DEEP under the Nevada desert last week, plutonium from a nuclear warhead was blasted with chemical explosives. The purpose was to study “the effects of ageing on the behaviour of nuclear materials”, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Code-named Krakatau after the explosive Indonesian volcano, the detonation did not trigger a nuclear chain reaction, but it did raise questions about the commitment of the US and UK to nuclear disarmament and to banning nuclear tests.
The blast took place about 140 kilometres north-west of Las Vegas on 23 February, and is only the second “sub-critical” nuclear test…
