CND Press Digest: Tuesday 14th November 2023

War In Ukraine/NATO

• It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Russian TV host Vladimir Solovyov. He’s back and again suggesting that Russia could obliterate NATO with nuclear weapons in the event of a military escalation.

Israel-Palestine 

• Energy Intelligence puts Israel’s nuclear weapons under the spotlight.
• Israel’s tanks assembled at the gates of the main hospital in Gaza on Tuesday, with Joe Biden urging Israel to show restraint to protect the thousands of people stuck there.
• Reuters: Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that an international peace conference should be convened to find a permanent solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
• The Morning Star looks at the rise in the share price of BAE Systems as the company profits from the rise in conflict across the world. Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament General Secretary Kate Hudson said: “One example of this is the F35 fighter jet which is used in bombing Gaza. They make the rear fuselage of every F35 at Samlesbury Aerodrome in Lancashire, and they test its ‘durability’ in East Yorkshire. Last Friday, we saw hundreds of trade unionists protesting at BAE systems in Rochester, Kent, where many components for the F35 – and Israel’s F16 – are made. So if you’re asking where BAE profits are coming from, this is one place to look – from their exports to Israel, to rain death on the people of Gaza. BAE systems profit from killing — it has Palestinian blood on its hands.”

Arms Control

• Time magazine writes on the collapse of global arm control.

AUKUS

• Rolls-Royce is looking to set up a hub in Cardiff that will support its work for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine programme.
• Reuters: Leaders from the United States and Indonesia held discussions on Monday that will set the stage for US President Joe Biden’s first in person meeting in a year with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this week. The two countries agreed new cooperation in defense areas including cybersecurity, space, combined exercises and nuclear threats, the White House said.

AI

• Report: Russian thinking on AI integration and interaction with nuclear command and control, force structure, and decision-making

Nuclear Testing

• BBC reports on the latest British nuclear test veteran to receive a medal.

Nuclear Energy

• Euronews on Kazakhstan’s nuclear power ambitions.
• Reuters: The French government confirmed on Tuesday it had reached a deal on future nuclear power prices with EDF, striking a compromise which the finance minister said would allow EDF to make profits while shielding consumers from spikes in energy prices.

Iran Nuclear Deal

• Henrik F. Rasmussen, executive director of the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), writes for Politico on Iran, arguing that “economic incentives won’t trump the ideological fanaticism motivating the mullahs in Tehran.”

Best,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament