CND Press Digest: Thursday 30th May 2024

Nukes in Britain

• CEPA: An Anglo-French deterrent for European NATO — but everyone has to pay.
• MSN: Following the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Global Nukes

• Washington Post: The United States fears that recent Ukrainian drone strikestargeting Russian nuclear early-warning systems could dangerously unsettle Moscow at a time when the Biden administration is weighing whether to lift restrictions on Ukraine using US-supplied weapons in cross-border attacks.
• Newsweek and South China Morning Post on calls by a Russian TV host for a demonstrative nuclear explosion, to dissuade Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia territory.
• Dawn: Pakistan doesn’t have No First Use policy.
• Quieting the nuclear rattle: Responding to Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons exercises.
• Report to Congress on Russia’s nuclear weapons.
• Modeling the threat of nuclear war. As part of his MIT doctoral studies in nuclear science and engineering, Eli Sanchez investigated whether hypersonic missiles threaten global security.

UK Nuclear Energy

• In her final column before the general election, Stroud MP Siobhan Baillie calls for Gloucestershire’s Oldbury to become the site of a small modular reactor, citing nearby nuclear project at Hinkley Point and the proposed developments at Sizewell in Suffolk, and Wylfa in Anglesey.
• The Northern Echo and ITV on the shortlisting of Teeside as the potential location of a £1.3 billion SMR factory.
• The Times: Seven women who claim they were bullied and intimidated by an employment tribunal judge have accused the senior judiciary of trying to cover up their complaints. Among the complaints is Sellafield whistleblower Alison McDermott, who had her claim for whistleblowing detriment by Judge Philip Lancaster in 2021.

Nuclear Energy

• Reuters: The White House on Wednesday plans to announce new measures to support the development of new US nuclear power plants, a large potential source of carbon-free electricity the government says is needed to combat climate change.

NATO / Europe

• Euronews asks: Who will be next NATO secretary general?
• Sky News reports on the recent NATO war games, labelling the exercises “a warning for Putin to stay away.”
• FT: Europe has only a fraction of the air defence capabilities needed to protect its eastern flank, according to NATO’s own internal calculations, laying bare the scale of the continent’s vulnerabilities.
• The Telegraph has started a week-long series of articles under the title – What if Putin wins? – with former Ukrainian MP Aliona Hlivco, considering “the devastating impact for the NATO alliance.”
• Al Jazeera: NATO’s top diplomats meet as Ukraine seeks long-range weapons to hit Russia.

Middle East & North Africa

• Al Jazeera: China’s Xi calls for peace conference to end ‘tremendous suffering’ in Gaza

AUKUS & Indo-Pacific

• Breaking Defense: P-8 ‘trilateral algorithm’ to hit field this year, as AUKUS Pillar II eyes quantum clocks, AI projects.
• KBR said it welcomed the Australian government’s announcement that the company had been selected to provide concept design services for the new nuclear powered submarine construction yard at Osborne in South Australia.

Best,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament