Nuclear Abolition News | IDN

By J C SURESH

TORONTO (IDN) - A group of non-nuclear weapon states has expressed its resolve to move ahead with practical steps to advance the implementation of the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference Action Plan ('Action Plan') and to pursue the goal of a nuke-free world.

Nuclear Abolition News | IPS

By THALIF DEEN

UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - When world leaders packed their bags and headed home, there was one lingering memory of the General Assembly’s high-level debate: Benjamin Netanyahu’s dramatic presentation on Sep. 27 of a cartoonish nuclear red line, which hit the front pages of most mainstream newspapers in the United States. [P]  ARABIC | CHINESE TEXT VERSION | GERMAN | JAPANESE TEXT |TURKISH

Nuclear Abolition News | IDN

By JAMSHED BARUAH

VIENNA (IDN) - Since the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru called for a "standstill agreement" on nuclear testing on April 2, 1954, 183 out of 196 states around the world have signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) that bans atomic explosions by everyone, everywhere: on the Earth's surface, in the atmosphere, underwater and underground. [P] ARABIC TEXT VERSION |  GERMAN | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION | SPANISH

Nuclear Abolition News | IPS

By HAIDER RIZVI

UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - The United States and a small group of other nuclear-armed nations are apparently coming under increasing pressure to accept the international community’s resolve to legally ban nuclear testing without delay. [P] DUTCH | GERMAN | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION

Nuclear Abolition NewsViewpoint | IDN

By ALYN WARE*

NEW YORK (IDN) - The ATOM Project, an exciting new initiative to build global support for nuclear abolition, was launched at a parliamentary assembly in Astana, Kazakhstan on August 29, the International Day Against Nuclear Tests.

The project, entitled Abolish Testing: Our Mission (ATOM), highlights the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons – particularly the nuclear tests conducted in Kazakhstan that have adversely affected the health and lives of nearly 2 million people. The images of the survivors, though sometimes difficult to witness, are featured in the campaign in order to raise awareness surrounding the damage nuclear testing can cause.

Nuclear Abolition NewsBookReview | IDN

By MALEEHA LODHI*

KARACHI (IDN) - The title of the first book (Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistani Bomb) that authoritatively chronicles Pakistan’s nuclear history comes from a famous remark by (former Prime Minister) Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, architect of the country's atomic programme. In an interview with the Manchester Guardian in 1965, he said if India built the bomb, "we will eat grass, even go hungry, but we will get one of our own. We have no other choice."

Nuclear Abolition NewsViewpoint | IDN

By MARTIN E. HELLMAN*

STANFORD (IDN) - At first, it might seem inconceivable that tiny Malta could lead the world in solving an issue as momentous as nuclear disarmament. To see that possibility requires recognising that nuclear disarmament is a process involving a number of steps. Malta cannot take some of the later steps in the process, but is ideal for making the first move.

Nuclear Abolition News | IDN

By RAMESH JAURA

BERLIN (IDN) – The Geneva UN Conference on Disarmament (CD) has been turned into a talking shop because of the vested interests of a few mighty states without whose consent no genuine nuclear disarmament, not to speak of abolition of nuclear weapons, would ever be within the realm of possibility. [P] ARABIC Text Version | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION | NORWEGIAN | PERSIAN

Nuclear Abolition News | IDN

By J C SURESH

TORONTO (IDN) - The two long-time South Asian rivals, India and Pakistan, are engaged in the world's most active nuclear arms race. India is estimated to have produced as many as 100 atomic weapons, and Pakistan is believed to have stockpiled a similar number if not more. [P] GERMAN | HINDI |  JAPANESE TEXT VERSION | NORWEGIAN

Nuclear Abolition News | IPS

Viewpoint by SERGIO DUARTE *

NEW YORK (IPS) - The crisis that started a few years ago with the collapse of major financial institutions in the United States is now centred in Europe and threatens other parts of the world. Many emerging countries in Asia and Latin America that had thus far avoided contamination because of their sound economic and fiscal policies and their timely adoption of domestic consumption stimulus packages are now beginning to experience secondary effects. [P] ARABIC | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION

Despite the current financial turmoil and uncertainty, hundreds of millions of dollars continue to be spent each day on military operations without any apparent success in solving the problems they were supposed to. Other disquieting signs loom large. Although combat operations in some troubled areas are being discontinued, the root causes of tension remain unaddressed, with unpredictable consequences.