CND Press Roundup Thursday 27th October 2022

War in Ukraine / NATO

• Kate has a piece for Common Dreams on the risks posed by NATO and Russian nuclear war gaming.

• Electronic Intifada also writes on the risk of nuclear war.

•  Extensive coverage of the start of Russia’s nuclear war games – overseen by Vladimir Putin in The FT, The Times, The Telegraph, and the BBC.

• The head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service tells the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg that the West is to blame for the current nuclear tensions.

• A report by the International Energy Agency said global carbon emissions will peak in 2025 – marking a historic turning point away from fossil fuels. It also noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked a global energy crisis.

• Reuters looks at growing anxiety in Germany that the war in Ukraine will spill into a wider conflict.

• India’s Defence Minister has warned his Russian counterpart that a nuclear war must not break out over Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said he does not believe Russia will use a nuclear weapon.

Cuban Missile Crisis 

• The Guardian reports on how close the world came to nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Freshly translated documents reveal that a Soviet sub trying to slip through the US blockade of Cuba almost launched a nuclear torpedo after being surrounded by US warships during a surfacing trip.

North Korea

• The BBC’s correspondent in Seoul reports on the current nuclear tensions on the Korean peninsula and the logic behind North Korea’s flurry of ballistic missile testing – and fears of a new nuclear weapons test.

UK Nuclear Energy

• Business News Wales has an advertorial from Simone Protheroe of law firm Clarke Willmott, on why “new” nuclear power is needed to ensure Britain’s energy security. It’s worth noting that Clarke Willmott touts itself as “Specialist Nuclear Energy Solicitors”, something not mentioned in the article.

Nuclear Energy

• Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister indicated that US firm Westinghouse will be the likely winner of a bid to build a fleet of nuclear reactors for the country. Another bidder, Korea Hydro Nuclear Power, may also be involved.

Trump

• Tape recordings of interviews with Donald Trump have been releasedby renowned journalist Bob Woodward – which reveal the former US president bragging about nuclear weapons. “I have built a weapon system that nobody’s ever had in this country before,” Trump told Woodward. “We have stuff that you haven’t even seen or heard about. We have stuff that Putin and Xi have never heard about before.” The claim caused Woodward to ask a Trump official why Trump would brag about such a thing.