CND Press Digest: Thursday 13th April 2023

War In Ukraine/NATO

• A report that Ukrainian special forces attempted to retake the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in a failed operation in October 2022.
• Roger Boyes in The Times on the growing role Belarus is playing in the war in Ukraine after the announcement that it will host Russian nuclear weapons.

Trident

• Activists shut down the Faslane nuclear base for two hours last week after blocking its two entrances.
• Janet Fenton in Peace News on Scotland’s new First Minister Humza Yousaf, and what it means for peace.

UK Nuclear Energy

• Two huge vessels have arrived at the Hinkley Point C nuclear site in Somerset, that will help with the building of the plan’t cooling system.

Nuclear Energy

• The German government has resisted calls from within its coalition delay further the shutdown of the country’s nuclear plants. The Free Democrats had called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to extend the running of the last three reactors beyond 15 April.  

Iran Nuclear Deal

• Max Hastings on the possibility that Israel will have to live with a nuclear-armed Iran, and that any pre-emptive strike by Israel would only delay any weaponsiation by Tehran.

North Korea

• A North Korean ballistic missile test on Thursday prompted the Japanese government to issue an evacuation alert to residents on the island of Hokkaido. The alert was lifted shortly afterwards, with the system saying it had “erroneously” predicted that the missile would fall near the island.
• The Independent on the possibility that this morning’s missile test was that of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) of intermediate range or longer.
• AP on Kim Jong Un’s vow to enhance and expand North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.

History

• A peace petition, seven miles long and signed by three-quarters of Welsh womenin 1920s, has arrived back in Wales for digitisation.

Best,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament