Nihon Hidankyo awarded 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for nuclear disarmament efforts
Stockholm: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization representing survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its relentless efforts to advocate for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Formed in 1956, Nihon Hidankyo is the largest and most influential organization of atomic bomb survivors in Japan. The group has worked tirelessly to raise global awareness of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, sharing the personal stories of Hibakusha – survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings in August 1945. These witness testimonies have helped establish the international “nuclear taboo,” stigmatizing the use of nuclear arms as morally unacceptable.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee praised Nihon Hidankyo for its continued efforts in advancing global opposition to nuclear weapons. "The Hibakusha help us to describe the indescribable, to think the unthinkable," the Committee stated.
With next year marking 80 years since the bombings, the Nobel Committee warned that the threat of nuclear weapons remains significant, despite the passing decades.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
