STOP PRESS: 4 (a) Wednesday 9th May: Peacebuilding through Music: Rhythm & Silence With Christine Stevens,  7 – 9pm. Room G.04, 50 George Sq5. Saturday 12th May: monthly leafleting, 12.30 pm at the East End of Princes Street.  Followed by: 2 – 4pm.Peace & Justice Centre. 5 Upper Bow, EH1 2JN.
Origami cranes workshop to remember those who died from the Hiroshima bomb and raise awareness and support for the nuclear weapons ban treaty.

STOP PRESS: 4(B) Spending on People not Trident: TUC demo Saturday, May 12th Assemble 11am Victoria Embankment, LondonThousands of people will march through London to demand A New Deal for Working People in a demonstration organised by the Trades Union Congress. CND will have a bloc highlighting how we should be spending on People Not Trident. Join us!

More on 2: Debate in Scottish Parliament about Nuclear Weapons Convoys. Wed 2nd May 5pm (From Jane Tallents and David Mackenzie)The motion “Civil Contingency in Nuclear Weapon Transport” lodged by Mark Ruskell MSP will be debated in Holyrood next Wednesday, May 2nd at 5pm. See full text below. Although as a Members Debate it won’t result in a vote Mark will speak about the Nukewatch report UNREADY SCOTLAND and our request to the Scottish Government to conduct an open review of civil authorities readiness to respond to a serious accident with a nuclear weapon in transit.  The report arose from a survey that Mark Ruskell’s office conducted of local authorities that convoys pass through. The results showed the woeful lack of emergency planning for an accident with such a unique cargo – high explosives combined with radioactive material including plutonium. They seemed content to leave public safety in the hands of the MOD although it’s clear that the MOD would expect first responders including councils to take care of the public including evacuations and disseminating advice to take shelter.
Please ask your MSPs to sign the motion and attend the debate. You can see if the convoys travel through your area by looking at the Council areas mentioned in the motion. Support from any MSP’s is helpful but it would be especially valuable if those whose constituents are put at risk by the transport of nuclear weapons could go to the debate and contribute. Hearing from you would encourage that.
It would be great to see a good attendance in the public gallery. You can book a ticket onlinehttp://www.parliament.scot/ visitandlearn/24230.aspx Or let us know you want to attend and we can meet you in the main lobby at 4.30pm with tickets.
Mark Ruskell is booking a room where we can discuss what was said afterwards and have some refreshments. Please let us know if you want to join us.
Find out more about  UNREADY SCOTLAND and read the full report  here.http://www.nukewatch.org.uk/? page_id=748

Nuclear disarmament campaigners from around the world met in Geneva on April 27-28 for the Annual General Meeting and Global Council dinner of Abolition 2000, the global network to eliminate nuclear weapons. Abolition 2000 was established in 1995 as a global network to facilitate communication, cooperation and coordination between nuclear disarmament organisations and activists around the world. Over 2000 organisations have endorsed the Abolition 2000 founding statement.

The Abolition 2000 meeting included:

• discussion of the challenges and opportunities for nuclear disarmament in the current political environment;
• updates on various nuclear disarmament campaigns and actions undertaken by member organisations, working groups and affiliated networks;
• overview of upcoming events and development of a timeline of events for the next three years (these will be posted on the Abolition 2000 calendar);
• consideration of additional proposals;
• discussion of ways to improve outreach and enhance cooperation with related constituencies including those working on peace, human rights and sustainable development (Click here for the outreach brochure).