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Nuclear Weapons

'Totally immoral' weapons found in share holdings of Australian ethical super funds

An ABC investigation into superannuation funds offering members "ethical" or "socially aware" options unearths millions of dollars of retirement savings invested in companies that make some of the most controversial and devastating weapons of war.
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A skyline view of Gaza showing two white phosphorus bombs exploding in the distance.

Russia announces nuclear weapons drills in response to Western 'provocative statements'

The Russian Defense Ministry announced the plans, saying they would be in response to "provocative statements" from Western officials in recent weeks.
A tank fires between two trees

Australian servicemen like Sam were 'guinea pigs' for nuclear bomb test that caused 'untold damage'

Sam Darke said he and other servicemen were "shocked" when they bore witness to Britain's nuclear bomb test at South Australia's Emu Field, feeling treated like "guinea pigs" who wore no protection and were simply told to cover their eyes.
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Two frames, one of a mushroom cloud, the other an old man with medals.

When the US put Australia on nuclear red alert, no-one told the prime minister

During the 1972 election campaign, Gough Whitlam promised to lift the lid on Pine Gap and share its secrets. Ultimately, as prime minister, he was left out of the loop.  
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Composite image of Gough Whitlam in front of a shot of Pine Gap, Alice Springs

Former soldier returns boomerang from nuclear test era to Maralinga's traditional owners

When Roy Vincent was stationed at Maralinga in 1961, he purchased a boomerang from the village store as a token of his adventure. Now in the twilight of his life, he is doing his best to right a generational wrong.
A black and white photo of a smiling soldier sitting in the open door of a truck, and a long brown boomerang.

'World's most prolific cyber thief': North Korea stealing cryptocurrency to fund nuclear weapons, UN report says

The United Nations says it is investigating cyberattacks worth $US3 billion allegedly orchestrated by North Korea. 
This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what it says is an intercontinental ballistic missile.

North Korea tests cruise missiles designed to be fired from submarines

State media says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has supervised test firings of new cruise missiles and reiterated his goal of building a nuclear-armed navy.
A small rocket launches off from the ocean with dark clouds in the background

North Korea warns to expect more nuclear weapons and war 'at any time' in 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sets economic, military and foreign policy goals for the coming year, lashing out at the US and vowing to launch new spy satellites, build military drones, and boost its nuclear arsenal.
A close up of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un giving a speech.

Traditional owners win conservation award for 'long, hard' victory over nuclear waste dump

A seven-year battle to prevent a radioactive medical waste facility being built on lands of the Barngarla community in South Australia has been recognised with an Australian Conservation Foundation award.
Dave Sweeney and Jason Bilney stand side by side in tshirts reading "don't dump on S.A", Jason holds the award

Russia denies it will resume testing after state media editor warns of 'nuclear ultimatum'

Russia says a moratorium on nuclear testing has not been abandoned, dismissing a suggestion by the editor of a state television channel that Moscow should detonate a nuclear device.
A woman dressed in red, looks with a neutral face, sitting, with the blue background

The delicate art of maintaining the United States' ageing nuclear weapons

As the US prepares to spend $1.16 trillion revamping its nuclear defences, a rare glimpse inside the country's missile bases reveals many maintenance tasks are still done by hand.
A close up image of a mechanical wristwatch being worked on by someone wearing purple gloves under a light

Australia accuses Russia of mocking the UN as Penny Wong calls for changes to how it works

The foreign minister puts a focus on conflict, climate change and nuclear weapons in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, calling for reforms to the UN to better respond to an "age of existential threats".
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Penny Wong stands at a podium which has a gold UN logo, featuring the countries of the globe, on it.

North Korea launches simulated nuclear strike as South and US wrap up military drills

South Korea and the United States were close to completing 11 days of military drills when the simulated strike occurred.
A Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile is launched into the air as part of a North Korea's test launch

analysis:Tensions surface as Albanese's ambitions become clear

Two years since the AUKUS deal was announced, the search for a sign that the government has made any progress on working out the details of the nuclear subs emits a sound as hollow as a sonar ping, writes Laura Tingle.
A man wearing glasses and a suit stands behind a lectern labelled "Working for Australia".

Former WA politician leading campaign to ban nuclear weapons

As the film Oppenheimer and war in Ukraine both draw attention to the threat of nuclear weapons, Melissa Parke says there is no better time for change.
ABC News Current
Duration: 2 minutes 16 seconds

New director of campaign to ban nuclear weapons says world has avoided full-scale war through 'dumb luck'

As the film Oppenheimer and war in Ukraine both draw the world's attention to the threat of nuclear weapons, Melissa Parke says there is no better time for change.
Melissa Parke.

An Australian helped shift Oppenheimer 'from the shadows of theory' to the Manhattan Project

The story of the first nuclear weapons is, in some respects, the story of a human chain reaction behind an atomic one. With scientists sharing information about the feasibility of a bomb, a crucial moment occurred in 1941, when Australian scientist Mark Oliphant met with American physicists in California.
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A composite image showing two physicists and the Nagasaki mushroom cloud.

Kim Jong Un joined by top Chinese and Russian officials in review of North Korea's nuclear-capable missiles and attack drones

Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu join North Korea's president to review nuclear-capable missiles and attack drones at a military parade in Pyongyang.
Kim Jong Un smiles as he clinks a red wine glass with a western man in military uniform in reception room

analysis:'This is the way the world ends': Nevil Shute warned us of nuclear annihilation. It's still a hot-button issue

Nevil Shute's classic novel of nuclear annihilation, On the Beach, was published in June 1957. But the threat he warned of is still very much at the top of our collective mind, writes Alexander Howard.
Big nuke explosion

Meet Robert Oppenheimer, the destroyer of worlds

Robert Oppenheimer is often placed next to Albert Einstein as the 20th century's most famous physicist, yet his name is not nearly so well known. Who was he and why will he forever be the "father of the atomic bomb"? 
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A black and white image of a young man smoking a cigarette.

AUKUS could expand in second phase to include other countries, US officials say

Senior US officials say they are in talks with a "variety" of other countries about potentially involving them in the second phase of the AUKUS agreement, with artificial intelligence and quantum technologies on the table.
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Joe Biden in sunglasses speaking while Anthony Albanese looks on

Iran unveils hypersonic ballistic missile 'capable of penetrating all defence shields'

Iran presents what officials describe as its first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile, an announcement likely to heighten Western concerns about Tehran's missile capabilities.
The Iranian flag  is shown with the new hypersonic missile called "fattah'.

Staff at Ukraine's experimental nuclear site spend their days patching up the plant after Russian missile strikes

There is activity at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, but it's not what scientists at this cutting-edge nuclear laboratory trained for.
A woman is standing in a scientific department that has been heavily damaged. The roof is gone and there is debris on the floor.

Lukashenko offers 'nuclear weapons for everyone' as Russia targets Kyiv with airstrikes

Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin's staunchest ally, invites other countries to "join in the Union State of Belarus and Russia" a week after the Kremlin deploys nuclear weapons in his country.
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ABC News Current

Russia moves ahead with deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus

Russia moves ahead with a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in the Kremlin's first deployment of such bombs outside Russia since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.
A Russian military officer walks past the 9M729 land-based cruise missile on display with its launcher