  The soft-gamma repeater SGR 1900+14 became active on 18 April 2001 after
about two years of quiescence; it had remained at a very low state of activity
since the fall of 1998, when it exhibited extraordinary flaring. We have
observed the source in the gamma and X rays with Ulysses and Chandra, and in
the radio with MERLIN. We report here the confirmation of a two component X-ray
spectrum (power law + blackbody), indicating emission from the neutron star
surface. We have determined that there is a dust halo surrounding the source
that extends up to >~ 100'' from the center of SGR 1900+14, due to scattering
in the interstellar medium.
