CND Press Digest: Tuesday 9th May 2023

War In Ukraine/NATO

• Russia evacuates more than 1,600 from Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant town. It comes amid anticipation of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.  
• From the i newspaper: Where is Zaporizhzhia? Why Russia is evacuating Ukraine nuclear power plant town over attack fears.
• Reuters: Operations at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are being suspended in case of “provocations” by Ukrainian forces, the TASS state news agency said on Monday, citing the Moscow-installed governor of the Russia-controlled part of the surrounding region.
• Ukraine’s envoy to Japan urges G7 to condemn any threat to use nuclear weapons.
• The Mirror spots Russia’s nuclear briefcase ahead of the Victory Day event in Moscow earlier.

British Nuclear Weapons / Lakenheath

• UK Defence Journal gives a summary of a recently published briefing paper by the House of Commons Library on Britain’s nuclear weapons, including its modernisation efforts.
• now in control of Mid Suffolk Council after the party experienced a bounce in support during last week’s local elections. The council is adjacent to West Suffolk Council, which covers Lakenheath.

AUKUS

• Canada hopes to join AUKUS defence pact, says report.
• The [Australian] federal government has squirrelled away more than AUS$30bn to lift defence funding over the coming decade, as the AUKUS project helps drive spending increases.
• Thousands rallied against the siting of a nuclear-powered submarine base at Port Kembla in eastern Australia on Saturday.  
• Financial Review looks at Indonesia’s softening stance towards AUKUS. 
• South China Morning Post AUKUS.
• Jenny Clegg writes for the Morning Star: AUKUS might create jobs – but at what cost?

Non-Proliferation

• Nuclear Energy and the Non-Proliferation Treaty: major blow to nuke dump plan.
• Sellafield recently completed a mammoth task –  sending a human being into the site’s legacy pond for the first time since the 1950s.
• Bill Gates is eyeing a bid to build Britain’s first mini-nuclear reactor in a direct challenge to Rolls-Royce which is scrambling to secure a government contract. Seattle-based TerraPower, which was founded by the Microsoft billionaire, said it was considering throwing its hat into the ring for lucrative contracts to build Britain’s next-generation small modular reactors or “mini-nukes”.

Nuclear Energy

• Insufferable pro-nuclear hyperbole saturates the media, but it’s fake delivered as fact.

Iran Nuclear Deal

• Al Jazeera looks at how the Iran nuclear deal remains in limbo five years after Donald Trump pulled out from the deal.

Best,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament