Dear all,

Please find this week’s roundup below. Thank you all for your continued support.

CND Weekly Digest: Friday, 13 November 2024

Nobel Prize

• CND’s press release congratulating Nihon Hidankyo on accepting the Nobel peace prize.
• Euronews reports on Tuesday’s Nobel peace prize ceremony to Nihon Hidankyo.
• ICAN’s Melissa Parke has an opinion piece in Al Jazeera about the Hibakusha and their call for nuclear weapons abolition.

Ukraine

• Russia on Wednesday accused the Ukrainian armed forces of attacking a car used to transport experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Dec. 10, saying someone could have been killed.
• Director General Rafael Grossi said: “I condemn in the most firm terms this attack on IAEA staff. Fortunately, there were no victims, and our teams are safe. The rotation has been completed. I have said in the past that attacking a nuclear power plant is a no-go. Attacking those who care for the nuclear safety and security of these plants is also absolutely unacceptable.”
• Belarus leader says more than dozen nuclear warheads have been moved into country. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko made a chilling statement when he was asked about plans to deploy the Russian Oreshnik missile system in Belarus.

Nukes in Britain

• Sophie’s latest blog post on Labour’s military-industrial strategy.
• Nuclear Decommissioning Authority subsidiary Nuclear Transport Solutions has been awarded funding by the UK government to spearhead the development of transport capabilities for the UK’s future use of high-assay low-enriched uranium.
• The GMB union has called for Sellafield to be redeveloped for Small Modular Reactor plants.

Global Nukes

• The Telegraph on how the Chagos island deal could result in the US not being able to keep nuclear weapons there.
• Rocket fuel eating away at US, China nuclear weapons. Fast-aging fuel has likely rendered many US and Chinese ICBMs unusable, raising urgent questions about their nuclear arsenals.

Nuclear Power

• Reuters: Iran has agreed to tougher monitoring by the UN nuclear watchdog at its Fordow site dug into a mountain after it greatly accelerated uranium enrichment to close to weapons grade there.
• Times of Israel: Trump weighing options to stop Iran going nuclear, including preemptive strikes – report.

Fukushima

• Fukushima: Disaster response is to spread radioactive waste to the commons.

NATO / Europe

• NATO’s European members discuss 3% target for military spending. Increased military expenditure could be agreed at next year’s summit, intensifying pressure on national budgets.

AUKUS

• Will Donald Trump kill US-UK-Aussie sub defense deal? The landmark defense agreement between the US, UK and Australia could be in jeopardy with the maverick Republican back in the White House.

Taiwan