HUMAN WRONGS WATCH

Human Wrongs Watch

Senior government officials will press for the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) when they meet on 27 September at UN Headquarters in New York, where the treaty first opened for signature 16 years ago, Un reports. The CTBT is the only treaty to ban all nuclear tests, everywhere and by everyone. The treaty also has a unique global alarm system to detect nuclear explosions.

Nuclear tests remain a threat to human health and global stability. Graphic: CTBTO

With the combination of the treaty and its verification system, the international community has “virtually pushed the genie of nuclear explosions back in the bottle,” the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Tibor Tóth, said .

The CTBTO is tasked with building up the treaty’s verification regime so that it is fully operational when the treaty enters into force, and with promoting signatures and ratifications.

Out of a total listed number of 195 States, 183 have so far signed the CTBT and 157 have ratified it. For the treaty to enter into force, ratification is required from the so-called Annex 2 States. Of these, China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States, have yet to ratify it.

Human Wrongs Watch

By Uri Avnery*, TRANSCEND – Once upon a time, President Richard Nixon wanted to appoint a certain lawyer to the US Supreme Court. “But the man is a complete moron!” one senator exclaimed. “So what,” answered another, “There are a great many morons in the US, and they have a right to be represented in the court as much as any other sector of society.”

Mitt Romeny | Gage Skidmore | Wikimedia Commons

Benjamin Netanyahu | Wikimepedia

Perhaps the United Morons of America have a right to elect Mitt Romney president. But for the sake of the US and Israel, I hope that this will not happen.

Some people say that Israel is the 51^st state of the Union. Some say that it is the first among the 51. Whatever, our lives – and perhaps our deaths – depend to a great extent on the man in the White House.

So, with all my misgivings (and I have a lot) about Barack Obama, I very much hope that he will be reelected

In his latest seizure of wisdom, Romney did not only disclose that 47% of Americans are parasites, but also that “the Palestinians” want to destroy Israel. According to him, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has no solution, it will go on forever.

I wonder where he got this last piece from.

Human Wrongs Watch

“There is basically no explanation other than hypocrisy… the outpouring of ostentatious sympathy for the Syrian people’s plight should prompt equally pressing action on the ground. But the fact is that our governments satisfy themselves with empty statements and insincere pledges.”

Syrian refugees | United Nations

By IRIN* – Few humanitarian crises receive the attention and engagement of the world that Syria has. States – on both sides of the conflict – have clamoured loudly about the deplorable humanitarian situation there.

Yet, as the head of operations of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent put it at the end of July: “Nobody is really putting his hand in his pocket and putting his money where his mouth is.”

While funding has picked up in recent weeks, UN appeals for more than US$541 million to help Syrians in need inside the country, as well as Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries, are currently 40 percent funded. (The appeals have been revised and increased several times).