Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Nuclear powers spend big on new weapons

ICAN, which was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, found that spending on nuclear weapons had risen three per cent from 2021

Nuclear powers spend big on new weapons

The world’s nuclear powers, including India and China, increased investment in their arsenals for a third consecutive year in 2022 amid swelling geopolitical tensions, two re - ports showed on Monday (12).

The world’s nine nuclear-armed states jointly spent $82.9 billion (£65.7bn) on their arsenals last year, with the United States accounting for more than half of that, according to a new report from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).


ICAN, which was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, found that spending on nuclear weapons had risen three per cent from 2021, marking the third consecutive annual increase. India showed the most drastic spending jump, dishing out $2.7 billion – 21.8 per cent more than a year earlier – while Britain raised its spending level by 11 per cent to $6.8 billion.

Washington spent $43.7 billion, which was slightly less than a year earlier but was still far ahead of all other countries, the report showed.

China was next in line with $11.7 billion spent, followed by Russia at $9.6 billion - both marking an increase of around six per cent from 2021.

The $82.9 bn spent amount - ed to $157,664 for every minute of 2022, ICAN said in its report entitled Wasted: 2022 Global Nuclear Weapons Spending .

China increased its stockpile from 350 to 410 warheads, while India, Pakistan and North Korea also upped their stockpiles. Russia’s grew to a smaller extent, from 4,477 to 4,489, while the remaining nuclear powers maintained the size of their arsenals.

Russia and the United States together have almost 90 per cent of all nuclear weapons.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SI - PRI), meanwhile, released a re - port showing that the total number of nuclear warheads held by Britain, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Paki - stan, Russia and the United States was down to 12,512 at the outset of this year, from 12,710 at the start of 2022.

While some of that included older warheads scheduled to be dismantled, SIPRI said 9,576 were in “military stockpiles for potential use” - 86 more than a year earlier.

“We are approaching, or maybe have already reached, the end of a long period of the number of nuclear weapons worldwide declining,” SIPRI di - rector Dan Smith said.

Pointing to the stockpile of usable nuclear warheads, Smith said “those numbers are begin - ning to tick up”, while adding that they remain far below the more than 70,000 seen during the 1980s. “The big picture is we have had more that 30 years of the number of nuclear warheads coming down, and we see that process coming to an end now,” Smith said.

The ICAN report also high - lighted how arms companies involved in the production of nuclear weapons received new contracts worth just under $16 billion last year, and in turn spent $113 million lobbying governments in the United States and France alone.

Globally, nuclear-armed countries have contracts with companies to produce nuclear weapons worth at least $278.6 billion, continuing in some cases through to 2040, it said.

Researchers at SIPRI also noted that diplomatic efforts on nuclear arms control and disarmament had suffered setbacks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Russia has for instance sus - pended participation in New START, a Cold War-era treaty that limits warheads and allows verification by both sides. At the same time, Smith said the in - crease in stockpiles could not be explained by the war in Ukraine, as it takes a longer time to develop new warheads and the bulk of the increase was among countries not directly affected.

China has also invested heavily in all parts of its military as its economy and influence have grown. “What we’re seeing is China stepping up as a world power,” Smith said. (AFP)

More For You

Trump says 'won’t get Nobel' as Pakistan backs 2026 nomination

Donald Trump walks out of the Oval Office before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on June 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Trump says 'won’t get Nobel' as Pakistan backs 2026 nomination

PAKISTAN government has announced that it will formally nominate US president Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his “decisive diplomatic intervention” during the recent military tensions between India and Pakistan.

The announcement was made on Saturday (21) on X, just days after president Trump hosted Pakistan Army Chief general Asim Munir at the White House.

Keep ReadingShow less
King Charles praises yoga as thousands join global celebrations

Yoga Day celebrations in the UK (Photo: X/@HCI_London)

King Charles praises yoga as thousands join global celebrations

HUNDREDS of people gathered in central London on Friday (20) evening to mark the 10th International Day of Yoga, with King Charles III sending a special message of support for the ancient practice that continues to grow in popularity across Britain.

The celebration took place at an iconic square on the Strand, organised by the Indian High Commission in partnership with King's College London. High commissioner Vikram Doraiswami opened the proceedings by reading out the King's personal message from Buckingham Palace.

Keep ReadingShow less
Parliament backs assisted dying in historic law shift

Supporters of the assisted dying law for terminally ill people hold a banner, on the day British lawmakers are preparing to vote on the bill, in London, Britain, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Parliament backs assisted dying in historic law shift

PARLIAMENT voted on Friday (20) in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, paving the way for the country's biggest social change in a generation.

314 lawmakers voted in favour with 291 against the bill, clearing its biggest parliamentary hurdle.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India

An Air India Airbus A320-200 aircraft takes off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, July 7, 2017. Picture taken July 7, 2017.

Regulator warns Air India over delayed emergency equipment checks: Report

INDIA’s aviation regulator has warned Air India for violating safety rules after three of its Airbus aircraft operated flights without undergoing mandatory checks on emergency escape slides, according to official documents reviewed by Reuters.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued warning notices and a detailed investigation report highlighting the breach. These documents were sent days before the recent crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8, in which all but one of the 242 people onboard were killed. The Airbus incidents are unrelated to that crash.

Keep ReadingShow less
assisted dying bill

Pro and anti-assisted dying campaigners protest ahead of a parliamentary decision later today, on June 20, 2025 in London.

Getty Images

MPs to vote on assisted dying bill amid divided views

UK MPs are set to hold a key vote on assisted dying on Friday, which could either advance or halt a proposed law that would allow terminally ill adults to end their lives under strict conditions.

The vote follows several hours of debate in the House of Commons and will decide whether the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill moves to the House of Lords for further scrutiny or is dropped altogether.

Keep ReadingShow less