CND Press Digest: Wednesday 27th 2023

War In Ukraine / NATO

• Prime Minister Orbán says Hungary is in no rush to ratify Sweden’s NATO bid.
• Opinion: The real reason Ukraine isn’t ready to join NATO.
• Hillary Clinton mocks Putin over NATO expansion: ‘Too bad, Vladimir. You brought it on yourself’.
• Russia’s Foreign Ministry slams Israel for sending aid to Ukraine, misquotes Israel’s nuclear chief.
• New video of ‘dead’ Russian Black Sea fleet commander raises doubts over Ukraine’s claim.
• Ukraine acknowledges doubt after Russia shows video of naval commander ‘allegedly alive’.

AUKUS

• Australia’s new submarines are still two decades away from delivery, but the Aussies are already looking out for spies.
• AUKUS consensus is collapsing under weight of Labor blunders.

Nuclear Weapons

• The Bulletin: Yes, nuclear weapons are immoral. They’re also, practically speaking, useless.
• UN warns of ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in growing nuclear arms race.

UK Military

• The Times: The Royal Navy’s frigates, destroyers and nuclear-armed submarines may all contain asbestos, ministers have admitted. All four of the UK’s Vanguard-class of submarines have asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). The submarines, which are armed with Trident ballistic missiles, carry Britain’s nuclear deterrent. Submariners completed a six-month tour this year, a record amount of time spent underwater.
• Paul Bass, naval officer who rose from apprentice to rear-admiral and saw the Christmas island nuclear tests – obituary.
• The Morning Star: Putting troops on the streets would undermine British democracy, peace campaigners have warned, and the Metropolitan Police commissioner has been condemned for trying to water down accountability rules in the continuing row sparked by the killing of unarmed black man Chris Kaba by armed police.

UK Nuclear Energy

• The BBC reports that Great British Nuclear could buy the 45 acre site of a college in Gloucestershire.
• Labour candidate Josh MacAlister calls on government to make steps for Cumbrian Small Modular Reactors.
• Top nuclear waste scientist joins University of Bristol.

Iran Nuclear Deal

• Iran must take “de-escalatory” steps on its nuclear program if it wants to make space for diplomacy with the United States, starting by cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the US State Department said.

North Korea

• North Korea accused the United States on Tuesday of making 2023 an “extremely dangerous year,” saying its actions are trying to provoke a nuclear war and denouncing both US and South Korean leaders for “hysterical remarks of confrontation” that it says are raising the temperature in the region.

Taiwan

• Taiwan is to launch its first home-built submarine as competition for military control of the Pacific between China and the US along with its Asian allies deepens. The submarine, to be named Hai Kun after a sea monster from Chinese legend, is the first of eight planned to bolster the island’s defences against China’s growing navy.

CND

• Scottish actor David Hayman will take part in Scottish CND’s Festival for Survivalthis November.

Best,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament