By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 3 December 2023 (IDN) — Is it justifiable for a country to go nuclear—justifying it on the grounds that it is doing so to protect itself from nuclear attacks? The argument is based on the concept of “nuclear deterrence”: a widely-challenged theory that nuclear weapons are intended to deter nuclear […]
The Future of Nuclear Disarmament Lies with the Younger Generation
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 1 December 2023 (IDN) — With little or no progress on nuclear disarmament worldwide or the abolition of nuclear weapons, there is a widespread belief that the responsibility for the continued global campaign should now be passed onto the young generation of anti-nuclear activists. A joint statement by a […]
Faith-based Organizations Warn Nuclear Arms as Worst of all Evils
UNITED NATIONS | 1 December 2023 (IDN) — As the weeklong Second Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons concluded on December 1, a joint statement by a coalition of 115 faith-based and civil society organizations warned of the double violence of climate catastrophe and rampant militarism. “Nuclear weapons […]
The Voices of Victims of Nuclear Weapons Testing
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, 30 November 2023 (IDN) — Speaking at a side event during a weeklong meeting of States Parties on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), Hirotsugu Terasaki, Director General of Peace and Global Issues, Soka Gakkai International (SGI), warned that the past two months have seen the outbreak of wide-scale violence […]
World News in Brief: New Relief Window in Gaza, Sexual Violence in Sudan, New Action Against Chemical Weapons
UN News NEW YORK | 30 November 2023 (IDN) — A last-minute extension of the pause in fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas on Thursday offered hope that UN humanitarians and aid partners will be able to pursue their efforts to reach the enclave’s most vulnerable people. The latest update from UN aid coordination […]
Advancing Nuclear Research: Countering Cancer and Climate Change
United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) UNITED NATIONS | 30 November 2023 (IDN) — Nuclear research is driving innovation in science, technology, medicine, and clean energy for the benefit of communities around the globe. The Nuclear Technology Review 2022 issued by the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, already underlined that “the use of nuclear […]
Somali Youth Educator Bags Major UN Refugee Award
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 29 November 2023 (IDN) — Abdullahi Mire, a former child refugee from Somalia, is this year’s United Nations Nansen Refugee Award winner. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recognized the 36-year-old Mire for providing 100,000 books to Somali refugees in camps in Kenya. Filippo Grandi […]
African Countries Lagging on Climate Justice, Rights Groups Say
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 29 November 2023 (IDN) — Rising sea levels, droughts and floods have exposed some of the failures of African countries to prioritize human rights and climate justice, resulting in negative outcomes for vulnerable communities. That was the view of Amnesty International, one of several groups monitoring […]
Climate Change Is ‘The Wolf in The House’, US Weather Expert Warns
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 28 November 2023 (IDN) — The phrase “climate change” has slipped quietly but firmly into our popular vernacular. It pops up around the clock, in the news, in school and church, on the street, and in speeches by politicians running for office. According to scientists, climate […]
A Nuclear Attack by Design — or by Accident — Must Never Happen
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 27 November 2023 (IDN) — As two of the world’s nuclear powers—Russia and Israel—are engaged in two devastating conflicts, a lingering question remains: could the military tension looming over both countries trigger a nuclear attack either by design or by accident? “That is one scenario that must never happen”, […]