CND Press Digest: Wednesday 22nd March 2023

Posted: 22nd March 2023

War In Ukraine/NATO

  • Declassified UK broke the story that Britain has included depleted uranium rounds for use in the Challenger 2 tanks supplied to Ukraine. 
  • CND’s condemnation of the depleted uranium news and comments from Kate Hudson is on the The Guardian, The Metro, CBS News, Al Jazeera, Responsible Statecraft,
  • The depleted uranium news has dominated the headlines – which occurred during a high profile visit to Moscow by China’s Xi Jinping. Asked about the sending of DU ammo to Ukraine Vladimir Putin said: “If this happens, Russia will be forced to react accordingly, given that the West collectively is already beginning to use weapons with a nuclear component.”
  • The British government has denied that this is an escalation and the MoD defended the decision. One spokesperson told the BBC: “The British Army has used depleted uranium in its armour piercing shells for decades.Russia knows this, but is deliberately trying to disinform. Independent research by scientists from groups such as the Royal Society has assessed that any impact to personal health and the environment from the use of depleted uranium munitions is likely to be low.”
  • All this comes after Russia released video on Tuesday - where one of its fighter jets was scrambled to intercept a pair of US B-52 nuclear bombers flying over the Baltic Sea.

Lakenheath

  • Preview of Tuesday’s demo against the return of US nuclear bombs to Lakenheath airbase was included in The Morning Star. Norwich CND Chair Sue Wright also spoke about the demo on Gen x Radio Suffolk on Tuesday morning.  

Climate

  • An ICAN briefing paper on nuclear weapons, the environment, and the climate crisis.

Nuclear Weapons Modernisation

  • The US Air Force’s nuclear forces continue to struggle with supply chain problems, Global Strike Command’s director of logistics and engineering said on Tuesday.

UK Nuclear Energy

  • The High Court will today hear a legal challenge from campaigners opposed to building the Sizewell C nuclear plant in Suffolk.

Nuclear Energy

  • Rolls Royce is partnering with Finland’s energy company Fortum to explore the possibility of rolling out small modular reactors across Finland and Sweden.
  • The Telegraph’s coverage of the above story.
  • More on the news that a leak at a nuclear plant in Minnesota led to 400,000 gallons of radioactive water seeping into the ground. Residents have asked why public officials only notified them last week – when the discovery was actually made last November. 
  • Reuters: France steps up push for nuclear-based fuels in EU renewables law.
  • US regulators say they need more time to wrap up a final safety report and make a decision on whether to license a multibillion-dollar complex in New Mexico meant to temporarily store tons of spent fuel from commercial nuclear power plants around the nation.

Fukushima

  • The Global Times reports on comments from China’s foreign minister who said that the international community has the right to demand responsibility from Japan for dumping nuclear-contaminated water.

North Korea

  • South Korea said North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles into the sea on Wednesday - its fourth round of weapons tests since Seoul and the US began a week of expanded military drills.