Putin warns West of risk of nuclear war, says Moscow can strike Western targets
Moscow, Russia Reuters President Vladimir Putin told Western countries on Thursday they risked provoking a nuclear war if they sent troops to fight in Ukraine, warning that Moscow had the weapons to strike targets in the West. The war in Ukraine has triggered the worst crisis in Moscow’s relations with the West since the 1962 […]
Pope, other leaders, appeal for end to “nuclear nightmare”
Rome, ItalyAP Pope Francis joined other religious leaders Tuesday at Rome’s Colosseum to make a plea for peace and ending what they called the “nuclear nightmare” as fears intensify that Russia’s war against Ukraine may see atomic weapons used. A ceremony at the ancient Roman arena capped a conference on promoting world peace. The Sant’Egidio […]
Russia hits Ukraine homes, evacuates Kherson, warns of escalation
Mykolaiv, Ukraine Reuters Under pressure in the south of Ukraine, Russia fired missiles and drones into Ukrainian-held Mykolaiv on Sunday, destroying an apartment block in the ship-building city near the front and said the war was trending towards “uncontrolled escalation”. Mykolaiv lies roughly 35 kilometres nort-west of the front line to occupied Kherson, the southern […]
Pope says it is “madness” to think of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis, speaking as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West he was not bluffing about possibly using nuclear weapons, said on Wednesday that thinking of such an act was “madness”. Francis also said Ukrainians were being subjected to savageness, monstrosities and torture, calling them a “noble” people being martyred. Pope Francis addresses […]
Pope, Japan PM, discuss hopes for nuclear-free world
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis and the Prime Minister of Japan, the only country to be hit by atomic bombs, met on Wednesday and discussed their common hope for a world free of nuclear weapons. Francis and Fumio Kishida met for about half an hour in a receiving room of the Vatican’s audience hall just before […]
Ukraine accuses Russia of blackmail with plan to halt gas to Poland
Warsaw, Poland/Ramstein Air Base, GermanyReuters Kyiv accused Russia of blackmailing Europe by cutting off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria as the crisis in Ukraine deepened, with tensions surging in nearby Moldova and Moscow warning the West to back off. NATO member and staunch Kremlin opponent Poland is among the European countries seeking the toughest […]
Russia warns “serious” nuclear war risks should not be underestimated
Lviv, Ukraine/Kyiv Reuters Russia told the world not to underestimate the considerable risks of nuclear war that it said it wanted to reduce and warned that conventional Western weapons were legitimate targets in Ukraine, where battles raged in the east. “The risks now are considerable,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russia’s state television according to […]
Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill discuss Ukraine war for first time
Vatican CityRNS Pope Francis and Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow spoke via video on Wednesday to address the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and joint efforts to promote peace and provide aid to the Ukrainian people. “The discussions focused on the war in Ukraine and the role Christians and their pastors can have in doing everything […]
UN chief: prospect of nuclear conflict back “within realm of possibility” over Ukraine
Reuters United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday sounded the alarm over Russia raising the alert level for its nuclear forces after invading Ukraine, describing it as a “bone-chilling development”. “The prospect of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility,” Guterres told reporters, and repeated his call for an immediate […]
Essay: How long to midnight? The Doomsday Clock measures more than nuclear risk – and it’s about to be reset again
In an article first published on The Conversation, JACK HEINEMANN, professor of molecular biology and genetics at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, looks at the history of the Doomsday Clock…