I was most pleased to read that President Xi has rebuked the Russians over their loose talk about the use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict. Bluff or no bluff, threats of using any kind of nuclear device are grossly irresponsible. Apart from the disturbed rantings of the North Korean regime, no other country with nukes has ever suggested that they might be rolled out in a conventional war. Russia deserves the sternest and most universal condemnation in this regard. So well done President Xi.

On a related topic, I have been watching a PBS series on Youtube on American Presidents, specifically Harry Truman. Truman, apart from being one of the most accidental of Presidents, is also the man who authorized the use of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. More correctly, I should say, he told the US military that they should go ahead and use them, only withdrawing consent after the second blast. I can't blame Truman - anyone in the office would have done the same - but the awfulness of those two decisions reverberates to this day.

About 20 years ago I drove from Sanda to Hiroshima as part of our summer holiday trip. I still vividly recall the museum at Peace Park - the artifacts left over from the blast - burnt lunch boxes and school uniforms, horrible photos of burns, that shadow on a step of a real person who disintegrated at that moment. 

Truly, these dreadful weapons must be banned and removed from every arsenal, forever.