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No to nuclear for Nigeria – already hit by the health toll from uranium mining

logo-NO-nuclear-SmNGO warns FG That Setting up a nuclear power plant in Nigeria would be suicidal,  FunGrade, 29 June 15 
Mr Nnimmo Bassey, the Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), said setting up a nuclear plant in Nigeria would be suicidal given the high level of operational challenges it would face. Bassey said this in Abuja while presenting a paper titled: “Risks and deaths as workers generate wealth’’ organised by HOMEF’s Sustainability Academy on Health and the Extractive Sector Workers. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the programme was sponsored by the UNDP and the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with HOMEF. He said that the setting up of a nuclear plant was suicidal because of the high technical and environmental demand associated with handling radioactive materials. “Uranium and nuclear power plants are inseparable. ”
Nigeria has found it difficult to run simple hydroelectric and thermal power plants. “It would be suicidal to install nuclear power plants here,’’ Bassey said. The director said the proposal to site such a facility in Akwa Ibom would not be advisable because of the serious environmental implication. “And to think of locating one in Akwa Ibom State is nothing but adding insult to injury in an already highly polluted Niger Delta. “It will also be a time bomb set against the workers,’’ he said. Bassey said that the sustainability academy was aimed at highlighting the fact that workers and communities were at the frontlines of exposure to toxic chemicals that often result in fatalities. The director further said that more than 2.3 million workers worldwide had been exposed to work-related diseases or accidents annually. He said that more than one million extractive industries workers die annually of toxic chemical across the globe.

He quoted the ITUC’s Secretary General to have said that occupational cancer was not a mystery disease but result of workers’ exposure to danger when working with cancer-inducing chemicals. Bassey said that workers with asbestos and petrochemical companies were exposed to high presence of benzene which could cause cancer. He further quoted the ITUC leader as saying, “wherever stricter controls are proposed, industry representatives or their hired guns appear, challenging the science and predicting an economic catastrophe.’’ Bassey said that companies in the extractive sector spent huge amount of money in efforts to block regulations seeking to curb the use of certain chemicals to reduce the exposure of workers to harm. “To do this, they churn out tonnes of publications and glossy so-called sustainability reports while all the time promoting what has been described as paralysis by analysis……..
 
He said that miners in Namibia digging uranium ore for mining companies had developed lung cancer, leukemia, kidney diseases and other ailments from the free particles and radioactive gas inhaled during the process. Bassey said one of the miners testified that the doctors were instructed not to inform them about their results or illnesses but kept supplying them with medications when they were finished or about to die. The director said that in spite of the health and safety measures announced by extractive sector, workers sometimes were not aware of the dangers their daily toil portend. “Sadly, however, some workers fully aware that they are making a dying, not a living as they toil in dangerous activities continue in silence due to fear of job losses,’’………http://fungrade.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/setting-up-nuclear-power-plant-in.html

July 1, 2015 Posted by | Nigeria, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Balloon Shuts Down Indian Point Nuclear Plant

Nuclear Shutdown News – June 2015: Balloon Shuts Down Troubled Indian Point Plant, San Diago Free Press JUNE 30, 2015 BY AT LARGE  By Michael Steinberg / Black Rain Press

Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the continuing decline of the US nuclear industry, and the efforts of those who are working to bring about a nuclear free future. As US nukes increasingly approach or surpass their 40 year lives, they are becoming more qnd more dangerous and outdated. They need to be shut down and replaced with renewable energy sources—now!

1. Balloon Shuts Down Indian Point Plant

On June 16 the New York state The Journal News reported, “a balloon tangled in electrical wires led to a sequence of events resulting in the shutdown of the Indian Point nuclear plant,” which is located 35 miles up the Hudson River from New York City.

The Journal News reported that plant operators asked workers to “open an electrical circuit so they could remove a large Mylar balloon caught in wires south of the plant.”

But soon thereafter another circuit breaker also opened, “resulting in automatic shutdown of Indian Point reactor 3.”

As reported in last month’s Nuclear Shutdown News, that same reactor shut down in May after a fire and explosion. That accident resulted in the dumping of large amounts of water, firefighting foam and oil into the Hudson River.

In recent years New York state has been trying to get Indian Point owner Entergy to permanently shut it down because of increasingly unsafe conditions and its proximity to New York City.  Source: The Journal News

2. The Homer Simpson Rules:Pacific Gas & Electric fails to load spent fuel at Diablo Canyon properly…….

3. South Korea’s oldest nuke may shut down…….

4. Delays at Fukushima Extended On June 10 Fukushimaupdate.com reported that removal of spent nuclear fuel from the multiple meltdown Fukushima nuclear plant has once again been pushed back.

Fukushima Updaste cited The Japan Times in reporting that the Japanese government and Fukushima owner TEPCO are now planning to delay removing the nuclear fuel from melted down reactor #1 “for up to three years.”

Actually they have to find it first!

In addition, Fukushima Update reported that removal of spent fuel from the reactor 3 spent fuel pool has been pushed back two more years.  And removal of spent fuel from the pools for rectors 1 and 2 has beeb dekayed until Fiscal year 2020.  The government says the complete decommissioning of Fukushima will take “30-40 years>”

The site also reported that the government is now saying that “the current plan has placed too much burden on workers at the nuclear complex.” Sources: Fukushimaupdate.com., Japan Times  http://sandiegofreepress.org/2015/06/nuclear-shutdown-news-june-2015-balloon-shuts-down-troubled-indian-point-plant/

 

July 1, 2015 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Deadlin efor Iran nuclear deal is extended to July 7

Iran nuclear talks: Major powers agree to extend deadline for historic deal to July 7 ABC News 1 July 15
Iran and six major powers have given themselves until July 7 to clinch a historic nuclear deal as a midnight deadline approached in marathon talks with no breakthrough in sight.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who joined the talks in Vienna on Tuesday, said he believed that, after almost two years of trying, a deal ending the 13-year standoff was “within reach”

The talks are “progressing in a positive direction”, Mr Lavrov told Russian television after meeting US secretary of state John Kerry.

