CND Press Roundup Tuesday 13th September 2022

War in Ukraine / NATO

• The Morning Star runs comments from CND’s Kate Hudson – following a call by former head of the British army, Lord Dannatt, on UK government should send more arms to Ukraine: “Current talk of ‘usable’ or ‘battlefield’ nukes is criminally irresponsible: we must not accept that this is an option.Nuclear use must be prevented at all costs, to ensure our very survival. Instead of pumping more arms into the region, we call on the government to actively promote and support peace negotiations. Escalating this disastrous war will lead to more death and destruction and risks the ultimate catastrophe.”

• Reuters has an explainer on the shutdown of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in.

• The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said that both Russia and Ukraine were interested in the body’s plan to impose a security zone around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia – and suggested the proposal was for a ceasefire rather than the removal of all military equipment and personnel.

Trident

• Bella Caledonia has a piece on Scottish independence and nuclear disarmament.

AUKUS

• The Sydney Morning Herald reports on concerns raised by Indonesia over Australia’s procurement of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS military pact. Jakarta has received wide support from within the UN for a plan to impose stricter regulations on nuclear naval power.

UK Nuclear Energy

• An article on CND Cymru’s march against the building of small modular reactors (SMRs) in Wales has been published on several sites here, here, and here.

• Campaigners have welcomed a ruling that the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant will require the installation of a device that will limit the number of fish that will get sucked into its reactor’s cooling system.

Nuclear Energy

• Poland has received an offer from the US on how a new fleet of nuclear power plants can help Warsaw meet its climate targets.

• Uranium prices have surged to their highest since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the FT, prices have “jumped 7 per cent since mid-August to breach $50 a pound, a price last seen when many commodities were propelled higher by supply fears in the spring. Many market participants expect uranium to rise even further, with Bank of America predicting it will hit $70 a pound next year.”

North Korea

• Fresh propaganda posters produced by Pyongyang promote North Korea’s nuclear tipped ballistic missiles. The two posters were part of a series released on state-media this week to encourage North Koreans to implement goals outlined by leader Kim Jong-un in a policy speech last week. During that speech, Kim enshrined in law the right to use preemptive nuclear strikes, even if he was killed in a South Korean decapitation strike.

• Meanwhile, South Korea warned that North Korea’s threat to use nuclear weapons would lead it on the “path to self-destruction.”

Iran Nuclear Deal

• Germany has expressed regret at the fact that Iran has not responded positively to European proposals to revive the 2015 deal. Tehran recently said it was willing to engage with the IAEA after the agency expressed doubts over Iran’s intentions to revive the deal.

• Israel’s defence minister Benny Gantz has claimed that Iran will have enough enriched nuclear material to produce three nuclear warheads within a matter of weeks.