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World

The Svalbard islands, the Russian challenge to NATO in the Arctic ice.

The Svalbard archipelago, in the far North of the Arctic, has been an object of deep geopolitical interest for the Russian Federation for decades. The area is still governed by the 1920 Treaty, which gave Norway limited sovereignty over the archipelago. The Treaty of Svalbard, drawn up in 1920, established Norwegian sovereignty over the archipelago,…

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Global military spending surges amid war, rising tensions and insecurity.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), total global military expenditure reached $2443 billion in 2023, an increase of 6.8 per cent in real terms from 2022. This was the steepest year-on-year increase since 2009. The 10 largest spenders in 2023 – led by the United States, China and Russia – all increased…

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The world is entering an era of instability.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), he world has entered a more dangerous period in the last twelve months, with increased tensions and conflict reshaping the global defence-industrial landscape. Data published in the new The IISS Military Balance 2024 shows how countries are reshaping their equipment and spending plans and how their…

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Elections 2024. From “Confirmed” to “Unknown”.

 Russia, Ukraine, the European Union, and the United States. An intense year of elections in the shadow of Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In Russia, at war with Ukraine, presidential elections will be held on Sunday 17 March 2024. The likely scenario is that the war will still be going on and this situation will…

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How Climate Change Affects Girls and Young Women.

Drought, floods, abnormal heat waves. Today we are faced with a climate crisis that is unprecedented in human history, the consequences of which are there for all to see. It is primarily the inhabitants of the poorest and most vulnerable countries and, more generally, those belonging to the most disadvantaged social groups, especially women, who…

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Girls and Young Women. Broken Lives.

The waves break gently on the shore. The crystal-clear water glistens invitingly under the rays of the sun. Eleanor sits on the shore and looks out to sea. Her palms shade her face. Eleanor is twelve years old and she can’t wait to be grown up. Some distance from the sea stands her wooden house.…

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Education for Girls. A Challenge to Learning Poverty.

Despite the extraordinary progress made in the last 25 years, there are still 129 million girls who do not have access to education (32 million in primary, 97 million in secondary). Globally, primary and secondary school enrolment rates are approaching parity (90% male and 89% female). However, the gender gap widens if school completion rates,…

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Precocious Marriages. Increasing Due to Crises.

The terrible drought which – for the third year in a row – plagues the Horn of Africa region and the rise in food prices caused by the war in Ukraine, have led to an increase in child marriages in several countries of the region. The alarm was raised by UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s…

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New Technologies and Geopolitical Balances.

The changes taking place in the sectors of new technologies related to 5G, internet, automation, robotisation, biogenetics, big data, cognitive systems, and new materials will significantly affect international balances. The effect is disruptive and is generating significant changes in the geopolitical, economic, technological, and political scenarios. A radical and profound change in the field of…

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Arms industry sales rise.

Sales of arms and military services by the sector’s largest 25 companies totalled $361 billion in 2019, 8.5% more than in 2018 according to new data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The largest companies have a geographically diverse international presence the new data from SIPRI’s Arms Industry Database shows with arms sales…

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Advocacy

Sister Rosita. Four Decades of Refugee Advocacy.

When asked how a farmer’s daughter who became a Catholic nun ended up as one of Brazil’s most influential refugee advocates, Sister Rosita Milesi, 79,…

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Baobab

Kalulu and the Great Spirit of the Forest.

Vusi was an honest man and a hard worker. He had cleared a large piece of moorland and turned it into a beautiful fertile field. He…

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Youth & Mission

Towards World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul with the courage…

On 24 November, the Solemnity of Christ the King, on the occasion of World Youth Day in the Particular Churches, in St. Peter's Basilica the traditional…

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