Pakistan Has More Nukes Than India, Shows New Infographic

Pakistan had about 120 atomic weapons, 10 more than India, in its nuclear arsenal in 2014, according to a new interactive infographic unveiled by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

 

Designed by the Bulletin, founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who had helped develop the first atomic weapons in the Manhattan Project, the infographic tracks the number and history of nuclear weapons in the nine nuclear weapon states.

The Nuclear Notebook Interactive Infographic provides a visual representation of the Bulletin's famed Nuclear Notebook, which since 1987 has tracked the number and type of the world's nuclear arsenals.

Having reached a peak of over 65,000 in the late 1980s, the number of nuclear warheads has dropped significantly to a little over 10,000, but more countries now possess them, it shows.

According to the infographic, the United States and Russia both have about 5,000 weapons each.

France has 300, China 250, the United Kingdom 225 and Israel 80. North Korea has only conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

"I don't think people truly understand just how many of these weapons there are in the world," said Rachel Bronson, executive director of the Bulletin.

"The Interactive is a way to see, immediately, who has nuclear weapons and when they got them, and how those numbers relate to each other. It is a startling experience, looking at those comparisons."

The authors of the Nuclear Notebook are Hans M Kristensen and Robert S Norris, both with the Federation of American Scientists.

In the most recent edition of the Nuclear Notebook, the authors discuss the Notebook's 28 year history and describe how sometimes host countries learned of foreign nuclear weapons on their soil from the Nuclear Notebook.

Over 28 years of weapons analysis, the Nuclear Notebook column has revealed surprise nuclear activity and spot-on arsenal estimates while becoming a daily resource for scholars, activists and journalists.

"We wanted a way to communicate those numbers visually, because the world we live may be data-driven, it's also visual," said John Mecklin, editor of the Bulletin.

"The new infographic makes this vital information even more accessible." 

 

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Australia-India Uranium Deal Under Scrutiny For 'Lack of Safeguards'

Australia‬'s ‪‎uranium‬ ‪deal‬ with ‪India‬ is under scrutiny following the warning of a former chief ‪atomic‬ ‪‎watchdog‬ that the ‪‎treaty did not have all the safeguards necessary to prevent India from fuelling its ‪‎nuclear‬ ‪‎bombs‬.

 

 
The treaties committee of ‪Parliament‬ was urged to endorse the deal signed by Australian Prime Minister ‪Tony Abbott‬ in September before exports of uranium can begin, The Age reported. However, John Carlson, former head of Australia's nuclear safeguards organisation, told the parliament committee that the nuclear weapons programme of India is expanding with complex links to non-government reactors.

Russia still relies on nuclear triad - Putin

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said that the nuclear triad, a three-legged nuclear capability that is traditionally comprised of strategic bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-based ballistic missiles, continues to be the bedrock of the country's military defense.

The president today spoke before an assembly of physics and engineering students at a prominent Russian institute. When asked on the country's defense priorities, Putin said they were primarily focused on preserving the nuclear triad.

"I personally believe that the day will come when the human race will give up nuclear weapons, but it's nowhere in sight, meaning that not only Russia but also many other countries still have nuclear arsenals."

"They [nuclear powers] are not going to scrap these weapons yet. It would be strange for the Russian Federation to take such a step in this climate, because such a move would lead to dire consequences both for our country and our people," Putin said.

Vladimir Putin highlighted a number of other defense priorities, including developing new communication systems, technical reconnaissance, space technologies and high-precision weapons.

He told students that Russia would continue to rely on its Air Force and Navy and added that a focus would be necessary on applied and fundamental sciences, such as the science of materials.

Putin believes humanity will give up nukes, but not yet

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he believes the day will come when the human race will scrap its nuclear weapons arsenals – but it is not in the offing yet.

Speaking before an audience of engineering and physics students in Moscow, the Russian leader said: “I personally believe that humanity will eventually give up nuclear weapons, but this day is nowhere in sight.”

He also said that Russia would never dismantle its nuclear warheads unilaterally, since this step might have dire repercussions for the country.

Voice of Russia, TASS, RIA