“There remain questions, mostly regarding procedural issues rather than technical.

“We have all reason to believe that results are within reach.”……. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-01/iran-nuclear-talks-deadline-extended-to-july-7/6585422

July 1, 2015 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Pope gathering Catholics’ strength in campaign against global warming

Paul Vallely: The Pope’s ecological vow.
Pope Francis knows that if the consciences of ordinary Catholics can be pricked, they may begin to adjust their life choices – and that could create pressure for political action. Climate change skeptics may well find that in Francis they have met their most formidable opponent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/29/opinion/the-popes-ecological-vow.html?_r=1 & http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-6225208999493232620

Climate change demonstrators march to the Vatican in inter-religious support of Pope Francis’ stance
Several thousand demonstrators from various faiths marched through Rome to the Vatican to demand action on climate change in light of Pope Francis’ recent call to action.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-29/climate-change-demonstrators-demand-action-in-vatican-rally/6580730

 

July 1, 2015 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Class action against Uranium Energy Corp. (NYSE:UEC) and certain officers of the company

Pomerantz Files Class action Lawsuit Against Uranium Energy http://uraniuminvestingnews.com/22478/pomerantz-files-class-action-lawsuit-against-uranium-energy.html  June 30, 2015,

Pomerantz LLP announced that it has filed a class action lawsuit against Uranium Energy Corp. (NYSE:UEC) and certain officers of the company. This follows an announcement on June 19 that the law firm was investigating claims on behalf of UEC investors.

As quoted in the press release:

The class action, filed in United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, and docketed under 15-cv-01862, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities who purchased Uranium Energy securities between October 14, 2014 and June 17, 2015 inclusive (the “Class Period”).  This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”).

If you are a shareholder who purchased Uranium Energy securities during the Class Period, you have until August 28, 2015 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class.  A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.

The Complaint alleges throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Uranium Energy stock achieved an unsustainable valuation by using paid stock promoters, yet failed to disclose the use of such promoters in its regulatory filings pursuant to Section 17(b) of the Securities Act of 1933; and (2) as a result of the foregoing, Uranium Energy’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

Click here to read the full Pomerantz LLP press release.

 

July 1, 2015 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Walter Pincus on the astronomic costs of USA’s nuclear warheads

nuclear-warheadsIt seems the Pentagon can never have enough deployed nuclear warheads WP By Walter Pincus Reporter June 29 Rhetoric about nuclear weapons is heating up between Washington and Moscow, but there is no need to reinstate the foolish and wasteful arms race that dominated the Cold War period.

For one reason, the security challenges have changed.  Having 1,500 or more deployed U.S. nuclear warheads on land- or sea-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, or strategic aircraft with nuclear bombs or missiles, will not help a U.S. president defeat terrorists or deal with proxy wars somewhere in the world — or even protect American assets in the new confrontational arenas of space and cyberspace.

There also are the astronomical costs for modernizing not just the current triad of delivery systems — the strategic submarines, bombers and land-based ICBMs — but also continuing the life-extension programs for the nuclear stockpile and upgrading the nuclear weapons-building complex itself.

Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work told the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday that the cost for all that modernization would average $18 billion a year from 2021 through 2035 — or $252 billion over that 14-year period…………..

I am not saying nuclear weapons are useless. I am suggesting the United States doesn’t need a nuclear force large enough to survive a decapitating first strike because there is no such threat — the idea of a Soviet first strike was a myth, but nonetheless it led to the Cold War nuclear arms race. Let’s not do it again. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/it-seems-the-pentagon-can-never-have-enough-deployed-nuclear-warheads/2015/06/29/3defafbe-1c3e-11e5-93b7-5eddc056ad8a_s

July 1, 2015 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Russia trying to sell nuclear reactors to Europe, but financing them is a snag

Rosatom says it offers reliable nuclear supplies to Europe June 30, 2015 Russian nuclear giant Rosatom offers its European partners reliable and efficient solutions in the field of nuclear power plant construction, as well as modernization and output, said the head of Rosatom France, Andrey Rozhdestvin.

“We are already successfully implementing the construction of nuclear power plants in Finland, Hungary and Turkey,” Rozhdestvin said at the 10th European Atomic Energy Conference that took place in Brussels.

“We are participating in the modernization of Kozloduy NPP together with French EDF; we have extensive experience and unique competence of the backend,” he added…… The main challenge the nuclear power industry is currently facing is finding optimal financing options for nuclear power plant construction, experts said. http://rt.com/business/270814-rosatom-europe-nuclear-projects/

July 1, 2015 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

New WikiLeaks Documents Reveal NSA Spied On Top French Companies

  by  | Jun 30, 2015  “……in addition to eavesdropping French Economy Ministers François Baroin and Pierre Moscovici between 2004 and 2012, the NSA gathered as much data as possible on big French companies. In particular, the agency wanted to know more about the companies that signed expensive export contracts for industrial goods, such as nuclear power plants, planes, high speed trains, etc……..

The second document also states that the NSA could share this information with its closest allies — the U.K., Canada, New Zealand and Australia. It’s unclear whether the NSA is still actively spying on French companies. ……http://wearechange.org/new-wikileaks-documents-reveal-nsa-spied-on-top-french-companies/

July 1, 2015 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

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