International
Doubts Whether Space Is Being Used Only for Peaceful Purposes
By Ramesh Jaura A Soviet cosmonaut and an American astronaut shook hands high above the planet Earth, on July 17, 1975, where the Soviet spaceship Soyuz-19 and the U.S. spacecraft Apollo had met and docked. In a message of greeting, the Soviet leadership described the “joint flight of the Soviet and US… »
Trump Exits Somalia
By Dr Binoy Kampmark These are things that might have been done earlier. During the last, flickering days of the Trump administration, activity is being witnessed across countries which have a US troop presence. Numbers are being reduced. Security wonks are getting the jitters. Is the imperium shrinking? Will President… »
Hayabusa2: Japanese probe returns asteroid sample to Earth
The capsule from the Japanese space probe has landed in the Australian desert. Scientists are hoping for a treasure trove of information about the solar system and life on Earth from tiny samples of the asteroid Ryugu. A capsule carrying asteroid samples from a Japanese space probe landed in the South Australian… »
Lost in Translation? Understanding Relevance of Women, Peace & Security in Arms Control & Disarmament
“What does the Women, Peace and Security Agenda have to do with arms control and disarmament?”. Under varying formulations, this question keeps coming up whenever someone refers to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda as a basis for ensuring that women’s voices and their specific security needs were taken… »
Journalism without fear or favour
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made even clearer the importance of being able to access reliable, unbiased information in a time of crisis – and of independent media as the source of such information. But freedom of the media is under attack in many countries all around the world and… »
U.N. Secretary-General Warns Impact of Pandemic May Last for Decades
At the United Nations, Secretary-General António Guterres warned Thursday the world could be suffering negative effects from the pandemic for decades to come. Secretary-General António Guterres: “Let’s not fool ourselves. A vaccine cannot undo damage that will stretch across years, even decades, to come. Extreme poverty is rising. The threat… »
No to FTAA 15 yrs on: overcoming capitalism still best alternative for Latin America
Brasil de Fato Michele de Mello “Alca, al carajo!”, was Hugo Chávez’s war cry in Mar Del Plata, located in southern Argentina, on November 5th 2005, expressing the will of the people in the 35 countries of the American continent. The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) was a… »
Some Surprises in the European Commission’s New Intellectual Property Strategy
The European Commission’s new intellectual property (IP) strategy is out and it holds a number of surprises for access to medicines. After restating the importance of IP for innovation and for fostering a competitive European industry, the Commission lays out a number of actions relevant for access to… »
There Is Enough Food, yet 2 Billion Have Difficulty Accessing It
By Santo D. Banerjee “Hunger is an outrage in a world of plenty,” the UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the governing body of the Organization’s food agency, highlighting the important role of food security in cementing peace. “An empty stomach is a gaping hole in the heart of a society. A… »
Venezuela Wins Simply By Holding an Election
By Vijay Prashad / Carlos Ron Venezuela’s National Assembly has been stalled ever since it was made an instrument for regime change by Washington. Now, with this election, it is hoped that the legislative process can resume. On December 6, the Venezuelan people will vote… »