Top News UK hits pause on defese review due to coronavirus Defense News U.S. accuses Russia of putting US pilots at risk during aerial encounter and testing an anti-satellite missile CNN Iran pushes ahead with nuclear development despite pandemic restrictions NEI Magazine United States U.S. accuses Russia of putting US pilots at risk during aerial encounter and testing an anti-satellite missile CNN4/15/20 The US military accused a Russian fighter jet of putting the crew of a US Navy surveillance plane at risk while performing a high-speed inverted maneuver in front of the US aircraft during an “unsafe” intercept Wednesday over the Mediterranean Sea. OPINION: COVID-19 and the Doomsday Clock: Observations on managing global risk Bulletin of Atomic Scientists4/15/20 On January 23, 2020, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the hands of the Doomsday Clock forward to 100 seconds to midnight. OPINION: Trump’s fake news on arms control? The HillSteven Pifer 4/14/20 Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Barack Obama on April 8, 2010, called last week for the United States to agree to extend the treaty. East Asia Top general: Latest North Korea missile test not ‘particularly provocative’ The Hill4/14/20 The top general in the U.S. military on Tuesday said that he does not view North Korea’s latest missile test as “particularly provocative.” Middle East Iran pushes ahead with nuclear development despite pandemic restrictions NEI Magazine4/15/20 The head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), Ali Akbar Salehi, said on 8 April in a message marking National Nuclear Technology Day that Iran’s nuclear activities were continuing despite the novel coronavirus outbreak and continuing US sanctions. Russia and Europe UK hits pause on defese review due to coronavirus Defense News4/14/20 The British government has hit the pause button on its integrated defense review as it pours its efforts into battling the coronavirus crisis, Cabinet Office officials have told the parliamentary Defence Committee. Russia, US to restart arms control talks and OPEC+ deal impotent on prices TASS4/15/20 Moscow and Washington intend to restart work on strategic stability issues, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on April 14, Vedomosti writes. OPINION: US-Russia relations in 2020: The end of effective arms control? European Leadership NetworkGabriella Gricius 4/16/20 The United States and Russia made little to no progress on Strategic Arms Control in 2019. South Asia OPINION: India determined to nuclearize Indian Ocean Eurasian ReviewSyed Zain Jaffery 4/15/20 Interestingly, the Indian Ocean had never been nuclearized even during the Cold War. Multilateral Arms Control OPINION: Public Health Crisis Offers new lens towards nuclear disarmament The Hill TimesEarl Turcotte 4/15/20 The COVID crisis might also serve as a cautionary tale, helping us appreciate the fragility of life and avoid threats to humanity.