CND Press Digest: Thursday 8th December 2023
Posted: 8th December 2023
War In Ukraine/NATO
- The Guardian: David Cameron has used his first trip to the US since his appointment as the UK’s foreign secretary to urge the Republican party to back Ukraine with more long-range weapons, saying the aid represented tremendous value for money.
- IAEA picks up on reports that RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus is being used as a hub for transferring arms to Israel for use in its war in Gaza. On UK government refusal to admit the base’s role in arms transfers under the guise of national security, Kate Hudson told the paper: “It’s [national security] being used in the most shocking fashion to cover up British government complicity in Israel’s criminal war on Gaza…It has nothing to do with safety: it’s a free pass to a coverup culture.”
- West turns a blind eye to Israel’s nuclear weapons, says academic.
Nuclear Leaks
- Specialist police officers and workers at some of the UK’s most secure nuclear sites have been sharing jokes about paedophilia, racism and homophobia in work-linked WhatsApp groups, the Guardian can reveal.
- The Guardian view on Sellafield scandals: ministers must put public safety before secrecy.
- The Guardian also has a podcast exploring the nuclear leaks.
- Concern as UK’s most dangerous nuclear power station is leaking radioactive waste.
AUKUS
- Defense News: Final defense policy bill advances AUKUS, Taiwan training.
- Pillar Two of AUKUS will steer from nuclear subs to cutting edge tech, a shift that may appeal to Canada and New Zealand
UK Nuclear Weapons
- Resisting the risks of nuclear mission creep: UK deterrence and emerging strategic threats.
TPNW
- SIPRI co-hosts TPNW side event on teaching nuclear disarmament.
Nuclear Energy
- Reuters: Nuclear sector must overcome decades of stagnation to meet COP28 tripling goal.
- The nuclear lobby is pressuring Joe Biden to include the industry in a new tax break scheme.
- China launches world’s ‘most advanced’ nuclear reactor that’s cooled by gas, not water.
Fusion
- The government has JET have developed a world leading laser-based method to release and measure tritium trapped in fusion energy tokamaks
Nuclear Weapons
- Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme has always been India-centric, saysleaked US diplomatic cable from the 1980s.
- Recent US government decisions on the declassification of historical records on nuclear proliferation demonstrate the good, the bad and the ugly in the current national security secrecy system.
- The Diplomat: How are Chinese strategists viewing the debate over tactical nuclear use and escalation in the Ukraine war?
Best,
Pádraig McCarrick
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
