Global nuclear weapon spending saw a significant increase in 2021 according to the latest International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) report published on Tuesday. In just one year, the nine nuclear-armed nations – US, China, Russia, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the United Kingdom – spent a …
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The risk of nuclear weapons being used is higher “than at any time since the height of the Cold War,” the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a leading weapons watchdog, has warned. The shrinking global stockpile of nuclear weapons is now expected to begin growing once again, according to …
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China has achieved “significant progress” in developing new nuclear weapons, but will never use them first, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said on Sunday. During an appearance at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top security conference, the minister was asked to comment on the current level of nuclear weapon development. Wei …
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The French government is looking into whistleblower allegations that a state-run utility agency attempted to conceal safety issues at a nuclear power plant, with prosecutors confirming they are following up on complaints filed late last year. Officials in Marseille launched an investigation into the alleged safety problems last month after …
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A military aircraft of unspecified type crashed on Wednesday in California’s Imperial County, about 30 miles north of the Mexican border. The five people on board are presumed dead. Preliminary reports mentioned “nuclear material” on board. While the US Marine Corps has confirmed there was a crash, no details have …
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Tehran has announced it is ceasing “voluntary” cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) outside of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), on Wednesday. The move would see the UN nuclear watchdog’s cameras at the Iranian nuclear facilities dismantled if they are not covered by the NPT safeguards, the Iranian …
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The US-led NATO alliance is not inclined to give Russia any security guarantees on the deployment of nuclear weapons on the territories of its two prospective members, Finland and Sweden, Deputy Secretary-General Camille Grand has said. “Every country is free in the nuclear field to deploy or not to deploy …
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A senior US official has vowed a “forceful response” should North Korea conduct a nuclear test, following Pyongyang’s latest ballistic missile launch over the weekend, which was matched by a similar show of force from Washington and Seoul. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with her South Korean counterpart, Deputy …
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Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said “nobody should forget” about situations that could force Russia to use nuclear weapons, but stressed that “no one wants nuclear war.” Since the launch of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine in late February, relations between Moscow and the West have soured to the …
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The UN’s nuclear watchdog is worried that some of the fissile materials that could potentially be used to produce a nuclear weapon could go missing in Ukraine. The nightmare scenario was shared on Wednesday by Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), at a panel …
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