SNP deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon has urged MSPs of all parties to restate the Claim of Right and commit themselves to the principle of Scottish sovereignty.
Scottish Greens, the SNP and civic groups have welcomed the publication of the independence referendum consultation in Scotland and the debate it heralds.
Scottish Greens have called for the transfer of new powers to come without strings attached and for the urgent opening up of the debate to what kind of independent Scotland the voters are being offered.
The debate on Scottish independence in advance of a mooted 2016 referendum is only just beginning, but Simon Barrow suggests that the contours of a fresh agenda on both sides is already emerging in surprising comments from representatives of the Westminster parties north of the border.
Pro-Tibet freedom protesters from media rights group Reporters Without Borders broke through the cordon of 1,000 police officers in Olympia, Greece, as China's envoy spoke and the Olympic torch was lit prior to the Beijing games.
The sixtieth anniversary of India's independence reminds us, says Jonathan Bartley, that the nonviolent activism of Gandhi and the the peaceful and environmental 'awkward squads' point to a more hopeful form of politics and social change.
India gained independence through nonviolence, but partition involved much brutality, says Savi Hensman. Independence means embracing peace and justice in spite of intolerant ideologies, both religious and secular.