Japan has unveiled the name for its new imperial era which will begin on May 1 when the country’s crown prince takes over from his father, who will abdicate. The name chosen is ‘Reiwa’ which is written using two Chinese characters, the first meaning ‘good’ or ‘beautiful’ as well as ‘order’ or ‘command’ and the second meaning ‘peace’ or ‘harmony’.

Read the full story here.

In the wake of the Christchurch shootings, a Winnipeg board game cafe is committing to bringing Muslim and non-Muslim Canadians together.

Xiaoli Li from CityNews visits Across the Board for Play for Peace here.

Image: Peace Generation/Twitter

In the USA, Venezuelan players and coaches can only watch their homeland and loved ones suffer from afar in the wake of a mounting humanitarian crisis that has erupted this year in clashes in the cities and border crossings.

Read about what they are experiencing here.

Snow leopards and Marco Polo sheep have not been on the agenda for peace talks involving the Taliban, U.S. officials and Afghan opposition figures. But going forward, should they be? Read the full story on NPR here and another on how “greening” Afghanistan may bring divided negotiators together here.

Photo: Haseebamjad88

Near the start of Peacekeepers: A Journey of a Thousand Miles, one of two main characters, Farida Parveen, stands on a rooftop and quietly vows to complete her mission with “the love and affection of a mother and the resolve of a soldier.”It seems a fitting beginning for a film that deliberately upends assumptions about women, soldiers, peace and war as it follows women police officers from Bangladesh serving as UN peacekeepers in Haiti.

Read the full film review here.

Photo: Asad Faruqi