Dear all, 

Here are some of the top stories in the news this week. Thanks for your support.

 Britain

• Hamish de Bretton-Gordon writes in the The Telegraph about the possibility of Vladimir Putin using a nuclear weapon to finish the war in Ukraine but also mentions the US plan to deploy nuclear weapons to Britain: “There are plans to once again position US tactical nuclear weapons in the UK and this should be done with some urgency, and Trump must flex his very considerable conventional military muscle.”

Nuclear Disarmament

• Former Mexican president and member of the Elders group of former leaders, Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León writes about the enduring threat of nuclear weapons after 80 years.
• Japan Times: Heads of hibakusha groups urge Pope Leo to promote abolition of nukes.
• Common Dreams: Pope Leo XIV must follow in Francis’ footsteps and stand up for the environment and against nuclear weapons.

Iran

• Fox News claims to have found satellite images of what it says to be a secret Iranian nuclear facility. The images were supplied by the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

AUKUS / Asia-Pacific

• UK in a Changeing Europe: Following Australia’s recent election that saw Anthony Albanese’s Labor party win an unexpected majority, Tom Howe and Ben Wellings discuss the prospects for the AUKUS alliance and the challenges balancing policy towards the US and China could present the new Australian government.
• LBC has an opinion piece from an Australian academic on British-Australian military collaberation.

NATO / Europe

• Russian drone strike caused tens of millions worth of damage to Chornobyl. Attack from mid-February damaged €1.5bn containment structure over nuclear reactor with repair costs likely to be borne by western governments.
• The Guardian: Inside the Chornobyl exclusion zone – in pictures.

Kashmir

• CND and ICAN statements expressing concern over the escalating tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan over Kashmir, and calling for diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the dispute, and for both sides to start engaging with the TPNW.
• Sone coverage of the nuclear element of the tensions from Al Jazeera, ITV, and the Independent.

Best,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament