected the compromises and blocks which some sceptical countries have been arguing for since the conference began.  Read also 'The UK government must "get off its backside" on the Arms Trade Treaty!' Former UK Foriegn Secretary David Miliband in the Gaurdian 

107 people were killed on 23 July and 268 injured in multiple bombings and shootings across Iraq as insurgents mainly targeted members of the majority Shia population in easily the bloodiest day of violence since US troops pulled out seven months ago. Attacks appeared to underline the capacity of an emboldened insurgency to exploit weaknesses in the country's security apparatus.
Indpendent, 24 July 2012 

In the first five months of 2012, a combination of factors has worsened humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan and further increased vulnerability of Afghans. While the reported security incidents for the first quarter of the year showed a 40% decrease from 2011, the number of people displaced by conflict has continued to rise. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 86,360 people were displaced by conflict between January and April, representing a 5% increase compared to the same period in 2011. Reliefweb, 23/07/12 

Trident faces public opposition whether or not it is forced out of Scotland, experts told the House of Commons Defence Committee on 3 July 2012, as they offered varying visions on the likely impact of Scottish independence on the future of Britain's nuclear weapons system. The comments echoed the findings of a detailed report by CND on the lack of possible sites for relocation of Trident. (Source Ekklesia)

5 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated ands none improved in June 2012, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch

Philip Hammond, the Secretary of State for Defence, was called to the Commons  after trying to quietly announce a £1.1 billion investment contract in part to develop reactors for the Trident replacement submarines. The investment is part of a controversial plan to order the reactors before the go-ahead decision to construct the submarines has even been made - due to be in 2016.

7 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and 1 improved in May 2012, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch. Deteriorated Situations: DR Congo, Lebanon, Mali, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Syria

The United States has been accused of blocking a UN report which examines claims that Rwanda is fuelling a violent rebellion in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congolese government said the UN group of experts' report is being stalled by Rwanda and its allies on the security council to protect President Paul Kagame.  Claims that Rwanda's military has been aiding a mutiny in eastern Congo led by the renegade general Bosco Ntaganda have been gathering momentum in recent weeks, with a leaked UN report followed by allegations from Human Rights Watch. guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 20 June 2012

In keeping with ancient tradition, Britain, as the host nation of the 30th Modern Olympiad, is presently honouring 100 Days of Peace which began as a Sacred Truce back in 776BC. 50 days of peace enshroud both sides of this summer’s Games from 08 June to 27 July and 09 September to 28 October. Please consider joining with 1000’s of others in prayer and reflection for peace using
Your Journey to Peace published by Redemptorist Publications (www.rpbooks.co.uk) cost £1.00.  

The global trade in conventional weapons – from warships and battle tanks to fighter jets and machine guns – remains poorly regulated. No set of internationally agreed standards exist to ensure that arms are only transferred for appropriate use. Many governments have voiced concern about the absence of globally agreed rules for all Countries to guide their decisions on arms transfers. That is why they have started negotiating an Arms Trade Treaty. Preparations to address this issue have been underway since 2006 and will culminate in the Conference on an Arms Trade Treaty in July 2012.

'For Christians, turning swords into ploughshares is not just a biblical injunction but an inspiration to our modern world to act against war and those who wage it.'  The Day of Prayer this year takes place on 3 June, the eve of the International day for Children as Victims of War. As Christians we are called to welcome children. Yet children are refugees, victims of war and want, child soldiers, victims of conflict and injustice, injured and killed by small arms and gun violence. This is not OK.

EDM 95     DETENTION OF TORTURE SURVIVORS 
EDM 96     TRIDENT REPLACEMENT
EDM 117   HUMAN RIGHTS, DEVELOPMENT AND ARMS TRADE TREATY

Reuters reports that intensifying violence as NATO combat troops prepare to leave by end-2014 and a poor economic outlook in the face of shrinking aid could spell a humanitarian disaster for Afghanistan. Even in the capital Kabul, there are 35,000 internal refugees living in 30 makeshift camps. Amnesty International says 400 Afghans become internally displaced every day, and the organisation predicts this number will swell.

Pat Gaffney, General Secretary of Pax Christi, has been attending these Annual Meetings since the mid-1990s when BAE were involved in the sale of Hawk Aircraft to Indonesia, at that time an occupying force in East Timor. Pat said: I raised questions to challenge their deep involvement with Saudi Arabia where defence spending is very high. I wanted to know why they continue with this when they speak of the financial risks of working in the Middle East, and in their own words, the political instability and civil disturbance in the region. I wanted to know if by this they meant the search for democracy and human rights that we see in Bahrain, Egypt and elsewhere? I also wanted confirmation that their 200 Tactica Vehicles, sold to the National Guard of Saudi Arabia,had not been used against protestors in Bahrain last year. Dick Olver, the Chair, was unable to give this.

The Fairtrade Foundation has expressed outrage and shock at the news that Israel has ordered nine Palestinian olive farmers of Deir Istiya, Salfit on the West Bank to uproot 1,400 olive trees in Wadi Qana area by 1 May 2012. For farmers in this district olives are the primary source of income. Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation said: ‘We are dismayed and appalled at this devastating news of what is a blatant act of aggression attacking people’s livelihoods. Sign the petition

12 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and 2 improved in April 2012, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch. Deteriorated Situations: Bahrain, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Macedonia, Mali, North Korea, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan.  Download the full report:  Crisis Watch 105

The world is less peaceful for the third straight year, due to an increased threat of terrorist attacks in 29 nations and a greater likelihood of violent demonstrations in 33 countries. The fall in peacefulness in this year's Index is strongly tied to conflict between citizens and their governments rather than conflicts with other nations.

A Quaker has interrupted a speech by Business Secretary Vince Cable to deliver his own impromptu speech against the government’s support for the arms industry. Sam Walton took the stage at an arms dealers’ conference and spoke for about a minute before being dragged away. The incident occurred on the 26 April in at the annual symposium of the Defence & Security Organisation (DSO), the arms trade wing of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), a unit of Cable’s department. (Ekklesia)

 

A report by Professor Malcolm Chalmers, defence policy director of the influential Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), has questioned whether an independent Scotland could remove Trident nuclear weapons from their base on the Clyde and remain in NATO.  The report, was commissioned by the 'Scotland on Sunday' newspaper, The report is published as the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) prepares to debate  whether to retain its long standing policy of opposition to NATO membership at its party conference in June.

9 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and 2 improved in March 2012, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch.  Deteriorated Situations:  Afghanistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen.  Download the full report: Crisis Watch 104

Please support Scottish CND's new campaign "No Nuclear Weapons Here". SCND want people to add their pin to their map to show that people in every corner of the country want to see nuclear disarmament. Put yourself on the map if you want to see a Scotland which is free of nuclear weapons.  Today all British nuclear weapons are based on the Clyde

http://www.naenuclear.org/

Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika has rejected calls from faith groups to resign following a political and economic crisis that has rocked the southern African nation - writes Frank Jomo.
A delegation of civil society organisations meeting at a national conference organised by the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) on 15 March demanded that Mutharika "resign honorably within 90 days or if he thinks he is still popular, he should call for a referendum within the 90 days. Failure to follow this will call for mass action."  Ekklesia

More than one person dies every minute from armed violence. 2 out of 3 people killed by armed violence die in countries at peace. Add your voice to the Thousands supporting the Global Arms Trade Treaty. Control Arms in partnership with Reaching Critical Will, has built an interactive tool to track all States' positions on key issues in the ATT negotiations called armstreaty.org. It also allows you – the user – to help fill in the gaps.

