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Sunday, September 27, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Nuclear Energy - Nuclear Weapons
Amidst Turmoil, Nuke-Free Mideast Conference Derailed
A long outstanding international conference on a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East, scheduled to take place in Finland next month, has been postponed, giving rise to speculation on whether it will ever get off the ground.
In Post-Fukushima Japan, Civil Society Turns up Heat on Officials
For the former industrial engineer Yastel Yamada, retirement does not mean he intends to sit back. Instead, the 73-year-old and about 700 other skilled seniors across Japan are eager to volunteer to tackle the most dangerous part of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant cleanup and spare a younger generation from the effects of extreme radiation.
Avoiding the Slippery Slope to War with Iran
Amidst reports that stalled negotiations with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme may soon be jump-started, many here are arguing that a mutually negotiated settlement remains the most effective option for resolving the dispute and averting the threat of war.IAEA Data on Sensitive Iranian Stockpile Mislead News Media
News stories on the latest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report suggested new reasons to fear that Iran is closer to a “breakout” capability than ever before, citing a nearly 50-percent increase in its stockpile of 20-percent enriched uranium and the installation of hundreds of additional centrifuges at the Fordow enrichment installation.
U.S. Escalation Against Iran Would Carry High Cost for Global Economy
The world economy would bear substantial costs if the United States took steps to significantly escalate the conflict with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme, according to the findings of a Federation of American Scientists’ (FAS) special report released here Friday.
Netanyahu’s 2010 Order Was Not a Move to War on Iran
A new twist was added to the longrunning media theme of a threat by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to go to war with Iran when news stories seemed to suggest Monday that Netanyahu had ordered the Israeli military to prepare for an imminent attack on Iranian nuclear sites in 2010.
Pentagon Nixed 1998 U.S. Nuclear Scientists’ Probe of Iranian Programme
In 1998, the Defence Department vetoed a delegation of prominent U.S. nuclear specialists to go to Iran to investigate its nuclear programme at the invitation of the government of newly-elected Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, according to the nuclear scientist who was organising the mission.
U.S.: 50th Anniversary of Cuban Missile Crisis Offers Lessons for Iran
It was exactly 50 years ago when then-President John F. Kennedy took to the airwaves to inform the world that the Soviet Union was introducing nuclear-armed missiles into Cuba and that he had ordered a blockade of the island - and would consider stronger action - to force their removal.Saudi Insider Likely Key to Aramco Cyber-Attack
Last weekend’s disclosure that Iranian cyber warriors had disabled some 30,000 computers owned by the Saudi oil giant Aramco is attracting considerable attention here, particularly in light of a warning last week by Pentagon chief Leon Panetta that Washington could face a “cyber-Pearl Harbor".Obama Aides Launch Preemptive Attack on New Iran Plan
Although the place and time of the next round of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme have not yet been announced, the manoeuvring by Iran and the United States to influence the outcome has already begun.Anti-Iran Hawks Maintain P.R. Offensive
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the U.N. General Assembly last month that Iran’s nuclear programme was unlikely to breach his “red line” for presumed military action until next spring or summer, many observers here looked forward to some relief from the nearly incessant drumbeat for war by U.S. neo-conservatives and other hawks.
U.S.: Romney Assails Obama’s “Passivity” in Foreign Policy, Middle East
In what was billed as a major foreign policy address, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney Monday assailed Barack Obama for “passivity” in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy, arguing that it was “time to change course” in the Middle East, in particular.Recent Economic Unrest Unlikely to Alter Iran’s Nuclear Calculus
As Iran faces economic unrest, discussion is intensifying over the impact sanctions are having on Iran’s economy.
Israel’s Hypocrisy on a Nuclear Middle East
When world leaders packed their bags and headed home last week, there was one lingering memory of the General Assembly’s high-level debate: Benjamin Netanyahu’s dramatic presentation of a cartoonish nuclear red line, which hit the front pages of most mainstream newspapers in the United States.Pressure Mounts on Nuclear States to Ratify Test Ban
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.
Strained East-West Relations Dominate General Assembly Opening
Addressing the 67th General Assembly at the United Nations in New York Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama accused the Iranian government of propping up the dictatorship in Syria and supporting terrorist groups abroad.Iranian Diplomat Says Iran Offered Deal to Halt 20-Percent Enrichment
Iran has again offered to halt its enrichment of uranium to 20 percent, which the United States has identified as its highest priority in the nuclear talks, in return for easing sanctions against Iran, according to Iran’s permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).U.S., Israeli Attacks Unlikely to Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Programme
While U.S. or Israeli air strikes may delay the building by Iran of a nuclear weapon, they are unlikely to prevent it altogether and could well prove counter-productive, according to a major new report signed by nearly three dozen former top U.S. foreign-policy makers, military officers, and independent experts.Pink Shrouds Aimed to Draw Attention to Iran Military Site, Analysts Say
Diplomats from an unidentified country and a Washington research organisation considered close to the International Atomic Energy Agency have alleged in recent weeks that Iran has covered two buildings at a military site to hide a clean-up of evidence of nuclear weapons related testing.
After Dempsey Warning, Israel May Curb War Threat
President Barack Obama’s explicit warning that he will not accept a unilateral Israeli attack against Iran may force Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step back from his ostensible threat of war.
Women Take up Care of Tohoku Elders
Yumiko Yonekura, who survived last year’s massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated Tohoku in northeast Japan, has just launched ‘Hot Care Kesenuma’, a welfare company that provides special care for feeble elders in the affected region.« Previous Page — Next Page »
At first it was the United States. Then came Russia, China, Britain and France. Everyone wanted their own atomic bombs and atomic energy. While Israel quietly nurtured its nuclear programme, in Asia, rivals India and Pakistan, and most recently North Korea, joined the global nuclear club. Are nuclear weapons stockpiles adequately safeguarded? Is nuclear energy worth the risk? Read IPS.
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