Students bent on fighting racism and encouraging cultural diversity

A group of students in Nova Scotia bring the fight against racism to their school by encouraging people to embrace cultural diversity organizing a mini-United Nations. (Truro Daily News)

A Victim Treats His Mugger Right

Julio Diaz not only handed his wallet over to a knife-wielding mugger, but called him back to offer his coat and to buy the kid some dinner.

"I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world." (NPR)

Australia to Train Aboriginal Doctors

Australia committed $17 million on Thursday to train Aboriginal nurses and doctors, as part of efforts to close a 17-year gap in the life expectancies of indigenous and other Australians.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's pledge to improve health services for indigenous Australians builds on the government's landmark apology last month for inflicting decades of suffering on Aborigines. (AP)

Nigeria, Cameroon Settle Decades Old Border Dispute in Oil-Rich Atlantic

After decades of sometimes bloody disputes over the Bakassi Peninsula, Cameroon and Nigeria have settled their long-disputed maritime border, ending years of uncertainty as to who owns sections of Africa's oil-rich Gulf of Guinea.

"Today is a glorious and remarkable day, a milestone in the history of Cameroon-Nigeria relations,"said Nigerian delegation head Prince Bola Ajibola. (Reuters)

Peace is Delicious for Traditional Foes Who Now Grow Coffee Together

In Uganda, one man has brought together three groups of people - Christian, Muslim and Jewish - to put aside old differences, creating a coffee cooperative that now boasts some 700 members of all three faiths. They named their coffee Mirembe Kawomera, which means “Delicious Peace.” (Good News Network)

Israelis and Arabs join forces to save wildlife

Concern over the fate of rare habitat could alter the course of the West Bank barrier

Fearing for the environment, an unusual mix of Jewish settlers and Israeli and Palestinian activists have joined forces to stop the barrier from pushing through this sensitive area east of Jerusalem, saying the pristine landscape and wildlife in Wadi Qelt could suffer irreversible damage. (MSNBC)

Kosovo's 'Woman of Courage' Bridges Ethnic Divide

Valdete Idrizi, a 34-year-old ethnic Albanian who survived the ethnic violence in Kosovo in the 1990s, has reached out to her Serb neighbors.

She founded a multi-ethnic organization to bring together Serbs, Albanians and the various Roma communities and try to heal the wounds of war. The group even facilitated the return of some displaced Serbs to their homes in Kosovo — which led to Idrizi receiving death threats from Kosovar Albanian militants.

However, it also led to her receiving an International Woman of Courage award from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. (NPR)

For Former Combatants, A Plan for Peace

Bassam Aramin and Zohar Shapira, the co-founders of Combatants for Peace, talk about their mission to end the cycle of violence in Israel and Palestine by bringing together individuals who previously fought against each other.

Currently around 450 Palestinians and Israelis are members of the group. (NPR)

Kenyan rivals shake hands as power-sharing deal reached

Rival Kenyan leaders Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga signed a power-sharing agreement Thursday aimed at ending weeks of election-related violence that has killed about 1,000 people.

Onlookers clapped as the two men signed the deal and shook hands during a late afternoon ceremony in Nairobi, and Odinga referred to his rival as "my countryman, President Mwai Kibaki" – an important sign of acceptance. (CBC; audio at NPR)

Most Muslims 'desire democracy'

The largest survey to date of Muslims worldwide suggests the vast majority want Western democracy and freedoms, but do not want them to be imposed. The poll by Gallup of more than 50,000 Muslims in 35 nations found most wanted the West to instead focus on changing its negative view of Muslims and Islam. (BBC)

Cop Helps Set Sentence for his Shooter After 20 Years: A Donation to Charity

A former Chicago cop agreed to a bit of restorative justice for his shooter, who was extradited from Canada after 20 years of clean living to face charges of aggravated battery and skipping bail. (NY Times)

Ghana Adopts National Peace Plan

Ghana has adopted a new peace plan dubbed "National Architecture for Peace" to foster respect for the rule of law, transparency, accountability and free and fair elections, which have been achieved for the past seven years and ultimately lead to a durable internal peace. (Modern Ghana.com)

City unveils peace plan

Salinas police and city officials have launched a new campaign intended to reduce local violence. The effort is called CAPSTONE, which stands for "City At Peace: Supporting and Transforming Our Neighborhoods." (Californian.com)

Kenyan Youth Club Helps to Heal Ethnic Tensions

In Nairobi's Mathare slum, a youth association helps to heal ethnic tensions which have flared up recently in Kenya. The group won a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2003 for its success in fostering community development through sports and particularly soccer. Now, they are initiating classes in tolerance and justice and forming new inter-ethnic teams.

Former Gang Rivals Embrace Each Other in Ministry Outreach

The California Cease Fire Ministry seeks out hard-core Mexican-American gang members to participate in a truce. The program is run by ex-gang members, 50-year-olds who successfully persuade California's murderous Latino gangs to embrace each other and rebuild their lives in the church. (San Jose Mercury News)

Australia Pledges More Outback Teachers

Determined to prove that a national apology to Australia's indigenous population is more than empty words, the government on Thursday promised more teachers to tackle widespread illiteracy in Outback Aboriginal communities, one of several bold targets to remove inequalities in living standards. (AP)

Reclaiming youth from war in Congo

Gabriel and Pascal are just 2 of 130 former child soldiers from all factions at a UN transit centre. They are learning how to leave war behind them and become children again. "I know that yesterday Pascal was my enemy, but now he is my brother," says Gabriel. (MSNBC video)

Empathy Lessons from Babies

It's just Nolan Winecka's second time teaching a class of fifth graders at Emerald Park Elementary School in this Seattle suburb, and it shows as he stares nervously at the two dozen kids surrounding him.

Nolan is 6 months old and hasn't had any formal pedagogical training. But to the group that put him in the classroom, he has everything he needs to help teach children an unconventional subject. A Canadian nonprofit group, Roots of Empathy, is now bringing to the U.S. a decade-old program designed to reduce bullying by exposing classrooms to "empathy babies" for a whole school year. (Wall Street Journal)

Traveler Exchanges Cash and Possessions for Kindness

Equipped with only a few T-shirts, a bandage and spare sandals, former dotcom businessman Mark Boyle is set to cross Europe and the Middle East on a pilgrimage to Gandhi's birthplace.

Mr Boyle, 28, said: "I will be offering my skills to people. If I get food in return, it's a bonus." He says he is part of the freeconomy movement - a group which began in the US and aims to bring about a moneyless society. (BBC)

Aboriginal leaders to welcome lawmakers

Aborigines have long lived on the fringe of Australian society, but they will take center stage when Parliament holds a historic ceremony to acknowledge the nation's capital is built on their land. (AP)