CND Press Digest: Wednesday 12th July 2023

War In Ukraine/NATO

• Opinion in The Guardian: Will Russia target nuclear plants? For Ukrainians, it feels like a ‘when’, not an if.
• Day one of the NATO summit did not lead to allies give a timeline for Ukraine to join the bloc, which Zelenskiy NATO are hinting at a looser security arrangement with additional military assistancefor Ukraine.

Cuba

• Cuban authorities call the recent visit of a US nuclear-powered submarine to its military base at Guantanamo Bay a “provocative” escalation of tensions. It comes weeks after the US alleged there was a Chinese spy base on the island.

TPNW

• Former Labour MP Tom Harris writes this in the Daily Mail defending nuclear weapons.
• Meanwhile, we’ve a news item on the CND website asking why aren’t more MPs giving their support to the TPNW?

UK Nuclear Energy

• The UK government has confirmed ongoing discussions about the potential sale of the Wylfa nuclear site in response to a report by the Welsh Affairs Committee.
• Sizewell C faces fresh legal action in fall out over water supply.

Nuclear Energy

• Nuclear power too expensive and slow to be part of Australia’s plans to reach net zero, study finds.
• Rising temperatures on the River Rhone could lead to output shortages at two of France’s nuclear plants.

Fission

• A nuclear fission start-up backed by Sam Altman is to go public used a visit to Japan to call for more expert organisations to take part in reviewing Japan’s plan to release Fukushima wastewater into the sea in addition to the IAEA.
• Hong Kong said it will ban seafood imports from 10 Japanese prefectures if the wastewater dumping plan goes ahead.
• That’s as Pacific Island leaders will review the IAEA’s report on the water dumping plan following a meeting with the nuclear watchdog’s head, Rafael Grossi. 

China

• Taiwan’s Defence Ministry on Wednesday said China has held a second day of navy and air force exercises off Taiwan’s south and southwest coast.

North Korea

• North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile on Wednesday which flew around1,000km before crashing into the sea off the east coast of Japan. It comes as Japanese and South Korean officials meet with US counterparts in Hawaii to discuss its security arrangements regarding Pyongyang and China. Some experts said North Korea likely tested its developmental, road-mobile Hwasong-18 ICBM, a type of solid-fuel weapon that is harder to detect and intercept than the North’s other liquid-fuel ICBMs.

Best,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament