First Thing: Global spending on nuclear weapons up 13% in record rise

A Russian soldier operates a non-strategic nuclear missile during drills on the border of Russia and Belarus. Photograph: Russian Defence Ministry Press S Handout/EPA

Good morning.

Global expenditure on nuclear weapons is estimated to have risen by 13% to a record $91.4bn in 2023, according to calculations from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican), propelled by a sharp increase in US defense budgets.