CND Press Digest: Friday 22nd September 2023

War In Ukraine/NATO

• The New Statesman: Once again, the world turns away from Armenia. I feel history repeating itself as Azerbaijan bombs Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
• The Observer: Elon Musk likes to think he saved us from Armageddon. He’s just brought it closer. Whatever his new biography says, by giving into Russia’s nuclear blackmail the X boss can only encourage more threats from Putin.
• France and Germany have signalled their commitment to the joint development of a future tank system, despite a potential rival project being hatched by German defence companies.
• Japan, Britain and Italy plan to choose Britain as the headquarters for their next-generation fighter program, four sources in Japan said, putting London at the forefront of a partnership that could expand to include other nations.

AUKUS

• AUKUS: Australia’s ‘French Cut’ Moment?

Lakenheath

• Press Release: CND to hold Citizens’ Weapons Inspection at RAF Lakenheath, 23 September 2023.
• Days after a $100 million F-35B crashed in rural South Carolina, a government watchdog report released Thursday highlights ongoing maintenance delaysshowing F-35 fighter jets are “mission capable” only 55 percent of the time. “If the aircraft can only perform 55% of the time and the goal is 85 to 90 percent of the time, taxpayers are not getting their money’s worth,” said Diana Maurer, who authored the report for the Government Accountability Office.

Nuclear Testing

• Marshall Islands says US must address nuclear legacy for deal on future ties.
• British Cold War nuclear test veterans claim MOD is hiding some of their medical records.

DSEI

• ‘War is back. People want to stock up’: inside Europe’s biggest arms fair.
• At the world’s largest arms fair, Declassified finds bomb makers cashing in on the war in Ukraine.

UK Nuclear Energy

• French nuclear firm EDF creates new UK engineering subsidiary. Based in Bristol, EDF EPR Engineering will service the nearby Hinkley Point C nuclear plant.

Nuclear Energy

• Reuters: New nuclear may be delayed by uncertain fuel supplies.
• Poland issues environmental permit for first nuclear power plant.
• The Telegraph: Saudi Arabia to enrich own uranium under nuclear deal with US and Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly told the country’s top nuclear and security specialists to work with negotiators to secure the proposal.
• Saudi Arabia could enrich uranium in possible Israel normalisation deal: Report.

Fukushima

• Workers at a demolition site near the defunct Fukushima nuclear power plant took and sold iron scraps from waste possibly contaminated with radioactive materials, Environment Ministry officials said Tuesday.

Iran Nuclear Deal

• Crown prince confirms Saudi Arabia will seek nuclear arsenal if Iran develops one.
• ‘If they get one, we have to’: Saudi Arabia will seek nuclear weapon if Iran does – video.

Best,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament