Latest news with #ICAN
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Global nuclear spending hits $100 Billion in 2024: US tops list with $56.8 Billion, India retains spot in top 9 nuclear power countries
Top 9 countries spending the most on nuclear weapons: The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) reported that global spending on nuclear weapons soared beyond $100 billion in 2024, an 11 per cent rise from the year before and a startling $190,151 every minute. The United States once again set the global nuclear spending record, contributing $56.8 billion, more than all other nuclear-armed countries put together. China spent $12.5 billion, a far cry from the $10.4 billion spent by the UK, which came in third. The UK led the list with a 26 per cent increase in its nuclear spending year over year, followed by Pakistan (18 per cent) and France (13 per cent). While the US saw the biggest absolute jump, $5.3 billion more than in 2023, ICAN warns that the cost of nuclear weapons is being borne in many ways, and not just by the countries that build them. Several nations continue to quietly host US or Russian nuclear weapons, often without public knowledge or parliamentary oversight. Beyond governments, private defense contractors are also cashing in. In 2024 alone, at least 26 companies involved in developing and maintaining nuclear arms earned a combined $43.5 billion, with ongoing contracts worth around $463 billion. These companies weren't just busy building weapons, they were also busy lobbying. In the past year, they spent over $128 million lobbying officials in the US and France, and held 196 high-level meetings with UK officials, including 18 with the prime minister's office. To put things in perspective, ICAN notes that the money spent on nuclear weapons in just one year could fund the entire United Nations budget 28 times. Meanwhile, 98 countries have chosen a different course by joining the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which bans all nuclear weapons-related activities and pledges to eliminate them altogether. Yet, the nine countries with nuclear capabilities have spent a combined $415.9 billion on their arsenals over the past five years, from 2020 to 2024, with a 34 per cent rise already recorded between 2019 and 2023. India is estimated to possess 172 nuclear weapons with the ability to launch them from land, air, and sea. Though official data is scarce, ICAN, using a Stimson Center methodology, estimates India spent around $2.6 billion on its nuclear arsenal in 2024–roughly three per cent of its total military budget. This equals $4,976 every minute or $2 per citizen. Key contributors include DRDO, Bharat Dynamics Limited, and Walchandnagar Industries. Source: The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)
India Today
7 days ago
- General
- India Today
Hiroshima Day 2025: History, significance, and all you need to know
Hiroshima Day, observed every year on August 6, marks the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. As the world enters the 80th year since the tragic event, Hiroshima Day 2025 serves as a solemn reminder of the horrors of nuclear warfare and a call for lasting global Day will be observed on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. The day commemorates the dropping of the world's first atomic bomb used in warfare—an event that drastically altered the course of HISTORIC BOMBING OF HIROSHIMAOn August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, the United States dropped a uranium-based atomic bomb named 'Little Boy' on Hiroshima. The explosion killed an estimated 70,000 people instantly, and the death toll rose to approximately 140,000 by the end of 1945 due to injuries and radiation-related HIROSHIMA WAS TARGETED Hiroshima was selected as the target due to its military significance, industrial base, and dense population. The U.S. intended to force Japan into surrender by demonstrating the devastating power of nuclear weaponry. Just three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, leading to Japan's official surrender on August 15, IMPACT ON SURVIVORSThose who lived through the attack, known as Hibakusha, suffered long-term health issues including chronic illnesses, cancer, genetic damage, and psychological trauma. Generations were affected, with ongoing debates about the ethical and humanitarian consequences of nuclear OF HIROSHIMA DAYHiroshima Day goes beyond memorialising the victims. It aims to educate people about the dangers of nuclear arms and promote a global culture of peace, disarmament, and non-violence. Events such as peace ceremonies, candlelight vigils, and educational sessions are organised around the over 13,000 nuclear warheads still in existence today, Hiroshima Day is more relevant than ever. Countries and international bodies like the United Nations, ICAN, and various peace organisations use the occasion to push for treaties like the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and to urge nuclear powers to REMEMBERING HIROSHIMA STILL MATTERSIn an age of global conflict, political instability, and advanced weapon technologies, Hiroshima Day 2025 is a powerful reminder of what is at stake. Remembering the past helps shape a more conscious future—one where peace is prioritised over power.- EndsMust Watch
NHK
05-08-2025
- Politics
- NHK
ICAN head: Japan should join UN nuclear weapons ban treaty meetings
The head of a global anti-nuclear weapons group has urged Japan, as the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, to take part in UN meetings on the treaty to ban the weapons. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Executive Director Melissa Parke spoke to reporters in Hiroshima on Monday. The group won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its contribution to the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Parke is in Japan to attend ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings. She said the bombings were not an isolated event, but the beginning of 80 years of harm to generations of people. She said she expects the ceremonies will be very moving and will inspire her group even more to seek a world without nuclear weapons. Parke said the risk of nuclear weapons being used is at its highest ever, and as long as the weapons exist, it cannot be said that the next 80 years will be safe. She said, "Japan has the opportunity to provide unique moral leadership, as the only country attacked with nuclear weapons in wartime." She noted that the treaty provides for victim assistance and called on Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru to "listen to the hibakusha."
Perth Now
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Perth councillor calls to abolish nuclear weapons
The City of Perth council will be asked to support a campaign led by local governments across the country for Australia to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The motion from Cr Clyde Bevan seeks to formally endorse the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Cities Appeal (ICAN), a global initiative urging national governments to ban nuclear weapons under international law. More than 50 other local governments in Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and the ACT Government, have declared their support for nuclear disarmament. WA local governments who have endorsed the ICAN include Bassendean, Fremantle, Cockburn and Augusta-Margaret River. Cr Bevan's motion also calls for the council to acknowledge the upcoming 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, which claimed the lives of about 210,000 people. 'We honour the victims of these attacks, and the Hibakusha and Hibakunesei who continue to live with the legacy of nuclear weapons,' his motion states. Cr Bevan said it would send a clear message to Federal leaders. 'Our cities are the targets — we should be leading the call for their protection,' he said. 'The only thing preventing disaster is luck — and luck is not a security strategy.' He argued that although nuclear disarmament was a global issue, it had local implications. 'If protecting our cities and our people from weapons designed to destroy them isn't a local responsibility, then what is?' he said. A city officer's report said that although endorsing the ICAN carried no legal weight, it was a public statement of the council's values. 'These local governments believe that they have a role to play in raising awareness and building support for nuclear disarmament and some councils state that they are also motivated by a desire to protect their communities from the potential dangers associated with nuclear weapons,' it said. ICAN was founded in Melbourne and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its advocacy in helping bring about the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which prohibits the development, possession, use or threat of nuclear weapons and requires countries to assist victims and clean up areas affected by nuclear testing and bombings. ICAN was developed in Melbourne and has won a Nobel Peace prize. Credit: Clare Conboy 'Despite strong public support, Australia has not yet signed (the treaty), even though both major parties have committed to doing so in principle,' Cr Bevan said in his motion. Australia signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1973 and is part of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone. Cr Bevan said the organisation's legacy was an example of Australia's leadership on the world stage. 'Australia has a proud history of supporting treaties that ban indiscriminate, inhumane weapons,' he said. 'We've stood against landmines, cluster bombs, and chemical weapons — it's time we do the same for nuclear weapons, the most dangerous of all.' The council is scheduled to consider the proposal at its July 29 meeting.
NHK
17-07-2025
- Politics
- NHK
New memorial marks 80 years from 1st nuclear test in US state of New Mexico
On the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb test in the US state of New Mexico, a memorial sign was unveiled at the site acknowledging the damage and suffering caused by the radioactive fallout. The first detonation of a nuclear weapon took place on July 16, 1945. Less than a month later, two atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. About 100 people attended the dedication ceremony on Wednesday and called for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The state government placed the marker near the entrance of the former test site. It includes an explanation of the damage from the blast's radioactivity and conveys the experiences of affected residents. Among the attendees at the ceremony was Melissa Parke, the Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN. She said, "What happened here 80 years ago today also marked the beginning of an existential threat to humanity." She went on to say, "The story perpetuated by nuclear arms states that nuclear weapons keep the world safe through deterrence is a grotesque and dangerous lie." A man from an area affected by the test said people are going to read the sign and know the full story, that it just wasn't about a test, but an atomic bomb explosion. He called nuclear proliferation "ridiculous."
