CND Press Roundup Friday 11th November 2022

War In Ukraine / NATO

• The Telegraph and CNN are among the outlets reporting that Russia recently attempted to conduct a nuclear torpedo test in the Arctic in recent weeks – but the fleet of subs left the testing area without conducting any launches. US officials believe a technical issue forced the test to be abandoned.

• Ukraine’s defence minister has downplayed the chances that Russia will use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, but warned that the scenario can never be ruled out.

UK Defence

• Ben Wallace has reportedly pulled back from former PM Liz Truss’ commitment to spend 3 percent of GDP on defence spending by 2030. Wallace had previously threatened to quit as Defence Secretary if the Treasury didn’t loosen the purse strings for the MoD.

• The £24 million upgrade of the runway at the US-run RAF Fairford has been completed.

• French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France and the UK will hold a defence summit in early 2023.

Nuclear Test Veterans

• This Remembrance Day, there’s a four page spread in today’s Daily Mirror on Britain’s nuclear test veterans including:

• ‘Clear case for inquiry into treatment of men in Britain’s nuclear test programme’

• ‘My nuclear test vet dad was so ill – he had no proof but government had it all along’

• Nuclear test vet heroes denied truth as government ‘committed crimes against own servicemen’

• LabRats on why they wear yellow and black ribbons.

• The final episode of BBC Radio 4’s Living in the Shadow of the Bomb aired today, you can listen back here.

UK Nuclear Energy

• Closed nuclear site records its highest number of radioactive particles in nearly two decades.

• Cymru Online on the news Rolls Royce want to build two SMR reactors at disused Welsh nuclear sites.  

• Cumberland News & Star also looks at the proposed sites near Sellafield.

• Rolls Royce is also looking to build an SMR in Gloucestershire.

• The Guardian on British Gas owner Centrica’s nuclear portfolio.

Nuclear Energy

• Bulgarain MPs overwhelmingly voted to source nuclear fuel from countries other than Russia.

• IAEA chief Rafeal Grossi told the COP 27 summit that he doesn’t envisage a surge in nuclear waste recycling, as the nuclear lobby pushes hard to to expand the sector as countries move away from fossil fuels

Iran Nuclear Deal

• Iran has agreed to host a visit by the IAEA next month, as part of efforts to give answers to questions the nuclear watchdog has pertaining to unexplained uranium particles discovered at three undeclared nuclear sites.