Lent is a good time to focus on some of the injustices facing the faith communities of Jerusalem. On 30 March Pax Christi will be part of the delegation presenting the Act Now for Jerusalem petition to Downing Street. It is not too late to sign the petition on-line here or download from the Pax Christi website at http://www.paxchristi.org.uk/wall1.php.

The Easter Witness for Peace will take place at the gates of the Faslane nuclear submarine base at 12 noon on Saturday 31 March, which is the day before Palm Sunday. This will be a safe and friendly event, for all ages and is especially designed for those who have not been to Faslane before.  The event is organised by Scottish Clergy Against Nuclear Arms (SCANA), Bishop Toal will be among the speakers

On 21st March Chancellor George Osborne will be announcing the 2012 budget. Money is tight, and no doubt austerity will be the guiding principle, but in the meantime the UK is spending £100 billion on nuclear weapons.Tell George Osborne: It's Time to Cut Trident. Cuts across public services are causing real pain but billions are being poured into the replacement programme for the UK's Trident nuclear weapons. Tell him that this is the spending cut you support.

A Human Rights Watch report on Israel’s Control of Palestinian Residency in the West Bank and Gaza. This report describes the arbitrary exclusion by the Israeli military of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians since 1967 and documents the impact that exclusion continues to have on individuals and families.

The number of civilians killed in the conflict rose eight per cent last year to reach 3,021 - with more than three-quarters caused by attacks from the Taliban-led insurgency. The findings that on average more than eight Afghans a day are being killed are at odds with Nato assessments that violence is falling. Deaths from suicide attacks rose more than 80 per cent to 431 over the year. The number of suicide attacks did not rise, but "the nature of these attacks changed, becoming more complex, sometimes involving multiple suicide bombers, and designed to yield greater numbers of dead and injured civilians" the report found. Ben Farmer, Telegraph, 04/02/12

Seven actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and two improved in January 2012, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch

Use CND's online tool to ask the Foreign Secretary William Hague to make a new disarmament commitment at this May's nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) meeting in Vienna.

On 19th January, a meeting took place at Lambeth Palace in London between key representatives from the churches and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation. Ekklesia associate, regional exoert and churches' adviser Dr Harry Hagopian, who was present, reflects on the issues raised and the spirit of the gathering. (Ekklesia 21 Jan 2012)

Ten actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and one improved in December 2011, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch

Armed rebel groups active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) derive their funds from several sources, notably trade in natural resources, but also ordinary commerce and illegal taxation, according to a report by a United Nations group of experts unveiled on 4 January 2012.

During his Homily for Midnight Mass  at Westminster Cathedral Archbishop Vincent prayed for 50 families in Beit Jala on the West Bank who face losing their land and homes - as Israel completes the separation wall across the district of Bethlehem.

Message from Pax Christi. During this Advent and Christmas, we invite you to share in these times of hope and change. In the past we made a call for sending wishes and prayers, now we invite you to exchange stories for peace. These can be short, about a situation in the world or about your own life. What they will have in common is a message of peace and justice, nonviolence and bridge building that have offered hope and inspiration.

MPs will be discussing nuclear weapons in a debate on "The cost of Trident nuclear missile and submarine replacement" at 4.30 pm on Wednesday 7 December in Westminster Hall, House of Commons. The debate has been initiated by Jeremy Corbyn MP, Vice Chair of CND.
Please use this opportunity to contact your MP about the billions of pounds that are being wasted on nuclear weapons.

Eight actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and four improved in November 2011, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch.
Deteriorated Situations: Afghanistan, Burundi, DR Congo, Kosovo, Pakistan, South Sudan,  Sudan, Syria

Dundee Churches for Justice and Peace is holding a peace service for the Holy Land on Saturday   10th December in the City Square, Dundee at 3pm.  The service will include prayer, song and reflection. Dundee Churches for Justice and Peace is an ecumenical group which includes representation from the Church of Scotland, the Roman Catholic church and the Scottish Episcopal Church. There is no political agenda other than a desire for reconciliation.

World church leaders have met in Edinburgh, to discuss plans to rid the world of nuclear weapons and to hold discussions with civic and political leaders. Earlier this week the leaders met with Bruce Crawford MSP and Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy to find out about the context of the nuclear debate in Scotland and the impact of the independence debate. The World Council of Churches group have also held talks with the Cross Party Group for Nuclear Disarmament in the Scottish Parliament.

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 10, 2011 (Zenit.org).- At a meeting with religious leaders from Israel, Benedict XVI affirmed that a rightly lived relationship with God is a force for peace. A delegation of Israel's Council of Religious Communities met with the Pope at the Vatican, representing Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Druze communities. 

Newly uncovered documents by Jubilee Debt Campaign reveal that Vince Cable’s Department for Business is still demanding money from the Egyptian government in payment for loans made to General Mubarak to allow him to buy arms.  Egypt owes £100 million to the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD), nicknamed ‘the Department for Dodgy Deals’ because of its support for arms, aviation and fossil fuels.

Deteriorated Situations: Kenya, Philippines, Somalia, Yemen

One of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winners, Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian activist who helped bring her country out of a brutal civil war, says that the best way to achieve global peace is to start in local communities. "It is time for us to do justice in our communities ... one day the world's problems will meet you at your doorstep," she said at the Interchurch Center in New York.

8 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated in September 2011, according to the latest issue of the International Crisis Group's monthly bulletin CrisisWatch.

Labour's Shadow Trade Minister Wilf Stevenson has said it is "completely bonkers" that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) effectively lobbies within government for the interests of private arms companies.

The United Nations World Day for Peace is also known as 'Peace One Day' check out the website to find out how you can take part

Arms Trade
The UK government exports arms to Algeria, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; Put your MP to work demand they sign EDM 2166. Early Day Motions are very good ways of raising issues in parliament, which may not get debated in normal sittings of parliament. You can contact your MP for free, through: WriteToThem.Com

George Square, Glasgow, 17 September 11am - 2pm
Make Peace Festival with speakers, stalls and entertainment. The centre piece of the event will be at 12 Noon when there will be the formation of a Human Peace Chain as a symbol that Scotland rejects nuclear weapons.  This is part of a series of events which will take place around the world to mark the UN International Day of Peace which is 4 days later on 21 September

The world's arms industry is descending on London from 13-16 September. Acres of weaponry, from fighter jets and battleships to drones and tear gas, will be on display to thousands of visitors in an immense arms dealing extravaganza. Take action with CAAT to stop the arms fair and stop arming repressive regimes.

5 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated in August 2011, according to the latest issue of the International Crisis Group's monthly bulletin CrisisWatch.

Sunday 11 September 2011
CAAT Christian Network Day of Prayer: This year's Christian Network Day of Prayer will take place on the eve of DSEi, one of the world's largest arms fairs, and on a poignant date ten years from the attacks on the twin towers: Sunday 11 September 2011. Many will already be reflecting on the legacy of that day: two illegal wars, increased inter-community tension, and an increasingly militarised approach to security. Please put the date in your diary, and download materials to encourage reflection in your Christian community

The UN Security Council's response to the recent bloodshed in Syria is deeply inadequate, Amnesty International says, after the council released a statement condemning the Syrian government's deadly crackdown on protesters. The UN statement called for an end to violence and said it "condemned the widespread violation of human rights by the Syrian authorities", but fell short of taking decisive action. The call was issued as a presidential statement, which is not legally binding.

8 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated in July 2011, according to the latest issue of the International Crisis Group's monthly bulletin CrisisWatch.

7 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated in June 2011, according to the latest issue of  CrisisWatch.

Lawyers acting on behalf of Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) have written to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) laying out their intention to request a judicial review of his department's failure to revoke any licences for the export of military equipment to Saudi Arabia, despite evidence that UK-manufactured armoured vehicles have been deployed by the Saudi government in Bahrain to help suppress democracy protesters. The UK government's export licensing criteria states that it will "not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression".

Peace campaigners across Britain have been remembering anti-war activist Brian Haw, who died of cancer at the weekend. They want a permanent memorial in Parliament Square. Mr Haw, who is survived by his former wife Kay, and seven children, set up a high profile camp opposite the Houses of Parlaiment in 2001, in protest against UK and US wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. 

International lawyers have identified an existing but previously unacknowledged requirement in law for those who use or authorise the use of drone strikes to record and announce who has been killed and injured in each attack. The finding is contained in a new report, 'Drone Attacks, International Law, and the Recording of Civilian Casualties of Armed Conflict', published today (23 June) by London-based think tank Oxford Research Group (ORG).

Britain's ongoing operations against Muammar Gaddafi have cost around £260 million, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. By Alex Stevenson at politics.co.uk

Peace activists convicted for nuclear protest at AWE Aldermaston Three Christian peace protesters were convicted on 21 June at Newbury Magistrates Court of Criminal Trespass under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA), and Criminal Damage. The convictions follow a protest at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in September 2010 organised by the Catholic Worker movement. The three, Susan Clarkson (64), Chris Cole (47) both from Oxford, and Fr Martin Newell (42) from London were Conditional Discharged for 18 months and ordered to pay £553 each costs and compensation.

Ask your MP to sign EDM 1924 'Trident Review'
The Trident 'initial gate' report has announced that the expected cost of building the new nuclear weapon submarines has doubled from that first announced. The case for a full review of the policy is now clearer than ever.  Ask your MP to sign EDM 1924 'Trident Review' calling for a full reconsideration before the construction of replacement submarines begins. With cuts to spending hitting all areas of the public sector we must make it clear to MPs just how unacceptable it is to refuse to reconsider Britain's possession of nuclear weapons.

Scottish CND Publication
The latest issue of Nuclear Free Scotland looks at the opportunities presented by the results of the Scottish election and includes articles from MSPs Elaine Smith, Jean Urquhart and Alison Johnstone.  It also has reports on the latest developments with Trident, nuclear submarine safety, and a recent Scotland's for Peace conference on Afghanistan.

7 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated in May 2011, according to the latest issue of  CrisisWatch.

International Crisis Group, 02/06/11
As US troops are primed to leave Iraq and the situation in Iraq's disputed territories remains unresolved, the likelihood of escalating tensions along the so-called trigger line increases. While communication and cooperation between Iraqi army and Kurdish regional guard forces has improved, they continue to face off across this unmarked line of control, which meanders through an elongated territory that is rich in ethnic diversity and, by twist of nature, oil, stretching from the Syrian to the Iranian border. Their tenuous relationship could come unglued when the US presence in their midst changes from military to civilian at the end of this year.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament condemned the decision to authorise billions of pounds of further spending on the Trident replacement programme, prior to the major decision point on the nuclear weapons system, not due to be taken until 2016. However, CND welcomed the launch of a government study into alternatives to Trident, to be led by Lib Dem Defence Minister Nick Harvey as providing the opportunity for other options – so far excluded for reasons of dogma rather than on an evidential basis – to be considered.

11 actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated in April 2011, according to the latest issue of the International Crisis Group's monthly bulletin CrisisWatch.

In a world where any level of state violence is deemed acceptable (so long as it’s ours) it is good to find a dissenting voice to the unholy myth of redemptive violence. See the Vatican response http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/14683 and a valuable reflection by Simon Barrow
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/14686

Pope Benedict XVI appealed for peace in the Middle East, and especially in Libya, during his Urbi et Orbi message on Easter Sunday.
“May the splendor of Christ reach the peoples of the Middle East,” the Pope prayed, after proclaiming the joy of the Resurrection. He called for a diplomatic rather than military solution to the conflict in Libya, and urged help for the civilians caught up in the fighting.

