By J C Suresh | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis Russia is in the midst of a comprehensive modernization of its nuclear forces that began more than a decade ago. The upgrade, which involves replacing all Soviet-era ballistic missiles with fewer improved missiles, is now approaching a point at which the number of modern weapons will shortly exceed the number of old ones, In a decade, virtually all of the Soviet-era ...

Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, first appears in a 1954 Japanese science fiction movie by the same name, ravaging Japan in a symbolic warning about the risks of nuclear weapons. For a couple of decades Godzilla was very popular, appearing in more than 28 films as well as many video games, novels, comic books, and a television series. Then, as a fragile détente developed in the region ...

Russian authorities should immediately and unconditionally free the two members of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot who remain behind bars, Human Rights Watch said today. The two women, Nadia Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, have been in detention since their arrest nearly one year ago, on March 2, 2012. They were sentenced in August to two years in prison for “hate-motivated hooliganism” based on a pol ...

Russia and the Arab League have offered to broker talks between Syria and its opposition coalition to end nearly two years of foreign-sponsored unrest in the Arab country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow and the Arab League are attempting to establish direct talks between the Syrian government and the opposition bloc. He made the remarks during a joint news conference wi ...

Vicious attacks on gay rights protesters in Russia in recent days underscores the need for the Russian Duma to reject a draft law on “propaganda for homosexuality,” Human Rights Watch said today. Russian authorities should thoroughly investigate the violence and new threats and hold accountable those responsible. On January 25, 2013, the Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, voted in the first reading in f ...

The European Union should urge President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming EU-Russia summit meeting to end the crackdown on Russia’s civil society, Human Rights Watch said today. The 30th summit meeting since two sides started meeting regularly will be on December 21, 2012, in Brussels. “The EU should convey a clear sense of alarm at the crackdown of the past six months on Russia’s vibrant civil society,” said ...

Russia’s parliament should reject a proposed bill that would violate Russians’ freedom of expression and discriminate against and stigmatize Russia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. On December 19, 2012, the Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, is scheduled to discuss draft provisions that would impose fines on individuals, government officials, and organizations that engage in “ ...

Homophobic persecution and discrimination is rife in large parts of the world, and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are still not recognised or protected by international law. Nonetheless, progress towards equality is being made thanks to the defiance and bravery of activists. Over the last two decades, the impoverished South Asian nation of Nepal has made an extraordinary transit ...