CND Press Roundup Monday 12th December 2022

War in Ukraine / NATO

• Julian Borger reports for The Guardian on how Russian troops are using their control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to shell the nearby town of Nikopol – and how a shortage of staff and uncertain power supplies pose a constant danger of an accident at the plant.  

• NPR also looks at the dangers of an accident at Zaporizhzhia.

• Ukraine’s nuclear agency Energoatom accused Russia on Friday of kidnapping two staff at the plant, and detaining a third.

• US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Russia was working to expand and modernisating its nuclear arsenal.

AUKUS

• Australia’s ABC reports on the possibility of Japan joining AUKUS after comments by Defence Minister Richard Marles, that security ties between the two countries were becoming “indispensable.”

UK Nuclear Energy

• The Times has more on the robot used in the cleanup of the Dounreay nuclear plant after its inclusion as one Time magazine’s top inventions of 2022.

Nuclear Energy

• The Dutch government said Friday that it aims to build two new nuclear plants by 2035, providing 13 percent of the country’s electricity needs.

Fusion

• Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have managed to achieve a nuclear fusion reaction with a net energy gain – the first time this has been achieved in an experiment.

Iran Nuclear Deal

• Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister on Sunday said “all bets are off” if Iran is successful in getting an operational nuclear weapon. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told a conference in the UAE that regional neighbours would act accordingly to ensure their own security.

CND

• CND’s symbol and anti-nuclear slogan t-shirts are mentioned in this article on a how a new baseball cap against landlordism put out by Novara Media is causing a stir on social media.