Church leaders in Ivory Coast say they are preparing to respond to urgent humanitarian needs as the country adjusts to the deposition of former dictator Laurent Gbagbo on 11 April 2011, and the accession of democratically-elected president Alassane Ouattara

16 April 2011

Here at the gates of Faslane, there is no better place to say that it is not courageous of Britain to have these dreadful weapons of massdestruction. It is shameful to have them. If our government wished to trulybe courageous it would unilaterally give up its nuclear deterrent, givingthe witness and impetus for other nations to do the same.

Trident is fast becoming obsolete, and we have the chance now to do theright thing and give it up. We have the chance to be peacemakers, echoingthe Easter desire of Jesus Christ for a lasting peace. We will all, I trust,continue working and praying together for this, and I thank you for thiswitness you all give today. May God bless each of you with deep peace, thisHoly Week and at Easter.

ForcesWatch is a new network that challenges the ethics of military recruitment and questions government initiatives, such as Armed Forces Day, which seek to manufacture a climate of uncritical national pride in the armed forces in order to garner public support for foreign policy.

Pope Benedict XVI issued an urgent appeal yesterday,  for military and political leaders to consider the safety of civilians during the attack on Libya

Scottish CND has obtained a key Ministry of Defence document which explains why the Trident Replacement Initial Gate decision, due in September 2009, has been delayed for 18 months. The paper also reveals that the reactors on current British submarines are sub-standard.

As reports by Human Rights Watch and formal documentation from the UN Human Rights Commission decry the worsening human rights situation in Côte d’Ivoire, many Ivoirians IRIN spoke with in Abidjan are appalled by recent acts of gruesome violence.

Sign the online petition
The UK's scandalous approach to arms sales is in the spotlight. As protests against authoritarian regimes across the Middle East have been met with violent repression, CAAT has exposed the UK's role in arming the region. Right now, the government is under pressure and with your help we have a tremendous opportunity to turn that pressure into change

In a landmark case human rights activists hope will reduce a culture of impunity for sex crimes in the beleaguered central African country, a military court has convicted a lieutenant colonel in the Congolese army to 20 years' imprisonment for mass rapes committed on New Year's Day. Simon Akam, Independent, Tuesday, 22 February 2011

UK arms sales to Middle East include tear gas and crowd control ammunition to Bahrain and Libya
As protests against authoritarian regimes across the Middle East are met with violent repression, Campaign Against Arms Trade highlights the UK's role in arming the regimes.

The Trade Union Prospect say that "Pressure to make cuts [at Faslane] was greater than the pressure to maintain a safe nuclear environment". Steve Jary, national secretary of the union was worried about the impact of moving nuclear safety posts into the private sector. The MoD's internal regulator is already concerned about safety procedures at the base. This latest news comes after a series of incidents, including the grounding of the Navy's newest submarine, HMS Astute, on Skye.

This was reported by Rob Edwards in the Sunday Herald

Four actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and two improved in January 2011, according to the latest issue of the International Crisis Group's monthly bulletin CrisisWatch.

A Christian activist has been imprisoned following a nonviolent protest against the arms trade. Chris Cole was today (19 January) sentenced to 30 days in prison at Westminster Central Magistrates’ Court, London for non-payment of a fine resulting from his opposition to a conference of arms dealers.

February 2011 edition now available online.

Campaigners and commentators have pointed out that the government's National Security Strategy, published yesterday (18 October) undermines the case for renewing the Trident nuclear weapons system, to which ministers are committed.

The BBC has reported that the Main Gate decision on the Trident replacement programme will be put back from 2014 to 2015, beyond the next general election. However this does not mean that Trident is on hold. A different decision, the Initial Gate, is imminent.

Keeping Trident will cause defence job losses.

Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien - The Hexham Debates Series, 20 FEBRUARY 2010, St. Mary’s Church, Hexham

Christians have joined with other faith groups to issue a “call to repentance” over the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Protesting at the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire yesterday (15 February), they declared that “the power of Trident is an affront to the power of God”.

