The Fragile States Index, produced by The Fund for Peace, is a critical tool in highlighting not only the normal pressures that all states experience, but also in identifying when those pressures are pushing a state towards the brink of failure. By highlighting pertinent issues in weak and failing states, …
after years of concealment from the public, the us administration revealed a small, lightweight nuclear device that was to be delivered to an enemy harbour using a navy or Marine parachutist. The information, along with 270,000 pages of materials kept secret for the last 50 years, was made public recently …
if you are a soldier then better do not ignore birdlike flying devices while waiting in ambush. These tiny flying machines may be enemy's tool to locate your hiding place. And ultimately you may land up in their captive. Researchers in the us are developing tiny robot-controlled aircraft that would …
canada became the first nation to sign the historic treaty imposing a total ban on anti personnel landmines ( apls) in Ottawa, Canada, on December 4, when the treaty was opened for signing. By the evening of December 5 when the conference ended, 121 countries had signed the accord. India, …
The civil war in Sri Lanka has taken its toll on the environment also. Millions of palmyrah trees have been destroyed in Sri Lanka's war-shattered northern province. Government officials say that about 2.5 million palmyrah trees have been felled by the army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, mainly …
The World Bank has expressed concern over Bangladesh's increased spending on defence. The bank's recent draft report on public expenditure said that "there is creeping increase in defence expenditure, which already accounts for 17-18 per cent of current spending". "This is questionable in view of the tremendous poverty alleviation task …
with the death of Carl Sagan, a philosopher-astronomer, in December 1996, the world has lost a great person who popularised science. The impact that Sagan had on the us and on the rest of the world is evident from the fact that his book Cosmos is an all-time bestseller. In …
the Chemical Weapons Convention came into effect on April 22 with China and the us ratifying it at the last minute. The treaty bans the development, production, stockpiling or use of chemical weapons. It also requires member states to destroy their chemical weapons' stockpiles and production facilities within the year …
The last battleground of the Vietnam war is still marked by strife. A generation after chasing off the Americans, Vietnam is putting up with what may be called its
Iraq is facing lawsuits claiming billions of dollars in compensation by Kuwait and its allies including the US, for environmental damage caused during the Gulf War. Iraqi troops are alleged to have unloaded millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf waters in January 1991 and set fire to more …
American troops are currently using computers that can give instant translations of foreign-language documents. Armed with the new device called the Forward Area Language Converter (Falcon), they will be able to assess the significance of any papers they discover, by simply feeding them into a scanner and reading the text …
with the end of the cold war, the formidable us military apparatus is being deployed for more peaceful purposes. us spy satellites are homing in on natural phenomena such as clouds, glaciers, deserts and tropical rainforests to yield a virtual treasure trove of information about global climatic change and ecological …
According to a report from the US National Academy of Sciences, stockpiles of chemical weapons could be neutralised by bacteria. Under Richard Magee of the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, the US army could dispose of tonnes of mustard gas by first mixing it with water at a …
The tale of the Gulf War syndrome, affecting thousands of war veterans, is getting curiouser and curiouser. New studies indicate that the disease and hospitalisation rates of those who served in the war and those who did not, were not dissimilar. Published in the recent issue of the New England …
The Gulf War has long since been over. Yet its repercussions are found even today; specifically in the health of those soldiers who took part in it. But while these symptoms of ill-health have manifested several years ago, it is only now that the US government and more recently a …
at long last, the Pentagon has acknowledged the presence of the Gulf war syndrome, a result of exposure to chemical agents like nerve gas and other poisons. At a press conference, held recently, Pentagon officials, after denying the existence of the syndrome for years, admitted that they were wrong and …
the International Court of Justice in The Hague has delivered its profoundest judgement yet: nuclear arms should not be used in war. However, it was unable to make up its mind on whether the restriction included the usage of such arms as a means of self-defence. Eleven days of hearing …
OF ALL the rhilitary weapons used, landmines have caused maximum devastation, more to unsuspecting civilians than to the actual targets. Realising this, the United Nations undertook a series of steps to persuade governments to avoid using landmines. At the final review session on the landmine protocol of the Conventional Weapons …
Yemen and Saudi Arabia have finally decided to call a halt to their 61-year-long border warfare. Following this decision, the biggest sigh of relief was from oil companies operating nervously in the oil-rich provinces under dispute heaved. In a memorandum of understanding signed at Mecca in the middle of March, …
A DEBATE is raging in the us about the "Gulf War Syndrome" -- a mysterious illness that has scientists completely at sea. An extensive range of unexplained health problems has surfaced among soldiers who fought in the 1991 Gulf War, as well as in their families. Reports are coming in …
ETHIOPIA, one of the oldest of farm civilisations, has been mercilessly ravaged by war and famine. Fortunately, Valiant & Khan's Treasures of Ethiopia spares the viewer the stereotypical images of hollow-eyed children and food convoys. Instead, it wanders into the countryside to look at its plant treasures. Covering about a …
