CND Press Roundup Thursday 8th December 2022

War in Ukraine / NATO

• 24 companies have been added to a US State Department blacklist for either supporting Russia’s military or industrial base, supplying an Iranian electronics firm, or supporting what it called Pakistan’s “unsafeguarded nuclear activities.”

• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has claimed that the risk of nuclear war has lessened “for the time being,” in an interview conducted on Thursday. Scholtz said his recent trip to China had helped contribute to “putting a stop” to nuclear escalation. He added that Russia had stopped making nuclear threats as a rest of clear red lines given by the international community.

• “We haven’t gone mad, we realise what nuclear weapons are,” Vladimir Putin said in an apparent rollback on the possibility of use on the battlefield. Putin also conceded that the war in Ukraine could last a long time, but so far ruled out a second mobilisation of the population. More coverage in The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Times.

• The MoD has announced a £229 million contract with Swedish firm Saab – to provide fresh supplies of the Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAW) within four years. Thousands of the shoulder-fired missiles have been supplied to Ukraine with stocks running low.

AUKUS / Indo-Pacific

• The Times covers the announcement that the US will increase its deployment of long-range nuclear bombers, fighters, troops, and Navy visits to Australia. The report also noted the announcement that Japan will increase its military spending to £257 billion over the next five years, 1.5 times the spend. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the increase would help defend the country from an expansionist China.

• That’s as Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged China to take up a US offer to place “guardrails” to prevent a further military escalation in the region.

• Politico has a feature on how an Australian politician and journalist are being investigated on behalf of French defence firm Naval Group – after details of a conference call over a submarine deal was leaked. The leak took place just months before Australia scuppered the submarine deal in favour of joining AUKUS.

Nuclear Energy

• EDF is spearheading a drive to train welders in order to make up for a shortfall in workers to fix its decaying fleet of nuclear reactors.

UK Nuclear Energy

• Cavendish Nuclear has been awarded a £20 million contract to fund the clean up of a shaft at the Dounreay nuclear site which has been used to dump nuclear waste.

• The IMF runs an article making the case of more nuclear energy.

• The Scotsman has an opinion from Dr Richard Dixon on the inevitable opposition to building a nuclear reactor at chemical firm Ineos’ Grangemouth refinery.