CND Press Digest: Tuesday 19th March 2024

Posted: 19th March 2024

NATO / Europe

  • The Telegraph: Britain should use conscription to deter Russia, says NATO ally. Latvian foreign minister says UK and other members should follow his country in adopting Finnish model of national service.
  • NATO – Klaus Iohannis is the right one. To send Putin a tough message, the next secretary general must come from Eastern Europe.
  • The Times: Latvian foreign minister backs option of NATO troops in Ukraine.Krisjanis Karins praised President Macron’s decision to work on contingency plans for deploying French troops as part of a NATO force against Russia.
  • Reuters: To have peace, Europe must prepare for war, EU council president says.In an op-ed published in European newspapers and the Euractiv website, Charles Michel – who will chair a meeting of EU leaders on Thursday to discuss support for Ukraine – said Europe needed to take responsibility for its own security and not rely heavily on the support of countries such as the US.
  • Forbes: With Sweden and Finland joining NATO, military operations in the polar regions are getting cool again. That interest is paired with weary caution by those who have seen this all happen before. As with any hot new fad, the US military’s fascination with Arctic operations will melt away unless America does something big, bold and different, backing the transient uptick in military interest with tangible civilian resources. But with America’s polar recapitalization efforts in disarray, it is time for Arctic stakeholders to propose a collaborative “Polar AUKUS”, aimed at building icebreakers.

AUKUS / Indo-Pacific

Global Nukes

  • The Express: Putin’s mouthpiece makes wild claim Russia ready to negotiate giving up nuclear weapons. In an unexpected move, Russia’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov declares readiness for talks on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, signalling a potential shift in Kremlin policy.

Nukes in Britain

  • Rishi Sunak has been accused of “a blatant act of betrayal” for refusing to meet victims of the nuked blood scandal. Campaigners have asked the Prime Minister for a meeting 12 times in the 17 months since he took office, but have been repeatedly ignored.

  • Salisbury has emerged as an unlikely addition on Russia’s nuclear hit list should World War Three break out, the Daily Express claims. The paper alleges that nine regions across the UK are armed and ready targets for Russian strike.

Space

  • Associated Press: US and Japan seek UN resolution calling on all nations to ban nuclear weapons in outer space

UK Nuclear Energy

  • Nuclear waste claims denied as Devon residents how do we tell future generations about highly radioactive nuclear waste repositories?
  • Australia’s big electricity generators say nuclear not viable for at least a decade.
  • Forget nuclear: would Peter Dutton oppose a plan to cut bills and address the climate crisis?
  • Peter Dutton wanted a plebiscite on marriage equality. Why not hold another on his nuclear fantasy?
  • Reuters: IAEA to help Iraq develop peaceful nuclear programme, agency head says.
  • Constellation Energy issues green bond worth $900 million to fund nuclear energy projects. Proceeds from the 30-year term offering will help maintain and expand Constellation’s nuclear power generation, the company said.

Best,

 

Pádraig McCarrick

 

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

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