CND Press Digest: Tuesday 2nd May 2023

War In Ukraine/NATO

• Russia has played down the idea that it is preparing to conduct a nuclear test. It follows an interview in a Russian newspaper with the new US ambassador to Moscow, who suggested that Moscow was the only government talking about the resumption of nuclear testing.

Nuclear War

• Counter Punch: Nuclear War on Edge.

Depleted Uranium

• Declassified UK with more on the dangers of depleted uranium with a story looking at how a growing number of verdicts by courts across Europe have ruled that DU ammo can cause cancer.

British Nuclear Subs

• Sensitive files relating to the Astute-class HMS Anson were found in a pub toiletin Barrow-in-Furness. The Navy has defended the slip by maintaining that the files were generic training documents that carry no classified information.
• Coverage of local CND activism in Lancaster over the May Day bank holiday with Philip Gilligan highlighting the cost of living crisis and ask why are we spending billions of pounds on Trident.  

Chernobyl

• The Independent on the unanswered questions surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
• The Mirror with an exclusive on the fate of Ukrainian soldiers who were captured defending the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the early days of the Russian invasionin 2022.

UK Nuclear Energy

• The Telegraph with an editorial in defence of nuclear power: “Britain had an opportunity to lead the way into the 21st century, but our nuclear ambitions were all but abandoned.”
• Cambrian News on the long and dirty legacy of nuclear power.

Nuclear Energy

• Beyond Nuclear on opposition to dumping radioactive water from the the Indian Point nuclear plant into the Hudson River.
• A fourth reactor at the Plant Vogtle nuclear plant in the US state of Georgia has completed hot functional testing.
• The Guardian with an interview with US director Oliver Stone about his film in support of nuclear power.

RadWaste

• Eco Hustle on plans for a nuclear waste dump in West Cumbria.
• A robot dog has been trialled as part of the decommissioning of the Dounreay nuclear site.

North Korea

• South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol has been updating his cabinet on last week’s trip to Washington - claiming Seoul has upgraded its alliance with the US. Yoon’s trip involved securing an agreement that would involve greater input from South Korea in US nuclear planning in regards to North Korea, and secured regular port visitsby US nuclear-armed submarines. In return, Yoon serenaded Joe Biden with a rendition of Don McLean’s American Pie.
• North Korea has responded to the new agreement by saying it will stage more displays of military might with the sister of leader Kim Jon-un – Kim Yo-jong – calling Joe Biden  “too miscalculating and irresponsibly brave.”
• Satellite pictures show that North Korea is constructing new buildings at its main facility for creating nuclear weapons material. The Times says the new structures and renovation of existing buildings confirm the promise Kim made in March to increase “nuclear arsenals exponentially and put [on] spurs in continuing to produce powerful nuclear weapons.” Analysts also suggest that Pyongyang has generated around 8kg of weapons-grade plutonium at its Yongbyon nuclear plant.  

Iran Nuclear Deal

• A British-Iranian man executed by Tehran in January was an MI6 agent, sourceshave told the New York Times. Alireza Akbari, 62, Iran’s former deputy defence minister, began giving information, including nuclear secrets, to Britain in 2004 and continued doing so for 15 years.

Best,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament