CND Press Digest: Wednesday 29th May 2024

Nukes in Britain

• UK Defence Journal: Drone sightings reported over British nuclear facilities. Recent data acquired under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA 2000) unveils a number of drone sightings over UK nuclear facilities from 2021 to 2023.
• UK Defence Journal claims “Britain has full operational control over Trident.”

Global Nukes

• Reuters: North Korea’s rare swipe at China this week underscored how Beijing and Pyongyang do not entirely see eye-to-eye on the latter’s illicit nuclear weapons arsenal, despite warming ties in other areas, analysts and officials in South Korea said. The North condemned China, Japan and South Korea on Monday for discussing denuclearisation of the peninsula, calling their joint declaration after a summit in Seoul a “grave political provocation” that violates its sovereignty.
• The leaders of Russia and China have jointly shifted their stance on nuclear weapons, signaling a move away from decades of cautious Chinese thinking.
• DW: Could a US-Saudi nuclear deal spark Middle East arms race?
• USA Today: Time is running out for American victims of nuclear tests. Congress must do what’s right.
• MEMO: Pakistan is becoming the world’s most irrelevant nuclear power.

Space

• Nation.Cymru: Campaign launched to oppose US Military plans to create radar station in Wales. You can follow Pembrokshire Against the Radar on Facebook and sign the petition on their website.

UK Nuclear Energy

• The Telegraph: Teesside’s freeport and a business park on the outskirts of Birmingham have been listed as possible locations for a factory that will build a new generation of mini-nuclear power plants. Holtec, an American developer, said on Tuesday that it had narrowed its search down to 13 potential sites after inviting bids earlier this year.
• Recording of a recent talk by CND Vice-President Dr Ian Fairlie and Richard Outram from NFLA on an atomic dump under Cumbria.
• BBC: More than 500 workers at the Dounreay nuclear site have gone on strike in a dispute over pay.

Nuclear Energy

• The Telegraph: The ghost of Concorde stalks the Franco-British nuclear renaissance. Critics fear history is repeating itself as Flamanville opens late and vastly over budget.
• The operator of Japan’s destroyed Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant approved the extension of the operation of the aging No. 3 and 4 reactors at the Takahama nuclear plant by 20 years.

NATO / Europe

• The Telegraph: Ukrainian strike on Russian nuclear radar system causes alarm in West. Analysts warn Kyiv should avoid striking nuclear infrastructure after it carries out another attack on Russian territory.
• Atlantic Council on why NATO matters.
• Ukraine no nearer to joining NATO this year, Zelensky to be told at summit. Frustrated president has been asked not to appeal to member states, after rifts dominated alliance meeting last year.

Middle East & North Africa

• Wall Street Journal editorial on Iran’s nuclear programme, adding that Joe Biden is unwilling to publicly discuss the issue in an election year.
• Politico: Iran further increases its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
• The Atlantic: What If Iran already has the bomb? For the first time, Iranian officials are openly threatening to build a nuclear weapon—and even intimating that they already have.
• The Telegraph: US warns Sunak over censuring Iran at nuclear meeting. Joe Biden wary of IAEA resolution ahead of elections and while Middle East is in state of flux.

AUKUS & Indo-Pacific

• Japan Times: Who will ‘plug and play’ with AUKUS? Japan, South Korea and Canada are ready to step in and play key roles in Indo-Pacific security.
• Asia Times: India should think long and hard about joining AUKUS. India’s membership in AUKUS could spark a South Asia nuclear arms race and alienate ASEAN members opposed to regional militarisation.

Best,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament