CND's Press Round-Up - 12th July 2021
Posted: 12th July 2021
Please find today’s press round up below. Thank you to all for their continued help and support.
Nuclear Weapons
New CND Campaign – Report the UK to the UN
The Morning Star reports on the launch of CND’s campaign to report the UK government to the United Nations. The campaign follows on from May’s expert legal opinion by Christine Chinkin and Louise Arimatsu, which found the Integrated Review’s decision to lift the cap on nuclear warheads was in breach of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and so against international law. CND General Secretary Kate Hudson is quoted in the report. Kirsten Oswald MP, chair of Parliamentary CND and deputy leader of the SNP at Westminster, said that ‘The UK government is gaining a reputation for believing there is one rule for them and a different rule for everyone else’. The Ministry of Defence simply passed on, word for word, a previous quote which claims that the warhead increase is ‘fully consistent with our international legal obligations’ and that the figure of 260 was a ceiling, not a target.
The Daily Express also reports on the launch of the campaign. Kate Hudson and Kirsten Oswald MP are both quoted. Tantalisingly, the headline is ‘Boris could face battle with UN over plan to ramp up UK’s nuclear warheads’.
Anti-war
China – U.S. Tensions
China has said it drove away a U.S. warship which illegally entered its territorial waters, according to Al Jazeera. The incident happened on Monday, leading to speculation the U.S. timed it to coincide with the anniversary of a court ruling on marine law which was unfavourable to China. In a statement, the Chinese Navy said that the U.S. ship had been ‘seriously violating China’s sovereignty and undermining the stability of the South China Sea’.
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power – USA
Left-leaning U.S. outfit CounterPunch publishes a response to Bhaskar Sunkara’s recent pro-nuclear piece in the Guardian. Author Robert Jacobs argues that, across the developed world, ‘the [nuclear] industry has been sunk by its structural economic dysfunctions’. Jacobs insists on the centrality of so-called ‘civil’ nuclear programmes to military programmes in the U.S, pointing out that civil is worth $26 billion every year in ‘human capital assets’ to the Department of Defense.
Nuclear Power – Fukushima Disaster
CBS News carries a report on the use of robots in the ongoing clean up at Fukushima. Robots have been used at the site since 2018 to access areas too hot for human beings to enter. The robots can climb stairs and submerge themselves in water. The clean up is also being to used to test and develop robots for future use. The total clean up is expected to cost $200 billion once completed. The highly controversial release of one million tonnes of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean is expected to begin in 2023.
With best wishes,
Michael Muir
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
New CND Campaign – Report the UK to the UN
The Morning Star reports on the launch of CND’s campaign to report the UK government to the United Nations. The campaign follows on from May’s expert legal opinion by Christine Chinkin and Louise Arimatsu, which found the Integrated Review’s decision to lift the cap on nuclear warheads was in breach of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and so against international law. CND General Secretary Kate Hudson is quoted in the report. Kirsten Oswald MP, chair of Parliamentary CND and deputy leader of the SNP at Westminster, said that ‘The UK government is gaining a reputation for believing there is one rule for them and a different rule for everyone else’. The Ministry of Defence simply passed on, word for word, a previous quote which claims that the warhead increase is ‘fully consistent with our international legal obligations’ and that the figure of 260 was a ceiling, not a target.
The Daily Express also reports on the launch of the campaign. Kate Hudson and Kirsten Oswald MP are both quoted. Tantalisingly, the headline is ‘Boris could face battle with UN over plan to ramp up UK’s nuclear warheads’.
Anti-war
China – U.S. Tensions
China has said it drove away a U.S. warship which illegally entered its territorial waters, according to Al Jazeera. The incident happened on Monday, leading to speculation the U.S. timed it to coincide with the anniversary of a court ruling on marine law which was unfavourable to China. In a statement, the Chinese Navy said that the U.S. ship had been ‘seriously violating China’s sovereignty and undermining the stability of the South China Sea’.
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power – USA
Left-leaning U.S. outfit CounterPunch publishes a response to Bhaskar Sunkara’s recent pro-nuclear piece in the Guardian. Author Robert Jacobs argues that, across the developed world, ‘the [nuclear] industry has been sunk by its structural economic dysfunctions’. Jacobs insists on the centrality of so-called ‘civil’ nuclear programmes to military programmes in the U.S, pointing out that civil is worth $26 billion every year in ‘human capital assets’ to the Department of Defense.
Nuclear Power – Fukushima Disaster
CBS News carries a report on the use of robots in the ongoing clean up at Fukushima. Robots have been used at the site since 2018 to access areas too hot for human beings to enter. The robots can climb stairs and submerge themselves in water. The clean up is also being to used to test and develop robots for future use. The total clean up is expected to cost $200 billion once completed. The highly controversial release of one million tonnes of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean is expected to begin in 2023.
With best wishes,
Michael Muir
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament