TOKYO: Millions still live in fear of nuclear war with many countries ramping up their atomic arsenals, the head of the United Nations warned Thursday, marking the anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing.
Antonio Guterres, the first sitting UN secretary general to attend ceremonies honoring those who died in the bombing, said that even 73 years later, there was still a “shadow cast by the dread of unthinkable carnage.”
Nuclear-armed states are spending “vast sums” to modernize their arsenals and “disarmament processes have slowed and even come to a halt,” noted Guterres.
“There is an urgent need for disarmament of all kinds, but especially nuclear disarmament,” stressed the secretary general.
The US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, killing around 140,000 people. The toll includes those who survived the explosion itself but died soon after from severe radiation exposure.
Three days later, the US dropped a plutonium bomb on the port city of Nagasaki, killing some 74,000 people.
Japan announced its surrender in World War II on August 15, 1945.
On Thursday in Nagasaki, crowds flocked to pray and pay their respects at the 10-meter (33-foot) high peace statue.
Guterres and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe laid wreaths to honor the dead and family members carrying buckets of water to purify altars bowed in memory of their loved ones.
The ceremony came amid lingering worries over North Korea’s nuclear threat and in a year when President Donald Trump has pledged to bolster the US arsenal.
Mayor of Nagasaki Tomihisa Taue also issued a passionate call for denuclearization.
“To the great concern of those in the atomic-bombed cities, a shift toward openly asserting that nuclear weapons are necessary and that their use could lead to increased military might is once again on the rise,” Taue said.
UN chief sounds nuclear warning to mark Nagasaki bombing
UN chief sounds nuclear warning to mark Nagasaki bombing
Fourth Palestine Action activist ends hunger strike in UK prison
- Amy Gardiner-Gibson began eating again after 49 days of protest
- Govt rejects claims it ignored prison safety protocols
LONDON: A fourth Palestine Action activist imprisoned in the UK has ended her hunger strike.
Amy Gardiner-Gibson, who also uses the name Amu Gib, began eating again after 49 days of fasting, the campaign group Prisoners for Palestine said.
Qesser Zuhrah, another activist, ended her hunger strike last week after 48 days but said she might resume it next year, Sky News reported.
Four Palestine Action activists have now ended their hunger strikes while in prison, while four others are continuing to fast.
All of them are in prison on remand, awaiting trial for a series of high-profile alleged break-ins and criminal damage.
Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organization and banned earlier this year.
On Tuesday, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested in central London at a rally in support of the hunger strikers.
The protesters are demanding that weapons factories in Britain with ties to Israel be shut down, as well as the removal of Palestine Action’s proscription.
They are also calling for immediate bail to be given to imprisoned pro-Palestine activists and an end to the alleged mistreatment of prisoners in custody.
Seven imprisoned members of Palestine Action have been transferred to hospital over the course of the hunger strike campaign. Doctors have highlighted concerns about the long-term impact of fasting on the activists.
Lawyers representing the group on Monday initiated legal action against the government over its alleged failure to follow prison safety regulations.
The government, however, has rejected this accusation, Sky News reported.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Ministers do not intervene in individual cases. Where individuals are on remand, doing so would risk prejudicing ongoing legal proceedings and undermine the independence of the justice system.
“Concerns about welfare and process can be raised through established legal and administrative channels, including prison governors and ultimately the prison and probation ombudsman.
“Healthcare decisions are taken independently by qualified NHS professionals and appropriate care and oversight frameworks remain in place.”
The activists still on hunger strike include Heba Muraisi and Teuta Hoxha. Hoxha has been on remand for 13 months and her family told Sky News they feared she would die in prison.
Another of the activists, Kamran Ahmad, is believed to have been on hunger strike for 45 days and hospitalized three times.
Lewie Chiaramello, who has Type 1 diabetes, is on day 31 of his strike and taking part by fasting every other day.