Scottish church leaders have intensified pressure on the Government to abandon plans to renew the Trident nuclear weapons system.

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has been criticised for avoiding the issue of Trident in his speech to the Labour Party conference yesterday (29 September).

The prime minister has told the United Nations that he is willing to cut the UK's fleet of Trident missile-carrying submarines from four to three.

New research published by Greenpeace and backed by senior politicians has warned that the cost of replacing the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons system will be over £95 billion – in contrast to the roughly £20 billion earmarked by the government.

Reception on 13 November 2009 in the Scottish Parliament for delegates attending the NATO Parliamentary Assembly

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament today welcomed the formation of a new grouping of ex-ministers and retired senior military officers calling for multilateral nuclear disarmament.

Scrap Trident, voters tell Brown. Money should go on health and education instead, survey finds. Article from The Independent.

The Sunday Times has published a new poll which shows 61% of Scots are opposed to replacing Trident while only 24 % support the proposal. The survey of 1,040 people was carried out by MRUK between 7 and 13 August. Those who are opposed also hold their views more vociferously. 29% are strongly opposed to Trident replacement, plus 32% opposed. In contrast only 7% strongly supported the idea, with a further 17% saying they supported it.

CND has called on new Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth MP to recognise how unpopular the government's Trident plans are and to delay the 'Initial Gate' decision as his first act in the job.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament today gave a mixed reaction to Gordon Brown's speech on nuclear power and nuclear proliferation.

Transcript of a speech given by the Prime Minister on 17 March 2009

How the UK's export licensing system facilitates the arms trade
A report by researcher Anna Stavrianakis. This new CAAT publication is ideal for anyone who has struggled to understand or reconcile the wide variety of government, campaign organisation and media pronouncements on the issue of arms control.

"The Family Is the First and Indispensable Teacher of Peace"

Remarks by Margaret Beckett, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, United Kingdom Carnegie International Nonproliferation Conference June 25, 2007

Scottish CND welcomed the decision by the Scottish Parliament to say No to Trident.

The leading Protestant and Catholic church leaders in Scotland have renewed their criticism on Britain’s commitment to nuclear weapons and have called for a major non-proliferation effort – echoing similar calls from civic and peace campaigners.

How Scottish MPs voted...

National Secretary, Richard McCready's article in the Scotsman, 12 March 2007

"We are writing to you on behalf of Scotland’s major Churches to voice our opposition to the replacement of the Trident Nuclear Weapons System..."

Speech by Cardinal O’Brien

Trident Defence White Paper

The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland has condemned the Government’s decision to go ahead with the renewal of the Trident missile system.

National Secretary Richard McCready and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Alan McDonald, hand over our petition against the replacement of Trident to the Ministry of Defence.

Statement from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. English and Welsh Catholic Bishops Call on UK Government to Set the Example by Decommissioning Nuclear Weapons

The full text of Cardinal O'Brien's remarks at the end of the "Long walk for Peace". The Cardinal participated in a symbolic ‘foot washing’ for marchers at 1.00pm, at St John’s Episcopal Church, Princes Street, before walking to the Scottish Parliament for a rally at 3.00pm.

Archbishop Mario Conti joined marchers taking part in the Long Walk for Peace from Faslane to the Scottish Parliament. The Archbishop walked with the marchers to Helensburgh and delivered a short address at Helensburgh Pier, before handing over a letter to be delivered to the Scottish Parliament.

Cardinal welcomes 'heartening and encouraging letter'

An ICM poll commissioned by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament shows that 59% of British people oppose the replacement of Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system. The poll results demonstrate a 5% increase in public opposition to Trident replacement over an identically phrased question from a MORI/Greenpeace poll from September 2005.

A useful article by Paul Rogers giving political background to the proposals to replace Trident

Statement by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland. 11 April 2006